Sunday, June 30, 2024

What I Read: June Edition

After the rough reading month of May, I was really hoping for some better, or at least more enjoyable, books in June. Some of the books this month seemed to focus around food and health (some are still in process and didn't make the June list), but I also managed to squeeze in a couple of "just for fun" books, and even considered doing a re-read of an old favorite, because sometimes you just need a comfort book (I didn't do it - still trying to focus on all the books on my shelves that I've never read before). Is there a book that you go back to over and over? A book that feels like a cozy blanket or an old friend? For me, that's the Mitford series by Jan Karon. When this year is over...I fully anticipate reading through that series yet again. It never gets old. 

Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash

When I wasn't dealing with school stuff or working through my goals for the month, I found time to enjoy moments of solitude and the following books. 

  1. The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel - ★ I don't remember where I first heard about this book, but the premise of it intrigued me. I'm a sucker for books about food, and the idea of hearing all the "strange but true stories about the origins of everything we eat" totally sucked me in. Unfortunately, the best part about this book was the premise. The author clearly had an agenda, and his writing was too politically tinged for my liking (it's a book about weird food stories, leave politics at the door - that's how I feel anyway!), and full of too many sexual innuendos. While there were several interesting tidbits scattered throughout the book, it wasn't enough to make me recommend it - even if you aligned with his political point of view. One star. {No Amazon Link}
  2. The Joy and Light Bus Company by Alexander McCall Smith - ★★★★ A friend recommended The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books to me back in 2005, before we went to work in Botswana for several months. I've been hooked ever since. This addition to the series (from 2021) is equally delightful, like a comforting cup of bush tea on a breezy, covered veranda. After a number of books I had to work my way through to finish, I needed something that was effortless. I read this in a day. Will Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni become a partner in a bus business? Will Mma Ramotswe work out the case of the wrong Bontle? And what's this about slavery in the Pula Pula house? But of course, this is Botswana, and everything comes out right in the end, as it should. One little word of warning ⚠ about the tendency of this author to be a little more "woke" in each book. It's not in your face, but it's there - the characters gently sharing their more "inclusive" opinions. It's not enough to put me off of the series (yet), but it's worth a mention. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
  3. Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett - ★★★ I received this in a "Secret Santa" gift exchange we did for work last year. My expectations were low, as I don't tend to like themed mystery series (cooking or knitting or, in this case, bookstores) and I find the plots to be thin, the writing weak, and the characters shallow. That being said, I enjoyed this story more than I thought I would, and I love the idea of a town saved from the brink by turning their downtown into a book-lovers paradise (specialty bookstores, everywhere!). Even though the characters were rather shallow, and the writing wasn't anything to write home about, I still enjoyed it enough that I would try another book from the series, if the opportunity presented itself. What I would call a "murder mystery beach read," level of book. Three stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
  4. Paul Harvey's America by Stephen Mansfield & David A. Holland - ★★★★ Hello, America. [...] And now you know...the rest of the story! I grew up with these words ringing out on the radio, so when my parents were mid-move a couple of years ago and cleaning out, I took this book off their shelves and finally got around to reading it. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about the man behind the microphone, his upbringing in Tulsa, his early start in radio, and the woman behind the man. Without Angel, he might very well have stayed in small mid-western radio stations, with the rest of America none the wiser as to what they were missing. Paul Harvey never tried to be anyone but himself, a point which stands out throughout the book. Not a long book, but what I would call a good summertime read. Clean, wholesome, and a little nostalgic for the bygone days. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
If you've been following along, that brings my book total for the year up to 38 towards my goal of 48. With just ten books remaining to meet that goal, and still six months left in the year, I'm expecting to exceed the original plan, but I'm okay with that. What bookworm wouldn't be, right? 

What was on YOUR nightstand this month? 
What's your "go to" book when life is hard and you are looking for a short break from reality? 
Hit me up in the comments and give me your best recommendations...from the last month, the year so far, or all time favorites. 

Friday, June 14, 2024

The June "Simple Goals" Update

You may recall that when this year started, I set twenty-four simple goals for 2024. I've given a few updates along the way, but since I took one of those goals and broke it down into a monthly goal, I thought it was about time to update again on how things are going. As a refresher, these are the simple goals that I set back in January...and how it's going, six months in!

Photo by Ronnie Overgoor on Unsplash

1) Buy no new books. I was doing great until earlier this month. After I read The Worst Hard Time, I quickly added more of the author's books to my "Books to Remember" list. I had no intention of buying any of them before next year, but then I got on to purchase a book as a gift, and saw that several of his books were marked down (NEW) for 63% off...and, in a moment of weakness, I caved. In my defense (no, I know there's no defense here!), I did get some as gifts, but I will also be adding to my shelves, so...not counting it as a total fail (I made it six months!), but...

2) Read 48 books from my own shelves. At the time of publication, I have read 36 books from my own shelves (and a couple that were borrowed from my mother). Suffice to say, I am well on my way to achieving this goal.

3) Use the treadmill. I have had times when I have been faithful about this, and times when I have let it collect dust. In the interest of setting smaller goals, I decided to set a goal for the month of June: walk daily, for 5-30 minutes. If I successfully achieve this goal, I get a drink of my choice from Starbucks as a reward. I downloaded the HabitShare app to help me keep track. So far, I have missed one day when the Hubs convinced me to hang out with him instead, but otherwise, I'm on course to hit my goal.

4) Put the phone down. This has been CHALLENGING, but something I am daily ware of, and working on. I've been tracking my time usage each day and taking a screenshot of it to share with a friend for accountability. 

5) Clean out and pare down. This is a work in progress. But more has been going out than coming in. I think. It does seem, though, that no matter how much I clean out, there is always more. I'm not sure how that works, but I will blame the four kids who still live at home and move on. ;) 

6) Save for a rainy day. I set up several new savings accounts and have been slowly adding to most of them. Some are specific savings for things like our health expenses (so that is a continual adding too and paying from account), and home and auto taxes and insurance. Others are a general savings (for those "shoot, I need a little more in the checking to pay the bill" moments), as well as an actual Rainy Day Fund that I have been adding to (and titled "DO NOT USE"). I've been actively working on paying these accounts first whenever we get income.

7) Use cash for certain expenditures. The short answer to this is yes, on occasion. The longer answer is a little more complicated, so for now, let's just say that when we can use cash, we do, but we're not stressing over it.

8) Burn the candles. I have been very intentional about doing this, and I am loving it. In fact, as I type this, there is a "Peony and Apple" candle burning across the room and making our bedroom smell amazingly cozy. I even picked up a couple of new candles at TJ Maxx, on clearance, with the intention of burning immediately. When I finished the first candle, I turned the glass from it into a planter for a succulent I received for Mother's Day. Win-win.

9) Create a repertoire of simple meals. I'm better about this in the winter (thanks to my Crock-Pot) than I am in the summer, but we've been eating a lot of sandwiches and other convenience foods to help keep the desire to eat out at bay, and it seems to be helping. 

10) More fresh foods, less processed, sugary, high-carb stuff. Definite growth in this area. I've really been trying to stay away from the fake sugars, and have noticed an improvement in my overall health, but specifically my gut health. We've also been doing intermittent fasting for about three months now, and because of that, I find myself craving foods that fill me up for longer periods of time, since we only have a 4-6 hour window to eat. When I eat junk, I get hungry sooner. When I eat whole foods, the cravings are less. 

11) Avoid Amazon on bad days and late nights. It's so easy to hit that little Amazon app and quickly order something you "need" or have been thinking about, but I still see improvement. I think the focus on saving for specific things has helped with this. 

12) Say "yes" to something new at work. Not yet, and one thing I was considering I'm no longer sure I would say "yes" to, but I'm okay with all of that. If the stretch goal happens, great. If not, I'm totally fine.

13) Say "no" to things that don't add value. This is also a work in progress, but I have been learning how to say "no" when it doesn't work (or no longer works) for me or my family. I am working to prioritize certain things and people over other events, but more importantly, I'm learning how to be okay with that and not feel guilty for not being able to say "yes" to everyone and everything. Boundaries are a good thing.

14) Eat the food we already have. We had several months of doing this well, and then a month when I suddenly realized we were eating out 3-4 times a week! Yikes! So this ebbs and flows, but that's also why having a repertoire of simple meals is so important on the days when I'm tempted with takeout. 

15) Participate in teaching my newest driver how to drive. I'll be honest, I wasn't sure this one was going to happen. As a recovering control enthusiast...trying to teach a young and budding control enthusiast was not on the top of my "want to do" list. However, I will say that I have, in fact, gone driving with her, and we didn't kill each other. Yay, us! We still have a long way to go, though.

16) Save for a school trip in the '24/'25 school year. This is part of the savings project, and has its own savings account now, so I'm hopeful that this will happen. If not this year (just due to packed schedules, as well as money), at least next.

17) Host more meals with friends and acquaintances. We have definitely been more intentional this year about opening our home up more, both for meals and overnight guests. It's been good for us, and for our kids, to learn how to be flexible and say "yes" to people who need a space to be themselves and find encouragement. 

18) Listen more. Talk less. Work in progress. I like my words. But I'm trying. 

19) Spend time with my parents. Time is fleeting. This year, in particular, I have realized how true this is. As my father has been in the hospital a couple of times, and my parents are both getting older, I have been trying to make time in the schedule to stop by their house or meet them for lunch or just sit and talk. I know there will come a day when I can no longer do it, and I don't want to have regrets when that day comes. 

20) Give quality gifts, not quantity (next Christmas). I'm a year-round shopper, so I've been trying to keep this in mind as I've found things already this year for Christmas. I also set a lower budget this year, so that I really want to make the gifts count.

21) Build relationships with family. Towards the beginning of the year we took some steps towards this, but then life got busy and we haven't really made the progress in this area that I was hoping when I originally added it to the simple goals list. But I have tried to work on sending texts more often to those who aren't local. Baby steps. 

22) Write more. The very fact that I'm here, in the month of June, and I'm still writing, and, in fact, most months have written two posts, is proof of improvement in this area. The number of blog visitors isn't huge, but I think the difference this time is that I'm writing for me, rather than for the "reach."

23) Don't stress about what "might" be. There have been lots of "what if" situations this year, but I've been actively working to hand those over to God immediately, rather than letting my mind dwell on the things that "might" come about, or the conversations I "might" need to have. This, in turn, has lowered my stress level, and so I would give this a thumbs up (but also recognize I must be ever vigilant, lest I fall back into old habits). 

24) Count my blessings. At my work, they have a daily check-in to share things you're grateful for. This has become my place to share the good, the bad, and the ugly...and also how I am thankful for each of them. It helps me to refocus on what I can find to be grateful for in any situation, and to remind me that there is always a blessing to be found. I recently asked someone to tell me what they could be thankful for that day, and they responded with, "nothing." How sad. The sun was out, they were alive and breathing, they had a job, their bills were paid...and yet, nothing. Count your blessings. They are all around you.

 How are you doing on your goals?