This is a test post for a post I was making for my new website, esivy.com, for the launch of my new book, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters. Please drop by and see this post on my new blog!

This is a test post for a post I was making for my new website, esivy.com, for the launch of my new book, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters. Please drop by and see this post on my new blog!

It’s a long process, but I’m in the middle of moving to my new web address at esivy.com. More updates coming soon!

It’s a long process, but I’m in the middle of moving to my new web address at esivy.com. More updates coming soon!

For kid’s books, there’s nothing better than a book review by kids.

Here’s what Hannah, age 9, over at BookCubs had to say about Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret.

If you like funny fantasy books you’ll love this. It is fantastic. If you do not think it is great, you are crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as a writer, there’s nothing better than a kid’s review like that. And yes, all those exclamation points are her’s – I didn’t add any.

Her favorite part was Miri’s dinner with the Queen. That makes me happy, because I had fun writing it. (Sneak Peek – there’ll be another fancy dinner with funny dishes in Book 2.)

Before I wrote about Miri’s first meal in Kai Kaona, I ate some seaweed salad! It wasn’t too bad. A little rubbery. Some of the rest came from memories I have – like when someone advised me to order “seafood” noodles in Japan and it turned out to be “seaweed” noodles.

And the time at a fancy restaurant in New Orleans that my grandmother was served a baked fish with its head still on. She was a proper Southern lady, a phenomenal cook, and had cleaned a few fish from my grandfather’s catch in her day. She would never have served a fish head at her table. She sent that fish right back to the kitchen to be properly prepared!

What about you – what’s the strangest, most adventurous, thing you’ve ever eaten? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

For kid’s books, there’s nothing better than a book review by kids.

Here’s what Hannah, age 9, over at BookCubs had to say about Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret.

If you like funny fantasy books you’ll love this. It is fantastic. If you do not think it is great, you are crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as a writer, there’s nothing better than a kid’s review like that. And yes, all those exclamation points are her’s – I didn’t add any.

Her favorite part was Miri’s dinner with the Queen. That makes me happy, because I had fun writing it. (Sneak Peek – there’ll be another fancy dinner with funny dishes in Book 2.)

Before I wrote about Miri’s first meal in Kai Kaona, I ate some seaweed salad! It wasn’t too bad. A little rubbery. Some of the rest came from memories I have – like when someone advised me to order “seafood” noodles in Japan and it turned out to be “seaweed” noodles.

And the time at a fancy restaurant in New Orleans that my grandmother was served a baked fish with its head still on. She was a proper Southern lady, a phenomenal cook, and had cleaned a few fish from my grandfather’s catch in her day. She would never have served a fish head at her table. She sent that fish right back to the kitchen to be properly prepared!

What about you – what’s the strangest, most adventurous, thing you’ve ever eaten? Leave a comment and tell us about it!

It’s been a while since I made a new post, I know!

And have you signed up for my Newsletter? Because I’ve definitely made good on my promise not to fill up your inbox. I’ve sent exactly, um, zero newsletters so far.

It’s not that I don’t love my Newsletter subscribers! In fact there will be special offers soon, I promise. It’s just that it’s another thing with a learning curve. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to set up a sign up list. But how, exactly, do I send out a newsletter in the correct form? That’s something I’ve got to figure out, and for now I’ve been trying to focus all my time on…

Completing Book 2!

(Okay, that and I may have snuck in a trip to Disney World. But hey, I was thinking of you and Miri! There are lots of mermaids at Disney. There’ll be some related posts later.)

But yes, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters is starting the editing process!

Which means I already have some things that need some changes. But hang tight, Book 2 will be better for it, and ready soon!

Meanwhile, I’ve started posting Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret over on Wattpad. I post a chapter or so a week. So, if you haven’t read the Ocean’s Secret yet and you can be patient for the next installment, hop on over to Wattpad and say hello.

Happy Reading!

It’s been a while since I made a new post, I know!

And have you signed up for my Newsletter? Because I’ve definitely made good on my promise not to fill up your inbox. I’ve sent exactly, um, zero newsletters so far.

It’s not that I don’t love my Newsletter subscribers! In fact there will be special offers soon, I promise. It’s just that it’s another thing with a learning curve. I spent a lot of time figuring out how to set up a sign up list. But how, exactly, do I send out a newsletter in the correct form? That’s something I’ve got to figure out, and for now I’ve been trying to focus all my time on…

Completing Book 2!

(Okay, that and I may have snuck in a trip to Disney World. But hey, I was thinking of you and Miri! There are lots of mermaids at Disney. There’ll be some related posts later.)

But yes, Miri Attwater and All that Glitters is starting the editing process!

Which means I already have some things that need some changes. But hang tight, Book 2 will be better for it, and ready soon!

Meanwhile, I’ve started posting Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret over on Wattpad. I post a chapter or so a week. So, if you haven’t read the Ocean’s Secret yet and you can be patient for the next installment, hop on over to Wattpad and say hello.

Happy Reading!

book stack (Photo credit: sarah_browning)

With the end of the school year approaching it may seem like an odd time to be thinking about what the required reading novels will be next year. But we recently had to fill out course selection sheets for all three kids, and the same questions always comes up. Do we let our kids sign up for preAP English knowing that the reading selections will be more “challenging”? Because in effect we have found what it really means is that the novels will be more disturbing.

And that’s what I mean by required reading being depressing. Not as in “the assignment is overwhelming,” because my kids love to read, but as in “the books themselves are depressing.”

For CompuBoy it’s an easier decision. He loves to read and he’ll write essays three times the length required – for history. So even though he knows it’s hurting his cumulative GPA, for him, it’s not worth it. For our daughters it’s a different matter. They both excel at writing and get frustrated by students in the regular level classes who disrupt the class (horrendously.) But, while Sparkles has learned to toughen some as a reader, Dizzy is still very sensitive.

So I read a lot of their required reading, which is difficult for me.

Because I’m a very sensitive reader.

I admit it. Just call me the canary in the coal mine. And I will fully own up to it and acknowledge that I’m not going to love every book my kids are assigned.

But I want to talk about the fact that THERE’S OFTEN NO VARIETY IN REQUIRED READING.

I asked Sparkles recently about what she’d read in the 7th grade and what she thought about it. And then I asked:

Could you describe anything that you were required to read as happy?

No.

How about even generally uplifting?

No.

Let’s just forget about humorous.

I went in to talk to her English teacher about this and as I asked those questions her face fell. Because this is a genuinely caring teacher who loves reading – a wonderful teacher who Sparkle has enjoyed immensely – and she hadn’t thought about that.

So that’s all I’m asking you to do, is think about it. Because it seems that required reading is ignoring at least half of what’s out there. And if you look at the rates of depression, tweens and teens could use some happy things to think about.

If you’re thinking that kids need to read books about depressing situations to learn to cope with them, there’s an interesting post over on the Nerdy Book Club this week related to books helping you through times of grief: Saved by Summer Reading by Alan Silberberg

And still, we get back to the issue of variety. How about some happy books?

What about you? Do you love what your kid is being assigned as required reading?

book stack (Photo credit: sarah_browning)

With the end of the school year approaching it may seem like an odd time to be thinking about what the required reading novels will be next year. But we recently had to fill out course selection sheets for all three kids, and the same questions always comes up. Do we let our kids sign up for preAP English knowing that the reading selections will be more “challenging”? Because in effect we have found what it really means is that the novels will be more disturbing.

And that’s what I mean by required reading being depressing. Not as in “the assignment is overwhelming,” because my kids love to read, but as in “the books themselves are depressing.”

For CompuBoy it’s an easier decision. He loves to read and he’ll write essays three times the length required – for history. So even though he knows it’s hurting his cumulative GPA, for him, it’s not worth it. For our daughters it’s a different matter. They both excel at writing and get frustrated by students in the regular level classes who disrupt the class (horrendously.) But, while Sparkles has learned to toughen some as a reader, Dizzy is still very sensitive.

So I read a lot of their required reading, which is difficult for me.

Because I’m a very sensitive reader.

I admit it. Just call me the canary in the coal mine. And I will fully own up to it and acknowledge that I’m not going to love every book my kids are assigned.

But I want to talk about the fact that THERE’S OFTEN NO VARIETY IN REQUIRED READING.

I asked Sparkles recently about what she’d read in the 7th grade and what she thought about it. And then I asked:

Could you describe anything that you were required to read as happy?

No.

How about even generally uplifting?

No.

Let’s just forget about humorous.

I went in to talk to her English teacher about this and as I asked those questions her face fell. Because this is a genuinely caring teacher who loves reading – a wonderful teacher who Sparkle has enjoyed immensely – and she hadn’t thought about that.

So that’s all I’m asking you to do, is think about it. Because it seems that required reading is ignoring at least half of what’s out there. And if you look at the rates of depression, tweens and teens could use some happy things to think about.

If you’re thinking that kids need to read books about depressing situations to learn to cope with them, there’s an interesting post over on the Nerdy Book Club this week related to books helping you through times of grief: Saved by Summer Reading by Alan Silberberg

And still, we get back to the issue of variety. How about some happy books?

What about you? Do you love what your kid is being assigned as required reading?

I’m so excited to be a part of my first give-away! To celebrate Children’s Book Week, May 13-19, I’m taking part in a blog hop through Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Renee linked me up with the lovely Tina at Amanda’s Books and More.

This week, we’ll be giving away FIVE free ebooks of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret!

Here’s what Tina had to say about the book:
“[Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is] a really neat mermaid story like no other for girls ages 6 – 12. I read the first book in the series and got really caught up in the story. I wanted to read more!”

So, don’t wait! Hop on over to Amanda’s Books and More and enter the Rafflecopter give-away now! (Contest closes 5/19/2013.)

Then go to the end of Tina’s post to look up the other blogs on the hop to enter for even more prizes!

I’m so excited to be a part of my first give-away! To celebrate Children’s Book Week, May 13-19, I’m taking part in a blog hop through Mother Daughter Book Reviews. Renee linked me up with the lovely Tina at Amanda’s Books and More.

This week, we’ll be giving away FIVE free ebooks of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret!

Here’s what Tina had to say about the book:
“[Miri Attwater and the Ocean's Secret is] a really neat mermaid story like no other for girls ages 6 – 12. I read the first book in the series and got really caught up in the story. I wanted to read more!”

So, don’t wait! Hop on over to Amanda’s Books and More and enter the Rafflecopter give-away now! (Contest closes 5/19/2013.)

Then go to the end of Tina’s post to look up the other blogs on the hop to enter for even more prizes!

What does an octopus have to do with mermaids? Read Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret and find out!

When I came up with the idea to write a book about a girl who didn’t know she was a mermaid, my intention was to write a book that was pure fantasy.

But I discovered something about myself.

If I’m creating the magical world, it won’t ring true to me unless it follows the principals of science. I guess that by the time you get a PhD in biology, science is too deeply ingrained in your DNA to deny it.

While I had lots of fun researching and imagining all the fantasy science in Miri’s world, there was always that nagging fear in the back of my mind. Is all this fantasy science going to be believable to other scientists?

Yes, even someone with a PhD has a fear of looking stupid.

So I am thrilled about the review just posted at Books, Babies, and Bows! Jenny is a scientist and she gets it! She really gets it! (And she doesn’t think I’m stupid or anything.)

From her five star review posted on her blog, Amazon, and Goodreads:

What I absolutely love about this book is how the author uses scientific facts to create a rule system for this “magical” world. You learn about how a mermaid changes from legs to fins in a way that makes it believable and magical all in the same breath. 

Read the rest of Jenny’s review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret at Books, Babies, and Bows. And while you’re there, check out her lovely series on 30 books of Kindness.

Don’t forget, you can now buy an ebook copy Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret at all of these major retailers.

What does an octopus have to do with mermaids? Read Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret and find out!

When I came up with the idea to write a book about a girl who didn’t know she was a mermaid, my intention was to write a book that was pure fantasy.

But I discovered something about myself.

If I’m creating the magical world, it won’t ring true to me unless it follows the principals of science. I guess that by the time you get a PhD in biology, science is too deeply ingrained in your DNA to deny it.

While I had lots of fun researching and imagining all the fantasy science in Miri’s world, there was always that nagging fear in the back of my mind. Is all this fantasy science going to be believable to other scientists?

Yes, even someone with a PhD has a fear of looking stupid.

So I am thrilled about the review just posted at Books, Babies, and Bows! Jenny is a scientist and she gets it! She really gets it! (And she doesn’t think I’m stupid or anything.)

From her five star review posted on her blog, Amazon, and Goodreads:

What I absolutely love about this book is how the author uses scientific facts to create a rule system for this “magical” world. You learn about how a mermaid changes from legs to fins in a way that makes it believable and magical all in the same breath. 

Read the rest of Jenny’s review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret at Books, Babies, and Bows. And while you’re there, check out her lovely series on 30 books of Kindness.

Don’t forget, you can now buy an ebook copy Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret at all of these major retailers.

Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret is now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri always knew she was adopted, liked her food extra salty, and could hold her breath an unbelievably long time, but she never would have guessed that it meant she was a mermaid.

Mermaids aren’t real. 

Or are they? 

It took some doing to get it up, but it’s finally there. Unfortunately, it’s not showing up under Nook Kids new releases. I would guess that’s because it shows a publication date of December 2012 – which is how long I have been trying to get it to show up in their store. Grrr!

I really want Barnes & Noble to succeed. I love how they use the epub format, which is a universal book format, as opposed to the Kindle mobi format that can only be read on the Kindle and Kindle reading apps. But it’s hard to sell your book when it’s virtually invisible! New releases at least would put the book in front of a few readers.

But you can find it – either by typing the title in Barnes & Noble’s search bar, or clicking on the handy dandy link I’m going to provide right here:

Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret is now available on Nook at Barnes & Noble!

Miri always knew she was adopted, liked her food extra salty, and could hold her breath an unbelievably long time, but she never would have guessed that it meant she was a mermaid.

Mermaids aren’t real. 

Or are they? 

It took some doing to get it up, but it’s finally there. Unfortunately, it’s not showing up under Nook Kids new releases. I would guess that’s because it shows a publication date of December 2012 – which is how long I have been trying to get it to show up in their store. Grrr!

I really want Barnes & Noble to succeed. I love how they use the epub format, which is a universal book format, as opposed to the Kindle mobi format that can only be read on the Kindle and Kindle reading apps. But it’s hard to sell your book when it’s virtually invisible! New releases at least would put the book in front of a few readers.

But you can find it – either by typing the title in Barnes & Noble’s search bar, or clicking on the handy dandy link I’m going to provide right here:

I’m a bit late announcing this on the blog, but I was so thrilled when Reads4Tweens came out with a best books of 2012 list during the holidays. Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret made the list!

Reads4Tweens says Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret is … “a wonderful book for young readers who love mermaids and princesses. It’s in a modern setting, so it’s easy for them to put themselves in Miri’s shoes (fins?).”

Reads4Tweens is a fantastic book review resource aimed specifically at parents and teachers trying to find books for kids to read. If you haven’t seen it yet, you really should check it out! The logo pretty much says it all, “because you want to know what they’re reading.” The reviews cover anything and everything you might be concerned about or want to discuss with your child.

Reads4Tweens was started by a mom trying to find good books for her kids. But she also happens to be very qualified to talk about children’s books. She has a degree in children’s literature, she’s taught literature in middle school and high school, and she’s currently a freelance editor. Needless to say, a great review from this caliber of reviewer was especially gratifying. You can see her full review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret here.

I’m a bit late announcing this on the blog, but I was so thrilled when Reads4Tweens came out with a best books of 2012 list during the holidays. Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret made the list!

Reads4Tweens says Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret is … “a wonderful book for young readers who love mermaids and princesses. It’s in a modern setting, so it’s easy for them to put themselves in Miri’s shoes (fins?).”

Reads4Tweens is a fantastic book review resource aimed specifically at parents and teachers trying to find books for kids to read. If you haven’t seen it yet, you really should check it out! The logo pretty much says it all, “because you want to know what they’re reading.” The reviews cover anything and everything you might be concerned about or want to discuss with your child.

Reads4Tweens was started by a mom trying to find good books for her kids. But she also happens to be very qualified to talk about children’s books. She has a degree in children’s literature, she’s taught literature in middle school and high school, and she’s currently a freelance editor. Needless to say, a great review from this caliber of reviewer was especially gratifying. You can see her full review of Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret here.

Money (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

The earnings from Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret has finally gotten big enough for Amazon to cut a first check! Woohoo! And it’s a whopper, a whole $103.09.

But in publishing you have to celebrate the little successes. And I must say, even getting a small check made me happy today.

What about you, what made you happy today? Happy Monday!

Money (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

The earnings from Miri Attwater and the Ocean’s Secret has finally gotten big enough for Amazon to cut a first check! Woohoo! And it’s a whopper, a whole $103.09.

But in publishing you have to celebrate the little successes. And I must say, even getting a small check made me happy today.

What about you, what made you happy today? Happy Monday!

Can’t stand to look at Pinterest because you feel like such a failure as Super Mom? You are not alone! I am constantly plagued by the fear that I am not doing enough with my kids. And that’s coming from someone who for a while sold craft ideas to Family Fun Magazine. Later, when I hit a slump I couldn’t even stand to look at the magazine because it reminded me of all the great activities I should be doing with my kids.

I have been chatting with some other super moms recently and have found that I’m not the only one who feels this way.

We talk about and publicly post our successes.

We only see our own failures!

Is that mixed up or what? But this weekend I got a hint that, yes, maybe I am not such a failure after all! How do you know when you have done enough crafting with your kids? When they  do it on their own.

Not that this is the first time my kids have done their own crafts, but just a recent reminder. So take heart, if you do any activities with your kids, you’re doing enough. Kids also need to learn how to entertain themselves.

Both my daughters were devastated to re-learn that our ratty old, tiny, cheap Easter tree had not made the move with us. (They had blocked out the memory of learning this last year.) I mentioned they could make a new and better one out of a tree branch, and Sparkle did! Dizzy helped her, so they even took pictures so I could post directions for you.

Easter Egg Tree

1. Choose a branch with lots of twigs. Sparkle just picked one up out of our yard. She had to remove the bottom branch to anchor into into the pot.

2. The branch had lots of lichen on it, so she brushed it with a stiff brush. (Did you know that a lot of lichen growing on trees and rocks is a sign of low air pollution?)

3. Paint the branch. She started out with spray paint but ran out, so she finished with a sample wall paint we had – any paint will work! (Here is where I would have gotten totally derailed. I was thinking white paint, and when I could only find blue I would have put off the project until I could go to the store… in other words, until never! But the blue turned out great. Lesson learned from my child.)

4. Anchor the branch in a pot with rocks. You’ll want to put the branch in the pot and then pile the rocks on top/around it. This is where saving everything becomes useful. I had this great pot from some plant at Christmas that I saved. And these rocks were from some project of my sister’s. If you don’t have rocks, try rice or dried white beans.

5. Hang eggs and enjoy! I had these eggs from craft stores that I used to hang from my chandelier at my last house. But, if you don’t have those handy, you can just hang regular plastic eggs with curling ribbon and it will still look festive.

Can’t stand to look at Pinterest because you feel like such a failure as Super Mom? You are not alone! I am constantly plagued by the fear that I am not doing enough with my kids. And that’s coming from someone who for a while sold craft ideas to Family Fun Magazine. Later, when I hit a slump I couldn’t even stand to look at the magazine because it reminded me of all the great activities I should be doing with my kids.

I have been chatting with some other super moms recently and have found that I’m not the only one who feels this way.

We talk about and publicly post our successes.

We only see our own failures!

Is that mixed up or what? But this weekend I got a hint that, yes, maybe I am not such a failure after all! How do you know when you have done enough crafting with your kids? When they  do it on their own.

Not that this is the first time my kids have done their own crafts, but just a recent reminder. So take heart, if you do any activities with your kids, you’re doing enough. Kids also need to learn how to entertain themselves.

Both my daughters were devastated to re-learn that our ratty old, tiny, cheap Easter tree had not made the move with us. (They had blocked out the memory of learning this last year.) I mentioned they could make a new and better one out of a tree branch, and Sparkle did! Dizzy helped her, so they even took pictures so I could post directions for you.

Easter Egg Tree

1. Choose a branch with lots of twigs. Sparkle just picked one up out of our yard. She had to remove the bottom branch to anchor into into the pot.

2. The branch had lots of lichen on it, so she brushed it with a stiff brush. (Did you know that a lot of lichen growing on trees and rocks is a sign of low air pollution?)

3. Paint the branch. She started out with spray paint but ran out, so she finished with a sample wall paint we had – any paint will work! (Here is where I would have gotten totally derailed. I was thinking white paint, and when I could only find blue I would have put off the project until I could go to the store… in other words, until never! But the blue turned out great. Lesson learned from my child.)

4. Anchor the branch in a pot with rocks. You’ll want to put the branch in the pot and then pile the rocks on top/around it. This is where saving everything becomes useful. I had this great pot from some plant at Christmas that I saved. And these rocks were from some project of my sister’s. If you don’t have rocks, try rice or dried white beans.

5. Hang eggs and enjoy! I had these eggs from craft stores that I used to hang from my chandelier at my last house. But, if you don’t have those handy, you can just hang regular plastic eggs with curling ribbon and it will still look festive.

I adored my Easter basket growing up, which my grandmother had dressed up for me by attaching plastic flowers to it. Now, with all the gorgeous silk floral vines available in craft stores, it’s easier than ever! I made two baskets for my own little girls (now bigger), and they love them just as much.

Floral Easter Baskets (c) E.S. Ivy

Flower Covered Easter Baskets

Supplies

• woven Easter basket with loose weave along the top edge
• floral vine
• green floral wire or chenille stems
• wire cutters
• (optional – more silk accent flowers)

It helps to pick your flowers and your basket at the same time so you can coordinate colors. For the first basket I made, the best vine I could find only had tiny white flowers on it. Pretty and sophisticated, but little girls like color! So I added the accent blue iris at the handles. It was later that Sparkle developed her abiding love of all things pink and rejected all other colors for a while. But she never rejected her Easter basket!

For the second basket I found the perfect vine of daffodils. Yellow was Dizzy’s favorite color at the time. (And still is, although she likes lots of “happy” colors, which includes orange and fluorescent green.)

Does anyone beside me instead of saying “chenille stems” want to say “pipe cleaners”? So, chenille stems or pipe cleaners will work. Moving on…

Directions

1. Position the floral vine along the top edge of the basket. Trim length to size now or after you finish securing it – it depends on how difficult the entire length of vine is to manage. If you trim it before it is secured, leave a little extra length.
2. Secure the vine in place with green floral wire or green chenille stems by wrapping the wires around the stem and through the gaps in the basket. This is why you need the basket to have a loose weave at the top. Be sure you tuck in and crimp the edges of the wire so they won’t poke little fingers.
3. Add accent flowers if needed.

That’s it! If you already have a basket you love and it doesn’t have a loose weave that you can wrap the wire around, try decorating the handle. Or, there’s a good chance hot glue would work to secure the vine.

Happy Easter!

I adored my Easter basket growing up, which my grandmother had dressed up for me by attaching plastic flowers to it. Now, with all the gorgeous silk floral vines available in craft stores, it’s easier than ever! I made two baskets for my own little girls (now bigger), and they love them just as much.

Floral Easter Baskets (c) E.S. Ivy

Flower Covered Easter Baskets

Supplies

• woven Easter basket with loose weave along the top edge
• floral vine
• green floral wire or chenille stems
• wire cutters
• (optional – more silk accent flowers)

It helps to pick your flowers and your basket at the same time so you can coordinate colors. For the first basket I made, the best vine I could find only had tiny white flowers on it. Pretty and sophisticated, but little girls like color! So I added the accent blue iris at the handles. It was later that Sparkle developed her abiding love of all things pink and rejected all other colors for a while. But she never rejected her Easter basket!

For the second basket I found the perfect vine of daffodils. Yellow was Dizzy’s favorite color at the time. (And still is, although she likes lots of “happy” colors, which includes orange and fluorescent green.)

Does anyone beside me instead of saying “chenille stems” want to say “pipe cleaners”? So, chenille stems or pipe cleaners will work. Moving on…

Directions

1. Position the floral vine along the top edge of the basket. Trim length to size now or after you finish securing it – it depends on how difficult the entire length of vine is to manage. If you trim it before it is secured, leave a little extra length.
2. Secure the vine in place with green floral wire or green chenille stems by wrapping the wires around the stem and through the gaps in the basket. This is why you need the basket to have a loose weave at the top. Be sure you tuck in and crimp the edges of the wire so they won’t poke little fingers.
3. Add accent flowers if needed.

That’s it! If you already have a basket you love and it doesn’t have a loose weave that you can wrap the wire around, try decorating the handle. Or, there’s a good chance hot glue would work to secure the vine.

Happy Easter!

You are Hereby Cordially Invited to Dinner with the Queen – Don’t Panic! has been getting a lot of interest over on Miri Attwater’s World.

Apparently there are people getting dinner invitations that are a lot more exciting than the ones I get. Who’s been invited to dinner at the White House? Come on, spill! I want to hear all about it!

Some people seem to be finding that post when they go in search of guides on manners. So what do you do when you get a nice dinner invitation. How do you act? Maybe I can make a little series of posts out of this.

First, let’s start with some basic table manners. You know, the ones I’m trying to teach my own kids with various levels of success.

I try to scare table manners into them with a tale from my dating days. I was on a first date with a guy and we went to the local eatery  and got fried chicken. My date picked up a piece and tore into it like a hyena. Then he talked with huge pieces of meat hanging out both sides of his mouth. Not attractive.

Perhaps it was shallow, but I quickly had not desire for a second date!

You might not be trying to get a date, but at the very least I’m sure you would rather not turn the stomach of the other people at the table. And so, I give you…

Ms. Ivy’s Guide to Basic Table Manners

1. Sit up straight. Don’t put your elbows on the table.

You are sitting at the table, not lounging at the table.

2. Put your napkin in your lap. This will catch any crumbs that happen to fall in your lap and you can pick it up and discreetly wipe your mouth if you need to.

But you really shouldn’t need to much. Chocolate stains napkins, so try to eat without chocolate drooling out of your mouth. Believe it or not I made this comment just last night, and my kid’s aren’t little! <sigh>

3. Wait for your hostess to pick up her fork before you take a bite.

There is nothing more frustrating to a hostess than serving the last plate (their own) and sitting down to the table just as everyone else is done and ready to leave the table.

4. Put a reasonable sized bite on your fork.

If you have to turn your fork sideways to get the bite in your mouth or open you mouth so wide that you’re in danger of unhinging your jaw – then there’s a good chance it qualifies as too big.

5. Chew one bite and swallow before putting another bite in your mouth.

Your fork is not a shovel and your mouth is not a dump truck. And for goodness sakes, don’t lean over your plate like you are trying to guard your food and shovel repeatedly without a breath. I understand that is considered fine etiquette for chopsticks and rice, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.

6. Don’t talk with your mouth full.

This can be a tough one. Some dinner companions make it almost impossible to follow this rule. Either they give you very little chance to jump into the conversation, or they give only short responses so you don’t have time to eat your bite before they ask you another question. But, if you are taking small bites it will be easier to try to do this discreetly and not show the whole table your mouthful of half-chewed steak.

7. If you’re having trouble getting something on your fork, like the last pieces of corn, don’t use your fingers to push them on. Use another utensil, like the back of a spoon or your knife.

Okay, I admit to being guilty of that occassionally. If I don’t need the spoon or knife for something else I hate to get another piece of silverware dirty. But, for goodness sake, if you cheat on this wipe your fingers discreetly on the napkin in your lap. Don’t lick them!

8. Don’t pick up your dessert plate to lick it clean.

Even if it was the best chocolate cake you have ever had. Don’t Do This. It is not a compliment to the chef. It’s just the impersonation of a dog. (And what is it with people letting their dogs lick their plates clean anyway? Eew.) In fact, you’re not even supposed to try to get it squeaky clean with your fork, but if you try hard enough you can do a pretty good job and I doubt many people will know that particular manners rule.

So there’s a basic list. I’m sure Miss Manner’s could find something I have left out.  But this should get your through a meal without scaring off the rest of the diners!

So what did I leave out? Any dining manners pet peeves? Leave a comment!