The throwback, the thriller, and the one I abandoned.

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

book reviews

I was a totally dropped the ball with book reviews this Summer, so here’s an overview of what I read during the past three months and what’s on my nightstand for this Fall.

I love Francine Rivers, and this was good, but wasn’t one of my favorites. (Mark of The Lion series is my favorite, in case you were wondering.) Rivers is an expert at crafting emotionally driven plots and characters. Bridge To Haven is no exception. A movie star is born, but only a few people know her real origins. Abra gets all she hopes for and burns every bridge she has to the people who love her in the process. It’s a classic redemption story, making the outcome a bit predictable. However, my mom rightfully pointed out that not everyone is familiar with Christ’s relentless love which Rivers is portraying with relationships within the story.

I wasn’t super familiar with Glennon or Momastery.com when I picked up her book. Glennon is a straight talker who doesn’t shy away from honesty when she addresses marriage, motherhood, or faith. I didn’t resonate with everything, but I bookmarked multiple chapters to chew on later. For more thoughts on this book, read my post about truth-telling and vulnerability.

If Anne AND Shauna recommend a book, it automatically goes on my to-read list. The Rosie Project was one of those books and I was thrilled to find it available at my library. I loved The Curious Incident of The Dead Dog in the Night-Time (if you haven’t read it and you liked The Rosie Project, put it on your list!) so was intrigued by another book written from the perspective of a person with Aspergers. The novel documents Don’s, who doesn’t know he’s on the Autism spectrum, quest for love. Warning: it’s a wee bit vulgar in parts. I’m excited about the sequel – The Rosie Effect – due out in December 2014.

I read a Patricia Cornwall novel in high school that forever ruined me on yellow houses and sleeping with a window open… Needless to say, I don’t do well with murder mysteries and such. I wouldn’t categorize Last Light as a murder mystery (despite there being both murder and mystery), but it is definitely in the thriller category. Even though I did get the wiggins a couple times while reading this book, the plot was captivating and thought provoking. Perfectly portrayed the real struggle between providing for your family and selflessly loving others when disaster strikes. Makes me wonder how I would react if something knocked out all power…

Surprised By Motherhood has been waiting on my reading back burner for awhile and I’m sorry I didn’t read it sooner. Though, come to think of it, had I read this right after James was born, the water works would not have stopped. Lisa-Jo documents her journey to motherhood in a heartwarming and poignant narrative that had me crying, laughing, and amening. For more about this book, read how I was surprised by motherhood.   

I discovered Tessa Afshar last year and have since gobbled up all her novels. She really is a gem in the Christian Fiction genre. In the Field of Grace retells the biblical narrative of Ruth. I love the artful and well-researched way Afshar builds the backstory of the characters. She weaves culture and emotion into the facts we have in the Bible. Her books are frequently on sale for Kindle, so keep an eye out. In fact, this one is only 4.99 right now! (as of 9/8/14)

Katherine Reay has skills! She writes emotionally driven novels with nods to Austen (and other great literature) without being straight up fan fiction. (Though there’s nothing wrong with a Mr. Darcy’s Diary or Lost in Austen, both of which are on my bookshelf next to Reay’s fantastic first novel, Dear Mr. Knightley.) Lizzy is a talented chef whose lost her food inspiration. Her sister, Jane, has cancer. Together, they have a messy sibling relationship that keeps getting more complicated. I love how Reay adds modern elements, like the importance of social media hype to new businesses in a timeless fashion.

I received an advanced copy of Lizzy and Jane for free from NetGalley. My glowing opinion is all my own. It comes out October 28th. In the meantime, pick up Dear Mr. Knightley.

When a student in our youth group mentioned she was in possession of the first installment of Christy and Todd, the married years, I couldn’t resist asking if I could borrow it. The Christy Miller series was a favorite in my pre-teen years. What young Christian girl in the nineties didn’t dream about meeting their dashing surfer boy with silver blue eyes and sandy blond hair? Despite the questionable impact of their love story on impressionable young hearts, I was still interested in what Christy and Todd were up to for old times sake. I was not surprised to discover Todd had become a youth pastor and that Aunt Marti was still her sassy self, but there were some decent truth nuggets hidden in the poorly edited narrative. The second installment comes out in a few months, and I will probably read it because sometimes you need to be reminded of yourself in junior high.

Tim and I read Death By Meeting out loud over the course of several road trips. Patrick Lencioni is known for explaining business principles through fable. And he’s good at it! The narrative was engaging – I actually wanted to know how the story turned out – and the ideas about effective communication and the structure of healthy meetings was applicable beyond the business world. I’ve been thinking about how the principles outlined in the book could be applied to a family setting to maximize communication, an area I’m always trying to work on.

And the book I abandoned? Drumroll, please…… Allegiant, the last of the Divergent triology by Veronica Roth. Divergent was good. Insurgent was okay. But I didn’t want to spend precious reading time on Allegiant. If you read the series, what did you think?

What’s on the nightstand for Fall? I’m in various point of these three books.

 

 

 

 

What else should I be reading?

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Chile Egg Puff

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

A hearty egg dish that’s part soufflé, part casserole with a southwest flare. It’s hard to go wrong with three types of cheese and green chiles.

Chile Egg Puff

My first memories of this dish were centered around the arduous task of picking the green chilies out of my square of egg puff. That was also the era of squeezing the innards out of zucchini discs to make it appear like I’d eaten at least some of it so I could leave the table after dinner.

I’m pleased to report that my chile picking, zucchini squeezing days are over. I’m not sure when or how it happened, but I have since grown out of any picky eating habits. I welcome every little green speck in my Chile Egg Puff square.

Chile Egg Puff

Chile Egg Puff

Chile Egg Puff was a ubiquitous dish at any celebratory breakfast or brunch growing up. We legitimized our sweet, carb laden offerings with a pan of protein by way of the eggs and cheese in Chile Egg Puff. (Pay no mind to the melted butter that goes along with it…) And that’s pretty much still the case. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to nibble on a square of cheesy eggs flecked with green chilies?

This baked egg concoction has become a breakfast staple in the Gardner household outside of holidays. It’s simple, filling, and tasty. And with one simple substitution, it’s No Sugar September approved!

Chile Egg Puff

As indicated by its name, Chile Egg Puff does indeed puff when cooked. It comes out of the oven resembling a soufflé and has a delicate texture. The Puff becomes more dense as it cools, but is seriously delicious at ANY temperature. Not only is it a perfect breakfast/brunch dish, Chile Egg Puff makes a great lunch with carrot sticks or pickles and is a quick dinner with a side salad.

Since using whole wheat flour didn’t effect the flavor or texture, I’m guessing you could use oat flour to make it gluten free. I like using a mix of cheddar and monterey jack but any cheese you have around will suit. I’m actually dreaming of a Caprese Egg Puff with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil…

Chile Egg Puff

Chile Egg Puff
Author: Emily C. Gardner
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 10-12
A hearty egg dish that’s part soufflé, part casserole with a southwest flare. It’s hard to go wrong with three types of cheese and green chiles.
Ingredients
  • 10 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 cups (16 oz) cottage cheese
  • 4 cups (1lb) shredded cheese
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cans (4 oz each) diced green chiles
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 inch pan, set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs until light and lemon colored. Add flour, salt, baking powder, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and butter. Mix until smooth. Stir in chiles.
  3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until top is golden and center appears firm.
  4. Serve immediately. (Negotiable. Like I said, it’s delicious at any temperature.)
Notes
Since using whole wheat flour didn’t effect the flavor or texture, I’m guessing you could use oat flour to make it gluten free. I like using a mix of cheddar and monterey jack but any cheese you have around will suit.

 

When inspiration strikes. {Perspectives on Motherhood and Writing}

~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

Today is the first guest weighing in on the Perspectives on Motherhood and Writing series running every Tuesday this Fall. I connected with Mandy J. Hoffman via mutual blogging buddies and have enjoyed getting to know her better through Instagram. She’s writing a book about reforming social media and recommends a lot of other good reads over on her blog. I appreciated Mandy’s focus on God’s timing – I think you will too!

MW Mandy

Why do you blog/write?

This is a really tough question! Originally I began – like everyone else – to share with family and friends when we moved away. But as time passed, and God continued His work in my life, I started to write more because I wanted to share about the amazing transformation God was doing in my life. I also wanted to challenge other women to read books that would help them grow in their walk with Christ and not just for entertainment and escape.

How long have you been blogging/writing?

I have been blogging since 2007 and writing here and there since I was a child.

How has your current season of life impacted your blogging/writing?

My current season of life is being wife to an amazing man and mom to three children, ages 7,9, and 11. We recently moved, making several huge life changes for the entire family. My husband went from full-time ministry to a secular job so that we could be members of a growing church plant that is 10 years old. It changed my life because I now homeschool my children rather then send them to a small Christian school. And of course for the kids, everything is new!

This means that my already crunched time schedule became even more crunched with the added load of homeschooling. Writing has taken a back seat because I have made the commitment to keep God and my family first. That has been SO SO hard for me. I have had to set aside the last work on my book in order to keep my family first. But I trust God that His timing is perfect and that He will allow the book to be published when He sees best.

How has this season of life changed your writing habits?

I seem to have to be “inspired” to write. I have tried to schedule writing and it comes to a halt like frozen honey! Of course when I’m busy and a pen and paper are the farthest thing away from me I have all kinds of crazy good ideas! My goal is to write those things down and then take large chunks of time to organize those ideas, plan them out, and then write.

However, sometimes life still gets in the way. My current series got interrupted by the end of the school year deadlines and the deadline to file for this coming school year. When I see friends writing on a regular basis it’s hard for me not to be jealous, but I have to remind myself that God is in control and His plan for my writing is different than for theirs.

What is your blogging/writing battle cry?

“Connecting God’s grace to the daily grind” is my tagline and my passion is to show women how God’s grace truly impacts every aspect and moment of our days no matter how routine or how crazy.

How does faith, writing, and motherhood intersect in your daily life?

I write about my faith and often times how my faith has impacted those mothering moments.

Mandy J HoffmanMandy is married to her soul mate and favorite pastor – Justin. God has graced them with two girls and one boy – all blonde hair and blue-eyed. If Mandy isn’t homeschooling the kids, cleaning the house, or baking cookies, she can be found cozied up studying theology or counseling teens and women.

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The 5 W’s (and an H) behind No-Sugar September

~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

The precision of freshly sharpened No. 2 pencils. The smell of a new box of crayons. The stack of blank spiral bound notebooks. Even though I am seven years out of a school setting (and now feel old), I get the back-to-school fever when September rolls around.

September is a time for fresh starts, and this goal-setting, Type-A girl loves a fresh start. In addition to starting fresh with my approach towards motherhood and writing, the Gardner household is making a major change come September 1st.

We’re going sugar free!

In honor of recess, lunch lines, and book reports, here’s the 5 W’s (and an H) behind our big, sugar-free fresh start.

No Sugar September

WHO:

The Gardners: Tim, my tech savvy, youth pastor stud of a husband who just revamped his own blog, and me (Emily), amateur gardening, coffee loving writer of this blog.

WHAT:

No-Sugar September. Da. Da. Duuuuuun. Normally I’m all about the alliterations, but I liked the sound of No-Sugar September better than sugarless or sugar free September. For the month of September, we will not consume any refined sugar or white flour.

WHERE:

Our house. I have a feeling not many outside dinning establishments would comply with our No Sugar September dietary restrictions.

WHEN:

When I read about Bjork and Lindsey’s 60 days of no sugar in July, my interest was piqued but doing something similar was totally out of the question in August. We were going on vacation in August and there was no way I was giving up cinnamon raisin toast grilled and frosted at The Red Door or multiple helpings of anything my mom made for the sake of a sugar selective diet.

As I went though my mental calendar, I was pleased to discover that September was vacation, holiday, and major event free and would thus be suitable for a lifestyle altering diet challenge such as giving up refined sugar and white flour.

A minor glitch occurred when we got the opportunity to take a mini Labor Day getaway this weekend. The prep for No Sugar September has been time consuming and I didn’t think I could handle a No Sugar Roadtrip, so No Sugar September will run from September 3rd – October 1st. Four straight weeks.

WHY:

Because I’m too much of a weenie to do a Whole 30 or go gluten free, BUT I was feeling in need of a system (mental and physical) refresh.

Food has always been an integral part of community and celebration for me, and I like it that way. However, at times, food has also been a substance I’ve used like a drug. Pregnancy and postpartum have been seasons of growth in developing a healthier relationship with food and I’m hoping No Sugar September will promote further growth.

Neither of us expect to stick with a strict no refined sugar, no white flour diet after September, but I’d like to integrate some of our No Sugar September food habits into our normal culinary lifestyle.

We aren’t doing this to loose weight, but we will be taking a few measurements as one way quantify the effects of No Sugar September.

HOW:

We’ve been prepping for No Sugar September for the past month. I’ll be writing a more detailed post about getting started later, but our first steps looked something like this:

  • Read about Bjork and Lindsey’s 60 days sans sugar. *light bulbs*inspiration*
  • Wonder how I could convince Tim to go sugar free. Send him the blog post via email to test the waters.
  • With a little cajoling, Tim agrees. Hip hip hooray!
  • Spend August eating all sorts of sugary, carby wonderfulness since we’re giving up refined sugar and white flour in September.
  • Don’t replace the chocolate chips when the last bag is used for gooey cookies.
  • Start trolling Pinterest for refined sugar free sweets, because sweets are a top priority when menu planning.
  • Read Trina Holden’s new book, Your Real Food Journey, and get re-inspired by the delicious recipes that totally conform to No Sugar September.
  • Get serious about making a menu. Start replacing food staples with whole wheat, sugar free versions.
  • Make disgusting muffins. Wonder how I will survive September. Make Shauna Niequist’s Blueberry Crisp. Know I will survive since I can eat that everyday during No Sugar September if I wanted.

So, wish us luck! I will be posting tips, tricks, and recipes along the way. Have you ever done anything like this? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments. Recipes appreciated, too :)

 

Redefining “all in.” {Perspectives on Motherhood and Writing}

~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

If you’ve poked around the blog a bit, you’ll know that I became a first time mom in January. Though I’ve found much joy in this new role, I’ve struggled to find a balance between my need/love of writing and the demands of motherhood and marriage.  

As I considered picking the brains and hearts of all the wonderful momma writers I know, I realized I wasn’t the only person who would benefit from their advice and insight. I’m super excited to announce the Perspectives on Motherhood and Writing series. 

Every Tuesday this Fall, a talented mom and writer/blogger will be answering a few of my questions about balancing motherhood and writing. I want this series to be an avenue for women to share and encourage other women with their own wisdom and experience.

To give you a preview of what this series is all about, I answered my own questions! I hope you enjoy the series and make sure to check back next week for the first guest post.

Motherhood and Writing Emily

Why do you write/blog?

Writing helps me to connect with myself and blogging helps me to connect with others. It’s the way I process my day to day life and my relationship with God.

Though the majority of my writing stays hidden in the pages of copious journals, I choose to write publicly on my blog because of what Jean Fleming describes as an act of stewardship.

Revelations are graces from God not to be received lightly. For me, that means setting down on paper thoughts that might evaporate if left floating in the air. The ideas I explore, pray over, and chew on form a body of truth-in-process for me. I catch glimmers, fully intending to watch over them like a hen over her hatch. I return to these forming ideas, asking the Lord to correct, enlarge, and refine them.

Jean Fleming in Pursue the Intentional Life

Jean writes books to “honor revelation that [she] might preserve and return to it.” I write blogs posts to do the same. (Which is not to say that all my blog post are full of deep revelation…)

How long have you been writing/blogging?

I have a box full of journals in the garage with thoughts ranging from ten-year-old Emily to married Emily. I’ve been blogging since September 2012.

How has your current season of life impacted your writing/blogging?

We welcomed our first child in January this year (2014) and he has absolutely impacted my writing/blogging, as well as everything else in my life. Like with all new seasons of life, motherhood has required a shift in priorities. Writing and blogging have fallen down a few notches on my priority totem pole. I’ve struggled and pushed against that reality because writing is cathartic, creative, and fun for me. But, I’ve learned through experience that the more I force writing and blogging to happen, the less fruitful and joy-filled it is.

When I do something, I want to be all in. This season is teaching me to be gentle with myself – with my expectations, with my goals, and with my schedule. I can’t be “all-in” with blogging the way I think all-in should look. I’m having to redefine what all-in looks like for me in this season.

How has this season of life changed your writing habits?

In the last seven months, I have wondered so many times how I didn’t have posts going up on my blog every day before James arrived. Back then, writing was my only (unpaid) occupation and I was able to spend innumerable hours crafting posts.

This season has drastically cut the amount of time I have for non-mothering pursuits.  Writing is a long process for me, done best in large chunks of solitude. Those are few and far between right now and when they do come along, I’m always torn between writing and doing something practical, like cleaning the dried up pea puree crusted onto the dinning room floor.

Sleep has been better for my mental health than writing, so I’ve yet to develop the habit of rising earlier than James for a block of uninterrupted writing time.  That means my drafts folder is exploding and there’s a squadron of ideas floating around in my head that I will probably forget before they ever make it into a draft.

I try not to be on the computer when James is awake during the day, so the majority of my writing happens during naptime. If I really need/want to finish something that I’ve started that day, I will use some evening moments when Tim is home to complete a post. Tim blogs too, so we sometimes have blogging dates after James goes to bed.

What is your writing/blogging battle cry?

My blog was originally called Primitive Roads: navigating life’s unpaved paths. You can read the longer version, but basically I was inspired to start a blog during a major transition in our life and wanted a place to document the things that help me through the more rustic moments of life’s ever changing seasons.

Though I shifted to personal branding recently, the heart behind Primitive Roads still applies. I’m passionate about pursuing an intentional life in every season, recognizing that God is sovereign in every season. I want my writing to encourage others to embrace whatever season of life they’re in, both the macro and the micro seasons.

How does faith, writing, and motherhood intersect in your daily life?

When I get frustrated and bummed out that my ebook isn’t finished, that a post didn’t get written, or that my blog design is outdated, I have to return to the reality of what I know God has called me to in this season. The Lord has given me a precious son to love and care for, and everything else has to fit in around my faith and my family.

When I succeed in keeping my priorities straight, my choices are dictated by what would make me the best imitator of Christ and best wife/mom. Sometimes that looks like picking up the house, taking a nap, reading a book, or going for a walk instead of writing.

When I do choose to write, I want my words to be a source of encouragement, hope, and love.