Review: Pay Attention, Say Thank You.

Pay Attention, Say Thank You: Seven Rules & Practices for Joyful Living
by M. Gail Woodard

I am an emotional person. Always have been, always will be. I just feel things stronger than most people. And I'm OK with that. But it often makes life hard to endure. What would be mere frustrations to most people are catastrophes to me.

Guess what? The world is full to the brim with frustrations. So where does that leave me? Feeling helpless and hopeless. Feeling unhappy and unhappy again at my lack of ability to be happy.

This is why I requested this review copy from the author. I could use more joy in my life. And I'm quite sure that you could too. Everyone could.

When the book arrived in the mail it was tiny. Teeny tiny. I didn't believe that it could contain everything I would need to increase my joy. But this is about trying something new since my current way to joyfulness is drowning in emotional chaos. What I found within these 125 pages was potent. I read with an open mind and I decided that this just might work.

Woodard gets straight to the point. She explains what each practice is and how to do it daily. She asks her readers to give each practice a full three weeks before adding on the next one. I didn't have that much time to devote to it and get a review up in a timely manner; I did however give each practice a few days to try on for size so I could give an informed review.

1. Pay Attention
2. Say Thank You
3. Be Quiet
4. Let It Go
5. Own Your Feelings
6. Choose Your Beliefs
7. Live Love

These sound fairly simple and straight forward but there is depth to each one. The first 3 are about carving out time for inner peace. They are pretty easy if you take the time to do them. The next 3 are more challenging and have to do with digging deep within yourself to find out what holds you back from being joyful. They will take more time and can be intense. Work at your own pace. The last chapter is more of a reward. Once you have increased your inner joy you now get to give it wings in the real world. I believe I can do this. And I really really really want to do this.

The good news for me is that I already do half of these things. I am deeply in tune with my own feelings and often those of the people around me. I know that beauty makes me happy. Whenever I can create beauty I feel filled up with giddiness and joy, so I quilt and I decorate and I bake and I write and I am learning to play piano. I say thank you lavishly to everyone I meet wherever I go. (I acknowledge that I need to say it more at home.)

The challenge for me will be with the digging deep to discover my beliefs and discerning when they need to be altered. The idea of being in control of my emotions instead of being controlled by them sounds unfathomable to me but it's a deep longing.

This morning I wrote down a quote from the book:
"Just for today, I let go of anger.
Just for today, I let go of worry.
Just for today, I give thanks for my blessings.
Just for today, I do my work with integrity.
Just for today, I am kind to every living creature."

Isn't that a beautiful idea? Guess what? For the first time in a while, I actually had a good day from beginning to end. Just for today, I have had joy. This feels huge. Not all my days will feel this way but just for today, I am encouraged.

I want to thank M. Gail Woodard for sharing this book with me. I commit to practicing these challenges frequently. I look forward to the day when my husband tells me he sees a real change in me and my ability to live a joyful life. My family deserves a joyful mother. I deserve joy.

If you are interested in learning more about the ideas in this book, visit Seven Practices. There is a plethora of information to help you achieve joy.

One Word Review:
Potent

The Sunday Salon, Monday Edition

I am trying to make some changes to my Sunday Salon format that will make it easier to read and skip around as you like. Literature and Life are the 2 major sections, each being divided up as the need calls for. I welcome your input.

Literature
Books: Despite the lack of reviews I am reading. House of Sand and Fog is slow going. What-the-Dickens continues to delight but it's a read-aloud so we read only small chunks a couple nights a week. Pay Attention, Say Thank You is a continual work in progress but almost complete.

Challenges: I have 3 challenges I'm currently working on. There are 3 books left to read for the Take a Chance Challenge. Two more books for the RIP IV. Then I joined a new one last week, the Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge which starts on Thursday. I'm determined to complete them all successfully.

Life
French Cooking: If you didn't see my post about what I made from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking then take a peek. I thought this segment deserved a post all of it's own so from now on Adventures in French Cooking will be a regular series. I'll post whenever I get a chance to cook.

FlyLady: This past week we were to concentrate on decluttering and cleaning the master bedroom. I focused my attention on my sewing area that is set up in my room. Setting my timer for 15 minutes, I was surprised that it only took two days for my sewing area to go from unusable to organized.




As you can see I got rid a lot of floor clutter and put away all the junk on the table. I donated a lot of things. I dusted the sewing machines. Then I spent the rest of the week working on some unfinished projects(UFOs) including repairs to some clothes and making a stylish pillow case that matches my son's quilt that I made 4 years ago.

I don't even remember cutting the pieces out but they sat in a pile waiting for my attention for quite a while. I'm hoping to complete one UFO a week now that I can use my space. This week FlyLady wants us to work on the living room and front entrance/dining room.

Homeschool: Shakespeare! We learned about Shakespeare this week. It wasn't an exhaustive lesson but we learned a little about the man and his times. My kids are too young to understand the language of Shakespeare so we read a couple of beautifully illustrated adaptations of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. If you can find the Bruce Coville adaptations I highly recommend them. They use Shakespearean language when it is easier understood and narrate the rest. As I said already, the illustrations are just stunning and suit the mood of the play perfectly. We still have to read A Winter's Tale and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

After reading about Jenny having her fill of vampires (HA!) I went to comment a hearty Hear Hear. Or is that Here Here? After all, it could being saying 'Look here people' or is could be saying 'I hear you'. So I did what every self respecting autodidact(or not) does, I googled it.

According to this page, the proper term is Hear Hear. It is a shortened version of the proclamation Hear Ye, Hear Ye, dating back to the 1600s or earlier for the purposes of drawing attention to what has just been said and giving agreement.

So now you know.

Adventures in French Cooking

I don't know by what kind of magic my mother conjured but my sister and I believed eating artichoke was a treat akin to ice cream for breakfast. It felt like breaking all the rules but with my mother's sanction. Perhaps it was because we got to eat it with huge, mountainous globs of mayonnaise; possibly because we only ate them about once or twice a year when they were in season and ridiculously low priced. I can't explain it. It just is what it is.

In all my years of eating artichoke I've cooked and eaten it the same way, the easy way: steamed in a pressure cooker and eaten with mayo. Until tonight. Tonight's Mastering the Art of French Cooking meal:

Bifteck saute au beurre

Artichauts au naturel avec beurre au citron

Riz naturel

In English that's Pan-broiled steak, artichoke with lemon butter, and white rice. Old arty was cooked in the new-to-me, old fashioned way: boiled for an hour on the stove. In fact, everything I made tonight was from scratch. That's one of the things I love about MtAoFC. It's kind of like reading Moby Dick. Nobody really likes the story, they just read it for the bragging rights. Or maybe that's just me. (Yes, I've read Moby Dick. No, I did not enjoy it. Yes, I brag about it whenever I get the chance.) Except with cooking this way I do enjoy the final results. All the effort is worth it.

The steak cooked up nice. I would recommend a thinner cut of beef if you like your meat cooked through like my family does. The red wine and butter sauce was all the flavoring it needed.

The artichoke was great. I had fun making the lemon butter sauce. But it was too lemony for my pallet. And it just didn't compare to mayo. Nevertheless, I ate like a purist and made all the kids try at least one taste with the lemon butter sauce. Afterward I ate the heart with mayo. Awe, that was good.

The white rice was made on the stove following directions precisely. It was very sticky. Our family hasn't eaten white rice in at least a year, preferring the wholesomeness of brown rice with a little butter. It was a bit of a treat. I made so much that we will use the leftovers to make rice pudding.

I used just about a cup of butter. Anyone who knows me knows that I love butter. Love. It. This much butter is divine, wasteline be damned.

The verdict: it was good. It wasn't so wonderful that we will add it to the monthly recipe rotation but there was very little left for tomorrow's lunch.

Because I consider this an adventure I feel the need to take something away from my experience. I learned a couple of interesting things. The first is that you shouldn't drink wine when eating artichoke. Julia Child advises against it. The wine interferes with the artichoke's "character". The other is that, though I tend to dislike meat, when cooked skillfully it is not just tolerable but satisfying. OK, so I knew that second one already but it is an idea that always hits me fresh whenever I it proves true.

Food is more than just sustenance. It can be a joy. And French cooking the way Julia does it is an art. If you have the time and inclination(and stamina) you should take that copy of MtAoFC off your shelf or coffee table(I know you bought a copy) and try something new. It's rewarding. And you can brag to all your friends.

Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge

I have been staring longingly at my well stocked shelves for the last couple of months thinking, "as soon as I finish these ARCs..." only to find myself requesting yet another ARC. But I have some exciting news, I'm on my last review copy right now. It will be reviewed by the end of the week. *rejoice* With this goal accomplished I can make room for another: to read the books I have already paid good money for. So this new challenge comes with perfect timing.

Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge. It is what it sounds like. The 2 most important rules are these: the books must have been on your shelves for at least 6 months and you estimate a percentage of books to read instead of a number of books. I'm going to aim low with a 50% goal. That means that if I read 10 books between 10/1/09 and 11/30/09 then 5 of them should be something I bought or received back in March or earlier. As I have almost 700 unread books languishing in neat little rows this challenge shouldn't be all that challenging.

Come join the fun. From what I have seen around the blogosphere there will be loads of friends to cheer each other on. Visit S. Krishna's Books for details and to link up.

The Sunday Salon

It's been a few weeks but I'm back to the Sunday Salon. Did you miss me?

Reading
I finished and reviewed Against the Odds, a short story collection by L.M. Montgomery. I am still working through Pay Attention, Say Thank You and House of Sand and Fog. I started reading a cute, funny little book to my kiddos called What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy. Our beloved kitty is named Dickens and I love fairy stories. I'm so glad it has turned out to be such great fun.

Non-Bookish News
Our homeschool has been successfully running for three weeks now. We learned all about Queen Elizabeth I this week. Shakespeare is next week. I'm so excited about reading some Shakespeare to my kiddos. We have also done some science experiments to learn about molecules. Our favorite experiment so far has been putting a balloon over the top of a soda bottle, then shaking it up. The balloon inflates from all the carbon dioxide.


We went on a weekend trip to the coast last weekend, meeting with my daughter's best friend who had moved away recently. We found the biggest sand crab I have ever seen. Usually they are the size of a fingernail. This one was much bigger.


FLYLady
Last time I mentioned my progress Debra asked me how long it took per day to keep up with FLYLady. I work on it a few minutes here and there throughout the day but in total it is probably an hour. The point is to declutter for 15 minutes(or 10 or 5, however much time you have) a day, then set up morning and evening routines. I also like working on the daily missions. I don't bother with shining my sink. I take what works for me and leave the rest. My one complaint is that you get 10-15 emails a day, most of which are called "testimonials" but are really advertisements for FLY shop cleaning supplies. Those get old fast. A lot of people are doubtful but it has really worked for me. I suggest trying it for a month and seeing if it makes a difference for you.

This week we are focusing on the master bedroom. This is where my sewing area is. I haven't sewn in months because this area is the catch all for all my junk. But 15 minutes a day will make a dent in it which is better than nothing.

French Cooking
I broke down and joined hundreds of trendy housewives. I bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Then I actually made a recipe from it the very next day. It took 4 1/2 hours but the Boeuf Bourguignon(beef stew with red wine) was sooooo delicious. Is anyone else doing any French cooking?

Une Friandise

Looky looky what I got!

The other book there is a notebook that I will use to chronicle my progress through Child's cook book. I promise to post photos.

Review: Against the Odds

Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement
by L.M. Montgomery

I didn't even know this collection of short stories existed by the beloved author of Anne of Green Gables. All of these stories were published in various magazines and papers starting as far back as 1896. As noted int he title these are tales of achievement, specifically the achievement of dreams of young adults by means of honesty, hard work and ingenuity. My favorite of the stories were Dorinda's Desperate Deed and A Case of Trespass. Dorinda believes the way to get help is to ask for it, even if asking from a stubborn uncle who hasn't spoken with his family in years. And Dan in Trespass believes the honest confession is the best path when he finds he's been trespassing illegally. In all cases the stories end with rewards for those willing to do what it takes without compromising their integrity.

Yes the stories can be a bit repetitive and fantastical but they are infused with Montgomery's knack for quirky characters. They encourage principles and virtuous living.

One Word Review:
Successful

I am so glad that I was introduced to this collection through the Take a Chance Challenge. This was from the Random Word leg of the challenge. My word had been Achievement. That's 4 books down, two to go. I need to decide if I am ready to begin my adventures with Harry Potter just yet or if I can put it off for one more month. :)

BTT: It's That Good

What’s the most enjoyable, most fun, most just-darn-entertaining book you’ve read recently? (Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily mean funny, since we covered that already. Just … GOOD.)

Enjoyable? Fun? Just-darn-entertaining? And how far back is recent anyway?

Okay. Enough of the over analysing(for the moment). Because I actually refer to it as enjoyable, funny and enthralling, my choice is Homer & Langley. It was all of those things and more.

To participate in this or future Booking Through Thursdays simply follow the link and check in every Thursday.

It's Tuesday...Where are you?

Has a book ever transported you to a new land or experience? Share where your reading has taken you this week. Visit An Adventure in Reading for more details.

I am in Northern California, along the coast. There is a home that has been mistakenly taken away from a depressed and deserted woman and auctioned to an Eastern Indian immigrant trying to regain his self worth. It doesn't end well(from what I've heard).

House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III

San Mateo County, California

Review: Things Worth Remembering

Things Worth Remembering
by Jackina Stark

At the beginning of the year I read and reviewed the premiere novel of author Jackina Stark, Tender Grace(which you can find here), which I had snagged through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program. I found the book a refreshing and soft-spoken book about a christian woman recovering from the loss of her husband. I was glad then to snag this author's second book from Library Thing. I hoped this one would be just as nice. I was left with somewhat the same reaction but tinged with disappointment.

Kendy Laswell is the loving, almost idyllic, mother to Maisey, a college student. Maisey is to be married at the end of the week. But there has been a tension between mother and daughter for many years. Kendy doesn't understand why Maisey seems to hate her so much. As the wedding date inches closer, Kendy and Maisey are forced to confront each other and their personal demons and learn to forgive.

One of the things that I liked about Stark's first novel was that the christian perspective was handled with a light touch, coming naturally with the main character without being preachy or overbearing. This book had a stronger thread through it as the daughter is reminded of how a christian ought to graciously forgive. While Tender Grace could be read by a person of any faith without discomfort I can't say the same thing for Things Worth Remembering. This is not a bad thing rather something to take note of.

There is a tendency to make the characters too perfect, except for the obvious flaws that the book is addressing. It was almost believable in the first book but it is not in this one. There is also a tendency to fit the people into "the real world" by adding in references to, say, Pottery Barn, Pier 1 and other such trendiness that I found tedious. I think that the story could have been fleshed out better and made more believable if given more attention. These complaints are not huge but they niggled at me.

My one big complaint was that I did not like Maisey. She is a spoiled brat who takes advantage of her parents with a sense of entitlement. Eventually you come to understand why she is so angry but the resolution comes too close to the end for you to build any kind of positive sentiment. There really should have been a recovery time for a relationship that was in such ruins.

That being said I would read more by Jackina Stark. Her writing is clear and her subject matters are addressed in a way that christians can appreciate. And, because I have to appease my superficial side occasionally, I once again love the cover art and title.

One word review:
Underdeveloped

BTT FYI

What’s the most informative book you’ve read recently?

Right at the moment I'm reading a non-fiction called Pay Attention, Say Thank You: Seven Rules & Practices for Joyful Living by M. Gail Woodard which is informative but very small. It really just tells you the rule and how to practice it. It motivates but it doesn't go into why it works.

Actually I found Sacred Hearts to be tremendously informative. It's an historical fiction with a lot of information about convents and medicine in the sixteenth century. I learned a great deal and it was not at all boring.

It's Tuesday...Where are you?

Has a book ever transported you to a new land or experience? Share where your reading has taken you this week. Visit An Adventure in Reading for more details.

I am on an idyllic island in the southeast of Canada, Prince Edward Island, or PEI to fans. Though it is best known for a spunky inhabitant by the name of Anne Shirley, I am visiting with some lesser known characters. Only L.M. Montgomery can people her island with so much flair.

Against the Odds: Tales of Achievement by L.M. Montgomery

Prince Edward Island. Makes you want to visit doesn't it?

No, Thank YOU

I won't lie, I am always tickled to be considered for a blog award. It's nice to feel appreciated by those whom I enjoy and respect. After all, we readers must take precious time away from our books to keep up with our favorite blogs. That is a high honor indeed. If you don't know who these bloggers are yet then I encourage you to check them out. A public thank you is in order to:

Leah at The Octogon
"...the blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the Zombie Chicken - excellence, grace and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words."

Jeane at DogEar Diary
As she puts it: "This award is for blogs that make you feel comfy and warm inside."

A Borrowed Meme

Stolen from Nicola at Back to Books.

Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. (You can find the authors by clicking the links in the sidebar.)

Describe yourself: A Reliable Wife

How do you feel: Tethered

Describe where you currently live: Home

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Beach Trip

Your favorite form of transportation: The Reluctant Dragon

Your best friend is: Tuck Everlasting

You and your friends are: The Mighty Queens of Freeville

What's the weather like: Nothing Right

You fear: The End of the World as We Know It

What is the best advice you have to give: Blink

Thought for the day: Tender Grace

How I would like to die: Breathing Out the Ghost

My soul's present condition: A Peculiar Grace

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

The Time Traveler's Wife
by Audrey Niffenegger

After loving the movie I just had to read the book, figuring that it was bound to be better than the movie. Many of the reviews I've read recently assured me it was so. Unfortunately I disagree.

Henry has a chromosomal disorder that causes him to travel through time uncontrollably. It is through his time traveling that he meets Clare. A much older Henry visits with Clare as a child frequently. A much younger Henry doesn't meet Clare until he is 28 and she is 20. This is the story of how their relationship works around his disappearances and the knowledge of the past and future as experienced differently by each of them.

First I'll state what I liked: it was well written, well imagined and well researched. There is a lot of knowledge of varying subjects from the art of paper making to Opera and classical music as well as 80s punk. There is French here and there. Politics, religion, art interpretation and appreciation. It is a knowledgeable piece of writing. It tries to discuss the tough topics of love and transcendence, past and future, history unfolding all at once instead of in a linear manner and free will. There are many components to this novel.

Now to what I didn't like: the details of the lives and relationships of Clare and Henry. Henry is not the wonderful guy that Clare falls in love with as a child. He's a druggie alcoholic with a reputation of being a cad to women, especially his girlfriend at the time that he meets Clare. Okay, so it's Clare that inspires the changes in Henry. I can get that; but Henry is not likable at that point and Clare doesn't care a whit. The language was another thing that bugged. It wasn't the cussing that bothered me but the amount of crudeness for crudeness sake that didn't seem to match the characters, in my opinion. Lastly, certain scenes such as the two teenaged Henrys caught in the bedroom and Henry and Clare attacking a high school boy who has beaten Clare when she wouldn't makeout with him and the thing with Gomez. These didn't seem to add anything to the story but filler. What terrible filler to a love story.

Last thing, and this is much more about personal taste, the title is uninspired. There are a plethora of someone's Wife and someone's Daughter on the market. These titles blend together into a novel stew that, frankly, makes me want to avoid them, which is sad because some of these books are quite good. Is it ironic that we call it a novel when it is in fact becoming cliche?

If there was more emphasis on the love story in the book as there was in the movie I would have been more forgiving of the little niggling details but there was so much more and some stuff just not important to furthering the storyline or making the characters more sympathetic. I was disappointed.

Two Word Review
Fell Short

Many book bloggers are reading Niffenegger's latest book Her Fearful Symmetry for the RIP4 Challenge. I am very curious about what it's about and if it will be as well loved as the Time Traveler's Wife. I'm a bit nervous about it too. What if it is more of the same? I will probably read it eventually because the breadth of knowledge contained in Wife was wonderful to read and the writing was high caliber. I look forward to reading some of your reviews.

More Unfortunate Events?

According to the Guardian, Lemony Snickets "can neither confirm nor deny that I have begun research into a new case, and I can neither confirm nor deny that the results are as dreadful and unnerving as A Series of Unfortunate Events." The buzz is that there are 4 new investigations titles coming out by this captivating author.

I managed to stay away from the Unfortunate Events when they got really popular but the kiddos and I listened to the audio books during a long drive with my folks in January. Tim Curry is a master with the narration. Even Nana and Dude liked them. Too bad the new books won't be released until 2012. (!)

It's Tuesday...Where are you?

Every Tuesday I'll post about where my reading is taking me. You can join the fun too. Visit An Adventure in Reading to find out more.

I have settled in Chicago where I work at the Newberry Library but I make occasional trips to New Haven, Michigan to meet my future bride. I have more trouble answering the question of when am I since I jump from past to future to present without warning.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Newberry Park and Library