What to read? Maybe these? Yes!
I typically read at least a couple of books a week, maybe more if I have time or just can’t put them down, in which case I steal moments and minutes whenever I can to lose myself between the covers of whatever book called out to me – This week I’m spending my treasured reading time with some familiar voices . . . voices I’ve enjoyed getting to know in Blogtopia and Facebookville.
I’m not quite certain which one to begin with, I think I’ll do the ole eeny-meeny-miney-moe-catch-a-writer-by-the-toe to choose. My picks-of-the-week are . . . .
“There are rumours that I keep a writer trapped in my basement… but I assure you… Jessica is and always was here of her own free will. Until one day she disappeared, and I began to realize that everything I thought I knew about her was wrong. Everyone has a terrifying story about Jessica B. Bell. Some of them are even true.”
You can get your copy of Jessica here.
Come meet Helena Hann Basquiat here.
“It is always dark. Warmer than it should be. The sun is a dull glower of reproach, only sometimes visible through the fallout. A once-majestic university town is crumbled, ashen and divided. The Men have made their home the Facility, where they develop the medication to combat the radiation that would otherwise kill those left alive.
Another day at school for Teacher. Another morning of bullying and torment from a batch of doll-like triplets more violent and unbalanced by the day. They are the nightmare product of Project Eden, the operation devised by Leader for the survival of the community, seeded in the Mothers without their consent.
Teacher has hope. She has a secret. When it is uncovered by Jimmy-1, a triplet who might be different, what will it mean for his future and hers?”
You can get your copy of The Night Butterflies here.
~
Come check out Sara Litchfield here.
~
“Paige Preston wants to end her life. After an unsuccessful attempt, she lands herself in mandatory therapy with a sexy psychiatrist. When he and an even more alluring friend begin to help her break down the walls she’s spent a lifetime building, Paige begins to see something bigger than herself. Is it enough to pull her out of her dark world and help her finally feel like a human? Or will letting someone in be the final step toward her demise?Dear Stephanie is a sinfully addictive walk through a world of beauty, affluence, and incidental love that effortlessly moves the reader between laughter, tears, heartache, and hope with the turn of every “Paige”.
You can get your copy of Dear Stephanie here.
Visit Mandi Castle’s blog!
“Take a ride on the wild side in the nuthouse that Marcia Kester Doyle calls home. From couples’ colonoscopies to nightmare holidays to disappearing spandex, no topic—no matter how crazy or unimaginable—is off-limits. Who Stole My Spandex? Midlife Musings from a Middle-Aged MILF is a witty selection of stories from the author’s madcap world of menopausal pitfalls, wardrobe malfunctions, and a family full of pranksters. This clever compilation includes laugh-out-loud pieces like “Queen of Klutz,” “One Size Fits None,” and “Hands off my Egg Roll!” With a heavy dose of self-deprecating humor, and just a dash of sentiment, this marvelous collection of anecdotes will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt the call of nature at exactly the wrong time. This is rogue humor at its finest!”
You can get your copy of Who Stole My Spandex here.
Click to visit Marcia Kester Doyle’s blog.
“Jen Mann doesn’t have a filter, which sometimes gets her in trouble with her neighbors, her fellow PTA moms, and that one woman who tried to sell her sex toys at a home shopping party. Known for her hilariously acerbic observations on her blog, People I Want to Punch in the Throat, Mann now brings her sharp wit to bear on suburban life, marriage, and motherhood in this laugh-out-loud collection of essays. From the politics of joining a play group, to the thrill of mothers’ night out at the gun range, to the rewards of your most meaningful relationship (the one you have with your cleaning lady), nothing is sacred or off-limits. So the next time you find yourself wearing fuzzy bunny pajamas in the school carpool line or accidentally stuck at a co-worker’s swingers party, just think, What would Jen Mann do? Or better yet, buy her book.”
You can get your copy of People I Want to Punch in the Throat here.
Check out Jen Mann’s blog too!
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TToT – Ten Things of Thankful #4! Survived ANOTHER week!
And another week has passed us by, I’m tempted to say it would probably be easier to come of with a list of ten things I am not thankful for, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of this fabulous link-up. I’m quite certain by the time I’ve finished writing about the good stuff though, the not-so-good-stuff will be shoved into some dark little corner of my mind where it will hopefully stay until it simply fades away. The power of positive thinking and all that.
Alright then, onto my happy place . . .
Xanax. I am exceedingly thankful for Xanax.
Candles in jars – My candle ban has been lifted, providing I only use the ones that come in jars.
Here’s why —> It was an accident!
Coffee. Because it will always be on my list of things I am thankful for.
My daughter will be here at the end of the month for her little brother’s high school graduation. I miss that precious stinker.
Anger management. I am thankful I am capable of it – especially when driving, going to the grocery store, the mall, Walmart, the post office, or my kid’s bathroom.
Hair clips. It’s hot and I’m lazy.
Caller ID.
My kids are old enough to fend for themselves in the kitchen.
Anything that is at least 50% off when I need it.
I am thankful I awoke this morning with less pain than the day before, thankful for the amazing clouds that drifted above me today, thankful for time – time to write, time to read, time to spend with those I cherish most. I am thankful for the random act of kindness I witnessed today and I am thankful God has blessed me with so much to be thankful for . . .
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The fog is rolling in, the battle rages on
The fog is rolling in.
I sense before I see,
the clouded mist
that comes again –
coming again for me.
Wispy tendrils
whorl round my feet,
readying for war.
Creeping, crawling,
reaching, searching,
finding me once more.
I’ve naught but gossamer veil
to hide myself beneath,
I’ve no stronger shield,
no bullets, no bow –
I’ve no weapon to unsheath.
But lo, perhaps I do –
I’ve words at my command.
With parchment as my coffer
and quill within my hand,
an army lays in wait,
for me to take my stand.
Whispered words
become my battle cry,
they cover me like armor,
they give me wings to fly.
As the battle rages,
the fog is failing, falling –
raining down in pages,
scattered in defeat.
I lift my veil,
and watch
as the
vanquished fog
retreats.
Crystal R. Cook
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Review – Lose the Cape: Realities from Busy Modern Moms & Strategies to Survive
Entertaining, honest, and practical advice from real moms. I’ve read a few parenting books over the years, and by few, I mean three . . . The first two books completely contradicted each other and the third left me feeling like I’d read a manual on how to make certain your children will need intensive therapy by their late teens. Each were filled with do’s and don’ts and harsh judgments about your parenting skills if you weren’t doing things according to the advice they’d laid out.
I guess you could say I’m a bit skeptical when a new parenting book hits the shelves. When I saw who the authors of this one were though, I was intrigued. I’m familiar with their blogs and didn’t hesitate when given the opportunity to read for a review.
Lose the Cape was nothing like those books. Alexa Bigwarfe and Kerry Rivera aren’t telling you what will or will not work, they’re telling you what worked for them. They’re telling you they get it, what works for one family may not work for another, they’re telling you you’re not alone in your quest and the same questions you have are the same kind of questions we’ve all had at some point in our parenting journey.
The book is filled with the voices of real moms, sharing their own bits of wisdom and advice. The underlying message is that moms are human. We don’t know it all and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for it. There will be triumphs and trials and we will learn and grow right along with our children through each one.
From breastfeeding to meal planning, bedtime to mommy time, marriage and mom squads and so much more, Lose the Cape covers so many topics facing moms today. The book also includes a fantastic selection of online resources concerning the topics they cover as well as some fantastic mommy blogs.
I’ll definitely be including this in every baby shower gift I give from now on . . .
Get Lose the Cape – Realities from Busy Modern Moms and Strategies to Survive at Amazon now!
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Celebrating TToT with 110 Thankful Things
TToT is in celebration mode! 100 link-ups and going strong! I’ve been reading the Thankful Things posts longer than I’ve been participating, this is only my third time joining in and since we’re celebrating, I added 100 random things I’m thankful for to my ten things.
Lizzi’s lists have always made me smile, they’ve reminded me to be thankful for things I may have forgotten to be thankful for. Thank you for that my friend, it’s done my heart good.
Sometimes at the end of a long week it’s easy to forget the moments that touched our hearts in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, taking the time to sit down and think about them has left me with a grateful heart. Stopping to read what others have taken the time to share has also been a lovely reminder of the things in my life I’m thankful for.
Often it’s the big stuff I think about – family and love and all the good and wonderful things I’ve been blessed with, and sometimes it’s the smaller things, like the gentleman that held the door for me at the gas station or the blue jays that sometimes stop to visit me in the yard. This week my list is filled with the big things as well as a bunch of the little things.
Thank you all for reminding me to be thankful.
1. Faith – God is the cornerstone of my life. He is the floor beneath me, the roof above me, and the walls that surround me. He is my shelter from the storm. Faith keeps me going when I am sure I can go no further. It is the promise and the hope I cling to when I feel I am falling. It is my light in the dark places, it is my anchor when I am adrift, and the wind in my sails when I haven’t strength enough to row. Faith is the hand that steadies me when I falter, it is my compass when I am lost. It is the voice that tells me I can when I think I cannot. Faith is the foundation on which I stand when my solid ground turns to quickly shifting sands beneath me.
2. Family – The ones who’ve surrounded me with love since the day I was born. The ones that have cradled me in love and acceptance and unconditional love throughout my life. The ones who still do and the ones who continue to fill a place in my heart even though they’ve parted from this life. I see their smiles when I close my eyes, I hear their voices in silent moments, and I feel the love they’ve given me, always. My Grandparents, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews will always be a part of me.
3. My Mother – My teacher, my protector, my inspiration, my mentor, my friend. She carried me within her and then held me in her arms, she took me by the hand and by the heart and led me into life. Sometimes I followed her, sometimes she let me lead. She sacrificed and she gave, she sheltered and she pushed. She gave me wings and she taught me to fly. She has been my hero, my guardian, and my guide. She’s picked me up when I’ve fallen and she’s found me when I’ve been lost. She is everything I could ever hope to be.
4. My Father, My dad – My father planted the seed of life, my life. The twists and turns life’s journey sometimes takes placed us on different roads and he loved me enough to travel another until the day came when our paths would meet again and we would walk together as he’d one day dreamed we would. Now we know the way to where the other resides. My dad was not the man who planted the seed, but he lovingly tended to the garden in which I grew. He tilled and toiled in the soil as he watched me bloom and blossom. He nourished the ground beneath me, he made certain my roots were planted firmly. Those twists and turns led him away one day, but the care he took when he had it to give left me strong enough to continue to grow in his absence.
5. My Husband – My first love, my forever love. I wasn’t going to fall in love. Ever. I decided it when I was just a little girl, and then, when I was still a little girl in many ways – I fell in love with him. They said at 16 love is something you don’t fall into, but I did. He changed me and he changes me still. Something in his eyes told me love doesn’t always hurt, it doesn’t always end in pain and it wasn’t something I should deny myself. Even when I thought ours wasn’t going to be a story with a happy ending, I was still glad to have been a part of it, and as the pages continued to turn, the story kept unfolding and it has yet to end.
6. My Children – They are the reason every breath I take has meaning. They are my sun and my moon and every beat of my heart. They each came into my life, little pieces of love and completed something in me, they filled voids I didn’t know were hollow. I thought I knew the true meaning of love and then they looked into my eyes and I realized love was so much more than I’d ever known it to be. My life began the day theirs did, a new beginning with each tiny heart that began to beat. Never has there been a more beautiful sound. I used to hold their little hands in mine, and now they hold my hand in theirs and each of them carry a piece of my heart wherever they go.
7. Friends – I’ve been blessed by friendship. Somehow, through some miracle of love, I’ve chose and been chosen back by the best of the best and I’ve not words enough to describe the joys they have given me. I don’t surround myself with them, yet they surround me always. I’ve known some for nearly a lifetime, some for what seems like the blink of an eye, and yet, in my heart – they all reside. I’m so very different from most of them and they are each different from the others, but we have a connection that bridges those differences and leads us to a beautiful place. I don’t know if I am a good friend, I hope I am. I sometimes go for long spells without reaching out, I don’t chat on the phone for hours or hang out, but I’m there if they need me and I know they are there when I need them. Some of us have held hands, we’ve shared hugs and tears and laughter. Some of us appear to each other as letter after letter beneath the blinking cursor on a screen or visit each other through inboxes and emails, but I can feel the hugs we sometimes share just the same.
8. Words – I reside in a world of words, the characters that come together to form them, creating sentences and paragraphs; chapters and verses. Words are my safe place, my way of reaching out to the world beyond me and the one within me. Words come into my soul, they release or they capture what resides there. Words written on a page transform me, they become a part of me, they bring me solace and comfort and healing. When I read them I’m transported to the magical place where they were born and when I write them, they become my own magical place. Without words I would wither on the proverbial vine, without voice, without escape. I find sanctuary within them, they offer me respite when I am weary and they provide company when I am alone. Words have been my constant and faithful companions in life, words have never failed me.
9. Books – My first friends in life. Stories real and imagined. Histories, heroines, and heroes. Underdogs, villains, and victors. I’ve been to far off places, made up lands, and real life destinations though I’ve never travelled far. I’ve had adventures, I’ve been on quests and crusades, I’ve loved and I’ve lost and I’ve taken fantastical journeys and come home again. I’ve battled monsters and I’ve been where angels have tread. I have read my way into the future and travelled into the past. I’ve soared above the clouds and I’ve explored the depths of the earth. I’ve seen more than I ever knew there was to see. I became a part of every story I’ve ever read and there are still worlds and words out there, waiting for me.
10. Technology – It seems an odd way to end my list of thankful things, but without it, I wouldn’t have some of the friends I have today. I wouldn’t know some of the things I know. I couldn’t have done some of the things I have done, so it is certainly among the things I am so very thankful for. The world I grew up in was quite different from the one we now live in. In some ways I miss the days before computers connected us, and in other ways, I cannot imagine life without them. Vast amounts of knowledge are just a few keystrokes from me at any time, friends and family can be reached with the touch of a button. Books and music are just a mouse-click away. But still, the excitement of receiving a letter in the mail or the anticipation of who’s on the other end of the line when the phone rings are things I sometimes miss. I often tell myself I’ll take the time to sit and write to someone the old-fashioned way, but I don’t do it often enough. I love the sound of a pen gliding across a piece of paper and the smell of ink before it dries. I still prefer the feeling of paper pages and revel in the sound they make when I turn from one to the next as I read. I do love this little world I have found behind the computer screen though . . .
100 Random Things I’m Thankful For
- coffee
- things that smell like coconut
- the sound of my dog’s nails clicking down the hallway
- the sound the wind makes
- raindrops
- rainbows
- fresh sheets
- hearing from an old friend
- naps
- smiles from strangers
- nights that turn into mornings
- days that turn into nights
- paydays
- crisp apples
- ripe avocados
- remembering something
- finding something I thought was lost
- dictionary.com
- the thesaurus
- moments of silence
- getting a great idea
- learning something new
- sweet tea
- earplugs
- bottled water
- new books
- old books
- blogs
- friends
- memories
- silver change
- cake
- insulin
- fluffy clouds
- candles
- DVRs
- Nutella
- good hair days
- starting something new
- finishing something
- comfortable shoes
- shirts without tags
- empty journals
- filled journals
- gel pens
- unbroken fingernails
- ceiling fans
- digital cameras
- ladybugs
- butterflies
- sale prices
- art
- epiphanies
- moments of serendipity
- music
- snuggly blankets
- blooming flowers
- Wifi
- funny jokes
- cell phones
- body pillows
- cotton t-shirts
- stretchy jeans
- waterfalls
- blessings in disguise
- old photo albums
- comfortable chairs
- memory foam mattresses
- freedom
- people who write books
- self adhesive stamps
- bookmarks
- squishy stress balls
- bookstores
- piggy banks
- comfy bras
- gift bags
- dreams that come true
- window shades
- crackling campfires
- reusable grocery bags
- nice people
- banana walnut muffins
- home
- floss toothpicks
- sharp scissors
- comfortable pajamas
- junk drawers
- flash drives
- empty roads
- sticky notes
- bookshelves
- cream cheese frosting
- closet space
- good lighting
- Olive Garden breadsticks
- reading glasses
- thousands of other things
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And now I’m not allowed to burn candles without supervision – again.
I’ve always had a thing for fire. It’s beautiful, mesmerizing, terrifying, and . . . it gets me into trouble. Some people in my family may have accused me of being a bit of a pyromaniac, but I’m not. I never was. I could have been, but I wasn’t. Don’t listen to them, they just don’t understand.
Fire has always been one of my greatest fears and yet, I am drawn to it like the poor clichéd moth is drawn to a flame. It’s fascinating to watch, it moves, it breathes . . . it lives. It also burns and destroys and melts stuff.
The melting of stuff is why I am currently banned from enjoying the aromatic and softly glowing comfort of candles.
It’s not as though I set out to incinerate things. I’m not inattentive or irresponsible, stuff happens, you know? I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s ever accidentally set fire to a book – or a hand towel, or a wispy curtain, a television, or a treehouse . . . right?
Okay, the treehouse was bad, but it’s not like I meant it to go up in flames. Sometime in the early eighties, I accidentally discovered the incendiary joy produced by aerosol hairspray and a Bic. By the way, I blame Aquanet for many bad decisions in the eighties.
I blame Aquanet
The treehouse happened to have been built a little too close to where I was testing out the awesomeness capacity of my newly found flamethrower. Hindsight – I should have stood further back, and by further back, what I obviously mean, is I should have never been using a full bottle of aerosol hairspray as a flamethrower. Fire bad. I know. I learned a valuable lesson that day. And I swear, I don’t recall doing it again. Wait, I did spray a smiley face on a neighbor’s garage door and lit that up. Again, lesson learned. But seriously, after that I only used hairspray on my hair.
The other stuff just sort of happened over the years, none of the flaming, scorching, or melting was done with the intent to flame, scorch or melt. Like I said, stuff just . . . happens. Aside from the treehouse, melting our new TV was probably the worst, in terms of actual damage. I really did think the shelf the candle was sitting on was far enough below the TV. The new TV. It wasn’t. But that was a long time ago, we have a new new TV now, no candles anywhere near it.
I don’t think an outright candle ban is necessary, I am a grown woman and shouldn’t have rules and regulations in regard to my use of, what I deem essential to my well-being, candles. It’s not like I burned the place down. I have become quite good at removing candle wax from furniture and floors and carpets and clothing. I realize the prowess I’ve gained from having to remove wax from all those things does little to help my case, but I thought it necessary to point out.
I have no idea how long it will be before I am trusted again, but I’m still going to light my candles. I’ll do it with the utmost care and keep a watchful eye one them. I’ll just have to extinguish their flickering flame before the man gets home.
This is the direct result of a defective candle. It was obviously more melty than it should have been.
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Identity – Like a rose,
If you truly want to find yourself, you’ll need to give yourself permission to be who you are. So many of us are simply playing roles in life, roles we may not even realize we are playing. When we look in the mirror are we really seeing the reflection of our true self, or is the person looking back at us merely what we think the world wants to see? I wonder how many us can honestly answer the question, who am I? We know what we believe in, what we stand for and who we are supposed to be, at least we think we do. Life often dictates the path we will follow even though our hearts may have made different plans.
It seems we are always on some valiant quest to find our true self; it’s not an easy task. Many of us have hidden away the hopes and dreams we once had, we’ve sacrificed certain wants and desires for the sake of those we love most, without hesitation. I have. I don’t regret setting those things aside in hopes of finding them again someday, but sometimes, I wonder if they are still worth finding.
Some of them certainly are, but I’m not the same person I was when I first wanted them. Some of those hopes and dreams have been realized, perhaps not in the way I’d thought they would be, and some were realized in ways I never imagined they could be. There are still a few though, tucked way somewhere inside of me, waiting to be rediscovered.
I have hopes and dreams now I didn’t have when my younger self started making plans for the future. It’s funny, when I think of those plans I once had, I’m reminded of a song I sang when I was little, “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold”, we could apply this innocent principle in our own search for self. We don’t have to give up all things past, maybe we simply need to incorporate some of them into our present and on into our future. I can say with utmost certainty, the thoughts I think today will be different from the ones I may think tomorrow. Not all of them, of course, but new thoughts will grow within them, some of the old ones will fall away, leaving the new to grow until they too have served their purpose.
They remind me of a rose. The beautiful bud opens as it blooms, petal atop petal, each delicately filled with life, eventually, the outer petals begin to wilt and fall, some meet the ground with their beauty intact, others have wilted and browned and they fade back into the earth, becoming a part of something greater. Those which fell with color and form can be preserved and cherished – between the pages of a book, their color rich and beautiful still, but to keep that perfection, they must remain between the pages. Even once a rose has seen its final dawn it can remain forever beautiful if cared for. There is an unexpected beauty in the sight of a perfectly dried rose. It’s color has faded and though it’s petals are brittle and can crumble with the slightest touch of even the most delicate hand, it is beautiful still.
I see my old hopes and dreams as I see the rose. Some of them fell to the ground and journeyed away in the breeze, some fell to nourish the soil where their journey began, and sometimes they are the petals, fallen and preserved. They remain – different than they once were, but they remain, kept between the pages of my life’s story, never to be forgotten. The dried beauty of a once vibrant rose represents those dreams I once dreamed but were never meant to be. Still a beautiful sight, when you look upon it you cannot help but see what it used to be, it serves as a precious memory.
My old dreams, like the rose, are a reminder of who I once was, not of who I have become or who I will one day be. Maybe this is the secret to finding your true self. Letting go of who you used to be and embracing who you have become, different, yet beautiful still. Only when we accept the changes in our life can we find ourselves, only when we have found ourselves will we find happiness.
“Make new dreams, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.”
I don’t have to play a role, I am everything I am supposed to be. The light I was once afraid I wasn’t supposed to show needs to shine. I’ve held back laughter and I’ve held back tears. I’ve been serious when I wanted to play and I have given up things I wanted to keep. My light needs to shine. I am who I am, if I accept myself, those I love will as well and that will continue to be my strength and my joy.
I am a child of God; I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. I am far from perfect yet perfect the way I am. I am someone who knows who I am and accepts whoever I may become with the passage of time.
I am who I am meant to be . . .
Crystal R. Cook
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Life upon the page
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Memories on a flash drive – That last photo – pure gold!
One of my favorite things in life is coming across memories I’d almost forgotten were safely tucked away somewhere inside of me. This one found its way back to me while I was looking for a different memory on an old flash drive, the little file folder on the screen was practically begging to be clicked, and when I obliged the little voice compelling me to take a peek inside, I was instantly filled with the joys of a long ago day and the memories rushed in like a rushing wave, eager to meet the shore.
I no longer recall the occasion, but the day is etched into my heart. The kids explored and played and rode dirt bikes with their dad while I sat with my notebook and favorite pen, recording whatever thoughts I happened to think as I watched the day unfold.
The set of pictures I found in that file made me smile, they made me laugh – the little man captured in photographic forever is now a man, mostly. He’ll be eighteen this month. The last of my babies to step into adulthood. I still see the little boy in these pictures when I look at him sometimes, I have a feeling if he were to stand atop that same hill now, he would no doubt smile that same little smile and take the leap . . .
He stood there at the top of the hill yelling “Mommy! Watch, I’m gonna jump over that cable.” I told him I didn’t think it was a good idea but he was already running. I figured I’d snap a few photos . . . I got a pretty good shot if him at the start of his run.
He was cruising down that hill, you could see that he was going faster than he wanted to, once that momentum starts, it only picks up speed. His little legs were moving so fast.
Gravity got the best of him and he ended his stunt with a face full of dust. He took it like a man though and then he marched right back up there and gave it another shot . . . boys.
He did it. He jumped the cable just like he said he would ~ Stinker.
I can’t help but giggle just a little every time I look at these pictures :o)
The Qwiet Muse 