Christmas Goings On

December always has lots of fun activities going on and this past week was chock full of them.  First Emily participated in her Independent Studies Christmas Program where she had a small solo song which she rocked. That was followed up with a choir concert. Besides shuttling my pride and joy back and forth to dress rehearsals and choir practices, I was baking, baking, baking. I made seventeen loaves of mini bread and lots of cookies, I attended my last book event, and packed for our trip to Kentucky to see Bobby's Aunt. We also spent the week recycling old Christmas cards and making gift tags. 

With all these Christmas festivities going on, I decided it would be a great time to continue reviewing Christmas books. The first book I read was A Star So Bright. Although published in 2006, this book is definitely worth looking for in your library or fining used on Amazon. A lovely nativity story told in well played rhyme, this book also features a cutout on each page that shows a star. When you reach the last page, the star actually lights up. 

The second book I read wasn't a Christmas story, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to read it. It was titled Farmer's Market Day. As you all know, I started managing my local farm market this past summer, so I just had to k now what this book was about. When I studied it further, I also discovered it was illustrated by a fellow Ohioan.

Like the first book, this story was told in rhyme and shares a small girl's journey through a farmer's market on a Saturday morning. Trying to decide what she wants to spend her money on is difficult as she passes all the wonderful items available like fruits and vegetables, honey, flowers, and fresh baked bread. But in the end, she finds something just right.

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.

A Busy Day And A Gluten Free Friend

This past week was the normal kind of busy with an orthodontist appointment, school shopping, and farm market; but Saturday was extra busy because on top of market, we went to the fair. I sure was tired at the end of the day, however, it was the kind of tired you don't mind because it was so much fun.

 

But previous to the fair fun, that morning during the market, I was talking to one of my vendor friends, and she mentioned she was on a gluten free diet. Thankfully there are many options for those who need to go gluten-free. I even noticed that Aldi stores now have a small line of gluten free products.

Amazingly, when I picked out books on Friday, they happened to be about a busy day and a gluten free birthday party. Who knew that was exactly what I would experience the next day. The busy day book I  chose was by Loren Long, and it was called Otis's Busy Day.

Otis is a tractor and he lives and works on a farm where he does many things. One of my favorite things he did in this story was to make a new friend. Simply written and smartly illustrated, this book and the other Otis books are great for beginning readers.

The gluten free book I happened to choose was A Gluten-Free Birthday For Me. It is the story of a small girl who was having a birthday party. Since she has to eat gluten-free, her mother made a special gluten free cake. The party was going well until it was time for dessert. One boy who also needed a gluten free diet felt sad and told her he couldn't have cake. She reassuresd him he could and the party ended on a very happy note. At the end of the story, the author also listed several web sites with gluten free resources.

  
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, the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015) and my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

 

Simply Fun

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but this year I took over as the manager of our local farm market. It is a volunteer position, and even though I don't get paid, I derive great pleasure from the job. I love being a part of my community, I love setting up a table and offering my baked goods, and I'd like to think that by coordinating this event I help others enjoy being a part of our community as well.

 
When the market started, I invited a local resident to join us and play her dulcimer. Saturday was one of the days she honored us with her presence, and she even brought a friend and fellow dulcimer player. Her husband is also pretty amazing; he makes clacker dolls. Now for those of  you who aren't familiar with clacker dolls, they are wooden jointed dolls like marionettes that you clack on top of a wooden board. The snapping of the board  makes the dolls look like they are dancing. Emily and her friend Katie demonstrated the dolls dancing skills for the customers and had a great time doing so.

 

 
Normally, I try to read books that somehow tie into what I have done in the past week, but this time, the only real connection between what I did and what I read was the fact that it was all simply fun. So what did I read, you ask? Well, I happened to read two books, each about dogs.
 
The first was called Sherman Crunchley by Laura Numeroff. Sherman was in line to be the next chief of police when his father retired, but Sherman didn't really like being a policeman. Sherman's true love was creating great hats to wear, but he had a dilemma. Sherman could not say no. The story leads the reader on a fun journey as Sherman tries to find a way to say no to his father.

 
The second book I read was Smick by Doreen Cronin the author of Click, Clack, Moo. It is a very simple book for the very young that introduces them to Smick the dog. This book uses very few words to convey its message and the repetition will have the wee ones enjoying every page. It reminded me a lot of Emily's and My favorite beginner books in the Biscuit series.
 

 
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, the soon to be released Cooking In Fern Valley (fall 2015) and my very first picture book, Quack and Daisy! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.