Sinking

If I had to title this little series, I think most of the photos could fit under the title Sinking. I visited my sister a couple of Saturdays ago and on the drive home I stopped at a couple of cemeteries as I had no one with me whose interests I needed to consider.

Pujols: More than the Game by Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth

Albert Pujols is a giant in baseball and a giant in faith. The book Pujols: More than the Game discusses both aspects of Albert Pujols' life. His statistics as a player are impressive not only for the tremendous talent they testify to but also for the consistency of play revealed. What this book by Lamb and Ellsworth shares is that Pujols' consistency is as much of a part of his life off the field as a Christian as it is on the field as a baseball player.

I must confess I am not much of a baseball fan. I am familiar with the big name players on my local team (the Minnesota Twins) and I watch with vague interest to see if they are doing well and might make it to the World Series (what is a pennant race?) So why would I review a book about a baseball player? There are several reasons. First, I wanted to give the book to a young friend who loves baseball and who I thought would like to learn more about a Christian player. Second, I like biographies. Third, my husband likes baseball so I thought it couldn't hurt to learn more about the game.

The book had some drawbacks. For someone who isn't into baseball, the long sections with detailed descriptions of games and stats will definitely pall, the sections that dealt with Pujols as a person and as a Christian were much more interesting. As a result, I was frustrated because I felt as if the writers never had a clear idea of which audience they were writing for.

Despite the drawbacks of the book, I am now a fan of Pujols and I know that whenever his name pops up during the sports segment of the news, I will definitely sit-up and listen more closely. He is a remarkable Christian who strives to surround himself with people who will not only hold him up in his faith but hold him accountable for his actions. He realizes that the purpose of his gift isn't to seek wealth or glory or even necessarily to simply point the finger to God. He knows that someday his life as a player will be finished and his life as a Christian will go on and what he is building with that life in mind is heart-warming.

It is a book worth reading. Just gear up for details that won't necessarily interest you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Puzzled

Honestly, I have no idea why I can't keep up with everything. Perhaps it is because I am in semi-hibernation from all the snow.

Perhaps it is because I spent a lot of time painting puzzle pieces white.

Perhaps it is because Hubs and the girls were sick for the first week in February.

Perhaps it is because I was sick for the second week in February.

Perhaps it is because I stay busy prepping crafts for the twelve children in my arts and crafts class.

Perhaps it is because I listen to twelve children read once a week.

Perhaps it is because I pretend I can draw and teach them a drawing class once a week?

I donno - I am definitely puzzled.

I am sharing this at:

CD Tops with the Craft Class

Do you remember the CD tops we made this summer? I decided to make them with the class at school. They loved them. I assembled the top except for the decorated paper. The kids got to make their own designs and glue them to the top. Then they chose a gem and glued it to the spinner.

Because I couldn't find enough marbles for twelve tops, I used these wooden balls. They work well. Not quite as slick as marbles - but definitely cheaper.

If you need instructions for tops you can find them with my original post.

A Belated Groundhog's Day

For Groundhog's Day, the Arts and Crafts Class made these sock-puppet groundhogs who can peek in and out of their personal holes. The kid's loved them.

They are pretty simple. You need a canister, a Styrofoam ball that will fit into the canister, a brown sock, and a 12"-18" length of dowel.

The canister needs to be open at both ends or have a hole drilled into the bottom of the closed end. The dowel will run up and down through the hole.

Shove the dowel into the Styrofoam ball, gluing it if necessary. Put the ball into the canister with the dowel poking out of the bottom. Cover the entire thing with a sock. Decorate the sock with black pom-poms, buttons, and google eyes. Glue some wooly fleece, batting or something else white and fluffy around the opening to symbolize snow and you are done.

Kids Crafts and Kids Moments

Maybe...someday...I will feel enough in control of my life to post more. :)

Here are a couple recent craft projects that I did with the Arts and Crafts Class.

These gingerbread ornaments are made of corkboard. I think they are fun and a little different than a dough based gingerbread ornament. (Plus, they are super simple to prepare).

After testing the cd sun catcher idea on my girls, I did it with the whole class. It went well.

I found these photos while gathering up photos for another project. I don't think I've shared them here. I think they are sweet. C is reading to some little boys in the nursery at church.

Defiant Joy by Kevin Belmonte

G.K. Chesterton was a unapologetic Christian and a giant in the world of literature and criticism. His work influenced many Christian writers including C.S. Lewis and Philip Yancey. He lived at a time when the Modernist movement was seeking to displace Christianity leaving people feeling hopeless and despairing, Chesterton himself was among the hopeless until he began to believe in God. Kevin Belmonte's biography of Chesterton, Defiant Joy, is a fascinating look at a man whose impact on literature, criticism, and Christian apologetics is, perhaps, unparalleled.

I first learned about G.K. Chesterton in college. I do not recall the class I was in when I was given Chesterton essays to read (although I could tell you that my professor was Marlin VandenBosch) but I do recall finding them sometimes difficult but often refreshing and insightful. As the years have passed, I've often wished I could read those essays again. Consequently when I saw Belmonte's book available on BookSneeze, I jumped at the opportunity to learn more about Chesterton.

Chesterton was a larger than life man in both his physical presence and in his intellectual abilities. Belmonte provides an abundance of quotes that allow the reader to get a real taste for Chesterton's writing and intellectual scope. He also introduces the reader to some of the most important writings in Chesterton's bibliography including The Man Who was Called Thursday, Heretics and Orthodoxy, The Everlasting Man, and his popular Father Brown mysteries.
I am came away from Belmonte's biography, Defiant Joy, anxious to get my hands on some of Chesterton's work and renew my acquaintance with his unique perspective on life and Christianity.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."