Kind to Everything

I was exploring on Project Gutenberg & came across this poem from Happy Days for Boys and Girls.
:-)

KIND TO EVERYTHING.

SOFTLY, softly, little sister,
Touch those gayly-painted wings;
Butterflies and moths, remember,
Are such very tender things.

Softly, softly, little sister,
Twirl your limber hazel twig;
Little hands may harm a nestling
Thoughtlessly, as well as big.

Gently stroke the purring pussy,
Kindly pat the friendly dog;
Let your unmolesting mercy
Even spare the toad or frog.

Wide is God’s great world around you:
Let the harmless creatures live;
Do not mar their brief enjoyment,
Take not what you cannot give.

Let your heart be warm and tender—
For the mute and helpless plead;
Pitying leads to prompt relieving,
Kindly thought to kindly deed.

Thoughtful Thursday

I have recently discovered the poetry of Edgar A. Guest. The following poem has recently struck my fancy. It's spring-themed, but also seems very fitting on the day before the last day of school for the kids. Enjoy. :-)

Out-Of-Doors

The kids are out-of-doors once more;
The heavy leggins that they wore,
The winter caps that covered ears
Are put away, and no more tears
Are shed because they cannot go
Until they're bundled up just so.
No more she wonders when they're gone
If they have put their rubbers on;
No longer are they hourly told
To guard themselves against a cold;
Bareheaded now they romp and run
Warmed only by the kindly sun.

She's put their heavy clothes away
And turned the children out to play,
And all the morning long they race
Like madcaps round about the place.
The robins on the fences sing
A gayer song of welcoming,
And seems as though they had a share
In all the fun they're having there.
The wrens and sparrows twitter, too,
A louder and a noisier crew,
As though it pleased them all to see
The youngsters out of doors and free.

Outdoors they scamper to their play
With merry din the livelong day,
And hungrily they jostle in
The favor of the maid to win;
Then, armed with cookies or with cake,
Their way into the yard they make,
And every feathered playmate comes
To gather up his share of crumbs.
The finest garden that I know
Is one where little children grow,
Where cheeks turn brown and eyes are bright,
And all is laughter and delight.

Oh, you may brag of gardens fine,
But let the children race in mine;
And let the roses, white and red,
Make gay the ground whereon they tread.
And who for bloom perfection seeks,
Should mark the color on their cheeks;
No music that the robin spouts
Is equal to their merry shouts;
There is no foliage to compare
With youngsters' sun-kissed, tousled hair:
Spring's greatest joy beyond a doubt
Is when it brings the children out.

Lilies in Moonlight

He’d lost his zest for life. She was just lost. Will they find the healing and love they long for?

After a roaring night on the town, fun-loving flapper Lilly Margolis, dazed and disoriented, twists her ankle and falls into the backyard of a wealthy family where the effects of the Great War—over for more than half a decade—are still endured. Inside the walls of the Burnside mansion, Cullen Burnside, a disillusioned and disfigured veteran, and his widowed mother, Betty Ruth, who daily slips a little further into dementia, lead a lonely existence … until Lilly. Whimsical, lighthearted, and beautiful, she rejuvenates their sad, disconnected lives and blossoms in the light of their attention.

But Lilly, like Cullen, is hiding from a painful past. And when Cullen insists on returning her to her faraway home, their budding attraction seems destined to die on the vine. The resulting road trip becomes a journey of self-discovery—but what will Cullen and Lilly find at journey’s end?

My Personal Opinion

              This is my first review and I want to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I loved picking up a few details about the time period and I became deeply engrossed in the journey, both physical & emotional, that the two main protaganists go through over the course of the story.

              Cullen & Lily have both gone through periods in their life that have led to regrets and neither of them have been able to let go. Along with mistakes from his past, Cullen also has to cope with his mother's fragile emotional state. In the end, though, this story is about forgiveness. Forgiving yourself, forgiving others, and asking their forgiveness in return. I would highly recommend it.

I received this book from the Waterbrook Multnomah Blogging for Books program for the purpose of reviewing it. All opinions were my own and not influenced by the publisher or author.

Theme Song Thursday

The End of an Era

Sadly, especially due to the lack of frequent posting, this blog will be undergoing changes. It was developed to document the daily life experiences of our two families sharing a house, which is about to to end. Therein lays the positive side to this transition...

We've found a house!!

Pardon some aspects of these pics...the ad is no longer available online (due to our arrangements with the owner), so I had to go online since I haven't taken any pictures while we were over there. :-)

I'm hoping from here on out to put more of an effort into the new incarnation of this blog...whatever life brings us in the future.



Theme Song Thursday

Ice Block Igloo ~ Part I

            It's time to get creative. Since the amount & types of snow we've been getting has been less than ideal (honestly, I could use a record-setting blizzard right about now, you know, the type with 10' drifts)...enter the igloo made of giant ice cubes. Colored ice cubes at that. :-D I think the kids will be appreciative.

Theme Song Thursday

And as a belated tribute to Ian on his birthday:

Resolutions & Resolve

Once again I'm sliding back into bad habits. I keep letting things fall back into the same old ruts. I have all these great plans regarding the kids, the house, my hobbies, this blog...and although I have the best of intentions, my motivation and willpower decide to take a vacation right when I need them most. For those of you few brave souls who have taken the chance on following our blog, what are your best motivators? Anything unusual or unexpected?

This Day in History

1066 – Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England.

1838 – Samuel Morse first successfully tests the electrical telegraph.

1893 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress. The charter is signed by President Benjamin Harrison.

1907 – Maria Montessori opens her first school and daycare center for working class children in Rome.

1912 – New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state.

1929 – Mother Teresa arrives in Calcutta to begin her work among India's poorest and sick people.

1941 – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt delivers his Four Freedoms Speech in the State of the Union Address.

1974 – In response to the 1973 energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly four months early in the United States.

Births

1412 – Joan of Arc, French military figure and Roman Catholic Saint (legendary date) (d. 1431)

1714 – Percivall Pott, English physician (d. 1788)

1799 – Jedediah Strong Smith, American hunter and explorer (d. 1831)

1913 – Loretta Young, American actress (d. 2000)

The weather today:
 Yay!! There's snow outside!!! Not a whole lot but there is some and more coming down.

In my crafting corner:
 So I've finally took a picture of the blanket I'm working on. So here it is.

 I've also got to start on another purse for my daughter's brithday that is in a couple weeks.

My to do list:
Get laundry put away
Look up meal ideas
Try to get back to using cloth diapers
Make more laundry soap

What I'm reading now:
Taming Natasha By Nora Roberts

No words needed (favorite photo):

Amy

Happy Birthday Deedee!!

             Yay, we managed to have a small get together for our second youngest today for her 3rd birthday. :-) I had originally wanted to do it on her actual birthday, but, as per usual, I was moving way too slow. Plus, Ian was working that day and today we only had Curtis' schedule to work around.
             It's hard to believe how big she's getting. And then I think how big her brother & sister are getting and I'm really scared.

                Ok, so the last two aren't from the party, but since Zelda slpet through it, I had to get her in there somehow. :-D