Belletristic Skirt Society: April and Oliver

The month of May was my month to pick a title.  I chose 

April and Oliver

by Tess Callahan

Since I usually write my thoughts about the books the other girls pick, I thought it might be nice to get a different perspective this month.  I actually found the book on Julie's Good Reads page, so it is kind of fitting for her to pass along her review.  You've met Julie before, here on Paper Wings, she guest posted last August giving us a fabulously southern fried green tomatoes recipe. YUM. Check it out here if you missed it last year.

Here is Julie with her handsome husband, Kevin! :)

Ok, so here's Julie........

I don’t remember what actually drew me to this particular novel, but it had been on my “to read” list for a couple years. Obviously, I was in no hurry to read it. Then Tracy it selected for the Belle Skirts to read.

April and Oliver is a dark story of a dysfunctional family and their experiences with tragedy. The theme of the book is loss and grief, and how everyone deals with it differently. It is also about how friendships change and develop over time. In the beginning, the book was a little confusing due to jumping around in different time periods, but the beautiful prose made up for it. Callahan did an exquisite job writing this story. The scenes were surreal and the characters were well developed, the only problem I had was truly connecting to the characters.  April and Oliver were both sensitive and intelligent, but many of their life choices were a little far-fetched.  It seemed to take April a long time to grow up and deal with her life.

There is a lot of sexual tension between April and Oliver as the book description implies, but I had a hard time getting past the fact that they were cousins, albeit step-cousins. There were a few twists in the story, but much of it was predictable. This being said, I would still read another novel by this Callahan if she writes another. Overall, I give April & Oliver three stars. 

There you have it! Thanks Julie for writing this for me, especially in the summer time when us teachers are suppose to be "off." :)

June's pick is

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

Happy Summer Reading!

Tracy

Fried Green Tomatoes-Guest Post

Ya'll have quite the treat today! I attend a book club once a month with 6 other fabulous...FABULOUS...ladies. We have been meeting for SIX years now! Anyhoo, I love these ladies so much that I wanted to introduce them all to you all.

(Me and Julie a couple of weeks ago.)
I am proud to call Julie my dear friend, and I know you all will love her recipe. I look up to Julie as a teacher and a mom. She is a beautiful woman of God, and I totally appreciate her love. Meet Julie and enjoy her southern hospitality!!

Hi everyone!! I am Julie, and I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes with you. What says the south better than fried green tomatoes? Don’t be put off the word fried. It is a nutritional requirement to have something fried every once in a while.

What you need:

4 large green tomatoes

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 quart vegetable oil or bacon grease

What to do:

1. Slice tomatoes ¼ to ½ inch thick.

2. Whisk eggs and milk together.

3. Scoop flour onto a plate. Mix cornmeal, bread crumbs and salt and pepper on another plate.

4. Dip tomatoes into flour to coat.

5.Then dip the tomatoes into milk and egg mixture.

6.Dredge in breadcrumbs to completely coat.

In cast iron skillet , pour vegetable oil (or bacon grease, if you have some) so that there is 1/2 inch of oil in the pan, and heat to a medium heat.

7. Place tomatoes in skillet. The tomatoes should not touch. *If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, any skillet will do.

8.When the tomatoes are browned, flip and fry them on the other side. Drain them on paper towels.

Serve with some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and iced tea and watch the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.

Thanks Tracy, for letting me share today! It's been fun!!

A Dog-Earred Inspiration: Guest Post

You folks are in for a treat today!! My second guest post! WOOT WOOT! My good friend Kristy from Pocketful of Poise is sharing a really cool tutorial. Kristy and I have taught at the same school for a about three years or so, and she has become one of my closest gal pals. She's super creative, artsy, and has a great sense of style. I know you'll love her. Her blog is pretty new (just started last week!), so please show her some LOVE and head over there after you check this out.
PLUS- I am guest posting over there today...it's a WIN/WIN!! :)
Take it away, Kristy...

Hey Paper Wing followers!! My name is Kristy and I just started blogging last week. I am so grateful to have my very good friend, Tracy to help me through this process! I would be so lost without her. So, come on over to Pocketful of Poise and check it out!

For the last couple of days I have been featuring tutorials on making some inexpensive and fun jewelry. Tracy and I have switched spots to guest post on each other blogs. Sticking with the jewelry theme you will find her awesome tutorial on a fabric and bead creation that I can't wait to try.

Typically will flip through magazines, catalogs or even look on-line to get inspired or to challenge myself on some "re-creations." The tutorial below was inspired by an on-line jewelry company that was offering a necklace very similar to mine for $162.00! (See original at Dog Earred) I decided to see if I could re-create his little piece for under ten bucks. You can decide for yourself if I was successful! Enjoy...

I started by rummaging through the old jewelry box. I found a bracelet that was a little heavy to begin with and decided it could do without a third row. I plan on re-stringing this at some point in the near future. I bought 3 yards of leather roping from a fabric store. If I were to do another one of these I would probably buy a little bit more.

Once I cut three equal strands, I used a needle and clear elastic thread to stitch the three cords together. I then did a simple tight braid, making sure the leather stayed flat. I left about ten inches and stitched the three cords again to hold them in place. Then I pulled the elastic thread through so that I could string the beads. I cut off two of the end (non braided) cords so that I only had one left. The needle of elastic thread then alternated between a bead and the leather. The leather follows the under, over pattern until the last bead is threaded.

Finally, stitch the remaining leather to the other end of the necklace where the braid started. Now, you should have a circle. Tie the elastic thread off tight. Use the extra leather cord that was cut off from the braid and tie it around where the braid meets the beads. This will reinforce the necklace and hide the elastic thread knots.

And here is the finished piece!

Thanks again to Tracy, for letting me visit Paper Wings!! I hope you all enjoyed my stay.

P.S. And here is the $162.00 version!

Flip Flop Fun~ guest post

I am super psyched to bring you Paper Wings' first guest post! To top it off, I am excited to bring you one of my besties! Meet Erin from A Bird and A Bean. Erin and I have been friends since college, and have traveled this blog journey together. We joke that she is the KY chapter of me, and I am the TN chapter of her. hee hee. Needless to say, she is an awesome mom, super artistic, fun, and an awesome blogger! It really is kind of weird how we are always thinking alike. For instance, today she is going to show you how to create some freak'n cute flip flops. (I know, she sent me a pair, and I {heart} them BIG TIME!) Tomorrow, I will be guest posting over at A Bird and A Bean, and I will be sharing how I embellished my sandals. (That's a plug for my guest post, if you didn't catch it...)
Anyhoo- point being...we didn't plan it...just worked out that we were both thinking "FEET." :)
Ok, so check her out over on her site, and check out my post over there tomorrow!

Hey everyone! I'm Erin from A Bird and A Bean.I ran across this cool idea a while back here at The Mother Huddle. I LOVE flip flops and wear them all summer (and most of spring and fall too... even though my mom constantly reminds me how terrible they are for backs, feet and posture.....I just can't help it. Sorry Mom)

Anyway, we're going on family vacation next week and I decided it would be fun to make a little gift for all the girls (myself, my mom, sister, sister-in-law and of course ....the bird). I made a few extras for some friends, too. I just couldn't stop. They are so easy. Instant gratification. I think they turned out really cute. They're super comfy....like you aren't even wearing shoes. You could even make them with old flip flops and scrap fabric. You don't have to leave your house for this project!

Here's what you need.....

fabric (1/4 of a yard off the bolt...or scraps)

flip flops

scissors

hot glue (optional)

Here's what you do.....

* Cut your fabric into four 4 1/2 X 24 inch strips. (two for each shoe) I actually made mine a little thinner because my fabric was kind of heavy and I couldn't get the knot to hide in the divot on the bottom of the shoe at 4 1/2 wide. So, you can use less fabric. Mine ended up being more like 3 X 20. They still look good, just less bunchy. I also left the edges raw, cuz I rock the funky tattered look....OK - it's because I can't sew. But, if you feel the need, go ahead and sew your little heart out, but just know that they look fine with a raw edge....maybe even better.

* Cut the original straps off of the flip flops.

* Cut your fabric strips into points.

* Thread both strips through the top hole at the same time.

* Make a good double knot on the bottom and push it into the divot under the shoe. You can use hot glue at this point if you desire. I did.

* Turn back over to the top of the shoe and tie a knot about one inch from the hole, this is the part that will go between your toes. Hold both straps together to tie it. Tie a tight second knot right behind the first knot. You can put it through your toes at this point and adjust a bit if you need to.

* Pull the two straps through the side holes and put the flip flop on. Tighten it to the top of your foot. Carefully take it off and tie knots on the bottom of each side. Tighter is probably better since fabric stretches and you don't want them to be too loose after a few wears. This is where it was a little tricky to make them for someone else, since I tightened them to my foot and not the intended wearer....but I'm sure it worked out.

* Hot glue the knots on the bottom and cut the tails.

* Be cute in your rocking new summery flip flops.