Monday, September 30, 2024

Crockpot Monday: Mac n Cheese

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Mac n Cheese:

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked macaroni
4 cups of milk
1 egg 
4 cups shredded cheese of your choice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried mustard


Directions:  

Spray crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whip egg and milk together. Stir in spices. Add cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the crockpot. This will have a lot of liquid to it.

 
Cover and cook on low for 2-5 hours, or on high for 1-3. 

Check after 1 hour. All crockpots are different and this will be done when the pasta is fork-tender.


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Friday, September 27, 2024

Book Review: The Littlest Cells

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It's a dangerous, germ-filled world out there, and Little knows it. Little is a young white blood cell with a mission to protect The Human from any pathogens that try to cause infections. However, Little isn't as strong as the other white blood cells, and he's certainly not brave, either. Even his sister Tiny is not afraid of anything. They, along with their new friend Mike, soon discover a new virus that is trying to weaken The Human's immune system! Will Little, Tiny, and Mike be able to stop this virus before the immune system collapses?

While not published in traditional comic form, this comic is perhaps the better for it. The sturdy cover will hold up to many read throughs and I can guarantee that you won't be reading this book just once. With art and story by Lindsey Douglas, this book tells the tale of two white blood cells and their early adventures. Honestly, I loved it and even learned a little bit. It's perfect for anyone, kid or adult, who just wants a fun and dare I say it, educational, comic. The art is cute and the characters a lot of fun. 


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Monday, September 23, 2024

Crockpot Monday: Applesauce

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Applesauce:

Ingredients:

4 large apples, skinned ,cored, and cut in quarters 
Juice from 1 lemon 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 Tablespoon brown sugar 
1/4 cup water 

Directions:

Skin, core, and cut your apples into quarters. Add the pieces into your crockpot. Add the juice from the lemon, and the water. Pour in the vanilla and add the cinnamon and brown sugar. 

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. When the apples are super tender, mash with a potato masher or large fork. 


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Friday, September 20, 2024

Book Review: Pro Gamer's Guide

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Introducing 'The Pro Gamer's Guide to Healthy Habits,' the ultimate resource for young gamers looking to take their skills to the next level. This book is packed with tips and strategies for maintaining good health and wellness while pursuing a career in competitive gaming. From nutrition and exercise to proper sleep and hanging out with friends, this book covers everything you need to know to stay at the top of your game. Join Brian on his journey to become a gaming superstar, with the help of his parrot pal Pauly. Whether you want to make it as a content creator or hone your skills in your favorite video game, this book has everything you need to become a certified Professional Gamer. An instant classic for any game room!
An adorable baby penguin wants to find friendship in a big city. Are you up to the challenge?

Leveling up your gaming skills is a tough task,but not if you have friends to help along the way. Where do you make friends? What should you say to break the ice?

Join Brian, Pauly, and Cecelia as they guide Cuddles the Penguin through an epic journey to foster friendships in Brick City. You’ll meet new Players, animals, and environments in Pro Gamer’s Guide.

Discover the “Pro Gamer Tips” for making meaningful connections in everyday life. This uplifting story of resiliency, positivity, and courage is suitable for all ages.




Bring life back to Brick City in Pro Gamer’s Guide to Coloring! Join Bricks ‘O’ Brian, Pauly the Parrot, Cecelia the Cat, and Cuddles the Penguin as they guide you through an all-new coloring adventure.

Enjoy 40 colorable pages from Pro Gamer's Guide, including original illustrations, character illustration tutorials, and never-before-seen artwork.

This book features artwork from Pro Gamer's Guide to Healthy Habits and Pro Gamer's Guide to Making Friends.
Normally, I would write three individual reviews for these books, but the reality is that when you buy one of them, you should just go ahead and buy all three. I sat down and read all three of these in one sitting. The art and colors drew me in immediately, but it was the storytelling that held me there. I know that these are geared towards children, but the lessons are really all ages. There's not one of us out there who doesn't have moments of self-care slippage or sometimes wonders if they can make a new friend. Plus, let's face it...coloring is for everyone. Honestly, I can't say enough good about these books. As an author/publisher, I know just how much work goes into making a quality book and you can just tell that quality matters to this team. Brian and Kevin know what they're doing and you won't be disappointed if you order these today. You can pick up all three on Amazon or on the Pro Gamer's Guide website . If you happen to order from their website, you can get autographed copies! 

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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Update: Where I've Been

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Wow, I can't believe that I dropped on the ball on posting for so long. I cannot apologize enough for this. I love interacting with everyone, but life just sort of swallowed me up. Let me see if I can do a quick rundown of life over the past 6 months or so.

As some of you know, my oldest son has cerebral palsy. This prevents him from being able to drive. He's also taking college courses so I became his official driver and tutor. This takes up a lot of time and while I have no regrets, I didn't learn how to balance everything else along side of it. It's a new semester now and we're gone even more than last semester for his classes. 

On top of that, we have the house issue. Unfortunately, that's ongoing. We were supposed to buy the house in May, but due to circumstances, I cannot get a loan. The owners, even though we've never missed a rent payment in over 15 years, would not sell to use on a land contract. What does that mean? We're living here on borrowed time while I desperately attempt to save up about $16,000 to allow us to buy a used trailer so that we can move out of here. It won't be the nicest home, but it will be ours, and a safe space for myself, the kids, and the cats. As you can imagine, this is very stressful and also interfered with things.

Due to my feeling of urgency to move, we took the summer and downsized our belongings and took a weekend to completely gut our barn. We didn't know it was leaking and so many things were ruined. It broke my heart and my bank account, but we filled a dumpster and now everything is packed away in totes. No carboard allowed out there.

I'm sure there were other things, but those were the big ones. It's been a stressful and busy time. Now that the semester has started, I'm hoping that my editing work picks up so I can continue to put away money so that we can get out of here before the owners kick us out with nowhere to go. I'm also hoping to start the next book in our cat series by the end of the year. I know I'm behind on that and all I can do is apologize.

One good thing that I have added is Twitch streaming! That's right! Every Thursday night, you can tune in and listen to me read stories from my books. Right now, I'm reading from Return to the Toy Store. This is also a great time to have the opportunity to chat with not just me, but people from all over the world. I promise that it's a great time and completely safe for your children to tune in and listen too! Just head over to http://twitch.tv/katieroets every Thursday night at 8pm eastern. The streams are just over an hour so not a huge time commitment and something that I'm very much enjoying!

Okay, I've kept you long enough. Just know that I'm still here and doing my best to stay on top of things. I hope you're still here with me! 






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Monday, September 16, 2024

Crockpot Monday: Creamy Veggies

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Creamy Veggies:

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh broccoli

16 oz fresh green beans

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

2 whole jalapeno peppers (don't chop them up, just lay them nicely on top)

2 Tablespoons water

 

Directions: 

Wash and trim your vegetables, put into crockpot. Cover them with the sour cream, cheeses, butter, spices, and add your touch of water.

 Cook on low for 4-5 hours.


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Friday, February 16, 2024

Announcement: We hit $500!

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Guys, I am so excited to be able to say that we hit $500 in pledges on the Holidays at the Toy Store pre-order campaign! This pre-order period has been rough. I've been fighting getting sick again (I was diagnosed previously with copd), running the oldest around everywhere, and working. On top of that, the campaign itself is just moving slow. I've had my ups and downs with it, but I've never given up hope that we'll make it. Today, that hope has been rewarded!

What does that mean for all of you? If you pledge to the campaign, you will get an ebook copy of Apo's Army automatically if we fund. Plus, I'm going to be going live on Twitch to read at least two stories from Holidays at the Toy Store. It's your chance to get a sneak peek at the newest book! 

Want to get in on the action? Click this link right here: 





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