2011 Reading Challenge~~Book #20

I'm glad I read The Natural Family: A Manifesto by Allan C. Carlson and Paul T. Mero, though it's not what you'd call a page-turner. Carlson and Mero make the case for the traditional family (they prefer the term "natural family") from a non-religious standpoint, something I think we must do in our secularizing culture. Looking at biology, sociology, psychology, and politics and by using plain ol' commonsense the authors show why people ~ men, women, and children ~ are happier and better off when they are part of a natural family. The book is well documented and loaded with statistics and references to study after study. That's where it gets just a wee bit tedious, but I understand why that was necessary.

In relation to the natural family, the authors discuss poverty, population decline, domestic violence, anti-family governmental policies, education (with more than a few positive references to homeschooling), working mothers, daycare ~ whatever topic you can think of that relates to the family, it is probably in this book. Something I found refreshing about The Natural Family is that although Carlson and Mero spell out steps the government could and should take to strengthen the family, their main thrust is aimed at families themselves. In true conservative fashion, they don't expect or want the government to fix the family, only support it through family-friendly tax and other policies. The solutions lie in the hands of men and women and the families they form through marriage and childbearing.

Though their ideas are helpful to people of all ages, Carlson and Mero plea especially with those in their 20's and 30's to rethink what they've been told by liberal feminism about marriage, divorce, and family size and timing. I hope many young people will read this book and be persuaded about the benefits to themselves and society of marrying and having many children.

If you go here and type his name in the search engine, you can hear many interviews Allan Carlson has done with Issues, Etc. host, Todd Wilken. Very enjoyable listening.

With our upcoming move, I will be relying on audiobooks and shorter books for several weeks to keep up with the reading challenge. I hope that's all right with my vast reading audience, but I'm afraid it will have to do. This is real life. ;-)

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real ~ May 26, 2011

Pretty~

The landing on our staircase is one of the prettiest spots in our house. We bought the bookcase at an antique store for $30, and when we brought it home, I painted it using crackly paint. (Please don't judge too harshly ~ it was my first attempt creating this effect, and it is less than perfect. But since I was going for a distressed look anyway, I figured it didn't really matter. lol) The painting was given to us by a friend before she moved. See her signature in Korean in the lower right-hand corner? I think of her everyday because of this painting. The blue and white transferware is part of my vast collection. Not only do we eat from my collection everyday, various and sundry pieces are scattered through the house. One of my very favorites is the little bank on the first shelf. Isn't it sweet? The ginger jar was a gift from my mother, and Girl Out of the House and That Boy gave me the plate for Christmas last year. Both are gorgeous!





I also love the gothic cut-outs on the sides!




Real~

We've begun packing boxes for our upcoming move. These are in Man of the House's office, and now the bookcases are empty. Just two and a half weeks until Moving Day!




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A Teensy Rant (Or: Oh, No! Not Again!)

Yes, I'm going to rant again, but I'll keep it short.

When one attends a formal or semi-formal wedding, one should not wear cargo shorts. If the groom and groomsmen are in tuxes and the bride and bridesmaids are wearing formal dresses, cargo shorts are not in keeping with the nature of the occasion. Come on, fellas, at least put on a pair of dress pants and a polo shirt, for crying out load! Even that falls short, but cargo shorts?! I ask you!

At the wedding we attended Saturday I saw three ~ count 'em, three! ~ young men (er . . . excuse me . . . guys) wearing cargo shorts. Their mothers would have hung their heads in shame had they seen their progeny so attired for an occasion of such import. People, what you wear speaks volumes about what you think of the function you are attending and the people with whom you are attending it. It is not okay to wear to a wedding what you would wear to mow your grass. The two are not of equal import and do require different clothing. And I'm sorry to say that this plague of inappropriate dress is found not only among the young. I see middle-aged and elderly people doing the same thing in increasing numbers. The rampant casualness of American society is getting out of hand. You don't have to wear a suit to change the oil, but how about to a friend's wedding? Show some respect, for Pete's sake.

There. I feel better now. ;-)

2011 Reading Challenge ~ Too Busy!

Hi, all! Well, I failed. I didn't get book #20 finished this week, mainly because of a very busy weekend, but it was for a happy reason. Man of the House performed his first wedding! Rehearsal Friday, wedding Saturday, and regular divine services Sunday all combined to restrict my reading time. But I am a book ahead and so still on schedule. I shouldn't have any trouble finishing this week.

The young couple who got married were as cute as they could be ~ endearingly nervous and excited. Man of the House did a bang-up job. No one knew it was his first wedding. I forgot my camera, alas, so I have no pictures to share.

So hopefully this week should be a little more leisurely . . . except I keep forgetting that I should be packing. Moving day is in just three weeks! Yikes!

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real ~ May 19, 2011

Just a quick post today about something pretty. These come from an enormous rose bush in front of our house, which produces profuse blooms of the most delicate pink. I cut these and put them on top of our piano. There are still plenty more outside!

Big News

Big happenings around here. Man of the House has received and accepted a call to a permanent pastorate, so we will be leaving Appalachia and moving back to the Mid-west, something Man of the House and I are happy about. Girl of the House has been surrounded by hills since birth and the wide open spaces make her nervous. Other than that, she seems pretty laid back about it. No "you're ruining my life!" drama. What a sweetie.

We should be ensconced in the parsonage in mid-June, Lord willing. In the meantime, we will, of course, be packing and selling our house. Even though we've lived in our present house for over fifteen years, we've been pretty good about giving things a good clear-out every year or two, so there isn't too much detritus to wade through. We are all thankful for that!

I will do my best to keep up with my reading challenge during the transition. I may have to rely on short books or audiobooks, or I may have to catch up later. I am a book ahead, so that gives me a little leeway up front. I'll blog about our move if there's anything blog-worthy.

This is a dream come true for Man of the House and we are all excited for him! He's thought about being a pastor since before we were married. He has a lot of prior ministry experience as an elder and interim pastor, but this is his first full-fledged call. Hey, he's younger than Moses was when God called him. ;-)

Our denomination is The American Association of Lutheran Churches, a small, conservative arm of Lutheranism. We are moving to a small (pop. 5700) farming community within pretty easy driving distance of a large metropolitan area. It's big enough to merit its own Walmart. lol The people at the church were friendly and welcoming when we visited. May we be blessings to one another.

Man of the House will continue his online teaching duties, at least for the first year. The schedule has already been made and families registered, so he needs to see it through. His schedule will be a challenge, but he's a hard worker ~ always has been ~ and I will help him as much as I can.

So that's our big news. It's been a long time coming and I'm not sure we are fully grasping the implications yet. Your prayers for us as we make this transition are truly appreciated. :-)

2011 Reading Challenge~~Book #19

I first learned of the Battle of Hastings in my high school world history class, and since that time I have encountered it while homeschooling my kids, in other reading, and in Teaching Co. lectures, but 1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth filled in many gaps in my knowledge. The book takes its readers through the events that led to Harold's coronation as King of England and Duke William's consequent invasion to secure the crown that he believed was rightfully his, culminating in the Battle of Hastings. At just two hundred pages, I'm sure it's not an exhaustive history, but it is certainly informative for those whose knowledge about the battle was picked up piecemeal like mine was.

The author is very fair and evenhanded in his assessment of the events and players in the crucial year of 1066. He does not engage in the riduiculous speculation so common among historians today that result in equally ridiculous interpretations of history. The writing itself is very good. I can see why The New Yorker commented, "A model of scholarly popular history . . . Mr. Howarth is a brilliant writer, full of wit and solid common sense."

David Howarth was a military historian; I had never read any military history before now, but this book was so much more interesting and engaging than I ever thought a book about military history could be, and I will likely stop avoiding books of that type now. This book would also make an excellent addition to a high school history curriculum.