Creative Jilly

I think we can thank Barbie: Mermaidia for these:

This is a fairy-mermaid (complete with two birthday cakes).
And these are the octo-princesses.

Characters and Crusades

(warning: long post)

So if I asked "what do you know about Richard the Lionhearted?" I'm betting most of you would say something about Robin Hood, Prince John, or the Crusades. And you would be right. Richard the Lionhearted was King of England went he went on a Crusade to recapture Jerusalem from the Muslims (the infidels he called them). His brother Prince John tried to take over the kingdom while Richard was away, and Robin Hood robbed from the rich to help the poor because John was such a grasping ruler.

I just finished reading this book called Warriors of God, about Richard's Crusading experiences.
I would highly recommend it. This is the kind of book that makes you feel like you were really there. History definitely came alive for me while I read, and I felt I had met some great personalities.

Note: If you are actually going to read the book, stop here. If you would like highlights, read on.

Richard was a King. I mean, he would have been commanding no matter when and where he was born. He was tall, muscular, powerful, blonde, and beautiful. Had he been born in modern times, I have no doubt that he would be on the cover of several gossip magazines. He was just that kind of a guy. As with all polarizing/magnetic personalities, Richard made enemies all over the place. While he was in Jerusalem he alienated almost all of his European allies in the war for the Holy Land. But Richard didn't care--he was brilliant enough to win most of his battles without them anyway. When Richard finally came to a truce with the Muslims, and retraced his steps across the continent, all that came back to haunt him. Much like Odysseus, he took longer getting home than he expected. He was captured by the Duke of Austria and imprisoned for several years in a tower before anyone even knew where he was. Finally the people of England paid a huge tax to garner enough ransom to buy him back.

Richard was a character and was very interesting to read about. However, there is a whole other side to this book, that I had never imagined. Saladin. (Pronounced Sah-lah-deen). He was the leader of all of the Muslims that the Europeans were fighting. Saladin was also a brilliant general. And a humble, pious, righteous, Muslim. In case you were wondering, in my opinion he was the real hero of the story. Saladin was protecting his home territory from the ferocious, attacking knights of Christianity. To Muslims, the city of Jerusalem is just as holy as it is to Christians. Richard and his contemporaries were probably guilty of using Christianity to do what they already wanted to do (fight battles and create new kingdoms). Saladin was a truly spiritual, God-fearing person. He was the kind of leader who worried more about his people than his own needs. In fact, they found out when he died that he was penniless; he had given away all his money to help others.

Saladin was a great warrior, but he was also merciful. He was famous for the kind way in which he treated his prisoners. He wanted to protect his people, but he didn't love bloodshed. (He seems like Captain Moroni to me). Richard, on the other hand, loved fighting for it's own sake and had no qualms about shedding blood. He spent nearly his whole life fighting battles. Some were monumental, like the Crusade; but many were just trivial land-grabs. Truthfully Richard wasn't that good of a king, he didn't really spend time thinking of how he could improve his subjects lives.

Here is a brief quote from Saladin to his son (and heir) on his deathbed:

"I commend you to God Almighty. He is the source of all good. Do the will of God, for that is the way of peace. Beware of bloodshed. Trust not in that, for spilt blood never sleeps. Seek to gain the hearts of thy subjects, and watch over all their interests, for thou art only appointed by God and by me to look after their good ... I have become as great as I am because I have won the hearts of the people by gentleness and kindness ... Be prudent in thy dealings with other men, for God will not pardon unless they forgive you. But as to that which is between God and thyself, He will pardon the penitent for He is gracious."

Saladin was just the kind of person I want my children to know about. If you are interesting in reading a shorter version this story, try: Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam by Diane Stanley. It is a children's book and is very readable.As a companion to the last two books, I am also reading 1215: the Year of the Magna Carta.
This book specifically covers King John (aka Prince John)'s reign. It gives some great details about what life was like during the century, with an especial emphasis on what changes occurred because of the actions of the kings, Henry II, his son Richard the Lionhearted, and his brother John. This book is fairly short and very readable, so I recommend it as well.

One more and then I'll be done, I promise.

The kids and I have been reading aloud Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green. It is a longish book, but the chapters are pretty short. Turns out there's alot more to the Robin Hood story than just the tournament for the golden arrow. My kids really like it, I think if I had a bunch of boys they would like it even more. There is alot of fighting, but mostly for sport, not terribly violent. (Roger Lancelyn Green also wrote one about King Arthur which I am sure would be just as good, if you are interested in that era.)

So now you know everything we have been reading and learning for the past few weeks. I hope that at least some of this information was interesting to at least some of you! :)

Broccoli Pizza

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!


My friend Andrea first made me a pizza like this and I love it. I usually steam the broccoli first to make it a little more tender. Then you just put it on the pizza and bake like normal. Yum yum!

Sale Pending

That's what this sign says, so it must be true!What exactly does that mean? It means we found some buyers, but we still have nowhere to move. The house we want to buy is still in foreclosure. Our agent makes regular calls to figure out when it will actually come on the market. We hope soon.

Anyway, our projected closing date is end of March, but we have a week or so to work things out with the new house, otherwise we will probably move to end of April. Right now it's just a waiting game. (But hey, at least I don't have to keep the house spotless for showings anymore!)