18. Prometheus Bound and Other Plays by Aeschylus
19. The Oresteia by Aeschylus
20. The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles
21. The Divine Comedy: Hell by Dante
22. The Divine Comedy: Purgatory by Dante
23. The Divine Comedy: Paradise by Dante
24. Hide and Seek by Ian Rankin
25. Cruel and Unusual by Patricia Cornwell
26. Shadow Prey by John Sandford
27. Lady Susan; The Watsons; Sanditon by Jane Austen
28. The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander
29. The High King by Lloyd Alexander
30. Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
31. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
32. The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Stephen Nichols
33. Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D.A. Carson
34. Be Still, My Soul: Embracing God's Purpose and Provision in Suffering by Nancy Guthrie, ed.
35. Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C.S. Lewis, and Aldous Huxley by Peter Kreeft
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Creed the Rock Star
with his lincoln log microphone. Or maybe Creed the Crooner would be more accurate.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Victory
I was listening to the radio today while I was driving and the DJ on the air was having people call in and share their "victories." I don't know if this is their regular Saturday afternoon programming or not, but I guess it is a fairly standard part of Christian radio. Let's face it, we all enjoy hearing a good "God answers prayer" or "Here is how it all worked out as planned or better than planned" story.
The story I heard was a wonderful story about how this lady's child had been seriously ill and undergone a dramatic treatment and was now doing amazingly well. Of course they are happy and thrilled and we all have reason to rejoice with them. The DJ praised God with them and pronounced it a victory .
But sometimes I wonder why it seems that all the call in stories happen to be cases where everything work out for what we consider "our good"; the kind of endings that people would be crazy not to want to have happen. I would think that it could make a person feel terribly lonely and perhaps abandoned by God to think that the only good things from God are the obvious "shout from the rooftops" kind of victories.
I think about so many of the songs that are played on the radio frequently like "I'll Praise you in this Storm" or "In Your Hands" and what the victory is in those songs and those like them. I think the victory is that a person can still praise God for the storm that they are going through or that they can feel God's presence and know that He is sovereign in their situation. The victory might be that they woke up that morning and were able to walk through another day, that they were able to pray just as they had been for 20 years for their husband's salvation, or that they were able to see God's provision is there even when it isn't the provision they would choose.
It is easy to only see victory in what we would always choose and the way in which we would choose it...health over sickness, life over death, money over financial difficulties, having all we want over our needs met. The world is pretty clear to what is considered the good life; in fact, well-known preachers proclaim it from the pulpit. If you have enough faith and pray hard enough, or even just believe it will be so, then what you desire will be yours because that is what God wants you to have. The truth is that we are promised suffering and that God's ways are not our ways and part of dying to self is setting aside our ways and submitting ourselves to God's ways and trusting him to carry us through and bring us right where He wants us even if that means that our child isn't healed, we don't see our husband saved, or we go from financial hardship to financial hardship. The victory may be that we can submit ourselves to the will of the Father and in doing so see the good in the difficult situation and experience joy where there seems to be none. Then perhaps we can encourage and comfort others with the hope and knowledge that true victory is all in the cross.
The story I heard was a wonderful story about how this lady's child had been seriously ill and undergone a dramatic treatment and was now doing amazingly well. Of course they are happy and thrilled and we all have reason to rejoice with them. The DJ praised God with them and pronounced it a victory .
But sometimes I wonder why it seems that all the call in stories happen to be cases where everything work out for what we consider "our good"; the kind of endings that people would be crazy not to want to have happen. I would think that it could make a person feel terribly lonely and perhaps abandoned by God to think that the only good things from God are the obvious "shout from the rooftops" kind of victories.
I think about so many of the songs that are played on the radio frequently like "I'll Praise you in this Storm" or "In Your Hands" and what the victory is in those songs and those like them. I think the victory is that a person can still praise God for the storm that they are going through or that they can feel God's presence and know that He is sovereign in their situation. The victory might be that they woke up that morning and were able to walk through another day, that they were able to pray just as they had been for 20 years for their husband's salvation, or that they were able to see God's provision is there even when it isn't the provision they would choose.
It is easy to only see victory in what we would always choose and the way in which we would choose it...health over sickness, life over death, money over financial difficulties, having all we want over our needs met. The world is pretty clear to what is considered the good life; in fact, well-known preachers proclaim it from the pulpit. If you have enough faith and pray hard enough, or even just believe it will be so, then what you desire will be yours because that is what God wants you to have. The truth is that we are promised suffering and that God's ways are not our ways and part of dying to self is setting aside our ways and submitting ourselves to God's ways and trusting him to carry us through and bring us right where He wants us even if that means that our child isn't healed, we don't see our husband saved, or we go from financial hardship to financial hardship. The victory may be that we can submit ourselves to the will of the Father and in doing so see the good in the difficult situation and experience joy where there seems to be none. Then perhaps we can encourage and comfort others with the hope and knowledge that true victory is all in the cross.
Monday, March 22, 2010
s'mores
I really have been such a terrible blogger lately. So many pictures unposted and so many things not said(which really might be for the better!.) I am going to blame at least the pictures on the fact that blogger was loading them soo slowly and crashing while loading and so on. When I did the "By My Hands" post I was shocked at how quickly everything loaded so i am goign to try to cover some lost ground!
The goods. It is important to note that dark chocolate was the chocolate of choice.
The fire pit.
A little bit sticky.
The smoke was really intense for some reason.
We are all about burning some marshmallows.
Pink eye anyone?
??? (emma's most common caption)
and all campfires end with a little lightsaber fighting....
and ummm...wow. for the longest time I thought it was lightsaber or light saber. Then one day I thought, "Duh!" It is light saver. that would make much more sense!" Good think I just googled it before saying what I was going to say because it is lightsaber!!" Guess who is not a Star War's fan?
The goods. It is important to note that dark chocolate was the chocolate of choice.
The fire pit.
A little bit sticky.
The smoke was really intense for some reason.
We are all about burning some marshmallows.
Pink eye anyone?
??? (emma's most common caption)
and all campfires end with a little lightsaber fighting....and ummm...wow. for the longest time I thought it was lightsaber or light saber. Then one day I thought, "Duh!" It is light saver. that would make much more sense!" Good think I just googled it before saying what I was going to say because it is lightsaber!!" Guess who is not a Star War's fan?
Friday, March 19, 2010
Clothes Sorting and Memories
One of the biproducts of a large family is the possession of a lot of clothes...in tubs in the attic, closets, garage or whatever. Twice a year the tubs come out and the ol' clothes switcheroo takes place to see what fits and what we need to buy for the next season. Every few times we get them all out because stuff gets out of place and put in the wrong tubs, and it all needs to be resorted. I also use that time for sending off to goodwill what I know will never be worn again adn to just pare it down in general. I decided this spring was one of those times so out they all came.
Um...wow...it is always such a walk down memory lane. I consolidated all our shoes down to one tub. In that one tub is the first little baby shoes I ever bought. I cannot tell you how many times I was stopped by someone telling me how much they liked those shoes. Besides those shoes, are the first little pair of white fisherman sandals; the ones that Anne Michal learned to walk in...so sweet. And I can't leave out all the little white keds with the rubber toes. What is it about those rubber toes that is so stinkin' cute!
I had a lot of baby and little girl clothes returned to me and I sorted through those, and it reminds me of the little chubby faces , the hairbows, the first pigtails, and all the cute little bloomers. I see little girls clutching their dolls, pushing strollers, and making tea. My youngest girl is turning 8 this summer and those days seem long ago, but I smile thinking of the sweetness of those days and the lovely girls they have turned out to be.
I'd love to be able to say that they are all happy memories or happy thoughts, but it woudn't be honest. I sort through the sz 4 boys clothes and I see all the shorts and t's that knox would be wearing. I wonder if Elizabeth is right and if his favorite color really is green. I pull out some things for Creed that Knox would have been wearing that summer(2007). I got rid of most of it as I didn't want to see another little boy wearing those things, but I missed a few things and I can't help but wish I had the memories of Knox wearing those. I come across the girl's orange overalls that matched the overalls knox had on the night of his accident and think about ripping them to shreds but just put them in a box instead. I consider the same with the green capris that looked like the ones I had on that night, but go ahead and put them in Emma's drawer .
I guess what it boils down to is that clothes carry a history with them; a history that sticks with me. I know who wore what and when. I know the good and the bad of all those times and even in that there is mixed emotions. The clothes Emma is wearing this summer is mostly the clothes that Anne Michal wore in 2007. They remind me of the pain and the grief that lingers yet, but it also reminds me of the kindness and generosity of people to us as well. It reminds me of people praying for us, caring for us, bringing us meals and buying my children summer clothes so that I didn't have to even think about it. Those are comforting memories and memories that I hope I can use to help me to comfort others.
It has been quite the emotional day, and I continue to be thankful that His mercies are new every morning.
Um...wow...it is always such a walk down memory lane. I consolidated all our shoes down to one tub. In that one tub is the first little baby shoes I ever bought. I cannot tell you how many times I was stopped by someone telling me how much they liked those shoes. Besides those shoes, are the first little pair of white fisherman sandals; the ones that Anne Michal learned to walk in...so sweet. And I can't leave out all the little white keds with the rubber toes. What is it about those rubber toes that is so stinkin' cute!
I had a lot of baby and little girl clothes returned to me and I sorted through those, and it reminds me of the little chubby faces , the hairbows, the first pigtails, and all the cute little bloomers. I see little girls clutching their dolls, pushing strollers, and making tea. My youngest girl is turning 8 this summer and those days seem long ago, but I smile thinking of the sweetness of those days and the lovely girls they have turned out to be.
I'd love to be able to say that they are all happy memories or happy thoughts, but it woudn't be honest. I sort through the sz 4 boys clothes and I see all the shorts and t's that knox would be wearing. I wonder if Elizabeth is right and if his favorite color really is green. I pull out some things for Creed that Knox would have been wearing that summer(2007). I got rid of most of it as I didn't want to see another little boy wearing those things, but I missed a few things and I can't help but wish I had the memories of Knox wearing those. I come across the girl's orange overalls that matched the overalls knox had on the night of his accident and think about ripping them to shreds but just put them in a box instead. I consider the same with the green capris that looked like the ones I had on that night, but go ahead and put them in Emma's drawer .
I guess what it boils down to is that clothes carry a history with them; a history that sticks with me. I know who wore what and when. I know the good and the bad of all those times and even in that there is mixed emotions. The clothes Emma is wearing this summer is mostly the clothes that Anne Michal wore in 2007. They remind me of the pain and the grief that lingers yet, but it also reminds me of the kindness and generosity of people to us as well. It reminds me of people praying for us, caring for us, bringing us meals and buying my children summer clothes so that I didn't have to even think about it. Those are comforting memories and memories that I hope I can use to help me to comfort others.
It has been quite the emotional day, and I continue to be thankful that His mercies are new every morning.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
By My Hands
It has been a long time since I have done a "By My Hands" post so this is a bit obnoxious, but here are some of the things I have made in the last few months.
I made this shade for the boys' room from the idea I gathered from this blog for a simple shade. You hang it on hooks and then put little tabs where you want them so that you can pull it up how you like. It works sort of like a roman shade would but with less options and way way way easier to make!!
I had some fabric left over so I made this bucket for their cars. I have been having fun making buckets and using this stuff called chalkcloth that works like a chalkboard.
Jack has a sketchpad that he has to use for drawings for his art class; he had been carrying it around in an old girly listtaker I had made last year. One of his buddy's asked me to make one for his sketchpad so I decided that I might as well make Jack a new one while I was at it.
Then I appliqued one of the cars on a striped T for my nephew. I started another one for creed but I haven't finished it yet.
occupational hazard: I stitched my finger to the shirt and didn't realize it until several stitches later.
I tweaked a baby shoe pattern I found online and have made several pairs of baby shoes.
A couple more buckets:
This last one is made from a coffee bean bag.
Emma has been wanting a long cape for a long time so I finally made her one for Christmas and then made up this little layered skirt to match.
I haven't sewn much for Creed but I recently managed this new jon jon.
And lastly, a small sampling of some binder covers I have made.
I made this shade for the boys' room from the idea I gathered from this blog for a simple shade. You hang it on hooks and then put little tabs where you want them so that you can pull it up how you like. It works sort of like a roman shade would but with less options and way way way easier to make!!
I had some fabric left over so I made this bucket for their cars. I have been having fun making buckets and using this stuff called chalkcloth that works like a chalkboard.
Jack has a sketchpad that he has to use for drawings for his art class; he had been carrying it around in an old girly listtaker I had made last year. One of his buddy's asked me to make one for his sketchpad so I decided that I might as well make Jack a new one while I was at it.
Then I appliqued one of the cars on a striped T for my nephew. I started another one for creed but I haven't finished it yet.
occupational hazard: I stitched my finger to the shirt and didn't realize it until several stitches later.
I tweaked a baby shoe pattern I found online and have made several pairs of baby shoes.
A couple more buckets:
This last one is made from a coffee bean bag.
Emma has been wanting a long cape for a long time so I finally made her one for Christmas and then made up this little layered skirt to match.
I haven't sewn much for Creed but I recently managed this new jon jon.
And lastly, a small sampling of some binder covers I have made.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
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