Just Darling...and various other drivel

*I've been hearing a song on my XM (the Highway channel) lately and am pretty hooked. I've never heard of Sarah Darling before this, but I love her voice. I hope she goes on to do something awesome!

*Today was Day 10 of my Whole30 adventure, and it went much, MUCH better than yesterday. Praise the Lord! I'll catch yall up tomorrow.

*I can safely say that this season of the Bachelorette was my all-time favorite. I didn't know if I'd like Emily at the beginning, but she was fabulous. It was nice to see a Bachelorette with morals, class, and good ol' common sense. I'm so excited she picked One F Jef!

*Yes, I'm also planning on watching Bachelor Pad. Yes, it's trash. No, I don't care :)

*I just finished reading Heaven Is for Real and LOVED it!! I remember the buzz when it came out a couple of years ago, but then I got busy and never got around to reading it. What an incredible story! I absolutely believe that little Colton went to Heaven, and his description made me even more excited about what's in store for us someday! I'm on the waiting list at the library for To Heaven and Back. I saw the author on the Today show the other day and am interested to read her account of her experience. Once I read it, I'll report back!

*My sweet friend Angie mentioned a blog on facebook at the beginning of the summer, and I started reading. And then I got hooked. And then I read four years' worth of posts, starting from his very first post in 2008. Yep. Four years. That's a lot of posts.  Matt Logelin and his wife Liz were excitedly expecting their first baby four years ago, and then Liz very suddenly died. Matt uses the blog as an outlet for his grief, and it was amazing seeing the life he;s made for himself and Madeline in the years since Liz died. He wrote a book not long ago, and it's on my birthday list. Check his blog out if you have several weeks to kill, 'cuz you'll probably be hooked.

*Seeing the Aurora movie theater shooter in court on TV today was a stop-me-in-my-tracks experience. Holy moly. There are some scary, scary people in our world.

*Do you consider 27 the end of the mid twenties or the beginning of the late twenties? I'll be there in a week, so this is need-to-know information. Please advise. Thanks.

Must read: Sarah's Key

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My friend Nicole let me borrow this book a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad I finally had a chance to read it.  What an incredible story. There are two different stories intertwined here, which always makes for an interesting read.

Sarah is a 10 year old Jewish Parisian girl in 1942 when her family is rounded up by French police and taken to a "feeder camp" while waiting to be sent to Auschwitz. We follow Sarah's journey to the camp and the horrific twists and turns her life takes afterwards.

Julia is a 40-something American living in Paris in 2002. She starts researching the 1942 roundup and suddenly finds her life entangled with Sarah's.

This book is so fascinating! Nicole had warned me that it was sad, but I didn't know that a few details would be downright horrifying. As hard as parts of it are to read, I think this is a time in history that we shouldn't turn a blind eye to.

Let me know if you read this! It really is a wonderful, thought-provoking book. And I promise not every book I read this summer will be a "must read"...I just happened to read two in a row that were!

Happy new week, friends!

Must read: The Kitchen Boy

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I just got done reading an unexpectedly incredible book and literally couldn't wait to share about it. Like, I meant to go to bed hours ago but finished the book instead and am now click-clacking at my computer instead of...going to bed. Which I planned to do hours ago. Just sayin'.

I finished a book yesterday (more on that one later) and was looking for something else to read. Something about summer break brings out my inner reader and I literally can't get enough! Anyway, I found this one on my bookshelf and remembered buying it, putting it on my bookshelf...and then never reading it. Bummer. I picked it up, reread the summary, and quite honestly wondered why I bought it in the first place. 

The subject matter is the Romanov royals of Russia, Nicholas (the last tsar) and Alexandra. My knowledge was limited: they were Russians, they were royal, they were killed. Legend has it that two of their children escaped, but no one knows for sure. Disney made a cutesy movie about Anastasia. Try not to be impressed with my background knowledge!

Anyway, I decided to give it a try. I'll be completely honest...the first half is a bit slow. Interesting, but nothing too spectacular. Then the tension starts building. And building. And building, until finally, it's the middle of the night and you abandon the hope of getting enough sleep because you just. have. to know.

This story is fantastic. What happens to the Romanovs is fascinating and completely horrific (especially for someone who knew practically nothing of them before), but the (fictional) story of the old man recounting the tale is the best part. There's a huge twist at the end, and then a twist on top of the twist. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough.

Track it down. Read it. Let me know what you think. Don't ya love it when your low expectations are blown out of the water? Me too.

Oh, and this just hit me. Back in the day, I was up in the wee hours on Friday nights rockin' and rollin' on the town with my friends. Now, I'm up in the wee hours of a Friday night to finish a killer book. And ya know what? I'm okay with that.

Getting in touch with my inner Scarlett

I love Gone with the Wind. Love, love, love, love, LOVE it. I've read the 1,000+ page book three times and seen the movie countless other times. I own the 70th anniversary collectors edition DVD. A few years ago, I was given what has to be one of the greatest Christmas presents of all time: a first edition copy of the book published in 1937. Major score for Mama and Daddy. If you absolutely forced me to choose which one I liked best, the book or the movie, my vote goes to the book. The book includes so many more details that had to be cut from the movie for time's sake. The book and movie are just so intertwined in my mind that I really do think they're both incredible.

If you're bored out of your ever-lovin' mind right now, it won't hurt my feelings if you run away screaming. I don't blame you.

Yesterday, Mimi took me, my cousin Sarah, and Sarah's boyfriend Chas on a little Southern adventure. We went to Arlington House in Birmingham to eat lunch and tour the house. It's the only antebellum home in Birmingham (fun fact: Bham didn't really exist before the war), and it. is. FABULOUS. This was completely up my alley. I love old homes, Southern antebellum homes in particular.

{I took this shot with one from the movie in mind...}

{Kinda, sorta similar, right?}

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The lighting in most of my indoor pictures is pretty horrific...I know. Midday summertime sunshine is no friend of mine.

{Mimi thought this chaperone couch, with room for a courting couple and a chaperone in between, was a fabulous idea.}

{The quilt on this bed, called a crazy quilt, was phenomenal. Somebody please teach me how to do that.}

{close-up of the pretty wedding dress and shoes displayed in the master bedroom}

{mid-giggle...love these girls to utter pieces}

There were even girls in hoop skirts, hats, and gloves there to do the tours. (I was a bit bummed that they were rocking hoop skirts and I wasn't. I think I could totally rock a hoop skirt.) The Arlington House is a really incredible step back in time. If you're ever in the area, you should absolutely add this to your to-do list. Get in touch with your inner Scarlett!

The Help

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I finished The Help yesterday (after posting about it earlier) and feel compelled to recommend it to anyone I can get my hands on. Holy moly, this book is so good and just feels so...important. I'm glad to say I've read it. It's set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, in the infancy of the civil rights movement. The main character, Skeeter (who is white and dreams of being a writer), becomes disillusioned with the "Old South" way of life that persists in Jackson and decides to interview some of the black maids about their experiences working for white families. This quickly becomes a covert operation that Skeeter never anticipated. She meets with much resistance and has her eyes opened to the ways of the world while writing her story. I loved reading about the new friends Skeeter made and the changes that occur in so many lives because of her book.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I often told myself, "Self, just one more chapter and then go to bed," only to find myself still awake reading three hours later. I just couldn't wait to figure out some of the more mysterious characters and see what unfolded next. Incredible story.

Look into The Help sometime soon; you'll be glad you did. Oh, and the movie comes out August 12th, so you now have one month to read the book first, if you're a "read the book before the movie" kind of person. Get on it!

What about you...have you read The Help? Are you planning to see the movie? When books are made into movies, do you like to read the book first? If you've read this one, let me know what you thought! If you haven't read it, get on that ASAP and report back to me :)

Confessions of a bookworm

My name is Julie, and I'm a total bookworm. I love, love, LOVE to read. Love it. I've always been a big reader. I have very fond memories of weekly summertime trips to the public library. My mom would take my brother and me while my dad was at work, and we'd leave with stacks and stacks of books. We had a family "reading time" fairly often, where we'd all pile onto my parents' big bed and read...something. Anything. I guess you could say I come by it honest.

I still visit the public library fairly often, weekly in the summertime. I have no interest in buying an e-reader, because I love holding a real book in my hands. I'm too frugal (read: cheap) to buy books very often, so the library it is. I'm a large fan of the library, and judging by the perpetually full parking lot, I'm not the only one.

This week, I've been reading Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.

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I'd seen this book brough up several times recently, so I decided to check it out. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. I worried that, since the characters are teenagers, the book would be written for teenagers. Thankfully, that's not the case. The plot centers around a middle class, Midwestern girl beginning her freshman year on scholarship at a Northeastern boarding school. The story follows her through her painfully awkward first year, all the way to the end of her senior year. I didn't need to worry about not liking it; it only took a few chapters until I was riveted by the story. I literally couldn't wait to "follow" Lee through her years at Ault, to see if she was ever going to find a way to fit in.

I identified so much with Lee's feelings as she very first started at Ault. I spent most of my senior year of high school fantasizing about my new life at Auburn. I spent all of the summer after graduation preparing to move away and start college. I finally arrived in August and...instantly wanted to go home. I knew 5 people out of 20,000+. I missed my family. I didn't know my way around town. I didn't know yet what was "cool" and what wasn't. I assumed that all freshmen would be as green to the ways of college as I was, and I quickly learned that was not the case. It took a few weeks, but I found my place at Auburn and ended up having the time of my life. Reading Prep made me feel a bit wistful, but mostly it made me smile, glad that I was able to get things figured out with a lot less turmoil than Lee.

I started The Help by Kathryn Stockett this evening, and I've read 112 pages so far. I already don't want it to end.

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It's incredible and I really don't want to stop, but my droopy eyelids are forcing me. I've heard oodles of great reviews, and I'm excited to be able to add mine when I finish it.

What about you? Are you a reader?

It's nearly midnight on a Friday night, and I stayed in reading a book. And I'm okay with that.

End of an era

{playing a comb on her 90th birthday...photo source}

I was saddened last night to learn of the passing of Kathryn Tucker Windham. This woman could tell a story like nobody's business. She was a treasure, and will be sorely missed in our great state.

I fondly remember my Girl Scout troop hitting the road and traveling to Selma for the annual Tale-Tellin' Festival. We enjoyed listening to the music, looking at the quilts, and hearing other story tellers, but what we really looked forward to was Kathryn Tucker Windham. She was always the last one on the schedule, and the one everyone wanted to see. She would have the room absolutely silent as she sat in a rocking chair and wove her tales. Our favorite were her stories about Jeffrey, a not-too-scary ghost who loved to stir up mischief.  We would always buy one of her ghost story tapes and listen to it on the ride home, huddled together in the backseat, convinced those rural highways were littered with ghosts. We treasured our autographed copies of her books, and it makes my heart happy that my students still enjoy reading her stories. Her "13 Ghosts" series (profiling states around the Southeast) is beloved.

Kathryn Tucker Windham saw the importance in sharing stories and history to preserve it for future generations. I sure hope that doesn't die out with her.

{Anna Claire wrote more eloquently about this today. Check her out.}

Babies, blackberry french toast, and BRRRRR!

After waiting out the tornadoes and apocalypse-esque rain yesterday night, I arrived in Madison, AL around 10:00 PM. I made the journey to visit with the lovely Stamps family and take part in the Hunstville March of Dimes "March for Babies". I always welcome the opportunity to stay at Casa de Stamps. A visit there promises good food, good conversation, and plenty of fun. They're such gracious hosts and treat me like one of their own when I'm with them.

We headed to Huntsville early this morning for the March for Babies. We marched for this little fella, and in memory of his twin brother, Graham.

You can read Will's story of resilience over at Anna Claire's blog.

As you can probably tell by the picture, Will was not pleased with the weather at start time. The morning was gray, cloudy, windy, and COLD. Not freezing cold, mind you, but colder than any of us was prepared for. Unseasonably cold. And unnecessarily windy.

Will made no bones about voicing his displeasure and, since we were all going numb, ended up bailing on the Baby March about 15 minutes after the start. "A" for effort, though...at least we showed up and walked for a while!

(We were trying to show how cold we were. I clearly missed the memo that we were supposed to look cold but still human. Egads.)

Once back at the Stamps homestead, we enjoyed a multitude of breakfast casseroles and fruit. Mrs. Rhonda made a blackberry french toast casserole that required a moment of silence to regain my composure. I forgot to get the recipe, but this one sounds close. Definitely leave off the maple syrup...you won't need it.

Kate and I spent the afternoon wandering around Madison and Huntsville, in search of all things old and artsy. She showed me a house (1850s Greek Revival) she recently discovered through her job.

(Respectful of private property lines, we took creeper shots through the trees. 'Cuz that's not weird or anything.)

We strolled past these beauties in downtown Madison:

I'm pretty sure I need to live in an old house when I grow up. If you know of a low-maintenance, inexpensive, front-porched, lace-curtained, ghost-free historic home, you be sure to let me know. This little area of Madison is just perfection. Huge old trees, white picket fences, wraparound front porches...made this girl a happy camper.

To cap off this cold, windy day, we drove to Lowe Mill in Huntsville. Kate explained that it's an old textile mill that's now used as studio space/stores for local artists. Very cool concept.

Inside, we found a treasure trove: painters, sculptors, musicians, jewelry makers, quilt makers, photographers, glass blowers...

(The floors. Look. At. The floors. Holy heavens. They were worn and creaky and just delightful.)

The trip to the old mill made me think about what it must have looked like when it was filled with workers and machines. It brought to mind one of my favorite books by Rick Bragg. If you're looking for something new, this is a great, if gritty, read.

After bidding everyone farewell, I had to stop and take a picture of the sweetest spot along the interstate between Birmingham and Huntsville:

(This pretty barn and the rolling pastures around it never fail to make me smile.)

This time away was good for my soul. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends!

Day of rest

Now that I've made it to church and my lesson plans for the week are done, this is how I plan to spend the rest of my day:

Happy Sunday, yall!

{Gorgeous green afghan--affectionately dubbed "Swamp Thing"--crocheted for me by my sweet mama. Isn't she something else?}

In transit

I'm kind of a fan of Pioneer Woman. Like, I check in with her at least once daily and could probably ace a trivia contest about her life and/or the contents of her website. Like, if I wouldn't seem like a hardcore weirdo, I'd consider her a friend.

 You know, it's just a casual thing.

Her latest book was released today and I just tracked my copy. In transit...on its way to yours truly. Estimated arrival: Thursday. I'm excited in not a small way.

I'm dreaming of spending my weekend on the couch with a blanket, some hot tea, and my sure-to-be-fabulous new love story.

Does anyone else have dreams like this? Does this make me a lame-o? Should I care? Feel free to weigh in. In the meantime, I've gotta go track my book again.

Warm and fuzzy

I'm really, really good at not going to work. I am so thankful that I have a job that allows some really nice (though very hard-earned) breaks during the year...yay, teaching! This first day of winter, I've been doing a little (or, ahem, all) of my Christmas shopping, a little of this:

and partaking of some of this:

recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/12/spinach-soup-with-gruyere/

This was so good! I made it without the Gruyere...the only block I could find was $9.49 at Publix, and this girl doesn't shell out that kind of dough on dairy products. I put some red bell pepper on top for a little Christmas color. Really, really tasty.

Christmas break's not-so-secret-admirer,
J

God's navy

I read this a while back in my devotional book and thought about it again today. This is one of the readings that really, really stood out to me, and I'd like to share it with anyone who reads this little blog of mine.
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We are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body. Romans 12:5

"God has enlisted us in his navy and placed us on his ship. The boat has one purpose - to carry us safely to the other shore. This is no cruise ship; it's a battleship. We aren't called to a life of leisure; we are called to a life of service. Each of us has a different task. Some, concerned with those who are drowning, are snatching people from the water. Others are occupied with the enemy, so they man the cannons of prayer and worship. Still others devote themselves to the crew, feeding and training the crew members. Though different, we are the same. Each can tell of a personal encounter with the captain, for each has received a personal call..." Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment, p. 578.

I loved this devotion. I absolutely see myself as a "crew keeper". Not much makes me happier than taking care of other people so that they are equipped to fulfill their role, whatever it is. It's been interesting to keep family members and friends in mind when I re-read this. It's fun to try to figure out who fits in each role in God's navy.

life-changing

I'm currently re-reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This will be go-around #3. I think this book has affected me more profoundly than anything I've ever read (except for Gone with the Wind...it speaks to my inner Scarlett and makes me want to wear a hoop skirt and live at Tara and marry a blockade runner). I don't normally read a lot of Christian fiction because I find it preachy and a bit cheesy. *Does that make me a bad Christian? I'll ponder this.* This one is phenomenal, though. Laura gave me her copy a few summers ago and told me it would change my life. I rolled my eyes, thanked her, and then texted her numerous times a day during my reading to profess my love for the book. I would set out to read "just one more chapter" before bed, and then look at my clock and see 2:00 staring back at me. Laura was right...I, of course, was wrong.

The plot is amazing and it really, truly makes you think about the depth of God's love for us. The prologue is particularly gut-wrenching, but it's so worth it in the end. I really think this should be required reading for every woman on the planet. In fact, if I was filthy rich, I'd buy all of them a copy. But I'm not, so I won't...sorry ladies. I'll just blog about it. If you're looking for something to fill out your summer reading list, add Redeeming Love to it. It will change your life. Roll your eyes if you want to, but on this little matter, I'm right and you're wrong. Read it. Be changed. The end :)

The Most They Ever Had

I just finished reading this book:

It's written by Rick Bragg, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. My mom told me for a long time that I would love his books, and true to form, I fought her on it. I don't know why I insist on doing that! The lady may know me better than I do...she's always right. Always. Anyway, Rick Bragg is a professor at UA who writes stories about life in blue-collar Alabama. This one is about the generations of people who worked in the old cotton mill in Jacksonville, AL, barely scraping by. I find it fascinating to read about days gone by. I was also humbled by how these folks were able to find bright spots in what seem to be very hard, meager lives.

I've read three others (All Over but the Shoutin', Ava's Man, and Somebody Told Me), and I'm hooked. His books are pretty gritty and sometimes unpleasant, but they paint a such a clear picture of the rural South "back in the day". There's one more I haven't read (The Prince of Frogtown) so I plan to jump on that one soon. I hope ol' Rick cranks out another one ASAP; I'm about to catch up with him!