Bits and Pieces of Our Days: Of Art Journals, Ewoks, and Books, Glorious Books

Ramona and I have decided to do some drawing and sketching every day. We decorated the covers of our art journals:

and then we got started. Ramona drew a portrait of her sister Betsy as Rey (funny, because I originally blog-named her Betsy Ray of Betsy-Tacy fame) from The Force Awakens: 

I love the glasses. 

Here's another of Rey (I think Ramona actually did this one before we started the new art journals, shortly after our second viewing of The Force Awakens): 

And this is her sketch of a pushcart 

from our current read-aloud, The Pushcart War (which we are both thoroughly enjoying.) 

My subjects have been a little less exciting than Force Awakens characters, but that's okay. We're having fun drawing together, promising not to compare, and not lamenting that we're not perfect. 

My rendition of the pushcart, from the delightful Pushcart War: 

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Speaking of read-alouds, Ramona likes to have something to occupy her hands while I read, so she decided to make (cross-stitch? Embroider?) an Ewok. 

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In other read-aloud news, we finished The Titan's Curse and are now headed into The Battle of the Labyrinth. Ah, the joys of Greek mythology a la Riordan! 

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What have I been reading lately? 

I fell in love with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. It was lyrical and lovely. A timeless theme -- that the ordinary is actually extraordinary -- is handled with charm, humor, poignancy, and heart. Highly recommended. 

And for cozy, warm, better-than-a-comforter bedtime reading? Nothing beats a good, old Betsy-Tacy book. 

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Anne-with-an-e just came home from the library with Connie Willis' Blackout. So I'm suddenly in the mood to read Blackout, All Clear, and Doomsday Book. 

But first, I have to finish reading Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone. 

Arrgh! Too many books! Not enough time!