The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor

 Teen Historical Fiction. This book quickly pulled me into the French Resistance during World War II. The story alternates perspectives from 1942 and modern era Paris as Alice and her family travel to Paris to find an apartment that was owned by Alice's grandmother and that hasn't been touched since 1944. It's like walking into a time capsule and Alice is shocked to find out her grandmother had a sister that neither her or her mother knew about. Her grand-aunt Adalyn's story unfolds through her diary that Alice finds and through Adalyn's own narrative living in German occupied France. 

A wonderful quick glimpse into the horrors and heroes of the people who were brave enough to be the French Resistance. 

Recommend: Yes. 

Christmas week at the Edholm home

 We are ending a wonderful week with our kids. Here are some snapshots of what we did: 

Eric and Peter made some ornaments at Home Depot when we bought our tree

Finished products

We made another trip to Adam-Ondi-Ahman since the older kids had not been there. It was a beautiful afternoon and the sun was incredibly stunning shining through the trees. 

Decorating the tree:

Emma and Brian made our traditional Swedish Tea Ring. It was delicious!

We drove to Crown Center in downtown Kansas City on Christmas Day evening. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!

The Kids are HOME!

 My Christmas presents arrived today!  Palmer, Emma, and Andy flew into Kansas City this afternoon. Their plane had been delayed so it took an extra day to get here, but it was worth the wait!  Our home is full of noise and it's wonderful!  Andy has been playing the piano and Palmer the drums. Their laughter with their siblings is a marvelous thing!  Merry Christmas to me. 

Tornadoes in December?!

 Last night we experienced our first High Wind/Tornado Warning. All day it had been windy and warm-up to 75 degrees. The air felt a little off-that's the best way I can describe it. And Lucy mentioned the wind was "softer" compared to the wind we experienced in Wyoming. It would gust and then die down and then gust again. My good friend from college lives in Des Moines and she called me and said we should maybe be prepared to lose power. So I checked all our flashlights and made sure they had batteries. 

At about 5:00pm all our phones went off with a high pitched sound that said to get away from doors and windows until 6:15pm because of high wind. None of us were too worried and slowly made our way to the basement (which is Eric and Peter's room). I popped some popcorn and we watched videos on our phones for an hour. We didn't receive any damage, although our neighbor lost a small tree. Parts of the city north of us lost power for a time. Thankfully no damage that we could see here in Liberty. 

This is very odd weather for December, it's usually a Spring thing. I've had some very good advice, however, to be the most prepared as possible. For example, wear shoes, or take them with you, to the basement. If your house did get damaged walking around in bare feet would be no fun. 

Besides that exciting day, Brian, Eric, and I tried some Kansas City famous barbecue. We drove into the city and ate at Arthur Bryant's. There are many opinions about the best KC bbq and Arthur Bryant's will always be up there. It's the original store in the industrial part of town. There are photos on the wall of all the famous people who have eaten there from Barrack Obama to Harrison Ford to Sally Field. I had a burnt ends sandwich with an onion ring on it and it lived up to the hype!  So delicious!

The Giving Machines -- Light the World with Love

 I have been incredibly lucky to be involved with the installation of the Giving Machines in Kansas City this year. As a brand new member of the committee a month or so ago I was intimidated by the amazing people who were serving and contributing to this event. Thankfully they accepted me and have counted me as their friend. 

The Grand Unwrapping happened this last Tuesday in downtown Kansas City at Crown Center. It's a beautiful place with an ice skating rink, giant Christmas tree, Union Station, Legoland, and shops and restaurants. (I had burnt ends at a bbq place for the first time and man they met all expectations of deliciousness!)  The governor came to the event along with city representatives, a gospel choir, the mascot for the KC Chiefs - KC Wolf - and the drumline for the Chiefs along with several news stations. Here are just a few of the pictures from the day. (The really good pics are from my new friend, Val Anderson, who is a photographer for the Church News)

My friend Aubrey, social media specialist for our area

Working hard to get this banner up

Aubrey, me, Liesl, and Michelle

I gave out dozens of buttons at the event

I helped wrap up the machines, which took a long time! 

Elder Valenzuela from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was there and announced that the church was donating 3 truckloads of food for 3 food pantries in Kansas City AND $10,000 to a charity that promotes education in at risk youth. 

Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton

I've looked at and tried dozens of turkey recipes over the years and they all seemed to turn out the same-not bad, little dry, but very edible. I saw this book at the library and thought, why not look at another turkey cookbook. First of all, this book is not just a list of recipes for Thanksgiving dishes. The author, Sam Sifton, is a former restaurant critic, and food columnist for the Sunday Times Magazine.  He used to do a helpline for those with "turkey emergencies" around Thanksgiving. He has seen and heard all the horror stories of ruined dinners. He has also cooked a turkey in every conceivable way-roasted, fried, grilled, deep fried, and smoked. His writing style is a joy to read as he recounts his experiences and imparts his turkey wisdom. (No garlic, no salads, and gravy is THE most important item to get right.) 

I tried out a few recipes the week before Thanksgiving to see if I could get them right. I tried the butternut squash recipe and decided it was fine, but everyone preferred sweet potatoes. I tried cornbread (presumably for making my own cornbread stuffing) but decided stove top was just so much easier. In the end I followed his simple roast turkey recipe too the T and the gravy recipe as well. Both turned out incredibly and surprisingly delicious, better than I've ever done in the past. To quote Sifton, "This is my testimony: You can make a better turkey than anyone has ever served you in your life." Guess what?  I did just that!  Best book I've read this year! I may have to actually buy a personal copy. 

Recommend: Yes!

*Side note--I emailed the author because I was so happy with my turkey and gravy results and he emailed me back to say thank you!  I'm a fan now!

Smithville Lake

 This Sunday afternoon we drove 30 minutes to our north and visited Smithville Lake. It's a reservoir on the Little Platte River, a branch of the Platte River, in Clay County Missouri. It was a bit chilly and windy, but still beautiful. The kids skipped rocks and wrote in the sand. Lucy got 10 skips with one of her rocks, a record for her!

The sun was setting and made for a beautiful sight on the water. 

Beauties around me

 Every state I've lived in (Utah, Washington, California, Wyoming, and Missouri) has it's beauties. Thus far in my life autumn has never been as beautiful as it is in Missouri. The weather has been temperate with lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s and 70s and the colors on the trees are breathtaking. When I moved to Wyoming the wide open skies fascinated me and I never tired of looking at them. The skies here in Missouri are definitely different than Wyoming, but still amazing. Here are just a few pictures that I took this last week, some are just outside my house and the others were early in the morning as I was driving to the Kansas City Temple. 

A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz

 Mystery. This is the third book in this mystery series by Horowitz with detective Daniel Hawthorne, the first two being titled, The Word is Murder and The Sentence is Death.  These are unique because Horowitz puts himself in the story as the side kick to Hawthorne who has asked him to write books about him as he solves cases. Horowitz goes everywhere (almost) that Hawthorne does as the case unfolds. The reader gets a unique look into the frustrations and insights of a somewhat unobservant companion to a brilliant detective. These are highly enjoyable mysteries and I look forward to the next installment!

Recommend: Yes

Halloween in Missouri

 The biggest change in our Halloween this year was definitely the weather, it was pleasant in the 50s and 60s. We had a trunk or treat at the church on Friday, did some yard work on Saturday, and handed candy out to a few kids who came by on Sunday. Eric did not disappoint in his creative costume ideas. He actually had 5 costumes!  On Friday for the trunk or treat he was the Sample Music folder from Microsoft. 

On Saturday all day he was "a dad". He had on Brian's sweatshirt and pasted on a brown mustache. I didn't take a picture, but it was spot on! Then today after church he was trying to find something to wear while answering the door when the trick or treaters came. He first was a ghost, but that would have been a pain to wear for an extended period of time, next he was Roy from Mario Brothers, and finally he was Fred from Scooby Doo. 

Lucy wasn't able to come to the trunk or treat because she was playing in the band at the high school football game. Our high school is ranked #1 in the entire state of Missouri and beat the team they were playing handily. She was bummed she missed the activity though. Today she was Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. 

Peter was very excited about his costume!  He was Ness from the video game Earth Bound. 

Our Halloween day was filled with church and a few movies we watched together--Disney's Robin Hood, Twitches, and a Disney channel movie, Smart House. 

Side note, Lucy is continuing her diving and improving a ton with each practice. The season officially starts next week. Peter started wrestling practice at the middle school this last week as well and is enjoying it. 

Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

 Junior Historical Fiction. This may be one of my top reads for the year. It is loosely based on the author's father-in-law's experience in fleeing Afghanistan when the Soviet's took over in the 1970s. It's told from the son's point of view who is around 12 or 13 years old. The author puts this story 30 years after her father-in-law left, right before the attacks on 9/11 in 2001. She describes well the details of their harried escape and the adjustment to life in the states and the family unity that is central to who they are. It helped me get a glimpse into their life, beliefs, and values. 

Recommend: Highly

Lemon tarts, leaves, and Liberty

 

We've been hearing about the amazing Farmer's Market in downtown Kansas City along the Missouri river. It's called the Kansas City River Market. Saturday morning Brian and drove down (it's only about 20 minutes from us) and it did not disappoint!  We bought some great fresh fruits and vegetables and found a delicious bakery!  The Lemon Tart (pictured above) was amazingly delectable. Brian bought Baklava from a middle eastern market and chatted with the man from Jordan since Brian's brother lived in Jordan for a time. We came home with a full carload!  

When we got home we had to tackle our yard. We have 8 very large trees in our yard and they all have about a million leaves a piece. You can see the before and after above, but really doesn't do it justice.  There were soooooo many leaves.  This will be our lives for the next months!

I have the privilege of being involved recently in some community events. As part of our church I have been asked to serve on a committee that works with other non-profits and other denominations in the Kansas City and Liberty area. (I am on the Stake Communications Committee.)  It's been wonderful to see how everyone is working together to make the area better and serve those who need help. Just last week I went to an event where The Alexander W. Doniphan Committee gave their bi annual Alexander W. Doniphan Community & Leadership Foundation Service Award. Alexander Doniphan is a Missouri native and is buried here in Liberty. He was the first Clay County School Commissioner, founded William Jewel College (here in Liberty), is in the Fort Leavenworth Hall of Fame, and was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln as a delegate to the Washington Peace Conference in 1861. He is important in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints because he saved Joseph and Hyrum Smith's lives when the order was given to execute them in 1838 for charges they were not guilty of. 

Frogs, Groundhogs, Far West

 The animal life here is quite different than in Wyoming. I've heard there are deer around, but I haven't seen any yet. As I was working yesterday I looked out the window and saw a smallish shaggy creature that I did not recognize in our yard. I called everyone to come and look and then went outside to try and take a photo, but it was running away. 

You can see it running away from me across the street. We found out it is actually a groundhog and there are lots of them around. Maybe in February we can see if he sees his shadow!

After church we drove out to Far West to see the historical temple site. It was a beautiful 30 minute drive. While we were there we saw a cute little frog. We hear them all the time, but this is the first time we have seen one.