You Need To Read: A Million Little Ways

This morning, I finished a book.
Then, as soon as I had the chance, I went online and ordered a copy for my friend Kimberly.

You know a book is good when you can't wait to share it!

I received my copy of A Million Little Ways at Allume. Emily Freeman spoke briefly before dinner that night, and I remember just wanting to hear more from her.

Because her message, about uncovering the art we were made to live met me right where I am right now. I've known for a while that I have a story to tell. Recently I got a couple of big, bold nudges to jump into the book writing world.

I'm terribly afraid of the rejection that you read so much about.
But I also know that if I don't put myself out there right now, and try, that I'm being disobedient.

I have to live the art I was made to create.
It's against the grain for me.
Because I'm a list maker, not a dreamer, by nature.

I don't go slowly.
I don't savor.
I don't, as Emily would say, 'let my soul breathe.'

But, I'm taking this big risk.
And one of the only things that brings me peace is the fact that I do feel like it's exactly what I'm supposed to be doing right now.

I think everyone should read this book, and check out Emily's blog, Chatting At The Sky.

I personally can't get enough Emily Freeman right now.
In the least-stalkery way possible, I want to drink the wisdom God has penned through her hands.

Seriously, y'all. I'm not getting paid to write this. This book is beautiful. And not just because the cover matches my life, but because the message matches my desire.

Chapter 7 is my favorite. I think I underlined every other sentence.

Here are some of my highlights:

Art makes it possible for us to remember both the beauty and the horrific, the lovely and the loss. Art numbs the wound just enough for us to be able to access the source of it, to reach down into the depth and pull it up to examine.

As important as it is to embrace the gifts you have and the unique ways you can offer hope to others, you also need to recognize and embrace what brings out the hope in you. What touches your soul so deeply that it causes tears to come out? We're talking about magic water that pours out of your eyes. Maybe paying attention to what calls the water forth will give us a hint as to what it is that makes us come alive.

... maybe tears are tiny messengers, secret keepers of the most vulnerable kind, sent to deliver a most important message - Here is where your heart beats strong. Here is a hint to your design. Here is a gift from your inner life, sent to remind you of those things that make you come alive. These tears carry the gift of your desire. Listen to them. Change in the world comes when we acknowledge what moves us and why.

Y'all know, I write a lot about the things that make me cry. So it should come as no surprise that my major takeaway had something to do with tears.

I'm a feeler, what can I say?

Get this book and let me know what you think. Happy December.

Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Last Saturday morning, before the sun came up, I finished a book.

Not just any book.

A book that I feel one day, I'll be able to write myself, somewhat.

I finished this book with tears streaming down my face.
Two minutes after I finished it, I crawled back into the darkness and pile of pillows and blankets that is our king sized bed, and snuggled into my favorite place in the world.

Michael's right shoulder.

I shed a couple of tears on my favorite quad's chest.

You see, it took me weeks to finish this book.
Because I had to keep putting it down.
Some parts of it were just too real, too painful for me to read.

Like this, about Ken adjusting to living and loving someone with a disability:

"It took a while to separate himself emotionally from what happened in the bathroom, but he was able to shake it off. With God's help, he believed he was up to the task. She believed he was too. But it didn't take away the fear."

When Joni and Ken met and fell in love, she was already paralyzed. Living in a wheelchair and all of that was already a part of her "normal" life. Ken was swept off his feet by Joni. I can't blame him. She is breathtakingly beautiful, and full of God's grace. Who in their right mind, with the chance, wouldn't be swept away?

I was swept away with my quad, too.
I remember those days of simultaneously falling in love, and swimming in fear.
But the sweetest part of it was being able to trust God, and trust Michael.

Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story takes you through their journey of meeting and falling in love, and getting married, and then, the part that made me cry.

When they fell into the routine of everyday living/caregiving/working/marriage and keeping a house, and before they knew it...

"It was like climbing a mountain where you took one step ahead and slid back two; instead of making progress, you felt like you were going backward. No matter how diligently you worked at it, you were never 'done.'

Sometimes he found himself asking, How did I get here? Why is everything so hard? Why don't things ever get better?"

Joni and Ken have had additional and different struggles than we've had. Joni has had to deal with chronic pain, and breast cancer. Ken had to learn what it's like to be married to a famous person.

But, there is so much that we relate to, and so much to learn from this treasure of a book. I encourage anyone who is married to read it, especially if you juggle a disability in your marriage.

My favorite line of the whole book? It's from the beginning, when they were out on a boat, just the two of them, during their dating days.

"Ken spoke up. 'It could work, you know.'"

Joni and Ken are 30 years into their beautiful marriage. That's almost 10 times as into this as we are. We're thankful to have them as great role models to look up to. I am personally grateful that they decided to peel the veil back, and let us in. I'm also grateful for their ministry, Joni and Friends, which we've both been blessed by, and had the opportunity to serve.

We're so blessed that we've been able to meet them and get to know them.

I'd like to bless one of you with a copy of this book. Please share this blog post on Facebook, and you'll be entered to win. I'll randomly pick a winner, and contact you via Facebook to let you know you've won by Sunday, May 12th.

You can buy the book here.

Review: 5 Days to a Clutter-Free House

I don't know about all of you, but I would venture to say that most people like to live in a clean, clutter-free space. Am I right? Or am I right?

We just recently moved.
And moving will force you to de-clutter, and I will say that I am so glad!

Our place is more organized than ever. Most of that has to do with the fact that I had two weeks off after we moved, before I started my new job, so I actually had the TIME to put some good storage and organization systems in place. Also, it helps that we moved from an apartment to a house with a two car garage, so we increased our space, without really increasing the amount of stuff that we have, so that's a win-win.

I love organizing.
So, I jumped at the chance to review this book.

At first, I was intrigued. A clutter-free house in 5 days? Sounds pretty good. Then, when I started reading, I realized that the level of clutter-busting this book is talking about is a different level than I generally need.

I am like an anti-hoarder.
And I stay pretty organized.

The 5 day strategy is really for anyone who has a LOT of stuff, and doesn't have a place for everything. I don't mean to make myself sound super clean and organized, I'm certainly not perfect, and I still like to have some notice when guests are coming over, but we generally don't have non-clear surfaces.

BUT, if you do have a mess and too much stuff on your hands, this book will definitely help you get a grip, and bust through that clutter. The basic ideas are to get a team together, get some boxes, and go through your home level-by-level, and pack the clutter up. Then, box-by-box, unpack the items and make sure they go to their own place.

Remember, I said there's nothing like moving to force you to organize? This strategy is kind of like moving, but not moving.

I did learn some great tips and tricks for staying on top of things, though.
I love the ideas of timing yourself to see how much you can get done, like the idea of the "ten minute tidy."

I would definitely recommend this book if you are in over your head in clutter. If your house already looks like a copy of Real Simple Magazine, or you generally have good systems in place, you can still learn from the tips and tricks to keep your house that way.

The other cool thing about this book even for those of us who are pretty organized already, is it can help us understand how to tackle a MAJOR de-cluttering job. This is great, because I'd love to help friends who want to do some organizing, and it's good to read about a strategy for tackling a big project, that works.

You can check out 5 Days to a Clutter-Free House for more information.

Full disclosure: I was given a copy of this book in order to review it.

Product Review: Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner

What girl doesn't love trying a new beauty product, right?

So, when I was offered the chance to review the new Dove Conditioner, I signed up.

First let me tell you a little bit about my hair:

My hair is thin and fine, but I have quite a bit of it. My hair is also highlighted. And it's long right now.

I have to use conditioner every time I wash my hair, or it looks and feels dry. But, if I use too much conditioner, my hair will get greasy and limp real quick.

I was sent a bottle of Dove Moisture Therapy "Daily Moisture" Conditioner to review.

First, let's talk about the bottle.

I'm so glad bottles of things like conditioner and lotion have increasingly been designed to have the opening on the bottom. Makes way more sense, it's super easy to squeeze out. I like that. Win.

The Dove Conditioner smelled really great. It has a pure, refreshing smell. It's not an overly girly smell, so anyone can use it.

It's thick and creamy, and lathers easily. The first time I used it, I used way more than I needed to. Oops. A little bit goes a long way. I like products like this, because it means the bottle will last longer, a good thing because you won't have to buy it as often (save $) and you won't create as much waste. Win.

The Daily Moisture Conditioner is designed to help protect hair, and prevent future moisture loss. It definitely made my hair soft, silky and smooth. But the first time I tried it, my hair was limp. The next time I tried it, I used WAY less, and it was perfect. My hair was smooth and not frizzy, but still listened to me when I tried to beat it into style submission with my curling iron.

My husband also tried it. He doesn't use conditioner nearly as much as (I think) he should. The Dove Conditioner gave him so much body, he had a mini-afro. Full disclosure: His hair was long at the time, and it is naturally curly.

This is my first product review, so I hope I did okay, and you feel informed. Now, the fun part for you, a chance to win a Spafinder gift certificate, AND, make sure you scroll all the way down to get a great coupon so you can try the Dove Damage Therapy Daily Moisture Conditioner for yourself, if you are interested.

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

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Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.