#Booktoberfest Haul!

I suddenly remembered about my recent book purchases -- so here I am.

Bookoutlet has great discounted prices for books, and during the month of October, they run an event called "Booktoberfest" where they have an additional 15% off everything... So, naturally, I thought this would be a good time to pick up some fresh titles.
It had been a while since I actually bought physical books for my bookshelf. :)

The books I bought are:

"Walk on Earth a Stranger" by Rae Carson. -- I actually already read this one (see previous posts), but that was on my kindle, as a borrowed copy. Now I have a physical copy that I can re-read whenever. (It is one of my favourite reads of this year.)

"These Shallow Graves", and "Deep Blue" by Jennifer Donnelly -- I have read a book by Jennifer Donnelly - "A Northern Light" which I remember really liking (I read it maybe 4 years ago).

"The Distance Between Lost and Found" by Kathryn Holmes

"Rebel of the Sands" by Alwyn Hamilton

"Wild Beauty" by Anna-Marie McLemore

"Daughter of the Pirate King" by Tricia Levenseller

"Weathering" by Lucy Wood

"Brightwood" by Tania Unsworth

"Hotel for the Lost" by Suzanne Young

"Mist of Midnight" by Sandra Byrd

The majority of these I found by scrolling through the fiction section on the bookoutlet website. I only had  "Rebel of the Sands" and "Mist of Midnight" on my 'to-be-read' list prior. The rest will be a surprise. Hopefully they are all good reads!

I am familiar with Jennifer Donelly, and Suzanne Young (I realized after purchasing that I have read a couple of books written by her -- "The Program" and "The Treatment" -- years ago). Sandra Byrd is a familiar name as I had Mist of Midnight on my list for a while now, but I have not read anything by her yet.

A number of these are on the spookier side, so I think I'll start by reading those, it being the end of October and all. :)  Look for a "spooky reads" book review in the near future!

Octobers

My younger sister. Taken on one of our favourite nature walks.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."   

- L.M. Montgomery

That quotation has always resonated with me because Octobers -- I love them.  Even though it is the midst of the Autumn season, and we can't deny the fact that Winter is on its way, October is still a beautiful month.

The leaves are changing colour and falling off the trees, cluttering yards until tree branches are laid bare.

I've heard people make cynical comments about Fall, saying it's a season of dying.

It's not. It's a season that leads to another -- Winter, where it looks like things are dead.
But it only appears to be that way. The trees that lost their foliage and look bare and dead come back in full force come spring -- they didn't die. They merely rested through the long cold months.

We can learn a lot of lessons looking at seasons. We can type them to our own lives...

All the seasons in our lives have their purpose.

You  might be going through a long season where you are ready to give up in despair. Just hold on. Your Spring is coming -- things will eventually fall back into place, and bloom with all their might and power.

Podcasts I Listen To

Spiritual Encouragement

Recently I discovered a podcast called "Journeywomen".
I was actually introduced to them through a lady I follow on instagram (@kristinschmucker) who posts a lot of biblical and spiritual encouragement for women.

From the Journeywomen website:

Life's a journey we were never meant to walk alone.  

We all need friends along the way! On the Journeywomen podcast we’ll chat with mentors about gracefully navigating the seasons and challenges we face on our journeys to glorify God.

I have listened to a few episodes so far, and they have all been really encouraging and inspired me to get deeper in the Word and in prayer.

If you are looking for encouragement in spiritual areas, check out this podcast! You can find it on Itunes or if you're on android like me, on the "Stitcher" app - you'll need to download the app, but it's free.

"Fun" Podcasts

There are a couple of podcasts I like to listen to while I do housework - 

"Ear Biscuits"

This is the first-ever podcast I listened to. It was the reason I even downloaded SoundCloud on my phone (They are also on ITunes and Spotify). It features Rhett and Link (from the Youtube channel Good Mythical Morning, a daily show which I also have been following ever since their first season). It started out with interviews with fellow YouTubers but they have branched out to interviewing other interesting people and even taking questions from listeners. Sometimes, it's just the two of them talking about relevant and interesting topics.

"Dear Hank and John"

This is a podcast created by Hank and John Green. They are both well known vloggers and creators as well as authors. Their podcast is generally very lighthearted and fun. They take questions from listeners and answer them sometimes seriously, sometimes in fun. It's quite entertaining. They are both well-spoken and intelligent humans.

You can find them on SoundCloud, Itunes, and Spotify as well.

Honourable Mention:

"Bonnets at Dawn" - I've been following this podcast for a while now, but I haven't really listened to them as much because I felt that it required me to be more involved with the topics. They talk about literary things -- pitting Louisa May Alcott against the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, etc. All authors I'm familiar with, but they do a book club sort of series, where you read the book along with them and then listen in on the podcast to hear their thoughts about it. Honestly, it's something I would really love if I immersed myself into it -- just haven't been super ambitious literary-wise as of late.

I plan to listen to them more, though, that's for sure!

I'm on the hunt for some more educational podcasts -- once I find some I like, I will make another post about them! 

August and September Updates

Whoops, I have neglected to write here since July!

Here we are at October already... Um, it feels like I blinked and summer was done. *Tears*
The garden is at its end... I have to pick a day this week to clean it up and pull out the majority of our tomato plants.

I'm quite pleased with how the garden did this year. I'm already thinking about my set up for next year's garden. This winter is going to be l-o-n-g-g. :)

I think I mentioned in a previous blog post that my church was camping the first weekend of August -- that went pretty well, though it was a lot of work. I tried to help out as much as I could -- cooking, cleaning, keeping the kids occupied, in order for others to enjoy the weekend. :) It was tiring but rewarding.

Reading wise, I am at 27 books out of my goal of 52 - making me 12 books behind schedule, according to Goodreads. I feel like I've been on a roll lately, though. I finished 9 more books since my last book update.

1&2. I finished the 3rd book of the Gold Seer trilogy by Rae Carson plus read the first book of her Fire and Thorns series.
3&4. I read the next two books of Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
5. Read the 3rd book of the Poldark saga (Jeremy) - I'm unsure of whether to continue reading the books or not at this point.
6&7. Read two biblical fiction books - one I liked, one I did not. I gave "The Heavens Before" by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow a 5-star rating. It was so well written and an interesting retelling of the great Flood in the book of Genesis. The one I disliked was a fictionalized tale (by a different author) of an Egyptian woman during the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt in the time of Moses. Will not be continuing that series.
8&9. Finally, I read 2 books by Neil Gaiman - "The Graveyard Book" (such an imaginative, eerie tale!), and "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" (a bit mediocre but I still liked it).

Currently I am starting the 2nd book of Rae Carson's Fire and Thorn series, "The Crown of Embers", and the 2nd book of Barnett-Gramckow's Genesis series, "He Who Lifts the Skies".

I need to read 25 more books to reach my goal. I hope to make October the best reading month yet!

:)

What I've Been Reading in July

At my current pace, I need to read 1.5 books a week in order to meet my 2018 reading goal. I think that's doable! ;)

While browsing through Goodreads, I came across the "The Gold Seer" trilogy by Rae Carson. I ended up downloading the first book (Walk on Earth a Stranger) on my Kindle, since it was free on Kindle Unlimited. Um, one of the best reading decisions of the year! I really enjoyed the storyline and the main character was just great. It wasn't hard to quickly buy the second book of the series and get through THAT quickly. I'm currently on book three, and I've taken a bit of a break from reading (just the past week hasn't given me time to sit down and unwind-- so much to do), but I hope to finish the book this coming week.

I have also finished listening to "Demelza" by Winston Graham, and have started on book three: "Jeremy".

Demelza is an interesting character, to be sure. It's cool to see her grow and change, becoming the capable and flexible woman Ross always knew was in her. The ending was heartbreaking, (((spoiler ahead))) with the loss of a child... the next book, "Jeremy" will be about their next child, and first son. I know there is more heartbreak in store for Ross and Demelza but I think they will continue to overcome and rise above it all.

Also -- I feel the need to add that this saga is not mainly about romance, it's also rich in historical descriptions and happenings. Winston Graham writes like he has lived the era. True signs of a good writer.

Truly, the past couple of months has been really good reading-wise. It's been so much better than going for months and months without cracking open a book (aside from my Bible).

"Made for More" by Hannah Anderson -- I am still stuck on the second chapter. Not that it's not good -- it IS. I just need to actually focus on the book. I will finish the book, no matter how long it might take me. ;)

That's it for now!

July Update

We are nearing the end of July already! Wow. Summer is flying by.

What have I been doing this summer? Working and gardening mostly.

During the second week of July, I attended a christian camp with a small group of youth from church. It was a fun weekend of games, fellowship, and anointed church services. Now, I'm not an extroverted person by any means. I'm not outgoing or have a lot of friends. But even I know that it's important to be involved in events like these every now and then, just to reconnect with friends and acquaintances, to hear testimonies from other young people, to be able to separate yourself from your daily routine just for a few days and immerse yourself in a different atmosphere.

In a couple of weeks our church has a camping get-away planned up towards northern Ontario. This will be our second year doing this. Last year was a lot of fun, though it was a bit chaotic and disorganized -- but we're learning! :) One thing you can guarantee with annual events is that it can get better every year.

How's my garden?
Right now the cucumbers are on a roll! I've picked quite a handful the past week. Fresh cucumbers seasoned with vinegar, salt, and pepper-- so good! I've been eating it almost every day. :)
I also have picked several zucchini... I left a few for a couple of days and they ended up gigantic. But no problem... I'm planning on making zucchini bread and cake this week. My family has always loved zucchini bread--ever since we started a vegetable garden, zucchini had to be on the list every year. And while there are a lot of ways you can prepare zucchini, our favourite way to eat it is in dessert.

I am still waiting for the first ripe tomato -- they're taking forever it seems.
There are a few tomatillo fruits I am watching as well -- this is my first year growing them and I am curious as to how they will taste, and what I can do with them.
I only planted one, but the plant is massive -- it has taken over an entire corner, and it is covered with bright yellow blooms. I read somewhere that you need two tomatillo plants in order to get fruit. But I went ahead and hand-pollinated a bit and it seems to have worked.

We've harvested some eggplants as well. They are a perfect addition to breakfast when fried. We also love them in soup. I have never made eggplant Parmesan, but the recipe keeps on coming up in suggestions, so I'm going to have to try it one of these days.

Speaking of eggplants, we have had a few seedlings pop up in the spot we had fairytale eggplants last year. I love surprises haha. My plan is to pull out the peas (which are starting to dry out), and transplant the eggplant seedlings in its place.

I am seriously learning so much about vegetable gardening. I only started taking an interest the last three years. It started when we planted a garden one year and no one else in the family cared to really look out for it -- so I did. I was like a little child, going out to check on the growth several times a day, ha. (I still do this.) The following year, I did the planting, weeding, and harvesting. And I started researching and figuring out what I can do better the following season. I am now officially the gardener of the family -- alongside my dad. He loves it too and he works in it as much as he can even though he's much busier than I. He built the enclosure for the garden, along with the raised beds. He also had the great idea to install siding gutters along the inside of the fence, where he planted a bunch of lettuce and radishes.

I'm looking at planting some carrots for a fall harvest. I've never planted carrots before.

And increasingly, I just want to plant more flowers in any spare area. I love the pop of colour, the interest it adds to the garden space, and of course -- the way it helps attract the ever-important pollinators.

I can talk about gardening forever... I wish the growing season here in Ontario was longer... I have so much I want to do! :D

Contentment

For many people, discontentment is just a part of their every day life. They've lived with it so long that they can't recognize the negative effects it has had.

Discontentment is serious and must be addressed.

I read an article a while ago titled "Destroy Her With Discontent" and it struck a chord. Recently, I have been struggling with thoughts of discontentment, and it reminded me of that article, which I then decided to revisit.

It's not actually an article. It's a letter in the style of the letters in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters - in which an senior "wiser" demon is writing to a novice demon about ways to effectively draw an individual away from the faith. (I have started reading that book, and it is great.)

In this particular letter, a senior demon writes to another about the subject of discontentment and how sowing its seeds reaps a great reward (for them) at the end.

One paragraph reads:

"I’m writing to you today to discuss discontent. Now it doesn’t matter what particular topic the discontent fastens to. Just look for any little nook or cranny in their souls where you can insert the seeds of discontent, making sure that they take root. With some women, it may be best to plant the seeds of discontent somewhere around the topic of their looks: their face, their weight, their figure. If, in the off chance, that doesn’t seem to take, latch onto the topic of relationships..."

Okay, wow.

Any little nook or cranny. That's all the space it takes for a seed to be able to take root. Once that seed takes root and it is watered and fed enough, it will grow into a bigger problem, pushing and straining and making the space it occupies even bigger.

"The first step with each of your girls is to find just a cozy little something to make them unhappy — and then tend it. Tending it means that you need to keep them concentrated on the thing itself, while keeping them from noticing the state of their own soul. Keep them looking at their husband’s failings (“he just doesn’t seem to even care about my needs”) and not their own heart. Keep them looking “in the mirror,” if you will."

It just shows how sad a state it is and how much power it can hold over your life.

"Obviously, this means you need to keep them away from the Enemy’s book. If it happens that you can’t keep them from the book completely, you can effectively turn it to your advantage by simply making sure to keep all their thoughts focused on how... [and on it goes]."

If it can keep you from the Bible and time spent with God, it will no doubt flourish in your life... I don't want to live a life of unhappiness. Always picking at this and that and grouching about everything that might be going wrong. That's just not a pleasant way to live, and it will turn you into an unpleasant person that others would not want to be around.

 I always find that spending time in the Word helps to clear my mind and get my feet back on to reality.

Because reality is that I am loved. By the most powerful force in the Universe, Love Himself. God.
Reality is that I am blessed. I am taken care of. He promises to provide for all my needs. That He will never leave me nor forsake me.

Allowing thoughts that belittle my worth to settle in my mind is wrong. Because I DO have worth. The price that paid for my redemption was the death of Christ on Calvary... Why would I allow the enemy to tell me I am worthless??? That really is a shocking thought. Christ thought I was worthy. He died for me.

Would I say to His face that what he did for me was nothing? No. Of course not. 
What he did for me was everything.

I have every right and freedom to be content and joyful, no matter what the circumstances are around me. 


The article is found here.

What I've Been Reading Lately

Ok. When I say "reading", listening to an audiobook also counts. :) Audiobooks are great since I can multitask... Gardening and audiobooks are a perfect combination!

I accumulated 5 credits on my audible account as I couldn't decide on books to buy, and since 5 (or 6?) was the limit, I figured I better use some of those credits up.

I had been seeing social media posts about the Poldark tv series. Now, I hadn't seen any of the episodes, but it looked like something I would enjoy. (Can't get the show in Canada, sadly). I checked to see if it is based on a book series, and indeed it is! A saga, actually. There are about 15 books to the series, authored by Winston Graham.

Off I went and downloaded the first book, "Ross Poldark: A Novel of Cornwall". I really liked the narrator, he was pleasing to listen to. The novel itself is just what I like. Lots of character building throughout as the plot unfolds, and the main characters themselves are very interesting and likable. It took me around a week and a half to listen to the whole book.

You know, I really miss the days when I would find a series and just devour it book by book. I've looked around for current series but they're just not what I'm into these days. Young adult series about revolutions and such were for 16 year old me. ;) (Think: The Hunger Games)

I'm happy to have found this saga... I will be working through reading (or listening) to each book.

I've already started listening to the second: "Demelza". She is an interesting character to be sure. Wife to Ross Poldark, she is still considered by many to be of inferior class, as she was born to a farming family and she worked as a servant until her marriage to Ross. Feisty and full of heart, her story is sure to be full of joys and heartaches.

A book that I finished (also listening to) today is "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. That one's a bit of a classic, I think. I see references to it all the time. Now, who would have thought that I'd enjoy a comedic science fiction novel? Not normally something I would go for, but I just felt that I would like this. And I really did enjoy it. I loved the humour intertwined with the plot and all the little details and explanations for unrealistic events that made everything seem so plausible. Haha. Just an interesting and amusing book that is lighthearted at its core.

I'm definitely going to read the next book... as it is also a series! Yay! Just checked, and it looks like there are 6 novels. The next in line is "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe". Such a cool title. And I'm glad it looks like it will pick up right from where the first book left off... It was a bit of a cliff hanger.

I also just bought a non-fiction book to read, titled "Made for More" by Hannah Anderson. It talks about how each of us is made in God's image for purposes beyond what we can see. Lately I've been slipping into negative self-talk and I just want to step away from that and clear my mind and saturate myself with truth. I decided on getting this book, and I'm also looking for books that talk about anxiety, since I'm struggling with that too.

I think books like these can be useful. It forces you to put positive thoughts about yourself into your head--that's what I need right now.

I'm going to start reading the book tonight and I'll be sure to write a review of it soon.

Reading Goals

One of my goals for 2018 is to start reading more.

I used to be obsessed with reading when I was younger. It started when I was 8 years old. We had just moved to Canada from the Philippines. My English was good but not fluent. I was given books to read, and I found that I absolutely loved getting into a good story. My siblings and I got library cards and that was that. 

I didn't keep track of the books I was reading until I was in high school and I discovered goodreads. (It became my favourite website throughout high school!) I don't know exactly how many books I read in public school... but it was a lot. I always had a book going. I also didn't learn book snobbery until high school. I just read whatever I got my hands on. Books that were in the school library, books that my grandma/great-grandma gave me, books recommended to me from the public library.

In high school I expanded some of my reading territory into that of the classics... Pride and Prejudice, I think, was the one that started my love for books set in the Regency/Victorian era. Once I got through P&P I found it was easier to get through the older books. You get used to the language and style.

I remained introverted throughout high school. Plus, I didn't have a phone. So during quiet moments, and lunch breaks, I read. All the time. One year I tracked every single book I managed to read and the number I ended with was 112. (I know people who read 300 books... I'm not that fast of a reader. When I read I savour every word.)

However, once I started college classes, I stopped reading so much... Life just got more complicated and busy. I also struggled with depression and anxiety... I would have times when I would read a lot, but also times when I didn't read at all for weeks or months at a time.

Now I am done with college courses (for now, at least) and I'm working. It's still hard to get into a book. Though these days I do have plenty of time to read, I also have plenty of other distractions... Number 1 being my phone. -__- That's one of my biggest distractions these days. I would sit down to read a chapter or two, but end up picking up my phone and scrolling for hours. I think everyone can relate. 

So here is my reading goal for 2018:

In January I challenge myself to reading 52 books. Which equals roughly 1 book a week.

- Have I been meeting this? Nope. I'm 8 books behind.

- Can I catch up? I will try. It would be terrific if I CAN catch up and go beyond.

I will lower the number though to 40 and see what happens.

Next post coming up: What I've been reading lately.

Vegetable Garden 2018

I finally got most of the garden planted!

We waited a little longer this year as we had such a weird Spring... Warm one day then really cold the next. The temperatures fluctuated a LOT. More so than normal for the Spring season.

What we are planting this year:

Tomatoes and peppers are a given! We always plant a ton of them each year. I personally am obsessed with fresh homegrown tomatoes... I just eat them all summer. I picked up a tomatillo plant as well... I'm just interested to see one grow! Peppers also grow well for us. Bell peppers mostly but this year we did add some hot salsa  peppers into the mix.

Cucumber. Marketmore and English varieties. We only tried growing them one year. They did just okay. But thinking back they weren't planted in the most suitable location as they were mainly shaded throughout the day and cucumbers love full sun. This year full sun it is.

Zucchini... We LOVE zucchini here at our house. We especially like adding zucchini to our baking. (I can make a mean chocolate zucchini loaf).

Eggplant. We eat a lot of stir fries in the summer and eggplant is just perfect for those.

What else... Peas. Watermelon. Muskmelon.

We are also starting a strawberry patch. Excited about that!

My dad is helping me by building some raised beds in our garden area. We're kind of going all out this year... There is so much space now that I think I'll head back over to the garden center next week.

2018 Update

It has been over 5 months since I've written here last. Now here I am again, feeling a rekindling of the desire to create and document... stuff.

This past winter has been good. It felt like it went by quite swiftly, although I'm sure others would argue with me over that claim. :)

And now it's spring... for me, a time of revival. I love to watch the trees come to life again, the flowers bloom, the grass grow green. Everything feels fresh and new once again. Plus, the warmth of the sun on your bare arms and being able to work in the garden... there's almost nothing I like better. 

This season and next I have nothing planned aside from working and enjoying my home life. Working as medical secretary at a nursing home isn't the most enjoyable thing for me, but nevertheless I like it well enough, and it is a good job. At home, gardening is on the top of my list when it comes to work AND enjoyment. I've grown to really love gardening over the past 2 years. This year I have some great plans for our family vegetable garden and I'm excited to see it come to fruition.

I don't really have much to update on about my life. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened since last year. My life has never been adventurous. All the same, I'm finding joy in the ordinary. I want to enjoy my life to the fullest and savour each day. You never know when everything will change. Change can come gradually or all at once. So enjoy each moment.

I've been thinking about different posts I should make on a regular basis (maybe even have a schedule of sorts). That would motivate me to write and seek out things to do. For sure I want to write about how my garden is coming along. I also want to try new recipes and share them here. Maybe make a monthly post about my favourite things of the month. And I want to write about what I've been reading in my Bible as well as what I've been learning at church. All the things! :)

Right now I really feel like life is beautiful. There are a lot of struggles but still.
Life is beautiful.