2011 Book Run Down

The Nester is doing a linky party on books read in 2011.  It sounded fun, so here is my list!  I love to read and love to talk to people about books.


Books I read in 2011, in no particular order  ::

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Water for Elephants
The Glass Castle
Adoption Parenting
Half Broke Horses
One Thousand Gifts (still reading.... I'm reading it in bits and pieces)
The Geography of Bliss
The Alabama Stitch Book
The Pressure's Off
Intercessory Prayer
Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens
Chickens in Your Backyard
Creative Walls
The Art of Making Money (this one was soooo very interesting.... about a real-life counterfitter)
The Connected Child
The Trouble with Boys


This list says a few things about me. Clearly, I like novels that are later turned into movies.  :)  I also read a lot of sad books.... The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is so sad, but absolutely riveting.  No regrets.

One of the most life-changing books in this list was The Pressure's Off by Larry Crabb.  It talks about accepting God's grace in my life and realizing that all the striving I do to be good or do good things is pointless when it comes to pleasing God or earning his favor.  It had implications for every area of my life.... from my need to over control everything, to how I approach teaching and disciplining my children, and even had ramifications for our adoption.  (Meaning, the piety of adoption is false.... people who adopt are not saints who are better Christians than non-adoptive families.  I know, this sounds obvious, but it's a subtle thing, the piety of adoption.  God's grace covers even this pride, though.)

The Trouble with Boys by Peg Tyre was excellent.  Anyone with school-aged boys, preferably preschool, should read this.  It discusses how the education system in the United States is failing boys of every demographic.  This isn't some ranting essay written by an anti-school wierdo.... the book is full of data and studies and is a complete page-turner.  It caused my husband and I to change how we were approaching our school decisions for our kids.

And now for the book that earned the award for the Worst Book I've Ever Read.  Drums, please.  It was...  Adoption Parenting.  I don't even want to link to it because I feel sorry for it's authors and editors.  Or lack of editors, rather.  I really can't believe this book got published with such terrible writing and occasional lack of proper punctuation.  I mean, really?  My understanding is that this book, in its infancy, was actually a yahoo message board and people would write articles or posts for the board.  So, there's lots and lots of information from real-life adoptive families, but those yahoo posts should have been edited to read like proper essays.  Instead, they are written in internet-speak, sort of rambling and unclear.  It was so annoying.  There was one clinician who wrote about adopted kids with ADD.  I am going to paraphrase slightly, but she said something like "Some kids are diagnosed with ADD, some with ADHD and then there are then kids with ADHHHHHHHD."  What?  "ADHHHHHHHHD?"  Inexcusably casual and unprofessional to write and publish that in a book.  Maybe on a yahoo board or on a blog, or in an email, but never in a book.

One last thing on Adoption Parenting.... it is the adoption equivalent of "What to Expect When You're Expecting."  Meaning, it completely stressed me out by looking at the gamut of all the problems that could happen with an adopted child.... lack of attachment, undisclosed illnesses, later acting out, etc.  It is overwhelming to be faced with ALL those problems.  There is no way that any one child would have every single issue discussed in the book, but it makes for anxious reading, just like WtEwYE.  I would have put the book down after about the first 1/3, but it is required reading for our home study.  The one good thing I can say about this book is that I feel like I am no longer approaching a potentially stressful international adoption with any naivete.

Anyhow, anyone want to share their most and least favorite reads of the year?  Anyone with me on Adoption Parenting???  I'll be sure to list any other books that I remember from this year.  I feel like I am missing a couple.

Happy New Year, almost!

House Tour :: Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas, friends!  A few photos of my Christmas decor this year.  It has been one of my favorites... I didn't put out most of my tacky Christmas decor.  Ha.  Instead, I copied my friend Gail and cut evergreen branches for most of my seasonal decor.  It's free, gorgeous and green.  ;)

Our tree this year is my favorite we've ever had.  I love how droopy and romantic it looks.  We cut it down at Old Baker Farm, our third time to cut our own there.  (Btw, I can't believe we've been in Alabama for three Christmases already.  We miss New York still, but really, really feel at home here.)

We have some antique trains that Dave and the kids set up around the tree.  When I took my photos, the track was partially disassembled.  (Thanks, Calvin.)  I should have set the train up for the photos, but those trains are hard to set up, so they aren't really my deal.  And I *had* to  shoot the photos when I did.... couldn't wait for Dave to set up the trains.  I mean, my house was sparkling clean and tidy, since we were expecting company, so I jumped all over that and took the photos.  Doubtful that my house will be this clean again during the Christmas season for  me to take photos.   

I'm sort of minimalistic on the amount of fussing I want to do with Christmas cards.  I love to look at them, but I don't want to do anything that requires much work.  So, I set them on the mantle and we can look at them all season.  I don't mind that they overlap and aren't overly arranged.  

See the little toy soldiers in the photo above?  It's actually a drum line.  Go figure.  

The greenery above was originally a pile of branches that someone at Old Baker Farm had cut off the bottom of a tree.  I asked the guy working if I could have them and he said yes.  I love how simple it was to strip the pine needles off the branches and plunk them in a glass vase ($15 from Target in the floral section) filled with water.  They have looked healthy for weeks now.  And I did this little cheap/free greenery decorating trick in other areas, too  ::

The branches on the bookshelf (below) were cut from a shrub in my front yard.  I hate the shrub, but love how the branches look once cut.  I have been hacking it off all season, any time I needed greenery for an event or for a gift.  The actual shrub is looking a little, um, sparse.

And that brings me to the dining room....

In the corner, we have a paper mache nativity set, purchased a year or two ago at one of the Ballard outlets in Atlanta for 70% off after Christmas.  (Man, I really can't help myself, I feel absolutely compelled to share when I find deals, even though that's sort of not the point of the post.  I digress.)

And listen, I know that my window and console situation ain't great.  But it is what it is for now and so I used that area to display some Christmas things that are special to me, like the nesting dolls and the hand-painted "Merry Christmas" banner.  Oh and the wonky green candles are supposed to be that way.  Don't ask.

(What I'd love to do.... when I have more time.... is take down the white blinds and hang up some fun large-scale printed drapes.  Still haven't found the right fabric yet.  Oh and I want a real sideboard, not the too-small console table that lives in the dining room right now.) 

My friend Gail, who gave me the idea about using fresh-cut greenery for seasonal decor, also have me the idea for the candles and cranberries in the hurricanes.  And of course, everything looks intentional when you put it on a tray!

And by the way, the cranberries in the hurricanes are real.... they last forever!  One of the hurricanes has had the berries in there since Thanksgiving and they still look great. And they were BOGO at Publix last week.  

Also, the small votives are from Dollar General and the pillar candles were ones I already had around the house.  Happy accident that they are Christmas colors.

In the photo above, you can see a few of our exterior Christmas lights.  This is the first year we've done them, inspired by our friend and neighbor, Ohio Mike.  And yes, that's actually what we call him.

This is his house  ::

He has inspired many of us in the Hood.... there are way more exterior lights this year that I remember from years past.  It's so pretty.  I mean, Ohio Mike's house is the star, of course.  None of the rest of us mere mortals put up 50,000 lights, but hey, A for Effort!

Back to my house....

Most of the decor is in the living and dining rooms.  The only other Christmas items are small trees in the kids' rooms.

The boys love the trees and fall asleep with them on every night.  I hope this little tradition will be one they remember fondly and might want to do with their own families.  

Oh and I can't forget about the Advent calendar in the hallway, near all the rest of the main decor.  

This is so special.  My friend Aimee painted it and created each ornament by hand.  They are magnetic and each day Tucker puts up a new ornament.  They all have a corresponding scripture to go with them, which I have dutifully failed to read every day.

Tucker really wanted to pose for the calendar shot.  He's all "See?  I'm hanging the ornament of the day!"

And now, some Indecent Order fun.


While I took photos for the blog, these things were actually happening.

Spinning Plates

Do you ever feel like one of those old timey circus plate-spinners?

Lately, I am SO that guy.

I can't stop laughing.

I mean, did you watch the video?





(Waiting.)





No, I am not that guy, but I totally feel like I am running around like a goober trying to keep my plates spinning and not having them all come crashing down.  (I have had a few crashes, but I was not nearly as smiley as that guy when he made mistakes.)

As much as I'd love to unload here and tell you about some of the completely jacked up days and weeks (and more) that I have had this fall.... I won't. I guess. I will, however, share a time-management method I am using so that I don't drop any of my super important plates (or Pyrex bowls).

My method is working for me, for a few reasons  ::

• I like lists. 

• I like hand written, in-pencil lists.

• It's flexible.

• It's super low-tech.  And doesn't need to be pretty.

• It prompts me to think on my important projects and which of those need attention during the week.

• At the end of the week, I can actually see what I did. 

• Dave can also glance at it, if needed, to see what the household is doing that week.  Not that he does, but he totally could, in theory.  (I leave the list on my kitchen counter top.)

And btw, this may be some totally real time-management method out there, and it actually has a name like the GitErDun Technique, I don't know.  It would be nice to think that I invented this method, but really, it is sort of a hybrid of various systems I have used over the years.  Like I said, it's working for me.  

This is how it usually goes down  ::

• Sunday evening, I get this panicked feeling that I have been forgetting to do something and I'd better work on it some time soon.  (Same kind of feeling like the one in my recurring nightmare about missing class for an entire semester then still having to take the final.  And I can't find the class room.  Anyone feel me, y'all?)  This panicked feeling is my reminder to plan my week.

• Then I drag my trusty notebook out.

• I write out the days M-F with plenty of space underneath to make my list, which can be changed throughout the week, in order to be flexible.

• While referencing a master list of long-term projects, I think about the big plates that I am spinning (the master list is so I won't forget any of them), and see if I need to do anything about each project that week.

• If I do, I decide which day it should be attended to, and write it down.  I also check my family calendar on the kitchen wall, and include any appointments on this new list.

The master list, lately.  I'll redo it after the new year.

Oh yeah, have I mentioned I am hard on my notebook?  There is usually some sort of glass ring or coffee splatter or random coloring on the pages.  Oh and also....  I really do prefer paper and pencil for this.  I have tried and tried to use electronic means to manage my time and it just does not work.  I am way more concrete, I guess.  (You wanna be a loser like me.  Now, name that tune!)


This was my week, a couple of weeks ago (why didn't I put the date on it?  no idea).  Ah, and there is the glass ring, nicely centered on Wednesday's activites.

Close ups of that week  ::

[Like my awesome Paint-editing slash scribbling?  I figured my new friend Kim in Dallas wouldn't like her phone number on my blog.  You know, in case my one stalker-reader who lives in Dallas decides to start calling her.  Amy M., you know who are.]

You might notice that each item is brief.  I don't include much as far as explanation on the list.  There is no point.... it only matters if I know what to do with that item.  No need to write out "Family breakfast at Tucker's school at 7:15, bring $4 cash."

This was the first part of the week of Thanksgiving  ::

Notice that I put a short list with a box around it at the top of the page.  This reminds me what I need to be reading (or want to be reading) that week.  Sounds kind of homework-y, doesn't it?  Well, there is some reading I have to just get completed, so it really is homework-y.  In this case, I am reading this super intimidating book called Adoption Parenting and I just really, really need to finish it.  Our home study isn't complete until it's read, so that is motivation enough, but also I just neeeeeed to be done reading it.  It's kind of like the adoption equivalent of What to Expect When You're Expecting.  It has all the stuff that can go wrong with your internationally adopted child.  Nice, huh?  Anyhow, other weeks I might read something frivolous as well as reading material for my beloved discipleship group (henceforth shall be referred to as D-group).  My D-group is also reading One Thousand Gifts, a book not meant to be read quickly, so sometimes I have to remind myself to pick it up to read a couple of chapters.

And finally, a shot of my week, this very week.  Looks like I did nothing today, doesn't it?  Well, it was a nice day of getting a few things done around the house, but I didn't need to list anything since nothing was super pressing.

I don't know why, but for some reason this week I didn't put an "X" next to things as I completed them.  Hmmm... let me look at that.  Well, that's because, now that I look, almost nothing is "complete".... most of those things are works in progress! Oh and to be honest, there are a couple of things I just chose not to do so I wouldn't completely lose it.  But, I usually do like to see "progress" by marking things off the list.  

I've missed my blog.... it's been weeks since I posted.  But, I suppose it is pretty clear why I haven't (see every photo on this post).  Have a great weekend!