May 2019

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P.S. I highly recommend Book Outlet!  Use my link to receive $10 off your first order of $25 or more.

#27. THE LYING GAME by Ruth Ware
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

 A lie. I’d almost forgotten how they feel on my tongue, slick and sickening.

I enjoyed Ruth Ware’s The Woman in Cabin 10 last year, so decided to give The Lying Game a shot.  And…it was okay.  It’s categorized as psychological thriller, but that may be generous.  Long meandering plot with a lackluster twist.

#28. AMERICAN RADICAL: INSIDE THE WORLD OF AN UNDERCOVER MUSLIM FBI AGENT by Tamer Elnoury
My Rating: ★★★★☆

 How do we defeat an enemy who is willing to die for a cause that they believe in?  That is the question I ask every one of my students at the FBI undercover school before I start my lesson on radical Islam.  Over the years, I have heard many different answers, but never the correct one: education.  In order to defeat your enemy, you must first understand them. (p.342)

 I had a feeling I would like American Radical just from the description and I was right.  I blew through it in days!  So much respect for undercover agents who have to do this type of work to keep us safe.  (Also available at Book Outlet here.)

#29. THE LAST ROMANTICS by Tara Conklin
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

What I wanted to say about this man was that the greatest works of poetry, what make each of us a poet, are the stories we tell about ourselves.  We create them out of family and blood and friends and love and hate and what we’ve read and watched and witnessed.  Longing and regret, illness, broken bones, broken hearts, achievements, money won and lost, palm readings and visions.  We tell these stories until we believe them, we believe in ourselves, and that is the most powerful thing of all. (p.195)

 The Last Romantics is a hard book to rate.  From the reviews I’ve read, you either love this one or hate it, so take this with a grain of salt.  I enjoyed the first half of this family saga, but felt it took an unnecessary turn with its feminist undertones.  I’m just turned off by the idea that to be a “true” feminist, you must also be anti-men and make them look idiotic or a hindrance to your success.   #30. BE BRAVE IN THE SCARED by Mary Lenaburg My Rating: ★★★★★

 Back to our choice.  It is our pride – our desire to be in control and fix the situation – that directs us to fight against instead of through trials.  Fighting through challenges allows us to accept the reality of a difficult situation without having the ability to change it.  Oddly enough, fighting against challenges ourselves –  alone – does’t help us avoid the pain; it simply puts off and prolongs the misery.  (p.62)

 Acceptance is where healing begins.  Life didn’t get any easier for us.  It did, however, become richer and more filled with love and meaning.  This shift can happen only when you’re ready to hear God’s truth and move beyond your desire and need to fix the situation.  If you wallow in the misery, you allow no room for the joy God has for you.  And there is joy, even in the difficult times. (p.68) Be Brave in the Scared is the first book I’ve ever pre-ordered!  I have read Mary’s blog and followed her story for years now.  We said prayers and held vigil for her daughter, Courtney, on her last days in 2014.  Mary is funny and real and just an awesome lady.  I knew I would love her new book and I did.  So much honesty and wisdom and the ability to make you laugh and cry, which I think is Mary’s specialty.  Highly recommend.  I definitely think Be Brave in the Scared is the perfect compliment to The Louder Song (the book on suffering I read in April.)

#31. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE by Agatha Christie
My Rating: ★★★★★

 “From now on, it is our task to suspect each and everyone amongst us. Forewarned is forearmed. Take no risks and be alert to danger. That is all.” 

 Oh my goodness.  Agatha Christie totally fooled me with this one. I’m pretty good at figuring out “whodunit” in these types of mystery books, but I was so wrong with And Then There Were None! What a crazy psycho-thriller of a book.

#32. MWF SEEKING BFF: MY YEARLONG SEARCH FOR A NEW BEST FRIEND by Rachel Bertsche
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

 “Psychologists have long described four major types of friendships,” she wrote. “1) The acquaintance, someone you’d chat with on the street or at a local café, who gives you a sense of belonging; 2) the casual friend, a ‘grab lunch’ pal who often serves a specific purpose, such as a tennis or running partner; 3) the close buddy, an intimate, trustworthy comrade you can say anything to; and 4) the lifer, who’s as deep and forever as family.” Frankel’s research found that women should have 3 to 5 lifers, 5 to 12 close friends, 10 to 50 casuals, and 10 to 100 acquaintances. (3%)

 Teenagers spend nearly 33 percent of their time with friends, but that number drops to less than 10 percent for adults. When we do have time for friends, most people would rather spend it with already-established BFFs than having to be “on” with a possible new one. Because when we’re not busy, we’re tired. (23%)

 I’ve had MWF Seeking BFF on my Goodreads TBR since 2012, so when I stumbled on it at the library, I snatched it up.  The idea had a lot of promise, but fell short in execution.  Her blanket statements about women and friendship had me scratching my head, mostly because I am the complete opposite of what she describes.  (I think temperament plays a much bigger role than she believes.)  A few interesting parts, but could have definitely been 100 pages shorter.  Just okay for me, although I am inspired to join a local book club now.

#33. THE WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum
My Rating: ★★★☆☆

 “But how about my courage?” asked the Lion anxiously.
“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz.  “All you need is confidence in yourself.  There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger.  True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.” (p.140)

 I know this story but have never read the book before!  Now I’m anxious to watch the movie again.  (Also available at Book Outlet – in a gorgeous hardcover! – here.)

MY READING IN NUMBERS FOR 2019 Books Read: 33
Pages Read: 10,209 Fiction: 19  //  Non-Fiction: 14 Kindle Books: 7  //  Paper Books: 26

Original 2019 books “to-read” total on Goodreads: 424 // Current “to-read” total: 424

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1 // PRODIGAL POTTERY
I stumbled on Prodigal Pottery on Etsy and immediately loved their mission.  From their About page:

Prodigal Pottery is handmade at King’s Home in Chelsea, Alabama by women fleeing domestic abuse.Our ceramic art therapy program offers jobs to women in our homeless domestic abuse shelter and helps equip these women with skills in pottery and ceramics so they can take the steps necessary to start new lives for themselves and their children.

100% of the proceeds from Prodigal Pottery goes to support the women who hand make the pieces and the ministry itself. Thank you for your support of Prodigal Pottery. Because of your support, we are able to change the lives of abused women through the gift of art!

I bought this soap dish in white and it’s simple and beautiful.  Just what I was looking for to place next to my kitchen sink.


2 // “THIRSTY THURSDAY” This sounds like a happy hour theme, hah!  In actuality, it’s just a handy reminder for me to water my plants every Thursday.  Simple and catchy enough for my scatterbrain.  My houseplants are thankful for it!


3 // NATURE’S MIRACLE SPRAY AND WIPES

We’ve had Lucy for almost eight weeks now and these are two items that have been worth their weight in gold!  You know that lovely wet dog smell?  We use the bath wipes after we have to take her out in the rain, which has been happening a lot this spring.  The hard floor cleaner has also been a life-saver after accidents.

4 // BOOKLY APP
Bookly is a free app that is great for readers like me who love numbers.  I used Bookly to help me track my reading time for #25in5 (which I totally failed, BTW) and it was interesting to see stats like how fast I read and how much time I read each day.

5 // ACURE HAIR AND SKINCARE
So I’m still on my shampoo bar kick, but I needed some help with the oil buildup it produced.  I found this clarifying shampoo which has no parabens, sulfates, or phthalates and is also made in the USA.  So far, so good!  I also bought my oldest their cleansing stick and acne spot.

P.S. Have you joined Poshmark yet?  For a limited time, Poshmark is doubling the credit to $10 for your first purchase if you sign up with my code BWFARMHOUSE.  I hope you love it as much as I do!

It’s officially summer vacation here at the farmhouse and I am so ready.  With the extra time in our schedule, I’ve got some big goals: decluttering the entire house, finishing up a handful of house projects, training Lucy, ramping up selling on Poshmark, and reading at least half of the books on my nightstand…and sticking to my book buying ban until then!  Here we go!       

  • start Operation Declutter Everything!
  • complete T25 Gamma Weeks 1&2
  • stain the front porch (100LT #60)
  • mulch the front flower beds
  • buy a few plants for the flower pots
  • have the gutters cleaned
  • clean windows from the outside
  • figure out a way to discourage wildlife from eating our compost pile
  • list 10 items on Poshmark
  • create a new system for keeping Poshmark inventory organized
  • try out the local farmer’s market (100LT #100)
  • make granola
  • try making french toast mugs using the ends of bread loaves

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

  • read one book on my Kindle (this ended up being a library book, but I hope to read a few of the ones from Amazon soon)
  • finish a half-read book on my nightstand
  • complete the last of week of T25 Beta (on to Gamma!)
  • teach Lucy to voluntarily go in her crate (hah – some days she listens, some days she’s obstinate and we have to bribe her)
  • buy a mailing envelope and send in standardized testing (we got the results back and they all did great!)
  • start collecting items for a “Welcome Summer” basket for the kids
  • weed and mulch the front flower beds
  • buy a few plants for the front flower pots
  • stain the front porch
  • find Sophie new sandals (the ones I bought her a few months ago are already too small!)
  • make granola
  • try making french toast mugs using the ends of bread loaves
  • begin a new sourdough starter
  • make a big pitcher of iced peach tea

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 the smell of freshly mowed grass sunshine pouring through a spider web on the back porch green, green, green everywhere you look watching in awe as our puppy seemingly grows overnight little personal cups of Bluebell ice cream the friendliest handymen who live and work in our community

a book that makes you laugh and cry

waking up to a new order from Poshmark finding old videos of the kids and wondering how it all goes so fast sharing memories of my grandmothers

a new top (in black, because I’m boring) that helps me look a little more put together

homemade Mother’s Day cards my mother-in-law who washed my dishes and cleaned my kitchen for me (such a treat!) finishing the last few pages in our school books extensive train track creations across the living room floor watching the kids play outside with Lucy after dinner

painting my toes

baby birds almost ready to leave the nest waking from a deep, deep sleep

this prayer from Thomas Aquinas: “Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.”

I love this time of year – everything is so green.   P.S. Quick update with Lucy: we’ve been slowly pushing back her middle-of-the-night potty breaks and she’s totally fine with it, no accidents!  This is life changing!

  • read one book on my Kindle (I download a lot free from Amazon and then never read them!)
  • finish a half-read book on my nightstand
  • complete the last of week of T25 Beta 
  • teach Lucy to voluntarily go in her crate
  • buy a mailing envelope and send in standardized testing
  • start collecting items for a “Welcome Summer” basket for the kids
  • weed and mulch the front flower beds
  • buy a few plants for the front flower pots
  • stain the front porch
  • find Sophie new sandals (the ones I bought her a few months ago are already too small!)
  • make granola
  • try making french toast mugs using the ends of bread loaves
  • begin a new sourdough starter
  • make a big pitcher of iced peach tea

PREVIOUS INTENTIONS

If you’re reading on your phone or in a reader, be sure to click over to see what I checked off the list!

  • complete T25 Alpha Week 5 and Beta Week 1
  • puppy proof the first floor
  • figure out a new routine with the dog
  • schedule an appointment with the vet (we’ve got a healthy girl!)
  • order standardized testing (so glad that’s behind us)
  • figure out plans for the last few weeks of school
  • look for a white button-down shirt for J’s First Communion in May
  • buy a butterfly habitat kit
  • begin a new sourdough starter
  • bake a new recipe that is refined sugar free
  • give the little ones haircuts (waaaay overdue! they look so handsome)