Lydia Howe's Blog, page 27
December 10, 2015
A Quick Survey and Amazon Giftcard Giveaway
It's that time of year again: 2015 is almost over and I've begun working on organizing my goals and dreams for 2016. And I need y'all to help me. I have a short survey that I would be absolutely delighted if you would take ninety seconds and fill it out for me. Simple, right?
Blogging is one of my favorite things to do and I'm so thankful that I have people who read my blog, because, come on, how much fun is a blog if no one is there to read it? To make Noveltea the best that it can be, and to make it more personal to y'all, I wanted to give you a chance to "Let your voice be heard" so to speak. This survey is anonymous so please be honest and help me make Noveltea better.
Also! *Deep Breath* From here on out I am going to be working on answering all the comments that come into Noveltea and in a timely manner. So, that means that if you comment on a post, I'll actually reply now (I know, gasp!). That means if you feel so inclined to test it out, go ahead and comment and see how long it takes me to get back with you. (And, when I say timely manner I mean within a day or two, not an hour or two.)
I didn't know how to add this to the survey, but I thought it would be fun to do a Question and Answer type of post, so if you have any questions you'd like me to answer, please leave them in the comments. When I get enough for a Q and A post then I'll answer them and we'll have fun with that. Go ahead and be as random or serious as you desire. :) Note: Please leave the comments on the blog instead of the giveaway widget.
One last thing: To thank you for your time filling out the survey I decided to do a giveaway. Just fill out the survey and leave a comment with any questions you have for your chance to win a $5 Amazon Giftcard. (Of course you have to enter the giveaway too, so we can keep track.)
Thank you! I greatly look forward to seeing what y'all have to say and then making Noveltea better. Have a wonderful day!
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a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blogging is one of my favorite things to do and I'm so thankful that I have people who read my blog, because, come on, how much fun is a blog if no one is there to read it? To make Noveltea the best that it can be, and to make it more personal to y'all, I wanted to give you a chance to "Let your voice be heard" so to speak. This survey is anonymous so please be honest and help me make Noveltea better.
Also! *Deep Breath* From here on out I am going to be working on answering all the comments that come into Noveltea and in a timely manner. So, that means that if you comment on a post, I'll actually reply now (I know, gasp!). That means if you feel so inclined to test it out, go ahead and comment and see how long it takes me to get back with you. (And, when I say timely manner I mean within a day or two, not an hour or two.)
I didn't know how to add this to the survey, but I thought it would be fun to do a Question and Answer type of post, so if you have any questions you'd like me to answer, please leave them in the comments. When I get enough for a Q and A post then I'll answer them and we'll have fun with that. Go ahead and be as random or serious as you desire. :) Note: Please leave the comments on the blog instead of the giveaway widget.
One last thing: To thank you for your time filling out the survey I decided to do a giveaway. Just fill out the survey and leave a comment with any questions you have for your chance to win a $5 Amazon Giftcard. (Of course you have to enter the giveaway too, so we can keep track.)
Thank you! I greatly look forward to seeing what y'all have to say and then making Noveltea better. Have a wonderful day!
Loading...
a Rafflecopter giveaway
December 9, 2015
Eighteen-Year-Old Me and South America
My intention was to simply find a few pictures, upload them to my blog and then write this post. Instead I found myself lost in a haze of memories and a hundred or so pictures as I scrolled through them. Then I looked back at the emails I wrote five years ago and was instantly transported even further into a totally different world.
All during my teenage years I dreamed of going to Peru, South America, to stay with my oldest sister, Betsie, who lived high up in the mountains with her husband and children. Most of our family went for a five-week visit when I was fifteen. It was an unforgettable experience, even though I was quiet unwell for most of the trip due to (then undiagnosed) Lyme disease.
My next-older sister, Helena, went back the following year to stay with Betsie and her family for five months. I frequently prayed that I would be able to go help out as well one day. Health issues appeared to render that dream as unattainable and my young age only added to the roadblocks.
Then, a few weeks before I turned eighteen (and therefore could travel without parents internationally and not have a hassle with it), we were able to find a certain vitamin supplement that helped me feel the best that I had in ages. It was right after my birthday that my brother-in-law called (a rarity since they lived so high up in the mountains and phone time was expensive and scarce) and... Well, it's a long story but two weeks later Helena and I were on our way to Peru for two months to help Betsie who was on bed-rest, expecting their fifth child.
I wasn't able to find the pictures I had been looking for, but I did find some that Betsie had. (Some of these are from the year before I went and stayed with them.)
We lived in a mountain village of about 3,000 people, settled into a little river valley in the Andies Mountains at 12,500 feet. The air was thin, the trees extremely sparse, and the world seemingly barren. It was the most desolate landscape I had seen at that point in my life, yet even so I was amazed at the beauty. The sky was so close with burning sun, chapping wind, and vibrant blues. The weather would change dramatically, each day easily having a thirty to forty degree range.
It was a harsh environment. The workload faced each day to merely survive was difficult to comprehend. We lived in an adobe (dirt) house, had no indoor plumbing (although we were blessed to have one sink outside the back door with cold, un-pure water), limited electricity, and no heat. One of my daily jobs was to fill up the water purifiers in the house and to water the floor to keep the dust down.
There were also many culture practices that took a bit of time to get used to. We were there during the rainy season, and, as we soon learned, it was important to stay out of the rain. If you did end up getting wet you were supposed to go straight home and go to bed. Betsie explained that's because since there's no heat and the weather often dipped into the twenties, it was hard to warm up after being chilled by the cold rain. Therefore the people had learned that if you get into bed with your warm covers you're less likely to get sick.
Most people there had two houses (remember, these were made out of adobe so they were fairly inexpensive to make), one in the village and one out in the country. Then they would divide their time between their farms and the village where they had market and the children went to school.
In the village we had a gas stove, but out in the country we had no such luxuries. If you'll look behind me in the picture above or to the left of the children in the picture below, you'll see a huge stack of dry cow patties, which is what we used as fuel when we needed to cook.
Despite the hardships, there was plenty of happiness and laughter to go around. My nieces and nephews especially enjoyed their country house without electricity and extremely close neighbors who would watch every move that that "gringos" made. The swing and hammock added to the charm and were in almost-constant use when we were there.
Back in the village we often had visitors over. (Another hard-to-get-used-to cultural practice was the completely acceptable practice of carrying a small plastic bag in your pocket to slip your food into when you couldn't/didn't eat all that had been served to you. You just had to do it without anyone seeing you...)
The world there was so much more laid back and at a entirely different pace than I was used to. It took some time to learn to go with the flow, forgo plans and not get stressed while waiting for hours at a time, but it was good.
I am so grateful for the time I spent in Peru and I learned an astonishing amount of things; things about the world, about different cultures, about my perceptions, and a thousand other lessons I won't boggle you down with now. Those two months were life-changing, a dream come true, and the answer to so many of my prayers.
* * *
What about you? Have you ever been to a third-world country?
All during my teenage years I dreamed of going to Peru, South America, to stay with my oldest sister, Betsie, who lived high up in the mountains with her husband and children. Most of our family went for a five-week visit when I was fifteen. It was an unforgettable experience, even though I was quiet unwell for most of the trip due to (then undiagnosed) Lyme disease.
My next-older sister, Helena, went back the following year to stay with Betsie and her family for five months. I frequently prayed that I would be able to go help out as well one day. Health issues appeared to render that dream as unattainable and my young age only added to the roadblocks.
Then, a few weeks before I turned eighteen (and therefore could travel without parents internationally and not have a hassle with it), we were able to find a certain vitamin supplement that helped me feel the best that I had in ages. It was right after my birthday that my brother-in-law called (a rarity since they lived so high up in the mountains and phone time was expensive and scarce) and... Well, it's a long story but two weeks later Helena and I were on our way to Peru for two months to help Betsie who was on bed-rest, expecting their fifth child.
I wasn't able to find the pictures I had been looking for, but I did find some that Betsie had. (Some of these are from the year before I went and stayed with them.) We lived in a mountain village of about 3,000 people, settled into a little river valley in the Andies Mountains at 12,500 feet. The air was thin, the trees extremely sparse, and the world seemingly barren. It was the most desolate landscape I had seen at that point in my life, yet even so I was amazed at the beauty. The sky was so close with burning sun, chapping wind, and vibrant blues. The weather would change dramatically, each day easily having a thirty to forty degree range.
It was a harsh environment. The workload faced each day to merely survive was difficult to comprehend. We lived in an adobe (dirt) house, had no indoor plumbing (although we were blessed to have one sink outside the back door with cold, un-pure water), limited electricity, and no heat. One of my daily jobs was to fill up the water purifiers in the house and to water the floor to keep the dust down.
There were also many culture practices that took a bit of time to get used to. We were there during the rainy season, and, as we soon learned, it was important to stay out of the rain. If you did end up getting wet you were supposed to go straight home and go to bed. Betsie explained that's because since there's no heat and the weather often dipped into the twenties, it was hard to warm up after being chilled by the cold rain. Therefore the people had learned that if you get into bed with your warm covers you're less likely to get sick.
Most people there had two houses (remember, these were made out of adobe so they were fairly inexpensive to make), one in the village and one out in the country. Then they would divide their time between their farms and the village where they had market and the children went to school.
In the village we had a gas stove, but out in the country we had no such luxuries. If you'll look behind me in the picture above or to the left of the children in the picture below, you'll see a huge stack of dry cow patties, which is what we used as fuel when we needed to cook.
Despite the hardships, there was plenty of happiness and laughter to go around. My nieces and nephews especially enjoyed their country house without electricity and extremely close neighbors who would watch every move that that "gringos" made. The swing and hammock added to the charm and were in almost-constant use when we were there.
Back in the village we often had visitors over. (Another hard-to-get-used-to cultural practice was the completely acceptable practice of carrying a small plastic bag in your pocket to slip your food into when you couldn't/didn't eat all that had been served to you. You just had to do it without anyone seeing you...)
The world there was so much more laid back and at a entirely different pace than I was used to. It took some time to learn to go with the flow, forgo plans and not get stressed while waiting for hours at a time, but it was good.
I am so grateful for the time I spent in Peru and I learned an astonishing amount of things; things about the world, about different cultures, about my perceptions, and a thousand other lessons I won't boggle you down with now. Those two months were life-changing, a dream come true, and the answer to so many of my prayers.
* * *
What about you? Have you ever been to a third-world country?
December 8, 2015
Subconscious Story Stealing
Someone sent me a book back in 2010 and I enjoyed reading it. I've thought about it more than several times since then, but never ventured to look at it again.
It's come to mind quite frequently recently, so on Saturday night I searched through my emails until I found it and then curled up and began reading. It's a long book coming in at around 700 pages but I breezed my way through it, finishing it late Sunday night.
I was amazed though at how many details I remembered. Even before I opened the book this second time I could have probably given an hour-long verbal review, despite the fact that I only read the book once and that was over five years ago. The book is kinda-fantsy, and I think since I've read so few fantasy novels they lodge in my brain. As I was reading I would not only recall exactly what happened next, but I could also remember the thoughts I had while reading it for the first time.
And I maybe freaked out slightly the whole time. See, there were way too many similarities between the Echoes books I've been writing and that book. Yes, yes, yes. If I remembered the book so clearly I should have obviously paid attention to make sure that didn't happen, but it was so subconscious that I hadn't realized it.
The other book: One character masquerades as two characters My book:Two of my characters masquerade as one character The other book: The main character does not have a good relationship with her fatherMy book:The main characters do not have a good relationship with their father The other book: Has a couple of very close servants who are more like family than the MC's real familyMy book: Has a couple of very close servants who are more like family than my MCs' real family
Both books are set in a palace/castle, the MC travels incognito as a servant, a few of the characters have names that sound alike, and the MC's mothers believe in the true God, despite the father's not doing so.
See why I freaked out? Here I had thought that my lovely little brain came up with all these details on it's own, but obviously I had a strong influence that I hadn't realized. Thankfully the plot-line and story-line of the books are totally different and although I might need to make some changes to make sure I don't mimic the other book at all, I'm relieved to have realized my "mistake" now so I can make sure to steer away from similarities in the future.
Do you know what this helped me realize, though? So much of what we hear/read/see/listen to lodges into our brain and sub-conciously exits at times when we don't even notice it. The Bible is full of verses about guarding our hearts and being careful about what we fill our minds with.
It's helpful for me to remember this so I not only refuse to let the bad in, but purposely work at filling my life, my mind, and my heart with the good. Sometimes life flies by and then something happens and I pull to a stop and revisit the last few months and realize that I've not been purposely dwelling, reading, listening to and filling myself with things that inspire life. It's at those times when I remind myself to stop, take deep breaths and become intentional again.
It's come to mind quite frequently recently, so on Saturday night I searched through my emails until I found it and then curled up and began reading. It's a long book coming in at around 700 pages but I breezed my way through it, finishing it late Sunday night.
I was amazed though at how many details I remembered. Even before I opened the book this second time I could have probably given an hour-long verbal review, despite the fact that I only read the book once and that was over five years ago. The book is kinda-fantsy, and I think since I've read so few fantasy novels they lodge in my brain. As I was reading I would not only recall exactly what happened next, but I could also remember the thoughts I had while reading it for the first time.
And I maybe freaked out slightly the whole time. See, there were way too many similarities between the Echoes books I've been writing and that book. Yes, yes, yes. If I remembered the book so clearly I should have obviously paid attention to make sure that didn't happen, but it was so subconscious that I hadn't realized it.
The other book: One character masquerades as two characters My book:Two of my characters masquerade as one character The other book: The main character does not have a good relationship with her fatherMy book:The main characters do not have a good relationship with their father The other book: Has a couple of very close servants who are more like family than the MC's real familyMy book: Has a couple of very close servants who are more like family than my MCs' real family
Both books are set in a palace/castle, the MC travels incognito as a servant, a few of the characters have names that sound alike, and the MC's mothers believe in the true God, despite the father's not doing so.
See why I freaked out? Here I had thought that my lovely little brain came up with all these details on it's own, but obviously I had a strong influence that I hadn't realized. Thankfully the plot-line and story-line of the books are totally different and although I might need to make some changes to make sure I don't mimic the other book at all, I'm relieved to have realized my "mistake" now so I can make sure to steer away from similarities in the future.
Do you know what this helped me realize, though? So much of what we hear/read/see/listen to lodges into our brain and sub-conciously exits at times when we don't even notice it. The Bible is full of verses about guarding our hearts and being careful about what we fill our minds with.
It's helpful for me to remember this so I not only refuse to let the bad in, but purposely work at filling my life, my mind, and my heart with the good. Sometimes life flies by and then something happens and I pull to a stop and revisit the last few months and realize that I've not been purposely dwelling, reading, listening to and filling myself with things that inspire life. It's at those times when I remind myself to stop, take deep breaths and become intentional again.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2
December 7, 2015
Glory Days by Max Lucado: Book Review
Glory Daysby Max Lucado
Find it on:Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction 272 Pages
About the BookBack cover blurb
Keep walking. This may be the day your Jericho walls come down.We all face them. Strongholds with a strong hold on our lives. Roadblocks to our joy. Obstacles in our marriages. Fortresses of fear blocking us from peace. How can we bring down these walls that keep us from the future God promises? Remember the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho? Those were some formidable foes and big barriers.Max Lucado says the book of Joshua is in the bible to remind us of one thing: God Fights For Us! We can overcome, because He has already overcome. We were not made to stand in the shadow of our walls and quake. We were made to stand on top of Jericho's rubble and conquer. We win, because God's already won.Need a new battle plan for life? Keep walking, keep believing. These may be your Glory Days.
Why I Choose this Book
It's written by Max Lucado, what more reason do I need? I haven't read a ton of Max Lucado's books, but every one that I have read, I have throughly enjoyed and learned from. Plus, I had just finished reading the book of Joshua and seeing deeper into the book was desirable.
What I Thought about this Book
I went into Glory Days not really knowing what to expect; when possible I like going into a book cold, without even reading the back cover. It did not take me long to get sucked into the narrative. Mr. Lucado writes with a picture-painting style, drawing the reader in and giving them context, modern-day examples, and solid foundations.
I finished the book feeling as if I had been privileged to peek into Joshua's world and experience the feeling of leading the Israelites into their glory days. The world they were part of came alive before me, full of ugly wilderness and then glorious victories.
Glory Days gives example after example, pointer after pointer, of how we, too, as God's children can leave our wildness and enter into our own glory days. There is no reason why we need to wander around for forty years in the dust and the heat, in the condemnation and fear that plague so many of us. We have the Answer, the ability, right in front of us. If God is for us, who can be against us? It's time for God's children to stop despairing and begin living the life He intended for us.
Conclusion
I enjoyed this book and it opened my eyes to new thoughts and concepts. As always, I don't agree with 100% of what the author had to say, but there weren't any major issues I remember. The book flowed at a good pace and I don't remember it ever dragging on.
There was also a rather longish Discussion Guide at the end of the book that looked interesting, but I didn't go through all of it.
Rating
I'm giving Glory Days four stars and recommend it to anyone twelve and older, but especially to those who want to live a full, God-driven and blessed life.
About the Author
More than 120 million readers have been inspired by the words of Max Lucado. He lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy, in San Antonio, Texas, where he serves the people of Oak Hills Church.
Fun Facts
Glory Days was published September 15th, 2015 and it already has 83 reviews (soon to be 84!) with 86% of those reviews being 5-star and 13% being 4-star. As an author I find that pretty impressive and say Way to go, Mr. Lucado!
*I received this book from Book Look in exchange for an honest review.
Find it on:Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction 272 Pages
About the BookBack cover blurb
Keep walking. This may be the day your Jericho walls come down.We all face them. Strongholds with a strong hold on our lives. Roadblocks to our joy. Obstacles in our marriages. Fortresses of fear blocking us from peace. How can we bring down these walls that keep us from the future God promises? Remember the story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho? Those were some formidable foes and big barriers.Max Lucado says the book of Joshua is in the bible to remind us of one thing: God Fights For Us! We can overcome, because He has already overcome. We were not made to stand in the shadow of our walls and quake. We were made to stand on top of Jericho's rubble and conquer. We win, because God's already won.Need a new battle plan for life? Keep walking, keep believing. These may be your Glory Days.
Why I Choose this Book
It's written by Max Lucado, what more reason do I need? I haven't read a ton of Max Lucado's books, but every one that I have read, I have throughly enjoyed and learned from. Plus, I had just finished reading the book of Joshua and seeing deeper into the book was desirable.
What I Thought about this Book
I went into Glory Days not really knowing what to expect; when possible I like going into a book cold, without even reading the back cover. It did not take me long to get sucked into the narrative. Mr. Lucado writes with a picture-painting style, drawing the reader in and giving them context, modern-day examples, and solid foundations.
I finished the book feeling as if I had been privileged to peek into Joshua's world and experience the feeling of leading the Israelites into their glory days. The world they were part of came alive before me, full of ugly wilderness and then glorious victories.
Glory Days gives example after example, pointer after pointer, of how we, too, as God's children can leave our wildness and enter into our own glory days. There is no reason why we need to wander around for forty years in the dust and the heat, in the condemnation and fear that plague so many of us. We have the Answer, the ability, right in front of us. If God is for us, who can be against us? It's time for God's children to stop despairing and begin living the life He intended for us.
Conclusion
I enjoyed this book and it opened my eyes to new thoughts and concepts. As always, I don't agree with 100% of what the author had to say, but there weren't any major issues I remember. The book flowed at a good pace and I don't remember it ever dragging on.
There was also a rather longish Discussion Guide at the end of the book that looked interesting, but I didn't go through all of it.
Rating
I'm giving Glory Days four stars and recommend it to anyone twelve and older, but especially to those who want to live a full, God-driven and blessed life.
About the Author
More than 120 million readers have been inspired by the words of Max Lucado. He lives with his wife, Denalyn, and their mischievous mutt, Andy, in San Antonio, Texas, where he serves the people of Oak Hills Church.
Fun Facts
Glory Days was published September 15th, 2015 and it already has 83 reviews (soon to be 84!) with 86% of those reviews being 5-star and 13% being 4-star. As an author I find that pretty impressive and say Way to go, Mr. Lucado!
*I received this book from Book Look in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2015
December Goals 2015
December Goals:
If the Lord wills and I live I want to...
1. Complete all my assigned tasks during our really big week at my non-writing job
2. Read four non-fiction books and write reviews for them
3. Review my year
4. Work on goals for 2016
5. Enter the new year with a clean office and libaray
If the Lord wills and I live I want to...
1. Complete all my assigned tasks during our really big week at my non-writing job
2. Read four non-fiction books and write reviews for them
3. Review my year
4. Work on goals for 2016
5. Enter the new year with a clean office and libaray
December 3, 2015
November 2015 in Review
What I Focused on in November
1. National Novel Writing Month
2. Family time, especially during the holidays
3. The beginning of a couple of busy weeks with my non-writing job
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge: 2. Pray the "prayer of Jebez" every day for three months {2 Months}
3. Read the whole Bible { 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job}
4. Go to Wednesday night church 24 times
7. Read the Proverb of the day every day for six months {2 Months - I might have missed one day}
11. Get up at 6:15 or before 24 days in a row (not counting weekends) {Completed on November 17th}
12. Go to bed at 10:30 or before 24 nights (not in a row) {2 Nights}
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available {1 Months}
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available {2 Months
22. Write 50,000 words in a month on my WIP (preferably for nanowrimo) {Completed NaNo on 11/6/15, wrote 68,000 during the month}
Side Note:I completed 18 out of the 24 days on this challenge, then had to stop due to my wrists: Write a 1,000 words a day on my WIP every day for 24 days in a row (not counting Sundays)
Dream List: Do (and complete) NaNoWriMo again
Reading Update
Fiction: 2Non-Fiction: 0Reviews: 0
I decided to take a semi-break from reading during November and throughly enjoyed it. I did read some of other books that I didn't finish, though.
Traveling
1 Night GoneNew countries or states: None
November Goal Updates
1. If the Lord wills and I live I will Complete NaNoWriMo {Yes, and exceeded it}2. If the Lord wills and I live I will read one nonfiction book and review it {No. Haha, as simple as it was and I didn't do it. Crazy.}3. If the Lord wills and I live I will reach Lamentations in my Bible reading. {No. November totally did not go according to plan.}
What I've Been Learning
Life does not always go according to plan, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Sometimes I need to let go and set aside goals and expectations and embrace life as it flies at me. Just because something does not go my way does not mean that I'm allowed to complain or get upset about it. I need to be flexible and relax instead of getting stressed out.
I've been learning that there are lasting effects to having Lyme disease that I had never imagined. I've also discovered that I am so sick and tired of even thinking about Lyme disease and taking a break from working on When Life Hands You Lymes was wonderful. Even though I've been over Lyme disease for a couple of years, there are still parts of my daily life that are affected by it and I'm trying to work though those and remembering to rejoice in everything, even when it's hard. Plus, celebrating small victories helps a lot.
Wrists/arms/the body... Yeah, they're all important and I need to treat them with care and make sure I glorify God with my body so that I can do the work that He has put me on earth for. That sometimes means laying aside expectations. And remembering to rejoice. And acknowledging that God is in control of my life and that I will be content even if life doesn't follow the path I've planned for.
It hit me again in November how important books are. They really have played a huge part in my life. It was quite rewarding to think of the fact that my words will some day be able to touch other people's lives like some of the books I've read have touched mine. It's an honor and a responsibility that I do not take lightly.
First Aid. A group of us at work went through a six and a half hour first aid class. Yikes, I'm still planning on blogging about that some day, but I learned a lot. Including the fact that some things that look like huge mountains can be climbed with laughter (that's a metaphor, not something to do with the actual material we learned). I learned (in theory, anyway), how to do CPR, bandage someone up, check to see what the problem is when someone is hurt, apply a splint, apply a tourniquet, etc...
I went with a bunch of my family and co-workers to hear John Maxwell speak and that was delightful and insightful as always. Mr. Maxwell talked about living life with intentionality and even though I've heard him speak on the subject before, I still scribbled notes most of the time. One thing that he said that made a lot of sense was "Growth is not an automatic process. You naturally grow older, but you don’t automatically grow in other ways. You have to be intentional." For some reason I have to be reminded of that every few months. He also said "Everything good in your life is uphill. You have to be intentional because you do not coast uphill." There is so much truth in that. I am working on living an intentional life and pleasing God with all I do.
For the last half of the month I studied different positions, stretches, practices, etc... to help with keeping a healthy body while working on a computer for so many hours at a time. I learned a lot and I'm thankful for the changes I've been able to implement into my life.
This is an on-going lesson, but in November I had a lot of great chances to work on turning to Jesus and focusing on Him and what I have to be thankful for when I get stressed out. I didn't ace this subject, but I did learn and grow in it.
Other
This month was a collage of so many different things that I can hardly kick my mind into focus to remember exactly what happened in the 30 days that composed November.
One of the best parts was getting to go to a Michael Card concert (I'm hoping to blog about that, too). I grew up on his music and have continued to enjoy it immensely and meeting him and listening to him in person was way more amazing that I would have imagined.
This probably seems silly to include in my month review, but during the last part of the month I got to play a lot of games with various family members. Games are one of my favorite things to do and I had so much fun. I seriously don't know if I've met anyone who enjoys card and board games as much as I do, so pretty much the games were one of the highlights of my month.
Eating white chocolate was also a fantastic way to spend the month. I had so much fun having a white chocolate month. It made the whole month and all the writing that went along with the first two weeks of November feel like a celebration. (Plus, I had six people give me white chocolate, can you imagine?!?) One morning my sister, her best friend and I sat around on a blanket on my office floor eating white chocolate and talking. That definitely made it into my Happy November Memories memory bank.
November was also a month of change as far as my writing set up goes. I am working on making changes now that will help with my long-term health as a writer. That means instead of sitting on an easy chair I'm sitting at a table with my computer at eye level and I'm using a keyboard and mouse that are designed to help reduce stress to the body. It's been a challenge to make all the changes I've needed, but it's going to pay back many times over.
Of course we had Thanksgiving as well. We spent a lot of time with family during that week and it was good. I have a new niece and nephew since last November, so it was a treat getting to see them.
What about you? How did your November go?
1. National Novel Writing Month
2. Family time, especially during the holidays
3. The beginning of a couple of busy weeks with my non-writing job
Birthday Challenge and Dream List Update
Birthday Challenge: 2. Pray the "prayer of Jebez" every day for three months {2 Months}
3. Read the whole Bible { 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job}
4. Go to Wednesday night church 24 times
7. Read the Proverb of the day every day for six months {2 Months - I might have missed one day}
11. Get up at 6:15 or before 24 days in a row (not counting weekends) {Completed on November 17th}
12. Go to bed at 10:30 or before 24 nights (not in a row) {2 Nights}
13. Write a monthly review on my blog within 5 days of the end of the month whenever internet is available {1 Months}
14. Blog my 3 (or more) top goals for each month within 5 days of the beginning of each month whenever internet is available {2 Months
22. Write 50,000 words in a month on my WIP (preferably for nanowrimo) {Completed NaNo on 11/6/15, wrote 68,000 during the month}
Side Note:I completed 18 out of the 24 days on this challenge, then had to stop due to my wrists: Write a 1,000 words a day on my WIP every day for 24 days in a row (not counting Sundays)
Dream List: Do (and complete) NaNoWriMo again
Reading Update
Fiction: 2Non-Fiction: 0Reviews: 0
I decided to take a semi-break from reading during November and throughly enjoyed it. I did read some of other books that I didn't finish, though.
Traveling
1 Night GoneNew countries or states: None
November Goal Updates
1. If the Lord wills and I live I will Complete NaNoWriMo {Yes, and exceeded it}2. If the Lord wills and I live I will read one nonfiction book and review it {No. Haha, as simple as it was and I didn't do it. Crazy.}3. If the Lord wills and I live I will reach Lamentations in my Bible reading. {No. November totally did not go according to plan.}
What I've Been Learning
Life does not always go according to plan, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Sometimes I need to let go and set aside goals and expectations and embrace life as it flies at me. Just because something does not go my way does not mean that I'm allowed to complain or get upset about it. I need to be flexible and relax instead of getting stressed out.
I've been learning that there are lasting effects to having Lyme disease that I had never imagined. I've also discovered that I am so sick and tired of even thinking about Lyme disease and taking a break from working on When Life Hands You Lymes was wonderful. Even though I've been over Lyme disease for a couple of years, there are still parts of my daily life that are affected by it and I'm trying to work though those and remembering to rejoice in everything, even when it's hard. Plus, celebrating small victories helps a lot.
Wrists/arms/the body... Yeah, they're all important and I need to treat them with care and make sure I glorify God with my body so that I can do the work that He has put me on earth for. That sometimes means laying aside expectations. And remembering to rejoice. And acknowledging that God is in control of my life and that I will be content even if life doesn't follow the path I've planned for.
It hit me again in November how important books are. They really have played a huge part in my life. It was quite rewarding to think of the fact that my words will some day be able to touch other people's lives like some of the books I've read have touched mine. It's an honor and a responsibility that I do not take lightly.
First Aid. A group of us at work went through a six and a half hour first aid class. Yikes, I'm still planning on blogging about that some day, but I learned a lot. Including the fact that some things that look like huge mountains can be climbed with laughter (that's a metaphor, not something to do with the actual material we learned). I learned (in theory, anyway), how to do CPR, bandage someone up, check to see what the problem is when someone is hurt, apply a splint, apply a tourniquet, etc...
I went with a bunch of my family and co-workers to hear John Maxwell speak and that was delightful and insightful as always. Mr. Maxwell talked about living life with intentionality and even though I've heard him speak on the subject before, I still scribbled notes most of the time. One thing that he said that made a lot of sense was "Growth is not an automatic process. You naturally grow older, but you don’t automatically grow in other ways. You have to be intentional." For some reason I have to be reminded of that every few months. He also said "Everything good in your life is uphill. You have to be intentional because you do not coast uphill." There is so much truth in that. I am working on living an intentional life and pleasing God with all I do.
For the last half of the month I studied different positions, stretches, practices, etc... to help with keeping a healthy body while working on a computer for so many hours at a time. I learned a lot and I'm thankful for the changes I've been able to implement into my life.
This is an on-going lesson, but in November I had a lot of great chances to work on turning to Jesus and focusing on Him and what I have to be thankful for when I get stressed out. I didn't ace this subject, but I did learn and grow in it.
Other
This month was a collage of so many different things that I can hardly kick my mind into focus to remember exactly what happened in the 30 days that composed November.
One of the best parts was getting to go to a Michael Card concert (I'm hoping to blog about that, too). I grew up on his music and have continued to enjoy it immensely and meeting him and listening to him in person was way more amazing that I would have imagined.
This probably seems silly to include in my month review, but during the last part of the month I got to play a lot of games with various family members. Games are one of my favorite things to do and I had so much fun. I seriously don't know if I've met anyone who enjoys card and board games as much as I do, so pretty much the games were one of the highlights of my month.
Eating white chocolate was also a fantastic way to spend the month. I had so much fun having a white chocolate month. It made the whole month and all the writing that went along with the first two weeks of November feel like a celebration. (Plus, I had six people give me white chocolate, can you imagine?!?) One morning my sister, her best friend and I sat around on a blanket on my office floor eating white chocolate and talking. That definitely made it into my Happy November Memories memory bank.
November was also a month of change as far as my writing set up goes. I am working on making changes now that will help with my long-term health as a writer. That means instead of sitting on an easy chair I'm sitting at a table with my computer at eye level and I'm using a keyboard and mouse that are designed to help reduce stress to the body. It's been a challenge to make all the changes I've needed, but it's going to pay back many times over.
Of course we had Thanksgiving as well. We spent a lot of time with family during that week and it was good. I have a new niece and nephew since last November, so it was a treat getting to see them.
What about you? How did your November go?
December 2, 2015
Book Review: Worship Changes Everything by Darlene Zschech
Worship Changes Everything by Darlene Zschech
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction250 Pages
About the BookBackcover blurb:
Renowned Songwriter and Author Helps Readers See Worship as a Way of Life
It can be easy to have a heart filled with worship on a Sunday morning as the church band is playing your favorite song. But then comes Monday morning's commute or Tuesday afternoon's pile of laundry.
So what does worship look like in real life--at work, in your family, or with your friends? Darlene Zschech has spent her life thinking and teaching about worship. With wisdom and contagious joy, she shares her thoughts on what worship truly is and how it should invade every facet of your being. Let yourself be transformed by the purpose and freedom that come from living a life of worship.
Why I Choose the Book
I've enjoyed Hillsong music for a long time now and have even been able to be at a conference where Hillsong led the worship, so when I had a chance to read a book written by Darlene Zschech I jumped at the chance.
What I Thought about the Book
I'm not sure why, probably because of outside circumstances, but it took me a little bit to get into the book. After I got into the book though, I began to really enjoy it and learn from it. I find it fascinating to see how other people view the scriptures, especially when they have spent so much of their life studying one particular subject.
Miss Darlene wrote in a personal way that reminded me of being in a small group or ladies meeting. A huge portion of the book was scripture which made it feel almost like a Bible study which I thought was neat. (I started paying attention about halfway through and I only saw one set of pages -meaning the two you see when you have a book open- that didn't have at least one Bible verse on it.) Sometimes it feels as if an author throws in a bunch of scripture to take up space, but not in this book. I thought it was great how Miss Darlene used God's Word to back up what she was saying. In a way it was more like she was just commenting on the verses, instead of using the verses to "comment" on what she had to say.
Conclusion
Miss Darlene's book was written in an easy-to-understand style and I am glad I chose to read it.
There were several thoughts I'd never had before and I'm quite eager to search God's Word and see if some of my understandings of different matters are because of presupposed ideas and if I've actually had it wrong this whole time...
I don't agree with 100% of what Miss Darlene said, but as I mentioned a minute ago, I have several things I want to search out that I'm not sure if I agree with them for sure or not.
One minor disagreement I had (which did not lessen my gleanings and enjoyment of the book): Miss Darlene co-pastors a church with her husband and I don't think it's biblical for a woman to be a pastor. (There wasn't anything about that in the book itself, just the author blurb on the cover.)
Rating I'm giving Worship Changes Everything four stars and recommend it to ages fifteen and up.
*I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Find it on: Amazon Goodreads
First PersonNon-Fiction250 Pages
About the BookBackcover blurb:
Renowned Songwriter and Author Helps Readers See Worship as a Way of Life
It can be easy to have a heart filled with worship on a Sunday morning as the church band is playing your favorite song. But then comes Monday morning's commute or Tuesday afternoon's pile of laundry.
So what does worship look like in real life--at work, in your family, or with your friends? Darlene Zschech has spent her life thinking and teaching about worship. With wisdom and contagious joy, she shares her thoughts on what worship truly is and how it should invade every facet of your being. Let yourself be transformed by the purpose and freedom that come from living a life of worship.
Why I Choose the Book
I've enjoyed Hillsong music for a long time now and have even been able to be at a conference where Hillsong led the worship, so when I had a chance to read a book written by Darlene Zschech I jumped at the chance.
What I Thought about the Book
I'm not sure why, probably because of outside circumstances, but it took me a little bit to get into the book. After I got into the book though, I began to really enjoy it and learn from it. I find it fascinating to see how other people view the scriptures, especially when they have spent so much of their life studying one particular subject.
Miss Darlene wrote in a personal way that reminded me of being in a small group or ladies meeting. A huge portion of the book was scripture which made it feel almost like a Bible study which I thought was neat. (I started paying attention about halfway through and I only saw one set of pages -meaning the two you see when you have a book open- that didn't have at least one Bible verse on it.) Sometimes it feels as if an author throws in a bunch of scripture to take up space, but not in this book. I thought it was great how Miss Darlene used God's Word to back up what she was saying. In a way it was more like she was just commenting on the verses, instead of using the verses to "comment" on what she had to say.
Conclusion
Miss Darlene's book was written in an easy-to-understand style and I am glad I chose to read it.
There were several thoughts I'd never had before and I'm quite eager to search God's Word and see if some of my understandings of different matters are because of presupposed ideas and if I've actually had it wrong this whole time...
I don't agree with 100% of what Miss Darlene said, but as I mentioned a minute ago, I have several things I want to search out that I'm not sure if I agree with them for sure or not.
One minor disagreement I had (which did not lessen my gleanings and enjoyment of the book): Miss Darlene co-pastors a church with her husband and I don't think it's biblical for a woman to be a pastor. (There wasn't anything about that in the book itself, just the author blurb on the cover.)
Rating I'm giving Worship Changes Everything four stars and recommend it to ages fifteen and up.
*I received this book free from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
December 1, 2015
Changes from November
December was ushered in at midnight by a tired me who was running around, trying to finish last-minute things so I could go to sleep. It was until I settled into bed that I realized Wait a second, another November is over and another December has begun.
I had so many high hopes for November, most of them revolving around writing. I had to learn a lot about stepping back and being ok with things not going the way I had imagined them. There were plenty of times that I was frustrated or mildly freaked out because I couldn't write due to my wrists being messed up.
Do you know what, though? It was a lot easier to keep perspective on life when I was thinking of the problems going on all over the world. When I wanted to throw a pity party because I physically couldn't do my job properly, I would stop and think of all the people who would never again be able to do their job. When I was annoyed by the pain, I would stop and think of the people who were dealing with overwhelming pain. When I felt a sense of loss because I couldn't live my life like normal, I would think of those who had lost so much more than me.
And I realized that my problems really weren't that big after all and even though I might not feel like it at the moment, I am incredibly blessed.
Another thing I had to work on in November was controlling my thoughts and not dwelling on the negative. Time and time again over the month the thought would pop into my head "What if your wrists are permaently damaged? What if you can't go back to writing full time?"
As a writer who enjoys typing immensely and has always had my thoughts come to me best with a keyboard beneath my flying fingers, that thought is a really bad one. Writing and typing are huge, huge, huge parts of my life. I had to decide that I would refuse to ponder that thought more than absolutely necessary and then I had to stick to that decision even when my tired brain would pipe up with "But, but, but..." and then try to spew scary situations at me when I was too tired to shut them out.
It was a hard choice to stick to, but I did for the most part. That meant cutting off my brain's theatrical presentations more than once and then steadfastly changing my inner dialog to a new, and more profitable, subject.
In addition to keeping the right mindset, I also worked on making physical changes that would benefit my whole body, but especially my wrists, hands, arms, shoulders and neck. I looked up exercises, the correct body posture to have while working on a computer, and took a break from my extreme writing and crocheting habits. I went to the chiropractor and was basically told to take better care of myself because I was messing myself up by with too much bending over a computer and not enough stretching. And, I also had a fellow writer email me with various suggestions of things that would help out and worked at going through his list.
Last month at this time I was sitting curled up on a sagging and comfortable chair, typing with my laptop in front of me on my laptable with my head constantly bent downward. I would work for hours without a break and throughly enjoyed it until my upper body would ache and groan too much from being bent in an unnatural position for way too long at once. I was at the point where I had an almost-constant headache and my shoulders ached continually.
This morning I'm sitting at a folding table with my laptop at eye level and a new mouse and keyboard that are designed to help reduce strain. Plus, since they are separate from the laptop I'm able to have them at the right height so I don't have to hold my arms and hands at an unnatural position.
I'm still not doing a ton of writing at this time, but when I do I'm determined to take breaks to walk around and stretch quite often, even if it does interrupt my hours of sitting and typing that I'm used to. My feet are flat on the floor which is a rather new experience for me. I hardly ever sit with my feet flat on the floor. It's what people said to do when I was researching the correct posture for a writer, so that's what I'm doing.
Overall my set up is completely different and it's a bit hard to get used to. I've been writing from a comfy living-room style chair for three years now (ever since I did my first NaNo) and to change back to a desk (or table) is a bit uncomfortable. It will be worth it though, and I'm so thankful that I know to make these changes now instead of waiting five more years when I've done even more to mess up my body.
If you spend a lot of time working at a computer, I suggest you look into ways you can reduce stress on your body and optimize that in your life now, instead of waiting until you run into a problem like I did. Our bodies are important because, let's face it, we only get one of them. Plus Christians are commanded to take care of their bodies because they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Happy December, y'all! I have a wonderful and crazy and amazing week at my non-writing job and I'm throughly looking forward to it. I hope y'all have a great week as well.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me get my new writing set-up in place!
I had so many high hopes for November, most of them revolving around writing. I had to learn a lot about stepping back and being ok with things not going the way I had imagined them. There were plenty of times that I was frustrated or mildly freaked out because I couldn't write due to my wrists being messed up.
Do you know what, though? It was a lot easier to keep perspective on life when I was thinking of the problems going on all over the world. When I wanted to throw a pity party because I physically couldn't do my job properly, I would stop and think of all the people who would never again be able to do their job. When I was annoyed by the pain, I would stop and think of the people who were dealing with overwhelming pain. When I felt a sense of loss because I couldn't live my life like normal, I would think of those who had lost so much more than me.
And I realized that my problems really weren't that big after all and even though I might not feel like it at the moment, I am incredibly blessed.
Another thing I had to work on in November was controlling my thoughts and not dwelling on the negative. Time and time again over the month the thought would pop into my head "What if your wrists are permaently damaged? What if you can't go back to writing full time?"
As a writer who enjoys typing immensely and has always had my thoughts come to me best with a keyboard beneath my flying fingers, that thought is a really bad one. Writing and typing are huge, huge, huge parts of my life. I had to decide that I would refuse to ponder that thought more than absolutely necessary and then I had to stick to that decision even when my tired brain would pipe up with "But, but, but..." and then try to spew scary situations at me when I was too tired to shut them out.
It was a hard choice to stick to, but I did for the most part. That meant cutting off my brain's theatrical presentations more than once and then steadfastly changing my inner dialog to a new, and more profitable, subject.
In addition to keeping the right mindset, I also worked on making physical changes that would benefit my whole body, but especially my wrists, hands, arms, shoulders and neck. I looked up exercises, the correct body posture to have while working on a computer, and took a break from my extreme writing and crocheting habits. I went to the chiropractor and was basically told to take better care of myself because I was messing myself up by with too much bending over a computer and not enough stretching. And, I also had a fellow writer email me with various suggestions of things that would help out and worked at going through his list.
Last month at this time I was sitting curled up on a sagging and comfortable chair, typing with my laptop in front of me on my laptable with my head constantly bent downward. I would work for hours without a break and throughly enjoyed it until my upper body would ache and groan too much from being bent in an unnatural position for way too long at once. I was at the point where I had an almost-constant headache and my shoulders ached continually.
This morning I'm sitting at a folding table with my laptop at eye level and a new mouse and keyboard that are designed to help reduce strain. Plus, since they are separate from the laptop I'm able to have them at the right height so I don't have to hold my arms and hands at an unnatural position.
I'm still not doing a ton of writing at this time, but when I do I'm determined to take breaks to walk around and stretch quite often, even if it does interrupt my hours of sitting and typing that I'm used to. My feet are flat on the floor which is a rather new experience for me. I hardly ever sit with my feet flat on the floor. It's what people said to do when I was researching the correct posture for a writer, so that's what I'm doing.
Overall my set up is completely different and it's a bit hard to get used to. I've been writing from a comfy living-room style chair for three years now (ever since I did my first NaNo) and to change back to a desk (or table) is a bit uncomfortable. It will be worth it though, and I'm so thankful that I know to make these changes now instead of waiting five more years when I've done even more to mess up my body.
If you spend a lot of time working at a computer, I suggest you look into ways you can reduce stress on your body and optimize that in your life now, instead of waiting until you run into a problem like I did. Our bodies are important because, let's face it, we only get one of them. Plus Christians are commanded to take care of their bodies because they are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Happy December, y'all! I have a wonderful and crazy and amazing week at my non-writing job and I'm throughly looking forward to it. I hope y'all have a great week as well.
Thank you to everyone who has helped me get my new writing set-up in place!
November 30, 2015
My Monday Morning
This Monday morning is a bit different from my normal ones. Instead of having to be at my non-writing job at 8:00 I don't have to be there until 9:00 which works perfectly because I got to spend last night at my best friend's house so I could watch her wonderful little girl this morning for a few hours when she and her husband were gone.
Clara has the most adorable smiles all the time, but mornings are especially smiley. Therefore I might have possibly used up most of my blogging time crawling around on the floor taking dozens of blurry pictures in an effort to capture some of her darling expressions.
She's currently sitting on my lap, hugging a book (and possibly chewing on it), which makes this little writer happy. It also makes typing a bit harder than normal, but who needs to read a blog post when they have so much cuteness to look at?
And now it's time for me to grab a quick bite to eat and head over to my job. This cuteness has certainly made my week begin in an amazing way and I hope it makes you smile, too.
I hope y'all have a fantastic Monday and that this first week of December (which starts tomorrow!) is great. I have a busy, busy, busy week at my non-writing job and I'm excited about it.
Clara has the most adorable smiles all the time, but mornings are especially smiley. Therefore I might have possibly used up most of my blogging time crawling around on the floor taking dozens of blurry pictures in an effort to capture some of her darling expressions.
She's currently sitting on my lap, hugging a book (and possibly chewing on it), which makes this little writer happy. It also makes typing a bit harder than normal, but who needs to read a blog post when they have so much cuteness to look at?
And now it's time for me to grab a quick bite to eat and head over to my job. This cuteness has certainly made my week begin in an amazing way and I hope it makes you smile, too.
I hope y'all have a fantastic Monday and that this first week of December (which starts tomorrow!) is great. I have a busy, busy, busy week at my non-writing job and I'm excited about it.
November 27, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today we are celebrating our family's Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!
