Mr. Poppers Penguins

I decided to start listening to books on tape in the car ride home from school.  This was the first book we listened to.  It was such a cute story.  At first my son did not want to listen and through a fit that I would turn on a book in the car, but after the first chapter he was into it.  They would all beg to turn it on every time we were in the car.  The story was much better than the movie, and actually nothing like the movie.

Artisan Bread in five minutes a day

I heard about this book from my Mom who had some of this bread made by someone that read the book. My Mom was very interested since she tasted the bread and it was delicious. I decided that I would like to try it out as well, so I placed a hold at our local library (I love libraries). I just got the book this week and have already finished it and made one loaf. I totally expected the first loaf to not work. I thought I would have to work at it a bit. But, amazingly it turned out really good. It tasted just like french bread but better. I was really surprised. It was easy! The best part is no kneading. I have a bread maker that I love and use it a couple times a week to make bread. That is the only way I make homemade bread because I don't like to knead it. This bread you just mix, let it sit, make into loaf, let sit, and bake. The best part is that the book explains how to make a dough that you can keep in the fridge and use for up to two weeks. That is how it only takes 5 minutes a day. You simply form the loaf, let it rise, and cook it. Delicious, homemade bread fast - what is better than that.

As a side note. Everything did not totally work out perfect. I lost a glass Pyrex dish in the process. The recipe states to put an empty broiler pan in the oven on the lower rack and a stone in the middle. With these in you heat up the oven and then place the bread on the stone and a cup of water in the broiler pan. Well, I do not own a broiler pan but I did have a glass Pyrex pan which I placed on the lower rack. I warmed the oven up, put my bread in, and started to pour the cup of water in the pan. OOOPPSSS, bad idea. The pan exploded. It really did, glass was all over the oven. Yikes! It was quite scary as well. I learned you never pour water into a hot, empty glass pan.

But the bread still tasted Delicious!

The Work & The Glory

The Work & Glory is a nine volume series of books by Gerald Lund. It is a historical fiction about the LDS pioneers. It starts when Joseph Smith is first married and leads up to the saints settling Salt Lake City. It is an amazing volume. I do enjoy reading, but I am not an avid enough reader to conquer something this big in a short amount of time. I actually started this serious when I was still in high school, which was nearly 10 years ago. But I just finished volume nine, the last book in the serious. I really enjoy these because they are historical fiction. What a fun way to learn about those faithful saints that sacrificed so much. There were some stories I have heard, but a lot of it I had not. It made everything more real because there was a family that were the main characters and they went through everything that happened. I feel good that I was finally able to accomplish this volume of books, even if it did take 10 years. They were will worth the 10 years.

Meeting Amazing Grace by Gary & Joy Lundberg

I picked this book up during Women's Conference this year. I actually got an autographed copy from the authors. They were doing book signings at the Bookstore. It sounded like a cute story with some good lessons - those always sound enticing to me!

It is a fun book to read and it did have a lot of good lessons. Some of the stories were hard to believe, although they were all based on true stories. I am amazed at the way people act and the things they say. I guess I have just been blessed with a great family and in-laws because I have not faced too many of these issues. It was interesting to hear the stories and the way the individuals worked through them and kept their family central and important, especially when it was extremely difficult.

The 5 Lessons a Millionare taught me about life by Richard Paul Evans

My parents gave this book to us shortly after we were married. We devoured it then, and have reread it to remember the important lessons taught. One point he makes that we think is crucial is Gratitude. If you are grateful for what you have you will be happy with what you have. This is one of the best solutions against materialism and wanting more and more. He aslo talks about mindset. Deciding to be wealthy and believing that you can and are. He said "The day will come when you must make a decision: will you be one who helps others or one who looks to others for help? It;s yor choice. You can be part of hte problem or part of the solution." He gives physical things you can do to save and make money, making it a reality in your life and not just a dream.

Super Foods Rx by Steven Pratt M.D. & Kathy Matthews

Very insightful book on the fourteen super foods and ways to prepare and eat them on a regular basis. Some were obvious to me like Beans, Oats, Blueberries, Salmon, Spinach, Turkey, and Nuts. I was really surprised at others; Broccoli, Oranges, Pumpkin, Soy, Tomatoes, and Yogurt. It explaines how many servings to eat a day and what is in them that is so good for your body. It also explains the best form to eat them in (whole food, canned, frozen, etc). It helpes to make more informed choices and decisions when deciding what to buy and eat.

Ben Franklin America's Original Entrepreneur: Autobiography Adapted for Modern Times by Blaine McCormick

I was intersted in learning a bit more about our founding fathers. I know a little about Benjamin Franklin, but wanted to learn more. He was an amazing man. I was in awe at all that he accomplished in his life, and the self will that he had. He knew what was right, and how to live a fulfilling life. This was an quick way to find out about him without reading the entire Autobiography. There were excerpts from his original Autobiography with commentary by the author to further understand the time and setting.