tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79229362166304083082012-01-06T13:32:12.595-07:00family + books + music + words + the Word + life = Life with WordsTamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.comBlogger1621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-32489279213916956492012-01-05T10:40:00.003-07:002012-01-05T11:18:34.076-07:00

For the new year, I want to keep better track of the books I read. More often than I would have guessed, I find myself looking for what I wrote about a particular book, and for months now I haven't been keeping a record.So I'm going to try something new. Instead of writing a big list every month or two, I'll post every week or so and just mention the books I've read in that time. I'm hoping this

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-21307833282893271222011-11-12T12:19:00.003-07:002011-11-12T12:50:21.018-07:00

For some reason, we tend to plan family vacations in November, right in the middle of NaNoWriMo. This year I decided I wouldn't worry about trying to write in a notebook at the motel. That doesn't work very well for me. Instead, I figured out a higher word goal for the days I would be at home writing, and so far I'm on track with that, even though I feel behind because of vacation. I want a

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-69190802768753207142011-05-03T20:00:00.002-06:002011-05-03T20:05:10.019-06:00

Despite a few nights of almost forgetting and frantically scrambling words together at 11:45 pm, I met my goal of writing a poem every day in April! The kids didn't write every day, but they wrote more poetry than they've done before. It was a fun challenge, although it's nice to not have the pressure now of coming up with something every day. The poems, good ones and bad ones, are at Word

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-79203999343320841742011-03-31T13:41:00.003-06:002011-03-31T13:51:31.897-06:00

For April we're making NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) part of our homeschool. Instead of posting our poems every day on this blog, we started a new one to put them on, along with other writing projects from our family. I'm hoping to encourage my children to write more and share more. I'm committing to a poem every day in April myself; the kids may not keep to that schedule, but I'll be

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-48286772360665200232011-03-20T21:37:00.003-06:002011-03-20T22:21:12.167-06:00

Mike and I went on an early anniversary trip to St. George. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, went to the St. George Temple, went to see Bill Cosby at Tuacahn, did some walking, and hiked a little in Zion National Park. I wish I were a better photographer, because the photos we took just don't capture what it was like.We went to Zion Canyon first, the south central part of the park where most

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-89097926965422446442011-03-06T19:50:00.002-07:002011-03-06T20:03:54.149-07:00

Why four blog posts in one day? you ask. Well, let me tell you, I reply (and if you were here in person, you'd hear the reason in my hoarse and scratchy voice). I stayed home from church, trying to recover from bronchitis, and needed something to distract me from the oppressive gunkiness. Now you know.I came across two poems I liked in a book by John Sterling Harris. Here's the first one:

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-11792619419167683292011-03-06T15:05:00.003-07:002011-03-06T15:42:05.911-07:00

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great by Gerald Morris, ill. Aaron Renier, 2008, 92 pages (age 8 and up, or younger as a read-aloud).The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short by Gerald Morris, ill. Aaron Renier, 2008, 101 pages (age 8 and up, or younger as a read-aloud).These are very funny, easy-to-read books. The author has written another series for upper elementary readers (starting with The

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-60199378286280776352011-03-06T14:34:00.003-07:002011-03-06T15:04:42.831-07:00

Here are a few movies we've enjoyed lately:The Pride of the Yankees (1942) - I don't watch a lot of sports movies, but I enjoyed this one. It's the story of Lou Gehrig, his family life, his famous career, and his illness that forced him to leave baseball. It's refreshing to see a story that praises decency and hard work.The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) - I don't watch a lot of war movies,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-4259071875496034352011-03-06T10:52:00.004-07:002011-03-06T11:31:52.666-07:00

It took me till the last day of February, but I finished February Album Writing Month for the first time! Most of the pieces I did this year were short exercises from a composition workbook I'm working through. But hey, I'm counting them. I also put a scripture to music (Matthew 16:13-17, our stake scripture for the year) to help me and my family memorize it more easily. I used a hymn tune, but

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-61295749023881302462011-01-27T09:31:00.002-07:002011-01-27T09:37:10.413-07:00

We've just started our latest chemistry class. The older kids are using Ellen McHenry's book Carbon Chemistry, and the younger kids are doing various experiments, some the same as the older kids and some different. Yesterday everyone's favorite was mixing cornstarch and water to make what I've heard called "goo," "ooze," "plasma," or "oobleck." Last time we did this with a group, I had just

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-75509356355438629982011-01-25T10:16:00.002-07:002011-01-25T10:20:22.740-07:00

It's only a week till February, and that means February Album Writing Month. Last year I wrote a couple of short pieces, but didn't keep up with it and didn't reach the FAWM goal of 14 songs in 28 days. This year I'm ready! 2011 is going to be the year I complete both FAWM and NaNoWriMo. (While keeping the house clean, the children educated, and the checkbook balanced. Ha ha!)

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-43132335303407446192011-01-17T22:09:00.002-07:002011-01-17T22:30:07.441-07:00

Have you ever been asked to say the closing prayer in a church meeting, and by the time the meeting ends, you've forgotten all about it, and everyone's waiting, and you're waiting too, and all of a sudden you realize everyone's waiting for you?I hope it's not just me that this happens to.Now to the next level. Has this ever happened to you with the opening prayer in a church meeting? You're asked

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-34155070457874988332011-01-17T21:36:00.002-07:002011-01-17T22:08:57.572-07:00

Soon I hope to get back to listing the good books our family reads, but first I have to get back in the habit of keeping track of them throughout the month! Last October, though, we got a book from the library with Leonard Maltin's reviews of movies from the 1920s onward. We wrote down some that sounded good, as well as some we'd seen before but wanted to see again, and we've been watching one or

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-43312816168394357552011-01-01T00:16:00.003-07:002011-01-01T00:26:12.096-07:00

Mike and I went out to dinner, then came home and watched movies with the kids till midnight: Support Your Local Sheriff, Galaxy Quest, and an episode of Star Trek to finish things off. I hope you had as much fun as we did!

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-18783577796389949852010-12-31T15:34:00.002-07:002010-12-31T15:48:46.204-07:00

This is section 106 of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's long poem In Memoriam A.H.H., published in 1850. I think New Year's Eve is always a day of hope for a better year to come.Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,&nbsp &nbsp The flying cloud, the frosty light:&nbsp &nbsp The year is dying in the night;Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.Ring out the old, ring in the new,&nbsp &nbsp Ring, happy bells,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-55108417941888746092010-12-27T10:05:00.002-07:002010-12-27T10:10:08.660-07:00

I'm organizing my living room this morning, with Christmas songs still going through my head, and this is the result.When I clean out my couches,To my surprise I see:12 paper clips11 board game pieces10 candy wrappers9 broken crayons8 chocolate chips7 ballpoint pens6 corroded pennies5 Chee-ri-os!4 pattern blocks3 hair bands2 remote controlsAnd a book from the li-bra-ry.(Sometimes I think a horse

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-70684046747103556672010-12-25T08:14:00.006-07:002010-12-25T09:43:29.000-07:00

(As I typed that title, I thought: English is fun. You can put four nouns in a row and the first three can modify the fourth.)Here are some word clouds I made at wordle.net by pasting in the lyrics to Christmas songs. The size of each word corresponds to how frequently it's used in the song. See if you can guess them. (Most are easy this year, but one or two might challenge you.) You can click on

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-48828830623446759302010-11-23T06:55:00.003-07:002010-11-23T07:22:35.794-07:00

This is Stacy...And this is Lilly.They've been quite the hit at our house. It's like Gerbil TV. I catch the kids, and even myself, spending large amounts of time watching them run around, play with each other, and chew up cardboard. (They love toilet paper tubes and paper towel tubes.) They don't mind being held, but they're so curious that they mostly just want to squirm out of your hands and

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-91707917679792132062010-11-01T13:07:00.003-06:002010-11-01T13:22:09.587-06:00

Well, it's November 1 and the NaNoWriMo site is overloaded, so I can't enter my first wordcount for this year's novel. (1,144 so far.) So instead I'll give a quick update on what we've been doing.Gerbils - After a year or more of talking about getting a pet, then researching different animals, we finally got two gerbils last week from the Humane Society. I'll post photos sometime. They are

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-41551828507181766752010-08-28T20:40:00.002-06:002010-08-28T21:23:01.442-06:00

It's the start of a new school year, and during the past few weeks I've been talking with each of my kids to plan what they'd like to learn and how they'd like to learn it. My 12-year-old middle child decided that she would like a reading list for the year. Through several conversations I discovered:1. She wanted to read every book on the list, "even the ones I don't want to read."2. She didn't

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-389179541620321202010-08-09T23:06:00.002-06:002010-08-09T23:15:09.109-06:00

I keep finding poems I like lately. I like this one for the rhythm and for the interesting picture of death as a destination.Up-Hillby Christina RossettiDoes the road wind up-hill all the way?&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Yes, to the very end.Will the day's journey take the whole long day?&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp From morn to night, my friend.But is there for the night a resting-place?&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp A roof for

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-28925456998487690902010-08-09T17:10:00.003-06:002010-08-09T17:25:43.760-06:00

My mother has a cat that is aptly named Spooky. This is the cat that doesn't like anyone besides my mom to pet her, touch her, or look at her. One time she was behind a couch and I made the mistake of looking back there. She crouched, staring up at me, and then exploded toward my face with a sudden leap. I still don't know how I got out of that one alive. Good reflexes, I guess, because there was

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-17511927220692446622010-08-08T23:46:00.003-06:002010-08-08T23:57:31.178-06:00

Our family went out to Antelope Island yesterday. Mike had never been there, and I told him he couldn't call himself a Utahn until he did. This view is from the island looking east toward the Wasatch Mountains. In the photo it looks like you could jump across the lake, but really it's wider than it looks.We went to the visitors' center and also went to the south end of the island to the Fielding

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-20085086828745374522010-08-02T17:15:00.003-06:002010-08-02T17:21:24.984-06:00

The first two lines of this little poem are my favorite part because they are so true. (At least for me.)Mr. Meant-ToAuthor unknownMr. Meant-to has a comrade,And his name is Didn't-do.Have you ever chanced to meet them?Did they ever call on you?These two fellows live togetherIn the house of Never-win,And I'm told that it is hauntedBy the ghost of Might-have-been.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-7850506945708831782010-07-24T11:04:00.004-06:002010-07-24T11:24:52.612-06:00

Here's one of my favorite quizzes on sporcle.com: Can you complete the Princess Bride quotes? I was in high school when the movie came out. I saw it several times in theaters, then many times on video. Still, it's been a while since I watched it, so I was surprised to find that my brain is still finding space to store the dialogue from whole scenes. (This may explain why there seems to be so

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-29837103497726291972010-07-21T21:38:00.003-06:002010-07-21T22:43:01.325-06:00

It's been a long time since I posted any book reviews, but I have kept track of some of the good ones I've read. Since I don't have hours and hours to look up all the publishing information and write coherent and meaningful reviews, I'll just make a quick list (in no particular order) and a few comments.100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson. Young adult fiction about a boy who discovers hidden doors to

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-58547104822706377172010-07-18T22:29:00.003-06:002010-07-18T22:37:41.363-06:00

I love thinking about Emily Dickinson's poems, how the few words fit together like a puzzle box to express an idea. This one captures the moment of choice when a desire becomes -- or doesn't become -- an action.A Deed Knocks First at Thoughtby Emily DickinsonA deed knocks first at thought,And then it knocks at will.That is the manufacturing spot,And will at home and well.It then goes out an act,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-33098080406116535302010-06-28T07:32:00.002-06:002010-06-28T07:41:51.587-06:00

In 1966 a book of my great-aunt's poems was published by the Utah State Poetry Society. Here's one of my favorites.Rain: Crayon by a Childby Lael W. HillFirst green, gold as an edge of April(she at the opening April of her years)grows thick as wax acrossher studied painting, a field, a grassy fill.Beyond, perhaps a river --white with blue currents wavering -- flowslike time, betweenthis green,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-1646886292142141282010-06-27T20:53:00.002-06:002010-06-27T21:45:38.807-06:00

We're lucky to have two library systems within easy driving distance, and one of them has complete seasons of Mythbusters available to check out. This is a show our whole family enjoys. It's fascinating to see how they use math and science and engineering (and explosions).The other day we were watching an episode where they tested some skydiving myths.* As I was watching them get ready to jump

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-42158442469872912062010-06-13T09:04:00.003-06:002010-06-13T09:20:08.844-06:00

I came across this poem in a book of hymns from various churches. It's listed as a "Sunday School Hymn," which seems appropriate for the author of Little Women and Little Men, with her interest in teaching children. (And not just children -- I'm still working on this lesson too.)A Little Kingdom I Possessby Louisa May AlcottA little kingdom I possessWhere thoughts and feelings dwell,And very hard

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-10211312137497088402010-06-11T08:34:00.003-06:002010-06-11T09:16:46.878-06:00

The longer I don't post, the more I feel like I need some big reason to post. But nothing big is happening -- not that I'm complaining, since big events come in negative varieties too -- so I'll just manufacture some excitement.Local homeschooler wins award for making it all the way to June -- Early predictions were proved wrong as Tamary successfully refrained from screaming, running away, and

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-4661765638850797552010-04-17T10:26:00.002-06:002010-04-17T10:56:52.973-06:00

It's that time of year again. We decided we'd better get out and mow the lawn before it grew out of control. Mike mows the back "lawn" (weeds) with an old gas mower someone gave us, and I mow the front lawn with the push mower.I love this mower. I got it out this morning and was WD-40ing it in the driveway when I overheard Mike talking to our neighbor across the street.Neighbor: Why don't you

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-38585371917293884242010-03-04T19:33:00.002-07:002010-03-04T19:50:30.897-07:00

FAWM is February Album Writing Month. The challenge is to write 14 songs (an album's worth) during the month of February. Procrastination got the better of me, though, and by the end of the month I'd only finished four songs and had half of another one written.I still had fun, though, and next year I plan to start on time and finish the challenge with time to spare!My songs were:Icy Rain in B

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-69486399189674045352010-03-03T16:39:00.002-07:002010-03-03T16:46:52.347-07:00

I love days when we're not too busy and can spend most of the day at home. Here's one reason:15 minutes later:And 5 minutes after that:If only I could bake more than four loaves at once!Fresh, warm bread with butter has to be on the top ten list of best-tasting foods in the universe.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-44185784297093037612010-02-13T21:26:00.002-07:002010-02-13T21:39:34.990-07:00

It's been a busy year for T. so far.Starting cub scouts . . .Getting baptized . . .And staying busy with other projects.He's still young enough to like hugs and kisses, but too big now to sit on my lap comfortably. He washes his own hair and reads whole books by himself. It's hard to picture the baby he used to be. Sometimes I miss that baby, just for a minute, but then he'll say something

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-54505290432645503162010-02-13T20:54:00.002-07:002010-02-13T21:07:45.828-07:00

After the last blood drive experience, I wasn't sure I wanted to try again. But we needed a cheap date last night, so off we went. Romantic!I'm happy to report that this time, I didn't provide any unusual entertainment for the technicians. No gushing blood, no running for ice packs. No bruising, either! (I tried the hold-your-arm-straight-up trick, and it seems to have worked.)I did learn one

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-88705676614014718492010-02-05T20:14:00.002-07:002010-02-05T20:25:25.267-07:00

Our new oven works great. I, on the other hand, have some reprogramming to do. Over the past 10 years I've figured out how to adjust for the quirks of the old oven, and I'd never realized how conditioned I'd become. We baked brownies in the new oven yesterday, and I automatically subtracted 25 degrees from the temperature. The brownies turned out good, but a little gooey, and then it dawned on me

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-2855817819175824582010-02-01T23:05:00.002-07:002010-02-01T23:36:34.422-07:00

So our oven died last week. It was a slow and quiet death, and I didn't realize what was happening until I tried to bake four loaves of bread and they burned on top and were still dough on the bottom. (And if you've made bread from scratch without a breadmaker or mixer, then you can imagine my reaction when I realized all that work was wasted. The children came in to see why I was yelling at the

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-53423695362538456442010-01-31T21:30:00.002-07:002010-01-31T21:34:52.064-07:00

Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell, 2008, 176 pages (age 6 and up).Ottoline Goes to School by Chris Riddell, 2009, 176 pages (age 6 and up).We discovered these very entertaining books at the library. The fairly simple stories are told with a combination of text and drawings – and the drawings are wonderful, detailed and humorous. The basic premise is that Ottoline and her

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-9211389928574719682010-01-30T15:11:00.002-07:002010-01-30T15:30:51.955-07:00

Be careful what you wear.Our brand-new-to-Cub-Scouts son went to his first pack meeting this week and got his Bobcat award that he worked hard to earn in time. Mike and I were standing there smiling like proud parents when the Cubmaster gave T. a pin and said, "This is for your mom. Go pin it on her."The last time I went to a pack meeting was when my brothers were little and my mom made me go to

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-42201662018442007602010-01-11T10:06:00.007-07:002010-02-01T23:39:37.820-07:00

Mike and I tried cross-country skiing for the first time on Saturday. We found a great deal through Utah Winter Games: $10 per person for equipment rental, a 60-minute group lesson, and additional time to use the ski trails.I didn't take my camera, so you can picture me like this:Ha ha! I wish I looked like that! I was doing more of a beginner's shuffle during the times I wasn't waving my arms

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-37566801285823022352010-01-01T17:48:00.004-07:002010-01-01T17:56:47.207-07:00

I cleaned out my cupboards and food storage area today. I put together a new shelf for cans, organized what we have, and figured out what needs to be bought next. I found out what was lurking in the back of the freezer. (Meat and vegetables I'd forgotten we had, but mostly still usable.) But here's the sad thing.In my cupboard was old baking chocolate with an expiration date from years ago.You

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-76374956277865928152009-12-23T21:33:00.004-07:002009-12-23T22:34:08.082-07:00

Last Sunday at church we had a musical program. It's become a tradition that on the Sunday before Christmas, the bishop asks several members of the congregation to speak briefly about a favorite Christmas song. After each speaker, the congregation sings the song the speaker chose. I love hearing the reasons people choose various songs, and I love the extra singing.This year, instead of asking for

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-14343132893201125602009-12-18T08:23:00.002-07:002009-12-18T08:35:04.823-07:00

A few years ago I put together this game for a choir party. The phrases are from Christmas songs, but not from the first verse. Each phrase has been broken in half. Can you match the two parts of each phrase and then decide which carol each phrase is from?No more will sin and sorrow growAll meanly wrapped in swathing bandsWhen I was a seeker, I sought both night and dayBorn a babe on Bethlehem's

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-62113456378904508172009-12-09T15:52:00.002-07:002009-12-09T15:56:08.130-07:00

It really feels like December now, with the snow piled up in the yard and along the streets!I Heard a Bird Singby Oliver HerfordI heard a bird sing&nbsp &nbsp In the dark of DecemberA magical thing&nbsp &nbsp And sweet to remember."We are nearer to Spring&nbsp &nbsp Than we were in September,"I heard a bird sing&nbsp &nbsp In the dark of December.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-37671014701520368152009-12-09T15:20:00.002-07:002009-12-09T15:49:12.614-07:00

The End by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Richard Egielski, 2007, 40 pages (age 4 and up).What a fun picture book! It starts, “And they all lived happily ever after.” Then each new page tells you what happened before the previous one. It feels like you’re reading a story backwards. When I finished I had to read it again to see the whole thing in perspective. The pictures are worth examining to

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-47428383403632478242009-11-30T22:08:00.003-07:002009-11-30T22:47:31.452-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we finished our 3-week geology class. We had 7 children participating besides my 3 kids. We looked at different rocks and minerals, used books to identify some, and even tasted one (halite, otherwise known as rock salt). We went to the Hutchings Museum where we had a wonderful personalized tour. We broke open geodes (small ones) and looked at fossils. One of the activities

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-70098790600299769232009-11-30T07:43:00.002-07:002009-11-30T07:49:02.459-07:00

Here's another poem I like, told from the point of view of a child who's still adjusting to a new sibling. I know the authors' names from their book Tales from Shakespeare, but apparently they also wrote poetry together.The First Toothby Charles and Mary LambThrough the house what busy joy,Just because the infant boyHas a tiny tooth to show!I have got a double row,All as white, and all as small;

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-26686558518047184492009-11-29T16:57:00.006-07:002009-11-29T19:59:27.610-07:00

November is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and this was my second year participating. The goal is to write 50,000 words minimum during the month of November, and my story wrapped up at 50,191 words yesterday. Whew!They have a T-shirt that says "Camp NaNoWriMo: An idyllic writers retreat, smack-dab in the middle of your crazy life." It's true! It's like a mini-vacation without going

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-58411434669646104242009-10-29T15:13:00.002-06:002009-10-29T15:21:28.035-06:00

We found this poem several years ago in a library book; I copied it down and then lost the paper. Last week we were delighted to find it again in a different library book. Here it is on the blog so we won't lose it again!The Henby Lord Alfred DouglasThe Hen is a ferocious fowl,She pecks you till she makes you howl.And all the time she flaps her wings,And says the most insulting things.And when

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-64072865972339144832009-10-26T10:40:00.004-06:002009-10-26T11:10:53.478-06:00

Not to brag or anything, but the Deseret News recognized me this morning for my bad writing.Last year when the Bad Opening Sentences contest came around, I couldn't think of anything to send in. Then, as soon as the deadline passed, two or three ideas came immediately to mind. I wrote them down and added to the list from time to time, and this year I was ready.The funny thing is, the one they

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-77989536696112630882009-10-22T22:41:00.003-06:002009-10-22T23:18:30.449-06:00

We had a star party tonight to finish off our astronomy class. It was amazing to look through telescopes and see the craters on the moon, Jupiter with three of its moons, and the far-away blur of the Andromeda galaxy. But I had just as much fun staring up into the sky and trying to pick out stars that were on my star chart. Later, after we came home and the rest of the family went to bed, I

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-71701506332085969262009-10-21T21:38:00.003-06:002009-10-21T21:56:13.397-06:00

I was reading a blog I like, Here in the Bonny Glen, and the author linked back to a post from 2006 about her "Rule of Six" -- that is, six things she tries to include in her family's lives each day:-meaningful work-imaginative play-good books-beauty (art, music, nature)-ideas to ponder and discuss-prayerThen in the comments, someone mentioned this quote from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:"One ought

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-77804879335720447862009-10-16T08:25:00.002-06:002009-10-16T09:03:44.218-06:00

Yesterday we finally went to see the Golden Spike National Historic Site. I grew up in Utah and I'd never been there -- maybe because it's truly out in the middle of nowhere and not just somewhere you can drop by on your way to somewhere else.We've hit the in-between fall weather, where the mornings are chilly and then it warms up by afternoon. T. insisted that he was freezing when we

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-688424011899483782009-10-13T21:12:00.002-06:002009-10-13T21:33:20.393-06:00

This poem was written in 1915, but it seems timeless to me. The author was getting ready to enlist, so soldiers were on his mind, but I think the poem could also describe someone coming to an awareness that there are many homeless and hungry souls.The Owlby Edward ThomasDownhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved;Cold, yet had heat within me that was proofAgainst the North wind; tired, yet so

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-67138267383416722832009-10-10T23:37:00.006-06:002009-10-11T00:17:28.367-06:00

Our church's general conference was last Sunday, so this week I spent a couple of afternoons downtown helping with proofreading. We also had our final astronomy class this week and went on a long-promised trip to the Treehouse Children's Museum in Ogden. Today it hit me that I should probably catch up on laundry, since it had been somewhat neglected during all this busyness. But I was having a

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-44773615059353197142009-10-01T10:16:00.002-06:002009-10-01T10:21:14.559-06:00

September’s reading went mostly like this:-A couple of nonfiction books that looked interesting but turned out to be fairly boring.-Several books that were mildly entertaining, but not enough to encourage others to read them.-At least three very good books that I haven’t finished yet.This wouldn’t give me much to write about, but luckily Shakespeare, Edith Wharton, and Megan Whalen Turner saved

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-86997337709227580742009-09-25T07:23:00.002-06:002009-09-26T09:18:35.452-06:00

When I read this poem, I think of times when nothing seems to be going well, and the difference one friend, or spouse, or child can make.Sonnet 29by William ShakespeareWhen, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,I all alone beweep my outcast state,And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,And look upon myself and curse my fate,Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,Featured like him,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-8860911098955988922009-09-25T07:19:00.003-06:002009-09-25T07:22:45.875-06:00

I had to get a blanket the other night! (A thin blanket, but still...) I'm always glad when fall comes. It's my favorite season. There's only one thing I will miss about summer: Tomato sandwiches. Thick slices of a ripe garden tomato, wheat bread, Miracle Whip, and salt and pepper. Heaven.I honestly can't think of anything else I will miss.What about you?

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-67624761359412033832009-09-24T09:59:00.004-06:002009-09-24T10:51:36.979-06:00

First of all, happy National Punctuation Day!Basic celebration technique: Use proper punctuation in all your writing today.Next level: Read a chapter of Dickens or Austen or another 19th-century book with long sentences, paying attention to the punctuation.Advanced: Take the quick punctuation symbol quiz at Quizicon.Yesterday we had our first astronomy class. We talked about the solar system and

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-91802741022784409472009-09-09T19:16:00.002-06:002009-09-09T20:01:16.034-06:00

This poem makes me laugh. It was written by Thomas Moore in 1834, but it could just as easily be the thoughts of a young man today, lamenting how easy it is to be captured by a pretty face. What do you think?The Time I've Lost in Wooingby Thomas MooreThe time I've lost in wooing,In watching and pursuing&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp The light that lies&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp In woman's eyes,Has been my heart's

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-86219250545732595792009-09-07T22:23:00.007-06:002009-09-07T23:28:01.254-06:00

Mike has been talking all summer about going whitewater rafting. This is what he told me it would be like:And this is what I pictured:And this:And this:As you can see, I'm a worrywart, a wuss, and a wimp. I went rafting once when I was about 15, before I developed my adult sense of bodily preservation. But now, even though I enjoy the outdoors, I prefer calm activities that don't involve the

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-6489784001569020962009-08-31T23:20:00.004-06:002009-09-01T00:22:53.061-06:00

The Goblin Baby by Berlie Doherty, 2004, 120 pages.My 7-year-old is not as much of a reader as his sisters were at his age. He loves to read books like the Magic School Bus series, but has a hard time staying focused long enough to read a story. This book was a good find for him. It's a fairly easy chapter book with lots of illustrations, but the story and language aren't so simple as to feel

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-54119086582844290452009-08-29T08:56:00.002-06:002009-08-29T09:12:52.587-06:00

In the children's section of the library I once found a book of poetry called I Gave My Mom a Castle. Each poem is like a little snapshot of a child's feelings. Here's one of my favorites.The Bulbby Jean LittleI am the fourth daughter in my family.They kept trying for a boy.Since I was born on my gran's birthday,They asked her to name me.I used to wish they hadn't.Most people call me Mary,And I

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-31971237710587714732009-08-23T21:44:00.001-06:002009-08-24T21:12:18.039-06:00

We started school today. This is our first year having a connection with the public school schedule. M. is taking seminary (LDS religion class) at the local junior high school, so we're jumping into the confusing world of A days and B days, "early out Fridays," and assembly days. Maybe after a while my brain won't overheat when I try to figure out what time Mary's supposed to be there.All the

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-27399035987914676412009-08-21T17:00:00.005-06:002009-08-21T17:34:49.466-06:00

A few weeks ago, my friend Lisa suggested a hint for preventing bruises after giving blood. (Nothing fancy, just raising your arm over your head for several minutes right after the blood is drawn.) Today there was a blood drive* at our church, and I was planning to try Lisa's strategy. Here's how it went.Lab coat guy: (Removing needle) Keep some pressure on that and hold it up in the air. ...

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-56648951273419077552009-08-19T12:18:00.003-06:002009-08-19T12:25:51.193-06:00

I found this in the introduction to a book I just started:". . . the word mamihlapinatapai, of the Yagan language of Tierra del Fuego, which means 'looking at each other with each hoping that the other will do something that you both want to have done but which neither of you wants to do themselves.' "Some things really do go beyond culture and are just part of being human!

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-80951221452074430092009-08-18T21:23:00.002-06:002009-08-18T21:32:44.719-06:00

I saw the last stanza of this poem on a TV show, of all places, and jotted it down. Years later I searched online and found out there was more to it. I like the calm feeling of the poem, especially toward the end.Prayer for This Houseby Louis Untermeyer May nothing evil cross this door, And may ill fortune never pry About these windows; may the roar &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp And rain go by.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-90639703561684817592009-08-15T19:08:00.004-06:002009-08-15T19:21:40.027-06:00

We're celebrating A.'s birthday today, and according to family tradition she gets to pick what we have for dinner. She asked for bubble and squeak. It's usually something we eat in the fall and winter, since it's very filling and warm. But she wants it, so it's in the oven right now.Here's the recipe, adapted from an old British recipe my mother got somewhere. (The original called for things like

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-86705993735117553942009-08-12T09:24:00.002-06:002009-08-12T09:51:06.660-06:00

What Makes Me Happy? by Catherine and Laurence Anholt, 1994, 28 pages. This picture book has a cute cast of little children who answer questions like “What makes me happy?” or “What makes me jealous?” (I liked the “jealous” one –- it’s answered by twins who point at each other and say, “Her!”) It would be a fun book to read with children and ask, “What about you? When do you feel this way?”The

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-43935651007029157332009-08-10T08:57:00.003-06:002009-08-10T09:08:49.268-06:00

It's pretty neat when you happen to see your great-grandmother online. Here's the link to an article about my mother's mother's mother at Keepapitchinin, a fascinating blog about Mormon history.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-34159739654185511952009-08-10T06:48:00.002-06:002009-08-10T07:36:06.090-06:00

We're getting ready to start our new school year. (The original plan was to keep doing school through the summer, but then ... well ... summer got in the way.) I've signed M. up for seminary, stocked up on notebooks at the back-to-school sales, and ordered a few new books and things for the coming year. (I love ordering new school things. I love it way too much.)This is also the time of year when

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-46562661083498390512009-08-09T21:10:00.003-06:002009-08-09T21:54:28.042-06:00

I play the piano almost every day, usually just for fun. But a couple of weeks ago I bought an arrangement of Die Moldau by Smetana, a Czech composer. It's a long, beautiful piece that I love listening to, and I'm determined to learn to play it. My left hand isn't smooth yet on the fast runs of notes. There are awkward places where I need to work out the fingering. There are two or three pages I

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-88704587545683231882009-07-28T10:37:00.002-06:002009-07-28T10:48:28.606-06:00

(Remember that line? "It was a dark and stormy night. All of the boys were gathered around the campfire. One of the boys spoke up and said, 'Grandpa, tell us a story.' And this is how the story began. 'It was a dark and stormy night...'")T. is writing a book. He's made the title page and the table of contents (he's very fond of the dot leader tab in Word). Today he finished chapter 1 and he said

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-73694948227304065282009-07-27T21:46:00.002-06:002009-07-27T21:58:03.619-06:00

This is one of our favorites to recite, with lots of expression, especially when we're walking down a sidewalk together! (Preferably when nobody else is close enough to hear.)Lines and Squaresby A. A. MilneWhenever I walk in a London street,I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;&nbsp &nbsp And I keep in the squares,&nbsp &nbsp And the masses of bears,Who wait at the corners all ready to eatThe

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-2251587896204986122009-07-27T20:51:00.002-06:002009-07-27T21:39:45.272-06:00

Yesterday at church, Mike was released from his calling as a counselor in the bishopric. Actually, both counselors were released and new ones were called. (Our bishop likes to shake things up and give different people a chance to serve.)Here's the thing that cracked us up, though. Usually when you get released from a calling, it's fairly routine; everyone's interested in the new person called,

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-398725629096933382009-07-19T21:04:00.004-06:002009-07-19T21:59:39.623-06:00

When we got home from church today, there was a voicemail message telling us that my grandmother passed away last night.It's not a big surprise. Grandma has had Alzheimer's, or something like it, for several years now, and in the past month or two her health has gone downhill fast. We know she's in a better place now, happy to be reunited with Grandpa, and finally able to see, hear, and think

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-88569820464457957302009-07-15T16:28:00.002-06:002009-07-15T16:38:06.728-06:00

So here's what I've gotten done today so far. -Mowed the front and side lawns -Worked with M. on creating and planting a flowerbed -Watched a movie with the kids (City of Ember) so we can take it back to the library; discussed how the movie compares to the book -Washed the dishes -Cleaned the bathroom floor for the first time in I'm-not-going-to-tell-you-how-long -Washed, dried, and put

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-19999507309079064792009-07-10T12:31:00.002-06:002009-07-10T12:44:37.361-06:00

The other day I read an author's blog post about getting the first words of a book right. Now I'm noticing the first words of every book I read. Here are the first sentences of 14 classic books that I grabbed off my shelves. See if you can guess the titles and authors. All were written before 1965. I've skipped any introductions or prefaces and gone straight to Chapter 1.1. As I walked through

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-5112229566843577082009-07-07T09:20:00.002-06:002009-07-07T09:25:55.246-06:00

This is another favorite. Short but beautiful.Sermon Without Wordsby Elizabeth Patton MossSaint Francis came to preach. With smiles he metThe friendless, fed the poor, freed a trapped bird,Led home a child. Although he spoke no word,His text, God's love, the town did not forget.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-66403286620964735062009-07-05T20:01:00.006-06:002009-07-05T20:57:07.486-06:00

We just got back from a 4-day adventure at Camp Frontier in the Uintas. Camp Frontier is a Boy Scout camp, but once a year they open it up for a few days to families. It was so much fun!This was our campsite. We had torrents of rain for about a day and a half, and our large tent leaked, forcing some of us to sleep in the van on the second night. One of the leaders rigged up an extra tarp over our

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-35820352854496973492009-06-20T17:37:00.006-06:002009-06-20T22:33:32.764-06:00

We wanted to do something kind of big to celebrate our 15th anniversary this year. But we didn't want to go over our budget, either. After tossing around a lot of ideas, we decided that instead of going on a trip, we'd stay home. The kids went to spend 5 days with their generous aunt and uncle and cousins, and Mike and I spent 5 days doing a bunch of fun things around here. Here are some of the

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-72003289882114186322009-06-14T20:58:00.005-06:002009-06-14T21:35:06.104-06:00

I grew up watching Sesame Street, The Electric Company, and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Our library has DVDs of the original Electric Company, which my kids have enjoyed watching. But we also discovered that YouTube has clips from many of these old shows. If you were a child in the 70s, see if any of these bring back fond memories. Even if you weren't, you may still enjoy them. What classic bits

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-87719595965367396542009-06-12T16:48:00.002-06:002009-06-12T17:05:44.884-06:00

Hopkins (1844-1889) can be a hard poet to read because of the way he places his words, but fortunately that leads to slowing down, figuring out, and thinking about. I really like this poem of his. To me it seems to be about individual worth, and how we look on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart.THE LANTERN OUT OF DOORSby Gerard Manley HopkinsSometimes a lantern moves along the

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-54499752427449692122009-06-09T21:51:00.004-06:002009-06-09T22:43:02.583-06:00

Step 1: Get a nasty cold.Step 2: Keep the cold for at least a week, long enough to be frantic for any distraction you can find that involves sitting still so you're less likely to cough your lungs out.(Steps 1 and 2 can be left out if for some reason you'd rather proceed directly to step 3.)Step 3: While dawdling away time on the computer, play the geography game at FreeRice. (The default game is

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-19501130513978742282009-06-09T21:00:00.002-06:002009-06-09T21:45:31.899-06:00

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George, 2009, 288 pages.We've enjoyed other books by this author, and M. and I weren't disappointed in this one either. I think I've read at least four retellings of the "twelve dancing princesses" fairy tale in the last couple of years, but this one definitely brings new life to the story. Galen, the soldier who follows the princesses and solves their

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-65222056433283080042009-06-02T15:47:00.004-06:002009-06-02T16:30:44.190-06:00

Yesterday around 6 AM I was on my way to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple to be part of the very first shift of ushers for the public tours. There were 6 of us traveling together, since one of the men had offered to drive us in his 12-passenger van. We were headed down a highway when out of nowhere a deer came running across the road. I barely caught a glimpse of it before the van slammed right into

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-3617354983728263552009-05-29T16:46:00.004-06:002009-05-29T17:06:32.713-06:00

We welcomed an old friend home today after some prolonged travel. I'm not sure who was more excited, me or the kids. They all had to take their turns getting reacquainted, but I finally put my foot down and was able to get an hour of quality time myself. I was a little worried about aftereffects of the long journey. But jetlag doesn't seem to be a problem, and our friend doesn't have any trace of

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-9757644451644912702009-05-26T08:41:00.002-06:002009-05-26T08:47:41.440-06:00

I first read this poem in high school, but the older I get, the more I identify with it! I love how Robert Frost can describe an everyday situation and turn it into an insight about life.The Armfulby Robert FrostFor every parcel I stoop down to seizeI lose some other off my arms and knees,And the whole pile is slipping, bottles, buns --Extremes too hard to comprehend at once,Yet nothing I should

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-59416167124022203722009-05-24T16:27:00.002-06:002009-05-24T16:39:15.113-06:00

I gave a talk today about being happy, based on President Monson's conference talk "Be of Good Cheer." I was trying to think how to express the idea that mothers set the mood for their homes, and here's what I ended up with.I woke up one morning and got out of bed."What a great morning!" I cheerfully said.As the children arose, I smiled at each one,And the mood in our home was so happy and fun.We

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-51374835912559673002009-05-17T20:08:00.004-06:002009-05-19T16:12:27.100-06:00

I was scheduled to teach the Young Women lesson next Sunday. I had pulled together a few things for it, but had planned to really work on it this afternoon after church. Then last night I got a call asking me to come meet with the bishop before church today.It's pretty amazing how the Church works. In the space of about 4 hours I was asked to accept a new responsibility; the announcement was made

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-54037914592237125722009-05-10T19:22:00.005-06:002009-05-10T19:46:16.588-06:00

T. has been playing coach-pitch baseball for the last few weeks. Mike has trained all of us to be baseball fans, and T. was excited to have his first experience actually playing.He's the only lefty on his team. Coach-pitch baseball is a great thing for young kids. Your own coach pitches to you, trying to let you get a hit. After four throws without a hit, the batter hits the ball off a tee, so

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-69730325861831017702009-05-10T19:11:00.003-06:002009-05-10T19:20:39.800-06:00

It looks so easy in the pictures!Church attendance today was made possible by ibuprofen.

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-59436152158884539562009-05-08T17:28:00.002-06:002009-05-08T17:37:54.976-06:00

I love poetry, especially poems that make me think. I'm convinced that poetry can contain more meaning than prose. This is the last stanza of a long poem called "Renascence" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I've had it on my wall for the past year or so. See what you think it means.The world stands out on either side No wider than the heart is wide; Above the world is stretched the sky, --No higher

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-59783051597810445202009-05-03T22:50:00.003-06:002009-05-04T00:14:50.349-06:00

The Seventh Expert: An Interactive Medieval Adventure by Mark Oakley, ill. John Mantha, 2008, 96 pages.I have never seen a book like this one. It starts with a story: It's the 1300s and your coastal village has just been destroyed by a storm. The survivors look to you for leadership as you all go inland to start a new village. Six of the survivors offer you their expertise -- a blacksmith, a

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-74528533360224290602009-05-03T22:11:00.004-06:002009-05-03T22:48:46.020-06:00

Here is an update on the "insects in my kitchen." A couple of months ago we sent away for caterpillars. They came in a little cup with food. There were 6 of them, very small. Over the next couple of weeks we watched them eat and get huge. Then they hung upside down and molted their skins to show the chrysalides they had formed. We put the little paper disk into our butterfly enclosure.Here are

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-34125240308936979122009-05-01T08:29:00.001-06:002009-09-01T17:50:42.027-06:00

There are insects in my kitchen.The kids watch them fly.The bacteria have startedTo greatly multiply.The bread on the counterIs nicely growing mold.And these jars of water stink--It’s a good sign, I’m told.I would surely love to haveA visit from you,But you might want to waitTill biology class is through!

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-21560959997947801902009-04-23T10:39:00.002-06:002009-04-23T11:19:04.555-06:00

Today's our anniversary and I was thinking about what 15 years have brought us:2 college graduations (both Mike's -- mine happened just before we got married)3 children3 vehicles bought (not including the one we started out with)7 moves7 trips to the emergency room or urgent care9 new nieces and nephews (soon to be 11)At least 15 different jobs (both of us combined)At least 23 different church

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-86757438557760213722009-04-14T20:57:00.004-06:002009-04-14T21:27:41.949-06:00

Back in February, our digital piano stopped working. I turned it on one day, tried to play something, and got only silence. Then I noticed that the power light was on, but none of the other usual indicator lights. I called the electronics company that had fixed a minor problem with the piano once before, and they sent a man out to look at it."It's your main board," he told me after doing some

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922936216630408308.post-53010038523070607242009-04-07T07:15:00.011-06:002009-04-08T00:11:36.620-06:00

Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells, ill. P. J. Lynch, 2009, 96 pages.This children's book tells Lincoln's story from his sons' point of view. We get to see his love for his children, his worry for his nation, and his struggles to do the right thing. It's a touching book with beautiful illustrations.All About Sleep from A to Zzzz by Elaine Scott, ill. John O'Brien, 2008, 48 pages.My kids found

Tamaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00574992049802494158noreply@blogger.com0