Book Reviews

Last week my friend Carla brought me three new books to read...those days are like Christmas for me!  I sat in bed that night reading the covers and inside flaps, trying to decide which one to read first.  I could hardly finish the book I was reading because I wanted to start a new book!  It's like a big old bag of cookies for me!!!  Carla is my book source...she keeps me supplied!  I love a friend who loves to read, especially when we have very similar taste in books.  She is a blessing to me!  So...here's what I had to finish up so I could start the new stack.

"Death in a Prairie House...Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders" by William R. Drennan (+4.0)
If you have read "Loving Frank" I probably wouldn't recommend this book.  Both books are about Frank Lloyd Wright and the tragic murders at his home, Taliesin, in Wisconsin in 1914.  I absolutely loved "Loving Frank".  It was written more like a novel, based on the facts found in newspapers, etc.  "Death in a Prairie House" is very interesting as the author tries to wade through the myths concerning the murders in 1914, it is a little more research/fact-finding type writing, not a novel.  I was aware of Frank Lloyd Wright and his style of architecture.  But I honestly didn't know anything about his personal life or the murders that took place at Taliesin.  In fact, when I read "Loving Frank" I thought it was the most horrible ending, it surely wasn't true.  But I did a little research and found out it was.  Wright was a very eccentric and selfish artist, for me his life seemed very sad in many ways.  He was so caught up in his creativity as it related to nature, but never really seemed to get the magnificence of THE creator.  Joe and I visited Taliesin West in Scottsdale last year and it really is something to see.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sunset tour and unique, creative home and architecture school.  I would definitely recommend both of these books, but don't necessarily think you need to read both, they give very similar histories and details. 

"Your Boy, Raising a Godly Son in an Ungodly World" by Vicki Courtney  (+4.5)
I'll be honest....I don't read very many books like this.  I'm not a big "self-help book" kind of gal.  But I bought this a few years ago and I read the entire thing in a few days and then handed it to Joe and asked him to read it too.  I actually bought it to give to a couple of friends.  This is a really relevent book, pretty current and applicable to where we are living right now.  Courtney doesn't take herself too seriously, so it isn't a rigid "do it this way" kind of book.  She talks openly about challenges faced as we try to raise Godly sons in the world we live in today.  She addresses technology, dating, relating to parents, and so much more.  She has a book about daughters too, titled "Your Girl".  I pulled this book out (I keep it on my bedside table) to look at one particular area and found myself reading the book again.  The author is funny, honest, sticks to Biblical concepts, and admits that not everything she has done will be right for every family, but offers different ideas that still line up with Truth.  You won't see many parenting books on my review list, but this is one I will HIGHLY recommend! 

This should NOT be happening!

It's not right!  It's just not right!  This should NOT be happening!!!  But it did....I actually went to high school orientation last night with my first born, my baby boy....say it ain't so!!!!  I mean, big people go to high school.  Tall people.  People with facial hair.  People with hairy legs.  People with deep voices.  (Okay...hopefully those last three are only the males.)  Wait a minute!  I have one of  those people!  When did my baby get to be 5'9"?  When did his voice stop sounding like mine?  When did the little mustache arrive?  AAAAAHHHH!  It just goes way too fast!

I tried not to think about how it was just a minute ago he was born.  But when I looked around me at orientation, there were dozens of other moms with the same glazed over look.  They had all  left the building and were back about 14 years ago in their minds too.  I was remembering the ride to the hospital, with a very nervous husband who was about to go "high karate" on the guy at the McDonald's drive through line becase he was in slow motion.  Little did he know that it would be another 24 hours before our son graced us with his presence.  And then, the first moment I saw him....my heart be still!  Joe always smiles at the pictures, because I just could not hold Harrison close enough, I needed him right by my face, as close as he could get.  You never in a million years could have told me how much I would love this kid! 

Oh we have enjoyed every minute!  We loved, loved, loved that newborn phase.  The sweet little sounds, the sleepy face, and our favorite...his little wake up dance.  Then he started giving back...a smile, a giggle, a coo...then he did it...."Mama"!  Yep...he said "mama" first!  I still remember laying in bed with Joe and listening to Harrison coo in his crib and he did it, he started saying "mama, mama, mama" over and over.  Joe was a little irritated, thought I'd been coaching him while he was at work.  I really hadn't coached him, but I counted it as a victory!  In a minute it seemed he learned to walk, then run, then ride his trike, swing, climb the slide.  Oh my goodness we had fun!  Everything he did made us smile.  He was such an easy kid and so delightful.  Then he went to Mother's Day Out....one day a week.  The first few weeks I never left the house, just stayed at home and waited for the phone to ring in case he needed me.  Of course, he was fine!  Then a couple years later while he was at preschool I decided I could go to the gym without a phone, he would be fine...they had never called me in the 3 years he had been there.  Yep!  That's when it happened!  They tried to call.  They called the house, they called the cell, they called Joe, they called my friend Julie.  I was at the gym for 45 minutes.  He fell on the playground.  They were taking him to the hospital.  He broke and dislocated his elbow, they were prepping him for surgery.  Let's just say it was a setback for a neurotic mom! 

Then...real school.  Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that my good friend Christi and I stood outside Chisholm and watched our baby boys, Bradley and Harrison, line up for their first day of kindergarten.  Oops!  I forgot, Bradley had to be carried in and then someone had to bar the door so he wouldnt run out.  : )  The first day when I picked Harrison up, he announced "I love school"!  Bradley announced that he was getting married.  Ha! Ha!  Those two crack me up!  One year in elementary school a bigger kid was kind of picking on those two on the playground and they kind of smarted back at the kid.  So he asked them their names, to which they looked at each other, smiled, and answered "Dave and Wade" (their middle names are David and Wade) and they took off running.  And so the adventures of Dave and Wade began...they even drew comic books called "The Adventures of Dave and Wade".  And now....they are both tall, hairy-legged, deep voiced, mustached boys!!!  WAAAAAHHH! 

And honestly, it really was just a few minutes ago that we were sadly saying goodbye to elementary school and bracing ourselves for middle school.  Harrison handled it like a pro!  He loved having all the different teachers, he enjoyed meeting new friends, he enjoyed feeling "bigger".  We gave up the years of playing ball with the kids and coaches that we chose and God had blessed us with....spending lots of evenings and Saturdays with families that we loved at the ballparks and gyms.  And we moved on to school sports.  This group of boys in Harrison's grade are such a great group of kids that it was a fun transition.  Along with middle school came puberty....adolescence....the years of living dangerously.  Wait...that might be too much...sorry!  It is a time filled with hormones, cracking voices, arm pit hair (which initially is counted individually by each pit and announced on a regular basis), moodiness, and lots and lots of eating!  I embraced the fact that Harrison was still shorter than me for as long as possible....then it happened, he passed me.  And he passed me.  And he passed me.  And he passed me...growing 7 inches in one year!  And that brings us back to where we started.  I own one of those tall kids, with hairy legs, a deep voice and facial hair.  This should NOT be happening!!!

I have to say, I still love this kid like crazy!  He is funny, confident, smart, sensitive, compassionate.  He is full of faith!  He desires to live a Godly life, seeks out Godly friends and mentors.  I love watching the young man that he is becoming.  He's normal...makes me wanna pull my hair out somedays!  But, those moments are just a part of coming of age.  The big picture shows a kid who loves his family, loves God, love his friends,  loves to learn, loves to have fun, loves to give.  So....high school...here we come! 

She cracks me up!!!

I have to admit, my daughter cracks me up!!!  She is just naturally funny, both verbally and physically.  The child enters the room like Kramer.  And she makes the most hilarious faces ever!  It's not unusual for her to attempt to sit on the chair and actually fall between the ottoman and the chair with her feet in the air and announce "I'm okay!"  One day I heard her giggling and I couldn't find her...anywhere.  I finally located her stuck between the wall and a little chest with her feet and her arms in the air...totally stuck...could not move at all.  She was laughing hysterically at herself!  Yesterday I told Joe that we should never have that Home Shopping Network (we don't have cable) because Clara believes all of those ads.  She saw some commercial yesterday for little gadgets to hang pictures on the walls without using nails.  And this was the following conversation:

C:  "We should get those, then we won't have anymore 'damn holes' in the wall."
Me to Joe: "Huh?  It kind of sounded like she said d-a-m-n holes??"
Joe:  "I know, I thought that's what she said too.  Surely not."
Me:  "Clara...what did you say about the holes?"
C:  "I said if we get that we won't have anymore 'damn holes' in the wall." 
Me:  "What kind of holes?"
C:  "Damn holes?"
Me:  "Where did you hear that?"
C:  "On the tv commercial."
Me:  "Well, I missed that on the commercial, but nice girls don't say 'damn'."
C:  "Okay" 

Later last night, Joe was tickling Clara and she asked him to stop.  He didn't stop.  So she told him "you are not being polite."  The other day she came in and told me "Harrison went to Carter's without 'pernissions'."  There just are words that she does not quite get right.  Some need to be corrected, but others we just need to leave alone because they are too cute.  (Needless to say, I do not share this blog with Clara's speech therapist.)  Like for example....if we go to Chik Fila Clara likes to order "shicken numnuts".  And the cute little red-headed boy in her pre-k class will forever be "Matato" not Matteo. 

This is the same child who told my friend Christine (a couple of years ago) "when I was in China I was sad.  Then my mommy came and we snuggled and I was happy."    So I was repeating this story to another friend and I asked Clara "why were you sad in China?"  And she said "cuz they all 'China talk' there!"  Really...she cracks me up!!! 

Books...books...books!

Okay....so I'm kind of a book nerd.  I have loved to read since I learned how, way back in the dark ages.  In fact, when I was in second grade, I loved a book so much that I checked it out from the school library, took it home, and spent the entire weekend copying it word for word by hand.  I warned you I was a book nerd!  I'd like to tell you that it was a classic.  Maybe A.A. Milne.  Maybe a Nancy Drew mystery.  Even Amelia Bedelia.  But no...it was a biography about George Washington.  I remember the weekend, it was gray and dreary out and I sat and sat and sat at my little desk in my room and copied that book.  My mom told me how ridiculous it was, we could recheck the book next week.  Pretty sure my brother mocked me (although he's as big of a book nerd as me).  I had that hand copied book in my bedside table all the years I lived at home.  And apparently, my mom, being the sentimental person that she was....TRASHED IT.  I know it's the age of technology, you can order it for your kindle, buy it through scholastic book orders, whatever.  BUT...should your child ever copy a book word for word...please save it for them.  I'm not bitter...just sayin!

ANYWAY...my point is.  I still read a lot.  And I keep a book journal (it's already been determined I'm a nerd, so lay off).  And now, just to torture you, I'm going to give my book reviews for what I've read so far this year.  Normally, I'll just give one at a time as I read it, but I didn't start this blog on January 1st, so you're going to have to suffer through it.  I'll be brief.  Okay, I put a cute picture in first just for fun...has nothing to do with books.  (Oh, and the number after the book title and author is my ranking system, based on a 5 point scale.)

"Spoken From The Heart" by Laura Bush (+3.75)
Obviously I still have a thing for biographies.  Mrs. Bush's book is a nice read, a little dry and slow at times.  But I still enjoyed it and all the history she shared.  Mrs. Bush is pretty reserved and that is very evident in her writing style.  She doesn't give a lot of personal things away, which I respect.  Reading about 9/11 was pretty gut-wrenching!  But I found it most interesting to see all the things that she did as a First Lady.  The press was kind of hard on her, but she has a lot of depth and strength and she accomplished a lot during her time in the White House. 

"Love Walked In" by Marisa DeLos Santos (+4.5)
This book had me on the first page...that doesn't happen very often.  This writer's style is kind of quirky and funny and dry and I loved it.  This is a love story in a most unconventional sense.  It starts out rather conventionally, but takes a lot of twists along the way.  I would highly recommend it!  My favorite line of the whole book was this..."If you've ever considered having a conversation about your sex life in a South Philadelphia cheese shop, stop that thought in its tracks right now and wring its scrawny little neck."  Hilarious!!!

"Lipstick in Afghanistan" by Roberta Gateley (+4.5)
Touching, tragic, lovely, sad story.  An American nurse goes to Afghanistan to help.  She forms deep relationships with Afghani people and also falls in love with an American soldier.  This book stirs up the old "I wanna be a missionary" in me.  But, it also it shows how much people are the same, instead of how different we sometimes think they are.  It was a good read...not easy at times.  If you have a loved one serving in Afghanistan I wouldn't recommend it, it would too close to home. 

"Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God" by Noel Piper (+3.0)
This book tells the stories of five women, all believers, all on different journeys.  The women were just ordinary women in many ways, but because of their extraordinary God, nothing they did was small.  The women's stories are definitely worth reading...inspiring...thought provoking.  My low rating of the book is due to the style of writing.  It is kind of "dissertation style" to me, lots of documenting other sources and quoting other books.  There isn't a lot of original text, no real weaving the story smoothly.  Despite that...God definitely shines through! 

Chinese New Year...Year of the Rabbit

Chinese New Year began last Thursday, February 3rd.  Normally, we go eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Zen.  But...we were stuck inside with a foot of snow.  So we had to improvise.  Clara worked hard all morning making some beautiful lanterns and we got them strung together and Joe hung them for us in the dining room.  Clara was so proud of them, they are still up.  In all the tons of groceries I had bought in preparation for Snowklahoma 2011, I hadn't really thought about Chinese food.  So, I quickly learned how to make some chicken fried rice and I had some edamame in the freezer and....voila!  Chinese New Year lunch.  One Chinese tradition my kids love (as would most any kids I imagine) are the red envelopes with lucky money that children get.  Luckily, we made a trip to the Asian market a couple of weeks ago and were prepared for that much. 

On Sunday night we celebrated Chinese New Year with our friends the Markmillers and the McLaurins.  We went to the Chinese Methodist church's celebration in the ballroom up at UCO.  Katie Mei, Lauren and Clara were all born in China.  And little Jireh is half Taiwanese.  So, we had a bunch of little Asian beauties and a selection of goofy big brothers.  There were more red envelopes and the traditional drawing for prizes...and between us all we came home with a butterfly vase, some bracelets, a blanket, a figurine, a gift certificate for dinner and Colby got some giant hockey puck looking thingy rice cake.  We love this sweet Chinese fellowship, they are always so welcoming and joyful. 

                                          Our improvised CNY lunch at home. 

           Clara and her beautiful lantern decorations.  (Yes she is standing on the furniture.)

Clara and Judy all dressed up for CNY!  Clara lost a tooth the night before, Judy did not. 

                       Katie Mei, Lauren, Clara and little Jireh....beautiful aren't they? 

                                          Our beautiful Clara Ruth Huan Pierce!

Harrison and Lauren....they have a thing for each other!  Harrison is big with the 5 and under set! 

                      The "goofy brothers" I referred to....Jack, Harrison and Sammy!

                                          Our little creative lantern maker! 

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

To Blog or Not to Blog?

To blog or not to blog?  That has been my question for awhile now.  I used to journal a lot.  But my mind goes a lot faster than my hand can write, so I never really wrote everything I was thinking.  I can type really fast, so this just seems to make more sense.  And to be honest, I wish I had something like this from my mom, where I could take a little peak inside what she was thinking when I was growing up.  I would love to have some of her stories to jog my memory about things I have forgotten.  Or even just see her perspective on things. 

I truly do love these two kids of ours more than all the numbers.  And I want them to have a journal of our life...more than just the pictures from Disney World and birthday parties.  I want them to remember the funny things, the God moments, the laughter, the random thoughts, all kinds of stuff.  I'm sure they will treasure the wisdom I share (okay...I can't even keep my face straight while I type that) and my incredible wit. 

I'll just warn you up front, I have a pretty glamorous life.  So, please try not to be jealous!  I'm 49 years old, barreling towards 50.  When I ordered my new skin care products on line last week, they informed me they had to be shipped by "snail mail" because they are "flammable" and can't come by air mail.  You know you've reached a new era in your beauty treatments when they tell you that.  I have become a faithful exerciser (if that's a word), but the goal now is "if it hasn't gotten any worse and I didn't hurt myself....success."  My 14 year old, Harrison, manages to keep things interesting because you just never know what each day will bring.  Like recently, I actually had to go ask the middle school secretary if there was any way, without risking anyone's life, that we could possibly get my daughter's baby doll off the roof of the middle school.  Let's just say Harrison used the doll in a physics lab at school...she didn't come home with Harrison...a few 8th grade boys (not Harrison) got hold of "Baby Grace" and somehow she ended up on the roof.  And if that isn't enough...we have a 5 year old (did I mention I'm heading towards 50?).  You just never know what my little creative one might come up with.  The other day I had to wash her scissors...because they had peanut butter on them...because that's how she chose to cut her peanut butter toast into bites...as opposed to just taking bites with her mouth.  Don't hate me because I'm beautiful! 

                                                   I love them more than all the numbers!