A Box of Old Books

When my sister's neighbor offered up a box of old books from his childhood, she knew just the boy who would devour them.  

These books feel old and fragile, they smell a bit dusty, but we've found their content to be fresh and exciting.  James just finished My Great-grandfather and I and I could hear him laughing out loud.  I picked up The Maplin Bird just for fun and enjoyed a little escape into Essex's mid nineteenth century seacoast.  Now we are both eyeing what to grab next.

Unfortunately, my leisure reading time is limited so James is sure to blow me away and finish all of these before I get through even a few.  And if there are a few duds in the bunch?  Look what my friend Amanda does with cool old books.  

So here's to happy reading and here's the list below, has anyone else ever read or heard of any of these?  Would love to hear your reviews. 

My Great-grandfather and I, James Kruss

Visitor from the Sea, Dorothy Simpson

The Sea Wall, Eilis Dillon

Honor Sands, Mildred Lee

The and the River, Henri Bosco

Young Man from the Piedmont, Leonard Wibberley

Herbert Again, Hazel Wilson

Cook Inlet Decision, Elsa Pedersen

The Stubborn One, Rutherford Montgomery

The Minnow Leads to Treasure, A. Philippa Pearce

Copper-Toed Boots, Marguerite de Angeli

Amos Fortune Free Man, Elizabeth Yates

The Keepers of the Trail, Joseph A. Altsheler

The Town Across the Water, Madeleine Polland

The Shining Trail, Iola Fuller

Summer's Turning, Ruth Harnden

Deception at St.-Nazaire, Michel-Aime Baudouy

Sam, Barbara Corcoran

The Eyes of the Woods, Joseph A. Altsheler

The Boundary Riders, Joan Phipson

The Defender, Nicholas Kalashnikoff

Lady of Roanoke, Jean Bothwell

The Maplin Bird, K.M. Peyton

A Simple and Happy Easter

William helped me prepare a little Easter egg hunt for our family last Saturday.  The grass was sloshy and the finding went quick.  Then many muddy boot prints led to the kitchen table were the loot was opened.

We kept the candy to a minimum and instead filled the eggs with pieces to a 300 piece jig-saw puzzle.  It was a good thing all the eggs were found and a good thing no one missed all the candy.

   

 The kids were as quick and frantic about assembling the puzzle as they were in finding the eggs.  Paul noted that with so many arms reaching and grabbing this activity felt kind of like a game of Twister.  

Meanwhile, I tried to remind them of the reverence and significance of this holy holiday.  It was suggested that life, just like this puzzle can feel broken at times, this is true of all people, no one is immune to life trials that can make us feel in pieces, both physically and spiritually.  The beautiful gift of the Savior Jesus Christ, his perfect life, sacrifice and Resurrection is what allows us to become "whole" again.  This knowledge and the promise of "wholeness" is what we rejoice in and celebrate at Easter.    

There were plans for making simple Easter dresses for the girls but post-vacation-laundry-overload and a baby cutting molars prevented me from constructing even the simplest of dresses.  The simple solution was to wear the dresses from two years ago.   Somehow they still fit - though Maryanna refused to wear the puffy slip insisting she had out grown "fluffiness".   Either way, I love how beautifully the girls are growing into themselves.

After church we were treated to a feast at Nanny and Poppy's house.  The kids enjoyed another egg hunt with their cousins and we were sent home with enough goodies and delicious leftovers to feed us for days.  I love that about holidays.

We were also sent home with some very happy and tired little children.  But what made this Easter so happy for me was keeping it simple.  

First attempt at Pho

I've been thinking about Pho ever since I made Nary's spring rolls, I've also been thinking about and missing my friend Nary.  Then a funny thing happened last Saturday night, her son posted on facebook that they had just arrived in Florida.  It was only a slight detour on our journey home that allowed us to meet up with them!  That was one of the highlights of my trip.

Here is Nary, this is exactly how I remember her, holding a baby and cooking piles of yummy food.  I honestly don't think I know a kinder woman.

Here's Jim and Paul laughing about the good ole Philly days.

And here is Nary's latest variation to the spring roll, Philly Cheese Steak rolls!  They are filled with thinly sliced steak, fresh jalapenos and velveeta cheese. 

Jim and Nary were visiting Jim's parents in FL.  Jim's mom is from Vietnam so I carefully took note of the pho instructions they both so willingly shared.

Now after a quick trip to the Asian market I was ready to give it a go.  Here's what I picked up:  fish sauce, hoisin sauce (both msg free), rice noodles (I like the thick ones), basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, beef sliced paper thin, jalepenos and lime.

Start with some good beef bones, tail, knuckles, whatever.  Be sure to boil them for a few minutes to remove the blood and other yucky stuff.   Discard this water and rinse the bones.

Toast some spices including cinnamon stick, anise, coriander and cloves

Brown up an onion, some garlic, and ginger, Nary says this makes all the difference.  Throw it in the crock pot with the meat, toasted spices, carrot, celery, cilantro, peppercorns, and a bit of sugar.  

Nary also adds beef bouillon to hers but I could not find one without msg at the Asian market, I added a few splashes of fish sauce instead.  I also added one of these packs that Jim's mom gifted to me.

This was all set on low over night in crock pot and by morning the house smelled so yummy (well at least it did to me).  I couldn't wait until dinner so I served myself the first bowl for lunch. 

Start with the cooked rice noodles then ladle in the hot broth. 

Drop the thinly sliced beef in raw, the hot broth will cook it.  Top with fresh bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, fresh basil, carrots, daikon radish, a few squeezes of lime and a squirt of hoisin.  Here it is again

It did hit the spot but I can't say it turned out perfect, I've got to work out some kinks with the noodle texture and perfect broth temp.  I also can't say anyone else in my family was excited about it either, they were willing, just not ready, the flavor was like nothing they had tried before.  I was hoping they would take to it like tortilla soup but they didn't, maybe I'll try in again in few months or just wait for Nary to visit and show me her secrets in action.

On a side note I'd like to add that Asian markets are a great place to shop - look what I picked up for $6.99

Road Trip Souvenirs

It is family road trip tradition to stop through college towns, Paul tells me it has been so for generations. So instead of tourist T-shirts from Florida my boys are home wearing their wears from a few of our stops.  

First stop, University Southern Florida, James is wearing their hat and Henry got a shirt.

Next stop, Georgia Tech, it was 11:30 pm when we made this stop and all the bookstores were closed.  The next best thing was a T-shirt from the landmark hot dog stop The Varsity.  

All were sleeping when we passed through Tennessee but we hit University of Kentucky right at 8:00 am when the bookstores opened.  Peter and William each got a shirt.

Last stop was Bowling Green where Peter picked out a hat and William got a shirt.

These boys will always be die hard Michigan fans but at least this tradition has brought some colorful variation to their head to toe Michigan wardrobes.

Sunburn Relief

We should have eased ourselves into the sun on our first day at the beach, but that is hard to do when you are having fun.  Even with high SPF and rash guards we all suffered some degree of sunburn.  I especially feel guilty about little George, he was well covered except right around his eyes, I figured he'd be in the shade under the umbrella most the day (which he was) with a hat on and I didn't want to risk him rubbing sunblock into his eyes.  But I under estimated the intensity of the reflective sand.  A week later he still has raccoon eyes.

He doesn't look happy here but the sunburn actually didn't bother him as much as it bothered the older kids.  For some reason the sunblock did not hold strong on the back of their legs and they were fried to the point of immobility.  

I put aloe on their burns but it wasn't as soothing as I hoped.  My sister in law Kaley soaked some wash cloths in apple cider vinegar and placed them on the boys legs - it stung for a bit but did offer a little relief.

I also emailed Linda Diane Feldt, a practitioner from MI and here is her response: 

A compress of stinging nettles infusion would be safe and soothing. 
Urtica is the latin. If there was a health food store with stinging 
nettles just make a tea steeped at least 20 minutes, 3 hours would be 
better, and put it on a cloth.
Aloe - straight gel - would be safe and soothing.
Burdock leaf is what you are thinking of. It does seal in bacteria, 
but will also provide instant relief for a burn. Mash the leaf, 
chewed or crushed, and apply. Not sure if they have burdock growing 
there, and you won't find the leaf in a store. Only the root will be 

sold. 

I never did venture out to try her suggestions beyond aloe, I just couldn't find a convenient health food store.  But next time we're off on a sun adventure I'll not only prepare with more careful sunblock but also a few herbs on hand. 

Fun in the Sun

Just got back from a great trip to Florida.  We were welcomed back to Michigan by snow in our backyard and temps below 40 degrees!  But after 24 hours of traveling in the van it feels good to be home.  Here is a summary of our trip:

We spent a lot of time driving

Stopped at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, GA

Took a Sunday stroll on the beach and was unsuccessful in keeping the girls in dresses out of the ocean

Visited with family

Visited a large aquarium

Went to Busch Gardens

Got up close with animals

Got up close with Big Bird

Rode some roller coasters 

Ate some Cuban food

Ate some seafood

Played in the sand

Played in the waves (and even swam along side a pair of sting rays)

Collected some seashells

Recorded it all in our family adventure journal

Stopped by the Airstream factory in Ohio and dreamed of more family adventures to come