Epiphanies of Beauty

a commonplace of the everyday

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Book Review: Prairie Thief by Melissa Wiley

Summary When the Brody's neighbors, the Smirches, accuse Mr. Brody of thieven' from them, Mr. Brody is hauled away to a jail cell nearly 30 miles away.  To make matters worse, young Louisa Brody is forced to live with the accusers - rotten though they may be - on the Colorado prairie while her Pa awaits his trial.  Louisa is convinced things aren't what they seem; especially the "gnome" the Smirch's niece Jessamine claims to have seen in the hazel grove.  Can Louisa discover the magic of her ... continue reading...

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And now for the riveting details of our literary lives

The fifth grader: 100 Cupboards. I haven't pre-read this. I hope its fine. I swiped it off the sidebar of Cindy Rollins website, so I'm hoping yes. Its on my to-be-read pile. Second Grader - He's working through the Peanuts Treasury. I know, heavy stuff. Kindergartner - Bob Book Set A Books 3.  Yes! He's reading. When he wants to complete a book he'll read the first two. Otherwise, he's on the couch next to me complaining and rolling and writhing around working through book 3. Its ... continue reading...

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Playing with Fire

I'm trying to find my voice. Retrying? Anyway, this is what passes for science around these parts. My sister bought the children a Potato Chip Science kit. She bought it for Christmas. Christmas 2011. But she suffers the same disease I do - one we inherited from our mother - and gave the kit to my kids in June. Hey, it made for a fun summer. When they're done burning the chips, they take the charcoal remains and make fingerprint powder out of it. Unless, of course, you bring the foil pan ... continue reading...

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Book Review: The Midnight Dancers: A Fairy Tale Retold

Summary Rachel Durham and her twelve sisters are good, evangelical of the puritan kind, girls. But they (or at least some of them) are tired of denim skirts, no make up, and of being good. Its boring. But while rearranging their room, the girls discover a secret door. Through it, in the cover of night, lies the adventure that Rachel is determined to have. But will the Twelve Dancing Princesses find too much adventure in the cover of night? And just how strong is its hold? Review I read the ... continue reading...