Great Book Ideas for Kids Ages 7 to 11 - Boy and Girl Books

As most of you have seen on Instagram (@CopperCorners), our family loves to read. We have an entire room that was originally meant for adults to enjoy Margaritas (see it HERE)…. but it has somehow turned into the family reading room, ha! On the weekends, this room is the coziest space filled with our loud family, but it is actually so quiet because everyone has a nose in a book :)

BUT it wasn’t always like that. Especially with Valley. She wasn’t into reading. Turns out…. she just hadn’t found the books that she loved yet!

So, here are the books that got each of my children hooked on reading!

Let’s start with Boston. You can read Valley’s books HERE.

He got started on these books in the 3rd grade at age 8 and is now in the 4th grade, age 9 :).

The books that really got him hooked were the Bad Guy book series (click HERE- I also linked the Spanish version!! Also, this is a series, so make sure you start with book 1). They are easy to read, funny and semi-quick reads. Boston was always so proud when he finished one of the books. Something about finishing a whole book made him feel accomplished and ready for another one.

The next series he moved onto made him laugh out loud. The Real Pigeons (click HERE-I also linked the Spanish version!! This is a series, so make sure you start with book 1) again an easy read, but with a little more reading involved per page. Just enough words on each page, but also not too many. The pictures still help the little reader have fun and not feel overwhelmed. Valley really loved the Real Pigeons also, but she didn’t love Bad Guys as much as Boston did.

Here is a page from Bad Guys.

Here is a page from Real Pigeons.

The next book Boston moved onto was The Last Kids on Earth (click HERE - this is a series, so make sure you start with book 1). We ran into a book store in Florida and bought the first book on a whim. It was the first ‘bigger’ chapter book that he ever read and he loved it! It had more words per page than Real Pigeons, but still had pictures and felt like a fun read, rather than a daunting read.

The next series that is the actual first chapter book and is called Spy School (click HERE- also a series, start with book 1). He loves these books so much and will sometimes finish a book in 2 days. Now that he has read these chapter books, it has really opened him to so many other book options.

You can read the list of books that got Valley (age 7) started HERE.

I hope your kiddos love these books as much as mine do and become amazing readers!!

If there are any other beginner books that your kiddos loved, comment the names below!!

ENJOY!!!!!!!

xo

M-C

The Best and Easiest Asparagus Soup Recipe - Dairy and Gluten free

Now I must admit, when you think of a phenomenal soup… asparagus soup probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind.

But you just wait, m’dear. As soon as asparagus is in season, get a good 2-4lbs of it because this will be your new favorite soup.

My girlfriend gave me a recipe for asparagus soup years ago. Never did I think that it would become one of my family’s favorite soups. I have tweaked the recipe over the years to fit our diet, and even with all of my tweaks…I swear it is even BETTER. It has such simple ingredients and the extra charmer is the goat cheese on top! Now, if you are a little bit crazy and do not like goat cheese… then parmesan is a good substitute.

This recipe amount feeds my family of 5, and we each eat about 2 bowls.

And without further ado, here it is!!

You will need:

2lbs of fresh asaparagus

1.5 cups of chopped onions

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons of salt (or more)

Black pepper to taste

2.5 cups of veggie (or chicken) broth

2-3 bouillon cubes/tablespoons (veggie or chicken)

2 cups of milk (cows, almond, oat, whatev)

*Optional 1 cup of sour cream, plain yogurt or cottage cheese (creamier and extra protein)

2 teaspoons of lemon juice (if you don’t have it, skip it)

Goat cheese (sub for parm cheese) -as much as your heart desires.

Step 1

Chop asparagus and onion. Place in soup pot with 1 cup of veggie broth and bouillon cubes. Bring broth to a boil and simmer veggies until tender.

Step 2

Scoop out a few of the asparagus tips (for garnish) and set aside in a bowl. Pour the remaining pot of veggies and broth into a blender with 1 cup of milk. Blend until totally smooth. If blender is not big enough, do it in 2 batches.

Step 3

Add remaining 1.5 cups of veggie broth to the pot along with the butter. Add the blended mix and 1 cup of milk into the pot. Add lemon juice, if you have it. Stir until heated through. Serve in bowls and garnish with the asparagus tips and goat cheese.

Optional

-In step 3, add a cup of sour cream, yogurt or cottage cheese for extra protein and smooth creaminess.

-I like to also add a small can of mushrooms in step 3 :).

THANK ME LATER!!!!!!

xo

M-C

Wainscoting and Wallpaper in a Living Room.

Welcome to Emily’s (my lovely assistant) living room!! 

She and her husband moved into their home, replaced the floors, had a baby and never really did anything else with this living room. 

This is where I shine, guys, in a great room that is just waiting for some oomph!!

Emily wanted a space where she could relax, feel like an adult (no baby toys) and also entertain guests.

She has an existing family room with a sofa, baby toys, tv etc, so this room was a space we could turn into something really special and unique.

We decided to do a quick and inexpensive (even though it looks rich!) wainscoting on three walls and wallpaper on the fourth wall. We wanted to give her room some height and knew this would be the perfect way!

We headed to Lowe’s and bought:

(6) 3/4 inch 8’ strips of wood for above the existing floor trim. This makes the floor trim feel a little ‘beefier’ $29

(20) 1 1/8, 8’ strips of wood for the vertical strips on the walls $104

(1) Caulk (paintable) + (1) caulk gun $13

(1) wood filler $9

(1) gallon of Sherwin Williams Showcase Eggshell in “Nice White” $40

(1) pack of 600 grit sandpaper $8

Total spent on all 3 walls was $203

We took Emily’s wallpaper sample (Emily picked the Ivory Coast wallpaper -find it HERE) with us to Lowes to match it to a paint color. ‘Nice White’ by Sherwin Williams was great match!

We took Emily’s wallpaper sample (Emily picked the Ivory Coast wallpaper -find it HERE) with us to Lowes to match it to a paint color. ‘Nice White’ by Sherwin Williams was great match!

Once at home, we started sanding each piece of wood with the 600 grit sandpaper. This gives the wood a silky smooth finish.

I added one of the 1 1/8 strips of wood at each open corner (the entry into the room). This creates a seamless end of any horizontal trim. Next I started adding the 3/4 strips of wood horizontally around the room, 2 inches above the floor trim. I attached each piece to the wall with my nail gun (find it HERE, on a previous post with all of my power tools linked). Also, make sure you have a level handy to ensure that each piece is straight :).

Once all of those were in place, I started adding the vertical strips above, every 18 inches. I also attached these with my nail gun and used the level as well. Since these strips were only 8’ long, we had to cut and add a few additional inches at the top, for the vaulted wall. Emily and I worked together on this and the entire room took about 6 hours total.

Next up was caulking the sides of the trim pieces, and filling the nail holes. Some people skip this step, but let me tell ya… if you like your things nice and pristine, do not skip this step. This creates a seamless seal and finish on your wainscoting. To wipe off any excess caulk, we use a mix of Dawn soap + water and a rag. Once the wood filler dries (in the nail holes) Emily sanded off any excess with the 600 grit sand paper.

Now it was ready for paint!! Using a nice paint is worth every penny. You can tell the difference in the thickness of the paint and how well it covers. One time I bought a paint that was not my first choice. I ended up needing 4 coats of paint in my space. That was a pain in the butt, but I learned my lesson!! Pay the extra $20 for the nice stuff. 

Emily’s living room took 2 coats of paint (only 1 gallon). She had some paint rollers on hand, so we did not need to buy those. 

Even though we were going to cover one of the walls with wallpaper, we still painted it. Having a base color that matches your wallpaper is always a plus! If for any reason your seams do not meet up or you trim a piece a little too short, that matching base paint will camouflage any mistakes :). Emily painted with her father-in-law and this it took them a full day to complete.

Next up, wallpaper!! This part is the icing on the cake. It made the entire room come to life!!

Since prepasted wallpaper strips are sold according to ceiling height, we were able to order exactly what we needed, without any waste. On Emily’s vaulted ceiling, we used (1) 10’, (3) 9’ and (2) 8’ (Shop all of the wallpapers HERE).

We started at the highest point (with the 10’ wallpaper) and worked our way down. When working with a vaulted wall, you want to have any excess/trimmable wallpaper at the top, rather than at the bottom. 

Wallpapering this wall took about 2 hours total.

Once our walls were done, we moved in the new furniture!!!!!!!!! Already in this room were the shelves in the corner and Emily’s family’s piano :)

Here is everything that we got for her new STUNNING living room:

(4) World Market chairs $1854. Emily snagged these when they were on sale. Also, I always recommend slipcovered (washable) furniture when you have children. Linked HERE.

(1) coffee table $30. I found this table at my favorite consignment shop.

(6) strips of Ivory Coast wallpaper $349. Linked HERE

(1) Guiseley 8x10 wool rug $334 with the code CC60. Linked HERE.

Total spent on decor + furniture was $2567

We are still on the hunt for the perfect mirror (for the wall directly across from window) and the perfect lamp :).

Even though we worked on this room over the course of a month (I was busy at Copper Corners and Emily had National Guard duty + a vacay) the amount of actual time that we spent working in this room was 3 days. 

For 3 days and a total of $2770, we completely transformed this space. No demo was involved (or needed) and we used basic power tools.

So, what do you think?? Is this something you could do?? Comment below!!

I hope you loved seeing this and that it sparks some fun ideas for your space!!

Cheers!!

xo

Mary-Catheryn