Book Review with a Recipe

Read any good books lately?
Well, if you know me well, you know I love to read.  Mostly what I call "fluffy" books.
Books that make me smile, mostly.
Especially books that speak to my heart and that I can relate to in my career ~ homemaking.

So, how could I not love a book with a picture of a homey little cottage on the front?

The picture is from the front of the book, The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert.

 

It's book two of a series of eight from

The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter.

 

They're cute little tales with a mixture of characters of humans and their animals that can speak and reason.

It took a bit of getting used to, the animals talking, but it seems sort of natural after a while.

And the great part of each book is the recipes at the end!

I just had to try this one.

 

Sarah Barwick's Lemon Bars

 

 

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup old-fashioned oats

candied orange peel for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9" x 13" pan.  Pour condensed milk into medium-sized bowl; stir in lemon zest and juice.  Set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add flour and baking powder in two additions, beating very well.  Mix in the oats.  Spread about two-thirds of this mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan, making a smooth, firm layer.  Pour milk-lemon mixture over bottom layer.  Spread remaining oat mixture evenly over lemon layer.  (This is easier if you "dot" it in place, then smooth.)  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool in pan; refrigerate for one hour.  Cut into 16 squares.  Decorate each square with a bit of candied orange peel.  Refrigerate.

 

 

And I must say that this is delicious!  The piece pictured above is being eaten as I type.  Yummy!

 

I'm currently reading book 3 of this series, and the more I read, the more I enjoy them.  They are very well written.  Here's a sampling of Ms. Albert's writing that I especially enjoyed (maybe because I have a little something in common with Parsley).

"Stop, Parsley!"  roared the badger, but in a kindly way, for he knew that it was Parsley's habit to talk all the way around a story or two or three times before she could manage to open the front door and step into it properly."

 

 

So, leaving you with that, I'm closing the door and stepping out of this posting.  :)

 



Oh, except to say this, the author has a wonderful website with such cute drawings, lists of her books, and even a free newsletter!  Hope you visit and enjoy it.  Now I'm stepping out again.  :)



 

Menopause talk

Once upon a time, when I was in my mid 40's, I went to my OB/GYN for my annual check-up.  She is the doctor I've gone to since I was in my early 20's and that was with me through the births of my three children.  She's a few years older than me, a doctor, and a FEMALE, so I thought she would understand the weird things I was feeling now in my 40's.  I explained to her about how usually overly-organized me would now walk into the kitchen and turn around three times trying to figure out what I needed to do to get a meal underway.

Know what she said?  "It's probably just empty nest syndrome."  And she wrote out a prescription for an antidepressant!  Empty Nest syndrome?  I thought, "Is she crazy?  My nest is FAR from empty!"  Needless to say, I thankfully never had that prescription filled.

I suffered on with my symptoms until time for my next check up and decided to try another doctor.  This time I went to a male physician.  When I told him about my spacy mind among other problems, he gave me what looked like a smirk to me (I hate smirks), and with pen poised over his prescription pad said, "It sounds like menopause.  I can write you a prescription for hormones."  He wasn't even going to check to see WHICH hormones might be low!  I knew I didn't want synthetic hormones anyway so I began a search for a Naturopathic Physician.  The closest to my little town were in Birmingham or Atlanta, 1 1/2 to 2 hours away.

So at that point, I knew I was going to have to take my well-being into my own hands.  Thus began my search for hormone/menopause information.  I spent hours and hours on the internet.  I checked out every book on the topics from the public library and the local university's library.  And from everything I read, I found the sanest and most help from this book that I found in my public library.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause
by John R Lee, M.D.

It was a God send for me because I found myself in the pages of this book.  So after devouring every page I ordered my first tube of bioidentical Progesterone Cream and the real test/trial began.  This is the first cream I ordered because it was one of the ones recommended in the book.

 

Emerita Pro-Gest® Cream -- 4 oz
$25.29 from Vitacost.com

   It started out working great!  I thought I had found my fix.  My whirling mind settled down, my anxious feelings went away, I could sleep again!  Everything that had changed for the worse went back to normal.  But after a few glorious weeks...other things started happening.  I started having a heavy, oppressive feeling.  I became weepy, and I am not normally a crier. Thinking I must not be using enough of the cream, I used more.  But the new symptoms just worsened so I left the cream off altogether and all the old symptoms returned.  I knew the cream could help but I just wasn't sure what I was doing wrong.

 

 So back to the book!

 

I found out that if you use more of the progesterone cream than your body needs, it can have this effect on you.  Without having hormone level tests, I didn't know which one(s) were lacking, so it was trial and error for me.  Until finally, I found the right amount of cream to use and it was a very small amount that I really needed.  A four ounce tube will last me about six months.  Truthfully, it probably took me four months to work out exactly how much cream was just the right amount for me.

 

But now?  It's smooth sailing.  On days 8-30 of each month I rub in a small dab of the cream every morning and a little bigger dab at night.  On days 1-7 of each month I take a vacation from the cream.  That's it!  I know many women have trouble with hot flashes during this time of their lives, and I've heard great reviews of the cream lessening them and some even stopping them.  I've thankfully never had hot flashes so I can't be of any help there. 

 

I've been using the progesterone cream for several years now.  I sometimes leave it off a while to see if I still need it since I am now officially in menopause, but when I do break from it the old symptoms come creeping back in.  I would prefer to use nothing, but if I have to use something, I prefer this over synthetic hormones.

 

I now rotate the brands of progesterone cream I use.  My body always seems to respond better to products when I do this.  Here are a few other brands of cream I've tried with equal results.  Most are cheaper than the Emerita brand.

 

Vitacost has the Source Naturals 4 oz.  Bonus tube for $11.99 right now.

 

 

 

This mist is very different from the creams. It is kind of oily but smells good and rubs in pretty well and I've had just as good of results as from the creams. However, at $16.89 for one ounce, it is not near as cost-efficient.  I do still order it every once in a while when I want a change from the creams but it will last two months tops, even with the small amount I use. 

 

I really like the pump dispenser that the Life-flo Progesta-Care comes in.  It gives pre-measured doses.  However, I don't use the recommended dosage.  But you don't have to give it a full pump so it still works well for me.  I like the smell of the lavender one best.

 

 

And since I'm almost out of cream I've got this one ordered and on the way to me right now.

  I'm looking forward to trying a new brand.

I ordered it from Swanson Vitamins and it is $11.99 for 3 oz. 

I have to admit that the smell of several of the progesterone creams is not very pleasant to me, the Emerita (to me) is the worse with the Source Naturals coming in second.  Some people say the Source Natural smells like rosemary and when I think of it that way it isn't quite as bad.  But when using the cream I just thank God that I found it and think of the scent as the scent of healing.

Now you know there's got to be a disclaimer here:  I am by no means a doctor (other than Dr. Mom), I have no medical training and I'm not saying these creams will work for everyone, just that they work for me.  I suggest you find a doctor that specializes in natural hormone replacement if at all possible and work with them to balance your hormones.  If like me, you can't find a medical specialist to help you then read everything you can about hormone replacement before starting it.  Dr. John R. Lee, that wrote the book mentioned above, went on to write several other books on the same subject.  I have purchased all his books, including the one about Breast Cancer, even though I've never had and hopefully will never have cancer, and gleaned much, much helpful information from each book.  The Breast Cancer book is also a good book for preventive care in my opinion.

Okay, after taking off the italics and turning back to friendly chatter, I would like to show you my own current Menopause Survival Kit:

Evening Primrose Oil has lots of healthy benefits but I take it mostly because it keeps my joints oiled, limber, and moving. 

And that's it, that's all I take.  No vitamins, no herbs, nothing else.  Believe me when I say I've tried lots of them but keep coming back to the Evening Primrose oil and progesterone cream.  I think these two products combined with healthy eating, sensible exercise, and prayer, keeps me healthy.

I just want you to know that I've stepped out of my comfort zone to write today's post only because I hope to help someone else that might be going through some of the same problems I did and feel kind of hopeless. 

I also hesitate to add this next information because I don't want anyone to think, "Uh huh, there's something in it for her and she's just doing this for a kick-back."    But here is  a way to save $10 off your first $30 or more Vitacost order: 

1.  Visit www.vitacostrewards.com

2.  Sign up and enter my email address:

ahappyvalentine@hotmail.com

 

 

If you do this, I will get a $10 credit too.  But I added this not for the $10 I might get, but for you.  Hope you know that. 

 

Love ya'll!!!!

 

      Sherry

 

P.S.  Please leave me comments.  I want to hear about your experience during this exciting time of your life!  :)

 

Summer Book Read

A Summer Idyll by Betty Neels

Betty Neels, where have you been all my life?

I ran across this book at the Bookmobile last week.

I've always been kind of leery of Harlequin novels, never knowing if they're a "clean" read.

When asking the bookmobile librarian about this author, she said, "Oh yeah, they're clean.  I read them all when I was in high school.  She writes kind of like Grace Livingston Hill."

 

Well, I have a love/not love feeling about Grace Livingston Hill's books. 

Yes, they're clean, but a lot of them seem "preachy" to me.

I guess I'm shallow, but I don't want my "fluffy" reading to make me feel convicted for not being perfect.

 

Anyway, to end this long story, I checked the book out and I enjoyed it so much!

The great thing is, when looking for others by this same author, I found that between my local public library and the Bookmobile, I have access to over 40 books by Betty Neels !

 

Here's a little bio of the author in front of this book:

Romance readers around the world were sad to note the passing of Betty Neels in June 2001.  Her career spanned thirty years, and she continued to write into her ninetieth year.  To her millions of fans, Betty epitomized the romance writer, and yet she began writing almost by accident.  She had retired from nursing, but her inquiring mind still sought stimulation.  Her new career was born when she heard a lady in her local library bemoaning the lack of good romance novels.  Betty's first book, Sister Peters in Amsterdam, was published in 1969, and she eventually completed 134 books.  Her novels offer a reassuring warmth that was very much a part of her own personality.  She was a wonderful writer, and she will be greatly missed.  Her spirit and genuine talent will live on in all her stories. 

 

Now I can't wait to get to the library and check out more of her books!

 

A Winter Dream

I hope you're taking good care of yourself during this busy holiday season.

I make it a priority (most days :) to take a little time out of the busyness and have a little "me" time.
One of my favorite things to do is make myself a cup of hot tea ~ with real sugar and real cream~ and sit down with a good book for a few minutes each day.

I've been visiting my local library a lot lately and one of the sweet librarians recommended this book to me a couple of weeks ago.

 

And I just had to share it with you, my friend!

I have to say it's the best novel I've read in years!

If you like a good, clean book with twists and turns and a happy ending, then I highly recommend it to you.

 

And to think, I borrowed it from the library.

A free read!

Just goes to show you, the best things in life are free.

 

 

So, what simple pleasures are you enjoying right now?

 

 

Take care of yourself!

 

Summer Joys

I've been neglecting my blog lately haven't I?  It's not that I've had wildly exciting happenings going on in my life.  It's just the happy, simple things that have been keeping me joyfully occupied.  I've never been much of a summer person.  It's kind of hard really, living in Alabama.  We've had several days with over 100 degree temps already!

But I've found a way to enjoy the weather we've been given.  I get up pretty early ~ 6:30 ~ breakfast on something that I enjoy (usually buttered toast with apple cinnamon jelly), and enjoy a couple of cups of coffee while reading my emails.  If it's laundry day I load the washer before I eat.  Then I hang out the laundry, water my plants, and take little Maggie for a walk.  All this is done while the morning coolness is still in the air and there's even usually a pleasant breeze in the early a.m.

Then I play little games with myself the rest of the day.  I promise myself a little treat in between my household chores, "Now Sherry, if you run in and get the floors swept and mopped you can sit out on the front porch with a cup of tea and read awhile."   These little conversations go on all day until...

"Good job with those chores, now grab your book and read awhile until time to start supper!"

Do you get the feeling most of my rewards is reading time?

Reading is one of my favorite things to do.

I've read quite a few books already this Spring and Summer.

The Bookmobile and the public library have seen quite a lot of me lately.

In fact, the public library even opened up the Summer Reading Program to adults this year!

Of course I joined right up.

It's the first time I've participated in the Summer Reading Program since my children outgrew them.

The adult program encourages the reading of different genres of books.

It got me to read books I wouldn't ordinarily have chosen.

  I even read a western!

I took my guys' suggestion and read Hondo by Louis L'Amour.

I really didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

Mr. L'Amour wrote quite a good love story.

It was a real page-turner.

I did kind of cringe though at his vivid descriptions of killings and scalpings.

Sweet hubby even pulled out an old VCR tape of the movie starring John Wayne and we enjoyed it together one night.

I also read a biography as a Summer Reading Program requirement.

I chose:

It was so good!

I just found out that there has been a movie made from the book.

I've gotta check that out!

Have you ever read any books by Denise Hunter?

I've just found her books this Spring/Summer and I highly recommend them if you like a good, clean, romance book..

Here's the ones I've read so far:

Seaside Letters
A Nantucket Love Story

The Convenient Groom

And my current read:

Driftwood Lane

And I usually keep a cookbook to browse through.

This is my favorite one of the summer so far.

It came from the Bookmobile.

I plan on using some of the recipes to help use up some of our garden's abundance.

Especially the yellow squash and zucchini.

So now you know where I've been while not blogging.

So far it's been a flip flop wearing...        

...dream chasing kind of summer.

Now I've done it,

I've sat here at the computer chatting with my friends while the sun has heated up all outdoors.

I've gotta run because I've got to:

hang sheets on the line

walk my little Maggie dog

 get ready for a visit to the library

and (my favorite)

lunch out with my friends!

What about you?

Are you enjoying your summer so far?

I'd love to hear what you've been up to!

Good Enough

I have such a struggle with the disease of

Perfectionism

Does that mean that everything I do is perfect?

On the contrary.

It means that a lot of things get left undone because I don't have the time or skills to do them perfectly.

Take my housework for example.  I used to put off a simple chore such as vacuuming until I had the time to pull out furniture and vacuum perfectly.

But thankfully I found Flyady and she gave me "permission" to vacuum just the middle of my floors.

I try to choose one room each week to detail-clean but all the other rooms get just a lick-and-a-promise.

And if I don't detail clean a room this week?

It will still be there next week.

Thank you Flylady!

But my perfectionism didn't stop with my house.  It spilled over into my health.  I posted lately about my struggle with the They Says. 
Then I found this eye-opening book:

Live a Little! Breaking the Rules Won't Break Your Health
by Susan M. Love, M.D. and Alice D. Domar, PH. D.

In this book, written by a surgeon and a psychologist, I found out that perfect health is a myth!
No one can follow ALL the "rules," and no one knows if these rules would keep us perfectly healthy anyway.
I learned that eight hours of sleep is not the perfect amount for everyone.  I probably won't die from sleep deprivation if I have a toss-and-turn night once in a while.
The "rules" on the issues of stress, health screenings, nutrition, and relationships are also looked at and brought down to more livable standards.
Oh, and the title of my favorite chapter?
It's Not Religion, It's Just Exercise

While taking this close-up look at my life, I'm amazed at the huge role that perfectionism plays in it. It touches almost everything I do: cooking, cleaning, art, piano, blogging, teaching, loving...In short; Living.

So instead of looking at myself critically through this magnifying glass today, I'm going to try to see my reflection through the eyes of Christ as He gazes on me. He knows I'm not perfect, but He loves me anyway.

Am I the only one that struggles with perfectionism?

I would love to hear how others deal with it.

Be brave! 

Leave a comment.

We can learn from each other.

You never know who you might help.

~ Sherry ~

Chocolate Waffles and a Book Review

This is what we had for Breakfast this morning:

Chocolate Waffles with a choice of maple syrup or strawberries and whipped cream.

(We all liked the strawberries and whipped cream best. :)

I got the recipe from my current read.





I've fallen in love with the Tales from Grace Chapel Inn series of books from GuidepostsBooks.

They remind me a lot of the Mitford book series by Jan Karon.

One difference with this series is that the books are not all written by the same author, but by several different authors. 

These stories are about three sisters ~ two in their 60's and the "baby" in her 50's ~ that have started life anew by opening up their childhood home as a bed and breakfast. 

Each sister is an artist in her own way; Louise, the eldest at 65,  is a classical pianist, Alice, age 62, is a caring/compassionate nurse, and Jane, the baby at 50, is a very well-trained chef.

Here is the blurb from the back cover of Recipes & Wooden Spoons :

While cleaning out the cluttered basement of Grace Chapel Inn, Jane Howard finds an old cookbook brimming with her mother's recipes and handwritten notes. Through these precious, fragile pages, Jane comes to discover the spirit of her mother, Madeleine, who died while giving birth to Jane.  But when the inn gets busy and money troubles threaten, Jane wonders if moving back to Acorn Hill was a big mistake.  Can her crisis of faith lead to a new solution for the inn ~ and for Jane herself?

This book includes wonderful descriptions of the dishes Jane prepares from Madeleine's cookbook, along with the recipes.

I look forward each night to opening my current book and falling asleep while reading about the fun but peaceful life in Acorn Hill.

And I especially look forward to our Book Mobile driving into my Pleasant Valley each month bringing me more Tales from Grace Chapel Inn.

Life is grand!

~ Sherry ~

P.S.  The waffles were WONDERFUL!

This post is linked to: Show and Tell Friday

More of My Colored Pencil Drawings

I finished up my colored pencil art lessons book!

Well....

...I guess I should say...

...that I finished up with the lessons that I liked best.

I skipped a few that weren't my style of drawing. I thought about going back to my least favorite lessons later but I'd renewed the book to the limit, six weeks!

So I had to take it back to the library today. It was due yesterday but the library gives one day of grace.

Grace is such a wonderful gift!

I highly recommend this little book if you're interested in drawing with colored pencils.

Colored Pencil by Eileen Sorg

Our temperatures are up, up, up, so I get up early and get all my outside work done, including my walk, before the heat hits.  After that I come inside, finish my household chores, then I have the afternoon to play away until it's time to cook supper.  What's play?  Artwork, sewing, reading, napping... It's all good! :)



Colored Pencil Lessons ~ Continued

My Results from Lesson Three

I'm having such a fun time with this wonderful book! 

Colored Pencil by Eileen Sorg

You can see the results of my first two lessons here.

Refashioning Project Update:   I've completed the make-over on three of the garments.  I'm happy with two of them but one was a big flop.  Pictures to follow soon!

Dealing with Disappointment

My inner giggly girl (Little Sherry) wasn't so giggly this morning. She is disappointed because something she had been looking forward to very much was called off. She just wanted to stay in bed this dark foggy morning.

But I talked her into getting up and making the best of things. So we got dressed and shared breakfast with Neil before sending him off to work. Then, longing for a smiling face, I went into the bathroom and put on a little makeup. I was giving myself such a big smile that those old doldrums just started dropping away.

Now, with laundry in the washer, supper in the Crock Pot, and my floors all swept and mopped, I pulled out a fun library book that I've already had for three weeks but haven't used, and showed it to Little Sherry.  I told her not to be sad, that we could have fun today with our book and colored pencils.  And guess what?  She cheered right up!



Colored Pencil by Eileen Sorg



The book's pages are full of happy, bright colors!

And just look at the many fun projects we can choose from!

Everything looks rosier already.

Brilliant sun rays have dried up the fog and are beaming through the trees in my backyard.

I'm so glad I climbed out of bed this morning and decided to look at the bright side of life.

Paint by number done by me

Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4