Heart Reflections Live

Labels: Books

Labels: Books, Christmas, Faith, family

Labels: Books, DVDs

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been wanting to share some pictures with you all, but we've mislaid our computer cable to do so. So for now, word pictures must suffice!!

Our little family is keeping me very busy these days, what with homeschooling, housekeeping, and caring for hubby,girls and twins. Our boys are growing sooo big sooo quickly- only 18months old and already in size 2s!!! They are going to be so tall. We'll be getting them measured soon at our next doctors visit.

The girls are learning so much with homeschool. They are already becoming self-motivated learners. Like their Mama and Daddy, their noses are rarely out of a book, and like me their book piles are accumulating!!

I still love to read- mainly Christian books and classics, but my piles shrink at a much slower rate than in times gone by. Besides my Bible, I'm currently reading Spurgeon's Morning by Morning; Edith Schaeffer's The Art of Living; The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer and John Calvin, His Life ,Teaching and Influence- I find books on The Reformation fascinating. I've recently finished Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray-LOVED IT, The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith, and For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. It may sound like a lot, but believe me they took a long time to read!

We recently took the girls on a family excursion to a working dairy farm, and they got to help wash the cows' teats and to have a go at hand milking- they were so excited! I had the boys in the pram, so I couldn't get as close. Max got some great pics. The Jersey cows were absolutely beautiful,big brown eyes, and of course we got to take home some REAL unadulterated milk-there is nothing like it in my opinion-YUM!!!

Our thrifting expeditions have borne wonderful fruit lately- God has truly blessed us in needs and wants. We'd been wanting to upgrade our dining table for some time from a six seater to an eight, even though the boys are still in highchairs at the moment. We got a new to us pine colonial setting for an unbelievable price-lovely heavy table and very comfortable chairs. My husband also found a vintage/antique/very heavy oil lamp to grace it at a Collectorama. We're big Little House on the Prairie fans here, and it looks pretty close to the one the Ingalls family had in the TV series.

Oh! and for the grand sum of twenty dollars, my bargain hunting hubby also picked up a bowed front 1950's china cabinet. I love antiques, but have a soft spot for mid-20th century vintage too! :-)

We went to a garage sale that was on behalf of an elderly couple just moved into a nursing home. What was left needed to be sold quickly, so they could secure a rental income, so we were invited to :Take what you like for $20! I did. I had to show restraint and keep in mind the amount of-no lack of- space we have at home, but we came out with a beautiful 8 piece dinner service, a 1950s hairdryer complete with book, a vintage cannister, some hardly used 70s tupperware,some peach FireKing for my collection, and some framed sketches. We've also done really well lately building our library- more vintage books for our children, including Christian ones, and other books and material to use in the future for homeschool. I'm starting to wonder why people would want to buy ANYTHING new-except maybe underwear and shoes!!! LOL

On a more serious note, Max needed another cardio-inversion early Monday morning, but God brought him through again. He's now had a total of 38! Does anyone out there in Blogland know of anyone else who has had a lot of these? I'm very curious...

Must go I've rambled on long enough about our very ordinary, but very blessed lives.

Labels: Books, family, homeschooling, vintage

"Anne was not sleepy. She was too happy to sleep just yet. She moved softly about the room, putting things away, braiding her hair, looking like a beloved woman. Finally she slipped on a neglige and went across the hall to the boys' room. Walter and Jem in their bed and Shirley in his cot were all sound asleep. The Shrimp, who had outlived generations of pert kittens and become a family habit, was curled up at Shirley's feet. Jem had fallen asleep while reading The Life Book of Captain Jim... it was open on the spread. Why how long Jem looked lying under the bed-clothes! He would soon be grown up. What a sturdy, reliable little chap he was! Walter was smiling in his sleep as some one who knew a charming secret. The moon was shining on his pillow through the bars of the leaded window... casting the shadow of a clearly defined cross on the wall above his head. In long after-years Anne was to remember that and wonder if it was an omen of Courcelette... of a cross-marked grave "somewhere in France." But tonight it was only a shadow... nothing more. The rash had quite gone from Shirley's neck. Gilbert had been right. He was always right.

Nan and Diana and Rilla were all in the next room... Diana, with darling little damp red curls all over her head and one little sunburned hand under her cheek, and Nan with long fans of lashes brushing hers. The eyes behind those blue-veined lids were hazel, like her father's. And Rilla was sleeping on her stomach. Anne turned her right side up, but her buttoned eyes never opened.

They were all growing so fast. In just a few short years they would all be young men and women... youth tiptoe...expectant... astir with its sweet, wild dreams...little ships sailing out of safe harbour to unknown parts. The boys would go away to their life work, and the girls...ah, the mist-veiled forms of beautiful brides might be seen coming down the stairs at Ingleside. But they would be still hers for a few years yet... hers to love and guide... to sing the songs that so many mothers had sung. Hers... and Gilbert's.

FROM "ANNE OF INGLESIDE" BY L M MONTGOMERY.

Labels: Books, godly wives, motherhood, Quote

My wonderful, bargain-seeking husband blessed us abundantly last weekend when he happened upon a garage-sale in the same town we live in. Knowing how much I'm inspired by the art and brave lifestyle of the late Tasha Tudor, he snapped up "Springs of Joy". I have 2 of her books now!

For those who aren't familar with illustrator Tasha Tudor, who passed away last year in her nineties, she was as widely known for her beautiful gardens, afternoon teas, and living her desire to dwell in the 1830s, and to bring her children up in an innocent non-commercial world, as she was for her beautiful watercolour illustrations. She truly followed her dreams and lived a life consistant with Phillipians 4:8. She still inspires me. Hers was the real world- not the techno-overladen society that surrounds us today. I'm convinced we can all learn from Tasha- not that we all have to live in the 1830s- but that we can make our homes havens of joy and peace, dance to the beat of our own drum and not the commercial world's, and give our children something far better.

After that little digression, hubby also bought "The Fairy Caravan" by Beatrix Potter- I LOVE Beatrix Potter! and The Buttercup Story Book by Enid Blyton- beautiful treasures to capture our children's imaginations. He also purchased some Dr Suess books just for fun and a few others that Talitha loved. I can't wait to find some time and a cosy nook to read some myself!

Labels: Books, changing times, thrift

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time, must know how much we love books around here. As well as moral classics , Bible stories and vintage children's books, we are always on the lookout for picture books that are edifying and that little bit special.

This one was a blessing... Talitha and I had already found and read "Great Joy" at one of our council libraries, and it had become one of "the desires of our hearts"- you know, the sort of thing you don't exactly pray for, as it seems too flippant; but the sort of thing you say, "Lord I'd really love one of those...", and leave it at that.

Well, once again, The Good Lord answered the desires of our hearts. We paid a visit to a lovely Christian elderly couple, who used to be our neighbours in our first marital home. We moved just before Zara turned 2. It was wonderful to be welcomed as if we'd never been away, and they delighted over the twins. The girls were invited to peruse a pile of children's books in the library, which were going to be disposed of and invited to take what they desired. Guess what was in the pile... "Great Joy"!!!

This will become a seasonal favourite for us. Set at Christmas time in 1940's New York, it tells of a little girl's compassion towards a homeless elderly man, who entertained on the streets. The illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend you check out "Great Joy" by Kate Dicamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. It is truly special and will bless you no matter what time of the year you choose to read it.

Labels: Books

Labels: Books

Labels: Books

When I started school in the 1970's, these Happy Venture Readers from the 50's were still in use. I'd been looking for one for ages, and yes, one turned up in a garage sale in my hometown.

The books, though very simple, are based on PHONICS not sight words, and I'm using the phonetic word lists at the back to get 4 year old Zara started with reading.

When you compare these lovely old readers to the more modern ones, you can really see the literary decline even over the last 40 years...

Labels: Books, Teaching children

Labels: Books, reading, Teaching children

In our quest to keep all things pure and lovely before our children's eyes, one thing we love to collect are vintage children's books.

The illustrations are far more beautiful I believe than many of the more modern children's picture books, they concentrate on stable families and good values,traditional gender roles, and I love the clothing.

These are just a sample of many we've picked up recently from garage sales for next to nothing. Sadly, but happily for us, no one seems interested in them anymore.

Phillipians 4:8 is a great guideline for choosing products for children in this wicked age. As well as vintage books, we look for Bible Stories with reverent realistic pictures, good Christian books, and old classic novels with good morals. Sorry the picture is a bit fuzzy, I'll post a few close-ups for you.

Labels: Books, reading, Teaching children

"The Princess and the Kiss" by Jennie Bishop, is one of our daughters' favourite books, and one that I would personally like to recommend to other families.

It's a cleverly written child-friendly fairy-tale, complete with romantic, medieval-styled illustrations, that extols the virtues of purity, and of "Saving oneself" for marriage.

There are many wonderful lessons contained in this story, and it's fun to help your children discover them. My children and I would talk about the suitors that the Princess turned down, and we discovered that Prince Peacock, Prince Romance and Prince Treasurechest never mentioned God in all their dealings with her. I also liked how the man she finally married, politely approached the Princess through her parents.

If you want to bring your children (male or female) up with principles of godly courtship, as opposed to worldly serial dating, then this book is a wonderful tool. As with teaching modesty, it is never too early to impart teaching on these important issues eg. children accustomed to wearing board shorts over their bathers from early childhood, will generally follow through into their teens- try suggesting this to a teen who has never been taught these principles from childhood, you may have a battle on your hands!

Prov 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

For Australian readers, I ordered this book through Koorong for $25.95- it may be a little more now. I believe Jennie Bishop has also written another book especially for boys- "The Squire and the Scroll"- it may be worth checking out too.

Labels: Books, reading, Teaching children

Labels: Books, my favourite things, reading

What books are you reading & enjoying ( or not enjoying), at the moment? Blogs are a great way to compare notes on what is worth looking at or not.

Here is our current list:

Me:

-King James Bible (Bible in a year program)

-Uncle Tom's Cabin- by Harriet Beecher Stowe

-All of Grace- by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Just As I Am- by Billy Graham

-Holiness- by J C Ryle ( soon to begin)

Hubby:

-King James Bible

-A John Bunyan biography

-The Master's Indwelling- by Andrew Murray

Children's Devotions:

-Leading Little Ones to God- Marion M Schoolland

-Volume 2 The Bible Story- by Arthur Maxwell (We work through this set slowly. Some nights we leave it out if the girls are too tired. Occasionally they pick a story from another volume. I love the reverent art work in these books, but they are S.D.A denomination, so if you get them, there's the occasional spot where you may have to alter something.)

Family Read-a Loud:

-Anne of Green Gables- by L M Montgomery

Plus numerous just for fun books, old fashioned children's books, library books etc.

What's in your reading pile at the moment?

Labels: Books, John Bunyan, reading, Spurgeon

With the Children & I being a direct descendants of John Bunyan, it's important for us to pass on the knowledge of this to our children. We are very much interested in passing our heritage down to our children. So when we saw this at our local Christian Bookshop a couple of weeks ago- we grabbed it- & it's fantastic!

Our children both love it , especially 3 year old Zara, who keeps asking to watch it & who now shows visitors John Bunyan's picture on one of his biographies we have. The DVD is not just for the littlies. As well as the half-hour cartoon, it has a very lengthy interesting documentary for grown-ups as well. In a day when so much of the kid's stuff in the Christian Bookshops is a bit silly & fluffy, this is a standout. The other Torchlighter DVD's sound pretty good too.

We've been collecting some John Bunyan books to share with the girls when they are older & so far have Pilgrims Progress, The Holy War, a beautiful picture book my auntie gave me with a summary of the Pilgrim's Progress in it from the John Bunyan Museum in Bedford, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners & 2 biographies.

Every Christian today needs to read Pilgrims Progress & other historic Christian works. They will strengthen your faith in a way that a lot of modern stuff won't.

I'm just waiting for my little ones to start playing Pilgrims Progress, just like Meg, Jo, Beth & Amy in the "Little Women" series. ( Yes, I'm a Louisa May Alcott fan too!). They love to play out the stories we read.

Labels: Books, John Bunyan, review

These are some of the products we use, or have used to help convey the real meaning of Easter to our children. I'd love to hear your comments & recommendations of what you've used or liked- or not liked for whatever reason, that's important too!

DVD The Donut Man- "The Resurrection Celebration"
From cover: "...The Biblical story finds a firsthand parallel when the plays director Mrs Johnson, needs to be comforted because her husband has just gone home to heaven. This is a great way to communicate to your children the importance of Jesus' death & resurrection in a way they can understand & remember."
I really appreciate the Donut Man- we have quite a few of them& I really like them, despite a lot of people considering them to be old hat. The songs really get into our childrens' hearts & minds & they've been known to break into Donut Man songs, even in the supermarket! I often wonder what has become of the members of the Donut Repair Club- I expect they're all grown up now...

"The Story of Jesus for Children"DVD: We received this as a Christmas present from our childrens' playgroup & it's very effective. The footage is adapted from the 1979 "Jesus"movie,with extra additions from child actors, telling the story from a child's point of view.

"Ben Hur"-cartoon DVD-good times entertainment-I particularly like the scene of Masala's repentance at the end & Charlton Heston's explanation of the story at the start.

"An Easter Carol"- Veggietales DVD. We don't own this, but we hired it last year & I was pleasantly surprised. The story is adapted for Easter from "A Christmas Carol", but instead of ghosts, they have an angel called "Hope"(Rebecca St James). Ebenezer moves from a materialistic view of Easter to discovering the same Christian faith his Grandmother had, & of course becomes a new man- or veggie?!

Book-"The Legend of the Easter Egg"-by Lori Walburg. We have the shorter board book & have had it since Talitha was little. Both the girls love the old-fashioned illustrations.

Book-"The Easter Story"- a Ladybird Bible Book-Text by Scripture Union- a great op-shop find!

Question for YOU! What are your thoughts on the Disney Narnia movie, with regards to explaining Easter?

We believe our children are too young to watch it at this point- maybe 9 or 10 would be more appropriate. We have the DVD, I've seen it twice myself, but my husband is yet to watch it & give his opinion.Although I believe the scene with the death & resurrection of Aslan is very moving & powerful-the bit where the demon pulled his mane out brought tears to my eyes, I'm still very disturbed about the mythological imagery in other parts of the movie, especially the similarity between Mr Tumnus & Pan & the references to Bacchas. I posted once before on concerns I had about some CS Lewis stuff(even though he was quite brilliant) & some of the imagery in Narnia.
Maybe we'll only use parts of the movie, when our children are older-What do you think???

Labels: Books, DVDs, Easter