A Day Late And A Gallon Short...

For those of you who noticed that my regular Monday post wasn't written until today, I apologize. It's been a crazy weekend. With Bobby away in Japan, I thought it was the perfect time to makeover our bedroom suite. Knowing that Bobby has a sensitivity to odors, I thought painting and varnishing while he was gone would be perfect. But since I had to wait for  my bedding to arrive before I bought paint, it was a mad dash to finish up in time, especially since he called to say he was coming home a half a week early.

In addition to the busyness, when I took Emily and a classmate to their bi-monthly home school classes at Mansfield Christian this past Friday, Emily left a light on in the back of the car. When I came out of school recess and lunch duty, my battery was dead. On a bright note, the service call to jump my battery was covered by my Hyundai warranty's roadside assistance.

But the piece de resistance this weekend was when I ran to the store to buy one more gallon of paint. The paint knocked over when I turned the corner and the lid popped off. You wouldn't even believe the number of gallons of water it takes in a three hour period to suck paint out of the carpet in the back of a car. Hopefully, you will never have to find out personally!

So, it's understandable that I didn't have time to review books as I normally would. However, Emily has been reading some Box Car Children mysteries. She received a set for Christmas that had the first four books, and she is enjoying them tremendously. Which just goes to show that, well written books never go out of style no matter how long has passed since they were first published.

She just finished The Yellow House Mystery this morning and as she read the last page she told me that she loved it and that it was her favorite so far. She then proceeded to tell me about the man who was told his wife had died in a fire trying to save their employer's horses. He was so grief stricken that he had gone on to live in the forest as a hermit. Unbeknownst to him, his wife was alive. For years she continued to serve the children's family faithfully but with an aura of sadness, always wondering where her husband had gone. I think what Emily loved best, was the happy reunion of the two. After all, who doesn't love a happy ending.

 

 

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, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Time to Come Home

This past week while Bobby was in Japan, Emily and I  kept busy to keep our mind off of it. We made a snow woman. We went to cookbook club. And I canned some apple pie filling from the apples a friend gave me. I even sanded the top of an old cedar chest my mother-in-law gave me in preparation of giving it a new coat of urethane. All in all, a good week.

 

 

And half way across the world, Bobby was working, eating out with co-workers, and took a tour of Tokyo.

 

With all of this busyness, I still had time to read a book for review. The book I chose was How High Is The Sky by Anna Milbourne. It is the story of a curious little penguin who is always asking questions. HIs biggest question is how high is the sky. As he attempts to find out, he gets farther and farther away from home and his Mama. He decides to go back home and he also decides that the sky just doesn't end. This made me think of how far away Bobby is and how I can't wait until it is time for him to come home!

There is supposed to be a poster at the end of the book that shows his journey, but my library copy had been removed. This book was really enjoyable and I would recommend it for children five to eight.

 

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, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Damaged Luggage and A Winter Wonderland

The saga of Bobby's trip to Japan continues. I heard from him for a few minutes when he called to let me know he had arrived safely. After he had time to sleep, he called me again before he left for work (Our morning is their night and so forth). Unfortunately, when he arrived at Tokyo, he found that the suitcase he had borrowed for the trip had been damaged.

I can only imagine how frustrating it must have been to try and drag luggage about with an entire ripped side all while trying to keep belongings from spilling out. Hopefully he won't let this minor set back sap the joy out of this experience.

Meanwhile, here in Ohio we have that lovely deep blanket of winter snow that was missing during Christmas. With that in mind, along with Bobby's trip, I chose two books. One about snow, and one representing Asian twins and the beautiful way they share everything

The first book is actually called Snow and is by the wonderful Cynthia Rylant. Snow is an absolutely and astoundingly beautifully written and illustrated book. She describes snow in amazing ways like the snow that falls at night and the snow that causes school children to be sent home. The snow that helps make memories. I seriously recommend this book for children and adults alike.

 

The second book I read was Ling and Ting Share A Birthday by author/illustrator Grace Lin. Ling and Ting are identical twins and it's their birthday. They share birthday shoes, they share birthday cake, they share a birthday wish, they even share their birthday gifts. But when they share most is an appreciation of each other. this book is perfect for children between the ages of five and eight and shares a very positive message.

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, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Remembering 2014 And Embracing 2015

It's hard to believe that 2014 is a thought of the past and this is my first post of the new year. I also can't believe that in a week's time, my husband will be heading to Japan for a three week business trip. I am both excited for him and anxious since we have never been apart more than three days since we were married eleven years ago. And if truth be told, I might even be a little bit envious since I am the lover of travel and he is the homebody.

But as I look forward to each new adventure that we will face in this 2015, I also wish to fondly look back one last time and list my top five reads of 2014 in no particular order.

Ruth And The Green Book

 

 

Ruth And The Green Book, by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, 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.

Although fictional, this story is based on the actual Green Books created for African American travelers by a New York postal worker by the name of Wendell P. Alston.

Henry and the Incredibly incorrigible, Inconveniently Intelligent Smart Human

 

 

 

Once I started this book, I could hardly put it down. The story takes us to a world where robots are the predominate life force and humans are created to do the menial tasks robots do not want to perform. Robots have to be careful though, because sometimes the drooling zombie like humans go beserko. This is Henry's greatest fear until he gets to know his human and finds, much to his surprise, that he is quite intelligent.

The adventure that they embark on when they run away together is fraught full of the kind of danger that keeps you on the edge of your seat while reading, and the secrets they discover will amaze even the most skeptical of readers. Miss Messina has created a wonderful piece of fiction that is sure to keep both boys and girls between the ages of nine and thirteen intrigued from beginning to end.

 

Apples to Oregon: Being The (Slightly) True Narrative Of How A Brave Pioneer Father Brought Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Grapes, And Cherries (And Children) Across The Plains

 

 

Apples to Oregon is a terribly funny story of the pioneers traveling there and the cargo they brought. Even the title is funny claiming to be slightly true. So if you want a bit of history told in a fun manner, you really need to check out this realistic fictional piece!

 

 

The Paint Box

 

 

 

The Paint Box is a beautifully told story of a young Venetian girl in the late 1500's who had to dress like a boy in order to accompany her artist father around Venice to galleries and workshops. Although this story is fictional, the main character, Marietta, really existed and was a fine painter.

 

A Place Where Sunflowers Grow

 

 

 

This is a beautiful book by Amy Lee-Tai. It is the story of a Japanese family of artists who were taken from their happy California home and were forced to spend three years in an Internment camp in the Utah desert.

Based on actual events that Miss Lee-Tai's Grandmother experienced, this story is a beautiful testament of human courage and hope. The illustrations by Felicia Hoshino add dimension to this tale, but most interesting of all is the fact that it is written in both English and Japanese.

If you want children to have a real interest in history, a real interest in the plight of others, a real interest in what it would be like to be unfairly taken from everything you've ever known, then this book is a must add to your reading list.

 

It seems that my favorite reads of 2014 were mostly realistic fiction, but who knows what 2015 will hold as we take the journey.

 

 

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, the sequel, Return To Fern Valley, and the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015)! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.