I recently saw this mural on a wall when I attended a show at the Palace Theater in Manchester, NH. I had to snap a few photos of it to share with you. It reminded the importance of reading to your children.
I love the child on his father’s lap who appears engrossed in the story that his father is reading to him. That is what makes me happy – to see a child enraptured by a story.
I hope you read to your children as often as you can. It is so important as I have mentioned in many of my posts. I always found that the stories I read to my children came alive for me too as I watched their eyes and the joy in their faces. It filled my heart to bursting. That is one of the reasons why I love to read.
If you love to see your children happy, try to spend a little time each night at bedtime to read to them. You will gain as much from this time with them as they will gain with you.
I have some children’s books, MG/PT/YA books if you are interested in purchasing any for your children. I will autograph them and include a colorful bookmark created by my husband. I wish you many wonderful reading times and precious memories that will last a lifetime for you and your children.Contact me by my email below and put in Subject Line – book purchase. I hope to hear from you soon! I have a limited amount of each book so hurry and order yours today!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Do you love fantasy? Have you read any of Gateskin Chronicles series? Maybe it’s time for you to get onboard and LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN! Begin with book 1 and continue through book 4. Book 5 is coming your way soon where THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE!
PROMO BELOW BY BMGN
This series has won six book awards – 4 Mom’s Choice Awards – Gold Medals, one Maincrest Media Award, and one Book Excellence Finalist Award. Recommend by @MOMSCHOICEAWARDS!
WATCH FOR BOOK 5 COMING MARCH OR APRIL THIS YEAR – Where the magic, mystery, wizards, fairies, Sprites, dragons, and unusual creatures exist in the Noella Province! There is always something happening. Don’t close your eyes or you might miss something! Don’t turn around for something could be on your tail! Don’t hold your breath because it could be the last time you breathe!
Read what others are saying about this series.
Gateskin Book 1Taken Ones Gateskin Book 2Gateskin Book 2Gateskin Book 3Gateskin Book 4
Once you begin the series you will not be able to put it down. Happy reading!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon. There is always something brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Now that the snow is finally gone on our deck, we can go out there and refill the feeders to keep the birds happy. John put out the bluebird feeder which attracted the beautiful bluebirds. He moved the birdhouse that was covered with seeds down onto the deck so the squirrel could clean off the remnants of the seeds. The birds had done a good job but had left a few stray seeds. The squirrel finished it off.
Here are some photos of the squirrel cleaning off the birdhouse. Notice how fat and furry he is. We have kept him well fed. Also, take note of his bushy tail. Did you know that if a squirrel has a bushy tail like that it is a precursor to a cold and snowy winter. It certainly was a snowy and cold winter.
Something strange happened today as I was having breakfast. I enjoy watching the birds feeding at the feeders especially the bluebirds that were happy to find their feeder filled with dried mealworms. Well, one particular bluebird suddenly flew toward our slider and fluttered around as if it was trying to get my attention. It did this several times. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong or what it was trying to tell me. There were still plenty of worms in the feeder so that wasn’t the issue. I still don’t know what was its problem.
Check out these photos with the bluebird in action. Notice the bird in flight in some of the photos. It’s the same bird that is sitting in the front of the bird feeder. He guarded the opening keeping other birds from eating.
I find these bluebirds fascinating. I plan on watching them to see if the bluebird will do the same thing another time. I really feel as if it was trying to tell me something.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon because there is always something brewing at Jemsbooks.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
This year we celebrated earlier with a gathering at the clubhouse with our neighbors on Friday the 13th. We had the luck of the green so no bad luck there. Everyone wore green!
We had corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, carrots on Sunday the 15th and will finish leftovers on the 17th. Love the corned beef!! We had the leanest beef this year thanks to my husband who chose it. It was delicious with brown mustard and horseradish! Yum! For dessert I made some Portuguese Bisquits with green frosting. I had brought some over to our clubhouse gathering and carried the leftovers home.
I will drink a toast to St. Patrick but not with green beer! No beer for me! Wine will have to do.
Don’t forget to check out all my lovely St. Patrick’s Day promos from AllAuthor.com. They will get you in the mood to read and relax after you enjoy your dinner and celebrations.
Wishing you and yours a Happy St. Patrick’s Day! May the luck of the Irish be with you!
Here is my favorite blessing. Many years ago I stitched one of these and gifted it to my son. He still has it to this day on display in his home.
Screenshot
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Come back again soon where there is always something brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
This is a post I wrote back in 2017. I think, if you haven’t already read it, you may enjoy it. Who would have thought that the corned beef and cabbage we eat on St. Patrick’s Day carries this background. Surprising! Enjoy!
online photos
An Irish Blessing
(A Blessing from St. Patrick) May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, May the rains fall soft upon your fields, And, until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of His hand (Traditional Irish Blessing; origin unknown, although some attribute it to Saint Patrick.)
Source: Insights Plaques: Irish Blessing
Blessings of the day to you and wishing you good luck always!
Janice
Addendum:
Here is an interesting story about the origins of corned beef and cabbage that my friend, Steve, sent.
The Story of Corned Beef – By AOH National Historian Mike McCormack
With the recent St. Patrick’s festivities behind us, I can’t count the number of times I was told Corned Beef and Cabbage is not an Irish dish as if we who enjoyed it were being duped by store managers with an abundance of the stuff. I enjoyed telling them the truth only to see their eyes open wide and to know that the next time they have it, they’ll think of us.
In the Nineteenth century, the Irish tenant farmer had been forced to rely on potatoes as a main food since it produced the greatest yield per acre and most of the land belonged to English landlords. On special occasions one might enjoy a bit of bacon and cabbage with the potatoes, but potatoes were the staple. When blight hit the potato in 1845, it caused a major deficiency in the dietary staple and many were forced to emigrate to survive but that’s another story.
Upon arrival in America without resources, they were generally forced to settle in the least desirable parts of the cities in which they landed. In New York this was the slums of the lower east side around the notorious Five Points. Unskilled and unschooled, they tried to scratch out a living and send a few pennies back to those they were forced to leave behind. Personal gain eluded them as prejudice and No Irish Need Apply signs hindered their climb to economic stability, yet they persevered and eventually succeeded against incredible odds.
Among the hardships families had to endure in a slum environment was the lack of nourishing food. It was generally up to the mother to prepare a healthy meal for her family and in this situation, her ingenuity left us a tradition.
In the mid-19th century, New York was a major port in the China tea trade. From 1841 through 1860, clipper ships dominated that trade. These were the fastest sailing ships in the world at the time. When fully rigged and riding a tradewind, they could reach speeds of more than 16 knots which meant that the trip to China and back would only take about nine months, depending on the route taken. However, an unlucky ship could spend an additional three weeks crossing due to Doldrums – a part of the ocean where they might encounter calms, squalls, and shifting winds.
Carrying a crew of 50 to 60 men, the ships were originally provisioned before leaving New York with enough fresh water, flat bread, oats, coffee, rum, and salted beef to last until they reached China. After gastric complaints about re-provisioning in China for the trip home, many began to carry double provisions for the round trip. These always included a bit extra in the event of doldrums. Upon arrival back in New York, the excess provisions were generally dumped in the harbor for what else could one do with lumps of beef that had been soaking in brine for nine-months.
It was then that coincidence and circumstance collided and the Irish mothers seeking nourishment for their families spotted the floating beef in the river and fished it out. Fortunately, before the advent of power boats, the river was cleaner then. They took it home and soon developed a method of preparing it so that their diet would have meat at least once a week – or at least when the ships came in. They would boil the beef to remove the salt, discard the water and boil it again. They found that repeating that process three times – once each for the Father, Son and Holy Ghost – would remove enough salt to make it palatable, however, while the salt was gone, so was the flavor! That’s when a head of cabbage was added. The last time the beef was boiled, it was boiled in water that had boiled a head of cabbage and a flavor was introduced to the meat. It didn’t take long for ship’s crews to realize there was a market for the old brined beef and returning ships soon saw women lining up for the leftover salted beef which was now sold at a penny a pound. It was a far cry from the bacon and cabbage they might have enjoyed in Ireland, but still it was a welcome dish. In later years, the dish became a traditional favorite for it brought back memories of a mother’s love although the modern dish is far more palatable than the one mom dragged out of the river.
On Saint Patrick’s Day, many people enjoy corned beef and cabbage and some even believe it to be an Irish dish. In a manner of speaking it is, but it should not remind us of Ireland. Rather it should remind us of the ingenuity of Irish mothers, their dedication to their families and their determination to overcome any obstacles put in their path in caring for their families. It should also remind us of the hardships endured by our immigrant ancestors who persevered and overcame the difficulties imposed on them in a tenement slum to bring their descendants to a better life so that we could enjoy a dish of corned beef and cabbage in pleasant company and more enjoyable surroundings.
There you have it! Now when you enjoy corned beef and cabbage and be thankful you didn’t have to pull it out of the river! Enjoy!
Compliments of Shareable Gifs – Totallypimpedout.net
If you are looking for some entertaining reading, check out these books. Hope you have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day whether you are Irish or not. On this day we all feel a little of the Irish in us. Wear your green and smile and eat your corned beef and cabbage and grab copies of these books below for an enjoyable read! Thank you!
Novels for 18+ books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and also by clicking on covers to the right of this post.
Wishes – Eclectic Short Story Collection
Hunting Mariah – thriller/mystery/crime/suspense
The Series – Hunting Mariah & Mariah’s Revenge – Mystery/suspense/thriller/crime
In A Second – mystery/suspense/paranormal/psychological
An Angel Among Us – Short story collection – multi-genres
Abby & Holly and Davey & Derek Junior Detectives – MG/PT series
Gateskin Chronicles Book 1 – Epic fantasy adventure series
Thank you for stopping by to read this post. Hope you have a HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY! Stay safe and well. Come back again soon! Love to see you again!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Suddenly the temperatures are climbing from 30’s to 70 degrees. The snow is disappearing faster now. Does this mean that spring is not far behind?
Unfortunately, the extended forecast shows temps dropping a little and in a week there will be more snow. That is New England! Wait a minute and the temperatures will changed a few times over. Sigh!
Here are some photos of the snow melting. I can see some of our deck now.
Here are the photos of our deck with all the snow before the melting.
The snow looked good when it had just fallen and was not tainted by all the dirt from the roads. Now it is looking anything but pristine.
Whatever the weather, I know that spring ant be far behind bringing warmer temperatures and more pleasant conditions to get out and about. We have been stuck inside long enough.
Well, wherever you live, I hope that you are enjoying lovely weather, feeling safe and warm and comfortable.
Thank you for so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I have been working almost every day to complete the editing process of my latest book 5 in the Gateskin Chronicles Series.
I find the editing process almost takes longer than writing the book. This is an epic fantasy with myriad characters, unusual creatures, magnificent dragons, plenty of magic, spells, wizards, fairies, sprites and the constant struggle of good against evil. Once you being this adventure with book 1, you will be hooked and want to know more about all the intriguing characters.
LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN WITH BOOK 1, THE LEGEND OF THE TAKEN ONES: GATESKIN CHRONICLES!
Here are the four book trailers I created to whet your appetite for the adventures:
Here are some reviews of the series from Amazon using AllAuthor.com promos:
Gateskin Book 1Gateskin Book 1Gateskin Book 2Gateskin Book 2Gateskin Book 3Gateskin Book 3Gateskin Book 4
I am a pantser (I write by the seat of my pants). This means that I let the characters tell the story and lead the way how the story will flow until I need to rein them in when they get a little too crazy. Sigh! There are plenty of unusual creatures in this story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and swiftly turning pages.
Gateskin has his work cut out for him once again and has the assistance and council of not only his wife but also for Head Guard, Spindle, a Sprite, and his dragons. I think you will love some surprises in this book and fall in love with a particular character or two.
Well, if you still here, then it is time for you to hop over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and grab your copies of this series so you will not be left behind when others are talking about each book. This way you will be ready for book 5 where THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Recently John and I went to our favorite Italian restaurant – Pasquale’s! I usually have Chicken Parmesan and John has a pizza with buffalo mozzarella. This time we were in the mood for seafood.
We both ordered Seafood Liguine Marinara! It was fabulous and quite filling. The next time I think we will split it!
This restaurant is a family opened and run with the hard-working daughter, Rose Maria, two sons and the father, Pasquale himself.
Their Chicken Parmesan (with homemade fettucine), pizzas and bread (homemade) are delicious too! I keep discovering new things on the menu to try. The prices are reasonable and the waitstaff, Yvonne and Ciara, are friendly and accommodating. I give this restaurant 5+ stars.
This restaurant is located in my hometown of Londonderry, NH. If you are ever in the area, check it out, you will love it!! Tell Rose, I sent you!
I may have to lose some weight again just looking at this dish! It makes my mouth water!
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. Please come back again soon. There is always something brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I recently made a pot of Beef, Barley and Beans Soup. It was nourishing and delicious. There are plenty of tasty recipes on my recipe segment, Janice’s Kitchen Corner.
Beef, Beans & Barley Soup
INGREDIENTS:
Beef ribs or beef bones with meat
Small onion chopped
Garlic powder or globe of garlic, black pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
1 C Mixed dry beans
1/2 C pearl barley
Can of chopped tomatoes
Beef Bouillon to taste
Soup pasta
DIRECTIONS:
Cook 1 C dry beans in water for 2 hours
Cook barley separately for 40 minutes
Brown beef in olive oil on all sides in separate pan
Fill pan 3/4 full of water
Add chopped onion & clove garlic or powder, black pepper
Add beef bouillon to taste
Boil all until beef is cooked
Drain and rinse cooked beans
Add beans to pan with beef
Rinse barley and add to beef
Cook all until heated through
Cook soup pasta, e.g. elbows, soup Mac or other pasta – a few minutes less than needed.
Add drained pasta to soup and shut off.
Sprinkle bowls of soup with a little grated cheese then serve.
Serve with crackers or crusty bread.
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this nutritious soup. You can add more or less of all ingredients depending upon how much soup you want to make. This was made for two and provided one dinner and two lunches. You can make this with meatball or chicken if you would prefer. Anything goes when you make soup! Have fun cooking!
Please check out all the recipes on my segment, Janice’sKitchenCorner.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read this post and for your continuing support. Please come back again soon. There is always something brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
I worry about the wildlife this winter with all the snowstorms we have had. There is about two-three feet of snow out there covering everything. Today we have warmer temperatures for a change and there is some melting going on but still plenty of snow on the ground.
We have not been able to get out on our back deck to feed the birds. I put out a cup of seeds but the squirrels ate them all and tipped it over in the process. I know they are hungry too.
Here are some photos of the mess the squirrels made but left happy with full stomachs.
Below are footprints in the snow on our back deck – squirrels and rabbits.
Here is the bird seed house that the birds have been eating to survive.
There is another snowstorm coming, hopefully not too much accumulation. I don’t think I will be putting out anymore seeds. The birds are eating what is left in the feeders and a bird seed house that is made of seeds for them to eat that my daughter gave me.
The birds have been eating it since the other feeders are almost out. Sad to say! Once the snow melts some more on the deck, it may be safe to go out there and refill the feeders. Fingers crossed!
We are fortunate so far with no loss of power during all these storms even though the generator is uncovered. I did that a while ago. Hopefully I won’t have to do that again anytime soon.
Thank you so much stopping by to read this post and for your continued support. I hope you are safe, warm and having better weather than we have had. Take care. Please come back again soon where something is always brewing at JemsBooks!
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
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