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Showing posts from January, 2014

Book Review--Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper

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Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the BEST book I have read in a very long time.  If you enjoy Historical Fiction, please read this book.  It deserves to win the Newbery Medal. View all my reviews

Torchon--A Precious Gift

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I received a group e-mail from my brother Lynn recently. He also sent the e-mail to my mother, my brother Terry, and my sister Kim telling us to watch for a gift he had mailed to each of us. This is the gift that we each received. Lynn explained that he had seen these dishtowels  (he later  discovered they were called Torchons)  in a Paris flea market and that they called out to him. As many of you know, my sweet father's initials are BA for Bill Aven, and because daddy is now in heaven, we don't get to see these initials as often as we used to. Every time I pass this precious gift in my kitchen, I think of my wonderful daddy and look forward to being greeted by him with a big hug when I get to heaven one day. On a side note, Lynn later discovered that these French dishtowels,   or Torchons,  have a very interesting history. If you want to read more about Torchons, click here .  

Children's Literature Contest

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My very creative son, Jeremy, made me coasters for Christmas that he knew would put a smile on my face each time I use them. Now, I am going to allow you to join in the fun by guessing what children's books the coasters represent. Be the first to get all 5 correct without using Google and you will win, either a  picture book or one of the professional books that I have written for using Children's Literature to teach  reading and writing  skills. YOUR CHOICE. I will mail the book to the winner. (USA winners only--Sorry!) You must leave your answers in the comment section of this blog (not on FaceBook). Ready, Set, Go! #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 A winner (along with the correct answers) will be posted in the blog comments of this post on Wednesday, January 15th, 2014, so don't forget to check back.

Road Trip #2

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Jeremy and I have been talking for a while about taking his boys on a Road Trip. We finally decided it was time to go! The final goal was Mt. Rushmore but Jeremy is very good about scouting out fun spots to stop along the way. Wyoming was our first stop. We stopped the first night just a short way from Mt. Rushmore.  We had driven through pretty bad weather and driving conditions but Jeremy is a pro and the boys were convinced we were going through a "time tunnel".  What an adventure! Mt. Rushmore is absolutely amazing. When we rounded the bend in the road, there was the sight that I have seen in pictures all my life, but even more spectacular. It dawned on me that it was one of the wonders that I never really expected to see in person. After all, who wants to drive all the way from Houston to South Dakota. But now that I live in Colorado, the trip wasn't bad at all.   This is a reflection of the mountain in the glass of the museum.   The tunnel of fla