love to paint

When I began reviewing books and blogging over five years ago, I never expected that reading and writing would open my eyes in the ways that it has. Many of the books I've read seem to blend together in my memory, but there are many that stand out. Recently, I read one that I know will have a lasting impact on me. The book is Deception by Deb Myers. A good friend of mine is an interpreter for the deaf. She suggested the book to me, because she knows that I enjoy learning about other people's lives and opening my eyes to worlds I haven't known about before. She's right. I do. Learning about other people's lives helps me make sense of my own and often better understand the people that the Lord brings into my life. And that has already been the case with this book. Ms. Myers wrote Deception to help her process the past and hopefully help others. Ms. Myers grew up deaf and attended a residential deaf school. After an on again-off again relation...

I was supposed to go on a trip next week to see a dear friend of mine.  I have never gone anywhere for more than a couple of hours on my own without my children or husband since I got married thirteen years ago.  But, that trip isn't going to happen.  Six months or a year ago, I would have been crushed with disappointment, because of the state of my heart.   It was something I yearned for... to be free for a moment. But, two weeks ago, something clicked during the sermon at church.  The resentment I'd had for a long time and the yearning to not be a wife and mom for a moment and be able to focus on a friend disappeared.  I had yearned just to be able to do what I wanted to do without distraction.  There's a lot of focus in our culture by moms on the idea of "taking care of me".  There hasn't been much room for this in my life.  I have tried to not listen to that message, but sometimes it has gotten into my heart over the years and it sewed ...

I love the library because I can check out movies and just watch the endings without feeling guilty about having paid to rent the movie.  That was the case for one of the two movies I checked out yesterday.  The ending was actually even more painful to watch than I thought it would be.  I'm so glad I didn't waste my time watching the rest of the movie. The second movie was Enough Said starring Julia Louis Dreyfuss and James Gandolfini.  After the horrible ending to the first one, I thought I'd skip to near the end on this one.  I started at a certain point in the movie when Gandolfini's character says this great line.  He asks Dreyfuss' character if she protected their relationship.  She said that she hadn't.  She replied that she had protected herself. There are so many crummy movies out there.  Lots of story lines about a spouse leaving their other spouse for "the right one".  The movies make us sympathize with that other person a...

I am beginning to search for what my oldest daughter is going to do next year for science.  Through elementary school, she has completed 4 years of Harcourt's Science, 1 year of Considering God's Creation, and Singapore's Early Bird Science in Kindergarten.  Heading into middle school is tough for me in this area. I want a curriculum that is going to teach her more.  I've also learned that she needs a text in front of her.  I loved Christian Kids Explore Science, but my kids did not!  They struggled to follow what I was saying without a text and without being familiar with the spelling of the long words I was saying outloud.  So, where do I go?  I've looked at Apologia before and though I know lots of homeschool folks love it, the formatting of the books I've looked at in the past is very hard for me to focus on and digest.  I'm very visual, so font and formatting are key for me. So, I'm starting with taking a look at Common Sense Press' science...

A few years ago, I read a book by Irene Hannon.  I enjoyed it.  She's written many books and I haven't read one in a while, but I decided to read the new one that has come out this spring.  It is titled One Perfect Spring . The story begins with Haley Summers.  She's 11 years old and is living with her mom in a home that needs a lot of repair work.  Next door to them lives Maureen Chandler, a 60 year old professor at a local Christian college.  Haley writes a letter to a businessman asking for help to find Ms. Chandler's son that she gave up for adoption when he was born.  The man responds.  Enter Keith, the business man's executive assistant, who is asked to follow up on the request and pursue the matter.  Keith connects with Haley's mother, Claire, and sparks fly.  The back of the book says all of this, so I'm not giving anything away.  Much of the rest of the book is very predictable.  There are a few minor unexpected tw...

For a lot of years, Francine Rivers' books have been among my favorite Christian fiction books.  I have deeply enjoyed reading them.  I have several of them on my shelf and they are among the few books that I have reread over the years.  I usually only read a book once.  Her new book, Bridge to Haven , however, is different than the others.  I am glad I didn't purchase it and instead checked it out from our local library. The story centers on Abra, a baby found by the river by a local pastor, Zeke.  For five years, she is raised by him and his wife, Marianne, with their son, Joshua.  The book tells Abra's story of growing up.  I don't want to give away any of the plot and details in case you do read it, which makes it difficult to write this review. My issues with this book are different than what other reviewers have said. My first issue is with Zeke's taking Abra home.  I don't understand how it is wrong that he took her home. ...