The Unexpected Can Cure Cabin Fever

As many of you know, I live in a part of the country that has been experiencing an unusually cold and snow filled winter. So it is no surprise that extended periods of not being able to leave our home created feelings of cabin fever. Blessedly, this past weekend we had one beautiful, sunny, day where the temperature reached fifty degrees.

Since my husband had a small matter of business to take care of in a town about an hour and a half away, we decided to make a day of it. We started with a wonderful breakfast of French toast that my daughter claimed was fluffy just like she likes it. Then, I packed a picnic lunch for us to take along which included my delicious chicken salad sandwiches.

Our plan was to do some Geocaching after my husband had concluded his business. For those of you who might not be familiar with  Geocaching, it is basically a very large outdoor scavenger hunt. The caches, which very in size from micros to large containers which hold swag for trading, are found by using latitude and longitude coordinates. To learn m ore about geocaching you can visit the official Geocaching site.

Soon we set off on our adventure, and little did we know, what unexpected treasures we would find. The first unexpected treasure we found was a small country church with beautiful stained glass windows. And across the road, a herd of gorgeous Scottish Highlanders.

After we reached our destination and my husband concluded his business, we headed out to find our first cache. It was in a small cemetery. We admired the worn stones as we searched, and we thought about the lives of those who rested beneath our feet. Once we had found our cache, we had an in-the-car picnic. We found four caches altogether, we saw deer, soaring hawks, a deceased coyote, and learned a little bit about Ohio History. It was a splendid day full of unexpected moments that definitely helped cure our cabin fever.

Although the next day was once again overcast and left a dusting of snow on our yard and driveway, two more unexpected treasures presented themselves to me in the form of the books I read for this weeks review.

The first book I read was Three Pebbles And A Song by Eileen Spinelli. This book is a beautifully written story of a mouse family getting ready for winter's approach. Mama mouse, Papa mouse, and Moses's sister, Missy, all tell him he should be gathering warm things and food. But as Moses sings, dances, and juggles the day away, snow arrives before he can collect anything but three small pebbles. When Moses arrives at his home, Mama has gathered crumbs, Papa has gathered rags for their beds, and Missy has gathered raisons. The only one who hasn't brought anything of value home is Moses. Or has he?

 

The second book I read was Big Week  For Little Mouse by Eugenie Fernandes. The illustrations by Kim Fernandes alone would make this book worth reading. They are three dimensional clay works of art! The story itself was delightful to, however, as we followed the busy week Mouse has as she get's ready for her birthday party. It was unintentional that both of this weeks books were about mice, but if you love mice, then these books are definitely worth checking out.

 

 

 

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.



A Soup And Book Kind Of Day!

At our house, I frequently make soup. I make soup all year round, although this winter I have probably made a little extra soup to see us through all the cold days. My daughter's favorite soup is cheesy potato soup with ham, and I can hardly blame her. After all who can resist the delightful combination of cheese, ham, and potatoes simmering together in a milky broth?

So of course when I made a recent trip to the library for some new books to review, The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup by Terry Farish immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as I enjoy soup. It's not that it was a bad story mind you, it's just that it didn't touch me like many other books have. To begin with, it is written with some very Southern vernacular and it seemed a semi-depressing story to me. The lonely old man and his cat seem happy enough together until a misunderstanding causes them to be separated temporarily. In the end, they do reunite and have some soup, but I still felt uninspired.

But the beautiful thing about books and soup, is the fact that there are so many to choose from and no two persons tastes are the same. So although this book did not turn out to be one of my favorites, I encourage you to check it out for yourselves. Perhaps it will be just right for you! And perhaps you will make some soup to eat after you are done reading!

Potato Soup

 

8 cups milk

8 large potatoes peeled and cubed

1 jar cheese dip

1 TBS onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

2 cups cooked, cubed ham

box of instant potaoes

Boil potatoes and set aside.  In large soup pot pour milk and cook on medium heat. Add seasonings and cheese. Stir continually until cheese is completely melted. Once cheese is melted add 1/2 box of instant potatoes and stir thoroughly. Finish by adding ham and potato cubes. Simmer until broth begins to thicken slightly. If broth becomes too thick just add extra milk.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


Birthdays and Black History

Because of all the snow and cold we've had of late, we had to cancel Emily's birthday party and reschedule it for a later date. After much waiting, we were finally able to celebrate this past weekend. Normally I make some kind of a fancy cake or cupcakes for the occasion, but this year I opted for the easy route and bought cupcakes.

I was a good mother, however, and did have crafts and party games prepared for her Lisa Frank theme. The kids all decorated treat bags, played Lisa Frank Bingo which I made at Eslactivities, guessed how many candy kisses were in a mason jar, tried to remember what twelve items were in a box they viewed for six seconds, and played hot potato.

The party was great! The birthday celebration successfully accomplished, I was free to celebrate black history month with two very interesting books. Although both books were fictitious, they were based on historical events that actually occurred in many places.

The first book I read was Ruth And The Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey. It is the story of a young girl named Ruth who is traveling with her parents from Chicago to Rural Alabama in the 1950's to visit her grandmother. Many times they stop for gas, food, or an overnight stay and are turned away because they are negroes. Finally they stop at a gas station where the kindly attendant sells them a Green Book. The Green Book shows them friendly gas stations, hotels, and restaurants that serve traveling persons of color.

I can only imagine the frustration, anger, and feelings of helplessness those families of the fifties felt, and although my family is white, I want Emily to know of the struggles and unfairness suffered by others. It is my hope, that by sharing with her stories such as Ruth And The Green Book, she will learn to treat people with respect no matter what color they might be.

The second book I read was Light In The Darkness by Lisa Cline-Ransome. It is the story of how slaves learned to read in secret. This tale is of a girl named Rosa and her mother who must sneak out at night and walk far into the forest. Their destination__ deep pits hidden by sticks and twigs where a learned slave would pass on his knowledge of letters and words. The danger of being caught by patrols or being beaten if the master found out they knew their letters did not deter Rosa from seeking out the light that knowledge would surely bring.

Both of these books are excellent representations of  darker parts of our American history. Both of these books are excellent choices for celebrating Black History Month. And both of these books are good reminders of  the indomitable spirit of persecuted persons who fought against the odds.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


It's Still Cold...

I'm sure you are all aware that it is still EXTREMELY cold out there. So cold, in fact, that last week some unusual visitors showed up at our bird feeder to scavenge for seeds.

There weren't many seeds on the ground, so that afternoon I took a small bowl out and set it underneath the feeder just in case our friends came back. Only one duck came back the next day, but I enjoyed watching him fill his little belly. Unfortunately for him, a tiny squirrel that had helped himself to seeds earlier that morning was in a  less generous mood.

I watched the tiny squirrel hop across the yard, creep up our small tree so he could have a better view, and crawl back down again. What he did next totally took me by surprise though. That little squirrel charged that duck and leapt on him like some kind of a ferocious beast. Needless to say the duck was a bit surprised. Okay, he was a lot surprised. Until then, I had not realized how high a duck could jump straight up into the air. It was one of those moments where you really wish you had camcorder instantly in your hand.

Since school continued to be canceled, Emily and I filled our time with other things like baking rolls and playing boggle. And it goes with our saying that books were read!

In honor of the continued cold and snow, we read a delightful book called The Night The Moon Blew Kisses. Although no longer in print, this book is worth hunting down a used copy or seeing if your library owns it. Short, sweet, and beautifully written, it is the story of a grandmother and her grand-daughter taking a moonlit stroll. The grand-daughter blows the moon kisses and in return, the moon blows some back. The art work reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh's A Starry Night, dark but lovely.

We also read Birthday Pony.  Grandma Aggie bought Jane a Pony for her birthday. Unfortunately, the pony, named Popcorn, has been spoiled for far too long, and Jane can't get him to obey commands. Can lessons in good manners and riding skills help both to learn to enjoy the ride? Emily and I both enjoyed this simple story and think it would be great for kids in first through third.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. And feel free to drop by my personal website, Fun With Aileen, any day of the week for even more on reading, writing, my very own early grade chapter book, Fern Valley, and my soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.