Recommended Reading: The Fault in Our Stars

I am tempted to blame the lapse in my blogging on this story, although that would be only a tiny bit true. I did not finish this post last week when I started it because I had a squirmy baby in my arms and I wanted to write something meaningful about this story. Yet here I am again at a loss for words to describe how it touched me.  
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is an incredible book. Recommended to me by my friend Brooke in her Summer Reading list. It's the only thing that I've ever read by John Green, but I now think that he is a genius. The characters in the book are striving to live life even though death is a constant presence in their periphery. They are beautifully multifaceted, fictional, but (I think) realistic representatives of teens and kids suffering from cancer. Their stories made me want to live vivaciously and be more grateful for all the precious minutes of my life. 

Here is the book summary from Good Reads:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
I recommend this to adults and teens without reservation, but I would just point out that the language spoken is "teenager" and includes a fair amount of cursing.
Go. Read. This. Book!

Reuse Recipe: Vegetable broth made from ends and rests

I started blanching and freezing my abundance of greens last week. That left me with the long stems of kale, collards, broccoli, and beets. After I had a big bag of them in the fridge, I chopped them all up and put them in the crockpot. I added extra cabbage leaves, plus one onion and a couple bay leaves, stewed them together in a pot for a day to make a lovely organic vegetable broth. 

In case you are wondering what I did with that broth. I removed all the now mushy vegetable matter, leaving the liquid in the crock pot, added white beans, green chiles (from last years garden), 5 chicken thighs, and hot sauce to make chile. The kids love "bean soup" as they call all my chile variations.

Garden Progress: Blackberries are ripe

A is ready for a bucket full, but there were only about 15 so far

Sew Special: Warm Fuzzy Woolen Cape

Another project from the Oliver and S book Little Things to Sew -- The Red Riding Hood Cape

Oliver and S Red Riding Hood Cape

This is made with a vintage wool that I've had for awhile on the outside and a wool blend inside.  I originally planned to have the maroon wool on the inside, but A said that it was too scratchy.

Winter cloak pattern

This is a size 7 to allow room to grow and also A wanted it longish.

Home Schooling Summary for Last Week

 Last weekend we visited my Grandma who we call "Goomie". We had a great time with her. I am so glad that the kids get to visit with her.

 This week we made some Father's Day preparations. Here are all the kiddos, including the cousins coloring the wrapping paper for Daddy's gift.

We also decided to make a cake that day. The girls chose a layer cake from the cookbook. They helped some with the mixing, but EVERYONE wanted to help with the frosting and decorating. Notice big sister A's finger in her mouth?  It was a big frosting tasting extravaganza.

 On Wednesday, A. requested that we talk about Rodeos. The request was specifically based on our mutual enjoyment of this book -- Armadillo Rodeo.

Coloring pictures of cowboy things while wearing a cowboy hat

Putting the cowboy ropes in order by size

Wearing her apron "to keep her clothes clean" and eating watermelon on the deck

 Peas we shelled together from the garden:

Big sister A had her last gymnastics class of this unit so we got to go in and take pictures. Daddy came to see her too, which made A. very happy.

Recommended Reading: The Once and Future King

I posted about The Once and Future King already when I review The Sword in the Stone. I have since read the next 2 books - The Witch in the Wood and The Ill-Made Knight. I am part way through The Candle in the Wind.

Summary:

In part two, The Queen of Air and Darkness, White sets the stage for Arthur's demise by introducing the Orkney clan and detailing Arthur's seduction by their mother, his half-sister Morgause. While the young king suppresses initial rebellions, Merlin leads him to envision a means of harnessing potentially destructive Might for the cause of Right: the Round Table.

The third part, The Ill-Made Knight, shifts focus from King Arthur to the story of Sir Lancelot and Queen Guenever's forbidden love, the means they go through to hide their affair from the King(although he already knows of it from Merlin), and its effect on Elaine, Lancelot's sometime lover and the mother of his son Galahad.

The Candle in the Wind unites these narrative threads by telling how Mordred's hatred of his father and Agravaine's hatred of Sir Lancelot caused the eventual downfall of King Arthur, Queen Guenever, Sir Lancelot, and the entire ideal kingdom of Camelot.

As you can see from the summary, these stories while entertaining, are not as light-hearted as The Sword in the Stone. I am still enjoying reading them, but the themes and reflections are more adult than I would expect from a children's story. I recommend them to anyone who is curious to understand the King Arthur story better, but not to readers under ages 10 or 12. 

Reuse Recipe: Pine Needles

Pine needles are a natural way to make the soil more acidic. Our soil tends to be slightly acidic here, but blueberries and huckleberries thrive in acidic conditions.  I mixed them with composted rabbit manure when I planted the new blueberry bushes and also spread them around as mulch.

Blueberry bush with pine needle mulch

 This picture shows the front landscaping progress. I am slowly switching the foundation plantings to edibles. There are 3 blueberry bushes and the rhubarb so far. Next week I will finish taking out the holly bush and put the other currant plant there along with another blueberry in the corner.  I am trying to make this transition slowly so that they landscaping around our house does not look too crazy in the meantime.  All the blueberries will eventually be 3-5 ft tall and the currants up to 6 feet tall.  I am planning to trim them in "hedge" shapes once they are well-established.