Book reviews for January

It's Twitterature time again on Modern Mrs. Darcy (quickly becoming my new favorite thing).

Slim(er) pickings for this month:

Insurgent by Veronica Roth. 2nd book in Divergent trilogy. Quick. Fast paced. Didn't like quite as much as the first.

On our road trip up to Maryland and Virginia to stay with family for the Christmas David and I read Divergent (a re-read for me) aloud on the way north and Insurgent on the trip back down south. These books helped the road trip go by quickly. 

The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas, Ann Voskamp. We probably only ended up completing about half the days in this advent devotion. The writing was very poetic and probably would have made a better individual study. David and I found it tough to get a lot out of this one reading aloud. I'll probably pick this one up again a few Christmases from now and try it out as more of a personal devotion. 

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays, Ree Drummond. This was a Christmas gift, I read it cover to cover. Funny stories, great step by step pictures, food that makes you drool...everything you have come to expect from the Pioneer Woman. I've already tried the Caesar salad, cheddar chive biscuits, and garlic rosemary roasted potatoes. Highly recommend. 

And a side note- I never really list my audio books, but I've been making my way through the Harry Potter series during exercise and work commutes. So that's fun. Earlier this month I finished up Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I've read this book somewhere between 10-15 times. No shame. Most of those readings probably happened in middle school. Seriously, I waited my entire middle school career for a new Harry Potter book so I pretty much memorized this one during that wait. 

Books in the works- Allegiant by Veronica Roth and Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I'm making Gone with the Wind my "project". Other than finishing Allegiant and whatever the next book club book will be, Gone with the Wind is the reading plan. 

Starting the New Year

We're ringing in another new year. I'm a little behind on the resolution-type posts but in the scheme of the year it's not so bad. 

In the New Year I am not always one to make resolutions. Normally I think about them New Year's Day and then they are long forgotten months later. 

For a few months last year I did monthly goals and that seemed to work very well for me. I am planning on doing that again. With the monthly goals I have enough  time to accomplish a project or try something new. Throughout the year I can plan what I really need to be working on at that time. Monthly updates to follow.

Some very general resolutions that I have not quite figured out how to go about include:

• Becoming more involved in the community and getting to know more people
• Becoming more involved with our Church here
• Continuing to workout and eat healthy
• Florida weekend and day trips with David

Now that the weekend is winding down it is time to re-visit those to-dos from Friday

• Hang pictures and anything else that belongs on the wall, not the floor pile where they currently reside
• Look into frames for one of said pictures 
• Finish up the last of the wedding thank-yous
• Reorganize kitchen, but only if I feel like it (this is probably the item on the list that will actually get done)
• Bring donation items to Goodwill

I added that last one, but I meant to write it on Friday's list. Thank you notes will be the project for the week. 

Ready for the weekend

Home. Home for the weekend. I've already got on my comfy loose jeans and favorite t-shirt. Redbox sent me a free rental code and I am ready to chill. A cup of tea is in order here shortly.

But first, brainstorming a few to-dos for this weekend

• Hang pictures and anything else that belongs on the wall, not the floor pile where they currently reside
• Look into frames for one of said pictures 
• Finish up the last of the wedding thank-yous
• Reorganize kitchen, but only if I feel like it (this is probably the item on the list that will actually get done)

Happy Friday to all! 

Me. On a weekend. A while ago. 

2013

2013 was a year full of changes.

The year I moved to Florida, started my first real job, and got married.

These new life events have brought about a lot of smaller changes. Naturally, transitioning from student life to working life brings about some lifestyle differences. Whether big or small, here are several aspects that were a prominent part of 2013 for me:

The Year of the Audio Book
One of my new loves of the year. I am now addicted to audio books. This started as entertainment for my long work drives, and now I listen to them when driving, exercising, and occasionally around the house. I download books directly to my phone so there is almost always a book to listen to close at hand. The final count (though a few might be missing) is 17 audio books.
Favorite: Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
Runner Up: My Life in France by Julia Child
Least Favorite: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

The Year of the Blog
Before 2013 I did some blog reading through feeds, now it is a regular part of my day and I really look forward to blog reading.
Favorite Blog: Modern Mrs. Darcy. You've seen me do link-ups to her blog before, so this was probably obvious. She writes about interests that generally pertain to women, be it fashion, relationships, or entertainment, and always keeps a heavy emphasis on books.
Runner Up: Rage Against the Minivan. The blogger is a mom and you hear a lot about her children's lives and how their family deals with various situations. She regularly post's stories submitted by readers that give a new point of view of sensitive topics. Her writing style is often sarcastic and humorous. Always a good read.
Other Runner Up: The Art of Simple. Simple living blog, what I really love most is the Art of Simple Podcast. Check it out.
And always asking challenging questions to Christians are Rachel Held Evans and Elizabeth Esther.
Some Standout Blogs By Friends:
Candice (a friend from Virginia Tech) does a great job documenting her and Alex's lives, shares recipes, thoughts, and workout woes.
Sarah (a friend from Texas A&M) mainly writes about topics pertaining to Christianity. She is a gifted writer and offers well thought out insights. I'm waiting for her to take the Christian writing world by storm!

The Year of the Workout
Ever since I went to Costa Rica in January of 2012 I have been more intentional about exercise. That semester my friend Lynn and I attended at least 3 classes a week at the gym. Cycling and yoga were favorites. The next summer and following semester that fizzled off a little bit but I would still do something active periodically. End off March/Early April of 2013 is when I really got serious about exercise. I started with a month of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and that upped my endurance significantly and brought about quick changes in my body. My next project was running. Unfortunately, quickly into running workouts a disc in my back popped out of place, forcing me to stick to lower impact workouts for months. Finally, (knock on wood) I can do higher impact workouts again and I'm 5 weeks into the Couch to 5K running plan. Exercise has really become a part of my life now. The second I get home from work I exercise. I've been pretty good about getting this in 5 days a week most of the time. I feel better, look better, and have an excuse to splurge on desserts guilt free during the weekends.

What sticks out to you as a change in 2013? Big or small, what was new?

Christmas is Coming!

So, how are we doing Christmas this year?

We have the milestone of our first married Christmas, and I'm relishing decorating our home and celebrating the season with out going overboard.

First things, first. Our tree.

Please enjoy the look of this tree. I think Charlie Brown would be proud. The story here...we were debating about our tree. At the apartment there isn't really space to store an artificial tree (plus I don't want an artificial tree) and the real ones are expensive, and again the space situation. So when we saw this Norfolk Island Pine we thought it was a perfect compromise. And it's a live tree, David thinks we can use it next year, ha! 

This plan seemed all well and good until I put the tree in our apartment. Suddenly this pine did not look so much like a Christmas tree. Alas. We decorated the tree, covered it in lights, and put on our ornaments. This was a great lesson in why the varieties of trees use for Christmas have been selected. This one cannot hold up ornaments to save it's life. Please note the droop of the tree. I love it anyway. Even if it won't get me on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. 

I think this nativity is my favorite Christmas decoration. Growing up, a friend of my mom's gave me a new piece for Christmas each year. Not pictured: the shepherds and wisemen. 

I got the supplies to make a memory wreath at my bridal shower. My mom always put one out at Christmas in our house. The idea is that you add little trinkets from vacations, major events, or whatever else. I was gifted with a few quilted yo-yos in fabrics that relate to our interests so we started with that and we'll add another item or two each year. 

Right now I'm knitting my Christmas stocking. It won't be done in time, but I'm okay with that. I was going for a candy cane look, but when I look at this all I can see is Cat in the Hat. 

A couple years ago I made David this stocking and have been gifting things in it ever since. The stocking is my favorite gift part of Christmas so I love to make luxuriously large ones. 

This month we have been reading this devotional by Ann Voskamp most days. I tend to get swept up in all the other aspects of holiday cheer that sometimes I miss the fact that we are celebrating Christ's birth. The devotional has been helpful in keeping me a little more centered. As far as recommendations...this is written in a very poetic style. Sometimes it is difficult to process and challenging to read aloud. All the same, I am glad we are doing this together. 

This year I tried to get fancier with cookie decorating. I'm learning the in's and outs of royal icing. Be on the lookout for improved cookies next year.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of our celebrations and decorations this season. Have a very merry Christmas!

My Latest Month of Reading

Linking up again with Modern Mrs. Darcy Twitterature to share my reads from mid-Nov to now.


Lady Almina and The Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, Fiona J.M. Aitken

Really interesting! Loved learning about the culture of the time and getting a bit of a history lesson. Recommended for Downton fans, you'll come across some familiar names and events.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman

Not a huge fan of this one. While I appreciated the fantasy world that was created in such a short book, I felt like it had some of the strangeness of a fairy tale without lighter happy moments. 

The Maze Runner, James Dashner

The Scorch Trials, James Dashner

The Death Cure, James Dashner

Review of the series- Each book was like one giant action scene. The chapters were short but it was almost impossible to read one at a time. While I did enjoy these this series wasn't my favorite. The first two books are almost all action, while the last book was action with some more background information about what was actually going on. Definitely an entertaining read, but I could have done with more character development. The books are almost completely moved forward by dialogue, I would have liked a few more descriptive, thoughtful moments. These were young adult books, and I wouldn't recommend to kids until the older middle school age.  

Divergent, Veronica Roth

I began another post apocalypic young adult series. I really enjoyed this one. The author did a wonderful job painting a picture of a new society and creating memorable characters even if they were only in a few scenes. I'm working my way up on the library holds list, and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. 

40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, Howard G. Buffet

Great book. Anyone wanting to learn more about agriculture should give this a read. Howard Buffet goes through 40 different stories about agriculture around the world. I pretty much agreed with everything he said and I was very interested in all of his stories. 

Million Little Ways, Emily Freeman

Book club pick for the month. Emily Freeman expounded upon the ways that we are God's art and talked about the ways we can live that out in our lives. Whether we are teachers, bakers, writers, we've all got an art to live out. I thought the book was a little repetitive by the end, but did have a good overall message. The writing style is very poetic. Biggest take home point for me would be: If you are living your life like you are God's artwork, how would this change the way you carry out both the mundane and exhilarating tasks of everyday life?

Thankful

This Thanksgiving was the first that I did not spend with extended family. Normally Thanksgiving is hosted at my parents house and I'll spend the day before and day of Thanksgiving cooking and prepping food with my mom. The day of, we watch the parade and shortly after, family members start to arrive. Then we drink mulled cider, snack on pumpkin bread, and generally catch up. Thanksgiving with family is one of my favorite days of the year.

This time around it wasn't in the cards to fly up to Maryland. We did get to spend the day cooking, parade watching, and spending time with new friends. This was also our first married Thanksgiving. Somewhat of a bitter-sweet Thanksgiving with more emphasis on the sweet.

Oddly, I didn't take any pictures of the food, but David and I made macaroni and cheese, stuffing, candied sweet potatoes, an apple fig pie, and a pumpkin pie. Even though we weren't hosting, I also made a turkey breast specifically so we could have leftovers. We'll finally finish the thing off today.

Now, I have got to share what David was thankful for this year. We were invited to celebrate with one of David's co-workers. I've posted about the banana farming before and it's the same people. Recently for their farm they purchased a fire-weeder. If you are wondering exactly what this is, I didn't know either. But here are some pictures of David fire-weeding on Thanksgiving. He was definitely thankful for that.

Basically, it's a hose of fire that kills weeds

All the cars that passed by slowed down to see what we were doing. I suggested that they should sell tickets to let people use the fire-weeder

David with the assist

I love that he has a huge smile in every picture. Fire-weeding was definitely a Thanksgiving first for us.

Another family tradition is the annual Thanksgiving walk. We do a short stroll around the neighborhood between dinner and dessert. This year after dinner we walked through rows of banana trees. Keeping up family tradition with a bit of a Florida twist!