Author: Trish

Into reading, decluttering, budgeting, and doing jigsaw puzzles!
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Making Progress (May 24th Update)

I switched from part-time to full-time hours this week.  In addition to entering new products for our website, I am also needed to test the new computer system we will be switching to later this year.  I had definitely gotten used to my lazy afternoons reading and relaxing with Baxter, so this week was an abrupt change to my system!  I am very glad to have full-time work, though, especially with Joe’s job ending in just a few weeks.

Michael has one more week to finish up his school assignments. School was originally supposed to end the first Friday in June, but I’m not sure now if he will be doing anything that last week. I’m waiting to hear when we can return his library books. His case manager did tell me he can just hold onto his laptop for next year.

Baxter’s first birthday is coming up in just over two weeks, so I purchased a couple of birthday presents for him and got the supplies I needed to make a dog-friendly cake. He has been making a bit of trouble lately, pulling insulation out of a hole in our wall and somehow even detaching a couple of pieces of trim from the wall as well. I’m hoping Joe can get those all fixed soon so Baxter can’t bother them anymore. Here’s a picture of him being good, lol!

The Governor announced Friday that our county would move from red to yellow on May 29th. I don’t think much will change for us though. The only thing I’m hopeful for is that they will open the dog park, but I’m not sure if they will.

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Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author Spotlight)

My absolute favorite children’s writer is Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I have read her Little House series dozens of times starting in childhood and continuing on through the present.  I know that her books aren’t 100% true to her life, but I think they are an amazing story – told in a way that is appropriate for children – of what life was like growing up during pioneer times in America.

Here are the titles of the series in order:

  1. Little House in the Big Woods
  2. Farmer Boy
  3. Little House on the Prairie
  4. On the Banks of Plum Creek
  5. By the Shores of Silver Lake
  6. The Long Winter
  7. Little Town on the Prairie
  8. These Happy Golden Years
  9. The First Four Years

I have read a number of other books related to Little House over the years, including the series that were written in the same style about her daughter Rose, her mother Caroline, her grandmother Charlotte, and her great-grandmother Martha.  I loved all of those.

Two books I have read recently which were inspired by the Little House series are Laura Ingalls Is Ruining My Life by Shelley Tougas and Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.  The first one is a middle grade book about a girl whose mother moves them to Walnut Grove, where Laura Ingalls lived as a child, and her experiences there.  The second is a retelling of Little House on the Prairie from the perspective of Caroline, Laura’s mother.  Both were very good.

 

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What I’m Reading – May 19th

What I’m Reading Now:

 

The Truth About Us by Brant Hansen – Fairly recent arrival by the author of Blessed Are the Misfits, which I enjoyed.

Some Wildflower in My Heart by Jamie Langston Turner – I’m rereading her books in the order they were published, and this is her second book.  See below for the first one.

What I Recently Finished:

 

Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith – I have read many fictionalized accounts of Esther but am still drawn to them. It’s such a fascinating story, and this one does not disappoint. Smith weaves the Biblical account and other historical documentation together to form an intriguing story.

Daughter of Cana by Angela Elwell Hunt – This is book one in the Jerusalem Road series. It was not as good as the other two Biblical fiction novels I have read recently, but I would still say I enjoyed it somewhat.

Suncatchers by Jamie Langston Turner – I wrote about this author last week and ordered several of her books that I didn’t have on my bookshelf. This one arrived on Saturday and I reread it the same day. So good!

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

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The Shepherd’s Wife by Angela Elwell Hunt – Book two in the Jerusalem Road series

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Some Big Changes (May 17th Update)

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After several weeks of things being the same on end, we have had a couple of big changes occur.

Joe found out on Monday that his job is ending in July. His company has been bought out, and the new owner is shutting down his entire facility. It was a surprise, for sure, but I’m trusting that God will provide. We have survived my work getting cut in half, and we can survive this.

In other news, we are getting our house re-sided. There was some major wind damage a few weeks ago and after weighing our options we decided to go ahead with it. Thankfully the insurance company is covering the damaged areas. We chose a pretty light gray to replace the white that we had before.

Everything else is pretty much the same. I might be going back to full time hours soon because we need to restart testing on our new system, but I haven’t been given a date for that yet.

Our county is still in the red zone, which means we are still under a stay-at-home order. No word yet on when we will move to the yellow phase of reopening.

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Jamie Langston Turner (Author Spotlight)

Jamie Langston Turner is hands down my favorite contemporary writer. The first time I read one of her books, I started out very unsure of whether I would like it. It seemed quite unassuming and even slow at times, plus some of the characters were decidedly quirky. But I was quickly drawn into the rich storylines and unexpectedly deep characters, and she soon became one of my favorite writers.

The books are not really a series, but they are all set in the same fictional area of South Carolina. There are also several minor characters that are in many of the books, which lends an air of familiarity even as you are meeting a new main character.

I can’t really name a favorite, as each one holds a special place in my heart. Her way of expressing relationships and faith is simply amazing. According to the newsletter on her website, she is currently working on her ninth book. Here is a list of the eight books Turner has published so far:

I have decluttered a lot of books over the years, but I will never get rid of hers. I don’t own them all yet, but I hope to finish out my collection this year.

Have you read any of her books? What did you think?

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What I’m Reading – May 12th

What I’m Reading Now:

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Star of Persia by Jill Eileen Smith – I have read many fictionalized accounts of Esther but am still drawn to them.  It’s such a fascinating story.

What I Recently Finished:

Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar – This was such a good book. I have enjoyed everything I have read by this author. This one is the fictional account of Priscilla and Aquila from the New Testament. I usually like stories like this, so it wasn’t a big stretch for me to pick this one up, and I’m glad I did.

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan – Recommended by my DM, this is a YA fantasy book that is first in a series called Ranger’s Apprentice. The writing was engaging and the characters were well-developed. I am looking forward to reading more of the series.

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck – This was my pick from the Amazon Prime First Reads list for May. It was a good book with a satisfying ending. I would recommend it.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

The Truth About Us by Brant Hansen – I have previously read his Blessed Are the Misfits, which was a great book about following God when you don’t fit in with the norm. This book is about embracing humility rather than self-righteousness.

The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan – Book 2 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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Happy Mother’s Day! (May 10th Update)

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Photo by Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. Whether you are a biological mother, adoptive mother, stepmother, foster mom or a mom in spirit, I pray you will be blessed today.

There’s not too much in the way of an update on the COVID-19 situation. Governor Wolf has extended the stay at home order until June 4th, although certain counties have moved into what he is calling the yellow phase of reopening. Even there, people are still asked to wear masks and practice social distancing (staying 6′ apart). Our county still has too many cases to move out of the red zone.

I’m still working part-time and collecting partial unemployment for the reduced hours. Joe is still going to work everyday, and Michael is still doing school online. Michael had a bit of frustration on Friday when he found out that he had missed some assignments because they weren’t showing up where he thought they were supposed to. He met with the autistic support teacher over Zoom, and she helped him find everything and figure out what needed to be done.

My support group that has been using a conference call line since the lockdown is going to switch to Zoom this coming week. Although I have enjoyed the conference calls, it will be nice to see everyone’s faces again. This is also the last week for my Zoom Bible study on Ruth. That has been a bit different than I expected due to the fact that the whole session is only half an hour and we watch a short video each week, so there isn’t much time to really share our thoughts on what we have studied. I’m glad there were only a few participants, as that made it easier to get to know people and to feel comfortable speaking in the group.

I got a new desk pad/mouse mat today – Joe had recommended I get one and I’m glad I did – it’s very pretty!

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So that’s my update for this week. I hope everyone is staying safe and has a good Mother’s Day!

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What I’m Not Reading

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Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

I find it fascinating to see what other people are reading; I think it really gives you a glimpse into their personality. It can also be quite telling to find out what types of books people choose not to read.

There are several things that make me avoid a book most of the time.  Here are just a few of them:

  • Abuse – I find it very difficult to read stories that include any form of abuse, whether it be towards children, adults, or even animals.
  • World War II – I have read my share of books set in World War II and used to enjoy them as much as any other genre. Somewhere along the way I just found that they lost their appeal. A book has to be very intriguing in some other way to get me to overlook the wartime setting.
  • A secret that is threatening to tear people apart, or has already done so – is it just me or does 1 out of every 4 or 5 novels harbor some secret just waiting to ruin an otherwise wonderful life? I almost always pass on these.

I’m sure there are other things that deter me from starting a book – I have become more and more picky as I get older.  But sometimes taking a chance on an author I haven’t read before is worth it, so I occasionally overlook them and give a book a try.

What things stop you from picking up a book that you come across?  I’m interested to hear what other people think about this topic.

 

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What I’m Reading – May 5th

What I’m Reading Now:

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Daughter of Rome by Tessa Afshar – started reading on Sunday and am really enjoying it

What I Recently Finished:

The Happy Camper by Melody Carlson – cute Christian romance, read in one afternoon and enjoyed it

Rock Retirement by Roger Whitney – focuses on conceptual thinking about retirement rather than specific planning guidelines, interesting take on the topic

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire by Jen Hatmaker – recommended by someone on the Facebook Book Club

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan – recommended by my DM

If You Must Know by Jamie Beck – my pick from the Amazon Prime First Reads list for May

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend.  I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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How Are We Coping? (May 3rd Update)

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For this week’s update, I thought I would talk about how each of us is coping with the lockdown.

I am settling in to staying at home fairly well now.  For a few weeks, I was having a lot of trouble relaxing enough to read or watch shows much, but now I am doing both of those things more.  I am working in the mornings and then am on call for the afternoon to enter products if needed.  I make the occasional trip out to the grocery store or pharmacy.  When I can get a grocery delivery or pickup slot, I take it – this has been about every two weeks, so I am trying to order enough food to last that amount of time.  I was doing well at meal planning at the beginning of the lockdown, but it has been getting harder and harder to figure out what to make.

Michael has been experiencing some frustration with online learning.  His laptop keeps crashing, especially the internet browser, and it is really causing some stress.  I don’t think the assignments are too difficult; it mainly seems related to technology issues.  He also misses his social skills group and D&D games, although he is still seeing his dad at the usual times.

Joe doesn’t seem too bothered by the whole situation.  He still goes to work as normal, although there are extra safety measures in place there, such as temperature checks, wearing gloves and masks, and additional cleaning routines.  In the evenings, he plays his online PC video games and watches a little YouTube.

Baxter is definitely missing his trips to the dog park.  He whines to go out a lot more and is begging a lot at mealtime.  He also gets overexcited sometimes when he is playing and has a hard time settling down.  Joe has been taking him on walks after work, and I have been occasionally taking him to an open park in another township that has a fenced in tennis court where he can run for a while.  It’s not the same as getting to run and play with other dogs, though.

Peanut Butter seems pretty much the same.  The dog is bothering him a bit more than usual, but he mostly hangs out in our bedroom or up on the cat tree, so life is fairly normal for him.

So that’s the update for this week.  How are you doing with everything?