Settings of Gold

My final farewell to Facebook & Confessions of a FB addict!

2011-12-31T20:40:00.000-08:00

This past summer I took a one month sabbatical from Facebook. Oh how I missed it for a few days. I quickly realized how much I had come to rely on Facebook to satisfy my longing for time with good friends. I was deeply moved to tears and realized I had better change my need for deeper friendships.

I met with friends for lunch and coffee and filled my calendar for the next week. I had such a good time catching up face to face with my good friends.

Over the course of the following weeks I did not miss Facebook at all. My time was filled with many other things that I needed to focus on. I could not believe that I did not miss it at all.

After about 6 weeks of being OFF facebook, I decided to log back on. My husband travels a lot and I got lonely and decided to give it a go again. I loved it.

I love seeing photos of my niece and nephew.

I love stalking people.

I love commenting 2 times in a row.

I love getting ideas from friends.

I love emailing photos from my iphone.

I love posting a new status every few hours.

Let's face it. Facebook is FUN! My good friend was back and I was having fun.

I quickly realized that I was indeed a Facebook junkie. I made a few comments that should have never been made and had a few fights with family members on private messages. I realized that life without Facebook had been refreshing and nice. I did not miss it at all (except for the first week). I made the final decision and promise to my husband that I would permanently delete my Facebook account at Midnight at the turn of the New Year.

So here I am!

In less than 2 hours it will be 2012 in Dallas. I am frantically saving and downloading all my Facebook history. I am posting farewells and gathering addresses and phone numbers from friends I re-connected with.

Goodbye Facebook. It is an emotional moment for me and I seriously think that when I hit that final "DELETE" forever button I will shed a few tears.

With the ushering in of 2012, I am finishing my second reading of The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge; "What is the Scent of Water? Renewal. The goodness of God coming down like dew".

This past weekend my husband I cut down 2 trees in our yard. This book, The Scent of Water, is taken from the scripture in the book of Job that says:

"There is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughts like a plant."

I look forward to a year of Spiritual Renewal in 2012 and I do not think it an accident that I just read this quote from Goudge's book at the close of 2011 and I just cut down 2 trees this past weekend and I had committed to God and my family to delete my Facebook account.

Here's a toast to "Renewal" in 2012.

What is Grace?

2011-11-23T06:06:00.000-08:00

Grace is a gift. It is the Love of God wrapped in mercy and forgiveness.
Mercy is Christ on the cross.
Forgiveness is Christ resurrected.

Love is the whole package.

Grace captures you, but first it pursues you. Grace is ever running towards you, around you, ahead of you. Will you let grace capture you? Are you running always; chasing after the wind? You cannot chase grace. Grace must capture you. When will you sit still long enough to be captured by grace? When will you call out to grace for its mercy, forgiveness and love? If you are hiding, call out " here I am! Come find me. Capture me!"

God's graces are all around you. If you think you cannot see God, remember the sunrise you behold, the water you drink, the food you eat. There is beauty all around you. You are daily captured by the graces of this world that God created. But have you been captured by THE Gift of Grace?

Why not sit still and discover the one who pursues you and accept His Gift of grace? Let grace capture you and wrap you in its mercy, forgiveness, and Love. You are a gift. God wants you. Sit still and let Him capture you.

On "A Moral Imagination"

2011-11-15T09:09:00.000-08:00

Rallying The Really Human Things by Vigen Gurorian has helped me to understand the importance of cultivating the minds of children. To develop and feed the imagination of a child is inevitable. If we do not supply the child with quality literature to help their imagination form, something else will grow in its place. Each human being was formed to have a sense of imagination; to somehow make some sense out of that which does not. We exist in a world that does not make sense.

If one does not purpose to train a child's moral imagination what will grow in its stead? According to Guroian, a "corrupted imagination" will take root in one of three forms: Idyllic, Idolatrous, or Diabolic.

In other words, whether you purpose to cultivate the imagination or not, inevitably, the imagination will grow. Unfortunately, if not cultivated properly, weeds will grow in its stead and thus, the person will lead a life with a corrupted imagination.

Gurioan claims "The moral imagination is the distinctively human power to conceive of men and women as moral beings., that is, as persons, not as things or animals whose value to us is their usefulness." He goes on.."The principal office of life in which society invests and entrusts this care are the parent and teacher. Modern educators - a breed with which I am all too familiar - have not been good gardeners of the moral life. In their penchant to treat fact as god, event as illusion, individual as datum, person as chimera, norm as relative value, and human nature as social construct, they leave the moral imagination to perish." (pp. 55 Rallying The Really Human Things)

Gurioan contiunes to establish his claims when he concurs "In philosophy and literary criticism memory is often associated with the imagination, for memory is thought to provide the images out of which the imagination construes the ultimate shape and meaning that we attach to the world." (pp. 70 Rallying the Really human Things)

I am stimulated into the reality that we must tend to our children's minds. We must put before them fairy tales and stories with heros and saints. One must never stop with the pre-school stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I am enjoying the adventures of King Arthur and his knights, Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with my teens. In fact, I am reading The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle for the second time. It is, by far, one of my favorite books and I would challenge you to read it to your teens. I promise it will stimulate the "moral imagination" as well as increase their faith in God. Pyle often challenges the reader to trust in the God Almighty and bring glory to Him in ones conduct.

Yesterday I began reading Hereward The Last of The English by Charles Kingsley. In the preface to the story, Kingsley is setting the stage to write a book about a lowland hero, so it seems. When I read the paragraph below, it immediately brought my mind to Guroian's book, as well as Gregory Wolfe's Book, Beauty will Save the World.

In reference to the Scottish "low lander" who has not been exposed to the the "poetic and romantic elements". Kingsley lists that which "still remains in the Scottish Highlands; and which when it disappears from thence, will remain embalmed forever in the pages of Walter Scott. Against that half magical background of his heros." Kingsley asserts that these "lowladers" have attained "none of the background of the unknown, fantastic, magical, terrible, perpetually feeding curiosity and wonder…" In other words, the lowlanders have not been exposed to a liberal education and have been robbed from the cultivation of a moral imagination. The nightmare that follows such a tragedy is the loss of a belief in God, or the making of an atheist. Atheism will grow in the gardens of an uncultivated imagination.

Kingsley continues to assert the repression of the lowlanders who lack a moral imagination:

"He finds out, soon enough for his weal and his bane, that he is stronger than Nature; and right tyrannously and irreverently he lords it over her, clearing, delving, diking, building, without fear or shame. He knows of no natural force greater than himself, save an occasional thunder-storm; and against that, as he grows more cunning, he insures his crops. Why should he reverence Nature? Let him use her, and eat. One cannot blame him. Man was sent into the world (so says the Scripture) to fill and subdue the earth.

But he was sent into the world for other purposes, which the lowlander is but too apt to forget. With the awe of Nature, the awe of the unseen dies out in him. Meeting with no visible superior, he is apt to become not merely unpoetical and irreverent, but somewhat of a sensualist and an atheist. The sense of the beautiful dies out in him more and more. He has little or nothing around him to refine or lift up his soul, and unless he meet with a religion and with a civilization which can deliver him, he may sink into that dull brutality which is too common among the lowest classes of the English lowlands, and remain for generations gifted with the strength and industry of the ox, and with the courage of the lion, and, alas! with the intellect of the former, and the self-restraint of the latter. - Prelude to Hereward The Last of the English by Charles Kingsley

I conclude this rant and appeal with a list of books that will cultivate the imagination. Books such as: Andrew Lang's Fairy books, Charles Dickens, George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, Beowulf, as well as the other books I listed in this blog. I do not earn money on your clicks. I simply added the links to make it easier for you to obtain copies of the books I am recommending. Be challenged to read great books to your kids, not only for their moral imagination, but also for your own. You will be amazed at what a difference it makes in the building of a human being with strong character. After all, isn't that why we are homeschooling in the first place?

My 18 year old got his wisdom teeth out!

2011-09-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Feeding Calvin
getting him meds
getting him water….standing and waiting till he is done

so he does not have to hold the cup….
getting him gauze
getting him tissues
getting him ice packs...

…. Repeat ritual every 20 minutes.

I decided not to be a cup stand or end table, standing next to him all day.

I needed a table by the couch.

hmmmmm…..what to do? Brian does not want end tables…..?????

Go to Target find the 4 pack of wooden TV tables. On the way to the car after our purchase…

Me: "I cant believe in 20 years of marriage we have never owned these!"
Lydia: " that's because only Grandma's have these!"
Elizabeth: "Nuhuh! Zena has them!"
Lydia: "SHE's a GRANDMA!"
Elizabeth: :No! Zena had them BEFORE she was a grandma!"
Hannah: "Everybody has them!"

ROFL…..LOL

Ramblings from a Charlotte Mason meeting

2011-09-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

"There is no escape for us, no short cut; art is long, especially the art of living." ( pg 315)

This was one of my favorite quotes for this evening's reading. "the art of living". We are living! We are God's masterpiece and he is still painting our life story as we live. We are HIS art. We cannot escape the master's hands.

My next favorite quote here in the paraphrased version from page 326, Charlotte Mason is adding to her definition of what Knowledge is:

"The message we really need is, 'With all that is in you, get understanding.' In one sense, understanding is an active thing that the conscious mind does to assimilate knowledge. And that's relative--the mind can't do that if it hasn't already acted on the intellectual food that was presented to it. The Gospels keep repeating the poignant question, 'Why won't you understand?' This is what's wrong with our nation--we don't understand. I'm not just talking about ignorant people. Even educated men and women use erroneous arguments, rely on prejudices instead of principles, and mistake cliches for ideas. Perhaps these failures aren't ignorance so much as insincerity. But insincerity is a result of ignorance. Darkened intelligence can't see clearly. 'It's as bright as day for those who know,' but knowing doesn't come easily for those who 'cram to pass tests instead of to really learn,' as Ruskin says."

The scripture that kept coming to mind in reading these pages was Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." Over and over CM was trying to make the reader understand what TRUE knowledge is and Proverbs 9:10 kept resounding in my mind. The Holy Spirit is the one who tells us what to learn and "know".

Do we as homeschooling moms remember how important it is to let the Spirit of God teach our kids? It is our duty to present to our children great works of art, nature, literature, poetry, mathematics, biographies, science, music and history.

But it is not our job to digest this knowledge for them. When we present this information to our babies, are we digesting it for them or are we stepping aside and allowing God's Spirit to come forth and nurture that seed we planted? Are we letting the Spirit make this written work become "knowledge and truth" to them? OR are we pre-digesting the information for them? True knowledge has to come from The Spirit according to Proverbs. We cannot be the Holy Spirit to our kids!

I used an example of vitamins in food we eat. My body might need vitamin c and your body might need more vitamin A. When you digest the food your body will take the proper amount of vitamins that it needs, whereas my body will take what it needs. Our needs are not the same! The same is true for our learning. Who are we to pre-digest the food for our kids and tell them what they should have learned from a lesson? Are we stepping aside and letting God speak to the heart and mind of our child? What does that look like? How do we do that?

I am learning so much from reading Charlotte Mason's books. She does such a wonderful job explaining how to do this. Thank you all for participating in this learning adventure with me!

CiRCE Institute Conference: What Is Man?

2011-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I attended the CiRCE Institute Conference on "What Is Man?" this past week. I have walked away with a gem of information. I could narrate at least 6 different facets of information from my perception of that gem. The following is my meager attempt to narrate my perspective from 1 facet of that precious stone I now carry in my mind.

"What is Man?"...This is the chief contemplation we must consider when choosing to be an educator and embracing an educational philosophy. The only way to truly honor our students is to take a firm stand on who they are as "humans" and embrace a philosophy whereby we can teach them well.

The three states of "man" as I see it:

God Created Man in HIS image: Beautiful
Man has sinned: Fallen
God Redeemed Man in Christ: Glorious

These 3 parts of who we are as "humans" are critical to consider and they are part of MY narration. This facet of my gem of knowledge has been magnified. It was only one part of the conference and keep in mind that my perspective is taken from other elements of my personal life that I have explored and theologies that have influenced my behavior.

I discovered that I have been greatly influenced by a theology that focuses on the "fallen" nature of man. The central theme of this doctrine is that:

We must realize that we are completely fallen and utterly detestable and unable to do anything good.
We are void of any beauty from the "original" creation; Therefore, rendered handicapped and unable to do any "good" thing.
As "saved" and redeemed men we must pursue holiness and we are obligated to address sin not only in ourselves, but also in those whom we love.

Over the past decade, this belief has eaten away at my ability to focus on the "beauty" and "glory" that God has put before me. I have turned into a critical wife, mother and sister.

This weekend at the CiRCE conference I was reminded of the miracles of God's creation and the beauty he has made. Even though all of creation suffers from the "fall", that does not negate the "beauty" that He put within each human being and all of creation. If indeed we have nothing good within, then even "unsaved" people would be incapable of doing beautiful deeds. If indeed all of creation has suffered as we have, then fruit trees would not produce fruit. If at the fall, we became 100% wicked and lost our "image bearing" then surely all of creation would have also lost all of its beauty as well and we would have no food to eat and no flowers to smell and all beauty would be gone.

BUT….because beauty and God's image has remained upon all of creation, and as humans we still bear His image, all people are worth loving and respecting.

I am now looking at my husband and my children through a different lense. Instead of thinking it is my "Christian Duty" to "help" them become "Godly" I am looking at them through a lense that makes them BEAUTIFULLY created in the image of God. They are fully humans who are in need of a savior, just as I am. But they are fully humans "made in the image of God" and bearers of the "glory of God" in Christ because they are Christians.

I am saying "Good-bye" to my critical eyes. I am putting on the eyes of Christ that allow me to see beauty and give praise to the glorious humanness of being loved and made in the "image of God". What a beautiful wonder to behold…. a human being!

Recommended books from the conference:

Baby Cardinal explores outside of nest

2011-07-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Today the one cardinal that survived has ventured out of the nest. We do not know if it is a male or female yet, but we sure are excited that it is hopping around in the tree today.

We also observed the male cardinal eating from our bird feeder and bathing in our new birdbath.

Photos below are of mom, dad and baby. They are blurry because we have to take the photos behind our glass window in our living room.

Baby Cardinals born

2011-07-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

We have a family of Cardinals just outside our living room window. They laid 2 eggs the last week of June. Carly Cardinal sat on her eggs and protected them each day, rarely leaving the nest to go eat or get a drink.

July 8 baby #1 was born. July 11( my birthday) baby #2 was born.

Carl Cardinal has been coming and feeding the babies too!

See Carly feeding her babies! She loves them so much!

Baby Bewick's Wren: 3 days old video

2011-07-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

June 27, 2011: a bird built a nest and laid eggs in our Begonia hanging basket on our patio. Not sure if all 4 eggs are hers. Suspecting the large one is a cowbird egg.

June 30, 2011: One egg hatched and the larger of the 3 eggs was pushed up out of nest onto the dirt. As of July 2 we are still contemplating if we should remove it or not

July1, 2011: Dr. Chancellor identified our bird as a Bewick's Wren. We had been thinking it was a Nuthatch for 2 days. Thankful for Dr.Chancellor's expertise.

July 3, 2011: I snuck up and took a short video with my iphone right after the mama fed her baby and flew off. She usually is gone for 15 minutes at a time.

Meaningless Words & Broken Covenants Introduction

2011-03-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

I started the introduction of this book by Tim Coody today. The message is simple, yet profound. Quotes below will be what stood out to me. I hope it will challenge you to ponder as it has me.

Introduction quotes:

"Like tires contacting the pavement, words interface with our reality."
"...Our words are losing their grip. The tread is disappearing, and the meaning is leaking out."

With reference to our high demand for lawyers in America the following quotes come to light:

"They make many promises, take false oaths and make agreements, therefore lawsuits spring up like poisonous weeds in a plowed field." Hosea 10:41

"We could not keep our agreements because we forgot the importance of honoring our words. Without Honor in our words everything falls apart sooner or later."

"We use more words now than we did in 1978 to do the same job. All these words assure us that people will keep their agreements right? Wrong. As solomon said 'The more the words, the less the meaning and how does that profit anyone?'."

"When words are rendered meaningless, so is everything else."

"We have become unwilling to pay the high toll that honor demands, and now we must face the consequence- meaninglessness."

Magnum Opus of a child's mind

2010-10-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

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

2010-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

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.

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

Fear of God > Rebellion against authority
Love for God> Hositily toward God
Faith in God> Unbelief toward God
Knowledge of God> Hardened sensibilities; eyes that don't see, ears that don't hear,hearts that don't understand.
Hope in God> Unbelief which causes grumbling and despair
Joy of the Lord> Grief which refuses to be comforted
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

2010-01-24T19:19:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

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)

Honey for A Woman's Heart

2009-12-30T17:47:00.000-08:00

I must admit the only reason I purchased this book was for the immense booklist contained within its pages. I am always on the lookout for another great read. I never expected to find such great delight in reading a book that recommends books!

Honey for a Woman's Heart by Gladys Hunt is a breath of fresh air. Golden nuggets of wisdom and quotes fill the pages of each chapter. Thus sayeth these nuggets of truth:

"Words rightly used have the potential of making us shiver with pleasure. Words are a God idea...It is no small thing that God has made us word-partners with himself."

"With the power of words, God spoke and created the world. In a lesser sense, we also speak and create a world -- a world for someone else to live in."

"Mark Twain said that the person who doesn't read has no advantage over the person who can't read."

"Far from being an escape from reality, good literature is a window into reality."

"But the cheap use of words has invaded our world like a virus and infected nearly everyone. Why not call people to honor and protect language the same way we call people to protect the earth?"

"Books are wonderful ways to learn the possibilites of being human."

"Why should I read fiction if it is just made up? I read because it helps me pay attention to life. Reading good fiction is not simply a frivolous activity for those who aren't serious about life. I read because I am serious, and find that fiction says true things I might never hear any other way."

"Those who condemn fiction in general are usually not interested in reading anything that challenges their own comfort; they want to read books that tell them what they already know."

If this has encouraged you to pick up a good book...DO IT!! Run to your bookshelves, make a cup of tea or coffee, slip into your jammies and TURN OFF THE MEDIA! Go read your book for goodness sake! If you don't know where to start, order a copy of Honey for a Woman's Heart. It will inspire you and arm you with list to last a lifetime!

fish we found today

2009-09-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Today after much effort Hannah was able to capture 4 little pond fish to bring home for observation. Only 3 would show up for this photography session. I guess the other one was camera shy. The pond we took them from had tons of these in all sizes. The babies were easier to get at because they were really close to the shore. This particular pond is teeming with trout, so I am fairly certain they are baby trout. We used an aquarium fish net from Walmart and a 1 gallon tupperware container with a lid from Walmart.

First Nature outing for 2009 school year!

2009-09-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today we had our first "official" nature study outing. It was fabulous. We went to Bethany Lakes Park in Allen by our the neighborhood we used to live in.

First we spotted many turtles and ducks. They were incessantly begging for food, so we crossed the street to Kroger and bought day old bread. This did the trick to get them close enough for pictures. We were quickly surrounded by about a dozen turtles and a few ducks.

While feeding the eager pond creatures, we spotted a beautiful white Egret that was hunting for food. We also found a marshy area with schools of little fish. They too devoured the bread, but were very hard to catch. We used a small aquarium net and 1 gallon clear plastic container with a lid. We filled our container with the pond water and desperately wanted to catch a few fish to take home for further study. Hannah was the successor in capturing some tiny fish. We now have 4 tiny fish ( minnows?) that we will take home and add to our pond snails. Pictures will post later.

Starting to blog again

2009-01-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

It has been 9 months since I posted. I wish I could say this is because for the past nine months have been pregnant and too sick to blog. However, my excuses are really good. We had an estate sale and sold 80% of our belongings, we moved and we started over and had to buy all new stuff. I HATE shopping. It is such a chore and shopping for a new "look" ( we went from victorian to contemporary) was quite an undertaking.

We are settled in our 1400 SF apartment and thanks to IKEA and apartment sized furnishings, we fit quite nicely. We love it here.

In November, Brian started a new job selling and consulting for a CPA firm that sells, supports and installs accounting software for non-profits. His new job is only 7 miles from the apartment.

My newest "pleasure" reading book is a trilogy called The Hawk and The Dove by Penelope Wilcox. I LOVE it. I heartily recommend it. It is very interesting and follows the lives of several monks in the 1400s. The first 3 chapters were hard to get through. I am glad I did. I have a hard time putting it down now now. I am nearly finished with the 2nd book.

Here is what Amazon's product descrition had to say about this book: "Rich with imagery and emotion, this collection of captivating tales of a 13th century community reflect the timeless human drama of people learning to love and to accept God's grace. Though they belonged to another century, their struggles are our own--finding our niche; coping with failure; overcoming pride and anger, pain and insecurity; determining who we are before God. In their daily rhythm of work and worship, they discover that the whole of life is a love story about a tender and passionate God. "

Currently, Hannah and I are reading the Golden Goblet. I LOVE this book. I read it to Calvin and Lydia 4 years ago. It is great historical fiction for Egypt. It makes the history come alive. This is one of my favotire read-a-loud adventure historical fictions. GREAT for boys!!!!!

Hannah and I are just finishing TODAY a WONDERFUL MUST READ to children book. Last year we saw the family film and loved the movie so much, I knew we had to read the book. The movie was spot on too. We are getting the movie in the mail from Netflix today and will be watching it again tonight. PLEASE READ this book to your kids. It is so excellent. the Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John is about mistakes, revenge, and forgiveness. I cannot begin to express how good this story is. I tear up everyday when I am reading to Hannah.

I hope to post more regularly. I love books, and my purpose for this blog is to share my thoughts about books that I am currently reading. I carefully choose my books, so I hope that I can heartily recommend all the books that I post on this blog.

Livin in JOY,

Adrienne

finished Lilith

2008-05-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

I finished Lilith. WOW. This is the most amazing fantasy book. Brian is reading it now. He agrees that it is a crazy tale. George MacDonald has an amazing imagination.

The twists and turns are strange and interesting, but it all comes together at the end.

To read Lilith on-line in its entirety you can go to this cool website. It also lists tons of other writings, non-fiction, poems, sermons, fiction, etc written by MacDonald

http://www.george-macdonald.com/etexts.htm

Elizabeth is reading one of his children's books called The Princess and The Goblin. This can be read on the etext website too.

update on reading Lilith

2008-03-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

I must say that since I am on about page 100 Lilith is not for kids. It is very deep spiritually and very abstract. Children under age 12 would probably get very confused.

It is EXELLENT. I keep telling my husband...this is such a good book. You have to read it.

I recommend it to all who liked Lord of The Rings. It has a strangeness to it that Tolkien had. It is stranger though. It is so deep spiritually. I get to all kinds of golden nuggets and stop and ponder. He writes in such a beautiful style. I am trying to figure out where the story is going...which is why I cant put it down.

Here is an example where theology is being spoken in the story:

" 'How then am I to make use of your hospitality?' I asked. 'By accepting it to the full'. He answered. ' I do not understand.' ' In this house no wakes of himself'. 'Why?' 'Because no one anywhere ever wakes of himself. You can wake yourself no more than you can make yourself'."

My comment on this quote:
This is acually quite true. The only one who can wake us out of our spiritual deadness is the Lord. He beckons us to accept his hospitatlity and come rest in him. But, so often we are afraid and reject his invitation to come out of our wretched state of death dwelling! In the story, this appears to be exactly what the main character is wrestling with. It is so well written. I hope you will buy the book and read it.

Adrienne

For the Love of George MacDonald

2008-03-16T17:44:00.000-07:00

I love his books. His imagination and ability to write amazes me.

I just bought Lilith by George MacDonald from Amazon. I started it today and can't put it down. It is kind of scary and I think it would be a great Steven Speilberg movie. Anyhow..have any of you read it?

It has a forward by CS Lewis that is an exerpt from his book called: George Macdonald: An Anthology : 365 Readings.

Lewis says of George MacDonald's writing " It arouses the sensations we have never had before, never anticipated having, as though we had broken out of our normal mode of consciuosness and possessed joys not promised to our birth. It gets under our skin, hits us at a level deeper than our thougths or even our passions, troubles oldest certainties till all questions are opened and in general shocks us more fully awake than we are for most of our lives".

I am at chapter 5 and currently, I am seeing where CS Lewis may have gotten his idea for the wardrobe in The Narnia series. If you look at the cover of Lilith there is a mirror on the front page that transports the protagonist into another world.

Fabulous (must read) Read-A-Louds:

2008-01-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

ALL books by Kate DiCamillo... GREAT for reading a-loud. We LOVED The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and TheTale of Desperaux. http://www.katedicamillo.com/

Dr. Doolittle series

Series of Unfortunate Events GREAT read-alouds. Very well written and not scary. Kids did not want me to stop reading. We read the first book in one night!

The Cricket on Times Square

Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom by Henry Winterfield ( I don't remember which books is first) They are fun and teach Roman life through a GREAT mystery for kids.

The Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos (This is the BEST Child's Bible in existence...you need to own this)

The Lost Princess: A Double Story by George MacDonald ...especially good to read to girls

At The Back of The North Wind by George MacDonald

Wind in the Willows

All books by Beatrix Potter

The House At Pooh Corner

Charlotte's Web

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden (my favorite picture book)

Stranger in the Woods by Carl J. Samms III and Jean Stoick ( fabulous photographs set to a darling story)

James Herriot's Treasury For Children ( short stories about his adventure with animals as a veterinarian)

The Runaway by Patricia St. John ( Moody) Out of print... buy it if you can find it. You will want to read this to the kids at some point....especially around Easter. FABULOUSLY makes the story of Jesus healing the demon possesed girl come to life.

Vinegar Boy ( another Easter story)

Roald Dahl books are so fun to read aloud. His style lends itself to being read out loud. He has lots of short stories and many of his longer ones are made into terrible movies that I hated. His style of writing is so fun to read to the kids. I loved The Twits.

Island of the Blue Dolphins

From The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

I have a BLOG!

2008-01-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Calvin created a Blog for me. This is fun. FYI: HSF MOM is my blog name. Can you guess what it means?
Home
School
Frea(k)s
Mom

We call our selves this as a fun joke in our family. My kids came up with this for my blog name.

I look forward to using this to post my favorite books and movies, since those are my favorite hobbies.

Currently, I am reading The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall-Smith. My mom, my sister and I are all reading it together. This will be a good place for us to comment to each other about the book.

I am reading BOY by Roald Dahl aloud to the kids for fun. I also am reading various James Herriot Stories a-loud to the kids. Hannah and I are doing shared reading out loud the Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe.

The kids and I are getting a kick out of watching The Alfred Hitchcock Presents OLD episodes on our Netflix "Watch it now" on the computer. They have to finish all their school to get to watch them.

We are also watching All Creatures Great and Small (to go with the James Herriot books) series from the library. It is quite amazing how well the books match the lines that they act in the show. They did a great job on this film series.