Sweetness and Light

Healthy New Year :: Greeness

Red Lentil and Cauliflower Stew, Organic Girl  Supergreens with Balsamic Vinagrette, Homemade Bread

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."    ~ Virginia Woolf

Over the course of the past year and slowly a few years previous our family has been moving towards a more healthy lifestyle. We are only buying organic fruits and vegetables, grass fed local beef, organic or free range chicken and turkey, raw milk or organic non-homogenized milk, cream and organic butter, and raw honey. We are consuming as little processed foods as possible and I am making most of our bread, yogurt, kefir and sourdough, just to name a few. I am also dabbling in fermenting certain foods to add better nutrition to our daily meals.

These additions and changes to our meal planning and lifestyle did not occur overnight, but I have been making these changes gradually and it has thankfully saved us money in the long run as we are wasting less food, eating healthier and enjoying our meal preparation time in the kitchen as I have more real food on hand that has been lovingly prepared for my family.

Here are just a few of the books and websites that have inspired me, not in any particular order ::

Cultures for Health - Excellent site for ordering beginning starter cultures for anything you want to try. They also have some nice demo videos and recipes.

Kitchen Stewardship - Many, many good ideas on this site, she gives you ways to make changes in "baby-steps" which can be very helpful as this move towards a more healthful lifestyle can be overwhelming to many people. I just downloaded her ebook Better Than a Box for Kindle for only $ .99

Cooking Traditional Foods - This site has been around for a while and can be a bit overwhelming, but still many good ideas.

Gorgeously Green and The Gorgeously Green Diet  - the first is a great guide to taking steps on being greener within all aspects of your home and environment, especially in the kitchen. The second book is similar to the first only she includes skads of really great recipes. I was pleasantly surprised with both of these as the covers can be deceiving ;)

The Healthy Kitchen - (HT: to my friend Kathy for this recommendation) written by some top guns, Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley, this one has many good recipes and excellent health and nutrition tips scattered throughout by both authors. I am going to have Violet read this one as part of her Home Ec class this term :)

Vegetarian Bible - I am always on the look out for "good" vegetarian cookbooks, not just sporting "Tofu Surprise" as their main schtick ;-) This is an excellent resource and so many great recipes. Lots to choose from in this one.

Of course, I have continually scoured my old standby Nourishing Traditions  so many times, and it still proves to have some of the best reasons for eating healthier and the reasons behind the "fat makes you fat myth" ie. why it's good to eat whole dairy and butter, etc. That could prove to be a whole other post at some point, but for now, I'll leave it at that :)

What kinds of things are you doing in your kitchen to be healthier and greener, I'd love to know what has worked for you!! Off to bake a batch of our favorite Homemade Granola. Here is my standby recipe adapted over the past few years ::

Homemade Granola (Double or Triple as desired)

• 4 cups Rolled Oats
• 1/4 cup Virgin Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil or butter (melted)
• 1/2 cup Raw Honey or Agave Nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
• 1/2 cup unsalted raw sunflower seeds

Melt butter or coconut oil over low heat, just until melted, add honey and vanilla. Pour into large bowl and top with all dry ingredients, mix well and pour onto a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Flatten out well to the edges and bake at 325 for 20 minutes, stir and return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring well. If not browned to your liking, bake another 10 minutes, but be very careful not to burn, it happens fast!! We like to add our dried or fresh fruits at the table so this is the basic recipe.

Enjoy with homemade Kefir, Yogurt or your beverage of choice - organic milk, raw milk or almond milk is delicious! Add any dried or fresh fruit, a little maple syrup or raw honey or agave, what a great way to start the day - YUM!!

Been Doing

Finished our 3 week run with Nutcracker. Violet takes the prize for most parts danced in a single production, hands down. She is amazing!!!

                                             +++

Decorated the Tree, beautiful!!

                                             +++

Been reading :: The Lady of Guadalupe, Merry Christmas Strega Nona & The Birds at Christmas by Tomie dePaola, The Tomten (LOVE) by Astrid Lindgren, The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown, Hanna's Christmas, Annika's Secret Wish (audio) The Polar Express (audio and movie - LOVE) The Christmas Miracle of Jonathon Toomey (audio), Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lindgren, and started I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge (LOVE).

                                             +++

Been watching :: The Polar Express, Blizzard (great family movie) Ice Age 4 (pretty funny, not nearly as crude as #3, thank heavens)

                                             +++

Been Baking :: Pecan Snowballs, Speculaas, Traditional Sugar Cookies

                                             +++

Been Eating :: The most amazing Swedish Cardamom Bread from one of Violet's ballet friends, yummo!!!

**Recipe update :: the Carne Asada recipe I alluded to in this post was amazing, especially the second day, I highly recommend it :)

                                            +++

What have you been doing in this 3rd week of Advent???

 

Advent Snippets

We've managed to stick pretty close to our Advent Reading Plan, with the exception of a few books that still haven't come from the library, as I ordered them last minute, so serves me right, eh? There were plenty of substitutes waiting in the wings nonetheless.

Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
The Littlest Matryoshka
Night Tree
The Miracle of Saint Nicholas by Gloria Whelan 
Christmas Tapestry
Counting to Christmas
Santa Mouse
Christmas Trolls
Home for Christmas by Jan Brett (new for us this year)
Fletcher and the Snowflake Christmas
Four Friends at Christmas  by Tomie dePaola

                                           **********

The younger boys are learning Russian and French at Memrise. Super fun site (HT: Lissa)!!

                                           **********

Secret Santas have been leaving little surprises around the house for their recipients, I think some have guessed already, but it's still fun and of course we all pretend not to know ;-) The manger is quickly filling up with nice soft hay as well for Baby Jesus.

                                           **********

Nutcracker has been going well, we will all be a little sad and relieved when we finish this weekend. Violet of course is our shining star on stage and has some lovely solo parts - Marzipan and Ballerina Doll, as well as being a Snow, Flower & Russian Corps, oh and she is a Maid too for one of the party scene casts - she is LOVING it!! We have all had such a good time!

                                          **********

Have a yummy Carne Asada  bubbling away in the crockpot today for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I hope it turns out well, haven't tried this one before. The kids are clamoring at me for their Mexican Hot Chocolate for teatime! Have a great rest of the week friends!! We're looking forward to St. Lucy's day tomorrow!! God Bless You.

 

Reading Through Advent (or) A Book a Day in Advent

Reading Our Way Through Advent has been a tradition in our home for as long as we've had preschool-age children. We especially cherish the many picture books that adorn our shelves for Advent and Christmas. Here is our list for this years Reading Our Way Through Advent in picture books. This does not include all the books we will read each day, just the picture book choices.

Please feel free to mention any favorites that you like to share with your little ones and big ones alike :) 

Advent Reading

Day 1 :: We're Counting to Christmas by Nancy Tafuri

Day 2 :: Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco

Day 3 :: The Littlest Matryoshka by Corine Demas Bliss

Day 4 :: Night Tree by Eve Bunting

Day 5 :: Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Day 6 :: The Baker's Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale  by Aaron Shepard

Day 7 :: This is the Star by Joyce Dunbar

Day 8 :: The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Berger

Day 9 :: Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Day 10 :: The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden

Day 11 :: The Runaway Sleigh Ride by Astrid Lingren

Day 12 :: The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola

Day 13 :: Hannah's Christmas by Melissa Peterson Wiley

Day 14 :: A Christmas Card for Mr. McFizz by Obren Bokich

Day 15 :: An Early American Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Day 16 :: Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury by Jan Brett

Day 17 :: The Legend of the Pointsettia by Tomie dePaola

Day 18 :: An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

Day 19 :: Annika's Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis

Day 20 :: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Day 21 :: The Tomten by Astrid Lingren

Day 22 :: Christmas in the Stable by Astrid Lingren

Day 23 :: The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell

Day 24 :: The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett 

What a lovely list of Advent picture books, we can't wait to get reading! There are so many more I could have added and it's always hard to narrow it down to one per day, but we'll be reading lots of other Advent and Christmas related stories along with our daily picture books.

We'll surely read Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lingren, we might try Jotham's Journey  again this year, although it's always a toss up between that one and Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle. We'll be reading about the Saints of Advent as well, of which there are many, and doing some fun crafts, baking, and the usual Jesse Tree activities! Oh and we do love The Jesse Tree by Geraldine MacCaughrean. Ah, so many books, so little time. How to fit it all in....

Slowly and quietly as we await the birth of our dear sweet Baby Jesus!! I hope you all have a beautiful Advent season and do pop in to say hello when you get a chance! Many blessings from our family to yours.

In Thanksgiving

We will be cozied up for a great Thanksgiving with family at home this year! And no Thanksgiving would be complete without including this great read aloud from one of our all-time favorite authors. Our version has a different cover, but it's still the same in text I believe.

I am so thankful for all my visitors and friends who make this site all the more Sweet!! God bless you and your families during this holiday and may we always be ever thankful for our dear Lord in Heaven and His blessed Mother who guides us to his salvation!

Happiest Thanksgiving wishes to you all. Love Meredith and family.

Seen. Heard. Read. :: Early Autumn

September is in full swing and we're having a beautiful Indian Summer here in our parts. Considering we really had no summer, we'll take what we can as long as it lasts ;)

Wallace Falls

We just returned from a super fun camping trip with friends at a lovely spot not very far from home. Great hiking, a beautiful lake to splash in after our hike, not to mention the super good times around the campfire, can't wait for the next one!! (more pictures coming soon).

Seen ~

 

These two young bucks nibbling to their hearts content in our front yard, which I might add is rather fussy and not really what I would consider deer fodder, but hey, who can be picky in suburbia, it's their turf too ;-)

Heard ~

Matthias on our first night camping, "Hey dad, did you know we can download something called Open Star Map  onto your phone to look at the stars anywhere? We can map the stars right over our head right now."

Dad, "Let's do it!!"  (It's now on both our androids ;-)

This was very cool, can't wait to try it out at home on our next perfectly starry night :) 

Read ~

Sean-Paul is on a Mrs. Piggle Wiggle  stint. It's always hysterical to read these aloud, I enjoy them every time. Other recent favorites we have savored many times over the past few weeks: A Mother for Choco, The Wolf's Chicken Stew, Growing Vegetable Soup, My Car (love the pics in these Byron Barton books), many Dr. Seuss books, Hedgie's Surprise, Where the Wild Things Are, The Story About Ping.

Seamus and I just finished reading aloud The Shakespeare Stealer  and The Buffalo Knife, found this one in Books Children Love, one of my favorite booklist resources. We just started Sign of the Beaver  last night, love this one, hope he does too :) He's also on a Redwall kick reading and listening to the series. Right now he's on Salamandastron audible. For American History he's finishing up Pocahontas (a Childhood of Famous Americans book), next up will be John Adams. Also he's reading and narrating from This Country of Ours  and The New Americans. 

Matthias is reading Far North  and recently finished Moccasin Trail. Up next with be Captured by the Mohawks. He is studying American History this year and enjoying America's Last Best Hope (got this at a steal as a two book boxed set for $4.95 on amazon, score!!), America As Seen by it's First Explorers  and snippets of Christ and the Americas.

Violet is hard to keep up with in terms of a reading list, but here are a few tidbits I spied on her shelf over the last month: Sierra Jensen  (Christian Romance series) by Robin Jones Gunn, Backwater & Best Foot Forward  by Joan Bauer, Warhorse (for bookclub), Green Glass Sea  (WWII novel), Violins of Autumn  (also WWII inspired), The Guardian Duke  and Kisses from Katie  (inspired by a youth group volunteer project she is participating in this year). 

Me ~ I just finished A Solitary Blue  by Cynthia Voight and Off Balance  Mary Sheepshanks (really enjoy both these authors currently). I am just dipping in to the 4th Tillerman book called The Runner and found a delicious relic on my daughter's shelf that she acquired from her grandmother, Green Dolphin Street  by Elizabeth Goudge, yippee!!

Hope your Autumn is in full swing, what have you all seen, heard and read lately???

Cookbooks :: Recent Faves

Okay, so I usually grab a few new-to-me cookbooks every few times at the library. I really enjoy looking through cookbooks and especially in order to peruse them for possible purchases or gift ideas. I have discovered some new favorites and thought I'd share them here.

The first one up is The French Slow Cooker  by Michele Scicolone. It's a beautifully photographed cookbook with lovely and very doable french recipes. And I love the slow-cooker aspect, very mom-friendly.

Here's a recent recipe I served my family on a warm summer evening ~

Chicken Salad Parisienne

1 Herb Roasted Chicken (recipe included in book) or a convenient Rotisserie Chicken from the market

6-12 small waxy potatoes such as yukon golds or red new potatoes, cooked and quartered

8 oz. green beans or french beans cooked/blanched

2 T, capers, rinsed and drained

Easy Vinaigrette (see below)

Lettuce leaves (I used a baby lettuce mix)

3-6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes

Dice chicken into bite sized pieces, discarding skin and bones. In a bowl, combine chicken, potatoes, green beans, and capers. Drizzle with half the dressing. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter. Pile the chicken mixture on top. Garnish with the eggs and tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and serve.

Easy Vinaigrette :: 6 T. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 T red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, or fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground pepper. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar, whisk or shake until combined. Taste for seasoning, serve.

Another delightful find is Tyler Florence Family Meal  by none other than Tyler Florence ;-) Okay, so this one I have checked out before and loved, but never got around to trying anything as I had to return it too fast. It was obviously a hot item at the library checkout!! There's so much to be said about this wonderful compilation of recipes, he's nailed it on this one for sure. I have loved many of his other cookbooks, but this one is by far my favorite. It'a a titch overwhelming, as there are so many good recipes in this one. It's definately a "cook-your-way" through kind of book plus lots of good reading in between the recipes about his career and life in northern California, but I started out easy and small with his Chile Relleno Rice, HELLO, seconds please!!!

Here it is :: Chile Relleno Rice

2 cups cooked rice (once I used white, another time organic brown basmati = both delish)

2 cups sour cream (I used 1c sour cream, 1 cup greek yogurt)

1 can condensed chicken soup (I made my own based on the recipe in Make it Fast, Cook it Slow - email me if you want that concoction ;-)

2  - 7oz cans diced green chiles

2 1/2 cups diced Monterey Jack cheese (dice on the smaller size)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the rice according to directions (do a day ahead if you like). In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, sour cream (and yogurt), soup mix, chiles, and cheese. Mix thoroughly and season with salt pepper. Spread the rice in prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until lightly browned. Goes great with any of your favorite mexican main dishes, like tacos, burritos or enchiladas. Could also become a main course with the addition of cooked cubed or shredded chicken breast. By itself, however, it's a true winner!!

Another lovely discovery and swoony cover, is the Macrina bakery and cafe cookbook by Leslie Mackie. I can't believe I've never been to this bakery, it's a world legend apparently. Such a sheltered life I lead, HA HA! Really, have just been too lazy to try it. Judging by the cover, it clearly looks like a place to visit, if not just to gaze at all the goodness going on there :)

 I haven't tried any of the recipes in this one yet, but I'm drooling over the Guatemalan Hot Chocolate Bread (yes, I know, wipe your mouth) and the Cherry Almond Scones which sound very proper and utterly delish! The Bacon, Leek & Gruyere Quiche has also caught my eye. My kids love quiche, so perhaps I can tempt them with this more french version for a little culinary flair :) I'm sure I can get Violet to give something a try in the pastry department too. If you have this book or have been to one of the Macrina Bakery and Cafes  I'd love to hear your experience and thoughts.

What's cookin' at your house this summer??? Thanks for visiting and have a great weekend friends :)

Summer Book Stack :: A Partial List

I have too many of them at the current moment, all but for good reason.

Summer reading!!!

I recently read The Virginian by Owen Wister on my Kindle. I really enjoyed it. Was a pre-read for Matthias and am not sure whether I'll have him read it next year or not, but it's definately worth a look in the later teen years. Violet will probably read it soon.

I just finished The Perfect Storm  by Sebastian Junger. An exciting fast paced book of which they made a movie, eons ago, but the book contanined many statistics about the commercial swordfishing industry that the movie left out. All in all a pretty good storyline alltogether, considering it was based on a true event.

Currently, I am reading China Court  by Rumer Godden. It's starting out well and I truly enjoy her writing style.

And in no particular reading order, here is one of my stacks (some already read) ::

*Blackwater by Eve Bunting *Read in about two hours, then passed to Violet!

*Above and Beyond by Susan Bonners *Read this one in a quick afternoon as well, Seamus should like it.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood ~ Might be our next read aloud!

The Journal of Sean Sullivan (A Dear America Book) ~ Pre-read for Seamus

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (Violet said this one was really good).

The Little Bookroom by Eleanor Farjean ~ Adorable little collection!

Homecoming by Cynthia Voight

Picking up the Pieces by Mary Sheepshanks

A New Song by Jan Karon

Lessons from Blackberry Inn  by Karen Andreola (always love to read her stuff)

How's your summer reading coming along?? Enjoy these lazy days while they last and stay cool!

Sneak Peak...

...a little something exciting I wanted to share. Pop on over to Bliss on the Hill  and see what's new :)

I can't wait for it to come out!! Wishing you a lovely rest of Lent, we're over half-way to Easter!! Much love & blessings!

The Three O'Clock Hour

+ Reposted from 2010 +

Wishing you an enjoyable and prayerful Lent with your families, I will be away from this space for a while, but hope to pop in occasionally with some inspirational images and thoughts. God Bless you all!

"Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see, Whether there is any suffering like my suffering." ~ Lamentations 1:12

 

We are adding something new to our Lenten journey this year. It's called the Three O'Clock Hour.

Every day at three o'clock (or as close to everyday as possible) we will gather for a prayerful fifteen to thirty minutes or so and read something special, say some "little prayers" and have a small refreshment (except for Fridays).

This will not be a teatime type gathering such as we relish during feast days or other celebratory times of the liturgical year, but more of a quiet, re-collecting time at the hour of Jesus' death on the cross.

Today, I chose one of our favorite saint stories The Blackbird's Nest: St. Kevin of Ireland. This is a beautiful book to begin Lent as it is all about an Irish boy who changes himself for the better during his forty day sabbatical in a hut away from his monastery during Lent. God uses a blackbird to soften Kevin's heart as she builds her nest in his outstretched hand as he is praying. At the end of the forty days he is a much different boy. Truly this book is a gem and a must read any time during Lent :)

A sample of "little prayers" that could be used for a Three O'Clock Hour ::

~ We adore you O Christ and we bless you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

~ Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

~ Immaculate Heart of Mary, be our salvation!

~ For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. (for the entire Divine Mercy Chaplet, please visit here) We really like this in song (youtube.com) as well!

~ Jesus, Mary, I love you, save souls!

~ Recitation of The Angelus

These are just a few of the many different ways you can pop a little extra prayerful quiet time into your Lenten journey with your sweeties!

May your Lent be enriched by a Three O'clock Hour. I'd love to hear if you do one and how it worked our for you!

Holy God, Holy Mighty God, have mercy on us and on the whole world!

Reading in 2012

(Gratuitous Cute Picutre from Xmas 2011, guess what his favorite present was...)

Well, I'm a little behind on my "let's read 52 book in 52 weeks" challenge. I haven't joined any particular list for this, it's just my own personal goal. I have about 4 different books going right now though, so I may need to rethink how I can officially read "a" book each week. Guess we'll see how January plays out and re-group if necessary :)

Anyhoo, popped up a sidebar to keep track of books read, and there's always my Goodreads list, which is growing, woohoo :) I really appreciate the vast number and variety of reviews put up there, it is truly helpful when selecting books, especially as a cross-review to amazon*.

A quick read for last week, actually read this book in an afternoon: Lucy Was There by Jean van Leeuwen. It was a sweet middle-grade novel. Violet liked it too, pretty sad though.

Other books in the queue (in no particular order):

The Dashwood Sisters tell all  by Beth Pattillo

Waking Rose  by Regina Doman

Milestones Memoirs 1927-1977  by Joseph Ratzinger (Our Blessed Holy Father)

An Assembly Such as This  by Pamela Aidan

Skipping a Beat  by Sarah Pekkanen

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Traitor to Nation Volume 1 The Pox Party  by M.T. Anderson

Jellicoe Road  by Melina Marchetta

I'm sure you've all got large bookstacks too, what are you reading???

*Just a note to let you know I do not receive anything from amazon by linking to them, it's just convenient :)

Many blessings in your day!

 

Favorite Nature Study Resources

Nature study is as much a part of a Charlotte Mason education as is reading living books.

I thought I would share some of our favorite Nature study resources and our usual "go-to's" when we study the natural world.

We're enjoying this recent inexpensive download at Currclick from Katie's Homeschool Cottage  Along with some great books from the library we will have a nice nature study for the Fall. I see right now it's even less expensive  during Currclicks Trunk or Treat sale, check it out!!

Of course Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study  has been a staple on our shelves for many many years. We are consulting it today, as we have a Wooly Bear that we are observing. Matthias found it last week and he's been carefully tending it with grass and dandelions (loves them) and today he's baking a little mud "hideout" for it to winter over in. We will be anxious to see it spin a cocoon next Spring and then transform into an Isabella Tiger Moth!!

For sketching and nature journalling ideas we have Jim Arnosky's Sketching Outdoors in Autumn, Drawing from Nature  and Field Trips. Also on our shelf is Claire Walker Leslie's Keeping a Nature Journal. We also like The Brook Book as it is nice to consult after our Salmon Watch field days.

Because it's autumn we are cherishing  various tree and leaf picture books  as well as Tree field guides. These take-along guides  are nice too. In the Pacific Northwest we do get a pretty good change of seasons with all of the deciduous trees turning color and watching the leaves fall. Thankfully we are still profusely stocked with evergreens however, to keep things from looking too bare in winter :)

Our days have turned rainy for the time being, but here's a peek at some nice outdoor nature work from earlier this week:

And some of their finished work:

(Seamus' creation)

(Sean-Paul's)

Looking forward to a lovely weekend with my sweeties, what are you all up to this Autumn?? Many blessings in your day :)

Reading Frenzy YA Edition **Updated**

**Updated** 10/15/11 ~

I'm on a Young Adult reading frenzy right now. I've been wanting to knock out a few YA books in the hopes that I can find some fun new reads for Violet, but alas the ones I've read thus far are in no way appropriate for her, just yet. I'm a little baffled at the YA rating and what is being published as YA, but also really enjoying some great reading and finding new authors.

Read so far ~

Stolen: a letter to my captor  by Lucy Christopher :: WOW, really good, but freaky to think about someone being kidnapped on any level as good.

 

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson :: Really, really good, but so much adult material and language.

 

And I finally got around to reading The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate  by Jacqueline Kelly :: I loved it so much I immediately bought our home library a copy. I think we'll start it as our first read-aloud of the new school year. It's SO, so good :)

 

I also just finished The Hunger Games  by Suzanne Collins, not my usual preference in fiction, but very good nevertheless and one that both Violet and Matthias can read. I've already got the second book Catching Fire  on it's way from the library...

 

On my YA stack waiting to be read are ~ (and in no particular order)

 **Midnight Dancers by Regina Doman (Violet loved this one!) :: Wow, really liked this one.

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly (historical fiction)

**By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters (okay, so don't have much hope for Violet to read this anytime soon, but it looks really good) :: And yes it was okay, but not super...

**Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler :: Meh! This one had real promise and I did enjoy the writing style, but it just kind of flopped at the end.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Sea by Heidi R. Kling (hope this one is a good as it sounds, awesome cover)

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder (another sci-fi genre, we'll see...)

**Freefall by Mindi Scott (Goodreads notes here)

**Split by Swati Avashti (brief Goodreads notes here)

**The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer  by Michelle Hodkin (Another Meh. If you read the first and second review on goodreads about this book it's pretty much how I felt about it, too bad.)

I've got more coming from the library, but this should keep me busy well into September, and October and November... don't cha think?? Have you read any of these titles?? Love to hear about them and what you thought!

Monday Reading Madness

Well, it's raining here today, actually pouring!! So, we're reading, lots o' books :)

We had a hankering for Jim Arnosky, love his DVD of books read on Reading Rainbow, check your library for it if you can, there's a great "how-to-draw" a porcupine at the end by the author himself, well worth watching all the way through :) Besides the ones listed here, we've got a whole stack of his nature drawing books. Also planned are some great Jean Craighead George  books for later this week :)

 
Raccoons and Ripe Corn by Jim Arnosky

Come Out Muskrats by Jim Arnosky

Every Autumn Comes the Bear by Jim Arnosky

 
Voyage to the Bunny Planet by Rosemary Wells :: This one is hysterical and whimsical all at the same time. Once read you will never forget the repeated lyric:

"Far beyond the moon and stars, Twenty light-years south of Mars, Spins the Bunny Planet, and the Bunny Queen is Janet."

Catchy, eh?

Bunny Mail by Rosemary Wells :: Flaps are always fun in a picture book, no matter how old you are :)

 
Max & Ruby's Bedtime Book by Rosemary Wells :: Bedtime stories with Grandma, what could be better!

 
McDuff Moves In by Rosemary Wells :: It only took one reading for us to fall in love with sweet little McDuff.

Owl Moon by Jan Yolen (Classic picture book, a must read any time, but especially in Autumn or Winter)

Violet started and finished The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper. She's also reading Lay Seige to Heaven by Louis de Wohl.

Matthias is thick into The Yearling.

Seamus finished A Lion to Guard Us  today!

I finished Anne's House of Dreams  on my Kindle over the weekend and am currently reading The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton. I'm just getting ready to start Waking Rose  before it's due back from inter-library loan!!

Hope you're snuggled up tight somewhere having a lovely reading time with your sweeties this week! Happy Monday friends :)

So, What Are You Into?

Busy days began this week with Violet's ballet summer intensive courses. Adding a new dimension to our lazy summer days that have indeed been lazy, but still don't seem like summer here yet. Sheesh, you'd think we could have at least TWO days in a row of nice hot, sunny weather, but it doesn't appear to be in the cards for us Seattlites this year, argh!!! (Yes, I miss my Idaho heat and now I'll stop whining).

 
(Migrating Canada Geese from back in June)

In other news, we are in a really nice groove, here's run-down of what we are IN-TO:

Summer Reading ~

ME :: All the Rowan Jacobsen  books. Loved The Living Shore  and am in the middle of Fruitless Fall. Read about this one (and a few others) at the famous Bonny Glen . Jacobsen has sure got a knack for nature writing without being TOO politically correct, iykwim.

Oh, I also zipped through A Thomas Jefferson Education and really enjoyed it. Faith is leading a discussion at the Catholic Unschooling Yahoo list, so wanted to be able to follow, interesting and beneficial! Also quickly re-read The Well-Adjusted Child, a MUST read for anyone currently home-schooling, or considering it!!

VIOLET :: She has so many on her shelf, I'm not sure where to begin. She will most likely cover about 80% of that aforementioned reading challenge the kids all took upon themselves ;-) Anyhoo here's a few -- The Princess Bride, Surviving Hitler and a few other WWII related books, Shadow of the Bear (5+ stars on this one, we BOTH loved it), Fairest by Levine of Ella Enchanted, Road to Yesterday by L.M. Montgomery (she said she just HAD to re-read this one this summer).

MATTHIAS :: Lots of baseball oriented books going on here for him this summer. Some fun Dan Gutman's -- Banana Bats and Ding Dong Balls, Baseball's Greatest Games. Others are Baseball's Greatest Series (this is close to home as it is about our Seattle Mariners and the NY Yankees game of 1995) and also Home Run: The Definitive History of Baseball's Secret Weapon by David Vincent. 

SEAMUS :: Enjoying the first few Brian Jacques  books on his own for the first time. He loved Redwall and is listening to Mossflower on a Playaway. He also started Salamandaston, but had to return it to the library before he finished it. We've re-ordered it though and it should be on it's way soon.

Mommy note -- The deliciousness of seeing my children captivated by a new series or book, especially a book that is so special, is one of my hearts greatest desires.

Let's see, others he has recently read, Ichiro Suzuki: Best in the West, At the Plate With Ichiro (yes, he's one of our favorite players).

SEAN-PAUL :: Too many picture books to list, but we did just finish Freddy the Detective a funny story about a pig that is a barnyard detective ala Sherlock Holmes style, very 6-year oldish and funny. We just started Stuart Little, his first time through and of course he keeps remarking that "it isn't like that in the movie mommy", yeah I know ;-)

Summer Baking ~ We've enjoyed some super yummy baked goods this summer, mostly Violet-created. Of course we just had the Delish Summer Strawberry Scones, and our other favorite scone recipe is the Blueberry Drop Scones from The Big Book of Breakfast, so fast and easy. They can even be prepared the night before and baked off first thing in the morning.

 
We have been making alot of "Make-Your-Own-Pizzas" this summer as well. Everybody loves it and they get to put whatever they want on their own pizza, so alot less whining going on about what's for dinner (not that my kids EVER do that ;-) Our favorite pizza dough recipe comes from the Barefoot Contessa in Paris -- recipe here.

Okay so have you checked out Google+ yet??? I am in, we'll see how it pans out. For a NON-Facebooker, I am anxious to see how this measures up as a one-stop network. I DO like Google's approach so far and have been extremely pleased with Google Reader and Gmail, so we'll see....Many good posts about it at the Bonny Glen (ooh, 2 plugs in one day for her ;-)

 (Our Allstar boy, we're so proud of him)

Goodreads ~ LOVE keeping track of my books read here. I especially love the comments and reviews features and have found many great book suggestions for myself and my kiddos over the past few years. Are you there?? I'd love to catch up with you  :)

Summer Science ~ Volcanoes :: What, you don't have a Volcano in your backyard yet???

 

 This was just after the eruption, very dramatic, however, me being an extremely LAME photographer, I totally missed it. But, you get the idea :) A couple of boys, some baking soda, food coloring and vinegar, you've got your afternoon figured out. You can thank me later :)

Would love to hear what ya'll are INTO this summer! We'll be doing the baseball tournament "thing" this weekend, enjoy yours whatever it may hold. Don't forget to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel  on Saturday, a very special feast indeed! Many blessings to you!!

Monday Morning Reading

Sean-Paul and I had a nice little reading session this morning. Here are the books we enjoyed together ~

 

The Best Nest  by P.D. Eastman :: Who can resist this one, a classic!

Monclure's Short "i" and Long "i" Play a Game :: Working on recognizing beginning and middle letter sounds and reading the words. (I see that this one is out of stock at amazon.com, maybe out of print as well??)

Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever :: Always a favorite, the pictures are always so engaging and he does alot of pointing and looking as we read this one :)

What are ya'll reading with your littles this week??? Happy Monday friends :)

 

Currently Reading ~ Summer Stack

The book stack is rather large these days. Notwithstanding my beloved Kindle, which goes most places with me, I have hit the jackpot at the library as of late on some really keen reads.

Re-reading ~

 Homeschooling With Gentleness  by Suzie Andres, 'cause I had to refresh my memory after reading the very refreshing new book by the same author, The Little Way of Homeschooling. If you haven't read this one yet, get it!!

 

Teach Your Own  by John Holt. Love to re-read this one every few years or so. 

 

 Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott. Always inspiring, and funny!

 

New Reads ~

The Herald of Divine Love by Saint Gertrude of Helfta  Translated by Margaret Winkworth. Unbelievable story of her life and work, savoring it a little each day, but very hard to put down. Her life is so inspiring, I am already seeing the beauty of her influence with Our Lord and His divine grace.

 

Steady Days  by Jamie C. Martin. Saw this on a yahoo list and checked out her blog and enjoyed a few things there. The book is a nice tidy little thing, definately worth a look.

 

How to Feed a Teenage Boy  by Georgia Orcutt. I like this one quite a bit, and great recipes and snack ideas (for the whole family). It's definately time to start pulling out the big guns with respect to the pantry and my boys, albeit only one is 12, but fast approaching eating like a teen :) Here we go...

 

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette  by Jeanne Birdsall. Cause Violet read it in 2 hours and Mags Raved about it here too, so you know, peer pressure ;-)

 

 So what are y'all reading this summer. I won't even begin to list all the children's books stacks. They have challenged themselves to read a minimum of 100 books during our 2-ish month summer break. We'll see if they meet the challenge!!! Just so you know, there are amazon gift cards waiting in the wings for the winners :)))

We're also not too shy about our book obsessions here either, so share away, maybe there's something else we need to add to the stack!!

Happy summer and Happy reading friends! Many blessings in your summer sunny days.

A List of Sorts **Updated**

**(Feel free to just scroll to the bottom for the update :)

I hesitated to create any kind of reading challenge for myself this year, like the 40 in 40 or whatever it was that I did last year, or maybe it was the year before, at any rate, I have moved into a reading phase that allows me to read more often and listen more often while doing other things, like running to and fro kids' activities and while knitting (of course). I thought maybe for the sake of having a list of books read somewhere besides on my Kindle I would start an informal list here and add to it occaisionally.

The best book I have read so far this year and perhaps for many years (aside from some classics) is The Book Thief. In a word, exceptional! I listened to this book narrated by Allan Corduner and he was an excellent narrator in my opinion, such perfect voices for all the characters and the feeling evoked by his voice for this story really brought it alive for me.

Next on the list are some classics ~ Sense and Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice (Violet and I read together, or rather, she read to me :) We also enjoyed both movie versions of these recently as well, and they are so good!

I am in the middle of The Children's Book  by A.S. Byatt. I really enjoyed the beginning third, but am not so pleased with how the middle is turning out. Too much overtly explicit detail. I'm not sure if I will finish it or not at this point which is disappointing to say the least...

I also have I Capture the Castle  by Dodie Smith on my nightstand. I started it back in January, then it had to go back to the library and now I've got it again, so I think I'll pick it back up, as it is starting out very good and I need to step away from The Children's Book for a bit.

Just downloaded Persuasion  by Jane Austen to listen whilst I knit. I have been listening to Taggerung (hysterically narrated by the late Brian Jacques). We were all very sad to hear he had passed. Such an amazing author. No doubt his stories will live on pleasurably enjoyed by so many for centuries to come.

Read aloud to Sean-Paul recently ~ The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald, such a great classic fairy tale (we finished it Sunday night) and I think he loved it as much as I did.

Seamus and I are currently reading St. Dominic and the Rosary, it's part of our Vision books collection. We read St. Francis and Clare  in the fall and finished St. Anthony and the Christ Child just after the new year. What perfect books for this age, so inspiring and boyish!

Matthias is in the middle of Augustus Caesar's World  by Genevieve Foster and Beyond the Desert Gate by Mary Ray. For lighter reading he has read through all the Mysterious Benedict Society books and the new Rick Riordan Egyptian thriller The Red Pyramid, and a few Hardy Boys tossed in for good measure. 

Violet's books this year are too numerous to mention in passing, but for fun she's been reading Emma and enjoying a fun book club with some friends.

Hope your week has started off well, many blessings in your day and I'm so glad you stopped by :)

5.8.11 :: Update ~

A Little Way of Homeschooling  by Suzie Andres (review here) which of course inspired readings of John Holt (again).

Currently enjoying Instead of Education  with a great forward by Patrick Ferenga

On the Kindle :: The Way of Perfection  by Saint Teresa of Avila

Charlotte Bronte and Her Circle  by Clement Shorter

The Professor  by Charlotte Bronte

 

Favorite Picture Books for March

Sean-Paul's favorites this month have been wide and varied and full of some favorites old and new! Here is a short list of his repeated requests ~

 
:: Adventure on Klickitat Island by Barbara Upton

    A great adventure on a stormy night with a favorite teddy bear. Be sure to read this one with a nice big blankie in tow!

 
:: A Birthday for Frances by Russell Hoban

    Classic Frances and perfect for pre and post birthday party days.

:: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

    Not only is this one asked for regularly, but just looking at Sendak's illustrations in this book are to the reader's delight. We also have a Scholastic Storybook DVD version that includes this and some other favorite books, fun for the wild rumpus part!

:: Midnight Teddies by Diana Kubick

    Best when read with a favorite Teddy bear or two.

:: Snuggle Piggy and the Magic Blanket by Michele Stepto

    Another good one to read with a special blanket at hand :)

 
:: The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack

    Always love to read this one.

We're also just starting The Bobbsey Twins as he loves to have a chapter book going now as well :) He also carries around a Paddington that he is "reading" to himself! Hope you're getting in some good reading and snuggle time with your sweeties!

Yarn Along {new wips}

Joining Ginny and all the knitting and reading goodness over at Small Things today...

I had very little time to concentrate on my Xander this past week, in fact I was so busy that I barely got time to look at all the loveliness at last week's yarn along, so I apologize in advance for not being able to comment on all the pretty projects started and finished out there. Because my time was mostly in snippets and in the car alot, I chose to cast on some more manageable knitting, you know the kind that will fit in a small bag with instructions that are mostly repeats :)

First up, a beautiful cowl I'm knitting for my boys' cello teacher ~ It's the January Cowl from Jumper Cable Knitting (Ravelry pattern here, my notes here.) I am loving this easy pattern and lovely Knitpicks Wool of the Andes Peruvian wool. It might look fairly orangein the photo, but it's softly heathered and actually a really muted shade that matches it's name "Persimmon".

 
(See my little dish holding the yarn ball, I use it to keep my ball from rolling off my lap while I work, it's very handy if you have a ball that is not pulled from the center.)

A little project I've been wanting to start for myself is the beautiful Shalom cardigan. It is a delightful pattern and I am so pleased with the yarn I chose for this project ~ some Knitpicks Bulky Swish in "Stormy". It's 100% Merino Superwash and so soft. (Raverly notes here, Shalom pattern here.) 

 
The color is a little brighter in this photo, should have turned off the flash I guess, anyhoo, it's a deep, rich grey that I am loving!

I am back to reading I Capture the Castle, taking a break from The Children's Book (sort of) it's getting a little weird.

Hope you're having a great week and enjoying some great reading and handiwork time with all your sweeties!