Plumfield Moms

Forgetting our own nature, it’s easy to find ourselves baffled by the behavior of the Israelites. How did the same people who saw the mighty works of God during the time of the exodus so quickly forget their experience, come to doubt God’s power, and reject the way of obedience?

State of the Podcast 2024 2023 State of the Podcast Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen Plumfield Library Page Purple House Press: Buzztail and Leeper by Robert McClung  Louisa May Alcott  The Card Catalog - Shelf Notes Newsletter Our Librarian Life Private Lending Library Directory at Biblioguides    Meet Michelle Howard Episode What is a Living Book? Video with Michelle Howard The Faithful Spy by...

In a genre that really tests our limits to endure the dehumanization and suffering of others, this text stands out as entirely different. WWII Holocaust literature is critically important to the story of Western Civilization, and it is essential that we all have a few titles get through us so that we never forget what hate and godlessness can do to entire nations.  While  The Hiding Place  has som...

Paul’s autobiography would have made for exciting reading, and he could easily have satisfied the current demand that every book be part of a series. He had three separate shipwreck stories. Those usually make for good reading. Then there were imprisonments, beatings, and a stoning incident. How does one survive and recover from 39 lashes? Paul did it five times!

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” ( Eph. 2:10 ESV). What’s all this for? In Christ we are being built together into a dwelling place for God ( Eph. 2:22 ESV). Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers are given to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Chris...

Tanya's References: Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk   Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk The Well Educated Heart’s Mother’s Library Art Book   A Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith    Riverbend Press Kinderleben artist print set Well Educated Heart Photos  Yuna's Book - Eloise Wilkin Stories Little Golden Books  Sarah's References: The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith  Bamboo People by Mitali Perki...

Plumfield Kids Review - Greta, age 13 I don’t care for math or the history of most mathematicians. When I started this book for the first time, I expected a dry history of a man I didn’t necessarily care for who liked something I didn’t. I was wrong. Before I even finished the first chapter, I was captivated. Instead of being a dry history book, Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Bendick...

Throughout my life, Jesus has been revealing himself to me with as much patience as he exercised with the disciples. I have an idea that the tone of his, “Why did you doubt?” changes as I am supposed to mature. I have to cultivate my mustard-seed-sized faith, knowing how to call out, to reach out, to my only possible help. Jesus will reach out his hand and take hold of me. Truly, he is the Son of...

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6 ESV). I am writing this during the week of the winter solstice. At this time of year, I can sympathize with the pagans who celebrated the shortest day of the year as the beginning of more hours of sunlight. There have been wi...

“The small red mare whinnied for her supper. But Korea was at war. Towns were shattered. Fields were scorched. And the racetrack was abandoned. No one paid attention to the hungry little horse.” –  Sergeant Reckless  by Patricia McCormick The “scrawny sorrel mare with a white blaze and three matching socks” was abandoned and not much to look at. But when Lt. Pedersen of the U.S. Marines found her,...

"Jesus says of himself that he is gentle. Some translations use the word meek. We don’t have a good English word that expresses the meaning of the Greek word used here. We think of a gentle person as someone who is careful with babies and kittens. A meek person takes whatever other people dish out without retaliating.  Throughout his ministry, Jesus had compassion on the poor and ignorant, the sic...

Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early Biblioguides  Biblioguides Online Community  The Card Catalog  The League of Lending Librarians   Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies Semicolon Sherry’s book review blog The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis Gary D. Schmidt  “Beloved Author” page Plumfield Living Books Library Tour    Living Books Lady – Michelle Howard   Biblioguides online community

Beverly Cleary is pretty much a household name. Just about everyone knows about Ramona, either from the books, the movie, or other pop culture references. Growing up, I didn’t know much about Cleary. For some reason, Cleary was conflated with Judy Blume in my mind, and the Judy Blume I read, I hated. It wasn’t until I was a mother that I really met (and fell in love with) Ramona. I know. I know. I...

What terrifies you? Sickness, an empty bank account, darkness, loneliness, death? Admit it to yourself. Confess your fears to God. Trust him to hold you in the palm of his hand. “Say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” ( Psalm 91:2 ).

Mooses with Bazookas  book by S. D. Smith  Green Ember book by S. D. Smith The Last Archer by S. D. Smith  Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key book by S. D. Smith  Conversation with S. D. Smith and Josiah Smith : Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key Peter Kreeft   Before I Go by Peter Kreeft Story Warren Watership Down: The Graphic Novel Little Pilgrim's Progress Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schm...

Tanya's References Hold to Your Kids  by Gordon Neufeld To Say Nothing of the Dog Podcast Book Club   To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis  The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander Letter for the King by Tonke Draght  The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien  Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander  The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander  Dream of Jade: The Em...

“We needn’t worry about Norway. With youngsters like this, we’ll come through.” During WWII, no one expected the Nazis to reside in the Norwegian village of Valcos. It was small, and its only industry was fishing. Yet they did. Maybe it was because Valcos–being on a deep fjord–had a large fishing fleet, or perhaps it was because they hoped to enlist the influential aid of Captain Engeland, who liv...

It won’t work for me to say to myself that I’m not going to act like this anymore. I have to look my anger and frustration in the face and admit what causes them. I covet what I don’t have; perfection in this life, everything going smoothly all the time. My selfish, unrealistic expectations have to become something else. I believe they have to become gratitude and praise.

Shelf Notes – Card Catalog Newsletter Leepike Ridge by N. D. Wilson Words on Fire by Jennifer Nielsen How to cover library books – The Card Catalog John Muir Laws: Nature Stewardship through Science, Education, and Art Biblioguides online community

A few years ago, Audible asked me to be part of a test program for a children’s project they are working on. I was asked to preview and evaluate a new series of children’s stories that were episodic and designed in the style of radio-theatre. As I listened, I was absolutely disgusted. Drawing on the premise of a fairy tale, their program included a short story that sounded an awful lot like Jack a...

Do you have what you need to fend off an attack from the enemy? The Lord equips those who ask him.  

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis Blackout by Connie Willis   All Clear by Connie Willis The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Fire Watch by Connie Willis Passage by Connie Willis The Importance of Being Earnest  by Oscar Wilde Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carrol  The Wind in the Willows by...

In our June 2023 episode of Our Reading Life , Tanya mentioned that she was reading Jennifer A. Nielsen’s Lines of Courage and loving it. I tried to find it, but it wasn’t easy to do for less than twenty dollars. It is a new enough book that it is only available in hardcover, and the paperback isn’t due to come out until February, 2024. I thought I would just wait on this one until I could get it...

Join us as we chat with new author, Jon Tilton.  Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton (Sara's review) Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton (Elsa's review) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling Interview with Gary D. Schmidt jontilton.com Discount Code at JonTilton.com: Plumfield Purchase at Amazon

The Abbott family are “summer people” at Ocean Park on the Washington Island Peninsula. Wealthy and accustomed to summering at the seashore, they employ a “girl” and generally keep themselves separate from the local population on the Peninsula. At home in Portland, Oregon, they have horses and carriages, important friends, fine silk dresses, a pet pony, and all the comforts a wealthy dry goods bus...