A Cricut for Rebekah

If you haven't guessed right now, we are a "project" family.

Christopher, Joshua, and Daniel love car projects.

Timothy loves creative projects, from culinary to storytelling to branding and design.

Sarah loves so many different projects, it's difficult to name them all, She is currently remodeling an out-of-state home, doing much of the work herself.

Rebekah especially loves craft-related projects. We're currently in the process of moving and have already planned a large dedicated protected space where Rebekah can set out craft projects in progress and work at them bit by bit.

So when Cindy brought a cricut for her craft-related projects, she suggested to Rebekah that they learn how to use it together to create BryonySeries swag.

They recently took some training at the Joliet Public Library's Digital Media Studio, which led Rebekah getting bit by the cricut bug and placing buying one of her own on her "someday" list.

Instead, I told Rebekah to pick the one best suited to everyone's needs and let BryonySeries buy it for her, since Rebekah's intention is to use it mainly for BryonySeries projects (she's already planned a list, too).

It arrived Saturday after the presentation and she was thrilled.

Really thrilled. 

As in she couldn't wait to try it out.

I'm glad she did because I had no idea how it worked, and I had fun watching the process.

Rebekah's goal is to create approximately seventy BryonySeries miniature backpacks before Friday. 

On Friday, we are running the children's games for the Independence Celebration at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park in Joliet for the fourth year in a row.

And we ran out of our previous stock of bags at last year's events.

Yes, we aren't leaving ourselves much time. But that's not do to our excellent planning abilities and more to the boulders life keeps placing in our paths.

So Rebekah printed all her logo sheets on Sunday.

And then she "weeded" them all last night, from the time she clocked out of work until long past her bedtime.

Rebekah is planning to complete everything by Wednesday night.

The backpacks are black, but the BryonySeries logo will feature different colors.

Rebekah is very pleased with her test. 

Just so you know, we are not selling these on Friday.

We are distributing them for free to people who play the games.

This gives them a handy place to put their books, prizes, and creations (we have a coloring/sticker/craft stations this year).

Thoughts?

A "Tiny" Walk

Rebekah, Tiny, and I ended a very full, very challenging, time-crunched, project-filled, three-day weekend with a nice long walk.

Here are some of the highlights for you to enjoy this morning.

Have a most blessed day - and remember to seek to out the blessings. They are there.

A Small Move of the Needle

Good morning!

Last December (as you may recalls), the BryonySeries B.L.O.C.K.S. team organized two holiday children's book drives.

We had a donation box at The Book Market in Crest Hill (spearheaded by Rebekah) to collect BryonySeries children's books (Bertrand the Mouse series, The Adventures of Cornell Dyer series, and Girls of the BryonySeries series) for Santa Services, as we've done in the past.

But we also decided to collect BryonySeries books and other children's books for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center after learning they had a need for them throughout the year.

We finally have the results of our efforts.

We sent fifty Bertrand the Mouse to Santa Services for since Santa loves to give books away at his appearances for low-income families.

A few patrons at The Book Market bought BryonySeries and other children's books for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center. And Jan Staley, the store's owner, donated some, too.

And then Cindy piggybacked and expanded the book drive for the center at her work place, which provided most of the books we wound up donating.

So earlier in April, we brought nearly 250 books (230 from Cindy's workplace) to the Will County Children's Advocacy Center.

We waited this long because the donations at Cindy's workplace kept coming even after the holidays.

Of course, Cindy removed any book appeared damaged before donating them.

Cindy also received donations toward BryonySeries books for events B.L.O.C.K.S. will host or participate in during the year.

As you might recall, Timothy and Daniel participated in the Will County Children's Advocacy Center "Men Who Cook" fundraiser on October 11, 2025.

We remember the date because it was Daniel's thirtieth birthday.

And Daniel worked the event on this milestone birthday with a migraine.

The children's book drive (and other donation events we've hosted) was a lot of work, and we know we're not moving the needle of meeting the need in the world by very much.

We certainly don't have the time and resources of major corporations that can really make an impactful difference.

But we also believe small blessings can, when added up and in due time, yield big results.

Years ago I read it's always better to light one candle than curse the darkness.

So we try not to let our lamp go out at night.

Have a most blessed day!

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Rebekah Baran

No show can go on without a production assistant that does the miscellaneous behind-the-scenes grunt work: running errands, stuffing scripts, picking up and distributing flyers, providing feedback, hunting up miscellaneous items as needed, finding missing hearing aids backstage, and running WriteOn Joliet meetings as needed.

But that's exactly some of the tasks WriteOn member Rebekah Baran has executed for WriteOn Joliet's four years of radio plays - and 2026 is no exception!

Eight members of WriteOn Joliet will present “Shades of Noir." an original radio theater production, at 2 and 7 p.m. April 18 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Admission is $5.

Rebekah Baran has a knack in learning technology very quickly and easily taught herself the basics of website design, formatting manuscripts for print books and eBooks, book cover design, and the basics of self-publishing.

She is the to-go production person for all of the BryonySeries books and the WriteOn Joliet anthologies and website.

Rebekah earned an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from Joliet Junior College in 2016 and has worked as a pastry chef, prep cook, and assistant sous chef in Will County restaurants.

She loves, baking, cooking, reading, researching new products, and all things pertaining to Asian culture.

Contact Rebekah at dmbaranunland@gmail.com. 

The other authors and performers on April 18 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Ed Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Cean Magosky, Jenny Russ, and Duanne Walton.

Director is Jake Thomas.

Production assistant is Rebekah Baran.

Cast T-shirt sponsors are Coops Bowsmith and Holly Coop Books.

Cast supplies provided by Edward and Nancy Calkins.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

In addition, the first ten attendees at each performance will receive a FREE 2025 WriteOn Joliet anthology, courtesy of the BryonySeries creative group B.L.O.C.K.S.

The first thirteen attendees at the BryonySeries before the 2 p.m.performance and the first twelve attendees at the BryonySeries table before the 7 p.m. performance will receive a FREE booklet called "Angel or Demon" (source material for one of the show's pieces), courtesy of The Raven's House, who will be selling select noir pieces at the BryonySeries table.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit eventbrite.com.

Sue's Diner: Valentine's Day Cookies

Valentine's Day is Friday, and Rebekah developed a special chocolate cookie you can enjoy this week.

The cookie is not too sweet, but sweet enough to indulge your sweet tooth. It features both dark and white chocolate, cocoa powder, and a bit of red food coloring for fun.

Not only are they delicious, they won't scare anyone away. You can eat them with the lights turned on. And you don't have to be a fan of vampires to enjoy them.

This recipe not featured in any of the BryonySeries cookbooks, including Memories in the Kitchen: Bites and Nibbles from "Bryony," which is a permanent fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties and features all the recipes referenced in the novel Bryony. 

However, you can try this recipe for Valentine's Day Cookies on the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website. 

But try the recipe this week. It will be gone next week. A new recipe will take it's place. 

If you have any troubleshooting questions or comments, email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. 

Not sure what (or where) Sue's Diner is? Read: "Sue's Diner Through the Years."

By the way, Sue's Diner is only real in the BryonySeries world. But didn't Timothy do a great job making the page look like a real menu at a vintage diner?

Here is the full diner page: bryonyseries.com/sue-s-diner-food. You can't really order, of course (wouldn't it be great if you could?).

Check out all three BryonySeries cookbooks at bryonyseries.com/merchandise.

Four Witches

 Last weekend was a busy weekend, since we participated in "Spirits with the Spirits" on Friday night and hosted a pre-Halloween party on Saturday afternoon at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

But Saturday also was the perfect time to capture a nice photo of the four witches who greeted patrons into the bookstore.

Only see three witches? Scroll down for a closeup of the fourth!

Stella is a black kitten that Cindy found a month ago, literally in a gutter, abandoned and emaciated, while Cindy was out walking.

Under Cindy's care, Stella is filling out, looking healthy, and happy to be a tiny witch cat for our events last weekend. 

Isn't she sweet?

Bertrand likes her, too.

Happy Thursday!

RECAP: BryonySeries Pre-Halloween Party at The Book Market

On Saturday, we held a BryonySeries Pre-Halloween Party at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

The highlight of the event was when owner Jan Staley picked the lucky winner of the BryonySeries crocheted pumpkin decorating contest.

We entertained people in the store with a three-part reading of the BryonySeries version of the Halloween legend "Stingy Jack."

We also distributed treat bags filled with chef-made werewolf kibbles (thank you, Rebekah), Halloween and autumn-themed ribbits (thank you, Cindy), and select BryonySeries books.

We still two or three crocheted pumpkins if anyone would like to decorate one for Halloween.

Pumpkins are free to make and take.

Scroll one more time for a "sneak peek" at what's coming for November.

And here you go! Next month's theme at The Book Market: gratitude.

We invite you to celebrate gratitude with us.

And we also invite you to help us help Santa.

Stay posted for details.

RECAP: "Spirits with the Spirits"

Friday night's "Spirits with the Spirits" event was a spirited event indeed!

What started as small, planned WriteOn Joliet presence turned into a BryonySeries/B.L.O.C.K.S. takeover when my WriteOn counterpart got caught at work and couldn't make it.

By then, even I debated about coming out, since I wasn't feeling the best, was really dragging, and we would be hanging out in the cold in front of Black Cat Curiosities for four hours (not including setting up and tearing down).

Well, our plans went awry. But the event did not.

The event went really, really well.

We did an edited three-part reading of the BryonySeries version of "Stingy Jack," with Cindy as Satan, Rebekah as Jack, and me as Owen/narrator every fifteen minutes or so for the entire event.

Three times Cindy and Rebekah walked away for food and came back empty-handed because the lines were so long (they finally came back at 8 p.m. with food - and we were fortified in the meantime with hot drinks Timothy and Daniel had brought from Jitters).

So during those times, I read all three parts myself.

We read very, very loudly (our best outside voices) to attract (successfully) people to our table. Sometimes we read to one person. Sometimes we read to a small group.

At one point, we had a dozen people listening to the story (that group had two in costume).

And thanks to Cindy and Rebekah (who wore a sweatshirt that said "black cat"), we also had a dozen candy-filled, Cindy-crocheted pumpkins with slips of paper inside.

Most slips had a fun quote from a BryonySeries book.

But four slips contained "Jack's soul."

Anyone who drew a "soul" could take home his or her BryonySeries book of their choice, thanks to Cindy's co-workers, who sponsored the giveaways.

When we ran out of pumpkins, I slipped some "souls" into our BryonySeries Mystery Gift Quotes. So anyone who listened to a reading could take a gift quote to keep. The one drawing a soul - well, you know.

We also gave books to two homeless people, who both really wanted the books.

Rebekah also gave away one of our diners and our lantern with a book to a homeless man who wanted both (and seriously looked like he needed both).

We passed out flyers to WriteOn Joliet'a anthology release party froim 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Joliet Public Libray, 150 N. Ottawa St. in Joliet. (See what I did there?).

And we sold three books online the next day.

We also made certain any passersby checked out the vintage store, and everyone we noticed left smiling (and some had made purchases, too).

I learned the owner loves Gothic/19th Century fiction. So as a "thank you," I gifted her all five volumes of the BryonySeries prequel "Before The Blood."

So approximately twenty books found new homes, thanks to "Spirits with the Spirits."

Finally, Cindy's own "black cat" Stella hung out with us for the night. If the books, the store, and the entertainment wasn't enough to grab people's attention, the kitten certainly did.

We cannot wait for next year!

"30"

 Rebekah's on a roll with good ideas lately.

It was she who thought participating in "Men Who Cook" was a good idea.

And she had this fantastic idea for Daniel's birthday.

You see, Daniel had a lot of health issues when he was younger. And Daniel always says he doesn't remember much of his childhood.

So Rebekah thought we could give him thirty gifts, with each gift representing something he liked or owned or experienced from that year in his life.

So we made a list of years with noteworthy details and gift suggestions.

We bought said gifts.

And then I wrote clues to all thirty gifts on scrolls that we rolled up and tied with yarn.

On Thursday, Rebekah asked for a packing box at Walmart.

On Friday night, we wrapped all the gifts, assembly-line style, and numbered each gift and scroll.

One items (four different flavors of rice Krispies) couldn't be done until Timothy and Daniel left for Men Who Cook on Saturday.

Although Daniel's birthday was Saturday, we saved the presentation and unwrapping until Sunday, so we could take out time.

It took two hours for Daniel to open them all - and the clues spurred lots of guessing, remembrances and the telling of fun stories. 

Three were movies that represented three different "likes" in three different years of his life.

So after we opened gifts, we settled down to watch three movies in one of the most eclectic family movie aftenroon/nights ever. 

We watched "Stayed Tuned" (the year Daniel wanted this cake and we gave away this cookbook in a hilarious Facebook contest). 

And then we watched "Straight Outta Nowhere: Scooby-Doo! Meets Courage the Cowardly Dog" a birthdnd finally "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie."

There you have it: thirty years of memories packed into a box - with many more made yesterday afternoo and last night.

Now go forth and building some beautiful memories today.

Happy Monday! :)

BryonySeries: The Adventures of Cornell Dyer

The BryonySeries world of phantasmic books has several subseries, one of them being The Adventures of Cornell Dyer.

These are short chapter books for ages eight and up about a supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, who travels around the country in his motor home solving supernatural mysteries. He also really likes food (especially junk food), is good at "persuading" clients to clean his motor home and wash his backed-up laundry, and insists people call him "Professor."

The series has two taglines, invented by Timothy. 

"Join the incredible, impossible, and marvelous Cornell Dyer as he unravels mysteries, untangles myths, and decides what to have for lunch."

Or "the greater the mystery, the bigger the lunch."

But how did Cornell Dyer come to be?

Cornell first appeared as a man in his fifties in the latter part of of his sleuthing career in "Visage," the second book in the BryonySeries youing adult vampire trilogy.

The reader's first impression of Cornell comes from his wife Katie's description of him in a conversation with her former high school friend Melissa, who has just graduated from college.

“Believe it or not, my parents are letting us keep the motor home in the back yard.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope. They seemed pretty upset about it at first, but they changed their minds when they saw how happy I am.”

“Are you happy?”

“Of course, silly. I can’t wait for you guys to meet my husband. I’m sure he will have lots in common with John. Cornell’s a professor, too.”

“He is?” Melissa wondered if Julie had not given her prejudiced information about Katie’s situation. “What kind of professor?”

“He’s a professor of the esoteric.”

“The what!”

“The esoteric. You know, the occult.”

“I know what esoteric means,” Melissa said, losing patience with her old friend. “Katie, you can’t be serious.”

Katie giggled. “I sure am. Not only is he smart, he’s very compassionate, which is why we travel around the country. That’s all Cornell does is help people, kind of like an old-fashioned medicine man. He goes from place to place teaching people about the mystical world they can’t see and fixing their problems.”

This last statement did it for Melissa. “He solves their problems? For free?”

“Big problems, little problems; it doesn’t matter to Cornell. He just likes doing good for people. Sometimes all a person needs is a charm to get that job promotion, but other times the problem is more serious, like when an evil spirit haunts a house. Cornell will go in there and get rid of it.”

And Cornell advertises his business directly on the motor home:

Amateurish paintings of astrologic symbols, hexagrams, and magic wands covered the motor home’s white exterior. A sign painted across one side read: The Thaumaturgical World of Professor Cornell Dyer: Amulets, Fortune-Telling (with and without cards), Ghost-Hunting, Horoscopes, Numerology, Palm-Reading, Potions, Séances, Spells, and Vampire-Slaying.

Cornell Dyer was such a fun character that I partnered with Timothy and Sue Midlock to respectively create stories concepts and art (cover art, chapter heading art, and branding logo) for the BryonySeries subseries The Adventures of Cornell Dyer.

These short chapter books for ages eight and up share some of Cornell's adventures as he solves one mystery at a time (all before Cornell's time in "Visage").

Although Timothy is the storytelling consultant, Rebekah stepped into that role for one book ("Mistical" Being), which was actually the prototype for the rest of this subseries.

Here are the published titles (so far). Timothy presented me with a list of fifty or so a few years ago, so we won't run out of ideas anytime soon.

Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone

A tombstone with a Viking helmet engraving vanishes. Mysterious brown-outs plague a seacoast village. Supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer is certain the historical society leader knows more than he is telling. 

Will Cornell learn the secrets and stop the curse?

Cornell Dyer and the Necklace of Forgetfulness

A heartbroken lover wants to forget. Supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer desperately tries to solve a mystery as his memory vanishes. Meanwhile, he keeps showing up at places he's certain are clues but can't recall how or why he arrived. 

In this "back to front" story, Cornell races his fading mind to save the day - but which will win?

Cornell Dyer and the Eerie Lake

A cry for help. A glowing green ball. An old tired town with a mysterious old dump. A tale of heartbreak. Before supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer can figure out the questions, one man disappears and another dies. 

To find the answers, Cornell must cross the lake - but all who tried never came back. Will Cornell survive and solve the mystery?

Cornell Dyer and the Never Robbers

 After a band of robbers steal the motor home of supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer, time becomes strange and unpredictable. Events replay themselves with variations. Watches and light sources can’t be trusted. People disappear, and a man who claims to know everything suddenly appears. 

Cornell is certain soot, a tire swing, and his first unsolved case are somehow connected. But will he solve the mystery before he fades from memory?

Cornell Dyer and the Flu

It’s Christmas Eve and a very sick Cornell Dyer is stuck in the hospital, frustrated because he can’t find the vending machine and because he’s too sick to solve his latest supernatural mystery. 

Another patient tries to help Cornell, not with food and medicine, but with a journey into realms Cornell doesn’t want to go.

Cornell Dyer and the Whispering Wardrobe

While investigating a home with mysterious whispers, supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer stumbles upon its source: an antique wardrobe in a room all by itself. But when Cornell steps inside, he discovers the wardrobe is more than a wardrobe and a whisper is more than a whisper. 

Even if Cornell solves the mystery, will he ever go home?

Cornell Dyer and the Old Folks Home

Cornell Dyer needs a break from solving supernatural mysteries. So he heads to Paradise Falls for a well-deserved vacation at a beach resort, where he meets another sleuth as skilled as he. But dark secrets can lurk even in a sunny paradise, secrets the tanned and energetic natives don’t want him to know. 

It takes two to solve the mystery – but will the sleuthing team live that long?

Cornell Dyer and the "Mistical" Being

When asked to banish ghosts in a backyard lake, supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer encounters one mystery after another: a ghostly mist with eyes, a ghost town, and a town that keeps changing its name. 

Delving into each one will change Cornell's life. Is he ready?

Cornell Dyer and the Calcium Deficient Bones

When supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer finds himself between sleuthing jobs, he fills the time by teaching science while the real teacher is ill. But in a school that’s supposedly getting remodeled, Cornell encounters one mystery after another: vanishing classroom skeletons, plants that come and go, and a piano for every student. 

Cornell is certain his classroom holds the answer – and that he is one of the clues.

Cornell Dyer and the Howls of Basketville

Howls. Shadows. Disappearances.

Something is roaming the run-down town of Basketville, Michigan, and Detective Sherman Homes is struggling to connect the dots. So he asks supernatural super sleuth Cornell Dyer for help - but the mystery bites back. 

Brains or beast: which will win?

Cornell Dyer and the House of Horreur (Available late 2025 or early 2026.

For more information about other books in the BryonySeries, visit Books of the BryonySeries: A Quick Overview.

Mother's Day Brunch on a Working Weekend

My standing Mother's Day mantra to my kids is "No brunch."

Meaning, I don't want anyone losing any hard-earned time and money earned taking me out to brunch.

No one disagrees, especially since anyone in my family who's worked in food service feels the sheer volume of food being rapidly prepared on Mother's Day increases the risk for food poisoning.

But as the work gods would have it, my spot in the weekend rotation came up on Mother's Day weekend for at least the third year in a row.

And the "family" part of it started when the initial checking of email and social media for breaking news ended, and I responded to a text Timothy had sent in the middle of the night (we're poor sleepers here), and he sent me a weird response.

Timothy: "Why are you up?"

Me: "Why wouldn't I be up? It's 7:35 and I'm working."

As the compassionate gods would have it, Faith wanted a snuggle a few minutes later. That's what prevented me for heading downstairs to start dispensing cat and dog treats (long story) and start my own breakfast.

Because I heard voices as I was about to descend the stairs. When I reached the kitchen, Timothy, Daniel, and Cindy were laying out "brunch."

Had Faith not wanted a bit of cuddling, I would have made and been eating breakfast.

Anyway, scroll through the photos and feast your eyes on the 2025 Mother's Day brunch.

Rebekah also prepared homemade cinnamon rolls later that morning - but I was working and they forgot to take photos of those.

Sausage (not homemade)

Blueberry waffles (homemade, including the mix)

Corn muffins (because Timothy had two small boxes of mix he wanted to use up).

Fresh fruit salad

Trifle (a double batch, half of which should have gone home with Cindy and didn't)

And did I mention I will be enjoying leftovers today?

Happy Monday!

WriteOn Joliet Radio-Player: Rebekah Baran

No show can go on without a production assistant that does the miscellaneous behind-the-scenes grunt work: running errands, stuffing scripts, picking up and distributing flyers, providing feedback, hunting up miscellaneous items as needed, finding missing hearing aids backstage, and running WriteOn Joliet meetings as needed.

But that's exactly some of the tasks WriteOn member Rebekah Baran has executed since January.

In case you missed previous posts, ten members of WriteOn Joliet will present “We Can Be Heroes," an original radio theater production, at 7 p.m. April 25 and 2:30 and 7 p.m. April 26 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet.

Our director this year is Anne Magosky.

Admission is $5.

Rebekah Baran has a knack in learning technology very quickly and easily taught herself the basics of website design, formatting manuscripts for print books and eBooks, book cover design, and the basics of self-publishing.

She is the to-go production person for all of the BryonySeries books and the WriteOn Joliet anthologies and website.

Rebekah earned an Associate of Applied Science in Culinary Arts from Joliet Junior College in 2016 and has worked as a pastry chef, prep cook, and assistant sous chef in Will County restaurants.

She loves, baking, cooking, reading, researching new products, and all things pertaining to Asian culture.

Contact Rebekah at dmbaranunland@gmail.com. 

The authors and performers on April 25 and April 26 are Denise M. Baran-Unland, Mauverneen Blevins, Ed Calkins, Holly Coop, Steve Cordin, Diana Estell, Jenny Russ, Cean Magosky, Colleen H. Robbins, and Duanne Walton.

Production assistant is Rebekah Baran.

Lobby doors open at 6 p.m. Concessions and drinks available for purchase. WriteOn Joliet books and anthologies will be available for purchase one hour before the show, during intermission and immediately after the show’s conclusion.

In addition, the first fifteen attendees at each performance will receive a FREE 2024 WriteOn Joliet anthology, courtesy of Saporta Law Offices in Joliet.

The Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre is at 201 West Jefferson Street, downtown Joliet, 60432.

For tickets and more information, visit bicentennialpark.org or contact the office: 815-724-3761 or bipark@joliet.gov.