Reading and Eating
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts! It’s partially because we didn’t cook for an entire week while the kitchen was torn up, and then I was in Texas for a week… but now that I’ve got my bearings again I have a couple meals to share, and a kitchen update. But first, books… I finished it! I finished the whole Ender Saga. Ender in Exile was the last book of the series, but is actually a direct sequel to Ender’s Game, as it picks up the action right where Ender’s Game left off. There’s a complicated afterward where OSC explains why he wrote the books in this order, but I didn’t really understand it. I would say you could read Ender’s Game and then this one, skipping the books in between (but why would you want to? The whole series is great!) I’ll definitely go on to read The Shadow Saga (there were some interesting facts about Bean in Ender in Exile that got me intrigued), but my son has those books at school with him. That’s fine, because I’d like a break from OSC to read some other books. Thanks to Engie for recommending this! From the book jacket: “Here are fifteen invaluable suggestions…for how to empower a daughter to become a strong, independent woman.” The only problem is, I’m wishing I had read it earlier. They say by the time your kids are twelve, all your work should be done (ack!) because that’s when you lose them to their peers. I’ve done my best (and will obviously continue to do so) but there are so many things I wish I had said or done differently. I take consolation in one of my favorite quotes from Ender in Exile: “What I understand now is this: there is no harder job than parenting. There is no human relationship with such potential for great achievement and awful destructiveness, and despite all the experts who write about it, no one has the slightest idea whether any decision will be right or best or even not-horrible for any particular child. It is a job that simply cannot be done right.” Thank you, Ender. Anyway, let’s talk about food. During the week our kitchen was unusable, we had lots of delicious takeout meals. Subway, Chipotle, Blaze Pizza, Maoz falafel sandwiches… but the winner was Bolay. I’m not sure if Bolay is everywhere or just a regional chain, but basically it’s healthy bowls. I opted to have Bolay twice that week. THEN, we went to Texas- more takeout! Moe’s Southwestern Grill, Mod pizza, and then believe it or not there are a couple restaurants with vegan options in Waco- a Poke place, and a Vietnamese restaurant. Yes, I was well-fed. A recent home-cooked meal (phew!) that really stood out were these peanut noodles recommended by Birchwood Pie. You guys. I’ve made lots of meals with peanut sauce in my day… but this one was the most delicious. We all loved it. I’ll be making it again, as often as possible. Now for the kitchen. Here’s where we’re at: SIGH. We did get the sink installed, so the kitchen is fully functional. But we’re completely stuck on choosing tiles for the backsplash. We had a friend look at it, and she suggested something more like this: Now we’re REALLY paralyzed with fear and indecision. I just want someone to come, make the decision for me, and install the backsplash. I’ll live with whatever they decide! What are you reading right now? What’s your favorite takeout meal? Who wants to come design my backsplash???