April Showers Bring May Flowers…Please!

In this blog for April, a few things you will see:

April – Welcome April 2019!

Paperback books with authors Melinda Kinsman and Julie Gorges.

Ribs, cooked to perfection!

I love you to pieces. (A spring or Easter puzzle card craft.)

Lake Elsinore’s Poppy Paradise with author Julie Gorges

Welcome April 2019!

What a cold and icy winter we had in the Midwest this year. The schools were closed more days than I could count. Poor kids will have to go well into June if we have any more. Snow in April? It’s happened before.

My winter was spent going to the library to stock up on books, then to the store to stock up on food. Stuck home again, until the next decent day to get out to repeat all over again.

So, lots of reading happened this winter. If you are an author or thinking about writing in the future, I have to tell you about one of the best books I came across in the years I’ve been writing. This book has step by step how to get started from beginning to end.

It’s called, “Writing Children’s Books” by Anthony Fredericks.

Here is my 5 star review:

“Writing Children’s Books” by Anthony Fredericks is a must have for all authors writing fiction and non-fiction books. This is one of the best books I’ve seen on the market for how to get started from the beginning to end. Believe me, I think I’ve read them all. Be prepare to do some work as this book walks you through on coming up with ideas, how to put them in place, and detailed pages on how to submit your work to agents and publishers.
Each chapter is filled with easy to follow and practical advice on how to apply techniques.
(I picked up this book at our local library in the new release section.)
Thank you Mr. Fredericks for writing and sharing your wonderful book.

Paperback books

Here in the Midwest, spring can bring beautiful weather, but it also can bring big thunderstorms, and sometimes, tornadoes.

Our author friend, Melinda Kinsman wrote this adorable book, along with an important message to those little ones that fear the storms.

Here is my 5 star review for “Molly Mouse Moves House.”

“What an adorable story author and illustrator, Melinda Kinsman has made for young readers. The illustrations and rhyming text are engaging, bringing a sense of friendship and healing for those that have been through troubled times. Ms. Kinsman has also included further fun and learning on the back pages of this book.”

To find this book and more of Melinda Kinsman’s cute stories, click on the links below.

Ebook

UK Site

US English Print Edition

British English Print Edition

Ribs

With warmer weather, we always look forward to grilling out. As I was preparing this blog for you, it snowed, so we had to move to plan B.

In the oven these went. They were delicious.

• 4 lbs pork ribs, membrane removed (I used St. Louis Style Ribs)
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar (I used the full amount.)
• 2 teaspoons of Liquid Smoke (Divided)
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Paprika
• 1 heaping tablespoon of Garlic Powder
• 2 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce
• Garlic Salt and Pepper
• Directions:
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, shiny side out. Spray with cooking spray.
• Peel off tough membrane that covers the bony side of the ribs. (Good luck. I always have a hard time with this.)
• Lightly season the ribs on both sides with garlic salt and pepper. Rub a teaspoon of liquid smoke on one side, turn and rub the other teaspoon.
• In a medium bowl, combine the light brown sugar, paprika and garlic powder. Apply the rub to both sides of the ribs.
• Lay the ribs on the foil, bone side down. Add a large piece of foil to the top of the ribs, leaving a tented space for the ribs to steam. Crimp edges together.
• Bake in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours or until meat is starting to shrink away from the ends of the bone. (Mine were done at 2 1/2 hours.)
• When done, remove from oven and brush on sauce.
• Broil for 1 or 2 minutes until sauce is cooked on and bubbly

I love you to pieces Spring or Easter card craft

This is such a simple card to make. You could use any shape you want, but I chose an oval shape to represent an egg for Easter.

1. If using markers, cut a heavy piece of card stock in the shape of an oval. A heart shape for a Valentine’s Day card? How cute would that be?
2. Write your message on the back side.
3. Cut in random pieces.
4. Stick in an envelope with a note to surprise your friend or loved one.

I think the note I’ll write will be something like this:

“Oh no, it looks like my card broke in the delivery. I hope it won’t be too “puzzling” to mend it back together to receive this special message.”

Have fun using your imagination.

And last, but not least:

Lake Elsinore’s Poppy Paradise

One day as I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw our author friend, Julie Gorges’s post and it took my breath away. Look at what Julie was lucky to see in her home state, Southern California!

Julie had more to say about her awesome experience:

Julie – “They say it never rains in Southern California – but this year it did in a big way with record-setting rainfall. The result? A “super bloom” with an eye-popping explosion of flowers on hillsides and even in the normally arid desert. These photos were taken in Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore where a poppy paradise drew massive crowds. Tourists from around the world could be seen on the trails enjoying the spectacular sight.”

I’m so glad Julie had this beautiful experience! She has worked so hard these past many years. Her new book about her mother and the trials they went through has touched the hearts of many around the world.

Here is my review on Amazon for “I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia”

5 Stars: An important book for those taking care of patients with Lewy Body Dementia.

“I’m Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia,” written by author Julie Gorges is a gripping story on what it’s like to be the caretaker of her mother that suffered from Lewy Body Dementia.
I highly recommend this book for those that have someone in your life dealing with this terrible disease. You’ll benefit by learning more about this story and will know you are not alone.
Thank you author Julie Gorges for writing this to help guide others through your personal account of what it was like to go this with your mother. Thank you also for offering resources throughout this book to explain this disease further.

To follow more of Julie and her stories, here are her links:

Website

Amazon

Goodreads

I hope your April is off to a great start! What plans do you have this spring? Write in the comment section below, I’d love to hear from you.

Here are some more “First Friday” #Gr8Blogs for April. I will add more awesome authors and links to their pages as they are posted.

So far we have:

Sandra Bennett

Julie Gorges

Rebecca Lyndsey

James Milson

Carmela Dutra

Cat Michaels

Auden Johnson

Oh, and before I go, don’t forget, books are a fun addition to those Easter baskets and spring reading. Here is the link to my books on Amazon.

As always,

Happy Reading!

Rosie