What's On Your Nightstand

I have made a TON of progress on my Spring Reading Challenge "pledge" (to myself) but that did mess up my plans to tackle some things that were on my nightstand last month!

I DID manage to read Around the World in 80 Days for the Classics Bookclub over at 5 Minutes Books. It was my month to lead the discussion which I dutifully did (seeing that I was the one who recommended the read in the first place). We did NOT end up doing the podcast on it due to the fact that I received news about my dad which rather overshadowed everything else for me. Podcast got swept aside in favor of family. (*As a short note - this post was prescheduled just like the others have been this week. However, I'm taking some time to update this post with the latest family news. We had a rather shocking family development, which I mentioned yesterday. It's been a hard week.)

Regarding Around the World in 80 Days - I stumbled across a game which I think you ought to consider checking out to accompany your reading of Around the World in 80 Days. Rather fun all around.

The only other thing that I think I accomplished from last month's list was to read Breach of Trust, which I did. I enjoyed that book very much and recommend it.

I even read Octavian Nothing this month and you can see what I thought about that over at 5 Minutes for Books. I also got wrapped up in reading The Love Story Behind Gone With the Wind (which was a mere 517 pages!). Whew!

This month I'll be taking it easy in light of our recent family developments. I really want to dig into what it means to be a Christian through the good times and the bad times. If I didn't believe God had a plan for our lives, I would be devestated. While my heart is being broken, God is working to fill it back up and offer His comfort and peace in the midst of this very difficult storm. In the meantime, these are the books I'm visiting at present:

1. The Bookends of the Christian Life. I'll be reading this book along with Lisa and doing a joint review over at 5M4B which I'm looking forward to.

2. Then, because I really need to, I'm reading Hinds' Feet On High Places. I needed a bit of encouragement and this is where I'm choosing to find it these days.

We'll see how far I get in anything! No promises. I do have posts set to publish and I'm going to let those run. In the meantime, prayers for my family are greatly appreciated.

See you around!

Loss

This is simply not a post I want to write but I do want to share so that you'll know where I'm at, personally speaking. I had a bunch of posts pre-scheduled because we were down in Texas visiting my family. My dad, as some of you are aware, is battling cancer. We flew down to Texas immediately following the wedding of Jonathan's brother, Bryant, and we expected to be down south for a good 10 days.

Two days following the wedding we received an early morning phone call informing us that Jonathan's other brother, Landon, fell asleep at the wheel of his vehicle while he was returning home from Bryant's wedding, crashed into a tree and died.

My family graciously sent us back to Oregon so that we could be with our family here. The memorial service was this past weekend.

What do you say in times like these? There really are no words. People come up to give us whatever comfort that they can and we take the fact that they've approached us in the first place to mean that they care a great deal about how we're doing as a family. In other words, there are few wrong things to say in these moments. Everyone is trying their very best to share their heart and we so appreciate that.

Landon was an excellent brother, a fantastic brother-in-law and truly the best of men. I haven't figured out how to tell his young nephew (my son) that we won't be seeing him anytime soon. How do you explain these things to a two year old? How do you explain these things to a thirty year old? The question of "why" inevitably rears its rather ugly head.

These things do make sense, really. We firmly believe that God is in control and He has a plan in this. Although we might not see, know, or understand it now, and have to live with great sacrifice and pain - we say and believe with assurance that God is good all of the time, all of the time He is good. He cannot be otherwise and He promised never to give us more than we can bear. He knows we will not crumble but that it would be hard not to. He offers His help and we accept it because if we didn't, we'd truly be lost.

Landon was 19, but he demonstrated depth of character that only a 50 year old could. I'm not just saying that because he was my brother. I'm saying it because it's true. You've never met anyone like Landon in your whole life. I hope you do though, because it's a blessing to have the friendship and the love of such a genuine person.

There is a lot I could say and a lot I won't say. I just wanted to post a notice somewhere at some point to let you know. Our family would love and appreciate the prayers. Some of you know and have been praying for that we are extremely grateful. We have been overwhelmed (in the good sense) by the love and support we've received during this time - which is ongoing. It's going to be a journey, that's for sure. But it's one that we will walk in faith, believing, without doubting that God knew, God knows and God loves.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Even if it's not your general habit to click on Youtube videos, I'd ask as a courtesy that you click on this one.



Check out Landon's last blog post which I now think is more than cool.

The Kellyhorns

The Kellyhorns is book one in a Lost Treasures series that I'm very unfamiliar with. As I was reading it I was thinking, "It's a cross between The Parent Trap and . . . something else." Lo and behold, the only two Amazon.com remarks is that it's a cross between Anne of Green Gables and The Parent Trap. Being something of a fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery's writing, I will stop short of saying that this book is like Anne. It isn't. It isn't written as well which is likely why it went out of print in the first place. But it IS like The Parent Trap. I'll give it that.

Originally published in 1942, this is the story of two twin girls that were separated at birth. They find each other at a county fair and switch places, unbeknownst to their father and aunt. They were separated at birth after their mother died. Their mother's sister, Aunt Ivory, had also been in love with the girl's father, Barnabas. When her sister died, she took one of the twins to raise in hopes of easing her regret over the spoiled relationship between the parents. You can predict the outcome of the book if you've ever seen The Parent Trap.

This book was republished in 2001 and the back cover describes it as "an exciting plot, lively characters, and rich humor." Well, not if you read widely. All the same, it was a cute book with an old fashioned feel to it. I think the emotions of the characters are a bit unreal at times. The girls are far too accepting of their interesting position following their life long separation. Lots of things seem a game that would been frightfully hard to deal with in real life. I'm not saying the book should be chalk full of negatives but it's so positive that it's hard to believe or really latch on to any of the characters or the story itself. It's a neat and tidy read though, wholesome and non-objectionable.

I picked up my copy at a used book store because I was curious about it. It IS a curious read but now that my curiosity is satisfied, I'll be moving on. I've debated whether or not I would keep it on my bookshelves for my own kids to read when they are older. I think I'm going to save the space for something else, solely because I think there are works that are of higher quality that would be enjoyed much more. Given the value of shelf space around here, I don't think I'll use it up on this. That said, if you like clean read alouds, this IS worth some consideration. It certainly is not a bad read in the least. I just didn't really believe it.

Game Review: Bohnanza

from Jonathan

The first thing you need to know here is that "Bohn" is actually the German word for "Bean", so the title is intended to have a useful and slightly pun-like meaning — which is completely lost in the English translation. (I expect they could sell easily twice as many units with a better American game title... but that's rather beside the point of this review!)

Bohnanza is made up of simply a large deck of about 150 cards. They're sturdy enough to hold up to a lot of play, but it's worth noting that the price is fairly steep for a card game.

However... what makes this card game completely different from every other one I've played is that the players cannot rearrange the cards in their hands, and must play them in the same order they have received them. This would make the game flat and boring, if it were not for another rule: the only way to get rid of the cards you don't want to play is to trade them with the other players! The fun and hectic trades, as well as the frustrating impossiblity to rearrange your cards, make for a really fun and fast paced game.

Play is based around planting and harvesting bean crops, which is a bit of a corny theme, but holds together pretty well. Each player starts out with two bean fields, and can purchase a third after they've accumulated the cash to be able to. In the meantime, each field can support only a single type of bean crop, so it's very motivating to trade your cards with other players like crazy to accumulate a large quantity of the crop you're most interested in raising.

This game is very easy to learn quickly, and is definitely a "party game" where five or more people make a good group to play with. (With few players, the trading aspect of the game is severely limited.) The rules are simple enough, but at the same time it's definitely a game where good strategic decisions are heavily rewarded. It's rare to find a strategy game that moves this rapidly! Bohnanza will be making a regular appearance at our house when we have company.

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Note from Carrie: As the completely ANTI-game/non-gamer in the family - I have to say that I really enjoyed this game. It prompts people interaction. I like games that you can converse over and still have a good time. This is one such game. I still lost at it (I always lose when I play games, which might be why I don't really care to play them!) but I really enjoyed it. This game ranks on my "Happy to Play Again (and Again)" list! And I don't say that often.

Read Aloud Thursday

It's time for another Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is in the Word!



Some time ago I stumbled across the book What Do You Say, Dear? at our local used book store. It is subtitled, "A Book of Manners for All Occasions" and the idea behind it is completely adorable. It looked like a totally FUN way to introduce a young kid to the concept of social graces. The book sets up ridiculously silly scenarios and then asks the child what they might suggest be done in these awkward situations.



For example:

"You are downtown and there is a gentleman giving baby elephants to people. You want to take one home because you have always wanted a baby elephant, but first the gentleman introduces you to each other. What do you say, dear?"

The answer is, of course: "How do you do?"

And what if "[y]ou have gone downtown to do some shopping. You are walking backwards, becomes sometimes you like to, and you bump into a crocodile. What do you say, dear?"

"Excuse me."

And so on and so forth. The pictures are funny and, of course, none of the situations have the slightest chance of happening to any of us, but the basics of courtesy are learned in a way that is a far cry from condescending and is, in my opinion, quite adorable.



Then, given the above opinion I have just stated, you can imagine my delight when I came across the sequel, What Do You Do, Dear? which advises you as to proper conduct for all occasions.

Let's say, "You are a brave knight and you are sitting at the round table with nothing to do because it is raining. Suddenly the Princess calls you up. 'Prithee, come rescue me," she says. "It is raining so hard that my castle is floating away."

"What do you do, dear?"

"Put on your rubbers before you go out in the rain."

But, of course!

Written by Sesyle Joslin and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, these books were both originally published in 1958. What Do You Say, Dear? was the winner of a Caldecott medal in 1959 if that makes it even more tempting for you to check out a copy of the book.

I love these books. I think they are slightly ahead of us concept wise but I pulled them out to read anyway, in light of Jennifer's Read Together Challenge. And mostly because I'm just impatient to get to them. In this case, Mommy is totally enthralled and hopes to make the offspring just as interested. Wish me luck, please and thank you!

The Case for Life

The Case for Life: Equipping Christians to Engage the Culture is a book I wanted to read but didn't really necessarily want to review. To be extremely blunt, it is very wearisome to feel like one is constantly running up against the culture time and time again. (Can I get an "AMEN!"?) Then again, maybe it's just me. Despite the fact that I have a very black and white personality and like to clearly divide between good and evil, I also harbor a dislike of "rocking the boat", shall we say? Rocking the boat is not a very fun activity. People yell at you. Being yelled at isn't something I really consider to be a fun activity and I don't usually revel in it. So yes, if you know me very well at all you know that my beliefs are deeply ingrained and eventually they are going to come out and make an appearance. Even then though, I shudder. I'm just being honest here. I have a love/hate relationship with conflict and that's the bare bones truth of the matter.

Enter: The Case for Life which is a new book that has just been released by Crossway Books. (For the record, I think Crossway Books consistently publishes solid material and I love supporting them in whatever way that I can. I admire their desire to publish solid reading material.) I knew this book was going to be good - even GREAT! I also knew that it was going to be difficult. Murder isn't exactly an easy subject.

I am pro-life. If you ask me in person, I won't hesitate to say so. I will hesitate to put this down in writing - into words that can then be dealt with according to the three M's: Mutilation, misunderstanding and manipulation. In short, honestly, I am a coward when it comes to putting my deepest thoughts into actual WORDS that cannot easily be taken back. That's the plain truth minus the coat of honey.

This book is fabulous though so I'm gonna "talk" to you about it. It is a great resource for people who are pro-life but don't really know how to engage the culture or explain to people why they feel the way that they do about it. It doesn't promote anger, bitterness or strife. On the contrary, it promotes logical, calm and reasoned discussion. Nevertheless, it also unabashedly stands up for the rights of the unborn, who are humans and should be defended as such. No apologies made.

Author Scott Klusendorf does talk about the fact that the pro-life movement is not going to survive unless Christians (specifically) take a stand against the abortion movement. He talks about the struggle of running a pro-life movement with privately funded programs and part-time volunteers. In contrast, you can take a glance at NOW or other pro-choice movements who have plenty of monetary backing (federal backing even). That's what we're up against. But my black and white mind says no matter how we look as pro-lifers - no matter how much of a ragtag or motley crew we are, truth wins in the end. We must keep talking about the rights of the unborn no matter how much we are or are not paid to do so. It is a matter of glory and honor and not necessarily our own.

As Klusendorf points out, it is not an argument about who is right and who is wrong as much as it is a question of IS the unborn a human or no? If it isn't, then there is a logical conclusion to be drawn. If it is a human though, then we have a duty and a responsibility to protect that life from being murdered. There is a basic and natural call upon humanity to guard the sanctity of life. In this book he offers his own arguments and helps guide you, the reader, to coming to a logical conclusion of your own. I found this book to be very helpful.

Maybe you don't have the same struggles as I do to protect your core beliefs from ridicule and if so, more power to you! It used to be easier for me to "spill my guts" but then I realized how angry others can get over the thoughts that go on in MY head and I have opted to be silent more times than I should have.

This book is definitely written for pro-lifers and no matter where you stand on this journey, whether you are happy to quietly and calmly protest (in a calm, orderly and LAWFUL manner) or you work at a crisis pregnancy center or you are adopting a child who was given the gift of life, this book is helpful in answering your own questions and raising some regarding your own personal responsibility on the matter of protecting human life. The answers you might find in this book might not be easy but sometimes easy is too much to ask or hope for. Sometimes determined obedience is the only answer that there is. This blog post isn't complete obedience but it is a start. For me.

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Another great book I read on the topic of abortion is You're Not Alone: Healing Through God's Grace After an Abortion which I read and reviewed over at 5 Minutes for Books. I highly recommend that one also, regardless of whether or not you've ever had an abortion or not. It's a good book for anyone to have read.

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You also might want to check out the new film Come What May which was released by the Advent Film Group. In the spirit of Fireproof it has a strong family message - in this case argues in favor of the fact that life begins at the moment of conception. Advent Film Group wants to produce faith-based films for Christian families and I appreciate that statement although I do think that Christian/faith-based film makers should concentrate on making spectacular films and the faith will shine through that. (It's a nitpicky argument but still. . .)

The film subject revovles around Patrick Henry College and their Moot Court team which is involved in a national competition. The lead character in the film is young Caleb Hogan who wants to attend PHC, against the wishes of his high-powered attorney mother, because they have the best debate team in the nation. He starts out on his quest for a top education and ends up debating the issue of when life truly begins. Of course there is a love interest, a tense marital relationship, hard work and strong words mixed in. This is the first film produced by Advent Film Group and honestly that shows. However, I think they are definitely on the right track and the film has a message that I agree with quite strongly. I would advocate supporting this film so that more can be made which support similar themes and advocate family, truth and justice.

This is another good resource for the pro-life movement and then it's just interesting for me to personally watch because I had a friend who went to PHC and so the scenery is familiar to me to some degree, having visited the campus and being connected with students and staff alike. You might want to check this one out!

So now here's my bold and honest post. I don't expect everyone who reads this post will agree with me and, you know what?, that's ok right now. No need to leave a string of nasty comments. I'm not there with you on that. You are welcome to disagree with me but my opinion will remain the same. My two cents.

Kid Picks

Time for another Kid Picks carnival over at 5 Minutes for Books. What are you and your kids reading? Well, we want to know!

This week my family and I are traveling to Texas to see my dad (who is battling cancer) and so we have been collecting things to take with us on the airplane. (Keeping a two year old occupied on an airplane for a nine hour day trip to Texas. Can you believe it?! Shoot me now. Ahhh! But it's worth it, it's worth it.)

At any rate, we picked up some Barefoot Books because 1.) We like Barefoot Books and 2.) We need some good quality reading/singing material that will hold his attention.

One of my son's favorite musical Barefoot Books is The Journey Home from Grandpa's. (Only in this case we're going to Papa's house but eventually we'll come back home!) Fred Penner leads the way in singing this song about traveling home from Grandpa's on a bouncy, bumpy road with a white helicopter whizzing up and down around and above the car, and past a pink tractor which is bumping across a brown and muddy field. My son loves looking at all of the vehicles and transportation methods presented in this book, except for the crane which is picking up the "icky sticky sand." HA! For some reason, likely the icky stickiness of it all, he is convinced that it's bad. The song and book however are quite good and we highly recommend it.

The other song book that we have to listen to is the Creepy Crawly Calypso which, you guessed it, has a Calypso beat to it. I don't think I've ever been exposed to music quite like it before so it has been and fun and entertaining interaction, albeit it different than what we're used to. The illustrations in this book are just like all the others in the Barefoot series - unique and well-done. All of the insects in this book play various intrument. Our favorite is the one featured on the Barefoot website which you can see here:





We like looking at (pictures of!) spiders and we LOVE playing drums. This was a good pick on Barefoot's part and we're certainly enjoying it.

Bookworm1 would pick Barefoot Books any day of the week when it comes to music and song. They have just really done a marvelous job combining music and story-telling and we highly recommend them.

So now enough about us. What about you? What are your children picking to share about this week at the carnival? I can't wait to see! I may be a few days behind in catching up, being that we're traveling, but if you leave a note I'll come visit you upon my return!

All-of-a-Kind Family

Some of you have asked when I read and how I find the time to read so much. As to the later part, I don't know how to answer that question. If we're offering up comparisons, I read less than some of you and more than others. I just read. As for when I find the time - it is those blessed things called "nap times" and "bed time." That's when I read.

This afternoon, during the first half of naptime, I attempted to read a piece of modern fiction that I was planning to review over at 5 Minutes for Books. Not everything that I read gets reviewed and this will be one of those times. The team members only review books that they actually LIKE, approving of and don't mind supporting. You should never think anything less. If we don't like it, we don't review it. So I set this particular book down, unable to complete it even, and decided to relax with a childhood favorite of mine -- All-of-a-kind Family. Have you not read this book? Well, why!?

I picked up my (hardbound, 1951 ed.) copy back when I was 14 or so. I'm guessing at my age by my handwritten name inside. (I had bad penmanship and still do. In fact, it may have gotten worse!).

If you are unfamiliar with this story, it revolves around a Jewish family with five young girls (thus the "all-of-a-kind" family!) at the turn of the century. Author Syndney Taylor based the story on her own experiences growing up inside a Jewish family. This story is as educational as it is entertaining. And did I mention it's clean? I'm probably more aware of its squeaky cleanness today more than usual but still. It's good entertainment!

The five sisters do pretty much everything together but unlike stories such as The Bobbsey Twins, this Jewish family's life is written believably. This is a classic worth owning! The girls do not own books and are so delighted with their weekly visits to the library. There are brief spells of disobedience when Mama has to lay down some law, especially around the dinner table. The girls are required to be obedient and learn to be helpful, while at the same time are showered with love and affection. Also, the time spent with the family centers around the Jewish calendar of holidays which is quite fascinating as you see how the family celebrates things like Purim and Passover.

Written for ages 9-12 originally, I'd say the story suits a modern 7-10 year old audience but that's primarily due to the fact that we have such a loss of innocence that this story could quickly become outdated for today's young tween. It's sad, really, because this is a quality story!

Furthermore, it is a series (and yes, I own the whole thing -- just in case I ever have a girl!).

On the tailes of All-of-a-kind Family you'll find:

More All-Of-A-Kind Family (This book seems to be out-of-print so if you see a copy anywhere, snatch it up!)

All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown

All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown

Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family

If you haven't had a chance to read these stories, I whole heartedly recommend them. Today I'm grateful for a quick oppportunity to take a deep breath and cleanse my mind a bit. I felt the need to hit the "refresh" button internally and this book helped. Plus, I had fun!

What He Must Be . . . if he wants to marry my daughter

Well, since we've been talking a little about marriage this week, let's take a look at a marriage preparation book, shall we? Did you catch me winking at you? heh heh....

I thoroughly enjoying reading and talking about books like What He Must Be: ...If He Wants to Marry My Daughter because these types of books demand that you think and give an answer for your thoughts/beliefs. This isn't something you can read and then just gently put aside thinking, "That was nice." Neither can you just saying, "I didn't like it" without explaining why. I think people should be reading more of these types of books, even if they don't necessarily think that they'll agree with them. It just makes you think and sometimes it's a good idea to clear the cobwebs and think fresh. Baucham certainly would urge you to.

For the sake of argument, I'm going to divide how people view dating into two extreme categories. There are the Conservatives who strain towards arranged marriages without admitting it and then there are those who are more Liberal and suggest that they can't do or say anything about who their children marry and so "whatever." One camp suggests overkill in the matchmaking department and the other side argues the hands-off approach.

I'll be honest. I lean towards the conservative camp so I didn't really have (very many) problems with this book. In fact, the only problem I had with it was that I didn't agree 100% on everything he said, but Baucham wrote the book to say that he was 100% correct and left no room for discussion. (Then he'd probably say that if I feel like I wanted to discuss something he would stand ready to prove me wrong.) I struggle with this type of writing style because that's my own personality. "Oh. You differ with me? Well, if anything within you suggests that you might have an opposing opinion then you are automatically wrong about whatever it is and should adapt your views to match mine so that we can all get along." Now, I'm not saying that Baucham says, "You have to agree with me or I won't like you very much." I AM saying that that is what his writing suggests and I feel qualified to point that out because that's frequently how I come across to others. "Oh, you. disagree. do. you? Want to think again?" That is something I have worked really hard at curbing. I need a new approach.

That said, I think you'd probably find Baucham's arguments vastly more appealing if he didn't write in such a way as to suggest that his is the only reasonable opinion to have. I do agree that his opinion is reasonable. Very much so! It's just the way that it is expressed makes that hard to take. You almost want to find a reason to disagree Just 'Cuz. So, if you pick up this book (and I think that you should andwhatotherconclusioncouldyoupossiblycometo, ah HEM) just know that when you crack open the pages you are going to have to work at just connecting with the message. Also you should probably try to understand that he absolutely means the very best and wants to help fix some of the problems that the modern dating culture has produced. His intentions are good and pure and his arguments are completely valid. It's all in the delivery. (And maybe you won't even notice this. I speculate you will but maybe you won't.)

Now that that's out of the way - let's look at what he has to say, shall we?

He's not advocating arranged marriages. He does not approve of the hands-off method of dating in which the young are permitted liberties and freedom their great grandparents honestly would have never dreamed of possessing. As he notes, the modern way of dating has evolved over the course of the past 100 years and in light of history, that's a rapid change from the past "norms" of how budding, romantic relationships were handled. We've "progressed" from having parents involved in getting to know our children's suitors to handing over all the parenting reigns to our children.

Baucham says that parents (fathers in particular) should absolutely be involved in deciding who should even be allowed past the gate when it comes to their daughters. Parents (Fathers) should raise their daughters in such a way that the daughters don't feel manipulated and managed when it comes to choosing their mates. In other words, parents need a multi-generational vision when it comes to "selecting" the man who their daughter will marry and it all starts with the Father himself. Fathering is an art of protecting, guiding, leading and loving. When a daughter sees what a man CAN be (through her father) she is going to look for someone who be all that to her and more when she marries! He advocates setting her expectations high with a good example! That's the crux of his argument and I wholeheartedly agree with it. Boys learn from their father how to be godly, honorable young men. They learn how to take on responsibilities, control their wills and emotions in preparation for loving one woman and giving her his all. Likewise, daughters learn from their fathers what to look for in terms of character AND contentment. Bauchman said it best when he said that we should set up expectations in daughters to wait for and marry the very best. If young girls expect the best and are content to wait for it, then the chances of you having to worry that they are going to fall for "the wrong guy" are much, much slimmer.

In all of this, I cannot object.

I can also attest to the fact that the expectation thing is the crux of the issue. When I was about 13/14 years old my parents introduced me to the idea of courtship. I also started building up my own idea of what I was hoping for in a future husband. I know my parents guessed (and worried) over who they thought I liked from time to time but I can honestly stand here and say that they need not have worried so much. For one thing, I'm strong willed. Secondly, I had a vision that I couldn't shake and wasn't willing to let go of. I wasn't willing to let go of it even when I quasi-to-probably-really-was dating one particular fellow (who was completely unobjectionable). I knew what I dreamed of and because my expectations were oh-so-high (to the point where numerous people told me to stop dreaming so big) I wasn't willing to just "settle." Even though I really wanted to be married a time or two. I needed to wait. (I got married when I was 26. Most of my friends back home got married when they were 19/20 sooooo I was making some wonder about me at the time. As crazy as that is.)

When Baucham says, "Build expectations" in your daughters, that is an argument that really resonates with me because it's exactly what happened to me. And you know what else happened to me? I married the man of my dreams. No joke. He was absolutely everything on the "list" and then some (because God dreams bigger than even I do). My husband is a man that meets the qualifications of this book. Now, my parents and I did not live in the same state when I met Jonathan. I can also declare to you that I didn't need them there to see that Jonathan was a man of quality. I knew this from the way that I was raised and the expectations that had been set. There was no question and I still have no questions. I really did marry the man I gave my first kiss to. I married the first man I ever really loved - and knew that I loved. Expectations. Good training. I'm a relatively unscathed person and so I value books like these because they promote healthy hearts and a good foundations for multi-generational relationship blessings. Pure hearts, strong minds, true love. I cannot argue.

Do I think the father needs to be present for every aspect of any beginning relationship? This is the only area where I differ with Baucham and I would say "no." I say this in part because I wasn't home but I was comfortable enough with who I was and what I believed to know where I would head with any romantic relationship. I think there comes a point in time where you have to trust the training of your children and know that you did right by them and before God. I am 100% satisfied with my own situation and I would only hope that my parents could be confident that they raised me well enough to know that when it came to choosing my husband for life, I would choose well. Again, the expectations for myself were high. That provided a huge source of comfort and confidence for me to know that I was TRUSTED enough to make a good call. And I did! With that in mind, I'd say train your children well. Set a good example. KNOW your children well. Are they confident? Have they proved themselves to be honest, true and devoted to their convictions? If so, the chances of you needing to worry about the future spouse should be slim.

Now, every child is different and all have a different personality. I was the first born and have a disposition to match that. Not so with others. However, my brother also choose very well and Jonathan's brother (who is getting married TOMORROW!!) also choose very well. God is merciful and good and blesses those who love Him and follow after His will. Baucham is following after God with his whole heart and mind and I expect we'll see beautiful things of his family. He will reap the benefits and rewards of having trained his children well. I only hope to turn around and do the same with my children. And I expect I will. My expectations, again, are very high. Why are they high? Because I trust myself? No. I never have. I do trust in God and know I have a relationship with Him that I can count on. That supercedes everything else and gives me confidence to continue walking in faith, believing in and for the very best, both for myself, my children, and my children's children.

Read Aloud Thursday - Author Highlight: Jan Brett

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is in the Word.

Yeah, yeah, I know - everyone owns and has read everything by Jan Brett in existance. I'm behind the times and a slow mover. This past Christmas I seriously wondered if I was the only person in the whole entire world who hadn't read a Jan Brett book. Bookstores were FILLED with her winter themed books such as The Three Snow Bears and The Hat. I picked up a copy of The Hat and flipped through it and decided Brett was definitely a fascinating story-teller and illustrator. I decided that I needed to join the craze at some point. My good friend here in town then gifted our family with a copy of Brett's The Night Before Christmas and so, on Christmas Eve itself, I became A Follower and Brett Book Owner.

As others have pointed out, Brett's unique style of illustrating a story within the border of the mainstory is quite fantastic. From her website I learned that as a child she used to try to fill up the page she was drawing on and from the looks of it she kept that habit into adulthood. She's a masterful artist.

The other week I was browsing our local used bookstore and in their paperback book children's bins I found two Brett books that I had never seen before. I snatched them both up immediately at $2 a piece!

The first book that I found is Armadillo Rodeo and tells the story Bo the Armadillo who lives deep in the heart of Texas hill country. Bo runs into a "red armadillo" (a cowboy boot) that he follows to a rodeo where he views some rough riding and tastes some yummy TX BBQ (which I've talked about before). I briefly considered hanging on to this book but decided that I really need to defer to my sister-in-law and Bookworm1's little cousin who will get far more out of this book than we will. It is TERRIBLY cute but I'm going to ship this copy off to Texas to be enjoyed by my young nephew.


Far more fitting for us, up in Oregon, is the story of Berlioz the Bear. This book plays into our family theme of music (and Jonathan's personal classical music theme). Berlioz plays the double bass in a traveling orchestra. On their way to a performance, their wagon wheel gets stuck in a hole. They spend the rest of the book trying to get their wagon on the road again in order that they might get to their performance in time. Very cute, very fitting and Bookworm1 connected with the instrument right away when we browsed through this book.

Brett gives her readers a lot to think and talk about with the way that she uses her ability to illustrate a story. I have to say that I'm a committed fan now and I'm really glad to have found a few books that aren't the regular norm when it comes to Brett. They are awfully fun and I can't wait to see what my sister-in-law has to say about them also!

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(These books are also above our current reading level, being earmarked for children ages 4-8. Therefore we have also been reading these books as part of our Read Together Challenge which Jennifer @ Snapshot is hosting.)

Wordless Wednesday

I'll participate just this once. =)

Bookworm1 is multi-talented. He loves books and he loves music and the imagination has kicked in gear full-force! He can make a violin out of thin air when necessary! But in this case, it wasn't necessary.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Again, I'm pretty sure I'm behind the times when it comes to Because of Winn-Dixie. But not my much, in the grand scheme of things. First published in 2000, this is Kate DiCamillo's (of the recent Tale of Despereaux fame) first novel. Made into a movie in 2005 (that I haven't seen either) this is the story of ten year old Opal who moves with her preacher father to a small town in Florida. Her mother having left them when Opal was only three years old, there is a certain sadness about the book, as she knows a big part of who she is, is missing.

It is not until Opal claims a stray dog (which she names Winn Dixie) that things start looking up for her. This is a dog that loves everyone and that everyone loves in return. Soon, the lonely Opal has a regular handful of town folk that she accepts as her friends and who she begins to feel as if she belongs to. In short, the dog is something of a healing balm for both Opal, various town folk, and her father who has mourned the loss of his wife for some time.

This story is sad, but hopeful. I wasn't sure what to make of it at times and I think I'm probably still sitting on the fence about it just a wee bit. I thought DiCamillo handled the situation of Opal's mother vary tastefully - not necessarily condemning her actions, having Opal admit the pain and loss that she felt, while still being able to grapple with life and live responsibly. Sure there is a sadness but it is dealt with as maturely as any 10 year old could possibly be expected to deal with it. She misses her mother, she'd like her to come home, but she develops a relationship with her father over the course of the book that stabilizes her young life.

I also wasn't sure what to make of the character of the preacher father. At the beginning of the book he seems rather aloof and out-of-touch with his daughter. However, once again, DiCamillo reveals that his aloofness is more about his own inward hopes and pain than his desire to ignore his daughter. It's not a pretty situation but in this case, Opal herself is so stable that you can forgive her father for his lack of attention fairly easily. (It would be harder to accept if Opal was a Girl Gone Wild without a lick of direction. That's not at all the case in this book. She's lonely but she's not going anywhere.)

I think on the whole I kinda like this book and can see how it would make for a good movie. It's a generally heartwarming tale about a girl and her dog that concludes as best as it can, given the circumstances, without leaving you feel depressed and anxious. I'm sure the dog was cute too. In a world of books where mothers and fathers are frequently absent, this one is well-done, giving a picture of harmony and trust between the remaining parent and the child and for that I say "Thank you!" to Ms. DiCamillo!

*****

For other books about dogs, visit the Children's Classics carnival today over at 5 Minutes for Books where were talking about classic dog characters!

The Covenant of Marriage

I don't really make a habit of commenting on local, national or political news. Nor do I find Hollywood to really BE news. What comes out of Hollywood is generally more of a spectacle-like than anything else. But I saw a "news" blurb on the CNN home page that caught my attention (and made my blood boil) regarding Mel Gibson and his wife of 28 years (with whom he has 7 children). This is a four minute news clip talking about how his wife signed for and filed for a divorce last Thursday.



The thing that strikes me worst about this video is not so much Gibson and his wife are getting a divorce (although that's horrible news in and of itself) but it's what the commenter says in this news article. He says that 28 years is a "successful marriage." A twenty eight year marriage, he says, that has run its course.

He says this as if we should nod our heads and sadly agree. Twenty eight years is a long time and I mean, really, they appear to have towed the line. Twenty eight years and we ought to thank them for putting up for one another for the sake of the modern record. Twenty eight years and we cheer as the divorced is finalized because they played it out as best as they could for as long as they could. IS this really a "job well done"? I find it pitiable at best, and disastrous at worst. The commenter should apologize to every couple in American that has reached 29 years of marriage because he rather implies that 28 years is boring and dull and really now, we can't expect more from anyone who vows 'till death to us part.' What's in such a phrase anyway?

Now, I'm not anti-divorce. No, not really. But. (Yes. There's a "but.") Signs of violence? Sexual immorality? In other words, there had better be a sincerely really bad reason for a divorce. A death of the marriage must truly have occured. I'm not talking about Hollywood's (and now America's) "irreconcilable differences" and "no fault divorces" because she found out that he eats beef and she made it very clear she was a vegan. Or worse - maybe they discovered they have different personalities. Waa!? Who marries their twin? We're all different and marriage takes WORK. I'm consistently surprised these days by how little people seem to care about C.O.M.M.U.N.I.C.A.T.I.O.N. It's like pulling teeth sometimes to get A FRIEND to sit down and converse about something that might be unpleasant. We just don't want to go to a place in conversation where controversy MIGHT come up that we MIGHT have to deal with. And so we Americans would prefer to smile sadly and wave at each other across the room and say we might as well write each other off and claim "irreconcilable differences" and "no fault" ends to friendships. After all, that seems more peaceful, calm and loving, right?

Conflict = bad. Fake harmony = good. The equation is messed up.

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 (NAS)

From Matthew Henry's Commentary:

17. We are cautioned to take heed whom we converse with. And directed to have in view, in conversation, to make one another wiser and better.

Here is a picture I found of fire sparks that were created as iron was being sharpened (just incase that mental word image always previously gave you the warm fuzzies):



Folks, we can't keep walking away from "hard" conversations just because they seem hard. We'll never be able to celebrate the beauty of a TRULY successful marriage/friendship unless we are willing to work through the hard times. No life is perfect, no one is perfect and no marriage is perfect. However, we are to mirror and be a reflection of a relationship that is perfect and that is the one of Jesus Christ to his bride (the church). He laid down his life for us. He went through the Ultimate Bad Time so that the marriage relationship could exist, survive and THRIVE. He didn't do this to last for 28 years. He did it to last for eternity!

Can Mel Gibson and his wife be said to have had a successful marriage? I argue: no. It's easy to start the race, but it's much harder to finish it well. The signature on the divorce filing does not signify that it was finished well. The commentator himself said there is no blame in either camp - it just "ran it's course." However, since they are still alive I'd suggest they keep running. They haven't even come to the place where they begin to gather in the benefits of their hard labor. They'll never be able to do if they just stop now without justifiable reason.

Friends, we must stop walking away from conversations and situations just because they look hard. We must start walking to and through them. The reward is on the other side of the resolved conflict -- not on this side. A sad smile and wave my pacify you for the moment but hard work can bless you, your children and your children's children for generations to come!

Which would you really prefer?

Movie Revew: Bolt

I hadn't heard of Disney's Bolt until my friend Sky reviewed it over at her blog. (This is the part of the review where Jennifer laughs at me for living under a rock.) We don't have television reception or cable or anything. We don't take a newspaper. We get our news from the internet. If CNN homepage doesn't report it or you bloggers don't say it, it may take me awhile to hear about it. (Somewhat pathetic but I'll take the trade off any day.) Just because we don't have tv in the "traditional sense" does not mean that we do not watch tv. We just do our watching via DVDs where there are no commercial interruptions.

Anyway, based on Sky's glowing recommendations, I knew I wanted to see this movie. It took us two weeks to even find a copy to rent. Obviously this movie was popular! I began to despair of our ever seeing it. At the same time, while I waited, I had great hopes that it was going to be something fabulous! I'm happy to say that my hopes were justified and not dashed. I loved this movie!

A short description from Wikipedia (because why repeat?):

The film's plot centers around a small white dog named Bolt who, having spent his entire life on the set of a television series, thinks that he has super powers. When he believes that his human, Penny, has been kidnapped, he sets out on a cross-country journey to "rescue" her.

Once Bolt is off the studio set he begins to notice that his super powers aren't working. He mistakenly believes that this is due to the effects of styrofoam - which he has never heard of before and only recently came into contact with. He freaks out and comes to grips with reality with the help of a cat named Mittens and an incredibly hilarious hamster sidekick named Rhino.

The hamster, by the way, was my favorite character as I previously predicted he would be.



Our son didn't really get into it past the first few minutes of seeing Bolt when he was just an itty bitty cute wittle puppy. (Bookworm1 couldn't stop laughing over the puppy antics.) After that he noted that there were some explosions on the screen and spent the next hour jumping into a blanket creating his own sound effects and explosions. (I'm not sure what that was all about.)

Our concern in movies that we would consider showing him is that they will be too dark in mood or content. The movie opens with some action scenes, depicting the way of the tv show that our young hero of a dog is involved with. There are helicopters and motorcycles and several explosions. After the first 15 minutes though the movie relaxes into a cross-country adventure of Bolt trying to find his person with a rather cynical cat and with the wit of a hamster. Superbly done.

We really enjoyed this movie and I did not note anything objectionable about it. We weren't sure how Bookworm1 would handle the first bit of action but he seemed only delighted and not bothered at all. I thought Disney handled the suspense aspect very well so as not to come across frightening at all - just over the top funny. That's how it played off with us and it went over very well. We were happy with it.

Thanks, Sky, for mentioning it so that we could find and enjoy it also!