Tag: books

Kate Braestrup’s new book

by Karen, posted in books, family

Kate Braestrup's new book is Beginner's Grace and is a book about prayer: learning about it, thinking about it, finding occasions to engage in it. Kate talks about occasions of prayer that are present in one's everyday life, and offers some simple words that people can use if they don't already have their own. She describes prayer as … Continue reading Kate Braestrup’s new book

My new year’s word: Part 2

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, Holidays, Karen's Kitchen, Pantry Project, writing

I finally did choose my one word for 2011; my word is:  EDIT. I'm loving this word for many reasons. I can actually remember it! It works its way up from my unconscious with very little effort on my part. Bam! It's there, remember to 'edit'! It applies to my Pantry Project: use the food I have … Continue reading My new year’s word: Part 2

A room with a view

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, writing

I got to have an entire room of my own (with a view!) in which to work on editing my book. This is big; you see, I've never had my own room before. My husband, after realizing that I had an extra day off this week said, "Hey, get a room!"...Well, even though he didn't mean … Continue reading A room with a view

New Year’s Eve, tween style

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, friends, Holidays, local fun, movies, tweens, writing

Today was a "Girl's only" day for me and my tween. We had originally planned to go shopping to spend gift cards received for Christmas (both for her and for me) but then changed the plan to include a movie with a friend. (We never did go shopping with the gift cards, come to think … Continue reading New Year’s Eve, tween style

Gratitude

by Karen, posted in family, good grief, Holidays, Midlife Crisis

I've been keeping a gratitude journal this year. A long time ago, I read Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach and decided to give the "keeping the journal all year" thing a shot.  It was an easy enough premise: write down at least three things that you are grateful for each day. That's it. It starts off fairly … Continue reading Gratitude

Fun with tweens on the weekend

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, family, friends, local fun, shopping, tweens

My tween daughter invited a friend to spend the day, and as the 7 hours loomed ominously unfilled ahead of us, I wondered:  What the heck should we do?   First, I decided to do something for me: I had a 20% coupon to Kennebooks in Kennebunk so that was our first stop. A quick check of the local … Continue reading Fun with tweens on the weekend

What I didn’t do today

by Karen, posted in books, writing

These are all of the things I didn't do today on my day off from nursing, wife-ing, and  mothering. Read. Well, okay I did read a little, but only the local newspaper, briefly, while I was eating my minestrone soup, with a cup of coffee and a gingerbread muffin chaser. Knit. I have a hat that's 3/4 … Continue reading What I didn’t do today

Val Walker at Kennebooks

by Karen, posted in books, education, family, friends, good grief

Val Walker came to Kennebooks to talk about her new book The Art of Comforting. This author's talk started off feeling like a course in sociology, as she described different models of counseling (companioning, relational....), but then it quickly became more personal, as she related some examples of comforting from occasions in her own life when … Continue reading Val Walker at Kennebooks

Conscious eating, Part 3

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, fitness, restaurants

So, now that more weeks have passed and I have totally not given the Women, Food, and God  (by Geneen Roth) approach a passing thought until today, I decided to recommit to some of the strategies I have learned along the weight loss way. Drink 16 oz of water before every meal. This can be … Continue reading Conscious eating, Part 3

Book Club at Mekong Thai

by Karen, posted in (it's all about the) food, books, friends, quest for the best, restaurants

This month's meeting was at Mekong Thai in Wells. The six of us met there at 6pm and were given a nice table by the windows, which they opened to give us some fresh air (a 65 degree evening in Maine in late October? Booyah!). The wait staff was lovely, solicitous, and helpful. Lemon for … Continue reading Book Club at Mekong Thai