Teaser Tuesdays -- December 10

Teaser Tuesdays is a meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.  The idea is to grab your current read and share a couple of random sentences.  Share the title and the author so others can add the book to their TBR list if they so desire.

Currently I am reading two books so I will share from each.

The first is Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

 
"Dear Ginger, I have never been a great follower of rules.  You know that."

Hmmm...sounds like a great big "but" to me!  I just started this book last night and didn't get beyond these first two lines before the bag monster got me so I will refrain from even trying to make any sort of assessment at this time.

My second book is Good News for Modern Man:  The New Testament in Today's English.

 I have had this book for years and have never read it because I always felt the King James version to be the gold standard for Bibles but I ran across it recently and decided to give it a go.  The only thing is, I found the little disclaimer on the front page to be a bit off putting.  It says "God's Word for a New Age".  That brings up a whole other issue for another blog.  So, here is my passage:


"No one can be a slave to two masters:  he will hate one and love the other; he will be loyal to one and despise the other.  So it is with you:  you cannot have both God and wealth as your master."

So, there are my two passages. 

New Christmas Acquisition --

Isn't it cute -- a Nativity in a leaf!  I went to a cute little gift shop in Hurst called Apple Annie's.  I couldn't stay there though because it was hot, crowded and the heavy candle scents were overwhelming but I spied this on my way out and just had to pick it up!  Love it!

The Bungalow Mystery -- Carolyn Keene

Last night I finished "The Bungalow Mystery" by Carolyn Keene.  It is #3 in the Nancy Drew series.  I have been reading Nancy Drew as part of a reading challenge -- 2012 Pre-1960 Childrens Book Challenge.  This particular title was originally published in 1930 so it certainly fills the criteria.

It was an enjoyable read, as have been the two previous titles in the series.  I was introduced to Nancy Drew as a child but I didn't like them -- I am not sure why because now they are quite delightful.  I think I am going to challenge myself -- not necessarily part of some big, public challenge -- to read the entire series.  Not sure if I will actually purchase the physical books but I might since I have a difficult time trying to declutter my books -- seems logical to just add more to the fray -- oh well, at least this is the only area of my life I am not thinking minimally!

Anyway, I digress.  This is a great little read and I recommend.

Our One Guest

We put out some bird seed for the poor, freezing birds but, much to our surprise, none came -- until yesterday afternoon.  This lonely little guy decided he would brave the ice and have a little "something".

Minimalism VS Prepper and How I Messed Up


We live in a new house -- built in 2005 -- but we don't live in a huge house.  We "downsized" to a garden home  - we have more square footage in our current home than we did in our former home but we have fewer rooms.  We have a "garden home" but we have a yard as large as our former yard -- fortunately we don't have to cut it ourselves as that is included in the HOA dues.  When we first moved here we only brought what we absolutely wanted and then took the next six years to empty the former house of our "stuff".  It was so nice, at first, to actually have empty drawers and space in the closets but somehow more "stuff" has crept into those spaces and now I am trying to sift through it and get rid of things. 

A good deal of my problem stems from the fact that I sew. I  quilt, I sew and I do needlework -- all hobbies that generate lots of mess.  I don't have a room to do any of this in -- I sew in the laundry room and while everything fits, it doesn't allow for much clutter which seems to accumulate every where I go.

Because of this I have been doing a lot of reading about minimalism.  I have looked at lots of photos and read lots of blogs.  I have even referred back to one of our favorite books -- "The Not So Big House" by Sarah Susanka.  I have tried to employ the principals of minimalism -- if it isn't useful and you don't love it, toss it. That is difficult because I don't generally acquire things I don't like or aren't useful.  I have already gotten rid of almost every small appliance in this house and ALMOST went out and bought another rice cooker before I came to my senses. Another popular technique is to get rid of books and use an e-reader.  I have done some of that and I do enjoy reading some on the Nook but I still like books.  That creates another problem for me.  I have been known to go absolutely insane while standing at the sale table at our neighborhood B&N and buy books that I "might" read someday.  Well, I only have one bookcase dedicated to my own books and it is now double deep so I have taken some to my neighborhood Half Price Books.  However, I have been reading the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton and love, love, love the series.  I guess I had a weak moment while "minimalizing" my bookshelf and I took all my Aunt Dimity books to Half Price to sell.  Immediate regret!  So, I got online and bought them all back in hardback versions!  THAT is how I messed up!  However, I got ten hardback for $35 which wasn't a bad deal and I had earned half that from my paperbacks that I sold so I guess I didn't mess up completely!

So, we have had a major ice storm here in DFW and I have been doing a lot of thinking about minimalism VS prepping.  I have always been one to prep for weather events because I have always lived someplace where we actually had weather events.  I don't worry too much about nuclear war and stuff like that but this ice storm -- quite another story.  So, I was thinking about how you could be a minimalist and a prepper at the same time and it dawned on me that you have to be minimalist thinking in order to be able to prep at all because if your house is full of clutter and stuff you don't use, you aren't going to have room to store the things you do need and be able to find the stuff when you need it -- like gloves for instance.  Yes, I know where my gloves are, thank you, but when fishing through the drawer for them it occurred to me that some organization was in order so, as soon as I can get out of here and go shopping, I intend to buy some organizers to get my stuff in order so I don't have to search for it.  Yes, I will probably have to get rid of some stuff -- like the half dozen socks with no mates -- and I will probably have to replace some stuff -- like the half dozen pairs of socks that are no longer pairs -- and I will probably have to do a good amount of rearranging because things are not stored very logically.  I do have to get the Vera Bradly purses out of the drawers and on the shelves which means I have to get rid of the purses that I don't use anymore into a box for Goodwill. 

Ah, yes, so that is what I have been thinking about while being housebound and it looks like tomorrow is going to be a very busy day with all the drawer cleaning and all.

Book Beginnings on Fridays


I learned about this site from JLSHall's blog, A Little Reading.  It is hosted by Rose City Reader and the idea is to share the first line of whatever you are reading.  I have been looking for a new meme to participate in and this looks like something fun.

So, my excerpt comes from "The Bungalow Mystery",  Nancy Drew, #3.  I have been reading the Nancy Drew series for a children's challenge I have been participating in this year and I have been enjoying it a great deal -- much more than I did as a child when I tried to read them.

So, my sentence goes like this --

"Look at those black storm clouds!" Nancy Drew pointed out to her friend, Helen Corning, who was seated beside her in the bow of the small red motorboat."

Nothing like impending danger to lead into a story! How can you not read on.

I am reading this on my Nook Simple Touch which I am finding to be a good thing and a not so good thing but that is another blog entry.

The Wreath Has Been Hung ----

This was done two days ago when it was about 80 degrees outside.  I made this wreath years ago and it has served me well.  However, today it is a little icy so I am not sure if it will survive this year.

Today our yard looks like this --

This is NOT snow -- it is ice -- and it will not get above freezing until Sunday so here we are.  I am going to go put on some chicken and rice soup and crank up the bread machine.  Thankfully, I think it is over for us -- now we just have to thaw.  Great day for reading and Christmas movies!

And Here Come the Nutcrackers ---

There was a time when I rushed through the holidays.  I shopped early.  I wrapped early.  I wanted the tree up on Thanksgiving night regardless.  I was driven.  I was also tired with all that rushing.  I couldn't enjoy the end result because I didn't enjoy the process.

There were a few years that I tried to keep up the pace for my children even though my children were grown and gone with spouses and homes of their own.  Maybe I was trying to ignore the fact that my nest was empty and I wasn't enjoying it.  It was very depressing to realize that I was doing what I had always done and nobody cared or appreciated it.

So....then followed the years that I just didn't bother.  I have a Christmas village that we put up every year but it turned into a chore with no joy.  Nobody was there to enjoy it and I just ceased caring.  There were even a couple of years that I didn't bother with a tree -- the village was exhausting enough.

The last couple of years my apathy was fueled by what was clearly declining health although I didn't realize it at the time.  I didn't have the energy or the interest and besides, the children were doing their own thing so it didn't matter whether I went through the motions or not.  These last couple of years Christmas has just sort of come and gone and I was just as glad to have it that way.

This year is different.  A lot different.  In the first place, my good health has been restored and I have a huge amount of energy and interest in things and I am seeing the holidays in a whole new way.  What way is that?  Well, I have come to realize that Christmas is MY Christmas too -- not just reliant on my children.  I can enjoy the holiday on my own terms -- and do it the way I want even though that may not be the way it was done in the past.  I can change things up and not feel like I am somehow betraying my traditions.  I can decorate as much or as little as I want.  I am not in a race against some arbitrary time constraints.  So, I have been decorating a little bit at a time -- looking at my decorations that have been accumulated over time -- really enjoying them and remembering when they were acquired and where.  I have even added a few new things this year.  The village will most certainly go up -- probably this weekend -- and I may or may not put up the tree, I haven't decided. The wreath goes up this evening and the stockings will follow suit. 

This season of Advent is so meaningful to me.  It is a time of quiet which I need.  It is a time of peace which I feel so strongly right now.  It is a time of new beginnings which I look forward to.  This Christmas is going to be different than the last several Christmases have been because I am different and I am thinking I like this new outlook.

I Realize I Am Old But ...

is black Friday really necessary?  I mean, when I was a kid, we had Thanksgiving which was a really quiet day for the most part.  The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxed as well -- some people had company for the weekend and families like mine just enjoyed the long weekend. We didn't rush through Thanksgiving with the focus on going shopping at some ridiculous hour only to trample people for "stuff".  In my family we didn't even start thinking about Christmas until December! Imagine that.

I went shopping this evening for an event at our church and I was appalled. My neighborhood Target looked like it had been ravaged by locusts and it didn't appear to be recovering.  Everything was completely picked over, shelves were empty, there was nothing to choose from and there was no evidence to suggest that there was any restocking planned. I mean, seriously?  It is only the beginning of December and I can't believe that everybody is done with their shopping.  What is going to happen to people who don't shop until mid-month, like when they get paid?  Not everybody like to shop for Christmas presents and Halloween simultaneously.  It was really depressing this evening. 

So, I have to ask -- is Black Friday necessary? 

Peter, Paul, and Mary - Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel

And We Wait --

Advent has arrived and I have to say I really look forward to the season.  I try to get the majority of the shopping done prior to the first Sunday so that I can actually enjoy the waiting and the quiet.

 When my children were little I didn't really subscribe to the Advent mindset -- I was caught up in the chaos that begins somewhere around Halloween.  I have to admit, sadly, that I didn't really enjoy their Christmases.  They were too hectic, too much materialism, too much comparison.  I was insecure in my role as a mother and clearly lost focus easily.  Even though I was religious and my children were raised in the church, I was too caught up in the Christmas of the world and I regret it.

However, things are different now.  I have learned to embrace the quiet and the concept of waiting.  I have slowed down -- not because of my advanced age (that is a joke, people) but because I have a new appreciation of time. I don't want to look back at my time and see chaos.

So, today as I blessed our wreath and shared the readings with my youngest granddaughter I took my time.  We didn't rush through, we talked about what I was saying and what the season meant.  We talked about Advent being a time of waiting for something wonderful to come, the birth of Baby Jesus.  I could almost feel time slow down.  It was such a wonderful feeling.