Blogaversary

         

                       I couldn’t let the day go by without wishing my blog a Happy 7th Blogaversary!

Seven years ago with trepidation I hit the publish button of my first posting. 

I really had no idea what direction the blog would take, but I felt compelled to post my thoughts out into the world. 

What I have enjoyed most about the blog is that it is a record of the last seven years. Sometimes when I think it may be time to quit, I can’t quite do it. This year I am committing to posting at least once a month. 

However, if January is an indication of the rest of the year it looks like I’ll be posting weekly about the books I am reading this year. 

Spidy

I got a call the other day from my daughter and middle grandson. He’s four now, and is quite pleased with the Spider-Man haul he got for his birthday. 

Unbeknownst to him he still has a few more gifts remaining due to his party being postponed because of family illness. 

In the call he was asking or reminding me about a Spider-Man Golden Book we had seen online. He was curious if I had gotten it yet. 

Know I don’t know about you, but when you get a FaceTime call from your four year old grandson asking about a book you had mentioned you might keep an eye out for, you get right on Amazon as soon as you hang up to order it. 

One of the other gifts he had received from two brothers who are friends of him was a really cool Spider-Man hooded towel. 

When I was babysitting the other day he requested that I take a picture of him wearing it. I must say it was really cool!

Inferno

This actually was a bonus book for me. Inferno by Dan Brown is a book that I started months ago before we moved. 

I enjoyed it, but was struggling to stay focused while reading it at first. Since I had a few days left in the week I decided to go ahead and finish it. 

It’s a fascinating story that was published in 2013, but is extremely timely today. I’m not sure I would have felt the same way about it if I had read it when it was first published. 

If you like Dan Brown books this one won’t disappoint. Along with nonstop action you will feel like you just took a trip to Italy. 

The Nightingale

This book by Kristin Hannah has become one of my all time favorites.

I LOVED this book!

I’ve never read anything by her before, but I’m looking forward to reading more of her work. Brittany gave me a copy of Firefly Lane  which I intend on reading later in the year. 

This book takes place during WWII in occupied France, and is the story of two very different sisters, and their place in the war. 

Although, complete opposites they both are equally courageous in their own way. I learned so much about the history of France during the war, and the struggles endured by all. 

This book brought a tear to my eye several times, and although it was almost six hundred pages in length it was hard to put down, and easy to read. 

My interest in this war has led me to read a book belonging to my father, Killing Patton, which to be honest I doubt I would ever have picked up. It’s held my interest so far, and I’ll report on it when I finished. 

I highly recommend this wonderful story. 

Outer Order Inner Calm

This book is written by one of my favorites. Author, teacher, and speaker, Gretchen Rubin is a modern day philosopher in her own right. 

I happened upon Gretchen over ten years ago when her book, The Happiness Project, caught my attention.

I began following her blog, and found Gretchen to be a kindred spirit. Her advice, “Be Gretchen” or in my case “Shari” changed my life. 

For the first time it allowed me to feel content in who I was, and the lifelong struggle to fit into the “norm” became less consuming. 

Her “You can choose what you do, but not what you like to do,” was liberating. It allowed me to embrace all the “quirky, unconventional things” I liked to do that did not seem to be so common with most people I knew. It also gave me the opportunity to pass on things that I really didn’t enjoy doing just because “everyone” else was doing them. 

I’ve been fortunate to hear Gretchen speak on three occasions. I’ve also met her twice in person, and have signed copies of her books. 

Outer Order Inner Calm has been a mantra of mine ever since the first time I read her findings on how much order contributes to happiness. Being a naturally ordered person I did not find this shocking, but it did help remind me that the state of my purse or my pantry were often representative of my thoughts at that time. 

This book is a quick read, and chocked full of not so much organizational tips, but rather individualized ideas about how much order you require in your own life. 

It was the perfect book to read during my second week when my first choice fell through. 

If you are unfamiliar with Gretchen’s work, her blog and podcast are a great place to start. 

“Order is Heaven’s first law.”

Alexander Pope

Atlas of the Heart

I was really excited about this book. I had seen it at Walmart and talk about judging a book by its cover. It was beautiful inside and out. 

When a neighboring community book store posted that they would be doing a discussion on the book in February, I was all in. 

When I first began reading this book by popular author and speaker Brene Brown, I was hopefully optimistic that I would not only enjoy reading it, but would learn something new as well. 

In her defense she did point out to me that our emotions go well beyond just happy, sad and mad. I began reflecting on certain experiences in my own life, and tried to identify which emotion was displayed. 

As I read further along I began to notice a pattern in her writing. It became obvious that we probably didn’t vote for the same candidate for president. It’s not that I could never read a book written by someone with a different opinion. What bothered me was her book about emotions had morphed into a book about her political point of view which she stated as fact and not opinion. 

I was curious how that would play out ten years down the road when the truth of history would have revealed itself. 

I also noticed that at this point in my life I’m no longer depending on myself and the world to solve my problems. I’ve put my trust in God to help me know which step or path to take next. 

It bothered me just a tad that she was doling out advice as an “expert” and yet she was under the care of her own therapist. I couldn’t help but wonder if we had the blind leading the blind here. 

I gave myself permission, reluctantly, to put the book down half way through. I realized I had never really considered what I would do in my challenge if I wasn’t enjoying the book. 

I ended up choosing a very short book from my library that could easily be finished in a few days to complete the week. 

The Alchemist

As you may have seen in a prior posting I have taken on a 52 week book challenge this year. I thought I would make a posting about each book I’ve read.

I’m not doing this so much as a book review, but more as a record of what I have read. 

The first book I read was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This book was originally published in 1993 when I was in the thick of parenting,however, I do remember somewhere along the line hearing about it. 

I purchased a 25th anniversary edition from my local used bookstore primarily because of how the book felt. 

I am drawn to a beautifully published book, and the small size, and texture of the cover and pages compelled me to purchase a copy of the book. 

It was a lovely story that inspired me to look for my “personal legend” ( what you’ve always wanted to accomplish) in each stage of my life. 

“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”

Oobleck

The other day the boys and I came across a really awesome science show for kids on Netflix. The scientific method was being taught through some very cool experiments.

After watching the kids on the show make Oobleck I told the boys we could make some the next time I came over. 

I picked up a large can of baking powder, and brought over my largest bowl. Oobleck only requires three ingredients-baking powder, water and food coloring. 

To make Oobleck you add one cup of water, one and one half cups of baking powder, and a few drops of food coloring to a bowl. Continue to stir together for around ten minutes.

 

Oobleck is considered a non-Newtonian fluid. It has the properties of both liquids and solids depending how you handle it. 

It feels like a liquid until you squeeze it, and then it’s more like a solid. 

The boys had a lot of fun, but be prepared for a mess. However, it’s actually a pretty easy substance to clean up. 

Luckily my oldest grandson reminded me not to pour any of it down the sink because it could end up clogging it. I must admit I had not heard that part when watching the original show. 

I feel quite blessed to share these fun experiences with my grandsons. 

Camping Out

I wanted to share with you how Chuck and I rang in the New Year. I must admit it was probably one of the most fun New Year’s Eve’s I’ve ever spent. 

This holiday has never been one of my favorites considering it revolves more around “partying” and my idea of a good time centers more around blowing out birthday candles vs grown-up fun. 

Both of the older grandsons spent the night on New Year’s Eve, and Chuck and I decided to go all out with a camping theme. OK I decided to go all out, but Chuck was crucial in setting up his old camping tent in the living room. 

I think the last time he had used it was when he and an eight year old Brittany camped in our backyard. We even found an old flashlight tucked away inside. 

The day before I had taken all the ornaments off our Christmas tree, and thought that we could set up a forest play area in our house. Along with the tree I put out my beloved Smokey the Bear with several forest themes books. I even have the original story of Smokey minus its Golden Book cover. 

I also made a campfire with an orange and red tissue paper fire tucked into a few logs.  Next to the fire I set out a kid-sized plastic lantern. I retrieved all the forest animal Beanie Babies stored in the barn, and placed them in and around the tree. 

Now that we were in a camping mood I had the boys help me make fire starters for our wood stove. I had been collecting dryer lint for two years in anticipation of one day owning a wood stove. The boys stuffed egg cartons with the lint, and I poured melted wax over each section of the carton. 

When they dried I cut them into twelve pieces, and later in the week when the weather allowed they worked like a charm staring a fire in our stove. 

I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, and we ate them on the floor on our red-checked table cloth spread out for a picnic. The oldest arranged everything for us by unpacking a picnic basket that had been a wedding gift from Chuck’s mom thirty-six years ago. 

Since our county is still under a burn ban an outdoor fire didn’t sound like a good idea when it came to making S’mores.  Not to worry, though. I knew with these boys’ imaginations they would have no trouble fueling the make believe fire in the living room. 

Chuck and I roasted  our marshmallows together with the boys discussing just how we liked them. They informed us that their Gigi and Pop had taught them how to roast marshmallows over a real fire when they had visited earlier in the year. 

We actually made our S’mores using the microwave, and if you haven’t done so it’s something you need to experience . The boys were delighted to watch the marshmallows puff up as they cooked before their eyes. 

The S’mores didn’t disappoint, and after gobbling them up we moved onto games. Chuck and the now six year old played checkers, and I must say that our oldest grandson is doing quite well when it comes to strategizing.

The three year old and I played an exciting game of Candy Land, and he was quite pleased with himself for winning. 

When it came time to go to sleep we retired to the tent where on the insistence of our middle grandson each one took turns telling spooky stories. He’s actually pretty talented at this considering his age. 

When the lights were turned out the boys didn’t last too long in their sleeping bags, which were Christmas presents from their Gigi and Pop. The oldest complained about being hot, and I knew the hard floor couldn’t be too comfortable. They ended up in the guest room bed, and fell asleep rather quickly. 

Around three in the morning the oldest made his way into our bedroom to inform me that his brother needed me. When I got to his room to check on him he informed me that he wanted to watch a show!

I assured him that we didn’t watch shows in the middle of the night, and he needed to return to bed. 

The next morning we enjoyed a breakfast of French Toast and bacon. Later that morning Brittany arrived to pick them up, and Chuck and I both took a well earned nap for the rest of the afternoon. LOL!

2022

First let me say that I’m partial to even numbered years. Who knows why exactly, but I’m excited to welcome in 2022. 

Living in the country is a wonderful life, and I’m looking forward to growing some of our own food (if possible with the Biblical amount of grasshoppers we have!), maybe getting chickens, and perhaps a cat or two. 

I’m looking forward to my 52 week book challenge, and I’m going to study the book of Daniel, and Revelations more in depth this year. 

I’ve also purchased Jesus Listens by the author of Jesus Calling, Sarah Young which I plan on using as a daily devotional. 

Last year I committed to posting daily during the week on my blog which I accomplished except for a week in July when the baby was born. However, this year I’m committing only to monthly updates with a few inspired postings along the way. 

I want to commit again to healthy eating and walking regularly since I’ve gotten side-tracked this last year. I will be attending one in person WW meeting per month, and want to find an on-line Zoom meeting that I will attend weekly. 

Returning to tracking is a discipline I need to return to. Sadly, since there are no Wellness Wins rewards that I really want I’ve been remiss in tracking. 

I’m praising God that with the help of proper hormones my sleep is returning to normal. It’s amazing how months and months of poor sleep can affect your health and mood. 

I have few more possibilities I’m considering for the year that I need to work out in my head first. 

I do plan on continuing my evening coloring which I really enjoy. My challenge is to use up the colored pencils I already own before buying any new ones. 

Looking forward to a blessed new year.