Weekend Roundups

Weekend Roundup, October 20, 2017: Rottweiler Edition

10.20.2017 by Nicole Kristin Twedt //

Photo by Donna on Unsplash. The photo doesn’t have a thing to do with Rottweilers, but pumpkins are prettier.

Here’s a riddle with a twist, a variation on the old “Why did the chicken cross the road?” standby. The joke goes like this:

Q: Why did the Havanese cross the road?

A: To escape a deathtrap in the form of an evil Rottweiler.

Ha ha ha!

Except no one’s laughing.

Yep, Chloe and I had a little run-in with a Rottweiler. It happened two days ago; and it’s the backstory to why Chloe now runs in the opposite direction when the time comes each morning for our walk. Not only does my little dog run the other way,* she actually hides behind the cream and white throw pillow on the oversized chair in the living room. Chloe thankfully wasn’t hurt, except for her pride. The moral of the story? I’m once again bribing my little dog with a baggie of carrots to celebrate a job well done, or a walk well done in her case. Except now I feel like a doggy mama failure because everyone knows not to bribe with food. Goodness. Oh, there’s another (more important) take-away to our walk gone terribly wrong: Always cross the road, or jump off the sidewalk at the very least, when you see a Rottweiler coming your way.

I learned something else from the episode with the evil Rottweiler: Sometimes the bravest thing to do with anxiety is to keep on walking. I’m sure Chloe would’ve rather returned to her perch on the oversize living room chair (I think it was called a chair-and-a-half in the late-90s, my glory years.) But it wouldn’t have helped her in the long run. On the other hand, maybe it is better to take a break from whatever’s causing anxiety. No one should be bombarded by a stressor, especially when the stressor comes in the form of a Rottweiler. You better believe I carried Chloe for a few minutes after our encounter with death; I don’t mind saying so. I don’t t even care how pathetic we looked. Did I mention it was raining? Of course it was raining: Seattle.

Moving on.

But not really. The first essay is from Christie Thomas; and it’s kinda-sorta (but not really) about anxiety, childhood anxiety. The way Christie talks about dropping her son off at kindergarten is basically a snapshot of what it was like to drop Steven off at the church nursery all those years ago. Except Steven had a bloody forehead from hitting his head in protest on the cement floor thinly covered with carpet. Back to Christie: The meat of her essay is about blessing children, something this mama of faith never thought about. Sure I pray for my kids, like constantly. But I never thought of blessing them. Here’s what Christie had to say.

It’s probably too late to mention it, but if your’e new around here, the “Weekend Roundup” is what happens when I showcase the work of fellow Hope*Writers. Basically, it’s a chance for you to get to know my writer friends.

Just about everything I’ve ever read by Dorina Lazo Gilmore has caused my head to bob up and down in agreement. This week, Dorina wrote about grief, and how it will sneak up on you if you don’t deal with it, and how even grief in the form of natural disasters and national tragedies remind us of the importance of lament. Amen sister. You can find Dorina’s essay, Making Space For Lament When National Tragedy Strikes, here.

I’m going to spice things up a bit. The next Hope*Writer I’m going to introduce is Libby John. Libby’s album, Reveal The Gold, debuts today. You can head over to iTunes to listen to a sample or download for your enjoyment. You can also find Libby’s work on Google Play but I don’t know how Google Play works.

It’s strange for me to feature an album cover instead of book cover, but it’s a welcome change. Consider the recommendation an early Christmas present.

Speaking of Christmas…well not exactly. Jody Collins wrote a book about simplifying Christmas, and living the season well. But that’s not where I’m headed. How’s that for an awkward transition? Anyway, my author-friend wrote a wonderful essay on her blog; I’d like to share it with you. Go ahead, read Jody’s blog post; and then come back and fill in the blanks. I’ll wait for you.

I do______________

I don’t ____________

I’ll start. I do enjoy working in my children’s classrooms, in fact I even love volunteering at our neighborhood school; I do walk regularly (especially when it’s not raining and I can wear my Birkenstocks); I really do love intimate gatherings with the dearest of friends; I do cook gluten-free and dairy-free meals for my family, mostly from scratch.

I don’t EVER volunteer to be a room parent. In fact, it’s my life-goal to NEVER be a room parent. Emily’s in fifth grade and I’ve never had to do it. I’d say I’m doing well for myself. The very thought of being a room parent sends me into panic mode quicker than you can say, well, room parent. And I’ve never signed up to be the classroom art docent. Another thing: I don’t run anymore. My feet hate me. And I hate athletic shoes of any kind. I DON’T do large parties; I definitely don’t make a big fuss about kid birthday parties, the smaller, the better in my book. My children disagree. Lastly, I don’t bake. I’m going to throw one more “don’t” out there because I’m having too much fun: Years ago, I banned gluten and dairy from our home, but I will forever and ever be sugar’s Number 1 Fan, especially when sugar comes in the form of Sour Patch Kids. Speaking of which, I blame Sour Patch Kids for landing me in Dr. Hussey’s office, a few weeks back, for a filling.

That’s all I have to share in this week’s roundup. I’m going to be late for book club if I don’t get this published soon. (Edited to add: I was late for book club.) We’re discussing A Gentleman in Moscow. At the moment, the name of the author escapes me; but I highly recommend it. Personally, I loved listening along to A Gentleman in Moscow on Audible since there were so many Russian names for me to butcher. What have you been reading lately?

*As it turns out, the joke’s on me. Chloe still loves her walks. She’s afraid of her new red dog jacket.

Weekend Roundup, October 13, 2017: Beige Sweater From Costco Edition

10.13.2017 by Nicole Kristin Twedt //

You know the above picture, the one of the lady in the beige sweater, holding the wee pumpkin? It’s not me, but could be. I have the same sweater; it’s from Costco a few winters back. And the pumpkins in the background? It reminds me of the pumpkin display in front of Central Market. I was there today. I dashed in for a moment, between walking the dog and fetching the Twedtlings from school, to hunt down sweet rice flour and to replenish my supply of Organic Valley Vanilla Soy Creamer, which is harder to find than you’d think. So is the sweet rice flour. I need it for tomorrow night’s dairy and gluten-free Fettuccine Alfredo, which sounds disgusting but isn’t. Greg will eat it, as long as I remember to add grilled chicken. A meal isn’t a meal without some kind of protein in the form of meat or poultry, according to my husband.

Emily, my oldest, a few days later. We went back to get a Woodwick candle in “Apple Basket,” since Em’s love language happens to be scented candles.

So, let’s get this party started. It’s time for the Weekend Roundup. If you’re new around here, the Weekend Roundup is what happens when I showcase the work of fellow Hope*Writers. Basically, it’s a chance for you to get to know my writer friends.

Wait! Before I dive into the weekend roundup, I have BIG NEWS to share about my little brown-eyed girl. I’m feeling all the feels right now because my baby girl lost her two front teeth this week, which makes for three teeth in one week! I didn’t think it was possible, but suddenly my little pumpkin is even more precious. In fact, she’s the cutest little jack o’ lantern you ever did see. There’s so much more I could say about this week; such a wonderful week it was. I’m afraid if I get started I’ll never go to bed tonight. Since fall is like January to teachers everywhere (even former teachers like me), I came up with the idea to make a New Year’s Resolution: October Style. And it has everything to do with getting a little (OK a lot) more sleep than I’ve been getting.

All I want for Halloween is my two front teeth!

Some of my online writer friends happen to be friends in real life. Enter Emily Allen. In The Hidden Gifts of Humility, Emily ponders being “just a mom.” You can read her lovely reflection here. Indeed, I could relate to Emily’s younger self’s need for validation, though I’m afraid the “older” version of myself still struggles with this one. The essay also reminds me of the time I met a group of friends for a dinner party in our college town of Bellingham. I was thirty years-old and pregnant with our second. Besides my stint as a teacher, all I ever wanted was to be a mom. Yet, all of the sudden I was overcome with shame because I had chosen to get married and start a family instead of going on to grad school, like the rest of my friends in that particular circle.

I don’t even know how to introduce this next one, except to say you should read it. I loved Kristin Vanderlip’s essay, What You Need to Know About Your Tears. It’s right here. It reminds me of the Bottles of Tears ministry, which I’m a big fan of.

This is the third time in a row that I’ve linked to Caroline Saunders. This week Caroline wrote the second part of a three part series about her husband, who happens to look like Brad Pitt and some college football player I can’t remember because I try not to waste brain space on sports, particularly football. I love Caroline’s voice and how she reminds us that pastors are people too. Here’ you go, it’s right here.

I interrupt this Weekend Roundup to share some exciting news, as exciting as it gets around here: Chloe and I have now been on five, yes five, walks around the neighborhood without her bag of carrots. Yep, my little doggy is an overcomer. There’s hope for us all! Since I’m not including an essay about anxiety this week, I thought I’d give you an update on anxiety on the home front. Yep, my little dog Chloe has anxiety. (Steven and I are working through it too). You can read more of our story in the ANXIETY section of the blog. Oh, speaking of anxiety, yesterday I talked briefly to my MOPS group about overcoming fear/living with anxiety. The talk was brief, as in under three minutes, and it was more for me than anyone else since I can only really talk or write about what God’s doing in my own life. By the way, after I gave my mini-talk the real speaker turned out to be Jenny Howell, another Hope*Writer/Glory Writer. The world keeps getting smaller!

Here’s another favorite: Jill E. McCormick nailed it in Why You Feel Awkward When People Ask What You Do? Here ya go. “When I’m asked what I do, I say it as quickly as possible. Then, I blush, change the subject and hope you drop it. This is the response from a woman who loves what she gets to do—but why? Why do we feel uncomfortable sharing about what we do?” And all the ~~bloggers~~ writers said AMEN.

I love everything Dorina writes, but this one had me at the title: Marathon Lessons: How to Persevere When Your Race Isn’t Turning Out How You Expected. Not how I expected. Yep, that about sums up life (in the best way possible). Obviously, I’m not a marathon runner, or even a regular runner, but I could relate to Dorina’s essay on so many levels. She writes about grief, pressing on, Jesus, community and so much more. Look no further, the essay’s here.

It’s about 10:40, which means bedtime. My goal for tonight was bed by 10:30. Close enough, right? I’m really going to go to bed this time. Good night and have a wonderful weekend. I hope you have yourself a fabulously lazy weekend with lots of coffee involved. We may find our way to a pumpkin patch tomorrow. It’s our fall tradition. What are your plans?

P.S. It’s Saturday now. We are not at the pumpkin patch. I remembered that my moody floral boots were thrown out at the end of our rainy season because of a hole in the sole of the boot. (Yes, I live in Seattle and it rains pretty much all the time. But this year was different.) I’m not one to visit the pumpkin patch without proper (and cute) footwear. Anyway, we’re toying with the idea of trekking over to the Apple store to get my 38th year birthday present (I’m now 39). When I started my blog on my 38th birthday, Greg surprised me with the idea of getting a new laptop. Both of us go into decision making overload whenever decisions have to be made so it never happened. And laptops are expensive. We’re currently lounging in our jammies as one should on a Saturday morning, except that it’s now afternoon, which brings me back to you. In all of my lounging and Facebooking and coffee-drinking, I came across a blog post from another one of my online writer friends. Meet Cattie (pronounced Katie). Here’s what she has to say about waiting for God’s healing. Amen and Amen. You can read Cattie’s post here. By the way, it’s all part of a 31-day writing challenge. I plan on hanging around. I need more of Cattie in my life!

Weekend Roundup, October 6, 2017: Book Launch Edition

10.06.2017 by Nicole Kristin Twedt //

Howdy Folks!

It’s been a busy week on the blog. I actually posted something (actually two somethings) other than a Weekend Roundup. Crazy. Something else that’s crazy: cray-cray. Apparently it’s a word now. It means crazy. Did you know this? I heard cray-cray used for the first time last weekend at my mom’s sixty-fifth birthday bash. Don’t even ask. By the way, when I say “birthday bash” I’m referring to a quiet dinner with just the five of us and Mom and Dave. And when I say quiet, I mean not quiet at all for three reasons: Emily, Steven and Lauren. Back to cray-cray. I don’t even know how to properly spell it. Then again, “properly”could never apply to such a word, at least not in my book. But what do I know?

Anyway, I’ve had the joy and privilege of being part of several book launch teams this summer and into fall. In fact, two of my book reviews went live earlier this week. I’m working on completing the third of four. (Jody’s book–so exciting!) I want to spend some more time with Jody’s review because it’s especially dear to me, though the short and sweet version can be found on Amazon under the pen name NKT because I’m clever that way. But I’m afraid “I liked it” and “You should buy it” isn’t going to cut it around here. I’m too long-winded for that. I’ll get my act together, hopefully sooner than later, and hit publish in a few days (or more). Hint: Jody’s book is a refreshing little nugget of truth about a certain holiday that formerly threw me into panic mode faster than you could say Ho Ho Ho.

If I haven’t bored you to death with all this book talk, you can read my review of Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World by Osheta Moore here. I feel like an idiot when I say sistas instead of sisters, but I’m a Shalom Sista through and through. You may recognize Osheta from her blog Shalom in the City or her podcast, also called Shalom Sistas. Gals (and guys?) this one totally changed me. And let’s not forget Melanie Shankle’s Church of the Small Things: A Million Little Pieces That Make Up a Life, which is the other book I talked about. Here it is. Melanie’s book is positively hilarious, and tender to boot. You may have heard about Melanie from, I don’t know, say one of her three previous New York Times Bestsellers. She also writes at The Big Mama Blog and has a podcast with the charming Sophie Hudson called The Big Boo Cast, which is about absolutely nothing but I cannot stop listening to it. How else would I know about the wonders of Organic Rose Hip Oil as a moisturizer, booties, the next must-see show on Netflix and college football? Yes, you heard me right: college football. Seriously, I hate football but I want to listen to Sophie and Melanie talk about it. I’ve even found myself thinking about cheering for the Huskies this fall. But not really, because this is me we’re talking about. Anyway, you could find both books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Christianbook.com. Oh, and Melanie’s book can also be found at Target. I’m not going to bother with all the linky-links. After all, that’s what our dear friend Google is for.

OK, enough about books. Here’s this week’s roundup. If you’re new around here, the Weekend Roundup is what happens when I pull from the work of fellow Hope*Writers and showcase them on this little writing spot on the web, which sounds lovelier than saying that I feature them on my blog. Also, Weekend Roundups don’t always happen on the weekend. Because, you know, life happens.

First off, here’s the lovely Caroline Saunders. I hate to say it because it’s such a cliché and all, but this one made me LOL. You may remember Caroline, because you got to meet her for the first time in last week’s Weekend Roundup. This is the first of a new series from Caroline about her pastor husband, who happens to be a sort of Brad Pitt-Aaron Rodgers lookalike. It’s also about the f-bomb and ice cream. I don’t know about you, but after the news of Sunday night’s massacre in Las Vegas, I needed a good laugh. You can read Caroline’s piece here. Have fun with it.

Speaking of the horrors that happened over the weekend, please read this one by Leigh Sain. I didn’t want to read it at first since it’s called Why We Have to Talk to Our Kids About Las Vegas, but I’m so glad I did. This world is a dark place, but to God be the glory. That is all.

I don’t remember where I was or what I was doing, (though I’m pretty sure I was listening to a podcast), when the conversation shifted and the question was asked: “What does it really sound like when women and men of faith say things like, “I’m praying for you,” or “I’ll pray about that.” Pie in the sky, I’ll tell you, that’s what it sounds like. That’s why I loved Shauna Lettellier’s reflection about prayer the time she spent with her grandparents before freshman year. Excellent storytelling, Shauna, excellent. Here ya go. I’ve linked to Shauna’s work before, a few weeks back I believe. I’m too tired to find it now.

What would a Weekend Roundup be without me talking about anxiety or sharing something by Elli Johnson of The Hippo Chronicles? I linked to something similar last week, but this is a quick, yet thoroughly helpful, read. Whether it was the Holy Spirit’s prompting, or my own dumb luck, I’ve discovered that many of the same things help me through a funk or when I’m feeling particularly overwhelmed, along with writing and playing the piano. I just didn’t put two-and-two together until I read Elli’s list. If nothing else, this summer I learned that walking Chloe (while taking deep breaths) is not only good for my body, but also good for my soul. By the way, I’ve been able to leave Chloe’s bags of carrots behind twice in a row! If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out this old post from July.

I originally concluded this Weekend Roundup with a prayer from me to you. However, my clumsy fingers bumped the mouse or something, because now it’s gone baby, gone. It went something like this: May God bless you and keep you this weekend and always. May he surprise you with something new about himself. May you see him in unexpected places. May he blow you away, time and again, with his wild love for you. He’s crazy about you, I hope you know it. Amen and Amen.