All Books Great And Greater

I'm not sure which one of you has been hiding James Herriot's books from me, but what in the honkey-tonk?!

THEY. ARE. SO. GREAT WITH A CAPITAL PAT I'D LIKE A 'G'!

Back when the boys were in kindergarten, the author's Treasury for Children was on The Assigned Reading List, and like a dutiful list-follower I read it out loud as scheduled. Loved it, as a matter of fact. The stories were warm and the illustrations full of charm. But because I lack a certain Keen Sense Of The Obvious, I never figured out that the children's edition, and I realize I'm going to sound like an idiot, which is nothing new, was being pulled from an original source.

Mm-hmm. Welcome to my microscopic little world.

Seriously, I would have gladly traded one week of Shakespearean nonsense garbage sonnets I had to read in school for just a taste of James Herriot's work.

And if you happen to be a clueless soul like me, which I'm guessing you're not, James Herriot was a veterinarian and his stories are all about the animals (and their owners) in his care. His writing is a delight and his insights are so witty and clever. So witty! And clever!

It was by pure chance that I came across it at the library, sitting there on the shelf of "staff picks." But you can be sure that when I return my beloved All Creatures Great and Small, I'll track down the librarian who recommended that book and give her a big old, well a hug would be totally unwelcome and inappropriate, so I guess I'll give her a big 'thanks' along with a suggestion for the latest pair of horned-rimmed glasses.

Disclaimer: I love books. That should be apparent by now. I don't get paid a dime to recommend any of the books I post about, but should you happen to click on any of the amazon links above and place an order, I receive a minuscule commission and my kids get penny candy in return. Muchas Gracias.

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Books I'm Hogging From The Library: The October 30, 2010 Edition

Our family currently has five library cards that I carry around in my purse. That gives me five times the checkout power as I'd have with just one. That's also five times as many books I can lose in the house, but still. SCORE.

Here's what's on my shelf:

The Well-Trained Mind:  I've had this 864-page brick, er, book home the library before, but it deserves a good skimming every couple of years or so. I don't consider myself an expert on the classical model of education, but I can tell you that Susan Wise Bauer (the author) sure is. And her list of recommended resources within this book is tops.

Am I a Monkey?  Judging by the amount of hair on my legs, I'd say "Yes." Judging by how much I understood of this book, I'd also say "Yes." But the good news is--the section titled "Can One Believe in Evolution and God?" was worth the price of the book. 

Shame and Grace:  Did you know "guilt" and "shame" are two separate emotions? And that things I might feel guilty over (getting a speeding ticket, hypothetically speaking), I need not shame myself for? (I'm a terrible driver, everyone knows I'm a terrible driver, a blind person with no arms or legs can drive better than me...) Huh. It's been one of the more emotionally helpful books I've read this year. And you won't catch me using the word "emotion" again til 2018.

Parent Trap:  One of the very first movies I watched on TV was the original version of "Parent Trap." And so now I am bound and determined that my kids will get to experience the same joy that I had when watching the film. Of course, I also fell asleep there towards the end, as I was but a wee lass, but still. Classic movie. And the particular set I have borrowed has both the original and the remake of the movie on the disc. Double the pleasure! Double the fun!

Modern English Misusage:  Hang around me or my blog long enough, and it will be readily apparent why I've got this book on my nightstand. Itz cuz me needs to be learnin' from it real bad.

Reading anything good these days?

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Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Judging by the picture I included in this post, you'd think I'd planted, grown, and picked my very own pumpkin to bake and puree for this dessert. You'd be wrong. I included this pic of my girl because she is cute and my food pics are not.

It isn't fall for me until I've had at least half a pan piece of this cake. Mmm.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

1 box yellow cake mix

3 whole eggs

1 (29 oz) can pumpkin

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tub cream cheese frosting

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased jelly roll pan (12"x18") and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When cake is cool, frost with cream cheese frosting. 24 servings.

Notes: 

I like to bake this cake in two round pans for the same amount of time, and then layer with homemade cream cheese frosting (which is made by mixing 3 cups powdered sugar, 8 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla).

This is also a great cake to make for friends who have food sensitivities or allergies to wheat--simply substitute a gluten-free yellow cake mix for the regular one and you have a gluten-free pumpkin cake that is fab!

Shout out to my friend Sheila who first gave me this recipe. She is as sweet as the cake!

More recipes over at Works For Me Wednesday and Ann's Food on Fridays!

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Purple Cow

I'm starting to make my kids memorize poetry. I know. Add it to the therapy bill.

First on the list is Gelett Burgess' "Purple Cow."

I never saw a purple cow;
I never hope to see one;
but I can tell you anyhow;
I'd rather see than be one!

It's short and sweet, and a good way to trick the tots into believing that memorizing poetry is fun! And easy! And good for the brain! And not a huge, ginormous, colossal waste of time!

Even the four-year-old of the house has picked up on the poem. So much so, that I resonate with the author and why he later penned the following retort:

Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—
I'm sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you anyhow
I'll kill you if you quote it!

Now that's the kind of poetry worth remembering!

Do you have any poetry burned in that brain of yours?

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The California Tale: Part 1

I'm not saying I lack spontaneity or anything, but I've already got in the works a family trip for 2012. I know. Gotta get crackin'.

For a long time, I've wanted to "travel school," which basically means throwing some educational stuff in with all the bickering usual parts of taking a trip.

Eventually, I'd like to RV across the United States and meet with a family therapist for eight weeks at the end. But my immediate goal is to conquer the West Coast, and by "West Coast" I mean, "California." I figure that state alone has enough to traumatize educate my kids for at least two weeks.

To provide inspiration for planning this trip, I've been reading One Year Off, the story of a family who took one year off (HENCE THE TITLE) of school and work to travel the world. Granted, the family was wealthy enough to take one year off of income and to spend money on jet-setting around the world at the same time. I have enough money in savings to get me to the state border. The closest being ten minutes away.

Regardless, the book has been a great read and provides good insight concerning traveling with kids. The main insight being that children rarely have interest in things that interest adults. To their credit, the poor little fidget machines have such a small frame of reference. My goal, which I have no clue how to achieve, is to prep the children enough in advance that they get excited about something besides In-N-Out--a regional treasure I've never been to myself, I might add.

If you have any tips about traveling with kids, visiting California, or taking a trip without breaking the bank, I'm all ears.

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Decomposition Demystified

I have always believed, I mean--even in the days of my infancy--that throwing veggie scraps in the trash brought the same result as tossing them in a compost pile. This little snippet from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Composting explains why, once again, I was an idiot wrong: 

"The difference between decomposition at landfills and decomposition in a compost pile at home is how the organic matter decomposes. At landfills, over half of the gases produced during decomposition are methane-based greenhouse gases due to the lack of oxygen. In home compost piles, carbon dioxide is produced rather than methane, as the compost decays from oxygen. Even a cold compost pile at home usually receives ample oxygen due to occasional turning, worms, and other macrobial organisms within the pile. This results in a huge reduction of greenhouse gases."

Usually I'm an expert in the topic of "gases," but this time--not so much.

Do you have a compost pile?

I don't.

Because apparently I have a fondness for bad gas.

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Taking A Trip On The Oregon Trail

A few years back, I moved from the heartland of America to the Pacific Northwest--thus taking a trip on my very own Oregon Trail. Sure, it took me only one day of travel, but I was flying in in a big metal box with three kids ages five, three, and one-fit-right-after-another.

So I know a thing or two about hardships. Yes. Yes I do.

Speaking of hardships, putting a group a kids through an "Oregon Trail" experience sounded right up my alley. So I shooed the kids outside and directed them to collect "buffalo chips."

Now, if it so happened the the only buffalo chips I had around were leaves in the yard--who's to care? They got the idea and I got my front yard cleaned.

That's a good enough reason to host an Oregon Trail party every year! Never mind that all five boys were hoopin' and hollerin' about "poop" the whole time they were playing the game. ("playing the game")

The next chore was for the kids to tote water from the "stream" back to a bucket at the "campsite."

And then they got busy eating prepping some apples to dry:

And making butter the old-fashioned way, which involves shaking a bit o' heavy cream until it becomes butter, or until five boys are worn out from the task--whichever comes first.

Along with all the boy-friendly games, which involved gargantuan doses of movement and noise--I also had the kids color a picture, trace the route on a map, and listen to the story of the folks moving Westward.

All in all a fun way to learn about the Oregon Trail.

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