July 1 2017:
The Garden of Happiness
Another feel good book!! Yes. We love these kind! Neighbors transform an emtpy lot into a neighborhood garden. Space is limited and there’s no room left for young Marisol to plant something.
She finds a teeny tiny spot and plants one seed. It becomes the shining star of the garden! And there’s a surprise ending in this one too that may make your eyes sweat!!
Sky Sweeper
We’ve read this book a couple of times and simply love the story. Young Takeboki needs a job and wants to do something that brings him pleasure. He becomes the Flower Keeper in the temple garden.
All throughout his life, friends, family and local people urge him to move on and do something more lucrative. Yet, being a Flower Keeper continues to give him pleasure until the end of his days. Beautiful story about the joy and peace of living life as you like and doing what brings you pleasure! xoxo
June 1 2017:
Today was library day … It was the Sparks Library this time. Books, books, books!
June 2 2017:
Last day of 10th grade for Lillian and last day of 5th grade for Thomas. Plus, national donut day!! Celebrating with gluten free powdered doughnuts and salted caramel gelato. xoxo
June 3 2017:
A few weeks ago Thomas declared I was being unfair. So …. he built a Tower of Injustice directly in front of the front door! He finally decided to dismantle it last night. Ha!! xoxo
June 3 2017:
Thomas and I are incredibly grateful for this amazing dinner, the wonderfully kind volunteers, Reno Buddhist Center, and Moon Rabbit Cafe!
We so very much enjoyed Shanghai Summer Moon Rabbit Cafe Dinner June 3rd 5 to 8 pm … A love infused Pay-What-You-Can Cafe.
For me, vegetable wontons, veggie and tofu kabob, roasted corn, sesame/ginger Asian slaw, enjoyed with a refreshing watermelon spritzer and finished with an amazing scoop of pistachio ice cream. Yum!!
For Thomas, all of the same except he had crab artichoke rangoon, teriyaki chicken kabob and mango sorbet to finish.
Grateful, grateful. Thank you! xoxo
June 3 2017:
Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom
Beautiful picture book of Nelson Mandela’s autobiography.
“Never, never, never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another … ” ~Nelson Mandela
I offered to split this into two nights. Thomas and Lillian emphatically replied, “No!”
Yes, it was loved!
May 20 2017:
Old Turtle and the Broken Truth
Oh my goodness! Can’t believe we hadn’t read this one before.
Love, Love, Love it!! We all did!
Wonderful fable about peace and the interconnectedness of all beings with beautiful watercolor illustrations.
April 29 2017:
Alice Waters and the Trip to Delicious
Wonderfully fun book about an amazing woman I’d never heard about. Alice Waters owns Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. She also travels thousands of miles to help grow Edible Schoolyards – a concept she began in her own city.
Edible Schoolyards began in 1995 and there are gardens all over America and in twenty-nine other countries … And still growing.
Alice Waters also led the change in restaurants and how chefs operate. Instead of looking for the best recipes, they now seek the best ingredients; locally grown and flavorful.
Loved, loved, loved learning about Alice Waters and passions!
April 13 2017:
Just home from the library and coding club for Thomas. Everyone has to pull the car around to load the library books. Don’t they?
February 18 2017:
The Greatest Power
I think this is one of my favorite DEMI books. Such a powerful story of a boy emperor who gathers all the children of his kingdom so as to choose the new prime minister. He challenges each of them to show him the greatest power in the world.
He claims, “To know the greatest power in the world is to know the greatest peace.” One child reflects deeply on this while the others begin working away on their chosen answer. Thomas and Lillian loved it too, as with all DEMI books. The illustrations are simply brilliant!
February 13, 2017:
Field trip to Spanish Springs Library today. Such a treat to have so many amazing libraries in this county. We are blessed and grateful …. xoxo
February 17 2017:
Thank you to the amazing, wonderful, and oh so happy dog in the pet store who brightened my day. She was so incredibly happy and joyful. When she wagged her short, little tail; her entire body moved! I am grateful for her joy. Thank you and bring me more please!
January 11 2017:
Library day for Team TLC!! Feeling so grateful and blessed by the amazing librarian folks. We’ve been going to this library every 2-3 weeks for the past ten years. They kind of know us!
Thomas and Lillian got to look through the return cart for any wanted books. And we get our pick of which two months in 2018 we would like to have a Team TLC art showing in the small gallery at South Valleys Library. I’m thinking we’ll take May/June 2018.
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January 13 2017:
It’s been a curious day … So, I’m bringing out Mr. Happy Tree with which to end the day. Lillian created him in 2015. Lillian and I will be deciding in the next two weeks about her first published book.
Should it be a mindfulness themed book with Mr. Happy Tree as narrator, using the “Mindfulness with Animals” series she wrote on her blog? Or a compilation and expansion of her short stories and poems? Or expanding one short story into a longer, deeper story? We are open to wherever this leads …
Thanks Mr. Happy Tree … xoxo
