Tag Archives: Book Date

The Year of Living Happily

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? 

The Year of Living Happily Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World by Alli Worthington is a wonderful guide to help find your way to happiness.

*Disclosure: I received this book for free as part of The Book Look Bloggers book review program. I am not required to write a positive review, all opinions are my own.

 

KaTwo is my book model.

I had never heard of Alli Worthington. Apparently I have been hiding my head in the litter box once again. She has written two other successful books prior to this one. She also hosts a weekly podcast. On top of all that, she is a very involved mom to 5 boys.

The Year of Living Happy is an easy read. There are 100 “lessons” in it. Each is a page and a half long and includes a quote from The Bible. At the end of the page is a question to get you thinking of how this lesson applies to your life. There is space to record your answer and use it as a journal too.

For example, she quotes scripture, “By their fruit you will recognize them.” She then tells us to write down the fruit we want to see in our heart and life. On another page, she wants us to think of something perfectly imperfect in our life right now.

Most of these are simple lessons we have all heard before, but tend to forget. There are several lessons reminding us to be thankful and forgiving. She also suggests relaxing, recharging our batteries, breathing deeply and simple ideas we are often to busy to think about.

I think this would be a great gift for any woman ( sorry guys, this one is geared for women) in your life that needs to slow down. It is a beautiful book/journal with a pretty ribbon book mark built-in. There is also a spot in the front of the book with a presented to -from-date which would really personalize your gift.

My only complaint was a typo I found. The word quiet was spelled quit. I know that is not a big deal, but I expect more of a larger publisher.

I review for BookLook Bloggers

 

 

 

 

 

Monday Mewsic and More

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?And we are also joining Mewsic Moves Me (hosted by Curious as a Cathy, Xmas Dolly, JAmerican Spice and Stacy Uncorked.)

Being that it is Halloween time, I am going to try to read a vampire novel. I have been afraid on vampires since I was a kid and my aunt let me watch Salem’s Lot. I slept with my neck covered until about two years ago ( when the hot flashes started). My friend and fellow blogger, Marie (Athena’s Mum) has written a trilogy of vampire stories. I have enjoyed all her cat themed books so I am sure these will be good too. If you are interested, you can get the kindle edition of Poet’s Blood for free right now. Click here.

The Mewsic theme for this week is songs with hand claps and finger snaps. I couldn’t think of any with the finger snaps, but I have 3 with hand claps.

  1. Take the Money and Run ( Steve Miller Band)-

2. More Than A Feeling ( Boston)-

And because I spend a lot of time with an almost 3 year old:

3. Sesame Street If Your Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands-

And here are Brody and Trouble. I am so happy that Brody has a friend, she even cleans his ears for him sometimes.

Mewsic , Books and More

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We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?And we are also joining Mewsic Moves Me (hosted by Curious as a Cathy, Xmas Dolly, JAmerican Spice and Stacy Uncorked.)

I am currently reading Once Upon a Farm by Rory Feek and I recently finished his other memoir, This Life I Live: One Man’s Extraordinary, Ordinary Life and the Woman Who Changed It Forever.

I was not familiar with Rory or his wife , Joey  who passed away in 2016. They had a tv show about their life together, but I didn’t know about it until I read these books. They both were country writers and singers. She helped raise his 2 daughters and sadly, when they finally had a child, Joey was diagnosed with cancer and only survived until the child’s second birthday.  Despite life’s problems, he maintains a positive attitude and writes of what he has learned from life.

Today is a freebie day on the mewsic so I chose songs written by Rory.

  1. Blake Shelton’s Some Beach- I always liked this, but had no idea that Rory Feek wrote it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTT2LEyjdC4
  2. Joey and Rory-When I’m Gone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcpjSMmWUDw This was recorded in 2012, long before she was diagnosed with cancer.

 

The Hundred Story Home

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We are joining McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks (even though she is on hiatus), Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? 

The Hundred Story Home by Kathy Izard is a touching memoir of one woman’s quest to make the world a better place.

*Disclosure: I received this book for free as part of The Book Look Bloggers book review program. I am not required to write a positive review, all opinions are my own.

Kathy Izard was a graphic designer, happily married with four daughters when she felt what she described as an “insistent whisper”. At the time, she was volunteering at a local soup kitchen in Charlotte, NC. One day, while working at the soup kitchen she meets a man who was formerly homeless and later became a famous author, Denver Moore. He asks her one simple question that changes the course of her life. “Where are the beds? ”

Prior to that , Kathy thought the soup kitchen was doing a great job serving the homeless of Charlotte. She had never given a thought to where they go after they eat. This one question inspires her to quit her job so she can find a way to create homes for the homeless.It takes a lot of work, prayer and donations, but she finds a way.

Throughout the memoir, she revisits her childhood. Until she was six, she had a fairly normal life with two sisters and her parents. Eventually, her mother’s bipolar disorder takes her away from the family for years.The author realizes now how easily her family could have become homeless because of this. So not only does she provide homes for the homeless, she finds a way to keep them stable once there through medical and psychological care.

Unfortunately, her focus on helping the homeless takes her away from her family and even when she is with them, she is not giving her all. It takes finding a letter of despair her college aged daughter wrote to make her realize this. Eventually, she finds a happy medium between work and family, but it takes a lot of effort.

I highly recommend this book as an inspiration to anyone that feels they are not living the life they were meant to live. Kathy Izard says, ” I wrote The Hundred Story Home not to convince you to help solve the homelessness in your community but to help solve the homelessness in you. ”

This book also has a reader’s guide and FAQ from readers at the end. I think it would be perfect for church groups or book clubs. It would also be a great gift for a friend that needs a little push to living their dreams.

I am going to spread the joy and give this book away so if you are interested, just tell me in the comment section. We will announce the winner on Wednesday’s post. I can only afford to mail it in the USA though, sorry, but books are heavy.

 

I review for BookLook Bloggers

 

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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We are joining McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks (even though she is on hiatus), Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? I am skipping the Mewsic hop again this week. My post gets too long when I do the reading and mewsic hops together. Next week, I will do the Mewsic one.

I just finished Trooper: The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild by Forrest Bryant Johnson. In 1987, the author found a baby bobcat trapped in a cactus plant. He rescued him and kept him for many years, until Trooper died of old age. I found this book fascinating, I enjoyed reading of the special bond these two shared. Trooper is such a sweet cat that he even befriends a stray cat and brings him home to share dinner. He ends up joining the family too and spends all his time with Trooper.

Trooper lived in Nevada where people can own bobcats, well, back then they could, the laws could be different now. They had a large kitty door put in so he was able to come and go as he pleased. I think you will all love this book as much as I did.

Our spark today is from Trouble, take time to stop and smell the flowers, just don’t eat them because they could be poisonous.

It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

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We are joining McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks (even though she is on hiatus), Comedy Plus’ Awww….Mondays and Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?

River of Time: My Descent into Depression and How I Emerged with Hope by Naomi Judd with Marcia Wielke was excellent. I have read all her previous books and admired her honesty in telling all the details of her life, mistakes and all. This book is the same as she gives all the details of her severe depression including being so desperate that she endured electroshock therapy. It seems hard to believe that someone so successful could get into such a deep depression, but heredity plays a role in this too.

I’ve Been Thinking . . .Reflections, Prayers, and Meditations for a Meaningful Life by Maria Shriver is also well worth reading. Each chapter tells a lesson she has learned in life as well as a prayer or meditation at the end to tie in with the lesson. I have always admired the Kennedy family’s dedication to the service of helping others less fortunate.

My spark for today is a quote from Maria Shriver, “Time is our most precious resource, but very few of us use it as wisely as we could. We rush around so much that sometimes we forget to actually live. ”

Joanie was not particularly cooperative for her photo shoot.

Penny will be here tomorrow with one of her tips and Wednesday we will be showing photos of Moo’s first stop.

 

Hopping Monday

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww…Mondays, McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks and Mewsic Moves Me ( hosted by Curious as a Cathy, Xmas Dolly, JAmerican Spice and Stacy Uncorked.) Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? And it is day 14 of the  A-Z Blogging Challenge.

  Joanie is modeling my N creation, a necktie. I had made a nectarine, but it was basically a small orange ball so I decided to make this instead.

My Spark for today is a quote I found on Pinterest, but it did not list the author. ” We are stars wrapped in skin-the light you are seeking has always been within. ” So lets all shine 🙂

Today’s Mewsic Moves Me is our choice for a theme so I chose songs with the word Star in the title.

  1. Bad Company : Shooting Star (1975)

2. When You Wish Upon A Star (1940)-Pinocchio movie

3. Madonna’s Lucky Star ( 1983)

 

I am reading a sad memoir by Joyce Maynard titled The Best of Us: A Memoir. She is a famous author who was single for many years after divorcing her first husband. She finally meets and marries her true soul mate, but their time is cut short when he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It is very sad, but reading about the start of their relationship has reminded me of my own and how much I love my husband. Please don’t misunderstand me, I always love him, but sometimes life gets in the way and it is easy to take someone for granted. This is a great reminder to not do that.

 

 

Hopping Monday

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Hi everyone! We are joining Comedy Plus’ Awww…Mondays, McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks and Mewsic Moves Me ( hosted by Curious as a Cathy, Xmas Dolly, JAmerican Spice and Stacy Uncorked.) Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? And it is day 8 of the  A-Z Blogging Challenge.

For the letter H, I made a hedgehog, but you need to use your imagination because it didn’t come out exactly as I had hoped it would.

My spark is a quote from William Arthur Ward. “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ” Remember to always express gratitude.

I have been reading the memoirs of Reynold Price. I started with A Whole New Life: An Illness and a Healing which was his third memoir. He was a fiction author that survived cancer of his spinal cord that left him a parapalegic. This memoir was about that ordeal, I enjoyed his writing so much that I got his other 3 memoirs out of the library. Ardent Spirits was about his time at Oxford University which was also interesting. Once I get through the other 2, I may look into his fiction. Has anyone ever read his books?

This week for Mewsic Moves Me has Easter songs for a theme.

  1. From The Passion of the Christ Film, Brad Paisley and Sara Evans-New Again.

 

2. Cat Stevens -Morning Has Broken (1976)-Not an Easter song, but I think it is appropriate.

3. Gene Autry- Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Sorry this was such a long post.

Wordless Wednesday ( with Words)

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Happy Pie Pi Day!

I have a book recommendation for today. I’m Not Sorry: Poems By Cats by Rosa Silva is a fun book. She has a great sense of humor, as she proved when she wrote Stop Meowing and Go the F*ck to Sleep which I also reviewed- click here.

To read some samples of the poems and enter to win a copy, you can visit her blog Cat Lady Confidential.

*Disclaimer- I was given a Kindle copy of I’m Not Sorry: Poems By Cats in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own.

I felt like most of these poems could have been written by my cats and I think you will feel the same. There was some bad language, which I am sure some of my cats would use too- I just want to warn you not to get this book for a child. My only complaint is that it isn’t longer. Hopefully, there will be another collection of poetry soon.

It is available for free with Kindle Unlimited and $2.99 on Kindle. Click here.

Comedy Plus Wordless Wednesday

BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday

#WW Curious as a Cathy

Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading?(I know it is already Wednesday)

 

Another Hopping Monday

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Hi everyone! We are joining Book Date’s It’s Monday! What Are YOU Reading? , McGuffy’s Reader’s Sparks, Comedy Plus ” Awww…..Monday and Mewsic Moves Me ( hosted by Curious as a Cathy, Xmas Dolly, JAmerican Spice and Stacy Uncorked.

 

First, a word from Joanie.

No one wants to hire me to train gremlins so I iz studying to be a paw reader. Pawmistry: How to Read Your Cat’s Paws by Ken Ring and Paul Pomhany is good book. So far, I learned the bigger the space between your lower pad and upper pads means the more independent you are.

Thank you Joanie. I am enjoying book 3 in The Miss Cuddlywump’s Series, titled Siren Song. I love this series!

This week was a freebie week to pick your own theme on the Mewsic Moves Me so I am combining it with Sparks. I have chosen 3 songs that will hopefully brighten your day. Two are from the movie, Annie which I was obsessed with when it came out.

 

And the last one is Accentuate the Positive- I chose the version that was used on the tv series, Homefront.