Things I Love: Pinterest

Pinterest is so amazing. I am addicted. It's like an online scrapbook for hoarders, artists, crafters, fashionistas, teachers, and egomaniacs, all at the same time. Check it out.

Guess what?

Today's entry is not about something I bought that I like...or something I read that I like...or anything I like, except for an idea. An idea which rarely appeals to me except at times like this.



  Sometimes I wish I could just go away where no one knows me.

It's entirely impractical of course, and i'd hate it once I got there. But right now, it sounds kind of good. Do you ever have days like that?

Things I like: "Thankful" Lists

A lot of my friends on Facebook have been doing this thing for November where everyday they change their Facebook status to something they are thankful for. (Example- Today one of my friends posted that she was thankful to have two jobs that she loves.) I think this is a supercool idea, and I wish I had gotten on the bandwagon earlier.


Of course, there's no shame in starting a few days late. I can even make up for lost time.

1. Nov 1- I am thankful for great weekends with wonderful friends.
2. Nov 2- I am thankful for beautiful weather that is incredibly warm and nothing like fall
3. Nov 3-I am thankful for good quality time at night with my family.
4. Nov 4- I am thankful for another exciting weekend ahead!

A Book I Like: Here Burns my Candle and Mine is the Night

So I just finished reading Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice switchup from the usual historical fiction books I read which are almost always set in the 19th Century American West, larger cities during the Industrial Revolution, or in the ancient Roman Empire. As much as I know about my American history (and the bits of Roman history which I gleaned from Art History classes in college), I am not super familiar with Scottish History, despite having taken a History of England class at one point, which did nothing more than convince me that the English Monarchs were jerks when it came to dealing with Scotland (a conclusion I could have just as easily reached by watching Braveheart again, but whatever.)

Anyway, this book was a nice change of pace. It is one thing to know about the historical events of a nation but quite another to actually understand the culture, political, and religious climate of that place during those events. Liz Curtis Higgs really did her research with this books. She actually traveled to Scotland to see some of the places she was writing about about and she obviously took some pains to learn the dialect.

Note: If you DON'T want me to like your book, make sure that your dialogue is completely inappropriate for the time period in which the book was written. There is nothing worse than reading a book where a Roman soldier uses contractions and modern phrases.

Fortunately, Higgs avoids this scenario by using the appropriate vernacular for the time. In fact, if it weren't for the glossary provided in the back to the book, I would have no idea what some of the Highland terms mean. Good stuff all around.


As for the story, Here Burns my Candle is really the book that introduces all the characters, and sets the stage for the second book Mine is the Night. So far, I am only halfway through the second book but I already like it more than the first. It has a lot more along the lines of being an inspirational novel. The books are set in a pretty dark and uncertain time, and during most of the first book, none of the main characters really know God, which makes for a pretty depressing and hopeless book since the characters are constantly in a state of fear. The second book shows an enormous change in the characters, turning them from a bunch of a fearful, selfish women to strong, confident women who put their trust in God. It is encouraging and inspiring. I am so excited to see where this second book goes!

I would definitely recommend these books, but I'm giving you fair warning that you will definitely need to read the second after the reading the first.

Things I like: The guy who plays Voldemort in a Very Potter Musical

I don't like Harry Potter. I'm just gonna put that out there. Not even when he is played by Darrin Criss, one of the hottest guys on the planet.



                                          Um....not in that picture.

                             Much better.


Anyway, as I was saying, I'm not a big HP fan. But I absolutely love a Very Potter Musical. I've seen just enough of the movies to understand what's going on and why most of the jokes are funny. Plus, the music is outstanding. But I think the real reason I love AVPM is this guy:

 For those of you that haven't seen it yet, that's Lord Voldemort (when he was
 still a parasite living on the back of that Professor's Head.) He is hilarious. He is like the ultimate, loveable, evil villain. He is adorable. And his facial expressions are fantastic. The relationship between him and Professor-what's-his-name is absolutely hilarious. Pretty much anytime they are on stage, I get really happy. So I decided to do some stalking and see what this guy would look like without the horrifying undead makeup.

That is one beautiful dark Lord. If I were a better stalker, I'd look up what he's doing now but that just seems like a lot of extra work. Today I salute you, fake Lord Voldemort. May you get to be insanely well known but so well known that we never meet.

Free Gourmet Filled Cupcakes

If you don't live in West Michigan, you just might want to breeze over this entry because it is sure to make you sick (and sad) with envy. If you do live in West Michigan, read on. Today, I salute the free Gourmet Filled Cupcakes at Arnie's Bakery and Restaurants.

That's right. Free. (With the purchase of a meal, of course).

These cupcakes are AWESOME. There are literally no words to describe how moist and delicious and airy they are...and believe me, I've had my share of cupcakes. But nothing compares to the ones at Arnies. They come in these fancy flavors like red velvet with cream cheese frosting and double chocolate and carrot cake. Of course, I always opt for the double chocolate. Chocolate frosting, chocolate cupcake, and inside...chocolate mousse.

Of course, by the time I finish my meal at Arnies, I am always so full that I can't stand to look at the cupcake. In those cases, I take it home, and have it as the perfect post breakfast snack like I did today.

SCLQ: A website I like

Today I want to show my appreciation for one of the most hilarious and amazing websites out there..John Acuff's "Stuff Christians Like." Which goes perfectly with the theme of "Stuff I like."

Here is a link to the website:  http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/

Go there and check it out. The list is quite extensive, and it discusses such important items as 

• Rob Bell (#28- please note that this was pre Love Wins)
• Metrosexual Worship Leaders (#43)
• Disguising Gossip as Prayer (#81..you know people who do this!)
• Using "Let me pray about it" as a synonym for "No" (#116)
• Breaking up after a retreat (#154)
• Using "Love on" As a Verb (#192)
• Fearing the Rapture would come before you lost your virginity (#64)

Those are just a few favorites. Now I haven't exhausted the entire list (there are new entries almost daily) but here a few that I think should be added, if they are not on the website already:

• Romance Novels about Amish People
• The Enthusiastic "Hug Everyone" Guy who, if he weren't at church, would be carefully avoided and shunned as a potential molester
• Buying New Members with Awesome Freebies (Mugs, Luncheons, candy bars, etc. for first timers)
• Saying their church is "not the typical church"
• Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. 
• Joining a church to "meet someone" (AKA- Find a spouse)
• Being green but still using Styrofoam cups

You're welcome. 

Bossypants: A book I like

Look how tricky I am. I said I wasn't going to write about just books but here I am, with my very first post, and it's about a book. This book is hilarious. It's by Tina Fey, which should tell you something right off the bat. I bought it for my Mom for her birthday and then promptly stole it and did not return it until after I had finished the entire book.

This book had me laughing so hard I was crying. I always knew Tina Fey was funny, but this book is seriously pure gold. Her self deprecating humor begins early on in the book as she talks about her childhood as an fugly duckling...who later grew into a still fugly, socially awkward grownup duckling with no fashion sense and a witty tongue. (Of course,  you'd feel bad laughing about it for too long if were true...but since Tina Fey is gorgeous and hilarious and famous now, it kind of balances out in my mind.) A lot of the humor in this book is aimed at the female sex...but most men will enjoy it too. (Unless the man in question is a caveman, a sexist jerk, or Sarah Palin's husband.)

Why This Isn't Just a Blog about Books or a Really, Really Long Explanation of What This Blog is About

I really, really like books.


 Originally, I'd had this thought that I was going to write a blog about the books I'm reading. I wanted to make a blog about all of the good (and not-so-good) books I've read so that other people can benefit from my experience and excellent taste in books.

But due to a fear of commitment, I could not reconcile myself to committing to write a blog about just one topic. Eventually I would tire of it, and my book blog would go down the same road as my late "Current Affairs" blog, which was preceded in death by my "Deeps Thoughts about Life", "Religion", and "Top Five Lists" blogs.

Instead, inspired by the hilarious Mindy Kaling, I am settling on turning this into a "Things I Like" blog...which is not total rip off because her blog consists of "Things I like That I Bought." I am not limiting myself in such a way. There are plenty of things that I like that you can't buy...such as fall colors in Michigan, sleeping in late, and Harry Shum Jr. (At least I can't buy him...Mindy probably could because I am certain she makes more money on The Office than he does on Glee.) Anyhow, I hope you enjoy my blog. If you are actually still reading at this point.