I have been doing a lot of reading and listening to a bunch of audio books the last few months and have been introduced to some new books that for some reason I have never heard of before- but are simply amazing. I love classic literature especially works similar to Jane Austen, well I think I have found her literary sister: Elizabeth Gaskell.
I first watched the Masterpiece Theatre production of Wives & Daughters based on her book and absolutely loved it. Next I saw the BBC version of North & South also based on her novel. Both movies were comparable to Pride & Prejudice and in fact I think I might even like them a bit more if that's possible. I had to read (or rather listen to) Wives & Daughters to see how well the story was followed- and true to Masterpiece/BBC form they followed the book almost word for word. So if you don't have time to read or listen to all 720 pages, at least rent the movie from netflix- it is well worth your time.
A few others that I have come to love are The Bat by Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Princess & The Goblin by George MacDonald and I am just being introduced to Georgette Heyer who has a whole army of novels. If you know of any other works similar in style to these please let me know, I hate not knowing these wonderful things exist (although it is fun to discover them!)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Baby blues
Grant is truly a joy in my life. While he has an attitude (loves to slap faces right now...) he such a happy boy and is so affectionate with his slobbery kisses and messy hugs. I adore this little one and his beautiful blue eyes...
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Monday, June 20, 2011
Anniversary, Father's Day, and fun with little boys...
Anthony and I celebrated our 11th anniversary on the 16th, but I feel like a bad wife because I completely forgot about it! He was at scout camp all week and surprised me by coming home early that morning with flowers in hand. I guess it's not enough to have a calendar if you never look at it! It was nice to spend the day together as a family though. We took the boys up to the science center and waterfront in Lousiville then went out to dinner. I am blessed to have such a wonderful husband and it always amazes me to think back on all the adventures we have gone on together in the past 11 years. From exploring Europe and China, climbing mountains in Russia, traveling all over the United States, relaxing on the beaches in the Bahamas & Puerto Rico, completing our graduate degrees, and of course the biggest adventure of all- raising three wild little boys.
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We went up to visit him at scout camp and the boys had fun getting dirty (and eating dirt). He rigged up a rope swing in a tree and the boys had so much fun swinging on it. And I DID remember father's day! Hope that redeems myself a little bit... Ethan wrote his own card and drew a picture of our family on the gift packaging. He is the best father these boys could ask for and they all adore him.
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We went up to visit him at scout camp and the boys had fun getting dirty (and eating dirt). He rigged up a rope swing in a tree and the boys had so much fun swinging on it. And I DID remember father's day! Hope that redeems myself a little bit... Ethan wrote his own card and drew a picture of our family on the gift packaging. He is the best father these boys could ask for and they all adore him.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Keeping cool...
The boys had a blast swimming in our kiddie pool the other day. We also went up to the boy scout camp and swam in their lake- it has a nice sandy beach, the swimming area is really shallow and warm. They had a blast. Grant has no fear in the water, he wanted to walk all the way out and didn't seem to mind when he'd get a mouthful of the nasty brown water. Hope you're keeping cool!
The Osborne's
Friday, June 10, 2011
Louisville Zoo...
We went up to the zoo this week with our friends. It was miserably hot and humid but fortunately the splash park cooled things off. The boys had a blast, we will probably be spending most of our summer at the zoo and science center just trying to stay cool.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Free American History Resource...
I came across this website the other day and saw they were offering free lesson plans. I requested the CD then forgot all about it...until it arrived in the mail today! This is a really great resource for teaching American history to your kids or even brushing up on it yourself- we are all citizens of this nation and as Thomas Jefferson so eloquently wrote:
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
The cd includes elementary, middle school and high school lessons. And it quotes a lot from Skousen who wrote the 5,000 year leap which I think is one of the best books ever witten about the founding fathers and the foundation of our government, and the Making of America which is next in my long list of books to read. So check it out, it's completely FREE! http://www.americanheritage.org/
The Osborne's
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
The cd includes elementary, middle school and high school lessons. And it quotes a lot from Skousen who wrote the 5,000 year leap which I think is one of the best books ever witten about the founding fathers and the foundation of our government, and the Making of America which is next in my long list of books to read. So check it out, it's completely FREE! http://www.americanheritage.org/
The Osborne's
Friday, June 3, 2011
Defending the Family
Wow, what an amazing article! I love the Ensign. I can't pick it up without browsing through and reading at least half the articles in one sitting. It is impossible to read these words and not feel the spirit and desire to do better. I really enjoyed this article from June's edition, Defending the Family in a Troubled World. I'll just share a few of my favorite quotes from it:
"We live in a day when the love of many, even toward their own children, is waxing cold; a day when so many people love pleasures more than God; a day when good is called evil and evil good. Those who defend the traditional family, who stand for fidelity and chastity and all that once was considered wholesome and praiseworthy are mocked and ridiculed. On the other hand, those who see no problem with fatherless homes, who advocate abortion, who fight all attempts to limit pornography, and who seek to redefine the very essence of what a family is, are praised and upheld as champions of tolerance."
"...the messages we constantly hear in media, entertainment, and advertising sound like this:
“You’re number one.”
“Do your own thing.”
“You’re special.”
“Find yourself.”
Such messages are so pervasive that we unconsciously absorb them and sometimes repeat them. Yet they are diametrically opposite from the message of the Savior, as recorded in similar language in every one of the four gospels: “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).
We gain happiness and salvation not by blindly pursuing our own self and our own will. We gain salvation by submitting our will, indeed our very selves, to the will of God. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves."
"Those who honor the calling of righteous parenthood will find their souls refined, their hearts purified, and their minds enlightened by the most important lessons of life. They will rise to far greater heights of happiness than those who engage in the narrow and ultimately unsatisfying pursuit of self."
"Curiously enough, this new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality...Believers of all faiths have every right to participate in and share their convictions in the public arena."
I could share more...but really every paragraph is powerful...and while you're at it check out the The Family: A Proclamation to the World which is referenced several times in this article.
"We live in a day when the love of many, even toward their own children, is waxing cold; a day when so many people love pleasures more than God; a day when good is called evil and evil good. Those who defend the traditional family, who stand for fidelity and chastity and all that once was considered wholesome and praiseworthy are mocked and ridiculed. On the other hand, those who see no problem with fatherless homes, who advocate abortion, who fight all attempts to limit pornography, and who seek to redefine the very essence of what a family is, are praised and upheld as champions of tolerance."
"...the messages we constantly hear in media, entertainment, and advertising sound like this:
“You’re number one.”
“Do your own thing.”
“You’re special.”
“Find yourself.”
Such messages are so pervasive that we unconsciously absorb them and sometimes repeat them. Yet they are diametrically opposite from the message of the Savior, as recorded in similar language in every one of the four gospels: “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).
We gain happiness and salvation not by blindly pursuing our own self and our own will. We gain salvation by submitting our will, indeed our very selves, to the will of God. We must lose ourselves to find ourselves."
"Those who honor the calling of righteous parenthood will find their souls refined, their hearts purified, and their minds enlightened by the most important lessons of life. They will rise to far greater heights of happiness than those who engage in the narrow and ultimately unsatisfying pursuit of self."
"Curiously enough, this new modern tolerance is often a one-way street. Those who practice it expect everyone to tolerate them in anything they say or do, but show no tolerance themselves toward those who express differing viewpoints or defend traditional morality...Believers of all faiths have every right to participate in and share their convictions in the public arena."
I could share more...but really every paragraph is powerful...and while you're at it check out the The Family: A Proclamation to the World which is referenced several times in this article.
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