Discover the Magic of Reading Reading is like opening a treasure chest filled with adventures. Each book is a new world waiting for you to explore. Whether you’re diving into a fairy tale or a thrilling mystery, there’s something special about getting lost in a story. Why Reading Matters Books are more than just words on a page. They spark imagination and creativity. When you read, you can travel to far-off lands, meet fascinating characters, and experience emotions that make

Finding Balance in a Busy World Anyone else feel a bit "behind the 8 ball?" I certainly do! It seems like I’ve been racing against time all summer. Since June 1st, when I last wrote a blog, I’ve started two new ones, but they haven’t gone anywhere yet. So, what has kept me so busy this summer? Well, I want to say it’s all about family. My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting the fiancée of our oldest grandchild. We also attended the high school graduation party for our t

Friends, Hmmm, looks like I missed May altogether. I've been working hard to get the Bella book's illustrations done. But mostly I have been struggling to learn marketing. Education courses don't share marketing strategies...maybe I need to go back to school and get my MBA?? (ha, ha) But I especially want you to know that I am going to do a soft-launch of Winnie Acts Up AND a pre-launch of Bella's Nose Knows at the Terre Haute Arts Fair on June 14. I guess I'm still a little

Welcome! It’s a bright, sparkly crisp day outside this morning. After 2 days of rain the temp dropped and iced the leaves’ edges so Bella and I crunched along on our walk. It’s Monday, time for a new schedule and positive thoughts about the week. Last week was a reflective one that closed with thoughts of missing a dear high school friend. She had been a book editor for years and I had not reached out to her since I became an author. I know she didn’t edit children’s books, b

This currently frigid week, with a wind chill this morning of -5F, has given me pause to consider life and liberty. First, we haven't had...

What day should we celebrate? So many choices.

Happy New Year, Friend! I just discovered that today is Personal Trainer Awareness Day! I’ve been using a trainer twice a week for several years now, just to keep my arthritic body moving. What a blessing it has been as I think back to how many times I wanted to stay home but forced myself to go. I have always left the gym with a smile because of my trainer’s positive feedback. My style has always leaned toward positivism when I’m around others, but I didn’t realize how much

Happy Halloween Y’All, This is my apology for staying out of your in-box in October. I had over-committed myself and had to realize that I didn’t need to become a social media guru author, or a workaholic author, or an all-around author/speaker/presenter author; after all, I’m retired. I just wanted to be me, write a few books, and share the strengths I have developed being an educator. As I have added years, I have discovered that I am similar to other humans in many ways. M

Today is National Thoughtful Day. Somehow it zeroed right in on ME! I decided before 6am this morning that I had to have this day for thinking. Yesterday's events were a bit breathtaking, scary, and sad. Here's what happened yesterday: I'm taking care of my website all by myself these days; not a small task for a new career-oriented person of undetermined age. I have had some amazing helpers along the way and my platform company is unbelievable helpful (and patient) when they

Did you know that yesterday, August 17th, was Black Cat Appreciation Day? I first found an email from a special friend (thanks, Maureen) just before I checked my Calendar day email, and both confirmed it. Serendipitously, we have a reason to CELEBRATE that happened exactly a month ago! On July 17th, we watched this tiny black kitten who wandered into our yard, to see if she was feral. It took only a couple of meals (dog food at first) to tell she was clearly tame. Her 3lb bod

Well, I've done it again! I have begun the illustration process for a second book. Whew! This time it's a Bella book. She has an amazing nose that will be featured in this book, along with the many critters she gets a whiff of every day. Kids love to read about real animals, especially pets. My intention is to offer children (and adults) a picture book of scenes around a yard that a dog might smell, that they can wonder about. What animal made that hole? What critter climbed

Here I am late again after promising to write more often (embarrassed)! But I DID get a much-needed vacation to Texas with my 2nd oldest granddaughter, Natalie. We avoided the monsoons they had been having there but got caught in the heat advisory instead. WHEW!! (drip, drip) Natalie met family members she had only heard about. My brother, Jon, and his wife, Margie, hosted us at their Galveston beach house for the weekend where we fed porpoises in the bay and searched for she

Good Mental Health Morning All, Today, May 16th, there was a fascinating section on CBS Morning Show celebrating Mental Health Action Day. The animated feature highlighted the 3 steps that we can easily remember (similar to Stop, Drop, and Roll for fire safety). These are A.S.K. or Acknowledge, Support, and Keep-in-Touch. This report made an impact on ME today because, over the last month, I have heard from several of YOU after my blog posts! It is such a good feeling to ha

I used to be a librarian for kindergarteners through 8th graders. I watched kids hunting for just the right book each week. I noticed little ones looking for books with funny elephants or cute dogs on the covers. Middle grade students usually wanted another book just like the last one they read or a book based on their favorite movie (not realizing that, (at that time), the book usually came before the movie). But the biggest kids often searched for something dramatically bl

Dear Team Winnie, Where AM I? Today is the final day of a writing retreat in the center of Michigan. I came with one Winnie story to rewrite and ended up telling another. Winnie is now taking gymnastics and figuring out how to be supportive of other gymnasts. That means I'm now researching beginning gymnastic workouts and lessons. The 2nd draft is coming along. This retreat/renewal center is the perfect place for peaceful penmanship. We are not required to wash dishes, do lau

Thank you all so much for sticking with me, the particular procrastinator! This month Gary and I took several days on two weekends to go to Iowa to help our daughter move into her new home. That threw my writing times off a bit. Now I am scheduled to attend two different writing events in early April, so I anticipate returning newly energized. In the mean time, I have submitted Bella's first book for illustration. This book has been in the works for two years and suffered ove

Wednesday, February 7, was World Read Aloud Day and I took advantage of the day. Here it is Friday and I'm just recuperating from a busy reading week. I guess you could say I celebrated World Read Aloud WEEK! I read to one class of 3rd graders on Tuesday, two classes of 2nd graders and two classes of 3rd graders AND 23 college students on Wednesday, as well as another class of 3rd graders yesterday! My presentation was as much a discussion of the writing process as it is a re

Dear Friends, Here I am again, surprised that you all are reading my emails! The latest news is that Bella's first book is about to go to the illustrator! I'd like to hope that this one could be completed more quickly than Winnie Acts Up (9 months from storyboard to book). I'll shoot for 6 months this time-hold me to it. Finding an idea and creating the story is the FUN part of writing for children. The HARD part for ME is managing the ins and outs of my website. It HAS to be

Did you know that dogs can tell time? We have had several dogs during our marriage and didn't realize this until Bella came along. She is...

Dear Friends, Guess what I’ve been doing since you last heard from me. I didn’t “fall off the face of the earth,” I merely took a medical sabbatical. So what actually happened? My right arm (dominant arm and hand, of course) had been bothering me for a couple years. It was especially noticeable last spring as I completed Winnie Acts Up and started to share my writing process with classrooms. I found it difficult to hold the book up when reading to the kids. (A very special TH