Reviews Coming In

The Book is out and I of course LOVED it, but as LeVar Burton used to say on Reading Rainbow, "You don't have to take my word for it ..." because my word is slightly biased and based on a desire for all of my Father in Law's hard work to be a success.

OK, LeVar didn't ever say that last part.

Anyway, people are reviewing it and seeing all of the same positive elements in the book that I loved so much. So here are a couple of reviews from people that do not share a common last name with the author:

Consuming Worship: "the book is a real eye-opener for someone like me who has always been a firm (sometimes zealous) supporter of Israel. When you peek into the life of a Palestinian born in a tent near the beginnings of the last century’s conflict between Jews and Arabs, you cannot help but have your worldview shifted somewhat—maybe not so much a shift in thought but an increased clarity because of learning about the other side of the issue."

Jeff Adams: (Our former pastor, and Daddy to one of my closest friends) "a tangible example of God’s power to change lives. There is no other explanation that makes sense."

Jennifer at A Quiver Full: "I was encouraged, educated and led to examine the scriptures pertaining to the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael in a new light."

So there you go. It really is a great book! Buy it, request it at your library or borrow from a friend you know named Addie, whatever, just read it. I think with today's volatile climate it's such an important book to open your eyes a bit to God's worldview. Forget all the rhetoric that you may have heard from the religious right or the liberal left, what does God think about this often forgotten people group? And what lengths is he willing to go just to reach them?

Halloween, A Parental Lesson in Letting Go

You know it's going to happen when you become a parent, you just mistakenly believe it happens around 18 years of age. The reality is that it starts sometime before 8.

First Halloween: (aka: the time I had more input)



Current Halloween: (aka: I think we know where this is going.)



I didn't want to let her wear this, but she confused me when she started speaking in Klingon and told me that she had to keep the ring safe from the Cylon's ruling in Mordor.* How could I refuse her ... my baby wants to be a hero!

* I totally ripped this off a tv show ... if you know which one, you're cool in my book.

TuTu Typical

Aren't they adorable?

Won't they look so cute on Halloween?

It looks like all the hours of hard work and preparation I put into their costumes really paid off.

Except now my five year old tells me that she doesn't think she's going to be a ballerina for Halloween. She wants to be Sleeping Beauty instead.

The sleeping beauty dress we have is old.
And tattered.
And a couple of sizes too big.
And is worn here around the house EVERY. OTHER. DAY.



It's nice to see she's stepping out of her comfort zone.

Scary things like PTO's, Arts and Crafts, and Pumpkin Patches

Wow, did I seriously have a blog post up for the last three weeks with a picture of dead bugs in my freezer? I really know how to leave things on a good note, don't I?! For the three of you that have continued to check in here and had to endure that, I am deeply sorry.

The bugs are gone. The freezer's been bleached. And Sporty received a perfect score on her science project. And for all that I say: Hooray!

And because I'm sick today but desperately feel the need to push the bug post further down my page, I give you, in list form, some vignettes from my life. And in keeping with the whole creepy feeling that the bugs have added to this blog, it's a Halloween themed list. Spooky indeed!

1. Somehow I ended up being in charge of the whole Halloween party for Posh's kindergarten class. I'm not sure how that happened. I vaguely remember a phone call, some sort of peer pressure and now here I am. So, I went to the planning meeting a few weeks ago, sat with a bunch of women I don't know, but who all seem to know each other, and I now have all sorts of little tasks to accomplish. Not to mention the expectation to have a party which can entertain 20 kiddos for an hour. Oh, and I have to do it for $13. Or at least that's the amount of cash they gave me. Entertain 20 kids for an hour on $13! Oh yeah, sure, No Sweat! Each kid is getting a half a package of smarties and a napkin that they can take home to keep. Should be a huge success.

2. Posh and Baby Spice are going to be ballerinas for halloween and I'm making the tutus. I'm done with one, and have one more to make this weekend before Trunk or Treat at Church this Sunday night. Here's the one I've already made:

This is only the second time I've ever made a costume for one of my kids. Sporty's very first Halloween we made a butterfly costume out of cardboard and felt. It was SO CUTE!



Or maybe SHE was just SO CUTE! Eight years later, she's going as a Jedi. Surprisingly, she declined my offer of another butterfly costume. :-)

3. I'm hoping that making costumes for the girls will make up for my other Halloween failures. I'm almost embarrassed to admit this ... but ... I buy our pumpkins at Wal-mart. And to top it off, I don't have any pictures of the kids picking them out. (Do you think that would've made for a good family photo op to have the kids positioned all around the blue shopping cart?) This is all tongue in cheek, but I do have to admit that a part of me feels like the odd man out when almost everyone seems to take their kids to a patch to pick out their pumpkins these days. With three kids, it would cost us about $40-$50 to get three pumpkins. Three pumpkins that they are going to take home and hack up with knives. Hack not carve. I just can't bring myself to do it. They don't seem to mind now, but I wonder if later they'll feel deprived when they hear their friends talking about all the fun they had at the pumpkin patch. Maybe I'll just sock away that $40-$50 we saved for the therapy sessions they're gonna need.

Have a Great Weekend!

And You Thought It Was Time To Clean Out YOUR Freezer!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

(In our city, third grade means an introduction into Entomology. According to her teacher this was the humane way to kill them, so they have their own little shelf in my freezer. A shelf that will be cleaned and cloroxed next week when this project ends.)