Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder ~ Book Review

Little House in the Big Woods is the first in this classic children's literature series of homesteading and early prairie life by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have not read this book since I was a kid. None of my own children had interest in the series, much to my disappointment, so I thought I would jump on board with Barbara at Stray Thoughts and her Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge which happens in February.

 It was fun to revisit the story, but one thing I was struck by rereading as an adult was how "elementary" the writing was. Of course, I didn't remember something like that from reading it as a child.

 Laura's story in this book scans about a year of her life from the age of 4. There were a few things that stood out to me reading it this time around. Even though I watched the Little House on the Prairie series, again as a young person, and had a somewhat visual  in my mind, I was still struck by how difficult and filled with hard work the pioneer life really was. Just a few of the things from the book that jumped out was how disciplined the children in the story were (for the most part, with some exceptions) and how hard they actually helped out with different aspects around the house that was really hard work at such a young age. I think of kids nowadays at that age and how easy their lives are now in North America. I really enjoyed the descriptions of how they had to prepare foods for the winter. We take so much for granted with grocery stores having all our foods readily available without the hard work. The simpleness of their existence in terms of things they had was also something that really stood out. We have so much stuff nowadays that we think are so essential to our survival, when it's really for our comfort and overt luxury. The sheer isolation of life on the prairies back then boggled my mind. That's something I never really thought about before. Being a bit more of an extrovert than introvert I wonder how I would take to something like that. All I can say about the homesteading life of that time is that I'm sure glad that God knew what He was doing and put me into this time as I don't know how I would have survived all that the prairie life required.

 Reading Challenge Goals Met: A book from my childhood, a popular author's first book, a book based on or turned into a tv show

Will also be linked to Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books

Friday's Fave Five #319

It's Friday, one of my favourite days for many reasons, one of which is joining in with all of you to look back over the week and notice our 5 favourite blessings for the week.  Sometimes it's super easy to find five and sometimes it's darn hard but there is always some to be found.  Sometimes it's all in the perspective.  Thank you to all you faithful participants and welcome to any new or returning!  I'm so grateful you take the time to join in with me.  Guidelines are linked in the sidebar for anyone new.

1.  Fresh paint.  Hubby has been working hard for a couple of weeks now, whenever he can, to freshen up the living room.  Off have come the old chair rails, and a fresh lighter color is going on.  I found a lovely "greige" in Benjamin Moore's "Inukshuk" and we just love it.  We wanted to move away from the yellowy-green toned beige we had and this is a lovely change.  Still trying to decide on the dark colored wall, though.  I'm soooo indecisive when it comes to paint color.  

2.  A new recipe win that will go into the family favourites file.  I love when I try a new recipe and it actually turns out really delicious and I have a new family favourite.  This recipe that I shared at the beginning of the week did just that.  This may just motivate me to start working my way through the scads of recipes to try that I have filed on my computer.

3.  Chores done = free weekend.  Laundry is done, vacuuming done, groceries done.  Wow, what will I do with my weekend?  I feel a book or two calling my name!

4.  Purring furball.  I love the late evenings when my sweet old kitty crawls up next to me on the couch for some cuddling and purring.  It's such a lovely, relaxing way to end the day.

5.  Wonderberry Chocolate Truffle  tea.  When my youngest and I went to the Women's Conference in October we stopped at the mall in Calgary.  We went into a tea store and they had all sorts of lovely teas to try including a Christmas flavor:  Wonderberry Chocolate Truffle .  It was delicious.  But we walked away because it was ridiculously expensive.  When hubby took me to the Mall last weekend we stopped into the same tea store and lo and behold the very same tea was 70% off.  Score.  And I got the last can! It was like it was just patiently sitting waiting for me to come back on Valentine's day so that it could go home with who it was intended for.  LOL.   Sorta makes you wonder how they can justify the huge price hike though, doesn't it?  But at any rate, the tea tastes extra rich and delicious now that I got it at that great deal!

What were your favourite blessings, whether big or small, during your last week?

Seagrass Pier by Colleen Coble - A Hope Beach Novel

Elin Summerall has had a lot on her plate in the last while. After catching a virus that ruined her heart she was lucky to have received a heart transplant and a second chance at life. A young widow and mother she was also caring for her mom who was dealing with early dementia in her 50's. But ever since Elin received her new heart she has been having dreams of being strangled that wake her up in a cold sweat. Knowing that her heart donor had been murdered these dreams are leaving her very unsettled and with unwanted attention from the press and from the donor's murderer. With the police skeptical of any connection between her dreams and the events she is now experiencing, she moves her family to a quiet remote location in Seagrass Pier where she hopes the dreams will stop, her family can be safe and she can finish healing physically in peace. But the dreams and the strange occurrences follow her. And now she must work with Marc Everton, an FBI agent, a man from her past whom she had never wanted to run into again.

 I really enjoyed this story though am finding it hard to write a review because there was a lot going on it. There were sub-plots running that connected back to other stories and characters as this was the 3rd in a series. I had read the second one, Rosemary Cottage reviewed here, and really enjoyed it but it was a while ago and I didn't quite remember the characters. But this book was great as a stand alone read without having to know the details from the first stories.

 The cell memory aspect of the story, where Elin has memories of the donor's murder was interesting. It certainly would be totally unsettling and weird. Though that was the main plot, there were also several story lines revealed throughout the story. A  historical connection with a former owner of the house brings it's own mystery as well as Elin's troubles.  It made for many twists and turns in the plot and caused it to be a real page turner. You just never knew what was going to be revealed next and I never guessed the ending. The love story was clean and sweet which is always a plus in my books.  I did find a bit of how Elin insists and throws herself into the investigation by the FBI agent a little bit unrealistic. I can understand working with him, but him allowing her into some of the dangerous situations rang a little untrue for me, even if he was off-duty and not acting in an official capacity. Without wanting to give away anything in the story, I won't go into more detail than that. Everything was tied together well in the end without anything that left me scratching my head. I really enjoy Colleen Coble's books and this one didn't disappoint in the suspense/romance genre.

Reading Challenge Goals Met:  a book by a female author; a mystery or thriller

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Brussels Sprouts a delicious new way

When at Costco the other day we picked up a beautiful bag of fresh brussels sprouts.  And yes, the correct spelling and pronunciation is Brussels Sprouts with the "s".  Who knew?  Brussels sprouts are not something I grew up eating but I loved them from the first time I ever ate them in my husband's favourite dinner recipe.  I tried to find a post of mine with the recipe but apparently it is nowhere to be found on my blog though I have mentioned it several times.  I have got to get around to posting that thing.  It is delicious.  Anyway, today is for a different Brussels sprout recipe that I found either through Pinterest or Foodgawker, not sure which.

It is definitely a different way of preparing the brussels sprouts than I have ever done.  I've always just boiled them whole and served with butter and salt and pepper on them.  And I've never served them cooled off.  This recipe definitely takes a bit more work than just throwing the sprouts into a pot of water, but boy oh boy, is it ever worth the effort!  Everyone raved over these and every bite was eaten!  It got gobbled up before I could even think to take a picture though they did look pretty and appealing in the salad bowl and on the plate.   The recipe is written as a single serving appetizer.  I used it as a side.  In fact, I'll have to keep note that the recipe served 3 of us adults who all had seconds of it, so I'll have to double it if I have more people.  I did do a bit of adapting and I've noted that in the recipe.  I also presented it differently than she did so you might just want to link over and see how she originally did it.   I'll definitely be making this again.


CLEO HOLLYWOOD'S FAMOUS BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Recipe adapted from Recipris (You can click on over to see a picture)

-20 fresh brussels sprouts

-1 1/2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar  **the recipe called for red wine vinegar but I've never liked it and so      didn't have it on hand, so I used seasoned rice wine vinegar**

-1 Tbsp. capers, drained   **I used a little less and I gave them a quick chopping**

-2 Tbsp. sliced almonds

-1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

-salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

-a pinch of red chili flakes, to taste


Preheat oven to 350*F.   Place foil over a baking tray and spray with olive oil.  Set to the side.

Wash and dry the brussels sprouts.  Cut off the ends.  Pull off leaves until you reach the core.  I had to make small slits at the base of the leaves as I went along for them to come off easily.  Place the leaves into a mixing bowl as you go.  Add 1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Toss well and place on the baking tray.  Place on middle rack of oven and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.  You may now snack on the cores as you continue cooking.  ;)

Place almonds in a small fry pan and over medium heat, watching carefully not to burn, toast the almonds.  You can also do them in the oven along with the brussels sprouts, but they must be watched.


Cool both the sprout leaves and the almonds.  Meanwhile in a salad bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil, vinegar, capers, salt, fresh ground pepper, parsley and chili flakes.  Add brussels sprout leaves and almonds and toss.  Serve immediately.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Country... by William Anderson

"The People and Place Behind Laura Ingalls Wilder's LIfe and Books"



I picked this book up for Stray Thoughts Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge. I really enjoyed this "real life" peak and tour into Laura's life. Filled with historical photos and drawings of Laura and her family, family artifacts and pictures of the prairies and homes or replicas thereof where they lived and an engaging commentary. You saw the creek, the farms and landscapes of Laura's life. There were lots of little tidbits that I had never known before that made for a very interesting read. I also found the U.S. map co-ordinated with the different locations of major events of Laura and her families lives very interesting. It really opened my eyes to how much she really did move over her lifetime. Perfect for anyone who has read Laura's books or even watched the tv series to see a real life perspective in photos.

If you'd like to join in on the reading challenge skip on over to Stray Thoughts and join in!

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Friday's Fave Five #318

Oh my good gravy.  I just realized that it is Friday.  Sheesh.  Between a four day head ache and a long weekend last weekend and extra children this week because of reading week in the schools, I"m just a bit kafuffled.  Please forgive me.  I'll put up the link and join in when I can seeing as the kids are already here looking at me to start their day.

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Whew, grabbing a minute here to reflect and look back over the week.  Even though it's been a bit on the crazy side that is the perfect opportunity to take a moment and take notice of the blessings otherwise they might just escape me.

1.  Valentine's Day.  My hubby set out to make it extra special this year.  First he gifted me with my favourite chocolates, which I've mentioned several times.  Then he whisked me off to Calgary for some big city fun.  We went to our favourite haunt, the Calgary Farmer's Market, where they had a strolling barbershop harmony group, a couple of reeeeally young buskers who were quite good, and all that food!!  I even splurged and got a piece of my favorite dessert, a vanilla slice.  It was delicious.  Then it was off to the Cross Iron Mill Mall where one can get lost for hours.  He didn't even rush me in my favourite stores.  We shopped for an extra special gift for my daughter's birthday, she turns 25 this week.  (I can't believe I even typed that!!).  And then he had yet another surprise in store for me.  He let me pick out a purse at the Coach Outlet store.  Well if you know me and purses, let's just say he knows his way to this girl's heart.  A little dinner at his favourite pasta restaurant and our valentine's day was complete.   We rarely celebrate valentine's this extravagantly but I guess Cupid's arrow must have got him this year.  Yay for me!

2.  Just Breathe Wax Melt by Scentsy.  With my plugged up sinuses and headaches this week, this scent was awesome in helping to unclog and relax me this week.  I needed all the help I could get.

3.  Friendship.  When my friend, who is not working at the moment, heard I wasn't feeling that great, she showed up with a Starbucks and a helping hand.  Such an appreciated gift!

4.  Down Alternative duvet.  Our comforter was really getting bunched and old so after humming and hawwing for months on what kind of blanket to get for our bed we chose a down alternative. Being of European descent,  I had originally wanted an actual down filled one but in my researching and reading they recommended not laying on top of it as it would crush the down and lose it's loft.  Well with Sunday afternoon snoozes by hubby and escape lounging and reading by me and the dog who thinks he's a human sleeping on top we sorta came to the conclusion that a down fill was just not for us.  Then we found this one that can be washed and dried and has a 5 year warranty to keep it's loft at basically 1/3 of the price so we gave it a go.  And it. is. wonderful!!  The only drawback?  It's tough getting out of bed in the morning the thing is so comfy!

5.  Easy peasy evenings.  Again with the week that it was, it was nice not to have be running around with things to do in the evenings.  I spent them quietly chilling watching tv or reading.  I so appreciated that!

What were your favourite blessings this week?

"The Hundred Foot Journey" by Richard C. Morais ~ Book Review

Young Hassan Haji grew up learning about the love of food and cooking from his mother. Surrounded by spicy Indian foods cooked in their restaurant and the food markets of Mumbai his mother passed on her love of trying new foods and gourmet outings on to her son. But when tragedy strikes the family, their father takes the family on a journey out of India, all across Europe and finally settles in England. But when again circumstances dictate a move the family unwittingly ends up in a small picturesque village in France called Lumiere. When purchasing the mansion across the street from a very high class inn and restaurant, the family opens up their own Indian cuisine restaurant, Madame Mallory, the Michelin award winning chef,  must face her own issues of fear, mistrust and entitlement. As they wage culinary wars against each other, young Hassan is still drawn to the French way of cooking and Madame Mallory realizes that he is a truly gifted chef. When yet another tragedy strikes, Madame Mallory at last gives in to what she knows she must do, and that is to train Hassan in the art of French cuisine knowing he will make his mark in the world with his gift. Hassan leaves his family and crosses the hundred feet across the road to become a student of Miss Mallory leaving his Indian way of life and cooking behind.

 First off, I must qualify that I saw and fell in love with this movie before I read the book. The movie, to me was wonderful with incredible scenery and food photography. It gave you a real sense of the love and beauty of "real" food and the wonder of preparing it, both French and Indian. I loved the love story line, the friendship story line, the story of overcoming prejudice and fear. I loved how Hassan, his father and Madame Mallory changed and grew in the movie.

 Now the book. In a very rare case for me, I did not like the book as much as the movie. This is the second time this has happened to me in a story that featured cooking and food, the first being Julie and Julia reviewed here #27. While I guess this story was an ok read, it covered a much longer time period in Hassan's life than did the movie, which is only natural. But the thing that I found so different, and it took me a long time of thinking about it and to pin-point it, was that the book was missing the sweetness, the charm and the humor that the movie had. The movie story veered off the book in a lot of places and I found that I liked the changes and liberties that Steven Knight, the movie screenplay writer, had taken. While the movie brought out the beauty of food, I found the book actually grossed me out in a lot places. The father was written as a man of less than charming characteristics who didn't seem to change a whole lot like he did in the movie. There was descriptions of some things about him that really were useless to the story, in my opinion, but left a yuck image to me, the reader. Madame Mallory was a much more unlikeable character than even the movie portrayed and I found I mistrusted her true motives at the end even though she did take young Hassan under her wing. The book got into some of France's ins and outs of owning restaurants that may or may not have interested me so much. And I didn't like the character of Hassan in the book as much as I liked him in the movie, he didn't have that air of innocence that the movie gave him. So in this case, I hate to say, but I know I will re-watch the movie over and over but I will take a pass at reading the book again, though I guess it was good to read it to find out the original way the author intended the story to be.

Book Challenge Goals Met:  A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit; a new to you author; a book that became a movie; a book with a number in the title; a book set in a different country

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Friday's Fave Five #317

Welcome to our Valentine's week Friday's Fave Five.  Looking for our blessings through the week is a weekly discipline that we practice so that even in the roughest and hardest of times we can see the good in our lives.  Care to join us?  If you are new just click on the sidebar FFF pic and it will take you to the guidelines.  Then just join on in!

Seeing it's Valentine's this weekend, I'm personally going to look for blessings that God gives me in the gift of my hubby this last week.  Sometimes married couples, especially ones who have been married over 30 years such as myself,  tend to take for granted or don't even notice those little things that make your spouse a blessing on a daily basis.  So I'm looking back over this last week and noticing how my man has been a blessing to me.

1.  He scrubs the pots.  Every single day.  Oh yes, he does!  I pretty much have not washed a pot in years. I don't say it near enough but I soooo appreciate that!

2.  He very bravely took me to the bookstore.  And if you know me at all, you know why I call him brave for that.  I can spend hours in there.  But he takes me anyway because he knows it makes me happy.  Sometimes he comes in and sometimes he waits in the car.  But for the most part he doesn't rush me.  He lets me get my fix.

3.  He is repainting the upstairs all on his own.  With the carpal tunnel issue I am not much help.  After a very short time my hands hurt so bad I have to quit.   He's basically taken on the job.  He needs to do repair work and everything and yet he just plugs away at it whenever he can get to it.  It's a big job to do all on one's own in one's spare time and he never complains.  In fact, he is amazing at keeping up our home.

4.  He compliments my cooking most every single night.  Even when, in my opinion, it hasn't turned out so great.  Even when I experiment with strange flavors. Even when it's something super basic and simple.   He makes it fun to cook for him.  

5.  He gets up earlier than the rest of us to seek God.  And most of all, this is the biggest blessing.  He prays for our little family every single day.  He brings our cares and our sometimes chaos before the throne room of God.  I know my kids are covered in prayer for all the issues they face and decisions they must make.  It brings great comfort to me to know that he does that.

I could go on further but those are ones from this past week that I took note of.

What are your favourite blessings from your last week?  

And whether or not you have a Sweetie in your life at the moment I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day doing what you like to do!

Help a girl out

Has anyone out there had carpal tunnel surgery?  Care to let me know what you think?  I might be facing that this summer and, truth be told, I'm very much on the fence about it.   I'd like to know your opinion if you've gone through it.

"You Are Here - Around the World in 92 Minutes" by Chris Hadfield

Chris Hadfield is a Canadian astronaut and icon. During his last space mission on the International Space Station from December 2012 to May 2013, he inspired generations of children and adults as he tweeted from space, sang and played guitar in space and had  classroom conferences with school children in live time from space.  He lit a fire for science and exploration that I'm sure we'll still see the results of as this generation of children grow and turn into adults and choose their careers.  As he orbited the earth every 92 minutes and as the earth also was rotating he took about 45,000 photographs.  These are his favourites.  Grouped into countries, it's a visual wonder looking at his photographs and reading his short descriptions.  It's a view of our planet and landmarks from a whole other perspective.  Not wanting the photos to just look like a satellite image, he took them with an human element and point of view in mind.  They are amazing.  How different parts of a map look like a whole other 3D thing as it's seen whizzing by, the differences in continents and actual recognition of divisions of countries, the beauty of cities and the incredible actions of nature are described by Hadfield in sometimes a very witty way.  Totally enjoyed this book.  A treat visually and descriptively.

Reading Challenge Goals Met:  a book you can read in one day, non-fiction, new to me author

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Yes, I'm Going to Go There

With all the brouhaha swirling the social media about "that"  movie to be released this weekend, I feel I just need to get my thoughts out in black and white.  Never would I have thought I'd be discussing this on the blog in any other terms but in reference to choosing paint color.  And truth be told, on the blog, I tend to avoid the controversial in fear of being too vulnerable but at this point I just have to sort out my head and heart.

And my heart, well, it is grieved.  On so many levels.  While I have not read the Fifty Shades of Gray books, nor do I ever plan to, I do think I have read enough of the debate and seen enough of the constant trailers that I am bombarded with on every channel of tv during prime time over the last two weeks, that I have some thoughts on the matter.

While I can get on the band wagon about the apparent explicit nature of the bedroom scenes within the book, and the whole issue of pornography and it's effects on families,  I know we all have read all of that.  What boggles my mind and grieves my heart the most is from everything I have read about the books and seen in the movie trailers is that it deals with domination, subservience and inflicting pain in a dating and sexual relationship.  That women have crossed that border and are soaking it up in droves makes me shudder.  What concerns me is that while we are getting our jollies and thrills reading this stuff and are now about to flock to theatres to see this stuff, are we not thinking beyond that?   What has happened in our culture that we now as women, find it acceptable to be smacked and whipped and dominated, even if "only" in our reading and entertainment material?  And much as we rise up and make a great outcry against abuse, let me say this... when we purchase the books and the movie tickets we are speaking loud and clear to authors and Hollywood that we as women are cheering on their perverted view of love and accept that that is how it now is.  Let me repeat that ladies:  we are speaking loud and clear with our $$$.

Here in Canada, we just spent a year watching a very well known and popular radio broadcaster, fall from his pinnacle when women started coming out and accusing him of abuse in their relationships. His excuse was he liked it rough and it was his business and it was consensual.  Not so the women said, it started consensual but didn't end up that way.  We all jumped on the side of the abused and cheered when this guy was brought down, lost his lucrative job and charged with 7 counts of sexual abuse and one count of overcoming resistance by choking.  And yet, on the same token, in the very same time period,  we are telling authors and movie makers, yes please, give us more of this titillating, scandalous stuff for our reading and viewing pleasure.  How hypocritical are we being?

What concerns me the most and grieves my heart the most is the very mixed message we are sending our young people, girls and boys alike.  We are telling them it's ok and it's the norm to bring violence and "roughness" into your relationships, that it's normal and ok to be dominated and hurt in the bedroom because that's how he likes it.  We are letting our children know it's okay to get our thrills reading and watching it even if we don't participate in it ourselves.  It has nothing to do with our "real lives" and absolutely nothing to do with our church lives.  Yes, I did bring church ladies into it because I know lots who are reading it.  (And that is a whole other post on what the bible says about our thought life and what we let enter our hearts).   What is the message we are sending our daughters?  Do we want our daughters experiencing that kind relationship and thinking that is what a Godly, loving sexual relationship is?  That's it ok to experiment with violence and get pleasure from it?  What are we voicelessly telling our sons?  That pornography is ok and causing another person physical pain is normal and acceptable?   We are kidding ourselves and have bought into a lie.  I  just shake my head and want to cry to think of my daughters in that kind of situation or my son perpetrating that onto a woman in the name of love.

Well in my household I am saying it's not okay.  Just as we all shook our fists and said it was not ok when the radio dude tried to say it was in real life, we are saying it's not ok in fantasy either.  We are shouting out that what we speak with our dollars speaks louder than words.  We are making our stand so that our kids hopefully will have good and pure relationships that last them a lifetime.  While I will certainly not be participating in any kind of picketing or anything like that at theatres I will keep our conversation open at home and not let the books or Hollywood have the only say.

I guess what I'm hoping with putting myself out there on this topic is that we as women pause to think beyond the moment and open our hearts to what is really going on in our culture and really think through if this is the way we want it to go.  So now that I have dusted off my soapbox and got all of that off my heart and mind, I know you all are itching to comment.  Please keep it civil and clean.  Any comments with swearing, smut talk, or the personal tearing down of another commenter will be deleted.

Hansi: The Girl Who Loved the Swastika by Maria Anne Hirschmann

This is the true story of Maria Anne who as a young Chechoslovakian teenager in 1940 won a scholarship to a Nazi school in Prague.  Maria Anne's mother died when she was very young and her father gave her away to another family to raise but would never give them permission to adopt her yet had nothing to do with her.  This made her foster father never quite accept her as one of his own, though her foster mother loved her deeply and treated her with love and taught her how to pray and love God.  However, Maria Anne always felt the deep rejection of her foster father and her real father and therefore when the chance to get away from the home life and poverty she knew through the scholarship she jumped at the chance.  She was thrilled that she could have an education for free and was honored to have passed the tests and been chosen out of all the participants.  At fourteen, as her train pulled away, her tearful foster mother's words "Don't ever forget Jesus" went with her.  But once at the school Maria Anne went on a years long journey of learning atheism and blind devotion to Hitler and the Nazi system. Through years of war and hardship she vehemently stuck up for what she thought was a better Germany coming.   When she finally came to have her eyes opened to what Hitler and his regime had actually done and the cowardice of Hitler's suicide, totally disillusioned,  she made a frightening escape across the Communist border into West Germany and into a renewal with her relationship with Jesus.  After being treated kindly by the American soldiers after her escape, Maria Anne always had a desire to move to America .  Eventually the opportunity presented itself and she and her family moved to New York.  But things were not as they had imagined it to be at first and they were overwhelmed with their own poverty trying to establish themselves and with their observance of careless affluence of others in America.  But as they worked to find their footing in this new land with all it's new customs and ways the one thing they took to heart was the freedom they had to make of themselves what they dreamed and the freedom to talk about and teach their deepest Christian convictions.

This was an old book from the '70's that I picked up some years ago.  I thought it sounded like an interesting story and I wondered at the author's perception of being right inside the Nazi youth.  Her life makes quite the story in everything she saw and experienced as she was immersed and deceived  into the culture of the Nazi's reign.  What really spoke to me in the story was how this family has taken their freedom here in America and truly appreciate it and revel in it.  The wonder that they have in being able to share their faith is fresh and inspirational.  Coming from freedom my whole life sometimes I feel I slip into an almost apathetic place in truly realizing what I have.  But this book really made me more aware of that.  It was also very interesting reading someone's story who had been right smack in the middle of Europe during World War II getting caught up in Hitler's Germany.  It was a great testament to God's forgiving power and ability to totally change a life.

Book challenge goals met:  a memoir, a book by a female author, a non-fiction, a book set in another country, a book based on a true story, a book at the bottom of your to read list

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books

Friday's Fave Five #316

Hi everyone!  Welcome to  Friday's Fave Five.  It's that day of the week to look back and take note of those things that were blessings in our weeks.  Please join in!

A note about commenting once again.  If anyone is interested, Gattina has figured out that to fix that commenting issue of some people not being able to comment on a certain format, if you want to change your format just go into your blogger settings, then into "posts and comments" and then choose "pop-up window".    Thanks Gattina.


1.  Some really neat photos on this post.  One of these fine years I would love how to do that.

2.  Purging frenzy continues.  The big purge continues.  I've just been on a rampage going through my storage areas, playroom, craft room and closets and getting rid of everything I no longer wear, use or love.  I've even been able to get rid of lots of items that in past purges just have not been able to let go.  This year they are gone.  I've done about 4 big bags and/or boxes that have gone to the second hand store.  Anything not suitable to that hit the garbage can.  And I haven't looked back.  I've got a big box of books that are going to visit the second hand book store tomorrow.  It feels so good to actually have that space on my shelves.  My kitchen cupboards are going to be next.  They were done a couple of years ago when we reno'd the kitchen but I'm sure they could use it again.  It's amazing how things I don't really use creep in there.

3.  Hot teas on cold nights.  This week I've been enjoying some nice herbal teas I've forgotten I had.  I don't drink coffee past a certain time in the day due to the caffienne and a pesky little thing it does with my sleep at night.  And I also don't have a taste for coffee when I'm not feeling well, so the herbal teas have been very satisfying.  Black cherry, peppermint, lemon meringue, coconut vanilla.  Yum!

4.  Warm scarves and gloves that keep me toasty warm when I have to go out.  It's been a chilly week here in Southern Alberta so I love digging out my nice warm knitted items.

5.  Warm weather coming this weekend.  Yes, our weather is a bit extreme.  This weekend we will be well above freezing yet again.  So by today all the snow that blew in last weekend should be gone.  I'll take it.  It's nice to get out in the sunshine and warmth every chance we get before the next cold spell.  Winter is not yet over here so I'll take advantage.

What were your favourites this week?

Miracle on Voodoo Moutain by Megan Boudreaux ~ Book Review

"A Young Woman's Remarkable Story of Pushing Back the Darkness for the Children of Haiti"

Publisher's Description:


"It took months of God waking me up in the middle of the night before I realized I was the one He was calling to leave my comfortable American life and move to Haiti."

 Miracle on Voodoo Mountain is the inspirational memoir of an accomplished and driven 24-year old who quit her job, sold everything, and moved to Haiti, by herself-all without a clear plan of action. Megan Boudreaux had visited Haiti on a few humanitarian trips but each trip multiplied the sense that someone needed to address the devastation-especially with the children, many of whom were kept as household slaves on the poverty-stricken and earthquake-devastated Caribbean island.

 God guided her every step as she moved blindly to a foreign land without knowing the language, the people, or the future. From becoming the adoptive mother of former child slaves, to receiving the divine gift of the Haitian Creole language, to starting, building, and running a school for more than 500 children, "the amazingness of what God did after I made the choice to be obedient is incredible," said Megan.

 Three years later, six acres on Bellevue Mountain in Gressier is the home of the nonprofit Respire Haiti at the former site of voodoo worship, and in the area that many still come to make animal sacrifices, Megan and her staff of nearly 200 are transforming this community as they educate, feed, and address the needs.

 About the Author 

 Megan Boudreaux, at the age of 24, founded Respire Haiti, a non-profit to fight for the freedom of Haiti's estimated 300,000 child slaves. Megan followed God's call to begin a feeding program and transform a barren hillside into a refuge and a school for 500 children. A medical clinic is nearing completion with future plans for a church, community center, and library. Megan has adopted four Haitian children and in 2013 she married her best friend, Josh Anderson.

My Thoughts:

To say this memoir is inspirational is an understatement.  To say that it was totally convicting to my own life and that it was perfect timing  is not an exaggeration.  I don't believe it was a co-incidence that this true story came across my radar.  From the first paragraphs Megan's story grabbed my heart and didn't let up.  The book is a very easy read and almost reads like a novel.  From her dreams of a lone tamarind tree on a mountain in Haiti, to packing up her whole American life and moving to Haiti with no plan just a deep conviction that that is what God wanted her to do, to finding out the mountain that was in her dreams was actually a place of voodoo worship and sacrifice, to God opening her eyes to the horrendous situation of child slavery that so many children of Haiti live under, to confronting voodoo priests and sham orphanages, it was all a new experience for 24 year old Megan Boudreaux.  Experiences that drove her to her knees to seek God's guidance and leading.  And she takes you along on that crazy adventure of faith and obedience with her book.

That she went with no real plans and not knowing anyone there or the language boggles my mind.  Everyone thought she was crazy, but she knew she had to be obedient to the call of God.  What she has accomplished with the Lord guiding her in three short years is truly a miracle.  Starting with a Saturday feeding program because she noticed so many of the children were literally starving she wondered why so many children were dressed in rags and hauling water instead of being in school.  As she came to realize the ugly truth of Haiti's child slave culture she set out to bring change by helping to get some of these children to a school they could attend for free.  It evolved into a two room school which they quickly outgrew.  Establishing the non-profit organization Respire Haiti with literally no knowledge of how to do it or how to run it, Megan now has bought land on the mountain which in the past has been the biggest area where voodoo priests have performed their rituals and has built a school which currently has 500 students, a medical center, and a feeding program and a community center, library and church are in the works.  Yet, when Megan has someone say to her "I could never do what you do",  her response is "Don't we serve the same God?  And doesn't He give us all the courage, strength, and boldness we need to do His work?"

For anyone, young and old alike, highly educated or not, this book serves as a great encouragement to exactly that, taking the step to be obedient to what God has showed each individual and then watching Him work the miracle.


 Respire (which means to breathe in and out; to breathe easily again, as after a period of exertion or trouble) Haiti's mission statement is "to encourage, educate, and empower restaveks (child slaves), orpahns and vulnerable children."

Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for sending me a free copy of this book for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

"Miracle on Voodoo Mountain" is available here.

Will also be linked to Semicolon Saturday Review of Books