January Reading Roundup

I had quite an eclectic January, reading wise.  I finished a total of nine books, two fiction, and seven nonfiction - including a biography, a psychology/self-help book, a parenting book, several religious books (including a scripture study guide that I did not review) and a current event/political book about the #metoo movement. Here are brief reviews of and thoughts about my January reads.

Insights from a Prophet's Life: Russell M. Nelson

by Sheri Dew

This was my first book and also the first biography I completed this year.  It is the detailed life story of Russell M. Nelson, who is currently the leader of the worldwide almost 17 million member  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The leadership hierarchy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is somewhat similar to the Catholic Church, so Nelson is the equivalent of the Catholic Pope.  Before rising to church leadership, Nelson, now 98-years-old,  was a renowned heart surgeon who helped develop the heart-lung machine that allows for open-heart surgery.  He has had a remarkable life and ministry and the book reflects that.  One thing I really liked about this book is that it also addressed challenges Nelson and the church has encountered through his long life and ministry.   I have read other books by the author, Sheri Dew, and I have heard her speak and even met her in person.   She is the CEO of one of the largest Christian bookstores, Deseret Book, in the country.  I enjoyed the book, learned a lot and gave it 5/5 stars on Goodreads. (Genre - biography, religious. Listened to audiobook). 

Parenting With Spiritual Power

by Julie K. Nelson

I got a copy of this book to gift to my son-in-law, but I thought I should read it first, so I got my own copy and did just that.  The book gives examples of good parenting principles using scripture stories.  It was interesting and thought-provoking. This was my first religious/spiritual book of the year.  I have made it a goal to read at least three such books.  I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads.  (Genre - Religion, Parenting. Own paperback version). 

Atlas of the Heart 

by Brene Brown

I have read several of Brene Brown's books.  I found most of them enlightening and helpful, but some were better than others.  I was excited about Brown's latest book, Atlas of the Heart, but as I listened to it, I found that it was a recap of information from other books.  listened to the audiobook, and felt like I was in a sometimes not very interesting college psychology course.  I also didn't particularly like the sometimes political tone Brown takes in the book. I think I will take a little break from reading anything further by this author for a while.  I gave this star 3/5 stars on Goodreads.  (Genre - psychology, self-help. Listened to the audiobook, but I also own a hardbound copy of the book). 

Savage Run

by C. J. Box

I like the way C.J. Box writes about nature and beautiful environs of Wyoming and Montana.  He can spin a good crime tale. I also like his main character and protagonist,  Joe Pickett, principled Wyoming game warden, lover of the outdoors and family man.  Box has written an entire series about Joe Pickett.  I have read only the first two, but plan to read more. Box gives the reader a tight and well-paced plot in his books.  His genre is mystery/suspense/crime and he portrays some pretty heinous crimes.  There is considerable violence in his storyline,  however, language and sex in this novel was minimal.  I gave this book  4/5 stars on Goodreads. I will be reading more C. J. Box books for sure.  (Genre - mystery, crime. Read paperback edition that I own).

The Spirit of Revelation 

by David A. Bednar

This is basically a teaching book about how we can feel and recognize God's spirit directing us in our  individual lives.  The author, a leader in the world-wide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gives examples from his own life about he has heard and heeded God's spirit.  This not a long book, but it gives a lot of food for thought.  I gave the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads.  (Genre - religion.  I listened to the audiobook, but also own a hardcover copy). 

She Said

by Jodi Kantar and Megan Twohey

This book details the journalistic investigation that revealed decades of sexual assault and harassment by powerful Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein.  The book is interesting and compelling.  The last portion of the book is about the sexual assault allegations that came forward against Brett  Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court hearings.  Well written account of the experiences of a handful of courageous women who came forward to reveal what they had experienced and say that it was NOT OK.  I would recommend this book for all women to read or listen to because most women have experienced sexual harassment or assault to a greater or lesser degree. I gave the book 4/5 stars on Goodreads.  (Genre - current events. I listened to the audiobook checked out from my local library).

The Summer of '69

by Elin Hilderbrand

This is the somewhat interesting but very long and drawn-out story about one affluent Boston family's annual summer sojourn on Nantucket island with the monied matriarch of the family.  The author weaves actual historic events from the summer of 1969 (like the first humans walking on the moon and Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick scandal) into the story, but it sometimes seems contrived.  The characters in the book are well-developed and generally likeable,  and the atmosphere in the country during 1969 seems about right (as far as I can remember - I was a child).   My main problem with the book is it's length.  It seems to go on and on and on.  The chapters are also very long, which seems to make the book seem longer.  I gave the book 3/5 stars on Goodreads.  (Genre- historical/domestic fiction.  I own the paperback copy that I read). 

Everyday Disciples

by Taylor Ricks

The author uses stories from the scriptures as well as her own life, and the lives of people she knows, to illustrate how gospel principles help faithful believers to deal with the problems faced in life.  This is a quick and uplifting read, with some interesting stories and perspectives.  I gave the book 4/5 stars on  Goodreads.  (Genre - religious. I listened to the audiobook from Deseret Bookshelf Plus, but also own a paperback copy of the book). 

As February begins, I am listening to the audiobook, Loving People Who Are Hard to Love by Joyce Meyers and reading the historical novel All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall. 

I would love to hear what you are reading. What was the best book you read in January?  Thanks for visiting. See you again soon!

Until next time, 

📚Deb📚

"So many books, so little time."

~Frank Zappa

The Weekend at the End of January

Here are the highlights of the last weekend of January.

Friday afternoon, right after school, we had another staff meeting about the gun incident that caused a lockdown on campus on Thursday.  Apparently, there were six students involved and all have been caught and suspended. They will have to go to an alternative school for a while, but eventually they will be back. There really are very few consequences.  After I got home from school, Charly and I took a walk. It was very cold, but all the snow was gone from the sidewalks.  

I made BLT sandwiches for dinner.  I had some Veggie Straws on the side. 

Saturday morning, I did something that had been on my to-do list for a while.  I tried on every pair of colored jeans and corduroys  in my closet and got rid of a lot of them. I am embarrassed that I had held on to so many pair of pants that I hadn't worn for years.  Back in Arizona, we could only wear blue jeans to school on Fridays, so I had a lot of "work pants" because I don't really feel comfortable teaching in a dress.  At the school where I teach now, we can wear blue jeans every day, as long as they don't have holes in them.  Most teachers, including me, dress very casually.  I ended up taking 16 pair of pants out my closet and putting them in a bag to be donated. 

My closet looks much better now, but I probably still have too many pairs of pants.  The home we are going to be moving to this summer was built in the 1950s and it has very small closets. No walk-in closets over there, so there won't be room for everything I have.  I am going to continue with the paring and purging process. The next item on my list is dresses and skirts. 

We needed to get gas in the car and stop at one store Saturday morning.  It was gray and cloudy again.  Charly and I went to a couple of thrift stores and dropped off two large bags of clothing to donate as I continue to clean out my closets.  

I have been trying to be super choosy when I go to thrift store.  I still enjoy looking around for fun treasure, but I am buying less and less.  Saturday, we went to three thrift stores, but I only bought a Eric Dowdle Puzzle, a recently published book I had been looking for and this very nice, barely worn Karen Scott sweater.  I was feeling rather guilty about buying another sweater, but when I came home, I went through the sweater section of my closet and found five sweaters that I hadn't worn at all in the past couple of years, so they went in a donate bag.  I wore the new sweater to church on Sunday and it fit well and was very comfortable.  I am glad I brought it home, and also that I got rid of more sweaters than I added to my closet.  I have already started the book I bought, and because it is quite short (only 150 pages), I may be able to finish it and include it in my January Reading Roundup post.  Saturday's purchases were definitely win-wins! 

When we got home, we took an afternoon walk.  The sun came out briefly, but the sky was still mostly gray and cloudy.  

Saturday night, we had BLTs part 2. We had some good tomatoes that we wanted to use up, and we enjoyed the BLTs so much on Friday night, we decided to have them again. This time, I made my sandwiches with leftover garlic and herb french bread. It was a delicious dinner. 

Sunday morning, I slept in until about 7:30 a.m.. When I got up, I read the scriptures and did my Come Follow Me study.  Since our church services don't start until 11:30 a.m., I had time to exercise a bit downstairs.  We had snow flurries off and on all morning. 

After not going to church last week, it was good to be back. After the main service, there was a special teaching meeting, with powerful messages from the leadership of our congregation.  One of the main points of the messages was the importance of treating all people with kindness and rooting out racism and prejudice from our lives and attitudes. We are all God's children, and we must love others as He loves us. 

After church, I did some indexing of death certificates of stillborn babies form 1930 and 1931.   While I entered the data, I listened to this excellent scripture study podcast hosted by university professors and scripture teachers Hank Smith and John Bytheway.   I always learn so much from these podcasts. The focus of study this year is the New Testament. 

I made another of my good blog friend Mari's excellent recipes for Sunday dinner.  She calls it Smoky Bacon Chili and it was delicious!  You can find the recipe here at Mari's blog.  We capped off our dinner with some cheese biscuits and baby spring mix salad.  It was such a good dinner for a cold and snowy Sunday. 

This is our front yard on Sunday evening.  We had snow flurries most of the day, but this is all that was on the ground by evening.  The temperatures, however, were bitter cold.  The forecast is that tomorrow morning when I leave for work, the temperature will be about 11 degrees.   Brrrr.  

Charly and I watched an old Perry Mason episode, while I finished up another card for Letters Against Isolation.  I will finish up this batch this week, then send them off to Meals on Wheels in Orem, Utah.  Now, as I write this,  I am now getting things ready for tomorrow, then I will shower and read a while before bed. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Walks with Charly
• Time to read
• Messages from friends and family
• A warm home
• Spiritual messages at church
• Time to get things done

A few things I'm looking forward to in February:

• Getting parent/teacher conferences over with for the year
• A comp day off after long parent/teacher conference days
• A planned visit to our Utah daughter and grandchildren
• Valentine's Day
• Long President's Day Weekend

That's all for this snowy and cold weekend, the last in January. Have a good week. See you again soon!

Until next time, 

😊Deb💖

"Winter is the time for comfort, 

for good food and warmth,

for the touch of a friendly hand and 

a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home."

~Edith Sitwell

 

 

Looking for the Good With Gratitude

Welcome to the final Friday in January.  I feel like I always feel this way, but how did the last month go by so quickly?  It's been a busy month, but I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that the long stream of gray cloudy days has given me a slight case of the mid-winter blues.  The best way to beat the blues, I have found, is to look for the good that happens each and every day, so I am joining again, with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story to do just that.

😊 I am grateful that despite the clouds and cold, Charly and I were able to get out and walk several afternoons this week.  Walking always helps me feel better in body, mind and spirit. 

😊 We got additional snow this week, usually in the overnight hours.  While it snow amounts in the valley was not significant, having snow over ice meant that driving conditions were slick and tricky.  In addition, just walking into school on icy surfaces means I take it slow and easy getting into school in the mornings.  I am grateful that I was safe and didn't have any mishaps either while in my car, or on foot. 

😊 With all the cold weather, I have been experiencing some pain during the last week in my "bone-on-bone" arthritic knee.  I keep going as best I can, but I was grateful when I found out that heat really helps my knee feel much better.  Thursday afternoon, when I got home, I kicked back on the couch with my heating pad on my knee and it helped the pain and felt so good. 

😊 I am grateful that the Utah Senate passed the bill that will give me, and other Utah teachers, a nice raise.  I am not sure exactly when the raise will come, but I will take it and be thankful for it!

😟 Thursday was an exciting day at school, and not in a good way.  During lunch, some students got into a fight, one student had a gun and shots were fired. No one was hurt, but the shooting resulted in a "lockdown, shelter in place" that lasted the rest of the afternoon. We had to keep our students in our classrooms with the doors locked.  The lockdown extended about a half-hour beyond the school day, but I am grateful that no one was hurt, three of the students involved were apprehended (police are still looking for three more) and my students were calm and well-behaved during the entire ordeal.  It's all a sad part of the world we live in in 2023. 

😊 I will end this post on a more upbeat note.  Thursday night, our ladies church group book club got back together after a little break for a few months. We had a nice visit and each person gave a quick report on what she has been reading.  It was fun to find out what everyone was reading and also to choose a book for our next meeting. The book we chose is All That Was Promised by Vickie Hall.  It is book one of a two book set about some Christian converts from Wales who immigrate to America to find relief from religious persecution.  Since both Charly and I have ancestors from Wales, it should be an interesting read. 

That's all for this week.  Have a good weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Gratitude is one of the sweet shortcuts to

finding peace of mind and

happiness inside. 

No matter what is going on 

outside of us, 

there's always something 

we can be grateful for."

~Mitzi Neely

Tuesday Evening Daybook

Welcome to my Tuesday Daybook.  I am linking up with my good blogging friend, Barb, over at Barb's Blog. 

Outside my window - it is almost dark now, but all week, it has been cold and cloudy. We have seen the sun very little for the past week and temperatures have been below freezing.  I took this picture of some geese in flight during an afternoon walk with Charly earlier today. 

I'm listening to - this audiobook, She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey, which is about the investigative reporting that broke the story of Harvey Weinstein's sexual assaults of so many young women.  It is sad, maddening and very eye-opening.

I'm reading - Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand.  It took me to past page 200 to really get interested in it, but now I am hooked and anxious to know how it ends.  

I'm creating - another group of cards for Letters Against Isolation.  When I am finished with all five cards, these will go to a Meal on Wheels program in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 

(source)

I'm thinking about - a bill before the Utah State Legislature (it has already passed the House and is now in the State Senate) that would give all Utah teachers a raise amounting to several thousand dollars a year.  Sounds good to me.  I could use a raise, which will mean more in my paycheck now, and will also impact my pension and eventual Social Security.  Some people, including a lot of teachers, are against the bill because it is linked to school vouchers which would give Utah parents more of a choice in their children's education.  Some are saying that this will destroy public education.   Honestly, I don't believe that at all.  I think that, by and large, choice is a good thing, and a little competition may make for better schools.  I have emailed my state legislators and voiced my opinion.  I hope the bill passes.  

Something I love - that we are continuing to make progress with purging and packing for our upcoming move this summer.  I packed another box earlier this evening.

I'm looking forward to - a meeting, this coming Thursday night, of the women's church group book club.  We took a couple of months off, but we will be meeting on Thursday to catch-up on what we have all been reading and to decide on another book.  

In the kitchen - honestly, not much going on there tonight. Charly and I got take-out Taco Tuesday.  Charly likes Del Taco's fish tacos and I had a bean and cheese burrito.  

I'm grateful for - a warm home in this very cold weather.  I am praying for those who do not have warm homes.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to spend the night out in this bitter cold. 

That's all for this Daybook post.  I hope your week is going well. See you again soon!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"You cannot get through a single day without making an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference.  You just have to decide what kind of difference you want to make."

~Jane Goodall

Highlights from a Cold, January Weekend

It's been a bitter cold weekend here, with highs in the 20s.  It has been great to mostly stay in and read and putter around the house. Here is some of what we did. 

Friday, right after I got home, I took some more books to donate at our local library.  Our library has a "friends shelf" where they sell donated books for 50 cents each and use the money to help offset the cost of supplies.  I like supporting the local library.  

I had this book, Revenge by Tom Bower,  on hold at the library and checked it out.  I started reading it Friday night.  Very interesting.  I am also still reading the Elin Hilderbrand book Summer of '69.  Because I had two very interesting books to read, I didn't watch TV at all Friday night, but spent a couple of hours reading. 

Because it was so cold Friday, I exercised downstairs after work.  (I had already worked out in the early morning before school, so the evening workout was my second of the day).  While exercising, I listened to this audiobook, which is a library download.  It is about the women who bravely came forward to hold Harvey Weinstein  accountable for his horrendous sexual assaults. The book is very a very detailed and interesting account about how two New York Times reporters broke the story of what Weinstein was doing, which eventually brought him down and put him in jail. 

Saturday morning was bright and sunny, but very cold.  Charly and I went to the store to pick up a few things, then to 7-11 for gas, then to the car wash to get the dried slush and road salt from last week off.  I don't spend much time on Facebook, but Saturday I decided to scroll for a bit as I ate lunch and in doing so found out the very sad news that a friend of our family, and member of our church community in  Arizona had passed yesterday.  His sons were such good friends to Josh when they were in high school and Boy Scouts together.  This man's wife, an especially dear, sweet woman, passed from lung cancer back in 2016.  Now, God willing, our friend is back together with his wife.  I know his sons will miss him.  

Even though Saturday morning was sunny, by the time we took our walk in the afternoon, lots of gray clouds had moved into cover the sun.  This picture shows about all that we saw of the sun as we walked.  It was still very cold.  

A little later in the afternoon, some of the clouds moved out and once again, there was sunshine and some blue skies.  Charly and I decided to go to a couple of favorite thrift stores just to get out of the house.  Josh is working in one of the Idaho locations of our favorite thrift store chain, which is run by the church we belong to.  Josh called us on Saturday, after his first shift, and told us that he gets a 20% discount that extends to his immediate family, and he wanted us to know that we could get a discount when we shop at one of these thrift stores, which we do often.  Apparently, his first day on the new job went quite well because he was quite upbeat when he called.  

We did get the 20% discount.  I am trying to very careful and choosey when going to thrift stores because I am purging so many items, but I did find a book that I had actually been trying to get from the library, a pair of Christopher and Banks jeans that I won't need to hem (a real plus for me because I am fairly short - 5'4"), a new Banana Republic blouse for school, and a couple of other tops with positive messages that I will wear to school on Fridays.   Every time I bring a new item of clothing into my closet, I look for items that I don't wear much any more and those I take them out and put them in my donate bag, and I did that Saturday night. 

Our Saturday night dinner was quick and easy Texas Toast pizza which was very good.  I got the idea from Mari, over at My Little Corner of the World.  Mari shares excellent recipes every Thursday in her Cooking Thursday posts. I had Baby spring mix salad with bleu cheese dressing to round out the meal. 

I worked out again  downstairs, packed another box, then finished this batch of Valentine themed cards for Letters Against Isolation.  These are going to a Meals on Wheel program in New York City.   Sunday morning, I signed up to make more cards that will go to Meals in Wheels programs in Utah and Wyoming. 

This was the scene in front of our home on Sunday morning. The snow started early and continued through a large part of the day.  Because of the bitter cold, below freezing temperatures we have had, the roads and sidewalks had a layer of snow over ice, and no plowing or deicing was taking place in our neighborhood.  Even though we were already dressed for church, Charly and I decided it would be best just to stay home today, so we changed our clothes and settled in for a cozy, snowy Sunday at home. 

Although we didn't go to church, we did our morning scripture reading and study.   Charly and I also read in The Rational Bible, Dennis Prager's study of the five books of the Bible that are in the Hebrew Torah. We are currently reading his commentary volume of Genesis and it is so insightful.  

In the afternoon, I did some indexing of Rockland County, NY mortgage records from the early 1900s at Familysearch.org.  Later, I took a little nap on the couch, then went downstairs to exercise a bit on the Healthmaster and stationary bicycle before I fixed dinner. 

Our Sunday dinner was Tex Mex Beef and Potatoes with Asian Salad and French bread. 

Charly got the recipe some years back and it was a family favorite,  but I hadn't made it for a long time.  Here is the recipe.  It's easy and super good.  

After dinner on Sunday, I exercised more downstairs to meet my daily goals, while watching a Dateline episode.  After I post this, I will take a shower, then read before bed. 

Weekend Gratitude:

• Josh's first day on the new job went well. 
• We got some more packing and purging done in preparation for our move.
• We had a cozy Sunday at home out of the cold and snow. 
• I had some nice text conversations with a couple of friends on Sunday.  😊

That's it for this weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.  Stay safe and warm in the coming week. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"When you give joy to other people,

you get more joy in return."

~Eleanor Roosevelt

 

Time to be Grateful

It's always a good time to be grateful, but joining with Susanne over at Living to Tell the Story  for Friday's Fave Five, formalizes a weekly gratitude practice for those who participate. Anyone can join in.  Being thankful and expressing it is good for body,  mind and spirit, so let's get going on the gratitude!

😊 I was good to get Monday off in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King.  The principles that Dr. King taught and exemplified must be lived more than one day a year.  I am planning some activities and discussions in my classes this week to emphasize Dr. King's important teachings of  equality, justice, love and peace.  I am grateful for the opportunity to discuss such important things with my students, and I was grateful to have a Monday off. 

😊 Monday was, as you can see in the picture, gray and cloudy.  We had rain off and on all day and the mountains got more snow.  I am grateful that Charly and I were able to start the day with a walk before the rain started.  I am also grateful for additional rain and snow.  Our watershed is now 200% of normal!  This year's abundant moisture is making a dent in the drought in the American West, another things for which we can all be grateful! 

😊 Josh called Monday with the good news that he got a job!  Josh is going to college in a small town in Idaho (Rexburg) where there are lots college students competing for very few jobs.  When he first arrived in town, he got a job with a landscaping company, but when fall and then winter came, that job went away. He then got a seasonal job with UPS delivering packages but, once again, that job ended with the Christmas season.  His new job is at this thrift store in town, where Josh will be doing lots of different things and where he will get lots of retail and business experience.  He initially wasn't sure he wanted to work at a thrift store, but decided that a job is a job.  The pay is not great to start, (none of the jobs in town pay much) but he will get plenty of hours and flexibility around his school schedule.  He (and we) are grateful that he got a job.  I am also grateful that all four of my children have good work ethic. 

😊 Book packing and purging has continued this week even though we are still at least five months out from our move.  I am grateful to be able to part with some of these books that have been on my "to read" shelf" for far too long.  These books will be donated on Saturday.  With each box or bag that is gone, I know I will feel lighter. 

😊  After a cloudy, gray and stormy week, the temperatures dropped even more on Thursday, making it really bitter cold outside.  On such cold and wet days, I am grateful, once again, for a warm and inviting place to exercise in our basement family room.  (You can also see what great progress both Charly and I have made on purging and packing up our books for our move).  

Of course there is always more to be grateful for.  Every morning, I make a list of good things from the day before in my journal as soon as I get up.  I find that it helps me start each day with an attitude of gratitude and a positive mindset.  Being grateful is itself a blessing.  Thanks for visiting.  Have a good weekend. 

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Among the things that you can give and still keep

are your word, a smile and your grateful heart."

~Zig Ziglar