Christmas Book Countdown

As many of you are aware, every year for the past several years I have wrapped up all of our Christmas picture books for my kids to open as they countdown to Christmas Day. I initially got this idea from Amy at Hope is the Word who does the same for her family. The idea is this: collect mass quantities of Christmas titles for your home collection (heh) and then each day one or more children can open one or more of the Christmas book packages to be read altogether. We usually open our books up in the morning, along with our advent calendar candy. (This way the kids can always be smacking in my ear as I am reading to them. Some year I will figure out how to separate these two activities but at the present they really love sitting down to eat candy during the reading time. I therefore struggle to concentrate heavily on the story, not being an enormous fan of smacking lips. I have, however, learned to avoid crunchy things.)

Now, for us, I like lining up the books that we read with particular activities. So, the first thing I do is start ordering out our Christmas parties and then I might schedule in some special family activities or movie nights with particular themes in mind. Example: I select in advance the day we will watch The Polar Express and then I wrap up the Polar Express book and "schedule" it for the same calendar day. And then every day leading up to that day I hear the begging and pleading from Bookworm2 that we get out all things Polar Express (his favorite story). The children have learned that when they open the Frosty the Snowman book that means that they get to watch that movie the same day. They have definitely learned that the books can be a tip off for events in the evening and that also adds to the excitement level. We've had some books in our collection now for long enough that my oldest two eagerly await "finding" them in the stack and cheers have been known to erupt when they finally open the book of choice. (Bookworm1 was really excited to open up The Christmas Story: The Brick Bible - linked to thoughts - this past weekend. No, I haven't gotten rid of yet. But Mater Saves Christmas did bite the dust.)

Let me be clear: this tradition takes a lot of work. It typically takes me 2-3 hours one evening to sit down with the calendar, stack the books in order and get them all wrapped up. In some ways it's a bit of a pain. But in most every other single way, it is a delight to be able to do this for my kids and I can't recommend the practice highly enough. It is something that they look forward to and, truth be told, I do also. (Because I forget which order I have placed the and sometimes I'm surprised myself! Such is my memory.) Ha!

Now, as I talk about our habits with the books, I also try to share about some of the ones in our home library and give a quick review. Here are some links to past reviews/titles which I have shared:

• St. Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend
• A Magical Christmas (Still one of my favorites!)
• Little Rabbit's Christmas
• A Christmas Spider's Miracle
• Small One

All of the above titles are still included in our collection. That said, at the end of last year I culled our stack a bit, eliminating some titles that I didn't care for as much. At the beginning of this year, I replaced some with new titles I had researched.

Here are two of our new titles:

Good King Wenceslas was one I researched a bit. My kids especially love books which invite you to sing and I wanted to find a book based on a lesser-known-but-still-familiar carol. I know the song of Good King Wenceslas but I don't think I've ever paid much attention to the words before. I found this edition on Amazon and liked the classical look of it. We read it for the first time the other day and I absolutely love it.

You do sing the song as you read the book but the verses are broken up and mixed into the story of the Good King who sees a peasant gathering wood for a fire. The king and his page boy go out to help the begger and take him some food. The king spends an enjoyable evening with the "least of these" in this kingdom before returning to his palace as the song and story go. And, as I say, as you read along the story you pause to sing the various verses.

This book includes a DVD which is narrated by Jane Seymour and sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I can't tell you how the DVD is because I couldn't bear the Amazon price for the book. I purchased this one through a third party seller on Amazon but the DVD was not included. (The price, however, was more to my liking!) I'm glad I picked this one up. I think it's a great addition to our collection.

The next book I purchased was one that we had previewed from our local library last year. We borrowed The Christmas Train: A True Story land I absolutely fell in love with it. I stuck it on my Amazon wishlist until such a time came to feel comfortable with the price. (Again though, I picked up a used "like new" copy via third party seller. However, I also bought a brand new copy to be gifted to some friends of ours this year.)

This book tells the true story of a little boy who was given an electric train from his parents for Christmas. His mother has also purchased a wind-up train to gift to a neighborhood boy who is "less fortunate" then he. When he discovers the gratitude which exists in the friend who has a mere wind-up train, he feels remorseful over his own attitude of greed.

Now, I'm not a proponent (in the very least) of making anyone feel guilty for receiving good gifts. I hope I give my children good gifts and I trust they will enjoy them as they should. There is nothing wrong with the giving and receiving of good gifts. (I've already argued this.) I like this book though because the message is delivered in a way that doesn't beat you over the head with false guilt, but makes the reader to know that they ought to be thankful for everything that they have received. The message isn't, "Oh, he got a simple train and you got a fancy one. You should give yours away." Rather, the message is: "Maintain a proper attitude concerning what you have been given."

Give and receive, but do both joyfully! This is a lesson I hope that my children learn well in this life. We should always look to bless and receive the blessings with thanksgiving. God is generous to us and we, in turn, ought to be generous towards others. These are the messages of this book and so I love it. I whole heartedly love it and am happy to have it among our collection.

Now, just because we have a nice collection of books doesn't mean that I'm necessarily done with my set. There are still books among my stack that I would weed out if I were to come across a better one. I'm always up for suggestions! If there is a Christmas picture book that you and yours have loved, please tell me about it! I'd love to hear from you in the comment section with recommendations of your own.

In the meantime, I hope you all are having a fun December celebrating time with your loved ones and are pursuing a few fun traditions of your own.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The Home Team, by Clint Archer

I haven't been accepting many books for review of late for a myriad of reasons, one main one being that I don't necessarily feel like there is much discretion on the part of publishers as to what they publish. It is feeling more and more that anything can and will be published just 'cause. It seems to me that there are an awful lot of poorly written or just plain "meh" books published that probably shouldn't have been. It doesn't feel as if very skill is required of authors or readers these days! I can't prove these things beyond a shadow of a doubt, of course, but I feel them. Therefore I've made a personal decision to heavily scale back on accepting books for review. My reading time is as valuable as any one's and I want to spend time with good books that will prove a great benefit to myself and my family.

Honestly, there are only three Christian book publishers that I trust to produce quality Christian non-fiction anymore. One of those is Shepherd Press. When I saw the title The Home Team pop up, I was instantly curious and wanted to give it a read. Shepherd Press offered to send me a copy for review purposes and I was delighted to dive into this one. I was very happy to have given it some time and attention.

In our family, we talk a lot about being a team and that's the first reason this particular title caught my eye. We talk about how we all have to work together to accomplish things and to enjoy life. When any one of us are fighting with another, we stop and remind ourselves that we were placed together for a reason and a purpose and so we need to keep on working hard to stick together. Don't get me wrong - it is hard work! But it is good work and it offers great rewards. We like our team and are always interested in learning how to make it a better and stronger one.

Author Clint Archer definitely likes sports and so there are a great many sport-like analogies and stories told to communicate his key points. If you are not a "sports person" don't fret; I am not a sports fan and I had no troubles whatsoever with his stories. I never felt like he was "going off" about a game but skillfully used games and certain athlete's performances to teach how each family member ought to act to benefit the whole unit. His sports analogies/stories were short, to the point, and directly applied to the information that he was trying to pass along. Absolutely do not let the idea that this is a book about sports turn you off. By the later half of the book, he rarely mentions sports at all!

The Home Team: God's Game Plan for the Family is meant to be used as a tool to reformat the family, if you will, into a unit instead of a diverse group of people who just happen to live in the same household for a time. One thing in particular that I found interesting was Archer's admissions that this is a subject he has been and is still growing in. He is quick to say that he is not an expert on family, that he struggles sometimes in his role of providing spiritual headship, and that he still has much to learn. His humble admissions keep the reader asking questions of themselves because if you know the author doesn't necessarily have it all together then it's easier to dialogue and question your own motives and methods as you proceed in building your own family.

On the heels of that last paragraph, it should be quickly noted that his humility doesn't degrade the book into uselessness. Archer is still learning but he has learned and what he shares is practical, useful and is an encouragement to others. He definitely takes a "traditional" (and I would say biblical) approach to the family in holding to the position that the husband is the head of the house and the wife is the helpmeet. I have no issues with this as I believe this to be according to God's complimentary design. While his approach is certainly "conservative" and "traditional", he deviates from many modern conservative Christians in saying that this book is not meant to be a rule book or to provide some sort of checklist for "How to Build Family." He says quite plainly in the Introduction:

". . . [B]efore you read another paragraph or turn another page, please consider Jesus. Do not read this book for another list of ways to do marriage and family better: it's not intended as a rulebook or a checklist. If you read it like that, you will get frustrated and fail. You cannot accomplish any of these principles in this book apart from the Spirit of God applying grace to your failing heart. So seek Jesus and His grace. Then read on." (Introduction, page 11)

In other words, he isn't giving you a How To. He merely intends to lead the family to the Bible to learn what it is that God said the family was supposed to be.  Then, by God's grace and gift of wisdom, you need to make personal decisions for your own family which possess the ultimate goal of following God and bringing glory to His name. There is no checklist because we aren't cookie cutter humans. Our families cannot look the same.  However, if we are doing it right we are all doing it with the same goal in mind. I see no reason to avoid a similar end. even if the particulars in how we get there look a bit different.

Ultimately, the purpose of Archer's book is to remind us all of our families' goals and purpose in life. That is? To bring glory to the Lord. If we operate by God's "play book" then we will find life more easily enjoyable but not completely devoid of trials either. Focusing our eyes on the Lord and seeking His wisdom is certainly in our best interest and the end result is something to look forward to instead of dread.

I'll let Archer end my post by sharing a quote that I found particularly meaningful as it reminded me that while our families may look different , we each need to keep our eyes on the ultimate prize of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The details all don't matter all of the time but certain details do. (Did you track with that?) Going back to scripture and the Creator of Family is the only way to make things in our individual households work properly. If that is all this book manages to help you remember, then it is a worthy read.

"Define your goals according to God's original design for the family and His specific calling for your family. Then you can work together as a team, depending upon the Holy Spirit to energize and bless that work. You can also judge your successes or failures according to God's standards rather than according to human wisdom, which may change with every generation. You can even enjoy the work of glorifying God as part of the family team, receiving the blessings that come from belonging to and participating in a God-glorifying family." (Chapter 2, Team Basics, page 36)

This one will remain on my book shelf for a re-read.

Many thanks to Shepherd Publishing for sending this book my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my own.

Recipe for Raspberry Cordial

'Tis this season! (For raspberries, that is.) Depending on where you are in the country, it might be the perfect time to make yourself some fresh raspberry cordial. I make a batch for myself (and to share with a few close friends) every year. In case you've never tried to make it, you should know that it's super easy to make and tastes very similar to the bottled type which you can buy on Prince Edward Island.

Here is the recipe for Diana Barry's Favorite Raspberry Cordial:

Ingredients:

1 packages of frozen unsweetened raspberries (or the fresh raspberry equivalent!)
1 1/4 cup of sugar (This year I used honey. It changed the flavor a little, but it's still yummy!)
4 cups of boiling water
3 lemons

Directions:

1. Put the thawed (or fresh!) raspberries into a saucepan and add the sugar
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring once in awhile for 20-25 minutes, until all of the sugar is dissolved.
3. With a potato masher, mash the raspberries and syrup thoroughly.
4. Pour the mixture through a strainer making sure you extract all of the juice.
5. Squeeze 2 of the lemons and strain the juice. Add to the raspberry juice.
6. Let the cordial cool and chill in the fridge.

Honestly the hardest and most time consuming thing about this project is straining the pulp out so that you have a nice, smooth drink. Otherwise it's remarkably easy and oh so yummy.

"But it isn't good manners to tell your company what you are going to give them to eat, so I wont' tell you what she said we could have to drink. Only it begins with an R and a C and it's a bright red color. I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other color." Anne of Green Gables

Enjoy (in moderation)!

Put 'Em Up! Fruit

'Tis the season. Almost anyway. Warm breezes signal that summer produce is on the way! As for our family, we're planting the first of our garden (snap peas, lettuce, strawberries, rhubarb). So far nothing has died so I feel like an incredible farmer. (It doesn't take much, really, it doesn't take much.) Even roots I thought were dead and tossed to the side grew things. I seriously don't know how one can be more successful at gardening than that! To say nothing of my compost pile from last year. I have no idea what's growing there but we shall soon see.

Once again I find myself on the look out for books which will help me prepare for fresh produce so that we can eat it all year long! Successful segway into introduction of Put 'em Up! Fruit. (Heh.)

Last year was my first year canning everything in sight. I used the Ball canning guide which worked just great with one exception (tomatoes) and while everything worked out, I'm always curious to know if there is a better way of canning or a way to make the foods more exciting. When I saw Put 'em Up! Fruit available from Storey Publishing I was rather curious. I opened up the covers and I saw a picture of carrots with plum glaze and I knew this book would be useful aside from the Ball canning guide because it offers suggestions on how to use the foods you can. (I've had to be creative all by my lonesome. Which there is not a thing wrong with that but I need new and fresh - har, har - ideas for this next season.)

Part I of this book details the ways that you can prepare for canning. I laughed because one of the first suggestions is to "Follow Directions." If I had, my tomato preserves from last year might have turned out in a more appealing way. Ahem. This year I shall follow directions! To the "t" (and mostly because Jonathan watches over my shoulder and he's all into details whereas I am not). Suggestion number two? Buy good fruit. A serious must. I learned this with peaches last year. One bad peach made the difference in my relationship with fresh and perfectly ripe peaches. This book also explains the role of acid and sugar in preserves, the difference between marmalades and chutney, how to work with dried fruit and how to troubleshoot. (Valuable info right there!)

Part II of this book is all about the recipes which include ideas for everything from apples to tomatoes. Some things I want to try throughout the canning season include: Lemon, Red Onion, and Oregano Jam (hello!), Peach Melba Compote, Pears Poached in Wine, Five-Spice Plum Sauce, Roasted Rhubarb, Smoky Tomato Salsa, Dried Apricots, and Blueberry Syrup.

The difference between this book and the Ball recipe book is that the Ball book is chalk full of recipes, strictly, with a few pictures scattered about. (I love looking through the Ball canning book. I dream big whenever I do.) I like Put 'em Up! Fruit not so much for the recipes (although the ones contained in this book do look and sound delicious!) but for the suggested uses. Once you go about canning tons of fresh produce it can be a challenge to learn how to use what you've made in different and various ways so as to keep it appealing to the family you are trying to feed. I really like the way that Put 'em Up! Fruit: A Preserving Guide & Cookbook gives you some basic (but fun!) recipes for fruit canning but then also offers other recipes to pair with your creations. These recipes include: Blue Cheese Biscuits with Savory Cranberry Relish (using the cranberry relish recipe, of course!), Butter-Basted Steak with Grape Reduction, Spring Rolls with Asian Dipping Sauce (using Apricot jam), and Sauteed Greens with Grapefruit Dressing among others.

This is a handy, colorful and very fun book. I'm glad to have it sitting next to my Ball Canning Book as both should make our summer (and next winter) more exciting in the food department.

Many thanks to Storey Publishing for sending a copy of this book my direction in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Other Storey Publishig titles I have reveled in:

• Dishing Up Oregon
• The Classic Zucchini Cookbook
• The Fruit Gardener's Bible

A Year of Pies, by Ashley English

Oh happy. The team at 5 Minutes for Books were given the opportunity to choose from a new selection of cookbooks produced by Sterling Publishing for review purposes. We divvied up the list, each choosing cook books of interest to us individually. If you track with 5 Minutes for Books, you can see some of the new cookbooks being released. (There also might be a chance to win a few. *wink*)

At any rate, one of the books that I selected as wanting to try was A Year of Pies because, come on, who doesn't like a good pie? (By that I mean, "Who doesn't like a good home baked pie?" I'm not fond at all of pre-made pie crusts. My mother spoiled us rotten with delicious homemade pie crusts and so my own family will experience nothing but!)

Bookworm3, my current youngest and resident sous chef, was also delighted with this book on sight. ("Eat! Book! Eat!") We looked through it together.

First off, the book opens with a picture of a stack of colorful pie plates. That's to get you in the mood. And it worked. Then comes recipes for any variety of pie crusts, including: ye olde basic crust, chocolate cookie crust, gingersnap crust and a graham cracker crust, among a few others. There are pie dough tips set alongside lots and lots of pictures. Then comes the recipes which are divided up by season. Some of the recipes included in this book:

* lemon meringue
* buttered rum shoofly pie
* gingersnap key lime pie
* strawberry crumble
* peaches and cream crumble top pie
* sweet potato pie
* pumpkin pie
* chai spice apple pie

There are also main meal pies and things pie-like:

* winter greens and cornbread quiche
* chicken pot pie
* leek and potato tart
* turkey shepherd's pie

Pie! Pie! Pie! It's all so satisfactory. Now the question is: where to start first? We have some out-of-town guests this weekend and I'm thinking a yummy chicken pot pie is exactly what is in order. (I also have a ton of potatoes on hand at the moment so we might have to check out that leek and potato tart.) It is always a good idea to make pies when there are plenty of people to share it with! It lessens the risk of having too much pie to eat all by one's self.

A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies is a beautiful book. It is paperback and so the pages do not lay down flat. That's probably the one and only drawback that I see, given the fact that pies, especially, involve messy hands and lots of flour! But otherwise this is a nice little treasure book of pies and I'm happy to be adding it to my home collection. If you check back with me after the weekend, I'll let you know in the comment section how any number of these pies that we tried out this weekend came out. We shall see!

Thanks to Sterling Publishing for sending a copy of this book my direction in exchange for my honest opinion.

You can check out another recipe book which I also reviewed over at 5 Minutes for Books today. The title (to tempt you with?): Coming Home to Sicily. (Linked to my review.)

Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition

I have to be careful with this post because hospitality is a subject I care deeply about. Just the fact that Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition discusses one of my "pet topics" is enough to make me predisposed to love it.

Now, hospitality comes easy to me in some ways. It's easy enough for me to come up with creative and different ideas for having people over. I don't mind large groups and our home can accomodate them. It does not scare me to plan a meal for other people or to invite them into a home that is not perfectly in order. (Although I also confess that I do try to put the house into as much order as possible before guests arrive. I've had to learn to lighten up on that point.) Despite the fact that hospitality naturally comes easy to me, that does not mean I always enjoy it. I get stressed thinking about The State of the House. Having small children, planning to host a group of 15-20 people for lunch after church on Sunday honestly feels like more responsibility than it's worth sometimes. But I know the truth: it is worth it to have each one of those people over, for it builds unity in the Body of Christ. And a unified Body is a sight to behold!

Sometimes the noise that guests make bothers me. (I'm easily bothered by noise.) Sometimes their family traits get on my nerves. Sometimes a guest goes off talking about things I either don't care about or wish they wouldn't talk about. Sometimes I burn food. And frequently I discover my silverware has spots on it. I always notice this when something requests the fork I forgot to set out and so I have to hand them a utensil which looks questionable. Having people into one's home does indeed involve a certain amount of humility. Especially since my youngest child is currently in the throes of testing her independence at the table. Does she or doesn't she have to eat the food she doesn't like? She randomly "poses" this question to us and it's painful when she decides to test the limits of our authority in front of others.

The way I see it, whether or not I have the "gift" of hospitality - or an inclination to it - I'm still required to practice it. Consider these verses:

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:12

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:9

The fact is, the Bible commands all Christians - not just those with some inbred desire - to practice hospitality. Our homes are to be open both to our fellow Christians as well as to strangers. We are to be aware of those who are in need and stand ready to seek to meet their needs. There is no "opt out" box to check on our Christian work sheets. If we aren't good at it, we are to get good at it. And how do you do that? Practice.

In Making Room, author Christine D. Pohl isn't discussing the "how to" of hospitality, but rather the history of it. She traces the practice of it back to the early church, showing how it was the church who used to welcome strangers into homes. The church used to minister to the sick and the needy. She shows how the introduction of hospitals and hotels effected changes in society which have come about to the detriment of the church. (Really, if the church isn't meeting the needs of the orphans and widows, the Church is sick and needs attention. It's no help to the Church when it refuses to do the job it was created, in part, to do!) In coming up with excuses not to practice hospitality (i.e., "my house is too small", etc.) we have become a more individualistic society who are more focused on self than at any other period of time in history.

"When we offer hospitality to strangers, we welcome them into a place to which we are somehow connected - a space that has meaning and value to us. This is often our home, but it also includes church, community, nation, and various other institutions. In hospitality, the stranger is welcomed into a safe, personal, and comfortable place, a space of respect and acceptance and friendship. Even if only briefly, the strangers is included in a life-giving and life-sustaining network of relations. Such welcome involves attentive listening and a mutual sharing of lives and life stories. It requires an openness of heart, a willingness to make one's life visible to others, and a generosity of time and resources." (Introduction, page 13)

As this book focuses on the history of hospitality, there is a lot of discussion of hosting the stranger. It might be tempted to try to compartmentalize this book outside the realm of the reader's own Biblical responsibility to practice hospitality because Pohl spends so much time talking about the alien and stranger in the midst. However, it is easy enough to argue that most people you know are strangers to you and your family. Even families a few pews over from your own are generally unknown these days. We have closed ourselves to true Christian fellowship because we feel we are too busy. We have baseball games, school and our own family private time to consider. Now, let there be no mistaking the fact that I consider family time to be excessively important but the church is not made up of just OUR family. And if it is, there is a much larger problem in existence, to be sure!

The stranger is across the room from you at church. The stranger is the relative of a friend who is visiting the area but has no place to stay and rest a bit. We are a society of perfect strangers so it's not hard to find people to whom we are commanded to show hospitality to. But what's our base motivation for doing so? This is what Pohl writes:

" . . . [T]he theological and moral foundations for Old Testament hospitality were tied closely to Israel's special relationship of dependence on and gratitude to God. Isreal's obligation to care was nurtured by an emphasis on its own experience as an alien and by reflection on God's gracious character. The teachings of the Law, the warnings of punishment for disobedience, and promise of blessing on obedience reinforced Israelite hospitality towards strangers, as did the the individual hospitality stories: guests might be angels, messagers from God, bringing divine promises or provision.

New Testament discussions of hospitality continue and extend, but also transform basic Old Testament understandings. In Romans 15:7, Paul urges believers to "welcome one another" as Christ has welcomed them. Jesus' gracious and sacrificial hospitality - expressed in His life so that persons could be welcomed into the Kingdom and in doing so linked hospitality, grace, and sacrifice in the deepest and most personal way imaginable." (Chapter 3, Ancient and Biblical Sources, page 29)

I am speaking to Christians by reminding you that we love because He loved first. We are generous to others with our time and resources because He was generous to us. We reflect Him to those around us. And we cannot do that if we insist on being alone with only our family in our house.

We must learn to share ourselves with others. We are not to live for self alone. We were not designed for that. Rather, we were designed to be a part of the Body of Christ - the visible church of God on earth - and we are to be aware of the strangers in our midst, as discussed earlier. And what this all boils down to, essentially, is being willing to sacrifice time, energy and resources. That can be painful to think about but when you consider what you gain in giving of these things, it far exceeds the expense. There is a good return for giving of your time to someone else.

"The most precious thing a human being has to give is time. Hospitality requires making time in our lives for others, yet many of us are harried. Giving a person our attention requires that we stop and focus on them. This is a challenge in a society that celebrates the capacity to do several things simultaneously, and in which people often seem to take pride in being busy. As a wise Benedictine monk observed, "In a fast food culture, you have to remind yourself that some things cannot be done quickly. Hospitality takes time." (Chapter 9, The Spiritual Rhythms of Hospitality, page 178)

Time. It's something we all are inclined to say that we do not have enough of. So then we have to go back to scriptures and determine how we are to best spend our time. What is required of our time? Well, one thing that is required is that we seek to be hospitality and do not grumble about it. With that in mind, it's high time we clear the calendar and recover the rich tradition which is Christian hospitality.

Maybe it means you skip participating in a particular after school activity.
Maybe it means you eat beans a few times a month in order to be able to afford a meal which will include others outside of your family.
Maybe it means you do not finish reading a book as quickly as you like.
Maybe it means suffering some humiliation when a child defies you in front of a guest.

It might mean all of those things and you certainly need to consider dealing with a few of the above issues in a correct manner. For example: the book should likely be set aside quickly but the child should be dealt with at the earliest possible convenience.

And what do you get in return? Sometimes all you get is the satisfaction of knowing that you were obedient in what God called you to. But most of the time you will be the recipient of sweet fellowship which aids in unifying a branch of the Body of Christ of which I hope you are a member. Hospitality may feel like work, but it is a blessing that is really beyond measure. 

Bottom line: you're called to it. So we must do it and thank the Lord that He rewards us so richly in the process. It is not a chore - it is a true delight!

Where Am I?

Uh, hmm. So I had all of these great plans for the weekend and some of them happened but most of the ones involving books, reading and getting ahead did not.

That said, I did . . .

. . . have a date night out with my husband. (We went to go see a somewhat local production of The King and I which was remarkably well done and great fun.)

. . . provided lunch for a crew of friends who were helping some friends move into a new (and magical!) house (that I love)! Very happy for their blessing of a new (fabulous) home. I look forward to spending time there.

. . . canned 13 jars of pickles with my husband. (Overkill.) We also tackled 25 lbs. of tomatoes. And we're still married, yes, we are!

. . . had an outrageous attack of allergies - which I have never had before. So right now I'm holing up indoors, medicated, and trying to remember not to open any doors to the outside.

Since nothing happened on the reading front this weekend, I'll point you to some that I wrote for 5 Minutes for Books which have appeared over there within the last few months. (I'll point you to my favorites at any rate!)



Review of Hank the Cowdog

Please tell me you've read Hank. If not, please tell me that you will give it very serious consideration! I read this one several months back with the Bookworms, but just never got around to posting about it. Until now. Over at 5 Minutes for Books.

By the way and for the record, Bookworm2 just walked up to the computer and saw this picture of Hank. His response? "Oh, he's a funny, funny dog!" A ringing endorsement!




Review of Where's Waldo: The Search for Lost Things

I can't say I'm a big fan of Where's Waldo because some of the illustrations are inappropriate for young kids, in my opinion. (I refer to the scantily clad females I've seen in some pictures.) However, I didn't see anything that bothered me in this new puzzle book which features Waldo and his friends. I've set aside my review copy of this book to give to Bookworm1 when he's ready for it.



Review of The Backyard Homestead

Months (and months) ago, I mentioned that I had received a copy of The Backyard Homestead and liked it. I shared my garden-ish thoughts in this review. You'll have to excuse me if I am amused by my own gardening skills (or lack thereof). Up until this year, I've killed everything that I've ever tried to grow. The tide has turned and our thumbs seem to be turning a shade of light green. (And as for our zucchini plants?! We planted FOUR but only one has lived and is producing. It is enough.)

;)

The Classic Zucchini Cookbook

At some point this summer, you know you are going to need The Classic Zucchini Cookbook because at some point this summer, you are going to have a whole lot of zucchini to deal with. Maybe.

Funny story about zucchini . . .

Despite the fact that other people everywhere manage to grow and produce massive quantities of zucchini, we've never had the pleasure. I say pleasure because that's truly what it is. We like zucchini in a variety of forms and eat a lot of it when it's in season (i.e., when it is cheaper). One year some friends of ours gave us a gigantic zucchini plant in a pot that was healthy and thriving. "You won't need to do anything to it!" they said with a smile. "It will just produce. Watch and see." We watched. We saw the thing die a miserable death. It never grew a single zucchini. This year we decided to take extra precautions and plant four zucchini plants in various parts of the yard to find a suitable spot. Four zucchini plants in one yard might strike fear into the heart of your average gardener. But we are not average. So far, only one plant shows signs of having a will to live.

In anticipation of the wild crop of zucchini that we are going to have this year, I had to take a peek at Story Publishing's Classic Zucchini Cookbook. It boasts 225 recipes involving this beloved (or at least humored) green vegetable. I haven't actually made any of the recipes yet, but I wanted to review it and let you know in advance that I plan to make the following recipes with my bumper bumper crop!

• Navy Bean and Squash Soup
• Pesto Linguine with Summer Squash
• Double Squash Cornbread Supper
• Zesto Pizza
• Zucchini pancakes (why not?)
• Italian Relish
• Summer Squash Saute with Bacon and Tomatoes
• Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Boats
• Zucchini-Cheddar Biscuits

Depending on the crop, I'm also incredibly intrigued by the idea of "Zapple Pie with a Streusel Topping." (Lots of spices and chopped nuts are in order. How could you go wrong?) There is also a recipe for Zucchini Bars which is described as follows: "Think blondies made with lots of good stuff, like raisins and coconut, instead of chocolate chips. There's a healthy dose of fiber in these good-for-you bar cookies." Make of that what you will, I think it sounds interesting.

One thing that I appreciate about this recipe book is that the recipes do not call for outlandish or unique ingredients. Most of the recipes in this book contain half a dozen or so ingredients which are quite common and/or easy to obtain. The majority of the recipes also have great appeal to me, personally (being fond of zucchini and all!) and do not look remotely complicated. Also, it should be noted that all 225 recipes do not focus exclusively on zucchini. The book is subtitled, "225 Recipes for All Kinds of Squash." While most of the recipes can be used with zucchini, some are strictly designed for use with pumpkins or butternut squash. The majority, however, do work with zucchini.

So all I have left to say is this:

GROW, Zucchini Plants!!! GROW!

(We're going to plant one more in a pot and see if that fares better than the ones we put into the ground.)


May it be so.

Thank you, Storey Publishing, for shooting a copy of this useful book my direction!

Gardening with Children

I really know little to nothing about gardening but I have great unquenchable spirit when it comes to the subject. When I'm learning a new skill, I do like to read books about it, but I'm more of a learn-by-doing type of person. I need hands-on activities and that means killing plants as I learn to garden. (This is sort of frustrating to me but it is the way I learn.)

Naturally, as I approach the idea of gardening I approach it with the idea of it being some kind of wonderful family activity in which everyone will be excited about weeding (or something.) Gryphon House had some interesting books related to gardening and the great outdoors that I thought I'd check out for my wee ones this gardening season.



It is my great hope that my children will love gardening. I don't know why I hope this. When my dad attempted a garden when I was growing up, I don't recall loving it. I recall boredom. But maybe my children will surprise me and surpass my expectations? As I said, I took a peek at The Budding Gardener for starters.

This is a book filled with ideas for hands-on activities to bring children into the wonderful world of gardening.

"No matter where or how you begin, gardening cultivates observation, patience, and responsibility, and offers rewards beyond measure."

(I don't know many children who become wildly excited over a tomato plant's yield but then you never know! Ours might be the ones!)

In this book you'll find ideas for experiments along the lines of planting beans in a cup and watching them sprout on your window sill, to more interesting ideas such as building a butterfly garden. (Amy started one the other day that I thought was kinda cool.) Basically the idea of this book is to find ways to make the idea of gardening sound like the most fun ever. It gives you ideas and motivation to draw children into the process of growing and maintaining a garden for the beauty and edification not only themselves, but the entire family. (The plain facts are, if you act excited about something, your children will believe that it is exciting. At least for awhile.)

I actually started flipping through The Budding Gardener last fall (this review is long delayed) and it got me to start thinking about how I could engage my children in this Family Project. For starters, I asked Bookworm1 what kinds of food he thought would be fun to grow. (There is an idea in this book for how you can create a "Pizza Garden" that I thought was quite brilliant!) He told me that he thought we should grow watermelons (in bright sunny Oregon!) and sunflowers. I'm not feeling too sure about the watermelons, but we bought some sunflower seeds which I'm hoping will produce for him. He also selected snap peas and we've been growing those (successfully!) on our deck in Earth Boxes.

We also went out to weed and de-rock a portion of the yard the other day. I hauled out a large piece of cardboard for me to sit on (clean and tidy so as to easily spot any bugs which might decide to crawl towards me AND also to help prevent accidental slug touchings.) I invited Bookworm1 to join me on his own piece of cardboard and then paid him $0.10 for each box he filled with rocks and hauled away to another portion of the yard. He was an enthusiastic de-rocker at that point. Bookworm2 even got in on the action! (Because, hey!, $0.10!)

We are all budding gardeners and this particular book helped me to see that this was possible.



Learn Every Day About Seasons, by Kathy Charner is the second book I took a look at. Seasons, as you serial gardeners are quite aware, effect gardens tremendously. Being aware of the time of year and the weather is quite important and it's something that Bookworm1 has only recently started to take note of. He's asked me when we're going to pick blueberries, etc., and so we've talked about the season. (We also read a lot of seasonally appropriate picture books to walk us through the year.)

In Learn Every Day About Seasons Charner provides us with ideas for seasonally appropriate crafts, activities, songs and finger poems. There are book suggestions to go along with the activities and lists of materials needed in order to work on any particular craft. If you are just getting into the basics of the four seasons with your little one, this book might be one to check out! How are we practically applying information about seasons? Well, we've started our own gardening calendar so that we can take note of what we planted where and when and so that next year we'll remember when rhubarb is supposed to start making its appearance.

I really appreciate Gryphon House for sending these two books my direction. They have been great prompts for me to get my gardening game on, but to include my children in the process. (I'm sure they are thankful also. They just might not know it yet!)

The Fruit Gardener's Bible

So, here's the back story on The Fruit Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden. Many moons ago, Storey Publishing sent me a copy of this book for review. I looked through it right away, absolutely loved the looks of it and set it on the top stack of my Books to Be Reviewed. Then I burned a chicken on the stove, smoked the house out and apparently ruined this book. I didn't find out which books of mine had been totaled until just a few weeks ago and this title was on the list. I knew I liked the book already (and I really needed to write a review of it) and so I bought myself a new copy. For truly, I do like it and therefore had no qualms replacing it at my own expense. Before I continue on with this review, I really feel the need to both apologize to Storey as well as thank them for their patience. (If it's of any further interest to anyone, the lady at the cleaning company who told me that this book had been totaled, said that she had looked through it, liked it, and was going to buy a copy for herself! How's THAT?!)

Following that short story about the behind-the-scenes of this book review, I must also make a confession: I kill green things. I don't really mean to. I just do. If it's a plant, I'm liable to kill it. You might think it does not take a rocket scientist to over or under water a plant but I fear that it must because I tend to guess wrong. I need a lot of gardening help.

Despite my own personal belief that I cannot garden, I also have this annual hope that this will be the year that my thumb(s?!) turns green.

Last summer I discovered:

1. About 10 cherry trees on our property. No, we had never realized that they existed but they bore a bunch of cherries for us to enjoy! (We enjoyed them thoroughly.) I determined to pay attention to them and improve the fruit quality. (Hopefully my intent will not lead to their demise.)

2. I cannot kill blackberry bushes even if I do intend to do so.

I figured if cherry trees could grow unnoticed and without a lick of assistance, and blackberries never die, I should try my hand at a plum tree (which we planted) and raspberry bushes (which we also put into the ground.) Thus planted I began trying to figure out how to take care of them. Enter: The Fruit Gardener's Bible. This book both inspires and informs me. I am grateful for and in need of both.

For example, in learning about raspberries I learned which type are the hardiest (this is important for a person like me) and how to go about taking care of them. Then I also learned that a row of 10 plants can feed a family with fresh berries quite well AND leave excess for freezing and jamming. Mostly I confess to paying attention to the paragraphs about production and beauty which is what I find I must focus on to brave touching actual dirt which may or may not have a slug hiding in it. (I think much of my Fear of Gardening relates to the constant threat of accidentally touching a slug. I need to carry around a can of **INSTANT SLUG DEATH** and maybe I'll feel more comfortable.) There are also really pretty pictures all throughout this book and not a single one of them shows you what lurks in the mud which is somewhat deceiving, but it also calms fears.

In each fruit section, there includes "Fast Facts" which tells you which type of plant is likely to succeed in which region of the country. These fast facts include information on how big the plant is expected to grow and how much spacing should be given to each. If there are special care requirements, it tells you, and it tells you how long you should expect to wait for a newly planted tree or bush to start producing fruit. (This helps with impatience.) Looking specifically in the section about cherries, it also tells you how to prune different types, how to protected against birds, insects and various diseases (with pictures to clarify!) There are eleven pages devoted to cherries and cherry trees which is perfect for a beginning gardener like myself. I don't want a great deal of detail, but I do want enough not to kill my trees! This book is a very happy medium for me.

Chapters titles include:

1. Fruits and Nuts in the Home
2. What to Grow and Where
3. Seasonal Care of Fruits and Nuts
4. Strawberries
5. Raspberries and Blackberries
6. Blueberries
7. Ribes, Elderberries, and Other Bush Fruits
8. Grapes for Every Region
9. Apples and Crab Apples
10. Pears
11. Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots
12. Plums for Every Region
13. Cherries, Sweet and Sour
14. Nuts
15. Improving Your Soil
16. Getting Plants Off to a Good Start
17. Pruning: Not Just for Trees
18. Diseases, Insects, and Other Fruit Problems
19. Wildlife Friends and Foes

Obviously this isn't a book that I'm reading straight through from cover-to-cover. Rather, it seems to be the perfect resource book that I've been leaving on our living room table. I snatch it up whenever I have a minute or two and read a little bit. Slowly I'm taking in the information. I like having this handy reference guide about and did I mention I also like the pictures?

Personally, I find The Fruit Gardener's Bible to be a fun and informative read.

Thank you, Storey Publishing, for shooting a copy my way in the first place.

Dishing Up Oregon (giveaway)

First off, let me say that even if you aren't from Oregon you can absolutely enjoy Dishing Up® Oregon. Why? Because it's chock full of recipes using fresh veggies and wines, cheeses and other things that are terribly delicious and can likely be found in your neck of the woods. If you are from Oregon, you are likely to find this title more intriguing than your average American. (*snicker*) The subtitle of this book is 145 Recipes That Celebrate Farm-to-Table Flavors. It's fresh and it's delicious. I mean that in both a literal and a hip sort of way. (Ha!)

Dishing Up® Oregon might go down as being my favorite recipe book of all time. No, I'm not kidding. Every recipe that we have tried from here has been positively delicious! We've tried several of the recipes within including the Mixed Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette (picture of my personal salad included here on the right!), the Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions, Zucchini Ribbons, and Walnuts in Yogurt Sauce (using my own homemade yogurt to boot!), and the Molasses-Ginger Stout Cake using local Stout. (W-O-W!!!) We might have also dumped some fresh homemade icecream on our cake, because that's just how we roll here.

This book sort of takes you around Oregon, to the farms, wineries and coastline and offers recipes from each region. I have to say, I don't even like seafood but I'm seriously tempted to give some of their seafood recipes a go. (My five year old would adore me forever if I would!) You can find simple recipes in here as well as much more time-consuming ones. It includes everything from how to roast tomatoes to Lamb Meatballs Stuffed with Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese.

I'm looking forward to peaches being back in season around here, for then I shall try out the Peach-Herb Salad with Pickled Red Onions and Balsamic Viaigrette. (YUM!) This next week I'm planning to make the Pear-Pepper Chutney (with a few spare pears I found at Trader Joe's) and I'm fairly certain that's going to be well-received around here. Happily, I also recently discovered a source for lamb so I'm going to have to give those meatballs a go. Yes, yes! SO many yummy things to make and eat! I love creating things in the kitchen for my family to enjoy and this book helps me do just that! I'm lovin' it! (And so is Jonathan, for the record!) The kids are eating along with and can at least say that they are being well-fed if nothing else! (They didn't complain too loudly about that fettuccine dish though, let me tell ya!) We have them try it all alongside us to broaden their palates and so we can all enjoy a fine meal. It's fun.

We have seriously enjoyed Dishing Up® Oregon and now I'm delighted to share that the publisher, Storey Publishing, has offered to give away one copy of this recipe book to one of my readers here at Reading to Know! Care to win? Simply leave a comment below. (Please include a valid e-mail address for me to contact you, should you be selected as the winner.) This contest is open to U.S. Residents only and will be open through Thursday, February 9th.)

If you would like to leave one extra comment for an extra entry, you can "Like" Storey Publication's Facebook page. If you "Like" them, leave another comment on this post saying so.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER (as selected by Random.org) IS #14 - Carol in Oregon. Rather fitting, I'd say. ;D


Thank you, Storey Publications, for sending me a copy of Dishing Up® Oregon to try out on my family. We appreciate it!

Keeping House: The Litany of Every Day Life, by Margaret Kim Peterson

Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life has to be one of the most thought-provoking books on keeping home that I have ever read (and was, in fact, part of the inspiration behind Living Like a Narnian.) A friend of mine from church kept telling me I really ought to read it and I kept saying I would and that I wanted to. At the beginning of the year I finally told her I'd take the time to read her copy and once I cracked open the covers I seriously wondered what was wrong with me for having taken so very long to get to this read! As I told some people, if I were in the habit of saying that certain books made my soul sing, this would have been one of those books and one of those occasions! It really made my soul sing!

It isn't a book about being a wife or keeper of the home. It isn't about organizing your closet or making a delicious dinner. It also is all about those very things and why they are so important - whether you are married or single, have children or are an empty nester. It is a book about housework and why "having to" do it should not be viewed in a negative light. Quite the opposite in fact! It is positive encouragement to tackle the laundry with joy and gladness, with plenty of good Biblical examples as to why this should be so. Author Margaret Kim Peterson is straight-forward, easy to understand and completely practical.

Instead of telling you why you should read this book, I'm just going to quote from it. This is not a book I have thoroughly thought-through and applied. It is in the process of being mulled over. Perhaps some of these quotes will cause you to give pause and give thanks for the daily chores which are full of meaning, even when they disgust us. I hope I never clean a toilet bowl in the same way again.

So what really matters? Well, housework, among other things. It is not the only thing that matters, but it does matter. It matters that people have somewhere to come home to and that there be beds and meals and space and order available there. Whether we do a lot of housework or a little of it, whether we keep house only for ourselves or for other people as well, housework forms part of the basic patterning of our lives, a pattern that we might identify as a kind of "litany of everyday life." (Chapter One, What's Christian About Housework, page 18)

~~~~~

"Children themselves benefit from being made part of the team that does the housework. Children long for connection with the real things of the real world, for work that is real and satisfying and that can help them become creators and producers rather than simply spectators and consumers of the labors of others. When we take time to teach a child to crack an egg or set the table, when we allow a child to fold the laundry or wash the floor, when we respond to the contributions of children with appreciation rather than criticism, we encourage the child to see himself or herself as a worker and a contributor to the economy of the household." (Chapter Two, A Place to Live, page 36)

~~~~~

As one writer* notes, "The front door of the home is the side door of the church." (Chapter Three, Sheltering a Household, page 45)

*I cannot tell from the notations who the writer that she is references is.

~~~~~~

"Wearing, and providing others with, clothes appropriate to the season of the year is a way of living in harmony with the God-given character of our surroundings. We all know small children who resist wearing a jacket when it is cold out and have to be reminded that in winter, we dress for winter. But adults can find this a challenge too. I read a newspaper article once about a fashion trend that involved adult women wearing short, thin dresses in the middle of northern winter. I don't remember how these women were said to have avoided frostbite, although presumably they didn't spend much time outside in these outfits.

Fashion statements like these may seem trivial - why should it matter what people wear in the cold as long as they're happy in it? But if a person's choice of clothing seems to reveal complete disengagement from the climate in which she lives, what does this suggest about that person's degree of connection in other aspects of her life? The more our clothing relates us directly and comfortably to the specific times and places in which we live, the more likely it seems that we will be able to relate directly and hospitably to the other persons who lives touch ours." (Chapter Four, Clothes to Wear, page 70)

~~~~~

"Handwork is an art that binds people together across generations.

. . .

The things we make can also form bridges between individuals and generations.

. . .

It is this capacity of handwork to make room for joy, room for grief, room for hope and waiting and process, that makes it so valuable a practice in a world that increasingly has no room for any of these things. Many of us have less and less experience with anything that unfolds over time; we expect everything to be instantaneous and are indignant when our e-mail takes more than two seconds to arrive in its recipients' in-boxes. But life is not instantaneous. It takes time, and handwork can be a way to weave temporality and process back into our lives." (Chapter Four, Clothes to Wear, pp 79-80)

~~~~~

"Is laundry so different from other kids of work that it cannot be seen and experienced as worthwhile rather than worthless? Christian reflection on work emphasizes the value of work that serves the bodily necessities of those around us, the ways in which work can bring people together as they learn from and care for one another, and the pleasure in a job done well as people imitate God's own persistence in perfecting His creation." (Chapter 5, Clothing a Household, pp 82-83)

~~~~~

"As we thus obey and imitate Christ in caring for people in these basic ways, we remember Him and His ministry and presence among humans, and we anticipate the day when we will see Him face to face in God the Father's house. Remembering both Jesus and Eden itself, longing for Paradise, living faithfully with one another between the times - these are the things that people do at home. As we participate with one another in the litany of daily life, we foster these memories and these hopes." (Chapter 8, The Well-Kept Home, page 165)

Yes, I will be returning to this book many times in the future, I'm quite certain.

Saving Savvy, by Kelly Hancock (giveaway)

If you like to save money, raise your hand.

If you aren't a very organized person and/or you'd like to learn a few extra tips on how you might save money in your household, raise your hand.

If you've raised your hand, chances are that you'l find Saving Savvy: Smart and Easy Ways to Cut Your Spending in Half and Raise Your Standard of Living...and Giving a rather interesting read.

Author Kelly Hancock hits on a host of topics in this book, from how to meal plan and stock your freezer to how to coupon. (I'm pretty sure she watches that new show about extreme couponing. I can't even fathom this, not being much of a couponer myself.)

Now, grant it, a lot of things that she suggests, I think, are fairly basic. She talks about the cost of eating out verses planning your meals out so that you can eat at home. She also talks a lot about how you should never pay full price for anything but wait for things to go on sale, or, at the very least, compare prices. When Hancock talks about couponing, she means serious business. She is very much a teacher personality and lays out information for you in an easy-to-comprehend way, helping you to digest her information and make changes in your own home. She is very detailed in her explanations which is a style that I know some people really appreciate and others find to be a bit of an over-kill. She likes lists and labels and writes things down. (I don't.)

That's not to say I didn't learn anything from her because I did. She had some tips for freezing peppers and other vegetables that I found rather helpful. She also gave some helpful tips for purchasing pantry goods in season that I found to be rather helpful. She does have ideas that had just never crossed my mind before and so it was interesting to breeze through this book and glean some new tips and tricks to continue saving money for our family.

I would consider us to be fairly conscientious about how we spend our money. Recently we stuck ourselves on a very tight budget to figure out what we could live on and where our money was actually going. This was a very enlightening experiment and we learned a great deal from it. I think from doing that I had figured out some ways that I was wasting money when grocery shopping. We rarely eat out as I make most of our food - including our bread, yogurt and granola (all of which we consume in rather large quantities around these parts!) Over the course of the past year we've been working on becoming more self-sufficient and money conscious. For that reason, I liked this book and found it helpful, even though she's far more detail oriented than I am. (For example: I have a stand alone freezer for fruits we U-pick in season. However, I do not have an inventory posted on the freezer telling me what's in it and when I put it in. I can see how a list would be helpful because this past summer I discovered some peaches I didn't know I had. But if there's going to be an inventory list I'd have to make it and I hate making lists. I'm not necessarily list driven.)

There are a few things I do not appreciate about this book. For instance, on the front cover there is a quote to help advertise it from Dave Ramsey, stating:

"This book is a gold mine of practical, how-to advice taken straight from God and Grandma's way of handling money."

There you have it. God and Grandma. I'm also very annoyed because some of the scriptures that are listed in this book are taken completely out of context which really drove me nuts as I was reading along. While there are plenty of scriptures that talk about how to spend and care for money wisely, I think she took certain verses a bit too far when trying to instruct the reader on how to save. I eventually stopped looking at her quotes and scriptures because they were more distracting due to their inaccurate application than anything else.

Stick with the idea that she's practical and that should be enough. You're chances of gleaning a thing or two from this read are rather high although I do think there are certain parts of it that are best ignored.

On that note . . .

Worthy Publishing has offered to give away one copy of Saving Savvy to one of you. This contest is open to US AND Canadian residents and will be open through Tuesday, November 8th. To win? Simply leave a comment below along with a valid e-mail address.

Thanks to PR by the Book for shooting a copy of this book my way and to Worthy Publishing for offering the giveaway!