book review {one thousand gifts}

how it came to be...

a few months ago, i saw a post on a blog that lead me to another post on another blog (you know how that goes). somehow, i was lead to a book called one thousand gifts. it was relatively new and a blog called (in)courage was hosting an online book club. a book about a list. and a book club. oh yeah, this was right up my alley.

and so it began...

so, i made my purchase from amazon without even knowing what i was getting into. then i learned that one of my sisters had the book and already followed the author's blog. and then we pulled in my other sister. the three of us would tackle it together. 

the journey...

i decided to make it a priority to really absorb this book. i didn't just read it, i studied it. after completing a chapter, i would then watch the corresponding video and read the blog post. then, slowly, i would re-read the chapter again. underlining. and i journaled. my thoughts, my feelings, my questions. i did this for all eleven chapters. no, i didn't keep up with the timing of the book club, but that was fine by me. 

the project...

shortly after beginning the book, i began my own list of one thousand gifts. i forced myself to just start. no pretty journal. no flowery words. just start writing. now i have over 750 things on my list. my list that is housed in a boring, yellow spiral notebook. 

sharing...

my oldest sister came up with the idea for the three of us to email daily during the month of march. we would share what we were thankful for that day. ninety gifts later, we not only had given thanks, but were able to learn just a little bit more about each other.

the book...

before ever cracking the cover of this book, i read how life-changing it would be. i was skeptical. but, like many things, i think it is what you make it. you could easily rush through this book like a novel and never look back. or you could absorb every word and allow it to change you. 

this is not a quick or easy read. ann's style of writing can be tedious and difficult, but that works well in this case. her unique way with words makes you slow down and think things through a bit more. 

i chose to review this book in a post on my own. i was not asked, nor paid or rewarded for doing so. i paid for my copy of this book and have no affiliation with its author or publisher.

related resources:

one thousand gifts (official book website and community)

a holy experience (the author's blog)

(in)courage (blog hosting the book club)

book club {incourage}

i want to share with you something very cool that i'm doing right now. i am participating in an "online book club"... that's a first for me. i originally read about this at inspired to action. i was lead over to (in)courage where the club is actually taking place.

the book is called one thousand gifts by ann voskamp, who also writes the blog a holy experience. the book club reads two chapters per week. each sunday & wednesday there is a relevant blog post and a video with the author herself.

i am two chapters into the book and truly enjoying the experience. i have figured out my reading plan and it's working well, so far. first, i read a chapter. then i read the corresponding blog post and watch the video. then i read the chapter a second time, while i also do some journaling that is inspired by all of those things. i feel like i'm getting so much more from the reading by not rushing and making sure i do all of these things to really soak in what's being shared. (please note, i am not doing all of these steps together. i never have that much free time. i divide them up into mini steps and squeeze them in however is realistic).

it's not too late to participate. you can easily catch up, or do this at your own pace, referring back to past posts. the first two chapters have been posted and chapter three is tomorrow. the book can be purchased at amazon (for only $9.23), as well as many other places.

movie {the blind side}

last night, matt, spencer & i watched the blind side starring sandra bullock and tim mcgraw. typically, when i watch a movie, i just add it to my "this week" post and make a note of whether i liked it or not. but this movie deserves its own post. in case you aren't familiar, this movie is an adaptation of the non-fiction book of the same name, authored by Michael Lewis.

a quick history: last school year, spencer bought the book at his school's book fair. i told him i'd like to read it when he was done and then we could go see the movie in the theater. well, he took forever to read it and never finished. a few weeks ago, i stole it from him and started reading it. we've had the movie from netflix for a couple of weeks so last night we finally decided to watch it, despite that neither of us had finished the book.

i'm so glad we didn't wait. i figured that i wouldn't want to finish reading it after having watched the movie, but i was so wrong. now, i'm more eager than ever to plow through the book! i know we are behind the eight ball and most folks have already seen it, but if you have not seen this movie yet, YOU MUST.

i expected to like the movie for a few reasons. (1) everyone that had seen it, said it was good (2) it's set in the south (3) it's about football (4) i like sandra bullock (5) tim mcgraw

i had NO idea i would fall in love with it. it is funny, witty, and incredibly heart-warming. go watch it NOW. i insist!

thankful thursday {7.30}

today i am thankful for...

word warp on my iphone

dual action lysol wipes. the scrubby side is perfect for cleaning the high chair

that spencer's teacher from last year gave them a summer reading challenge

james patterson - one of my favorite authors

the family feud calendar on my desk at work - fun, fun.

thankful thursday {6.4}

on this thursday, i am thankful for...

this family - today, sherry (my sister) & chip have been married for 21 years

salad finishers by sargento - i love goodies like this on my salad but i never keep all of the stuff on hand. this is perfect!! i have tried two of them and loved 'em!




shrinky dinks!!! - today spencer pulled out his shrinky dink sheets and we made all kinds of cool stuff (including the bookmark pictured below - sorry it's so blurry)

good reads - love this website. i used to keep track of books i've read or wanted to read in an excel spreadsheet (shocking, i know). now, i use this website. it's awesome.

coffee - i've always liked coffee. been addicted for awhile. however, since going back to work after maternity leave, i think i have hit a new (unhealthy) level of addiction. luckily we have a mcdonald's (the best coffee!!), dunkin donuts, and starbucks all within a mile of our office. the coffee on the left in the photo is from a nearby gas station that i recently discovered also has some tasty joe!

free-for-all friday {5.22}

i greatly apologize for being so late with the first installment of "free-for-all friday". i spent friday at spencer's school volunteering with field day. it was tons of fun but we were both exhausted afterwards.

remember, fridays are basically just five *whatever* things...

1: From Where I Scrap post on the Without Filters blog. This is one of the handful of blogs that I follow and I really enjoyed this post. Warning: if you are not a scrapbooker, you'll probably be bored.
2: Random Thought - why did gas prices have to go up again after I went back to work? They were so incredibly low during my entire maternity leave!


3: Ali Edwards' blog is one that I've been following for a while now and I really enjoy. Last weekend she offered a free download in this post (pictured below).

4: One of the author's that I follow is Patricia Cornwell. And one of her most popular series of books is based on the character, Scarpetta. I was excited to recently learn that there will finally be a Scarpetta movie. It will not be based on a particular book, but more on the concept (it was compared to how the Bourne movies were adopted from the books). My only issue is that supposedly Angelina Jolie is going to be playing Scarpetta. And this just doesn't work in my head. You know how when you read a book, you create an image of that person in your head? Well, SHE is not the image :) Should be interesting.

5: This weekend I finally posted a few updates on my garden blog: carolina garden in progress. This was the first time in almost a year. I have been super slack, not just with the blog, but with planting things in general. Shame on me!

{top 100 books}

USA Today's Top 100 books of 2007 can be found here

I have read 14 of them. Matt has one and Spencer has two.
I printed the list as a reference. One of my goals is to read 6 new authors in 2008 - and to read 2 nonfiction books (because I normally only read fiction). I thought I might look into some of these books to see if any strike my fancy (after I cross off all the Harry Potters and diet books, there isn't much left LOL).

{a little of this and a little of that}

just a few random things that i felt like posting about...


just finished reading this book. i'm caught up on Patricia Cornwell books, so I hadn't read one in a while. It was nice to read a Scarpetta novel again. Quick review at GoodReads.

i got The Notebook from Netflix and watched it on tuesday night. i had already read the novel by Nicholas Sparks, but that didn't do the least bit in preventing me from crying like a baby. i don't think i've ever sobbed at a movie like that. it was truly wonderful...dare i say it might've been better than the book???

anyone that knows me, knows that i love american idol. i was excited last week when the good stuff began (the top 24 - when we actually get to hear people sing). but i must confess i wasn't prepared for seeing the amazing performance that wrapped up tuesday night's episode. and, yes, i was right there with paula...sobbing. (i'd like to add a disclosure stating that it is total coincidence that i sobbed for no *normal* reason twice on the same night. it wasn't that time of month or anything...just a good movie and a great performance).

anyway...if you don't know what i'm talking about, david archuleta (at only 17 years of age) did the most moving version of john lennon's imagine. you can purchase the track at itunes for 99 cents...probably well worth it. i think i might have to do that this weekend.

{books}

for the past couple of years, i've been keeping track of books i've read or want to read in an excel spreadsheet (like most of my life). i am still doing that, but also joined good reads which is a pretty cool site for this type of thing. i also used to put little reviews on my blog, but i'll just be doing this at good reads now. i've added a link to the left of my blog. the types of books that i normally like are crime novels. i'm a big fan of james patterson, patricia cornwell, and john grisham. when i'm in a more romantic mood, i love nicholas sparks. i have also starting reading a few more 'girly' books like jennifer weiner and sophie kinsella. i'm always up for taking recommendations!!!

what a fantabulous idea!!!

OK, I was so a lover of BabySitters Club books when I was a kid. I ran into this post, which lead me to this blog. Basically this girl (an adult) is re-reading the entire series. I don't know if I have it in me to re-read all of them - there are 131 in just the regular series, not counting specials, and the newer Little Sister books! But I have often thought it'd be cool to re-read some favorites from my childhood...like BSC, or Judy Blume. Loved her! I read her fudge books when I was younger and then moved into older ones later on. I may have to check some out at the library....