Summer Reading Round-Up

My goal for this summer reading was to read more adult level books. During the school year I get a lot of kid lit read because I work at an elementary school so I wanted to take some time to read at my level!

This was my pick for book club.  This was a tough read -  not because of the writing, but because of the subject matter. I literally almost puked at one point.  That fact aside, I highly recommend this one. Even as a complete history nerd, I had no clue that this had happened.  Radium Girls tells the real life story of radium dial painters and the subsequent fallout from their work conditions which led to multiple court cases and legislation that still stands today.

This was beautiful.  I loved every moment of this book.  Michelle is a natural writer (and yes - I read the entire thing with her voice in my head).  I loved learning about her childhood and behind the scenes moments we didn't get to witness while the Obamas occupied the White House.  She's a long one, but worth reading.

I read Crazy Rich Asians shortly after the movie.  I quickly picked up the sequel and it sat on my nightstand for a while because I had too many books to read and not enough time.  Once I finally picked it up, I inhaled it. I love the characters and the outlandish situations they find themselves in.  The settings and situations are so beyond foreign to me which made it all the more fun to read.

So naturally I hunted down the third book in the series at Half Price books and shot gunned it in about 2 days.  I just really loved this series.  I also loved the first movie and look forward to the next two! My book club just drew the first one in the series for our next book so yay for being ahead of the game on that one, but now I'll have more people to share in the Crazy Rich Asian love.

This one may upset some folks.  This was another book club book.  And it should have been a slam dunk. WWII.  Historical/Realistic Fiction.  I. Hated. It. I can't even put my finger on it.  I have read A LOT of WWII fiction and non-fiction and love a lot of it.  This one.  I just couldn't love it.  Not at all. That being said, lots of people I know and trust their reading tastes loved this book so feel free to give it a try.

I think everybody and their uncle have read this book this summer.  After waiting for this on the library hold list, a sweet friend who works at a library snagged it for me. Wow. I loved this book.  I get why everybody is raving about it.  The writing sucks you in and it is a hard one to put down. If you love realistic fiction and a good mystery then try to get a hold of this one.

I had gotten this recommendation from The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey podcast.  I don't remember what guest suggested this one, but it sounded up my alley.  It uses real people from history and creates a semi-fictional account of their lives.  I didn't know about the Grimke sisters so this was a good history lesson as well. It started off pretty fast paced, but kind of started dragging towards the end.  I still enjoyed it and it was a great read.  It's told from the perspectives of Sarah Grimke and her slave, Handful. Hearing both of their perspectives throughout the story kept me hooked, even when it got a little boring.

This one was kind of weird. I'm not sure if I liked it or not.  The writing was quick paced and enjoyable, I'm just not sure if I loved the plot.  I didn't feel like I ever got to a point where I really liked Bernadette (or most of the characters for that matter).  I do love a book told through emails/memos/etc. so it has that going for it. It was a super quick read and probably a good one for a quick summer read that doesn't require a lot of brain power.

Wowzers. Definitely my favorite book of the summer.  If you've never read any of Kate Morton's books, get on it.  They always are wonderfully detailed and suck you in. It has a lot of mystery and plot twists which I love. The ending doesn't end tied up in a neat bow so if that will bother you, maybe skip this one, but truly.....you should read it.  My other favorite by Morton, The Forgotten Garden, may have been relegated to 2nd place after this one.

This is my current read, but I already know I love it.  If you haven't listened to this podcast (but seriously- why haven't you?! - be warned - the language can be a bit colorful, but it is so good) then this book may not land quite how it's supposed to, but it has some surprisingly deep moments that have kept my brain churning.

I'm hoping to get at least a couple more reads in before school starts back up - what have you been reading and loving lately?

The Year of Adulting

Circa 1989

Starting from a young age, I was a climber.  Give me a tree, a windmill, rocks, anything and I'd attempt to climb it.  There was no fear. I'd see a challenge and figure out how to scramble up it. I probably could have used a healthy dose of self-preservation, but whatever, I had fun and I'm still in one piece (climb things at your own risk, folks!). 

This past year, we bought a house, and it catapulted us into a whole new level of adulting.  I like to think I have retained a lot of Young Becky's adventurous spirit, but some things about being an adult can be scary.  3 hours post closing on our house our AC died.  Ben was at work and unreachable so I had to navigate getting a technician out here and paying a nice fee to get the AC working shortly after paying a big chunk of money to buy our house. This was a new version of being an adult that wasn't quite as fun as going on adventures and climbing things without a care in the world. 

7 months in, a smattering of DIY home projects under our belt as well as a few surprise home maintenance purchases and we are getting into a good groove.  Owning a home doesn't feel so scary anymore.  I recently tackled painting our kitchen solo while Ben was away for the weekend. I managed to keep up with all the other house chores needing to be done that weekend as well and it finally clicked - I'm fully capable of adulting and it doesn't mean giving up the child at heart. 

Things I'm tackling this year to become a better adult:

1. Continuing to be a reader more than a looking at screens

2. Watching lots of videos on YouTube of how to do home projects myself

3. Collecting the tools necessary to complete those tasks

4. Budgeting for the never ending task list that comes with a 1970's home

5. Taking control of my health - physical, emotional, mental, spiritual (will post about WW soon!)

6. Staying on top of chores in order to better enjoy our home (messy house makes for a stressed Becky)

I'm sure the list will grow as the year progresses, it's only natural that one new habit eventually begets another.  Being an adult just no longer feels scary as much as the next great adventure. Child Becky has reminded Adult Becky that you can tackle just about anything without fear and live to tell the story :)

A Few of My Favorite Things (2018)

I'm taking a page out of Oprah's book and sharing some of my favorite things from this past year!

Ninja Coffee Bar

Last year for Christmas, Ben and I decided to get a nicer coffee machine. At $200 it was definitely an investment, but we knew Black Friday would possibly lead to a good deal. Kohl's mis-marked it for $75 and even after pointing out the incorrect price, they sold it to us for the $75! We call it the Christmas Coffee Miracle. It's currently on sale on Amazon for $125 if you've got some Christmas money to spend. The frother is my favorite thing about it (as well as the reusable filter).  It's a little more environmentally friendly than using a machine with K-Cups which I appreciate. 

D. Whigham Ceramics

I lived with the Whighams (2 of my favorite years ever) and Danielle shared her dream of starting a ceramics business.  Well, this year it happened and it's the most gorgeous pottery ever (I may be biased, but browse her photos - you'll soon agree).  I love that the mugs are microwave safe (but not husband dropping safe).  I also have several succulent pots and the plants in them are happy dudes. Check out her Facebook Page and follow her on Insta.  Her throwing videos are mesmerizing (and oddly soothing).

Erin Condren Life Planner

After years of wanting a Life Planner then settling for a cheaper substitute that I ended up disliking and abandoning, I finally bought the planner of my dreams with birthday money this year. They are currently 20% off and you can save even more with my referal code.  It is the first planner I've owned that I truly keep up with because you can personalize it to a certain degree to be what you need it to be. 

Create 365 Planner Stickers

Part of the success of using the planner consistently is planner stickers.  I was a sticker junkie as a child.  Adding stickers makes just about anything more fun. I love the Create 365 line (also available at Hobby Lobby) and have a few different packs that cover all my planner sticker needs. 

Flair Pens

I also have metric crap ton of fun pens to use.  Flair Pens are by far my favorites for using in the planner, but I also love Staedtler Triplus Fineliners and Papermate Inkjoy Gel Pens.

Silhouette Cameo 3

Technically I got this in 2017, but really put it to use this past year.  I made all of our shirts for our Disney trip, various gifts, and wall decals for our new home.  It's fairly easy to use and the software plays nicely with Photoshop which I appreciate. 

Target Photo

I've gone old school and started printing off some of my photos.  Target used to use Snapfish or Shutterfly and the quality was dubious. Now that they've gone back to just Target Photo, the quality is great for 1 hour prints. I especially love printing 8x10's to hang up in our house and the quality holds up even for a larger print. 

Goodreads

By far my favorite app of 2018. It tracks your reading and lets you follow your friends to see what they're reading too (although, don't follow your high school English teacher unless you want to find out they read some pretty risque books). My favorite part of the app is that you can set a reading goal for the year.  I'm upping my goal this year a bit after reaching 500% of my goal this year.  Also, shout out to my school library and Waukee Public Library for keeping me well stocked on books this year!

Color Story

Color Story is my favorite photo editing app. It has lots of editing tools as well as filter and effect packs you can purchase if you like.  90% of my phone photo edits are done through this app (the other 10% are with Snapseed).  Need help with making the most of your phone photography? I'd love to chat about some of my favorite tips/tricks!

It took me a while to jump on the My Favorite Murder train, but I've more than made up for it by bingeing hard the last couple months. If you are a fan of true crime, but don't like super spooky, this may be your new favorite thing. Just don't listen to it when your home alone and in your basement.  That's a really poor choice.  Trust me. 

What are some of your favorite things you discovered this year? (or what you're looking forward to in 2019 - I'm looking at you Circular Saw that arrives in a few days)

The Year of Becoming a Reader

I've been a book nerd as long as I could remember. My family is a book family.  We always got books from the book orders. My pops took us to the library. I spent my allowance at Guzzardo's Book Nook on a regular basis. I once peed my pants standing in line to check out books at school because if I didn't check them out during library time I'd have to wait a whole week to get new ones.

Somewhere around college I became less of a reader for fun and more of a reader because I had to do required reading for coursework. I'd pick up books in the summer, but during the school year fun reading went out the window. By the time I started grad school reading for fun just wasn't happening a whole lot.

So.  This year I challenged myself to become a reader again. I set a goal of 12 books.  1 per month. I was worried that was going to be too much to accomplish considering I was averaging 3-4 books a year the previous few years.

Well.  This past week I hit 50 and I cancelled Hulu+.

So, I'm sharing some of my favorite reads from this past year in case anyone is looking for a good read (Or 2. Or 10. Or whatever.)

Best Non-Fiction

My mom and I watched the movie and were rolling from laughing.  A sweet friend let me borrow the book and it was a pretty quick read.  Just as funny as the movie and written by an  Iowa author.

Best Guilty Pleasure

This series is Hunger Games meets The Bachelor.  Is it a deep thinker? Definitely not.  Is it pretty cheesy? YUP. But, did I shotgun the entire series in about a week? Most definitely. 

Best Chick Lit

The movie doesn't follow the book 100%, but it's the rare book that the differences work in the book and is easy to understand why some things had to change for the movie.  The second one is sitting on my nightstand and am hoping to get to it before the end of the year! 

Best Historical Fiction 

This book and it's sequel, The War I Finally Won, were so so beautiful. Honorable mention to, Whistling in the Dark by Shirley Hughes.  

Best Self-Improvement

My word for 2018 was Lovely so this book paired well with my mindset for this year.  I love Annie F. Downs. Remember God is also on my nightstand to read pile. Follow her on Instagram. Listen to her podcast. Read her books. She's great. 

Favorite ICCA

I've read 13 of this year's ICCA books. With 20 total, finishing the whole list before the end of the school year should be easily accomplished. I've loved a handful of them, but this is the one that surprised me the most and loved the story so so much. 

Best Free Verse

I'm not a poetry lover so the fact that I've read more than one free verse book this year is just as surprising to me as it may be to you. This one had a sweet message and was a ridiculously fast read. 

Favorite Recommendation

This book is adorable. I won't spoil the surprising way it's written, but I absolutely loved it. It's a lighthearted falling in love story that's a quick read, but will leave you grinning. 

Book I Didn't Expect to Love So Much

This was a book fair purchase last year.  It's a hefty book and honestly, was a little daunting. It took me a while to get into it because I started it after reading a string of sad/deep thinking books and it seemed like this one may be a sad/deep thinking book. I powered through and ended up loving it. Such a wonderful message and beautifully written. 

Favorite Book of the Year

This book made me think.  It made me cry. It made me mad. It made me understand my privileges. It has stayed with me even though I finished it a couple months ago. I would recommend it to anyone. 

Book I'm Most Looking Forward to Reading in 2019

Michelle Obama is one of my biggest role models and I'm looking forward to reading her book...alas I'm like 24th on the hold list at my library so it may be a while! 

My goal for the coming year is 25.  Why not 50? Well, I don't know what 2019 is going to bring and I want to make sure I don't get frustrated with my goal (because I know myself and that's something I do). Feel free to follow me on Goodreads and suggest some of your favorite reads for me to read to make next year's goal!

Rescued

A few weeks ago I was sitting in our empty apartment finishing up some cleaning when all of a sudden I was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions (surprise, surprise!) of all the people and events that had gotten me to this point in my life.

5 years ago I was in a place where I'd stopped listening to what God wanted for me and was trying to do it all on my own. Not the best thing to do when your God is a jealous God and knows what it takes to bring you back into the fold. He sent a whale. For 3 months I felt swallowed whole and desperately trying to stay afloat both literally and figuratively.  I was going to have to walk away from my home and financial security and there was nothing I could do about it. Well, at least not on my own.

But, every time I felt myself running out of breath, He was there with a buoy. He found me a home to land in that healed my heart in so many ways. He repaired relationships I had neglected and formed new ones with people who could encourage and challenge me on the new path my life was taking. I let God know the desires of my heart, and in HIS timing, I found Ben (or Ben found me) and now we have a home to call our own (I'm a girl who has simple dreams). And it's all because when the whale spit me back out, I ran towards God as fast as I could.

You are not hidden

There's never been a moment

You were forgotten

You are not hopeless

Though you have been broken

Your innocence stolen

I hear you whisper underneath your breath

I hear your SOS, your SOS

I will send out an army to find you

It's true, I will rescue you

In the middle of the darkest night

(Rescue - Lauren Daigle)

If you would have told me 5 years ago what my life would like at this very moment, I'd probably have shook my head and called you crazy. But, this life, right now? Is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. There are still days where the whale feels like it could be looming, but I know how to stop from being swallowed up again.

No Spend Month

Recently, a podcast I listen to (Young House Love Has a Podcast) decided to do a no spend month. At first I thought it sounded crazy, but, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to give it a try.

I'm not a crazy spender, but...I can easily fall into the trap of adding a magazine to my cart at the grocery store, choosing to go out to eat when I don't feel like cooking, and let's face it, buy things I didn't need in the first place at Target.

We do fine financially, but I want to re-train my brain to respect our money more. We are approaching house hunting and I'd rather save money to put towards new house things than random purchases.

What's on the No-Go List:

-Books/Magazines (read what I already have/go to library)
-Art/Craft supplies (I have plenty, exceptions only for paid commission work)
-no pens or notebooks
-Zero Trips to Target without Ben (Yikes)
-Zero purchases on Amazon (Yikes)
-limit eating out (need to add more quick meal ingredients to the fridge/pantry)
-no clothes or shoes
-no home decor
-no make-up (except mascara if I run out... that stuff dries out so quickly!)
-no skin care unless something runs out completely
-no entertainment (itunes, movies, dvds)
-Starbucks/other coffee shops

What's on the exceptions list:

-gifts for any celebrations (we have grad parties coming up)
-Quilt Shop road trip with mom (have already set a specific budget for this and was planned prior to deciding to do this and it's for my birthday)
- toiletries if they run out (shampoo, toothpaste)
-medicine (allergy season y'all)
-eating out if invited by friends
-household necessities, but only if what we have runs out
-anything that I have a gift card for

What I'm hoping to gain:

-More time. Shopping pit stops add up and sometimes one trip turns into another.
-less stuff cluttering up our apartment - we are potentially packing it all up in a few months - don't need to add more stuff to move!
-an appreciation for what I already have
-losing the fomo that sometimes causes impulse purchases
-being aware of how I spend money and how I can be even more respectful and responsible with our finances

It ain't going to be easy. But, I hope it's going to be a good learning experience...so no more Target runs until May 25!

Summer Bucket List: 2018

High Trestle Trail Sunset Hike

Learn to drive a jet ski

Adventure to small towns in Iowa

Snookie's

Ledges State Park 

Fireworks run

Quilt Road Trip with Mom

Refinish dining room table

How to Be a Wildflower Journal

Paint more rocks

Find a house

Not lose my mind looking for a house

Chase as many sunsets as possible

Twin Slumber Party

Demo Derby
Art Journal