Reading the {Anne} Series

After recently lending my Anne series to a friend, I was drawn in once again by L.M. Montgomery's red-headed heroine's powerful charm.  I just had to pick up these books and read them through again. I've just begun Anne's House of Dreams and my own memories as a newlywed come flooding back.  There is just something about Anne that I think every girl can relate to in no matter what stage of life she finds herself.  Maybe it's Anne's knack for always finding trouble or her endless daydreaming and optimism.   I think what I love most about Anne is that she allows herself, after many difficult lessons learned, to let go of her "ideals" as she looks around her and realizes what is truly important in her life.  Her dreams evolve over the years and she steps out of her fairytale and into reality seeing that this was what she truly longed for all along.  Wow, can I ever relate to that! The Lord has a very interesting and wonderful way of showing me that my plans are NOT always (actually, rarely) the best for me.  If I would only learn to surrender the FIRST time, I would make things so much easier for myself and my husband. 

I didn't intend for this to become a sermon, but there really is so much that I've learned from Dear Anne.  

I own a lovely Anne series that my mom passed down to me. Thanks, Mom! I love owning these books and being able to pick them up whenever I choose.  There are a host of beautifully illustrated Anne books out there that I never realized were available. Wouldn't exchange mine for any other these, but I still think these are "divinely beautiful!"

I love these Anne book covers.

I kind of cheated with this one.  It's an ebook cover, but I couldn't pass it up.

Looking for your own set of Anne book?  Check out thriftbooks.com.

And finally, I would like to leave you with some words of wisdom from Anne Shirley herself:

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Let Me Introduce You: author Marshele Waddell {Hope for the Homefront}

A few years ago, the Lord laid on my sister-in-law's heart to start a Bible study with some of her friends. It was neat how the Lord worked things out.  When Dawnielle began planning it, we realized it was all military wives who would be coming.  We had a time of fellowship as well as a time of study and really enjoyed chatting about the trials and joys experienced as military wives (and as wives in general).

In addition to another study source, Dawnielle introduced to us Hope for the Homefront by Marshele Waddell.  We read it together "book club" style and laughed about how much we could relate to the Marshele's experiences.  As cliche as it sounds, I laughed and cried while reading that book.  I have to confess that I had never read any military "help" books before although there are so many great resources out there.  I just didn't think I'd read anything that wouldn't be something I'd already heard or experienced myself.  Marshele's stories WEREN'T new, and that's what was so great...I could relate!

A couple of summers ago, I lent my copy to a fellow military wife whose husband was deployed.  She was having a pretty tough time, and I thought that Hope for the Homefront would show her the more lighthearted side of a deployment.  It did! She finished it in just a couple of days and told me that it was an incredible blessing.

This book is not exclusively for military wives but for anyone who has to be separated from a loved one for any amount of time.  It is tremendously difficult to stay positive when you can't be with someone you love.

The Lord and His Word are my number one source of comfort when my husband is away, but books like these are a refreshment and a blessing.

Visit Hope for the Homefront to read information about the book Hope for the Homefront and other books written by Marshele.

My Summer {Reading} List

Summer is the perfect time to catch up on a little reading.  It hasn't always been easy to find that time, but somehow I seem to squeeze it in.  At the beginning of each summer, I compile a list of the books I would like to finish before the new school year begins.  I've NEVER made it through an entire list, but I love to try. 

Awhile back, I began to keep a journal of those books that I was interested in reading.  Anytime I came across an intriguing title, I'd write it down.  When I finished that book, I would make a few comments and then check it off my list.  I'm a list fiend and this process just totally works for me. Read this post for ideas about keeping a reading journal.

So back to my summer reading list. I don't have my complete list yet, but here is my plan so far:

• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (I'm already halfway through this and have a hard time putting it down.)
• The Mitford Series by Jan Karon (I've started it before but have not finished.)
• Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (this time from cover to cover)

This list I think I can actually finish.  Does anyone out there have any favorite summer reading books?  Any suggestions?

My Favorite "Love" Poem

I had this poem framed as a gift to my husband on our wedding day.  It now sits on the dresser in our bedroom.

TO MY DEAR AND LOVING HUSBAND

If ever two were one then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
If ever wife were happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the East doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor aught but love from thee give recompense.
Thy love is such I can no way repay,
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so perservere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

~ Anne Bradstreet

An Anglo-Saxon Poem That Touched My Heart

Have you ever come across something that startled you by it's unlikely connection to your life? As I was preparing this past summer for the upcoming school year, I read a poem from an entirely different time and place. It felt as if the poet who wrote it all those years ago had written it just for me.  I found it in the introduction to the first unit of English Literature.  It is an old Anglo-Saxon poem whose author is unknown.  Within its simple ten lines, a wonderful story of sacrificial love is told.

Dear to the Frisian (Jute) wife is the one

whom she welcomes,

When the vessel reaches the haven -- his ship

is at hand,

Her lord is come to his home, he who provid-

eth for her,

And she summons him in; she washes his

sea-stained garments

And giveth him raiment new. Full pleasant 

is it for him

Whose beloved wife waiteth for him ashore.

So beautiful! For a wife whose husband is often away from home, a poem that tells of a husband's homecoming and a wife's welcome is a poem with much meaning.  I just never expected to find such a poem in the Anglo-Saxon section of a high school literature book!  

SO many books, SO little time.....or just SO unorganized.

While searching through Barnes and Noble's gift/stationary/journal/etc,etc section for a 2010 Gallery Leather Desk Planner (which they DO NOT carry in February!!), I stumbled accross an interesting journal amid the innumerable, ridiculously stocked journal shelves. My mind goes bonkers when I have to choose ONE journal that I "?like?" when I'm looking at 200 different designs at once.  Okay, rabbit trail.  This journal, whose cover title has slipped my mind, was designed for you to be able to record all of the books that you want to read.  What a great idea!   I didn't buy the $10.75ish journal but it did start me thinking about a way to get organized with my reading .  How many times have I said to myself, "Someday, I've got to read that book!"
There aren't enough hours in the day to read everything on my wishlist, and my husband certainly wouldn't appreciate me spending all of my free time trying to knock out one book after another, but I could definitely use some organization.  I get sidetracked from books sometimes, jumping from one to another depending on what mood I'm in and as a result, books are forgotten until months...or years...later when I have a flashback and think, "Hey, didn't I start reading that one time? Did I finish it?"  Not good! 
Although it would be a bit more romantic, you don't need a fancy journal to catalog your readings.  Just a steno pad would do.  I would definitely like to start writing down books to read in the future.  Why haven't I thought of this before? 
I walked out of Barnes and Noble without a desk planner but certianly with a plan.

PS: As I was writing this, I became more and more curious about the actual title of this journal.  I found it on Amazon.  There are several other interesting looking journals that have the same concept.  I'm not huge into journals but this is just for making lists, right? Different.