The Miracle Morning Review + My UPDATED Morning Routine

{Source)

Hello world!

I know! I have been MIA since December, but do not worry, I am fully back to work. So much went on in the last couple of weeks, and that is how life is. There will be ups and downs.

So, I am back.

I just finished reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod and after reading it, I realized mornings are taken for granted. Yes. A lot of things can be done in the mornings which can help us have a great day ahead.

Reading this book has made me improve upon my morning routine. I do have a morning routine, but reading this book has helped me improve upon it.

I had heard so much of this book, I did not know where to get it, so I asked a bookworm, Nesta whether he had it and he “lend” it to me. Thank you Nesta!

The beginning of the book was quite tragic. Reading about an accident that happened, and how bad it was. It might make you want to stop reading, honestly. Reading it further made me realize, life is a big painful thing we are all passing through. The author of the book went through certain things that made life seem cruel.

Apart from that, this book was easy to understand, interactive and easy to follow. Most reviews were talking about the writing being so cringe worthy, but I liked it. He wrote it like he was talking to you one on one, and I think that is what we all need.

The book gives you easy step by step ways we can make our mornings exciting, fresh and fun. I recommend this book to everyone.

I give this book 4 out 5 stars.

Now unto my morning routine…

I have made some changes to it. I am currently trying to live life more fully. Not just by going places and having fun, but also, adapting habits that will make me happy, that will help me get closer to my dream life.

Since my alarm goes off at 4:44am, I will extend it to 4am, so that I can enjoy the miracle morning to the fullest. A few new things I would be adding are:

5 minute silence

Affirmations

Visualization

These are the few new things that I would be adding to my morning routine.

If you are finding ways of trying to have a perfect morning even if you are not a morning person, I recommend reading The Miracle Morning.

Let’s Chat: What do you dread most about mornings? What do you think about the book if you have read it? What would you like your mornings to be like?

Book Review: Christmas Stories from the Heart

Every December, I do a festive book review and this year’s own is a book I bought in the middle of the year and I am so glad that I bought it. It is one of the best festive book ever. It is filled with miracles and sweet little nuggets which you can keep and cherish in your hearts all year long.

One thing I love about the book is the foreword which was written by Avalon, an award winning singing group. I totally agree with the foreword and I can read it over and over again.

They said Christmas seemed so much simpler when I was a child……in fact it seemed like pure magic. It’s true and the foreword reminded me of the cartoon movie, A Charlie Brown Christmas, where Charlie Brown complained of the way Christmas has been commercialized.

This book can be a perfect gift, for people who love reading and treasure little stories and poems that touch the heart.

Get a copy, and thank me later.

Book Review: African Memories

Good morning world, and happy two days and some hours to Christmas. I am excited for that! Hope you are too.

Today I come to you with a book review. African Memories by Ndeye Labadens.

African Memories is a book about travel, and adventures and meeting wonderful people. It is a lifestyle book. It is a book that makes us to travel without moving an inch.

I love the book. It was written like a personal journal, with the pictures and the tone in which it was written.

The travel book looked real. She did not live a fabulous travel life that we see in the movies, or the ones we imagine. She didn’t have to live in a 5-star hotel to enjoy her travels.

The book entails the beautiful side of travelling and the ugly side. There are issues of trust and the joy of trying new food and meeting hospitable people.

It felt like I was travelling with her. You can imagine the way she would speak English to you in a Francophone accent.

One reason why I fell in love with the book is her love for the beaches. I am a personal lover of the sand, the shores, the waves in every emotion, the roar of the sea and the swaying of the palm trees.

I hope you get this book to have a feel of the African vibes.

The book would be launched tomorrow, so watch the space.

I recommend this book to you, to travelers who want to know how travelling in Africa feels like, to people who are looking for travel memoirs to use their imagination and voices of people to travel.

I recommend this book to women who have doubts of making a difference.

Here is the Amazon Link

https://www.amazon.com/African-Memories-Travels-interior-Africa-ebook/dp/B01M1CYSF5/

Book Talk: Women Who Run with the Wolves

 Hello world. How is your day?

Today, I have a book review to share with you. Before I write my review, let me tell you a story.

More than fifteen years ago, this book laid on the shelf, and it scared the heck out of me. The title of the book even frightened me. I mean, women running with wolves? They must be very powerful and wild.

I never attempted to read the book. How can I even hold it? Funnily enough, the book was used for so many things, as a support for TV antennas and other things.

Then, in the year 2016, I decided to read it, and I planned to read it during the long vacation. Then I fell in love with it. It is about women finding their wild soul. Within every woman, there is a creative soul, wisdom, powerful force, and a yearning for the wild. The book teaches women to connect with their fierce side, because it is a very important aspect of women.

And that’s how I got to appreciate the book. I used one month to read the book, the whole month of July, which is so unlike me. I had impromptu errands to run, and other tasks to perform, so I never had enough time for the book. Later on, I realized the book is to be studied, not just read, so I am okay with using a month to read the book.

The word, wild here is not used in its modern pejorative sense, meaning out of control, but in its original sense, which means to live a natural life, one in which the creature has innate integrity and healthy boundaries.

The book is so poetic, I love the words, and phrases. I dream of writing a book like this, with such poetic words. There are so many quotes in this book, I could not journal all. I wanted to highlight my favourite lines, but it belongs to the family, so I am not allowed to do that. If it was personally mine, I would have changed the inside into a rainbow.

I learnt a lot from the book. Before I read it, mummy and I were talking about how women are so strong in everything and are very important in the society, and the book talked about that. Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. talked about women and compared us to the lifestyle of wolves, in a very amusing way.

I do not know why I did not read this book a year or two ago, but it is worth it. 

The book taught me

• Never to give up
• Addiction is not good
• Be proud of your body
• Build upon your creativity
• Get rid of negativity
• Patience and forgiveness are very important.

We should write a book like this about African women. That would be so cool. If you plan on starting to write a book like this and you need help, you can call me. I’ll help you write it.

I have uploaded a video on my YouTube channel (Yes, I have a YouTube Channel now at long last) I am talking a lot about the book, so head over there to watch it.

P.S GENERAL WOLF RULES FOR LIFE

Eat

Rest

Rove in between

Render loyalty

Love the children

Cavil in moonlight

Tune your ears

Attend to the bones

Make love

Howl often

Have you read the book before? Please let’s talk about it.

Novel Talk: The Redemption of Sarah Cain

Hello world!

I had a good weekend. It was good. Last week was kind of a mixed situation, both good and unpleasant. I am grateful for such a wonderful weekend to get away from the city and go back to Winneba to hide a little (just for a few hours).

I am done reading The Redemption of Sarah Cain. It is a religious novel about a group of Christians I am hearing for the first time; The Amish. I don’t know of anyone in Ghana would belongs to a group like that. I have done online research of them because of this. They have interesting customs and traditions.

Anyway, since I have finished reading the book, I wanted to go on ahead and write the review, but I want to do something different. I want to write eleven quotes/ sentences I liked from the book. Here are five quotes I liked from the book (in no particular order)

Choose only the perfect ones, and your collection will become more important. Remember, there is only one sun and moon in the sky. Think how trivial a harvest moon would be if there were three.

Things done by halves are never done right.

In shedding nonessentials, one sheds vanity

Nary a promise for the morrow. Live ev’ryday as if it’s your last

Sarah had come to her relationship with Bryan a mere silhouette of a woman, hungry for acceptance, but too apprehensive to embrace it wholeheartedly.

There’s a healing that often comes from creating an heirloom.

The outside of one’s life is their shell. It can guide one to find the ultimate answer….within.  A person is always free to change his shell at any time.

God is sovereign, in all, over all, and above all. I do put my faith and hope in him.

Human beings often despite aloneness. We avoid isolation at all costs. Yet we must reconcile with solitude, learn to embrace it, so that we can hear God’s voice.

Treasures from the sea teaches us heavenly lessons.

A single powerful bolt of lightning split the sky, silver and sizzlin’.

Have you read the book? What do you think of the Amish culture? Maybe, you can tell me more about them.

Book Review: Hidden Rainbow + Something Closer to Red

“……If we had no trials, no troubles, how would God test our strength and genuineness?......”

                                                                                                Sister Lutz, Hidden Rainbow, pg. 317

The Testament was hidden under the mattress. Their world was dark and full of lost happiness, until they John and Anna brought it out and discovered ………..

THEIR HIDDEN RAINBOW

Hey there! I greet you.

I am so proud of myself. 14 Days of MarieAmour was a success! I was able to blog for 14 days straight including Sundays, which I haven’t done before. The highest I had ever gone before that was two days.

Whoa! Well done, Marietta.

I did it and I like it.

So, Monday was a rest day for me, from the trip, to the Vals celebration (which wasn’t a huge one, but I liked it), and no lectures on Monday. I did enjoyed my rest. I am gradually get back on track with my studies and blogging.

Another thing I am so proud of: I read almost 5 books in January. Yes! I know, but seriously, it’s nothing. I mean, back in my SHS days when I could read 10 novels a month, which can be 30 books in a term. It was normal, you know, especially when you are surrounded by two girls (Omay and Ella) who were possessed of reading romance. (I miss them!!!) Now, I have other loads on me and reading can be done only when school is out.

Sometimes, I miss my SHS life.

No worries, the main reason for this post is another novel review and a lipstick I am rocking. To tell you the truth, the novel’s title or blurb isn’t what attracted me to read, rather the author’s name.

Christmas Carol Kauffman.

Her name, how relatable it sounds, and I loved her already. I wish she was alive, like I would have searched for her, and we’ll become best friends born on the same day, but different years; 25^th December.

The book is a true story about a forbidden New Testament that shattered the calm of a Yugoslavian village.

John and Anna, a married couple who were born to Catholic parents were led to the truth, light and true happiness through the ministry of a Protestant missionary. The town was against such doctrines taught and the reading of the Holy Bible. When you are caught talking with a missionary like that, you would be severely criticized by the Reverend Father of the town.

I like Anna for her bravery, courage, motherly skills and heart. She has a beautiful soul, and though she was severely criticized by the neighbours, family, and the Catholic Church, she still believed in reading the Bible and believing in God and worshipping Him through Jesus Christ.

I would give this novel a 4.5 out of 5. It was well written and easy to understand, and it has made my faith to be stronger.

This is a lipstick I found at home, that has a colour closer to red. I found it in my mother’s makeup bag. I have made a goal to invest in a good red lipstick. I somehow think, a lipstick that is red, is not the right shade of lipstick for my skin colour, but there is no harm in trying, right?

The photos I took for this blog were not as bright as I expected. The harmattan fog in January did not favour my photos, they look as if I used a filter called harmattan to edit my photos. Eek. Can you imagine? A filter called Harmattan to edit photos. It would be whacky.

Have you read the novel? What do you think of having a photo filter called Harmattan? Which red lipstick brand would you recommend?

Ps. Enjoy some snapshots of the video I planned not to upload for the novel review. Hehehe.

Book Review: Santrofi on National Service

Good morning, world. It is another beautiful day of sunshine and more blessings. I hope you are doing great. For me, I am gradually getting back on track from all the melancholy I was experiencing since the beginning of the year. Actually, I don’t know why I was experiencing that. I think it’s because a relative of mine fell seriously sick, but she is better now. That explains my drastic weight loss and all the uninspired days, but I’m all good now, and ready to face 2016, and live the sweet sixteen life with good intentions.

I have finished reading Santrofi on National Service, a novel, in which I just used a day to finish reading, since I was less busy on that day. It was ok, in my opinion. I am getting ready to do my National Service, next year, and this year is my internship.

It is a story of a young sixth form man, who was posted to the Upper West Region for his National Service. He was born and raised in Accra, and he had never left the capital before. His father refused to let him be a footballer, just like the post I wrote a few days ago, but his posting to a small village in the Upper West made him know his calling and what he is capable of, in terms of changing lives.

What I hate about the book is how the protagonist was very successful (or should I say, too successful) at everything (teaching, being a role model, at playing football). It was unrealistic to me. How can a person succeed at everything without any flaws and suddenly be a champion. Even superheroes have downfalls. The only downfall he had was when his longtime girlfriend broke up with him, which was so painful and when a student tempted him to sleep with her.

One lesson I learnt is that you can make a change at the area where you were posted.

 I would give this novel a 2.5 out of 5.

Have you read it before? What do you think about it?

Book Review: No Sweetness Here

Hello everyone! Sorry, I have not been able to post lately. A loved one has been ill for a long time, and I was disturbed. She is getting better now, thanks to my Heavenly Father and prayers of loved ones. Thanks to Sadia, Thomas, Papacy and Aikon for taking care of her.

Due to this situation, I finished reading this novel late, but I am finally done, end I enjoyed it.

No Sweetness Here is a book of short stories written by Ama Ata Aidoo. There are eleven stories in all and they were beautifully written. They are stories about the Ghanaian society issues, and one thing I love about the book is that, though they were written in the 1960s, we can relate to it in the 21^st century Ghana.

The short stories include Everything Counts, For Whom Things Did Not Change, In the Cutting of a Drink, The Message, Certain Winds from the South, No Sweetness Here, A Gift from Somewhere, Two Sisters, The Late Bud, Something to Talk About on the Way to the Funeral, and Other Versions.

It was difficult to pick a favourite and a least favourite. Maybe, I’ll choose In the Cutting of a Drink or The Message or oh, Two Sisters too was good. My least favourite was No Sweetness Here. Okay, it was not my least favourite, but it is a story I wish not to read again because there was no happy ending, and the woman lost everything.

Though, there are spelling mistakes and other errors, which might be the fault of the Publisher/Printing Press, these collection of short stories is one of the best I have read. I might even consider writing a book of short stories like this.

I’ll give it a 4 out of 5 stars.