Easter, Love, And An Out of Control Book!

 Last week we gladly took the week off for spring break, and I caught up on my to-do list while Emily caught up with her friends. In addition, we had a visitor in our front yard. Usually, we find our visitors in the back  yard where the feeders are.

This past weekend my family also celebrated Easter and all the beauty and splendor it holds. The only sad moment occurred when everyone grabbed a plate off of the table, and I realized I had set ten places instead of nine. When my mom was with us the number was ten. It had been ten for the four years since my had dad passed away. I do not love the number nine nearly as much as I loved the number ten, and I might forget the number is still not ten from time to time, but I comfort myself that one day I will see my mom again and numbers won't matter any more!

And finally, I read two fun books from my library pile. The first book I read is cute, fun, and has some audience participation required. It is called This Book IS Out of Control and is the story of Ben and his new fire trick. Or more aptly, the remote control that comes with his fire truck. Ben takes his new toy and remote to his friend Bella's house to show it off. But instead of making his firetruck work, Ben's remote does strange things to the dog. Needless to say, a very unusual time ensues.

The second book I read is I Love You Forever and it is a beautiful quiet picture book about a mom's answer to a child's question of when she was cuter, when she was younger or now. It reminded me of something I have said to my daughter since she was tiny which is, "I will always love you no matter what!"

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.

Half Way Through and My Love For You...

I can't believe we are halfway through summer break already, but my family and I have been making the most of it. Every Friday Bobby, Emily, her Aunt Kay, and I go bowling through the Summer Bowling Program. We aren't fantastic bowlers, but what we lack in skill we make up with enthusiasm. So you can imagine my surprise when I made my first ever Turkey (three strikes in a row).

Emily and are are also continuing to enjoy Farmers' Market. She stays busy through the week making magnets to sell and I bake up a storm. My best seller has turned out to be my blueberry/banana bread.
We have a pool party coming up for a friends birthday, and Emily often has friends for overnight stays.

Something else exciting happened this past week. I won a recent contest hosted by KidLit TV and my prize arrived on Saturday. It was a autographed copy of My Love For You is the Sun. I was extra excited to receive this book because it is written by my Face Book friend Julie Hedlund; and it is illustrated by my friend and super dooper incredibly talented human being, Susan Eaddy. Julie's story of love for her child, told in rhyme, is tender and well done. Susan's sculpted clay illustrations are so strikingly beautiful and detailed it almost takes my breath away. This book is one of those books you will definitely want to have in your kidlit collection.

I also received a fun craft bag with my book that included sculpting clay and some accessories to make a creation of my own. And while I have yet to attempt a masterpiece, I will soon. Emily and I did a craft project last year that is similar and that was our salt dough project where we used cookie cutters and ink stampers on our dough.

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. 

Love and Chocolate

It's almost Valentine's Day and that means an extra helping of love and chocolate. It also means our local library's annual Chocolate Lovers Bake Off. Emily and I are both super excited to enter this year. For Emily, deciding what she wanted to enter came easily because our recent television viewing choice has been episodes of Cupcake Wars on Netflix. She mentioned chocolate cupcakes with strawberry filling and chocolate frosting. I mentioned chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cheesecake filling, chocolate frosting, and a mini peanut butter cup on top. She wasn't sure which she wanted to make, so we decided she would do a practice run and send them to work with my husband. And here is a great cooking tip: If you have a hand held apple corer, it also works great for coring cupcakes!

Both turned out exceptionally well and everyone at my husband's work place agreed. Emily decided she wanted to enter her original choice with strawberry filling, so I am going to enter the peanut butter cheesecake filled ones as well as double chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Even if we don't win, it will have been a totally delicious experience!

Since it is almost Valentine's Day, it is definitely time for some wonderful love related books. One of my favorite is Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy. In this story, Hugs the puppy sets out early one morning while his family is still sleeping because he has something he needs to find out. The kind farm animals along the way help him with his requests and when he returns to the barn and his family he finds the answer for which he was looking! I don't want to give away what he was looking for because it is an integral part of the story, and you may have to buy a copy through a third party Amazon vendor since it is an older book, but it is well worth it.

For those of  you who have small children, some great board book choices are Guess How Much I Love You and I Love You With All My Heart. Both of these books are a bit older as well, but Guess How Much I Love You has become a classic and is still going strong with it's wonderful illustrations and it's compelling story of  the love between a father and his child. 

 

And last but not least, in honor of our filled cupcakes, a book about filled donuts and a favorite from our younger years, Minnie and Moo - The Case of The Missing Jelly Donut. When Emily was in First Grade, the Minnie and Moo series was one of her all time favorites. Sometimes quite smart and sometimes not, Minnie and Moo always kept up laughing with their antics as they tried to solve each new dilemma. In this story, Minnie's jelly donut is missing and Moo is sure it has been stolen. They set out to catch the culprit but in the end find out it has been nearby all along.

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Drop by the Literacy Musings Monday blog hop where you will find other great literary blogs. 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. 

Something to Remember Them By

This past weekend, actually even as you read this on Monday, my family and I are on a special camping trip. Every year around this time my mother rents three cabins and my ten remaining family members spend three days together. It is a time I cherish, and I often think of something my father used to say when he was alive, "Make memories while you can because you never know what tomorrow will bring."

And he was right. Every time we take this trip both children and adults make memories. I capture my memories with my camera and my heart and I hope that one day my own daughter will take the pictures I leave her and will cherish them as well because they help provide something with which to remember our loved ones.

Like the fact that cousins all need matching mustaches when camping.

That trips to the store with two aunts and an uncle means the ability to buy fun finger flashlights.

That Daddy in a rain slicker looks like he isn't wearing any pants.

And that Grandma is generous, loving, and kind.

The book I read for this week's review, Something to Remember Me By, is all about that love and legacy. It is a story of a girl and her grandmother. A story where the grandmother gives her small things to remember her by and promises that one day the cedar chest will be hers to fill with those items. At first the girl doesn't understand, but as she grows, she realizes that what her grandmother had been doing was creating memories that would sustain her when they were no longer able to be together. Because as the grandmother says, "Everyone wants to be remembered."

The cedar chest given to the granddaughter particularly hit home with me as I recently refinished a cedar chest given to me by my mother-in-law. I have plans to pass it on to my daughter as something to remember her MaMaw by.  I'd really love to hear what you all are doing to make memories to remember your loved ones by, so feel free to share in the comment section!

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.

The Southern Kentucky Book Festival And Some Really Great Books!

Spring is proving to be a busy season for me, and every weekend is pretty much booked until May second. On the eleventh I went to my local library for the Drop Everything And Read event. This past weekend I went to the Southern Kentucky Book Festival. Next weekend I will be participating in Ohioana. And the weekend after that, I will be at the Hudson Children's Book Festival in Hudson New York.



 

Marvin Memorial Library Event
 

Since I am so busy, I don't really have time to read and review books like I normally do, so I thought I would share some great books from the events I attend. I made a new friend in tablemate Gail Nall this past weekend. Her debut book is called, Breaking The Ice. It is a book about a girl who wants to be an Olympic Skater. The cover alone is enough to catch my interest, and the back matter makes it sound perfect for girls eight to twelve.

 

Gail Nall and I at SOKY

 

And of course there was Finley Flowers Original Recipe by my friend Jessica Young. And since you all know I love to cook, how could I not recommend this book about a girl entering a cooking contest?

 

Flanked by Kristin Tubb, Jessica Young, and Gail Nall

 

And last but not least, a book illustrated by my friend Susan Eaddy called My Love For You Is The Sun. Her work with sculpting clay is so amazing that you just have to purchase this book and see for yourselves.

 

Susan Eaddy and I 

 

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

Something Great For the Three to Eights

Although my daughter is past reading books in the three to eight age bracket, many of you still have children or grandchildren in this range. So with that in mind, here are four books worth considering.

My first book recommendation, The Miracle of Rain by Sherry Rossman, is a wonderful story for small children who might be afraid of rain storms. In The Miracle of Rain you and your special moppet can follow the adventures of Nora and her cat Molly as their friend Smickett the raccoon shows them that God has a purpose for even the loudest and scariest of rain storms. See how Nora is transformed from a fearful young girl into a fantastically happy one who dances to the rhythm of the rain with all the other special forest creatures.




My next recommendation is Ode to Icky by Maranda Russel. Ode to Icky is a well written, funny story of a girl and her very, very, very stinky cat; and it is chock full of amazing illustrations that bring the story to life right before your very eyes. I read with interest, wondering what the outcome of Candy's perfume experiment would be. The only flaw I found with this book was that the ending left me wanting more. I was left wondering what Candy felt and learned from the whole stinky perfume incident. All things considered, a great book for young ones seeking a good reading adventure.




My third recommendation for today is A King's Decree and the Brave Three by Jacey Verdicchio. Jacey Verdicchio has taken the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and has simplified it for the very young. Beautifully illustrated and Biblically accurate, A Kings Decree and the Brave Three is an excellent book that also comes with a free audio book download which allows the readers to listen to this lovely rhyming story as they silently read along.

And last but certainly not least, I recommend a book by Ohio Author Melissa Ivey Staehli titled I Love You to the Moon. I Love You to the Moon is a beautiful story of a parent's love for their child. The watercolor style illustrations lend an added warmth to the catchy rhymes, and the extra large print and simple sentences are perfect for beginning readers. The size of the print made me want to point to each word as I read, which strikes me as something a child would find useful when learning to read.




Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day!