A Greek Cookbook for your Bookshelf

I have the entire right side of my dining room buffet filled with cookbooks. I'll admit there are a few I rarely pull out, some are for the holidays, and some are well-worn and a little greasy with food splashes from everyday use. From time to time (OK - pretty often), I add to them with a new title from the bookstore. I wanted to tell you about one of my latest acquisitions and suggest you get a copy for yourself (and no, no one has paid me to say this).

Patricia Moore-Pastides, an accomplished public health professional and wife of the current president of the University of South Carolina, released her cookbook, "Greek Revival: Cooking for Life," about 18 months ago. In it, she narrates stories about her time living in Greece and shares the healthy recipes she learned from taking cooking lessons while there.

Leaning on vegetables and healthy cuts of meat (occasionally), the book provides Greek recipes that are healthy and still flavorful. I have made a few of them and can assure you that you won't miss the fat in these dishes.

We may think of baklava as a primary Greek dessert, but Patricia leans heavily on fruits, like those traditionally used in Greece, for an everyday taste of sweetness. Doesn't a yogurt parfait with blueberries and lemon curd sound good?

My favorite recipe from the book (so far) is Broccoli and Blue Cheese Pita (p. 22 in the hardback copy).

I bought the book during a lecture, tasting and book signing event at a women's conference. In her presentation, Patricia was very knowledgeable not only about nutrition via food, but also about the healthy compounds like resveratrol that make up certain foods. A delightful lady and a delightful (and delicious) book.

Happy reading (and cooking)!
TCB

What I'm Reading in September

If you've been a reader of my blog, you know I adore reading (and writing). I have been on a non-fiction reading kick for the last year or so, so both of the books I'm reading this month are non-fiction. No surprises there!

Here they are:

1. One Year to an Organized Work Life by Regina Leeds. The title is self-explanatory. The best tips I took away from this book? Learn to say "no" once each day. Also, Regina summed it up best about messy piles in your office: If you have piles of work folders on your office floor (I do), then you probably have not made a commitment, for whatever reason, to the projects they represent. If you're serious about the projects, clear out the clutter to clear out some "brain space" for them and put them in the file cabinet so they will gain prominence and importance.

If you need it, this author also has organization books on finances and life in general.

It's a quick read and organized enough like a reference book to skim through and pull out the tidbits you need for office (and mental) organization.

2. Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. I'm still reading this Christian book, so I don't have a full report for you now. I always find it refreshing the way Lysa explains Christian concepts and so selflessly uses failures and examples from her own life.

What comes out of your mouth when you're angry? Are you a stuffer or an exploder? The book is focused on how to respond when you have negative, raw emotions to express to those around you. What is the proper way to respond, and why, according to the Bible, should we respond in this manner? It's something I struggle with when people irritate me. I'll be the first to admit this book is for me.

Happy reading!
TCB
PS. Let me know what you're reading. I always need new books for my ever-expanding reading list.

Try Reading a Chronological Bible

I'm reading my way through a new version of the Bible I recently purchased - a Chronological Study Bible. I can't imagine the feat of taking each part of the Scripture and putting it in historical order, but I think it brings a new level of perspective to the words. Although I believe there is some debate about sections of the Bible where time references are obscure, it's an interesting - and for me, an entirely different - way to read the Bible.

This particular book is also a study Bible so there are lots of footnotes and summary pages to create a frame of reference. It's particularly handy to have the date marked at the top of every page. The entire book is divided into 9 "epochs" beginning with creation, of course, and moving to the final epoch focused on the church age/the gospel/apocalyptic writings.

I always have at least two books going at once, and I will share others later this month. If you haven't tried this version of the Bible, I say it is well worth the money.

Happy reading,
TCB

My Favorite Bible Studies for Women

There are so many Bible Studies out there, and many are written and designed specifically for women. I'm listing a few that I really enjoyed and learned from. I am not including links because you can google the titles and authors and find them just about anywhere.

My all-time favorite Bible Study (so far) is "Daniel" by Beth Moore. I almost didn't enroll in this study at my local church. I thought, "I know all about Daniel and the lion's den. What else is there to learn from this short book of the Bible?" I couldn't have been more wrong. There is so much prophecy packed into this book, and I learned more about the Bible than I ever have in one class. I learned just as much about Revelation as Daniel in this fascinating study. It is a little pricey (if you try to buy the videos - which I highly recommend) - but many churches have it and may offer it or loan it out to members.

I also learned from:

"A Woman's Walk with God" by Sheila Cragg. She presents much good information about strengthening your spiritual life in times of trouble and in everyday living. Short reading passages are followed by fill-in-the-blank discussion questions that you can personalize. The study really made me think.

"A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place" by Beth Moore. See a pattern here? Her style of teaching jives with my way of receiving. I've tried the audiotapes with her studies, but the visual DVDs are really the way to go.

Do you have a favorite Bible Study? I'd really like to hear so I can check out some new ones.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Love,
TCB

Boys, Boys, Boys

Did you think this post was going to be about all the cute male species out in the world? Shame on you. You obviously haven't been reading my blog much. I'm very married and very in the country and very locked in the house homeschooling and working from a home office. I guess a better title post would be: Boys, Boys, Boys (Need to Read, Read, Read).

I do, however, have very personal experiences with the two males that live in my home. (I'll only discuss issues unrelated to body noises. If you have a boy or are married, I fear you know what I mean. Sorry.)

If it wasn't for all the animals in and around our house (all curiously female), I would be the only estrogen around.

What I have to say is that I have a heck of a time getting my boy (not the man of the house) to read. I bought him a bookmark with a built-in timer so he could set it to read 30 minutes per day as part of our homeschool lesson. If it weren't for that handy bookmark, I'd be wrangling with him over whether he read just 25 minutes or **horror of horrors** 31 minutes per day.

So how (ecstatically) happy I was to see this taking place ON A WEEKEND afternoon.

It's the comics, but it's the newspaper AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO SET THE READING TIMER. Maybe there's hope yet. I keep saying, "If you can read well, you can learn anything."

And yes, I know Anthony Bourdain is on in the background, but notice my beloved is looking at the paper and not the TV. Progress!

One helpful lesson my son is seeing is how TV producers take liberties with written material. For example, he has enjoyed for the last year watching the 1970s Little House on the Prairie TV series. He is currently reading his way through the 9-volume Little House set of books and often points out to me how the book differs from the TV portrayal. He seems to be realizing it's better to read to learn more details.

I like to read non-fiction and am reading a couple of books about boys now. I will share in a future post when I've made my way a little further through them.

In the meantime, happy hump day!

Love,
TCB

Organize Me

I'm reading one book (besides my Bible) in September. My reading aspirations are low because homeschooling is in full swing. All those years of working for clients when I owned a PR agency taught me how to manage expectations of my clients. Now I'm finally learning how to manage my expectations of myself.

This month's book is"I Used to Be So Organized" by Glynnis Whitwer. There are about a zillion organizational books on the market. This isn't one of them. I like it because the first half of the book is so different from the rest. It focuses on knowing God's will for your individual life and setting your priorities accordingly. That one point should be the driving piece of how you organize your life. Somehow the way Whitwer explains it just simplifies the decision-making process for me.

Does that mean you will need to drop an activity or two from your list of to-do's? Probably. I have two that I will be dropping this month to focus on my main priorities - homeschooling, child rearing, homekeeping, faith growing, and writing.

I'm ditching my cousins - Should and Should Have. They don't need me anyway. And I don't need them. So there.

Have a happy day.
TCB

Back to (Home)school

We've only been in school officially one week, and I swear my son is already eyeballing next June on the calendar. Buddy, you've got a lot a learnin' to do before then! I find it helpful when other bloggers post their annual curriculum because it sometimes exposes me to ideas, topics, and books of which I'm not aware. So I thought I'd post my son's curriculum this year, just in case anyone has a child in a similar situation and is looking for something different.

4th grade boy/2011-2012 curriculum:

Math - Saxon Math 5/4 supplemented with "Life of Fred: Fractions"

Writing - Institute for Excellence in Writing: Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons

History - History of the World: Ancient Times supplemented with: Usborne Internet-linked Encyclopedia of World History, Trail Guide for World Geography

Science - Apologia Zoology 3: Land Animals of the Sixth Day

Bible - Apologia "Who is God?"

Grammar - Shurley Grammar 4

Reading: "real books" on ancient history and land animals

Cursive - Handwriting without Tears

Latin - Latina Christiana I

Spanish - outside class

Art History - outside class

During the first week, my son got a little restless because his mind was still on riding waves at Edisto Beach, canoeing on the Broad River, watching "I Love Lucy" on TV, and generally staring up at the sky.

So we put History in action by building a "home" like the first nomads would have built.

He got so excited he decided to build a smaller lean-to.

If there's one thing I've learned in homeschooling, is that when minds wander (or tears set in), it's time to change direction for a little while. This foray into the woods got us back on track for the day.

Happy school year to you!
TCB

This Year's Beach Reads

I am famous for sticking my face in a book or a magazine for my entire beach week every summer. I always look for riveting, but light, reading when it's shore time. I just got back from a blissful week at our usual summer beach haunt -a laid-back, quiet, residential island on the South Carolina coast.
My son learned a new skill - skim boarding.

But not without some trial and error.
Here's a successful movie snippet version.

He has a bad habit of thinking he should be perfect at everything the very first time he tries. I have explained to him many times that no one is perfect; we all must practice and practice to become good at an activity. He tried skim boarding a couple of times but when he fell, he gave up and sat down. I wasn't about to spend $50 on a board that he never used again! So, being a COMPLETELY INEXPERIENCED (and some may say stupid) skim boarder, I decided to show him that I would try boarding and that my first attempt probably (definitely??) would not be perfect or even good.

Here's my boo-boo. I probably don't need to tell you both my legs went out from under me and I landed with a painful thud on the sand and shells. I would not recommend this to my other 40-something friends.

The upside? My son saw I was horrible, so he jumped back on the board and soon mastered it. Mission accomplished! (I'm still healing, and by the way - I'm sorry you had to see my bare naked leg).

ANYWAY, on to what I really was writing about today - my fabulous beach reads. After the fall, I retreated to my lounge chair FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK and here is what I read from cover to cover:

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult
Picture Perfect by Jodi Picoult

If you've never read Picoult's books, you're in for a treat. Her books are engrossing but light enough to enjoy. What I particularly like about her writing is that she doesn't waste a lot of upfront space in the book with "background" on the characters and their lives. She works it in throughout the first 75% of the book, so you are constantly discovering new parts of the character - just as you would learn things about a new friend over the first few months of your friendship.

Hope you got in some sort of vacation this year. We get homesick for "our island" when we can't visit at least once a year.

Love,
TCB

What I'm Reading in May

As I write this on a beautiful (non-humid!!) Sunday afternoon on the banks of the Broad River, I am enjoying the sounds of birds singing, the flap of Canadian geese’s wings flying over the water, and a just-what-the-doctor-ordered breeze. What a perfect day to be outside with a good book.

Just as I’ve never been one of the earliest adopters of technology, I am not one of the earliest readers of the latest books. I find to be the first is pricey at the book store and downright impossible at the library. I put myself on the waiting list at my local library when The Weird Sisters came out, and I was 60^th in line!

So in May, I have been reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat.Pray.Love. And no, I haven’t seen the movie. I would never do that before reading the book. I’m not sure that I have ever liked a movie better than the book on which it’s based.

For those of you who haven’t read it, I would recommend it as a fun read. Elizabeth’s true story of self-exploration and self-realization is divided into three parts: her travels post-divorce over the course of a year to Italy (Eat), India (Pray), and Indonesia (Love). I have made my way through Italy and India so far and have been entertained by Elizabeth’s clever use of words. I will say from my viewpoint, her descriptions of her life in Italy left me feeling a little sad. And as a Christian, some of her religious insights seem a little hocus-pocus to me. However, all in all, she is an entertaining writer, and this is her partial autobiography, so she is free to tell her story how she sees it.

You won’t have to wait in a long line to pick this one up at the library, although it is still new enough to be in the Popular Reading section. Try it. I think you’ll like it.

Happy reading. Now it’s time for the nap portion of my day by the river.

Love,

TCB

The Book I'm Reading in April

I'm focusing on one book this month, as it is a busy spring month for finishing school activities and planting my garden and flower beds. I'm re-reading an important book my sister-in-law was so nice to give me some time ago: Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp.

The main premise of this Christian child rearing book is that, as stated in the Bible, "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Tripp teaches parents how to address heart issues and not simply require rote obedience from their children. God has put us parents in charge of our children, and we should direct them toward a biblical perspective when it comes to obedience, not just make them obey because it is convenient for us.

This book contains deep spiritual lessons about parenting. I read it once many years ago when my son was an infant, but it is so much easier to digest now that I have a "tween." There is also a section for teenagers, and who doesn't need help with that??

Happy reading. I'd always like to hear about what you're reading now, too.

Love,
TCB

The March Book

OK...here's a first. I'm only going to be able to read ONE book this month. Even though we are only a handful of days into March, it appears I have too much on my schedule to get through more than one book. Swim practice, swim meet, Cub Scouts, PR projects, writing projects, washing dishes, vacuuming, cooking, anyone??

So here it is....


The Best of Friends: Martha and Me


Were you expecting a thought-provoking best seller? Who knows, it could have been a best seller. Nevertheless.....I have always been enamored with Martha Stewart. Who else could pair housekeeping with cutthroat, kick-your-butt business acumen and make it seem both cool and easy?

This account is kind of a tell-all by one of her longtime best friends, Mariana, who it seems Martha tried to throw under the bus when she was on her way to prison (remember that?). If everything is as Mariana says, it makes you see Martha as a cold and calculating person behind the "It's a good thing" facade.

I'd recommend it for a good read - probably one step up from beach chick lit.

Happy reading always.

Love,
TCB

Essential Oils to Solve Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I have written in the past about my use of pure essential oils to alleviate or solve certain health issues or sicknesses over the last few months.

My use of them has been successful in curing what ails me. Recently, I have had a recurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome in my left hand and wrist. Unfortunate, since I am left-handed. I haven't had an issue since my son's birth about 8 1/2 years ago. At that time, I was treated with a cortisone shot, but I am hoping to solve the issue more naturally this time with essential oils.

Using my reference book, Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils, I looked up carpal tunnel syndrome. It appears the primary oils for treatment are basil, marjoram, lemongrass, oregano, and cypress. I'm going to order them and will update you on whether they work or not. Maybe we can learn together.

Until next time,
TCB

Spelling Power

Spelling Power

We use the Spelling Power curriculum in our studies. My son really does learn many, many words each day in only 15 minutes, just as the book suggests. As an add-on to the teaching text, I often have him go outside and re-write the words he missed on his daily spelling test using sidewalk chalk.

This kinesthetic method seems to work well with boys. And what 8-year-old doesn't like to go outside in the middle of the school day!

And this has absolutely nothing to do with spelling. Miss Pitty Pat just looked so crazy after she groomed the dead leaf off her fur, I had to snap her paparazzi shot.

Have a Happy Week,
TCB

What I'm Reading this Month

What I'm Reading this Month

I'm on to reading two books at once this month and into March.

I told you last month I am reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God as part of a DVD/book-based Bible study.


Francis is the founding pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California. One part of this week's Chapter 7 really jumped out at me. Early in the book, he talks about the Americanization of Christianity. For most of us, we have it good in this country - plenty to eat, plenty of clothes, and a culture that accumulates so much we have entire industries revolving around our "stuff." Think storage unit companies and organizational consultants who show us how to "declutter."

But Francis points out we often accept God's materialistic blessings and say "thank you, thank you" repeatedly to God. We may be grateful but that's as far as it goes. What if Jesus' disciples did the same thing when there was a food shortage and it was time for lunch? In Matthew Chapter 14, Jesus took one boy's 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and gave them to the disciples. The disciples could have acted like many of us today (I'm guilty) and said, "Thank you, Jesus, for providing plenty of food for our lunch today." Instead, they turned around and distributed food to everyone in the crowd, totaling more than 5,000 people according to the Bible.

Why are we different? Why shouldn't we do the same?

Interestingly enough, no one really knows where Francis Chan and his family are right now. He has stepped down from Cornerstone and his blog says he is deciding what God wants him to do next.

The second book I'm reading is Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life.


He is the author of many interesting and knowledge-filled books. You may know about A Short History of Nearly Everything. 

"At Home" is another inquisitive book where Bryson explains the history of how each room in our house came about. How did the Wardrobe begin? What is the history of the bathroom and how did it become a place of bath-taking? From the "one bath a year" mentality to the bathroom's coming of age as a normal, frequently used part of the house, Bryson covers all kinds of interesting angles. He writes about the bedroom, stairs, the nursery, and the attic, among many other rooms in houses in ancient times to modern times. History becomes both odd and fun in this book.

I would love to hear any interesting books you're reading now. I always need something new to add to my list!

Love,
TCB

My Dictionary

My Dictionary

Do I sound a little attached to a Book of Words? I've always loved words and loved reading. And this may sound a little nerdy...ok, very nerdy...but I got this beautiful (once new) unabridged dictionary for Christmas. When I was in kindergarten. (Are you laughing?)

*sigh* It has so many pictures inside to illustrate the thousands of words it contains. I used to just read it for the fun of learning new things. And before you preconceive any notions about me, let me say that I am pretty well adjusted in spite of this nerdy state of mind.

It is well worn. The packing tape seems to hold it in shape enough to get by. I guess I don't have to say that this book is roughly 35 years old.

In homeschooling my son, I have yet to teach him about dictionary.com (gasp from the audience). That's really an easy site to use, and I didn't want him to rely on the easiest method of searching for words and definitions. I am teaching him how to use the good, old-fashioned printed dictionary (although he has an age appropriate version with all the words created in the last 10 years due to the internet).

I think one of my new favorites is the email sign-up for the "Word of the Day" on the home page of dictionary.com. Perfect for any word lover. Might I recommend it for homeschooling your child?

I'd love to hear about any cool sites you know focused on words and how we use them.

Until later,

TCB



What I'm Reading Now

I'll admit I'm a book-a-holic. Usually, I can be found juggling several books at once. If I'm not reading a book, then you know I must be SO BUSY I'M READY TO SHOOT MYSELF.

Thought I'd tell you what I'm reading in January and February, in case it is something you don't know about.

(1) "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. I'm only a few chapters into this one, but the overall theme is teaching Christians who want to be wholehearted for God how to shed their lukewarm ways. One point that stood out to me so far is about how we so often come to prayer with our laundry list of "please help-me's." In Revelation Chapter 4 we get a brief picture of the God we pray to. Chan prompts us to think about how great and majestic He is before we even bother to open our mouths with our prayers. This book has a great web site with short chapter videos, too - http://www.crazylovebook.com

(2) "The Social Media Bible" by Lon Safko & David Brake. Need I say more? Thought I'd learn a little more about the social media fun ride. This big honkin' book is very comprehensive, providing a background to web technology's beginnings. It may be a little basic for those who have been playing in the social arena for a while, but it does serve as a great resource book since it has an expansive index. It is helpful reading for those who want to marry their social media work with marketing endeavors.

(3) "Modern Essentials: A Contemporary Guide to the Therapeutic Use of Essential Oils" by Abundant Health LLC. This is a very reader-friendly medicinal resource book about how to use essential oils to treat common ailments. I have used this book effectively in conjunction with some of my essential oils to relieve stomachache, toothache, and sinus congestion. The book is even great because it lets you know when an essential oil is safe or not to use on children and if you're preggers.

Happy reading!
TCB