There are gifts, and then there are gifts that last. The books and other ideas listed below will be sure to make memories for your family. We’ve enjoyed each one of them and are thrilled to share them. Obviously, some of the best gifts are those that involve companionship and imagination: a huge box, an […]
homemaking
Is School Closed for Harvest?
So, here we are, almost a month and a half after beginning our school year. How has it gone? Well, we garden…and we understand intimately why pioneer schools were often rather empty during harvest season. Between salsa making, picking squashes, canning applesauce, and more, we have had many fewer full school days than we wished. […]
Review: Cooked by Michael Pollan
For the past few weeks I have been savoring Michael Pollan’s Cooked, page by fascinating page. Pollan, a slightly eccentric barbequing, braising, baking, fermenting wordsmith, has not only researched and tried many of the traditional practices our family enjoys, but has written about them in magnificent prose. From real Southern barbeque to the perfect loaf […]
Review: Papa’s Wife by Thyra Ferre Bjorn
After lunch, I read aloud to the children. It’s one of my favorite times of day, especially while we’ve been reading Papa’s Wife, an international best seller of the mid-20th century. Papa’s Wife by Thyra Ferre Bjorn tells the story of Maria who became a maid for Pastor Pontus Franzon in Lapland. She was thrilled […]
Review: A Farmer’s Daughter by Dawn Stoltzfus
Since I have celiac disease, I rarely pick up a mainstream cookbook, but A Farmer’s Daughter was irresistible. You see, it’s about real, yummy, please-your-family food. What else would a Mennonite dairy farmer’s daughter (and former owner of The Farmer’s Wife market) write about? A Farmer’s Daughter: Recipes from a Mennonite Kitchen is full of […]