Reading....The Night Circus

Y'all. I'm not sure why it took me so long to read The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. I think when it came out I was caught up reading a lot of other things, and just didn't pay much attention to the reviews except to note that they were a mixed bag. But when a recommendation from my good friend Mary coincided with an available credit on Audible -- well. This book. Two magicians, two schools of thought, one game. The venue: a circus. It's a simple premise, and a simple plot. But as the story unfolds and the game begins, things get complicated -- as they usually do. A circus means people -- people who are unwittingly players in an enigmatic game with few rules and no end in sight, a game overseen by two men who have been dueling by proxy for a very long time.  While The Night Circus does have an interesting plot, the book is really about the characters, the setting, and the atmosphere. It's a book that unfolds slowly, carefully, and beautifully. It's a book that seeps into your consciousness. It's a book with many layers and hidden corners, where every detail is deliberately and carefully chose. Nothing wasted. Beautiful. It's not a book for everyone, but it's my kind of book for sure.

A Monday List

1. I'm craving popcorn at the moment, but I'm too lazy to make some. I make it on the stovetop old-school style because I don't love microwave and don't have an air popper. I settled for some cereal...which is my number two favorite evening snack.

2. Baby sleep, man. It's a rough time in our house. I tend to be a fixer, and it's hard when I can't clearly identify the main problem (probably because there are many factors contributing to the rocky sleep situation). I guess it's just a matter of addressing one thing at a time, and remembering to give things time to work before trying a different tactic.

3. Chocolate.

4. Downton Abbey is back!! I plan to thoroughly enjoy every moment of the last season. Although....I really think they could dial back on the Bates and Anna drama.

5. I really, really, really need to break my no-knitting streak. Partly because I miss it. Partly because I have a gift that's not going to make itself for a baby that's going to show up one day pretty soon. I'm just finding it hard to get back in the groove.

6. I got to see snow last week! I was in Missouri visiting family and it snowed! I may or may not have been compelled to step outside at one point to smell the snow. I've lived in the south too long.

Happy Random Monday, y'all!

It's a new year, friends

For a week I've been writing drafts in my head of a New Year post. But it's taken this long to actually sit down and write down some thoughts. Better late than never, right? I like celebrating the New Year. I like reflection and fresh starts. Obviously, you don't need a holiday to reflect on what's going on in your life or give yourself a fresh start, but sometimes it's nice to have a little encouragement to do that. (It's also one reason I like back to school time...even though I'm not in school). 

I think I've mentioned before that our friends in North Carolina have been hosting a New Year's Eve party for several years. One of the best parts is New Year's Day, when most of us get back together for breakfast and lots of coffee, think about the past year, and set some goals for the new one. It's fun, and in the process we've all learned a bit about setting New Year's goals.

1. Set goals -- not resolutions. A goal is something you're working toward, something to reach for and strive for, but also something that can adapt when reality presents itself. You don't break goals. You may not meet it exactly, but there's not the same sense of failure as when you break a resolution.

2. My friend Ryan schooled me on the proper way to set a goal: be concrete, and give yourself a specific time frame and/or parameters. For example: my goal is not to "get healthy." My goal is to lose 15 pounds by December and run two 5k races. My goal is not to "write more" but to write a certain number of days per week.

3. On the other hand -- it's also nice to have some less concrete goals. Like that I want to be more purposeful with my time, more intentional about investing in relationships. These kind of goals give me something to think about, give me room to be creative within the realities of day to day life. It's why I'm a big fan of the One Word concept. One word to frame your upcoming year.

4. Realize that you're not going to meet your goals on January 1. Which is good. Because I've got a whole year to work my way up to writing 6 days a week, playing my piano at least twice a week, and a few other goals I've got. 

5. Be comfortable with the fact that some years, the only goal is -- this year has to be better than the last. That's not the case for me this year, but I've been there in the past and have had friends who are there now. And that's okay. The New Year isn't always about setting tons of lofty goals. It's about the rhythm of life, about taking stock, about not just reacting to life. 

Happy (slightly belated) New Year!

On the other hand...

I could finish the Queen of the Tearling, but I'm having a tough time staying interested and I own it....on the other hand...I could read my library copy of Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series. No contest: Queen of Shadows.

I could take a nap because someone has decided to go back to waking up a couple of times a night instead of spoiling mama with only waking up once a night and right now both children are napping at THE SAME TIME...on the other hand...I could write a blog post which I've been putting on my to-do list at least three times a week for a month. And maybe sneak in a 15 minute power nap after?

I could tell everyone how I've started listening to The Night Circus and I'm already a little in love with it (yes, I know everyone and their dog has read this book already. I'm never going to be up on new books again. Just a heads-up)....on the other hand...there is no other hand. Having this cued up in Audible may be the best thing that ever happened to my housecleaning/running/knitting.

I could get overwhelmed by the number of things I want to do...and the number of things I NEED to do and the fact that it's just easier to do none of it....on the other hand...I could just take one thing at a time, attempt to mix up the urgent with the important/the want with the need, and try to accept when I  can't do everything. And ask for help when I need it.

Yesterday, I finished week 3, day 3 of Couch to 5k. Yay! Running! I'm feeling motivated so far, and now just need to stay motivated enough to add in a day or two (realistically, a day) of yoga during the week, and a little bit of core work to help the running go better (and to help everything go better, really). I'm inspired by the plank these days, especially after my friend Tess posted a link about plank exercises. No other hand here....just an attempt to get my booty in gear. Next up...goals for 2016.

A Thursday List

1.  Farmyard Beat, by Lindsey Craig and Marc Brown is seriously adorable and fun. Even when you are asked to read it " 'gain!" about 30 times in a row. 

2. I started Queen of the Tearling last week, continuing my streak of reading books that were popular and recommended to me so long ago I can't remember who recommended it. Haven't gotten very far yet, but so far, so good. And isn't that an awesome cover? The downside to reading the ebook.

3. For most of the years we lived in North Carolina, we had a tradition of sharing a New Year's Day breakfast with our friends (the ones we'd partied with the night before, of course) where we'd all sit around and talk about the previous year and our goals and dreams for the coming year. So I'm in the habit of participating in the traditional end-of-the-year reflection and contemplation, and I've been thinking about it off and on the past week or two. And I'm sure I'll talk about it more some other time, but meanwhile....

4. Now that it's December, I'm ready to embrace the Christmas season! Our calendar is about maxed out on planned activities -- Christmas party, family tree-decorating-movie-watching, cookie exchange, lunch with Santa, and a plan to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Now I've just got to fit Christmas shopping in there somewhere, and we live in Houston so...the lawn really needs to be mowed (thankfully that's Jeremy's job still). And hopefully we'll have time for a little spontaneous fun and/or relaxing on the couch to a Christmas movie or two.

5. And speaking of Christmas movies! I love hearing about everyone's favorite Christmas movies. From Elf to Die Hard, White Christmas (this girl's favorite) or It's a Wonderful Life and all the many versions of A Christmas Carol or Santa Claus or your very favorite made for t.v. holiday cheesefest.

Thanksgiving

Some days it feels like I'm drowning in alternating seas of snarky cynicism or over-polished commercialism, and that is never more overwhelming than around holidays. Some days I just want to throw my hands up and say "fine! Nothing is good, or worthy, or perfect, so I won't celebrate anything because I'm going to get something wrong, or offend someone, or not offend enough people, or something." But today, I'm going to realize that the only thing I can control is myself, and that change starts with one person. So I am going to ignore the snark on one side and the hype on the other, and reclaim my favorite holiday for the joy that it can bring. 

For me, Thanksgiving is about gratitude and welcome. It's about being present with people you love, or showing love to people you don't know very well. It's sharing food with family, playing games or watching movies, or going for a long walk or hike. Whatever it is you enjoy doing together. It's about sharing a meal with people who have no family, creating a community where you are. It's about reaching out, gathering in, and being thankful. And to me, Thanksgiving is about finding some inner rest -- embracing a season in which nature pauses and just takes a break after a season of working really hard.

It's a potluck lunch with people whose family live scattered across the country, each person bringing their favorite family dish and then getting to enjoy other families' traditions as you share your own. 

It's grilling bratwurst on a balmy day at the beach, when it's just you and a couple of other friends. It's not the number, it's the company.

It's 25 people packed around tables spread in the backyard -- being included in a big family gathering because your family lives far away.

It's aunts, uncles, cousins, and a foreign exchange student from Switzerland. Pie, card games, and some low-key football outside.

It's all-day games, movie marathons, and music. 

It's meeting someone the week before who has no Thanksgiving plans, and inviting them to your home. 

It's sharing, giving, and being grateful. Celebrating sometimes, and sometimes just trying to find any reason to give thanks. It's remembering those who aren't there, and sometimes being a little sad. 

Whatever form your Thanksgiving takes, may you find what you need, give what you can, and enjoy it! 

Reading...I Capture the Castle

 I have several books that sit on my Kindle that are kind of "backup" books. Books I purchased because I wanted to read them someday, but I want to pull them out when I'm not in the mood for something else, or I've hit a crossroads when it comes to 'what to read next' or I don't have any library books. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith was one of those books. And I admit that I bought it so long ago, I'd even forgotten what it was about. But sometimes, that's a pretty great experience, and it certainly was with this book. 

I Capture the Castle is the story of a family, a snapshot of their life told through the journals of Cassandra, the middle of the three Mortmain children. It's the mid-1930s in rural England, and the Mortmains are a once upper-middle class family who have run out of money. Mr. Mortmain is a famous literary author whose critically acclaimed book has stopped earning money. Mr. Mortmain sits all day in what is essentially his study or office and reads books or works crossword puzzles. The children's mother is deceased, and Topaz -- Mortmain's wife -- is a former artist's model whose earning potential we quickly discover is small at best. Rose, the eldest daughter, bemoans the family's poverty and longs to find herself a rich husband ala a Jane Austen heroine. Thomas, the youngest, has a scholarship and attends a good school. Cassandra wants to be a writer, and has begun practicing speed writing with the thought of one day training to become a secretary. Stephen, the orphaned son of the family's former housekeeper, helps around the castle, in the garden, and eventually gets a small job at a neighboring farm. The family lives in a crumbling down old castle with a Tudor home built into the ruins. Cassandra begins keeping her journal to capture life at the castle, and ends up capturing a brief period of time in which life changes quite dramatically.

I don't have much to say about this book except it was really just delightful, quietly funny and engaging. Smith does a great job of evoking a sense of place, and I really felt like I'd taken a little mini-vacation to rural England by reading this book. It's a book about family, friendship, romance, and making your own happiness.