green chair studio

seriously amazing...

Mik and I had a chance to sneak out last night and finally see this at the IMAX Theater at Celebration North.  All I've got to say is WOW.  seriously.  amazing. 

missing him...

I am at the hospital with my daughter Meghan who is receiving her 6th round of chemo (details here).  Most of the time I am very focused on her and helping her through this ordeal but every now and then when she is calm & sleeping, and the room is quiet, and I allow myself to drift - it is then that I become painfully aware of how much I miss my husband.  Don't misunderstand me - he is very present and involved with everything that is happening in our family and we have a solidarity of faith and purpose in this time of trial, but there is also a lot that has been "put on hold" so to speak - both individually and as a couple.  I thank God for the incredible blessing He has given me in this man and for the (almost) 20 years of marriage He has blessed us with.  What I want Mik to know today is how much I deeply respect and cherish him and that my heart - while very wrapped up at present with Meghan - belongs fully and freely to him.                                                                         still?...  always.

And because I am still operating under the premise that this is an arts/crafts blog I will include a couple "Mik-inspired" projects of the past...

                                    **Click on photos to enlarge**
This is a Father's Day card I made for him "celebrating 17 years of parenting together."

To the left is a shadowbox/collage that was a Christmas gift.  There is a photo on the back with the text "floating" above (it's printed on a clear transparency film and attached to the glass). 

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)  i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet)  i want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide) and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

                                 - e.e. cummings

This is a shadowbox/collage I made for (I think) a past Valentine's gift.  It includes the lyrics of a song called "So We Never Got to Paris" by Out of the Grey...

Young lovers, without much
Save each other, isn't that enough
Paint the future, a little day by day
Making plans with no regard for what might come our way

This cup fills up so quickly
There's so much on our plate
Between the living and the learning
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

There's still wonder in our eyes
But we see each other in a different light
Yet the future isn't always clear
Now the question is where do we go from here

This cup fills up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

So we never got to Paris
And found the cafe of our dreams
But our table holds a whole world of memories
No, we never went to Venice
And strolled the streets alone
But we built our worlds together and we got the best of both

This cup fills up so quickly
There's too much on our plate
Between the living and the dying
Some things must wait

We may never get to Paris
And find the cafe of our dreams
But our table still will hold a world of memories
If we never get to Venice
And roam the streets alone
We'll hold our worlds together and we'll keep the best of both

this time last year...

I am sitting at the hospital with Meghan (see details here) and I was scrolling through some photos of past journal pages on my laptop.  This one caught my eye.  I enlarged it and noticed that it was from April of last year.  It is so interesting to me to see how some of these thoughts, desires, and prayers have been answered but in a completely different way than I was expecting..... 
God's ways are truly mysterious sometimes.

Celebrating Aidan...

Today is Aidan's 6th Birthday (go here for pics of him).  So in honor of him, I thought I'd post some journal pages from the past that have featured him (click on the photos to enlarge).

And here is the birth announcement we made to send to family and friends:

I can't believe he is six years old already! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!

                     I LOVE YOU!!!

Community Journal

I haven't had time to do anything in my personal journal the last few months but I did manage to do a few pages in the Community Journal that I share with 5 other amazing women.  I had been reflecting on some verses that have become particularly meaningful to me (Lamentations 3:21-24, Deuteronomy 31:8, and Hebrews 10:23) and simply did a watercolor background and lettered the verses with a black ZIG pen.  I've composed about three hundred journal entries in my head over the last few months but sadly they never made the transition from my head to the paper....

Belated Valentine's Day goodness...

I know it's March and Valentine's Day is long past but with everything going on here in the Haan household we are a little behind...  This past Saturday we hosted our Annual Mother/Daughter Valentine's Tea Party (see here).  Usually I make handmade valentines for all the sweeties in my life but we didn't really have time for that this year.  Instead I'll share some from last year...

These were handpainted boxes that contained sweet treats, a name tag, heart ornament, and Valentine garland.

(click on photos to enlarge)

For Mik last year I made a painting/collage that now resides in our bedroom:

Here are some closeup shots (click to enlarge):

It hangs above a built-in dresser that I decoupaged with antique papers/images and put new handles on.

   

And if you've visited here before you surely know of our family's love of books.  Here are a few {{Valentine}} favorites:

1) Blue Dog Love by George and Wendy Rodrigue (lovely suede covered book filled with artwork by George Rodrigue and text by him and his wife about their romance and marriage)  2) C.S. Lewis on Love (excerpts about love from classic C.S. Lewis books)  3) Love Is... by Wendy Anderson Halperin (I Corinthians 13 illustrated)

1)  All for Love by Tasha Tudor (a collection of well-known poetry, songs, short stories, etc. accompanied by illustrations by Tasha Tudor)  2) Love Bugs by David Carter (a delightful pop-up book)  3) You Are My I Love You by Cusimano/Ichikawa (very sweet book for younger children)  4) You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney/Illustrated by Anita Jeram  5) I Love You the Purplest by Barbara Joosse/Illustrated by Mary Whyte (#4 & 5 are both great stories giving voice to how a parent can love all their children equally)  6) Sweet Hearts by Jan Carr/Illustrated by Dorothy Donohue (simple words with cute cut-paper illustrations)  7) Love Song for a Baby by Marion Dane Bauer/Illustrated by Dan Andreasen (beautiful prose and illustrations)  8) The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Anderson/Illustrated by Marcellino (a favorite fairytale) 9) I Love You As Much by Laura Krauss Melmed/Illustrated by Henro Sorensen (Beautiful rhyming text along with mother/child animal illustrations)

And now we can move on... it is March after all!  And as beautiful as this is...

does anyone else think it's time for a change of scenery?

Long time no post...

If anyone still checks this blog for arts and crafts-related things, I apologize.  With all that has been going on with my daughter Meghan (see here) I have not had one moment in the studio.  Oops, I take that back -  Meghan and I did get the button maker out to make these:

We made up a bunch of colors and gave them to family members to wear.  Meghan's personal pins say "future cancer survivor."  I made a stash of various colors so I can coordinate them with the hats I'm wearing every day (because being bald in Michigan in the middle of winter is slightly chilly!).  I have really wanted to journal about all that has transpired but I just have not had any "free" time to do that.   I appreciate those of you still checking in here and hopefully sometime in the future I will have more from the studio to share.  In the meantime, feel free to peruse the archives (listed on the sidebar - just click on each month to see previous posts) and please keep praying for Meghan (click on her photo in the sidebar {Vibrant Life} for updates). 

Updates on Meghan

I have created a new blog for updating on Meghan and for sharing resources that we find along the way.  You can click on the photo of Meghan on the right side bar (Vibrant Life) or bookmark this link. 

KEEP PRAYING!!

In real life...

If you check in here regularly you know that 17 days ago I took my 11 year old daughter Meghan to the doctor because her right (upper) arm had been sore for a few weeks.  I asked for prayers because an xray showed that there was a mass growing on and into the bone.  I was thankful in the interim of what we have been dealing with here that I had already prepared some posts to use (Book Week) because I was not ready to share what was really happening here on the homefront.  However, I have decided to put it out there because the more prayer warriors we have, the better.  Meghan has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma which is a type of bone cancer.  I am pasting below all of the emails I have sent out over our church's prayer chain and to family and friends.  I will try to update here regularly from now on as well. 

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:23

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Sent 12/20/07:

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a long day.  We left at 5:00 am to drive over to Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak (near Detroit).  Meghan's surgery was performed around 9:00 am.  The pathologist was on hand to look at the biopsy sample and we were able to receive the results already.  The sample confirmed that Meghan has osteosarcoma.

Meghan is doing well - she is home from school today because her arm is very sore.  We will be leaving later to go down to DeVos Children's Hospital for the bone scan.  She is very much looking forward to going to school tomorrow (it's the last day before the holiday break and they have lots of special stuff planned).  We will thankfully have the weekend through Christmas together at home as a family.

Please pray for peace and strength as we look toward next week.  On the day after Christmas (Wednesday), Meghan will have the surgery to install her port and she will stay and begin her first round of chemo.

If nothing else happens before Christmas, I want to make sure that I take this opportunity to wish all of you and your families a blessed Christmas.  It is my prayer that you will focus on the precious gift of Jesus that we celebrate and find much peace and joy in doing so.  We appreciate your prayers and encouragement so very much and we covet them for the coming new year as well. 

If you have time I want to encourage you to read this article (click for a link).  I "happened" to come across it earlier and it was a real encouragement to me.

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Standing on His Promises,
Michele (for the Haan family)

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Sent 12/18/07:

Dear Friends:

Just wanted to give everyone an update on Meghan. This week is turning into a whirlwind of activity and appointments. Monday we were over in Royal Oak for the appointment with the surgeon. We found out why we are driving to the other side of the state - there are only 3 surgeons in the state of Michigan that are qualified to handle Meghan's case, and the one we are seeing is considered the best (plus one of the other two is on maternity leave right now). She is very optimistic that Meghan's arm can be saved. (Praise the Lord!) At this point she is hoping to be able to keep Meghan's own elbow joint and shoulder joint, but she will remove the whole bone between the two and replace it with a cadaver bone. This surgery will take place farther down the road (after the initial 3-4 months of chemo).

Today (Tuesday) we met with the oncologist at DeVos Children's Hospital. They started with lab work and then we went up to the pediatric oncology unit of the hospital. This is where we will be spending a lot of time over the next year. We met with the doctor and also got a tour of the unit. Meghan will initially be in chemo for 3 - 4 months. She will be admitted to the hospital for 3-5 days at a time and then have 1-2 weeks off in between rounds. There may be additional times she will be admitted (if she gets a fever or if she develops mouth and throat sores, which can be a side effect of the chemo that would limit her ability to eat and drink). She will definitely lose her hair (probably around day 14). She will also periodically receive blood transfusions to help counter-act the chemo's effect on her bone marrow. When she is admitted, she will be in a private room with its own bathroom and Michael or I will be able to stay with her and even sleep there overnight. She will also be allowed to have visitors (we will let you know more about that when we have more specific information). It was kind of hard at first to be there because there are a lot of sick kids everywhere you look (so many even younger than Meghan) but it also made me realize that there is such a bigger picture - so many others dealing with this - it helped me to not be so inwardly focused. It helped to start thinking about how to connect to these other hurting families and maybe even find ways to bless them in the midst sharing this trial of having a child with cancer.

Tomorrow we are going back to Royal Oak for the first surgery to get the bone biopsy. This is an outpatient surgery so we should be back late afternoon. They will have the results of the biopsy later in the week. They are still saying it is one of three cancers - osteosarcoma (most likely), ewings sarcoma, or lymphona. Which of these it is will determine the combination of drugs for chemo and the course of it.

Thursday we will be down at Butterworth in the late afternoon and evening for a bone scan. A pet scan has also been ordered but we don't know when that will be yet. These are both tests to help determine if there are any other places in her body where the cancer is growing.

Friday through Christmas day we will get a little respite (thankfully). We are looking forward to spending some much-needed family time over the weekend and holiday.

Then... next week Wednesday (the day after Christmas), Meghan will go in for another surgery to have a central line installed in her chest. They gave her the option of a broviac (not sure if I spelled that right) which is tube/catheder coming out of the chest or a port which is under the skin. The disadvantage of the port is that they still have to poke her each time to insert a needle into the port but they give her a numbing cream beforehand and the advantage is that 24 hours after they've accessed it, she can do things like go swimming, shower, etc.. Meghan has decided on the port. It will be in for the next year or so and will enable the doctors and nurses to administer chemo, other medicines, and draw blood more easily than having to put in an i.v. each time. She will be staying in the hospital after the surgery to begin her first round of chemo (not sure how many days yet).

This is all happening very fast and at times it feels like we haven't been able to catch our breath yet or reflect on it all. I do know that the reality of what we are facing is really starting to sink in. There is nothing we can do except to cling to God's promise that He will not give us more than we can handle - He will equip us for what He is calling us to. He has a purpose in all of this that is greater than what we can fathom. Please pray for continued strength and peace - this journey is just beginning.

I put together a journaling "kit" for Meghan along with a blank journal. I asked her permission to share with you what she wrote on her opening page and she said it would be o.k.:

CANCER KEEPER -
A place to keep thoughts, feelings, and pains. A place to write down your innermost thoughts. Where I can record my journey through cancer and faith, with all the joys and sorrows that come with it. So one day, when I am past the pain and have past the test, to look back and see how God has worked and blessed me. Amen

 

She is an amazing beautiful gift and we have been so blessed and humbled by her response to everything happening so far. All praise and glory to our King!

I know this is already very long but I wanted to share one last thing with you. We subscribe to an email devotional called "Slice of Infinity" from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and this link is today's reading. It was a blessing to us and I hope it will be to you as well.

In Christ,
Michele

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Sent 12/17/07:

Dear Friends,

I just needed to share with you an incredible way that God has blessed us and provided for our needs.  Some of you may know that back in October our minivan had an engine fire and was totaled (photos here: http://greenchairstudio.typepad.com/green_chair_studio/2007/10/index.html. )  Our insurance pretty much only covered what we owed on it and we haven't been able to afford to replace it.  Since then, Mik has been taking the bus to work everyday and I've been driving his car which is a '92 Volkswagon Passat with over 200,000 miles on it and numerous quirks and problems.  When we got Meghan's diagnosis (and especially finding out that one of her doctors was going to be on the east side of the state) our need for a reliable and safe vehicle became much more urgent but we were still not in a position financially to do anything about it.  Here is where God has amazed us - last night (Saturday) two couples from our church came over to our house and presented us with a beautiful '05 Grand Caravan minivan that people from our church family all secretly donated to and surprised us with.   You cannot imagine how overwhelmed and stunned we were/are.  You cannot imagine what a burden has been lifted!  To know that we have a safe, reliable vehicle to transport Meghan back and forth to all her appointments and to not have the added financial strain at this time of a car payment - it is simply too much for words to adequately express.  "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together."  Psalm 34:3

Following is a testimony of gratitude that Michael shared with our church family today during the morning service today:

"Me and my extended family wish to express our deep and heartfelt thanks to you.  What you have been moved by the Spirit to do in the name of Christ is amazing.  Words fail me and I believe that they are supposed to.  Nothing is eloquent enough to describe how God is and moves.  After singing the doxology in our kitchen last night I began to reflect on how it is an amazing, overwhelming, and humbling thing to experience God pouring out His love, grace, and mercy through the body of Christ.  Words cannot express either the burdens carried or lifted this past week.  When the Lord places such a test before us we sometimes get lost in the questions and details of the test and start to miss the point.  Praise be to God that he does not leave us there. Through you all, in ways that may not even be apparent to you, God is re-focusing our vision not on the test itself but the purpose of the test.  We will all be challenged by this or something else.  In this God strengthens us and our faith, exercises the body, and reminds us that we are indeed created not for our own pleasure, but in all circumstances, to give thanks, praise, honor, and glory to the One who was, who is, and is to come.

We thank you, appreciate you, and love you for sharing in this test. However, we invite you to join us to no longer focus on the test itself but to the answer where it points.  To an unchangeable, Holy, loving and omnipotent God; His son, our savior, who endured hell itself so that, in times such as these, the Holy Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words when we know not what or how we ought to pray.  And pray we must.

We ask that you continue to pray.  Not only for Meghan and our family, but for all those undergoing a test.  That we may see His hand and feel His peace.  That we may rest on His perfect sovereign will and that His name be praised!  After all, no struggle or sacrifice we encounter can ever compare to the price that was paid for us by Jesus Christ himself.

May this be a reminder for us and a light and a testimony to a dark and needy world.  May we all be used for His glory in the unfolding of His good and perfect will.  For it is only by His grace we are able to sing, 'Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow,' and what an amazing believable grace it is."

Our new van has been dubbed "The Grace Mobile."  A couple people said to me that "no one deserves this more than you guys,"  but that, my friends, is wrong.  No one deserves this less than us and that is what makes it so amazing - it is sheer grace!  This is just one of the many ways that God has blessed us already and I just wanted to share it with you.

With deep gratitude,
Michele (for the Haan family)
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Sent 12/14/07:

We met with the pediatric orthopedic specialist today.  He has confirmed that we are definitely dealing with cancer.  It is most likely osteosarcoma, with a possibility of being Ewings sarcoma or a form of leukemia.  They will do a bone biopsy surgery to confirm which of these cancers it is.  They will also be doing a full body bone scan to make sure there are no other tumors growing anywhere else.  We are going to meet with the surgeon on Monday.  The surgeon we have been referred to is over in Royal Oak (on the east side of the state).  She is known as the best surgeon in the state for dealing with these types of cases.  She will schedule and perform the biopsy surgery and will also be the one to perform a more extensive surgery later on to remove the tumor and repair the damage it has caused to Meghan's arm.  On Tuesday we will meet with the oncologist assigned to the case working out of DeVos Children's Hospital here in Grand Rapids.  Meghan will begin chemotherapy as soon as possible.  They will hit her hard with the chemo going into this.  Chemo will be followed by the surgery at a later date.  The surgery will then be followed by more chemo.  The doctor indicated that we are looking at at least 1 year of treatment.

Meghan now knows everything that is going on and how we are moving forward with the treatment.  Today has been very up and down for her - we have shared many tears and hugs and prayers, but we have also shared laughter and the pure joy of having such an amazing daughter (ok - I know I'm slightly biased).  She is holding up amazingly well and has even exercised her sense of humor and quick wit throughout the day.  She is understandably scared and overwhelmed at times, but it is such a blessing to see her already claiming and standing on God's precious promises to her.  Continue to pray for God's abundant grace and peace to rest upon her and carry her through this trial.  We have a long road ahead of us but we know that God goes before us and that He will equip us with what we need to walk through this.   In Christ alone our hope is found.

Thank you for the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have already received.  We are so thankful for the many ways God is blessing us already in the midst of this.

In Him,
Michele

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Sent 12/13/07:

This is very difficult for me to write.  We received the preliminary reports from the radiologist who read Meghan's CT scan and MRI.  I will save all the medical jargon and tell you that the MRI results are showing that we are most likely dealing with cancer.  There are phrases like "representative of aggressive malignancy," and  "extensive involvement."  The radiologist wrote, "I suspect that this represents osteosarcoma [which is bone cancer], less likely Ewing sarcoma."   The CT scan came back clear  which is good (meaning that the cancer has not likely spread to her chest).  Of additional concern however is "cortical breakthrough and areas of likely cortical destruction."

We are still scheduled to meet with the specialist from DeVos Children's Hospital on Friday morning at 10:30 am.  *Meghan does not know about these results yet.*  We are going to let her get through her day at school tomorrow (Thursday).  Please pray for her as we move forward through this.  Pray for the doctors to have wisdom in treating her.  Pray for Michael and I to be strong and to know how to best help her through this.  Pray for our younger children as they have yet to know about any of this.  Pray for miraculous healing for our precious daughter!  Just pray - we have an awesome and mighty God who hears the prayers of His people!

We know that God is good.  He has a plan for all of this.  Please pray that we continue to rest in Him and trust Him even when we don't understand why this is happening.

Phil 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.  God is within her, she will not fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the sheilds with fire.  "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."  Psalm 46

Resting in Him,
Michele
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Sent 12/07/07:

Good morning...

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. The radiologist reviewing Meghan's x-rays has decided he wants a more comprehensive MRI and also a CT scan. Because the original MRI appointment was scheduled for Saturday morning and the location at which it was scheduled does not have all the equipment necessary, it has been re-scheduled for this week Sunday morning (December 9) at 5:30 am at Metro Hospital. They will be doing a MRI with contrast and a CT scan of the chest. We will probably not receive any information at that time. The next thing following is an appointment with a pediatric orthopedic specialist which has been scheduled for Friday morning, December 14. Please continue to pray for us as we wait to find out what the Lord has planned for us. Some of you have asked if Meghan is in a lot of pain. It is not too bad - more of a dull aching which worsens at night and at this point can be treated with Tylenol or Advil. She is continuing with her normal school routine and other activities. Continue to pray for her - that she will not feel anxious about the days ahead and that she will trust in the Lord and rest in His love and care for her.

Resting in Him,
Michele (for the Haan family)
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Sent 12/05/07:

This is a prayer request that went out over our church prayer chain but we wanted to pass it along to all of you as well.

Please keep our family in your prayers.  Michele brought Meghan to the doctor yesterday (Tuesday) because she has been experiencing pain in her right arm for a few weeks.  We were  thinking that she pulled some muscles or something like that.  Anyway, they ended up doing an x-ray of the arm and discovered that there is a fairly large mass growing on and into the bone (between her elbow and shoulder).  They have scheduled an MRI for Saturday morning and we will be meeting with a pediatric orthopedic specialist early next week.  The doctor indicated that even in the best case scenario of the mass being benign there is still bone damage and thinning that will be of concern.  Please pray for peace and comfort for Meghan.  We are answering her questions but not giving her too much information right now until we know more of what we are dealing with.   Please pray that we will all rest in God's sovereign and perfect plan for us.  Thank you!

Isaiah 43:1-3  Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.  When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

And the winner is....

Congratulations Wendy!  I am emailing you with details.  Thanks to everyone who entered my first-ever Bloggy Give-away.  I'm sorry I didn't post a winner on Monday.  We are in the midst of some stuff here that I will share soon.  In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed my "Book Week" last week.  It turns out that is was really good that I had all those posts prepared in advance to use last week.  I'll be back soon!

Book Week - Day Seven

I can't believe we've already come to the conclusion of BOOK WEEK.  I hope you all have enjoyed this little peek into our family library; I certainly have enjoyed sharing with you!

The Grand Weaver (How God Shapes Us Through the Events of Our Lives) by Ravi Zacharias

This was my husband's pick for this year, but I'm eager to read it as well.  In this book Ravi asks the question, "Are the threads of our lives accidentally tangled or intentionally arranged?"  "How differently would we live if we believed that every event of our lives - from the happy to the tragic to the mundane - was part of a meticulous and purposeful design in which all the elements intertwined with breathtaking precision?  That's the question bestselling author and internationally known speaker Ravi Zacharias answers in this book." 

RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) has many wonderful books and resources available.   Here are just a few that we have benefited from...

A Slice of Infinity - this is an email mailing list you can subscribe to (for free).  Various authors write short devotionals / articles and they are sent out via email daily.

Many of Ravi's excellent lectures are available through his website in video form or podcasts / downloads.  He also has daily and weekly radio shows (information on website).

Some of Ravi's other excellent books:

Jesus Among other Gods

Can Man Live Without God?

And his fascinating biography, Walking from East to West:  God in the Shadows

And these two children's books:
   
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REMINDER:  Today is the last day to enter my Bloggy Give-away (enter here) to win a copy of my 12 Days of Christmas accordion book (featured here).  I will be posting the winner here tomorrow (Monday, December 17)!
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P.S.  A very happy birthday to my very amazing and wonderful husband today as well!

Book Week - Day Six

I know it seems a little silly that I picked out my own book but when at any given time, I've got about 40 books I'm interested in and I can only pick one of them, my husband would just rather I make the decision myself :)

After much deliberation....

Radical Simplicity (Creating an Authentic Life) by Dan Price

Dan Price is probably best known for his award-winning Moonlight Chronicles, a series of handwritten, illustrated journals, published in issues like a magazine.   I read an interesting article about him here.  Though I may not agree with all he has to say, I am eager to read more about his thought process and the steps he took to achieve the life he is now living.  (Plus I like all his pen and ink drawings.) 

His illustrations remind me a lot of Danny Gregory.  I have a few of his books also and highly recommend them:  Everyday Matters and The Creative License

These were the runners-up (but alas, they are still just hanging out on my Amazon wish-list)...

Apples for Jam (A Colorful Cookbook) by Tessa Kiros and Babel: Jim Houser by Jim Houser and Roger Gastman

Book Week - Day Five

I haven't picked out a book for my daughter Lauren yet (plus she reads this so I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises!) so I will feature the book I gave her last year...

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This is a fascinating, extremely well-written, and often humorous memoir of Wall's upbringing by two eccentric and troubled parents.  Uprooted again and again by her self-absorbed mother and brilliant, but alcoholic father, Walls and her siblings were mostly left to fend for themselves.  The thing that I found most interesting about this book is that despite what most of us would characterize as an abusive childhood, Walls in no way plays the victim.  Her love and tenderness towards her parents despite all their faults and failures resonates from start to finish.

And some other interesting memoirs...

Angela's Ashes (McCourt)

A Million Little Pieces (Frey)

The Liar's Club (Karr)

Lucky (Sebold)

Passing for Thin (Kuffel)

Book Week - Day Four

Living Color by Steve Jenkins
Steve Jenkin's beautiful texture- and color-rich paper collages of animals grouped by color illustrate this interesting and informative book which teaches how animals use color to warn predators, signal friends, attract a mate, or hide from their enemies.  Steve has many other wonderful books on animals as well, including one of Aidan's favorites, the Caldecott winner, What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?

In addition, I just wanted to share a short list of some of our other favorite children's books/authors:

Mo Willems - Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, Knuffle Bunny, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late

Lauren Child - (featured in Book Week - Day Two post)

Simms Taback - Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, This is the House that Jack Built, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

Don & Audrey Wood - The Napping House, Piggies, Quick as a Cricket, The Big Hungry Bear, Bright and Early Thursday Evening, King Bidgood's in the Bathtub

Jan Brett - The Mitten, Gingerbread Baby, Hedgie's Surprise, Town Mouse - Country Mouse (Jan Brett has a really awesome website with lots of activity and coloring pages for kids - just click on her name for the link)

Ian Falconer - Olivia, Olivia Saves the Circus

Lois Ehlert - Waiting for Wings, Leaf Man, Hands - Growing up to be an Artist, Planting a Rainbow, Feathers for Lunch, Red Leaf - Yellow Leaf

Munro Leaf - Reading Can Be Fun, How to Speak Politely and Why, Manners Can Be Fun

And just a few more....

The Story of Frog Belly Ratbone (Ering), Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (Steig), How I Became a Pirate (Shannon/Long), Simon's Book (Drescher), Imagine (Messenger), Mouse Mess (Riley), A Summertime Song (Haas)

Some favorite chapter books...

Kate DiCamillo - The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Because of Winn-Dixie

EB White - Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan

Series - Boxcar Children (Warner), Little House on the Prairie (Wilder), The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis), Anne of Green Gables (Montgomery), Elsie Dinsmore (Finley), Redwall (Jacques), Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Tolkien), Chronicles of Prydia (Alexander), Wrinkle in Time (L'Engle)

Book Week - Day Three

For the Star Wars geeks...

The Wildlife of Star Wars - A Field Guide by Terryl Whitlatch and Bob Carrau

I found this at the Bargain Bookstore this past summer for 10.00 and stashed it away.  We've got a bunch of Star Wars fanatics around here so I'm guessing it'll be a big hit.  (Many hours have been spent pouring over the DK Visual Dictionaries of Star Wars.)  This lovely oversized book is designed as a naturalist's sketch book and features the meticulous illustrations of Star Wars' artist Terryl Whitlatch, along with detailed field notes.

Lettering in Crazy Cool Quirky Style by the editors of Klutz.

We love Klutz books and this will make a nice addition to the kid's crafting shelves.   (Bargain shoppers hint: Wait for the 50% off coupon for Michaels and use it to buy a book!)

Book Week - Day Two

Being a visual/creative type, illustrations understandably play a big role in many of our book choices.  Today I want to highlight two books that are classics on their own, but these versions have the added benefit of wonderful illustrations.

Pippi Longstocking written by Astrid Lindgren / illustrated by Lauren Child / Translated by Tiina Nunnally
I cannot tell you how excited I was to find this one.  Lauren Child has long been a favorite around here (even before Charlie and Lola hit the "big time").  So to find this classic childhood favorite by Astird Lindgren with illustrations by Lauren was a real treat.  I am eager to read this one together as a family.  Some of our other favorite books written and illustrated by Lauren Child are That Pesky Rat, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?, The Princess and the Pea, Clarice Bean (all of them), and the Charlie and Lola books (particularly I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato and I Am Not Sleepy and I Will Not Go to Bed).  I just crack up whenever we read any of her books - she has such a wonderful quirky sense of humor.  (Hint - They are even better if you can imagine/read them with a British accent.)

Pinocchio written by Carlo Collodi / illustrated by Sara Fanelli
Again, a beloved classic (the original, not the Disneyfied version) updated with beautiful illustrations by an extraordinary artist.  And the slipcase is just wonderful icing on the cake!

   

   

Book Week - Day One

One of our favorite things around here is books.  I've been wanting to do a "Book Week" here on the blog for awhile, but I wasn't sure how to pack in all the good stuff I want to share into one week.  (When it comes to books I'm afraid I'd need a whole other blog!)  So instead of trying to show you all our favorites, I've decided to mostly just highlight the books we are adding to our library this year (one steadfast tradition we've had over the years in our family is that everyone gets a book for Christmas).  I'll be featuring books every day this week so stop by and visit often! 

Day One - The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers

This may very well be my new all-time favorite book.  I was not familiar with Oliver Jeffer's work prior to coming across this book and all I can say is WOW!  The story is very sweet and well written and the illustrations are amazing.  I'm tempted to tear the pages out and frame them.   I just love his style and all the subtle elements he incorporates into his artwork.  This is a book we are adding into the family library and I'm sure it will be enjoyed for years to come.

     

   

Bloggy Give-away

In the spirit of the holidays I am doing my first ever Bloggy Give-away.  I have an extra copy of my handmade "12 Days of Christmas" accordion book (featured in the previous post).  Leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite Christmas song or tradition and you will be entered in a drawing to win it!  Leave your comments through Sunday, December 16, and I will post the winner on Monday morning, December 17.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

You may remember from here that I recently finished a project for Gina Armfield's 12 Days of Christmas Swap.  I want to take this opportunity to share a little more in-depth what that project was.  I started with the Christmas carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," which happens to be a favorite of mine.  Over the years we've collected a number of books by different illustrators of this carol.  At some point we came across "The Real Twelve Days of Christmas" by Helen Haidle which details the real meaning and history behind the words.  I decided to create 12 original collage illustrations using various images and ephemera including many snippets from a 1964 Webster's Dictionary that I picked up at a garage sale this past summer (oh, how I love old dictionaries!).   Once the collages were complete, I made color copies of all of them and pasted them into accordion fold books which I also made by hand.  I also stitched a border around each image with my sewing machine.  I was very happy with the end result and I hope that all the participants in the swap enjoyed them!

Here are the finished books (the accordion folded pages are 36" long when opened fully and the finished size of the book when folded up is approximately 3 X 3):

 

For the swap I included a sheet with the detailed history and meaning of the song.  I will reprint that information here with detail shots of the individual collages...

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

What is the real meaning behind "The Twelve Days of Christmas?"  In the sixteenth century, England proclaimed an official state church, and any other religious teaching was strictly forbidden.  So for the next three centuries, those who refused to join the state church developed creative ways to teach children their beliefs.  One popular method was to use lyrics and song.  In the well-known carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," many secret Christian symbols are concealed in the lyrics.  This cheerful song, about a generous benefactor who loved to give, could be freely sung without ever using God's name, because "my true love" refers to God.  The partridge, turtledoves, French hens, calling birds, and other images all symbolized elements of the Christian faith.  Hopefully learning the history of the lyrics will bring you a new appreciation for this familiar carol.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.  The first gift of this Christmas song is a partridge, a small bird similar to a quail or a grouse.  The original gift of Christmas is Jesus, sent to earth from God.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  (John 3:15-17)  The partridge was known as a valiant bird, willing to fight to the death in order to defend its young.  The bird's readiness to die for its young made it an ancient Christian symbol of Christ.  The pear tree represents the cross.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtledoves.  For hundreds of years, Jewish families used turtledoves as offerings to God.  The gift of two turtledoves is a reminder of the sacrifice offered for Jesus by Mary and Joseph.  When Jesus was forty days old, they took him to the temple in Jerusalem.  They brought a sacrifice of two turtledoves as was required by the law.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three French hens.  French hens were valuable poultry during the sixteenth century - only the rich could afford them.  These costly birds symbolized the three valuable gifts given to Jesus by the wise men:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Gold was the most precious of all metals.  Frankincense and myrrh were expensive spices used as incense and for burials.