Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 02-12-10

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Dear Reader,

This weekend my husband and I are taking care of our two grandchildren, three-year-old Paul and one-year-old James. Our gift to our son and daughter-in-law this past Christmas were tickets to Sea World in Orlando, tickets to the Blue Man Group, two nights at the Marriott hotel (those frequent stay points of mine came in handy) and free babysitting services, provided by Grandma and Grandpa. It will be the first time in over three years that they've been able to go out of town alone, or even spend an entire day and night without children.

I remember when our own kids were little, and my mom and dad agreed to take them for a weekend. Counting the days, my suitcase was packed by Wednesday afternoon, (including some sexy lingerie I used to wear in pre-kid days) even though the hand-off wouldn't be happening until Friday evening. My husband and I had planned every minute of the big weekend: a dinner reservation, tickets to a show, long walks through the arboretum, a picnic Saturday afternoon, reading without being interrupted, staying out late--no curfew for us. We hadn't been out to a club dancing for years. Excited about reclaiming pre-children days, we were psyched and ready to rock!

Thinking and acting like newlyweds again--no problem! The evening was moving along as planned, until we stopped at the arboretum for a romantic walk in the moonlight and as we were strolling hand-in-hand, we recognized a familiar oak tree. The last time we brought the kids to the arboretum, our son was so cute when he climbed up onto the branch of that tree and was hanging upside down. "Hey, Mom and Dad, look at me!" And didn't he look handsome--just like a little man--in the shirt and vest he wore to Grandma and Grandpa's house this weekend.

"I wonder how the kids are doing?" I asked my husband. "Maybe I should call my parents and check?"

WARNING! WARNING! If you've farmed your children out to your parents for the weekend, don't ever start letting sweet, caring thoughts about your children enter your mind, because it's all downhill after that. Once my husband and I started entertaining thoughts about our cute little monsters, our carefree, newlywed kind of thinking was quickly overridden with parental concerns.

Never retreat! Stay in the honeymoon frame of mind! This is what worked for my husband and me. Instead of thinking about the warm and fuzzy moments spent with our children, we thought about getting up at 3 a.m. because Samantha wanted a sippy cup, and the night Brian ate too many popsicles and threw up in his bed, so we were washing sheets at midnight, hoping the red dye wouldn't stain. And later in the weekend, when we felt ourselves slipping, we vividly recalled the last time both kids had the stomach flu and then gave it to us. That sealed the deal and we had a wonderful, carefree, childless, weekend!

Here's hoping my son and daughter-in-law do the same.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 02-11-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

I'm excited and feeling a little bit stressed. (Which is normal for me, I can't ever seem to experience one emotion without the other.) The past five days I've been engrossed in reading 2nd pass pages for my upcoming book, Muffins and Mayhem. One of the reasons I wanted to write a book was so I could learn something new, and I haven't been disappointed.

I knew a lot about the publishing industry before writing a book, because I'd worked with publishers for ten years through the book clubs. But getting an agent, submitting a proposal, visiting editors who were interested in my manuscript, the sale of my book at auction, finishing the manuscript (there were days when I was certain I was in way over my head) and then finally the day when I typed, "The End," what a ride.

Writing the book has added a brand new collection of words to my vocabulary. "Editor Speak Category" for $200, $400, $1,000, I could clean up on Jeopardy! Learning copyediting marks, and after the corrections have been made, 1st pass pages show up. 'Oh know, there's a terrible sentence, how could I have written that? Why didn't anyone point it out to me?' Corrections, rewrites, and then the manuscript goes back to the editor. A few weeks later, let's do it again--2nd pass pages arrive. Now it's really do or die time--find any final mistakes--or forever hold your peace when the book comes out, because that's it. Almost every author has warned me that when I finally see the published book I'm going to spot something that I wish I had seen sooner.

My husband has already informed me, "Suzanne, if there's a mistake in the book after it's published, you can't point it out like you do when you discover a run in your stocking."

Excited and stressed, excited and stressed, I think I better get used to it!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Kelli Stanley, City of Dragons: A San Francisco Mystery; Laurie Perry, Crazy Aunt Purl's Home is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You've Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time; Julie Compton, Rescuing Olivia; Jamie Carie, Angel's Den; and Dolores J. Wilson, Dark Secrets of the Old Oak Tree. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 02-10-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

If you're snowed in and your electricity is still working, maybe you'd like to cook, or come to the rescue of Diane, who's searching for her grandmother's recipe.

"Hi Suzanne, I am looking for a recipe for vegetable soup that my grandmother used to make. She was Polish and her home cooking sometimes was influenced by German flavors. This soup had cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, and the rest was mostly mystery ingredients. The broth was thin but reddish brown. She died when I was 11 (more than 40 years ago) so that's about all I can remember of the soup, except to say the flavor was wonderful and comforting. If any of your readers know of this type of vegetable soup recipe, I'd sure love their input on where to find it. Thanks for being there and keep up the great work you do!"--Diane Fields

"Hi Suzanne, every couple of months I'll spend four to six hours cooking. All that food for only two people! But I either freeze the extras or 'gift' a friend or neighbor with some. This week, I took some of each dish to a friend whose kitchen is being remodeled and is therefore out of commission. I chose several recipes from your list: Pumpkin Bread, French Apple Pie, Chicken 'n Dumplings Stew, and Honey Mustard Chicken. Oh my, what fun I had tasting each one. Everything was so great that my husband didn't mind cleaning up the dishes one bit! Well, maybe a bit, but the payoff was some really good eating. Did you ever think of compiling a cookbook of your favorite recipes? I've tried several over the years and each one is a winner! Thanks for all you do for libraries & readers."--Carol

(Suzanne replies:) Be sure to bookmark my recipe blog. Not only does it have my personal favorite recipes, but readers have sent in their favorites, too. Go to: http://tinyurl.com/yuf6aq

Yes, Carol, in my upcoming memoir (June 1, 2010/Touchstone) Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy--if Disorderly--Life I share favorite recipes acquired from loved ones, and the touching and sometimes crazy stories behind them.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 02-09-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

When my parents were alive I'd call and ask, "So what have you been up to?" The names would change, but the conversation went pretty much like this, "Laney's been sick with pneumonia for two weeks now and she's in the hospital, Frank has an ulcer, Alan's back went out again, Helen had her gall bladder taken out, and do you remember Mr. Klein? You know, the man who used to run the fix-it shop on Main Street? He died last week. Mrs. Anderson hasn't been looking so good either; we're getting a little concerned about her."

It was frustrating. Even if I rephrased the question, "So what have you and Dad been doing for fun lately?" I couldn't get them to share anything other than the latest medical update about family and friends. I'd make fun of my parents after I hung up the phone, describing the conversation to my husband.

Some people refer to it as karma, but I've noticed that sometimes when I make fun of other people it comes around to bite me in the behind. Like mother, like daughter, I realized the other day that lately too much of my daily conversation has been consumed with who's got what wrong with them, including my own aches and pains. I understand that topics of conversations change with age. When I was a teenager it was parties and the cute guy in biology, and soon it was all about careers and babies, and now, well, I don't know what other 55-year-old people spend their time talking about, but I'm determined not to follow in my parents' footsteps.

When a person knows enough people, on any given day, at least one or two of them are sick, or in the middle of crisis. I recognized the other day that in addition to living my own life, I seem to be trying to live everybody else's life, too. No one else is to blame. It's all Suzanne's doing. I don't want to stop feeling sadness and empathy when someone is sick or has a problem, but if I'm constantly living somebody else's troubled life, I'll miss the joyful parts of my own.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 02-08-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

If you're not someone who normally pays attention to the credits for a television show, heads-up! Be sure to look for the frame on your TV screen that says: based on The Reincarnationist novels by M.J. Rose--if you tune into Past Life, a new show on Fox tomorrow night (Tuesday).

I realize the idea for a television show or movie coming from a book isn't anything new, but this is the first time one of my friend's names will be up on the screen. I'm so excited. It's an honor to be able to share a big moment in my friend's life. "Congratulations M.J. Rose."

And congratulations to January's cookies winners: Rhonda Catrett, Julie Horner, Marlene Miller, Kim Garza and Deb Allen. (A reminder to the winners: This cookie drawing was for cookies for the boss, but I won't tell if the temptation is too great.) Please send a photo. Thank you.

The winner of Wednesday's Wacky Macaroni and Cheese giveaway is Aron Hill.

And finally a "taco toot" thank you to book club reader and yoga instructor, Bharti Shah who wrote after reading last Friday's column. (If you missed the column go to: http://tinyurl.com/yemsl5e)

"Hi Suzanne, I've been teaching yoga to adults and children for the past 8-9 years. It is very stress-relieving, easy on the joints, and good for your overall being. So a little 'taco toot' once shouldn't discourage you from trying yoga again. Yoga helps relieve gas from the abdominal cavity and hence prevent problems from forming due to gas build-up in the body. Regular yoga practice will help gas build-up from not happening. So I would suggest you try it once again--I could give you a free lesson--how does that sound?"--Bharti Shah.

Bharti, if I lived in the area I'd definitely take you up on your offer, but for certain I wouldn't eat tacos before my lesson!

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: New authors, old favorites--all wonderful books you can win: Kelli Stanley, City of Dragons: A San Francisco Mystery; Laurie Perry, Crazy Aunt Purl's Home is Where the Wine Is: Making the Most of What You've Got One Stitch (and Cocktail!) at a Time; Julie Compton, Rescuing Olivia; Jamie Carie, Angel's Den; and Dolores J. Wilson, Dark Secrets of the Old Oak Tree. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

Dear Reader Column 02-05-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

A friend of mine has been successfully practicing Yoga to help quiet her anxieties, so she suggested that I might give it a try, too. "Thank you very much," I told her, "but obviously I've never told you the story about my private Yoga lessons."

I wasn't a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but for one year, I lived in one of their sorority houses on campus. Okay, so I'm stretching the truth a bit. I didn't exactly live in the fancy historical house, but if you walked down a steep driveway, which ran along side of the house, my abode was tucked away out of sight in the back. There were two apartments. Nice and clean, but nothing fancy. I'm sure the girls upstairs would have considered them glorified storage facilities, but one was "Home Sweet Home" for me, and a husband and wife from India lived in the other.

My neighbors were grad students at the university who practiced Yoga every day, and since I was a stressed, single mother attending a technical school, they offered to teach me Yoga. But their private lessons have ruined me from ever doing Yoga again. In fact, just thinking about the word causes me stress.

The husband and wife took turns giving me a lesson, depending on which one of them was free. Yoga was peaceful and very relaxing, but actually a little too relaxing one evening, for this student. Did I mention how quiet our Yoga sessions were--you could have heard a pin drop--or in my case built-up spicy taco gas leaving the nearest exit. What do you say when a taco toot slips out in a yoga session? Speechless, (figuring I'd already said it all) I was quiet.

My gracious neighbor kept his cool, and a straight face, "Ah, not too worry Suzanne, completely natural. Let's try something else. Breathe in, and slowly exhale the air."

(I thought that's what I just did?)

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for kids and teens about feelings and hearts, making peace, and a photographic memory from: Mike Hall, My Heart is Like a Zoo; Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, SIT IN: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down; and Ridley Pearson, Steel Trapp: The Academy. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 02-04-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

It's macaroni and cheese day at the book clubs. Inspired by Paul, my three year old grandson, who asks Grandma to make mac and cheese every time he comes to visit, I've been experimenting with recipes. Macaroni and cheese was one of my favorite meals when I was a kid, too, and as an adult, whenever I feel the need for comfort food, I head to the deli for an order of creamy mac and cheese. It's amazing all these years of dining on macaroni and cheese, but until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never made any from scratch. It's easy to make, but I've discovered the quality and type of cheese makes all the difference in the taste.

For my first attempt, I used the pound of Colby cheese I had in the refrigerator. It's top quality cheese, (I order from Gile's Cheese factory in Cuba City, Wisconsin where I grew up,) but the mild flavor of Colby meant I ended up with a bland tasting pan of macaroni and cheese. Salt, seasonings, even some splashes of Tabasco sauce, nothing could save it. So for my next experiment, I went to the other extreme: Velveeta cheese. Simple to make, the recipe was right on the box, but it was the absolute worst macaroni and cheese I've ever tasted in my life. One bite and I pitched the rest. After those two attempts, I took advice from book club readers and I've been sampling some of their recipes. They're tasty macaroni and cheese winners and you'll find recipes posted at: http://tinyurl.com/y8sse2w

Check out the recipes, and if you have a favorite of your own, please email it to me. And be sure to enter today's weird and wacky giveaway. Enter the drawing and you could win 15 boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese delivered right to your door! To enter the mac and cheese giveaway, go to: http://tinyurl.com/yfyjkur

Congratulations to the winners from Monday's AuthorBuzz giveaway: Kathy Vogel, Robin Obie, Carol Custer, Tavia Highsmith and Debbie Durst.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Jamie Carie, Love's First Light; Robin Caroll, Deliver Us from Evil; Nicole Jordan, To Tame a Dangerous Lord; Katharine Beutner, Alcestis; and Allison Brennan, Original Sin. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Dear Reader Column 02-03-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

When something joyous happens in my life, I wish I could picture my parents smiling and telling me how happy and proud they are. Since I never heard those words when they were living, it's been impossible for me to imagine hearing them now that they're gone. But the other day, for some reason in the midst of day dreaming, I pictured my parents in heaven, and the story I told myself changed the way I feel about them now.

My mother found Ron, the love of her life, two years before she passed away. It was truly a boy-meets-girl love story. Both had been married once before, but shortly after they met, like two love-struck twenty-year-olds, they freely announced this was the first time they'd ever really been in love. And I believe they were right. This past August, four years after my mother died, Ron passed away. Cancer had attacked his lungs, but I think he really died from a broken heart.

Such a strong love would never die, so it's easy to picture my mother with Ron in heaven. They're holding hands, tending to their flower gardens and going for long rides in the countryside, while Brandi their poodle hangs his head out the car window and barks at angels passing by.

My dad went through life thinking everyone was trying to take advantage of him. It was a sad, angry life. My father did more drinking than talking, so I never really got to know much about him until I listened to the eulogy my uncle gave at Dad's funeral. With tears in his eyes, Dad's brother recalled the day my father had to quit school in eighth grade, so he could help support the family. I never knew.

That story has helped me think about my father in a different way, and when I picture Dad in heaven, I see him getting the opportunity to do the things that a kid should get to do. Daddy's in heaven attending school, a full scholarship, doesn't even have to be on the football team to earn it. His desire to drink is gone--replaced with the love of learning. Walking to class with friends, reading books, learning about himself and finally getting the opportunity to experience the education he should have had long ago.

Picturing my parents in heaven, and telling myself a new story, helps me let go of the pain. I don't long for the way I wish things had been anymore. Instead I can share in their joy and happiness.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

KIDSBUZZ: This week, books for kids and teens about feelings and hearts, making peace, and a photographic memory from: Mike Hall, My Heart is Like a Zoo; Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, SIT IN: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down; and Ridley Pearson, Steel Trapp: The Academy. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

Dear Reader Column 02-02-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

A friend of mine sent an email the other day about two hot water bottles I left at her house when she was sick.

"I keep forgetting to ask you about the hot water bottles. I still have yours, and now I can't remember what we decided about them. I seem to remember we said I'd keep yours and you'd get others. Or maybe I hallucinated the whole thing. At any rate, I know I didn't pay for hot water bottles, mine or yours, and every time I see them I get a guilt pang."

I don't know where my friend's guilt comes from, but when it comes to matters of money; Did I forget to pay? Do I owe? Should I offer to pay my share and does that amount include the tax? My guilt and obsessing about money comes from my mother.

My mother always counted change down to the penny, and you'd better include the tax even if it was only two cents. A few pennies short? Not to worry, you could owe it to her and she'd remind you. Many the times my mother would remind me that I owed her a quarter. I'm not talking about when I was twelve and her motives may have been to teach me about the value of money and being responsible about paying people back. No, she reminded me about the quarter I owed her when I was twenty-five, the 42 cents change I forgot to give back to her when I was thirty-three, and if memory serves me correctly, at my 40th birthday party Mom handed me a "Happy Birthday" card, apologized for the gift of money inside ("You're getting hard to buy for.") and then reminded me that I borrowed a dollar for the toll a week ago, and she'd be happy to make change for the twenty dollar bill inside my card.

Adding up the tax and carrying plenty of nickels, dimes, quarters and pennies along with me, so I'm ready to make correct change, these habits were drilled into me when I was a kid. So I doubt if I'll ever get rid of them. But my son keeps trying anyway. "Keep the change Mom," he tells me as I'm figuring the tax on the $7.48 bottle of weed killer I asked him to buy for me. "Don't fret about the pennies. I'm not your mother."

The good news is my son didn't inherit this terrible family trait, so the nickel-and-dime worries will end with me. The bad news is I can't find the receipt for the hot water bottles I bought for my friend. Is there tax on a hot water bottle? (I'm sure my mother would know.)

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

 

Dear Reader Column 02-01-10

Join my email book club. Over 350,000 people read 5-minutes a day. To see what books I'm featuring this week, go to: http://www.dearreader.com/

Dear Reader,

If you've never visited AuthorBuzz, the link that's right after my column on Monday and Thursday, be sure to check it out today. Talk to authors, hear about their latest books and sign up for their book giveaways, too.

Visit AuthorBuzz today, then please send me an email, go to http://tinyurl.com/ye7o9rv I'm looking for feedback about our AuthorBuzz feature, and as a thank you I'll enter your name in one of my odd-and-end drawings. I'm giving away bubbles, aprons, books, cookie droppers (the same kind that I use) and writing journals. You'll find AuthorBuzz at: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

Congratulations to last week's Japanese eraser winners: Peggy Pick, Theresa O'Brien, Debbie Lykens, Rosa Robison, Diane Wilke-Zemanovic and Barbara C. Pedley.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.DearReader.com

AUTHORBUZZ: With so many new books out every week, we promise these are five that deserve your attention: Jamie Carie, Love's First Light; Robin Caroll, Deliver Us from Evil; Nicole Jordan, To Tame a Dangerous Lord; Katharine Beutner, Alcestis; and Allison Brennan, Original Sin. Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader