We love good books here in our home.  I’ve had many opportunities to explain to Evan what the author and illustrator do to make a book “happen.”  He fully understands each of those titles and he often pretends to be an author himself.  Today was no exception.

He decided to paint me a picture, which is always a nice idea.  But today I put a little spin on his painting endeavor.  I asked him to tell me a story about the painting once he was finished.  He cheerfully agreed.

Here is his painting.  And here is his “story” word for word.  He dictated it to me and I wrote it out.  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to jot down a homemade “Evan tale,” picture included!

“Once upon a time, mommy saw a mountain.  And she climbed up the mountain and she saw a monster coming her way, and she said,’help, dad, help!’ And she found our home and then daddy was proud of her to be back.” (The little marks on the painting are his way of writing quickly…i.e. being the “author.”)

I’m looking forward to hearing more of my little “author’s” musings as the years progress…

An English hymn from the point of view of Christ speaking.  Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day;
I would my true love did so chance
To see the legend of my play,
To call my true love to my dance;

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love,

my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

Then was I born of a virgin pure,
Of her I took fleshly substance
Thus was I knit to man’s nature
To call my true love to my dance.

In a manger laid, and wrapped I was
So very poor, this was my chance
Betwixt an ox and a silly poor ass
To call my true love to my dance.

Sing, oh! my love, oh! my love,

my love, my love,
This have I done for my true love.

Traditional English Carol
Go here to hear it sung by a choir at

King’s College, Cambridge.

The picture is by Arthur Rackham

(via: “I Take Joy“)

I’m sick. :( The head cold has hit our household and it’s yucky. Poor Evan is congested, yet acting as if he’s perfectly fine. He’s always been this way. I can remember one time in his little life that he was VERY sick and was absolutely miserable. But here he is today coughing up “the nasties” and playing and being his cheerful self. Me on the other hand has a hard time being so cheerful when I’m feeling like poo. I want to sleep…sleep ALL DAY. That’s not possible of course. But hubby is home today too and that makes things a whole lot easier. I am going to sneak in naps today and hopefully get over this. Trying to make the house as cozy as possible, we’ve lit the kerosene heater (yet to turn on the furnace!), have candles going, Norah Jones CD in the background and I just might get the urge to throw a quick batch of premixed cookies in the oven. A chocolate cookie might just be what my cold wants. And then, after satisfying its tastebuds for sweets it’ll move on to its next victim. As long as that next victim isn’t my 3 month old baby boy I’ll be okay with that. So far he hasn’t gotten the bug and I’m hoping it stays that way…

So here’s to a stuffy Monday…hopefully tomorrow will be less stuffy.