"Quest for the Lost Treasure" Book Review!

I have a book review for all of the preschool to early elementary children out there!  Quest for the Lost Treasure by Gerry Gaston is available on Kindle today!



Quest for the Lost Treasure- A "Choose your own Path" Pirate Adventure!

I was excited when Gerry Gaston asked me to review his Juvenile adventure book because I myself have fond memories of the "choose your own adventure" genre.  I also knew my 5-year-old son, Noah would love the concept coupled with a cool treasure hunting theme!

Luckily, the story does not disappoint.  It is carefully laid out, easy to follow, and has enough twists and turns to keep things interesting!  My son loved the excitement of not knowing what would lie ahead and was truly thrilled when he made it to the end of the book and had actually chosen the right path that lead to the treasure.  The choices are simple so he was able to understand that the path he chose effected the outcome.  This is also what makes this book different from the traditional Choose your own adventure genre geared towards the older reader. We had fun going back through the story to see where the other choices took the story, too. 

You might be concerned that once you find the right path that leads to the treasure, your child won't be interested in reading it again, but the storyline and fun, cartoon-like illustrations make the book fun to enjoy again and again.  Actually, my son just jumped to the computer when he saw me upload the picture of the cover! 

If you are looking for a high quality, engaging and interactive story for your 4-8 year old to enjoy on your Kindle, I highly recommend this book, and give it 5 stars.  Here is the link on Amazon.com to order your copy today!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00959YHV0/ref=yml_dp

Love,
Anna

Tuesday's Real Food Recipe- Homemade Chai

It's at this time of year that all I can think about is enjoying a warm cup of chai on my porch with a good book or my journal.  To me, fall is  the peace after the crazy start of the school year in August.  It's the changing colors that release the fragrant leaves carried on the breeze, and all I want to do is embrace it.  It's like the last gift of summer, wrapped up in beautiful colors and smells.

That's when it hits me.  Cinnamon.  The best smell in the entire world!!!  I want to smell it in my house and in my drink, so chai is a staple for me.  The best chai is the one made at home, where you get the fragrance of the spices going and it makes your entire house smell warm and cozy.  Here is my go-to recipe for homemade chai.  You can make several variations too, by using what you have on hand.

Homemade Chai:
Place all of the ingredients in a 4-6 qt. saucepan
Peel and slice about 1/4 cup of fresh ginger
5 star anise
6 cardamom pods
6 cloves- don't have star anise or whole cloves?  Try allspice berries!
1/2 cup honey - add more or less to your liking
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cups of water

honey, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, green cardamom, allspice, star anise, black tea

Bring the water mixture to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low.  Let simmer for 20-30 minutes.  I love the smell so much, sometimes I let it go longer, and add a little more water if too much has evaporated!! 

Add 2 black or green tea bags to your mixture and let it steep for 3-5 minutes (only 3 for green tea or it will taste bitter). 

Remove from stove, squeeze tea bags to remove excess water.  Add cream or drink it "black".  You can also drink this cold and over ice if you prefer an iced chai.  You may want to add more honey, too.  If you aren't going to drink all the chai, you can let it cool, and place in a mason jar in the fridge for up to one week.

Like your chai with vanilla?  You can add a splash of vanilla at the end when you remove the pot from the stove, or even add a vanilla pod to the mixture at the beginning while boiling/simmering.  YUM! 

Here's mine this morning...I wanted to froth the milk for you but my moolatte is out of bateries!  it's still delish. 


I hope you enjoy this delicious fall beverage!!! 

Love,
Anna

Book Review- "Light and Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight

Recently I started offering to review children's, Juvenile and YA genres.  Not only does it hold me accountable to read more, but it also helps authors get their stories out to a wider audience!  As a new author on the street, I know how valuable that service can be!  Here is my first "official" book review that I completed for a new Indie author, Daniel Fife.  You can find him at @DanielMFife, and on Goodreads, FB, etc.  Enjoy the review!

Book Review: Light and Dark: the Awakening of the Mageknight
by Daniel Fife- 3 stars

Light and Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight begins with an average 13 year old, Danny Firoth, beginning his 8^th grade year and reuniting with his buddies.  He is taken with a new girl, Sabrina, who quickly becomes friends with his group because of their shared interest in the card game of “Knights.” 

After an encounter with a dragon fighting the dark, and discovering that he possesses the curious and exciting ability of foresight, Danny realizes there is a world of good and evil that is far more realistic and closeby than he ever imagined.  With his friends and Sabrina with him, they have an opportunity to spend their summer attending a secret school learning how to be a knight of the light.  The truth slowly unfolds as Danny learns more about his past and his true destiny that will change his life forever. 

Daniel Fife has come up with a wonderful storyline that is unique enough, but would also remind you of popular stories like Harry Potter.  It is relatable to a YA audience, and contains a relatable love story, along with the themes of good and evil, fighting for what is right, loyalty and learning by doing.  Fife’s writing continues to improve throughout the book, especially with the thrilling fight scenes, and his beautifully thorough scene descriptions.

Unfortunately the grammar, typos and repeated use of cliché phrases such as “did as bid” and “for but a moment,” truly distract from the story.  The pacing also needs reworking with too much character details in the first chapter, as well as too much time and development of the scene at Danny's middle school where the majority of the story takes place at the Academy of the light. 

If these changes were made, this book would be fantastic and receive 5 stars, however, I can only offer 3 stars in its current state.  If you enjoy YA fantasy, this book is worth reading.  I am definitely interested to find out what happens next in the series.    

Note!  After submitting my review to the author, Daniel Fife, he told me he made many of the changes I suggested.  Yay!

 

I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. 

Today, I remember my wedding day!

Seven years ago today, I said "I do" to the kindest man in the world, and I am so glad that I did!  It was the autumnal wedding I had always dreamed of, soaking up all the richness of the season to match the beauty of my family, our history, and the bright future I was walking towards.  Today I remember!

Today is the day, and the flowers arrived beautifully from Flagstads

                                    

Grandma Tuttle and my mommer helping me put on Grandma's beautiful satin gown she had worn 60+ years prior!  Along with my veil that was made from the lace of my great grandmothers wedding dress!

 

Dresses from 1939 certainly have a lot of buttons!

My gorgeous bridesmaids and flower girl. 

                                                 
                                                                      "I do!!"

Gorgeous, lifelong friends

Our Families

The Happy Couple

                                     
                                    Signing our marriage license while watching the sunset

Jeremy surprised me with a letter he read titled, "Why I love Anna".



I surprised Jeremy by singing, "At last" while my brother Mark rocked the guitar accompaniment



Grandma Tuttle, whose dress I had the honor to wear

Our delciously scrumptious, lick-the-plate-clean cake from "Craig's Cakes".  I loved the chocolate leaves!

 

A beautiful day to start a beautiful life! 

 

I have learned so much from Jeremy, and he certainly has taken such great care of me, and loved me through every piece of madness we've been through.  I am blessed beyond measure!!!

 

There were so many other glorious moments; the music, the decorations, etc....but I hope you enjoyed a glimpse down my memory lane!

 

Love,

Anna

Do You Take Things Personally?

Do you take things personally?  I used to.  A lot. 

Whether it was a statement by someone that offended my personal beliefs, or a rude comment or attitude made by someone towards me- I'd take it personally. 

I realized I was spending a lot of time passionately being upset at the injustice of how people treated others, or the lack of warmth or tact from people in my life.  I didn't understand how people could be so rude or thoughtless!  After some serious soul searching, I had a realization that there were a few heart issues that were contributing to my inability to let things roll off my back. 

One, I was looking towards others to find my identity, instead of looking at my creator- God!  I was placing the opinions of (what I thought) others thought of me on a pedestal, and somehow lost my own voice and the root of my own value.  This worked out OK when I received praise, but more often than not, made me feel less than worthy at someones tart words or lack of affection towards me.  This thought alone, I believe would help so many of us in the joy and confidence we have in our lives, and lower the amount of time we spend comparing ourselves, or ruminating on what others are thinking about us. 

The second part was realizing that what someone else says tells me something about them, (not me).  Bullying, cold greetings and criticisms always made me feel insecure and lowered my self-esteem.  Working through this toxic thought process allowed me to free myself from this type of assumption in my thinking. 

Are you tempted to think this way?  Are you tempted to base your value on what others say about you (or what you think they are saying about you)?  I truly hope that you realize your true value has nothing to do with what others say, but everything to do with the one in whose image you were created.  That what people say doesn't have to offend you, but can give you valuable information about what that person is going through, or where they are in their journey.  You don't have to take it personally.  What a freedom!

Love,
Anna