Dear Reader

Dear Reader Column 12-03-10

Now on sale . . . Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher, and when you purchase it, request a free autographed bookplate, by visiting:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

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 a work in progress, constantly trying to make myself a better person. So when am I going to get it right? Probably never.

I like to think I have made improvements in my personality and tweaked my day-to-day thinking so it's more positive than negative--and I have experienced a run of days, weeks, sometimes even a few months when I'm feeling, 'Yes, I've finally got it together.' But then I wake up the next morning and everything seems to be jumbled and unclear again. Things about myself that made me feel good the day before, suddenly they've turned on me. I see these traits through new eyes, and I realize that I'm facing some of the same set of personality flaws that I set out to correct a long time ago.

The picture I paint in my mind is one of a losing battle, but then I acknowledge that's not reality either. The truth is, at least for me, I'll always be a work in progress. So I've decided to stop looking at starting over again as a failure, but instead, be thankful that I have the opportunity to begin again, any time, any morning I choose.

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

Warmest Holiday Greetings,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

KIDSBUZZ: Just in time for the holidays, books for you and your family! Email an author, sign up for their giveaway and learn about great titles for kids of all ages from: Cynthia Leitich Smith/HOLLER LOUDLY and Guido van Genechten/NO GHOST UNDER MY BED. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz

 

 

 

Dear Reader Column 12-02-10

Now on sale . . . Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher, and when you purchase it, request a free autographed bookplate, by visiting:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

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,

Over the Thanksgiving holiday my husband, his brother and I made Potstickers. It's a big job for one person, but when you set up a little assembly line, it's a fun task and rewarding--Potstickers taste fantastic. We'll be making them again the day after Christmas.

The first time I ever made Potstickers was for my 30th birthday surprise party. My husband had planned the party and not only was I totally surprised, I unknowingly did all of the cooking--except for baking my birthday cake.

Every other weekend a girlfriend and I were in the routine of cooking together for fun. When my husband overheard us making plans to cook several Chinese dishes the next time we got together, which just happened to be on May 25th, the day before my birthday, "Surprise!" he decided to organize a party. All of the Chinese dishes my girlfriend and I had made earlier in the day, including Potstickers were on the menu.

Potstickers are now a family favorite and they bring the family together because the easiest way to make them is to form an assembly line. Cut the wonton skins, fill them with one teaspoon of a ground pork mixture, pinch, pinch, pinch the edges of the wonton skin to seal it, brown the bottoms, then steam the delightful little gems in chicken broth and they're ready to eat. We had a lot of fun and we even took photos. To see our step-by-step photos, go to:
http://www.emailbookclub.com/photo/potstickers.html

You'll find the Potsticker recipe with the step-by-step instructions on page 128 of my book, Muffins and Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if disorderly) Life.

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

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
www.MuffinsandMayhem.com

AUTHORBUZZ: Great holiday ideas, a Starbucks card, coffee mugs and books, books books at this week's AUTHORBUZZ. Congratulations to the last $25 book store gift card winner: Susan H Alexander.

Linda Lael Miller/MCKETTRICK'S CHOICE

Laura Griffin/UNFORGIVABLE

Patricia Gussin/AND THEN THERE WAS ONE

Steve Olsher/JOURNEY TO YOU: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO BECOMING WHO YOU WERE BORN TO BE

Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader

 

 

Dear Reader Column 12-01-10

Now on sale . . .Muffins & Mayhem: Recipes for a Happy (if Disorderly) Life by Suzanne Beecher, and when you purchase it, request a free autographed bookplate, by visiting:
http://tinyurl.com/Muffins-MayhemPO

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,

This one's too big, this one's too small, this one's just right, so I want my Uncle Jim to "move over and make room for me." It could have been the makings of a children's book. The storyline: my husband's brother (Uncle Jim) comes to visit, three-year-old grandson Paul loves it that Uncle Jim is visiting, but Paul is not thrilled that Uncle Jim is sleeping in the bed that Paul sleeps in when he stays overnight with Grandma and Grandpa. There was a little territorial jealousy going on in my guest room this past Thanksgiving.

What goes through a three-year-old's mind? I don't know about most three-year-olds, but my grandson Paul decided that Uncle Jim may be sleeping in Grandma's guest bed, and Uncle Jim's clothes may be hanging in Grandma's guest bedroom closet, and Uncle Jim's toothbrush may be on the sink in the guest bathroom, but it's still Paul's room at Grandma's house. And to seal the deal, Paul crawled into the guest bed and slid under the quilt (that I'd made for Uncle Jim), but not before he brushed his teeth with Uncle Jim's toothbrush. It was hilarious.

Making sure that no one was taking his place, Paul, who normally reserves "I love you Grandma" only for when he's moved in his heart to share those sentiments, sprinkled "I love you Grandma" into several conversations over the holiday.

This one's too big, this one's too small, but I assured him, "Paul, you'll always be just right for Grandma."

To see Jim's quilt, and to request an autographed bookplate if you're giving my book as a gift, go to:
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/node/56177

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

Warmest regards,
Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]
http://www.muffinsandmayhem.com/

KIDSBUZZ: Just in time for the holidays, books for you and your family! Email an author, sign up for their giveaway and learn about great titles for kids of all ages from: Cynthia Leitich Smith/HOLLER LOUDLY and Guido van Genechten/NO GHOST UNDER MY BED. For a chance to win free books and more, see http://www.authorbuzz.com/kidsbuzz