Tea & Reading

I like to sit at the kitchen island and sip tea with my sister... or in this case, today I tried to make her a Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso.  It wasn't as good as the ones Blossom1 makes for me, but it was drinkable.  I'll try again when she's over again next week.  

We talk about all sorts of things at the kitchen island while the little boys are doing activities with the Younger Blossoms in the dining room.  I kept glancing over and noticing Blossom3 helping one of her cousins memorize and choreograph a Shel Silverstein poem... something about April Fools.  Their big motions and enunciation made me smile.  

Sometimes we talk about giving our husbands haircuts.  Sometimes we talk about our latest thrifting finds.  Sometimes we talk about what the girls or the boys are up to.  

We haven't talked about books lately, but books are always a good idea!  That's the kind of post this is... a sitting at the kitchen island, talking about books kind of post.  

Have you read anything good lately?  

A friend sent me this very thought-provoking post about the valorization of busyness.  Read it.  It's totally worth it!  This article re-iterated an unpopular truth that what I do in a day might not be "productive," but it is good.  Am I following the leading of the Spirit as to how I fill my days?  Am I measuring my days with His standard or the world's standard?  Busyness, in and of itself, is not a measure of success.  Have I chosen according to the Lord's wisdom?

I just finished Creative Love by Jeremy and Audrey Roloff.  It was a quick little read that I picked up when the Rugged Mountain Man and I were wandering the aisles of the Ollie's book section on his birthday.  The Ollie's book section is our small town equivalent of a bookstore date.  Creative Love was a quick little read that was inspiring.  Their stories kept it light-hearted and their style kept it personal.  It was full of ideas for investing in your marriage and relationship for the long haul. I really liked hearing what they were doing to build a marriage that lasts a lifetime.  Overall, I would recommend it as a mini-manual of ideas and principles for anyone building a healthy, long-lasting relationship.  

Somebody mentioned something in conversation the other day about starting a bakery, and it took me back to the Baxter Family Bakery series by Elizabeth Maddrey.  I first read this series a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Perhaps it's the fact that it's centered around four siblings in a small town.  Whatever the reason, I love the small town vibe, the new business startup, the real characters, and the easy reading.  Clean Christian romance for the win!  Her Billionaire Next Door series is awfully fun too!

Christy Barritt is another favorite author of mine.  She released Shadow Operative, a new book in her latest new series.  I love every one of her series that are based in and around Lantern Beach.  Her bent is suspense and there's still the Nancy Drew fan in me that craves suspense.  This is clean and fun. I'm looking forward to more in the Shadow Agency series!

I'd love to know what you're reading.  

Hold on... I'll get out my Goodreads app and add that to my "Want to Read" list.  

The best recommendations come from friends!