Books read with any of my kids
Non-fiction
January
1. Daughter of Earth and Water: A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Noel Gerson)
2. The Forgotten Girls (Alexa Steele)
3. 12th of Never (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
4. For the Love (Jen Hatmaker) - with book club
5. The Advocate (Teresa Burrell)
February
6. Unlucky 13 (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
7. Reluctant Writer (ebook)
8. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
9. Lewis & Clark Expedition (Richard Neuberger)
10. Helping Without Hurting in Short-term Missions (Stave Corbett and Brian Fikkert)
March
11. Justin Morgan Had a Horse (Margeurite Henry)
12. Calico Bush (Rachel Field)
13. Bones Never Lie (Kathy Reichs)
April
14. Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma (Janet and Geoff Benge)
15. A Child's Introduction to Poetry (Michael Driscoll)
16. Peace Child (Don Richardson)
17. The Journeyman (Elizabeth Yates)
18. Fervent (Priscilla Shirer)
May
19. The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
20. Cut to the Bone (Jefferson Bass)
June
21. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (Chris Grabenstein, audiobook)
22. Hatchet (Gary Paulsen, audiobook)
23. Theodore Boone: The Scandal (John Grisham, audiobook)
24. The Broker (John Grisham)
July
25. The Witnesses (James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
26. The Inquisitor's Key (Jefferson Bass)
27. Mistress (James Patterson and David Ellis)
28. A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare, audiobook)
August
29. Back Fire (Catherine Coulter)
30. Split Second (Catherine Coulter)
31. The Great Turkey Walk (Kathleen Karr)
32. William Wilberforce: God's Politician (John Holzmann)
33. Angel Experiment (James Patterson, audiobook)
September
34. Bombshell (Catherine Coulter)
35. Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
36. Confessions of a Murder Suspect (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
37. Leading like Jesus (Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges)
October
38. Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink)
39. The Best Yes (Lysa TerKeurst)
40. The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Dyslexia (Abigail Marshall)
November
41. The Great Wheel (Robert Lawson)
42. The Last Woman Standing: A Novel (Thelma Adams)
43. The Watcher (Jo Robertson)
December
44. Little Britches (Ralph Moody)
45. Played to Death (BV Lawson)
46. The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware)
47. Cross Country (James Patterson)
48. Do You See What I See?: Exploring the Christmas of Every Day (Ross Parsley)
49. Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart (Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Earekson Tada)
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Traveling to Uganda
8/11/16 - You wouldn't believe how hard it has been to find time to write...and the struggle with guilt and frustration I've had the last five-and-a-half months as I know the writing isn't happening. I'll miss it, and YES, I already regret not journaling closer to when we actually traveled, but it is what it is. Mostly, we have just photos now as the details are so fuzzy. I do still want to share our memories -- photos and crumbs from my mind...
Will and I went to Uganda on a shoe distribution trip for Parental Care Ministries. While we were gone, Ben, Maddie, and Jon stayed with Gramma and Granddad. Allen's cousin's daughter was doing a Flat Stanley project (taking photos of Stanley at different places in the US.) We took Stanley with us and got a few pictures for her, too.
Allen was able to take the day off work and he was one of two who drove our team to Houston. From Houston, we flew to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe. We stayed overnight in Entebbe, then took the PCM bus to Mbarara.
The only time I remember being stressed on the trip was the first evening we were in Mbarara. I had already seen a giant pile of shoes -- I am talking about 2000 pair of shoes, no boxes, piled high against a wall. Know this: my four kids each have two pair of shoes and I get frustrated seeing those 16 shoes unmatched and piled in the closet. Can you imagine how much my heart raced to see almost four THOUSAND black shoes unmatched and piled?!?!
I was told the PCM staff HAD started matching and packaging them, so I was quite thankful! When we arrived at the garage where the shoes were stored, they were paired and bagged -- about 30-60 pair per bag. What stressed me out was that we had no way of knowing what sizes we had, and I knew we needed to sort them out again to see what we had. The stressful part for me was that our whole team was looking to me for answers about what to do, but I didn't want the Ugandans upset to see us UNdoing everything I know they spent days doing. Lori (our team leader) asked me what we needed to do first and I replied we needed to pray. I asked for a few moments to think, and I think she saw the tears fighting to stay in and she pulled me aside to pray with me (without the group). We got the shoes sorted and got to know each other a bitter better in the process. After several hours of sorting, we counted and recorded all the numbers, then headed back to the hotel for dinner around 9:30pm.
Will and I went to Uganda on a shoe distribution trip for Parental Care Ministries. While we were gone, Ben, Maddie, and Jon stayed with Gramma and Granddad. Allen's cousin's daughter was doing a Flat Stanley project (taking photos of Stanley at different places in the US.) We took Stanley with us and got a few pictures for her, too.
Allen was able to take the day off work and he was one of two who drove our team to Houston. From Houston, we flew to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe. We stayed overnight in Entebbe, then took the PCM bus to Mbarara.
I was told the PCM staff HAD started matching and packaging them, so I was quite thankful! When we arrived at the garage where the shoes were stored, they were paired and bagged -- about 30-60 pair per bag. What stressed me out was that we had no way of knowing what sizes we had, and I knew we needed to sort them out again to see what we had. The stressful part for me was that our whole team was looking to me for answers about what to do, but I didn't want the Ugandans upset to see us UNdoing everything I know they spent days doing. Lori (our team leader) asked me what we needed to do first and I replied we needed to pray. I asked for a few moments to think, and I think she saw the tears fighting to stay in and she pulled me aside to pray with me (without the group). We got the shoes sorted and got to know each other a bitter better in the process. After several hours of sorting, we counted and recorded all the numbers, then headed back to the hotel for dinner around 9:30pm.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Shadow gone
Today was a sad, sad day for our family. Our sweet Shadow has been quite a picky eater the last several weeks, and I kept trying to find the food that he would eat enough of to fill out his bony body. But, ... yesterday he didn't eat anything at all... and he had a lot of trouble balancing. Allen was out of town the last two days and I told him Shadow wasn't doing well. Last night, I had to carry him to get outside, and even that didn't work. I put his cozy bed in the bathroom with a bunch of waterproof mats under him, and I checked on him several times through the night.
This morning, I put his bed in the sunbeam where he loves to sleep while we were all around him doing our school day and cuddling our 16-year old pup. Around lunchtime, his heart started racing, so I held him and we eventually called Allen. Shadow got to hear all six of us tell him how much we loved him, and I held him until he breathed his last breath; the younger kids and I wailed and Will went to his room to be alone.
When the kitties passed a year ago, I was really worried about how the kids would react...how I would do without my Shadow, named so because he followed me everywhere. When I decided in November to go to Uganda at the end of March, I had a feeling that IF Shadow was still alive when I left, he might die of loneliness while I was gone. All along, I've been sadly hoping that wouldn't happen, but our old dog was aging fast. My heart hurts a lot now, but I am really glad he was not alone when he left. I don't know if we will ever get another dog again, but Shadow sure was an awesome dog!
I adopted the gently, leggy pound puppy in June 2000 -- the summer we lived in a non-air-conditioned home in Canyon. Allen spent the weeks at an internship in Albuquerque, and I didn't like being alone in the house with the windows open at night. I tried convincing Allen I needed a dog; he tried convincing me I needed an air-conditioner. By September, we had an AC, too. When I was pregnant with Will, in June 2003, Shadow fell from a third-story window at our home in Kansas. I raced to him and saw him trying to run with floppy legs, and I was afraid the vet would want to put him to sleep. Turns out, he just needed legs of steel -- after a couple surgeries, and daily, then weekly, vet visits our gentle pooch had legs that were almost as good as new (until it was really cold outside.) Shadow loved playing in the snow! Even when his legs were sensitive to the cold, he would chase snow balls and use his nose as a shovel, throw the snow in the air, and try to catch it in his mouth. Shadow was so sweet with the kids -- first with Will, then with Maddie, Ben, and Jon. I remember his confusion when he greeted Maddie...but then heard Ben in another crib. He ran to Ben's crib and saw a baby, but then bounced back to see her in my arms. The poor dog was nearly dizzy with the back-and-forth questions when Jon finally got home, too. When I was away having dinner with friends, Shadow waited for me next to the front door. When I was up later than normal -- watching a movie, crafting, visiting -- he would stare at me because HE was ready for bed, but I wasn't in my room yet. He would sometimes sigh impatiently until I walked him to his bed and he would lie on his pillow next to my bed. But when I'd leave the room, he would follow me...again. I love that silly dog so much and he will really be missed.
This morning, I put his bed in the sunbeam where he loves to sleep while we were all around him doing our school day and cuddling our 16-year old pup. Around lunchtime, his heart started racing, so I held him and we eventually called Allen. Shadow got to hear all six of us tell him how much we loved him, and I held him until he breathed his last breath; the younger kids and I wailed and Will went to his room to be alone.
When the kitties passed a year ago, I was really worried about how the kids would react...how I would do without my Shadow, named so because he followed me everywhere. When I decided in November to go to Uganda at the end of March, I had a feeling that IF Shadow was still alive when I left, he might die of loneliness while I was gone. All along, I've been sadly hoping that wouldn't happen, but our old dog was aging fast. My heart hurts a lot now, but I am really glad he was not alone when he left. I don't know if we will ever get another dog again, but Shadow sure was an awesome dog!
I adopted the gently, leggy pound puppy in June 2000 -- the summer we lived in a non-air-conditioned home in Canyon. Allen spent the weeks at an internship in Albuquerque, and I didn't like being alone in the house with the windows open at night. I tried convincing Allen I needed a dog; he tried convincing me I needed an air-conditioner. By September, we had an AC, too. When I was pregnant with Will, in June 2003, Shadow fell from a third-story window at our home in Kansas. I raced to him and saw him trying to run with floppy legs, and I was afraid the vet would want to put him to sleep. Turns out, he just needed legs of steel -- after a couple surgeries, and daily, then weekly, vet visits our gentle pooch had legs that were almost as good as new (until it was really cold outside.) Shadow loved playing in the snow! Even when his legs were sensitive to the cold, he would chase snow balls and use his nose as a shovel, throw the snow in the air, and try to catch it in his mouth. Shadow was so sweet with the kids -- first with Will, then with Maddie, Ben, and Jon. I remember his confusion when he greeted Maddie...but then heard Ben in another crib. He ran to Ben's crib and saw a baby, but then bounced back to see her in my arms. The poor dog was nearly dizzy with the back-and-forth questions when Jon finally got home, too. When I was away having dinner with friends, Shadow waited for me next to the front door. When I was up later than normal -- watching a movie, crafting, visiting -- he would stare at me because HE was ready for bed, but I wasn't in my room yet. He would sometimes sigh impatiently until I walked him to his bed and he would lie on his pillow next to my bed. But when I'd leave the room, he would follow me...again. I love that silly dog so much and he will really be missed.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
End of a Season
With a loud buzz that season ended.
The final score - 44 to 23 with Tyler Heat winning.
Will played two quarters of the last game, tried for four baskets (all ALmost scored), and assisted on many successful scores. It was his best game yet and he ended on a proud note.
Will started playing basketball at a series of skills and drills workshops in October and he decided we should sign him up for the local home school basketball team when they had registration in November. It was a crazy four and a half months with practice four hours a week and one or two games on some weeks, but we were surrounded by other Christian home schooling families and coaches and kids who were kind and encouraging. Overall, it was a great experience for Will and for the rest of us, too. Below are some pictures I snapped with my phone just to prove I was paying attention to the games ;)
The final score - 44 to 23 with Tyler Heat winning.
Will played two quarters of the last game, tried for four baskets (all ALmost scored), and assisted on many successful scores. It was his best game yet and he ended on a proud note.
Will started playing basketball at a series of skills and drills workshops in October and he decided we should sign him up for the local home school basketball team when they had registration in November. It was a crazy four and a half months with practice four hours a week and one or two games on some weeks, but we were surrounded by other Christian home schooling families and coaches and kids who were kind and encouraging. Overall, it was a great experience for Will and for the rest of us, too. Below are some pictures I snapped with my phone just to prove I was paying attention to the games ;)
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Sermon Doodles
I really DO listen to Brother Ray's Sunday sermons, but I sometimes have to ask Allen to tell me what words go in the blanks if I didn't look up at the screen at the right time. Somehow, when I doodle, I can clear my mind of grocery lists, menus, task lists, and more and just draw...and listen.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Backseat Costumes
Monday, February 1, 2016
Sweet News
Fundraiser garners $32K for Parental Care Ministries Children in Uganda
Published on Monday, 1 February 2016
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Published on Monday, 1 February 2016
Tyler Morning Telegraph
A fundraiser that included two Tyler Great American Cookie Co. stores raised more than $25,000 to provide shoes and socks for orphaned and needy children in Southwest Uganda.
Dough Rollers, which owns 17 cookie, pretzel and coffee stores in Texas - including the two Great American Cookie Co. stores in Broadway Square Mall - had the “Give Shoes. Give Joy.” fundraiser in December.
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| We were facing the official photographer, but I don't want to pay for that photo. This one was taken by Jon. Photo above includes donors, PCM staff, and some of us going on the shoe trip in March. |
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Froggie First Aid
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Texas Flag
One of Will's assignments for Texas history was to make one of the six flags of Texas. It could have been a poster or painting or drawing, but Will insisted I teach him to sew so that he could make a fabric flag. I convinced him to re-create the current flag since is has straight lines that would be the simplest to learn to sew.
We shopped for some simple red, blue, and white fabric, I taught him how to cut the fabric, press the fabric, pin the seams, sew straight(ish) seams, use iron-on adhesive, and zig-zag stitch around the Lone Star. After making the top, put a back on and did some simple quilting to finish his Lone Star flag.
Can you tell from the smile how happy he was with his project?
Can you tell from the smile how happy he was with his project?
Friday, January 15, 2016
Making Breakfast
How to Make a Delicious, Sunday
Morning Breakfast
by Will Kaiser
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