March 21, 2006
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A Blessed Day Off
Today was a good day—a day off! I met Words_are_Things and her dad for tea at Panera this morning which was a real treat. Then, I made a quick run to the library (literally, as it is across the street from Panera!) and headed home. Since I was gone all morning and the hunter and Libby were gone to be a mother’s helper and a construction flunkie in the afternoon, I called off school. I got to clean the linen closet, which took more time than I thought with refolding all sheets, etc., cleaning the thing, tossing expired medicines, and organizing all the extra shampoos and conditioners. You see, I’ve started couponing again, and I’ve been getting some great deals (50 cents or less) on shampoo and conditioners. I think I’ve stockpiled nine conditioners and fourteen shampoos.
Tonight is also a free night. The good doctor, hunter, David, and I are planning to put the younger folk to bed (much to their protests, I am sure) and watch Goblet of Fire. To celebrate the fun day, I’m making pizza for supper.
I got a chuckle when I overheard David quizzing Nathan on his science. “What’s a solute?” asked David. Nathan replied with the wrong answer. David said, “No, it’s the thing that can be dissolved in a substance, which is good, because blue really makes my eyes “pop.” Yes, we are a movie quoting family…. (And kudos to whomever knows which movie is being quoted.) I do enjoy random humor.
I have been asked to list my favorite books. I must now quote another student (Peter L.) who said, “As a strong Meyers-Briggs Perceiver, I shy away from ever using superlatives,” but I will go ahead and attempt to list some books that I like very much. The problem is, there are very few books that I downright don’t like! (Please excuse my laziness in not italicizing the titles.)
Children’s Books (which are just as good as adult books sometimes!)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Thursday’s Child by Noel Streatfeld
The Nickel-Plated Beauty by Patricia Beatty
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Fairy tales of all sorts!
Inkheart, Inkspell, and The Theif Lord by Cornelia Funke
Rose in Bloom by Louisa Mae Alcott
The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Adult Books (Fiction)
Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (although the political parts can get dull)
This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti
Phillip Gulley’s Harmony books
The Robe by Lloyd Douglas
Patricia Veryan’s booksNon-Fiction
Walden by Henry David Thoreau (there had to be a reason I kept assigning it, right?)
The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer
The Regency Companion by Sharon Laudermilk and Teresa Hamlin
Carolly Erickson’s books (history)
The Family Nobody Wanted by Helen Doss
The Prizewinner of Defiance, OH by Terry RyanBooks I like but I won’t recommend to everyone because they have at least one objectionable aspect (language, sex, etc.)
Anything by Julia Quinn (historical romance)
The Devil’s Teardrop by Jeffrey Deaver (murder mystery)
Minerva by Marion Chesney (Regency romance)I have a tendency to gravitate toward romance and history but not exclusively. These books are just a small sample, I suppose. I could have listed all night…
Time to make the pizza!
PS–This advertisement ought to make you laugh. Go HERE to discover the importance of learning a second language.
Comments (13)
How is the new library? Fun days are the best, although is cleaning out the laundry cabinet really fun???
I bought a copy of the Nickle Plated Beauty at a library sale for fifty cents. I thought it was very good. Joan Aiken did a book of short stories I enjoyed quite a lot.
At least I think it was Joan Aiken. It had the story of the Pig Princess in it that struck me as ridiculously funny. Christie is a favorite, and I like Catherine Marshall’s Experiments in Prayer. Walden I have never read and am prejudiced against it because it was influential in my first husband’s life and I think may have contributed to messing him up. He attended Harvard and would spend Sundays at Walden Pond.
I already feel the need to go learn another language. Very funny!
Three cheers for Panera! Definitely a favorite. Thank you for more book recommendations. Those are always welcome. Now that I’ve (finally!) had my fill of Band of Brothers and related WW2 books, I’m ready for something kinder and gentler. Jane Austen here I come.
Any suggestions for a good book to start off the school year with, especially appealing to 8th grade boys?
Hey Mrs.Sellers,
Do you not like Wolverine?
btw best book ever= The Outsiders by S.E Hinton. It’s sad but GOOD!
I had such fun, too. Thanks muchly!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! -my reaction to that commercial. “What are you sinking about?” Ha ha, I’ll have to remember that one.
Your pizza/Harry Potter night sounds super fun! I hope you all enjoyed yourselves.
You’ve read The Robe! I love that book! I read it a few years ago, and it soon became one of my favorites, but you are the first person I’ve come across who has actually read it. Kudos to you! I’m going to be looking up some of these book suggestions, you know, because I am always looking for good reading material.
No, I don’t think you’re creepy- feel free to subscribe! I like moms; they make good friends– especially homeschooling moms! Afterall, I want to be one someday!
I actually have several Xanga friends who are closer to your age bracket, but that’s part of what makes them appealing! I like to see the world through different perspectives, and that is how I feel when I read blogs from others whose lives are different from mine in every aspect, especially age! Well, we’re all just over-grown kids anyway, don’t you think? 
♥Libby
It is my observation that what draws you is the phenomenon of STORY. Your heart is shaped for it and God probably speaks most powerfully to you through the device of STORY. The stories of people, real or otherwise, appeal to you more than any other kind of literature, and not just their outward qualities and events. You are fascinated by their inward journey, by why they make their choices, and what they become. This is not true for everyone. For some people, other things draw their attention.
But Jesus was aware of this factor for many people. So He told many stories. The Bible is full of stories, because God understands this and He made people like you.
God likes your heart: He shaped it, afterall. He understands it. He will speak to it in unique ways that are meaningful for you. Watch for His voice, His instruction, His encouragement, through the stories He brings to you. I believe that He will speak to you most often through those. This is because He most often uses what he has designed in us to communicate with us. He is delighted with what He has made, and He works with His creation in great joy.
People often do not realize this. They do not notice His communication because they are not looking for it properly.
Ohhhh! I LOVE book lists.
Thanx
haha no. Wolverine is an X-man (superhero) that’s who my bio pic is.
Sky High…do I get paid now or something? *cheesy grin*
That’s what I thought too! At least 3 ppl cut themselves handling the cans, and only like one person got cut on the glass…..It’s State High, go figure!;)