French Bulldog Holiday Cards

/ still a dreamer

It may be early, but for some of you holiday shoppers, I may be right on time! Looking for Christmas/holiday cards that you won’t see just everywhere?

Come visit my Etsy shop — French Bulldog lovers, if you’ve not stopped in before, you’ll find a card that you will love sending, and your recipients will love to get!

Not involved with Frenchies? No matter – these adorable munchkins will charm just about anyone, (unless you’re a curmudgeon of some sort), plus you may find another type card to please you. These are my early season offerings. Will there be more? You’ll have to check and see!

Note: All illustrations, drawings and photographs are © Jeanne Balsam and may not be reproduced in any format without written permission. Thank you!

Are They Here Yet?

/ still a dreamer

“Are they here yet?”

“No, but they will be real soon.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Jeanne puts them up on her web site every year around this time.”

“But how will we know when?”

“Just check Jeanne’s web site a little later … maybe Wednesday morning.”

“Okay. Am I on one of the cards?”

“You’ll have to wait and see, little one. It won’t be long though!”

Banned Book Week – Sept. 25th-Oct.2nd

/ still a dreamer

Did you know that the American Library Association (ALA) – who bestows the John Newbury Medal and Randolph Caldecott Medal (among others) – holds an Annual Banned Book Week? I was very interested in this and went to their web site which has extensive sections on not just their greatest concern – the 1st Amendment – but also lists of the books in question sorted by different criteria.

Among their lists are: the 100 most challenged/banned classics, and the details of who banned/burned/and/or challenged them and why; the most challenged/banned books sorted by decade, author, year, plus statistics.  Some books are banned by entire countries, entire states in our own United States, by schools, religious groups and others. Who would have thought that so many people on the planet thought they had a right to tell us what we can and can’t read?

Looking just at children’s books for a moment, here is a partial list from among 100 books for all age audiences banned or challenged in the last decade – Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling (Harry’s number 1!); His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman; Captain Underpants (series), by Dave Pilkey; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain; Forever, by Judy Blume; Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous; Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar: In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak; Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson; Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park; A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle; Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine; Are You There, God?  It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume and oh-so-many more.

What are they kidding me?! Be afraid, people, be very afraid … clearly there are lots of others out there who think they know what’s best for you, me and our children. I am alternately scared, disgusted and outraged. Well, the good thing is that the ALA has this extensive web site which supports intellectual freedom and the upholding of the First Amendment. On the ALA OIF (Office of Intellectual Freedom) section of their site, there are ideas, resources and activities for teachers and parents who believe in the freedom to learn, and various events for the week.

Think you should decide what you and/or your children reads? This may be a site you want to check out.

Let Them Eat Cake II

/ still a dreamer / 2 Comments

Every now and then, people ask me what my blog is about. Well, let’s see … it’s about writing, illustrating, art, children’s books, reading, animals, nature, home, music, the wonder and mysteries of life itself, and oh, yes … food.

So I guess, in sum, my blog is about many of the things that inspire me!

I occasionally think I should really have more of a focus on my blog, specifically on the children’s book field.  But so many people already do that SO well, I figured I might do best to share slices of life, and serve them up in an as attractive manner as I can … such as this lovely cake I made recently.

This is a Nectarine Upside-Down Cake, made from scratch, all butter, as is my wont to bake. I wish I had more time to bake … and even cook … but life being what it is, I will just continue to bake when I can and memorialize the results in a photograph. And share it with you. This was quite delicious, my last tribute to the fruits of summer, and was served with fresh whipped cream. Yum!

Where Is the Joy?

/ still a dreamer

If you are a woman and you are reading this, then there’s a good chance that you are struggling to find the joy in life. Today’s pace, especially for women, is more frenetic than ever.  Many of us are working, maintaining a home for ourselves and others, raising children, and running like crazy. We are often overwhelmed and exhausted. Despite all this, we may still be reasonably happy, or … we may be downright miserable.

I do believe our natural soul state is one of love and joy. And that it easily gets lost in the pace of everyday life. As I am reading Marianne Williamson’s book, A Woman’s Worth, I find myself dwelling on this section where she writes about joy. She writes that joy is what happens when we recognize how good things are, how beautiful and amazingly powerful we are as women. And she adds that we can create joy in our daily life; we can decide to be happy. It may take our attention and some effort to focus on this, but it is possible.

I know, and perhaps you have, too, the feeling of real joy. For me, it is a distinct feeling that all is right in the world; all is well and perfect at that moment. The fact is that we can experience this feeling so much more often by focusing on the good, and on the amazing beings we, as women, are. I want more joy; how about you? Reading A Woman’s Worth is just fueling that desire for joy right now. This might be a book you’d be interested in if you’d like to discover more of your own joy and your own worth in the world.

Without ever getting into a women’s rights kind of attitude, but always staying in the positive and the uplifting, Williamson writes about how women have lost their place and been kept down throughout much of history, and conversely, of all we are and can be.

The passage that I love in this section is as follows. “A joyful woman, merely by being, says it all. The world is terrified of joyful women. Make a stand. Be one anyway.”