(12/52) READ ALL ABOUT IT...

There's a new reader in town.

Books, mail, billboards, menus, directions, post-its, and more.

Endless entertainment, questions, and awe as each page turns.

"Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers."

-Harry S. Truman

"THE DELICATE DANCE OF GUILT AND JOY..."

a few saturdays ago i picked up big mama's book, sparkly green earrings and read the whole thing by that evening.  as she explains motherhood with her sense of humor and honesty, i found myself wishing i had a highlighter handy. but maybe it's a good thing i didn't since i would have underlined most of the book. 
(fyi- the kindle version is temporarily free here)

while nothing compares to rereading the book in its entirety,
here are just a few of the nuggets i want to remember from sparkly green earrings
(all quotes by melanie shankle):

Sometimes I regret that I didn't enjoy more in the moment, but isn't that the way motherhood goes? Looking back, the sweetest things are often the hardest things. They teach you a level of sacrifice you didn't know you were capable of, and for me, having a child was the beginning of a glimpse into the kind of love Christ has for us. Sacrificial love. Love hat doesn't keep score. Love that isn't dependent on what's in it for me. Love that is consuming and protective and unconditional. These are the early moments that bond us forever.

God gives us these raw, little people, and we have to form them and mold them and teach them how to operate in society. And if we get a glimpse of all the ugliness that lies right beneath our own polished surface? Well, then, there's a humbling lesson too. It's those moments when I realize I have to extend grace as they figure these things out by trial and error in the same way God lavishes me with mercy, even as I make the same mistakes over and over.

They aren't going to get it right every time, but neither are we. Our job as mothers is to do the best we can to teach our children that life is better and friendships are richer when we treat others with kindness, when we remember to share, and when we use nice words. To remember that every person we come in contact with may have a few cracks in their hearts even if we can't see them and that love is always the best response.

Only the reality of doing something every day prepares you for what it's really like. some days I got it right, and some days I didn't. some days I think i've got it all figured out, and some days i'm sure i must be the most incompetent person to ever attempt this job. But I'm thankful that if I'm going to spend my days with someone who ignores half of what I say and acts like she knows better than I do, it's my daughter. 

I can't give perfection, because I'm fresh out. that's where the grace of God enters, and I exit quietly through the back door, allowing him to fill in the gaps. I have to face who I really am and what i'm equipped to do versus the person I sometimes like to fantasize I am. 

Nothing survives when it's being smothered. Life, real life, requires being free to move about it the great big ocean, not being cradled in little hot hands that will stifle independence and creativity. We can't keep our crabs (kids) in a bucket and expect them to go far in life. The problem is that our hearts are so intertwined with our little crabs' hearts that we don't know where theirs begin and ours end. And it's so hard to let go.

Raising a child is a fleeting moment in time that sometimes gets swallowed up in the daily routine of car pools and soccer practice and can I get away with serving tacos for dinner again tonight? It's the daily balance of treasuring the moments even as we wish some of them away. It's treading water in a sea of imperfections. It's a delicate dance of guilt and joy.

 i am thankful for these moments.

SHE'S MADELINE, SHE'S MADELINE...

recently adelaide's class read madeline by ludwig bemelman.

they made adorable yellow hats

(painted an upside down paper bowl yellow then added a black ribbon)

and she proudly came running out of school wearing it one afternoon.

later she let her eager brother take a turn with her newest costume.

i can't stop laughing at his resemblance to fozzie bear while wearing it.

COLD TANGERINES...

i enjoy a variety of books for different reasons,

but shauna niequist's books are in their own category because as i read them it seems

as though she somehow crawled in my head and put much of the jumbled mess into words.

 each chapter is only a few pages and can stand on its own, to sink in over time.

but each is so good i find myself wanting to read on then reread my favorites again.

i read bittersweet last year, as i was coming out of the fog of the first year of having two kids.

i opened it in a season of many changes of motherhood and it spoke volumes to the stage of life i was in.

filled with good reminders and life lessons in a non-preachy way. 

and just recently i finished cold tangerines.

here are a few of my favorite slices from it:

when we do the hard, intimate work of friendship, we bring a little more of the divine into daily life. we get to remind one another about the bigger, more beautiful picture that we can't always see from where we are. -pg 49

true friendship is a sacred, important thing, and it happens when we drop down into that deeper level of who we are, when we cross over into the broken, fragile parts of ourselves. we have to give something up in order to get friendship like that. we have to give up our need to be perceived as perfect. -pg 50

maybe some of what we're doing here is representing the goodness and love of God in tangible ways. -pg 52

i saw the long list of meetings and projects and the long list of phone calls to return... but i wasn't seeing the people of the celebrations. i wasn't seeing anything beyond the chaos of my life and my home and my calendar... waiting under the things to do was a story to be told. -pg 88

i have a condition my husband and i call "crazy brain." it's like being hyperactive in your brain instead of your body. -pg 134

i have been surprised to find that i am given more life, more hope, more moments of buoyancy and redemption, the more i give up. the more i let go, do without, reduce, the more i feel rich. the more i let people be who they are, instead of cramming them into what i need from them, the more surprised i am by their beauty and depth. -pg 159

all my life i've been multitasking. i'm good at it. i don't want to be braggy, but i'm kind of a champion multitasked, really. and all of a sudden, what's valuable is not the multitasking but the single task- being with my son, doing nothing else. -pg 194

as we talked about it, i commented that this season must feel like an interim season. and she stopped for a second and said, "everything is interim. every season that i thought was stable and would be just how it was for a long time ended up being a preparation or a path to the next thing. when you decide to be on this journey with God, everything is interim." -pg 206

i want to arrive. i want to get to wherever i'm going and stay there. that's why i was such a ferocious planner of my life. but i'm learning to just keep moving, keep walking, keep taking teeny tiny steps. and it's in those that i become, actually, who i am. we won't arrive. but we can become. and that's the most hopeful thing i can think of. -pg 208


i want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. and i don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. i want to eat cold tangerines and sing loud in the car and sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift, who will use it up and wring it out and drag it around like a favorite sweater. -pg 234-235

(all quotes from cold tangerines by shauna niequist)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS ON THE FIRST...

my FIRST IMPRESSION of FLOWERS

a green thumb cannot be found on either of my hands.
i have minimal knowledge about fauna and flora.

i do not have an extensive floral vocabulary.

i do know what flowers i like the look of

(almost all brightly colored flowers except carnations and a few lilies).

i do know what flowers i like the smell of

(yes to anything smelling fresh, a big giant NO to mock orange blossoms).

so when the day came to choose wedding flowers our florist (and family friend)
deela was beyond patient and so wonderful to me.

she listened attentively as i tried to describe random details of flowers i might like.

she nodded understandingly when i nixed various flowers simply based on my mood.

she managed to help me figure out what i liked the look of as we viewed countless flower websites.

evan didn't care one bit what kind of flowers we used
and i didn't care much as long as they were bold and bright.

eventually decisions were made and i grew excited about them.

through it all the only advice deela offered was that if we were okay with it,

she would include a small touch of a (some long named white) flower in evan's boutonniere.

she told me it was traditionally associated with "marital happiness" and might be neat to include.

"sure, why not," i responded.

little did i know seven years later i would be so glad she threw in a sprig or two of that stephanotis.

last month our book club read the language of flowers by vanessa diffenbaugh.
i thoroughly enjoyed this book and the eye-opening associations made with different flowers.
do i now think flowers have good luck powers or charms? no.
was it fun to learn the meaning of different flowers' names,
and the way the author wove them into such an interesting novel? absolutely.

i brought a few craft supplies along to our meeting at flora and muse
(part coffee shop/part flower shop, an obvious choice for where to meet to discuss this book).
each of us created our own unique bouquet, then shared why we chose to include each flower in it.

my wedding bouquet was a combination of the flowers each of my bridesmaids carried,

to represent the way my life was touched by all their different personalities and gifts of friendship.

i was reminded of my wedding bouquet as i created my paper book club bouquet with new friends.

i found myself thankful all over again for precious friendships and the unique beauty each brings to my life.

IT MAKES ME WANT TO WEAR PEARLS AND A FORMAL...

i read saving ceecee honeycutt by beth hoffman in 24 glorious hours.

tucked within in the pages were snippets that made me think and smile.

my copy is dog-eared and underlined more than most textbooks.

here are a few of the quotes i wanted to remember from this great book:

"just set up the board as best you can. we'll play with whatever we got."

"my grandmother said, 'don't grow up too fast, darling, age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike heart, you'll never, ever grow old.' "

"the human mind is an amazing thing. it protects us when we can't protect ourselves. sometimes when we're holding pain and it gets to be too heavy or goes too deep, we have to give in to it, let it knock us over and pull us all the way down. once we hit bottom, we rest in a quiet place for a while. then, when the pain eases and we're ready to face the world again, we come right back up."

"life don't wait for nobody, and even as special as you are, it ain't gonna wait for you, neither. so it's time to make up your mind that you're gonna join it."

"she told me she loved me. well not the exact words 'i love you' but what she said was, 'ain't no sun in the kitchen without your face lookin' up at me.' "

"i was called 'darlin' ' and 'sugar' and 'sweet peach' and 'precious.' my heart was blessed too many times to count."

"oysters are a lot like women. it's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us beauty."

"it feels like i haven't seen her in years."

"well, that's how it is when you love someone."

"i realized southern hospitality not only came from the heart but was a practiced social art that had been passed down from one generation to the next- like fine silverware or china."

"nothing brings light to a woman's face like pearls. if you want to glow like you're lit from within, wear pearls and a pale pink sweater."

this (steel magnolias meets the help) novel

is begging to be read by others this holiday season.

after all, readers are leaders.

HALLOWEEN BOOK CLUB...

to commemorate costumes of halloween past:

1) find a book to correspond with the different costumes worn.

2) print a collage of each year's pictures at walgreens or other.

3) glue each collage in the appropriate book.

4) the kids love these new additions to our fall book basket.

they aren't the only ones that love them. 

 5) now i'm just waiting to add a photo to this year's book!

EMBRACE THE CAMERA, READERS ARE LEADERS EDITION...

is there anything in the world sweeter?

than a lapful of clean babies

snug in their pajamas

smelling oh-so-fresh from the tub

just itching for

a bedtime story and snuggles?

i don't think so either.

from december 2009 to august 2011

more embracing found here: andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com

THE FRIENDS THAT READ TOGETHER...

...EAT DESSERT TOGETHER TOO.

this spring a book club was formed.
some of us played bunco together,
others were co-workers,
some were friends,
and friends of friends.
but the important thing is we all came together,
because everyone knows "readers are leaders."

we are a laid-back book club.
two months are given to read each book.
grace is poured out for not finishing (or even picking up) the book.

i enjoy hearing others' thoughts on each title once we are done.
it is intriguing to hear the things that come to mind from the pages we read,
and share the vastly different thoughts that can be gleaned from reading the same words.
i don't mind getting to go out for dessert each time we meet too.
so far we have had cake, mousse, cupcakes, and frozen yogurt.

the first three books we read were the help, a thousand splendid suns, and the great gatsby.
this past time it was my turn to choose.
i picked the red tent because i have wanted to read it for approximately ten years.
by choosing it, i was guaranteeing i finally would.

the downside of the book, was how many characters there were,

their names were jumbled in my mind.

so i brought this prop to book club- i think it aided our discussion well.

overall, i really iked it though and thought it was such an interesting fictionalized viewpoint.

my favorite quote from the red tent was found on page 226 in my copy,
right after dinah gives birth:
"there should be a song for women to sing at this moment, or a prayer to recite.
but perhaps there is none because there are no words strong enough to name that moment."
i couldn't agree more.


what is your favorite book or book quote?

THE FAMILY THAT READS TOGETHER...

...HAS SHELVES FULL OF BOOKS.

Name: Annalee 

Age: 31

Occupation: domestic planner/mom

Current Favorite Books: 

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers 

 Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 

Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist 

Name: Evan 

Age: 28

Occupation: attorney/resident D.J. 

Current Favorite Books: 

John Adams by David McCullough 

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin 

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Name: Adelaide 

Age: 3.5

Occupation: chef/singer

Current Favorite Books: 

Lilly and the Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes 

Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak 

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems 

Alphabet Adventure by Audrey and Bruce Wood

Name: Graham

Age: 1.5

Occupation: race car driver/foodie

Current Favorite Books: 

Barnyard Banter by Denise Fleming 

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle 

That's Not my Dinosaur by Usbourne Books

I Stink by Kate and Jim McMullan

 (all photos taken on the first day of preschool 2011)

A YEAR OF READING (part 3A)...

part 3A:

READ more recipes.

more specifically cook from the recipe books i received for christmas: 

one recipe a month from ree drummond's the pioneer woman cooks.

mar- chicken pot pie (complete with the perfect pie crust)

apr- marlboro man sandwiches

may- pico de gallo

june- spicy pulled pork tacos

july- potato leek pizza (*my favorite of the year)

aug- red pepper risotto (online, not in the cookbook)

sept- huevos hyacinth

oct- creamy mashed potatoes

nov-macaroni and cheese

dec- cinnamon rolls

jan- penne alla betsy (*my runner-up for favorite)

feb- perfect pot roast

many of these recipes have now been made more than once at our house

and placed on the permanent rotation!

i love this cookbook because:

i am a visual learner and the step-by-step photos are so helpful.

the recipes are for basic, good home-cooking, but each one has a little twist that makes it extra tasty.

A YEAR OF READING (part 2)...

2) READ one book a month.

i had no idea how out-of-the-reading-habit i had gotten. i am glad to be making an effort to read again because deep down i really enjoy it but i realized i don't make it a priority at all. after the kids go to bed i am perfectly content sitting on the couch next to evan flipping through magazines and catalogs or playing words with friends. of course that's okay sometimes too, but i'm always glad afterward when i pick up a good old fashioned book instead. i just joined a book club so i'm hoping that will help me continue to read a book every month or two even though my resolution to do so is technically done.

this year i READ:

mar-

RULES

by Cynthia Lord

Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible when you have a brother with autism and a family that revolves around his disability. She's spent years trying to teach David the rules from "a peach is not a funny-looking apple" to "keep your pants on in public"- in order to head off David's embarrassing behaviors. But the summer Catherine meets Jason, a surprising, new sort-of friend, and Kristi, the potential next-door friend she's always wished for, it's her own shocking behavior that turns everything upside down and forces her to ask: What is normal?

apr-

I WILL CARRY YOU

by Angie Smith

Angie Smith was eighteen weeks pregnant with her fourth daughter, Audrey Caroline, when doctors discovered conditions leaving Audrey "incompatible with life." Faced with the decision whether to terminate pregnancy, Angie and her husband chose to carry Audrey as long as she had life. This began what turned out to be three months of loving and carrying a little girl that was not expected to live more than a few minutes. Audrey Caroline lived for over two hours, weighing three pounds, two ounces. Yet in the midst of the sorrow of loss, there was still joy. Angie weaves the faith-filled story of Audrey Caroline with a biblical story of hope to help us all understand how better to cope with loss and disappointment. In this book Audrey's mom tells the sweet story of her baby girl who changed the world. Be part of Audrey's story as you read of this mom, her daughter, and the family's faith. You will be among the changed.

may-

FIREFLY LANE

by Kristin Hannah

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all- beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah's magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives. For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship- jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart, and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

june-

STORI TELLING

by Tori Spelling

This is Tori's chance to finally tell her side of the tabloid-worthy life she's led, and she talks about it all: her decadent childhood birthday parties, her nose job, her fairy-tale wedding to the wrong man, her so-called feud with her mother. Tori has already revealed her flair for brilliant, self-effacing satire on her TV shows,but her memoir goes deeper, into the real life behind the rumors: her complicated relationship with her parents; her struggles as an actress after90210; her accident-prone love life; and, ultimately, her quest to define herself on her own terms. From her over-the-top first wedding to finding new love to her much-publicized, and misunderstood "disinheritance,"sTORI tellingis a juicy, eye-opening, enthralling look at what it really means to be Tori Spelling.

july-

RUTH- LOSS, LOVE, AND LEGACY

by Kelly Minter

Ruth's journey of unbearable loss, redeeming love, and divine legacy comes alive in this six-week study. Join Kelly Minter and her friends Carrie, Lauri, Anadara, and Alli as the explore the Book of Ruth in this relational Bible Study that merges Scripture and everyday life.

aug-

TWO FROM GALILEE

by Marjorie Holmes

This is the story of two real people whose lives were touched by God: two people chosen by God to provide an earthly home for His Son. Here are Mary and Joseph- a teenage girl and a young carpenter- alone, frightened, in love, face with family conflict, a hostile world and an awesome responsibility. It is a story for young and old alike; for everyone who finds the Christmas tale a source of timeless beauty and wonder; a compassionate, emotional novel of divine love.

sept-

THE HUNGER GAMES
by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on life TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before- and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

oct-

CATCHING FIRE

by Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive.  Katniss should be relieved, happy even.  After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale.  Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be.  Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

nov-

MOCKINGJAY

by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans- except Katniss. The sucess of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay- no matter what the personal cost.

dec-

RADICAL

by David Platt

In this book, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple- then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus.

jan-

FREEDOM FOR MOTHERS

by Denise Glenn
In this book Denise Glenn will lead your search for a source to meet your needs so you can then turn to care for your family using John 15. You'll find an in-depth Bible study combined with heart-warming personal stories and accompanying mothering tips.  You'll laugh and cry your way through a study that can transform your mothering from frustrating to fulfilling. Whether your children are toddlers or teens, you'll find key principles that will set you free to be the mother you long to be as you discover that Jesus did not just come to help you with your life, He came to BE your life.

feb-

THE HELP

by Kathryn Stockett

Twenty-two year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved mail Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these woman will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are all suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

*all summaries taken from the prospective books.

*radical and freedom for mothers will both be completed in march. 

i am reading each of them as a part of a small group that is reading a chapter at a time.
*next up is a thousand splendid suns by khaled hosseini