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Book Club Catch Up: A Life-Changing Book

July 6, 2015 by Cassie 16 Comments

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Hi friends!  So sorry for the tardiness of my book club post, but May was so incredibly busy with work, Lucketts, and prepping for my Houzz tour that I just didn’t have time to read the May book until the beginning of June.  But I’m all caught up now and ready to share my thoughts on both May’s and June’s books.

For June we read Home Is Where My People Are: The Roads That Lead Us to Where We Belong by blogger Sophie Hudson.

Katie selected this book and it’s not my normal type of selection.  I gravitate towards literature, or if it is going to be a memoir, it’s got to be something super quirky (like The Glass Castle.)  So I admit it was a struggle for me to really get into this book… Sophie’s writing style is humorous and light, and very southern.  Her humor is self-deprecating which I can totally appreciate.  Her story is sweet and uplifting, and acknowledges that marriage takes hard work and can sometimes be a struggle.  She is, to me, a completely relatable human being.  So in the end I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.  The message is clear, that home is in fact where your people are- you build your home around them, no matter where it lands you.  It did have very strong religious undertones (well, not really undertones, because it’s not like they were hidden!), and that was a bit much for me.  (I am a Christian, but I am a very low key Christian!)  I think I would recommend it to people who might be feeling a little lost, or struggling at home, and looking for a reason to it all, but I don’t think I would recommend it to my mom or mother in law, who have very similar book-reading tastes to me.

For June, we decided as a group to read a self-help book.  I can’t tell you the last time I read a self help book.  Years ago, I started The Happiness Project and never finished it.  I would really like to pick it back up and start it all over again.  When it came to my selection I turned to trusty facebook and asked friends to recommend books for me since I don’t delve into this genre a whole lot.  My good friend Kim of Newly Woodwards recommended Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!

Kim always writes amazing posts featuring monthly goals of bettering herself.  She is a woman who has a very good head on her shoulders, and whom I admire as a mother, wife, friend, and woman in general.  When I looked up Hands Free Mama, I was sold…. it was exactly what I felt I needed in my life, especially at this moment.  Owning a business is hard work, and people expect you to be in it 100% of the time.  But I also have this blog, my friends and home life, my dogs, fitness, and most importantly, my family.  I often feel like I am in over my head, and drowning trying to get it all done, and constantly tied to the phone or computer as work or blogging beckons me.  I know this must sound familiar to so many of you, because in today’s day and age, technology keeps us all connected, but sometimes it keeps us too connected.  It feels as though there is no escape.  This book helped me start to step away a bit from all of that, and helped me refocus on the little people that are the most important in my life.  I am taking baby steps, but I am happy to say that I am making so much progress thanks to this book.  Emmy and I selected a new book and I’ve been reading a chapter aloud each month, something I hadn’t done in a long time.  When she was in camp two weeks ago and I had just Sawyer, it was a great time to get work done, but I spent time with him and took him on a special miniature golf date.

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(Luckily we did not need an attendant to retrieve for us at all!)

Emmy and I had an hour long pastels drawing session last week.  What you can’t see in the picture is her label on her Statue of Liberty…. “Stachue of Libety.”  Had I not taken the time with her, I would have missed that.

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I did all of these things while other projects or work was waiting in the wings, while the house was dirty, and I let it all go to spend quality time talking, playing, and listening to the people I love.  The biggest step for me has been letting go of the mess around me…. I am embracing summertime especially and letting the kids be a little messier.  While I could make time to have them clean while I dust and vacuum, I could also use that time to cook with them, read with them, play with them, eat dinner on the porch and then relax outside and talk with them.

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(Notice the bag of potting soil we left out after planting sunflower seeds, the chalk on the porch…. it’s not picture perfect, but what I see is togetherness and happiness).

Pardon all of the interspersed phone pictures, but these were moments captured when we were just having fun, not staged or styled…. just spending time together.

I know I am talking more about myself than this book, but I want you to understand how life-changing this was for me…. it was exactly what I needed.  Sometimes work can wait and the world won’t end.  Sometimes you can ask for deadline extensions and the world won’t end.  Sometimes the house can be dirty, complete with furball tumbleweeds, and the world won’t end.  But Sawyer’s and Emmy’s childhood will one day come to an end, and that is something I do not want to miss.

I strongly recommend this book and am even trying to get Chris to read it.  I have several local friends who are starting it after I raved about it.  And I am definitely going to be ordering Hands Free Life: Nine Habits for Overcoming Distraction, Living Better, and Loving More.

For July, Kirby has selected First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen, a book written by her neighbor, Charlie Lovett.  I am excited to dive into this one as I am a huge Jane Austen fan!

Check out what my other book clubbers thought of Home is Where My People Are….

Kirby

 

And check out their self help book selection reviews:

Katie: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

 

I hope you will join along in reading this with us!  What is on your summer reading list?  I’d love to hear more great recommendations!

*This post contains affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. Lisa @ Shine Your Light says

    July 6, 2015 at 8:32 am

    Both books sound interesting and I’ll definitely have to check them out. Thanks for sharing what you’ve read recently Cassie, and I’m glad you’re slowing down this summer to enjoy your kiddos even more (I know you do all year long and they are always your first priority! You’re an awesome mom!!) But it’s wonderful to cut yourself some slack and let go of housework and other commitments sometimes! Enjoy this time with your sweeties.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      i would highly recommend hands free mama! 🙂 and thank you so much- i think the same about you.

      Reply
  2. Heidi @ Decor & More says

    July 6, 2015 at 9:28 am

    Balance is always elusive and I have had NONE these past few months… working to change that as well, Cassie! Your next pick looks fun — I love Jane Austen, too. I’m right in the middle of A Paris Apartment and am loving it. Have a great week!
    xo Heidi

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:14 pm

      i think we all struggle with it- elusive is the right word!

      Reply
  3. [email protected] says

    July 6, 2015 at 9:55 am

    I’m glad the book was so meaningful to you. Sometimes a book just hits you at the right time and it just works for your life. A great thing indeed. BTW if you like Glass Castle, you should read Half Broke Horses. It was written in memoir form by the same author but is the grandmother’s story. I read it first just to get the chronological order – and actually liked it more than The Glass Castle.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:14 pm

      yes, i read that one as well! it was great as well and in reverse order (since i read glass castle first) it was interesting and helped that book make more sense.

      Reply
  4. Kirby says

    July 6, 2015 at 11:13 am

    Oh gosh…I haven’t posted yet. Thursday is the day, because I am so far behind. I have been putting the computer down too much, I guess!!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:13 pm

      can’t wait to read it!

      Reply
  5. Ellen says

    July 6, 2015 at 4:54 pm

    Your thoughts about your children growing up and away resonated with me. You are wise beyond your years, I think. It seems like yesterday that my son was the age of your kids, but now he is 47, long gone and involved with his own life. (As it should be, I suppose.) You are so right to neglect all that other stuff, because there will be many years in the future that you can keep an immaculate house.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:12 pm

      thank you so much, ellen! you can’t ever get back time of course, but it’s never too late to connect with people you love.

      Reply
  6. Amber @ Wills Casa says

    July 6, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    I really want to read that!! Kim is a wealth of life knowledge. I love her!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 12, 2015 at 8:20 pm

      she is! she’s amazing- and you really should, amber! you would love it!

      Reply
  7. [email protected] says

    July 7, 2015 at 9:34 am

    Thank you so much for the kind words – wow, that was a sweet surprise this morning. Especially because I admire you so much.

    I’m so happy you liked the book – it was definitely something that stuck with me, too. I love what you say about “the world won’t end.” I think as moms, we overdramatize some things but this is so important to keep in perspective. Lots of things I still need to work on every single day. Being hands free is not always simple, but worth it.

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 12, 2015 at 8:17 pm

      aaaaw, it’s a lovefest! 🙂 but seriously you are amazing.
      and no it is not simple and i struggle every day, but it really is worth it.

      Reply
  8. designPOST interiors says

    July 7, 2015 at 10:09 am

    I have heard great things about that book and I could always use the reminder to unplug and just be IN life! I am excited to start it after I finish my current book!

    Reply
    • Cassie says

      July 12, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      it really was amazing and you need to check it out! she is coming out with hands free life this fall and i will be all over that.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Cassie!

I believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money to live a beautiful life and be your best self.  Here you will find budget friendly ideas to live happily, healthily, sustainably, and most importantly authentically.  We all get one chance at this life, and this ordinary girl plans to make hers extraordinary. How about you? Read more...
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Hi! I'm Cassie.

Mother, wife, shop owner, blogger, writer, incurable diy-er, furniture painter, coffee and wine drinker, friend. Seeking happiness and passing it on. Read More…

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