The Bean and Me Book Club -- The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won

Recently I read two of Bean's recommendations -- "The War That Saved My Life" and it's sequel "The War I Finally Won" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

In the first book, "The War That Saved My Life", we meet Ada, Jamie and Mam.  They live in London's East End in a tenement slum.  Ada, born with a club foot, is older sister to Jamie and their mother, Mam, is a cruel, abusive mother.  It is set at the beginning of World War II.

When the children were being evacuated from London to the English countryside for their safety, Mam didn't want Jamie to go and she wouldn't even think of Ada going, she was so ashamed of her being a cripple that she locked her in one room all the time and she wouldn't even consider them going.

But....the kids had other ideas.

I don't want to say too much because this is definitely a worthy read -- it flows, it reads well, it is truly a page turner.  It is emotional and satisfying all at the same time.

Then, moving on to the sequel -  it brings the children and the people in their lives further into the war with some frightening events but you see how they grow and learn how to make do, do without and still learn to love.

I absolutely loved these books.  Even though they are written for ages 9-12, I was totally taken in by them and enjoyed them thoroughly and recommend without reservation.

Bean's description  --  "these books are amazing!"

Bean and Me Book Club -- Pugs of the Frozen North by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre

I just finished "Pugs of the Frozen North".  It is the story of Shem and Sika, two children who during the True Winter decide to take Shem's 66 pugs and a sled on a sled race to get to the Snowfather. Sika wanted to ask the Snowfather to heal her grandfather and make him well to be able to make the race himself during the next True Winter.

The children met with all sorts of peril and danger along the way.  My favorite was the Yeti Noodle Bar where one could get trapped forever if one was not careful.

The Bean loved this book but she is perplexed that it has taken me weeks to finish it and she accomplished that in an hour.  It is a cute book, good message and great illustrations. 

I would recommend for school age children and adults who want to get lost in the fantasy.

Temple Secrets by Susan Gabriel

As you probably remember, my family vacationed in Savannah, Georgia last year. I was completely taken with the place, the culture, the food, the architecture -- yes, I could live there -- well, in the winter anyway because I understand that the summers are pretty bad with the heat.

So, since then, I have been reading a lot of books that involve Savannah.  The latest is "Temple Secrets" by Susan Gabriel.

It is the story of the Temple family -- a generations old Savannah family with connections to slavery and a whole lot of secrets.  The family is a blended family -- black and white -- wealthy landowners and slaves in the past and this is the modern day remnants of that family.

The main characters would appear to be Iris Temple, along with the  daughter and granddaughter of the some of the most influential men of Savannah at their time.  However, Iris's demise takes her out of the story pretty early and the attention goes to her half sister, Queenie, and her granddaughter, Violet.  Queenie is the daughter of Iris's father and Old Sally, a black housekeeper at the time.

Then there is Rose.  Rose is Iris's daughter with her husband Oscar.  She is Violet's half sister with Queenie being Violet's mother and Oscar being Violet's father.  History repeating itself.

And I thought my family tree was confusing.

And then there is the Book of Secrets.  It is a ledger that was kept of all the indiscretions of Savannah's rich and famous over the decades.   This book takes on a life of its own.

And Edward -- what an idiot.

And the ghosts.

I will just leave that here.  If you love Savannah, the south, ghosts or a humorous, messed up family story this is the book for you. 

Next on my list -- the sequel  -- "Gullah Secrets". Hopefully it will be just as enjoyable.

Food as Medicine or Is It My Imagination?

Ok, since my husband was released from the hospital  we  have been following an 1800 calorie diabetic eating plan.  The first few days were a little daunting because I haven't meal planned in forever.  I also haven't weighed and measured food since my last attempt at calorie counting.

Fast forward to today -- it has gotten much easier, Hubs is eating what I cook, I am learning some kitchen tricks to keep myself sane and I am not dreading the activity quite as much.

However, I have noticed something that is sort of surprising.  I feel completely different.  I have lost seven pounds and I feel like my digestion has improved.  Those are things one would expect when changing your diet completely.

But......what I wasn't expecting is that my joints are so much better. I am less stiff. I even got on the floor to look for something under the bed.  I was shocked.

Is it possible that changing a diet could make your joints quit hurting?  Very interesting.

Just thought I would share.

Can't Catch a Break

Ok, we have done the two follow-up appointments for my husband with the cardiologist and the neurologist.  Both appointments were positive, no restrictions on him and future appointments made. 

Then we discussed the "sleep" issues he is having and they are going to schedule him for a sleep study.  It is two parts -- one overnight for sleep apnea and then one during the day.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

So, in the middle of it all I had to take the Bean to the doctor yesterday for a cough she has had.  Doctor said she has a cold, it is viral, go home and let it run its course.

Fast forward to today -- I had to go get her early because she is running 102 fever. 

We are back to the doctor for a whooping cough test. It is going around the school.

Really?  Seriously?

Wow.

Lord, Please Give Me Patience

Right before I got married my future mother-in-law told me "I tried to teach him to eat.  It's your problem now. Good Luck."

We are several days into an 1800 calorie diabetic diet. It is a very, VERY balanced diet.  Almost anything can be enjoyed on this diet in the portions allowed on the diet.  There is only one snack and that is in the evening.  It isn't a bad diet, I am following it as well and have lost five pounds.  The thing to get used to is having just a small amount of starch and not eating between meals. 

Ok, so my husband has done really well but he is now beginning to balk about the food.  I am not a chef.  I am not even a very good home cook.  I mean, one time when I was pregnant with my daughter, we ate boxed mac and cheese five nights in a row.  Doing all of this is clearly out of my comfort zone.

So, he complained about the green beans at lunch and offered to take me out to dinner.  He said I needed a break.  I think HE needs restaurant food which we are supposed to be weaning ourselves from.

I had to have our daughter "speak" to him.  Sad.

I am thinking of sending him for a little visit to his sister.

The Case of the Dysfunctional Housewife

I have been married FOREVER -- 47 years in July.  I have been a stay at home mom for 44 of those years.  You would think I would have learned something, wouldn't you?

Fast forward to now.  I don't care for cooking and Hubby doesn't really care of my cooking.  In all honesty, I don't really blame him.  The reality of it is -- I don't much care for anything that goes on in the kitchen.

However, after his small stroke last week we have come to the stark realization that we have to mend our evil ways.  After a dressing down by the general practice doctor I have pulled out all my diabetes books and, following the eating plan they had him on in the hospital, we are now following an 1800 calorie diabetic plan.

I am eating the same food and not doing too badly planning the meals according to the exchanges.  We certainly aren't hungry and I have been reasonably successful in making it palatable enough for this meat and potatoes guy.

So, why am I dysfunctional?  It has been so long since I have done anything like this that I don't think about cooking anything until it is time to put it on the plate which means nothing is thawed out, nothing is washed and prepped, and here I stand .....

So, I am having to think ahead.  I am having to restock my kitchen and find my storage dishes.  I am also aware that I am going to have to buy more measuring utensils so I don't have to keep washing them as I prep.

And the dishes --oh the amount of dishes is much more than I had figured.  Prepping three meals and washing the dishes is like taking me all day.

There has to be a more efficient way, I just haven't figured out what it is yet,

Now, make no mistake, I am not complaining.  I am so thankful this man is still here for me to measure out his cereal and weigh his vegetables that there are no words to express my gratitude.

But, oh my goodness, the dishes!

If It's Not One Thing It is Another.....

my aunt used to say that all the time and it appears she was a very wise and knowledgeable little lady.

It happened again Saturday morning.  We were just getting into our day when my husband walked into our study to look at something, came back to ask me a question and discovered he couldn't speak.

He has an evil sense of humor and I thought he was playing with me.  Upon further observation, I discovered he wasn't.

We got dressed, called for an ambulance and headed for the hospital -- one that specializes in stroke care because he was exhibiting all the classic symptoms of a stroke.  Oddly, however, he walked in, got dressed, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, gathered his wallet and other items, put on his shoes and socks and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Halfway through the 20 minute drive to the hospital the situation resolved itself and he was speaking plainly, laughing, talking about our granddaughter and signing papers.  Immediately upon arrival they started doing stroke assessment tests and he had no deficits and never experienced any symptoms again.

He was tested, MRI'd, CT scanned, walked, prodded, drained of blood, questioned (raise your eyebrows, stick your tongue out, follow my finger, touch my nose, now touch your nose, what is happening in this picture I am showing you) and assessed.

He was sent home yesterday without restrictions.  We had lunch and went to Target. 

The most bizarre situation I have ever seen.

Why did this happen?  Probably an acute blood pressure spike incident.  Diabetes that is not well controlled could have been involved. 

So, meds have been changed and fiddled with.  We are now following a diabetic exchange diet which we have never used before so it is a learning curve for this old brain but not too terrible.  We are visiting with our family doctor today -- I am sure he isn't going to be happy with us but oh well. 

His blood sugar (my husband, not the doctor) has been falling very low in the mornings.  He has also been having some rather disturbing symptoms of a sleep disorder.  After watching what went on in the hospital I was beginning to conclude that the sleep disturbances were due to something physiological -- oh, say, blood sugar that is too low.  So, I asked the neurologist and she assured me that it could most definitely be connected.  I asked the dietician (who looked like a 12 year old) and she also assured me that the blood sugar issues could, in fact, cause such symptoms.

So, we are now on an exchange diet which is proving to be a bit of a challenge for me.  However, I saw a huge difference this morning.  He woke up normally and, even though he wanted to go back to sleep, he had his wits and control enough to make himself get up and get busy (I mean, seriously, NOBODY wants to get up do they?) and his blood sugar was a much healthier number which just sort of proves what the doctors said.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't tired.  I am but I am so very thankful that this wasn't worse than it was.  I am thankful that the hospital was specialized, that he was thoroughly tested and we have the opportunity to try to get things under control.

I have said that I think this was a blessing in disguise, God's little tap on the shoulder to say "hey, Al, you need to get your stuff together, you just ain't living right".  While that may sound silly or extreme to some, it is what I believe. We are blessed.

God is good ALL the time an God's way is the right way, ALL the time.

Did You Miss Me?

Last week was spring break here in most of Texas.  My daughter decided to do a repeat performance of last  year and take her daughter on a Girl Scout patch/badge seeking adventure across Texas.  Texas has lots of history so there were quite a few opportunities to learn the history and to earn more bling for the GS vest.

We decided to tag along and were also joined by our son and his family.  That is the first time for this sort of adventure with all of us together.

We were gone for eight days and visited a number of places in several cities.  I will share this trip across several posts.

We left last Saturday morning and headed South to Austin where we toured the Capitol building.  I had never seen the Capitol and I still didn't see it because the walk to the building from the parking garage sent my knees into despair so I sat out the whole thing.  There were benches in the rotunda though so I had a nice view of things and a comfortable place to hang out.

After the Capitol we toured the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum located close to the Capitol.

Thanks to my daughter for sharing her photos with me.  I charged my camera overnight but apparently my battery was "exhausted".  I have ordered a new battery.

Tamara's Child by B.K. Mayo

I recently completed "Tamara's Child" by B.K. Mayo.  It is an award winning YA novel.

I enjoyed this book a great deal -- it was intense, engaging, a bit frightening and rather sad.  For me, it was a page turner.

"Tamara's Child" is an apt title -- it is the story of Tamara, a troubled teen running from a bad situation into a worse situation which I am sure is not uncommon.  She is pregnant with no place to go until she lands at her step-brother's house.  Her stay there was no walk in the park.  She finds herself in a twisted plot situation and in trouble with the law. 

Events advance, time passes, and the book ends with Tamara as a middle aged adult coming to terms with her past.

I don't want to divulge too much information because this is truly worth the read.  I enjoyed it although it ticked all of my emotions but then, that is probably why I enjoyed it.

I recommend this book without reservation.

March 6, 1836 --