Seasons of Change

Just as the seasons change without fail, so do the seasons of our lives. And although change is often difficult, it can also mean new opportunities and fresh beginnings. So as sad as I was to see this past weekend usher in the very last farmer's market of the year in my home town, I really am ready for a breather.

I am eagerly contemplating how I will now use my Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays which for some time have been spent madly baking. One of my short term goals is to finish the third book in my Fern Valley series and then to move onto a completely different work in progress that I have been mulling over for quite some time. This also leaves more time for reading and reviewing!

And speaking of reviewing, I decided to read a book that Emily recently read entitled Ben Franklin's Big Splash - The Mostly True Story of His First Invention. She seemed to really enjoy the story, so I sat down to see why.  What I found was a humorous and well written story that made Ben Franklin seem real to me and not just a part of ancient history. Curiously enough, it also inspired me to keep writing and keep submitting despite the numerous rejections I regularly receive.

Ben doesn't worry about what other people think about him or his inventions, he just keeps inventing. One of my favorite parts of the book says, "Most kids might have felt sad, ashamed, or stupid. Instead, this smart, stubborn, sensible son of a soap-maker simply thought he'd made a mistake___ and wouldn't stop seeking, studying, and struggling until he SUCCEEDED."

My dad always told me that the only way you fail is to not try at all, so just like Ben I will not feel sad, ashamed,  or stupid. Instead, I will keep seeking, studying, and struggling until I succeed. I will keep writing and submitting until an agent or publisher realizes what I already know. That my writing is worthwhile, and I deserve representation.

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, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.

A Last Hoorah!

This past weekend was the last big hoorah before we start our home school journey and it was packed with all sorts of fun. On Friday evening, Emily, Bobby, and I went bowling with my mom and sister, and we all managed to break a hundred. This was especially thrilling to Emily because she had never even scored a hundred before.

Saturday proved to be really jam packed with our farmer's market in the morning, a belated graduation party in the afternoon, and a visit with Bobby's mom as well as a family music and fun fest in the evening where we listened to some of Bobby's relatives sing and play guitar. All sorts of other fun things were going on as well like popcorn, games, corn hole, and face painting.

Sunday wasn't quite as busy, but still included Bible study and lunch with my mom and sister. I grilled Italian chicken and veggie kabobs, boiled some corn on the cob, and made a fresh peach pie for the occasion. Later, Bobby went fishing, Emily went to play with a neighbors grandchild, and when the laundry was done, I sat down to read a book for this week's review.

As I looked through the stack of reading material that Emily will soon be choosing from for her weekly reading, I decided I would read the book she won for completing this year's summer reading program at the library. It was part of the Rainbow Street Shelter Series by Wendy Orr titled Stolen: A Pony Called Pebbles.

 

This book particularly hit home with me because one of the main characters is a girl living in the city whose dream in life is to own a horse. Unfortunately for her, owning a horse was not affordable or practical. But still she dreamed, and one day the most miraculous thing happened. While on a pic-nic with her best friend, she rescued an abandoned horse. The reason this book really hit home is that it was like reading about my Emily who is horse crazy herself. And like the mom in the book, I too have had the conversation about how we can't afford a horse and we can't keep one in our small backyard.

So if you have a horse crazy child in your family, you might want to read this fun story and find out just what the character's reward is for saving the beautiful horse of her dreams. Even if you don't have a horse crazy child, it's still a great read for children between the ages of eight and twelve.

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, and my sequel, Return To Fern Valley! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.