Book Review--The Kitchen House

THE KITCHEN HOUSE
by Kathleen Grissom

In 1790, Lavinia, a seven-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, arrives on a tobacco plantation where she is put to work as an indentured servant. When she violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.  Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. 

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The book follows about 15 years of Lavinia's life. I absolutely loved this book. It was hard to put down. I love the character development. The author did a wonderful job and describing each character's personality and evolving them.  Definitely recommend.

Tayvlee turns 4

Tayvlee had her first "friend" party. I wanted to have it co-gender, so I chose Dr. Seuss. Not to mention I had some stuff already from a baby shower I threw.

We started with crafts first (pics later) and then ate dinner. Here is the menu:

Cat's Stix Mix

Brown Bar-ba-loot's Truffala Fruits

Blueberring Bumplings

Cat's Mac and Cheese

and of course.......Green Eggs

Pink Ink Yink Drink

Here was the party invitation

and we had a book signing for the birthday girl, with Dr. Seuss' Happy Birthday To You book

Party Favors

Cat in the Hat Tub Cake with Sneetches Stars on top

all the kids got Thing 1 and Thing 2 Cupcakes (sorry no pictures), but here was the bigger one for Tay

For the craft we made Cat in the Hat hats and Horton Elephant ears.

For the Games we played Hop on Pop.

The kids draw a number card and then have to find a balloon with a picture that has that same number of items and POP it.

Then we played, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

the kids got to pick a sound card and try to have their friends guess what it is

Then finally we played Help Horton Find the Pink Clover

the kids all got to take turns hiding and finding the clover

Love this Girl!!!

Book Review

Been so busy with our recent move, amongst other things I volunteered for. But now it is summer and I can finally find some time to get some reading in.

Ryan and I listened to this book on tape during our recent vacations.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1943 novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational third-generation-American adolescent girl and her ethnically-blended family in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City during the first two decades of the 20th century. 

The novel is split into five "books," each covering a different period in the characters' lives. Book One opens in 1912 and introduces 11-year-old Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg tenement neighborhood of Brooklyn with her 10-year-old brother Cornelius ("Neeley" for short) and their parents, Johnny and Katie. Francie relies on her imagination and her love of reading to provide a temporary escape from the poverty that defines her daily existence.

Book Two jumps back to 1900, with the meeting of Johnny and Katie, the teenage children of immigrants from Ireland and Austria. Although Johnny panics when Katie becomes pregnant with first Francie and then Neeley, and begins drinking heavily, Katie resolves to give her children a better life than she has known, which her mother, Mary, embodies in the word and idea, "education." 

In Book Three, the Nolans settle into their new home and the children (now seven and six) begin to attend the squalid, overcrowded public school next door. Francie enjoys learning even in these dismal surroundings, and with her father's support, she gets herself transferred to a better school in a different neighborhood. 

At the start of Book Four, Francie and Neeley take jobs since there is no money to send them to high school.

As Book Five begins in the fall of this same year, Francie, now almost 17, quits her teletype job. She is about to start classes at the University of Michigan, having passed the entrance exams. Before she leaves the apartment, she notices the Tree of Heaven that has grown and re-sprouted in the building's yard despite all efforts to destroy it, seeing in it a metaphor for her family's ability to overcome adversity and thrive.

Sweetheart Dance--Daddy/Daughter

Vista fundamental Daddy/Daughter Dance.  She was so excited. And she had such a great time with daddy.

He even rang the doorbell to come pick her up for her date--------with flowers!

Heart Day

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

What a wonderful Christmas. When I think of Christmas I think of lots of family, and so for that reason we have never just done Christmas just us 4. We usually travel away from home.  This year Ryan's brother decided to come out and celebrate Christmas with us. His oldest son Chris had a basketball tournament a couple days before Christmas, so it worked out well. My girls love to be with their cousins. We spent the weekend before with them in Newport area at their hotel and enjoyed the basketball game and swimming. Christmas Eve we spent playing a little pickle ball in the morning.  That evening Grandma Cathy prepared a yummy prime rib dinner, followed by our Christmas Eve program of:   the Nativity reading and songs, gifts to Jesus, and then Christmas trivia and Charades.

Ryan's family tradition is that everyone takes a turn youngest to oldest taking a santa bag and putting all the gifts they are giving inside. Then they bring it out to the family room and put then under the tree.

A tradition we started with our kids is that Buddy the Elf (aka Elf on a Shelf) gives the kids a present on Christmas Eve in the special Santa Bags.  It is usually something silly like funny hats or silly socks. This year they got beach towels, but when they unraveled the towell a snake came out of it. But snakes don't scare my girls, they loved them. As they get older, they will get a gag gift.

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

Ryan's family always eats breakfast before seeing what Santa brought them.  Everyone woke up by 7:45, so we sat down for breakfast a little before 8am and made our entrance into the CHRISTMAS room by 8:15. With 13 people taking turns opening presents one at a time, we opened presents until 11am.

 Rachel, Brandon, Jayden, Jessica, Kennedee, Tayvlee (not shown-Chris)



Kennedee got everything she asked for:  A Monster High Bike and Monster High dolls. Not to mention a new wetsuit for surfing, luggage backpack, movies, games, bike helmet, Merida bow and arrow, remote control car, clothes, make-your-own-blanket, and lots of other stocking stuffers.

Tayvlee got a swing car, luggage backpack, lite-brite, movies, games, figit, modeling clay, twin baby dolls, clothes, and ariel doll with matching dress along with her stocking stuffers.

We played some more pickle ball that afternoon and had another yummy dinner and movie night.
What better way to celebrate...............THE 26TH OF DECEMBER than at the beach. Yep, 80 degrees warm and beautiful conditions to go paddle boarding. The perks of living close to the beach in Cali.