Follow Your Dreams

Not a whole lot went on this past week, just Cook Book Club. Our theme was breakfast, and Emily made a blueberry coffee cake while I made breakfast burritos. I forgot to take pictures, but since I made Cranberry Salad later in the week I thought I'd share that recipe. In the fall I generally buy bagged cranberries and freeze them so I can enjoy this salad year round.

Cranberry Salad is super easy and all you need is a bag of cranberries fresh or frozen, 2 stalks of celery, 2 apples seeded and chopped, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup orange juice, and 1/2 cup sugar. In a food processor chop the cranberries. A little hint if they are frozen is to chop them this way so they don't turn to mush. You might need ear plugs, though, because it is loud. Next chop celery and apples in the processor and add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl. Add  pecans, juice, and sugar before stirring. And lastly, you  need to let this marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours so the sugar dissolves and makes a lovely bit of juice.

And of course I read. The first book I read was a beginning-to-read book called Astro the Alien Visits Forest Animals. It begins with a brother, sister, and an alien in their backyard. I wondered why an alien seemed to be part of the family, but hey this is fiction. Next they decided to play hide-and-seek in the forest and along the way they keep identifying animals in what seems like a forced way. I'm sure this book is great for introducing vocabulary with its simple sentences, I'm not sure why, but this story just didn't seem quite as enjoyable as the beginning reader books I read with Emily when she was small.

The next book, Dogs Don't Do Ballet, left me smiling. A touching story of a dog that wants nothing more than to practice ballet, Dogs Don't Do Ballet contains a universal message about following your dreams no matter who tells you otherwise. Beautifully told and colorfully illustrated, this story is a must read for children 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 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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Cars and Buses, Oh My!

This past week has been a bit crazy with finishing up school and getting ready to go on a trip to Niagara Falls with my sister and Emily. I mowed both our lawn and my mother-in-laws. I shopped for sun screen and road trip snacks. And I made enough food to feed an army even though only my husband will be home.

And while I was in the midst of all this preparing for our car trip I happened to see a twitter post by fellow author Josh Funk about a female illustrator/writer he wanted to promote. His exact words were, "Due to #Caldecott Gender Inequity, every day I'm posting an awesome picture book, published this century, illustrated by a woman. For Day #81, meet the CAT ON THE BUS by @StudioAram." Now @StudioAram happens to be Aram Kim, and the resaon I know this is because I had just picked up her book, Cat On The Bus at my local library.

So I was super excited to read this almost wordless picture book about a homeless kitty who rides the bus and finds a forever home. This touched a cord with me not only because the illustrations are so adorable, but because we have three cats, two of which are rescue cats. 

But since many of my readers are dog lovers, I also read The Very, Very, Very, Long Dog by Julia Patton. It is the story of Bartelby, an extremely long dog, whose friends take him on walks, that end in chaos caused by his extremely long back end. Never fear, however, because his friends come up with a fun way to help Bartelby avoid calamities.

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.

Fine Reads By Friends

Hey everyone. I hope your past week was enjoyable and relaxing. Our week was indeed enjoyable even it wasn't so relaxing. For some reason, May seems to overflow with one event after another. Emily attended her last after school science class and her last Wednesday teen church  meeting until fall. She also had an orthodontist appointment and I mowed both our yard and my mother-in-laws. And finally, we rounded out the week by celebrating my mother-in-laws 81st birthday and my husband's aunt's 80th birthday.

In-between, I managed a trip to the library where I found a wonderful chapter book by my friend Jessica Young titled Haggis and Tank Unleashed - Digging for Dinos. Now if you and your sprouts have never read anything by Jessica Young, I highly encourage you to do so. Jessica has a wonderful way with words and the confusion those words cause between friends Haggis and Tank as they track dinosaurs is hilarious. The scene where the dogs egg sit some dinosaur eggs they find is pretty funny as well. Jessica is also a master of imagination as she unleashes a surprising ending!

I also managed to review two books sent to me in e form for my friend Holly Niner. I was particularly taken with The Day I Ran Away. Told from the pov of a young girl telling her dad about her day and how she rran away, this tale shows  how a child's day can go from horrible to memorable when a little love is added to the mix. The wonderful way this story unfolds, allows children to see that punishment for wrong doing doesn't mean parents don't love them. I especially loved the ending where the young girl turns the negativity of running away into something positive and fun she can share with her parents. 

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.

Time For A Ride

The weather has warmed up here in Ohio, so my husband moved Emily's bike from the shed to the garage. Now she can easily access it any time she wants to ride which she does frequently. And that segues into the first book I read this past week which is Spin.

Spin is a simple story of few words about a mother and daughter on a bicycle ride. At the same time, the colorful pages subtly convey the message of persistence as the girl encourages herself to keep moving up the steep hills, down the long hills, and around the windy bends. Definitely a book great for reading and discussion with kids from five to eight.

The second book I read titled, My Pillow Keeps Moving, is a book about the creative way a dog and a cat find a new home and get out of the cold. This text in the book splits between page text and words on the signs in the illustrated buildings which I found to be a fun addition. Reading this book puts me in mind of how we came to adopt our oldest cat, Max. Someone had dumped several cats in the neighborhood, but Max decide he wanted in our house. He would sit at our back door looking in and when I went out to scare him away, he would not be deterred. Eventually we capitulated and let him in, and I must say he is quite the character.

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.

Wacky Weather, Car Care, and Beautiful Books

I don't know what's happening in your neck of the woods weather wise, but here in Ohio it's been a roller coaster of wackiness. We started the week only to have April Fools surprise us with the temperature dropping to below below freezing and snow. Day two offered rain by the bucketfuls. Day three was so windy the rain dried up everything but a puddle where there is a dip in my front yard. Day four it snowed some more and the lone remaining puddle froze creating an ice rink just the right size for chipmunks had they been inclined to skate. Day five gave us a reprieve from snow, but boy was it cold. Day six arrived overcast and cold, but not as cold as the day before. And finally day seven we had bright sunshine which gave the illusion that the cold had subsided. Illusion I say because it was still colder than snot.

It was on day six of this crazy week that I took my car in for an oil change. I thought this would be a good idea as we are getting ready to travel to the Southern Kentucky Book Festival in a week and a half. Needless to say, that day didn't go as planned. I decided to wait at our local repair shop while they changed the oil, but as the hour drew to a close, the technician informed me that I needed my tires rotated and I needed new brakes. I felt like April Fools Day had returned when my bill shot from $40 to nearly $400. At least our trip will occur in a well maintained car this year.

So finding two beautiful books in my to review stack sort of perked up my cold, expensive week. The first book, Albert and Sarah Jane, tells the tale of best friends who love to cuddle by the fire in a warm, doggy, kitty, snuggle, lump. The only thing Albert loves more than snuggling with Sarah Jane is eating kibble. Unfortunately after gobbling up all of his, he can't control his temptation to nibble on Sarah Jane's as well. This leads to a squabble and Sarah Jane moves out. Albert misses Sarah Jane tremendously and begs her to come. How they manage to resolve their squabble is definitely something you and your littles will want to read and find out for yourselves.

The second book, Wakem the Rooster Up All Night, has the barnyard in a tizzy when Wakem the Rooster allows the compliments about his voice to go to his head. Wakem sings all day and into the night and ends up with a backward sleeping schedule. Awake at night and asleep during the day, Wakem causes the sheep to run away in an attempt to find a quiet place to sleep. Will Wakem find the sheep and will he be able to rectify the problem? Be sure to grab a copy of your own and find out!

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 if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

A Pie, A New Floor, A Retelling, And A Beginning Reader

I decided when farmers' market ended that I was going to spend the fall and winter season trying new recipes, and I have indeed been doing so. This past week I made my first ever coconut cream pie which turned out beautifully and wasn't nearly as difficult to create as I had previously imagined.

As I look ahead to this coming week, I think I shall use the orange marmalade from Florida that my neighbor gifted me to make easy orange chicken. I love Asian dishes, but have yet to try this one. I'm thinking it will pair perfectly with my fried rice and chicken won tons. I'll be sure to let you know next week how it turns out.

Here at the Stewart house we have also been getting ready for the flooring people who are starting work on our epoxy basement floor this week. I'm so excited that our basement remodel is finally coming together and will hopefully be ready for Christmas.

And last but not least, I read two books for review. The first is a retelling of one of my favorite Little Golden Book stories from my childhood, Country Mouse, City Mouse. This version is titled Moustropolis and is both written and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with this very modern retelling. It's just a personal thing, much like I don't care for modern art. The story just seemed a bit too sparse with words for my taste, but that doesn't  mean you shouldn't find a copy and let your kids decide for themselves.

The second book is a chapter book for beginning readers. It is just one of several in what appears to be a series and is titled King and Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse. The five short chapters are easy to navigate but lead the reader on an interesting mystery which Kayla and her dog King must solve. The mystery__ who is Mouse and what has he done with King's favorite blue ball?

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.

Summer Stories

Summer is a time of stories, stories of time spent swimming, of cookouts and birthday parties, eating watermelon, of vacations, and all the things that  make summer great.

Managing my town's local farmers' market and selling baked goods while Emily sells magnets is a big part of our summer story. This past weekend we had to move from our normal farmers' market location because of the local cruise-in car show. We didn't have to move far, just to the back end of the park, but we didn't have the normal cover of our pavilion. Thankfully, however, most of my vendors had canopies and there was a lovely breeze.
 

My summer story also consists of reading great kidlit, and my choices this week were smile worthy. The first book aptly titled, The Story I'll Tell, was a beautiful tale of adoption. My oldest niece is adopted, so this story hit particularly close to home. In this story, a mother imagines the stories she will tell her adopted child when he is old enough to ask where he came from. The creative ways she dreams she will tell him are like beautiful poetry; but in the end, she reveals that the truth is equally beautiful.

The second book I read, I'm My Own Dog, was a tale of pet ownership from the point of view of a dog. It was quite amusing and although I don't own dogs, it made me think about my three cats' points of view. I'm pretty sure they, like the dog in the story, believe that we humans are their pets and they work continually to train us.
 

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. 

The Dog Days of Summer

We are in those Dog Days of Summer. You know, those hot, sultry, I don't want to go outside and do anything but maybe swim kind of days. And it is so hot here in Ohio, I had to resort to painting the front of my house as early as seven in the morning. But it's done now. I scraped and painted the garage door trim, the entire front of the house, the mailbox, the shutters, and the front door trim. Bobby even put up new front porch lights for me, so now the front of the house is no longer an ugly peeling mess!

This week we also attended a pool party where my dinner contribution was cranberry meatballs. They are so easy and convenient that anyone can make them. All you need is two pounds of meatballs (for a big crowd), two bottles of chile sauce (which incidentally should never be mistaken for hot sauce as I once did), two cans of cranberry sauce with whole berries, and a jar of seedless raspberry jam or jelly.

Place the meatballs in a large oval crock pot. I usually buy frozen meatballs for convenience sake. Then in a saucepan you add the chile sauce, the cranberry, sauce, and two heaping tablespoons of jelly. Simmer it over medium heat until everything is melted and completely combined. Pour over the meatballs stirring to coat evenly and then put the lid on and forget about it until supper time!

I also made Emily some fabulous french toast smothered in butter and fresh maple syrup form one of my farmers' market vendors. Doesn't the picture below just make you hungry for breakfast?

So when it was time to dive into a pile of great reading material this week I decided to go with the dog theme. I know the Dog Days of Summer don't actually have anything to do with dogs, but it's a great theme and I'm going with it.

The first book I read was Cosmo Zooms. It is quite simple and oh so sweet. Cosmo is feeling a bit downhearted because all his friends seem to be good at something and he is not. That is, until he takes an unexpected ride. I don't want to give too much away, so I will simply say that Cosmo happily, if accidentally, finds out what he excels at. This book is quite a few years old, but I would check to see if your library carries it like mine did. If not, there are some used copies available on Amazon.

The next book I read was The Dog Who Cried Wolf. This is the story of Moka and his girl Michelle. Michelle takes good care of Moka and even takes the time to read to him. One day she reads a story about wolves, and Moka begins to be discontent with the life he leads. The next day he runs away to live free like the wolves. His adventure isn't all he imagined it would be and he finally realizes the life he was living with his girl was pretty good after all!

And lastly, I read Puppy. It isn't your conventional dog story, but it made me smile. Trog, the cave boy, has great toys like a stick, a rock, and some mud, but what he really wants is a puppy. He finds one, or so he thinks, and some interesting adventures begin. This book has a semi comic book feel to it and is a super story for both boys and girls.

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. 

Summer, Sunburn, and a Smidge of Sadness

Our week was full of preparations for farm market as is the norm from June to October and it was a beautiful day. My vendors had lovely produce. Emily bought her favorite peach jam from Dave the jelly man. And, afterward her friend picked her up to go the pool.

Father's Day was also a beautiful day. Emily and I gave Bobby his gifts of dark chocolate, season two of The Rifleman, and a new fluffy bed pillow. I then fixed my family breakfast and Emily had her newly purchased jam on toasty English muffins. When the noon hour rolled around Bobby took Emily and I to the pool for a few hours of swimming.

We all slathered on the sun screen which was a 70 spf to avoid burning; but as is normal, I burnt anyway. I am not an albino or a redhead with milky white skin, but I inevitably always burn the first couple of times in the sun. What's a girl gonna do except liberally apply some aloe vera after.

Besides the sunburn, the only damper on the week was the reminder that Father's day bought. The fact that both Bobby's and my fathers have passed away. Thankfully, we both have good memories of time spent with our dads. In fact, it is my father who instilled in me my love of words and my love of literacy. I remember him telling my brother and I that children who could read well could grow up and do anything, something that has become my motto.

So the books I chose to read this week are very appropriate. The first book, Fun Dog, Sun Dog, is a great summery book which includes the normal summery things like swimming. Dog goes to the beach with his owner, but that is pretty similar to going to the pool. And the awesome rhyme in this story is the type of rhyme that writers are always told about. Rhyme done well.

The second book I read was called, Ten Kisses For Sophie. It was a sweet story of Sophie who worried that there wouldn't be enough kisses for everyone at her Grandmother's party. Sophie was so worried that she snuck down in the middle of the night to count the candies and make cards for the guests. There were ten guests counting her so she relaxes. That is until her father gets a call and they find out that there will be an extra guest. Will there be enough kisses for Sophie to have one? I guess you will just have to read this book yourself to find out!

And lastly, I read Here In The Garden which is a story of a boy dealing with the loss of his rabbit. Emily read this book as well and told me that she thought it was good but it was a bit sad. Losing a pet or loved one can be sad, this is true. But I love how the main character concentrated on all the good memories he had of time spent with his beloved rabbit. That is how I chose to deal with the loss of my beloved father. I don't dwell on his absence, but instead think about the wonderful lifetime of memories we created while he was alive!

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. 

The Hudson Children's Book Festival

I love to travel. I love to catch up with friends. I love to make new friends. I love books. So just imagine how much I love participating in the Hudson Children's Book Festival which occurred this past weekend!
This festival takes place each year in lovely Hudson, New York which is on the banks of the Hudson River and is quite a ways from my Shelby, Ohio home. So I set out on Thursday morning and drove many hours until I reached the home of my friends Barbara and Victor Mojica. They invited me to stay at the guest cottage behind their home and a lake view was included. Two more gracious hosts you will never find.

Victor is the creator of the CrossBones Comics and Eugenics as well as the illustrator of Barbara's Little Miss History Books. They both love, love, love history, which is evident in the fine books they produce. And if you happen to be visiting the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, be sure to check the gift shops for their books.

 

Victor and Barbara weren't the only authors and illustrators I was already acquainted with. I also had a blast with David Biedrzycki and his new selfie stick. David is the author and illustrator of several books including the Breaking News Series.

David and Me

There was also the Fabulous Susan Hood whose latest book released just days before the festival and David A. Kelly who writes the Ballpark Mysteries for all you baseball lovers. I particularly like book #6 The Wrigley Riddle because it reminds me of when my dad and I used to watch the Chicago Cubs together when I was a kid.

Beth Ferry, Me, and Susan Hood

There was Diane DeGroat a superb illustrator/author of the Gilbert books as well as illustrator of Ree Drummund's, Charlie books, the husband and wife team of Wendell and Florence Minor, and the creator of the Monster Needs series, Paul Czajak.

David and Diane DeGroat

David with Florence and Wendell Minor

David and Paul

 
I also met brand new author Katherine Gardner who is a pre-k teacher as well. She is just as cute as can be and the type of teacher every pre-ker dreams of. I met Beth Ferry, the author I mentioned last week, Daniel Mahoney, author of Monstergarten, and one of my table mates, Bianca Rell, who turned out to be with my very own publisher Tate.

Katherine Gardner and Me

Daniel Mahoney and me

Bianca Rell and Me

And did I mention I met Kwame Alexander, author of many books, including my favorite, Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band. For kids interested in the history of Jazz, this book is a must. It turns out, that Kwane is as sweet as he is tall and handsome!

Kwame Alexander and Me

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.