Saturday, August 31, 2013

White Rock Coffee

Today I met some great people and had a wonderful Latte (compliments of Brett) at White Rock Coffee on Northwest Highway in Dallas! If you are looking for a place to kick back, read, work on your computer, or visit with friends, White Rock Coffee is a place I would highly recommend! Thanks, White Rock,
for hosting this event.



I love signing books! 
YUMMMMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!


Now thru September 30 -- purchase one of my books for $5.00
get an eBook for your choice FREE!
email me at thelifeofbud@aol.com
for ordering details.



 

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Buy One / Get an eBook FREE!

This Saturday, August 31, 2013, I will be visiting
10105 East Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX
1:00pm - 3:00pm
(click on the link above for information and directions)
 
Please share this post with friends ... I'd love to have company to chat while
I'm sipping a cappuccino
 
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL
Purchase ANY of my books for $5.00
get a FREE eBook (your choice)
email me at thelifeofbud@aol.com
for ordering information!
back to school special thru 9/30/2013
 
 
 
 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Red Mango ...

Had a great time meeting people in the downtown Dallas neighborhood on McKinney Street at Red Mango .  The peanut butter frozen yogurt with ground oreo was delicious! Thank you Mark! It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed spending it with Steven. We love people and car watching ... the car of the afternoon was Mercedes - in a 30 minute period 19 drove past by.

Not sure what I'm looking at!
 
Gotta love the Super Smoothie Sign!
 
McKinney Street ... met some great people and a couple of
my books are going to France! 
 
Next Saturday, August 31, 2013, I will be visiting
10105 East Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX
(click on the link above for information and directions)
 
 
 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Upcoming Events

I have a few end-of-summer events that I am looking forward to! Red Mango frozen yogurt and White Rock Coffee ... who doesn't LOVE FroYo and Coffee!!! My Texan friends - please share this information with your friends and let them know to come on out ... anyone who mentions this BLOGPOST at either event, will receive $1.00 off the purchase of one of my books!

AUGUST
24th

Red Mango
2811 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204
1:00pm - 3:00pm
 

31st
White Rock Coffee
10105 East Northwest Highway
Dallas, TX
1:00pm - 3:00pm
 
I love meet and greet events!
So come on out and just sit and chat with me!!!!
 

Saturday, August 10, 2013

A HORSE - of course ...


Back in June, I entered a contest on Facebook -- one of many that I click on ... this one was sponsored by School Outfitters . It also wasn't just a contest where you clicked "like" and "share" - you had to write a response and email to them.

Q -
What's your favorite outdoor activity to do with your students/kids?
 
A -
My favorite outdoor activity to do with kids is observe nature! I love taking a nature walk and having the kids look for things ... sticks, rocks, leaves, flowers, acorns, cotton (from cottonwoods) ... any thing and everything. I give the kids a bag and we walk for about 30 - 45 minutes, when we come back to the classroom, they dump out their bags and make an entry in their science journal. They draw and write about what they collected (this is awesome to do in each season). We then we use the things they collected and they make a collage!
 
Lots of fun!!!!!  :)
 
I've done this with Kinder, Grade 3 and the children who come to the Fort Worth Nature Center when I volunteer for story time!
 
******
So that was it. I sent my reply away and on June 11th I received this email from a representative from School Outfitters--
 
"Congratulations! You were randomly chosen as our winner of the SportsPlay Pony Spring Rider playground toy giveaway on our School Outfitters Facebook page. All I need is an address you’d like this shipped to, and I’ll get it sent right out.
 
Thanks for being a part of our community on Facebook, and congrats again! We hope you and your kids enjoy the new playground toy and are having a great summer!
 
Thank you,

School Outfitters - Furnishing great places to learn"
 
******
 
And ... a few days ago -- the prize arrived! This is super cool - and I finally have my very own HORSE!! This horse is definitely heavy duty! The spring is gigantic and very heavy and the horse is most likely made from pig iron - she is very solid and it is super cool that it is a freestanding base, so we did not have to dig into our limestone laden backyard!
 
Meet my new horse!
 
 THE SPRING!

THE HORSE!!!!!!

 Ready to be put together
       Thank you Steven - this was not the easiest of tasks!
 
 
BUTTERCUP - I think that is the perfect name for this horse!



 Muffin now has something to guard in the backyard - she seems to like Buttercup!

 
 
Thank you School Outfitters & SportsPlay for this really cool prize!
Teachers - check out the School Outfitters web-site and Facebook page for awesome products!
 
We all love Buttercup and she will stay in our yard forever! 
 

 
 

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Muffin's Birthday

Muffin - August 8, 2010
August 8 - 2013 / 3 years old

We are not exactly sure when Muffin was born, but she was about 12 weeks old when we rescued her. She came to live with us on August 8, 2010 - such a sweet little girl - she had no problem fitting right into our family!


HELP ME! perfect 21st birthday pic!
She has been through many health issues - mange, hip issues, and ringworm ... and she has been a trooper; from taking her meds to not making too much of a fuss for the sulfurated lyme baths-which were really not very pleasant.

She is definitely a "character" and I look forward to writing many more books about her and having her around for a LONG time!

I kinda like this HAT!
 


My birthday breakfast!
YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!



No can't be gluten FREE!
 
It's delicious!
 
 
 
 PRESENTS!!!!
 
 That "muffin" was PAW licking GOOD!!!!
 
Thank you Woof Gang Bakery for making my birthday
SWEET!!!!!
 
 
Muffin's Birthday extra special!
 
 








 






Here are some highlights from Muffins 3rd birthday ... or 21st birthday (which Ashley can't believe Muffin beat her to 21!)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Music to your Ears ...

Kristin and I 21 years ago!
She was about ready to give birth &
I was 6 months pregnant - digging my
Pea In The Pod shirt - YIKES!
I met Kristin Hillegonds many moons ago (see the picture! and yes, Kristin agreed that I could use it in this post!) We both worked for Amoco in Chicago and we became fast friends. We spent numerous lunch hours together and many good times together outside of work! We've kept in contact, as best we could, for 20+ years. I am proud to call her a friend and am excited to help her announce the opening of her music studio .... Revolution Music!

Since leaving Amoco, Kristin has become an accomplished harpist and I am very proud of her. The music the trio make together is heavenly and hers is the only CD I have played in my car! I know Kristin makes a wonderful music teacher and I hope you can check out her CD's and, if you live in NW Indiana stop by her music studio, and possibly attend her wonderful Christmas Event she performs in with her trio and other musicians and singers.

Tell us a little about yourself
KRISTIN!
  
I have lived in Northwest Indiana most of my life. I am married and am the mother of three sons. Two are currently attending college and one is in high school. I have been married for 24 years. I have been playing some sort of instrument since I was 6 years old.



When did you start playing the harp?
  I studied harp privately as an adult, in my 20's.

Why did you choose the harp?
  I was always fascinated with the harp even as a child. The sheer beauty of the instrument itself and the calming sound it delivers.   (I agree with you Kristin! I love playing your music during creative time in my classroom - kids love it and it is so soothing!)

Do you play any other instruments?
  I've played piano since I was in Kindergarten. I took lessons through high school. I started on the saxophone in band but then I decided to play clarinet and bass clarinet instead. Saxophone seemed more of a boy instrument so that's why I switched! :0)   I played in the marching band and wind ensemble in high school and enjoyed every minute of it!

Tell us about your group? What kinds of music do you play, where do you play? Names of your CD's ...
The Silverwood Trio
  I started a group called the Silverwood Trio with a violinist after we were brought together to perform at a wedding. We liked our sound, we worked well together and it just kind of took off from there. The group consists of a harp, flute, and violin. Our sound is unique. We have been performing all over the Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area for over 14 years now. We play primarily for weddings and cocktail hours, but we also perform for corporate events and parties, especially Christmas parties. We play all sorts of genres of music. Classical, contemporary, Christian, pop. Stephen does a lot of arranging for the group and I'm starting to dabble in it a little as well. We have also been producing a Christmas concert for the last five years that has grown in popularity; it is called Come to The Stable. Several local musicians and vocalists join us to celebrate Christ's birth! The Silverwood Trio has also recorded two CD's; This Christmastide and Be Thou My Vision, a hymns CD dedicated to our grandparents and their walk of faith. One goal we have is to produce a Lullaby CD. The Silverwood Trio is not just a group of professionals, but we are close friends and I love them both. We work well together and I think it comes shining through in our music.
       
Click here to learn more about The Silverwood Trio

What is your new venture?
   My new venture is opening a music school in St. John, IN! It is called Revolution Music. I am teaching a method of piano through a company called Simply Music. I am a certified teacher and I love it! It is a played based method that has students of all ages (not just children) playing great sounding music from their very first lessons using two hands! We delay the reading process for a time so the student will have 30 - 50 songs in their repertoire before they even read a single note! I also teach a program for 4 to 6 year olds called Play A Story. We will also be offering flute, violin, and harp lessons. We have some more studio space to fill so we will be offering more instruments in the near future.

Click here to find out more about Kristin's Revolution Music School
 
Revolution Music
9209 East Wicker Avenue
St. John, IN
You can contact Kristin at 219-613-3973 or kristin@revolutionmusicschool.com

Are you excited to own your own business?
  I am super excited to own my own business. I am blessed that my studio has grown and couldn't be opening without a committed student and parent base. I am thankful they were open to this new method of learning. The parents are thrilled with the results and most do not have to remind their children to practice! I love that!

What challenges do you think this will bring?
  The challenges I feel will be having to be responsible for the business end of owning your own business. Marketing, hiring teachers that are a good fit for this school, managing growth and promoting and maintaining the studio. My passion is for my students and developing their skills so I'd rather be teaching! :0)

THANKS KRISTIN!  I am so glad you were able to do an interview for me and my web-site! I miss you and hope I can see you soon!!! We both have come a LONG way since that preggers picture! Good luck with your new music school!
                                                                      
                                                                                                                     


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Amigo's - Preschool Visit

AMIGO'S  SPANISH  PRESCHOOL

Went Out To Get a Donut - Came Home With a Muffin
What do you think this story is about?
On July 31, 2013, Ashley and I packed up my book stuff and drove to The Colony, Texas to visit the children at Amigo's Spanish Preschool. Rita Rodriguez's newly opened preschool was beautifully decorated and very warm and inviting! When we arrived the children were engaged in art activities - the 4's were making coffee filter butterflies-I love that activity! The 3's and 4's all met me on the carpet at 10:00am for story time!

After hearing both Muffin books -- the children voted and their favorite was What's In the Corner? A Muffin "Tail"!

Here are some pictures from my visit!
Have you ever seen donuts on the playground? (Donut / Muffin)

Some wonderfully, floppy-eared, joyful pups! (Donut / Muffin)

I hope it's nothing very scary!!!! (A Muffin "Tail")


 
Danni, Rita (owner), and me!
Thank you - and I hope you have me back again.
 
Thank you, Rita, for inviting me for story time at Amigo's Spanish Preschool
I had a wonderful time and the kids were awesome.
If you are looking for childcare in The Colony, Texas - check out Amigo's!
 
If you would like me to come to your school, childcare facility, library, homeschool event or fundraising event - please email me at  thelifeofbud@aol.com  for more information.