1.
Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life
I just finished Strange Gods by the always smart and often sassy Elizabeth Scalia (AKA: The Anchoress) and was blown away by its goodness. Some spiritual works offer delicious food for thought but aren’t necessarily fun to read, and some are amusing but aren’t terribly edifying, but Elizabeth manages to gift us with both in her new book.
Her words entertained me, challenged me, and left me wanting to email her and insist that she give me a sneak peek of her next work (which she’d better be working on!). I already knew that Elizabeth was incredibly wise and a phenomenal writer but it can be hard to transition from writing short articles to penning full-length books. She nailed it, though. This book is a triumph and a must-read. I am better for having read it, which is the test of a truly good book, don’t you think?
2.
Writing
In the year since Style, Sex, and Substance was released I’ve received several lovely offers to write another book from editors that I would love to work with and publishers I admire. Although I was seriously tempted (and do hope to create another book one day soon) the man upstairs made it abundantly clear that it wasn’t quite the right time. Instead I’ve spent the last year simply getting ready for sweet Charlie, enjoying my husband, spending quality time our kids, and settling into our new home. No regrets.
Last week I was invited to contribute a chapter to a new book that is in the works, though, and that feels just right. I don’t think I realized just how much I’ve missed writing. It makes me surprisingly happy to think about spending time this summer penning something new.
3.
I’m so hopeless as a doer of hair. I don’t think my little girls have ever sported so much as a braid. Which is heartbreakingly sad because I so love cute hair-dos!
I finally mastered the sock bun late last year (after much trial and toil) but Victory Rolls (my absolute fave) have remained elusive.
Until recently!
In my quest to master those cute as pie rolls I consulted with Ms. Pinterest who led me to this post over on the Bobbi Pin blog which recommended using the Curl Easy Pro Brush. Since it was only $6 I went ahead and ordered it but didn’t dare hope. Much to my surprise it actually worked! It may look like a torture device (see link above), and I may be all thumbs, but together we make magic.
4.
My pride has taken a hit (just look at them), but I have a new lease on life thanks to my Vibrams. Up until my third child was born I could easily pull off three miles during the week and six miles on the weekend. After Sophia was born, though, I just could never quite work back up to more than a run/walk and repeat. For some reason (let’s not speculate), I would always end up with knee and hip pain within days of starting to train.
Jen has been singing the praises of Vibrams for over a year now so despite my husband referring to them as monkey shoes and my daughter calling them bunny shoes, I bit the bullet and bought a pair.
Life. Changing.
No aches, no pain, I can run farther than I have in a long time, and with more ease. I know. It’s a hard sell. Need more convincing? I highly recommend reading Born to Run (such a great book). It gives more detail on why so many people are finding Vibrams to be such a Godsend.
5.
So many people rave about the Couch to 5K program but I could never get into it because I just couldn’t imagine messing with a stopwatch (or even just keeping an eye on my watch) while I tried to coax my body out of couch mode and into 5K mode. When I heard there was an app (many, actually) I decided to give it a whirl.
I can now join the chorus of people singing “C25K is the best 5K Training Program EVER!!!” I love it.
There are a bunch of apps to choose from and I had no idea which one was best so I just chose one that had a lot of positive reviews. There aren’t any bells and whistles really, just an encouraging voice that interrupts my music to tell me to “start running” and “slow down to a walk.” Oh, and badges! I get badges for being a good little runner. I never would have imagined that a virtual badge that tells me that I have a “Lion’s Heart” could delight me so but there you go.
Kisses!
i
P.S. If you missed my Father’s Day giveaway post you can find it right here! It will be open through Sunday. :)
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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