New Life, No Instructions by Gail Caldwell (4 stars)
I reviewed this here.
Better Off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg (3 stars)
I reviewed this here.
Long Live the King: A Passion Reader by Dale and Jonalyn Fincher (5 stars)
An enriching series of essays/devotions for Holy Week that’s going in my permanent rotation.
Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, ed. Orbis Books (5 stars)
Not to be confused with Shauna Niequist’s Bread & Wine (which I also talk about frequently), this Bread and Wine is an excellent Lenten devotional with deep thoughts from a wide variety of writers and thinkers – both the heavy hitters and people you’ve never heard of. If you start it on Ash Wednesday, reading a chapter each day, you’ll still have a few weeks to go after Easter. I actually liked that because it kept me in an Easter frame of mind! This was my second year using it, and my first year to finish the whole thing.
Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin (3.5 stars)
In this memoir/self-help book, Gretchen Rubin builds on her revelations from The Happiness Project. For each month of the school year, she makes resolutions to increase her happiness, as well as her family’s, within their existing home life. I expected to love this book, but I’m bummed to say it fell short of the original for me. It was so repetitive that I could practically recite her Commandments and Truths by the end of the book. Maybe that was the idea, but for me it was a little tiresome. Still, I like Rubin a lot, appreciate her thoughts, and was inspired to tackle a few projects of my own!
Books for April: 5
2014 year to date: 21
General Highlights:
In April, I: got to see my teen-years BFF, Amy, who was visiting from Seattle. Found out my friend Caroline is expecting a long-awaited baby! Was randomly in a miniature golf commercial while there with my work group for a team building activity (the commercial is airing on Channel 5, but I haven’t seen it yet). Took my cats to the vet for checkups and got a good report – Peach is at a healthy weight! Met my friend MaryElaine’s new baby boy. Started volunteering at our local public radio station (more on this later, probably). Went to a Bread & Wine book club discussion. Successfully shot a bow for the first time. Enjoyed my first Food Truck Friday at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens with co-workers. Soaked up Holy Week and Easter. Attended my brother-in-law’s ordination and my friend Myla’s debut concert at the historic Levitt Shell. Upon reflection, it was a pretty big month!
Read and Reading:
Kind of a light reading month. The monthly book list will be up tomorrow!
TV/Movies:
My dad and I saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. IT WAS AWESOME. (See also EW’s great piece on this movie and our current political climate.) We also enjoyed Draft Day, which joins Moneyball and The Social Network on my list of Best Movies That Are Mostly People Talking In A Room. Oh and my mom insisted we see God’s Not Dead over Easter weekend. It was better than I expected, though my brother and I were still shaking our heads over certain scenes days later.
Music:
I finally purchased the second half of Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience. It’s even better than Part 1, and “Not A Bad Thing” has been my favorite song this month. Nickel Creek, Ingrid Michaelson, and NEEDTOBREATHE all released new albums in April, but I haven’t bought them yet.
Cooking:
Image via pastrychef.com
This brown sugar keeper was on a friend’s birthday list, and I thought it was so cool I had to get one for myself! Much more convenient than putting mini-marshmallows in the brown sugar and then having to fish them out.
Wearing:
In my search for an Easter dress, a friend directed me to Belk, which we don’t have in Memphis. I fell hard for the entire Cynthia Rowley collection. As in, I seriously considered driving to Nashville just to try things on. It was for the best that I didn’t, because we went to Belk last weekend in Dothan, and they had everything for 70% off!! I came home with this navy and white striped skirt (which instantly became one of the best pieces in my closet) and this gorgeous printed yellow dress.
Even at Ross, this bright Jessica Simpson purse was kind of a splurge. But I loved the color, the cutouts, and the pockets for everything I need! Unfortunately, the extra crossbody strap snapped off mere days later. So much for investing in “quality.” I thought about returning it, but I really like the bag and can fit the handles over my shoulder. If I need the longer strap later, maybe a shoe repair person can fix it.
Beauty:
I can’t remember where I read about these Revlon balm stains, but they’re everything I look for in a lip color: easy to apply, not drying, and fairly long-lasting. I chose Adore (red) and Rendezvous (orange), and they’re both flattering to my warm skin tone.
Travel:
I just got back from Alabama (and am returning shortly for my niece’s birthday party), with a side trip to the Florida coast!
On The Blog:
This month I griped about the finale of How I Met Your Mother; discussed the importance of touch and quality; noted my progress with my One Word, Alive; rejoiced in springtime and Easter; and talked about the NCAA South Regional!
Posts I Loved:
Emily Freeman: What Happens In Our Fields of Gold
Jody Casella: A Brief Rant About School Testing
Something I’ve thought about too: Jamie The Very Worst Missionary: I Worry For The Mommy Bloggers
Little Did She Know: Traveling The Oregon Trail
Myla Smith: Holy Week
BRILLIANT: Jayson Bradley: Making Room In Church For Your Ideological Enemies
Amber Wackford: Lesson From A Virus
Danielle Carey: Digging
Elisabeth Klein: Staying or Leaving: Both Take Courage. (Related: I’m still thinking about this awesome Glennon Melton tweet.)
Head on over to Leigh’s and link up!
8 Comments + Posted in: what i'm into
I was in Alabama for most of last week – hence the quiet around here. My mom and I drove to Montgomery on Wednesday for my brother-in-law Lance’s ordination! My family is Nazarene, and in their denomination, pastors have to work for several years before they can become ordained. So this was a celebration of a calling already in process! I’m VERY proud of Lance, and Debra too. Being a pastor’s spouse is not for the faint of heart.
I’d never been to an ordination service before. I’ve heard they can go on forever, but there were only two candidates at this one, so it was pretty focused and interesting. Lance was prayed over by his mentor Scott, who has presided over many major events of his life so far: he was his youth pastor, performed his wedding to my sister, dedicated my niece, and now finalized his ordination! I love their relationship.
On Thursday we continued on to Dothan to visit for a few days. Debra and I had come down with the same cold (or something) independently of each other, so neither of us felt great, but we still managed to have some fun. I got in plenty of quality time with Niecy, who turns two this week and is such an awesome little person. We played around the house, and my mom and I took her to a great park that had tons of play structures and every kind of sports field you can think of.
On Saturday, we loaded up the car and drove to Panama City Beach!
Our previous outing to PCB was kind of a disaster, but this day completely redeemed it. The water was calm, the temperature was perfect, and everyone was well and happy! As usual, I felt deeply at peace a) being in my home state and b) communing with the ocean. For me, nothing in this world compares to being covered in salt, sand, and sunscreen, with nowhere to rush off to.
I didn’t sign up for World Book Night this year because I knew I’d be out of town. But Lance signed up anyway and handed out copies of Bridge to Terabithia at the beach! I was impressed.
When we hopped into the car to drive to the pier, windows down, Niecy put her hands up like she was on a roller coaster. Clearly she was as beach-happy as the rest of us ladies.
The Panama City Beach pier is very nice and offers great nature- and people-watching.
The niceness of the pier may be partially due to its hilarious overabundance of rules. My favorite thing about the No Profanity sign is its vague threat of “disciplinary action.” Debra, Lance, and I decided it probably involved being thrown over the side.
Happy and full of delicious ice cream, we headed back to Dothan.
My mom and I drove home to Memphis on Sunday, along a route that was hit by multiple tornadoes on Monday. I’m glad to be back safely!
2 Comments + Posted in: aunthood, family, florida, travel
As a toddler, Gail Caldwell was among the last wave of polio victims in America. Although her right leg was affected, she never let the disability hold her back. When her leg became increasingly useless and painful in midlife, she chalked it up to polio – and so did many doctors she saw over the course of years. Finally, one doctor took the time to discover that Caldwell’s hip was almost completely worn down and could be fixed with a simple hip replacement. Thus, she embarked on an unexpected new adventure of mobility at the age of sixty-one.
New Life, No Instructions weaves important events from Caldwell’s life together with the near-present story of her hip replacement. That doesn’t sound very interesting on the surface, but she’s a Pulitzer Prize winner for a reason. This book plumbs the depths of hope, love, loss, and regret. Caldwell lost both parents, her best friend, and her dog within just a few years, and she pays tribute to them while also acknowledging the difficulty (and sometimes futile feelings) of carrying on without them. Her words deeply resonated with and touched me. Ultimately, this memoir is not a downer, but a beautiful picture of the full range of life, a great read for me in my Year of Alive. When I’m in my sixties, I hope to be half as cool and wise.
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 Comments + Posted in: book reviews
I hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend! Mine was full of beautiful spring weather, delicious food, and good times. I was even visited by my own personal Easter bunny, who appears to be living under my shed (though I haven’t seen him since I mowed the lawn on Saturday).
My brother came from Indiana for the weekend! He and my parents went with me to my church’s annual Easter Eve concert and picnic at the Levitt Shell. The Shell is a big deal in Memphis – Elvis performed the first rock and roll show there. This year’s Easter Eve featured artist was my friend Myla Smith! She and her band totally rocked our faces off, and I was so happy to be present for this milestone in her career. (The live album will be available soon!)
On Easter morning, I went to my parents’ church so we could all be together. My mom and I didn’t match intentionally! (My dress was a lucky Old Navy clearance find – you may see a lot of it in the coming weeks.)
Instead of getting a traditional ham, my family let me plan and cook the Easter meal for the four of us! I made a mustard-crusted pork roast in a shallot gravy (one of my favorite special-occasion dishes), with a side of sweet potatoes and carrots in a balsamic pineapple glaze. My dad added green beans, and we also had a spinach dip platter that I’d made for the Shell the day before and then brilliantly left in the refrigerator at my parents’. I was really pleased by how everything turned out!
Dessert was lemon icebox angel food cake. It was really refreshing and easy to make. Most of us had two slices.
Among the things my family does for fun: shoot bows. My mom just got her own ladies’ bow, and I wanted to see if it would work for me. My past attempts at using men’s bows haven’t gone well, but I took to this one right away and got good shots on my first try! I was excited. I’m not interested in killing any animals, but archery is a good skill that I’d like to practice more. You never know when you might be forced into battle in a treacherous arena, or whatever.
Anyway, I know it’s cliche, but Easter time really refreshes me spiritually. I feel close to Jesus and so thankful that He is who He is, and that He conquered death so spring could arrive for all of us, and someday winter will never come again. He is risen!
3 Comments + Posted in: celebrate, family, memphis, spring