Family__The Thankfulness Continues

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone, and all the pie and cheesecake is gone as well. But, that is probably a good thing. I had and continue to have so very much to be thankful for.

A beautiful day spent at my brother's where Emily got to hang with her crazy cousins.

 

 

A couple of days spent geocaching with Emily and Bobby.

 

 

 
Black Friday shopping and bargains galore; my best bargain being the $150.00 coat for Emily for which I paid a mere $19.99.

In other words. Family, Family, Family.

And the family book I read this week was Gator Dad by Brian Lies. It was a celebration of dads and the things they do with their children. My favorite part of this story was the phrase was, "Let's Squeeze The Day". Whether you think that means to squeeze all the fun one can out of a day, to squeeze all the fun one can into a day, or to squeeze all the love you can into every minute of the day, it boils down to putting family first. And family is always something to be thankful for.

  
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. 

What I'm Thankful For!

Can you believe this week is Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner? I look back and I wonder where this year has gone as I hit the round of Craft Fairs with one of my besties. Her name is Deb Bence Boerema and she is the author of my absolute favorite Christmas book, The Innkeeper's Dog. It is a story about Thaniel the Spaniel, the only animal in the stable to miss seeing baby Jesus when he was born. Thaniel starts to feel less then special when he hears the other animals recount what gifts they gave the Christ child, but in the end, he learns that each of us is special and has gifts to offer. 

I first met Deb online when she was looking for fellow Tate authors. As soon as we realized that we only lived an hour and a half away from each other, we knew we had to meet. That was a few years ago, and since then, we have made it a tradition to share tables at three or four craft fairs each fall. Deb and I have a lot in common including being moms to onlies, our faith, our publisher, and most of our outlooks on life. We support and encourage each other in our literary endeavors, and give each other tips and pointers. Deb is the type of friend that could tell me my writing stunk, and I would be asking how to fix it instead of getting upset.

In a field where there are so many disappointments as well as joys, I have been blessed to find a handful of people that I can call my tribe (a phrase Jeff Goins has so aptly coined). So, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful to list Deb as one of the people in my tribe . 

And just this past weekend, we shared a table and had the most marvelous time. As we left, she pointed out that there was a rose bush in front of the school that was still in bloom. Normally by this time in November, roses are just a distant memory, so it was an unexpected surprise. The next day, when I reached for a book to review out of my library pile, I had to smile. Why? Because, the book on top was Mr. Putter and Mr. Tabby Smell The Roses. Sometimes life is full of funny little coincidences.

This book is by Cynthia Rylant, a favorite author of mine ever since I read the Poppleton series to Emily. In the above mentioned book, Mr. Putter and Tabby want to celebrate Mrs. Teaberry's birthday in an extraordinary way because they are so very fond of her. The celebration doesn't go quite as expected though because, try as he might, Mrs. Teaberry's dog Zeke has trouble staying out of trouble. This book is funny and entertaining and the end will surprise you, so be sure to check it out for yourself along with Deb's book!

Well, that about wraps it up for this week but I hope you all have a glorious Thanksgiving! And don't forget to join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Or, 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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley,  and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

A Failed Science Experiment and A Turkey Mishap

Since Emily and I were studying volcanoes and earthquakes for school this past week, I thought it would be fun to do a science experiment. The idea was to make a little volcano in a glass container. Wax, placed in the bottom of the container, covered with sand and water, and heated, was supposed to produce simulated molten that would shoot up through the sand due to pressure created by the heat. The picture below shows what it should look like if successful.

So we diligently placed broken bits of red crayon from our box of crayon remnants in a wide mouth mason jar, covered them, added water, and place it over the burner of our gas stove. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that you CAN NOT place a mason jar over a gas flame. Apparently they are not flame proof and will break. Said breakage will cause the water and sand to leak all over. And if you have ever tried to clean wet sand and melted crayon off of a stove top and out form under the burner openings, you will be well aware of my feelings of frustration. And if you haven't, be very glad!  

Not being one to give up when faced with a messy set back, I attempted to find a solution to our problem. So the second time around, I filled my canner with water, placed a new jar with sand, water, and crayons on the rack, and we waited for the water to boil. I wish I could say that this second experiment  was a huge success, but it really wasn't. The crayons melted just enough to sort of ooze out in small amounts, but not enough to impress Emily.

Some days things just don't turn out like you expect them to and that is exactly what happened in the book I read for this week's review. This Is the Turkey, a rhyming story about a family and there Thanksgiving day, is about a mishap with one family's golden delicious turkey. Do they gripe and complain? Do they decide the day has been ruined? No. Instead they remind each other that the important thing about the day is being with loved ones and that there is still plenty to eat and be thankful for even if their feast is minus the turkey.

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 sequels, Return To Fern Valley,  and Cooking In Fern Valley, along with my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.