Feature Friday - Cheaper By the Dozen

Cheaper by the Dozen was one of the first memoirs I read as a child. I remember laughing the entire way through the book. My imagination ran wild trying to picture this large quirky family.

The father of the family is an efficiency expert who believes he can run his own family efficiently and cheaply. The mom is his right hand 'man' but doesn't seem to be much of a disciplinarian. Toss in a dozen kids and you get quite this hilarious account! 

The antics of the children and the experiments of the father make for some very enjoyable reading. I guarantee a smile will cross your face at least once during the reading of this book.

friendships and friendshifts

Friends and coats are alike. They both make you feel warm and cozy- except sometimes they feel like they are smothering you. When you wear a coat during the middle of summer, the coat  makes you sweat. If you don't realize the seasons have changed for you and your friend, you can feel equally uncomfortable. 

There are different types of friendships and different seasons which friends go through.  There are those friendships which feel right no matter what time of your life you are in. Those friendships are like the all weather coats; they come with the inner lining which can be removed or put back. Isn't that just like an all weather friend; one who knows when to remove something or put something back.

Years ago, I read a book by Jan Yager about friendships and how they shift. She had some really interesting ideas in her book. One of her main themes is that it is okay for a friendship to shift. If we keep trying to hold on to 'what was' we won't be able to enjoy 'what is' (my paraphrase).




I heard it once said, "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words." I have a lot of those friends and I sure do love them. There are other friends who haven't a clue what my heart is singing. We've all had those friends, haven't we? You'd think we need only the ones who know the song in our heart-but actually friends on all levels are equally important in our lives. We, in turn, are equally important in their lives. We just have to know what kind of friendship we have and what season that friendship is in.

Jesus is my best friend and no matter what season I am in- He is always there for me. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

 'A' simple blogger has allowed me to post a link to his daughter's poem on friendship. It showcases the very essence of friendship.


Who is your best friend? Have you ever gone through a friendshift in your friendship?

The Hurrier I go...the Behinder....

Every day I think..."maybe next week will be less busy." ...and then next week comes....and I am just as busy. :) So I sit and think, "What am I actually busy doing?" I think I am busy just being busy-- listening to people, attempting to be organized, working on projects, squeezing in family time, and occasionally blogging.

My daily planner looks like Picasso painted across the pages- you know those shows where someone is murdered and the detectives come in to look through the victim's things? I've always wondered what a detective would do with my daily planner- they would need a deciphering code to figure out what all the scribbles are about. I even have some of my notations in my own special code- I invented it years ago and tend to use it when I don't want anyone to know what I'm writing.

The detectives should not even bother to look for a pda or at the calendar on my phone- because I've always stuck with the old fashioned written daily planners. I tried the pda for awhile (a few years ago) - I would forget to check the updates and I missed appointments. Hmmm...now that I'm thinking about it, I even have missed appointments with my hand scribbled daily planner. Oh well, I guess the next entry needs to be:

June 13th 2011- try not to be so busy being busy!! :)

Feature Friday - Eric Liddell

Most people have seen the movie, "Chariots of Fire"...and so they know about Eric Liddell...but the movie only shows a glimpse of this man and his inspiring life. I've read a few biographies about his life and I must say, each one has never disappointed me.

I guess another reason I am drawn to Eric Liddell's life story is because his last years were spent in the same Japanese Internment camp in China where my mother was. Reading through the research done for a book about my grandmother, I came across many references to Eric Liddell and his exemplary life, while in the internment camp.

Some people have insinuated that the books about Eric Liddell attempt to idolize him or make him out to be more of a saint than he really was. I think this is not the case, he was a man of great integrity and from what I've read in books and accounts written by his fellow internees, he was an honorable man. 

The best biography about him seems to be out of print at this time- Running for a Higher Prize by Renee Taft Meloche. There are a lot of other biographies about Eric Liddell which are still in print. I highly recommend any biography written about this man.

My heart daughter- Neisha

Neisha and my granddaughter, Kailynn

Allow me to introduce you to a very special young woman. Her name is Neisha and she is my 'heart' daughter. 

What is a heart daughter? Well, my other children came out of my body...I carried them ...they had no choice but to be my children (bless their hearts). I love them with all my heart.

Now Neisha, on the other hand, came into my life via my eldest son. He met her- he fell in love with her and he married her. (There is actually a story behind this- but I'll leave that for another post). Love brought me this daughter of mine. She is a daughter born out of my heart- I love her, admire her and am so proud of her!


Neisha is one of the best wives I know and as far as being a mother- I only wish I had been that organized! Not only does she take care of Sean and Kailynn, she also started a card making company. Designs by Neisha are lovely cards she designs...she crafts custom made cards...Right now she has a special deal for her summer cards. All cards ordered before Monday June 13th get a 20 % discount! 

Sean and Neisha

Neisha is a very special young woman, indeed. I may not have carried Neisha around in my belly- but I sure do carry her around in my heart!

No Band Aids, Please....

I saw two homeless boys walking down the street. One was teaching the other one about what to do. The teacher pointed to a shop and said, "You can get free food from that place." As they walked further, they spotted a can for disposing cigarettes. I don't know what they expected there, but they opened it and pawed around in it.


They continued on their walk. Laughter, smiles, an occasional motioning with the hands to indicate some other bit of news about the surroundings. They could easily be mistaken as just two young boys on a walk...except they were carrying their lives on their back.

The sight of these two 20 something year old young men brought a myriad of questions to my mind. Where were their mothers? Where were their fathers? How about siblings? were they really happy being homeless and wandering about poking in trash trays while sourcing out free places to eat? What can I do to help find a place for them to stay? Would they want to stay in a place I offered?

It is cold. It is rainy. My heart feels sad for those two young men and their mothers. If I knew my son was wandering the streets, I would be so sad. I am sad for those two young men and for all the other young men, women, children, and older people who are homeless. At our church, last year, we distributed 'care packages' so that when we met someone in need we could talk to them and hand them a package. It had some essentials- if was hot there was water, food, information on free medical clinics and some tissues, etc.  When the weather turned a bit colder, the packages contained socks, warming pads, and food. These packages were great but they are mere band aids.  I want more than a band aid cure for those in need.

Feature Friday- M.M. Kaye

You may be surprised to know that M.M.Kaye did not just write "The Far Pavilions"...."Shadow of the Moon" ...and "Trade Winds"....Her lesser known books: "Death in...." are equally fascinating. They were constant companions of mine when I lived in Delhi. In fact, my friend Ruth Valdez and I would read to each other as we were falling asleep..."Now it is your turn...you read the next chapter..." I can't look at an M.M.Kaye book without thinking of Ruth!

If you think her fiction is great, you will be in for a real treat with her autobiographies. There is so much to tell of her life, she has broken down her life story into three parts. Each one more intriguing then the one which comes before it.  

You have to start with The Sun in the Morning. M.M.Kaye starts her memoir with such vivid details and great memories. When you get to the end of this first part of her autobiography, I guarantee you will be wanting to dive right into the second half of her life story.

Golden Afternoon will not disappoint you. In this part of M.M.Kaye's life story, you find her returning from Boarding school and renewing her love affair with India. It is in this volume where you get a glimpse of how she was able to go on to write her famous books. 

In her third volume, Enchanted Evening, M.M.Kaye  is forced to leave India and go to China with her father. It is in China, she finds her artistic talent and she explores her independence.  The author excels in relating her memories. She definitely does not disappoint the reader!

These three volumes are a 'must read' for anyone interested in memoirs or autobiographies.