The Case of the MIA Blogger (and what I've been reading)

Hey yall!  I don't even want to force myself to look back to see when my last post actually happened on here.  I hate using busyness as an excuse...so instead I'll say that I've been held captive for the last two months.  My captor was  an all-encompassing, selfish, rough type.  The kind that you definitely don't want to meet on any dark corner.  But alas, I have escaped from that evil thing called work for a week.  Thank God for Spring Break!  I am headed to one of my favorite towns, Ruidoso, New Mexico tomorrow, so expect for me to go MIA for a few days again.  But then I am promising myself that I am going to get back into this, since it is something that I really enjoy.

I've made it a goal to read 31 books in my 31st year. 

How is that going you ask? 

I'm 40% finished with my 7th book: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.  I've decided that I'm going at a pretty good rate - if I continue to read 5-6 books every 2 months, I will definitely have my goal met by the end of 2015.  I of course have a few more books that I am working through too, but I will get to them at another time! 

It was recommended to me by what has become somewhat of an obsession, the blog of Modern Mrs. Darcy.  Following her blog was going so well, so long as I just visited on occasion.  I would make a list of books that she would write about, then purchase a few (5 or more usually).  Then I got the bright idea of following her on Facebook, and now I am even more enmeshed in her literary thumbs up. 

I am reading it on my other new obsession, the Oyster app.  It is the Netflix for book lovers.  You pay around 10 dollars a month (the first month is free) and get unlimited usage of book reading.  Now, not every book that has ever been published can be found on the app, but a good amount of them can.  Since I probably spend 50 dollars or more a month on my Kindle books, anywhere that I can get a free one is appreciated. 

On to the book.  I am really enjoying it.  It is about a book owner, A.J. Fikry, who is a Scrooge of sorts at the beginning of the book.  Through some unlikely events (probably some of witch I am just beginning to get a taste of), life starts brightening for him.  I love any book that mentions other books that are worth reading, so I am filling up my Amazon cart with books that I want to check out. 


The other 6 books I have read so far:

6.  Where'd You Go, Bernadette
I've wanted to read this for some time.  It was peculiar, and enjoyable.  Plus, what can I say, I like books that have cuss words once in a while!

5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

So this was pretty adolescent as far as the choice of characters go.  Amazon recommends it for 7th graders and up. High school students and an elementary aged child.  But it was still a cute read, and I'm a sucker for cute reads.  There is a sequel coming out later this Spring, P.S. I Still Love You, which I am sure I will end up reading as well.  This was the February Book of the Month for Lauren Conrad, so I decided to try it out. 

4. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand. 
After seeing what I read for #4, it is hopefully easy to see why books 5 and 6 have been such light reads.  This book is good, don't get me wrong.  But did you know that you can read over 100 pages (maybe I'm exaggerating, but I may not be.  I'm not going back to look, that's the reality of this) of what happened to a few men stuck at sea for over a month?  100 pages of descriptions of about 40 days of the same stuff...day after day after day.  I'm in no way trying to dishonor the story....but man.  The intense and lengthy descriptions sure got me. 

On another note though, this book made me angry at America.  Going through school, the only thing that I felt I was truly ever taught about World War II was the fight against Germany.  So much so, that I thought that is what this book was going to be about.  Germany was just a blimp on the radar of this story.  Japan.  Why wasn't I taught about Japan in school, other than Pearl Harbor?  The horrible, awful things that were done to people by the Japanese at that time, makes me livid that I was so ignorant to all of this. 

3. Living Well, Spending Less
I really enjoyed this book.  Although some of the stuff was stuff that I was already doing, some of it was nice to read again, and some of the ideas were new to me.  It made me feel like such an adult reading it!  Plus, I liked knowing that the author hadn't always been a "penny pincher" but was a shopping addict.

2. Single Moms Raising Sons
This book.  Well....there were a few good ideas.  A lot of it seemed to be very stereotyped.  Very repetitive.  And I think I had some beef with the author.  She seemed to either think that she was overly important, thus had to explain EVERY time she talked about her job what she did for an occupation, or just thought that her readers weren't intelligent enough to recall what she did for a living.  Either way, it bothered me. 

One good take away was that she talked about honoring her sons on Father's Day (because their dad wasn't around) by giving them a gift that they'd someday appreciate as a father (grilling stuff, tools, etc.) and talk to them about things that they could do as fathers someday. 


1. Nowhere But Home
This was a quirky read that I got for cheap on my Kindle one day.  This came after a long, thick book right at the end of 2014, so I needed another light book.  I loved that this book was set in Texas, and it made me easy to imagine.  The characters were real, the issues were authentic and small town, just like I know them to be!  It was a fun read that I really enjoyed.

 



 

 

 

Favorite Things Friday: White Kitchens

I've really been in a home day dreaming phase lately.  That means I've been filling up every online shopping cart around with loads of dishware, cookware, furniture, and home décor, before closing the browser (or sometimes not) and never making a purchase.  I absolutely love having as much white as possible in a home, and while I may not be able to make that a realistic dream for myself until Max is out of the house, it doesn't stop me from going pin crazy!  One thing that I adore to no end in a home is a kitchen with white cabinetry.  I'm not going to write much here, but hopefully you will marvel and ooh and ahh with me on some of these lovely photos I have found!  Enjoy!

I love the paint color and the subway tile....just not that crazy over the granite choice.

 

 

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See....I did pretty good on keeping my mouth shut.  Now, what caused you to say ooh and ahh in these pictures?

Stay tuned for next Friday's installment of my Favorite Things, as we look at another favorite for the home, pedestal tables!

What I've Been Reading: Before Bethlehem

In the name of all things Christmas, I had decided to try and do quite a bit of reading of books in the Christmas genre this year. Besides the 3 books I had purchased for Advent, I also purchased 4 other "Christmas" books.  One, by Melody Carlson (whom I loved to read as a teenager), was called "The Christmas Bus" and had all the makings of a Hallmark Movie.  Cute, clean, simple.  I found this book, Before Bethlehem, on my Book bub recommendation list and decided to purchase it.  If you haven't joined bookbub yet, stop reading this blog post, click on the link, and join.  Simply enter your e-mail address, what device you read on, and your favorite kinds of books, and you'll get a daily list of deals for your reader, many of which are free. 

While Before Bethlehem is entirely fictional, it was a nice read for Christmas time based on the Gospel.  I feel like sometimes, we read portions of the Bible so much, or we aren't really thinking about the big picture as we read them, and this book helped me to consider all of the different political elements that were going on at the time.  Sure, the Bible talks about Herod wanting Jesus killed and the Wise men telling Mary and Joseph about the potential harm Jesus was in.  But this book gave me a visual of what that really looked like. 

The book is told from the perspective of James, who the Bible identifies as Jesus' half-brother.  I know I've wondered a few times "how was he his half brother?"  Of course, if James was Mary and Joseph's biological son, it would make him half due to Jesus being incarnate.  Anyhow, this book acknowledges James as the half brother because of Joseph having had been married before.  His first wife died of fever many years previous to the setting of this story, and a Rabbi coerces Joseph into marrying Mary under the guise of protection for Joseph's family. 

Perhaps one of the most interesting things to me was the detail that was given to the variations of rock and stone that were written about in the book.  The author stated that the city of Jerusalem used stone that took on a white tone and I imagined to almost have a pearl effect.  I know this was a minor detail in the book and what the book was ultimately about.  However, just including it gave me such a better visual of what my eyes would have seen.  It also made me appreciate men a little (gasp!) because they so often notice these sorts of things, while I wouldn't have given it much thought. 

This book was just shy of 300 pages long.  I did enjoy it, but I really had to push myself through it quite often to get it finished.  It wasn't that it was boring per se.  It was very detailed and there was a lot that happened.  The book has over 400 reviews on Amazon, some of which were clearly upset that the author didn't give an exact account of the Birth Story as told from the Bible.  For instance, Mary went into labor before they reached Bethlehem, and a handful of Rabbi Shepherds delivered Jesus.  But if you just take the book for what the author states at the beginning that it is, a work of fiction, I think it's a very thoughtful and well written book. 

If you like history and the Bible, I think this would be a good book for you to read. 

One Stick of Butter Rice

Y'all, let me just tell you.  You're going to want to try this recipe.  We had it Sunday night with a Rotisserie chicken we had gotten this weekend, and some blanched green beans with bacon.  The rice may look less than pretty, but it is delicious.  Or at least my mom told me it was and I'm pretty certain she didn't just say it because she's my mom.

I got this recipe from Mique over at 30 Handmade Days.  I haven't checked the blog out too much to be honest, but I love me some good rice, and this blog stated that it was supposed to be the best rice you'd ever eat.  I was definitely game for that.

The ingredients are few and easy. Don't be insulted if you're not into canned soups....this one uses them, and I feel no shame over it.

When you have prepared it, no worries.  This dish is not the recipient of prettiest dish of the year.  If it looks similar to the picture below though, you've done something right!

 

It looks pretty scary, doesn't it?

The original blog post recommended doubling or tripling this recipe, and this was honest to goodness the only thing I regret not having done! 

Please, please let me know when you try this dish!  Next time I think I will add some slivered almonds or walnuts to it to add a more nutty flavor, but mushrooms were suggested also, if you like that sort of thing. 

Goals for my Thirty-First Year

Regardless of how much I hate New Year's Resolutions, my mind can't help but to think of different things that I want to achieve in this upcoming year.  I really would have liked to have attempted 30 goals for my 30th year, but let's be honest.  The arrival of my 30th year was joined with a great deal of stress and worry, where making it to the next day was often a goal all in itself.  So here I am, less than 2 months away from my 31st birthday - and I say there is no time like today to start a list.  Plus, if I get this list up and running even before Christmas, I have more time to make them happen AND technically they aren't New Year's Resolutions. 

Financial Goals

1. Pay $1,000 off of my Old Navy Visa card.  While I have 3 credit cards total (bad decisions as a new college grad nearly 10 years ago), 2 of them are getting paid off in 2015, but this one card is the one I still use....meaning the one I still have a measly about available a month on.  The minimum due is in the 80 dollar range each month, so I hope to pay 1.5 times that much ($120 monthly approximately) to start off with.

2. Put $600 a month minimum in my House Down Payment savings account each month. 

3.  Add $25 dollars a month minimum to Max's savings account.

4. Pay my mom for taking care of Max.  She does it for free right now, which I have been grateful for, but it's not what I want.  I started paying her a while back....and then with Christmas expenses, I slacked off (sorry, Mom).  If I put it out here for the world to see though, I will be accountable, promise!

Purchases

5. Join a Wine of the Month Club.  As of December 12th, I've already found one to join (a Texas one nonetheless) so all that's left is the signing up! And deciding once and for all if I want it delivered monthly or bi-monthly.  I know what I want....but don't know if that is wise or not! I joined right before Christmas and got my first shipment on December 23rd!  3 bottles for 35 dollars + shipping! 

6.  Purchase a pair of Jack Rogers  (may be opening a separate savings just for this reason!). Started a savings account on 12/26/14.  Currently has $23 in it! Average price of sandals is in the 110 - 120 dollar range.



Jack Rogers

7. Get Passports for both Max and myself.

8. Purchase a Silhouette Silhouette Cameo.  I've wanted one of these babies for years. Sometimes, I log onto QVC in hopes that they have caught on to my desire and are offering it on easy pay.  So far, no luck.  Boo QVC! With the money I got from Christmas, plus 100 dollars in Amazon gift cards, as of 12/28/14, I am only about 70 dollars away from buying one of these dolls! 

Spiritual Goals

9.  Attend a Christian Woman's Conference.  I've already found one to go to, just about an hour away from me.  This will be a long term goal though - once Max is old enough to start spending the night at his Dad's, I am going to plan to attend a conference at least once a year during those weekends to keep some of my anxiety at bay.  The one I was going to go to near me is already sold out, so I am on the search again!

10. Participate in a Bible/Christian book study at least each quarter of the year.  I am helping to lead one in the first part of the year, but hope to do some online if nothing else, as well.

11.  Become more giving.  Financially, of my time, etc. In that, I need to begin to tithe again.  Wow, this post has me being pretty transparent.  I go through years/months/weeks of being good about this, and then some years I do really poorly at this.  I also want to give to organizations I believe in more readily and on top of that, give my own time more readily to things I believe in and things that are going on around in my church and community.

12. Get more involved in Church here.  The likelihood of churches changing a great deal in this town are slim, and I absolutely refuse for Max to not be raised in church. I want and need it for myself as well.



Personal Goals

13.  Take a class of some sort.  Whether it's online, some sort of "craft" class, or a legitimate class, I want to be schooled in 2015.  Really, I've been thinking of taking some Seminary classes....eeks! We shall see.

14.  Read 31 books.  I don't think I'll make it to 31 goals for the year, so at least 31 books would be good.

15. Lose 20 pounds. Ugh....I really don't even want to include this.  It really takes on a sense of typical New Year's Resolution now, but I had to. 

16. Travel - I'm not certain of any where's yet for this next year, but travel always must be present!

17. Better my blog.

18. Go to a movie theatre more than once in 2015.

19. Start a hobby.  This will hopefully be tied to my Silhouette purchase, but all I know is that at the end of February, Max's time with his dad on his weekend will be doubling.  Lord knows I won't tolerate the thought of spending 8 hours a day on those weekends at school preparing like I tend to do with my four hours right now.  So I need something for me.....I am thinking something involving paint and rustic.


Far-Fetched-Maybe-Impossible-Goals

20. Buy a house.  A new street of homes is being added right in back of my parents and more are supposedly going up around town.  To own a home would be the top of the top on my dream list.....please pray for me in this area!


Of course there are also goals like "get along better with Max's dad," "take time for yourself," "press into your relationship with God," "grow your relationships with people," and "be a 'better' Mom" .  Those are daily goals though and I don't feel like they are anything I can truly put a check mark on and say "done."

What goals are you making for yourself in your coming year?

What I've Been Reading: Dear Mr. Knightley

If you enjoy Jane Austen's writing, then this is a book for you! I finished this book this weekend, and I am still thinking about it, so it is a great book to mention to you! While it has a old-fashioned feel to it in that the main character is infatuated with the writing of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and other literary classic authors, I feel like it is a nice, cozy book to read.  Yes, a book can be cozy.






Also, I loved that it was clean.  It didn't have any foul language and it wasn't sexual in nature.  Even at 30 years old, some books can still make me blush and squirm. It mentioned God quite a bit also.  So much so actually, that I pondered whether it was a Christian book or not.  Once I finished it, I noticed that another book written by this author, Katherine Reay, was listed under the genre of Christian Fiction.  So there's my answer I reckon! I plan to read Lizzy and Jane soon also. 




The book centers on the character Samantha "Sam" Moore, a now-grown orphan who has had a mysterious funding so that she may attend graduate school for journalism.  The only requirement is that while she is in school, she must write letters to the donor, who is going by the pseudo-name Mr. Knightley.  Although Sam was quite uncomfortable with the notion at the beginning, she begins to bare all.  The book takes us through the reasons for her being an orphan, her trying to process how to handle relationships old and new, and the struggles that come with graduate school. 




The setting of the book is Chicago, modern day.  I love reading about the different restaurants featured in the book, and another character in the book is an author.  I hadn't ever really considered it, but the book mentioned that he was in Chicago as he was writing a book, and was going to all of these restaurants for a better sense of his own book characters.




 Reason #327 I should write a novel someday?  I can go eat out, a lot, and call it research for my book.  Done deal.




There was only one chapter of the book that was not done in letter form, the last chapter, and I won't tell you why.  Although I had done some foreshadowing and guessed previously what was going on, the end of the book was still good. 




Since the book mentioned all of these great literary classics such as Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, etc. throughout, the first thing I did when I finished the book was to put all of those books on my Kindle as well.  And luckily enough, most of those are free.
 
If you're looking for an easy read that is clean and pleasant, this is definitely one that fits the bill. 

Advent Seasonal Reading

Hi everyone!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hopefully got in on some good shopping deals!  As I scour Facebook and Instagram, it is obvious that Christmas season is now fully upon us.  I wanted to share with you today a few Advent books that you can read by yourself or as a family this Advent season.

As a child, the word Advent really only pertained to this calendar that my mom put on our back door that was numbered up until Christmas day.  She would place a small candy cane in the pocket of which day we were on.  I remember waking up each morning though, and going to the Advent calendar, as she would sometimes leave us a special surprise in the pocket. 

Although I'd heard Advent talked about throughout my life, I really hadn't given it much more attention than that calendar though.  So when I saw these books, and the study from She Reads Truth, I really wanted to be able to slow down this year and prepare my heart for this season. 

The first book I'm reading is on my Kindle and is written by Louie Giglio.  If you've never heard this man speak, you are missing out.  This book has entries that are dated as of November 26th, so I went ahead this morning and read, read, read to catch up.  There is a scripture, a small devotional passage, a meditation, and a short prayer for each day.  Just having read the preface of this book though, I already learned quite a few things.  One thing I hadn't really considered before was that from the time of the last Old Testament prophet Malachi, to the time of Jesus' birth, there was a 400 year time span where God was silent.  Four. hundred. years.  And we get upset by not having our prayers answered in a few days hours time!  Can you just imagine going from knowing nothing from God to this bright blasting light one night, announcing the birth of the King?

I am also reading Ann Voskamp's The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas.  This reading starts on December 1st, so I've only read the Introduction for now.  The basis of this book though is to create a Jesse Tree and to add an ornament each day according to the reading.  You can learn more about Jesse Tree's here and here, but it is more or less a family tree that shows the generational progression to Jesus' birth.  Voskamp's book also provides a link for you to use to download her version of the ornaments for the Jesses tree.  I am thinking that this year, with Max still being so young, I am just going to do this on my own and add them to even a paper cut out of a tree.  I honestly really didn't even intend to do the tree, but I think it would be memorable and meaningful, so I'll give it a go! 

Next year, when Max is a little older, I intend to buy this book, which is written again by Ann Voskamp.  It goes pretty much in line with the previous book, but is more family friendly - illustrated pages and activities to do at the end of each day's reading (praying for people, thanking God for Jesus' arrival, etc.).

However, this year, I did get this book for Max.  It's a 9 day trek that takes you through the various characters that were present for the birth of Jesus and shares the story through their perspective.  Max will be receiving the Little People Nativity before Christmas, so I plan to use this book and this toy together. 

 

 



The last one I want to share with you is through the website She Reads Truth.  I have followed this site now through their last 4 studies, and they are great, small pieces.  Day 1 of their Advent study, O Come Let Us Adore Him, started just today, so you are still in luck!  If you want to download their app, it is available on both Apple and Android devices.  I get it on my Galaxy, and have to pay $1.99 for it, which really isn't anything bad!  Plus, they offer a daily scripture/quote that you can share on various social media platforms.  The photography is always beautiful on these.  If you're interested in this, I encourage you to read this invitation.

Graphic taken from www.shereadstruth.com

I hope this encourages you to check out a book or two of these!  Most of them are available for your Kindle, so you can get started right away!  Please let me know if you decide to read one of these or you're reading a different Advent book!  Happy reading, friends!