love this book!

I picked up Found, Free & Flea by Tereasa Surratt two weeks ago at the library from the "new" shelf, and have been delightedly thumbing through it ever since.





The author's husband spent his summers at a small family camp that became available for sale, so they purchased and renovated it. In the process, they uncovered decades of old things, full of character and interest. She began using those items to create collections from flea markets, yard sales, and other inexpensive venues. The collections became the gear and decor for the entire camp!

I especially appreciated the way the author encourages finding useful things, not just decorative things. There are so many wonderful, useful, well-made treasures just waiting to be found and given a second life - the best kind of recycling!





This book is gorgeous and creative, and most importantly, full of fantastic finds! I have found tons of great ideas and inspiration within these pages. Now I'm itching to head to the flea market again...


"Have nothing in your houses
that you do not know to be useful
or believe to be beautiful."

-- quote by William Morris in Found, Free & Flea

Self Portrait Challenge { Shel Silverstein }

"My skin is kind of sort of brownish pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
but I'm told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
but its silver when its wet,
and all the colors I am inside
have not been invented yet."


Self Portrait Challenge's theme for August - Inspired by Literature... I just couldn't let this month go by without a tribute to a truly gifted writer of children's poetry.

Self Portrait Challenge { Inspired by Literature 2 }

"You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long; even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty."

Marmie to her daughter Amy, after she was punished in school for trying to look popular and rich by buying limes, which were "all the fashion" (but against the rules) and hiding them in her desk.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Self Portrait Challenge { Inspired by Literature }

Anne of Green Gables - one of the many friends I made through my reading.

Dear sweet Anne made friends with her own reflection as she worked her way through foster homes and orphanages... until one day she found a home and a real friend, the "bosom friend" she'd always longed for. I, in turn, bought all 8 of the books by L.M.Montgomery, and made Anne my friend at the young age of 11. I still adore her today.


This month's Self Portrait Challenge theme is "Inspired by Literature". Love it!

Self Portrait Challenge - { Flashback 2010 }

hibernating this winter with favorite friends...






I am super-excited that SPC is doing the Flashback theme again in January like last year! The idea is to use at least 2 of the 11 themes from 2010 combined in one photo.



Here are the themes I have included this week:

With Someone

Speech Bubbles (over on Flickr, I added the speech bubble above Skye's head, "I hope she doesn't get up for a very loooong time...")

5 Senses (Sight - reading)

Six Word Story (stated above the picture)

let it sink in

‎The objects of the present life
fill the human eye
with a false magnification
because of their immediacy.

-- William Wilberforce







I found this quote in a book I just finished reading - The Silent Governess by Julie Klassen. I enjoyed this piece of fiction immensely, so much so that in a way I wish I hadn't finished it yet!

road reading

On the road to Nevada... so far the trip has been lovely, and relatively uneventful in a good kind of way.


Yesterday morning during my first turn of sitting/not driving, I finished off reading The Shack. When everyone else was reading this last year, I wasn't sure I wanted to. But I picked it up a few days ago and got sucked in.





Now I know my thoughts toward God will never be the same. Even some of my thoughts and ways toward my husband and children will never be the same. I had not thought it possible for a work of fiction to have this affect on me. And much of the content was in classes I've attended at our church previously, which were greatly beneficial to me, but reading it in fictional form where you can relate to the characters really gave it that extra punch to drive it home in my heart.

the start of summer reading

While my husband and I were gone on our vacation trip last week, I had some time for some good reading, especially on the airplane (ugh - I do not enjoy the long waits that are involved with flying!)

I finally finished reading "Dewey" by Vicki Myron.




This was a wonderful, heartwarming true story, that weaves the lives of a small Iowa town, especially the life of the author, with the life of a cat named Dewey. He was found as a tiny kitten, shoved into the library night book dropbox where Vicki worked, and became the library's cat (his name is Dewey, like the Dewey Decimal system, get it? ha!) I have a special place in my heart for libraries, and this story is the perfect picture of why.

I truly hope a someone committed to making good family films picks this up and makes it into a movie! Yes, I am not always a fan of books made into movies, depending on how it's done, but this story is such a positive one that would be wonderful for the entire family if done well!



I finished "Dewey" during a four hour wait in the Miami airport, on our way to fly home. Since I had nothing else with me to read for the flight, I picked up the June/July issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray.





I was salivating for the entire plane ride - good thing I had some snacks in my carry-on! The best part of this issue is the total devotion to grilling, and the amazing number of useable recipes for adults and kids alike! So many good ideas for making tasty veggies, too, for those who find getting kids to eat veggies a challenge (raising my hand high!)

I've already made a recipe from this issue last night to take to a barbeque, and there are so many delicious ideas that I'm prepared for making them every day this week!

As Rachael says, Yum-O!

recent reads

I finished two books last week, both true life stories, both so different yet so enjoyable that I wanted to share.

First,
A Man Called Peter
by Catherine Marshall





I've recently discovered Catherine Marshall's writings, and she has quickly become one of my heroes of faith. Her gentle way of writing is not soft on the message. She is clear and thoughtful, always well-grounded in the Word of God, and attuned with His Spirit.

A Man Called Peter is about her first husband, Peter Marshall - his life and ministry. This book was a bit slow at times, but it was written a long time ago, when people did not need sensationalism to guide them through a book, just a well-written story. I took it slow (started it in May), and found I enjoyed it more in small chunks anyway.

'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'


My Life in France
by Julia Child




After seeing Julie & Julia, I thought it would be fun to read the book by the blog writer that inspired the movie. However, after reading the reviews, I decided to skip that book because it didn't sound like something I would enjoy. One reviewer recommended that if you enjoyed the movie, My Life in France would give you more of what you loved in the movie. Oh joy when I discovered it at my library!

This book was a delight, cover to cover. Until reading this, I have never enjoyed an autobiography or biography so much that I did not want to put it down. Julia Child was so in love with food, down-to-earth people, and her husband. I felt like I was listening to her talk, not reading sentences on a page. Her use of words which she just made up to fit the situation - brilliant. Her outlook on life - simple and real.

She taught me a great lesson as a cook that I will never forget:

No matter how something you make turns out,
Never Apologize!
Learn from your mistakes, and hold your head high.


'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'~+~'

Take some time to read a good book this holiday season. It is a refreshing way to lower stress and grow at the same time.

Self Portrait Challenge - { ten }

November is the month of Thanksgiving here in the US. I am saddened that this holiday has been reduced to what some call "Turkey Day" with football... or just a segway into Christmas.

The men and women who came to this country suffered and struggled in those first few years just to survive, and nearly half of the 102 who started the Plymouth colony did not make it through. The first giving-thanks meal they celebrated was laden with awareness that God was the only reason they had made it this far.

This month I will be using the Self Portrait Challenge's "tiny words" challenge to find small but meaningful things that I am thankful for - things I usually take for granted, but without which I would have a very different life.



An excellent book about the original history and meaning of Thanksgiving for adults and children is Barbara Rainey's Thanksgiving - A Time to Remember. We read this together every November. Just pulling it off the shelf this month has stirred my heart anew for this special time of year.

Self Portrait Challenge - { portals week 4 }

Hold a book in your hand and you're a pilgrim at the gates of a new city.
-- Anne Michaels



To see what other interesting ways people found to define "portal",
go browse through Self Portrait Challenge.

reading + food = delicious learning!

The latest book study Claire & I are doing for school (through Five In A Row vol.1) is

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
by Marjorie Priceman



There's a lot of great lessons for these FIAR book studies, including lessons in language arts, math, geography, history, science, and art. Of course, our favorite part, though, is when the lesson includes something involving food!



Speedy Streusel Pie

(you can use a refrigerated pie crust from the store, but they're so easy & inexpensive to make at home, and baking is such a fun project for kids)

Crust:
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. shortening
3-4 Tbsp. cold water

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Add shortening, cut it in using a pastry blender or two forks, until you have pieces the size of dry oats. Add the water & mix until well blended.

You can roll it out the old fashioned way, or I just like to put the crust ball in the pie plate, spread it out and up the sides using my fingers, and use the back of a big spoon to smooth it out.




Streusel Topping:
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter/margarine
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I don't use these, it's still good without the nuts)

Mix flour & sugar in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Set aside.


Filling:
5 baking apples (2 lb.)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Peel, core & slice the apples. I use one of these - a worthy investment, as I make more apple things since I got it & even use it for potatoes.

Toss the lemon juice and vanilla with the apples in a big bowl. Mix the sugar, cinnamon & cornstarch in a small bowl, then add to apples & toss to coat.




Add apples into the crust, spread them out evenly. I like to pull the edges of the pie crust inward (like a crostada), it keeps juices from spilling over the edge during baking.

Start this pie out in the microwave! Really! It cuts the baking time by 2/3, but the pie still turns out fabulously!



Put it in the microwave, for 8 minutes (if your microwave doesn't have a rotating glass plate that turns the food during cooking, then you need to turn the pie yourself after 4 minutes.)

While the microwave is running, preheat the oven to 400°.

When the 8 minutes in the microwave is up, immediately move the pie to the oven (use oven mitts!) for 18-22 minutes.





Served warm, this pie is a delight... but anytime is a good time for apple pie!

a summer of reading

Our first day of school is going to be Monday, which has had me thinking back over some of the fun things we did this summer.

One of my favorite parts of summer has been reading, since my own childhood. I take the girls to our local library to participate in the summer reading program - this year, each of my girls read 115 books for their reading logs! I also like to take the time to read some longer chapter books to them - this year we read Charlotte's Web and The Great Brain.

One part of this particular summer of reading that I will treasure is Claire's reading ability literally took off! We worked hard on phonics and reading all last year in school, and it still seemed like such work for her. But suddenly in June, "the switch" flipped on and she began reading on her own... and she couldn't get enough of it! She was so proud to be able to put books on her library reading log that she read for herself (and so was I!)





And finally - I finished several books this summer myself. I enjoyed them all... having the goal prioritized reading for myself during a season when it's easy to just go go go and forget to stop to renew myself during the summer.


Here comes the schoolyear... and more reading!

A Pair of Red Clogs

I used Five in a Row for supplemental teaching for kindergarten & 1st grade with Nicole, and I'm doing the same now for Claire. If you want to read more about it, you can go here.

We just used A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno for our latest FIAR study. It's the story of a Japanese girl who learns about honesty and taking care of what belongs to her.

I decided to recreate this scene from the book for a fun dinner on an evening when Claire & I were home for dinner by ourselves:



First let me say, I am not going to serve fish with the eyeballs and tail still intact.

Second, I basically did what I could with what I had, so this is in no way intended to be an authentic Japanese meal. We had fish fillets, rice, tartar sauce, green tea, and peaches - yes, mostly American, I know, but we both did use chopsticks and sit on pillows on the floor!

just a little longer, please

I really didn't want to come back. But life must go on.
So here I am after 10 days of a really fabulous vacation, already wishing I could go back to...

Sanibel Island.


Here's the view from right outside the door of the little place we stayed.




I must admit, I peeked at my email a couple of times while I was gone, and was amazed that my first giveaway contest commenter, Nic, guessed it right away! Knowing who won highly influenced my shopping for the giveaway prize. Intimidated me, in fact, because Nic is originally from Hawaii - what kind of island-ish stuff could she possibly want?? Then I stumbled upon something I knew instantly was the right giveaway prize, because she & I share a common passion for books...



Sanibel Scribbles by Christine Lemmon, a local Sanibel resident
I bought an autographed copy, and it's yours, Nic!

(hope you don't mind, though, I read it on the drive home!)


We did a whole lot more while in Florida, but I'm still catching up on laundry, unpacking, and cleaning sand & trash out of the van, so more pictures will follow eventually...

Marley & Me

I read the book well before I saw the movie! I loved it, John Grogan is a great writer - he captures hilarious moments and poignant ones equally well. I was eager to see the movie because the book was so great, and I figured even if the movie was only half as good as the book, I'd enjoy it.

I was right - I enjoyed the movie so much - and it kept very well to the book. There is a lot that had to be eliminated from the book text - there was just too much to tell in the time a movie allows. There were a few added things, but they were very minor, and seemed to allow the plot to move along more smoothly to make up for what had to be cut out.

It is worth reading "Marley and Me" if you want to have lots more of what was so enjoyable about the movie!

As far as age-appropriate-ness of the movie - I considered taking my girls, but changed my mind after reading the full review on pluggedinonline. There is some language and some mild intimate scenes & discussions (that would probably fly right over the girls' heads, but still.)

**spoiler!** The most difficult thing for me in considering taking my kids was there is a scene showing him being put to sleep because he is old and sick. I know this is part of life, having put a dog to sleep when our kids were younger - they still miss her. But this scene, as well as the burial/saying goodbye scene, were so moving - I cried, my sister-in-law who was with me cried, I heard sniffles all around the theater - I am glad I didn't take my girls, or they would have been bawling. So maybe this movie is best for older kids, those who are more prepared to handle the emotional level of the sad goodbye.

Overall - a good movie and a great book!

Classics Bookclub - A Christmas Carol

This month's selection for the Classics Bookclub (hosted by 5 Minutes For Books) was, appropriately, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I read this once before as a teenager, but didn't appreciate it nearly as much then as I did this time around.

This is a short story, not a full novel, but I don't consider it an easy read due to wading through the somewhat lengthy old English descriptions. Dickens' humor balances his frank look at the human conditions of poverty and heartlessness. I was struck by how, despite all modern advances since this was written, there is still a great need for kindness and generosity, for there is always someone around me in need. Overall, a worthy read this time of year.

When my kids get older, I think reading this aloud at Christmastime would be a nice tradition - it's just too heavy on the old English for me to do that now. In the meantime, I'll pop in this video, which we watch every year:

Some might say that a movie version, especially one starring mostly puppet creatures, would be a close second to reading the book, but I disagree in this case. After reading the book, I am impressed with how much of the original Dickens dialogue makes up the script of the movie. Also, much of the storyline follows very closely. Bits that I thought were Muppet writers' humor were actual lines from the original book.

If you love the Muppets, you'll love Kermit as Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy as Mrs. Crachit, Fozzy Bear as Mr. Fezziwig/Fozzywig! And the delightful Michael Caine gives a talented performance as Mr. Scrooge.

The only things left out are things that are too heavy for children to understand (the dead body of Scrooge on the bed), or some of the longer sections that had to be condensed or eliminated to make the story fit a movie timeline. None of what was left out was, in my opinion, a great loss for children or adults watching this movie.

And to top it off, at the end, one of the characters can be heard saying,
"If you think that was good, you should read the book!"

tasty thanksgiving treats

Making pies for tomorrow? If you have any leftover pie crust dough, here's a surprise for your kids that is flaky and sweet, so they aren't quite as sad that they have to wait for tomorrow for that pie. My mom used to make these for me & my sister, it's a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.

Milk Flitch

Divide the leftover crust into oven-proof custard cups, flatten along the bottom & up the sides a bit with your fingers. Dump in each crust 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. milk, and dot it with butter. Bake with the pie for 20 minutes or so, until bubbly and the crust is golden.

They're best when they're cooled just enough so that they don't burn your tongue! Yum!

=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=

Every Thanksgiving for several years, I've made sure we check out Cranberry Thanksgiving by Wende & Harry Devlin from the library. It's about a grandmother (who has a famous and very secret cranberry bread recipe) and her granddaughter, who each invite a special guest to Thanksgiving dinner. Grandmother's special guest is well-mannered and well-dressed, while granddaughter's guest, who is her long-time friend, smells like clams and is not very refined. Can you guess which one turns out to be the cad who steals Grandmother's recipe? It's a great story reminding us we shouldn't judge by what we see on the outside.



Oh joy, Grandmother's (quite easy) recipe is included in the book! We made some for tomorrow, and you can too (most of the ingredients are easily on hand this time of year)...

Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread

2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. butter
1 egg
1 tsp. grated orange peel (if desired)
3/4 c. orange juice
1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen cranberries (we used 1/2 c. dried Craisins instead, since that's what we had!)
1 1/2 c. light raisins (we leave these out, since we use Craisins)

In a large bowl, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly. Add egg, peel & juice all at once, stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in cranberries & raisins.

Spoon into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.

owl be seeing ya

Thanks to the greenbelt along the east side of our new neighborhood, as well as a huge scrubby field behind our house, we have already encountered more nature in this house in 3 weeks than we did in the entire 9 years at our last house.

This morning, I was awakened by this sound (not the first time), and I could tell it was coming from our roof because it was so loud.



My mind immediately went to "do you think I could make it out there in time to get a picture?", forget that it is pitch-black outside and close to 32°! Maybe sometime I'll try, but that just wasn't going to happen this morning.

I recognized the call immediately from when the girls and I studied the Great Horned Owl last year for school as part of a unit involving the beautiful story book, Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Check your library, it's a wonderful read! The girls really appreciated the book more after I found audio clips online so they could hear the actual owl calls.

Classics Bookclub - Pride and Prejudice

I was quite excited to find the Classics Bookclub that was started up by 5 Minutes For Books, especially after my dive back into the reading world this summer.

I was even more excited to read one of Jane Austen's books for the first time - Pride and Prejudice.

I have loved (and own!) the major theater releases that came from Jane Austen's books - as well as watching the entire series of Jane Austen productions shown on PBS this past spring. But for some reason that I cannot explain, I had never read anything Austen had written. It was about time.



I enjoyed the book immensely, and am glad to have read it. I can see now why many devoted fans of the book were upset that the 2006 movie did not follow the book as well as other productions. In this case, I have to say I did not mind, though, especially when you consider what the 2006 version was able to fit into 2 hours. There is so much more to the book (isn't that always the case?), and I enjoyed reading about elements left out of the film, such as quiet Mary, Caroline's conpiritory ways, Lizzie's extended family, and more of her her mother's neurotic and absurd behavior that makes me laugh out loud.

I marvel at what life was like for women in that time, and am thankful that I was able to marry for love. I especially appreciate the seemingly forgotten concept in our "modern" world, of respect leading to love, and love leading to self-sacrifice.

The entire time I read this book, the screen actors and their voices were in my head, reciting the lines that were taken directly from the book to the screen - especially Brenda Blethyn (again with Lizzie's zany mother!) As much as I wanted to pop the DVD in every day, I made myself wait until I had finished the book. I even found some of the music to add to my playlist (left sidebar)!

Part of the way through the book, since I was immersed in an Austen world, I rented Becoming Jane, which I thoroughly enjoyed (despite it's own tragedy). I found it interesting how much the people and events in Jane's life shadowed people and events found in all of her written works. That makes her writing so much more interesting to me, to know that characters were colored by her own personal experience and not just her imagination.

Still one of my favorite movies... the scene where he is walking to meet her in the misty morning, coat blowing in the wind, makes my heart flutter in my throat every time.