Hot, fresh plum jelly straight from the microwave to your biscuit is quick, easy and yummy! All you need is 1 1/2 pounds of plums, 3/4 Cup of sugar, a bowl, a spoon, a microwave and either a food mill or a fine mesh sieve. Quarter your plums and toss them in the bowl pits, skins and all. Add the sugar. Microwave at full power for 10 minutes. Remove from the microwave and either pass them Continue Reading >>
Book Review: The Writer’s Toolbox by Patricia Samuelsen
Early in the summer I read The Writer's Toolbox by Patricia Samuelsen from cover to cover. I didn't start out planning to read it straight through. I thought I would just read it long enough to see if it would work for my children and then pick up with them when we were ready for it. Once I started reading I got so excited about the information presented I just decided to read the whole Continue Reading >>
Before the Packers Arrive: Preparing for a Move
If you are having professional packers pack and move your stuff, you are going to need to prepare ahead of time. If you have already completed the steps I recommend in parts one through six of this series, you are on your way. Don't pay to move trash! Search your whole house for any trash that might still be lurking. In the kitchen for instance, we decided that many of our nearly empty spice Continue Reading >>
Getting Ready For A Move: Go Through Old Boxes
Before you move to a new home, it is imperative that you go through every single box you have in storage. After all these military moves we continue to be shocked by what we find stuffed randomly in the boxes we have stored for a couple years. When we arrive at our new home, we open every box but if on top it appears to be a box of stuff we had in storage before (i.e. Christmas decorations) we Continue Reading >>
Book Review: Marvels of Creation: Breathtaking Birds by Buddy and Kay Davis
Not as simple and basic as a picture book about birds, not as small and basic as a bird guide, and yet not quite as complicated as a textbook about birds such as Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie Fulbright, Marvels of Creation: Breathtaking Birds by Buddy and Kay Davis strikes an interesting balance between all three types of books. Smaller in size then most picture books, each two Continue Reading >>
Book Review: The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance by John Hudson Tiner
A small, straightforward picture book The Story of the Pledge of Allegiance tells the history of how the pledge came to be, how it has changed over the years, and how it is used in the United States. Did you know that the phrase "Under God" wasn't even added until 1954 by Dwight Eisenhower? Me neither. I enjoyed this little book, but I have to admit I do wish it was a large size picture book Continue Reading >>
