OK, I know some of you know and love Our Best Bites already... but for those of you who still haven't ventured over to check it out, I'm telling you, they have fantastic recipes!!!

If you don't know quite what to put on your dinner menu this week (and if its grilling weather where you are) go out and get the ingredients to make this right now! Its that good!

The chicken is definitely good enough to serve on its own for dinner, but this salad is a "taste celebration" as my hubby put it. My kids ate the chicken up, everyone of them. My 3 year old even asked for seconds. But hubby liked it the most, he just went on and on.

I've included links to all the recipes from Our Best Bites to make this so you can go check them out and get some witty blogging, some great pictures and tips with it~ just click on the green titles below). But I also wanted to include the recipes all in one place for easy viewing because we will definitely be making this again.

Picture totally stolen from their site, you should definitely go see more!

Spicy Honey Chicken Salad

1-2 heads Romaine or Red Leaf Lettuce
2 ripe but firm mangoes, chilled
2-3 ripe but firm avocados
optional: thinly sliced red onions

Spicy Honey Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (Yes, Thighs!!)

2 t vegetable oil

Rub:

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder ~I used a dash of cayenne because that's what I had and spicy and my kids don't mix.

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

Honey-Citrus Vinaigrette

1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 T grated onion
1/3 C fresh orange juice
3T fresh lime juice
2T honey
3/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper
1/2 C vegetable oil

Place all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake your bootie (and the jar) vigorously. Store in the fridge, and shake before dressing salad.

Seriously you won't be sorry you trusted me on this one. It was delicious!!!

Dark Water Rising ***-

I finished another one of the books from my list for 2010, Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale. Of course, I enjoy YA lit a lot (that's evident just by looking at my list...) but there are varying level of enjoyment within the genre. There is the "I loved this book so much, I can't wait to tell everyone about it!" level. Then there is the "This was good, I think I'll let my friends know their kids should read it" level. And then there is the "I really liked this, but I wish that it had been written on more of an adult level" level.

Dark Water Rising fits into the last level for me. I really enjoyed the content, but I didn't feel satisfied upon finishing. I want to find more information about the Galveston flood of 1900 and learn more and more about the people. It really was a tragic situation for all those in the area, but I was amazed how far reaching the storm was... I learned from the author's note at the end that the storm ravaged up through the entire midwest and up through Canada, not disappearing until Siberia.

I think this book was well done for its target audience, but it left me wanting more info. So, with that I gave it 3 and a half stars.

Beginner Quilting

My ward Relief Society decided to have a beginner quilting class. We didn't actually do any quilting, but we learned how to piece. Our teacher taught us the log cabin pattern, which looks a lot more intimidating that it is.

I only had tiny scraps of fabric to work with, so I decided to just make a one square pillow with a wider border. My border doesn't actually fit the pattern because I didn't have a large enough piece of one color, but it works for me. I made it for my baby girl with her favorite minky dots on the back. She LOVES it! And it makes me so happy that I made something so cute!

Leave me a comment if you'd like instructions on how to make your own log cabin quilt squares... I don't want to take the time for a tutorial if no one's interested...

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

I remember having this cake from a Dutch oven many years ago... I love the yummy, chewy chocolate cake with the delicious hot fudge sauce/pudding (depending on how long it cools) underneath. Served with ice cream this is sooooo good! I'll be honest and tell you that putting candles in it wasn't a fabulous idea... they melted from both ends!

Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/4 cup oil

2 tsp vanilla

Mix all that yummy stuff together and put in a 9 x 13 pan.

Mix 2 cups brown sugar and 1/2 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over batter in pan.

Pour 2 1/2 cups boiling water over the top.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let set for 15 minutes before serving.

Forest Born ****-

Oh my, oh my. I really adore Shannon Hale's writing style. Forest Born is the fourth installment in the Books of Bayern that began with my beloved Goose Girl. Because the books are all part of a series, I have a hard time rating them as I do other books... I compare them to one another and rate them according to which I like the best, next best, and so on down the line. Hence, if you check my goodreads.com page you'll see that Enna Burning has 3 stars, River Secrets has 4, and Goose Girl has 5. That's not to say that I only "liked" Enna's story, but it is my least favorite of the lot... maybe that's not the right way to do it, but its what I've done thus far. Knowing that I love these books and that I'm rating them against themselves (rather than other books) I give Forest Born 4.5 stars (to be perfectly honest, though, I don't remember much of Enna or River). I loved this book! It wasn't quite perfection as I feel Goose Girl is, but it was very, very close for me.

This is the story of Rin, Razo's (with whom we got better acquainted in River Secrets) little sister. She lives in the forest with her huge family and is always trying to follow in her mother's footsteps and thus becomes her "shadow." She has a connection to the trees in the forest, but after some bad choices recognizes the relationship (if you will) is no longer a comfort to her, but a feeling of all the things she dislikes about herself (I'm really struggling to get the right words here, sorry). She decides to go to the city with Razo to be a lady in waiting to none other than the Queen, our beautiful goose girl and her toddler son. Trouble soon arises and the queen, Enna, and Dasha (also of River Secrets) ~the three Rin dubs as the Fire Sisters~ head off to take control of the situation. Rin ends up along with them on the adventure and learns much about the fire sisters' powers, her own powers, and who she is (remember she's been her mother's shadow for so long, she's not sure who she really is).

I really liked Rin. I felt like she was very relatable. Facing our weaknesses and making efforts for them to become strengths is something we all deal with. Recognizing what we can offer the world, in spite of those weaknesses or challenges is something we all hope to do. Rin makes a tremendous journey. She is scared and has to really humble herself, make herself vulnerable, in order to deem herself trustworthy and worthy of returning to her family and her forest.

I really loved that there were so many characters from the other books in this one. Especially Isi. I, like Rin, want to be her. She is so good! And I love every moment I get to spend with her. Enna was a weak point for me in this tale, she is the only character that really feels superficial to me. And of course, I love the way the environment/setting is a character in the Bayern books. I love the interaction between the world and the characters. Shannon Hale's writing is magical and sweeps me away into her world, I love it.

Princess of the Midnight Ball ****

I just finished reading Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George early, early this morning during a bad case of insomnia. I usually can start reading a book and it lulls me to sleep, so I gave it a shot, it didn't work. I read to the end of the book. It was a really fun read. (Though it did fill my head with crazy dreams afterward... maybe I should write my own book.)

It is a retelling of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Have you noticed that I really enjoy fairy tale retellings? I just need to try out a Robin McKinley retelling and I'll have been exposed to the top 3 fairy tale retellers. Most of the time I've not been very exposed to the original, but I love the retelling (for example, The Goose Girl (The Goose Girl) by Shannon Hale (and here), Fairest by Gail Carson Levine (Snow White), Ella Enchanted also by Levine (Cinderella), and Enchantment by Orson Scott Card (Sleeping Beauty)). Almost all of the above listed books are young adult fantasy, which is another favorite of mine. So easy to read, so safe to read and just plain enjoyable!

Princess of the Midnight Ball was equally enjoyable, easy and safe. According to my knowledge of the original fairy tale, this was darker. I've only seen the Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre version of The Dancing Princesses, and in it, the princesses appear to be happy with their midnight escapades, but in George's book it is not so. Rather, they are cursed to dance for a wicked King Under Stone (a man turned immortal imprisoned in a world under ground) who has manipulated a plan to get them to wed his sons. The soldier, Galen, has to figure out the mystery and find a way to overcome the curse to free the princess with whom he has fallen in love and, of course, her sisters. There are also forces in the sunlit world that are working against them. Of course, it is a fairy tale and so it has a predictable-ness about it, but it didn't make the read any less enjoyable for me.

I read this book because someone referred to George as "another Shannon Hale" and that was all the recommendation I needed. I adore Hale's writing style. I don't think I enjoyed it quite as much as Hale's writing (she is my favorite) but it was great. I loved the story and I loved the characters. I loved the conflict and the resolution. It was a fabulous book and one you (or your daughters) might enjoy. Four stars from me!

February Crafting

I really have been doing lots of projects lately, however, I haven't quite finished most of them. Here's a little sample of one I'm really excited about...

One craft project I did finish and am very pleased with is an alphabet memory game. Seriously, why isn't there a game like this on the market? Or maybe there is and I just haven't noticed... either way we're working on recognizing lower case letters and letter sounds with my 3 year old and reviewing with my 4 year old is always good... so Mom came up with a game. And it was so easy to do.
I just made uniform size boxes on a Word document and added upper and lower case letters to them, I also made 26 empty boxes for pictures (you could definitely use clip art for this but I thought it would be fun to draw). Printed them off and cut them out. I'm toying with placing the card in contact paper to make them last longer, but haven't been motivated enough to do anything about it.

For the pictures I did a light sketch of something and made sure my kids knew what it was before drawing it in darker and coloring. (This is a step they could have done themselves if their mom wasn't so selfish and if they actually liked coloring.) My drawings are far from perfect, but they recognize what they're looking at and that's all that matters!

So now we play with two of the three sets of cards, matching upper and lower case letters or letters and sounds. And learning just got a lot more fun!

The Mysterious Benedict Society ***-

Our local book club recently read The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. When I went to book club I had only read about 1/3 of the book. My friend leading the discussion asked who thought it was just "eh," who liked it, and who really enjoyed it. Majority of people liked it, with several saying that they didn't enjoy it at the beginning, but toward the end really liked it. There were a handful that really enjoyed it and I classified myself in that category. I really liked the beginning of the book. It was exciting and mysterious to me and if it only got better, why then it must be fantastic! It didn't get better to me, I think I even enjoyed the beginning more than the end, I don't know. I did like the book a lot, but for some reason it was missing something for me (and I'm sorry I'm not smart enough to know what that is).

From the back cover:

"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculirar ad appears int he newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their newfound friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

It is clearly a children's book, targeting a little older children (10-12 maybe?) as it is 480+ pages. I think my 7 year old will enjoy reading it with his dad for now. I generally love children's lit, but occasionally find it boring (for lack of a better word) as it doesn't push/drive me to keep reading, Cornelia Funke is the main culprit in this category for me. This book was on the verge of this description at times, but never all the way. Like I said earlier, I'm not sure what it was missing, but something.

We follow Reynie, a 12 year old orphan boy, through most of the book and I'm so glad he's the main, main character. I liked him a lot. He was smart but not annoying, clever, caring, self-aware, observant... so many traits that I respect and admire. The other children were less enjoyable to read, though each was entertaining in their own way. I liked Mr. Benedict and his "family" a lot and wish they had been in it more. Their relationships with the children were nice, they felt more real than you often find in children's lit.

I think I just realized what was missing for me, as you probably know, I'm character driven rather than story/plot driven as a reader. The beginning was great at showing us the characters many sides, but the characters kind of got lost in the rest of the story as it moved along. That is except for Reynie, which as I pointed out earlier, I was very appreciative of. We gain insight into his character through the entire book as he figures things out about himself. The rest of the characters don't really grow or blossom during the story, the beginning "getting to know the characters" was just set-up for their roles in the plot. However, I'm glad I read it, even though there was only one character that I really related to.

With all that being said, I did really enjoy the book. I give it 3 1/2 stars for a clever story, some great characters, and some good insight into my personal self-analysis. I highly recommend this to all children 8 and up and anyone else who likes children's lit and isn't totally driven by character development.

Yummy Chicken and Beans

Awhile ago I came up with a combination of flavors that our family eats right up! I love it for so many reasons, its easy, its versatile, and I usually have all the ingredients in my kitchen. I use the base of chicken and beans (and a bunch of other yummy stuff) as filling for burritos, mixed with noodles, or served over rice.

You'll need:

3-4 chicken breasts

1 Tbsp cumin

1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 squirts lime juice

salt and pepper

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 cup salsa (we use medium)

4-8 oz cream cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (you could use monterey jack, cheddar is just what I always have on hand)

Step 1: Cook your chicken breast. I always place mine directly on the stove top, on medium/medium-low heat, from the freezer and let it cook in a large, covered fry pan adding water and turning as needed to prevent scorching. As the chicken cooks I break it into bite size pieces with my spatula and add the seasoning. I'm sure you could use chicken taco seasoning mix (or regular taco seasoning mix- just be sure to add the lime juice) and my measurements are my best guess, I just dump as I go.

Step 2: Add beans, corn, and salsa. Heat through. Add cream cheese. The amount varies based on how much chicken I've used. If I use 4 large breasts I use closer to a full 8 oz, if they are smaller I use less. Really, you can't go wrong adding cream cheese.

Step 3: Once the cream cheese if thoroughly mixed in, stir in cheddar and let fully melt.
Step 4: This one depends on how you want to serve it. My kids eat this up like crazy when we serve it with noodles. We call it Mexican Mac and Cheese. You can use macaroni, penne, rotini, whatever really. Just cook the noodles according to package directions, drain and mix with chicken and beans.

Serving it over rice is basically the same, just cook your rice and serve together (I don't mix them up, generally-the kids eat it better this way).

Burritos are my personal favorite way to eat this. I will usually heat up my pancake griddle to about 300-350 so I can do several at a time. Using burrito size tortillas (if you need to, heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds before filling to prevent tearing), place a deck of cards size portion of chicken and beans on tortilla, keeping the filling in an oblong shape. Fold in the sides of the tortilla with the short side filling, then wrap the long sides around. Spray one side of your burrito with canola cooking spray and place on hot griddle. Spray other side of burrito once its on griddle. Cook until first side is golden then flip over and cook until side two is golden. I love doing burritos this way because I get the crispy goodness of frying without the fat! Love it!

Kim-the-Individual

Carrie tagged me, so here you go. More info than any of you cared to know about me. :)

• Your cell phone? Its pretty boring, I just need a basic phone so I can make calls, no texting, internet, etc. for me.
• Your hair? Is driving me crazy right now! I need a haircut, but don't know what to do with it.
• Your mother? Can do anything.
• Your father? "Gets" me (for the most part).
• Your favorite food? Cheese.
• Your dream last night? I don't remember.
• Your favorite drink? Water.
• Your dream/goal? So many, one fun one is to own and run my own community theatre someday.
• What room are you in? Living room.
• Your hobby? Crafts in many varieties and reading.
• Your fear? I get anxiety in large groups and in water (especially if the two are combined).
• Where do you see yourself in 6 years? Sending baby boy to kindergarten and possibly being home alone during the day, so hopefully in a cleaner house.
• Where were you last night? Home all evening with my sweet family (first time in a few days, so it was wonderful!).
• Something you aren't? A neat freak.
• Muffins? Yes, please, anything without nuts.
• Wish list item? Too many...
• Where did you grow up? Northern Utah.
• Last you did? Got boy #2 a bowl of cereal.
• What are your wearing? Yoga shorts and T-shirt.
• Your TV? Off.
• Your pets? Do 4 rowdy munchkins count? Oh, and our stuffed dog, Grubby.
• Friends? My lifeline.
• Your life? Great.
• Your mood? Quite good, though I could do without the sinus headache.
• Missing someone? Family.
• Vehicle? Odyssey.
• Something you aren't wearing? Shoes.
• Your favorite store? Home Depot?
• Your favorite color? Green.
• Last time you laughed? This morning. Reading the latest LOST recap from longlivelocke.com
• Last time you cried? Wednesday.
• Your best friend? Hubby. He's the best!
• One place you go over and over again? The washing machine.
• Facebook? No thanks.
• Favorite place to eat? Out with no kids, anywhere will do. I do love Red Lobster, Jason's Deli, Red Robin, I'm sure I could go on... I really like food.

Outliers ****-

I recently read a phenomenal book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. From Goodreads.com:

"In this provocative and inspiring book, Malcolm Gladwell examines everyone from business giants to scientific geniuses, sports stars to musicians, and reveals what they have in common. He looks behind the spectacular results, the myths and the legends to show what really explains exceptionally successful people." Gladwell argues that, when we try to understand success, we normally start with the wrong question. We ask 'what is this person like?' when we should really be asking 'where are they from?' The real secret of success turns out to be surprisingly simple, and it hinges on a few crucial twists in people's life stories - on the culture they grow up in and the way they spend their time.

I loved this book. I found it so perfectly written that anyone could read it and understand what Gladwell was saying. He was concise, easy to follow, and entertaining. Not only was the writing so well done, but the content was simply fascinating. As most of you know I studied sociology in college, as I was reading I couldn't help but think this would be required reading in the major, but it was definitely more enjoyable to read than anything I remember having to read back then. Examining the environment, time, and heritage of people is truly more indicative of the reasons of their successes than simply what talents and strengths they possess.

There were several portions of the book that I found myself hoping to remember in my parenting. I really hope that I can teach my children to be confident and have the ability to speak up for themselves to whomever they are dealing with, teachers, doctors, friends, even me! When I started the book I told my husband, "This book is going to give me a social conscience." And I was right. I found myself wanting to make changes in my life but I didn't stop there, I wanted to change the world (or at least portions of our society). It made me revisit my questions regarding homeschool. It nudged me to think of positions I could possibly hold to alter some random dates/deadlines for school and sports. It helped me recognize that even though I'm not a genius or a mega-millionaire, I still have a lot to offer the world.

I really loved this book! I would highly recommend it to almost anyone. There are some cuss words in it (one chapter in particular repeats one word quite a bit- I must admit if the word hadn't been used I would have enjoyed it more, but the study to which the chapter refers was absolutely fascinating and somewhat comical). I would say the book is rated PG-13. And that is my only complaint of this book and the reason its not 5 star material for me. I realize many of you are unaffected by such things, but I like to know what I'm getting into before I start reading a book so I just wanted to put this disclaimer in for those of you who, like me, are sensitive.

Seriously, Outliers is a fabulous read! I am so glad I read it and I think you'll enjoy it too. Four and a half stars!

Brownie Alert!!!

I just wanted to make sure that I passed along the info that a few of us have figured out the hard way... 20 minutes is not long enough to cook these brownies to perfection. I think 25 might be, but I didn't time mine the last little bit so I'm not quite sure.

Make no mistake about it though, these brownies are my favorite (my 6 year old reading over my shoulder while I typed added "delicious" as I paused looking for the right word to describe them). So, there. you. go.

Enjoy!

World's Best Brownies (Really & Truly This Time)

OK, Ok forget everything you know about Brownies. I thought I had perfected a recipe (and mine are good, if you like a more cake like brownie, but if you like a perfectly chewy, a little gooey brownie, you should definitely try these) but I was wrong! Our ward hosted a Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bake-Off and my brownies were put to shame (at least according to me). The chocolate chip cookies I made did win by a landslide (thanks to a delicious recipe from my FG friend Aimee) and my brownies were 2nd place, but seriously...Holy cow, I'm not kidding when I tell you these were the best brownies I've ever had. Better than a box, better than my grandma's, the. BEST! I have been craving them like crazy lately and I may just give into the natural man and make them tonight.

Katie’s Brownies

2/3 c. melted butter

2 eggs

¼ c. milk

1 1/3 c. flour

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

2 c. sugar

½ c. baking cocoa

¾ c. chopped walnuts (optional)

1 c. semisweet choc. chips (sprinkle on top before baking)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into greased 9x13 pan, then sprinkle choc. chips on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°. They will look like they need more time, but take them out. They will finish cooking while cooling and they will be soft and chewy.

Good Behavior Tokens

Remember how I was unable to finish my tokens because I had the wrong stuff (contact paper to be exact)? Well, I had this brilliant idea in the middle of the night one night... packing tape!

So I finally got the tokens made and the kids are eagerly earning them (at least the oldest is).

They were very easy, albeit a little time consuming. KellyAnne's idea in the comments about using those dollar store decorative marble/stones is a great one. I however, don't get out very often (something about taking 3-4 kids with me) and prefer to not spend money, so I was anxious to use things I had on hand.

Everything I used to make these tokens I had on hand. Card stock, circle punch (one of my favorite investments), packing tape, and scissors.

I want to have some nice things the kids can "save up" for in our family store, so I made a lot of tokens, 40 for each child. Each boy has his favorite color. I punched the circles out of the card stock, laid out a long piece of packing tape and stuck circles to it, added a second piece of tape over the top of the circles and cut them out. If you look at the picture I was cutting them out in an odd way. Trust me after cutting out 120, this was the quickest way for me to do it. I did an "s" cut around the bottom circle and then a backward "s" cut around it and they each came off in a way that I was able to make one quick cut off one side and they were done!

Now if I can just the younger two boys interested in "quickly obeying." But that is another post for another day. :)

Good Behavior Token Banks

We have a problem in our family. Our problem comes from three common responses we get from our children when asked to do something, 1) "NO!" 2) "I'm really tired..." 3) Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Each response comes from a different son, but they are all equally frustrating as a parent!

For Family Home Evening this week we addressed this problem (we have some other problems that we addressed to, but that's another story for another day). We sang the ever so sweet song,

When my mother calls me, quickly I'll obey.

I want to do just what is right, each and every day.

Funny sidenote, prior to this FHE, my middle son was called by his dad. He hesitated a minute then said, "Hey, I just remembered something! 'When my father calls me, quickly I'll obey!'" And he dashed out of the room saying, "OK, Dad, I'm here!" It was very, very cute.

Anyhow, in a desperate effort to put on end to our problem we came up with this solution. Whenever the kids quickly obey they will get a token. The tokens will be used in association with a family store where they can buy different things of value to them such as candy, toys, time playing on the Wii, etc. I told them I would make a different color token for each boy and their own bank to store their tokens. I started the tokens yesterday, but bought the wrong kind of contact paper, so was unable to finish them. So I decided to make the banks.

There are so many great things about these banks. They are very versatile, maybe you don't need a bank, but could use a cute storage bin for pen, pencils, paintbrushes, spoons, whatever. They make cute wrapping for a small gift. They are green (reduce, reuse, recycle anyone?).

Here's what I used: empty baking powder and chow mein noodle cans, paper, mod podge, a paper cutter, scissors* , and a paint brush*. *not pictured
The first step I did was slice down the side of one of the can labels and remove. Keep it in one piece.
Next place the label on the paper of your choice and trace where you need to cut. I actually traced on the wrong side of the paper on all but one paper. I had one paper that I wanted a specific part of the pattern on my can so I traced it on the right side.
Cut paper. If you don't have a paper cute, you could certainly use scissors, but since I do have one, that's what I used.
Quickly spread mod podge all over outside of can. You could also spread it on the back of your paper and perhaps have better results. I don't know I didn't think of that until later. :)
Wrap your paper around your can, smoothing out any air pockets as you go (you can see I had a hard time with that, this is where the idea of putting the mod podge on the back of the paper comes from). Spread mod podge around paper over can. Let dry.
I applied labels to my cans using the same mod podge method. I cut a token slot in the lid of the can and the boys are super excited to have their banks! They've carried them around for the past 12 hours. Let's hope it helps solve our problem!

They aren't perfect, but I think they turned out great for what we need them.
I have seen on Skip to My Lou something quite similar using left over wrapping paper and a spray adhesive. That sounds pretty nice to use, but I didn't have any on hand and if you know me, you know I avoid going to the store as much as possible!

Do you have things you use to help your kids "quickly obey?" I'd love to hear your ideas...

Books to Read 2010

I am hoping to be able to read each of these 25 books this year (though its not an exclusive list). Feel free to give me any insights you may have on them. I'm looking for a book to host book club for church, it can't have any serious language (you know anything you wouldn't see in the Bible) and I'd love to choose something from this list, but since I haven't read any of them yet, I can't know if they're approvable. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Princess of the Midnight Ball, Jessica Day George
Dark Water Rising, Marian Hale
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell
John Adams, David McCullough
Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose
Mayflower, Nathaniel Philbrick
Peace Like a River, Leif Enger
Forest Born, Shannon Hale
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, John Elder Robison
The Witch's Boy, Michael Gruber
The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom
The Robe, Lloyd C Douglas
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
Savvy, Ingrid Law
Eve and the Choice Made in Eden, Beverly Campbell
Mistborn: The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson
The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
The Walking Drum, Louis L'Amour
The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Little Lady Agency, Hester Browne
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Black Beauty *****

I recently finished reading Black Beauty by Anna Sewell with my oldest. I have got to say that I enjoyed this book more than most of the other books we've read together. I loved it! Yes, he could have definitely read it on his own, but I am so glad that I took the chance to read it with him.

You know how in lots of children's/YA lit the main character is young? That seems to be a running theme. Well, it was refreshing to read something different. Black Beauty is the narrator and tells his life story. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly in a horse's life. It was really eye opening how different people treated and felt about horses. I wonder what kinds of things go on in a horse's experience in this day and age.

I'm going to keep this short, but just know that I loved it! Five stars all the way from me. If you have a child you like to read chapter books with (and they're not too "old" to read this one with mom or dad) I highly recommend it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ****

I have heard a lot of different reviews for this book. Several people loved it... and some just liked it. I'm kind of in between. I really enjoyed reading it. I really liked a lot of the characters. I did love learning more about the Occupation in Guernsey. But it was missing a little something for me. Like if it had been a puzzle, there would have been a few missing pieces here and there.

The main character is an author named Juliet who is from London. It takes place right after World War II. Juliet is doing a book tour and communicating with her dear friend and publisher Sidney. She gets a letter from a stranger in Guernsey (I just wanted to throw in that I'm so glad a map was included in the book. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that Guernsey (and Jersey for that matter) was an island) who happens to own a book that once belonged to her (according to the inscription). Dawsey loves said book and wants to know more about the author, so he asks her. It was the first book be read that wasn't about pigs but pigs wouldn't be too exciting for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Well, needless to say, Juliet is intrigued by the title of such a society and asks about it. Thus, they begin corresponding. Juliet is introduced to all the members of the society and just falls in love with them.

This book is written in letter format. Letters from certain characters to others. The entire book is written this way and so the only part of the characters we really get to see is that which they are willing to write in a letter to someone or that which someone else notices or reveals about them. Don't get me wrong, I got to know several of the characters plenty. I really enjoyed the letters. I just wanted more... of what I'm not sure. For instance, I would have liked more from Sidney. He was a fun character that was written to a lot, but didn't write as many letters as I would have liked.

There is a tinge of romance in the story but I didn't really believe the way it was dealt with. Its basically the only thing that kind of bothered me. I don't want to get into it for spoilers sake, but I thought it could have been handled much better (by the author or the character I'm not sure which) :).

I liked the book a lot, but I don't think I loved it. The characters were easy to enjoy and read. The writing was exceptional (at least to my untrained mind). I loved the history. I have to say, also, that I should probably look up some of the authors mentioned in the Society... I'm not very well read, I'm discovering.

Overall, I think you'd enjoy it if you give it a try. It may not be life changing for you, but I think you'd really enjoy your time with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (4 stars).

Birdie Jammies

I made my daughter some pajamas for Christmas and I am so happy with how they turned out! I had this adorable flannel with birds on it (I got it in the remnant box at Hancock for cheap) and made pants with it. I didn't have enough for the shirt, so I came up with this option. I had fleece on hand and just used little scraps to make a little bird using the pants as a pattern.

I couldn't be happier with this sweet little birdie! I used iron on paper stuff to create the bird and it wasn't ideal with my fleece, but it looks good enough for an 18 month old!
Isn't that bird fabric the cutest stuff ever?!? I love it! I wish I'd bought more... I didn't have a pattern to follow so I used a pair of pajamas that she wears now as a guide. It was really easy and took about 2 hours total time. I think I'll be making more jammies in the future.

Cranberry Ginger Salmon

So I didn't come up with this recipe, I just stumbled across it in The Recipe to a Low Allergen Life (which I picked up at Albertson's Pharmacy for free one day). I did make it and fall in love, so that is why it is appearing on this blog. I have never been a salmon fan. That may sound crazy coming from someone who really loves to eat fish, tilapia, cod, trout, halibut, flounder, etc. but salmon has always just been a bad taste for me. I was a bit leery of trying it in this recipe, but decided to give it a go. I found the bag of salmon fillets or steaks (I don't know which) at Sam's Club and it would serve my family for 2 dinners. I decided it would be worth the money. If however, the money would not be worth it for you and yours... or you just can't bring yourself to make salmon the recipes also says to try it with chicken so you have no excuse.

The best thing about this recipe to me is that is looks and tastes like it was a lot of work, so if you're entertaining you'll be a hit. However, it is EASY! But nobody has to know but you and me...

Cranberry Ginger Salmon

1 1/4 Tbsp ginger root, minced

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup whole berry canned cranberry sauce

4 salmon fillets or steaks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine ginger, garlic, honey, soy sauce, pepper and cranberry sauce. Mix until thoroughly blended.

Spray a shallow baking pan with cooking spray and place salmon in pan. Spoon cranberry mixture evenly over fillets/steaks.

Bake 15 minutes for fillets (25 minutes for steaks). Salmon is done when it flakes with a fork.