Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading. 
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading
Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin

"Best friends have been known to do hurtful things to each other," said Tildy with a less enthusiastic poke at the dying fire, making Chloe feel sad in advance at the possibility that she and Tildy might one day hurt each other and cover their hurts with guarded commonplaces.







Holly is reading
Astronomy: Out of This World! Created by Basher, Written by Dan Green

Passing by Earth so often, I'm known as a short-period comet.  I've witnessed a lot of Earth's history.  I showed up just before William the Conqueror met King Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 -- Willy viewed me as a sign of good fortune (he won the battle, by the way).  I graced the skies in 1986 and will visit again in 2061.  Most people will see me only once in their lifetime, so make sure you get a good look.






Lily is reading
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson

"Silly old Fox!  Doesn't he know?
There's no such thing as a gruffalo!"

March 25: The Feast of the Annunciation



The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner



In some parts of the world it is customary to celebrate this feast day by eating waffles. 

Waffles?

If ever there were a day set aside to celebrate the courage of a young girl who did not waffle when called by God to do the extraordinary, today is it. 

We celebrated with angel food cake and the Magnificat.  We also added a package of diapers to our Lenten alms basket in a small effort to help some other young mother. 

We need to be angels for each other.

Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading.
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!



Anne is still reading
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

It was ironic to think that nearly all of the women I knew now were direct benefactors of the suffragette work my mother did decades ago, right in our own parlor, while I curled up with a book and tried to be invisible.  It was possible that I was never going to catch up with the truly modern woman, but did I have to hide my head so willfully?  Couldn't I experiment just a little to see what else might feel right, especially when I had good friends who loved me, as Pauline had pointed out, and wanted me to succeed?





Holly is reading
Think About It, You Might Learn Something by Robyn Supraner

The first thing I want to say is that it wasn't my fault.  The whole thing happened because Charles, my baby brother (you can tell I'm mad when I call him Charles) decided to be cute.

Anyway, Charles had this little green snake that looked and felt exactly like a real snake.





Lily is reading
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental

"Give them away," Mommy suggested.

Daddy had a better idea:
"We should
organize them!"

March 20, 2011: The Vernal Equinox

And it's Spring!

Did you know that Native Americans had different names for each full moon of the year?  March 19 was the Worm Moon.  (Isn't that great??)  We celebrated by going for a moonlit walk and eating gummy worms.  We also played a game called Squiggly Worms that was more fun than we expected.

Spring came indoors, too.  We replaced the white and wintry elements of our nature tray with green leaves, pastel flowers, and an image of Paris from Moncia Wellington's Crepes by Suzette, a favorite book.

And we wistfully wrapped Our Lady of the Snows and hung the flowery Queen of the Universe in her place.



And of course, we had food and books.  We feasted on our customary "equinox cookies" -- large black and white cookies from the bakery.

We also enjoyed reading In This Night by Irmgard Lucht, a lyrical way to end the day and begin a new season.

And it's Spring.



The Holiday Shelf: The Vernal Equinox

In This Night
by Irmgard Lucht

Night meets day in the early morning.  Chill and shadows still hold the land.  But already the sky belongs to the light and its game of ever-changing colors.  The clouds start to shine as though the light pours from inside them -- dawn is very near.

The Reference Shelf: The Family Hand-Me-Down Book

The Family Hand-Me-Down Book:
Creating and Preserving Family Traditions
by Debbie Trafton O'Neal
illustrated by Dana Regan


Celebrate-a-Blessing Book

Why is it easier to gripe and complain than it is to appreciate the blessings from God we encounter each day?  Start a family book to celebrate your blessings, and you will have a treasure to read whenever you feel blue.

Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading. 
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

I missed Ernest's company all day, but he didn't seem to miss mine, not while there was work to do.  When he craved contact, he stopped in to visit the Cezannes and Monets at the Musee du Luxembourg, believing they had already done what he was striving for -- distilling places and people and objects to their essential qualities.  Cezanne's river was thick and brown and realer for it.  That's what Ernest was after -- and sometimes the going was achingly slow.






Holly is still reading
The Mother Market by Nancy Brelis

Babs fed them frozen chicken pie for dinner.  "If I spend too much time cooking, I won't be able to devote myself to developing our relationship," she said.









Lily is reading
Bible Stories for Girls by the American Bible Society

Poor Hannah was very sad --
She couldn't have a child.
Hannah went to the temple to
Speak to God for a while.

Almost Spring

Outside, we see cherry blossoms, forsythia, magnolia, daffodils, clover, Bradford pear trees, and even dandelions blooming.

Inside, bits of spring are creeping into our nature tray, tinting our indoor snowscape with lavender, red, yellow, and green.

Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading. 
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading
Fidelity by Wendell Berry

She was cold, and the wind's insistence wearied her; the wind was like a living creature, rearing and pressing against her so that she might have cried out to it in exasperation, "What do you want?"








Holly is reading
The Mother Market by Nancy Brelis

"Thank you, children.  You were a great help.  Now let me tell you what I suggest.  You must go to the Mummy Market."

"The what?" said Jenny and Elizabeth.  Harry was sitting still with his mouth and his eyes wide open.

"The Mummy Market, my dears.  It is many years since I have been there, and it may not be still in operation.  Anyhow, it is worth a try."

"Mrs. Cavour, are you teasing us?" said Elizabeth.

"Have I ever teased you, my dear?  Your position is a serious one indeed."



Lily is reading
Secrets of the Vine for Kids by Bruce Wilkinson

Jesus said, "My Father is the vinedresser." (John 15:1)

The vinedresser's task is simple: to take care of the plants and help them produce as many grapes as possible.

Tuesday Tales

A weekly peek at what we're reading.
Post your peek in the comments and share your favorite books!


Anne is reading
The Sew-It Book by Rachel Taft Dixon, reissued by Amy Barickman

When you sit down to sew have a clear space on a table before you, where you can lay your material to cut and baste.  The old saying "A good workman is known by his tools" is very true, and it is quite as true that a good workman makes the conditions under which he works just as favorable as possible.  You can do this also.  Sit in a comfortable chair and give yourself plenty of room on the table to lay out your work.  Have a scrap basket near by for the snips and threads.






Holly is still reading
Ginnie's Baby-sitting Business by Catherine Woolley

December had come in, as December should, with a drop in the temperature and a sting in the gray air. Christmas lights were strung along Main Street, and Ginnie liked to walk Honey at dusk, so she could admire their red, blue, and green gaiety. Shop windows were rimmed with frost, tinsel trimmings winking within.








Lily is reading
The Present by Bob Gill

Every day Arthur checked to make sure the present was still there.

Just when it seemed to Arthur that his birthday would never come, it was suddenly the day before the big day.  He went to his dad's closet to look at the present one last time.