December 2022: the icing on the cake

It’s been quite a month, starting with wrapping up the Scholastic Book Fair at my school, attending The Nutcracker at the Academy of Music, celebrating Hanukkah, and cancelling all our vacation plans because COVID finally caught us (well, two out of three of us). Fortunately, we didn’t feel sick (thank you, vaccines!), and some enforced extra time at home to read, do art, build Lego, catch up on cleaning, and watch movies wasn’t the worst thing.

What we’ve read

The kiddo has been zipping through the Phoebe and Her Unicorn series of graphic novels by Dana Simpson, as well as The 13-Story Treehouse books by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. She also received Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe as a Hanukkah present, and we got the sequel from the library.

As for me, I’ve been reading all the Heavy Medal (Mock Newbery) titles that I hadn’t already read, and discovered some excellent titles I might have missed otherwise. I’ve also been keeping up with Betsy Bird’s “31 Days, 31 Lists” all month, and my to-read list is, of course, growing.

What we’ve made in the kitchen

I, too, received a book for Hanukkah…the new Smitten Kitchen book, Keepers. We’ve already made five recipes from it, and they’ve all been…wait for it…keepers!

Savory

• Vegetarian chili
• Baked macaroni and cheese
• Cornbread
• Green pasta casserole (spinach, cheddar-gruyere, pecorino romano)
• Pizza star bread (Junior Baking Show)
• Butternut Squash soup (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
• Orzo with artichoke hearts (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
• “Angry Grandma” pizza (but not angry) (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
• Potato, onion, and cheese pierogies with scallions
• Sweet potato fries (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)

Sweet

• Lemon Poppyseed cake (Sweet)
• Chocolate vanilla marbled cookies (Rage Baking)
• Snickerdoodle cookies (Flour)
• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Baked French Toast (Smitten Kitchen Keepers)
• Gingerbread cookies (Mary Berry)
• Banana bread muffins (Flour’s banana bread recipe in muffin form)
• Lemon lavender scones (from a mix we received as a gift)
• Bûche de noël (Flour, Too)
• Cranberry orange scones (America’s Test Kitchen)

Gingerbread Catan

Buche de noel

November 2022: We Are Grateful

This month brought us the first snow (just a light dusting), lots of indoor snuggle/cuddle time, trips to the Carle Museum, visits with friends, playground time, a hike up Bare Mountain, Girl Scout meetings, and a trip to the Fiber Festival of New England. And despite a miserable but non-COVID, non-flu illness that took out 1/3 of the family (it was me) for a few days right before Thanksgiving, we did manage to have our first in-person family Thanksgiving celebration since 2019, and it was really lovely.

What we’ve read so far

The kiddo has been enjoying Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar, The 13-Story Treehouse series by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton, the Ada Twist/Questioneers books by Andrea Beaty, the Dealing with Dragons series by Patricia C. Wrede, the Hamster Princess series by Ursula Vernon (again), the Unicorn Diaries series by Rebecca Elliott, and – for the first time – Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

In my adult reading, I’ve especially enjoyed:

• Ducks by Kate Beaton (memoir/graphic novel)
• Well Matched by Jen DeLuca (romance)
• Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan (romance)
• I Miss You, I Hate This by Sara Saedi (YA contemporary)
• Everyone Knows Your Mother Is A Witch by Rivka Galchen (historical)
• How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz (contemporary)
• Seasparrow by Kristin Cashore (YA/adult fantasy)
• The Insiders by Mark Oshiro (middle grade speculative fiction)
• Lightfall by Tim Probert (MG graphic novel)

What we’ve made in the kitchen

Savory

• Focaccia pizza (Flour, Too)
• Malaysian Ramen (Indian-ish)
• Pumpkin galette (Smitten Kitchen)
• Roasted pumpkin seeds
• No-knead Harvest Bread with cranberries and pecans (KAF)
• Breakfast for dinner
• Slow-roasted sweet potatoes (Smitten Kitchen)
• Gruyere and red onion quiche
• Potato and pea samosas

Sweet

• Sparkling gingerbread (Snacking Cakes)
• Linzer cookies with lingonberry jam (King Arthur Flour)
• Chewy chocolate molasses cookies (Martha Stewart’s Cookies)
• Double apple cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Vanilla sprinkle cake with strawberry buttercream frosting (Snacking Cakes)
• Brioche (Flour/Pastry Love)
• Snickerdoodle cookies (Flour)
• Corn Cake (Snacking Cakes)

What we’ve grown

The philodendrons were getting a little wild – time to re-pot! Did the hermit crab thing with those three as well as one ZZ plant, a peace lily, and the lemon tree (now in a beautiful glazed stoneware pot from friends). The lemon tree is blooming, and I’ve been hand-pollinating it with a small paintbrush, as there are no bees to do the job. The Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) bloomed in early/mid-November and produced beautiful light pink flowers all month. “Layering” the pothos kind of worked, and now I really must stop proliferating pothos plants before they take over the house entirely.

What we’ve made

Lots of art, at the Carle and at home, and an elastic waist skirt with patch pockets.

October 2022: Now We Are Seven

Where We’ve Been (and who’s been to visit us)

• An apple orchard for apple picking and playing (and cider donuts) with friends
• Two “baby friends” (friends since they were babies) came to visit for L’s birthday
• Birthday gathering at the park, with lots of friends and pretzel wands and beautiful weather
• Outdoor movie night at school (The Secret World of Arietty, based on The Borrowers)
• Visiting friends (and eating delicious homemade bread, see Mark Bittman recipe below) and playing in the woods
• New York! Brooklyn to see friends and go to playgrounds and eat bagels and pizza, Manhattan for Central Park (including the turtle pond and Belvedere Castle) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And it was the weekend before Halloween, so more people than usual were in costume.
• Trick-or-treating in a friend’s neighborhood nearby

What We’ve Read So Far

The kiddo is a reader. Some of her recent favorites are below:

• Two of the Narnia books (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and The Magician’s Nephew)
• The Unicorn Rescue Society (all six so far)
• Dealing with Dragons and Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
• Graphic novels: Aster by Thom Pico, Zita/Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke, Witches of Brooklyn by Sophie Escabasse, Garlic and the Vampire/Witch by Bree Paulsen, Catstronauts by Drew Brockington, Ollie & Bea by Renee Treml
• The Littles by John Peterson

What We’ve Made in the Kitchen

• Roasted pumpkin seeds (Taste of Home) (Separating the seeds from the pumpkin guts is not my favorite but it’s worth it, and no one else my in household likes them so I get them all to myself)
• Quick pickled radishes (Taste of Home)
• No-Knead Bread (Mark Bittman)
• Ciabatta (Pastry Love)
• Sweet potatoes and rutabaga with brown butter and sage (Good Housekeeping) (Ben found and made this one)
• Pulled mushroom tacos (Lazy Cat Kitchen)
• Pizza Star Bread (Liam Charles)
• Beet and carrot salad with lemon and lime (The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen Cookbook)
• Waffles (Cuisinart)
• Carrot-raisin-ginger muffins (King Arthur Flour) (Ben made these)
• Sparking gingerbread (Snacking Cakes)
• Pretzel wands with white chocolate and sprinkles
• Cocoa yogurt cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies (Good to the Grain)
• Salted brown butter crispy treats (Smitten Kitchen)

What we’ve grown

The outdoor season is just about done. I cleared out the plants that were finished, weeded, put in a new hydrangea, moved all the berry bushes to one of the raised beds. To surprise myself next spring, I planted some garlic and some flower bulbs (crocuses, tulips, and maybe “glory of the snow”).

Inside, the houseplants are thriving, and we tried a “layering” experiment with pothos, inspired by Witches of Brooklyn: S’more Magic.

 

July 2022: Peak summer

Summer is flying by! This was our busiest month…ever? We traveled to Cape Cod, Florida, Canada, and upstate New York (lots of masking and testing, and we have all still avoided COVID, knock on wood); we attended two birthday parties, a memorial, and a wedding; and we swam in pools, Cape Cod Bay, and Lake Ontario.

What we’ve read so far

Some highlights from another month of reading. The kiddo has been enjoying reading and re-reading the Kingdom of Wrenly series and Zita the Spacegirl; I re-read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow (it was just as good the second time). We both listened to Diary of a Mad Brownie a lot – the full cast audio production is excellent.

Children’s

• Racso and the Rats of Nimh by Jane Leslie Conly
• Diary of a Mad Brownie by Bruce Coville
• Girl Running by Annette Bay Pimentel, illus. Misha Archer
• Babies Ruin Everything by Matthew Swanson, illus. Robbi Behr
• My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! by Emma Hunsinger and Tillie Walden
• Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell
• How Old Is Mr. Tortoise? by Dev Petty, illus. Ruth Chan

YA/Adult

• A Year to the Day by Robin Benway (YA)
• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (graphic novel, memoir)
• Deaf Utopia by Nyle DiMarco (memoir)
• I’ll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein (essays/memoir)
• A Mirror Mended (novella) and The Ten Thousand Doors of January (novel, re-read) by Alix E. Harrow
• It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler (realistic fiction)
• The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett (fantasy)
• What Can A Body Do? How We Meet the Built World by Sara Hendren (nonfiction)
• The Verifiers by Jane Pek (near-future speculative/mystery)
• A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (sci-fi)
• The Last Resort by Sarah Stodola (nonfiction)
• Mother Noise by Cindy House (essays/memoir)
• Just Last Night by Mhairi McFarlane (Brit romance)

What we’ve made in the kitchen

• Scallion pancakes (David Lebovitz)
• Malaysian Ramen (Indian-ish)
• Pizza with homemade pesto
• Black bean nachos
• Oatmeal scones (ATK)
• Zucchini muffins (ATK) x2
• English muffin toasting bread (KAF)
• Beautiful burger buns (KAF)
• Oatmeal cookies (Flour)
• Summer Berry Tart with Mint Cream
• Salted brown butter rice krispie treats (Smitten Kitchen) x2
• Peach and blueberry cobbler (ATK)
• Chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars (Sally’s Baking Addiction)

What we’ve grown in the garden

The peas have come and gone, finishing before mid-July. Cherry tomatoes started ripening around then, though, and rarely make it into the house; I eat them straight from the plant. I’ll need to protect all the berries next year if I plan on gathering any: this year the chipmunks ate most of the strawberries and birds helped themselves to raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Fortunately, our CSA share has been supplying us with an abundance of veggies, plus tomatoes, watermelon, and flowers.

What I’ve made (not edible)

After visiting both Valley Fabrics in Northampton and the Cambridge Quilt Shop, I found fabrics for all of the projects I wanted to do this summer. I found an adorable ice cream/popsicle print jersey fabric and got enough to make two matching sleeveless shirts, one adult and one kid sized (with patch pocket).

I also made a pair of pillowcases in a cute sleepy owl print, using the “burrito” method, adjusted for a directional fabric. [PDF]

And, I began a new quilt (“Fat Quarter Flow” pattern) and have made the first block. Measuring and cutting from really big pieces of fabric is a little nerve-wracking, especially without a large cutting mat, but once I’ve got the squares and triangles done it begins to come together quickly; only the pinwheels in the center of each block take a little more time.

June 2022: Liminal space

This month we celebrated kindergarten* graduation, the beginning of summer, and Father’s Day. We played outside a lot, read very many books, and attended a protest or two (the “pro-life” stance: yes to guns yes, no to women’s health). We’ve had playdates and beach days, built with Lego, viewed and made art, gardened and harvested and cooked and baked, and climbed trees. Although that first Monday not going to the bus stop was weird, I’d say we’ve adjusted to summer. And the fireflies are out!

*L insists that she is not a first grader until the first day of first grade; until then, she is a “between-grader.” It’s probably best that she’s telling people that, and not what I suggested, because no six-year-old really needs to know the phrase “liminal space.”

What we’ve read so far

The kiddo “completed” our library’s summer reading program in about three days (you only need to read ten hours to “complete” summer reading), but she’s still reading, logging, crossing off bingo squares, and earning badges. So far we’ve visited three separate libraries (Jones and Munson in Amherst, and Forbes in Northampton) and she’s enjoying picking out her own books to read and listen to.

L has enjoyed:

• Molly on the Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal & Diana Mayo
• Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome by Kat Zhang & Charlene Chua
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, illus. Erin Stead
• The Blur by Minh Lê and Dan Santat
• I Love You Like Yellow by Andrea Beaty & Vashti Harrison
• Don’t Eat Bees by Dev Petty & Mike Boldt
• Tía Fortuna’s New Home by Ruth Behar & Devon Holzwarth
• KINDergarten by Vera Ahiyya & Joey Chou
• Max and the Midknights by Lincoln Peirce (all three in the series)
• Kingdom of Wrenly by Jordan Quinn (first seven in the series, so far)
• Wednesday Wilson Gets Down to Business by Bree Galbraith
• Ada Twist and the Disappearing Dogs by Andrea Beaty
• Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom by Matthew Swanson & Robbie Behr

I have enjoyed:

• True Biz by Sara Novic
• Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
• The Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
• My Own Lightning by Lauren Wolk
• Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
• This Place Is Still Beautiful by XiXi Tian
• When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
• This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

What we’ve made in the kitchen

This year we’re sharing a CSA share with our neighbors, which has meant stuffing lettuce into everything (sandwiches, wraps, salad bowls), making a lot of pesto, cooking down kale and chard, pickling turnips, and making zucchini muffins and cakes, as well as harvesting strawberries, herbs, and flowers. Here are some of the things we’ve made in the kitchen this month:

Savory

• Chana masala
• Granola
• Anytime bars
• Pizza with ricotta, black olives, and caramelized onions
• Tofu triangles and carrot-lettuce wraps
• Quiche (pate brisee from Flour, shallot, kale, 3 cheeses: gruyere, sharp cheddar, goat cheddar)
• Pickled turnips (Small Victories)
• Pesto with spinach and turnip greens, garlic, and walnuts
• Potato-beet pancakes
• Pesto with beet greens, basil, garlic scapes, and walnuts
• American Sandwich Bread, subbed some WW flour for BF (ATK)

Sweet

• Lemon rhubarb jam
• No-bake chocolate peanut butter bars (Sally’s Baking Addiction)
• Chocolate chip cookie cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Whole grain strawberry cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Seedy zucchini cake, minus the seeds, plus a cinnamon-sugar-cardamom sprinkle topping (Snacking Cakes)
• Chocolate and zucchini cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Whole wheat dark chocolate chip cookies a.k.a. “most best” (Good to the Grain)
• Popsicles (lemonade or mango juice in popsicle molds from IKEA)

What we’ve grown in the garden

Next year I must remind myself that if we’re going to get a CSA share, I should NOT plant ANY lettuce. Also, must come up with better defenses against the chipmunks, who have picked off many of our strawberries. However, the herbs are thriving, I’ve harvested some peas and one zucchini, and many of the tomato plants have green tomatoes that should ripen soon. Huckleberries have begun to ripen too, and blueberries should appear next month.

Above: Kiddo picking strawberries, quart of strawberries, flowering pea plant, green tomatoes, zucchini on cutting board

January 2022: Staying cozy inside

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

-The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

I was hoping to start 2022 on a more optimistic note, but here we are: “So we beat on…ceaselessly.” Just as in September, our main hope is that we stay healthy, and that our community stays healthy, and that schools stay open. Our 2019 selves would raise an eyebrow at this low bar, but on the plus side…we’re sure doing a lot of reading and cooking and baking, and just started a new quilt. And let’s not forget the great (freezing) outdoors: we’ve gone sledding, and saw a fox catch some small unfortunate creature in the backyard with a tremendous pounce worthy of Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner. See? Silver linings! (Be the fox, not the shrew.) “You know what the Monty Python boys say…Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”

What we’ve read

Children’s

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
• Nurk by Ursula Vernon
• Fergus & Zeke at the Science Fair and Fergus and Zeke the 100th Day of School by Kate Messner
• The Leaf Thief by Alice Hemming and Nicola Slater
• El Cucuy Is Scared Too! by Donna Barba Higuera and Juliana Perdomo
• It Fell From the Sky by the Fan brothers
• Magic Candies by Heena Baek, translated by Sophie Bowman
• Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat by Mara Rockliff and Giselle Potter
• The Book Rescuer by Sue Macy and Stacy Innerst

MG/YA

• The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book by Kate Milford (re-read)
• Beyond the Bright Sea and Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix
• Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky
• The Boy, the Bird, & the Coffin Maker by Matilda Woods
• The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat
• How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani

Adult

• Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
• Pocketful of Crows by Joanne Harris
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• These Precious Days by Ann Patchett

What we’ve made in the kitchen

Savory(ish)

• Ciabatta (Pastry Love): made 2 loaves, incredibly delicious.
• Almond flour pancakes (KAF): Still trying to get the hang of doing these on the electric stove.
• Tomato Soup (Flour): Good with the cheddar-scallion scones but quite acidic; finished with cream. (Tip from a neighbor: add a pinch of baking soda to reduce acidity!)
• Cheddar Scallion Scones (Flour): Sticky to work with but otherwise perfect.
• Chicken(less) Pot Pie (Flour) with potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, and green beans: Better than the ATK recipe I’ve been making for years – and also, somehow, easier and created fewer dishes?? A definite win. (Only did top crust, “bottomless” style.)
• Pickled Cabbage Salad (Smitten Kitchen) (minus the celery seed)
• Potato leek soup
• Veggie sushi with carrot, cucumber, and pickled red onion

Sweet

• Cran-apple pies: Used leftover cranberry-applesauce, and pate brisee left over from the Flour recipe for the pot pie topping
• Pumpkin Olive Oil cake (Snacking Cakes): I think this is better than the pumpkin bread recipe I’ve been using my whole life; a bit lighter and not quite as sweet (but still sweet). Used pepitas on top, no glaze.
• Brioche au chocolat (Flour): Generally I do not like when a recipe includes other recipes in the ingredient list, and this one includes two (pastry cream and brioche). However…exceptions must be made.
• Molasses Spice Cookies (ATK) (added candied crystallized ginger)
• Pear cranberry clafoutis (Wintersweet)
• Snickerdoodle cookies (Flour)

What we’ve grown

Jazzy greens! These little microgreens grow super fast; you can pull them right out, snip the ends into the compost, and throw the tops on a sandwich to feel virtuous when you have spent the whole month baking and eating sweets. For example.

November 2021: We Are Grateful

What we’ve read so far

Some highlights from our month of reading.

Picture books

• The Great Stink by Colleen Paeff and Nancy Carpenter
• Harvesting Hope: the story of Cesar Chavez by Kathleen Krull and Yuyi Morales
• Sparkle Boy by Leslea Newman by Maria Mola
• No Reading Allowed by Raj Haldar, Chris Carpenter, Bryce Gladfelter
• We Want to Go to School!: the fight for disability rights by Maryann Cocca-Leffler and Janine Leffler
• Maybe… by Chris Haughton
• Julia’s House Goes Home by Ben Hatke
• The Phoenix of Persia by Sally Pomme Clayton and Amin Hassanzadeh Sharif

Middle Grade

• Yusuf Azeem is Not A Hero by Saadia Faruqi
• Witches of Brooklyn: What the Hex?! by Sophie Escabasse

YA/Adult

• When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk
• We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
• Matrix by Lauren Groff
• Fuzz by Mary Roach
• Learning in Public by Courtney Martin

What we’ve made in the kitchen

Savory

• Irish soda bread (Forgotten Skills of Cooking)
• Potato leek soup (own recipe)
• Sweet potato, pumpkin, and caramelized onion galette (Smitten Kitchen)
• Roasted pumpkin seeds (Taste of Home)
• Leek and cheese quiche
• “8-minute pantry dal” with red lentils, sweet potato, broccolini, and tofu
• Beth Hensperger’s Oatmeal Potato Bread
• Thanksgiving: cranberry cream scones, turkey drumsticks with herb butter (The Spruce), mashed potatoes, slow roasted sweet potatoes (Smitten Kitchen), pumpkin pie with graham cracker crust (ATK). (Mom made cranberry sauce and chocolate and pecan “tassies” – tiny pies!)

Sweet

• Sparkling Gingerbread (Snacking Cakes)
• Confetti Cookies (Smitten Kitchen)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (Snacking Cakes)
• Babka with homemade nutella (Flour/Pastry Love)
• Oatmeal raisin cookies (Flour)
• Probably a few others I’m forgetting

What we’ve made (not edible)

Another “30-minute skirt,” this one in a kid size from a piece of magenta/fuchsia velour fabric I found at a quilt show tag sale last month. I’ve definitely improved in the sewing department – start to finish, this one took about an hour, unlike the first time I used this pattern, in 2017. (I think I also made that one on my old machine, which was ill-equipped to handle fabric with any stretch in it at all.) I didn’t bother with in-seam pockets (like I did in the peacock skirt), because kid pockets inevitably fill up with acorns and rocks and I am in charge of the laundry. There was plenty of leftover fabric so I made a stretchy headband to match, basing the pattern off an existing headband.

Garden

I picked a ripe lemon!

One unseasonably warm day gave me the chance to transplant some of my hardier herbs from their individual pots to a big planter. Two kinds of sage, some lemon thyme, rosemary, and lavender are all snuggled in together now, and I hope that at least the sage will survive the winter. Ben also dug holes for the three berry bushes that were in big pots, so they are now in the ground and tucked in with a blanket of mulch.

Most of the indoor plants continue to do very well, except for one of the two small Norfolk island pines, which got mealy bugs; I’m treating it with a solution of water and Dr. Bronner’s.

August 2021: The Sunday of Months

A friend of mine who has spent many of the past years working in schools refers to August as “the Sunday of months,” and it does feel like it flew. Now it’s September 1 and the first day of kindergarten is tomorrow!

What We’ve Read

The kiddo and I read something like 80 books in August (lots together, some individually). The summer class I was talking ended in early August, and with neither coursework nor work-work I had more time to read.

Picture Books/Early Readers/Chapter Books

• Don’t Hug Doug (He Doesn’t Like It) by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman
• Are You A Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo
• Burt the Beetle Doesn’t Bite by Ashley Spires
• The “Disgusting Critters” series by Elise Gravel (Worm, Spider, Slug, etc.)
• Princess Pulverizer series by Nancy Krulik

Middle Grade and YA

• The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz
• Chance to Fly by Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz
• Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
• The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell by Jordan Sonnenblick
• The House That Wasn’t There by Elana K. Arnold
• A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold
• When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin
• Act by Kayla Miller
• Graceling (graphic novel) by Kristin Cashore and Gareth Hinds
• Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

Adult

• Across the Green Grass Fields by Seanan McGuire
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (a.k.a. Ursula Vernon)
• Calypso by David Sedaris (nonfic)
• The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
• From Here to Eternity by Caitlin Doughty (nonfic)

What We’ve Made in the Kitchen

• Potato Bread (Mary Berry)
• Chicken Tikka Masala (Damn Delicious)
• Pizza (dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen Every Day by Deb Perelman)
• Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread (KAF)
• [Not so] Spicy Thai Salad with Crispy Tofu (Dinner by Melissa Clark)
• Chunky Lola Cookies (Flour by Joanne Chang)
• Swirled Jam Cake (Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi) (twice)
• Madeleines (recipe from my friend Catherine)
• Peanut butter cookies (Flour; we added chocolate chips to the dough)

What We’ve Made (outside of the kitchen)

I finished a wall hanging quilt that I began planning and designing (with my assistant, of course) last March. It’s approximately 30″ wide by 25″ tall.

There are seventeen vertical colored stripes in a rainbow gradient, from pale pink on the left to purple on the right. I was worried that I’d made the strips too wide (laid out in the second photo), but once they were sewn together, it looked just how I’d wanted (Past Jenny had remembered to account for seam allowances). I thought about a second border but opted against it, and used black for the binding as well as the background around the heart. (The back of the quilt is made of four broad vertical panels of red, purple, teal, and blue.) For the quilting, I used a pale gray thread to “stitch in the ditch” around/between the colored stripes, and black thread for the border. The batting is polyester, rather than cotton (which I always use for baby quilts, lap blankets, and bed quilts). I’m pleased with the result! No immediate plans for another quilt – it’s going to be a busy last four months of 2021! – unless any close friends announce they’re expecting babies.

I also made a zipper pouch (my favorite thing to make) with moon-and-star fabric on the outside and bugs-and-moths fabric on the inside, as selected by the kiddo.

What We’ve Grown in the Garden

The garden is pretty much wrapping up, though I’m still hoping for a handful of blackberries, and the kale is still going. The zinnias from the wildflower seed packet grew to over eight feet tall but then got flattened during our brush with Hurricane Henri. It’s either been raining or much too hot to do real garden work this month, but during one overcast morning I did a lot of weeding where the berry bushes are going to go.

Next adventures

The kiddo, as mentioned, is starting kindergarten, at long last! Schools in MA will be in person, with masks. I am also going back to school, as a librarian at the middle school (grades 5-8) in a nearby town. Early mornings for everyone – but we’ll be home early too! So there will still be plenty of time for reading, baking, crafting, gardening, climbing, Girl Scouts (new activity!), and more.

June 2021: Here, there, and everywhere

What we’ve read so far

Some highlights from our month of reading:

Picture books/early readers

• There Must Be More Than That! by Shinsuke Yoshitake
• Avocado Asks: What Am I? by Momoko Abe
• I Am Not A Penguin: A Pangolin’s Lament by Liz Wong
• Oh Look, A Cake! by J.C. McKee
• Dessert Island by Ben Zhu
• Flubby Is Not A Good Pet by J.E. Morris
• I’m On It! by Andrea Tsurumi

MG/YA

• Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl and Mighty Jack series (graphic novels)
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
• Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
• Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
• Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
• Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden
• Pumpkin by Julie Murphy
• The Boys in the Back Row by Mike Jung
• Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Adult

• Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher (2022)
• Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson
• The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

What we’ve made in the kitchen

Savory

• Chicken tikka masala (Damn Delicious)
• Chicken salad (mayo, curry powder, basil from the garden, dried cranberries)
• Veggie sushi (sweet potato, cucumber, carrot, red bell pepper, smoked salmon)
• Deviled eggs (mayo, mustard, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, salt and pepper, paprika, chopped chives)

Baked/Sweet

• English muffin toasting bread (KAF)
• Cranberry lemon scones (ATK recipe for cream scones with currants; replaced currants with dried cranberries soaked in lemon juice and a lemon glaze)
• Vermont whole wheat honey oatmeal bread (KAF)
• Gluten-free pie crust (for a friend)
• Smoothies (fruit juice, yogurt, fruit and berries)
• Chocolate peanut butter no-bake bars (Sally’s Baking Addiction)
• Whole Grain Strawberry Cake (from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi)
• Chocolate and Zucchini Cake (from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi)
• Espresso Chocolate Chip Cake (from Snacking Cakes by Yossy Arefi)

What we’ve grown in the garden

Flowers: Peonies bloomed spectacularly, nasturtiums and other flowers from seed have emerged. The hydrangea is big and sprawling (I may have to move the mini rose bush I planted nearby, because now it’s in the shade all the time); the blossoms are white.

Raised beds and containers: the strawberry plants produced berries. Kale is growing robustly; it’s nice to be able to snip off exactly as much as we want to eat that day. The cucumber and zucchini plants have flowered. The peas flowered and began producing peas; the tomato plants have grown a bit but haven’t flowered yet. The mint is, of course, VERY healthy.

Lemon tree: Appears to be making real live actual lemons!

Berry bushes: raspberries have flowered and began producing berries (none ripe yet); blackberries and blueberries will likely be a little later. These are all still in pots or barrels. I’d like to plant them directly in the ground but I haven’t decided where yet.

Where we’ve been

For the first time in a year and a half, we did a bit of traveling! My mom and I went to my brother’s wedding in California.

Kiddo, Ben, and I went to visit Nana and Gramps in Pennsylvania. Kiddo got to show off her rock-climbing skills in person!

Kiddo and mom and I took our long-awaited trip to Storyland in New Hampshire; Ben stayed home to dog-sit and, in an inspired move, also got us tickets to the Living Shores Aquarium, where it was nice and cool (in contrast to the 95-degree day outside), and where there were otters and “nibble fish”!

May 2021: A very unusual o’clock

“It’s found-a-feather o’clock! That’s a very unusual o’clock.”

The adults in the household are fully vaccinated! And we’re hopeful that the vaccine will be approved for children this fall. Out-of-town friends have visited and it felt special, strange, and normal all at once. The weather has been truly spring-like (even summer-like, some days), the forest is fully green, and plants in the garden are growing.

What We’ve Read So Far

Highlights from our month of reading.

Picture Books/Early Readers

• Red Shoes by Karen English
• Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison, illus. Brianne Farley
• Escape Goat by Ann Patchett, illus. Robin Preiss Glasser
• Neville by Norton Juster, illus. G. Brian Karas
• The Rock from the Sky by Jon Klassen
• Don’t Forget to Come Back! by Robie H. Harris
• Flubby Will Not Play With That by J.E. Morris
• Snail & Worm by Tina Kugler

Chapter Books/Graphic Novels

• The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
• The Borrowers by Mary Norton
• Stuart Little by E.B. White
• Lunch Lady by Jarrett Krosoczka (series)
• Mia Mayhem Is A Superhero by Kara West

MG/YA

• Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids (ed. Cynthia Leitich Smith)
• No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen
• Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (graphic novel)
• Sheets by Brenna Thummler (graphic novel)
• Kate in Waiting by Becky Albertalli (YA romance)

Adult

• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
• A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
• Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
• Everything Is Under Control by Phyllis Grant
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Conditional Citizens by Laila Lalami

“Most of being a witch is a verb. Librarians too. Walking, finding…”

What We’ve Made in the Kitchen

Savory

• Beet/yogurt/goat cheese dip
• Spinach and caramelized onion dip
• Mashed potato/parsnip (then used some of this to make Mary Berry’s potato bread)
• Pizza (Smitten Kitchen dough recipe)
• Quiche with caramelized onion, broccoli, turkey bacon, cheddar-gruyere
• Three-bean chili and cornbread
• Sweet potato and caramelized onion galette (Smitten Kitchen)

Baked/Sweet

• Date/almond/cocoa balls
• Big Beautiful Burger Buns (KAF)
• Cream scones with craisins (ATK)
• Sourdough focaccia (hat tip to Tim H. / New World Sourdough by Bryan Ford)
• Zucchini muffins (ATK)
• Rye bread (Pastry Love)
• Oatmeal-raisin cookies (Flour)
• Chocolate Chunk cookies (Flour)
• Chocolate Chip cookies (Good to the Grain)
• Rhubarb Cake (Rage Baking)
• Vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing (SK)
• Swedish Visiting Cake (Dorie’s Cookies)
• Rice krispie treats (SK)
• Lemon-lime popsicles (note, key lime juice is STRONG)

“It doesn’t take real scientists this long to button up their coats, does it?”

What We’ve Grown in the Garden

This month we got strong sunshine, heat, and rain in unpredictable patterns – so, spring! The tomatoes are outside in containers on the deck, and the double raised bed is home to strawberries, kale, zucchini, and cucumber plants. We started nasturtiums from seed and put in a marigold border. The snap peas (also in containers) are robust; the sweet peas were much slower to start but they’ve finally emerged. Several herbs in containers are also thriving: basil, chives, rosemary, and four types of mint.

tomato seedlings

zucchini sprout

The kiddo has been climbing the walls at home (literally), so we took her to climb some more challenging (and sturdier) walls…