All Things Hold Together

A while back, a favorite wool sweater of mine was accidentally put in the dryer.

For some reason, I kept it. Probably because it was so pretty and purple. And I guess I thought I might be an 8-year-old again.

Well, I am glad I did. I found this craft on Martha Stewart that shows you how to make mittens from a felted wool sweater.

After I washed the sweater in hot water and ran it through the dryer again, I had a nice piece of felted wool to use for mittens or whatever else I wanted.

Now, I have the warmest pair of purple mittens!

Someone in the comments of that project said the sweater needs to be 100% wool. Not true! Mine was 10% something else. I cannot remember what, though.

I will post a picture later tonight. Right now, I have pancakes on the stove!

A while back, quite a while, unfortunately, Landel Bilbrey graciously sent me a copy of his book, “Sentinel: City of Destiny” to review on my blog.

With apologies to Mr. Bilbrey, it took me far to long to write this review.

Sentinel: City of Destiny is a fiction story written for boys ages 8 and up. Its purpose is to illustrate to them “foundational character traits that God wants to see in a mature man.”

The Four Keys of Mettle (Manhood) are Vision (Proverbs 29:18), Courage (Joshua 1:9), Integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17), and Service (Luke 10:27).

Throughout the book, there are paraphrased scripture references, which are worked into the story under the fictional name “Logos.” The Logos reference can be decoded to locate the supporting scripture verses quite simply.

I thought it would be interesting to find out what a boy in the intended age range thought about the book. After all, that is who will be reading it.

So, I asked my 11-year-old son, The D, to read the book. Then, I sat down with him and asked him to share this thoughts about it.

What was Sentinel about?
It was about a quest for seeking Sentinel and the temptations will try to pull you away.

What did you like about it?
It was a good action book with lots of cool things in it.

Was it obvious to you that Sentinel was a metaphor for something?
Yes.

What do you think it was a metaphor for?
Seeking God.

Did you learn anything from this book?
That there are lots of temptations that will try to pull you away from seeking God.

Didn’t you already know that?
I did not know there were that many.

Did you decode any of the Logos passages?
Yes.

What did you think about that?
It was cool. It’s cool that he came up with that.

Would you recommend this book to other boys your age?
Yes.

What about boys that are not Christians?
I think they would enjoy it, too.

Is there anything else you want to add?
No.

To be honest, I was rather shocked to find out that he did not realize that there are so many temptations that stand in the way of seeking God.

I think that is an example of why books like this are good.

My husband and I try to instill biblical principles, as does our church, but it really does take other influences as well. We can never be sure exactly what will take root in their minds and hearts.

Not only does Sentinel provide a “good action book” with a great message, but it also includes resources in the back of the book for further discussion and reflection.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

I have not finished reading it, but when I do, I will also post any further thoughts I have.

For more information, visit the Bridgemaker Book homepage, where you can read the first 6 chapters in PDF.

The word pronounced \ˈyā\ is spelled y-e-a. NOT y-a-y.

Example: Yea, my blog traffic is at an all time high!

What? You thought “yea” was pronounced \ˈyaə\. No. That is spelled y-e-a-h.

Example: Yeah, I do hate it when people spell yea, y-a-y.

I am sorry if this post offends anyone, but this is my biggest internet pet peeve of all time. Every time I see this mistake, I cringe.

I had to let it out.

For my health.

Please feel free to double check this in a dictionary.

On an average day here, once 3:00 hits, it is my time.

The older boys go out to play with their friends at the park in our neighborhood or to a friend’s house. Little E watches Curious George and CyberChase on PBS or plays with his toys, often both. And I finally - FINALLY - get some much needed semi-alone time.

Well, that all changed last Friday when Big E’s conscience got the best of him and he confessed to us that they had been going out of our neighborhood to a store with one of their friends.

This is clearly out of their boundaries. They know this. There is no gray area here.

So, they were grounded. The confessor less so than the denier - yes, Big D denied it! - but I have had both older boys here every day this week. No TV. No friends.

This has been a very difficult week for Mom.

This morning, I got up early to have some time to myself before everyone else got up.

Here I am in the living room, just about to enjoy the sweet sound of silence, and who should come out, with his big pile of stuffed dogs in his arms, looking for a mama to snuggle with, but Little E.

I never thought I would be unhappy to see that cute face, especially when he is looking to snuggle.

But, I was.

I still snuggled with him, though.

Have you seen “In the Motherhood“? It is an online show based on stories sent in by real moms. It stars Leah Remini. I posted about it last year.

It is back again, this time with Jenny McCarthy joining the cast.

I think it is a great concept, using stories submitted by real moms.

The stories are then posted on the In the Motherhood website where readers can vote for the one that will be made into an episode.

Have a look.

It’s Wednesday, which means moms around the blogosphere are sharing tips that work for them.

When I am cooking, I often have peels and other trash from my preparation cluttering up my work space. It’s either that or I have to make repeated trips to the trash can.

I discovered a trick that solves this problem for me: a bowl. I grab an empty cool whip bowl (we save all of our plastic containers) and put all of my waste in there. My work space stays neat and I just dump it out when I am through.

That works for me!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Are my links too pink?  Should I make them a darker shade?

I know I haven’t posted the link in a while, but the Carnival of Homeschooling is up.  Go read what other homeschool bloggers are saying this week.

You can always find the archives at Why Homeschool, too.

Little E came out of the playroom to tell me that there was a spider in there.

“He just slinged a web above my toy bins!”

“Slinged a web?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Yeah. Above my toy bin. [Pause] He slung a web?”

I am not sure which is funnier, that he thinks spiders “sling” webs or that he thought I emphasized the word “slinged” because it was improperly conjugated.

I recently started crocheting again.

I used to crochet, but the projects just took too long. I didn’t have the patience, I guess.

Then I decided to try crocheting with bigger hooks and/or open patterns, which cuts down on time.

I am addicted.

I will post some projects soon, and a couple of crochet book reviews.

Speaking of which, I also have another book review to post of a youth non-fiction book that I was sent eons ago.

In the meantime, I have a blanket to finish before a baby is born.