Posted in Recent Reads

I just read this book again.  I love it.  I recently purchased my own copy, along with a copy of the sequel, The False House.  It had been only a couple of months since I read The High House, but since I was about to read the continuation of the story and because I loved the book so much, I decided to read it again so it was fresh in my mind.  I enjoyed it just as much the second time through, and was more attuned to some of the allegorical elements. 

This time I read the entire book in one day - that day being the travel day as we came home from our Honduras mission trip.  This small book fit easily into my purse and I was able to read it as we traveled from San Pedro Sula to Miami, during our long (otherwise boring) layover in Miami, and then from Miami to Baltimore.  And I still had time to visit, nap, browse a magazine or two, and do a couple of Sudoku puzzles.  That's more a commentary on how LONG the travel day was, not on how fast I read.   

My first "review" of this book can be read here.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

• Outside My Window... it is very quiet.  The sky is somewhat dark - looks like we may finally get some much-needed rain.

• I am thinking... that I need another cup of coffee.  And also thinking about my to-do list for the day.

• I am thankful for...   the library

• From the kitchen... country-fried steak for dinner tonight, chicken for dinner tomorrow.  After that, I'm not sure - my menu plan usually goes until Tuesday. 

• I am wearing... red shorts and my Relay for Life t-shirt, my hair in a ponytail.

• I am creating... "First Day of School" cards for the photos I'll take of Landon and Kennady today.

• I am going... to get my hair cut as soon as I can arrange it.

• I am reading... The False House by James Stoddard, and The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. 

• I am hoping... that I can get all the bills paid today and clear some stuff off my desk.

• I am hearing... the hum of the computer.

• Around the house... it's back to scheduled chore hour now that school is back in session.        

• One of my favorite things...  daisies

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   Book Club and Worship Committee meeting on Tuesday, and an eye appointment with Harrison on Wednesday.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

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• Outside My Window... is a hummingbird feeder that needs to be refilled, a mass of beautiful black-eyed susans, and clear late summer sky.

• I am thinking... about the many things I need to do today and this week!! My oldest son and I arrived home late last night from our mission trip to Honduras, and so there is a long list of catch-up things to be done, along with completing lesson plans so we can all start schooling next Monday.

• I am thankful for... the amazing experience of our missions trip.  We saw breath-taking landscapes, beautiful people, precious children, heart-rending need and poverty, the Body of Christ coming together, and answers to prayer. 

• From the kitchen... I have no idea.  LOL  I haven't assessed my fridge and freezer yet to know what I have to work with. 

• I am wearing... peach colored Capris and my pajama shirt.  And they do NOT match.  LOL 

• I am creating... the last update on the journal of our trip.

• I am going... to do lots of laundry today!  And hug my daughter as much as she'll let me.  I missed her terribly.

• I am reading... The False House by James Stoddard is next on my list.  I just finished re-reading The High House yesterday so I'm ready for the sequel now. 

• I am hoping... that Harrison's suitcase does arrive safely today!!! His was the only one that didn't make it home on the same flight as the team, and it is supposed to be coming in on this afternoon's flight from Miami.  Provided the hurricane headed towards south FL doesn't delay or ground flights today.

• I am hearing... insects buzzing outside the window, and my daughter telling me what she wants fro breakfast. 

• Around the house... laundry laundry laundry.      

• One of my favorite things...  my own bed.

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   I have all kinds of things to catch up on this week, having been on vacation the first week of August and then on the mission trip this past week.  I will finish lesson planning this week.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

• Outside My Window... a beautiful sunny day is taking shape!  There's still a bit of a hazy appearance to the mountains, but the sky is clear and the sun is shining.  I'm sure it will be HOT.

• I am thinking... about all the things I need to get done over this week and next!   Top of today's list is making appointments for my son and I to get the necessary shots before our mission trip.

• I am thankful for... the generous folks that have contributed funds towards the mission trip. 

• From the kitchen... I'm planning on burgers tonight, and hoping that there's enough propane left in the tank to grill them! 

• I am wearing... my pajamas.    I'm going to shower in the next half hour or so!

• I am creating... lists of things to do

• I am going... to the lake with friends for a picnic today.

• I am reading... The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (read-aloud with kids).   The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

• I am hoping... that I'll be ready to go on time, and have tidied up my kitchen a bit before anyone gets here!

• I am hearing... just the hum of the computer.  I left the window closed this morning because I think air conditioning will be more effective today in keeping the house comfortable. 

• Around the house... I will have to clean up the kitchen today, and will have laundry to do as well.    

• One of my favorite things...  birthday cake.

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   Drivers Ed each night this week.  VBS each night this week.  Tomorrow I have book club in the morning, and on Wednesday I am going to a meeting for the reviewers in our homeschool association - I am going to start doing reviews this coming school year.

Posted in Recent Reads

A Daughter's Inheritance, by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller, is the first in a series titled "The Broadmoor Legacy."  I did have a slow start to this book, reading a few pages once every few days to begin with.  But yesterday I had some time in the evening to devote to reading and found that I was interested enough that I finished it last night.  I've read a number of books by Peterson and Miller, and historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine, so this book was sure to appeal to me.  The setting is the Thousand Islands area of the St Lawrence River, during the early 1900s.  Fanny Broadmoor and her two cousins have a very close relationship, but the rest of the Broadmoor family spend most of their time together arguing and complaining.  There are some surprises in store for all of them in the patriarch's will, and Fanny becomes the victim of her greedy uncle's scheme to get control of her share of the inheritance.  Of course there is a love story! Fanny loves a young man that her uncle doesn't consider suitable, and although the very nature of this type of novel dictates that they will eventually be together, there are many obstacles in their way.  I found a lot to like about this story and some of its characters, and plenty to dislike about the villain of the piece; and although the main plot is fairly predictable, some of the plot twists were not.  Although the end of the book does indicate that Fanny and her young man will eventually wind up together, it doesn't happen in this installment - if I want to find out how all the details work out, I will need to read the second installment in the series.  I will be watching for it to become available, as I'm interested enough to read some more.

Posted in Recent Reads

Pendragon by Stephen Lawhead.  - I actually finished reading this at least a month ago, but forgot to write about it!  This is the fourth book in the Pendragon Cycle, but it isn't a continuation of the story.  Rather, it is a retelling of the events in the books Merlin and Arthur, but completely from Merlin's viewpoint.  There are details and events that aren't included in these previous installments in the cycle, and yet in many ways, it feels like reading a different story entirely.  At some points I felt unsure that the timeline of Pendragon really did match up with the events already narrated, but I didn't bother to get out my copy of Arthur to check.  (And I have been known to do that very thing - for instance, when I read Mary Reilly I consulted a copy of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde several times to see that the two stories matched.)  Having read both Book Three and now Book Four of the Pendragon Cycle, I have twice reached the point in the Arthurian story where Arthur's injury appears to be fatal and he is taken to Avallon in hopes of his recovery there.  Familiarity with the legends tells me that Arthur must regain his health and return to rule in the Kingdom of Summer, and so I'm anxious to find out how Lawhead will tell that rest of the story.  In order to find out, I will have to find a copy of the fifth and final book in the cycle, Grail.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

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• Outside My Window... it is pretty wet!  It rained all yesterday afternoon and evening, and throughout the night.  I can see blue skies and whiter clouds now.

• I am thinking... "how can it be possible that I have a child old enough to drive???"  My oldest son starts Drivers Ed this evening. 

• I am thankful for... the worship service we attended yesterday evening.  It was a gathering of many area youth groups, and the families were invited to join as well. 

• From the kitchen... today's dinner will be chicken and stuffing.  But I will have to plan to eat dinner earlier than usual so I can get Harrison to town for his class on time.

• I am wearing... red and black silk pajamas.  Again this week.  On the plus side, though - my hair looks nice and my nails are done.  

• I am creating... lesson plans for the next school year.  Or at least I plan to work on it this evening.

• I am going... nowhere until after dinner.     

• I am reading... The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (read-aloud with kids).   A Daughter's Inheritance by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller.

• I am hoping... that I can make time to clean off my desk today and get caught up on some things.

• I am hearing... the neighbor girl's very loud car radio.  LOL 

• Around the house... some laundry, some general clean-up, and clearing away the weekend mess in the kitchen.   

• One of my favorite things...

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   Drivers Ed each night this week.  Tomorrow evening I think I am going out for coffee with other homeschool moms in the evening.  On Wednesday, I will also take Harrison to an eye doctor appointment.  Thursday I am hoping to go out for lunch with some friends, and Thursday evening will be worship team practice.

Posted in Recent Reads

Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez.  This is another book that first caught my eye quite awhile ago, but I didn't start reading till last week.  Once I got started, I was really pulled into the story, although I have to say that the timeline of events was a bit confusing to me at times.  Deborah Rodriguez is a hairdresser from Michigan that volunteered to go to Afghanistan with a humantarian aid group shortly after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.  She relates how she felt rather useless during the first part of her stay because she had such limited skills in things that seemed practical - nursing, therapy, etc.  But she discovered that she made friends with the Afghani people easily, and found that her hairdressing skills were indeed very useful!  She wound up teaching a beauty school for Afghani women, training them so that they could open up their own salons and help support their families.   This book is a journal and memoir of her experiences and friendships.

When I started reading, I (in my relative ignorance) wondered how much demand there might be for hairdressing and cosmetology in a culture where - I thought - the women were almost always under a veil.  Boy, was I wrong about that!  Apparently, beauty salons are in great demand and are very successful businesses for these women.  I learned a lot about daily life in this war-torn nation and its people just by reading this simple memoir.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

• Outside My Window... it is grey and hazy, overcast.  It will probably be muggy until it rains - there are thundershowers in the forecast for today.  Looks like our hummingbird feeder will need to be refilled.  The grass is too tall, not having been cared for all week, and the weeds are plentiful in the flowerbed.  But there is also a fully blooming black-eyed susan just outside this window, and it cheers up the scene considerably!

• I am thinking... about which chore to tackle first today - we have all our things from vacation to unpack, and will be trying to get back into a routine.

• I am thankful for... our vacation time last week, and for safety as we travelled.

• From the kitchen... I will have to go grocery shopping today.  We brought back coffee, cookies, cereal and honey from Canada, but I don't think I could make dinner from that.  Well... I could... but I don't think it would go over that well with DH.

• I am wearing... my flannel Coca-Cola print nightshirt, and my black silk pajama pants. 

• I am creating... this week's to-do list.

• I am going... to get everything unpacked and put away in one day this time!   

• I am reading... The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (read-aloud with kids).  I finished an excellent book while on vacation - Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez, and just started A Daughter's Inheritance by Tracie Peterson and Judith Miller.

• I am hoping... that we have lots of people show up for our fundraiser dinner on Saturday night.

• I am hearing... only the hum of the computer.  The kids are still sleeping, and because its rather humid outside, I haven't opened the window.

• Around the house... laundry - although I'm considering whether I should try to get it on the line, or just use the dryer.   

• One of my favorite things...

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   I have a couple of MOMS Club events planned, and other than that I hope to be home most of the week.  DH and I are preparing the food for a fundraiser dinner at church on Saturday evening, and we will have a worship team practice sometime during the week.

Posted in Recent Reads

I first heard about this book on a radio program back in September, and was intrigued by the radio interview with the author.  It went on my "maybe I'll read that someday" list almost immediately, but it wasn't until this month that I got to read it.  Our MOMS Club book club picked this as our June read.  One of the moms confessed to me that she had very low expectations when we chose this book, because she thought that a memoir about a coffee shop would probably be very boring.  But she said she really enjoyed the book.  Today is our book club discussion, so I'll get to find out what others thought of it as well.  I enjoyed it - a very easy read, it is written simply, with no real surprises.  Each chapter opens with a quote that has been printed on Starbucks cups.  Michael Gates Gill was very successful in the advertising industry, came from a priveleged family and was part of high society.  But his firing, and a subsequent affair which led to his divorce, changed his lifestyle dramatically.  He also was diagnosed with a brain tumour at about the same time.  His book tells how this downward spiral led to his accepting a job at a Starbucks store and how his perceptions of the world were challenged and changed through his experiences.  He found that he enjoyed his much simpler lifestyle, and genuinely enjoyed his work and the people he encountered at Starbucks.

Gill tells his story in a very self-effacing memoir style.  His telling of the story is often punctuated with lengthy "flashbacks" to his earlier years as he makes comparison of then to now.  He says he is far happier in this service job and living simply than he was in his former lifestyle, and talks about how his eyes were opened to his own prejudices.  Obviously Starbucks is presented in a completely positive light - and as such a wonderful place to work, and I doubt they will have trouble finding employees as long as this book is being read and talked about!  If I wanted a part-time job, I think I'd head straight to Starbucks and see if it was as positive and wonderful as portrayed in the book!

The end notes in the book indicated that a movie may come out based on the book, with Tom Hanks playing the part of Gill.  I can only picture a movie kind of like "Forrest Gump" except not as humourous.  Hmmm.... I don't know how interesting a movie it would be.  But the book was a light, feel-good summer read. 

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

• Outside My Window... it looks like a beautiful summer day - the sky is clear, although its not a brilliant blue.  It is quiet and peaceful, the only sound I can hear is our resident mockingbird doing his morning impressions of other birds.

• I am thinking... about how funny it is that simply doing this meme motivates to make sure I get dressed first thing on Monday mornings, so I don't have to confess that I'm still in my pajamas!

• I am thankful for... my kids and DH having done some of the work of cleaning up the computer desk yesterday.  They were looking for a game disc, but didn't find it yet.  I will be watching for it as I continue to clean up.

• From the kitchen... tonight's dinner will be burgers on the grill.  The menu for this week will include chicken-fried steak, at DH's request, but I don't which day that will be.  I need to make a grocery list and weekly menu today.

• I am wearing... khaki capris and a black tank top.  I'm barefoot, as usual.  My hair is loosely clipped back, as I haven't decided what to do with it yet today.

• I am creating... an updated family budget.  And a new dress for myself - I cut out the fabric yesterday and it is a very simple pattern that I've done a couple times before, so I think I can sew it up in a couple hours during the week.  I hope to wear it on Sunday.

• I am going... to a really neat playground with the kids this morning.   

• I am reading... The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.  This is the read-aloud chapter book I just started with the kids.  In my personal reading, I finished How Starbucks Saved My Life yesterday, and am still working on Pendragon and Debt-Proof Living.

• I am hoping... that I can be really productive with housework this week, particularly because we are going on vacation next week.

• I am hearing... the birds outside.  The mockingbird is still dominating, but other birds have joined in now as well.

• Around the house... the kitchen will be my focus today - yesterday I discovered that ants had found another passage into one of the cupboards, so I cleaned it out and dealt with that, but there are still many things out on the counters and there are dishes to wash.  Harrison will be doing all his laundry today in preparation for Creation.  In my room, I have some more organizing to do in my desk area. 

• One of my favorite things... vacation.  We will be visiting family and friends next week, and celebrating Kennady's birthday too.

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   book club on Wednesday, worship team practices on Thursday and Saturday, MOMS Night Out on Friday.  I hope DH will think of something he wants to do on Saturday, after our practice.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

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• Outside My Window... the skies can't seem to decide between grey and cloudy, or blue and summery.  It looks like we might get rain today.  But there isn't any wind so that's a good thing.  I can also see the new hummingbird feeder we put up just outside this window.  DH had mentioned wanting one, so I helped the kids find one for him for Father's Day.

• I am thinking... that I will have to remember to take the feeder down when it is windy outside, or it won't last long!

• I am thankful for... music, and that I can be a part of the worship music at church.  Yesterday was our worship team's turn and it was just so enjoyable!  Our friends' two daughters are home from college so they played and sang with our team, and it was so good to have them back with us.

• From the kitchen... I will probably bake brownies or cake today - or more accurately, have the kids do that.  I also plan on trying the breadmaker one day this week.  It is an older one, and has been temperamental in the past.  I decided to try a loaf this week, and if the breadmaker doesn't work, out it goes.  It certainly doesn't need to take up space on my counter if its not reliable.  For dinner tonight, it will probably be leftovers.

• I am wearing... my flannel Coca-Cola nightshirt, and black silk sleep pants.    Nowhere to go today so I am not getting dressed yet.

• I am creating... a more organized home, continued from last week.  Last week I did clean out some of the kitchen cupboards, made a little progress in my daughter's room, and cleaned the workspace on my desk.  The kitchen cupboards have moved down the priority list a little bit, but the other two organizing projects will be worked on this week.

• I am going... to mail out support letters today, finally. 

• I am reading... still working on:  Pendragon by Stephen Lawhead,  Debt-Proof Living by Mary Hunt, and am really enjoying  How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill.

• I am hoping... that Harrison works hard on his remaining schoolwork!

• I am hearing... the boys upstairs playing a video game; my daughter snuggling down into my bed for a little extra snooze time; and in my head I'm still hearing one of the songs we did in worship yesterday.

• Around the house... we will be moving the extra bed out of Kennady's room, and rounding up another couple of furniture items to move out as well.  I have a friend at church that had a fire in her home recently, and the women at church have found furniture for her temporary housing. 

• One of my favorite things... snuggling with my daughter.  She's almost seven, but is still a little cuddlebug.

• A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:   compile newsletter for the MOMS Club meeting; take Harrison shopping and to the eye doctor on Wednesday; go roller skating on Saturday.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

From the kitchen... my kids won two cakes in the cake walk at the Sunday School picnic yesterday, so I guess I won't need to bake this week.    Tonight I think I'll make fish for dinner.  The rest of the week's menu hasn't been decided yet, but I will have to do it today before I go to the grocery store.

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

I am hoping... to stick to my diet this week.  I guess I shouldn't just hope for that, I should plan for it.

Posted in Recent Reads

This book was my book club's pick for May.  I've been interested in reading it for a long time, so putting it on the book club list was probably a good idea.  Last year our book club read another Tracy Chevalier novel, The Lady and the Unicorn, which I really enjoyed.  Girl with a Pearl Earring was interesting in that the whole story is narrated by the "girl" named Griet.  Her family falls on hard times and she goes into service as a housemaid for the Vermeer family.  Her eye for color and ability to clean the artist's studio without disturbing anything gain her some notice with him, but other family members dislike her. 

One of the reasons that I really enjoy historical fiction is my interest in the fact that everyone in history has been an individual "real" person, and although we know much of the statistics and facts about the famous people, often little is known of their personality.  And less is known about the more ordinary folks in days gone by - the foot soldiers, the servants, the peasants, and others.  Although Chevalier's story is fictional, it puts a face and personality on the poorer citizens of that time, those who served and worked largely anonymously.  The difficult positions Griet was placed in by being merely a servant are hard for us to imagine.  Chevalier presents her as a well-rounded character, with virtues and faults, and imagines a compelling story behind this famous, yet mysterious painting of Vermeer's.  Not a great deal is known about Johannes Vermeer himself, and Chevalier chooses, for the most part, to allow his personality to remain a mystery in her novel.

Something else interesting - since the movie based on this book has recently come out on DVD, our club decided that our "MOMS Night Out" activity for this month would be to get together and watch the movie.  So we are doing that tonight.  I am really looking forward to it - and I sure hope that I won't be disappointed, as I often have been when I've read a delightful book and then watched the movie. 

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

This meme is hosted by The Simple Woman - Visit her blog to participate! 

Posted in Recent Reads

Seems like I have had this book on my "I'm Reading Now" section of my little bookshelf widget f-o-r-e-v-e-r...  And I have been working on it for a long time.  It was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed, but was willing to set aside while I was reading something for which I had a deadline!  I would need to put this on hold while I finished up a book club pick in time for the discussion, or had to finish a book before I had to return it to the library.  Galileo's Daughter often got put aside because it was not in huge demand at the library and I could renew it! 

I love history, biographies, and historical fiction.  This book turned out to be a delightful combination of history and biography that read almost like an historical novel in places.  The subtitle is A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love and I found that to be an apt description.  Author Dava Sobel gives us a full biography of Galileo, much of it based on the surviving letters written to him by his oldest daughter who lived as a cloistered nun.  The descriptions of Galileo's many scientific, mathematical, and philosophical pursuits and discoveries are complete, as well as an account of his appearance before the Holy Office of the Inquisition and its results; yet are not presented as timelines of dry facts.  Instead we are introduced to Galileo as very warmly human.  He loved his children deeply, and was a generous and devoted father and friend.  His daughter, born Virginia, entered a convent at San Mateo and took vows as Suor Maria Celeste.  Although cloistered as a nun, she nevertheless had a warm and loving relationship with her doting father and they continued a vibrant correspondence throught the years.  Sadly, Galileo's letters to her are lost, but he kept the letters received from her, through which we have a glimpse of a wonderfully intelligent and gracious young woman.  Her writing style is graceful and elegant, and she makes a fascinating character.   From the history books, I knew that Galileo did his best to remain obedient to the Church and to reconcile his discoveries and observations of astronomy with the teachings of the Church at the time.  However, from my reading of this book, I have also formed the opinion that not only was he obedient, he was devout and a man of personal faith.  Suor Maria Celeste's letters indicate that her religion was not just the imposed lifestyle of the convent, but the deeply personal convictions that she was under God's grace, that prayer made a difference, and that love and service to others was an expression on her devotion to the Lord.   When I read the final chapters, I thought how neat it will be to meet this father and daughter in heaven someday.   

Go to Andi & Taffy's blog and vote for your favorite cover - you could win an autographed copy of the book when it comes out! 

It just occurred to me that this series might make a good gift for my niece that loves to read.... Hmmm.... perhaps I will have to do some shopping....

Posted in Simple Woman's Daybook

I've recently learned about the meme hosted by The Simple Woman and thought it would be interesting to participate.  Please do visit her blog and join in.  This is something a bit new for me, and I fear that every time I post I will be wearing the same thing (my bathrobe! LOL) or something else equally boring.  However, here's the purpose of this exercise as shared when Peggy (The Simple Woman blog) started it:

Posted in Recent Reads

This was such an enjoyable read, and is definitely on my "own it for myself" list now, along with the second in the series, Silent in the Sanctuary.  In the opening pages, Lady Julia's husband collapses at a dinner party and is dead before The First Chapter comes to a close.  Julia finds that he had engaged a private detective named Nicholas Brisbane, who now suspects foul play.  As the story unfolds, Julia realizes that Brisbane's suspicions are perhaps well-founded after all and the two begin an uneasy partnership to investigate.  The murder mystery itself is intriguing, without an easy solution, and along the way we meet members of Julia's eccentric family and discover some of their quirks, flaws, and sins.  I found a good dose of humour throughout the story as well.

From the book jacket:

A wholly original mystery set in the extravagant surroundings of upper-class Victorian England, and introducing the compelling, charismatic Lady Julia Grey...

Well, I'm off to see if I can find a good deal on this and the second in the series at half.com or at amazon!  I was so wrapped up in reading this book (plus I couldn't renew it from the library so I needed to finish quickly) that I've neglected poor Galileo's Daughter and I also have a book club pick to get working on.