I have been sharing my recipes for months now. I have been seriously thinking about putting them all into a recipe book. This is something different for me but it is a challenge that I look forward to with great anticipation from start to finish. My husband will be providing the cover using many of my photos in the past and new ones that I continue to take. I should have gone into photography since I love snapping photos of everything and everyone.
Here are a couple of my photos of recipes I have made and shared on my blog.
My husband and I are presently working on one book each (John – a children’s book – Book 5 of Drystan the Dragon and Friends Series) and (me – an historical novel). We hope to have both of these books completed this year. Book 5 of Drystan’s series will be published in March 2021 and the historical novel either April or May of 2021.
This cookbook will be quite a bit of work for us but we will keep at it and hopefully have it completed by early 2022, fingers crossed!
My husband will be rolling his eyes when I tell him this next project and the date I expect to complete it. He is always saying that I act as if I am on a race to the finish line with my books. I can’t help it. I am compulsive about completing things that I start. I try not to begin too many projects because I know how I am. I am driven to complete as many as I can each year.
I am also driven in completing my crochet and sewing projects. I recently finished three wine cozies with appliqués on my new sewing machine. They are not perfect but I know that I will get better with more experience using the myriad of stitches that it has. Sigh!
As for my crochet – I already completed four baby afghans, two sweaters, two hats, and working on two larger afghans – one in stripes and one in a blanket yarn. Here are some photos.
I will be working on another blanket afghan after the one above is completed in black and white print.
Keeping myself busy this way helps me to forget any problems, aches and pains I may have. It does work. If I try to sit still without doing something, crocheting, sewing, blogging, etc. I feel as if I am wasting some valuable time. This drives my husband crazy. He wants me to relax but I keep telling him that this is the way I relax. If I stop doing something as I’m watching TV I get bored with it and what we are watching. Time is flying by and I want to put as much as I can into every moment.
I don’t think that I will really stop everything until our trip to Aruba in the fall. When I am there I don’t crochet, sew, but I do a post or two a week instead of 5 and a little promotional stuff too. What I do a lot of is walk, swim, eat, read and sleep. It is the best vacation I have ever had. It forces me to relax like I never relaxed before. I come back feeling healthier and alive. Unfortunately in 2020 we could not go and I felt lethargic all winter because of my loss of Vitamin D from no Aruba sun, surf and sand. This year will be extra special because we will be going, God willing!
Well, I won’t bore you anymore with my long diatribe. I hope you will watch for these new books coming and of course the Cookbook! I’m excited about beginning it but I must finish the other two books first.
MG/PT/YA books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Novels for 18+ books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and also by clicking on covers to the right of this post.
Jemsbooks Children’s books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Thank you for stopping by to read this post. Feel free to come back again any time. You are always welcome.
Blessings & Hugs! Stay Safe, Stay Well and God Bless!
READING GIVES YOU WINGS TO FLY! SOAR WITH JEMSBOOKS ALL YEAR THROUGH! HAPPY READING!
Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina
Award-Winning Author
Jemsbooks for All Ages!
Jemsbooks.com
Jemsbooks.blog
Jjspina(at)comcast(dot)net
AMAZON.COM AUTHOR PAGE (All books)
AMAZON.COM JE SPINA NOVELS PAGE
Purchase Jemsbooks
JEMSBOOKS 
Great idea to do the cookbook. Reading about all you do exhausts me! And I do hope you get your holiday to Aruba again this year.
Yes we plan to go. Thank you. 💕
Thank you, Mary. I am exhausted at times but happy! Ha! We will do all we can to get to Aruba! Take care! Stay safe and well, my friend! 🤗
I also keep myself very busy, Janice, and so does my mother. It is a good way to life your life.
I agree. I fill my days for we never know how many we have left. 🥰
A cookbook is a great idea. Good luck with the cookbook and all your other projects. I like to be busy too. I hate being bored or wasting time.
Amen to that. Thank you. It should be quite a project but my husband will help me put it together. 🥰
Great idea, Janice. I may come to you with advice, since I am thinking of creating a cookbook with recipes from the food in my Rhe Brewster mystery series. Not a big book, more for fun. I just finished knitting a blanket for my grandson!
Thank you! Good idea too! I’ll let you know how it goes. 😘
Cookbook! Terrific plan. I believe nearly everyone has a cookbook in them just wanting to burst out. Your needlework is cozy and inviting. Lucky little ones.
Thank you, Annette! 🥰
I’m the same, and like to work on something while I watch things. I do sometimes like to just sit quietly for a bit, but mostly if I’m watching or listening to something I’ll also be doing something with my hands. Even took my crochet with me to my brother’s place to work on while we watched a movie for his birthday last week. Not being able to work on crafts right now after injuring my hand a few days ago is very frustrating. I can just about type, since I can do it with one hand (it’s just much slower than I usually type) but crochet, knitting, etc… Out of the question. 😦
Sorry to hear that Tori! I hope it gets better soon so you can get back to all your activities. Take care. 💕🧶
Thanks.
Good to read you are so busy Janice, a cookbook sounds great my brother has started baking during lock down, something different every day I bought him a couple of cookbooks for Christmas. My grandma crocheted my long christening robe Mum kept it and now I have it, it is beautiful with a shell pattern you are very talented.
Thank you so much, Charlotte! I hear that a lot about people cooking more during Pandemic. Also, we are all eating more! Haha! How wonderful that you have your christening robe that your grandmother crocheted. That is so precious! I hope you are staying safe and well. Take care love, Janice