Guess what I did?

I read a book! It has been AGES since I have actually read an entire book. My local book club chose a book I'd already last month so I didn't read one then and life has just kind of taken over my book reading. However, this month's book club choice was something I'd never read (or heard of, for that matter).

We read, The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate. It is basically the story of a woman who is going through some trying circumstances in her life and how she reaches out and makes a difference in a poor Dallas neighborhood. It is told from the perspective of two main characters Sandra Kaye and Cass. They live in completely opposite worlds, in the same metro area. The differences in their experiences stem all way back to young childhood. Both of are situations they wish they could change. The stories intersect and the evolution is quite interesting to read. The book addresses some big topics like socio-economic class disparity, self-esteem and feeling secure in relationships, adoption, parenting pressures, drug abuse, childhood abuse (in many facets).

I only liked this book. It seemed at book club that I was in the minority, they all seemed to really enjoy it. For some reason, I just wasn't that drawn into the characters' stories. It was more a chore to read than a delight. I found nothing in it really compelling. The characters I most enjoyed were the children being cared for, 3 year old Opal and 17 year old Christopher and Teddy the grown man with disabilities.

It seemed that the emotion the author was trying to elicit was sympathy for the characters so that when they overcame we would cheer and rejoice. It just felt a little forced. Everything that could be bad was bad in their lives. Sandra Kaye's sons, her marriage, her childhood... Cass's entire situation was just bad. She was better at not moping in it, though, which I appreciated. I don't like to feel like "the author wants me to feel" this particular way. Rather, I enjoy being swept away in the emotion without realizing it. Does that make sense?

So why 3 stars? Well, the sociology major in me was a bit fascinated by the description of poverty. I also could relate to Sandra Kaye's insecurities and worries about making the wrong choices. I appreciated the message that one person can make difference. All in all, I probably wouldn't recommend it, but I'm sure there are some of you that might really enjoy it.

Baby Shower Success!

Many of you know I was hosting a baby shower for a dear friend of mine this week. I made the mistake of not making crucial decisions until too late in the process to ask for help, so I ended up doing the whole thing myself, at my house. Needless to say, it was exhausting. However, I must say, it was a success! I had fun, the guests had fun, and most importantly the guest of honor had fun.

I thought it would be fun to share some of the tasty recipes I used with you, as well as some ideas for the theme.

Since it was my friend's first baby boy, the theme was "Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails." My original intent had been to have the games, food, decor, and invitations all go along with the theme, however as the day came and I was pressed for time it ended up being invitations (pictured above) and decor only.

For the decorations I gathered stuffed dogs and frogs and used them as the centerpiece on the food table as well as on my mantle. The colors of the plates, napkins, cups and tablecloth went along with the invitations and her nursery. Blue and green. Oh, and I did have one itty, bitty, snail that I made with polymer clay awhile back set in some grass on the table behind the dogs and frogs. I didn't get any pictures of the table, bummer.

I had a few ideas for games to go with the theme, but none of them happened. Some ideas I thought about: pin the tail on the puppy and musical frog (pass a couple frogs around while music plays when the music stops whoever is holding it has to drink juice from a bottle, fastest drinker wins).

The game we actually ended up playing I tried to put a theme spin on, but failed. We played "name that tune." My thought was to find songs with the words, "frogs," "snails," "puppy," "dog," "tail," "baby," "boy," etc. in the title, however I did not find ANY songs with the theme words in the title in our iTunes. So I went for any songs with "boy," "baby," "son," "child," "brother," in the title. I told my guests, I realized that we have quirky taste in music and hoped they could figure out at least some of the songs. We ended up doing thirteen songs. They are:

• This Boy, The Beatles
• Mother Nature's Son, Cheryl Crow
• Hush Little Baby, Bobby McFerrin
• One Boy, One Girl, Collin Raye
• Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
• Danny Boy, Eclipse
• Sweet Baby James, James Taylor
• Real Wild Child, Josie and the Pussycats
• Mother and Child Reunion, Paul Simon
• Brother, Toad the Wet Sprocket
• Baby One More Time, Toxic Audio
• Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice
• Venus (Baby, She's Got It), Bananarama

I knew it was pretty bad when I looked at their faces. The Beatles started singing and someone said, "This is before my time!" The Beatles aren't before anyone's time are they?!?! They're like the past, present and future music. Someone else said later, "Boy, you weren't kidding about the obscure music!" When all was said and done the highest number of correct guesses was 5! There were three people who got 5 right. We decided we must've made it a little too hard with our clips, if there's a next time we'll do more obvious clips.

At the end of the game I let them all know that they would each be getting the "soundtrack" from the evening. We made a CD with all thirteen songs as their favor for coming to the party. There is some really great music on that CD, so even though they thought I was crazy, I hope they enjoy listening to our great (and unique) taste in music. :)

OK, now for the thing that really made the night a success, the FOOD! I wanted to include the theme with the food. At first I planned to decorate a cake all cute with frogs, snails, and puppy dogs. I thought of serving little wrap/roll things so look like snails. I also thought it might be fun to just have little cards with titles for the food that would tie it into the theme like "puddle jumpers" for dip-ables and Texas mud pie for my dessert. But I ran out of time and went with the following instead. I served some easy, no prep things like chips and salsa and a vegetable tray from Sam's Club. I went to a great food blog I highly recommend called Our Best Bites and got a couple recipes that I hoped would impress. I'd never tried them before, so yes, I was taking a risk, but that's what I do. And it worked out great. The recipes and pictures from Our Best Bites are below.

Caramel Apple Cider

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1/2 gallon apple cider (64 oz or 8 C)

1/2 C orange juice, fresh squeezed or good quality bottled like Simply Orange

1 orange

8 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks (if yours are more than a year old- buy new ones!!)

1/4 t ground allspice

1/3 C jarred caramel sauce* more to taste if needed

optional: caramel flavored syrup sweetened whipped cream (or from a can is fine!)

*For a delicious twist, substitute maple syrup for the caramel sauce in this recipe.

Combine cider, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and allspice in a medium-large stock pot. Heat on medium high. Poke cloves into orange rind and gently set in pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour. Add caramel sauce, stir to dissolve/combine. Serve warm.

I didn't serve mine with whipped cream, but people still seemed to enjoy it.

Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 8-oz. package cream cheese (you can use light cream cheese)

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp. vanilla (you can add more to taste)

Toffee bits (look by the chocolate chips and try and find the chocolate covered ones if you can! Your dip won't be pretty, but it will sure taste good!)

Let cream cheese get to room temperature. Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla until creamy. Add half a bag toffee when ready to serve.

I made several fruit kabobs with green apples, grapes, and fresh pineapple for easy serving. The guests ate these right up. I had several ask for the recipe of the dip and many were surprised it was so simple. It was delicious! Try it and you won't be disappointed!

For dessert I made one of my very favorite treats! An old Pampered Chef recipe called Frosty Pumpkin Dessert. It was a hit with the guests as well! I had more requests for the recipe than I think I've had for any recipe! Nothing tells me people liked my food more than that. I also was able to make the recipe in advance, so it made my life much less stressful the day of the shower. I am notorious for decorating a cake up until the very.last.minute. Everyone thought it would be a great Thanksgiving treat, for the non-traditionalists. The first time I made it, was for a big Thanksgiving dinner with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins, so I have to agree! In case any of you are dying to try something new, here is the recipe and my own picture (sorry its not as good as the pros).

Frosty Pumpkin Dessert

Recipe by Pampered Chef

32 gingersnap cookies, finely chopped (1 1/3 cup crumbs)

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, divided

1 cup thawed frozen whipped topping

2/3 cup toffee bits

1 cup solid pack pumpkin

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

Combine cookie crumbs and butter, press into bottom of 10" springform pan (I actually doubled the recipe and used 2 9x13 pans). Place in freezer. Scoop half of ice cream into large bowl, let soften for 10 minutes in fridge. Combine ice cream, whipped topping, and toffee bits. Spread over crust. Freeze for 1 hour. Let remaining half of ice cream soften, mix with pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. Spread evenly over ice cream and freeze over night. Set in fridge about 20 minutes before ready to serve.

The food didn't fit the theme, but it more than made up for it with the taste! It was a great night with lots of laughs, socializing, food, and good friends. I wouldn't change a thing!

Fun Kid Craft

I found some fun Halloween rubber stamps at Michael's for $1 each. I let the boys all choose one with plans for some kid craft... that hadn't been envisioned yet.

I decided to make the boys each a trick or treat bag and let them stamp it however they liked. I made the bags with fabric cut out of some old maternity capris my mom made me that were always way too big. I added a ribbon with some decorative (sort of) orange stitching and black handles (the nylon belt material stuff) and let the kids go at it.

They had fun. As you can see they varied from really particular about where things go, to not caring at all if there was even ink on the stamp. It was pretty fun and it was quick which meant it was a lot less stress for this momma. My 3 year old actually didn't want to stamp his, he just told me where to put each stamp, and he's got a good eye!

I added their names when they were all done stamping.

We had our first trick or treat experience with them on Saturday night and the kids loved their bags! It was fun to have something they created to show to the people giving out candy.

Creamy Spinach & Chicken filling

My family made some delicious ice cream last night as a special treat (I'll be posting about it soon!). Hubby brought home extra citrus produce, so I suggested we have crepes tonight. We love crepes with lemon juice and sugar... so good! Anyhow, when hubby started making crepes, (he's the resident fry-daddy and crepe maker) he informed me that he wanted a spinach and chicken filling to make it more dinner appropriate so this is what I came up with from what we had in our kitchen...

Creamy Spinach and Chicken Filling

2 Tbsp Butter

2 heaping Tbsp Flour

1 cup milk

salt and pepper

3 big handfuls spinach

2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped- I had left over roast chicken I used.

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cube Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat)

1/2 cup + Parmesan cheese, freshly grated.

dash of garlic powder

salt and pepper

Melt butter over medium heat, sprinkle flour, stirring constantly. When flour has completely soaked up butter and is bubbly add milk. Stir constantly, add salt and pepper to taste.

When slightly thickened add spinach. Simmer until spinach cooks down a bit. Add chicken, onions, cream cheese, parmesan and garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Stir often.

Continue to simmer until everything is melted and spinach is completely cooked down, stirring occasionally.

Serve as a filling for crepes.

My review: Totally easy. Ingredients I generally always have on hand (except the green onions), which makes cooking so much easier. It also tasted absolutely delicious! My hubby and I couldn't get enough of it. Our 3 year old was the only one who turned his nose up at it and that was after he saw the spinach and eaten half of it. Our 4 year old finished his brother's in seconds flat. Next time I may try sauteing a clove of garlic rather than the powder, I was just too lazy tonight.

It would also be great as a filling with pasta, I'm thinking large shells stuffed with spinach, cheesy goodness and baked 15 minutes after topped with sauce. Yummy! Or even just mixed, casserole style with penne.

Get WILD baby!

I was recently asked to make a cake for a baby shower for a gal in my ward who was having a baby boy. I brainstormed until I came up with this fabulous idea, the only trouble was I needed to figure out how to do fondant.

I found a recipe here that makes a delicious alternative to traditional fondant. I was nervous to try it, but got up the nerve Wednesday night. It took lots of kneading, but it was worth it! I let it sit in the fridge until the next afternoon when I was ready to color it. I added my gel food coloring (using gloves so I didn't dye my hands as well) and kneaded some more, until I had lots of bright colors to get wild about. My green frosting on the sides was too runny, so the leaves just look like blobs of green, but the greenery in the rainforest isn't perfect, so who cares? My monkey was done at the very last minute, so he's not perfect either, but the top of the cake looked just as I envisioned it!

My review of working with fondant: I didn't have any shape cutters, so I freehanded everything. It was a little tricky to use a knife on, but I feel like I was able to get the shapes I wanted by using my fingers to mold the imperfections and my kitchen shears were great for the little giraffe horns. Rolling it out was a lot simpler than I expected. I thought it would stick and tear, I didn't really have any problems with either. It was great! I don't know if this version will harden and hold a shape, so I'm not sure if it can totally replace traditional fondant, but for my cake it was ideal.

My review of the taste: It was very sweet (as expected from the ingredients). One gal told me she tasted fondant once before and thought it tasted like soap. She ate mine and was totally surprised. She even peeled it all off her piece of cake and ate it solo so she could savor just that flavor. Another gal got up for seconds saying, "I want more of that fondant." So I guess it was a hit.

If you're considering making this, try it! Like I said before, I was really nervous, but it was quite easy and so therapeutic. It opens up so many opportunities for decorating. It made making my cake a little easier, too, I think. And the finished product speaks for itself.

Home Decor Redo

I've been trying to get my bedroom decorated for about 5 months now. Its still a work in progress, but its starting to come together. The last week has brought about these additions. Thanks Jeni for your ideas all those months ago, its finally starting to work!

First, I did my first photo collage! I'm very happy with how it turned out, even though there are imperfections. I bought a bunch of second hand frames and painted them shiny black. Then I got some paper in some coordinating colors with the rest of the room and made mats for photos of my family and some just for art. Very simple project that fills a large wall that I was totally unsure what to do with.

My mirror before. Not bad, just not perfect for the space.
My mirror after. So sleek and a statement in the room now.
My rocking chair before. Definitely didn't match my room, it was a hand-me-down that needed a facelift.
My rocking chair after. Its still not completely finished. I think I'm going to add some accessories, if you will. But it is SO much better for my space. I love it!
I spray painted to wood shiny black and made covers for the cushions with a lovely fabric that fits with the room. The bottom cushion was really tricky to get right, so its not a perfect fit. I haven't decided if I am going to try to fit it tighter, or if I'm just going to live with it.

Now when I walk into my room, it feels so much more cohesive. I still have a few projects I'm working on, but really its coming together so nicely. I'm excited to get it all done and show before and after pictures of the entire room.

Winterizing and Feminizing

I didn't expect much cold weather yet down here in Texas, however the last couple weeks have had me wishing that I had more warm weather for my little babe. Having 3 older brothers, she doesn't have any hand-me-downs and we've bought mainly short sleeved tops.

Well I saw a tutorial on adding long sleeves to short sleeved shirts here. And decided to give it a shot with an old shirt from the boys and and old shirt of mine that were in my garbage pile. Here is the before... Notice the boyish buttons and the discoloration...

I added the sleeves following the directions linked. Next I changed the buttons to clearish/white buttons for a more feminine look. The final step was to add the yo-yo flowers in complimentary fabrics to disguise the discoloration a little.

The final product is far from perfect, but its warmer for the babe and it has a little pizazz to up the femininity... not that anyone would ever think this beauty was a boy, right?

Blogging

Wow! I can't believe it has been over 2 months since I posted anything on this blog! I have been reading, I've read several books in that time actually. I've also been crafting, not quite as much as reading though. :)

I think I'm trying to use blogging as a way to strengthen relationships and friendships with people and I am not getting much satisfaction from it. This blog is hard to keep up because I am always worried about one thing or another that someone may or may not think/feel about me. I'm incredibly insecure in my relationships (except with you mom, I totally know where I stand there, thanks).

I started this blog as an actual book club where we chose a book for a month to read and then discuss. I didn't get a lot of feedback, but it was getting a few of us "together." I think I'll try going back to this format. I will choose if no one wants to offer suggestions, but please feel free to volunteer to "lead" a discussion (choose a book and present questions/discussion).

Starting with October we will read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I will post questions for discussion toward the end of the month or by the 1st of October for sure.

So, join me if you'd like. I'll try not to take it personally if don't (though I make no promises) :) The blog will still have a little bit of everything (I'll soon be adding recipes to the mix), but I'll be heading a discussion for the book of the month once again.

Fairest ****-

I guess I just really like fairy tales.  Fairest is another book by Gail Carson Levine (author of Ella Enchanted which I loved).  I don't think I liked this quite as much as that one, but I really did like it.  A lot.  

Its the story of Aza, a girl who was raised by an innkeeper and his wife in the land of Ayortha.  In this land two things are valued above all others, singing voice and beauty.  The innkeeper and his family love her just like their own, despite her looks- Aza is ugly.  But she has a voice that almost makes up for it... almost.  Through circumstances she ends up going to the castle for the King's wedding.  The bride is from another land and a stranger to their customs.  Aza ends up in a tough position with the queen demanding things from her that she feels she cannot refuse, leading to trouble.  

I really loved this story.  I loved Aza.  I could empathize with her from the very beginning.  I loved her family and her relationship with them.  So often in books people have incredibly strained relationships with at least one member of their family and I found this refreshing.  I loved the kingdom of Ayortha, such a happy place.  I really liked the supporting characters.  The new queen even was made sympathetic, which is quite amazing.  There was romance, intrigue, friendship, adventure.  There were even some characters mentioned from Ella Enchanted that I loved so much.  That was a fun surprise.  It was a great book!  Its another young adult novel which made it an easy, quick read.  Very fun for anyone from about 8 and up, I'd think.  

Four and half stars for being a delightful, fun story with setting and characters to match.  I loved it!

Chocolate and Water Don't Mix

My craft this week is less a craft than a home-making tip... I have this DELICIOUS recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce that I made last night. I've made it before, but it has been a really long time- probably before we knew our oldest boy was allergic to milk.  Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips- semi-sweet or milk chocolate

2 Tbsp butter

1 can evaporated milk

Melt the chocolate and the butter in the microwave, stirring frequently until smooth.  Add the milk, gently whisking it in.  Microwave in 30 second increments until it is thick and glossy.  It was thicken more as it sets.  Serve warm over ice cream.

So for our date last night, we had a fairy tale theme because I'd borrowed Ella Enchanted from the library to watch.  We were stuck at home, due to scout camp and girl's camp falling on the same week.  We carved soap and told tales about our carvings.  E's was a crystal ball and mine was a tower.  Then we played Pictionary with an "Enchanted" twist.  The person drawing didn't know what they were drawing, they had to do as they were told and figure out what it was.  There were three rounds; 1 where we could both see, 1 where the one drawing was blindfolded, 1 where the person giving direction was blindfolded.  It was great fun!

Finally, while we were watching the movie (which is very, very different from the book I loved so much) I made a treat "fit for a king"-- really I just wanted an awesome banana split.  I made the hot fudge sauce and the chocolate totally seized up!  It was like curdled chocolate, and I'd even bought the nice Guittard milk chocolate chips!  So I tried to mix the milk in to smooth it out, and it smoothed out, but it was the consistency of milk, not hot fudge.  What a bummer!

So I figured out the reason... I used margarine instead of butter because I don't buy butter since the allergy diagnosis.  I didn't even think about it, but margarine's second ingredient is water.  I knew that water would do that to melted chocolate, but I neglected to consider the water in margarine... so learn from my mistake and if you're ever melting chocolate with a fat- you can use butter, you can use shortening,  you could probably even use oil- never, never, never use margarine!

The Host ***-

I was conflicted as I read this book.  The first 150 or so pages were awful (for me), so bad that I just about put it down and stopped reading it.  However there are very books that I feel that strongly about so I plodded on.  I knew it had to pick up because I knew a lot of people who read it and loved it.  It did.  The story and characters became a lot more interesting and fun to read, BUT I had already been tainted by the difficult beginning it made my enjoyment less fulfilling.  That and a few other reasons to be discussed below are why I didn't give this one 4 + stars.  

I'll try to give  short overview, but its kind of complicated, so it will be simplified.  Its the story of Wanderer, a Soul.  Souls are alien beings that invade a host species, they've taken many planets and recently acquired Earth.  Souls invade with the belief that they can make the world a better place.  Once the humans figure out what is happening, many put up a fight and go into hiding to preserve themselves. Wanderer is placed in a human host that is a fighter, Melanie.  The two exchange thoughts like conversation (or arguments) throughout the majority of the book.  Melanie's thoughts, memories, and feelings become Wanderer's; yet Wanderer is still herself.  If that doesn't make sense to you, sorry, its the best I can do.  Very, very simply that is the premise.

What I liked:  I really liked some of the supporting characters like Jeb (he was probably my favorite) and Jamie.  Once they became involved in the story I started caring about what happened to Wanderer and Melanie.  I liked the suspense in parts of the story, and I liked that it wasn't overwhelmingly suspenseful throughout.  I liked parts of the romance, mostly just the willingness some of the characters showed to overlook some things, the way that the love became unconditional.  

What I didn't like:  The beginning.  I also thought it way. too. long.  I wanted Ms. Meyer to get on with it at times.  I realized that it has basically the same plot points as the Twilight series; a group of people living a separate kind of life from the rest of society.  A newcomer finds her way into the group and tries to fit despite her differences because of love.  Everything gets wrapped up neatly in the end.  Granted that could maybe be said for many authors, maybe I just haven't read enough authors multiple works to recognize it.  I wasn't wild about the end, either.  

Maybe I didn't want to like it for various reasons.  I don't know.  All I know is that I enjoyed this one, but I was annoyed by a lot while reading it.  So, there is my short review.  If you LOVE Stephenie Meyer then you'll probably love this too- if you can past the first 150 pages.  If you were indifferent with Twilight, you may like this.  There is less (though I don't know how there could NOT be less) infatuation, lusty description in this one.  I know that turned a lot of people off Twilight.  If you hated those ones for the writing style and whatnot, you'll probably feel the same way about this.  

It was good, not something I'll be reading again anytime soon, but good.  Three and a half stars for the supporting cast and fun mid two thirds of the tale.

Dining Room Crafts

I have been trying really hard to get my house decorated in a way that I love lately.  My dining room has been a work in progress for a while now and I'm making some serious progress, though I admit these pictures are not the final product.  In an effort to achieve my goal of posting a craft once a week, I decided to post these nonetheless.

I have had this painting for about 6 years and FINALLY got around to framing it!  I went to Goodwill and found a great frame and mat, I painted the frame to match the molding in my dining room and voila!  I had a beautiful piece of artwork for my dining room.

The next step was to find some fabric for a project I decided would be a quick, easy, cheap way to add interest to my walls.  All I needed was some embroidery hoops, some craft glue, and lovely coordinating fabric!  I'm really happy with how these turned out.

The next phase of my wall was a bit harder to come up with... I had a lot of ideas of what might work, but wasn't ready to commit to any of them, until I found a great little shelf for under $6 at Ross!  Then I knew a cute little teacup with flowers would be perfect to tie it all together.  The trouble was, I only had a teacup with sunflowers and blue gingham.  That didn't go with my wall at all!  My first solution to this problem was to use some scrapbook paper to cover the design on my cup, but paper doesn't mold to cups very well... so as I was trying to figure out how to make it work I noticed my fabric (from the hoops) laying on the table and thought, "That would work perfectly!"  So I got out my craft glue again....  

I roughly cut the fabric to the width I wanted.  The first step was to glue down the top edge, so it was a  finished edge.  The next thing I did was glue down each side's edge. After that was done I put a strip of glue along the top of the teacup (not quite the rim) and attached the fabric.  
Once that glue had a chance to set, I attached the fabric at the bottom of the teacup.  I did the two side pieces first, overlapping as needed to follow the contours of the cup.  Then I glued down the opposite side, so like starting at 3:00 and then doing 9:00.  Next I did 6:00 and 12:00 and then filled in the rest as needed.  I smoothed the bottom by adding a thin layer of glue over it all, so it laid flat.  
After the bottom was glued I lightly glued the sides under the cup handle.  Then all that was left to do was add flowers.  I tried just letting them sit in the cup without anything holding them up, but they looked pretty ridiculous, so I added dry beans to the cup and "arranged" the flowers and leaves.
The wall is coming together quite nicely, though I still am trying to figure out the best way to add balance.  I really want a clock in the room.  What do you think?  Would a standup clock that is taller than the flowers work well on the shelf?  In place of the candlesticks or in addition to?  The side with the hoops is long and narrow and the shelf is wide and short, what would you do to make it balance?
This picture is blurry on the top right corner of the art because there was a major glare and I tried to fix it with these results... not great, but luckily you can see what a lovely piece it is in the top photo.  My mom's cousin painted it and gave it to me at a family reunion.

The Spiderwick Chronicles ****

Recently, I read all 5 books of The Spiderwick Chronicles to my 6 year old boy.  I give them 4 stars and B would definitely give them 5.  He absolutely LOVED these books, which made my enjoyment of them so much greater.

The story is about Jared Grace.  A 9 year old boy who moves into a rackety old house with his twin brother Simon, his sister Mallory, and his mom because their dad just left them.  The house belongs to their mother's "aunt" Lucy, who is in the loony bin because she stopped eating.  Jared discovers a Field Guide that was made by Lucy's father, Arthur Spiderwick.  

The Field Guide has fantasical pictures and descriptions of faeries; brownies, trolls, ogres, boggarts, goblins, elves, and dwarves.  The house is even being cared for by a brownie (who, when upset, becomes a boggart) named Thimbletack.  The faeries can only be seen with "the sight" or if they want to be seen.

It is a great adventure story. Things I loved about it:  I really loved the reality of the relationships with the family.  I understood the anger that Jared felt and how easy it is to lose control.   I really appreciate it when  a children's book is really appropriate for children and this one was, for the most part.  I liked the descriptions and pictures of the different creatures, I felt like I could really see them, and I don't generally picture things as I read.  It was a good experience.

What I didn't like:  The only thing that I really struggled with was the kids lying.  I feel like I shouldn't be exposing my kids to these kinds of examples where they get away with bad behavior with no real bad consequences.  

It was a delightful set to read with my kids.  We have since spent countless hours playing Spiderwick Chronicles at home, we each wield a fencing sword and take on goblins and trolls and sometimes even an ogre.  Loads of fun!  4 stars from me, 5 from the 6 year old.  

Just FYI, the movie was SO incredibly different I felt like it shouldn't have even had the same name.  It was hardly even "based" on the books.  I felt like such a book snob as I watched it (same with Prince Caspian).  Just not even close to as good.

Woa!

I can't believe it has been 3 months since I last posted on this blog!!!  I have been reading and I've been crafting, but I guess I haven't been blogging much.  Well, that all changes right here, right now.

I finally got my sewing machine running after it quit mid inseam on Halloween.  It was a silly, easy thing to correct, too!  My sis-in-love Jeni always has a curse or two for her bobbin and now I can join her.  My bobbin thread was wound around itself (sort of) and that is the only reason I haven't sewn anything for 7 months!  

However, since I figured it out... I've been sewing a lot!  I just added a girl's skirt, a sword pocket, and 2 purses to my shop (check it out!).  I sewed some new pillows for my couch (per Jeni's advice, thanks Jen!) which I LOVE!  

My sewing projects have been really simple because I've been starting with finished edges.  My new favorite place to buy small pieces of fabric... Pier 1!  They have adorable napkins with patterns I can't find elsewhere.  The skirt, a purse, and my pillows were all made with napkins.  Isn't that fun?

So, OK, enough of my babbling.  In an effort to be more diligent to this blog I am hoping to post a weekly book review and a weekly crafting project.  Let me know if there's project you'd like to see... even if I have no experience with it, I'm willing to try just about anything and I'd be happy to let you know what works for me and what doesn't.  Until then...

Five Quarters of the Orange ***

While scanning friends' book reviews on goodreads.com, I added Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris to my "to read" list.  One of my friends just happened to notice that addition and brought me her copy to borrow (thanks Susan!) and I just finished it today.

After I finished I was reading some of the praise the novel had been given and the review from the Philadelphia Inquirer summed up exactly how I felt about this book.

 "Harris makes us care about her characters, that alone makes this a novel worth ready.  Her particular skill, however, is for sensory detail... Her prose reads like poetry, and it is a physical experience to fall into her imagery."

The book is about Framboise Simon (I had no idea how to pronounce this and it drove me crazy throughout the book.  Her nickname is Boise and it felt wrong to say it all western US country when its a lovely French name).  She tells the story from her 65 year old self perspective.  Much of the story takes place during the German occupation when she is 9 years old.  During this summer some tragedy takes place and Boise's mother is held responsible, thus changing the lives of her and her siblings, as well as the entire town.

The story unfolds, quite slowly, layer by layer as Boise reads through her mother's scrapbook of recipes and ramblings/journaling.  At first I didn't know what to make of the characters, not sure if I wanted to like them or sympathize with them.  I eventually did come to empathize and also like many of them.  But what is really amazing about this book is the storytelling.  Its amazing how intricately the story is woven and unfolded.  And even more amazing is the sensory detail.  You can taste, smell, and feel so much reading this novel.

However, with all that said I don't feel like I can recommend this book to anyone.  It is (like so many other "grown up" books) rated "R" for language and for some pretty dark things happening.  It is also very sad.  Some of the reviews were that it was "sweet" but I think its more like a downer sprinkled with some sugar throughout.  The downer didn't really get me down, and like I said I was able to empathize with most of the characters so I was able to enjoy it.  I really, really hate the language though.  Seriously, don't recommend a book to me if it has a bunch of swearing, I'm better off without it.  Perhaps you think this childish of me, but I am a firm believer that swearing is never necessary to a story.  As an actor, I was always able to convey the emotion without needing the language to convince the audience I really felt that way.  Authors can (and should) be held to the same standard.  When I read to Bryant, if there is a cuss word I just skip it, I don't replace it because there is generally absolutely NO need for it.  OK, I'll get off my soap box now.  

All in all, the storytelling was so well done that I was able to enjoy the book and I give it 3 stars.  I think I may have to stick with Young Adult fiction and some safe classics... darn those modern "grown up" authors.

Ella Enchanted ****-

I loved this book!  It was great.  I didn't know anything about it (if that is the way you prefer to read your books, don't read the rest of the review just know that I loved it), I just picked it up at the library because I thought I'd heard from a friend that it was  a good one.  I didn't know it was a Cinderella story, I didn't know she was "cursed" with obedience, anything.  

I have to say the reason I loved it so much was because Ella herself was so lovable.  It didn't feel contrived or beat into my head repeatedly that she was clumsy.  She was so much fun, I would definitely want to be her friend.

I love, love, loved her mom.  She is exactly the kind of mother I wish I was!  I wish we had been able to enjoy her more in the story, but her effect on Ella was consistently evident in the story.

I loved the relationship with Mandy!  She was so down to earth.  Just had a real solid head on her shoulders, I guess living a full, long life will do that to some people.  What a blessing she was to Ella.

And, of course, I loved the relationship with the prince.  How could you not?! It was fun, real, clean, everything that I remember about my courtship with my honey.  Pure delight!  I knew it had to end happy, but I seriously had no idea how it would get there.

The story was a Cinderella story, but it had such original twists to it that it seemed fresh and new.  It took me only 4 hours to read and I wished it had been longer.  I wanted to keep on enjoying all of the characters for days and days.  If you have a daughter any age over 7 probably, I would guess she'd love it too.  

I give it 4 1/2 stars because I loved it, I could probably read it again today and still enjoy it.  I have not seen the movie, I've heard mixed reviews, but we'll probably check it out from the library on watch it one of these days.  I don't expect to enjoy it nearly as much as I did the book, but it is so rare that I do that it comes as no surprise.  I'll try to let you know how we like it...

To read or not to read...

I've been in a reading standstill the last couple months.  I've started a couple books but, aside from the books with Bryant  and the books I listen to as I run on the treadmill, I haven't finished one in ages.  I'm not sure what I've been doing with my time... let me try to remember anything valuable that I've been able to complete in my reading abstinence. 

I covered the seats on our barstools chairs! That was exciting.  You know how kids aren't always the cleanest eaters?  Well, my kids are especially messy I think.  These chairs were covered in cute stars and stripes fabric, but trust me, it wasn't cute by the time I recovered them.  Rather than have to go through that all again, we put a plastic covering over each seat as well.  Now I can wipe them clean after the kids make a mess and the fabric stays nice and lovely.  It was a very easy project that only took an hour or two.  I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see what an improvement it is, but the after shot will have to do.

I also made some chore charts for our family.  I am always making lists of what needs to be done each day.  I had the idea remembering the checklist I see on the bathroom wall or door in public bathrooms.  There is a detailed list of what needs to be done at specific times and when its done, the person checks it off or initials it.  So, I made my own checklist.  However, mine had to be cuter than those boring and plain checklists that gave me the idea.  Mine needed to be cute, to make me smile as I look at it and eager to go back to it day after day, hour after hour.   As you all know, I need all the help I can get.  So I did a scrapbook type page chore chart... here's hoping I can find someone to laminate...

I've been making a bunch of hairbows too.  A friend asked about doing them on snap clips, so I tried making a couple... I don't have a very good selection of ribbon yet for these, so they are all the same scheme.  But I like some of the things I tried... I especially like the leaf on the flower, but my favorite is the bow, I think it turned out really cute.  

And finally I have been crocheting.  In fact, for Christmas I was able to make hats for my nieces and nephews that turned out super cute! (If I do say so myself) ;)  I asked my SIL to send me a picture of them all wearing them, so hopefully I'll be able to post that soon!

So, I guess I've been doing lots of other productive things... OK, I've done some not so productive other things too.  What can I say LOST is back!!!!  I seriously love that show! If you have been watching you need to call me so we can talk about it, I think my brain exploded with last week's episode!  And it felt so good! :)

Because you just never know...

I saw this giveaway on a friend's blog and HOLY COW!  it would be so incredible to win! So I thought I'd better blog about it too!

If you want to enter the giveaway too just visit this link and leave a comment after visiting bumbleride's website (you can get there from the link provided, as well all the details of the giveaway) telling what you love about bumberide.  For 10 additional entries in the drawing, blog about it.  

Here's good to luck to us!

For the Love of Reading

My oldest boy was having a hard time adjusting to school, I was getting notes nearly everyday from the teacher at the beginning of Kindergarten.  I was at a loss of what to do, but had some recommendations from friends to try a reward system.  He and I had recently started reading together Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and that was just what I was looking for.  

We decided that if he kept his clothespin at the top of the line during school, then we would get to read together.  If he moved his clothespin, he had to go to bed at the same time as his brothers with no reading.

The system has really worked for us.  We have read a lot of books together too.  I love that it is teaching him to love reading even more than he did before.  He sometimes feels he gets picked on because he's the oldest... this provides a special "treat" for that same title.  I also love the special time it is for the two of us.  I hate it when I miss it and Daddy gets to read with him.

So far, since August, we have read 

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Holes
• The Goose Girl
• The Wizard of Oz
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

We started The Chronicles of Narnia after our Christmas vacation.  We are reading them in chronological order of the story and he is enjoying The Magician's Nephew.  We read one chapter each night and we love it!

One of his Christmas gifts was a set of Ready, Freddy! books by Abby Klein.  They are chapter books with about 90 pages about a first grader named Freddy.  My cutie has started reading these aloud to me and we're on chapter 4.  I can already see a huge improvement on his reading skills.  His dad was reading with us one afternoon and kept looking at me in shock when he would read words like "Frankenstein," "continued," and "instructed."

I can see that this skill is giving him confidence in other areas of his life too.  Reading was never my thing as a kid.  I did read The Babysitter's Club books, but that is really about it.  I love giving my boy the variety of characters to relate to and learn from.  I think he can really relate to Freddy.  Last night as we talked about the creation of Narnia, we compared it to the creation of our world by Christ and when I asked him if it sounded similar he said, "its 1 million percent the same!" with awe and wonder in his voice.  

I'm curious what do you to teach your little ones to love reading?  How has it affected their lives? Your relationships? 

The Hunger Games ****

I just read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  It was a book I saw online that sounded very interesting, but I am always worried about reading something without a recommendation for someone who knows what a prude I am. :)  Well, a friend in my ward was telling me a few days ago about this great book she read and couldn't put down... and lo and behold it was The Hunger Games.  She loaned it to me right then and there.

I read a few pages Saturday night, but was so tired I crashed soon after I started.  Sunday I picked it up again and read about 1/3 of it.  Today, I was a terrible mother and a lousy housekeeper, but I finished it!

I really liked it.  It was different from anything that I have read, though it totally fits in the same genre as The Uglies.  I cared a lot more about the main character in this than I did in Uglies though.  I think its called dystopia, kind of the opposite of utopia.  

It was written in first person and I liked that perspective.  However, it was kind of difficult for me to get around the tense it was written in.  It was all written in present tense, as if it is happening and you're getting a play by play from the narrator.  I don't know why I didn't like it, maybe because I haven't read anything written that way before, but I found it hard to enjoy the first portion of the book as I was getting used to the writing style.

The Hunger Games are a tool used by this society to keep them in check.  24 teens are put into an environment and battle each other for weeks until there is only one left.  That one is named the winner and will have a lifetime of fame and fortune.  The Games are televised 24-7 basically, so the "tributes" as the contestants are called are always monitored by cameras.  It was really easy to imagine something like this being a reality show on some twisted network like FOX or MTV.  Each tribute has a stylist and mentor (a previous Games winner) and there is an opening and closing show with fanfare to compare with the Olympics.

As with most books that I love or hate, it all comes down to characters for me.  The reason I really liked this one is that I really, really enjoyed the characters in this book.  The main character Katniss was enjoyable (though at times I wanted to knock some sense into her).  The supporting characters were my favorite though.  I loved the stylist and mentor, Kat's family and friends.  I look forward to the next books in the series for those relationships to be explored deeper.

The ending left something to be desired, but sometimes you expect that with a first book in a series.  That's not to say that I agree that we should feel that way, but author's are sometimes too unsure of their power to lure us back, I think.  It is a Young Adult book, so it doesn't delve too deeply into human nature or philosophy, I think it could be a good book for those kind of discussions, but there isn't a lot of substance in the book to go on.  A lot of the discussion would have to be what people think the people are thinking.

I give it 4 stars.  Its my kind of book and easy to read.  I am eagerly waiting for Ethan to read it so I can talk to him about it.