Books...oh, how I've missed you

I got some time to read while on vacation. I highly recommend these titles:

7    by Jen Hatmaker

When I Lay My Isaac Down  by Carol Kent

Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman

And the next two books on my pile:

Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker

(Thanks Mindy)

So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore

(I have owned this for several years...I am determined to get it read!)

Favorite Christmas Read-alouds

From last year in December...

Years ago, before I had any children, I started a book collection.  I read the books to myself, and I read the books to my classes when I was a teacher. I chose books that made me laugh and/or cry.  Our book collection continues to grow, and our home is currently at risk of being overtaken by books. 

When my kids were very young, I read an idea to use a Christmas book basket as a sort-of countdown activity.  I wrapped all our books in gift wrap and put them in a basket under the tree. We let the kids choose one to open each evening of December.  We bought a new book each year (and wrote the date inside the cover) to add to our collection. Choosing one or two each evening helped us get all the books read, and gave the kids the treat of opening a gift.  After 12 or more years of this, we have a huge collection of Christmas books, as well as a "favorites" list.  (Luckily I don't have to spend the time wrapping them anymore.)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an all-time favorite, because of it's longevity.  My teenagers still enjoy it, while most of the picture books don't keep their attention any more.  The copy I read from is 25-30 years old--mine from when I was a kid.  It takes a few evenings to read and has very few pictures, so it is probably best for school-aged kids. It will make you laugh out loud and will cause you to pause and consider the wonder of the birth of Christ in a fresh way.

One Wintry Night is a favorite chapter/picture book.  A boy is caught in a mountain blizzard at Christmas time and ends up staying in the cabin of an older woman who had known his grandfather.  She tells him the Christmas story, beginning with creation and ending with the resurrection.  It's like a condensed version of key events of the Bible, showing a big picture perspective of how the birth of Christ fits in with God's bigger plan for mankind.  The illustrations are large and amazing, but this book will take a few evenings to finish.

One of the earliest purchased Christmas books of our collection, set in the Appalachian mountains during World War I, is The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree  by Gloria Houston. Easy to read to young children in one setting.  I'm warning you mothers, have a tissue ready.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski is a tender story of a lonely man whose wife and child died, and he has become bitter. He lives in the same town with a widow and her son and they ask Mr. Toomey to carve a nativity set for them. They begin spending time with him as he works on their nativity. In the process of carving the nativity set, Mr.  Toomey deals with some of his grief and his heart is softened toward making new friends. (sniff-sniff)

    

                                    

Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect by Richard H. Schneider is a story of how the young tree, Small Pine, gives shelter to many creatures in the forest, but sacrifices a perfect appearance as a result.  In spite of the imperfections, the queen chose Small Pine as her tree for the castle, because she recognized these imperfections as the result of sacrifice for others.  It teaches that living for the sake of others makes us beautiful in God's eyes.

The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt is as much an Easter story as it is a Christmas story.  In this folktale, three trees are disappointed that their dreams are never achieved.  Each tree eventually gets his wish in a manner that only God could have fulfilled.

I will always love The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs. It is good for young children -- a great story of a family who generously gave away a prized possession.

When Washington Crossed the Delaware is an amazing way to include our nation's history with our Christmas season. It was written by Lynne Cheney, wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney. It retells a dramatic event that took place on Christmas night in 1776.  The book is lavishly illustrated, which makes it extra enjoyable.

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbooks

So what's your favorite cookbook?

The Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook was the cookbook my mom reached for for all her cooking needs while I was growing up. She got it when she got married in 1965.

1965

When I got married in 1986, she gave me my own copy as a gift.


1986

The red-checked cookbook taught an 18-year-old bride how to hard boil eggs, where different cuts of beef are located on the butchered steer, substitutions for common ingredients, measurement equivalents, and how to make my favorite homemade waffles.
The first edition was published in 1930, so the cookbook celebrated 80 years last year in 2010. I celebrated by buying the new edition. (As well as a couple of extra copies to use as wedding gifts this year.)

2010

My 25th wedding anniversary is in June and I thought it would be fun to have one of the cookbooks from the year I was married and new one to commemorate 25 years in the kitchen. I also love the link to my neck of the woods in central Iowa--Des Moines is the headquarters for Meredith Corporation, which is the publisher for this cookbook.

Since getting interested in the history of the cookbook, I made sure my mom knew that I would want her copy someday. I was excited to have recently found my grandmother's copy, which has a gold cover commemorating the sale of 10,000,000 cookbooks.

To be honest, the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook is probably not my very favorite cookbook, but it is an essential in my kitchen. My favorites are church cookbooks, with everyone's best recipes.
I would hate to be without this favorite, as well:

Pioneer Woman Cooks book signing
Mall of America, MN
Nov. 2009

Organizing

When we went to Colorado in January, I read this book:

It is really good for me to read ideas from people who aren't "savers".  I get emotionally attached to many things in my home, and then I can't part with them.  I have to find the space to store them, and that can be a problem after a while.
Plus I'm a crafter. And a seamstress.  I have fabric and paint, ribbons and trims, papers and glue, ...
You get the idea.

One of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful,

or believe to be beautiful."

--William Morris

19th century artist and designer

Changes

One of my children has been experiencing a lot of changes over the past nine months or so.  Change doesn't always come easily--for the person changing or the people around them.  Sometimes growing up is really hard.  My girls are over six years apart, so it has been a while since these books have been opened; but they are some of my favorites for dealing with changes.

What We are Reading Right Now...

Spring break is upon us!  For me, that means I get a little extra reading done.  Here are some of the books being read by our family this spring break.  We hauled them around in our bags when we travelled to Missouri, and buried our noses in them while wearing our pj's...until noon one day. (ok, only I did that, and it was fabulous!)

Crazy Love by Francis Chan  -- Angie, Ellyn
This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by Reinhart and Rogoff  -- Byron
Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond -- Angie
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell -- Ryan
The Young Oxford History of Britain & Ireland -- Ryan
The Kings and Queens of England by Ian Crofton (not pictured) -- Ryan

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers -- Ellyn, Angie
So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore -- Angie
The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan -- Byron
Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr. -- Byron, Angie


(Some family member's names are missing from this list, because some members of the family don't...           um...   well...     {whispering now}...they only read if they are forced to.)


UPDATE: I spoke too soon...when I got up this morning, Meggan was on the couch reading a stack of books.  Maybe there's still hope of her being a reader.

Inspirational Reading and Watching

Last night my neighborhood mom's Bible study group finished the book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. One of the final chapters of the book featured examples of Christian people who have lived out their lives fully surrendered to God.  Their individual stories are such an inspiration. They were all radical people who chose to love others (usually the poor) with Christ-like passion, and yet, they were everyday folks just like me. I found myself asking, "What am I going to choose to do?  How can I love the people around me?"

The discussion reminded me of some wonderful books and a movie that our family has enjoyed. These titles  encourage and inspire me to press on in my faith.  They help me to look for opportunities to serve and love others. They stir in me a desire to love others in a way that Jesus has poured out His love on me.

So I'd like to share these stories with you...

Last year I used a geography curriculum for homeschooling that included reading several books from the series Christian Heroes: Then and Now.  Finally, I was going to get some of these books read to my kids!  We studied different countries, the people groups of the individual areas, and then read books about the missionaries who served among the people on all the different continents.  (The curriculum was My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures, for any homeschoolers who are interested.)

This series of books has approximately 30 stories of great Christian heroes, but I have only read the ones shown in the picture below.  My favorite is the story of Nate Saint. In 1956, he was one of five young missionary men killed in South America by being speared by warriors of the tribe they were trying to reach with the message of Christ's love. One of the other missionaries was Jim Elliot, whose wife, Elisabeth Elliot has gone on the tell their story by writing the book "Through Gates of Splendor."  In 2006, the movie "End of the Spear" was released to tell the story on the big screen.

The story of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot is so powerful...
Before their encounter with members of the Waorani tribe, these men made a decision that they would not kill in order to keep from being killed themselves. They would not kill the people that they had come to share the message of Jesus with.  They knew that their own death would take them to heaven, but that the death of people who did not yet know Jesus would mean eternal suffering. 

Possibly the most amazing part of their story is that some of the wives of those missionaries, and Nate Saint's sister Rachel, went back to the Waorani tribe years after the men were killed. They taught them to turn from a life of revenge and murder and to embrace the forgiveness and love of Jesus.  Rachel Saint ended up living the rest of her life with the tribe and made them her family.  She translated the New Testament into their language and was buried in South America when she died in 1994. 
What an amazing story of how Christ can transform lives!

Can you guess which Christian Hero story I want to buy and read next?


Christian Heroes: Then and Now --  Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle

Two Great Books about Love

Two books about love that I highly recommend...

"The Love Dare" was written by Stephen and Alex Kendrick and is a 40-day challenge for husbands and wives. Each challenge is based on loving your spouse unconditionally. It was used by the couple in the movie "Fireproof."

"Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God," by Francis Chan, is about encountering God's love for us and, in return, developing a passionate love relationship with Him.