Lessons from Secretariat

We rented Secretariat from the Red Box today.  I wasn't planning on watching it but Ben really wanted me to.  Wow, I'm so glad I did.  What a great movie!  I love crying happy tears and I certainly did watching this movie. 

I came across a blog post by Brian Dodd where he outlines Leadership Principles from the movie.  Listed some quotes Brian highlighted that I liked below...

1.Our Lives Are One Phone Call Away From Changing Forever. Penny Chenery, played by Diane Lane, receives a phone call in the opening scene notifying her that her mother has passed. This begins the series of events that resulted in Secretariat becoming the greatest racehorse of all time. I have had several instances this year where my life was propelled in another direction simply as a result of an unexpected phone call so this principle hits close to home.

2.“It’s not whether they think we won. It’s whether we think we won.” - Penny’s father Chris Chenery

3.“Great colts come from great sires.” Fathers, we are not horses obviously, but can you see the application?

4.Talent is Often Uniquely Packaged. Lucien Laurin, played by the incredible John Malkovich, is eccentric in wardrobe and personality to say the least. Be careful about making judgements based upon external appearances.

5.“I got what I wanted.” - Penny Chenery referring to acquiring Secretariat in a coin flip followed by her brother Hollis’s statement “You got what no one else wanted.”

6.Always Trust A Woman’s Intuition. Penny received no support from either her husband or brother. It is one of the truths of this life that God gives women a sixth sense regarding life’s issues. Husbands, trust your wives’ insights.  (hehe)

7.“Let him run his race.” Good words for us as leaders.

8.“You never know how far you can go unless you run.”

9.“I will not live the rest of my life in regret.” – Chenery

10.“One loss can happen. Two is non-performance.” – Chenery’s primary financial backer Ogden Phillips played by James Cromwell.

11.“I’ve run my race. You run yours.” – Chenery speaking to Secretariat the evening before the Belmont Stakes.

12.“Let him run Ronnie! Let him run!” - Chenery as Secretariat was going down the backstretch at the Belmont.

Go rent the movie!

We’ve just started a new ladies class on Wednesday nights. We’re reading a book by Linda Dillow, Calm My Anxious Heart. Below is a summary by someone else, and I loved the “prescription for contentment.”

Contentment isn't a popular subject. Fed daily by television, we may want a better body, a bigger house and a spouse with a perfectly chiseled face and a body like Samson. In briefly scanning the table of contents of Linda Dillow's book, Calm My Anxious Heart, it's easy to see that the subject matter in this book isn't what the world seeks. Chapter titles like "Content with Circumstances," "Content in Relationships," and "Never Enough" deal with lifestyle decisions that would never fly on America's television talk shows.

Dillow begins by saying that contentment is a state of the heart, not a state of affairs. Quoting from the diary of a woman named Ella, the author lays the foundation for the rest of the book. Here is Ella's prescription for contentment:

• Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.

• Never compare your lot with another's.

• Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.

• Never dwell on tomorrow—remember that [tomorrow] is God's, not ours.

"I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  Philippians 4:11-13

Kate DiCamillo Strikes Again

Kate DiCamillo strikes again!  Ben read Beth's copy of Tale of Despereaux this week and loved it.  So I went to the library and picked up two more books authored by her, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and Tiger Rising.  Ben has read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in 24 hours (just reading before bedtime, not during the day).  He fell in love with this book, too. 

When he was in first grade his teacher Mrs. Langley read Because of Winn Dixie to the class. He said it was a very good book.  He has declared his new favorite author to be Kate DiCamillo. 

Thank you, Kate, for pulling my son away from his Nintendo DS with your magical stories!

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.

And then, one day, he was lost.

Kate DiCamillo and Bagram Ibatoulline take us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

That's a sneak peak of some great pictures Melissa Laird took of us!

Anybody have other good book suggestions for Ben as he seems much better than me at staying on top of his reading list?  What is he going to be required to read in 4th grade?

Ben's Latest Read: The Tale of Despereaux

Our sweet friend Beth brought Ben a book to read: The Tale of Desperaux.  He started reading it late Saturday night and finished it last night (Tuesday).  He absolutely LOVED it. 

The story begins when a little mouse with huge ears is born. Newborn mice are born blind, but this mouse's eyes opened for a few seconds. That mouse's older brother saw his eyes open, and knew that there was something special about that mouse named Despereaux.


When he's older, his family smells something weird, but Despereaux hears the drip of honey. His family tells him that he means he SMELLS the drip of honey, but Despereaux tells them that he can HEAR the drip of honey.

He was wandering around in the castle where he and his family lived, and he saw the Princess Pea and fell in love. Roscuro, a rat, and Miggery, a servant in the castle, kidnap the Princess so that Miggery can be the Princess. The King was sad, and wouldn't let Despereaux help.

But Despereaux went to find the Princess anyway because he loved her. And then...(you'll have to read the book to find out!)

Cake Mix Cookies - You Can Do It!

Yum, easy, and yum.  I had completely forgotten about this super easy cookie recipe until recently.  I discovered cake mix cookies when the wonderful cooks at Dudneywood Assisted Living in Magnolia made them (I used to work there in another life, and it was a neat job).  They also introduced me to hot water cornbread, which I cannot make, but could eat all day long.

Anyway, I just made a batch with Funfetti cake mix (although ANY cake mix will work for these cookies) and they turned out so much better than the cupcakes I was going to make with this mix.  Try it, you'll like it.

1 box cake mix (any flavor)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
Optional - add chocolate chips

Mix oil and eggs into dry cake mix. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. 350 degrees, 8-10 minutes.  Voila.

What I'm Reading This Summer (4 of 4)

And the fourth book I'm reading this summer...

A Light in the Window, by Jan Karon:

Why I’m Reading It: Now this book was the first on my reading list for the summer, but it has been pushed back down on my reading priority list due to the entrance of the other books above. My mom let me borrow “At Home in Mitford” by Jan Karon. I kept it for a while, then started reading it. I liked it, but reading puts me to sleep, so I bought the audiobook and listened to it. It’s so easy to pop my iTouch earphones in and drive or walk or whatever multi-tasking I can manage. I loved it. A Light in the Window is the second in the series. I found it in my mom’s closet.   I’ve read maybe the first chapter. I may buy the audiobook in this one too.  It is a lovely book about a wonderfully charming group of characters and I would love to know them all personally!

What Someone Wrote About It: A Light in the Window is the second installment in this enormously popular series about a small-town rector, Father Tim, and the heartwarming cast of characters surrounding him. This time Father Tim, a lifelong bachelor, finds his heart distracted by his free-spirited neighbor Cynthia, but his stomach and the rectory cash box are distracted by Edith, a wealthy widow who is wooing the rector with love potion casseroles. At every turn, including when a brooding Irish cousin decides to move in, Father Tim must decide whether he will practice what he preaches.

Fans of the series say they long to buy real estate in Mitford, just so they can live next door to these funny and endearing characters and feel the embrace of such a loving community. But what author Jan Karon probably knows, and many readers are starting to figure out, is that the integrity and solid Christian values that these characters possess can be found in just about every neighborhood, and with inspiration like this book, anyone can build their own Mitford community.

What I'm Reading This Summer (3 of 4)

The third book I'm reading this summer...

The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart:


Why I’m Reading It: Mom gave this book to Ben for Christmas. For Ben to pick up a book, it better be one of a series he likes, or one that is cleverly marketed to his age group. So it’s been sitting in his room on his dresser since Christmas.   He likes the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Magic Tree House, etc. kind of books.  I picked up this one and another chapter book he hadn’t read and told him I was going to read him a book each night and he could pick. He picked this one. We’ve read maybe 50 pages (485 page book) and the story is really unfolding well. We both really like it so far.

What Someone Wrote About It: "Are you a gifted child looking for Special Opportunities?" This curious newspaper ad catches the eye of orphan Reynie Muldoon. After taking exams that test both mind and spirit, Reynie is selected along with four other contestants--Sticky Washington, a nervous child with a photographic memory; irrepressible Kate Weatherhill; and a tiny child who lives up to her name, Constance Contraire. The children soon learn they've been chosen by mysterious Mr. Benedict for an important mission: they are to infiltrate the isolated Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, from which messages of distrust and compliance are being broadcast into the minds of the world's citizens. Debut novelist Stewart takes some familiar conventions--among them, an orphan struggling against evil forces (Harry Potter, anyone?)--and makes them his own. But like the Potter books, his story goes beyond mere adventures, delving into serious issues, such as the way sloganeering can undermine society--or control it. Through its interesting characters, the book also tackles personal concerns: abandonment, family, loyalty, and facing one's fears. The novel could have been shortened, but Stewart writes with such attention to the intricacies of plot and personality, his story rarely feels slow; only a significant disclosure about Constance seems forced. Smart kids who like Blue Balliet's books are the natural audience for this; but, read aloud, the novel will attract many others as well.

What I'm Reading This Summer (2 of 4)

So this is the second book I'm reading this summer...

Brokenness, by Nancy Leigh Demoss:

Why I’m Reading It: There’s a story behind this one. Those of you who know me know that the title of this book describes the way I am feeling now. Well, a friend that I met (that I now know God sent to me) through Promise/work stuff sent me an e-mail about a book club the ladies of a local church were going to have this summer. I saw the title of the book and cringed and moved past that e-mail. I didn’t want to sit around with a bunch of ladies I don’t know and talk about BROKENNESS. Bleh. But a day or two later, I came back to that e-mail and decided maybe I better try it. First meeting is this week. After all we are told that “He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3) So I am going to give it a try.

What Someone Else Wrote About It: Our generation has been programmed to pursue happiness, positive self-images, and cures for our hurt feelings and damaged psyches. But God is not as interested in these ends as we are - He is more committed to making us holy than to making us happy. There is only one pathway to holiness, one road to genuine revival, and that is the pathway of humility or brokenness. Brokenness is where true revival begins. In this compelling new book, Nancy draws readers to a deeper understanding of biblical brokenness. While some may think of it as a sad and gloomy emotional state, Nancy says emphatically, "It's not how we feel, but a choice we make. It is in this place of humility and contrition before a holy God that we experience true restoration of our hearts." (177 pages).

What I'm Reading This Summer (1 of 4)

Okay, first of all, I’m not really much of a reader. I like the idea of reading, but honestly, by the time I get to a book, I’m in bed and it just puts me right to sleep. I do love audiobooks, but actual books have been accumulating for me of late. So, I have four books on my reading list this summer (so far), and I’m going to share a mini blog series with you to tell you about them. I’ll explain first, why I’m reading each book, and second, provide a little description that was written about them. Starting with…

Just Let Me Lie Down, by Kristin van Ogtrop:

Why I’m Reading It: This book was just given to me (today) by a sweeter than sweet friend that I work with. It was written by the editor of Real Simple magazine (which we both subscribe to) and my friend Tiffaney said it was cute and funny and would be a little light reading for all the spare time I have. Which I actually do happen to have recently gained a little of, as a matter of fact. I’m really looking forward to this read, because I love love love laugh-out-loud funny books. I read the Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic books and loved those. This, I think, will be a funny ready especially since it relates to my frantic working-mom lifestyle. See, they even put my picture on the cover!

What Someone Wrote About It: Kristin van Ogtrop has a fulfilling career, a great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always. What Mom isn’t?? In Just Let Me Lie Down, Kristin van Ogtrop uses stories and insights from her own life bringing a little comfort to the half-insane working mom. The book is essentially a collection of terms, from A to Z, with definitions as written by van Ogtrop. Released on April 1, 2010, Just Let Me Lie Down is 272 pages in length and is published by Little, Brown and Company.

PINKALICIOUS

Pink is Mary Claire's favorite color (how cliche). We bought the Pinkalicious book today about a little girl who eats so many pink cupcakes that she turns pink. We just had to make some pink strawberry cupcakes in honor of it.

Read the book three times while they were baking. Ok, Mary Claire and I read it three times and Ben was playing with legos.

Fireproof

I just rented/watched the movie Fireproof. Good stuff - I was moved. Have you seen it?