The Fringe Hours

I don't typically post on Sundays but this post seemed fitting for a Sunday. The Fringe Hours is a great book to curl up with on a Sunday afternoon. When I'm scrolling through my Instagram feed and I see that someone is recommending a book I quickly take a screen shot. Then when I'm on my computer ordering on Amazon I scroll through the photos on my phone and order the books that I'd like to read. Ali Edwards recommended the book "The Fringe Hours: Making Time for You." It sounded interesting so I ordered it. After it came it sat on my nightstand for a couple of weeks while I finished the book I was currently reading. When I did finally open the book, I couldn't put it down.

When I finished the book and as I was thinking about what I would blog about in my review the thing that came to my mind first was that reading this book was just like sitting down and talking to a good friend about how I needed to find a little more balance in my life. The book is written by Jessica N. Turner. She blogs at TheMomCreative.com. I think that this book resonated with me so much because Jessica is a mom, she's a blogger, AND she's a scrapbooker....ummmm, I am too (on all accounts). I really think I could be best friends with her.

As a mom, it's easy to forget to take care of yourself by taking time to do things that you enjoy. There have been times that I've done really well with taking time for myself but there have been times that I haven't taken care of myself. Since my diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis I've had take better care of myself because if I don't, I end up sick and in bed. In a chapter of the book titled "Identifying how to care for yourself" Jessica talks about many ways that you can care for yourself. For me (since my diagnosis) a major factor in taking care of myself is sleep. I cannot go without sleep. I have to sleep between 8-9 hours a night. Even though it's been a couple of years since my diagnosis, I still struggle with this. I do it, because if I don't, I get sick...fast! It's hard to spend time in bed when I know I could be doing things for my family. It's something that I've had to get used to though. Jessica does talk about the importance of finding rest in a later chapter of the book.

Another chapter that stuck out to me was the chapter about "Shifting Your Perspective." I've had to do this a lot it's so easy to step away from a project because it's something that I'm unable to do anymore. I've decided that shifting my perspective from "I can't do this" to "what can I do?" Even if I'm not feeling up to sitting at my desk and working on a scrapbooking project I can take my laptop to bed with me (or a pen and a notebook) to do some journaling, or I can take my iPad to bed with me and watch a process video on YouTube, or take a class on Craftsy. {This is my favorite class so far. (Scrapbook Design & Storytelling: Beyond the Basics). It's taught by my dear friend Jen Gallacher.} By shifting my perspective, just a little bit, I don't feel nearly as down on myself when I don't feel up to completing an entire task.

I also love the fact that there were so many familiar names quoted in this book. Names that are in an industry that I know and love. I loved hearing comments from: Ali Edwards, Lain Ehmann, and Becky Higgins throughout the book. Those women are all such great examples of finding balance between running very successful businesses and still managing a home and family.

The hardest part of the book for me to read was the last chapter where Jessica talks about a friend of hers (Sara) that also had Ankylosing Spondylitis who passed away. It wasn't easy to read about someone who passed away from the same disease that I have. Sara's perspective is one that is so important, that of choosing joy. Not having joy, or finding joy, but choosing joy. I think that perspective is one that we can all learn from.


You can read a little more about my experience with Ankylosing Spondylitis HERE and HERE.
Enjoy your Sunday and have a wonderful week.