Category Archives: Children’s books

Just Beachy Hodgepodge

Three generations at the beach in Southern California in the early 70’s.

It’s time for another summertime Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thank you, Joyce!

1. When does time pass slowly for you?

When waiting on news from a loved one. When flying from Seattle to the U.K.

When does time pass quickly for you? 

When spending time with loved ones and watching how fast our grandchildren grow from stage to stage.

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What’s your favorite ‘beach’ activity? Tell us what we’d find in your beach bag.

Laguna Beach in the early 70’s.

Over the years favorite beaches included, Newport, Huntington, Laguna, Emma Wood (Ventura), San Clemente, and Refugio (campground on the beach above Santa Barbara).

In my 74 years of life, over half of those years were lived close enough to a beach to spend a day there or just a few miles from a beach. Our sons were born while we lived in Huntington Beach and our daughter was born in Ventura which is also a ‘beach’ town. In my younger years I loved to be in the waves or do a little body surfing. In high school, I enjoyed playing ‘Hearts’ on a beach towel with friends slathering on the cocoa butter to get a tan (I know…dumb). With small children, I didn’t like the beach because of all the sand I had to clean off everyone, the sand in the food and the panic I’d feel about them being swept away in the waves. In my older days we lived temporarily in Camarillo a short distance to the beach. I loved to have a walk on the beach before dawn and watch the waves and the sea birds. Currently, I’m not a fan of being on the beach on a hot day. If I’m going to spend any amount of time on the beach it will be in the Winter, at sunrise or sunset.

My bag is most likely in the car and I would be hands free except for my camera or my cell phone. I would be taking photos of the birds and the surfers and the waves. I’d have sunblock on and a hat. I would be walking along the shore and not sitting. 🙂

Cousins camping at Refugio State Beach in California, 1984.

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? 

Flipper and Voyage of the Dawn Treader

4. What’s a food you love, but find it’s a pain to eat? Is it worth it? 

Love is a strong word. I enjoy mussels and they aren’t the easiest to eat. Caramels are delicious but they might pull out a crown. Peanut brittle is another thing that can be dangerous for teeth but is delicious.

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What’s the best (or worst) roller coaster you’ve been on? 

Big Thunder Mountain January of 2023.

I enjoy the Disney rides that are roller coasterish like, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, or Space Mountain. I’m not a fan of carnival rides.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Addy and JJ below the Huntington Beach Pier in the town where their Dad and Uncle were born.

Curiouser and Curiouser

It’s Wednesday so it’s time for the Hodgepodge questions Jo has come up with for this week.

1. What’s something you’re curious about right now? 

I’m curious as to whether a trip next Spring will work out for us or/and if more local trips will come to fruition.

2. If you could plan the perfect girl’s weekend getaway, where would you go and what would be on the agenda?

A walkable, safe, quaint town with lots of restaurants, shops, gardens, museums where we could stay right in the midst in a comfortable cottage would be ideal in my mind. Something like a B & B would be nice.

Do you have anything like this on your calendar in the next few months? 

No, nothing like this on my calendar.

3. What’s the most unique item in your refrigerator right now? 

Elder/Aronia Berry juice made from our Aronia Berries and a friends Elderflowers.

4. In this season of your life, what do you find most challenging? 

It takes me much longer to recuperate from strenuous activities and from trips away from home.

5. Do you collect anything? If so why that? 

I used to collect a lot of things, tablecloths, napkins, napkin rings, place card holders, dishes, goblets, Beatrix Potter Figurines, etc. Now I’m working on downsizing all these collections and not collecting anything anymore.

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Speaking of Beatrix Potter collections here is a peek at my Beatrix Potter Tea table from our Ladies event this past Saturday.

I’ll be late getting around this week.

Merry May Hodgepodge

A merry month of May Hodgepodge with thanks to Jo From This Side of the Pond.

1. Let’s compare this May to last May. What’s changed? What remains very much the same? 

Much remains the same as last year with Mother’s Day teas, Addy’s Dance Recital, Hummingbirds returning, a May trip to the Westside of the mountains.

The thing that has changed is we aren’t walking the trail because of my Plantar Fasciitis and a limp Greg has developed. Growing old is not for the faint of heart. It’s easy enough for me to mow with our riding lawn mower but I can’t weedwack or do a lot of weeding. Once things settle down and get better for both of us we’ll be out on the trail again.

A special treat that is different than most years is that our grand nephew is traveling with the Master’s Chorale and will be having 2 concerts in Washington State and we will be able to go to one of the concerts and see him and the group perform in person. This will be on the Seattle side of the mountains.

2. What’s something you may do this month.
We may book a river cruise or do some other travel planning.

3. Mother’s Day is approaching (in the US of A)…in what way(s) are you like your mother? 

Haha! More and more I find myself doing things like my mom. In looking back at photos of her I’ve noticed my body reacting similarly in menopause and aging in photos where we were the same age. Weird. Thankful I’m past the chubbier face period. 🙂
4. Did you have a favorite book as a child? What was it and why was it a favorite. 
I had two favorite book series that I remember looking for at the library and checking out. One of the series was Little House on the Prairie and the other was the Freddy Series by Walter R. Brooks. I’m wondering if I was first drawn to the Freddy books because I have a brother named Fred.

5. Are you more of a tortoise or a hare? Explain. 

I can be both but I’m more of a hare by nature. I rush forward and can be hasty and miss a step in instructions or a recipe etc. Thankfully Greg is more steady and he reads instructions and corrects my hastiness to save the day!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We’ve had some beautiful Spring mornings at our Country bungalow.

If you live in the USA or Canada, I wish you a Merry Mother’s Day weekend!

Speaking of Mother’s Day here are the ones who first called me mom…

 

Since You Asked…Hodgepodge

 

Getting my Hodgepodge done early on Tuesday. We’ll be busy Tuesday evening with some company around our table.

Welcome again to Wednesday Hodgepodge. Jo From This Side of the Pond asks the questions and we answer them.

1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.

Slow & Easy

2. If you had to describe how you’re feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. 

Merry-Go-Round or Carousel. Slow and steady with some ups and downs but mostly calm and content.

3. What’s something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? 

My happy space.

4.  Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? 

The salad police just caught me and they are taking me in for questioning!  We have moved into the habit of not eating salad. Maybe one salad a week. I like crisp salad greens with cucumber and tomato and a simple Persian dressing. 

5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. 

  1. Tolkien
  2. C.S. Lewis
  3. MacDonald
  4. Montgomery
  5. Beatrix Potter

1, MacArthur 2. Spurgeon 3. Sproul 4. Ryle 5. Piper

  1. Johnson Brothers
  2. Royal Albert
  3. Spode
  4. Tudor
  5. Churchill

1. Cotswolds 2. Oxford 3. York/Yorkshire 4. Windsor 5. Cambridge

  1. Yellowstone
  2. Badlands
  3. Mt. Rushmore
  4. Yosemite
  5. Grand Canyon

I bent the rules and went with 5 fives. I’m sure you can name my category titles.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Tomorrow is our sister Vera’s 19th real birthday day. She was born on Leap Year! Happy 19th Birthday Vera. We’ll have to have a big ‘do’ for your 20th! (Hope we are all alive, then) I’ll be singing ’76 Trombones’ for you tomorrow.

These photos were from her 18th birthday party! Sisters in order of birth and then Vera with her son and daughter.

A ‘Hunny’ of a Hodgepodge

Joyce From This Side of the Pond has questions commemorating the birthday of A.A. Milne for our Hodgepodge this week.

When our boys were infants and toddlers they had those toys above and our favorite jammies for them were the Winnie the Pooh brand from Sears.

This little guy isn’t little anymore and he has a birthday this Friday.

1. On January 18th we commemorate A.A. Milne’s birthday. Milne is the author of the beloved classic Winnie the Pooh. In many ways Pooh represents innocence and simplicity. His optimism reminds us to appreciate the little things. What are three little things you’re appreciating in mid-January? 

  1. Watching the birds at the bird feeders.
  2. Hot soup and good bread.
  3. Working on Jigsaw Puzzles since the weather outside is below freezing.

2. Piglet teaches us even the smallest of individuals can achieve big things with the proper amount of determination. How do your current responsibilities make you feel? 

I am content in my current responsibilities outside the home. I need to be more proactive in bringing on some helpers who could take over for me if needed in these responsibilities.

At home I could be a little more diligent in keeping up the house and making meals so if I’m attaching a feeling it would be feeling behind or unproductive.

3. Tigger is known for his enthusiasm and energy, his boundless joy and love of life. What’s something you’re interested in learning more about in this new year? 

History of the Church ~ Church History by Simonetta Carr

4. Eeyore, while a melancholy character, teaches us the importance of resilience and perseverance. How do you stay motivated and persevere in difficult circumstances?

I have to go to the Word of God for my motivation and encouragement.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

5. What’s the last thing you ate that was made with honey? 

Toast with peanut butter and honey

6. Insert your own random thought here.  

Currently the only Winnie the Pooh book we have in our country bungalow is this one:

The only authorized Russian-language edition of Winnie-The-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner

In this edition Winnie the Pooh becomes a Russian bear.

I bought it way back in the early 70’s at a bookstore in Westwood, California. It was $4.95.

Thanks to all who stop by here in my little corner of the world.

We Love our Books Hodgepodge

Jo From This Side of the Pond has a new batch of questions for us to mull over and answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge. Thanks, Jo!

1. It’s National Read A Book Day…whatcha’ reading? What’s a book you want to read?

We have books in many rooms in our home.  Our study books and cookbooks and resource books are in our office. Greg and I both have desks that face each other in our office and we each have bookshelves behind our desks. In the playroom we have a bookshelf full of good children’s and young adult books.  In the ‘blue’ room we have some of our favorite literature and other books by C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, MacDonald, and a lot of classics. We have full sets of Beatrix Potter’s The World of Peter Rabbit series. We have the full set of Anne books by L.M. Montgomery. Other authors we enjoy are Elizabeth Goudge, Dorothy Sayers, Walter Brooks~(Freddy the Pig series), Brian Jacques delightful Redwall series, the Dune series in the world of Science Fiction and more from that genre. For more serious reading we enjoy John Piper, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur, Alistair Begg, Charles Spurgeon, and Martin Lloyd Jones.

Currently I’ve been concentrating on reading Ephesians in the New Testament of the Bible this summer alongside a commentary of Ephesians by John MacArthur. Daily I like to springboard into my morning reading by a short devotional by Alistair Begg, a living preacher and writer, and Charles Spurgeon, a dead ‘Prince of Preachers’.

I have a couple of books on my desk right now that I’d like to read. All That Jesus Commanded, The Christian Life According to the Gospels, by John Piper and a short book, The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith in Modern English.

2. Which is better…having high expectations or low expectations? Explain why. 

I’m going to say it’s better to have high expectations with a clause thrown in. Reach higher but don’t beat yourself up when you don’t quite reach the height. Keep pressing on. Encourage and don’t discourage someone who is trying to reach something higher than themselves.

You have to be careful about YOUR expectations for other people.

3. Serenity is________________________. 

Being at peace with God and the people around you. Another clause thrown in…as much as it is up to you, be at peace with those around you. Sometimes those you would like to be at peace with don’t want to cooperate.

4. What’s  the most interesting thing in your purse or pocket right now? 

Things are pretty standard and boring right now. I do have an overabundance of 1 dollar bills at the moment.

5. What helps you calm down? 

Knowing that ultimately I AM NOT IN CHARGE!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I will be missing from Wednesday Hodgepodge the next 3 Wednesdays because I’ll be enjoying some new scenery across the pond. Dublin, Belfast, York, Yorkshire Dales and Liverpool are all on the schedule for us. Liverpool for a soccer game, Liverpool v. West Ham at Anfield stadium. Cheers and Sláinte to you all. 

See you in October when Fall/Autumn are just beginning.

Kenneth Grahame ~ Wind in the Willows

From the Wind in the Willows ~ by Kenneth Grahame

“The weary Mole also was glad to turn in without delay, and soon had his head on his pillow, in great joy and contentment. But ere he closed his eyes he let them wander round his old room, mellow in the glow of the firelight that played or rested on familiar and friendly things which had long been unconsciously a part of him, and now smilingly received him back, without rancour. He was now in just the frame of mind that the tactful Rat had quietly worked to bring about in him. He saw clearly how plain and simple – how narrow, even – it all was; but clearly, too, how much it all meant to him, and the special value of some such anchorage in one’s existence. He did not at all want to abandon the new life and its splendid spaces, to turn back on sun and air and all they offered him and creep home and stay there; the upper world was all too strong, it called to him still, even down there, and he knew he must return to the larger stage. But it was good to think he had this to come back to, this place which was all his own, these things which were so glad to see him again and could always be counted upon for the same simple welcome.”

 

“This has been a wonderful day!” said he, as the rat shoved off and took to the sculls again. “Do you know, I’ve never been in a boat in all my life.”

“What?” cried the Rat, open mouthed: “Never been in a – you never-well, I-what have you been doing, then?”

“Is it so nice as all that?” asked the Mole shyly, though he was quite prepared to believe it as he leaned back in his seat and surveyed the cushions, the oars, the rowlocks, and all the fascinating fittings, and felt the boat sway lightly under him.

“Nice? It’s the only thing.” said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing.”

I read The Wind in the Willows for the first time in 2008 and that same year Dear and I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market where I saw and purchased this teapot by Sadler from their Classic Stories series.

While we were in Oxford in September of 2022 we took a stroll through Holywell Cemetery.

The friends of Holywell Cemetery need some more friends to help keep up this cemetery.

 

The reason I’m adding photos from this cemetery in this post about Kenneth Grahame is that we stumbled upon his gravestone in this cemetery. We saw a few gravestones of note. This one is Kenneth Grahame’s. His son is buried here, also. He died tragically when he was just 20.

To
The Beautiful Memory
Of
Kenneth Grahame
Husband of Elspeth
And
Father of Alastair
Who Passed the River
On the 6th of July 1932
Leaving
Childhood & Literature
Through Him
The More Blest
For All Time
And of His Son Alastair Grahame
Commoner of Christ Church
1920

Another headstone we took note of was this one for Charles Walter Stansby Williams.

Charles Walter Stansby Williams was a British poet, novelist, playwright, theologian, literary critic, and member of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group associated with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien at the University of Oxford.

Have you ever read The Wind in the Willows? I found it to be very entertaining and heart warming. I’ll leave you with one more quote from this children’s classic.

“Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that’s always changing!”

Enjoy your horizons!

Christ Church College ~ 3

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll attended Christ Church at Oxford and this is where he found inspiration for Alice in Wonderland.

The character of Alice is based on a girl called Alice Liddell, who was the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church at the time.

The Alice stories were first created one legendary ‘golden afternoon’ on 4 July 1862. While entertaining the three Liddell sisters, Alice, Lorina and Edith, during a boating trip, Dodgson improvised the story that would become Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

In the dining hall at Christ Church, there is a tiny tribute to Alice in Wonderland in the stained glass. In the bottom left of one of the stained glass panels is a small Alice in Wonderland with long blonde hair in her iconic blue dress. In the centre of the panel is a girl’s face and this is Alice Liddell.

If you are an Alice in Wonderland fan you can read more of the real story behind the book here.

Truth be told, I’m not one of those fans and we do not own a copy of Alice in Wonderland but I do find the story behind the story very interesting. It’s interesting to me how books by C.S. Lewis, Beatrix Potter, and Carroll stemmed from letters they sent to young ones in their lives or from entertaining the children in their lives.

Across the street from Christ Church is Alice’s Shop.

Formerly the grocer’s where Alice Liddell would buy her favorite barley sugars and the inspiration for the Old Sheep Shop in Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass (1871), when Alice finds herself: in a little dark shop, leaning with her elbows on the counter, and opposite to her was an old sheep, sitting in an arm-chair knitting.’ from Walking Oxford 1,000 years of history in 8 walks by Vicky Wilson. I highly recommend this guide book if you are going to spend some time in Oxford.

As we walked out of our tour and headed back to St. Aldate’s via Broad Walk (the tourist entrance to Christ Church College) we noticed this quotation inscribed on  the path from John Bunyan’s, The Pilgrim’s Progress.

My Sword I Give to Him That Shall Succeed In My Pilgrimage. ~ John Bunyan

Speaking of John Bunyan, we visited Blackwell’s Bookstore and their famous Norrington room in the basement, the largest bookselling room in the world. Hmm…but not one book by John Bunyan to be had in this huge collection of books. I wanted to buy a copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress while in England but I had no success.

We did find a copy of Grace Abounding ~ The Life and Death of Mr. Badman by Bunyan in St. Philips Books for ten pounds. This bookstore was a couple shops away from Alice’s shop. A very small shop.

I’m in the process of reading The Pilgrim’s Progress. It’s not a quick read for me. It was first published in 1678.

Here are some of the descriptions written about The Pilgrim’s Progress;

An enormously influential 17th-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language, The Pilgrim’s Progress remains one of the most widely read books in the English language.

The Pilgrim’s Progress, religious allegory by the English writer John Bunyan, published in two parts in 1678 and 1684. The work is a symbolic vision of a Christian man’s pilgrimage through life. At one time second only to the Bible in popularity, The Pilgrim’s Progress is the most famous Christian allegory still in print.

John Bunyan: Born at Elstow, near Bedford, in 1628, the son of a brazier. Served in the Civil War on the Parliamentary side. Became a preacher in 1657; and pastor of a congregation in Bedford, 1671. Intermittently imprisoned for preaching from 1660 to 1672, and again in 1675. Died in London on 31st August 1688.

Have you ever read The Pilgrim’s Progress?

Choices Hodgepodge

It’s Wednesday so that means the Hodgepodge is here with new questions to answer. Thank you to Joyce From This Side of the Pond for keeping our brains challenged!

1. Where do you get your news these days? 

We follow more conservative voices. I limit my news intake since they prove themselves to be misleading so much of the time. I get so tired of all the opinions and talk show formats instead of your good ole news like; there was a flood today in such and such city or it’s real hot in Texas today. During this war I get information from our missionary associations that are in the midst helping like FEBC, SGA, and others who are there.

2. It’s National Crab Day…do you like crab meat? What makes you crabby? 

A good Crab Cake is a treat.

Stone faced liars make me crabby.

3. Does freedom mean more choices?

From the Oxford dictionary;

the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

Another definition is; the state of not being in prison. 🙂

So…if we all have freedom there are going to be a lot of choices.

Have you ever felt there were too many choices? Elaborate. 

Some restaurants have way too many choices making it very hard to choose. Then you wonder…can they really do 40 different dishes well?

Seriously though, choices are important in life. We will all live with the choices we make and their consequences.

I’m with Joshua on this one…

Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

4. Barbara Millicent Roberts was introduced to the world on March 9, 1959…that’s Barbie to most of us. Did you have Barbies as a kid, or did you let your own children play with Barbies?

Madame Alexander Dolls are more my style and it was one of her dolls I bought our daughter for her 1st birthday.

I was 8 years old when Barbie was born. I never owned a Barbie. I can only remember having one doll when I was little. It was small rubber headed one. Nice and chunky and nothing like a Barbie. I was not a big fan or pro Barbie but our daughter had a collection of them. I did not appreciate how hard they were to dress and undress. Oye! Our daughter was gifted a special edition Russian Barbie from her Uncle and Aunt one Christmas. That doll disappeared from our home a few years later when we had a Russian traditional dance troupe visit for a meal. Hmmm…

I still have some of our daughter’s Barbie collection in a bin that I pull out for Grand nieces or other little girls to enjoy when visiting.

What well known Barbara (living or not) would you most like to meet? 

We did know a real life Barbie (named Barbie) that could stand in for Barbie and model those outfits and afford them!

Truth be told I’m not interested in meeting any ‘well known’ Barbara.

5. What are three things you value most in another person? 

A person of integrity who is faithful, honest and dependable.

Someone who is generous with their time, talents and money.

A person who I can belly laugh with. Not a fan of grouches.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Speaking of Barbie, I didn’t walk away from this one that was in our local Goodwill store for under $12.00 back in June of 2017. If our granddaughter is ever interested in Barbies, I’ll give this one to her. If not interested I’ll have to offer it up for sale. It wasn’t Barbie that drew my interest. I’m a huge fan of Beatrix Potter and her collection of Tales!

The sticker price on the bottom of the box is $44.00.

Not Blushing Hodgepodge

1. This time last year where were you?

On June 23rd of 2019 we were driving to church for our first summer service. Don’t know what we did the rest of that day.

2. In honor of National Pink Day (June 23rd) tell us your favorite pink food or beverage. Was it on the menu at your house yesterday?

Kensington Dream

In a shaker over ice add juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 oz. Creme de Cassis, 1 oz. each Brandy and Amaretto. Shake well and pour into Goblet. Add about 4 oz. of champagne. Enjoy but don’t drink and drive! There’s a reason this drink is called “Dream”.

I’m taking the liberty to say this is a pink drink and it is my favorite and I’m enjoying one right now while I type out my answers for the “podge”.

Do you like to wear the color pink?

Yes, I do enjoy wearing pink. (fuschia)

Me and my sisters.

If we came to visit would we find this color in your home decor?

You would see some pink but only in dishes or figurines or fresh flowers and some pink in the play room, like this pink kitchen.

Blush-fuschia-salmon-raspberry-your favorite shade of pink?

I think I’ll go with Blush.

3. Stop and smell the roses, looking through rose colored glasses, a rose by any other name, not all moonlight and roses, no rose without a thorn…which rosy saying currently fits your life in some way? Explain.

no rose without a thorn…

To enjoy something pleasant like our acreage means we have to work hard to keep weeds under control and especially in the Spring and Summer we have to do a lot of mowing and weed wacking and weed pulling.

4. Are you a ‘reader’?

Yes.

Do you tend to read lighter books in the summer months?

I haven’t been reading any light books lately. When we take road trips we enjoy listening to books on CD, usually murder mysteries.

Do you have a summer reading list?

Not a list. The books I’m reading right now are the Bible,  a compilation of works by Spurgeon, a commentary on 1 Corinthians, Strange Fire by John MacArthur.

If so, give us a title or two.

For lighter reading I love going back to some Children’s Classics like Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, The Wind in the Willows, and Anne of Green Gables.

5. Share with us one rose and one thorn from your weekend.

The rose was having time with our grandchildren and honoring Fathers. The thorn was the evil narrative going on in our nation.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

We have lots of Columbine that we did not plant and they come up every year with no help from us. They are always a great surprise. 

Thank you to Joyce who comes up with the questions for us to answer.