Advent

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for Himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. 

(BCP Advent 4)

A Severe Mercy

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken is primarily an autobiographical love story. He recounts how he meets and marries Davy and the adventures they have together. He describes how they were determined to protect their love; they called it "The Shining Barrier". He tells of their conversion to Christianity while at Oxford and how C.S.  Lewis's books were instrumental in it. Vanauken corresponds with and then meets Lewis during their time in Oxford. After one lunch together, Lewis is waving as he leaves, then stops, turns, and bellows across the street, "Christians NEVER say goodbye!" They continues to write after Van moved from Oxford and his wife becomes sick and then dies. A Severe Mercy is C. S. Lewis's own turn of phrase that he used in a letter to Van meaning "a mercy that was as severe as death, a death that was as merciful as love" in describing Davy's death.

Entering Vanauken's world, especially that of Oxford, England where he met Lewis is entrancing. I was there with their little group discussing and enjoying T.S. Eliot, The Wind and the Willows, and the mystery and wonder of Charles Williams. This alone made the book a worthwhile quick read for me even if I was initially disappointed in the book. (This was probably due to me expecting a C.S. Lewis writer, and, in all fairness, he wasn't the author of this book.)

Seeing on the pages the mutual love and marital bliss Vanauken shared with his wife made me thankful of the same. I smiled at their finishing each others poems, being in tune with the others mood, sharing the love of a symphony, and was reminded not to let those early dreams that you share together die just because now you are distracted by the busyness of the world. I needed to be made aware if that again. What could be worse that me taking a perfect love like that for granted for even a moment? I'm trying to hold onto that wisdom, lest I get distracted by the busy nothings. Vanauken talks of his and Davey's "Shining Barrier" - their shield of love, their walled garden -  and how it is eventually breached by God. I think I disagree, at least in some way. I understand his meaning, but wasn't his breach (in his feelings for Jane) a breach that would in no way bring a greater joy and fullness to their "inloveness" whereas worshiping God in your marriage could only make it better, stronger, and the other person dearer in a way you knew nothing of before? Thankfully we get to witness his realization and changed heart. The book does lag in parts, and I felt like I was waiting for something to happen - good or bad. The most meaningful parts of the book for me are some of Lewis's own words in his return letters to Vanauken.

Vanauken writes to Lewis after their move from Oxford, telling him, "No doubt Christ was in the churches, somewhere, but He was not easy to find." To him and his wife, who "had accepted the ancient Christian faith" coming back from Oxford and finding it so watered down was depressing. He remembers that "it was about as far from the strong red wine of the faith as grape juice. The Faith was too strong: the wine must be turned to water in an anti-miracle."

After Davy dies, Lewis and Vanauken correspond, and Lewis writes to comfort his friend. In one of Lewis's letters, I found myself agreeing most emphatically with him (who called Van's reasoning "very unsound") on Vanauken's agreement with his wife to have no children. "You spared her (v. wrongly) the pains of childbirth: do not evade your own, the travail you must undergo while Christ is being born in you." What a perfect reminder in any grief or trial.

Go under the Mercy.

Kristin Lavransdatter and Sense & Sensibility

I am devouring Kristin Lavransdatter for the second time, and am loving it this time around just as much as the first. Maybe even more so because I understand the characters better. A big thank you to Haley of Carrots for Michaelmas for bringing this book to my attention. While reading her list, 10 Books You Must Read to Your Daughter (Or How to Keep Your Daughter From Ending Up Like That Horrid Girl in Twilight), I happily nodded as I went down the list because I too had read every single one, except, wait... what's this one at the end? Kristin Lavransdatter? Am I even saying that right? How have I not heard of this? Apparently, my education had been sorely neglected. I've spent many tense hours rectifying the situation with my eyes as big as saucers, pen in hand in case I see something that bears underlining.

I am also listening to Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility audiobook (Nadia May is the reader), so I have both of these excellent stories swimming around in my head, and I am struck by the similarities of some of the characters. They are not exactly the same, of course, and in some ways there's nothing in common. The culture is very different, the time periods are ages apart. Austen's Anglicanism is quietly in her world, while Undset's Catholicism is at the forefront of everything. Even still, the relationship of Willoughby, Marianne, and Brandon compared with the relationship of Erlend, Kristin, and Simon bears comparison.

Many have speculated on what it would have been like if Marianne and Willoughby had married, if he had not been discovered and sent away by Mrs Smith and had actually proposed to and married Marianne. We get a colorful picture of this alternate reality in the marriage of Erlend and Kristin. Although, in my eyes, Kristin is the stronger of the two women, and it would have been even harder for Marianne to bear the flaws of Willoughby as they unfolded, maybe impossible without the support of her mother and Elinor. The personality flaws that are most obvious in Erlend are his ability to fritter his money away and to act immorally when it comes to women. These aspects cause Kristin great distress in their marriage. Austen shows us that these characterize Willoughby as well. In fact, the way he leads Miss Williams on, making her believe that he loved her, then impregnating her, and finally abandoning her were the reasons he lost his inheritance through Mrs Smith. When this happens he then abandons Marianne, seeking out the rich Miss Grey to marry, because, of course, he must be rich and has already been living above his income. One funny resemblance between Willoughby and Erlend is their choice of  "pagan" names (as Kristin notices) for their horses. Erlend has several, and the horse Willoughby wants to give to Marianne he names Queen Mab.

We could debate which of the men is a more complete ass, I would have to go with Willoughby because we get a chance to see that Erlend has some redeeming qualities. Perhaps if Willoughby was written into a war-torn story we would have been able to witness his bravery and manliness, but as it is we only see his seduction and abandonment of Marianne. Although, one could argue that at least he was wooing her honorably while Erlend gave that up pretty quick.

Looking at the other men mentioned, Simon and Brandon, their similarities are most obvious in their interactions with the women they secretly love, Kristin and Marianne, and in the trials they bear from Erlend and Willoughby. Simon breaks his engagement to Kristin, at her request, so that she can choose a man instead that he, Simon, doesn't respect, and then has to witness their life together. Similarly, Brandon has to suffer through scene after scene, for Willoughby and Marianne are always making a scene when together, of their conspicuous flirting. As we know, Brandon receives two-fold satisfaction, by seeing the dissolution of Marrianne's relationship with Willoughby, and challenging Willoughby to a duel for his mistreatment of Miss Williams, Brandon's ward.

Remembering, though, that Marrianne is Brandon's "second attachment", and that his first married another, his brother (Simon ends up being brother-in-law to Erlend), we can possibly understand the frame of mind of these two men in their second choices. Simon's love for Kristin appears more disinterested as he sacrifices his honor and friendships to save Erlend for Kristin's sake. Brandon was not given the chance to do this and I'm not sure he would, or should.

We see in Kristin and Marianne young women who are lead primarily by their emotions and strong wills. Both Kristin and Marianne are a young 16 years old when rescued by their dashing, handsome man on horseback. Both are in love at first sight, and it takes very little time for either lady to know that she wants to be with this man forever. What we see so clearly in Kristin and Marianne we have trouble seeing in ourselves. They are practically blind to what their self-will is doing to the other people that they love. Simon and Brandon are spurned and all objections of their family talked down. When Elinor tells Marianne that she has not been acting with propriety, she responds,

“On the contrary, nothing can be a stronger proof of it, Elinor; for if there had been any real impropriety in what I did, I should have been sensible of it at the time, for we always know when we are acting wrong, and with such a conviction I could have had no pleasure.”

In Book One of Kristin Lavransdatter, The Wreath, Kristin "told herself that this separation from her home and family and Christianity was only temporary. But Erlend would have to lead her back by the hand." Both young ladies have their families to look to, but both also have particular advisers. Marianne has her sister, Elinor, and Kristin has Brother Edvin who tells her, "You would rather hear about other people's frailties that about the deeds of decent people, which might serve as an example for you."

Thankfully the stories don't end there and we hear Marianne confess to Elinor,

I saw in my own behaviour since the beginning of our acquaintance with him last autumn, nothing but a series of imprudence towards myself, and want of kindness to others. I saw that my own feelings had prepared my sufferings, and that my want of fortitude under them had almost led me to the grave... Had I died, it would have been self-destruction. I did not know my danger till the danger was removed; but with such feelings as these reflections gave me, I wonder at my recovery, -- wonder that the very eagerness of my desire to live, to have time for atonement to my God, and to you all, did not kill me at once... I cannot express my own abhorrence of myself. Whenever I looked towards the past, I saw some duty neglected, or some failing indulged. Everybody seemed injured by me.

In The Wreath, Kristin has a similar realization when she tells Fru Aashild, "I've done many things I thought I would never dare do because they were sins. But I didn't realize then that the consequence of sin is that you have to trample on other people." And much later in Book Three, The Cross,

She had learned to understand it over the years. Her father's marvelous gentleness was not because he lacked a keen enough perception of the faults and wretchednesses of others; it came from his constant searching of his own heart before God...

As the books unfold we get to see their self-will being replaced by faith. If you have not read these books, you are missing out! Pactum serva.

decorating for your personality type

http://covetgarden.com

I think this is so clever! http://mrsfancee.com/decorating-personality/ This blogger has written a post on decorating for each personality type. I definitely recognized myself in the INFJ post, especially the desire to have orderly chaos, and how I'm continually trying to perfect my system.  What do y'all think? Do you see yourself? Do you think she's accurate? What is your personality type? If you don't know, you can take the test: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp (After you complete the test and click "score it!" a new window will open. Click on "type description by D.Keirsey" link and it will describe your personality according to the test.) This may put us in categories or boxes that we don't quite fit into all of the time, but it is helpful to know what drives you, and it helps me with empathy towards others by better understanding their personality. Let me know what type you are and how this looks in your home.

Quote Friday

Reposting this from the archives for Quote Friday. Enjoy!

From Groucho

Groucho Marx:

"Either this man is dead or my watch has stopped."

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

"From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend to read it."

"Go, and never darken my towels again."

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book."

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception."

"I sent the club a wire stating, PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER."

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it."

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

Margaret Dumont: "Why, that reminds me of my youth!!"
Groucho: "He must be a pretty big boy by now."

A Day at the Races:

Man: "Are you a man or a mouse?"
Groucho: "Put a piece of cheese on the floor and you'll find out."

"And stop pointing that beard at me, it might go off!"

A Night at the Opera:

Lassparri: "They threw an apple at me!"
Groucho: "Well, watermelons are out of season."

A Night in Casablanca:

"We've got to speed things up in this hotel. Chef, if a guest orders a three-minute egg, give it to him in two minutes. If he orders a two-minute egg, give it to him in one minute. If he orders a one-minute egg, give him a chicken and let him work it out for himself."

Groucho: "You know I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world?"
Woman: "Really?"
Groucho: "No, but I don't mind lying if it gets me somewhere."

Animal Crackers:

"We must remember that art is art. Well, on the other hand water is water isn't it? And east is east and west is west. And if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rubarb does."

"Do you mind if I don't smoke?"

"I'm Captain Scotland of the Spalding Yard...Captain Yard of the Scotland Spalding"

Horse Feathers:

"Members of the faculty, faculty members. Students of Huxley and Huxley's students. Well I guess that covers everything"

"Why don't you bore a hole in yourself and let the sap run out?"

"Have we got a college? Have we got a football team?....Well we can't afford both. Tomorrow we start tearing down the college."

Way of the Ascetics

Way of the Ascetics: The Ancient Tradition of Discipline and Inner Growth by Tito Colliander

I was surprised to find that this Orthodox writer more closely resembled many of the Puritans I had read than he did the only other Orthodox book I have read, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives by Elder Thaddeus. This is an insightful book, worth reading and digesting, but I believe advocates a way to God that is, while being necessary for some, not the best or only way. "If your eye offends you cut it out" may be what is needed to enter the kingdom for some but is not preferable or even necessary for all.
 

weekend excursions I

Here are some things to make your weekend more interesting! Happy Friday!

Weekend Reading:

http://www.communio-icr.com/articles/view/waughs-brideshead-revisited

http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2014/05/what-every-parent-must-know-about-parenting-a-six-year-old-.html

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/motherhood-as-a-mission-field

http://sarahemsley.com/2014/06/27/rears-and-vices/

http://theartofsimpletravel.net/packing-light-short-trips/

Funnies:

http://www.gq.com/entertainment/humor/201307/nine-baby-naming-rules-2013

 New to Me:

https://www.liketwice.com/


Video:

homeschooling

For those of you thinking about homeschooling or if you're already in the trenches, check out Susan Wise Bauer's book The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home. It was my homeschooling bible and has been indispensable as a reference every year. (I've been homeschooling 8 years now.) It may seem like a big book, but it covers K-12th grade, so you wouldn't necessarily need to read it all right now. Her discussion of homeschooling at the beginning of the book is really encouraging and helps things not feel so muddled. Here's the website. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/

Below are some articles that I've found interesting in the subj.

Why Urban, Educated Parents Are Turning to DIY Education http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/01/29/why-urban-educated-parents-are-turning-to-diy-education.html

I want to homeschool, but don’t want the responsibility http://simplehomeschool.net/i-want-to-homeschool-but-dont-want-the-responsibility/

Why I Homeschool, and What My Approach Is http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/03/why-i-homeschool-and-what-my-approach-is/

Why We Are Homeschooling (From a Gal Who Tried Everything) http://carrotsformichaelmas.com/2012/08/15/why-we-are-homeschooling-from-a-gal-who-tried-everything/

6 homeschooling misconceptions erased http://simplehomeschool.net/homeschooling-misconceptions/

Why we homeschool http://tshoxenreider.com/why-we-homeschool/

My advice? Don't take yourself  or your plans too seriously. Have fun! Keep the big picture in mind so you don't get bogged down. Drink coffee!

And here are a couple of videos that my nerdy homeschoolers think are funny. (They like the second one better.)

Quote Friday

from Right Ho, Jeeves chapter 3:

The first of the telegrams arrived shortly after noon, and Jeeves brought it in with the before-luncheon snifter. It was from my Aunt Dahlia, operating from Market Snodsbury, a small town of sorts a mile or two along the main road as you leave her country seat.

It ran as follows:

Come at once. Travers.

And when I say it puzzled me like the dickens, I am understating it; if anything. As mysterious a communication, I considered, as was ever flashed over the wires. I studied it in a profound reverie for the best part of two dry Martinis and a dividend. I read it backwards. I read it forwards. As a matter of fact, I have a sort of recollection of even smelling it. But it still baffled me.

Consider the facts, I mean. It was only a few hours since this aunt and I had parted, after being in constant association for nearly two months. And yet here she was--with my farewell kiss still lingering on her cheek, so to speak--pleading for another reunion. Bertram Wooster is not accustomed to this gluttonous appetite for his society. Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that after two months of my company, what the normal person feels is that that will about do for the present. Indeed, I have known people who couldn't stick it out for more than a few days.

Before sitting down to the well-cooked, therefore, I sent this reply:

Perplexed. Explain. Bertie.

To this I received an answer during the after-luncheon sleep:

What on earth is there to be perplexed about, ass? Come at once. Travers.

Three cigarettes and a couple of turns about the room, and I had my response ready:

How do you mean come at once? Regards. Bertie.

I append the comeback:

I mean come at once, you maddening half-wit. What did you think I meant? Come at once or expect an aunt's curse first post tomorrow. Love. Travers.

I then dispatched the following message, wishing to get everything quite clear:

When you say "Come" do you mean "Come to Brinkley Court"? And when you say "At once" do you mean "At once"? Fogged. At a loss. All the best. Bertie.

I sent this one off on my way to the Drones, where I spent a restful afternoon throwing cards into a top-hat with some of the better element. Returning in the evening hush, I found the answer waiting for me:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It doesn't matter whether you understand or not. You just come at once, as I tell you, and for heaven's sake stop this back-chat. Do you think I am made of money that I can afford to send you telegrams every ten minutes. Stop being a fathead and come immediately. Love. Travers.

It was at this point that I felt the need of getting a second opinion. I pressed the bell.
"Jeeves," I said, "a V-shaped rumminess has manifested itself from the direction of Worcestershire. Read these," I said, handing him the papers in the case.

He scanned them.

"What do you make of it, Jeeves?"

"I think Mrs. Travers wishes you to come at once, sir."

"You gather that too, do you?"

"Yes, sir."

"I put the same construction on the thing. But why, Jeeves? Dash it all, she's just had nearly two months of me."

"Yes, sir."

"And many people consider the medium dose for an adult two days."

"Yes, sir. I appreciate the point you raise. Nevertheless, Mrs. Travers appears very insistent. I think it would be well to acquiesce in her wishes."

It's Monday...

...and sometimes my life looks like this.

Quote Friday - Brideshead Revisited

This is a scene from Evelyn Waugh's book, Brideshead Revisited. Charles Ryder visits his friend, Sebastian Flyte, at Sebastian's home, Brideshead, during their summer break at the end of their first year at Oxford.

"One day we went down to the cellars with Wilcox and saw the empty bays which had once held a vast store of wine; one transept only was used now; there the bins were well stocked some of them with vintages fifty years old.

'There's been nothing added since his Lordship went abroad,' said Wilcox. 'A lot of the old wine wants drinking up. We ought to have laid down the eighteens and twenties. I've had several letters about it from the wine merchants, but her Ladyship says to ask Lord Brideshead, and he says to ask the lawyers. That's how we get low. There's enough here for ten years at the rate it's going, but how shall we be then?'

Wilcox welcomed our interest; we had bottles brought up from every bin, and it was during those tranquil evenings with Sebastian that I first made a serious acquaintance with wine and sowed the seed of a rich harvest which was to be my stay in many barren years. We would sit, he and I, in the Painted Parlour with three bottles open on the table and three glasses before each of us; Sebastian had found a book on wine-tasting, and we followed its instructions in detail. We warmed the glass slightly at a candle, filled it a third high, swirled the wine round, nursed it in our hands, held it to the light, breathed it, sipped it, filled our mouths with it, and rolled it over the tongue, ringing it on the palate like a coin on a counter, tilted our heads back and let it trickle down the throat. Then we talked of it and nibbled Bath Oliver biscuits, and passed on to another wine; then back to the first then on to another, until all three were in circulation and the order of the glasses got confused, and we fell out over which was which, and passed the glasses to and fro between us until there were six glasses, some of them with mixed wines in them which we had filled from the wrong bottle, till we were obliged to start again with three clean glasses each, and the bottles were empty and our praise of them wilder and more exotic.
'...It is a little, shy wine like a gazelle.'
'Like a leprechaun.'
'Dappled, in a tapestry meadow.'
'Like a flute by still water.'
'...And this is a wise old wine.'
'A prophet in a cave.'
'...And this is a necklace of pearls on a white neck.'
'Like a swan.'
'Like the last unicorn.'

And we would leave the golden candlelight of the dining-room for the starlight outside and sit on the edge of the fountain, cooling our hands in the water and listening drunkenly to its splash and gurgle over the rocks.
'Ought we to be drunk every night?' Sebastian asked one morning.
'Yes, I think so.'
'I think so too.'"

spring & summer reading, part 2

I started reading a few passages of Elder Thaddeus' Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives (more in this post) to my children, and just had to re-read it myself. It may very well be a "read every year" book. How many "read every year" books am I allowed before I don't have room for new books? Hmmm... Where was I? Oh, yes. Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives has been such an instrumental book for me because I easily slip back into the habit of worry and this helps bring me back.

I also read The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Spear at my nephew's recommendation. Not my favorite book, but I can see why he (and many others) likes it.

Fit to Burst was timely for me as I was nursing my new baby. It was encouraging and succinct. I thought it was better than Jankovic's first book, Loving the Little Years (although this one's good too), mainly because it was much more applicable to everyone in all areas of life (even though it was directed at mothers). Her articles on motherhood HERE and HERE are excellent! Read them!

I love listening to books on CD while driving. Driving is boring. Books get me through. The Warden by Anthony Trollope read by Simon Vance was great, I've also read Barchester Towers and I want to read all of his books. The End.

Wait, that's not the end. It can't be over without Jane Austen. Persuasion, read by Juliet Stevenson, is wonderful. Her voice and expressions bring the pages to life. I loved her portrayal of Mrs Elton in the 2009 BBC version of Emma.

I also really like Pride and Prejudice read by Nadia May. Thank you, Sarah, (of http://frigatetoutopia.blogspot.com/) for recommending Nadia May!

Read part 1! http://thebowerofbelle.blogspot.com/2014/08/spring-summer-reading-part-1.html

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters

These little gems are delish! And they're good for ya, right?!

Smucker's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup Smucker's natural creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup chopped whole almonds

1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Melt chocolate chips, stir in p.b. Stir in remaining ingredients. Divide into mini baking cups (mini muffin liners). Chill 1 hour or until firm. Sneak them out of the fridge one by one while kids are distracted.

spring & summer reading, part 1

I titled this post, spring & summer reading, but it really should be titled something like, what to read with a new baby. This year, what with spending all my time kissing the cheeks of my precious baby (and wiping other kinds of cheeks), my reading list has been somewhat lowbrow. I'm good with that. One of the more enjoyable tasks that I've set for myself is to read my way through the works of P. G. Wodehouse, and so far this year I've read Thank You, Jeeves; Something Fishy; Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit; The Adventures of Sally; Heavy Weather; Mr Mulliner Speaking; and Right Ho, Jeeves. Can't get enough Wodehouse!

You rock, Mr Wodehouse!

While spending more time awake with my babe in the middle of the night than asleep, my eldest gave me her favorite book to read, The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I was surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed reading this book! The themes were more mature than I expected, but put in a way that wouldn't be scary or threatening to a kid. In fact, one would hope to be heroic with the help of your friends and family!

In The Motherhood and Jane Austen Book Club, I heard about Dear Mr Knightly by Katherine Reay. I don't usually go in for that sort of thing, being allergic to modernity, but thought I should try to step out of my box now and again, and I'm glad I did. It's composed of all letters, is modern with a nod to the classics, and isn't completely free of cliches or cheese, but is a very quick, fun read. (And it was fun to read with my daughter.) The book centers around Sam(antha) who spends most of her growing up years in a home that harkened back to the home for children that my parents worked in when I was young. Some of the struggles the heroine has to work through gave me a renewed respect for my mom, and the things in her past that she was able to overcome with God's help. It's clean and redemptive and you just might enjoy it. But the absolute best thing about reading this book was that it inspired me to reread The Count of Monte Cristo and Daddy Long Legs (and watch the movies).

Next up on the summer reading list, Notes From a Blue Bike by Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple, was just what I needed. Her encouragement to live intentionally, choose where my time goes, and to not make unconscious excuses for not doing what I want/ need to do, was a shot in the arm. You will now find me a little more often at the farmer's market and playing in the rain with my terrific kids...and blogging? I hope!

More to come!

Read part 2!
http://thebowerofbelle.blogspot.com/2014/08/spring-summer-reading-part-2.html

just another day in Arkansas

Never know who you might meet on vacation. May we never meet again!

Andrew Pudewa talk

 Listen to this engaging talk given by Andrew Pudewa (founder & director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing) on how to inspire children to learn. Understanding how boys and girls handle stress differently, hear differently, see differently, etc. will help you if you're a parent, teacher, or come into contact with any child at any time. There are two parts, each about 45 minutes, but well worth the time. Just turn it on while canning peaches like I did, and you'll be through before you know it.

http://sloca.tapconsulting.com/site/assets/TeachingBoysPart1.mp3

http://sloca.tapconsulting.com/site/assets/TeachingBoysPart2.mp3

It's Monday...

...and sometimes my life looks like this.

Lenten music

 
On another Easter note, I bought this CD and really loved listening to it all through Lent. Their Advent CD is really good too.

Easter desserts

Hiya Folks! Hope everyone had a blessed Easter. This Easter has been the richest of my life. Reading the Bible story to my children this year opened my eyes and my soul just a little more. I am being saved through my child-bearing, and it makes me feel excited and tingly all over. I wanted to share the recipes from our Easter lunch. Well, really just the dessert recipes because of my identifying with the children and all, I'm feeling like that was the most important part of the meal.

Here is the super delicious cake my sister made, Put the Lime in the Coconut Cake.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/put-the-lime-in-the-coconut-cake-recipe.html
These are her tips:
1. Most recipes call for waaaayyyyy too much sugar. I usually use less. The cake calls for 2 cups sugar. I used 1 1/2. The glaze calls for 1 cup sugar. I used 3/4 cup. You could probably do 1/2 cup and not be able to tell.
2. The frosting calls for 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening. I don't use shortening much, so I used 3/4 cup butter. I used less fat than it called for because so much butter may have made the icing slide off the cake in warm weather.
3. Topping cake with white coconut gives you a pretty white cake, but for a splash of color, toast the coconut first. You can toast on a cookie sheet in the oven or on the stove top. I used the stove top method. Stir the coconut constantly over medium high heat to prevent burning. Toast until it reaches desired color. 

Make it for your next get-together. Your family will thank you.

The dessert I made, Creme Egg Brownies, appealed to me right away because of my weakness for the yearly one or two Cadbury Creme Eggs that I look forward to at Easter time.

 

The recipe is pretty flawless: http://themerrythought.com/recipes/creme-egg-brownies/
Make this. You will experience an instant rise in popularity. 

He is Risen!

Harry Potter personality chart

How fun! It's a Harry Potter Myers Briggs personality chart. Who are you? The chart pegs me as a Lupin. http://25.media.tumblr.com/765632a34986b518fb3f82e304cb351c/tumblr_mpwedjbUzm1sr50suo1_r1_1280.jpg

Haven't taken the personality test? You can here: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp