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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?

 

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April 26th Update

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Monday – I was so productive today. I’m not sure where all the energy came from, but I got a lot done. I answered a bunch of emails, updated my budget in YNAB, sent family tree updates and photos to my aunt, renewed our car’s registration, and even mailed two ebay items that had sold on Saturday. Also, my new office chair arrived today, and Joe put it together for me when he got home from work. I love it!

Tuesday – Another pretty good day. Worked a bit extra in the afternoon to get some new products entered in the system and then had my first experience with a telehealth appointment. Michael met with his psychiatric nurse practitioner. It was short and sweet, just checking in on how he is handling the lockdown and making sure his meds are all good.

Baxter has learned how to open the closet door in the bedroom and keeps getting out slippers and other shoes to chew on. I asked Joe about putting a latch on the door, so hopefully he will be able to figure out a solution!

Wednesday – I am struggling with the Bible study on Ruth that I am part of. We get an email each morning with a few verses to read and some questions to answer, but I find that the questions seem very subjective. Many of them ask me to discern what the people were thinking or feeling, which is definitely not a strong suit of mine due to the way my Aspie brain works. This all makes me nervous for the Zoom call tomorrow evening, wondering what I will have to contribute to the discussion. This is besides my normal anxiety surrounding a group social interaction.

Thursday – My Bible study meeting went well. Just like I do with my support group, I prayed beforehand that God would give me something to share that would fit in with the topic of the meeting, and I was able to share something appropriate to the discussion.

On the book front, a title I have been waiting for from the online library app came through, plus my mom sent me a book that had a really long wait time online. So I am currently reading Golden in Death by J.D. Robb and Eye Spy by Mercedes Lackey.

Friday – Today Michael and I had a phone meeting with OVR (Office of Vocational Rehabilitation) to talk about his needs and interests. They will get info from his psychiatrist and psychologist to determine eligibility and then we will go from there. One of the things they will pay for is an evaluation by an occupational therapist to see if Michael is ready to learn to drive. He does want to learn but boy am I nervous about the idea. I’m open to hearing what a professional has to say about it though.

Worked a few extra hours today to get a bunch of new products in the system. Not sure yet if I’m supposed to just claim the additional time or work less on Monday and Tuesday.

Saturday – I ordered a new face mask today. The ones I got originally were just white, and they are kind of boring. So I found a pretty blue one and ordered it.

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I also attended the first of three free workshops on creating your dream budget hosted by Nick True from Mapped Out Money. He is a YNAB guru with a great YouTube channel and a new podcast that I enjoy. I got some great ideas today and am looking forward to the next two sessions.

Sunday – plans for today are to attend church online and make Parmesan Drumsticks for lunch. Plus spend some more time reading my books.

The stay at home order has been extended to May 8th, with a progressive lifting after that for certain regions and businesses. I haven’t been out anywhere this week, although I do need to make a trip to the pharmacy.

I hope you all are staying safe and healthy. God bless!

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A Short History of Peanut Butter

PB1 (2018_06_05 17_42_18 UTC)I have posted so many times about our puppy that I thought it would only be fair to post something about our cat, Peanut Butter.  We got Peanut Butter as a kitten, and he recently turned 7 years old.  Here’s a photo of him from when we first met him at my coworker’s mom’s house.  My son Michael and I fell in love with him right away.

We brainstormed names for quite a while until we came up with Peanut Butter.  I think it suits him very well!

PB2 (2018_06_05 17_42_18 UTC)When we brought him home to our apartment, he hid in the bathroom behind the toilet for several hours.  Soon enough, he was making himself at home climbing up the bookcases to sit on the very top and destroying the blinds so he could sit on the window ledge and look out.  Of course, he also loved to snuggle with us.

From the beginning, he actually liked the cat bed I got him.  You can see in these two pictures from 2013 and 2019 how much he has grown.

 

Unfortunately, I had to put the cat bed away recently because Baxter started destroying it.  Peanut Butter now splits his time between lounging on our bed and hanging out on top of the cat tree in the family room.  He doesn’t get to spend as much time cuddling with us because Baxter wants to play with him and chase him when he is within reach. That is definitely something I want to work on when we get back into training with Baxter.

 

I’ll leave you with a final shot of Peanut Butter posing for the camera on our loveseat.  He is such a handsome and loving cat, and I am so thankful to have him in our lives.

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April 19th Update

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Photo by Edward Jenner on Pexels.com

Just one trip out this week. A friend of mine found some toilet paper at a store near her house and bought it for us. So we drove down to get it yesterday. She also has a fenced in backyard and we were able to let Baxter run around for a while. While he played, we chatted, maintaining social distancing, of course. It was a nice outing for everyone!

I have a grocery pickup scheduled for this evening, but that will be contactless as they will just load the groceries in the back and are no longer requiring a signature on the invoice.

We have started a tradition of ordering takeout or delivery on Friday evenings. It’s been very nice to have a break from cooking. So far we have ordered from Arooga’s (soup and salad), Red Robin (burger and fries), and Red Lobster (two kinds of shrimp!).

I have had a little bit more social contact this week – albeit virtual. My twelve step group is meeting weekly via a conference call, and I am really appreciating that. I had not been going for a while, but this is helping me get back into the habit of attending. I also joined a Bible study through my church that is meeting on Zoom. It started on Thursday night and goes for five weeks. We are studying the book of Ruth.

The books I have read this week are The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck and Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach. I also have the Asperger’s Syndrome Workplace Survival Guide by Barbara Bissonette on my currently reading shelf, but it has honestly been there for a few years. I started reading it back when I was still working in an office, but now that I work from home it doesn’t seem as relevant. It is a good book, though, and I do plan to finish it someday. It just keeps getting bumped by other titles.

I am learning a lot from my Excel course. The package I bought includes six classes, and I am about 40% through the first one. So far I have learned a lot of functions, as well as a few fun hacks that make things a little easier.

Although I am finding a new routine during this stay at home period, it has also been a sobering time. Besides the stories you see on the news, I had a closer connection with one victim – a friend of a relative passed away from the virus within 7 days of showing symptoms, and she was otherwise healthy and younger than me. I am so sad for her family and friends and even more committed to staying at home as much as possible while this situation continues.

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The Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+

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The Ultimate Retirement Guide for 50+: Winning Strategies to Make Your Money Last a Lifetime by Suze Orman is a great book full of timely information. I borrowed it from my online library app and finished it in two days!

Having turned 50 last Christmas, I have to admit my thoughts have turned to retirement a time or two. Not that I have any intention of retiring soon, but the topic is on my radar now more than it was before. I don’t feel that I have done a super job at preparing for it up to now, so I was afraid that this book would just make me feel inadequate and hopeless. But Orman approaches the subject without being heavy-handed or berating anyone for choices they have made so far.

The book is well-organized, moving through chapters about family and working years on to ones covering your transition into retirement and beyond. In most chapters, she gives some information and then lists out her recommended action points in bullets before going into detail on each one. At the end of that discussion, she provides a recap of the main points from the chapter. I found it very easy to read and follow what she was saying.

Some of the highlights for me were:

  • How to help your kids and parents without sabotaging your retirement
  • Changes to make while you’re still working that will give you a boost
  • Discussion about housing options and costs
  • A thorough explanation of how Social Security, Medicare, and pensions work
  • Managing your money for the long-haul

Other chapters focused on investing, including a good discussion about bonds, finding a financial advisor, and getting your documents in order, of which I have only completed a will.

Overall, I enjoyed her writing style and appreciated her personal stories illustrating the points she was making. I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to focus on the area of retirement planning.