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#2021Book105
This is the first of Jen Hatmaker's books I've read, but it likely won't be the last. She's funny, insightful, and has a love of list-making that rivals my own. She also reads her own audiobook, so listening to it feels like sitting and listening to one of your friends tell you about things they've experienced.

Took a better, non-Gilmore Girls picture of this box set for Instagram.

Will I ever use the journal?? Your guess is as good as mine, but it was a great Black Friday bargain and I have no regrets.

A great book of humorous essays from a Christian perspective. I love Jen Hatmaker's writing style.

Finished this up while watching Gilmore Girls 🙂

This quote and my dark green and gold St Patty's mani 😁

Taking comfort in this simple quote today

I enjoyed the audio version. It‘s always a bonus for the author to narrate. It‘s like attending a motivational conference. Also she threw in some little tidbits just for the listener that wasn‘t part of the book. I didn‘t agree with everything but she is relatable and funny and hit some topics right on.

I heard Glennon Doyle & Reese Witherspoon talking about Jen Hatmaker, so I decided to check her out. Apparently I‘ve arrived very late to her party. Very late. A preacher‘s wife in Texas, she spoke out against Trump in 2016 & announced her support for LGBTQ rights. Then the death threats started. This book is not about that. It‘s about raising five children, about faith, about coming out on the other side of the crisis. She is funny and honest.

Usually these types of books have me rolling my eyes at how ridiculous they sound. There are some out there where the author talks down to the reader as though they are a toddler..
This one was surprisingly good! Jen had me laughing throughout. She is funny. She is relatable. She is very close to my age with kids around my kids ages. She is Christian.
I am insanely jealous of how she had her house redone on HGTV.....that is my dream. 😍

Jan 2020

3 1/2 stars. Some parts I loved, some not so much. Enjoyable, fun, and touching.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was a fun read. The essays are humorous yet insightful. I lost a little interest though toward the end. Overall, I enjoyed it and I have a fellow Mama friend that I want to loan it to because I think she will enjoy it.

Guess I‘m done reading. 🐾

The one night in the past two weeks that I don‘t have to go somewhere. I should be doing a million different things. But I‘m doing this.

Just noticed the book jacket is sliced. Guess we are taking the whole mess and moxie thing literally. Somehow this makes me love the book even more.

My house is filled with rainbows at this time of day.

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audio version and Jen is a fantastic narrator, you feel like you are listening to one of your friends. She is open and honest. Her faith is inspiring and real. We are reading this for our bookclub and I would highly recommend it. After listening to this audiobook, I found that she has a podcast and it is great also.

My birthday get away weekend at French Ridge Vineyards in Ohio last weekend!

So many truths in this book..one I want to own for sure

Kids are off to school, dog is exercised and wiped out, kitchen is cleaned up after breakfast. Reading in my favorite spot with the sun streaming through the window. This is a luxury these days. Taking time for some #selfcare this morning before I begin work. 📚☺️☀️

Love this! 👍👊

If all Christian organizations and churches pulled up anchor, the ripple effect would reverberate to the ends of the earth.

Day 25: Listen
I don‘t listen to that many audio books, but this one is next on my list. #Ampersand218

I listened to this on audiobook and wept tears of laughter and tears of just regular tears throughout. So funny, so poignant, so relatable yet deep. From the moment she says “for the 38 year olds”, then described me perfectly, she had my attention and my heart. 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

She makes some good points but there is a lot of fluff. I‘m not a huge fan of fluff.

Found this one at work today. The title got me intrigued. It's rare you see a Christian author writing about women having back bone I feel like. Anyone ever read this one?

Happy Valentine‘s Day! Read this quote this morning in the tagged book. #goodtiming #bookquotes #valentinesday

#freedom for this gal tonight! I am heading out with my sisters to go see one of my favorite people speak. With the plague trying to take over our house I am ready to Get Out! Jen Hatmaker is awesome and her book Of Mess and Moxie made me laugh, cry and read whole sections out loud to the hubby. #ReadingResolutions @Jess7

We‘re totally BFF now...

#ofmessandmoxie

I‘m going to see Jen Hatmaker tonight! Any other Nashville area Littens going to be there?

“So much investment in our kids involves delayed gratification. Is it working? Did it take? Will it ever produce anything good?”

“I bought the lie of hyper-controlled parenting for a while, but all it produced was despair every time my kids fought or went off script.”

This book! It‘s like reading my own memoir.

LOL! This is my exact experience almost every time I grocery shop. 😂🙃🙋‍♀️🛒

“Meanwhile, if we developed the chops to tune out the ordinary complaints of children, we‘d see mostly happy kids, loved and nurtured, cared for and treasured.” YES!

“Motherhood often feels like a game of guilt management...” This entire paragraph speaks to my soul.

Starting this one for a new women‘s group that I was invited to join. I‘m excited to read this and get to know these women through our discussions. We are going to follow the author‘s Facebook book discussions (after the fact, because we are starting a bit later).

Yes real challenge

6 pages in and I‘m already considering breaking my book buying ban!

Funny, honest, relatable, and encouraging!

I love it when I find the quote I‘m looking for already online all prettied up! #thanksinterwebs #imlazy #iaddedthestickermyself

Started the first book of the new year.

First book of 2018. Got a cold so read all day. Sarcastic humor in short stories of parenting life and the Christian faith

After @maximoffs sent me some quotes from this book, I picked it up—I‘ve never needed a book like I need this one right now. Simultaneously brutally honest and hilarious, Hatmaker reached into my soul and offered comfort and solace that I needed. 5/5.

Laughing so hard. #smalltalk @IamIamIam
Finally reading this one. Audio is a must 🤣

In true Jen style, this book brought all the emotions out in me. I literally laughed out loud, and I shed a few tears as well. Loved this. Perfect read for a group of girlfriends.

So yeah, as you can tell by my earlier quote spamming of this book, I really liked it. I think Jen Hatmaker has a fresh and funny voice. I'd want her for my pastor anytime, except that I'm not Baptist. The book was great for me, as a middle-aged mom. Maybe others wouldn't connect with it in the same way. Atheists be warned, this book does contain Christian content, although I didn't find it heavy-handed. Some good and funny life advice in here.

Mamas, the traditions and experiences we provide during the Family Years are paving a road our kids can always return to, one that always points home. There is something about a recurring shared memory; the sum becomes greater than the parts.

...[F]ear is a liar. It cannot be relied upon to lead well, to lead out, or to lead forward. It is an untrustworthy emotion, not of God, and it never leads to health, wholeness, wisdom, or resurrection.

You do not have to be who you were, who you have been. ... You can care about new things and new people and new beginnings, and until you are dead in the ground, you are not stuck. If you move with the blessing of your people, marvelous. But even if you don‘t, this is your one life, and fear, approval, and self-preservation are terrible reasons to stay silent, stay put, stay sidelined.