Lots of Helpers

Our family's life in New Zealand

My Cat Sleeps in Boxes

by Leave a Comment

We have a cute picture book about cats. It describes cats around the world who are very talented… they might dance, or sing, or many other things… but every second page says, “But MY cat likes to hide in boxes.” Well, we have a cat who loves to sleep in boxes, any boxes. Grizzly was overjoyed when we were emptying boxes of jars during canning season, and putting the empties outside to be taken back to the garage. Perfect places to sleep! We’ve also found her sleeping in a child’s wheelbarrow, carefully braced so she didn’t slide out, or in the trailer (very big box!). One day, when Elijah’s bedroom door was laying on sawhorses in the carport while he was prepping it for painting, she found that someone had put a newspaper (another favorite bed) in one of the inset panels on the door. So, she had not only a box with tiny sides, but also a newspaper! Perfect!

She generally wakes up when we come to take a picture, but this time Esther found her sound asleep, laying on her back in the box!

I took this picture one day when it was drizzling. Gayle had driven the ute somewhere, so of course the engine was warm. Apparently, the heat trumped the wet. Grizzly was curled up tightly, with her paw over her nose. I said something to her as I walked past. She uncurled enough to half open one eye and sleepily say hello (she’s a very talkative cat), and immediately curled up again, fast asleep.

Goofball likes boxes, too. She’s much more dignified than her sister, though.

Book Review–It’s Fight Night

by 2 Comments

About the Book:

Book: It’s Fight Night: Lessons For Men On Samson’s Fight

Author: Todd Woodfill

Genre: Men’s Bible Study

Release date: October, 2024

It’s Fight Night: Lessons For Men on Samson’s Fight uses the story of Samson to challenge men to examine their lives through the lens of strength and weakness. Designed for personal or group study, this Bible study delves into the complexities of Samson’s journey, asking men to reflect on their God-given strengths and areas of vulnerability. By exploring themes of divine purpose, failure, and redemption, this study invites men to seek guidance from God as they grow in faith and understand their true potential. Become a warrior, step into the ring and discover timeless lessons on strength, weakness, and grace.

My Thoughts:

This short book turns out to be a unique perspective on Samson. I appreciated the way the author applied the story of Samson to modern life. It is written for men, but I found that a lot of it can be applied to a woman’s life, as well. When I saw the description of the book, I assumed it would be mainly about the kind of struggles that men face more than women, but it turned out to be more generalized. 

I asked Elijah to read the book and give me his view: I found this devotional quite interesting. It is structured around Samson’s life, but has lots of modern hero stories to illustrate the main points which makes for an engaging read. All in all I quite enjoyed it. Compared to what I normally read, it isn’t of standout quality, but the message is definitely one that men today need to hear.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Todd Woodfill is a modern-day Renaissance man whose life could be inspirational if it didn’t so closely resemble a comedy sketch. Married to his absolutely amazing, beautiful, intelligent, and talented wife Holly for a whirlwind 30 years so far, he couldn’t imagine doing life without her support.  With four incredible children and one extraordinary grandchild, who refer to Todd as Dad, Papa, dork, old timer, and weirdo, Todd has been blessed far more than he deserves.

Passionate about mental health and suicide prevention, men’s ministries, Legos, boxing, and pursuing God, Todd is a man of many talents and clearly a master of none.  But who else can seamlessly switch from being a Jordan sneaker connoisseur to a boxing enthusiast, all while building men’s ministries and helping those with mental health challenges.  Heck, this guy can be found passionately discussing the virtues of mental wellness, only to break into a joyful song from a Disney classic, spreading cheer like a modern-day Mary Poppins with a passion for Christ. His life is a whirlwind of laughter, love, and an unshakable faith, making him the ultimate blend of humor and heart in a world that often takes itself too seriously.

More from Todd:

Men, it’s time to step into the ring! Todd Woodfill’s new book, It’s Fight Night: Lessons For Men On Samson’s Fight, is officially here-and it’s not just a book; it’s a challenge to reclaim your strength, confront your weaknesses, and discover the warrior God created you to be.

Using the story of Samson as a backdrop, this study invites you to explore themes of strength, weakness, purpose, and redemption. Whether you’re diving in solo or in a small group with you brothers in Christ, this book is designed to help you reflect deeply on your journey as a man of faith. You’ll be encouraged to embrace your God-given potential, find hope in the face of failure, and live boldly for Christ.

What to Expect:

  • Discover the divine purpose in your strengths AND your struggles.
  • Learn how to fight like Samson-but live with the grace of Christ.
  • Build up your faith and deepen your connection to God alongside other men.

Are You Ready for the Fight?

This more than just a book launch-this is the kickoff to an incredible journey! Todd is hitting the road for the Fight Night Book Tour, bringing these lessons to life through interactive discussions, powerful testimonies, and real talk about what it means to walk boldly as a man of God today.

About the Author:

Todd Woodfill is a man blessed beyond measure and proof that God has a sense of humor. From being a husband to his incredible wife, Holly, for 30+ years, to raising for amazing kids and a grandchild who alternately call him “Papa” and “that old weirdo,” he’s been living a wild, grace-filled adventure.

Todd is passionate about men’s ministries, mental health advocacy, Legos, and boxing-yes, he is a man of layers like Shrek.  You might catch Todd talking about Jordan sneakers one moment, throwing a jab at the heavy bag the next, or surprisingly belting out a Disney tune with unapologetic joy. But his heart is always centered on helping men find God’s purpose in their lives.

Join the Fight!

Follow the tour schedule, grab a copy of the book, and let’s get ready to rumble-with faith as our foundation. God has incredible things in store, and Todd can’t wait to share this journey with you.

Stay tuned for book tour dates near you!

Let’s grow together, brothers. The bell’s ringing-are you ready to step into the ring?

#ItsFightNight #ChristianMen #MensMinistry #BibleStudy #SamsonLessons #WarriorsForHisGlory #StrengthInFaith

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Tiger Moth

by Leave a Comment

Sometime in early March I was in Greymouth with the children and we noticed three small planes flying over in a triangle formation. They circled around in front of us and came toward us, in a straight line. We happened to be driving past the “airport” at that moment, and realized they were planning to land, so we pulled over to watch, since we had noticed by then that all three were biplanes. After they landed, we drove around to where we could get a better look at them, and several more that were already pulled up to the hanger. In the next day’s paper, we learned that they were Tiger Moths, and the owners were making a tour around the island. How fun to see them!

Book Review–The Wanderer’s Legacy

by 3 Comments

About the Book:

Book: The Wanderer’s Legacy (The Wanderer Series Book Three. It can be read as a standalone.)

Author: Natasha Woodcraft

Genre: Biblical Fiction

Release date: April 10, 2025

Adah lives trapped between the life she yearned for and the life she chose. Childless and desperate, she’s failed to produce an heir for her once-devoted husband, Lamech. As his love turns to obsession and control, Adah finds herself drawn to whispered legends of a mysterious Wanderer.

When Lamech takes a second wife, Adah’s world shatters – sending her fleeing to her family home. There, a fragile sense of freedom awakens long-buried hopes. But her body hides a secret that will propel her back into the heart of danger.

As survival becomes a daily challenge, can a legend offer her the salvation she craves? Or does someone else hold the power to help her dwell in safety?

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed The Wanderer Scorned so much that when I saw an offer to review The Wanderer’s Legacy, I didn’t hesitate to sign up. I was disappointed, when I started reading it, to find that it was Book 3 in The Wanderer Series, but as it turned out, reading Book 2 wasn’t necessary. This one stands alone well enough. 

I did not get into The Wanderer’s Legacy as much as I did the first book. I enjoyed it, but it didn’t grip me in the same way. I liked the way this author has imagined life before the Flood. We don’t have much information to go on, but what she has come up with sounds quite plausible. While I was reading the book, I went back to Genesis 4 and read again what the Bible has to say about Lamech and Adah and their family, and could see where Natasha Woodcraft has come up with her thoughts about their characters. 

It was quite intriguing—and alarming—to see the quick degeneration of humanity, from fairly moral even without a reverence for Yahweh, to utter degradation. And the cause? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

One passage I’ve been mulling over was when Chanoch, Adah’s great-great-something grandfather thought about when he was a young man and considering marriage. The thoughts there about whether the man or the woman should leave his/her family and become part of the other’s family have given me a lot to consider! It makes me think that the way most cultures view marriage, even Western Christian cultures, might be the reverse of what God intended at the beginning.

There are frequent references to s*xual activity, both within and outside of marriage. These are all discrete, no details, but it is obvious what is happening, as well as the repercussions when the marriage covenant is not honored. The way it is written, I would not have a problem with allowing someone in their mid teens to read the book.

The biggest issue I have with The Wanderer’s Legacy is an issue on which I differ from much of modern Christianity. That is remarriage after divorce. This book seems to condone it, even encourage it. That’s all I will say, for fear of giving spoilers!

Overall, I appreciate this book and series, and would love to read more of the author’s books. The pre-Flood world is an intriguing topic to speculate about!

WARNING: Increasing levels of s*xual immorality and violence throughout the story. Stillbirths/miscarriages described. Domestic violence, especially abusive behavior toward women in the last half. People killed a number of times. Not a pretty book, but my guess is that it is quite realistic.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Natasha Woodcraft lives in the UK with her family of boys and menagerie of animals. She holds an honours degree in Theology and believes stories have power to communicate deep truth and transform lives. Her novels explore God’s redemptive purposes for ordinary, messy people living in biblical times.

More from Natasha:

I wrote The Wanderer’s Legacy because I believe stories have the power to communicate deep truths and transform lives, and Bible stories are no exception! Lamech, the first man to have two wives, features way back in Genesis 4, after Cain & Abel and before Noah. It’s not even a story, really, it’s a little poem stuck at the end of a chapter. What is it doing there, and what can it teach us about God’s goodness during a really dark time in humanity’s history?

That’s what this novel is about. It was an excuse to engage deeply with that story and the result is full of biblical truth that I hope will draw the reader closer to Jesus, understanding how his redemptive purposes are woven through the fabric of the whole Bible, even obscure little poems that almost feel like a sidenote.

Rather than telling you more, I’m just going to share the opening with you, to give you a taster…

“Adah presses her back to the pillar, squeezing into its evening shadow. Her heavy breathing is almost as loud as the heartbeat pummelling in her head. Surely someone will hear?

Her chance to escape diminishes with every moment of delay. She is a desert jerboa­ – alert, aware of every sight and smell, yet frozen in place as she awaits her predator’s pounce.

Azurak should be occupied. Her son arranged it when she pleaded with him on hands and knees, eyes streaming in desperation. But Adah is sure she hears him. His rasping breath and distinct blood-soaked-campfire smell linger, fusing her feet to the ground.

Unless it’s someone worse than Azurak. Perhaps her husband will find her.”

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Four Wheel Drive Trip–Napoleon Hill

by Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, a group of local friends decided to go on a four wheel drive trip over Napoleon Hill, close to our home. James decided to do something he has been thinking about for a long time–take his tractor on the trip! It added some excitement; I’ll let Joe tell about it in a story he wrote. (The solar panel mounted on the back is to keep the battery charged, since the alternator doesn’t work anymore.)

One young lady gave my two little girls and another little girl a ride on the quad bike.

This is the Safari that Simon spent a couple of years restoring, and then sold to a friend. It’s getting quite a workout; after this particular episode, water poured out of all the doors!

Things went well, until….

They drained the water out of the engine, and it started right up again! Yay for 1960s vehicles with no electronics. James did take it to the garage for a complete oil change after they got out of this track.

And, here is the story:

THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TRIP

            A couple of weeks ago, we went over Napoleon Hill, with a few of the V’s, the B’s, and some of our family. James, after a lot of thinking, decided to take his Pajero and his tractor. His tractor is a 1960s Fordson Super Dexta, two wheel drive, six speed manual. It’s about medium size and can attain speeds up to about 50 km an hour downhill. Since it is as old as it is, the alternator doesn’t work, so to charge it James has mounted a solar panel that keeps the battery charged, so now it is updated to the 21st century.

            We headed off from our house to Napoleon Hill about 9:30 and started along the four wheel drive track. The tractor is very slow, so the vehicle I was riding in, the troop carrier, got ahead of everybody else and so we ended up doing a small side track, which was fun. Going through the first mud hole, the tractor’s bell housing filled up with water, so when he came out water was spraying out of both sides of the tractor, which was fun to see. Napoleon Hill is a very fun four wheel drive track, which if you nail it only takes about an hour, but at the rate we went it took us over half the day.

            As always, we stopped at the cemetery and had a look around there, and then headed down the mountain. When we got down into the river gorge we stopped and waited for everyone else to catch up. A few minutes after everybody got there and we headed off again we got to the caves. There are three of them. The first one is just big enough that a quad can squeeze through. You can drive through the other two. It is really fun, because the last one is really long and more than twice as high as the vehicles.

            After we got through the caves and got out to the bigger creek we stopped for lunch. During lunch, L wanted to have a turn on the tractor, so James took him for a drive. They were going up the creek and James wasn’t really paying attention to where they were going till the tractor started bogging down in the soft sand. He told L to hop off and then started going backwards and forwards to try to get out. He thought maybe he should get someone to pull him out because he didn’t know how deep the creek was to his left, but shrugged the thought away. Then, he tried pulling forward again and slid off an underwater shelf into an over-chest-deep part of the creek. The tractor nearly disappeared and almost instantly died.

            S pulled him out. They took the injectors out and turned the engine over several times, so the pistons pushed the water out of the cylinders where the injectors usually go. It was fun to see the water spraying everywhere, and nice to hear the tractor start up again as good as new—maybe even better because of the engine wash it had just received.

As we went out, P, in the Safari, took on a heap more of the side tracks and several of them that he took in four wheel drive he went back through in two wheel drive. We had a lot of fun that day and I was glad I got to go along.

Book Review–The Daughter of Rome

by 4 Comments

About the Book:

Book: The Daughter of Rome (The Emissaries Book 3)

Author: Angela Hunt

Genre: FICTION / Christian / Biblical

Release date: March 4, 2025

In Nero’s Rome, Calandra helps her father, a renowned sculptor, complete the most significant commission of his illustrious career. But then a catastrophic fire nearly destroys the imperial city, leaving Calandra reliant on a group of Christians–unusual individuals unlike any she has encountered before. Intrigued by their worship of the Son of an invisible God, Calandra grapples with her mistrust, only to find herself indebted to these believers as they help her rebuild her shattered world.

When Emperor Nero begins constructing his opulent Golden House, the people of Rome grow resentful, suspecting him of starting the fire in order to clear the land for his immense palace. Needing a scapegoat, Nero points at those who follow the Jewish Messiah, forcing Calandra to make an impossible choice between right and wrong, friends and family, love and death.

My Thoughts:

After enjoying Angela Hunt’s first two books in The Emmissaries series, I had been anticipating the release of Daughter of Rome. Finally, the wait is over! What a story. I didn’t want to put it down when I had to; it made a good opportunity to practice self-control.

Many themes are explored in Daughter of Rome. It’s hard to know what to say and what will be a spoiler! There is romance in the story, but it is a minor theme. The effects of sexual sin on a woman are explored somewhat. Friendship is a major theme—and how God can use friendship to bring people to Himself. Another theme I noticed was how persecution, rather than causing people to avoid the Gospel, actually spread it.

Daughter of Rome is a vivid picture of life in Rome under the emperor Nero. As I read about the fire that destroyed large portions of the city, I could almost feel and smell it, and could definitely feel the horror and desperation. (As a side note, I’m glad I read this book before we lost a small building to fire recently—it would have triggered some intense feelings inside me!) I was struck by the vast gulf between the rich and the poor in Rome, between the patricians and the plebians. It was also fascinating to read about the process of constructing a sculpture. I enjoyed seeing Calandra and her father working together on a masterpiece. 

I would not say that this is one of the best books I’ve read that was set in Bible times, but I did appreciate the way the times of the Apostles was brought to life. I like the whole series for that reason, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning about the past through stories.

Trigger warnings: Abandonment of unwanted babies, slaughter of Christians in various ways in the arena.

I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.

About the Author:

Angela Hunt is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 160 books, with nearly 6 million copies sold worldwide. Angela’s novels have won or been nominated for the RWA RITA Award, the Christy Award, the ECPA Christian Book Award, and the HOLT Medallion. Four of her novels have received ForeWord Magazine‘s Book of the Year Award, and Angela is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Romantic Times Book Club and ACFW. Angela holds doctorates in biblical studies and theology. She and her husband make their home in Florida with mastiffs and chickens.

More from Angela:

Dear Reader:

Thank you for joining me on this blog tour for THE DAUGHTER OF ROME, book three in the Emissaries series. The book stands alone, but it includes characters from books one and two, so people who have read those books will have a fuller understanding of who those people are. But no worries!  If you haven’t read the first two books, you’ll still have no problem reading THE DAUGHTER OF ROME.

When I shaped the idea for this series, I had just finished The Jerusalem Road books, which centered on Jews who lived during Jesus’ life and ministry. I wanted to keep writing in this time period, so I shifted my focus from the Jews to the Gentiles—specifically, the people who came to faith through Paul’s ministry.

The first book in the series, THE WOMAN FROM LYDIA, is concerned with the seller of purple who hosted the Philippian church in her home. The second book, THE SISTERS OF CORINTH, features two competing sisters who lived, naturally, in Corinth. And the third book, THE DAUGHTER OF ROME, is about a young sculptress who lives in Rome during the time of Nero.

I have been fascinated by this time period ever since reading THE SILVER CHALICE and THE ROBE in my childhood. What would it have been like, I wondered, to live in a time when you could be executed simply for saying you believed in Jesus? Americans don’t really know what that’s like, but people in other parts of the world still deal with that danger today. The Bible tells us that this kind of danger is not going away—it will be prevalent during the end times as well. So I wanted to explore the world of the ancient Romans, and hoped to pull some lessons from it that will apply to us today.

I’ve also been amazed at what we can still see of ancient Greek and Roman art—how did they sculpt those massive statues? One such work, the Colossus, was so large it stood in the harbor and ships reportedly entered beneath it!

THE DAUGHTER OF ROME features one other fascinating element—a question that garners as much debate as “who killed JFK?” The story takes place during the time that the Great Fire of Rome nearly leveled the entire city, and to this day, no one is certain how it began. The people blamed Nero, Nero blamed the Christians, and it may have been a kid illegally cooking his dinner at the racetrack.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading the story as much as I did writing it. Thanks for coming along on the tour!

Angela Hunt

To purchase your copy, click here.

To visit more of the blog stops on this tour, click here.

To enter a fun giveaway, click here.

Book Review–Surgery in the Swamp

by Leave a Comment

As you have probably noticed if you have followed us for very long, we love the Brady Street Boys series. We have been anxiously waiting for the publication of Book 9, the final episode in the saga of the Fitzpatrick boys during the summer holidays. When I got an email from Katrina Hoover Lee saying that she was nearly ready to ship the books, I was horrified that we had missed our chance to get an early copy of Surgery in the Swamp for review! I immediately emailed the author, and was delighted when she sent me a copy. When I told the children we would be starting to read the book that day, there were cheers.

Publisher’s description:

Gary Fitzpatrick feels hope slipping away. Learning the missing doctor who removed his leg is being sued, his heart plummets and he tells his dad it’s time to give up. But when his father reminds him of the value of temperance and staying steady, the intelligent boy takes a deep breath and rethinks his path.

Now ready to accept whatever awaits him on the hunt along with his siblings and his beloved uncle, the sensitive teenager resolves to finish the quest. And as the trail leads to the library, an apartment, and a surprising clue pointing to northern Michigan, he’s off on an exhilarating plane flight to embrace his destiny.

Will his journey’s conclusion bring joy and enlightenment, or will Gary find nothing but a dead end?

My thoughts:

Surgery in the Swamp is a perfect wrap-up for the series. All the loose ends were tied up,  the boys completed their summer study of the Fruits of the Spirit, and there was even some romance, which took me off guard but I loved the way it was written. There were a lot of surprises; a number of things came to light that I was not expecting any more than Terry, Gary and Larry were. As with all the previous books, the boys respected their parents and did all they could to obey them. When their parents could not go with the boys on an investigatory trip, Uncle Aaron went with them. I really like the healthy family dynamics. 

Although the boys (teenagers except for 12-year-old Larry) are carrying out the investigation, they are not acting as adults, but very much acting their age. And the surgery alluded to in the title? Well, that situation sounds entirely plausible! I can imagine my own sons getting themselves into a similar situation. In fact, everything in the series seems quite plausible—although so many exciting things don’t normally happen to one family in the span of nine weeks! 

Katrina Hoover Lee has written a wonderful series for children, especially boys, although girls love these books, too. In fact, the families who regularly borrow books from our library like them so well that frequently there are no copies on the shelf. A couple of families are eagerly waiting for the last two books in the series to arrive here. I hope that she will continue writing middle grade fiction.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links on this page may be affiliate links which help to support Esther’s website.

WARNING: Don’t read this if you can’t handle mentions of 1) rats and 2) blood.

Available from Amazon, in Kindle format, now, here.

Paperback available for preorder from the author here.

New in the Library! March 2025

by Leave a Comment

We have added a lot of books to the shelves this month! A lot of good books came up on the Facebook page from which I buy a lot, and a large pile was donated to the library. I haven’t read as many from my backlog this month as last, but I did get through a few that are being added to the shelves. This first picture shows books from the A. D. Chronicles series. Neither Esther nor I has actually read any of these books, but we had one of the series on the Adult Fiction Shelf, so I decided to take a chance on them. Have any of you read this series, or books by these authors, and care to offer your opinion on them?

Esther added these beautiful, small-format books to the Classics Shelf. She is working on collecting individual copies of all of Jane Austen’s books; she has an omnibus edition of all of them, but has decided that it is too hard to read from such a big volume.

Esther also bought Pippi Goes Aboard, to complete that series on the Independent Readers Shelf. The Pippi books are fun tall tales! We had Books 1 and 3; now we also have Book 2.

We have been using Sonlight Curriculum since about 2003 or 2004, when Esther was in Kindergarten or First Grade–I can’t remember exactly. We have collected almost all of the books that Sonlight uses, but occasionally I find one we didn’t have. Mostly, those are the Preschool books, since this year is the first time I have ever used that level (with my last child!). I was delighted to be able to purchase Mike Mulligan and More (used in Sonlight Preschool) and Stories From Around the World (used in the Pre-K level we’re working through right now). We have individual copies of three of the four Virginia Lee Burton books already, but they are Esther’s, so I wanted my own–and this includes the one we hadn’t gotten yet! We’ve been reading Stories From Around the World from Internet Archive, but it is much nicer to read a print copy. I’m putting both of them on the Picture Books Shelf. The same person was also selling Beverly Cleary’s Ralph S. Mouse series. Again, we had Books 1 and 3–now we also have The Mouse and the Motorcycle, which is Book 2, to add to the Junior Fiction Shelf.

The books I managed to read this month from the backlist included Tug of War and Between Two Worlds, about a family from Latvia who had to flee their home during World War II. The duology follows them as they travel from one refugee camp to another in Europe, and then immigrate to Canada after the war. Very interesting additions to our Young Adult Shelf! I don’t recall ever reading about people from Latvia before, although we had someone live for a time with our family several years ago who came from there. Survival: Blizzard is not a great book, but a good one for children who love stories about surviving in the wilderness. There are two main characters, a boy and a girl, so it will appeal to both genders. This one is on the Junior Fiction Shelf.

The next two books I read were Anastasia and A Night Divided. What really struck me in Anastasia was the vast divide between the luxurious life of the ruling class and the absolute poverty of the poor–and how the rich had no idea what life was like for the poor. The Tsar’s family seemed utterly unaware of the disparity and how the lower classes viewed them. A Night Divided is an amazing story. I’ve known about the Berlin Wall all my life; I remember studying about it in third grade. I haven’t read many, if any, stories about it and the effect it had on the lives of the people of Berlin, however. This book really pulled me in. I knew that, since it was a novel, the ending had to be happy–but until about three pages from the end I couldn’t be sure! It took me about a week to read this one, and at least twice it dominated my dreams at night as I tried to figure out how Gerta and Fritz could complete their task and escape–before they were caught by the Stasi, or secret police. These books have both been placed on the Junior Fiction shelf.

I also managed to read two books that have been on our shelves, unread, for several years. These are ones I bought from Sonlight Curriculum several years ago, but never got to. I read Code Talkers aloud to the children. What an amazing story! There are parts that are not so nice to read, as it describes World War II in the Pacific, but for the most part it is not too graphic. What I found most fascinating was the way the Navajo Indians used their language as a code to transmit radio messages, and how that code was never cracked by the Japanese. I remember my dad telling me about it, probably less than ten years after that story was declassified, but had never actually read anything about it. This book is a must-read for any study of World War II. The other book is also about World War II–actually, the time immediately after the war. I have been wanting to read this one for several years, and it perfectly fit a prompt in a reading challenge. This one is about a Jewish girl who survived the concentration camps and then found herself wandering through a hostile Poland where Jews were still not wanted. She was found by a Zionist group and helped to lead a large group of children to Palestine. There is some language, and a couple of romantic scenes that I would leave out if I were to read it aloud, but it is an incredible story. Both of these books are on the Young Adult Fiction shelf.

I needed something from Amazon recently, and they offered free shipping if the order was a certain size. Because I had some gift cards, I decided to use them to buy a few books I wanted that also offered free shipping (that’s hard to find to our location!). I came across the Tree Street Kids series a couple of months ago, and listened to the first three with the children while we were on a road trip. We all enjoyed them, and I was impressed with the family values and Christian worldview, so I decided to buy the series. These Junior Fiction books will be enjoyed by anyone who likes the Brady Street Boys series, or Sugar Creek Gang (which we don’t have). I still needed a few more dollars to get the free shipping, so I found Desert Dog. Some day, I want to have all of Jim Kjelgaard’s books on the shelf–one at a time!

Now, on to the donations! A local religious group who publish some books sent us a boxful of some of their titles.

Some of these, especially the ones about New Zealand’s history, look pretty interesting!

A friend who patronizes our library donated this book about Michael Faraday. She picked it up somewhere, their family read it, and then she decided it would do better being in our library than languishing on her shelves. It looks quite interesting, and will help to fill out our Junior Biography Shelf!

January/February 2025 Photos

by Leave a Comment

I got started writing this post last week. I had the first paragraph halfway written when the notice popped up that I was offline and the post could not be saved. I waited five minutes, because our internet randomly flicks off, and then comes back a little later. Then, we realized that there were only two websites that were not coming up–my blog and Internet Archive, from which Esther was trying to read a book. I restarted both modems, and got the same results. I gave up. Three hours later, both websites were loading again! So, I didn’t give you a post last week. Today, I actually have some time to think!

This summer has been even more jam-packed than usual. Not only do we have the normal garden work and preserving of the harvest to work on, but add in three renovation projects as well, and you can imagine what life has been like here! One project is finished, one is close enough to put it on hold for a little while. Elijah’s house is still a main focus. I have spent most of my Saturdays for the past six or seven weeks there, helping to paint. We can see the end in sight now, though! I should be able to share pictures of a finished project soon.

Meanwhile, here are the pictures I have left from the first two months of the year.

Over the Christmas break, the boys built a garage at Simon’s house. I only went over there once, but a friend sent me a couple of pictures he took of the boys working, and I grabbed a picture near the end of the project. I just realized I don’t have a picture of the finished building!

Mr. Imagination built several live traps. He tested them with the cats, and they worked for that–but no possums have been caught. He gave up on that project. (The cats were quite happy to be trapped, as long as it meant they got extra cat food!)

I was in the garden one day, and Miss Joy wanted me to take a picture of her with her hollyhock dolls.

I’m not sure what this was about–but it’s a shot of Elijah, taken by a friend who sent it to me.

Miss Joy is quite a writer! She frequently dictates stories, and one day she dictated this original poem, and the explanation for it.

Little Miss took a picture of Miss Joy inside these tubs. See her eyes peeking out?

After I harvested the first lot of onions in mid-January, I asked the children to braid them for me. They were happy to do that job, as long as they could listen to an audiobook while they did it!

This was the onions before braiding, when we laid them out to cure for a day or two in the sun.

James got his sleepout finished in early January. He used recycled rimu boards for the walls, and oiled them with linseed oil he was given. The ceiling is white-painted plywood, and Elijah laid secondhand carpet for him. This room is quite a comfortable place for James, Joe, and Simon when he’s here.

Elijah’s room has had a complete face-lift in the past six months. I don’t have any recent pictures, but this was Simon oiling the lower part of the wall in January. Those boards were originally on the walls, in that position. They were painted with a thick coat of yellow paint. Elijah was able to remove them carefully enough that he could line the lower part of the walls with them again after running them through a thicknesser to remove the paint and sand them down, and then they put a couple of coats of linseed oil from James’s drum on it. The upper part of the walls is plywood, and has now been whitewashed. The effect is beautiful!

Some of the random pictures I find on my phone!

A sunset over the mountains.

Mr. Imagination brought this bug in to show me one day. It was tiny!

Our first homeschool group meeting of the year was a picnic at Nelson Creek. It rained right after we got there, but then the sky cleared and it was perfect for swimming. See the boys up the bank, just above the midpoint of the picture? They jumped from there into the water.

We really enjoy these birds. The blue one, Reepicheap, is very active and curious, which makes him very fun.

Simon spray-painting the lounge ceiling in Elijah’s house. He has done a lot of painting there. This was immediately after he started; within minutes he had gotten hold of a respirator to wear for the rest of the job.

Little Miss sometimes helps Miss Joy with her flashcards. They like to make a game of it!

Esther made a pretty cake one day. I think it was a yellow cake; it had strawberries and raspberries on it.

Budgie vs Chicken

by Leave a Comment

Yesterday morning, our chicken coop caught fire because the chicks inside knocked down the top of the brooder, and the light burned the sawdust inside. We lost 35 of the 65 chicks, some two weeks old, some six. Amazingly, 5 of the 25 youngest ones, who were inside the brooder box, survived. They are now living inside the house for a few days until they can handle outside temperatures. I decided to see what would happen this evening if I put their box beside the cage in which our two budgies, Reepicheep and Jewel, live. It was pretty funny!

Jewel hardly paid any attention, but Reep, who is extremely curious and energetic, studied the chicks thoroughly, then started trying to get closer. I opened the cage and held it over the box–watch what happened! Especially watch closely during the last five seconds or so.