Aileen Stewart's Blog, page 19

Be a Literacy Cheerleader.

Mere days into the new year and I have already accomplished quite a bit. I have put away all the Christmas decoration and trees (although I left up the snowmen for winter), I have purchased lots of clearance Christmas wrapping paper and bows, and I have done the laundry, entered all my tax information into my spreadsheets, and I have started reading a collection of devotions that I promised to review.


I have also renewed my commitment to being a cheerleader for fellow authors and illustrators. Last year on Twitter, I started using the hash tag #WhoAreYouCheeringFor along with a picture snagged from Amazon and the twitter handle of an author or illustrator I was following. The idea was that if authors, illustrators, and kidlit enthusiasts all started doing the same, it would encourage literary artists and expand the range of who sees and hears about their great books.

Not that many people joined me in my endeavor, and I became lax in keeping it up myself; but I am going to give it another go in this fresh new year. I would also like to encourage you all to do the same. It only takes a few minutes to save a picture from Amazon to your computer and then add it to Twitter and an additional few minutes to type your tweet including the above mentioned hashtag. Five or ten minutes of your time, and yet it means the world to an author or illustrator. So please join me in being a Literacy Cheerleader and enjoy these authors who were my first three #WhoAreYouFollowing recipients of 2016!

Paul Czjak



Ben Woodard



Melinda Kinsman


Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me 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.

Year End Recap And My Favorite Books of 2015

All of our Christmas celebrations our now over and the year is quickly coming to a close. And of course, that causes reflection of the past year, a reliving of the special moments that made 2015 great. Like the really cool center piece I made for the Falmin' Hot Breakfast.



Or spending the afternoon with the kids in the After School Program in the town where I grew up which was sadly the last time as the program is now shut down.



Hanging out at author fairs and laughing it up on air.




Camping with my family.











 
Having fun at the fair.







Running the Shelby Farm Market and attending Cook Book Club with Emily.





Day trips with the family.






 






Road trippin' with my girl and hangin' with my story sister.





Christmas performances, homemade gifts, cookies, and balloon fun.




 






So many good memories and so many great books as well. And without further ado, here are my favorite reads of 2015 in no particular order.
  






























And my all time favorite, number one, brilliant, most incredible, the author was a genious book of the year? Drum roll if you please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Join me in the New Year 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.

Christmas, Cookies, and an Assortment of Bear Books!

I love December and all that it entails. I love celebrating the birth of my Lord and Savior. I love watching A Charlie Brown Christmas for the upteenth time. I love wrapping presents. I love that my family gets to spend two entire weeks together with no school or work. And I love to bake cookies. Lots and Lots of cookies. 

There were my old standbys like Swedish Butter Cookies, Raspberry Cookies, and Date Nut Pinwheels also known as Railroad cookies because railroaders would take them in their lunch pails. In addition, this year I tried several new recipes. I made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Bun Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cookies, and Italian Ricotta Cookies. Not everything turned out quite how I expected, but it was still a fun experience. The ricotta cookies were iced with sprinkles and looked gorgeous when they dried, however, when I placed them in airtight containers, the moisture in the cookie made the glaze turn gooey like day old donuts. This of course made me fearful to glaze the oatmeal and cinnamon cookies, but thankfully they tasted divine without glaze. I do have to say though, that the chocolate cookies were the absolute best ever.

 
I had quite an assortment of cookies and so I thought I would share an assortment of bear books this week. I'm not sure why, but I do love bears. I have various bear figurines and stuffed bears, some from as far back as my childhood (I know, that is scary old) and some of my favorite childhood books are about bears. So below is my list of  really great bear books both old and new. Enjoy and have a very Merry Christmas!











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.

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.

Huddled Around the Stable Door As the Star Shone Bright That Night!

Recently I saw the most interesting contest on Miss Susanna Leonard Hill's site that asked submitters to write a short story with the theme Rocking Around The Christmas Tree At the Christmas Party Hop or a similar sounding theme. I chose a religious Christmas theme and thought I would share it below for everyone to enjoy. It is also a requirement for the contest. Best wishes to all who are entering!




Huddled Around the Stable Door As the Star Shone Bright That Night
By Aileen Stewart
Huddled around the stable door as the star shone bright that night were a bunch of rugged shepherd men with staffs held oh so tight.
Just hours before they’d laughed and wandered gathering all the sheep keeping them safe from harm and hurt and out of ditches deep.
They’d stood on hills in dark of night when all was still and quiet until the sky lit up with beings enough to start a riot.
Heavenly hosts in all their glory proclaiming a new born child, a savior, a king, a son foretold whose countenance was meek and mild.
They marveled at how the tiny babe lying in the manger amongst the straw and animals would be a world changer. 
They had no gifts to offer besides the incredible joy at seeing God’s holy word come true with the birth of this baby boy.
The joy inside them grew so strong they knew they had to tell all people everywhere, in town, in meadow, and dell.
But soon the babe, his mom, and dad all packed and went away, leaving the shepherds to ponder that night each and every day.

Huddled Around the Stable Door As the Star Shone Bright That NIght!

Recently I saw the most interesting contest on Miss Susanna Leonard Hill's site that asked submitters to write a short story with the theme Rocking Around The Christmas Tree At the Christmas Party Hop or a similar sounding theme. I chose a religious Christmas theme and thought I would share it below for everyone to enjoy. It is also a requirement for the contest. Best wishes to all who are entering!




Huddled Around the Stable Door As the Star Shone Bright That Night
By Aileen Stewart
Huddled around the stable door as the star shone bright that night were a bunch of rugged shepherd men with staffs held oh so tight.
Just hours before they’d laughed and wandered gathering all the sheep keeping them safe from harm and hurt and out of ditches deep.
They’d stood on hills in dark of night when all was still and quiet until the sky lit up with beings enough to start a riot.
Heavenly hosts in all their glory proclaiming a new born child, a savior, a king, a son foretold whose countenance was meek and mild.
They marveled at how the tiny babe lying in the manger amongst the straw and animals would be a world changer. 
They had no gifts to offer besides the incredible joy at seeing God’s holy word come true with the birth of this baby boy.
The joy inside them grew so strong they knew they had to tell all people everywhere, in town, in meadow, and dell.
But soon the babe, his mom, and dad all packed and went away, leaving the shepherds to ponder that night each and every day.

Not Every Day Is Totally Great And That's Okay!

It's December, Christmas is almost upon us, and the days pass in a scurry of busy activity. Some days are fun snowflake making days, but some days don't turn out as well as we hope. Some days there are harsh words and stubbornness. Some days you drop your frozen fruit on the floor. And some days your book sales are disgustingly dismal.







But the great thing about less then stellar days is the fact that they are just a small piece of the puzzle we call life. The good days, the apologies, the time spent with friends and family make those bad moments seem to disappear. Or they at least make us appreciate the good moments a bit  more.


Amazingly enough, the beautiful Christmas book by Eileen Spinelli titled Together At Christmas shares this same idea. It is a story of ten cold mice who leave their huddle one at a time to find shelter from the storm. Each does indeed find a place of refuge, but in the end they realize something even more important then enjoying a cozy dwelling alone.


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 Deliciously Busy Week

This past week was busy but productive and delicious. Our Thanksgiving celebration started on Wednesday when I made cheesy ham and potato soup to take to my  mother-in-law's house. Ever since my father-in-law passed away she no longer likes to host or attend big family dinners, so I thought it would be nice to stop by and visit her and bring lunch. I also took along some of my famous blueberry banana bread, a recipe that appears in my latest book, Cooking In Fern Valley.


On Thursday, we invited my mother and sister over and we dined on left over soup. We finished up with a new recipe for raspberry bread that I have been dying to try for quite some time. It must have been delicious because my mother asked if I had a spare mini loaf for her to take home. 

Later that evening we stood in line at Wal-Mart to get my mother-in-law a new television since hers died. Normally I wouldn't shop on Thanksgiving, but she needed a television and you can't beat $150.00 for a 40 inch screen. 

Friday I headed back out for my yearly Black Friday shopping and was pleasantly surprised to find virtually no one our and about. I easily found everything I wanted and was home before 9:00am. This certainly had to be a record for me. It worked out well because a fellow author and friend emailed and said she was going to be in the area, so I invited them over for coffee and zucchini bread. Can you tell quick breads are my go to recipe? I did make pie as well, but that was for Saturday.



On Saturday we celebrated our Thanksgiving at my brother's new house. This is the first time in many, many years that I did not host Thanksgiving, and I have to say it was kind of nice not to have to worry about dishes or clean up. We also managed to get a family picture taken.


On Sunday, I caught up on my laundry, dishes, bathroom cleaning, some writing, and we even got the Christmas tree up and lighted but no ornaments yet. And of course, I read a bit because this is my Monday Kidlit Book Review after all.

I read two fun books. The first was called Froggy Is The Best and told the tale of a small forg trying to figure out what he was the best at. It took him a while, but he did not give up until he figured out what it was at which he excelled. This book is great for readers who are just beyond the beginning reading level but not quite in the chapter book range yet. And it is totally encouraging to know that if we just keep trying things we will eventually find what we are good at and what we love.


The second book was called The Cuddle Book. It starts with__Everybody likes a good cuddle. I find this to be true and so it was a joy to read this book. When reading you see how all kinds of animals cuddle but in the end who cuddles best of all?

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.

Reporter Style

As you all know, Emily and I took a recent road trip and attended the Central Massachusetts Children's Book Festival. One of her assignments was to chose an author and interview them. Once home, she assembled her notes and turned them into a newspaper article in a pretend newspaper. I'm probably a bit biased, but I was really pleased with how well her assignment turned out.

I bet her chosen author, Paul Czajak, will be quite pleased as well. Paul was the author next to me and was quite kind to Emily.


Emily said she loved this book, so if you are looking for a great new read for your kids or an awesome Christmas gift idea, be sure to check out Monster Needs His Sleep! If you want to read Emily's article click here.

What I'm Thankful For!

Can you believe this week is Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner? I look back and I wonder where this year has gone as I hit the round of Craft Fairs with one of my besties. Her name is Deb Bence Boerema and she is the author of my absolute favorite Christmas book, The Innkeeper's Dog. It is a story about Thaniel the Spaniel, the only animal in the stable to miss seeing baby Jesus when he was born. Thaniel starts to feel less then special when he hears the other animals recount what gifts they gave the Christ child, but in the end, he learns that each of us is special and has gifts to offer. 



I first met Deb online when she was looking for fellow Tate authors. As soon as we realized that we only lived an hour and a half away from each other, we knew we had to meet. That was a few years ago, and since then, we have made it a tradition to share tables at three or four craft fairs each fall. Deb and I have a lot in common including being moms to onlies, our faith, our publisher, and most of our outlooks on life. We support and encourage each other in our literary endeavors, and give each other tips and pointers. Deb is the type of friend that could tell me my writing stunk, and I would be asking how to fix it instead of getting upset.

In a field where there are so many disappointments as well as joys, I have been blessed to find a handful of people that I can call my tribe (a phrase Jeff Goins has so aptly coined). So, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful to list Deb as one of the people in my tribe . 

And just this past weekend, we shared a table and had the most marvelous time. As we left, she pointed out that there was a rose bush in front of the school that was still in bloom. Normally by this time in November, roses are just a distant memory, so it was an unexpected surprise. The next day, when I reached for a book to review out of my library pile, I had to smile. Why? Because, the book on top was Mr. Putter and Mr. Tabby Smell The Roses. Sometimes life is full of funny little coincidences.



This book is by Cynthia Rylant, a favorite author of mine ever since I read the Poppleton series to Emily. In the above mentioned book, Mr. Putter and Tabby want to celebrate Mrs. Teaberry's birthday in an extraordinary way because they are so very fond of her. The celebration doesn't go quite as expected though because, try as he might, Mrs. Teaberry's dog Zeke has trouble staying out of trouble. This book is funny and entertaining and the end will surprise you, so be sure to check it out for yourself along with Deb's book!



Well, that about wraps it up for this week but I hope you all have a glorious Thanksgiving! And don't forget to join me next week for another exciting episode, same crazy time, same crazy channel. Or, 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.