Birthday Blanket from Cindy

Cindy, who makes the crocheted Ribbit-Tibbits (i.e. Bertrand's friends) and adoptable mice, crocheted her first blanket for my birthday - and then presented it to me on Justin's birthday a couple of weeks ago.

I wanted to showcase a nice photo of me using it. Instead, I'm hanging out on the couch with it in the early evening yesterday with a wiggly Tiny, while Rebekah worked overtime, and both of us (Rebekah and I) dealt with food poisoning. 

But Cindy did a great job with the lap blanket. The colors and the pattern remind me of a blanket my mother had on her bed when I was a child. I will treasure it for many years.

The recap of Bertrand's Back-To-School Birthday Bash will have to wait until Monday. 

Birthday Gift From Mom

So the birthday gift my mother sent for my birthday on July 15 arrived on July 22, which was frustrating to her and less so with me, since I had surgery on July 17 and that week was a blur of pre-op preparation.

But she followed the tracking with periodic text updates to me as to its location, with the final one being in our parcel box. So Rebekah brought in the box, which contained a cat and dog T-shirt and a pawprint coffee mug.

I asked Rebekah to snap a photo to text to my mother, which she did, shaking her head at our lived-in background and foreground: box that held the gifts, one purse, a bag of supplies on the table, a box that held the large sign now at The Book Market in Crest Hill that needs a home in the garage, a dog toy, Rebekah's tumbler collection on top of the "five minutes of kindness" cabinet, and bare walls since we are still "moving in" four years later.

Nothing is filtered, nothing is altered. Just one post-surgical moment in time and two birthday gifts that made the trek across the country from intention to recipient, with a smile and thankfulness sent back in return.

May you know both giving and recieving today - and may both make you smile.

Happy Monday!

Blue Birthday Towels (and Cash for Shoes)

Good morning!

I'm holding off posting a new recipe for Sue's Diner today. Rebekah had a rough day yesterday, but she has a special recipe she'd like me to share. 

So our nineteenth century chicken salad recipes with homemade crackers is still on the Sue's Diner menu if you haven't tried it yet.

Instead, I'd like to show you this lovely birthday gift from Cindy: a set of dark blue towels in a dark blue bag with dark blue tissue paper, a lovely card, and $50 toward shoes.

That might seem like an unusual birthday gift, but I'm also the type of person that loved a shower curtain birthday gift. 

Here's why the gift is so thoughtful and shows Cindy gave from her heart.

Dark blue is my favorite color. Just looking at dark blue makes me feel good.

I love objects that project happiness. I mean, just look at that card! It projects joy and smiles.

I almost never buy shoes and clothes for myself until the need for both is high. It's partly because I don't like shopping in general (unless I'm shopping with someone else because they like to shop and I'm just there for the socialization).

It also has to do with the way I budget my money.

I have an overall life philosophy of "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." (In short, I'm cheap).

It also has to do with the fact it's difficult to find shoes that correctly fit my feet. And shoes are expensive.

But as a walker (and an aging walk at that), good shoes are important.

Soooo...

Cindy's gift will take me good places with a smile. And when I return home, and it's time to relax and a pamper myself, I'll be surrounded with a stack of soft blue towels.

Happy Wednesday!

Birthday Surprise: 63 Pieces of BryonySeries Swag

Yesterday Jasmine stopped by the house with a late birthday gift she made for me: 63 pieces of BryonySeries tumblers and bags that, among all her projects (including more of my projects), she made time to create for me.

Sixty-three pieces. That's a lot of swag!

The gift has value on so many levels.

The obvious value, of course, is to the customer. We can pair pieces with BryonySeries books for gifts, giveaways, standalone sales, etc. - however Rebekah and other our team decide to use them. (I stay out of most sales and marketing decisions except at the most foundational level). 

The more subtle value is the meaning behind the pieces. Jasmine understands what's important to me and presented me with a gift she knew I'd love.

But the most valuable value (so to speak) is that the gift shows the type of person Jasmine is. She conceived the idea, bought sixty-three pieces and enough vinyl for sixty-three pieces out of her hard-earned money, and then spent hours and hours of her time using a Cricut (which is very hot work, especially in the summer) to hand-create each piece.

So a lot of unselfish love is packed into that box.

And it is that love that customers will take home.

Happy Monday!

From One Heart to Another

I met Holly Coop when she joined WriteOn Joliet, at least eight years ago, maybe more. 

Holly writes inspirational poetry from her heart. Topics include love, encouragement, grief, forgiveness, and so forth. 

What makes Holly's poems so relatable is that she expresses emotions in a personal, but universal, way, so just about any reader will resonate with them.

She was very surprised when I offered to buy nine copies of one poem and one couple of a second.

I wanted to give my nine children a copy of the first for Christmas with a gift card for a frame, for that poem perfectly summed up the year 2023 was for us. "Oh, wow!" best sums up the comments from my kids as they read it.

The second poem, which dealt with self-esteem and inner beauty, was to be a birthday present for Rebekah.

Holly insisted on matting and framing the poem for Rebekah herself. So I never saw the finished product until Rebekah opened it on January 7, her birthday and our family Christmas.

If you scroll past this first photo, you'll see the Christmas poem in a frame. My son found the perfect one in a thrift store a few days later and was eager to show it off.

For more information about Holly Coop, visit hollycoopbooks.com.

Happy Thursday!

All the BryonySeries Cakes (Plus One)

I've been blessed with some really gorgeous birthday cakes the last few years.

Jasmine has made most of them since 2019 (all BryonySeries themed). The exception was for my sixtieth birthday in 2021, when Rebekah insisted on making the cake with chocolate-covered strawberries.

So no heavy text to read today. Just feast your eyes instead/

To see more photos of Jasmine's work, visit facebook.com/sugarnspiceandeverything.

2019: Age 58

2020: Age 59

2021: Age 60

2022: Age 61 (photo bombs by Uncle Barty and little Bertrand the Mouse)

2023 (age 62)

2023: Cupcakes, too. 

Bertrand's Back-To-School Birthday Bash...With Santa!

So this post has two parts: a short part (a straightforward invitation) and a long part (the "why" behind the invite).

I hope you stick around for the whole read. I hope the post inspires you in some way.

As a reward, I will keep the rest of the week's post very, very short.

The invitation

You are invited celebrate Bertrand the Mouse’s birthday!

Yes, we are hosting a birthday party for a crocheted mouse.

"Bertrand’s Back-To-School Birthday Bash" will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19 at The Book Market, 2365 Plainfield Road, Crest Hill.

The only gift Bertrand wants is for guests to purchase one (or more) of very his discounted books for Santa to distribute during the holidays.

Santa will distribute free ice cream from 1 to 3 p.m. or while supplies last.

Other books in the BryonySeries also available for purchase.

Can't attend but still want to send a gift? Message us at bryonyseries@gmail.com and we can work something out.

The "why"

Most people haven't heard the story I'm about to tell. But I'm telling it now since it might help Santa help kids.

The idea of donating BryonySeries books and WriteOn Joliet anthologies originated from the pandemic.

I had broken my toe late December 2020 and was still hobbling around in early February when Timothy and I decided place some Bertrand the Mouse and Cornell Dyer books in Little Free libraries all around Joliet.

As we drove and talked and placed, I told him I hp[ed to bless a classroom in Joliet Public Schools District 86 with a free book for every child. Remote learning had been hard on kids, and I wanted to encourage their love of reading with books that were written by someone who had grown up loving books.

The pandemic had also been hard on small businesses, and we wanted to help a small business, too.

So I wound up adopting a fourth grade classroom at Sandburg Elementary School that March (I had a procedure in February and put the donation on hold). Each student received a Cornell Dyer book.

And Timothy designed a BryonySeries $5 gift card so the students could pick out another book of their choice, any book, at The Book Market in Crest Hill. The gift cards were pre-paid with the owner. so even if a child did not redeem the card, the store made money for the effort.

The following month, I received a check in the mail. I had been overcharged for the procedure. Well, since I had already written that money off, I decided to donate more books with it.

So I contacted The Timbers of Shorewood and asked if it would like some anthologies for its residents. Remember, this was April 2021 and social interaction was still limited. 

The Timbers actually DID want anthologies and wanted to know if I could send thirty, one anthology for each member of its book club. I had enough money for send sixty books (two for each resident). I sent thirty of the regular anthologies for that year and thirty of the special "baby cheetah" anthologies. (Yes, I was overcharged that much).

Side note: The Timbers showed their appreciation with quite the reception in September 2022. That event was the inspirational seed for WriteOn Joliet's radio play. So everyone was blessed by that donation.

Fast forward to them 2021 holidays. One of my adult sons received a promotion and blessed a classroom at District 202 in Plainfield in early 2022, one Cornell book for each of the students. 

And he also blessed a kindergarten classroom at Troy 30-C this past spring, one Bertrand's Silly ABC book for each student (the teacher's pick).

In December 2021, WriteOn Joliet also had its new anthology out (we release one every year). So I asked Senior Star at Weber Place in Romeoville (which is not called that anymore) if they would l like any anthologies. They would - please send one hundred and fifty.

Yes, that is correct. We sent one hundred and fifty WriteOn Joliet anthologies, which pretty much tanked my BryonySeries marketing budget for awhile.

The budget recovered enough by February to offer this book as a gift to anyone who requested it as our Calkins Day gift to the recipient, good through the end of February 2022, since Calkins Day was once again on Zoom.

I really didn't think anyone would request a book...and for half a month no one did. But then a few people shared it on a few freebie sites. We shipped sixty. WHEW!

The following May, we as an entire family "adopted" A.O. Marshall Elementary School in Joliet. That means each student received a Bertrand the Mouse book or a Cornell Dyer book, depending on the age, grade, and reading abilities of the children.

Yes, you read that correctly. We gave a book to each child in that school. I have the "thank you" letter from the district for anyone who'd like to see it.

Then last November, I gave almost my entire stock of Bertrand the Mouse books (eighty-four books in all) To Jerry Curl of Santa Services to distribute to children (some of whom have special needs) as well as to adults with special needs.

This spring, we gave him another one hundred and fifty books of this Bertrand the Mouse title.

In May, we had a small donation from a customer at Bicentennial Park. Then we had another small donation from a customer at New Orleans North.

I'm sure you know where this is going.

We turned those donations into a carnival-themed giveaway on July 3 at Bicentennial Park. And when we ran out of donation money, we kept giving away the books. I've never seen so many people at one event so happy to receive a free book.

So how can we afford to give away so many books? 

Well, it's not because sales are through the roof (I wish!) because proceeds from all sales go back into production). 

We're able to giveaway books because I take on some side work from time to time. And it's not the first time we've done that. Here's why.

Years ago, I wrote a story on a young woman in her twenties. She worked a full-time job to support herself. And she worked a part-time job in order to buy food and clothes to give to those in need.

At the time I wrote that story, I was working two jobs and homeschooling four of my six children. I could not emulate her then. And I did not emulate her for many years.

But then our family belonged to a small, dying church that could not afford to run a religious education program and a youth group. The large and small hall needed painting. And so forth.

So we did it. All of it. With our own money, earned from extra work, we bought everything from paint to kitchen and art supplies to remodeling and furnishing three outbuildings (and constructing a fourth) on our property.

We hired a major Christian artist to sing karaoke to the kids on our back porch (We have the video to prove it). And we hired two major Christian artists for a free concert at Bicentennial Park (we rented out the theater). 

So back to the books.

Whenever people asked me for help with their manuscripts, I generally turned them down due to lack of time. Still, I did edit this novel before the pandemic, which is an amazing ready, by the way. And I did help a Joliet woman write her memoir. 

And then in April 2020, I was approached by an acquaintance to edit his travel book, and he refused to take my "no" as an answer. 

I prayed on it, accepted, and have since completed additional carefully curated projects at a highly discounted editing rate (less than minimum wage), which we turn into book donations. This way, we bless writers and readers at the same time.

In fact, Rebekah even made a website for our project just to put all the information in one place. I say "our," because she has the production skills. 

However, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, donating books on this level is not sustainable over a very long time.

But it's a really valuable endeavor. Check out this post regarding the literacy problem in the United States.

Jerry Curl of Santa Services said he and his four other Santas interacted with thousands of children last year. He recently sent me this email:

Good evening, Denise, 

I would like to thank you for your donation of the books over the course of the last year, for both our story time with Santa events as well as our Easter Bunny events. 

The story time with Santa events that we held as fundraisers are always a hit with the children as Santa and Mrs. Claus read to the children from a variety of different books. 

Through sponsorships like yours, we are able to supply small gifts, as well as crafts and refreshments. I look forward to working with you in the future and again thank you for all that you do to help our program. 

Looking forward to our committed date of August 19th ice cream with Santa fundraiser. 

I hope you have a great day and again thank you for all that you do.

Bertrand the Mouse's sole mission is to introduce children to the joys of reading. 

And, no, I will not profit from any of the Bertrand the Mouse books guests buy for Santa on August 19. Here's why.

We sell the Bertrand books for $5 a copy, which is nearly at cost.  The books will go through The Book Market register as a consignment, which is forty percent. So we will actually lose on the event. 

But that's OK.

Because your gift will help Santa make a child smile and maybe, just maybe, encourage a child to pick up another book by another author...and maybe then another. This is a really good value for $5.

You may personalize your gift by writing a note inside the book, if you like

And Santa will make you smile with free ice cream on August 19. Everyone is on his "nice" list that day, whether or not they buy a book. (We are buying the ice cream, too).

Because, trust me, I have already ordered lots of books. They are on their way to my home as I write this. Either way, those books are leaving with Santa on August 19.

Santa will not leave Bertrand's birthday party empty-handed.

And all those Bertrand books will find their way into the hands of children this holiday season.

A Basket of Love

So yesterday I attended the celebration of life for Cindy's father.

But not until last night did I realize the family was paying for the arrangements through GoFundMe.

And just to show what a lovely person Cindy is, Cindy donated towards Rebekah's GoFundMe on Saturday night.

Cindy's father was already quite ill when she joined our family on July 15, the birthday celebration for Riley and me, since we share the same birthday and a middle name. But she said she wouldn't miss our gathering for the world (and she did need a break, too, she said).

She also brought me a lovely basket filled with lovely gifts. 

She brought me beautiful card with an even more beautiful message handwritten inside.

She brought me beautiful bath sponges in my favorite water colors.

She brought me ocean breeze soy candle in lovely watery colors.

Now, I'm not sure what item paired with the Vietnam tag. But Cindy is Vietnamese, so I tucked the tag inside the card.

She brought me coffee mug that reflects our relationship and my love for the moon.

She brought me sharpies in vivid colors, the perfect gift for writers who love colors.

She brought me another special notebook to go on the shelf with the other special notebooks that are too special to mark up.

And she tucked all these items among blue tissue paper and ribbon. And now I also have a sturdy attractive basket to put stuff in. (Oh, yes, I'm keeping it all)

But the greatest gift doesn't come in a basket. The greatest gift is the love that inspired the basket.

Again Cindy donated to Rebekah's new cause while her family is asking for donations to pay for a funeral. 

The loss of Rebekah's transportation when she cannot replace it is huge and will impact Rebekah in many ways. So it's not minor, even when comparing to the loss of a father.

But the point is that, even in Cindy's own worry about her father, she wanted to show her love with her presence and gifts, a true manifestation of the "time, treasure, and talents."

And then, even in Cindy's own grief about her father, she wanted to to show her love to Rebekah but helping her out, too.

I think that shows a person's character, and heart, don't you?

BryonySeries Birthday Cake 2023

Every year for the past few years, Jasmine has made a BryonySeries-themed birthday cake for my birthday as her gift to me.

This year's cake featured purple "roses" and edible gold leaf, elegant enough for Henry, wouldn't you agree?

Scroll through the photos to see all angles of her talent.

For more photos and to place an order, visit facebook.com/sugarnspiceandeverything.

A Lovely, Thoughtful Birthday Gift

I wanted to share the gift Rebekah gave me for my birthday because it's a wonderful example of how our family approaches gift giving: a bit homemade, highly tailored to the recipient, and always a wonderful surprise.

Rebekah started with a wooden box from the dollar store that she colored with markers.

And then she filled it with two pieces of BryonySeries themed jewelry. If you've read any books of the series, no explanation is needed. 

If you haven't, you can still admire the pieces and the effort Rebekah spent in finding the right ones.

The gifts are as much a reflection of my interests as they are of the type of person Rebekah is: thoughtful, loving, giving, and altogether lovely.

Cool Wolf Puppet

I wound up at Cracker Barrel in Joliet twice right before the holidays, once with Daniel to buy St. Nicholas gifts, and then a few days later with Rebekah to celebrate our mutual feasts.

Near the checkout counter was this cool wolf puppet without a price tag. I "googled" it, decided the list price that I found was out of my price range, and walked away.

The puppet was still sitting on the shelf when I returned with Rebekah. She encouraged me to check on the actual price in the store. So I did. $1.99. Yes, I bought it.

Now about that little pill in front of the wolf. That's one of Faith's steroids. 

She gets one each night for life. I found this one on the floor and set it there to show Rebekah. It's not the first time Faith's spit it out unbeknownst to us. 

I'm surprised she's never had an adrenal crisis. Just saying.

The wolf puppet lives on a small bookcase near my computer (within arm's reach), next to a collection of very cool items, all of them (if you can believe it), were gifts.

The lamp at the far left was one of four that Timothy bought for me room.

Every item on the lamp's shelves were gifts.

The blue cardboard thing with drawers was a gift from Ron more than twenty years ago, which he rescued on its path to the garbage when he worked in maintenance at a school.

The handmade wooden box on top of the shelf on top was a gift from a local artist, more than twenty-five years ago. I keep business cards in it.

The little metal box on top of it has a cat pictured on it. I keep business cards in it. It was a gift from Kristina Skaggs. WriteOn Joliet founder, in 2012.

The little incense holder next to the wolf holds tiny incense sticks. For the record, I don't burn anything on this shelf. And I've never used this particular incense holder. But it has a story behind it, so I've kept it.

The typewriter in front of the box holds Qwerty keyboard coasters.

The Christmas box is filled with miniature chocolates. It's now mid-March. You see how fast I eat candy, LOL.

The angel coaster is a gift from Timothy.

The handmade box next to it is a gift from a local artists, more than twenty-five years ago. I keep manuscript clips in it.

The handmade wooden tray next to the box was also a gift, also more than twenty-give years ago. It holds a couple of cool rocks, including one Timothy painted when he was a child, and a set of keys that go to nothing anymore.

Behind the tray is a fake typewriter, a Christmas gift from a friend nearly ten years ago. It holds my voter registration card and a stapler remover, a gift from Ron more than twenty-five years ago.

Next to it is a framed art piece from Rebekah when she was a little girl.

In front of is a very cool candle holder (a gift from Rebekah) and a flameless candle.

The little green bottle next to it are my afternoon/night medicines. So, technically, not a gift (unless you count staying healthy as a "gift of life").

Timothy bought the coffee mug next to it from the Silver Cross gift shop in 2002 when I was in the hospital and shortly before my pheochromocytoma was officially diagnosed. It holds glass wipes and a brush featuring my favorite color of blue (a gift from Rebekah).

Leaning up against the blue cardboard box is the DVD for when John Schlitt, lead member of the Christian rock band Petra (basically, The Beatles of Christian rock), sang karaoke at our house for the members of the youth group Ron and I led. 

Booking John Schlitt was all Ron's idea and I didn't think we could do it. John came out two weeks before my birthday and sang "Happy Birthday" to me, all Ron's idea (and Ron bought a cake). Truly, one of the best gifts Ron ever gave me besides himself.

In greater context the shelf sits directly under my BryonySeries wall in progress. 

These include all five Before The Blood frontispieces  by Christopher Gleason, Munsonville's Main Street by Jennifer Wainwright (which appears on the landing page for the BryonySeries website), the cover to the special edition holiday Visage, and a print of the first cover to the first book in The Adventures of Cornell Dyer series, cover art by Sue Midlock.

Timothy framed all the pieces.

And I still have more BryonySeries artwork patiently awaiting their frames, currently sitting in a box.

And I have many more gifts all over my room.

So even when I'm alone, I'm not, really.

"The Bad Mood Monster" by C.D. White

Isn't it awesome when the right book crosses your path just when you needed it the most?

Today I'm planning to order two copies of The Bad Mood Monster by author C.D. White for grandchildren in two separate households.

And I never knew this book existed until White walked through the doors of The Book Market in Crest Hill on Calkins Day (Feb. 13), book in hand.

You see, Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, really wanted to give some books away on his birthday. And  ever since he's published his first book, he's been slowly building up his personal collection of books by local and independent authors (and giving those books as gifts, too).

So why not extend the offer to other authors, too? Bring a book to give and take one of ours home. 

To our surprise and delight, some authors took a chance on this out-of-the-box idea and came out with their books.

I had never heard of C.D. White before Calkins Day. But when I looked up details about her book, I knew it was perfect for two of my grandsons, who are really going through some tough times.

Here is the Amazon description for The Bad Mood Monster:

A bad mood can be a horrible sight, turning some of us into monsters overnight. Mansfield Malcolm Marcus White discovers just how his bad mood can transform him into someone unrecognizable. We can all be a little monstrous now and then, and there are times our bad mood can make us appear as monsters to ourselves and others. The Bad Mood Monster is an insightful, colorfully illustrated, rhyming book, which gives children a lighthearted look at emotions and encourages the positive act of being kind.

So White gave one book away on Calkins Day - and will make two sales today.

And, hopefully, she and the other authors at The Book Market that night made a few friends, too.

Order The Bad Mood Monster on Amazon.

For more information, visit C.D. White's author page on Facebook.

Framed Original Artwork from Riley and Jessica

A few months ago, my son Joshua told me he was attending an art show at his kids' school.

The show featured framed artwork by the students. And the artwork was for sale.

I was super disappointed that I could not go. He mentioned the show at the last minute, and I was busy at work.

Well - guesss what I received for my birthday?

Yes, framed original artwork from two of my granddaughters: Jessica and Riley.

Scroll down to the second photo so you can see the second piece of art.

Nothing makes a home more special than great art - especially when the homeowner knows the artist.

A special gift indeed!

A Very Happy "It's OK to Not Be OK" Birthday

This past spring, Rebekah and I watched the Korean drama "It's OK to Not be OK," which is about a children's author with antisocial personality disorder, a young man dealing with past trauma who also works as a certified nurse assistant at a psychiatric hospital while caring for his older adult brother, who has autism.

The brother with autism is fascinated with dinosaurs and is very attached to his little stegosaurus Dooly. His brother, the CNA, also made "Mang Tae" for him, a little doll that chases away nightmares (the brother with autism has nightmares about butterflies).

The children's author also writes dark fairy tales, which are actual books in the series that are read onscreen. I LOVED these stories! They are dark, yes, but filled with simple, unexpected, and (sometimes) heartbreaking wisdom.

And now I own them, as well as my own Dooly and my own Mang Tae, thanks to Rebekah's generosity, although, as you will see, I think Mang Tae would GIVE nightmares rather than chase them away.

With each book and item I linked to a YouTube video in English, so you can see the context and "read" the books, too.

The books are written in Korean. So I can't read them without the videos.

First, here is Dooly.

And Dooly again.

And here is clip that shows how important Dooly was to the man with autism - and how the people around him misunderstood that interest.

And this is Mang Tae and a clip right here.

Now for the books.

Here is the autism's brother's sketchbook that shows his how he wants to make his brother's camping dream come true.

And one of his butterfly drawings as he tries to overcome his fear with the help of the doctor who runs the psychiatric hospital.

And now for the dark fairytale books.

The first is The Happy (or Cheerful) Dog. You can read the story with this clip.

Next is "Finding the Real Face." You can read the story with this clip. Start at the 1:50 mark (or not).

Here is The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares. You can read the story with this clip.

Here is The Hand, The Monkfish. You can read the story with this clip.

The last is Zombie Kid. And this is probably the most heartbreaking story of them all.

Read it with this clip.