It's nearly 5 o'clock in the morning. I've been awake since three, when my (dare I say it?) middle aged body woke me up out of a strange dream to deliver some important news: get moving. If you're my age or so, you probably understand what needed to happen in the middle of the night and why a light in the hallway is usually important. The tea the night before brought this about, I'm sure.
I tried going back to sleep, but so far am wide awake. The readout from the weather channel on my computer says its 70 degrees. My internal thermometer says its 90. AC is currently on.
But I digress. You aren't here to keep up with my body's life of its own. At least, I hope not. What brought you in here was the title of this post. I'm a reader. Have been for as long as I can remember. I read the bible (not nearly as often as I should but I'm working on that), mysteries, love stories now and again, cookbooks, chick lit, Archie comics, the sides of cereal boxes... you get the picture. When I'm not writing, I can usually be found with my nose stuck in a book.
Since I couldn't go back to sleep I grabbed the latest book I've been reading. It's called The Potluck Club, by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. It was published in 2005 but I hadn't heard of it til now. I found it by accident, at a yard sale. The Potluck Club is six women who come together once a month to pray together. It started out as just two best friends who got together to pray and have dessert, and grew from there. Each of the women have their own story to tell, interweaved in the main story. One wants to take over as president of the club even though she's the newest (self invited) member. One has a secret past that even her best friend never knew. One has a failing marriage. One doesn't believe in prayer, much less God but has her own reasons for being in the club.
Each of the six women are facing their own difficulties, and they do it separately and together. I love that the authors used scripture throughout the book as the women learned more about themselves and grew closer to God. As with any book I can truly immerse myself in, I laughed with the ladies, cried with them, sympathized at times. I hated to see the story end. Although the book is finished, I was thrilled to discover that there is a series of The Potluck Club books, each concerning these six women. The second in the series is The Potluck Club: Trouble's Brewing and I can't wait to order that one.
If you enjoy women's stories like Steel Magnolias, or Fannie Flagg's books, with a Christian perspective, I think you will love The Potluck Club and the ladies in it: Evangeline, Donna, Vonnie, Lisa Lean, Lizzie, and Goldie. Bonus: there are lots of yummy recipes included!
Grab a copy and let me know what you think. I enjoy discussing books with friends. Meanwhile, your turn. Do you have a book or two that you recommend? I'd love to hear from you.
Ok, if you received this without a title, it's because it was written last night around midnight when I should have gone to bed. Fun fun.
Can you believe September is already gone? Time sure flies, doesn't it? I haven't written as much as I would have liked this month, but for me, family comes first. So, what have you been up to lately? I'll catch you up a little and give a few tidbits if you'll share with me how it's going with you. Deal?
Remember Heavenly Homemakers Funky Fresh Kitchen Challenge? I didn't blog as much about it as I'd meant to, but I tried keeping up with Laura. As for me, I nearly gave myself a big, fat FAIL on the month long challenge series, but I decided to be lenient and give myself a D. A lot of the challenges I ended up putting a "to be continued" label on them for one reason or another. That's okay. I haven't given up on doing those things. But I did decide to try menu planning again, which is a step in the right direction, and I got my pantry area cleaned out and functional. So woohoo there! Sorry, no pictures. Need to replace my camera at some point in the future.
I decided earlier to put myself through Home Ec 101 and get my act together in a few areas. It's still a work in progress. I have a friend now (Hi, Sharon!) who encourages me each week to declutter and organize. We chat via private message on Facebook on Mondays, and sometimes one other day during the week. We tell each other what we are working on that particular day, and I think it's beneficial for both of us.
As I mentioned earlier I'm trying to master the art of menu planning. It comes so simply to so many, but I struggle with it. I know basically what my family eats, and I'm learning to keep a list of pantry items so I can come up with nutritious meals. I am even learning to take into account the schedule so I can figure out if we need to eat out on a certain day because of doctor appointments, or whether I can figure out another way to make sure we're fed while on the road.
J continues to do well without the behavior medications, but I've found that he still needs melatonin to help him sleep. He's currently dealing with insomnia. O joy of joys. So this early bird has had to adjust her sleep schedule a wee bit to accommodate the situation. (Whew! Took three tries to spell accommodate correctly.)
Also, I'm in house hunting mode. I have a scout in the area we'd like to live in, both for financial and work reasons, and I've been doing some searching on the net to see what is out there that we could possibly afford. I'm seeing a few prospects. The biggest thing now is to look at the houses, set the ball in motion, and trust that God will lead us to the home that is right for us. I'm praying for this. There has already been a blessing in this: I'm getting to better know an old friend from school, and I have a new friend in his wife as well. I am really hoping and praying this works out because it has been so long since I lived close to a friend so I could visit and talk. Bonus: I'd have more motivation to keep the house organized and clean! I don't know about you, but knowing company may show up is a HUGE motivator in housekeeping.
Something new, something new.A Proverbs Wife is beginning a weeklong reading of Colossians today (October 1). It runs through Sunday, October 7. I hope you'll join the discussion there.
Well, that's all the news for now on my end. What about you? What have you been up to lately? Are you accomplishing all the goals you set for yourself? I'd love to hear from you.
