Things She Thinks About

Makin' It Work...

2012-01-25T11:57:00.000-08:00

I think I'm becoming a pragmatist after all these years of idealism. It's finally starting to sink in that I need to do what works for my life. Oh, I don't mean anything illegal or immoral or anything like that, but for too long I've lived my life chafing under the idea that someone might think I'm doing something wrong or stupid, whether it was good for me or not. Take, for instance, my house...

I live in a very small house. It measures 18' x 24' to be exact, with a loft over nearly half that. It's a cute little house - we started building it several years ago as a "temporary" cabin to live in while we built the "real" house on top of the hill. Now I am so sick of building (this was our second attempt, the first house we built was much bigger) that I don't really care if a bigger house gets built on top of the hill. Frankly, I rather like living in a very small house. It keeps me from bringing in a bunch of knick-knackery that would only take up space and require dusting. I don't like spending a lot of my time taking care of knick-knackery, but I want a clean home. So this little house works for us. (OK, I admit, I still need to finish the paring down of belongings; we still have way too many clothes stuffed into our closet and drawers, and there are still a lot of totes languishing in a storage unit somewhere, but let us enjoy what progress has been made!)

Another thing that comes to mind is magazines. A lot of those simple-living/frugal/green type folks would advise people to drop their magazine subscriptions, and for some people that would undoubtedly be a good thing. After all, no one needs yet another pile of paper they will never look at taking up space on their countertops or lurking in the corners of their bedroom. But my family reads magazines. We don't have television at home and we barely have internet there, so what we do a lot of for fun is read. Old National Geographics? Picked up over and over again by my husband and daughter. When we have finally read the heck out of a magazine, I often take it to the local library's magazine-swap table so someone else can read the heck out of it. A subscription to National Geographic or Countryside or Archeology goes a long way at our house.

Which brings us to plastic crates. For the record, I'm not a huge fan of plastic. I prefer materials that feel more real and earthy, so I used to put magazines and books in this attractive square basket I had. It was very real and earthy. A little too real and earthy. Living in the South in the summertime without air conditioning, let's just say things get a little humid. My basket started going moldy, and even washing it didn't take care of the problem. Now I have a plastic crate that I keep those things in. Not as pretty, but it works. Someday perhaps we will have time to build that bookshelf under the loft stairs, but for now we do what we can.

Make it work!

Gardening Glamor

2012-01-09T07:57:00.000-08:00

The seed catalogs have begun arriving in my mailbox. While my thumbs have no hint of green about them (I can kill most any houseplant at ten paces with a glance), I still harbour the yearning hope that this, this will be the year I grow a lush and fruitful vegetable garden from which to feed my family.

I have the garden spot. It's too big, really, sloping very gently from a nice usable soil to a corner of mucky clay. I keep telling my husband - and myself - that we would do better to cultivate only a corner of it so we can keep up with it better, especially when July and August roll around and we are hauling water from the creek for those insatiably thirsty plants. As well, it would be much easier to keep those insatiably hungry forest critters out of a smaller patch, since the dog seems to have little or no intention of performing his canine duty of running off furry vegetable thieves. There is nothing so discouraging as coming blithely to the garden one day and finding your tomato plants - until now green and relatively happy - nipped off to pokey-looking sticks. The poor things try to rally, but they are no match for the persistent teeth and empty bellies of our forest friends.

One year I got something to spray on the plants to make them smell and taste yucky. No, I didn't taste it, but it did smell yucky. It seemed to work, but of course as soon as the plants are rained on it has to be reapplied and in the ten seconds between the washing-off and you getting back down to the garden with the spray bottle, there goes the greenery! (No, really I wasn't that diligent about it. I'm a lazy gardener, what can I say?)

I have harangued DH for years about putting up a fence. I will harangue him again this year. He works in mysterious ways...one day he will simply get the fence-building bug and up it will go. Until then, haranguing makes me feel that I am contributing.

So, back to the catalogs to circle varieties and fill out tentative order forms that total astronomical amounts while my lone surviving houseplant eyes me from its perch on the corner cabinet and hopes to be ignored.

Book Review -This Thing of Ours, by Cammy Franzese

2012-01-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

In a nutshell, this is the story of Cammy Franzese’s marriage to mobster Michael Franzese and how she lived while he spent eight years in prison. I would say it's really more of an overview, because she doesn't go into any great detail about anything. As Michael has books of his own out about his old mafia life, perhaps she felt that had already been covered. Her point in this particular book seems to be that God wanted her to stick it out with this guy and blessed her because she did.

To be honest, I had a difficult time relating to the author. I know she was very young when she fell in love and married this man, but she seemed to be awfully, and may I say willfully, clueless. It's the willful part that makes her a less sympathetic character in my opinion.
I want to like this book, because I think the overall message is intended to be positive, and perhaps if I knew more of the story I would like it better, but with the little information the author gives in this particular volume I found it hard to “get into” what she is trying to say. The feeling I came away with was that I’m glad it worked out for her, but she – and he – asked for all the trouble they had along the way!

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with the law. You can find out more about the book here at the Thomas Nelson site or here at Amazon.com.

Hormonal Havoc

2012-01-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

What powerful little critters these hormones be. In the space of five minutes (fewer than that when they're on top of their game), they can take a person from being on top of the world to the depths of "my life sucks and will never get better".

I was thinking about that last night from the sucky-depths end of things. Maybe it's OCD, maybe I'm just too...I'm sorry...Teutonic....about some things, but at times it seems like my life and surroundings are all chaos and disorder and broken stuff and I want them cleaned up and fixed, NOW. More than that, I want to be able to clean and fix all of it by myself so I don't have to wait for someone else to do it. My mother once set me back on my heels in my adolescent days by comparing me with a very independent movie character. I hadn't seen myself as particularly independent before that, but it got me thinking. I've only grown worse since then, I'm afraid, but I digress.

Anyhow, yes, depending on my hormonal situation, life can seem absolutely fantastic and I feel so fortunate and blessed that one more good thing would be too much to handle, or at the other extreme I feel that everything in my life is horrible and what the heck am I doing here, why don't I just run away and live in a cave?

Is it some sort of cosmic joke on the Creator's part to give these unseen chemicals such influence over us? Ha, you just think you are a sensible, reasonable, rational higher life form in its adult stage! But let just the tiniest little bit of serotonin go astray in your brain and you will be huddled under your bedcovers whimpering like a two-year old who just lost his cookie.

Beats me.

It's lunchtime. Better go find my cookie.

Any New Year's Resolutions?

2011-12-29T13:19:00.000-08:00

I have all the same ones I had last year, probably, if I made any last year. Let's see:

1. Lose weight. Yes, probably the most common New Year's Resolution ever. But I really am tired of carrying around extra poundage that is starting to make my hips and knees and back feel old. I'm too young to feel old.

2. Get back into music. Groan. Another wannabe musician. Vocalist, actually. I really suck at playing any kind of instrument (though I have to say, I've never tried the kazoo). But I have some credentials, so give me a break. I've sung for money, that makes me a professional.

3. Start my own business. Yes, yes, yes, I've had "my own business" for years, but it isn't really MY own business because I'm not the one who does the stuff that makes the money. I get the thrill-a-minute job of doing the bookkeeping. Yay.
a. Keep up with my bookkeeping better.

I think that gets most of the standards out of the way, perhaps with the addition of the one to write more.

Here's one I would sincerely like to achieve this year, though, no matter if the others happen or not:

BE HAPPY

I think most of us know that one is deceptively simple. As I chug along life's path toward the big 4-0, however, it becomes more and more important. I've been stopping for a moment here and there and pondering...do I want the rest of my life to look like what has come before now? Am I simply accepting what is because I feel helpless to change it? Or afraid to change it? Am I weirdly comfortable in my unhappiness?

Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of people and things in my life to be happy and thankful about. But looking at the overall picture, there is a grayness over everything. A feeling of, "I wish, but I could never...because I'm not good/pretty/thin/smart/talented/nice enough to deserve..." Beggars can't be choosers, after all. I don't want to be a beggar anymore.

So, do you hold on to what you have and just try to change your attitude about it? Or do you take a chance and let it go in the hopes of gaining something better?

And so we come around to Christmas again...

2011-12-15T09:10:00.000-08:00

How about that? Remember how long it seemed to take for Christmas to roll around again when you were a little kid? Now it seems like it was just last month and here's another one. I have found that I'm enjoying this Christmas season more than I have enjoyed such a season in a long time. Upon pondering the possible reasons for this, I think it's at least partly because I am better prepared this year...I won't have to be scrambling around with needle and thread trying to make homemade gifts the week before Christmas and I won't be treading the aisles of the local Wal-mart on Christmas Eve looking for the first likely piece of junk to wrap up for that last person on my list. Nope. My major gifting is done, (this means I have sent that all-important parcel to my family in Canada in good time!) my cards are sent...even the international ones...my decorating was done two weeks ago, the rest is frosting. Or gravy, depending on your preference.

So now there is time to sit back and soak it in, go sit at the park and watch the dancing Christmas lights as they keep time to various Christmas tunes, make cookies and candy if I feel like it. (Well, OK, the mince pies are NOT optional!)

I've been thinking a lot about the concept of perfection being the enemy of good. Whoever it was who said that first was onto something. And in the same way you start seeing red Yukon trucks everywhere as soon as you start driving one, I am seeing this concept all over the internet on different sites I've been reading. I've been so frozen by the desire for perfection over the years that I've lost many opportunies to do things well...to do them at all, actually. I don't want to live that way anymore. So I'm going to release my death grip on things and stop being afraid to try anything I'm not sure I can do "perfectly" and I'm going to enjoy my life a lot more. I think my loved ones will enjoy me a lot more, too.

Merry Christmas!

Healing Is a Choice, by Stephen Arterburn

2011-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

To someone who has been in emotional pain for a very long time, the title of this book may sound ridiculous. After all, if healing is a choice, who wouldn’t choose to be healed right now? As you read, however, Mr. Arterburn guides you through ten choices that must be made for healing to occur. These choices must be made purposefully. They are opposed by ten “big lies” that keep people hurting and unable to move forward in health and happiness. I particularly benefited from the chapter regarding “The Choice to Risk Your Life”.

The book is done in a chapter/workbook format, so after each chapter is read, there are questions for the reader to work through, alone or with others, and additional Scripture verses assigned to read. To be honest, I don’t care for workbook-type stuff; however, I can see in this book how it might be beneficial to someone with a lot of heavy emotional work to do or a group reading together who could use guidance in their ensuing discussion of the material.

Another bit of the book that was especially helpful to me was the author’s understanding of subjective peace (happy emotions) vs. objective peace (peace in Jesus). As Christians, we are too often given the impression that we must at all times have subjective peace or we are not having faith. This mistake alone has probably caused many Christians much needless grief and pain. The understanding of the different kinds of peace is probably worth the price of the whole book right there for a lot of us.

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger review program run by Thomas Nelson Publishers and received a complimentary copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I’m disclosing this in compliance with the law.

You can find out more about this book here where there is a flipbook that you can look at, and also here.

www.thomasnelson.com

It is Dangerous to be Right When the Government is Wrong, by Judge Andrew Napolitano

2011-10-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

A very interesting book by Judge Napolitano. In it, he examines various ways in which the government has chipped away at the Natural Law freedoms of its citizens practically since its inception. I don’t recall having read anything by Judge Napolitano before, nor have I seen the programs he is on, but I found myself agreeing with much of what he has written in this book. Americans are in danger of living in a totalitarian regime if they don’t wake up and realize how their own government is chipping away at rights. Rights the government would like you to think are given to you at its discretion, but are actually, as Judge Napolitano goes into, rights which are yours whether the government recognizes them or not, because God gave them to every human being: the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to own and use your own property, the right to privacy and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances being among them. Most Americans would say they have all these, what’s the problem? The problem is that if big government has its way, they won’t have even a semblance of them much longer. I highly recommend that anyone who is interested in living a free life in a free country read this book and pass it along.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas-Nelson Booksneeze blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. You can find out more about this book at Thomas Nelson . On this page there is a flip book link so you can take a closer look.

www.thomasnelson.com

www.amazon.com

Book Review - Where Has Oprah Taken Us? by David Mansfield

2011-10-04T11:17:00.001-07:00

Good question, Mr. Mansfield. It seems that Oprah has lost none of her immense following since she made public her religious/spiritual meanderings and thousands of people are willing to trail after her wherever she goes. I'm not one to begrudge anybody their personal journey, but when you start proclaiming it as truth from the housetops, so to speak, one would hope there would be some sturdy footing under one.

Mr. Mansfield, as others have noted, has been kind in this look at the changes Oprah has gone through spiritually since her earlier days and he doesn't hesitate to list areas in which he is in agreement with her, so if you are looking for an out and out Oprah-basher, this isn't it. At the same time he is quite clear about his opinion of Oprah's evident sense of extreme self-importance which helps to fuel her wanderings and makes her such a dangerous guide in the religious wilderness.

While I agree with much of what Mr. Mansfield has to say, I did take issue with his apparent belief that old and well established religions, the world religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and what have you, are somehow above question. He left me with the impression that he feels these religions shouldn't be meddled with because they are ancient and accepted by so many people, as if that fact in itself makes them truer somehow than New Age-y beliefs.

The book is interestingly written and probably well worth reading, particularly by Oprah-devotees who may hopefully realize the folly of simply swallowing anything she chooses to dish out.

You can find out more about this book at Thomas Nelson where there is a link to a flip book so you can take a good look. You can also find it at amazon.com.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Blogger Book Review Program and
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with the law.

Book Review - Ascent from Darkness, by Michael Leehan

2011-09-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

A fascinating book. Michael Leehan recounts the story of how he became a devoted satanist and the horror of his life until he surrendered his life to Jesus and was rescued. If even some of the things in this book are true, Mr. Leehan has quite the tale to tell and is a powerful piece of evidence in favour of believing in a spiritual world we don't often see.

As appalling as many of the details of Mr. Leehan's former life are, I think they are useful and important information for Christians in general and certainly for Christian parents seeking to guard their children from evil influences. I was stunned as I read how ordinary Mr. Leehan's life might appear to the casual observer. He went to school, worked and played with his children, traveled for business on some of the same roads I have traveled, no doubt. God has not given us a spirit of fear and for this I'm glad; otherwise, it would be easy to live in a state of constant suspicion, eyeing the people around us and wondering if they intend to do us harm after reading a book like this. I would recommend that people read this book prayerfully, with an eye to being discerning and open to helping those who were trapped in this hopeless way of life as Mr. Leehan was.

I received a free copy of this book from the booksneeze.com blogger review program in exchange for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with the law.

You can find out more about Ascent from Darkness here or at amazon.com

Be the People, by Carol M. Swain BOOK REVIEW

2011-08-26T13:06:00.000-07:00

Books like Be the People, by Carol M. Swain, can go different directions. They can encourage the American people to remember their roots and the qualities that in the past made America wonderful, or they can go off on a scary tangent, intimating that spirituality - religion - should be legislated.

I wasn't sure at first which way Dr. Swain would go with this particular book, but I was happy to discover that she pretty well avoided the "let's make everyone go to church on Sunday by law" sort of thinking that would certainly be the final death knell of the nation's freedom.

I greatly appreciated Dr. Swain's views on the issue of abortion. Not many people, particularly in her position, have the courage to stand up and call this horror the crime that it is. Dr. Swain also addresses the hot topic of immigration and she calls a spade a spade in this area as well.

Rather than leave us horrified and angry about the things that are going so terribly wrong in America, however, Dr. Swain includes ideas after each chapter about things people can do to further explore the topics she addresses and do something about what they believe.

I believe I will donate this book to my local public library so the people in my community can read it too.

I reviewed Be the People as part of the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book for my honest review. I'm disclosing this because I'm supposed to!

You can find out more about this book at this page which includes a link to a full screen flipbook so you get a preview, or at http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.thomasnelson.com/

A post about nothing in particular...

2011-08-03T13:45:00.001-07:00

I just felt that since I have posted something like eight book reviews in a row it was time to post something else as well.

It is a hot, hot summer in the Ozarks. I'm sitting in the library right now soaking up their A/C and their wireless internet connection. Seems there is quite a little group of regulars who make the library home for a few hours a day, at least on these hot days. Someone came in awhile ago and said the temperature outside was up to 112 degrees. Heaven only knows what the heat index is.

Due to the solar nature of my power supply at home, I don't get to run the A/C all hours, so to survive we come to the library or float in the creek at home or lie still as much as we can stand. I tend to lie down, then get up and so a little something around the house and then when the perspiration is streaming down my back and running down my face, I sit or lie down again for awhile. You gotta do what you gotta do.

Book Review! Thunder Dog, by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory

2011-08-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I need to post more than book reviews! But it's too hot to do anything but read books anyway.

Thunder Dog, by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory is the amazing story of a blind man, Michael, and his guide dog, Roselle, trying to escape one of the twin towers in New York City on 9/11. Interwoven in the tale of their flight to safety are Michael's reminiscences of growing up without sight, the way his family responded to his blindness, his education and relationships with former guide dogs.

This book, well-crafted by Mr. Hingson and Ms. Flory, was an inspiration to me. I have always had respect and awe for the work done by service animals and this was only heightened by my reading of Thunder Dog. Society owes a debt of gratitude to the people who raise these dogs from puppyhood and then to those who train them to be eyes, ears and limbs for those who need them.

I loved reading about the relationships Mr. Hingson has had with his various dogs and I am stunned by the steady devotion shown by Roselle during the fall of the towers and in the aftermath. The book made me think about and appreciate more the devotion of my own little dog, a drop-off who showed up at my house nearly two years ago. Although he doesn't have service dog training, it is the great hearts of animals such as him and Roselle that add so much to the lives of the people they love.

The book is a great read!

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with the law.

You can find out more about the book here where there is even a link to a full screen flip book to look at.

www.thomasnelson.com
www.amazon.com

Another Book Review! Why God Won't Go Away, by Alister McGrath

2011-07-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that to my recollection I had not heard of the author before I read this book. Apparently, he is quite well known in theological debate circles, having debated the likes of Richard Dawkins.

The book was written quite well, not difficult to read. I find myself wishing for perhaps a little more depth. It does seem at times that "Christianity" is too often equated with "Catholicism" for my liking. However, those things aside, the book was not unenjoyable. I did learn that there is a difference between New Atheism - the tenets of Dawkins, Hitchens, Dennett et al - and your regular, garden-variety atheism, which is useful information. I had considered them as being much of a muchness. It was also enlightening to discover that some New Atheists (probably some of the others as well) are not averse to ascribing to certain eastern philosophies...they are not all as rationalistic and scientific as some might like to seem.

All in all, I thought Mr. McGrath did a fair job of pointing out problems in the ideas of New Atheism, the inconsistencies in thought and practice and the unwillingness to have an open mind that crops up all too frequently in New Atheist circles.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze blogger review program and received a complimentary copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with law.

You can find out more about this book here.
www.thomasnelson.com
www.amazon.com

Book Review - Money Secrets of the Amish, by Lorilee Craker

2011-06-30T15:30:00.001-07:00

OK, three things about this book: 1). It's fun to read. 2). You've probably heard most of, if not all, these ideas before. 3). This is a great refresher course in those smart money principles you probably already know.

We all know the economy is a mess and people all over are having to tighten their belts and make less go further these days. In this volume, Ms. Craker reminds us of solid financial principles as practiced by the Amish, who, incidentally, have not been much affected by the economic downturn that has panicked so many others of us in North America and around the world.

Save your money for those big ticket items rather than slapping down your credit card for them, make do with what is on hand rather than rushing out to purchase something knew...reuse, recycle...sound familiar? These are some of the ideas discussed in this easy-to-read book.

Ms. Craker's illustrations from the lives and words of the Plain people with whom she visited will help them stick in your mind and re-inspire you to perhaps live a bit more simply, make do with a bit less and enjoy the reduction in monetary stress that will come with the effort.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I'm disclosing this in compliance with law.

You can find out more about this book here and here and here.

Book Review - The Book that Made Your World, by Vishal Mangalwadi

2011-05-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

In The Book that Made Your World: How the Bible Created the Soul of Western Civilization, Dr. Vishal Mangalwadi takes a stance that I found rather unexpected, but also very refreshing. Rather than decrying Christianity and the missionaries who endeavoured to introduce it in foreign lands, Dr. Mangalwadi praises that which was laudable in their work, a work which was based on their understanding of the Bible. In this day and age, that is becoming an unusual perspective.

Dr. Mangalwadi also takes the opportunity to caution the West against tossing aside this book, which brought so much to its civilization in the realms of education, medicine, material wealth and technology. He shares some of the story of his own journey into Christianity and the different world views of Eastern and Western religion which shaped their respective cultures.

While I don't personally agree with Dr. Mangalwadi's assessments in every detail (for instance, he seems to view the Roman church as less oppressive in medieval times than I do), he brings a much-needed perspective to the table, a willingness to see the good in a book and a religion that so many have denounced and to speak out about his beliefs.

You can find out more about the book at www.thomasnelson.com . More specifially on this page.

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I am disclosing this in compliance with the law.

Book Review - No He Can't, by Kevin McCullough

2011-04-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

There was much to agree with in this book and if it is in fact the case that he was among the first to recognize the trajectory President Obama was on before he became president, then I would say it certainly behooves us to pay attention to his insights here.

The president does indeed seem to have difficulty with the areas explored in the book: national security, truth and honesty, and that now infamous "hope and change". The author notes many serious concerns with the president's pragmatism (in other words, the end justifies the means, do whatever works even if there is a bit of shadiness to it) that have become evident during his time in office. At the same time, the author gives the president the benefit of the doubt, citing his less-than-ideal childhood for some of his misguided policies. The author even praises the things he finds positive, so I feel comfortable saying he is at least trying not to be one-sided in his views. The other side of that coin is that in places it seems as though he feels that perhaps Mr. Obama is simply naive about the havoc his policies would wreak if fully implemented in the United States. That I'm not so sure about.

At any rate, I think this book is worth a read for those of all persuasions who are willing to look at some hard facts and take responsibility for making America the best it can be.

I received a free copy of this book from the booksneeze.com blogger book review program in exchange for my honest review and am disclosing this in accordance with the law.

You can find out more about the book here. And here.

www.thomasnelson.com

Book Review! The Fight of Our Lives, by William J. Bennett & Seth Leibsohn

2011-04-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hmmm, blogger is not letting me put up the image for this book right now -- perhaps it will sort itself out shortly. In the meantime, let us press on.

The Fight of Our Lives is a book that will be a little difficult for me to review. I agree with some of it and disagree with some of it. The basic premise is that America has become befuddled in regard to its fight against terrorism - namely the terrorism wrought by radical Islamists. The authors compare the rhetoric heard immediately after the 9/11 horror with the steady backing off/backing down speeches we are far more likely to hear today.

While on the surface I heartily agree with the authors' position, they do come off as believing (or trying to have us believe) the old "our government would never do anything to hurt its own citizens" story when they pooh-pooh the "truthers'" suspicions. That seems a little on the naive side for someone positioned the way Mr. Bennett has been. That put me off the book a little.

What I did agree with in particular is the lunacy of trying to placate and appease such an enemy and the folly of accepting as "moderate Muslims" such people as have clear and definite ties to organizations which call for the death of America. If that's moderate, I'd hate to see radical.

Overall, I think the book is worth reading, if only to get us thinking again about right and wrong, strength and weakness, wisdom and folly.

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I am happy to disclose this in keeping with the law.

You can find out more about the book at Thomas Nelson.
www.thomasnelson.com


Buy		Read

Exciting times...

2011-03-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

Voila! I finally have enough of a CD to say I have one. :) All right, they're on my kitchen table and I cut out covers and assemble them a few at a time and I have yet to shrink-wrap a-one of them, but I'm having a moment here, OK? It's been nearly two years since I finally scrounged up the courage to go into a studio and make a start.

I guess you would call it folk/traditional, lots of British Isles stuff, American folk, that sort of thing. Quite a few of the songs are done acapella. How I got into acapella singing is quite simple. Love to sing, never learned how to play piano or guitar or anything else that I could use to accompany myself with and hate to always be asking someone else to play for me. Soooo, got asked to do music in church one time and decided to go solo. Really solo. Just me, my voice and I. People seemed to like it and it has continued on from there. Some pieces are very effective sung without accompaniment and I will probably always do at least some acapella numbers.

These days I'm also interested in putting together some sort of band...heck, it's either that or I've got to buckle down and learn to play the guitar.

Sad...

2011-03-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

for the people in Japan. Such a horrific event affecting so many people. Even here in small-town Arkansas a lady told me her son was at Fukushima, unable to get a flight out until Thursday. I said I would send up a prayer for him and I did. Sending up more prayers for everyone over there.

Book Review: Regret Free Parenting, by Catherine Hickem

2011-03-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

This is one of those books a parent of an older child might pass by thinking, "oh well, too late for me!" That's pretty much what I thought, being the mother of a fifteen-year old who has turned out pretty well so far, but I would say in spite of me rather than because of me. I'm glad, however, that I did read this book, because the author doesn't forget about those of us with adolescent children and reassures us that it's never too late to begin to do things right. In fact, there is a whole chapter titled: You Can Live Peacefully in the Teenage Years. Good news!

I appreciated Ms. Hickem's focus on being an intentional parent and not simply following the path of least resistance to keep the peace. The section on being able to tell the difference between being intentional and just being a controller is also very good.

Although the book's title doesn't make the distinction, Ms. Hickem is writing to mothers in particular...and Christians. This doesn't mean that father and non-Christians won't benefit greatly from reading it as well, however. And keep in mind, she doesn't mean we will parent without mistakes...we are, after all, human. But we can raise our children without having to look back and cringe later. I don't know about you, but I have enough cringe-worthy moments to remember, I don't want any more! If regret-free parenting sounds good to you, I recommend you read this volume.

I reviewed this book for the www.booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest opinion. I'm disclosing this in compliance with law.

You can find out more about this book at this link.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/

So random I can't even think of a good title...

2011-02-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

About time to post something new, I'd say, but when I'm working Monday through Friday and my internet connection is here at DH's shop rather than at home, I get lazy. Wanted to post a picture of the snow we had last week...it looked just like Christmas and DD got a lovely shot of a redbird in a snow-covered tree that I would put up if said DD had not also borrowed my camera cable and not returned it to my computer bag yet!

Last week, winter, this week, spring. DD brought me the first daffodil blossom of the season today.

In other news, was woken twice Thursday night/Friday morning by the clock on the mantel "dinging" crazily as it was shaken by earth tremors perhaps an hour or two apart. Forty-five or so miles from here they have been shaking intermittently for days on end. The official word is, "they" don't know why. Arkansas' big fault line isn't located there. However, they have been doing a lot of drilling for gas in the area. You think it might be related? Last time this happened there, in the early 80's, they hadn't been drilling, so they are downplaying a possible link, I believe.

Kind of like they downplay the link between horrifically violent video games and lyrics to music (I hate to call it music) and violence in kids, eh? Sure, no link there.

Stopped in at the Little Crooked House Recording Studio Thursday evening to record a couple of demo songs and was very pleased with myself that I was able to sing through each song once and get it right. I have an application to submit before the 28th and these must go with it. To be honest, I have debated whether or not to go through with the application, but hey, to make good use of an old saw, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained". For such a bashful and privacy-seeking individual, I do seem to be a glutton for punishment.

Speaking of recording, my little album still awaits the printing of its covers due to an untimely dearth of something or other in the laser printer. Have another printer lined up but now it's a matter of badgering the human printer to get with it. I could do it myself, I suppose, but as I said, I'm working M-F and that makes me terribly lazy about doing anything else. So, to anyone reading this to whom it might matter: the album is still coming, and I deeply and abjectly regret the constant delays in the process! As a pessimist, I'm afraid you are all building this up in your minds during this waiting period and will be horribly disappointed when you hear the actual product. (This is why I need to hire a publicist...)

So January ends...

2011-01-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

This has been one of the fastest Januaries ever. Usually once the holidays are over and winter really sets in, that first month of the new year drags ever so slowly by. I think this one trotted a bit faster because I knew somewhere toward the end of it, I would be starting work again! From now until tax season is over, I will drag myself out of bed far earlier than I would prefer and head to work. No, I don't prepare taxes...other than my own. I just help out at the front desk during this busy season for accountants and tax preparers. It's a fine job, my co-workers are great, I'm just not a morning person! If only accounting offices opened at, say, noon, and stayed open till eight or nine in the evening -- alas, society wasn't set up with us night owls in mind. If I can make myself go to bed no later than 9:30 PM I may survive.

So, until mid-April, DH and DD will be largely fending for themselves during the week. I foresee a lot of almond butter and grilled cheese sandwiches in their future. Not almond butter and cheese together, you understand...that would be yucky. Speaking of which, have you ever tried a peanut butter-dill pickle sandwich? One would think it would be terrible, but really, it's pretty good.

Oh, by the way, I do know there is one more day of January left! "Thirty days hath September, April, June and November..."

Book Review -- What's He Really Thinking? by Paula Rinehart

2011-01-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Do you want to learn how to understand the man/men in your life better? I know, sometimes they can tick you off so badly you really don't care, but bear with me. If you have a father, a brother, a son, a boyfriend, a fiance, a male friend or boss or employee or co-worker or of all things, a husband, it will pay to find out as much as you can about how these sometimes-baffling individuals process life. Ms. Rinehart has written a very readable book on the subject and though I've read other volumes on similar topics, this one is near the top of the list for ease of understanding, interesting examples and helpful tips put in a way that will stick with the reader.

Men and women really are wired differently, and that's a good thing, not something to be lamented. What a freeing idea to be able to enjoy the males in your life for what they are rather than beating your head against the proverbial brick wall trying to make them something they are not. Ms. Rinehart has done an admirable job of helping women do just that.

You can download some sample chapters and find out more about the book at www.thomasnelson.com.

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I am disclosing this to be in compliance with the law.

Snow day...

2011-01-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

Today I was very happy that the four-wheel drive on my truck is fixed. You would think that coming from Canada, I'd be pretty casual about driving in snow, but the fact is, I'm not! Been away too long, maybe? Perhaps I just didn't get in enough winter driving before moving to the "balmy" South. At any rate, two or three inches of snow is enough to make me nervous about venturing out. Of course, I live in a valley...the only way out is up, and that doesn't make it terribly easy to get somewhere. In the end I didn't need the 4-wheels on the highway, but it sure was nice having all four of them on the hill. Now I'm hanging around the library, wondering how it will be going down said hill.

The really smart people hang around at home on a day like this with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.

Book Review -- The Power-Based Life, by Mike Flynt

2011-01-09T11:14:00.000-08:00

Sports analogies don't generally float my boat. That said, The Power-Based Life, by Mike Flynt, carries enough good sense tips along with examples from sports that I still found it a worthy read. Mr. Flynt, who made history by becoming the oldest contributing member of a college football team ever, is full of optimism, which makes his book uplifting to read. I can use all the motivation I can get to, as the cover says "realize your life's goals and dreams by strengthening you body, mind, and spirit"!

I was particularly struck by a section near the beginning of the book in which Mr. Flynt makes the point that we should "play to our strengths". This would seem like a no-brainer, but for folks like me, this is good advice. Too often I find myself trying to do things I am really not gifted to do, thinking I need to be able to do it all. While I realize there are everyday things we have to do in life that may not be thrilling, Mr. Flynt's suggestion to make your gifts the main focus of your endeavours really spoke to me. That one idea reinforced has made a big difference in my thinking and for that I'm grateful that Mr. Flynt took the time to write this book.

I reviewed this book for the booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I am revealing this fact in accordance with law.

You can find out more about the book here.

One more post...

2010-12-31T14:11:00.000-08:00

...before 2010 is gone. What an end to the year for the people in Cincinnati, AR, not too far from here. My sympathy to those who lost homes and family members in the tornado that went through earlier. We had one here too, apparently, though I didn't know anything about it until DH told me he had watched its progress from a high point. Came into the office and found messages on the answering machine from him, telling me to get my behind down home...and me totally oblivious. Not sure if it touched down, but it was only a few miles from my house.

I used to be terrified of tornadoes. (Seems like I must have been an inordinately timid child...I also recall wishing I could make myself as flat as a pancake so I could hide under my bedcovers from kidnappers.) I must have seen something on television about twisters, because we certainly didn't live in tornado country. The mountains around us then were very comforting, because tornadoes just didn't "go" in mountainous places, so I thought. Well, they certainly do seem to spin over the Ozarks pretty often. I have yet to actually see one, however.

And so we come to the end of another year, never knowing what the next day, or even the next hour, will bring us. Would you know the future if you could? Or would you decline to look?

Does this look familiar?

2010-12-23T14:45:00.000-08:00

It looks suspiciously like that soap picture I posted last time, doesn't it? The consistency was strikingly similar too. It isn't yet another batch of soap, however, but the beginnings of a mess of fudge...before the chocolate was added.

My picture is a little misty because so struck was I with the familiarity of this brew that I had to rush out to the car for my camera and the lens fogged up when I brought it in from the cold. Not known for my patience, I snapped the picture anyway.

I know, it doesn't take much for some folks...

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat. That ship sailed a long time ago for this girl, I'm afraid. Once again I resolve to drop pounds and build muscle and become a lean beauty in the new year. After the pan of fudge is gone, of course. And the mince pies. (Insert deep sigh here.)

It's easy to think that losing weight will fix whatever may be unsatisfactory in my life. I know it won't, it's just one thing and a life is made up of so many things. Still, it's time for my body to be my friend rather than an enemy or simply a tiresome and uncomfortable acquaintance. I like feeling strong and fit. I've been there before, however briefly, and it was marvelous.

In other news, there are murmurings of a white Christmas here this year, beginning with icy rain and snow tomorrow. Looks like DH got the 4-wheel drive fixed on the Yukon just in time -- we are headed over the river and through the woods to Granny's house on the big day.

Snow used to seem like such a wonderful thing when I was a child. Sledding (of course), snowballs and snowmen and snow angels and fox & goose games, they all require a good amount of snow. Getting up the hill out of our driveway to go to town wasn't always a thrill, but hey, what kid ever regretted a day off school? Well, what normal kid?

Now? I'm becoming increasingly tropical. Snow is pretty to look at, and it surely does add to the Christmas mood, but a day or two of it - viewed from inside my snug cabin - is plenty for me. December 26, give me bare ground again, please. Am I becoming an old fuddy-duddy?

A day's accomplishments...

2010-12-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

First there was the soap...I used the same recipe as last time, only this time I combined the oils with the lye solution at a slightly higher temperature, about 110 degrees. Voila! Worked much better than last time at 95 degrees. That could also be due to the fact that I realized the thermometer in the lye solution gave me a false reading until I put it in the middle of the jar rather than by the side. Hmmmm. At any rate, this is the first batch of soap I can remember making in my limited soaping career that has actually achieved trace! This one is scented "orange" because that's what I had left. I've always like citrus scents, and I hope this one will stay well in the soap.

Next we have the eggplant parmigiana. I don't think I've ever made it before, but I saw the recipe in a magazine and decided to try it. Not bad...very cheesy and I think I overdid the sauce a bit, but edible. Hey, for me that's pretty good.

Yummy, we hope!

And last, but never least, we have the mess I made concocting these wonders...although, really, a little bit of it was there before...

All in a day's work!

'Tis the season...

2010-12-16T15:59:00.000-08:00

...for head colds. Yuck. Fortunately, mine is not very bad, I think I treated it quick enough to head off the worst symptoms. Sure enough, it came on right after I'd been bragging how I don't get sick when I exercise regularly, which I've kind of sort of been doing lately. It really does help, I'm convinced of that, but nothing in this life is 100%, unfortunately.

In the interests of a quick recovery, I have continued to try and walk most days. Well, some days it's more like shuffling up the hill, but I tell myself something is better than nothing. It keeps the dog happy, too. DH thinks I attribute too many human emotions to that dog, but I swear, he doesn't feel right unless he gets his walk in.

Book Review! Seeds of Turmoil, by Bryant Wright

2010-12-13T09:41:00.000-08:00

OK, time for another book review. It took me a bit longer to get through this book than some of the others, not because it was difficult -- just the opposite.

Bryant Wright attempts to explain the biblical history behind the current problems between Israel and its neighbours in the Middle East in this volume. If you have any sort of Christian background, you probably know this stuff already. It stems from the covenant God made with Abraham to make his descendants into a great nation, the Abraham/Sarah/Hagar triangle and the rivalries between the resulting offspring and their descendants...Jews and Muslims.

The book was an easy read. At times I actually felt like I was reading a middle-school textbook. Truthfully, I was hoping for something a bit more in-depth, but it's a good starting point for readers wanting to become acquainted with the basics of the biblical view of things. Along the way, the author also goes into some side topics like family and marriage relationships. Naturally, he also goes somewhat into his eschatological understanding of Israel's destiny when the second coming of Christ occurs. This is a view with which I personally disagree, but it is a common belief in many of the various Christian denominations.

The author has included a chapter-by-chapter discussion/study guide at the end of the book as well as a nicely done glossary of important terms.

You can find more information, including a full-screen flipbook, about Seeds of Turmoil at its Thomas Nelson publisher page.

I reviewed this book as part of the booksneeze.com blogger review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with law.

Do you ever get the feeling...

2010-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

...that you are being watched?

In the still of the night...

2010-12-02T16:26:00.000-08:00

Woke up well before dawn this morning and laid there, thinking. I hate that. Not thinking, per se, but not being able to stop thinking and go back to sleep. Especially because it's generally anxious things that revolve through my mind and of course at 3 AM everything seems worse than in daylight. Eventually I did get back to sleep, which I knew I would because this has happened so often before. So I just tried to go with the flow and wait it out.

Funny how that works. I have an anxiety disorder and I used to try to fight it off by telling myself during an "episode" that there was nothing to be afraid of and all the good reasons why I shouldn't be afraid. The results weren't stellar. Finally, whether it was through the advice of some blessed book or from the desperation of my own mind, I started to simply admit to myself that I was afraid. Much better. Owning the emotion rather than fighting it or trying to pretend it didn't exist got me through it much more quickly and with less trauma. I would acknowledge that this was tough and going to hurt for awhile, but also remind myself that it would eventually subside.

Come to think of it, that would probably work in other areas of life as well.

A happier soap update...

2010-11-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

I was so foggy yesterday (which is actually when I posted that last post -- it says the 28th because that's when I started it) that I neglected to mention the biggest, happiest, soapiest news. It turns out the lavender soap I thought would be unusable went ahead and did its thing and cured out very nicely...the puddle underneath even seemed to have gone ahead and saponified. Go figure. But now I have a nice boxful of soap to use up. It's a softer soap, lathers beautifully, though it will likely melt quickly if it stays wet between uses. Wish I had an artfully arranged picture of it to post, but I didn't think that far ahead before I came up to the shop where the internet connection is.

Right now working on the business books. (OK, and this blog.) DH and I have a business of our own and guess who is the lucky girl who gets to be the bookkeeper! Well yeah, it sure isn't DH, cause he's a guy. So I spend time entering numbers in Quickbooks and stressing out over things like sales tax and income tax. It's a love/hate relationship, really. I dislike the stress (read: taxes) but I do like detail and keeping up with what's happening. Can't count the number of times I've threatened to make DH do his own *^$*%)* bookkeeping due to the fact that he has this habit of keeping invoices in his vehicle "somewhere" and making complications in other ways, but when it comes down to it, I guess I don't want to give it up. Or maybe I do.

I'm also listening to Trans-Siberian orchestra wailing out "Carol of the Bells". Interesting rendition.

It has begun...

2010-11-28T09:44:00.001-08:00

The holiday season, that is. One down, one to go...two if you count New Year's. Plus in my family there are three November birthdays and two December birthdays to add to the chaos.

Oh, and then there was black Friday. I didn't do the standing in line or getting to the stores insanely early. Never have done that and never plan to. Just isn't worth risking my life to avail myself of cheap household appliances. But DD's birthday was coming up the 28th and she wanted to go shopping and goodness me, we couldn't wait until today, could we? So off we went late Friday morning. The parking lots were still crazy full. We were on the hunt for clothes and shoes. Found pretty much what we wanted and then some, so went home content. Next time, though, we won't be going until the craziness is completely over with...like, two or three days later.

In other news, I'm so proud of myself. I mailed off the package for my dad's and brother's birthdays today. They so often get lost in that Christmas shuffle and since I have to send to Canada it can take ages for stuff to get there. You have to plan way in advance to get your gifts there on time and I haven't done so well with that in the past.

OK, feeling kind of scrambled today, so if this post is random and disjointed...well, that's why.

Soap update and fuming flyers...

2010-11-15T15:20:00.002-08:00

Well. I don't believe that there should be liquid puddles of lye solution under the soap when you turn it out of the mold. With this in mind, I'm calling this batch a failure. Not sure if it can be rebatched or not. But we press on. I may attempt another batch tonight or tomorrow. This time I think I'll keep the temperatures a bit higher, the last mess may have been too cool to properly saponify. Too bad, because I used up my lavender scent and now all I have is orange. Well, I do have a very little bit of lavender essential oil that might be enough to impart a subtle scent to a smallish batch of soap.

I'm determined to get this right.

Turning our attention to larger matters...my goodness, I don't believe I'll be flying anywhere in the near future. Call me old-fashioned, prudish even, but I strenuously object to having my (ahem) private areas either viewed or prodded by strangers in an airport. I've been patted down before - upon entering a Bolivian prison. (I was a visitor, not an inmate, just to keep everything straight.) And come to think of it, I've probably gotten the perfunctory patty-pat and/or wand treatment at least once before flying someplace. From what I hear, however, the treatment folks are getting at the airports now may be a wee bit more invasive that what I experienced.

Not that I was in any danger of flying anywhere anytime soon, but this would be just one more incentive to go by car if I were. There are times I begin to wonder if I have stepped unawares into some sort of madhouse.

Seems like I always catch the end of things. Eras, for example. A seventies baby, I caught the very tail end of "the good old days" when you could let your child ride their bicycle to the store for a popsicle and expect them to return unharmed and book a flight to some exotic locale without having to brace yourself for an extreme invasion of your person upon departure.

Back to the trivial: I see there are no entries in my super-duper, winnings-beyond-your-wildest-dreams contest as yet. Fine. Be that way.

The frustrated soaper...

2010-11-11T15:19:00.000-08:00

Broke down and broke out the soap-making stuff today while I had some quiet time at home. I've made soap one time before in my life...maybe two. But I love handmade soap and if I don't make it myself I'll end up taking out a loan to keep myself supplied with hand forged bars of it from Etsy.

Well, I carefully melted the fats - vegetable shortening, olive oil, and coconut oil - stirred my lye mixture, waited and waited and waited...and waited for both things to arrive at the correct temperatures (maybe I fudged that just the wee-est bit) and then put them together to do their wonderful soapy thing. I stirred...I stirred...I left it for awhile...I stirred...you get the picture. It didn't seem to be getting any thicker. Finally gave up in disgust, figuring I had fudged the temperature of the lye mixture too much and had a bad batch on my hands as a result.

Came back after awhile and stirred the pot again...lo and behold, it had started to thicken! In fact it was almost at "trace"!!!!! Put in the scent...this is a lavender batch...and now, although it may still be a little on the thin side, it is in the mold, wrapped in a blanket, hopefully saponifying.
In three days I will sneak a peek and if all is well, unmold it and let it cure for three weeks or so.

If after all this it doesn't work - I'll try it again, of course!

Week's end roundup 2...

2010-11-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

I have a rosebud on the rosebush outside my kitchen window. That's my happy of the day. See, I've decided I'm getting too negative here and so here is my antidote for this week's rants. A perfect pink rosebud in November. (Now watch, there'll be a killing frost tonight and I'll forget to cover the rosebush...NO, NO, NO, I'm being positive!)

It has been a gorgeous fall here so far with lots of sunshine and lovely colours on the trees. And I felt so much better today than I did yesterday -due to hitting the hay at a much earlier hour the last night- that I almost enjoyed my huffing, puffing trudge up the hill with Fred the dawg. He most certainly enjoyed it. I can tell he just doesn't "feel right" unless we've had our walk that day.

Received three books in today's mail - another happy thing. So I have plenty of reading matter on hand for the weekend, thanks to Paperback Swap.

Is all this positivity getting to anyone yet? Don't worry, like most resolutions, mine to be a nauseatingly cheery beacon in a world of doom and gloom will probably fall by the wayside shortly.

Y'all have a great weekend!

All over but the crying...

2010-11-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

Well. Election day has come and gone and we're still here. Some disappointments, but some good things too. I wish Sharron Angle had won in Nevada rather than Harry Reid, but there you are. I am glad Pelosi's out. That in itself makes up for much.

Closer to home we've had a fiasco for a sheriff's race in this county, and I don't think it's over yet. More lawsuits loom on the horizon over that, no doubt.

So much for my astute political commentary.

I feel like making a pan of fudge. But I don't feel like driving all the way into town to purchase the ingredients. And I don't really need to eat a pan of fudge. But again, there you are. This idea will linger in my mind until one day I will actually make and eat the pan of fudge. Mind like a steel trap.

Why do people make their children sit on Santa's knee for photos? I've been checking out the sketchy Santas over at failblog.org (failblog is my go-to place for a good laugh these days) and most of those poor kids are NOT enjoying the experience. Neither are a lot of the Santas, by the look of it. Why do people tell their children there is a Santa in the first place? Something about the magic of Christmas, they say. Well, my parents never told me there was a Santa and Christmas was pretty doggone magical for me when I was young. And I didn't have to go through the emotional trauma of a tearful visit to the old geezer to experience it!

Grinch, grinch, grinchy-grinch.

Seriously though, is it wise to tell one's offspring lies? They're going to find out the truth sooner or later and when they do, won't they wonder what else their parents have been untruthful about? Like the fact that you should brush your teeth before you go to bed or that you shouldn't spit into the wind or drive 120 miles per hour or maybe even, say, the validity of the religious beliefs the parents have tried to instill?

And don't give me that crock about the spirit of Santa being real in the love and caring people show toward one another at Christmas. Baloney. The love and caring of real flesh-and-blood people doesn't dress up in a red suit and fly through the air on a sleigh.

OK. Well. From Sharron Angle to Santa Claus. Can't say my mind isn't active.

Just to prove I'm not a grinch...

2010-11-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

*CONTEST ALERT*

I realize I've been sounding rahhhhther negative of late, so to prove to ALL my devoted readers (hello? is there anyone out there?) that I'm not the grinchiest of grinches, and also to attempt to garner a comment or two (and determine if anyone is actually reading anything I post)...I'm having my first, and possibly only, contest. Yes, you heard right. I, Shelley Anne, will be offering an actual prize.

I'm giving away the DVD I reviewed earlier, The Way Home, starring Dean Cain. You can read all about it in the review. I may not be a grinch, but I am lazy. It's the only movie review I've done so far, so just click on the Movie Review category at the right to get there quickly.

The rules: All you have to do to enter is make a comment on this post by midnight, US Central Time, on November 15, 2010 and I'll put your name in the hat and do a drawing. Fair enough? Oh yeah, it has to be a genuine comment and nothing yucky.

**Please note: This DVD is one that works in US/Canadian players. Will try to post the region later on, I don't have the disc with me at the moment**

UPDATE: THE DISC IS REGION 1...USA, CANADA, BERMUDA AND U.S. TERRITORIES

Christmas comes earlier every year...

2010-11-01T11:38:00.000-07:00

Walked into the local big-box today and I kid you not, there was an employee decorating a Christmas tree by the entrance, right by the half-price Halloween candy. Of course, Christmas do-dads have already been stocked on the shelves for awhile now. How long will it be until Christmas wares start popping up in stores the end of August, right there beside the end-of-season bathing suit discount rack?

Why do we live in such a rush? When I was growing up we installed our Christmas tree about a week before the big day, and of course the German tradition was for the parents to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve while the children were asleep. When the tots came downstairs Christmas morning, voila, there was the magical tree.

Now we can hardly wait to get one holiday over with so we can race on to the next one. From Halloween straight to Christmas -- what happened to Thanksgiving? Maybe we Canadians have it right -- put Thanksgiving back in the beginning of October so you can enjoy it on its own, without it being overshadowed by Christmas. Not as good for the retailers, I suppose, but perhaps a bit easier on the digestive system.

Halloween, Martin Luther and stuff...

2010-10-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's October 31. I'm not dressed as anything spookier than myself. I don't do Halloween. To my way of thinking there's something wrong about celebrating death. Crazy me, huh? Actually, my town "encouraged" folks to do Halloween on the 30th this year, since today is Sunday and we couldn't have people celebrating death, darkness and demons on the Lord's Day, could we? I guess it's OK to celebrate them on other days. (Note sarcasm, please.)

All right, there's my curmudgeonly rant about Halloween over with for this year. October 31 is also "Reformation Day" because it was about that time that Martin Luther was supposed to have nailed his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. And speaking of church... (great segway)...

I didn't go to church yesterday after all. It's become such a habit with me not to go that DH doesn't even ask much anymore, he just gets up, gets DD up and off they go. And then I enjoy several hours of blissful solitude. I sleep, I read, I stroll, I eat, I write in my journal, I sleep some more...I don't think that's too bad a way to spend a day of rest. I suppose I ought to make an effort to go at least once in awhile, though. I just don't know if I believe it all anymore.

There, I said it.

What do you do when you start having doubts about the religion in which you were raised from birth? Oh, I believe there is a Creator and I believe that He/She/It takes an interest in what He/She/It has created. The fact that I have eyes in my head along with personal experience tells me that much. It's all the pickier stuff...doctrine, theology, eschatology. And policy. Policy in organized religion. I've wrestled with it until I'm tired of it. I figure right now the best I can do is live well, one day at a time, be good to people, don't hurt anyone or anything needlessly, be honest... If there is something more God wants to tell me, I'm open.

On a less somber note: I'm making another throw pillow and this one involves blanket stitching some applique pieces to the front. Could not for the life of me remember how blanket stitch is done, even after consulting two separate sources for help. They really weren't very helpful, is what it is. Well, came up here to the shop, where our internet connection resides at the moment, and looked it up and I think I've found some instructions that will actually prove valuable. Thanks again, Google!

Week's end roundup...

2010-10-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a book review in a long time. The reason for that is there hasn't been anything available at booksneeze.com that I've wanted to review in the last while, so I'm waiting for something interesting to come up. In the meantime, I've been rather low on reading material and I'm starting to feel the pain!

I did borrow the book Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson from my local library and went through that this week. There was a lot of weather in it. By that I mean, weathery stuff I don't understand well: latitudes and longitudes and, well, weathery stuff. Still, it was fascinating in its way, the tragic true story of the 1900 hurricane at Galveston, Texas. Seems rather macabre to find such things so interesting. I think, though, if one imagines one's self in the position of people who have gone through natural disasters and other horrifying events, it can be helpful in figuring out what would be best to do if one ever finds one's self in a similar situation.

In other news, it has gotten chilly here. I suppose it is high time we had some cooler weather. It was cold enough last evening for me to fire up the woodstove. Which I am very chuffed to report I did with ease. Good kindling really does make all the difference.

Today I cooked and baked - I believe I've mentioned before that I'm not very enthusiastic in the kitchen. Well, now and then I get myself going. I was tired of not having anything good around to eat so I made brownies, berry pie (a mixture of blackberry and strawberry, which is what I had on hand and I sure hope it jelled right), oatburgers (I'm vegetarian), and a pretty good sun-dried tomato tapenade. I know, for hardcore foodie-chefs that would be an easy warm-up, but for me it's a big deal. As Garfield would say, I'm an eater, not a cooker.

Tomorrow is Sabbath; well, actually it must be starting right about now, as the sun has gone down or is about to. No, I'm not Jewish. I was raised Seventh-day Adventist. Not to get into a big religious post right now, but I haven't been regular in attending church for a long time. I have questions. But that will be another post.

Maybe I will haul myself out of bed in the morning and go to church. But no promises.

Another crafty thing...

2010-10-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my lastest. It looks like patchwork on the front, but in reality I wove strips of gingham and denim together to make the front and then sewed the woven piece to a piece of denim to stabilize it and create the entire pillow front. I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and I think I will make some more of these, in different colours. This one is listed here on Etsy... Looks like the 4th of July to me with the red, white, and blue going on, but don't forget, the good old Union Jack is made up of those colours as well. :)

Hmm, I may have to create a separate blog to show off this craft/sewing kind of stuff. I haven't really done enough in the past to warrant a devoted blog, but I'm getting into the groove now.

It's a funny thing, because for a long time I had the notion that I really wasn't good with my hands, that I was more of a thinker than a do-er. I remember trying at a young age to build myself a dollhouse...it was pretty bad. I could knit when quite young, but only a long strip, I couldn't have turned it into anything resembling a sweater or a hat or a pair of mittens. I can't even knit a long strip now. Apparently knitting isn't like riding a bicycle. I've been able to make a starting chain in crochet and perhaps a few wobbly stitches beyond that, but again, nothing useful. Not like my daughter who taught herself to crochet and in a short time was able to turn out really cute scarves and hats. Nope, not me.

I still have hope that someday I may be able to sit down and persevere with some of these activities until I get the hang of them...or should I let them evolve, as in yesterday's post?

This and that and this and that...

2010-10-26T14:41:00.003-07:00

Tried to post something last night but at the end it was all turning into whining, so I decided to spare anyone who might stumble across this blog. It's a new day now so I'll try again.

I think I'll be glad when November 2 has come and gone. Maybe it would help if I stopped listening to political talk radio in the meantime. It's not like I can even vote. Though I hear there are immigrants who enjoy a ...shall we say... less legal status in this country than I do who go at it hammer and tongs. Does the law mean anything anymore?

Oh, sorry, I'm whining a bit now.

Well, let me see, it was a pretty nice day. Started out cloudy but cleared right up into a beautiful sunny afternoon. I did some laundry, went to the post office and my local big-box store...is this better?

Seriously, I've been starting to ponder whether or not it's better to let one's life unfold naturally or to work at it with clenched jaw and gritted teeth until the desired results are obtained. It's been my experience that a lot of things I want to happen don't happen until I have chucked the gritted teeth mentality concerning them. But life doesn't just come to you on a silver platter, either. So, which is it? Maybe one way for some things and the other way for others?

Let's say I decide I want to learn to play the guitar. Which I do, because I sing and I need something to accompany myself with. (I play the flute already, but it's really difficult to accompany yourself singing on the flute.) I've wanted to play the guitar for years and I still can't. Mostly because I panic myself with that clenched jaw thing, I think. I have to learn this and I have to learn it right away because I can't really get anywhere with my singing until I do!

Result: paralysis.

So maybe I could just let that go and sit down with the guitar and enjoy messing with it and I would actually learn faster.

Or how about relationships? I want to be in a loving relationship and dang it, you are going to be in a loving relationship with me whether you like it or not!

Result: Eternal frustration and disappointment.

Sometimes it's better to let things evolve at their own pace.

The finished product...

2010-10-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

I had to post this to prove that I actually can finish a project. Granted, it is a bit wonky in places, but it is what it is. What used to be a stack of ratty and discarded jeans is now a blankie and a lot of rags for DH's shop. Can't tell me I'm not doing my bit for the environment, so there!

Yes, the environment...seems like there was a post in there somewhere, but what was it? Um...I like the environment, (see the pretty environment all around my blankie?). I live in the environment, I like the environment to be clean and nice, I believe I should take care of the environment and not make it needlessly yucky. Do I worship the environment? No. Do I think that there are politicians and others who overstate some environmental issues to get votes and push certain unwholesome agendas? Yep.

So that's the environment taken care of...I said something about religion in my last post but these environmental issues have me too worn out to write about that today.

The irony is not lost...

2010-10-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

I do, in fact, know that the ads popping up on the sidebar of this blog have been about getting food stamps and now Mountain Dew or some such. Sigh. This is what comes of "monetizing" your blog and having bots go through your posts to pick out relevant words with which to customize the ads.

I really have nothing deep to write about today, I just wanted to be sure I didn't appear clueless about that ironic advertisement thing...I have a fear of appearing clueless. Although, the older I get, the less I am caring about how I appear. Perhaps by the time I hit fifty I'll be a bona fide free spirit.

Perhaps a post about religion should be next on the agenda...

Work in progress...

2010-10-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

I keep hauling my crafty things back and forth from the house to the shop so I'll have them with me whenever the bug hits...more often it seems like they just sit there, but today I dug out my denim quilt makings and finished sewing together the horizontal strips of 10 squares apiece.

This is one of those recycling projects as well as a creative outlet --see, I'm being "green"!!!! I cut up old pairs of jeans that I'd had stashed away in totes for such a time as this. Yes, even the pink squares are from actual jeans that DH used to wear. You can see the little tags on the right there to keep me straight about which row comes next when it comes time to sew the rows together. I think one more pink square would have been good, but there was only so much pink denim. I'd already used some of it in another project.

It's still sitting out on the floor at home. Now that the rows are sewn, I wonder how long it will take me to sew them to each other. Hmmmm, maybe I could just leave it down like that for a nice rug this winter.

Fall has...fallen...?

2010-10-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

The end of summer is a bit sad, of course...it will be awhile before there is any more playing in the creek, for one thing...but I think autumn is really my favorite time of year. There's something about that first zing in the fall air that helps you recoup the energy those hot summer days zapped out of you.

I associate autumn with new beginnings, which seems a bit odd until you recall that a new school year begins in the autumn...well, almost the autumn, according to the calendar. Students here go back to school far earlier than I did as a child -- mid to late August they're already back at the books. We had until September.
It was always a thrill to go in and register for a new grade, pick out a desk, get the texts and workbooks I would need, and then shop for the pencils and notebooks and folders. The thrill wore off pretty quickly, of course, when it came to slogging through those books, especially the math, but I digress!

It's been many years since I was in school, but I've never outgrown that "new grade in school" feeling that autumn gives me.

A moment of insanity...

2010-10-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

It's time to take a road trip. I don't know if I've mentioned this, but it's been more than 4 years since I've been out of state (unless you count a quick trip to Memphis to renew my green card) and during those 4 years I've scarcely left the county. Is it any wonder I'm going a little crazy? But I'm not even asking for a big road trip, just a nice little day trip or an overnighter -- maybe a weekend if we really want to get wild. With the crummy economy lately, it's harder and harder to find a few extra bucks to sink into such a frivolous thing, but the few shekels I have rattling around at the moment are tempting me. Groceries? Pah. Bills? Forget it. Let's blow the whole thing on gasoline and indigestible cafe food and the illusion of being, for a moment, free.

Do you ever feel like this...?

2010-10-11T16:26:00.001-07:00

Yeah, me too.

Thoughts of another world...

2010-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

I think it must have been this picture that started me thinking about Bolivia again. Although the vegetation is somewhat different, it has a sort of South American feel to it. It was actually taken at Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas.

At any rate, thoughts of Bolivia come back to me quite regularly and I often find myself thinking in particular about El Fuerte.

El Fuerte is an archaeological site I visited one time during my nearly five months' stay in the country. It was apparently used by the Mojocoyas people and then the Inca before the Spanish also made use of it. Probably the most drawing thing about it for most folks is the huge ceremonial cat carving on the stone there. How I wish I had been smart enough to take lots and lots of pictures the whole time I was there! Alas, I don't think I have one image of El Fuerte. My only souvenir of the place is a ceramic llama figure I purchased from a vendor out by the entrance. At least we have dear old Google! Try this link to see the place. Wikipedia also has a nice bit about it and here is another site with good info. If after all this you decide to go take a look for yourself, be forewarned...everything you may have heard about treacherous mountain roads in South America applies to the journey to El Fuerte...and probably then some.

My favorite souvenir from Bolivia: the El Fuerte llama!

Now, I'm no new-ager, but standing up there on the mountain surrounded by all that, I was overwhelmed with the sense that this was a good place. Don't ask me why, that's just the sensation I got. Vibes, they call them. I felt I could stay there always and be at peace. If I ever get back to Bolivia, El Fuerte is going to be on the itinerary. And this time I'll take pictures.

Food (stamps) for thought...

2010-10-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

I'm no Mayor Michael Bloomberg (New York City) fan ordinarily, but I have to say I like his idea on the food stamp issue. There is no earthly reason why people who are receiving food stamps need to be able to purchase soft drinks with said food stamps. Hello? No nutritional value? Tooth rot? Diabetes? The soft drink companies apparently do not approve of Mayor Bloomberg's idea. Go figure.

As I was mulling this over, it put me in mind of a time I was shopping at a grocery store I rarely go to because they had cheaper potatoes than my usual -ahem- big box store did, and we were going through one of those lean times in our small business when every dollar counts. So there I was in line at the checkout with my bag of potatoes and whatnot and ahead of me is this couple. A rather large couple, if memory serves. With a lot of items to check out, including a goodly amount of -- you guessed it-- soda pop. And again, if memory serves, they paid for this bounty of carbonation with --you guessed it again-- food stamps. I was annoyed. In the parking lot, they loaded their things into their rather snazzy minivan. I was annoyed again.

I don't think I'm a hard-hearted person, but neither am I stupid. Mayor Bloomberg is talking about the food stamp recipients in his city, but today I heard that nationwide there are 48 MILLION food stamp recipients. Forty-eight million! And I suppose they all like to drink soda. Hey, if you're having a hard time and need help getting real food, that's fine, but you do not NEED soda.

Good grief.

Book Review -- Illegals, by Darrell Ankarlo

2010-10-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

OK, as an immigrant myself - a legal one - and having been paying more attention to the problem of illegal immigration along the United States' southern border lately, I was eager to read this book. While it was not quite what I had expected from my reading of the blurb I had seen, it is definitely worth a read for anyone who is concerned about the aforementioned situation. Mr. Ankarlo has done a lot of legwork to get better insight into how illegal immigrants make their way into the United States, what they face in making the trip and the problems they encounter and cause. The photos included in the book of the "highways" where illegals dump their belongings will prove quite disturbing. Also enlightening was the look inside a border patrol station where illegals are detained while awaiting their trip back to Mexico.

As one who has gone through the hassle and expense of getting into the United States legally, I have a certain resentment toward those who do it the wrong way and are too often rewarded with an easy living in the country they have invaded for their crime. This book helped me to understand better what is going on, and while I can certainly sympathize with those who are truly only trying to attain to a better life, I wholeheartedly appreciated Mr. Ankarlo's list of 32 solutions to the problem of illegal immigration found in chapter twenty-six.

You can find out more about this book here: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595553495&title=Illegals&author=Darrell_Ankarlo

www.thomasnelson.com

I received a free copy of this book from the booksneeze.com blogger review program at Thomas Nelson Publishers in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in accordance with the law.

Movie Review - The Way Home

2010-09-24T11:49:00.000-07:00

A parent's worst nightmare. The Way Home tells the story of when the Simpkins family lived the nightmare of a child gone missing. Starring Dean Cain and Lori Beth Edgeman, who both did a fine job as Randy and Christal Simpkins, the parents of toddler, Joe, who disappears from their yard while Randy is caught up in work. As news of the child's disappearance spreads, people from all over the community show up in remarkable numbers to lend aid in the search and to comfort the family. The questions beg to be answered: Will little Joe be found alive? How will the family cope?

I appreciated the uplifting message of the movie and the Christian views which were very present, but not in-your-face preachy. It's just there, part of life, like sunshine and rain. The actors were engaging and believable. Some of the camera work was dizzying - I realize this was done for effect, but it made parts of the movie a little hard on the eyes. Other than that, I loved the picture and the fact that it was based on the true story of the Simpkins made it that much better.

A good reminder to all of us, particularly in these fast-paced, money-worried times, that family is precious and priorities can always stand scrutinizing.

You can find out more about The Way Home at:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1400316936&title=The_Way_Home

www.thomasnelson.com

I reviewed this DVD for the Thomas Nelson booksneeze.com blogger review program and received a free copy of the DVD in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in accordance with law.

A confession...

2010-09-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

My Companion in Curmudgeonliness

I'm a curmudgeon. There, I said it. I embrace my curmudgeonliness. If I were a caricature I might be the wizened up old granny on the front porch in her rocker with the shotgun across her lap. Why keep trying to be bubbly and sociable when down deep in your secret soul you are really just an unsociable old fart?

It's not that I don't like people, because I do. Most of the time. People-watching is a hobby of mine. I'm just not terribly good at interacting with them. I don't schmooze well. I get nervous and tongue-tied and tired too easily. I wish I didn't, because life seems a bit easier for the social butterflies among us. But that's how it is. Given the choice between a crowded get-together and a quiet evening alone with a book, I'll take the book, thanks.

I suppose that's the real reason I've largely stopped doing some of the things I used to do. Church, for example. (I know, I know.) The realization simply came to me that I was spending a lot of my life doing things I didn't want to do, things that were energy-draining. Sometimes God is better found when I'm all alone down by the creek, or reading a book, or listening to a really good piece of music or just laying there, thinking. Is that weird?

Perhaps it would be better to say I'm going through a curmudgeonly season of my life. That leaves room for future change. Did I mention I'm also commitment-phobic?

2010-09-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, so many things to write about...the illegal immigration problem, the attempted Islamification of the Western world, global warming or cooling (depending on whom you ask), oil leaks in the gulf, abortion, feminism, just for starters.

I used not to pay much attention to political things. For one thing, I'm a permanent resident here in the United States and not a citizen, so I can't vote. Why worry about what you can't change, eh? Lately, though, I've been sitting up and paying more attention. And what I'm seeing is making me a little bit upset.

I've grown very fond of my adopted country. I've lived here for sixteen years now and to tell the truth, sometimes I forget I'm not actually an American. I've even taken on the accent. I can't help it, and my English/Canadian family teases me about it when I go back to Canada for a visit. You might wonder why I haven't gone ahead and gotten citizenship, since it seems I'm here for the long haul, considering my American husband and American-born daughter and all. Can't say I haven't considered it. But for now this is the way it is.

I hope America can stay free. The intense Political-Correctness campaign going on is concerning, though. People are so overly eager to demonstrate how open minded and tolerant they are that they are living in fear of offending certain groups (one of those groups being Muslims and another illegal immigrants),that they are scorning and betraying and throwing away their precious, precious liberties. Special interest groups smell the fear like sharks sensing blood in the water and they will circle and push and and bite until they are shoved back. America is being given away and those who stand up against it are slandered as being bigots and racists and "phobes" of various kinds. That's upsetting.

I think we're getting ready to see a backlash. The Tea Party movement is the beginning. What it will end up looking like will depend a great deal on how long it takes to fully form and how much anger is built up behind it. I hope the country can survive it intact, I hope we don't give "them" what they want...the destruction of this nation.

I love you, America. Be strong and survive.

Book Review - Outlive Your Life, by Max Lucado

2010-09-18T18:25:00.001-07:00

The word which comes to my mind regarding this book is: gentle. I'm not sure if that is what Pastor Lucado intended when he wrote it (even if not, it isn't necessarily a bad thing). After reading the promotional blurbs in the front I was expecting to be hit a bit harder and perhaps to have had a bigger adrenaline rush from Pastor Lucado's call to world-changing action. But this book is more of a nudge to good works than a trumpet call.

Pastor Lucado, in this volume, speaks of ways in which Christians can show the love of Christ to those around them, even the seemingly hopeless souls everyone else has given up on. It's true, small things can make a big difference, and the changes made in one individual's life have ripple effects in the circle of their friends and family members. Who knows where it might end? Or if it has to end at all?

In this age of hate and suspicion (and yes, I have been guilty), it's good to have reminders like this that the love of Christ will prompt His followers to act in ways that may not make sense to those unchanged by that love, but that will make marvelous and healing improvements in the lives of those they touch. So, although I would personally have enjoyed a bit more “punch” in the reading, I can recommend this book to those who seek to make a lasting difference in their world.

You can find out more about at: http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0849920698&title=Outlive_Your_Life&author=Max_Lucado

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with law.

2010-09-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

I was writing in my journal last night and found myself wanting to censor my own writing in case anyone else should ever read it. Then I thought, what's the point of having a journal if I can't write honestly in it? I thought about this blog, too. There are lots of things on my mind that I haven't written about for fear of, oh, I don't know, offending someone or making trouble for myself (if anyone actually read it, that is. Can you tell I'm a recovering people-pleaser? Like my journal, what is the point of this blog if I'm going to be all namby-pamby about it? Not that I think I need to post every thought that comes into my head, but good grief, an honest opinion or two, maybe? I can do it for book reviews, I can do it for other stuff.

Soooo, here's my disclaimer: I'm an individual with my my own ideas, my own opinions, my own beliefs, some of which may agree with yours and some of which may not. I don't write with the specific intention of hurting people's feelings or promoting gratuitous anger -- if I upset anyone, well, sorry. Move on.

Now that I have that out of my system...let us proceed.

Book Review - Uncle Sam's Plantation, by Star Parker

2010-09-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hot on the heels of my last book review, because it took me ages to get through the last book and this one I read within a day!

Ms. Parker has hit so many nails on the head in this book it's hard to know where to begin. She knows firsthand the welfare culture and the devastation it wreaks on the lives of those who get caught up in its web. Happily, she was one who stood up and decided to take responsibility for her own life rather than let a paternalistic government do it for her. Those who are wise will heed her warnings and take her advice. Big government likes to control-every aspect of people's lives, from education to birth control. Racial issues have been kept alive and made worse in order to maintain this control by having people believe they need the government's "help" to get anywhere in life because everyone else is against them.

Ms. Parker does a good job of exposing these lies and manipulations and I wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys commonsense. Of course, you may end up feeling frustrated because the solutions to these problems is laid out so simply one can hardly believe government can be so steadfastly mired in stupidity – or maybe one can. One thing: this book has such a needed message it is unfortunate that it was not more competently proofread to minimize distractions from that message.

You can preview this book at http://thomasnelson.insidethecover.com/widget/?isbn=9781595552235

More information about the book is located at http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595552235&title=Uncle_Sam%27s_Plantation&author=Star_Parker

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson booksneeze.com blogger book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I'm disclosing this in accordance with law.

Book Review -Let's Do Lunch, by Roger Troy Wilson

2010-08-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

Of all the books I've reviewed so far, this one is my least favorite. Yup. Sorry. The cover of Mr. Wilson's book proclaims that you can "eat all the calories and carbs you want to lose weight!" Which sounds like a good deal, right? But when you get into the book you find out that you really shouldn't eat potatoes, rice or bread. OK? I don't expect to be able to gobble down white bread and doughnuts all day and lose weight or anything and granted, the pictures on the cover indicate that the way of eating espoused here worked for the author. I think that's great for him. However, I don't appreciate being misled. Also, the recipes contained include a lot of meat, which just won't work for me, as I am a vegetarian. So, although there are a few recipes that might interest me to try, and some common sense advice is to be found (eat more fruit and vegetables) I won't be implementing the full diet advocated in this book. Unfortunately, despite what I'm sure are the good intentions of the author, the book comes off like just another one of those “eat what you want and lose weight” deals that turn out to be something else.

If you are interested in this book, you can find a preview of it here: http://thomasnelson.insidethecover.com/widget/?isbn=9780785229391

And some more info can be found here:
http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0785229396&title=Let%27s_Do_Lunch&author=Roger_Troy_Wilson

I reviewed this title for the booksneeze.com blogger review program. I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review, and I am disclosing this fact in accordance with the law.

It's just a car...

2010-08-30T14:29:00.000-07:00

...but it's also a lifeline of sorts. I live out in the sticks and this car is my way to get just about anywhere...the library, the grocery store, church, work... it all pretty much hinges on having that four-wheeled monster available in working order. I guess that's why I get so uptight when it isn't doing just exactly right. That and OCD!

I envy those laid-back sorts of people who can roll with the punches...no pun intended!

Same Kind of Different as Me, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent

2010-07-29T15:47:00.000-07:00

OK, it's been a long time since a book had me weeping, and I don't mean a few little tears squeezing out of my eyes, I mean WEEPING. As in my daughter asked me if I was all right when she asked me a question from another room and heard my weepy-sounding voice as I answered.

The worlds of Ron and Denver collided when well-heeled Ron and his wife, Debbie, started volunteering at a homeless shelter where Denver was a client. Having spent decades on the streets, Denver was not a marshmallow sort of person and considerably difficult to get to know. However, Debbie was just certain that God wanted her husband to befriend him specially, and somewhat reluctantly, Ron went along. It didn't happen immediately, but a bond did begin to form between these two radically different individuals -- Denver, originally from Louisiana, born into the grinding sharecropping life and Ron, a successful art dealer.

All seems to be going well and then Debbie, the woman who means so much to both of them, the one who listened to God's prompting to bring them together into this wonderful friendship, discovers she has cancer. What happens next is an incredibly touching and meaningful journey for all three of them.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Publishers bloggers book review program and received a free copy of the book in return for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. I'm disclosing this in accordance with law.

More information about this book can be found here.

It's too hot for this, but...

2010-07-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

I feel a round of cleaning/organizing/de-cluttering coming on. Mess and junk and clutter make me feel jittery and frustrated. But it isn't just MY mess I want to clean up -- I'm eyeballing the shop, mostly, where DH stashes the stuff he sells to make our living. It is almost wall-to-wall STUFF. I'm grateful that this clutter isn't around the house (and I'm grateful we make a living) -- we rent a building for business purposes until we can build a shop on our property. And although he does a lot of his business online, occasionally, customers do come here and I would really like to see it clean and organized for them as well as for us.

What to do? I can't just go through all his junk, because I don't know what's what. Get him to help me, you say? Hahahaha. He's a busy guy. Mostly he's busy working, so I can't fault him for that. Once the place is organized, I can take it from there, but I will definitely need help with the heavy stuff. To be fair, it doesn't all belong to DH. A "friend" of his left a bunch of stuff here and I guess I need to make the phone call to tell him to come and get it by such-and-such a time if he wants it.

Need to clean my truck too. The dust was getting pretty thick on the plastic over the gauges Finally broke down and wiped the front dash clean. Now to pull out the mudpans and vaccum and clean the glass and finish the wipedown. I always feel so much better driving a clean vehicle rather than Mommy's moving trash heap!

The house is pretty good, just general maintenance needed there, really. Well, my fridge needs a good scrub and my kitchen cabinets could stand some organization.

I'd really just like to get rid of most of what we have laying around. There are so many other things to do rather than clean STUFF.

A quick mull...

2010-07-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I've got the skirt cut out now. Someone recently remarked, regarding something unrelated, that I don't get in a hurry about anything, and he was right! Procrastination is my middle name. Do you think I'll get it sewn before summer ends? Stay tuned!

I wonder why we procrastinate. Personally, I like the thought of getting something done. Once I get started, I'm usually OK. In fact, I can get quite "driven" at that point. So why is the starting so hard? Fear of failure? Maybe. Fear of success? Maybe. Sheer laziness? Hmmmmm.

In Other News...

2010-07-11T12:43:00.000-07:00

It's time for a post involving something other than book reviews (though I do have another of those coming up). Contrary to how it may appear, I do have other interests besides reading.

The sewing bug has bitten again and I think I am just about ready to give in. What I have in mind is Simplicity's skirt pattern 2906, the swingy version. I made one of these for my daughter last year, she's modeling it for me in the picture above. It was quite easy to do, even with the zipper, though I didn't use the zipper instructions from the pattern -- I found a nice tutorial on youtube (I hope I have that bookmarked!) that made it much easier for a newbie like me to install the zipper.

Who knows, maybe I'll whip up a whole bunch of these out of fabric from my stash and just live in them the rest of the summer!

I Am Hutterite, by Mary-Ann Kirkby

2010-06-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

As a child growing up in British Columbia, Canada, I would now and then see Hutterite people who had come into town to pick the apples from the plentiful orchards in our area. They were fascinating, yet intimidating, particularly the men in their black clothing. I recall them being very sober and stern-looking. Now, having read Ms. Kirkby's memoir, I wonder if they were simply putting up a wall between themselves and a society into which they did not easily fit.

I thought when I saw this book that it would be an interesting read, and it did not disappoint. The "get-away" from the Hutterite community effected by Ms. Kirkby's parents was not as dramatic as I expected, having been aware of different escapes from various religious communities featured on the news and written about in books the past few years. I enjoyed the peek into the life of a Hutterite community. I had envisioned it rather differently than Ms. Kirkby portrays it.

Her memories are for the most part warm and nostalgic, even the “villain” of the piece, the overreaching leader of their particular community, turns out to be touchingly human in the end.

Though I enjoy reading, I don't find many books that I care to read more than once. Ms. Kirkby's book will be an exception!

I reviewed this book as part of the booksneeze.com reviewer program and received a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. I did not have to write a favourable review, I'm disclosing this in accordance with law.

You can find out more about the book here

Friendship for Grown-ups, by Lisa Whelchel

2010-05-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed this book. Ms. Whelchel wrote honestly, with lots of personal experiences recounted to illustrate her points. That made the book much more interesting to read and drove the lessons home far better than theory alone.

One of the lessons that I found most valuable include the fact that is is all right to be "needy". That God made us as human beings with the need for friendships and it is OK. Some of us independent-minded folks need to be reminded of that from time to time.

Also important were the sections on finding and recognizing safe people and dealing with conflicts in friendship. It's comforting to realize that a conflict in a relationship does not have to mean the end of the relationship, in fact it can be a healthy thing. It's also vital to be able to discern who is a safe person to be open with and who is not.

Throughout the book, Ms. Whelchel weaves her own story of realization and discovery regarding her own need of friendships and the path she traveled in her search for healthy ones. As a television actress, perhaps Ms. Whelchel had more of a challenge finding true friends who didn't think they already knew her as her television character or were interested only in hobnobbing with a celebrity, but her observations hold true for people in any circumstances.

Sample chapters are here.

You can buy the book here.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Publishers blogger book review program and I received a free copy of this book in return for my review. I was not required to post a positive review in return for the book. I'm disclosing this in accordance with Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

A Century Turns, by William Bennett

2010-04-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bennett has done quite a good job of a quick overview covering the two decades between 1988 and 2008. Of course, it would be difficult to address everything that went on in those tumultuous years. I found myself reliving many incidents mentioned in the book that I can remember, and this book helps to put those incidents in some kind of context that is difficult to achieve when one is viewing them happening at the time and without the inner details, some of which Mr. Bennett is able to provide.

Being acquainted with so many of the major players of recent U.S. political history, Mr. Bennett is in a good position to help chronicle events. I did find myself wanting a more in depth look at certain happenings. The book focused much of the time, naturally, on political events. I would have liked a bit more in the way of the human-interest stories we remember, but overall, the book is a good go-over of the past 20 years in the United States of America. I would recommend this volume as a jumping-off point for those interested in our recent past. It would be wonderful for stoking historical interest in a student, who could then research more deeply into the various segments which they find fascinating.

I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com blogger book review program. I was not required to write a favourable review. I am disclosing this in keeping with the FTC's 16 CFR Part 255

www.booksneeze.com

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595551697&title=A_Century_Turns

This is Your Brain in Love, by Dr. Earl Henslin

2010-02-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

What an interesting book! It seems so obvious that the way your brain functions is going to play a major role in how you relate to others, particularly your spouse, but this book goes into some detail on the ways different brain functions affect marriages. Of course it is fascinating for who are into examining their lives to take the quizzes and discover which of the five lover types they are: the over-focused lover, the anxious lover, the scattered lover, the blue mood lover or the agitated lover -- or maybe a mix of several!

While I'm sure the cost of the brain scans Dr. Henslin encourages is prohibitive for many people, I can see how it could vastly improved trouble marriages to discover which parts of the brain are not functioning up to par and then learn how to make them work better. I appreciated Dr. Henslin's approach to treating the brain with a variety of methods from herbal supplements to prescribed medications. It's good to know there are such a lot of options out there.

I found Dr. Henslin's book to be worth reading and considering in light of my own marriage as I seek for ways to improve that relationship.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze blogger review program. www.booksneeze.com. I received a free copy of this book in return for my review, but I was not required to write a positive review. I'm disclosing this in compliance with the FTC 16 CFR Part 255 rule.

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain, by Paul Meier, M.D. & David L. Henderson, M.D.

2009-12-19T20:42:00.000-08:00

Finding Purpose Beyond Our Pain -- is there anyone living on earth who could not use information like this? We all deal with some kind of pain at least some of the time. Drs Meier and Henderson have much solid, biblical advice for doing more than enduring the various sorts of pain to which humans are subject...they offer counsel on how to actually discover the lessons to be learned and the growth to be gained by going through the distressing times in our lives.

Addressing issues such as various kinds of loss, including death, as well as other hurts such as loneliness, the authors continually point to biblical texts and principles which offer comfort and solutions to those who are willing to work through the pain to get to the benefit. I like that the authors don't minimize or belittle the troubles people go through -- they realize these are tough things to get through -- but they offer hope.

I found this book basically solid; though I differed on one or two doctrinal points, these were minor portions of the volume. I appreciate very much the motivation of the authors in their ministry to hurting people around them through this book as well as their other work.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program.

http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

http://thomasnelson.insidethecover.com/widget/?isbn=9780785229223

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?dept_id=111010&sku=0785229221&TopLevel_id=110000

The White Horse King by Benjamin Merkle -- Book Review

2009-11-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

English history can be a little intimidating -- all those kings, queens, battles and dates. This book, however, brings to life a section of that history with sufficient vividness and interest to keep you reading.

In The White Horse King, by Benjamin Merkle, we meet King Alfred of Wessex, ninth-century ruler of a nation beset by marauding Viking warriors from across the sea. As Alfred worked tirelessly to protect and free his country and people from this threat, he was also preparing those people for a renewal of education, piety, efficiency in government and vast improvement of the nation's military prowess.

I enjoyed learning about this part of England's Anglo-Saxon history. The author has presented a volume written in a style that is easy to read without being simplistic. Particularly gratifying was reading about Alfred's treatment of his enemy, the Danish King Guthrum. When Alfred finally defeated Guthrum he treated him with respect and graciousness, and it appears that Guthrum must have taken this into his heart, for though other Vikings continued to harrass the people of Wessex for a time, Guthrum did not. A nice interlude in the prolonged and bloody strife between these peoples.

All in all, a worthy read.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program.
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=1595552529&title=The_White_Horse_King

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=110000&TopLevel_id=110000&category=Nonfiction

The Language of Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs - Book Review

2009-11-13T11:34:00.000-08:00

Wow. I think the principles discussed in this book will do more for my marriage than anything else I have read on the subject. If I implement them, that is! In this volume, a follow-up to Dr. Eggerichs' book Love and Respect, he goes into some practical ways to understand and communicate with your mate with love (primarily her need) and respect (primarily his need). Although my own husband has tried to communicate his need for unconditional respect to me and I have attempted to get across my need for unconditional love to him, this book helped to clarify how to put love and respect into actual practice in our marriage. The part on forgiveness really touched a chord with me. Applying these principles will not be easy for most of us, but I believe Dr. Eggerichs is really onto something that can make marriages far more like they need to be. Wading though this book (not exactly an easy read and with a bit more repetition than I normally like) will be well worth your time if you would like to have a happier and more fulfilling marriage based on Christian principles.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers program.

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=084994807X&title=The_Language_of_Love_and_Respect&author=Emerson_Eggerichs

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=110000&TopLevel_id=110000&category=Nonfiction

http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville -- Book Review 2

2009-10-30T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Power of Respect by Deborah Norville

Respect is becoming a much rarer commodity these days, unfortunately. This book is concerned with the reintroduction of respect into our lives -- the way we relate to others and ourselves. With chapters on respect in business, in marriage, in parenting and in schools it covers every angle.

Well written and informative, (although perhaps a little "surface") with plenty of research to back it up, the book is a worthwhile read. I did feel chagrined when reading the chapter on respect in schools. That was because it is sad that the home life of so many children is so lacking in this basic life skill that it is left up to the schools to teach it. While I salute the dedicated teachers who are striving to incorporate these things into their classrooms, it's too bad that so many families have abdicated in this regard.

I was inspired by reading this book to bring the Power of Respect into greater play in my own life. My teenaged daughter picked it up and started reading it too. I think it will benefit us both.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program.
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0785227601&title=The-Power-of-Respect&author=Deborah-Norville

http://thomasnelson.insidethecover.com/widget/?isbn=9780785227601

The Well-Behaved Child by John Rosemond

2009-10-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Well-Behaved Child: Discipline that Really Works! by John Rosemond

The title says it all. This book is about dealing with misbehavior in your children in a way that is beneficial to them and do-able for you. The systems of daily and weekly tickets, charts and report cards that the author advocates seem simple and workable. Judging from the testimonials of pleased parents which are included in the book, results are positive.

At first I thought this book would be dull reading, but having begun it I found that the author writes with humor and sufficient interest to greatly increase its chances of being finished by the frazzled parents who need it.

Appreciated was the fact that the author doesn't try to to set himself up as an infallible guru on child behavior. He freely admits that he doesn't know why children do some of the things they do. He is simply offering parents tools to deal with it.

There is one thing about this book I take issue with. That is the strategy of telling your misbehaving child that some "doctor" (who doesn't exist) has prescribed this or that for their behavior problem. While the author doesn't view this practice as really lying, I do. Due to this difficulty, I would have some reservations about recommending this book.

I reviewed this book for the Thomas Nelson Book Review Blogger program.
http://brb.thomasnelson.com/

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/product_detail.asp?sku=0785229043&title=The%20Well-Behaved%20Child

http://www.thomasnelson.com/consumer/dept.asp?dept_id=110000&TopLevel_id=110000&category=Nonfiction

Motherly Mullings

2009-08-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been awhile. Apparently I haven't been thinking much these days. LOL

No, actually, I have been thinking a lot. Too much. Sometimes it would be nice to switch off the old thinker and just be for awhile. Excessive thinking can get in the way of actually doing!.

Have been mulling over religious issues, which I think I will keep to myself for the time being. That makes for an interesting blog, doesn't it? I'm thinking about such and such, but I ain't talking.

I've also been thinking (i.e. worrying) about my daughter's future. How am I going to successfully launch a young woman into life on her own? I don't even want to dwell on the fact that in a few years she will probably be leaving to pursue her own path. I haven't even figured out what I want to be when I grow up, how can I give her wise guidance?

The world is so much scarier now than when I was growing up. I think about some of the things we did as kids...riding our bikes all over the countryside by ourselves, walking to town and back as a young teen without an adult along...and I wouldn't dream of allowing my child to do those things now. I'm not that old...the world is changing rapidly. Oh, there were creeps and criminals around when I was a kid, no doubt, but it seems like they weren't as numerous or at least not as bold.

I don't want to be a smotherer, though. I know she has to try her wings. I know she has to learn to take care of herself.

One day at a time. That's all I can handle...that's all I need to handle. I believe in God -- He will take care of her, and me too.

Romance and Reality

2009-08-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at one of my most favorite books ever, Maud: The Illustrated Diary of a Victorian Woman, by Flora Fraser. (Well, it's by Maud Tomlinson Berkeley, but Ms. Fraser adapted it.) Sometimes I think I was born about 100 years too late - if it weren't for corsets.

Been thinking about the whole old-fashioned, wife and mother thing, especially having recently rejoined the ranks of the stay-at-home mom myself (by choice). There are a lot of websites and blogs run by homemakers. I'm thinking particularly of the Christian variety, as those are the ones I most identify with. It's great to see there are so many women out there who are dedicated to the care of their children and providing a warm nest for their loved ones. It's a worthy profession and surely everyone knows by now it's a lot of work.

One of the reasons I quit my job (only two days a week though it was) is that I felt I wasn't caring for my home and family as I need to. The job I had was great in many ways, but would have been better suited for a more naturally outgoing person. For me, involving a lot of interaction with new people every day, it was draining. I would go home exhausted and a lot of things around the house were not getting done. I feel I made the right choice to come home and focus on my family more. I know I'm blessed to be able to have a choice - many mothers are working because they have to put food on the table. My little income did help us out financially, but ultimately I was never the breadwinner, nor do I want to be. I think I can do as much or more to help our family by working at home, finding ways to "spend both sides of a dollar", and if a little home business develops, hurray.

Anyway, in looking over some of these homemaking sites I've found a lot that is helpful. In some of them, I've seen something I rather wonder about. It's the frilliness. I suppose that is simply some ladies' nature, and that's fine. Myself, I'm not too much of a frilly person. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for women being women, I enjoy pretty things, I like wearing long skirts, I like romance, I'm all girl! LOL But my way of doing things is never going to look like some of the pictures featured on those blogs and websites. My husband would think I had finally gone over the edge if I started wearing Regency style dresses, for a start, and I would feel decidedly odd. My days don't consist of lounging in flowy white garments, gazing at a perpetually happy baby.

OK, to be fair, I'm sure none of those blog ladies live in flowy white garments all the time. The paintings featured on their sites are lovely, they really are. But I'll never be one to run around in ruffles and flounces.