Thanksgiving 2011

This is one of the pictures Barry took (with his new camera) of the entire group on Thanksgiving.

Nice job Barry, and thanks for sharing!

Dear Family,

After some consideration Grandma and I have decided our book club blog is not really fulfilling its intended purpose. In the beginning it was our hope to open up an ongoing dialogue with you, not just about the books but about our lives, and in so doing strengthen family ties. In reality, most of you keep in touch somewhat via facebook and don't really need the blog. And hopefully, you contact Grandma Mary regularly via phone or mail........as she will never adapt to the facebook/twitter/texting world that most of you live in. Sooooo, if you will do that, keep in touch with Grandma, then I have no qualms about "abandoning" our book club blog. You young mothers and fathers have so little time, and I myself don't have the time or energy to "fuss" with the blog if it isn't accomplishing what we had hoped. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiment! I love blogging, enjoy reading, and hope that in some way you have enjoyed participating in the book club blog.

PS If you actually read The Simeon Solution and haven't commented on it, please do. It was a great book to end on and Grandma Mary would love to hear what you thought of it.

THIS AFTERTHOUGHT WAS ADDED ON 12/10/11:

The thought came to me a few days ago that if you enjoyed The Simeon Solution, or even if you didn't, you WOULD enjoy another book by Poelman, Secret Santa.

This is not a book you would read to little ones......for obvious reasons, but it is one that I can guarantee will touch your heart.

It is loosely based on a true experience of her husband* as a young boy

and is one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories. Considering how much I love GOOD Christmas stories, that's saying something.

*It may interest you to know that Anne's husband, Ronald Poelman, an emeritus member of the Quorum of Seventy, passed away a few weeks ago.

GRANDMA MARY'S 88th & THANKSGIVING 2011

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with many of the Crosby family in attendance, not just to feast but to honor Grandma Mary on her 88th birthday. The food was great, the company remarkable, the program touching, and Grandma Mary continues to be a great inspiration to all of us! Wish every one of you could have been with us.

I've attached pictures of the event below, and Barry took a group picture that I will post as soon as he sends it to me.

In the mean time, we hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Aunt Louise

New Read: The Simeon Solution

For our next read, Grandma Mary has requested THE SIMEON SOLUTION by Anne Osborn Poelman. It has been on her favorites list since she first read it fifteen or more years ago. (It also happens to be one of my all time favorites!) It deals with religious principles but reads a lot like a novel, as it tells of Anne's spiritual journey. People of every faith have much to gain from reading it!

I found the following brief review on-line:

"Although Simeon is mentioned only briefly in the scriptures, he is a shining example of faith and patience. Promised through the Holy Ghost that he would not die before the long-awaited Messiah, Simeon apparently spent much of his life watching for fulfillment of that promise. Surely there must have been times of doubt, moments when it seemed foolish to cling to such a hope, but his faith was at last rewarded when he was shown the infant Jesus in the temple and recognized him as the Savior of the world.

"In The Simeon Solution, Anne Osborn Poelman describes how she, like Simeon, learned to trust in the Lord and have patient faith in the ultimate fulfillment of his promises. When she was a medical student at Stanford University she discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, finding in it the spiritual fullness for which she had been searching since childhood. She joined the Church and went on to become an internationally known expert in her medical specialty. At age thirty-eight she married Elder Ronald E. Poelman, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In this book she shares many personal experiences that have demonstrated the workings of the Simeon solution in her own life."

Because all of us from time to time experience doubts and concerns that seem to have no forthcoming answers, we have no other option than to trust in the Lord and His timetable for resolution. For this reason Grandma hopes each of you will read this book with "an open mind and heart".

Hope you are all doing well! Remember that everyone would love to hear bits of your news on the blog. It's a good way to keep in touch!

Love,

Aunt Louise

THE HELP Stephanie's Review

If you haven't already started reading The Help, Stephanie's review will provide the motivation. Thanks Steph!

"I read The Help in about 3 days. It is compulsively readable. I couldn't put it down. The characters in this book were taken from real life. This is Kathryn Stockett's first book. To me, it is clear that she really understands Southern life and has made great efforts to understand what life was like for black women who served white families. She writes about sad stories that leave a great glimmer of hope, and though she examines our differences and our mistakes, she highlights our humanity to wonderful effect. And while this is a serious book, it also has wonderfully lighthearted moments, humorous moments, and strikingly funny insights into women and their behavior. It's about people of different races and classes coming together in a spirit of unity and love. It's about how we help each other as human beings I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough. I hope that you all enjoy it, too.

 – Love, Stephanie"

Please send in YOUR comments as soon as you've finished reading The Help.

Aunt Peachy & Uncle Roland Return

Well done!  After nearly two years of serving a mission in Macao, Peachy & Roland are home, and it's great to have them back! It's also been great to get reacquainted with Trevor & Jacque's, and Tori & Eric's families. Those kids are as sharp as their incredible parents!

I took a bunch of pictures both at the airport when our missionaries arrived last Saturday, and also Sunday when we had the gang over for dinner and to hear a very brief report from Elder & Sister "Chang" Chambers following our regular block of meetings. 

For some reason I can't make a slide show, so have fun scrolling!

WAITING

WAITING

LANDING

BLEARY EYED / BLURRY PIC

JUST PART OF THE "WELCOMING COMMITTEE"

PEACHY'S GRATITUDE BOW

SARAH, TREV, ROLAND

REPORTING TO THE FAMILY

ALLIE & ADAM

SARAH & RILEY

ERIC & TORI

JACQUE & TREV

AND MORE OF THE SAME

Cotillion

I have finally finished reading Cotillion, and thoroughly enjoyed it..............with a few exceptions. 

1. The first 50 pages or so I felt were somewhat tedious with so many characters being introduced who were sometimes referred to with first names and other times referred to with last names........it was confusing for me. And it felt like it took a long time for the plot to develop. 
2. After that my only complaint was the language.......and that’s my fault I guess for being illiterate when it comes to Victorian English.

So, in keeping with my tradition here are a few of the fun words I have added to my vocabulary, at least temporarily, through the reading of this book.

• liefer: willingly
  
• reticule: small handbag with drawstring
  
• ton: the popular echelons of Britain’s elite society
  
• misogynistic: a hatred of women
  
• dessicated: dull or lifeless body 
  
• quizzing-glass: monocle
  
• interpolated: to insert or introduce between 
  
• sangfroid: composure or coolness under trying circumstances
  
• jointure: an arrangement by which a man sets aside property to be used for the support of his wife after his death
  
• phaeton: a sporty open carriage
  
• cits: citizens
  

And my 2 favorite quotes from Cotillion:

"She was a hard-featured woman, with a predatory mouth, a smile that never reached her eyes, and an air of consequence." (Description of Lady Dolphinton)

"I cannot think that she would take the terrible step of putting a period to her existence!" (Kitty about Olivia)

What I especially LOVED about Cotillion was the literal character development of Kitty and Freddy. And while the ending was no surprise to me, it was exactly what it should have been, and I found it to be very satisfying. I’m glad Grandma Mary suggested it and will definitely read other Georgette Hyer books in the future. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS!

___________________________________________

Does anyone want to suggest our next read? If not I may suggest The Simeon Solution by Anne Osborn Poelman. She's an LDS author, a physician, and convert to the church; writes about dealing with the doctrinal questions we have no answers for. It almost reads like a novel and would possibly be interesting for people of other faiths.

___________________________________________

Just for fun I'm attaching an interesting fact about the month of July this year, and some pictures of Julie's family's recent visit to Grandma before their move to Japan.

VERY INTERESTING!

Julie and Adrienne with Grandma Mary

Julie's girls and 2nd cousin Ilah Wallace – Jennifer's youngest daughter

Also of interest, Aunt Peachy & Uncle Roland will be home from their mission the first week in August! So I'll post some pictures of that happy reunion then.

The Five Thousand Year Leap

Time to wrap it up!

The library wants me to bring The 5000 Year Leap back before I renew it for the 4th time.......and NO, I have not finished reading it YET.  But what I have read I’ve enjoyed and I’ve learned a lot too. 

FOR EXAMPLE: 

• I learned about natural law and the influence great philosophers like Cisero had on the founding founders. 
  
• I learned that before the Revolutionary War the American people feared that perhaps they didn’t have the moral capacity for self government. (In other words the willingness to sacrifice private interest for the good of community.)  
  
• I also learned that the FIRST president of the United States was John Hanson, who served under the Articles of Confederation. But George Washington was the first president under the US Constitution. 
  
• And while I have a rudimentary understanding of the 28 principles discussed in the book, I was not familiar at all with most of the quotes from our founding fathers, and they were truly enlightening! 
  

So I’ve decided to return the book as requested to the St. George City Library and buy a copy of my own for our family library.....it’s that good! (Just not as easy, or as fun, to read as a novel.)

I believe that what our founding fathers achieved was truly a miracle. Because of their faith, wisdom, dedication and divine inspiration, they created a government based on the law of nature, that allowed people to be free from tyranny. I’m so grateful for them, and to them, and vow to be more diligent in protecting and preserving their dream, and my heritage as a citizen.

Below are some of my favorite quotes or notes from the book.

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” - Benjamin Franklin

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations... This danger ought to be wisely guarded against .” - James Madison

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” - Patrick Henry

“The government is best which governs least”- Thomas Jefferson

"WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty GOD, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour” - George Washington

And from my notes early on.......could be direct quotes, but I don't know who said them.

The law of Nature, or Nature's God, is eternal in its basic goodness; it is universal in its application. It cannot be altered – repealed – abandoned by legislators or the people – even though they may pretend to do so.

Justice is impossible except under the principles of God's just law.

Looking forward to your comments! 

Grandma Mary is working on hers. I'll post them soon.

Our next read is Cotillion by Georgette Hyer.

This one should be a quick and easy read! 

Below is a picture taken Memorial Day Weekend at the St. George City Cemetery of Uncle Paul's son Stephen, and Uncle Dick. If you try just a little you will see in them their fathers......walking side by side, telling the stories of our pioneer heritage as they lovingly placed flowers on the graves of those who went before. Those who did their part to honor, protect, and preserve these precious freedoms we so easily take for granted.

Grandma Mary On Cotillion – Our Next Read

Cotillion is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer books. I've read a lot of hers and enjoy them. She tells about life as it was in Regency England–some behavior very degrading–but her heroines are moral, nice, and lovable. Cotillion is just to be enjoyed–so relax and enjoy it. It's easy to read. Then maybe next time we can read an entirely different sort of book.

The Five Thousand Year Leap Study Guide

RECIPES?

Adrienne made, and we enjoyed Tori's pretzel salad for Easter dinner this year! We're still hoping for a few more recipes. You can put them in the comment box for the last post, or send them to me and I'll add them. I'll submit my roll recipe which tastes pretty good for something that's easy and quick.

FIVE THOUSAND YEAR LEAP?

How IS your reading coming? Mine's not too good, but I HAVE started and am so impressed already that I hope you will all make it a point to pick up The Five Thousand Year Leap and give it your close attention. It's not just something that conservatives vs. liberals would appreciate.  Anyone who loves this country and it's history would benefit from the message and information in this book. (And if the Glen Beck foreword bothers you......just skip it.) 

STUDY GUIDE

(On August 27, 2011 I removed the study guide from this post. But you can find it at the forgottenman.org website if you need it.)

Now get reading! And we'll look forward to your comments by the end of the month. IF NOTHING ELSE please read the quotes highlighted in blue in the study guide.

Who's Reading?

Here we are well into the month of April, and that means we have just a few weeks left to read "The Five Thousand Year Leap". I guess I'd better get crackin'! This is a real departure for us as it's not a novel...but educational, even inspirational, in a patriotic sense. We could use some of that right now.

Grandma says that our next book "Cotillion"  won't make us think so hard because it was chosen purely for entertainment.

It was fun seeing Tori and Ali here in St. George at Grandma's house on Sunday!  (They were down for for Ali's dance team competition.......which they won!) During dinner Tori mentioned a really good recipe for a salad, and that discussion led to the idea that we could be sharing things like recipes, and family news, and even pictures, on this blog. 

So how about it? Want to share your favorite recipe or news item? You could either send it to me directly through email and I'll put it on the blog, or you could send it as a comment to this post. Can I volunteer Tori to be first with her salad recipe?

In the mean time..........be reading "The Five Thousand Year Leap".....okay? AND it's not too late to comment on Jane Eyre!

Love,

Aunt Louise

PS Has anyone seen the new Jane Eyre movie yet? I'd like a review from someone I trust before I pay money to see it.

RECIPES

TORI'S SANTA ROSA VALLEY SALAD

• 1 box Uncle Ben’s Long Grain &Wild Rice (Original Recipe) cooked with seasonings according to directions on box
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 chicken breasts – cooked and cubed (seasoned with salt and pepper)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 3 oz Chinese pea pods or snap peas
• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 cup pecans, chopped and toasted
• Lettuce for garnish (optional)

Dressing:

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar 

To mix the dressing, be sure to use a cuisinart or blender of some sort (I use a handheld blender) to emulsify the dressing so that it does not separate when being stored.  I am too lazy to emulsify by hand.

This is a great salad to prepare ahead of time the night before.  To do so, prep the salad dressing, rice, and chicken.  Combine about 2/3 of the dressing with rice and chicken and store in refrigerator overnight.  Reserve the rest of the dressing to toss last-minute with salad.  Also ahead of time, prepare the peppers, onions, wash and pull strings off of peas, and chop and toast pecans, storing each in baggies until last-minute tossing.  You could also juice the lemons ahead of time and store the juice.  Last-minute , dice the avocado and put some of the lemon juice on the avocado before tossing in salad to keep the color.  Combine the rice/chicken mixture, veggies, remaining lemon juice, and remaining dressing and serve!  Each recipe serves about 8 people.  The large bowl that I made for the shower was a triple recipe – served about 34 people for luncheon.  When I double or triple the recipe, I usually cut down a bit on the pecans and avocados. 

TORI'S RASPBERRY PRETZEL SALAD:

2 c. crushed pretzels (not too fine, leave plenty of chunks!)  
2 T sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c sugar
1 pkg cream cheese
1 8 oz. carton cool whip
1 (6 oz) pkg raspberry jello
2 c. boiling water
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple with juice
1 pkg frozen raspberries

Mix crushed pretzels and 2 T sugar with melted butter.  Line in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.  Cool.  Cream together cream cheese and sugar, fold in cool whip.  Spread over pretzel crust and cool.  Dissolve raspberry jello in boiling water.  Add pineapple and frozen raspberries.  Chill until thick but not set.  Pour over cream cheese layer.  Chill until set.  

My 2 cents... I like my pretzel layer thicker, so I usually double it.  I also think the recipe tastes better (of course)  with real whipping cream instead of cool whip.  Make sure when you are putting the cream cheese layer in the pan that you "shore up" the sides.  You don't want any of the jello to leak down to the crust.  Also, err on the side of the jello being more set than runnier when you pour it on.   I've used other fruits and other jello flavors that we've really liked.  Just make sure that the fruit you choose is cut into small enough pieces.  


TORI'S "MY FUDGE"(This is actually a lot like Carnation's recipe, but I've tweaked a few things)  

2 T. salted butter (melted)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk (a little tiny bit less is best)
2 c. mini marshmallows 
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips  
1 t. (plus a little bit more) vanilla
1 t. mint extract (optional)  or sea salt (optional)  

Line 8x8  pan with foil. Combine butter, sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan.  (Have the rest of the ingredients measured and combined before going to the stove...including the mint extract if you prefer, but not the sea salt).  Stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat and continue stirring for 3-5 minutes- until it pulls away from the pan as you are stirring.  Remove from heat and immediately stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Stir with a wooden spoon until the marshmallows are melted and the fudge starts to lose it's shine.  Pour into prepared pan.  Sprinkle the top with sea salt (optional-- I do not like the sea salt option if I've added the mint extract!)  Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to evaporate excess moisture.  You may need to remove the fudge from the foil and flip over to "dry out" the other side.  The texture should be so that you can touch it (or cut it) at room temperature and not have it leave fudge on your fingers (or knife).  (It should go without saying, but your fudge may absorb gross refrigerator odors- clean out your fridge before you put your fudge in there!!)  

(In case it's useful to anyone else, I make about 20 batches of this at Christmas to give away to neighbors and friends with some other homemade candies, so I have on my recipe card that for 10 batches you need 3 bags marshmallows, 1 pound butter, 7 bags chocolate chips, 4 cans milk and about 8 lbs. sugar.)  

THANKS TORI! THESE SOUND SO GOOD!

I hope we have more coming from some of you other great cooks.......and I know you're all great cooks!!!

AUNT LOUISE'S BUTTER ROLLS

Dissolve 2 tablespoons yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

In mixing bowl combine: 

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup warm water

Add: 3 well beaten eggs & yeast mixture

Sift & Add: 4 1/2 cups flour & 2 teaspoons salt

• Stir well. Put in greased bowl and cover tightly with sprayed plastic wrap.  Put in fridge for a few hours or over night. 
  
• Melt 1 1/2 -2 cubes of butter. 
  
• Punch down and roll out dough on well floured board 1/2 at a time, to the thickness of pie crust. 
  
• Spread approximately 1/2 square of melted butter on rolled dough. (Sometimes I use a pastry brush, and sometimes I just pour it on and spread it with the back of a spoon or clean fingers.) 
• Roll like a jelly roll, and cut in 1 1/2 inch sections (use serrated knife or dental floss). 
• Dip in melted butter and place in muffin tins. 
  
• Cover lightly with sprayed plastic wrap and let raise for approximately 2 hours. 
  
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. (You may need to cover them lightly with tin foil if they are browning too quickly.)
  
• Don’t let them sit in muffin tins too long after taking from oven. 
  

Should yield at least 2 dozen rolls.

Mother Hinckley's Visiting Teaching COCONUT BREAD

Grease and flour 3 medium loaf pans. (I use 3”x 6 1/2” aluminum loaf pans) 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat 4 eggs.

Add: 2 cups sugar, 1 cup oil, 2 tsp. coconut flavoring, 1 cup buttermilk*, 1 cup flaked coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans. Stir.

Add 3 cups flour sifted with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir well.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in loaf (barely) comes out clean. (Don’t overbake.)

While baking bring to boil 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons butter in small sauce pan, or cook for 5 minutes on medium.  Take from heat, and add 1 tsp. coconut flavoring.

Spread hot glaze over warm bread and cool.**

*I use the powdered buttermilk so here I just add 1 cup water then add the powdered buttermik to the dry ingredients to be sifted.

** I usually put the loaves on a cookie cooling rack which is over some waxed paper, then the icing can run down and off the loaves onto the waxed paper and I can keep dipping it back upon the loaves until it begins to set up. I use both a spoon and a pastry brush to spread the glaze. Be sure to put the glaze on the sides of the loaves as well as the top.

If you like coconut you will LOVE this bread!