Here is a journal that I covered and stamped for a good friend. I like that I can choose red things for her because that is not 'my color' but it is so fun to work with. The red represents her 'spice.' The swirls represent her free spirit, the yellow flower represents the joy of our friendship, the brown velvet ribbon represents the richness of who she is, the dangling beads represent her sense of 'fun', the metallic studs represent how God has and continues to polish her heart, the B represents her identity, and the shadow behind the B represents memories of the past.

She is a person that I respect and love. My favorite thing about her is her deep love for God and her depth as a person. This was a true joy to make a handmade gift for her that she would use.

Chocolate Therapy

I was having an extra tough week and so I went to get a piece of chocolate, Dove Silky Dark to be exact. Well, anyone that eats Dove Chocolates on a regular basis knows that the wrapper has a message inside. Sometimes the messages are cute but a lot of these messages have made me roll my eyes and think 'oh brother...' however this time it was a different message. This message said "When you can't control the wind, adjust your sails!" from Brenda in Schofield, WI. That was what I needed to read and it gave the chocolate therapy an extra dose of goodness for the day. So...I am working on adjusting my sails. UH...who tied these knots so tight?

Maybe I should have another chocolate!

An Unlikely Disciple

A month or 2 ago I read An Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose. I have been wanting to write about it but time passes too quickly so I will just give a brief overview. Kevin Roose was a student at Brown University and was tagging along on a trip to Liberty University because an author friend of his needed to interview Jerry Fallwell for a book. As Kevin was hanging out and waiting he spoke with some of the students there and when they found out that he was not an evangelical Christian the conversation changed in an obvious way. So Kevin decided that he wanted to find out about these evangelical Christian students without the boundaries of not being one of them. His university approved a semester off so that he could attend Liberty and write about his experience there. So yes, he entered Liberty as an undercover liberal posing as an evangelical. I think Kevin did a fine job of being open minded and his purpose was not to bash this group of students but to find out about what makes them tick and how they think. He brings up attitudes that really upset him but he is also able to see and experience a lot of the good things about this group. Kevin also was able to interview Jerry Fallwell and that ended up being one of the last interviews before Jerry Fallwell's death. Even though I am a Christian I have never been to a university of this type. I enjoyed this glimpse into life at Liberty University and I appreciate the work that Roose accomplished.

Mosaics

A sweet friend of mine loves to mosaic and she has made all kinds of cool stuff. She also shares her hobby with her friends and invites them over to give it a try. I have had the privilege of being invited quite a few times and so here are a few items that I have made. These will have a home on one of my walls (hopefully sooner than later.)

Thanksgiving Decorations

It is the day before Thanksgiving and I finally put out some decorations.

History Picture Books

I love, love, love picture books! Picture books are a great way to learn about things because they give you basic information and wonderful pictures to go with it. Even as an adult, picture books about science and history have taught me many things about our world. I have always read picture books to my kids. Of course we read more chapter books now since they are older but I still slide a few in now and then. My boys are 14, 12, and 10 but they have been trained to be polite and listen whenever Mom is reading. (Most of the time--ahem) So...they are very nice to let me read picture books to them when I feel the need. We even have special picture books for holidays that we read each year as part of our family tradition. The 14 year old does not participate because 1) he is 14-hello! and 2) his school load does not allow him the time. So I am savoring that I can still read to my others and knowing that this season is short!

Anywho--We read 2 great picture books for history that I wanted to share. The first is Escaping to America: A True Story by Rosalyn Schanzer. This story is about a family in Poland and around 1921 they knew they must leave their country. The story includes how the family had to deal with the presence of the soldiers in their town and how they had to be sneaky to escape. This story adds personality to the characters and lets the reader relate them. The pictures are wonderful and the story ends on the day of Thanksgiving.

The other book is The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis. This author grew up in Prague, Czechoslovakia during the cold war. This book tells of a boys life growing up and how the politics affected it. Sis shares the desire of the youth to be free to express themselves in music and art. He includes the 'Prague Spring' of 1968 and how the leader, Alexander Dubcek, was lifting the censorship. Then in August the reassertion of totalitarian control by the Soviets was heavy and harsh. This control also included the removal of Dubcek from office. I enjoyed this glimpse into life in that place and time. It made me curious to find out more about 'Prague Spring.' This book also has a happy ending--that is always a good thing!

Both of these books are good reminders of the wonderful country that we live in. I am so thankful for our freedom and liberty that we have as citizens of the United States of America. I think about the price our forefathers have paid for us and how that price is still being paid now by our soldiers and their families. It is very humbling to know how blessed I am to live here in this time. There are many people that still come to our country for the freedom and the opportunity for a better life. How privileged I am to be here and I need to remember to always be thankful!!!

Wow, all those thoughts sparked from a picture book! If you are studying history with your kids I want to encourage you to throw in some picture books for both fun and learning!

Learning New Things

I have known my husband for over 25 years and we still learn new things about each other. My husband just learned that I do NOT like lemon or lime desserts. I do like lemonade and lemon in my water or tea but that is all. I do NOT like lemon pie, lemon cake, lemon bars lemon tarts or key lime pie. I do not like margaritas. I do not like any dessert to be lemon. How my hubby did not know this I am not sure.

A week later I learned that my hubby does not like berries. "WHAT? How can you not like berries?" Oh, he does like strawberries and anything that is strawberry flavored. However, he does not like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, or any other berry. OK, OK, I did know that he wasn't that fond of raspberries but to exclude all other berries! I am shocked. I am coming to terms with it rather nicely since that means that he will not gobble up my yummy berries that are in the fridge.

Getting to know people is an exciting adventure and there is always something new to learn. I think one reason why we do not know more about others is because we do not ask. Actually my husband and I have more important things to discuss instead of lemons and berries but it is fun to talk about likes, dislikes, and favorites. So if you are in a holiday situation with no conversation then ask about their favorite dessert and then ask about desserts they do not like. You may be surprised. Did you know that some people do not like nuts in their fudge? "WHAT!"

Jobs

I recently watched the movie Entry Level which I found at the library. This movie is about a 30 year old man that has closed his restaurant and wants to leave the food service field and start in a new area of business. It is not a fast moving movie at all which is appropriate for the topic. I think this movie was not overly emotional but did show the drudgery of the job hunt process. I would not consider this to be a "feel good" movie but it does end on a positive note. I like that it deals with the struggle of doing something you are good at and love and getting burned out on that and then trying to find your bearings.

I ran into this same topic while I was reading The Pulpwood Queens' Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide To Life by Kathy L. Patrick. In this book it starts out telling how the author overcame her job layoff from a publishing company. She combined some of her favorite things; a beauty shop and sharing good books with others and opened the first combination beauty shop/book store. From there she started a book club with the main focus on fun. This book tells different stories from her life that are realistic but with an upbeat twist. Kathy also gives book suggestions at the end of each chapter. This book was a fun treat to read.

New Blog

As I start blogging I would like to acknowledge that I have been encouraged by other blogs. It has been a blessing to see a small glimpse of other's lives and thoughts. I hope this will bring encouragement or a glimmer of hope to others on a dreary day. I may not have anything BIG or important to share but I will enjoy sharing my thoughts about movies, books, kids, life, and other such things. So here I go to begin blogging...