The Farns: February 2008

Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Homeward Bound

It has been TWO YEARS since we have been home. That's a long time! We really look forward to seeing our family. This will be Sammy's first trip to the motherland even though she has already been to eight other countries in her short life time besides England. She will also be meeting many of our family members for the FIRST time. Crazy! We will be gone for a month so I thought I would download and post some random pictures that have been on my camera....

I think what I am most excited about when we go home is (the same thing I am always excited about when we go to Utah) to get my hair cut. In London, there have been times when I have paid as much as $260 to get my hair cut and colored. Therefore, I figure that when I go to Utah, I can go to THE most expensive salon and still pay WAY less than that. So that is what I do. I must say, I am somewhat of a haircut-aholic (is that a word?). I love getting my haircut and I especially like going to a nice salon where they give those great head-massages after washing your hair. I guess haircuts for me is my indulgence. It is ME time and I feel so pampered. I love it! So here's to top of the line haircuts for cheap in Utah!!!! Yippppeee!

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Sammy always plays this game in the bath tub or after where she puts her hair in her face and asks "where's Sammy?" Kind of funny....

Playing "airplane" on the couch with the "airplane pillows." I guess you could say they are practicing for the real thing.

Abby and Sammy's new found entertainment - making a bed and sleeping in the hall closet.

Wednesday, 20 February 2008

No Time for Blogging, Must Read...

So, I have not really been interested in blogging lately because I am into this incredibly good book. If you are at all interested in Egyptian culture, and in particular the role of women within Egyptian society then this is the book for you. Otherwise, I would not recommend it, its 600 pages long. It is called "Virgins of Paradise" by Barbara Wood. It has taken me a few months to really get into it, but now that I am I can't put it down. It follows this Egyptian family through several decades and explores the different eras through the changes in society effecting women (the so-called lesser sex). Its great because it is also an excellent reminder of historical events in Egypt from the time of King Farouk and the British in 1945 to the 1980s and Mubarak. The family that is the focus of the book all struggle against the various times, the old ways, a newer thinking and what they intrinsically know is morally correct. It's fascinating!

Half-Term
Otherwise, we have just been going about life as normal here. Abby has been on what is called "half-term," where the entire country (it seems) is out of school at the same time. Therefore, you can basically go nowhere because you will deal with massive crowds and chaos. Even traveling during these periods when school is out is significantly more expensive. I think it is absurd that they do it this way but what can I do about it. So we have spent the whole week having friends over at our house or planning outings to safe or less crowded places like the park. We have had some good weather even. Tomorrow we are going to the little circus that they have set up in the parking lot of our mall just for this very occasion. Hopefully, it is not a let-down.

Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day was uneventful really. Some friends and I got together and brought valentine treats to people who don't have a significant other or who may be lonely. That was nice of us. I got a nice bouquet of flowers but neither of us wanted to go out and fight the Valentine crowds.

Other News
Abby and Sammy haven't watched tv for probably about two months now. I had nothing to do with this. They would just rather play than watch any of the shows that they used to. My house is always much messier but I try never to complain because I would rather have them play with each other.

We are looking forward to our holiday home to Utah for the month of March. I can't believe we leave in two weeks from today! We haven't been home in two years.

Below are a few pictures from the past week or two. There are more pictures of Abby because I have more videos of Sammy right now. I will try and download a good video in the next few days.

Abby's pretend bath tub

Abby and Sammy playing dress-up and dancing. They are obsessed with the song "Let's Dance" from the 1960s. They both try to do the "twist" and the "potato."

Abby's blanket dresses have become quite popular. I have made them for both her and Sammy. They love them.

Friday, 8 February 2008

Sammy

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Tuesday, 5 February 2008

Does Hot Sauce Really Work??

Last night Abby was saying an inappropriate word over and over, so I put hot sauce (really just BBQ sauce) on her tongue. Now, before you start thinking - hmmmm, potty-mouth Farnsworth - I must say, the word wasn't that bad but bad enough that I felt something must be done. I did not have any Tabasco sauce so I opted for BBQ sauce which seemed to do the trick just as well without being so harsh. She is only three after all. She did stop saying the word and was devastated that I actually did what I have been warning her I would do for days. She cried for about five minutes and then all was forgotten after I held her and loved her for a few minutes. However, I just wonder if I should save the whole "sauce-on-the-tongue solution" until she says some really hard-core four letter words or should I use them on the not-so-bad words? Or should I even use this method at all? Maybe soap is better. I am just not sure and would love to hear others' experiences. Let me know if you have an opinion. I would be very interested.

Books I Have Read Recently

(Let me know what books you have read recently or what your favorite book(s) is. I am always looking for a good book. Here are a few I have read.)

-The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

-Pope Joan by Donna Wolfolk Cross
(Definitely one of my favorites)

-Men to Match my Mountains by Irving Stone

-Life of Pi by Yann Martel

-The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

-Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor of Jordan

--Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
(This is one of my favorite books.)

-Those Who Love by Irving Stone
(This is a book about Abigail Adams, wife of John Adams. It was an enlightening read.)

-I Love You Ronnie by Nancy Reagan

--The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
(I didn't like this book.)

--The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
(I liked this book when I read it several years ago but when I recently re-read it, I did not like it. I guess my tastes have changed.)

-The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
(Begins in 1885, with the British invasion of Mandalay and the capture of the Burmese king and queen, and encompassing over 100 years to modern-day India and Burma (Myanmar). It was a great read.)

--The Peddler’s Grandson; Growing up Jewish in Mississippi by Edward Cohen

-Brick Lane by Monica Ali
(I liked this book a lot except for the middle part where you are reading a bunch of letters written in poor English. I could have done without that.)

-Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks

-Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
(I saw the movie and loved it. It stars Queen Latifah as August and she is great!)

--Power and Glory by Adam Nicolson

--How To Run a Traditional Jewish Household by Blu Greenberg

-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin

-The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

-Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake

-The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
(This is a very thrilling read. I could not put it down. It may not be for everyone though.)

-Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behavior
by Kate Fox

-The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and John Scherrill

-Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

-Atonement by Ian McEwan
(A very intriguing book and I loved the movie, even though Kiera Knightley was the star.)

-Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

--The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
(Great book about Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII's first wife)

--The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
(A book about Ann Boleyn - King Henry VIII's second wife)

-The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
(This one is about King Henry VIII's fourth and fifth wives - Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard.)

-The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory
(This book is about Queen Mary, Katherine of Aragon's daughter, and the Queen-to-be Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn's daughter. There is also a fictional character Hannah. I loved it!)

-Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

-The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
(A great overview of recent Afghan history. Check out the bookseller's rebuttal book published this year.)

-Virgins of Paradise by Barbara Wood
(I loved this book. It focuses on an Egyptian family from the 1940s to the present. It was a really good look at Egyptian culture and politics as they have changed through the years.)

-A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

-The Chosen by Chaim Potok
(This is a good look at Jewish life. I liked reading the history of the formation of the state of Israel and the different reactions of various Jews throughout the book.)

--The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

--The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

-Children: The Challenge by Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D.
(I am still in the process of reading this book)

-The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
(I admit, I skimmed this. It was long with too much political rhetoric for my taste.)

--The Hours by Michael Cunningham
(I didn't like this book, I wouldn't recommend it.)

-The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
(This was an amazing book. I could have read it in one night, easily. I could not put it down. It is about an innocent boy living outside the fence of a concentration camp.)

-David O. McKay and The Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory Prince and WM. Robert Wright

-The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
(I loved this book!)

-1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 by Thomas W. Phelan
(I have been doing this with Abby and it works like "magic!" I even went to a lecture and heard the author speak about the method and it is great!)

-Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

-They Dare to Speak Out by Paul Findley
(A book about an Illinois congressman who lost his seat to the Israeli Lobby.)

---“The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” by John J. Mearsheimer, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, and Stephen M. Walt, a professor of international affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
(This is an excellent paper.)

--A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
(I must admit, I did not finish this book. I found it very slow moving and a bit boring. I read about half and gave up.)

--The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman

--Stasiland; Stories From Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder

--These is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881 - 1901 Arizona Territories by Nancy E. Turner
(This was a great escape. I loved it!)

--Escape by Carolyn Jessop (This is a disturbing book but a good read. It's all about a girl who escapes from a radical FLDS polygamist cult.)

--Tall Grass by Sandra Dallas

--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
(Doctors took her cells without asking; those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and a multimillion-dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same.)

--FREE RANGE kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts with Worry) by Lenore Skenazy

--Standing Alone: An American Woman's Struggle for the Soul of Islam by Asra Q. Nomani
(I loved this book. It is a very detailed account of the hajj and her take on Islam.)

--The Year That Changed The World: The Untold Story Behind the Fall of the Berlin Wall by Michael Meyer
(Meyer is a myth buster. The myth he tackles in this book is Americans' idea that communist regimes in the Cold War fell because of the United States' involvement. He is an excellent historian. I really enjoyed this book!)

--Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb
(This book is now on my list of all-time favorites. It was thrilling and so fascinating. I highly recommend it!)

--Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
(I loved this book. It was adventurous and inspiring!)

--Someone Knows My Name By Lawrence Hill

--The Great Fire of London in the Apocalyptic Year 1666 By Neil Hanson
(I knew of the great fire in London but nothing else. This was very informative and kept my interest. It did get a little too detailed in parts though.)

--Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue and Unthinkable Choices By Mosab Hassan Yousef
(I like this book)

--Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
(Excellent book on the history of China and how it has changed over the century.)

--Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
(I would read this to my girls one day. It is a good look at the holocaust for children.)

--The Flying Carpet of Small Miracles by Hala Jaber

--Mengele: The Complete Story by Gerald Posner and John Ware

--Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

--In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

--The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

--The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

--Faith: Behind The Fences: A True Story of Survival In A Japanese Prison Camp by Kelly Dispirito Taylor

--Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

--We Were Not Alone: How an LDS Family Survived World War II Berlin by Patricia Reece Roper

--The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

--Pillar of the Earth by Ken Follett

--Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

--The Cultural Revolution: A People's History 1962 - 1976 by Frank Dikotter

Books I Want to Read

--Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill by Jessica Stern
--Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Capetown by Paul Theroux
--Through a Glass Darkly: A Novel by Karleen Koen
--Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
--The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones
--Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
--The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter by Jason Kersten
--An Enduring Love: My Life with the Shah - A Memoir by Farah Pahlavi
--Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and the West by Benazir Bhutto
--City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre
--East of Eden by John Steinbeck
-- The Agony and the Ecstacy: A Biographical Novel of Michelangelo by Irving Stone
--One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
--Year of Wonders, a novel of the plague by Geraldine Brooks
--Ms. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's autobiography "Infidel"
--Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke by Patty Duke and Kenneth Turan
-- The War against the Jews: 1933-1945 by Lucy S. Dawidowicz
-- Alicia: My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
--Vintage Sacks by neurologist/author Oliver Sacks.
--Helen Keller's "The Story of My Life"
--I Thought my Father was God (a collection of peoples' stories from NPR's National Story Project)
--Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
--I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles