Category: Books

My Book Nook

On By reneemarie31In Books, Family Life, Positive ThinkingLeave a comment

My house is usually messy and full of chaos. It raises my anxiety, but I also hate cleaning up. I recently decided to take one small corner of my home and turn it into my tidy, relaxation spot.

The sofa and bookshelf were already here in my bedroom. In a messy home, however, extra furniture easily becomes a place for clutter. A couple of weeks ago, I declared, this is my book nook. This is my spot for relaxation. No more clothes or toys thrown upon this sofa!

In the past, those curtains stayed closed. Now, I am opening up to let in the natural light. This spot is also great, because it is has the separate lighting (the chandelier) from the rest of the room. Since my daughter sleeps in my bedroom, I can still use my book nook spot after she is asleep without turning on the overhead light.

I purchased a few little extras to make my spot extra special.

I bought an extra cozy blanket from Pottery Barn Teen. It is super soft and perfect both for me and for my dogs to snuggle under. I also ordered these Pride and Prejudice themed pillows from TheOldCuriousityShopp on Etsy. They are comfy and bring me joy!

On the wall, I hung this letter box from Underwood Letterpress. It came in my Fall Causebox. I plan to change it up with quotes from my favorite books. This one is from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I love the whole series!

I already had this table from Hobby Lobby, but moved it next to my book nook. I’ve never been a big candle person. I don’t buy them myself, but I have several that I’ve gotten as gifts. I don’t have the strongest sense of smell. I usually only light them right before people come over to my house to mask any not so great smells that may be lingering. Many people find candles soothing, so I’m trying to be one of those people. This La Lueur candle, which also came in my Fall Causebox, does smell better than many of the unnatural and synthetic candles that I have had in the past.

I even ordered a new mug that would brighten my mood to use for hot tea in my book nook. This cup of happy mug comes from Natural Life, and says “do more of what makes you happy” inside the rim.

I also try to be one of those people who drinks a comforting cup of tea. Tea is healthy and makes me feel fancy.

My little book nook brings me joy. It is not always quiet, with dogs and a child in the house. But I am making an effort to spend time there doing things to take care of me, like relaxing and reading a book. My dogs usually join me. It’s also a comfy place for my daughter to sit next to me and draw or read books together. My sink may be currently full of dirty dishes and toys are currently strewn around the house. But my book nook is cozy and calm.

Becoming

On By reneemarie31In BooksLeave a comment

I just finished reading Becoming by Michelle Obama.  Oh how I miss having good people leading our nation. The book is Michelle’s story.  Her journey and story of growth. An important thing to remember is that as long as we are alive, that journey does not end.  We should always be learning and growing and striving to improve.

Whenever I read books about politics, I am reminded of how little I know and how much I avoid the topic.  Politics overwhelm me, and I often take the easy way out by not engaging anyone in political discussions or getting involved in political activism.  I know I should do better.

As Mrs. Obama states in her book, “Becoming requires equal parts patience and rigor.  Becoming is never giving up on the idea that there’s more growing to be done.” Ultimately, this book is definitely one of optimism.  I relate to her hope and passion. I believe that each of us can help to make the world a better place.

Girl, Wash Your Face Review

On By reneemarie31In Books, Positive Thinking, TravelLeave a comment

I waited awhile to read the bestseller, Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis.  For awhile there, it seemed like every woman my age was reading it.  I have mixed feelings on the book. Overall, I like it and recommend it.  I agree with the fundamental statement that Rachel Hollis makes:

I preach it to my students, family, and friends.  We can’t control the things that happen around us.  We can only control us and how we react to those things.

The problem I have with the book is not what she’s saying, but how she says it.  She makes statements as if they are declared facts. I know that is supposed to be motivational, and it obviously is to many women who want or need to hear it.  But sometimes the world is gray. It isn’t black and white, and that’s okay. I think it also may have something to do with the fact that I Iistened to the audiobook.  She is so emphatic in her statements. Each chapter starts with a lie that women tell themselves or that Rachel believed at some point. She then tells stories about her life that show how she was able to move past that particular lie.

There are a lot of ways that I’m so different from Rachel.  I am not a workaholic. I am not an extrovert. I prefer downtime laying in bed reading a book to many things.  Unlike many women, I prioritize sleep over almost everything. Sometimes I feel like I miss out on things in life due to sleep, but we’re also told that we need more of it.  Conflicting messages! Her love story between her and her husband is interesting in that it is not typical or what you’d identify as normal or healthy. But we do each have our own story, and we are not perfect.  I can relate to that.

When she talked about not accepting no as an answer and working for your dreams, at first, I could not relate.  I do not dream of creating some successful business or being a famous author. But that’s okay. Part of taking ownership of our dreams is that they can be as big or small as we would like them to be.  My dream is to travel. I think about vacation all the time. I think about going to new places and experiencing new things. I think about fun. So Rachel inspired me to create an online vision board to remind me of what I’m reaching for.  The world! When I was young, I created a poster that said I would have travelled around the world by the time I was 40. That isn’t going to happen, but I can keep shooting for the stars! My husband (the practical one in our marriage) is always talking about budgets.  I do need a practical person to balance me out sometimes. But I also need to remember to live my dream. We only live once! So I made myself a travel vision board and put it as the background on my laptop.

Goals are great, but it is important to give ourselves grace.  Rachel acknowledges that sometimes life does not go as we planned, and we need to sit back and think about the things that we have accomplished.  Celebrate the small moments.

She does talk about being healthy and taking care of our bodies in a way that could potentially be construed as judgmental.  I know she wants us to love our bodies and treat them with respect, but this can be another mixed message because I also want to enjoy life and therefore food.  Another example of how the world is not black and white.

At the end of each chapter, she lists the things that helped her in her quest to stop believing that chapter’s lie.  Here are a few of them that speak to me and that I can get behind:

Present Over Perfect – Book Review

On By reneemarie31In BooksLeave a comment

Over one month ago, I randomly chose an audiobook to listen to on a solo drive.  I chose Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.  I wasn’t sure what to expect as I am not familiar with the author, but it was amazing!  It spoke to me on so many levels. Shauna narrated the audiobook, and every sentence she spoke was full of insight, poetry, and inspiration.  With each thing she said, I would think about how I needed to remember this quote for later. I decided to buy a hardcover copy of the book just so that I could read through it again and underline my favorite lines.

The foreword was written by Brené Brown.  If you are not familiar with her work on self-compassion, it is a very important reminder to be compassionate towards oneself.  The full title of this work is Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living.  Shauna chronicles her journey from overworked and stressed to a life concentrating on the things that are most important to her – family, God, friends, and fun.  I always strive to live a balanced life, and I’m no stranger to the idea of self-care. So I was primed to like this book, but Shauna’s voice and language were so inspirational to me.

Life is short. Life is about balance. It is about spending time on the things that are important to you and that you enjoy. It does not need to be about accomplishing great things. The things we accomplish are already great in God’s eyes. This is definitely a Christian book, and she talks a great deal about her relationship with Jesus.

Prayer and silence are an important component of living a present life. I am always wishing for more opportunities for silence. I am definitely an introvert and need quiet times of reflection. I can feel overwhelmed by too many people and even family life at times. Shauna writes about nature and how it can provide us that silence and connect us to God through His creation. I am trying to spend more time outdoors, even if it is just in my backyard, looking up at the sky.

Another popular theme in the book is how we have authority over our own lives. As a school counselor, I am constantly reminding my students to focus on the things that they can control, rather than the things they cannot. Shauna states, “We decide where the time goes. There’s so much freedom in that, and so much responsibility.” We don’t have to do the things that society expects of us, as long as we are doing the things that God expects of us.

This book also relates to my personal quest for minimalism. I am on a personal quest to own less stuff, so that I can spend my time and money on experiences that bring me joy. This is quite a challenging road to go down, but I’m taking small steps. I try to Marie Kondo my house, with some success, to pare it down to the things that “spark joy.”

So if you couldn’t already tell, I highly recommend this book. I came across it by chance, but was drawn in by the author’s voice. I will be checking out her other works soon. If you are drawn to the idea of a simple life, I highly recommend that you read Present Over Perfect.