Highlights of July-September:
Delaney's visit was so fun. We all loved having her here.
Visiting Utah was wonderful and too short. We miss our families!
Hand, Foot, and Mouth- mild for Tommy, so bad for Amelia.
Service September- prayed for opportunities to serve and all of a sudden they were plentiful! It was a great experience, and I want to make it an annual thing.
Tommy is walking so well!
Notable Reads:
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
This was such a delightful, magical middle reader. I am so excited to read it to Tommy and Amelia in a few years. It was everything I love in a book like this, managing to combine depth and whimsy.
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
A hilarious and fun memoir. I would highly recommend this one.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I thought it was an interesting look back at the start of a marriage. Some content and language warnings, not for everyone.
I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I thought it was an interesting look back at the start of a marriage. Some content and language warnings, not for everyone.
The Hiding Place by Corie Ten Boom
I finally got around to reading this book, and I liked it, but not quite as much as I expected to for some reason. I will reread it though, as I expect it's the kind of book that affects you differently at different times in your life. My biggest takeaway was the idea that you cannot allow yourself any evil just because you are surrounded by a worse evil.
Hum If You Don't Know the Words by Bianca Marais
This book did an amazing job of jumping perspectives back and forth from a ten year old white girl to a middle aged black woman living in South Africa. Only read if you are prepared for many tears.
My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
An interesting structure that I'm not sure I loved. I did adore the richness of the characters, though, and overall liked the writing. I think I liked Anything Is Possible even a little bit more.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Loved everything about it except the love story. So everything but the first and last chapter pretty much. This book did a good job of helping me step into a life experience that is very different from my own. It was eye opening. Content and language warnings.
I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam
This book on time management had a lot of good ideas and perspectives, but in the end it fell a little flat for me. I felt like her answer to too many things was just to hire it out, which only works for a small percentage of the population. Still, it was a good reminder to account for all seven days of your five and not get into the trap of thinking a productive week is only five days long.
Middlemarch by George Eliot
My new favorite book. I want to read it again and again. Totally worth all those pages. I love books where the community is so rich it becomes a character all of its own and this fits that bill precisely. I could not stop writing down quotes. So well written.
Cousin Bette by Honore de Balzac
Despite having the bleakest, most depressing subject matter, I was actually surprised by how much I got out of this book. I would not have read it if not for book club, and I have no desire to read it again, but it was interesting. I disagree with the author on a lot of his views, but it was interesting to read anyway.
Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss
This is one to read again until I can memorize it. Although meant to teach you how to negotiate well, it gave me lots of good ideas of how to communicate better with the people around me.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
So delightfully creepy, and it was read by Dan Stevens, which made it all the better.
H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald
This book took me awhile to get through because the subject matter was so heavy, but I enjoyed it all. The author was able to intertwine the stories of her grief over her father's death, training her goshawk, and her interest in the author T.H. White. I definitely want to read more from this author.
Notable Eats:
Lentil Pulled Pork Sandwiches- Am I the weirdest because I make "pulled pork" out of lentils? Yes, I am. Did everyone eat it and enjoy it anyway? Yes, they did.
Southwest Cobb Salad- I'm picky about my main dish salads, but this was amazing.
Skillet Turkey Meatballs and Lemon Rice- Combining my love of lemon and one skillet meals, I have put this on the menu plan more than once.
Buttermilk Chocolate Cake- One does not need another chocolate cake recipe. This is the one. It's fate. This chocolate cake was meant to be part of your life. I would marry it, but I'm already married.
Burst Tomato Galette with Corn and Zucchini- The galette is awesome and wonderful, but if you are not in the mood for the work of a pie crust, find another way to get the filling into your belly because it is delicious.
Skillet Pasta with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes- Have I mentioned that I love one skillet meals? Because I really, really do.
Balsamic Glazed Pork- Tasted a little more teriyaki-y than I was expecting, but that could be because I buy cheap Balsamic. Still, it was tasty, I just would serve it with something more Asian inspired than I did.
Goal Updates:
I really worked hard in September to try to connect more with our ward with inviting people over for playdates or dinner and it was HARD for me, but it was so good. I am even more convinced that I can love living here. There are so many good people that I can make friends with if I just put in some effort.
Children Updates:
We keep asking Amelia if she wants to potty train and she always says, "I'm not ready." We'll work on it. She is playing more with Tommy, insisting on doing everything herself, and is getting funnier and funnier. She cracks me up every day.
Tommy is walking and climbing everywhere! He gets into everything, but his face when I say, "Tommy, no!" is the cutest. He has just started to bring me books to read to him, so clearly he knows the way to his mother's heart.
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