The Mazza Museum

As most of you know, I write about reading, writing, and life in general, and what could be more related to the three then a trip to the MAZZA Museum in Findlay, Ohio. What is the MAZZA Museum you ask? It just happens to be a teaching museum of book art. Created in 1982 during the centennial celebration of Findlay College,  the idea was to celebrate the often overlooked and under appreciated art that graces the pages of children's picture books world wide.

Surprisingly, until my local chapter of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, more commonly known as the SCBWI, invited me to participate in a private tour of the museum, I didn't even know this Ohio gem existed. But believe me when I say, if I had known, I would have visited long ago!

The museum, has only three full time employees and a director, but is very well cared for by nearly seventy well trained volunteers. This, and many other interesting facts were shared with our small group by the director himself, Dr. Mallett, who was quiet entertaining. He told us stories of how he called up artists to ask them questions about their work and how the museum has over two thousand pieces of art but can only display about three hundred and fifty at a time.

Dr. Mallett

They started out with only four pieces of original art work, but as word spread they ended up with illustrators donating everything from single pieces to entire collections. There are five small gallery areas and each gallery shows different kinds of artwork like border art, paper art, unusual art, international art, informational art, mother goose art, books to movie art, and so much more. On the ledge below each piece of art work you will find the book for which the art work was created.

They have other interesting items like stamps of book characters, buttons promoting MAZZA, and even a children's loft. You do have to register to attend the children's loft since it is a teaching museum, but that seems pretty reasonable to me.

My favorite item of all, though, were the tiles that lined the halls on the way to the vault where they store and preserve the art not on display. Apparently, before a visiting illustrator leaves, they are asked to create a  tile. See any illustrators you recognize?

 

 

 It was a wonderful experience and one I hope to re-live when I take my daughter there. So if you live in Ohio, or will be passing this way, be sure to make time for the MAZZA.

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


The Great Snowball Fight Of 2014!

A friend of mine, the lovely Candice Simpson, came up with the idea of  having forty days of giveaways for her many author, artist, and bookish friends. Since in many parts of the country it has been a long and cold winter, she decided to call it "The Great Snowball Fight Of 2014". The idea was that every day, for forty days, someone would get hit with a snowball, and it would then be their day to host. It just so happens, that today, I was smacked by Author Vickie Johnstone. I was smacked virtually of course, and no people or animals were harmed, so we can all remain calm.

Candice even went so far as to create this lovely picture to go with the Great Snowball Fight. And I must admit, it is a work of art. And just look at all those lovely names of the creative people who are participating!

She started the whole thing off by smacking our mutual friend and a fellow children's author, Wendy Nystrom, who I had the privilege of meeting last year in Michigan. Wendy had a health scare recently, but I am glad to share that she is recuperating nicely. So if you have a minute, why not stop by her site and leave her some comment love to help her more speedily recover!

Since I am today's giveaway hostess, I should probably tell you what I am giving away and how you can enter. For my portion of the giveaway, I decided to offer three pdf copies of my first book, Fern Valley. If you enjoy it and decide you want an actual paperback copy or you are not a winner in today's contest, it is available at most online retailers including Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

To enter for a chance to win, simply follow my blog and leave a comment below.  It's that easy peasy. Then at ten o'clock eastern standard time tonight, I will randomly select the winners. There are absolutely no strings attached, but if you find you enjoy the stories in Fern Valley, a review would be more then appreciated.

I have one more bit of good news before wrapping this post up, and that is the upcoming release of my sequel, Return To Fern Valley, summer 2014. Just this past week, I received some character sketches from my illustrator. And I'm probably a bit partial, but I think they are simply adorable. How about you?

Signing off for now with wishes for a bright and beautiful day! Oh, and don't forget to check out my sneak attack on tomorrow's hostess, Author Tara Brown. I think I will smack her with an exceptionally large snowball to wash off some of that gruesome blood trail.

Winter Surprises

Lately, many of my posts have included comments about how cold, and long, and did I mention how cold, this winter has been. And with more snow forecast for this past weekend, I decided to sneak a few winter surprises in for my daughter before the snow actually let loose.

On Friday I scheduled a hair appointments for both Emily and I with our favorite hairdresser. We had to travel to the next town because she recently opened her own shop, but we were willing to do so, because she is simply the best. I just had my hair trimmed, but Emily has been bugging me for months to get her long hair cut short. I wasn't certain that I would like her hair short without bangs, which is what she requested, but I was wrong. It was so adorable it just made me want to hug her even more then normal.

Before

After

The next day, the surprise I had in store for Emily was taking her to Wal-Mart to spend her birthday gift card. This actually wasn't much of a surprise as it was a treat, since she had been begging me to drive her there for over a week. Her mission __ to buy herself the movie Cloud 9. We watched it later that evening when we got home, and I was surprised to find it quite enjoyable for a pre teen/teen film. In the movie, the main character, Kayla Morgan, is a spoiled, rich, daddy's girl  who get's kicked off the snowboarding team after accidentally destroying some private property belonging to some of her father's tenants. Forced to work in the doggie-daycare in order to make amends, Kayla learns that she isn't the winner she always thought she was because the coach had been rigging the games to keep her father happy.  Determined to show everyone that nothing is impossible and that she can work hard to achieve a goal, she enlists the aide of the former champion snowboarder, Will Cloud, to teach her the move that destroyed his career and confidence __ the cloud 9.

The movie is full of great messages about facing out fears, determination, hard work, and believing in one's self.  And you just might find it an excellent surprise yourself.

The last surprise I had that day for Emily was a trip to the mall to get her ear's pierced. I told her several years ago that she had to be nine in order to get her ears pierced. It was my opinion that by the age of nine she would be mature enough to be responsible and diligent about cleaning her ears and taking care of her earrings. The look on her face when I told her why we were at the mall was priceless.

But the surprises didn't end there, since I still had a book to read for this blog. The book I chose was one I have had for a few weeks, but just hadn't gotten around to reading yet. And, I was delightfully surprised to find it a great read. What book did I read, you ask? It was Ant and Honey Bee - A Pair Of Friends In Winter by Megan McDonald. Ant and Honey Bee are getting ready for the long winter, but ant just isn't quite ready to go to sleep yet. Shee does all the one person activities that she can think of, but finally decides to see if Bee is up to one last visit. Bee doesn't answer her phone, so Ant braves the weather and heads to her house. Once there, she  finds a strange sign on the door that says "eep  ot" which she thinks is French or Spanish for come on in. When Ant enters, she finds Bee a bit on the grumpy side. Ant suggests Bee is just hungry, so the two make an extraordinary sandwich and them settle down for a long winter nap together. You really need to check out this book for yourself, if for no other reason then to see what all goes into the unique sandwich.

 

 

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


The Unexpected Can Cure Cabin Fever

As many of you know, I live in a part of the country that has been experiencing an unusually cold and snow filled winter. So it is no surprise that extended periods of not being able to leave our home created feelings of cabin fever. Blessedly, this past weekend we had one beautiful, sunny, day where the temperature reached fifty degrees.

Since my husband had a small matter of business to take care of in a town about an hour and a half away, we decided to make a day of it. We started with a wonderful breakfast of French toast that my daughter claimed was fluffy just like she likes it. Then, I packed a picnic lunch for us to take along which included my delicious chicken salad sandwiches.

Our plan was to do some Geocaching after my husband had concluded his business. For those of you who might not be familiar with  Geocaching, it is basically a very large outdoor scavenger hunt. The caches, which very in size from micros to large containers which hold swag for trading, are found by using latitude and longitude coordinates. To learn m ore about geocaching you can visit the official Geocaching site.

Soon we set off on our adventure, and little did we know, what unexpected treasures we would find. The first unexpected treasure we found was a small country church with beautiful stained glass windows. And across the road, a herd of gorgeous Scottish Highlanders.

After we reached our destination and my husband concluded his business, we headed out to find our first cache. It was in a small cemetery. We admired the worn stones as we searched, and we thought about the lives of those who rested beneath our feet. Once we had found our cache, we had an in-the-car picnic. We found four caches altogether, we saw deer, soaring hawks, a deceased coyote, and learned a little bit about Ohio History. It was a splendid day full of unexpected moments that definitely helped cure our cabin fever.

Although the next day was once again overcast and left a dusting of snow on our yard and driveway, two more unexpected treasures presented themselves to me in the form of the books I read for this weeks review.

The first book I read was Three Pebbles And A Song by Eileen Spinelli. This book is a beautifully written story of a mouse family getting ready for winter's approach. Mama mouse, Papa mouse, and Moses's sister, Missy, all tell him he should be gathering warm things and food. But as Moses sings, dances, and juggles the day away, snow arrives before he can collect anything but three small pebbles. When Moses arrives at his home, Mama has gathered crumbs, Papa has gathered rags for their beds, and Missy has gathered raisons. The only one who hasn't brought anything of value home is Moses. Or has he?

 

The second book I read was Big Week  For Little Mouse by Eugenie Fernandes. The illustrations by Kim Fernandes alone would make this book worth reading. They are three dimensional clay works of art! The story itself was delightful to, however, as we followed the busy week Mouse has as she get's ready for her birthday party. It was unintentional that both of this weeks books were about mice, but if you love mice, then these books are definitely worth checking out.

 

 

 

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.



A Soup And Book Kind Of Day!

At our house, I frequently make soup. I make soup all year round, although this winter I have probably made a little extra soup to see us through all the cold days. My daughter's favorite soup is cheesy potato soup with ham, and I can hardly blame her. After all who can resist the delightful combination of cheese, ham, and potatoes simmering together in a milky broth?

So of course when I made a recent trip to the library for some new books to review, The Cat Who Liked Potato Soup by Terry Farish immediately caught my eye. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story as much as I enjoy soup. It's not that it was a bad story mind you, it's just that it didn't touch me like many other books have. To begin with, it is written with some very Southern vernacular and it seemed a semi-depressing story to me. The lonely old man and his cat seem happy enough together until a misunderstanding causes them to be separated temporarily. In the end, they do reunite and have some soup, but I still felt uninspired.

But the beautiful thing about books and soup, is the fact that there are so many to choose from and no two persons tastes are the same. So although this book did not turn out to be one of my favorites, I encourage you to check it out for yourselves. Perhaps it will be just right for you! And perhaps you will make some soup to eat after you are done reading!

Potato Soup

 

8 cups milk

8 large potatoes peeled and cubed

1 jar cheese dip

1 TBS onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

2 cups cooked, cubed ham

box of instant potaoes

Boil potatoes and set aside.  In large soup pot pour milk and cook on medium heat. Add seasonings and cheese. Stir continually until cheese is completely melted. Once cheese is melted add 1/2 box of instant potatoes and stir thoroughly. Finish by adding ham and potato cubes. Simmer until broth begins to thicken slightly. If broth becomes too thick just add extra milk.

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


Birthdays and Black History

Because of all the snow and cold we've had of late, we had to cancel Emily's birthday party and reschedule it for a later date. After much waiting, we were finally able to celebrate this past weekend. Normally I make some kind of a fancy cake or cupcakes for the occasion, but this year I opted for the easy route and bought cupcakes.

I was a good mother, however, and did have crafts and party games prepared for her Lisa Frank theme. The kids all decorated treat bags, played Lisa Frank Bingo which I made at Eslactivities, guessed how many candy kisses were in a mason jar, tried to remember what twelve items were in a box they viewed for six seconds, and played hot potato.

The party was great! The birthday celebration successfully accomplished, I was free to celebrate black history month with two very interesting books. Although both books were fictitious, they were based on historical events that actually occurred in many places.

The first book I read was Ruth And The Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey. It is the story of a young girl named Ruth who is traveling with her parents from Chicago to Rural Alabama in the 1950's to visit her grandmother. Many times they stop for gas, food, or an overnight stay and are turned away because they are negroes. Finally they stop at a gas station where the kindly attendant sells them a Green Book. The Green Book shows them friendly gas stations, hotels, and restaurants that serve traveling persons of color.

I can only imagine the frustration, anger, and feelings of helplessness those families of the fifties felt, and although my family is white, I want Emily to know of the struggles and unfairness suffered by others. It is my hope, that by sharing with her stories such as Ruth And The Green Book, she will learn to treat people with respect no matter what color they might be.

The second book I read was Light In The Darkness by Lisa Cline-Ransome. It is the story of how slaves learned to read in secret. This tale is of a girl named Rosa and her mother who must sneak out at night and walk far into the forest. Their destination__ deep pits hidden by sticks and twigs where a learned slave would pass on his knowledge of letters and words. The danger of being caught by patrols or being beaten if the master found out they knew their letters did not deter Rosa from seeking out the light that knowledge would surely bring.

Both of these books are excellent representations of  darker parts of our American history. Both of these books are excellent choices for celebrating Black History Month. And both of these books are good reminders of  the indomitable spirit of persecuted persons who fought against the odds.

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.


It's Still Cold...

I'm sure you are all aware that it is still EXTREMELY cold out there. So cold, in fact, that last week some unusual visitors showed up at our bird feeder to scavenge for seeds.

There weren't many seeds on the ground, so that afternoon I took a small bowl out and set it underneath the feeder just in case our friends came back. Only one duck came back the next day, but I enjoyed watching him fill his little belly. Unfortunately for him, a tiny squirrel that had helped himself to seeds earlier that morning was in a  less generous mood.

I watched the tiny squirrel hop across the yard, creep up our small tree so he could have a better view, and crawl back down again. What he did next totally took me by surprise though. That little squirrel charged that duck and leapt on him like some kind of a ferocious beast. Needless to say the duck was a bit surprised. Okay, he was a lot surprised. Until then, I had not realized how high a duck could jump straight up into the air. It was one of those moments where you really wish you had camcorder instantly in your hand.

Since school continued to be canceled, Emily and I filled our time with other things like baking rolls and playing boggle. And it goes with our saying that books were read!

In honor of the continued cold and snow, we read a delightful book called The Night The Moon Blew Kisses. Although no longer in print, this book is worth hunting down a used copy or seeing if your library owns it. Short, sweet, and beautifully written, it is the story of a grandmother and her grand-daughter taking a moonlit stroll. The grand-daughter blows the moon kisses and in return, the moon blows some back. The art work reminded me of Vincent Van Gogh's A Starry Night, dark but lovely.

We also read Birthday Pony.  Grandma Aggie bought Jane a Pony for her birthday. Unfortunately, the pony, named Popcorn, has been spoiled for far too long, and Jane can't get him to obey commands. Can lessons in good manners and riding skills help both to learn to enjoy the ride? Emily and I both enjoyed this simple story and think it would be great for kids in first through third.

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 soon to be released sequel, Return To Fern Valley, coming summer of 2014! I'm also on twitter @AileenWStewart if you want an extremely brief glimpse into my days.