Austin, TX and My Good Buddy John

{Time traveling again! This happened waaaaaay back in December of 2014!}

John Flanagan, author of the Ranger's Apprentice series and the Brotherband Chronicles, is probably my children's favorite living author. His books are excellent adventure stories with endearing characters and frankly, just a lot of fun to read. He was so encouraging when I first emailed him (oh soooo many years ago!) about The Professor's Ranger's Apprentice-themed birthday party complete with cloak, pendants and oak leaf pancakes. We conversed back and forth a little via email. He even wrote The Professor the most awesome birthday email and was delighted at all the pictures we sent him of the big day. Well, his only flaw is that he lives in AUSTRALIA, not Texas, and Australia's only flaw is that it's half a world away from Texas! I guess maybe God realized you couldn't have that much awesome all on one side of the earth so He had to split it up. 

So, around the time Miss Cupcake made her appearance, Mr. Flanagan, or my "Good Buddy John", as I like to call him to tease the kids (because, you know… we were email buddies), was coming to our area for a book tour. There is some debate. My kids say he was coming to Oklahoma. I thought it was Austin. Anyway, I apparently made the comment in a daze of postpartum hormones and lack of sleep that if he ever come back on another book tour, we would go no matter what!

You know what happened, don't you.

He came back. 

Road trip!!!

But thankfully, Cupcake was no longer a babe in arms and my Good Buddy John did come to Austin which was close enough for us to drive to in an afternoon. So, after The Professor had finished up his online classes for the day, we kissed Sean and Cupcake goodbye and the big kids and I headed down to my dad's house the afternoon before the book signing. We had never seen my dad's new house and he was happy for us to come visit even if it was briefly. He took everyone out for some pretty awesome hamburgers and after that we promptly crashed in bed. We woke up super early the next morning to give ourselves time to get through Austin traffic (I hatehatehate driving through Austin!) and make it to the The Book People to pick up the books we had pre-ordered and our colored wrist tags. We wanted to be in the first wave of people through the line because we were planning to head back home that night. 

Second ones there! The first ones there were another homeschooling
family who lived in Austin so they didn't have as far to travel. 

This was taken at about 8:45am. See that sign above? The book signing wasn't until 6pm. We had approximately the entire day to kill in Austin. Austin? Ugh… not my favorite place. What is there to do in Austin? Well…plenty, thankfully. First stop… the Texas State Capital.

My Granny insists that our family is related to the big marble guy behind them (Sam Houston).
But so do most Texas grannies. Although, her mother's maiden name was Houston. Hmmmmm...

The man in the picture above BigBoy was James "Jim" Ferguson. My grandfather's name was not Jim, it was Vaclav, but he was called Jim for most of his life thanks to this man. He was not the best governor and not even in office when my grandfather was given his name. The story goes that one day, his school took a trip to the state capital and my grandfather (whether intentionally or not he never admitted) got separated from the group. When he was caught later and returned to his group, the person who found him apparently said, "He was just wandering around like he owned the place…like he was Jim Ferguson!" Ever since then, he was called "Jim".

Down below the capital, there is a permanent memorial to Texas recipients of the Medal of Honor and another space for temporary memorials and exhibits. When we were there, the Texas Funeral Directors Association had put together a "Remembering Our Fallen" exhibit honoring Texas soldiers who had died in battle. It was really moving. Family and friends had come to add mementos and notes to their loved one's pictures. 

Afterwards, we headed outside for some fresh air and to burn through time on the parking meter. 

This statue in particular fascinated everyone. It's a memorial to the Eighth Texas Calvary also known as "Terry's Texas Rangers". The statue was impressive but the plaques on the side made their day, considering we were there to see the author of the Ranger's Apprentice series...

"There is no danger of a surprise when the Rangers are between us and the enemy."

"I always feel safe when the Rangers are in front."

We also had fun taking goofy pictures with the cannons on the lawn. 

After touring the capital, we made a trip to the Texas State Cemetery to visit my Pawpaw's grave. "Just blocks east of the State Capitol, the Cemetery is the final resting place of Governors, Senators, Legislators, Congressmen, Judges and other legendary Texans who have made the state what it is today." There are some very important people buried there, but he's the most important one to me.

It's 14 years that he's been gone and I still miss him so much. 

Afterwards, we went to boost our spirits and stave off fatigue with a little lunch and then made our way over to the O. Henry Museum. Well, they call it a museum, but really it's just a house that he and his family once lived in that still has some of his stuff. So, yeah… I guess that's a museum. Every year, they host a pun-off. The O. Henry Pun-Off World Championship in fact. For the past 37 years, they have been trying "to a-maize people with wacky wordplay and home groan wit from powerful punsters who are out standing in their field." Yeah. We are never letting my husband near that place. 

The first publication of Gifts of the Magi in The New York Sunday World on December  10, 1905.

O. Henry's pen and ink set

And after that, we walked right next door to the Susanna Dickinson Museum, but I was tired of taking pictures by that point, except for this one…

Sorry. Did that just up the PG rating on my blog? I didn't say it. Davy Crockett did!

Done with museums and with the time getting closer to 6pm, we headed back to The Book People to hang out in their coffee bar, warm up a little with some tasty beverages and use the free wi-fi.

See this hat? I'm going to come back to it in a second.

We waited and waited and waited. 6pm came and went and still my Good Buddy John did not show up. I guess he was running a little late. I don't know why. He wasn't taking my calls.

Sad empty podium. 

But when he finally showed up… there was rejoicing!

Let me tell you, my Good Buddy John is exactly the kind of guy you'd think he'd be. He's the kind of guy you'd want to sit with in front of the fire with a giant pot of coffee and listen to him tell stories all night long. He's personable. He's friendly. He loves his fans. He loves his characters. He loves stories and you can tell, he's got a million of them to share. My kids adored him. They could. not. stop grinning. He talked for about an hour and then took time to answer questions and everyone was excited to hear his answers. No spoilers but he did mention that in the next Brotherband book, the crew of the Heron might travel to an America-like land. And he talked about a series that he's writing about Halt's early days… think Halt as a teenage boy instead of Will. He mentioned that right before he came to the US he had written the scene where Halt meets Lady Pauline for the first time. Awwwwwww! There was also talk about Ranger's Apprentice finally being turned into a movie! I can still hear the squeals of delight. In fact, I'm pretty sure those squeals did some permanent hearing damage.

Finally, when everything was said and done… they each got to meet him.

Sunshine had knitted two watch caps like the ones Edvin made in the 3rd Brotherband book. I embroidered a heron and we turned it into a badge for the cap. She gave one to him and kept one for herself. He said it was far superior to some other ones he'd seen mocked up. And he also wore it for the rest of the book signing!

Rain borrowed The Professor's Ranger cloak since he'd outgrown it many years ago and John called her "Ranger Girl" which made her blush and giggle like I've never seen before. She is not my giggle prone girl. Fangirl moment! He also remembered The Professor's birthday post and the oak leaf pancakes! Ok… it was my turn to blush and giggle then. Mommy fangirl moment! 

"Everybody lean in!" Not the best picture taking advice.

The excitement didn't wear off until we reached home about 4 hours later that night. It was a really long day and everyone took a couple of days to fully recover but they all said it was totally worth it. 

WWRW :: The Little Oratory :: Father's Day Giveaway

Auntie Leila, homeschooling sage and speaker of time tested family truths, asked me if I wanted to host a giveaway of her beautiful new book, The Little Oratory: A Beginners Guide to Praying in the Home, and I enthusiastically said, "Yes!!!" When someone like Leila writes a book about beauty and faith education in the heart of a home, I listen and so should you! That's my best advice… listen to someone who has been there and has the spit-up stripes on their shoulders and the transcript ink smudges on their fingertips to prove it before you get caught up in the latest untested homeschooling craze.

I have been reading Leila and David's book since it came out and I've been wanting to write a review of it but it's just not one of those books that I can sit down and read all in one sitting. It's so meaty and delicious; definitely the kind of book to be savored in small bites. I absolutely agree with so many others that this will become our go-to wedding gift along with a beautiful frame or an icon/religious picture. (I just hope we don't all get invited to the same weddings!)

My "working" oratory just above my kitchen sink: Our Lady of the Angels, The Irish Madonna of Hungary, a tiny Infant of Prague statue, some St. Joseph's oil and a rosary bracelet.

I guess I've always had a little oratory of sorts in our home without really knowing what that was. Something I've discovered, which I hope a more in depth study of this book will help me reconcile, is that some places in a home lend themselves to being a more decorative place for an oratory but maybe not the most useful. That is what I always struggle with; form vs. function, you know? Maybe you don't. I tend to think it's a problem that us visual people struggle with mostly.

For example, this space is perfect from a decorative standpoint. It's a blank wall space (with the exception of the outlets behind the Blessed Virgin) with a lovely wooden counter below it but it sits in an area of our house that is like an open hallway. It's a pass through area called a dry bar. Across from it is a dual height counter that we use for serving food whenever we host a function. We could put some bar stools opposite it in order to help direct the sitter's gaze towards this wall but bar stools just don't seem conducive to quiet prayer to me. There is no place for chairs or even a kneeler. I like the idea of a corner so much better but haven't been able to find one that I can make work in this house. That's where I'm hoping that The Little Oratory can guide me.

For right now, I personally prefer a working oratory like the one above my kitchen sink but I'd like to find something that's more of a space for our whole family to use. That will be my challenge. In the book, they talk about using the little oratory to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. Yes, Auntie Leila… I admit… I quailed, I'm sorry!! I'm trying to leave my mind and heart open to the idea but I've never really embraced the "domestic monastery" view of the family but rather the "find a heaven amidst pots and broomsticks" view instead. Maybe it's because we attend Mass at a Cistercian Abbey and have heard the monks pray morning prayers before daily Mass that it seems like an aspect of our faith that is particularly well-suited to the religious life, something not really intended for a family with young children. I can see a couple in their retiring years embracing some of the aspects of monastic life, but I've never felt particularly called to the movement that imposes monastic like silence and seriousness on a day when babies are crying and toddlers need help wiping. I freely admit that this is more than likely my own personal challenge to conquer. Like I said, maybe I need to educate myself better about what the Liturgy of the Hours really are and do some more praying about it. I do want to find a way to help my children feel comfortable with moments of quiet meditation, contemplation or prayer throughout the day. And I look at Leila's advice on family and education as words from the wisest of wizards. She's been there and done that. so I'm hoping that as I delve further in TLO some of these questions will be answered. See what I mean… meaty!

Now for the giveaway part… (it ends this Sunday at 11:59pm so it's a fast one!)

Sophia Institute Press is offering a bundle for Father's Day. Not only will you get a copy of The Little Oratory, but you will also get a copy of Father of the Family by Clayton Barbeau. These would make a great Father's Day gift pack for your husband or your father! Or give the Father of the Family book to your favorite Dad in your life and keep The Little Oratory for yourself! (I won't tell!)

(Your giveaway copies will come from Sophia, not from me. I have not been compensated for this review in any way. The copy I reviewed above was a copy that I purchased for my own personal library.)

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Find more great reads over at Jessica's place!

Day 3: WWRW

Day 3 of the 7 in 7 blogging challenge!

Pride and Prejudice
{affiliate link}

It sounds like a cop out, but I really did read it this past week. It has been quite a few years since I've read this one. It's not one of my favorites, I have to admit. Oh, I like it fine, it's just that others seem to jump to my mind first when I'm looking for a little Jane Time. (Persuasion!) And it might have to do with the fact that Mrs. Bennet drives me up a tree! Usually, I don't get bothered by annoying characters in print form. Once they come alive on the screen, that's another story. But Mrs. Bennet in any form has made me want to pull my hair out.

And I know that Mr. Bennet is supposed to be the likable parent, poor man, put upon by his annoying wife and adored by his oldest two girls, but he gets under my skin too. Was he really that thoughtless? Was he supposed to be seen as the noble philosopher father who simply found himself in a difficult situation beyond his control? He didn't save any money for his daughter's dowries because he believed he would have an heir. Would Mrs. Bennet have been such a gold digger if he had been more financially astute?Then again, he married Mrs. Bennet to begin with even though she was a ninny.

Her father, captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her.

Something struck me as odd as I was reading this time. Nowadays, we tend to keep things like salaries and financial resources private, but back then, everyone's financial situation is known by everyone else. How did that happen? Did they really go about telling people what their incomes were? Did everyone else really think it acceptable to discuss it in polite conversation? How did everyone know that Mr. Bingley has "Five thousand a year?" It seems as if income was something that should only he talked about in hushed tones yet, everyone knows who has what. Mr. Collins even knows " that one thousand pounds in the 4 per cents" will be Elizabeth's inheritance after the death of her mother. I can understand Mr. Collins being aware of the finances of the estate that is to be entailed upon him (although we are told that his father was estranged from Mr. Bennet so it leads one to wonder how this information was passed to Mr. Collins), but how does he know about her inheritance from her mother? It led me to search for some answers which I didn't really find but I did come upon this interesting paper on the economics of Jane Austen.

One other thing... Mr. Collins is described by Jane Austen as "a tall, heavy looking young man of five and twenty" yet both movie versions have made him short and in the case of the BBC version, seemingly much older. In the Kiera Knightley version, he is laughably short, so short in fact that Mr. Darcy almost takes his head off with his elbow. I know his character is used as comic relief in the movies, but I wonder if that's how most people imagine him now. Just a thought.

As for Cupcake, she's been enjoying some Jane too. Do you know about the BabyLit Board Books? {affiliate link} She loves them and my girls delight in reading them to her. When the picture of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley shows up, she kisses them both, but seems to have a preference for Bingley!  Oh, and the puppy. And Colonel Brandon! My girls have already taught her that Willoughby is a weasel!

What about you? What's your favorite Jane Austen to read? 

7QT: Q&A

~1~

Sarah asked, "What is Junior Classics Literature?" Here you go, little mama...

Junior Classics Literature {affiliate link}

Starting in about 2nd or 3rd grade, whenever my kids are reading proficiently on their own, they start using these books for their literature study. Heavy on the literature, light on the "study". Basically, it's just a matter of exposing them to a lot of different kinds of great stories. We don't worry about book reports. We do a little discussion when they come to tell me about something exciting or something irritating they read. But "literature study" for the younger grades has always been very laid back around here.

~2~

Sadly, I believe they are out of print. I purchased mine as a set from Amazon many years ago, but you can purchase them individually {affiliate link} to acquire them a little at a time. I think mine are a 1948 edition. I don't know if other editions have all the same stories or not.

~3~

Bigboy's favorite so far has been book #2 Stories of Wonder and Magic. This book has many great and wonderful stories including The Magic Fishbone by Charles Dickens, Prince Rabbit by A. A. Milne, The Light Princess by George Macdonald, Aladdin from Arabian Nights, How Boots Befooled the King by Howard Pyle and various stories from Hans Christian Anderson. Most are short stories although in some other books there are excerpts from novels. All of my kids have read these books. Usually averaging 2 books per year (sometimes 3), these books comprise their "literature study" for 2nd or 3rd-6th grade. Light on the study mind you, heavy on the literature. They either read for a set number of minutes or a set number of pages per day with the option of finishing a story if it captivates their attention and they don't want to wait.

~4~

Not all of them have loved every book. The Professor slogged his way through the third book, Myths and Legends (because he really isn't a fan of mythology) and then was rewarded with Hero Tales (above) which he loved. But the point was, he had to read the myths and legends. He has always been a great reader but likes to stick to his comfort zone. These books forced allowed and encouraged him to expand that comfort zone. And sometimes, reading the excerpts inspired him go off and read the whole novel... Gulliver's Travels for example.

~5~

Mind you, these are not "readers". The books do not start out at an easy reading level and get progressively harder. That why I count them as literature study, not "reading". These books are for kids who are reading on their own or else could be used as a read aloud resource. I admit that we don't do a ton of read alouds. My husband has done more of them with the kids than I have. They enjoy audio books and they enjoy reading to each other, but they have also very much enjoyed reading on their own. What I love is that the stories come from great works of literature but are very child appropriate. Here are some shots of the table of contents of a couple of the books.

 #1 Fairy Tales and Fables

 #3 Myths and Legends

#5 Stories that Never Grow Old

You'll notice that the Lamb version of Midsummer Night's Dream is in this book. I know there are some people who believe that a story version of a classic such as this isn't a good idea. Just wait until the child can read the real thing. I think these people believe that exposing them to a story version will diminish their desire to read the real thing someday. I've found that these versions almost always lead to a greater interest in the original work.

~6~

Tracy asked about the figures on The Professor's shoulder. Hmmmmm... how to explain this? Well, he has a summer job. He is going to work as a camp assistant for a group that teaches engineering principles using LEGO. So basically, he's getting paid to help kids build with LEGO. Seriously! It's like every LEGO fanboy's dream job! Well, he had to submit a picture for the company roster and they said he could include a favorite LEGO or two. He chose his two favorite minifies to sit in his shoulders.

~7~
It wasn't until after we submitted it that I realized it looked a little like this:

Yeah, riiiiiiiiiight!

Oh well, they did say it could be a fun picture!