Eggs for Breakfast Clickety Clack

"Hetty lived in a little gray house with a big stone chimney and a screen door that squeaked in a friendly way for comings and goings...."

Down the Road by Alice Schertle is one of my all-time favorite children's books. Hetty is all grown up and ready to go down the road by herself to buy some eggs for breakfast. My favorite part of the story is the way her parents react when Hetty makes an innocent mistake. E.B. Lewis's watercolor illustrations are beautiful. This is a keeper.

It's Almost Pie Time!

Beautiful Lullaby

My sister-in-law Liz, with her angelic voice, sings a beautiful rendition of Hush Little Baby. The "refreshing" lyrics, as Liz appropriately calls them, engage the baby with "natural wonders and beauties" instead of promising material gifts. Download the song here.
http://www.elizabethstewartdunford.com/hush.html

More Read-Aloud Books for the Family

Here are a few more books that our family has enjoyed together:

Twenty-One Balloons
Around the World in Eighty Days
The Wright Three
Cheaper by the Dozen (We got this book on CD from the library and listened to it in the car.)

Too Many Pumpkins

In Too Many Pumpkins, Rebecca Estelle turns something she hates (pumpkins) into a way to come out of her shell. I love this book!

Nimrod

While running errands the other day I heard a piece of music that has become my new classical favorite. It was so beautiful that I had to stay in the car in the parking lot for several moments after the piece ended just to reluctantly come back down to earth.

Nimrod (from the Enigma Variations)
by Edward Elgar

Read-Aloud Family Books

Our family is really looking forward to getting this book, The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. It is book three in a wonderful series by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Other books our family has enjoyed reading aloud include:

The Westing Game
Chasing Vermeer
Summer of the Monkeys
Where the Red Fern Grows
The Hobbit
City of Ember (more fun if you haven't seen the movie)
Hound of the Baskervilles
Chronicles of Narnia
Mysterious Benedict Society (1 and 2)
Harry Potter
The Penderwicks
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh

We are always looking for suggestions, so let us know if you've found a good one.

Brighton

I've never seen Quaking Aspen so red

Homemade Macaroni-Philly Cheesesteak Style

A yummy version of homemade macaroni can be made using provolone cheese instead of cheddar. Saute a chopped onion in a little olive oil until carmalized. Add chopped deli-sliced roast beef and heat through. Mix with cooked macaroni (or other pasta) and a white sauce that has provolone melted into it. Season with salt, pepper and parsley.