Survival

Well, we survived the blizzard and the polar vortex that followed. We burnt a lot of wood in the process, but we were toasty warm. Thankfully we now seem to be on our way to warmer temperatures. I just hope they arrive gradually so not to cause flooding.

All this indoor time has left plenty of room for reading. Emily has been reading the second book in a  dystopian series, The Girl Who Dared To Stand, which she is loving as much as the Maze Runner Series. Now for anyone who knows Emily, this is a lot of book love. All her friends who have never read Maze Runner, intimately know the characters thanks to her. And the best part, there are seven books in the series, so she will be happy for a while!

The big surprise, however, came last week when my husband, Bobby, asked me to get the old classic, Papillon, from he library. In the fifteen years we've been married, he's read the Bible, newspapers, magazines, and online articles, but he's never asked me to get him a book. I know he read books before we married, I've just never seen him read one since.

And last but not least, I read a beginning reader titled A Cub in the Tub and a beginning chapter book titled Houndsley and Catina and Cousin Wagster. Don't you just love those funny, punny cat and dog names?

A Cub in the Tub is just what it sounds like, a sight word rhyming book like the kind I bought Emily when she was learning to read. So not only will your 3 to 5 year old enjoy seeing bear go from being dirty to clean, they will also be gaining those critical building blocks that will launch them into reading on their own.

And once they've started reading and want to move onto that I am so grown up chapter book reading phase, Houndsley and Catina and Cousin Wagster will be a perfect place to start. I mean come on, who doesn't love dog and cat stories with happy endings and subtle messages about friendship! And the really fun thing is that there are multiple Houndsley and Catina books from which to choose.

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.

Board Games and Books!

I love board games. I have always loved board games. I have many fond memories of days spent playing Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble, Chinese Checkers, Sorry, Card Games, and Yahtzee with my mom and brother. Occasionally, even my dad joined in on the fun. So it is no surprise that I have raised Emily on board games and cards. We often play Boggle, Trouble, or Uno, and recently, she received Clue for Christmas.

It took me a while to convince her that trying a new game would be fun, but this past weekend she decided it was time to try. She convinced her father to join our merry band and with instructions in hand we set out on a grand adventure. The rules were a little fuzzy as it has been years since I'd played, but after a while it all sorted itself out and, we had a wonderful time.

And as promised last week, I read the second book in my library pile by Tadgh Bentley titled Samson The Piranha Who Went to Dinner. I figured I would enjoy this story as much as I did Little Penguin Gets the Hiccups, but in actuality, I might have enjoyed it a bit more. Samson is a different Piranha and he wants to dine out. The problem is, all the other guests at the restaurants he tries, flee in terror when his disguises fail. That is until he finds a restaurant with some other fearsome looking fish like himself. In they end, they decide to open a restaurant of their own!

In honor of recently reaching the 5000 follower mark on Twitter, I also read Nerdy Birdy Tweets by Aaron Reynolds. I had no idea what this book would be about, and found it quite interesting. Nerdy Birdy and Vulture are total opposites but still manage to be best friends. That is until Nerdy Birdy becomes obsessed with Tweetster, gaining Tweetster friends, and posting pictures to Tweetster. Unfortunately in doing so, he hurts Vulture's feelings and has to figure out a way to make things better. A beautiful story showing that social media can be fun if it doesn't cause us to ignore the real world and our friends.

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 Busy Week and One Noisy Night

This past week was a full one. Emily and Bobby each had an eye appointment. Emily had her after school class  and church. She had an orthodontist appointment. And she and I attended cook book club where this month's theme was apples and pumpkins. Emily tried a new recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bars, and to be perfectly honest, both of us were wondering if chocolate chips and pumpkin was going to be a good combo. To our surprise, they were really delicious. I mean the kind of delicious where you can't stop eating them.

This time around there were some leftovers, so Bobby tried them as well. He suggested they would be better with the addition of chocolate butter cream frosting, and since chocolate butter cream frosting is divine, I think we might just try that next time!

I also started work on some microwave bowl potholders. My sister had asked me to make six sets of the soup bowl size for her coworkers last month, and they loved them so much they asked if I had any available to purchase for their friends and family members. I use an eight inch square I made from cardboard to make sure my fabric and 100 percent cotton batting are the correct size. I then sew a piece of fabric and a piece of batting from corner to corner making an x. Next, I fold the fabric/batting piece in half and sew darts that are 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inches. When I have two such sections don in alternating fabrics, I place them right sides together and sew around the edges leaving a small opening on the last side so I can invert them. Lastly I sew the opening shut by hand.

Mixed size set I made for my mom when she was still with us.

You can find the tutorial I used here, but you will have to change the measurements like I did if you want the shape to be right. The eight inch is for a soup bowl and definitely keeps you from getting burnt when you reheat something like chili or soup in the microwave. The ten and twelve inch  size works for serving bowls of larger sizes.

And last but not least, I read a picture book called One Noisy Night. This is a touch and feel book which is always fun for kids. All throughout the book there is a fuzzy little red stocking cap for the kids to feel. It belongs to Little Hedgehog, or does it? To find out, you'll have to read this story about Hedgehog, Fox, Rabbit, and Badger and the noise they hear in the night. The beautiful winter scenes make this a perfect book for this time of year.

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.

A Field Trip With Friends

This past week we had the pleasure of taking a field trip with some fellow home school friends. The sun shone brightly, the breeze blew lightly, and we put on our science and history caps as we visited The Olentangy Indian Caverns in Delaware, Ohio.

We saw first hand the capillary action of the water dripping through the bedrock. You know, that mineral laden water that a forms stalactites and stalagmites. I found this to be quite interesting since Emily has just performed a similar experiment for science with salt saturated water.

We also visited the small museum at the entrance to the caverns and learned that the Hopewell Indians (one of the mound building groups of Ohio) had used the caverns back in the day. Another fact we recently read about in our Ohio History.

Emily also took a trip to the petting zoo to spend some time with the pot bellied pig, some goats, and some exotic cows. We even saw some beautiful deer in an other enclosure.

It was a splendid day spent with friends, and it just so happens that one of the books I read this week was about friends as well. A sequel in the Snail and Worm series by Tina Kugler, Snail and Worm Again offers beginning readers three fun stories where Snail and Worm encourage each other and point out each of the other's best qualities.

The second book, What Are You Waiting For, tells a tale of two friends who are waiting. Rabbit is waiting but won't tell Badger what he's waiting for. All day long Badger asks questions trying to figure out what exactly Rabbit won't tell  him. And as the day ends and Badger finally sees the long awaited object he is most excited. It is a very calm book but quite fun!

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.

Friends

Everybody wants to find a really good friend or two, and while I do have a some very wonderful local friends, I've also been blessed with a small group of literary besties. It has been my good fortune to be able to meet and hang out with these  fantastic people at events I attend. This weekend I attended such an event when I participated in the Marion Library's Read Local Author Fair, and I was thrilled to see my fellow Ohio author bestie Deborah Bence Boerema, proud book mother of The Innkeeper's Dog.

Deb and I met several years ago through our publisher and have since formed a close bond. We are sounding boards for each other when things seem bleakest. We are cheerleaders for each other, encouraging continued growth in our writings. And we even share the occasional recipe. Deb's Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin Bread is divine!

Deb and I usually only see each other in the fall and once in a blue moon in the spring, but this year we are planning on attending Nerd Camp this July, and I can hardly wait. Not only will we connect with teachers, illustrators, and other authors, this will be the first true test of our friendship__ we will stay overnight in a hotel. Here's hoping that neither of us snore.

At this weekend's event, I also met my social media friend Meghan Colvin for the first time. I can already tell that Meghan is going to be part of my literary bestie group which includes Deb, author Laura Eckroat, author Lori A Moore, author Lisa Tortorello, author Phyllis Griggs, author/illustrator Mark Wayne Adams, author Gail Nall, author/illustrator David Biedrzycki, author Paul Czajak, and author David A Kelly.

 

 

 

 

This group of fabulously talented people makes me want to be a better writer, they cheer me on, they encourage me not to give up, they help me revise and polish my work, they put up with damp shoulders when I need a good cry, they give me tips for achieving better rhyme when mine stinks, and they never ever tell me I talk too much even if they're thinking it!

And so of course, this week's reading selection from my library pile is about (drum role please...) friendship. I know, shocking isn't it. The book I read is Friends to the Rescue by Suzanne Chiew. It is a beautiful story of Badger, Mouse, Hedgehog, Rabbit, and how they work together to help rescue their new friend mole. The illustrations are colorful and quite adorable to boot.

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.

KidLit Giveaway!

I know I don't usually post on Tuesday, but I forgot to mention that I am hosting a giveaway of my latest picture book on Good Reads. Feel free to stop by and enter for a chance at one of four copies of Quack and Daisy - Beyond the Meadow. QDBW is the sequel to my very first picture book Quack and Daisy and is the story of two unlikely friends, Quack the Duckling and Daisy the kitten.

Just click on this link to enter!

         

Quack and Daisy 

Beyond The Meadow

Book Synopsis:

Title: Quack and Daisy - Beyond The Meadow              

ISBN: 9781682934869

Publisher: Tate Publishing

Page Length: 24

Genre: Children’s Fiction - Ages 4-8

Suggested Retail: $8.99 paperback

Quack the duckling and Daisy the kitten are best friends who spend most days playing in the meadow. One day Quack decides to tell Daisy a secret. She tells her of Mama Duck’s ominous warning to not go beyond the meadow. Will the two friends heed Mama’s words about the dangers beyond the meadow, or will their curiosity get the better of them?

Travel Season and Candied Pecans!

Since most of the book fairs and festivals are in the spring and the fall, these are my busy travel seasons. In my last post, I shared about my time at the Southern Kentucky Book Festival and the authors and illustrators I spent time with. Then I came home to the every day business of taking Emily to her Terra Nova Testing, Children's Church, and taking myself to the dentist. That wasn't nearly as much fun as the book fair, especially since I have to go back after I return from this coming week's trip to the Hudson Children's Book Festival. I'm not looking forward to getting my last wisdom tooth pulled, but I am going to be brave.

In anticipation of my upcoming trip, I have been making candied pecans for my friends. They are super easy, but they do require turning every fifteen minutes for an hour. And they pack into Wilton pretzel bags beautifully. I'm looking forward to meeting friends at Hudson as well as making some new ones.  One of the new friends I hope to make is Beth Ferry, author of Stick and Stone. I reviewed this book a while back and it is seriously worth mentioning again. It is a beautiful story of friendship and sticking up for others.

I will most certainly tell you about all my friends including the new ones and all this year's new book offerings next week when I return. Meanwhile, I will leave you with the recipe for the pecans. Once you eat these, you will have to use unusual powers of self control to stop at just one serving. Yes, they are that good!

1 pound Pecans
1 egg white
1 TBS water
1 cup Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a stand mixer, beat egg white and water until foamy. Add nuts and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly coated in egg mixture. In a small bowl mix together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour over nuts and stir until evenly coated. Spread out on a large baking sheet. Place in oven and set time for fifteen minutes. When timer goes off, turn nuts with a metal spatula. Do this every fifteen minutes for an hour. Allow nuts to cool thoroughly before placing in an airtight container.

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. 

Lost and Found

This past week started in March and ended in April. It started out warm and spring like and ended on a cold note. While it was sunny and pleasant I found myself snapping more pictures of our resident cardinals and helping Emily with her Japanese project for school.

When it turned colder, I made a pot of vegetable beef soup, sat in front of the fire my husband made, and hoped my beautiful spring flowers would survive the unusual April snow that found us when spring seemed to be lost.

And speaking of Lost and Found, I found some beautiful books in my library stack this week. One by author friend Marsha Diane Arnold aptly named Lost. Found. One by author friend Tammi Sauer called Nugget and Fang. And one by an author/illustrator that I am unfamiliar with but would love to get to know called Love From A Star.

Marsha's Lost. Found. is a deliciously simple book that pretty much uses only the words lost and found to tell the story of a bear who has lost his scarf, the subsequent animals that find it and then lose it along the way, and bears eventual reuniting with said scarf. In addition, the beautiful illustrations by Matthew Cordell pull the story gently along.

Tammi's Nugget and Fang is a story of unlikely friendship, the friendship between a toothy shark and a mini minnow. They are the best of friends until Nugget has to go to school and is continually told that minnows and sharks can not be friends. Fang is heartbroken over this and does everything in his power to show Nugget they can and should be friends. Nothing works until the entire class of minnows finds themselves in trouble__ trouble that only Fang can help them out of.
 

And finally, Love From a Star by Katherine Cutchin Gazzetta which is a wonderful story reminding the reader of each star's infinite beauty and God's love for each of us. The illustrations are beyond cute and almost make me a little jealous of Miss Katherines's dual talent.

 
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.