It's a challenge.... Are you game?

Our weekly challenge for Good Morning Girls is to memorize Philippians 3:13-14 and to set a goal for the fall 2010 session.  I haven't quite memorized the verse but I am working on it.  As far as my goal, I am challenging myself to get on my knees daily and spent my quiet moments with the Lord before I go to bed.  If you are like me, I tend to do my nightly routine then tuck myself into bed.  Once my head is gently laid on my pillow I begin my prayers, which more times than I can count, end up being cut short because I have fallen asleep.  Sure I pray throughout the day, but what a difference it would make to get on my knees after I wake and before I sleep... allowing God to work throughout my day from the very beginning to the very end.  It's a challenge, especially if I am not in the habit.  So starting last night I got on my knees and began to speak to my heavenly Father.  I actually fell asleep much faster not fighting to keep my eyes open and my brain flowing with thanksgiving and requests for God.  I challenge you to memorize the scripture and set a personal goal.  It can be anything really... more quiet time, having a more gentle & quiet spirit, fasting... whatever.  As Courtney from Good Morning Girls suggests, pray about it.  Be blessed my readers!

It's official!!!!!

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning.  Ecclesiastes 3:11

The Wednesday Sisters

For the month of July, our book club chose to read The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.  While I enjoyed the book overall, it certainly was not one of my favorites.  The writer added a little spontaneity throughout the book but left so many moments dull.  Some of the chapters just seem to drag on and lull me at times.  Here is an overview take directly from readinggroupguides.com

Friendship, loyalty, and love lie at the heart of Meg Waite Clayton’s beautifully written, poignant, and sweeping novel of five women who, over the course of four decades, come to redefine what it means to be family.

For thirty-five years, Frankie, Linda, Kath, Brett, and Ally have met every Wednesday at the park near their homes in Palo Alto, California. Defined when they first meet by what their husbands do, the young homemakers and mothers are far removed from the Summer of Love that has enveloped most of the Bay Area in 1967. These “Wednesday Sisters” seem to have little in common: Frankie is a timid transplant from Chicago, brutally blunt Linda is a remarkable athlete, Kath is a Kentucky debutante, quiet Ally has a secret, and quirky, ultra-intelligent Brett wears little white gloves with her miniskirts. But they are bonded by a shared love of both literature --- Fitzgerald, Eliot, Austen, du Maurier, Plath, and Dickens --- and the Miss America Pageant, which they watch together every year.

As the years roll on and their children grow, the quintet forms a writers circle to express their hopes and dreams through poems, stories, and, eventually, books. Along the way, they experience history in the making: Vietnam, the race for the moon, and a women’s movement that challenges everything they have ever thought about themselves, while at the same time supporting one another through changes in their personal lives brought on by infidelity, longing, illness, failure, and success.

Humorous and moving, The Wednesday Sisters is a literary feast for book lovers that earns a place among those popular works that honor the joyful, mysterious, unbreakable bonds between friend s. 

Just taking a little break.....

I know many of my loyal readers have been a little disappointed with me in my lack of posting.  For that, I am sorry.  I have taken a little break from blogging.  This is, in part, due to my ever busy life as a stay-at-home mommy, soccer for my daughter, preschool for my son, bible studies, and just life in general.  I've had sickness in my family that has kept me away from the computer some.  Rest assured, I will get back to blogging very soon.  Until then, stay posted.  New posts are coming.

Brandy

The Help

Let me introduce you to my latest read and probably one of my top pick books of all time. The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  This fiction novel depicts the lives of southern women in the 60's and openly gives insight into the ways of the times during that decade.  I absolutely LOVED this book!  Riveting, powerful and definitely captivating.  Each night when I cracked open the book I was lured in more and more and hated having to actually put the book down so that I could carry on with my day.  The story of these women, the lives they lived often had me laughing out loud, crying with sadness and feeling anger & bitterness.  A definite must read for all your fiction junkies out there.

Brief description pulled from www.amazon.com

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women: Skeeter, Aibileen & Minny
Set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia Skeeter Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing about what disturbs you. The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies and mistrusts enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.

A Celebration of Independence

In celebration of the Independence Day, we got together with my in-laws and headed to downtown Powder Springs for some family style fun.  From snow cones & funnel cake to live music & entertainment, our celebration was great.  The kids enjoyed all the festivities and when the sun went down we headed to our car & set up camp to watch the fireworks.  With our blankets & lawn chairs we talked, snacked and enjoyed our afternoon.  As with all 4th of July fireworks displays we, of course, had to wait until nearly 10:00 o'clock before the show began but when it did... wow it was fantastic.  I always love fireworks shows and seeing the beautiful display definitely made feel proud that I am American.  You know the old say... American by birth and Southern by the grace of God.

My three favorite people!

The Art of Racing in the Rain

As my turn to choose our monthly book club picks came around, I decided to look up some of the most popular and best-rated books on www.amazon.com.  One book I discovered was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  It turns out this book was actually a New York Times bestseller.  Not particularly one of my favorite books, but definitely a completely different read for me.   I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.  Here is a brief description of the book taken from amazon.

If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Stein's third novel offers an answer. Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm outside Seattle to ride shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift as he pursues success on the track and off. Denny meets and marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man. When Denny hits an extended rough patch, Enzo remains his most steadfast if silent supporter. Enzo is a reliable companion and a likable enough narrator, though the string of Denny's bad luck stories strains believability. Much like Denny, however, Stein is able to salvage some dignity from the over-the-top drama.