GIFT BASKET GIVEAWAY!

Attention EVERYONE!

There's a Gift Basket Giveaway going on over at The IDD Blog so make sure you go check it out!

It's a beautiful basket of "Pamper-Yourself" goodies!  Seriously, I would LOVE to win this basket!  Of course, I'm not eligible since I'm one of the people giving it away... :)  But, I really want one of you to win it!  So, head over there and put your name in!  Give the blog a shoutout on your own blog, Live Journal, whatever and you can enter twice! 

Good Luck!

Playing in the Leaves

 

Remember when you were a little kid and used to rake all the leaves into one BIG pile and then completely destroy all your work by jumping into the pile over and over and over and over...?

And then you would take all the leaves and hide someone under them? 

 

 Wasn't that fun?  :)

Dr. Jak's November Sunday

What I wore to church last Sunday.

Gorgeous, GORGEOUS Indian Summer weather inspires me to wear 

Indian Summer colors.  

Rich browns and tans and a splash of something brighter.  :)

Sweater dresses are IN this fall. 

So are Big Belts and Cowboy Boots... :)

I'm wearing brown and silver earrings and brown tights to help with warmth and modesty. :)

Quick, Random, LIFE!

• We have had the most GORGEOUS weekend.  Seriously, 70 degrees in November?  This canNOT be Wisconsin. (sort of loosely quoting Lake House there in case you were wondering :-)
• I did the ultimate dumb thing.  Left my keys in the ignition of my car and must have had something turned on because the battery was dead.  Mercy.  Mom and Dad to the rescue with jumper cables.  *sigh*
• We went apple-orchard-ing on Saturday.  So fun.  Apple Cider, Donuts, Apples... yum.
• Came home and made 2 apple pies and three loaves of pumpkin bread and my house smelled amazing.  As I'm sure you can imagine.  
• I've been on an Agatha Christie kick and you will see just how crazy of a kick when you read my November book list.  I'm not making any promises that the whole list may not be Agatha Christie.  Be forwarned.  
• I'm also on another "Solve the Rubik's Cube!" kick.  Started working on it last night and couldn't put it down.  My sisters are getting amused.  :)  Seriously, who needs to solve a rubik's cube 6 times in one night?  I think I have a problem.  

I'm headed to work now and looking forward to another gorgeous day... and if it wants to stay like this until April that'd be ok with me.  

Book Review: The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

"There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done."

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis is essentially built on this premise.


The author takes a trip to heaven, by way of a bus that picked up him and his fellow travelers at a bus stop in hell.  Once there he and his fellow travelers have conversations with Spirits.  Men and women that have died and live in heaven.



I found this book very insightful and eye-opening. 


I have always loved Lewis' views on heaven.  As a place infinitely more REAL than the place we are in, so much more real that we realize the place we have been in all along is simply a shadowland.


I was captivated and somehow quickened at the same time when he described the difference between the passion of pity and the action of pity. 
The passion being "The pity we merely suffer, the ache that draw men to concede what should not be conceded and to flatter when they should speak truth...  a weapon by bad men against good ones..." 
And the action being "...a weapon on the other side.  It leaps quicker than light from the highest place to the lowest to bring healing and joy, whatever the cost to itself..."


I really can't even begin to describe how many things I learned from it, because I know there are so many more things I will learn as I continue to think about this book and read it over and over. 


As Lewis says:
"Thirst was made for water, inquiry for truth."

October Book List

97.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Colllins-(*****) Sequel to The Hunger Games, and actually and surprisingly JUST as good as the original.  Also, JUST as violent.  Somewhat predictable.  But, one thing I love about these books is that even though I can usually tell where the plot is going, the trip there keeps me guessing. This time around I had a general idea what I would like to see at the end of the book, (which actually ended up happening) and I knew certain things would have to happen, but there was a healthy dose of ?????  woven in that makes for a fabulous, gripping suspense tale.  I loved it.  The ending was not nearly as cliff-hanging as I expected which was VERY relieving.  Book three isn't due out until Fall 2010.  I guess I can wait.  :)

98.  Messenger by Lois Lowry- (***)  Honestly... I don't know what to say about this book.  It didn't end like I thought it would.  And I was a little disappointed in the end I think.  I guess I felt like it was a little bit of a cop-out.  I'd be interested in other opinions. 

99.  The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien -(***)  Much more interesting the Fellowship of the Rings and kept my attention much better.  Still took me a while to get through, but I was much more engaged this time.  Looking forward to the finale!

100.  Song for a Dark Queen by Rosemary Sutcliff- (**)  I knew nothing of the story of Boudicca until I read this book.  So, I was completely unprepared for the tragedy.  Readers should be warned that it's not a happy book, not at all nice or even clean.  I'd give the content at least a PG-13 rating for violence, horrible war scenarios, and other unmentionables...  In defense of the content, it should be mentioned that it's all tragically true.  Very sad, very sickening, very horrific, very riveting.  Very educational. 

101. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo -(****)  Newberry Award winner in 2003.  Endearing, really.  :)  I delayed in reading this book for a long time because I have this thing with mice.  I don't like them.  But, Despereaux is really loveable.  This book is extremely well written.  Plenty of awesome quotes.  "QUEST.  Say it reader, say the word 'quest' out loud.  It is an extraordinary word, isn't it?  So small and yet so full of wonder, so full of hope."

102.  Savvy by Ingrid Law -  (****) I really liked this book.  I can't believe it's Ingrid Law's first novel.  Her writing is absolutely crisp and clean.  Minimal wording, but perfect pictures in your imagination.  Slightly disappointing elements include: Romance among 13 year olds.  Come on, really?  And negative impressions of "religious" people.  Also, rebellion is slightly glorified in a typical written-for-children way.  Of course, the parents aren't around so the kids have to take matters into their own hands and of course this means rebelling against authority all in the interest of the overall good and of course everything turns out ok and there wouldn't be a story without it.  Overall, though, as I mentioned, I LIKED it.  :)


103.  The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemna by Trenton Lee Stewart -(***) For some reason this one didn't grab me like the other two Benedict books.  Regardless, it was funny, smart and enjoyable!

104.  Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor -(***) Good ending to the Looking Glass Wars series.  I was a BIT disappointed in the ending...  kind of rubbed me the wrong way.  Something about good and evil HAVING to co-exist. 

105.  Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix -(****) The more of Haddix's books I read, the more I love her.  This is the second installment in The Missing series and I enjoyed it very much.  I haven't read many books that include time travel, so I'm not an expert, but to me it seemed to have a whole new approach on time travel.  Very smart, I thought.  I'm anxious for more books to be published in this series. 

106.  The Mirror Cracked by Agatha Christie - (****) I just love Miss Marple.

My Advice on the H1N1 Flu Virus

Um, DON'T GET IT.

That's pretty much it. 

If you do get it...  I feel your misery. 

I'm determined to be thankful though!  For.... something!

Charles Dickens.  Namely Bleak House.  Helped Steph (my fellow sickie) and I pass 6 hours this morning while we were too miserable and ache-y to move.

Moms.  They bring you soup and treatments and masks.  (We have to wear the said masks everytime we're in anyone's company.  Trying to keep the virus from spreading to the rest of the family, you know...) 
AND, they go to the grocery store to get you water and ibuprofen and come home with three grocery bags full of food.  :)  Thanks MOM!

Little Siblings.  Who amuse you by jumping in piles of leaves in your front yard.  We watched out the big picture window.  Definitely the most exciting thing to happen all day. 

Ibuprofen.  Thanks to ibuprofen I can actually type, as it has reduced the ache in my joints.  Earlier this morning just flicking a finger hurt.  Very much. 

Fruit Juice.  'nough said.

A pile of books to read.  The ibuprofen has also made reading possible.  I can hold a book now!  YAY!!

Looking forward to more blessings tomorrow.  Perhaps a reduction in fever?  We can hope!
If you think of it, please pray for Stephanie and I.  We're not allowed to work until we've been fever free for 24-48 hours...