Nook Book 8: Alias Grace

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Length: 335 (Nook) pages

Format: Nook Book
Price: Free using epub
Author Website: (this isn't actually the author website, but only because there wasn't anything about the book on the author's site) http://www.luminarium.org/contemporary/atwood/aliasgrace.htm (photo credit)

Basic Premise: The master and housekeeper of the house have been murdered and Grace is suspected.  She is locked up in prison for the crime, which she may or may not have committed...she can't remember.

My Take: 6 out of 10 (scale here)
This book is an account of the actual murders of Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery in Canada in the mid-1800s.  It follows Grace, the suspected murderess who has been imprisoned for the crime, and Simon Jordan, a doctor hired to try to retrieve the memories Grace claimed to have lost. I read this book because it was chosen by our teacher book club at school - otherwise, I know I would have never picked a book like this up.  It was well-written and interesting enough, though this type of content isn't really my cup of tea. The tone is quite dark and aside from Grace herself, who was quite likeable, I found the characters quite shallow - particularly the men.  By the time the story ended, I wasn't really sure of the point.  I enjoyed the historical aspect, but the story itself was a bit of a let-down.

To Do List Success!

At the beginning of the week I posted my to do list.  Here is what came of it:

• take my son to do something fun and out-of-the-ordinary
We had big plans, but due to the rain ALL WEEK, we ended up visiting the Art Lab at Washburn University on Tuesday morning.  If you've never done this, give it a try!  It's a blast and it's FREE!

• go on a date with my hubby :)
Wednesday night we went to my favorite restaurant in Lawrence - Encore!

• deep clean my car, inside and out
One good thing about the rain this week was that it made my need for a car wash obsolete.  I did clean the car out Thursday morning with the help of my husband.  We went to that car wash place across from Outback where they advertise the use of vacuums for free, so it didn't cost a cent!

• reread Unveiled by Francine Rivers
Done! You can read the review here.

• organize my closet
I did this first thing Monday morning and guess what?  It's still clean!

• do some menu planning
I didn't do quite as much of this as I was hoping for, but I got some done.

• deep clean the first floor of the house
I did this in pieces, but it did get done!
• make crock pot mac & cheese
Yup!  I'm not a huge fan of this recipe myself (I am very picky about macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes), but my husband and son loved it.
• make Chicken Fried Chicken using the family recipe (which I will post...amazing)
I did this, but it did not go as planned.  I forgot to take pictures, but it really wouldn't have mattered because, while the chicken was fine, the gravy ended up a messy clump not fit to eat. :(  I'll try again another time and post the recipe with pictures then.
• finish and publish my post about using whole chickens
And you can read it here.

Book: Unveiled

Unveiled by Francine Rivers

Length: 130 pages

Format: Hardback Book
Price: Varies (I got mine for $.75 on eBay but then had to pay nearly $4 for shipping!)
Author Website: http://francinerivers.com/books/unveiled (photo credit)

Basic Premise: This novella tells the story of Tamar, the first woman mentioned in the lineage of Jesus, and her tumultuous journey through abuse, rejection, and infinite patience to continue the line of Judah, son of Jacob.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)
This is a wonderful book.  The story of Judah and Tamar in the Bible (found in Genesis 38) is one of those strange, uncomfortable stories that you read as a child and think "Why is this in the Bible? It's icky."  However, Francine Rivers does an excellent job of staying true to the story but filling in what she confesses are fictional details to help round it out.  It flips back and forth between the perspectives of Tamar and Judah.  There is also a Bible study in the back if you'd like to delve deeper into a story that at first may seem to have very little application to our lives today.  It is a story of dedication, faith, endurance, and how God can restore even the most fallen of lives.

Using Whole Chickens

Whole chickens have become a HUGE time and money saver in our house.  I consider these a good deal when they are $.80/lb or lower, and a few weeks ago Hy-Vee had whole chickens for $.59/lb!  That means around $3 for a whole chicken!  Usually, we can get between four and five meals out of one chicken AND two meals worth of chicken broth!

 Here's what you do:

1) Buy the chicken on sale.  This chicken was purchased at $.69/lb for a total of $3.12.  Cook immediately or let thaw in the refrigerator for several days.

 2) Cut the wrapper off the chicken and rinse thoroughly.

 3) (this part is gross) Depending on the chicken, the gibblets (or whatever the chicken insides are called) may or may not be packaged inside the bird.  If they are, you should simply be able to reach inside the chicken and remove the bag.  If they aren't, you actually have to touch its organs.  (The first time I did this it took me  a good ten minutes to summon the courage.)  Remove the organs and rinse inside the chicken.

4) Place the chicken in the crock pot.  Add six cups of water and desired seasonings.  (I do several shakes of poultry seasoning.)  Turn on low heat and cook for 7-8 hours.

5) Remove the chicken from crock pot and place in a shallow bowl.  LET COOL.  (As you can see, mine fell apart during the transfer.)

 5) While the chicken is cooling, remove the chicken broth and place in containers with lids.  Put these in the refrigerator.  Leave for 12-24 hours.  The fat will rise to the top and be very easy to scrape off.  Place in the freezer for future use.

6) Once chicken has cooled peel off skin and sort meat

 from bone.

 Place meat in freezer bags or freezer safe containers for future use.  We use them in soups, quesadillas, enchiladas, chicken salad - whatever we need!

Spring Break To-Do List

 I find I am much more efficient if I have a to-do list.  Since Spring Break affords me an entire week of freedom from work, I like to get ahead during this time in the hopes that my life will be a little bit easier when I have to return to school.  My To-Do list is as follows (and I'm far more likely to accomplish it since I have posted it):

• take my son to do something fun and out-of-the-ordinary
• go on a date with my hubby :)
• deep clean my car, inside and out
• reread Unveiled by Francine Rivers
• organize my closet
• do some menu planning
• deep clean the first floor of the house
• make crock pot mac & cheese
• make Chicken Fried Chicken using the family recipe (which I will post...amazing)
• finish and publish my post about using whole chickens

Whew!  That seems like a lot! Monday, I'm planning to start Unveiled, go to Hy-vee and get some whole chickens (they are on sale!) for my post, and work on a grocery list, which will eventually lead to menu planning.  I may also get started on my closet!

Happy Spring Break!

Giving Up Pop

Okay, so this isn't exactly a new thing.  I do this a few times a year, and am actually quite successful... that is, until I get a throbbing headache at work, at which point I surrender to a can of my very favorite carbonated beverage - Pepsi.  (Actually, my favorite is Wild Cherry Pepsi, but they don't carry it at school and it's really hard to find.)  And, since Christmas, I have also afforded myself the luxury of a pop on the way to school each Friday morning - Sonic does $1 larges before 11 AM.  However, effective last Sunday, I am no longer a pop-drinker.  Why?  In case you haven't seen it, check out the graphic below:

Via: Term Life Insurance

I am by no means a health freak, but if I look at it logically, why continue to pump it into my system when:

• it is not good for my health (see above)?
• it costs extra money?
• its medicinal qualities can be achieved with actual medicine (if only I would keep Tylenol in my desk drawer)?

Result: a passionately renewed effort at cutting out pop for good!

Nook Book 7: Someone Named Eva

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf

Length: 127 pages

Format: Nook Book
Price: $5.87
Author Website: http://www.joanmwolf.com/Joan_M_Wolf/Home.html (photo credit)

Basic Premise: Eva is a young girl from Czechoslovakia with perfect blue eyes and blonde hair who is torn from her family and forced into a different life - a German life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)
 This is such a great book. Set during the reign of Nazi Germany, this book follows a young girl who fits Hitler's Aryan profile, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and the perfect nose. She is ripped from her family and forced to turn her back on the life she once knew.  She is taught German customs and language, and the more she learns, the more she starts to forget about her former life.  It is a fictional story, but it's based on actual events.  I first read this book on the recommendation of a YAL expert whose conference I attended.  I was intrigued by the premise and picked it up immediately.  I just finished rereading it with my Breakfast Club kids at school, and it's just as great now as it was before.  It's lendable, so if you have a Nook and want to borrow I'd be happy to lend it to you!

Thank Yous

I was taught that if you truly appreciate something, you should be emphatic about your thanks.  As a result, I send thank yous for everything.  I am often ostracized by certain family members for this practice, but it has remained a habit, and one I plan to teach my son.

I'm making a concentrated effort to focus on things for which I am thankful by blogging about them every so often.  I didn't have to think very hard to come up with one today.

My son was literally up ALL NIGHT.  My husband and I tag-teamed getting up with him, but I don't think I slept a wink from 12:50 on. I don't know how single people do it.  If I had ha to handle him on my own all night long, I may have throttled my son out of sheer frustration.  Okay, not really, but you get the point. Taking care of a child is so exhausting and demanding - especially when they can't sleep. I depend on my husband for so much, but more than anything last night, I was thankful his extra set of hands.

The Grocery Store...FINALLY!

February was brutal.  We ran out of grocery cash around the 20th or so due to some poor decision making, which meant a long two plus weeks until pay day.  I could have easily used the debit card and gone shopping, but since we are so cheap, I really wanted to see if I could make it until payday, which was March 5th.

That meant a trip to the bank and the grocery store upon departure from school on payday.  I grabbed Charlie, picked up cash at the bank, and headed to the grocery store.  We buy our groceries at Aldi so Charlie and I headed into the store with the list I had been making for almost two weeks.

 Last night, I relished making stuffed shells and homemade soft bread sticks from my friend Alicia's blog.  (If you haven't made these, you are missing out - they are DELICIOUS!) It had been so long since I cooked something I was afraid I may have forgotten how!

Some day, I will not have to wait for paychecks like this.  Someday, we will be able to live more comfortably, but for the moment, we have a tight budget.  If we make bad decisions, we go without.  If we are responsible with our money, we stay right on track.

Fair? Fiddle-dee-dee...

I was once told by a very perceptive friend that my sense of justice was too strong.  "That's why you hate the Phantom and Scarlett O'Hara," she said.  "You can't get over the fact that these fallen people get things they don't deserve."

Yeah, that sounds about right.  You know those Myers-Briggs tests?  The ones where you are either thinking or feeling, sensing or intuitive, judging or perceiving, etc?  I have taken that test at least twice, and each time I have been hard core thinking and judging.  I don't seem to carry the sensing and perceiving chromosome, and it can get ugly.  It's not something I'm proud of, but this aspect of my character has a tendency to abandon compassion and bring down the gavel.  Scarlett O'Hara, there is no way you could ever deserve Ashley Wilkes.  Get real.  Grow up, go home, and start knowing your place.  And stop bossing everyone around.

(photo credit)

I'm beginning to realize what a highly dangerous position this can be.  Much of my internal struggles center around what I think I or others deserve.  I deserve this good because of x, y, and z.  I don't deserve that bad because I didn't do anything bad enough to earn it. But after processing our recent sermons at church and reading this post, I am beginning to see how this mentality completely undermines the inherent beauty of grace.  Fair does not take grace into account.  Fair looks at my life and dishes out consequences equal to the damage done.  Is that really what I want?

If life were fair, I would only have the things I deserve.  But I don't - I have so much more than that.  I don't deserve a husband who works his tail off at school, comes home and gives his whole self to me and our son until we go to bed, and then studies until the wee hours of the morning.  I don't deserve a beautiful, healthy boy who thinks the sun rises and sets with me.  I don't deserve parents who love me and do anything and everything I ask and thousands things I don't.  And I definitely don't deserve a God who sees the very worst of me and wants me anyway.  Who am I to hold the feet of others to the fire?  I am just as fallen and undeserving of grace as they.

So Scarlett, I am sorry.  You are no less deserving of grace than I, and henceforth I am making an effort to go easy on you and your sort, in the growing understanding that God and so many others are going easy on me and mine.

Nook Book #6: The Wary Widow

The Wary Widow by Jerrica Knight-Catatonia

 

Length: 215 pages

Format: Nook Book
Price: FREE
Author Website: http://www.jerricasplace.com/ (photo credit) 
WARNING: THIS BOOK DOES NOT HAVE AN ALL AGES RATING!

Basic Premise:  Recently widowed Chloe Hawthorne journeys to London to play chaperone to her soon-to-be-married cousin.  But when she meets her cousin's betrothed, she finds herself in love with a man she can never have.


My Take: 3 out of 10 (scale here)

Ugh.  I need to do a better job of screening books before I read them.  This book is set in Victorian England - a time period I absolutely adore and love to read about.  It follows Chloe Hawthorne, a young widow, and Lord Andrew Wetherby, a pompous, arrogant twit who doesn't have an honorable bone in his body.  The two strike up an affair behind the back of Elizabeth, Chloe's cousin and Andrew's betrothed.  NOT cool.  I was surprised at all the...dirtiness in this book. I am still a novice to the world of adult literature, but I guess I just assumed that a story set back in the day would not include this type of content.  There were several scenes that made me blush.  My main problem with such scenes, aside from the inherent wrongness of what they were doing, is how the attraction between these two people is so fundamentally based on the physical.  There seemed to be very little connection between these two characters otherwise.  That irks me and is not something in which I want to invest my precious reading time.