I thought I should pop in and explain my absence!  My dear friend, Mary Sharp, has been in and out of I.C.U. for the past six weeks.  She is two hours away from me in Indianapolis so between working and praying for her and going to see her, I haven't had much energy left to blog. 

School is going great!  I have super sweet kids this year at the cottage school -- ten in all.  We are studying the middle ages.  I will be posting more about what we are using for our books this year.  We are having an awesome time!  Well, okay,  I am even if the kids aren't!

I also have a new family member!  I just got a rescue dog, a "Golden Doodle."  He is ten months old and he is a cross between and standard poodle and a golden retriever.  He is sooooo cute!  I can hardly wait until my camera gets fixed and I can post pictures.  He's ten months old and he's full of joy.  I just love watching him leap and run.  He makes me giggle.

Another delay in my blogging life is that my computer has crashed again.  It has given me the death screen, so please pray I can get it running!  I really don't have the extra $$ right now to even take it to a repair shop so I'm going to try and fix it myself.  Please pray I have wisdom!

Thanks for checking in!  I promise I will be back with full vigor eventually!

Woof!

I love being a grandma.  My friend who is now a great-grandmother sent me these quotes in an e-mail.  I couldn't resist including them in my Commonplace blog.

What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give  me a million dollars' worth of pleasure. ~Gene  Perret

Grandmothers are just "antique" little girls.  ~Author Unknown

Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb

Never have children, only grandchildren. ~Gore Vidal

Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day 
and now the day was complete. ~Marcy DeMaree

Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies. ~Author Unknown

Grandmas hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever. ~Author Unknown

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse

My grandkids believe I'm the oldest thing in the world. And after two or three hours with them, I believe it, too. ~Gene Perret

Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old. ~Mary H.Waldrip

You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother. ~Proverb

An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly.~Gene Perret

The best baby-sitters, of course, are the baby's grandparents. You feel completely comfortable entrusting your baby to them for long periods, which is why most grandparents flee to Florida. ~Dave Barry

Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple.  Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love. ~Author Unknown

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.  ~Alex Haley

A grandparent is old on the outside but young on the inside. ~Author Unknown

One of the most powerful handclasps is that of a new grandbaby around the finger of a grandfather. ~Joy Hargrove

It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one.~Author Unknown

Grandchildren don't make a man feel old; it's the knowledge that he's married to a grandmother. ~G. Norman Collie

Grandparents are similar to a piece of string - handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of their grandchildren. ~Author Unknown

     "And, moms, make sure that your children know your prayers.  Maybe you will want to do something like what Hannah may have done.  Take the time to write down a speical prayer for your children and give it to them.  Maybe you could write it down in the iniside cover of your child's Bible.  (Keep a copy; kids have a habit of loosing things.)
 
"The power of such prayers over your child cannot be overstated.  The day will come when your son or daughter will see the hand of God and say in amazement:  'This is what my mother was praying about years and years ago.'

"Your prayers have power because they mingle your love with the even greater love of your child's Heavenly Father."
                                                            --Michael P. Farris

    I was discussing this very thing on a mailing list I am on:  "What makes a book a classic?"

    I agreed with someone that Anne of Green Gables is a classic book because the stories "stay with you" and are universally beautiful and thought-provoking.

    I love all the lessons in those books.  My favorite one is when Anne says she is "in the depths of despair" and Marilla replies, "to be in the depths of despair is to turn your back on God."  Whoa.  What a lesson!!  I have carried that in my heart for so many, many years. 

    How many books really touch you in a way that you ponder what they have to say in your heart for as long as you live?  I think that's another test of whether a book is a classic or not!

Edgar Guest is one of my favorite poets.  Here is a poem I came across tonight that I wanted to share.  I think the hardest part of being a parent is letting go and saying Good-bye.  Whether we release our children to the Lord for eternity or give them away to their spouse at the altar.  Our children are only with us for such a little while. . .

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 39. What is your score? Get it here.

The Five Love Languages

My primary love language is probably
Acts of Service
with a secondary love language being
Words of Affirmation.

Complete set of results

Acts of Service:		10
Words of Affirmation:		9
Receiving Gifts:		5
Quality Time:		4
Physical Touch:		2

Information

Unhappiness in relationships, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. Sometimes we don't understand our partner's requirements, or even our own. We all have a "love tank" that needs to be filled in order for us to express love to others, but there are different means by which our tank can be filled, and there are different ways that we can express love to others.

Take the quiz

    I just bought this book today.  It is a secular book, but I thought it had some really great things to say so far.  I am not really endorsing the book because I haven't read all of it yet.  I have come across some "man is bad, nature is good" philosophy in it, so be warned.  But here is an excerpt from the introduction that I found interesting:

       "The shift in our relationship to the natural world is startling, even in settings that one would assume are devoted to nature.  Not that long ago, summer camp was a place where you camped, hiked in the woods, learned about plants and animals, or told firelight stories about ghosts or mountain lions.  As likely as not today, "summer camp" is a weight-loss camp, or a computer camp.  For a new generation, nature is more abstraction than reality.  Increasingly, nature is something to watch, to consume, to wear -- to ignore.  A recent television ad depcits a four-wheel-drive SUV racing along a breathtakingly beautiful mountain stream -- whilc in the backseat two children watch a movie on a flip-down video screen, oblivious to the landscape and water beyond the windows. . .

    "Our institutions, urban/suburban design, and cultural attitudes uncosciously associate nature with doom -- while disassociating the outdoors from joy and solitude.  Well-meaning public-school systems, media, and parents are effectively scaring children straight out of the woods and fields. . .

    ". . .as the young spend less and less of their lives in natural surroundings, their senses narrow, physiologically and psychologically, and this reduces the richness of human experience.

    "Yet, at the very moment that the bond is breaking between the young and the natural world, a growing body of research links our mental, physical, and spiritual health directly to our association with nature -- in positive ways.  Several of these studies suggest that thoughtful exposure of youngsters to nature can even be a powerful form of therapy for attention-deficit disorders and other maladies.   As one scientist puts it, we can now assume that just as children need good nutrition and adequate sleep, they may very well need contact with nature.

    "Reducing that deficit -- healing the broken bond between our young and nature -- is in our self-interest, not only because aesthetics or justice demands it, but also because our mental, physical, and spiritual health depends upon it.  The health of the earth is at stake as well.  How the young respond to nature, and how they raise their own children, will shape the configurations and conditions of our cities, homes -- our daily lives."

I got this, again, in an e-mail.  (I think a new generation of common place books are evolving to include e-mails now.)  E-mails that are forwarded all over the world can either be full of wisdom or full of foolishness.  Personally, I usually delete the jokes I get, and I rarely forward anything, but once in awhile one comes along that I have to keep.  And the following is one of them:

~~~

Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade named: BOOK.

BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use, even a child can operate it. 

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works: 

BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. 
 
Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKs with more information simply use more pages. 

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it. 

Unlike other display devices, BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, and it can even be dropped on the floor or stepped on without damage. However, it can become unusable if immersed in water for a significant period of time. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of selected information for instant retrieval. 

An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK. 

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS). 

Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

The following is an e-mail that goes around the web every year but I thought it was something I'd like to keep here in my Commonplace Book:

"Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful experience.

I had cut back on nonessential obligations -- extensive card
writing,endless baking, decorating, and even overspending. Yet still, I
found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the precious family
moments, and of course, the true meaning of Christmas. 

My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
season    for a six-year-old. For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his
school's    "Winter Pageant." 

I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning of the
presentation. 

All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.
Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise. So, the morning
of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes early, found a spot on
the cafeteria floor and sat down. 

Around the room, I saw several  other parents quietly scampering to
their seats. As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each
class, accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor.
Then, each group, one by one, rose to perform their song. 

Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
holiday    as Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun, commercial
entertainment - songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes and good
cheer. So, when my       son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was slightly taken aback
by its  bold title. 

Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
mittens,  red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads. Those in the front
row-center stage -- held up large letters, one by one, to spell out the
title of the song. As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child
would hold up the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until
each child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
"Christmas Love." 

The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her; a
small,  quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside down
--totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W." 

The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little one's
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she stood
tall, proudly holding her "W." Although many teachers tried to shush the
children, the laughter continued until the last letter was raised, and
we all saw it together. 

A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen. In that instant,
we understood the reason we were there, why we celebrated the holiday in
the  first place, why even in the chaos, there was a purpose for our
festivities. 

For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and clear: 

"C H R I S T W A S L O V E" 

And, I believe, He still is.

Cindy Sheehan asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in  Iraq?"

Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea?"

Another mother asked President F.D.Roosevelt, "Why did my son have  to
die at Iwo Jima?" 

Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on
the battlefield of France?" 

Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die
at Gettysburg?" 

And yet another mother asked President G. Washington, "Why did my son
have to die near Valley Forge?" 

Then long, long ago, a mother asked, 

"Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of
Jerusalem?"   


The answers to all these are similar-- that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom.