Reluctant Reviewer: Part 1

I've always loved to read. As a kid I read through the entire Bobbsey Twins series and quickly moved onto Nancy Drew by late 3rd grade. My mom didn't quite know what to make of my sister, an equally avid reader, and me. We had very strange rules such as: You may not read at the table during meals, and you may not get out more than ten books at a time from the library. Yes, we had restrictions on reading. To be fair, I know for a fact that reading interfered with doing chores, and I was known for losing books, so they were probably appropriate rules.

I still love to read. For the past five months, I think I've raced through approximately a book a week. However, as I've gotten older, I've noticed I don't remember things very well, and it's quite embarrassing and frustrating when I finally pick up the second book in a series after a two month lapse from the first book, and notice I have a hard time recalling characters and the overall plot.

My solution: write book reviews. I've started on Goodreads.com by writing really brief reviews, but I'm always a bit worried I'm going to include a spoiler. So they generally go like this: Great book, incredible suspense, couldn't put it down. Yeah... that's really going to help me remember the storyline.

Ok, honestly, the part about worrying whether I'm going to spoil the book for someone else is really just an excuse. The truth is, I think I'm a terrible book reviewer. When I think about the last time I wrote something remotely academic, I cringe. It's been a pretty long time. Like five years long time. I don't think I'm going to do the books justice.

However, I'm fleeing my comfort zone, because I finished two books last month that were too fantastic not to share. They were recommended by my dear friend, Faith, who is not only an accomplished book reviewer, but also an aspiring author. Check out her blog for other great books and the first chapters of her own books here.

The first book I want to share is Code Name Verity written by Elizabeth Wein.

Recommended as young adult fiction, I, as a full blown adult, truly enjoyed this novel.Wein uses a wonderful combination of fact and imagination to craft two irresistible friends living during the nightmarish era of World War II.  In the midst of the horrors of war, these unlikely friends are drawn together by their unorthodox, but exciting jobs; pilot and spy for England. Filled with adventure, suspense,tough choices, and true friendship, this book left me awake almost the entire night even after I finished it at 1:30am. 

Ok, it's official, I'm really a terrible book reviewer. However, if I say any more at all, I'll probably ruin the entire book. So I guess you're just going to have to take my advice, check it out of the library, and prepare yourself for an entire day off because you won't be able to put it down.  

Second book review coming soon....

Dr. Seuss Part 2

So, I was originally going to post these projects one-by-one in parts 2, 3, 4, etc. but as life would have it - I just didn't get around to it! So, here are all the Dr. Seuss projects that I had at my Dr. Seuss party yesterday! It was quite a success and all the children and their parents had a lot of fun!

1. One, Fish, Two Fish Toss Game

The first thing I did was find a picture of a fish online that I liked and would be easy to cut out. Then I pinned  it to a piece of felt and cut out two identical pieces.

 Then I sewed the two pieces together and left a small hole as an opening so that I could stuff it.

 I stuffed the fish with some "fluff" that I use for stuffing pillows. I then pinned it back together and sewed it closed.

The last step was adding a white felt eye for each of them and they were all finished! The kids really enjoyed taking turns tossing the fish in the basket!

2. Costume

For the party, my co-teacher and I decided to dress up as Thing 1 and Thing 2. I got two red t-shirts at JoAnns for $3.50 and decided to sew on the logos! I learned how to print on fabric from Pinterest (of course). You iron your fabric onto freezer paper and it makes it stiff enough to go through the printer!

I printed out a Thing 1 and Thing 2 logo on the fabric. 

I cut it out and decided to add a second layer of fabric under it to make it thicker and not so see-through.

I used a liquid stitch to keep it tight against the shirt. I then added a quick stitch around the outside for reinforcement.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out!

3. The kids' projects

This was a project that I came up with that day! It is the Lorax's Truffula Trees! I used yellow pipe cleaners and feathers on orange paper to really give it a Lorax-feel!

I also came up with this that day! We realized we didn't have enough crafts for the party so I cut the different pieces of the Lorax's body and had the kids glue them together!

This is a project off of Pinterest, so I can't claim creative rights to it ;). But I couldn't help post this because it came out so cute! We painted the bowtie and penne pasta red and white! We printed out the Cat in the Hat face and glue it onto a clothespin! To finish it we hot glued a magnet on the back so it could be a refrigerator magnet for the kids artwork!

4. Finished Cat in the Hat

I let the kids color him - I think they did a pretty good job! Then I laminated it and cut it out. He was a wonderful addition to our party!

5. The snack

The last thing we did was a Green Eggs snack. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of it, but it came out really cute! We dyed pudding green to make the green part and added a vanilla wafer in the middle to make the green eggs!

I'm sorry this post is sooooo long, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

The Beauty of a Rose

My husband is so sweet and so talented. St. Valentine's day was a bit hectic. I had the day off but inevitably found myself running all over doing errands and babysitting. I'm terrible at gift giving and keeping secrets, so Jeremy already had his present early- a box of chewy Star Crunch (excuse: St. Valentine's day fell after Lent already started, and I decided it would just be cruel to give them to him on Thursday and make him salivate over them till Sunday).

When the day was almost over, we burst into the house together where I beheld a beautiful rose and a box of the most AMAZING chocolates ever. This is pure objective fact- there is no subjective opinion when it comes to these raspberry chocolate truffles. And, I did salivate over them until Sunday.

WARNING: The creativity contained within this post is entirely my husband's (once again).

Jeremy and I share a digital SLR camera, which he has mastered and I fondly like to stare at and dream about taking wonderful shots. While reading, I noticed Jeremy stealing my rose away. Having piqued my curiosity, I followed him upstairs where he had the rose in our spare room and the camera out. I eyed his set up skeptically. Our spare room could interchangeably be called the junk room. How was he going to make this rose look pretty without the mess detracting from it's beauty?

I'm not even sure if this is the fully edited picture, but I think the end result is gorgeous! The background was dark blue (our spare comforter) and I'm not positive how it turned black, but he figured it out!

Here are some more pictures we both took and made into a calendar for our relatives this past Christmas. Jeremy probably took all the really good ones.

There are more, but I thought I'd share the more "springlike". We are getting tired of the cold here and are in the midst of planning a trip to Myrtle Beach. Hopefully more fantastic pictures to come soon!

Slow Cooker Tortellini

Apologies in advance for the lack of photography. I haven't quite mastered the art of capturing delectable mushy food ( Crispy on the other hand I make look good right?). Therefore, I shall attempt to make this dish sound almost as delicious as it really is!

Confession: I found this on Pinterest; no claims to creativity here. But, I just had to share it because it is delicious, perfect for meatless Fridays during Lent (or whenever), oh, and did I mention it's easy? Ridiculously, wonderfully easy.

You will need:
A large slow cooker (6 quarts)
1 bag of fresh spinach
1 bag of tortellini (I used cheese stuffed)
1 block of cream cheese
2 14 oz  cans diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups of vegetable broth
Garlic powder and Italian seasoning to taste

What you do:
Pour the vegetable broth, drained tomatoes and block of cream cheese in the bottom of the slow cooker. Chunk up the cream cheese (Um, I used a big spoon, but however you are able to mush up sticky, mushy cream cheese into large chunks easily will work just as well)
Add the whole bag of spinach. Mix it up a bit to get all the spinach to mush down a bit (Lots of mushiness in this recipe). Then mix in your tortellini. Add seasonings. Cook on low for 4 hours. Stir up about 15 minutes before done and then again right before serving. Make sure all the cream cheese is mixed in.

The sauce should look nice and creamy. We served it in bowls since it was a bit more like soup the first time. It was a bit thicker the second time (haven't quite figured out why yet), but still just as delicious.

Review:
Hubby loved this, I loved this, guests have loved it the two times I've served it, so I would rate this recipe a success. Also, it took me literally about five minutes to dump everything in the slow cooker which is another bonus. Great for cold winter nights or when you're craving comfort food. Enjoy!

It's Either About a Prison or the Holocaust

...said my roommate when I told her I was reading the book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne. If you don't want to know whether it is about prison or the Holocaust, I recommend you stop reading my post (although, don't worry, I won't give anything else away). But I definitely recommend the book!

It is, of course, about the Holocaust. I stumbled upon this book when I saw the entire 8th grade class carrying it around school. I was convinced to read it when I caught one of my 8th graders reading it during one of MY lessons. I thought to myself, "Either I'm a boring teacher, or that book is really good." I knew the former couldn't be true, so I assumed the latter and decided to mosey downstairs during my plan to borrow one of those books from the English room.

I borrowed the book on a Monday and I finished it after school that Wednesday. Granted it is only 277 pages, but I'm a teacher and a grad student and usually get angry when I see people in coffee shops reading for fun because I wish I had the time. Apparently, for the right book, I do.

Like other Holocaust literature (The Diary of Anne Frank, Number the Stars, The Book Thief, etc), the book contains the common themes of humanizing the de-humanized, re-discovering the horrors from a unique perspective, juxtaposing innocence and evil, forming and breaking relationships, realizing we need to open our eyes to the "holocausts" of our time, etc.

The book is told from the perspective of a 9 year-old boy, Bruno, whose dad is a commander at the  concentration camp his family moves in next to. We get to see the world from the mind of Bruno,  not an ignorant mind, just formed by everything he is familiar with- his parents and annoying sister, his three best friends, his bustling city, his housemaids- there is no familiarity with anything remotely related to the Holocaust, so he simply does not have a clue to what is happening at the place he sees across the fence when he looks outside of his window. This perspective creates one of the most powerful themes from the book, which, as stated in the author's note, is misconception and misunderstanding. My English studies mind appreciated the child-like perspective, how the writing style nearly perfectly matched that, and all of those other previously mentioned deep themes, but the part my emotional self appreciated the most was the simple theme of friendship (read: at the first mention of best friends I was crying on the couch).

As I was reading this book, my mind kept traveling back to my visit to Auschwitz my junior year of college. I still think back on this with very puzzling memories. The day our school visited was a sunny day and my impression of Auschwitz was that of a place where I could see kids playing in the brick streets surrounded by the brick buildings. Our tour included stops like seeing the gas chambers, piles of shoes and clothes, and the cells. I knew I should be sad and moved, but I was either so exhausted or so emotionally drained that I could hardly given any emotional response, even when Fr. Dave made me stand in a cell with three other people. It wasn't until we went to see an art room filled with drawing created by someone who lived at the concentration camp. It wasn't the incredibly skeleton-like bodies or the hollow faces that got me, but the fact that the pictures portrayed friendship. I remember standing in the room surrounded by pictures of bony figures, looking around at my friends next to me, and, again, that was the point I lost it with the tears.

So, when you are looking for a quick, meaningful read, this would be a good book to pick up. Like a visit to Auschwitz, the horrors of the Holocaust are clear in the story, but like the art I saw on my trip, even more clear is the remaining presence of love and friendship.

Why Women Really Should Stay in the Kitchen

Women should stay in the kitchen because men might die while occupying the space. Not because they can't use knives, and not because they can't clean properly (I have learned many useful cleaning tips from my own husband), but because the recipes they come up with might really be lethal.

Jeremy used to joke that the only chicken recipes he could make was chicken alfredo. Well we know how healthy alfredo sauce is for you. But that's honestly child's play compared to what he came up with last night

We were listening to a comedian, Jim Gaffigan, who was going on and on about bacon. Who doesn't love bacon!? Jeremy looks at me and says, with a scary brightness in his eyes, "Why hasn't anyone DEEP FRIED bacon?"

I blinked, stared at him for a bit, and replied, "Well, darling, probably because it would kill you".

Ok, we don't really use pet names like darling, but it fit.

Unconvinced, he continued to mention it for a week or so. Last weekend he smiled nicely and asked, "Can we have a superbowl party here?"

"Um sure"

"Ok great!"

pause

"Can I make deep fried bacon!?"

And he did. In all it's deep fried baconey glory.

Happy Ending: No one actually died in the process nor after consumption. I might also add that I always do appreciate Jeremy in the kitchen despite his artery clogging recipes!

COUNTRY FRIED BACON

Jeremy used a deep fryer

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 lb thick cut bacon
2 eggs
1/4 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
Maple syrup (for dipping)

Preheat oven to 350. Whip up your eggs and milk in a bowl. Combine flour, salt and pepper in flat pan or bowl. Cut your bacon in half. Dip in eggs and then coat in flour. Place in deep fryer for about 5 minutes or until looking bubbly. Remove and place on a baking sheet. Put in oven for a few minutes or until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

The Cat in the Hat (Part 1)

So, most Preschool/Elementary Educators know that Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up on March 2nd. With all the much-needed breaks Dr. Seuss books provide us (they serious take about 20 minutes to read, but yet the children are somehow entertained through the whole thing)....how could we not remember the man's birthday? So we are having a "Birthday Party" for Dr. Seuss at my preschool on March 1st. First of all, I have a secret passion for themed parties in general, but a children's themed party is just going to be over the top! Luck for me, I work with another teacher who is just as into this party as I am. So, as we start planning and making things for this, "Dr. Seuss Birthday Party", I will be posting them on this blog which is why this one is labeled as "part 1".

One of the games I came up with for our party is a, "Pin the tail on the Cat in the Hat". In order to have this game we obviously need a "Cat in the Hat" picture. There may have been easier ways to do this, but they probably wouldn't be as crafty or hands on. I decided to draw the "Cat" myself. I am an okay drawer with pretty simple things. I had a lot of confidence that I could draw a pretty good "Cat" body, but the face was going to be tricky.

So the first thing I did was find an image that I wanted to copy. This one fit because it would be easy to make the tail detachable for the game.

Next, I sketched his body onto a large piece of butcher paper with a pencil. The pencil is very forgiving when you mess up, so I always use it to outline my drawings. The "Cat in the Hat"'s body is pretty simple, so I just drew this free-hand.

The face is the tricky part, so I blew up his face on Microsoft Word and printed it out. I placed it where I wanted his face to be in the picture and traced over the print out with a sharpie. I traced around the black lines, and not on them. This allows the black sharpie to "bleed" through the print out paper onto the drawing paper. The sharpie will not bleed through completely, but it will give you a rough outline that you can draw over to give it a professional look.

After this, I finished the picture by tracing over my pencil lines on the rest of his body with the black sharpie. 

This is a picture of the finished product once I traced over the whole thing.

I am really happy with the way it turned out. My plan is to take it back to school and have the kids color it in. Once it is all colored in, I am going to laminate it, cut it out, and tape it to the wall for our party! I will post pictures of it when it is all completed too!