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Pumpkin Beer Fest, 2018

Posted by Carolyn on October 14, 2018 2 Comments

I know that this is post everyone has been waiting for! Let’s get right to it!

This year, we had all the original tasters together again! Yay! No wind storms kept people from Bend, no family birthday parties kept people away, no gut issues kept people from imbibing! It was darn near perfect to have our best friends all in one place.

As with 2017, 2016, and 2015, we used a 5 point scale (allowing for half points, thus rendering it into an effective 10 point scale) using the following rubric:

5 points:  I would drink more of this RIGHT NOW, and never want to drink anything else.
4 points:  I would totally drink this again and again.
3 points:  I would drink this if someone offered it to me, but probably wouldn’t buy it.
2 points:  Would drink if the only choices were this and Bud.
1 point:  Nope. Not ever again.

Again, we discussed if we rate on a pumpkin-ness scale, and again, we decided to leave it up to the taster.

This year we had 10 beers and threw 2 ciders in for the heck of it. We’re wild like that.

Here we go… CHEERS!

1st Place- The Great Pumpkin by Elysian Brewing: 4.5 points. This is a classic pumpkin beer that has been in our top 4 (earning 1st place in 2015, even!) every single year we do this. As always, Elysian was a stand-out in the pumpkin beer universe. This is just a good, smooth pumpkin beer. Spiced but not too much, pumpkin but not too much.

2nd Place- Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin by New Belgium: 4.0 points. This one was spicy! I didn’t actually really like it, but everyone else did and the score reflects this. I think some people actually gave it a 5. This beer is brewed with habanero and other chilies and spices. It isn’t kick you in the face spicy, but it does leave a hot feeling down the back of your throat. It’s different that the usual pumpkin pie spice beer and that’s fun.

3rd Place- Night Owl by Elysian: 4 points, then 3.5 points, so an average of 3.75 points. This was the beer we used to test our rating system and our tasting apparatus – we tatsed it at the beginning of the night and rated it at a 4, then again and it scored a 3.5.  I still like this one. It’s a good pumpkin pie, good spiced taste.  Any way you look at it, this beer placed 3rd.

4th Place- Punkuccino by Elysian Brewing: 3.3888 points. This is a darker beer with a good hint of Stumptown coffee to it. You can taste the roast, but it didn’t taste burned and bitter. Elysian does it again with a good batch of Punkuccino.

5th Place (tie)- Dark Knife by Elysian: 2.9375 Points. At 4.3% ABV, this is a smooth drinking pumpkin beer. It was unique to our test as a German Schwarzbier, and I liked it. Elysian does it again for 2018, rounding it out with four of our top 5 beers!

5th Place (tie)- Pumpkin Spice by Portland Cider Company: 2.9375. This was the good cider of the year. It tasted like a good, crisp, apple cider, with just a hint of all the pumpkin spices. It wasn’t too sweet, and our team seemed to really appreciate that about it. While I wouldn’t really say it was on the same level of the pumpkin beers, according to our scale, we would all drink this with no problem.

6th Place (tie)- Imperial Pumpkin Porter by Epic Brewing: 2.8125. I think I sort of liked this one, but it didn’t knock our socks off. I don’t remember much about it, which tells me it wasn’t amazing and wasn’t gross. So that’s good I guess.

6th Place (tie)- Jamaica Me Pumpkin by 10 Barrel: 2.8125. Again, I was disappointed by how difficult this beer was to open/ the end result of all our hard work opening the ridiculous bottle.  Too syrupy sweet and weird. I don’t like rum in my pumpkin beer, thank you very much.

7th Place- Imperial Pumpkin Porter by Alaskan Brewing: 2.6875. This one tasted burnt to me. I still say that I don’t much like pumpkin porters, and I think this is why. You know when you leave the candle burning in your jack-0-lantern and it starts to burn the pumpkin and it has that really distinct smell? That’s what this tasted like to me, but with the spices added to it.

8th Place- Great Gourds of Fire by Hopworks Urban Brewery: 2.5. This was another beer that added spice, as in spicy spice, and it wasn’t as good as Atomic Pumpkin. Last year this got 2nd place and this is what I wrote, “It was also our first, so perhaps that’s why it scores so well.  We’ll never know.” Maybe we do know now.

9th Place- Big Black Jack by Oakshire: 2.444444.  Oh, Oakshire, how much do I want to say about you? Last year this beer got 10th place, in 2016 it got 8th, in 2015 it got 4th. What has changed so much since 2015? Well, it might have something to do with Alesong Brewing opening in 2015. Who knows.

10th Place- Hollow Jack by Two Towns Cider: 1.125. Well, this cider didn’t hit the mark at all. Way too syrupy sweet. While it had more of a pumpkin flavor than our other cider, it was hard to drink.

That’s it!  Thanks for reading along again this year. I love this tradition with our friends, and I love taking the time the next day to write up all our thoughts. I didn’t realize, though, that I should start keeping tasting notes and quotes as we go to make this job a bit easier the next day. I’m getting too old to rely on my beer soaked memory.  See ya next year! Happy pumpkining!

 

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Posted in: ate., beer | Tagged: autumn, beer, pumpkin beer, pumpkin beer fest

OCTOBER 2017: CURRENTLY

Posted by Carolyn on October 19, 2017 Leave a Comment

reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.  Again.

listening to my Autumn playlist and a little bit of Christmas.

watching “The Good Place” with Jesse.

waiting patiently for my December Daily box to arrive.

feeling inspired to create.

waiting for the motivation to create.

missing our friend Jake.

helping.

working my way through the stages of grief and back again.

holding our friends in my heart all the time.

wanting to change.

wondering how grief works and how people come out on the other side.

having faith that this has been enough for one year.

missing Bennett.

wishing we could all see what he would be doing these days.

looking forward.

loving the cozy season that is full of colors and rain.

slowing down in preparation of Advent.

practicing gratitude because I can’t figure out any other way to approach life these days.

 

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Posted in: currently, gave thanks., gratitude, learned. | Tagged: autumn, currently

Pumpkin Beer Fest, 2017

Posted by Carolyn on October 16, 2017 2 Comments

The Twelve Pumpkin Beers of 2017. 

This was another fun Pumpkin Beer Fest, for sure.  This year (like the first two years: 2016 and 2015), was a night of fun, friends, snacks, laughter, and of course, beer.  Everyone brought a couple (or several) bottles for everyone to try out.  Like last year, some of our friends couldn’t make it, and we missed them, but the show must go on.  Also, I was excited to have my college roommate with us this year!

We used our traditional scoring rubric.

5 points:  I would drink more of this RIGHT NOW, and never want to drink anything else.
4 points:  I would totally drink this again and again.
3 points:  I would drink this if someone offered it to me, but probably wouldn’t buy it.
2 points:  Would drink if the only choices were this and Bud.
1 point:  Nope. Not ever again.

There are always discussions about how to rate a beer when it’s good, but not too pumpkin-y.  We usually leave that up to the rater to decide, personally.  Without further ado…. here are our results.  Cheers!

1st Place:  Night Owl, Elysian Brewing Company 4.07.  Once again, Elysian seems to have the right formula for a delicious pumpkin beer.  This one had just the right blend of pumpkin spice.  It wasn’t syrupy or too spicy or bitter.  Smooth, perfectly spiced, and wonderful.

2nd Place (tie): Great Gourds of Fire, Hopworks Urban Brewing 3.93. This one had a bit of a kick at the end.  It is brewed with the typical pumpkin spices, but also with some actual spice.  I didn’t really like that about this one, but the pumpkin spice was lovely, and it was a good, solid beer.  It was also our first, so perhaps that’s why it scores so well.  We’ll never know.

2nd Place (tie): Evan’s friend Evyn’s homebrew 3.93. This was perfectly smooth and easy to drink.  It had some good pumpkinness in it and it was delicious.  Good pumpkin beer, Evyn.

3rd Place: Pumpkin Pedaler, Stormbreaker Brewing 3.86.  I don’t remember this one.  I didn’t even remember to put this on the blog originally.  I’ve edited the post to add it, but I can’t say anything about it.  But it scored pretty well, so it must be good!

4th Place: The Great Pumpkin, Elysian Brewing Company 3.79. This was 2015’s winner, and still one of my favorites.  This one tastes like pumpkin pie, but in a really good way.  I still love this one.

5th Place: Pumpkin Bier, pFriem 3.71.  This was last year’s winner and it was delicious this year, too.  I think I scored it lower because I didn’t get the pumpkin spice out of this one like I wanted to.  It was a delicious, easy to drink beer, but, to me, it just tasted like a delicious beer.  I wanted more pumpkin.  Looking back at last year, I wrote that it had a gingery finish.  I didn’t get that this year.

6th Place: Imperial Pumpkin Porter, Epic Brewing 3.79. I don’t really like porters, or really pumpkin in porters.  I think I like my pumpkin in lighter beers so the spices dance around, instead of just sitting there in the darkness.  This was my favorite of the dark pumpkin beers, though.

7th Place: Pumpkin Smash, Cascade 3.14. Now, I love me a good sour and I love me a good pumpkin beer.  But, for some reason, these just didn’t add up for me.  I mean, when I was drinking it, I understood that it was good.  I understood that it was delicious. I understood that it was clever and fun.  But, I just couldn’t picture myself drinking much more than the taster.  Maybe because I think of sours in the summer, at the pool, and I think of pumpkin beers in autumn, warm and cozy.  Call me crazy.

8th Place: Pumpkin Patch Ale, Rogue 3.07.  I actually really liked this one.  It was good.  Jesse thought it tasted too much like actual pumpkins – he compared it to pumpkins rotting in a field.  I didn’t really taste that, but you know, to each their own.

9th Place: Jamaican Me Pumpkin, 10Barrel 2.29.  Besides having a really dumb name and being ridiculously hard to open, this beer just wasn’t much good.  It was syrupy and too sweet.

10th Place: Big Black Jack, Oakshire 2.5. This porter just tasted burned.  I don’t know if it’s the chocolate porter part of it, but it didn’t sit well.

11th Place: Pinchy Jeek Barl, Anderson Valley 1.43.  This one was bad.  It is aged in bourbon barrels and it just tasted like gross bourbon.  Pumpkin beer or bourbon- pick one, ya know?

That’s all!  There you have it!  Our scientific, fool-proof list of which pumpkin beers to drink this year.

Also, I think it’s interesting that we were all in a more middle of the road mood this year.  We usually have a much larger spread of ratings.  It would be interesting to look back and see what was going on in the world when we did these ratings.  Last year, everything was all about the campaign and so divided and everyone had strong opinions on everything.  The first year (when we were all more innocent – in many ways), there were five beers that scored over 4 points – we were more hopeful and happy and generous.  This year we’re just jaded and not willing to commit to things being good OR bad.  Or something.  I’m obviously not a sociologist or a beer expert, so don’t take my word for any of this.

 

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Posted in: ate., beer | Tagged: autumn, beer, pumpkin beer, pumpkin beer fest

Autumn To Do, 2017

Posted by Carolyn on September 21, 2017 3 Comments

Today is the first day of Autumn.  Finally.  I love this time of year, when the light is fading, shadows get longer, our leaves do their lovely swan-song-and-dance.  It’s a time for fresh starts, nostalgia, dreaming, and turning inside – literally and metaphorically.

I’ve hinted at this a bit on the blog, but this summer was really hard, starting in the last couple weeks of school last year.  Some really difficult and confusing things happened at the girls’ school, and I was dragged into it despite all my efforts to remain on the outside.  I was betrayed by someone who I had previously trusted with my most important things.  This person spread rumors of the worst kind about me, and was acting irrationally and incredibly unprofessionally. She not only betrayed me, but she also completely wrote my daughters out of her life, which, honestly was much harder to deal with.  I spent the whole summer thinking about how to – and whether or not to – process it all on my blog.  Although we’re doing everything we can to move on from the situation, it’s still on my mind, and still makes me angry and sad whenever I think about it.  I guess I’m writing all of this down right now in order to move on with a fresh start, into Autumn.  It’s hard because this person has played a big, fun role in some of our Autumn traditions, and I know I will feel her absence and her betrayal acutely during those things.

But, I’m all about fresh starts and moving on, so that’s what I’ll do now.

Here’s what I want to do this Autumn:

  1. Pumpkin Patch with the playgroup
  2. Pumpkin Patch with our friends
  3. Hayrides.  All of them.
  4. Eat so many apples
  5. Pumpkin brew fest
  6. Eat as many Thanksgiving dinners as I can finagle my way into
  7. Halloween costumes
  8. Diffuse all the Autumn scents
  9. Walk with friends
  10. Write some letters
  11. Listen to as much nostalgic and melancholy music as my soul can handle
  12. Decorate for Christmas far too early
  13. #30daysofgratitude and #30daysofgratitudeATT
  14. Resist
  15. Plan Advent activities
  16. Anniversary date
  17. Go trick or treating
  18. Work on our quilt
  19. Put the garden to bed
  20. Weed
  21. Brew beer
  22. Go to a wedding
  23. Show love
  24. Spread happiness
  25. Do good

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Posted in: to do lists | Tagged: autumn, reflections, to do, to do list

Playgroup Pumpkin Patch 2016

Posted by Carolyn on October 24, 2016 Leave a Comment

This was our 5th Annual Playgroup Pumpkin Patch trip!

Oh my, how we’ve grown!

2012
2012

This year we were back at Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm, but it didn’t feel the same.  For one thing, they more than doubled their prices, so we ended up not doing the hayride at all.  We were lucky with a warm, non-rainy day.  It was also Henry’s birthday, so we all dressed up and had cupcakes.  It was fun, despite the fact that we didn’t get to do the hayride.

I have already gone on and on about how much I love these people.  Let me just say that I’m so incredibly happy to have them as my tribe and how happy I am to have my girls grow up with these fantastic kids.

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Posted in: a little moment, gave thanks., parented., playgroup | Tagged: autumn, Parenting, playgroup, pumpkin, pumpkin patch

Pumpkin Beer Fest, 2016

Posted by Carolyn on October 17, 2016 1 Comment

We had our Second Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest this past weekend.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to have her own fest, and two of our best friends couldn’t make it over from Bend to join in the festivities.  We went on without them… it wasn’t the same but we did the best we could.

Just like last year we all brought a couple bottles of Pumpkin Beer to share and judge and rate.  Our rating scale was this:

5 points:  I would drink more of this RIGHT NOW, and never want to drink anything else.
4 points:  I would totally drink this again and again.
3 points:  I would drink this if someone offered it to me, but probably wouldn’t buy it.
2 points:  Would drink if the only choices were this and Bud.
1 point:  Nope. Not ever again.

Here are the results!

1. pFriem Pumpkin Bier  4.08333333.  This was a really good beer.  It had a really spicy finish, like fresh ginger.  It was tasty and easy to drink.  It had the perfect blend of pumpkin, spices, and beer.  Good stuff here.

2. Elysian The Great Pumpkin 4.0  This was our winner last year, and it was impressive again!  Elysian really knows how to make a good pumpkin beer.  This was smooth and perfectly pumpkiny.  Just exactly what I’d expect. 

3. Elysian Punkuccino 3.75 I didn’t expect to like this, because I don’t usually like coffee beers that much, and this was certainly strong on the coffee.  It was so smooth, and the coffee was well balanced with the sweetness of the pumpkin and the spiciness of the spices.

4. Elysian Night Owl 3.75 This one might be my personal favorite.  I love this one.  It is smooth and not bitter at all.  Lots of spices and 7 pounds of pumpkin per barrel – which is roughly 7 pounds of pumpkin – which sounds like a lot!

5. New Belgium Pumpkick 3.666 Just like last year, we started and finished with the same beer.  This score came from our first tasting of this one.   This is another one of my favorites.  I love the lemongrass and cranberry flavors that come through.  It really just tastes like autumn to me.

6. Uinta Funk’n Patch 3.5 I liked this one a lot.  It was more sour than the rest.  It is brewed with Brett which made it a little funky – in a good way.  It was unique and light and I liked it.  It makes me want to try more beers with Brett.

7. New Belgium Pumpkick 3.333 This was the second time we tried Pumpkick, at the end of the tasting when we were feeling a little different than we were in the beginning.  I like to repeat the first beer in the end to prove the efficacy of our palates and our rating system.  The scores were close enough that I would consider this to be a scientific and respectable system.

8. Oakshire Big Black Jack 2.666 I always feel so bad when we score a Eugene beer so poorly.  This is one of those that just doesn’t quite work for me.  The chocolate didn’t meld well with the pumpkin to me.  Sad.

9. Epic Imperial Pumpkin Porter 2.333 This one was disappointing because it just tasted like porter.  No pumpkin or spice flavors at all.

10. Laurelwood Pumpkin Ale 1.91666 I don’t remember anything about this one.  Maybe that’s good, judging by the score we gave it.

We also sampled our own pumpkin brown ale.  We didn’t want to score it because people would probably lie and say it was amazing, or lie and say it was horrible, but everyone really liked it.  It’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.

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Posted in: ate., beer | Tagged: autumn, beer, brewing, pumpkin beer

A Day in the Life – October 6, 2016

Posted by Carolyn on October 10, 2016 1 Comment

8:23 – I want to remember these girls and the cuddles in the mornings.  Now that they share a room, it’s more likely that they will stay in their beds, or at least their room, and chat and play before they come into our room.  We do all, usually, end up in bed together for a few minutes.

8:47 – I want to remember how the girls love to play with new things.  They made this goo the night before at a Science Fair at the university and were really excited to play with it first thing in the morning.

8:56 – I want to remember this view, with the gorgeous yellow birch, the flaming red dogwood, the landscaping growing up and getting bigger.  The junky car that’s been parked across the street for a few months, I’m happy to forget that, if only it would go away.

9:03 – I want to remember how great it feels to wake up to a mostly clean kitchen.  I never want to do it at night, but it’s always worth it in the morning.

9:08 – I want to remember these autumn breakfasts.  Oatmeal with frozen blueberries for them, tea with orange oil for me.

9:14 – I want to remember how Harriet says “hot cococo” for hot chocolate.   I don’t want to remember how she threw a huge fit because I gave it to her in the wrong cup – I’ll just choose to remember that she eventually accepted the cococo in the Santa mug (the one she usually wants).

9:25 – I want to remember that this was not a normal day for us.  My To Do List isn’t usually a bunch of chores around the house.  We usually actually leave the house.  I don’t usually spend the entire day cleaning the house.  I do want to remember how good it feels to clean up our messes and be able to have such a wonderful home to take care of.  I also want to remember how using the essential oils to clean the house makes it all so much more fun.

9:48 – I want to remember how the girls are actually eager to help me these days.  Harriet loves to help me cook dinner.  Alma likes to help with the dishes, dusting, and sweeping.  I’m working on giving them daily and weekly chores.

9:52 – I want to remember these eggs and these chickens.  I love that my chores include getting eggs, taking out food scraps, and giving them water.

10:07 – I want to remember the corner of our kitchen where things build up.  Art projects from school, mail that needs attention, empty shoe boxes.  These are the things that show our busy existence.  I especially love when this corner of our kitchen gets sorted and put where it all goes.  That was my job this day.

10:12 – I want to remember how these girls play together.  They use their imaginations and really work well together.  They used these boxes as houses, horse stalls, tunnels, who knows what else.  I also want to remember Harriet’s love for her new boots and her tutu.

10:25 – I want to remember the imaginations in these girls.  They had a full conversation between these two candlesticks.

10:31 – I want to remember these candlelit meals and snacks.  Candles, while eating, are pure magic.

10:49 – I want to remember the love and care that goes into keeping a house.  These wood floors shine thanks to me and my care for them.  And essential oils.

11:56 – I want to remember these plates and the little hands that made them.  I want to remember these peanut butter sandwiches – honey for Harriet, homemade strawberry jam for me and Alma.

12:59 – I want to remember all the sewing.  I haven’t sewn in a couple months, so it feels great to get back to it.  I finished Alma’s witch dress, fixed my sweater, and got started on Harriet’s much needed big bed quilt.  I love giving my girls quilts so they can always be wrapped up in my love – and a tangible representation of that love.

2:03 – I want to remember how much I love Christmas and how much I love making good things for our family.  These blend perfectly when I use Christmas Spirit oil (Orange, Cinnamon, Spruce) in my homemade hand soap.

3:13 – I want to remember how Harriet is the queen of the pout.  She will sit down and pout, or just stand in the middle of the room and pout.  Here, Alma is her horse who ran away.  The pout went away once the horse came back.

3:20 – I want to remember these colors and snacks.  Pink and honey for Harriet.  Blue and jam for Alma.

3:52 – I want to remember these slow, cloudy days when I don’t get around to taking my shower until well into the afternoon.  And my old Cal Young tie dye t-shirt that I use for my hair after my showers.

4:15 – I want to remember these days of forts, and make believe, and reading corners.

5:31 – I want to remember how our friends came over, bringing us a fake Christmas gift for an upcoming music video, and how it was fun to wish them Merry Christmas in October.  I also want to remember how they all came inside and hung around for a little bit.  Surprise guests and good conversations fill my bucket in a big way.  Even if I forget to take any photos.  Especially when I forget to take any photos.

6:11 – I want to remember this season and the comfort food that it brings.  This was a baked potato bar, using lots of things we happened to have on hand.

6:18 – I want to remember “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest; let this food to us be blessed. Amen,” and how Alma and Harriet say “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest; let this family to us be blessed. Allmen.”

6:49 – I want to remember the chaos that falls at bedtime.  It is a constant battle to get them going in the right direction to get their teeth brushed, jammies on, and everything else that needs to be done when there are so many other things that they’d rather be doing.

7:03 – I want to remember the calm that settles when we’re all in our bed, reading a story before they head to their own beds.  A few final cuddles and they race to their room.

7:04 – I want to remember how the girls need just a little bit more chaos before they can settle into their beds and eventually fall asleep.

I want to remember the time that Jesse and I get after the kids are in bed.  We watch shows, get stuff done, clean up a little, read books, and eventually fall asleep ourselves.

Other Days In The Life:
May 12, 2015
September 9, 2015
November 11, 2015
January 3, 2016

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Posted in: a little moment, ate., CHOOSE, created., currently, day in the life, learned., parented., sewing, sewing for my daughters, to do lists, writing | Tagged: a day in the life, autumn, cleaning, day in the life, essential oils

It’s Autumn, Yippy! What Shall We Do?

Posted by Carolyn on September 21, 2016 1 Comment

Today is a beautiful, cloudy, chilly, gray day.  My favorite, and perfect for the first day of Autumn.  It’s time for a To Do list and some adorable photos of last Autumn.

  1. Rake leaves.
  2. Play in the rain.
  3. Carve Pumpkins
  4. Drink home brewed Pumpkin Brown Ale and Apple Cider.
  5. Have our Second Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest.
  6. Go to the pumpkin patch at the Christmas Tree farm.
  7. Go to the pumpkin patch at the orchard.
  8. Make Halloween costumes.
  9. Go trick or treating. 
  10. Finish two quilt tops (Harriet’s big girl quilt, the Tula Pink quilt I’ve been working on for our bed).
  11. Go to Bend.
  12. Meet a new baby.
  13. Try new Thanksgiving recipes.
  14. Stop eating processed sugars. 
  15. Reduce the amount of processed grains I eat.
  16. #30daysofgratitude and our own #30daysofgratitudeATT
  17. Go on an Anniversary date.
  18. Plan our Advent activities.
  19. Drink tea.
  20. Do a puzzle.

Also if you’re interested in how our Spring/ Summer To Do list ended up, I updated it here!

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Posted in: created., to do lists | Tagged: autumn, to do, to do list

Autumn Book Report, 2015

Posted by Carolyn on January 8, 2016 Leave a Comment

And Then They Summer Books

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  This was a slam-dunk for me.  It is set in France – check.  It is set during World War II – check.  It deals with motherhood – check.  It is well written – check.

My dad loaned me this historical fiction novel and I absolutely loved it.  It is the story of sisters, mothers, fathers, survival, choices, war, love, and women.  You get to read about the lives of two sisters and their experiences during WWII in France.  They each make their own decisions about how to handle the occupation.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz.  I picked this one up during one of my jobs in a middle school.  To be honest, I grabbed it because I love Dante and thought it might take about his work.  It didn’t really do that, but it was still a very good book.  It is about two teenage boys who meet and become friends.  It is a good coming of age story, and I would highly recommend it to teenage kids, especially boys or those who are interested in LGBT stories.

Love, Nina by Nina Stibbe.  This was a book club book, and it was really good.  I never would have read this if it hadn’t been for book club.  It is an epistolary memoir from Nina’s time as a nanny for a creative, quirky family.  I read it wondering if it had a point, but maybe that was the point.  I laughed out loud in public while reading it.  The characters are incredible and hilarious.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool.  This was another reread.  I love this book so much.  I had Jesse read it, too.  It’s such a lovely story of family and love and community.  The main character is a spunky girl who lands in a mysterious and eclectic town during the Great Depression.  It’s  a Newberry winner, so there you go.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg.  Another favorite of mine.  I have read this many, many times.  It has it all – mystery, adventure, art history, strong female characters.

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.  My book club pick for December.  I loved it.  It’s another young adult novel, but I’d say it’s more for high school than middle school.  It is a lovely story about twins and growing up.  It’s unique because it’s told from both twins’ perspectives – but at different times.  You hear Noah’s story from when the twins were 14, and you hear Jude’s story from when they were 17.  A lot has happened in between, and the story unfolds through both of their narrations.  There is art, love, coming of age, mystery, love, magical realism, ghosts, love, family, and love.  One of my new favorites.

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Posted in: book review, created., gave thanks., learned., writing | Tagged: autumn, book, book love, book report, book review, books, read, teaching, writing

Autumn To Do List, Wrap-up

Posted by Carolyn on December 29, 2015 Leave a Comment

Here’s our updated list from Autumn.  I have to say I’m surprise at how many of these items we got checked off.  Autumn was a fun season full of family, friends, holidays, pumpkins, apples, and gratitude.

Look for our Winter To Do List tomorrow!

  1. Drink hot cider.
  2. Drink pumpkin beer. We did this, and compared and rated all the best (and worst) of 2015! 
  3. Go to the pumpkin patch. Yes, we did this, for sure.  Many times, in fact.
  4. Make art. Hmmm… did I do this?  I don’t really think so.  Unless you count the December Daily album.
  5. Make Halloween costumes. Little Red Riding Hood and her Big Bad Wolf. 
  6. Go trick or treating. Yes, we braved the rain (and still have candy leftover!)
  7. Make new Beatrix top. Yep, this time in plaid flannel.
  8. Christmas gifts.
  9. Make apple crisp.
  10. Jump in puddles.
  11. Go on a date.
  12. #30daysof thanksgiving on Instagram.
  13. Go on a hay ride.
  14. Go to a Halloween party.
  15. Find some snow. Thanksgiving at Sun River was full of snow!
  16. Put the garden to bed for the winter.
  17. Decorate for Autumn. Done!
  18. Make Christmas banner for CaroMade. It’s up on my Etsy shop! But I did forget to put it up for Christmas…
  19. Prep the December Daily album.
  20. Get some Advent things ready like:
    1. The Goodness Gnomes (or whatever they will end up being.. I bought some little fairy things at the Country Fair this year).
    2. Other traditions for Christmastime/ Advent.
  21. Drink tea. Done!  That one was easy!
  22. Do a puzzle.  Oh how I tried.  Puzzles and toddlers don’t mix.
  23. Eat some cheese.
  24. Plan our 10th Anniversary Party.
  25. Go to the library.

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Posted in: 35 Until 35, gave thanks., learned. | Tagged: 2015, autumn, autumn to do, to do, to do list
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If God said, ‘Rumi pay homage to everything that has helped you enter my arms,’ there would not be one experience of my life, not one thought, not one feeling, nor any act, I would not bow to. -Rumi

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