NDES book reading

I had a wonderful day reading to the students of Notre Dame Elementary in Bonnyville.  I heard so much positive feedback afterwards.  This makes my job worth while.  I am so happy to finally have achieved one of my goals.  Kids just have a way of passing on their joy to others, and  I definately felt that yesterday.  Thank you so much for your support and understanding my silly side!

A visit to NDES

This afternoon I will be visiting Notre Dame Elementary School in Bonnyville, to do my 1st book reading!  I am very excited, and I hope to do more in the near future.  In celebration to Halloween being so close by and of course my book Bug Crazy, I will be dressing up like a butterfly!  If I can get someone to take some pictures, I will definately be posting them on my blog.  Keep an eye out!  I hope everyone is having a splendid Monday!

Martha Stewart Halloween Ideas

I must say I am a big fan of her website.  It has soooo many tips on Halloween makeup, Halloween recipes for a fancy yet spooky dinner, Halloween print outs, and so much more.  If you are planning to host a Halloween party, you cannot go without checking on her site 1st!  I have used many of her ideas for my own Halloween parties, and they were such a success! 
www.marthastewart.com

Candied Apples

In time for Halloween!


Ingredients

• 15 apples
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 8 drops red food coloring

Directions

1. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Insert craft sticks into whole, stemmed apples.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in food coloring.
3. Holding apple by its stick, dip in syrup and remove and turn to coat evenly. Place on prepared sheets to harden.

allrecipes.com    ****four star recipe

Apple Crisp

An easy and delicious dessert for your family and friends.

Ingredients

• 6 apples (or 6 cups of apple slices)
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• Whipped cream or ice cream

 

Instructions

1. To peel an apple safely, your child should hold the fruit in one hand, grip a vegetable peeler in the other, and push the peeler away from himself.
2. Heat oven to 375 degrees and lightly butter an 8 or 9-inch-square baking pan. Peel, core, and slice the apples and arrange them evenly in the prepared pan.
3. Place the oats, brown sugar, flour, spices, and salt in a sealable plastic bag, close, and shake until combined. Cut the softened butter into 1-inch pieces and add to the oat mixture. Close the bag again and knead or squeeze until the mixture holds together.
4. Instead of using a bowl to mix the crumb topping, use a sealable plastic bag. This will cut back on dirty dishes and let young bakers--even preschoolers--lend a hand.
5. Open the bag and crumble the topping evenly over the apples. Bake the apple crisp for 40 to 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the juices begin to bubble around the edges. Cool slightly, then serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 6.

5 Tips on Drawing for Beginners

1 – If at all possible, always draw from life and not photographs.
2 – When drawing, less is sometimes better. Do not attempt to draw every line and detail that you see or you will give your viewer too much information to absorb.
3 – Do not try and get all of the information in your drawing completed at one sitting. Drawing is a process. Layout the general idea of your drawing and then slowly add in your details.
4 – Do not be overly judgmental about your drawing before it is completed. This may cause you to become discouraged and give up.

5 – Do not take on subjects that are too complicated at first. This will certainly cause you to become discouraged if the drawing isn’t as good as you expected it to be. Start with simple subjects that you know you can complete and then progress to more complicated ones.