If You Want to Be a Social Media Rockstar, You Have to Read this New Book

*I was given a free copy of this book to review, but all opinions are my own; I would never recommend a book to you that I didn't love!* 

This week marks the launch of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick's new book, The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users. I can't wait to gush to you about how much I love it! 

In a world where your business can't succeed without a good online presence, I was afraid I was entering the game a bit late. 

I knew that my photography and my writing business possibilities would benefit from the amazing networking possibilities of this social-media world. Problem was, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. (You're talking to the girl who seriously resisted a personal facebook page just got a twitter account like 2 months ago!)

If you're anything like me, then you are too busy (or intimidated or confused) to sift through the Internet on all the do's and dont's of social media. But if you own a business, you NEED to understand how to use this (mostly) free form of marketing!

That's where The Art of Social Media sweeps in to save the day.

Guy and Peg have helped demystify Twitter for me, and they've given me practical tips to make me feel more confident as I balance the spinning plates of Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram to help grow my site traffic and get my voice heard.

I understand better the power of effective hashtags.

I have a list of lame rookie mistakes to avoid.

I know the most effective times to post.

I feel empowered and organized when I approach my social media platforms.

I am "meeting" new people and making important social media connections that have already benefited my business.

All these things are because of this book, and I just know that they will snowball into huge results for my business ventures.

I haven't quite taken the jump, yet, but I have been challenged to be bold and fearlessly active on social media thanks to Guy and Peg's stats on visibility. So if you follow me on Twitter, you might get annoyed by the frequency of repeated posting, but hey chill, I'm trying to reach the world here! 

(Seriously though, I have regular readers in 5 different time zones!)

I love the edgy no-nonsense way that Guy talks to his audience. For example, when discussing the huge body of "research" on SEO (search engine optimization) he says, "There are three thousand computer science PhDs at Google trying to make each search relevant, and then there's you trying to fool them. Who's going to win?" Fair point, Guy, fair point.

This book is also funny! There were times I was laughing so hard I'm like "this is awesome - a book for 'work' that's also relieving stress by being an enjoyable read!"

So besides the goldmine of invaluable information, it's pee-your-pants hilarious at times. I call that a win!

Guy and Peg have given me the tools I need to make social media work for me, rather than me feeling like I'm drowning in tweets and hashtags and pins and getting nowhere. I am confident that their book will continue to be a helpful reference as I work to master the ways I can make Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest help me grow my business. I've got my eye on Flickr next, but I'm trying not to be too greedy ;-)

If you use social media to promote your business, service, product, or events, then this book is for you. Buy it today!

It was just released on Amazon {my affiliate link here} so at least make sure Santa slips it under your tree this year!

My Juicy Saturday Morning Project

Good morning world! It's a fabulously dreary Saturday morning here in Germany and we have nothing going on. The girls are bingeing on movies and J is unwinding with a much needed video game session after a super stressful week of ALS.

So I'm enjoying my pajamas and I am about to sit down to a lovely project...

I finished the book Blogging for Creatives by Robin Houghton and I'm ready to start reading through the 38 blogs I wrote down that interested me. (That's just a fraction of the amazing content she recommends!) I've got a hot cuppa chai and I'm ignoring the laundry and dishes. It's time for some serious blog research and inspiration!

If you are interested in blogging you should buy this book. If you follow this amazon link I will get a small financial kickback from the amazon affiliate program for recommending it to you.

Robin's book is super informative, clear, inspiring, and just plain phenomenal. If I didn't already have two blogs, I would want to start one just because of how amazing this book is! But three blogs seems excessive so I'll just stick with what I already have going on! ;o)

I just love this quote from Lisa Stone, CEO of BlogHer, Inc. When asked if there are just too many blogs out there, she replied, "It's a bit like asking as there too many movies. No, I don't think there are too many blogs - I'm not sure there are enough good ones!"  

So what are you doing lately that's inspiring you? Have you always wanted to start a blog but just weren't sure? Do you have a blog but really want to take it to the next level? Seriously Robin's book is for you.

Tell me in the comments where you're at in your blogging journey or what blogs inspire you right now! I'm not quite sure I have enough blog research to do so hit me with your suggestions! ;o)

Happy Saturday everyone! 

On Dinosaurs, Quality Time, and Looking like a Dork as I "Weeeeee!!!" Down Little Kids' Slides

The dinosaurs are out of winter hibernation and our season pass to the Dino Park and the Japanese Gardens has already seen good use. Sam is still OBSESSED with dinosaurs... preferring dino movies/books/and toys to most others. 

And while you would think the appeal of the dino park would lose it's charm after the first 135 visits, apparently it's unbelievably exciting to see the dinosaurs every week... oh to be 3 and 4 again ;o)

This is a pretty cool stage of parenting. Not only is there light at the end of the potty training tunnel, but the girls are able to do more, express more, and communicate more. I love it!

With all this big-girl-ness going on, it's hard to resist the temptation to constantly let them play by themselves. I am by no means planning on being their entertainment, but I am almost done reading The 5 Love Languages of Children and I realized that I would like to work in more intentional quality time with the girls each day.

I've been amazed at the difference in the girls' after just a few weeks of Mommy being more involved... just a little goes a long way! I have been playing with barbies, cooking at the toy kitchen, sliding down slides that aren't really made for someone my size, and playing "soccer".

The benefits of daily quality time are obvious... but I am guilty of letting days go by where I don't play. Or taking them to the playground and parking my tush on the bench while they played and I read. Not that I don't bring a book to the Dino Park... I mean, Momma can only handle so much playtime ;o) But I do notice that everyone seems happier and more affectionate lately. I hope it's because we're all feeling the love!

["Okay everyone smile and look at the camera!" Or not.]

So three cheers for the reminder to be a more fun and involved Mom. And seeing the difference it makes in my kids! And three cheers for the Dino Park, which provides 4 hours of afternoon playtime in the sun while Dad is able to sleep (thumbs down for mid-shift) and Momma doesn't have to be a shhh-monster! 

Also, confession: When I'm at the park without backup and I have to convince them to leave without tears, I completely resort to bribery! But let's call it motivation ;o) "Hey girls, it's time to go... DO YOU WANT A POPSICLE ON THE WAY OUT???" ha.

Me: (exasperated) "Come on Lily, SMILE BIG for me!"
Lily: (equally exasperated) "I CAN'T Mooooom. I don't have as big a MOUTH as you!"

Fair point ;o) I love these two crazy girls!

Sick Sick SICK

Germans are celebrating Fasching this week... so they're getting all dressed up and hopped up on sugar (and booze) while my poor Monkeys have been sitting on the couch melting their brains with Pixar.

So. much. sickness. 

February was one of those "where did the month go?" kind of months - mostly thanks to the on-and-off-again sickness from these two cuties. They've missed a good bit of school and are currently driving me insane suffering from fever/coughs. Thankfully the fevers are done, just the coughs and whining remain ;o) 

Lily, my passionate sufferer, is quite ornery during this most recent illness. And Momma, also a passionate sufferer, is quite ornery because she's quite ornery and I keep begging Jesse to "let" me go run any and every errand possible just to get out of the house! It's been five days and I feel like it's been 50.

So they were NOT able to dress up cute and celebrate the end of winter with candy and sweets at their school's Fasching party yesterday. They've watched so much tv this week they're actually getting bored of it - gasp! Anyways we're all feeling lazy and gross.

February was supposed to be my "let's get back to that regular cleaning schedule" month. And my "let's blog more regularly again" month. And my "let's start exercising more regularly" month. Yeah right. Maybe March will be a less-sick month.

But at least I can cross "read 'The Gruffalo's Child' 5,000 times" off of my bucket list!

Sometimes SICK happens. 

For the Book Worms: Bread & Wine

January just seems like the perfect month to curl up near the fire with a good book.  Adding a blanket and a hot cup of tea doesn't hurt.  As a mom of preschoolers, my reading time is often limited to ten minute increments... so sometimes it can be discouraging to the book-loving part of my soul.

Which is why I'm so so happy to recommend this amazing book to you.  It's called Bread & Wine and it's definitely my most recent favorite book of all time (which changes often ;o) but that's just me)  My Love got it for me for Christmas and I am pleased to report that I just couldn't put it down... AND I actually was able to finish it already because the chapters are the perfect length!

Shauna has written these amazing essays all about food.  Most of the short chapters have a recipe at the end!  But the book isn't just about food... it's about hospitality, that lost art of welcoming people we love to our tables and nourishing them not just with delicious food, but with the love and care we put into a meal.  In this busy season of life, I have felt sad for how little time I've spent in the kitchen.  The kitchen is my favorite room in the house, and this book reminded me why.  And encouraged me to get back to it!

Reading this book was like sitting down with a dear, wise friend... a true kindred spirit.  I can't recommend it enough! I was sad when it was over... like the feeling you get when you're having coffee with a friend and you don't want the conversation to end!

And it's not just for those of you who love to cook!  This book is for anyone who needs to eat!  The recipes are easy to understand and the inspiration to just roll up your sleeves and get in the kitchen is just amazing.

Deep down inside, I believe we all have to be a cook at some point.  You may not have two tiny humans and a hungry husband depending on you for nourishment each day, but your role as cook is just as important to the ones you love!  Even if it's "just" your own hungry tummy or the friends you invited over for pizza on a Friday night.

I have already learned how to make risotto from Shauna, and her recipe for white chicken chili is the easiest and possibly tastiest recipe I've ever used!  I can't wait to try her mango chicken curry, enchiladas, and I may even go fancy some night and give dark chocolate sea salted toffee a try - she makes it sound so easy!

So a big huge thanks to Jesse for the book and a huge thanks to you, reader, if you follow my link and purchase the book on amazon.  It's got plenty of great healthy recipes to kick start your New Year even if you want to save the richer fare for special occassions... and if you wanted some inspiration to get back in the kitchen, this is your cookbook.

To the food lover or experienced cook - this is your love letter to cooking.  Get it.  It will put a huge smile on your face!

I'm speaking from experience :o)

Good Reads: the Kid (and Momma) Edition

We've been really enjoying our story times lately.  I didn't make as much time for it with friends and family visiting, but usually we read together every day.  It's something special I really treasure doing with them... especially since I feel like I've been waiting FOREVER for them to get interested in reading with me!

When Lily was born I was very upset with the realization that she did not, in fact, come out of the womb being interested in picture books.  What the heck.  I thought it was highly unfair that I had gobs and gobs of fantastic books and a baby who didn't give a hoot.  But now the wait is over!  The girls will snuggle up on the couch and read with me for up to an hour.

If only I could take a few shots of espresso before we start!  The yawns get distracting after about 20 minutes ;o) but I still suffer through cause it's really important.

I always knew that reading out loud to my kids was great for exposing them to rich language, giving them a head start on being lifelong readers, and that it was just plain cozy and fun... but what I didn't realize until recently was just how influential a good book can be in teaching an important life lesson for my children.

Two books that I highly want to recommend are Tea for Ruby and In My Heart .

Tea for Ruby is all about how Ruby has been invited to tea with the Queen... and she learns some very important lessons in manners and she prepares for the big tea party.  I got this book for the girls because it's illustrated by one of our favorites (Robin Preiss Glasser also illustrates the Fancy Nancy series) and it was sheer accident that it was on manners.

Now of course I'm trying to teach my kids manners.  But they're still pretty little and they don't really get what the word "rude" means.  Until one day I mentioned at the table that Lily needed to stop talking with her mouth full of food, and she excitedly pipes in "Like Ruby?"  BRILLIANT!  Yes, Lily, don't be rude like Ruby... remember how in the book she was talking with her mouth full?  We want to use our manners like she learned how to do!  

We've had many conversations like this about everything from interrupting, to waiting our turn, to saying please & thank you.  And I'd like to thank Ruby for really driving those points home for my girls!

In My Heart is one of the many gems that I've just discovered in my own home.  We've been super blessed by receiving boxes and boxes of children's books from people, not to mention two very generous sets of grandparents.  So I really have no clue where this particular book came from.  But I love it.  

It's about a darling little boy who's Momma tells him that all throughout the day, when they're apart, she thinks of him and knows that he's "in her heart".  This one has brought up quite a few awesome conversations...

First, we get to talk about how Mommies can work just like Daddies.  Since I'm a SAHM and my kids think I'm super awesome, duh of course they assume that "only dads go to work".  The mom in this book is a veterinarian, so not only do we get to talk about animal doctors, but we get to talk about how anyone can work anywhere.  Mommy just chooses to work at home with you ;o) 

Second, we get to talk about race and ethnicity.  This is really important to me because after reading Nurture Shock I learned that white parents are statistically the most likely to leave "race conversations" until far too late in a child's development.  In their fascinating chapter "Why white parents don't talk about race" Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman discuss some really fascinating studies about how children interpret skin color from an early age.  Kids are developmentally prone to in-group favoritism.  And they love to sort and categorize everything in their life.  It was a big eye opener for me to read that if no one EXPLICITLY talks to your child about race by third grade, they will have already formed their own (often incorrect) conclusions about people who have skin that is different from their own.

Kids notice differences in skin color way earlier than we realize.  And they don't know how to talk about it unless we teach them.  The day after we had a play date with a black girl, Lily woke up the next morning and told me she wanted to play with her "blue friend"... I was so confused.  But that was our first conversation about skin color... I think she wasn't even three, yet.

Research shows that in order to be effective, conversations about race have to be specific and in terms children understand.  You can't wave the magic wand of "everyone's equal" to a three-year-old.  They don't yet know what equal means!  But they will (probably) understand when you say it's wrong to choose someone as your friend because their skin is the same as yours... or to not be friends with someone who has different skin.

That's why I love this book so much.  The main character is adopted, so you get to talk about how families, friends, coworkers, and teachers can all have skin that is different than us.  It's just like different hair styles or clothes.

The other funny thing is that I don't think the author intended that as the "main point" of the book.  But that's what my kids and I are taking away from it! 

What have I been reading lately?  It's not all about the picture books, folks!

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are  Her writing on living a more thankful life was like poetry to my grumpy soul.

Marriage Adventures: The Secret to an Extraordinary Life Together  Written by a very dear friend of mine, Carrie Starr.  On how to make your first marriage your only marriage.  LOVE IT!

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible  I so wish I had purchased this before we planted this year ;o) but I'm still learning a ton. No more "googling and guessing" my way through the gardening season(s)!!

The Robe  A re-read for me.  But I figured it was time to pull a delicious-smelling-classic off of our shelf and I just love this book so so so much.  (For the awesome story and writing, not just the smell.)

Happy reading everyone!  I wish you a cozy evening snuggled up with a good book.  Or early morning. Or mid afternoon with two kids squished up next to you.

I Just Finished a Book You Need to Read. Here's Why...

I just finished reading It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig.  And I am desperately trying to figure out a way to review it thoroughly without boring you to tears.  Because I want you to read this whole post.  I'll try to keep it short and sweet if you stay with me, okay?

I think this is an amazing book that will challenge your relationship with REAL food.  

It is just about the closest thing to a "fad diet" that I'm ever going to recommend to anyone... and I haven't even tried it, yet!  (Stay tuned for how the next month or so goes for J and I!)  But before I tell you about it and what it entails I want you to know that if you are any of these three people, you need to read this book:

1.  Anyone who jokes about being addicted to sugar.  Because it's true and it's not funny - you probably are.  So cut it out and go get this book.

2.  Anyone who feels like they're constantly on a roller coaster of wanting to eat healthy but can't stick to a good diet and or always crash back into their old habits.  This method is all about reprogramming your body the right way.

3.  Anyone who has chronic health issues.  Some of the testimonies in this book are amazing... people trying out this program and being totally cured of illnesses, aches/pains, etc. that they had been struggling with or being medicated for their whole lives!

Okay I just thought of one more...

3a.  Anyone who is related to me.  I'm serious.  If you currently have or EVER had the same last name as me.  Or are married to someone who has or has ever had the same last name as me.  I want you to read this book.  Because I want you to live long and prosper and I care about both the quantity AND quality of your life.

And as the Hartwig's say... It starts with food!  

Okay so here are Dallas and Melissa's Good Food Standards:
The food we eat should...

1.  Promote a healthy psychological response.
2.  Promote a healthy hormonal response.
3.  Support a healthy gut.
4.  Support immune function and minimize inflammation.

The main idea is that anything you eat either makes you healthier or makes you less healthy.  Here's how you build your meals during the Whole30 (30 days of whole eating) plan... 1-2 palm sized portions of protein (high quality meat, seafood, eggs), fill the rest of your plate with a variety of vegetables, one or more good fat source per meal, one or two small servings of fruit a day.  Three meals a day.  No snacking.

You may have noticed a distinct lack of grains (any! forget avoiding gluten they're not even down with rice!) and dairy (no cheese waaaaa) and also no no NO sugar (or any kind of sweetener, not even honey) or legumes or alcohol.

I would seriously call it more of a cleanse than a diet.  Because what they want you to do is cut out all the foods they consider nutrient-poor (they go into great fascinating depth about why) and see if your body feels better after essentially 30 days of healing it with good food ONLY.  It will help you loosen the grip sugar has on you.  It will help you stop reaching for the cereal for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and pasta for dinner.  It will make you read labels and question processed foods.  It will help clear up your acne.  It will help you sleep better.  It will boost your energy. 

It will help you develop a healthy relationship with your food.  But you have to eat your veggies.  Apparently by the truckload full ;o)

So basically what you're looking at is learning from them how to have a healthy lifelong relationship with food.  And you use the Whole30 program as a way to kick start your individual healthy eating lifestyle.  

After what could be a lifetime of poor eating habits, you need something to help restart healthy metabolism and re-balance the hormones that regulate your hunger.  They go really deep into the science behind all this, but not in an obnoxious way... it's totally in a "even a busy mom of two who hardly has time to read will understand this" kind of way.

Dallas and Melissa are real and I appreciate that.  They are really hilarious authors and had me laughing out loud at some points!  But they write that it's okay to be honest about the reason you want to eat a less than healthy food.  It's your birthday.  And it's delicious.  Or it's family vacation or Christmas dinner or whatever.  But it's delicious.  We can indulge occasionally on a treat.  For no reason other than that it's delicious!  

But obviously they stress mindful eating even for these treats.  Eat ONE cupcake.  And enjoy the crap out of it by george!  But just that one ;o)

I'm going to do a little more research and then Jesse and I are going to give this a try.

I must confess that I have a different stance than the authors on certain forms of grain and dairy products.  But we're not talking about making this our every day diet, we're talking about a month.  Anyone can do a month!  Think of it as a trial period to see what foods really do and don't nourish your body.  Everyone is different.  (especially in the area of gluten and dairy intolerance)  After we eat clean for 30 days we can slowly introduce those "compromise" foods back in and see how we feel.   

So now that you're super excited about exploring this with me, go buy the book and let me know what you think!  Check out the reviews on amazon... out of 466 reviews they have 411 5-star ratings!  Definitely worth looking into.  And remember, if you buy it through my amazon link I get a high five from amazon in the form of money.

It really is my desire that all my loved ones consider this stuff.  Which basically means anyone reading these words.  If you are what you eat then I want you to be healthy.  For a long long time.  Because I love you all!

I'll leave you with this quote from the book:  "Start thinking about food as a nourishing experience.  Don't fall victim to reductionism - our meals are not just fuel, calories, or nutrients.  Our meals are so much more than the sum of their ingredients!  Our meals are our culture - the things our parents taught us and their parents taught them.  They are memories and emotions, reminding us of other meals and other experiences we have shared with those we love. Mealtime is about building new traditions within our own kitchens, with our own families - and setting a good example for future generations."

I'm Obsessed with this Book, You have to Read it NOW!

A few months ago, I was stuck in an "I don't really like being a stay-at-home-mom slump"... to the point where I was much more likely to call myself a "stuck-at-home" mom, at least in my head.  I was praying that God would help me have more of that heart for my home life that I once cherished... and I found it in a suspiciously coincidental highly providential trip to a bookstore later that week.

Last year, at the recommendation of my sister, I read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. And I just loved it! Gretchen has such a great, energetic passion for learning and discovering and writing... and researching the ins and outs of happiness.

Jesse and I were walking aimlessly through the bookstore on base (a favorite tag-along to most of our date nights) and I saw Gretchen's new book on a shelf:  Happier at Home .  I immediately added it to my Christmas list.  And I'm so glad I did!  It's not just for stay-at-home-moms... it's for anyone who has a home.  Which is all of you.

Gretchen says, "Behind our unremarkable front door waits a little world of our own making, a place of safety, exploration, comfort, and love." 

And I love this quote from William Butler Yeats:  "Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that thing, but simply growth.  We are happy when we are growing."

Here are some of the ways she wanted to grow that I want to copy pretty much 100%:

- cultivate a shrine (set up your possessions in a way that makes you smile)
- kiss in the morning, kiss at night (cultivate closeness with your spouse)
- make the positive argument (apply positive thinking to your relationships)
- under-react to a problem (especially with kid-tastrophes)
- enter into the interests of others (try to learn to love the things your family loves)
- give warm greetings and farewells (again, show your family you care)
- resist happiness leeches (don't be a snob, but take care to surround yourself with people who build you up)
- guard my children's free time (I would add, guard my free time as well)
- suffer for fifteen minutes (tackle an unpleasant project for 15 minutes a day and it will be done in no time)
- embrace good smells (our sense of smell is strongly connected to our emotions and memories)
- jump (being silly makes you feel happier!)
- plan nice little surprises (I want to be constantly thinking of small but meaningful blessings for my family)
- be a tourist without leaving home (appreciate your neighbhorhood... easy enough when I live in Germany!)
- practice nonrandom acts of kindness (be real and kind with the "familiar strangers" you see week to week)
- focus on now (be present in each moment of the day... so much easier said than done!)

In her research on her two happy-project books, Gretchen has come up with "Eight Splendid Truths" and these are my four favorites:

- the days are long, but the years are short
- I'm not happy unless I think I'm happy
- the only person I can change is myself
- now is now

I learned so much from Gretchen and I ended the book feeling so energized and excited and HAPPY about my home!  I've already applied quite a few of her great ideas.  And even just thinking more mindfully about our home life has made our home life happier.  It's a great book kids, you should go get it right this second!

Don't You Kind of Wish You Could be a Farmer?

photo credit 

Tonight I finished reading the girls the book Farmer Boy from the Little House series.  First of all, if you haven't read the series since you were a kid or you have never read them at all, you should go to the library and pick them up.  They are such a great glimpse into the early pioneer days of our country.  I love it!  Second of all, I cried at the end.  What kind of sap am I turning into? :o)

(If you want to know the end you have to go read the book... seriously it will take you 2.5 hours cause they're children's books!)

I want to share a few of my favorite sections with you.  Just cause the book inspired me to think lovingly of farmers, and I want to share the love ;o)  

At one point, Almanzo (the boy) asks his father why he said that it was axes and plows that made America.  His father explains that, though we did fight England for the land, it was the farmers that took the land and made it America... 

"Well son, the Spaniards were soldiers, and high-and-mighty gentleman that only wanted gold.  And the French were fur-traders, wanting to make quick money.  And England was busy fighting wars.  But we were farmers, son; we wanted the land.  It was farmers that went over the mountains, and cleared the land, and settled it, and farmed it, and hung on to their farms.  

This country goes three thousand miles west, now.  It goes 'way out beyond Kansas, and beyond the Great American Desert, over mountains bigger than these mountains, and down to the Pacific Ocean.  It's the biggest country in the world, and it was farmers who took all that country and made it America, son.  Don't you ever forget that." 

The American farmer.  We just don't really think of him that way anymore.  Or maybe we do, deep down inside, but we don't appreciate and respect him anymore.  Farming was once considered a noble thing.  But not anymore.  How many times do you hear a college-bound senior saying they're going to be a farmer?  It just doesn't command respect anymore.  I wish it did. 

At the end of the book, Almanzo (only ten years old!) is offered an apprenticeship by the wagon-maker in town.  We have already learned that Almanzo's older brother has decided to become a shopkeeper... something that greatly saddens his parents.  Over dinner, Father and Mother discuss the apprenticeship.

"Well, son, you think about it," said Father. "I want you should make up your own mind.  With Paddock, you'd have an easy life, in some ways.  You wouldn't be out in all kinds of weather.  Cold winter nights, you could lie snug, in bed and not worry about young stock freezing.  Rain or shine, wind or snow, you'd be under shelter.  You'd be shut up, inside walls.  Likely you'd always have plenty to eat and wear and money in the bank."

"James!" Mother said.

"That's the truth, and we must be fair about it," Father answered. "But there's the other side, too, Almanzo.  You'd have to depend on other folks, son, in town.  Everything you got, you'd get from other folks.

A farmer depends on himself, and the land and the weather.  If you're a farmer, you raise what you eat, you raise what you wear, and you keep warm with wood out of your own timber.  You work hard, but you work as you please, and no man can tell you to go or come.  You'll be free and independent, son, on a farm." 

No one really farms like that anymore, obviously... it's hard to be totally independent now.  Then again, is it?  I don't know.  All I really know is it sounds really nice.

But that's just the silly musings of a girl who "grew up in town" ;o) 

Favorite Julia Child Quotes

  photo credit

I finished my first Christmas book, My Life in France (thanks Mom!) and I have to say that Julia Child is my new hero.  I'm certain as I read the pages of her book that we are almost twins.  For anyone that doesn't know a thing about Julia Child (which was me until I saw the movie Julie & Julia, which made me want to learn more) she's amazing.

You can google her yourself (or read her book!) for a more comprehensive bio, but basically she lived in France with her husband (who worked for the US gov) for oh I don't remember like four years... in which time she fell in love with French food, then French cooking, then teaching French cooking lessons, then writing a French cookbook for Americans.  And later, she became the first to air a successful cooking series on American television.  She basically made the art of French cooking available to the average American housewife.  It took her years and years of hard work to publish her two cookbooks.  She was such a great lady... I wish I could have met her!  Definitely a kindred spirit :o)

Here are some of my favorite parts:

"The sweetness and generosity and politeness and gentleness and humanity of the French showed me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly."  I love this.  I feel like I'm learning the same!  Except my teachers are the Germans I rub shoulders with and the military family I am now a part of.  I was always pretty outgoing but I think I'm becoming even more so... I'm learning how quickly strangers can become friends if you just muster up the courage to say "hello"!

In talking about a cooking boo-boo she made for a friend: "We ate lunch with painful politeness and avoided discussing its taste.  I made sure not to apologize for it.  This was a rule of mine."  This is great... and a good reminder for me lately as I have been experimenting with new recipes.  But of course, not every recipe (or try at it) can be a success... so I've just been grinning and bearing it through some of my failures.  Julia said that some of her early cooking failures "broke her heart" and I couldn't agree more... I hate it when something doesn't turn out.  Especially when I was really looking forward to eating it... like my failed Béarnaise sauce for steak.  It's on the menu to try again next week ;o)

She describes a night in Paris in vivid detail... it was one of their last nights before moving to Marseille.  "When you know your time in a place is running out, you try to fix such moments in your mind's eye."  I feel this way about our little German village and we aren't anywhere near moving, yet!  But still... I know it'll feel like a blink of the eye and we'll be packing again.  So I often find myself just soaking up everything I can about this place... I stand in front of the wall of windows just looking out over the town and sighing.  It's so lovely here!  And if it wasn't so far from my family I would never want to leave!

They lived in Germany!  (I was delighted to discover this!)  They moved here after their time in France... and she says, "The army families showed almost no interest in Germany or the Germans, which I found depressing.  Hardly any of them spoke the language, even after having lived there for several years."  It's so true.  I have heard many stories of people living on base in their host country and never really stepping outside of their mini-America.  It's a shame.  And as far as the language goes, you already know I'm trying.  But I know that I need to try harder if I'm going to be able to communicate at all this summer (or the next!)

"At lunch, we took half an hour to decipher the menu, then ordered smoked sausage, sauerkraut, and beer.  It was delicious, and, again, we were struck by how nice the Germans were.  I struggled to reconcile the images of Hitler and the concentration camps with these friendly citizens.  Could they really be the same people who had allowed Hitler to terrorize the world just a few years earlier?"  This is something that I, too, have thought of in the past nine months here.  "The War", as Lilo calls it, seems so far removed from me.  But living in Germany makes you think about it in a different way.  The battle(s) fought on this soil... the generation of young men lost or ruined... the heartache of such a terrible time in their national history... I love the German people.  I'm sad for how "The War" tainted them.

Julia worried that her cookbook about from-scratch French cooking would be ill-received because of the change beginning to take place in America.  "But American supermarkets were also full of products labeled 'gourmet' that are not: instant cake mixes, TV dinners, frozen vegetables, canned mushrooms, fish sticks, Jell-O salads, marshmallows, spray-can whipped cream, and other horrible glop.  This gave me pause.  Would there be a place in the USA for a book like ours?  Were we hopelessly out of step with the times?"  Her book did fabulously.  But her perception of the national cooking culture is true: Americans like convenience.  We don't like to take time in the kitchen.  And our health suffers for it.  It makes me very sad.

Along the same lines she worried, "Mechanization was taking over the food business, even in France, and it seemed clear to me that many of the artisanal skills... would disappear within a generation or two."  Sniff, sniff.  The artisan craft of cooking isn't dead Julia!  It still lives in some kitchens!  Technology made cooking easier, but then the food industry hijacked it and created a world of processed convenience foods.  But don't worry, Julia... some of us are starting to see the light.  I'm not be as in love with French cooking, but I sure do love to cook.  I have much to learn, but few things make me happier than spending time in the kitchen creating something nourishing and yummy for my family!

"'No one's more important than people.'  In other words, friendship is the most important thing - not career or housework, or one's fatigue - and it needs to be tended and nurtured."  This was one of her and her husband Paul's favorite sayings.  The mention of housework and fatigue jumped out to me because those two are often reasons that I neglect friendship with My Love and with my children.  Also with my family (regularly connecting with loved ones in the States) and even with my friends here.  There's obviously balance to be had... a Momma of two little kids needs to do laundry and get adequate sleep.  But I can head in the opposite extreme at times.  I want the people in my life to be more important than my to-do lists.  Julia really loved people... almost as much as she loved cooking ;o)