Quick Visit

Remember how I was so late for something, we didn't make it? That event was celebrating my Dad's birthday- big family reunion with people I hadn't seen for years.

I had seen my parents at my niece's wedding and reception the month before but I was looking forward to this big event. I was so sad.

Since we missed the event, my parents stopped by Monday morning for a quick visit. I love my parents so much. 

That day, September 7, was Labor Day. 

It was also the anniversary of when the first fully electric television set was achieved by Philo T. Farnsworth. I remembered to mention it to my Farnsworth friend (and distant relative) at church the day before.

 

Jet and I continued on with literacy activities from Shadow Mountain Publishing's adult and children's calendars for National Literacy Month. #LiteracyAtEveryAge

 

September 7 Start a new book

Draw your child's favorite character

His response was, "I love it, Mom!" 

The Things You Do For Your Kids

Jeremy read the book, "Smile, Pout-Pout Fish," to us then we watched the movie based on the Pout-Pout Fish books. Jet insisted.

Read a Book Day

September 6 was someone special's birthday so I wore my bow earrings.

It was also National Read a Book Day. All of the National Literacy Month calendars from Shadow Mountain Publishing (as well as the "Daily Fun With Your Little One!" calendar from Orem Library) said Read Outside for the literacy activity.

We couldn't read just a book, however. 

#LiteracyAtEveryAge

Seeking Persephone, the Book

Let's talk about Seeking Persephone. I've mentioned over and over that I love the movie. Before I loved the movie, I loved the book.

I read it for the first time many years ago before the concept of a movie for it was even a thing. 

It is, as Sarah Eden describes it, the story of Hades and Persephone set in Regency England. It's got a little bit of Beauty and the Beast vibes, and that happens to be my favorite fairy tale.

It's the story of a woman, Persephone Lancaster, who marries Adam, the Duke of Kielder, to save her family from financial ruin. The duke of Kielder needs a bride to keep his distant relative from inheriting his estate. As the two navigate this new situation that is their marriage, they learn more about one another and learn to love each other wholeheartedly.

I love the sweet clean love story that it is. I love how the two main characters learn to complement each other as they meet different adversities together. I do love supporting characters in the book, who make appearances throughout other books in the series (and related series), sometimes having their own stories.

I definitely recommend this book and of course the movie that follows the book so well. 

September Begins

September 1 was Johann Pachelbel's Birthday. Jet and I watched The Piano Guys "Rockelbel's Canon." Later, Jr. and Lucky did a little Canon in D on the bass.

September 2 was National Blueberry Popsicle Day. We have frozen blueberries. We have otter pops. Jet was trying to figure out how we could get the blueberries combined with the popsicles by putting them inside the wrappers. Ugh. I let him know it would be too messy... and sticky. 

 

September 3 was Skyscraper Day. We didn't put a lot of effort into it but we made a little skyscraper out of graham crackers and frosting. And since skyscrapers are tall, Jet and I talked about words that rhyme with tall. That came from the "Daily Fun With Your Little One!" calendar from Orem Library.

September 4 was Lazy Mom's Day. I was not lazy this year. I was so busy running errands and cleaning, etc. The kids did make dinner, though, and Jr. made no bake cookies for Eat an Extra Dessert Day.

Since it was National Wildlife Day, a few of us went up Kyhv Peak Road to see... turkey vultures... a kettle of turkey vultures. That way we also celebrated Turkey Vulture Day (observed) which was the next day, September 5.

Besides Turkey Vulture Day, September 5 was Be Late for Something Day. We were so late for an event (van troubles) that we didn't make it at all. I was sad. It was a potluck, too, so I ended up having to make dinner. I made salad with some of our garden veggies and bacon for International Bacon Day.

It was World Beard Day so Jr. showed me that he celebrated.

We started watching Seeking Persephone because I missed my monthly watching of it in August. I figured I was being late for something by watching it that day.

Favorite Book I've Read This Year

 

Every once in a while, I come across a book that I love so much that as soon as I finish it, I immediately want to start reading it again. A Lady's Guide to Love and Pirates by Jennifer Moore was such a book for me.

I've read plenty of wonderful books this year, but this has been my favorite. So much excitement, adventure, danger, a claustrophobic scene that I felt along with the character, and of course a sweet love story.

I absolutely would recommend this book and I have a few times already.

Thanks, Jenny, for writing this. I love many of your books but this one is my favorite. 

National Literacy Month

September is National Literacy Month. You know I usually don't keep track of whole month celebrations. I do Shelftember every year, though, and I guess I try to Light the World in December. O.K. So sometimes I do whole month celebrations, even though throughout most of the rest of the year I stick to one day celebrations at a time. Sigh. Whatever. Consistent. Not consistent. Who cares?

The point is this year I found out Shadow Mountain Publishing has calendars of literacy activities for National Literacy Month. There's an adult calendar, a YA calendar, a middle-grade calendar, and a children's calendar. We've got the spread in our family so I printed the calendars out and made them available for my family members. I do like reading challenges. 

I personally have been doing the literacy activities for the adult calendar and doing the literacy activities with Jet for the children's calendar. The other kids can do what they want. I have them available should they wish to use them. #LiteracyAtEveryAge

This is what Jet and I did the first few days of September (in order of adult calendar and children's calendar):

 

September 1 Set a reading goal for September 

Enter children's book giveaway

September 2 Read for 20 minutes

Let your child pick tonight's story

September 3 Read a chapter with a friend

Read a book about animals

This also works for Orem Library's September book club.

September 4 Read a chapter from a new genre

Make funny voices for every character

 

September 5 Share a favorite book recommendation

Read together for 10 minutes  

It's Shelftember

You know I love participating in Shelftember- saving money on groceries. So here we go again.

So far I've:

inventoried our freezer, 

collected and used produce from our garden,

tried out new recipes using what we have (These chicken and dumplings are from a little book from our young married ward at BYU.),

made what I wanted from what we have (mmm, enchiladas, using falling apart corn tortillas and BLTs using homemade bread and tomatoes from our garden),

ground wheat to make homemade bread.  

You know, the usual. 

The KAT's Meow

Jr. Jr.: How does yeast get ready for sleep?

A breadtime baking story.

 

 

 

 

Jet: What does Watchie do?

Mom: You tell me. What does Watchie do?

Jet: Yes. 

 

 

 

 

Mom: We need to decide what to bring to the potluck. Something non perishable.

Jr. Jr.: The undead.

Mom: Uh...

Oh, non perishable! 

You Can Be Productive While Having Fun

Our friend, Stephanie Goodman, is working on another children's book. Nichole and I went over to her house while her daughter was there and the four of us went through a draft of the book together to check how the pictures looked and how the story flowed. It was a very productive gathering but it was also so much fun. I'm excited to see how the finished product turns out. It's a cute story with even cuter illustrations.

Here's a picture Stephanie got of us. 

 

Eat Trail Mix Outside

August 31 was National Trail Mix Day and Eat Outside Day.

Some of us had trail mix and some of us ate outside... in the rain. 

In fact there were several rainy days the end of August. They were quite enjoyable.

 

Mixture of Holidays and Celebrating

We celebrated Jr.'s birthday in August. We spent a few days doing celebrations. It wasn't all on the same day. So here's how we celebrated his birthday and some other holidays around the same time.

August 28 was Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day. I did that in the morning.

It was also National Bow Tie Day so we had Jr.'s birthday dinner of bow tie pasta with homemade alfredo sauce and other yummy stuff and garlic bread and orange soda, of course.

August 28 was also National Thoughtful Day. I added bacon in with Jr.'s birthday dinner even though it wasn't on his list of dinner items. He appreciated it. 

Jr. got earbuds and fabric Thud board for easier traveling. 

He also got banana runts. He likes runts candies.

 

Jet insisted the candles on the birthday cake be in the shape of a "love heart." 

August 29 was More Herbs, Less Salt Day. Lucky got up in the morning and cleaned the table so he could display this for me to see. 

August 20 was Toasted Marshmallow Day. The kids had s'mores. 

Banana Days

There were a couple of banana themed holidays in August. We celebrated around those holidays. See if you can spot how we celebrated "observed."  

Hint: The first day we did not celebrate with bananas. 

 

August 23 was Gene Kelly's Birthday. I wore my bow earrings and had a discussion with other choir members about Gene Kelly movies.

August 24 was National Waffle Day. I made waffles.

 

August 25 was National Banana Split Day. It was also Kiss and Make Up Day. Jeremy joined the kids in "Mom is old" jokes so he had to kiss me to make up for it. Tee Hee.

 

August 26 was Toilet Paper Day. We used toilet paper. It was also National Dog Day. 

We had hot dogs. Jr. Jr. and Lucky went to a Back to School party and brought home hot dogs and buns. 

Jet brought home some water colors from school and decided to draw a treasure map with them, including "X marks the spot". Then he asked me to follow the map with him around the house to find the X, which was made with some PVC. He started putting items around and adding them to the map. He made a banana cannon and we had to "dodge the bananas" and sneak past a tiger and later there was a cow.

Jet: Watch out for the cow. If you open the pen, then the cow will come out.

I love the creativity in my family.

 

August 27 was Banana Lovers Day. It was also Just Because Day. The kids did get to play video games and we did other things just because. 

I participated in an online book club for Hearts of Locke Hill by Krista Jensen just because... I finished the book about an hour before the book club. The audiobook came in on Libby the day before and the ebook came in the day of. When they announced the book for this book club earlier in the month, I was just listening to the book that takes place before this one, Hearts of Briarwall.

Because of that book club, I won another book! 

When You Rescued Me by Sian Ann Bessey