Pioneer Girl: The Laura Ingalls Wilder Annotated Autobiography

Sunday, February 8, 2015



My feelings for this are very mixed. In a way, I want to keep my idealistic view of Laura's life and her adventures across the prairie. Yet, I always want the truth. What really happened and why?

Hidden away since the 1930s, Laura Ingalls Wilder's never-before-published autobiography reveals the true stories of her pioneering life. Some of her experiences will be familiar; some will be a surprise. Pioneer Girl re-introduces readers to the woman who defined the pioneer experience for millions of people around the world.

Through her recollections, Wilder details the Ingalls family's journey from Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, back to Minnesota, and on to Dakota Territory sixteen years of travels, unforgettable stories, and the everyday people who became immortal through her fiction. Using additional manuscripts, diaries, and letters, Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography builds on Wilder s work by adding valuable context and explores her growth as a writer.

Author of an award-winning Laura Ingalls Wilder biography, editor Pamela Smith Hill offers new insights into Wilder s life and times. In an introduction, Hill illuminates Wilder s writing career and the dynamic relationship between the budding novelist and her daughter and editor, Rose Wilder Lane. Sharing the story of Wilder s original manuscript, Hill discusses the catalysts for Pioneer Girl and the process through which Wilder s story turned from an unpublished memoir into the national phenomenon of the Little House series.

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography also explores the history of the frontier that the Ingalls family traversed and the culture and life of the communities Wilder lived in. This groundbreaking volume develops a fuller picture of Wilder s life and times for the millions of readers who wish to learn more about this important American author. It contains one hundred and twenty-five images, eight fully researched maps, and hundreds of annotations based on numerous primary sources, including census data, county, state, and federal records, and newspapers of the period.

An important historic and literary achievement, this annotated edition of Pioneer Girl provides modern readers with new insights into the woman behind the fictional classics Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, Little House on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.








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Tortillas to the Rescue Cookbook!

Thursday, December 6, 2012



We almost always have our kitchen stocked with tortillas. Yet they are only used for one of two purposes.

(1) The yummy tortilla roll ups that my husband makes for snacks or pitch in dinners.

(2) My daughter eats the remainder. Plain.


Other than the usual meals - I have not been very creative on using this staple to our kitchen.

Tortillas to the Rescue Cookbook 

I received this fun tortilla cookbook and have had fun with the different meal ideas.  It includes recipes for soups, salads, snacks and entrees!

It provides ideas on a range of food ideas - from breakfast to party appetizers!  I enjoy making casseroles when I'm crunched for time or don't want to have a large mess to deal with after dinner... I hadn't imagined there were tortilla recipes for that!

The recipes for snacks and wraps would be great to use for the upcoming holiday parties and New Years celebrations.

A Few Favorites!

Breakfast Recipe:  Egg and Sausage Roll-Up

Starters and Snacks:  Chorizo and Cojack Taquitos

Soups, Salads, and Sides:  White Chili with Green Chiles and Chicken

Wraps and 'Ritos:  California Burrito

Sweets:  Pineapple Cheesecake with Tortilla Crust


Click Here to purchase Tortillas to the Rescue Cookbook on Amazon























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A Lamb and a Llama - Book Review

Monday, September 10, 2012


In our home, we love books. Books books books. They are everywhere. I love that my children have a desire to read and enjoy getting new books.

One of our newest additions this Summer was A Lamb and a Llama by Ashley Bustamante.


Picasso is a strong, proud llama who keeps the other farm animals safe from danger. All goes well until a young lamb named Nola is born. Wild little Nola loves to play. She keeps the other animals constantly stirred up-until she disappears! Will the animals be able to find Nola? Will Picasso save her before it's too late? Find out what happens in this delightful tale based on a true story of a llama from the Pinnacle Peak Llama Ranch.


The kids have enjoyed reading this book over and over again.  My oldest being able to read it to herself, has claimed it as her own.  Though our son has snuck it into the book shelves in his room from time to time.

They both enjoy stories where characters are animals.  They've enjoyed this story a little more as it was an introduction to an animal that was new to them and they haven't really been able to be around in real life.

I find it even more interesting as it is based on an actual llama!  That was a neat fact to know and made the book stand out more while reading it to the children.  I believe they enjoyed knowing that about the story as well.

A Lamb and a Llama is available at -

Amazon

Barnes & Noble


Become a fan of A Lamb and a Llama

by Mapletree Publishing Company


About the Author:

Ashley Bustamante lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband, Chris. She works at Arizona State University on the Sanford Harmony Program, a program designed to encourage positive interactions between boys and girls. 

In her free time, she likes to participate in writing, drawing, and photography. Ashley is an avid animal lover and has raised several furry (and woolly!) friends, including lambs and llamas!
 





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Fassa Tails

Thursday, January 5, 2012





My children love books. Coloring books. Picture books. They especially love books that can be about them. They were fascinated with a book their daddy had been given when he was a kid. He was able to write things in it about himself, his likes, his height, favorite foods and colors.

So, Fassa Tails and the included Fassa's 52 Weeks of Fun is perfect for them!

Fassa Tails
takes you through adventures with Fassa... and allows you to color in the pictures.

Flip the book over, and your child gets to enter things about themselves! A great book to keep always!





I believe they also have a Kindle version if you prefer downloadable books.























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Wishing and Hoping and Dreaming and Praying... for New Furniture!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

As I sit at the dining room table, composing this post... the kids are climbing onto and jumping from the coffee table.  ....And mommy is sighing.  I remember before the hubby and I became homeowners, I dreamed of all the beautiful furniture I would add to the home.  The first beautiful pieces we purchased were for our bedroom.  They are lovely!  Now, as you can guess, I am daydreaming of new pieces throughout the house.  Especially since a couple pieces have fallen victim to the children's wild imaginations. 


The first, a coffee table set!  As mine, will probably be destroyed by the end of the week... if not by the end of this post.  There are several very nice round-shaped tables... though I always end up picking a dark-wood rectangle coffee table.        This one may be my favorite: 






I've been browsing console tables for a couple of years now.  I'm getting more and more picky as my furniture search and dreaming continues.

This one would match the coffee table I pointed out earlier and I love it that they have so much storage space!  Because I have way too much stuff.






I'm also dreaming of a reading room where I can place these adorable nesting tables.  Okay, I'm dreaming of a computer/social media/reading room where I could arrange them!  Aren't their legs just so chic! 





 





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Letters from a Distant Shore

Saturday, February 26, 2011


As a mother, I was immediately drawn into the pain and fight as tragedy struck the family of Marie Lawson Fiala.  Marie and the life of her family is immediately and forever changed in a matter of minutes... "This memoir of a mother's ferocious care, devastating loss and prayerful transcendence focuses on bringing her son back from the edge.  The suspense is relentless and the author's observations as sharp as a scalpel." 

Letters from a Distant Shore is a book about Grace:  The Grace of love, the Grace of children and the Grace of life itself.  Marie Fiala's beautifully crafted words shine in the darkness like a nightlight, reminding us that even at times of the greatest vulnerability and despair, we are not alone.  Bring tissues.  You'll need them.  ~ Dr. Naomi Rachel Remen 

About Letters From A Distant Shore
Tragedy shattered Marie Lawson Fiala’s life as a wife, mother, and lawyer when her 13-year-old son, Jeremy, was felled by a massive hemorrhage from a ruptured artery deep in his brain. Within an hour, Jeremy was in a coma, sustained only by machines. This memoir of a mother’s ferocious care and fierce determination to bring her child home alive and functioning despite devastating loss will win the hearts of families who have ever suffered from physical trauma with loved ones. Just when Marie believed all hope was lost for her son to talk and to walk ever again, her family organized three world-wide prayer vigils for Jeremy, using the internet support network that had been following Marie’s email updates on Jeremy’s condition posted from his hospital bedside. After each prayer vigil, Jeremy showed dramatic healing, far surpassing his doctors’ predictions. Was this a coincidence or a miracle? Readers will find their own faith in things unseen as Marie tells her tale of Jeremy’s recovery and homecoming. Letters from a Distant Shore is both a profoundly spiritual work and a gripping read.
Meet Marie


I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to read Marie's story.  I hope you curl up with a box of tissues and a soft heart to travel through her journey...



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Repairing Rainbows Book Review

Friday, December 17, 2010

I just finished reading "Repairing Rainbows" by Lynda Fishman.


At thirteen years old Lynda's life comes to a disastrous halt when her mother and two younger sisters are killed in a plane crash. Her father, overcome by despair, simply continues to exist, in a state devoid of hope. After burying a wife and two young children at the age of 44, the overwhelming responsibility of raising a daughter alone completely immobilizes him.

Teetering on that tender brink between childhood and adolescence, Lynda faces the responsibility of a father in a complete state of shock, a house to take care of and hundreds of decisions about how to proceed with their shattered lives.

In Repairing Rainbows she candidly describes the agonizing memories, deafening silence and endless hardships that are the fallout of incredible loss. As we follow her through marriage, motherhood and her own spiritual journey, Lynda reveals her complex feelings of hope, anger, pity and determination. Most importantly, she learns the crucial difference between truly living and the existence that is so often mistaken for being alive.

Lynda describes life before the tragic accident and life afterward with such candor and recollection, it's amazing how her spirit survived with such hope. Her struggle to live through and overcome such a great loss and hardships that incurred is a great story of hope.

We often hear of sudden accidents like this, but don't think beyond that moment. How the families cope and continue to exist in the face of such a great loss. Lynda's story reminds us that tragic accidents live on and affect many for years to come.

Though I enjoyed reading this incredible story, parts of the writing didn't flow with the general tone of the story.



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Baby-Led Weaning Book Giveaway! Ends 12/21

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Last week I posted a review of a book by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett called Baby-Led Weaning. It is a great resources for learning more about your baby and how to realize when your child may be ready to move to more solid foods.

One lucky A Bloggy Mom reader will receive a copy of this amazing book!

Gill Rapley pioneered baby-led weaning in the U.K. She has worked as a nurse for 20 years and has also been a midwife and breastfeeding counselor. Tracey Murkett is a freelance writer.

Entry Instructions

Through the Bloggy Moms network, you have the opportunity to accumulate multiple entries, giving you a better chance of winning!  The added entry options below will help you to gather more entries for more chances to win.

Separate comments should be made {on this post} for each entry.
{Example: I just “liked” Bloggy Moms on Facebook!”}

MANDATORY ENTRY {Worth 1 Entry Point}
Leave a comment below and tell me what food you are most concerned about feeding to your child{ren}.

OPTIONAL ENTRIES for added chances to win {Worth 5 Points Each}

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{3} Submit this contest to any online social bookmarking site.
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{13} Join the Bloggy Moms community


{14} Tweet the following: I just joined @BloggyMoms! Join me! http://BloggyMoms.com

{15} Tweet the following:
I entered to win Baby-led Weaning at @ABloggyMom @BloggyMoms at ABloggyMom.com!  http://ow.ly/3p6Wl #bloggygiveaway
          {You can tweet this multiple times. No more than 3 times a day is suggested}

{16} Blog Post {worth 10 points}
Write a blog post about your entry. Tell us why you would like to win Baby-led Weaning. You must include the following text in your blog post.

I entered to win Baby-led Weaning from A Bloggy Mom.!

{the text must link back to this post}

Contest ends December 21th, 2010 @ 11:00pm EST.

Winner will be drawn via random number generator.  Contest is open to US residents 18 and older only.





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First Gear Books Review

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Consider a book or two from First Gear for the auto lover on your Christmas list this year.  I received two books for review by First Gear, Ford Mustang and Exotic Cars.  They are perfect for that car fanatic young or old.  My three-year-old son loves anything with an engine and loved flipping through the pages looking at the photos.

Each book is packed with profiles of cars including color photos, performance and production specs as well as historical facts and trivia concerning each car.

"In Ford Mustang, author and photographer Brad Bowling profiles 54 iconic Mustangs, from standard and high-performance models through factory racers and tuner cars." 
Over 60 of the hottest and most popular production, high-performance, and racing Mustangs are profiled in Ford Mustang. From the early coupes and GTs to today's newest Shelby, the fastest and most unique pony cars are included in this history of the Mustang nameplate. Profiles of cars from every generation, including the Boss 302s, Mach 1s, and more, include full-color detail and portrait photos, a short history of the car, performance specifications, and trivia. Whether you're a lifelong Mustang fan of just getting to know the great American performance machine, you'll enjoy the depth and variety of Ford Mustang.

 "In Exotic Cars, author and automotive journalist John Lamm profiles over 75 of the hottest supercars from the past and present, as well as concept cars that never came to production.

From Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, and many more, learn the stories and statistics behind the most exquisite high-performance cars and builders on the planet."


These are the cars so fast and powerful, so superior in design and performance, that they could only be called supercars. Since legendary British motor journalist L. J. K. Setright christened the first, the Lamborghini Miura, in a review, others have followed from the finest automakers in the world: Bugatti, Porsche, McLaren, Maserati, Ferrari, Koenigsegg. And these are the supercars profiled in this book, with over 200 colour photographs, detailed descriptions, performance specs, and curious facts about each.

From historic classic cars to the latest breakthroughs in design and technology, this exhilarating survey of the supercar should thrill any high-performance auto enthusiast.


These books are available at motorbooks.com, amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Borders.




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Baby-Led Weaning Book Review

Monday, December 6, 2010


I just completed reading Baby-Led Weaning by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. It is a fantastic information guide for new parents, as well as those seeking a more natural way of transferring from bottle/breast to solid foods.

I enjoyed the book very much as I am thoroughly irritated by parents who make timed changes to their child's food and meals even if it negatively affects the child.

This book helps to eliminate the stress of the rigorous and confusing mess the above method can cause.

Baby-Led Weaning: The Essential Guide to Introducing Solid Foods and Helping Your Baby to Grow Up a Happy and Confident Eater, by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett.

Baby-Led Weaning is the definitive guide for parents who want to skip purées and begin self-feeding from the start of the weaning process. Originally published in early 2009 in the UK, Baby-Led Weaning already garnered legions of advocates and practitioners. It is written by Gill Rapley, a public health nurse for 20 years and the mother of three who originated the theory of baby-led weaning while pursuing her master’s degree, and journalist Tracey Murkett, who followed baby-led weaning with her own daughter.

With Baby-Led Weaning, young eaters will be able to participate in family meals from the start, experiment with food, develop hand-eye coordination and chewing, and learn to love a variety of foods. By following their baby’s cues, parents will encourage natural development in their child and raise healthy, confident eaters.

We think Baby-Led Weaning would be a perfect fit with the other content on your site, and a useful tool for any of your readers who are interested in learning more about the baby-led weaning method.

If you are interested in more "natural" feeding methods, you will probably enjoy the information provided by Rapley and Murkett.

You can find more information about Baby-Led Weaning and its author at: www.babyledweaning.theexperimentpublishing.com






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My Brother Charlie - Holly Robinson Peete & Ryan Elizabeth Peete

Monday, April 26, 2010

My Brother Charlie 
by Holly Robinson Peete & Ryan Elizabeth Peete
Illustrated by Shane W. Evans

Callie and her brother Charlie are twins.  They have always been together.  They enjoy many of the same things and activities.  However, there is something very different about Charlie.  Charlie's mommy worried about him.  One day a doctor confirmed her worries and told them Charlie had autism.  Callie and her mommy love Charlie very much and want to help him.


My Brother Charlie is a deeply personal reflection on the life of a child with autism.  Written from the point of view of his sister, we're told of the aches and longings of family members who love Charlie who has autism.  The book is a great educational tool to help others {especially children} understand autism.  The illustration is just lovely and help depict the warmth of Callie and her mother's love for Charlie.

I highly recommend adding this to your personal library and recommend your local library add it as well.  {I will be asking our local library if they intend to add it to their collection on our weekly trip!}



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Love 2 Read

Friday, March 19, 2010

Love2Read provides you with a unique opportunity to create a personal and memorable keepsake for child.  By adding your pictures to their pre-made templates you can create a special learning tool to help encourage your child to read.

I was impressed with the variety of templates that were offered by Love2Read.  Their options ranged from stories about family members to holiday celebrations.  I chose the "Our Dad" template to make a special keepsake for my two little ones.   I have chosen to use an example image from the Love2Read website in honoring my husbands request for privacy and no images of him on The Keeper at Home. 

I was able to upload and use ten pictures for this book, one image per page.  The first four images were automatically used to create the front cover image.  Inside you are able to complete the sentences that begin and correspond with the book title.

My husband and children have enjoyed the personalized book and I have enjoyed watching them read it together.

would Bloggy Moms be able to do any type of giveaway/promotion with Nestle?

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