Spring project #1

by Carol14 Comments
I don't think the dog is thrilled with the kitchen project. So far, David's taken all the white tile off and scraped off the gluey cement stuff, which was an incredibly noisy process involving a coal shovel, and gotten down to the old linoleum that he's just going to put the new padding and floor over. To the dog, it  means he wasn't allowed in the kitchen for a couple hours on Sunday and again Tuesday, even though David was in there and the treat cabinet's there. And it was too noisy when they were scraping off the junk. We moved his food and water dishes, the fridge is blocking all the light coming in the dining room window and the big islandy thingy is right in front of the living room window, the window he always looks out of. Yeah, he can't be real happy. And of course he doesn't realize that we're doing it a lot for him....
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Game Night: Cupcakes of Catan

by Carol3 Comments
A good game and cupcakes! Settlers of Catan is a great game, and we actually played just a couple of weeks ago. (I lost.) I don't know if I could play with cupcakes as the tiles; people may end up not getting any sheep because I ate them all. It would be fun to try though, if only I baked. Or maybe cookies. I could buy them and then just do the icing myself....
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Friday’s Tale: The Story of Tuan Mac Cairill told by James Stephens

by Carol10 Comments
This is actually a fascinating tale of the history of early Ireland, told by James Stephens in Irish Fairy Tales. Tuan Mac Cairill is visited at his home by a monk, St. Finnian, who converts Tuan to Christianity. After spending time with Tuan, the monk asks him to tell him his story. The monk is at first amazed and bewildered by the story, but then just listens to Tuan's narrative. I know absolutely nothing about ancient Irish history, but Tuan's tale is fascinating. Tuan came to Ireland with Partholon, the first group of settlers to come to Ireland after the great Biblical flood. All of Partholon's people died from a plague; Tuan was the only survivor. He continues to survive, each time he becomes old and tired he is transformed into a new animal, first a stag, then a boar, a hawk, and a salmon. He sees invader after invader come to Ireland. Through his long life he saw battles, storms...
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Review: Leaping Beauty by Gregory Maguire

by Carol6 Comments
(Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) This was a cute collection of fractured fairy tales, each with animal stars. Amber (11) and I read it together over several evenings and both enjoyed it.  There are eight tales, each recognisable but transformed. In addition to Leaping Beauty, there is Cinder-Elephant whose pie pan shoes were perfect. We met So What, a chimpanzee who moves in with seven circus-performing giraffes. I think one of my favorites was "The Three Little Penguins and the Big Bad Wolf." The youngest penguin has an artistic streak that made the story truly funny. And there's Little Red Robin Hood, who likes to pretend he's a superhero. The little robin was called Little Red Robin Hood, because he was a red robin. Also, when he grew up, he wanted to rob the rich birds of the forest and give their worms to the poor birds of the forest. (pg. 107) I think Amber was about the perfect age for this one....
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Review: A View from the Back Pew by Tim O’Donnell

by Carol10 Comments
Tim O'Donnell takes us on a journey from his life in Catholic school, annoying the nuns, to college including a study abroad time in Rome, and into his career. Through it all he is searching for a deeper spiritual connection to God, rejecting the dogma of the Roman Catholic Church that he feels had kept him separated from God. O'Donnell does a good job of discussing his personal spiritual quest. His stories are amusing, his tone is conversational, and he comes across as an honest, caring man. He takes some difficult concepts and makes his view of them accessible. First, I should mention that yes, I'm a Christian, but I've been attending the same United Methodist Church since I was like 8, so I don't have the same issues that O'Donnell does from his Catholic upbringing. I never felt that the church stood in the way of a personal relationship with God, I feel it encourages it. Also,...
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