LadyD Books: 2011

What's Cooking?

A Cooking Sky!

SkyWatch Friday

Waking up one morning, I looked at this gorgeous view and wondered, "What's for breakfast?" It seems my photography experiences always remind me of a story. There's a pro whom I've met online and admire his work. If you have the time, visit http://sparepartsandpics.blogspot.com

So many experienced photographers share their proud photos at http://skyley.blogspot.com/

If you would like to sell your photos, visit http://www.dreamstime.com

Book Beginnings

"I LOVE TO COOK. Cooking has never been a chore, but a passion in my life. Though it's my chosen work, I've always kept it in perspective. It's not a rocket science after all. Cooking is a way to connect with others while enjoying one of life's daily pleasures-food!"

From: Cooking in Everyday English by Todd English

* I am thrilled to add this great cookbook to my library. It's perfect for the novice cook to the pro chef. This hardcover book, filled with gorgeous illustrations and simple recipes, will grace your table with good tasting food.

Page 56

"Oh boy, do I have opinions on crab cakes! I think a good crab cake is loaded with crabmeat and just barely bound together by other ingredients like mustard, herbs and crumbs."

-- Cooking in Everyday English: THE ABCs OF GREAT FLAVOR AT HOME by TODD ENGLISH

I always enjoy stopping by http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com to see what my friends are reading. Hope you'll join us this New Year!

So, looking back over the year, here are my top 5 posts:

1. Quote It Saturday: The Universe

2. Secrets to Tutu Making Success

3. Children's Book List For Special Needs Children

4. 1001 Books You Should Read

5. Real Solutions for Busy Moms by Kathy Ireland

Follow Friday

I have 3 New Year resolutions in the blogging world:

1. Are you in my Google Circle? LadyD Books

2. Looking for photos for your blog? http://www.dreamstime.com/free-photos

3. To invite you to ShopSquad, the Shopping Website, http://www.shopsquad.com/invited_by/LadyD

LadyD Books is participating in today's memes:

InLinkz.com

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

Love,

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

Wordless Wednesday: I Know I've Been Good

What Do We Love About Christmas? What do we love about Christmas;
Does our delight reside in things?
Or are the feelings in our hearts
The real gift that Christmas brings.
It's seeing those we love,
And sending Christmas cards, too,
Appreciating people who bring us joy
Special people just like you.
By Joanna Fuchs

My grandson is patiently waiting on the ranch for his cousins to arrive. He has been my helper all day. I know he has been good!

It will be a very fine day for us all. Are you ready for all the festivities? From our house to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

InLinkz.com

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

Book Review: Garmann's Secret

Book Description

Garmann is back for another story in this follow-up to the acclaimed books Garmann’s Summer and Garmann’s Street. And he’s joined once more by some favorite characters from the original book, including the twins Hannah and Johanna.

"They’re like two peas in a pod," adults whisper about the girls. But Garmann knows that they aren't. Then one day Johanna takes Garmann into the woods to show him a surprise, and the two find a secret world full of imagination and discovery.

Award-winning author and illustrator Stian Hole has once again created a book filled with wonder that will delight fans of Garmann.

About the Author

Stian Hole is a Norwegian author and illustrator. His picture books include Garmann’s Street and Garmann’s Summer, which won a BolognaRagazzi Award, a Batchelder Award Honor, and an Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. The book also was recently named to the IBBY Honour List for 2010.

Product Details

Hardcover: 50 pages
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (March 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0802854001
ISBN-13: 978-0802854001

This talented author and illustrator, Stian Hole, has written Garmann's Street, Garmann's Summer and now Garmann's Secret. I didn't know what to expect when I had received the children's book from Library Thing for review. This was new territory for me. Let me share my discoveries with you.

Book Review

The children's book, Garmann's Secret by Stian Hole is available for purchase in March of 2012.
The illustrations are an interesting blend of photographs, collages and paintings. The illustrator-author creates a story of wonder and the book begins with the main character Garmann finding a world full of imagination and discovery, along with the twins, Hannah and Johanna.

The setting of the playground shows the diversity of children and their unique interactions. The dialogue between the identical twin girls reveals a contrast in their personalities. The story moves along nicely when Garmann and Johanna take a walk through the forest because she has a secret to share with him. It is at this point of the story that I love the universal hook because, after all, everyone has a secret. The forest scenes are wonderfully filled with warm earth tones and the children come across an old, abandoned space capsule. The plot unveils a fantastic journey of so many wonderful imagining places, along with a sweet foundation of reality and play, kids growing up in wonderment of the creator of planet earth... This is a great book. I recommend it with 5 *s.

Garmann's Secret

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

Five Vine Tips

Crawling Vine

I'm learning photography by practicing with my cousin's D200.
I love nature with all the varieties of plants, seeds, and flowers you find on display. For wonderful professional photos, visit Ewa Kelly who hosts Flowers on Saturday

Also, stop by Weekend Flowers

Photo Credit: Graphics Fairy

I love reading quotes from fellow bloggers. You really learn so much from their choices that they want to share with us. Freda is the host of Quote It Saturday.

Photo Credit: Graphics Fairy

Vine Quotes

"Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table."

-Bible (Old Testament)
Psalms128:3

"Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans and peas."

-- Horace Gray

"George of the Jungle is a cartoon. He's a guy who swings around on a vine all day. Are you not buying that?"

-- Brendan Fraser

“You should realize that the community with which you deal is not the one of 42nd Street and Broadway, or Hollywood and Vine. These are the crusts on the great American sandwich. The meat is in between.”

-- Fulton J. Sheen

"I took my troubles down to Madame Rue
You know that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth
She's got a pad down on Thirty-Fourth and Vine
Sellin' little bottles of Love Potion Number Nine."

-- Performed by The Clovers, Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

You know, there are oodles of quotes about the vine from the Bible... really, there are a lot!

Tips on Growing Vines

1. Be sure the vine has a strong enough support to climb on. Some vines grow very aggressively, and they can actually damage structures and become quite dangerous as they mature, if they’re not properly supported.

2. Some of the best structures to let vines climb on are solid wood arbors or pergolas. Any solidly built structure will usually work well though, such as a storage shed, carport, or part of your home. Be aware of what type of vine you allow to climb along the walls of your home though, because some can completely destroy the structure over time.

3. Vines are tolerant of a variety of soil types; moist, well-drained soil is the best. The amount of light is important, not enough can reduce flowering. Most flowering vines require at least six full hours of sunlight. Flowering vines will also require watering. The key to proper water management is to water deeply. Avoid watering flowering vines too often as this can stress or even kill the vine. Instead, allow the soil to dry out in between watering intervals. Trimming in late winter or early spring is imperative and should be done in order to help keep flowering vines within their boundaries as well as to encourage ongoing health.

4. Some types of vines you might want to try growing include grape vines, passion fruit vines, and rose vines. There are also Morning Glory vines and wisteria, which are both favorites across the country. Another popular vine is honeysuckle, because it grows quickly and puts out a wonderful sweet scent too.

5. If you love growing roses, you might try planting some climbing rose vines too. Most grow quite quickly and will attach themselves to a structure fairly easily too. Other types of vines which are wonderful to grow include clematis, black-eyed susan, bougainvillea, and jasmine.

Do you have a favorite vine? I have the last two mentioned above on my property. Plus, Joseph's Coat roses and Cecile Bruner climbing roses. We look at the morning glory vine in the front yard and have a beautiful wisteria over the arbor near the view. I have been thinking of getting a trumpet vine in 2012.

InLinkz.com

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis

A Shakespearean Scene

Shakespearean Sonnet

Here is a particular scene I want to write about. The natural scenery may inspire a few lines!

SkyWatch Friday

Book Beginning

"There is no one way to write a poem. Nor is there a magic formula or process that, when followed precisely, will automatically transform a series of words into poetry."

This is a wonderful book and I ma learning so much. Writing poetry is one of the most difficult and demanding skills in all arts.

The Friday 56

"Images are different from ideas and words because images are full of sensory information."

-- How To Write A Poem by Margaret Ryan

Follow Friday!

Question of the Week: When you've read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it..?)

Answer: I keep them and dream of a warm reading room, with window seats, soft cuddly cats about, while listening to running water and reading about fabulous adventures off the print!

I have thought of selling some online and donating books to our local bookstore. Some make very nice gifts, too. So, what do you do with your books?

Happy Friday!