May Celebrations 2019

Things you’ll find in this months post:

*Honoring Mom for Mother’s Day

*Sneak Peek to a New Release this Fall/Winter and Update on MG Tale

*Interview Feature

*Happy 5 years “Books By Rose!”

*Celebration Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

*Fun and Easy Bookmark To Make

Honoring Mom for Mother’s Day

A salute to all the mother’s out there. Mother’s Day can mean a lot of different things to different people. On this day, you may celebrate with your own children, your mother, your mother-in-law, aunts, grandmothers, or the mother figures in your life.

Our sons make me feel forever grateful to be called their mom.

With my own mother, we honor her in many ways, remembering her in everything she was. It’s hard to believe if she were still living, she would turn 100 years old this year.

One way I keep her memory alive, I include her in some of my stories. For those that have followed along, you know the story about how she was a singer in her younger days. The ten years before becoming our mother, she was in a trio called, “Margret, Irene, and Mary.” Sound a tiny bit familiar? Yes, my triplet books and the “name of their titles” were fashioned as close to the name of her group as I could get. “Merrie” in the story is after our mom. Our niece also spells her name the same way, so I thought it was a perfect fit.

One of these days, I’d like to come up with a music theme for the triplets. Feel free to share any “magical” ideas you have. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Here’s some recent news about the triplets. I feel it’s safe to let you know I’m starting on the illustration of page 19 in my next book about them. I hope to release it in the late fall or early winter.

Here’s a sneak peek of Maggie. If you have read this series, you will remember, she’s the happy go lucky one. She sure is giggling about something that’s going on here. I can’t wait to share this cute story with you. It’s filled with fun ideas for your readers to enjoy. Okay, I better move on, before I tell more. Keep watching!

Progress on MG tale with co-author Cat Michaels

Cat and I are working hard on our MG (Middle Grade) tale coming next year.

When researching on how to get our story started, we found making a visual map helped us put our story in action. Having an image to refer to where our characters lived, what their entertainment sites looked like, and an overall reference to the town where they reside, puts this all in perspective for us. Stay tune for more fun facts about our book.

Interview Feature

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to be interviewed by author and librarian, Lauri Fortino. I hope you will visit her page to meet new authors and learn of new children’s books she features on her “Frog On A (B)log” page. Click here to learn more on my thoughts when “Writing Children’s Books Young Readers Will Love.”

Happy 5 Years, “Books by Rose!”

Hard to believe it’s been 5 years for Books by Rose! What a learning curve this all has been and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had to teach myself how to illustrate the images, which has been so much fun! Learning how to craft stories that readers will enjoy has been a huge task. The best part, is getting books in the hands of readers.

I could not have done this without all my fans, family, and friend’s support. Thank you all so much!
🌷❤️🌷❤️🌷 ❤️🌷❤️🌷❤️🌷

Click below to watch my celebration video.

 

Celebration Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Let’s celebrate by making this easy homemade ice cream. You want to know the best part? You don’t even have to have an ice cream maker, just a few ingredients and some patience for waiting.

I made this recently and it turned out soooo good and creamy. Have fun coming up with different flavors.

All you need is:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Chilled, 1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk,

Chilled, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon or more of Mint extract, or other flavors that you like. Taste as you mix.

Chilled, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or soft candies of your choice. You can add more, it’s up to you.

Directions and Tips:

Place two cups whipping cream in a metal bowl. Using a mixer, choose your “whip” setting and mix until it becomes the consistency of store bought whipped cream. (It takes awhile, but keep mixing. The first time I tried this recipe, I didn’t whip it enough and the ice cream came out too hard.)

Add chilled sweetened condensed milk and extracts. Mix to combine.

Place in the freezer for three hours.

After three hours, remove and give it a stir. Add your chilled candies. (Important note: Your candies should be chilled. Otherwise, they will melt in the ice cream, even at room temperature. Also, for safety reasons, stick to small, soft chewy candies. Hard, round candies can be a choking hazard.)

Add your ice cream to the container you want your ice cream stored in, with a air tight lid, and place back in the freezer for three more hours. Your ice cream takes a total of six hours or more to set.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Fun and Easy Bookmark To Make

Last, here is a fun, fast, easy step by step bookmark to make for yourself or give away for as a gift.

This triangle shape slides right onto the page you want to save.

I started with a 6 x 6 inch square, but you can experiment with different sizes.

How will you spend this month of May? Weddings? Graduations? We love to hear from you.

Here’s some more “May First Friday” posts from my author pals to follow:

Sandra Bennett – Where Do You Find Ideas For Stories?

Julie Gorges – 10 Super Foods for Baby Boomers

Rebecca Lyndsey – Great Sale!!

Auden Johnson – WHEN YOU’RE TOLD YOU CAN’T MAKE A LIVING AS AN AUTHOR?

Cat Michaels – 9 TIPS TO HELP YOU BUILD YOUR ONLINE COMMUNITY

James Milson – Happy Hummer Season! Welcoming, Helping, and Attracting Hummingbirds In Your Neighborhood

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy May and Happy Reading!

Rosie