A Season of Reading - Bread & Wine

Bread and Wine was a book that I loved. The author...I just get her. Her passion for people and food is something that resonates deep in my core. She talks of the importance of being honest about your struggles, being vulnerable to others, being a good friend, wife and mother, and how all of this is possible around the dinner table. Inviting people into your home and life wholeheartedly and without reservation will only make us better and will only bring others into a safe place when they spend time around us.

I stole all these images from Google images, and there were a ton more options. I loved that because it made me feel like different parts of this book will stand out to different people. I have already made one of the recipes the author shares, and absolutely intend to make more. I think my generation is doing a disservice to the world by not hosting well, and I want to remedy that. Books like this will help me do so! It gives me confidence to remember that having people over doesn't have to be expensive or a production, but it does encourage community.

Being present is something I will always struggle with. I keep looking over at the dishes on the table that need to be cleared or thinking of my grocery list. However, the above quote really stood out to me because it is something I can work on. Just be there, with the person in your living room, and allow them to be there with you. The idea Shauna presents in this book, is that by having a repertoire of recipes in your arsenal, you can make dinner without stress and then be present with people, and through that presence, true change and love and community can occur in our hearts and minds.

I highly recommend this book to people who love to host, but also to those who feel like they are not good at it. If you care about people, you can host, and she will make you feel like all the warm memories surrounding those times are worth it. It is always an honor to have people in your home, and it should be treated as such :)

Comments

In the Nursery: Whole Hearted Parenting Manifesto

I recently finished a book by Brene Brown titled, DaringGreatly . It really moved me, and I am definitely still processing it. At the beginning of the book I wasn’t resonating deeply with the topic of vulnerability, as most people will tell you I am an “open book”. I will answer most questions without holding back and love to deep dive into good conversation. However, what I came to realize through her many examples is that we all wrestle with vulnerability, guilt and shame throughout this book even if is more momentary than constant. I gleaned SO MUCH from this book that I did not anticipate, and I thought I would share this Parenting Manifesto that she put right at the end of the book. I am printing it and framing it for our nursery, as I think it communicates some deep parts of my heart cry for parenting my kiddos well. I hope this resonates with someone else as much as it did with me. I needed these words to remind me that parenting is not a checklist,

A Penny For Your Thoughts - Looking Back & Missing Italy

I took this my first day in Italy, and will always remember my town just like this... I realized something about my writing the other day, and that is that I am much more present in my writing than I am in my brain. I am constantly thinking back, but I never write about my past. Sure, I write a story here or there reminiscing on my African travel, but rarely do you hear about my life pre-California unless it is in reference to my family. Lately, I have found myself pining for Italy. Did you know I lived there? Probably not, because I rarely mention it! I knew I was going to love it there, but it has stuck with me since the moment I left. I have wanted to go back every minute of every day since then. The simplicity of life, the emphasis on slowing down, the architecture, the food, the flowers, the people, the color, the trains, the bikes, the gelato, the smiles and laughter, the wine, and the cities are only scratching the surface of things I love from the bea

At the Library - May through September 2019 Reading

We had another baby in May (SO much more on that later) and blogging has obviously taken a back seat, but I am still reading for pleasure and have managed, in my sons first four months of life, to complete these 8 books! Y'all, I remember a time when even completing 2 books a year would have sincerely sounded daunting, much less with a newborn. If you want to read more, you can find the time! Take stock of your days and see where you are wasting hours. For some of these, I listened to the audio book while I was pumping or watering the garden. Rather than give you an individual breakdown of each of these books, I just want to report I found them all incredibly enjoyable. A total cross section of a food memoir to a psychology deep dive to nature centric novels, I would recommend them all in different capacities. We have fallen a bit behind on our Bible reading, but we WILL finish by the end of the year. You do not make it to September

Mrs. Rogers Neighborhood

Search This Blog