Coffee, Sparrows, and a Blessed Heritage

Good morning!

May I refer you to another blog today?  Follow this link to Christy LaShea Smith's blog, where she is giving away a copy of Meg Moseley's (my mom's!!) debut novel, 'When Sparrows Fall', set for release on May 3, 2011.  Leave a comment on Christy's blog and/or on her facebook page to be entered to win. 

While you're there, you can read a bit from my mom.  She is currently on the west coast with her own mom, who is in at-home hospice care.  Her words impressed me as she told of singing "Jesus Loves Me" together.  Jesus Loves Me is part of Lizzie's bedtime repertoire. She likes to sing and read about "Deesuss."

I am blessed to have a heritage of believers in my family.  Both of my parents were raised in loving, Christian homes.  My mom's side of the family can be traced through generations of proper Lutherans, as all good Danes should be.  My dad's family were kind, quiet Baptists, who taught Sunday School for decades.  In turn, my parents raised me up in 'the way I should go' and I'm so grateful.  Even on Sam's side, by the grace of God, his parents escaped Red China and sometime later came to the knowledge of salvation; instead of embracing the typical non-religion of atheism, they raised their sons in the church.

Now it's our turn.  I can't say what our girls will have when they grow up, except that we will do the best we know how to teach them to love "Deesuss" and as they grow, release them to learn to walk in faith.

When you're done visiting Christy LaShea Smith's blog, hop along with the Company Girls today. Coffee is always more fun with company, isn't it?

Thank you, Daddy

Good morning.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table with Sam's computer, and Lizzie in her high chair, eating "a bowl full of mush."  Recently she boycotted oatmeal, but because of her obsession with Goodnight Moon, oat bran cereal has become "a bowl full of mush" and she is stoked. 

I wrote a pretty good update of life yesterday; if you're interested hop over there.

Really, I wanted to jump on here today and record a sweet moment from last night, before I forgot it.  Since you're here today, I will inflict it upon you.

Lizzie's bedtime routine has become a long and sort of ridiculous process.  The steps are fairly streamlined: bath, the occasional attempt at the potty, diaper, pajamas, reading (sometimes accompanied by a small snack), brushing teeth, singing in the rocking chair, kisses, prayer, and being tucked in just-so with her baby doll and blanket.  Most nights I leave the room with her calmly and happily waving "bye" to me.

Last night, we skipped the bath and went straight to pajamas and reading books.  Lizzie had a stack of--no lie--about 15 books she had collected to be read.  I did my best to hide as many as I could when she wasn't looking, which still left about 10 of her favorites.

(She has given up on her mush, and is currently on the couch, reading "The Little Engine That Could" to the dog, who is also on the couch, even though she technically shouldn't be up there; but everyone is being good, so I will let sleeping dogs lie.  Lizzie is making sure Lady can see the "pishurs" and reading:  "Up! Up! Mountin.  ...  I tan! I tan!  Ah End.")

At any rate, I was settled on the couch with our stack of books, and Lizzie decided she needed more books.  She's faster than I am these days, so off she went to her bookshelf and grabbed 3 Barney books and 2 Karen Katz lift-the-flap books.  Both Sam and I protested and told her "no more books" and of course with it being after 9 PM, Liz fell into a meltdown.  "Barney!  Barney!  Peeeeaase?!"  Tears, collapsing on the floor, mournful arguments, the whole bit. 

We had to make a quick decision:  Should we force her to put the books back, when she's this tired and already mostly too far gone to reason with?  Or should we work out a compromise?  I suggested from my cozy place on the couch that we let her take one Barney book, put the others back, and I put away another handful of books I didn't want to read.  We were down to about 7, plus Barney.

Sam gave her one of the Barney books.  Lizzie's face lit up.  She ran to him, took the book, and then shimmied up to the couch with her Barney book and cup of water.  Then, without any prompting, she looked up at Sam, eyes full of relief and gratitude, and with her sippy straw in her mouth said, "Dint due, Daddy."

We were undone.  We never taught her spontaneous thanks.  We love this sweet little girl.  

I'm linking up with the Home Sanctuary Company Girls this morning.

What's new?

Well, it's the first time in a week that Lizzie has taken an afternoon nap.  This would explain the absence of blog posts.  I'm torn between having an hour or two in the afternoon while Lizzie sleeps, or having an hour or two in the evening after she goes to bed.  I still haven't figured out which is better. 

The couple hours in the evening have usually been spent in the living room rather than the office.  While Sam watches MI-5 on Netflix, I'm on the couch reading through The Help.  I am almost done and I have hardly been able to put it down.  It's fun to read something new.  It's fun to read something without pictures.

The garden has no update; we bought nearly all our supplies, then realized we need to get dirt in to level the ground, and should probably cut down a few of the dozen tall pine trees that have plagued our "lawn" for as many years as there has been a house here. 

And in order to get that done, I need to find a printed-out e-mail somewhere in our office, to locate a particular landscaper's phone number, for an estimate.  Please understand that for something to be "somewhere in the office" it's like saying an item is "somewhere in the frozen tundra."  So, the garden is on hold until the office is cleaned up, at least somewhat.  But one way or another, we'll have something growing in dirt by the end of April. 

We have been making some progress in the world of potty training.  I discovered Lizzie's amazing capacity to love chocolate candy, and have capitalized on this.  She apparently will do anything - including tinkle in the potty - for chocolate candy.  She will often go on command at convenient times, such as immediately prior to a bath, but has on occasion exclaimed, "potty!" and we've rushed off to let her try.  Sometimes it's successful, other times not so much.  We're not quite ready to leave diapers behind, because she doesn't truly have bladder control, but we're getting there.  I am most pleased that she is willing and not intimidated to go on the potty.  There's no pressure.

Baby number 2 is coming along nicely.  I am 24 weeks along - officially 6 months.  Only 4 long months to go.  Last night I was confessing how tired I am of being pregnant.  It's just not my thing.  I know a lot of women love it.  I know a lot of women hate it.  I don't love or hate it; I'm just not all that fond of it.  And the exhaustion, the moodiness, the swelling, the aches, the kicks in places one shouldn't be kicked....  Don't get me wrong; the results are worth it, but I will seriously have to have a severe case of amnesia to get in this situation again--at least any time within the next 3 years.

I'm looking forward to sharing some great new recipes in the next few weeks.  I have a huge collection of photos of recipes I intend to share, plus I have tried several new things that have been successful.  I've discovered a wonderfully simple and delicious recipe for scones, and have made it twice with awesome results.  I kept intending to take pictures, but the process is so quick, and the end product is so delicious, pictures have not yet been possible.  I even made beignets.  They were amazing, and no more laborious than making, say, waffles.  I am seriously considering making another batch of banana muffins, since I have a couple squishy bananas ready to use.  We have also been eating things that have protein in them, I promise.  But those aren't quite as exciting to talk about as all these confections, are they?

Top 10 Favorite Board Books

With a 16-month-old who enjoys the sound of ripping paper, our accessible book collection is very sturdy.

Additionally, with a 16-month-old who likes repetition, our book repertoire is fairly consistent.
With no further ado, for Top Ten Tuesday, here are Our 10 Favorite Board Books:

1. Caps For Sale, Esphyr Slobodkina

We read this at least once a day. And at random moments Lizzie will smirk, shake her finger in the air, and say "tsz, tsz, tsz!" Caps For Sale is especially wonderful when your child is obsessed with hats, monkeys, or foot-stamping, as mine is.


2. Gossie, Olivier Dunrea
"Gossie is a small yellow gosling who likes to wear her bright red boots. Every day." You don't know anyone who likes to do the same thing Every Day, do you? A few weeks ago I had a revelation from this book; it still impacts my heart when I read it.

3. Gossie & Gertie, Olivier Dunrea

Gertie is Gossie's friend, who follows Gossie, but not all the time. The catchphrase, "Follow me!" is useful when I want Lizzie to come along. Following Mommy is more fun when she relates it to the story.

4. Hippos Go Berserk, Sandra Boynton

We have borrowed this from the library multiple times. It has actually taught Lizzie some counting. She counts to two, and points out the numbers on the page while I read it.

5. Girl of Mine, Jabari Asim

This is the sweetest book, and it elicits hugs and soft cuddles every time I read it to Lizzie. When rocking her before bed I can make her literally melt as I quote: "Giggly, wiggly, precious pearl. I'm so glad that you're my girl!" We have had it from the library for nearly 6 weeks now, and I'm sure we will have to buy it ourselves, because we can't just keep it on perpetual renewal.

6. The Wheels On the Bus
I really can't find any info on this specific book... it just has the very annoying song, which I have abbreviated, and the pages have flaps. It is terrible. But she loves it, so I can't hide it from her, can I?

7. Where Is Baby's Belly Button? Karen Katz

My aunt sent the "Lift the Flaps" collection of Karen Katz's books, and they have been a hit. Belly Buttons are fascinating at the moment, so we like this one. Sadly, several flaps have been exuberantly severed from their pages.

8. Baby's First Bible

There are few more precious things than having a toddler who can barely speak asking to read the book about Jesus (using ASL for Babies' "book" and "Jesus").

9. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle

Who can't love a caterpillar who eats one apple, two pears, three plums, four strawberries, five oranges, a sausage, a chocolate cake, a lollipop, swiss cheese, ice cream, a cupcake, a piece of cherry pie, a pickle, a slice of salami, and a piece of watermelon, then eats a green leaf and turns into a butterfly?

10. Pajama Time, Sandra Boynton

Sing-song rhythm, and it's all about getting pajamas on. "Jamma, jamma, jamma, jamma, P! J!" Anything that redirects toward bedtime is a winner in my book.

What are your favorites? They don't have to be board, they can be made of regular paper. You have to be very gentle with paper. No ripping. Very gentle.

My First Guest Posting!

Grab a cup of coffee and meander on over to Meg Moseley's Blog to read my guest post there today! I manage to reference coffee at least 3 times. You would be impressed.

Here's a teaser:

Ten lessons I learned from having a writer as a mother:

• Prioritize what you’re passionate about. A writer cannot help it; there is no escaping the creative process in his or her mind. With a novelist, that means there is a continuous story with full conversations with imaginary people. And sometimes those imaginary people take precedence over the real ones living in her house. Please understand, we were always loved, clothed, fed, and cared for, but we knew that we could reheat our own lunches and clean up our own messes; her characters needed her full attention just to exist. Who can compete with that?

Read the rest here.

I am hoping to make it to a Mark. (the young, hip version of Avon) party tonight, and maybe even get to buy something there! Or win a door prize! Or eat some snacks! Any one of those sounds exciting at the moment. Like these pretty little rings on "last chance."

The week has been a pretty good one. Here is a statement I never thought I would make:
I am so thankful that we qualify for three different forms of government aid right now.
But we are exceptionally grateful for God's provision while we wait, and wait, and wait for a job to become available for Sam.

We are living on chicken soup right now, because a lack of sleep and an increase in temperature changes have messed a little bit with all our systems. We're feeling better. And I'm getting really good at making chicken soup.

My lack of sleep is partially due to my absorption The Unlikely Disciple, subtitled "A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University" by Kevin Roose. I found it through a mention at Jade Keller's website, read the review, and was intrigued, so I put it on hold at the library. Now I can't put it down. It's definitely hilarious, thought-provoking, infuriating and convicting in turns.

I'm going to run out and hit the grocery store. Have a happy weekend!

What to do?

It's a quarter to 3, Liz just fell asleep, and Sam is napping, too.

I have at least an hour in which to do something without interruption or distraction.

Here are my choices:

Behind door number 1, whip together dinner so I don't have to worry about it later. While I'm at it I can do a little prep work for some of the other dinners this week (cook a little extra chicken, chop up the green peppers that I have a feeling are starting to get a little on the slimy side).

Door number 2, go to the grocery store so I don't have to do it tomorrow. The list is made, I just have to go out there.

Or door number 3, sit down with a cup of coffee and the new books from the library. The ones that are not about ducklings, hippos, or puppies.

Hmm....

Gossie

"Gossie is a gosling. A small, yellow gosling, who likes to wear bright red boots."

Gossie is currently a very favorite friend at our house. She walks all around her barnyard in her bright red boots. One day she loses her bright red boots. It makes her sad.

See figure 1.

Unfortunately, L has learned empathy, and Gossie's loss makes her very sad, also.

A couple of evenings ago, I was in the middle of making or cleaning up something in the kitchen when I heard L whimpering. It was the kind of whimpering she makes when she wants some sort of help, but doesn't want to come ask for it directly. (I'm afraid she learned that from me.)

"Baby, what's the matter? Come here, and I'll help you." My annoyance was masked nicely.

Imagine my surprise when she stumbled into the kitchen to present her Gossie book at my feet, pleading with me to understand that she had found her poor, heartbroken friend on the page. No amount of reasoning or comforting would bring her to rejoice that on the very next page Gossie's boots returned on Gertie's feet.

Gossie was heartbroken, and my dear child was insisting upon mourning with her.
There is so much to be learned from her, if I'll only let my heart out of its casings occasionally.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Rom. 12:15

Coffee and the Caldecott

It's been 2 weeks since I last wrote here. The last blog entry with its existential question of why I write (and asking why you write) received several great and helpful and encouraging responses. I'm not sure that I have really answered my question, but it was good for me to at least articulate the question. Sometimes that is all that's necessary for a time in the process of searching for purpose.

I'm linking up to Company Girl Coffee with the gals coming through from Home Sanctuary. Welcome. :)

Tomorrow morning I am taking part in a "Brown Bag Day" at my church, where we will be perusing, discussing, and appreciating the value of children's literature. Among a handful of other women, I've been asked to give a presentation; mine is to be about the Caldecott Medal.

Before last month when I was assigned my topic, I did not know much about it. Okay, truth be told, I knew nothing about it. When our pastor's wife asked me to give a presentation on the Caldecott Medal, I thought it was a book and said, "I had never read it, but I could." She is so gracious that I didn't catch her flinch, though I'm sure she did so, on the inside.

Since then, I have borrowed 28 books from my local library, and made great use of the ability to request books from other branches in the county. I have a terrific stack of books in the living room, and it's been a lot of fun to discover so many great stories and artful and creative books.



The Caldecott Medal is an award given annually to "the most distinguished American picture book for children published in the previous year" by the American Library Association. In a way, it is an answer to the Newbery Medal given by the ALA for children's literature, but awarded to the artist, rather than the author. Since 1938, the illustrator has also been the author of the text in 44 of the past 72 awards.

It is named for Randolph Caldecott, an English illustrator from the 1800's, whose paintings graced many nursery rhymes. I didn't realize it until this week, but the pictures associated in my mind with many of the stories were his interpretations of the rhymes.

Part of the criteria involved is that the illustrations be so vital that they are what makes the story what it is.

Of the collection I've gathered, my favorites have been Flotsam by David Wiesner, Time of Wonder and Make Way for Ducklings, both by Robert McCloskey,

Flotsam is fun because it has no text, only pictures. A boy is investigating things he finds at the beach when he discovers an underwater camera washed up on shore. He develops the film and sees fantastical images from under the sea. The final photo is a picture of the last person to have found the camera, holding a photo of the person before, holding a photo of the person before, and so on. So he follows suit, taking a photo of himself and casting the camera back into the ocean to be found by yet another young scientist. If I ever find it at a book sale, I'm picking that one up.

Make Way for Ducklings is one I remember as one a great book that I read and asked my mom to read to me countless times when I was little. McCloskey's "Time of Wonder" is suddenly my favorite, because it is really so well executed. The pictures are beautiful, and the text is creative and poetic. But together, they make you feel like you are on the islands of Maine with this vacationing family for a summer. I wish so much that I had not had to return it to the library because I want to bring it to the event tomorrow. There is one particular scene depicted in which you "watch" rain clouds begin to form, then get darker; then you can see the rain begin to fall, and the storm is heading toward you. As you turn the page you almost gasp and get excited because now "the rain is falling on you!"

I'm excited to bring these books and what I've discovered about them to the group tomorrow. I hope what I can convey is a sense of wonder at the fun and wealth of children's books.