Winter Wheat

Winter Wheat by Mildred Walker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just finished this for the second time, a few years after reading it for the first time. This time round, I loved it even more and felt that I could connect well with the themes in this novel. The book describes the life of young Ellen Webb and what she learns about love and hate. Whereas last time I related most with Ellen and her lover Gil, this time I really enjoyed the story of her parents. The book seems to address the question "How is true love defined?". It was also written in the 1940s and is a classic. It reminded me of My Antonia in some ways.



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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a really fun mystery novel. I usually get spooked easily but the suspense was just right in this one. I loved how the author (who I learned is a 70+ man) writes about things forgotten, like stamps and stamp collections. The book also included chemistry/poison and magic which made for some pretty interesting whodunit ideas for the reader. The main character was really developed and it was refreshing to read about an eleven year-old girl heroine. Fun read for October!



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For Dad Sequel

A couple years ago I posted about a little froggy on my porch. The post was for my dad because he is a true outdoors-man. I was trying to describe to him that we have frogs, geckos, etc. here. He really loves critters, and was recently wondering about armadillos in Texas. Well dad, here you go. I found one on my porch the other day. He was digging up fire ants for lunch. I wish he would come back and eat some more.

Want Some?

AWESOME BROWNIES: They won't fail you!




My family loves brownies. Usually we just make them from the box, but because I didn't have a box on hand one time when I wanted to bake some up, I decided it was high time I just made them from scratch. For all of you adventurous bakers out there, I thought I would share with you my awesome brownie recipe.

Two things that are KEY to good brownies (in my experience).

1) If you beat the batter you're going to have cakey brownies. If you're going for fudgey, use a wooden spoon to mix the batter. Beating them fluffs the eggs too much.
2) Don't let brownies over cook. As long as the toothpick comes out clean, it doesn't matter how soft they look or feel. Get them outta the oven!

The Recipe: And don't worry, cause it is easy!

In a bowl mix the following with a wooden spoon one ingredient at a time:

1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten (I just stab the yoke with my wooden spoon and incorporate them in to the above ingredients)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. flour (this is where it takes some muscle using that spoon!)
1/4 tsp. salt (sprinkle around the mix before using the spoon so it is well incorporated)
1/4 tsp. baking powder (same as above)

Stir all ingredients well. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes in an 8x8 greased dish.

Frosting: What really makes the brownie!

3 T. softened butter
3 T. cocoa
1 T. Honey (yes honey)
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. powdered sugar

Mix above ingredients together. For best results, frost brownies while they are still warm.

If you live in Texas, don't forget to serve it with the good stuff:



We had this for our FHE treat last night. What does your family like for a treat?