Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I finished Alison McGhee’s Dear Sister on Monday, and I have to say–its characterization of an older brother/younger sister relationship felt pitch perfect. It’s what I’m going to call a ‘highly illustrated epistolary novel,’ made up of cards/notes/pictures/etc. written (or drawn) by an older brother to his younger sister, from the time she was born to when he leaves for college. I loved the mix of comic aggravation and the honest growth of sentiment over time–such lovely feels! And that’s all I’m going to say about that, since it’s quite enough for you to be going on with as you read it yourself. Enjoy!

In the meantime, Friday’s PTA meeting is looming ever larger, but at least my de-junking around the house is bearing fruit! I suppose de-cluttering might be more accurate–I don’t know that I actually got rid of anything today–but either way, our game-and-coat closet now looks pretty fabulous inside, and every pack of face cards in there is complete. Wahoo! I did need a brief assist from my neighbor, who very kindly came over to fix a half-broken shelf, but I did it. What I didn’t do, however, is the dark load of wash I was planning on, and so I’m off to do that now. I hope your days were productive!

And here it is the 29th! I didn’t manage a post on the 25th because my hubby and I actually set aside the evening to watch “Top Gun: Maverick” together, and by the time it was done I was both tired and energized in an 80s music sort of way. I quite enjoyed the movie, which surprised me a bit; I saw “Hot Shots” before seeing the original “Top Gun,” and that warped my perception of it. “Maverick” did an impressive job of playing the nostalgia card while being a real movie with an actual plot in its own right, and creating a love interest out of a passing comment from the original movie was cleverly done.

The 27th, by contrast, was completely a family affair; we had a ward party in the evening for which we’d signed up to create a themed mini golf hole (AND bring a salad), so we spent the day doing regular Saturday chores and working on that and then the evening at the party, eating dinner and playing mini golf. We did a library theme, and it was fun, but I’m glad it’s over with. I get stressed about stuff that’s outside of my comfort zone!

Today I spent several hours at Fox Hills–my kids’ elementary school–working on the PTA membership drive and learning how to do the treasurer things that have to be done in time for our meeting this Friday. I am finally home, fed, and exercised, however, and that leaves me ready to review Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard, which was a lovely comfort read. Is the plot highly original? Well, no. Did I care? Nope, not at all. This is my second Katherine Center book, and both have featured female main characters with baggage (and difficult relationships with their mothers) who find love with the right guy. In The Bodyguard–which is nothing like the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston movie, thank goodness–the right guy is an actor with a sweater-knitting, corgi-obsessed stalker, and the main character is the bodyguard assigned to protect him. There is banter, action, downhome comfiness, and a strong “While You Were Sleeping” vibe, plus the happy ending one wants when one has more responsibilities than usual in the next month or so. If you want something fun, sweet, and satisfying, I’d totally recommend this one.

So. When I shop for Pie Night–Pie Night being the night before Thanksgiving, you remember–I always make sure to get plenty of whatever ingredients I’m buying, because who wants to go BACK to the store at the last minute? Not this girl. Ever since Pie Night, then, I’ve been in the possession of an unopened, unneeded box of vanilla wafers–Walmart brand–because I didn’t end up needing the second box, and vanilla wafers aren’t really something we all just sit around and eat. (Oreos, on the other hand…) They technically expired in March or so, which eventually pushed me to google ways to use a random box of vanilla wafers, which led me to this Vanilla Wafer Cake. Why not? After all, I had all of the ingredients, and cake can be shared in a pinch. I accordingly made a Vanilla Wafer Cake when school started, because after school treats, right? I toasted the coconut, because it was easy enough to let it toast in a skillet while I crushed wafers, and I used chocolate chips instead of nuts, because I love my oldest daughter (and DON’T generally love nuts in cake). I opted to use a cheaper bundt pan because I found it first, though, and therein lay the problem.

The cake did not come out of the pan nicely.

On the other hand, I thought the cake was amazing. So sharing the cake was less of a thing, because it was pretty much a mess, but hey, I got to eat more of it myself! (A lot more, actually. Because kids at school. Not so good for my cholesterol.) If you have a box of vanilla wafers to spare, you should totally try it, because SO GOOD.

Just remember to carefully prep your best bundt pan.

Googling can be a dangerous thing, right? One minute you’re talking to a friend about the Patricia MacLachlan book you’re reading, wondering about her age in comparison to the other Patricias of the Patricia Trifecta, and the next minute you’re facing the tragic reality that TWO of the Patricias have died in the last 14 months, and only Patricia Polacco is still gifting the world with new books. Seriously! Patricia Reilly Giff died in June 2021, and Patricia MacLachlan this past March. I mean, okay, neither one of them was exactly young–or, okay, middle-aged, since they were both born in the 30s–but still! The tragedy!

Okay, now that THAT’S out of my system for the moment, I finished listening to A Secret Shared a day or three ago, and it was a small but complete serving of a lovely, rich, old-fashioned dessert. (All of MacLachlan’s books, of course, are relatively small.) Old-fashioned mostly because Nora and Ben call their parents ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’, and dessert because it’s a gentle tale of sweet, loving people that turns out exuberantly happily. If you or someone you know is part of a family that includes both biological and adopted siblings, read this when you need the literary equivalent of a perfect cup of hot chocolate on a chilly day. As for me, well–at least I have more books to go before I’m done with either deceased Patricia?

We have survived the first two days of school, folks. Of course, it was two early days in a row for the elementary kids, and I mostly ran errands instead of accomplishing much at home, but we have survived. Next up–a full week, starting Monday!

Anyway. Last night I took the time to finish Steve Sheinkin’s last ‘Time Twisters’ novel–Amelia Earhart and the Flying Chariot. I wasn’t terribly looking forward to it, to be honest with you–I prefer Sheinkin’s stuff for somewhat older readers, which is brilliant, and Amelia Earhart isn’t a historical figure I’m passionate about–but I enjoyed it more than I expected to. The Earhart/Ancient Greece mashup works nicely, and elementary readers should enjoy the kinds of details of early Olympic competition that Sheinkin includes. The ending didn’t feel as much like a series finale as I was expecting–could more books be coming?–but it was entertaining. I’m hoping my 10-year-old son will enjoy it!

So…on Saturday the 6th the older girls and I went to see their cousins in a local theatre production of “Descendants”, after which they slept over with said cousins and I headed home. We did family dinner at my in-laws’ on Sunday the 7th–where we celebrated our immediate family’s July birthdays as well as the August ones, since July was crazy–and left for Kanosh on Monday morning to spend a couple of days with our friends there. (I watched my 7-year-old wander around outside in the grass and brush, playing with and cuddling their kittens, and it tugged at my heart–it may be the closest any of my children will ever come to experiencing what my own childhood was like.) We hit up the Merc for candy and went to the Indian bathtub–a dammed up swimming hole in Corn Creek–where I managed to bang my shin spectacularly while getting out of the water. (It was totally fun, though.) On our way home on Wednesday we grabbed my Provo nephew and took him to lunch; we made it home in time for an appointment at 3 and then the littles went to bed early (the older girls had Young Womens). On the 11th my oldest got her braces off (yay!) and her gums lasered (yuck), after which we headed down to Pleasant Grove to visit friends. On Friday I walked over to the school for PTA stuff, dropped my oldest off for an appointment at 11, and then helped with a birthday party to which my littles were invited while my hubby picked up my oldest, got her to the orthodontist for her retainer, and worked from home.

Last weekend, thankfully, was relatively chill–which was good, since on Monday my oldest took her permit test (and drove briefly around the church parking lot), my second went to the orthodontist and had her gums lasered, and my niece went swimming with all of the kids while I made dinner and tidied. Yesterday my oldest and I had the podiatrist at 8:30, so my hubby dropped the 3 younger kids at piano. After the podiatrist we headed to the high school for the oldest’s school picture and a brief schedule walk before picking up the other three and hitting the library and the pharmacy. We did manage a half hour at home after that, heading out to meet my hubby at the Pretzelmaker by his work around 1 for my second girlie’s (early) birthday lunch. We made it home from THAT just in time for my littles to go swimming with friends–although they ended up at a splashpad instead, since all of the rec pools apparently switched to non-summer hours this week–and then it was back to school night at the junior high, followed by a few minutes of child directions before I headed off to a bridal shower. Today we had a birthday breakfast for the birthday girl–I now have TWO teenagers!–and I dropped my son off at a friend’s at 10 before settling in to dishes and laundry and cleanup. I did manage dinner in the crockpot, followed by a brief lunch with the birthday girl and me, even briefer trips to the bank, the orthodontist, and Ream’s, and then back to school night at the elementary school at 4. After taking my kids to meet their teachers they walked home with an older sister while I helped man the PTA table. (This was crazy, and bless the other two board members for making the bank deposit afterwards so that I could get home and feed people, even though we didn’t end up able to do presents before YW.) My older two still aren’t home, which is frustrating–it was supposed to be a “short” activity–but the youngest is in bed, my hubby’s finishing up with our son, and I’m going to review Firefly Hollow, because I finished reading it aloud with my 7-year-old tonight before she went to bed.

You know those books that aren’t quite sure what age they want to be for? Alison McGhee’s Firefly Hollow is totally one of those. I could see story nuances in ways my girlie couldn’t until the very end, and yet the concept–a cricket named Cricket, a firefly named Firefly, and their friendship with a lonely boy–feels young. (Then again, the nature of that friendship AND the characters of Cricket and Firefly are more complex, so maybe it’s just less my thing?) There are occasional full page illustrations, which my girlie enjoyed, and at the end of the day, I think this is a Velveteen Rabbit sort of tale. (Only longer.) Animal lovers and thoughtful, perceptive readers should enjoy this one.*

*Sorry for the abrupt ending…it’s a long post and I just kind of petered out…

A prequel to the main post, that is, because we’ve been busy and I should record the gist of our busyness, only it’s late and I’m tired and I need to review PAWS: Gabby Gets it Together before returning it to the library tomorrow. Bottom line? It’s fun, full of animals, and deals with friend conflict successfully, if a bit rosily. (Optimistically?) I’m giving it to my birthday girl this week because I think she’ll enjoy it, even if it’s not as emotionally complex as might be ideal for her. (I’ll be interested to see how the sequel goes.) In the meantime, more another day!

We all have our happy places, right? Put me in front of a jigsaw puzzle with a good audiobook and I’m in a little piece of heaven on earth, because who could ask for anything more? (Until I get hungry. Then again, I’ve got more reserves than I used to, so that could take a while.) So there I was last night, putting together a trio of penguins and listening to the second half of Rajani LaRocca’s Red, White, and Whole–and then the blasted book made me cry.

Did you know that when you have to take off your glasses and wipe away intermittent tears, it seriously interferes with your jigsaw-puzzling ability?

Anyway. Red, White, and Whole is a beautiful book, mind–a gentle journey through the difficulties of growing up in America with immigrant parents and the resultant suspension between two worlds–but still, the tears, because MOM WITH LEUKEMIA. Thankfully, Reha’s friend situation is a positive counterpoint to her worries over her mother, and fans of 80s music will love the part it plays in Reha’s life. LaRocca’s verse novel is an incredibly worthy Newbery Honor book, and I’m terribly glad I read it.

Just–don’t read it in a situation where clear vision is essential.

I spent this morning at a PTA training and yesterday at the school helping with registration, because guess who’s the PTA treasurer at our elementary school this year? (A friend asked, and I couldn’t say no–she’s been treasurer and possibly president and has done more than her share of volunteering.) And while I totally meant to review Wendy Mass’s 11 Birthdays on the 1st, I actually finished it late enough that my writing brain had clicked off for the night. And so–tonight! Really, if you convert “Groundhog Day” into the kind of Disney Sunday night movie that I remember from my childhood, you totally have 11 Birthdays. Amanda is engaging and likable, and her repeated journeys through her 11th birthday differ in interesting ways. There’s a small town family history element that reminded me of Gary Schmidt’s The Sin Eater, if The Sin Eater were breezy and light instead of heartbreakingly, poignantly beautiful. (If you haven’t read it, you need to. SO BEAUTIFUL.) At any rate, I’m hoping my almost-thirteen-year-old will be entertained by Mass’s first ‘Willow Falls’ novel.

If you’ve read it, what did you think?

I told my almost-13-year-old that I was going to start saying that every time she tries to swipe a graphic novel that I’m in the middle of–especially one that she’s already read multiple times. Hope Larson’s All Together Now most definitely qualifies on BOTH counts, and in the spirit of self-preservation I finally finished it last night. It’s a solid sequel to All Summer Long, although the almost-romance is definitely going to appeal more to the middle school experience, possibly provoking some smiling eye rolls from adult readers. My only issue was a personal disagreement on the copyright conflict, so to speak; while Bina probably didn’t handle it in an ideal way, I thought she was in the right. In any case, Bina’s quest to form her own band, keep healthy friendships, and make the music she really wants to make is worth reading–and should really appeal to Larson’s target audience.

In other news, yesterday morning we finally had my son’s birthday breakfast–hey, it’s still July!–and then I met with the PTA president about the budget before stopping at Walmart and coming home for a quick nap. My son’s friend’s mom invited us all to swim at their neighborhood pool in the afternoon, and while I had to leave for a bit to take my oldest to her scheduled volunteer service, good times were had by all. By the time we all got home and I exercised, heating up leftovers for dinner made the most sense, and then the kids and I read, because the sun takes it out of you. Today there’s more PTA fun and then a stake Pioneer Day BBQ.

In the heat.

On the other hand, our 7-day forecast has a 94 in it, so we may have to break out the jackets next week–here’s hoping y’all are cooling down as well!