Wednesday, March 05, 2014

My World this Week

Sigh... when my kids were little.
Computer time has been limited so this is a two-week (kinda') edition of My World this Week.

During this time we have had a big snowfall, a smaller snowfall, flurries, and a very short warm up.  But warmer temperatures are in our long range forecast and my husband reminded me we have a sure sign of spring... ants in the kitchen!   Yeah, I know.  Some people see daffodils as the first sign of spring.

So... here is what has been happening in my world through the lens of a camera.

Reading
I finished the novel, Sarah Morris Remembers by D. E. Stevenson.  Absolutely loved it!  The story helped me understand a little what those living in England (particularly London) went through during WWII.  I'd love to read the sequel and will have to see if I can get it through inter-library loan.

I'm currently re-reading Bread &Wine, slowly this time and enjoying every chapter.  Info about it... here.*  One of my all time favorite books.  We know the author and her family spends summers in the same Michigan town where we will all be staying this summer.  Just saying... I've promised Stephanie not to do any stalking.

When I dropped off books for the library sale last week at the library near campus, I checked to see if their "Friends of the Library" book sale room was open.  This library only has a couple big sales a year but they keep many donated books in this room for year round sales.  It is run by volunteers so it isn't always open but this time... yeah, it was!

I love perusing their shelves as the books are very reasonably priced.  The jewel I came away with this time (for I think $3.00) was Saving Leonardo by Nancy Pearcey, one of my favorite worldview authors.  I've wanted this book for ages and can't wait to read it.  Further information can be found... here.

Beast Tech is actually my  husband's book but I picked it up and found it fascinating. Even if the front is rather scary looking.  It is about biometrics and how they may relate to eschatology.  I just started the first chapter and it is very easy to read, even for the non-science person of the family.  Further info... here.

Cookbook Love
I have had Jerusalem on my Wish List since it was first published.  But other priorities got in the way of making a purchase.  Two things happened this month... there were less expensive volumes available on Publisher's overruns and I was given a couple dozen packages of chickpeas... and I knew this book had a lot of recipes using them.

It also goes along with my passion for Middle Eastern food.  Since Christopher got married and works full time... our lunches at our favorite Middle Eastern restaurants are few and far between.

It is fabulous.  If you have not heard about it, it is by two men who own a restaurant in London.  They met there even though they were born the same year and grew up in Jerusalem at the same time.  For you see... one is Jewish and the other is Palestinian.  And this book reflects both the Jewish and Arab sections of the city.

No wonder there was such an outcry about its' beauty and the great recipes on culinary blogs and websites.  It will end up as one of the top ten cookbooks in my collection... perhaps top five!  For further info, click on over... here.*

Cooking
My mother made this dish and all these years later, I am still making it.  I call it Boiled Midwestern Dinner.

It is similar to New England boiled dinner but my son-in-law reminded me it cannot truthfully be called such because it has kielbasa instead of corned beef.  ;)

And, yes... I use those Christmas plates all year round.  They are big and they are cheerful.

Watching
My favorite scene from this year's Downton Abbey!

Tea Time
My daughter in law gave me a variety of new-to-me teas at Christmas.  They have been delicious!

Neighbors
It is fun to walk past the forest and see all the little furry creature tracks.  So far there have been no Bigfoot sightings.

Brrrr...
I do hope this scene will soon be behind us.  It has been interesting to walk down the gravel road and across this County road to get the newspaper or the mail this winter.  Ice.  Snow.

Her Fluffiness
Here she is, Miss Victoria, checking out the "new" plant my friend gave me.

*All links are Amazon Associate links which means, if you  make a purchase after following the link or entering your Amazon shopping by clicking on a product in the Widget (sidebar),  I receive a small percentage.  It costs neither of us one penny extra.  :)

11 comments:

RedTruck_BlackCoffee said...

" For you see... one is Jewish and the other is Palestinian". Blew me away! I wasn't expecting that. Woke me up a little on this cold morning. LOL!

Terra said...

Ottolenghi has a fabulous series on tv where he travels the Mediterranean area and cooks! Ask your PBS station to get it, we love that series.
And now you have given me ideas for a couple more authors to check out, which is dangerous (LOL) since my dh and I have about 100 books waiting for us to read.

Susan Humeston said...

Does Victoria eat the ends of your plants? I have to be careful not to have poisonous ones because my kitties can't keep from chewing them.

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

I have lots of cans of chickpeas that I need to do something with. I made a good chickpea and chicken dish last week. I was surprised by how much we all liked it. I usually just use chickpeas in salad.

I'll have to see if my library has Sarah Morris Remembers. I checked amazon and the paper back is $152!!!

Elizabeth said...


Love this post! Pics are beautiful!

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

Book talk! Yay! Just popped in quickly on a break from our big project around here!

It was a nice diversion!

Deanna

Nana said...

Hi Brenda;
Ah, did I smell a breath of spring this past week end? Yes, for a few hours and than more snow came. Such cold and dreary days I have been hibernating a lot this winter. I wish I could say i got a lot done around the house, but I didn't do much at all. I tried to order some books on for you, but couldn't figure out how to do it. Directions please. Have a great week. Love and Hugs, Nana

Anonymous said...

Love reading your book reviews, Brenda! Just finished "Futureville" by Skye Jethani ... EXCELLENT! I won't take the time to describe it - you can see summary/reviews on Amazon if you like, but I want to recommend it to every Christian I know! Also, "The Divine Commodity" and "With" by the same author are also just fantastic. I have really appreciated the Goudge and Miss Read references, and have found these authors delightful. Will have to look into D.E. Stevenson now! -Joy

Anonymous said...

Forgive the additional comment, Brenda, but I wanted to add that as I read "Futureville", it made me think of you. The author really validates the role of artists in the kingdom (present AND future!), and you have always stressed the value of adding beauty to one's environment - especially in the home. Often this skill is overlooked in the Christian community and not seen as important as, say, pastor or missionary roles. I love your "My World" posts because they demonstrate this gift of yours and at the same time encourage others to use their God-given talents in creating beauty as well. -Joy

Amie said...

I found your blog and I love it!!!

hopeinbrazil said...

You may be the one who first told me about Bread and Wine. That book really encouraged me to be extravagant in my hospitality (still frugal, but more generous, if that makes sense). One of my favorite books of 2014.