Name That Novel

My boys and I finished Elizabeth George Speare's The Bronze Bow, finally.  We couldn't read it every night for various reasons, and sometimes we needed to read the Bible together instead, when our daytime Bible reading ran short.

The Bronze Bow is my second favorite book of all time, behind Little Women. It's pure literary genius! The boys got an in depth look into the history of Jesus' time, as well as a deeper understanding of the works of grace Jesus performs in the human heart.

It was a little mature for my Paul, age 7, but he still gleaned a lot from it.

Since the book was so serious, we've moved on to lighter fare.  Can you guess the title of this next novel, penned in 1982? I've included an excerpt below.

The human bean," the Giant went on, "is coming in dillions of different flavours.  For instance, human beans from Wales is tasting very whooshey of fish.  There is something very fishy about Wales."
"You mean whales," Sophie said.  "Wales is something quite different."
"Wales is whales," the Giant said.  "Don't gobblefunk around with words.  I will now give you another example.  Human beans from Jersey has a most disgustable wooly tickle on the tongue," the Giant said.  "Human beans from Jersey is tasting of cardigans."
"You mean jerseys," Sophie said.
"You are once again gobblefunking!" The Giant shouted.  "Don't do it! This is a serious and snitching subject.  May I continue?"
"Please do," Sophie said.
"Danes from Denmark is tasting ever so much of dogs," the Giant went on.
"Of course," Sophie said. "They taste of great danes."
"Wrong!" cried the Giant, slapping his thigh.  "Danes from Denmark is tasting doggy because they is tasting of labradors!"
"Then what do the people of Labrador taste of?" Sophie asked.
"Danes," the Giant cried, triumphantly.  "Great danes!"

don't be silent; sing His praise

Psalm 30:12 

That my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Sunday Gratitude List:

* little girls in the loveliest feminine dresses for church, complete with white sweater, white tights, and new white flats.  They don't always deck out so, but it makes them so excited when they do! I try to memorize every giggle, every twirling spin, every delicate little-girl feature.

(I read on Simple Mom's blogging tips last week that I'm not supposed to write with exclamation points, unless it's my general style of writing.  Sorry, friends.  I guess it is--at least when it comes to my children.  They excite me!!)

* a freshly mowed lawn

* white-crowned sparrows coming to the feeders and delighting my Peter

* all natural vanilla bean chocolate mint ice cream

* Peter picking tulips and putting them in a vase for Momma

* freshly laundered sheets

* baby soft cheeks to kiss

* a strong husband to hug

* a litter soda bottle over the plexiglass feeder, solving our squirrel problems

* Peter feeding the squirrels dried corn cobs, to keep them happy

* Barilla PLUS multigrain elbow pasta (no mess involved when two year olds eat this with spaghetti sauce, and it takes great.)

* little girls giggling in the tub

* sisters kissing and hugging

* sisters playing with dolls (not an everyday thing around here)

* big boys saying I love you

* I've been collecting skirts for myself from thrift stores for about a year, after growing to hate the jeans, jeans, jeans mother-at-home uniform. I like being a woman! I've worn jeans all this time only because they make mothering easier, and it's cheap to find tops that match.  It has been difficult to find new-looking coordinating tops for my skirt collection, but I've made progress on my last two thrifting trips.  I can now wear skirts at least three times a week, and still comfortably mother and do chores.

I picked out skirts that looked brand new, were machine washable and didn't need ironing.  I wear flat shoes at home, but sometimes change to slightly healed shoes to do errands.  I wear nylons or tights if it's cold, or paint my toes and wear black or brown sandals if it's warm.  I've collected:

- 2 long jean skirts (different styles)

- 1 knee-length jean skirt (I don't wear the knee-length if I'm going some place to sit down, like someone's house or to church, because knee-length skirts aren't very modest once you sit down.  But grocery shopping in it or mothering in it are fine. My husband likes it.

-  2 below-the-knee flowing polyester skirts with black background and lots of pretty flowers (solid black tops or short-sleeved black sweaters coordinate with these, because the flowers provide so much color).  When the weather turns quite humid, I'll abandon all polyester, except for church.

- 1 light-weight cotton broomstick skirt in various shades of green (I finally had to break down and buy a white, short-sleeved sweater top for $7 at Walmart to go with this one.  I couldn't find anything at thrift stores after looking for a year.)

- 1 dressy below-the-knee rayon/spandex/polyester blend skirt in black for church  

* Last night Peter spilled a quart of lemonade all over himself, all over me, the counter, the dishwasher, and the floor, just as I was about to prepare dinner.  It delayed me twenty-five minutes because the clean up was so extensive.  As I was down on the floor cleaning, I noticed that all the appliances needed a good Windexing, the baseboards needed a good wiping, and the inside of the dishwasher needed a good cleaning.  I was immediately downcast about the messiness--wanting to sob really--but then the Holy Spirit put a picture in my head.

I imagined an immaculate home with all deep cleaning caught up--walls, baseboards, appliances, windows, blinds, ceilings--but it was devoid of children, of laughter, of plentiful hugs, of children's books, of children's paintings and drawings.  Suddenly, I stopped wishing I had time for deep cleaning. And I gulped down tears, thanking the Lord for my four wonderful blessings! Shame on me for caring about deep cleaning when abundant blessings--the best kind of blessings--flowed around me.

a soul longing for wholeness

When you get together with your extended family, do you always leave in pain?  Are there bridges you've learned not to cross--words you leave unsaid?  Does your soul ache with a longing for wholeness?

Then this work of grace, this piece of poetry, is just for you.  Don't miss it.  The Lord has given Laura a powerful, poignantly beautiful gift with words.  It is short, so you do have time.

let the fruit began

You'd be surprised what happens when you spend more time with your children.  Really!

Let me clarify.

By spend more time with, I'm not referring to planning fun activities, like baking or painting together--though such things do bless them.  What I really mean is simply going to whatever room your children are in, sitting down, and announcing that you're taking a break from your chores.  Just watch the surprise in their eyes!

What you'll notice is that they'll be blessed by your stillness--especially if you are a task-oriented versus people-oriented person.  They might just sit in your lap, maybe bring you a book to read, or just chat with you, enjoying your undivided attention.  Your undivided attention is key!

It's so easy to think of them as loud and in the way--especially when you're sorrowfully behind or you're focused on adult worries.  But even if you have to set a bell to remember, try to spend chunks of time with them--maybe twenty minutes here and there.  Really focus on it.

I've enjoyed these fruits, quite unexpectedly:

- You hear "I love you, Mommy" more than ever before.

- You learn more about their dreams.

- You delight in what they can do.

- You lighten up--smiling more, laughing more--because they're just so wonderful.


- You hug, kiss and cuddle more than ever.


- While they're in your arms for a cuddle, they whisper, "You make the day better, Mommy."


- You see their love for each other, up close.  (When you're off doing chores all day, you only hear the squabbles.)

- They lighten up--whining less, smiling more.

- You like yourself more.

- You like them more.

- You learn that they're capable people.  They can fold and put away their clothes.  Sweep floors.  Organize toys--thereby freeing up more of your time.  (If yours are still babies, just know what you can look forward to :) They may balk at first, but they want to be a part of the team called family. They just don't know it yet. You've perhaps never given them a taste of what it means for family to be a team.  When everyone cleans or picks up at the same time, it feels wonderful--bonds are strengthened, morale gets a boost.  The we're in this together feeling blesses the socks off everyone!

Remember, you don't have to entertain.  Just walk in and sit down.  They'll be delighted to see you, without a basket of clothes to fold, without a stack of bills to pay, without a bottle of Windex in your hand.

Let the fruit began!

a blackout

Before retiring last night I knew there was a flood warning for our area, going into the early morning.  When the power went out around 5:30 AM, I awoke with a start--noticing immediately the silent, jet black room.  The Hepa-filter fans running in two rooms make low levels roars and without them, the sudden silence was striking.

My nursing toddler barely flinched, continuing her sleepy, half-hearted sucking.  Compared to the howling gusts outside--the strength of which I'd never before experienced--I found her nursing sounds quite soothing.

My first thought?

I wished I'd checked the online weather forecast before retiring, because these winds could easily progress to tornado-like strength?  I'd woken to more earthquakes than I can count in my lifetime--being a Southern California native--but howling winds up to 60 - 70 miles per hour were entirely new, even for a fourteen-year high-desert dweller.

My second thought?

Oh yeah, we don't have a basement! (Something I'm usually happy about--I find that damp smell nauseating.)  Should I wake everyone--including husband who'd just come home from work at 4:00 AM--or assume we're all goners anyway, and try to go back to sleep?

My third thought?

If Peter wakes and notices the blackout and high winds, he'll freak out (tornadoes are one of his worst fears).

My fourth thought?

Oh boy, he's awake!  Here we go.

Peter immediately got a flashlight from the closet in his bedroom, and proceeded to tell both parents, "There's a blackout and we're going to die!"


Momma whispers, trying not to wake the nursing toddler:  "No, Peter. We're not going to die.  It's just a windy storm and the power will come on shortly. They have people working on it.  Quiet down or you'll wake everyone!"


I had folded and sorted clean clothes for Goodwill, relatives, and our drawers until 2:00 AM, eager to get the spring clothing switch done.  I then had insomnia until roughly 2:30 AM, so I'd clocked little sleep.

Peter's paranoia, I knew, wasn't going to calm--we were up for the day, like it or not.

The good news is that the baby went back to sleep for awhile, with Daddy. The bad news is that Peter woke his brother Paul, who is a night person (like the rest of the family minus Peter).  Paul usually rises at 8:00 AM, Mary around 7:35 AM,  Momma and Beth around 7: 45 AM (this late just since daylight savings) and Peter, the lone man out, around 6: 45 AM, most mornings.  Daddy often sleeps until 9:00 AM, depending on his schedule the night before.  This morning he hoped to sleep until 10:30 AM, as Wednesday night is his heaviest work night.

Peter calmed after natural light entered the house, but he and his brother made so much noise, as they roamed the house, watching and reacting to the high winds, that poor Mary was awake far earlier than her body wanted. She then came in for an earlier-than-normal cuddle, waking her little sister.

Momma made do with no electricity, by making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, and reading as many picture books as her fatigued body could handle, with the little natural light available during stormy skies.  This calmed the troops for a while, and the power finally came back on around 9: 30 AM--with everything in the fridge and freezer surviving the blackout.

We were a tired bunch today!

Through the Lord's grace we made it through the day, with nary a ripple. And strangely enough, we never got a drop of rain during the night or day, despite the darkened skies.  They changed the flood warning to a high-wind warning.

We got though this unscathed, but so many others did not!

Please pray for this blogger's large family, who lost their home to a tornado on Wednesday? Her story, including that she just had a baby, warrants much prayer.  Her church has set up a tornado fund to help her, as well as her family and church friend, Mrs. Lee--a mother of thirteen, who lost both her husband and her home to the tornado.