Chat on the Farmhouse Porch #150

Good morning! It's time for the weekly Chat on the Farmhouse Porch hosted by Everyday Ruralty. Actually, the others started chatting sometime yesterday, but I wasn't home to join in. This has been a strange week - my computer is being repaired, so I am making do with an older (and much slower!) one, which has limited my blogging and online time. Then my hubby cracked a rib so looking after him has taken my time as well.

This week's questions:

1. Do you ever watch old TV shows or movies from your childhood or youth?
2. Have you ever adopted a rescued animal?
3. Are you good at keeping track of paperwork and records?
4. What would you like the Magic Fairy Wendell to poof with his wand, and turn it into a treat for you? Any snack or sweet you would like. It doesn't have to do with carrots, or HE'D eat it!
5. Tell me something interesting - please.

My answers:

1. I don't watch much TV at all, but I think it's fun to watch old sitcoms and movies with my kids. Old TV show favorites are vintage cartoons (think The Flintstones or Bugs Bunny), Gilligan's Island, Magnum P.I., and The A-Team. Our whole family loves Seinfeld, but I was a young adult when that first came out. My daughter and I sometimes watch old movies together - mostly early Disney films.
2. No, I haven't, although one of our cats was rescued from a construction yard after being abandoned by its mama.
3. Ahem. Not really. I mean... I keep them, and know where they are, but unfortunately they are not very well-organized, so probably no one but me can find anything easily. I am working on tidying it up though!
4. It's been quite awhile since I had baklava, and I love it, so that's the treat I'd like to have if Wendell the Magic Horse is still taking requests today.
5. We had plans to take a day trip for our anniversary, which is tomorrow, but with hubby's cracked rib, he can hardly move, so I think we'll put off our plans for when he's healed up a bit.

Visit Chat 150 at Everyday Ruralty to join in! 

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays: July 29, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Every time David left her alone, nagging doubts filled her. What if he didn't come back? He would never sit on the throne of Israel with her at his side if he died in battle.

~Michal by Jill Eileen Smith, page 100

He balked. He couldn't imagine doing such a ridiculous thing. He also couldn't imagine being so hard of hearing that lip-reading would be his only way of understanding conversation.

~It Happened At the Fair by Deeanne Gist, page 106

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Scripture and a Snapshot: July 26, 2014

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,

and cry to her that her warfare is ended,

that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low,

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

~Isaiah 40:1-5~

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel, and pray that the Jewish people would recognize that Jesus is the Messiah.

Scripture and a Snapshot is hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life.

The Weekend Brew is hosted by My Freshly Brewed Life.

For a couple years now, I have been participating in Scripture and a Snapshot and linking up with these two lovely blogs. I've been using my other blog, Homeschool Coffee Break, for these, but I'm going to transfer some of these link-ups that aren't directly related to homeschooling to this blog instead. (This one will be on both of my blogs through the rest of the summer, I think.) Welcome!

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Chats on the Farmhouse Porch #149

I've decided to move my part in the weekly Chat on the Farmhouse Porch hosted by Everyday Ruralty to this blog instead of posting on my homeschool blog. Welcome to "Just A Second", especially if you haven't been here before. I started this blog to keep a record of books I was reading, plus some other things that didn't quite fit on a blog that was supposed to be dedicated to our homeschool. Well, I got to posting almost everything on my homeschool blog and only about books here, and neglected this one from time to time as well. Now that I've been posting here more, and trying to focus the Homeschool Coffee Break on homeschool a little more, I felt like some of these fun, chatty extra features belonged here. I hope you enjoy your visit, and I'd be glad to have you subscribe or follow, and come back any time. 

So... here are this week's questions:

1. Other than those who live in your home, who's the last person that came to your front door?
2. Do you have many photos around your home?
3. Do you like mint? Is there a favorite type of mint for you? How do you enjoy it?
4. Do you enjoy your own parties and other times with guests, or are you so busy working...?
5. What do you want to be when you grow up more? Job, hobby, self-improvement, etc.

My answers:

1. Well, we don't really use the "front" door at all, so the last time someone came there, it had to be someone that didn't know us at all! But I think the last person that came to our door would have been one of my son's friends.
2. There are quite a few framed family photos in my living room, and I have long had good intentions of framing and displaying more, but I somehow never get to it. I also have lots of photographs sitting in boxes waiting to be sorted and put into scrapbooks. Another project that will get done "someday", I suppose.
3. I can take it or leave it. I guess I like spearmint and wintergreen best. I don't care much for mint tea or mint flavored ice cream - gum and candy is enough mint for me!
4. When we have company, I try to keep it simple so things are prepared by the time guests arrive, and I prefer to leave the cleanup to do after they're gone. I like to spend the time visiting with people and relaxing, and I feel like I might be missing out on something if I am working!
5. I love how this question is worded, because I feel like I haven't completely grown up yet, even as old as I am! LOL I would like to find a job sometime, now that I don't need to be nearly as hands-on available with homeschooling any more, but I've been out of the workforce for so long now that I'm not sure what I would do. I'm trusting that when the time is right, I'll know. :-) I'd like to make more time for learning more musical skills (I'd like to relearn to play the guitar) and for some hobbies like sewing and knitting. And from my answer to Question #2, I guess I need to get some scrapbooking done!

Visit Chat 149 at Everyday Ruralty to join in! You'll especially want to look at the beautiful painting of a horse there today!

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Flourish

Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms by Mary Jo Tate - This encouraging book full of suggestions and advice for finding balance and living life to the fullest is written for and to all kinds of homeschooling moms, whether they are married or single, at-home or working. Moms in any stage or situation of homeschooling life  are reminded to "stop enduring the journey - and start enjoying it!" 

The book is full of suggestions and advice on setting goals and priorities; focusing on what's important and getting it done; valuing, protecting, and managing time; and enjoying the homeschool journey.  Each of the sixteen chapters ends with a challenge and a checklist to help you Take Action! and apply what you've learned; and there are several worksheets to help provided in the back of the book. There are chapters devoted to managing time wisely; setting goals; making plans; dealing with interruptions, attitudes, and home management; and the importance of taking good care of ourselves. Although not intended as a complete resource for parenting, homeschooling or running a home business, Mary Jo offers chapters dedicated to each of those topics as well, and gives some timely wisdom and advice. She also includes a chapter on Making Memories with your family, which I was delighted to see. That chapter in particular, emphasized that one of the most important motivations for running our homes and businesses efficiently, and for prioritizing home education, is our desire for strong relationships within our family.  

The planning tools presented in the book work from the Big Dream (long-term vision; what you'd do if nothing stood in your way) and Yearly Goals down through the monthly calendar, weekly plan, and daily tasks and to-do lists.  A couple things I found extremely helpful and freeing in this chapter were related to the To-Do Lists. Mary Jo suggested having a Running To-Do List to write down all the things you think of that need doing (I like doing this to free up space in my brain for other things!) but may not have specific appointment times on your calendar or a deadline by which they must be done. She makes some suggestions for keeping this list useful and preventing it from becoming unwieldy. But another rather unusual list caught my attention - the Stop-Doing List! These are the things that you realize you need to edit from your schedule.

This was a great read, one that I completed in short chunks so that I could think on a section at a time before working on the next. Very practical and encouraging in tone!

Click HERE to read my complete review for the Schoolhouse Review Crew on my Homeschool Coffee Break blog.

(Book #30 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays: July 23, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  I started with a clean slate a couple days ago! Everything I was working on was finished, and I got a chance to read and review a new novel, so I got started on that! I only have that ONE book on the go right now - very unusual for me! It is Miracle In A Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas.         

• What did you recently finish reading? Last week I finished A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber, and Sinner's Creed by Scott Stapp. (Read my thoughts on these books HERE and HERE) I recently finished reading Flourish by Mary Jo Tate, but I'm still pondering and learning from what I read. My complete review for that book will be on my Homeschool Coffee Break blog today (if all goes according to plan!) and then I'll share a summary of it on this blog as well.

   

• What do you think you'll read next?  These two are still in my stack: Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell and It Happened at the Fair by Deanne Gist. I will get going on at least one of them this week, and I need to choose a non-fiction title to start on as well. Not sure what that one will be yet.

   

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - A Grave Matter

A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber - The first two Lady Darby mysteries were so enjoyable that I was eager to read this third in the series as soon as it was available. Following the death of a close friend and the resolution of the investigation in Mortal Arts, Kiera (Lady Darby) has returned to her childhood home, her brother's estate near the Borders. But during the Hogmanay Ball, they receive news that an elderly caretaker has been murdered and a grave disturbed at the nearby abbey. It is decided to call in Sebastian Gage to lead the investigation, and he and Kiera join forces to solve the case - and at the same time deal with their feelings for one another and whether a more romantic partnership between them will be possible.

The mystery itself is dark and strange, with graves being robbed and the remains being held for ransom, and there are a few dead end leads before Gage and Kiera make any headway in solving the case. The emotions and some of the exchanges between Gage and Kiera are raw and sometimes awkward as they dance around the truth and the secrets of their past, and sometimes I understood the hesitance or fear, but at other times the motivation was a bit too vague and I wondered whether there was something I'd missed or something else hidden to be revealed later. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read, combining historical interest, a mystery to be solved, and a growing romance between two unusual and enigmatic characters. There is a clear lead-in to a fourth novel in the final paragraph of the book, but no word yet on a title or when it might be available. I, for one, will be watching for it!

By the same author: The Anatomist's Wife, Mortal Arts

(Book #29 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads - Sinner's Creed

Sinner's Creed by Scott Stapp with David Ritz - Those who are familiar with the rock band Creed will probably also remember the enigmatic personality of its front man, Scott Stapp. Some tried to give the band a Christian label, but it didn't quite fit, and the band members certainly weren't promoting that label themselves. There were plenty of spiritual undertones and Christian images in the lyrics, though. In this memoir, Scott Stapp tells the story of his journey of depression, addiction, and faith; and provides some background for the songs he wrote.

Scott was raised in a Christian home, and learned early to love God, and greatly admired his stepfather. Scott admits he wanted to be the hero for his family, and was driven to excel at everything he tried. His relationship with his stepfather grew more strained over the years, until Scott finally ran away from home. He experienced some successes and many failures in his initial struggle to make it on his own and get through college, and eventually formed the band that became Creed. Through the years, he also struggled with his faith - trying to reconcile the God of love his grandfather had believed in with the judgmental and demanding God portrayed by his stepfather; and wanting to be close to God, yet continuing to make poor choices and falling into depression, addiction, and self-destructive behaviors. Scott tells how the band became a success, how his own life became more unstable, and how the eventual breakup of the band sent him into further depression and self-medication. Through the faithful love of his wife Jaclyn, Scott finally learned to trust in the grace and forgiveness of God, and rediscovered his faith.

As I read this memoir, I was reminded that unfortunately Christians don't always accurately portray God to those around us - Scott's ability to understand a loving heavenly Father was hindered by the abuse and perfectionist expectations of his stepfather - and that Christians don't always judge correctly - I had the impression that too few Christians reached out to Scott and recognized that he was wrestling with sin and faith and needed the support and prayers of a church community. Scott Stapp's story is also an encouraging reminder that God is faithful and that His Word is powerful and He promises that it won't return void, but will accomplish what He wants. (Isaiah 55:11) Scott's childhood faith and study of the Bible meant that he knew Scripture well - and that knowledge helped him when he needed it most, and was instrumental in guiding him back into the right relationship with God that he had longed for.

The lyrics Scott wrote for each of the four Creed albums are included at the end of the book, as another expression of his struggles and growth, and reading them after having read his story emphasized just how much a songwriter can bare his soul in his music.

(Book #28 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays: July 16, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  I'm reading and learning from Flourish by Mary Jo Tate. I'm nearly finished Sinner's Creed by Scott Stapp, and I'm about halfway through A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber.

         

• What did you recently finish reading? I decided to put aside Loyal in Love by Jean Plaidy. Which isn't the same as finishing, but it isn't a priority to read right now.

• What do you think you'll read next?  The stack is huge! I just picked up a couple new things at the library and I'll need to get going on at least one of them soon or I'll feel guilty. They are: Love's Pursuit by Siri Mitchell and It Happened at the Fair by Deanne Gist.

   

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading for this week's link-up.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays: July 15, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Have you ever had a day when it seems everyone wants a piece of you? I call these days monkey bread days... So many people are pulling at you until eventually you have nothing left to give.

~Flourish by Mary Jo Tate, page 117

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays: July 9, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  I'm still reading Flourish by Mary Jo Tate, but I've put Sinner's Creed and Loyal In Love on hold for a little bit. I started reading A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber.

           
   

• What did you recently finish reading? The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead. (Read my thoughts on this book here.) Now I am ready and waiting for the final book in this series to come out in the fall!

• What do you think you'll read next?  Oh, who knows?! I've got to get back to the ones I set aside, and my hubby has been bugging me about a couple books that he's recommended. I guess we'll have to wait and see what appeals to me when I'm ready to pick up something new!

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading to find out more.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays: July 9, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination. I've noticed that the more important or complicated a task is, the likelier I am to put it off until I have more time to deal with it thoroughly. This wouldn't be a bad idea if I got back to these tasks soon, but too often I continue putting them off - sometimes until it's so late that it would be embarrassing to do them at all. 

~Flourish by Mary Jo Tate, page 109

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A ransom note?" I gasped in disbelief. "For a corpse?"
Gage nodded. "Yes. Very odd."
~A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber, page 74

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Recent Reads {The Shadow Lamp}

The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R. Lawhead - I waited a long time for this fourth book in the epic time travel science fiction fantasy series, so it does me no credit that I dallied awhile before reading it. But once I started, it was hard to put down! 

Refresher from the previous novels: Kit Livingstone and his girlfriend were unexpectedly introduced to ley travel by Kit's great-grandfather, but were initially separated when Mina wound up in medieval Prague instead of staying with Kit. Mina made the best of things, while Kit and a growing cast of characters searched for her and searched for the pieces of the skin map and its secrets about ley travel. The travelers include descendants of Arthur Flinders-Petrie (the man who had the map tattooed on his chest); Lady Haven Fayth and Giles Standfast; Gianni, a priest-astronomer; and Cassandra Clarke, who stumbled upon a ley line in Arizona that took her to 1930s Damascus and the Zetetic Society. The Zetetic Society is a fellowship of ley travelers devoted to helping each other and protecting the secrets of ley travel. To this end, they are all searching for the skin map, but so is Lord Burleigh, but his quest is for his own gain and he is clearly the bad guy. Confused? Well, I do recommend reading this series in order and not trying to jump in partway through!

In this installment, Cass is sent by the Zetetic Society to find out what's happened to a couple of missing members (Kit's great-grandfather and his colleague, Sir Henry Fayth), and joins Haven and Giles in a ley journey to Prague to meet Kit, Mina, and Gianni. During one of their attempts to retrace Kit's leap from the River City Clan and find the bone house where he saw what he believed was the spirit well, their shadow lamps burn out. Their next job becomes finding out what fuels the lamps so they can have more made, the lamps being useful for locating active ley lines. In the meantime, Cass's father is searching for her and finds his way to the Zetetic Society, where his background as an astro-physicist is highly valued. In another part of the world, Charles Flinders-Petrie is making plans to retrieve the skin map from a time before it was separated into pieces, but he has to find it first - in his grandfather's tomb in Egypt. Lord Burleigh is busy also in his own quest for the map, employing criminals and a ship, and engaging in general evil and brutality to get what he wants.

Once again, Lawhead kept me on the figurative edge of my seat as I followed the characters in their breathless race through time to find the map. During the course of this book, the theory is presented that time may soon start moving backwards, which would result in a catastrophic end to the entire universe. Members of the Zetetic Society believe that the skin map may hold the secret to avoiding this disaster, and that they may be able to avert it if they can find the map and the event that has precipitated the backwards movement. There's plenty of suspense, adventure and intrigue involved, as it's still not always clear to the players who can be trusted. As the book came to a close, it seemed the Zetetic Society was on the verge of a breakthrough, so I will be anxiously awaiting the conclusion in The Fatal Tree, coming out in September 2014.

By the same author: The Spirit Well; The Skin Map; Patrick; The Pendragon Cycle: Taliesin, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, Grail

(Book #27 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

WWW Wednesdays: July 2, 2014

Should Be Reading hosts this weekly update on what we're reading, what we recently finished reading, and what's next. 

• What are you currently reading?  My current list looks the same as it did last week, except that I'm further along in each of these books! The Shadow Lamp by Stephen R Lawhead, Loyal in Love by Jean Plaidy, Sinner's Creed by Scott Stapp, and Flourish by Mary Jo Tate.

     

• What did you recently finish reading? Nothing finished during the past week.

• What do you think you'll read next?  Well, to complicate my decision, I got a notice that a book for which I've been waiting (anxiously) was in transit to my library yesterday, which means it should be available for me to pick up today or tomorrow. It's a new one, A Grave Matter by Anna Lee Huber.

What are you reading? Anyone can join in this link-up by answering these three questions. Visit Should Be Reading to find out more.

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

Teaser Tuesdays: July 1, 2014

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title and author, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

But not everything that needs to be done is something you need to do. Opportunity does not equal obligation.

~Flourish by Mary Jo Tate, page 29

©2008-2014 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/