CSFF: Venom and Song, Day 3

Many times when I finish a good book, I find myself at a bit of a loss. After being immersed in the world that the author has spun, it feels strange to leave it behind. As I got up for my jog this morning that was definitely the case. I found myself missing the characters from Venom and Song, and wondering what will happen to them next. I hope that Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper have more planned for the Lords of Berinfell.

I haven’t had a chance to read through all the other posts on the tour yet, but be sure to visit the other blogs! They never disappoint:

Angela - Brandon Barr - Keanan Brand - Amy Browning - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - Melissa Carswell - Jeff Chapman - Valerie Comer - Amy Cruson - CSFF Blog Tour - D. G. D. Davidson - April Erwin - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Becky Jesse - Cris Jesse - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Dawn King - Leighton - Rebecca LuElla Miller - John W. Otte - Donita K. Paul - Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Chawna Schroeder - Tammy Shelnut - James Somers - Kathleen Smith - Rachel Starr Thomson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Jason Waguespac - Dona Watson - Phyllis Wheeler - Jill Williamson

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF blog tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

CSFF: Venom and Song, Day 2

***Warning: There are SPOILERS in this post***

If you’re wondering whether or not I managed to finish the book last night – I did! My husband and two-year-old gladly ate leftovers for dinner so that I would have more time to read. And more time for reading is always a good thing.

Because I read the first book, The Curse of the Spider King, right before reading Venom and Song, it’s difficult for me to separate the two books. So my review will probably include some thoughts about both.

Firstly, I love the story that is woven through these two books. Classic with a new angle. I’ve always been a fan of the teenager-discovers-special-powers type of stories, and I couldn’t remember why this story felt so familiar until some of the other bloggers mentioned the X-Men. “Aha!” I thought, “That’s it!” Like X-Men, with a fantasy spin and a positive message. What’s not to like?

I felt pretty engaged with The Curse of the Spider King from the beginning, and I loved the books that come to life as a mechanism to introduce the characters to their true nature. When I read it often feels like the same happens to me – er, the book coming to life, not discovering I’m really an elf.

Venom and Song took a little longer for me to get into. I found the training hall sequences a little boring, and those took up a good portion of the first half of the book. But once Tommy and Kat discovered the complete history of Berinfell, then I got pulled along as they all continued on their adventure. It was definitely easier to follow the characters in the second book, maybe because I was already familiar with them, or maybe because there were simply less of them. Either way, it was fun to follow the progress of the teenagers as they shifted from seven individuals into one team.

Teamwork is definitely a strong theme in Venom and Song. While the first book was more the process of each teenager discovering not only that they are really elves, but the leaders of the elves gifted with special talents, Venom and Song is all about how they learn to use those talents together to overcome the evil of the Spider King. It’s clear from the discoveries they make that they have always been intended to work together, which reveals another theme – God loves each person and has a plan for their life. I think this is most strongly seen in Jimmy, who of all the children felt that he was the one who was most expendable. His realization that he is loved and cherished, not only as part of the team but in himself, is a poignant reminder that we, too, are loved by our God. It is important for me to remember that while I am part of the greater whole of Christ’s body on earth, He still would have died on the cross even if I was the only one who needed saving. And that goes for each of us.

Venom and Song seemed to end kind of abruptly, I presume because the story isn’t over yet. I think the shift of scene at the end – I won’t go into detail so as not to give it away - caught me a little off guard, so I’ll be interested to see where the story goes from here.

I would definitely recommend this book as a fun and wholesome read. Check it out!

And visit the rest of the tour:

Angela - Brandon Barr - Keanan Brand - Amy Browning - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - Melissa Carswell - Jeff Chapman - Valerie Comer - Amy Cruson - CSFF Blog Tour - D. G. D. Davidson - April Erwin - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Becky Jesse - Cris Jesse - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Dawn King - Leighton - Rebecca LuElla Miller - John W. Otte - Donita K. Paul - Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Chawna Schroeder - Tammy Shelnut - James Somers - Kathleen Smith - Rachel Starr Thomson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Jason Waguespac - Dona Watson - Phyllis Wheeler - Jill Williamson

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF blog tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

CSFF: Venom and Song, Day 1

This month’s blog tour features the young adult fantasy Venom and Song by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper. Book Two of The Berinfell Prophecies, Venom and Song follows the seven elven teenagers introduced in the first book, The Curse of the Spider King, as they try to gain control over their new-found talents and understand their role in a strange new place.

I haven’t actually finished the book quite yet, but I am hoping that a reading marathon this afternoon will do it. If it’s anything like The Curse of the Spider King, then it’s going to be great!

Tune in tomorrow for more, but in the mean time, see what others have written:

Angela - Brandon Barr - Keanan Brand - Amy Browning - Beckie Burnham - Morgan L. Busse - Melissa Carswell - Jeff Chapman - Valerie Comer - Amy Cruson - CSFF Blog Tour - D. G. D. Davidson - April Erwin - Tori Greene - Ryan Heart - Bruce Hennigan - Timothy Hicks - Becky Jesse - Cris Jesse - Jason Joyner - Julie - Carol Keen - Krystine Kercher - Dawn King - Leighton - Rebecca LuElla Miller - John W. Otte - Donita K. Paul - Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Sarah Sawyer -Chawna Schroeder - Tammy Shelnut - James Somers - Kathleen Smith - Rachel Starr Thomson - Robert Treskillard - Steve Trower - Fred Warren - Jason Waguespac - Dona Watson - Phyllis Wheeler - Jill Williamson

Disclaimer: In conjunction with the CSFF blog tour, I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Small Successes Thursday, September 23rd

It’s important for moms everyone to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.

1. A few weeks ago I instituted a bit of a cleaning routine for myself. Not huge, just making sure I do dishes and laundry every day. At night all the dishes are washed and I put in a load of laundry. When I wake up, I move the clothes to the dryer. When I get home from work in the afternoon, I put the dishes and clothes away. I haven’t been perfect at it, but I have been consistent. And now it’s getting to the point where it is less of a chore and more of a habit. Combined with the periodic clutter pick-ups my husband and I have been doing, our house has stayed pretty clean! At least the parts that people see…

2. I sorted through a couple piles of clothes that were just sitting in our room for I won’t say how long. It’s nice to be able to walk around the edge of the bed without tripping.

3. I didn’t post anything last week. That is a success because I had gotten to that point of almost dreading trying to come up with three things to post. So I knew I needed a little break. Which meant I was ready to come back this week!

What were your small successes this week?

White Chili, Green Salsa and Brownie Bites!

 

Just a quick Tasty Tuesday post on some things I made for a little baby shower this weekend.

Hearty White Chili – Great flavor and not too spicy. Quickly becoming one of my favorite chilis.

Tomatillo (green) Salsa – I used maybe a third of the cilantro at most (one whole bunch seems like waaaaay too much), removed the seeds and ribs from both halves of the jalepeno to make it a mild salsa, added 1/2 cup of diced green chiles, 1/4 cup of green onions and 1/2 tsp of THIS, and omitted the black pepper. Sooooo good!

 

Picture by Ree Drummond

Pretty Little Brownie Bites – When I saw these I knew I had to make them for the shower! It was so much fun to decorate them with all different kinds of treats. They are really good with ice cream, too.

Check out some other Tasty Tuesday recipes at City Wife, Country Life!

Rainy Day

Monsoon season is over now, but we had a few good rains in August. One evening as I washed dishes I could see the clouds rolling in out the kitchen window, and the sound of thunder wasn’t far behind.

 

And then…rain!

 

Veronica wanted to run around in it.

 

“Go home, Baby Thunder!”

We started calling it “baby” thunder because she was scared of it at first.

 

“Wait…I’m getting wet!”

 

My attempt at a group shot. Someone was not cooperating. I’ll give you a hint - it wasn’t Veronica.

 

She was having a ball.

 

She was not. But she wasn’t exactly upset about it, either.

“What the heck is this stuff falling from the sky???”

 

Please pretend you don’t notice the sorry state of our backyard.

 

Drips!

 

It started really coming down at one point.

 

But it didn’t phase her.

 

She just kept playing until it was time to come inside.

 

“I’m all wet. Now what do I do?”

Home-made Pizza is Scrumptious

I meant to post this last week for Tasty Tuesday, but I got busy. So here it is!

 

When I remembered to take a picture of the pizza I made last week, this was what was left. It was the second pizza. And there were four of us – three adults and one toddler. It was so good! We all ate A LOT.

I had finally found a crust recipe that we liked, though the first time I made it we all felt it was a bit thick for our taste. So this time, I used one crust recipe to make two pizzas. Voila! Perfection! Here is the recipe:

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 450. I put my pizza stone in and let it sit for a good half-hour.

2. In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in water and let stand for 10 minutes, until creamy.

3. Stir in flour, oil and salt until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes.

4. Roll out into a round (or in my case, two rounds). It then says to top and bake for 15-20 minutes…but I didn’t. First, I put the crust in by itself for a couple of minutes. Then I pulled it back out and topped it. Then I baked it for about 10 minutes. It came out perfect! And so easy.

Then…the sauce. The sauce! It was another thing I had been looking for, and now I have a great home-made sauce recipe from good(Cheap)eats. Here it is:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
28 ounce can diced tomatoes or 7 fresh roma tomatoes, diced (Fresh is worth it…I put mine in the food processor and they came out perfect, not too chunky)
1 tbsp basil (I was out, waaaa!, so I used oregano which was also tasty)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
6 ounce can tomato paste

In stock pot, heat olive oil until shimmering. Stir in garlic and cook until just lightly browned. Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simmer until juices have started to evaporate slightly, about 10 minutes. Blend in tomato paste and cook 3 minutes more. Cool slightly before using on pizza.

I actually did mine in a large frying pan, but when I make bigger batches to freeze I will probably use at least a large pot, if not a stock pot. But one batch is not too big for a frying pan.

So, great crust? Check! Awesome sauce (lol)? Check! The only thing left is toppings, and once you have a great crust and sauce, you can top with whatever you want! I used mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, black olives and prosciutto, then a little bit of cheddar over the top. So good!

Vacation Wrap-Up

Almost a month after we got back home, I am finally wrapping up my vacation blogging! Cheer!

There were just so many fun things that we did, not to mention great photos, I wanted to cover as much as possible. In between all the events, there were also some fun times just spent hanging out.

 

Jam sessions.

 

Face painting.

 

Naps. Or attempts at naps anyway.

 

Horsey rides.

 

Reverse horsey rides.

 

Horsing around.

 

Holding babies.

 

Cute, cute babies.

 

Eating. Oh baby, was there eating.

 

Letting it all hang out. Especially after eating.

 

Big cousin story-time.

 

Tree-climbing.

 

Bird-watching.

 

Wheelbarrow rides.

 

More fun for some than others.

“Can I be done now? Please?”

 

Admiring nature. Because Arizona is brown.

 

More babies.

 

Custard.

 

Visiting with old friends.

 

Playing with fire.

Or fencing. Not sure which.

 

Learning.

 

Playing.

 

Wisconsin, we miss you. Can’t wait to visit again.

Small Successes Thursday, Sept 9th

It’s important for moms everyone to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that.

1. I made the best pizza ever on Sunday night. It was fantastic. I will need to post the crust and sauce recipes that I used. We’ve been looking for both for a very long time. Finally, we’ve got ones that we love!

2. While I can’t say I’ve caught up with laundry (there is always more *sigh*), I have managed to consistently do a load a day. Sometimes two! It is far less overwhelming this way.

3. I managed to send our Netflix movies back before the weekend. You may laugh, but it is a chronic problem for me. We always hang onto movies longer than we intend, and I am trying to do better about getting them out the door so we can get new ones!

What were your small successes this week?

A Comparison: 5 Months

I’m a little late posting this (again). Even with the holiday I just seem to be so busy! I think I need every other day off. Yeah, I’ll just go propose that plan to my boss.

Anyway, the girls. Veronica is loving on Jacinta more than ever. Yesterday Paul and I walked into the room to discover that Veronica was “helping” Jacinta go to sleep in the swing by piling all the towels from the linen cabinet on top of her. Did I say towels? I meant “blankets”. She also tried to feed Jacinta a goldfish (of the cracker variety). She just slipped it in Jacinta’s mouth like it was a mail slot. Luckily one of my co-workers caught the weird look on Jacinta’s face and we were able to extract the offending piece of food.

But Veronica really does love her sister, in spite of the sometimes inappropriate ways she expresses it. And who could blame her? Jacinta is a real cutie pie. She sometimes “sings” along with us when we are singing Veronica’s favorite songs and giggles when I tickle her. She’s our little roly poly, content to roll around until she ends up stuck on her stomach, at which point she promptly cries until I help her remedy the situation.  And then she is her happy, smiley little self again.

 

Veronica was definitely a chunkier baby. She just had rolls and rolls…and more rolls. (Please ignore my wonky eyebrow. Thanks.)

 

Jacinta…not so much. She does have a little baby chunk on her, but nothing compared to what Veronica sported. She doesn’t seem to be as voracious an eater, at least not with nursing, so we’ll have to see how she does with food.

 

Their hair is very similar in texture. By this point, Veronica’s had definitely started to lighten up. She also had a bald patch on the back of her head from where it rubbed on various baby contraptions. And of course, she had the dimples. And still does.

 

Jacinta’s hair has started to lighten a bit, too. You can definitely tell the difference between the ends of her hair and the new lighter growth coming in. But it is still brown. She also has lost some hair around the sides and back, though she hasn’t developed a bald spot. No dimples, but she does have cute little cheeks. Pinch! 

 

Every night when we put Veronica to bed, she likes to have Jacinta lie down next to her for a minute. It’s really exciting for her to have a sister, and I can’t wait until Jacinta is a little older so they can play together. Actually, yes I can - I take it back. I love this age, and I don’t want it to pass too quickly.

 

I also want Veronica to always be this sweet to her little sister.