A weathered board with real horseshoes and large nails bent into hooks, a wall decoration for the little boys’ cowboy room, $4.99

A leather horse’s bridle to hang on it, $2.99

Cool camo pants with lots of pockets, boy’s size 7, $2.99

A funky Old Navy girl’s jacket in olive green, with floral lining, and lots of unusual buttons, $3.25

Black Clark’s clogs, $4

Black Aerosole loafers with silver buckles, $4

Blue and white Staffordshire plate, Wild Flowers design, $5.99

Large scrapbook with Victorian collage design on covers, $1.99

Daydreams and Lullabies CD, from Classical Kids, $3

Oregon Trail II game, Mac compatible, $3

Corrie ten Boom’s Prison Letters, $2

The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose, $1

3 oval nesting boxes with birdhouses on them, the perfect color and design to stack up in my parlor, $4.99

Four packages of ready-to-decorate party favor boxes, 99 cents each

A pink gingham apron with black smocking, $2.25

Yesterday I was reading the latest installment of a journey through the Freddy the Pig books with my younger boys. I noticed that the paperback copy we were reading mentioned a website for Freddy fans, so I took a peek at it. It is run by a group of Freddy afficionados who take their Pig very seriously. They established the Walter R. Brooks Memorial Fund, in honor of the creator of their porcine hero, the proceeds of which go to fund, guess what?

A private library .

It’s a library in Walter Brooks’s hometown of Roxbury, New York. It looks like it does receive some public funding, but according to its website, “the Roxbury Library Association primarily derives its income from annual fundraising efforts, including book sales; Thrift Shppe sales,; fees for use of the library’s copier, fax machine, and laser printer; and sales of the softcover version of Irma Mae Griffin’s HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF ROXBURY.”

It also charges outrageous membership dues: $7.50 per year for individuals and $15.00 per year for families.

I’ve mentioned it before, but there is an Alaska town, the Republic of Ester, which also boasts a private library, with $5 annual membership dues. “The John Trigg Ester Library started its days as the Ester Republic Reading Room, back in 1999, with a collection of dumpster-dived books provided by Frank Therrell and a cozy flower-print couch donated by Lisa Sporleder. Since then, the library has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming a full-fledged membership library with five librarians.” They are currently planning to construct a new library building.

Let’s get something straight: I love libraries. I wish we had them on every corner. But when we are preaching to our children the importance of limited constitutional government and not taking what isn’t ours to take (i.e., confiscatory taxation of our neighbors to fund pet projects, no matter how altruistic it may seem), we need to examine our personal habits to see if they line up with our stated convictions.

I know I’m not winning friends and influencing a lot of people with this position. But I am frankly quite surprised at the number of homeschoolers who teach their children the principles I mentioned above who also stump for the library bond issues in every election.

I still love my friends who use the public library, and the friends I have in real life who patronize the public library still love me. But I would like to encourage you to build your own private libraries rather than depending on “free” books from the government, so I’m going to give away some books to Buried Treasure readers, no strings attached. In other words, my books will truly be freely given, and there will be no twaddle. Look for details Friday night…

I am sometimes asked to name the book which has most influenced my life. My unhesitating answer is Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. I have read that book several times during some very difficult periods in my life, and it has always put my trials in a heavenly perspective. Women who chafe at their circumstances, coveting slights and tempted by bitterness, need to follow the fictional trials of this book’s heroine, as she matures from a selfish and self-righteous young girl into a godly and humble woman.

Though Stepping Heavenward is fiction, the author lived a life which was filled with real trials. Her fascinating story has been told in More Love to Thee by Sharon James, the title taken from the title of a hymn written by Mrs. Prentiss. You can read a review of the book from Leslie, who says:

A prolific writer, Elizabeth found time to write around the needs of her family. James brings all of Elizabeth’s experiences (from rubbing elbows with the great theologians of her day to European travel to the Civil War) together to illustrate what she believes most likely influenced each of Elizabeth’s books and her most famous hymn, “More Love to Thee.” In the conclusion, James compiles Elizabeth’s personal writings to illustrate what Elizabeth thought of herself as a Christian, a wife and mother, and her thoughts on the ‘cult of true womanhood’. Finally, James offers her opinion of whether or not Elizabeth Prentiss contributed to the feminization of American culture and the “move to a more sentimental approach to religion” through her writings (p. 215). The “Suggestions for Further Reading” lists Elizabeth’s books that are currently in print and where to find them.

I’ve mentioned another strong and godly woman before, Anne Steele, who was profiled in another book by Sharon James, In Trouble and In Joy. You can find an excerpt of that book about her here. We can certainly use many more examples of such women, in person as well as in books.

Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~Thomas Alva Edison

As we talk about what it means to be a “keeper at home,” those promoting egalitarianism sometimes use hyperbole, claiming this view of biblical womanhood means imprisoning women in their domiciles, chained to their appliances. I have never met a “Titus 2″ woman who would agree with this parody or who fits that stereotype. Rather, being home-centered opens up countless opportunities for ministry and creativity.

I am constantly amazed at the opportunities God gives us to reach out to others from our homes. These opportunities are as varied as the family circumstances of Christian women. Age and number of children, husband’s career, health and energy, personality and interests, family goals, and other variables will determine what each woman can and does accomplish. If she is married and blessed with children, a Christian woman who cares for her family to the glory of God is performing a vital mission. Within that sphere, our sovereign God can extend her family’s influence in ways she might never anticipate if she tries to determine her life’s path based on “what ifs.”

When I started my late-night internet scribblings over five years ago, a homeschooling mom with nine children, I had no idea of the doors God would open. With the Lord’s help, through this blog: I have met some wonderful Christians and made many new friends. I have had opportunities to edit several books and write magazine articles. I have spoken to homeschoolers. I have raised thousands of dollars for various ministries. I have been interviewed for a CD and a film. Today I was the guest of a conservative talk radio show, discussing government funding of libraries.

A few months ago I wrote a couple of articles, which were published at Lew Rockwell, about my objection to government funding of libraries. Bill Meyer, a radio talk show host in southern Oregon, read my articles and saved them. Last week he contacted me asking me to discuss that issue on his show, because the libraries in his area are losing funding and a legislator is proposing a 1 percent income tax to keep them open. Early this morning (after my morning mocha), I got to be on the air for 15 minutes encouraging people (especially homeschooling mothers ) to wean themselves from tax subsidized books, while my children were doing their math lessons in the other room.

The various outreach opportunities I have had over the past few years are not a way of life, but I’ve enjoyed the occasional challenge that each one presents, and I pray that the Lord will use my small efforts for His great purposes. The best part of it is that He has enabled me to do most of the things I listed above without stepping outside my door. I am not a prisoner in this house—I am released on my own recognizance on a regular basis—but I think Dorothy learned the real secret after her round-about journey down the yellow brick road. Click your Christmas shoes together three times and repeat after me:

“There’s NO PLACE like home!”

Be faithful in the small things, which are of much bigger import than we have been led to believe. You might even get a few unexpected opportunities along the way.

Thanks to Coffee, Tea, Books, and Me for this:

If I could figure out where to put a card catalog in my library, I would. I am very tempted to get one of these for our CDs.