Judy Blume, Raina Telgemeier and Book Banning

If this is your first time here, Welcome! Ellie & Elizabeth is a lifestyle blog where I (I'm Elizabeth, and Ellie is the tiny, sweetest dog ever) discuss french country, farmhouse style decorating while revealing what I'm doing in my own home. Faith, recipes and family friendly topics are also thrown in there, which is what we have today. You'll meet my other half, Ellie the Havanese, at the end of each post!

 I'm so glad you are here! On with the story!

FALL BREAK AND THE CONTROVERSY

During Fall Break, Hubby and I found ourselves four hours from home with our children, listening to our youngest son's favorite author, Raina Telgemeier, announce that her books had been banned in some places. 

SCREECH....STOP RIGHT THERE...SAY WHAT??? 

Hubby and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Oh great, what in the world has my kid been reading? And we brought him here to meet her at this book signing...I mean, I thumbed through the book SMILE and it was just about a kid getting her teeth knocked out when she tripped... ???

Raina Telgemeier's books (SMILE, DRAMA, GHOSTS) are written as novel length comic books, also known as graphic novels, and were mostly purchased for Bear, our fifth grader, through the school's Scholastic book orders. They are also on the list of books he is to read to get points for the reading program at school. I never dreamed there was content in them that could be banned...sigh. When we looked over at Bear, he just grinned like the cat that had swallowed the canary. He clearly knew there was questionable content in there. *If you don't know Bear's mischievous side, read a proper introduction here. Let's just say that I have a lot of gray hair, but he and my oldest son are also pretty hilarious.

We are trying so hard to be good parents and it seems like everything out there that is promoted toward children anymore goes against what we are trying to teach. 

Then I remembered myself at his age, my favorite author, Judy Blume, and her banned books. You couldn't have pried her books from my little grade school hands without a fight.

Hmmm. 

I was a bookworm and read every one of her books.  It was the early 80's, Izod was a big deal and so was The Official Preppy Handbook, but Judy Blume was where it was at.  Blubber stands out the most in my mind because it was the first one I ever read. It was real, raw and it detailed every kid's fear of being the one in the class who was picked on. I don't remember all the situations in the book and I haven't read it since, but I later learned that Judy Blume's books were banned from some libraries. Thankfully, they weren't banned at my house! I can't imagine my childhood without her. Her books were the closest thing to the internet that we had back then. They were written about subjects that no one talked about and everyone I knew devoured them as soon as they could get a hold of one. I don't know if she did book tours but I would have been thrilled to meet her back then and even today.

This place! Gorgeous!

Reading books are still big deal at our house nowadays, so when Bear's all time favorite author was featured at a discussion/book signing event last weekend, I knew we had to go. I didn't tell him ahead of time because like any kid, he can drive me a little crazy when he's anticipating something. Are we there yet? Do you think she'll be nice or ? Oh my gosh, this is cool...Do you think I'll have to wait in line because I don't like to wait in line... He was so excited when he finally realized why we were going on the road trip.

This was a book lover's dream. 

The event was held at the Columbus Metropolitan Library and it was AMAZING! Our little Kentucky town has a tiny library which is nice but wowsa, this was over the top. It was a gorgeous, multilevel building and I kind of just wanted to move right in. It even had a coffee shop and, wait for it, copies upon copies of the same book...Now I know that might be the norm for you big city folks, but over here in the country, we normally get one book, possibly two and definitely no coffee.

Raina drawing a character from her latest book, GHOST. Sorry, my cell phone pics are a little grainy.

Despite learning of the book banning ordeal, we really enjoyed the day and hearing Raina speak with the author that inspired her, Jeff Smith (he writes 'Bone,' though we aren't familiar with his writing). Although I still want to know why her books were banned, I think if my child is that interested in the controversial content, it probably needs to be discussed at home, not banned and put away as if it's not happening out there in the real world. Putting my head in the sand doesn't mean my child and others aren't dealing with subjects that may be uncomfortable for me to discuss. Most importantly though, I do want to make sure my values are taught to my kids instead of a point of view that I don't agree with. If Raina is to my son like Judy Blume was to me, then I'll have to investigate further and not just squash his love of reading.

Bear with Jeff Smith, who interviewed Raina. Seemed like a super nice guy. Um, apparently his work was banned too, Good times.

Everything in the early 80's just seemed easier. To be ten again...How tough could the issues have been when all you were worried about was what color the little alligator was on your Izod shirt?  With those clogs? Or was it jelly shoes? All snuggled up on a rainy day, reading Judy Blume.

What do you think? Did you love Judy Blume like me?  Would you let your child read books that have been banned? Should books ever be banned? Let me hear from you! 

Love,

Elizabeth

HELP PICK ELLIE'S HALLOWEEN COSTUME

CHOICE #2

IF YOU MISSED CHOICE #1, CLICK HERE AND SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE POST

This is Bear's pick.

A pig.

For real. I mean, I don't even eat that much.

Baby pigs are all the rage though, and pink is my color.

Mom's Butterscotch Pie Recipe and Ellie's Halloween Costume

If you've been around here long enough, you'll remember that I went on a 21 day diet where you ate categories of foods in different sized boxes. You were allowed plenty of boxes of vegetables a day, but there was a TINY box for fats, including cheese, and you only got one of those a day. I did lose some weight, but really, I ask you, who can live long term with only a tiny box of cheese a day? (If you missed those episodes of fleeting nutritious eating, read Part I here and Part II here).

Most importantly, you know what they didn't even have a box for?

Pie. 

Really.

I can't live in a world without pie. 1) Pie makes me happy. 2) Happy people live longer. 3) There has to be a box for pie, people. And there's no better pie than my mother's butterscotch pie recipe, which obviously will lengthen my life, making me happy and all. 

Seriously. It's the bomb.

I can't give up my mom's recipe without a proper introduction...Some of you may remember I've mentioned my grandmother, MomB, and how she was a character? (If you missed it, read about her here). Well, my mother, Lana, doesn't fall far from the tree in that regard, although she's a character in different ways. She's fun, sassy, and is always on the go. 

Mom and I at a Mother/Daughter Banquet several years back. I know, isn't she pretty?

When I say she's always on the go, I mean it. A few years back I called and said we were coming for a visit for spring break (she lives 12 hours from us). She paused and said, well, that'd be nice, honey, but I'll be in Spain. Most ladies her age are not dropping everything and running off to Spain. I don't have half her energy, but she keeps telling me she's just 29, so what do I know?

However, she does slow down long enough to cook when she's not jet setting off somewhere, and anything she makes is a treat. She is constantly entertaining and this is one of the favorites. Her cousin teases her that he's going to keep her locked up in a closet and only let her out to make this pie. (He's a little sassy, too, haha).

Here is her famous Butterscotch Pie Recipe, a perfect fall dessert. Delicious.

LANA'S BUTTERSCOTCH PIE RECIPE

Ingredients:

3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tsp. Cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Cups milk
3 beaten eggs
3 tsp. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla extract.

1 unbaked pie shell

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
6 Tbsp. Sugar

In saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, & salt; gradually stir in milk.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils & thickens. (Warning, if you don't thicken enough, pie will be runny!) Cook 2 mins. longer.  Remove from heat; in a separate bowl, stir small amount of hot mixture into beaten eggs; return eggs to hot mixture.  Cook 2 mins over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Add butter &vanilla.  Cool to room temp. You can pour directly into unbaked pie shell, or I like to bake my shell 10 mins. first, cover edges so it will be crisp.

Meringue: Beat egg whites with cream of tartar & vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff.  Layer meringue on top of pie filling and bake at 350 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes.

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Hope y'all enjoy the pie!

Love,

Elizabeth

P.S. I need help choosing Ellie's Halloween costume...I'll show you the choices over the next few posts. Let me know what you think.  Choice #1:

Queen Ellie does have a nice ring to it. 

And I couldn't resist posting a pic of Mom a few years ago on Halloween.

I told you she's a fun gal.  She says this year's costume is a surprise...I'm almost afraid to ask, haha

Decorating With Things You Love and My Organizing Nightmare

When I moved, something bad happened. It was called, 'Let's stuff all I can into the armoire and use it as a suitcase and I'll organize it when we unpack.' Two years later, the armoire looks like this: 

Is that Christmas wrapping paper?? Why did I cram wrapping paper in there???

I know! How embarrassing! Whose great idea was that??

So now you probably think I've got it all cleaned out and I'm going to reveal the new improved organizational system that I just implemented.

Nope.

It still looks like that.  Sorry, that would take half the day and it's fall. I"m too busy being outside. Have you seen the mountains lately??

I did take a little step forward, though. Before the storm of clutter and who knows what was thrown in there during the move, the armoire was organized and housed blankets and some mementos. It had baby clothes from my boys and some things from my dad who has passed away. I once heard that the things you cherish should be treated with respect in your home, not wadded up somewhere stuffed in a closet (or thrown into an armoire 'suitcase'). Those baby clothes and items mean the world to me (and it represents a time before those stinkers pranked me and talked back, ha!). I love the thought of decorating with things that have special meaning, and the laundry room was really needing some love. I found a couple of these shadow boxes at Hobby Lobby, they are usually half off every other week:

They come with a hinged door and stickpins so you can open it and pin in anything you want to display. In went my boys' baby clothes, including Mickey Mouse pacifier, who was a big deal to my Little B at one time.  I'm sure the boys think it's corny, but I love seeing their little clothes displayed in my laundry room. I'll reveal the whole room soon, I've got a few more things here and there to finish.

Do you have things in your house that are special to you that you could turn into decor? It's a great, inexpensive way to decorate a room! Or do you have a crazy armoire/closet in your house that needs major attention?? That one of mine could be on 'Hoarders'. (Which, by the way, is a great show to watch if you're feeling stressed about your housework, etc., because no matter how bad yours is.....is probably not THAT bad. lol). I have a friend who is a professional organizer and one of her greatest joys is to organize, so I may need her help on that one, it's too scary to take on alone. Check out her website and blog, Sheri Bertolini, she has organizing tips and talks about how to decide what to keep and what to throw out, discusses how to handle mementos, there's all sorts of good stuff there.

But for now, go outside. Those mountains!

Love,

Elizabeth 

The mountains are good, but the couch isn't bad either.

PS. I'm so embarrassed Elizabeth showed you that armoire. She has no shame.

Cheap Halloween Decor

Y'all.  

#1. I usually don't take on a crafty project if it takes more than 10 minutes. That's why for months now, I have only one curtain panel made for my bedroom. If you get a tour of that room, you may never see both windows at once, since I may have to take that one panel from window to window for the pictures, lol.

Okaaay, just kidding...I'll finish those curtains somehow...

#2. A 'cheap' project usually ends up costing me $50 because somehow I can't find what I need and it all goes to pot. I get frustrated and just go out and somehow end up buying all the wrong things. Over and over. Good times.

So no one was more shocked than me when I put together this Halloween ghost and bats for my mantel and porch for FREE! To make both it took less than 10 minutes! And they didn't fall apart!

I know! I can't believe it either!

A 'cool' ghost for the porch. We do just a little creepy decor here and there, but prefer to keep it light. Ellie gets scared easily. 

The ghost ends up close to five feet tall and consists of four things: A tomato cage turned upside down (see pic below if you are garden-challenged like me, and don't know what a tomato cage is. I haven't known long), a dirty soccer ball from the yard placed on the top of the upside down cage, a sheet or tablecloth thrown over said cage and dirty soccer ball and the eyes were cut from black construction paper and taped onto the sheet.  Or, if your children have not put the tape back where it belongs and you can't find it like me, throw some sunglasses on him.

Here is my tomato cage who promises that next year he will help me grow a ton of tomatoes. He let me down big time this year, but has agreed to become a ghost for Halloween to make up for it.

Place the soccer ball on top. 

The paper bats taped onto the wall beside the ghost in the first picture were made using a template from Martha Stewart. I'd like to say that Martha and I are buds and we created that together, but I must give her full credit. Find the instructions and free template here. All you need is some black paper and you have bats!

Ok, so I do realize if you don't happen to have this stuff at your house, it's not going to be free. Ugh. BUT I'm hoping if you don't have a tomato cage and ball,  you can borrow them from someone who does. If you really want to make this project but have no way of getting a free tomato cage and you want to buy one, I saw some online from $3.99 - $7.99, so it could still be a cheap project even if you don't already have the cage. And that cage can also be wrapped in greenery and used on the porch at Christmas, so if you're like me, I tell Hubby that the cost is automatically cut in half because I'm using it twice. Right?

If I use it over three times, I think it's practically free! 

Hubby doesn't always agree with my logic. Sigh. He really didn't have a clue what he was getting himself into when we married, but I gave him ample time to escape...(8 YEARS! If you missed it, read about it here!). I love that guy.

Throw the sheet or tablecloth over the soccer ball and add glasses or eyes.

Hope you have fun with some Halloween decorations this year! Tell me some of your free/cheap Halloween ideas in the comments!

Love,

Elizabeth

I'm not afraid of ghosts. Or bats. Unless I'm alone. At night. Or really close to them. 

Ok, I'm afraid. Of everything. Where did Elizabeth go??

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Come and Dine

There once was a ten year old boy who was being raised, along with his brothers, by his grandmother. She tried her best, but she was disabled and times were hard.

Their tiny rented house was literally falling down around them and he would never invite friends over to play, because he was too embarrassed for them to see where he lived. 

The boy's clothes were too small and too few. There were no toys in sight, as these were only luxuries that his friends had, but never him.  

Until one day, a beautiful lady entered the house. Like a fairy godmother, she helped the family find a more suitable home. She cleaned it, mowed the grass, and filled the home with special touches.

The house was almost ready for the family to move in. When the lady asked the boy what he would want most in the house, assuming he would ask for toys and such, she was stunned by his answer.

His one wish - a dining table. 

His family had never had a table to eat on. He wanted to gather his family and sit around a table to have their meals, to laugh, and to share about their day. Mostly, to have a time of coming together.

That wonderful lady fulfilled his wish of a table, and in addition, a complete house of furniture and all bedding needed for the house. Some she bought herself, and for the rest, she worked and worked until she had enough donated for the cause. She even brought toys and clothes for the family. When the family moved in, they were incredibly thankful.

The little boy spoke few words, but you could see he held his head a little higher after that day.  And he gathered his family around that wooden table.

How long has it been since we've gathered our families? Held hands and said grace? Laughed and cried together?

Never underestimate the power of the gathering of a family around a dinner table, big or small, fancy or plain, especially in the eyes of a child. 

Or the magic of stopping our busy lives to notice someone else.

Love, 

Elizabeth

This is a true story that happened several weeks ago and Elizabeth has the honor of knowing the beautiful lady and the boy..  The pics are not the boy's dining room, (it's Elizabeth's), but can't you picture him gathering his family at his table? Go gather your people.  

THE PORCH AND A TOTALLY TUBULAR LOVE STORY

I know a few people that don't like their husbands. (I mean, I am a divorce mediator...). I don't know why this is or what to do about it, but I get a little teasing because not only do I love my husband, I really like that guy. I gush about him even. When I tell you our story, if you're rooting for me, you'll be a little on the fence about him but hold on until the end, it gets better. 

And by the way, the pics in the story are of my back porch, where Hubby strung lights as a surprise for me a couple of weeks ago, after we saw them at a resort and I casually mentioned that would look pretty on our porch.

Who does that? Isn't he dreamy? I'm still waiting on his permission to post his picture. He's cute stuff.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN...

There he was, in his green and yellow tank top, white Puma tennis shoes and his brown, curly hair cut as close to a mullet as curly hair could get. I saw him across the crowded pizza place/arcade. It was the 80s and hair was a BIG thing. I'm not sure how he missed me with my huge Aquanet helmet of hair, I could've knocked someone out with my 'wings'  but he didn't notice me at first.  Oh yeah, it could have been because he was on a date with someone else.

Not cool. 

We had mutual friends and did finally get introduced. I was a little taken with him at the ripe old age of 14 and have never forgotten the day we met 31 years ago. He doesn't remember the day we met at Pepperoni's Playhouse. Not even a little bit.

Totally not cool, Mr. Right.

Apparently, my braces and huge bangs did not get his attention later either. I threw a going away party for my friend who was moving and invited him. Turns out my friend's older sister, ahem, age 17, also liked him, was it the curly mullet??, so we decided to let him pick whomever he liked better, if either of us, and we'd be fine with whatever happened. At the party, we sat on either side of him, and I'm sure he felt like man of the hour. In reality, he was a quiet, humble guy who probably felt a little uncomfortable with all this attention. But then...

That dude picked her. Even kissed her on my front porch!!

I know!!!

How was I going to eventually marry this guy if he keeps forgetting me and kissing other people on my porch??

So I admitted defeat and a few months went by. We became good friends and he'd tell me his girlfriend woes over school lunch. I didn't have any dating troubles at fourteen, so I was pretty interested in hearing about his. 

Finally, the day came when he realized the girl of his dreams was sitting right in front of him, in some cute, black stirrup pants. We'd laughed and shared enough lunches to become the best of friends. He needed a date to a Halloween party, and finally, it was me.  On our first date, he picked me up in a ratty gray Blazer, so rusty that you could see straight through to the ground in some spots of the floorboard. He drove a few minutes, then promptly ran out of gas, LOL., thankfully beside a gas station. On our next date, again a Halloween theme, we went to a haunted house where his little brother got hit in the eye with a rubber snake, so the date ended abruptly to take his brother to the hospital.

 It was a date with his little brother?? Yes, yes, it was, I took what I could get. 

Thankfully, he didn't view me as a curse, because really, we were pretty nervous about what could happen on date #3, but eventually, we made it to our third, uneventful, romantic date.

The back porch, the night of the surprise...before the fall flowers were added. Bear popped in the pic, reminding me that he also helped with the secret light surprise. He still reminds me every other day.

Eight years later (come on, folks, I was only 14 when this story started)...I walked down the aisle to the man who would become my husband, the father of my children and my everything. I knew many years before what it took him eight years to realize. I should've put on those stirrup pants a long time ago.

Very cool. 

Don't give up on your dreams, sometimes they are right in front of you.

And always wear cute pants.

Love,

Elizabeth 

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: If you see Elizabeth out in public wearing stirrup pants, or any type of stretchy material of any sort, kindly return her to her home unharmed. She doesn't mean to hurt you in anyway, she just doesn't always understand that the 1980s are over and so is her ability to wear said items. Thank you. Love to all.