April Reading Wrap-Up PLUS Readathon!!!

     Yesterday was our Readathon.  Yes, my three oldest daughters and I participated in Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon.  No we didn't read for 24 hours!  Yesterday had a few other things in it (like a baby shower) that took some time but each of us got in approximately 11 hours of reading.  Yes, I've had many question whether that is a good use of our day.  Yes, I've considered it from many angles and decided it was a marvelous use of our day!  If you want to know why, just ask me.  Everyone else has!

    This was my second readathon.  My first one I participated in was last fall with my beautiful friend Anne.  I had all sorts of plans and dreams for this next one, but they slowly all kind of fell through.  It left me with the wonderful option of doing it at home with my kids and that turned out to be a BLAST!!!  The three littles spent the morning at Grammy's but the big girls and I set our alarms, armed ourselves with snacks and dove into our carefully selected stack of books!  I wasn't sure how long each of them would stick with it, but they powered through!  I ended with 934 pages read and each of the girls had between 500-700 pages read.  We are already making plans for the next one coming up in October!!!!

So here are my books read in April (still not a huge reading month as it was a pretty crazy Norwex month!)

#1~ The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

I received this book in a book exchange last Christmas as a part of our amazing book club.  I had never read any Wilkie Collins before.  I read this with my Anne and it was fun to go through it together.  It's an old classic mystery.  Not too action packed, nor was the plot overly complicated, but the characters were a delight.  Each section of the book was from a different character's perspective and there was plenty of humor woven in!

#2  Shadow of the Almighty:  The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot By Elisabeth Elliot

This was a collection of Jim Elliot's letters and journal entries from his late teens to his death.  Inspiring.  Convicting.  Not a quick read but a beneficial one.  

 #3  Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery

L. M. Montgomery is the author of the Anne of Green Gables series and I've loved her other books so far.  This one was enjoyable, but not a contender with the Anne series, the Emily series or Blue Castle.  It's a short simple story.  Fairly predictable but sweet.

#4  Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster

    A young orphan girls is sponsored by a mysterious trustee to go to college and finally have a life of her own.  The book is her letters to this man who she has never met, but is really her only connection in the world.  It's very sweet.

#5  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

       I went back and forth about reading this.  I've heard many strong opinions both for and against it.  I decided to go ahead a read it and see what I thought for myself.  I like books that made me think, and this definitely did that.  It concerns me somewhat that I see this book promoted as a book for young people and I really think it takes an adult perspective to think about this rightly.  That being said, I found it extremely compelling.

#6  A Lamp For My Feet by Elisabeth Elliot

These were very short, mostly half page, articles by Elizabeth Elliot.  Great thoughts and very challenging and encouraging.  I think I prefer her longer works to give me a little more to chew on before heading into a different topic.

       I'm very excited for reading in the month of May!  I'll be finishing up a few books I'm part of the way into and then my plan is to reread some of my favorites.  Not necessarily "All Time" favorites, but books I've read in the last couple of years that have gotten me excited about reading.  Happy ready all! 

Strong in Joy

     Joy.  We want it.  We crave it.  How do we get it?  How do we become strong in it?

     I've been considering this question the last several weeks and there were three things that stood out to me.  This is by no means a comprehensive study on joy.  It's just me sharing my perspective and what makes a real difference in my life.

     1.  I grow stronger in joy with thankfulness.
          I've written about this before.  It was transforming in my marriage and has benefited me in many ways through the years.  In a moment of anger, despair, discouragement or self-pity, I can't simply will myself to feel differently.  I can't force joy.  I can however choose to give thanks.  Always.  Every time.  There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.  And when I have a thankful heart, there is a softening.  A thawing.  And that makes way for joy to come in.  If we are in Christ, there is always a place for thanksgiving in abundance.  In my life, thankfulness and joy always go hand in hand.

2.  I grow stronger in joy with truth.

            This one has been a little tricky for me.  I don't know about you, but I greatly struggle with self-doubt.  At any given time I'm pretty sure someone must be upset with me. And to be honest, sometimes people just aren't very careful with what they say.  Sometimes it just hurts.  There's nothing like chewing on a stinging comment to zap all traces of joy from your heart.  But if we want to be strong in joy we have to fight for that truth, even if it's only in our own hearts and minds.  This has been a recent battle for me.  I'm realizing more and more how often I let myself dwell on something that simply is not true.  I'm not a horrible person.  I'm not a bad mom.  I'm not failure.  And most of all, Jesus loves me.  Personally.  Not because He has to.  But because He does.  We cannot let lies steal our joy.  What a waste that is!

3.  I grow strong in joy with perspective.
   
          This world is not my home.  One day soon I will stand before Christ.  The dishes, the sleepless nights, the bitter words, the unfulfilled dreams, the bills, the bickering and on and on won't matter to me at all.  Today is a gift.  Tomorrow may not come.  If I'm given seventy more years of earthly toil then I pray I use them for His glory, because nothing else will matter.  My joy is dependent on this perspective.  I know what awaits me.  At least I know a glimmer.  And it's worth being excited for!  If this life was it, I don't think real joy would be possible.


When my perspective is right, and my thoughts are controlled by truth, and my heart is overflowing with thanks, joy follows.  I want to be strong in joy.  I want you to be strong.  Let's do this!  Be strong!!!

More Than Numbers

     My children are more than numbers.  More than chairs around the table.  More than feet that need shoes and mouths that need fed.

    That may be what your eyes see, but let me tell you the truth of who they are.

   

Lydia is more than #1.  She's beauty and quietness.  She's filled with dreams and strong and steady.  She is aspiration and contentment.  She is confidence and humility.  Lydia is more than a firstborn.  She's someone you want to know.

Bethany is more than #2.  She is fun and sweetness.  She is comedy and laughter.  She is tender and devoted.  She is sincere and peace loving.  She'll hold a baby until her arms fall off and is the most fun to do anything with.

Havilah is more than #3.  She is fire and passion.  She is fight and furry.  She is loyal and steadfast.  She is softhearted and compassionate.  She's a deep thinker and is sacrificial.  She's fun to battle against but even better to have on your own team.  She's present, engaged and lets you know you've got someone by your side.

Ella is more than #4.  She is loveliness and peace.  She's a warm hug and an encouraging word.  She's individual and brave.  She's fearless and inspiring.  She's spunk and sweetness.  She's joy and sunshine.  She forges her own path and encourages me to do the same.  

Esther is more than #5.  She is sparkles and spice.  She is self-sacrifice and love. She's silly and spunky.  She's snuggles and smiles.  She wouldn't step on a crack if you paid her.  She bubbles and bounces.  She's eager to please and easy to adore.  

Darin is more than #6.  He's drive and determination.  He's serious and hilarious.  He's a man and a baby.  He's affectionate and independent.  He's a tease and a comforter.  He's a singer and a worker.  He's got a vise grip on this mamma's heart and I'm pretty sure always will.

So we get a bigger table.  We buy more food and we buy more shoes.  To us the numbers are not very important.  

March Reading Wrap-Up

Well....... March was not much of a reading month for me!  I have many books started, but not many were completed.  I kind of got swept up in the Norwex consulting wind this month which has been a fun and crazy ride, but the time that usually goes into reading was replaced with research.  Nevertheless, here is what I did read this month!

#1~ The Mysterious Howling (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place #1) by Maryrose Wood

           This was recommended to me in my search for new ideas for my girls to read.  It's about a young woman who is hired as the governess for three young children that have been raised by wolves.  It was a mix of creative, sometimes predictable and slightly dark.  It definitely had the quality that makes you go, "Hmmm.  I wonder what it would be like to train children that have been raised by wolves.  Pretty sure I'd like to try it!".  It wasn't the best children's book I've ever read, but I want to continue in the series and see what happens!

#2~ No Graven Image By Elisabeth Elliot

      To be honest, this wasn't my favorite book to read.  I found that I prefer biographies or autobiographies over fiction about missionaries.  That being said, this book has stuck with me and has greatly challenged my thinking several times.  Elisabeth Elliot wrote this not from a place of creative inspiration but from a desire to communicate a message about the life of a missionary that is not commonly expressed.  I think it is very potent and I'm glad I read it.

#3~ Mistborn: The Final Empire  by Brandon Sanderson

          You guessed it.  Another fantasy.  Another 5/5 stars from me!  This book came highly recommended by a friend that saw I was enjoying different fantasy books.  Then after hearing me talk about them, one of my best friends got me the trilogy for my birthday!!!  These books were very different from anything I've read before.  I think that's the fascinating thing about fantasy is it gives you a whole new world to look at.  After a time though, they can begin to look alike.  This one looked completely different.  You know how most fantasies are about the good guys fighting against the bad guys so something really, really bad doesn't happen?  In this book, the bad thing happened.  Now it's centuries later and a rebellion is rising.  I had a blast with this book!  It is very dark and violent so if you like feel good books, this one isn't for you.

         I'm super excited about this next month of reading!  There is a readathon at the end of the month and I'm not sure how much I'll be able to participate, but I'm excited!!!!!!!!!