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Midweek Mix-Up #16—A Bible Story Book and Blogging Tips

February 4, 2016 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

4 Feb

We’ve arrived at the middle of the week again, which means time for another midweek mix-up!

Last week, I spent a lot of time figuring out what needs to be done over the next few months in order to attain some goals I have set. That includes upping the amount of new reviews posted each week, possibly even doubling the past amount! Currently, that seems huge, but one thing I want to focus on is write more reviews, which means taking more time for reading.

Midweek Mix-Up Picture 01: Mom and Little Sis

I was trying to get pictures today of little sis for the website (I had an idea for a new banner!), but she decided she wanted Mom to read her her favorite book instead of posing!

I have about fifty print books in my room at the moment that I haven’t read (they’ve been collecting out here for the last year or more!), so it’s my goal to get through all of them. That’s not counting the 300+ on my kindle that I want to read as well! So I’ve got plenty to read, I just have to make sure to take the time.

Right now, I’ve just finished . . .

Resist by Emily Anne Putzke

I’m going back and forth about reviewing this for the website. I loved the story—it’s a true story, fairly well written, and has great historical value. However, there was quite a bit of language at one stage, something I do not appreciate. I will be reviewing this on Goodreads and Amazon, so you can hear my thoughts there, anyway. I’ll include a link in one of these midweek mix-ups when I finish it (hopefully next week).

New reviews this week:

My Big Book of Bible Heroes for Kids by Glen Hascall — This looks like it would be a great birthday present for someone!
Forty-eight short stories focus on various character qualities that people in the Bible demonstrated.

Underground by David Macaulay
In a combination of descriptive text and detailed ink drawings, Macaulay shows all the systems in place under streets to keep cities moving smoothly.

Home on the Blue Ridge by Pablo Yoder — I loved this story, and the rest of the family did too, when Mom read it aloud to us recently.
The Sanford Yoder family, now living at Faith Mission Home, continues to have adventures as the boys explore the mountains and learn more about life.

No Children, No Pets by Marion Holland
When Mother inherits an apartment house in Florida, the children pitch in to help with the work so they can stay there.

Palio, the Wildest Horse Race in the World by Marguerite Henry — Fascinating story about an interesting horse race!
The big dream of Giorgio’s life is to ride in the Palio, the great historical race held every year in the city of Siena, Italy.

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver by E. L. Konigsburg
While they wait for Henry II to be released from Purgatory, Eleanor of Aquitaine, her mother-in-law, a knight and an abbot pass the time by telling stories from Eleanor’s life.

Interesting and encouraging blog posts:

Do Your Kids Really Know What You Believe? (Not Consumed) — While it is for Moms, this post was really thought provoking. What do I want to teach my children? How will they think about these important issues? Very, very good thoughts here.

But I Homeschool to Keep My Kids From Being Exposed to Worldliness (Not Consumed) — Another one for Moms, this post was also really thought provoking. Very interesting perspective.

James Scott Bell Shares His Process For Brainstorming A New Story (Go Teen Writers) — A fascinating blog post. While I might not follow these exact steps, it does provide a great pattern to study and tweak to make it work for you.

From Blunderer to Blogger: A Cautionary Tale (Money Saving Mom) — Ouch! This hits home more than I’d like to admit.

When God Asked Me To Give Up My Dream (The Rebelution) — Wow. This is well worth the read. I’ve had this experience at least once, possibly more, and while it isn’t fun it’s also wonderful to know that He has a plan—even if I don’t.

Tool of the week:

screenshot of Aspect Ratio Calculator website

Aspect Ratio Calculator is something I use multiple times a week to make sure my pictures are all the right sizes when resized. Plug in the numbers you have, and what you want to end up with, and it will instantly give you the other number you need. It’s slick, easy, and fast. I use it for every blog post I write (so the image in the email won’t end up too big), and I also use it for each review I post as well, along with other miscellaneous things. This is a very handy tool!

Well, that’s it for this week! Next week, I’m thinking of a free resources post, such as planners, programs, apps, and such like. Anything you would add to a list like that?

–Esther

Our Favorite Snacks (Recipe Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 2

February 2, 2016 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

2 Feb

Hello, again! Today, I’d like to share our family’s two most favorite snacks. These are eaten a lot around here—as in, almost everyone has one kind or the other each day.

The nice thing about these is that they’re simple enough that with a little supervision, my six-year-old brother can make them himself! He thought he’d like to show you how to do it, too.

First, he shows how to make Cheese Bread.

Ingredients:

A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
Mayonnaise
Slice of cheese
Optional: Prepared mustard

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a thin layer of mayonnaise, lay a slice of cheese on top, and grill for a minute or two until the cheese has melted. Optionally serve it with prepared mustard—some of us like it that way, and others don’t.

Then, he shows how to make Cinnamon Toast.

Ingredients:

A piece of toast (can be untoasted—works either way)
Butter
Cinnamon sugar (we usually mix ¼ part cinnamon with ¾ parts sugar)

Directions:
Take a piece of toast, spread on a layer of butter (thickness depends on preference), sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, and grill for a minute or two until the butter has melted.

These two are super-easy, but very yummy! Sometimes, instead of putting cheese on the cheese bread, we’ll slice fresh tomatoes onto the mayonnaise and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. That, too, is a delicious, easy snack!

Over to you: Do you usually have a mid-afternoon snack? What are some of your favorite snacks?

Midweek Mix-Up #15: A World War II Novel and Science Books

January 28, 2016 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

28 Jan

I realized today that it’s been a long time since I last had a midweek mix-up and perhaps it’s getting about time for another! (For one thing, my “links to share” folder is getting very full!)

Little brother wading in the creek out front of our place. He loved it!

We’ve been having beautiful weather the past couple days—rain, that is slowly working at bringing our side of the country back to life after the 1 ½-year drought we’ve just had. Perfect weather for reading, although I haven’t read as much as I wanted to—there have been to many other things that I’ve also wanted to get done!

Reading lately:

Resist by Emily Ann Putzke
Progress: 40%

Emily sent this to me as an advance reader copy—it will be released next month. I’ve been finding the story fascinating! Even though it is written as a fictitious autobiography, it’s basically a biography of a fascinating man—Hans Scholl—and how he worked against the Nazis through publishing a leaflet. The historical value in this story is high—well researched, and presented in an interesting way. I have come across some words I don’t appreciate (taking God’s name in vain and some swearing), but overall so far I recommend the story. View the trailer here!

New reviews this week:

Corner Booth by Chautona Havig
After sharing a booth with a complete stranger at a local cafe, Carlie ends up meeting him for lunch every week—even though he never says a word to her.

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney — Favorite childhood picture book!
Miss Rumphius has fulfilled her dreams of traveling the world, but what can she do to make the world a more beautiful place, as her grandfather told her to do?

Hidden Rainbow by Christmas Carol Kauffman — I really enjoyed this story, just like I’ve enjoyed all the other CCK books I’ve read!
Living in a strongly Catholic village in Serbia in the early 1900s, the Olesh family had a difficult time learning the truth.

Mystery in the Frozen Lands by Martyn Godfrey
13-year-old Peter is with an expedition in the High Arctic, searching for Sir John Franklin’s missing expedition.

The House That George Built by Suzanne Slade
One of George Washington’s jobs, as the first President of the United States, was to design and have built a house for the president to live in.

Exploring Creation With Human Anatomy and Physiology by Jeannie Fulbright and Brooke Ryan — Personally, I’ve grown to really appreciate Apologia’s science. This book (as well as the one below) both sounded like great textbooks when Mom was doing it with the boys! I’ve used two of their highschool science textbooks, and both were excellent.
A God-honoring study of the human body and all its systems, for elementary-age children.

Exploring Creation With Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day by Jeannie K. Fulbright
This is an in-depth study of birds, bats, flying reptiles, and insects, for elementary-age children.

Interesting and encouraging blog posts:

The 4 Types of Productivity Styles (99u) — I’m a mix of the Planner and the Visualizer (I love color!). Lots of really fascinating and helpful tools and programs here, too.

A List of Smells and Tastes (Go Teen Writers) — This is a great list! Lots of wonderfully descriptive words, and there’s a printable PDF, too, if you wish to go that way! I’ll be keeping this link around—it will be very handy!

From the Keurig to the French Press (Kindred Grace) — This is a beautiful, encouraging article. So often, I too find myself busy with not enough time to relax and be thankful for what God has given me. A great reminder of where our priorities should be!

Twitter 101 by Dora Hiers (Seriously Write) — I think I need to read over this post every few weeks, until I really “get” how this whole Twitter thing works. This was very helpful, though!

The Only Habit You Need as a Writer (The Write Practice) — Very encouraging blog post, and very practical. Just sit down and string some words together, it’s that simple. Simplicity is sometimes so needed! This is one of the things I want to keep working on!

Be Brave (Everyday Encouragements) — It’s so easy to be fearful, and so hard to step out in faith sometimes. This beautiful blog post/devotion is very encouraging and thought-provoking.

In God’s Waiting Room by Jodie Wolfe (Seriously Write) — You know the thing I love about Seriously Write? It’s Christian, unapologetically Christian. In this challenging post, Jodie shares how sometimes we do need to wait on God’s timing—but that is no reason to stop improving altogether! I was encouraged and inspired through these simple, yet profound thoughts.

Well, that’s it for this week! I’d do more, but it’s already late and I want to get to bed on time. Have a wonderful rest-of-the-week!

–Esther

Rice and Tomato Soup Recipe (Video) | Khemists in the Kitchen, Episode 1

January 26, 2016 by Esther Filbrun · Leave a Comment

26 Jan

Want a quick and easy, but fairly filling soup? This rice and tomato soup recipe is a great choice—and one our family loves!

A few months ago, a friend of mine reminded me of the attempted recipe video series I started about two years ago (in total, I made three videos). Since then, I’ve learned a little more about how I do things, and creating a recipe video every week is not one of those things I can continue very long.

However, since at the time I was planning a trip, I decided this would be fun to schedule while I was gone. The videoing was completed fairly quickly, the videos made—but I didn’t have time to write the blog posts. Sigh.

Here is the first installment now, made by yours truly with the help of my wonderful brothers.

Rice and Tomato Soup Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked rice
2 cups of whole tomatoes, with the juice (we use canned tomatoes)
1/4 tsp. salt
several good shakes of black pepper
slight sprinkle of cayenne powder (or chili powder, if you have it—please don’t do as much as in the film, unless you like things very spicy!)
crushed medium-sized clove of garlic

Directions:
Add everything together in a pot, and stir well. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and serve with grated cheese. Enjoy! (And don’t burn your tongue!)

For our family (9 people, but some small children), we usually use about 6–8 cups of cooked rice, and about 2–3 quarts of tomatoes. The rest of the ingredients are put in according to the mood of the cook—some like it spicy, some don’t, some like a lot of garlic, some don’t, etc. It’s always a popular choice, often chosen for birthday meals around here!

As a way to add some quick protein to the meal, we’ll often bake sausages to go along with this. Maybe add a lettuce salad as well—usually does the trick to fill everyone up.

One interesting note on the origin of this recipe: We’re at least the third generation in our family to be making this. I showed this video to my grandma a while ago, and she said this is quite changed from when she had it as a girl. Her mom used to pull cold rice from the fridge, and dump some tinned tomatoes on top. So for her, simply heating it up is an improvement to the recipe! I’m not sure if I’ve even ever had it cold.

Hope your family will enjoy this simple, but delicious dish! And next week I’ll share another favorite family food!

Over to you: Have you ever had rice and tomato soup? If you have, was it made about the same way? If you haven’t, do you think you’d enjoy it?

New Year Thoughts

January 11, 2016 by Esther Filbrun · 3 Comments

11 Jan

(Written right before the new year, but it got stuck in the pipes somewhere.)

New year.

What’s your new year looking like so far? For me, it’s looking busy. The holidays always bring more traffic through the motel and campground where I work, and since I’m in the southern hemisphere we have summer right now, too—which means extra busy!

So when you’re thinking of new year, what do you imagine? I always think of a time when I review the last year, see what I accomplished—and what I didn’t, see where I need to improve, and where things are going fairly well. I also think of making new plans—deciding what I want to aim for in the next few months, and what I need to do to complete them.

I also wonder if it’s worth all the effort of making high-reaching goals, ones that I know I might not have the time for in the end. Because, like it or not, I’m still going to be the same Esther when the clock hits five-past-midnight on New Year’s morning. I’m still going to struggle with the same faults I do now.

But then I think—if I don’t have a goal; if I don’t have anything to aim for, then I’m going to hopelessly drift. So I’m making plans. I’m challenging myself to do my work faster, better, and make more progress.

A few of my goals include:

Hosting some giveaways here. I love giveaways!
Being more proactive about keeping things on time
Signing up for another affiliate program or two (so you have more choices to chose from!)
Reading through the Bible in a year with my friend (we’re doing a chronological study; I think this’ll be fun!)
Being more consistent with my bedtime routine
Reading and reviewing lots of books!

I don’t think that’s everything that’s going to end up on my list, and most have definite goal numbers and due-by dates attached to them.

So how about you? What plans for the new year are you making?