Words of Interest

This past week was an ordinary week. I attended a levy meeting, I made bread and soup, Emily did her school work, and Bobby and I watched an episode of Border Patrol NZ on Netflix.The interesting thing about that particular episode was the use of the term busker.

Earlier in the week I had heard the term busker and had looked up the definition which turned out to be a street performer. So when the airport security guard identified a visitor as a busker, Bobby and I laughed. We went from having never heard of a busker to having heard the word twice in the same week. It's one of those instances when you learn about something and then you start noticing it everywhere.

So imagine my delight when I opened up my book for the week, Tabby McTat The Musical Cat, and the first line read, "Tabby McTat was a busker's cat." I read it to Bobby and we giggled at the coincidence.

Tabby and his busker, Fred, sing for a living. But one day when Fred is busy eating lunch, Tabby takes a walk around the block and meets a new friend, Sock. While he's visiting, something happens to Fred. When Tabby can't find Fred, he ends up moving in with Sock and her people. A part of Tabby's heart can't forget Fred, and so one day he goes looking all over town for his old friend. They eventually reunite, but Tabby is torn between his new home and life and his old life with Fred. All does end well, but in a surprising and unexpected way.

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.

Short and Sweet

This week was full of busyness with orthodontist appointments, flooring estimates, farmers' market and the like, but this post is short and sweet like summer.

And while summer is nearly over and the farmers' market season is drawing to a close, Bobby, Emily, my sister, and I are still managing some weekend day trips. This past weekend we visited the Findlay, Ohio area where we stopped in at the Findlay Ghost Town. We saw old homes and buildings, listened to a live band, shopped some of the local vendors, and ate some kettle corn and cinnamon pecans.

We also did some geocaching both going and coming.

 

And, as usual, I managed to make a little time for some reading. This week I read Ellie in Concert which is  the newest book in Mike Wu's Ellie series. In the first book Ellie was an artist, but in this story, Ellie turns her talents to music in order to help a tired friend. Mike's soft and adorable illustrations, as well as his fun sense of story, makes this a wonderful read for children from four to eight.

Be sure to stop by again next week when I post about our trip to the Ohio Renaissance Festival. And if you are interested in a trip of your own, check out the following link for a discount! Get $4 off Adult and $2 off Child tickets by using Promo Code "queen17" when purchasing on the secure website at www.renfestival.com. Tickets valid any day of the 2017 season (Saturdays, Sundays, and Labor Day Sept 2 - Oct 29). Online discount only. Not good with any other offers.
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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 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 @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

Fun, Family, and Fireworks!

This past week was a happy busy week. We came home from our camping trip, readied for Friday night bowling, readied for Farmers' Market, and had some hair raising stat-icky good times in our own back yard.

We also attended fireworks. Most cities host fireworks for the Fourth of July, but Shelby always waits until the following weekend and sets of fire works during the annual Bicycle Days. The fire works didn't last long, but I did manage to get a few fairly decent pictures during the show. And believe me, it was quite the job to get those few non blurry pictures.

 

And of course, I rounded the week out by reading two great books. Because let's face it, life with a little kidlit is always a good thing.

The first book I read was Five Little Ducks which is a retelling of the song by that name. The pictures are bright and colorful and there is even a cd version in the back of the book. So if your children love both music and stories like me, be sure to look for this book.

 
The second book I read was called Win Or Lose, I Love You. Written by Christian author Lysa Terkeurst, it is the story of good sportsmanship. All the animals of the forest are having field day and learn that winners shouldn't brag, losers shouldn't cry, and everyone should do their best in everything they try! And at the very end of the book, there are ten Biblical words of wisdom whether you win or lose accompanied by scriptures. This book would make a great Sunday school  read or even an addition to Christian home school curriculum.

 
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 Musings Monday Blog Hop 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 early grade Fern Valley chapter book series and my Quack and Daisy picture book series. And finally, you can find me on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days. 

Taking The Time To Appreciate...

I  hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. My side of the family came over and we had a big feast and great fellowship. All the children received the traditional chocolate crosses from my mom and they searched for plastic eggs full of treats. It wasn't any different then any other day my family gets together, but cherished none-the-less because we appreciate each other and what we have.

 

And speaking of appreciation, one of the books I read this week was all about how we so often forget to appreciate what is going on around us. It was called The Man With The Violin and was a realistic but fictional picture book. It was the story of a small boy going through the day with his mother when he heard a man playing a violin in the subway. He wanted to stop and listen, but his mom was in much too big of a hurry and she pulled him along with her. Later in the day, the boy hears about the music man on the radio and finds out that he was a world famous violinist.

The beautiful thing about realistic fiction like, The Man With The Violin, is that they are usually based on a real figure and a real event. This book was based on world famous violinist Joshua Bell who actually did play in the subway station as an experiment to see if people would stop to listen.

The second book I read was also a realistic fictional picture book. It was titled Elizabeth Queen Of The Seas, and was a picture book about an elephant seal in New Zealand that lived in the Avon River in the middle of Christchurch. The people of the town tried three separate times to take her to a new location, but she always managed to find her way back. In the book a fictional boy looks for her every day, but the basic story of the seal is true-to-life.

 

Although I would say these books were probably written for five to eight year olds, my ten year old daughter enjoyed both books tremendously. As a matter of fact, so did I.

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.