A Book Review - "If You Were Me and Lived in... the Middle Ages"

Little Bear loves non-fiction books. Most of the time when he chooses non-fiction books at the bookstore or library he chooses science and technology type of books. He rarely chooses history. I love history, though, so I am always trying to interest him in historical stuff. The book "If You Were Me and Lived in... the Middle Ages" really sparked his interest in the Middle Ages.

The book is a paperback book with 97 pages. The book is written from the perspective of a young girl living in the Middle Ages. She talks about what her life is like and what the lives of the other people are like. I enjoy the fact that Carole P. Roman, the author, does not really shy away from some of the gorier aspects of the Middle Ages, like bloodletting and the plight of the poor peasants. She does not go into great detail about these type of things but mentions them in a way that if children are old enough and interested they can ask questions about them.

The illustrations in this book are really nice. They are not what you typically see in children’s books. They are cute, brightly colored, and fun.

Little Bear is a second grader and read this book on his own during his quiet reading time. It took him a while to read it. The information was perfectly written for his reading level. He had a few questions about things. He really loves the glossary at the back. The part of this book that grabbed his attention most was the section about the peasants. He has just started doing some more chores around the house and said he feels like a peasant working a lot.

 One of my favorite things about this book is that it sparked some really interesting discussions about history, the Middle Ages, people, cultures, and more. We had some great conversations as he read this book. Little Bear is also interested in learning about other time periods and what it would have been like then.

You can buy this book here. 

I received this book free of charge. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.  

Cozyna Air Fryer

Popeye has been wanting an air fryer for ages and ages. I have been holding out. Now that we got one I realize that I should have gotten one long, long ago. I LOVE this Cozyna Air Fryer. 
Having gastroparesis means I have not been able to eat fried foods for years. I always look longingly at things like French fries when Little Bear and Popeye eat them. I remember the taste of a salty and crisp fry. I have tried making fries in the oven countless times but it is not the same. I have gotten to where I make really tasty roasted potatoes with crispy edges, but they are still not fries. This air fryer has given me French fries back and for that, I am eternally grateful. Fries from here are not the same as McDonald's fries but they are pretty dang good. They are crispy and seasoned well and use very little oil. 

  

Using the fryer is easy. Dump your food into the fryer basket and add any oil or seasonings you need. Push the basket into the fryer and make sure it is closed completely. Then, make sure your fryer is plugged in and turn the knob on top to the desired temperature. It can be preheated if you need to. Turn the knob on the front to the cooking time. The fryer shuts off automatically when the timer runs out.

We have made all kinds of stuff in this. My husband and son love to make pizza rolls and fried ravioli in it. We also made the fries mentioned above. I used less than a teaspoon of oil to make 2 potatoes worth of fries. When you make fries you need to pull the basket out and stir them regularly during the cooking time. Otherwise, the ones along the outside edges cook much faster than the ones in the middle. 

I also tried to make potato chips in this. I did not have success with chips. The chips were sliced thinly with the mandolin and when I put them in the air fryer basket the fan flung them all to a pile in the back of the basket. Some of the chips leaked through the vents into the bottom of the fryer. Even stirring regularly some of the chips did not cook while others were overcooked. Because they piled up the stuck together but when they stuck together they did not get crispy. 

Fries are perfect. I am planning to make some “fried” chicken in here to see how it works. It has been years since I had any fried chicken. I wish the booklet that came with it had better recipes.

Cleaning this is really simple. The fryer basket can be put in the dishwasher which makes washing it easy. The base can get washed by hand with soapy water or can be wiped out with a rag.

You can buy the Cozyna Air Fryer here. 

I received a discount on this item. All opinions expressed here are my own.

How's the weather?

I love a good storm. The thunder rolling, the lightning streaking across the sky, the wind blowing, and the rain pouring down, all appeal to something deep inside of me. My grandma never understood this part of me. She would never admit it, but she was a worrier where the weather was concerned. She could never see how I loved to sit and watch a storm roll in or why I would want to run through the rain.

As a child, I remember Grandma always worrying about the weather. She would fret if the weather was going to be even a little bit bad. She would stay home from running errands if it was rainy or windy. We would stay inside and play if we were at her house during a storm. 

As an adult, it was all too clear to me that my grandma feared storms. If I would drive to her house in the rain she would worry about me driving home and try to convince me to stay until the rain had stopped and it wasn't just because she wanted the pleasure of my company. She just worried that I would not be able to see in the rain or that the roads would flood. 

When I moved across the country, my grandma would call me about the weather. We had moved to the East Coast and no matter where we lived she could not remember. She would see bad weather on the East Coast and worry that it was affecting us. A storm could be 500 miles away and she would be sure it was going to get us.

Oftentimes, my phone would ring and my grandmother would call with news about the weather that I had not seen yet. Rarely were these weather systems going to be anywhere near us.

If I did not answer the phone she would leave me voice mails. Many times over the years I would have a voicemail saying "Did you see that storm out there? Is it coming near you? Are you going to have a hurricane?" If I didn't call her back within 12 hours or so she would call again, sometimes early, like the crack of dawn.

If I still didn't answer she would call my parents, also at the crack of dawn. Then, my mom would call me and say "You MUST call your grandma. She is worried about the weather again." I would call her back and tell her we were fine. Thankfully, we were always fine.

After all the years of laughing about those calls, who knew how much I would miss those calls and questions like "How's the weather?" Thankfully, my aunt has picked up the slack and texts me to ask how the weather is and if we are okay.

A Witness to a Robbery or Not?

Every time I talked to my Grandma on the phone she would have something crazy to say. I mean every single time.

One of the funniest stories started with "Yesterday I witnessed a bank robbery!" I sat there a minute waiting for her to continue and wondering what really happened because if she had really witnessed a bank robbery I was sure my parents would have told me about it.

Her story went something like this. She rode the bus from the assisted living place to the bank. At the bank, she got some money. Then, as they were leaving the bank parking lot they saw a man running through the bushes with a backpack. The man was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. She was sure he had robbed the bank and the money he stole was in his pack.

She tried to tell the bus driver to stop or follow him, but he would not do it. I, of course, found her story as fishy as the poor bus driver. Working for an assisted living and nursing home facility I'm sure he was used to hearing crazy stories.

I googled to see if there were any bank robberies in the area. Of course,
 there were not. Grandma said she was sure he had stolen money or he would not have been running through the bushes with a backpack in a black shirt and jeans. 

Remodeling - A Marital Test

If you want to test your marriage tackle a remodeling project. It will stress you and you either learn to work together or you quit.

I'm serious y'all. It has been a test of our ability to work together and to be nice. We are remodeling the bathroom. We did great with the light fixtures. Popeye did the wiring and putting the light fixtures up. I patched the sheetrock.

We did well when we pulled up the carpet and the tile. We worked together, got the old junk out. We patched the holes in the concrete well. He did one part I did another. Things were going great.

Then, we began the flooring. It is a pain in the butt. I had read the instructions and watched the tutorials online. Which made me the "expert." Poor Popeye did not agree with my expertise.

We did not agree on how to do it. We couldn't agree on which direction to lay the vinyl planks. Then we could not agree how long to make the first plank. It was a mess.

We got through the first section okay after a few minor disagreements. We only worked a couple of hours the first night. The second day we worked from 11am until 12:30am with only a few breaks.

We finally found a system that worked for us. After a few mistakes and a few arguments, we realized Popeye should measure and I should do some cuts and check Popeye's cuts before he made them not after. We both made a few mistakes and wasted some flooring.

As it got late Popeye and I started getting irritable and snapping at each other. It had been a long day. We needed a break, but we wanted to keep going. We had been hoping to finish by the end of the day. We did not. We finally realized for the sake of our marriage and our sanity working until 12:30am was too late.

We quit for the night and had a nice rest. We finished the next day. Our floors are laid down and now we tackle the next portion of the task, baseboards, and painting.

Blessed

God has blessed me in many ways but recently while I was on the phone with my grandma I realized again how blessed I am that at over 30 I still have two living grandparents. I also was blessed to have my paternal grandparents around into my adult life as well. Most of my friends growing up only had one or two of their grandparents in their lives. I am so happy I had mine.

My dad's parents lived close by when I was growing up. My grandparents were retired since long before I was born so they had a lot of time on their hands. We spent a lot of time at their house or at least looking back it feels like a lot of time. They loved their family. They loved to have a bunch of relatives over for cookouts and get together's. My brother and I learned to fish with my dad and my grandpa. My grandma took me shopping. They took us to the fair and the park. They came to Grandparent's Day events at school. They were great. I had an unexplainable bond with my Grandma. I don't quite understand it, but I will always be grateful for her. I learned a lot from my grandmother, even if it was sometimes about how not to treat people. My grandfather passed away when I was 23. My grandmother passed away last fall. They are missed often.

My mom's parents lived a little farther away, but still close enough that we saw them regularly. My grandfather was a farmer and a cattle rancher. My grandmother was
a school secretary. They have worked hard for most of their lives. I remember going to the farm during different times of the year and watching the crops grow. I got to ride in the combine. I also got to help my grandma take meals to the field. I admire their hard work. I see the hardships they went through as farmers. They took what they had and they made sure their kids had what they needed. They scrimped and saved to provide for their family. Their lives were not easy, but they persevered. They love God, they love their family and they love their country. The toughed out the hardships together. They came to visit for all the important events in our lives. They came for our baptisms. They showed us we were important even though they were busy and had a lot going on in their lives.

Not only am I blessed to have known my four grandparents related by blood, but I have had the honor of knowing two of Popeye's grandparents. Popeye's grandfather was ill when I met him. He was living with my in-laws. I didn't know him well, but I enjoyed him. He was happy to be with his loved ones. He loved his kids and his grandkids. He laughed easily with them, he had fun and made jokes. He was thrilled to meet his first great grandson. Before Little Bear was born he sent us what is possibly the ugliest stuffed animal I have ever seen. It was a splotchy rainbow colored creature, but we loved it because he got it for Little Bear. He passed away about 18 months after Popeye and I were married.

I am also blessed to have Popeye's maternal grandmother in my life. She has adopted me as her own. I love her dearly. She is a talker like me. We get along fabulously. We laugh together regularly. She is one of a kind. She would give up anything to help her loved ones. She is generous and loving. She brings joy to our lives. I am so glad I can call her my Grandma now, too.

Then, I have more grandparents that are grandparents by choice. These are the elderly people I got to know through church. If you count all my grandparents by choice I have more sets of grandparents than any woman deserves. These people helped to mold me and make me the woman I am today. They have all been through struggles in life and gotten through them with a shining example. Some of these men and women have gone home to be with our Lord. I am truly grateful for the love and encouragement they shared with me.

The title of this post is "Blessed" for a reason. I am blessed beyond measure. Many people go their entire lives without a grandparent of any kind in their lives. I am grateful that I grew up with four grandparents, by blood, to guide me and encourage me, to be there when I fell to hold me when I cried, to laugh with me in good times, and help me laugh in bad times. I am thankful for my grandparents by marriage, they have blessed me more than they can imagine in the short years they have been part of my life. The blessing of grandparents by choice is a special one. They loved me enough to chose me to be in their lives. That's truly amazing. I am so thankful to have a life filled with the blessings of grandparents.