Happy Mother's Day, Mom

City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana
Mother and Daughter Feeding the Ducks

You've always been a great mother and I can't thank you enough for your constant loving kindness and support these many years.

Love you,
Jan

Turn the Page.....Tuesday

Summer of My German Soldier
Bette Greene

I'd bought this book years ago planning to use it for a reading selection at a time when we were going through WWII in history. I wasn't rushing to read it since the cover had it portrayed as a "youthful romance." Still it was a "National Book Award Finalist" and "An ALA Notable Book" so I held out hope for something worthwhile. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that the characters held my attention well after I'd finished reading the book. I found myself pondering the arrangement of the friendship and recalling another friendship of great value to me.

I am friends with two dear people who love beyond the pain and 1940s wartime memories....one of German decent and one of Jewish decent.

The main character, twelve-year-old Patty, tells the story of living during this difficult period in history. Her family is Jewish, lives in Arkansas and owns a store.

Small town life in Arkansas was the setting for the strong emotions of a war that waged in Germany and in the hearts of the faithful southern Americans who'd sent their sons to fight. Loyalty was prized and the idea of a Jewish girl aiding a German was unthinkable. But Patty was anxious for acceptance and though her parents offered none, she tried diligently to gain their respect.

Patty's tale became captivating as I followed her desire to impress and please her parents. She longed for their attention and love. I felt myself cringing as she was mistreated by her father and as her mother looked the other way and was interested only in her own personal affairs.

Anton, one of the German prisoners, recognized Patty's strengths and through their friendship he boosted her confidence and reminded her of her own personal value. Anton, though supposedly "bad" since he was German, taught Patty that she had a worth that even she had begun to question. Their friendship enabled Patty to transition into a deeper and more meaningful life.

The family housekeeper, Ruth, was one of my favorite characters. She genuinely loved Patty and faithfully cared for her much as her own mother should have been doing. I could easily picture her and her gentle ways.

Summer of my German Soldier was not the "happily-ever-after youthful romance" I feared it might be. There were twists and turns that kept my attention. I look forward to using it later in our schooling as we discuss WWII. But more than the political discussion it might arouse, I look forward to the discussion surrounding how we value others and the situations that cause us to risk all for someone else.


I have already chosen next month's selection. It won't be a children's book, however it will still be historical in nature. Thank you to Some of a Kind for planning this project. Look forward to seeing you then.....

Easter Joy

The tomb is empty but my heart is not.Eternally thankful for His love.

Turn the Page....Tuesday

This is my second go-round with Hattie Big Sky. I read it the first time for fun on my own. I tend to read a lot of possible books for future use. This one was so enjoyable that I decided to do a "read-aloud" with my daughter since we happened to be studying homesteading.

The story takes place during WWI and opens your eyes to the difficulties of "proving up" your land. I always feel proud of the men and women who worked so hard to make lives for themselves and their families. The work never ended...but neither did their dreams.

Americans weren't just struggling with the war but also their feelings toward Germans.

This story follows the life of a girl as she tries out her life on a homestead. She longs for a place to call her own and plans to work hard to accomplish the mandatory requirements within the deadline given her. Hattie is confronted with the emotions of her neighbors as they work on their own homesteads and as the hatred for Germans grows.

The story has provided many opportunities for discussion. It has also offered us a few laughs as the various characters reveal their natures. You'll find yourself hoping things work out for Hattie as she does her best with the rules she must follow, looming deadlines, weather conditions, kindly neighbors, threatening neighbors and the learning of many skills she's had no experience with in her past....all at the ripe age of sixteen.

To aid in your understanding of the war-times, Hattie corresponds with her school-friend, Charlie. As he writes to her from Europe, she begins to understand the changes taking place in both of their lives. Growing up quickly is no easy business, now or then.

I can honestly say that I really enjoy this book and would highly recommend it to anyone. Written by Kirby Larson in 2006, it won the Newbery Honor.

The REAL way to make Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce

(First written to help out my homeschool mom-friends)

Ya'll had me laughing today when I was so kindly reminded of breaking the rules! Mentioning a delicious recipe without giving it is and SHOULD BE against the rules. I just hate to hear about something wonderful and not be able to try it out myself so I completely understand.

So......

step-by-step

1. pick a lovely spot in your yard for your tomato plants.....you didn't think I'd start you off with the tomatoes already grown now, did you? We're homeschool moms here. Shouldn't we first talk about whether or not a tomato is a veggie or fruit? Did you know it was part of the "nightshade" family? Why, I've always wondered.....it loves the sun! Can I bring up heirloom tomato varieties? Does anyone here want to write the plural of tomato on the board for us? Any songs about tomatoes? "You say potato and I say patato, you say tomato and I say tamato...." And in this group we'll not forget to discuss the history of the tomato.....thought to be poisonous....or how it was often referred to as the "love apple." Please, would you in the back there mind writing up a short article on tomato planting and harvesting..complete with an "ly" word, a who/which clause, and an interesting adjective and adverb, double-spaced of course....

2. OK, now that you've got your location picked out and your history, spelling, sing-a-long, botanical, grammatical and writing assignments in order, let's move on to a few general helpful hints. Give your plants loads of sunlight. If you decide to try out SFG, you'll want 1 plant/sq. ft. (I love that abbreviation stuff....looks like I'm such a technical writer!) You'll be so tired from setting up the garden and planting that you'll need to go out to KFC using your GPS and if your husband is your main-man helper, he'll be needing some TLC. He'll be so happy you got the IRS and a possible audit out of his mind this time of year, the CIA and the FBI off his back, he'll want to get fancy with the garden but KISS. Trust me. And in case the kids are running through the garden too much, send them in the house to make some PB&J or BLT sandwiches.

3. After the tomato plants are growing and you're ready to harvest, pick your juicy fruits (or veggies...whatever you decided to call them). Bring them into the house and take a picture of them before they meet their maker, that's you and God. Get a pot of water boiling, stab the tomato with a fork and put it into the water for about 30 seconds. When you lift it out, the skin will peel off easily. In another big pot, simmer some onions, bell peppers, garlic, basil and oregano (fresh if you put that in your garden - I do!), a wee bit of salt and a tad of sugar in a splash of virgin olive oil.

4. After you've peeled your toms, quarter them and put them in the pot of spices and veggies. Now just let them cook and soak up all that flavor you just created. Stir and watch them melt away into goodness that will eventually go into your delectable dishes. You can strain them to remove the seeds if you didn't do so before cooking them or just let them be themselves and stay in the sauce. I say, let's just all get-along. Stay in the sauce and be happy.

5. Now you can put them in freezer bags and store them flat (saves space) or you can can them according to directions you'll find on www.freshpreserving.com.

I use these in all types of cooking: chili, spaghetti, soups, etc. Don't be surprised when you see that they aren't as dark as the sauces you buy in the grocery. You may also be impressed when you consider how many tomato plants the pioneer and homesteading families must have had to grow to feed their family year-round. Math! How many tomatoes does it take to make one large pot of spaghetti sauce? How many tomatoes do you need if one train leaves Houston at 4pm going 50 mph and another train leaves Memphis at 2:30pm going 45mph and everyone on the train wants tomatoes on their salad? No, the trains never meet. Why? Because I always trembled in fear when I knew those trains were going to meet and possibly crash! All those innocent people!....just for the sake of one math problem??? Not in my story!

Well, this has been fun. Hope you're more interested now in SFG, eating tomatoes, making homemade sauce, lining your pantry with pretty canning jars, writing essays about tomatoes and eating salads on trains.

Any questions? Oh, the measurements.....You know your family and their preferences. Just make it up as you go along, sing while you cook, stir and laugh, offer your husband a taste from a gigantic spoon, speak Italian with a twinkle in your eye.

Want to know how much a splash is? Well, Darlin', it all depends on how big you are when you hit the water.

Time to run.

SWAK,
Jan

I know everyone's seen this a kazillion times. I can't help myself...I just love it so much.

Do ya love me????

Let's do the twist.......

The Birthday Boy

Some time ago...

How do these children grow up so fast!? Time moves along like it's in a big rush to get somewhere fast. What's the hurry? Can't we slow down a little and smell the roses?....or coffee?....or in this guy's case, the vanilla cupcakes? (Make that chocolate cupcakes as the E-girl pulled a switch on Birthday Boy without his knowing until it was too darn late. )

Mr. Middle-child just celebrated 17 years yesterday. I tried to tell him to enjoy these days as birthdays start coming very quickly after this.

Everyone's so excited to be 18, then 21. Then zip.........you're 26 and then 30 and whee.....you're off again. It's fun but fast.

Here's to you, Mr. Middle! Be smart, safe and wise all your days and remember the value of family. We all love you. And drive safe!

The 17-year-old version