by kathilipp | Jun 27, 2010 | Uncategorized |
It must seem like the only thing I am doing this summer is reading books (and come to think of it, that wouldn’t be such a bad way to spend a summer…) We have had two family emergencies and a business trip in the past three weeks bringing us to seven different states. Blogging has had to take a back seat to life.
However, with long car/plane trips, I have had plenty of opportunities to read, so here is this week’s recommended reading:
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is the memoir of a woman who, at 43, discovers that her husband is leaving her for a man he found on a gay dating website days before a car crash that sends her back to her childhood home to be cared for. The problem – Rhonda hasn’t been part of her Mennonite community for a while and suffers the inevitable culture clash that comes with any of us going to our parent’s homes.
Why I loved it: She comes from a German background, not too different that some of the foods and customs of my mom’s family. I could identify with some of the culture (and food) that my mom grew up with. My all-time favorite cookbook is 
the More-with-Less Cookbook compiled by the Mennonite church- it was a great peek into the people who are behind the cooking.
Even if you have no connection with the Mennonite church, you will be able to identify with her list of “Shame Based” lunch items and the universal embarrassment of patents when you are an adult.
It’s a beautiful, funny and wry book that I highly recommend. (Oh, and if you can find a copy – the cookbook rocks, too.)
by kathilipp | Jun 20, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Summertime is the chance for me to get some reading done – reading that isn’t about topics I’m writing about, but just things I am interested in all for selfish me. Each Monday I will be sharing what I’m reading this summer.
Plus, I would love to hear your recommendations this summer – we may not have the same taste in books, but other of my reader may just love what you love!
Book Recommendation – Orange is the New Black
It may seem a little weird that I’m recommending a book about a women doing a year in jail for a 10 year-old drug charge.
But I have to tell you – this is a very compelling, can’t-put-it-down read.
Here is the books description from Booklist:
Just graduated from Smith College, Kerman made the mistake of getting involved with the wrong woman and agreeing to deliver a large cash payment for an international drug ring. Years later, the consequences catch up with her in the form of an indictment on conspiracy drug-smuggling and money-laundering charges. Kerman pleads guilty and is sentenced to 15 months in a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut. Entering prison in 2004—more than 10 years after her crime—Kerman finds herself submerged in the unique and sometimes overwhelming culture of prison, where kindness can come in the form of sharing toiletries, and an insult in the cafeteria can lead to an enduring enmity. Kerman quickly learns the rules—asking about the length of one’s prison stay is expected, but never ask about the crime that led to it—and carves a niche for herself even as she witnesses the way the prison system fails those who are condemned to it, many of them nonviolent drug offenders. An absorbing, meditative look at life behind bars. –Kristine Huntley
Prison is something I have only had a brief brush with – I had a male friend from college who was in prison and I had the opportunity to visit him once – so this was a topic I had no familiarity with. but once I started reading this book, I was presented with a world I never knew about – and it challenged some of my thoughts about our prisoners in the US and our prison system.
by kathilipp | Jun 9, 2010 | Uncategorized |
As I mentioned before, it has been a crazy couple of weeks.
Three MAJOR writing deadlines, Roger’s all-day birthday celebration, Kimber’s graduation and graduation party (which meant MAJOR housecleaning before her dad’s side of the family came over…) and then a death in the family (he was 97 and had a great life, so while sad, it’s also a celebration of a great life) which required a quick trip to Atlanta for a week.
Like I said, a busy week.
So in years past, if this week had happened, all my plants in the back garden would have died a long, withering death.
But, instead, because my husband installed a drip system, we are downright…
LUSH
by kathilipp | Jun 6, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Roger and I have had a very busy week. After Kimber graduated from High School, we boarded a plane for Atlanta to stay with Roger’s mom.
Dean – Roger’s step-dad, was almost 98 years old and had a life of ministry and travel and love that most of us can only imagine. So while we are sad, we are rejoicing as well.
Roger and I have been with each other 24/7 and that has lead to some mischief.
Not only have we been eating entirely too much, (Chick-fil-a! Cracker Barrell! Dunkin’ Donuts!) we have started to make up words. (Lupper – the forth meal we end up eating everyday whole here.)
And now Pre- Laugh – any time you are watching a movie or TV show for the second (or more) time, and you start giggling before the scene even comes up because you KNOW what is coming up.
Here are a few things that make me pre-laugh:
You know the scene where Princess Fiona starts singing like a Disney Princess to a bluebird and the bird mirrors her sounds until it explodes.
Big Pre-laugh. Huge.
It is inconceivable how anticipating one word can make me pre-laugh so hard I cry. (And if you’ve seen the movie, you know what word I mean.)
The Show How I Met Your Mother just makes me laugh, but nothing gets me more than the Canadian Pop-Star Robin Sparkles singing, “Let’s go to the Mall” Classic
We could use some pre-laughs around here. Tell me, what makes you pre-laugh.
by kathilipp | May 30, 2010 | Because Sometime? I'm Just All Shallow - You Know? |
If you have not watched the first episode of So You Think You Can Dance this season go over and check the promo for it here.
Yes. Right now.
I’ll wait.
Amazing. Right?
I have to say I was an Idol drop off this year. (Not that I missed Paula, but it just wasn’t must-see TV for us.) We are cutting back on a lot of things – TIVO, cable, etc. But SYTYCD is going to be appointment TV for us.
You see, I’ve had quite an aversion to dance in my life. Oh I took the requisite Modern Dance class in Junior High. But, since I have become a Christian, the amount of bad worship dance I have been exposed to in my life is staggering. (Why is it that in order to lead worship in song you have to be gifted, but anyone who wants to dance can hop onstage whenever the spirit moves them?)
That is, until Easter, 2005. That is when I saw dance in the church done really, really well.
I was attending a church in Elk Grove and there were two young women (high school? college age?) who danced with two long pieces of fabric. At the end of the dance, they turned those two pieces of fabric into a cross.
I still get chills when I think of it.
That is often how I feel when I am watching SYTYCD.
There are dances that move me to tears. They are so beautifully (or sometimes comically) telling a story that it makes my brain think and feel in new ways. In our media-saturated life, it is rare that something can stand out, stand up and scream, “Look at me! Pay attention to me!”
So, so long Bachelorette. No rose for you.
Housewives from Jersey? I don’t need the drama.
Idol? I no longer worship you.
But today? We dance.
by kathilipp | May 25, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Isn’t it adorable?
It won’t be out until January 1st, 2011. Which makes me sad becuase I want to put it on my book shelf. (Something I love about my books? You can totally spot them from across a crowded CVS.)
I really, really love it.
I mean, I really do.
And how much do I LOVE her glasses that are just like mine?
Swoon.
OK – glory moment over. Back to writing the next book.
by kathilipp | May 24, 2010 | Me, Uncategorized |
Everyday, Jake the puggle (our pug/beagle mix) needs to be walked. (We live in a townhouse, and Jake is afraid of the back yard, so all official business must be accomplished on walks.) And between Roger and I, Jake gets walked, over two miles, every single day.
I walk him most mornings, and I have to tell you, generally, I really enjoy it. He is a happy dog, and except for the frequent “SQUIRREL” moments, he is pretty well behaved. I strap on my iPod, listen to a downloaded book, take a stroll in my complex, and generally enjoy my morning.
One of the drawbacks however (and trust me, I’m trying to be discreet here,) is that Jake does his business early in his walks. I, being a responsible dog owner, clean up after my dog and get to carry that little blue baggie for the rest of the .9 miles.
Here is where I am having problems.
You see, I was still enjoying our walks, blue baggie and all, until two weeks ago.
For the past two weeks, I have been carrying that little bag as I pass by a white truck. The white truck has a sticker on it that says “No Heifers – Truck May Tip Over” (Very reminiscent of the “No Fat Chicks” stickers from a couple of decades ago.)
I have to say. That little sticker evokes a lot of thoughts for me. Here are the thoughts – in numerical order:
- That guy is a moron.
- Why is it, no matter what time of morning I pass by the truck, is it ALWAYS there. Does moron not have a job? Did he expend so much energy picking out that oh-so-clever sticker and affixing it to the window of his car that, besides making beer runs, that is all he can manage to accomplish in life?
- I hate carrying this blue baggie.
- I know where I could put this blue baggie and not have to carry it any futher.
Yes, I KNOW that is not what Jesus would want me to do. And I know that even HAVING that thought is not a good thing.
But really, can you blame me?
(I comfort myself by thinking that surly Beth Moore has had some blue baggie/white truck moments. But probably not.)
by kathilipp | May 23, 2010 | Uncategorized |
When I was sharing about my gardening adventures this year, mynew friend Merideth, told me about some raised beds she wanted to put into her yard. Since she is a military wife, the idea of a mobile garden is appealing to her:
“I live in Fort Lewis (WA) too. We have strawberries that we grow and rosemary. The person who lived in our house before planted them. We are reaping her harvest. However, I was asked about what I want for Mother’s Day. We saw a square foot garden at the local spring fair. We talked to the master gardeners and well they gave us the blueprints for the garden. It is a garden on legs. I will post pictures when it is built for me for Mother’s Day. We are planting; Corn, cucumbers, cantalopes, green beans, onions, carrots and watermealons. The corn and carrots will have to be grown in the ground, everthing else will go in the box.”
Being that I have a 4 year old I think it will be a great learning experience for her and us. It will be our 1st garden, the best thing about the garden is we can move with it!”
Here are the plans that Merideth found online.
http://www.pierce.wsu.edu/mg/resources/WheelChairEnabledRaisedBed-RS011-2010.pdf
Not only would these raised beds be portable if moving, they would have the advantage of being Wheel Chair Enabled and easier for children, the elderly and those with back problems. Love it.
I want to do this for my herbs next year. (Hey, we just got a drip system in this year. Baby steps. Baby steps.)
by kathilipp | May 17, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Here is what we are giving up. It may not seem to be a big deal (in fact, many of our friends have never had these…) but it will definitely take some getting used to:
- TIVO (and you have to remember, I married an engineer who had THREE Tivos…)
- All non-essential internet services
- Radically decreasing our food costs (both eating out and grocery bills)
- Vacations
- Non-business books
- Some of our cell phone services
If you’re wondering why we are giving this stuff up, check out yesterday’s post.
So I’m curious – have you ever felt the need to get rid of stuff that was crowding your life and stealing time 
from your relationship with God or others? I would love to know what it is.
by kathilipp | May 16, 2010 | Uncategorized |
Ecclesiastes 7:30 JB “God made man simple; man’s complex problems are of his own devising.”
Let’s be clear. No one has ever confused me with Paris or Nicole.
But I do have one thing in common with the bleached blond duo – I’m trying to live a Simpler Life.
Roger and I have been toying with and dancing around the edges of what we want to live without. And then, two big realities hit at once.
- 1. We had more month left at the end of our checks each month.
- We have been feeling a shallowness in our spirits.
We have been so busy running around working for God, that we haven’t had a lot of time to be hanging with God. And let’s be honest, the amount of distractions in my life – almost all self-imposed – have not been helping.
Roger and I are going to be taking some active steps to not only live more simply on the outside, but also to make sure that the actions we are taking are a refection of a growing peace in our inner lives.
We are going to be giving up a lot of stuff, (a list of those will be posted on Tuesday,) but we hope to gain a lot of stuff in the meanwhile:
- More peace
- More connectedness with God
- More family/couple time
- More freedom to help those in need
Am I alone? Do any of you struggle with this desire for a more Christ-centered life? A less chaotic, simpler life? If so, would you be willing to share what your biggest struggle is?
Or maybe you have had some victory in this area. I would love to hear what got you to the place of peace.
