How can October be already over?

Happy Halloween!

I hope you all had a fun Halloween and a great month of reading. I wasn't as diligent this month as last month with my reading, but I did read some entertaining and amazing books. Here is the list for October:

1. The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman
A few months ago, I was reading a book to my children that shared myths and facts on historical figures. One of the them being discussed was Richard III. All I knew about Richard III was a bit from my British History class I took years ago, and of course from Shakespeare's play by the same name. Well, this book I was reading threw out every characterization that Shakespeare had made about Richard, stating that they all were just lies spread by the Tudor Royalty that usurped Richard's throne after his death. I was absolutely intrigued. When I was telling a friend of mine, who loves everything British and Scottish, about it, she referred The Sunne in Splendor for me to read. I have been reading this book for two months now, and I have loved every page of it. It has taken me a long time since it's a book with over 1000 pages, but I have to admit that this book has made me its biggest fan. If you love historical fiction, this is as good as it gets. Perfectly researched, beautifully written, and amazing characters. You get to know every character as deeply as you know your own family members. I've enjoyed learning a lot about a period of history that has been tarnished by the ambition, power, and intrigues of the various royal enemies. I had not read any books by Sharon Kay Penman, but this book has made me impatient for more. If you are up for a good book, this one is for everyone.

2. Mr. Darcy presents his Bride by Helen Halstead
Many writers have tried to write a sequel or a different version of Pride and Prejudice, but I haven't liked any of them. However, the case is different with this one. I enjoyed its style, the plot was very interesting, the characters, with the unfortunate exception of Mr. Darcy, were well developed. I didn't quite connect with this Elisabeth, perhaps because she didn't seem as intelligent and witty as Austin's Elisabeth, but all in all this book was very entertaining and continued the story where Jane Austin left it. A quick and enjoyable read.

3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
This was a very interesting book, with a lot of philosophical themes running through it. I liked the author's storytelling gift as well as his wisdom, although I didn't always agree with him. It wasn't a very quick read or a page turner, but it made you think throughout the reading experience. I felt it was a good 'book club' book, since it had a lot of topics to discuss, as well as an 'examine your life' kind of book. I think every one would enjoy it, learn from it, and think of our own strengths and weaknesses.

4. Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson
Another inspiring book about the power of love, service, and giving to others unconditionally. It made me be grateful for the freedoms I have in this country, for the opportunity I find in my life every day, and for the love I encounter in my family and friends. It made me want to give back as much as I can to others, less fortunate than myself. It also made me happy that there are generous people out there who would take their time, money and energy to share with the world. Most of all, however, it made me have confidence in the universal power of love, and that we don't have to be wealthy to help one another. Another thing that I like about the book was the fact that the author was honest about the hard work it took him to achieve his success, and that it wasn't instant but after a series of hardships, trials and failures, he then was able to accomplish his goals. I enjoyed this book.

5. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
There aren't many classics that I haven't read, but this one had escaped my attention. I remember seeing it in my mom's bookshelves, and my mom telling me that I wasn't old enough to understand it. This was very surprising to me, because my mom very rarely would say such things to me. Thackeray is a master writer and chronologist of the the 19th century Britain. He deals with the weaknesses of human beings and what they would do to survive, especially at that time. I guess the moral failings of this book's characters might have been one reason my mom didn't want me to read it then. This novel is known as the 'no-hero' novel, since every character has some kind of flaw and is trying to understand his/her life as well as themselves. I loved the writing, the characters, and the plot. A good classic for any time.

Considering that most of these books are very long, as well as thought provoking, I have to say this is a good list for October. What have you been reading? Anything that stands out?


I also want to share my list of movies I watched throughout this month. I have been in a movie watching mood, and I have to say I have really enjoyed all of them. For a complete September-October movie list, just click on my label "movies", and the post describing them will come up. Here is the rest of the October movie list:

1. Iron Man 2 - Entertaining and surprisingly good for a comic book hero. Robert Downy Jr. wins you over with his handsome looks and nonchalant style of acting.

2. The Blind Side - The movie that gave Sandra Bullock many awards. I personally enjoyed the story and its message. It's very well directed and based on a true story. Worth watching.

3. The Lake House - A romantic movie with Sandra Bullock and Keenu Reeves. I really like this movie. Both actors did a great job, and although I'm not a Keene Reeves' fan, I have to admit, I enjoyed him in this one. The chemistry between them could be felt whether they were at the same scene or not. I liked the story line as well. If you are in the mood for some romance, this one will please you.

4. The Family Man - This was an interesting take on the "It's a wonderful life" movie. Nicolas Cage's character has it all, a good job and career, a great apartment down town New York City, a speedy sports car and a beautiful girlfriend. All of it changes when he wakes up one morning and finds himself selling tires, being married to his college days girlfriend, changing diapers, and driving in a minivan. I liked the premise of the story, but personally didn't feel it was developed just right. Tea Leoni, who played the wife, was annoying with her silly laugh and too overdone characterization of her role, but Nicolas Cage impressed me. A good movie, but they could have done so much more with it.

5. Just like Heaven - Reese Witherspoon's character finds herself appearing and disappearing in her apartment, where a new tenant is living. A friendship between them develops. She helps him talk about his grief, and he helps her find out what she is. A sweet, romantic comedy that makes you laugh and cry at the same time.

6. Me and Orson Welles - A very well done movie portraying the genius of Orson Welles as a director as well as his moral failings as a man. This movie takes you back in the late thirties, with Orson Welles trying to stage for the very first time in an American theater the productions of Julius Caesar. The whole movie is told by the young and aspiring high school actor, but the main character is undeniably Orson Welles himself. Christian McKay who plays Welles truly does a magnificent job in capturing Welles. I thought this movie was very well done, very informative, and amazingly refreshing. It made me think I was born in the wrong time. It would have been marvelous to have witnessed the rise of theater and the arts in America at that time.

7. Lost in Austin - I love Pride and Prejudice more than any movie, and I'm a bit skeptic about different versions of my favorite BBC one. But this one was funny, romantic, and of course modern. It didn't try to redo the BBC version, instead it gave it a twist. Amanda Price, a girl who lives in the 21st century, finds Elisabeth Bennett in her bedroom, and they swap places, by chance. She finds herself in the Bennett's household, and tries very hard to set things right although Lizzy isn't there. However, everything she does turns out worse than the events in the book. In the end, things work out of course, and she finds herself in love. Definitely one to watch for laughs and romance.


8. Invictus - This movie touched on the beginning of President Mandela's presidency. It portrays him as an inspiring and forgiving character, as well as a brilliant political leader. Elijah and I both liked this movie. It was inspiring, well directed, great acting, and an interesting story.

Happy Halloween!

My kids were so bummed that Halloween happened to be on a Sunday this year. However, going to the ward trunk-or-treat party eased their pain. For some reason, this year I hadn't given much thought to the theme of my children's costumes. Not that I'm very creative in that department, but in the past, at least I have had them match with each other. This Halloween, they each did their own thing.

For months, the boys have been wanting to have Ninja costumes, and I finally found some black shirts and scarfs for their masks to complete their costume (they already had black pants, boots, and swords). Gillian wanted to be Pumpkin Ghost; totally not my style. I took her to the Halloween store so I could change her mind. I tried to direct her toward the princesses area, but she found this cool witch's costume and made up her mind. Resigned, I looked for a hat to complete the outfit, and we found the prettiest hat there. It cost more than the dress, but we took it. At least, she would wear something fancy with that dress. Tonight, before we went to the party, she asked me if I could paint her nails and put some make-up on her. She didn't have to ask me twice. As for Charlton, I had no desire to spend any money on someone who is the cutest child ever with or without a costume. We used one of Jefferson's old ones, a bear. Don't try to find a thread between the ninjas costumes, the witch's, and the bear's. There is none; let's hope next Halloween finds us a bit more prepared. Who knows we might even convince Elijah to join the crew.




The ward party was a success. The trunk-or-treat its triumph. Each of my children had a bucket full of candy. They (or should I say 'we') all enjoyed three pieces. Charlton looked as if he was in heaven while eating some m&m's. The children dumped their candy on the table, James organized his, and Elijah tried to teach them a lesson on taxes. They weren't willing to learn, so we had to turn into a socialist government and take it by force, always in the name of equality. The children preferred individual choice, and were generous enough to give us some on their own accord. Charlton threw a fit when he didn't get more. I used to break down under those pitiful looks that he gives me during these occasions, but not tonight. He had more than his share of my candy, and my generosity can go so far.

Happy Halloween to everybody!

Our week in pictures

This week, the children enjoyed reading, playing board games, finishing puzzles, building cities with blocks, writing book reports for their ever so demanding mom, making and tasting cookies, and many more.

This Friday, Gillian received an award for achieving proficiency in math and excellence in reading and writing. We are so very proud of Gillian who works hard and is a good example of loving to learn.
Throughout this week, Charlton has been playing peek-a-boo by hiding in one of my kitchen cabinets. He enters inside, closes the cabinet door, peeks through the gap, and then, after hearing me call his name, throws open the cabinet door, and says "peek-a-boo" in his own language. I store my pots and pans in there, but that doesn't seem to bother him; Charlton just removes them and places them on the floor while he finds a comfortable spot inside the cabinets. I hope I can remember to record it once; it really is funny.

Life doesn't get any better!

My little pumpkins

This week was the last week that Clayton Pumpkin Patch offered tours, pumpkins, and a lot of fun for our kids, so my friends and I made sure we went early in the week. We were among the first groups to arrive there, and the children couldn't have enough of the Lima bean tub, the mazes, and of all of the other games in the little play area of the patch. I was surprised to notice that Charlton really wanted to get into the tub as well, and so I just "threw" him in there. He loved it and stayed inside for a long time playing, throwing the beans at James, and trying to hide himself under them. I knew James would have a blast, being older and with all of his friends surrounding him, but I didn't realize Charlton was old enough to enjoy himself. I guess I was mistaken.

After the Playland, we took the kids around the patch, showing them the farm animals and all of the vegetables and fruits growing in the farm. The children enjoyed being together, especially James who was very happy to have his close friends, Harrison and Oliver, there with him.

Then, it was time for pumpkins, and pictures, of course. James and his friends went around searching for their perfect pumpkin, while I took some pictures of Charlton as he found a nice spot to sit and check the pumpkins out himself. I have to admit I did go a bit overboard taking pictures of Charlton amongst the pumpkins. I happen to think that there is nothing more cute than a chubby baby boy and pretty pumpkins. Don't worry; I'll just share two or three.



After a while, James joined us as we visited some fun pumpkins throughout the field.

We truly had a good time at the Pumpkin Patch, and James kept telling me how happy he was that we had come, and that his friends were there. We have been blessed in our ward with many young kids. This whole year, since we moved in, there have been many families with little children, and James can't have enough of all of them. They are mostly his age, and he can't decide who his best friends are. When he was expressing his excitement today in the car about the fun he had with all of his friends, he asked me if it were okay that they all were his best friends. I said that it was absolutely fine that he loves them all the same. He was delighted.

As we were returning home this afternoon, the weather was just perfect. I had the windows open, the radio loud, and my camera at hand. I was rewarded with another perfect picture that had nothing to do with my talent as a photographer, but rather with this wonderful California climate.
I have to admit that this morning when I saw the sun shining in the beautiful blue sky, I was a bit...irritated. You see, last week the weather was mostly overcast, and it rained on Sunday when my in-laws left. I had bragged about this great weather to them this whole time we've been here, and the one time they come, California greets them with gray skies and wet climate. But then again, the weather wasn't the only one that didn't cooperate for my in-laws visit. Charlton was sick and whiny the whole week, my sweet James wasn't getting along with any one, Jefferson complained quite often, and Gillian had a concussion. I wondered if my in-laws doubted my tales of a near perfect life as described in my blog. Fortunately, I don't actually write about a near perfect life, and secondly, you can't expect the children to act normal when they are all competing for the attention of their grandparents. So, to all of you, come and visit us, but don't expect me to have control over the weather or over my children's desire to receive your attention.

Depending on each other

This morning Gillian felt better and she insisted she went to church. Their Primary Program was going to happen today, and she wanted to participate. When I told her that she didn't have to go, she replied "They are depending on me, mother." We all went and enjoyed the Spirit that children bring with their voices and words. Jefferson and James had memorized their parts and were not very nervous; Gillian gave her talk without any notes, sang beautifully with her class, and sounded angelic as she closed the program with her solo. I had tears in my eyes throughout the meeting; the children, all of them, did a great job and the Spirit was very strong. But I couldn't stop weeping as Gillian sang "Come follow me." As the congregation joined her in the last verses, her words "They are depending on me" came to mind. We all depend on each other. I depend on my husband, he depends on me, our children depend on us, we depend on our parents, our children depend on their teachers, and ultimately we all depend on the Lord. It is important that we follow Him in all that we do, because He is depending on us to bring our family and friends back home to heaven again.

Today my in-laws left for Idaho to see their other three children and grandchildren. My children love their grandparents very much and I'm so glad they have such a good relationship with them. They were sad to see them leave. They kept telling their grandparents to stay till Christmas. They did have a good time with them this past week. Despite the weather being overcast and then rainy in the end, despite Charlton being sick the whole week, the older boys for some reason not getting along, and then Gillian having a concussion, despite all of these unusual events, I think we can all say we enjoyed each other's company. When I asked my children what they liked the best from their grandparents' stay, they all were unanimous in saying that they loved Papa's stories and Mama's rolls. We are sad to see Mama and Papa leave, but look forward to seeing them sometime soon.

Forever grateful

This morning, Gillian gave us the scare of a lifetime. While my in-laws and I were attending a book sale and Elijah was home taking a shower, Gillian, while playing outside with the boys, hit her head straight on the cement ground. She didn't loose consciousness, but she felt every thing else associated with a concussion. Elijah called me and I drove straight home. Gillian looked scared and sick. My heart almost stopped beating. I felt a dreadful forbearing. Elijah and Papa without delay gave her a healing blessing, and then, we called our friend Ben, who is a doctor, to check her out. Thankfully, he came right away. As Ben helped her up and tried to have her do a few exercises, she started throwing up. Ben urged us to take Gillian to the emergency room for a cat scan.

This whole time, I'm frozen. With the exception of asking Ben a few medical questions so I could know how to proceed, I couldn't do anything. My mother-in-law took care of Gillian while she was throwing up and Elijah got Gillian ready to take her to the emergency room. I volunteered to drop them off and park the car. I needed a few minutes to just cry freely without Gillian seeing her mom loose control. I cried and prayed. I couldn't stop crying and praying. I couldn't imagine my life without Gillian, my sweet, loving, righteous, beautiful, smart girl. I collected myself, and joined her and Elijah at the emergency room. After examining her, the doctor was of the opinion that Gillian did have a concussion, and we had to do a cat scan on her to see the severity of it in the brain. Thankfully, the cat scan showed no bleeding of the brain, and we could take Gillian home. I couldn't keep my hands off my daughter. I kept hugging and kissing her, while tears fell on my face. When we got in the car, she said in a matter of fact way that she was happy that she didn't die, because that would have caused us a lot of sadness. My sweet Gillian, always thinking of others.

Later on tonight I kept thinking of the whole thing. How life is so fragile, and in one moment we seem to have every happiness imaginable, and in the next all of it slips away from your hands just like that. It made me be grateful for the one thing that no one can take away from my hands, my testimony of the gospel. My belief that my Heavenly Father loves me so much that He sent his own son to die for me, just so I could return back to my heavenly home. My faith that whatever happens, if I'm righteous and constant in keeping the commandments, I will be able to be with my precious family forever.

I also remembered that when I feared for Gillian's life nothing else mattered, not my own happiness, not money, not any material things. My testimony and my family are truly the most precious things I own in this life. Those two things bring me true joy and peace.

Speaking of my testimony of the gospel, I felt a bit disappointed at myself. The first thing that Elijah did for Gillian was give her a healing priesthood blessing. In the blessing, the Lord expressed His love for Gillian and blessed her with a sound and healthy body for many years to come. At that time, I thought of the blessing as a means of comforting the rest of us, and the mother's heart couldn't understand when Elijah kept telling me that everything will be all right and that the Lord will bless Gillian. Tonight, as I thought of the blessing, I felt it in my heart that it was truly the healing power of God that blessed Gillian. I'm humbly grateful for the priesthood of God that has been restored again on this earth. There may be many fantastic versions for bad or for good of Joseph Smith's First Vision and of his life, but none of them are as real or true to me as the testimony that the Holy Ghost brings into my heart of the restored power of God on earth. Joseph Smith was truly called of God, and he did restore His church. I'm grateful that my husband lives worthy of that power, so he can heal and bless his family through the priesthood.

When I was a little girl, I used to read quite often Plato's Allegory of the Cave. I couldn't help but wonder about what's real and what's not in our daily life. Even today I don't know all of the answers. However, I have no doubts about my faith in God, in His existence, and in His power. A healing miracle may sound fantastic in a world of science and disbelief, but not in my world where God's priesthood power has been demonstrated over and over again.

I'm grateful to the Lord for saving my girl tonight. I'm also grateful to all of you, friends and family members, who have prayed for my Gillian today. Your prayers were heard and felt in our hearts and up above. I'm grateful for this church and the gospel. My life was changed forever that April day as I was immersed in the waters of Adriatic Sea. Lastly, I'm grateful for my family who brings joy to my life each and every day.

Thriving Thursday

Thursdays are busy days for me, but I really enjoy them, because I get to spend personal time with each of my children.

After taking Gillian and Jefferson to school, I started to get ready for my day. I left Charlton enjoying his morning with Papa, and then drove James and Zoe to their Pre-K.
I love hearing James and Zoe converse with each other as if they were adults. Often times, their wisdom to each other is the highlight of my day. Here they are with their teacher Mrs. Perona (not a very good picture since the sun was getting on their eyes, but you get the point):

On Thursdays, I volunteer at Jefferson's class. Jefferson really loves it when I'm there. His friends all want to be my friends, and he is so proud of that. I love to read them stories, and they are mesmerized at my dramatic voices and faces. The teachers think I'm the best story teller they have encountered and they always save some time for me in the end to read to their students. Volunteering at Jefferson's class is a real joy, and it gives me a chance to be with him amongst his friends.
After school, I took Gillian to the soccer class she is taking with her friend Mary. My mother-in-law came with us to see her. Gillian was very proud to show her moves to her grandmother.

The older boys stayed with Elijah and Papa, but Charlton accompanied us at the soccer field. He enjoyed sitting with Mama, and playing with Zoe, while I conversed with Amy.
After bringing the kids home, Elijah and I got ready to drive to the temple. It was our ward's temple night, and we were going to perform some sealings as a ward. On the way to the temple, I was able to capture the setting of the sun.
I enjoyed attending the temple with Elijah, especially performing sealings. I was reminded of the covenants we made to each other when we got married some eleven years ago. Being married in the temple doesn't make the marriage eternal, but keeping those covenants does. I have to say that although our marriage hasn't been all bliss, we have seen the hand of the Lord in our relationship and love for each other. When we have been in distress or in need of help, as long as we were faithful to our promises, we were always blessed beyond our needs. I'm grateful for that testimony, because it keeps me grounded even when my faith is wavering. I'm also grateful for my temple covenants, because it has blessed me and my family. I have a wonderful husband and amazing children. Nothing else matters. That is truly a great blessing.