Tree Swing Reading

Epiphany

This is a personal post. But I couldn't wait to share a thought that occured to me today.  For years I've been complaining about feeling split over all I have to do.  I whined about maintaining my blog, my health, my craft business, my web design business, my family life, my volunteer work for church, etc.

The thing is, I was wrong to complain. I am actually really blessed because of those things.  I love doing them all and I am lucky to be able to do what I love.  I felt like I had to pick between the crafts, web design, and book reviews and only do one of them.  But I couldn't choose just one.  So I quit blogging.  I missed it like crazy.  So started it again and then quit my craft business.  I missed it like crazy.  So I reopened it.  Now just when I'm starting to think I'm crazy, I had this epiphany that all these things are acutally blessings.

The part I have to figure out is how to do these things in a healthy way.  I don't have to get my self worth from them.  In fact, there's where I've been unhealthy.  I let the success/failure of these things determine my self worth.  And so to get to feeling better about myself, I would overcommit for the praise. That's where I've been going wrong.

So how do I keep involved in all these things without stressing myself out?  Here's what I think so far: find balance. Find my self worth in my Lord and Savior and not in my jobs. Make appointments with myself that encourage balance like time to study, time to exercise, time to play with my kids. Make clear my constraints when requests come in, accepting that sometimes I can't meet other people's deadlines and they can then live with my timeframe or seek out another crafter/designer. Being ok with it when I can't be  all things for all people.  Saying no, even to my own ideas sometimes if they are unrealistic.

Now to figure out the balance part. Do I divide my days of the week up, like web stuff on Mondays, crafts on Tuesdays, cleaning on Wednesdays?  Or do I divide up the days themselves?  Or by week?  Hmmm.  This may take some figuring out.

But at least I can stop complaining now and start seeing the blessings.

Review of "Third Time's a Charm" by Virginia Smith

 
Book three in the "Sister-to-Sister Series" by Virginia Smith

Description:

Tori Sanderson has the professional opportunity of a lifetime. If she can prove she's executive material, she's in line for a big promotion. But there's only room for one new account executive, and her co-worker has his eye on the job--and on Tori. Her matchmaking sisters have a handsome handyman in mind for her. But how can she consider romance when she couldn't hold on to the one man who was supposed to love her forever--her own father? The time has come for answers, and Tori decides to search out the father who deserted her twelve years ago. While Tori may find the answers she craves, will she ever be able to love again?

My Thoughts:

Great book!  A fun read that I enjoyed very much. My only complaint is that the series has ended! I want to read more about the sisters.  This book makes for a great relaxing read.  It is not very "deep" in the exploration of the characters' psyches, but a pleasant journey into the world of the third sister.

Book Bullets (my new way of summarizing the book):

• My rating: 5 stars
• Genre: Contemporary, Women's fiction 
• Themes: seeking fulfillment, heavenly Father's love
• Part of a Series: yes, book 3 in "Sister-to-Sister" series 
• Publication year: 2009
• Pages: 336

Review of Books 1-5 in "Dreamhouse Kings" series

Dreamhouse Kings Series by Robert Liparulo

Book 1: House of Dark Shadows

Book 2: Watcher in the Woods

Book 3: Gatekeepers

Book 4: Timescape

Book 5: Whirlwind 

What the books are about:

When the Kings move to a new home in a new town, the house seems odd at first; but things get really strange when they realize that some rooms are portals to other worlds.

In each book, the Kings face terrifying dangers within the rooms of their home and continue to search for their mother who was kidnapped and taken into one of the worlds.

The King Family searches, quickly realizing that they must learn more about the worlds in order to find their mother. But they also must pretend that all is well at home. When a stranger appears and tries to force them to sell the house, their desperation reaches new heights. Each book takes the reader through a fast-paced gallop of battles, historical events, and the desperation of the King family to free their mother while avoiding disaster for themselves.

My Thoughts:

Intense!  There is no room for boredom in these stories!  If you wait for the action to die down to find a stopping place in the books, you will not find it.  I enjoyed them very much and now find myself at the edge of a huge cliffhanger at the end of book 5, Whirlwind.   I want book 6 to come out now!  (Do I sound like I'm whining?)

These stories are pretty intense, as I said, so be warned if you are not up for some things that go bump in the night--especially in the King's house.  But if you like a good story with lots of excitement and some great characters, these are wonderful books!

Book Bullets (my new way of summarizing the book):

 

• My rating: 5 stars
• Genre: Teen Suspense 
• Themes: Family support, God's presence in hard times, following your heart
• Part of a Series: yes, books 1-5 in "Dreamhouse Kings" series
• Publication year: 2008-2010
• Pages: roughly 300 each

 

Book Giveaway: "The Happiness Project"

This is an enjoyable book that I picked up a few days ago. It is not a Christian book and will not tell about the true source of joy that we find in Jesus, but it is sweet book full of good reminders and encouragement to make goals and work to achieve them.  It reminds us to be grateful for the good things we have and to do our best to enjoy our lives.

Don't expect the meaning of life, but do expect to relate to the author's desire for order, self-improvement, and the desire to appreciate the blessings that we have.  The bonus for us is that we know to Whom to be grateful!

Post a comment here if you would like to win a copy of this book.  I have 2 copies to giveaway. In your comment include one little thing that you would like to do as one of your goals for 2010.  Nothing is too small.  Maybe floss more.  Maybe smile more.  Please enter by January 29. The drawing will be held on January 30.

Thanks!

Book Bullets:

• My rating: 5 stars (but only read through "January")
• Genre: non-fiction
• Themes: goals, remembering what really matters
• Part of a Series: no
• Publication year: 2009
• Pages: 320

Description:

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.

Rubin didn't have the option to uproot herself, nor did she really want to; instead she focused on improving her life as it was. Each month she tackled a new set of resolutions: give proofs of love, ask for help, find more fun, keep a gratitude notebook, forget about results. She immersed herself in principles set forth by all manner of experts, from Epicurus to Thoreau to Oprah to Martin Seligman to the Dalai Lama to see what worked for her—and what didn't.

Her conclusions are sometimes surprising—she finds that money can buy happiness, when spent wisely; that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that "treating" yourself can make you feel worse; that venting bad feelings doesn't relieve them; that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference—and they range from the practical to the profound.

Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.

"The Happiness Project"

A friend recommended this book to me and I have been completely excited about it!  It is about a mom/wife/writer who took a look at her life and asked herself why she wasn't happier.  Her life was going good, her family was healthy, things were good; but she wasn't feeling totally happy.  So she decided to spend a year pursuing goals toward happiness.

This is totally me too!  My husband is healthy again, my children are wonderful, I have more work coming my way than I even want, and yet I am not happy.  And I'm not sure why.

Now, as a Christian, I know that I have a different paradigm on what leads to "joy" verses "happiness."  I have "joy" in the sense of comfort that comes from eternal life and the recognition that God loves me. That's not what this is about for me.

For me, this book is about the journey toward making and achieving goals for myself. Not just feeling like a gerbil on his little wheel, but actually making progress and feeling better about life in general.

Coming from a Calvinist childhood (aka John Calvin and the Dutch Reformed background), I find it a bit disconcerting to be persuing personal happiness.  We were always taught to sort of martyr ourselves for the happiness of others. But I am learning a truth about myself that if there are little ways that I can bring pleasure in my life I am then in a better place to pass it on.  For example, if I take the 30 minutes/day to exercise, the return is more energy and a better attitude for my family. 

So, my project is beginning. I already knew that 2010 would be the year that I would make changes in my life toward better health and a more positive outlook. This book fits nicely as a framework in which to make some of my own goals and go about reaching them.  Check lists make me happy anyway. 

So far, I have made my list of the areas in my life that are important to me and the areas in which I want to have goals: my faith, my marriage, my children, my extended family, my friends, my attitude, my work, playtime, passion/hobbies, health, and finances.  Pretty basic list.

Then, as the author did, I made a list of personal "commandments" to remember in this process:

1. Be Tami.

2. Act the way I want to feel.

3. Do it now.

4. Enjoy the process.

5. Identify the problem.

6. Lighten up.

7. Treat others how I want to be treated.

8. Be loving.

9. Even a little bit helps.

Most of these come from the author, but I tweaked them a bit to fit me.

The author broke her goals into months. I am still creating my goals. I am working on it today!

I am hoping to share of bit of my journey with you throughout the year. I'm thinking it would be fun to create a challenge and be held accountable through my blog.  I'm still working out the details.

I just wanted to share what I'm excited about. The ideas in the book are not profound in and of themselves, but the recognition of the little changes I can make that would result in a sense of accomplishment and release is refreshing and exciting.

My Favorites from 2009

2009 was a challenging year for my family.  As I look back on my posts from the year, I see a struggle for peace with myself in areas of work, health, and activities.  With my husband's health scare, I drove off track for some time and did not read nearly as much.  I was in a different place during those months.  So my list of favorites is shorter this year. 

But here they are, my favorites of the books I read in 2009:

The Knight by Steven James

Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent

The Will of Wisteria by Denise Hildreth

The Passion of Mary-Margaret by Lisa Samson

Kiss by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy

Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen

Healing Waters by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn

Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

If you had to pick your favorite book from last year, what would you pick?

Review of "Healing Sands"

Description:

In the struggle for healing, when do you fight and when do you surrender?

Ryan Alexander-Coe is a talented photojournalist who has been on assignment all over the world. But when her two sons choose to live with their father after her divorce, Ryan must give her career up for a small-town newspaper job in order to be near them.

Life spirals out of control when her fifteen-year-old son is arrested. Desperation--both over the fact that she cannot believe her son commited this crime and that he refuses to talk to her--sends her anger level soaring . . . and eventually sends her storming into Dr. Sullivan Crisp's office in search of ways to cope with her anger. Sully is in town assisting at one of his clinics and continuing his search for Belinda Cox, the woman whose guilt-inducing counseling caused the death of his wife and daughter. When Sully's search ends in disaster, both he and Ryan will have to fully rely on God--rather than themselves--to survive these storms.

My Thoughts:

I appreciated this book very much.  The Sullivan Crisp Series (of which this is book 3) has been a huge favorite of mine!  I love they way that Rue and Arterburn tell the story and communicate the raw human emotion surrounding this story. Surrendering to God is much easier said than done, and this book does a wonderful job in demonstrating someone's journey through the process of surrendering control of our emotions, our futures, and the futures of our children.

A wonderful book!  I highly recommend the whole series!

Book Bullets (my new way of summarizing the book):

• My rating: 5 stars
• Genre: Contemporary
• Themes: Surrendering to God, dealing with anger
• Part of a Series: yes, book 3 in "Sullivan Crisp" series
• Publication year: 2009
• Pages: 416

 

Personal Update

For those who want to know what I've been up to since taking my blogging break, here's a quick update.

My husband was ill with a strange and rare illness called Lofgren's syndrome.  He has since returned to normal health and is off all medication!  Praises to God are part of my daily response to this!  We pray that his good health will continue and that this strange illness will not return.  The prognosis is good for that.

My daughters continue to grow and keep me busier and busier with trips to figure skating lessons, ballet, and all kinds of activities.  They are such a joy!

I spent the fall and first part of the winter in a crazy frenzy of activity in web design for new clients and being swamped with orders for my craft business.  After some great soul searching, I have now closed my craft business (as of this week) in an effort to make my life less busy and allow crafting to be a fun hobby again instead of a pressure point. I feel great peace about that decision!  Here's hoping it will lighten my schedule up.

I am coming back to this world of blogging because I missed it and I missed you and the friendships I have here.  I hope you will come back to reading my blog again.  Looking forward to reconnecting with you and sharing our thoughts on the books I can't wait to read in 2010!

Thanks!

Tami

The Return to Bloggerland Giveaway

Hello friends!

I am happy to say that I'm back to the land of blogging!  To celebrate my return, I am hosting a new giveaway.

To enter, just post a comment stating which book(s) you'd like to win and I'll put your name in the for that book's drawing.  Drawing will be held on January 27, please enter by January 26.

Here are the books you can win:

1. Rain Song by Alice J. Winsler

Description:

Unspoken secrets surround Nicole Michelin's childhood as a missionary kid in Japan, but she's quite satisfied with her American lifestyle. She enjoys writing about fish in her online column---where she meets Harrison Michaels. When he hints at having connections to her past, will Nicole listen? Is she ready to know the truth? 

 

2. Intervention by Terri Blackstock

Description:

The intervention was supposed to help Barbara's family---not thrust them into a new nightmare. But when her 18-year-old daughter, Emily, is escorted to drug treatment, the therapist is murdered and Emily vanishes. Barbara and her 14-year-old son are frantic. The police think Emily's the killer---but what if they're wrong? 

3. The Moon and the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen

Description:

Set in Siam and Europe during the 1920s, the glittering decade of change, The Moon In The Mango Tree is based upon the true story of Barbara Bond, a beautiful young ex-patriot and opera singer from Philadelphia who is forced to choose between her fierce desire for independence-a desire to create something of her own to give purpose and meaning to her life-and a deep abiding love for her faithful missionary husband whose work seems to create a gap between them. But when you choose between two things you love, must one be lost forever?

4. Symphony of Secrets by Sharon Hinck

 Description:

Talented flutist Amy Johnsons dreams come true when she wins a spot with the Minneapolis Symphony. But this amateur sleuth has trouble concentrating on the notes as she begins to see devious motives behind her fellow musicians' many mishaps. Meanwhile, her musically talented daughter wants to give it all up for (gasp) the cheerleading squad! What's a musical mom to do? Can Amy fine-tune her investigation before the symphony is forced to close and she loses not only her dream job but her promising new relationship with its conductor?

5. This Side of Heaven by Karen Kingsbury

Description:

Josh's life spirals into a tailspin after he's hit by a drunk driver. He gets medical disability but it's far short of the insurance settlement that never seems to come. His mother Annie laments as she watches Josh drift along for years, making one bad decision after another. Just when it looks like the insurance settlement will finally come, out of the blue a gold-digger claims her seven-year-old is Josh's daughter. When the truth comes to light, will Annie discover a treasure more valuable than she could have expected?

I am looking forward to reconnecting with you, sharing new book reviews, and hosting new giveaways again!