LADDventure

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

I am thrilled to share that LADDventure has been nominated for The Very Inspiring Blogger Award by my new friend Angela, from Popsiculture! Thank you so much Angela. I'm honored and happy to inspire! Once you've been nominated, here are the rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. List the rules and display the award.
3. Share seven facts about yourself.
4. Nominate other amazing blogs and comment on their blog to let them know you nominated them.

Seven facts about me and LADDventure:

I originally started LADDventure as a way of documenting our (pretty spontaneous) move to Arizona. We were up for an adventure, and it was also a great way to keep family and friends updated.

The blog's first name was Destination Desert, until it became about more than just the move. Then I changed it to Ladd Adventure briefly until my friend's husband brilliantly suggested combining the two words into LADDventure.

I have become immensely more "outdoorsy" since moving to Arizona. Love getting up into the mountains in our Jeep.

I am married to my high school sweetheart and first love, the adorable Mr. Ladd. We've been together for 18 years, married for 9 and I couldn't be more grateful for that guy.

We are adopting two siblings between the ages of Birth-6 soon! We're finishing up the process to become certified to adopt from the state foster care system, and will go from a family of 2 to 4 real quickly.

In 2012, I decided to take a break from teaching to pursue writing full time. I dedicated more time to blogging and eventually started another website, The Candid Teacher all about teaching and parenting.

I wrote a book! Candid Classroom: What Parents Want to Know & Teachers Want to Tell Them released last month, and I'm still pinching myself.

Now for the really fun part - introducing you to some other bloggers who I nominate for the award! I nominate:

My good friend and neighbor, Kelsey from Rising*Shining, who's been inspiring me to purge and organize lately.

Sarah from Positively Dreaming with great thoughts on creativity and design

Sarah R. Bagley, a recovering perfectionists guide to a B+ life

Jacquie from The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood, whose recipe for Chicken Tikka Missala I've made twice in two weeks

Thanks again to Angela for the honor, and go check out these lovely ladies who are truly making the blogosphere a beautiful, inspiring place.

Five Minute Friday - Whisper

I just finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt last night. It was strange and a bit depressing at times, but captivating somehow, and I couldn't help reading it for hours everynight. The last chapter was so profound and beautiful. The characters were talking about a painting which the whole story centered around, and this just struck me...

"if a painting really works down in your heart and changes the way you see, and think, and feel, you don't think, 'oh, I love this picture because it's universal'. 'I love this painting because it speaks to all mankind. That's not the reason anyone loves a piece of art. It's a secret whisper from an alleyway. Psst, you. Hey kid. Yes you....An individual heart-shock."

I think that's what all good art does, it whispers to each individual something different, something uniquely meaningful to you. It grabs you and makes you feel like it was created for you and about you at the same time. It tells your story, explains your thoughts, changes your mind. That is the kind of art, books, music worth creating.

 

**This post is linked up over at Five Minute Friday, where the internet gets together, writes for five minutes without thinking too hard about it, and presses publish. Join us?**

It's Finally Here!

Friends, that right there in my hand is my book. I can hardly believe it, and I've never been more proud of anything in my life. It's been the hardest and most rewarding thing I've ever worked on. It's a dream come true, a year and a half in the making, and I am so excited to share it with you today!

This book is a combination of cherished stories from my years as a teacher and the valuable insight and practical tips for parents and teachers those years have taught me. Being a teacher will always be a part of who I am, and this feels like the perfect way to bridge the transition from teacher to writer.

Whether you're a parent, a teacher, or just anyone who has ever gone to school, this book is for you. It's officially available on Amazon now, and I'd so appreciate it if you'd buy a copy, leave a review, and share it with anyone you think may enjoy it.

I can't thank you enough for your excitement and encouragment throughout this entire process, and your continued support as I share it. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some celebrating to do!

Nightstand Reviews - Best of 2013

I joined a book club this year, and I couldn't love it more.  It encourages me to read at least one book every month, and often they are books I may not have heard of or otherwise read on my own.  It's also inspired me to read books I've been meaning to read for a long time, but just never gotten around to.  The conversation once a month with fellow book loving ladies is good for my brain and my soul. 

Reading also fuels me as a writer.  It's food for thought and creativity, and I read fast and furiously, so I'd love to share some with you.  Most of them did not come out in 2013, that's just when I got around to reading them, so without further ado, here are the best of the books I read in 2013.  Click on the covers to read more about each one.

Best Book Club Book

 

Some of my fellow book club members may disagree, but I just loved this book.  It's set in the 1920's, and is the story of a young lumber ticoon and his wife, who is one of the best evil characters you will ever meet.  The story has great pacing and mystery that keeps you turning pages.  An added bonus, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence will be starring in the movie due out this year.

Book Club Honorable Mention:  And the Mountains Echoed, and The 19th Wife

 

Best Memoir

Shauna Niequist is my all time favorite writer.  I reviewed her newest book here when it came out, and even got to be a recipe tester for the project.  This memoir/recipe collection tells the story of faith and food and the people we love, and how they all work together. It now has a place on my kitchen counter, and her lentil soup and blueberry crisp are in the regular rotation at my house.

Memoir Honorable Mention:  Carry On Warrior, Sober Mercies, The Glass Castle

 

Best Book That's Now a Movie

People either seem to think this book was life-changing, or they don't at all get what the fuss is about.  I am in the life-changing camp!  This book is just brilliant, and one of those rich stories you can't stop thinking about.  It's the story of Leisel Meminger, a foster-child in 1939 Nazi Germany, and has so much to say about life and death, compassion, family and friendship.  It's just stunning - one of my Top 10 of all time.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but you have to read the book first.  I'm a stickler for that, so I'm often motivated to read a book when I hear the movie is coming out.

Books That Are Now Movies Honorable Mention:  Labor Day, Gone Girl, The Spectacular Now (this is one of those rare ones for me where the book was good, but the movie actually made it better)

Best Nonfiction

I read this book before giving it to our family along with the announcement that we are adopting, and it was such an informative easy to read book.  It honestly but gently informs families and friends of adoptive families what they can expect, and how to best support adoptive parents as they go through the process.  I learned a lot from it and found it so helpful.

Nonfiction Honorable Mention:  Bully Nation and The End of Molasses Classes

 

 

Currently On My Nightstand

What are you reading right now?  What was the best book you read last year?  I'm always looking for a good book recommendation, so I'd love to hear from you in the comments about your favorite reads!

 

Random Reading - Words

I have been immersed in words this week, and words were all I could focus on.  I set and stuck to a writing schedule and finished my first rough outline of my book project (mini squeal).  I dove into new books that I had been eagerly awaiting to devour.  I spent hours on profound blog posts that inspired, challenged, and said exactly what I felt.  Words were bookmarked, highlighted, read aloud at our kitchen table, forwarded to other people, and talked about over the phone.  Song lyrics were belted out full of tears and truth.  Words clarified things, illuminated things, put things in perspective, and I've been breathing and dreaming nothing but words this week. 

This weekend, Mr. Ladd and I will be celebrating our 8th anniversary in Arizona's wine country!  (Arizona  has a wine country?  Yup, I'll share it with you next week)  So, I thought I'd leave you with some weekend reading in the meantime.  I hope these words impact you like they've impacted me recently.

I can't stop talking about Bread & Wine, by Shauna Niequist for good reason.  I wrote about it here.  Buy it.  Put it on your kitchen counter.  It's beautiful.  It's a new approach to the table.

Carry on Warrior, by Glennon Doyle Melton also came out recently and wow...just wow!  Seester and I have been following her blog, Momastery, for a while now, and have our own little book club going on with this one.  I can't tell you how timely, real, and healing Glennon's words have been.

I came across this honest post in which Elise's husband had the perfect words.

If  The C Word (Christianity) has ever made you nervous or curious, mad, confused, you name it, read this blog post by one of my favorite new writers on the internet.

I am a fan of Dancing With the Stars.  There, I said it out loud.  Andy Dick's story about sobriety &  his daughter this past week was so touching.  His sincere and vulnerable dance to some of the most beautiful words ever written, "Hallelujah," by Leonard Cohen, literally brought tears to my eyes.

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/IM61qSfYDqk&source=uds

Speaking of words, my brothers were kind enough to unknowingly help me out today by punctually tweeting this lyric video of Citizen Way's latest single. 

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/D-lvu54wBOU&source=uds

To All Creators of Words,

Thank you for sharing them, fueling us, helping us breathe, and making us cry.
Keep writing them.

Sincerely,
Readers

Bread & Wine

 

I have a lovely stack of cookbook types on my kitchen counter - the kind of cookbooks that go beyond recipes, and are too beautiful to stay hidden in the pantry.  I started the stack with the arrival of Bread & Wine in mind, knowing it would find its place right on top.  More than a collection of recipes, this book is collection of stories.

It's a memoir; an ode to life around the table.  Recipes are sprinkled in among stories of Shauna's life and what she's learned from coming to the table with people she loves.  It's about inviting others into our messy lives, opening up, and slowing down. It's about memories, community, and how we feed ourselves physically, spiritually and emotionally.  

I have been waiting impatiently for this book, following Shauna's blog and tweets about her writing process, and it has not disappointed. I wrote here about the honor of being involved in her project.  I got to test Annette's Enchiladas and give feedback, and might have squealed a bit when I saw my name in the acknowledgements as a recipe tester! Shauna's words have resonated so deeply with me since her first book, and I have gobbled up every one of them in her third.  The pages of my copy of Bread & Wine are already dog-earred and smudged with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

I can't stop making Robin's Lentil Soup, and I wasn't even positive what a lentil was or that I'd enjoy one previously.  Mr. Ladd and I have fallen in love with the Blueberry Crisp, and I am now the kind of girl who makes her own Balsamic Vinaigrette just to have on hand.  

The recipes are short with simple, wholesome ingredients in easy measurements.  She starts out each one with her personal notes and tips - the kind of advice your mom gives you over the phone when giving you a recipe, adding her opinions about where you should stick to it strictly and where you can deviate.  In my opinion this book is the perfect place to start if you are thinking about cooking or entertaining more often.  It is not about showing off or being fancy.  It is about simple, lovely ways to feed yourself and the people around you, and what happens when you do.

I think what's so special about this book is that it satisfies a craving for authenticity.  We rush through our days not even bothering to feed ourselves with intention, let alone the people we love.  This is a call to stop and be brave enough to connect in real ways around real food.

I'll leave you with Shauna herself inviting you to enjoy her latest creation...

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-d_0-2_SkSs&source=uds

Random Reading - Low Key Weekend List

We had a backyard fire after a relaxing dinner last night, and we have no other plans this weekend.  After lots of busy party prep and clean up last weekend, it feels lovely.  It will be a nice prelude before a loaded November and December calendar, so we are looking forward to lots of sweatpants and football around these parts the next couple days.
Hopefully you are getting some relaxing done this weekend too, and while you do, here are some of my favorites from around the world wide web for you to read. 






On Politics (Hopeful Leigh)
Couldn't have said it better myself - a refreshing read about why we get so frustrated with the political discourse in this country.

My Drug & My Defense (Shauna Niequist)
An honest post about the real reasons we keep ourselves so busy at times from one of my favorites

Exhaustion Is Not a Status Symbol (Lillian Cunningham for The Washington Post)
An interview with Brene Brown also about keeping busy. As you can tell, I am fascinated by this epidemic of busy we have in our society and workforce, and this was a very interesting take on that. It prompted some of these questions for me in my own thinking about working.

@#$% People Say to Transracial Families (Rage Against the Minivan)

This video is absolutely hilarious and educational perhaps.

Simply Marlena

Found this blog on pinterest, and spent a ton of time on it.  Marlena is the founder of Makeup Geek and her blog is full of fashion tutorials, makeup tips, and inspiration to be your best for real women.  

You Are a Writer (Schmutzie)
Schmutzie was on a panel at BlogHer '12 about blogging as a medium, and I really liked what she had to say and the tone of her whole blog.  This one was an important reminder.

Happy Weekend!

Books To Cozy Up With

I wanted to comment on Hollywood Housewife's book post this morning, but I had too much to say for the comment section, so I turned it into a post of my own.  She always has the best book recommendations and has never steered me wrong. 

I'm realizing that a lot of what I've read recently is perfect for this time of year, so all of the following are great books for curling up under a blanket with something warm to drink.

 "I had learned early to assume something dark and lethal hidden at the heart of anything I loved. When I couldn't find it, I responded, bewildered and wary, in the only way I knew how: by planting it there myself."

I actually discovered Tana French's series of murder mysteries set in Ireland on the blog I mentioned above originally.  They are not something I would typically every pick up on my own, but they are fabulously written.  So far I've stayed up way too late reading In the Woods and The Likeness.  They are creepy without being too gruesome or cheesy and are definite page turners.  The third book, Faithful Place is next on my list.

"This is not magic.  This is the way the world is, only very few people take the time to stop and note it.  Look around you."

The Night Circus is Erin Morgenstern's first novel and I absolutely loved it.  The story was very imaginative and every detail was beautifully written. It was enchanting from the beginning, like a grown up fairy tale.  I don't want to spoil anything because it is a very mysterious story, but to give you an idea, it had the feel of The Prestige meets Water for Elephants.

"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. " 

Ok, confession time...  I have never read any Tolkien.  But my brother, who was not formerly much of a reader until I forced Harry Potter on him, told me he rereads The Hobbit every fall because it's just so darn cozy. Well, being a sucker for seasonal traditions, and given the fact that the movie comes out in December, I made myself read it this year.  It was a little slow moving at first, but eventually I really got into it and enjoyed it. My brother was right.  It is rich and warm and makes you want to snuggle up by the fire with tea and cakes in your little hobbit hole. 

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”  

Another classic I finally got around to reading this last year was Jane Eyre .  I distinctly remember trying to pick it up around 13 years old and hating it.  However, a few years and a more developed vocabulary later, and I loved it.  It is dark and haunting, and ahead of its time, full of feminine hutzpah that I wasn't expecting.  If you have never read it, I would highly recommend.

What books are you curling up with lately?

Random Reading - Labor Day List

Happy Labor Day everyone!  Loving a 3 day weekend with the husband.  He has been super busy with work lately, so it's been great to see him out of our office for more than 15 minutes at a time.  Our weekend has been full of fantasy football drafts and doing some "why haven't we already done this?" projects around the house, like finally getting this full length mirror.  ($39.99 at Stein Mart people!)  Good thing too, because we had discussed the fact that if we couldn't get our collective act together enough to obtain a full length mirror after living here for 3 years, then we should probably just call it quits and get divorced.  Whew!  Broken home averted.  We now have the ability to see our shoes at the same time as our shirt without perilously perching on any furniture or doing high kicks in the bathroom mirror.

Since most of us have the day off, I thought I would link up to the best things I've found online lately for your clicking pleasure:

School-Homing (The Onion)
In light of back to school season, a little teacher humor

Best Time to Blog (Jason Keith for Social Fresh)
Learning lots about blogging and blogging strategy.  It's fascinating to me, and I'm going to try to start following some of these tips, like making sure to have a blog post ready first thing in the morning.  So come back tomorrow and have some coffee with me!

Needy Here vs. Needy There (Joy in the Journey)
I followed a group of bloggers as they traveled to Sri Lanka with World Vision, and this post on poverty and perspective was fabulous.

How to Stay Organized in the Kitchen (Tracy Benjamin)
Tracy writes a weekly column at HomeFries, and I just love her blog, shutterbean.  I love to cook, but hate to clean up the colossal mess I always seem to create in the kitchen.  The tip about the cookie sheet is genius!

Our Veganish Diet (rising shining)
I loved my neighbor Kelsey's explanation of what vegan means to them and how it looks on a day to day basis.  Her blog is great about transparent, practical insight into everyday life.  I'm learning tons from her, and love that we have a birthday, a street, and a blog in common.

Meet Glennon (Momastery)
Came across this gem of a blog, because one of my faves Kelle Hampton was meeting her for coffee in real life after meeting online.  She instagrammed about it, which prompted me to check out Glennon's blog, and to remember that the internet can be a wonderful place.  Just reading her "about" page led me to spend a crazy amount of time on her blog, but it was not wasted.  She is honest, loving, raw and everything I love in a writer.  Go check it out, you will be glad and teary-eyed.


Hope you are having a great weekend. See you tomorrow, bright and early!

Rainy Random Reading

Monsoon season has started here in the Valley of the Sun.  It's that lovely time of the summer that comes along just when you think you can't take the days of blowing dust and blazing sun any longer.  Around sunset the layered clouds start rolling in shadowing the mountains as they undermine the sun. The wind cuts through the dead air and sways the palms.

The night cools down enough to sit on the patio for a lightning show with your hair blown back and a sweating glass of iced tea.   Then comes rain.  The smell of dampening dust and refreshment hangs in the air, and the other night I literally drank it all in. Stood out in the rain with my face up to the sky, mouth and arms open wide.  Absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder when it comes to precipitation.

On that note, here's some reading material for your (hopefully) rainy weekend.  Most of them are links to the best things I read online this week, but I do have to mention that I'm currently reading the best rainy day book, Tana French's In the Woods.  It is mysterious and creepy, but heartfelt and engaging at the same time.  Lovely to read with rumbling thunder in the background.

Perfect Iced Coffee (The Pioneer Woman)

Finally found a cold brew iced coffee recipe that looks doable, and I tend to trust whatever Ree Drummond says, so it is currently brewing.  Hopefully this will be a staple in our desert fridge at all times.

7 Years of Blogging (Sarah Bessey) 

I originally clicked on this one because Laura of Hollywood Housewife recommended it, and I also trust whatever Laura says.  Great thoughts and encouragement for me about writing and faith.

Eating Chicken-Solving Problems (Dinner a Love Story)

I had not seen this blog until Shauna Niequist mentioned the post.  I also infinitely trust her opinion. (are you noticing a theme here?)  Great theory on what coming back to the table together could accomplish, and why sitting down to share a meal with people you care about is so important.

Spoiled Rotten (Elizabeth Kolbert)

I think this one has been circulating for a while, but it is a must read.  It so interestingly and accurately describes the biggest problem I saw as a teacher.

LIES (The Bloggess)

Lately discovered the Bloggess and can't get enough.  I just finished her hilarious memoir, Let's Pretend This Never Happened.  It is absolutely laugh out loud by yourself on an airplane and shoot pretzel crumbs out of your mouth while reading it - that kind of funny.

Happy Weekend!