The Art of Reading

Check out this lovely vintage file box by havenvintage. Brilliant, really.

Late at night when my son is soundly sleeping and my husband is strenuously studying (of which they both do frequently), I tune in to a class I am enjoying from Lawrence University, entitled The Art of Reading.

I don't have time to take a class. But thankfully--since the class comes to me via CDs--I can cook and clean, polish and plunder with a ball point pen tucked behind my ear and a notebook stuck in my apron. (There is evidence of dish soap on several of the pages.)

Simply put, I am taking the class because I believe in reading. Reading, in my opinion, is synonamous with learning or improving or growing. I make it a point never to go a day without learning something from a book.

Professor Timothy Spurgin, teacher of The Art of Reading, said: Reading should be a pleasure, not a chore or a burden.

And I agree. But I would also add that reading should be a habit.

Tonight, I am passing along some free eBooks:

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren
A Daughter's Inheritance by Tracie Peterson
The Keeper by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

One more thing before I head off to clean and listen ... please consider adding your name to the hat before the drawing tonight at midnight ...

Unmeasured Strength: from a 9/11 Survivor

Lauren Manning, from laurenmanning.com

I'm fairly certain I've never written 2 posts in 1 day on this blog. But today is a good day for an exception. Moments ago, I received the following words in an e-mail from Lauren Manning ...

I was running half an hour late on September 11, 2001, when I pushed through the doors of One World Trade Center – soon to become known to all as the north tower – and turned toward the elevators that would take me to my 105th floor office at Cantor Fitzgerald.

Just as I turned left, a tremor shook the 110-story tower, followed by a huge, whistling rush of air. There were only three full-height elevator shafts in the building, but they offered the jet fuel explosion an unimpeded path to the lobby, and a moment later, with a giant, screeching exhalation, a wall of flame exploded from the elevator banks and engulfed me.

Its tentacles latched on with crushing force. I was spun around, and battled to escape the building and run toward a strip of grass across the street to drop and roll. The desire to yield to the blackness that rose around me was overwhelming, but then my mind was filled with a vision of my 10 month old son, Tyler, and I decided to live. To me, it was a clear and conscious decision.

I had been engulfed by the fires that would bring down the twin towers of the World Trade Center, so injured that almost no one held out any hope for me. I spent almost two months in a drug-induced coma before I opened my eyes. Yet in the weeks and months that followed, I battled back from the edge of death to hold my child in my arms, and intertwine my husband’s fingers with what was left of my own.

The injury I suffered was perhaps more intimate than any other; it was all- encompassing, from the outside in. But with each step of my recovery, I learned that the shell encasing me was not my real beauty. Our real reflection is the inner mirror that tells us the truth of who we really are. The body I saw when I looked into that mirror was the body that had fought the battle while I slept and refused to die before I awoke— the one that had invested itself with strength, guarded my soul, and brought me home to my family. There could not be a more perfect body on Earth.

The scars that cover me are proof of man’s capacity for hatred and evil. But these scars speak only of our physical fragility, not the boundless strength in our hearts. The shadows of the burning towers have been overpowered by the twin beacons of faith and love that guided me forward and led me home. Faith in God, faith in love, and faith in myself have vanquished the emptiness I felt when I thought that I would never see Tyler again or never have a second child.

I am grateful to my family and my caregivers, who stood by me and never wavered; most of all to my son, Tyler, who inspired me to fight. I am thankful for the friends and the good people around the world who opened their hearts to me and offered their support in writing or in person. They lifted my spirits during my hardest days, and their good will signals the goodness that lies within all of us.

I will never forget the friends and colleagues who were killed on September 11, 2001. As I wrote Unmeasured Strength, I thought of them constantly. Every breath I share with my own family is in part a tribute to their memory, and to the memory of all the innocents who died on that day.

We are all in debt to the men and women of our armed services who have fought the battle both before and after September 11 so that others will not be harmed by terror or tyranny. I send my most profound wishes for a healthy recovery to all those warriors who have been wounded, and to the loved ones of those who died in the performance of their duty, know that we hold them in the highest respect, and we honor the mission for which they sacrificed their lives.

All of us have been wounded in some way, whether by violence, disease, or other personal tragedy. But though we can never pretend that we have not been touched by adversity, we can refuse to be held by it. Whether you open your eyes after a single night or seven long weeks, from that moment of it is up to you. The only way forward is to gather your courage and take that lonely first step— the step of commitment, the step that will be remembered for generations.

What will you choose to do, with the time God has given you?
Every day you have a choice. Make it count.



During the past several weeks, Lauren has been invited to share her story on The View, The Today Show, and in many magazines and newspapers. We appreciate her willingness to share these words with us!
©2011 by Lauren Manning, from Unmeasured Strength, published by henry Holt and Company, LLC.

FREE While They're Hot

These delicious vanilla/almond sugar cookies, by sugarandflour, give new meaning to, "An apple a day ..."

In honor of today being Friday (which doesn't happen often enough during the week) I am going to share 5 of my favorite things ... yours free if you want them.

1. Enjoy a 2-ounce body lotion from Bath & Body Works (good through Sunday).

2. Enjoy a free waffle at the Waffle House (good through the end of the month).

3. Enjoy a sample of Rachael Ray's Just 6 dog food. (Well, not you specifically.)

4. Enjoy a free eBook from Moody Publishers (good through November 1.)

5. Enjoy 3 cups of Twinings tea (or chai, if that's more your thing).

***Bonus: One of my all-time favorite items is available in the House Honcho Facebook group.

Happy Friday!

Measuring Love

All Spirocreations cuffs are one of a kind...own the ONLY one!

Life is hard.

There is no way around it. Today, I sat on the couch with a to-do list the size of Texas, and I wondered why it was so difficult just to do what needed to be done. From the simplest challenges to the most complex, little in life is easy.

At times, I've resented this fact.

Twenty-eight months after beginning the adoption process, I'm ready to move to the next chapter, you know? Thankfully the plane tickets are purchased and the bags are being packed. But soon there will be another difficult chapter in life. Here is what I understand about challenges:

"Angry, resentful questions about the painful circumstances of life become unnecessary when we begin to grasp that God does everything for us in love. And though we will never fully comprehend this love--as someone tossed in the ocean with a yardstick could never begin to measure the width or the depth--we can trust His goodness based on what He has already done." Trust, Hope, Pray page 28

If He loved us enough for the cross, He'll love us enough for this week and the tasks we are called to accomplish.

The Extraordinary Life of a Misfit

Ever wonder what to do with a fistful of dandelions? Check out this photo by GrainnePhotography

My sister-in-law is having contractions. My husband and I await the phone call that we can travel to meet our son. Friends all around us are battling job loss and health concerns and the juggling of multiple (difficult) responsibilities.

But here is what I know:

God never tires of hearing from us.

In Psalm 55:22, we are instructed, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you” (ESV). And incredibly--unbelievably, perhaps--we aren’t given any limits, account parameters, or maximum prayers allowed in one day.

In the history of the human race, no man has ever taken too much to God.

And yet, when the trials come and the tribulations push us to our limits, our initial response is often total loss about what to do.

We need more than a casual commitment to prayer. If we expect God to listen to us, isn’t it fair that He should expect us to talk to Him?

--Trust, Hope, Pray (page 16)

Into Every Drawer a Bit of Junk Must Fall

Photo by Exit343

I love Junk Drawer Monday. It's like a buffet for my A.D.D.

2 things.

1. Thank you for your support of my book. I am overwhelmed by your kindness. Right now, I have 3,079 unread messages in my inbox, (give or take a few library book pickup notifications). If you have written me recently and have not yet received a response, please know that it is coming! I have not overlooked you! I am simply moving through the list. Please continue to support the book if you are inclined. There are 4 days left in the contest.

Many genuine thanks to those of you who have already participated.

2. Today I discovered a list of 10 tips that pertain to spring cleaning (on a blog about writing, of all things!)--whether we are spring cleaning our lives or our homes--and I am excited to share my own application as these ideas pertain to house connoisseurs. Beginning tomorrow and finishing on Friday, I am going to share the 10 tips that could change our lives if we allow them to work.

Alright. Don't forget to post what you did in support of the book. I want you to receive a fair number of entries.

Happy dusting.

Announcing a Contest: Book It!

Photo by tableatny

Happy Friday! Let's kick off a contest.

One week ago today, my first book launched. I say "first" because there are a few more ideas rattling around that I may put to paper next. We'll see.

I appreciate--more than you can imagine--the show of support I have received from my friends and family. Promoting the book is something I need help with. I'm as good a salesman as I am a dentist.

[Insert a wail of distress.]

Which brings me to you. I am looking to get the word out that the book is finished. Our publishing company has graciously allowed profits to go to our adoption expenses if the book is bought here. Ridiculously kind, really. We have miles to go before our adoption expenses are paid.

So here is where the contest comes in. Each time you do one of the following things, your name will be added to the hat. [Scroll down to see the prize.]

1. "Like" the page where the book was announced by scrolling to the bottom. (You may need to click on "comments" to choose the "like" button).

2. Share the page where the book was announced in a Facebook status.

3. Simply talk about the book in a Facebook status.

4. Encourage someone to check out the book (in any way you choose).

5. Get creative and do your own promotion of the book. (I would LOVE to see what you come up with!) I would be honored to write a guest post if you run a blog.

I need your help to tell people the book is available. Whether or not you have any plans to read it, I ask you to consider sharing the news with your friends on my behalf. (I ask on bended knee, really.) It would mean more than you know. And it will go a long way in bringing our little fellow home.

Here is the prize: I will send you a book with a personalized note from Luke and me--written to anyone you choose (perhaps you know someone who could benefit from a book on waiting?)--and tucked inside the book, you will find a $20 gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond.

Two of my worlds colliding--home and reading!

Please leave a comment on either this page or the page where the book was announced letting me know what you did and how many times your name should be added to the hat.

The contest ends 1 week from today: midnight, Friday, July 1st.

Blessings,

The End Is Near! (At Least for the Phone Book)

Photo by Eric Fischer

In tonight's In Print, I bring you this devastating news from msn.com:

"California residents will no longer see residential phone books unceremoniously dumped on their driveways and porches. Regulators there have approved a request by Verizon (VZ) to end the practice." Read the article here.

I'm not sure how I feel about the potential demise of the phone book.

But as long as we're giving up important staples in our life, I have decided to give up drinking anything but water for the next 100 days. I am going to experiment and see how I feel.

I'm guessing I'll be done with the experiment by Tuesday.
I wonder if they'd ever decide to bring the phone book back . . .

Chasing Fireflies

Tonight, I bring you photos of a lovely outdoor celebration I attended on Friday night.

The party was hosted by my parents as a book launch. (Read between the lines: We wanted to celebrate with some of our dearest friends who have supported us during the past 27 months.)

Perhaps some of these photos will inspire some outdoor creativity ...

And what a night it was . . .

Pearls and Thorns

Photo by mccheek

I do have notes I will need to post from things I learned today. But for now, here is what is on my heart:

"No matter the circumstance, the sovereign will of God has ordered our steps--yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's. And while that knowledge doesn't clear the pathway of thorns or pitfalls, or promise a trail of uncompromising ease, it enables us to walk with confidence on the path God has chosen for our lives, knowing our good guide is in full control (Psalm 37:23-24)."
Trust Hope Pray, page 1.

Thank you for your support of the book. It is much appreciated!

Introducing: Trust Hope Pray

When my husband and I first discussed writing a book, we considered writing about adoption.

Adoption is a topic that has been close to my heart for the entirety of my life. I was adopted. Many in my family were adopted.

But the writing path changed for us when--during the 14th month of our own adoption wait--we decided to look for some resources on how to wait correctly. Though there were a few good (old) books on the topic of waiting, current resources--we felt--were lacking. Good people have said good things about waiting for centuries, but there is a curious lack of books dedicated to the topic.

And so we began collecting wise words on waiting.

When we signed the contract in June for Trust Hope Pray, we believed we were about 4 months away from bringing our child home from overseas.

Little did we know that our book was going to be a first-hand account of some of the most difficult days of our lives.

The publisher has graciously allowed us the opportunity to sell copies on this site for the purpose of supporting our adoption. Tomorrow marks month 27. We hope to travel soon.

If you are interested, please pass this link along to those who may need the encouragement.

Thank you for your support!

Read A-Whey

Photo by hirnrinde

Well, Friends, summer is here. I know this because I opened my e-mail last night to find a plethora of questions such as: How do I get my children to read? Can you help me help my kids with reading? How can I convince my
daughter that reading is a good idea?

Reading is as much a summer necessity as sun and sunscreen.

Some of my earliest childhood memories--which perhaps you and I share--include getting dragged off to the library where, for the ultimate prize of a paperback or poster, I would read a whole list of biographies and classics.

(I suppose reading programs are similar in motive and method to hiding whey powder in frozen yogurt.)

Here I offer 5 tips for encouraging your children to read.

1. Select a program. Libraries are the likely choice. See if your library has a Web site where you can research what is offered.

2. Allow kids to read what they enjoy. At some point, it is our responsibility to broaden their reading horizons, but if we want kids to love reading, kids need to read something that interests them. (So, "Yes" to the biography of Lincoln, but maybe, "No" to the entire biography section.)

3. Discuss, discuss, discuss. What are they learning? What do they think about the characters in their books?

4. Set a timer. 30 minutes a day, for most kids, is a great goal. (Yesterday I received some good advice from a co-worker who said, "Always give 'em parameters and expectations." Egg timers are helpful for both!)

5. Demonstrate that you enjoy reading, too. Family reading nights offer the perfect opportunity to show your kids that reading is for everyone. Read in fun places (such as at a park or on the porch) and celebrate the ends of good books.

To Do This Week: Build a House

Photo by watchsmart

And now, a word of encouragement to post on the refrigerator door . . .

"Our houses need not resemble a page from House Beautiful magazine. Regardless of their size and style or our financial status, our homes can exude warmth and provide refreshment for all who walk through their doors. They should be pleasant havens for our husbands and children, sanctuaries where we offer care and hospitality to other Christians, and gateways from which we extend the gospel to family, friends, and neighbors. So I have made this my prayer: 'Lord, help me to build the kind of home where all who enter find it impossible to keep from thinking of God'."

--Carolyn Mahaney in Feminine Appeal, page 114

Don't forget to enter our contest! Have a great week!--

Book It!

Photos by Trisha: the book of me

It's Friday night, and I'm here with another favorite.

As you know (if you've followed this blog for any length of time), I love journals. I love journals like cats like mice . . . or pregnant women like ice cream . . . or men like remote controls.

It's something I have zero control over. It's nature and nurture rolled into one.

But this is where you come in. Growing up, my mom kept a journal in which she recorded short, pithy insights about my brother and me. She had one journal for me (see the dusty, blue book above) and one for my brother. The entries are all short (think 50 words or less), and they are dated.

I am thankful she did this. Reading through the book is a great (albeit embarrassing at times) experience. I can read about situations involving loved ones who are gone. I can laugh at ridiculous things I said or did. I can verify with the accuracy of a neurosurgeon when I knew I was going to be a writer (4 and 7/8 years old).

I intend to keep a journal like this for my son.

Whether or not you are "a writer" consider keeping one of these books for you and yours. You'll be glad you did.

Happy Friday.

Dear Audience of One

Photo by • Happy Batatinha •

On Friday, we received the child history that we have been waiting for.

The next item we need to cross off our adoption to-do list is a "welcome book" that introduces our little guy to his new home. So, this evening, I sat down like a child in art class, carefully cutting and pasting photos into a book. You'll have to use your imagination for the accompanying illustrations, but here is what the book contains.

It says:

Page 1: Welcome.
Page 2: This is your new house.
Page 3: We will be your mom and dad. (We love you!)
Page 4: This is the kitchen. (We saved a chair for you.)
Page 5: This will be your bedroom.
Page 6: We will read many books.
Page 7: This is the family room. (We can't wait for you to join us!)
Page 8: These will be your grandparents. (They love you!)
Page 9: These are your aunts and uncles. (They love you!)
Page 10: You have lots of cousins! (They love you!)
Page 11: Your cousins will be some of your very best friends!
Page 12: We will do many wonderful things together. (Your dad will help you pick pumpkins.)
Page 13: We will meet many wonderful people! (Your mom will help you make friends.)
Page 14: We will travel to many wonderful places! (Your cousins will teach you fun things!)
Page 15: We will spend time with nice people. (Your grandma and great grandma will kiss you . . . a lot!)
Page 16: We will celebrate many special holidays from the U.S. and Thailand.
Page 17: But best of all . . .

Page 18: We will love you for the rest of our lives.


Friends, I love caring for my home. But I really love that soon enough I will have one more occupant to clean up after . . .

Always a Lender or a Barrower Be

Photo by juhansonin

So the adage is actually, "Never a lender or a barrower be," but when you hear what my favorite thing is for today's post, you'll be ditching that cliche like last night's chicken bones.

Consider the library.

Now, I understand that you've been to the library. Of course you have, (at least for those obligatory field trips in elementary school). But have you considered the ways you might profit from the library today?

Libraries are about more than dusty non-fiction.

My local library--which impresses me more than the Corn Palace of South Dakota--offers programs such as the Museum Adventure Pass (which offers free admission to participating museums), inter-library loan (which allows patrons to request material from around the state), audio books which can be checked out from a personal computer, and (drum roll) eBooks for eReaders. (I checked out a book for my Nook without leaving my house!)

Do yourself a favor and see what YOUR library offers. You might be surprised!

And don't forget that libraries offer magazines, cookbooks, CDs, and DVDs!

Unless you are my co-worker (who admitted to me today that she ran up a $3,000 library fine when she was in college) you will find that you can enjoy a myriad of entertainment options free of charge.

And just in case you want to know exactly how much you save, click here!

. . . making libraries my favorite things. Happy Friday!

Guest Blogger: Happy Birthday in a House; Happy Birthday with a Mouse

Photo by Thomas Guest

I can't think of a more fitting topic to talk about today from the Book of Mom.

Tonight I'm thankful for Theodor Geisel's mom. 97 years ago today, she birthed this author of some 60 books. You might better recognize him by his pen name, Dr. Seuss.

My mom read me his books, and I'm now reading them to my children. That's three generations of bonding over anapestic tetrameter. He has become an indelible watermark on my memories, and I'd venture a guess that he's part of yours.

If you recognize any of these lines, then I know I'm right:
One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish;
I do not like them in a box; I do not like them with a fox;
But I think that the most likely reason of all may have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

He's now an even bigger part of my memories as my little girl read her first sentence out of one of his books.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

The Winter of Our Disconnect

Check out the book at amazon.com

Tonight's In Print column comes from real life. Not mine--yet--but perhaps it should be.

If it's possible to learn something--or be provoked to think about an issue--just from reading the back of a book, this piece should do the trick. Here is what the publisher had to say about The Winter of Our Disconnect:

The wise and hilarious story of a family who discovered that having fewer tools to communicate with led them to actually communicate more.

When Susan Maushart first announced her intention to pull the plug on her family's entire armory of electronic weaponry for six months-from the itsy-bitsiest iPod Shuffle to her son's seriously souped-up gaming PC-her three kids didn't blink an eye. Says Maushart: "Looking back, I can understand why. They didn't hear me."

For any parent who's ever IM-ed their child to the dinner table, this account of one family's self-imposed exile from the Information Age will leave you LOLing with recognition. But it will also make you think.

The Winter of Our Disconnect challenges readers to examine the toll that technology is taking on their own family connections, and to create a media ecology that instead encourages kids-and parents-to thrive. Indeed, as a self-confessed single mom who "slept with her iPhone," Maushart knew her family's exile from Cyburbia wasn't going to be any easier for her than for her three teenagers, ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Yet they all soon discovered that the rewards of becoming "unplugged" were more rich and varied than any cyber reality could ever be.

Food for thought,

What You Won't Learn in a Bookstore

Photo by umjanedoan

Last week I sent a personal note to a woman I met at work.

Without thinking much of it, I asked this woman a few questions about herself. Then, following our conversation, I dropped her some lines of encouragement.

When I saw her again tonight, this almost-stranger skipped the typical pleasantries to go straight to thanking me for my note. She was really touched that I listened and remembered the details of what we had talked about in passing.

Is it corny to say I was so touched that she was so touched?

More importantly, I was reminded about how valuable it is to listen and to reach outside of ourselves. In the moment, I wasn't consciously thinking about trying to Win Friends and Influence People. And--though Dale Carnegie would have been proud--what a blessing I received from this small exchange.

Have you perused the self-help section at your local bookstore lately? This is not the message doctors, gurus, and others interested in, well, self, are selling. But I was reminded again today that it is possible to ultimately receive the greatest joy in forgetting ourselves and focusing on others.

Perhaps herein lies our One Minute Manager, that we eschew those 50 Self-Help Classics in exchange for [Winning] Friends and [Influencing] People through an Organizing from the Inside Out and not participating in Man's Search for Meaning and his eternal quest for Feeling Good.

This takes Little House on the Prairie to a whole new level.

Photo by aaron13251

Try Little House IN the Prairie or Under the Prairie.

I've been thinking lately about sustainable living and doing things around the house to contribute to the overall health of the home. Truly, my dream would be to move to the middle of nowhere--think Walden's Pond--but I'm not handy with sewing quilts or fending off bear attacks. So maybe later.

Several of my friends have been talking about chilly mornings and the refusal to turn on the heat. Well, Ladies, here's an alternative to traditional insulation.

Makes Christmas decorations easy. Just put lights up on the roof.