Owner: Christy's Book Blog URL:www.christysbookblog.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 10:21:27 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: An off the cuff discussion of the books I'm reading and my thoughts on life. Site statistics:Click here
Flower Confidential 2007-03-06 22:58:00 Sometimes my kids make me laugh, and sometimes it's either that or cry. Doogie has been best friends with Brian for almost seven years. The moment we moved to Oconto Falls those two boys bonded and are inseparable. I call Brian my pseudo-son, and Doogie can spend the night there any time, even without notice, because he always has clothing over there. Last week the two guys had to do detention after school for being tardy. I didn't worry about it too much; it's not a regular occurance. Yesterday I had to pick up the van from the repair shop (new distributor cap, spark plugs and routers), so I called the school to tell Doogie to go home with Brian. The secretary knew exactly which Brian I meant, and I mentioned that to Doogie on the way home. He said he wasn't surprised with the ninjas and all. Ninjas? The reason he and Brian gave for being tardy was that they were attacked by ninjas, and apparently, this is the official reason that was entered into their record. I'm not even sure Read more:Confidential
James Cameron & Jesus' Tomb 2007-03-04 06:40:00 Sometimes news stories get so much press, that the truth of the story is lost. JamesCameron
and the Discovery Channel are getting lots of screen time over the supposed discovery of Jesus
' tomb, and don't forget the bones of his wife and child are also inside. No, I can't prove it's not. I don't have evidence or DNA from Jesus to prove their claims as false. It's true that Christianity is 100% about faith, either you have it or you don't. But Cameron is leaving out the truth in his tale, so the audience is only getting half of the story. The DaVinci Code confused a lot of Christians, because they are unfamiliar with the Bible. So I'm begging, please do not go out and buy Cameron's book just to find out what he has to say, don't watch the documentary, and don't give him any more credibility than he deserves. Remember that he is a director from Hollywood where disception is the norm. Read this story and see how much hot air he's truly full of. He's already getting Read more:James Cameron
A Valley of Betrayal 2007-03-03 05:26:00 Major pro to living where we do: Tuesday after the episode with the van from Monday my dad came over to look at it. We borrowed a battery charger from the neighbor Herbie, and he came over and chatted a bit. Later that afternoon, Herbie, Uncle John, Johnny, Jesse's dad Roger, and Jess were all standing in the driveway looking at the van and chit-chatting. I felt so blessed that we have all these people who care about us and want to help. The verdict: we have an appointment at Monday at a repair shop for new spark plugs and wires. Hopefully that fixes it.Major con to living where we do: See picture above. Jess came to pick Mia, Doogie and me up from Mom's, and we got horribly stuck in the driveway. It took five of us (Mom, Jake, Doogie, Jess and me) to get us out. Ugh! A Valley
of Betrayal
by Tricia Goyer is a compelling story about people living through the Spanish Civil War, which was a precursor to World War II. Goyer includes a lot of great historic detail about the war and the ci
Quaker Summer 2007-02-27 00:07:00 It's days like today that I thank God for people like Lisa Samson and her timing. I woke up feeling a little better this morning, so between chapters of her new book I worked on laundry and cleaning. I have to pick the kids up from the busstop at 4, and I always try to get out the door by 3:45 so they don't have to wait in the cold. I couldn't find the van keys anywhere. Jess had to move it yesterday so his dad could plow the driveway, so I thought maybe he left them in the ignition. Mia and I had to walk through 18" snowdrifts just to get to the van, and the sliding door was frozen shut. Mia climbed into the front and hopped in her seat, but no keys in the ignition. I ran back inside and searched everywhere (almost) while frantically calling Jess on the cell and his work number. By the time he answered, I screeched, "WHERE ARE THE KEYS?" To which my wonderful loving husband responded, "I didn't use them yesterday, and I made sure that I didn't have them today when I left." I yell Read more:Quaker
, Summer
Dahlia's Gone 2007-02-21 16:29:00 Mia is still running a fever. Ibuprofen brings it down, but as soon as it wears off, it spikes up again. She's watching Lady & the Tramp II while curled up under my Aunt Alma's blanket. Alma is pronounced Elmee, and she was my great-great aunt. The heavy quilt passed from my grandma to my father, and when I was a little girl it was the one blanket I always wanted covering me because I knew it would make me better. It was a talisman of sorts for me. Just last month, my dad gave me the quilt, and now my little girl gets to use it. It's over 100 years old and looks it. There are some stains, lots of wear, and the colors are faded, but Mia feels better using it, and I feel comforted watching her little chest rise and fall beneath it. Last weekend I read a book about rheumatoid arthritis and treatment options. It was an eye-opening experience for me. While I may have it worse than some, I'm far better off than others, and there are still plenty of treatments I can look into. It's a tru
Christian Writers' Market Guide 2007 2007-02-16 15:43:00 Remember the Fuel song Bad Day? It's felt like my theme song this week. "She said I'm sorry I, I had a bad day again." The RA is beating me up again, and I'm tired. I feel like I'm not taking good care of my family when I can't keep the house up. Mia and I spend a lot of time cuddling on the couch, and I work on genealogy on Ancestry.com and reading books to review. I'm being productive in some form if I'm at least keeping my mind busy. We're getting new neighbors, possibly this weekend. Jesse's cousin John and his family just bought the house down the road. I'm so excited! John and his wife Tina are good friends of ours, and their six-year-old son Tyler is one of Mia's best friends. I forsee lots of summer bonfires and game nights in our futures. We've been watching Animaniacs Vol. 1, the complete first season. I had forgotten just how clever and hilarious this show was. How come there is nothing on there's nothing on TV like this today? I believe that the collective fami Read more:Christian
, Guide
, Market
, Writers
The Burry Man's Day 2007-02-14 17:45:00 Last week I updated the look of my blog and added a counter from Blogpatrol. It was exciting to see how many people were actually checking out the site every day. I set it up on Monday, and by Thursday I was up to 13 hits. (It's the little things that make me happy). On Friday the counter stopped working, and my emails to the company went unanswered. This Monday I discovered that the website shut down. So I downloaded a new counter from Branica.com. I love it! It keeps all sorts of interesting info like unique hits and how people found the site i.e., Google searches, bookmarks, etc. So now I know that someone other than Dad and Jess are reading this.Happy Valentine's Day btw! We're not doing anything special tonight. I picked up small gifts for the kids and made an appointment for Jess at The Barbershop. Friday night Jess and I are going out. Mia's spending the night at Mom's. I can't remember the last time we went out somewhere alone that wasn't Wal-Mart.The Burry Man's Day by
Charity Girl 2007-02-09 18:45:00 I've been doing genealogy this past week. It's one of my favorite passions. I feel like a detective, tracing clues one by one until I find another branch on the family tree. Of course, this is a quest that is never ending, and for every branch you find, another one or two or three spring up. Jesse's grandma's family came from Norway and through a couple of clues online, I found the small parish in Norway where his family came from. God bless Norway! They have lots of their church records scanned in online, so you can search through the actual pages and look for names. And the church his family attended in Holla, Norway back in the early 1800's has a website, so we even have pictures of the place. While I love doing genealogy, part of it makes me sad. When I starting doing online research back in 1997, the online genealogy community was friendly and almost all of the information was free. There were lots of places to search for info. Slowly Ancestry.com bought out most databases, a Read more:Charity
Pink 2007-02-07 00:20:00 Watching the 5 o'clock news, I was listening to news about two little girls who were killed in a house fire about 20 miles from here. It turns out that I went to school with their mother. I flashed to the only real memory I have of her: she was in first grade, and I was in second. Her friends had turned on her and wouldn't let her play with them, and she was devastated. I gave her a hug, and we played together for the rest of the day. A few days later, her friends forgave her imagined wrong, and we never really interacted again. Now her daughters are lost, and I wish that somehow I could give her a hug and make everything right the way I was able to 25 years ago. She's in my prayers; I hope you'll put her in yours as well.Pink by Marilynn Griffith is the first book in the Shades of Style series. Raya Joseph up-and-coming fashion designer trying to leave behind a broken heart. Flex Dunham is a handsome model/physical trainer trying to leave his past behind and be the man the Lord wa
If the Shoe Fits 2007-02-05 02:39:00 There's a current bill under review in the Wisconsin State Legislature that's causing some controversy in our area. State representative Donna Seidel introduced the bill at a recent session mandating that Hmong history be taught in Wisconsin schools to educate students about their important role in the Vietnam War. It's a hot topic right now, because Northeastern Wisconsin has one of the highest concentrations of Hmongs in the United States, and at the beginning of the year, a white hunter shot and killed a Hmong hunter about 45 minutes north of here. A couple of years ago a Hmong hunter shot and killed several white hunters in western Wisconsin. There's a lot of anger brewing and tension building, so Seidel and other authors of the bill are trying to soothe troubled waters by teaching students about the important role the Hmong played in Vietnam and how their people have suffered for it. I understand the necessity of education to erase stereotypes and create understanding, but man Read more:Shoe
Cross-X 2007-02-02 23:47:00 I love thrift stores! The store in town had an all-you-can-fit-in-a-bag for $5.99 on clothing this week. I bought three bags and got something for everyone in the family. Doogie and Jess got new pants, I got some new work clothes, Mia got a couple of new dresses, and Molly got some hoodies. Most of it is name brand, and I figure I paid about 50 cents an item. Honestly, right now Mia and I are both head to toe thrift store clothes. The store employs the developmentally disabled in the community and also operates as a food pantry. Whenever anyone in the family outgrows anything I bring it there in hopes that it will bless someone else the way the store blesses us.I'm currently reassembling the house. Mia's birthday party was Sunday (she turned four on Wednesday) , and we had 25 guests over during the day. The house didn't get messy from the party, (well it did, but it was easy to clean), but a flare-up kicked in afterwards; I'm sure because of all the running I did getting Read more:Cross
Brother Odd 2007-01-17 20:56:00 I wrote a letter to the editor of our big town newspaper the Green Bay Press Gazette, check it out! I know it's just a little thing, but it's always a thrill to see my name in print.I've really been struggling with my rheumatoid arthritis the last couple of weeks. The pain hasn't been more severe than normal, but I'm finally coming to accept that this isn't going to disappear. I've fought this for 2-1/2 years and just got the diagnosis back in August. The doctors didn't know what to do with my pain, so they just kept prescribing more and more medication. I weaned myself off of all of it, partially because it was getting too expensive, partially because I was hoping that when I was free from meds the pain would be gone. I would be healed. But it didn't work out that way. I struggled for two weeks med-free, and I just kept slipping farther and farther downhill. So I'm on 5 mg of prednisone (a steriod) a day, and it seems to keep me going well. It's hard to imagine tha Read more:Brother
A Pagan's Nightmare 2007-01-11 21:11:00 A Pagan's Nightmare
by Ray Blackston is not for Christians with a low tolerance for humor. Larry has written a new book and presents it to his agent Ned to sell to the movie studios. Larry's book is a bit controversial in its view of Christianity and the hereafter. In alternating sections we read Ned's struggle to sell the book and the book itself. Ned's wife Angie, a Southern Baptist, is so offended at the book's content she tries to burn it and then organizes a protest outside of her own home. Is the book really that upsetting? It depends on how you look at it. Blackston's tone is dead-on for a wry commentary on legalism in the church. He pokes humorous daggers at the attitude without attacking the faith behind it. Blackston's writing style isn't always fluid, and transitions are rough in spots. Some of his characters (especially the ethnic ones) seem a bit stereotyped, but that may be part of his scheme to get the reader to think wider than just the story he's tel
Tangerine 2007-01-05 17:52:00 Tangerine by Marilynn Griffiths at first appears to be a chick-lit book. But this is misleading. Tangerine is extremely well written with multi-layered characters, realistic dialogue, a look at racial relations, plus a strong well defined message of faith. I was expecting this book to be another light, humorous read in the vein of Suri Mitchell or Kristen Billerbeck, but instead the book begins as Jean Guerra, a Vietnam vet, finds out that her 15-year-old daughter Monica is pregnant. Jean has to make a choice between continuing to fight for her husband's freedom from a false conviction that's thrown him into jail or her daughter's plight. She chooses her daughter and cuts off communication from her husband Nigel. Fast forward 15 years. Jean is working in the fashion industry on a new project for a big sporting goods company. When the rep from the company walks in, Jean is shocked to find that it's her husband, Nigel. Nigel, a man of faith, is in a relationship with Carmen. Read more:Tangerine
Thunderstruck 2006-12-22 18:31:00 Maybe because it's the end of the year, but it seems while Christmas is the season of hope, it's also a season of change. I look at my kids, and I think they've grown two inches since the beginning of the month. Molly got contacts yesterday; it's our Christmas gift to her this year. Oh man, are we going to be in trouble. She's always been a pretty girl, but now that her beautiful hazel eyes are not hidden behind glasses, her whole face has opened up. How on earth did I give birth to such a lovely young woman? And when did she become a young woman? I must have blinked or looked away for just a minute, and suddenly my little girl is gone. Mia's growing up so quickly as well. The other two kids had to be told about Santa before they went into junior high. Apparently we kept up the illusion a little too well; they never figured it out on their own. Mia's not even four, and she's been asking hard to answer questions all season. How come I had to tell Santa what I wanted
Check this out... 2006-12-20 22:19:00 This is Andy McKee playing Drifting on YouTube. His style of playing guitar is just phenomenal. I could listen to it all day. He has several clips including one of him playing a harp guitar. Beautiful stuff; perfect for writing or reading to. Read more:Check
I Love Claire 2006-12-20 19:02:00 And you will too once you read Tracey Bateman's new book! It's a 70s revival here today. I listened to Fleetwood Mac while cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, and it was Crosby, Stills, and Nash on the way to school this morning. I think I'll listen to Steve Miller while baking this afternoon. I had to drive the kids into school this morning so they didn't have to ride the bus. Doogie is giving a presentation (as we speak, or at least as I type) in school about our immigrant ancestors from England. He's got the info on the Trever family and why they came in 1870. He (I) had to bake a traditional English dish, so we made a Queen of the Puddings. It's a kind of egg custard with bread crumbs and covered with strawberry jam and a meringue. I drove them in to school to make sure that the blasted dessert that took over two hours to make arrived safely.Last night was Mia's preschool Christmas concert. I really believe that her teacher deserves a Nobel prize. I can't imagine Read more:Claire
For One More Day 2006-12-19 22:24:00 Today is a good day. I really feel like this is the season of hope. So much has changed for us in the last year, and it's been for good. I'm so happy in this new house. Yes it's small, and we're still trying to find things, but it's a home. Maybe it's the house, but I feel better than I have in two years, and I'm getting more accomplished than I have maybe ever. I look to the future, and it's filled with promise. It's hard to explain, but I know that God is blessing us daily in ways we don't anticipate, and if we allow Him to lead, where we go will only be good. Speaking of good...For One More Day by Mitch Albom is another moving book by an author who knows how to move us best. Albom has been accused of writing treacle, but sometimes sweetness can be good, and his truly is. Chick Benetto lived his life trying to please his absent father, often at the expense of his mother. After a series of downfalls, Chick attempts suicide and instead is given a chance, a chance
The Monsters 2006-12-18 21:56:00 Well Christmas shopping is going better than I thought it would. On Friday it almost seemed as though God had gone through the store ahead of me and put clearance tags on the things I needed to buy. He always amazes me when he answers even my selfish and silly prayers like that. To me the answers to those prayers are almost more moving than when He answers my big prayers. We all expect/hope for important prayers to be answered, but when God takes the time to answer the little ones I voice throughout the day, it tells me how much He loves me and wants to be part of every aspect of my life. Now if I could just get a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for Gamecube for $50.00, that will be a miracle!The Monsters by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler is a fascinating read about the creation of the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The book traces Mary's family tree as well as the other members of the Diodati circle in a way that gives a great deal of insight into their characters.
Praise Habit 2006-12-14 21:50:00 Lots of interesting tidbits on the web today. HT to Lisa Samson for this great essay on Jesus and Christmas. Lisa also has a link to this, which has to be the worst rendition of any Christmas song ever. Molly and I were nearly in hysterics listening to this.Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel & Dimed and Bait & Switch, (two terrific books about the state of the American worker) and sometime contributor to Time Magazine wrote this terrific essay about how we celebrate Christmas.I have a small beef with the laundry detergent industry. Recently Cheer released a new detergent called True Fit. They also have kinds that protect your blacks from becoming gray and your colors from fading. What if I want my blacks to stay black, but I also want them to keep their fit? And if I want the clothes to smell nice, does that mean that I give up on my clothes keeping their color or fitting well? I understand the proliferation of brands; that's part of the free market system, which I t Read more:Habit
, Praise
Interesting tidbits for the day 2006-12-08 17:36:00 ">"It's been a long couple of weeks. I've gone from 30 pills a day to treat my pain and all the side effects down to one pill. I tried going without the steriods, but couldn't manage the pain at all; it seems to be holding steady at 5 mg. That's my excuse for not blogging regularly. But I've been reading others' blogs. Here's a few interesting bits I've come across today.Check out Angela Hunt's blog today about Lexical-Gustatory synaesthesia. You'll have to read it to make sense of it.Michelle Malkin has given me another reason to consider homeschooling my kids. There are so many books out there that teachers aren't even aware of the content before assigning them to kids. My son read the His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman in 8th grade. (I'm not providing a link to the book, because it's that bad). Teachers just give the kids a list of all the books they can read to get credit for book reports. The kids take a computerized test based on the book, and th
Squat by Taylor Field 2006-08-29 19:18:00 Life has been very good to us lately. Of course there are always little bumps in the path, but overall, I have so much to be grateful for. One small thing I wish someone could fix for me: why can't there be herbal or natural remedies that actually taste good? Because of the rheumatoid arthritis, I take about 30 pills a day. Pills aren't a big deal, open mouth, swallow, done. But the doctor has also taken me off of all dairy, so I'm drinking soy milk (vanilla flavor is much better than plain!), taking 2 tablespoons of ground flax a day, and 1 oz of noni juice a day. Is there a way to take these things that doesn't taste so awful? I've tried mixing the flax in with cereal and milk; that's no better. There have to be natural medicines out there that taste better than this! I'm going to keep trying though. If they taste bad, but work, ultimately they will be worth it.Squat by TaylorField
is the compelling story of 24 hours in the life of a homeless man. Squid lives in a
The Shepherd's Prayer 2007-03-09 19:57:00 I've been putting off seeing the doctor about my rheumatoid arthritis until I went in for my annual checkup. When Jesse switched jobs back in August, we switched insurance carriers, so I lost the doctor who had been caring for me for almost two years. That was one of the reasons I went from 30 pills a day down to one. But I'm not dealing with the pain very well, it's come to inhabit every part of my life and my mind, so I made an appointment to see a doctor yesterday. She was new to me, so I had to tell her the whole story of the last 2-1/2 years of pain. As she questioned me carefully about the different meds I've taken, I could feel my hands starting to shake, and when she commented that I didn't seem to be functioning well with the chronic pain, I surprised us both by bursting into tears. Apparently I'm handling it even less than I thought I was. We took turns staring at the health posters on the wall to avoid each others' eyes while I struggled to force the lump in my throat Read more:Prayer
, Shepherd
Gaining 2007-03-12 16:10:00 Molly is continuing to be the popular girl I prayed for, but sometimes I don't quite know how to handle her. Friday I picked her up from school, and we went out for supper and shopping. We had a lot of fun together, trying on sunglasses, looking at jewelry, and talking. Well, she was talking. I think both of my daughters were born with the ability to talk incessantly without taking a breath. She's going to try out for cheerleading for next year. That is so far out of my realm of experience, all I can do is promise to root for her (and try not to calculate the cost of uniform, shoes, etc). Tomorrow she's singing the National Anthem by herself, acapella, at a wrestling tournament. She didn't even get to finish the song to try-out, the band director was so impressed he gave her the job before the rockets red glare. It amazes me how the Lord gives us children who are so unlike us. Molly isn't afraid to sing in public or try out for cheerleading or wear trendy jewelry or teeny bikinis. Read more:Gaining
Caveat 2007-03-17 02:36:00 Two caveats on my post Gaining from Monday. #1) I'm not proud that Molly wears a bikini, but that she has the courage to do so. At her age, I wouldn't have tried. #2) My father says I need to disclose that I was a cheerleader (very briefly) in junior high and in swing choir in high school, so I did perform in front of crowds. But performing alone made my stomach hurt, my face and neck to turn a blotchy red, and I had to fight back tears from stagefright. That said, I'm devastated. My son is now 5'8-1/2" tall, and I am officially the second shortest person in my house, taller only than the 4-year-old. Read more:Caveat
Rumspringa 2007-03-16 20:43:00 We're celebrating lots of prayers answered this week. Without going into a lot of detail, Mia is going to be able to attend the 4K we wanted to get her into next year. I was told by the school district that it wouldn't happen, but I put it in God's hands, and the situation has completely turned around. She is so excited about riding a big yellow school bus. Jess and I immediately started having panic attacks about her riding the bus alone at 4 years old, but I know that God will take care of that as well. Molly's singing of the national anthem on Tuesday was superb. She nailed it, and I was so proud. I think I was nervous enough for the two of us; she certainly didn't show any signs of nerves, the complete epitome of calm, cool, and collected. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause before she finished the last note. The dean of students sent us some pictures; I'll get them scanned in this weekend and post them soon. In another answered prayer, Jess had a 1000 word paper due t
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