Finding God everywhere.....

So a couple of weeks ago (maybe 3 now) I posted about finding God in the mundane.
Just the next week I went to a LIFT (Ladies In Fellowship Together) meeting that spoke on priorities.  The speaker stated at one point "Nothing we do is mundane.  Doing the dishes is serving your family, which is serving God."

And then I found this book at the library "Surprised by Oxford" by Carolyn Weber.

I was very skeptical at first that a brand new book at my library about finding God - what God did she find?

I was bowled over by this book - it is amazing.  Yes, I love my nook, but I need this one in a paper copy - I want to write all over it and mark passages and use it to tell others about God, use it to further my own book, use it to learn.

So if you're looking to be surprised, to find God everywhere - I highly recommend "Surprised by Oxford" by Carolyn Weber.

And no, I'm not getting anything for this - I just really loved the book!

http://www.surprisedbyoxford.com/

It's called reading - top to bottom, left to right....

Friday was an absolutely glorious day.  Mr. Curly took the WHOLE DAY off, we went into town and ate out on money I made selling baby clothes, made MORE money selling bottles, spent some great time outside, ate a decent meal, and got the kids into bed by 8:00.

8:20 - cue Curly Girl.  She gets up every night at this time for one of three reasons: 1) Use the bathroom 2) find some toy she just has to sleep with or 3) Tell us about her dream or that she just can't sleep better.
Friday night was no different.

What was different was that at 9:45, I headed down the hallway to use the bathroom, and found Curly Girl sitting outside her bedroom door next to her bookcase.  She had her lion pillow, was surrounded by books, and was reading by the light of the bathroom night lamp.

Part of me is super proud of this.  When I asked her what she was doing, she said "I just wanted to read some more!" (She had spent part of supper prep time reading stories to her little brothers).  And then she got very sad and went to bed crying because I told her it was too late to be reading.
So, yeah, part of me is proud - I used to read by the light of my night light long after my bedtime (we blame my bad eyes on the poor lighting).

Part of me is a little annoyed that my daughter was up almost 2 hours after her bedtime and I didn't know it!  She's a sneaky little thing!

Honestly, it was a great find.  I'm glad she enjoys reading that much.  And considering she was up at 7:00 the next morning and not cranky at all the whole day, it obviously wasn't that big of a deal.

Post title from Tommy Boy.

"The Encounter" Booksneeze Review

I read the ebook "The Encounter" by Steve Arterburn.  First, (and this has nothing to do with the book) - I love my Kindle App for the PC, since I spend a lot of time on my desktop anyway (you know, when the kids are otherwise occupied and all my chores are done), this works perfectly for me!

But on to the book!

While I found the story to be a bit predictable in areas, it is a beautiful story of facing your past to find healing for the future.  All the characters had something in their past they were dealing with, and the focus on God as the ultimate healer definitely impressed me.
The book also included Mr. Arterbarn's inspiration and a study guide, making it a perfect quick read for small groups looking for something a little different.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com  book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: This Thing Of Ours

Yesterday, I finished "This Thing of Ours: How Faith Saved My Mafia Marriage" by Cammy Franzese.
I received this book free from BookSneeze.com in return for a fair and honest review.  Here it goes:

The poignant story of a young woman married to a powerful mobster.
Small-town girl Cammy Franzese didn’t plan to marry one of the most powerful mob bosses in the country. She didn’t expect to raise her children alone while Michael served hard time. And she certainly didn’t anticipate what would happen when he finally made the stunning decision to turn his back on “the life” and become a devout Christian. Now Cammy shares the details of her painful and joyful journey.
Readers will learn why Cammy stayed in a marriage loaded with so much heartache and struggle. With painful honesty, she speaks about restoration, miracles, and the confidence we can have knowing God prepares us for the challenges and obstacles we will one day have to face.

This book was an absolute surprise.  At first, I was surprised at how little detail Cammy really knew about the mafia and her husband's involvement.  And then I was surprised at how utterly honest she was about her faith, her mother's influence on her and Michael, and just what exactly a marriage is.
While this is not a marriage counseling book, so many times, I wanted to stop - type out a paragraph or two and send it on to those I know who are engaged or just married.  She has such great insight and knowledge into what it takes for any marriage to work, but especially marriages beset with problems.
A great, inspiring read I would recommend to all!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Singing a different tune....

So when the Kindles and Nooks and all those other eReaders made it big, I was one of those "not for me, I like carrying a book, here look at my library card, aren't I so much better for sticking with real print" people.  I am not too proud to admit it.

But I've recently joined BookSneeze as a reviewer.  It is a pretty nifty gig - they send me free books, I write a review on my blog and some other consumer site.  Easy-peasy, nice and cheesey, I get more books!

I've already ordered my first one and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.  Only deal is, they have a lot more books available to eReaders than in print.  Hmmm.  So, I turned to Mr. Curly the other day and said "If I'm going to do this book review thing, I think I'm going to need a Kindle for Christmas."

Needless to say, he was not impressed.  I get his point - spending money on an eReader to get free books and write free reviews.... not entirely cost effective.
And, well, there's a reason I don't have nice things - not only am I tough on them, but my kids are too!
AND it is just a week before Christmas and he already has all my gifts bought/planned.

Still, I'll enjoy reading and writing in my REAL books, until, maybe for my birthday (which I'm actually no longer celebrating),  I'll join everybody else in the electronic era.  (Hint, Hint)

How Can You Read This?

I am a voracious reader, and have been for as long as I can remember. I slowed down a bit in college, slowed down more when Curly Girl and Boy arrived, but now, I'm picking up steam again. I like to read about 1 book a week, though it is more often 1 book a month.

And I read across several different genres. I won't claim to get absolutely everything in, but I do alright. My favorite are mysteries and biographies. Yep.

There is one genre I have shied away from though - advice and self-help books. Whether they are on marriage, parenting, pregnancies, how to stop chewing your nails, how to make a million dollars in a day, how to anything, I don't read them.

I've always maintained if there is something I think I need to fix in my life, then I, with God's help, will fix it. I get irritated just reading book jackets in the self-help section in which one book says "do it this way" and another says "do it that way" and a third says "do it both ways even though they are complete opposites and cancel each other out!"

However, every once in awhile, even I, with my extreme desire to do it myself and reach those high, perfectionistic goals I have set, have to admit that maybe an outside perspective would be good.

It is why I started reading 7 Ways To Be A SMARTER Mom (though I never got past chapter 4, something that still bothers me. It is why I tried to read Having a Mary Heart In A Martha World (before I got too busy and couldn't finish it - ironic, I know).

And it is why I ordered myself three books on Thursday: The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (this has been recommended to me for years, and if I like it, I will most likely buy The Five Love Languages for Children as well), Love & War by John & Staci Eldredge (though not a John Eldredge fan at first, I love his book EPIC), and The Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick (because I rather enjoyed the movie Fireproof and want to see more about this book and it isn't something you borrow from the library, since there is a journal section and all).

I've been married eight years now. I have three kids. And life is a lot different than it was when I promised to love, honor and cherish Mr. Curly until death do us part. And so I'm hoping, through expanding my knowledge through some new reading, to gain new knowledge and understanding that will make me worthy to stay and love Mr. Curly until death parts us.

I'll let you know what I think.

Post title from Beauty and the Beast

We have gads of books! Mountains of books!

About 6 years ago for Mr. Curly's birthday I bought him a set of office furniture. Now, not expensive office furniture, but still, instead of working off of an old chair in the guest room, he had a desk, filing cabinets, bookshelves.... And, if I don't say so myself, he enjoyed it. It was helpful as he worked his way through a master's degree and began his preaching career.

And with the exception of the desk (which was an armour style desk and went to my parents when we cut the old entertainment center into a desk), we are still using that office furniture.


When I bought the bookshelves, I imagined there would be plenty of room for all of our books. For 6 years I've been wrong. For 6 years they have been absolutely packed and overflowing with theology, divinity and other religious books.


But now, well, now he has an office, in a different building, with built in bookshelves.

So now these bookshelves are in my dining room, and look like this:



Please ignore the unpacking mess. We're working on it. And honestly, I thought they would be more full than that once I unpacked all my books that have been sitting in tubs in the attic for 3 years now (before that they were under our bed).


Though I have realized I have, maybe, a slight obsession. In the first picture, the bookshelf on the right has a shelf and a half of history books. No big surprise, I was a history major, I should have nonfiction history books. But out of that shelf and a half, three-quarters of a shelf is civil war and gilded era books. And of those books, three-quarters of them are on gunfighters, specifically Doc Holliday (this will come to no surprise to those who know me).


But I suppose it's good to have a theme. Just in case I ever really do start that master's program.


Post title from Beauty and the Beast.

Dust in the Wind....

I'm from Kansas. Not originally, it isn't where I was born, but from the time I was 8, until I was 25, my family lived in various parts of the state. Kansas is home. When travelling to visit family, all we have to do is cross over the state border and I breathe easier.

I spent my last half of grade school and most of middle school living in a small town in central Kansas. This is the co-op at the end of main street.

Source

After that, we moved way out to the Outback. We lived there during high school and my first year of college. And since I was horribly homesick that first year of college, I would drive home every 3 weeks, an 8 hour trip one-way across the state. And on my way home, I would stop and peer through the wooden fence at this:

Source

I can't even tell you how many pictures of Kansas sunsets I have. Or how many times I marvelled at the flat, treeless beauty of the state once you get past Kinsley on Highway 50.

And though I spent college just a few blocks from an AMC 30, I still pine for the old, one-screen theater where I saw most my movies in the summer on Tuesday nights for half price tickets, and 50 cent popcorn and pop! I know, it would sound much more romantic to say "where I saw my first movie" but I saw my first move 1.5 hrs from home, in the city, on a friend's birthday. 7 Years In Tibet. Yep, I never went to a theater until that movie was released.

And I was so hooked. The movies were magical for me. They still are. Which is why I love that my first date with Mr. Curly was to see American Outlaws. It was a great date. After the movie he told me about his grandpa, and we talked about John Wayne. Coincidentally, my last date with Mr. Curly was to see True Grit and afterwards we talked about his grandpa and John Wayne....

Somethings never change, and I'm glad they don't.

But, still, no matter how much I enjoyed my dates with Mr. Curly at the AMC, this theater will always hold a special place in my heart. Just like Kansas does.

Source

Oh - and if you're looking for a great book on Kansas, read Flyover People by Cheryl Unruh (a childhood friend of my mom's!)

Post title from Kansas.

Taming of the Frizz: Jumbled.....

So, I've briefly posted on crazy baby symptoms here and here. And now it is Wednesday and time to post something good, something meaningful, something that helps me, and hopefully someone else, see God a little clearer.

Remember when I wrote about the book I'm reading here?

This is a post on that book again. I finally decided to move on from the junk drawer question, because, honestly, I know I'm holding a lot in, but it seems whenever I try to deal with it, relationships with those I love completely go insane and plummet and I don't like that.
So, moving on.

In the same chapter of 7 Ways to Be A S.M.A.R.T.E.R Mom, Ms. Johnson talks about her third pregnancy. And her post-partum depression. And while I am not diagnosed with post-partum depression (because, you know, baby isn't here yet), I'm on the radar for depression issues. Johnson made a statement that I absolutely relate to, one I've actually said myself "I've had two perfectly normal, healthy, easy pregnancies. This shouldn't be happening to me."

When I find myself completely unable to think of what to do next because I'm so totally overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, when I find myself railing against somebody for their stupidity (and sadly, this has included God), when I am just ready to hire a nanny and yet sit at home because I can't let my kids jump on me one more time.... and then someone says "oh, it's just pregnancy" my response is always "I've had two perfectly normal, healthy, easy pregnancies. This shouldn't be happening to me."



But it does happen. And I know that. But sitting at lunch on Monday, finally getting back to this book, reading about someone else, who had had two enviably easy pregnancies suddenly have issues with her third... I don't know. It reached me where I needed it. I'm not crazy. I'm not the only one to have problems after something that has been so easy before. And honestly, at this point, my problems aren't as bad as hers were (which included various physical issues as well).

I don't like to say "God put this book here just for me" because I know many others have read Ms. Johnson's book as well. But maybe, just maybe, God gave me 20 minutes at McDonald's to pull that book out and read those few paragraphs.

I'm praying this week God gives you the time to discover something wonderful as well.

The Twilight (Vacation) Zone

So, I'm not a fan of Twilight. I mean, I know who the actors are, I know the basic story line, but I've not seen the movies, I haven't read the books and I probably never will.

That being said - I thought it was kind of awesome when I saw the Twilight Trio vacationing just a couple of blocks from where I work.

As I've mentioned, we live in a small town, so I drive to the nearest "city" (about 9,000 in the summer and 21,000 when the college kids come in) to work. On my lunch breaks, I take walks around the neighborhood.

Imagine my surprise when I came around a corner and there they were! The Twilight Trio! Sitting on a wide front porch. Bella looking all pouty, Edward appearing pensive, and Jacob, flexing his muscles, boring them all with his egotistical talk.

I couldn't get a picture, because, well, you know, Edward is all shiny, and it would've been too obvious and they are certainly looking for privacy if they are vacationing here. You'll have to trust me.

Ok, ok, so maybe it just happened to be a girl with dark hair, a skinny guy, and an egotistical muscled guy trying to escape the heat of their non-air conditioned home, but I know what I saw.

For info on the Twilight Saga, for more Twilight pictures.

Of course we talk, don't everybody?

Mr. Curly and I had a rare weekend off. Our little community (we live in a town of about 300) was having its annual town celebration, complete with community church service. One of the men in our church-plant was asked to read scripture, so instead of doing our own thing, we joined the community for worship.

This meant on Saturday, instead of writing sermons, creating bulletins and picking out music for worship, we got to relax. In preparation for this rare nothing-to-do (ha ha) Saturday evening, I picked up some movies at the library on my way home Friday.

After supper we watched Veggie Tales "Lord of the Beans" with the Curly kids. Once they had their baths and were in bed, Mr. Curly and I dished out some homemade caramel ice cream and chose the "chick flick" out of the three movies I had brought home for us.

Now, you have to know, my two absolute favorite movies are "Tombstone" and "The Mummy". In the romantic comedy genre, I enjoy "Alex & Emma", "Music & Lyrics", and "Down with Love". (http://www.imdb.com/has information on all of these movies) I don't generally pick a "girly" movie to watch with my husband (we have a plethora of action flicks that I quite enjoy).

But tonight, we were watching "Becoming Jane". I didn't read "Pride & Prejudice" or "Sense & Sensibility" until just this past year. I only read them then because I wanted to read "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" and "Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters" and I wanted to know what had been changed.
Still, I remember previews for "Becoming Jane" and it had looked interesting and funny. I enjoyed Jane Austen's books, so thought I would enjoy the movie as well.

I think we were 45 minutes into the movie when I looked at Mr. Curly and said "I don't think I can take much more of this! I cannot BELIEVE how much talking there is!"
Mr. Curly laughed, gave me a hug and in a very appreciating tone said "I love you."
We discussed stopping the movie and putting in something else, but then Tom LeFroy was bare-knuckle boxing and that was pretty cool, so we decided to see what else they would throw in.

I recognized much of her books in the story. While the character of Wesley would have been better off with a smile (I liked him much better when he stood up to his aunt and took Jane for a walk), I know where she got the idea for the character of Mr. Darcy.
I enjoyed Miss Austen's books quite a bit, but I am fairly certain I won't attempt another movie on her life.

Still, an evening off with Mr. Curly, well, that's one of my favorite things.

Title Quote from "Singing in the Rain"