At the bottom of my stocking I found a coinstar receipt that totaled $30 in Amazon credit. I put my order in last week and here's what I've been enjoying:
A Midsummer Night's Dream was added just for fun and because my niece Natalie is playing the part of Titania in a school performance. I haven't read any Shakespeare since high school and I never enjoyed it because in the back of my mind was the dreaded essay, exam, and class lecture on the assigned reading. Back then I had to analyze every word and metaphor but this time around I'm reading it without a care of any deeper meaning, I'm just enjoying the way the words lead me along and with it tell a great story. This edition is from the Folger Shakespeare Library and provides extensive notes and definitions just opposite the text page and keeps me from getting entirely lost. 
The Dugar's book was added because having grown up in a family with 17 children I was curious. It was a quick read and I was quite impressed with how they live and raise their children. I'm still curious though, I want more stories and more details. My mom always talks of writing her own book about our family and I hope she does. I don't think we could paint ourselves as perfect and organized as the Duggar family but a book about our family would be full of stories of adventure, chaos and love, certainly enough to keep one laughing even after all the words have been read. I hope I can raise my own children somewhere between the Duggar family and my own family - my mom would call that "controlled chaos".
This last book was just eye candy, I don't think I've even read one page. Amazon readers gave it 4 1/2 stars but I would maybe give it 3. I was hoping for more innovative embroidery designs - you know like doodling. The embroidery featured on the cover is by far the most interesting piece. But maybe when I stop looking at and actually read it I will change my mind. It just may give me a few new tips that my traditional embroidery books are lacking.Either way this box of new books really brightened my day and filled both my mind and my soul. Now I'm thinking of going on a change hunt around the house then taking a little trip to the coinstar so I can make another order.
We definitely were not as organized as the Dugar family but Mom's book someday will have lots of laughs.
ReplyDeleteI hope Mom writes a book too, except she may leave out the funniest moments, like being so distracted once that she drove away from the gas station with the hose still attached to the car. :)
ReplyDeleteAl can I barrow that book? Mom said she read the book while in Washington and also enjoyed it.
Al, what you need to do is re-sell your books on amazon or half.com it's easier than other online sales cause all you need is the SKU number. Easier than finding change. When I needed a book high, a lot of times I would just roam the public library. It will keep your house uncluttered. Very few books are worth buying. I made Scott get rid of lots of his. I'm so sick of lugging books around. And the Dugar family - uggh, i'm so sick of seeing themselves. I kind of think they have sold their souls to the media. What's wrong w/ remaining a little more private? we could do the whole oprah circuit, but who wants publicity? when it comes down to it, who cares how many kids someone has. or is this too pessimistic.
ReplyDeleteSuz- I admit, I have a book addiction. I hope our next home will be lined with book shelves - every wall. You're right there are a lot of junky books out there but that is not the kind of amazon order I intend to make. I have 10 books on hold at the library but there are 3 others ahead of me that means it could be 9 weeks before I get the books i want to read! I'll check out half.com and see if they are available there.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Duggars - have you read their booK? It seemed fresh to me because I never saw their show. Either way I was still impressed with how they make it work. I don't think they sold their souls because in their mind it is all part of their "ministry". And it seemed to work for me because after reading their book it made me want to be a better wife and mother. The Duggars aren't perfect but I like how they live the life they want to without being swayed by outside influences.
As for Mom writing a book....it is not about publicity or $$$$ (and Oprah, give me a break she doesn't know the least bit about family life). The intention for Mom would be that of sharing the joy of having children no matter what the number. That is a message today's world needs to hear. Mom needs to tell the Mothers of today that they don't have to have it all at once (perfect house, perfect body, perfectly dressed children) but there is joy in the chaos, the messes and even the sacrifices. Her take on life is truly a unique and refreshing one, it had to be or she could not have survived all us kids. Just today I called her and she was cracking up. I asked her "what is so funny" and she said "this little boy here just spilled my joint juice all over" I said "what little boy are you talking about"? and she said "Oh your Dad".
No creo que seas pesimesta pero tu simpre hablas las cosas en su cabesa, a veces bien y a veces no......esta bien hermana! ha ha ha just keep practicing your spanish and they'll never be room for boredom or idleness in Mexico! We'll all be jealous of you then and you can write your own book about raising a family in Mexico
al, i guess your public library is laking then. in az i never had to wait for a book, there were usually several copies. a lot of people who move there donate their entire libraries to downsize when they move from elsewhere. carrying boxes of books really hurts my back. the duggars bug me, i'll leave it at that. i just wonder if their kids get the they need - definately the downside of too many kids. this is getting to be a good blog argument. lets ask other people what they think... big families r great, but they r not 4 everyone, health reasons or other... i can't wait 4 ur reply!
ReplyDeleteI don't know why our library would be lacking....I was searching the catalog that draws from all of SLC! It's the economy maybe people aren't buying books anymore.
ReplyDeleteI may rethink all my books when we physically have to move them but so many of them are kept for reference.
Okay, the Duggars bug you, Oprah bugs me (if you didn't already get that from my previous comment)
What needs do you think are neglected in the Duggar home? Do you feel your needs were not met growing up in such a large family? As far as I'm concerned the good out weighs the bad in a large family.
You are right though big families are not for everyone. It is not the norm nor is anyone preaching it as the norm (but that is another discussion that would take several paragraphs here) it is a personal matter. What is important is having a functional family no matter what the # of children. A lot of the ideas I got from the Duggar's book were tips that could help my family be more functional - i liked it even the idea of a family laundry room/closet - didn't you do that even before the Duggars even hit TV?
You guys are so funny!
ReplyDeleteI do think that having too many books can be junky - depending on the books. But I agree with Suz that Utah libraries are not as good as other states. It is frustrating. There are some books that are good to have on hand for reference - it saves time to look in a book that you already know where/what you are looking for instead of having to filter through online information.
As for the Duggers - I think it is great, as long as they don't mind camera crews with them all the time - for me - it would drive me nuts! I like my space.
As for big families - of course I think they are great - I came from one. But I have noticed that people my age are not having as many kids and they think 4 kids is a lot and 6 kids is a huge family these days. Big families are not for everyone - you either need to be supper on-top-of things and organized like the Duggers or able to adapt, live with a mess and enjoy the ride amongst chaos - like mom. I think I am a little more on the mom side because my house, closets, car, calendar are always messy. Oh, well, as long as I can live with it.
Wow that is an interesting dialog here. Gemina thought she could get us all on the Oprah Show but I was not too keen about it. Watching that show I was sure they would try to make monkeys out of us all.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how we did it as I look back but there was constant and unrelenting activity. It was like canoing down a class II white water river in a canoe. You could never look back, only ahead to watch for the falls, the rocks, to hit the chutes right and you had to be opn your toes every minute.
Mom made me promise we would have 16 kids when we were talking about getting married and it did not seem like such a bad idea. We certainly did not sit down and do excel charts to predict future costs etc... we just wen with the glow and of course we were highly blessed.
We were a little reginmented only in that we went to church every Sunday and supported church programs but not so regimented like the Duggars. And what was he doing homeso much? I had to really work and could not delegate my work to anyone.
Proud of all the Mom's in our family.
Keep up the good work... love Dad
I just started to read this book. I am interested to learn how they organize everything. Becca--your house is never messy!! You are very organized--I think you are more like the Duggars. I am more like mom as I have a hard time organizing the stuff. Al was over and laughed at my desk that has a neatly framed stitched word SIMPLIFY above the piles of misc. papers , folders, computer gadgets, camera, phones, etc covering my desk. Maybe I will blog it because it is funny. My desk definitely reminds me of mom's.
ReplyDeleteSuz & Al--Natalie is enjoying reading the discussion going back and forth--it is blogging drama. :)
I think growing up in a big family was great!!! Thanks Mom and Dad!