I pretend that Alicia and I are on first name basis because her real life BFF is a good friend of mine. I have heard her speak numerous times and always walk away amazed and full, like after a truly wonderful Thanksgiving meal.  40 Days of Decrease is no different from any of her other books, as far as quality of content. It is packed full of wise words, beautiful word pictures and deeply rooted thoughts. She is a heavy hitter with a gentle heart. I am reading 40 Days for the second time and finding it as helpful and insightful as I did the first time. This will be on my repeated-readings shelf.  40 Days of Decrease, a different kind of hunger, a different kind of fast is a meaningful experience with a Lenten fast, although it can be used at any point in our calendar year. Instead of fasting our favorite drinks, tv shows, or tasty chocolates, Alicia asks us to fast different kinds of things like neat and tidy faith, artificial light, regret and other things that cause...

I snagged a copy of a book on Theodore Roosevelt because I thought my husband would enjoy reading it. But, I started reading it one sunny afternoon- prior to all these late April, chilly, rainy days- and found it highly interesting.  The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, A lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History by Darrin Lunde is about the boyhood explorations of Roosevelt and how they highly impacted his career. Everything from his desire to please his outdoorsy-type father, to his issues with asthma and his interest in cataloguing small animals and birds all intertwined to become his life passions. He devoted his adult life to proving naturalists were true biologists, protecting animals that were on the verge of extinction and providing lasting specimens for which could Americans learn. The Naturalist gives a great account of his life and how he accomplished the many goals he dreamed of meeting.  As someone who isn’t too political, I enj...

I never thought I'd enjoy sewing clothes for myself. I am usually a "quick project" type person, but lately I have been changing it up a bit. I am finding that I can make things that fit better and look nicer with less money than if I found the same item in a store. As they've worn out, it's been a fun challenge to replace my store bought items with handmade things. It takes a bit of forethought, but I am slowly (read: only once or twice) beginning to think ahead on what I'll need in the upcoming weeks or months (a professional looking outfit for a work/ministry meeting or a dress for Easter Sunday, for example) and attempting to making it myself. When I saw a call for pattern testing for a knit cardigan, I got a little excited and applied. Surprisingly, I was accepted and sent the pattern to test and had a fun time making myself a cute cardigan. You can find the link to th e pattern for sale here ....and you MIGHT just see a little picture of your's tru...