Book Review: Unfinished by Richard Stearns

Unfinished: Believing is Only the Beginning by Richard Stearns * Thomas Nelson * 9780849948510 * $24.99 HC * The leader of World Vision has penned an inspiring call to action for God’s Kingdom. His premise: Why did Jesus overcome death, remain with us here on earth for 40 days, but then leave us? His answer is well worth reading, and as my life and responsibilities pulled me away from the pages, I eagerly returned again and again. If you’re feeling like you don’t know your life’s purpose or have lost your way, read this book and be reignited in your passion for God’s work. Lord, how can I serve your Kingdom today, here in this place? Thank you Mr. Stearns, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley!

Book Review: Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

Bread & Wine: Finding Community and Life Around the Table * Shauna Niequist * 9780310328179 * $18.99 HC ** Zondervan *** I was so bummed when I finished this book! Pun intended, I completely devoured every word, every chapter, every recipe. And in fact, within two hours of finishing it I had already made two of her recipes and ordered three copies of the hardcover book—two for gifts and one for me. My husband will not know about this purchase . . . I am already in trouble for having more books than I could read in a lifetime, and more keep arriving. Hazard of my job, I tell him. Anyway, back to Bread & Wine—this book paints a picture of the life I imagine and sometimes get to enjoy—family and friends around the table, creating and sharing beautiful and delicious food in every circumstance. Every vignette tells a story of real life--longing for a pregnancy to no avail while everyone around you seems to be pregnant, using food as comfort to an extreme, learning to cook, creating wonderful friendships around milestones. There is a recipe for each chapter, and they are written lovingly and with all sorts of encouragement; I even feel empowered to bake bread, which I have tried many, many times, with very little success! I had to have this book in my collection so that I can come back to the recipes time and again. Wonderful!! Thank you Ms. Niequist, Zondervan, and NetGalley!

Book Review: The Beauty of Broken by Elisa Morgan

The Beauty of Broken Elisa Morgan * September 9, 2013 * 9780849964886 * $15.99 pb *** In this soul-baring memoir, the president of the International MOPs organization (Mothers of Preschoolers) shares her story. From a broken family—her mother an alcoholic and a mostly absent father—to trying to build her own “perfect” family, she shines a light into the hidden corners of the human condition. We are all full of pride and striving to do the impossible, be perfect and have perfect children and perfect families. Through her experiences, she continues to learn that we’re all broken, and in this brokenness is where we seek and find God. In forgiving others, we ourselves are forgiven and can be fully loved. Elisa’s story is profoundly real, and I found myself wishing for more after it had ended. Now, having children myself and constantly battling my fears for their future, it was comforting to learn of her tragedies and struggles—that others have gone through terrible times, yet have recovered, gone on, and come closer to God and his goodness in all things. Thank you Ms. Morgan, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley!

Book Review: Victim of Grace by Robin Jones Gunn

Book Review Victim of Grace: When God's Goodness Prevails * by Robin Jones Gunn * Zondervan * April 23, 2013 * 9780310412670 * Robin Jones Gunn has written a beautiful book, with lovely language, honesty, and humility. I loved hearing about her writing career and the ups and downs of her life. She reminded me that although it may seem like other people’s lives are perfect, we all have similar cycles of good times and bad—even, and perhaps, especially, Christians. Along the way, she brought several women of the Bible to vivid life, describing their stories in ways we can relate to today. The theme of grace being showered on us each and every minute, whether or not we understand God’s plan for us in the moment, is something to keep in our hearts and minds all along our life’s journey. Thank you Ms. Gunn, Zondervan, and NetGalley!

Finally, a Post!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted on my blog! it's been quite a tough year for us, so I think I haven't really wanted to write about it. But, today is such a nice day, with time at home with my babies, getting chores done, and relaxing a little bit, that I'm motivated to post. I'm writing this on my new i-pad that I won through a contest a work--thank you Gale! It's so fun to have this little gadget. I'm suddenly so wired in with an i-phone, an i-pad, and a Kindle! Never thought I'd be into these things, but I'm really enjoying them. Mainly, I'm never without reading material!

So, to summarize our lives over 2011 thus far . . . we're now nearly completely out of the real estate business. We've lost all but one of our properties, including our home, in this real estate debacle of the last several years. One remaining property is going to also be gone within the month, thank goodness. We found a lovely home to rent in our same town and moved at the end of March. We're happy here--closer to church, where we go every Sunday and where the boys go to preschool. We are happy to be renting and free from the hassle and expense of home-ownership. Perhaps we'll own again one day, but for now, it feels good to be flexible and with reduced expenses. It's still tough to make ends meet, with only one salary, 3 kids, and Chris in school. More about that next . . .

Almost 3 years ago, Chris decided he wanted to become a physical therapist assistant. It took some prerequisites and two years on the waiting list before he finally started school in May. It's a program that will take until September of next year (2012), and so far he's doing great. He has the perfect background for this type of work--fitness and training--so he's able to understand and absorb the material right away. He's working at the Y one night a week and occasionally fills in as needed. We had a lady coming in to take care of the kids 15 hours a week, which was such a wonderful break for us--but even that became too expensive (over $700/mo), so we've had to give her up. The light at the end of the tunnel is that once Chris has his degree, he'll be able to find a good-paying job that will allow us to afford childcare without it eating up his entire paycheck and then some!

We started going to church about a year ago, and we're really happy there. It's amazing to me that I now have a husband who won't miss a Sunday (I think it's because there's free childcare!), who prays with our kids before bed when I'm out of town, and reads his Bible. So happy to have a Godly husband!

I'm still super happy at my job with B&T, though we're suffering with the economy. Library budgets are way down as cities, states, counties, and the federal government all try to deal with huge declines in revenue and climbing expenses. There are some exciting things happening though, mainly the sky-rocketing interest in all sorts of digital media. My company is just launching its own library platform for digital materials, so it's a fun time to be out talking to libraries.

Let's see . . . pets. We still have 3 dogs--Jessie, Brady, and Coco. We are down to one cat--Moonie. We finally lost Chico this week; Chris had this sweet black cat for 18 years, so he had a good life.

The twins are back in 3-year-old preschool 2 days a week for 3 hours. They love it. Christian will start into the 2-year-old class in October when he turns 2. They are all doing great and are growing and changing so fast--it's so fun to watch them.

I've been having a tough spring with a cough that won't go away. I finally got to the doctor, and it turns out I have a partially collapsed lung. A CT scan couldn't give any clue to a cause, so I'm now set to see a pulmonologist on the 30th. Hoping to get my lungs back at 100% one of these days! Maybe then I won't feel as tired and will be motivated to start running or yoga again.

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of stuff, but this is the gist!

So blessed to have the best life in the world--3 beautiful little boys, a wonderful husband, loving family and friends--couldn't ask for more!

Three Baby Herbs Get Baptized!

Here are pics from the boys' most important day of their lives!

Trike-a-Thon at Preschool!