Aug 8 2023

Book 26 of 50 – The Second Mrs. Astor

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One book leads to another. As I read Angela Gheorghiu’s autobiography, she mentioned the most famous cake in the world: the Sacher torte from Vienna. This lead me to discover a whole series of books about rich desserts and wealthy people. Talk about a unit study. That is how I discovered a historical novel titled The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe.

The Second Mrs. Astor

I read it from READS, Tennessee’s electronic library

Have you ever wondered who the richest man on the Titanic was and if he made it out alive? The answer is John Jacob Astor IV (net worth $2.6 billion in today’s money) and no, he did not. He put his wife on Lifeboat #4. Continue reading »

Aug 5 2023

I Have Made Butter

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In a previous post, I shared how our son has started a whole food revolution while I was also finding myself pushed in the same direction by a podcast. It just seems like the winds of change are blowing toward more healthy choices in the kitchen.

Heavy cream, 365 brand

I used heavy cream, 365 brand, to make butter

So… in this context… our son has decided he wants homemade butter. Last Thanksgiving, we went on a field trip to Sam Houston Schoolhouse. They made butter in mason jars over there. He loved the taste of it. Now that he is interested in whole foods, he wanted me to research how to make butter faster. Continue reading »

Aug 4 2023

Whole Food Revolution

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This post will start a new series, in which I hope to detail many of the changes we are making to our cooking and eating philosophy. Yes, a health reform is underway at my house!

Einkorn Banana Bread

I made einkorn banana bread – with einkorn flour from Whole Foods

Our son, in his awakening to all things leading to self-improvement, has stumbled upon the concept of “whole foods.” Not the store, but the concept of unprocessed, as close to nature as possible, whole foods. Continue reading »

Aug 2 2023

Book 25 of 50 – O Viata pentru Arta

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O Viata pentru Arta (A Life for Art) by Angela Gheorghiu and Jon Tolanski is the autobiography of Angela Gheorghiu, as dictated to Tolanski. He wrote it in English but I read the Romanian translation. I wanted to hear the diva’s own words in her native Romanian.

O Viata Pentru Arta

My copy of “O Viata pentru Arta”

Angela Gheorghiu, many people say, is the best operatic soprano in the world. She has been compared to Maria Callas and has been dubbed “the last diva.” The last because the younger sopranos do not behave like divas. And diva because, well, she misses rehearsals and performances for reasons like “I don’t like this wig.” Continue reading »

Jul 31 2023

Book 24 of 50 – Primii Pasi in Sah

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Primii Pasi in Sah (The First Steps in Chess) by Elisabeta Polihroniade would help any Romanian child learn how to play chess. We used to own this book and I remember reading the first few chapters.

Primii Pasi in Sah

My copy of “Primii Pasi in Sah”

When my sister came to visit a few months ago, I asked her to procure a copy from a used book store, if at all possible. Well, she found it and a couple other titles by Polihroniade, the best woman chess player of Romania. Continue reading »

Jul 31 2023

Book 23 of 50 – The Battle in Gatlinburg

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The Battle in Gatlinburg by Bill Morris is a very small booklet about a Civil War skirmish which happened in Gatlinburg, about Light #3 and Anakeesta. The Cherokee Confederates were having breakfast one morning when two columns of Union soldiers surprised them.

The Roaring Fork River at Zoder's Inn and Suites in Gatlinburg

The Roaring Fork River at Zoder’s Inn and Suites in Gatlinburg

Leaving their corncakes in the skillet over the fire, the Cherokees retreated into the forest. The Union soldiers ate the corncakes and then pursued the Cherokees up the hill, in a tree-by-tree skirmish. Eventually, the Cherokees ran away and disappeared into the Smoky Mountains. Continue reading »

Jul 31 2023

Book 22 of 50 – Paul et Virginie

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Paul et Virginie by Bernardin de Saint-Pierre is a classic French novel of the 18th century. I bought my copy a long time ago, in 1992, in Romania, but never read it.

Paul et Virginie

My copy of “Paul et Virginie”

The story fits the century in which de Saint-Pierre lived. On Mauritius, a French colony at the time, two single mothers (one widowed and the other never wed) raise a daughter and a son almost as siblings. When puberty kicks in and the platonic feelings turn to romantic, Paul and Virginie face some choices. Continue reading »

Jul 25 2023

Book 21 of 50 – Learn Chess

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Learn Chess by John Nunn gave me great insight into the game of chess. Written for absolute beginners, the book provides the rules and all the strategies needed to become proficient in chess and go to the next level.

Learn Chess by John Nunn

This book will take you from absolute beginner to worthy opponent

I thought I knew how to play chess and taught my children the way the pieces moved when they were very little. My father had taught me how to play when I was a child. We even had a book about it (Primii Pasi in Sah by Elisabeta Polihroniade). I never finished that book as a child though. Continue reading »

Jul 24 2023

Book 20 of 50 – Lettres de Mon Moulin

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Lettres de Mon Moulin by Alphonse Daudet (Letters from My Windmill) is a book I had bought for myself a long time ago, when I was a dreamy high school senior in Romania, hoping to become a French and English student at the University of Bucharest. We are talking 1992, folks.

My copy of Lettres de mon moulin

It sat in my parents’ home for decades until 2016 when I brought it to my home in the States. What a journey! Continue reading »

Jul 24 2023

Book 19 of 50 – Up from Slavery

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We will study US History next year, so I was trying to get a head start in the reading material. Therefore, I read Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington to the kids out loud. What an informative, entertaining book!

Up from Slavery

One of the best books I have read so far this year.

From the first chapter, Booker wants everybody to know he is not bitter and does not hate his father, although they never met. Born into slavery, Booker framed slavery for what it was: a system which caught everybody in its snares. Continue reading »