Umm, About That Meal Planning Stuff ....

I don't seem to be doing such a great job of it this week. 

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I'm doing better with the fun stuff. 

Ramona recently spotted owl-shaped baking pans at the store (I had totally passed them by, but she's not one to miss a tool that will make baking more fun.) So, we made pumpkin muffins. 

Tomorrow we're planning on some flower-shaped cookies in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux. 

But since pumpkin muffins and sugar cookies aren't exactly dinner, anyone have favorite, go-to, EASY autumn dinner ideas to share? 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Read-Aloud Update

Last night, we read chapters 23 ("Malfoy Manor") and 24 ("The Wandmaker")  to Ramona.

I say "we" because Betsy and I traded off the reading, due to the happenings at the end of 23, the opening of 24, and, you know, well, crying.

I won't say what happened, in case you haven't read it. But if you want to talk about it, the support group can meet in Comments.

Books We're Reading

Read alouds with Ramona:

The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster has long been a favorite around here. This is Ramona's first time to fully get into it. We tried it a number of years ago, and she was too young to appreciate all the word play, but this time, we're constantly either chuckling quietly together or laughing out loud at the punny wit.

Also: Lloyd Alexander's The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen.

A different kind of road trip book and so far, a delightful one. Magical, funny, intriguing.

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On her own, Ramona is reading:

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George.  She liked Tuesdays at the Castle, so wanted to move on through the days of the week. I haven't read this series myself -- we picked it up for a library book club. 

And, in the last moments before she goes to sleep, she opts for something gentle and beloved, like Louisa May Alcott's Jo's Boys. 

My recent reading: 

Lord of the World by Robert Hugh Benson

and Father Elijah by Michael O'Brien: 

I wanted to read these side by side for comparison's sake. I have read Father Elijah more times than I can count. I love this book. It's a deeply spiritual read for me, and it's also, as C.S. Lewis called such writing, a "rattlin' good story." I had never read Lord of the World before but I have a priest friend who thinks it is a superior apocalyptic story. I came away from my first read of Lord of the World and my reread of Father Elijah with mixed reactions. Lord of the World struck me as somewhat dated, but that's no surprise. It was written in the early 1900s, and predicted a particular kind of world that would come about less than 100 years later. Some of it is certainly prophetic, even if other parts feel forced. The depiction of the anti-Christ figure/politician often seemed unsubtle to me. But where Benson soars is in his spiritual reflections -- the protagonist/priest's reflections at times took my breath away, and the ending is astonishingly beautiful. 

Father Elijah can do the same thing for me -- so many dog-eared pages, and reflections that feel like prayer. As far as the plot, so much more is going on, and a number of the characters are so much more developed that I think of it, in some ways, as a better novel (a more rattlin' tale), if one is judging merely form. Still, they are both marvelous books, worth reading, reflecting on, and praying about. 

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And now for something completely different. Based on recommendations from my friend Danae, and from Anne-with-an-e and Betsy, I'm reading The Martian, by Andy Weir. I love a good survival story. I'm only a few pages in, and I may skip over some of the engineer-y, overly technical stuff, but I can't wait to find out more about the potatoes. 

Dear Pope Francis, I Love You Very Much.

That is all.

Poetry Friday: Arthur Sze's The Shapes of Leaves

This is a poignant poem, and the way it touches on grief touches me deeply this week on a dreary autumn day in Nebraska. 

We seem surrounded by grief and sadness lately -- miscarriages among friends, the death of an old friend (he was the best man at our wedding, a former professor of ours, an amazing human being), and other losses -- some peripheral, some not. I think grief leaves me grasping for control -- control over things I am not in control of. 

Arthur Sze does something stunning with this poem. He gives voice to autumn, autumn as I have always felt it, loved it. 

And in the end, there is an upsweep of hope, like spring, like faith, like the clean, sweet scent of the air after a rain. 

The Shapes of Leaves 
by Arthur Sze

Ginkgo, cottonwood, pin oak, sweet gum, tulip tree:

our emotions resemble leaves and alive

to their shapes we are nourished.

Have you felt the expanse and contours of grief

along the edges of a big Norway maple?

Have you winced at the orange flare

....

(Read the rest here, at Poets.org.)

~~~~~

Michelle Barnes has the round up today. 

Photo courtesy of Free Images. 

Sarah Reinhard Has a New Book!

And it's lovely and helpful and it's about the Rosary! Well, not exactly about the Rosary ... it's a companion to the Rosary, full of reflections and meditations that can help you get the most out of this beloved prayer.

It's coming out in October, and I'm delighted to be a small part of Word by Word: Slowing Down With the Hail Mary. You can pre-order it now. Find out more from Sarah here, or from Ave Maria Press.

First Week of School

Photo thanks to FreeImages

Yes, we're back at it.

Many moons ago, we decided that the two non-negotiables of the first day of school were Mass and breakfast out. (To my daughters' chagrin, I've always added the somewhat negotiable, "And a little bit of math.")

It used to be so easy to schedule these things. The day after Labor Day = First Day of School. But schedules are more complicated these days. Anne and Betsy wanted to join us for our first day ritual, but their morning schedules made it trickier. Anyway, for a variety of reasons involving Mass schedules, college schedules, yada, yada, we went to Mass on Tuesday evening. Not perfect scheduling, because Anne couldn't join us, but on the plus side, the new priest at our parish made a point of stopping to ask what he can do to support the miscarriage ministry I help with, so that was lovely. On Wednesday morning, all four of us went out to breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, and loads of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, depending on which Edmisten you are.

On the way home, we cranked up the volume in the car and belted out "Let It Go." Then I had to let go of my college girls so they could go have their lives. Ramona and I dove into some math, read some books, and talked about plans and ideas for the school year.

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In other news, I am on the final Harry Potter book with Ramona!

from Facebook:

Sept. 6th: The down side of being the youngest in this family/late to the Harry Potter party: Ramona didn't get the fun of midnight movies, book release parties, winning costume contests, and staying up till the wee hours to rip into the latest release. The upside? One book and movie after another. We finished Half-Blood Prince last night, watched the movie today, and then started reading Deathly Hallows. Anne, Betsy, and I are already talking about creating a final feast for Ramona that will include chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, chicken wings or legs (for Ron-style/two-fisted eating), butter beer, and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.


Sept. 7th: Reading HP & the Deathly Hallows to Ramona today ... my throat hurts from my Mad-Eye Moody voice.

And from Instagram ... Ramona made Luna Lovegood's Spectre Specs.

I will be extremely sad when we finish Deathly Hallows (and not just because of all the deaths I'm going to have to read about aloud...wish me luck.) It will be the end of an era at our house. However, the great relief for all of us will be no longer having to say, "Don't talk about that in front of Ramona! Spoilers!"* 

*Last night, Atticus took Ramona along with him when he had to help run a concession stand at his school. When he introduced her to the students they would be working with, he said, "This is my daughter. She's currently reading the last Harry Potter book, so if anyone talks about Harry Potter, NO SPOILERS."

I love that man. 

Poetry Friday: Reading Late

This poem made me think of Atticus, and for that I love it dearly.

Reading Late
by Jesse Graves

We walked between the ponds at World’s Fair Park
the first night we knew something definite had hold of us,

conversations reaching not much beyond favorite bands,
least favorite jobs. We had not held hands.

Nothing existed of our daughter, not yet a nameless dream,

(It's short -- go read the rest here, at The Writer's Almanac.)

~~~~~

The round up is at TeacherDance.

I'm Back!

Yes, I dropped off the face of the earth for a bit. I was in the final days before a manuscript deadline, so I was ignoring the outside world (although I did throw the occasional dinner at my family.) But now, the big work is done and when the time is right, I can't wait to tell you more about the upcoming book!

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Besides finishing a book, I've been adjusting to the fact that Atticus returned to work on August 10th. Umm, excuse me, school system, but next time I'm writing a book do you think you could time the beginning of school to coincide with my deadline? Because losing my dinner chef three weeks before I turn in a book is not cool.

Now that I'm cooking (I use the term loosely) again, we are having lots of quinoa, black bean, and tomato salad.

My culinary point of view remains, as it has always been, "How to cook using the fewest possible pots, pans and utensils." Yes, it's true: if I had a show on Food Network, it would be called, "Lazy Food."

~~~~~

Sometime in the blur of late summer, I finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to Ramona and we are now 500+ pages into Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I love these books. I love that we have been able to keep significant plot twists from Ramona. I love the way my college girls watch Ramona for her reaction when something big happens. I love everything about the way Harry has been part of our family, including the fact that Ramona was Dobby (for a book release party) long before (how many years ago was this??) she knew who Dobby was: 

(Next up: must dig up the best pictures of Anne-with-an-e as Professor Trelawney and Betsy as Luna Lovegood.)