Book Review - I Capture the Castle

A friend of mine loaned me this book. She recommended it to me, knowing my tendency to enjoy all things British. I also read this book as part of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books challenge.

I did enjoy the book but not *nearly* as much as I expected. Funny to have high expectations of a book and then be disappointed.

I'm too lazy to write an original review so here is Amazon's plot summary.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family--beautiful sister Rose, brooding father James, ethereal stepmother Topaz--is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. She writes, "I have just remarked to Rose that our situation is really rather romantic, two girls in this strange and lonely house. She replied that she saw nothing romantic about being shut up in a crumbling ruin surrounded by a sea of mud."

I read Carrie's review of this book and I have to agree with a lot of what she said. I found it hard to stomach the father's laziness and unwillingness to be a man and support his family. He reads detective novels while they struggle to eat! The poverty at the beginning of the book wasn't romantic in the least.

I enjoyed the witty dialogue and the bear story is very funny. My final comment - read it for fun but don't expect it to rival Jane Austen.Pin It

All things pumpkin

I've been burning these candles from Yankee Candle, drinking Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks and today it was time to make pumpkin bread!

A few years ago I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit.

Pumpkin Bread

* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup water
* 3 cups white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
(optional) 1/2 cup golden raisins
(optional) 1/2 cup brown raisins
(optional) 1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Add raisins. Pour into the prepared pans. Top with walnut pieces (optional).
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.Pin It

In case you didn't already know this....

I am 35% Normal
"You sure do march to your own beat...

But you're so weird, people wonder if it's a beat at all

You think on a totally different wavelength

And it's often a chore to get people to understand you."

How Normal Are You?

I'm playing around with silly quizes when I should go to bed!Pin It

Activities for a boy who doesn't go to school

So, I'm worn out this afternoon. I did errands with C while A was at preschool (which is going just fine, by the way, after that terrible first day). I have tendonitis in both of my elbows and it can flare up if I lift the boys too much like I did this morning. Too many trips in and out of the car and into the stroller.

I think C and I should go back home while A is in school. I found this terrific website thanks to my friend Bo Tai Tai called Toddler Toddler..

This is the activity Bo Tai Tai did with her daughter - and her photo is much better than the one on Toddler Toddler's website.

Its easy to forget about planning fun activities for the second child!Pin It

Max and Ruby.....Ruby and Max

My boys love Max and Ruby. This is my boys' favourite video right now. I enjoy them because they are funny. Max doesn't talk very much. He says "delicious" many times during the lemonade episode. He makes ant and acorn pancakes. I hope C. doesn't get ideas from Max. He is a bit like Max.

The website is pretty fun, too.Pin It

Menu plan Monday

This week we'll be having (in no particular order):

- Meatball Soup

- Turkey chili

- Lentil Barley Vegetable Stew (recipe from Gooseberry Patch)

- Crockpot Chicken Curry and baked Acorn squash

- Creamy Chicken Rigatoni (thanks to Scribbit for the recipe)

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see a whole bunch of menu plans!Pin It

Free trial of Netflix

I have a coupon for a free month trial of Netflix. If you would like to try out this awesome service, please e mail me so I can forward this coupon to you.Pin It

Hymns, choruses or both?

I found this on Mrs. Wilt's blog tonight. I was laughing out loud.

I'm a fan of both, if you're wondering.Pin It

Summer memory

 

I'm editing and organizing photos tonight and had to share this one.

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Survived the first day of preschool..... barely

My oldest son (4) started preschool today. I actually thought it would go pretty well since we met his teacher yesterday and he seemed "keen." Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The morning quickly deteriorated into a major battle over clothing. He has become very particular about what he will wear and it usually the opposite of what I want. He refused to wear any of the polo shirts I recently bought for him (I'm tired of t shirts.) I gave in on that one but then he freaked out about his pants. I bought him some new brown fall-like pants that have an adjustable waist. The school doesn't want the kids wearing belts since they might need help doing those up after potty trips. Almost all of his jeans require belts so those were out. I wouldn't budge on the pants. He was screaming and crying forever. He said the pants were "too comfy and too soft." Then he said they were scratchy. ?? He cried all the way to school. My hubby went with us since we *thought* it would be a fun milestone to share. Ha! He clung to Daddy like white on rice! We waited until all the other kids had gone into the classroom and then we had to hand him over (physically) to the teacher's assistant. He continued to scream behind the closed door. We could still hear him as we walked down the hallway. I cried on the way home. It seemed like an eternity until pick up time. I was worried that my phone would ring and the school would call and ask me to come pick him up.

On a bright note, my youngest son handled it fine. I wondered if *he* would cry and want to go to school. (There was another little brother doing just that).

When it was time to go in and pick up my son, I stood at the doorway with nervous anticipation. I looked at the teacher with panicky eyes that said "did he do OK?" They said he did fine. I think he loved it. He was proud of the Fruit Loop necklace he brought home and is excited about the Scholastic book catalogue. Is that thing a racket or what?

He even let me take his picture this afternoon with the sign I made that says "First Day of Preschool 2007." A great idea I read in Family Fun magazine.

Oh - A said that he cried until circle time was over. Those poor teachers and kids!

I heard today that the son of a mom at my church reacted pretty much the same way as A did to his first day of preschool. We'll have to chat and commiserate!Pin It

Beach at sunset

 

This is my hubby kissing my little boy's sweet little toes at the beach at sunset. I love the lighting.

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We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you...

Love that Raffi song although I don't think he wrote it. I heard it on Peter, Paul and Mommy which predates Raffi. OK, back to the real subject of this post.

On Friday we went to the zoo with Colette and her kids. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed that it wasn't very busy since summer is over, well, sort of.

Welcome to the zoo! A loves the zoo map, probably because he can read the names of some of the animals.

My boys feed the giraffes - a fun treat to be that close to such a tall animal.


C enjoyed the "bear cave" where he could hide.

He loved the otter sculpture.

We saw an ostrich close up as well as a peacock.

We also watched the orangutans but getting a good picture of them behind the glass isn't possible.Pin It

Free Kashi snack

Sign up here for either free cookies, free crackers or a free granola bar.

I love Kashi products, especially the TLC crackers which are whole grain and contain no high fructose corn syrup.Pin It

Works for Me - Motts for Tots Juice

I heard about this in a magazine and I knew it was for me.

My boys drink lots of juice. Too much, really. But to minimize the sugar I always dilute it. Usually 50% water, 50% juice. Sometimes more water.

When we are out and about, I carry small cans of juice in the back of my car to fill up their sippy cups. I used to have to also carry water bottles and then do the mixing. Now I can just carry these Motts for Tots juice boxes. *For SAHMmy Says - I buy them at WalMart*

I wish they had more flavours but they are still a great idea.

Now, if I could only get my impish 2 year old to stop pushing that straw through into the juice box!Pin It

How I wasted several hours today

While one son napped and the other played happily with Daddy, I played around with Rhapsody, going down memory lane and creating a playlist of some music. I used to go to Christian rollerskating in the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, its true. These are a few I remember from those days and other CCM favourites from my past.

Click here to listen to My Rhapsody Playlist called "Christian Oldies."

By the way, I'm open to suggestions. If you remember some songs from that era, please let me know. I might add them to the list if I like them.Pin It

What I'm listening to right now

Jars Of Clay's song Worlds Apart
from the album Furthermore - Live

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tear
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To want you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart Pin It