2005 Blogs of Beauty Awards

Many thanks to those who nominated A Circle of Quiet for the following categories: Best Encourager, Best Homeschooling, Best Variety, Best Motherhood and, my personal favorite, Best Meet for a Mocha. And, shock of all shocks, I am a finalist in the Best Quiet Spirit category. I share the honor with Miz Booshay of Quiet Life; what fine company to keep!

The voting takes place at Two Talent Living , finishing at 8:00 p.m. EST on December 6th.

Again, thank you for honoring me with your nominations; it warms my heart.

November 29th was a big day...

Once again, I am deeply grateful to Semicolon for a reminder to pull out the birthday party supplies and celebrate. Three of my favorite authors were born on November 29th: C.S. Lewis, Louis May Alcott and Madeleine L'Engle. Anyone with a blog named A Circle of Quiet should have known that it was Ms. L'Engle's birthday; my apologies!

Semicolon asks what our favorite books are from these authors.

Alcott is easiest for me to choose: Little Men is my hands-down favorite.

L'Engle has a tie: Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage and (surprise, surprise)



A Circle of Quiet.

The depth of my admiration for Madeleine L'Engle? A daughter and a blog named with her in mind. High praise, indeed.

C.S. Lewis has written so many different types of things that I have a harder time choosing. I'll just jump at it and say that my favorite Narnia story is The Silver Chair and that Puddleglum is my favorite Narnia character. Mere Christianity and A Grief Observed share honors, too. Oh, but what about The Great Divorce and The Screwtape Letters? And Abolition of Man? Never mind; I can't choose.

Tuesday

The storm arrives


After a couple of weeks of downright warm weather, the days are rainy and there are freezing temperatures at night. These are the days that we long for when we're sweating our way through summer. It is gloriously chilly! The fire is warm, the Christmas lights brighten our house, and the heavy raindrops on the roof are a favorite song.

I still have my jammies on, school is meandering along, and it is just about time for some more coffee. The clock is ticking too quickly toward the moment when I need to play chauffeur; for these few hours more I will savor the quiet.



The mist settles in.

Soundtrack for the season

December
by George Winston

I walked down the aisle to "Joy" played "exactly as George Winston plays it." Lovely.

Feast of Seasons by Steve Bell.

Favorites: His original piece, "Ready My Heart", and my all-time favorite carol, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus."

Amy Shreve Christmas
Harp. Enough said for us! She does have a great voice, too.


Celtic Tidings by Chris Caswell and friends
Very peaceful music.


Handel's Messiah
Brings back warm memories of the Messiah Sing that was held in a university chapel near my home. I love singing this music.


A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi
How many times have I seen this show? Finally, we watched it with the family last year. The music of Vince Guaraldi is a favorite of ours.

Recommended viewing

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell


By the same author as Wives and Daughters, but this time showing the class struggle between northern industrial living and southern middle-class living. Highly recommended.

Thanksgiving

***Somehow, I didn't post this Thursday. A good reminder that this is a message for all year, not just one day, right?***


Last night's story time

"I do not think of all the misery, but of the glory that remains. Go outside into the fields, nature and the sun, go out and seek happiness in yourself and in God. Think of the beauty that again and again discharges itself within and without you and be happy." Anne Frank

The blessings in my life are not to be taken for granted. Even on the bad days, the days when we are too grouchy with each other or the energy does not seem to be there for the requirements of the day, there are blessings heaped up and falling over the edges of my life. I don't want my life to seem like a fantasy; we live serious reality around here, and this week more than some. But, here I focus on my gratitude. I focus on the fact that we sat by the bonfire and read Ben Hur aloud last night, not on the trials of teaching boys how to load a fire with leaves without lighting the county on fire. I focus on the privilege it is to homeschool my children, not on the fact that we had some long conversations in the garden about what it means to work hard, be focused, and develop character for the future. I focus on the incredible gift it is to have my mother next door, not on the times I have to drive her to an appointment when I really want to stay home. This is a discipline; there is always weakness or dreariness or ugliness that can be pointed out. But, if those who have suffered through famine, battle, poverty, persecution, and even death can be thankful, then all of us can.

I am deeply thankful for my husband. He works hard all day, and then he comes home and works hard some more. Watching him read Ben Hur last night caused my mind to race through the last twenty years; our marriage has had some "dark nights of the soul", but man! am I blessed. I could tell you the things he doesn't do; I could tell you the things that he does do that even he wishes he didn't. But, facts are, he's a heap of treasure that I will not tarnish. I am one grateful woman.

My children come in next. At ages 15, 14, 12, 9 and 6, I feel the stretch of my physical, mental, and emotional capabilities daily in our life together, but they are interesting, engaging, hard working, funny people! Their interests spread from historical fashion to distortion pedals, from Celtic harps to Star Wars, and yet they all lock on to the common ground of their faith, their family and the shared buzz words and experiences we have together.

Mom comes next. Moving her here was difficult; setting parameters that would be respectful to all was hard as well. Now, we are enjoying the fruit of our labors. She likes to be with the children, she respects home education and boosts me up when I am tired. She folds laundry and watches children for date nights. She makes them cheeseburgers and chips and grapes and they watch movies that I just can't watch one more time. She also has countless appointments for lab, doctor, and pharmacy, she doesn't like too much noise, and gets grouchy just like the rest of us. When you love someone who is in their late seventies, though, you are reminded of something that is actually true with all of us: "They won't be here forever. Don't waste time complaining." Knowing that it is true of my mother has helped me to treat others the same.

We have good friends for whom we are thankful. We have cars that run well (anyone who has gone through years without that knows what a blessing it is...especially in the country.) We have a church family we appreciate. We have appliances that are experiencing long life. We have warm and beautiful clothes. We have candles. We have ears to hear music and laughter and words shared in the late night hours. We have eyes to see each other and our view and the needs of others, the beauty of nature, the stars at night. We have cats that make us laugh. We have a dog that lived for another Thanksgiving, and she makes us laugh, too. We have a bonfire pit. We have books. And more books. We have coffee and wine and chocolate. We have the freedom to vote and say things that are important to us. We don't hide when we attend church; we don't keep our bibles in a dark cellar. We have a good fence. We have turkey in the oven. We are all healthy (drippy noses and coughs as the exception.) We have a God in heaven who knows the number of hairs on our heads. His Spirit, breathed into our lives, gives us the wherewithal to enjoy our lives to the fullest. Yes, amidst the responsibilities of daily life; amidst the stress that is put upon us and that we, for some reason, bring upon ourselves; amidst the sadness and fear and worry, we are so incredibly blessed. But, it is not just the big, eternal things for which I am thankful. I am also thankful for the little things that accessorize my life with beauty and simple pleasure. This is a rich life; thank you, Lord, for it all.

"When DO you have time to read?"

Some suggestions...


While stirring the soup

While soaking in the tub

In the WC

On the deck

In the parking lot (NOT while driving!)

In the red chair with a view

The best place

There are pockets of time in the most ordinary of places. There are other important things that fill some of that time, but having a book-friend nearby when the pocket is empty can result in a rich reading life.

Current book-friend: Northanger Abbey and Persuasion (Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen)

RoFTers and Treaders

We've been readers of First Things and Touchstone magazines for several years. I am sure we learned of both of them through Ken Myers' audio journal Mars Hill Audio. This is just one more reason to feel gratitude toward Mr. Myers.



Have you read All God's Children in Blue Suede Shoes: Christians & Popular Culture? It's excellent. I also give credit to his audio journal for keeping me in polysyllabic words during the Diaperer of Many Children phase of my parenting career (especially the Three Under Three season.)

But, I digress. Back to Touchstone and First Things. A few years ago, through our association with a homeschooling group, we met Anne of Green Curtains and her husband. Our interest in the articles in these two magazines came up, and we decided to do what others around the country have done: we formed our own RoFTers group. Readers of First Things get together and discuss selected articles and, in our case, enjoy good food, as good a wine as we can afford, and plenty of laughter. We've been nothing close to monthly or bi-monthly RoFTers, but we love it. Last night, though, we had our first Treaders gathering (Touchstone Readers.) In the spirit of RoFTers, we selected two articles from the October issue of Touchstone, and we had a great time discussing Education & Alienation (subtitled, "What John Henry Newman Could Learn from Wendell Berry"), and Vanishing Sea of Faith. I wish I could link the Education & Alientation article for those of you who have any interest in classical education, but I couldn't see how I could. You can always order the October issue.

It's Thanksgiving week, and the Green Curtains Family is certainly on my thankful list. Not only do we get to talk about important things, challenging each other to grow intellectually and spiritually and practically, but when I pull out orange truffles, she pulls out port. There's a synergy here that is not to be taken for granted.

Chocolate

Lots of chocolate

The Chocolatier

Last Christmas, we received a box of truffles from good friends. Included was a parchment sheet that listed the chef (each child made their own), the name assigned to their creation and its flavor (the Jack Sparrow Truffles were rum flavored, of course.)

On our summer vacation, I realized it was a mutual friend who had taught them how to make these delicacies, and she in turn shared the recipe with me. I made the truffle balls two months ago, but I finally dipped them this weekend. They are beautiful and taste fantastic. And they are easy. What a win-win-win. My first batch is orange-flavored; I named them Queen Elizabeth Truffles in honor of my sister (she always picked the bottoms off of the See's candies to find the orange creams.) We have planned white chocolated mocha truffles, dark chocolate mint truffles, milk chocolate kahlua truffles, and dark chocolate rum truffles.

Chocolate Truffles

12 oz. sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 whipping cream, scalded
1 1/2 tsp. flavoring
Powdered sugar
12 - 16 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces. Or, high quality milk or white chocolate.

* Use dry bowls and utensils. Can use wooden spoon. *

1. Melt sweet chocolate on high for two minutes. Stir. Melt on high approximately thirty seconds more until done (time may vary according to microwave.)
2. Melt butter on high thirty seconds at a time.
3. Mix the melted butter with the melted sweet chocolate.
4. Slowly strain 1/4 cup of the hot cream into the chocolate mixture, whisking by hand until the cream is absorbed. Repeat procedure twice, using 1/4 cup cream each time.
5. Drizzle flavoring into chocolate mixture, stirring until mixture is smooth.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chocolate mixture is firm, at least two hours (overnight, if desired.)
7. Line baking sheet with waxed paper. Spoon out one inch mounds of chocolate. Chill on baking sheet.
8. Cover hands with powdered sugar. Cover chocolate mound in powdered sugar; roll into ball with sugar covered hands.

At this point, truffles may be frozen. They should be chilled thoroughly before continuing.

9. Melt chocolate of your choice. Keep "melty" by having it over hot water (do NOT let water get into the chocolate.) Dip chocolate ball into the melted chocolate; place on waxed paper. Store in air-tight container in the refrigerator.

I may just have to rent Chocolat after all this truffle making.

Wednesday musings

What I love:

Soft kleenex. Flannel sheets. Sleep. Hot tea. Hot coffee.

(Yes, the cold pushed its way in at last.)

Dancing.

Our Autumnal Ball was a great success. I only wish I could capture the beauty and camaraderie in pictures.

The latest/last Mitford novel.

Once again, it made me laugh and cry. The perfect companion for a kleenex/hot tea afternoon.

Pride and Prejudice.

It's confirmed; I am not a purist.

We saw the latest movie last Friday, and I loved it. But, I could only compare it to the A&E version; it had been too long since I had read the book. While resting and blowing my nose, I have re-read the story and am sorry to say that in the book Mr. Darcy does not deliver that romantic line that is at the end of the movie. He does mention being bewitched early on in the story, but not when he proposes and is accepted. One of my daughter's friends had written about the previews she had seen of the new movie, saying that it looked more Bronte-ish. There was a more wild, less genteel, feel about the environment, but it didn't have the intensity or the potential gloom of a good Bronte story. It is, as dear Kate said, more earthy. But, it is charming and enjoyable.

Autumn.

Some of you have snow; we have uncommonly warm weather today. I am enjoying the autumnal glow of the oak trees in my view these days. Our fall colors are only various shades of yellow, but it is amazing how many golden options there are in the palette. It's a joy to behold.

____ Shopping Days Left

Sacramento Bee
Card-carrying kids
By Jon Ortiz -- Bee Staff Writer

A thought-provoking, short article on the trend of buying gift cards for young children:

"I've asked for gift cards this year," said 7-year-old Brandon Kelley, a gift card veteran who attends Rock Creek Elementary School in Rocklin and says that Toys "R" Us is his favorite place to shop. "I want gift cards ... and money."

Brandon got his first gift card about a year-and-a-half ago, said dad Brian Kelley.

"We're comfortable getting them for him," Kelley said. "Brandon asks for them and likes to spend them. He thinks that they're credit cards. He likes them in his wallet."

While some say that gift cards are convenient, practical and a way to teach youngsters to buy on a budget, others say that giving them to children is a mistake and point to larger societal problems.

We've been the grateful recipients of gift cards from friends or business associates. We have also been known to give them in gratitude to those who have tutored or mentored. But, our own children? Hmmm...a couple of questions keep rattling through my mind. Is it that children already have so much, ergo parents don't know what to buy them? Does this stem from a philosophical conviction that children need more choices and less parental control? Or, is this just materialism taking the next giant leap forward (backward)?

I'll go ahead and sound like a snob here. I am grateful for children who ask for duct tape in their stocking and know what a prize it is when they open it. Cardboard becomes a shield; sticks become silver-handled swords and sabers; sons become knights-in-shining-armor when I need a quick fix for my refrigerator door. In my little house on the top of the hill, we won't be opening gift cards from each other for Christmas. It sounds empty and lonely to me.

Veterans' Day

In honor of Veterans' Day, I give you these words from The Crib Chick:

"If I could encourage or challenge anyone to do something for Veterans' Day this year, it would be...remember. And consider. Not through the lens of your political beliefs...just as a human being."

Having recently read through the Civil War trilogy by Jeff and Michael Shaara, I have been doing just that. There is much in war, with all of its motivations and consequences, that I do not pretend to understand. But, I appreciate those who have fought and sacrificed for what they believe in. Thank you all!

The current soundtrack

We've been hard at work at chores all morning, and now my family has flown the coop. They are in the mountains for a hike this afternoon, getting excited energy out before we spend a few joyous hours dancing with good friends tonight. I am home, once again appreciating the quiet. The oak leaves keep calling me to stare out the window, and I will allow myself to be lured for awhile, and I plan to sip a cup of echinacea tea while enjoying my view. I am trying to convince a cough and some aches that this is NOT a good time to come for a visit. "I'm free in a week or so, could you call back then? Thanks, hon."

My musical choice for today? A CD that found its way into my mailbox because I forgot to take care of one of those club response cards. Every now and then, my flakiness pays off and I end up with a prize. That happened years ago with David Guterson's fantastic book on home education, Family Matters. I was never so happy to have forgotten something in my life; I love that book.

Today I am enjoying Renee Fleming's Haunted Heart. She has the kind of voice I would love to have when I get to heaven. It's not going to happen on earth, but if I could look forward to being in that section of the heavenly choir? That would be glorious.

So I have a little rest and a little music before I have to run errands and be the wardrobe department for the ball attendees tonight. My iron will be rattled out of hibernation; it will have to shake off the cobwebs, and perform its magic on slacks and shirts, and even take a wrinkle or two out of taffeta. I LOVE dancing with my children and our friends, and I cannot wait to twirl and talk with them all tonight.

Then, Pride and Prejudice. It is almost too much fun for one day; my heart is just fit to burst. All this and some quiet, too? This is bliss.

Happy thought indeed, right Lizzy?

Tomorrow Night

What The Readers Are Reading: Part the Fifth

Well, I do believe that I have gotten to the bottom of the lists sent in. Thank you so much for your eclectic recommendations. I have heard from several of you who have found new reading selections that you saw listed here. It fills me with contentment to hear that; thank you for letting me know.

The only part remaining in this entry is what my dear and crazy family is reading. Ever changing, our pile is always more than we can finish before we tromp back to the little brick library down the way. Our book lists, like yours, are a window into our educational and vocational interest, a peek into what woos our curiosities, and a glimpse at our passions. I will post our books soon.

All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

Alone Yet Not Alone by Tracy M. Leininger



Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America: How a Brooklyn Roofer Helped Lure the U.S. into the Kosovo War by Stacy Sullivan

Blood Done Sign My Name : A True Story by Timothy B. Tyson

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

Commentary on Romans by Robert Haldane

Coronation of Glory: The Story of Lady Jane Grey by Deborah Meroff

The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: A Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager and the Doomed by Karen Elizabeth Gordon

Several Dr. Seuss books (personal note: The linked book is a collection of Suess, to simplify the entry, but it does not include my favorite: There's A Wocket in My Pocket! which we all knew by heart when my youngest was eighteen months old. We recited it together as we drove into Yosemite Valley when said son had a serious case of, "Aren't we there YET?" He ended up falling asleep with a smile on his lips (and a zamp in his lamp!) and we could enjoy the splendor of the valley in peace. Thanks, for the millionth time, Dr. Seuss.

East 'O The Sun and West 'O The Moon by Naomi Lynch (illustrated by favorite P.J. Lynch)



Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2) by Christopher Paolini

From Basic to Baghdad:A Soldier Writes Home by J. B. Hogan

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick


Galileo Galilei: Father of Modern Science by Rachel Hilliam


Galileo: On the Shoulders of Giants

The Hardy Boys
by the group known as Franklin Dixon (sorry, I just can't write it out as one author. I still remember the day I learned that Carolyn Keene was more than one person.)

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

I Am David by by Anne Holm



Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

Living With Mystery: Finding God in the Midst of Unanswered Questions by Stacey Padrick


Middlemarch
by George Eliot

A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey by Brian D. McLaren


** Seen on the Amazon.com page, a title by the same author: A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished CHRISTIAN by. The one thing I know about the author is he has a welcome sense of humor about spiritual issues. I just may have to check this one out, too. **

Overcoming Childhood Bladder and Bowel Problems by D. Preston, M.D. (the reader that submitted this requested, "Don't ask." All I can say is, hope it helps!)

Rakkety Tam
by Brian Jacques

The Reformation: A History
by Diarmaid MacCulloch


Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne


The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Strange Case of Baby H (American Girl History Mysteries) by Kathryn Reiss

The Summer of the Danes The Eighteenth Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke

The Wild One (Phantom Stallion #1) by Terri Farley

Ziglar on Selling
by Zig Ziglar

Cookbooks recommended by favorite reader Susan, who says, "My reading has been sketchy, but even when I don't read seriously, I find that I can't be without 'something' in my hand to read. In the bathroom that might be the shampoo bottle if I am desperate...I grab whatever is nearby - a newspaper or magazine, even a scrap of paper if need be." Based on our delightful correspondence during this blogging year, I would guess that Susan's "sketchy" reading is still reading at its best. Oh, the ingredients on shampoo bottles I read before we put our bookshelf in the restroom.

The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart



Periodicals:

World Magazine

Remembering

My father's ring

Today would have been my father's seventy-sixth birthday, and I have been thinking of him all day. Actually, he has been on my mind since October 24th, the day he passed away in 2001. Grief, as I have said before, is a confusing and complicated journey, but the loss of my father was made more so by our life together. My father's decision to pursue his financial dreams and extra-marital affairs meant that he chose not to be there for the ordinary days of family life. He moved out when I was just five, and we had a distant relationship for years.

There came a time, after I had begun my own family, when I realized I needed to forgive my father for not being there as I was growing up. It was something I needed to do for my own emotional health, as well as something that was necessary for any relationship to exist between us. First, though, I had to be honest with myself about the wrongs. That was difficult and seemingly counter-productive. I knew I didn't want to stay stuck in the muck of blame and bitterness, but in order to say, "I forgive you" I had to acknowledge what it was that went awry. Forgiveness is not denial, it is not "looking on the bright side", it is not "That's okay." Forgiveness is facing the truth, and that meant the truth about me as well as Dad. I had experienced the life-changing forgiveness of Christ; how could I possibly withhold my forgiveness from another person, especially someone I loved so deeply? It was like a breath of fresh air that I hadn't breathed for decades. It released all the unrealistic expectations that my father could not meet. It released me from the fear of failure as a mother, and it allowed me to experience deep and lasting peace.

I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn't for my father. Some of that I learned from his negative example. I have a deep desire to be trustworthy, I am very wary of mingling family relationships and financial dealings, and I looked for (and, thank God, found) a man who is faithful in the ordinary moments of life. My commitment to enjoy today, with all the budget constraints and laundry and ordinary-ness, comes from watching Dad always dream of something big that we could do together someday. Someday never came for him, and there were decades of ordinary days that were missed in the dreaming. I also learned from his positive example. I read, I pour over maps, I play tennis, I love to travel, and I enjoy conversations with all kinds of people; I even enjoy dreaming big dreams. These all reflect the positive impact he had on my life.

We had eight joyful years of peace and forgiveness, my father and I. We talked on the phone, blabbing about home education and politics and memories and my children. But, emphysema did its dreadful work, and Dad entered the hospital just after September 11th of 2001. I made a mad rush back to his home in Tennessee, only to sit by his hospital bed and pat his hand. I cried and prayed and talked to him, even though they kept telling me he was too sedated to hear. I wanted him to hear again that I loved him, that I prayed for him, and that I would miss him terribly. I have no doubt that he knew I was there.

I loved my father deeply. I miss the smell of his aftershave and the sound of his kingly voice. Today, in honor of his birthday, we got out a tape that he and my step-mother made for us for Christmas 1996. Dad begins the tape with a description of the beach where they were sitting, the sound of the gulls and the crashing of the waves. He read of St. George and the dragon from Bill Bennett's Children's Book of Virtues



My youngest son, whose middle name is his grand-dad's, sat and listened for a long time, luring his sister to join him. It was a great way to remember Dad.

I also wear my father's signet ring each day. It bears the words "Deo Gratis", Thanks be to God. Tonight, I am taking extra time to thank God for His forgiveness, and for the time I had to know and enjoy and learn from my father. I will always wish we had more, but there is a lesson to learn even in that. There will come a time when I will have no more days here on earth, and I need to remember that each ordinary one is a gift! Thanks be to God, indeed.

Moonlight

Staff Photographer does it again

Today


Earlier in the week


Shadow dance

Newly arrived merchandise...

Good words to rest in front of the computer screen.


"An original and card-carrying member of M-mv's 'best and perfect' audience."

The perfect container for the early season eggnog latte, complete with freshly ground nutmeg. Yum.

M'mv gear can be found here and here.

When Mom's voice gives out...

Redwall on audiocassette, Brian Jacques (author and narrator.)

When all the read-aloud-ers in our family get tired, it is a pleasure to have a well-read book on cassette or CD. We've finished our revisit to Narnia and today have begun a return trip to Redwall Abbey.

Brian Jacques, the author of the Redwall series, was recently in California for a book-signing tour. Good friends went and heard him speak; it was confirmed that Jacques is a really lovely person. He mentioned that as a child he was very poor, and he was often hungry. When he read books, he would read a section about a meal, and all they would say is that they ate. He would stop and say, "But, what did they eat? How did it taste? What was the meal LIKE?" Now, as I listen to the first few chapters of Redwall narrated by Mr. Jacques himself, I can see that he is not going to be guilty of the same omission. Those Redwall feasts make the mouth water. The only book I can remember talking about food more is Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Man, did that book make me hungry.

The cast of this Redwall reading is excellent. Jacques' voice is deep and rumbly, and the evil characters from the book have hilarious voices, not scary ones. Highly recommended.

Wisdom

The Crib Chick has a great post on parenting.

She talks about her father making an intricate sandcastle and how her child proceeded to knock the whole thing over. She went on to say:

That image stuck with me for quite a while afterward, and I found myself making an analogy of sorts between that and my plans for my children's futures; it's wonderful to make preparations, but in the end, it's their sandcastle.

Yes! Yes! Yes!

Read the whole thing here.

The Crib Chick is intelligent, funny and wise. A worthwhile destination.

One answer to the question...

"How do you save money on food?"

Autumnal beauty

I love where I live, but we sure don't get loads of fall color. Well, there is that tree on the highway by downtown, but don't blink, or wait a week, or you'll miss it! And there is the yellow of the oak trees that make up my view, but all in all my town would not be on the route of a bus tour showing spectacular fall foliage.

But tonight, through the wonder of email, my sister-in-law sent pictures of the spectacular Minnesota autumnal beauty. The leaf colors are perfect with the crystal clear blue sky background!


The Mississippi River

Many, many years ago, my husband sat with his sister at a cafe in Sacramento and wrote out the charter for a new organization: The Society for the Exaltation of Beauty. They are charter members; I signed on later that day. It can oft be forgotten, but every now and then one of us will remember and reinvigorate the vision for the SEB. These pictures qualify as the latest society news. I sure hope that someday we can hold a gathering of the SEB with that view of the Mississippi River as our background. We miss you Shar and Tim!

What the Readers are Reading: Part the Fourth

Here is the fourth entry in What The Readers are Reading, but it won't be the last. Yes, there are a few more to do, and I will get back to it soon. Once again, your lists include some of my favorite books and authors, but also introduce several that are completely unknown to me. What a prize.

Happy reading!


Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick

Audubon's Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest

The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century by Harry Turtledove (Editor), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor)

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum

Chromosome 6 by Robin Cook

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

City of God by Augustine

Confessions by Augustine

The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover's Courtship with Recipes by Amanda Hesser

Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America by Amy Sutherland

Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design by Barbara Forrest, Paul R. Gross

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

Famous Men of Greece by John Haaren, A.B. Poland

Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner

Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The one down-side of reading this book is that my oldest child is now bugging us to move to a delapidated castle with a moat. She seemed less keen when I told her that she couldn't bring along the computer.

The Iliad of Homer

Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Miss Julia Throws a Wedding by Ann Ross

A Morbid Taste for Bones: The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael by Ellis Peters

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda

A New Kind of Christian: A Tale of Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey by Brian McLaren

On a Night Like This by Ellen Sussman (novel set in S.F.)

Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Poetic Knowledge: The Recovery of Education by James Taylor (why do I always hear, "Sweet Baby James" when I see this author? Nope, not that James Taylor!)

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Rowan of Rin by Emily Rodda (the first in a series.)

Saplings by Noel Streatfeild

"Before writing children's books, Streatfeild wrote a number of adult novels mostly written from a child's perspective. I am interested in reading about every-day life during war and this book is about the effect of evacuation and death on a close family unit in London during World War II. So far, it is engaging and well-written and I have trouble putting it down. The book was also published by my favourite London bookshop, Persephone, who specialise in little-known works by female authors from the last century."

The Songcatcher by Sharyn McCrumb

St. Dale by Sharyn McCrumb

The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin (wonderful, wonderful nove)

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

To Kingdom Come by Will Thomas (mystery)

Very Good Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse

What Would Socrates Do?: History of Moral Thoughts and Ethics (Portable Professor Series) by Peter Kreeft

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill by Mark Bittner