A sticker nativity, by Lexi
Both Michael and I are now twittering tweeting using twitter.
Find us at http://twitter.com/michaelstewart and http://twitter.com/kristenmstewart.
Filed under general, technology
December Photo Project
I’ll be participating in the December Photo Project again this year, posting a picture every day from the 1st to 25th. I am hoping to capture a little bit of the spirit of advent here…
Filed under general
For All the Black Friday Shoppers
This website has many ads now, so you can plan early and spend your Thanksgiving cooking and feasting. I have never done Black Friday, but I’d consider it if I were in the market for electronics or other big ticket items that you get at big box stores.
Filed under general
The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown
Held together by rusty paper clips and hidden in a trunk, the manuscript of The Moon Shines Down by Margaret Wise Brown was forgotten for decades. Unexpectedly discovered in a Vermont barn, the book was recently introduced to the world by Thomas Nelson. The text is based on the prayer “I See the Moon and the Moon sees me, God bless the Moon and God bless me.” Journeying around the world, readers are exposed to how the moon shines down on children in every country, and even the fish in the sea. Even the timing of night being different in different places is mentioned! Competently illustrated by Linda Bleck, of Pepper the Dog and other projects, the pictures offer lots of depth for children to explore time after time. In the days we’ve had this, Kate and Lexi have asked to read it many times, Kate proclaimed it “really fun” and said everyone should have a copy. As an adult reader, I found the text a little clumsier than other books by Margaret Wise Brown, but not unreadably so. I also noticed that most of the countries visited were very white (Holland, Switzerland, France, England, Australia) and though “the far east,” Mexico and Africa are visited, I wish more exploration of these unfamiliar and exciting places was included. Considering the fact that the text was written sixty years ago or more, that’s not a huge surprise, just something worth noting. Overall, this is a welcome addition to our family library (8.5/10)
Flu
Today is Day 9… am on the road to recovery, but still laying low.
I have been posting previews on my photo blog, trying to put the energy I have into processing since I can do that from bed.
Filed under family life, health
Little Bird Set
A kind and generous friend gave me some fabric from her stash she was purging. I used this fabric (Michael Miller!) and a $5 shirt from Old Navy, plus some time and effort, and made a birthday gift for a friend of Kate and Lexi’s.
The outfit was completed under the wire so no modeling pics by Kate. You’ll just have to use your imagination for how it looks on. The skirt is straight and then very twirly from mid thigh to just below the knee. The whole thing took me maybe 90 minutes to complete, ironing, fiddling and machine annoyances included.
Filed under crafting
Read in October
Twilight and New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The writing in this series isn’t wonderful, the romance is cheesy, and it pales in comparison to Harry Potter… and yet, I kept reading. It’s compelling on some gut level. I wish the characters were more likable, I found the main characters nearly unbearably annoying. But just nearly… (6/10)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Wharton is an anti-Austen who shows a sophisticated understanding of culture and romance. I found the book spell-binding and hard to put down. I recommend it highly, for the glance into high society a hundred years ago and for the realistic portrayal of what it is like to be single “past prime,” as well as the excellent writing. (8.5/10)
The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis
My least favorite Chronicle, but worth it for the fun look at Edmund, Susan and Lucy in the height of their reign. It’s not a terrible story, either… (6/10)
Filed under books
Things I Ought to Post About…
Oct books
Halloween kids
recent crafting
how much I love autumn
…
I am glad the election will be over tomorrow because the noise is deafening. Though I must admit that am finding it sort of hysterical to listen to (a) the evangelical commentary and (b) the flippers (obamacrats and dems for mccain) especially. I’ll be voting and also listening to Mockingbird a time or two while I am editing photos instead of listening to the talking heads drone.
Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart
Pensive, doubting, fearful heart,
Hear what Christ the Savior says;
Every word should joy impart,
Change thy mourning into praise.
Yes, He speaks and speaks to thee,
May He help thee to believe;
Then thou presently will see
Thou has little cause to grieve.
Fear thou not, nor be ashamed;
All thy sorrows soon shall end,
I, who heaven and earth have framed,
Am thy Husband and thy Friend;
I the High and Holy One,
Israel’s God, by all adored,
As thy Savior will be known,
Thy Redeemer and thy Lord…
Though afflicted, tempest-tossed,
Comfortless awhile thou art,
Do not think thou canst be lost,
Thou art graven on my heart
All thy waste I will repair,
Thou shalt be rebuilt anew;
And in thee it shall appear,
What a God of love can do.
–John Newton (as heard on The Gadsby Project)
Filed under theology
Tired Of Politics…
but this amazing video made me smile. (Atlanta school kids parodying TI’s “Whatever You Like” and laying out the issues.) They were interviewed here, and it’s worth watching, too.
HT to Janelle, my amazing sister, who is currently visiting. Hurray!
Hindsight
2008 has been a year. When I decided not to go back to the homeschool coop, I was really nervous. It kept me way too busy and drove me more than a little crazy, but it was dependable income, albeit very small. I had barely any photography clients. I thought my business would never take off. I was making less than minimum wage when I calculated in time and gas, let alone wear and tear on my equipment, Michael’s time helping watch the girls, etc.
Last week I officially had to close off 2008 for booking. My work as child and family photographer hasn’t taken Birmingham by storm quite yet, but it’s doing really well, well enough be booking into 2009! I am building a wedding portfolio I am pretty proud of, while working with wonderful Camille, a new friendship birthed in the fires of others’ big days.
When I was really anxious about all of this, I heard a cover of “Hold Me Jesus” in Chick-Fil-A, and for weeks, I kept meditating on the lines “Surrender don’t come natural to me / I’d rather fight you for something I don’t really want / than take what you give that I need.” I was applying to jobs I wasn’t sure I wanted, because I was afraid I’d never start making money doing what I love. I am grateful that those fears were unfounded, and that I have had exactly the number of clients I could handle without going crazy or totally neglecting the children.
Our lives this year haven’t been all raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, but as I take a step back and see what God has done, and is doing, in spite of us, I am thankful. And I am glad for the encouragement to carry on, because honestly, I need it.
Filed under family life
| Keller
| Cohen
| Dahl
| Zusak
| Winton
| Waugh
| Gregory
| Collins
| Collins
| Collins
| Dermont
| DeGroat
| Ireton
| Glaeser
| Green
| Palacio
| L'Engle
| Larson
| Tchividjian
| Estes
| Zarr
| McLain
| Barbery
| Fitzpatrick
| Zusak
| Tickle
| Ricks
| Lupton
| Green
| Metaxas
| Wolters
