Four things fifty-two — a short introduction to this piece.
Four things fifty-two: Quick Notes
It’s hard to believe we’re in the final two months of 2025. Didn’t it just start? I remember someone telling me I pressed the fast-forward button on my life when I was holding a newborn Marshall in my arms, and she was right. The years seem so fleeting and precious, and our growing, maturing boys are a great measuring stick for the passage of time. I love this time of year, though—the cooler temperatures and build-up of anticipation to Christmas. I’m feeling particularly childlike as this holiday season approaches. I’m eager to start decorating and working on handmade projects, baking, and then enjoying the calm between Christmas and New Year’s. This will be our fourth Christmas in this house, and I think I finally feel settled here. I’m learning it takes about that long, about three years, to feel at home in a new house. And that feels good.
Here are my four things for the week: Pride & Prejudice, Saxons & Normans, aged books, and recent paintings…
what I’m reading
As is my custom, I’m actually reading a few books at once, but the one I am reading most is Pride & Prejudice. I read Sense & Sensibility last week and decided to read all of Austen’s novels after visiting her home. (You can read about that HERE.) Some I will read for the first time, and some I am revisiting after a long absence. Mansfield Park will be next, and I already can’t wait to read that one again, but I’m enjoying Pride & Prejudice so much. Mr. Collins is hysterical. I’m actually laughing out loud at some of the descriptions.
I’ll share them separately in turn, but my current book stack also includes My Dear Cassandra, A Jane Austen Year, and a few others about the Cotswolds and England.
what I’m watching
After meeting with Carol, a metal-detecting expert, while in England, I realized I don’t know as much about early English history as I would like. So, I’ve started doing a bit of reading and research on the Saxons, Danes, and Norman conquest. This led me to a limited series on Amazon about the period leading up to the Battle of Hastings – King & Conqueror. I read that it’s not historically accurate, but most historical shows aren’t. They just give you a dramatized flavor of some actual events mixed with a lot of imagined happenings sprinkled in for entertainment. Anyway, I haven’t finished the series yet, but I’ve enjoyed it despite the criticism from historical purists.
Does anyone have any good book suggestions on the subject?
what I’m loving
“Think not of the books you’ve bought as a ‘to be read’ pile. Instead, think of your bookcase as a wine cellar. You collect books to be read at the right time, the right place, and the right mood.” – Luc Van Donkersgoed
I like the idea of books aging to the time of perfection, so you can crack them open on just the right occasion.
what I’m working on
I have a bunch of irons in the fire to roll out this holiday season – blog posts, tutorials, new fine art prints, a fresh batch of paper designs, and, in addition to those extra projects, I am working on completing pet portraits to get them in the hands of their commissioners before Christmas. (I’ve also picked up the carpet glue removal from the basement floor as a project that’s perfect for dark evenings. What joy is mine.)
Here are a few of my recent paintings…
What have you been reading, watching, loving, and working on?
Four things fifty-two appears here to highlight key ideas for readers.
