Aileen Stewart's Blog, page 4
October 22, 2018
Kid Lit Family
I didn't post last Monday, so this week you get a double dose of what I've been doing. The reason there was no article last week was because I didn't arrive home until late Sunday evening, and Sunday is the day I usually write my blog. Why did I arrive home so late, you ask. Because I had just spent a wonderful weekend at the home of one of my literary besties in the Tennesseee Smokies.
The generous, talented, and hostess extraordinaire, Debbie Dadey, writer of The Baily School Kids series and The Mermaid Tales, had invited me and three other ladies to her home for a writing retreat. We ate, we took pictures, we wrote, we shared, we critiqued, and had more fun than five squirrels in a sack full of acorns.
I already knew Stephanie Faris and Molly McCaffrey from the Southern Kentucky Book Festival, so it was great to hang out and catch up. But in addition, I had the pleasure of getting to know Rinda Beach, former teacher and pre-published picture book author. It was a melding of YA, Middle Grade, and Picture Book talk that weekend. It was a weekend of bliss.
I took my tripod, in the hopes of getting a group shot for my memory scrapbook, which I did. As I set up, Molly mentioned that she felt like we were posing for a family photo, and in a way she was right. We are a literary family, a tribe, a community, or whatever you want to call a group of people with something in common who chose to focus on similarities and support each other.
I spent this past weekend in a similar vein. I took Emily to a craft fair in Reynoldsburg, Ohio where we shared a table with another of my literary besties, Deborah Boerema, author of one of my favorite Christmas stories, The Inn Keepers Dog. Deb and I only get to visit a few times a year, so I treasure every moment. I bring lunch. She brings dessert. And we talk about all things bookish and life in general.
So this week when I snagged two books from my library book pile, it was fun to see that one was about friends full of imagination and the other was about a book monster. The first, Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors, was a fun and wordier than normal picture book. By wordier than normal I mean longer than the current 300 to 500 hundred word industry standard. And you know what? I love longer picture books with a meaty story line.
Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog are trying to decide what to do. Buddy is all set to nap, but Earl uses his imagination to take them on a super hero journey which leads them into the neighbors yard where they meet two new occupants, Mister the bulldog and Snowflake the cat. The four have an adventure of imaginary proportions, advert disaster, and in the end, Buddy finally gets that nap. This book would be a great classroom read aloud leaving room for fun discussions on super heroes, imagination, and friendship.
The second book, Nibbles the Book Monster, blew me away. Full of interactive flaps and cut-outs, this book took me on a journey that followed a book nibbling monster who escaped from his own book and ended up in many other stories where he wreaked havoc. Every page was as delightful as the last and would surely be right for boys and girls from five to eight.
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 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.
The generous, talented, and hostess extraordinaire, Debbie Dadey, writer of The Baily School Kids series and The Mermaid Tales, had invited me and three other ladies to her home for a writing retreat. We ate, we took pictures, we wrote, we shared, we critiqued, and had more fun than five squirrels in a sack full of acorns.
I already knew Stephanie Faris and Molly McCaffrey from the Southern Kentucky Book Festival, so it was great to hang out and catch up. But in addition, I had the pleasure of getting to know Rinda Beach, former teacher and pre-published picture book author. It was a melding of YA, Middle Grade, and Picture Book talk that weekend. It was a weekend of bliss.
I took my tripod, in the hopes of getting a group shot for my memory scrapbook, which I did. As I set up, Molly mentioned that she felt like we were posing for a family photo, and in a way she was right. We are a literary family, a tribe, a community, or whatever you want to call a group of people with something in common who chose to focus on similarities and support each other.
I spent this past weekend in a similar vein. I took Emily to a craft fair in Reynoldsburg, Ohio where we shared a table with another of my literary besties, Deborah Boerema, author of one of my favorite Christmas stories, The Inn Keepers Dog. Deb and I only get to visit a few times a year, so I treasure every moment. I bring lunch. She brings dessert. And we talk about all things bookish and life in general.
So this week when I snagged two books from my library book pile, it was fun to see that one was about friends full of imagination and the other was about a book monster. The first, Buddy and Earl Meet the Neighbors, was a fun and wordier than normal picture book. By wordier than normal I mean longer than the current 300 to 500 hundred word industry standard. And you know what? I love longer picture books with a meaty story line.
Buddy the dog and Earl the hedgehog are trying to decide what to do. Buddy is all set to nap, but Earl uses his imagination to take them on a super hero journey which leads them into the neighbors yard where they meet two new occupants, Mister the bulldog and Snowflake the cat. The four have an adventure of imaginary proportions, advert disaster, and in the end, Buddy finally gets that nap. This book would be a great classroom read aloud leaving room for fun discussions on super heroes, imagination, and friendship.
The second book, Nibbles the Book Monster, blew me away. Full of interactive flaps and cut-outs, this book took me on a journey that followed a book nibbling monster who escaped from his own book and ended up in many other stories where he wreaked havoc. Every page was as delightful as the last and would surely be right for boys and girls from five to eight.
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 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.
October 8, 2018
Making New Friends and Alliteration
Hey everyone. I hope the week past left everyone full of joy and energy. I attended a library author event in Fremont, Ohio this past week which was hosted by the Birchard Library. I generally don't sell many books at library events, but I love to visit and talk shop with other writers. I also didn't notice that I was standing under a sign for "Best Sellers". Maybe it's a sign of things to come, lol.
And along the way, I made some new friends like Holly Leemaster from the circulation desk who recently published a book of poetry.
There was Cas Miller, homeschool champion, steam punk dresser-upper, and author.
There was Sally Snyder author of children's books.
And there was Robert J Roman who just happened to be from the neighboring town of Mansfield.
But all this camaraderie didn't make me forget to grab a book from my library pile for review. And this week's review is an outstanding offering full of Onomatopoeia called Wodney Wat's Wobot. Rodney Rat has a problem pronouncing his r's and they all come out sounding like w's until he receives a robot for his birthday. Much to his surprise, Rodney's robot repeats everything he says but with r's in all the right places. Even more surprising is how Rodney uses h is robot to scare the school bully into leaving the school for good.
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 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.
And along the way, I made some new friends like Holly Leemaster from the circulation desk who recently published a book of poetry.
There was Cas Miller, homeschool champion, steam punk dresser-upper, and author.
There was Sally Snyder author of children's books.
And there was Robert J Roman who just happened to be from the neighboring town of Mansfield.
But all this camaraderie didn't make me forget to grab a book from my library pile for review. And this week's review is an outstanding offering full of Onomatopoeia called Wodney Wat's Wobot. Rodney Rat has a problem pronouncing his r's and they all come out sounding like w's until he receives a robot for his birthday. Much to his surprise, Rodney's robot repeats everything he says but with r's in all the right places. Even more surprising is how Rodney uses h is robot to scare the school bully into leaving the school for good.
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 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.
October 1, 2018
Library Love
This past week I made an apple pie, went to my monthly Library Board of Trustee Meeting, and changed out the children's display case at my local library. The first was delicious, the second a fruitful endeavor, and the third creatively satisfying. Creating displays about reading is almost as fun as writing.
So when I checked my "to read" pile this week I was overjoyed to find two books about libraries and library books. The first book, The New Librearian, took me to an imaginative library where the librarian went missing and the children hunt for her. But instead of their favorite librarian, they find a new roaring, growling, stomping liBEARian. Hillarity ensues until the real librarian shows u p and restores story time to order.
The second book, The Library Book, told the tale of a young girl's trip to the library one rainy morning. As she tries to decide which book to check out, the characters from great classics come to life and beg to be taken home.
Both these books would make great reads for the five to eight crowd. So run to your library to check them out. And if your library doesn't have them yet, be sure to ask your librarian to order them!
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 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.
So when I checked my "to read" pile this week I was overjoyed to find two books about libraries and library books. The first book, The New Librearian, took me to an imaginative library where the librarian went missing and the children hunt for her. But instead of their favorite librarian, they find a new roaring, growling, stomping liBEARian. Hillarity ensues until the real librarian shows u p and restores story time to order.
The second book, The Library Book, told the tale of a young girl's trip to the library one rainy morning. As she tries to decide which book to check out, the characters from great classics come to life and beg to be taken home.
Both these books would make great reads for the five to eight crowd. So run to your library to check them out. And if your library doesn't have them yet, be sure to ask your librarian to order them!
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 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.
September 24, 2018
A Birthday Celebration and A Mustard Seed
This past Friday, Bobby, Emily, and I traveled to Kentucky to celebrate his aunt's 85th birthday. His sister also drove his mother down from Ohio, so she too could share in her sister's mile stone. It started out as a lovely weekend. Bobby's cousin put us up, his aunt was pleasantly surprised at all the unexpected guests, and his cousin went all out cooking us a fabulous dinner. Saturday was to be the bigger party with family and friends, but part way through the day, my mother-in-law had a stroke.
Thankfully, the Good Lord had a plan, and my sister-in-law noticed right away and took her to the emergency room. Bobby, who had been on his way home from a car show with his cousin's husband, were able to meet them at the hospital, and the rest of us showed up shortly after sending the party guests home.
As we sat in the waiting room, I prayed that the Lord would have mercy on us and not take Emily's only remaining grandparent home. Finally, after what seemed like an infinitely long time, they told us that it had been a mild stroke, and she was already recovering.
And wouldn't you know that when we arrived home and I checked my book pile for something to review, I found a beautiful book titled The Marvelous Mustard Seed which described how God's Kingdom is like a tiny mustard seed that is barely noticeable at first but with a little watering turns into a huge mustard tree that is unable to be missed.
So as I sit here thinking about God's plan for us, I can see that the small and unnoticeable fact that my mother-in-law decided to travel, a woman who hasn't traveled to see her sister in over three years because of other health issues and would normally have been sitting home alone on a Saturday, was put in motion by him. Because she chose to make the trip, she was with family who helped her get immediate attention, and she is still here with us!
P. S. We did manage to still celebrate with Bobby's Aunt even though it turned out to be just family.
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 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.
September 17, 2018
The Best Mother
For all you mothers out there who know the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and roller coaster ride of motherhood, I salute you. Emily turned thirteen this year and it has involved lots of time spent in her room, eye rolls, and, "whatevers." In addition, it has involved offers to help around the house, thank-yous for taking her to a multitude of parties and events, and "mom I need a hug" comments.
She has also started to show a maturity formerly not shown, so I have been able to leave her at home to work on her school work by herself. I have also been able to get her to do work on the evenings and weekends without complaint. This past weekend was such an occasion. I left her with instruction to work on history and health, while I attended the SCBWI Ohio North Conference, so that she can forgo a day of school next Friday when we travel to Kentucky to celebrate her Great Aunt Zella's 85th birthday.
The conference was fantastic, I attended wonderfully informative sessions, caught up with friends, and left rejuvenated and ready to go back to the laundry, household chores, and my beautiful, funny, complicated teen.
So when it came time to grab the last book in my reading pile this week, I had to smile. Why? Because it was a book titled The Best Mother. The Best Mother is a tale of a girl who is unhappy with the mother she has and wishes to find a new mother that will give her own way all of the time. She believes she will find this new mother at either the park, the toy store, or the zoo. She questions many mothers only to find in the end that her old mother is really the best mother for her.
And you know what? I know that I am the best mother for Emily. I was not put on this earth to make her happy. I was put on this earth to teach her right from wrong, to teach her about faith, to help her build her self esteem, to know she is loved, to expand her mind, to think for herself, to keep her safe, to learn how to make good choices, and so much more. And one day when she is a kind, compassionate, intelligent, productive part of society, she too will know I was the best mother.
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 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.
She has also started to show a maturity formerly not shown, so I have been able to leave her at home to work on her school work by herself. I have also been able to get her to do work on the evenings and weekends without complaint. This past weekend was such an occasion. I left her with instruction to work on history and health, while I attended the SCBWI Ohio North Conference, so that she can forgo a day of school next Friday when we travel to Kentucky to celebrate her Great Aunt Zella's 85th birthday.
The conference was fantastic, I attended wonderfully informative sessions, caught up with friends, and left rejuvenated and ready to go back to the laundry, household chores, and my beautiful, funny, complicated teen.
So when it came time to grab the last book in my reading pile this week, I had to smile. Why? Because it was a book titled The Best Mother. The Best Mother is a tale of a girl who is unhappy with the mother she has and wishes to find a new mother that will give her own way all of the time. She believes she will find this new mother at either the park, the toy store, or the zoo. She questions many mothers only to find in the end that her old mother is really the best mother for her.
And you know what? I know that I am the best mother for Emily. I was not put on this earth to make her happy. I was put on this earth to teach her right from wrong, to teach her about faith, to help her build her self esteem, to know she is loved, to expand her mind, to think for herself, to keep her safe, to learn how to make good choices, and so much more. And one day when she is a kind, compassionate, intelligent, productive part of society, she too will know I was the best mother.
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 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.
September 10, 2018
Accomplishments
This past week was a busy one, but we got a lot accomplished at the Stewart house. I spent two days canning peaches for winter and Christmas gifts, we worked hard on school work, and Bobby placed the last piece of trim in our basement remodel. After the flood of '07, our finished basement had to be torn out and a water proof system put in. For one reason or another, it took us eleven years to get it put back together, but now it's done except for carpet on the stairs. You can't imagine my joy at finally being able to put out my beloved book mementos. Books by friends, items from book fairs attended, and other assorted bric-a-brac.
I also read two fun books. The first book, The Big Bug Ball, is quite old, but worth checking to see if your library has a copy. Told in imple rhyme, it is the story of bugs of every kind and the big dance they attend. The poor little sow bug is nervous about the event because she can't dance, but in the end, all turns out well. If your library doesn't have a coy, but you'd like to add it to your own collection, you might find a used copy on Amazon.
The second book I read just came out this year and while sparse on words, it is big on fun. How to Grow a Dinosaur is a perfect book for youngsters with a new sibling on the way. It explains how important the role of older brother or sister is and how an older is crucial to raising or growing a good younger.
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 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.
I also read two fun books. The first book, The Big Bug Ball, is quite old, but worth checking to see if your library has a copy. Told in imple rhyme, it is the story of bugs of every kind and the big dance they attend. The poor little sow bug is nervous about the event because she can't dance, but in the end, all turns out well. If your library doesn't have a coy, but you'd like to add it to your own collection, you might find a used copy on Amazon.
The second book I read just came out this year and while sparse on words, it is big on fun. How to Grow a Dinosaur is a perfect book for youngsters with a new sibling on the way. It explains how important the role of older brother or sister is and how an older is crucial to raising or growing a good younger.
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 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.
September 3, 2018
End of One Thing Beginning of an Other
Hey everyone. I hope this holiday Monday finds you all well. Over the past weekend Emily and I wrapped up the Farmers' Market Season with a vendors' picnic. We had enough food to feed an army and lots of fun. Besides providing the hot dogs and buns, I took orzo salad and Water Gate salad. For those of you who have never heard of Water Gate salad, it is a beautiful and light dessert which is quick and easy to make.
Water Gate Salad
2 boxes instant pistachio pudding2 containers whipped topping2 cans crushed pineapple2 cups miniature marshmallows1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
In a large bowl mix whipped topping and dry pudding mix. Once the pudding is thoroughly mixed in, add both cans of pineapple juice and all. Lastly, stir in marshmallows and nuts. The mix will be a little thin but once it is chilled for an hour or two it will thicken back up and have the consistency of mousse.
Emily and I also have a solid week of home schooling behind us now, and it went well. She is loving Spanish which we are doing online through Duolingo. I assign her 75 points of homework a day, but she is going above and beyond and doing 100 plus points. For a child not usually self motivated, this is a wonderful thing.
And I wrapped the week up with two books perfect for back to school. The first was Sounds All Around a 1st level Science Let's Read Aloud Book. The books is wonderful right from the start with fun end papers worth looking at for more than a second, to the highlighted vocabulary words describing sounds and the body parts we use to create those sounds and those used to hear those sounds, illustrations that help carry the story along, and fun activities to wrap things up. While good for any child, this book would be especially nice for young home schoolers.
The second book I read was Over On A Mountain Somewhere in the World which takes the reader through each continent. Pay special attention to the illustrations by Jill Dubin who created these wonderful works of art from textured papers. This story involves counting and the story can be sung to the tune of "Over in the Meadow" which makes it a perfect book for pre-schoolers.
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 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.
Water Gate Salad
2 boxes instant pistachio pudding2 containers whipped topping2 cans crushed pineapple2 cups miniature marshmallows1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
In a large bowl mix whipped topping and dry pudding mix. Once the pudding is thoroughly mixed in, add both cans of pineapple juice and all. Lastly, stir in marshmallows and nuts. The mix will be a little thin but once it is chilled for an hour or two it will thicken back up and have the consistency of mousse.
Emily and I also have a solid week of home schooling behind us now, and it went well. She is loving Spanish which we are doing online through Duolingo. I assign her 75 points of homework a day, but she is going above and beyond and doing 100 plus points. For a child not usually self motivated, this is a wonderful thing.
And I wrapped the week up with two books perfect for back to school. The first was Sounds All Around a 1st level Science Let's Read Aloud Book. The books is wonderful right from the start with fun end papers worth looking at for more than a second, to the highlighted vocabulary words describing sounds and the body parts we use to create those sounds and those used to hear those sounds, illustrations that help carry the story along, and fun activities to wrap things up. While good for any child, this book would be especially nice for young home schoolers.
The second book I read was Over On A Mountain Somewhere in the World which takes the reader through each continent. Pay special attention to the illustrations by Jill Dubin who created these wonderful works of art from textured papers. This story involves counting and the story can be sung to the tune of "Over in the Meadow" which makes it a perfect book for pre-schoolers.
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 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.
August 27, 2018
I'm Back!
Hey everyone. I'm back from my short hiatus, Emily and I are back to home schooling, and boy does it seem like the time has just flown by. As I look back, I am amazed at just how many special moments we enjoyed this summer, and I feel blessed.
We went camping with family at Shawnee Park Lodge in West Portsmouth, Ohio which I highly recommend if you are looking for a weekend get-away. We stayed in the rental cabins, but the lodge rooms looked fantastic as well. They have a fantastic restaurant and both an indoor and outdoor pool.
We enjoyed local fireworks.
We went to our state fair for the very first time and saw all manner of interesting things including a cow made of butter.
We went to our county fair where we saw all manner of farm animals, ran into a friend of Emily's, and stayed til dark.
We went to Zoombezie Bay Water Park and took a friend of Emily's along.
And we got together with a few of our neighbors and hosted a block party for people from the surrounding neighborhoods. It was a huge success and about eighty people give or take attended.
But now it's time to get back into the routine and to get started, I popped over to my local library to grab a few good books. Needless to say, I was surprised and extremely pleased to see Ocean Meets Sky in the new book section. Ocean Meets Sky is an incredible book by the fantastically talented Fan brothers and creators of another book I love titled, The Night Garden. The illustrations have to be seen to be believed as they are so beautiful, and the story of a boy's imagination helping him to remember the grandfather he loved and lost is every bit as endearing. If you haven't discovered Eric and Terry's work yet, I suggest you run to the nearest library immediately!
I also read The Party and Other Stories over the weekend. It is a book about Fox and Chick written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Short and sweet and set up in the graphic (comic strip box) style, this book shows that friends aren't always perfect, but that doesn't have to get in the way of friendship.
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 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.
We went camping with family at Shawnee Park Lodge in West Portsmouth, Ohio which I highly recommend if you are looking for a weekend get-away. We stayed in the rental cabins, but the lodge rooms looked fantastic as well. They have a fantastic restaurant and both an indoor and outdoor pool.
We enjoyed local fireworks.
We went to our state fair for the very first time and saw all manner of interesting things including a cow made of butter.
We went to our county fair where we saw all manner of farm animals, ran into a friend of Emily's, and stayed til dark.
We went to Zoombezie Bay Water Park and took a friend of Emily's along.
And we got together with a few of our neighbors and hosted a block party for people from the surrounding neighborhoods. It was a huge success and about eighty people give or take attended.
But now it's time to get back into the routine and to get started, I popped over to my local library to grab a few good books. Needless to say, I was surprised and extremely pleased to see Ocean Meets Sky in the new book section. Ocean Meets Sky is an incredible book by the fantastically talented Fan brothers and creators of another book I love titled, The Night Garden. The illustrations have to be seen to be believed as they are so beautiful, and the story of a boy's imagination helping him to remember the grandfather he loved and lost is every bit as endearing. If you haven't discovered Eric and Terry's work yet, I suggest you run to the nearest library immediately!
I also read The Party and Other Stories over the weekend. It is a book about Fox and Chick written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. Short and sweet and set up in the graphic (comic strip box) style, this book shows that friends aren't always perfect, but that doesn't have to get in the way of friendship.
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 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.
June 18, 2018
Taking A Short Hiatus
Just a few short hours after my Monday Blog post went out into the world, my brother-in-law John went to meet his maker. My heart is heavy for my sister-in-law and my nephews and I regret the loss they must now bear. John was a kind and musical man, but most of all, he was a man who held a deep unshakable belief in his Heavenly Father. He smiled repeatedly when we saw him last not afraid of death. His only concern was for those who he knew would grieve his passing. John is the only relative Emily would play the piano for without hesitation when asked. He was a good friend to Bobby. He readily accepted me into the family from day one. He will be missed more than words can express. For this reason I have decided to take a few weeks hiatus from my book reviewing. Thank you so very much for having followed me on my reading journey thus far and I look forward to posting again in the near future.
Aileen Stewart
Uncle John with Emily and his Grandson Cole when they were small
Aileen Stewart
Uncle John with Emily and his Grandson Cole when they were smallA Difficult Week
This past week has been quite difficult. My mother-in-law was in the hospital and hospice was called in for my brother-in-law, John. Despite these difficulties, I was able to find comfort in the facts that my mother-in-law is now home recovering and we were able to visit with John right before he left the rest home and opted for hospice.
I have always admired John for his loving spirit, his musical talent, and above all, his complete faith in an unseen Heavenly Father. This is a faith shared by my husband, daughter and I as well as our family. It is the reason that John, despite incredible pain and weakness of body, smiled at us the entire time we visited him. It is the reason for the unexplainable peace he had about dying. And the belief that we will one day see him again makes the loss that we are going to soon experience a bit more endurable.
Unfortunately these events meant I was unable to visit the library and gather a new stack of books to review, but I am put in mind of a wonderful book by a friend of mine that explains the concept of life and death to children. It is entitled The Life of Bud and is the story of a leaf from formation to falling from the tree.
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 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.
I have always admired John for his loving spirit, his musical talent, and above all, his complete faith in an unseen Heavenly Father. This is a faith shared by my husband, daughter and I as well as our family. It is the reason that John, despite incredible pain and weakness of body, smiled at us the entire time we visited him. It is the reason for the unexplainable peace he had about dying. And the belief that we will one day see him again makes the loss that we are going to soon experience a bit more endurable.
Unfortunately these events meant I was unable to visit the library and gather a new stack of books to review, but I am put in mind of a wonderful book by a friend of mine that explains the concept of life and death to children. It is entitled The Life of Bud and is the story of a leaf from formation to falling from the tree.
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 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.
