The Saturday Six

One.

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Found a great new capsule-y post for the fall season! I found Audrey on Pinterest and have enjoyed reading her posts about making great clothing choices. I like her mix and match options on this post!

Two.

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Last week, I sent a group of test readers a manuscript I'd written...a "book baby" to read. Scared me out of my mind. I think I screamed every time I hit send. So oh yes, I completely understand the utter emotion Jill-Lynn Buteyn describes in this post. {By the way - if you haven't yet seen her book baby Just Show Up, you're missing a powerful and helpful book.}

Three.

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You know what? Not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all. Whether it is true or not, this just made me giggle.

Four.

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I have not experienced the loss of a child, but I have experienced deep loss. And I think this article holds good reminders heading into Thanksgiving and Christmas. The coexistence of blessings and bereavement is delicate.

Five.

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Speaking of holidays...if you're looking for some healthy {yet still tasty!} recipes for Thanksgiving this week, check out this recipe roundup by one of my favorites, Katie Farrell from Dashing Dish. Delicious looking dishes, I promise!

Six.

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Earlier this year, I read Marie Monville's memoir, One Light Still Shines, and I've mentioned it here several times on the blog. Marie's husband, Charlie, was the shooter  at the Amish Schoolhouse in Pennsylvania back in 2006. Marie's book was an unforgettable read, so when I saw a few weeks ago that Charlie's mom, Terri Roberts, also just released a book related to the event, I hoped I would be fortunate enough to get a copy to review. And I was!

Terri's book is called Forgiven, and it's quite a bit different in voice and in story, even, from Marie's book. That surprised me, because I figured when two people told the same sort of story, the details would be remarkably similar. While the story is certainly recognizable between the two, the similarities end there. Marie's book was much more about the event itself, her inner processing as a widow and how she moved forward with her life, mothering the children she and Charlie shared, and then even her redemption love story with her now-husband, Dan Monville. {POWERFUL.}

Terri's book, Forgiven, is unmistakably the story of a grieving mother who still lives without knowledge of why her son would choose such an unspeakable act. In this book, we learn more of Charlie's background, his upbringing, his joys and sorrows while he lived at home with his parents. And while she touches on "The Happening" {the name the Amish have given to the shooting}, she doesn't spend as much time recounting that particular day and week, but she moves on to how her life has changed because of The Happening.

She gives a voice to many of the Amish families affected in the shooting and shares about her interactions with them after The Happening. Her relationship with these families has actually grown to a deep level. She sees them often. She visits them. She helps them. She, in many ways, sees them as an extension of her family now. Her writing lets us see right inside the homes of these forever-changed families and lets us see forgiveness and grace in action.

Terri also brings up a really important point throughout the book, as she shows how storms she weathered earlier in her life {miscarriage, cancer, etc.} began to shape her faith in ways that came back to strengthen her in this storm of all storms. I think it's so important for believers to recognize how each piece of the journey fits into the large puzzle of life, and Terri pulls that practice into the spotlight in that book.

While she is not a counselor, she shares so many pieces of wisdom that could be helpful and insightful for anyone struggling through the loss of a child, especially one that was unexpected and surrounded by unanswered questions. She speaks as a mom...a grieving mom, a faith-filled mom, a searching mom, a hopeful mom.

I appreciated her vulnerability, her truth, and her heart within these pages. Though I know this story is never one she would have chosen to bear, she carries the weight of it in ways that point to the Lord and His grace, as shown through the compassion and love of the Amish community.

* Thanks, Bethany House, for making a way for Terri to share her viewpoint in this piece of history, and for sending a copy my way for review. *

Snickerdoodle Brownies

I love snickerdoodles. Who are we kidding? I LOVE DESSERT!! But I really do love snickerdoodles. The chewy, sugary delights make me so very happy. But sometimes I just do not have the patience to make them. It's that whole extra step of rolling the cookies in the cinnamon and sugar that gets me, because it just delays the baking process that much longer.

Yes. I know that is pathetic.

But I found these little gems here and tried them...and loved them! All the chewy delight of snickerdoodles, but with the ease of a brownie. Oh. Yes. Please. I love it that I almost always have everything on hand to make these, they go together quickly, and of course, they are delicious.

I changed the original recipe just a bit to try to make it more healthy, and by that, I mean I did more than just sprinkle less sugar on top! {Although that too...}

Snickerdoodle Brownies

* 2 2/3 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups brown sugar
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
* 2 eggs
* 1 Tablespoon vanilla
* 2 Tablespoons white sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar, and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla until well-combined. Add in dry ingredients a little at a time until fully combined. Batter will be very thick. Pour in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Combine white sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Cut and enjoy!

A Few Tips
 
* I use wheat flour, so my brownies are a little bit darker than yours will be if you use regular white flour. I've made these using both and they taste the smae to me.

* If you don't have unsweetened applesauce or you don't want to use it, you can substitute another 1/2 cup of butter in. I just wanted to cut out using a whole cup of butter, so I swapped the 1/2 cup of applesauce for it. I buy the little individual cup servings of applesauce and keep them on hand for substitutions. {I can't stand eating straight applesauce. Texture thing.}

* We have a little shaker that we keep a cinnnamon sugar in, so I just used that to sprinkle some on top. It was considerably less than the full amount of white sugar and cinnamon called for in the recipe, so that made me feel better, too. :)

* If you under-bake it just a little, it will be nice and gooey.

* We warmed up our leftover servings and possibly added a little whipped cream. Just for kicks. :)

SOMETHING TO READ!!!!

Maria emailed me last week and asked if I would put together a post that compiled book suggestion in one place. She said as I offer reviews and other book suggestions throughout the year, sometimes she thinks oh, that would make a nice gift, come Christmas...and now Christmas is coming and she has forgotten what books she particularly liked out of the bunch of them.

Sooooo, if you're working on your Christmas shopping list, and you need some suggestions, allow me to offer you a list of ideas. Some of are books I've reviewed, so in those cases, I will link back the post that contains my review, so you can see it again if you want. Others are books I might not have written about, but I'll include a quick idea of who the book might fit. Happy shopping and happy reading!

For Single Friends
* The Dating Manifesto by Lisa Anderson. {This is geared a bit more toward singles in their 20's but is also a great read for parents of teens or college students - or anyone who works with that age group.}
* Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot. {This is not a new book, but it's a classic. I received it in high school and STILL refer to it for quotes. It's a wonderful, timeless book on balancing a life of passion and purity. PS - there are updated editions with added material by Josh Harris. I am confident anything he added would be good, because I respect his viewpoint, but the link here reflects the copy I have and read.}
* When Love Ends and the Ice Cream Carton is Empty by Jackie M. Johnson. {Haven't blogged about it before, but this book was especially helpful to me after my breakup with Isaac. Very helpful insights about grieving and starting over.}

Memoir
* Wild in the Hollow by Amber C. Haines. {A raw and vulnerable book with a very lyrical feel to it.}
* In the Footsteps of Jesus by Bruce Marchiano. {A compelling and faith-changing look back at Bruce's journey of portraying Jesus in the film "The Gospel According to Matthew."}
* One Light Still Shines by Marie Monville. {Marie's husband was the the man who entered an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania several years ago and killed several girls. This book is the story of his family and how God redeemed their brokenness.
* Nobody's Cuter than You by Melanie Shankle. {A funny memoir on friendship. Melanie also wrote a memoir on motherhood called Sparkly Green Earrings and one on marriage called Antelope in the Living Room.}
* The Road to Becoming by Jenny Simmons. {A truly dynamic read on how to learn and grow in moments of muddling through.}


Inspirational Reading
* Let's All Be Brave by Annie F. Downs. {I did not write a review on this book but interviewed Annie about it when I worked at WBCL. The interview has been removed from the internet - sadness!!! - but the book has tremendous insights on bravery, which shows up in places you might not expect!}
* Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong. {FABULOUS read on learning from and embracing changes in your life - perfect for ANYONE going through any kind of change. I served on the book launch team for this one and remain ridiculously proud of Kristen for her words and her vulnerability in sharing!}
* The Hardest Peace by Kara Tippetts. {You know how I loved the words of Kara Tippetts and this book was so motivational and so honest - about learning to allow Jesus to meet you in your hard.}
* Just Show Up by Kara Tippetts and Jill Lynn Buteyn. {A book published after Kara went to Heaven - but a powerful and practical guide on walking alongside those in difficult seasons.}

Spiritual Growth
* Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George. {A powerful book on learning to bring your thoughts into line with God's thoughts so you can love Him more fully.}
* Your Sacred Yes by Susie Larson. {I cannot possibly say enough about how much I love this book and how much every over-committed person should read it.}
*Just Give Me Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz. {I read this book years ago when our Sunday School class studied it, and it absolutely revolutionized the way I read Scripture and thought about Jesus.

Fiction
* Last Chance Hero by Cathleen Armstong. {Contemporary fiction, the fourth in a series, about a tiny New Mexico town named Last Chance. Loved it so much I plan to get the whole series.}
* Five Brides by Eva Marie Everson. {Set back in the fifties, this book tells the stories about five young women making their lives in the heart of Chicago, and the wedding dress they pool their money to purchase.
* Murder at the Courthouse by A.H. Gabhart. {Murder mystery meets Mayberry Jr. It's got all the charm of a small town with a good batch of suspense. I can't wait for the next book in the series!}
* Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon. {Another small town delight...an easy read but characters that are so lovable!}
* Vendetta by Lisa Harris. {A good action book that lovers of TV crime shows would enjoy - and it has a faith base...BONUS!}

Kids' Books
* The Gingerbrood by Brent Vernon. {The adventures of a batch of freshly baked gingerbread cookies who escape Mrs. Claus's kitchen.}
* The Audrey Amaka Books by Brent Vernon. {A children's trilogy about Audrey Amaka, the neckless giraffe, and her adventures.}

**** Gotta brag on my friend Brent, who wrote the books in my recommended kids' reading. I don't have kids, so I don't know much about children's books, but I know that his are fabulous and fun. He writes AND illustrates them himself, and I can't recommend them ENOUGH.

Living Too Big?

Last Saturday, in the Six, I referenced an article about a study done on a Norwegian community whose residents show a remarkably positive outlook on life even in the months that are remarkably dark and cold, thanks to its extreme northern location. I told you I had some thoughts marinating, and today...I share the thoughts.

Back when I still worked at WBCL, God and I had a number of conversations about the future. About staying vs. leaving. About the motivation behind either decision. And I sensed at that time that God was impressing on me something about learning to live smaller. I didn't really know what that meant, but it was an impression I had, so I nodded and quit my job.

Radio is a big deal. It reaches farther than you know and touches lives you never see with your eyes. The station {the building, I mean} might have been small, but the job was big. People ask me often if I miss it. I miss my work family. I miss the fun of being on air with them. But I don't miss the bigness. I don't miss the big commute and the big schedule. Being home has brought the exact calmness to our lives that I imagined it would.

Ryan even mentioned the other day that he likes having me home more than he thought he would. Not that he didn't want me to make the change, but it has affected him more than he thought it would - and those changes have been good for him. This accepting of smallness has allowed us to rest more. Sleep in longer in the morning, have more free time in the evenings, have more weekends...and he likes it. And so do I.

God took smallness to the next step and urged me to work on simplifying our home. That's why for the first month or so after I left full-time work, I spent all day many days just combing through the house, weeding out, paring down, having a sale. Less is more.

Even my adventures with the capsule wardrobe have helped me understand the benefits of less. Of not buying things just because they're cheap, but only committing to them if I love them and they fit in the parameters of what I truly need.

Less. Small. Breathing space.

So. Back to the article. In the article, they talked about how the residents made the winter months cozy, but they went on to say that didn't mean they became hermits. "Leibowitz reports that Tromsø had plenty of festivals and community activities creating the sense that everyone was in it together." {Source} My first thought, when I read that, was "Well that would be hard to do here, because to plan such things, you would have to travel and winter is too unpredictable."

Then I realized that I really probably don't have a clue about real inclement weather in comparison with a place so far north, it goes several months without seeing sunlight. So what's the difference? I think the difference is that their community is...their actual community.

You can get out and visit your friends when they all live right by you. Even if it's a million below zero. I think the difference is that for us, our community is spread over a four hour radius. Seeing friends means you might need a whole weekend because you might have to drive 3-4 hours just to get there...then you spend your quality time...then you have 3-4 hours ahead to get back home.

It reminded me, actually, of what Lisa Anderson talked about in her book, The Dating Manifesto, which I reviewed a while back. She said, "A couple of centuries ago, you  married the girl who lived down the dirt road from you. You'd grown up together. Her family farmed too. You were about the same age and, her freckles notwithstanding, she seemed like a nice girl."

Then Lisa went on to say, "Today's myriad of choices makes it harder for us to focus. Because we're not forced to look in one place, we end up looking everywhere. And we get distracted, frustrated, even paralyzed by the options before us." {Source: The Dating Manifesto by Lisa Anderson, page 138}

We're just too big. We date too big and can't find anyone  to marry because we're looking at everyone. We're friending too big and finding ourselves exhausted from the sheer need to keep EVERYONE we've EVER known in our closest friend circle.

The internet is a beautiful thing. It allows us to have access to the lives and thoughts of people who live far, far away. It allows us to be in touch in ways people two hundred years ago {or twenty years ago} could not. But we're wearing ourselves out. We live in a warmer climate than the Norwegians in the study, but we don't live in a warmer circle. I think we could learn a thing or two from them. They make up for the lack of warmth by living warmly in smallness.

I bet they borrow eggs from neighbors and know the name of every person on their block.

What would that kind of life look like?

Jury Duty

My dad has always wanted to serve on a jury. The government/history teacher in him made him crave the chance to serve. I think he's the only human being I've ever heard about who wanted to serve that badly. {Except Pauly Shore in the movie - but that was only because he needed the free housing.}

So a couple of weeks ago, Ryan got the paper in the mail about how his name was in the pot for the upcoming months. You know the paper. The one that lets you say what dates don't work for you and that kind of stuff. THE NEXT DAY he received his notification that he was up for selection.

Thanks a lot for the swell lead time with that first notice!

So he called a week ago Friday night after the appointed hour stated on the paper and found out he had to report.

I know jury duty is never convenient for anyone. That's kind of the nature of the thing. But it didn't stop me from being a little agitated that he had to get up Monday morning and commute to work for three hours and then commute back this way to report for jury duty. But he did. Showed up in his scrubs and began the long afternoon of phone-silence.

Ryan's work isn't conducive for regular contact throughout the day. When he's with patients, he has to be WITH PATIENTS, and I get that. I want him to be focused and the patients to be safe. But at least he can text me a "hey I miss you!" on restroom breaks and such. Not so with the world of the courthouse. I couldn't breathe for him that he couldn't take his phone in. And about 8 million times throughout the day, I thought of something to tell him...and I remembered he couldn't read it.

Ryan's brother, who is a police officer, had "jokingly" warned me that depending on the nature of the case, he could be sequestered to a hotel and not be able to speak to me AT ALL until the case was over.

I really don't need to pause here to tell you my thoughts on forced separation, do I? But Rod instilled the fear in me and I jumped to the ceiling when my phone rang Monday night and it was an unknown number that I assumed represented some approved phone in the courthouse.

I skipped "hello" entirely and said "Please tell me you don't have to go live at a hotel." Ryan laughed and said no, he could come home every night, but the trial would last a week.

NO.

He said they weren't quite done for the night, so I decided to run to the grocery store to kill the extra time apart. An hour an a half later, Ryan found me, socializing in the aisles. Pitiful, isn't it? I was still so sad about the upcoming week, but actually, he was pretty excited about the whole thing. He said he was looking forward to it.

You guys, it was the longest week ever. In happy news, it was lovely to have him "working" in town. We got to sleep in every morning, later than we ever do. He came home for lunch every day, and that was fun. The time between his call to say he was on his way home and actually BEING home was practically nothing. Loved all those things about it.


What I didn't love? The secrecy. We don't do secrets in our house. I don't even like keeping birthday gifts a secret from him. So to have him spend all day doing something that was really important and then to have him come home and say NOTHING - well, that didn't work for me.

Didn't love the lack of contact either. It makes me panic to not have access to him if I need something. {Like the day the judge held them over 45 minutes for lunch and I was home panicking that the defendant shot him as he left the courtroom. Seriously. I have to stop watching the crime shows.} I think I called five times and sent three texts in fifteen minutes that day.

But I persevered. I did a lot of cooking and baking:

And Thursday night, since he assumed jury duty was going to kill our previously scheduled Friday night date, he took me out ti Starbucks, which was so lovely.

It was good we did that, because Friday was the longest day OF OUR LIVES. Braeya and I were so over it by about 7 p.m. but we needed to buck up because we would not see the most handsome man on the planet until 11:30. That's p.m. As in right before midnight.

It is POSSIBLE that I drove TO the courthouse at 10:00 just to make sure there were still people there and that he hadn't gotten assaulted on his way to his car. {Not sure what I thought I was going to do if he had, but whatever.} And while I was out, I went ahead and got dinner, since I gathered by that time, we weren't going to get a pizza.

I decided that as the week progressed, I just looked older and more tired and bedraggled, so I was ridiculously grateful to have this journey behind us and to be back to whatever comprises our normal. 

So we survived jury duty. I was really proud of Ryan for how seriously he took his commitment, for the level of time and prayer he put into thinking through the evidence and offering a fair verdict, and for being a way better sport about it than I was.

And now I'm once again enjoying a life of being able to hear from him randomly, to not have secrets, and to get my socializing from him and not from roaming the grocery store aisles. LOL!

Braving the Service Project

Last year {you probably don't remember...and it's okay} Ryan and I served at the Grant County Mobile Pack for Feed My Starving Children. You can read more about that day and what the organization does...here.

This year, the mobile pack came back to our area and one of the guys in our Sunday School class was instrumental in bringing it back, so of course our class planned to serve again. Ryan was SO excited, because he loves stuff like this. So I signed us up early on, and we made plans to work the project that day.

And then.

Ryan has to take classes at random to get continuing education credits for his degree. It's rare that he can find a class to fit the requirement that is also free. And sometimes the classes can get pretty pricey, actually. So it just so happened that a class became available the same day as the mobile pack.

It was a no brainer. He had to go. He couldn't pass up the opportunity to get credits for free. I  knew it. But the thought of going to that mobile pack by myself took me back to dark places of junior high that I had no desire to revisit. I thought about backing out, but then I got guilt gut over it. I knew they counted on their volunteers, and our family had already backed out one of them, so I couldn't find it within me to back out citing reasons of being scared. {And apparently I found the one thing that countered last year's declaration that I would "happily serve again. HAPPILY."}

So the morning of the mobile pack, I removed all my jewelry except my wedding ring, which if you read last year's post, you'll remember was quite the debacle then. I pinned back my hair so it would fit better in my stylin' hairnet, and I drove to the church to pack.

Several of our Sunday School friends were already there when I arrived, and our friends Nate and Jenna so graciously adopted me and let me sit with them {seriously - it was junior high!} so I didn't feel like such a dork. Although seriously. I think the hairnets level the playing field on the junior high thing.

We sat through the intro, where they gave us all the instructions for the day...

And then we headed in to get to work.

I was not even worried at that moment, because I'd been told that our class had all been assigned a table together, so I knew I would have friends, and life would be merry.

Or so I thought.

Apparently there were two tables assigned to our class {because it's big anyway, and people could bring their kids to help, so with kids added, there were just a LOT of us}. Each table has two packing stations on it. Well evidently our class filled one full table, but only had enough other people to fill half the second table {one full packing station}. Since I was the only person there without family, I was moved to the other side {which I named the island of misfit toys} with other potluck people from other over-filled tables.

Cue the panic.

For the first hour, none of them really spoke to me, and by the end of that hour, my knees were sore from being locked, my back was sore from bending over to seal the bags, my left hand was dripping sweat inside its glove {required since I refuse to take off my wedding ring} and I was wishing I would have worn my swimsuit, because it got pretty warm in there. So I sort of forced the poor lady working next to me to have a meaningful conversation with me to get my mind off the heat and the sore back!

And I took a selfie for Ryan:

I've decided to incorporate the hairnet into my everyday life.

At the end of our shift, we had a group picture taken:

The stats for the entire weekend {not just our shift} said that over two days, 800 volunteers came together, 172,800 meals were packed to feed 471 starving children for a year.

So it was worth it to brave the junior high fears to help the kids! {But please dear class scheduling people, let me have Ryan next year!!!}

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was blissfully lazy. We woke up to our first frost, and it was SO pretty. {Prettier because we didn't have to scrape any vehicles!} We enjoyed church, which included time to cuddle with one of our favorite littles, and these CUPCAKES!!! Caramel cappuccino cupcakes. I could have eaten ten. We spent the rest of the day on Mo, napping, watching TV, reading, and writing.

* Monday morning, I went with Mom and a friend of hers up to Fort Wayne to shop for Christmas candy making supplies. We had fun {how can you NOT in a room full of candy??} and went out for lunch after our shopping extravaganza. Meanwhile, Ryan had to report to the courthouse because his name came up FOR JURY DUTY. Despite my prayers to the contrary, he ended up getting selected, and below you can see our respective thoughts on that. I began preparing myself for a week of jury widowhood.

* Tuesday Ryan headed back to the courthouse for more jury duty. While I was still nervous about this hiccup to our schedule, I did enjoy having him home longer in the morning, home for lunch, and home sooner in the evening! YAY! Braeya and I read blogs and worked on writing throughout the day, which was fun. Know what wasn't fun? Trying to hunt down a book that apparently does not exist in our county. When the bookstore and the library are dead ends = FRUSTRATING!!!

* Since Wednesday was Veteran's Day, the Courthouse was closed, and Ryan went to work at his regular job. He sent me this STUNNING sunrise photo, which I loved so much. I spent the day trying to be a good housewife, since I've spent so many days being a writer. I even cooked a real dinner for him - marinated baked chicken, homemade macaroni and cheese, green beans, and snickerdoodle brownies for dessert. He deserves about 800 more meals like that to be caught up from my nights of tacos and such. LOL!! We just rested that night, and we curled up for popcorn and a movie. The Notebook. Sobbed with the same intensity as when I first saw it years ago! Such a sap.

* I don't know what it's like where you live, but it was ridiculously windy here on Thursday. I saw that our ferns did a face plant in the back yard and hoped that was the worst of it, but it wasn't. A massive branch pierced the top of our pirogi and ripped it! We were so sad! {Especially since we had planned to take it down in just two days!} Ryan was gone all day at jury duty again, so I spent the day baking quick bread for the freezer {that was a big mess in our little kitchen} and then that night we had a quick Starbucks date that I enjoyed so much. I have MISSED him this week.

* Friday. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Friday. Ryan went to jury duty that morning and we met for lunch at Wendy's. Good thing we did because that was the last I saw of him for almost TWELVE HOURS. I spent the afternoon writing, raking leaves {again}, doing my nails, watching Hallmark movies, and wondering if I would ever see him again in my natural lifetime. Finally at 10:30 that night, I decided he wasn't coming home for dinner {I'm nothing if not hopeful} and I drove to Burger King for dinner. He finally got home at 11:30 and our jury duty life ended. Praise. The. Lord.

 * We slept in a bit yesterday morning, a treat Ryan richly deserved after his week. We did some dreaming shopping in the afternoon and then went to the funeral for Ryan's great aunt. We went to the family dinner after, where the kiddos kept us busy! I was so very glad to have Ryan back...sigh...so glad jury duty is over!

The Saturday Six

One.

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I ran across this post this week, and thought I'd share it with you in case you're looking ahead to bringing organization into your home in 2016. This blogger has a plan to do one organization task each week, and she offers this sneak peek to what it will encompass. I realize it's a bit early to be making new year's resolutions, but if you know cleaning will be among yours...here you go!

Two.

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I knew about this because I read it on Facebook, but I didn't know it made it into the media! My talented and creative friend Jenna made dresses and bow-ties for her parents' 40th anniversary celebration. She wanted to surprise them with something, so she made the dresses and bow-ties for all nine grandchildren, and they had a photo shoot.  Oh - and did I mention all the fabric came from the bridesmaid dresses from her parents' wedding? HOW CUTE IS THIS!

Three.

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A lovely post about lowering expectations on Christmas Day. I have to admit, in my newly adopted "less is more" mentality, I have a fresh appreciation for making holidays more about the memories than the stuff. {I also find her thoughts interesting in light of the book review below!}

Four.

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To my praying-for-love friends...a wonderful post written by my friend Jamie Bennett, about the gift of grieving losses in love.  

Five.

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I know one thing I am looking forward to about this winter is NO COMMUTE!!! But winter is really hard for a lot of people. The germs, the cold, the snow and ice, the feeling cooped up - that can all be really hard. I found this article fascinating - about a study done on Norwegian communities where people actually look forward to the deep winter, even though it means days on end with no sun. There's actually something marinating in my mind here that will show up in a future blog post, but for now, check out this article. Whether or not you agree with their thoughts, I still think it makes interesting reading.

Six.

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Sad sigh. It's time for me to tell you about a book I desperately wanted to love, but {gulp} I didn't.  Keeping Christmas is a new novel by Dan Walsh, out just in time for the holidays. According to his website and other reviews I read after I finished the book, it seems he puts out a new Christmas novel regularly, and I believe this is the fourth one.

It was also the first time I read any of his writing at all. I was surprised to see on his website that his writing is often compared to Nicholas Sparks and that he enjoys writing suspense. I was surprised by the Nicholas Sparks comparison, because I actually just sobbed my eyes out over The Notebook {AGAIN} and didn't have any of that strong emotional connection to this book. Also, I actually mentally prepared for suspense several times in this book and then realized it wasn't coming. I thought he was setting it up...and I was wrong. So maybe those things are found in his other books, but not in this one.

His story centers on a couple named Stan and Judith Winters, who are experiencing their first holiday season without any of their children at home. No one comes home for Thanksgiving and no one can afford to come home for Christmas, either. This turn of events sends Judith into such a downhill spiral that she just stops caring about Christmas. She doesn't want to decorate, she doesn't want to play the music, she just wants to sit and be sad. Stan is at a loss of how to help his wife recover her normally over-the-top festive spirit. Alongside their best friends, Barney and Betty, they work to help Judith find her festive.

I thought Dan did a good job of writing female characters...he didn't hesitate to portray scenes with crafts and shopping and other such things that I think might be kind of challenging for a  male author in terms of crawling inside the female mind. But even so, I really didn't like Judith at all. I found her to be whiny and selfish and I kind of wanted to send her to her room until she could straighten up her attitude. I've lived with parents who have struggled with diagnosed depression, and what I saw in the book described as depression didn't match up with the experiences I have witnessed. It just seemed to me like she wanted her way or else.

The storyline also  fell a little flat for me. I wanted more twists and turns and curves and suspense, and it was pretty straightforward. Having said that, I did tear up at the end. I won't give it away for you, but I will tell you that it did evoke a little emotion in me. To be fair, I had figured out how the story would resolve {unusual for me - I never figure stuff out ahead of time} but reading it unfold was lovely. But I will also tell you, even in the resolution, I didn't like Judith any better. My feelings toward her remained.

Maybe if I were an empty-nester, I would understand this a bit better and relate more? But I just couldn't get there in the reading. I think I would give another shot to reading something by this author, because some reviews I read said that this was not his best work, so maybe what I hoped for is found in another book?

{And I will say, I think it's a cool concept to have a new Christmas fiction piece every year. Kinda makes me want to take up fiction writing.}

* Thanks, Revell, for sending a copy of the book to me in exchange for an honest review. *

Vacation Capsules

I have news that may or may not excite you today. I have had a secret Pinterest board for a while...one in which I've collected some various posts on capsules, and now, just for funsies, I've linked all the posts I've written so far on the subject. I switched it to a public board, so if you want to see the posts that inspired me, or link back to any of the ones I've written so far, you can visit my little corner of capsule heaven on Pinterest here.

Now...on to today's topic: packing a capsule for vacation:

 I am known for my...ahem...overpacking. Always. Everywhere I go. This time I wanted to try to take clothing that could be mixed and matched and reused...and since we were vacationing in the fall with unpredictable weather, I wanted to try to create outfits that could be layered up or down to fit the weather needs. I was really pleased with how it turned out, and I wanted to share my fall vacation capsule with you.

I'm such a nerd: I actually took a picture of every outfit before we left home, so I would remember what I packed and why. So below, you'll see the original concept and the actual rendering.

Day One: Travel Day

 I chose workout clothes for our travel day. One of my most comfy shirts, a pair of workout capris, and my trusty Go-Walks. I wanted to be cool and comfy in the car, and it didn't matter what the weather was like, since I knew we would be IN the car the entire day. I guess this is about as good a photo I have from that day.

Day Two: The Beach

 For this day I chose a graphic tee, an infinity scarf, my trusty zip up hoodie, a pair of skinny jeans that I could roll up {to avoid dragging my jeans in the sand} and the Go-Walks again - easy to kick off and walk in the sand. It ended up being warm enough that I was able to ditch the jacket for part of the day. But with and without the hoodie, I loved the outfit.

Day Three: Church and Walking through Williamsburg

For church, I chose my trusty little black dress with a belt, another infinity scarf, gray leopard tights, a denim jacket and my cute black ankle boots. It was warm enough that I had to ditch the jacket when we arrived at church, but I loved the layered look.

 And then for the afternoon, this had been the PLAN for walking through Colonial Williamsburg: 

 This was actually the outfit I messed up/altered the most. My plan had been to use my regular jeans, another graphic tee, go back to the first infinity scarf, keep the denim jacket, and keep the cute shoes. The day ended up being colder than we expected, so I chose a spare long-sleeved tee to put underneath the graphic tee for extra warmth. I kept the denim jacket and accidentally kept the scarf I wore at church. And I ditched the cute shoes for the Go-Walks again, and I was SO glad I did, since we walked  a lot that day.

Day Four: Cape Henry Lighthouse and Shopping

For this day, I went back to the skinny jeans, kept the Go-Walks, brought out a white long-sleeved tee, a quilted vest, and kept the same scarf that apparently I loved way too much for this trip. And I am sorry this is the best full length photo we have of this outfit. EEK!

Day Five: Travel Day

 For our second travel day, I picked another workout shirt and yoga pants, with, of course, the trusty Go-Walks. Super comfy, and yet presentable enough to tour the coffee roasting facility.

Day Six: Hiking in a State Park

For our hiking day, I recycled the white shirt from the day at the lighthouse, and layered it under a striped t-shirt. I recycled the yoga pants from our travel day, and pulled out my running shoes. For the cooler parts of the day, I also pulled out the gray zip-up hoodie again, but it got warm enough that I didn't need it the whole day.

Day Seven: Niagara Falls

For Niagara Falls, the trusty scarf came back, and I PLANNED to use the skinny jeans again. The Go-Walks were back again, as well as the vest from lighthouse day. The new part of the outfit was a blue long-sleeved t-shirt. In reality, I wore the regular jeans in place of the skinny jeans, but otherwise, the outfit stayed true to my plan. For part of this day, I also layered the gray zip up hoodie under that vest.

Day Eight: Travel Day

 For our last travel day, I had one more comfy workout shirt, and I'd planned to bring those workout capris back, coupled with my running shoes. But in the end, I wore a second pair of long workout pants I threw into the luggage at the last minute. I'd used them throughout the week to lounge in during the evening, and I thought the traveling home temps needed longer pants.

 So that was the capsule! Much mixing and matching...much attempting to bring a good mix of blues and neutrals. I was pleased with the outcome!

For an eight day trip:
1 Dress
2 Scarves
1 Vest
1 Zip-Up Hoodie
1 Denim jacket
2 pairs of jeans
2 graphic tees
3 long sleeved tees
3 workout tees
1 striped t-shirt
2 pairs of long workout pants
1 pair of workout capris
3 pairs of shoes
1 sweatshirt {for lounging around}
1 pair of shorts {for lounging around}
1 pair of jammies