i'm not a crazy cat lady, i promise!

The other night, I sat on the couch watching a movie. (Battleship. Don't waste your time. I gave up after about 40 excruciating minutes. I did enjoy the beginning, however, as Taylor Kitsch basically played an adult version of Tim Riggins, and I do love me some Riggins!) As I sat there, Isis jumped up onto my lap and began grooming herself, Skarra fell asleep on my feet, and Hammond ... well ... walked across my chest multiple times while whipping his tail in my face. I looked down at my crew and suddenly was struck with the realization that God sent my cats to me at the perfect time. Let me explain.

I adopted Isis, Skaara, and Hammond in July of 2012. In September of that year, I started feeling "not right," and by October, I was feeling pretty awful. Nearly two years later, I know what's wrong with me (Hashimoto's thyroiditis), and I feel like I'm finally clawing my way back to a near normal state—or at least a livable new normal. But these last two years have been the most stressful and difficult of my entire life.

At this point in my life, I'm single and childless. It's not the life I ever imagined for myself, but it's not a bad life, either. However, living alone makes it very easy to develop a selfish, woe-is-me attitude when I feel sick. Crazy as it may sound, having my cats to care for has made me less apt to focus on myself ... and I am absolutely positive that having cats has made me a happier person! (I'm pretty sure there are studies on how pets make you happier ... but I'm too lazy to search one out right now.)

So here's why I think God brought my babies* into my life at the perfect time. When I got them, they had to live outside per my lease, and three outdoor cats who roamed the neighborhood didn't seem at all excessive. Had I waited to get a cat until I bought my house, I probably would only have gotten one. Maybe two. No way on this earth would I have signed up for three house cats, and I certainly wouldn't have these three cats. They each bring their own unique personality (felineality?) to the mix, and I can't imagine our "family" without any of them. I love Isis' sassiness, her obsession with water, and her "this is not a cat person so I must make him love me" radar. I love that macho Skaara has to have a hug every morning while I'm getting ready for work. And I love Hammond's cuddly nature. (Could I tell you things I dislike about each of them? Sure. But that's not the point.)

Basically, what it boils down to is this: These last two years have been hard. At times, they seemed unbearable. My family and my friends have helped carry me through, and I am so grateful for them. I'm grateful for a God who knows me and understands what I'm going through, even when I don't understand it myself. And I'm also grateful for my cats, who bring me joy and keep me sane!

*Yes, I call them my babies, but I fully realize they're my cat babies, not human babies, and I AM NOT THEIR MOTHER. It's more like I'm the best friend that they worship. And they do adore me—they're not typical cats in that way. (Well, Isis' love is on her terms, but Hammond and Skaara straight up worship me.)

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top ten tuesday: books i want to read but don't own yet

This week's Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke & The Bookish, is a fun one: Top Ten Books I Really Want To Read But Don't Own Yet. I couldn't come up with ten when I didn't include books that I haven't released yet, so here are my top four plus a bonus "wishful thinking" pick.

A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

I've heard so many great things about this book, and it's in my Amazon wish list, but let's be real—I have so many review books on my shelf, and then another shelf full of books I want to read if I have time, that I doubt I'll be getting this one any time soon.

Wishing on Willows by Katie Ganshert

I read and loved Ganshert's Wildflowers from Winter last year. I had every intention of reading the sequel as soon as it released, but life got in the way, and I just haven't gotten around to buying it. I will, though—of that I have no doubt!

Somebody Like You by Beth K. Vogt

I read Vogt's Wish You Were Here and Catch a Falling Star and loved both of them. So I'm sure I'll get to this one at some point!

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

I passed on this one when the review invite came along, as I knew I was going to have a very busy summer. Every time I see a recommendation (and it's often), I regret that decision. I'll be getting this soon.

Bonus Pick:

The next Raleigh Harmon mystery (sequel to The Stars Shine Bright) by Sibella Giorello

I feel like I've been waiting forever for the next Raleigh Harmon mystery. In reality, it's only been two years. I've heard there's a sequel in the works, and I sincerely hope that's true—I really need a Raleigh-Jack kiss!

What do you think? Should I run out and buy any of these right now? What books would be on your list? Let me know in the comments, and then stop by the original post and check out other bloggers' picks!

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top ten tuesday: books i'm not sure i want to read

Obviously, I missed the "Tuesday" part of Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by The Broke & The Bookish—I worked about 12 hours on Tuesday because it was our back-to-school night at the school I work at. But I knew I still wanted to participate in this week's topic, so here's my Top Ten Tuesday ... on Wednesday.

This week's topic is Top Ten Books I'm Not Sure I Want To Read (books you may have bought but aren't sure if you are into it anymore, books you wanted to read but heard mixed things about, hyped books you aren't sure about—basically any book that has you going, "TO READ OR NOT TO READ?").

I decided to go with books that I already own but haven't read yet ... and might not ever. I own way more than 10 books that I haven't read, but these were the first to come to mind.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
I bought Divergent about two years ago—after I heard there would be a film version. I loved The Hunger Games trilogy, and people kept saying that if you loved The Hunger Games, then you'd love Divergent. I didn't read it right away, but I always intended to read it before watching the film. Then my sister told me that she couldn't stand Tris in the book, and she thought it was kind of dumb. Now that I've seen (and loved!) the film, I don't see any reason to go back and read the book. The jury's still out on whether I'll read Insurgent and Allegiant before those films release.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Honestly, I'm not sure why I own this book. I bought it on a whim, but I don't really want to read it. I haven't seen the movie, either, and I'm not sure I want to. Hearing that my one sister sobbed her way through the book and the non-crying sister teared up at the movie makes me think I'd be an utter mess. I like happy things, you know?

Matched, Crossed, and Reached by Ally Condie
After I powered through the whole Hunger Games trilogy in like four days, I was looking for something similar to read. I saw an ad for Matched in Entertainment Weekly and bought it immediately. And then it sat on my shelf ... and it's still sitting there. It's been read, but not by me. My coworker's daughter borrowed the series (yes, I bought the other two books as they released, even though I hadn't yet read Matched), and her apathy toward them after she finished them made me even less inclined to read them.

Coming Home by Karen Kingsbury 
This novel wraps up the Baxter series, most of which I adored ... and I might not ever read it. 1. I've heard it's sad. 2. I'm still mad about Bailey/Brandon/Cody in the Bailey Flanigan series.

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas 
I've heard fabulous things about this biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I bought it on sale, and I felt very intellectual when I did. Chances are, I'll never read even one page.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I bought Crime and Punishment for a world lit class in college. Then it turned out that the non-western lit class I took at community college transferred in as world lit, and I was able to drop the class. I kept the book—because, you know, it makes me look cultured and stuff. I'm not really a classic lit kind of girl, though, so I doubt I'll ever read it.

Naked Heat and Heat Rises by Richard Castle
I'm a huge fan of the TV crime dramedy Castle, so when I heard the Nikki Heat books that factor into the plot would really exist, I was on board. I bought and read Heat Rises, and while I enjoyed it, crime novels aren't really my thing ... which is why the next two books in the series, though purchased, have gone unread. I do think if I ever opened them, I'd enjoy them. We'll see!





There's my list. Do you agree? Disagree? Want to talk me into reading one or more of the above? Let me know in the comments! And if you've made your own list, be sure to link up here.

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top ten tuesday: books i'd give to readers who have never read christian ya fiction

It's another Top Ten Tuesday courtesy of The Broke & The Bookish! Last week was my first time to participate, and I had so much fun that I decided to do it again. (See last week's here.) This week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Give To Readers Who Have Never Read __________. I decided to fill in the blank with Christian YA Fiction.

Young Adult (YA) fiction is all the rage with The Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, and The Fault in Our Stars all topping bestseller lists and spawning successful movies. But what about Christian YA? I work at a Christian school, and while I've often seen students (mainly girls) grasping the aforementioned books in the hallway, very rarely do I see a student with a Christian YA novel. I have nothing against the novels I mentioned (save Twilight. I hate Twilight.), but I wish the girls at my school would give some Christian YA a chance. Here are the books that I'd recommend:

Anomaly, Luminary, and Revolutionary by Krista McGee
Fans of The Hunger Games will love this trilogy, which takes place decades following a nuclear war in what used to be the United States. The plot twists and turns its way through one adventure after another, and Thalli is a heroine readers will cheer for. I also love the focus on the Designer, who Thalli first learns of while she's waiting to die. Sometimes, the faith element in Christian novels can seem forced, but here it perfectly weaves into the plot. I can't recommend these books highly enough! (See my reviews: Anomaly, Luminary, and Revolutionary.)

Angel Eyes, Broken Wings, and Dark Halo by Shannon Dittemore
When I read Angel Eyes, I called it a cross between Twilight and Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness. This series expertly combines teen romance and the supernatural to create a thoroughly captivating Young Adult series. I've recommended this series to numerous girls at my school who are Twilight fans. (See my reviews: Angel Eyes, Broken Wings, Dark Halo.)

There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones
The only novel on this list that doesn't involve sci-fi, the supernatural, or anything else "weird," There You'll Find Me is a love story firmly grounded in reality. While the book is about finding yourself, finding love, and finding God, it also deals with bullying and eating disorders. It's a fantastic book for girls who are looking for a serious, romantic read. Plus, there's that cover. Isn't it spectacular? (See my review. Also check out Jones' Save the Date—it's not YA, but it's so, so good!) 

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
I suppose this is somewhat of a cheat, as I haven't exactly finished reading Waterfall yet. I actually started reading it last week, and then I had to put it down to read some books that I need to review soon. But so far, I'm loving this time travel novel, and I know Bergren's books are always excellent, so I guess I can recommend it without having finished it :-)

Crazy Dangerous and Nightmare City by Andrew Klavan
So far, all of these have been books geared more toward girls. (Not that boys couldn't or wouldn't read them, but they seem more female oriented.) Teen boys—and some girls—will love these books by Andrew Klavan. Both feature male protagonists, and they are thrill rides from beginning to end. I loved them! (See my reviews: Crazy Dangerous, Nightmare City.)

Now it's your turn! Do you have any books to add to my list? What 10 books would you recommend to readers haven't tried _____? Tell me in the comments, or publish your own list and link up here.

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top ten tuesday: authors i own the most books from

The blog has been silent lately, mainly because I just got back from a week in Indiana, where my sister married the love of her life. (Trust me, a post is forthcoming.) While on said "vacation," I read a total of 1-1/2 books. That's it! It was nice to have a break, and now I'm ready to jump back into my normal insane reading schedule :-) I'll have a slew of reviews in the next several weeks, but for now, I thought it would be fun to do something different.

I've never done one of these weekly memes before, but several bloggers I follow have started doing Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke & The Bookish, and I thought it looked like fun! I'm sure I won't be doing these all the time, but if a Top Ten Tuesday catches my eye, then I'll jump in.

This week's topic is Ten Authors I Own The Most Books From. Since I didn't really feel like going through my bookshelves and Kindle to count everything, this is just an estimate. I'm very confident in the top five, but the rest are guesses :-) I thought it might be fun to give you a glimpse at my bookshelves as we go along. (If the pictures are too small, click on them, and they'll get bigger.)

This is just the 1st shelf—the shelf below
is about half full of Kingsbury books!

1. Karen Kingsbury—There was a time when I bought each and every Kingsbury book as soon as it released. That all ended with Loving, the last book in the Bailey Flanigan series. I began reading, then I flipped to the end to find out who Bailey chose in the end: Cody or Brandon. The result was what I feared. I put the book down and haven't read another Kingsbury book since. I know it's ridiculous, but I spent so much time (and money) invested in Bailey's journey, and I just can't get over the way it ended. (Full disclosure: At one point in the series, I wanted Kingsbury to end it exactly as she did, but then things changed, and I felt betrayed as a reader.) I do have two Kingsbury books that I haven't read yet, including Coming Home, which wraps up the Baxter series. I should really read them ... someday.

I just counted, and I have 44 Karen Kingsbury books. Goodness!

Lori Wick & Dee Henderson. For
a while, I kept all my Wick books.
Recently, though, I decided to just
keep my favorites and try to sell
the rest. So if you're in the market for
cheap Lori Wick books, check out
my half.com shop!

2. Lori Wick—From 7th grade until I discovered Karen Kingsbury in college, Lori Wick was my favorite author. I loaned out Sophie's Heart so many times that it's practically falling apart, and I've still read it more times than any other book. Fun fact: Wick is the only author on this list that I've seen in person. Her son attended the same college as I did, and one Sunday morning I turned around in church and saw her about six rows back!

3. Susan May Warren—I liked the first few Warren books I read, but I didn't love them. Then I read Sons of Thunder. I was hooked, and now I read everything she writes. I just finished When I Fall in Love, and I absolutely could not put it down. (Review coming next week.) I can't wait for the next in the series!

It doesn't look like many books, but
The Chronicles of Narnia and The
Essential C.S. Lewis both contain
several books.

4. C.S. Lewis—Lewis is the only author on the list whose fiction and non-fiction I own. Of course The Chronicles of Narnia is a favorite; I also love Mere Christianity and Till We Have Faces.

I've loaned out several Dekker books. They go
(of course) where the gaps are. If you're interested
in the book flowers, you can see how I
made them here.

5. Ted Dekker—My friend Jodi gave me Green, my first Ted Dekker novel, about 10 years ago. After devouring the Circle trilogy (now a quartet), I moved on to his other novels. Some I loved (Skin, Immanuel's Veins), some I loathed (Boneman's Daughters). I haven't read any of his newer novels ... or even all of the novels that are on this shelf!

The end of Susan May Warren &
most of my Robin Jones Gunn.

6. Robin Jones Gunn—What Christian teenage girl in the 90's didn't love the Christy Miller series? I got into the game a bit late—Book 8, Starry Night, is the first book I read in the series. Then in high school, I started reading the Glenbrooke series, and I own all eight books. Most recently, I read the Katie Weldon series and was surprised at how much I liked Katie, as I didn't really enjoy her in the Christy Miller series. I also have a couple Robin Jones Gunn books on my to be read shelf.

I have two types of bookshelves:
those that hold books I want to
display, and those that hold books
I keep for sentimental reasons. This
shelf holds the latter.

7. Lisa T. Bergren—I first came across Lisa T. Bergren in high school. My high school library had the Full Circle series, and reading Refuge made me really, really want to visit Montana! I didn't read any more of her books for a long time, but I recently reviewed the Grand Tour series and loved it. I also have a few books from her River of Time series on my Kindle ... must make time to read them! (Hello, it's YA and time travel. Of course I'm going to love it!)

The end of Karen Kingsbury, a few Denise Hunter,
and the beginning of Susan May Warren. I've
loaned out a ton of my Hunter and Warren books.

8. Denise Hunter—Hunter is, hands down, my favorite romance writer. I got started with her Nantucket series, and I've read practically everything she's written since. The Convenient Groom is one of my all-time favorite books, but I haven't reviewed it. I should probably read it again and remedy that!

The Austen shrine.

9. Jane Austen—Is it OK to admit that the only Jane Austen book I've ever read is Pride & Prejudice, and even then, I skipped some in the middle? But I display the books prominently, right beside the film adaptations of her novels. (My favorite? The BBC production of Emma.)

10. Dee Henderson—Henderson's O'Malley series remains is one of my all-time favorites. I also read some of her True Devotion series and enjoyed them. I haven't read any of her recent novels—I've read some negative reviews, and I don't want to spend money on books I may not like.

So there's my list. What about you? Leave your top ten in the comments, or leave a link to your own top ten post.

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july life update

I'm well overdue for another gluten free post, but there are so many other things to talk about, so I'm going to do a combo post—a life update, if you will. Hopefully the pictures will keep it interesting!

Cats
I celebrated two years with my cats at the beginning of July. When I got Isis, Hammond, and Skaara, I simply hoped they'd stay around for a few months—I didn't dare to hope I'd have them for years! Here are the before and after pictures I posted on Facebook.

Hammond & Skaara

Isis

Gluten Free
There's not really much to say here. I no longer have the extreme hunger or fatigue that I faced in the first couple weeks. I'm also not having the amazing digestive results that I had at the beginning. The angry bowels are back, folks. (TMI?) I'm not having the extreme reactions to some meals that I used to have (I didn't get sick once during Val's bachelorette weekend, where I ate out every meal—I'm very thankful for gluten free menus!), but I also wouldn't say that everything is "normal." Really, though, my digestion hasn't been normal for my entire life ... I'm beginning to wonder if the reduction in IBS symptoms has more to do with being more conscious of what I'm putting into my body and eating fewer processed foods than it does with cutting gluten. I haven't seen a single change in thyroid symptoms, but I'm going to keep plugging away with the gluten free diet, at least until I see my doctor again at the end of July or beginning of August. I want to know if cutting gluten has reduced my thyroid antibodies. (Because some people asked after my last update: I currently take Synthroid. I was on levothyroxine—generic for Synthroid—for about 12 years, and the ENT I saw in April recommended I take name brand Synthroid to see if that helped. I don't think it has, so I'm going to be requesting a switch back to the much cheaper levothyroxine ... or perhaps Armour. Most importantly, I now know what questions to ask. I know this means nothing to you non-thyroid people!)

Shoutout to my friend Sarah, who gave me this great stuff after she found out she didn't need to be gluten free! Keep her in your prayers—she's also dealing with some frustrating health stuff.

Essential Oils
A few weeks ago, I went to an essential oils party—this one was for Young Living oils. I love the concept, but man are these oils expensive! I almost signed up on the spot, but I decided to think about it for a while, and I'm glad I did. I ended up buying this Edens Garden set for $25 (including shipping) from Amazon. So far, I've only used the peppermint and lavender, and I'm very happy. I've mentioned before that I have terrible menstrual cramps—I normally take upwards of 30 ibuprofen pills per period (which is terrible, I know, but the cramps are so bad!). During my most recent period, I took six pills. SIX! Sure, I smelled like a walking peppermint the whole time, but I think it's a good trade off!

In the last few days, my dad has also smelled like a walking peppermint because we've been using several oils—and peppermint seems to overpower the others—to treat poison ivy. His results haven't been so amazing, so he's headed to the doctor this afternoon. You can't win them all, I guess!

(Note: If you're a Young Living/doTerra/any other oil company rep, I'm not interested in hearing why your product is so much better than Edens Garden. The oils work for me, I'm happy, and that's all I need to know right now. Also, the lack of an apostrophe in "Edens" really drives me nuts—but not nuts enough to avoid the products!)

Bachelorette Weekend
My sister is getting married ... in less than two weeks! At the end of June, several of us met outside Chicago to celebrate. It was so great to spend time with her, eat great food, and relax. I also had my first exposure to this shopping wonderland:

Oh, Ikea. How did I ever go 32 years without understanding how wonderful you are? I spent less than $75 and got some amazing stuff, including curtains for my bedroom and a new coffee table. Then I ordered some stuff when I got home, too, because I realized I really should have bought the matching end tables to go with the coffee table.

Painting Project
When I moved into my house, there was one thing I wished I could have done first: paint the guest room. But the desire to move in as soon as possible trumped the desire to paint, so I put it off. Over the 4th of July weekend, Blendy and I finally painted! Take a look at the before and after photos:

The room was very cute before, but only suitable for a child ... The room looks much more "adult" now. To top it off, I was able to hang my favorite painting on the wall:

I fell in love with Starry Night when I was in high school. The first time I remember seeing it was on a very special episode of Boy Meets World. Topanga is mad at Cory because he kissed another girl. She and Angela go to this art museum, and she meets an intriguing boy played by General Hospital's Lucky Spencer, Jonathan Jackson. They bond over Starry Night, go on a date, he kisses her, and then Cory and Topanga get back together. (I tried really hard to find you a clip, but this was all I could find. No Lucky. Sorry.) Anyway, Blendy found the print at Ross for $20 during Bachelorette weekend. Score!

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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going gluten free: two week update

I've now been gluten free for two weeks. It hasn't actually been all that difficult. No dreams of bread, and my sister's amazing chocolate chip cookies didn't even appeal to me. (Read my introduction to my gluten-free diet here.)

My biggest challenge is one that I didn't anticipate:

I'M HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. ALL. THE. TIME. I haven't had an appetite like this in years. Figuring out what I can stuff in my face is a bit challenging at times, especially when I'm at work. I know it would help if I actually liked things like carrots and celery ... I've been eating lots of popcorn and Greek yogurt. It "helped" that I finally got my Vitacost order of several different gluten-free flours. (I went with Vitacost over Amazon because Vitacost's prices were way lower. I was surprised.) So I immediately made brownies. Tasted great, but I'm thinking that wasn't the greatest food choice! I also made gluten free pancakes, which tasted great but were way too runny. I've found a lot of good-looking recipes, so I'll keep experimenting!

Some of my gluten-free meals. Yes, that is a giant bowl of meat from Arby's :-)

As for how I'm feeling, well, it's been a mixed bag. One thing I've noticed is fatigue. I mean, I'm always tired, but twice since I've gone off gluten I've been so tired after work that I've taken a nap. I never nap. I'm sleeping between seven and eight hours a night, so I know I'm not sleep deprived. Weird. I even took a sick day last week because I was so exhausted after my shower that I had to lay down for a while. It was so strange. The next day, I felt "fine"—well, as fine as I ever feel. I was hoping (rather naively, I'm sure) that I would immediately feel a reduction in thyroid symptoms. (The fatigue could have nothing to do with this diet, but it's weird that it hit just as I made the change.)

But digestively, I've noticed a huge difference. I can't remember a time that I didn't have digestive issues—cramping, gas, constipation, diarrhea. While things aren't perfect, these are the best two weeks I've had in a very long time. Really, that alone makes this change worth it.

So I'm going to keep going. I'm still hopeful that it will help me feel "normal" again, but if it doesn't, I'll find something else to try. I'm learning a lot about Hashimoto's, I'm determined to keep fighting to feel better!

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