A Tale of Two Mothers

My daughter Ella finished reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time last week, so Sunday night we decided this milestone called for a celebration:  we would show her the first episode of the BBC mini series starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.  

I didn't read P and P until I was 22.  I was so delighted with it that I read it aloud to K.J. on the seven hour road trip between Kentucky and Alabama our first married Thanksgiving.  I was so pleased to be married to him because he laughed in all the right places.  He bought me the DVDs for Christmas, and we spent many years quoting it, but we hadn't watched it together in over five years, so it was so fun to re-visit it and to do it with our newly teenage-d daughter.  

The opening scenes of the Bennet home are filled with the high-pitched voices of Kitty and Lydia arguing over who should wear Kitty's bonnet to church.  Lydia argues that Kitty "is too plain to look well in it."  Mrs. Bennet's strident tones join the chorus as she frequently bemoans, "What is to become of us all?"  Mr. Bennet declares his daughters to be "some of the silliest in all of England."  

When we finished the episode we decided I'd read the beginning of Little Women aloud to E before bed.  She wanted to read it before seeing the new movie, and we've found that sometimes it helps the kids to get into a classic if I start them off with it.  It helps them get the rhythm of older language.  It's also been years since I read Little Women, and after reading the first two chapters aloud I was so struck by the differences between the March and Bennet households.  Both have a household of girls on a journey to find their place in the world, but what a difference between the peace of a household run by Marmee compared to that of Longbourn.  I don't want to judge Mrs. Bennet too harshly, but in one household the only exhortation is to marry someone with money, and in another the emphasis is on becoming women who learn to put to death their selfish desires to become their best selves, to love and serve the people around them. 

Though the time periods and countries are different, there's not a huge difference in what these two groups of sisters can do in life.  They can marry or become a governess.  There's not a lot of choice for their outward life circumstances, but there's all the choice in the world for their minds and hearts, and I love that Marmee focuses on that.

E has been having an inspired week of drawing, and can't you just immediately tell this is Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy?

A Little Bit of Everything

This weekend was just plain fun and chock-full of good things.  I spent a lot of time with my mixer and rolling pin.  

Some of our college students invited us to watch the season premiere of Doctor Who, and I wanted to make something special because sometimes I get really into parties, and it's fun to create.  I think KJ was a little skeptical when I showed him the picture of the cake I wanted to emulate. My cake looks decidedly amateurish compared to the professional, but she had written such a good tutorial on how to put the cake together I thought it was worth a try.  I learned a lot of "cake-decorating things" so it was worth it.  

I did, however, forget to put handles on my TARDIS, so you can't actually get inside and go anywhere.

It's bigger on the inside of course.

You could also say it's smaller on the outside.

The tutorial had me make an entire recipe of marshmallow fondant, but all that it was needed for was the windows, so while KJ and the kids kept tearing off pieces to eat I rolled some out to lay across my second layer of cake.  That was the easiest icing job ever, and KJ likes the marshmallow fondant so much he'd be happy if I never used traditional frosting again. I happened upon the candy glasses and bow ties at Target, and I thought they made a good ode to Doctors 10 and 11.

Our fun night out was sponsored by the Kizziah family who kept our kids, making all kinds of fun memories.  We took some pictures for them to put on a prayer card yesterday evening before church. I don't know if I should share any of the pictures they want to use yet, so I'll settle for an underexposed shot.  I think the properly exposed shots turned out really well.  Maybe this is what their prayer card might look like if they were going to a more dangerous area. 

I've been rocking this kid in this chair like this for almost 5 years.  It's our special spot, so I asked KJ to take a picture last night.  James said, "This can be me and your passport picture."  I think it's the perfect shot for a government document, don't you?

Thoughts

Thoughts from Parenting
Last week I planned an outing for the kids that accomplished some errands for me and some fun things for them.  Ella knew the first part of my plan but not the full extent of it, and she was upset and crying because of one thing I wouldn't let her do.  She was speaking in absolutes, just like I do when I get upset.  I just NEVER get to do what I want!  [pitiful face]  She responded well to my instruction and recovered herself, and we had a fun outing, and the Spirit within me connected some dots for me, too. 

How often have I cried, felt sad because I couldn't do what I wanted or because some other felt need wasn't being met the way I thought it should, and all the while, the Lord has these wonderful, kind, and gracious plans waiting for me.  Ella was partly upset because she thought something was being withheld from her, and I thought to myself, "Do I EVER go to the store without bringing her some small treat?  Don't I plan fun things for her all the time?  Doesn't she know how good I am to her?"  And don't I know the same truths about my heavenly Father?  He has given me the best gift in His Son.  And doesn't He show a million kindnesses day by day?  I am always having my own heart revealed through shepherding my children's hearts.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,

how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

- Romans 8:32 -

 

Thoughts from Television

A couple of days ago I was exercising during James' nap-time while I caught up on some television-watching.  Somewhere in between some bicep curls a woman comforted another woman who was crying over the end of a relationship.  She said something to the effect of:  The relationship you had was alive and vibrant, and now it's dead.  You're a scientist.  Have you ever seen something dead come back to life better than it was?  I just thought, no, I haven't seen it, but I believe it, and I put my hope in it.   

Science and the things we see can only take us so far.  I was overwhelmed again by the hope of Christ's resurrection and so thankful that life is made up of more than what we see.  Our hope is so sure and so great.

Though you have not seen him, you love him.

Though you do not now see him, you believe in him

and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

obtaining the outcome of your faith,

the salvation of your souls.

- 1 Peter 1:8-9 -

Tuesday Morning, no wait, it's Wednesday

Last week I started this great routine where I blogged first thing in the morning, and I had all kinds of great ideas, but I am coming up empty this morning.  I'll give you a rambling update of things I've been doing and thinking about instead.


Doing:

• Of course I've been taking care of James and Luke.  For James that involves putting together Thomas the Train puzzles with him.  He LOVES them.  I found four more great wooden puzzles at Target on Saturday, and he's displaying a brilliant mind in putting them together.  Just saying.  For Luke it involves spreading out a blanket on the floor with toys because he is working his way toward crawling and spending a lot of time on his belly.  No blanket = spit-up on the carpet.  He's making great progress!

• Laundry  I washed and folded two loads yesterday (it is a big accomplishment for me to wash and fold on the same day.) and ironed for quite a while.  I was wondering where Ella's school clothes ran off to, and I found them in the bottom of the ironing basket.
• Reading  The Three Musketeers.  I'm reminded of why this book was the first to replace Gone with the Wind as my favorite in high school.  It's really good.  And funny.
• Watching TV  After fixing our old television all by himself for $5, KJ mounted our new TV on the empty wall in our bedroom that has needed decoration for 3 1/2 years.  It's been the most wonderful thing.  I know some say it makes you stay up later and sleep less well, but I've been going to bed earlier and most of the time falling asleep earlier, too.  There are some nights I go to sleep by 9:45 now, and that never happened before the TV on the wall.  
• Doing The Firm workouts again  I took up jogging over the "winter," and I really enjoyed it.  I completed a Couch to 5K plan, but since I've been able to jog for 30 minutes, I've grown kind of bored with it.  Maybe I'm just bored with my neighborhood route, but I've started interspersing it with my old Firm workouts, and since I haven't been doing strength training much since I started jogging, I am sore.  My abs hurt rolling over in the middle of the night.

Thinking:

• about the summer  We're taking the kids to the beach for a few days.  James has never been, and it's our first real vacation as a family of four.  We went to Disney World when James was 3 months old, so he wasn't really a participant, and that time we were also on an entire family vacation.  This is our first time just the four of us.  I'm excited.

• Free summer movies  Our local movie theater offers free movies for kids during the summer.  I'm planning on taking James for the first time.  I love it when my kids have "first" experiences.  It's so fun.
• Having Ella home again Yippee!!!
• Our story never ends.  I really love serial story-telling.  It's what turned me into a TV-watcher as well as a reader.  I was thinking last night about how much I hated it when stories end and how I hate letting go of characters and plot lines.  I thought about how all stories have to have an ending, but then remembered, Wait!  Ours doesn't.  That made me happy.
• It's time to start the day.  I better go get cleaned up and wake up James and fix him breakfast.

Book to Telly

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

I just love these guys.