We’re a ranching family. This fact is never more evident than at branding time.

A father and his two sons work together.

Two cousins anchor the rope together.

Sisters and a cousin push the calves up the chute.

Grandpa and a grandson get ready to herd the cows.

A sister helps a little brother.

A mother introduces her son to branding time.

Father and daughter get ready to separate the herd.

And there’s still time for cousins to take a walk and share a conversation.

I got behind posting my preschool ideas so these last few are pretty sketchy. They’re mostly a reference for me anyway for the next little cowboy.

Letter Vv

Glue velvet on cut out letter V
Make volcanoes with cup, playdough, vinegar, and baking soda. (Source: Preschool by Stormie and Kate–thanks!)
Words that start with Vv: violin, violet, vinegar, velvet, volcano, vase, veterinarian, vacuum, video
Read National Geographic beginning reader about volcanoes.

Letter Ww

Paint waves on cutout letter W
Do wheelbarrow walk
Words that start with Ww: water waves, walk, wheelbarrow, wiggle, worms, washcloth, watermelon, wide, window, wood, white, wagon

Letter Xx

Glue X’s on cut out letter X.
Words with Xx: x-ray, xylophone, exit, fox
Talk about sound Xx makes in each of those words.
Play the xylophone.
Read Fox in Socks

Letter Yy

Glue yellow yarn on cut out letter Y.
Words that start with Yy: Yo-yo, yarn, yellow, yell, yak, yummy, you, yogurt
Make yogurt

Letter Zz

Do a rubbing of a zipper on a cut out letter Z.
Watch Jack Hanna baby animals movie. Point out the different zoos.
Words that start with Zz: zebra, zoo, zipper, zucchini
Make zucchini bread.

Congratulations, Hillary! You win the 3-in-1 Hunter’s Bracelet. (I need your mailing address since Eric will be mailing the bracelet to you. So send me an email.)

And since Karen led you here, she wins a copy of Return to Exile.

Thanks to everyone who participated. Check back next month when I’ll be giving away another book. Happy Saturday!

Back in February I attended an LTUE panel about middle grade fiction. Eric Patten was on that panel. I came home and told my 12yo, You have to read this new series called The Hunter Chronicles.

True story. I was that excited about it. Here’s the teaser:

ONE BOY. UNTOLD ENEMIES. A WHOLE WORLD TO SAVE.
IT’S GOING TO BE A LOOONG THREE DAYS.

And that’s how the book reads. It’s an intense fantasy adventure with a dash of humor.

Here’s what Eric, the author, said about his book:

Return to Exile is a modern-day epic fantasy adventure like nothing you’ve ever read before. The story is designed like a trap. I wrote it in such a way that you won’t realize how much you missed until you’re snared at the end, and then you’ll say “now wait a minute…” and you’ll want to go back and read it again—and you should. I wrote it that way on purpose. The first time through, you’ll go on a wild ride. The second time through, you’ll understand the journey. Because there isn’t a single idea behind Return to Exile; there are hundreds of ideas.

Now for the giveaway. Wish I could enter this one. Seriously.

In Return to Exile, Crystal—the leader of the monster hunters—wears a bracelet that resembles a strand of DNA. The bracelet is a twin to one worn by her mother, who disappeared years earlier. While striving to stay alive within the terrible creature known as the Jack, Crystal recovers her mother’s bracelet and links the two strands together into a single band—a memento of the mother she lost.

Here are pictures of the Mother-Daughter Hunter’s Bracelet

Bracelets when separate

Bracelets when linked

So how can you win this completely unique 3 bracelets in 1? Leave a comment and you’re entered. However, this is a blog tour so the idea is to spread the word. So if you tell someone about the giveaway, and he/she enters and wins, you win a copy of Return to Exile.

Hope that makes sense.

-Leave a comment and you’re entered. (Like tell me the name of your favorite book when you were a child or say anything you want.)

-Tell someone else about it who enters and wins, then you win a book.

-So that means if your friend tells you about this contest, please let me know in your comment so I can send him/her a book if you win the bracelet.

Friday, April 20, 2012, is the last day to enter. Winners announced Saturday, April 21. Spread the word and Happy Commenting!

Click the tour badge on my sidebar for a calendar of other tour stops and opportunities to win the bracelet and/or a book.

About a month ago these three authors came to visit schools in Sanpete County and do a book signing at two of our libraries. They were fascinating. We received positive feedback everywhere they went. In the coming months, I’ll be doing three giveaways–one for each author. Yeah, I’m going to spread it out. I’m mean that way.

In the meantime, here’s a peek at the books I’ll be giving away.

Variant by Robison Wells (He’s the author on the left.)

Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life.

He was wrong.

Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive.

Where breaking the rules equals death.

But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.

The Guardians of the Hidden Scepter by Frank Cole (He’s the author in the middle.)

Amber never dreamed her archaeology class would turn into a top secret mission that would take her across the globe, but when her teacher goes missing, Amber realizes it’s up to her to protect the Hidden Scepter or risk unleashing an ancient power too terrifying to imagine. This guaranteed page-turner from the bestselling author of the Hashbrown Winters series is perfect for the adventurer in your family.

Janitors by Tyler Whitesides (He’s the author on the right.)

Have you ever fallen asleep during math class? Are you easily distracted while listening to your English teacher? Do you find yourself completely uninterested in geography? Well, it may not be your fault. The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it s draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelveyear- old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. Who can Spencer and Daisy trust and how will they protect their school and possibly the world?

On February 8, I left this little cowboy outside while I brought in and put away some groceries. When I went to bring him inside, he’d lost one shoe. I looked and looked and looked for that shoe. I had the children look when they came home from school. The snow melted and I searched again. Then it snowed and melted a few more times. And I looked a few more times. I never found it.

Look what I found on Saturday (March 31).

See it behind the post there? Now let’s go back to the first picture.

Yep. There it is behind the post! All this time it was right there!

Now it’s back on his foot, and he’s ready to go again.

Another fun read is The Three Snow Bears Could do a compare and contrast activity with Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Letter Tt 

Read Tiger Can’t Sleep
Make cut out letter T. Drive a toy tractor through an ink pad or paint, and then drive it over the letter T.
Trace triangles. Make a Tommy Triangle.
Read The Tiny Tadpole

Have preschooler put frog life cycle cards in order. (source:June Idea Book: A Creative Idea Book for the Elementary Teacher)
Read Tuesday

The Tt unit wouldn’t be complete without Thomas the Train of course. Spend some time putting together tracks for Thomas the Train.
We will also be reading all our train, tractor, and truck books this week.
Set up the toy tent and tunnel to play in.
Words that start with Tt: turtle, tail, train, truck, tractor, tadpole, tiger, tick, time, target, tangle, Tuesday, Thomas, tent, tunnel, toy, Tigger, tiny, tracks

Wow, it’s been a long time since I posted a recipe. Something about having a baby. I’m just happy to get dinner on the table for my family without stopping to take pictures and finding the time to blog it. Anyway, he’s (my baby!) eighteen months now, and I’m starting to breathe again. So let’s make dinner.

These are an upscale version of grilled cheese sandwiches. They pair perfectly with an herbed tomato soup. Delicious comfort food. They are simple to make so let’s get started. Here’s what you’ll need:

12 slices bread
grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, a mix, your choice!)
parmesan cheese

3 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
3 T. minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper (optional, I use 1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. minced parsley

Arrange six slices of bread in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Here I’ve used my homemade whole wheat bread.

Grate enough cheese to cover the bread. I used cheddar and monterey jack. I want to try pepper jack sometime.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the six slices of bread. This is also the place to sprinkle on some parmesan. I skipped it because I was out of parmesan cheese.

Top with six more slices of bread.

Put the remaining ingredients in the blender.

3 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
3 T. minced onion
(Lots of times I don’t mince the onion first. Okay, I never mince the onion first. I cut off a small chunk of onion and throw it in the blender.)
1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper (optional, I use 1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. minced parsley

Blend it all together and

carefully pour the mixture over the sandwiches in the glass dish. Go slowly and make sure every part of the top layer of bread is moistened or it will cook up hard and dry. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until golden and puffy. (While it bakes, make your herbed tomato soup!)

Yum! Serve and enjoy!

Baked Cheese Sandwiches

12 slices bread
grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, a mix, your choice!)
parmesan cheese
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup milk
3 T. minced onion
1 1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
pepper (optional, I use 1/4 tsp.)
2 tsp. minced parsley

Arrange six slices of bread in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Here I’ve used my homemade whole wheat bread. Grate enough cheese to cover the bread. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the six slices of bread. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Top with six more slices of bread. Put the remaining ingredients in the blender. Blend all together, and carefully pour the mixture over the sandwiches in the glass dish. Go slowly and make sure every part of the top layer of bread is moistened or it will cook up hard and dry. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until golden and puffy.

The horse’s stall needed cleaning a couple weeks back.

So this son and

and his sister got to work loading up the wheelbarrow

and then the tractor scoop.

And my front lawn was fertilized in time for the next few snowstorms.

This boy was just happy to drive the tractor.

Read Red Red Red

Find things in our house that are red
Compare squares and rectangles
Make robots with rectangles (Source)
Learn and sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Paint Rainbows, talk about how they form, use activity on this site if it’s a sunny day
Make cut out letter R, color it red, glue on pieces of ribbon (Source)
Read Raindrop, Plop! This book counts forward and then backward.

Words that begin with Rr: rock, ribbon, roll, race, run, row, red, raspberry, radish, robot, rope, rectangle, read, rubber, rent, rack, rice,