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Holiday reading with a side of suspense: Review of All is Calm, All is Bright by Colleen Coble

‘Tis the season for holiday entertainment, and if Hallmark channel movies are your thing, I’ve got a book to recommend.

all is calmAll is Calm, All is Bright by Colleen Coble is a two-novella collection set in two of the author’s most popular fictional settings, Bluebird Ranch and Hope Beach. Though I have not personally read many of the stories set in either place, I enjoyed these two short stories. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.) They are short and sweet reads to get you in the holiday spirit.

In All is Calm, Lauren flees to the ranch she remembers fondly from childhood to escape danger surrounding a death she witnessed. There, she meets Brendan, a friend of the ranch’s owner, who is recovering from a military injury. Together, they try to get to the bottom of the mystery, and in the meantime, they discover a mutual attraction.

In All is Bright, Delilah is in the midst of planning a friend’s wedding when her car is run off the road. Connecting that incident with the strange phone calls she’s been receiving, she is forced to admit there is more to the threats than a simple prank. Helping her uncover the source of the threat is Tom, the local sheriff, a widower who has been interested in Delilah for a while. He aims to keep her safe from danger and offer her an unforgettable gift on Christmas, if she survives till then.

Both stories remind me of why I’ve enjoyed Coble’s writing in the past. Sweet romance with a side of suspense makes for a page-turning read. Throw in the holiday settings and you’ve got a great recipe for Christmas reading.

 

The (un)Becoming

A few years ago I gave up New Year’s resolutions in exchange for One Word to guide my year. Every year has been a surprising journey, one in which I couldn’t predict the outcome.

I started this year with some expectations. I wanted to focus on being whole. A year ago I was dangerously close to turning into a woman I hated–bitter, unforgiving, afraid of everything, hopeless. I still feel some of those things, but I no longer hate who I am. That’s one victory of this journey. ow_whole

But it surprised me, this year, how much breaking I had to do.

And honestly, I still feel more broken than whole.

There are pieces of me littering my life, things uncovered I thought I had buried for good. And maybe they were buried but they’d begun to rot and were making my life stink. Unearthing what has long been buried is not pleasant but sometimes it’s necessary.

I used to thinking breaking was a bad thing. Like holding it all together was the point of life. It’s exhausting, though, trying to keep yourself, your family, your world, from breaking. Sometimes, breaking is good, and it lets you discard the pieces that no longer fit, or make something new from what is left.

I feel like I learned more about who I’m not, this year, than who I am.  And I’m wrestling with that, learning to accept the things I’ll never be as much as the things I am. As a fellow writer puts it in her book, Bandersnatch, “Do I know where I begin and where I end?” It’s a scary endeavor to discover who you are, even scarier to say with confidence, “This is who I am” and “This is who I am not.” The insecure people-pleaser in me wants to be all the things I’m not and all the things someone else is, but none of the things I am. The essence of who I am has been buried under pain and hurt and experience. I think if my true self stood before me, I would not recognize her.

But like a police sketch artist, I’m beginning to get an idea of what she looks like, mostly by ruling out what she doesn’t look like.

—

There were a lot of things I wanted to become this year, but I’ve found that it’s been more about un-becoming. It’s such a strange word. We use it to describe behavior that is less than acceptable. (It’s a bit antiquated, but I think it’s still used.) But I’m seeing that “un-becoming” can be as beautiful as “becoming,” when it strips away masks and layers of falsehood to reveal a treasure inside.

—

I apologize too much. Sometimes I’m sorry that I cry so much or that I don’t keep a clean house or that my brain is filled with words, phrases, characters and stories that compete for my attention. These are not good reasons to be sorry. It is the end of the year, and I have not yet learned to stop apologizing for who I am. Another breaking point.

—

I’ve been seeing a therapist for more than a year now. It was part of the “whole” plan, to work on my mental health. I did not enter the relationship enthusiastically, but I have no regrets about the work we do every few weeks. I cry a lot. I sit in silence, searching for answers to questions I never thought to ask. Once or twice, I’ve illustrated my feelings in a tray of sand using inanimate objects.

I know there is healing in all of this because I sense a change in my mind. I am not free of all the things that plagued me a year ago, but I no longer hate who I’m becoming. I refuse to be a bitter old woman whose life is full of regrets. It would be easier to let the wounds fester, I think. Healing always comes with a cost, but it’s worth it. I tell myself this on the difficult days when I want to opt out of counseling, and occasionally, the rest of my responsibilities.

I am not yet the kind of whole I thought I would be at year’s end. But I have potential. Breaking has to come before re-making, and maybe not all the pieces I had added will fit the final creation.

I wish I could give you a blueprint for how to achieve wholeness in 12 months or less. All I can confidently say as this journey continues is that opening yourself up to transformation, one word at a time, is not to be taken lightly. I expect to be changed by my One Word focus each year. I’m just never sure how it’s all going to end.

You can find all of my OneWord365 posts–from this year and years past–in the category of the same name in the dropdown menu to the right.

Don’t know what to do about Christmas cards? A helpful guide

I’m notoriously bad about sending Christmas cards. During those rare years when I actually completed my list, I sent out a ridiculous number of cards. In past years, I’ve overcompensated (or undercompensated) and sent a grand total of zero cards. If you’ve ever been on my Christmas list, it’s not you, it’s all me. It can be overwhelming to narrow down a list and figure out who gets one and who doesn’t.

If you’ve yet to send yours this year, or you want to simplify for next year, check out this flow chart the folks at Grammarly created. You  might find it helpful, and even if not, it is entertaining, something we need in the midst of a season that can be stressful and make us frazzled. Just one more week till Christmas!

And read on below the chart for some fun facts about holiday cards through the years.

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Did you know?

  • Americans send 1.6 billion holiday cards annually [source]
  • Women purchase an estimated 80% of all greeting cards [source]
  • E-cards have become an environmentally friendly alternative to paper cards [source]
  • Christmas cards originated in London, where Sir Henry Cole commissioned the first in 1843. [Source]
    • Two batches totaling 2,050 cards were printed and sold that year for a shilling each. [Source]
  • Despite the separation of church and state, it’s customary for the President and First Lady to send White House Christmas cards each holiday season. [source]
    • Calvin Coolidge issued the first official Christmas message to the American people in 1927. [source]

 

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Play ‘Symon says’ for dinner: Review of 5 in 5 For Every Season by Chef Michael Symon

My husband has a teensy-weensy bromance with Chef Michael Symon. We’ve eaten at B Spot Burgers. We own his Carnivore cookbook. He’s our most-watched Iron Chef. And he’s probably our second-favorite Food Network personality. (Alton Brown takes the top spot.)

And now we have a new reason to love his work.

5in55 in 5 For Every Season is the perfect cookbook for busy families who also like to eat–and cook–good food that doesn’t come from a box. No judgment, though, because we do that sometimes too. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my review.)

So far we’ve tried three recipes from the book, all in one week. Each was low-prep and full of flavor, and after we had the ingredients in hand came together quickly. Dinner prep for us can be tricky between my husband’s work schedule and the kids coming home from school. Sometimes we’re scrambling to throw something together at 6 o’clock so we can eat before the kids have to go to bed. These three recipes were lifesavers, and like I said, so tasty you would not know how little work went into them.

The concept behind the book is this:

“You can get a from-scratch meal on the table for you, your family, and your friends in very little time, for not a lot of money, and without a lot of fuss.” (6)

I could hardly believe it was true. And what’s neat about this book, as opposed to his 5 in 5 cookbook, is that it’s divided into seasons, so you can cook with ingredients in season. I love this idea.

First, we tried spaghetti puttanesca from the fall section. Garlic, red pepper flakes, capers, kalamata olives and crushed canned tomatoes created a simple sauce unlike anything I’ve tried from a jar. “Why would we ever buy a jar of sauce again?” I asked my husband. Super easy, and delicious. I was sold after one recipe, but for thoroughness, we tried a couple more.

Next up was mushroom Philly cheesesteaks from the winter section. This one was a little more expensive because I had to make a quick run to the store for shiitake mushrooms, and they were not cheap. I think if I could have gotten to a farmer’s market, I might have been able to get them cheaper. Pennsylvania is home to the mushroom capital of the world, so they are plentiful. We already had a rib eye steak thawed from a previous meal, so this one came together quickly as well. In fact, we decided that it’s best to do all the chopping and prep ahead of time because there is little down time between steps. These were messy and sloppy but we gobbled them up.

Finally, we tried the spicy beef tacos with fresh salsa, also from the winter section. We used ground turkey instead of beef, and added queso fresco at the end because we like a bit of cheese. The meat is seasoned with a combination of chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin seeds. No need for the store bought taco season. The down side to these was the quality of our corn tortillas. Our tacos fell apart, but we still ate the filling. Our kids don’t care for raw onions, so they disliked the addition of red onion, but the red onions, tomatoes and cilantro were the perfect topper for the meat.

I can’t wait to explore more of the book. There’s a holiday section, drink recipes, and a variety of meats used. Each time I flip through, something else draws my attention. Especially as more fresh ingredients become available in spring and summer, I expect to use this book often.

Add this one to your cookbook collection!

Better together

I’m an introvert. Perhaps I’ve mentioned that a time or two. I’m learning more and more what that means, but for many years I thought that being an introvert meant I wanted–and needed–to go it alone. As a first-born child, I also have an independent streak, and though I haven’t always been confident about my abilities, I have often preferred to do something myself, without asking for help, even if I was already overwhelmed.

Introvert or not, maybe you can relate?

I don’t go out of my way to let other people into my life. There’s a variety of reasons, some involving insecurity and fear of rejections, but mostly I think, I’ve got this. I can handle it all on my own.

Except for the times when I can’t.

I’m learning about asking for help, though it still isn’t easy. But even asking for help isn’t always the same as letting people in.

You can read the rest over at Putting on the New, where I post on the 12th of each month.

A gift of words: Review of Faithgirlz Bible

I still have the first Bible I ever received, a Precious Moments edition with some cute illustrations to accompany the NKJV translation of the words. It wasn’t until high school, though, that I had in my hands a Bible I wanted to read (and could).

faithgirlz bibleAs our household has grown, so has our collection of Bibles and Bible storybooks. When our daughter started reading and needed a Bible regularly in her Sunday School class, I gave her the one I’d grown up with because it was the most kid-friendly complete Bible we had in the house. It soon became clear that the NKJV was not the best translation for an elementary school girl, and I really wanted her to have her own Bible.

When I saw the NIV Faithgirlz Bible available from Zondervan, I thought I’d get it for her. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the Bible in exchange for my review, through the Booklook Bloggers program.) Billed as a Bible for tween girls, around ages 8-12, some of the features are a little too grown-up for my 7-year-old, but she can grow into it.

What has been fun is seeing her embrace it as her own. She takes it to church. Looks through it and reads it at night, sometimes, and during Advent, she has been reading selected passages after dinner during our Advent devotions. The NIV has been much easier for her to read and understand. That’s what she likes about it.

As she grows, we’ll explore some of the other features in this Bible, like the quizzes and telling the Bible stories in her own words.

I know there is some criticism of the themed and topical Bibles, but as a parent of an elementary school girl, I’m excited to see how my daughter connects with the Bible on a level she is ready for.

 

A few of my favorite things

I rarely do these monthly round-ups of things I’m reading or listening to, mostly because I don’t think my tastes are all that interesting or unusual. But because it’s December and I’ve got “These Are a Few of My Favorite Things” on a loop in my head, I thought I’d share. For whatever it’s worth to you. And share yours with me, too! What are the things you recommend to everyone or that are just plain fun additions to your life right now?

Here are mine:

  • Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. This series on Netflix was a recommendation from a friend when I was sick. I didn’t get a chance to start watching until after I was already feeling better, but now it’s my go-to lunch show or what I do while I’m folding laundry in the afternoon. It’s set in 1920s Australia and focuses on Phryne Fisher, who has returned from abroad. She stumbles into detective work. Really enjoyable stories, and they’re based on books, so I’ll be checking those out as well.
  • Amazon Prime Music channels. I’ve been jamming to a variety of stations while I clean lately. Two of my favorites are classic hits and classical Christmas. Also if you’re looking for the *perfect* gift for a reader/TV watcher/music lover or a family with all of the above, consider gifting an Amazon Prime membership. We got ours last year at a discounted price and we love it. (Disclaimer: This is an affiliate link, which costs you nothing but means I earn a small percentage of your purchase.)
  • Square One coffee. Small-batch roasted, local, fair trade. I started drinking this regularly after we returned from Kenya, and I discovered that I can drink this stuff black because it tastes so good. No cream required. wpid-20151019_164422.jpg
  • Global + local=interesting. We introduced the kids to Nepalese and Indian food recently. Before that, Phil and I ate at a buffet that serves African dishes. Our Thanksgiving meal included locally raised pork tenderloin, bread from a local bakery, vegetables we bought at two separate markets in the area (and one of those was a squash native to Japan). We are so grateful to live in a community that offers a wide variety of both global tastes and locally made items.
  • And speaking of homemade (sort of), we whipped heavy cream to top or Thanksgiving pie. This is the second time ever we’ve done this, and people, I cannot go back to store bought whipped cream. It takes almost no time and it is so tasty you can eat it with a spoon.

TV, music, food, drink. The only thing missing is books! But I write enough about books on this blog, so  if you’re a regular reader, you probably already know some of my favorites.

What are you raving about these days?

The blurred line between saints and sinners: Review of Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber

accidental saintsIt would be tempting for someone to dismiss a tattoo-clad Lutheran pastor who freely uses colorful language and does CrossFit as a fad, without much substance to back up her beliefs. I say “someone” but I mean “me.” I’ve been wanting to read a book by Nadia Bolz-Weber for some time, mostly because I’m in a phase where I want to read edgy Christian stuff. I was surprised, then, by the depth of Bolz-Weber’s convictions and how much her stories and understanding of Scripture challenged me. I’m so glad I gave her a chance. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my review.)

Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People is a collection of stories, of how Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran pastor at House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado, has imperfectly loved the people in her care. It is more how-not-to-love people than a shining example of how to behave in such a way as to be called a saint.

It has been my experience that what makes us the saints of God is not our ability to be saintly but rather God’s ability to work through sinners. The title ‘saint’ is always conferred, never earned. (p. 7)

It is hopeful writing (and full of language which might offend some people. I personally don’t find it gratuitous, but you’ve been warned.) and challenging. Some of her thoughts on Advent are particularly thought-provoking and timely as we enter this season.  Throughout the book, I found myself pondering her interpretation of a text I’d read numerous times before.

She’s also blatantly honest about her own shortcomings. Her stories are as much lessons for herself as they are for anyone reading.

If you think yourself a sinner too messed up for a purpose in God’s kingdom, I challenge you to read this book. And if you’re working hard to earn your sainthood, pick this one up as well. The line between sinner and saint is blurry, sometimes, and Bolz-Weber’s stories are proof that God often shows up in the unlikeliest places and people.

Some thoughts about Paris, Christmas and the world

When the brutal attacks happened in Paris a few weeks ago, I had a lot I wanted to say. I love Paris. I spent most of my high school years dreaming about it as I learned to speak French. Then, when I was 20, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a semester studying in England. One of the scheduled long weekends offered during the term was a trip by Chunnel to Paris. It literally was a dream come true and the friends I traveled with can attest to how annoying I was when I pointed out the Eiffel Tower from every corner of the city.

My heart broke when the news did. And I watched as the world mourned with the city of lights, standing in solidarity with its “beautiful” people. A day earlier, bombs had exploded in Beirut, and I wanted to make sense of the widespread compassion for one city and virtual ignorance of another. I’ve been mulling the words and the questions for weeks, and thanks to the Internet, I know I’m not the only one thinking them. I do not like to stir up controversy for its own sake, and I still think we need to ask ourselves why it is easier for us to mourn with Paris than it is Beirut or Syria or any other place that is regularly marked by war. One friend suggested that maybe it is because we can see ourselves there more easily. We can imagine ourselves at a club or a concert or shopping mall and having terror invade those spaces. We cannot picture ourselves in a world where violence and terror are normal, everyday things.

So I was going to write an entire blog post about all of that, challenging us to care about people who we might not consider “beautiful” and to mourn with places we do not think of as “enchanting.” (I love what Annie Rim has done with this challenge for Advent. Check out her daily Advent prayers for the hard situations in the world starting here with day one.)

But a lot has been said about Paris. And the world seems darker by the day. I do not want to add to the darkness. Nor do I want to deny that it exists.

What do we do, I wondered, when the darkness seems to be winning?

—

We stood in the city square surrounded by hundreds of people next to an unlit Christmas tree. The weather was mild for almost-December, more than 50 degrees, no rain or snow or wind. We pressed close to the stage where the holiday festivities would begin. Although I’m an introvert and often prefer to stay home, there is something about a gathering of people kicking off the Christmas holiday that draws me to it. Yes, there is the downtown parking and the crowd of people, but there’s also a spirit of cheerfulness, hot cider and this year, we discovered, some amazing hand-held sweet waffles from a local bakery.

There’s also Santa on a fire truck and music. We were close enough to the stage this year to actually see the performance that preceded the tree lighting–a musical performance of silliness and song featuring elves, obscure Claus relatives, Jack Frost and dancing snowmen. It was like Elf meets The Santa Clause meets Frozen.

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It was ridiculously wonderful. We danced and sang along, participating in the celebration of a season that is special for so many reasons.

And then the group performing surprised me. They sang two carols, the kind you would hear in church around Christmas, and as the crowd listened and sang along, the good news of Jesus’ birth spread as far as the sound system carried the words. Now, I know that lots of people sing Christmas carols and don’t pay any attention to the words or what they mean. But standing there in the square, surrounded by people, joining my voice to the chorus of “Joy to the World,” I was overcome with a sense of rightness and peace.

This is it, I thought. This is what you do when the darkness seems to be winning. You stand in the city square and with a crowd of people you declare with one voice that there is still joy in the world. Not because of dancing snowmen or Santa or tasty waffles or pleasant weather, though it is okay to acknowledge those as good things.

There is joy in the world because darkness is the weaker force. As long as there is one person willing to light a candle, hold a flashlight or flip a switch, light will overcome. And if there is one person willing to hold a light in the darkness, there will be another person willing and another. One of my favorite things at Christmas is a Christmas Eve candle-lighting service, when the sanctuary goes dark and one person lights the candle they are holding and the flame passes from person to person until what was once a dark room is filled with individual glowing lights.

 

The world might seem dark, but Christmas has come at just the right time. To remind us that light overcomes darkness, that joy has come into a world that is often miserable, that hope is not as elusive as we might think.

Standing in the throng in the public square, we can say with confidence, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

Sometimes I wonder if it’s right to celebrate when so many people are suffering, whether globally or within my own circle.

But then I look at the lights of Christmas set against the dark of night and I know. We need the celebration. We need the lights and the singing and the friends and the family and the getting together, not only to remind ourselves that the world is not all dark but as a public declaration to whatever darkness encroaches that we still believe the light will win.

Whatever you are feeling about the state of the world, the state of your world, can I just encourage you?

Light the tree. Light a candle. Sing a Christmas carol. Or a song that makes you feel braver than you think are. Give someone a gift they’ll love. Hug your family. Or a friend. Say “Merry Christmas.” (Or “Happy holidays” and don’t get all bent out of shape about either one.) Act kindly. Serve someone you don’t think deserves it. Donate money or time or something with value to a charity (not just now but all throughout the year). Buy someone else’s coffee when you’re standing in line for yours. Write a letter to a loved one. Make a phone call. Take a picture. Or paint one.

Whatever it means to you to push  back the darkness, do that.

Your seemingly little act of light just might be contagious.

 

The undeniable signs of middle age {plus a book review}

I never thought I’d be thinking about middle age in my 30s, although I’m sure there was a time in my life when 30 sounded ancient. Now, the older I get the younger all the ages ahead of me sound. 60? Still young! 70? Lots of life left to live! Maybe that’s just wishful thinking.

I’ve always felt older in my head than my age would suggest, and there have been years when my actual age was in question because of some youthful attributes on my face. (Side note: It’s embarrassing to be mistaken for a high school student when you are actually a full-time journalist right out of college doing the reporting on the high school.)

I’m no longer trying to hang on to youth because I don’t even know what that means really, and frankly, I’m okay with leaving my 30s behind. I’m preparing myself to embrace 40 with hope and optimism. I have 2 1/2 more years to prepare, but lately I’ve been feeling more middle-aged.

Here’s why:

  • Most of my conversations with friends center on health issues and griping about insurance. I literally stood in the driveway of a friend’s house recently complaining about insurance rates and asking after her health. We’re only 37! How did this happen?
  • And speaking of health issues, I’m significantly more aware of mine. It’s like my body has given up. Now I talk freely with friends about bowel movements and words like “probiotics” are part of my vocabulary. Ew, gross.  (And if you need a couple of good laughs watch these SNL spoofs of Activia commercials. I used to think they were funny. Now they’re a little too funny if you know what I mean. Here  and here.) Next thing you know I’ll be eating bran muffins.
  • I’m reading the newspaper again. Not often. We don’t have a subscription, but the day after the Paris attacks, I was eating breakfast at Chick-fil-a with my kids and I read more pages in newsprint than I had in years. I’m increasingly less tolerant of online news and the articles written solely from one “side” or the other. I used to read the Associated Press wire religiously as part of my job as copy editor for a daily newspaper. I miss it.
  • When considering what to bring to a potluck recently, I was at a loss. I love to cook but we’d been sick for two weeks, off and on, and sometimes when I’m out of the rhythm of cooking, I lose inspiration. I got a bit nostalgic for my mom’s 7-layer salad, so I looked up a recipe (this one by The Pioneer Woman is what I went with and it was so yummy). Making a dish my mom “always used to make” and still does just makes me feel old. Not in a bad way, necessarily.
  • In a room full of people, I’m nowhere near the youngest, but I’m also not the oldest. I’m generally smack-dab in the middle.

Even a year ago, I would have seen these as signs that my life was OVER. That’s still a struggle, and I imagine it will only get worse the closer I get to 40 and beyond. So, I’m glad to have an encouraging guide to help me navigate these uncertain waters.

40-40-coverIt’s a book, of course, because books are my favorite teachers. It’s called 40/40 Vision: Clarifying Your Mission in Midlife by Peter Greer and Greg Lafferty. It’s a close look at the small Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes and what the great king Solomon has to say about the middle years viewed in retrospect. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for my review.)

I was worried that this book would not be “for me.” I know, in part, my mission, and my calling as a writer is not dependent on my age. I’m not going to be forced into early retirement from my freelance career or from writing novels because of my age. I don’t feel adrift in my overall calling, though I do sense the need for clarity in some areas.

So, I’m happy to report that this book is for me. And you. And whoever is looking at the latter half of their life with fear, confusion, or worry. It’s not just a book for those who work full time or minister full time, nor is it just for men, who stereotypically have a “midlife crisis.” This is as much a book for a mom whose kids are growing more independent and who is rediscovering her free time as it is for a man stuck in a job he isn’t sure matters. It’s for the happily married man and the dissatisfied wife. The potential for a midlife crisis is not limited to one certain type of person.

Greer and Lafferty show us how to look at our lives–past and future–from the incomparable vantage point of the middle.

Opening our eyes to our own mortality and limitations can allow us to live more fully. Midlife is an opportunity to leave some of our youthful folly behind, to look back on our first forty and refocus on what matters most for our next forty–or however long we have. It’s a time to prepare for our second act, to get our second wind. (16)

I like the idea of midlife being a time of preparation, a chance to catch our breaths and evaluate what has been working in life and what hasn’t. This has revolutionized how I view the big 4-0.

And the authors don’t just address jobs and callings. They tackle issues of mortality, purpose, identity, friendship and building true wealth, among other things. And they do it with stories, both theirs and others, humor and grace.

If you feel stuck in the middle of life with little hope for the years ahead, or you dread the onset of middle age, this book will restore your focus to see all the good that lies ahead.

Check out the book trailer to decide for yourself if it’s for you.

 

What does the phrase “middle age” mean to you? How do you handle your own aging process?

And if you’ve already crossed into middle age, what have you found on the other side?