Button Aprons would like to strongly recommend the following books:
A Mother's Touch
Many of us grew up with ambitious mothers, recently turned loose on the
world by The Feminine Mystique. We love them. We love what they
accomplished, but we miss grandma's house. We miss warm pie, cool
sheets, and always knowing what to expect. Mrs. Dunwoody is there to
fill in the gap for those of us looking for grandmother's secrets a
little too late. With the warmth of a mother's touch the author has
created a book full of wisdom, encouragement and practical advice. Share
it with the people you love. |
Mrs. Dunwoody
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A More Beautiful World
Miss Rumphius is a book filled with beauty. The illustrations, the text,
most importantly the theme, all add up to an inspiring challenge:
What
will you do to make the world more beautiful? |
Miss Rumphius
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Excellence Uninhibited
Marva Collins is one of my great heroines. Her passion inspired her to
strike out on her own armed with nothing but a fierce determination to
meet her own standards. She took her retirement savings, 5,000 dollars,
and started a school to save children. She now has 2 schools, and has
helped numerous others find their way to excellence. In these days of
less than inspiring news in the field of education her story will
encourage you to reach for better things. | Marva Collins Way
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Growing Generosity
Julie Salamon offers us an opportunity to examine our giving in Rambam's
Ladder, A Meditation on Generosity and Why It Is Necessary to Give.
There are 8 rungs beginning with a grudging giver and reaching up to
those who give the gift of self-sufficiency. I found the book inspired
me to do a good thing better. I hope it inspires you! |
Rambams Ladder
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Beatrice's Goat
The true story of how the gift of a goat enabled a girl to go to school.
The proceeds from this book support the work of Heifer International.
What a great way to teach children about the value of giving to others. |
Beatrice's Goat
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Must Have for Mom
Leanne Ely has taken the work out of nutritious, adventuresome, family
dining. 32 weekly menu plans divided by season come with complete
shopping lists and clear, simple, fast recipes. Reliably tasty, I've
been impressed by the ease with which the meals came together and the
way our family palate has been stretched. This is a must have for the
family cook. |
Must Have for Mom
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Planting Inspiration
Planting a tree transformed my understanding of gardening. Trees are
instant sculpture. A blank space suddenly has majesty and presence.
This small volume has gorgeous photos, clear instructions, and complete
shopping lists for a varied collection of tree gardens. Simple and
practical this book will inspire daydreamers and doers alike. |
Planting Inspiration
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A New Way to Live
Life is filled with pressure. Deadlines, ambitions and fears, keep us
in constant motions hoping to find peace. This book describes a new way
to live--a God-centered life. Realigning our expectations from health,
happiness and security to knowing God frees us from the pressure of
earning or creating our blessings. I found the PAPA journaling
excercise particularly helpful. |
A New Way to Live
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Global Intimacy
In these pages you are holding your own reflection, your own history, frozen and committed to God forever. These photographs reflect a world that will disappear if we allow it. They reflect a world that we are trying to make go away, the way you shoo flies from a room. They also hold evidence of our last and greatest discovery./ / Family is the last and greatest discovery. It is our last miracle." Thus begins a deeply moving photo book filled with reassuring proof that no matter where on the globe a family is located, the feelings that bind them together are the same feelings that hold together our own families. I chose this book as gift for my OB who has delivered 3 of my children. I couldn't find any other way to show her what a great gift she'd given by helping me to add to my family. Words can't express what family means, but these picutures come close. |
Global Intimacy
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Simple Sewing
When I was learning to sew the instruction books were pretty ugly with small print and at most 2 color drawings to illustrate the techniques and projects. I didn't find them very helpful or inspiring. I had my granny to teach me on her treadle, but for those less fortunate this book is terrific. Basic sewing is taught project by project, and the full color photos leave nothing to the terrified imagination. |
Simple Sewing
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Paradoxical Happiness
Personal meaning in a crazy world, that's a quest we're all on, and Kent Keith offers us ten paradoxical principles for finding it. The book is slim, just enough material to illuminate such stiking principles as "People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway." and "The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway." Sometimes a good dose of the truth is more inspiring than any promised reward. This book is honest about the pitfalls and draw backs to doing good and finding meaning, and that is what makes it so powerful. |
Paradoxical Happiness
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A Sympathetic Sense of Humor
Garrison Keillor's Prarie Home Companion has been a hit on National Public Radio for several decades for many excellent reasons. My personal reason for loving it is the weekly news from Lake Woebegon. Garrison Keillor's sensitive and finely drawn sketches touch that tender place where we keep our laughter and the healing tears. There are numerous collections of the stories, but this is my favorite because it's been a part of my family for almost two decades. If you have a long car trip, or just need a lift, this is good audio book to own. |
A Sympathetic Sense of Humor
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Simple Desperation
The great thing about desperation is that it pushes you toward simplicity--like it or not! This book is about throwing simple parties for family and friends. The recipes are either so easy they take twenty minutes or do ahead, so when crunch time arrives you're done. This book stood out because there are good ideas for themes and decor and there are great recipes, but the mix is balanced so that you really do have all you need to get started entertaining. Life is too short not to throw a lot of parties. Get the book and get going. |
Simple Desperation
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Ma Dear's Aprons
This sweet book takes you on a tour through Ma Dear's week through the eyes of her son. Every day has it's special apron coordinated to the work Ma Dear will be doing. Set in a lost era, the relationship between mother and child is beautifully celebrated in this book. |
Ma Dear's Aprons
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How to Make an Apple Pie
The recipe involves a trip around the world for the freshest ingredients, so it may be the most demanding pie you've ever made. The illustrations are as tasty as the very fine pie that results from our young chef's journey. Filled with whimsy and some excellent discussion starters for parents and children, this book is just for fun. |
How to Make an Apple Pie
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Blossoming
Some books inspire by exhorting us directly and others simply illustrate a better way of life with such grace and beauty that we are naturally drawn to growth. A Time To Blossom by Tovah Martin is a book of the second type. No position is taken, no dictums are laid out for anyone to follow, the inspiration is all drawn from the childhood memories of gardening and flowers through the seasons. Each reader will find a different idea to love. I was inspired to remember the soaking in of details that children take the time to enjoy, and to make special memories of that kind for my daughters. You will find your own inspiration here along with practical tips for creating flower crowns and pressing pansies. Enjoy this beautiful book. |
Blossoming
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Stretching Wings
Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots is a book for children who are leaving dependancy, but aren't ready for teen adventures just yet. The kids who can ride their bikes around the block unsupervised, but aren't ready to handle the mall on their own. My oldest is just entering this stage, and I'm enjoying watching her stretch her wings and push for new adventures. Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots provides adventures of the gardening variety. There are adventures of all sizes from stuffing old galoshes with dirt and seeds to growing a sunflower and morning glory playhouse. 12 different gardens with clear instructions will fill the summer with wonderful horticultural adventures for both the child and the parent. I was thrilled to discover this book and to add it to our family library. |
Stretching Wiings
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The Layered Look for Gardens
Lasagna Gardening is a book about the easy way to garden--surprisingly, it's also organic. Patricia Lanza serendipitously discovered that piling compostable "ingredients" lead to an unexpected bumper crop in her garden. Rather than all the traditional tilling and weeding, she's put together a wonderful system of stratified mulch. This summer my digging is limited by our hard clay and my fifth pregnancy. If I want to put in any new beds, they'll have to be lasagna beds. I'm looking forward to trying out her techniques. |
The Layered Look for Gardens
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Making Time
Cheaper by the Dozen is enjoying another incarnation and deservedly so, but each new version gets us further and further away from the real Lillian Moller Gilbreth. I find this woman's amazing life inspiring and her achievements as an engineer are only rivaled by her achievements as a mother. A true "super woman" Lillian Moller Gilbreth set the standards incredibly high for the rest of us by insisting that we can do everything we really want to and do it well. She even went so far as to live a life that proved her point. If, like me, you long for a life filled with ALL the things that you enjoy then this woman's example offers practical help in finding ways to manage it all. The Gilbreths were an amazing family, and not because of their size. Take the time to study the life of this pioneer in industrial engineering who also raised twelve college graduates, the second half as a single mom. I think you'll be as inspired as I am. |
Making Time
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Move Over Indiana Jones
Amelia Peabody is the Ginger Rogers of Archaeological Adventure. She does everything Indiana Jones does, only backwards and in a skirt. If you love the Victorian era and great adventure stories you'll enjoy this series. |
Move Over Indiana Jones
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A Journey of Inestimable Value
Most of us are content to let our relationship with God be rather shallow. We appreciate His help when we're in a jam, but beyond that we like to keep our distance. What a shame, for it is in the depths of God that we find our true selves. This book encourages you to go deep in the infinite life of God. |
A Journey of Inestimable Value
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Traveling Solo
One of my private fantasies is to jet off to some glamorous overseas location alone with nothing but my courage and judiciosly chosen luggage to sustain me. With a handsome husband, four children and the fifth on the way, it will be a while before I follow that wanderlust, but perhaps you are ready. This book offers excellent ideas for safe, exciting, solo adventures. You'll enjoy dreaming and if you are so fortunate as to do, the excellent tips will smooth your journey.
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Traveling Solo
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Carioke?
Our family was on a long road trip when we discovered this fun little gem. The book has the lyrics for 21 songs, as well as 3 editions for "the backseat, the way back, and an extra--for extra singers who don't feel like sharing". Just pop the CD into your car stereo and suddenly you are all enjoying the drive and no one has breath for asking, "are we there yet?" |
Carioke?
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Audio Swingset
This collection of folk music from around the world was introduced to us by my sister, the queen of cool kid gifts. It is one of those rare children's CD's that parents become just as attached to as their children. Are you the King of the Bongo? Only one way to find out--give it a listen. |
Audio Swingset
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