The debut novel had a beautiful cover. But the title tricked me into thinking it was another of those dime-a-dozen Jane Austen spin-offs that I saw every time I went to Hallmark. Emma is inimitable–why would I want to read anyone’s attempt? But then my friends started talking about this new book by Katherine Reay….
He found it on a bookshelf in his parents’ basement. The spine was worn, but you could still read the title: Eggs, Beans and Crumpets. It only took a few chapters before he’d found a new favorite author. And soon the book made its way to my mailbox for me to peruse, as well. Though the first…
I had always assumed that a good reader would naturally make a good writer. Not necessarily, according to Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Andrew Pudewa believes that the fundamental requisite for being an excellent communicator is listening to quality literature being read aloud. Why Reading Aloud Makes Good Writers What do we do when…
“How does a cow go to sleep — tell me how? How does a cow go to sleep?”
By the time it’s pages are half through, Mary’s eyes are drooping. It seems that the effect of saying “go to sleep” over enough times induces actual sleep on the part of a tired toddler—not to mention the yawns that Daddy is doing his best to suppress as he reads!
Going to Sleep on the Farm is one of our 18-month-old daughter Mary Kate’s favorite books…
I need something to grab on to, something to steady me.
A goal to focus on, a plan to live by.
I want just the right parenting philosophy that will help me have perfect children.
I need the right schedule to help me organize my day and make me productive.
I long for perfect fellowship with like-minded families living nearby.
I look around so desperately for something to cling to.
But I already know the truth.
Ralph Moody’s Little Britches series is like the book Farmer Boy, times eight, but with biblical principles held high and important life lessons passed on from father to son.
My family has been celebrating New Year’s Eve with LeAnn’s family since before my little brother was born. Ever since the eve of January 1, 1996, we’ve all gathered at my grandparents’ ranch to ring in the new year, with fellowship over food, games, and music. In the past fourteen years, I’ve only missed the…
I’ve decided there are two—no three—things that make my day go better. The one is—or at least, should be—a “given”: spending time in God’s Word. But unfortunately, it often becomes only an item to be hurried through so I can get to my to-do list (which is the second). Yet if I do really focus…
“Summer’s loss seems little, dear, on days like these.” -Ernest Dowson “It snowed on the hills around us last night.” The phrase from one of the letters Merritt wrote me during our years of friendship always comes to mind this time of year. As in his letter (a particular favorite, which I carried around in…
Whether it was walking around at the county fair Saturday night, the extra dark Lindt chocolate (85% cocoa) my husband bought me after the fair, or all the red raspberry leaf and pregnancy tea I’d been drinking the past six months, we got to hold our second daughter almost two weeks before her due date….
At times it is uncanny how much I feel like I’m looking in the mirror when I look at my little daughter. Though she has so many of her daddy’s features, she looks so very much like my baby pictures, I often take a second glance: isn’t that me I’m looking at? But more and…
Eloise Wilkin has always been my favorite children’s book illustrator. In fact, she’s probably my very favorite illustrator ever (excepting my husband’s drawings of classic cars and my daughter’s “pictures,” of course!). I grew up with my parents reading me the Golden Sturdy Shape Book versions of My Good Morning Book and My Good Night…
The End.
The End.
