My Brothers Favorite Books

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Books for boys can be hard to find, but when I asked the young men in our family which ones they couldn’t put down, here were their answers:

My Grade School Brothers’ Favorite Books
  • Redwall Series
  • Boxcar children
  • Hardy Boys
  • My Side of the Mountain Series
  • Ranger’s Apprentice Series  (very popular for many years at home)
Middle School Brothers’ Favorite Books
  • Hatchet
  • Trumpeter of Krakow
  • Outlaws of Ravenhurst
  • The Hidden Treasure of Glaston
  • Ransom of Red Chief (short story)
  • The Purloined Letter
  • The Black Pearl
  • King Solomon’s Mines
  • Johnny Tremain
  • The Princess Bride
  • The Candy Bombers
  • Legend of sleepy hollow
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth
  • Around the World in 80 Days
My High School Brothers’ Favorite Books
  • Great Expectations
  • Old Man and the Sea
  • Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkein
  • 20,000 leagues Under the Sea
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Les Miserables (This one surprised me, but Landon was a big fan)
  • Dracula
  • The Virginian
  • The Count of Monte Cristo
  • Screwtape Letters
  • Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
  • Murder on the Orient Express
  • 11th grader cheekily recommends the dictionary

Settling In

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Slowly, gradually, I am growing accustomed to my new surroundings. The transition to life on my own is going smoothly. It helps that home is still very near, and I don’t have to go far to the familiar garden or squeeze little siblings tight. Periods of homesickness are very brief. Glancing at the calendar, I just realized that a full three weeks passed since my move.

I am starting to fall into a routine of sorts as well. Time passes with much more deliberation when I am alone, forcing me to consciously find a way to put it to use rather than stare at the walls wondering what to do next. I know I will appreciate this in the school year as I have essays to write and clinical paperwork to fill out, but in the meantime the empty hours are a challenge to fill. Boredom does seem to be the mother of task invention, though, and I’ve gotten to several activities that I’ve been postponing for a quite a while. For example, last week I took Maria out for a photography lesson-one I’ve been promising since early spring.

Overall, I think the change has been positive, and it brings me to look ahead. The next year is full of changes- I will wrap up school, graduate, and take my nursing board examinations to become a certified RN. I will look for and accept a job, and start work as a nurse full time-without worrying about writing graded reports at the same time. I will leave the classrooms I’ve frequented for four full years. My hearts drops for a moment. So many transitions, so many endings!

But endings which will give way to beginnings.

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Presentation Points

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My family is not known for being particularly artistic. I don’t believe there is one of us that can wield any of the usual tools of creativity, such as colored pencils, paint, or clay. Occasionally though, one individual displays a small glimpse of normally dormant talent. This caught me off guard when I came upon into this sight:

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 Landon sewed this Gandalf costume for Halloween two years ago, but it rarely emerges from its protected hiding place. So I was a little confused to find Landon staring at me calmly in full wizard garb.

“Care for something to drink?”

I gave him a blank look, then thought I knew his plan. “Oh, you made coffee?” I asked hopefully.

“Just tea, thank you,” he replied, (I realized he was quoting the Lord of the Rings), and held out this:IMG_5993

The Tolkein-esque lettering on the front explain the Gandalf costume. The day before I had hinted to Landon that he should try to make a second tea bag organizer. He made the first a while ago, when he was more of a beginner at wood work, and it was unfinished and risked being ruined by any moisture.  I knew he had been practicing his carpentry skills lately, but didn’t realize he was quite this handy in the shop. 

Change

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It started with a mug. Orange, red, and avocado green-it caught my eyes as they drifted across the thrift store shelves last fall. I instantly liked the playful design of vines and butterflies, and the $1.50 price tag sealed the deal. When I brought it home I decided to stow the find deep in my closet rather than add it to the collection of tea cups in the family cupboard. This one, I thought, I’ll keep for when I’m on my own. 

I had never had the slightest inclination to move before this year, but as the junior year unfolded I began to realize it was almost time. Then shortly before Christmas break I discovered a fellow student was looking for a roommate. The opportunity turned out to be better than I had ever hoped for, and worth rescheduling my tentatively planned move in the fall (When I chose to commute to a school in my hometown, I set a goal of making the jump to independence at the beginning of my senior year). Two months ago I signed my first lease, almost wondering if it was real. Today I find myself writing at the kitchen table-but as I gaze out the windows the view is entirely new.

Looking Back

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Much of the difficulty the past year came from trying to balance school with multiple jobs. Balance, though, is not the right word. It felt more like a circus act-and I was the performer spinning plates on long poles, praying one does not slip and bring everything down at once. Several times a dish nearly  slipped, and I missed assignments and commitments. Everything not absolutely urgent was put on hold.

I thought the challenge of the junior year would be in the complexity of the material presented, or in the details of tests.   Instead, it was marathon that wore me out with a constant barrage of assignments and tests best described as a semester long finals week. Every time I believed I was falling into the rhythm of the school year, something new was thrown at me.  Clinicals, research papers, presentations, and comprehensive tests followed one after the other.  My classmates and I had to adapt to a new type of test, in which all multiple choice questions have more than one right answer. Which right answer has the highest priority?

Next year, I have heard, is not nearly as intensive. Nevertheless, I have taken a much different approach to how I set up my schedule. I simplified a lot, condensing my dance and work schedule to be more reasonable. I am also making one other change. I will be living on the college campus next semester.

Soon

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I can breath again.

I had heard rumors and horror stories of the junior year for a long time, but I never expected it to be quite like that.

This blog has been waiting patiently through the school year, along with many other things. Hobbies have been on complete hold for the last few months. It’s been about two and a half weeks since I finished finals, and now I am catching up on tasks and rediscovering interests one by one. Thistles have been dispatched from the garden. C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters caught my eye last week-it has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. I remembered that reading is enjoyable, with purposes other than schoolwork. Soon, I hope to put a little time into this space as well.

Amazing Chocolate Cake

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Buttermilk and chocolate squares are the secret ingredients .

 

5 ounces semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 1/4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (preferably Dutch processed)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup lukewarm coffee (or water, if you don’t like the taste of coffee)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/4 cups  unsalted butter, room temperature

2  cups  granulated white sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place oven racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. Lightly butter and flour  a 9×13 pan. In a heatproof bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a small bowl, combine the coffee (or water) and buttermilk.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy (about three to five minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Then add the melted chocolate and beat until incorporated. Add the coffee/ buttermilk mixture and flour mixture in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat only until the ingredients are mixed together.

Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared pans and smooth the tops, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops spring back when lightly pressed. (I like to rotate the pans about halfway through baking to ensure even baking.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes.

Life Snapshot

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Books, books, and more books.

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Complete with a crayon wall mural composed by the young artist Claire. A Theraband (dancer exercise device) also hangs in the background.

Winter Days

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I decided not to take a class during the one month interim semester at school this January, so I am currently enjoying an extended Christmas break. I’ve been keeping busy between teaching dance and starting a new job as a waitress, but it is very nice to be able to work while not have homework looming overhead.

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January has brought the cold of winter in full force, so I frequently take refuge in hot cups of tea and coffee. I’ve been particularly enjoying some loose leaf black teas that Maria and I picked up at the health food at the beginning of the month. Its spicy fragrance and warmth is a perfect complement to winter’s long, dark evenings.

Once Christmas passes, I  quickly begin to think about the warmth and beauty of spring. Often the easiest way to deal with winter is to remember that it will eventually come to an end. Garden magazines are arriving in the mailbox, tempting me to wish the next few months away. However, I’m trying to put those thoughts off a little longer. Winter has its own beauty, though it’s harder to notice. I would hope to spend the rest of the season enjoying it.

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enchilada sauce

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This sauce whips up super quick and tastes like it came from a restaurant. It’s a really easy way to dress up a simple chicken or ground beef enchilada. One of the family favorites:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 cup New Mexico or California chili powder
  • 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
  • 1 tablespoon peanut butter (secret ingredient)
  • salt to taste

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in flour and chili powder, reduce heat to medium, and cook until lightly brown, stirring constantly to prevent burning flour.
  2. Gradually stir in tomato sauce, water, cumin, garlic powder, and onion salt into the flour and chili powder until smooth, and continue cooking over medium heat approximately 10 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.

Firsts in 2015

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This was a year of many new things: skipping rocks, first injections, learned to shoot a .45 caliber, first time traveling on my own.

Growing up, little by little.

 

2015’s Best Unposted

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Maria as Queen of France in the January 2015 homeschool one act play competition:

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Landon in his last one act play competition-his performance won a ‘best actor’ medal.

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I think he’d fail the marshmallow test:

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Apparently we invited a dwarf to Daniel’s birthday party:

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Claire slipped smoothly into her role as big sister. Benjamin is only one week old here!
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Landon assists Maria in making a Galadriel costume.

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Little brothers. Love.IMG_4576

Musician in training:

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2015

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2015, have you flown by already? The older I get, I realize that a year really isn’t very long at all. Looking through all the photos the family has taken over the last year, it  does seem that we fit a lot into 2015.

January I began actual nursing classes, after two years of wading through the prerequisite science and psychology classes. The one-month interim course at my school fits a whole semester’s material into three weeks , so bitter January passed quickly. The class finished with a role playing presentation that was fun to work on and present to the class:

Class

Through February and March, both Mom and the excitement for our newest family member grew steadily:

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April brought the welcome spring, with flowering bulbs, spring sun, and crazy baby chickens in the mail:
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May was filled with celebrations following one after the other. Benjamin arrived safe and sound shocking us with his head of curls.  Landon graduated from homeschool life, and several members of the family received sacraments:

Maria was confirmed:

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as well as Johnathan:

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and Alexander:
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In June Benjamin also received his first sacrament!

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In July I flew with an amazing group to Alaska on a two week mission trip through FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University students). This was my first trip away from home by myself, so it was very new and exciting experience:

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The family spent August enjoying the last warm, school-free days of Summer:

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And this must suffice for September, October, November, and December, as I only narrowly escaped being buried alive in homework this semester. I passed a lot of exciting nursing milestones such as first injection given, first patient cared for, and learning to understand a million different lab values.

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 Now, forward on to 2016!