The Missed Blog Posts

Hey everyone! I'm sure some of you noticed that I missed the past two Mondays, and I just wanted to explain why there were no blog posts or book reviews. My mother ended up in intensive care and passed away unexpectedly early Friday December 16th. Losing a loved one is never easy no matter what time of the year it occurs, but losing a loved one right before Christmas leaves one with extra stress.

Thankfully my family's faith has sustained us all. I know in my heart that my mom is with her Lord and Savior. I know in my heart that I will join her in heaven one day. I know in my heart that she would have wanted us to celebrate Christ's birth and our chance to be together with joy, so that is what we did. We opened our gifts. We ate lots of cookies I baked. And we even invited some friends over who had also lost their last remaining parent/grandparent this year.
 

  

And, I managed to read one book as I worked on finding my new normal. That book was It Came In The Mail by Ben Clanton, and it was highly amusing. After all, who doesn't love to get something in the mail? I know my daughter and I certainly do and so does the main character Liam. Unfortunately, Liam never receives any mail. So one day he decides to take matters into his own hands and he writes a letter to his mailbox requesting mail. The items that start arriving are unusual and fun but soon Liam has more then he can handle. Be sure to read this book for yourself to fine out just how Liam handles a mail overload.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

The Twelve Days of Baking Contest Entry!

The Twelve Days of Baking

Aileen Stewart

On the first day of baking my helper gave to me__ sugar.

On the second day of baking my helper gave to me __ unbleached flour and sugar.

On the third day of baking my helper gave to me__ baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the fourth day of baking my helper gave to me__ baking powder and soda, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the fifth day of baking my helper gave to me__ salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the sixth day of baking my helper gave to me__ brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the seventh day of baking my helper gave to me__ olive oil, brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the eighth day of baking my helper gave to me__ vanilla extract, olive oil, brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On ninth day of baking my helper gave to me__ fresh milk, vanilla extract, olive oil, brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the tenth day of baking my helper gave to me__ very hot water, fresh milk, vanilla extract, olive oil, brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the eleventh day of baking my helper gave to me__ a bowl of chocolate frosting, very hot water, fresh milk, vanilla extract, olive oil, brown eggs, salt, baking soda and powder, baking cocoa, unbleached flour, and sugar.

On the twelfth day of baking my helper gave to me__ one empty plate ‘cause she ate all my chocolate Christmas cake!

Christmas Recycling

Every Christmas Emily and I practice some Christmas recycling by turning our old Christmas cards into gift tags. It is one of her favorite crafts, it saves money, and it adds a bit of whimsy to each gift we give which is a win, win in my book.
 

All it takes for you to make some beautiful recycled gift tags of your own is:

• thin cardboard (from shirt packages, cereal boxes, etc....)
• paste or sticky glue dots
• old cards
• scissors
• twine
• single hole punch
• snowflake or star craft punch and gems (optional)

We buy our gems on clearance or with store coupons, so they are fairly inexpensive. We also use paint chip samples, paper scraps, and leftover bits of cards to make our snowflakes. We then use our imaginations and cut, paste, and rearrange until our hearts are content.

Another thing we recycle is boxes. We reuse them to mail out my Christmas packages. We cover them in wrapping paper (especially those with removable lids) and use them for Christmas gift boxes. W use them for cat boxes. And, anything else we can think of. As a child, my mother would let my brother and I drag refrigerator boxes home to make forts in the back yard.

So, I thought it was quite appropriate to read and enjoy What To Do With A Box by Jane Yolan. The illustrations by Chris Sheban are adorable and quite boxy. The story is simple but enjoyable. And the combination of text and pictures will carry you back to your childhood or will remind you of your own children having fun. And if truth be told, we can all probably agree that kids don't really need expensive gifts when they have a box and an imagination!

Jane and I at the Hudson children's Book Festival 2015

 Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by and join the Literacy Musing Monday Link Up where you will find other great blogs, or my personal website Fun With Aileen where you will find more on reading, writing, and my very own chapter and picture books. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.