A few weeks ago I shared a list of book recommendations with someone who was shopping for an 11-year-old. Daniel and Paige came up with this list of current favorites. I thought I’d share it with you.
The Mysterious Benedict Society books (3) by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Stoneheart Trilogy by Charlie Fletcher
Peter and the Starcatchers series (4) by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Mirror’s Tale P.W. Catanese
The Drift House: The First Voyage by Dale Peck (don’t bother with the second one)
The Diamond of Drury Lane by Julia Golding
The Companions Quartet books by Julia Golding (Secret of the Sirens, The Gorgon’s Gaze, Mines of the Minotaur, The Chimera’s Curse)
Richard has been going through pictures this week and he asked that I cull oh, about most of them. This one survived the cut because it shows Timothy really enjoying his time on the bumper cars with Daniel and his cousin Ray.
Timothy will jam his tongue into his cheek to suppress a smile if he thinks he is the only one smiling. He’s a soft-spoken sweetheart of a boy. He is very funny when he feels comfortable. I am glad that he has so many cousins whom he calls friends.
Look out, Timothy. I’m coming to hug and kiss you for no reason.
Richard and I watched a movie called Invictus on Saturday. It was an interesting choice for us. It was about the South African Rugby team and Nelson Mandela’s early presidency. It followed President Mandela’s efforts to unite his country, divided by hatred and mistrust. Mandela devotes a lot of energy furthering the interests of the Rugby team. He saw that this team could help unite his country.
My favorite scene takes place at Mandela’s home and his adult daughter shares her hatred and mistrust for the Afrikaners, as they were the ones who had imprisoned her father. He tells her that it is a selfish thing to look at the world and judge it through the lens of her own pain. In other words, she needed to forgive. She needed to open her mind and heart; she needed to look through a different kind of lens.
A lot of people have been saying what a terrible place Arizona has become. A lot of people want to blame someone for the shooting. An associate of mine is seething in anger towards anyone who listens to conservative talk radio personalities (one in particular). It is unfortunate that this person is choosing to look at the situation solely through the lens of her own pain, distancing herself from people who could be her friends, despite political differences.
I have chosen to not be discouraged about the whole world, based on the horrific shooting on Saturday. Timothy was baptized at the time this horrible event took place. I was surrounded by people who came to support our family. We had neighbors, friends, and ward members all around us. I felt surrounded by love. The day before, a friend listened with patience and understanding to me. The day before this, a friend unselfishly came to our house to watch Mark while the older kids were at piano lessons so Richard and I could go to the play. On Wednesday, I saw parents, my bishop, and many scout leaders join together to help the little Cub Scouts make their pinewood derby cars.
These people do what Christ would do if He were here. They minister to me and my family.
Every day I am surrounded by my children. Their innocence gives me a hopeful perspective on the world. I see that my parenting and love is more powerful than the hatred of the world in their lives. This hope and perspective allows me to see that the Lord still intervenes, helping us to weather the troubles and see the world for its goodness, despite everything else.
I’m up late boiling red cabbage (I bet you just repressed a gag reflex) to make an acid-base indicator for a science class I’m teaching tomorrow.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble…
Wait. That’s the wrong play.
Richard and I saw Wicked today at Centennial Hall.
….fire burn and cauldron bubble…
(Ugh! the smell!)
So, we enjoyed Wicked. I knew very little about the show but I think this allowed me to experience the play unhindered by previous expectations and experiences. It was a thrill.
Paige is decorated for her accomplishment in December.
…all of this for her American History class:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
I was feeling guilt for posting this picture earlier today with no accompanying text, so here’s a quick post from a little bit frazzled and trunky Angie:
We’re all very, very cold in this picture. If you look carefully, you might see shadows of coats flying midair; we had just torn them off so we wouldn’t look puffy. This is the photo of Dale and Lorraine Ross and their posterity gathered for the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
We then moved to Rebecca’s home where we tried to eat 50 pounds of roast beef. We failed, but we’ll keep at it until it’s gone.
We’re home. It feels like Christmas all over again as we unpack well-thought gifts and generous donations for our warmth in mind. Texas and Arizona have poorly tempered us for cold weather. Thermostats were pushed to their limits; every hat and scarf available was shared in pity and kindness.
There was rain, snow, slush, a melted cargo carrier, drenched gifts and subsequent re-wrapping (dismay!), timely mugs of hot cocoa, a Christmas pageant, a ski resort, laser tag, sledding, more timely mugs of hot cocoa, a movie, frozen freeways, many doggies under one roof (sorry), a trip INSIDE the Missionary Training Center for church, and a lot of food.
Name a food. (Did you do it?) I’m pretty sure I ate whatever it was that you said at some time on this trip.
Now name another food… BINGO! I’m telling you. We were served one of everything and two of anything else.
It was a long time to be away, but already my memories of time with family are growing hazy and golden-hued. Eventually, even the dog will develop a halo in the halls of memory. Here’s hoping it’s the same for everyone else, too, when you think about us. We know two weeks was a long time to entertain us.
We’re unpacking and taking down Christmas decorations at the same time. Now and then I sit down and watch Richard’s movie about his parents and then I page through a book of paintings. I lack focus, but focus will eventually return and the memories will get pushed aside. Until then, I’m just enjoying it. I think you know what I mean.
On Friday we went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens to see the Butterfly Magic exhibit. We did this last year in December and loved it. This year I decided to organize a fieldtrip for one of our homeschool clubs. This way, we were able to get in at discount and see our friends.
When we walked in to the butterfly house, we were immediately aware of the tropical conditions. The cold camera lens fogged up for a while. A butterfly quickly decided to camp out on Paige’s head.
Daniel took most of the pictures of this exhibit.
Here we learned about a Citrus Swallowtail caterpillar. Its strategy for staying alive is to look like bird dung and when you touch it, it rears its head and shoots out reddish orange tentacles and an odor that will curl your hair (imagine an odor as you note the reddish orange “tentacles” on the head).
As we finished our visit, a butterfly finally landed on me. Yes, it’s on my rear end.
We made graham cracker “gingerbread” houses with Grandma and Grandpa.
These colors are irresistible on Paige’s house. I like the decorative frosting curlicues, the tootsie roll mosaic on the front, and the flawless star she made from a gumdrop on her first try.
Daniel spent time on a wood pile, fence, sparkly snow, and a marshmallow snow house out back for a Boy Scout winter camp.
Timothy has very classic taste. It took a long time to place those sprinkles in a row on the roof. I love the Lifesaver wreath.
Mark spent a very long time working on his house. He and Grandpa built a Ramada, a very tall “Dr. Seuss” Christmas tree, and scattered sprinkles… many sprinkles. I like the cereal windows and the “M” for Mark.
Our family is held together with royal icing traditions like this.
