From Four Days

This week has flown by. On our way home, Monday night we had a quick dinner at one of our favorite drive-in's complete with burgers, fries, and shakes. I didn't take any pictures which is kind of sad.

It turns out a lot was happening in the gardens. My morning glory has grown over the top of the trellis. There were several cucumbers ready to be picked and my green beans survived without me. I've loved going out to my little patch to pick just enough beans for dinner whenever I feel like it.

During a grocery run, I got trapped by the ice cream sale.  They just so happened to have spumoni and I just so happened to "need" that. There are some things I only buy on sale: ice cream, chips, bread, and cereal. It's always better that way!

I may or may not have satisfied my craving for an iced toasted marshmallow latte which also included another ride in my sister's truck.

It feels great to be back to blogging!

What were you up to this week?

Summer Stack 2014

Compiling reading lists is one of my favorite things to do! I thought I'd share MY list of possibilities just in case any of you are looking for things to read this summer.

I'll add a few comments about each book after I'm finished with it.

The ones in bold will be ones I'm reading now and I'll tell you what I'm thinking so far.

Also note that each title is a link to the goodreads profile of each book! 

FICTION:

"Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson (YA)// I had a hard time getting into this book. I think there was just too much talking going on for my taste. The last twenty pages or so brought everything together nicely and almost changed my mind about the book. A conversation in these last pages between Louise and her Mother were part of what me give it a second chance. It goes something like this:

 Louise's Mother tells her about why she came to the island of Rass in the first place, "I had some notion that I would find myself here, as a poet, of course, but it wasn't just that." '

Louise says "And did you find yourself here on this little island?"

Her Mother replies while scrubbing away at something, "I found very quickly,"...."I found there was nothing much to find." (June 14, 2014)

"I've Got You Under My Skin" by Mary Higgins Clark//I am always on the look out for Mary Higgins Clark's new releases. This one was particularly enjoyable! I missed the mark and didn't truly figure out whodunnit until she made it glaringly obvious. (June 7, 2014)

"The Fight" by Luke Wordley//See my full review HERE. This book may be about boxing, but it's also about so much more! There's faith and discipleship and hard times and characters that are realer than real. It's a good one! (June 12, 2014)

"Navigating Early" by Clare Vanderpool (YA)//This was a GREAT book! I finished it with the thought, "Now, THAT was a novel!" It's the bigger picture of this book that proves to be enjoyable. The night before I finished it, I watched "The Soloist" and together these book reminded me of what it is like when people carry the burden of life not going as they had hoped or planned. (June 22, 2014)

"Saving Sailor" by Renee Riva// This was a little cheesy...I read the sequel to it (Taking Tuscany) years ago and have always been curious about the back story. I have been "saving" this book for years, but I finally decided that this summer felt like the perfect time to dig in. (July 5, 2014)

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee //This is my Mom's favorite book and I finally know why! Due to her raves about it and the fact that it is a classic and has been on our shelf almost as far back as I can remember, I have started this book countless times. Every single time, I thought I knew what I was in for and I just couldn't get into it. Last weekend I got sick and needed something to read...I ended up settling on To Kill A Mockingbird even though it wasn't part of this summer's stack. By Wednesday afternoon I was hooked! I'm not sure why I could never get into it all the other tines I started it.

Scout is grand. Atticus reminds me of my Mom. Calpurnia is familiar. Jem is every person I grew up with.

The stories and lessons and small town stereotypes are all so familiar. It feels like the story of America - growing up, realizing her foolishness, and yet, needing children to lead the way.

I'm only sad that I waited so long to learn from Harper Lee and to enjoy the stories that she thought up before so many others were even ready. (July 13, 2014)

"A Cup of Friendship" by Deborah Rodriguez - also titled "The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul"// I really wanted to like this book! I had to put it down because of the language and content. It was a work of fiction drawn from Rodriguez's own experiences owning a coffee shop (which I believe was in Kabul). That part was great even if it was a little depressing to read about life in the Middle East. I got a taste of life in Kabul which is really why I wanted to read the book. It turned out that the rest of it just wasn't for me. You win some, you lose some! (July 2014)

"Summer of the Gypsy Moths" by Sara Pennypacker (YA)// The plot of this novel was pretty far fetched, but if you can get past that, you'll really enjoy it. I've been talking about "Great-Aunt Louise" as if she was my great-aunt and Pennypacker likes the kinds of details I do. I picked this book up because it was set on Cape Cod. Now that it's over I'm wishing that there were more books in the series! Who knew following a couple of 11 yr. old girls through a few weeks of their summer with a HUGE secret to keep could be so entertaining? (July 3, 2014)

"Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein (YA) // EXCELLENT book! I read this one in ONE day because I couldn't put it down. As I've mentioned in another post, this book is Willy Wonka meets The Westing Game meets something I can't quite put my finger on. Grabenstein had some great lines in this book as well as an intriguing plot that keeps his readers trying to solve the puzzles before the kids in the story. It may be YA, but I really enjoyed it. There was a bit of juvenille humor (jokes about underwear, bodily noises, etc.)...Thankfully, once the real story got rolling, there wasn't room for any of that! I loved Mr. Lemoncello! He is one of those quirky older men who love being weird but think they are perfectly normal. Pick this book up and you'll be on your way to going back to your own childhood to revisit some of your favorite books and memories. Enjoy the puzzles along the way! (July 26, 2014)

"The Last Tycoon" by F. Scott Fitzgerald // This last and unfinished novel by Fitzgerald didn't really disappoint even though it basically went nowhere. There is something about the way he SEES and TELLS things that I just love. (July 28, 2014)

"The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton// I was in between library shipments but needed a good book to read, so I decided to re-read one of my favorites from jr. high. Now I'm ready to back through the other Hinton books that I read all those years ago. If it's really true that a 17 year old GIRL wrote this book, I am impressed. The way kids see things for what they really are...beyond the struggles and the pain and the fighting...it's nothing short of amazing. (July 31, 2014)

"Murder at the Mikado" Julianna Deering// I received a review copy of this from the publisher, but I just couldn't get into it. The back and forth between Drew and his fiance was just too much for me. He was sneaky. She didn't like it. They worked out it. But then they realized they really hadn't. The mystery seemed to take a back burner which was disappointing to me. There were about 150 pages that were SOLID and had me ALMOST changing my mind about this book. (August 6, 2014) 

"Dangerous Passage" by Lisa Harris// Harris has a way with mysteries! Even though I usually finish her books within a few days, it's not because I want to get them over with. In this book you're looking at a string of murders in Atlanta that are all tied together by a simple magnolia tattoo. Your suspicions will be raised. You'll think you have it all figured out. If you're like me, you'll keep reading and realize that you're ready for even more! You should know that this is the first book in Harris' "Southern Crimes" series. (August 11, 2014)

"Tidewater Inn" by Colleen Coble//I really wanted to love this book. The plot was really good, but it was super slow. If you like Coble, you should probably give this book a chance, just don't do what I did and set your expectations too high. Set in North Carolina's Outer Banks, this book really does have a bit of EVERYTHING. Coble beat me with the mystery that she included in this one. Even though I was suspicious of the one who turned out to be guilty, I didn't zero in on them on my own.  (August 17, 2014)

"Glory Be" by Augusta Scattergood (YA)// It turns out that this book was written for a pretty young audience. It's set during "Freedom Summer" (the summer of 1964) and tells about the events in one town from the perspective of an 11 yr. old girl. I've always enjoyed studying the history of Civil Rights in America, but this was one book that didn't do much for me personally. Young readers may enjoy this story that leaves out the most gruesome of details, yet still gets across the foolishness that has colored this country for far too long. (September 4, 2014)

"The Witness" by Dee Henderson//Aside from Mary Higgins Clark, Dee Henderson is my favorite mystery writer. I first read "The Witness" when I was 15. I remember sitting out on my back deck that summer reading this book every chance that I got. It's a book that has stayed with me. I figured this summer would be the perfect time to read it again and I wasn't wrong! I needed  a good novel to tie up my summer reading, so I chose this one even though it wasn't part of my original list. (September 4, 2014)

Two that I probably won't get to:
"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak (YA)
"Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell

NON-FICTION:

"Idols of the Heart"by Elyse Fitzpatrick// So far, so good. This was recommended reading from Behold Your God, so I knew it would be helpful. I've not read Fitzpatrick before, but I'll be back for more. UPDATED: I ended up NOT finishing this one. Fitzpatrick did something that made me very uncomfortable when she would embellish portions of Scripture in order to talk about what details MIGHT be included in order to help us relate to them. (June 18, 2014)

"Women of the Word" by Jen Wilkin//Wilkin is a teacher at The Village Church who packs a punch with the sweetest of voices. I am pretty confident that this will be my very favorite book of 2014! It is already on the "shelf" of the most influential books I have read in my LIFETIME. The purpose of this book is to TEACH women why they should study the Bible and give them a hands on approach as to HOW they should study the Bible. Stay tuned for my full review of this book!(June 14,  2014)

"I Never Had It Made" by Jackie Robinson, Alfred Duckett // This got added to my summer stack because my friend Shauna was reading it and I decided to join her! I love a good autobiography (I read this on the kindle and I'm not quite sure, but I think Robinson told his story to Duckett who wrote it. Or maybe Robinson wrote it and Duckett helped? All I know is that Robinson did a lot of writing, but he also admitted that Duckett was a popular ghostwriter.). ANYWAY. I got a look into Robinson's life, baseball in "the good old days", and the Civil Rights movement. Robinson was front and center and did a lot of mixing with all kinds of people. He had a lot to say.

I was sad to hear the way that he expressed himself towards the end of the book. It tasted a little bitter. The rest of the book seemed to be a very good representation of America at the time and what it would take to change and what SHOULD have change. Robinson gave so very much and he accomplished a lot.

However much you think you know, pick up this book and you'll learn a lot! (July 7, 2014)


"Grace for the Good Girl" by Emily Freeman// This book was due back to the library before I finished it. I turned it in, but not without plans to check it out again sometime. Freeman is the contemporary female writer that I admire most. She brings living in communion with God to each piece she writes in a way that I only wish I could. I'm eager to find out the rest of her story. (July 2014)


"Good: The Joy of Christian Manhood and Womanhood" free ebook compiled by Desiring God // I was expecting more from this book than it delivered. Each chapter was very well written, but since they were all written by different people, they didn't flow very well. If you go into knowing these things, it will probably be a very helpful read for those of us who are curious about God's plan for complementarian lifestyles. (July 2014)

"One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God" by Sam Storms// This is my first experience with Sam Storms. I can't wait to read more of his works! There were so many key, life changing sentences in this book and I finally have an idea as to where to begin with reading Jonathan Edwards. This book was the perfect book to finish out the summer with because it gave my soul more of God to dwell on and to contemplate as we move closer and closer to winter. (September 3, 2014)

READ ALOUDS: 

"The Mysterious Howling"by Maryrose Wood  //Wood put together a cute story. It reminds me of the Series of Unfortunate Events without all of the misfortune. We enjoyed reading about a very young governess overcoming the task of helping three "incorrigibles" learn to behave as they should. The nursery is a fun place to be and reading about a completely fictitious account was very entertaining. It's a series that we'll be coming back to! (July 2, 2014)

"As Ever, Gordy" by Mary Downing Hahn  //This book disappointed me...Gordy was as rotten as ever and not very eager to continue doing right. On top of that he becomes infatuated with Elizabeth. The first two books in the series were worth the read, but this one was just too much. (June 28, 2014)

ADDED: "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood

What are you reading?

What are some books in your summer stack?

Summer Is

May 23, 2013

It's June. People are graduating and getting married and starting jobs and planning vacations. Soon schools will be empty while parks and pools will be buzzing with families who are excited to just be together.

Summer is so very many kinds of wonderful. It's the season that most of us find easy to praise God for giving us.

Summer is beach towels hanging to dry after long days spent in the sun by the water.

Summer is shopping carts loaded with chips and buns and melons in preparation for cook outs with friends.

Summer is Sunday afternoons spent lounging around in the shade or napping in air conditioned houses.

Summer is for adventures and memories and vacations. Everything just feels different during the three months that come right in the middle of the year.

Two months from now most of us will be celebrating the fact that fall is o the way in. We'll be looking forward to fires and football and sweaters and routine.

May we really enjoy the fact that right now, summer IS.

May the tanned skinned, the yard games, the sound of lawn mowers, the freckles, and the ice in our drinks remind us to use these slower months as a time to reflect on the LIFE that God gives to His people.

What are some ways that you would finish the sentence that begins with: Summer is... ?

A Bit of Earth

This post could have so many titles..."I'm so Excited"..."How Does Your Garden Grow"...Basically, I've got a ton of pictures to share with you from different corners of my yard.

My gardening hobby started years ago when I used to help my Grandma in her garden. It continued when I would help my neighbor Bobby weed hers. We moved and I found myself attempting to keep up a small rose garden. Years went by and a little old lady named Alice needed help picking up some leaves. Those leaves were the beginning of a beautiful friendship and pretty much everything I really know about gardening.

 In 2008 I filled my first flower pots. In 2009 I planted my first flower garden. In 2010 I grew my first cucumbers. And I just keep adding things to it...

For two years I've been waiting patiently to see my peonies and clematis finally bloom.

Cucumbers

Bush Beans

Sugar Snap Peas

I'm getting excited about having fresh vegetables straight from my garden again. The other day as I was checking on each little sprout, I realized that I was actually getting giddy just thinking about that first cucumber!

Clematis blooming for the first time.

Roses are some of my favorites. Eventually I'd love to really know what I'm doing when it comes to helping them to do their thing.

Morning Glories

Cutting Garden

“Might I,” quavered Mary, “might I have a bit of earth?”In her eagerness she did not realize how queer the words would sound and that they were not the ones she had meant to say. Mr. Craven looked quite startled.

 

“Earth!” he repeated. “What do you mean?”

“To plant seeds in–to make things grow–to see them come alive,” Mary faltered.

He gazed at her a moment and then passed his hand quickly over his eyes.“Do you–care about gardens so much,” he said slowly.

 

“I didn’t know about them in India,” said Mary. “I was always ill and tired and it was too hot. I sometimes made littlebeds in the sand and stuck flowers in them. But here it is different.”

Mr. Craven got up and began to walk slowly across the room.“A bit of earth,” he said to himself, and Mary thought that somehow she must have reminded him of something. When he stopped and spoke to her his dark eyes looked almost soft and kind.

 

“You can have as much earth as you want,” he said. “You remind me of some one else who loved the earth and things that grow. When you see a bit of earth you want," with something like a smile, “take it, child, and make it come alive.” - The Secret Garden

A bit of earth can be quite exciting! Everything starts so rough and so small. By mid-July the first harvests are happening and everything is beautiful and hearty.

How does YOUR garden grow?

The Scenic Route...The Things of Summer

Last week, I headed out to a place I call "the ranch" for a little vacation. The ranch is a place I go to visit, to vacation, and to work. This time around, it was a time to vacation and meet some new people who were also there to relax. While I was away, I was able to enjoy some more things of summer.

*Before I left I tried out a new polish on my toes....This year, I've decided to try different colors that are brighter. It's silly I know, but pedicures are on my list of favorite things of this season.

*I noticed that the wheat is starting to turn tan. It's almost time for the harvest!

*Evening walks. The heat is cooling, the sun is setting, it's a gorgeous time of day to take a stroll.

*Salads - the usual green salad, cabbage salad, broccoli salad, pasta salads, fruit salads. These are light, cold meals that keep me going when it warms up.

*I ate a lot of watermelon at the ranch over the course of the last week and every single bite was PERFECTION.

*Fireworks with friends and a little girl who LOVED sparklers and fountains and smoke bombs.

********************

Onto day nine of the 15 Day Challenge

Today's prompt: "Tell us the best day of your life to date."

 

I have had a lot of really great days. Days filled with people I love. Days filled with exciting events that have turned into favorite memories. But, there is one day in particular that has stuck around to make my life better each day. 

I don't know the exact date. I know that it would have been a day of July in 2006....

That day I finally GOT what it meant to BE a Christian and to "live for the glory of God." 

That week I got introduced to John Piper and as he puts it, that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." 

I learned more fully what I was MADE for. I learned why I was ALIVE. I began to have confidence in the reason why my life had gone the way it did, was going the way it was, and would go the way it would.

That summer I was 15. I had applied for the spot at a "Leadership Conference" (i.e. spiritual bootcamp). Our days were spent eating, sleeping, listening to lectures, having SOLO time with God, and of course, having some down time to play volleyball, visit, etc. 

I was seriously EXHAUSTED at the end of each day. This was one conference full of 15-21 year olds who were OUT by 10:30 every night of their own accord.

We were spiritually and mentally concentrating on the great things of God for so much of the day that when evening rolled around we gladly put ourselves to bed no giggling, no talking, no "be quiets". 

I was out on the lawn having my quiet time in a piece of shade...Praying, reading my Bible, looking over notes from some of the sessions so far, journaling and it just hit me. To love God, to be a Christian is to live to make much of Him. To be so focused on God, to treasure Him so fully, that everything else just falls into place as secondary to Him.

God was good to grant me freedom in Christ to do what I was made for. 

I long to have this grow and continue for the rest of my days.

The Scenic Route...The Things of Summer

A post with THREE parts.

Numero Uno

I finally got my new camera out this weekend! I took nearly 500 pictures. It took that many pictures for me to figure out how to use P, AV, and M modes. 

M is quickly becoming my favorite because of how much control I have in that one. Some of those pictures will be sprinkled throughout this post. 

**********************

The Scenic Route...The Things of Summer

Here are some things of summer that I won't be enjoying in 2012 (as far as I know anyway). These are things I grew up enjoying.

The very first picture...Please ignore the junk on the desk. :)

*Beaches of the southeast.

*The smell when you first get out of the car at the beach.                    

*Going to the beach and spending the ENTIRE day by the ocean only to go back to the condo when it was time for dinner.      
      

A piece of summer on the mantle.

*Fireflies.

*WARM nights.

*Hiking in the mountains and playing in waterfalls.

Shadows

*Humidity...It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket. I don't live there having to garden, mow the lawn, etc. so it was always a treat.

*Traveling with my Grandma and Ghiddu....Well, just being with them was nice. I miss them most this time of year.

*Seeing my cousins and aunts and uncles.

*Coming out of anywhere with really cold AC and feeling the heat radiating off the pavement.

Just doing their thing.

**********************

 Day Two: Six Word Memoirs 

 "Six word memoirs are exactly how it sounds: your life in six words. The history behind it is that Ernest Hemingway was asked to write a complete short story in as few words as possible. His response was, 'For sale: Baby shoes, never worn.' This then errupted into a way to tell sad, sweet, honest tales." 


If I had to describe my life in six word this is what I would say:

"Victory, bitter victory, in Jesus Christ."

It's simple...But it covers it ALL. 

Victory is mine. It has not (and will not) come without pain and heartache. But it is mine. Not because of anything I have done, can doe, or am. 

I will be victorious because of the One who fights for me - Jesus Christ. 

The first verses I ever memorized from the Bible are still true. 

    "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
(Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

The end.

The Scenic Route...The Things of Summer

I have decided that over the next couple of months, I am going to use Monday's "The Scenic Route" posts differently. Instead of telling you about my weekend, I am going to use some of theses posts to tell you about some of the things of summer that I have been enjoying so far! 

Over the last month I have enjoyed a good deal of SUMMER already!

* Iced Coffee. I have The Pioneer Woman to thank for this. 

*Sweet tea. I have living in the south to thank for this.

* Road trips to visit friends.

* I have officially put out the summer nick-knacks... The sea shells, summery candles, and red, white, and blue items are showing their faces again.

A rose from the new bushes we're adding to the yard this year.

A drug store find that has become the center of attention.

The Bible is open to Philippians 1:6

* Days in the park.

* Watermelon Icees.

* Cool mornings and HOT afternoons.

*Swim suit buying.

*Gardening. Weeding, planting, watering,  you get the idea.

A peek into one of the flower pots, blue flowers for my sister.

The craziest, prettiest flower of this year.

My effortless flowers that come back strong every year.

These make me smile.

*Laying out on the patio. Listening to podcasts, reading, visiting with whoever may be joining me.

*Wearing pretty skirts.

* Green wheat fields alongside the brown fallow fields.

*Going geocaching.

Same rose, a week later. See, I don't notice flowers again until they are GONE.

* Cooking out with friends.

*Perfectly warm, still, quiet evenings.

*Yard games - volleyball, basketball, speedminton, catch, whatever, let's do it. 
 
 * This porch swing....

One of my favorite spots of summer.

Everything is so GREEN and the sky is BLUE.

Summer is a time for change. A time for growing and going.

What things of summer have you been enjoyed this year?