Everyday Simplicity: Books to Read in 2011

Everyday Simplicity: Books to Read in 2011

Books to Read in 2011

 Ok fellow readers! It is time to make your Books to Read list for 2011 if you haven't already.  There is a world of books just waiting to be explored and read.  I have been thinking about my list but haven't gotten it down yet. I can think of 5 books off the top of my head so I will start with those.  I love to see what other people are reading so please feel free to post back and share your lists with me. I would love to get a lively conversation going about the books we want to read this year.


1).  The Corrections- Johnathan Franzen
2).  Freedom- Johnathan Franzen
3). The Forgotten Garden- Kate Morton
4).  Summer at Tiffany- Marjorie Hart
5).  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- Rebecca Skloot

Its Been Awhile

well hello readers it has been too long. i was forced to take a sabbatical from blogging because life reared its ugly head  and I had to deal with it. i have missed being connected and in many ways really really enjoyed being disconnected. needless to say i have many topics to draw from my experiences and could actually write about something interesting. of which i intend on doing some point in the future. as we are halfway into December now i have begun thinking about the new year and my goals and what i would like to make of th2011. naturally loving reading like i do and all things books led me to begin thinking of my reading list of 2911. i have not done it as a blog topic but think it will be fun. i remember a while ago i published a blog topic about love for books and i have to say it has been one of the most popular topics of my blog history thus far. so i shall ask of you to put on your thinking caps and share with me your list of books to read in the new year. and i will share mine and as always am open to suggestion and discussion of all things books. happy reading.

Image taken from Cloud9living.com

  August 14, 2010

“Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.”

Emily Dickinson quotes Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak”  Thomas Carlyle quotes

Thought for Today

  Good Morning! This photo from travelphotoguide.com caught my eye. I have always been inspired by blue skies over water. I wish I was there with my fishing pole in the water and my camera set up on a tripod, ready to capture scenes from nature.

There is something about nature that helps me feel so connected and at peace with God and myself.
Here is an excerpt from my morning devotional that I found very thought provoking.

This is taken from Streams In The Desert written by Mrs. Charles W. Cowman

" We must remember that it is not in any easy or self-indulgent life that Christ will lead us to greatness.  The easy life leads not upward, but downward.  Heaven always is above us, and we must ever be looking up toward it.  There are some people who always avoid things that are costly, that require self-denial, or self- restraint and sacrifice, but toil and hardship show us the only way to nobleness.  Greatness comes not by having a mossy path made for you through the meadow, but by being sent to hew out a roadway by your own hands.  Are you going to reach the mountain splendors?"

taken from Google Images peilife.com

A little inspiration

The Beauty of Books

I love books. Though this statement is not new to me, it is a new revelation of times before. You see, I go through phases, as I think we all do, in which there are times when we read more and then there are times when we read less.  This month is one of those when I am reading, or shall I say, devouring more books.  I find often in times such as these that my life is posing many questions or uncertainties, and my soul is on a search for the answers and the one way in which I know to do that is to read and have many satisfying luxurious stacks of books in my living space.  Reading and books have always been a faithful, constant companion of mine for as long as I can remember.  There is something so comforting about settling in and getting comfortable with a hot cup of tea and losing yourself in the writer's world.  Our problems float away on a sea of words and suddenly its as if we are in a different world.  To me that is relaxation at its best.  So, what are some of your favorite books?

Looking for decorating inspiration

I am dreaming of my ideal bedroom hideaway. Here are a few of my favorites. I envision my room to be cozy, beautiful and simple vintage inspired goodness.

Spring is Here!

I am so inspired by the onset of spring. I love the warmth after it has been such a cold winter and wet and rainy. Ready to feel the warmth of the earth on my feet and have the sun beat down on my shoulders. Even though today is a cloudy day I am still looking to Mother Nature for inspiration.  I have been searching for new inspiration for my life lately and today I thought I would go to one of my favorite spots for inspiration: Half-Price Books. I love to just go browse among the shelves and get lost in the titles and the beauty of books.  I love the smell and feel of the book in my hand. The artwork feeds my senses and  I am immediately inspired.  A book can take you anywhere you want to go, you can become, vicariously through the author, whoever you want to be. You can learn things, experience a different life, if even for a moment.  So as we have ushered in Spring once again, I am thinking of spring cleaning and decorating and naturally need inspiration from books for that.  That will be my goal of this bookshop trip.  I am looking ahead to think about decorating my new bookshelves so maybe if something catches my eye I can get it for that. So much fun and bliss! So nice to know I am so easy to please : ) I will post again to share what I found.  

The mask is gone
the end of delusion
the mask of pretension
exists no more

I am just as real as you
I have pain, I have just been numb
Finally alive to myself
I ask myself who am I
Who do I want to be

It hurts too bad
but I must allow myself to feel
no longer can I be numb
to the delusion of who I thought I was

No longer desiring to just exist
Wanting something more
of my meager existence

Stripping off all the pretense
leaves me feeling naked and vulnerable
sensitive
alive
the pain and anguish
screams out from my veins

Random Thoughts

I refuse to let you take me there again
thought you wanted something more but now all you act like is a friend

what happened to the closeness we had
now i look at you over a deep chasm

the silence, the feelings left unsaid
I feel like I can't reach you
or maybe you don't want to be reached

I feel myself slipping away
how did we get to this point so soon

the blueness envelops me
your silence is strangling me

if i could turn back the time
and return all the winks
and say everything I didn't say before
instead of freezing up and looking at the floor

don't you know what you do to me
what you continue to do
I cannot let you do

I must move on
but all I know how to do is keep hanging on
to the silence and the hope that i once had
is now growing dimmer
and my resolve is growing thinner

I will not sit here and hand you my heart on a plate
so that all you will do with it is break it.

How long do you think I can wait
I guess I will just have to leave it up to fate

You say you are broken
Please let me pick up the pieces
If you give me your heart
I promise to take care of it
and
My love for you will make you soar

Restore you to the man you were once before

I promise to share with you all that I have

You have re-ignited my fire within
please let me show you
When can we begin

The times we share are so precious to me
it gets harder and harder to leave

u say u are broken
I am broken too
lets take the pieces of what is left of our hearts
and make a fresh start

A poetic moment

My Testimony

This is my testimony,

I have spent too much and lived too fast,
wasted too much time on things that just won't last.

But, God is my hope
and He has given me grace

He has stored up for me
a Heavenly place

So daily I will try
 to seek His face

Please, dear Lord help me endure this race.

1/24/10
-Phaedra Alwell

Thought for Today

Clarity of mind means clarity of passion, too; this is why a great and clear mind loves ardently and sees distinctly what it loves.
— Blaise Pascal

Living Intentionally

How do you want to live your life?  This question has been on my mind a lot this new year.   As people make resolutions and attempt to live their lives, to make something out of very little at times, we all tend to turn inwards and focus on our selves.  It is not a bad thing.  We are evolved human beings and possess the intellect to make choices based on what we need and want to get out of life.  I have thought alot about purposeful living and what it means to live intentionally.  To me, living intentionally means to not be swayed or tossed about by what life or people throws at you.  Living intentionally means that you have a purpose, a focus, a goal.  Life does not happen by accident. It also does not slow down and wait for you to "get it".  You wake up in the morning and decide what you want out of the day.  Personally, my life's intention this year is to live a life of love.  To wear my heart on my sleeve, to live by my heart and not my head and my feelings.

To be motivated by love and not fear.  To serve with love, give with love.  To not do things halfway but to do them excellently, to the best of my abilities.  God wants us to be our best, do our best, and anything lessjust simply does not cut it.  Living by accident and letting "whatever happens, happens" doesn't cut it. I intend to live a life of love intentionally, every day.

Feeds:

 

Posts

 

Comments

A Nurses Prayer

A Nurse's Prayer

Give to my heart, Lord...

compassion and understanding.

Give to my hands,

skill and tenderness.

Give to my ears

the ability to listen.

Give to my lips

words of comfort.

Give to me, Lord...

strength for this selfless service

and enable me to give hope

to those I am called to serve.  -Anonymous

Time to Breathe

Thought for Today

The Challenge

---

Let others lead small lives,
but not you.
Let others argue over small things,
but not you.
Let others cry over small hurts,
but not you.
Let others leave their future
in someone else's hands,
but not you.

Jim Rohn

Simple Pleasures

1).  spending quality time with the people you love
2). being loved unconditionally
3).  Getting a new job!
4)  reading
5).  hot tea

The One Minute Writer for Thursday

Today's Writing Prompt: Odds

In what way have you beat the odds?

That I have managed so far to stay free from chronic diseases even though I am not at an ideal weight. I am able to exercise daily and have the most energy that I have had in a very long time. I pray that it continues this way and that I am able to get healthier and healthier day by day. 

Writing Prompt courtesy of the One Minute Writer

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010

Today's Writing Prompt: Accomplished

We have completed the first 8 days of 2010. Write about something you accomplished in that time.

I have been able to accomplish beginning my life fresh and new and changing my mindset from defeat to success.  To not listen to the negative voices and to not be swayed by what others think of me.  To begin to act and live courageously instead of living a life of fear and uncertainty.  

Simple Pleasures

1).   joy and laughter on a child's face
2).  a cool wintry day when the sun is shining
3).  a cup of hot chocolate
4).  helping others
5).  knowing its ok to admit when we ourselves need help

Thought for Today

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls whoknow neither victory nor defeat.
       - Theodore Roosevelt

Time to Breathe

Thought for Today

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
- Carl Jung

Simple Pleasures

1). Honesty with yourself
2). Having abundant amount of energy
3). Great friends
4). New opportunities
5). a loving kitty kat : )

Simple Pleasures

1). Belonging
2). Saying you will do something and you do it/
3). Warm blankets and a hot cup of coffee
4). Connecting with others
5). A winning game by your favorite team!! : ) (Hats off to my Texans!)

Time to Breathe

My favorite quotes on goals

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen. -Frank Lloyd Wright

JOHN F. KENNEDY:
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.


Leaders aren't born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that's the price we'll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal. _-Vince Lombardi

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

Happy New Year!

Hope this finds everyone well and happy in our new year of 2010! I love January. It is a month full of hope and goal-setting, a renewed energy for life and all that it has to offer. I have never been much of a resolution maker because they are broken as soon as they are made but rather, just be very aware of changes I want to make in my life. This year I want to just get back to the basics of life. Just pair everything down and just try to live and be the best I can be. Nuff said : )

Would love to hear about YOUR goals, resolutions!!