Ellie@Home by Nicole Kapise-Perkins

I haven't read any of these yet, but if Brightly says they're a go, them I'm game. My husband and I are trying to get our little guy (who is 6 on Friday) to branch out and begin reading 'chapter books' with us. This looks like a good place to start. And Kate DiCamillo is, well, Kate DiCamillo. The Tale of Despearux . Need I say more? 9 Super Series 6–8 Year Olds Are Buzzing About by Kari Ness Riedel Photo credit: Westend61/Getty Images When you ask a kid what kind of books they read, you can see the beam of pride when they answer “chapter books.” They’ve graduated from “leveled readers” and have a whole new world of mystery, humor, adventure, and friendship stories open to them. This transition, which often happens between the ages of six and eight, is an important point in a child’s independent reading life. Making sure they pick books that allow them to experience reading as a pleasure, not a chore, is essential. Ser

I found this link at Healing Hands Hub:  http://healinghandshub.com/guided-meditation-for-self-healing/   Hopefully the video link will work, but if it does not, follow the link above to the original post. :)  Namaste A healing meditation you can use every day Science has proven that we have the power to help heal ourselves with our thoughts.  This gentle, easy to use meditation can be used every day. This mediation contains advanced brain wave therapy and guided meditation combined with positive mind expanding visuals to inspire and heal your mind, body, and soul. Namaste. Featuring art by Alex Grey, Josephine Wall, Xavi, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWB9YT-Zq-s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWB9YT-Zq-s

Made this for dinner Friday nite, and it was loved by all!   Spaghetti Squash with Spinach Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes 1 medium spaghetti squash 5 cups fresh baby spinach ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup chopped walnuts (I used almonds) ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling, optional 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.) ¼ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 1 | Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut spaghetti squash in half, and remove seeds with spoon. Place squash halves face down on baking sheet, and roast 1 hour. Scrape with fork to release strands. Transfer strands to bowl. 2 | Combine spinach, oil, walnuts, Parmesan, and garlic in food processor , and pulse until mixture has consistency of paste. Add to squash, and mix well. Divide among six plates, and top each serving with sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if using. Vegetaria

      I have never read a Nancy Drew book. Ever. There. I have said it out loud. (Okay, typed it, but close enough.) I know who she is, I knew that Carolyn Keene was a pen name for the mysterious mystery author, but that was about the end of my knowledge. Well, that and the fact that 'Nancy Drew' was wildly successful, being in print for , what, 50 years? So the opportunity to learn whet went on behind the scenes was pretty intriguing.     What I learned was that Edward Stratemeyer was a brilliant planner: he created a slew of story arcs and characters (the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, Rover Girls, and Rover Boys are just a few of them) but the real genius behind Nancy Drew and her success was an author and journalist names Mildred (Augustus) Wirt Benson. With the exception of four of the thirteen original titles, MWB turned out adventure after adventure, captivating girls (and boys) the world over, helping to make the Stratemeyer Syndicate the success that it was. (Another

Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Pearl This is hands-down, one of the funniest books you will ever read. If there is a person in your house that can affect an outraged southern-granny accent while reading Baby Bear's lines, so much the better. Goatilocks is the kind of book I wish I had written. My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems We are a Mo Willems household. We love the Pigeon books (can't wait for the next one!!) and Elephant and Piggie are just about the best pals any beginning reader could have. There are 25 of these books altogether, and I think we've only missed four...in fact I'll be ordering them from my library after I post this, having just looked the entire list up on Amazon. The text is simple, the stories laugh-out-loud funnie (check out Listen to My Trumpet ) and the books are the perfect size for little fans to carry a couple copies around with them. With Mo around, you really can't go wrong. :) Henry Builds a Cabin by D.

A simple practice called 'Forest Bathing' could help nurture your health and fend off sickness; by Elizabeth Barker, for Vegetarian Times Magazine :    Taking a walk in the woods and soaking up the lush scenery, clean air, and supreme quiet of a forest could do more than refresh your mind and recharge your energy. Thanks to a do-it-yourself therapy known as forest bathing or shinrin-yoku (a Japanese term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere"), spending a few serene hours in the woods may give you a long-lasting health boost.    A form of eco-therapy practiced in Japan for several decades, forest bathing has been found to reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and increase anti-cancer proteins in recent studies. Those health effects most likely have much to do with stress-soothing, according to Qing Li, associate professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo. However, certain environmental factors may also play a part in forest bathing's impacts on health.

   The festival of Mabon is coming this week; for those of you who are not Pagan, this would be the Autumnal Equinox. Autumn always strikes a tone within my soul; it's not lost on me that I was married beneath a blazingly scarlet tree on November first...beside a cool New England river, no less. I get more housewife-ish: breads and stews pour band tumble from the kitchen, I am caught ironing curtains and pillowcases...yeah, weird, I know.    It's not just me, though. Cultures the world over celebrate their new year in autumn: Pagans, Jews, Muslims, many Native American tribes and African countries all observe the new year in the autumn. Aspects of this have carried over into today's life: how many of you do a massive fall cleaning? How many of you take the time in the fall to loosely plot the year ahead, probably while putting up fruits and vegetables harvested from gardens? I just drew up my Mabon 'To Do' List, and will tackle the first thing tomorrow (mild food p

by Reshma Patel April 21, 2014 5:32 AM     Warning Signs Your Chakras Are Out Of Balance   There are 7 main energy centers in the body, known as chakras . Each chakra is located throughout our body so that it correlates to specific body ailment and physical dysfunctions; each energy center also houses our mental and emotional strengths. When we have a physical issue, it creates weaknesses in our emotional behavior. When we release the stale energy from the body, it can undo any tightness, stiffness, or malfunction of that area. The clearing of the energy can also balance our emotional state of mind. The Chakra Mind-Body Balance is a two-way street: if there are certain fears and emotions we are holding on to, we experience physical restrictions, too. If you have achiness or stiffness, or certain reoccurring emotions and fears, read along and you may find out which chakra is affected or blocked. 1st or Root Chakra Sits at the base of your spine

Lulu's Library , offering you reviews, descriptions, and thoughts on children's literature: The Curious Garden by Peter Brown One of my son's favorite things about this book is that he and the lead character have the same name. That being said, this is a beautiful book with winsome illustrations by the author about a boy who lives in a concrete-and-brick city where people rarely go outside. Liam likes to, though, and on his many ramblings he discovers a mysterious staircase. And at the top of that staircase Liam finds a garden as curious about the city as he is...and they live happily ever after. A World of Food by Carl Warner My sister, who is a chef and baker, found this book, performed a happy dance in the bookstore, and gave it to my boy for his birthday. I believe there are other titles in this collection, and I really should look them up because we read this book at least 4 times a week. Aside from gorgeous photos of amazingly arranged food landscapes, t

so I give you a Hades-esque poem. Oooo...creepy.    The   Curse by Nicole Kapise Perkins Malicious, Persephone’s gaze on my soul, watching as I wander warm, free,   eating honeyed winds and pomegranate clouds. Eurydice sings a wailed curse and I walk backward, never looking behind. Naked , I swim the Styx , my hunger Charon’s lust. No coin in my mouth, my payment made in Flesh,   the white heat of love                         lived in Death’s embrace.

Gleefully borrowed form the geniuses at Passion for Savings:   Pumpkin Donuts Recipe with Powdered Sugar! This Pumpkin Donuts Recipe with Powdered Sugar is an easy Pumpkin Recipe for Fall and Winter! Christmas, Thanksgiving and Holiday Desserts will be so much better with this Pumpkin Donuts Recipe ! Super easy to make and your whole family will enjoy this new holiday tradition! Keep in mind that you can add 1/2 tsp. of Cinnamon to the batter if you would like more of a Pumpkin Spice taste but my kids loved these with just the powdered sugar! Be sure to check out even more Thanksgiving Recipes with some of my favorite pumpkin and caramel desserts! Pumpkin Donuts Recipe Ingredients: 1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix 1 Can of Libby’s Canned Pumpkin 1 Cup of Powdered Sugar Directions: Combine Cake Mix and Canned Pumpkin in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Place batter in a Pastry Bag and cut off the end so

   There have been some changes here in Ellie's home, and some of these will directly affect my little blog-- in a positive way, I assure you. First and foremost, having become burned-out, disgruntled and despairing, I finally flipped my lid and quit my job. There shall be no more "40-hours-a-week-scrambling-to-find-childcare-living-in-near-squalor-because-I'm-too-tired-to-do-anything-except-order-take-out" avoidance and excuses for not writing. (And as an aside, take-out didn't happen all that much. Finding the phone amid dishes, laundry to be folded, overdue books and scattered mail was too difficult. My boys have been eating cereal for dinner. I really have sunk that low.)    The second big lifestyle change here @ Home was my little one beginning school. He oh-so-proudly marched off to kindergarten last week with his head held high and a firm grip on my hand. In honor of his new 'growner-up' stage and in support of children's literacy (the foundati

Tell your loved ones you love them, tell your friends you care, and tell all of them that you are there for them. Love saves lives.

Feeling nostalgic tonight, caught up in decisions and planning. Digging through files, trying to clear up some memory, I came across this poem, written in my college days. My inspiration was less Sappho's work, and more that only fragments of her work remain. And so, fragmented: --an idea, a feeling. Love. Sappho’s words, two thousand years of desire, need. Love, still blossoming, honey-sweet, heavy on the tongue, flowing through the heart. A diffused glow, alabaster skin glows golden rose--   release, fulfillment. Love’s flavor a dream filling the mouth: taste of it on lips weary with regret--  savoring the ideal.