Homemade Peanut Butter

Lindsey introduced me to homemade nut butters. I made almond butter and it was AMAZING. So when we had dinner at Texas Road House a few nights ago, I filled a bag with their fresh-roasted peanuts and decided to try making my own peanut butter.

Step 1: De-shell the peanuts. (This was a HUGE pain. But, they were free.)

Step 2: Pour peanuts (about 2 c worth) into the food processor. Add a small amount of EVOO and honey, and turn that puppy on high.

 Run until the PB looks like PB.

Step 3: ENJOY!
Spread on toast, on Graham crackers, or just eat the stuff with a spoon. That's what my daughter ended up doing when I gave it to her!

**Be sure to store in the refrigerator.

Kindle Book: The Skinny Rules

The Skinny Rules

by Bob Harper

Length: 304 pages

Format: Kindle
Price: $12.99 (I know...expensive for me!)

How I heard about it: Lindsey

Basic Premise: Bob Harper (trainer on NBC's The Biggest Loser) establishes and discusses 20 rules which he believes will lead his readers to a healthier and skinnier way of life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I liked this book a lot. It was direct, to the point, and didn't make me feel like a idiot. I pretty much hate non-fiction, but this one was quick and painless, and, being a rule-follower, I liked the structure and the absolutes.

I immediately started to implement the rules and quickly discovered that rule #1, which is to drink a full glass of water before every meal, was actually much harder than it looked. In the same way, eating a full breakfast was easier than I expected it to be. In fact, I've done a pretty good job of taking pictures of my breakfasts as I've eaten them:

In addition to the 20 rules, Harper includes numerous recipes that go along with his skinny rules. A few things I have pretty much fallen in love with as a result of this book:

• Ezekiel bread (OMG)
• Salmon
• Tomatoes instead of ketchup with my eggs
• Spaghetti squash...can't believe I waited so long to try it!
• Eggs (which I seem to have rediscovered)
• Oatmeal

This is a really great book, and I look forward to experimenting more with these rules and recipes!

International Students!

I dream about living overseas. Every time I have gone, it has been an energizing, heartfelt, and life-changing experience. After we were first married, we went somewhere international every year...until we had kids, and in fact, I was planning a trip to Indonesia when I found out I was pregnant with my first. As a result, our overseas ministry efforts slowed to supporting missionaries through prayer and giving, and, beginning this year, working with international students!

Meet Yukie! We got hooked up with her through the Topeka Friends Network, an organization that seeks to give international students cultural experiences that revolve around family and faith.

A little fuzzy (nice photo bomb, Matthew)

Not quite...

There we go :)

For instance, the typical exchange student does not experience Thanksgiving unless they are invited by a fellow college student, and, let's face it - how many college students do this? Through TFN, American families are partnered up with students to help give them these experiences.

So far, we've connected with Yukie four times. The first was our introductory cook out at the home of our friends who coordinate TFN. Yukie LOVED the kids and immediately got down on the floor and started playing with them (which was kind of nice, since it was the first full day of school and I was EXHAUSTED!). Yukie and her friend Chen have come to church twice. The first time I picked them up, but I felt awful because only one of them had an actual seat in my tiny car and the other had to squeeze in between the car seats in the back. :( But she did not seem to mind in the least. That is one thing I  have noticed over and over again about the Chinese - they don't mind a little inconvenience, and they are perpetually enthusiastic. I introduced them both to Lindsey at church and they jumped up and said things like, "Hi, nice to meet you!" before I even had a chance to get through her name, and with so much enthusiasm that Lindsey was a bit startled and had to take a step back before she laughed and shook their hands.

We also introduced Yukie and Chen to "American" Chinese food at our favorite quick stop, Dillon's. Having been to China, we knew that actual Chinese food really isn't much like what we have here in our Chinese restaurants. They had NO idea what crab Rangoon was (they ate a bite with their chopsticks and politely put it down and did not touch it again), and, though they had seen egg rolls before, they don't eat them frequently in China. They stuck to sticky rice (white rice) and veggie dishes.

Yukie is only here until December, but we are excited to continue to connect with her this semester!

Book: The Catcher in the Rye

Catcher in the Rye

by JD Salinger

Length: 224 pages

Format: Paperback
Price: Free! Borrowed it from a friend

How I heard about it: It's a classic, and it's the favorite book of our new LA teacher. Naturally I had to see what the fuss was about.

Basic Premise: Newly-expelled and therefore former college student Holden Caulfield searches for purpose among the troubles and tragedies of his current existence. (Sorry...that's really the best I can do.)

My Take: 2 out of 10 (scale here)

Last year, we got a new Language Arts teacher. In her interview, she stated that her favorite book was The Catcher in the Rye. As I've said before, I haven't read many of the classics. My reading of classic literature is limited to what I read in high school and college and the FOUR classical titles I have read since. I was unfamiliar with this one, but I love Lara, so I put it on my list. When I told her I was going to read it, her exact words were, "You're going to hate it." When I asked my dad for a copy to borrow, he said, "Why? You're going to hate it."

Alas, they were right. As I mentioned in my review of The Great Gatsby (which, as a matter of interest, Salinger references in the book), I feel quite conflicted in saying I don't like a classic. But the fact is, I didn't, and frankly, I'm not sure why this is such a classic. There was hardly any movement in the plot. I was in the middle of the book and still wondering, "What is the conflict, here? What is this building toward?" I would love to see a plot map of this book that someone else filled in, because goodness knows I couldn't do it. It felt like what I imagine the inside of a scatter-brained potty-mouthed spoiled brat's brain looks like. Though Holden had his moments of depth and character, by and large he was, to borrow his own phrase, an "ass." Moving through the story felt like hiking through deep snow - lots of discomfort, frequent delays, and very little progress.

Definitely NOT a fan. I can appreciate the time period, the style, and obvious frankness Salinger displayed at a time when such things were not nearly as prevalent as they are now, but that's about all I can give to this book.

List progress:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Parenting with Love & Logic by Jim Fey
Silver Star Jeannette Walls
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins

So Long, Summer 2014

I've been composing this post in my head for the last month, but I decided not to write it. I can't. It's been a ridiculously hard week, filled with tears, questions, hard conversations, and squeezing my babies tight tight tight. I don't understand how each year, going back to school gets exponentially harder. It seems like it should get easier.

Instead, my post is going to consist of some of my favorite pictures from this summer.