The Stars of "Fixer Upper"

"We both hope, with all of our hearts, that the people who read this book and watch our show and come to see what we're working on in Waco will take a chance to go after their dreams too. Because the key to everything Chip and  I have learned in our life together so far seems to be pretty simple: Go and find what it is that 
inspires you, go and find what it is that you love, and 
go do that until it hurts."

-Chip & Joanna Gaines, p. 82 in The Magnolia Story

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 Have you watched HGTV lately? What's your favorite show on that channel? Chances are, you're saying "Fixer Upper," the relatively new show that stars Chip and Joanna Gaines of Waco. The basis of this show is that they take a family who wants to fix up a house, and they help them find the house and help them through the process of renovations. Chip's expertise is the building aspect of the house, and Joanna's strength is in her design ideas. They couple works together in a fun, creative way that makes the show enjoyable and unique. At the end of each episode there is a big reveal and the audience gets to see the finished product. But what makes this show any different than the others? Well, I think it's several things. For one, Joanna has a knack for finding old things and finding a new purpose for them. She's not afraid to use a lot of shiplap and subway tile, and she's not afraid to put three-dimensional objects on the walls. I have watched this show many, many times, and I've come to appreciate Joanna's design techniques, especially the way she custom-designs each house for a new family, keeping in mind their lifestyle and family size. She wants her homes to look warm, inviting, and usable, not showy or uncomfortable. And I appreciate the way she uses the work of local craftsmen, people such as artists and her furniture-maker. She loves things that are handmade, and she enjoys giving work to local people who are very talented in their own ways. I love what they say at the end of each episode. It's something like "Welcome home. We hope you live happily ever after here." 

The book, The Magnolia Story, is written by Chip & Joanna, and it's co-written by Mark Dagostino, an experienced co-author who has worked for The New York Times and People magazine. In the book we learn a little bit about the background of Chip and Joanna. We learn that they both came from very loving and supportive families, but their personalities are very different. Both Chip and Joanna graduated from Baylor University, but Chip's major was Marketing, and Joanna's major was Communications. Chip is outgoing, funny, and a hard worker, and Joanna is more of a quiet introvert. It seems that in this case, opposites do attract, and they fell in love. Chip was involved in small business pursuits from a young age, but Joanna really had no background in it. She did work for her dad's tire company for several years when she was in college, but she didn't have experience in business, or home decorating for that matter. Chip was already a business owner when he met Joanna, and they soon began to talk about their dreams and aspirations. Joanna began to define her design interests by experimenting in her own homes, and then things just sort of evolved. Things weren't always perfect for the couple, but they worked hard and were committed to always treating others the right way, especially their employees. They live a life of faith in God, and at the end of the book, they give the reader more advice: "Don't quit, and don't give up. The reward is jut around the corner. And in times of doubt or times of joy, listen for that still, small voice. Know that God has been there from the beginning - and he will be there until...The End." I love how they give God the glory for helping them reach their dreams, and they aren't ashamed to say it. I'm sure they are raising their four children to reach for their dreams as well. There's so much more in this little book, so I encourage you to read it. I couldn't put it down.

This week my book club discussed the book, American Pastoral, by Philip Roth. Our group is small, and very few people enjoyed the book. I forced myself to keep reading it early on, and after a while I was sort of drawn into it and enjoyed it. There's a lot going on in this book, so if you're tired and worn out, you may not want to start a book like this. Speaking of my book club, we need some suggestions for our book club! PLEASE send me some ideas. The deal is that we're trying NOT to spend money on books, so we've been reading book club books from the library so far. Our next book is Lilac Girls: A Novel by Martha Hall Kelly. It sounds like a pretty good book but I haven't been able to get a copy of it yet. I'm waiting for the library to call me to tell me that the sound recording of the book is ready for me to pick up, so that's how I'll read it. The hard copies were all checked out by our group, but I don't mind a sound recording anyway. I almost always have a book to listen to in the car. 

So what else is new...let's see...our son if working on a Master's Degree in Creative Writing at Brunel University in West London. The program takes a year. He's having a good experience and is even taking Japanese on the side. He recently went to Central London to visit the Hillsong Church and had a great worship time. He's looking for a part-time job in sound, film, or music, so if you know of anything there in London, let me know. He recently went to Central London to a networking event and has a few leads. We're looking forward to visiting him in England next summer. Also...a few weeks ago we had our annual Hispanic Heritage Night at the elementary school where I teach ESL. We had a HUGE turnout for the program and potluck meal. Our students sang, danced, and more, and it was a great night. We got responses stating that about 500 people were coming, but I don't know what the final count was. This is my eleventh year at this school, and the tenth Hispanic Heritage Night that I have helped with. Coming up soon is our Technology Night for Hispanic parents where we plan to give them some educational websites that they can use at home with their children.

Have a wonderful weekend! It's going to be warm and sunny here all weekend. You can't beat the weather here in North Carolina in the Fall.

Blessings,

Melissa Hill
Book Blogger
www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com

 

I love my new globe collection! Thanks, Mom!

You're Never too Old

Michealangelo's Statue of Moses in the San Pietro in Vincolin Church, Italy

 

             

"Many believe - and I believe - that I have been designated for this work by God. In spite of my old age, I do not want to give it up; I work out of love for God and I put all my hope in Him."

-Michelangelo

(www.brainyquotes.com)   

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I read an article in yesterday's Sunday newspaper insert about David McCullough, one of my favorite historians. I've read three books by McCullough and I enjoyed them all, but completing one of his books is no small feat! I've read his books The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris, John Adams, and The Wright Brothers. I cannot imagine the amount of research and patience that it took to complete these books, but this man clearly enjoys his work or he would not still be writing books at the age of 83. And get this - I read that he has a new book coming out in 2018, The Pioneers, about the settling of the west. Now that's an optimistic man, a man who is still vibrant, curious, and productive in his 80s. I can't wait to read his book in 2018 when he is about 85 years old. Michelangelo was also productive and vowed not to give up due to his age, and I applaud him for this positive attitude.

In the past few weeks I've been on the road a lot, so I had plenty of time to listen to two books on CD. I listened to The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, and The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi (my latest favorite author). I enjoyed listening to Hemingway's book although I read it many years ago. It was good to be able to hear an excellent reader do the hard work for me, but I admit that I don't get all of the symbolism. Still, it's a classic that everyone should read at some point, and it's very short. Hegi's book, The Worst Thing I've Done, is about three childhood friends who grow up and face difficulties in their relationship. Annie, Jake, and Mason have been friends for all of their lives, and Annie and Mason eventually get married. Tragedy strikes and Annie's parents die in a car crash on the night of her wedding, so Annie and Mason decide to raise Annie's infant sister who was in utero at the time of the accident. Honestly, I didn't enjoy this book. It was a disappointment after reading Hegi's two excellent books, Stones From the River and The Vision of Emma Blau. I loved these two books by the German American author, and I appreciated the way she intertwined the two books by having some overlapping characters such as Trudy. But The Worst Thing I've Done was a total flop for me.

I finished reading American Pastoral by Philip Roth yesterday. I enjoyed this book but I was unfamiliar with Roth. This book won a Pulitzer Prize, and it doesn't surprise me. It's been around for a while, and someone told me that it's considered to be a classic. It was published in 1997, so it's not new, but it's a former bestseller and prize winner, so I encourage you to read it. The book is divided into sections: Part I is "Paradise Remembered," Part II is "The Fall," and Part III is "Paradise Lost." It's a fairly long book of of over 400 pages, but it's addictive and so well-written that you will enjoy the ride. The titles of the three sections brought to mind the course that I took in college, "John Milton," which was taught by Dr. Stephen May to upper-level English majors at Georgetown College. It reminds me of Milton's "Paradise Lost," of course, although most of the details have become a blur in my mind. Anyway, American Pastoral is about a man known as "The Swede," a hometown hero in Newark, New Jersey. He was the star athlete in his high school and the most popular person in town. He great up, married a former Miss New Jersey, inherited his father's prosperous glove factory, and moved in to a beautiful home. But one day all of his great fortune came to a screeching halt when his only child, Merry, got into some serious trouble and the Swede's life changed forever. I found myself sympathizing with most of the characters in this story even though none of them were perfect by any means. Read this book to find out what happened to Merry and think about the difficult decision that her father must make. His "perfect" life fell apart and having not dealt with this type of thing before, he faced a dilemma.

I recounted the books that I've read since 1984 today. I have read 473 books in about 32 years. That comes to an average of about 15 books per year, although there were years when I didn't have much time to read (i.e. raising kids, etc.). As I looked through my card catalogs I thought about a couple of topics that I could cover in future posts, so stay tuned. Next time I'll share some of the funniest books that I've read in the past 32 years, so if you need something funny to read, that will be the post for you

Have a great week and enjoy this beautiful fall weather.

Melissa Hill

Book Blogger

www.onegoodbookblog.blogspot.com 

  

The Evans Farm near Georgetown, Kentucky. Beautiful!