“I wonder how old we are when we stop thinking like kids?” – This Kid Reviews Books (Quote used with permission. Thanks, Erik!)
Posted in Mostly About Reading, Writing
Tagged inspiration, quote, reading, ThisKidReviewsBooks, Writing
I like reading quotes that inspire me to think in a more positive way.
Comedian Kevin Hart sees life as a collection of chapters that each person gets to write for himself or herself. As a writer, I like that. Here is what he said in an interview:
That’s a good point; and why not? It’s a matter of choice each and every day. Unfortunately for me I don’t always choose the high road. I sometimes let negative views, opinions and feelings determine my own. I can get discouraged by the voices in my own head – my own self-doubt and destructive lack of confidence. Do you ever do that? Fortunately, I’m not as hard on myself in that way as I used to be.
As I said, I like inspirational quotes. Today I need your help. I am asking you for quotes that mean a lot to you, the ones that have inspired you and helped you see things in a more positive light, the ones that had a meaningful impact on your life or that inspired you in a life-changing way.
Any comment on what Kevin Hart said?
What quotes have helped you along your way? Please share them in a comment, or you can go to my About Me/Contact Page and privately send it to me if you are shy. I will add a few of them to my Quotes for Writers page.
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! ♥ 🙂
Posted in Miscellanea
Tagged comedian, inspirational quotes, Kevin Hart, positive words, postive thoughts, quotes
It was love at first sight for him.
He met her through her sister whom he’d become good friends with through work-related contact. He’d waited patiently, then not so patiently, for the right time to approach her. She needed some space after a break-up. He’d had time after his. He added her on FaceBook and eventually asked her on a date.
Although they’d chatted through FaceBook, it was her first “blind date” and she was so nervous she managed to break a glass mug in her kitchen. When he came to her door he also was very nervous, but they felt a connection right away.
That first date was casual, fun, genuine, memorable. They played mini-golf, went out to dinner, visited Peggy’s Cove – a famous landmark on the Atlantic ocean, to watch the amazing sunset. She was impressed. He was smitten.
A couple of days later she was visiting her mother and asked, “Mum, is this for real? Can I trust this?” She had such a good feeling about him and her heart wanted to believe. When he visited his mother she asked how his date went. He quietly said, “I’m going to marry her.”
That was in April of 2016. At the end of August he expressed to her parents his desire to marry her, to which they gave their blessing. On September 4 he surprised her with a ring and popped the question. She tearfully and happily exclaimed, “Yes!”
The plans began almost immediately and in November she, with two of her sisters and her mother, went wedding dress shopping. The perfect one was selected. Pretty, uncomplicated, and fun. Flowers were chosen and ordered in the summer to match her theme.
On September 2, 2017, there was a beautiful outdoor wedding at a winery with over 100 invited guests as witnesses. It was rustic yet elegant. Simple yet thoughtfully detailed. Ceremony, photos, reception with speeches that brought both tears and laughter, followed by a dinner and a dance.
Our youngest daughter and our new son-in-law are now on their honeymoon in Bermuda.
The top left photo below is the view from their room in the cruise ship.
I’ve always told my girls that God is preparing them for someone at the same time He’s preparing someone for them. Don’t rush things. Clearly, these newlyweds are meant to be together.
It’s been a busy and emotional experience. My heart is full. I still cry a little over God’s love for them. What can I say? I’m the mama! 🙂
Do you have any sweet stories to tell – wedding or otherwise?
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Posted in Miscellanea
Tagged Bermuda, blind date, honeymoon, love at first sight, marriage proposal, outdoor wedding, wedding, wedding dress shopping, winery
Have you seen this one yet?
If you do this quiz, the quiz masters will guess what book genre you most enjoy reading.
When I answer these quizzes – simply because they’re fun to do – it seems “they” know something about me I hadn’t really thought about. 🙂
Click HERE to give it a try. Answer the questions and find out, based on your answers, which genre is determined to be your favourite to read. Then please come back here and tell me your result.
Mine is Comedy: From fiction to nonfiction, you appreciate entertaining books that can leave you in tears of laughter.
What is your quiz result? Do you feel it’s accurate?
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Book: You're Here! Author: Karla Oceanak Illustrator: Julie Rowan-Zoch Publisher: Bailiwick Press Date: October 7, 2014 Genre: children's board book, year-by-year series Pages: 16 Price: $7.99 My rating: sweet story for baby and the whole family
You’re Here! by Karla Oceanak is a little board book heralding the arrival of a long-awaited new baby. Illustrated in subtle hues by Julie Rowan-Zoch, it is gentle and pleasing to the eye.
In only sixteen pages of a book made small enough for little hands to manage well, Baby is told how special his/her arrival is to the family. Baby’s milestone events are noted, such as first smile, first tooth, first time to crawl, and so on throughout the first year of Baby’s life. Presented in an endearing way, You’re Here! shows how much Baby has already grown, or will develop.
For other young children in the family, Julie Rowan-Zoch‘s illustrations in You’re Here! are sweet and fun to help them understand and recognize how their new sibling will change and grow just as they did.
You’re Here! by Karla Oceanak is ideal as a baby shower gift for the expected birth of a baby. At the end of the story, the parents express their joy in being selected by Baby, which also makes it a very suitable book for the adopted child.
You can find You’re Here! by Karla Oceanak on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Goodreads, and when available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Chapters.Indigo.
Your comments are greatly appreciated by authors, illustrators, and this blogger. ♥
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Book: Mae and the Moon Author-Illustrator: Jami Gigot Publisher: Ripple Grove Press Date: September 8, 2015 Genre: children's picture book; age 5-7; gr K-2 Pages: 36 Price: $16.99 My rating: A beautiful way to introduce children to the wonders of the moon
Mae and the Moon, written and illustrated by Jami Gigot, is a beautiful way to introduce children to the wonders of the moon.
Mae is a little girl who discovered the moon seems to be following her. Mae likes that because she really enjoys playing in the early evening when the moon is brightest. (If you look at the wonderful illustrations you will notice Mae is never far from her family, and her evening strolls are with her father, mother, little brother, and her dog who is always close.)
Mae and the moon like to play hide-and-seek, until one night the moon disappears entirely! Mae is quite upset and wonders if it will ever come back. When her mother tells her that even the moon needs to rest, Mae can’t wait for its return. She gets her dad to help her build a rocketship out of cardboard boxes, and her imagination takes her on a search into the starry sky to find the moon. Right when she imagines being able to hug the moon her dad says it’s time to come in. Then Mae makes another discovery!
Mae and the Moon will inspire curiosity about the moon’s phases as children read about Mae and her love of the moon. The illustrations are enjoyable, with only two pages showing Mae in the daytime when she can’t see the moon – when she’s busily planning her excursion to find it.
Young children will learn that the moon goes through phases to where it is only a sliver of light in the sky before it disappears until the new phase begins. On the inside of the back cover Jami has the phases illustrated, which will help children figure out what phase the moon is in – if they are in an area where city lights don’t inhibit that wondrous experience. This is a beautiful book to read over and over with many details to find.
You can find Mae and the Moon by Jami Gigot on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Goodreads, and when available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Chapters.Indigo.
Your comments are greatly appreciated by authors, illustrators, and this blogger. ♥
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Book: Pirates in the Library Author: Nadia Ali Illustrator: Jake Tebbit Publisher: Star Bright Books Date: November 30, 2016 Genre: children's picture book; age 5-8; Pre-school-3 Pages: 40 Price: $16.83 hardcover My rating: a delightful story to encourage interest in the library
Pirates in the Library by Nadia Ali is a delightful story to encourage interest in the library, starting with that title.
Ms. Benitez, the librarian, thought of a way to get people interested in visiting the library. She sketched out a treasure map, made copies of it, and stacked them on her desk by an open window. The map was the Dread Pirate Dewey’s decimal map and showed how to find his treasure.
A storm came up and out the window blew many of her maps! Out on the wild waves was Captain Jake, and one of Ms. Benitez’s maps stuck right on his face. Of course, once he saw what it was, he was determined to find the treasure.
Fierce Captain Jake, his bold pirate crew, and their parrot too, came looking for the treasure. Ms. Benitez happily welcomed them, warning them not to shout or squawk, but to be quiet, and then directed them to rows and rows of “treasure.” Captain Jake was aghast that there were no rubies or diamonds or doubloons! Only books! Many books. When he realized all his crew had disappeared Captain Jake suspected the Dread Pirate Dewey had captured them, but then he found them all reading books about things that interested them, such as … cooking, navigating by the stars, learning to take charge, biographies, fiction, sports, and even the parrot was looking at a book of pictures of birds.
At the very end of the story … well, that’s funny, too. You’ll have to read it for yourself.
The fabulous illustrations for Pirates in the Library were created by Jake Tebbit and add depth to the story. The way Nadia Ali told the story is entertaining, with repetition in such a way that adds to the humour.
Pirates in the Library is an enjoyable book for children and the adults who read to them. In the back of the book is the Dewey decimal system – which shows how it is worked out. Also, the end pages are fun with maps and X marking the spot where the treasure can be found.
You can find Pirates in the Library by Nadia Ali on my BUY THE BOOK page. I also post my reviews on Goodreads, and when available on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, and Chapters.Indigo.
Your comments are greatly appreciated by authors, illustrators, and this blogger. ♥
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂
Do you wonder about your writing, if it’s strong enough, if you’re over-using some words, if your grammatical usage is up to par?
Here is an automated feedback tool called The Writer’s Diet test that will give you immediate feedback about your writing. You simply insert a sample of your writing – 100 words up to 1000 words – and find out where you might have to improve. The categories of the report are: lean, fit & trim, needs toning, flabby, heart attack.
I tried the test with a sample of 233 words of a post I wrote in June. The result is that my verbs usage was in the heart attack range … (yikes!); my usage of nouns, prepositions, verbs/adverbs was in the lean range for all of them; my use of it, this, that, there was just into the fit/trim range. It seems I have to trim down my overuse of verbs, which will be challenging.
If you give it a try I hope you’ll come back and let me know … what did you discover about your writing?
Thanks for reading, and … Creative Musings! 🙂 ♥
Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators & Performers
Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
"The odd thing about people who had many books was how they always wanted more." - Patricia A. McKillip
