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Recommended Reading, Issue #1 1

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From the feed reader…

  • Abby at New Urban Habitat, Frugal isn’t cheap: “But frugality can be more fun than the mindless consuming many of us got in the habit of doing in the previous decade, because we end up spending money on what we really want.”
  • Rachel at Small Notebook, My Real-Life, Practical Daily Routine: “Instead of having a schedule that would be ignored day after day in real life, I follow a daily routine of touchstones — key elements to mark a successful day.
  • Philip Brewer at Wise Bread, What I’ve Been Trying to Say: “You can’t go back and change decisions that have already been made, but that doesn’t mean that the design for the rest of your life is immutable.  Start today to design the life that you want to be living.”

From the bookshelf…

  • Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn By Living

Read my full review here.

Mini Review: Practical advice for personal growth and a successful life, from the era before self-improvement was the big market share it is now. Roosevelt is easy to read and understand but profound. Her advice is practical, with personal examples, and I found myself copying lots of quotes and wanting to paste them all over the walls in my bedroom.
Find it on Amazon.

  • Mindy Stearns Clark, The House That Cleans Itself

Mini Review: If you’re not a natural housekeeping/organizing goddess, you will love this book. The concept is that instead of fighting our naturally slobbish tendencies (or those of family members), we should identify them and create systems that work for us instead of against us. Brilliant! I love this! I always feel like housekeeping is a battle, and I’ve already used some of her ideas and seen some of the most irritating problems get much, much better. I’m going to be tackling more of my house this year and Clark’s book is my guide.
Find it on Amazon.

What’s your recommended reading this week?
Join in by linking up your post, or simply share in the comments below.

Wish I’d said that {03 June 09} 1

book1I think that having learned our letters we should read the best that is in literature, and not be forever repeating our a b abs, and words of one syllable, in the fourth or fifth classes, sitting on the lowest and foremost form all our lives. {Henry David Thoreau}

There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read.  {G.K. Chesterton}

The stories of childhood leave an indelible impression, and their author always has continue reading…

July Book-Blowout. You Needed Something To Do, Didn’t You? Comments Off

”Book I recently took on the Book Blow-Out challenge from Blue Archipelago. (Which is a great book review site, along with my other favorite, Book Reviews for Real People.)
I “joined” the challenge on July 8th, and just today (the 14th) I posted my reading list.
I’ve been working my way quickly through the first book, however: Emma Brown by Clare Boylan (and Charlotte Bronte). I’m about 2/3 of the way through; I took a nice break on Saturday morning while Marzipan and Wick were napping and Joe was at work. Me, comfy chair, cup of coffee with French Vanilla Creamer… and a good book.
I’ll post a review once I’ve finished it.
I love being a writer. It’s such a great excuse to read all the time. :)

Books Worth Reading: My Personal Standards Comments Off

retrowomanreading.jpgEveryone should read. Reading makes you a bigger, better person. I love reading, but I must confess that I am very particular about what I read. I have strict standards: continue reading…

Day 5: Life Without a To Do List 1

Challenge Update: The days when Joe is off work are always either the most or the least productive of my week. Day 5 (Wednesday) goes on the most productive side. He was on a get-things-done rampage so I just tagged along.

What I(we) Did:
Moved the green hutch
Set up the toddler bed
Emptied & moved the black bookcase
Cleaned and organized kitchen (cabinets, shelves, top of refrigerator)
Moved dishes into hutch/storage
Repotted my dying hydrangea
Moved the computer
Updated blog
Chose and emailed worship set for Sunday
Finished reading Peony in Love by Lisa See

Better Life Tip: Some days will be more productive (in terms that we measure) than others. That’s okay. Relax and let there be some roller coaster movement in your life. It keeps things interesting.

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