REVIEW: An Amish Christmas: A Novel - by Cynthia Keller**

The beginning of this book is gives us a family like many of our own: self-absorbed teenagers, their younger brother, and parents that have a solid but distant marriage. Like many couples, as they built a career and family their own relationship slowly withered away to where both are not entirely happy. Instead, they focus on achieving the perfection of "the American Dream" - the often sought but rarely achieved nexus in today's society. The husband is so desperate to provide the Dream for his family, he resorts to risking their entire savings (stealthily without his wife's knowledge) - which he ultimately loses. He can't face telling his wife right away, so he compounds his mistake by lying to her outright. The fact he destroys his teens' social status angers them, and the youngest child become more anxious than usual with all the drama unfolding around him.

With no job, home or income, the family packs up to move in with the wife's parents. It's right before Christmas, and they head north from North Carolina through Pennsylvania Dutch country. On the way, they -literally- run into an Amish farmer. With his Amish grace and acceptance, he invites the family to stay at his home until their car is repaired. Thrust into an unusual situation, each family member is confronted by the simplicity of the Amish - which makes them question their own life. Not every member arrives to peace in the same way or at the same time, but each one discovers that sometimes simple is best. And that a happy family and productive life is the real American Dream - not all the material things that replace love, hope and loyalty of family and friends.

The end of the book ends on a positive note, but I would not exactly call is "happily ever after". In this book, you know that the family will survive intact and they will ultimately succeed and be happy. However, you are also aware there will be bumps along the way. The book does not tidily push aside resentment or suddenly establish trust between two partners, all because of one "a-ha" moment. Instead, the characters clearly state that this is only a start and they will do their best from that point forward. I liked that honest assessment at the end.

I found this book to be very uplifting and an easy read. It gave me new hope, and I found it perfect for Christmas. At a time when our economy has so many families downsizing and not able to afford the excesses of past Christmases, this is a comforting book to read. For my library, it is definitely a keeper.

**I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Librarything.com as part of their Early Reviewers program. Please see my  disclosure policy for further information.**

My Chaotic Life - or, Please Let Good Health Be Around the Corner

Wow - I kept telling myself  "Tomorrow I will blog!" and update the site. Then another round of chaos would begin, and before I knew it I was falling into bed practically sleepwalking my way there. And another day would slip by without a new post.

School started off with lots of enthusiasm and promises of straight A's - which lasted until the first major test. That brought all my little angels back to Earth (and reality). At that point the real studying (and accompanying heartache after the carefree days of summer) started in earnest. So, schoolwork took up a good bit of time.

Then in September I finally saw the doctor about my ongoing fatigue and lower back pain. After a thorough exam and blood tests, we discovered that I was low in Vitamin D. Very low. So low that I am now on mega-doses of a supplement and I am being checked again next month. I was down to "12", and most people my age and gender should be at "80". I am very fair-skinned, and skin cancer runs in the family, so getting more sun (without sunscreen) is not an option considering the deficit I currently have. So, better living through chemistry it is. I am slowly feeling better, but I was told it would take a year to be "normal" again. I found it not only causes the fatigue but also "bone pain" which was creating the issue with my lower back.

I got that behind me, then my stepdaughter got kidney stones on the same day my mother had a CT scan to investigate a suspicious growth. The kidney stone was passed, but my mother failed the CT scan: diagnosis stomach cancer, Stage 2 to Stage 3. We are keeping a positive frame of mind, as the surgeon has said that he will still operate to remove the tumor after her chemotherapy whether or not it has reduced in size. She is an excellent candidate for surgery, as she is a strong and positive 78 year old lady. Trust me, I hope to have half of her energy at that age!

She starts chemotherapy tomorrow, so all good thoughts and prayers are appreciated.  I will be staying with her on and off, so my posts will likely be sporadic. At least until after Thanksgiving. Don't give up on me, as I will continue posting reviews, thoughts, and musings just not daily. Once she is cured (after all, removing all of the tumor with no other cancer present is considered cured), I will be back to regular programming.

My CSA Adventure

Things are going well with the CSA I posted about recently. I have picked up my box for a couple of weeks now, and I am very pleased with the value for the money. All the vegetables are organically grown on a local farm that is considered a "slow grower". Currently, I am paying $390 for the remainder of the growing season - which means one box and one bag a week up to the week prior to Thanksgiving. That's not too bad, considering I get a wide variety that will continue to change as the seasons change.

So far, I get one box of tomatoes a week. This contains a pint container of heirloom Roma tomatoes - a beautiful yellow. It also contains a variety of other heirloom tomatoes - purple, red, even yellow zebra. The wide range of colors and types also means a wide range of flavors - some more sweet, some more tart. Some are good for sandwiches, and some make a mean tomato sauce. With these, I usually get around 10-14 tomatoes: 3 or 4 large ones (sandwich size perfect) with the rest medium-sized. 

I have gotten a bag of okra a week, with enough to serve a family of four (smaller than my family, but perfect for my family since several members seem to think okra means a sure death by taste). I also get some beautiful squash - a few crookneck and some zucchini. One week I got a pint jar of honey. This week's surprise was a small bag of garlic - about 8 heads.

I get more eggplant than I know what to do with, so if you have any good eggplant recipes please share. I have a good recipe for eggplant parmigiana, which I love. And since I am Southern, I have mastered frying them. I am trying to eat healthier, so I tried roasting them this past week but I wasn't entirely pleased. Please share any roasting tips you may have as well. This past week I received 4 regular purple eggplant, 3 Japanese eggplant and a pint container of Thai eggplant. I had never tried the Thai eggplant, and I totally messed up making it, so I hope I get another shot at that this week.

That is all just the CSA box, which also includes other things depending on the week. This past week I also got a huge bundle of fresh basil. Between that and the tomatoes, I made a killer tomato sauce we are using the remainder of this week. I am actually getting enough that I could be canning tomato sauce by the end of the season. That is very exciting considering the cost investment. It will be paying off past Thanksgiving. 

I am actually purchasing my CSA through the USLG market that I linked to in my last post. The market also has several other items that are delicious. The black bean hummus we tried was addictive, and I have now tracked down a good recipe that mimics the flavor. Their secret is to add a tiny bit of coriander. Other things I have tried include a chocolate pecan pie (not nearly as good as it sounds), chocolate milk from a local dairy (fantastic and hormone free), goat's milk (also quite good), goat cheese (you can make all sorts of delights with it), and more. I am very pleased so far with most everything I have tried.

I'll post more as I work my way through their market and menus.

G-Free and Me?

I had a hysterectomy back in the spring, and I have been marking off a lot of recent symptoms as a result of the surgery. Hair falling out? Must be the body trauma - my surgeon said it was normal after major surgery. Tired all the time? My surgeon said it would take six to possibly twelve months before I had all my energy back. Since I have a house full of kids, it should be no surprise the energy level stays low. I've had some headaches here and there among other things, but I just kept saying "it must be the surgery". Then there's the whole abdominal pain issue - not like prior to surgery. I notice when I drive for a long period my belly gets this strange burning sensation all around the belly button and into the lower abdomen. I'm used to those little zinger pains that are the result of nerve endings coming to life. This is totally different. Still, I kept thinking it must be the surgery. Recently, however, I've been curious if it is not something more than that.

The fatigue can sometimes resemble a bone-crushing exhaustion. There are days I have lots of energy and therefore I get a lot done. Other days just cooking a meal and washing dishes wipes me out as though I had run a full marathon. That's just not normal. Although I do remember a similar fatigue when I got diagnosed with low thyroid. That got me thinking... maybe it's my thyroid. Perhaps my new hormone replacement therapy is somehow affecting my thyroid levels? So I started a little research thinking I need to check out a good endocrinologist - one person handling all the hormones sounds like a start.

Once I started my search, I came across the website of a doctor in the area that sounds pretty good. Most of the reviews are good. On her site, she spoke about how gluten is the root of a lot of troubles for women. That led me on another search - the gluten-free diet. One of my good friends from high school is now gluten-free. She is battling lupus, and she has found going G-Free is an integral part of staying as healthy as possible. For those interested, she is Carla Ulbrich aka The Singing Patient.  So, I think I might try it. I already try to eat as much organic as possible. However, swapping one veggie for another is a lot different than giving up an entire good group (carbohydrates which deserve their own grouping). I completely identify with that line from "Eat, Pray, Love" about "no carb left behind". I will need to have a funeral for my cereals. A coffin for my cupcakes. A testimonial and wake for my bread. I'll keep you posted on my little experiment.

Hot Weather and Missing the Single Life

I really do love my children, usually my stepchildren and mostly my domestic life. However, there are those few times that I miss my old single life. Hot weather in the South, especially during a heat wave summer like this year, makes up one of those times. When I say "hot weather in the South", I am talking about temperatures somewhere between 95 and 102 (our recent highs) combined with humidity anywhere from 45-72% (yes, it really can get that high and not be raining). The combination gives this delightfully oppressive feel, in which you feel as though you will implode upon the merest exertion. The kind of weather where you take a cold shower, and when you step out of the shower you are sweating.

Weather like this reminds me that old Marilyn Monroe movie The Seven Year Itch, a delightful comedy. There is this one scene in which her character explains how she keeps cool in hot weather - she puts her underwear in the freezer. It's not such bad idea, and one that I have actually resorted to using a few summers here and there. That brings me to today's thoughts which are how to keep cool in hot weather. Naturally that turned me to some of the things I used to do but that I can't anymore - they are the types of things that are best done as a single girl.  Here are a few of my favorites:

• Underwear in the freezer: Seriously, don't underestimate this little gem.
• Laying naked under the ceiling fan: This works very nicely, even in just your underwear
• Cold shower and light duster: Does anyone even know what a duster is anymore? Probably not, and I am not really that old myself. But they are delightfully cool. In a temperature way. In a fashion way, you are not cool. You are more Endora from Bewitched.
• A pint of ice cream for dinner: Not exactly the best example for your children, although it does have calcium and meets your daily dairy requirement. 
• Doing absolutely nothing: While this is not necessarily best as a single girl, it's only literally impossible as anything other than a single girl. Children? Heaven forbid a man in your life? You will never know the pleasure of "doing nothing". 

These days? I just crank up the A/C and threaten bodily harm to anyone that dares to leave doors or windows open for more than the ten seconds it takes to in or out.  Yes, I realize I included windows in the concept of going in and out - I do have teens, remember? And in this heat? If they really want to sneak out the window at 2AM? Just be sure to close the window.