What I'm Reading - October 2016

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What I'm Reading - October 2016

Are you there, Internet? It's me, Whitney. 

Yes, it's been a month and a half since I posted on here. September was not a fun month. Car wreck, sick days, lost FitBit, police ticket, denied insurance claims - maybe I should rename it the expensive month. I'm very glad it's over and October is here, despite the damp, chilly weather.

But the good news is - we survived and are still kicking along. Our kitchen actually has cabinets and countertops. The car is back after 3 weeks in the shop. And I get to make my first court appearance next week to ask the judge if he can pretty please reduce my ticket fee? We'll see how that goes. 

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What I've Been Reading This Summer

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What I've Been Reading This Summer

So far, summertime has been a great way to catch up on reading and binging on some of my recent favorites. I've been heavy on the fiction lately, but it's nice to allow myself some leeway to read for entertainment. So here are reviews of a few books I've enjoyed lately. And if you're on Goodreads, please be my friend - the more book recommendations I have, the better.

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What I'm Reading - April 2016

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What I'm Reading - April 2016

It's time for me to recap what I've read since my last book review post. But first, I can't help but say - Happy National Library Week! As a former library worker, book nerd, and library lover, I have to take a moment to say thank you to the place and people that make most of my reading possible (and affordable). 

Living overseas without access to libraries showed me what a unique, valuable resource the American library is. And we shouldn't take it for granted. So if you haven't stepped foot in a library this week, stop by and get a card, take home a free book, and tell the librarian behind the desk thank you for the work they do in your community.

Now, on to the book reviews.

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The More of Less

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The More of Less

The past few weeks, I've realized our family is "sorta minimalist." And I've also seen ways where our non-minimalist ways are holding us back from what we want our life to be like.

A little background: a few years ago we wrote a family purpose statement that talks about the importance of people over possessions and memories over materialism. Those ideals have shaped the decisions we've made, especially in moving back to the United States. Sometimes we've made the wrong choices that didn't line up with our values. But having a guiding philosophy has helped us stay focused on what really matters to us.

I've never used the word "minimalist" to describe ourselves. But I recently read a new book by Josh Becker of BecomingMinimalist.com - The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own. And the words on the page kept resonating with my own values.

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What I'm Into - March 2016

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What I'm Into - March 2016

March was full of all the things I love - friends eating around our table, a wedding celebration (at an art museum!!!) of two beautiful people, and lots of time at the zoo (thanks to our new family membership). And my anemones, planted last fall, poked their little green heads above the ground and said, "Spring is on its way. I promise."

So here's a little recap of what I've been into in March...

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