Thankful Tuesday

Life feels a bit overwhelming right now. I'll be honest, we have a lot going on, a TON of unknowns (more than I can count), many things up in the air that all kind of depend on other things also out of our control right now, and when you add a fresh batch of crazy pregnancy hormones to the mix...well it's kind of a recipe for disaster. And a lot of tears. I've spent time begging God this week for a crystal ball--something that will help me see what is next for us, because the months of living in the unknown are starting to wear on me big time. As of now, that crystal ball has yet to arrive in my mailbox, but in its place have come numerous other gifts and surprises that have left me reminded that God is still good. Here are just a few of the things from the past week that I am grateful for.

*My sweet baby boy kicking away in my belly--I LOVE feeling him move, I love knowing he's in there and growing and getting to call him by name when I talk to him.

*Time each morning in prayer with my husband. We've been using Shane Claiborne's book a Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals each morning for about a month now and are in love with it. I'll write more about this later.

*My soon to be born niece is growing like she should, and my sister's health and blood pressure seem to be doing fairly well. We're all waiting to find out if/when they will induce her as they watch her pressure levels, but we are so grateful baby Brooke is gaining weight like she should.

*My sweet niece, Jane, turns 1 this week! What an absolute gift this adorable girl is to our family!! Praise God for her first year!

*A beautiful breakfast in bed on my 30th birthday--homemade strawberry/nutella crepes and fresh brewed coffee made by my dear husband. Delicious!

*Dinner out at one of the best pizza restaurants in Seattle with my good friend, Heather, on the night of my birthday.

*Lots and lots of birthday love on facebook and in my inbox and mailbox this past week.

*Dinner at the Space Needle Saturday night--the most beautiful restaurant I've ever eaten in (okay the most beautiful view for sure!)

*A fantastic surprise party when we got home from dinner--my sneaky husband and great friends pulled off a party that left me feeling so blessed and loved.

*Worship Sunday morning--I never ever get tired of hearing Pastor Heidi preach--her gift is incredible.

*Craig's list. We recently discovered this amazing invention--we've now sold several items that we don't want to move with us and have used it to buy a huge supply of moving boxes and packing materials from someone--more than we will need for our house for $30. Can't beat that!

*Video chatting and telephone chatting with sweet Lily on my birthday--hearing her yell "happy! berfday!!" over and over again (knowing she has no idea what it means), and watching her play always brightens my day. Also hearing that she has learned somehow to "tease" people and will now hand my mom her shoes, take them back, giggle and proudly exclaim "Teasing Grandma!" That cracks me up :)

*Compline Sunday evening. We've started going back to Compline--a 1/2 hour prayer service held at St. Marks Cathedral here in Seattle every Sunday evening. The compline choir chants the office for the day, as hundreds of young Seattle-ites sit in silence. Such a gift to have time to just sit and hear the ancient words sung so beautifully.

*Lots of phone interviews for jobs, even an in person interview coming up soon. We are grateful there is movement on the job front, and are praying for some answers soon. That's all I'll say on here for now--stay tuned...

*Coffee with Missy on Saturday morning--discovering a delicious new coffee shop in West Seattle--I enjoyed a frothy decaf latte with toffee nut and nutmeg. So fantastic.

*A long conversation with my grandma on Friday morning--she was so encouraging and so confident that God will work everything out for us this fall. She is also VERY excited about baby boy (we were able to share his name with her which was also fun) and has already been thrift store shopping for him and has a box in the mail to me. Grandma's favorite thing to do (besides quilting) is thrift store baby clothes shopping--that's pretty much where mine and Megan's wardrobes came from as babies and the rest of the grandchildren have experienced the same! Knowing our little boy has a box of grandma's finds coming his way for me to wash and at least start his wardrobe with makes me smile :) Something tells me that between her and other relatives our baby boy won't have to go naked after all!

How about you? What are you grateful for this week?

Menu Planning Monday!

Well it is definitely fall here in the northwest! It has rained a ton today--it was so dark and dreary this morning that we just kept sleeping and sleeping and finally I woke up, realized it was 9 AM and we both leapt out of bed--how lazy can you get?? Then of course we realized we're unemployed and had nowhere to be going...but still!

Since we are both home all day every day now I've been doing a lot more menu planning these past couple weeks because no longer does it work to cook one meal a week and call it good (supplementing with sandwiches, take out, frozen burritos and anything else we were eating while working so many hours). We both really prefer leftovers for lunch, especially with me being pregnant and not allowed to eat lunch meat, which means pretty much double the cooking of "real" meals to have enough for both dinners and lunches. But I've been reminded once again that with menu planning this is not a big deal and totally doable. Here's what's on deck for this week--happy cooking everyone! And feel free to check out OrgJunkie's website for hundreds of menu plans for the week if you need inspiration!

Monday

Lunch: Leftover Sweet Potato and Vegetable Burritos (I made these in the crock pot yesterday--hearty and filling and perfect for fall!)

Dinner: Minnestrone Soup (my friend, Courtney, posted this on her blog last week & I've been craving it since then...) with thick crusty garlic bread

Tuesday

Lunch: Stuffed baked potatoes (this has been one of my new pregnancy cravings for some reason--I can't get enough of a good spud topped with vegetarian chili, steamed broccoli, chopped tomatoes, green onions and a bit of cheddar!)

Dinner: Leftover Minnestrone and bread

Wednesday

Lunch: Grilled cheese or baked potatoes

Dinner: dinner with friends

Thursday

Lunch: Pesto Chicken Pasta

Dinner: Leftovers from lunch

We'll be out of town this next weekend, Friday through Tuesday so no menu plan for the weekend :)

31 Books for my 31st Year

I'll be honest, with a newborn coming in January, and another move coming to some yet to be discovered location, I may not make it through 31 full length books this year (unless I start counting Good Night Moon, because come January I will be reading that one a lot!). I'm okay with that, I just like to have a goal. Many of you gave great-looking recommendations, some of which are here on this list. So, without further ado, here's the list of books I plan on working my way through this year. I've left some blanks for spontaneous finds and books people thrust at me insisting I read immediately (which does happen quite a bit!)

The Classics:

1. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Contemporary Fiction:
3. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

4. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

5. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

6. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

7. The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

8. One Day by David Nicholls

9. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

10. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

11. The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

12.

13.

Memoirs:
14. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Non-Fiction:

15. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

16. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof

Parenting:

17. Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

18. Child of Mine: Feeding With Love & Good Sense by Ellyn Satter

19. looking for a good book about baby's and sleep...

20. It's a Boy! Women Writers on Raising Sons by Andrea Buchannan

Theology:
21. Tattoos on the Heart by Father Greg Boyle

22. The Good and Beautiful Life by James Bryan Smith

23. The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith

24. Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris

25. Love Wins by Rob Bell

26. The Pastor by Eugene Peterson

27. Evolving in Monkey Town by Rachel Held Evans

Relationships:
28. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas

Children's Literature:

29. Peter & Wendy by JM Barrie

30. The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

31. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

30 Books for My 30th Year--The Recap!

This is for all you readers out there! (And mostly for myself, so I remember from year to year what I read and what I thought...) I started this tradition last year when I read 28 books for my 28th year, and then someone pointed out that it was actually my 29th year last year. I loved having a list of pre-chosen books to guide my book selection, and I loved forcing myself to read several different genres of writing. This year was a similar experience, although with life being so chaotic and difficult this year reading wasn't something I did as much as I usually like. But I did it, I did manage to get through 30 books, which I am quite pleased by! In case you're looking for some new recommendations, or are just curious, here's the Recap in a relatively random order.

1. Favorite Book of the Year: Same Kind of Different as Me by Denver Moore and Ron Hall I am surprised that my very favorite book of the year was actually a non-fiction, memoir, but it was. Hands down. I can't remember who recommended I read this one, but I hadn't heard of it before I asked for recommendations last September of books I should read. It looked intriguing, but I didn't realize it was going to be as moving and gripping to me as it was. I loved this book. Loved it. The "tag line" on the book's website is: "A dangerous homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual modern day slavery [that would be Denver]. An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel [that would be Ron]. A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream [Ron's wife Debbie]. A story so incredible, no novelist would dare dream it. It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana... and an East Texas honky-tonk... and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda... an upscale New York Gallery... a downtown dumpster... a Texas ranch. Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love." Favorite quote from the book? "The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth ain't no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless--just working our way toward home." Read this book. If you read nothing else from this list, read this book, and let this true story amaze, inspire, and draw you nearer God's heart for the poor through these captivating people.

2. When a Book Becomes Your New Best Friend: Bittersweet--Thoughts on Change, Grace, and Learning the Hard Way by Shauna Niequist Ever run into a book that you just know was written for you? Like the author had YOU and your life situation specifically in mind when she sat down at her computer to put her thoughts together? That doesn't happen to me all that often, but it did this past month when I was introduced to this book. A close friend of mine started telling me about this book this summer. Then emailed me again. Then even volunteered to buy it for me. Then texted me and asked if I'd read it yet. Then texted me to see how I was liking it. Kelli said "oh Sarah, it's written for you, this book is going to become your new best friend." After I underlined pretty much every word on the first five pages I texted her back to tell her she was right. As I read, I felt like I was curled up on my couch with a glass of wine chatting with a best friend about everything that was going on in life right now. Every chapter was kind of a short stand alone reflection on some aspect of life. Parenting, food (lots of food reflections, Shauna LOVES cooking, dinner parties, and feeding people!), God, grace, pain, heart ache, disappointment, and change. Shauna is the daughter of Bill Hybles, the pastor of Willow Creek Church, and this book is about her past few years of heartache in life. She and her husband had jobs at a large church in Michigan and both of them painfully ended up loosing those jobs. They had a house to sell, decisions to make about where to go, what kind of ministry to pursue, how to reconcile painful endings with a community of faith, and a toddler in the midst of all this. Her authenticity meant the world to me. If change, trial, stress, disappointment, or food are a part of your life--this book will speak to you, I promise! Something tells me this book will get a few posts of its own on here, but there's your nutshell review! I underlined most of the book, but here's what she has to say about bittersweet. "Bittersweet is the practice of believing that we really do need both the bitter and the sweet, and that a life of nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul. Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands. Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity. Bittersweet is courageous, gutsy, earthy."

3, 4, 5. The "Yes They Really Are That Good" Band-Wagon Book(s): The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins This trilogy caught me off guard. I'll admit it, I'd heard how great it was, but I was a bit skeptical. I finally picked them up after youth group students from our California church told me how obsessed they were. Because I care about them I figured I'd give the books a chance (I did the same thing for the Twilight series last year....that didn't work out too well, still some of my least favorite books!). Oh my word. If you enjoy action, romance, adventure, political revolution, and stories of hope and despair, you will love this trilogy. I could not put them down. Neither could my husband when he finally read them this year. The movie for the first book comes out March 23rd, so you still have time to jump on board! Don't know what the heck the Hunger Games are about? Here's your teaser: In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Seriously. Jump on board.

6. Had My Hopes Up, But Was Sorely Disappointed: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender I was SO excited about this book, it had incredible potential in my opinion! A young girl realizes that when she tastes food she doesn't just taste the ingredients, she can literally taste the feelings & emotions of the person who did the cooking, baking, or packaging of the item. She can distinguish between love, hate, lust, stress, busyness, exhaustion, joy, grief etc in each bite of food, and as such at a young age learns more about human nature than most learn in a lifetime. It's a story of family dynamics, food, and human emotion--what is there not to love? Until it got strange. Really strange. The beginning was great, exactly how I expected it to be, but then it just got weird and was no longer at all what I was expecting or hoping to read about. Feel free to pick this one up if you want, but honestly there are much better uses of your time out there!

7. The Yay I Made it Through! Award: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe I have to be honest, I really did enjoy this book. It was just long, and written in a lot of southern dialect that I had to work hard to find a rhythm of reading. I found this to be a book that fascinated me in its presentation of the various sides of slavery, especially where religion was concerned. Scripture was (in some places, still is) used to strongly advocate for the legality of slavery, and the place of religion in the southern society of the 19th century was incredibly intriguing to me. I was inspired by those willing to join in the cause for the abolition of slavery, and I found myself physically ill at some of the descriptions of what others did in the name of their "right" to own other human beings as property. I loved this quote by a white man who wrestled with faith and slavery: "My view of Christianity is such,' he added, 'that I think no man can consistently profess it without throwing the whole weight of his being against this monstrous system of injustice that lies at the foundation of our society; and if need be, sacrificing himself in the battle." Ms. Stowe was an incredibly gutsy woman to write a book like this back then, and after reading it, I understand why it rocked society to its core when it was published.

8. The Faith Like a Child Award: Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo This is one that I was also skeptical of, and who knows, maybe I still am. I had heard of this little boy's story from a few folks, and then my grandma insisted I read it, so she bought it for me. It's a super fast read, I think I was done in about 2 hours, and as I read I remembered seeing this family on the Today Show awhile back and being interested in their story. His story is fascinating, a young child wakes up from life-saving surgery with crazy stories of encountering Jesus, angels, heaven, and previous generations of his family members while he was unconscious. I will definitely say that his story gives great hope about the afterlife, and is worth the couple hours it will take you to read it, but I'm not sure it radically changed me in any way.

9. Best Baby Name Book: The Baby Name Bible by Pamela Redmond Satran and Linda Rosenkrantz I really wasn't sure I needed or wanted to grab a baby name book. Everything I wanted to look up could be found on line so why bother? Except browsing on line was tougher for me, I wanted pages I could turn and read straight through. My cousin-in-law mentioned this was her favorite, so when I went to Minnesota this summer I grabbed this from the library and took it with me. We didn't know our little one was a boy then, so I actually read this book straight through, from cover to cover and loved it! She has fun lists sprinkled on every couple pages (like a list of "if you like the name Katelyn, you might like these less popular names" or "names that all mean strong and manly" etc) and my favorite feature? The somewhat snarky comments about many of the names. Like "name your child this if the image you want to conjure up is support hose and stockings." It was fantastic :) Need to name a child anytime soon? This is definitely a fun resource!

10 & 11. Delightful Saga: Her Mother's Hope & Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers I'll admit, I have a bit of an aversion to a lot of Christian fiction. I read a ton of it in high school, all the Jeannette Oke books, all the books that take place centered on Amish families and legacies and communities--I've read a TON of them. While I generally enjoy the story as I'm in the midst of it, I always end the books feeling like every book is exactly the same general plot line, and that frustrates me. Francine Rivers is always the exception to this in my mind. Her new two-book saga spans decades and three generations in one family as they battle with changing culture, marriage, and a lot of difficult mother-daughter dynamics. They're quick reads, full of faith, hope, and pretty authentic family dynamics. I'd highly recommend them if you enjoy Christian fiction at all!

12. Most Surprisingly Enjoyable Classic: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!" - A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens Every year I say I'm going to read this book. My favorite pastor, Dan, used to reference it all the time during Advent--it is one of his favorites and I know he re-reads it each December, so for years I've said I'm going to pick it up. This past December was finally the year! I think I was hesitant because the only other Dickens' book I've read wasn't my cup of tea, but this one surprised me! I found it relatively easy to read, a fast paced book (I forget the whole story pretty much takes place in 24 hours!), and a meaningful holiday tradition to begin. This would be a fun read aloud book for a family during the month of December (you know, in case you ever get sick of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever--which REALLY is the best family read aloud book for December!)

13. A Delightful Easy-Read: The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister If you're looking for a sweet, easy to read, story about delicious food and fun characters, this is the book for you. I read it in a day, so it's definitely not a long or tough read, but was thoroughly enjoyable. Each chapter tells the story of a different student in a Monday night cooking class, and the way their stories end up intersecting and intertwining over the course of their year of learning to cook together. Delectable descriptions of food abound, and I promise you, if you're pregnant, you will begin craving the meals in these chapters. It's a story of appreciating the beauty in people, food, and life stories. “But you are beautiful,” Chloe insisted. Antonia laughed softly. “I used to say that to my mother all the time. … I was not a pretty teenager. And do you know what she would say to me?” Chloe shook her head. “She would say ‘Life is beautiful. Some people just remind you of that more than others.’”

14. Best Historical Fiction: The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander This one came to me at the rave recommendation of my mom, who has great taste in books I must say! What I loved about this is that it really introduced me to a story in history and a country I know very little about. Misha Semyonov, an elderly Russian immigrant living in the Chicago area, tells the story of his life to his granddaughter, Kate. When he was fourteen, his name was Leonid (Leonka) Sednyov, and he was the kitchen boy to Tsar Nicholas II and his family during their captivity in the House of Special Purpose in Yekaterinburg. He claims to be the only living witness to their murders at the hands of the Bolsheviks in 1918, and to know what happened to the two children of Tsar Nicholas whose bodies are missing. I really hadn't heard of Tsar Nicholas and his family, nor had I known anything about their captivity or execution. It's based on a true story, of course taking some creative license with the historical facts that remain a mystery to this day. It's not very long and a relatively quick read, so I would definitely add this to a book list--it would be a great book club pick for good conversation!

15. Favorite Children's Book of the Year: Heidi by Joanna Spyri This one really surprised me! I had no idea how much theology is interwoven throughout this classic children's story, how much of the Gospel is presented. It's the story of a young orphan who is sent to live with her very sweet, but misunderstood grandfather up in the Swiss Alps. Heidi is curious, open to learning, and soaks in Alpine living like a thirsty sponge. She deals with the village's dislike of her grandfather, whom she quickly learns to love, and encounters many other interesting characters along her journey towards creating a home and family for herself. This would be a fantastic family read-aloud book, but if you're a grown up you'll enjoy it for yourself too!

16. A Must Read if You Work With Teens. Or Have a Teen. Or Know a Teen. Or Any Person: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher This is another one my mom told me I needed to read, she even bought it and had it sent to my Kindle to make sure I really picked it up. It's a fast read, I read it on the airplane coming home from the east coast this summer, but part of why its such a fast read is how gripping it is. I found myself reading faster and faster to find out what was happening, how all these characters and pieces fit together. Before Hannah Baker ended her life with an overdose of pills, she wanted to leave behind a message. She recorded seven tapes--thirteen sides--that revealed bit by bit her drama and why she, in the end, felt like she had no other options. Clay Jensen is one of the tape's recipients. He is our narrator or guide through this listening experience. We hear Hannah's words alongside his thoughts and words. Hers are italicized. His aren't. He came home from school one day to find this package--a shoebox wrapped in paper and mailed--on his front porch. And from the time he first hits play...his life will already never be the same. Every recipient of these tapes is one of the reasons why she chose to end her life--and whether in big or small ways, Jay Asher shows us how intertwined all of our lives are. His main message? We have no idea how our tiniest interactions with others will drastically alter the course of their life. Humanity really is interconnected in powerful ways, and this book demonstrates this hauntingly and beautifully.

17. Fascinating Conversation Starter: Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein No matter what you happen to think of the princess and girly-girl culture that surrounds our daughters, this is a fascinating book about the power of media, marketing, and strategic planning--and their effect on children. She examines the culture that girls and boys are socialized into, and visits numerous trade shows, toy stores, and preschools to observe children and the items marketed to them. She's witty, funny, a tad irreverent at times, and very honest. She has no desire to make any parent feel guilty or bad about their parenting, she just asks the questions she is wrestling with as she raises her now 8 year old daughter and observes her growing up. Parents have an incredibly difficult job, and the media marketing doesn't make it any easier. Definitely a great read either if you have a daughter or are interested in the nature/nurture gender conversations!

18. Fairy Unmemorable: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen I know several people who loved this book. I really didn't, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps it was the season of life I was reading it during--it's been a tough, stressful year, so if a book wasn't immediately gripping of my attention (a la Hunger Games), I didn't have a lot of patience or concentration for books. This one didn't grab me. It's the memoir of a young woman who was raised in a conservative Mennonite community. She's gone out in to "the world," married and began a career when things fall apart. Her husband of 15 years leaves her for a man he met on line, and she's in a major car accident that requires her to go home and let her family care for her. Maybe it was her writing style that didn't grab me? Others have loved it, so I'm sure it's a good book, but definitely wasn't doing anything for me this particular year!

19. Another "Don't Bother" Book: Calling Home by Janna McMahan This one was one of those free books for my Kindle one day, so I downloaded it, thinking it sounded okay. And that's what it was--just okay. It was a story of family dynamics, of a father leaving home to take up with the small town beautician and a mother struggling to hold her two teenage kids together. But honestly, there wasn't anything particularly remarkable about this one. I normally love books such as this (ie: Jodi Picoult's ability to captivate me with stories of family dynamics and situations), but while this was a quick airplane read, I felt like I really didn't develop any attachment to the characters, which always makes a book harder for me to love. I'd say if it's free and you're bored, go for it, but otherwise, there are better books out there!

20. Speaking of Jodi Picoult: Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult She really is one of my favorite authors still. This book is incredibly controversial, but I loved it. I love the way she can grip me with her character development, I love the way every story of hers is told through multiple perspectives, so you come away understanding the complex layers of most situations in families and lives. She tackles a lot in this one--gay rights, evangelical Christianity's response to homosexuality, infertility, and family reactions. The main character is a music therapist, so throughout the book song lyrics are woven that help move the story along. This probably isn't my favorite book of Picoult's but if you are a fan of hers, you'll probably enjoy it. "This is true of anyone: the music we choose is a clear reflection of who we are." One of my favorite parts of the book is the question Zoe asks everyone--if you could make a mixed tape of a soundtrack for your life, what would be on it? I haven't done it yet, but it's a fantastic question to think about!

21. Beautiful Book of the Year: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp So many people had been blogging about this book that I figured I should pick it up. I thought her writing was beautiful, full of imagery (sometimes almost too much!), and her point of the book was dead-on. Ann invites you to cultivate a life of gratitude. Gratitude in all things, searching for the little moments of grace hidden in even the worst situations. She writes that "Satan wanted more. More power, more glory. Ultimately in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan's sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude. Adam and Eve are, simply, painfully, ungrateful for what God gave." She walks us through the process of coming to understand that God is good. So so good. We just often forget to open our eyes and see the beauty with which God has infused the world around us. We are lured by the deception that there is a more full life out there, and we are blinded to the God who beckons us to trust Him and His goodness. It was a book I needed this year, and a book that I know has changed many many people who have dared to enter into her challenge of keeping a gratitude journal each day.

22. Best Series Wrap Up: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares I'll admit it, I've loved the series Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants for years now. All four of the previous books were delightful. I know I've used that word a lot, but that's what I find books--delightful :) This one came out this past year, several years after the rest of the series was finished, and it takes place when the girls are each 30--instead of heading off to college where we last left Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget. If you were a fan of these girls earlier, you'll love this emotional, heart-wrenching, romantic conclusion to their saga. If you've never read the other books or have only watched the movies, you probably won't appreciate this one as much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it!

23. Might Have Enjoyed This More at a Different Time Award: Little Bee by Chris Cleave I really thought this had the potential to be one of my new favorite books. Everyone raved about it, and it seemed to have the depth and meat to it that would put this on the level of a modern day classic. I really really enjoyed parts of it. But I read it this summer when I was SUPER sick. Which means I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have, and probably didn't give this one a very fair chance to be a hit in my book world. It's about Little Bee, a young woman from Nigeria who ends up in an English detention center for two years after trying to immigrate to Britain. It's about one horrific day in her past, and how that day, and the intersection between her and an English couple that particular day changed things for her forever. A great story, I'm just not sure I loved the end very much.

24. Best Cross Cultural Book: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See I've had this one recommended to me for a few years now, and I finally got around to reading it this summer. This one also came from my mom's book shelves, and I loved this book. I was fascinated by the 19th century Chinese culture described in these pages, and by the way the woman's lives were structured for them from birth through death. There's a secret written language that only women know in this part of the world, a language they have created to help them communicate with their birth families once they are sent away to live with husband's families, and also to communicate with their sworn sisters throughout life. This book is full of incredible descriptions (the pages describing their foot binding made me almost physically ill), sisterhood, betrayal, jealousy, and political turmoil. If you haven't read this one, I'd add it to any book list all over again!

25. The Book I Want to Most Implement: The Circle of Seasons: Meeting God in the Church Year by Kimberlee Conway Ireton I'll start by saying part of what made this book so fun for me to read is that Kimberlee and I go to the same church here in Seattle, and have since I first started attending Bethany (she's been there longer). She and her sweet husband Doug have four beautiful and intelligent children, and reading her blog posts each week always inspires me to try to be more real in my writing, and to want to raise my children with two things: excellent books (not pithy, poorly written ones) and a love for the rhythm of the church year and seasons. I loved her book. I loved that it was SO practical, not just historical accounts of how Advent came into being or why Trinity Sunday is part of the church calendar, but it is so full of simple, beautiful ideas to help bring the church seasons into the home. Life is full of rhythms and cycles, and grounding family time and family traditions in the cycles of the historical church help children and adults alike physically see the rhythms of God's salvation being worked out year in and year out in our lives. Simple things, like letting the colors of our table decorations match the colors of the liturgical season, or fun ways of utilizing nativity sets during Advent and Epiphany abound in her book. Don't know much of anything about the church calendar? No worries, each chapter does include a well written explanation of the significance of each season along with stories of how that seasons has come to be meaningful for her. Pick up this book. I promise, you will be inspired! And add her blog to your Google Reader. Several of my friends have started following her, I promise her honesty with refresh you.

26. Most Inspiring: Telling the Truth--The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy & Fairy Tale by Frederick Buechner I will admit I was forced to read this one for a new pastor's group this summer, but ended up loving it! It's a short book about preaching the Gospel, and is SO beautifully written. I kept telling my husband "these sentences are beautiful!!" This might not be that applicable of a book to most people, but I loved it. Reminds me of why I love the art of preaching :) "The Gospel is bad news before it is good news. It is the news that man is a sinner, that he is evil in the imagination of his heart. That is the tragedy. But it is also the news that he is loved anyway, cherished, forgiven, bleeding to be sure, but also bled for. That is the comedy. And yet, so what? So what if even in his sin the slob is loved and forgiven when the very mark and substance of his sin and of his slobbery is that he keeps turning down the love and forgiveness because he either doesn't believe them or doesn't want them or just doesn't give a damn? In answer, the news of the Gospel is that extraordinary things happen to him just as in fairy tales extraordinary things happen." Amen.

27. If You Liked the Secret Life of Bees: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman I really really liked this book. But I really really liked The Secret Life of Bees too, and they really are kind of the same book. A bit of a different cast of characters, but both books celebrate womanhood, coming of age in the South in the 60s, adoption into new families, and quirky characters. So if you loved Bees, you'll enjoy this. If you didn't, well then this book probably isn't for you!

28. Random Find of the Year: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore I have no idea how I found this book or where I stumbled across it. No one recommended it, I just must have been browsing on books for Kindle readers on Amazon and came across it. A coming of age novel set in small town Georgia, Catherine Grace is a character that reminds me a bit of Scout Finch from Mockingbird. She's precocious, the daughter of the town's 3rd generation minister, and wants nothing more than to escape for the big city of Atlanta. It's a story of family, love, faith, eccentric characters, and homecoming. It's a fast read, a great airplane book if you're looking for something entertaining!

29. Most Convicting: The Prodigal God by Tim Keller I really wanted to hate this book. I began it with a terrible attitude. A woman from the church we were just fired from gave it to me and said that a bunch of people from the church did a study on it and loved it and I should read it too. I need to mail it back to her, and it's short, so I picked it up. As I started reading I found myself agreeing with Keller a lot, but our experience at this church was pretty much the opposite of what Keller was advocating for in churches, which made me so frustrated. As I read I kept thinking "this is SO true, so if this was such an influential book for this community how in the world did we get fired for advocating the same things Keller was??" It didn't really help me like the book. Then I kept reading. And in a rather humbling moment I realized I am no better than anyone else, and I am the classic elder brother in the Prodigal story. And I had to confess my arrogance all over again. If you haven't encountered this book, I'd recommend it. Highly. Just remember, he's not writing to everyone else, he's writing to you too.

30. Fun Chick-Lit of the Year: The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs I've had this book in a pile for quite awhile, and only this week picked it up. I'll be honest, I'm not completely done with it, I'll be finished this weekend I'm sure, but so far it's a fun, relaxing, mindless story of women coming together to share their lives over knitting projects. I am always in awe of the patience knitters have. I can do scarves and anything that requires nothing but a straight line, but ask me to follow a pattern, and I'm done. This one is a fun read, and there are rumors of a moving being made, so stay tuned for that!

Weeks 20, 21 & 22--Time is Flyin!

Life got away from us a bit these past few weeks & I'm just now getting a spare moment to sit down with my computer this evening--I feel like this past month has been a whirlwind! Baby has progressively been getting bigger and bigger, in the past few weeks HE (that's right, if you missed out on the facebook announcement, we're having a BOY!) has gone from the size of:

The length of a banana (week 20)To the length of a carrot (week 21)

To the length of a spaghetti squash (this week, week 22)

Baby Boy weighs about 1 pound and is busy moving and squirming all over the place, which I LOVE feeling. When we had our ultra sound last Thursday we were able to see all his fingers wiggling around which was very sweet. Otherwise, I was really bad at the whole "guess which body part is up on the screen" game. I kept seeing something round and asking if that was his head and the tech kept telling me it was his abdomen. Maybe when he's out in the world I'll be a bit better at figuring out what is his head :) Our ultra sound tech was very sure of his gender though, so we shouldn't have any major surprises come January!

What have we been up to these past several weeks? Well, Charles finished up his training with Tentmakers (a fantastic organization!) September 2nd, and I had the opportunity to go up to the retreat center for the last 2 days of his training to check out where he had been and what he had been up to. We spent the long labor day weekend with my parents at their home, seeing Carrie Underwood in concert (she gives a great show!), helping my parents with some jobs around the house (Charles and my dad stained the back deck and we did some transplanting of some of mom's plants), and celebrating the wedding of some of our friends from Fuller.

We arrived back here Wednesday evening and spent Thursday trying to get a bit organized after being gone for a month. Our first issue to take care of was transportation. We only owned one car, and back in July it was parked on the side of the street while we were on vacation. Someone hit it and completely totaled it, which left us with nothing to drive. We decided to rent a car for the weekend and then spent all day Friday, Saturday & Sunday car shopping. It was quite the process, and we learned a lot, and in the end we bought a 2004 Ford Escape which we LOVE. Every time we get in it we exclaim about how much we love it and how fun it is to drive. It definitely was a great purchase!

The past couple days we've been doing a lot of baby registry stuff, researching products, and creating registries on both Babies R Us and Amazon.com (if you check out our Amazon registry you can check out our very cool baby bedding that we chose--I'll let you guess who in our family definitely approved it!) It's been a fun process, I'm down to figuring out the "big items" (car seat, stroller, crib, crib mattress) since those 4 items take a lot of safety rating research.

I have other thoughts, but those will have to be for a future post. Hope the beginning of fall is treating all of you well!