A Lovely Review!

Luanne at the blog, A Bookworm's World is amazing! She posts wonderfully well-written reviews of all kinds of books. She reads like crazy and stays on top of what's hot, new, interesting or just catches her discerning eye. I feel so lucky that she reviewed Reaching on her blog yesterday, April 21st. Here's what she said:

Every so often, I have to make some hard
 decisions - what books to donate or
giveaway- as my bookshelves can only hold
so many.  But the ones I don't 'cull' are the
shelves with the children's books. And in fact,
 I add to it every so often. Yes, my kids are
grown and gone - but one day I'll  be a
 grandmother. I can't wait to read to and
share books with someone small again.


Reaching by Judy Ann Sadler
is a wonderful picture book
that I've recently added to that bookcase.

Judy Ann Sadler's story is presented in rhyming couplets easily flow off the tongue.
 When I read them out loud, I found myself using a sing song cadence that
would make it easy for a small one to remember and join in with on subsequent
 readings.

The story is perfect for a family experiencing the addition of a baby to their
 family. And it's one that can be read over and over to that new baby as he or
she grows. I really like that Sadler included everyone from grandparents,
cousins, aunts, uncles and pets in the story of Baby. And that all of them
 are reaching out.

The words themselves are not set straight in straight lines on the page, rather
they're set in an arch, lending movement to the words. The rhymes are full
of action words as well - hugs, kisses, tickling, dancing and of course reaching,
 that can be incorporated into an interactive reading of the book.

Susan Mitchell's illustrations are lovely. The colours are soft, warm and
appealing. The faces of the characters are friendly and engaging. The
backgrounds provide lots of other 'things to see' that children will recognize
 from their own lives.

I've just finished hiding Easter treats for my baby. And yes, he's in his
 twenties now. I'll watch as he easily reaches to find some in the high
spots (he's six feet tall) and remember when I had to make sure they
were all in low hiding spots where he could easily see them. And when
he kisses me good-bye, he'll be the one reaching down.

Reaching is a beautiful picture book with a sweet story and charming
 pictures. It's one that will be waiting on my bookshelf.....

Age range 1-3 years. 32 pages.

Isn't that lovely?

All the best,

Judy Ann

Snapshots of Spring

         I'm not sure we can trust that Spring is really here, but it looks like we might just be lucky enough to have one of those old-fashioned Springs where we get a glorious day, then a rainy one, then maybe a couple of cool ones. That would be fine with me. I like to be eased into the next season, not plopped into it to quickly.

These flowers are on the south side of the house. The snow melted and there they were.

Easter is a wonderful reason for indoor flowers.

 Isn't this the cutest little plate ever? I had to refill it many times over the past couple of weeks!

I can't seem to stop baking ever since we got the new kitchen island.

 Here's proof that the sun finally has some power! This was a pair of chocolate cats, but after a couple of hours of waiting to be found during our outdoor Easter-egg hunt, the cats were a puddle in the bottom of the box. Oops! 

I recently had the pleasure of seeing our little Glanworth library on the inside. The photos don't do it justice, and of course it is unfinished, but it is going to be lovely. We hope we are just a few weeks now from re-opening. Fingers crossed!

What you see here is the opening into the new part which has the washroom, 

 new automatic door

 and book chute. A real book chute!

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

Little Pink Puff

               You would think that during this extra-long, cold winter, I would have knitted all kinds of stuff. Of course, there's never enough time, but I did manage to knit this little pink puff of a baby cap, the first one I've made in this style. It took longer than it should have, but now that it's finished, I think it's very sweet. When I first saw this cap in the book, Knitting for Peace, I couldn't quite figure out how it was made, but the instructions were good. First you knit the main part of the cap, decreasing a stitch at one end of every second row and adding a stitch at the other end. I got mixed up many times because it felt so odd knitting an angled piece!

After casting off, you stitch the two short ends of the strip together. Pick up stitches (I used circular needles) along one long side of the swirly strip so that you can knit the ribbed brim.

Then, with needle and yarn, gather up the other side to close the top of the cap.

I made a wispy pom-pom for the top to finish it off.

I'm pleased with the finished cap. I'll send it off to a sweet baby girl this week.

 I also made this cap a few weeks ago. I noticed that the baby boy I knitted it for has a few other newborn knitted hats already. I hope I've made this one big enough for him to wear next winter.

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann

Bread and Honey

          Last Fall Mom inspired me to start baking bread again. It's been wonderful to have the smell of fresh-baked bread in the house over this long, frosty winter. One of my favourite recipes calls for  buttermilk and honey, yum! Jeff loves thick slices of my bread with peanut butter and honey for lunch. (He says it's a great sandwich to eat at his desk or on the run because he can hold it in one hand!) Buying liquid honey to put in the bread and creamed honey to put on it reminds me of how much I loved honey when I was a kid. Every summer for a week or so, I had the pleasure of staying with my cousins on their dairy farm. A neighbour kept bees in the forest at the back of the farm, and as payment for allowing this, every year my aunt and uncle were given a few pails of creamed honey.

It may have been because I was with my cousins in a place I loved to be, or because it was summer, or because we didn't have honey at home, but whatever the reason, that honey still stands out in my mind as the best ever. I loved it for breakfast on toast with butter, so delicious! A while ago, I mentioned this to my cousin's wife (she and my cousin and their family now run the dairy farm), and the next time I saw her, she very sweetly gave me one of the original honey tins.

 

 Isn't it great? Imagine having four pounds of honey on the breakfast table! I keep the tin on display in my studio, and looking at it makes me feel warm, and a little bit hungry for homemade toast slathered with butter and honey.

Have a sweet day,

Judy Ann

Glanworth Library Update

I made a quick trip to our little library a couple of days ago and

 the new part now has walls and a roof, yay!

The extra cold, snowy weather has been quite a challenge for the workers. 

They will, however, get the job done as soon as possible. So far, so good!

All the best,

Judy Ann

Beautiful Snow

I know I should be sick and tired of winter by now, but I just can't help it: I love the beauty of newly-fallen snow! We often go for walks around a pond at the end of our street, and that's where most of these photos were taken.

There are beautiful colours even in the mostly-white of winter.

 The way snow settled on this chain-link fence almost looks like a quilt pattern.

 I like how snow stuck to the curly ends of the branches on this shrub.

 We have a tray (a wedding shower gift from many years ago!) that has a sweet saying on it, 

"All around us everyday, nature's art is on display." It might be a little corny, but it is also true.

We puzzled over this footprint for a few minutes, then realized it is made by a wild turkey with big feet!

Snowy owls are another fairly common sight in our area this winter. Talk about winter beauty!

During this extra-cold winter we are having, it is difficult to imagine that we have ever been able to sit on the verandah in shorts and sandals. The time will come again!

Enjoy this day,

Judy Ann

Making Progress!

Our little Glanworth library renovation is moving along nicely. Have a look!

The workers have gone through the existing back door and are now building what will be the new entrance and washroom.

The new part is pretty much as long as the original building, but not as wide. It will mean our little library will still be just the right size. 

 I miss the Glanworth patrons so much! I can't wait until we re-open so we can get back to our lovely reading, crafting and visiting routines. 

Enjoy your day,

Judy Ann