Book Review–A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner

Title:  A Garden to Keep

Author:  Jamie Langston Turner

Publisher:  Bethany House

Length:  415 pages

ISBN:  076422154X

Synopsis: Plot wise, this book is little more than a woman’s experience of becoming a Christian, and later that same day, finding out that her husband is carrying on an extramarital affair and the fallout that ensues.  However, to reduce this amazing novel to such a statement is a terrible injustice because this book is rich in every sense of the word.  The protagonist, Elizabeth Landis, has always striven to be the very best mother she can possibly be, to the detriment of almost everything else in her life.  Elizabeth loves her son, Travis, and poetry and art, and truthfully, in that order.  Of course, there’s the other part of her life, her husband, Ken, and her daughter, Jennifer, whom she does not find quite as easy to express her love to.  This, of course, is the undoing of her marriage.  Of course, God uses this to bring about His greater good.  This book is written in the almost the style of a personal journal, with the main difference being that Elizabeth actually writes to an audience–her supposed readers.  I find this book very difficult to reduce to a summary because it is so much more than just a mere plot and sequence of events.

My Thoughts:  I love this book and am completely challenged by it.  Judging from the time that has elapsed here on my blog since my last blog post/book review, it has taken me a couple of weeks to read this book.  Granted, it is a long novel, but it is not so much its length as its depth that caused my slow reading.  I identify in so many ways with Elizabeth, ‘though not in the most fundamental way to the plot–that she has suffered a failed marriage.  Elizabeth sees the world in terms of what she has read, and I often do the same thing.  Elizabeth loves her son, Travis, to the point that her love really stunts her own growth, and I sometimes see myself doing this with my own children.  Elizabeth’s new-found relationship with God unfolds in this novel like a beautiful flower, and it begins to inform everything she does.  Of course, the true test comes in the possible reconciliation of her marriage, and we readers get to see the beautiful work of grace God does in her heart.  God shows Elizabeth who she really is, and Elizabeth is all the better for it in the end.  Ken and Travis are, too. 

I have done a terrible job in reviewing this book, but really, I am still so close to it and so entranced by it, I cannot do a better job.  I will close with some quotes from the novel that display both the talent of the author and the theme of the novel:

As you relive events, the past bleeds into the present, the present turns into the future, and the future reverts to the past.  It’s all part of the same long line called life.  There are no shut-off valves, no neat walls between then and now and someday.  Ken used to say at times that I lived in the past, but he didn’t understand.  I live firmly in the present, but the past always escorts me like an enormous devoted entourage. 

I had thought I was Aware before this, but what did I know?  A huge part of being Aware, I knew that night back in March standing in my kitchen, is understanding in a very personal, direct, almost supercharged way all the different kinds of suffering there are.  It doesn’t erase your hurt, of course, but it makes you yield to it a little more.  You feel a confederacy with other people, especially other women who have been through valleys. 

 Mothers waiting and watching on the sidelines–if you could harness all that emotional energy and turn it into electricity, the light from Earth would illuminate outer space all the way to Pluto.  And not just mothers of athletes.  Think of all those mothers in history who have watched their boys go off to war or off to sea or off to climb mountains or off to build bridges or mine gold or explore continents.  I heard once what Charles Lindbergh’s mother said when her son started his epic flight across the Atlantic:  “For the first time in my life, I realize that Columbus also had a mother.”  I’ve never forgotten that. 

If you like rich, thoughtful books, this is a must-read!

Book Review–Jerusalem Vigil (Zion Legacy series book one) by Bodie and Brock Thoene

Title:  Jerusalem Vigil

Authors:  Bodie and Brock Thoene

Publisher:  Viking

Pages:  304

ISBN:  0670889113

Synopsis:  This book picks up immediately where The Key to Zion left off.  Immediately after the declaration of Israeli statehood, Israel was attacked by its surrounding hostile Arab neighbors.  This book chronicles the three or four days following the declaration of statehood and the onslaught of relentless attacks that the Jews in the Old City survived.  The Thoenes once again bring back characters from a previous series when they reintroduce Jacob and Lori Kalner and Alfie onto the stage of the great play being enacted on the stage of history in Jerusalem.  Jacob and Lori are separated when they arrive in Jerusalem; Jacob goes with other newly-immigrated men to fight, while Lori is drafted into service as a trauma nurse because of her experiences during the blitzkrieg in London.  The real problem, though, is not just their physical separation; instead, it is the separation caused by the fact that they have spent most of their marriage either hiding from the Nazis or separated due to the war.  Lori no longer has a faith in the God of her father, while Jacob’s faith in God and the cause of Israeli statehood is stronger than ever.  As a reader familiar with the Thoene’s modus operandi, however, I know that Lori’s pairing with Rachel Sachar as a medic in the Old City is no accident at all.  Rachel is the perfect person to minister to another who has suffered, and so all the reader has to do is watch the beautiful story unfold.  Other characters are added to the story in the form of a convent of nuns who live and work behind the battle lines but who are finally convinced to move to a safer place.  Another man from Rachel’s past has made his way miraculously to Jerusalem, and through him we see God work many miracles.  The plot of this story revolves entirely around the fight for various strategic places in Jerusalem, but there is plenty of human interest stories despite all the fighting and bloodshed.

My Thoughts:  I’ve yet to read a book by the Thoenes that disappoints.  While I will readily admit that I often get bogged down in the details, especially when the details involve names I cannot pronounce and fighting that my brain cannot envision, I still enjoy these books.  It’s the little nuggets they interweave into the story that makes these novels such treasures.  For example, the reintroduction of the “dummkopf” Alfie and the introduction of the gentle giant, Ibraham, make for some heartwarming and memorable scenes in this novel.  Of course, the tension between Jacob and Lori is heartwrenching, especially since I have been with them since their adolescent days of hiding out in a church from the Nazis who had taken their parents.  While I am currently taking a break and reading a “palate cleansing” novel before I plunge back into the Arab-Israeli conflict, I know that I won’t be able to stay gone from these characters for too long.  I love them too much and have too much time invested in them to not find out how their stories end.  This is another winner from the Thoenes.   

New Directions in Blogging

When I started this blog, I really had no idea what its focus would be.  As you can tell by the plethora of categories I have over on the sidebar, I’ve dabbled in quite a bit on this blog.  After taking a self-imposed, week-long break from blogging, however, I have decided to narrow the focus of this blog.  I realized that in doing so many things, I was doing nothing well.  I found myself flitting about from blog to blog to keep up with all the carnivals I participated in, thereby spending too much of my time reading others’ blogs instead of living my life.  Focusing on others’ lives does not promote peace and contentment in my own life, so I have cut way back on the time I spend reading about others’ lives.  When I started this blog, another direction that I really wanted to take with it was as an outlet for my scrapbooking.  However, I realized that the simplest and most fruitful thing I could do, instead, was to jump back into Two Peas in a Bucket, which I have since done.  Participating in challenges there really encourages and nurtures my creativity, so I think it’s worthwhile.  Moderation in all things is what I must remember.

 So, on to the point of this post.  I’ve decided that this blog will be dedicated to my reading life.  Reading has always been a huge part of my life, and as an English teacher and trained librarian, I really miss having others to “push” books on.  So there you have it.  On this blog, I am going to review the books I read and possibly write about other aspects of the reading life and/or education.

Just in case anyone was wondering. 

Frugal Friday–Preparing for a Consignment Sale Part 1

 

The fact that I love to dress my little girls in cute clothes is an already established fact.   However, as much as I might love those cute boutique outfits, I do not have a bottomless clothing budget.  We usually try to budget $200 a month to be spent on clothing for the family if necessary, but with boutique outfits easily costing anywhere from $50 to $100, I could blow our monthly budget on one outfit for each of my girls.  We are blessed in our area to have several huge biannual children’s consignment sales.  While I have not successfully sold many items at consignment stores, I find the consignment sales to be helpful in providing money to invest back into my girls’ wardrobes.  These consignment sales receive a lot of publicity, and I know that people drive from surrounding states and from several hours away to shop at them.  While as a consigner I will only receive 65%-70% of the profit from my items, I still think this is a better return than what I would expect to get from a yard sale or garage sale first because people expect to pay more at consignment and therefore I can mark my items a little higher.  Second, as I’ve already mentioned, these sales undoubtedly draw thousands of shoppers, so I am much more likely to sell most or all of my items there than I would at a yard sale.  Third, have I ever mentioned before that I detest having yard sales? 

Now, my first step in preparing for a consignment sale actually has nothing to do with the consignment sale at all.  After consigning for several years, I have learned that there is typically a price ceiling on most used clothing.  Even the beautiful and expensive smocked dresses by companies such as Strasburg or Orient Expressed will bring at the most $20 at consignment.  While this is excellent for the buyers, as a seller, I know that I can usually do better on Ebay.  If I have boutique or trunk-show brand-name clothing that is in like-new condition, I list it on Ebay first.  My experience has been that Hanna Andersson, Strasburg, Orient Expressed, Kelly’s Kids, Chez Ami, and the like will bring a higher price on Ebay than I can sell it for at consignment.  And if I can get my act together in time, my Ebay money can actually be my “seed money” for consignment so that I actually have to spend none of our clothing budget.  Oh, wait.  That’s right.  My Ebay money this year is going toward these gorgeous dresses from Strasburg for my girls’ Easter finery.  I do have a weakness for beautiful girls’ clothing, but as Steady Eddie often reminds me, frugality is all about choices.   If I plan my budget just right, even a splurge like this a couple of times a year won’t hurt too much. 

For more frugal tips, head over to Biblical Womanhood!

Lulu the Inquisitor, Again

Yesterday, on the way to Bible study:

“Will bears hurt you in heaven?”

“Jesus and God will have to put the animals in different cages.”

Today, after apparently sitting on her foot so that it went to sleep:

“My foot feels spicy.”

What makes this even cuter and funnier is that she used to say “ficy” instead of “spicy,” and the first time she ever tasted a carbonated beverage (Sprite, I think) she said, “It’s ficy” and “It tickles my tongue.”

Works for Me Wednesday–My Favorite Online Store

 

First of all, let me admit that I have a weakness for little girls’ clothes.  That’s why we have little girls, right?  To dress them in cute clothes?  (Kidding, I’m kidding.)  When I only had one baby girl, I actually did darken the doors of the local children’s boutiques on occasion and spend money.  I always headed straight for the clearance racks first, because even in my pre-frugal days I blanched at paying more for a dress for Lulu than the amount for which I could buy one for myself.  With the birth of Louise some short eighteen months later, I quickly realized that I was going to have to figure this cute-clothes-buying thing out and in a hurry since we all know that unfortunately, the budget does not actually grow with the family.  We have two huge children’s consignment sales in our area that happen twice a year, and that’s where I find the bulk of my girls’ wardrobes.  However, that’s not what this post is about–come back this Friday when I post about my consignment sale prep.  This post is about my favorite online store, which is Hanna Andersson. 

There are several things I love about Hanna Andersson, the first of which is the style.  I love colorful cotton dresses with matching or contrasting tights or leggings.  The second thing I love about Hanna is the quality.  I have had no complaints at all about the quality of anything by Hanna I’ve ever bought, and once when I did order the wrong size, I simply sent my order back and they sent me the correct size in record time.  I also love the fact that due to the sizing, the outfits may last through more than one season.  Did I mention that I love the style of Hanna?  Look here to see what I mean!

Since most of what I write about here at Hope Is the Word is frugality and our quest for it, I would be remiss if I did not admit that I have only ever purchased something directly from Hanna Andersson once.  When I get the urge to dress my girlies in cute, Swedish-inspired clothing, I hang out at Ebay until I see something I like.  Gee, I hope this doesn’t get me kicked out of WFMW!

To read about more favorite online stores, head on over to Works for Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer!

Menu Plan Monday

Didn’t I just do this?  Oh yeah, that was last week.  It seems like the weeks just roll around faster than I can get the dishwasher loaded and unloaded sometimes.  Am I ever glad we’re finally in a new month!  This week’s menu is more enticing to me than last week’s.  Here goes:

• Monday–chicken breast, salad, rolls, some other vegetable
• Tuesday–leftover white chicken chili, layered Mexican dip, tortilla chips
• Wednesday–potato soup (recipe to follow later)
• Thursday–potato soup
• Friday–breakfast for supper
• Saturday–pizza

On Thursday night, I have to cook more white chicken chili and a dessert to take to church for a workers’ supper.  The men of the church will be putting up our Easter drama set.  Tuesday night’s supper will be leftovers from Sunday’s lunch.  I really like having a night (or two) that I don’t have to cook anything new, and soup is perfect for this because I think it’s actually better left over.  That’s it–nothing very exciting, but at least it’s a plan!

 What’s on your menu?  For more great ideas, click over to I’m an Organizing Junkie!

Louise-ism #2

Heard coming from the girls’ bedroom this morning:

“I can’t get my paci, everyone!”

Book Review–Rules by Cynthia Lord

This review is based on the recorded book version of this novel. 

Title:  Rules

Author:  Cynthia Lord; Performed by Jessica Almasy

Length:  4 hours

Synopsis:  This is the story of Catherine, a twelve-year-old girl who loves art and longs for a friend.  Catherine is the sister and often-babysitter for her autistic brother, David, and she often has a hard time fitting in with her classmates because of David’s behaviors.  She works hard to help David be more “normal,” specifically by giving him rules to live by that most people take for granted.  Her best friend is away for the summer visiting her father, so Catherine is excited when she learns that the family moving in next door includes a girl her age.  She spends most of her summer days helping her mother with David, visiting the clinic where David receives occupational therapy, and hoping that Christy, her new neighbor, will not be scared off by David’s differences.  At the clinic, Catherine befriends a wheelchair-bound boy named Jason who ”talks” through a communication book he keeps with him at all times.  The story somewhat predictably comes to a climax when Catherine must choose whether or not to invite Jason to a community dance when challenged to do so by Christy, who doesn’t know about David’s disability.  

My Thoughts:  I have been eager to get my hands on this book since I first read about it.  However, I have been unable to get it at the library.  A few weeks ago, I was at the library and just happened to look on the recorded books shelf and it caught my eye.  I used to listen to books on tape (or CD) frequently, but since having children, I have not done so as often.  I still prefer to read a book instead of listen to it; I enjoy the interaction with the page, and I like being able to go back and re-read parts that I miss or really enjoy.    This book was a little bit difficult to follow because of way the Jason communicates (by pointing to words in his communication book); I think I would have followed his and Catherine’s conversations better if I had read them.  Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Jessica Almasy’s performance of this book.

As for the story itself, Cynthia Lord does a wonderful job of characterization.  David reminds me of some of the autistic children who were students at a school where I worked.  Catherine is the perfect blend of the twelve-year-old girl who just wants a ”normal” life but loves and wants to protect her brother.  Lord deftly weaves Catherine’s rules for David into the fabric of the story so that the rules themselves become thematic springboards for Catherine’s problems.  Although I did find the story a little bit predictable, I appreciate the message that Cynthia Lord conveys and the revelation that “not everything that is valuable has to be useful” that this book delivers.    In my opinion, this book is worthy of its Newbery Honor distinction.

Love in the Time of 13-Gallon, Quick-Tie Kitchen Garbage Bags

I knew our marriage had reached a new level when Steady Eddie returned this week from a business trip and announced that he had gotten me something on the trip.  Before we had children, this would have been as expected upon his return as a suitcase full of hotel-room-smelling clothes ready for the washer.  However, since having children, I’m afraid that the gift-giving, surprise-preparing part of our marriage has suffered.  I could wax nostalgic here thinking about all the times I’ve tucked little notes into his suitcase and he has left a card or a note in one of my bathroom cabinet drawers.  Instead of focusing on the romantic past, however, I will revel in the fact that my dear husband still speaks my love language.  The important part here, though, is that not only did he bring me something I wanted, he also did it very frugally.  Steady Eddie has gotten into couponing (is that a word?) more than I ever have.  I’m really glad, too, because my right-brain-dominant, overtired mommy brain has a difficult time keeping up with the deals.  We have been CVSing and deal-hunting since around November of 2007, and Steady Eddie truly is the mastermind behind all of our bargains.  He hit the jackpot, though, on his last trip.  He carries his binder of coupons around in his van, and it happened that one of the Walgreen’s he visited had the above pictured garbage bags on clearance for $1.74 each.  Steady Eddie had a $1.00 coupon in his binder, so his total for 110 of my preferred type of garbage bags was $2.65.  In marriage, it’s important that we grow and change together.  Fancy jewelry and roses it ain’t, but my husband still knows the way to my bargain-loving heart. 

(To read about less romantic (probably) savings deals, check out Money Saving Mom!)