What Does Carol Channing Know Anyway?

Whoever wrote that "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" must have had an awfully shallow gal. In our house, not much makes me happier than a good book. Books help keep your brain from turning to mush (important when you spend all day with a 4 year old), help you unwind (did I mention that 4 year old?) and are the perfect opportunity for a little "me time".

With reading in decline in the USA I made a goal for myself to read 100 books in the year 2008. This may sound like a tall order, but in reality that is only 2 books a week. I am a quick reader, and can easily finish a novel in 3 days, quicker if I am really into it. Since 1998 I have attempted to keep track of all the books I have read. Some years I read like gangbusters, while others I simply did not record many of the books I completed. All in all, I actually wrote down 297 books that I have read in the past 9 years- and that is not counting the ones I read multiple times (Harry Potter Series, Gone with the Wind etc.) In 2006 alone I read 78 books!

I wish I could say that all that reading was spiritually uplifting, brain energizing, or at least literary classics. However, I am a huge fan of junk fiction... and my list is full of popular authors-especially in the Forensic Science and Medical Mystery genres. I don't think there is a book out there by Patricia Cornwell or Kathy Reichs I have not read. That being said, I also have a very eclectic list of authors that I really enjoy that are worth mentioning. Maybe you will get an idea for some reading yourself in 2008.

(I'll be doing a week of authors sort of like I did the musicians and games.)

Happy New Year!

Well, we survived Christmas and all the joy and chaos that the season entails. I am looking forward to getting our house back in order today and tomorrow and packing away all the trappings of the season for another 11 months. We had a marvelous holiday and Coleman got far too many gifts, thanks to the generosity of family and friends.

Looking toward 2008 I, the world's WORST resolution keeper, have made yet another list of things I am hoping to do. Most of these involve lifestyle changes in big ways, but they sound fun and hopefully I will be able to keep them up long enough to become actual changes instead of just a list on the fridge.

1. Watch less tv. (This may be easier since I think we are dumping cable soon.)
2. Play more games. (See previous posts.) We would like to start a neighborhood game night every other month and play games several times a week as a family.
3. Invite someone to dinner every other week. We have a wonderful neighborhood and would like to know our neighbors a little better. Since I like to cook, this should be a lot of fun.
4. Spend less money!
5. Read 100 books. (I have done this in the past.)This will have to include at least 20 classics and 30 non-fiction books. That leaves me half for "junk reading". Books on tape do count since I do that while driving.
6. Get back on track with Coleman's homeschooling. He has been begging to get started back, so I am determined to get back in the swing of things.
7. Complete Coleman's 2007 scrapbook, Family Christmas Scrapbook, keep current with 2008 and complete a special project I am working on. (In scrapbook land, Coleman is still 4 months old. I am planning to work backwards toward his infancy.)
8. Lose 40 pounds. (Sounds hard, but I managed to lose 10 in 6 weeks without starving myself to death. I am pretty sure they are all back from the Christmas snack-fest.) Losing the weight will make us more likely to have another child as well.
9. Go to the gym at LEAST 3 days a week and walk or do something active on at least 1 other day. (I am paying for the membership, might as well use it!)
10. Read through the Bible. (If I accomplish this I will have the most important book toward my 100 complete!)

So- there's my list! If you are so inclined please pray for me to be successful. We should have a happier and healthier family all around if I can keep it up.

Any New Year's Resolutions you want to share?

Merry Christmas Leith, Tuky and girls!

So, I have this Aussie friend who will be celebrating Christmas in Thailand this year with his beautiful wife and daughters. He is a little homesick since a Thai Christmas is not the same as a western (or Western Australian) one. So, here's your christmas gift buddy! Hope you enjoy it!*windows media file* (Everyone else is welcome to watch too.)

Merry Christmas from Tennessee to Thailand

Merry Christmas from our home to yours....

Great Games for Large(r) Groups...

We rarely get to have larger groups over these days, but lucky for us Shane's family is always willing to play games when we are together. Some of our favorites will go up to 5 people, but often we will have 6 or more that want in on the fun. The following games fit the bill perfectly and always leave us laughing.

Apples to Apples is by far our favorite large group game. It plays well with 4-10 players, the more the merrier! You decide how long the game lasts- ours usually lasts around 20-30 minutes. This game is highly adaptable for different types of groups (youth groups are great) and a number of different versions are available (Bible, Kids, Spanish). It is very easy to play and teach and always different. One thing is consistent though- the laughs! Available at Target- maybe even WalMart.

Category 5 (also known as Take 6, Slide 5, 6 Nimmit!) is a fun little card game for 2-10 people. There are several versions with different names, with Category 5 being hurricane themed. Follow the link for instructions on game play and more photos.

Farkel is a great group game played with just 6 dice and a pad of paper. Roll the dice, keep at least one each roll and press your luck! Lots of fun for groups of any size really. This one gets played a lot by our family and is great because you can play just about anywhere. Just be careful telling people you and your family are "farkling on the bed!" (This really happened to us. Poor guy on the other end of the phone.)

Hope these give you some ideas how to pass the time with family this holiday season!

Games for little guys and gals....

Coleman is well on his way to being an avid gamer. He has a lot of the typical kiddie games, including Cootie, Candyland, Chutes and Ladders and a few others. He also has a few lesser known games for kids, and it is those that Daddy and I enjoy most.

Feed the Kitty is a fun little game that requires no reading, no game board and is pretty quick to play. Roll the dice, pass the mice and the last player with mice left wins! Lots of fun, teaches turn-taking and counting. There is no strategy involved at all in this game, but the little wooden mice are darling.

Hiss is the game that Shane and I like the most. You have a stack of cardboard tiles, each with the image of ether a snake's head, tail or midsection of varying color combinations. Draw a card, match it to one on the table or start a new snake. The person who completes a snake gets to keep it. Winner is the one with the most tiles at the end. Great for matching, strategy and counting skills.

Leaping Lizards is a little more complex than either of the games above. The game "board" is a string with spaces between colored beads. The little wooden lizard game pieces move varying spaces depending on what tiles are face up when the cup is spilled out. This has very little strategy, but more steps to see how much to move.

Our favorite 2 player games

Having a youngish child means that we have opportunity to play a lot more 2 player games than those geared toward larger groups. The following is a list of our favorite games either geared specifically for 2 players or other games that play just fine with only 2 players.

Lost Cities was a gift from our friends Bert and Meg, and is a great starter game for 2 players. The game consists of a small board and playing cards. The object is to gain the most points while collecting a stack of cards of particular colors. There is strategy involved, but it is a quick little game. Playing time- 30 minutes.


Balloon Cup is another Rio Grande game that we have really enjoyed. The game consists of 2 squares, playing cards and a number of multi-colored wooden cubes. The object is to collect enough of the little cubes through game play to purchase the trophies of those colors at the end. The game moves quickly, is a lot of fun and easy to learn.



San Juan is the card adaptation of the game Puerto Rico (to be reviewed later in the week). This card game version is for 2-4 players, and is a great alternative to all the set-up and rules involved in the regular game.


Guillotine is a card game we have played for a long time. We originally picked it up as a 2 player game, but it will play up to 5 people. The concept is to collect as many "heads" (cards)as possible, and in doing so collect points. Be careful though, because some heads are worth negative points. This may sound macabre, but trust me, it is a funny game with no gore at all. This game was out of production and impossible to find for a number of years, but from what I understand is available again. Hooray!

Quiddler was our all time favorite game for a while. It is sort of a card game version of Scrabble meets gin rummy. The cards are beautifully done in a style similar to that of the Book of Kells, so they visually great to use. Each card contains a letter or cluster of letters with a point value in the corner. The game is played in 7 rounds, with each round being dealt an additional card up to 10 in the last hand. The goal is to make words using as many of your cards as possible, with extra points awarded for most words and longest word. This game also has a solitaire version and is playable for up to 8 players.

Great "Gateway" Games Geared toward Small Groups of 3-5 players

Everyone loves games, but some of the more "gamer" oriented games have a lot of instructions, require extensive setup and concentration. The following games are wonderful games to teach new players because they are easy to explain, require little setup and are also a lot of fun! We call them "gateway" games, because people who get hooked on these often go on to play the more strategy intense games that do require more effort.



Our all time favorite game is Ticket to Ride and all its variations. This is a very simple to teach game, loads of fun and guaranteed to keep people coming back for more. There are several differences between each version, enough to keep each game a little different from the next. We personally have the original TTR and Europe versions, but would not mind having them all!

The game's objective is to complete trip tickets by building your train from point A to point B (depending on your ticket destination). Each turn is simple, and the game does not require so much concentration that you can't still have dessert or conversation while playing. Game play takes about 1 hour. This game makes a great gift!



The Settlers of Catan is THE game that got us, and so many other gamers, hooked. (You need to click the link called "Catan Games" on the left to see more info.) Again, there are multiple versions and expansions for Settlers, but the only ones we have direct experience with are the original game as well as the 2 player Catan Card Game.

This game is a little more involved attention-wise than Ticket to Ride since there are trading and pay-outs that affect all players at each turn, but still an easy game to learn and play. It also takes a little longer to set up the game board, but is well worth the extra effort.

The basic premise of this game is to collect the most points by building settlements on tracts of land that produce resources each time their number is rolled with the dice. Wheat, Sheep, Lumber, Ore and Brick are collected and traded on each turn. Players can use their resources to build more settlements, roads or chance cards. Game play takes about 1.5 hours.

The 2 player card game retains a lot of the elements from the original game without losing the fun. A great gift for the Catan player who doesn't get to attend gaming groups often.



Carcassone is another simple to play, simple to set up and teach game that we enjoy a lot. The great thing about this game is that it plays just as well with 2 people as it does with 5. Again, lots of variations are available. This game has the added benefit of being able to pack in a small space for trips because of the nature of the pieces.

The game board is revealed as a player chooses and plays a tile at each turn. The object is to join tiles in a manner to build a city. They then have a choice to place a person on the tile or pass play to the next person. The winner has the most points from cities completed or combinations with where their people are played. Game play takes about 30 minutes.



Wyatt Earp was a gift from my friend Glenna one Christmas. We have really enjoyed it since, and it has become a favorite at family gatherings. The object is to "capture" outlaws and collect the reward money. Again, this game is easy to explain, takes about 30 minutes to play and is very portable.

Time Well Spent...

Chances are, if you come for a visit or dinner at the Casa del Blake, the evening will end with some game playing. While we will play the occasional game of Spades, we especially love the lesser known and much more entertaining games from companies such as Days of Wonder,and Rio Grande Games.

Why play games instead of watch a movie, play video games or sit around and talk? Games have a particular way of bringing people together. They are great for starting conversations and allow you to interact and get to know people in ways sitting in a dark room watching tv doesn't. Games bring families closer together and add an element of fun and competition.

Why the more unusual games? Scrabble remains one of our favorite games, and we do own many of the classics such as Monopoly (in its various forms), Rummikube, Uno, Skipbo, Parcheesi, and Stratego. However, the particular genre of games we prefer are much more heavily reliant on strategy and truthfully are just more fun.

Why are some of those games SO EXPENSIVE? True, many of the games we play are a little more expensive than your average game of "LIFE" found at your local WalMart. Many of these games are imported from other countries (lots of German games), use high quality materials such as wood pieces and heavy cardboard instead of plastic and thinner stuff, and are not sold in such huge quantites at national retailers. All of those add to the cost of a game, but you can get some great deals if you know where to look. Time Well Spent is our preffered spot to get games. There are numerous places to order these games online, but we typically stick with TWS because their prices are good, their customer service is great and they are a Christian-owned small business, and their values line up with ours pretty nicely. A lot of these games are available at Barnes and Noble, or even local game specialty stores (if you are lucky enough to have one.)

A lot of our friends have played a lot of our games, and this week I want to highlight a few of our favorites in a bunch of different categories. Hopefully you will find something that interests you, give you a great gift idea and maybe even start a new hobby!

I'd like to thank our good friends back in Raleigh, NC- Bert and Meg for getting us hooked on gaming. We miss them a lot and still look to them for game suggestions!

Other helpful links relating to games:
** A great place to check out games of many types is Board Game Geek. If you have a question about a game, want to see photos of the actual parts, or want to pick up replacement pieces, this is the spot to check.

** Defective Yeti is a big gamer with a blog that covers a lot of things, none of which I can be held responsible for. However, his gaming advice is usually really good and I have taken recommendations from him and been quite happy.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree: Our Favorite Christmas Albums

Ahhh, I LOVE Christmas music. So much so, that some of it gets in the playback year round. The following is a list of my personal favorite albums for this Christmas season. Some of them are brand spanking new- thanks E-Music! (If anyone wants to join emusic, please email me so I can get the referral credits. It's a great deal for indie music lovers!)

1) Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson.
--In the opinion of our household, Andrew Peterson has musically picked up in many ways where Rich Mullins left off. As mentioned in a previous post, this is one of our year round favorite albums. Be sure to check out his other music on his site- not a dud there, as well as his site The Rabbit Room, where you can gain more insight into his life, thoughts and art. (Not to mention that of some other great artists!)

2) Joy by Allen Levi, Ed Cash and Bebo Norman.
-- We have had this Cd for years now, and it is very much in heavy rotation right now. These three guys are all great musicians on their own, but their voices just fit together so well. Be sure to check out their individual web sites- especially Allen's. He has some great funny songs as well as some very insightful ones.

3) Christmas from the Realms of Glory by the aforementioned Bebo Norman.
--This album is brand new for this Christmas season, and I could listen to Bebo's voice all day long. It's like honey.

4) Any of these Cds by the Appalachian Christmas Quartet.
--The ACQ isup of some of the Kid Brothers of St. Frank, headed up by Michael Aukofer. The roster changes from year to year, but has included some of our favorites, such as Brad Layher, and Erik Hauk. The music is primarily instrumental, but using instruments you won't hear on your typical Christmas albums. These Cds are heavy on Hammered Dulcimer, Lap Dulcimer, Violin, ethnic percussion, guitar, mandolin, lute and even such unusual instruments as boomwhackers and the PVCiano. The official 4th member of the quartet is the jackalope.

5) The Darkest Night of the Year by Over the Rhine.
-- As in anything they do, Karin's voice is beautiful. They have a new Christmas Cd out for 2007 called "Snow Angels" but we don't have it yet. It's on our list for next year though!

6)Wishing for This by Leigh Nash.
--Leigh is probably best known as the voice behind Sixpence None the Richer, but has a couple of solo projects out as well. This is yet another artist with a distinctive voice, but so lovely. One of my faves on this CD is Eternal Gifts. This CD is also new for this year.

7) When My Heart Finds Christmas and Harry for the Holidays, both by Harry Connick Jr.
--These are 2 great feel good Christmas Cds that will appeal to most people. They have a lot of fun songs as well as the traditional carols. Harry's voice is so easy on the ears, and these Cds are destined to become Christmas classics.

8) Holiday Songs and Lullabyes by Shawn Colvin.
--Sweet, simple and perfect for this time of year.

9)Noel by Various Artists- Via Records 1995.
-- Shane and I got this CD the week we got married. I remember listening to it driving around Gatlinburg on our honeymoon, and it is still one of our favorites. If you manage to find one laying around in a bargain bin somewhere, be sure to snatch it up! It has some great renditions of classic songs, as well as some really good artists. If I had to compare it to anything currently on the market it would be the "City on a Hill" series.

10) Wintersong by Sara McLachlan.
-- Despite consistently spelling this musician's name incorrectly, I think she is great! Keep in mind, I do not listen to top 40 radio, am not much into "Pop" music, but I love Sarah MCLachlan. This CD came out last Christmas and it is just delightful. Yet another artist with a sweet voice that will appeal to most people.

11) WeatherVane Christmas: The Gift by Various Artists
-- This Cd is apparently out of production and impossible to find. It featured great artists (see previous posts on Real Music by Real People) such as Jason Harrod, Claire Holley and others. Weathervane was a bit of a precursor to Paste Music and a sibling of sorts to Awakening Records- just in case anyone remembers them. Anyway, this Cd has a lot of nice acoustic Christmas favorites and a number of original songs as well.

We also downloaded some great new Christmas Cds from Jars of Clay, Martha's Trouble and Kevin Max (formerly of DC Talk)- all from Emusic. I have not listened to any of those enough to list them as favorites yet, but there is always next year!

Behold the Lamb of God...

Oh my... it's already that time of year again, and time to pull out our favorite Christmas album of all time. So favorite, in fact, that we listen to it year round. In a culture where Chrismas has become barely a little nod toward the direction of Bethlehem (if even that), it is great to take the time to remember the whole story.

Andrew Peterson has created a wonderful album called "Behold the Lamb of God" that travels through the Old Testament to a dirty stable in Bethlehem. The songs are catchy, moving and beautiful- guaranteed to bring you into the presence of God this holiday season. As an added bonus, you can also impress your friends and family by singing the entire list of begats from the beginning of Matthew! Listen to the CD HERE. My favorites are "Passover Us" "Deliver Us" "Matthew's Begats" and "Behold the Lamb of God", but the entire album is incredible- any time of year. You can order a physical Cd or download a copy HERE

Every year Andrew and a whole host of friends (a.k.a. the GREATS of the CCM/Indie music industry) perform the album at a sold out concert in Nashville at the Ryman Auditorium. Shane and I have wanted to go for YEARS, but have not been able to work it out to attend. This year, the travelling tour dates brought them to Memphis, and we were thrilled to attend. This year's tour features the 3 Andy's: Andrew Peterson, Andrew Osenga (the Normals, Caedmon's Call and solo work), Andy Gullahorn, Bebo Norman, Jill Phillips, Sara Groves, Gabe Scott (from all over the place), Ben Shive, Garrett Buell (from Caedmon's Call) and a few other supporting musicians.

Bellevue, which seats THOUSANDS of people was very crowded and we staked out our seats over an hour ahead of the performance. The artists were just incredible and the wait of years was well worth it. If you can catch this tour, run out and get your tickets NOW!

Jean Stockdale and MOMS ministry at Bellevue Baptist Church

Bellevue Baptist Church is a megachurch (30,000 plus members) here in the Memphis area. Adrian Rogers was the former pastor, and since his retirement and subsequent passing there have been a lot of changes and media attention. Many churches and Christians love to talk badly about Bellevue because of their size, saying that such large congregations are not Biblical, they are too big to truly care for their congregation and other nonsense. I could go on and on about how people get only as involved as they want to in any church, and how tearing down another congregation does not lift yours up, but instead I would like to share the positive experience I have had with Bellevue and more specifically their Women's Ministry.

We have attended exactly 1 worship service at Bellevue, the obligatory visit because we just moved here and Shane's cousin is a deacon there. This was back in the day of Dr. Rogers and the sermon was great, but the service itself was much more formal than what we were accustomed. So, we were happy to worship with family for that Sunday, but we eventually settled ourselves at another church in the area that is the polar opposite in style, Highpoint Memphis.

After we finally realized that we needed to go to church closer to home in order to be plugged in and serving as we should, we ended up at another church in our small town that was again, the other end of the spectrum from both other churches. Since we had moved to our little town and I still didn't have a lot of friends in the area, a friend who is also not a Bellevue member suggested I go to their MOMS ministry, which meets on Thursday mornings. I figured I had nothing to lose, so gave it another try.

What wonderful advice! The MOMS ministry is marvelous. Small groups of about 15-20 women meet from 9:30-10:30 for Bible discussion, and then head to large group from 10:45-11:30. This group is lead by Jean Stockdale, who also writes the Bible Studies for each semester. Jean is incredible. Each semester's study deals with becoming a more Christlike woman and how that applies to our roles as both Mom and Wife. We have studied the books of James, I and II Peter, Proverbs and II Timothy. Next session will be a study of the book of Ezekiel. I am excited to see what God and Jean have in store for us.

Jean is dynamic, expressive, hilarious and full of wonderful insight and wisdom on the word of the Lord and raising a family to grow into Godly adults. She has gone on to publish several of her studies, which are available on Amazon.com, and you can hear her on demand on Bellevue's site HERE. (I warned you- she is very expressive!) You can search through there and see several of her sessions from the study. (Also, check out some of Donna Gaines' sessions. She is the pastor's wife and also a dynamic speaker.)

Would I become a member of Bellevue Baptist Church? Probably not, primarily because of our location compared to theirs, the worship style and sheer size of the congregation. Have I learned a lot and heard from God as a result of their women's ministry? You bet I have! But because of their size they are ableto reach out into the community and open their doors daily to spread the gospel, even to us Mommas who are in a new city and in need of a friend.