Graduation Time!

One Open House and Two Graduations in one week!    Whew! 

Middle Son graduated from high school in a lovely ceremony planned by fellow homeschool moms and the graduates. 

Oldest son graduated from college with honors from Taylor University.

Where has the time gone?

It seems like just yesterday they were little boys.

The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

Do not be deceived into thinking this 96-page book is lightweight - in size or content.   This beautiful oversized hardback book gives a broad, if not deep, overview of the history of the Bible.

The first part of the book is devoted to the history of the ancient manuscripts that supported the Hebrew scriptures in the time of Christ and explain why the authenticity of our current scriptures can be trusted.  The author does an admirable job of attempting to explain all of this to the lay reader, but going into much depth is, quite honestly, impossible in such a cursory overview. And I'll admit, it got confusing at times.

Next, the book covers the early church and the narrative tone flows more naturally.   It offers a chronological telling of many important persons and events and the impact scriptures had from early Christendom through the Reformation, all the way into the 20th Century. Again, coverage was not extremely deep, but it is an interesting read and admirable in its breadth. 

A wonderful component of this book is the additional 23 pull-out pages that are stored in strong vellum pockets throughout.  These  loose pages provide many examples of ancient Bibles and manuscripts.  As a home-educator, I can see that these would be a great aid to the student in seeing how painstaking it was to reproduce Bibles and manuscripts in long ago times.  These illustrations also provide beautiful examples of illuminated manuscripts.  The fact that these illustrations are loose and can be used separate from the book makes them a great resource that can be used for a variety of purposes.

A serious student of this subject will need something more academic and thorough to adequately cover the subject of the history of the Bible, but this is a lovely book to have available to read and browse at one's leisure.  It is a great resource to share with students if one is covering this topic or any of the time periods discussed in the book and wanting to discuss the relevancy of scripture to what was going on in the world at that time.  If this is one's first exposure to the history of the Bible, one will likely come away curious for more in-depth study; and that alone makes this a worthwhile read.

The Story of the Bible is not a difficult read, but it is not simple either.  How could it be simple to cover such a topic that spans several millennia and innumerable political upheavals and world events?  I recommend the book as a resource for educators of religious studies and also for someone wanting a cursory overview of the subject of the Bible and early church history in an attractive coffee-table type book.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Just button it up, why don't cha?

I made several of these scarves at Christmas time (two just like the one pictured - made out of a wool yarn, and one out of a soft acrylic, and another out of an acrylic and alpaca blend). They were easy to make and were hits with their intended recipients, though no one in my immediate family will wear one for some reason (outside of modeling it, anyway).

Don't quite understand my guys' aversion to it as this is the most comfortable and stay-where-you-put-it scarf I've ever seen. I don't think they understand how cool these scarves are and how cool they'd be wearing them.  

They are so cool, I've been wishing I had made one for myself while I was at it.  Hmmmm....maybe it's the fact that I think they are cool is why they don't. 


Life is cruel that way.

I'd start one for myself, but I have a feeling winter's about over around here.  

Hey, can't blame a girl for hoping can ya'?

Book Lovers Love Books

How's that for stating the obvious?  Whether the books belong to her or someone else, a book lover just can't seem to get her fill when browsing another's bookshelves.  And homeschoolers are, by and large, book lovers and book collectors; and almost without fail what a homeschooler's eyes are drawn to when visiting a new friend are their books!  Maybe we want to get new ideas.  Maybe we want to see if we have common tastes.  Or maybe (and I almost hate to suggest this, but....) maybe we're just afflicted. 

I don't know why it's such a compulsion to peruse another book lover's bookshelves, but I know that it is.  So I invite you to browse a sampling of the many books we've collected over the years.  Clicking on a picture will enlarge it (because I know you want to read the titles).

A sampling of the books in the family room

Nature and Science books

Art books

Religion, Philosophy, History and Geography

These are the ones not in boxes.  I store history books by period in a storage room and rotate them out as we're studying a particular time period because we don't have enough shelves to hold them all at once.

Teacher Resources

Way too many cookbooks 

A glass front bookcase houses a few of Greg's WWII books:

The little bookcase below has always been my "woman's shelf".  Early on it was a new mom's bookshelf.  Then it became loaded with homeschooling books, and a sprinkling of spiritual helps.  At the moment, it's undergoing a metamorphosis as I begin contemplating the transition from homeschooling to.....who knows?!?   It may simply remain an eclectic collection of what interests me at the moment.

And then there is music, poetry, nursery rhymes 

and all sorts of miscellany in the living room & dining room:

And as hard as it is to believe, I didn't even get pictures of the books in the boys' rooms, several other shelves of teacher helps, Bible study resources, Greg's Landmark book collection, books of music scores, and some wonderful children's literature I hope to someday share with grandchildren.  And, well...I'll admit I intentionally didn't snap any pictures of the collections that are growing on my dresser (my Mitford, Miss Julia, and The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books - books I've only recently discovered are wonderful, fun reads).

Yes, I suppose it is an affliction. 

But a lovely affliction it is.

Operation Happy Birthday!

In October, Ben turned 15 and when contemplating what he wanted to do, he decided he wanted to spend an evening putt-putting and eating pizza with his pals.  He then decided that in lieu of birthday gifts, he'd suggest that his friends bring a donation for an Operation Christmas Child box.  Donations he received!  Between the six fine fellows below, they managed to fill 4 boxes! 

Ben is in orange.  And yes, these guys are as fine and fun as they look!

On that beautiful autumn evening in October the boys enjoyed pizza and putt putt before returning home.  And tomorrow we finally take the filled boxes to church where they will be gathered with many other boxes, prayed over, taken to a collection center where they will then be sent on their way to be received by children possibly on the other side of the world. 

Hope for a Merry Christmas and a little bit of love is enclosed in each box.  

You, too, can touch the heart of a child.  Visit Samaritan's Purse to see how.