1,000 Gifts

I was given a copy of One Thousand Gifts:  A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp for my birthday.  I've been reading Ann's blog, A Holy Experience, for years.  Her words and pictures time and time again hit me hard, but in the most loving way.  Even yesterday's post had me wondering if she had been in my kitchen that morning.  I was living what she was writing.  And that happens often.

Her lyrical style of writing flows with how my mind rolls.  The beauty and poetry of her words make my heart alternately sing and break.   She is able to put into words, and more beautifully than I could, my own thoughts.  Reading her posts makes me examine my life, sometimes completely redirect a day, and always turn my heart and mind back to Christ.


I'm not even done reading the book and can't wait to read it again.  I know that this book has really taken off, even to the point of being in the top 10 of the NY Times Bestsellers List.  I am not one to read whatever is popular at that moment, or jump into the latest trend, "Christian" or otherwise.  This one is different.  This one makes me want to buy a copy for everyone I know.

I cannot even put into words how much this book means to me.  I am sure I'll be writing more about it in the coming weeks.  Go watch this little video to see what it's all about.

Another (Few) Years of Dickens...

I laughed when I saw this post the other day. That was from 2007. I took a break from reading through my Charles Dickens collection. A two year break it turned out to be. I did read some of his Christmas Stories last year, but dove back in full force this summer. I have completed Dombey and Son and Little Dorritt and am currently three fourths of the way through Bleak House. As they average 1200 pages, it takes a bit more time and thought to read than say, the Mitford series I reread last month. I do read and nurse the baby at the same time when it works out.

Dombey & Son has been my least favorite so far. Not that it isn't wonderfully written. It is just a sadder story to me. I adored Little Dorritt and begged Sweetheart to get the movie when I finished. We both loved it. Do watch it if you can!

All this Dickens led to watching an old BBC version of Bleak House that we've had for years but hadn't seen. Now we own the new version as well. *ahem* Both are good, but the newer version is filmed in a more up to date fashion and very well done as well as being easier to follow with better audio. It is an amazing story. I will be a bit sad to finish reading it.

I think next I will venture off to The Curiosity Shop for a visit. By then it will probably be time to finish up the Christmas Stories. As my set of books is quite old and worn I sewed, a book cover that I can put on each book as I read them. I hope this will help them to last longer.

Though at over 135 years old, I think they've paid their dues, don't you? Maybe I'll get a picture of the cover I made taken and posted soon. As computer time varies wildly these days, we'll just have to see. I am keeping quite busy these days and loving it all. Well, except the crying. And I am a wee bit tired today. Therefore, I am going to sign off for now wishing you all the best. Maybe I can get a few more pages read...

What are you reading???? Do tell!

Don't Judge a Book by Its Color

This is the lesson I learned this week. I had heard about the book The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brockett on a few blogs awhile back and flipped through its pages one day at the bookstore. I was honestly put off by all the pink and orange that seem to dominate its pages. I set it back on the shelf without actually reading it.

A few days ago a friend mentioned reading it on her blog. Brenda and I usually like all the same things, so when I saw the book at the library last week I decided to check it out. I am glad I did.

I love it. Yes, it still has more orange and pink than I personally enjoy, but I love her thoughts and prose. I am also taking the time to look and study each picture on each page and appreciating each one in its turn.

I have been copying quotations from this and another couple of Highly Domestic Books I've been reading to share with everyone. Gee, more blog posts NOT involving moving! What a treat for us all! There is no new news on that front and that's all I can say at this time.

I am on the third computer of the week and have not taken any pictures since I got back from Phoenix as I know downloading them is too challenging given the computer situation. So, blog posts will be lacking my pictures for awhile.

Today is an at home day. Sweetheart is even working from home today as well. He is sitting across the table from me. The boys are playing on the floor at our feet and Mom is upstairs working in her office. It's cozy.

I've got a batch of dough for bread rising in the kitchen. I will toss it in the oven in a few minutes and get going on lunch. I finally broke down and had to unpack my mixer and mill after buying countless loaves of bread from the store. My, but decent bread sure has become expensive!

I was so used to my own routines and baking that I hadn't noticed how much bread we go through. We usually have it for both breakfast and lunch nearly everyday and sometimes for dinner. That's a lot of dough!

I enjoy making our breads. There is something so soothing about the process and I love the warmth of the dough in my hands as I knead it. Plus nothing beats the smell of fresh-baked bread.

Well, it is time to go for now. I am looking forward to having more ideas to share from all my reading over the next few days. I love the library, don't you?

BTW- Do check out Brenda's list of cozy books and movies for summer reading & viewing inspiration when you get the chance.

Also-Jane has her own blog, yarnstorm, you may enjoy.

Have a lovely day!

My Year of Dickens

Like many of you, I was required to read at least one Charles Dickens novel for English class. We read Great Expectations one year. It was not very interesting to me at the time. I was completely grossed out by Miss Havisham and her home. I couldn't seem to get past my revulsion at her way of life to notice the rest of the story.

I know I also read A Christmas Carol somewhere along the way as well. I enjoyed that story more, but still wasn't too interested in Dickens as an author.

I think part of the problem was that we read the stories aloud as a class. So much is lost in a story to me that way. I would get caught up and distracted by how others read aloud, usually poorly, and certainly without expression. If I tried to ignore my classmates and read ahead on my own, I would be totally off track if I was called on to read, so that didn't work too well. All in all, I read what was required, but no more.

That recently changed. Sweetheart and I bought the DVD of Nicholas Nickleby awhile back. This was the 2002 version. We loved it. It is a wonderful movie that, while not including all 800+ pages of material, does a fine job as a feature film. Of course, I also like the 2005 Pride & Prejudice film which may make my opinion suspect to some of you. :) see my thoughts here.

It was probably a year or so after watching the movie several times that I decided I should read the book. I read it last fall and enjoyed it tremendously. It is quite long and contains an amazing amount of detail, but was an enjoyable read none the less. I highly recommend it!

Reading Nicholas Nickelby led my on to reread A Christmas Carol last December. I took a few months off of Dickens, but then reread Great Expectations. This time through I loved it! I am sure that it was due in part because I was reading it for my own pleasure and not as an assignment. I was amazed at how little I remember. Of course, high school was a long time ago for me...

I then jumped in and read Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities in just a few weeks. We had seen a recent movie version of Oliver Twist on sale at Target, but didn't purchase it. This motivated me to read the book to see if I'd want to get a movie version.

While I was reading Oliver Twist and ATOTC, I discovered a set of 1874 editions of all of Dickens' writings on ebay. I was so excited when we won the auction for such a low price. It's a lovely set, well-worn, but so neat to own. Besides, I think most books that are over 130 years would be pretty worn, don't you?

I was in for another surprise, though. Sweetheart mentioned he found a copy of the BBC version of Oliver Twist and ordered it. I was so pleased when it arrived, all 12 episodes! Imagine my surprise though when Sweetheart informed me that it came with a two box set of ALL the BBC movie productions of Dickens. We now have about 10 different movies to enjoy. Of course, it took about two weeks to get through watching Oliver Twist a bit t time every few evenings, so I think this is a set that will keep us busy for quite some time!

I absolutely adore Dickens now! His wit and attention to detail is masterful. How he kept track of so many characters and plot twists astounds me, especially when you note that most of his writings were done as serials in monthly installments. While he made a few editorially changes in some of his works as they were printed in novel forms, he was basically publishing his stories while he was still writing them.

The history contained in his writings is fascinating to me as well. I feel as though I have learned so much just from reading his novels that I never knew before. It is quite an education.

It is neat to know that his writing was more than just entertainment. He actually championed a lot of needed reforms at that time through his writings. His descriptions of conditions in both schools and poor houses led to much needed change. How wonderful that he could both entertain people and lead them to fight for reform!

I've just started the copy of The Pickwick Papers from my wonderful old set. I look forward to discovering what awaits between the covers of this story. I am planning to read through the entire set. It will take some time, but I'll keep you posted.

Apparently, I'm not the only fan of Dickens. Mrs. Wilt has some ideas and links on him as well on her new blog. I look forward to checking them out as well.


Why don't you join me in revisiting some of the old classics, and see if you too enjoy them more the second time around? Let me know what you're reading.

****Question: Usually movie titles are in quotes while book titles are listed in italics, what does one do for a book that's been made into a movie?

Tea Book Review

Years ago Victoria Magazine published The Charms of Tea with the top cover picture. It was republished recently with a new cover and some different photographs, but the same lovely content. You may see excerpts from the book here. The Charms of Tea is a delightful books full of the wonderful photographs that drew readers to Victoria Magazine. It is also filled with quotations and excerpts from literature related to tea, as well as containing a section of recipes and menu ideas. It is filled with quotes from Wordsworth to Oscar Wilde to Lucy Maud Montgomery. The Charms of Tea gives a lovely history of varies types of tea through history including The Victorian Tea and The Social Tea, as well as a Tea Glossary and various Tea Sources.

It's an enjoyable read as well as a fine tea cookbook. Its recipe section is divided into recipes for Teas, Savories, Breads, Spreads, Cookies, and Cakes. It contains quite a few recipes for drinks to serve at a tea besides simply hot tea.

One of my favorites is the Lavender and Lime recipe. It's so simple, but refreshing. One simply steeps a few teaspoons of lavender flowers in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes, strains out the flowers, and pours the resulting tea in a pitcher of limeade. I love to serve this at warm weather teas as a refreshing change from iced tea.

This is definitely a book to seek out. From start to finish it full of the wonderful treats one would expect for Victoria. Perfect for novice tea lovers with its directions on Brewing the Perfect Pot of Tea, to the veteran tea takers with new and delicious ideas, there is something for everyone in this delightful book.

Little House

A few weeks ago Sweetheart returned from the thrift store with a special surprise for me. He found all nine Little House books in perfect condition. I had an old, worn out set when I was teaching, but couldn't find them in my tubs of books. What a treat to receive the whole set in such nice shape. See why I call him Sweetheart?

I've been reading them off and on since he brought them home and finished the series earlier this week. I loved these books as a child and enjoyed rereading them a few years ago. How nice it's been to visit with them again!

Laura's role as Mary's eyes to the world, I believe, made her an extraordinary writer. Her prose is simple, yet descriptive. I always feel as if I am a part of the scene, just standing on the end, watching her life. I enjoy how she also shares her feelings. Personally, having a perfect sister like Mary would have driven me nuts and I, too, would have wanted to speak my mind more.

The hardships that the Ingalls family lived through are truly amazing to me. How many of us would have given up when things got tough? Their ability to keep on persevering is inspirational to me. I've been personally convicted to stick with some tough jobs since I began rereading these because I've thought about how much harder they worked than I ever will.

It's so neat to read about a family that works so hard for one another. I want to instill that love of family into our children as they grow up. Laura became a schoolteacher, not because she wanted to, but because it would help Mary. She stuck with it even through some horrible times (the lady with the knife!) because the family was counting on her. She gave and sacrificed time and time again, as they all did for one another.

Yes, she was pretty critical of one of the preachers, Reverend Brown, whom she grew up under and she refused to have "obey" as part of her wedding vows, but she was equally kind in her descriptions of the Reverend Alden, who truly loved his church members.

All in all, I love these stories. I'll keep rereading them in the future I know, and look forward to sharing them with my own children someday.

Here's a link to a fun site that has some fun activities to go along with the books. Also, Kelli shares her experiences with her three children and their Prairie Days. What fun! Think Pumpkin's too young? I bet he'd love Farmer Boy. I think all Almanzo did was eat, do chores, and dream of horses! Pumpkin would be eating, playing, and dreaming of Airedales!

Something to Do Besides Watch TV

I read Living Simply: Choosing Less in a World of More by Joanne Heim Easter weekend. It's a wonderful book that encourages and instructs us on how to live a simpler life. I know that's been a theme for me in my life lately.
Since staying home and raising Pumpkin is my full-time job, I find that I do have a lot simpler life than I did when I was working all the time outside the home. Now, sometimes I must confess to feeling like I am losing brain cells playing with the stacking cups (again) and that I am bored with board books, but I wouldn't trade this time with Pumpkin for anything. I certainly wouldn't want to go back to teaching and raise other peoples' children while paying someone else to raise mine, but that's just me.
Living Simply quotes many of my favorite books and story characters. She's also incorporates many of these stories and books into her family life. I love Joanne's practical ideas for creating a home life that you can truly love. Ladies, we are the ones that establish the tone of our home both in decorating and in attitude. Our children can only model what they see. Don't we want it to be a life of joy; serving God and serving our families? I do.
The book opens with 1 Thessalonians 4:11&12a "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders". Sometimes it's hard to believe that our quiet, little lives matter. After all, others are out there working and achieving great things while I am home folding laundry and baking bread. I wrote these verses out and have them stuck on the kitchen cabinet by the stove where I spend a lot of time. As I've been memorizing the words I am asking God to soak them into both my heart and my mind.
For me, the idea of ambition and a quiet life seem at odds. I think of ambition as striving for great things and even recognition. How strange then, to strive for a quiet life.
And that minding my own business part, ouch. Am I the only one struggling with that? I want to know what others are up to. But does it really matter? Won't knowing just led to more comparing myself to others instead of Christ?
I do like to work with my hands. I like to create beautiful things, all the better when they are beautiful things to eat. But, don't forget that last part, "so that your life may win the respect of outsiders". God can use my quiet life to win over non-believers. How amazing is that? By living a simple life, I have the time and energy to reach out to people. People aren't just an interruption to a jam-packed schedule. They are there for me to love, encourage, and listen to. Hmm...guess it's time to have a little at-home brunch and invite a few of the ladies in the neighborhood on over. I think there are two ladies on my block who are newly at home during the days.
Anyway, go get this book and read it! It's a quick book to read through. I'm rereading and taking notes in my copy now, gleaning more with each passing through. Plus, you can go visit Joanne's blog over at The Simple Wife. Have a great week!