#thankful

 I've been a blogger slacker. Ever since July, life has been moving at a crazy pace! It's been good...but busy. But I guess life is always busy, right? It's just about prioritizing what matters most and letting other things sit on the back burner for the moment. And that's where blogging has been for me. In July I went on my third missions trip to Guatemala and as soon as we got back, I was running full speed preparing for another year teaching kindergarten. And then it was all of the back to school things and commitments at church...and it's now almost December. I've managed a few book reviews here and there but want to do better! I'm trying to do better with managing my time - I'm working on it :)

Another thing I'm working on is being more thankful. I have a habit of thanking God when I get in my car after work each day. Thanking Him for my job. Thanking Him when the day goes well...and even when it doesn't. But I'm wanting to be more specific. The worship leader at my church encouraged us, in those moments when things aren't going as we want, to stop and name things you're thankful for. So Monday and Tuesday that's what I did. When I left work each day, I named five things I was thankful for that day. Monday was hard. It wasn't the best day so coming up with five things stretched me a little. But then Tuesday was much easier. I found myself thinking through the day of what I could include in my five things. 

With it being Thanksgiving, it's easy to have the thankful mindset but this is something I want to continue year long.

book review: "the golden braid" by melanie dickerson

Rapunzel can throw a knife better than any man. She paints beautiful flowering vines on the walls of her plaster houses. She sings so sweetly she can coax even a beast to sleep. But there are two things she is afraid her mother might never allow her to do: learn to read and marry.

Fiercely devoted to Rapunzel, her mother is suspicious of every man who so much as looks at her daughter and warns her that no man can be trusted. After a young village farmer asks for Rapunzel's hand in marriage, Mother decided to move them once again - this time, to the large city of Hagenheim. 

The journey proves treacherous, and after being rescued by a knight - Sir Gerek - Rapunzel in turn rescues him farther down the road. As a result, Sir Gerek agrees to repay his debt to Rapunzel by teaching her to read. Could there be more to this knight than his arrogance and desire to marry for riches and position?

What a great read! I like how Melanie tied in things that are familiar to me about the story of Rapunzel (all thanks to Disney) but she put her own spin on it. This was a story full of action, humor, suspense and a splash of romance. I think every girl likes a good fairy tale and this book made Rapunzel's story possible. I loved Rapunzel's determination...to learn to read and find her freedom. She and Gerek made me laugh - especially when he was teaching her to read and was anything but happy about it. They fell in love without even realizing it. Melanie did a great job of telling this story - I liked how all the little details came together. How the book Gerek let Rapunzel borrow is what led him to finding her. How the scar on her hand ultimately led to her discovering the truth about her parents. Just a good read that will leave you believing in fairy tales :)

I received a copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group for my honest review.