Booking it March 2012

February reading -

I've been doing a lot better this year about being intentional about reading.  I've been reading for fun, reading for knowledge, and reading for my daughter.
For fun -
I went back and read two books from the Sierra Jensen series by Robin Jones Gunn.  I wanted to be able to remember them because my daughter will read them.  She's little now, but gets bigger every day and I want to be ahead of her on the reading list.  I read Close Your Eyes and Without a Doubt.  Both books were great.  Full of teenage wonder, curiosity, and total lack of knowledge and experience when it comes to love.  I love the way Gunn handles the subjects. 
A Sound Among The Trees by Susan Meissner was by Blogging for Books read and it was really interesting.  Not at all what I expected but I really enjoyed it, especially the parts that flashed back to the civil war.  Part of the book was written as letters from a woman to her cousin during the civil war and they were really interesting.  For more about the book check out the rest of my review here.

For Knowledge -
I really want to plant a garden this year, a little bit more than just one tomato plant. :) so...
The Backyard Orchardist - I don't really plan on planting any trees this year, but I would love to have fruit, so I read it anyways.  Unfortunately I don't have the right climate for pretty much anything that I like to eat, so probably no fruit trees in my future.
The Urban Homestead - This book was great with a lot of great information about growing in small spaces, but also just what is required to grow things.  The cool part is that they have a pretty unique way of looking at things, so even if it is information it was presented in a new way.  The only problem I had with it was that it had some language.  It was still worth the read, but be aware that the language is there.
The Backyard Homestead - This book had so much good information.  I borrowed it from the library, but it is one that I wouldn't mind buying when I had the funds.  It gave information on a lot of different aspects of gardening, land use,and preserving. 

For my daughter -
Mandie and the Forbidden Attic I'm starting to read chapter books with my little girl and she loves it.  The Mandie books seem to be a fairly easy read and she enjoys it.  We haven't finished this book yet, but like it.  This is a series that was originally written by an 11 year old girl (and published much later) it is about a little girl whose father dies, but through that she finds an uncle and a mother she never knew.  This particular story is about Mandie going to boarding school.  This is her first time away from her family and it is all new for her. 

For more great reads check out Bookin' It at http://lifeasmom.com.

A Sound Among the Trees by Susan Meissner. ~ Blogging for Books

Can I just stop for a minute and confess that I found as I was reading this book that I have a bit of prejudice, or at the very least a preconceived notion, that I wasn't aware that I held.  I have found that as I read a book that I know is from a Christian author I just assume the main characters are Christians, or at least will have close contact with a Christian immediately that will help them make life changing choices.  I started reading this book with that notion and was a bit confused, I found myself getting sucked into the "ghost" side of story, but waiting for someone to share the love and joy of Jesus Christ and it just didn't happen.  All of the sudden I realized, that it was because it wasn't necessarily based on Christian characters, when it did get down to the character who had a changed life based on the love of Christ all of the sudden came together for me.  Ahhh, now I get it :)

This book was good.  It was a story that spanned a few generations of a family.  A story that kept you in the here and now, but spun the story of the family's history.  I loved the deep history and the very personal stories of civil war life.  The civil war was unique in that many of the families that were affected had roots on both sides of the line.  The girl that the story followed had been raised in Maine and was now living in Virginia with her mother's family after the death of her family.  With a grandfather fighting for the south and cousin fighting for the north her world was a mess, it fully brought out the realities of war.  The story that was told in the present was great too, but I was really pulled in by the historical sections.  If you want to know more about what the story is about look here.

If you want to get a glimpse of this great book you can read the first chapter. For more on Susan Meissner see here or here or you can follow her on twitter.  I enjoyed every moment of this book and I hope you check it out.

 Thanks WaterbrookMultnomah for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

Menu Plan Monday

I am just not feeling well this morning.  Yesterday the day spent curled on the couch, so I am hopeful that there will be some recovery today.  That being said I am pretty sure that my menu plan won't go as planned, but I do have a couple pounds of ground beef in the freezer which tends to be my go to for a quick meal if I go off plan.  Yesterday my husband went and got us pizza so he and my daughter wouldn't starve, but I think I'm up to actually cooking today. 
So...barring disaster...here is the plan...
Monday - Baked Chicken (I have a lot of chicken quarters I'll just salt and pepper them and bake them), rice, and green beans
Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie (I'll use the leftovers from yesterday and put together a quick pot pie)
Wednesday - Church
Thursday - Cowboy Dinner
Friday - Family Night
Saturday -Beef Stew (We have leftover roast and veggies, I'll just add water and carrots and see what happens) over rice
Sunday - Date Night
Monday- Taco Pasta

Hopefully this is enought to get us through :)
For more great plans check out http://orgjunkie.com

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Shrimp and Grits!  These were so great!!  I made the grits with half chicken broth and half milk and then put in a ton of cheese...yum!  I cooked some bacon and then cooked a bunch of green onions, garlic and shrimp with a little bit more milk.  It was SO GOOD! 

Tuesday - Baked Teryaki Chicken - dinner rolls - green beans

Wednesday - Church

Thursday - Cowboy dinner - So good - and as a bonus it is a one pot thing after you brown the ground beef.

Friday - Family night

Saturday - Unstuffed Shells

Sunday - baked chicken, veggies, rolls

For more great plans check out orgjunkie.com

A late plan

I just didn't get my ducks in a row this week, and I paid for it, so I decided better late than never. Sunday - grilled cheeseburger wraps. These were phenomenal! Monday - spaghetti Tuesday- chick fil a and we lucked out - it was free kids meal night :) Wednesday - baked chicken, rice, veggie Thursday - pot roast (I'm going to do a can of cream of mushroom and a packet of onion soup. Friday - Family night Saturday - visiting with cousins Next week I'm going to need a better plan, so maybe I'll start now:)

Booking It February 2012

I love Booking It - It reminds me to think about what I read in the last month, and this month I did a lot of reading, and I enjoyed it. I read for relaxation, I read for pleasure, I read for knowledge - all of it was enjoyable this month .  I'm not sure how I managed to pack so much into this month, but I know that there was more than once I stayed up past when I intended finishing a book. 

I read 3 different books as a part of the Blogging for Books program.

1. The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer - Review
2. The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck by Kathleen Y'Barbo - Review
3. The Sierra Jensen Collection Volume 1 by Robin Jones Gun - Review

I read a few books I had gotten free on the kindle this month (They aren't all free anymore, but some of them are).

1. Healthy Children's Lunches - I enjoyed the ideas in the book, but will caution the reader that it is written by an English author, and some things just don't "translate" exactly to US measurements or ingredients.
2. Organized Simplicity - I loved this book.  Sometimes I just need a little motivation.  It wasn't that there was a whole lot in this book that I didn't know how to do, but sometimes I just need someone to tell me what to do.  We are planning a garage sale in a week and Tsh was just what I needed to get me motivated to go through the house. 
3. Quick and Easy Family Dinners - This was not my favorite cookbook - in fact I will probably not try any of the recipes in it - it just didn't fit my family style.
4. Smart School Time Recipes - Healthy foods and snacks for your kids (or you).  I loved this - some of the recipes don't have things that I normally keep around the house, but if you are a dairy free house there are a lot of options for you here - It includes contributions from several authors with various backgrounds, but the main author is dairy free, and she includes suggestions to make any of the options dairy free.

Then I made a library trip and got some more books :)

1. The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year  - I love Crystal from Moneysavingmom.com and I was excited about reading the book.  She did a great job.  It was definitely a book that a beginner could start with - most of what she does or recommends I already do, or am trying to do, but I found it to encourage me to keep on.  I'm not going to save thousands more than I alreday do, but I may save a few more dollars this year :)
2. Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces - I loved this book.  It was a gardening for dummies kind of book, but specifically geared for small spaces and containers.  I know nothing, and try to increase the harvest a bit more every year and this was great - it filled in some blank spaces for me. 

I am pretty sure I read one more book, but I can't remember what it is, so either it didn't make a significant impression, or I only read these.  I hope you check some of them out. Check out more at Http://lifeasmom.com

Required Reading for Teenage Girls - and Their Parents

I love Robin Jones Gunn - I love the way she writes, I love her characters, I just love her.  This month I was given the opportunity to read an older series that she wrote.  It is coming out now in "volume version"  The Sierra Jensen Collection Vol. 1 is the first 3 books in the Sierra Jensen series.  Gunn allows her characters room to feel, make mistakes, and stand up for themselves and their God and I love that about her.  When her characters make decisions she makes sure that the readers understand where those decisions are coming from.  Sierra is a 16 year old girl that is ready to grow up, but is reminded again and again to enjoy the time she has as a teenager.  She goes through all of the typical teenage growing pains, and she survives and even thrives.  I love the author incorporates scripture and the joy of the Word in every book that she writes and that she writes about families and the joy and pain of being apart of one.  I think that both the Christy Miller Series and the Sierra Jensen Series should be required reading for teen girls, because it gives a lot of food for thought and it makes you think about the way you do things (especially where boys are concerned) and why you do them.  Moms gift these books to your daughters today! 
Thanks WaterbrookMultnomah for providing me with a copy to review. My opinions are my own.