A Camping Trip

Last Friday we went camping at Tishomingo State Park, which is about an hour from our house. We stayed only one night (I didn't want to have to pack up camp and drive home in time for our church service Sunday morning), but we stayed all day Saturday until 5:00. It was nice to get away from home for a little while. It was very restful for me once we got there. I prepared all our food beforehand, so after I got everything set up in our camper, I spent my time reading in a chair outside. I finished John Grisham's new book, Camino Winds.

Here are some highlights from the trip.

Yesterday Josh Keenan joined us for lunch. He was driving from Tampa to Colorado, and he spent Saturday night with Julie and Big Sam. They all joined us for lunch Sunday after church services. (Julie and her family eat lunch with us every Sunday--makes me so happy!)

Josh was sporting a nice cornavirus hairdo, so Big Sam offered to give him a trim! After he used the clippers, I cut a little bit on top. I was scared I would mess up his hair, so I probably did not cut it short enough. 

Here we all are just before Josh got on the road again.

(Jimmy is the photographer.)

I have a little side note to share......I listed on my Modern Mrs. Darcy 2020 Reading Challenge list that I would read The Accidentals as my "book nominated for an award in 2020". Well. I started reading it over the weekend, and I pretty quickly abandoned it. I ordered it from Amazon, so I couldn't flip through it first like I do when I am in an actual bookstore. I realize that authors put a lot of time in writing novels, and I don't want to offend her, so I will just say that this book is not for me. 

Why? Two reasons mostly. One--it was a depressing subject, and it included more graphic descriptions of difficult situations than I am comfortable with, and two--it was full of profanity, including the Lord's name in vain. That is why I like to flip through a book before buying unless it is by an author I am familiar with. 

So, now I am on a quest for another book nominated for a prize in 2020. I think I will look at the Pulitzer Prize list and see if anything looks promising. 

*************Update

As soon as I published this post, I looked at the winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prizes for 2020. Guess what? The Dutch House by Ann Patchett was a finalist in fiction. Yay! I have already read (or listened to) that last month. Now I have just one book left to complete the challenge. 

Some More About Books

Reading has been on my mind and so much lately. I have had more time to read during these coronavirus times. Back in January, I began Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2020 Reading Challenge. Her 2019 Reading Challenge is another goal that I set and failed to complete in 2019, so I purposed that I would do it in 2020. The challenge consists of twelve books in nine categories, and I have only one book left to meet this goal. Here are the categories and what I'm reading for each. I will also mention which book I have left to read.

• a book published the decade you were born--Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (not read yet)
• a debut novel--Where the Crawdads Sing
• a book recommended by a source you trust--On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle
• a book by a local author--The Guardians by John Grisham (even though he no longer lives in Mississippi, he did for a long time. Plus I read all his books.)
• a book outside your genre comfort zone--Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I normally don't like or read fantasy.)
• a book in translation--The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
• a book nominated for an award in 2020--The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
• a reread--Hannah Coulter by Wendall Berry
• a classic you didn't read in school--My Antonia by Willa Cather
• 3 books by the same author--The Story Keeper, The Prayer Box, and Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

I am not currently reading or listening to anything on this challenge list, although I have Greensleeves on my iPad and The Accidentals on my nightstand. Right now I am reading Camino Island by John Grisham. Earlier this week I started reading Camino Winds by John Grisham, but I quickly realized that it is a sequel to Camino Island, which I read in 2017. I could not remember enough of the plot of the first book to enjoy the sequel (in my opinion), so I stopped reading Camino Winds, and I am now over halfway through Camino Island. 

I am listening to The Dearly Beloved when I am walking. I am really enjoying this book. Although around chapter 11 or 12 I decided I disliked one of the main characters, and chapter 13 made me question whether or not I still liked another character.....and I want to just shake a couple of them and tell them to stop being so self-centered. Chapters 14 and 15 offered some hope....there are 23 chapters plus an epilogue in all. I really need someone I know to read this book so we can discuss it. There is so much to discuss!

What are you reading?

Some More Blessings of These Times

While Jimmy has still been working, he had a week off in April (we had a week long trip planned to Arizona....zigzagging across the state, visiting the Grand Canyon and some other national parks as well...of course it was all cancelled), and he is getting home much earlier than he used to prior to the coronavirus. That, combined with the days being longer, means that we have more time together. I feel like Jimmy and I have had more time together the last six to seven weeks than we have had in a long, long time. Thankfully we still like each other! The time really has been a blessing.

Yesterday Clay took Leah, Sam, and Clay's friend, Libby to visit Julie, Big Sam, and Mae about an hour away at a lake house where they are vacationing for a few days. As soon as Leah and Sam finished their schoolwork for the day, they took off. I used my time alone to read outside for an hour, clean out my pool, work on the never ending pile of laundry, and vacuum the basement. When Jimmy got home we went on a very pleasant four mile walk on and around the trails at our local high school. After that we ordered take-out from a new restaurant in our tiny downtown called Old Town Steakhouse and Eatery. This is our second time to order from them (they had just opened before the pandemic hit), and both meals were delicious! We ate at home, just the two of us on our table for ten. I guess that is what it will be like in four years when Sam leaves for college. We seemed small at that big table, alone. Jimmy played some nice music on his speaker to accompany us, and we put our food on real plates instead of just eating out of the styrofoam. Fancy. We ended our date by watching the beginning of a documentary on PBS about George W. Bush. It's two hours long, so it will probably take us 3 more nights to complete! I read a memoir by Laura Bush last year (actually listened to it on Audible, which I recommend because she read it herself, and her voice is so pleasant!), so a lot of the material covered in the show last night I knew all about based on her book. Her book is called Spoken From the Heart, and I recommend it.

The first 41 days of our shelter at home/stay at home/safer at home I cooked all the meals. All the meals. And then, one day after we had worked outside for most the day Jimmy suggested we order take out. What a blessing. I don't mind preparing and serving meals, but I got so excited about this simple pleasure. We ordered chicken and French fries from Abner's, and it was so yummy! Later that same week we ordered our first take out meal from the steakhouse we ordered form last night, and the kids and I kept saying how delicious it was! I was so excited again to have restaurant food! :)  We have since ordered Chick Fil A and ate with Julie's family one night, and that was fun too.

I just keep trying to look on the bright side. Some days are harder than others, but just keep looking. Surely there is a bright side in every situation.

Staying Home With Books

After a week or so of our quarantine, I began to feel out of sorts. When I scrolled through my Facebook or Instagram feed it seemed like everyone was having so much fun while sheltering at home. Baking homemade bread. Cleaning out closets. Working in the yard. Preparing themed meals. Watching hours of Netflix. In general--getting lots of things done! Personally, my life had not changed much except that I was not driving the kids to activities 3 days a week or going to church services 3 times a week. Our homeschool load and my housework responsibilities stayed the same, and so I did not suddenly find myself with large pockets of time to fill.

Or so I thought. 

I had a pity party for a couple of days, and then I began to take a closer look and find the blessings of being at home all the time. Actually, I did have extra time in my day. Driving to and from those activities plus the time while they were doing the things did take lots of time. Running errands and buying groceries did take lots of time. And now that I was home all day, every day with no interruptions, I found that I could do some extra and fun things too!

Two fun and rewarding activities have been worked into my day almost every single day since mid-March. These are things that I was not doing consistently or spending large amounts of time on before sheltering at home.

Reading and Walking.

(It's a long story why I am not running anymore, and that's another blog post.)

I realized that walking up and down my driveway was great therapy. I had time to do it for thirty minutes each morning before we began school because (1)we were starting school later than normal since we did not have activities to get to at the end of the school day and (2) I did not need to allow time to shower, blow-dry my hair, and put on makeup because--no outside the house activities!

I also found that I can walk again for thirty minutes or more either during our lunch break or when I am done teaching for the day, usually by 1:30 or 2:00. And, many afternoons or nights, either before or after supper, Jimmy and I are walking for 20-30 minutes.  All those minutes of walking are adding up, and I feel so much better for doing it! I am closing the rings on my watch again. Yay!

An even bigger benefit is that when I am walking alone, usually an hour or more each day, I listen to audio books. I am on my third audio book, all listened to while walking up and down my driveway!

First I listened to The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. (9 hours, 53 minutes). Next, I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (I had about 13 hours left in that book). Beginning in March of 2019, Leah, Sam, and I have listened to all of the Harry Potter books whenever we were in the car. We were about halfway through book 7 when the coronavirus came, and suddenly we were not in our car anymore! Leah and Sam both finished reading it at night, but I decided to finish it on Audible while walking.  I am now listening to The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. It is 10 hours, 50 minutes, and I have 8.5 hours left. 

Sometimes I listen to podcasts for a little while in between book chapters or books, but mostly I have listened to books. It has been most enjoyable!

Another blessing of extra time I have found is reading books. I am reading at least two books at a time in addition to my audio book--one on my iPad kindle app and one that is a hardback or paperback. I make time almost every afternoon to sit outside and read, and I also read in bed each night.

Here are the books I have read since the beginning of January, with most of them being completed since March:

Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate

The Guardians by John Grisham

Send Down the Rain by Charles Martin

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

The Light of the World by Elizabeth Alexander

Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle

The Story Keeper by Lisa Wingate

The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

Hannah Coulter by Wendall Berry (a reread)

The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel

I am currently reading:

Greensleeves by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

The Language of the Sycamores by Lisa Wingate

Books I have just purchased and are ready to be read next:

Camino Winds by John Grisham

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

The Accidentals by Minrose Gwin

Melanie Shankle's timely released book, On the Bright Side, reminded me to do just that. One big bright side of being home all the time is lots of time for reading---and walking.

I Am Lea November

Author Wilson Adams, his daughter Lea, and me at his book signing last Tuesday

My friend Wilson Adams wrote this book chronicling his journey of adoption. Jimmy and I bought several copies for various friends and family members as Christmas gifts, and after I finished reading it, Wilson asked me to write a book review for him to use. It took me a while to adequately express my thoughts after reading I Am Lea November.  I have included a copy of my review below.

If you are interested in purchasing this book (and I highly recommend it!), here is the link:

Courageous Living Books.

I Am Lea November

A Review

If you are considering adoption, if you are currently in the process of adopting, if you have already adopted, or if you have a friend or family member who is adopting or has adopted children, then I encourage you to read I Am Lea November by Wilson Adams. Long after finishing this book, the Adams's story has stayed on my mind. Wilson eloquently and honestly, with great transparency, describes his and his wife's journey of adopting a group of three siblings from Bulgaria. I was both moved to tears and also struck with laughter time and again while reading his account, sometimes on the same page. 

My personal views of adoption---it's expected and unexpected repercussions for both the children and the parents, the vast amount of documentation and bureaucratic paperwork required, and the immense expenses entailed--have been greatly enlightened. I now have a much better understanding of adoptive parents and what they all go through. This book also helped me understand and appreciate more the members of my own family who have grown their family through adoption.

Wilson encourages all of us to do our part to foster a culture of adoption. He earnestly and effectively educates the reader about the ongoing need of support for both the children and the adoptive parents after the adoption is final. I learned we can all do something. Even if we do not adopt a child, we can provide support (physical, material, financial, and/or emotional) to the families who do adopt.

Simply put, this book has inspired me to be a better person, and to seriously consider what I personally can do for the least of these.

Podcasts and Books

A while back I shared which podcasts I listen to. My list today is pretty much the same with maybe one new addition.

• The Lazy Genius. Kendra, the host of The Lazy Genius, would so be my friend in real life if she lived in my town! I love her ideas! She gives practical, doable tips about all areas of homemaking and personal care. Her topics range from how to cook chicken, to skin care, to planning your holidays without losing your mind. She always breaks down things into small, manageable steps, and I am always encouraged after listening to her. Her podcast is weekly, and it is fairly short, around 15 minutes an episode.
• The Big Boo Cast. Sophie and Melanie are so much fun to listen to. It's really like listening in on their phone conversation. They discuss lighthearted topics such as college football (specifically Mississippi State and Texas A&M), make-up, skin care products, fashion, pets, TV shows, books, and a host of other topics. I love this podcast! They just released (just this morning!) their much anticipated holiday gift giving guide. I cannot wait to listen!
• Happier With Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth discuss ways to be happier in your daily life. They include tips on improving your quality of life in areas like fitness, productivity, and relationships. Gretchen and Elizabeth live a life very unlike mine (Sophie and Melanie from the Big Boo Cast are certainly more relatable)--Gretchen is a former attorney and now she is a best selling author, and Elizabeth is a TV writer and producer, yet most of the time they have practical ideas. This is a very polished podcast. 

I am currently reading Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I previously read his book Hannah Coulter, and it ranks up there with one of my all time favorite books! I highly recommend it. Most of his books are set in a fictional town called Port William. The books read like memoirs, but they are fiction. I hope to read all of Berry's works.

I will share more of my summer reading later. 

The Last 10 Books I Have Read

1. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
I listened to this book on Audible while driving to Tampa, Florida and back. This book is based on true events that occurred in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1930s and 1940s. I was horrified as I learned the story of Georgia Tann and her stealing and selling babies and young children. This book was sad and fascinating at the same time, and it had an element of mystery which I always enjoy.

2.  Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan
I read Glitter and Glue a couple of years ago, and for whatever reason, at the time I did not care for it. Then Leanna read it and liked it, so I decided to read it again.  Kelly shares her experience as a nanny for a widower in Australia. She was in her early twenties, and she learns how much she values her own mother as the takes care of the two young children who recently lost their mother. I did like the book the second time I read it. In fact, I liked it so much, I bought Kelly's other three books.
Warning: This book (and all of Kelly's books) has way, way more profanity than I am comfortable with. I really have a hard time believing that people actually talk this way. I guess I live in a bubble. I usually will not read a book with such profanity, but her writing is so compelling, I just kept a pen handy and marked out each and every curse word. (Good for my friends who I loan the books to!)

3.  Tell Me More The Twelve Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say by Kelly Corrigan
In this book Kelly writes twelve essays explaining the lessons she has learned from her life. She includes stories about her battle with breast cancer and her every day life--complete with all its ups and downs.

4.  The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan
Kelly shares the struggle she faces as she and her father both have cancer at the same time. She has breast cancer, and he has bladder cancer. She shares and compares their treatments, their journey, and how each of them handle it.

5.  Lift by Kelly Corrigan
I read this last book by Kelly on the airplane while traveling to Romania. It was not my favorite.....it was just ho hum....not as funny or compelling as her other three books. It is short. It's a collection of things she wishes to tell her daughters. After Leanna reads it and we discuss it while run, I may like it after all! But for now....not the best.

6.  Daring to Hope by Katie Davis Majors
This is the second book by Katie Davis Majors. Her first book, Kisses From Katie, recounted her move to Uganda as a young woman. This book is set about ten years later. She shares her ongoing challenges with ministering to her community while taking care of her own 13 adopted children.

7.  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
This is another book that I started a couple of years ago, did not finish because I could "not get into it", gave it to Leanna to read, and then reread it after she returned it with a good report! I absolutely liked it on the second try. I have already bought two other books by Robinson.

8.  The Rooster Bar by John Grisham
I listened to this on Audible either on the treadmill or in the car. It is definitely not a favorite. In fact, I really did not like this latest Grisham book. I usually love his books.....but this one had more profanity than usual (his earlier books have only an occasional curse word), and there were no "good guys". Just bad guys and worse guys. The protagonists were involved in criminal activity, and they never suffered consequences from that. Sure they had to live a life on the run in the end, but they broke the law without paying for it. I like for the good guys to win in the end. There were no good guys in this book. Thumbs down.

9.  Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle
Funny book by a relatable author. I love all her books.

10.  David Livingstone Africa's Trailblazer by Janet and Geoff Benge
I read this aloud to Leah and Sam. It is hard to comprehend what men like David Livingstone endured physically, spiritually, and emotionally in their lifetimes.

Does My Life Reflect My Values?

As I was reading chapter two of More Hours in My Day by Emilie Barnes, I made many notes regarding a statement she made concerning values. Barnes suggested that we examine our values, change them as needed, and make sure our foundation is built on the Word of God.  During this season where I am setting and trying to keep new goals for the new year,  I felt I needed to consider my goals. Were they reflecting my values? What exactly are my values?

I think to answer the question to yourself, "What are my values?" you need to look at where you spend your time and resources. Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." We may say and think our values are certain things, but our day-to-day lives, our time and resources spent will actually reflect what our true values are.

The source for our values should come from God's Word. How will I know what God values if I do not read and study His Word? If I value serving God with my life, how do I do that? If Jesus is truly the Lord of my life, and I value eternal life, does my life show that? If I value being a godly wife and a loving, serving mother, where do I find my examples?

For me, the answer to all those questions are found in my daily time reading and studying my Bible and spending time in prayer. Then I must examine my daily life--the time and resources I spend each day, and see if my life aligns with what I say I value.

I truly value being a wife, mother, and homemaker. I take these roles seriously, and I have spent the last 26 years trying to better myself in these areas. Passages such as Titus 2:2-5, 1 Corinthians 13, and the book of James are full of instruction on how to put these values into practice. In Titus 2 it says to love your husband, love your children. If I need more information on how to love them (or anyone for that matter), I can read and put into practice 1 Corinthians 13. If I need encouragement because of trials I am going through, or advice on controlling my tongue, and I read and apply James 1.

I truly believe that the Scriptures hold the answer to any problem we may have. It is up to us to make God's Word a treasure to us. As we read it and do what it says, our lives will reflect what God values.

Books, Books, and More Books

I love to read. When I was a child and a teenager, I read all the time. I did not read much for pleasure when I was in college, but I began reading again as a newlywed. I continued to frequent the local library where I lived and read lots of books until Olivia was born. Then I read a few parenting and baby care type books, but that was about it for my personal reading. Of course I have always regularly read my Bible.

From the time Olivia was a baby until about 8-10 years later, I did not read much of anything strictly for pleasure. I read about homeschooling when I began to be interested in that, but I rarely read any fiction. In fact, the only fiction I read from 1995 until about 2004 was John Grisham's new book each year. Sometime before Leah was born (or maybe after, I can't remember) I discovered the Mitford books by Jan Karon, and I read all four of her first ones. I have not read any of the series past those first four, but I do own them. (Julie has read the entire series, and is currently reading Karon's latest book.)
About 2004 or 2005 Lynn introduced me to the Karen Kingsbury Baxter Family series, and I was hooked. I voraciously read every novel Kingsbury wrote over the next couple of years. My love for reading fiction was rekindled, and I have not stopped since. I have also added works of non-fiction, biographies, self-help, memoirs, and classics to my reading library.

I still go through spells of reading and not reading so much. When we take a vacation to the beach or the mountains, I will read a lot. During my normal day-to-day life, sometimes I read daily, and sometimes I read weekly.  A couple of months ago I tried a new "reading time" with Leah and Sam. After lunch (if we were not rushing out the door to CrossFit) I set the timer for 20 minutes and all three of us read silently. I love doing that, and I plan to continue that routine when we begin school again on January 8. Since I still read aloud to Leah and Sam each day, three times a day (Bible lesson, school, and bedtime), I read numerous books. But I still would like to carve out more time in 2018 for personal reading.

Here are a couple of book lists. Some of these titles are found in the sidebars of this blog.

What I'm Reading Right Now:

• Empty Nest, What's Next by Michele Howe
• Reading People by Anne Bogel
• Rooster Bar by John Grisham
• Soulful Simplicity by Courtney Carver

I'm taking notes while reading Empty Nest, so that's usually the book I read during our afternoon silent reading time. 

I'm reading Reading People either at bedtime (sometimes) or when I have some downtime while waiting somewhere. This is the book I keep in my purse.

I listening to Rooster Bar on audible while running on the treadmill. I am only letting myself listen to this book if I am running, so it is serving as a great motivator for me to run in the mornings. (I really, really needed a motivation, so this is working well so far!)

I have Soulful Simplicity on my iPad, so this is what I am reading while sitting with Sam at bedtime. I sometimes continue reading it as my bedtime reading.

What Is On My Bookshelf to Be Read:

• Built by the Lord by Edwin Crozier
• Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Martinez
• Dispatches From Pluto by Richard Gant
• Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford
• Mended by Angie Smith
• Philippians Discovering Contagious Joy by Wilson Adams
• Praying Like the Psalmists by Edwin Crozier
• The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin
• The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson

What Is In My Amazon Cart to Be Purchased and Read

• Cultivate:  A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life by Lara Casey
• 100 Days of Real Food:  Fast and Fabulous:  The Easy and Delicious Way to Cut Out Processed Food by Lisa Leake
• The Kindness Challenge:  Thirty Days to Improve Any Relationship by Shanty Feldhahn
• Desperate:  Hope For the Mom Who Needs to Breathe by Sarah Mae
• Longing For Paris:  One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty, and Adventure--Right Where She Is by Sarah Mae
• Daring to Hope:  Finding God's Goodness in the Broken and the Beautiful by Katie Davis Majors
• Having a Martha Home the Mary Way:  31 Days to a Clean House and  Satisfied Soul by Sarah Mae
• Bleak House by Charles Dickens

What about you? What books are on your list?

Happy Reading!

15 Minutes Again

Yesterday, blogging for 15 minutes proved to be successful for me, so I'm doing it again!

Jimmy was given The Daily Bible by one of the elders in our church a few years ago. In January of 2016 he began reading it, and he liked it so much that he started it again on January 1 of this year. Around the beginning of February I decided that I would like to read this Bible too, so I ordered one. Initially I wanted to double or triple my daily readings and catch up to the correct calendar date, but after a couple of weeks of this I realized that I would not catch up anytime soon. So, I decided to just skip to the actual day's reading and just read from there. Perfect!  Now Jimmy and I are reading the same passage each day, and we can discuss it if we want. Leanna also purchased this Bible and began reading on the current day, so we can discuss it too while we are running if we like. Clay has this Bible, and I plan to buy one for Leah to begin reading January 1, 2018.  I don't think Sam is ready for this amount of daily Bible reading yet, but I will probably go ahead and get him a copy of this Bible so he can begin when he is ready. He currently reads one chapter of his Bible each day.

Olivia and Julie are both graduating on April 28. Olivia will be receiving her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, and Julie will be receiving her Associate's degree in English. One ceremony is at 3:00, and the other one is at 7:30. Clay will be graduating high school on May 9. Lots of graduations, weddings, showers, and parties going on around here!  We are also squeezing in a short family (just the 7 of us) vacation to the Rocky Mountains before the weddings.

I recently finished a book called The Year of Living Danishly. It was fascinating! It is the one year memoir of a young woman and her husband living in Denmark while he worked for Lego. They are originally from England. I enjoyed reading about the culture and traditions of Denmark and how  Helen adjusted (or tried to adjust!). I have several books on my shelf just waiting for me to read! I also just finished The Westing Game (for my English class--our fun book for the year), and yesterday was also our last class for the school year. So now I will have more time to read for pleasure.

Oops! I just checked my timer because I thought surely it had been more than 15 minutes. Yes. It has been 20 minutes! I accidentally set my time for 1 hour, 15 minutes, not just 15 minutes!

Have a great day!

A Blog Post

So every day I put blog on my to-do list, and every day I never get to check it off.

Here goes......Last Thursday we went camping in our tiny house camper. The weather was perfect, and we had such a great time! We hiked many miles and cooked yummy food over the campfire. I am not through sewing curtains for the camper, but when I get them finished I plan to share pictures of our cute tiny house pop-up camper! So far I have only recovered the dinette cushions and bought color coordinated bedding, pillows, baskets, etc. I am using navy and turquoise (no pink because the boys said, "please, no pink!)

Wedding Update: not much

• ordered wedding memory books for both girls
• ordering hostess gifts for their showers today
• pondering when and where to buy a dress for me for both weddings
• planned an all day wedding planning extravaganza for tomorrow--Lynn, Leann, and I are meeting at 8:30 AM to get a lot of stuff done.
• most of the items we ordered during Spring Break have arrived

I am almost through reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I really like this book. It's my third time to read it, and I enjoy it more every time. We are reading this book in my senior English class. I am not sure they appreciate it as much as I do!  They are happy that I am not making them write a paper about it. We are doing business writing (business letters, resumes, and job applications) instead. And they have an 1800 word research paper due next week. 

We had our first track meet last Tuesday. It was Leah's first one, and she ran well. She and Clay both ran the 1 mile and the 800m, and Leah also ran the 4 x 800 relay. We got home around 11:00 PM. Fun.

I have gradually begun running again. (My CrossFit injury from many weeks ago has really slowed me down.) This week I have run 2 times!  2.5 miles on Monday and yesterday a long run with Leanna of 4 miles! Baby steps. I know that if I jump in too fast with too many miles I will get a running related injury in my knee or IT band. So, I am easing into the miles. I am running the Coke 10K on May 6, so my goal is to do that in under an hour. 

That's about all.

Oh. I haven't forgotten about Better Than Before. Keep reading! I'll blog about it soon.

A Few More Goals

How is your new year going? Have you set any goals? Are you keeping them so far?

I decided how I was going to cover my gospels reading each month. I plan to divide each gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) into 6 readings, and read one gospel each week. So this week I am reading 5 chapters of Matthew each morning and on the sixth day I will read 3 chapters.

I set a running goal for 2017. I want to run a total of 1000 miles this year. That is an average of 20 miles each week. Until last year had little difficulty reaching this goal since I was training for marathons or at least keeping a consistent long run. I ran only 699 miles in 2016. I have run 10 miles so far this week! I also decided to record my miles on Daily Mile again. If you are on Daily Mile please ask me to be your friend!

I am still working on my reading list. I am currently reading the play Our Town in preparation for the English class I teach. We are also reading Huckleberry Finn later this semester, and I have not read that before. I did read Our Town in high school, I think.

My homemaking goals for 2017 are to keep up with my weekly housecleaning chores and to tackle a few major projects throughout the year. In January I plan to completely clean out my closets and drawers--all my clothes, using the Konmari method. I have divided my house into four zones, and I aspire to clean each zone each week--one zone per day. Other major projects I have include a big clean-out and reorganization of Sam's room, helping Jimmy clean out his workshop, and deep cleaning the entire house (ceiling fans, baseboards, light fixtures, windows, etc.)

I think that's all my goals for now!

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year!

I spent several hours yesterday making plans for 2017 and transferring information to my new Erin Condren planner. (Love those planners so much!). I used cute stickers and wrote all my family's birthdays, Jimmy's days off, and vacations and such for the entire year. Next, I started on my 2017 goals. I began with prayer and looking through my Bible for verses to inspire me this year. I also chose my word for the year:

JOYFUL

I jotted down verses that would help me be joyful and also to be mindful in my service to the Lord and my relationship with Him. My original list included nineteen verses, mostly from Matthew, but I chose one more to have an even number of twenty. I copied the references of the verses in the back of my planner, but I plan to also write them throughout the planner. I want to read these verses on a regular basis and also memorize them this year. Hopefully I can blog about them as well. 

Here are my focus verses of Scripture for 2017:

• Matthew 5:16
• Matthew 6:21
• Matthew 6:33
• Matthew 7:21
• Matthew 11:28-29
• Matthew 16:24
• Matthew 22:37-39
• Matthew 23:11-12
• Matthew 25:40
• Matthew 26:41
• Mark 4:19
• Luke 6:45
• Luke 10:41-42
• Galatians 5:22-23
• James 1:2-5
• 1 Peter 3:4
• 1 John 5:3
• Psalm 46:10
• Isaiah 30:15

I have made my tentative Bible reading and study plans for 2017. I want to do the Bible in 90 days at some point, but not right away. I also plan to finish copying Galatians, and copy the other books of the New Testament that I have not copied yet. Another goal I just decided on today is to read all four Gospels once a month. I don't know my method for this yet, because I just made this goal about two hours ago.....may one gospel each week?

Julie and I both mapped our Happiness Project goals for each month. Here are my themes for each month:

• January:  possessions
• February:  health
• March:  books and blog
• April:  service
• May:  pleasure (hobbies, fun outings, etc.)
• June:  homemaking
• July:  homeschool
• August:  mothering
• September:  friendship
• October:  marriage
• November:  eternity
• December:  family

This all sounds great, but the reality is I will probably live the theme of WEDDINGS from April until the end of July....because guess what???  Olivia is engaged to me married too!  So I have two weddings to prepare and plan for....seven weeks apart!

June 3:  Julie and Sam

July 22:  Olivia and Brian

The last category I brainstormed ideas for is books. I haven't made my long range plan yet, but I always have a list of books that I want to read. I am reading a few books right now, but I want to create a booklist for 2017. I will share that when I complete it. 

Olivia, Julie, Sam, and Brian are all here for another week, and we are enjoying them all so much. My house is full, and of course so is my heart.

Oh. I am going to restart the book club (Better Than Before). If you are participating, continue to read the first chapter on distinctions. I will post about that chapter Monday, May 9.

Happy 2017!

Habits And A Possible Book Club

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a big fan of Gretchen Rubin. I have read her books The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and Better Than Before. I read her blog when I have the time, and I listen to her and her sister Elizabeth's podcasts when I run alone. She shares so many pearls of wisdom, great ideas, happiness hacks, and interesting tidbits and facts. Yesterday she and Elizabeth were discussing hard habits vs. soft habits. Hard habits are those habits that are ingrained into your routine--you do them without thinking. Things like brushing your teeth, cooking dinner for your family, getting to work on time, etc. Soft habits are a little trickier. They are the habits that are more negotiable in your mind--exercise, reading, hobbies, eating healthier.  Soft habits are usually more difficult to stick to because you can usually find a good excuse to put the habit off until a better time.

I am considering starting a book club on this blog where where we read and discuss Better Than Before. I thought we could read a chapter each week and then discuss it via my posts and your comments.  What do you think?  Would you like to do that?  This is the book that Lynn, Leanna, and I read during our running book club, which was so much fun. There are so many fun ideas in this book and really interesting questions to ask yourself to try to figure out why you do (or don't do) what you do.

So. Please leave a comment if you think this is a good idea.

Happy Saturday!

Books, Running, Life.....

I finished David Copperfield a couple of days ago.  I really liked that book.  I have decided that I really like Charles Dickens, and so I plan to read some more of his books.  I think my next one will be Oliver Twist.  So far I have read Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, and I thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

But the reality is that I have so many books on my must read now list, with the Bible in 90 Days (I am 1/3 of the way through) and The Red Badge of Courage (for my English class) being top priority.  Oh, and my Running Book Club selection, Better Than Before.  However our running club has not met in a few weeks because it has been too cold to run outside.  I refuse to run outside if the temperature is below freezing, and we have had many, many below freezing mornings lately.

Which brings me to my next topic:  running.  Oh, the love/hate relationship I have with regular running.  I love actually running--well I don't love it on the treadmill which is where I have been doing most of my running, when I run, lately....but I really, really enjoy running outside--either with friends (therapy session) or alone (prayer and sorting out my thoughts sessions), but the logistics of fitting regular running into my daily routine is challenging, and that's an understatement.  (Wow!  That was a long sentence!)  So for me, the stress of running is the planning and talking myself into doing it, not the actual running itself.  Yes.  This is still my challenge after 9 years of regular, consistent running.

My running goals for 2016 include logging 1000 miles for the year and training and running a marathon (my 6th).  I haven't selected the marathon yet, but it will probably be St. Jude in December in Memphis.  I am failing so far amassing the miles.....I need to average 20 miles a week to get to 1000 for the year, and I have run 20 miles per week only once this year.  Most weeks I have 18 or less. But there is still time!  Progress, not perfection, right?

And because I like to stretch myself even further, I have added two new exercise things to my plate.  I attended a piyo (pilates/yoga) for the first time last week with a friend of mine, and I plan to go to this class twice a week.  Also, a group of ladies from my church have formed a CrossFit class, and I hope to attend that 2 times a week beginning next week.  We will see if I can CrossFit, Yoga, and run......or if I am just asking for trouble!  :)

Life.....
I am in new season of motherhood.....my oldest two growing up and spreading their wings, my middle one preparing to leave home for college in the next year and a half, and my youngest two, thankfully still at home with me for several years to come!  Most days I think parenting lots of little children with diapers, pacifiers,  and sippy cups to be much easier than where I am today.  But with God's help, lots of prayer and Bible reading, and hopefully a friend or two who can guide me along the way I will figure it all out.

Happy Friday!

A Trip To Tampa

Hello!
We are home from a 5 day trip to Tampa with Kelly and Lynn, and their oldest son, Parker.  We took Clay and Parker for an official college visit, and we were able to visit with Olivia and Julie too.

Much fun was had (as always when we are with Kelly and Lynn). Many laughs and many memories made. Lynn and I ran twice while we were there--4 miles each run, and it was hot. Jimmy ran many miles (20 one morning).

We attended some college classes.  Clay and Parker went to 5 classes, I went to 3, Lynn went to 1, Jimmy went to 1, and Kelly lasted about 10 minutes in college algebra.  :) We were also able to attend chapel twice, and we visited two different churches for services yesterday.

Jimmy took lots of pictures, and I hope to share some tomorrow.  It's late, and I don't think he has even downloaded them to his computer yet.

Leah and Sam stayed behind with Megan for half the time and half the time with Leanna.  Thanks girls!

While at the airport waiting to leave and also on the plane, I did some reading….I finished Tom Sawyer and I read my chapter for our book club this week.

That's all for now. Tomorrow's plans include beginning another week of half-marathon training, homeschool, XC practice, art lessons, grocery shopping and laundry.

Work and Play

I am reading both Tom Sawyer and Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin, and I found a passage in each book regarding work and play--both similar in a way, and both worth pondering.

From Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer, p.19:

"…..he would have now comprehended that work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do."

From Better Than Before, p. 193:

"But it turns out that extrinsic motivation undermines intrinsic motivation, so rewards can turn enthusiastic participants into reluctant paid workers, and transform fun into drudge work."

Now think about those two quotes for a minute.

Also remember that what is fun for one person may not be fun for another, and the same is true about work. 

Play is what we do because we enjoy doing it.  Work is something that we perceive (and usually rightly so) we have to do. Play can become work if we are doing it for the wrong reasons, and this usually affects our attitude toward the activity in a negative way. Work can be perceived as play if our attitude toward the task at hand is a positive one.

Most of it is in our mind.

Before this all gets too confusing, just remember that whatever you are facing--play or work--thanksgiving produces joy. Find something to be thankful for. Enjoy your work, and enjoy your play, but in all things give thanks to God who makes it all possible. 

Better Than Before: Chapter 2

This week's running book club met this morning to run 8 miles and discuss chapter 2 of Better Than Before, entitled:  Self-Knowledge:  Distinctions.

This chapter presented several pairs of types of people followed by examples of each.  I wrote down most of these choices on my hand along with some key words from the discussion questions at the end of the chapter.

The written reminders really facilitated our discussion….until I started sweating.  And also, for most of the pairs I wrote down only one of the choices, and sometimes we could not think of the other choice!

All in all, it was a lively, enlightening discussion, and a great run!

I Almost Forgot

I began a blogging streak one week ago today, and as I was getting ready for bed tonight, I realized that I never posted today.  Since I said I would post for 100 days straight---I turned my computer back on!

I really like to read.  At any given time I have at least two books going.  Currently I am reading, reading out loud to my children, or listening to on Audible the following books:

Climb Happiness Hill
Plugged In Prayer
the Bible
Better Than Before
Tom Sawyer
By the Shores of Silver Lake
The Indian in the Cupboard
Across Five Aprils

I think that is all.  Leanna, Lynn, and I chose Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin for our first running book club book.  We have to read the introduction and chapter 1 by Friday.

I better get to reading!

The Running Book Club

This is the stack of unfinished books on my nightstand.  Most of them were begun earlier this summer….I am rereading Tom Sawyer for the English class I am teaching, and yesterdayI chose Better Than Before to be the first other book that I finish.

A few weeks ago Leanna suggested that she, Lynn, and I have a running book club, which means that we choose a book to read at home and then discuss it weekly while we are doing our long run.  Doesn't that sound like fun? It really does to me. The problem we are having is choosing the first book. We considered Little Women, because it's the next book I need to reread for my class. However, this morning we discussed maybe doing a Gretchen Rubin book (she has three that I like).

I am going to suggest that we choose our first book by Saturday and have the first chapter read by the time we do our long run next week.

I'll share what we chose when we figure it out.  :)