Turning the Pages: 2012

The last few years I have enjoyed having a year-end list of what books I read during the year. I read enough that I easily forget which books I mean to recommend to friends, and the list is a way to recall the titles and authors. I still love reading a good mystery, but each year my lists get better. I aim to read books that challenge me to learn and grow. I used red text to indicate which of my reads have been nonfiction; I read several parenting books, many about homeschooling, and lots of memoirs and biographies. I highlighted our book club reads with orange, and the novels I read aloud with the kids are highlighted purple. This is the first year in my three years of book club that I did not read all the choices. Life got busy when we started homeschooling and if I knew I would be missing book club meetings and sometimes, if the books didn't immediately call to me, I was okay with skipping it.

January
1. Wish You Well (David Baldacci)
2. Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours (Kevin Leman)
3. Mommies Who Drink (Brett Paesel)

February
4. What is the What (Dave Eggers)
5. The Thomas Berryman Number (James Patterson)
6. Bleachers (John Grisham)
7. Stiff (Mary Roach)

March
8. The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling (Debra Bell)
9. Play Dead (Harlan Coben)
10. Peter Duck (Arthur Ransome)
11. Drop Shot (Harlan Coben)
12. The Hurried Child (Dave Elkind)

April
13.7th Heaven (James Patterson & Maxine Paetro)
14. Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning (Karen Andreola)
15. The Wheel on the School (Meindert Dejong)
16. The Courage of Sarah Noble (Alice Dalgliesh)
17. 8th Confessions (James Patterson & Maxine Paetro)
18. A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khalid Hosseini)
19. 9th Judgement (James Patterson & Maxine Paetro)

May
20. 10th Anniversary (James Patterson & Maxine Paetro)
21. Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)
22. Heaven is for Real (Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent)
23. What's So Amazing About Grace (Philip Yancey)
24. Death Comes to Pemberley (P.D. James)

June
25. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Kim Edwards)
26. One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (Ann Voskamp)
27. Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food (Lysa TerKeurst)
28. Spider Bones (Kathy Reichs)

July
29. The Full Cupboard of Life (Alexander McCall Smith)
30. Decision Points (George W. Bush)

August
31. Now You See Her (James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge)
32. Infidel (Ayaan Hirsi Ali)
33. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Jacqueline Kelly)
34. Hell's Corner (David Baldacci)

September
35. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (Seth Grahame-Smith)
36. Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline (Lisa Whelchel)
37. Kill Alex Cross (James Patterson)
38. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
39. Weekend Warriors (Fern Michaels)
40. Port Mortuary (Patricia Cornwell)

October
41. Because of Winn-Dixie (Kate DiCamillo)
42. Red Mist (Patricia Cornwell)
43. Hide and Seek (Fern Michaels)
44. And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
45. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess (Jen Hatmaker)
46. Flash and Bones (Kathy Reichs)

November
47. The Jury (Fern Michaels)
48. The Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

December
49. Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day (Macrina Weiderkehr)
50. Lethal Justice (Fern Michaels)
51. Murder With All the Trimmings (Elaine Viets)
52. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens)
53. From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)
54. Stepping Heavenward: One Woman's Journey to Godliness (E. Prentiss)

Checking Off Six More!

New Year's Resolutions - normally, they aren't really for me. Yes, I do try to do something to improve myself, but several years ago, I decided to try to check off something from a sort of a bucket list. Back in July 2002 I made a list of 101 things I wanted to do in my lifetime.

Last year (2011) I didn't make much progress, so I didn't even post an update. This year, I've checked off several, so I'm back to being enthusiastic about it. Here is my checked-off list for 2011 and 2012.

#12 - Paint with watercolors and do it well (spring 2012) It isn't perfect, but I love how it turned out!! I am definitely inspired to keep trying.

#14 - Read the entire Bible in six months (I finished that one in 2011...in three months!)
#17 - Spend a day at the spa (San Diego, March 2012)
#81 - Remove the stain from my front teeth (February 2012)
#95 - Go on a trip planned by Allen (San Diego, March 2012)

#99 - Have friends that are a couple and friends to both Allen and me (2012)

A person can change a lot in ten years. Looking over the list, I see several things I cared about then, that I don't give a hoot about anymore. Maybe this year will be the one I replace these with some new ones.
#10 - Have a flower shop
#23 - Paint my house
#42 - Tile a kitchen or bathroom
#50 - Have an attic room
#58 - Do a nature film
#65 - Have my own field of lavender
#74 - Refinish all the bedroom furniture

All in all, I'm pleased with the progress! I am excited to try new things for 2013 -- some of the new things are sort of resolutions, some more of checking off more from my original 101.

(Asparagus,) Mushroom and Ham Strata

Several weeks ago, our Bible study group got together for visiting over brunch. One of our mentors made a delicious casserole and I couldn't wait to get the recipe so we could have it Christmas morning with our traditional monkey bread. Though my favorite part was the asparagus, I only put it in half the strata because Allen doesn't like asparagus (the photo isn't mine). Even with the slight recipe change (I used half what the recipe called for, and I sauteed it separate from the mushrooms and onions) it turned out delicious! One of my favorite things about this recipe is that I was able to prepare it two days before Christmas so that all that was left was to bake it Christmas morn. This savory recipe is moving to the top of my recipe file for breakfast or brunch!

 

Asparagus, Mushroom, and Ham Strata

2 TB unsalted butter
1 lb. asparagus, ends snapped off, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 oz. fresh mushrooms (oyster, baby portabella, or white), stemmed and thinly sliced
6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, white and green parts separated (1/2 cup green, 2 Tbs. white)
9 large eggs, beaten
2-3/4 cups milk
1 large loaf (about 1 lb.) rustic white bread cut into 1-inch cubes
8 oz. sliced deli ham, cut into 1-inch strips
3 cups grated extra sharp Cheddar

---

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spears start to soften, about 3 minutes.
(Here, I took the asparagus out of the pan.) Add the mushrooms and scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms soften and cook through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish. Whisk the eggs with the milk and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Spread half the bread in a single layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half the egg mixture and then cover with half the ham, cheese, and asparagus mixture, and sprinkle with half the scallion greens. Repeat with the remaining bread, custard, ham, cheese, asparagus mixture, and scallions. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down so the bread is completely submerged in the egg mixture, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 2 days before baking.

Put a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven heats. Bake until the custard sets and the top browns, about 30 minutes. Loosely cover with foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, cut into square pieces, and serve.

Christmas Eve Cocoa

Since I print my blog as a book each year, I thought it would be a perfect place to keep some of my new favorite recipes. This is a recipe I found on Pinterest, but it is definitely worth sharing and keeping. The dark chocolate creaminess.... oh my goodness, I loved it! ... but it isn't healthy at all. Maybe I'll work on that part next.

Heavenly Hot Chocolate

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 pint of half and half
• 2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips
• 6 cups of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Put all ingredients in a crock pot set on high (if you want it sooner than later). Stir regularly for 30 minutes until the chocolate chips are melted, then set the crock pot on low to keep the cocoa hot. We topped our full mugs with mini marshmallows, but I may try the leftovers with a candy cane instead.

Christmas Day Busyness

I had such grand plans for our Christmas Day meals. I planned on making a fresh pie with sweet and tangy Honeycrisp apples. I planned on a making fresh bread. I planned on our family making a variety of homemade cookies for Santa. But... my plans went out the window since the kids have been sick for the last week. Thank you to Mrs. Smith for the sweet apple pie, to Field's for the pecan pie, and to Pillsbury for the golden crescent rolls and sugar cookies.

Santa left just as many crumbs on his plate as when they are homemade. We spend just as much time making memories over our dinner as we did when we made everything, but a little less time in the kitchen. Hopefully, my kids don't look back on our not-quite-homemade meal and discuss it for hours with a therapist.

Christmas Day was still wonderful. Allen's parents and grandma came Christmas Eve, so this year they got to enjoy a lot more of the Christmas morning surprises. The kids started out the morning way too early -- 5:30am. I sent them back to bed and overheard Will yelling at them that Daddy said not to get up until 6:30. Grandma Ann somehow stayed asleep through all the noise, but I stayed up to work on breakfast. The kids were back downstairs digging in their stockings an hour later.

Santa brought each of them a pretty classic book -- he does that every year, so when they leave home, they will each have a nice collection of classics to take with them. All of them got some chocolate straws, Scotch tape, card games, small Lego sets, and each of the boys also got some Ninjago Legos. Maddie's stocking was full of bracelets and hair clips and bands. She also got a matching nightgown for her and her doll. Ben got a stomp rocket;Will got a Rubic's cube, hex bug, math set (compass, protractor, and ruler), and a loop for his marble set; Jon got a Perplexus marble maze ball. Allen's stocking had a book in it that he has been wanting and some tie hangers. My stocking had a wallet, a book I wanted, and a neat how-to-draw birds book that has a lot of avian anatomy (I'm thinking I'll aim to draw more in 2013.) Santa was nice to Nana, Papa, and Grandma Ann, too!

Christmas breakfast was mostly homemade, and I ate much more than I should have. After a quick clean up of all the paper plates, we moved on to the gifts. The weather outside was stormy, and, without sunshine coming through the windows, it seemed dark. We didn't get too many great pictures, but it was a busy, loud, joyful (sometimes a bit overwhelming) morning. The kids did a great job being patient... maybe even better than I did as I tried to write down everything and get pictures. I eventually put the camera away, and decided to enjoy the morning instead.

As we have the last couple years, the six of us drew names to get some gifts. Allen and I want the kids to enjoy the fun of shopping for someone else -- finding the certain something that will make the other happy. We want them to all experience the challenge of fitting a gift to a budget, purchasing it, wrapping it, hiding it under the tree, and keeping it a secret. We want them to experience the joy of giving. Strangely, the drawing this year ended up being mapped as a circle: Daddy gave a hex bug hive and robot hex bugs to Will, who gave cozy pajama pants and wine stoppers and a filter water bottle to Mama, who gave the game Battleship to Jon, who gave Lalaloopsey dolls to Maddie, who gave a volcano learning set to Ben, who gave the game Fluxx and dice to Daddy. Unfortunately, some of the younger kids didn't keep the secrets, so not everyone was surprised.

I got a neat laptop cooling pad and pop-up desk, a great wall calendar, an awesome swimsuit cover up my sis-in-law made after I showed her a picture I liked. Allen got a set of eight different beer cups/mugs/steins/etc, a beer-of-the-month subscription, and a portable speaker. Allen and I both got a Keurig coffee maker, some gadgets for it, and lots of coffee.

Some of the things that Maddie got include a doll bed, doll clothes, a tea set, a bike helmet, a sun catcher paint set, a watch, and a Leapster game. Jon received cowboy boots, a cash register and play money, a bike helmet a watch, a toy bear, and a Leapster game. Ben got some body and brain books, cowboy boots, a bike helmet, a toy lion, a watch, dinosaur and space-shuttle Lego sets, and a Leapster game. Will jumped up and down with glee a couple times -- he received a new (bigger) bike, a Spooner board, some black cowboy boots (he cried when I made him put the others in the trash after his toes came through the front), a toy tiger, a watch with changeable bands, and a Lego simple-machines set.

After we opened everything, we rested and played games for a while, then lunch came quickly. Sadly, Ben slept right through most of our tasty meal -- ham and cherries, salad, potatoes, and rolls. He woke up from a feverish nap just before we cut the apple and pecan pies, but he did eat a quick lunch so he could have dessert with us. Nana, Papa, and Grandma Ann left soon after lunch so they could get home before the weather got worse. The rest of us napped or read, then played with new toys in front of the fireplace.

If you don't live in East Texas, you probably can't imagine the surprise and joy that we all felt when we looked outside the afternoon of Christmas and saw huge snowflakes dropping to the ground. It didn't snow at all last year, and, in the five-plus years we've lived here, it has only snowed about three times -- all of the snow melted within 24 hours. So, we got a white Christmas dusting that stuck just long enough to remind us that it is now officially winter. Dinner was not too fancy -- I may have actually thrown the bag of salad and tortillas to the table from the fridge while Will set out paper plates. It was make-your-own sandwich night after lots of cooking and cleaning and fun, but what a happy Christmas we had!!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas

Graham House Village

I had my heart set on our family decorating Christmas cookies together, but the kids were still sick enough that I didn't want to eat anything they had touched or coughed on. The kids had asked several times if we could do some gingerbread houses, so I considered that, instead. Last year, I helped Will make a graham cracker house at his school party, and it was frustrating waiting for the icing to harden. I searched online for some other easy ideas, and decided to used melted almond bark candy for the adhesive. Last night I constructed the houses for the kids. I also decorated one just to figure out when to attach candy with the cookie icing and when to use the almond bark. ... then I kept on going. This was my kind of fun :)

Today, Allen and I helped the kids. They got to pick out and open all the candy they thought they'd need. It was a great way to get rid of some of our Halloween candy (we threw out all the opened stuff that didn't make it to the decorated house.) It was fun to be creative with some of the different treats -- and yes, they tasted plenty. Ben got creative and turned candy corn into a camp fire. Jon had a great time with the icing decorations. Maddie just wanted to do lots of lollipop trees, and I couldn't help but think back to Candyland games when I saw her finished project. Will was the one who started the whole idea, but he was the first one ready to be done with it.

Here are the finished homes. First off is Maddie's... Check out the tasty chocolate graham cracker house with a cinnamon cracker door, rows of lollipop trees, layers of red shingles with snow, and a long tootsie-roll chimney that didn't quite work out as planned.

Will's chocolate house is topped with decorative Smarties, the same type of "stones" that line the walkway to the door. Will chose to work more on the landscaping: a Twix bench sits in a garden of Skittle flowers and Whopper statues.

Ben sniffled his way through his project with a bit of help from Daddy. He was so proud of his campfire made with Tootsie Rolls and candy corn. His wreath is a lime Toosie Roll, and he even has a chimney made of graham cracker scraps. He liked Maddie's chocolate floppy chimney enough that he made one like it, too.



Jon had a blast with the icing. Each time I looked at his project he had added something new. There was a letter J on one hald the roof and white lines on another part. He added sprinkles to icing, and icing to sprinkes. His garden had a brown stone seat and lots of colorful "flowers" and "trees." 

Did I mention I had fun with this? Here is the one I made the night before the kids did theirs... my practice house that was going to be my only house. I used an ice cream cone for the tree -- the kids got tired of the project before they got to the trees. The stream and waterfall are some blue Twizzlers that I microwaved and stretched. The banks of the stream are Tootsie Rolls (my favorite candy to use because you can shape it like dough if you warm it a bit.)

Allen suggested I try to make a house with candy windows that light up. After a bit of experimenting -- or a lot -- I crushed colorful candy canes and melted them into a flat sheet. Some of those worked well enough to glue to the inside of the windows. We built the house so we could just lift it up to put a battery powered tea-light under it, and I love how it turned out. What a great idea Allen had!!... I just somehow turned it into an entire afternoon of creating. I found a pretty use for some of the Halloween ghost candies by placing them in a KitKat garden pot.

Our family now has a pretty little village of gingerbread-style houses lined up on the shelf. The kids have coughed all over them, so there isn't any chance I will let them eat them. I think all of us had enough fun that it may turn into a new tradition for us.