Sunday, June 29, 2014

Photo an Hour

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This past weekend was a blast with my family (and the big surprise, my brother!). My parents renewed their wedding vows to celebrate 20 years together. Congrats, Mama and Daddy, and here's to decades more!

It's National Camera Day, so gather your loved ones and make some photo memories.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Breakfast+Snack+Treat All in One

Well, hello!


[Whenever I say that, I always picture Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire when he sticks his face in the whipped cream (I think it is?) so his ex-wife won't recognize him. And I say it like he does, "Well, hellooooooo!" I can't help it, my cousins and I were huge fans of that movie.]

Hmmm, anyhoo, I threw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl and discovered a quick and versatile treat.


This Breakfast Cookie came about because I was really, really annoyed with how quickly my bananas ripened. Most people prefer this; however, I do not. I strongly do not. I can't even stomach a banana if there are any brown spots, let alone stand the smell. And my kitchen reeked of overripe bananas. Something needed to be done immediately. So instead of tossing them like I occasionally do, I decided to mash them in a bowl and do something with them....?

At 10 o'clock last night, I searched what ingredients I had on hand and added some oats, nut butter, and chocolate chips. I was aiming for a breakfast bar. The mixture wasn't as thick as I intended, and rather than add more oats, I opted for some flax seed. Alas, my kitchen was sans flax seed. No problem, cookies it is!

These cookies are great. Fantastic. Healthy. Transportable. Delicious with just the right amount of sweetness to make you feel as if you're indulging. I was so thrilled with the turnout, I hadn't realized I'd already eaten three of the little gems until I went to take a photo. Soooo good. And the best part, store them in the freezer, and grab one when ya need it! It's as simple as that. You might want to make a double batch.


Perfect for breakfast, they remind me a little of baked oatmeal. A great snack throughout the day. Or as a guilt-free late-night treat. This morning I enjoyed one crumbled up on top of my plain Greek yogurt with berries. I felt a little indulgent. Awesome start to my day. :)

Breakfast Cookies

Makes 13 cookies

2 very ripe bananas
1 c quick-cooking oats (or rolled if it's what you have on hand; I did a combination in mine.)
1/3 c dark chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
1 heaping T raw almond butter (or whatever nut butter fits your fancy)

Preheat oven 350 degrees. With a fork, mash the bananas in a medium bowl. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, and nut butter. Scoop batter onto a baking tray, making scoops as round as possible.

Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. In a tight container, store in fridge or freezer. (I prefer mine straight from the freezer, no need to thaw!) *Note: this recipe is quite easy to make gluten free and vegan.

Nutritional Information (per cookie): 44 Calories, 1 Fat, 1 Sugar, 3 Fiber, 2 Protein


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Monday, June 23, 2014

Yes, I'm a Children's Librarian


I'm feeling like a let's-take-a-gander-at-the-crazy-but-fun-day-of-a-YS-Librarian post. Since I was working the late shift today, my morning consisted of sleeping in until 6:34 (woot! woot!), watching Mr. B and Mr. Darcy enjoying each other's company (and by "enjoying" I mean Mr. Darcy attacking Mr. B's head, arms, hands...anything within reach, while Mr. B tried to distract him with the numerous amount of toys taking over our living room), and finishing up some last-minute chores and prepping for the hubby's dinner. You know, he'll be all by his lonesome tonight. I also sneaked in a half hour nap while Mr. Darcy was supposed to be taking his morning nap. Then it was a rush to get out the door and on to work.

11:30-1:00 p.m. It was slooow going today. I blame fun, outdoor summer activities, and the threat of a bursting thunderstorm, sure to make the rest of the day muggy as all get out. With the lack of activity in the children's department, I was able to get quite a bit accomplished. After spending 30 minutes tidying up the shelves and toys, I did email and organization stuff, like hanging new program fliers (we have a lot going on at the library this summer!), piling random stuff on one cart to take to the basement tomorrow (like googly eyes, bee puppets, tissue paper, Legos, and a million stickers...and I really don't think I'm exaggerating on that one), and making sure I know where Thursday's performer's check is located. We're having Outback Ray here (no Jungle Terry this year), and I'm sure it will be a packed, mad house Thursday afternoon. The show starts at noon, so get here early for a seat up front! I hear there's an alligator. :)


1:30-3:30 p.m. I spent these few hours making sure my Preschool Story Time program was ready for Friday (theme: How's the Weather?), and my backup Toddler Tales program was ready for Thursday. As a special summer treat, I'd really like to take the kids outside to play with chalk for the program, but if the weather doesn't cooperate, I need a backup plan. I'm really praying it's nice because I had 16 toddlers running around in a cramped room filled with 14 other adults, and let's just say CRAZY would be an understatement. They need outside time. I need outside time.

But I must not forget the parachute.

3:30 p.m. I took an early lunch because once the craziness starts, there will be no stopping until closing time. I consumed one of my favorite lunch meals like I hadn't eaten in a week. Honestly, I think last summer was the last time I cooked up a batch of this Chicken and Rice Salad. It's one of my favorites, and can keep in the fridge for days, making it perfect for work. So good. I must make this more often. Also, it makes for a great dish to take to your next cookout. Tasty cold or at room temperature, and this time I made it with brown rice instead of my normal wild rice; it's just as tasty.


4:00-5:00 p.m. Program set-up. This evening's yoga program is a collaborative effort between myself and two other of my library's YS Librarians. In staying with the Summer Reading Program's "science" theme (Fizz, Boom, Read), we're combining my "Yogi Kids" (body science) and Miss Jill's "Kidz Create" (food science) programs into one fun-filled healthy night. Because it's a combined effort (and we enjoy working with each other so much), we're rotating the program to all three of our branches this summer. Last week it was at Mrs. Rising's, and we had such a great turn out (even the parents were asking for their own program), and later in July it will be at Miss Jill's location.

Set-up includes clearing space in the meeting room so we can stretch out and get our yoga on, and finding room in the children's department for the kids to make and enjoy their smoothies without making too much of a mess...and finding some outlets.

Thankfully, I remembered to bring in my blender from home this time, and this time we made it through the entire program with two working ones! We also put out books and DVDs on yoga and making healthy food at home. Actually, for this program, the set-up is quite minimal, which is fantastic and allows us to catch up on what's going on at everyone's branches lately. You know, library gossip...what programs worked, didn't work, fun kid stories, interesting patron stories, etc. Also, we were quite busy handing out Summer Reading prizes while the kids waited for the program to start.

5:00-6:00 p.m. Yogis in the Kitchen Lab.

Due to the small space, we had to divide the kids into two groups of 10. One group remained with me for the yoga part, while the other group went with Miss Jill and Mrs. Rising for the smoothie part. For 20 minutes, I worked with kids on a yoga sequence focusing on back stretches, which included poses like Bridge, Cobra, and Wheel. We began the routine with a couple of Sun Salutations for a quick warm-up, repeated the six-posed flow three times, and finished with a five minute cool down, including a nice, long Relaxed Pose (I don't use the phrase Corpse Pose with the kids, it doesn't go over too well, haha) to some calming music and the lights out. Namaste.

Then we switched, and I did the whole 20-minute session again with the second group. Over in the children's department, Miss Jill and Mrs. Rising were teaching the kids about measuring and halving ingredients in order to make their very own Banana Berry Smoothies.

How'd it go? Excellent. Everyone participated and had fun, and there were hugs all around. The kids really, really had a blast. This group of yogis complained a little more about the poses (possibly because the majority of them were older than the kids we had last week at a different branch, and they were a little more self-conscious with their friends there watching them), but this group did better with making the smoothies. The sad thing: this program was the first time most of the kids ever had a smoothie AND the first time understanding how a blender works. This makes my heart sad.

At the end of the program, we handed out cards which featured the yoga routine and the smoothie recipe. I suggested they try their own yoga day at home, and hopefully we inspired a few kiddos.

6:00-8:00 p.m. Clean up. Clean up. Everybody clean up. We managed to clean up, tear down, and wash dishes in 30 minutes. Then we headed to the basement to grab more Summer Reading prizes (because the kids cleaned us out before the program). I spent my last hour talking to a few parents, cleaning up the children's department, and putting some last minute touches on my upcoming programs. I am spent. But, hey, at least I was able to fit in a decent workout ;)

Good thing tomorrow is a relaxing day digging through and organizing the basement. <---read with much sarcasm. At least I get to wear jeans.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Dessert of the Month

It's been quite awhile since I shared a "Dessert of the Month" post with y'all. I have a fabulous one for you to sink your sweet tooth into today. Daddy sure enjoyed it.


And, I promise, it's purely coincidental that this post and my last post both involve delicious sweet treats centered around my father. Yes, he is the chocoholic in the family. Mr. B's step-dad is a huge sweets fan, as well. It's a father thing in our family.


For Father's Day last year, I made the two of them a healthier decadent Frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Pie, which just so happened to be a "Dessert of the Month" post. [Side note: I'm more of a special-treat-on-special-occasions kind of person if you haven't gathered that yet. Mainly because if I have a tasty treat in the house, I'm the only one eating it. And I will eat it. Unless I take it over to friends and family or demand for somebody to come and save me from myself.] Anyhoo, I thought since last year I made a frozen pie and it went over so well, why not just make the same thing. It can be the new Special Father's Day Dessert Tradition. But you know me. I like to try new things.


I chose to stay with the pie and frozen theme, thinking this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Pie looked good enough to attempt this past weekend. For the first time in quite awhile, I actually followed the recipe. I know, big GASP. My only alterations to this dessert were the use of light brown sugar instead of dark (because that's what was in my pantry), and I cut back on the amount of sugar by half (so it wasn't too sweet). Other than that I did everything to a tee. I made the edible cookie dough, the homemade crust, and the ice cream-like filling. It's a combo of cream cheese and Cool Whip, so it's not really ice cream, which Mr. B had to point out to me. Apparently, I gave him false information when I told him it was an ice cream pie. It was more cheesecake-y, which he does not like. Daddy isn't a fan either, but the chocolate chips, Oreo crust, and cookie dough pieces made up for it. The construction of the pie was easy and didn't take long at all. Once the cookie dough balls are formed, put them in the freezer to chill while you make the crust, and then put the crust in the freezer to chill while you make the filling. By that time everything will be cold enough to assemble. It's the waiting for the finished product to freeze that's the hard part. I recommend making this the night before, that way you're sleeping instead of checking the freezer every five minutes to see if it's ready to eat.


Overall, I'd say this pie was a success. I definitely enjoyed it more than I thought I would have; it's creamy, cheesecake-y, sweet, and who doesn't enjoy chunks of cookie dough? I think a graham cracker crust would work just as well if it's what you have on hand. However, it didn't get the late-night text this-is-the-best-pie-I've-ever-had review like last year's pie. Maybe I'll revisit that famous pie for our next family dinner....

Visit this link for the recipe!


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Choice Beverages Lately

My beverage consumption of late has been quite frequent and very, very cold. This humidity never agrees with me. My hair is in a constant state of a frizzy mess atop my head.


Making huge batches of ice tea (unsweetened only, please!), and black coffee to have on hand in the fridge for immediate consumption is a must during these hot, irritable, and muggy months. And I cannot seem to get enough water! Good thing I'm in the midst of a water wellness program at work. I'm drinking it on the rocks infused with whatever fruit I have on hand that day...lemons, berries, cucumbers, mint, limes, peaches, Granny Smith apples...

It's National Iced Tea Month

Among these must-have beverages, I'm also enjoying my morning smoothies. These are a great perk to my early (and hot) mornings. My latest obsession includes peaches and cottage cheese. When I was little I loved to eat sliced tomatoes or peaches in a bowl of cottage cheese as an after-school snack. But not together. Hmmm, I do enjoy Peach Caprese, though. I'm going to have to think about this one....

Side note: Mama preferred her cottage cheese with pickles.


I got the cottage-cheese-in-your-smoothie-idea from Katie over at Dashing Dish. (You have to visit her site and try out her tasty protein shakes.)

I like to use frozen fruit because then I don't have to add ice, which gives me a richer flavor. The addition of cottage cheese gives it the perfect milkshake consistency. Indulgent, for sure.


Peachy Keen Protein Shake

Serves 1 generously, or perfect for sharing with a friend as an afternoon snack

1 c unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened refrigerated coconut milk would work well, too)
1/4 c cottage cheese
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt
1/2 frozen banana
1 c frozen sliced peaches
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
(Optional: add honey to taste if you like it a little sweeter. For me, the fruit sweetens it enough.)

Place all ingredients in a blender; combine until desired consistency. Enjoy in a chilled glass!


To quote my Grandma Bays, "It's so humidity outside!" God bless her.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Friday, June 13, 2014

Seriously?! and a List {Blog Series}

Y'all will never believe what happened! Don't worry. I took plenty of pictures.


Around 1 a.m. this past Wednesday, Mr. B and I were alarmingly awoken by a drunk driver running into our deck. Praise the Lord no one was injured and the house (other than siding, gutters, and minor window scrapes) wasn't damaged. All of the neighbors were out conversing with the police and firefighters, while a paramedic warned us to not come out our front door. After heading out the back door and assessing the damage, we are very thankful we had a deck in the first place. If not, I'm sure the car would have landed in our living room and halfway up the stairs.

Apparently, the drunk driver came flying out of the park entrance across the street and forgot the road ended. Instead of turning, he came straight into our neighbor's yard, crashed into our deck, restarted his car, took off through the rest of our yard, and into the other neighbor's yard before making it back onto the street and fleeing the scene. (Be thankful for your neighbors.) Not only did this kid take off, he then walked back up to the scene and tried to give the police false information. The police followed him back to his house, which is caddy-corner to our own house(!), and discovered the damaged car hiding in his garage. Yes, he was heavily intoxicated, refuse to take a breathalyzer, and has four other accidents on his record, along with prior arrests for drug possession.

To top it all off, he is driving with stolen plates and NO CAR INSURANCE. Y'all, these winners are hard to find.

How is he still allowed to drive?!


FAN-freaking-TASTIC.

Needless to say, we are not happy campers over here. After multiple conversations with our insurance, we're in the process of making a claim, waiting for the insurance people to come out and take pictures, and finding a contractor to rebuild our deck. Oh, and the deck is beyond repair and needs to come down completely. We were informed this cannot be done without cutting into the siding of our house. There is a very high possibility that are particular color of siding is no longer available. Therefore, we may have to get new siding for the ENTIRE house.

It's very hard to observe this pleasant young man and his mother across the street every day, and neither has had the decency to even contact us to apologize or anything. Mr. B's desperate self-control is admirable.


But what's most important here is no one was hurt. The house is fine. The deck and grill can be replaced. Thank you, Jesus!

Ai. Yi. Yi. The joys of home-ownership.


On a lighter note, I stumbled across another list gem while catching up on Jessica's blog. You know me and my lists, especially lists about what's going through my head as of late. After this week's events, I'm not sure y'all may want to know. But, alas, I need focus elsewhere. [It's more of an extension to my "Currently" posts.]

Eating / Corn on the cob and a lot of it. Ice cream. Ice cream. Ice cream. And juicy peaches perfect for cobbler.
Drinking / Two things. Homemade Strawberry Lemonade. Cashing in my free drink reward and splurging on a Venti Caramel Frappy with 5 shots of espresso and praying the barista is kind and gives me my extra cup of overflowing goodness because.I.desperately.need.it (see above scenario).
Practicing / yoga yoga yoga. one of the only thing that makes me feel sane. <--- borrowing Jessica's exact words. You would not believe how little I'm able to fit in my mat time between the new puppy, Summer Reading craziness, and the unfortunate demolition of our deck. Mr. B has, on more than one occasion, found me in tears. When asked what's wrong I admit my stress is quite high and I haven't been able to practice for more than 5 minutes. I'm really needing to just head out and hit up a yoga class ASAP. However, these less than 10-minute pilates videos are great for my business.
Mastering / a handstand. I'm participating in the #summersplits2014 yoga challenge and while the whole point is to master the splits, I'm realizing mastering the handstand first would be quite helpful.
Learning / to LET go. and to LET GOD. Seriously need to work on this (which is usually what I'm doing when I'm practicing my asanas).
Trying / to choose easier and faster weeknight meals. It's summer and I should be happy just throwing together BLTs and salads. But my inner cook wants to always try something new...ugh.
Playing / volleyball in our backyard. Mr. B, I think it's time the net goes up!!
Finishing / my intention was my summer bucket list, now it's a new deck before summer ends. Reading / Written in My Own Heart's Blood. Drop everything. Put every other book aside. The newest Outlander installment has been released and found it's way onto my desk yesterday morning. Now, to find the time...I'm sure sleep may be sacrificed!
Remembering / life is short. Things could be worse. Material things don't matter. GOD IS GOOD.
Wearing / SUN DRESSES!!!! Sun dresses GALORE!
Cooking / grilling up some pizzas. It's too dang hot to cook. Oh wait, we are currently without a grill :(
Working / Summer Reading programs. This may be the only time I will actually get my yoga in! I'm excited.
Traveling / to Maine this October. Mr. B and I really need to sit down and decide where exactly we'd like to go. Any suggestions?
Wanting / more hours in the day. But realistically, more coffee and ice cream would suffice.

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Jessica, a Shout Out!

The Birthday Girl

Us 2 years ago

It's my best {girl} friend's birthday!

And she's in sunny Florida, soaking up the sunshine, practicing yoga on the beach and picnic tables ( <--- I'm so proud), and enjoying multiple beverages from my favorite place. You go, chica; do all your favorites. (And apparently all my favorites. This is why we're besties.) Love you, and can't wait to celebrate when you get back.

Happy Birthday, Lady.

Circa. 2006
*Note this will be updated with a more recent photo once we get our acts together upon your return. What is up with this adult life? ;)

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Breakfast Lately


This handsome boy barely gives me time to pour a cup of coffee in the morning, let alone to actually make breakfast. And I love breakfast. It's my favorite meal of the day. (...unless there is ice cream in my near future, then that, yes that is my favorite meal of the day. It may be for breakfast; I am not above that. Or it may be a mid-day snack, or a late night treat. Whenever. It's my favorite.) These days I'm scrambling around just to throw random items in my lunch bag in hopes I'll have enough for some sort of breakfast dish at my desk. Errr...I mean at the table in the break room.


Lately, I've been relying on my Greek yogurt bowls. I mix together a scoop of plain yogurt, a handful of berries, a spoonful of natural almond butter, and a little sprinkle of granola or nuts, and TA DA! Breakfast. It's to the point where now I'm just keeping containers of yogurt and berries in the fridge at work, along with my jar of almond butter, of course. Which, by the way, I'm running a little too low on for comfort.

I need my morning protein, and if I'm not getting it from my yogurt than I'm tossing it into my favorite Via Shakes. However, the blender is so loud Mr. Darcy starts barking while Siamese just glares at me because all of this unnecessary ruckus is disturbing her beauty sleep.


Of late, I'm just happy to make it out the door with enough time to run into my favorite place and grab an iced coffee because it's so dagum muggy I can't even think let alone do anything because the actual act of doing something makes me want to not wear clothing because when I open the fridge to find a container of Fruit Punch Kool-Aid where once was my homemade iced coffee stock for the week, and it's only Wednesday, I don't have time to brew a fresh pot because...well, see above.

And now the house is empty of our beloved protein powder.

And I was doing the happy dance all last week because when I stopped at Starbucks for a GIANT iced green tea (because it's so dagum muggy....) I saw they were having a buy one Via box, get one free deal. Jackpot. What a beautiful moment in the middle of a busy week. Glorious. Until this Monday rolled around and I ran out of protein. Now my Via packets just sit there and taunt me every morning.... However, I'm sure by the time we get around to buying more protein, I'll be out of my almond milk, or I'll pull out two empty ice cube trays because Mr. Darcy is just loving his ice cubes right now. You wanna know why? Because it's so dagum muggy....

Hold on a sec while I run to the fridge and add almond milk and more ice cube trays right next to the triple underlined protein powder. Oh, and I should probably get more yogurt and almond butter...and berries, yes need those.


Anyhoo, now that I've taken up the better half of the short moment you set aside to read this post this morning, let me get to the main point. In all my rushing around, toy-throwing, and random-ingredients-grabbing glory, I stumbled upon this tasty protein-filled breakfast. In the mornings, I enjoy making random egg scrambles, and lately I've been tossing together leftover ground turkey with some eggs and whatever vegetables I have on hand. It's quite filling, tasty, and quick. My most recent three favorite words, aside from Mr. Darcy, potty, and sit.

Double Protein Egg Scram-lette
serves 1

1 egg
1 egg white
couple drizzles of vegetable or chicken stock
couple spoonfuls of cooked ground turkey
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
a handful of kale
sprinkle of nutritional yeast (or cheese, if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Splash in some stock and saute the kale. When kale is almost wilted, add in ground turkey, stirring until warmed through. Meanwhile, lightly beat egg, egg white, and yogurt in a separate bowl. Lower heat, if needed coat pan with cooking spray, and pour in the egg mixture. Now I always start out with an omelet intention, but it usually ends up less pretty and more of an egg scramble (hence my new word, scram-lette). Do whatever works for you. Mix it together, flip it over, pour it on top, whatever floats your boat. When the egg is cooked and everything is warmed through, sprinkle on the nutritional yeast (or cheese, if you have it). I think tomatoes would work well with this dish but, alas, I was out. So if you have 'em, and you like 'em, add 'em. Serve on a plate and dig in. (Or, as I may have to revert to soon, throw in a wrap and head out the door.)


Of course, don't forget the drizzle of hot sauce. Enjoy!

With Love and God Bless,
Brindi

Thursday, June 5, 2014

What I'm Reading


The Body Book. I.could.not.put.this.book.down. Cameron Diaz's knowledge, up-front writing style, and blunt honesty is refreshing, educational, and highly motivating. I've never been a huge fan of Diaz, but her book made me respect her a lot more. It's nice to see celebrities with brains, interest, and knowledge of their body and healthy lifestyle....not just a "look at me, I'm famous with a great body, buy my book so you can be skinny like me" view. FYI, "skinny" does not mean healthy or fit. She actually gets into the science of why our bodies are unique, what they and our minds need to be their best, and so forth. I learned a few things I didn't know or didn't realize I should probably know why my body does that.... I would recommend this book to ANY woman, no matter her age whether she's 16 or 61. An important read, I promise, with vital information all should know.


Another celebrity-authored book I finished recently was Ellen Degeneres' Seriously...I'm Kidding on audio. She is the narrator, and why anybody wouldn't listen to it is beyond me. Oh, Ellen. She's hilarious, and she kept it clean and enjoyable. Although we don't have the same views on certain things, I adore her...the woman, the role model, and the loving and caring person she is. I don't care who you are or your beliefs, everyone should be as kind as Ellen. She hits on some great points layered under her comedic thoughts and rambles. Definitely, definitely listen to this audio for a great laugh. Her chapters on yoga and meditation had me in tears :)



The best thing about The Swan Gondola was the beautiful, eye-catching cover. I really, really wanted to like this book. It was May's book club read, and I really, really wanted to find something I enjoyed just as much as previous book club reads, like Seraphina and The Night Circus. Schaffert's book has been compared to Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, which I absolutely adored and the audio is fantastic, and Water For Elephants, which I did not. Honestly, I found this book, what I did read of it, to be a struggle. I wanted to give up around page 98, but since I was reading it for my book club I pressed on. I finally put it down at page 220 (almost halfway). I was bored, didn't feel anything for or care about the characters; most of which were very two-dimensional, but the scenery and the 1989 Omaha Fair descriptions were lovely. But even they became too much, and soon I was bored with the scenes and plot. I really wanted to like this book, but from reading others' views and hearing about what I missed, apparently I didn't really miss much. I would NOT compare this to The Night Circus, other than the fact a fair and circus are similar and there is a romance plot. I have not read anything else by Timothy Schaffert and am not planning on in the future. (BUT I do appreciate the amount of research he did for this book.) After a little discussion, I was happy to hear I wasn't the only one with these thoughts....


Lastly, I picked up My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife because I came across it on my Good Reads account. Sara Horn's diary-like book discusses her struggles and successes with becoming more of the wife she feels she needs to be, the famous Proverbs 31 Wife we've heard quite about. This book wasn't quite the devotional I thought it was going to be. She sets out on a year-long journey, but I found it slightly disappointing because she doesn't seem to try very hard at being a Proverbs 31 Wife; I felt the book to be a bit whiny at times and lacked scripture references. With that being said, I still enjoyed her writing style and reading about her [failed] attempts; it just needs to be promoted a little differently, I think. Still this would be a great choice for a book discussion with a women's Bible group. It's more about the heart than the doing, more about paying attention to how you treat your husband and why, and how to focus on him first. This was a decent introduction on the subject.


With Love and God Bless,
Brindi