Life Lately

Dallin is getting his 6th tooth(!) I didn't know kids got teeth that fast but once we're done with one teething phase we're on to another. 

He sure is my son because he loves peanut butter and loves spice. This kid's most recent love is this amazing African Peanut Soup (kale and all! Who knows how long that will last!) from Love Real Food cookbook (love that cookbook so much). 

He just learned to scoot forward dragging one arm in a sort of army crawl way. 

He still loves fuzzy blankets and continually wears them over his face while he sleeps. 

Austin has started playing in an ultimate frisbee league in Seattle. Absolutely loves it. 

I still go on mini hikes and walks throughout our area almost daily. The weather has been warming up so I can do that more. 

Austin is so good to let me have 'me time' once a week for an hour or two. I usually go on a hike and then journal or study the scriptures. This last Thursday evening I went on a new trail and I almost cried, it was so beautiful. I pinch myself thinking that I actually live here and I'm not just visiting. 

I've sort of binge making recipes from Faithful Plateful. Loved all the ones I've made so far! Carrot cake turned into muffins, madras lentils, chipotle bowls, hawaiian haystacks (not Austin's fav but I loved it), oil free granola (needs less salt next time), black bean salsa, mango quinoa salad, and no bake cookies. 

Finally started watching relative race from Emily's recommendation. I mean it only took us 5 seasons of convincing to finally get hooked. 

We also have been keeping up with 'Show offs' on byutv and Jk studios 'free lancer' episodes. Those both have been surprisingly hilarious. 

I've read some great books lately: The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix was the first graphic novel I did and it set the bar very high!

This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce is an excellent verse novel about her experience integrating into Clinton High in the 1950's. 

Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes-I'm still thinking about this one and it's turned my idea of homemaker upside down. Highly recommend!

A Light so Lovely by Sarah Arthur is about the spiritual legacy of Madeline L'Engle and it's very contemplated and moving.

I've been loving watching again and again 'The Sound of Music Live' British version that came out in 2015. Much much better than the Carrie Underwood version. It gives me chills at the end every time and I just want to clap when it's over! Plus the captain singing 'Edelweiss' is swoon worthy. ;)

In March I got two of my wisdom teeth taken out. Easiest recovery ever. I was so nervous but it turned out so much better than I expected. 

We continually love being here, especially grateful again and again for Austin's commute. It's been a life saver for us. He got commuter of the week for his company in March. 

Been to the temple several times in the last little bit thanks to a good friend who watches Dallin. Has been so wonderful!

We loved being in Oregon for General Conference with Mom and Dad Lewis, Ondalynn, Seth, and Viv's family. It was so fun and it went by too quickly of course! So glad to be there for Mom's birthday as well. 

Now for a ton of pictures from the last little while. Recent to later. 

 Dallin's sharp nails got in my nose and gave me a bloody nose haha

 Picture for his commuter of the week award

 Wisdom teeth post surgery-yikes

The battle is having to take away all the library books from his teeth. 

What I've Enjoyed Reading Lately

Here's a brief recap of some of the good books I've read in the last couple of months. I'm finally getting back into audio books which has been helpful to get through some books on drives or cleaning around the house. Sometimes a good narrator does it for you.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

If you're like me, this one had a bazillion holds on it so when I got it, I was so excited to it. Basically I binged listened. We had a snow storm around here so Austin had the car and I was stuck in the apartment all day and so I literally had it playing ALL day. I loved it. I only knew a few things about Michelle from little bits here and there while they were in the White House but I did not know anything about her upbringing, going from Princeton to Harvard, getting her law degree there, or early family life where she dealt with infertility and had both of her babies through IVF and even all the work she did with hospitals. She's incredible! Even though she didn't want Barack to run for President, once she committed the idea, she was all in and tried to do her best to create her role as First Lady her own. It's not a title that has a job description or any sort of manual. She didn't have to do anything if she didn't want to but she got busy with initiatives in health and helping military veterans, an area she was very unfamiliar with at first. Her writing is amazing and I loved the she did the audio version. It will be on my top lists at the end of the year for sure. 

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Start up by John Carreyrou

Here's another audio book that I COULD NOT PUT DOWN. I'm not kidding when I was looking for things to clean in my house so I could keep listening. This was about the start up company, Theranos, and all the secrets and lies they were trying to cover up in trying to get this company going. It's a bit unnerving and almost seems surreal. People getting fired left and right, people resigning all over the place, covering up test results to make it look believable. Check out this documentary trailer to get a glimpse of the story. So crazy.

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

A teacher who is near the end of his teaching career gets stuck with 'the unteachables' as punishment for something that happened 20 years ago that the superintendent still hasn't gotten over. A super funny quick read. It's a great balance of humor and heart-warming-ness that I love in middle grade novels. 

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce

It’s been a while since I listened to an audio book and this one was delightful to listen to. Great characters and interesting take on WWII period where an aspiring war journalist accidentally gets a job to be a typist for a women’s magazines and ends up secretly replying to ladies in distress because of the war. There were a couple of things left unfinished but overall a great read. Hunted by Meagan Spooner I read more fantasy at the beginning of this year than I normally do and this one was my favorite so far. It's a re-telling of Beauty and the Beast with added characters and a slight twist to it as well. Different than what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised! Have you read any of these? What have you've loved reading recently?

My Favorite Reads of 2018

It's funny, when someone asked me what was my favorite reads, I still sometimes have to look at Goodreads to remember. Anyone else? Shouldn't your favorites be no brainers?? There were a few that stuck in my mind but then I remembered some of my favorites this year weren't first time reads and I'm okay with that. 

Overall, here's what I loved reading in 2018.

This is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick

I read this on our moving trip from Moscow, Idaho to Washington State so I think it earned its favorite spot because it was exactly what I needed to read at the time. I wrote a whole blog post about it. Some of the things I still think about and even tried to implement a few this year. Plus, I follow Melody on Goodreads and she has the best 1-sentence reviews. 

Educated by Tara Westover

I'm always hesitant to recommend this one because it's fantastic but also hard to swallow at times. I dare you not to talk about it afterwards. Good luck. 

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

This was a re-read for our family book club and even though I knew what was going to happen, I still had a hard time putting it down. Sheinkin is a master at bringing history to life. 

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I still stand by that this is my favorite YA novel (okay I don't normally like YA enough to read a ton) but still! This was the second time I read it and I thought I could hold the tears, but by the end, I was in a puddle of them. So powerful for such a short novel. 

Roots and Sky: A Journey Home in Four Seasons by Christie Purifoy

Let's just say I wish I could write about ordinary life like her. So beautiful and so reflective. 

The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie

I actually read about 3 different books about the importance of reading aloud to your kids but I will always recommend this one over the others (yes even over the Trelease book which Sarah gained her passion from). I love that it's more than just having your kids do well in academics but how it can connect you with them and it reminds me why I love to read. I have so many book darts in this one and I look forward to referencing it again and again. 

Restart by Gordon Korman

Sadly I did not read as many middle grade novels as I would like but this was so delightful! Recommended by my niece, Julia, it's all about second chances to make things right. 

Living in Your True Identity by Brooke Snow

I will have to say that this is my favorite read of the year. Thanks to my sis for recommending her podcast and work, I never miss any content she puts out. Even though her podcast delves into things in her book, I felt the book took it a little deeper and I couldn't gobble it fast enough. I want 2019 to be a year where I implement many of her practices like meditation. She has some fabulous information. 

What were some of your favorite reads this year?

What I've Been Reading Lately

If you follow me on Goodreads then nothing will be new here but I've read some really good books lately so I thought I would highlight a few here. 

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton: I'm a huge Kate Morton fan so I was so excited to read her latest this fall and it was a great seasonal read! This is one of those books I looked forward to reading at the end of the day. I just couldn’t read too late into the night by myself because it would freak me out slightly.

This one is a little different than her other novels except for the fact of jumping time periods like she usually does. There’s no real twist but it’s all about weaving stories together that revolve around Birchwood Manor. You’re always curious to what did happen in the summer of 1862 and how do all these characters relate?

But she throws in a TON of characters. I was nearing page 300 and there were still new characters being introduced. I can see why people didn't like this as much. The writing style was different because of the ghost character but I thought it was done tactfully even though it took me a couple of chapters in to get the groove of it. 

Chester and Gus by Cammie McGovern: Recommended by my sister, this was such a sweet middle grade novel and different than what I've read in a while. It's from the perspective of Chester, the dog, who is been trained to find 'his person' to help. And he feels he's found it in an autistic boy named Gus. I'm usually not an animal person or I like reading about them but I really loved that even though it was from the dog's perspective, it had some real emotions without being cheesy. 

Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Wilner: Interesting look at a family's story that is divided by the Berlin Wall. I learned so much about East and West Germany at this time and I'm glad I learned it through the eyes of this family. It's heartbreaking to think that some of the siblings and their parents had little to no connection with each other, some for almost 40 years. This was written by a granddaughter so it had a similar feel/story to "We Were the Lucky Ones" but told in a non-fiction standpoint instead of historical fiction. (side note: Georgia Hunter, author of WWTLO, did a podcast interview with Anne on What Should I Read Next that I thoroughly enjoyed and Anne's book recommendations sound so interesting!) At times this book felt a little lengthy but overall really good. The central theme I felt was you don't know what it's like to have freedom until you lose it. 

Sweep: The Story of the Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier: This one came highly recommended by Sarah McKenzie on her instagram feed and I'm a sucker when someone says it's the best book they've read this year and they hope it wins the Newbery because it's that good. It was really really good. It's about Nan, a chimney sweeper in Victorian London and her experiences with Charlie, her golem and protector, while trying to escape from her evil master. There were so many great lessons that would be great discussion builders for kids and adults. It does have a bit of Dickens' feel with the time period and themes of child labor and poverty. And you need to read the author's notes at the end. Makes the book more meaningful.

Some quotes: “I’m not going to tell you it’s easy or that you shouldn’t be scared. But being scared’s not the whole story of it. There’s another reason we climb—one that makes all that danger worth it. It’s the view. There’s nothing in the world like it.”

"We are saved by saving others.”

America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray: It took me a little bit to get into but then there was a point that I wanted to find time to read it. I blew through this book. She packs a ton of drama in these 600 pages which can be exhausting but definitely makes you want to keep reading. I felt like I was reading a combo of Gone With the Wind and The Kitchen House. I think it would have been too much for me if it wasn't historical fiction. I realize the author elaborates a lot but reading what she included and why was interesting. I learned a lot (maybe too much haha!) about Thomas Jefferson and his family. 

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy: I read The Mapmaker's Children from this author last year and really enjoyed it. And I thoroughly enjoyed this one too. Even though she's making up the story of Marilla growing up and what her relationship with John Blythe might have looked like, it worked. I did roll my eyes a little bit with some of the romance but it was sweet and sad, even if you know how it ends from the Anne books. I loved the little connections between Marilla and Anne and fun to see some of the dots connect. Even the chapter headings were similar to the Anne books. Recommend if you need something light and nostalgic. 

August 2018 Reading Round-Up

I've been finding more time to squeeze in reading when I put my phone on silent and keep it in another room and read while I nurse. I can pop out 200 pages in a day in a easy middle grade novel that way! Also, audiobooks have been very helpful. I'm in the middle of many books right now and a lot of them are long so it could take me a while before I finish. But here's what I read in August. 

The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough

My brother recommended this to me while I was at the reunion and I couldn't pass it up-it sounded so interesting. It definitely way. A piece of history that I didn't know about. Sometimes I felt like it dragged but if you like McCullough, you'll probably find this one interesting. 

Nurture Shock: New Thinking About Children by Po Bronson

I saw this on Everyday-reading.com for book clubs and this one intrigued me. I've entered a whole new realm of books-parenting books...I don't know if I should be happy or scared about that prospect. This one I liked because it turns your head upside down with regards to how we 'think' we should parent. This would be great for discussion because certainly there would be some heavy agrees and disagrees on each topic like teaching about race, praising children, and dealing with teenagers. 

The Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls

This one was cute and I can't believe I've never read it before. The ending was really sweet. But I felt there was a lot of 'filler' pages that didn't propel the story along in my opinion. Maybe I should give 'Where the Red Fern Grows' a try. I know, I know. I can't believe I haven't read that one either. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

First, I can't believe Wilde is the same man that wrote this AND The Importance of Being Earnest and An Ideal Husband. They are so different. I guess that's a sign of a great writer. I gave it an extra half for the eeriness effect at the end of the book. Definitely lots to think about and discuss on the obsession of youth/beauty and how it can destroy you. But also very depressing just like I heard it would be. 

The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in its Proper Place by Andy Crouch

This is one of those books that I think could have been condensed to an article rather than a book. Really, a whole chapter on giving the idea of waiting until their 10 till you buy a TV? I came into this book knowing the harmful effects of the phone so it was redundant and I was pretty disappointed. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe I have a real issue and am in denial...especially since I read it on my kindle app, ha!

The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease

I've heard Sarah Mackenzie rave about this book and how it gave her the drive and passion to be a "Read-Aloud Revivalist". To be honest, I would recommend her book over his any day! But I did really like his. You obviously don't have to read both (again, read hers!) but I like the subject so much that I blew through this in two days. He is more focused on how reading aloud helps kids academically and Mackenzie is all about how it connects you with your kids. I loved the examples he shared in the book. There were times where I felt he was slightly extreme but it was still a fascinating read. I love the wealth of books he shared at the end. Worth checking out just for that. 

Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand

This was picked as a middle grade novel but with what goes on in this book I would definitely give it to those 13 and up. It's about an 11 year old girl named Finley who goes and spends the summer with her grandparents who she's never met until now. Her parents need the summer to 'work things out.' Finley is dealing with a lot of emotions that she can't explain and her only way to work through them is to write about Everwood, her imaginary story about knights and queens and adventures in the woods. What goes through this novel is a lot of keeping secrets, being authentic, and how to deal with a range of emotions with yourself and others. I really enjoyed this novel for its realistic as well as fantastical elements to it. Again, it has some more darker elements to the story (not terrible) but just not something I would give an 11 year old to read unless I had read it myself. But I actually would think about using it as a book club read. Lots to discuss.