D is for Dance, and 365 Days of Blessings Day 310

D is for Dance!

Dance:
1. to move one's feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment of music.

2. to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly: to dance with joy.

From some of my earliest memories to this very day, dance is a word, and a verb, that has shaped my life. I'm not a competitive dancer, or a professional dancer, or a dance teacher. I don't have great skill, and there have been many, many years that I haven't practiced any particular type of dance. But I still love it. I love moving rythmically to music, or just to the sound of my own made up rythm. I love dancing with joy. I've even danced when I've been angry or sad, in a determined decision to dance myself back into joy. I like dancing with a crowd, or a partner, or just by myself. One of my favorite metaphors about faith involves dance. One of my favorite quotes about writing has the word dance in the midst of it.

"Writing is a dance of language." - Ivan Doig

Do you love to dance your way through life and writing too?

Dance Blessings:

1. One of my earliest memories of dancing as a child involved dancing around the living room to my mom's classical music and pretending I was with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.



2. And of course, there is this classic, that has inspired me to dance through puddles - a necessary ingredient to enjoy living in the Northwest.


3. Plus, my favorite dance from that same movie, with Donald O'Conner and Gene Kelly is Moses Supposes

4. Then, one of my more recent favorites in dance and rythm:


5. I didn't like my desire to tap dance as a kid being compared to Shirley Temple so I refused to watch all of her movies until my kids were little and did different versions of Shirley Temple dances for their first recitals. They wanted to know who she was, and so . . .I rediscovered Shirley's amazing talent with them. This is one of my favorites:


6. Baryshnikov in White Nights gives this intense performance, showing how dance can express sadness and grief:


7. Back in that early 80's breakdancing craze, I was totally into that, and loved it. However, if you want to see some pretty cool breakdancing from a more current time this lady is pretty amazing. This is a commercial clip, but I still like it:


8. There are cool Christian Hip Hop Teams, which I discovered not that long ago:

My daughters were able to take a few classes from this same teacher just a few weekends ago at a Hollywood Dance Connection Convention in Seattle. My oldest daughter loved it - the first time she's really enjoyed Hip Hop.

9. Dancing with my Dad, with my Mom and my Grandma, with my Husband, are all amazing memories for me. I love dancing with family and friends.

10. Dancing is in the Bible too, especially when there is a celebration.

Scripture Blessings:


"Then young women will dance and be glad,
young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning into gladness;
I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow."
Jeremiah 31:13

365 Days of Blessings, Days 300 thru 305

Life has been full, and blessed, and I have lost count . . . so here is the best blessing count I can give for the last several days. It's long, so just skim if you are daunted by the length. I'll try to keep them daily and short from now on.

1. Spring Skiing.

2. Fresh snow.

3. Math homework done on the car ride to the ski hill.

4. Lettuce wrap sandwiches for lunch for three days in a row, and no complaints! My kids actually like them, and continue to like them.

5. A big bundle of red grapes.

6. Coke Zero. I know it isn't good for me, but I still like it.

7. Winnie's War by Jenny Moss, a book that I added into our homeschool curriculum. This book by a first time author gives us a strong, young heroine who battles the Spanish influenza that swept the country near the end of WWI. I'm not sure it's on my top 100 must read books, but it is well written and I highly recommend it to anyone studying this time period with a 4th-6th grader.


8. My favorite quote from Winnie's War:
"Hope is a thing with feathers -
that perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -"
This is the epitaph that Winnie writes for her mother's grave. Trust me, this book will make you seek out a box of kleenex.

9. Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray is part of my older daughter's curriculum, and I highly recommend it for anyone who would like to read a story based in Medieval times, following the exploits of a young minstrel who gets separated from his father and his dog.


10. My favorite quote from Adam of the Road:
"'A road's a kind of holy thing,' Roger went on. 'That's why it's a good work to keep a road in repair, like giving alms to the poor or tending the sick. It's open to the sun and wind and rain. It brings all kinds of people and all parts of England together. And it's home to the minstrel, even though he may happen to be sleeping in a castle.'
It was, somehow, a solemn moment. Four wild geese flew overhead just then, and made it so that Adam never forgot what Roger had said and how he looked when he said it."

11. Recently, I learned that the most well known haiku poet, Mtsua Basho, was also a samurai. How cool is that?! And why didn't I know? Oh well, I know now, and I love it!

12. The old pond:
a frog jumps in,-
the sound of water.
-Basho

13. That great blue oak
indifferent to all blossoms
appears more noble
-Basho

14. speaking out
my lips are cold
in autumn wind
-Basho

15. Won't you come and see
loneliness? Just one leaf
from the kiri tree.
-Basho

16. With dewdrops dripping,
I wish somehow I could wash
this perishing world
-Basho

17. The bird, a dark speck
against the storm clouds, wings home
before the winds strike.
-Tyrean

18. Pulpy lemonade
tastes summer sweet on gray days
- a hint of sun inside.
-Tyrean

19. Having a haiku moment! Just try writing one!

20. Learning more about haiku poetry while teaching it to my writing class. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to share my joy with them. They found it to be a painful writing exercise, but I'm proud of them for trying.

21. Haiku Diem is a fun site where one poet is attempting to write a haiku each day.

22. Hollywood Connection Dance Convention! Seven hours of dance classes each day for each of my daughters, plus a competition that took place Saturday evening.

23. My daughters received Silver in their age group, and dance category!

24. Christian hip hop teachers are cool.

25. My oldest daughter had an awesome time at the convention.

26. My youngest daughter survived the convention . . . and had some fun moments. She liked her Jazz and Sassafrass classes the best. She also liked performing at the competition.

27. My oldest daughter knows how to take care of herself in a room full of 100 dancers, with 4-5 friends with her and a few parents she knows. She was confidant enough to step out when one teacher went over the top with her criticism of the class' "fumbling feet" and "inability to focus." It doesn't sound that negative as I write it, but this teacher was cranky and down on a bunch of 11-14 year olds who were giving their best, and I wasn't the only parent who took offense. Thankfully, only that one teacher at the convention was out of line. The rest were awesome.

28. I loved how the tap teacher worked on the kids' performance techniques and personality.

29. I also loved how one of the jazz teachers spent time teaching the kids life lessons in joy and self-worth.

30. I was wowed by my oldest daughter ability to learn hip hop. Hip hop is usually not her style, and she did great!

31. The petite Jazz and petite Tap groups from our Dance Company took First Place Gold in their age category! They were awesome! (and they are 6-7 years old)

32. Counter Rhythms, a select tap group number, and Flapper Fusion, also did awesome at the competition.

33. I learned some valuable parenting lessons this weekend.

34. I also learned that without keeping my focus on Christ, I am lost. I know that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it is. I needed a reminder on Sunday morning when my youngest had a series of meltdowns at the convention. Finally, we took time out and took time to pray, and we worked through it.

35. Flashmobs with my daughters.

36. My youngest daughter talked on the phone yesterday with a friend! This was a Big, huge step in gaining self-confidence with friends.

37. My oldest daughter had a conversation with my youngest via cell-phone to encourage her before she called her friend.

38. Our beagle has learned to "talk" to use kind of like our older Rhodesian Ridgeback does with a series of throaty rumbles. However, our male beagle has a higher pitched rumble, with a series of yawning whines. He's looking at me right now with that I-need-attention-now look.

39. The joy of petting a dog, or two.

40. Have I mentioned before that my daughters have taught our cat how to give "high fives"? I never knew a cat could be trained to do something like that, but they read about it in one of their books, and started training.

41. Kids are optimists most of the time.

42. I have experience in being miserably, painfully shy. Again, this is one that doesn't sound like a blessing, but it turns out that it is one now. My youngest daughter is experiencing some of the same kind of social anxiety that I once experienced, and she knows that I understand what she is going through lately so she is willing to try taking some of my advice . . . like smiling at others, saying hi as a start, and then finding something to compliment or a question to ask. If we can get someone else to do the talking, then we don't have to . . .

43. Prayers for my daughter's self-confidence.

44. Prayers for all the girls, and women in this world who need to know the love, joy, and peace of having Christ as their savior, and shepherd.

45. My daughters are both looking forward to seeing some of their friends today at our Wednesday Family co-op, which is a smaller, less formal group of kids and moms coming together to play, do Science experiments, Latin practice, Writing, and Art.

46. Looking forward to Lectio Divina tonight for our Lenten Worship. Holy Reading can be very meaningful, and wonderful.

47. Our new church has an interim website online with three of our Sunday sermons, and two of our Wednesday night worships online. I highly recommend the sermon videos with Pastor Joel Parker, Pat Lelvis, and Elizabeth Cochrane. ILCGH - check it out to see some of what we've been up to these days.

48. Just now, I got over my fear about what I looked like and sounded like on camera and actually watched the video of the message I did last Wednesday night. The Lord definitely showed up and provided His grace, while I tried not to "um" too many times. Lenten Message March 23rd With God's help, I did ok for a formerly painfully shy kid. I prefer jumping around and pretending on stage in front of a group of enthusiastic VBS kids. It's harder to just be me in front of a group of people.

49. I've lost eight pounds since January 1st. Not quite the 20 I had hoped to lose before mid-April, but I have a few more weeks . . . maybe I'll at least lost another 7 for a total of 15 by then. I know this is mostly vanity, but it's about health and fitness too. A facebook friend of mine challenged me to try to lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday, and I have 4 and a half months yet to go for that goal.

50. The more weight I lose, the higher I can jump! I'm just working on my own personal anti-gravity method.

51. The more weight I lose, the longer I can dance!

52. My youngest daughter started the day with reading in bed.

53. My oldest daughter started her day with dancing in the living room.

54. I started my day with push ups, sit ups, leg lifts, ironing, Bible-reading, biking, and blogging.

55. Experimenting with a new muffin recipe. Here it is so far:
1 and 1/2 cups of my gluten free flour mix (Garbanzo bean, Fava Bean and Sorghum flour)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 Tablespoons flaxseed
1 Tablespoon Chia seed (replaces eggs and some oil)
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon guar gum (replaces that nasty gluten stuff that naturally occurs in wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Then
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 overly ripe bananas mashed to a pulp
1/2 cup coconut
1//4 cup almonds
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup water (I didn't measure this well enough to be sure, and added too much later, then let it sit and thicken for a while)

Currently cooking in a 350 degree farenheit oven.
So far, the dough scrapings taste delicious!

56. My childhood inventiveness in the kitchen is now paying off. I always wanted to create "my very own" recipes. Now, I have to make my own to eat without IBS, rashes, headaches, or other food intolerance symptoms. All my childhood experience has made me less fearful about subsitutions, and even (gasp in shock from any professional/proud amateur chef) not measure things exactly. If I waited to measure everything out exactly while subsituting, I would go crazy. Sure, this way, I have some flops. But I've learned some basic amounts of different ingredients that work well. An "eyeballed" amount, or a pinch work fine when I cook every day.

57. My daughter is challenging me to scissor leg lifts . . . I can only do five, but five is better than none.

58. My dogs have a lot to say today, determined to love me away from my computer.

59. I love the book of Acts in the Bible, and how women show up in the Biblical account. Lydia, Damaris, and Priscilla are all my heroines.

60. Just realized that my cooking experiments could make a great allegory for my writing life . . . may have to put together a post on that tomorrow! Hopefully those muffins turn out well.

61. (an extra blessing on a 60 day count? God provides!!!) The steadfast endurance of the Lord's apostles. From them, we have a Biblical adventure that rivals the Oddyssey for excitement, and teaches us how to follow Christ!

Scripture Blessings:


"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." (Paul is saying goodbye to the disciples in Ephesus) Acts 20:22-24

365 Days of Blessings, Day 299

Giving thanks for some amazing blessings:

1. I received the Powerful Woman Writer Award from Deidra at A Storybook World. Thank you Deidra! I'm passing this on to:
The Golden Eagle
Karen Lange at Write Now
Angie at Notes from the Writing Chair
Jill Kemerer
Melissa at Through the Looking Glass
and Carol Riggs at Artzicarol Rambling

2. I have a poem published with Yahoo Associated Content, which is interesting, and pretty cool at the same time. Check it out - New Hope You have to look carefully for the last three words, placed under the changing advertisement. This is an adventure in publishing for me, and at this point I'm just checking it out and seeing if the process, and payment is worth it.

3. Hula-hooping with my daughters this afternoon.

4. Free Dress week at the Dance Studio.

5. Gumball machines.

6. Practicing tap steps while writing a blog post!

7. Our Monday Homeschool Co-op is having a coin drive for relief efforts in Japan.

8. A really, really nice lady from our dance studio is dropping off my youngest daugther's ski jacket - which she left at the dance studio earlier.

9. Playing the medieval game, Fox and Geese, with my oldest daughter as a fun part of our homeschool history. Here's a link for The Rules of Fox & Geese and a fancy looking board set. We just used a piece of paper with a pen made board, and pennies for our geese, and a dime for our fox. It's amazing that such a game of "unequal" sides can be won by either side - the 13 geese, or the lone fox - depending on how you play.

10. My youngest daughter's recent enthusiasm for scrapbooking!

11. The Lord is patient with us.

Scripture Blessings:
Psalm 86:15-16
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Turn to me and have mercy on me;
show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
just as my mother did.

365 Days of Blessings, Days 294 thru 298

Whew! Days have flown by and I haven't kept track of my blessings very well. This project has grown tougher as the year has progressed, and I'm not sure why that has been true.

So, here is the best I can do, with limited time, and limited notes:

Today, I'm giving thanks for:

1. New leaves.

2. The way our cat watches my husband's every move. He is her favorite person.

3. Watching my husband play with our cat. When I married him, he hated cats. Now he loves our cat.

4. A new adult tap class at our dance studio. My husband and I are both taking it together.

5. My "squeaky" husband tap-dancing in his work shoes.

6. Waking up with a story in my mind.

7. Writing a rough summary-outline of a story, first thing after waking up.

8. Researching names in a language that I'm unfamiliar with . . . to break my tendency to name my characters randomly, and similarly.

9. The sleepover my oldest daughter went to last weekend.

10. Getting a garden bed cleaned out - away with those old leaves.

11. Hasty gardening - my new method that I hope will help me get the work done quickly.

12. Vacation plans.

13. An unexpected visit from family.

14. Vacation meal plans with my sister-in-law.

15. The gift of a trip from my in-laws.

16. My parents are home for a few days.

17. My mom brought me home a sparkly blue hat from her travels. Now I match her, and my daughters. My mom has a sparkly silver hat, my oldest has a sparkly black hat, my youngest has a sparkly pink hat, and now I'm sparkly blue.

18. My mom gave my daughters a couple of interesting crinkle shirts that she found in Mexico. They shrink into a tiny size when they aren't being worn, but stretch out and look baggy while worn. Interesting material.

19. My Dad is back to tinkering with stuff to make it work. He may not be happy that their water-based floor heating system burst and flooded their basement, but it gives him something to fix. He likes fixing stuff.

20. Looking forward to PJ day with our Wednesday Co-op group.

21. Pancakes for lunch today!

22. Worship last Sunday was awesome.

23. The Story of the World books by Susan Wise Bauer.

24. Yukon Ho! - a Calvin and Hobbes book.

25. A bulletin board full of homeschool art, and homework.

26. Finally feeling as if I've given my Shakespeare students enough creative options for a project. We were all tired of writing papers every time.

27. Being able to commiserate with a friend over troubles.

28. Thinking of a t-shirt that would read: "So many Bible verses, so little time." Just my quirky brain trying to be creative with an old theme.

29. The new Youth leader at our church is putting together a group to go to Creation Fest Northwest!!! Woohoo!

30. I'll be leading worship, and speaking the message tonight at our Lenten worship for our new church. And I feel mostly ready, and I have notes.

31. Surprised by a package on my doorstep!

32. Our album from Snapfish has arrived!

33. Fun looking at an album . . . and plans for how we would make it better, and more cost effective next time.

34. Reading the line up for Every Day Poets in April. My poem "april second" will be out April 2nd. :-)

35. Sharing crazy dream story ideas over breakfast with my daughters.

36. My oldest daughter finished her math before breakfast today . . . now I have to check her work, but I'm excited that she took the initiative.

37. Finally learning how to embed video - hope this works:


38. The corner store . . . supplying us with all our last-minute-oops-I-forgot-that-at-the-grocery-store needs like chocolate chips for chocolate chip pancakes.

39. The melting pot of the English language - old English, Celtic, Viking/Scandinavian, Latin, Greek, French - all mixed together in the wonderful, complex, rich language.

40. Piles and piles of books. Ok, I need to re-shelve in the midst of my planning/dreaming/reading/homeschooling days, but there are few "things" in this world I like better than piles of books.

41. Looking forward to Creation Fest Northwest 2011:


42. Looking forward to seeing Nick Vujicic at Creation Fest:


43. One blessing of having a messy house today - our cat loves to play with stray socks left on the floor.

44. Science Experiments with friends.

45. Art with friends.

46. Story sharing with friends.

47. Latin with friends.

48. The fruit of the Spirit in sign language.

49. An afternoon cup of Vanilla Chai Tea with honey.

50. When we surrender our lives to Christ, the Lord grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.


Scripture Blessings:

Galatians 5:22-23
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

365 Days of Blessings, Day 293

Giving Thanks and Praise for these varied blessings:

1. My favorite love song of all time L-O-V-E

2. I finally, after a great deal of scrutiny from myself and my nine year old daughter, re-submitted my revised poem "Octopus Rising" to Every Day Poets today. I really appreciate the feedback from the editors at that site. My nine year old daughter still isn't satisfied with it, and thinks it needs another stanza, but I decided to re-submit it anyway.

3. After days of feeling shut in the house with sickness, I loved every moment of my beautiful two mile walk in the sunshine this morning. The Northwest is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

4. Trader Joe's Grocery stores.

5. Hasty gardening for an hour - the kind of gardening that gets a giant wagon load of old leaves, weeds, and branches picked up and composted as quickly as possible.

6. Red and green grapes.

7. Soft, wet dirt that's easy to weed.

8. Weedy strawberry plants that never stop growing - this is kind of a mixed blessing.

9. Finding a brown worm in the rich soil . . . a sign of a good place to plant.

10. Primroses.

Scripture Blessings (from a devotional I received via e-mail today):

"My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2

365 Days of Blessings, Days 289 and 290

Giving thanks and praise for:

1. Restful days, and good books. (the silver lining in sickness)

2. Board games played while sick. Is my family the only one that does marathon board games with sick kids?

3. Keeping the temperature down for my youngest daughter . . . success so far.

4. A cat who thinks it is her job to cuddle the sickness away from sick family members, and yet instincively knew that when my husband was sick that he is an anti-cuddler while feverish.

5. Fever-induced conversations are always interesting. When my youngest daughter started saying some strange things, I knew to take her temperature again. Sure enough, high fever, and time to take medicine.

6. Mega pots of noodle soup. Today is day 6 of family illness, and we are on our second pot of homemade rice noodle soup, with a quinoa variety for me.

7. Distracting books, like John Taylor Gatto's Weapons of Mass Instruction. Gatto was an award-winning teacher for 30 years, and now, he tries to get people to think about the difference between schooling and education. Reminds me of a philosophy of education class I was required to take to become an educator. Good for a distraction, at least in moments when I don't have a headache.

8. Daffodils.

9. Cherry Blossoms

10. Tulip buds, just peeking open with color.

11. Wet dirt that allows weeds to be pulled with ease. I did some front door gardening today, determined to get some fresh air, even if I am sick.

12. Nations Foundation Promo Video is a great video to watch, to see the kinds of cool mission minded stuff going on in the world today.

13. Grab Bag is a fun video that showcases several Christian musicians goofing off in a hallway, with great music style.

14. Our Naturopathic Doctor likes to laugh, and is great with my kids.

15. Friends ran the Lenten worship tonight.

16. My youngest daughter's Pirate folder she made for Ships Ahoy - a co-op class that is spending the year learning about the age of exploration, and navigation.

17. My hubby went to the store for me. Much thankfulness.

18. Having a retired missionary as part of our church.

19. Willing, and able helpers.

20. The Lord comforts us.

Scripture Blessings:

Psalm 23
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell[a] in the house of the LORD
Forever.

365 Days of Blessings, Day 288

Giving Thanks and Praise for:

1. Limericks.

2. Writing limericks with my writing class.

3. Writing about spy gadgets with my writing class.

4. Pictures and ideas for spy gadgets.

5. Characters who fumble with spy gadgets.

6. My Shakespeare class resonated with Hamlet and Horatio so well they thought it was "creepy" to see them played as 30-something characters.

7. Kenneth Branaugh as Hamlet.

8. Turkey veggie soup with quinoa.

9. Catching up with my blog reading while sick.

10. My hubby has gotten well, just in time to take care of the rest of us.

Scripture Blessings:
"So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." Acts 6:7

365 Days of Blessings, Day 287 Super Blessed!

Today I just feel super blessed! Maybe it's because I've been keeping track of my blessings all day . . .but here are just a few.

1. Winnie the Pooh.

2. My hubby is feeling better, although still feverish, he is maintaining a 100 degree farenheit temp instead of 102.

3. How many people does it take to replace my hubby as a tech man at worship on a Sunday morning? Umm, at least 7, or at least that's how many I counted around the soundboard trying to figure out which wire hooked where, and all that. I am very thankful for all the amazing help, talent and thoughtfulness of the guys and gals who subbed for my hubby today at worship.

4. This awesome poem Pooh Friend at Rainy Day Poetry. Check it out.

5. In worship today, many people prayed for Japan. We keep praying, and I am thankful for prayer, and the comfort and peace found in prayer.

6. A friend and mentor of mine spoke today at worship. She has such a loving heart, and loving wisdom. She is a "small town girl" who took her relational ministry to South Africa, following a clear call from the Lord.

7. Reflections on the Death of a Friend a poem by CD Sinex at Every Day Poets that moved me.

8. Remembering Hamlet's "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio . . ." from a high school drama day.

Book Blessing:
9. Hamlet

Writing Blessing:
10. Screenwriting Tips for Novelists is a great post at Writing at High Altitude.

Scripture Blessings:
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
Matthew 25:37-40

365 Days of Blessings, Day 286

Today I'm giving thanks for these blessings:

Writing Life Blessings:

1. Waking up to write a poetic prose piece that might have a kernel of something usable/publishable in it, and having fun while writing it.

2. Revision planning, and revision for The Crystal Sword that I think will make it readable. I hope.

3. Looking for places to submit my poetry and short fiction, and stumbling across this list at Strange Horizons Stories We've Seen Too Often and laughing my way through most of it. I have to admit, yes, I have a tendency to use some overused plots, but for the most part, this list made me a feel more confident about my writing.

4. My husband, who claims not to be creative (ha!), woke up this morning thinking about a fantasy story involving dragons, half dragon-half lion creatures, and a new fantasy creature altogether that turns into a ball of rock when flamed by a dragon, but then is able to come of its protective shell several months later. Maybe it was just his fever making his mind creative, but it's good to know that we can talk about our wild imaginations together now and then.

General Life Blessings:

5. The rain is soft, fast and light at the moment - a kind of tickling sound on the roof versus the pelunking and drumming sounds that woke me this morning.

6. Finishing a batch of e-mails that had to be written.

7. Sticky notes.

8. Fasting during Lent had me daydreaming about different types of dessert I like with chocolate this morning. Chocolate haystacks, chocolate melted over salty cashews and a banana - my own version of Chunky Monkey, and chocolate cashew butter cups, homemade. MMM. And now, I have to find my Bible if I'm going to resist.

9. Books from my college days that I actually kept like Making the Journey, and Seeking Diversity: Language Arts with Adolescents. I'm not sure that either of these books make my top 100 list, and I don't agree with all the methodology or thinking in either of them, but they are a great jumping off point for teaching workshop type writing classes.

10. My oldest daughter is reading the newspaper these days, and today she brought me an article to read about faith.

11. Christ calls us for His glory, not our own.

Scripture Blessings:

"For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Romans 11:35

365 Days of Blessings, Day 285

Today I'm giving thanks and praise for these blessings:

Writing Blessings:
1. I am a writing ninja! Actually, I'm a revising writing ninja, or a NiNoReMo participant, which is really cool. See my sidebar, or follow this link here Ali Cross, Dojo

2. I'm looking forward to participating in Write On Con, an online conference. Again, see the sidebar, or follow this link Write On Con

3. I'm recommitting myself as a writer today. Sure, I've been writing, but I feel like I've been going through the motions. Commitment means dedication.

4. I wrote a really rough beginning of a new project: Diary of a Moth. I plan on putting it on the back burner while I get back to revising The Crystal Sword, but I like writing something totally different now and then. It gives me a new perspective and passion for the revision of my "old" story.

5. And then, there is this story, "The Feathered Prince"/"The Swan Prince"/"The Sky Prince" that is in the back of my head off and on . . . not very together, but still there. I may just give myself permission to write on that a bit today.

6. Yesterday I received a request for a revision of my "Octoupus Rising" poem,and today, after 15 revisions of a five line poem, I think I might be ready to re-submit it. Maybe.

Book Blessings: (This is part of that 100 Book list that I'm slowly continuing)

7. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George is an amazing, and wonderful fantasy adventure that turns our expectations of heroines upside down. I love this book.

8. Starlight Animal Rescue: Runaway by Dandi Daley Mackall is a book that my youngest daughter picked up at the age of seven, when she couldn't seem to find anything at her reading level. Well, within the first few pages, I wasn't sure she was old enough for the book, so we read it together. We both loved this book, and feel that it is not only the best of the series, but the best book we've read by Dandi Daley Mackall. There is some heavy hitting subject matter, but yet, it is handled in really well, in a background of newly awakened faith.

9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is not a huge favorite of mine, but yet I feel that it is a must read, the beginning of many themes that are seen in science fiction, fantasy and mainstream books today. Can man create a better version of mankind? Is it the way we are put together or the way that we are treated that determines our actions? Read the book, and see what you think.

Blessings from general life:

10. I had time this morning to think, read, write, and pray.

Scripture Blessings:

"Listen to my words, LORD,
consider my lament.
Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, LORD, detest.
But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.

Lead me, LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield."
Psalm 5

365 Days of Blessing, Day 284

1. Great blogging advice posts like Blog Baby from Karen Lange.

2. Visiting our niece, J, who lives in Portland, and chatting.

3. J’s laughter. I love how each of us has a unique laugh, and I love the sound of hers especially.

4. My husband’s love of video editing.

5. Powell’s City of Books, in Portland, OR – especially the Rose room, and the Red room.

6. Homeschooling on a long car drive.

7. Talking with my husband and daughters on a long car drive.

8. French Fries at Burgerville, cooked in canola oil so my girls and I can eat them, and they taste great.

Books:
9. Fire in Fiction by Donald Maas.
10. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

Scripture Blessings:

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

365 Days of Blessings, Days 280, 281, 282, and 283

Sunday Blessings, Day 280:
1. Confession

2. Forgiveness

3. Awesome God Music

4. Word of God Speak Music

5. The Lord's Prayer

6. Communion

7. Sharing the Peace

8. A message from Elizabeth Chocrane, a missionary to Nepal.

9. Fellowship

10. Hope takes risks.

Monday Blessings, Day 281:

1. Free Verse Poetry

2. List poetry

3. Acrostic poetry

4. ABC poetry

5. Students writing for a half hour in 10 minute chunks.

6. Students excited about sharing their work with partners, and then with the whole class.

7. The end of Taming of the Shrew.

8. My Shakespeare class had complete consensus on this opinion: Katherine is not tamed at the end of the Taming of the Shrew, she's just learned to say what she needs to say to get what she wants.

9. Finishing my outline/summaries for the three classes I'll be teaching next year.

10. Hope peseveres.

Tuesday Blessings, Day 282:

1. No cavities at the dentist office for my daughters!

2. My old dog finally had her stitches taken out, and is free from the cone of shame.

3. My daughters finished their math lessons with ease . . . I'm not sure this will ever happen with joy, but ease is good.

4. Fat Tuesday is fun.

5. Chocolate melted in the microwave, and then mixed with cocounut to make a large homemade haystack. Yum.

6. Chips.

7. Caffeinated soda.

8. A hamburger, dripping with goodness.

9. A clean car.

10. Hope never fails.

Wednesday Blessings, Day 283:

1. Ash Wednesday: a time for repentence, discipline, reliance on the Lord, undeserved grace and faith.

2. Fasting

3. Prayer

4. The book of Acts in the Bible

5. Psalm 51

6. Ashes, and olive oil

7. A friend of mine started a new blog, check it out: Faithfully Frugal

8. The Ash Wednesday devotion from Upper Room

9. Today's daily devotion from Luther Hour Ministries Lenten Devotion

10. Hope in Christ

Scripture Blessings:

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:1-8

365 Days of Blessings, Days 270, 271, and 272

So many blessings, so little time to give thanks and write them out:

1. The Karate Kid, the old movie.

2. The Karate Kid, the new movie.

3. Jackie Chan - his moves, his humor, his movies.

4. My kids don't know who Bruce Lee is . . . something I have to remedy someday, but I think is a funny kind of blessing for now.

5. There's going to be a second Kung Fu Panda! Prepare for Awesomeness.

6. The Incredibles.

7. A conversation with my daughters about the believability of super powers . . . "Elastigirl with head flattening stretchability - not realistic, Mr. Incredible with super strength - realistic."

8. An awesome day skiing in super cold weather with bright sun, fun friends, and great family.

9. Taking an intermediate skier down a black diamond run successfully, and having her turn and say, "Wow! I did that!" Yes, she did.

10. Being able to ski hard enough to exhaust four kids, and one teenager - even though I'm way overweight and way older than them.

11. My husband makes snowboarding look easy.

12. Forty minutes on an exercise bike the day after skiing helped keep my muscles from tightening up.

13. Snow, and more snow, even at our house only a quarter mile from the Puget Sound.

14. Having my parents home for a week to visit, and play and have fun together, before they went off to go play in their RV again.

15. My oldest daughter graduated from her safe sitter class, and is very proud of her certified card. She can give CPR to infants and children, knows the heimlech maneuver, and learned a great deal of other safety procedures to use while babysitting.

16. Writing super sentences and turning them into short stories with a group of kids.

17. My husband plans to purchase a new video camera, so he's helping me clean the house. :-)

18. My youngest daughter is a sweetheart.

19. My youngest daughter and I have had more time to just be together this week while her sister was in her safe sitter class. I found out that she likes to take walks too, but prefers to take them downtown where there are sidewalks instead of on our street where there are ditches.

20. I'm so unexpectedly strong I broke the in house vacuum cleaner while trying to clean it out - not sure that is a blessing, but it was definitely a surprise. Thankfully the part we need is only $10, and is already on its way.

21. Midwinter break was wonderful, a change of pace, and a perfect rest.

22. Youtube videos of Christian music songs.

23. Your Love by Brandon Heath

24. Pepper - my husband's favorite spice.

25. Tag in the house, with plenty of laughter, and only one sliding fall. (my hiking shoes just went slipping on the clean floors)

26. Playing together as a family.

27. My older dog has finally resigned herself to the "cone of shame" and is healing up, finally.

28. My cat encourages me to stretch when she stretches.

29. My Beagle's persistence keeps me from sitting still too long . . . he has to have plenty of attention or he finds trouble.

30. Jesus purifies us.

Scripture Blessings:
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

365 Days of Blessings, Days 268 and 269, Books and stuff

Giving Thanks and Praise for these blessings:

In Books (Continuing my top 100):
From my Junior High Years . . . and a few beyond that.

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien was a trilogy I longed to read in elementary school after I had read The Hobbit about three times, but the books were always checked out of the school library, so I read the first one, and then waited two years before I purchased the trilogy in seventh grade and eighth grade. How many times have I read it since then? I've lost count, but I know it is somwhere under The Hobbit (at least a dozen reads) and more than any romance novel I've ever read (usually just once). Tolkien was a master storyteller, and a great linguist.

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book that I can't quite place in my timeline of favorites. Did I read it first in late elementary school, or early junior high? I'm not sure. I had seen the movie many times before I read it, and then I read my mom's copy over and over until if fell apart. It is one of my all time favorites, and again, something I think that should be read, and watched, and discussed. Great literature, timeless story.

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was handed to me by my mom when I was in seventh grade. I read it, and found parts I liked, but overall wasn't sure until I read it again in ninth grade, then I loved it, wept over it, ached for Jane and her difficulties. Unfortunately, I read it again in college and was forced to do a Freudian psychological critique of it. Ugh! Nothing ruins a good book like that. After several years, I was able to read it again and enjoy it.

4. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is an intense read, and is definitely more adult than any movie version I've ever seen of it. I loved the book, even though the heroes are all seriously flawed. Dumas doesn't let us hero worship for more than a minute.

5. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls is usually read in elementary school, but I didn't read it until junior high. I had already bawled over and dog-eared my copy of Old Yeller. However, the best quality, best written, cry-your-eyes-out story about a boy and a pair of hounds is this one. If you are going to read two books like that, then both are good.

6. The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter is a sequel to Freckles, and one that draws us even deeper into the beauty of the forest, and all those who care for it, and each other.

7. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare is my all time favorite Shakespeare play, for reading, viewing on screen, or viewing in person. I experienced it the first time in junior high at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and if you want to watch an excellent screen version, check out the version starring Kenneth Branagh.

8. A Spell for Chameleon, The Source of Magic, and Castle Roogna by Piers Anthony were some of my common reading fodder in junior high, and they definitely had an impact on my love of fantasy fiction. They are incredibly chauvinistic, but humorous, and filled with odd, unexpected quirks that keep the pages turning. Surprisingly I was able to forgive the chauvinism for the delightfully different adventures, and loved the spider in Castle Roogna, and considering I don't like spiders that's saying something. The rest of the series gets more male fantasy orientated, and is . . . well, not worth reading in my opinion.

9. Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs intrigued me in elementary school, and the series continued to be interesting while I was into junior high reading. Later, I wasn't sure I liked those books and I don't own them anymore. However, they were an important part of my reading and imagination journey as a kid and as a young teen.

10. The Diary of Anne Frank as a novel, and as a play, were strong influences on me in eighth grade. This, true, real, raw story hit me hard, and made me want to be a better writer.

11. If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing In the Pits? by Erma Bombeck moved from my mom's bookshelf to mine, and I loved the bitter humor in the stories within that book, and read them aloud to friends and classmates.

In other Blessings:
12. My oldest daughter is taking a safe sitter course through the fire department, loving it and learning lots.

13. My youngest spent three hours making her sister a present today, just to say, "I Love You," and not for any other reason.

14. My dog has gone three days without pulling out any stitches. (She had surgery, and pulled the stitches out twice, while wearing a cone of shame)

15. Homeschool friends doing art, science, writing, and Latin together.

16. Hanging out with church friends on a Wednesday night.

17. A pink car.

18. Sunshine and snow flurries.

19. We have unlimited texting, which my daughter is making good use of on a daily basis.

20. Tanka poetry, fun stuff.

Scripture Blessings:
"Jesus wept." John 11:35 - The shortest verse in the Bible, but both heart-wrenching and comforting to know how deeply Jesus loved his friend Lazarus, and how deeply he loves us.

365 Days of Blessings, Day 267

Today I'm giving thanks and praise for some daily blessings that have accumulated while I've been giving thanks for book blessings. Look for more book blessings tomorrow.

1. My youngest daughter's audition last Saturday at a Tacoma youth talent audition for the Desmond Tutu event in May. Her teacher gave positive encouragement, and the talent panel applauded her group.

2. My oldest daughter's support for her youngest sister's audition, even though she really wanted to be dancing too. She has four more days to continue soaking her foot, healing up, and exercising cautiously before the doctor says she can dance again.

3. Our whole family has been blessed by worship on Sunday with our new church, and hearing a great message each week from different speakers.

4. Having a child ring the bell for the start of worship.

5. Many ideas pouring in for Lent worship.

6. Church members and outside speakers stepping forward with a message.

7. Seeing a Giant Pacific Octopus in motion at the Seattle Aquarium today.

8. Watching my girls gaze at fish, otters, and seals with fascination, and interest.

9. Our local Borders is closing, which is really sad, but on the upside we purchased a few books for a discount price.

10. National Audubon's Society's Guide to Marine Mammals of the World that my oldest daughter picked up for some "light" reading. While debating which book she wanted, a marine biologist happened to walk by and recommend this particular book to her, and so far she loves it, although she also happens to be following me around and asking me to give her the definitions to words like: "morphological," "artiodactyls," and "paleontology." I knew most of them, but we had to look up "artiodactyls" which means: having an even number of toes or digits on each foot.

11. The Lord made an awesome creation for us to enjoy, and He's still creating beautiful 3-D artwork for us to experience every day.

Scripture Blessings:

"Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.'” John 10:25-30

365 Days of Blessings, Day 266, Christian Books

In addition to the Bible, (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) I'm giving thanks and praise for these awesome Christian books that have been a blessing in my life:

1. In addition to the many "regular" books that I read growing up, where faith came as part of the story because the author couldn't imagine it any other way (Green Dolphin Street, Little House in the Big Woods, etc), Rainbow Garden by Patricia St. John was my first Christian fiction book. The first one I knew was a Christian fiction book before I read it. A wonderful story about a girl and a secret garden at the end of a rainbow, I read it many times until it fell apart.

2. The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris is not for the faint of heart, but it is an inspiring look at the inner journey of an intellectual poet's journey of faith. Non-fiction, and sometimes painfully honest and humble, Kathleen Norris takes us from secular life to a monastary, where she served as an oblate.

3. Beyond the Summerland by L.B. Graham is the beginning of the Binding of the Blade Series, and I enjoyed this new take on Christian epic fantasy. The ending of the first book is a painful surprise (that's all the spoiler I'll give) but the rest of the series flows easily from one book to the next.

4. Run With the Horses by Eugene H. Peterson is a book I've quoted extensively last year, and I have to include it as my favorite study guide to Jeremiah.

5. Dragonspell and the Dragonkeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul is another excellent start to a strong series of compelling characters and a new world of fantastical Christian adventure. I've mentioned it before too, but it deserves many mentions.

6. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is an excellent guide to life and ministry. I may not have the same take on every issue that Warren does, but I found the book interesting and thought-provoking.

7. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell is, like The Cloister Walk, not for the faint of heart or for those who can't bear to be shocked while reading a Christian book. Rob Bell takes a close look at what it means to be a follower of Christ in our times, and for all time. He references scripture and other Christian books so often that I found myself reading his book simultaneously with different parts of scripture and doing a great deal of research. Again, I may not agree with every aspect of his book, but it definitely provokes thought, scripture reading, and prayer.

8. The Aedyn Chronicles by Alister E. McGrath is a book for young to middle readers that I read just recently. I read it in about two hours, and at first, just thought it was a simple, fun Christian fantasy read. But then, I kept thinking about the Biblical principles that were intertwined in the adventure . . . and decided to read it again.

9. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel is a very good read, and they've made a pretty good DVD version of it as well. It is an investigation into the evidence for Jesus, and also tells some of the true story of Strobel's personal search for faith in Christ.

10. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is a must read if you have any interest in apologetics. Wow! If you want a better understanding of that Deep Law of Magic mentioned in the Narnia books, Mere Christianity definitely details Lewis' belief that there is a moral law, or a sense of goodness that underlies all the laws of mankind, and of course that law, that moral standard of goodness comes from God.

Scripture Blessings:
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7

365 Days of Blessings, Day 265, More Books

Giving thanks and praise for more books today - this theme may last awhile, but today I only have time for a short list with little explanation:

1. Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Dectective by Donald J. Sobol.

2. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

3. The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

4. Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter.

5. Here Comes Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz is one of my favorite of the old paperback Peanuts collection. I bought most of the collection from second hand stores for a quarter each, in elementary school. These books made me laugh, and think.

6. Two in the Wilderness by Mary Wolfe Thompson.

7. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

9. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

10. Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen.

Scripture Blessings:

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'
They answered him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?'
Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.
Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it for ever.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.'"
John 8:31-36

365 Days of Blessings, Days 262 and 263, Book Blessings

Today and for the next few days, I'm giving thanks and praise for books that have been a blessing in my life:

1. The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. One of my favorite books from my childhood. I loved putting my fingers on the holes that go through the food, and I loved the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly at the end. I've read this book to my kids, and to Sunday School kids.

2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Another favorite from my childhood. I checked this book out from the library again and again, even after I was reading "older" books. Maurice Sendak painted this picture of an imaginary world in such a way that I could take it even further in my own imagination. I never got the whole "psycho-babble" junk that they threw in the movie about it. I just loved the idea of escape into a wild world of wonder, knowing full well that I could return to a warm supper and a loving home at any moment.

3. Young Years: Best Loved Stories and Poems for Little Children edited by Augusta Baker, 1971 Copyright Parent's Magazine Enterprises. I don't know exactly when I started reading this book, or when my mom started reading it to me. I just know that the book is barely holding together after many, many years of use. I've also read parts of it to my kids. It has nursery rhymes, Aesop's fables, and stories like the original Beauty and the Beast, as well as Goldilocks. I memorized most of the nursery rhymes because I read them so many times over while growing up.

4. Children's Illustrated Bible I'm not sure this was the exact title, but I received it when I was five or six, and read it within a year, then read it again and again until I was about ten years old, when I "moved up" to the King James translation. I couldn't figure out why the Sunday School teachers thought the stories they taught me were new to me, when I had already read them in my Bible. Since then, I've realized as a friend recently remarked, "Kid's Bibles are like Cliffnote versions." It's true. If you want to get to know your basic Bible stories, pick up a kids' illustrated or picture Bible, and read it aloud again and again, night after night, until you've memorized it. My kids story Bibles have grounded them in Bible stories, and reminded me of my basics. My youngest still wants me to read from hers every night, and my oldest likes hearing me read the "regular" Bible these days.

5. The King James Bible had a huge impact on my life growing up. My mom read it to me as I went to sleep each night, and when I was ten she gave me her old copy of it. I started in Psalms. They were short, and I could tackle the language easier there. I'm not sure I would recommend the old King James Bible to most ten year olds, but I liked it, especially the sense of history I felt, having my mom's first Bible.

6. The Tasha Tudor Book of Fairy Talesselected, edited, and illustrated by Tasha Tudor is a beautiful fairy tale book that I read, and re-read many times from early childhood through my adult years. I still pick it up every once in a while. My favorite in the book has to be "Thumbelina." The illustration on the first page made me want to step into the story myself.



7. Serendipity by Stephen Cosgrove is one of the many "Serendipity" books that held my attention and imagination as a child. The main character in Serendipity is a pink sea serpent with beautiful blue eyes who wants to know who, and what she is, and what purpose she has in life. With the help of two friends, she discovers that she is herself, and she finds a purpose in cleaning up the waters of the world's oceans. I have to admit, my strongest feelings about responsibility for our environment probably stem from a love of this book, and a love of the Creation story in the Bible.

8. The Muffin Muncher by Stephen Cosgrove is another awesome "Serendipity" book about a muffin munching dragon and a King who bakes muffins. It still makes me smile.

9. Morgan and Me by Stephen Cosgrove is a "Serendipity" book about a young girl who likes to put off her work so she can daydream. She figures she can always do things "a little later." This gets her in a bit of trouble with a new friend, a unicorn.

10. Jake O'Shawnasey is an Irish green seagull who is afraid to fly, but who is determined to get to the top of a cliff face. My mom read this story to me over and over again, and referenced in many conversations with me while I was growing up. The moral of this particular Stephen Cosgrove book is "If you believe in yourself, you can do anything."

11. The Wheedle on the Needle in the original version by Stephen Cosgrove, is a Seattle Centered tale of the Wheedle who keeps the light on top of the Space Needle glowing with his red nose. For a kid born in Seattle, and raised in a cow-town an hour drive from the Space Needle, this one had to be one of my favorites. Seattle seemed like a magical place to me, and the Space Needle is still a place I like to visit now and then, Wheedle or not.

12. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson had an early impact on me, while riding in the car on long road trips. As one of our only books on tape, I heard the shortened version of this story many times over, and loved it. The version we had included singing, "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me," which I liked to sing loudly in the back seat. Later, when I read the story, I felt for Jim and for that old scalawag, Long John Silver. I know piracy in reality is not a nice practice, but the stories and make believe were a great deal of fun.

13. The Wizard of Oz series by Frank L. Baum. I read the entire series in third and fourth grade and loved being transported to that magical place, Oz. The Patchwork Girl stands out in my mind today, but I can't remember why . . . I'll have to look for it at my library.

14. The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley happened to be another group of books I devoured between third and fifth grade. I loved the horses, and the dilemmas the characters faced. My kids haven't liked them, which saddens me, but I know that if they are meant to stand the test of time, then they will.

15. Anne of Green Gables has been a family favorite for three generations, my grandmother, my mother, and I. My daughters, sadly, don't like the series much, or even the first book. I have to admit, when I read it aloud to my oldest daugther a few years ago, I didn't like it as much as I had as a kid. However, this book has been a blessing to me in many ways. If you've known me for a while, you might know why I found the story of her green hair fiasco so wonderful. Anne's imagination gets her into scrapes and out of them throughout the series, and I enjoyed her as a character because I often have had the same kind of experiences with that.

16. The Narnia series as a whole by C.S. Lewis has been a blessing to me many times over. I don't know if I could say enough about this series. My first introduction started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I loved entering that fantastical world at Lucy's side, and meeting Tumnus for the first time.

17. The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, from the Narnia series, had a great deal of meaning for me as a kid and the Christian symbolism within it has blown me away again and again even as an adult. It was the second Narnia book I read as a kid.

18. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my all time favorite from the Narnia series. I love the redemption story of Eustace, the temptation that each character faces, and the wild variety of characters like Dufflepuds, and the mermaid hunting party. The Christian symbolism, especially when Eustace is cleansed, convicts me, and renews me every time I read it.

19. The Silver Chair stood out to me as a kid, partly because it was one of the four Narnia books I owned, and partly because of Puddlegum's gloomy optimism.

20. The Last Battle was the toughest Narnia book for me to read. I struggled all the way to the end, and then I fell in love with Lewis' story that has no end. For me, this book was a blessing when I was younger because I read it and discussed it with a beloved mentor name Larice. She lent me the Narnia books I didn't own, and talked with me through the whole series. After her death, I gave up playing the organ, but I kept my love of the Narnia books.

21. The Lord fills us.

Scripture Blessings:
“Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.”
Psalm 107:8-9

More book blessings coming tomorrow.

365 Days of Blessings, Day 261 and Lists of Books

Today I'm giving thanks and praise for these random blessings:

1. Waking up to see a vase of a dozen roses! I received them last night, but I'm enjoying them even more this morning.

2. Dusky red, on deep green.

3. Salt water gargles for a sore throat - they actually mostly work.

4. Time to talk to my husband in the morning about inconsequential things.

5. Any moment alone with my husband feels like a date.

6. Caribener clips. They're handy.

7. A room with a view. For me this just means being able to see the horizon in the distance.

8. Old dollhouses.

9. The affectionate rubbing of my cat.

10. Lists (see below this list for another list adventure).

11. Jesus offers us living water.

Scripture Blessings:
"On the last day of the fest, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone is thirsty, let hiim come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has aid, streams of living water will flow from within him.'" John 7:37

Lists of books you "should" read. . . who makes them?
This is the question I've asked myself every time I've seen this particular list that's gone around on facebook, and which was recently featured at Kelly's Compositions. It's a list of classic books, and according to BBC most people have only read 6 of the 100 listed. The first time I saw this, I thought, ok, I'm going to break their record. And I did. But then . . . I wondered, should it matter? Some of these books are books I don't particularly like, but I've read them. For what reason? For class, to impress, to expand my literary horizons. Are those good reasons to read a book? I'm not so sure that they are.

Someone has decided that these books have literary and/or cultural importance to us as people. Again, I'm not so sure. So, I've decided to play the game, but with my own variation. 2 stars = finished, 1 star = started but never finished, no stars = haven't read, and smiley faces are for the books I actually liked or found meaningful.

Anyway- take a look at the list and see how many of these 100 book you have read, and then decide if it matters to you, really.



1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen ** :)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien ** :)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte ** :-)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling ** :)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee ** :)
6 The Bible ** :) :) :) :) :)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell ** :)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens ** :)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott ** :) (read three times before I liked, Little Men is way more fun to read)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare ** :) (a few I don't like)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien ** :) :)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger **
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell *
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald ** - can't remember if meaningful
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens **
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams ** :) mostly like this one
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ** :) meaningful
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll **
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame **
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy ** - hated it, threw it across room twice
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens ** :) Depressing, but I liked it.
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis ** :) :) loved this series
34 Emma - Jane Austen ** :)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis ** :)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden ** :) wouldn't recommend to kids
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne ** Every little bit of it is wonderful.
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell **
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery ** :)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood ** (horrifyingly depressing)
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding ** strongly disliked but meaningful
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert ** :)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen ** :) (liked it on the 3rd read)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens ** :)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck ** :) meaningful
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ** :)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville * haven't finished it yet
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ** :)
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker **
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett ** :) :)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson ** :)
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens ** :)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker ** meaningful
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazu Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White ** (liked it)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle **
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad ** (hated it, and had to read it for class)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery ** :) read it at age 9
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams **
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas ** :)
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare ** :)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl ** :)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo ** :) meaningful

Scarily, I read most of the "literary" ones before graduating from high school. I started reading Dickens at age 10, and read all of Alexandre Dumas' work for a high school paper. I started Les Miserables in French and finished it in English. I was a Shakespeare fan from age 10 to age 25, and still like most of his works. I read like it is water, or bread. However, I wouldn't recommend all of these books. In fact, some of them are probably better left unread.

So, tomorrow, I plan to make my own list. A list of meaningful favorites. I don't think it will make a BBC special, or become a list of "must reads" or "should" reads. And it won't stay static, because I keep reading, and reading, and reading, like I think everyone "should." ;)

365 Days of Blessings, Days 250 and 251

1. Planning and preparing side by side with my husband.

2. Printers.

3. Media slides.

4. CCLI licensing!

5. My oldest daughter's humor: "Julius Ceasar may have said, 'Vini, Vidi, Vici,' which means, 'I came, I saw, I conqured," but our Beagle Jumper says, 'Vini, Vidi, Edo,' which means, 'I came, I saw, I eat.'"

6. Fridays rock!

7. Family game bag night - pull a slip of paper from a bag, and find out what game we play next . . . or what movie we watch to end the evening.

8. Big, super hugs from my daughters.

9. All of my husband's hard work.

10. Encouragement and support from awesome people. You know who you are!

11. Saturday mornings!!!

12. C.S. Lewis' Surprised By Joy.

13. Finished hand outs.

14. Finished children's message.

15. Mostly finished message . . . I'll be tweaking it until I give it, it's the just the way it goes.

16. Wheelies - the only way to travel for kids like my daughters.

17. My oldest daughter's foot feels so much better that it is taking all her self-control to keep from dancing. (we had a 10 second dance while shoe shopping, but she stopped herself)

18. The gospel of John.

19. God's amazing glory!

20. Red hearts.


Scripture Blessings:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1