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Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To by Anthony DeStefano
This book is just what it sounds like. Although I disagree with the author on some key theological points, I don’t disagree with the premise. This is no Prayer of Jabez, and DeStefano emphasizes repeatedly that God’s not a vending machine. :) I was encouraged and gleaned a few helpful insights.

Marriable: Taking The Desperate Out of Dating by Michael and Hayley DiMarco
If I had paid more than 75 cents for this book, I would have wanted my money back. There are a few tiny nuggets of truth in it, but it’s basically a slightly Christianized version of The Rules. It buries insulting and demeaning advice under a cutesy, image-heavy presentation. This goes for both genders, although the book comes down hard on women to remain aloof and mysterious, while becoming what the man wants and expects, instead of being your true self and, you know, having opinions. The authors are also fairly harsh to divorced people, so when Mr. DiMarco reveals on the second-to-last page that he was divorced himself, it’s a real kicker. Bottom line, don’t read this unless you want to snark on it with a group of friends, or need something to throw across a room. I did both. I was tempted to write an entire post about it here, with quotes, but decided it would be too much negative energy.

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
I read this in one sitting on an airplane. It’s a lot like The Giver (and almost as good), but with a female protagonist and set on a tropical island after global warming melts the ice caps and floods most of the earth.

The Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter
The first fluffy Christian love story I’ve read in a loooong time. It’s about a shy waitress with a sad past, a Christian sailor on a level with Michael from Redeeming Love, and a case of mistaken identity. I liked it. I’d like to read the rest of this Nantucket series, but my library has zero Denise Hunter books.

Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
This classic book of reflective essays is as relevant now as it was in 1955. It’s simultaneously simple and profound and has already earned a spot on my favorites list. I loved it.

The Allure of Hope: God’s Pursuit of a Woman’s Heart by Jan Meyers
I wrote extensively about this amazing book here.

From Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Woman by Jodi R.R. Smith
This was okay. It would be better to have on hand for reference, as opposed to reading it straight through. Clinton Kelly’s Freakin’ Fabulous is a much more enjoyable handbook. :)

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen
In this novel, Julia and Michael, together for 15 years, overhaul their marriage and their lives after he has a near-death experience. For various reasons, I wasn’t sure at first if I could get through this book, but I ended up loving it. Sarah Pekkanen is one of my favorite new writers.

Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber
In this second Lucy Valentine book, Lucy takes on new clients for her Lost Loves business, moves forward in her relationship with Sean, and gets a few big surprises – all with wit and grace. To be honest, I don’t get what makes Lucy and Sean such a perfect couple, but I enjoy these books so much that it doesn’t bother me.

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
The continuing story of Alek, a secret Austrian prince on the run, and Deryn, a female British air officer posing as a boy, in alternate-history WWI. I read this in one night, and then was sorry because I wanted more! Thankfully, the last book in this trilogy comes out in just a few weeks. I didn’t read this one upon release because I was waiting for the paperback, but I can’t restrain myself this time. Someday I’ll learn to stop reading unfinished series so I’ll stop ending up with mismatched books.

Books for August: 10!
2011 year to date: 55

Add a Comment + Posted in: book reviews, reading

After years of trial and error, I’ve settled on a few key products that help me keep my house clean with less effort, and go longer between deep cleanings. I frequently recommend these things to people I know, so I figured I’d post about them too. I have not been compensated in any way for these recommendations. :)

My most indispensable cleaning product is Multisurface Antibacterial Windex. Like the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, I use it daily and EVERYWHERE. My dining table is wood with granite insets, and this takes care of the whole shebang. (I know that’s not the best for the table, so I do apply wood cleaner and granite cleaner once in a while.) Right now I’m using the lemon-scented Target version, and it works just as well.

I have two cats. This Arm and Hammer baking soda carpet stuff REALLY helps lift out fur and leaves a fresh scent – I use it almost every time I vacuum. However, my carpet is looking a lot worse for wear lately, so I might need to switch to something more intense. Has anyone tried the Resolve stuff that supposedly lifts out stains when you vacuum it up?

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is TRULY MAGIC. I haven’t used it for anything hardcore, but it’s satisfying to walk around the house with one and scrub smudges off of walls, doors, and cabinets. If you have kids, I bet they’d have fun using it too. (That is, if they’re little Monica Gellers like I was.)

I recently started dusting furniture with these Pledge wipes instead of Windex. They’re better for the wood, and eliminate the spray-and-paper-towel step entirely. :)

Clorox drop-ins are my favorite cleaning product. Put one in your toilet tank every couple of months, and enjoy picking up the scrub brush less often. The only downside is trying to open the plastic package without getting bleach dust all over yourself.

These Clorox wipes are all-purpose, but I only use them for touch-up bathroom cleaning. Again, it’s so much easier than taking out the Scrubbing Bubbles constantly, and you know the germs are taken care of between times.

Thoughts?

5 Comments + Posted in: domestic, what i'm into

Years ago, Laura recommended to me The Allure of Hope by Jan Meyers. I finally read it this month. The book is a summary of many things that have been percolating in me for a long time. I knew I was in for it on page 19, when, to my embarrassment, this passage made me start crying in the middle of a Schlotzsky’s:

As I’ve spoken to countless women, I’ve been struck with the words they come up with when asked to think of hope: anticipation, renewal, expectation, motivation, trust, promise, excitement. Frankly, we are cowards. Are those descriptions of hope? Absolutely, those are threads within hope’s fabric. But words like groaning, yearning, birth pain, anguish, doubt, and struggle don’t immediately come to mind. Why?… These realities are intrinsic to the nature of hope and woven into the fabric of our souls as women. Hope cannot be separated from its gut realities. We think of hope as something “out there” that we either find or lose. The reality is, hope is something that rises up inside of us with a gentle strength that requires a response. We either respond to it with our hearts or we try to push it down. Responding to it brings a deepened sense of thirst, a deepened ache. Responding to it reminds us of what it truly means to be a woman. Trying to push it down is another story altogether. Notice I said “trying” to push it down. Hope is tenacious. Hope always finds us again.

We live in a world that equates “realism” with maturity. It’s assumed that once we experience real trials and disappointments, we’ll lower our expectations about life. This is true to a degree even among Christians. The revolutionary message of this book is that hope with our eyes open is the most affirming way to approach life. We are to hope knowing that we’ll sometimes be disappointed, and may not ever have what we hope for. Hoping God’s way means neither ignoring our desires and trying to “be content” in our circumstances (as so many of us were taught), nor “clamoring” to fix things and make things happen on our own. It means acknowledging our hopes, and bringing them to God, over and over – and allowing Him to work in our hearts through our disappointment. It isn’t an easy or happy process, and it’s not supposed to be. But it makes us more beautiful and alive. It gives us compassion and vision. It brings us closer to God and to His work in and around us. Regardless of what comes of them, we don’t need to smother our hopes. In fact, we need to hope bigger.

Like most people, I’m well acquainted with disappointment. I have important hopes that I’m aware may never be fulfilled. I constantly cycle through the three approaches that Meyers describes – “hovering,” “clamoring,” and real hope. When my hopes are dashed, it hurts, and I feel like I only have myself to blame for that pain. If I’d lowered my expectations and shut down my heart, I wouldn’t have been disillusioned. But no matter how many times it happens, in big or small ways, I seem to keep hoping anyway. I’ve always been this way, and I’ve always felt foolish for it. But here’s what Meyers says about that:

Hope begins when the memory of what was becomes a longing for what is to be restored. This is the place where contemplating a posture of openness and childlike dreaming seems utterly ridiculous. This is where the journey of the heart can easily be indicted as foolish. And indeed, it is foolish – a foolishness that leads to life. It is the kind of outlandish living that Paul spoke of when he said we are fools for Christ’s sake.

Toward the end of the book, Meyers interviews a friend who’s had some terrible experiences. What she said resonated so strongly with me:

As much as hope relieves the despair, it also really does make the heart sick – when I’m disappointed, when hope isn’t realized in the timing I want. If I’m going to be alive and have hope, I’m going to have to grieve my losses and risk being hurt again and again. Because of the way God has a hold on me, I can’t stop myself from putting my whole heart into life. A good part of the time this brings happiness, joy, and peace, but it also opens me up to deeper levels of despair… But what He’s given me – His love – it makes me unable to resist giving these things away to other people.

Obviously, I recommend this book VERY highly. I’m actually restraining myself by not sharing ten more quotes. It might sound too touchy-feely to some, or not grounded enough in Scripture or something, but it rings true for me.

5 Comments + Posted in: hope, reading

When I was in Knoxville several weeks ago with a group of friends, one of our meals was this flavorful salad. I’ve made it twice for myself since then! It’s perfect for summer and covers all food groups. I don’t have an official recipe, but here are the components:

– Chopped Romaine lettuce, or similar (Baby Spring Mix is pictured)
– Sliced strawberries
– One peach, peeled, pitted and diced
– Toasted pecans
– Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
– Grilled chicken that was marinated in orange juice (I added a little garlic too)

My friend Kelly served it with a strawberry vinaigrette, but any vinaigrette would be a nice accompaniment. I just whipped up some balsamic. One of my favorite cookbooks, Simply Salads, converted me to making my own salad dressings. It only takes a minute, and you can make it to taste and without preservatives. Nowadays I only buy bottles of more complicated dressings like Ranch.

3 Comments + Posted in: food, summer

As of today, I’ve been living in my house for five years! Quite a milestone considering everything that’s happened in that time. I love my house and am thankful for it every day. I wouldn’t have bought a house on my own if I’d never been married – I would have been too intimidated by the upkeep and mortgage payments. But thanks to God, my stable job, and the constant assistance of my dad and a posse of local repairmen, my house and I are doing all right. :) Being a single female homeowner is challenging and a little scary, but it’s also empowering, even if I need a lot of help. Hopefully I’ll need less help as I learn from experience, and as fewer things break.

My house is truly my sanctuary. About six months ago, I had a flash of inspiration and decided to name my house “The Cloister.” I like the idea of a sanctuary of beauty, rest, and contemplation, which is also a place of community. I think the name has a lot of positive connotations. I even painted a small plaque to hang outside the door. But I can’t figure out how to hang it, and I’m chicken that most people would misunderstand the name – or that I’d somehow be declaring nunhood over myself. I don’t want to be a nun, and men are totally welcome at The Cloister.

Anyway, I know I’m very blessed.

7 Comments + Posted in: milestone