The Bronze Bow

A studious young friend recommended this 1962 Newberry winner to me, and I am glad she did. I would consider it a living book, which is a fictional book set in a historical period so that readers get a sense of life during that particular time.


In this case, the setting is Galilee, during Jesus' lifetime. The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare, follows the struggles of Daniel, a young outcast preparing for the big battle he knows will come when the promised Messiah leads the Jewish people, currently under the pain of Roman rule, to a new day with the establishment of a new kingdom. Daniel's family was destroyed by the Romans, and he can think of nothing else but defeating his oppressors. Daniel thinks he may indeed have found the leader of the new Jewish kingdom: Rosh, a Robin Hood of sorts who lives in the mountains with a band of outlaws. However, when a new Teacher begins gaining popularity, Daniel begins to question Rosh's motives and his own loyalties. Can Jesus' message of love really be more powerful than Daniel's desire for revenge against the Romans?


Elizabeth George Speare does an excellent job of placing the reader right in the middle of the sights, sounds, and smells of Jesus' day. Daniel's internal struggle is skillfully portrayed so that readers at once understand his torment and sympathize with his situation. If you want your kids to get an idea of what it might have been like to be a Jewish kid during Jesus' time on earth, this is the book for you.

Easter eggs

We delayed our Easter egg decorating until the day after Easter, since Easter was filled with lots of other fun things. Our Easter egg fest included both cousins and a sweet little neighbor this year.

We started with almost two dozen eggs, but in the end, after some cracked and some got eaten, here's what made it into the final photo.

Easter snow

We had one last (I hope!) surprise snow the day before Easter. It was a bit shocking to drive to Easter service rehearsal with snow all around, but it was beautiful. It had all melted by the afternoon. However, if left images behind of life bursting forth from a blanket of heavy winter. Not bad symbolism for a time when we celebrate a risen Savior, who brings life into a world trying to survive under a blanket of sin.

50s Day

50s Day at school was fun for all of us! Here's our very own Sandy and Danny.












I got to substitute teach that day, so I wore my husband's letterman's jacket.

Cherry Blossom Run

W and his dad participated in the Cherry Blossom Run in D.C. last weekend. W ran the 5K, while his dad ran the 10-mile run. Both set a goal of finishing with a pace of 9 minutes, 5 seconds per mile. I missed the whole thing because I was at the conference in Dallas, but Grandma took some nice photos.


Here's W preparing to cross the finish line. He completed the 5K at a 9 minute, 3 second per mile pace.

His dad finished the 10-mile run at a 9 minute, 4 second per mile pace.


Many, many thanks go to Grandma, who traveled with our guys to D.C. so that W wouldn't have to wait alone for his dad at the end of the race. Also, a big thank you goes to Papa, who stayed home with J and M so that they wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to travel to D.C.

Crazy hair day

This week is Spirit Week at the kids' school, and today is Crazy Hair Day. J decided to go half spiked, half normal, since he thought the rest of the short-haired boys at school would spike all their hair. Having half and half was a way to show a little individuality.








M went with little ponytails/buns all over her head. She originally wanted to put Barbies in somehow, but I convinced her that they would be too big. So, she decided to use Polly Pockets and little Disney princesses instead.


The Sanjaya award goes to W.

He decided on his own that he wanted to do this. We didn't have time this morning to make seven ponytails to complete his "ponyhawk" but we did get in six.

M.E.N.D. conference

Last weekend I got to fly to Dallas for a M.E.N.D. leadership conference. M.E.N.D. (Mommies Enduring Neonatal Death) is a Christian support organization that was a tremendous help to me when our third son was stillborn almost eight years ago. Soon after that, I began working as M.E.N.D.'s newsletter editor. This is the second time I've gotten to travel to meet with these wonderful, caring people who reach out to hurting families to offer encouragement, understanding, and hope. The ladies in this photo are leaders in each of M.E.N.D.'s seven chapters (the leader from Georgia wasn't able to attend). I don't lead a chapter, but they were still nice enough to include me in their photo. :) I'm the second one from the left.

If you're interested in finding out more about M.E.N.D., their Web site is www.mend.org.

Art show

A couple of weekends ago, we all got to go to the school district's art show at a local high school. All the kids had at least one item on exhibit, while M's work above was chosen for prominent display. Can you tell my daughter has a thing for jewelry and polished purple fingernails?










Each of my kids had one of these faces in the exhibit. I'm not sure I have this right, but I think the one with long hair is J's, the one with the gekko is W's, and the one with the hat is M's.

Blogging binge, beginning with a beekeeper

I have an awful lot of blogging to catch up on today. Often I'm led to post photos of my family before I get to book entries. However, since I currently have so many fun pictures of goings-on at my house to send into cyberspace, I forced myself to put photos of my cute redheads on hold and am posting this book review first. The Beekeeper's Apprentice was just too good to be pushed aside.

It's been a long time since I happened upon something so intellectually stimulating and engrossing. I usually find the good books through recommendations and word of mouth. This time I did a search at my library of books that have a history of having a lot of hold requests. I figured if a lot of people were asking for a book, it would probably be worth investigating. And that is how I found myself staying up until two o'clock in the morning, unable to turn the light off until I found out what happened to Russell and Holmes of The Beekeeper's Apprentice.

The story, written by Laurie R. King, has an intriguing premise. The heroine, Mary Russell, is a recently orphaned teenager living in Sussex, England. As she wanders the hills to get away from her stifling new life with a very strict aunt, she literally runs into the legendary Sherlock Holmes, now retired and spending his time as a beekeeper. A friendship/apprenticeship soon begins, and quick-witted Mary gains new skills, purpose, and perspective as she learns to see life through the eyes of a highly observant, highly skilled investigator.

There's a lot of adventure, mystery (of course), and plenty of thrills as Mary learns how to hide her footprints, track down suspects, and anticipate a protagonist's next move, all the while moving into womanhood and away from the terrible nightmares of her past. The book is written from Mary's perspective, so the reader is able to think alongside her and feel what she is feeling. The writing was exquisite, and the tone is perfect.

I had no idea this book was even out there, but it's the one I've been looking for. I longed for a new series that would keep me involved and perhaps out of children's literature for a while, but all I've come across lately was too fluffy or tinged with romantic goo for my taste. This is a smart book by a clever author, with more to come. There's a Mary Russell series out there that is now calling my name. I'm a little torn, though, about whether to jump into the second book in the series or to go back and read Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories first.