#DriedTears

lots and lots of them

2023 Reads

Better late than never...

Top two reads of 2023:

I recommend Jerry Sittser's book A Grace Disguised for adults who have suffered loss, are currently suffering loss, or are walking with others who are experiencing significant loss.

I recommend Eva Eland's simple picture book When Sadness is at Your Door for children and grown ups over the age of three :).

Additional Favorites:

most fun read: Sense and Sensibility (via a Jane Austen book club with four friends)

most disturbing/thought-provoking: Evicted

best sports story (Olympics!): Boys in the Boat

favorite biography: The Wright Brothers

most notable spiritual read: Disappointment with God

Other reads:

(Being Mortal and The Body Keeps the Score were notable reads but didn't quite make the top favorite list)

And just for fun:

Date

 

Took this extra special 4.75 year old on a little Michigan date.

After walking for a mile to get to his favorite big orange slide, and then playing at said playground, we stopped for a little ice cream treat before heading home for dinner.

He chose Blue Moon.

I chose chocolate (of course).

cut-your-own: fresh flowers

two things, semi-related:

Running a flower farm with Libby is one of my potential plan B career opportunities :).

And placing lovely fresh flowers on the bathroom sink is a sure way to create an ambiance of luxury. 

Royal

The apartment felt almost like a palace with this incredible bouquet of peonies showing off their stunning beauty and filling the room with their sweet scent.

In my dreams I might have a peony garden overflowing with blooms like these. 

But in real life, it is my neighbor friend's neighbor who has the most impressive peony patch in the neighborhood.

Oolala.

more chocolate chip tasting

I had some important chocolate tasting to complete last weekend: 

Inspired by a recent conversation with a friend, I made a visit Aldi for a little grocery shopping. While there, I passed through the baking aisle and added three bags of chocolate chips to my cart. 

Naomi wasn't here to participate in this tasting, so I had to conduct it solo (and opted out of blind tasting).

I've decided Weis store brand semi sweet chocolate chips are superior to Giant store brand semi sweet chocolate chips (although- I haven't yet tasted them side by side),

and

Aldi dark chocolate chips (larger and flatter than traditional semi-sweet chips) and premium dark chocolate chunks (which pack a major chocolate punch) both scored in the "would buy again" category.

Sadly, Aldi semi sweet chips scored very poorly. 

I tried, and then tried again, but found the morsels to have an almost gritty texture. Affordably priced or not, I don't plan to purchase semi sweet chocolate chips from Aldi.

PS- I have an extra (almost full) bag of Aldi semi sweet chocolate chips available... free to the highest bidder.

familiar

There's something comforting about familiar places along the trail.

They say you should...

...eat the rainbow.

delightful

 

I don't typically think of daffodils as a favorite flower, but I forget just how very much I love their cheery presence popping out and shouting: winter is past.

Daffodils are delightful.

recommendable

This picture won't win any competitions, but these muffins might.

If you're looking for a lightly spiced oatmeal muffin, sweetened with maple syrup and topped with a simple and delicious crumb, I recommend this recipe by Erin at Well Plated.

(note: I used canola oil and decreased the spices in the batter, since I was going for just a hint of spice)

February Hike // White Rocks to Center Point Knob

On Saturday I hiked White Rocks out to Center Point Knob, the former halfway point of the Appalachian Trail. 

Although I've been up the White Rocks trail numerous times (a brief and rigorous hike), I didn't ever remember walking the ridge all the way to the Knob.

It was gloriously peaceful at Center Point Knob. Although the wind was nippy along the ridge, it was calm on the Knob. A soft carpet of pine needles contrasted the nearby rocky terrain. 

And the sun was shining deliciously warm rays.

Lake Shenandoah

On a recent work trip in Virginia, I looked up a nearby hiking trail that looped around the mini Lake Shenandoah. Vicky, Kris, and I squeezed in a quick visit between two sessions of our full schedule of meetings. 

There's nothing like a dose of fresh air, especially after hours of sitting and wrestling with topics like world peace.

photo by Vicky

A Merry Little Christmas Time

December was a pretty lovely, merry little Christmas time :)

special treats

string wrapped packages

white

all the pretty things

plus lots of lovely times with so many special people

celebration

It wasn't the first snowstorm of the year, but Sharon's bridal shower last month seemed like an occasion more than worthy of fresh cinnamon rolls.

 

2022 Reads

(The year isn't quite over yet, so there's a chance a couple more titles may be added, but I decided to go ahead and highlight some notable reads from 2022)

Top 10 reads (in no particular order):

What to say about the top 10...

(in the order pictured)

Divine Disruption: already featured here

The Sun Does Shine: the subtitle summarizes it well: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (this is the story of Anthony Ray Hinton, one of Bryan Stevenson's clients-- Just Mercy from the 2021 top picks).

Dopesick: the staggering true story of the rise of prescription drug addiction in America.

The Glass Castle: one of those "you can't make this stuff up" memoirs, the somewhat appalling and deeply emotional story of growing up with two mentally unstable parents in the not so distant past.

Unorthodox: Deborah shares her personal story of growing up and coming of age in a Hasidic community. After getting married and giving birth to her firstborn, she chose to leave everything that had been her world up until that point.

The Next Right Thing: I would subtitle the book, "A Simple, Soulful Practice for Everyday Living" (the book isn't just for folks standing at significant crossroads in life). With chapters like "Be Honest with Yourself" and "Wear Better Pants," Emily pairs a practical breath of fresh air alongside deep spiritual encouragement in a simple and beautiful way. 

American Kingpin: I waited for years for the library to get a copy of the audio version of this book, and finally gave up and purchased the hard copy. I was in no way disappointed: the true and outrageous story of the the Silk Road on the Dark Web. What a thriller!

Halfway Home: this book is a top ten for two reasons, 1) the powerful way this incredibly hard story is shared by a talented and experienced author (the more he shared his own story, the more my respect grew for Reuben as a man qualified to speak these words) and 2) the connection I felt to the Michigan places that feature throughout the chapters.

The Year of Less: I wish Cait wrapped up the book by telling us she met Jesus... Although that's not the case, her story is one worth hearing. This gal has grit.

Gray Day: what's better than a tale of nail-biting crime busting or espionage?! Well... how about the firsthand account of an undercover FBI operation that led to the capture of a decades-long Soviet mole (one of the FBI's very own) as he was on the cusp of retirement! yes, please!

next 10 reads:

Of course The Hiding Place will always hold its place as a tried-and-true classic in my mind.

If you or someone you know is facing chronic illness, you might like to check out K.J. Ramsey's beautiful work brimming with honest tears, pain, and hope: This Too Shall Last. Out of her own spiritual journey, K.J. masterfully challenges our culture's belief that suffering is a problem to fix.

another 10 reads:

(ask if you want my two cents on any of these)

a few additional outliers:

Friends, I wanted to like Tears We Cannot Stop... but I'm sorry to say, it was a real chore to make it through this one. Sadly, I don't recommend it. (Not saying it's not a good book, but I never got connected, even though I stayed with Michael all the way to the end.)

Blood Diamonds might induce nightmares! Horrendous true story (not sure how the story could be told without being too graphic...). I may never be able to think about diamonds without thinking about diamond harvesting in Sierra Leone, but... it was too much.

Although The Invention of Murder sounded fascinating... it got pretty detailed and droned on for hours and hours (not kidding). Great history; wasn't engaging enough for me personally.

If you haven't yet read the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos... do it! I listened to The Dropout podcast (and included it here, because it had so many episodes and felt sort of like a full length book).

And... if you grew up with any relation to or experience within the American evangelical church of the 90s and early 2000s (or if you or someone you love has been a victim of spiritual abuse), you might be gripped and fascinated by the Christianity Today podcast (again, more like a long chapter book) The Rise & Fall of Mars Hill.