peacefulreader

2013 Reads

January:

1. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1994)
2. Room by Emma Donoghue (2010)
3. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant (2002)
4. Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret (2009)
5. Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings (2010)
6. The Dark Hills by Patrick Carman (2011)
7. I am J by Cris Beam (2011)

February:

1. Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carringer (ARC; Feb., 2013)
2. Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta (2009)
3. Beyond the valley of the thorns by Patrick Carman (2011)
4. Tenth City by Patrick Carman (2011)

March:

1. Trinkets by Kirsten (Kiwi) Smith (ARC)
2. The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
3. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
4. Wow. Thanks. by Anne Lamott
5. Catherine by April Lindner (2013) (ARC)

April:

1. Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012)
2. The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (2012)
3. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult (2012)3.
4. I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson (2010)
5. Tennyson by Lesley Blume (2008)
6. Out of my mind by Sharon Draper (2010)

May:

1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (2012)
2. Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner (2010)
3. The Real Boy by Anne Ursu (2013) (ARC)
4. Angry Housewives eating bonbons by Lorna Landvik (2005)

June:

1. Defending Jacob by William Landay (2012)
2. Boy still missing by John Searles (2002)
3. The Red book by Deborah Copanken Kogan (2012)
4. Strange but True by John Searles (2005)
5. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bojalian (2012)
6. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour bookstore by Robin Sloane (2012)
7. Bossypants by Tina Fey (audio) (2011)

July:

1. The miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (2012)
2. Wish you were here by Daisy Whitney (2013)
3. Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay (2003)
4. The Yanahlosse Riding Camp for girls by Anton DiSclafoni (2013)
5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (2012)
6. Annie’s Adventures by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (2008)
7. Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool (2013)

August:

1. Eleanor + Park by Rainbow Rowell (2013)
2. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson (2008)
3. What happened to good-bye by Sarah Dessen (2011)
4. The Master Butcher’s Singing Club by Louise Erdrich (2005)
5. One White Dolphin by Gill Lewis (2012)

September:

1. The Tibrarian’s Handbook by Christine Varachi (2012)
2. Rose under Fire by Elizabeth Wein (2013)

October:

1. Pie by Sarah Weeks (2011)
2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (2012)
3. The List by Siobhan Vivian (2012)
4. Rules by Cynthia Lord (2008)

November:

1. Ungifted by Gordon Korman (2012)
2. The light between the oceans by M.L. Stedman (2012)
3. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (2013)
4. Shifting the monkey by Todd Whitaker (2011)
5. My life next door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (2012)

December:

1. The one and only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (2012)
2. Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin (2013)
3. Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larsen (2012)
4. Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty (2008)
5. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (1999)
6. Pegasus and the flame by Kate O’Hearn (2011)
7. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys (2011)

My library visit.

I picked up quite a bag full of books the last time I was at the library and have been reading furiously since then and guess what, I still can get them finished!

My life next door by Huntley Fitzpatrick (2012); Great YA fiction. Loved the relationship between Jase Garrett and Sam Reed. Samantha’s mother is a piece of work and easily could go down as one of the top ten terrible fiction examples for mothering. She’s a single mom with a big trust fund so she’s snooty and has never embraced the more earthy Garrett family, the next door neighbors. Sam, on the other hand, is fascinated with the Garrett family and spies on them from her bedroom rooftop. The Garretts are the polar opposite of Mrs. Reed; messy, loud, affectionate, and kind and Samantha quickly becomes one of them as Jace befriends her. There are several different surprises in this debut tale.

Rules of Summer by Joanna Philbin (2013); Rory McShane has had a tough life so far. She also has an inssuferable mother who chooses terrible men over motherhood. Rory takes a job as an errand girl for the wealthy Rule family and even though she hasn’t had a parent to look up to she certainly has a strong moral compass. Set against the backdrop of East Hampton, NY Rory learns a few new lessons but leaves with a sense of purpose about her own life and what kind of person she truly is. Philbin is a wonderful writer and I’ve enjoyed her Daughters series as well.

Hattie Ever After by Kirby Larson (2013); Amazing historical fiction, a sequel to Hattie Big Sky, that continues her journey as she heads to San Francisco with an acting troupe. Hattie is full of spirit as she meets new friends and gets a job at the famous San Francisco Chronicle. It may not be as a star reporter as she would like yet for now she’s just happy to walk through the heavy doors everyday. Hattie is such an enjoyable character that I would love to see a third book chronicling her next adventure as she moves to the Pacific Northwest! What do you think Kirby Larson?

Merry Christmas (Eve) to All and to all a good night…

We’ve had a lovely day amidst the hustle to get everything finished. I actually had to go to the mall today to exchange something, stop at the pharmacy, and our dairy for fresh cream but it was an easy hour of doing errands. Most of the grocery shopping had already been done-thank you sweet husband.

We had our early service at church with lots of children involved including Groovy Girl singing The Little Drummer Boy (a bit of trivia; it is actually called Carol of the drum and has an interesting story to go with it) and her older sister accompanied her on the rum-pum-pum drum. I made clam chowder this afternoon from this Food Network recipe although I should have doubled it as there was just barely enough. It was perfect to come home to on this very chilly night and the only suggestion was that it needed more clams and that they shouldn’t have been minced up. My husband went the extra mile and purchased a pound and a half of good cherrystone clams for my recipe and I guess next time I will not mince them up. We had big chunks of bread with our soup and a bottle of sparkling cider to share.

It is tradition to read a few of our favorite Christmas stories on this wondrous eve and we did just that; around the table we read The Polar Express, each of us taking a page and passing it around. My husband does a dynamic job of reading The Grinch and Twas the Night Before Christmas. All three kids are glued to listening as he dramatically reads both stories. I love this part of our evening; its our own simple tradition and I’m glad my teenagers still love it.

We had to make the trip upstairs my husband and I to do that last look through the gifts to see what still needed to be wrapped and what will be set out for the big guy to deliver. Our kids all understand but choose to believe in the magic still.

I hope you have a blessed holiday whatever you choose to celebrate, spending time with family is the true joy. I’m off to hold my husband’s hand as he runs lights for the 11:00 service. The moment when the lights go out and the candles are lit is part of the magic. Peace be with you.

Baby, It's cold outside; Picture books to snuggle with…

Cuddle in by the fire and read!

I have a few picture books I checked out from the library and they are lovely and perfect gift ideas!

Mo’s Mustache (2013) by Ben Clanton

This is a very humorous look at copy cats and trendsetting-a fine line to be sure! Mo appears with a mustache and all his crazy friends follow along which eventually makes Mo unhappy and feeling very un-special! He puts his beauteous mustache away and sports a fantastic new scarf. His friends copy him again. This is perfect book for the little trendsetter in your family!

Glamorous Glasses (2012) by Barbara Johansen Newman

Bobbie and her cousin, Joanie do everything together so when it comes time for Joanie to get glasses Bobbie wants a pair to wear. It’s always greener on the other side of the fence as Joanie doesn’t really want to get new glasses. The two girls problem solve a solution that ends up mixing both of them up. This would have been a perfect book for Groovy Girl in kindergarten when she struggled with finding anything glamorous about wearing glasses.

Year of the Jungle (2013) by Suzanne Collins

Suzy’s father heads to Viet Nam and from a child’s perspective we hear about how his absence affects the whole family through the year. Full page illustrations show Suzy’s imaginative idea of the jungle. This is short and perfect to use for parents who are deployed today as a way to explain their long absences and may help them to draw their own journals through writing and pictures.

The Littlest Evergreen (2011) by Henry Cole

Full circle for a tiny tree; from the tree’s perspective we learn how this tiny shoot no taller than the glass blades transitions into a Christmas tree. His roots are dug up and surrounded by burlap and purchased by a family. In the springtime the tree is planted again in a big hole dug just for him. This is especially relevant to our family this year as this is exactly what we did. We plan to plant it where another evergreen died around the border of our yard. Our kids are adjusting to the fact that it is not a full-sized tree this year but we are giving it back to the earth and that they can live with.

Happy Holidays.
I had plans to have many other fantastic Christmas posts done before this but it just hasn’t happened. I did have a great last few days of work handing out cookies and sharing books with students and now I will enjoy my family back together for the next week or so. I hope the holiday is filled with many blessing for you and your family.

Weekend Cooking; Happy Holidays!

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I feel like I’ve been working in my kitchen all day long! And I have. I started my day making several dozen cut-out cookies for the reception of our Christmas play. And I’m ending my evening making this coffee cake before I head to bed. The cake baking while I’m typing has me feeling hungry!

Here is my stepmother’s cut-out cookies recipe that I’ve used for years now. Whip these up and decorate them with a small person. I guarantee it will put you in the Christmas spirit.

Also I am NOT a fan of cooking with shortening and this time of the year is my one exception as I make many dozens of cookies for receptions and such and then Janice and I make dozens of cookies for the kids at school so that many sticks of butter is not an option.

“Happy Day” Cut-outs ~{Diane’s recipe}

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond
4 1/2 cups flour

Blend together and roll out on floured board. Bake @ 350*. That’s it. Easy Peasy. That’s all she wrote on the scrap of paper and I know how to put them together but of course you will add ingredients in increments after creaming together the sugar and the shortening. I put the soda, salt, and flour together and add slowly to mixing bowl after that. Decorate with icing and lots of red and green sprinkles! One might ask why they are dubbed “happy day” cookies? Because this is my stepmother’s idea of what to do on a rainy, snowy, quiet, or sunny day and that any day then would be made happier just because you are making cookies! You knew that, right?

I made these bars this week when my husband needed treats for a Christmas Opening Night event…..Monster Magic Cookie Bars. They tasted great and looked like one of the elves threw up-perfect holiday treat. I did discover this great blog, Life and Kitchen, though while searching for the Christmas-looking recipe.

While browsing the internet this week I found this well-written article by Musing Mamma to be interesting and accurate. Reading the article really made me wonder how we can get toy companies to make changes to be more representative of all children.

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. Click her link to find many other food related posts. I’m off to bed.

Weekend Cooking; Fresh pizza dough

I made pizza this weekend and it turned out fantastic. The dough was triple light and airy because I rolled it out early and let it sit on the pizza stones in the oven for 3 hours while I went to another event.
When I came home and pulled the stones out of the oven to decorate the pizzas and let the oven heat up the dough was this puffy, airy mass. I poured some red sauce on and set it in the middle of the table.

One of our little guests, Jackson, took a break from petting Sadie the rabbit to help me put topics on the pizza. YES, mother, he washed his hands thoroughly before adding straight cheese and a few tiny mini sausages to the kid’s pie. He liked helping so much he topped the adult pie as well with sautéed mushrooms, black olives, fresh spinach, and plenty of cheese! I didn’t want to seem like a dweeb as we made these pizzas but they were picture-worthy. Thank you to Jackson for you pie decorating abilities.

Here is the dough recipe I used

Pizza dough
adapted from Rodale’s Basic Natural food’s cookbook

2 cups warm water
2 T. local honey
2 full T. of yeast
3 T. vegetable oil
5-6 cups unbleached flour-can use a mix of white and whole wheat

In a large bowl combine warm water, honey, and yeast and let proof. (Proofing means let it get active, it will be bubbly) Then add oil and enough flour to make a firm dough. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic., adding flour as need. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, and turn over to coat. Cover bowl with a damp warm towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough, knead briefly in bowl and let rise again. Then divide dough into two balls. Form each ball into a flat circle and roll out into a circle. I use my Pampered Chef silicone mat for this and it makes it so easy to lift up the dough flip it and turn it over.

We used most of the dough up last night but the rest is going to be turned into a calzone for tomorrow’s lunch box main dish for Groovy Girl! I’m off to create that with her now. This holiday time make some dough and have an easy pizza party. I had all my ingredients prepped and in lidded containers so I could just whip them out and let Jackson go to town. It made for a very easy entertaining trick.

Have a holly jolly week!

This is loosely linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme. Click her link to find many other food-related posts.

Knock Knock; My dad's dream for me.

I came home to two brown paper packages on my living room floor. I ripped into them like it was an early Christmas treat. Books are like that. Inside one of the packets was this lovely book by Daniel Beaty and Bryan Collier (on shelves Dec. 17th).

Knock Knock; My dad’s dream for me (2013) from Little, Brown, and Company is a beautiful story told well both through Beaty’s writing and Collier’s illustrations. A young boy shares his joy of his father’s presence in his life; their morning routine and what his dad means to him. And my first thought was “how nice, the book is going to share the loving relationship between dad and child.” Did not happen; dad is suddenly gone and the young boy is sad, misses his dad. He writes his feelings down for his dad in a letter and leaves it on his desk. I loved this illustration as Collier sends the boy flying up into the sky, searching for his father, on his paper airplane letter.

I was left wondering what happened to this daddy and because of that, as a reader, I was even more affected. I missed the dad too; I could feel the son’s confusion and loneliness. Dad answers the son back in an letter on his desk, telling the young boy that he is sorry he can’t be there too and gives hiim important growing up instructions and we see the son emerge as a young man, wearing his father’s ties, maturing into a man.

This story stunned me because I teach all these wide-eyed beautiful children, many of whom have something in common with this young man; they miss their dads. They easily talk about it often blurting it out during story time or when the topic of family comes up. “My dad’s in jail.” “My dad doesn’t live with me.” “I don’t have a dad.” My heart shudders for them. Ive read other books about loss to my students but this one sends forth a more raw emotional connection between the reader and the father/child relationship.

End notes are included for both illustrator and author and Beaty writes that his father was his caregiver until he was incarcerated. I think it is easy to feel that emotion throughout the book. I received my copy from the publisher and still my thoughts on this book are my own. Always.

Weekend Cooking; The holiday recipes

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Ohhh, we had a lovely Thanksgiving Day, filled with good food and a visit from dear friends. I made a simple roast chicken, baked potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, and fresh cranberries. Everything was easy to put together and I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. The highlight was putting together 2 desserts; a sweet potato pie (which we much prefer over pumpkin) and bread pudding with bourbon sauce.

Bread Pudding recipe (adapted from an old Vegetarian Times recipe):
Oven at 350*

3 large eggs + 2 egg whites
1 cup skim milk
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
5 cups, cubed day old whole wheat bread (1/2 cubes/I say bite-sized)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Whiskey Sauce:
1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup bourbon

To assemble:

Whisk together first 7 ingredients. Fold in cubed bread, raisins, & cranberries. Let stand for 5 minutes or so to allow the custard to absorb into the bread.
Coat 9-in square pan with spray and spread mixture in pan. Bake 35-40 minutes until no egg mixture is bubbling up.
While it is baking make the sauce: In a small saucepan heat the water and brown sugar together. Boil on medium heat for two minutes. Remove from heat and add in bourbon. Boil two more minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a small pitcher and allow to cool just a bit. Serve warm over bread pudding. Serve in bowls with homemade whipped cream on top. Yum!

We also started our day with a quick brunch that included homemade Bloody Mary’s. It was a trial run for another Christmas event that we always host that includes family friends and a hunt for an evergreen tree. Instead of buying Bloody Mary mix I wanted to try my own and found a keeper in this recipe. If you love Mary’s as we do, this recipe will make you smile and it was very easy.

One year I made fresh cranberries and I had a perfect recipe that used less sugar adding orange juice for flavor~I didn’t save the recipe (pre-Pinterest) and can’t find it but I did find this recipe and I just squeezed in a whole orange from my counter. I love, love the bright taste of this fruit and wonder why we don’t eat this all year long! I saved this recipe and will make it again at Christmas time for teenage boy who loves this crisp red berry as well.

Happy Weekend cooking! It’s just one short sleigh ride into Christmas…

This post is linked to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking meme where she gathers together many other food-related posts.

Book Reviews for You!

I’ve been reading steadily between book club choices and friends’ recommendations. I love having extra days off from work just to read.

M.L. Stedman’s The Light Between Oceans: Read this for book club. Loved it. Set in western Australia Isabel and Tom find each other after the war making the lighthouse at Janus Rock their home. It’s not an easy life but one that Tom, in particular, takes to quite easily. You just know when the bad thing happens that things are not going to end well for anyone so while it is a well-written story be prepared for frustration. Learning more about lighthouses was a bonus. Did you know that each light has its own light code that it blinks to? Yes! If you haven’t picked this one up yet put it on your Christmas list.

A sample: “Isabel had managed to sit up a little against the wall, and she sobbed at the sight of the diminutive form, which she had dared to imagine as bigger, as stronger-a child of this world. ‘My baby, my baby my baby my baby,’ she whispered like a magic incantation that might resuscitate him. The face of the creature was solemn, a monk in deep prayer, eyes closed, mouth sealed shut; already back in that world from which he had apparently been reluctant to stray.” {90}

Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train: My friend Teri lent this to me and I thought it was very interesting. I liked the two stories merged together and the information relayed about the children forced to travel and auctioned off across the Midwest.

A sample: “I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or-perhaps forget is the wrong word. how can I forget? And yet how can I move forward even a step without tamping down the despair I feel? When I close my eyes, I hear Maisie’s cries and Mam’s screams, smell the acrid smoke, feel the heat of the fire on my skin, and heave upright on my pallet in the Schatzmans’ parlor soaked in a cold sweat.” {74}

Kline did an incredible amount of research to make this a rich reading experience. Reading this made me want to go back and investigate the Orphan Train kid’s series. Maybe this is a series I need to recommend more to my students.

Blessings counted.

What a beautiful day it is! I have a farm fresh chicken, nice golden bakers, brussel sprouts, and fresh cranberries all waiting to be cooked. A simple meal that won’t take me all day in the kitchen. I made a sweet potato pie last night which looks amazing. I’m going to throw together my lovely bread pudding recipe with bourbon sauce this morning as I watch the parade. Excessive on the desserts as we are having good family friends come to share them with us and play a game. Perfect day all played out in my jammies. I slept until 8:30 this morning. Amazing!

I am forever thankful for my husband, my three creative children, my mom, my step mom, my in-laws, my two sisters, my six brothers, my school family, my friends Barb, Verda, Jennifer, Tina, Diane, Rita, and my new friend Gabbi. You all bring so much to my life. Life is rich and full with good food, excellent and bountiful books, and happy memories. I feel blessed.

Have a grateful day!