Introducing Elder Bartles: a Proud Mama Moment (plus recipe: GF Giant Sugar Cookies)

Yesterday, my son flew to Brazil to serve a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. After his training (learning all of the things he'll need to know to serve effectively ... like how to speak Portuguese!) at the Sao Paulo Missionary Training Center, he'll be serving in the Brazil Salvador South mission for the next two years. (If you'd like to write to him, his missionary email address is benjamin.bartles@myldsmail.net - He will be checking his email once a week, and I'm sure he'd love to hear from you!)

 It's crazy to think he's already old enough to go off on his own (though he will have a companion with him at all times, so I guess he won't really be "on his own" ...) But he already looks the part - so much that three different people stopped us at the airport (before we even got to the security checkpoint) to ask if he was flying out to serve a mission!

 I know it will hit me like a ton of bricks before long, and I fully expect that I will probably have a day or two in the very near future when "he's really gone for two years" finally sinks in. When that happens, I reserve the right to put my life on hold while I sniffle and cry and miss my baby boy. But for now, I'm just so proud and excited for Elder Bartles that (for now, at least) I can't be sad. The people of Salvador, Brazil will be lucky to have him, and I can't wait to hear about the people he meets and the opportunities he'll have to serve them!

I was going to share my son's favorite cookie recipe with this post, but I realized as I started writing that his favorite cookie recipe is linked to several people who have influenced his life as he's grown to be the missionary he is today. So I'm going to wait to share it. And over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing stories of these missionaries and friends who served as role models for my son as he prepared for this milestone in his life (including the recipes that they inspired). Because life is sweet, and so are cookies. ;)

 

Confession: Even though my smile was too big to allow for tears at the airport, I did come home and indulge in copious amounts of junk food while watching the progress of his journey on my flight tracker app until I was too tired to keep my eyes open. And I may have eaten more than one of these

Giant (Gluten Free) Sugar Cookies

 

You will need:

1 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 eggs 

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp almond extract

3/4 c. cornstarch*

3 c. Gluten-Free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 all-purpose GF flour)

Cream butter and sugar together. 

Add eggs, baking powder, salt, almond extract, and cornstarch, and beat until light and fluffy.

Stir in GF flour.

Using a large ice cream scoop, portion dough into 2 1/4-inch balls. Dip in colored sugar and flatten slightly. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Chill for 2-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Bake chilled cookie dough on parchment-lined cookie sheets (leaving at least 2 1/2 inches of space between cookies to allow for spreading) for 15-17 minutes, until bottoms are just slightly browned. 

*If you need gluten-free recipes for allergy-related reasons, make sure to check the label! I've recently discovered (when I had a negative reaction to something I thought was safe) that not all cornstarch is actually gluten-free!

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #10 - The Adventures of Bug Boy

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm actually more than a few days behind. (Today, I'm once again trying to play catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

Day 10 (Bug Boy) was really fun to watch Phil draw. He started by asking our youngest daughter for a shape, and she told him to draw something with a peace symbol. This became a face in a mask, and when our next-to-youngest daughter asked "are you drawing a bug boy?" the character fully came to life.

George strapped on his power belt and his cape. The evil Exterminator was up to his old tricks again, and it was up to Bug Boy to save the day once more! He slipped his mask on and tiptoed to the door.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?" A stern voice echoed through the hall.

George gulped and turned to see Major Mom standing in the doorway, arms folded and a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Never fear!" he announced in his bravest Bug Boy voice. "I will save the world from The Exterminator's evil schemes!"

"Not without a jacket," the Major said. "It's chilly outside, and you're just getting over a cold."

"Aww, Mom!" George sighed. "Super heroes don't wear jackets. That's why I have a cape."

The major shook her head. "No capes! It could get caught on something. Wear a jacket, or you can choose to play inside."

Bug Boy pulled on his exoskeleton armor and flame-proof gloves. His sources told him The Exterminator had a new, secret lair in the wilds beyond the back yard fence, but Bug Boy wasn't afraid. He would vanquish his foe, restore peace to the planet, and be back home by suppertime.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #4 - Fox in Socks

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm also really flighty, so I'm a few more days behind than that. (Today, I'm playing catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

Day 4 was inspired by Dr. Seuss' FOX IN SOCKS, which was our son's favorite book when he was little.

"Chicks with bricks come. Chicks with blocks come. Chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks come."

– Dr. Seuss

Mr. Fox’s greatest pleasure in life was making rhymes. But grumpy Mr. Knox didn’t want to play the Fox-in-Socks Rhyme Game.

“I’ll show him how fun it can be,” thought Mr. Fox. “Everyone loves to rhyme!”

He gathered a group of chicks together and set them to work building stacks of bricks and blocks. They agreed to help, even though the three little pigs were really better builders. But when the fox tried to balance Mr. Knox on stacks of chicks and clocks, they decided that enough was enough.

“You can make a quick trick brick stack!” the chicks yelled. “You can make a quick trick block stack! Take your bricks and blocks and clocks back!”

Mr. Fox yelped and ran, ducking flying bricks and blocks and clocks. “That’s okay,” he said. “My friends Sue and Slow Joe Crow will help me teach Mr. Knox to rhyme.”

And he set off with a needle and thread to teach Sue how to sew.

Book Review: CUPCAKE COUSINS by Kate Hannigan

CUPCAKE COUSINS by fellow OneFour KidLit author, Kate Hannigan, is an adorably fun middle grade novel, perfect for summer reading.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books a Million | Goodreads | Kobo

Every summer, nine-year-old cousins Willow and Delia look forward to their vacation at Lake Michigan with their families: a whole week of catching fireflies, picking peaches in the orchards and boogie boarding in the lake together. But the best part is that they always get to take over the kitchen to cook up mouthwatering treats for everyone.

This year, the family vacation will be extra special, because Aunt Rosie is getting married, and everyone will be a part of the big day. Unfortunately, she wants Willow and Delia to wear ugly, pink dresses and be flower girls for the ceremony. And they're much too old for that. But if they can show everyone how amazing their cooking skills are, they're sure to convince Aunt Rosie to put them in charge of the wedding reception refreshments instead, right?

Willow and Delia are best friends who are nothing alike but perfectly matched. Willow is a big dreamer, great at coming up with fabulous and adventurous ideas. Delia is a planner who can find practical ways to make Willow's schemes happen. But even Willow's big ideas and Delia's logical plans might not be enough to overcome exploding blenders and a cranky new head chef.

I loved getting to know these adorable cupcake cousins. (They remind me so much of myself and my cousin/best friend, when we were younger!) And the recipes sprinkled throughout the story ... Yum!

Book Review: LITTLE CHICKEN'S BIG CHRISTMAS by Katie Davis

As we enter the Christmas season, and advertisers everywhere try to convince us that 'tis better to receive than to give, I present to you a picture book for toddlers that emphasizes the true, giving meaning of the season.



LITTLE CHICKEN'S BIG CHRISTMAS by Katie Davis (illustrated by Jerry Davis) is a cute picture book perfect for reading with your little one while curled up on the couch together by the Christmas tree. A sequel to LITTLE CHICKEN'S BIG DAY, this book tells the story of Little Chicken's anxious wait for Christmas morning. He's excited about one present in particular. Not a present from Santa under the tree, but a present he made for his mama. I love the message that the best part of the holiday isn't in what you get, but in what you give to others.

I received a review copy of this book from Katie Davis, and when I read it through quickly, I thought it was cute, but I have to admit I wasn't rave-to-all-my-friends impressed.
But then I sat down with my children and read the story to them. The sparse words allowed them to fill in their own observations on the story, and they noticed things in the illustrations (an expression on Little Chicken's face, or his untied shoelaces, for example) that I had totally glossed over. The read-aloud experience pushed this book from a four-star to a definite five-star rating in my mind. This is a perfect book for reading over and over again with your children. (Even my teenage son got into the fun!) The story may evolve and change as your child's ideas and interests mature, making it ideal for a wide range of readers.

And through December 12, every purchase of Little Chicken's Big Christmas  will come with a FREE download of a Write Your Own Story Coloring Book! It's the entire book as coloring book - a great gift in and of itself or to go with Little Chicken's Big Christmas. Just email your receipt to support@katiedavis.com and you'll be sent the link to download!

 

Book Review: MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING by Anna Staniszewski

MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING by Anna Staniszewski, the last book in Jenny's adventure saga, releases on Tuesday, November 5th, and I'm super-excited about it! As you know, I fell in love with this series when I read the first book. I want to be an adventurer with Jenny and travel through magical lands, meeting real-life fairy tale characters! My youngest daughter (age 9) has been anxiously waiting for this final book in the series, re-reading books one and two over and over again for the past couple of months. (She was, of course, thrilled when I received an eARC from NetGalley to review!)

The official blurb (from Goodreads):
Jenny's search for her parents leads her to Fairyland, a rundown amusement park filled with creepily happy fairies and disgruntled leprechauns. Despite the fairies' kindness, she knows they are keeping her parents from her. If only they would stop being so happy all the time-it's starting to weird her out! With the help of a fairy-boy and some rebellious leprechauns, Jenny finds a way to rescue her parents, but at the expense of putting all magical worlds in danger. Now Jenny must decide how far she is willing to go to put her family back together.

My thoughts:
I love this final book every bit as much as I loved the first one! This series expertly turns the fairy tales you think you know (and even some you didn't) upside down and inside out. I love following along with Jenny as she confronts the "reality" of fairy tales, showing us that there's so much more behind the "happily ever after" cliches in the stories we all grew up with. (I especially loved the Cinderella twist in this latest installment!!)

This series definitely falls into the "read it over and over and over again" category of books. In fact, the only thing that I didn't like about it was the cover art. Not that the covers aren't cute and fun, but they make Jenny's saga appear to be a collection of "girl books," and every single one of the boys I've recommended the books to has balked. Incidentally, 100% of the boys who have reluctantly picked up the story at my recommendation has absolutely loved the story. ("This isn't a girl book at all!") But they read it secretly, because they don't want to be seen reading a "girl book" in public. - This problem is easily solved by purchasing the ebook version (since no one sees the book cover when you're reading on an ereader), but I kind of wish the publisher had chosen cover art to emphasize the adventurous nature of the story, so it wouldn't be so hard to convince the reluctant readers to take a chance! (Update: I just found out that Anna Staniszewski wrote a guest blog about this very topic! Read her thoughts on the issue here.)

If you haven't read MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE (book 1) or MY EPIC FAIRY TALE FAIL (book 2), spend the weekend catching up, so you'll be ready to join Jenny on her final adventure! And if you've already read them several times over (as I have), and don't want to wait another minute for MY SORT OF FAIRY TALE ENDING, Anna Staniszewski has very kindly provided us with the first chapter to hold us over until Tuesday. You can even get a copy of the super-fun prequel, JENNY'S FIRST ADVENTURE, for free!!

Book Review: MY BASMATI BAT MITZVAH by Paula J. Freedman

It's always bothered me when people are defined by one characteristic, whether that might be skin color, religion, gender, ethnicity, or any other minor (or major) detail that is certainly a part of who that person is, but could never fully encompass all that they are. So when I saw MY BASMATI BAT MITZVAH on NetGalley, I was thrilled to see a character who is both Indian and Jewish, and who fully understands that she is more than just the sum of those parts. I immediately requested a copy for review, and Yay!! My request was approved.

 

The official blurb:

During the fall leading up to her bat mitzvah, Tara (Hindi for "star") Feinstein has a lot more than her Torah portion on her mind. Between Hebrew school and study sessions with the rabbi, there doesn’t seem to be enough time to hang out with her best friend Ben-o--who might also be her boyfriend--and her other best friend, Rebecca, who’s getting a little too cozy with that snotty Sheila Rosenberg. Not to mention working on her robotics project with the class clown Ryan Berger, or figuring out what to do with a priceless heirloom sari that she accidentally ruined. Amid all this drama, Tara considers how to balance her Indian and Jewish identities and what it means to have a bat mitzvah while questioning her faith.

Tara is such a fully-formed, realistic character. More than just a stereotypical "kid struggling with her faith" or "girl who feels like she's on the outside because of her ethnicity." Her religion, her heritage... these are only a part of who she is. Tara is also creative and funny, and she kicks butt in the school robotics competition every year. And as she works to discover who she is and what she wants, her relationships with her family, her classmates, and her two best friends develop in ways she never expected.

** I identified with Tara on a personal level as well. I still vividly remember when I was a child, preparing for my baptism, and I realized that I didn't know if I believed the things that my parents did. Like Tara, I didn't want to make a commitment that I wasn't absolutely certain I was ready for. (The experiences I had in finding my own faith - a faith that didn't rely on my parents' beliefs, but that was fully my own - shaped me into the person I am now.)

My Sister's Gift to Me: A Lifetime Love of Reading

Me and my 3 sisters

I got a call from my older sister this evening. She's interviewing for a training job, and she asked me to write a letter of recommendation for her. This makes sense, as she's been teaching me all my life. 

One of my earliest memories is sitting on the couch with my sister (Carin), while she taught me how to read.

I was four years old, and I had a favorite book that I asked Carin to read to me over and over again. One afternoon, when she finished reading the book and I immediately asked her to read it again, Carin explained that if I learned to read to myself, I could have my favorite story any time.

She read the story to me one more time, pointing to each word as she read. At the end of each page, she had me repeat the story to her, again pointing to each word as I recited the familiar story. When simple words like “and” and “the” were repeated, she showed me that the word looked the same on the page every time it appeared.

I soon discovered that I could “read” my favorite book all by myself, but Carin didn’t stop there. She wanted me to be able to read all books, not just the one I had memorized. So she gathered a selection of her favorite books to continue my lessons. She opened the books, one-by-one, pointing out the words that I had memorized from my favorite book.

And when I was confident enough to pick out the words I already knew within the pages of any new book I tried, she took it one step further. Carin pointed out that, just as the words were the same, no matter which story I found them in, each letter and group of letters made the same sounds, no matter which word they belonged to. She worked with me to break down the familiar words until I could put them together again to read any book on our library shelf.

When I got frustrated with the process, Carin wouldn’t let me give up on myself. She simply pointed out the progress I’d already made and encouraged me to try again. When I complained that it would be easier and take less time if she just read the stories to me herself, she explained that, even though teaching me how to do it took more time than simply reading the book to me, if I learned how to read for myself, I would never have to wait for her or anyone else to have the time to read with me again.

Carin’s patient tutoring instilled in my heart a love of books that has shaped my entire life. And now (as you know), my first book is going to be published by Swoon Romance next year! 

Book Review: JINNIE WISHMAKER by D.D. Roy

I love a little bit of magic in my middle grade novels, and when I saw this one available for review on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. And I definitely wasn't disappointed. D.D. Roy weaves together fantastic elements to create a realistic-feeling magical world.

When Jinnie's parents go missing and her grandmother gets hurt, she and her brother are forced to go live with their rich and snooty aunt and uncle. She discovers that she can grant wishes, but can't control the results. The school counselor tells Jinnie to join the Troubled Tweens, a group of kids with similar power problems. But their loose use of magic attracts the attention of the Loki, a group of magic thieves and pranksters, who want to steal an open-ended wish from Jinnie.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a super-cute, read-in-an-afternoon kind of story full of magic, family and friendship.

Although the magical elements are strong, the story is so much more than just another "I just discovered that I have magical powers" book. Jinnie is dealing with some real issues - more than the development of her powers. She's dealing with family issues, a new school, and new friends. Even without the fun, magical elements, this would be a great story. I especially loved the relationship between Jinnie and her brother, Bryan, and the way they work so well together. Even though Bryan isn't magical, and isn't part of the Troubled Tweens group, Jinnie and her friends need his help to win the fight against the Loki.

Time Travel and Family Ties

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormon church), family is super important to me. The genealogy (family history) program coordinated by the church is awe-inspiring. The Family History Library in Salt Lake City contains thousands of records, many of which have been made available for free public use online (and any that haven't yet been digitized are still available for the public use, for anyone willing to travel). And a worldwide volunteer force works around the clock to catalog and index new records, so that more and more information is available for family history research every day.

We believe that it's important to know who we are and where we came from, because we believe that family is not just a "here on earth" luxury. We believe that families can be sealed together for all eternity. That our spirits live on when our bodies die, and that we can be together with those we love far beyond this life on Earth.

And the more I get to know my own family through family history research, the more I love and wish I could know them personally.

When Rachel Harris issued a challenge to her Flirt Squad this week to blog about where we would go if Reyna sent us on a journey through time, I immediately thought of my family. Like Cat in MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY, I would like to visit some of my family in the past. I'd love to get a sense of how they really lived and have the opportunity to form fast friendships, like Cat did. (Although it would still be super cool to have one of my ancestors visit me, like Less in A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES, I'd rather get a sense of the history by traveling back in time to meet them.)

The question is: if I had to choose only one, which ancestor would I want to visit?

 



I would love to take a trip back to England in the year 1173, to meet Eleanor of Aquitaine. I'm fascinated by this amazingly-strong woman who divorced her first husband and then was imprisoned for convincing her son, John Lackland (the Prince John from the Robin Hood stories) to try to overthrow his father, her second husband Henry II.

I want to know the real woman behind this story of a woman who had so much power and influence at a time when women were supposed to be completely powerless. And I'd really like to get to know John. I'd love to understand why he, as his father's favorite and the one likely to inherit everything, he was willing to throw it all away for his mother's favor. (Incidentally, I always laugh like crazy at the Disney animated version of Prince John, who moans "Mother always did like Richard best." - Because as far as I can tell, sibling rivalry... trying to get his mother's approval... was the sole reason John was willing to throw away everything he had and risk being disinherited. Disney appears to have been spot-on in their portrayal!)

But I'd also love to take a trip to a more recent era. I want to ride the rails with my grandpa during the Great Depression. I want to witness his adventures and get to really know the grandfather I always idolized. I'd love to be there when he tried to save some walking time by jumping out of a moving train into a beautiful lake (he hit the lake so hard that he skipped across like a giant stone and woke up in the hospital days later). I want to taste the long strips of "bacon" that he said were the most delicious he'd ever tasted (although he couldn't eat any more when he discovered that he was eating smoked rattlesnake). And I'd love to be there to see the look on the face of the down-on-his luck man that Grandpa gave a car to, when he won it in a raffle.

There are many holes in my family tree. Places where the records aren't available to fill in the gaps, ancestors I haven't yet found. And I'd love to bounce my way through history to find these people. I want to learn their stories.

I could never pick just one.

I'm so grateful for the advances in technology that allow me to travel around the world at the speed of the Internet, discovering documents and photographs that allow me a small peek into the lives of these distant (and not-so-distant) family members.

Dreams Do Come True

I'm a proud member of the Flirt Squad, Rachel Harris' fan club.

And this week, celebrating the upcoming (Tuesday!!) release of A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES, Rachel has challenged us to share our dreams and passions.

If you've been following along, you know this challenge comes at a perfect time for me. This week, I got to announce my own dream-come-true: Swoon Romance will be publishing my Young Adult novel, TWELVE STEPS, in 2014!!

Many, many years ago, my step-grandfather cornered me one day to ask what I wanted to be when I grow up. I told him that I wanted to be a mom and a writer. And then, I had to endure a never-ending lecture all about how I was much too smart to waste my brain on being "just a mother." (And I do mean never-ending. My own amazing mother stepped in and rescued me that day, but from that day on, until my first child was born and he realized it was too late, Grandpa lectured me about how my dreams were a waste of a good brain every single time he saw me.)

But I knew that being a mother was totally not a waste. My own mom was a total rockstar. She could do anything, and she always taught me that I could too. In fact, I always believed that my super-smart brain (the one Grandpa didn't want me to waste) was a direct result of the time and energy my stay-at-home mother spent on me. And what better way to use my brain than to pass that gift on to my own children?

Achieving the first half of my dream (being a mother) was relatively easy. (Okay, to be honest, being a mom is never really easy. It's a daily roller coaster ride, emotionally, mentally and physically. And if you've read my previous blog posts, you've likely witnessed many of my ups and downs there.) But I have four amazing and beautiful children, and a super-supportive husband. When Grandpa (or anyone else) asked what I wanted to do with my life, I could point to my family and proudly announce: "I'm already living the dream!" And I totally love being Supermom.

But that was only half of the dream. I also desperately wanted to be a real, published author. The kind where people who aren't related to me might want to read my books. And there were times when I thought it might never happen. I wrote plenty of stories that were quickly abandoned as not good enough. And I wrote a few that I probably gave up on way too soon. But I kept going. Once I decided to go for the dream, I didn't stop. I didn't quit. I didn't look back (although I'll admit, I was tempted on more than one occasion).

When the offer from Swoon came a few weeks ago, my youngest daughter asked, "Mom, if I work hard like you, will my dreams come true too?"

And that was when I knew I'd truly accomplished my dream. I'm a mom. And I'm an author. And even more important: I'm a mom who, in striving to accomplish my goals, taught my daughter that hard work and determination can make dreams come true.