My Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2018

I read so many great books this year, and it took me a while to narrow down the list; but here are my Top Ten Favorite Reads of 2018.

10. The Best Mother


9.  Cat On The Bus



8.  A Different Pond



7.  Ocean Meets Sky



6.  Read the Book Lemmings




5.  My Pillow Keeps Moving



4.  Henry and the Yeti



3.  Nibbles the Book Monster



2.  Night Job



1.  Hello Light House




And since it was so difficult to choose, I have to share an Honorable Mention:

Samson the Piranha Who Went To Dinner



With The New Year just around the corner, I'm looking forward to all the fantastic, funny, creative, beautifully illustrated books 2019 has to offer.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Books and Bakes

This past week I attended a library board meeting, helped Emily with her school work, attended Cook-book Club, and finished round one of my Cookiepalooza. As two of those things involve food, I think it would be safe to call myself a foodie as well as a literary person.

For Cook-book Club Emily prepared Oreo Truffles. Since she didn't decide what she was making until late the night before, she had to use vanilla flavored melting discs instead of chocolate because I just wasn't going to the store at that hour, and I had some leftover red discs.

I made Bacon Ranch Chicken Penne which turned out beautifully. I even made my own Alfredo sauce. If you want to try it for yourself, this is what you'll need.

Bacon Chicken Ranch Penne  🥓🐔🥘

6 slices of bacon
2 cups cooked chicken
Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 pound penne
2 cups fresh mozzarella grated

Alfredo Sauce

2 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2- 8 ounce containers whipped cream cheese
1 TBS minced garlic
2 cups grated Parmesan
Fresh cracked black pepper

In a large stock pot prepare sauce by adding broth, cream, garlic, and cream cheese and cook over medium heat whisking until smooth. When smooth, reduce heat to low/medium and add Parmesan. Whisk and allow to cook about five minutes. Remove from heat and add pepper to taste. Set sauce aside.

Next, cook bacon and set aside. In a large bowl, add penne, chicken which has been shredded, 4 cups of sauce, and ranch dressing. Let mixture set at least 15 to 20 minutes. The noodles will have absorbed most of the sauce, so before you put the mixture in a 9 x 13 pan, add an additional 2 cups of sauce. Reserve the rest of the sauce which can be used when reheating leftover casserole. Top dish crumbled bacon and mozzarella and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.

I can't believe after all that effort I forgot to take a picture of my casserole, but there you have it. I did however, take several of the finished cookie tray that will be accompanying my husband, Bobby, to work.

But lest you think all I did attend meetings, home-school, and bake, never fear. I managed to read two picture books this week as well. There was Dear Girl which is an encouragement of love from a mother to her daughter letting her know it's acceptable to be herself whether that means being pink and sparkly or splattered with mud. It was also an encouragement for girls to appreciate who they are and what makes them unique something I try to teach my daughter.

And there was Douglas You're a Genius. Douglas  the Dog and his faithful companion Nancy loose a ball through a hole in the fence. When the ball rolls back to their side, they wonder just who sent it back. To find out, they try all kinds of crazy ideas thought of by Nancy, Unfortunately, none of Nancy's ideas work. Finally Douglas convinces Nancy to give his idea a try and they ultimately find out who's on the other side. Full of fun and surprises, this book is sure to please almost as much as that casserole I made!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

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Creating

I have always loved to create both crafty and food items. So this week, it will come as no surprise that I was in a creative mood. I finished up a basket I've been working on for a gift exchange. I then filled it with kitchen items which I hope my Cook Book Club recipient will enjoy.

I've also continued with my cookie baking project. My goal is to bake one or two types of cookies every few days. I freeze them as I go and when Christmas is close, I'll take them all out and decorate those that need decorated. But sometimes as happens when a person is creating, an epic fail occurs. My epic fail was in the form of Coconut Macaroons. I attempted to make them and followed the directions religiously, but alas what I ended up with was a clumpy coconut pancake instead of a crispy cookie.

How Macaroons Should Look

How My Macaroons Looked

Oh well. There are so many other cookies I'm great at creating, so the "Cookiepalooza" will continue.

This weeks my book choices were also about creating. My first read, How to Knit a Monster, from 2014, led me on a merry adventure with Ms. Gretta Goat who loved to knit.

After Mean Mrs. Sheep criticizes Gretta's knitting skills her knitting begins to take on a life of it's own in the form of a wolf that eats Mrs. Sheep, a tiger that eats the wolf, and finally a monster that eats the tiger. But Gretta is a smart goat and knits her way right out of the predicament her knitting created. But be sure to pay careful attention to the last illustration which indicates he predicament might not be over.

The second book, How To Build A Hug, filled me with wonder as it was one of my favorite types of picture book, a biographical picture book. And this book was about Dr. Temple Grandin.

As a child growing up with autism in an era where little was known about the subject, Temple Grandin did her best to cope. With the support and encouragement of her family, Temple drew, painted, created, and read about inventors and their inventions. And all of that creating helped her to invent a contraption that helped her feel what a hug was like when the real thing overwhelmed her senses. This book would make a great classroom read helping classmates to understand what autistic peers might be going through.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Participation

I love a good writing contest and Susanna Leonard Hill hosts some of the best. And being that it is now December, her 8th Annual Holiday Contest is up and running. So if  you enjoy a good Christmas story, especially a brief one, check out my story titled Violet's Christmas Cookies.

The rules are simple:

Write a children’s holiday story (children here defined as age 12 and under) about A Holiday Hero! Your hero’s act of heroism can be on a grand scale or a small one – from saving Christmas to leaving a fresh-baked loaf of Challah bread for a homeless person to something like Gift Of The Magi where two people give up the thing most important to them to be sure someone they love has a good holiday.  Your hero can be obvious or unlikely.  Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is not to exceed 250 words  (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful  , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 250!  Title not included in word count.) The field is wide open!  Have fun!  The more creative the better!  No illustration notes please. 

So without further ado, my entry.

Violet’s Christmas Cookies

Aileen Stewart

Word Count 239

Every year, Fred baked Christmas cookies for his eighty year old neighbor, Violet. And every year, he handled cookie cutters like a pro. He iced and sprinkled like a ninja. And he only nibbled a little.

So when Thanksgiving ended, Fred said, “Hey mom, I’m ready to bake.”

“Great. Go ahead,” she replied.

Like a good chef, Fred gathered the ingredients, measuring tools, and decorating supplies. Next he found his favorite recipes. And finally, he decided which type of cookie he’d make first.

“Chocolate Sugar Cookies,” he announced to his cat, Tom, who lay sprawled out in front of the refrigerator.

Next he turned on the oven to pre-heat. After a few minutes, he realized the oven wasn’t warm. “Mom,” he shouted.

Fred’s mother came running. “What’s the matter?”

Fred’s voice wobbled. “The oven is broken. Call the repair man.”

“No problem,” she said.

Unfortunately, the repairman was booked solid.

“Then we’ll have to buy a new oven,” Fred said.

Fred’s mom frowned. “I’m sorry honey; we can’t afford a new oven.”

Fred frowned too and wondered what to do. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without cookies for Violet. His mother watched as he paced the floor.

On his fifth trip across the kitchen, an idea popped into his head. “I have some no bake cookie recipes,” he told his mom. “And all I’ll need is a microwave.”

“That’s my boy,” she told him before high fiving his raised hand!

Cookies and Books By Friends

This past week was full of every day moments. I attended my monthly Library Board of Trustee meeting, I helped Emily with her home school lessons, I switched the children's library display case from Fall to Christmas, and I worked on Christmas cookies.

I made batch two of the Railroad Cookies that my one niece loves so well. You might also know them as Date Nut Pin-Wheels. I found this recipe in my Martha Adam's Heirloom Recipes cook book, and she presumes the name railroad cookies came from their resemblance to railroad tracks winding around hills and valleys. Whatever the name, these crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, butterscotch flavored cookies are delicious. They aren't overly complicated, so if you want to try your hand at making some, check out the recipe below.

Cookie Dough:                                                  Date-Nut Filling

1 cup vegetable shortening                                 2 cups finely chopped dates       
2 cups sugar                                                        1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar                                  1/2 cup water
3 large eggs                                                         1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vanilla                                                         1/2 cup ground pecans   
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cream tartar
1/2 tsp salt

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and thoroughly mix. Divide dough into two proportions, roll dough and flatten into a thick pancake shaped patties. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour. 

In a medium saucepan, combine dates, sugar, and water. Cook over medium heat until the mixture sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture thickens. If you have a stick mixer, blend the mixture to make it easier to spread. Add vanilla and nuts and mix thoroughly.

Roll one of the dough patties out into a rectangle the size of a silicone mat (I usually roll mine on a mat to gauge size and for easier rolling). Spread 1/2 of the filling on the rectangle and gently roll jelly roll style. Slice dough in 1/4 inch pieces and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack. Repeat.

This week I also grabbed a new batch of books from the library to read and review and was thrilled to find books by two of my literary friends. The first book, Duck, Duck, Porcupine, by the talented Salina Yoon, was a simply written and colorfully illustrated book containing three short stories about Big Duck, Little Duck, and Porcupine. Whether picnicking, celebrating a birthday, or camping, the three friends find adventure that your beginning readers will love to share with them.

The other book I found was the marvelous Loren Long's There's a Hole in the Log on the Bottom of the Lake. I met Loren in person this past spring at The Southern Kentucky Book Festival and besides possessing uber amounts of talent, he is just as nice as nice can be. There's a Hole in the Log is Loren's take on that old familiar song There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea, but the surprise ending, which I wasn't expecting, in addition to commentary by a small turtle and snail really sets it apart. 

Debbie Dadey, Loren Long, and Me!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

The Art of Being Thankful

As you all well know, this past week/weekend was a time of celebration for many. Bobby, Emily, and I celebrated Thanksgiving on different days with both my husband's family and my family. We gobbled delicious treats and way too many carbs, caught up with people we hadn't seen in a while, and enjoyed the sound of children laughing and playing.

And as much as we enjoyed our celebrations, I am reminded that being thankful should be practiced daily. Just like painting, writing, or baking fabulous pastries or cakes; just like public speaking, lace making, or wood carving; just like jam making, singing, or gymnastics, being thankful is an art form. Being thankful doesn't come automatically. Being thankful isn't something people necessarily notice in others, but it is something that we need more of.

Too often we get busy with our day to day jobs, chores, and responsibilities, and we forget to appreciate all the little things. So this year, I made a list of things ten things I am thankful for year round.

1. Family (especially my husband and daughter)

2. My home (that has both heat and air)

3. Plenty to eat (too much actually)

4. Good neighbors (especially the ones who don't complain when our leaves blow into their yard)

5. Well maintained and running vehicles (that have both heat and air)

6. Friends (who rejoice with me when things are going well and pray for me when things aren't)

7. The ability to pursue my passions (like writing, cooking, photography, and volunteering)

8. My three cats (except the other day when I stepped on a hairball that blended in with the rug)

9. The man who invented toilet paper (seriously, I would not be a happy camper if we still had to use the Sears And Roebuck, corncobs, or leaves)

10. And the Good Lord above who made the other nine possible for me when he brought me into existence

I am also thankful for my home town library where every couple of weeks I find a stack of books to bring home and review. This week I particularly enjoyed a book called Night Job by Karen Hesse. A beautiful and simple story that reminds us to think about and appreciate people who work while we sleep to make our world a cleaner and better place. It is the story of a night-time school janitor told from the pov of his son and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend that you do!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

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Cold Enough For A Yeti

This past week in Ohio it snowed. It pored freezing rain. And it got really cold. This of course meant lovely fires in the fireplace all weekend.

I also started baking Christmas cookies at least the ones that freeze well. I managed to bake sugar cookies in the shape of trees and chocolate sugar cookies in the shape of snow flakes both of which I will decorate later.

All this cold made Henry And The Yeti a perfect book to snag from my reading pile. Henry believe in Yetis. Henry wants to find a Yeti. So, Henry sets out on a journey to meet a Yeti. Henry has an incredible adventure but the proof of meeting a friendly Yeti was accidentally left behind. Will Henry be mocked for the rest of his life, or will he be able to prove Yetis really exist?

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

When God Made Light



This past week we felt the repercussions of Daylight Savings Time. It now gets dark at five in the afternoon. I won't bore you with the details of our bodies adjusting to the hours being off or the early darkness. Let's just suffice it to say that we are making the best of winter darkness.

We also received the first snow of the season which required us to enjoy the bounty of wood my husband split a few weeks ago.

So although the weather outside was frightful, inside we were toasty and comfortable which makes a perfect setting for reading. And this week my library stack gave forth a book called When God Made Light. A book told in rhyme that shares creation story of light and dark in a fun and creative way. In addition to enjoying the story and the beautiful artwork, I was thrilled to see that the illustrator was a fellow Ohioan. Oh how the little things in life bring me joy.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Into The 21st Century...

The most amazing thing happened at the Stewart house this past week. Bobby, Emily, and I finally all entered the 21st Century. I traded in my teeny tiny, eight year old phone for a new one that I can actually see, and Bobby and Emily each got their very first cell phone ever. The feeling of an early arriving Christmas permeated our home for several days as we navigated the world of new tech, selfies, and texting.

New Phone Selfie

The fun thing to note about texting is that if the relatives you text don't already have your phone number in their contacts, they have no idea who is talking to them.This happened to both Bobby and me. Bobby's brother said, "Who is this?" in response to Bobby's texting him his phone number and my sister-in-law didn't even respond to my text because she thought it was a text from her family about her cousin Bobby.

I'm sure all you long time cell phone aficionados can imagine the fun we've been having and the new things we've learned in just a few short days. Which reminds me of what Farmer Brown learned in the book Click, Clack, Quack to School, my library read for the week. Farmer Brown is invited to school and is instructed to bring the animals who all become very excited until Farmer Brown weighs them down with all kinds of rules about behaving and being quiet. I don't want to give the ending away, but let's suffice to say that Farmer Brown might have been a bit mistaken and over cautious when he instructed the animals how to behave.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Weather

This past weekend, Bobby and I took a trip to Ohio Amish country to celebrate our October Anniversary and the fifteen years we've traveled the road called life together. The weather was misty and the air slightly chilled, but we didn't let that deter us from enjoying the day. On the ride there, we saw a large flock of wild turkeys. Once there, we parked our car and walked to nearby craft buildings, antique barns, and to an Amish buffet with the most divine broasted chicken.

When we were too tired to walk any more, we headed back to the comfort of our home enjoying a more scenic route than the one we took to begin with. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so the only pictures I have to share are two from my phone.

The book I chose for this week's review fits in quite well with the weather theme above. I chose it before my October Library Board of Trustee meeting purely based on the lovely cover art. The book, titled Red Sky at Night, consists of old sayings about weather, a few of which I had even heard of. As part of the back matter, the book includes a weather wisdom page that describes what each saying means and a little segment about the beautiful paper work the author/illustrator creates.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Kid Lit Family

I didn't post last Monday, so this week you get a double dose of what I've been doing. The reason there was no article last week was because I didn't arrive home until late Sunday evening, and Sunday is the day I usually write my blog. Why did I arrive home so late, you ask. Because I had just spent a wonderful weekend at the home of one of my literary besties in the Tennesseee Smokies.

The generous, talented, and hostess extraordinaire, Debbie Dadey, writer of The Baily School Kids series and The Mermaid Tales, had invited me and three other ladies to her home for a writing retreat. We ate, we took pictures, we wrote, we shared, we critiqued, and had more fun than five squirrels in a sack full of acorns.

I already knew Stephanie Faris and Molly McCaffrey from the Southern Kentucky Book Festival, so it was great to hang out and catch up. But in addition, I had the pleasure of getting to know Rinda Beach, former teacher and pre-published picture book author. It was a melding of YA, Middle Grade, and Picture Book talk that weekend. It was a weekend of bliss.

I took my tripod, in the hopes of getting a group shot for my memory scrapbook, which I did. As I set up, Molly mentioned that she felt like we were posing for a family photo, and in a way she was right. We are a literary family, a tribe, a community, or whatever you want to call a group of people with something in common who chose to focus on similarities and support each other.

I spent this past weekend in a similar vein. I took Emily to a craft fair in Reynoldsburg, Ohio where we shared a table with another of my literary besties, Deborah Boerema, author of one of my favorite Christmas stories, The Inn Keepers Dog. Deb and I only get to visit a few times a year, so I treasure every moment. I bring lunch. She brings dessert. And we talk about all things bookish and life in general.

So this week when I snagged two books from my library book pile, it was fun to see that one was about friends full of imagination and the other was about a book monster. The first, Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors, was a fun and wordier than normal picture book. By wordier than normal I mean longer than the current 300 to 500 hundred word industry standard. And you know what? I love longer picture books with a meaty story line.

Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog are trying to decide what to do. Buddy is all set to nap, but Earl uses his imagination to take them on a super hero journey which leads them into the neighbors yard where they meet two new occupants, Mister the bulldog and Snowflake the cat. The four have an adventure of imaginary proportions, advert disaster, and in the end, Buddy finally gets that nap. This book would be a great classroom read aloud leaving room for fun discussions on super heroes, imagination, and friendship.

The second book, Nibbles the Book Monster, blew me away. Full of interactive flaps and cut-outs, this book took me on a journey that followed a book nibbling monster who escaped from his own book and ended up in many other stories where he wreaked havoc. Every page was as delightful as the last and would surely be right for boys and girls from five to eight.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me next week, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Also be sure to drop by Literacy Musings Mondays for more great blogs as well as 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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.