Author: Anne Russell

May Goals

I really want to “may”ke a May pun right now.

My little sister and I planted this adorable strawberry planter earlier this month, and it’s actually growing! I probably feel a little too proud of this.
It’s been a good month. I’ve kept up with my Bible goals, and I feel like it’s helping me grow in my relationship with God. I’m still a little behind on my reading goals, so I’m not sure how to get caught up, but I’m going to spend some brain-storming power on it this week so I can get back on track.

 

I read the book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. This was for my book that spans over a character’s whole life. This book gave me an interesting perspective on the history of China, and also taught me more about forgiveness and regret. I would highly recommend it.
I’m still in the middle of Dr. Thorne, and I’m loving it so far! The book is like Jane Austin, but less flowery.
I’m happy with how the Anne’s Earworms posts are turning out. Most of them are shorter than the posts in January, but I like the format they’re in now. This month, I’m most proud of my Summer Break Playlist.
This month, I’ve also been getting ready for a concert on June 3 with my band, 240 Strings. The concert is going to be outdoors and open to the public. If you live in the Louisville area, I would love to see you there!
May has been a fantastic month, and I’m excited to see what happens in June.
What are you most excited about in Summer Break? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section!

Caleb + Kelsey – Anne’s Earworms Episode 20

Caleb is one of the members of the group Anthem Lights. Kelsey is his wife. Together, they sing many beautiful duets. I’m a big fan.

 

My favorite Caleb + Kelsey song is their cover of “No Air” by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown. Their harmony is amazing, and they have a beautiful amount of passion and connection when they sing.

 

Another great song of theirs is “Should’ve Been Us,” originally by Tori Kelli. I’m not a huge fan of the original, but their version is beautiful. I love singing this song with my music buddies now because I heard their version.

 

 

Do you listen to Caleb + Kelsey? If so, what’s your favorites of their covers? I’d love to hear them in the comments section!

 

Bonus Song: For more Caleb + Kelsey, check out their version of Maps by Maroon 5, another favorite.

 

 

How to Make London Fog

One of my favorite tea drinks is London Fog. It originated in Canada, and it’s similar to a latte, but with tea instead of coffee. I love it on rainy days.

 

Start by boiling some water for tea. You’ll want to brew about half of whatever size mug you’re using of Earl Grey. Brew it for 4-5 minutes, depending on how you usually like Earl Grey.

Our beautiful tea kettle
Earl grey

While it’s brewing, heat up some milk. I usually put about half a cup of milk into out microwave for 50 seconds to a minute. The milk should be steaming, but not boiling. Whole milks works best, as reduced fat milk doesn’t froth much.

 

 

Next, whisk the milk. I use our handy stick blender, and whisk it until it’s frothy all of the way through. Add a little bit of vanilla and whisk for a couple of seconds to mix it in.

Frothing the milk.

 

Take out your teabag from your mug and add the frothy milk.

 

Adding the frothy milk

This drink is great with scones or a dessert, or by itself. Enjoy!

A London Fog with my dad’s amazing oatmeal scotchies

 

P. S., here’s the website that taught me how to make London Fog. I make it a little differently than the site recommends, but it was super helpful when I first started making the drink.

My Summer Break Playlist – Anne’s Earworms Episode 19

I had a lot of fun this semester, but I love being on break. Just like during any break, I need an epic playlist. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

 

Good Morning, from Singing in the Rain

 

This song goes along well with my “being positive” theme I have going on right now. It’s fun and upbeat.

 

Billy Gilman, My Way

 

I love this cover of Frank Sinatra’s classic song, even more than the original. Billy Gilman sings with so much passion and energy.

Journey, Separate Ways

This is a good song for jamming. 

Chelsea Moon with the Franz Brothers, What Wondrous Love is This

What Wondrous Love Is This is one of my favorite hymns, and this version is hauntingly beautiful.

 

Ella Fitzgerald, I Can’t Be Bothered Now

 

What playlist is complete without Ella? This song is light and carefree, and also good for dancing.

 

What’s on your summer break playlist? I’d love to hear some new additions for my list in the comments section!

Summer Projects

One of my favorite family traditions is our yearly summer projects. Each member in our family picks a project to work on over the summer, and we encourage each other as we work towards our goals. Some people do the projects as groups, and some do it by themselves. The only rule is that the project needs to be something the person hasn’t done before. I couldn’t say that learning piano or running is my summer project. I could say that skydiving is my summer project.

Here are some tips for picking a summer project:

 

Pick something that excites you.

If you’re not sure what you want to do, think about something that you’ve wanted to try for a while. Last year, I chose blogging every week as my summer project, because it was something I’d wanted to try for a while, but never made time to do before then.

 

Have a specific goal.

Your goal doesn’t have to be impossible. For my summer project this year, I want to learn some basic Latin. Our family owns a Latin curriculum, so I decided to make my goal to go through the whole book by the end of summer. I don’t expect to be a Latin expert by the end of summer, but I will have learned enough to have some benefits in my writing, and to learn more if I decide that I love it.

 

Have fun!

Don’t get too uptight about making your goal. A summer project is far more fun if you’re focused on learning and having a good time, rather than whether you’re doing perfectly.

 

Do you have a summer project? If so, what is it? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section!

A Bit of Frustration – April Goals

The past couple of weeks have been kind of rough. I’ve had a lot of stress because of finals and whatnot, and it’s been hard for me to stay positive. (There were a LOT of tears last week). Last week, I didn’t write my Saturday post or my Earworm for the week. Instead of sitting around being frustrated about it, I’m going to call it a week off, and get back to my routine this week. I’ve finished all but one of my finals, so I’m looking forward to having a little more time to focus on writing and some of my other priorities outside of school.

Also on the positive side of my life, I read a couple of interesting books this month. I finished Uninvited, by Lysa TerKeurst, which my sister Christina recommended. The book was good, and there were a few excellent points in it. I also read Animal Farm, by George Orwell. Like 1984, this book was dark and fascinating. It made me think about the world in a different way. I would highly recommend it. I started the book Dr. Thorne, by Anthony Trollope. My mom and I watched through the BBC series based on the book, and I’m excited to see if I love the book as much as I loved the series. So far I like it.

I’m a little behind on several of my goals, but I’m trying to focus on doing well now, rather than sitting around regretting the busyness of the past couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this Kate Rusby song:

Schindler’s List – Anne’s Earworms Episode 17

The movie Schindler’s List is about Oskar Schindler, a Nazi. The movie has a fascinating story that makes it worth watching, but I knew the soundtrack even before I saw the film.

The Schindler’s List soundtrack is a masterful exploration of sorrow and hope. The first time I heard it, I cried because of the beauty contained in the main theme. The whole soundtrack is worth listening through, but if you only have a few minutes, I recommend the theme.

 

Positively Negative

This is a weird subject for me to write about, because it is something I fail in a lot: staying positive. I tend to get bogged down in my dark thoughts and anxiety. I’m writing this post to inspire myself, and maybe even help you. I think the best way to do this is to use a real- life example.

Last Saturday I was far behind on my math. I had been spending a lot of time with my sister who was in town for a week (which was amazing), and I had a lot of other school to tackle, because finals are coming up soon. So, on Saturday, along with my blog post, some other school, and music practice, I had more math than I could tackle in a day. I was struggling with one of the concepts, and it was taking me much longer than I thought it should. I did not have a good attitude. All I could think about was that I would never get it down in a day, and that I would have to do it on Sunday, and that I wouldn’t get my blog post done, again, and that I would fail the class and be shamed by all of my engineering school friends (my thoughts are crazy sometimes). I was in this loop most of the morning, and I made very little progress on anything, because my brain wasn’t focused. This is a sadly typical negative response that I have to hard things, especially being behind schedule.

At around 3, I realized that I wasn’t getting anything done, because I was too busy worrying and hating myself. I had a decision to make. I could continue my negative feedback loop, and continue to do nothing. Or, I could try changing my attitude. I decided to change my attitude. Instead of focusing on what I wasn’t getting down, I decided to focus on what I could get done, and let go of the rest. I focused on getting done the math that I could, and not everything else I wasn’t doing. Even though my attitude was better, I still didn’t get everything done. I didn’t write a blog post. I didn’t finish all of my math, so I had to finish it on Sunday. My attitude didn’t change all of the circumstances, but it did change how I handled it. I was free to focus, and free to relax and enjoy the learning process.

So this week, I want to focus on staying positive. This doesn’t mean that I’m going to pretend that everything is perfect, or even force myself to not feel sad. I just will move on from the stress and sadness, rather than stay stuck in the muck of my own attitude. I need a lot of practice, and I’m choosing to start now.

How do you fight negative thinking? I would love to hear your ideas in the comments section!