Kids Wednesday: Pretend Library

My son has made a ton of books which he loves to set up and make them into a library.  Obviously we spend too much time at the library because he then decided that he needed to make the scanner on the back of the books so that people could check them out.  If you want to make your own library at home with homemade books or ones that you own.  Try this to make a library check out system and a pretend scanner to check them all out.  It is great to have a little library fun at home sometimes and this is the perfect way to do it!

I started by cutting out all of the items that were printed on the color printer.  It took a little bit of time to get in all the nooks and crannies but I think that it looked pretty good.  I took the finished product and glued them on card stock from extra folders that I had.  I cut those out which took a little bit more work and time but I think is well worth it for a toy that is going to last.  My husband laminated them to make them even more durable. Isn't this book scanner cool?

There are cards that he can write on with the dry erase markers and use over and over.

He decided to do just that and make his own library card.  We also took this opportunity to go to the library and get his own library card there.  He filled out part of the form and I filled out the other part to make sure it would fit in the small places but he was super excited to sign his name on the back of the card.

My son saw them while I was gluing and sticking and couldn't wait to use them on his own library.  He likes to make books and uses them for his library with scanners drawn on the back of all of them.  This toy not only brought out his love of the library at home but lets him grow his own creations with some new books that he is ready to make.  I hope that you print out these great resources and see if your kids enjoy them as much as mine did!!!

The Edge of Forever and A Natural Father Book Reviews

I was all done with the books from the library so I grabbed a book from my pile of free books from the library and started Edge of Forever: Edge of Forever\A Natural Father (Harlequin Bestselling Author)
by Sherryl Woods and Sarah Mayberry.  I was excited to read this great book by this wonderful author and get a bonus book to try out a new author at the same time.

Edge of Forever by Sherryl Woods

River Glen was at the edge of nowhere-a tiny, sleepy town nestled on the shores of the Potomac. It was perfect for Dana Brantley, who, after a rocky couple of years, was looking for a peaceful place to start over.  But the townspeople had other ideas for the new librarian. They thought she was perfect for their most eligible bachelor, Nick Verone. So did Nick's ten-year-old son, Tony. And so did Nick, himself. He was intrigued by the mysterious Dana, and determined to find a way through her reserve. But what he discovers is a wounded and fragile soul. It will take more than his usual charm to convince her that in River Glen-and with him-she has found the edge of forever.

 A Natural Father by Sarah Mayberry

Lucy Basso is pregnant, single and expanding her business and her hands are full. As if that's not enough, hottie Dominic Bianco, her produce supplier and recent divorcee, is showing more than a little interest in her. Even her impending motherhood doesn't seem to faze him. In fact, he's acting as tender and protective as if she were carrying his baby.  But something seems to be keeping Dom from fully committing to her. If Lucy could only know what it is, she might understand. Or maybe she'd tell him it doesn't matter. Because she knows he's a good man and he'd make an ideal father.

Loved both books and they were the perfect start to my vacation.  I got to read them while driving in the car to the beach and then poolside.  The first book was a little bit of a mystery because you knew that there was something that Dana was hiding but you just didn't know what it was until the horrible truth was revealed.  I had a little bit of an idea what the big secret was but I was still blown away when the total truth was revealed and enjoyed watching the romance unfold between Dana and Nick.  The second book was great because it dealt with the family drama and the business implications of an unplanned pregnancy.  The single mother was abandoned by the father of her child and left to figure out how she is going to do it by herself while running her own business and Dom seems to provide all the answers.  Lucy pushes him away over and over and finally lets him in only to have Dom walk away.  The ups and downs of these books had me glued to the book and I had trouble putting either story down.  I hope that you pick this book up at your local library or bookstore soon.  I know that I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read more by the new and interesting author in Sarah Mayberry, as well as my long time favorite, Sherryl Woods.

Menu Plan Monday 8/10

Monday- Chicken Stir Fry with simple fried rice and steamed edamame
Tuesday- Olive Oil Spaghetti with garlic bread
Wednesday- Tacos with saffron rice
Thursday- Worchestershire Grilled Chicken with white rice
Friday- Chicken nugget wraps and fries
Saturday- Leftovers/Grilling Chicken and Sausage
Sunday- Leftovers/Breakfast for Dinner

I didn't plan anything for last week after we got home from vacation and that was a little hard because dinner seemed to come up as a surprise every night that I wasn't really ready for so I was ready to get back to meal planning.  I had a few bags of ground beef and three different kinds of bagged chicken in the freezer ready to go so the first plan of attack was seeing what would work for the week.  I am still thinking that I might change a few nights but I am going to try for this plan and see how it goes.  Do you have a yummy week planned?

Freebie Friday: Summer Reading Programs for Adults

Since my son had already participated in the summer reading program at the library and gotten a cool coupon book which got him lots of free stuff, I decided that I would check out a few things too.

I read the 10 books which you know isn't hard since I love reading and can't put a book down.  The one local library is closing soon so that give out a coupon to get 10 free books.  I decided that I would pick them out while my son was in a library program and changed my mind a ton of times but this is what I came home with.

I don't know a lot about them except that I haven't read them so I figured that I would enjoy reading them on our trip to the beach and not taking library books which always makes me nervous.  Who can beat the price?!

I went to another local library and turned in the sheet for the same 10 books and they only gave out one free book so I went through their much small display and picked out this one.  I like the author and the library doesn't carry any books by her so I figured that would be a good read even if it was in the middle of a series.

We went to a new library and they had a program so I got another 5 free books with my reading there.  I needed to fill out the sheets with 5 books each so I started writing and got the coupon limit to get 5 books.

  I can't wait to fill out my next sheet for more libraries and come home with another pile of books for free!!  I think that there is plenty of time in the summer to read at least 10 or 20 more books.  I did get the coupon for getting ten free books at one of the libraries so I might be able to pick those soon but it takes awhile to sift through the books and find 10 books that I really want, especially with my 6 year old helper who doesn't think that it is fun!!  I am going to have to check to see what I have already read since then and see how many more I need to get more books!!!

Have you checked around your area for summer reading programs??

Swan Point Book Review

I was excited to get this next installment of the Sweet Magnolias series on my reserve shelf shortly after I put it on reserve (not fast enough because I had already started reading other series!!!).   Swan Point (A Sweet Magnolias Novel) (English Edition) by Sherryl Woods was the first book to come in hard back instead of paperback.  I guess that is how I know that I am on the new books because it is hard back and currently the last book published in this series (sniff sniff).  I am hopeful that more are coming but I am sure that I will keep myself busy with other series until then!

Determined to build a new life for her family after her divorce, Adelia Hernandez has bought a home in the historic Swan Point neighborhood of Serenity. Promoted to manager of Main Street's most fashionable boutique, she feels revitalized and ready for a fresh start as a single mom. But barely into this new independent phase, she crosses paths with the sexiest man to hit Serenity in years. Gabe Franklin, back in town to make amends for past mistakes, has no intention of settling down, but Adelia's proving irresistible. Cheered on by their friends, "the Sweet Magnolias," Gabe is bringing long-absent passion and laughter into Adelia's life. To his surprise and hers, sometimes a rolling stone is just what it takes to build the rock-solid foundation of a family.

Loved it!! There was barely a mention of this wonderful character in past books except with the interaction with her brother Elliott and I enjoyed getting to know her even though it was through a horrible time in her life going through a separation and divorce from her cheating husband.  It was a heart warming story where we got to meet her and her children and watch them build their new life with a little help of Gabe Franklin.  It is amazing that Gabe didn't see his own transformation and kept fighting his new life but it was great to see him understand that he had finally found where he was meant to be even if it was settled down in the small town with a single mother and her four kids!!  I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next installment so I better find out when that is coming out.  I hope that you pick this up at your local library or bookstore and check it out for yourself.  I know you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Apricot Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

My mom was visiting so I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to make one of my favorite salad dressing that I have never made because I have no one to share it with.  My husband would much prefer the store bought blue cheese dressing to anything else.  My friend, Anne, made this for me on more than one occasion and kindly shared it ages ago (click here for original recipe).  I didn't have any of the fancy vinegar like she used which was white champagne vinegar but I figured that the regular stuff would do for me to try it!!

I put the oil and vinegar with a little salt in the container and gave it a good shake.  I was going to mix it with a whisk in a bowl but I didn't have time or energy because most of the dinner was already on the table.  I am super glad that I didn't because it would have made a much bigger mess then just mixing in the bottle.  I didn't add pepper because I didn't think that my mom would like it but I added it later because I thought it needed it.

I added the apricot jelly or preserves that I had bought and never used for another recipe so I was super happy to get to use it now.  I shook the bottle and served it!!! 

This was so easy that I could have made it even if I was the only one to eat it.  The final salad dressing was amazing and great served over the home grown salad greens from my mom's friend.  Sorry I didn't take a picture of the salad but it was gone quickly before there was a chance.  If I don't eat the second half of the dressing, I think that I might use it to marinate chicken.  I think that it would make a fabulous flavor for the chicken too!!!  I hope that you try out this easy recipe and guests will think that you made a big effort to make them salad dressing with things straight from the cupboard.

Apricot Vinaigrette Dressing

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or white vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

1/4 cup apricot all fruit spread or preserves

Mix vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in bowl or jar.  Add apricot preserves and shake or mix until combined. 

Blackberry Summer Book Review

I picked up a new series while I was at the library.  I started another series by the same author and I was waiting for the new books in the series to arrive at the library so I was trying to figure out what to do when I went looking for other books by her.  I found three on the shelf at the library and put the rest on reserve.  I started reading Blackberry Summer (Hope's Crossing Book 1) by RaeAnne Thayne as soon as I picked it up off the shelf and realized it was the first in the series!  I was so excited to get on another series that had a few books already published so I wouldn't have to wait.  I could learn more about everyone in this small town before returning to the other small town that I just left with the other series!

Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call.  What she didn't need was a robbery of her store followed by a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope's Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that's what she tells herself, especially when her best friend's sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police. But when the accident forces Claire to slow down and lean on others—especially Riley McKnight—she realizes, for the first time, that things need to change. And not just in her own life. The accident—and the string of robberies committed by teenagers that led up to it—is a wake-up call to the people of Hope's Crossing. The sense of community and togetherness had been lost during those tough years. But with a mysterious "Angel of Hope" working to inspire the town, Riley and Claire will find themselves opening up to love and other possibilities by the end of an extraordinary summer….

I couldn't put it down and read it in less than 24 hours.  I got to read a little of it poolside while my son went swimming but mostly I just stopped sleeping.  I really instantly loved the character of Claire and I had to see how things were going to work out for this wonderful single mother who seemed to have everything going against her but she managed to stay positive.  Isn't that what we would all like to do!!  It is the hardest thing to actually acomplish and while she was living with casts on arms and legs, she was busy worried about the friends and community of Hope's Crossing and trying to pull together a huge benefit for them instead of being upset that she was injured. I think that it has been a hard adjustment for the rest of the family to not have normal television at the new house while we are waiting for the antennae to get delivered but I have just jumped into a whole bunch of books and enjoyed every minute of it.  I hope that you decide to check out this new series by RaeAnne Thayne and see if it isn't the perfect summer read.  I hope that you add it to your summer reading list and pick it up at your local library or bookstore soon.