Esteban Makes an Appearance

 Hello,

My name is Esteban Barnes, well it's actually not my real name, it's my brush name. It's like a pen name, but for artists. Anyway, I am Miss K's brother and she wanted me to do a review since she has nothing to post about - an I just finished reading "Year of the Black Pony," not just, several days ago.

So if you have ideas as of what Miss K should blog about comment below.

Now to the book.

Year of the Black Pony

by Walt Morey

Year of the Black Pony! Wow!! Although this is a book for younger people ... no, any book is for everyone! Just like C.S. Lewis said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." 

A summary from Goodreads

"The Fellows family has joined numerous others striving to make a go of homesteading in the Oregon high desert. But the venture has been disastrous from the start. Mr. Fellows, who is not a farmer, resents any advice from his wife, who grew up on a farm. Ma is not only troubled about the farming, but 7-year old Ellie's chronic illness has become a source of constant worry and expense. 12-year old Chris, who cannot seem to please his father no matter what he does, eases his own misery by stealing time away from work to watch a neighbor's scarcely broken black pony, only to get into more trouble. When it seems circumstances could not get worse for the struggling family, Fellows gets drunk and dies. Not willing to give up, Ma stubbornly and creatively seeks a way for the family to stay Oregon. Frank Chase, an unintentional element in the death of Chris's father, is added to the mix and challenged by Ma to keep his word to help the family. The resultant dramatic and sometimes humorous contest of wills comes to a satisfying culmination when, after Frank's purchase of the wild black pony fro Chris, Ma is reluctantly forced to once again use her backbone of steel for the good of all. Walt Morey's careful research and vivid storytelling talent warmly bring to life the struggles and triumphs of homesteading in the oregon high desert country in the early 1900's. A great family read-aloud!"

My Thoughts

Well, I thought this book was amazing. It only took me 2 days to read, so if you have 2 days to use up, read this book! 

As you probably know from reading the summary up top, or if you didn't read the top, I'll explain down here as well. This book is about a family that wants to get away from the city life of a hard everyday factory job and seek a job that is more relaxing and can choose when to work - to manage themselves instead of having someone else tell 'em what to do. But as they settle down in the farm life, finding a cheap house and land, they realize just the opposite - farm life is hard. There is work to do every day, hard labor. 

I should stop telling you the whole story. I feel like I'm reading the book to you. If you're interested in what you've read so far on this blog, GO READ THE BOOK! And then comment below if I did a good job with the review. 

But before I stop typing I will also mention the horse. There. I mentioned it. A black pony, to be more specific. A wild black pony. 

I recommend this book to all people capable of reading! And I give it 5 stars!

If you get this far and are reading this sentence, I also have a blog where I post things to, or actually write and paste pictures of my artwork. So, if you like art, drawings and painting of things you should read that blog, https://sketcheddrawnandpainted.blogspot.com. 

-Esteban Barnes

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 Hello and happy feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Today, I thought I'd share some of our feast day celebrations. 

Brief History:

In December of 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian. The apparition occurred on Tepeyac Hill, where the words of Our Lady were spoken to Juan Diego. She desired a church to built in honor of her. However, when Juan Diego spoke to the bishop, he was skeptical of the apparition and wanted a true sign. After several tries, Our Lady instructed Juan Diego to go to the top of the hill and cut flowers. It was December, but there he found Castilian roses and cut them. Then, Our Lady arranged them with her own hands. This was the sign needed for the bishop to believe Juan Diego because Our Lady's image appeared on Juan Diego's tilma. 

(credit)

Baking:

To start the day off, we made Juan Diego cookies! I found this idea at thecatholicplayground. Instead of using their recipe for the actual cookies, we used a gluten free sugar cookie recipe (found here). We also discovered that these cookies work with only 1 1/2 cups of flour since someone I didn't read the recipe correctly, and forgot to put another cup of flour in. They tasted great, though! We also used coconut sugar in place of white sugar. Lastly, we just decorated the cookies with some homemade red frosting, since we didn't have any icing on hand. We all enjoyed eating the cookies and it was a great project. I encourage you to go take a look at thecatholicplayground's version too. Now for some pictures: 

Little helpers, Nancy (8) and Superman (10), making the dough

The dough got very sticky and it wasn't as easy as the recipe made it look

Ta-da! They still turned out, even with the sticky dough

The middle holes got a bit small for Juan Diego (the egg) to fit inside the sombrero (cookie)

Inside each Juan Diego (egg), there was a tilma with Our Lady's image and roses (M&M's)

Coloring:

Coloring coloring pages is one of the easiest ways to celebrate a feast day. We use thecatholicplayground's collection most of the time, as they have a very large collection and variety. Two of my brothers, Superman and Alphonse, enjoyed coloring both of the Our Lady of Guadalupe coloring pages made by thecatholicplayground. 

There is an Our Lady of Guadalupe stained glass project here, Our Lady of Guadalupe stationery paper here, and an Our Lady of Guadalupe activity sheet here. 

Superman's finished coloring page (found here)

Alphonse started but didn't quite finish (found here)

Movie:

While we waited for the cookies to cool off, we watched our favorite movie about Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe: "Juan Diego Messenger of Guadalupe" from CCC. Even though I've seen this one plenty of times, I still enjoy watching it. 

Our copy of Juan Diego Messenger of Guadalupe

"Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry youn, disturb you."  -Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego

How did you celebrate today's feast day? Do you have any special or yearly traditions for this feast?    

-Miss K

Book Review: The Weka-Feather Cloak

Imagine finding a fantasy book on my bookshelf. Very unlikely (except for the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and the Chronicles of Narnia). However, I just finished a fantasy book called the Weka-Feather Cloak: A New Zealand Fantasy by Leo Madigan. Thanks to my older brother for recommending it! This is one of those books that starts right in with the story, without an explanation. I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but boy was it a GREAT read! 

"Small, quiet, artistic Danny Mago, used to an uneventful, if not always pleasant existence, suddenly finds himself catapulted into a series of inexplicable happenings. After he gets the new job at St. Martin de Porres Convent with Mother Madeleine, the famous Maori painter, and he approaches the ancient, unused elevator on the Convent grounds, the uneventful tenor of his life takes a decided turn...upwards! The resulting wild sometimes hair-raising adventures next become strangely entangled with the mysterious quest that has brought beautiful Zelia Mazloum all the way from Turkey to New Zealand. In the midst of all this, Danny accepts a call to make a unique contribution to his home, the land that rests  

the land that rests upon the seas, Aetearoa. Demonic creatures, angelic beings, sly villains, an old and beautiful weka-feather cloak, a blank wall in a new Cathedral and an unforgettable Maori nun come together in this amazing tale of spirit and laughter." (Photo and text credit)

This fantasy was not like any other that I have read. There was no Narnia and no Middle Earth, no wizards, no fauns, no goblins, and no hobbits. Madigan writes about New Zealand throughout the story, but includes the fantasy of an elevator that can bring Danny Mago to many different places in time. Additionally, the story includes angels and demons to guide Danny in making the right choices. 

Things I Liked:

• I really liked how the Catholic faith was incorporated throughout the whole fantasy. Danny was challenged in many ways, but turned to his Rosary, the Crucifix, and Holy Water for protection. 

• I also liked how descriptive the scenery is! God's Creation of New Zealand is found throughout this book. Often, each chapter starts with a description of the nature around Danny and the other characters (see my favorite quotes below for examples). 

• Although Danny is the focus of this book, there really are three plots throughout that end up combining at the end. The plots are focused on Danny and his elevator, his special needs sister, Angela, and solving a mystery with a school girl, Zelia. 

• Finally, I loved how even though this was a fantasy, there was a lot of history intertwined among the chapters. Danny learned about Lady Juliana of Norwich, the Sylvestrine monks and Fra Angelico, and about the Eucharist. 

Things I Didn't Like:

• I mentioned above how I liked the three plots that eventually turn into one. However, it gets a bit confusing during the last few chapters, which I didn't like. The last chapter makes sense, but the few before that kind of mix everything together, so it really didn't make any sense until the end. 

Favorite Quotes:

    "Danny stood in the center of the room for a long time. It was good to be there. It had the comfort and security of a womb. A peace rose up from the stone floor and a peace seeped out through the walls. There was a distinctive smell to the place, fresh like apples and spring water, and the air tasted like that too" (51). 

    "They found themselves on a hillside looking down on a town of great visual charm. It was built on the confluence of two rivers and, criss-crossed as it was with canals and pools, it gave the illusion of floating on water. Fruit trees, palms and weeping willows grew on the banks of the rivers and the courtyards, and even the flat roofs of houses were dancing with color in the heat" (121).  

Content: 

There is a bit of bullying between Danny and his classmates during the school scenes. Additionally, during the fantasy scenes there is some descriptive violence. However, it is handled well between the characters. 

Age:

I recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

Rating:

★★★★

What is your favorite fantasy book?  

-Miss K

Book Review: Left to Tell

Abracadabra... poof... I'm back! 

Hello! I'm finally back for another post. I guess something called summer appeared a few months after my first post, and I didn't get around to posting again. I also finished my college English class a few weeks ago, which was "Writing for the Web", so I'm supposed to be an expert at this now. (I had to create a blog for that class which can be found here).

Anyway, today I'm excited to be doing a book review on Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza. Trust me: It's an amazing book!

"Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee's family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans.

                                                                                   Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. 

It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love- a love so strong she was able to seek out and forgive her family's killers. 

The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman's journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyone whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss." (Photo and text credit)

It's worth restating the fact that Ilibagiza survived in a bathroom for 91 days with seven other women, while hundreds of killers hunted for her. This fact is what sparked my interest in this book, yet I learned about much more than the Rwandan Genocide. The details were plentiful so I took my time to soak it all in, spending ten days reading it. At some points, I wanted to put it down and never read it again because it was saddening, but at the same time, it was  inspirational. 

Many others that were impacted by the genocide could have written about their experiences, but there is one thing that makes Ilibagiza's experience different: she deepened her faith while living through the genocide. 

Things I Liked:

• I liked the fact that this book was not just a history of the Rwandan Genocide, but the personal experience of Ilibagiza. However, the details are vivid and accurate so you can learn about some specific events that took place during the genocide. 

• I loved how Illibagiza's faith is very inspirational throughout the whole book, not just in the harsh chapters. It is truly a story of determination, survival, and faith, but most importantly, forgiveness. 

• I also liked how often Illibagiza brings up the fact that she survived because of her faith in God and because of her parents Catholic teachings. Additionally, she often mentions the use of the Rosary. 

Things I Didn't Like:

• The one thing I didn't like was how detailed some of the violent scenes were (more below under content), but that was part of the true story. 

Favorite Quotes:

    "All I could do was pray, so that's what I did...I was certain that God had a greater purpose for me, and I prayed every day for Him to reveal it to me" (114). 

    "But I came to learn that God never shows us something we aren't ready to understand. Instead, He lets us see what we need to see, when we need to see it. He'll wait until our eyes and hearts are open to Him, and then when we're ready, He will plant our feet on the path that's best for us... but it's up to us to do the walking" (114). 

    "What was that all about, Immaculee? That was the main who murdered your family.. I brought him to you to question... to spit on if you wanted to. But you forgave him! How could you do that? Why did you forgive him?"' (204). 

Content: 

Because this book takes place during a genocide, there is quite a bit of graphic themes and content, but it is needed to fully understand Illibagiza's situation. This includes murder, brutality, violence, and ethnic discrimination.  

Age:

I recommend this book for everyone ages 16 and up, depending on their level of maturity for the content themes mentioned above. 

Rating:

★★★★★

Have you ever read "Left to Tell"? If so, what did you like about it? If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you do that soon. 

-Miss K

Welcome

Hello there! I'm glad you've found this little blog. I created this blog to share my little adventures with you, so I hope you'll tag along.  I've already written a page about me that can be found on the "Meet Miss K" page, but if you haven't then here's a post for you. My name is Miss K and I'll be finishing up my junior year of high school soon, so if I don't post again until May, that would be why. There's a 89.37% chance it will happen.

I LOVE to read and I hope to incorporate books into this blog! I can often be found cuddling in a blanket reading a book, either for fun or for school. I can also be found researching new knowledge for my brain because history is one of my favorite subjects. Actually, I enjoy all my current subjects, so I don't really have a specific favorite. Yes, even chemistry and Pre calculus are quite interesting and fun at times! My other hobbies include crafting, creating letters and snail mail for my pen pals, playing my flute, and running in my barefoot shoes.

I will soon be doing a collaboration with my brother's art and my history, so stay tuned for that. I better get busy though because I've already fallen behind on those biographies. Sorry, Esteban!

-Miss K