Janssen from Everyday Reading introduced me to book outlet. This could be a dangerous discovery for me. So, in true Ashley form, I’m going to share this dangerous discovery with you!
All of the books are new and extremely discounted. There are so many great deals to find– even on kids activity books. I bought several sticker by number, scratch and sparkle, and coloring books to have as entertainment this summer. These also keep the kids quiet and happy in the waiting room of doctor, dentist, etc. offices.
I really like checking the new release section each day just to see what is new. It’s like browsing the library shelves. I enjoy online “window shopping”. I found some books to tuck away for the upcoming birthdays in our family.
I will say that shipping does take a while. It took over a week for my order to arrive. If you are buying books for gifts, then you definitely want to plan in advance.
If you shop using this link, you can get $10 off your order of $25 or more. Shipping is $5 flat rate and free if your order is over $35.
It’s been quiet on the blog– the theme of the past few months. Life has been crazy, as usual.
Here’s a quick update: Addison got braces! What was supposed to be just six brackets on the front top/bottom ended up being a full mouth of braces. She also has expanders in the top and bottom and had to re-learn how to eat. She’s done awesome and has such a good attitude about it all!
I ended up getting some obnoxious virus right before Christmas that made my asthma flare. I spent several days in bed because I would get so dizzy and out of breath if I got up. My sweet husband brought me meals in bed and made sure I was eating. He’s truly the best and most selfless person I know.
My younger sister and her family have been in town. We’ve had so many fun holidays and activities. We have shared loud and crazy meals, which is such a blast. We’ve alsohad lots of quiet down time at home, and it’s been so lovely. On a warmer day, we went hiking, which felt crazy to do in December. It was so lovely.
On Scott’s last day off, we decided to make a day of it. We went to Krispy Kreme to use a coupon I had– and we had the worst service ever. Then, we went to Barnes and Noble so Scott could finally use up a gift card that I got him for our anniversary in 2018. Book stores and libraries are our happy place. We ate lunch a Chick-fil-a, which feels like a wonderful first meal of the new year. HA! Since we were so close, we too the girls to Lincoln’s tomb. It was closed, so we couldn’t go inside. Addison loves to learn about Abraham Lincoln and was thrilled to get to see another piece of history. She’s going to be just like Scott.
Aside from wanting to wish you a Happy New Year and give an update, I wanted to hop on today and remind you of the book club book this month. We are reading The Life-Giving Home by Sally Clarkson. Check it out from your library or purchase it on sale through that link. I think I will do one recap/discussion post at the end of the month and see how it goes. I would LOVE for you to join me.
I need help coming up with a clever name for book club. Any ideas? My mind is still in a fog.
Several years ago, I won a big giveaway with Sarah Mae. One of the prizes was Ann Voskamp’s Unwrapping the Greatest Gift book. (Also, the adult version was a prize and is so good.) The girls and I have been reading each day’s devotion in the morning. It has been a great way to set an intention for the day. It has given the kids something to chew on through the day, and also gives them a task to complete. If you have children, I highly recommend getting Unwrapping the Greatest Gift and doing it each year with your children.
I’ve been thinking a lot about intention. I want to be an intentional wife and mother. I want to be intentional in what I bring to the table in all that I do. I believe that deep down, we all do. I want all that I do to glorify Christ, and that starts with being intentional. I want to slow down and enjoy it all. To study your Bible each day, it takes being intentional with your time. It’s easy to say “not today” and skip it.
I asked a couple weeks ago if anyone would be interested in doing a book club with me. I’m going to try it out for the month of January and see how it goes. Along with the theme of intention, I was very intentional with my January book choice. January’s book is going to be The Life Giving Home by Sally and Sarah Clarkson. Request your copy from the library or purchase your own so you can highlight and make notes.
“There is good news waiting for you in the pages of The Lifegiving Home. Every day of your family’s life can be as special and important to you as it already is to God. In this unique book designed to help your family enjoy and celebrate every month of the year together, you’ll discover the secrets of a life-giving home from a mother who created one and her daughter who was raised in it: popular authors Sally and Sarah Clarkson. Together they offer a rich treasure of wise advice, spiritual principles, and practical suggestions. You’ll embark on a new path to creating special memories for your children; establishing home-building and God-centered traditions; and cultivating an environment in which your family will flourish.”
Not every month will be a non-fiction book, but I think this is a great choice to start the year. Even if you have already read it, I would love for you to discuss along with us! Please do so in the blog comments so that others can join in– versus on the facebook post where they get lost. If you have a book suggestion, please share!
**Sally also has a book called Unwrapping Wonder coming out in August of 2020. You can pre-order it now.
I received an advanced reader copy of Sarah Mae’s new book “The Complicated Heart”. Once I started it, I finished it the next day. It was so captivating that I could not put it down. It is currently available for preorder. You can get the audiobook version for FREE if you preorder before 9/17. Just visit thecomplicatedheart.com for more info and to claim your preorder bonus!
Goodness, where do I even start? There is so much to unpack, and I’m sure I will not do this justice.
Sarah’s mother was an alcoholic. She was abusive and mean, but Sarah desperately wanted to be loved. Sarah was sexually abused by men..boys.. who would take advantage of her. Here’s the thing that you should know about Sarah. She doesn’t shy away from the messy and ugly parts of her testimony… the ones that so many want to hide in the closet. She shares it all. She shares the hard things so that she can point directly to God. As if she is saying, “Look at God! Look what God did in me through this.”
I don’t want to give too much of the book away. The story is so captivating and heartbreaking. The story of redemption in her and her mother is BEAUTIFUL.
There are definitely parts of the book that are hard to swallow. She writes in the beginning about ways to examine if you are in a place to read what she has written. Here’s your warning that I’m going to talk about some of them..
When Sarah was 16, she got pregnant. She wanted to keep the baby, but her grandmother would no longer speak to her. She was desperate for love and agreed to have an abortion (link to her story). This part of Sarah’s story changed my life. I was able to see abortion through the eyes of a scared teenager desperate for people to love her again instead of from the Christian circle eyes of condemnation. Here’s the thing. In Christian circles, we label abortion as murder; which it is. BUT, we fail to stop and reach out to love on the scared teen mom expecting a baby. We don’t LOVINGLY encourage her to find and follow Jesus. We shame and condemn as though HER sin (and HIS.. let’s stop ignoring that) is so much worse than our sin. Our sin of gossiping, lying, having a bad attitude, gluttony, etc. Jesus died to cover ALL sins.. not just our “minor” sins.. Sin is sin is sin by the way. Sarah sharing this has allowed me to minister to multiple women who carry the weight and shame of their decisions in a way that I probably never would have been able to otherwise.
As the book goes on, we learn more about Sarah’s mother, Susan. We see that she, too, was deeply wounded and never knew how to show love. She, too, was abused by one of her parents. We see the story of her coming to know Jesus. We see the story of restored relationships. We see the hurt and heartbreak. The joy and celebration. The struggle. We see the legacy of abuse and shame ending.
I am blessed. I grew up with two loving parents who showed me love. I was never abused. I never walked through the pain that Sarah or her mother did. But, I know that is not the story for everyone. This book is incredible. This book will change lives. I am so thankful that Sarah told their story.
I HIGHLY encourage you to pre-order this book. If you can’t afford that, get on the hold list ASAP at your local library. In the mean time, you can follow Sarah on her blog, Instagram, or Facebook and see how incredibly God has used her.
I’m on two book launch teams right now. I’m over the moon excited about both of them. The first is for Sarah Mae’s new book called The Complicated Heart. Sarah is unafraid of the messy parts of her life. The areas that most people want to hide under a rug are the ones that she brings front and center to show how God worked through it all. This book highlights her painful relationship with her mother and how she learned love and forgiveness. The next book is by Emily Ley and is called When Less Becomes More. Emily is all about simplifying your life. I got to listen to her read a portion yesterday and had tears welling up in my eyes. When she said “I felt empty” I knew this one was written for me. All of that to say– you should definitely pre-order these books! If you pre-order on amazon, you get the lowest price that the book goes in between the time your order is placed and the time the book launches.
Do you have flies and gnats in your house, too? I know that the farmhouse is going to be full of them, so I went looking for a solution. These sticky strips that hang in your window are the best!!! They aren’t really noticeable unless you are looking for them, and they catch a ton. I heard that they work best in the corner of your windows, and so far that is true. I know it’s gross, but it’s also SO HELPFUL to know something that works.
Scott and I have been working through this book together. We are about halfway through, and really love it so far. At the end of each chapter, there are questions for you to answer together. It has been a great conversation starter and really eye opening for both of us.
My friend, Kyle, is trying to open up a board game cafe in his hometown. Click that link and watch his video! It’s so good. I love the idea and think the whole country could use something like this. It’s a safe place to play games, eat snacks, and hang out. His kickstarter campaign is in its final days, and I would love to see him get it going. It’s an all or nothing campaign, so if it isn’t fully funded it won’t be happening. Please consider donating even if you don’t live there and showing that we want more wholesome options for our families!
I grew up traveling and camping. One year, we were so fortunate and got to visit several of the US National Parks. It was amazing. Badlands, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon stand out the most to me. We saw Mount Rushmore. We visited Wisconsin Dells. We drove close enough to see Great Salk Lake in Utah. So many amazing sights were seen, and I long to experience them with my kids.
I checked out this book from the library so that we could see the closest park to us, and learn more about the others. Scott and I ended up loving it so much that we bought our own copy so we can mark it up and stamp it as we travel through the years.
We have had a tent for several years, but haven’t camped since 2012! Another book we got from the library is this one. We live in IL, but there are options for just about every state.
I recently read At Home in the World by Tsh Oxenreider. They packed up their family, including their young children, and traveled the globe for a year. The book was phenomenal. While it certainly didn’t make me want to travel the globe with my children at this age, it did make me realize that we are too limiting. I grew up camping. I grew up camping in a tent. I don’t have emotional scars. I have incredible memories.
Some of the memories are amusing– camping next to incredibly intoxicated men who belched ALL. NIGHT. LONG. I believe those same people came close to running over our tent with us in it, which was scary. My younger sister and I would get bored (of course) and went and played Pooh Sticks on a bridge over water. We swam in cold streams. We walked and fed ducks. We played games, roasted marshmallows, and ate delicious food. We were always worn out from playing all day, and would sleep well if the neighbors weren’t loud.
Why are we so hesitant to do these things with children? Is it because the world seems more scary? Perhaps. Often, I think we just don’t want to deal with the “hassle” of it all. It’s a lot of work to pack what you need for a camping trip. Planning for meals and sleeping on the ground is a little stressful. But, the memories made are so incredible.
Summer vacation is coming, and I want to encourage you to plan some adventures. They don’t have to be huge– like trips to a National Park. Just camping in your backyard. Exploring your town on foot. Playing in a sprinkler. Whatever it is, get messy and make memories.
If you do have plans to visit national parks, and have a 4th grader, sign up at Every Kid in a Park. Your fourth grader, even homeschooled, can get your family free entrance into national parks for a whole year! Chloe is going into fourth grade next year, and I can’t wait to get our pass! You can also get a pass if you are the educator of a fourth grade class!
There are so many books on sale on Amazon today. I decided to put together a post about all of the ones I’ve read or wanted to read! The prices could change any time, so I do apologize if they go up.
All Cover art belongs to the authors/publishers. Not to Four Arrows Farmhouse.
I’ll continue updating as I find more deals. Be sure to browse around because there are SO MANY good ones on sale.
The previous links are all affiliate links. That means when you click through, I earn a small (very small) commission. Your price doesn’t change at all, but you are helping me support my family. Thank you!
Don’t you just love when a book is really thought provoking? I am reading “This is Where You Belong” by Melody Warnick as part of the Everyday Reading book club.
This book is all about falling in love with your town. I picked this up feeling a little unsure. I love in the town that I grew up in. But, we didn’t really move here by choice. It was move back and live with my parents for a short time, or be homeless. I love living near family. This town is safe and nice and all of that, but I never wanted to move back.
Melody wrote a chapter called “Buy Local” that has really resonated with me. I’ve always loved supporting local business and small shops, but never really put much thought into it. When you shop at a big box store, most of the money you spend doesn’t stay in your area. It climbs up the corporate ladder and doesn’t benefit your area at all. When you buy something at a local shop, most of that many stays in your town. The tax dollars improve your roads and give you better schools. You are supporting someone that you get to know very well.
A day or two after reading this chapter, we needed to get our oil changed. I called the local auto shops. The first one was completely booked. The next one squeezed me in between two appointments. I was so grateful. He even let me know that one of our other fluids was a little low, and that he’d order it and would top it off for me once it came in.
We have a candy shop in town that the girls and I stop in when we are going for walks. One day that we stopped in, I was buying some things for my mom who had just had knee replacement surgery. Addison told the woman behind the counter what we were doing. This lady put colorful ribbons on everything and bright tissue paper to make it look like a present. It may not seem like a big deal, but it meant the world to me.
Small businesses care. They want your business. They will get to know you. They will know your likes and dislikes.
I am really enjoying this book. Where we live may not be a permanent address, but I can learn to love it while we are here. I can invest myself in where I am. So can you.
I’ve always had the attitude in the back of my mind of “well, we’ll probably move soon anyway, so why get attached?” While it is true that in youth ministry, it’s common to move more often than most other jobs, that doesn’t mean I need to keep everyone and everything at arms length.
It’s ok to get attached. It’s ok to love where I am for the time being. I love that this book has challenged me and given me tangible ways to love where I am. I encourage you to pick this book up at your library or purchase it and pass it on when you are done! It’s such a great read!
One of the perks of working in a library is that I see a LOT of books that I would otherwise miss. When Fish in a Tree was turned in, the title caught my eye. I read the back cover and immediately placed a hold for it– since the copy that was turned in was going elsewhere. Fish in a Tree is a YA (young adult) novel about a girl named Ally Nickerson. She doesn’t know how to read, and knows that she is different from other kids her age. She has always acted out and been able to hide her struggles from everyone- her teachers, mom, brother, etc.
Ally is a lonely kid without friends. She feels like she is dumb and will never be able to do anything like anyone else and really hates being different. She loves drawing and has a book called “The sketchbook of Impossible Things” that she draws in daily.
When Ally’s teacher goes on maternity leave, she ends up with a substitute teacher. Mr. Daniels changes her life. He observes all of the students in her class in a completely different way. He catches on to Ally and her struggles. He instructs everyone to write in a notebook daily. He says that he won’t grade it at all or correct their spelling errors. He will just write back.
Through his observations, he notices something important about Ally. He invites her to play chess after school. After a few after school meetings with Ally, he tells her that he thinks he knows why she can’t read. He tells her that he thinks she has dyslexia. He helps her learn to read by using many tricks that are helpful for those who have dyslexia.
Ally realizes how much SHE has changed. She has made friends with other kids who are different. She is happy. The whole class sees her through different eyes, and so does Ally. She realizes how smart and talented she is. She also realizes that all kids have their struggles and that she was never alone in them.Labels no longer matter, and for the first time ever Ally is truly happy. She also realizes that she can no longer draw many things in her sketchbook, because nothing is IMpossible.
This is such a great read. I wanted to read it so that I could see what life may be like through my daughter’s eyes. I was brought to tears on many occasions because I realized how hard things must be for her. It was eye opening and also incredibly inspiring. Just knowing how much harder my daughter has to work than most kids to read– and that she is willing to FIGHT to learn it– is incredible.
I can’t recommend this book enough; especially if you have a child with dyslexia or that is differently abled.
Rachel Hollis is probably the most relatable insta-famouse person. She gets frequent blow-outs and gets to go to the Oscars, but she also admits to peeing her pants. She feels like she could be my way-more-glamorous best friend. But, not the kind of friend that makes you feel inferior. She is just so real and hilarious. If you don’t follow her on Instagram, you should.
When she announced that she was writing a book, I knew I had to get on it right away. I pre-ordered Girl, Wash Your Face.. and waited. I honestly didn’t fully know what to expect. I just know that I like Rachel, and she always inspires me.
I did not expect to get slapped upside the head with so many good things. The premise of this book is that Rachel breaks down 20 lies that she used to tell herself. These are lies that most women tend to believe in one way or another. She shares how she overcame these lies and has become the inspiring woman she is today. She shares the gritty and uncomfortable. She makes you laugh. She makes you cry. She makes you feel like a fire has been lit under your rear end.
“if you’re unhappy, that’s on you.”
Ouch, girl. That hurts.
How often do we spend in our lives saying “I’ll be happy when..”
If you aren’t happy now, you sure aren’t going to be happy when you lose 15 pounds, or meet the man of your dreams, or land your dream job. Your happiness is ultimately up to you.
My happiness is ultimately up to me. I always feel like I can’t get comfortable and happy because my life could be uprooted at any time. It gets uprooted constantly. Then, what? I have to leave all that happiness behind to become miserable and start chasing happiness all over again. So, what have I done? I’ve allowed myself to just stay in this miserable mindset because it is so much easier than being happy to have a sudden shift again. I don’t allow myself to get excited about things, because they could, and probably will change.
“Sit down and decide what’s really important to you. Not what’s important to your mother-in-law or your girlfriends… Decide what’s really important to you.”
This. Is. Key.
If I listened to what everyone else said, there are so many things that I would be doing differently. There are also times that I did listen to others, and regretted it.
You want to know my biggest regret? Changing my major from interior design after only a semester. I changed it because I worried what people would think. “That’s not a real career and I could never make it.” I LOVED my design classes. For the first time in college, I was having fun. I was super intimidated to be in classes with all of these ultra cool men and women. But, it was so fun. I let what I thought people would think change it all. Don’t let what other people think define what you do.
These were two of my biggest takeaways from the book. Almost every chapter resonated with me in some way. There is a chapter where she talks about how she reached a point of saying “I NEED a glass of wine”. I don’t drink, but I just replaced that with any other crutch I use in my life. I need to feel like I belong, so I’m going to go waste too much time on social media. *eye rolls all around*
I read this book much more slowly than the others I have read this year. I knew I needed to slow down and soak in what I was reading.
I guess what I am saying is, you need to pick up what Rachel is laying down. It doesn’t matter if you are married or single, a mom, never want to have babies..whatever. You need this message. You need a kick in the pants to know that you are enough. You are worthy. You CAN do hard things.
