Letter 25: An open thread, a refreshing podcast, and caramel crumb bars.
September and October 2024
We have had a fuller-than-usual last couple of months, so this letter will be short and sweet.
Notes from Me
Reading: The best kind of open thread - I liked reading through writer Joel Miller’s post asking his readers to chime in with book recommendations for his nightly read aloud time with his 5-year-old daughter. Here’s how I commented:
I love these types of open threads! Here are some favorite books I've read aloud with my sons, now 5, 7, and 8 over the last few years: Mary Poppins, The Princess and the Goblin, Eleanor Estes series (Rufus M, The Middle Moffat, The Moffats), All of a Kind Family series, My Father's Dragon series, A Cricket in Times Square, Charlotte's Web, Kate DiCamillo's Tales from Deckawoo Drive series, James Herriot Treasury, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, and A Christmas Carol. I hope you and your daughter find some great options from this list!
Listening: Last month I came across the podcast, Things Unseen, by Scottish theologian, Sinclair Ferguson. Each episode lasts around 5 minutes. He has a calming lilt to his voice and speaks with gentleness and conviction. I really enjoyed his series on “Beloved Bible Verses,” episodes 176-180, as well as episode 207, “Raising Children in the Church,” in which he encourages new parents to seek out
“older, wiser parents who can share not a formula, but rather their experiences of what they found helpful, where they made mistakes, what they’ve seen and learned about applying biblical principles to their unique family life and to each of their unique children.”
With the Boys
Reading: In a used bookstore last month, I discovered a Dr. Seuss book that was new to me, Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book. I brought it home and read it with my sons. It is zany and circuitous and my boys found it irresistible. You can read it online here.
In the Kitchen
Eating: These Caramel Crumb Bars from Nick Malgieri’s 2008 cookbook, The Modern Baker, are consistently crowd-pleasing. In fact, a friend recently requested the recipe since she still remembered having been served them at my house 4 years ago. They are on my shortlist of go-to cookie bars. Malgieri’s cookbook is out of print, but here’s a food blogger who shares the recipe.
Small Joy
Using the wonderful night cream that my sister sent me in the mail.
Until next time,
Susie
P.S.
I’m interested in checking out this biography of poet Phillis Wheatley. I learned about it through English Teacher Weekly, one of my favorite newsletters.