Sometimes you just need to cry

Ever have one of those days? You don't understand why you feel like you do, but you just need to cry. That pretty well sums up my day today. So my Six Words for this Saturday - Sometimes you just need to cry.

Fresh Bread on Friday

I seem to be on a streak of success in bread making lately.  It hasn't always been that way.  Homemade bread has been a rarity in my house over the years because I just couldn't seem to get it right, so I gave up.  Recently, I've been inspired to try again and I've been pleased with the results.

DH has been even more pleased.  We had fresh home made rolls with stew tonight and he devoured 7 rolls!  I have to admit that they were quite good.  I'm kind of wishing I had made more rolls because I only made a dozen and all but three of them are gone already.

After supper DH phoned friends and invited them to drop in, informing them that I had just taken fresh bread from the oven.  There's a tradition in our province to enjoy a slice of fresh bread spread with molasses and canned cream.  Our friends arrived with a tin of cream in hand and we promptly sat down and devoured a full loaf of bread!  I personally am not a fan of the fresh cream but I do like bread spread with molasses.  I only had a slice and a half, and that was more than I should have had.   After all, we had just finished supper!

It is such a joy to me to have people actually enjoy my homemade bread!  I sure hope this streak of success continues.

Life As Mom's Booking It in 2010

Read about this on Carla's blog a couple of times but her post today about the books she read in January made me finally decide to join the Booking it In 2010 at Life as Mom.  I like the idea of giving a summary post of my reading for each month, and that's what they ask you to do.  I will still continue with my individual book reviews but will also do monthly summary posts.

The first thing Life as Mom asks you to do is to think about reading goals for the year.  In Life As Mom's How To Find a Good Read post they say it's never to late to join and they suggest a number of different sources for ideas for good reads and ask that people share how they go about choosing good books.

I decided before the new year began that I wanted to concentrate on reading more this year and I joined a number of different reading challenges to use as inspiration to keep reading throughout the year.  My main goal for the year is just to read more and to read a variety of types of books and topics.  Another thing I want to do is to take a closer look at my book shelves and probably reread some books that are there.  I will also be making good use of the library.  I will be perusing the shelves and making a point of checking out all the different shelves so that I cover books on different topics, as well as looking specifically for books that others suggest both online and in person.  I love to take advantage of the interlibrary loan program which means I'm not restricted to just reading the books in our local library.

If you haven't done so yet, check out the Booking It in 2010 feature.  I think it's going to be a great place to share and find good reads.

My Favorite Reading Cuddle

Inspired by Wordless Wednesday

Sarah's Song by Karen Kingsbury

I've read, and enjoyed, books by Karen Kingsbury before so I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed Sarah's Song by Karen Kingsbury.  I picked the book from the shelves of our local library because it was a nice, small, thin book.  :)

I didn't know it, but Sarah's Song is a part of Kingsbury's Red Gloves collection and is actually a Christmas themed story.  I love the idea of this series and will be reading more of them.  I'm not sure if I'm going to wait to read them during the Christmas season or not.  Kingsbury suggests that they make great read alouds during the 12 days of Christmas, and I really like that thought, but I'm not sure I can wait until then before I read another.  :)

This book counts for the Support Your Local Library and the 2nd Reading challenges.

Fish 'n' Ships by Ed Smith

Ed Smith is a local author that has written a number of books, but I had never read any of his books.  I had, however, read his column.  He writes a weekly column that is published in our local newspaper, as well as a number of other newspapers in our province.  I enjoy the humor and style of writing in his column so I thought it was about time I tried one of his books.

Fish 'n' Ships is the book I chose to try first and I really, really enjoyed it. The sub title for the book is "A brief twisted history of Newfoundland...sort of" and that's just what it is.  I learned a lot about the history of our province through the book, but I also laughed a lot.

This book counts towards the Support Your Local Authors, Newfoundland Authors, Canadian Authors, and Support Your Local Library challenges.

Books Read to Anna in January

I took on the 100 Books a Month Challenge and have been keeping a record, at GoodReads, of all the books that I read to Anna this month.  I didn't record all the rereads, which were many.  Most of the books were from our book shelves this month, but there were a few library books mixed in there too.  We hit the 100 mark no trouble at all.

If you want to see what we read you can check out my Read to Anna shelf at Good Reads .  I was hoping that I could easily copy and paste a list of them into a post but it appears it's not going to be as easy as I thought so I will work on getting a list of the books included in this post over the next few days.

I really enjoyed this challenge and we will be starting a list for February tomorrow.

Great time with family and friends!

That sums up my day today.  Lazer take with kids this afternoon and movie with girlfriend's tonight.  My six words for today - Great time with family and friends!

Post inspired by:

The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Inspired by three reading challenges.   - a Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading Challenge, a Canadian Authors Challenge and an E-Book Reading Challenge - I decided to read The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery through the ReadPrint site. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the book.  I just love Montgomery's writing.  I had read her Anne stories as a teen and also read them to my children, but I hadn't read anything else by her.  When I came across the Lucy Maud Montgomery Reading challenge I decided to see what other books she had written and was thrilled to find a number of her books available through the ReadPrint site.  I did, however, wonder how much I would enjoy reading it online.  I needn't have worried.  I wasn't far into the first chapter before I was captivated by Montgomery's writing yet again.  I really should have taken note of some of the great sayings in the book, because there are many, but I didn't want to take the time out of my reading to record them.  I was too lost in the world Montgomery created in her writing. 

I would say I will be reading more books from the ReadPrint site.  The Reading Mode available on the site makes reading on line a real pleasure, at least for me, and there are so many great classics available on the site.

The Preacher's Kid by Elmer W. Vaters

This book caught my attention when I was perusing the shelves of a used book store recently and I had to buy it.  After I had read it I mentioned it to my dad and wondered if he had read it.  Turns out he has a copy of the book that was given to him by the author.

The Preacher's Kid is an autobiography by Elmer W. Vaters, the son of one of the "founding fathers" of the Pentecostal denomination in Newfoundland and Labrador.  I was drawn to the book because I am a Newfoundlander and I was looking for books written by Newfoundlanders, but also because I was born and raised Pentecostal and I was interested in reading more about the history of the Pentecostal leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador.

My dad and Elmer Vaters had something in common - they were both preacher's kids.  From my reading of the book that seems to be about where the similarities end.  Well, let me rethink that.  I think they probably also have similar feelings about the disassembling of the denominational school boards a few years back.

I have mixed feelings about the book.  I don't think it is particularly well written and it was not at all what I expected.  I expected to read more about how his life was affected by the fact that he was a preacher's kid, and there is some of that there, but not as much as I expected.  I enjoyed the book for the glimpse of history in the book, especially about Joey Smallwood and about the school systems in Newfoundland and Labrador. It has sparked an interest in me to read more books that will give me first hand glimpses of our history.  It really is so much more interesting to read about history in books such as this rather than in text books.

Hooked Mats of Newfoundland and Labrador: Beauty Born of Necessity

This is the my first book for the Art History Reading Challenge.  Hooked Mats of Newfoundland and Labrador: Beauty Born of Necessity was compiled by The Rug Hooking Guild of Newfoundland and Labrador.  The book gives a bit of the history of mat hooking in Newfoundland and Labrador, but the bulk of the book is pictures of hooked mats, along with the stories behind the mats.  Some of the mats are quite beautiful and the book has stirred an interest in me to learn more about the craft.

Unashamed by Francine Rivers

"Rahab.  A woman with a past to whom God gave a future."  Taken from the back cover, this is what the book is about.  The front cover says it is a novella, and as such it is a quick read, but it is a packed read.  It is well worth the time it will take you to read it.  It gives a very clear picture of the mercy of God and gives a whole new appreciation of the story of the fall of Jericho.

Unashamed fits in the 2nd Reading Challenge, because Francine River is an author I really loved in the past and I wanted to read more by her.  It also fits the Biblical Fiction Challenge as it tells the story of Rahab from Joshua 2-6.

Breakfast - Egg in a Nest

A favorite at our house. Little one loves to help me make it.

Step 1:  Use a glass to cut a hole in a slice of bread.

Step 2: Put the breads slices and circles in a frying pan and break an egg into the middle of the hole.

Step3:  When the egg is almost cooked, flip the bread and egg over, and also the circles.

Step 4: Place a slice of cheese on top

Step 5: Place the circle on top of the cheese.

Step 6: When the underside is toasted it's ready to take out of the pan

Step 7: Place it on a plate and enjoy!

post inspired by this week's breakfast theme at

What can you do for Haiti?

It's funny how much more real it all becomes when you have a personal connection. Like everyone else, I've been taking in the news of the devastation in Haiti since the earthquake but it didn't really hit me with the same magnitude until I was pointed to this video and made aware that the speaker in the video was a former student of mine.




Reading personal reports from Vaden Earle's facebook page gives a whole different view of Haiti. Vaden is CEO and Co-founder of Absolute.org, a not-for-profit organization that was working in Haiti even before the earthquake. He urges his facebook friends that we have a responsibility to do something - something more than just sit and watch all the news reports. Vaden is in Haiti offering hands on help while his organization is collecting funds and making arrangements for more help - both immediate and future. Please take the time to watch the video and check out the website to see how you can help. If you are on facebook you can join Absolute.org's facebook page.

Thank-you Vaden, for being willing to do whatever you can. May we all follow your example.

Home Made bread turned out good!

I haven't made home made bread for quite a while.  My past attempts have not been that successful.  Today, however, was an exception.  I was making home made baked beans for supper and home made baked beans is just not the same without fresh home made bread, so I decided to give it a try.  It turned out great!  I made two loaves of bread and 24 rolls.  I didn't actually make it from scratch, however.  I used bread and roll mix. But still, I'm pretty proud of myself.  Sooo, my six words for today are:
Home Made bread turned out good!

post inspired by

My Amazing Talented Daughter

My oldest daughter, still in her teens, has amazing talent. She has a beautiful voice and she's taught her self to play guitar. I love it when the sounds of her singing and playing come drifting out of her room. She also is a very gifted writer. She has written the lyrics and music for a few songs, and they are really good. Just yesterday she showed me the first draft of an amazing poem she wrote the night before. She also has a great eye for photography and is working on developing that talent. Just this past week she finally made a facebook page to share some of her photography.

She's been going through some struggles lately wondering what the future holds for her. She's at that stage in life where everyone is asking her about her plans for the future. I have great confidence that if she will keep on the path she has been on and develop the skills God has given her, He will direct her paths as she keeps giving it all to Him. One day at a time the future will unfold. I'm excited to watch it happen.

A day late but inspired by

which I discovered it from CanadaGirl 

The joys of technology!

I am having computer issues yet again!  It is so frustrating!  My laptop, which is only just barely, not even quite, one year old is acting up again!  I have had so much trouble with it every since I had it that it makes me question whether I will ever buy another Toshiba again.  I'm trying to fix it, again, so we'll see how that goes.  Oh how I wish I knew all the ins and outs of computers and could find out what the trouble is and fix it once and for all.  This is driving me crazy!

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and post so as not to miss today, though it's not much of a post.  I had so many ideas for posts today, but they are wrapped up in a laptop that is not working at the moment.  I am using my children's desktop to write this post.  Hopefully I will manage to get the laptop running again quickly.

Oh the joys of technology!

I want to have more time in a day

I can't seem to find enough time in the day to do all that I need/want to do.  Mind you, if I were perfectly truthful, I'd have to admit that I waste a lot of my time and if I actually stuck to doing what I should be doing I'd have no trouble fitting it all in.  Sooooo, while I think I would like to have more time in a day I'd probably just end up wasting it away again.  Truth is I really need to prioritize and not get side tracked.  With that thought in mine I'll answer this week's question for the "I Want Wednesday meme".


"What do you want to change about yourself?"

I want to get my priorities straight.  I want to stop getting sidetracked and stick to the really important things.  I want to get back on track in my sleeping/waking schedule.  I have been totally messed up in that regard for quite a while and it's wearing me out.  I want to feel energetic and revived again.  I want to get back on track with exercising again.  I know that will help with the energy and probably even the sleeping.  I want to change.  Now, how do I make that happen?

post inspired by the January 20th - 

Sneaking in Under the Wire

So many times today I thought about the post for today, but that's as far as it got.  I really need to do a book review, but I just couldn't wrap my head around it, so here I sit trying to sneak a post in before midnight, just to say that I posted today.  How sad is that!  Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Stress fades with Praise!

71. calmly reacting to computer troubles and being able to find solutions 

72. having like minded friends traveling the homeschooling road together 

73. oldest daughters creativity and confidence in making alterations to pieces of clothing

74. reading and discussing the Word with oldest daughter

75. oldest daughter's obvious attempts to try to be more helpful and obedient

76. being able to tidy room again after long time of having it too full to be tidied

77. wonderful break

78. time with daughter, son's girlfriend, and another friend

79. good music and good fun

80. knowing little one is well cared for and content while I'm away

81. husband making arrangements for trip

82. being able to turn to praying friends when trouble comes

83. being able to lay troubles at Jesus' feet and rest

84. safe travels for all

85. my wonderful dad 

I am amazed at how this simple act of remembering and listing things to be thankful for floods my heart with such peace!  It certainly has not been a perfect week.  There was a time of great distress this week, but it fades into the background as I give praise for the good this week.  What a blessing!

Ann explains The Thousand Gifts challenge - to start listing the gifts in the everyday and watch as your list grows...first to 1000...and then beyond...until it becomes an Endless Gifts Lists. Ann says that she tries to "add to the endless list of gifts every Monday... to begin the week with a heart spilling with gratitude!" I am following her example.