For Your Christmas List: Books About Nature by Thornton Burgess

Hi friends!

It hasn't even been a month, and yet, here I am.

I'm hoping to get a few of these posts in before Christmas, but we'll see how that goes.

Most of the time I am an optimist, so I'll believe that those posts are going to get written.

I don't know about you, but I'm thinking about Christmas gifts.
I've even gotten a few.
And I have my list of the things I am making for people all written out.

In my head.

It's not even December, so I am waaaay ahead, right?

Ha!

I've never been one of those, "it's August and I'm already done with my Christmas shopping!" kind of people.

I'm more like, "it's Christmas eve and I'm still wrapping presents!  Ahhhh!"

We'll see where this Christmas eve finds me.

The optimist in me says I'll be watching the Christmas pageant and playing games with my family, not hiding in the back room wrapping gifts.

In an effort to help you give less plastic stuff that will only be donated to the Goodwill in a matter of months, I thought I'd share one of my favorite gifts to give every Christmas: BOOKS!

Each Christmas, I choose a special book for each one of my children.

The book is hardcover, and is meant to be a book they will keep forever.

I like to think that by the time they have their own kids, each one will have the start of a fabulous book collection.

The books are different each year.

Sometimes they reflect the current interest of the child, or reflect the child's personality at the time.

No matter what, I chose each book especially for each child.

I like books with beautiful illustrations, or great design, and good writing.

Some are new, some are vintage, but they are always timeless sort of books, not trendy.

No biographies of Justin Beiber here!

This past weekend, I was able to spend the night away in Palm Springs, all by myself!
It was such a nice break from my regular life.
I did quite a bit of napping and reading by the pool, and a bit of thrifting too.
Usually we go to Palm Springs in the summer, when it's a million degrees and no one else is there.
The thrifting is awesome then.
It's high season now, and the thrifting is considerably less awesome.
More competition.
But I did find a few treasures: a pink, J. Crew sundress for $4, a gorgeous, vintage green coat, and some books.
When I found this one, I gasped, and said, out loud, "Ohhh, treasure!"
A lady standing next to me looked at the book in my hands, and smiled at me like I was crazy.
I am crazy.
For good books.

Do you know Thornton Burgess?
He is one of our favorite authors.
I was unfamiliar with him until James' first year of school when The Burgess Bird Book was part of our curriculum.
The next year we read the Burgess Animal Book.
My kids loved them both.

If your child is an animal lover, or if you want to learn more about birds, I cannot recommend these books enough.

Because they are told as stories, and each animal or bird is a character, there is none of the dry, textbooky, feeling that so often accompanies non fiction reading.

Yet I still consider them part of our science curriculum because they are so full of information about all sorts of birds and animals.

Also, because they are stories, they can be reread and enjoyed each time.

It's funny that I never bothered to look at other books written by Thornton Burgess simply because they weren't on my curriculum list.

Hence the gasp when I found this one, Longlegs the Heron.

I had no idea that there were so many other books written by Thornton Burgess.

And now I have a whole lot more books to look for!

Interestingly enough, the kids are taking part in some presentations with our home school group tomorrow.

Each child chose a mammal that we might see out and about on our hikes, studied it, and is presenting on it to the group.

My kids have made dioramas of their mammal's habitat, and created little posters with interesting facts about the mammal.

James chose a bear, William an otter, and Lilly a rabbit.

What are the chances I can find those 3 books by Thorton Burgess for under the Christmas tree this year?

How perfect would that be?

Looks like I am off to search the world wide web!

If you're looking for some more books to give this Christmas, here are a few of our other favorites:

every book by M. Sasek, books by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire,  books by Holling Clancy Holling, this book and others by Robert Mccloskey, The Secret Garden was a hit with all the kids and I just love it in this cover, and here are heaps of books written by Thornton Burgess.
What are some of your favorite children's books?

Happy Christmas, friends!

Love from,

Greta

A Book Club Party: A Room With a View

I hosted my book club party this weekend.

It was perfectly wonderful.

I admit, putting together an outside party in 90 + degree heat wasn't my favorite thing to do, 

but it all came together, and it turned out to be just the kind of party I had envisioned.

Actually, it turned out far better than I envisioned.

Take a look.

We read A Room With a View, by E. M. Forrester.

I admit to suggesting that book with this party in mind.
A major part of the book takes place in Italy, and a summer time, Italian themed dinner seemed like it would be so much fun to create.
It was.

What made it truly amazing though was working with my partners, Brianne and Kristin.
Kristin is an incredibly talented photographer, and Brianne is an incredibly talented stylist.
Together they have been featured on numerous blogs, in magazines, and are downright famous.
The chance to host a party with them was pretty great and I knew to expect something out of the ordinary.

But even so, I was rather blown away by it all.
The attention to the details, both large and small, is beyond impressive.

To give you an example, Brianne pulled up in my driveway, opened the back of her van, and said to me with a smile, "I don't mess around, Greta."
And then she started wrestling that yellow dresser out the door.
Who brings a dresser to a party?
Brianne is pure awesomeness!

She also brought that huge chalkboard, the window sitting atop the dresser, and heaps of other props: books, lanterns, wooden boxes, even mustaches for the glasses.
My back yard was transformed into a wonderland.

The Italian soda bar was a huge hit. 
Kristin did all the artwork--she's more than a photographer--including these directions for making the sodas.
I now believe that every party should have an Italian soda bar.
Forget the booze bar--Italian sodas are way more delicious.
Maybe I should just have an Italian soda bar set up in my backyard all the time.
I do love that yellow dresser. 

We had favor bags for everyone.
There were Italian candies, candles, and painted mason jars, like the ones scattered around the party.

 There were Italian cookies for after dinner treats. (bought from an Italian bakery--we didn't do everything ourselves)

And there was candlelight everywhere.
Molto romantico.

 Our menu was a spread of Italian themed appetizers.

There was bruschetta, pasta salad, these roasted tomatoes, caprese salad, melon and prosciutto, roasted peppers and squash, and the most amazing crostini I have ever had. (recipe tomorrow)
All the food looked so pretty together.

We were running a bit late, so everyone was pretty happy when we finally let them into the backyard.
There was lots for them to look at.

For a bit, we all just walked around taking pictures.

 And then we ate.

My favorite part of the night, though, was when the sun set, and the candles really began to glow.
We sat around the table and talked about the book.
No one loved it as much as I do.
But I'm OK with that.
I was just happy for the chance to discuss it with fellow book lovers.

And doing it under the lights, outside, around a long table, drinking this for dessert, and lots of laughing together was just icing on the cake.

How fortunate I am to be part of a group of women who are so creative and interesting, so interested in living a beautiful life.
I like to think we are doing a pretty good job at living out George Emmerson's creed: 
Beauty, Joy, Love!
Here's to our literary society!
And here's to Brianne and Kristin, for helping to create the party of my dreams.
You girls are amazing.
Evviva!
Love from,
Greta
For more pictures, go here.  Kristin did an amazing job capturing the beauty of the night.

What's Your Favorite Summer Time Meal?

It's August already.

People are starting to talk of fall.

Beach chairs, sand toys, and blowup pools have been relegated to the back corners of every store.

And there is nary a package of water balloons to be found.

I know.

I've looked.

Meanwhile, school supplies are front and center.

But I'm not ready for summer to be over.

Are you?

Have you had enough summer time meals?

You know: picnics at the beach, or on a blanket at the park, in the back yard, barbecuing with friends, burgers, corn on the cob, and sweet, juicy watermelon.

All of those are wonderful summertime meals.

But this one might be my most favorite of all.

It's pretty simple, and takes me back to the summer Aaron and I trained through Italy.
I'm sure that's one of the reasons I'm so fond of it.
We ate lots of riffs on this meal.
Cheese, bread, good olive oil, cured meat, chilled, white wine, and perfectly ripe, deliciously fresh, produce.
If it's a picnic, you can prepare everything right there, and it's lovely.
If you're at home, you can take some extra steps and grill some of the vegetables, and the bread too.
Then it's even lovelier.
It's the kind of meal that's best eaten outside, under a shady tree.
And with enough time to linger at the table afterward.
The Italians know how to do that over lunch.
We're much more likely to jump up and clean up, or dart off to the next event.
Americans have a hard time sitting still.
Or is it just me?

We snuck in a long(ish) lunch last Sunday when were home with sick kids.
It wasn't nearly as long as a proper Italian lunch would have been, but we did the best we could.
I had ripe tomatoes from my mom's garden, fresh mozzarella, and just picked squash, ready for grilling.
I picked some basil from my herb garden, grilled the bread, and we sat down in the backyard at the turquoise picnic table.
If I closed my eyes and ignored the kids, I could pretend we were back at Francis Lodge in Sienna.
Ahhh, Tuscany.

I've got Italy on the brain right now.
I'm hosting my book club's next meeting this weekend at my house.
We read A Room With a View, and we're inspired by Italy, just like Lucy Honeychurch is in the book.
(Have you read A Room With a View?  It is such a great book.  You really should try it.)
So our party will be an Italian themed meal, spread out on a big table, under our sprawling avocado tree in my backyard.
There will be candles everywhere and lanterns hanging in the tree.
It will be very romantic.
I can't wait.

So another week goes by with next to no blogging.
I'm a little distracted.
Case in point, it's midnight and I'm up making things for the party.
What can I say?
It's how I get things done--late--in every sense of the word.
I can't wait to share pictures with you.
And to tell you about our trip to Palm Springs.
And the amazing cherry tomato pasta sauce I just made.
And so much more.
Why can't there be about 6 more hours in my day?

Hope your weekend finds you enjoying some favorite summer time moments, and meals!
Love from,
Greta 

Fresh Strawberry Scones and Why I Love to Bake

I bake something at least once a week.

Often I bake 2 or 3 things a week.

I love baking.

I love recipes so familiar that I know the measurements by heart.

I love letting my butter soften in the sun on the kitchen windowsill.

I love the way flour feels in my hand when I sprinkle it on the board, before I roll out my dough.

I love the smell that fills my house when things are baking in the oven, and the way the kids come into the kitchen to sniff and say, "it smells sooooo good in here."

I love giving warm baked goods to a friend or neighbor, to someone having a bad day, or just to say, " I love you."

I have always wished I could draw or paint.

To be able to draw a picture for someone seems to me to be one of the most amazing talents to possess.

I can't draw you a picture, but I can bake you a pretty mean loaf of banana bread.

Baking is one of the ways I create.

Baking fills my soul, not just my belly.

Several weeks ago James and I made scones for his book club.
We made one batch with dried strawberries, and then I decided to mix things up a bit.
Inspired by the fresh strawberries sitting on the counter, I chopped some up and added them to the dough.
If you've never tried scones with fresh fruit, I cannot urge you strongly enough to try them.
All too often scones are boring at best, dry and tasteless at worst.
Not so the fresh strawberry scones.
They were so very, very good.

The recipe I used was for cream scones, and the addition of the strawberries made the dough quite wet.
But I rolled it out anyway, cut out the scones, and they baked up beautifully.
They were moist and far superior to the scones with the dried strawberries.

They even met approval from the 8 year olds in the book club.
And you know the younger set can sometimes be hard to please if the treat offered them is not covered in neon frosting or tons of sprinkles.
James said to me when we first tasted them, "Mom, I love you scones."
And I love you, James.  You just scored a million good son points.
But, as good as they turned out, I still wanted to play around with the recipe a bit.
I thought these scones could benefit from some whole wheat flour.
Sometimes I find all white flour to be a little boring, and I like the complexity of taste that comes from the whole wheat flour.


Last week the temperature went up around here and it was not baking weather.
I didn't feel like turning on the oven.
But one morning I got up early, and it was still cool.
Aaron went for a run and the boys rode along on their bikes.
The house was quiet and I thought, "I'm going to make scones."
Scones and coffee sounded like a perfect breakfast.
Tucking a warm scone in my husband's lunchbox sounded pretty great, too.
Remember, baking is one of the ways I say "I love you."
(and I do love you, honey.)
I used the whole wheat flour this time.
I also cut the strawberries in a smaller dice, and used less of them.

As a result, the dough was a lot less wet.
There were a lot of loose, dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl.
But I was able to incorporate them into the dough when I patted it together with my hands on a floured cutting board.
For cutting out the scones, I used the top from a canning jar.
And I patted together the leftover scraps to use up every last bit of the dough.

Using whole wheat flour made the scones much darker.
Here are the all white flour scones.

And the whole wheat ones.
Before baking, I brush the tops with a bit of cream and then sprinkle with a bit of sanding sugar.

The scones came out of the oven tender, and moist, and with that nutty undertone that I love.
However, no surprise,  I still want to play around with the recipe.
I might try out some different flours--maybe oat flour or almond flour.
I decided I like the strawberries in a bigger dice, and also like using more of them.
I am going to keep working on this recipe until I get it perfect.

As much as I like baking with the kids and making them a part of the process, mixing up a batch of scones in the quiet, cool morning was such a perfect way to start my day.
Baking goes much faster when I do it by myself.
It's also very relaxing, and not nearly as messy.
I won't give up on baking with the kiddos, but I think this early morning baking might start happening more often.

Fresh scones with my coffee for breakfast is quite a treat.

Yum.

I'll let you know how adding the other flours turn out, and also if I try them with another kind of fruit.
I think a stone fruit like peaches or nectarines would be really delicious.
Until then, here's the recipe as I've used it thus far.
Enjoy!
Love from,
Greta


Fresh Strawberry Scones (adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen's Cream Scone recipe.)
1 and a 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 cup of heavy cream
1 and a 1/2 cups fresh strawberries cut in a medium dice


Heat oven to 425
Put all dry ingredients into large bowl or food processor
Whisk or pulse ingredients to mix, 6 times
Scatter butter over dry ingredients in food processor, and pulse about 12 times until flour mixture resembles large, coarse crumbs
If using pastry cutter, cut the butter in about 12 times until flour mixture resembles coarse, large crumbs
Transfer flour mixture from food processor to a large bowl
Add berries
Add heavy cream
Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, gently mix the dough for 30 seconds until dough comes together slightly
Turn out onto floured counter top or cutting board.
Gently pat/knead the dough together, being sure to incorporate all the loose, dry crumbs from the bottom of the bowl
Cut scones out in circles that are about 3/4 inch thick and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Brush tops with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar
Bake for 12-15 minutes
Cool on a wire rack


And if you want to read about the Kids' Book Club where we first ate these scones, go to Lilly and The Brothers.
They are especially good to eat with clotted cream and jam.

March Photo a Day--Week 4

What?

It's not March anymore?

April's nearly over?

Oh well.

I'm a bit behind in posting, but still chugging away at  my photo a day project.

Here are the pictures from March's list--week 4.

Enjoy!

March 22, 2012

Kitchen Sink

It's there--just off the side of the photo--my kitchen sink.

I really love this photo because it is a glimpse into my every day mornings:

our beloved stove top espresso maker,

the knife I use to chop veggies for Aaron's salad,

egg shells, from the soft boiled eggs James and Lilly love to eat,

a cup and a spoon, from the baby food I fed Davy,

cucumber peels from Aaron's salad,

 the 50 cent, IKEA kitchen towels I buy in bulk,

and the spoon I used to stir my coffee.

You know, to anyone else, this photo is just a picture of a mess.

But to me, it is a beautiful picture of my life.

It's the way I take care of my family everyday.

It's a few of my favorite things.

It's a beautiful little mess.

March 23, 2012

Moon

Vintage Golden Books are some of my absolute favorites.

This one is about the sky.

It's pretty great.

March 24, 2012

Animal

This is Lilly's little mouse.

She wears a little red dress,

and she sleeps in a matchbox with a soft mattress,

a fluffy pillow and a warm, knitted coverlet.

I just love her.

March 25, 2012

Breakfast

Our avocados are ripe.

That means avocados on toast for breakfast.

Every morning.

It is the simplest and best breakfast I know.

Avocado season is my favorite.

March 26, 2012

Key

My fist car was a 1964 (and a half), Ford Mustang.

It was turquoise.

It had some problems.

The brakes went out on me twice.

While driving.

My power steering would suddenly go out,

 and I'd pull over quick, pop the hood,

and pour in some power steering fluid.

Then, back on the road.

Oh the things you think are no big deal when you're 19 years old.

But I paid for it myself, 

I was proud of it,

and I loved it.

The time came when I had to sell it.

The coolest key, the one with the galloping mustang, went with the car.

But I kept this spare key.

For the memories.

March 27, 2012

Your Name

Do you let your kids write their names in their books.

You should.

This is my name, written in my 5 year old handwriting,

in one of my childhood books, Mouse Soup.

I get a little grin every time I see it.

March 28, 2012

Trash

My husband spray painted our kitchen trash can.

It's eraser pink.

It's so much better than white.

That man will spray paint anything.

It's one of the many things I love about him.

March 29, 2012

Feet

In all the wide world, 

there are few things quite so sweet

as 

baby feet.

Davy.

March 30, 2012

Toy

Do you remember this toy?

My kids love it just as much as I did.

I really love the art on it.

It reminds me of Switzerland.

March 31, 2012

Where I relax

It seems counterintuitive.

I relax by making a mess in my kitchen.

Mixing up a batch of pancakes for my crew.

But it does relax me.

Maybe it's the knowledge that I am caring for my family.

Maybe it's the act of doing something I love.

Maybe it's the recipes in a cookbook I have loved since childhood.

Maybe it's all of it.

There's an interesting thread in all these pictures: things that I love.

Things from my past, my present, my day to day, memories, food, and the acts that I love to perform.

Simple pleasures that I love.

Wishing you a day full of simple pleasures that you love.

Love from,

Greta

PS.  So those towels from IKEA?  They raised the price to 80 cents.  The word is out.

If you like Lilly's mouse, you can find her, and her brother, here.