Diana B.

Books We Love: Inspiring Fiction for Kids

November 10, 2014January 10, 2015 Diana B.3 Comments

The snow is already falling here, so it does look and feel quite like Christmas despite what the calendar says. This kind of weather makes my kids dash outside to romp in the snow and then dash back inside to warm up with hot cocoa and a captivating book. If they are snuggling under a cozy blanket or sitting near the fireplace while they read, that’s even better! We read countless books around here. And since books make such fantastic gifts, please allow me the joy of sharing some of our family’s favorites book series and individual titles over the next few weeks. Maybe you’ll find a gift idea for a dear little person in your life. Let’s begin with some inspiring and heart-warming fiction for kids.

Adventures in the Kingdom series by Dian Layton

Seeker’s Great Adventure
Secret of the Blue Pouch
Rescued from the Dragon
Armor of Light
The Dreamer
In Search of Wanderer

These books are much loved by my 9-year-old daughter, who keeps re-reading the series. With an invisible kingdom, a king, a castle and such, they are very similar in theme to the classic Pilgrim’s Progress, but these are tailored to a younger audience. The illustrations are cute.

Adventures in Odyssey: Imagination Station series of 16 books by Marianne Hering Similar to the radio theatre productions by the same name, this series is an excellent introduction to many notable people and events in history. My 9-year-old adores them.

The Cul-de-sac Kids series (Volumes 1-24) by Beverly Lewis This is a fun chapter book series for young readers that, as the title suggests, features a group of neighborhood friends and their many adventures.

Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen Taylor This adaptation of John Bunyan’s classic is a great read-aloud for families. The lessons are memorable and life-changing.

The Freedom Seekers series by Lois Walfrid Johnson My 11-year-old inhaled this six-book series set in 1857. It features courageous characters interacting with steamboats, immigrants and the Underground Railroad.

Adventures in the Northwoods 10-book series by Lois Walfrid Johnson My 11-year-old found this series quite compelling and especially enjoyed reading about challenges of daily life in the 1900s in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Elsie Dinsmore series by Martha Finley Often misunderstood, Elsie struggles to live out her faith while living in her grandfather’s home. These books cover much of Elsie’s life. Our family has enjoyed the first three books.

Anne of Green Gables 8-book series by L.M. Montgomery These classic novels follow the lively and lovable redhead Anne Shirley and her many adventures upon coming to Green Gables. I adored these as a high school student, and my 11 year old is already reading them for a second time.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri I love the classic, unabridged edition of this book, especially the version that comes with beautiful illustrations by Jessie Wilcox Smith. Lovable Heidi and her misunderstood grandfather both grow in character and spirit through their relationships with each other and with Peter, Clara, and even the goats. Set in the lovely Swiss Alps, this story is long but timeless and worth reading every page. All three of us cried when we finished because Heidi had become so very dear to our hearts.

Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter Oh, how Pollyanna spreads contentment and cheer through her glad game! This book is simply delightful and teaches us about being thankful for God’s goodness and grace.

In Grandma’s Attic series (3 books) by Arleta Richardson My daughters love reading and re-reading these charming tales about a grandmother who was a little girl in another time and place. They include memorable and timeless lessons of life and faith.

Treasures of the Snow by Patricia St. John

The Tanglewoods’ Secret by Patricia St. John

Rainbow Garden by Patricia St. John

Star of Light by Patricia St. John

These are great stories of faith written by a missionary and nurse. My oldest loves them.

A Life of Faith: Kathleen McKenzie series by Tracy Leininger Craven

Kathleen’s Shaken Dreams

Kathleen’s Unforgettable Winter

Kathleen’s Abiding Hope

Kathleen’s Enduring Faith

This series is about the faith of a young girl growing up during the Great Depression. Both of my daughters have enjoyed them.

That wraps up the list for this week. Up next is a list of great books to use in family devotions. Until then, happy reading!

Opportunity Knocks

October 24, 2014 Diana B.Leave a comment

Little kids in costumes can be cute, yes. But Halloween can be really annoying. Continue reading my post over at Heart of the Matter today.

This Day is Golden

October 17, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

The warm October sun shines vibrantly through our maple tree’s leafy red flags, cautioning me that winter is just a few miles ahead. The season is changing quickly, but I want to play traffic cop. I want to make it park right here next to this red octagon at the end of the street. Stop. Just s-t-o-p. Stop the clock already.

But so many of the other maples are waving their brilliant, glowing yellow flags at me as I drive by. “Slow down!” They cry. “Slow down, pull over, look up and enjoy this beautiful day.”

The earth keeps spinning, and I suppose time is still going as fast as it always has, from one season to the next.

So why do I feel dizzy? Why do I feel like we are spinning and speeding from one week to the next in a racing blur of activity? In my dizziness, it seems I forget where we are going and why.

I study my young dancers. These dancers, they spin and twirl and they don’t get dizzy because they fix their eyes on something that isn’t moving. A focal point.

Yes, Hebrews 12:2. I need to stop spinning in distraction and fix my eyes on Jesus. He’s the steady, immovable One, and His love for me never changes. Colossians 3 says Jesus is seated above at the right hand of God, and that’s where I need to set my heart and mind — on things above.

Looking up I see that’s where every good and perfect gift comes from. The Father of Lights, He sends these gifts down to us, and unlike the golden leaves on the maple trees, He never changes and He never leaves us.

So yeah, dancers don’t get dizzy because they know where to focus. And dancers know where they are going because they count. They count the time in each measure of music so they can move with the music. Not way out ahead of it. Not far behind it. With it. To stay with it, they must count.

So when did I stop counting each day’s gifts? Because counting the gifts from above, the joys, the ways God loves me, that’s what helps me keep in step with Him. That’s what helps me remember where I am going and why. That’s what slows me down.

Ann Voskamp’s wise words taught me the only way to slow down time.

“Life is not an emergency.

And this, this is the only way to slow down time:

When I fully enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here.

Weigh down this moment in time with attention full, and the whole of time’s river slows, slows, slows.

In this space of time and sphere, I am attentive. I am aware. I am accepting the whole of the moment, weighing it down with me all here. This giving thanks for one thousand things, it’s that too, an invitation to slow time down with weight of full attention.” -Ann Voskamp

Lord, the leaves glow a golden yellow and this day is beautifully golden! Thank You for making this day. Thank You for reminding me that this day is frail and fleeting. Help me slow down. Help me give this day the weight of my full attention and help me love those around me with my full attention.

Thank You for the vibrant fall colors that reflect Your glory. Thank You for these memorable moments with my lively little girls playing in the leaves, dancing in the autumn sunshine and strolling off to their piano lessons. Thank You for Your steadfast love and great faithfulness. Amen.

“This day we’re given is golden; let us show love. This day is ours for one moment; let us sow love. This day is frail – it will pass by. So before it’s too late to recapture the time, let us share love, let us share God, before this day is gone.” — from Point of Grace’s song “This Day”

Apple Pickin’ with Lacie

September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

One of our favorite traditions every fall is a field trip to the orchard a few miles down the road. We always go to pick Haralson and McIntosh apples for baking apple pies. But I really can’t tell you about our annual apple adventures without telling you about Lacie the Red Wagon, a faithful companion throughout most of our family’s 10 year history of apple picking.

The first year we went apple picking as a family of four, my youngest was not yet walking, and so Lacie the Red Wagon helped haul her around the orchard. She loved getting to chew on her very own apple, and legend has it that she ate the entire thing, stem and all.

My oldest wasn’t quite 4 then and still preferred that we regularly address her as “Cinderella,” but she could already reach a few apples to pick right off the trees.

I don’t remember exactly when or how it happened, but somehow the girls decided finding Lacie the Red Wagon among the fleet of more than a dozen wagons at the orchard was essential in our annual apple picking adventures.

One year, the girls’ great-grandma came all the way from Oklahoma to visit us during apple season, and the girls were sure excited to introduce her to Lacie.

Another year, my youngest was thoroughly enjoying a crunchy, fresh-picked apple in the orchard until she realized her wiggly tooth was suddenly missing — as in completely-never-to-be-found-because-she-swallowed-it lost.

That was quite upsetting, and thankfully the wagon was able to console her with a ride as she adjusted to her new smile.

Her sister’s teeth, meanwhile, were safely secured with braces.

The next year, the smiles had changed again.

Now my youngest is almost 9 and quite an experienced apple picker.

My oldest is still delighted to help pick and especially enjoys climbing into the trees and up the trees.

The trees have grown bigger now and the girls have grown so much taller. My baby barely fits inside a wagon these days! But Lacie the Red Wagon remains constant and faithful in hauling fresh-picked fruit, posing for pictures and helping us make memories. “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 7:2

Captivating Crabapples Win the Day

May 29, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

After our near-meltdown lilac adventure yesterday, we came upon the captivating crabapple trees, all in bloom.

We saw white ones…

and light pink ones…

and dark pink ones.

They were all in bloom together beneath the bright blue sky.

The smell was also lovely, though not nearly as noticeable as the lilacs.

But perhaps the most glorious part of the crabapples in bloom was the abundance of petals. Beneath each tree was a large round carpet of fallen petals.

They felt more numerous than the confetti in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

So the girls gathered up a handful or two…

And tossed them high!

Also enjoying the beauty of the crabapples was one of our favorite local artists, Jane Ask, who captured the delightful blooms with her oil painting. What a gift to see her work in progress.

And so, with all due respect to the lovely lilacs, the captivating crabapples won the day!

Picnicking and Wilting Amongst the Blooming Lilacs

May 28, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

Today was the first sunny weekday of our summer break, so we dashed off for a picnic lunch at the Arboretum because the lilacs are in bloom.

And anyone who has ever loved a lilac knows (1) the scent of the blooming lilac is the loveliest scent of all, and (2) lilacs don’t bloom very long!

The weather was sticky and hot — in the 80s — and most of the lilac blooms were just a smidge past their prime. But surely our noses never knew the difference.

If only my camera could capture the aroma. Don’t you wish someone would invent digital scents or scratch-and-sniff computer screens?

Did I mention it was hot and sunny? My youngest daughter nearly wilted. She and her sister found a favorite spot under the taller lilacs, but she made it clear that she was still wilting.

So, like any good gardener, I found some water for my little bloom and she perked right up!

For the record, no shoes were lost in the making of this blog post.

Rain Boots and Books for Summer

May 20, 2014 Diana B.2 Comments

Remember that rain song in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh? You know the one during which Piglet’s house floods and he gets swept away?

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down

in rushing, rising rivulets,

Till the river crept out of its bed

and crept right into Piglet’s.

That’s our theme song this spring. Forget the sandals and shorts. Our wardrobe has shifted from winter coats and snow boots to rain jackets and rain boots.

The flowers love the showers, and my little girls sure love the puddles. Somehow rain boots make you brave in a splashy sort of way.

A big sister’s steady hand also helps encourage a daring little adventurer across the rocks. I won’t mention who got wet this time.

The last day of school is Friday, and that will wrap up our sixth year of homeschooling! I love getting to share the many adventures of daily life with these two precious girls, and we are all in a hurry to shift into a slower speed for the next few months.

Bring on summer! I am looking forward to spending more time outdoors, especially on the lake, and I am also looking forward to relaxing with some great children’s books. If all this rain keeps up, we will have plenty of time for snuggling up on the couch with our books.

Here’s what’s on our homeschool list for summer read-alouds:

Hitty – Her First 100 Years by Rachel Field: We already started this chapter book about a delightful wooden doll who writes about her own exciting adventures. I am surprised already by the non-stop action in this story, which was the winner of the 1929 Newbery Medal.
The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars: As a devoted fan of E.B. White’s The Trumpet of the Swan and a huge fan of Trumpeter swans themselves, I am eager to read this compelling story that received the Newbery Medal in 1970, although I haven’t yet figured out how swans figure into this tale about a 14-year-old girl and a younger brother who is missing.
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: Maybe you watched the movie in elementary school, too? I don’t remember if I ever read the book, but I do remember this story about a boy and his dog is a tear-jerker. I tend to confuse it with Wilson Rawl’s Where the Red Fern Grows, so I hope reading Old Yeller will help me distinguish the two. Published in 1956, Old Yeller is a Newbery Honor Book.
Abel’s Island by William Steig: This is another Newbery Honor Book, and it tells the story of a mouse who is swept away from his wife in a rainstorm and must learn to survive alone in the wild. Steig is also the author of Brave Irene, a fantastic picture book about a girl fighting a snowstorm.
The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson: This story is about an old hobo and the friendship and adventures he shares with a group of children. Published in 1958, it is also a Newbery Honor Book with delightful pictures by Garth Williams, illustrator of the Little House series and many, many other classics in children’s literature.

Of course, if the weather turns out really lovely this summer, a few of these books might get bumped to fall. Flexibility is this homeschool mom’s favorite tool.

What’s on your reading list this summer?

Goldfinches Galore

May 19, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

This spring we have been blessed with goldfinches galore.

Earlier today my oldest daughter counted 15 goldfinches on the feeders and on the patio below. They were more rampant than dandelions.

Of course, watching these cheerful little yellow birds come and go really brightens our day.

As I mentioned a few days ago, tulips also bring us joy. If you walked by our house, our tiny patch of tulips probably wouldn’t catch your eye. We only have a few. But they pose so nicely when I photograph them.

“Let all things their Creator bless, and worship Him in humbleness. O praise Him! Alleluia!” -Saint Francis of Assisi

Dancing with the Daffodils

May 16, 2014 Diana B.2 Comments

Most of last week I spent chasing after girls as we ran to and from dance lessons, dress rehearsals, and dance concerts. It was all quite lovely, really, but this week we shifted gears and decided to chase a few flowers instead.

At the Arboretum my camera caught some dancing daffodils fluttering in the breeze of mid May.

Yes, some years we have daffodils in March, but not so this year.

Daffodils always remind me of this poem and this daffadowndilly day a few years ago.

After dancing among the daffodils, we tiptoed through the tulips.

This lonely little tulip was one of our favorites.

We do indeed have a slight obsession with tulips, which goes back several years.

The blooming azaleas were simply captivating, too. Azaleas always remind me of my husband’s grandma, who has such a lovely display of azaleas at her house in the spring.

What’s blooming in your neck of the woods?

Honoring My Mother

May 11, 2014 Diana B.1 Comment

In honor of my beloved Mama this Mother’s Day, I am re-posting this letter I wrote to her last October — 7,670 days after her death.

Dear Mama,

Oh, how I miss you. It’s been 21 years today since we said goodbye. Exactly 7,670 days. A small part of me feels like that tragic day was a hundred years ago and happened to someone else entirely, and another small part of me feels like that tragic day was not long ago at all, and I am still a grief-struck teenager wondering how I’ll ever carry on without you to guide me.

I remember a bedtime story you used to tell about a lost traveler. Actually, I don’t remember any details about the main character. Maybe it was a donkey? But I remember the moral of the story was to always know who you are and where you are going.

Becoming a motherless daughter as a teen made me question who I was and wonder where I was going. God, in His faithfulness, drew me in close to Him and taught me that life’s really more about knowing Who you belong to and where you are going. I am so thankful that I belong to Him and am on my way to heaven. What peace, joy and hope I have in knowing this truth.

Yet the grief of mother-loss still comes in waves. Usually they are small, gentle waves, but even now sometimes the waves of grief can be surprisingly overwhelming. I long ago realized the grief won’t end this side of heaven. But by the grace of God, I am carrying on. Or actually, He is carrying me as I trust in Him to guide my steps.

Being the mother of two little girls requires lots of guidance and wisdom, and so often I hear the lie that being a motherless daughter somehow makes me unqualified to be a mother. My new verse for fighting that lie is 2 Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

I already have all I need to do this job! And being a wife and mothering these girls is a lot of work. It’s good work, but work indeed. I cannot imagine anyone else I’d rather spend my days with.

And I am thankful that you met and loved Michael, even if you didn’t know back then that he would become my husband. He still re-tells the blonde jokes and OSU jokes you told him, and he laughingly recounts the time you told him sailboats only move by continental drift. He’s a wonderful husband and a great daddy.

One of my deepest longings is for you to come to our house and meet our sweet little girls. These two lovely granddaughters of yours, each is her own dear and special person.

But oh, how they both remind me so very much of you with their piano-playing, book-consuming, chocolate-loving passions.

The oldest daughter is almost 11. I remember you always said that was the perfect age, and now I understand why. She’s so helpful and sweet. She has your big, dancing-blue eyes, beautiful, mile-long smile and slender little legs. She looks so much like the pictures we have of you as a little girl, and she fills our house with the snip-snip of scissors and the low steady hum of the sewing machine. I remember those sounds filling up your bedroom when you were sewing me a new dress or teaching me how to make a pillow. How I wish you could spend a day sewing doll clothes with this daughter. For the longest time it was too painful for me to sew with her because that was something you and I did together and I just didn’t feel confident without you. But this girl, she is a fearless seamstress with such nimble little fingers. Just a few weeks ago, she encouraged me to help her make her little sister a doll for her birthday.

What fun we had picking fabric, stitching things together and being sneaky about the entire project so her sister wouldn’t find out.

The youngest daughter just turned 8 and she has your big, dancing-blue eyes, too. Her hair is the same beautiful caramel-strawberry blonde as yours, and you’d be delighted to know that hers is naturally curly, as you always so desperately wished yours was. Like you, this girl is quick with numbers – and she especially likes double-checking her math worksheets on her new adding machine. Give her a little more time with that thing, and I can just imagine the rolls of adding machine paper cascading like a waterfall across our schoolroom table, just like the rolls of paper flooded the floor of your office on busy days. This daughter’s sense of humor reminds me of yours; she loves telling jokes and has a quick wit that catches me and her daddy off guard sometimes. At church the other day, when our pastor was talking about us becoming more like Jesus spiritually but not physically, she grinned and quipped, “That means we don’t have to grow beards.”

I guess that’s the sum of what all these 21 years of motherless days adds up to – your own little girl growing up to be a wife and mother and, by the grace of God, becoming confident that He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

I love you, Mama, and I can’t wait to see you on that glorious day.

Hugs and kisses,

Diana

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