Magnum Opus of a child's mind

"The Wart did not know what Merlin was talking about, but liked him to talk. He did not like the grown-ups who talked down to him, but the ones who went on talking in their usual way, leaving him to leap along in their wake, jumping at meanings, guessing, clutching at known words, and chuckling at complicated jokes as they suddenly dawned."  This marvelous quote from The Once and Future King by T.H White reminded me of yet another reason why I homeschool. The truth of the matter is that children do not like to be talked-down to.

Our society believes that children are less superior to adults. Our children are riddled with dumbed down lessons as evidenced in the Disney renditions of the classics such as Bambi by Felix Salten , The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen and Heidi by Johanna Spyri. On and on, title after title, Sunday School class after Sunday school class, Classroom upon classroom. We are living in a culture that has "dumbed down" education.


When we read good books to our children we are exposing them to the good thoughts from the author who penned that story. Charlotte Mason, a British educational philosopher who studied and educated children for over 60 years asserts, "We feed upon the thoughts of other minds; and thought applied to thought generates thought and we become more thoughtful"( Vol. 6, ch. 1, p. 26). She continues with an analogy that our minds need quality food, and much of it every day, just as our bodies need 3 square meals a day. We do our best to feed our children a varied diet of nutritious food so their physical bodies will grow strong. But, what are we feeding into the minds' of our children? Are we placing before them a feast such as is found in good literature, beautiful music, brilliant paintings, biographies of brilliant people, and walks in nature to stimulate their minds to grow!?

Miss Mason continues, "The mind , like the body, digests its proper food, and it must have the labour of digestion or it ceases to function. But the children ask for bread and we give them a stone; we give information about objects and events which mind does not attempt to digest but casts out bodily ( upon an examination paper). But let information hang upon a principle, be inspired by an idea, and it is taken with avidity and used in making whatsoever in the spiritual nature stands for tissue in the physical" ( vol. 6, ch. 1, p. 26).

What do you suppose are the stones we are feeding to our children? Are we offering them quality materials that can be digested in their minds? Are we setting before them a feast to educate upon?


If thought begets thought, as Miss Mason claims , don't you want brilliant ideas for your children to feast upon?

Last night I was reading an article about the new Facebook movie called Social Networking. The article was referring to ideas building upon ideas which lead to inventions. I pondered this concept of people having ideas, that feed more people with more ideas, until eventually an idea evolves and an invention is created. This is what happens in the mind of a child when he is stimulated to think because of the influence of the great minds. A bountiful curriculum leads to abundant thinking and this leads to brilliant minds.

Just as The Wart (the young boy from The Once and Future King) loved sitting in the presence of adults and deciphering their conversations, we should be presenting books and art that would be considered above the minds of our young children. Instead of reading the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, read the real version written by Hans Christian Anderson. Instead of watching Shirley Temple as Heidi, read the original book by Johanna Spyri. Experience the Magnum opus of Shakespeare with your children. Study the masterpieces by Vermeer and Waterhouse. Listen to Mozart and experience the glory of God by exploring creation.

My 14 year old is experiencing the hardships of David Copperfiled through Charles Dickens, Shrew Taming from the mind of Shakespeare, The adventures of Merlin  from the imaginations of T.H, White, The culture of Normans and Anglo-Saxons from Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, the language of Middle English Poetry, the use of lighting in The paintings of Vermeer, the spirit of God in the sounds of Beethoven, the intricacy of the human body in the study of anatomy through the mind of a professor and the life of Dr. Paul Brand, the articulations of Spanish through Mrs. Neve, and much more.

I tell you this to show you how a 14 year old can be fed a generous feast of ideas. She is capable because she is a human being that has a mind to think. Unfortunately, if she were in a public school, she would likely be spoon fed ideas, rather than left alone with the ideas which will naturally build within her more ideas and a strong character and life long love of learning. Did I mention that she LOVES school?!

My "customer review" for A Sacrifice of Praise

A Sacrifice of Praise: An Anthology of Poetry in English from Caedmon to the Mid-Twentieth Century


Rating: 5 star

Comments: I am so thankful for this book. I am really struggling with our year 7 curriculum and understanding some of the literature (Ivanhoe and the poem assigned for memory).

This morning I decided to read some "Middle English" poems from this resource that came highly recommended. I was floundering, and about ready to just "forget it". Seriously, who can understand a poem like this!?

A Song of Passion

My trewest tresowre sa trayturly was taken,
Sa bytterly bondyn wyth bytand banders,
How sone of thi seruandes was thou forsaken,
And lathly for my lufe hurld with thair handes.....

and on and on we go!!!

My overwhelmed mind is thinking "How in the world are we going to comprehend Beowulf later this year?!

STOP!!! Take a breath. Would Charlotte throw it all out just because she does not "get it"? What would Charlotte do if she were presented with a daunting task of teaching something of which she has no understanding? She would "self-educate".

This morning I began reading the introduction to the "Anglo-Saxon/Middle English" section of A Sacrifice of Praise. The historical context set ablaze in the recesses of my mind, the first chapter of Ivanhoe, of
which I had read a few weeks ago. I proceeded to Google search "Anglo-Saxon and Middle English" and have stumbled upon some very interesting information about the evolution of our language.

I want to thank Lynn Bruce for recommending this book at our last meeting. I do believe that this book is going to do a work in my soul. I endeavor to press onward and slowly read through this poetry that has me groping. A Sacrifice of Praise is a shining beam to help lead the blind into a new world of undiscovered terrain.

I do believe this should be a recommended "teacher resource" for AO educators. I plan to use this for historical referencing in all of our poetry study.

Living in JOY,
Adrienne

The Arrival of Our New Tea Kettle

My endeavor to find a tea kettle not manufactured in China was like being on a 20 hour flight! I was glued to my chair and armed with my computer, researching for many hours. Frustration and sore legs made me just about ready to buy a $300 tea kettle from Italy! I even contacted Brian to see if he could fine it in Dubai before coming home.

Pouring my mind over reviews, labels, and calling stores to actually read the box to see if it truly was not made in Asia was exhausting to say the least. At last the return phone call I was waiting for came on Tuesday. The tea kettle I kept returning to was much less than $300 and was indeed made in Belgium!!

The features I wanted were:

• Not made in Asia
• Stainless Steel throughout
• No aluminum or nickel or plastic touching the water ever!!
• Well constructed without seams
• Warranty

It is made by Demeyere in Belgium.  http://www.demeyere.be/

The Apollo Tea Kettle comes with a 30 year warranty and a complete stainless steel construction.

Demeyere makes another tea kettle that looks identical to this one, but in a different line called Resto. The Resto tea kettle is a fraction of the cost, not the quality of stainless and has an aluminum interior wall. It also only comes with a 2 year warranty and the worst part: "Made in Indonesia".  Beware looking for customer reviews, I am certain that the 2 reviews I read for the Apollo were actually for the Resto.

I plan to use the Apollo for at least 6 months before giving it a review. If it holds up as well as I think it will, it is worthy of a strong customer review for being made in Belgium and well constructed without harmful metals or plastic parts. It is the only tea kettle of its kind besides the beautful line of Italian tea kettles, one of which can be found here: http://www.unicahome.com/catalog/item.asp?id=50113&PartnerID=SLI

$300 teakettle from Italy made by SerafinoZani

If you are interested in purchasing the Apollo Tea Kettle by Demeyere, the customer service was perfect with Metro Kitchen. They called me promptly and affirmed that it was made in Belgium. I ordered it on Tuesday and it arrived via UPS 2 days later and shipping was FREE!!!
http://cookware.metrokitchen.com/search#w=apollo%20teakettle&asug=

Look closely and you can see "Made in Belgium"!

Word Clouds

Wordle– a place where you can copy and paste large amounts of text and create a “Word Cloud”. Here is an example of a word cloud I made out of the first 16 pages from A Little Princess. The more times a word appears in the text, the larger its image in the word cloud. This is useful for pulling out the main themes in difficult documents, or for helping older children with composition by allowing them to see whether or not the most prominent ideas are the ones they intended. Make your own word cloud at www.wordle.net.

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2317906/The_Little_Princess

Queen Anne's Lace

Is it any wonder that Queen Anne's Lace was always one of my favorite flowers growing up! It was in abundance in the fields of Ohio where I wandered and played while growing up in a quiet suburb of Ohio. Last year I picked this "flower" that looked to me like Queen Anne's Lace. I drew it in my nature journal and titled it "Queen Anne's Lace".

However, it always bothered me that the "Queen Anne's Lace" in Texas was not as full as it was in Ohio! I told the girls, "In Ohio the tiny florets are much thicker and and more exquisite than this!".

Well, I just found out I was DEAD WRONG!! It is NOT Queen Anne's Lace. It is Water Hemlock and it is VERY POISONOUS!!

The girls wore it in their hair yesterday and we have picked it frequently. I finally decided to look into this and see if it is indeed "queen anne's lace". I discovered that is was NOT and Found out the Water Hemlock is the MOST deadly plant in North America!! YIKES! In the 1930's 7 kids died because they made  whistles out of the stems of it and were playing them. Even if a small part get in your mouth it can kill you.

I was flabbergasted! I immediately thought "What if one of the girls would have
held the stem in their mouth while fixing their barrette or ponytail in order to
properly fasten the "flower" in their hair!? They could have died!!


So, the moral to this story is........

Look it up!! I am crazy to have assumed that Queen Anne's Lace would look different in TX.

Living in JOY,
Adrienne

P.S. We have wild blackberries growing on the trail back their too. We did look those up last year and picked a huge bowl full and washed and ate them. This year, I have a male puppy and he pees on them and I have noticed other male dogs doing that too. I did not tell my kids yet, and my 15 year old daughter came home yesterday after picking Water Hemlock and said, "Mom, the blackberries are ripe and I ate some!!" I guess we've got another moral lesson here too! LOL

French Women of the 1800s much like todays modern woman

My son is reading Democracy in America by Alexander De Tocqueville. He was a French man who came to the Americas in the 1830s to study the American Government.  

    

In the chapter titled: How the Americans View with Equality of Men and Women, De Tocqueville contrasts women of Europe with the women of America.

"There are Europeans who confuse the various characteristics of the sexes and would make of men and women beings not only equal but alike. To both, they attribute the same functions equally, impose on them the same duties and grant them the same rights. They would involve them both in everything- work, pleasure, business. It is easy to see that, in the ambition to make the one sex equal to the other, both are demeaned and that, from this crude mixing of nature's works, will emerge weak men and immodest women."  

When I read this quote, I was astounded at how much this describes the situation we find in America, 2010. The ratio of men to women in college is sickening. Currently, about 58% of college campuses are women. The number of men who are going to college is dropping each year. How much we have become like Europe of the 1830s!

The author goes on to note that American people have a very contrasting view of women to those views of the Europeans.

"Their [Americans] idea is that since nature has established such a great variation in the physical and moral make-up of men and women, and she clearly intended to give different employment to their different faculties. They have concluded that progress would not be achieved by having dissimilar creatures doing the same jobs but by enabling each of them to accomplish their respective tasks as effectively as possible."

Hmmm...."progress would not be achieved by having dissimilar creatures doing the same jobs..."

"America is the one country where the most consistent care has been taken to trace clearly distant spheres of action for the two sexes and where both are required to walk at an equal pace but along paths that are never the same. You do not see American women directing concerns outside the range of the family, or handling  business dealings, or entering politics."

Wow! this does not sound like the America I live in!!

"I have noticed that American women considered the husband's authority as a lucky encroachment on their rights or that they believed that they degraded themselves by submitting to it. Rather, it appeared to me that they derived a sort of pride in the willing surrender of their wishes and that they felt their stature increased by their bending to this yoke and not seeking to escape from it.....in the United States you do not hear any adulterous wife noisily claiming the rights of women even as she tramples under foot the most sacred of her duties".

After this he goes on to explain how the women are treated as equal in intelligence and freedoms. She is viewed as virtuous and treated as such by all men in America.

"America....still punish rape by death. And no other crime is prosecuted with the same relentless severity by public opinion. The explanation is this: Americans have nothing they value and respect more than a woman's honor and independence, they consider no punishment too harsh for those who deprive her of both against her will. In France, where this same offense is subject to much milder penalties, it is often difficult to find a juty to convict. Would that indicate scorn for a woman's modesty or her person? I cannot help believing that it is both". 

I don't know about you, but I am under the strong impression that according to this historical account, we have become like France during the time of Alexander De Tocqueville.

In conclusion the author notes, "Thus  Americans do not believe that men and women have the duty or the right to perform the same things but they show the same regard for the role played by both and they consider them as equal in worth, although their lot in life is different".

In conclusion , De Tocqueville states " I have recorded so many considerable achievements in the Americans, if I am asked how we should account for the unusual prosperity  and growing strength of this nation, I would reply that they must be attributed to the superiority of their women".

Sadly, I would have to agree that much of the downfall that we are experiencing in our nation today, is from this shift away from our God ordained roles. God created us in his image, but we were made distinctly with gender roles, neither of which is more important than the other.

I am so glad that my son is reading this book and what a rich and truthful history he is getting because he is reading REAL history and not a government social studies book that only publishes what is "politically correct". Much of history in the public school system is not "historically correct".

If you want to read this chapter for yourself, here it is free. It is however a slightly different translation. 

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/DETOC/ch3_12.htm

To read a very satisfying account on the roles of woman, according to how we were created, I strongly recommend Passionate Housewives Desperate for God.

My baby boy is 17 today

The years have flown and I am really having a hard time with this birthday. There is something about ages 17-21. This is when all of the most important and major life choices really set it. I told Calvin this last night and he said " I know, and it is really scary". I was so GLAD he said that. It is evidence of him taking his future seriously.

But still, letting my first born out of the nest is really hard. It's not like he is leaving or anything, I am just seeing my son transform into a man and it is FREAKING me out. He is such a great kid and I am so blessed to have such a son.

My most profound memory is when Calvin was about 3 years old. We drove past a pro-life picket rally and he said "Mommy, why is that lady holding a sign with a picture of a dead chicken?" I had to pull over and I was bawling! He said "Mommy,why are you crying?" I began to explain what that dead chicken was and how sad it is when a mommy does not want her baby.

Meanwhile floods of memories poured over me at how upset I was when I found out I was pregnant with him. I did NOT want a baby yet. We had only been married 6 months and Brian and I were NOT getting along. I remember after a HUGE argument getting in the car and driving towards an abortion clinic thinking that maybe that was the best option.

Calvin knows this story and he knows that I was tempted by my sin to get an abortion. It really only lasted a few minutes, but had I NOT known The LORD and had I not been profoundly pro-life, I might have done it! That is sobering!

When Calvin was born I held him and cried and prayed over this "little man" as we used to call him. I thanked God daily for this little sweet blessing and was continually reminded of the blessing we would have missed if I had driven to that abortion clinic.

When Calvin turned 8 he proclaimed that he wanted to be a judge! I asked him why and he said "Do you remember that sign with a dead chicken?" I said "Oh Calvin you remember that!?"  He said "I want to be a judge so that I can make abortions illegal!" 

Out of the mouths of Babes!! We have encouraged Calvin to pray regularly about his career for his future and he still senses a call to be a judge. He is not exactly sure why or how he is going to get there, but for now he plans to go to law school and walk a path towards becoming a judge.

He currently volunteers at the Lewisville Police Department in the 911 Dispatch department. They said they will hire him when he is 17 1/2 to begin his formal training. We are praying about college and what that will look like. His undergrad degree will likely have some focus towards law enforcement.

Today we celebrate the birth of our first born and will culminate our celebrations by going out for sushi! Sushi is better than cake! I think I will have a glass of plum wine too!!!

Here is a pic of me and Calvin from 2 years ago and a pic of him playing in the Texas snow last week!

Having a Wisdom House

Today I was so encouraged by chapter 3 in the book Wise Women Build Houses. I scored a perfect score on the little test about keeping our domains in good working order. But, the past few weeks, I have had some struggles and I knew they were rooted in self-righteousness. After I scored my perfect score on having my domain ready to rule and serve, I turned the page of the book and the author cautioned that if you rule your domain well, one of the pitfalls to watch for is "self-righteousness". She was spot on!

A few nights ago I was convicted of self-righteousness after having a very ugly fit in front of my entire family. It was so horrible and was completely humbled by my ugliness and repented before the entire family at dinner the next day. I knew that 100% of my problem was rooted in a spirit of self-righteousness.

The encouragement that I have is so good. I am so thrilled that God has led us through a long season of chipping away at our sin and causing us to get our house in order. I do believe that I have a real wisdom house going on over here and I am thrilled. It puts a joy in my heart and a skip in my step. Proverbs 31:25 says "Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come". I can honestly say that I  am seeing fruit in my children, and I do believe that homeschooling has made all the difference in this.

Yesterday we had a full little wisdom house going on over here. Hannah and Elizabeth have been purchasing Polly Pockets on Ebay and have been cautiously planning their maximum bids and watching their expenses. They have lost many items that they really wanted, because it got too high for their maximum bid. They are learning patience, as they have been trying to buy a certain thing for 2 weeks. I know God is going to reward them soon for their diligence and patience.

  

Yesterday, Elizabeth was helping me cook cream curried chicken from scratch; although, it is currently Lydia's job to be my cook helper. Elizabeth graciously filled the post because Lydia was sewing her dress for the Greco-Roman Ball next Saturday. It was the first time that she designed and sewed her own dress without help from me! What joy that gave to me to see her completing this project all by herself!
Sneak peek of Calvin and Lydia's dance class to prepare for the ball. They are learning The swing, waltz, Virginia Rail, fox trot and many others. It is so fun to watch.

Homeschooling appeal for Christians

After yesterday's power punch appeal to Christians families, I decided to add another.

This power punch is only 2 minutes long, but I hope it will stretch you and encourage you once again to read the 2 books that I posted on my blog yesterday.

The Children of Ceasar by Voddie Bacchum

In Love,
Adrienne

P.S. If you don't think you can homeschool, please remember the promise of Phillipians 4:13 " I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me".  Also, remember that Christ has called us to die to ourselves. Believe me, homeschooling is a daily laying down of self.

Convictions Part 2

In chapter 2 of Wise Women Build Houses I was much encouraged, but convicted in a completely different way. I was more convicted on the passionate need to appeal to Christian women to take up the banner of homeschooling.

This book is NOT about homeschooling, it is about building a wisdom house. In fact, she does not once mention homeschooling.

Proverbs 24:3-4  "By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established: And by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

Chapter 2 is about SERVING in the wisdom house that you have established ( Proverbs 9:1).  The author challenged me with a great question "After building your wisdom house, how will you fill it?" she goes on to say that "Only by choosing an area and mastering a skill in it will we produce the excellent riches that properly appoint a true wisdom house."

.....HALT! STOP!....what does that mean? WOW! I camped on this one for a few minutes and really pondered what she was trying to say.

Right after this she continues "Skill produced in godliness brings multiple blessings".

The questions I asked myself were: "What are my skills? What do I think I have mastered that will or is producing multiple blessings?"

The answer for me was "Homeschooling (with an important understanding of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and gaining a conviction of the need for a passionate foundation of a philosophy of education, without which you are just homeschooling for the sake of homeschooling and not for the sake of really having a deep conviction on a philosophy of what education should look like). Okay, do you hear my passion? 

EVERY educational system has a goal and a philosophy!! Does the public school's philosophy of education match your religious convictions?! If you have no idea, then I challenge you to run to the bookstore and buy THIS BOOK to learn what the educational philosophy is in this nation! And IF it does NOT match GOD's WORD, then you really need to get your kids into a school system that matches GOD's philosophy of education! And frankly, the only philosophies that I have found that come close to God's way are Hebrew schools and Charlotte Mason's philosophy that can be read in THIS BOOK, which was written by Francis Schaeffer's  daughter!

Moving on and getting back to the topic.....

Proverbs 9:3 [Wisdom] has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in town, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and live, and walk in the way of insight."

The author then goes on to say "Wisdom does not invite the wise and accomplished. She invites fools and know-nothings!....She is offering wisdom for life, and she wants to give it to young fools, those who are simple and naive. These simple ones still have the capacity to choose wisdom before hardening into incorricible fools".

---WOW! Sounds like our kids! Proverbs 22:15 says "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child".

So here is my question to you!! If God's WORD says that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, then why are we sending them OUT of our "wisdom house" to go to an institution so that they can get educated and socialized in the presence of a "company of fools"? Proverbs 1:22 and 29 tell us that fools hate knowledge and instruction. How many kids in public school LOVE learning? How many of them love instruction and gaining knowledge!? Do your kids come home from school saying "I hate school"?

 I can tell you that my PASSION as a homeschooler was to get my kids to LOVE knowledge and learning! Shouldn't this be our gain in our wisdom house? Shouldn't we be passionately inviting our children daily to our banquet table of learning in our wisdom house? Shouldn't we be filling our homes with the best literature and music and books and giving our kids a chance to learn from the BEST environment possible?

In the book, the author goes on to list all the areas by which you as a "Lady Wisdom" can invite fools into your home. The list is as follows:

• If you have food, invite the hungy
• If you have clothing, invite the unclothed
• If you have healing hearts, invite the sick
• If you have fellowship, invite the lonely
• If you have counsel, invite the confused
• If you have teaching, invite the learners
• If you have the gospel, invite sinners

I would like to add to this list:

• If you are a wife, invite your husband!
• If you are a mom, invite your children!

The American church is consumed with each of us trying to figure out our individual calling. But, it grieves me deeply to see so many, well intentioned moms who really believe that their ministry is to people outside their own homes. God first called women to be wives, and then moms. This is our full-time ministry unless we are single. The other ministries can happen, but let your kids be homeschooled and let them see you inviting people in and training them first hand what it looks like to be a wisdom house!

As a mom, I challenge you to dig deep and consider inviting your children home to learn. If you don't have ANY vision for this and you really believe you are CALLED to send your kids to public school, please AT THE VERY LEAST.....read those 2 books that I added to this post and then give me a call!

Loving you deeply,

Adrienne

           

Convictions

I am reading a discipleship study for women called Wise Women Build Houses by Barbars Mouser. It is a small and seemingly simple book, but do not let the cover or size of the book deceive you. This book has such rich material that it is really convicting me and causing me to re-evaluate my spiritual condition.





In the first chapter she challenges the reader to build a Wisdom House by first laying the foundation (Christ), then hewing the pillars (Godward virtues) and finally adding the roof (our covering).


I have been stuck for one month on hewing the pillars in chapter 1. This section is only 5 pages, but so rich. Barbara Mouser lists 7 virtues ( pillars of the faith if you will) that must be hewn for the house to stand. 

1. Fear of God: The beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10)
2. Love for God:The First and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37-38)
3. Faith in God: without which it is impossible to please God. ( (Heb. 11:6)
4. Knowledge of God: What God desires more than sacrifice ( Hos 6:6)
5. Hope in God:Chief purpose of the scripture (Rom 15:4)
6. Joy of the Lord: The source of our strength ( Neh 8:10)
7. Comfort of God: Cheif means of our walk ( Acts 9:3)

Following this she challenges the reader to list the opposites of these 7 "Godward pillars".  I had to cheat and look at the answers in the back.

Opposites are as follows:

1. Fear of God > Rebellion against authority
2. Love for God> Hositily toward God
3. Faith in God> Unbelief toward God
4. Knowledge of God> Hardened sensibilities; eyes that don't see, ears that don't hear,hearts that don't understand.
5. Hope in God> Unbelief which causes grumbling and despair
6. Joy of the Lord> Grief which refuses to be comforted
7. Comfort of God> Rejecting the soothing ,peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit when in pain of filled with worries

She says that "You MUST have Godward virtues in your wisdom house or you will be an idolater and some variety of humanist. Manward virtues alone do not make a wisdom house" (pp18).

Next she challenges the reader with questions and here is where it HIT ....

OUCH!! PRICK....POKE!! 

Question #2: "Hewing is hard work. Prayer, meditation on Scripture and obedience are primary means of hewing pillars. Explain how disciplining oneself in these activities, especially in times of temptation, will result in building pillars of character". 

So here is where I stopped and have camped for a month.

Bottom line is this! I am not disciplined in the habit of prayer and meditating on God's WORD daily. Oh, I do it here and there. But, really.....daily! NOT!! I am an epic fail!!! I have been a Christian and a disciple of Christ since I was 7 and really following him as my LORD for dare I say it.....21 years.

So, the question I am pondering is "Why?". What are my "temptations" that she is referring to that would result in my poor consistency of hewing these pillars ? 

I am praying about this and trying to figure it out. I am thinking that it is just the daily humbug of life and the distractions of life and facebook. Seriously. What is the first think I do in the morning!!? I update my Facebook status....why? Because I am a narcissist. Isn't that what facebook is all about? Hearing myself spew out whatever comes to mind?!!

I am really praying and asking God for a woman to rise up and take me under her wings and hold me accountable and meet with me once a week to thoroughly study this Book (Wise Women Build Houses). It is the first book I have read in a LONG time that is really convicting me to draw deeper into the well of God's living water.

Broken, Adrienne

P.S. I started the next part on the roof....WOW. I figured that I needed to move on even though I am still stuck on hewing pillars. The roof part is really good and I will post on that next.

My NEW bookshelf

I found this "entertainment center" on Craigslist for $60. I sanded and stained it dark and had a friend cut 4 more shelves for it and VOILA! ...A new bookcase!

I desperately need it with my library growth. My bookshelves were overflowing and books were all over the place. It seemed that everywhere I stepped, there was a book. This shelf even has empty spots with room for more books!!! SSHHH.....Don't tell Brian that!

Hannah and I just finished reading the original Bambi ( not Disney) and it was great. She loved it. The personification of the animals was portrayed beautifully in this piece of literature.

We are now reading Howard Pyle's Wonderclock ( A collection of short stories)

I found this rare and beautiful set with all his wonderful illustrations such as:

           

Some of his other books include:

• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
• Men of Iron
• Otto of the Silver Hand
• The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (my personal favorite)

Whimsical Fairytale

As the infamous author of the smashing Harry Potter series says:

"The Little White Horse was my favorite childhood book. I absolutely adored it. It had a cracking plot. It was scary and romantic in parts and had a feisty heroine."  —J. K. Rowling

I wholeheartedly agree! But, there is so much more. The darling protagonist, Miss Maria Merryweather; the culinary genius, Marmaduke Scarlet; The exotic pets, the secret lost pearls, and the princess of Moonacre and the people of Silverydew....this story is genius! It is the perfect fairy tale with a happily ever-after ending.   

I just finished reading The Little White Horse to Hannah this morning. Each morning I found myself anxiously awaiting our time on the sofa so I could enter into the world of Silverdew and go on another adventure in search of answers to secrets and peace on earth. 

Elizabeth Goudge is one of my favorite authors. Often I will proclaim: "She is the most exquisite writer. She has the ability to write a sentence that is so exquisite, that I can read it 10 times and still delight in just that one sentence". Her stories are marvelous. The Little White Horse is particularly for children. My favorite book by her her is Green dolphin Street.

If you are looking for a whimsical fairytale, look no more. Even boys will like this one. Sure, there are pink roses and dainty pastries, but there are wild animals and mean poachers too. 

The newer copies of The Little White Horse have been revised (They dont say it, but they are). See if your library has an old copy. The one I own was published in 1980 by Gregg press and is filled with the wonderful illustrations by C. Walter Hodges that were in the original 1949 version. If you are unable to find these versions, go ahead and get the new paperback version. Eventhough the original writing of Miss goudge has been compromised, it is still a great book.

The UK made it into a movie last year called The Secret of Moonacre. Unfortunately, it is unavailable in the US at this time. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I like the cast.

Watch the movie trailer here and then go get the book and read it!

Fantastic website

http://www.portitude.org/

This website is amazing. If you want to get started on reading short stories or poetry or even fiction novels go here. Everything is FREE.

The website is laid out beautifully and is pleasing to the eye. I do not care to read much from the internet, I much prefer the hard copy in my hands. But, this website is nice.

They also have a wonderful resource of Art. Browse the art gallery and glance at the famous works of art by the brilliant of artists in history.

Go for it! Have fun. Read a short story. Revel in a poem. Gaze upon a masterpiece of art.

Field and Haystacks by Renoir ( from Portitude.org)