It's Time

Dear friends ~ it's time.

Time for some time away from this space.
Sometimes it's necessary.

Lord-willing, I will return to blogging after a few weeks.

Please understand that this means I will

not be publishing comments until I'm back in the saddle.

However, I do *love* to hear from you ~ 

it would be lovely if you would let me know you were here.

Your comments will appear upon my return.  :)

I will also have to forgo the pleasure of visiting with you 

at your place for the next little while.

It is my plan to catch up with y'all in October.

Those are my plans, the Lord's may be different.
What a blessing it is to rest in Him.

Thank you for extending grace to me over

and over and over again.

Each one of you is a precious gift.

I am thankful to the Lord for your kind friendship ~

It truly is a blessing to my heart.

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:

The LORD make his face shine upon thee,

and be gracious unto thee:

The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee,

and give thee peace."

~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

 With Love,

Camille

11 WWII Picture Books

This is part of a series called 11 Lists of 11 Books. I have read all books unless otherwise noted.

Despite being picture books, many are not appropriate for younger (7 and under) readers due to subject and length. (a lot of these are a bit long, but all under 40 pages)

Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin
Irena's Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan
Irena Sendler was a young Catholic social worker when WWII broke out. Heartbroken at the way her Jewish friends were being treated, Irena knows she has to do something. In the course of 18 months, Irena rescues 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto.
Both books provide a wealth of information about Irena. None of the pictures are graphic, and both have beautiful illustrations. The ending has more information (aimed at adult readers) about Irena.


The Flag With Fifty-Six Stars by Susan Goldman Rubin
A true story about the prisoners of Mauthausen concentration camp, this story is aimed at older students. As the end of the war was nearing, Germany knew it would lose. At the same time, the concentration camp inmates knew their liberators would be there soon. To show their gratitude, the inmates wanted to offer their liberators a gift. They decided on a flag. At the time, the US had only 48 states, therefore 48 stars. The inmates guessed, and made the flag with 56 stars. (You can see the flag here.) Despite being a picture book, this is definitely aimed at older grades.

The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk by Louise Borden

Told in a free verse-poetry format from the view of a nameless little girl, The Little Ships is a fictional story about Operation Dynamo, better known as the Evacuation at Dunkirk. In May 1940, little ships took part in the rescue of over 300,000 Allied soldiers.
I read this book twice - the second time I read it after researching Dunkirk and it made this story even better. Since the book didn't really portray go in-depth to the surroundings, it would be best to do a little bit of research before you read this.

Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

This fictional story is told from the view of a little boy growing up in a Japanese Internment Camp and how he grows to love baseball, despite not being very good at first. Seeing the Home Front from the eyes of a Japanese child is very interesting. Since it's main subject is baseball, this would be best for boys.

Welcome to Molly's World 1944 (American Girl)

This is a book all about the American life during WWII for any Molly McIntire fan or any introduction to WWII! This book explores every aspect of life a 10 year-old would have had during the second world war.
If you've ever read an American Girl book, you know at the end of each book, they have a "Peek into the past". This large picture book is written in that fashion, with lots of great historical photos and artifacts. It covers everything from the clothing style, toys, sports, to the red cross nurses.

Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen by Michelle McCaan

One night in 1944, Miss Luba found 54 Dutch children at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. These children - mostly orphans - were all cold and hungry. Despite great risks, Luba and a few other women cared for these children until the British arrived in April 1945. In reality, 53 of these children survived the war. Even after the war, Luba cared for these children. I haven't read this book yet, but it is based for older elementary students.


Voices of Pearl Harbor by Sherry Garland
Each page of this picture book begins with "I am" and is told by a different person effected by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The various people include US and Japanese army men, a Japanese mother, a Red Cross nurse, a Japanese-American who loves America, and a Hawaiian native. Pearl Harbor from the view of different people is very interesting. Normally you only hear of the American side, but we often forget Japanese women also lost their sons, brothers, and husbands. No corpses are shown, but some explosions are realistically portrayed. The ending has more information on Pearl Harbor, and extended reading.


Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki
This incredible true story tells the story of Chiune Sugihara, from the first-person point of view of his son, Hiroki. (His son co-wrote this book.) During WWII, this amazing Japanese diplomat lived in Lithuania, and rescued the lives of around 10,000 Polish Jews by giving them transit visas to Japan. The last few pages have more information on this amazing story.

The Yellow Star by Carmen Deedy

Denmark is truly an amazing country - the people worked together to save 99% of its Jews during WWII. This story is purely fictional, based off a legend. But, it could have happened. And, I believe Denmark's King Christian X would have done it.

~

King Christian X of Denmark was known for riding around on his horse - unarmed and unguarded. Legend says after the Nazis made all the Jews wear yellow stars, King Christian X had his daily morning ride - with a yellow star on. This is that story.

Great illustrations, short, simple, I LOVED it.

Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt
It's been a while since I've last cried while reading a picture book, but this fiction story had my eyes wet. It's July 1942, and Helen is having her birthday sleep over with her Jewish friend Lydia. Helen's parents won't be home from work until later, and the two friends decide to tell ghost stories until then. Suddenly, two frantic strangers with yellow stars on their coat come to their door. Lydia's life will never be the same again.




A few notes:
1. I did not include "The Cat With The Yellow Star" on here because it is WAY too long.
2. There is a book called "My Secret Camera" I really enjoyed. It is told with little writing and mostly through real photos of the Warsaw Ghetto. It is VERY sad, but the pictures are not graphic. The pictures were taken from a hidden camera, so the pictures are not posed.

For more Holocaust picture books, see here.

What are your favorite WWII picture books?

Comforting the Grieving

**Please know that this post is not a plea for further kindness to be
shown to us ~ We have been abundantly loved through this journey!
We are not lacking in anything.  Nothing at all.

A friend of a friend shared another grieving Mom's

blog with me ~ as you might imagine, I visited.

Many of the things she has written have blessed my heart.
I only visited briefly, however, and do not personally know this lady.
As with anything I share, please read with discernment.

Having said that, I'd like to share the links 
to two of her posts here today.  Perhaps they will bless your heart as well.

The first ~ 10 Things Bereaved Parents Wish You Knew ~

is a practical list of how those grieving may be feeling.
Each individual grieves differently, but,

I do believe that we all desire to be loved through the process.

This list may help define the ways in which 

we might come along side a grieving friend or loved one.

~ Austin at about age seven ~

The Wrong Thing to Say is the second post that spoke to my heart.

In it, an idea was shared that puts legs to

the ways in which we may comfort those dealing with great loss.

I found it to be a thought-provoking measure

by which I can temper my words when seeking to be an encouragement

to others who are going through a distressingly difficult time.

Loss takes many shapes and forms.

We will each deal with some sort of loss at 

one point or another in our lives.  Perhaps multiple times.

I found these two articles to be very helpful

in formulating my own ideas on how to be a blessing to others.

Again, please let me state that this post is in no way meant

to draw attention to any deficit we are experiencing in our own grief journey.
We have not been neglected.  Quite the contrary, actually.

We continue to be blessed by loving people who are

seeking to uphold us through this deep valley.

We have been blessed beyond measure with the love and kindness

of those the Lord has put into our lives.

Thank you to each of you who is walking this path with us ~
We praise the Lord for you.

Many Blessings,
Camille

Soaking and Drying Nuts

Did you know that nuts, oats and beans

are more nutritious when soaked prior to cooking?

This is a relatively new concept to me.

I first wrote on some of the changes I'd made in my 

kitchen back in my early days of blogging ~ 

It includes many links to the *whys* and *hows* behind soaking.

That post may be found by clicking here.

At the time I didn't know about the benefits of soaking and drying nuts ~

just goes to show we are always learning something new, doesn't it?

I certainly do not have it all together in this area,

and I have been known to completely change my mind on some 

things after further research.

It's a good thing to be flexible ~ another thing I've been learning.  :)

Soaking may seem like such a lot of extra work, but, it really isn't.

It just requires a little advance planning,

and the end product is so much better for you.

I cannot help but take notice of the references to soaking beans

in the "Little House" books when I consider what we do as cooks today.

There seemed to be a general knowledge about these things passed

down from one generation to the next back in those days.

We often are hurried and harried in this day and age ~

sometimes food preparation suffers in the process of day to day living.

Soaking and drying nuts is my most recent kitchen upgrade.

I buy pecans and almonds raw.

Then, I soak in salted filtered water for about twelve hours ~

I use 1/2 Tbsp sea salt to 1 lb nuts in about six cups water.

For a specific guideline on how long to soak 

for the type of nut you are working with ~ Click Here.

Sea salt is added to the bottom of a large glass bowl ~

then one variety of nut is added and covered with plenty of fresh water.

Soak only one type of nut per bowl of water.  Stir to dissolve the salt.

Set a lid or large plate over the bowl to cover it ~

some people use a tea towel so it can *breathe*.

After about twelve hours, the water will be brown and murky ~

 pour it off and rinse the nuts well with fresh water.

I use my dehydrator to dry the nuts.

This could also be done in the oven if it will allow you to set it

for a low enough temperature ~ it needs to be about 115-120 degrees F.

Whichever method you choose to use,
it's beneficial to spread the nuts onto parchment paper
for the drying time ~ I do this even in the dehydrator.
If you are using your oven a parchment lined cookie sheet works well.
It's best to try to evenly distribute the nuts in a single layer.

This next step takes a good 24 hours for pecans,

and closer to 36 hours for almonds.
The nuts need to be kept in the oven or dehydrator for the 
appropriate length of time and turned every so often.
Keep checking them for *doneness* ~ this is the fun part!

The goal is to remove all that water and get them

toasty and crunchy ~ They are kinder on your tummy,

and, in my opinion, actually taste better than when they were *raw*.

Once you have a batch of nuts ready to go,
put them into a freezer container and keep them
frozen until needed ~ they will be kept fresher that way.

What about you?  
Do you prepare raw nuts in this way?
Oh, and if you don't and aren't ever planning to,
know that there are seasons for everything ~
It's okay if you never ever do this!  *Smile*

Happy snacking!  :)
Camille

**Update ~ I have found that my pecans have turned out too salty
in recent days and have modified the instructions to reflect this.
Make sure you use lots of soaking water and 
rinse very well prior to the dehydration process.  

11 Animal Picture Books

This is part of a series called 11 Lists of 11 Books. I have read all books unless otherwise noted.

HONK by Pamela Edwards

Mimi the swan loves ballet. The only problem is no one seems to appreciate her dancing! Multiple times she tries to sneak into an Opera House, only to be gre
atly disappointed time and time again. Mimi refuses to give away, and her persistence is awarded! HONK is one of our family favorites!

If You Give A Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

If you give a mouse a cookie...he's going to ask for a glace of milk! Straw, nail clippers, mirror, broom! Will anything keep this little mouse happy?


The Crunching Munching Caterpillar by Sheridan Cane
All caterpillar does is eat! He wants to be graceful and fly - like a butterfly! He meets a butterfly, and she smiles because she knows something caterpillar doesn't. One spring day, caterpillar is in for a big surprise!

Z is For Moose by Kelly Bingham 
Zebra has everything set for the staging to the alphabet! What could go wrong? But uh oh...Moose forgets about Moose! This humorous alphabet book teaches the alphabet in a unique way, not just a "A is for apple, B for ball" type way.

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Chrysanthemum loves her unique name. Until she starts school and gets teased. But, one special music teacher comes into her life and changes Chrysanthemum's view.

Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting

Little Elephant and Mama Elephant are going for a walk. “Hold on to my tail,” says Mama. “If you want to ask me a question, tweak twice.” Tweak, tweak! “Mama, what is that?” Little Elephant is curious about the frog, the monkey, the songbird, the butterfly, and the crocodile—and especially about what a little elephant can do. Mama knows just how to answer, to help her cherished Little Elephant grow.

Hedgie's Surprise by Jan Brett
The bratty Tomten steals Henny's eggs every morning after he gets tired of eating porridge. Henny grows upset, because she so desperately wants babies of her soon. Her friend Hedgie the hedgehog soon devises a plan that will hopefully, save Henny's eggs.


The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn
The very lazy ladybug wants nothing more than a comfy place to sleep. She wants to sleep all day and sleep all night. But she can't find a calm place to rest! From the


Fox by Kate Banks
My favorite animals are red pandas and foxes. This is the story of a newborn fox who wants to explore the Spring world. "Not yet," his mama and father tell him as they hunt and do exciting things. Baby fox silently wonders if he will ever get his chance to be big.


Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Lily the mouse loves school, especially her teacher. When Lily brings her beloved purple plastic purse to school for show and tell, her teacher confiscates it. Lily, very angry, does mean things she later regrets. Lily is determined to make things right - but how?


A Pocket Full of Kisses by Audrey Penn
The sequel to The Kissing Hand, A Pocketful of Kisses is a story written for siblings. Chester has a little brother now, and the little brother is demanding a lot of attention. When Chester sees his mother giving his baby brother the Kissing Hand, Chester is very upset. In the end, Chester learns learns that he is still deeply loved, despite a little brother.

Bonus: "Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type" is a hilarious picture book about cows, hens and ducks - with a typewriter!

What are your favorite animal picture books?

Caught Between

Life is full.  It doesn't wait for us to catch up.

Time marches on.  And, we are caught between two worlds.

The here and now and the eternal.

It's a strange place to be.  It's a normal place to be.

The other evening, Howie and I were at a meeting.

We met some people there for the first time.

Of course, the number of children we have came up.

The simple answer?  Four.  We still have four children.

Three boys and a girl.

One just happens to be in Heaven.

What is Heaven like?

I'm caught between two worlds ~ here and there.
We think and talk and read more about Heaven

than we ever have before.

In the past, it was a distant faraway place that 

was in our future.  We were happy about it ~ absolutely.

However, it didn't occupy many of our thoughts.

I was happily caught up with the things of now.

Now, it's more difficult to navigate the now.

But, these are the things that shape us and fit us for eternity.

It's in these things that we learn and grow and are stretched.

Most of all, we learn more of our Great God.

These days, we remember Austin and speak of him freely.

We cry easily and laugh easily ~ it's all part of the process.

This journey is far from over.  And, that's okay.

We don't really want it to end.  We don't want to forget.

The children are diligently doing school and I am trying to catch up.

Part of me doesn't want to catch up.  But, it's the right thing to do.

So, I go through the day ~ step by step.

The children are a step ahead.  And, it is good.

The boys are quite independent in their studies.

They rarely need help any more.

And, when they do require assistance, they tend to go to Howie.

I find myself mostly needed by Emma in the academic things.

Our school life has come full circle.

In the early days of home educating our children, Emma was a tag along.

She was just four and joined in with us in all that were doing.

She sat with us as we read history and explored science.

She came along on the field trips we took.

Emma was included in everything.

She is serious about her studies.

One of her courses is online this year ~

goodness me!  She is growing up, too.

Why can't we just bottle them up and keep them small

for a little while longer?  It's not possible.  

But, wouldn't it be good to slow things down just a bit?

So, these days are full.  They are colour-full.

And, that's how life is, wouldn't you agree?

We need the black and grey colours in our lives
just as much as we need the bright ones. 
It's how it is.  And, it is good.

So, yes.  We have four children.

Austin still lives.  Just not here.

We seek to live these days as the Lord gives them.
Entering in to each moment and enjoying the gift of now.

By His grace and for His glory.  For now and for eternity.

Because nothing else really matters.

With Love,
Camille

11 Dog, Cat, & Bunny Picture Books

This is part of a series called 11 Lists of 11 Books. I have read all books unless otherwise noted.

How Rocket Learned To Read by Tad Hills

This is by far one of the cutest picture books I have ever read. Rocket, a lovable dog, has no desire to read. Until a little bird comes by and declares Rocket her first student! Slowly, Rocket not only learns to read, but learns to love it.

Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep and Tell Me What It's Like To Be Big by Joyce Dunbar

These two books are about two bunnies, little Willa and her wise big brother Willoughby. Both make excellent bedtime stories.

Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael Kaplan

Olivia the Pig and Eloise become Betty Bunny! In this humorous picture book about patience, the book begins with Betty Bunny refusing to try chocolate cake because it looks icky. However, once she tries it, Betty Bunny is in love. One day, Betty Bunny decides to take some chocolate cake to school - in her pocket. 

The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy by Jane Thayer

Petey the dog wants nothing for Christmas except a boy - a boy of his very own! A boy he can walk with, talk with, and play with. He meets other dogs, but each dog refuses to give up his boy. Will Petey ever find a boy in time for Christmas?

Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes! by James Dean

Pete the Cat has fancy new white shoes. But everywhere Pete seems to go, he shoes change colors! He steps in blueberries, strawberries, and more in this fun sing-along book.

Apple Pie ABC by Allison Murray

A little puppy sees apple pie on the table that his owner baked. Will he ever get the pie? His journey from A-Z makes a great alphabet read-aloud for anyone who likes dogs!

Ten In the Bed by Mary Gruetzke

There were ten in the bed and the little one said, "roll over roll over" and they all rolled one and one fell out. The classic ten in the bed story/song - told through dogs!

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

It is Kitten's first full moon! She is hungry, and firmly believes that big white circle in the sky is a yummy bowl of milk just waiting for her. But, for some reason, she can't seem to reach it! This black and white book won a Caldecott Medal in 2005.

Go Dog Go! by Dr. Seuss

With Dr. Seuss' famous tongue-twister writing style, Go Dog Go is a great doggy story for children learning to read.

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming

After years of dreaming of planting a garden, Mr. McGreely finally begins his own garden - follow of lettuce, carrots, and peas. But one night, three bunnies come and eat his vegetables! So Mr. McGreely builds a fence. This humorous and adorable story continues with the bunnies sneaking into Mr. McGreely's garden, and Mr. McGreely building a bigger barrier each time.

What are your favorite dog, cat, and bunny picture books?