My Summer Reading Program

This has been a summer of reading.  I don't know if I'm just so tired at night, all I want to do is read.  I don't know if I'm making up for not reading much during the school year as Seminary takes A LOT of my time and energy.  I don't know if I just decided that's how I wanted to spend my time.  Whatever the reason, its what happened, and I'm not complaining.

Here is a quick run-down of what I consumed this summer with a brief synopsis of the book.  If you want to know my opinions of these books, check out my reviews on goodreads.com.  It would be redundant of me to go into too much detail here as I just updated my list last week.


This is a collection of essays written by the author at different times of her life.  I listened to this book on audio.  She was the narrator.  That was a good thing.





  

Each of these books stands alone.  My friend lent me all three, and I enjoyed each one.  They have just a touch of mystery to them.  Not taxing, but very engaging.  All three are my kind of summer read.


A middle-aged woman loses 10 years of her memory after a fall at the gym.  It was very thought provoking for me.  (Note - this didn't pass my language test, but I was very invested in the story)


This may be my favorite read of the summer!  Several people told me I shouldn't read this book, but it was the July selection.  I'm so glad I read it.  It is the story of two young people in Europe during WWII.  Beautifully written, and sometimes so heart-wrenchingly sad.  War is not pretty.  The author is coming to Lewiston in November!  I'm so excited!!  (One character in this book also broke my language rule.  Again, I was too invested at that point.  My language rule seems a little tenuous at this point, but don't worry, its still there.)


Middlemarch may be my favorite classical book.  I was intrigued in this book when my sister told me about it.  The author compares events in her life to those that took place in George Eliot's novel.  To me, it was more of a biography of G Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans) with comparisons to Rebecca Mead's life sprinkled throughout.  I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed it.  It was just different than I expected.


If you have trouble pulling up a familiar name or remembering a word as you are speaking to people, this is the book for you.  It is comforting to know those issues don't immediately mean you have dementia or Alzheimer's.  This book also contains good advice on things to do to help keep your brain in good shape.  A quick read that is well-worth the time.


I need to give this book another chance.  It is a fable of sorts that I'm sure has a good message.  I just read it too fast because it was due at the library and I had renewed it several times.  I will give it another try and report back.


This was a much-anticipated read, and I will admit I was a bit disappointed.  I think I had read a lot of the concepts because I follow Gretchen's blog, and she presented a lot of the ideas in that while she was writing it.  It has some good ideas to help you figure out what kind of habit-former you are, as different techniques work for different tendencies.  (I'm an obliger, thank you very much.)  I recommend it although my blurb here doesn't really sound like it.


This is an inspiring story of a young boy in Africa who figured out how to build a windmill and bring electricity to his village.  I read the young reader's edition, so I can't speak about the other version.  I liked hearing how he read and experimented and gathered discarded items to make his dream happen.  It is hard for me to imagine anywhere not having electricity in my lifetime, but that is just my first-world ignorance.  I'm not a very global thinker.


I have been wanting to read this for a while, and checked it out this summer and it sat on my nightstand for most of that time.  (Other books just kept taking precedence.)  It was a VERY quick read.  It is the story of a young couple who lives in the woods.  Something quite traumatic happens and the story line is the result of that event.  The author has only written two books but I have loved both of them.  (The other one is The Bird Sisters, which I am revisiting on audio right now, and still enjoying.)

That wraps it up.  It has been a good summer reading-wise.  A little fiction, a little non-fiction, and a variety of plots and topics.  Life is good!!

2 (of my many) problems solved!!

I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear this, my blog reading friend, but I have problems.  Some big and important, some pretty small and stupid.  Some which I just need to take by the horns and fix, and some are totally out of my control.  My job on the last group is to fix my attitude to accept that I don't have any control and find happiness in spite of them.  I know I am no different than anyone else in these declarations of problems, and solutions and non-solutions.  No one gets through life without their share of things to work through or around, or whatever.  

(Stick with me while I digress for a moment)  I was reminded of the importance of feeling gratitude no matter what you are going through just recently.  My good friend lost her child in a tragic accident.  This child also happens to have been one of my seminary students!  He was a smart, handsome, good young man, who loved his life, and the people in it.  To see his life cut short was a shock and as I said before, a tragedy.  My friend spoke at his funeral, and related how the thought came to her (in the form of a recent General Conference talk by Pres. Uchtdorf) about being grateful in any circumstance.  She took note of the magically folded and put away clothes in her dresser, the balanced meals that her kitchen seemed to produce from nowhere, and the texts that came to her phone at just the perfect time. (She voiced it much more eloquently)  Of course, these things were all facilitated by her friends and family, and she was able to, in the midst of her seemingly devastating grief, to recognize the service of others to her and her family.  Is she still grieving her son?  Of course, and most likely will be doing that in some form the rest of her life.  Is she debilitated by it?  Probably at times, but for the most part, she is using her gratitude to carry her through this horribly difficult time.  What a great example to me and to those at the funeral!!  I'm grateful for her!

(Ok, back to the original subject.  Although, after that, my "problems" seem pretty ridiculous, even absurd!!  If I could think of a different term to use, I would.  Maybe as I type it will come to me.)

So, what are these great "problems"?  First of all, I love to buy journals.  I am especially tempted when I go to TJ Maxx and take a peek at their inventory.  They always have something that catches my eye, and I usually succumb.  Now, a girl can only use some many of these, and as I'm not writing very often in a paper journal these days, I can't just keep buying them on a whim or my kids will curse my name for my empty journal collection when I die.  They will have enough things to curse me about.  I don't want my love of journals to be in that category.  So, what to do with this latest one I  bought?  I love it.  A bike?  Hello!  Reminders to enjoy the ride?  Hello!  Love both of those things.   

And, look inside.  Such cute pages.  (The pages rotate between about four or five different patterns.)  I <3 journal.="" nbsp="" p="" this="">

Now to the second dilemma (that's a good substitute for problem).  I love to cook, and I love all the recipe options available on the MANY blogs in the internet!  So many recipes!!  I have my favorites - ourbestbites.com, and smittenkitchen.com, just to name a couple.  Of course, allrecipes.com is a great place to go, and the foodnetwork website and pioneerwoman.com always have something.  Now how is a girl supposed to keep track of the recipes she tries, likes and wants to use again?  I was copying them into a recipe book but that is about full, and obviously redundant.  I don't need to reinvent the wheel here.  

Enter my new journal!  I realized I could make a record of the recipes I want to use again in it.  Great idea right?  But how to keep track of them and find them again?  I numbered the pages and created an alphabetical index at the back of the journal.  Now it doesn't matter if the entries aren't in any order.  I can easily find them as long as I remember to enter the page number they are on in the index.

When I thought of this last week, I couldn't help patting myself on the back for a brilliant idea.  (Now I realize someone has probably already figured this out, and posted it on Pinterest, or something like that, but I am not a very good Pinner and haven't seen anything so am feeling very creative and dilemma solving!  And you can be un-impressed if you choose, but I choose to be excited and a bit giddy about the whole thing.  And of course, grateful...

My yoga journey so far...

For a while now, I have felt a nudge to start doing yoga.  Not yoga with a DVD at home, but actually getting myself to a yoga studio and learning how to do it correctly.  After visiting my girls in Utah, all 3 of whom do yoga, I felt the push even more.  After I did a little research, I found a studio here in town, with a beginner's class, and taught by a woman I was slightly acquainted with.

Now, I am not some young, flexible woman.  I am middle aged, and stiff (much stiffer it turns out than I realized until I started really learning yoga) and I'm not the skinniest person in town.   I was pretty apprehensive about starting, but also knew that if I didn't do it now, it might not ever happen.  So I summoned my courage, talked to Teresa and signed up for the class.  It was an introduction to Ashtanga Yoga.  Once a week for 4 weeks.  I could do four weeks, right?

After the first day, (or I should say, the morning after the first day), I wasn't sure I would ever walk normally again.  My hamstrings were SORE!  My arms were SORE!  My back got SORE because I was walking weirdly bc of my sore hamstrings!  It was rough.  Luckily, by the next class, my body felt a little bit back to normal, and I went again, and again, and again.  I made it through all 4 classes and lived to tell about it.

Suffice to say, I really love doing yoga.  I love how I feel when I do it, I love how it makes my body feel after I'm done - sort of a combination of soreness and a feeling I've really accomplished something.  And savasana!  Love it!  I love it even more now that I can lay there and not wonder when it will be time to get up because it is such a foreign feeling to be laying on the floor, concentrating on breathing and relaxing my body and letting all thoughts leave my mind as soon as they enter!  Aren't I supposed to be doing something during that time?  Yes, concentrating on breathing and relaxing and letting all thoughts leave my mind as soon as they enter!  Wonderful!!

Many poses are beyond my ability!  Marichyasana?  I may get that next year, if I'm really lucky.  Full lotus?  I'm getting there, but not quite yet. Even my downward dog is usually lacking.  But, a major breakthrough occured last week, and I have to share my acheivement with you!  

I can do a headstand.  

I had been trying for a few weeks, and although both Teresa and Joanna said I would just "pop right up" when I am ready, I didn't believe them.  I'm pretty sure telling your students something just to make them not feel like a loser is NOT the yogi way!  :) but I still didn't believe them.

I was determined to keep trying though, and inbetween yard work 2 Saturdays ago I kept trying.  I used the wall, and what do you know.  I got myself up, and I wasn't using the wall for balance once I got up.  Then I decided I would try without the wall, and guess what?  I "popped right up" (pop is being used pretty loosely), but I got up and could stay up!  I was so excited!!!  I made Kristin and Trevor both watch while I did one later that day! (I could tell they were both surprised and impressed!) And here's the other part, I can still do it!

So, I am pretty sure I will not post any more pictures of yoga poses by yours truly (well, maybe Marichyasana, if I ever get it), but indulge me while I share the following photo with you!  (And in case you are wondering, yes, I love my crazy yoga pants!!!)

Namaste...

Complete - The kitchen remodel (finally!)

If you ask any of our kids, they will tell you, as decision makers, John and I rank between slow and downright tortoise-like.  

Our pending kitchen remodel was no exception.  I started the process in December of last year.  Although, as far as choosing materials, and most of the other details, that stuff went pretty fast.  Getting a bid was a little slower, but that wasn't the problem either.  The problem was a difference of opinion that just couldn't be solved.  I won't go into the gruesome details, but suffice to say, someone isn't entirely happy with the way things ended up, but is choosing to not be bitter, as the rest of it is lovely, and such an improvement over the "before".  

A good representation of the "before".  I'm still wondering what possessed me to choose the green laminate all those years ago!!

"After" - I love it!  Note the new chairs as well.  I love the low profile back.

Here are the countertop and backsplash close up.  We love the skinny tiles, but take note - they are a huge pain to work with.  Especially getting the edges straight for an exposed edge. 

John gets high marks for being the man in the trenches and placing each tile sheet and figuring out the best way to cut the strips.  (I tried that last part and failed miserably.  More proof that Math and I just don't like each other.)  My strong suit was piecing odd stips together, and I did a lot of the grouting.  Although, I did a terrible job of wiping off the first section, and have some SERIOUS tile scraping to do.  That grout isn't coming off without a little elbow grease!  You can imagine those little tile pieces will take forever!!!  Just a note about tiling supplies.  We tried a product called Simple Mat and loved it.  You apply the two-sided, sticky sheets to the wall, and then stick the tile to it.  It worked really well, and was much less messy than the mortar would have been.  There is enough grit left after the grouting - I can't imagine how much of a mess the thin set would have been.  We also used pre-mixed grout, called Simple Grout, which we also highly recommend.  Both products were more expensive, a convenience tax, I suppose, but we felt the extra cost was worth it.  And as for the grit, I have a feeling we'll be dealing with that for at least a week, if not longer.  You think you have it all cleaned up, but the tell-tale scratchy sound comes right back when you set an item down on the counter.  Sigh!!

My other main contribution was being the Home Depot runner, sometimes going twice in one day!  That always makes me a little crazy!  And I have at least one more trip ahead of me to return the leftover materials.  That will be made less painful when I see the credit from Home Depot on my credit card statement.

There was a happy unexpected mama moment during this project.  I put the REO Speedwagon station on Pandora and we worked to LOTS of good late 70's/early 80's music.  That is the music John and I listened to in high school (before we knew each other) and then in college (part of which was when we were dating), two good things, plus, it is such great music!!!  A huge smile come to my face when my teenagers sang along with A LOT of the songs.  They love them also!  Just a little bridge between the generations!  I love it!!!

 I love the countertops.  They are quartz, and remind me of the bottom of a little streambed.  I also do really love the tile, despite the difficulty of installing it.  (Maybe it would have been easier for someone more experienced, and some of our issues came from being tile novices.  Who knows?)  I think when my older girls see it in person, they will say, "Yep, it looks just like something Mom would like", and I do.  

The feel of the kitchen is much warmer than before.  And a little richer.  It's all so good!

And, most important of all - it is finally done!!

My trip in pictures

Last month, Allison and Ryan graduated from BYU!  Woo Hoo!!  Allison got a Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Humanities and Ryan in Advertising.  They are still waiting to hear about final offers on jobs and internships, so we are staying tuned for that.    (This is my 2nd time in Utah this month.  The visit I DID NOT trip over my suitcase and get a gnarly black eye!  Doing that once is quite enough, thank you!) This is where I got to go to 2 graduation parties; see my daughters' in-laws; help Ashley and Brandon with a little yard work, and have dinner with John's sisters, Valerie and Joni and Joni's daughter, Kami at Olive Garden.  (No pictures available for any of that fun stuff.) 

Here is a photo journal of the rest of the stuff I captured on my phone...

While I was staying at Alli and Ryan's, we packed up most of her kitchen on Friday morning. Since the kitchen was packed by lunch time, we had to make an alternate plan.  Luckily, Costa Vida isn't far away, and they take orders over the internet, so we were able to go to the front of the very long line and pick up our yummy food!   

Right after graduation, there was a huge rain storm, but we managed to snap a picture or two before the downpour.   I'm so proud of these two for working hard to achieve this goal!  (I know this picture is a little blurry, but it is really good of the 3 of us.  Just overlook the fuzziness)

Since Allison and Ryan are married, they got to walk in the same commencement in the DeJong Concert Hall.  Much smaller than the Marriot Center where Allison was originally going to walk.  The size of the room got the better of us though.  We didn't get there soon enough to get into the actual room, so we had to go to an overflow hall.  We watched graduation on a video screen.  It was all good until right before Allison's name was called.  Carter filled his pants, and needed to be taken out very badly.  While Chelsie was taking care of that, it was Alli's turn.  Just as they called her name and she started across the stage, the woman directly in front of me stood up to leave, totally blocking my view!  I couldn't believe it!!!  I darted back and forth, trying to see, and wasn't very successful.  Luckily, one of their friend's family member caught a good picture of her receiving her diploma!  What luck I seem to have!!  And poor Chelsie missed the whole thing.

On Thursday, Carter and Chelsie picked me up from the airport, and before we headed down to Provo, we hung out in Salt Lake for a few hours until Dallin got off work.  We spent a little of that time at the park around the corner from Chelsie's house.  How cool is it that they have trucks in the sandpit just waiting for little ones to come play with them.  Carter, of course, loves it.

After graduation, we went back to Alli's and met up with the Peay boys.  Ashley and Brandon went to a wedding dinner south of Provo, so instead of putting the boys through the torture of sitting through that, we kept them and fed them dinner and had a movie party.  We watched UP, which had the very same effect on me the 2nd time as the first time I watched it - tears.  Tears for Carl and Ellie and their sweet relationship, and tears for Russell, who just wants to find a place to belong, and someone to belong to.  It is very fun to have all 4 boys together!  They have a good time with each other.  I love Carter's expression in this picture!!  He looks a little bewildered with the whole photo process and the cheesey smiles it brings out in the other boys.  His day will come, to be sure!

It was purely coincidental, but we were the denim girls at graduation.  I'm sure one of us would have changed into something different, but we were both dressing out of our suitcases, and didn't have a lot of choices.

I played a game of basketball with T2 and then T1.  T2 doesn't dribble and wouldn't let me block him.  T1 practices a LOT and also tends to make up a rule or two as the game progresses.  Suffice to say, this grandma didn't have a chance.   I am CC in both pictures, which stands for Cleveland Caveliers.   Just to be sure I knew that, they both were quick to tell me I was not very good at this game! Don't you worry, though,  I got my revenge at Chutes and Ladders.

Between him not feeling well as my black eye on my last visit, this guy didn't have much to do with me.  This trip told a different story, and we were great buds.   But I didn't have to tell you that, you can see it in the picture!  He even called me "grandma"!

It is VERY difficult to get just a regular picture with these boys.  As you can see, they have a few tricks up their sleeves when the camera comes out.

I don't think I got one picture of Ashley last trip, so I warned her that I wanted at least one this time.  We almost didn't get it done, but risked getting in trouble at the airport curb to snap this selfie.  (John asked me if I wore anything else on the trip but my jean jacket and gold sweater.  I assured him I did, despite zero pictures to back up my claim.  I do tend to pack a little lightly most of the time.)


This was a crazy, busy trip, but I loved every minute of it!  I'm so glad I got to be at graduation, despite the malfunction at the ceremony, and love that I got to spend time with all 3 girls and their families.  There is never enough time to get it all done, but I gave it my best shot!  I am not disappointed with the way it turned out!  Can't wait for the next one!!!