Carey Jane Clark

Last-minute Reading List

January 6, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

This month in Friday Fiction Fix, I’ll be interviewing an author and reviewing Saving Grace by Annie Jones.

In the meantime, we are packing up for China, and I’m coming across a lot of books that were on my I’ll-read-that-one-day-when-I-have-the-time list. You know the list, right?

Only problem is, I refuse to pack up a lot of books and move them to China. A lot of these books are non-fiction, but there are some good fiction titles in there too, mostly ones I picked up at thrift stores or had passed on to me after someone else read them.

So here’s my hopeful list of books I want to read before we seal the lid on the final box:

The Muir House by Mary DeMuth
Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
An Imperfect Lens by Anne Roiphe
The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Okay, okay, you see just as well as I do what’s going to happen here, don’t you? There are simply not enough hours in the day. Sigh.

Looks like a giveaway may be in order. Stay tuned.

Also, if you haven’t heard yet, the Grace Awards have been announced. I’d be honored if you’d vote for After the Snow Falls.

Winter Fun: the Photo Version

January 4, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

A Fresh Start

January 2, 2012 by Carey Jane Clark

Don’t miss these recent posts on other blogs:

guest post at Tina’s Book Reviews
review of After the Snow Falls by a fellow expat and homeschool mom at Just Love Mom.

Happy New Year! Whether you’re ready for 2012 or not, here it is. Hard to imagine what this year will bring. We’re packing up and moving back to China to a known city, but an unknown apartment, a new neighborhood, new friendships, new possibilities. I’m wavering between being very excited, to very sad to leave our friends and family, to very unsure about the mountain of stuff that needs to be packed into 10 (or less) suitcases of 50 lbs. a piece.

Today, I’m thankful for fresh starts. There is something refreshing and hopeful about tearing that old calendar off and turning over to a whole year full of 365 (or in this case 366) brand new days.Today, I’m thankful for fresh starts.

But in reality, January 1st is just another day on the calendar. Today is just as full of possibilities and potential for pitfalls as any other day. What we do with our days is a matter of choice–every single day.

When my kids have meltdowns or mess up (because shockingly, that happens in our family too), I remind them that we can start again any day and any time of the day–at 7:00 a.m. or 4:00 in the afternoon. We just have to choose. And they believe me.

Sometimes it’s harder to convince myself. I’m sure that’s why these words were penned:

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:23

So here’s to a fresh start. What are you going to do with yours?

December 3 in 30 Wrap-up

December 31, 2011 by Carey Jane Clark

Please also visit my heartfelt post about the Power of Forgiveness at Tina’s Book Reviews.

Remember how I was going to have a disciplined December? I didn’t. There are so many areas in which I feel I need to pull up the proverbial bootstraps as the new year rolls in. I agree with all the people who say making resolutions isn’t a good habit, since they lead to defeat. Goal-making is the better way.

But looking at all that I would like to see happen in January against what is stacked up for me there already (packing up to move back to China, and the continuation of the virtual book tour), it’s hard not to be just the teensiest bit overwhelmed (or to start hyperventilating). I’m aware of a weakness I encounter every time the task looks insurmountable: I freeze. The key, I know, is to take baby steps.

As I reflect on the old year, and in particular this last month, it feels as if the chaos is winning. So you’ll have to wait until next week to see how I plan to keep sane in the midst of it–even conquer it.

Here’s how I did on my goals for this month:

Take control of my personal routine – Well, I did manage to get up earlier and spend more time in my devotional life. To call it regular, however, would be seriously stretching things. I need to work on one key ingredient: going to bed on time.
Regroup in the homeschool department – Readers of this blog probably saw this coming long before I did, but the change needed here was mental, and I think I’m there. I need to pare down. After all, when we first move back to Asia, we’ll be living temporarily in Hong Kong before we take up residence in our home in China. JavaMan will precede us to arrange for our apartment and have our stored belongings moved in.
The blog tour is going well, and for my first one, I think I can count it a success–not that it’s over yet. There is a lot of work yet to do. I’ve had to make some mental adjustments here, too.

This is definitely a helpful exercise, because while I feel like a bit of a failure this month, when I look at what I set out to do and see what I actually did, I can see my successes too.

How are you wrapping up the old year? Did you accomplish your goals?

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