“A children’s story that can only be
enjoyed by children is not a good
children’s story in the slightest.”
– C.S Lewis
Kevin’s a big book reader. He’s got heaps of them around the house, and he carries his trusty Nook with him wherever he goes. I find it propped against my pillow every morning because he goes to bed reading something or another on it every night. (How he falls asleep while staring (so closely) at a lit-up screen I will never know- ha!) He’s a non-fiction guy (with the exception of Andy Andrews)…
(Outliers, Beautiful Outlaw, Tunesmith, Mastering the Seven Decisions, Linchpin, Mere Christianity)
…and I’m a storybook/gift book kinda gal:
(Someday, The Gardener, The Giving Tree, How To Live On An Island, Cloudette, The Dot)
Most of his books feel a little bit like homework to me (ha!), but I am super inspired by his passion for personal growth and I love it when he shares the highlights of what he reads with me. It’s a fun ride-to-town ritual we have…talking about our books, I mean. They may be sold in different sections, but the heart of the matter is always very much the same. 🙂
And speaking of books…
The built-in bookcase/storage unit is coming together beautifully. Remember the room before?
And remember the (rough) drawing I put together for Brian the Carpenter to use as a guide?
Well, here’s what he whipped up while I was under the weather last week:
Isn’t that great? He’s such a talented guy! (That reminds me: Brian took a leap of faith and started his own carpentry business this year! If you’re looking to hire an exceptional guy in the Montgomery, Prattville, Wetumpka areas of Alabama, you can reach him at [email protected].)
Like I mentioned in a previous post, I would’ve used a dresser next to the bedroom door anyway, and that would’ve created some wasted space in front of the “bump out” wall, so taking the storage from floor to ceiling, and building a 20″ deep storage unit, and a 9.25″ deep bookcase seemed to be the way to go.
Today, he’s putting up a couple of walls full of planks…
…and I’m sealing the old shutters Lucy found for us to use on the storage unit to the left of the bookcase.
Turns out we were actually looking at the back side of the shutters in that photo above. Here’s what the front side looks like:
We realized that if they were hanging on the front of a house, they would’ve been open all the time. Since we’re using them in a way that will leave them closed most of the time, we’ll see the gray/wheat-colored side of them…which I’m pretty excited about because I love the way they pop against all the white-painted wood around them.
The entire front back side of both of the shutters is crackled just beautifully, and I was determined to find a sealer that would A) prevent the beautifully crackled paint from chipping off, and B) never turn yellow. Thankfully, I’ve got a friend named Jennifer who has lots of experience with old stuff covered in crackled paint. She texted me with the solution I was searching for, and assured me that whatever I slather it onto won’t ever chip, and will always stay white. Her secret: Peel Stop.
I had never heard of it, but I found it right away on Amazon. Jennifer said a little bit goes a long way, so I just ordered a quart. It was really easy to work with. I just applied it with a regular 2.5″ paint brush. The can says to use two coats, but I wanted to make sure the shutters were really good and sealed, so I applied three. I gave the shutters a nice sheen, and the paint seems to be permanently sealed into place. Thanks again, Jennifer!
Anywho- back to the built-in bookcase. Now that our kiddo’s room/future home office has almost 36 square feet of shelves in front of the bump out wall, I’m getting excited about the idea of filling them with some great books. Do you have any other good recommendations that can be enjoyed by kids of all ages? After all, a children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children…well, you know. 😉
*Amazon links are affiliate links.
The most read book in our house is “The Jesus Storybook Bible” by Sally Lloyd-Jones. It is hands down just as amazing for the reader as the listener ;). We have other children’s bibles, but this is a must have! My boys love it! http://www.amazon.com/The-Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Whispers/dp/0310708257
All of the Pete the Cat books by Eric Litwin are wonderful , fun and repetitive. You can’t help but smile when you read them and they all end with ,…”it’s all good!”! Go to youtube and get a taste of the types of stories.
I agree with Netty’s suggestions!!!
I have been reading and enjoying your blog for about a year, I love your style and have learned a lot from your projects. I also have two daughters adopted from China so when you started your adoption process I was thrilled and excited for you. It’s an adventure of a lifetime and I wish you the BEST in all things as you go through the process. As for books, I have to say that we have enjoyed two books recently so much that my husband and I couldn’t stop laughing. The titles are “Count the Monkeys” and “Z is for Moose”. Heartily recommended by Julia (age 4 from Jiangxi province) and her big sis Madelyn (age 10 from Hunan province). Hoping 2014 brings your little boy HOME! Ellen from Connecticut
Even if your LO is young, here are some great books to read aloud over several days (or save til he’s older): The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, Maniac McGee and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (I taught Stargirl to ms and both boys and girl loved it), Louis Sacher’s Wayside School books, the EB White classics like Stuart Little, Beverly Cleary’s Ralph Mouse books, Miss Nelson books, magic schoolbus books, a classic mother goose collection, a classic fairy tale collection, frog and toad books, little bear books, anything Eric Carle, Maurice Sendak, Jerry Pinkne… I could go on for days! Better get your library card shined up too:)
I forgot anything Jane Yolen. She’s amazing about children’s literacy so her books can often be used as fun, educational read alouds.
Have you ever read A Blessing From Above? It’s a Little Golden Book. We have a book that has 3 inspirational stories in it and that’s my particular favorite. I think you would enjoy it!
“When Pigasso Met Mootise” is delightful. And anything by David Macaulay, particularly “Why The Chicken Crossed The Road” will be lots of fun.
where the sidewalk ends
a light in the attic
both by shel silverstein
Any children’s book by Maurice Sendak will be a great addition to a family library!
The Babushka Baba Yaga
Piggy Pie
You Are Special
Dinosaur Roar
Sheep In a Jeep
Of course, Harry Potter…goes without saying
Junie B. Jones series….very funny
Every adoptive home needs Little Miss Spider–“When finding your mother there’s one certain test. You must look for the creature that loves you the best.”
We LOVE the Borrowers series by Mary Norton. I remember reading the first one as a child and being captivated. My 7 year old daughter and I read the whole series (5 books) last year and loved, loved, loved them.
Right now we are going through the Narnia series – which I also loved as a child. C.S. Lewis is so talented at presenting Christian truth in a different format – and it was wonderful to discuss the parallels with my little girl – especially how Aslan’s self-sacrifice represents what Jesus did for us on the cross. It’s so cool that she can totally get that at 7 years old.
Our kids have all loved the Llama Llama books when they are toddlers (and older). Our favorites are Red Pajama and Mad at Mama. Goodnight Moon, Go Dog Go, Chicka, Chicka Boom Boom and Harry the Dirty Dog are all current favorites of our two-year-old as well!
Two of my favorites are Homeplace by Crescent Dragonwagon and Piggy in the Puddle.
Homeplace is not to be missed.
And Piggy in the Puddle is funny and fun to read again and again and again.
I am replying to the painted shutters. I see where she had used Peel Stop to prevent her chippy shutters from peeling. Well I would like to know what I could use to CLEAN those chippy doors and such before I would use the Peel Stop. I do not want to take off anymore chippy pain than necessary. Do you have any ideas of how I could do this?
Thanks so much
Shannan
Hi Shannan! We just used a bucket of water and a brush from the home improvement store to scrub them several times (outdoors). We made sure to wear masks while we were doing it, too. Safety first! 🙂
Peel Stop is most likely going to become my new best friend! Do you know how many times my husband has been frustrated by all of my chippy decor?!?! Can’t wait to try this, thanks for sharing 🙂
How has the Peel stop held up? Has it yellowed? I’m having a really hard time finding a non-yellowing sealer for my freshly painted white side tables. Do you think it would work for them?
So far, so great Beth! 😀