July 2021

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#56. ASHES OF FIERY WEATHER by Kathleen Donohoe
★★★☆☆
This book is a multi-generational story from the point-of-view of the matriarchs of an Irish-American family. Firefighting is a common link through the generations and the family suffers through heartache, betrayal and family drama. I found this one well-written, but the flow of narrators and timelines was hard to follow. Thank goodness for the family tree in the front! Solid three stars, although I wish Catholicism had been portrayed in a more positive light.

#57. PROMISE by Minrose Gwin
★★★☆☆
From the author’s note: “A few minutes after 9 P.M. on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1936, a massive funnel cloud flashing a giant fireball and roaring like a runaway train careened into the thriving cotton-mill town of Tupelo, in northeastern Mississippi. The tornado was measured as an F5, the highest level on the Fujita scale. Winds were estimated at 261 to 318 miles per hour, leveling 48 city blocks, about half the town.” This novel is the fictional account of what happens after this devastating event. I liked this story, but didn’t love it.

#58. FAIR AND TENDER LADIES by Lee Smith
★★★☆☆

For all of a sudden…I said to myself, Ivy, this is your life, this is your real life, and you are living it. Your life is not going to start later. This is it, this is now. It’s funny how a person can be so busy living that they forget this is it. This is my life. (p.195)

Fair and Tender Ladies is an epistolary novel, told through letters from Ivy Rowe to her family and friends and spanning her lifetime. I’d describe this one as melancholy in tone. I felt for Ivy, but also could not understand some of her decisions or her justification of them. Thought provoking, for sure. 3.5 stars.

#59. THE CATHOLIC GUIDE TO MIRACLES: SEPARATING THE AUTHENTIC FROM THE COUNTERFEIT by Adam Blai
★★★★★
This book was so good. A quick, interesting read about everything from the stigmata and incorruptibility, to miraculous healings and Marian apparitions. This is the perfect overview book that can provoke interest in deeper investigation. I really enjoyed it. (P.S. How beautiful is the artwork on the cover? It’s called “Jesus Walking on Water” by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky and I found a print of it here.)

#60. THE TIMEPIECE AND THE GIRL WHO WENT ASTRAY by O.R. Simmonds
★★☆☆☆
The Timepiece is a mix of history and time travel – a type of genre I don’t think I’ve ever read before! The story is about an American man who is staying in London with his girlfriend. She recommends that he find a unique thrift shop that specializes in various watches of all shapes and sizes. When the shop owner convinces him to buy one particular piece, the adventure and craziness begins. I think this book had a lot of potential, but got bogged down in the particulars. The complex time travel system required a lot of explanation, which slowed the pacing of the storyline. I did appreciate the cliff hanger at the end, which definitely opens this up to becoming a series. All in all, just an okay read for me. (Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray will be published on July 30, 2021!)

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I’ve recently become really interested in books that deal with nature and natural history. Here are nine that I can’t wait to get my hands on:

Mrs. Moreau’s Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names by Stephen Moss
We use names so often that few of us ever pause to wonder about their origins. What do they mean? And where did they come from? This book explores the bird kingdom and the stories behind their names. Sounds really interesting!

Old Herbaceous: A Novel of the Garden by Reginald Arkell
This classic British novel is “a witty comic portrait of the most archetypal–and crotchety–head gardener ever to plant a row of bulbs at a British country house.” There are supposed to be little bits of gardening wisdom sprinkled throughout too.

Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly by Sue Halpern
“Every autumn, the monarch butterflies east of the Rockies migrate from as far north as Canada to Mexico. Memory is not their guide — no one butterfly makes the round trip — but each year somehow find their way to the same fifty acres of forest on the high slopes of Mexico’s Neovolcanic Mountains, and then make the return trip in the spring.” This book explores this phenomenon and is a blend of memoir, science and travel writing.

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson
How about a true crime adventure? In 2009, a bizarre crime occurred at the British Museum of Natural History, where many rare bird specimens were displayed. These specimens had gorgeous feathers worth a lot of money, especially to men who enjoyed salmon fly-tying. The thief grabbed hundreds of bird skins and escaped into the night. This book explores another man’s investigation into the case. Intriguing!

The Dun Cow Rib: A Very Natural Childhood by John Lister-Kaye
This book is a memoir “of a boy’s awakening to the wonders of the natural world.” Sounds like another British gem.

The Trees by Conrad Richter
From the description: “The Trees is the story of an American family in the wilderness–a family that “followed the woods as some families follow the sea.” The time is the end of the 18th century, the wilderness is the land west of the Alleghenies and north of the Ohio River. But principally, The Trees is the story of a girl named Sayward, eldest daughter of Worth and Jary Luckett, raised in the forest far from the rest of humankind, yet growing to realize that the way of the hunter must cede to the way of the tiller of soil.”

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World by Jon Young
I find bird calls fascinating. This book explores bird vocalization and what the different sounds mean, looking at everything from happy songs to distress calls.

Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Our Children from an Oversanitized World by B. Brett Finlay
Since moving to the country, my kids have been exposed to a lot of dirt. And praised be to God, we’ve also been incredibly healthy. I was reflecting about that possible connection when I came across this book!

The Secret World of Weather by Tristan Gooley
I’m still slowly working my way through The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs, another one of Gooley’s books, but this one sounds equally as good! I’m sure it will be full of helpful information and tips.

Another normal July week at the farmhouse! Lots of good, lots of crazy…

I recently stumbled on the blog, A Working Pantry, and I love the idea of her weekly challenges. Food prices keep increasing around here (is it the same for you too?) so I’m going to designate a little of my grocery money to beef up my pantry and use her challenges for direction. Anyway, the challenge of the week was “black/brown” so I bought two cans of black beans and two cans of refried beans.

The broilers turned 8 weeks on Wednesday and we’re nearing the homestretch! Aiming for processing on the first two weekends in August. Our hens are laying like crazy, which is so cool. We had a few days where we debated whether our feisty and mature-looking Sylvia was actually a rooster, but good news! Turns out her breed is clearly defined by their coloring and she is definitely a lady. In other chicken farming news, when moving broilers, I stepped into a hole (covered over in grass) and did a number to my heel and arch. I’ve been hobbling around for a few days and am hoping to feel some relief soon.

I fell off of the no sugar wagon hard a few weeks ago because it’s just so darn hot! We’ve been eating our weight in Outshine popsicles and I’ll get back on my game in the fall.

The little kids asked me to make “Brick Bread,” which is just white bread completely made in the bread machine. (I much prefer to let the machine do half of the work before transferring to a bread pan for the second rise, but my kids are crazy.) But Mama aims to please, so brick bread it is! My previous links to the recipe seem to have disappeared, so I’m writing down the instructions here:

1 1/3 cups warm water, about 110 degrees 1/3 cup Olive Oil 2 tsp. salt 4 cups flour 2 Tablespoons + 2 tsp. white sugar

3 tsp. yeast

Directions: In a bread machine, place water, oil and salt. Add flour on top of liquids. Pour sugar into one corner of the bread machine basket. Then make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast. Set bread machine to “basic” loaf, and let it do the work for you!
(Alternatively, you can set it on the dough setting, then place in a bread pan for the second rise. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes.)

I listened to a talk about the four temperaments and how they help/hinder your spiritual life. I couldn’t quite pinpoint myself from the talk’s descriptions, so I found an online quiz. Turns out I’m a Melancholic-Phlegmatic! The summary of this personality type was spot on.

Most exciting news of the week: we are moving forward with a property fence! We got some professional estimates months ago and the cost was staggering. SO expensive! Instead, we’ve decided to build it ourselves. So excited to get started.

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Happy Wednesday!

A QUOTE

If nothing slows their momentum, Amazon will control nearly 80% of the consumer book market by the end of 2025. Every single book lover should worry. After we’re done worrying, we must change the way we buy books.

Books are a fundamental social good that have an outsized impact on our development, individually and collectively. They move us forward. They have been fundamental to our moral and social evolution, our inner lives, and our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world. What they give us is too precious to trust to a single entity for whom they are ultimately just a product, and whose algorithms value them only by the revenue and customers they bring in. – from a thought-provoking letter from Bookshop’s founder, Andy Hunter

TABS OPEN IN MY BROWSER RIGHT NOW

A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART

“Mother with Children” by Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller (found here)

A RECOMMENDATION

The Heights School has a wonderful reading list for boys on their website. From the intro: “What cannot be found here are the types of books—a product of very recent times—that have been written to promote reading as a form of entertainment, a mere distraction, to compete with video games, the Internet, and television, leaving little to the imagination. Instead, these recommended titles require the cultivation of a certain amount of interior silence and strength to retreat into a world where the written word works with the imagination to give life to an adventure. As such, it will be an effort for some to become immersed in these books. Nonetheless, the ascetical struggle to cultivate the interior silence necessary to enter these imaginative worlds (both fiction and non-fiction) will undoubtedly be richly rewarded.” I have been referring to the list as I make school plans and introduce new works of literature into our home library.

THREE GOOD THINGS

hens that lay almost a dozen eggs each morning(!!), wearing an apron that was also worn by my great-grandmother, an afternoon thunderstorm

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The weather outside is //

As I look outside my window // I see the hens are out looking for bugs. They are so fun to watch.

As I look around the house // I am happy to see a few small home projects completed. Last week, I turned one little corner into a computer desk area and I think it will be perfect for homeschooling as well.

In the garden // I’m feeling frustrated. This is the month where my garden should be full to bursting and it’s not. My squash and zucchini fell to disease right before they started producing and my tomatoes are taking forever to grow. My cherry tomatoes are more like marbles! I only have a handful of healthy looking corn. On the plus side: my watermelon and pumpkin plants are doing great! (Ironic since those are two of my family’s least favorite from the garden.)

On this week’s to-do list //

– surprise the kids with sundaes for National Ice Cream Day (today!)
– continue adding a few more small business favorites to my new Shop tab – freeze corn donuts for the hens – browse around for a desk lamp

– gather materials to sew a grocery bag holder

– decide on a high school Spanish curriculum

– complete this week’s challenge from A Working Pantry (I’m thinking beans?)

Currently reading //

Thinking about // this post about recovering the lost art of analog living. Her entire “Recovering the Lost Art” series is great and I loved what she wrote about “old-fashioned” blogging too: “In the good ‘ole days of blogging, people read blogs the way they did a favourite print magazine. We savoured them–enjoyed them–rather than just skimming for a quick tip before bouncing off…Blogging back then was genuine, non-salesy, thought-provoking, down-to-earth, artful if sometimes unpolished.” This inspires me to create a cozy, homey reading experience here at the BWF. I also need to comment more on the blogs I read! I’ve become a lazy lurker and I need to change that.

On the menu this week //
Monday: Refrigerator Cleanout Night
Tuesday: chicken shawarma fries with Mediterranean salsa and garlic sauce
Wednesday: hot dogs and brats on the grill
Thursday: one skillet cheesy chili mac
Friday: bean and cheese burritos

Back in April, I canceled the Amazon Prime subscription I have had for over ten years. I don’t think I could come up with a more first world problem, but I’ll be honest and admit that I was a little nervous! When we’d mention our plan to friends, they would gasp and whisper, Oh, I could never do that. Their comments gave me pause: would I miss the convenience? Would my kids miss the streaming service? Would I miss the little perks included? Three months later, I can happily answer with an emphatic NO.

I always like to read books where people do something extreme and then share what they learned. Cancelling a store subscription is most definitely not extreme, but in today’s world, it is unpopular! Here are a few of my thoughts:

THERE ARE OTHER AWESOME BUSINESSES OUT THERE

Like it or not, my knee-jerk reaction to buying anything online was always Amazon. I believed that they were the only company to ship quickly and that trying to find what I needed elsewhere was just too much work. Three months in and I can confidently tell you that those excuses have all been proven false. An example: my family likes the electrolyte tablets from the company, Nuun. I used to pop a box into my cart on Amazon without a second thought, but this time I asked the groundbreaking question: Do they ship from their own website? Yes, yes they do. This search took all of two minutes! Once on their website, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were having a sale (#frugalaccomplishment) and I received my order within two days.

OUR KIDS DO NOT NEED FREE REIN TO ALL.THE.SHOWS

One of our issues with streaming shows, even within the “Kids” area, was that my children would inevitably stumble on something questionable. Sometime last year, my then three-year-old clicked on a (seemingly innocent) animated monster truck show about counting. Within minutes, I heard the creepy voice of one of the characters and came into the living room to see a demon truck telling the others how bad he was. I mean, what?! It was a wakeup call.

With the removal of Prime, we are without cable and any streaming services (not even Netflix!), but my kids don’t seem to feel deprived. Here’s what we’re doing instead: I’ve been joking with Mark that we’re bringing our kids back to the ’90s. The kids made a big wishlist and then every payday, I purchase a brand new DVD from the list. It’s always a big surprise! And here’s the ’90s childhood part: we watch the heck out of that movie for the next two weeks! I like that they are losing the constant need for something brand new, the obsession with instant gratification. Less choices also means less of a desire to stare at the screen all day too.

WE’RE SAVING MONEY

I wouldn’t consider myself an impulse shopper, but I always felt like it was just too easy to buy a little bit here and there on Amazon. Those purchases add up! Without Prime, you have to spend a minimum of $25 to qualify for free shipping, so it’s made me more intentional about what I’m actually buying.

In summary, we aren’t anti-Amazon and have actually used their website a few times since. (Ironically for books, which was the Amazon’s OG product line.) But there is life outside of Prime and I don’t miss it one bit!

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. – J.R.R. Tolkien

+ We’ve been interested in solar generators as another piece of our power outage solution plan, but always thought it was out of our price range. Thankfully, I stumbled on a Youtube video with an affordable solution! The generator is a GoPower Plus and while there were rumblings that you could find them on clearance at Walmart, I ended up finding mine on ebay. (Amazon has the same one, but it’s more than I paid.) The solar charger was also on clearance at Harbor Freight. (P.S. This one system will obviously not be able to power much, but it’s a start!)

+ I gave my hair a trim.

+ We had an ant infestation in the garage, so I whipped up some simple homemade ant killer: equal parts baking soda and powdered sugar in the cap of an empty pasta sauce jar. I also sprinkled cinnamon to deter any more from entering.

+ A handful of apples were bruised and starting to go bad, so the kids and I made cinnamon sugar apple chips in the dehydrator. Here’s the recipe:

Cinnamon Sugar Apple Chips 4 apples a big squirt of lemon juice 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Peel and core the apples, then cut into thin slices.

Mix together the remaining ingredients and then toss in the sliced apples, coating evenly.
Place on the dehydrator trays and dry at 145° for 6 hours.

+ I made carrot top pesto using carrots from my garden.

+ I purchased a book online and reused the mailer later for something I sold on ebay. Love free shipping materials!

GARDEN SAVINGS:
+ As of this writing, we have picked strawberries, lettuce, peas, bunch onions, carrots and red potatoes from our garden. Using current prices from the grocery and local farm stores, I’m estimating that we have saved about $105 so far!

+ More exciting news: our hens have started laying! We have collected 32 eggs so far and at $5 a dozen (per our local farm), we’ve saved almost $15.

Previous Frugal Accomplishments

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1 // NEW EMERGENCY CANDLES

We’re always on the lookout for items to add to our power outage supplies and recently bought a bunch of emergency candles from Lehmans. (Have you ever browsed that website? I have a huge wish list!) These taper candles are dripless, smokeless, odorless, and supposedly burn for 12 hours. The candlemaker is Sunshine Candle Works.

2 // A “POOR MAN’S BERKEY”

This ZeroWater pitcher was recommended to me as a “poor man’s Berkey” and since the price was right, I went for it! We’ve had it for a few months now and I’m pleased so far. The water tastes great and since we’re on well water, the filter doesn’t have to work as hard and will (hopefully) last us a long time.

3 // A LITTLE SOMETHING EXTRA FOR CARE PACKAGES

How cool are these printables from Skip to My Lou? Sometimes we need a little snail mail inspiration and this is a great solution.

4 // KEEPING COOL ON HOT DAYS

This was another purchase for possible summer power outages, but these cooling towels have also proven helpful for just ordinary hot days! You dip the towel (which is long and narrow like a scarf) in water, wring it out and it claims to stay cool for up to three hours. Great for keeping cool while mowing the lawn or working in the garden.

5 // MORTGAGE PAYOFF CALCULATOR

I’ve been super motivated to pay off our mortgage and love to use Dave Ramsey’s calculator for motivation. You can easily manipulate numbers to see how an extra payment will affect the longevity of the loan. I especially love seeing how much interest I can decrease!

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I’m three weeks late sharing my picks for Top Ten Tuesday! Oops. Here are ten books that are on my radar for the next two months:

1 // Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
It’s been too long since I’ve visited Anne. This is the third book in the series and is about her college days.

2 // The Land by Mildred D. Taylor
I didn’t realize that Taylor’s most popular book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, was actually a part of a series! This first book is the story of teenager Paul-Edward Logan as he “sets out toward the only dream he has ever had: to find land every bit as good as his father’s, and make it his own.”

3 // All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner
This one is historical fiction during the Vietnam War era. It looks like it deals with themes like family, grief and hope.

4 // Minding the Manor: The Memoir of a 1930s English Kitchen Maid by Mollie Moran
If I remember correctly, I purchased this memoir during the Downton Abbey craze, but I still haven’t gotten to it. Who doesn’t love a little upstairs/downstairs insight?

5 // Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith
This one comes from a rave review from someone on Booktube. I don’t know much about it except that it’s a family saga told in letters.

6 // An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim
From the blurb: this is “the love story of two people who are at once mere weeks and many years apart.” This novel is dystopian and even has time travel, so should be an interesting read.

7 // Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell
I joined a Catholic book club on Goodreads last month and this one was their June pick. I got as far as the Foreword before my husband snatched it. Hopefully I can read it this summer too!

8 // True Places by Sonja Yoerg
I have a handful of books on my Kindle that I’ve gotten for free, but never seem to remember to pick up. (Out of sight, out of mind, I guess?) The first line of the blurb: “A girl emerges from the woods, starved, ill, and alone…and collapses.”

9 // Your Perfect Year by Charlotte Lucas
One more book from my Kindle! I’m sure this was an Amazon freebie and sounds like it would make a good summer choice.

10 // The Reckoning at Gossamer Pond by Jaime Jo Wright
This last pick is another recommendation from someone on Booktube. She raved about Jaime Jo Wright and after my surprise enjoyment of another Christian mystery, I’m anxious to dive in!

The new school year is still seven weeks away, but I feel like I should probably start checking off a few tasks on the list. So I mailed the letter of intent and testing to the county. I finalized a curriculum plan, noting the books I already have and jotting down the ones I still need to buy. I also had my yearly summer freak out session when I panic that I’ll have to teach a high schooler, a middle schooler, three elementary students and one who will definitely demand to participate, even though he’s four. Every year, I panic and question whether I can adequately educate all of these kids and yet somehow I do.

Currently on my nightstand (affiliate links ahead): The Devotion to the Sacred Heart and Promise by Minrose Gwin.

It is HOT outside, so we try to get our outdoor chores done first thing in the morning. Our chickens are growing fast – the broilers are already 5 weeks and the hens are 16 weeks. Our homestead failure story of the week: on Thursday, we let the ladies free range outside of their fencing and they were so thrilled. By afternoon, they were super brave and spread out on the property (making me nervous). By early evening, we had a huge, downpour thunder storm so the boys and I ran out to make sure the ladies were back in their coop….and could only find 15 out of the 16. We looked until the lightning came, but then had to abandon the search. Unfortunately, she never showed up, so I’m guessing some wild animal must have gotten her. (Maybe one of those pesky raccoons?) We’re so bummed that we lost one of our girls. Obviously, their free range days are over. Farming, man…it’s not for the faint of heart.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen (which is a little ridiculous considering how hot it is outside, but whatcha gonna do?): S made her cookie bars again, I made English muffin bread, an ice cream treat from my vintage cookbook, and even experimented with carrot top pesto!

Some of the tabs I’ve had open on my computer:

It wouldn’t be summertime without ice cream! I searched my Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook and this “delicious make-ahead dessert with ice cream between crisp crusts” seemed easy enough to whip up with the kids. My picture doesn’t do it justice! I followed the recipe, but omitted the walnuts and coconut (because…kids) and instead doubled the ingredients for the cereal mixture. We added a little caramel sauce on top. Big hit.

taken from Farm Journal’s Country Cookbook

2 tbsp butter
¼ cup light brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup oven-toasted rice cereal crushed
⅓ cup walnuts
⅓ cup flaked coconut
1 qt vanilla ice cream

Melt butter in a skillet. Add brown sugar and heat slowly, stirring until blended. Add in the crushed rice cereal. Toss well to coat with the butter-sugar mixture. Remove from the heat, then add nuts and coconut.
Reserve ⅔ cup of the cereal mixture for topping. Spread the remaining cereal mixture into an 8″ square pan. Spread the ice cream on top. Sprinkle the reserved ⅔ cup cereal mixture over the ice cream.
Freeze. Cut into squares to serve.