I’d like to introduce the cover for my April 2010 release, THE COWBOY’S BABY. I love the pose they have of the little girl and the man. I hope it will entice many readers to pick up the book and read it. Hopefully they will enjoy the story equally as well as the cover.

WHAT I’M DOING TO GET ORGANIZED:

One thing always needs doing, every day, every SINGLE day, is supper. I don’t know how many times I’ve looked at the clock knowing I have done nothing about supper and men are starting to circle like vultures. 🙂 So I have been trying to change that as much as I can. One thing I’ve done is prepare meat ahead of time. This is how to prepare a large batch of ground beef.

Take about 10 pounds of ground beef. Spread a little at a time on a cookie sheet. Do not crowd it. Bake in a 350-375 degree oven for about 10 mins. Remove cookies sheets (I do two at a time), drain and break up the lumps of meat. Return to oven and continue cooking until all pink is gone. It’s okay if some pieces get a little crispy. Salt and pepper to taste. Dump cooked meat into a large bowl to cool and continue cooking the rest of the ground beef until it is all cooked.

Meanwhile, stir fry a finely chopped onion. Mix into cooked meat. Allow it to all cool then package into freezer bags in quantities sufficient for a meal. It can be used in soup, stew, chili, casseroles or anything you’d normally use ground beef for. It helps make mealtime easy.

HEALTHY HINT: Put drained beef in a colander and wash with hot water to remove more of the fat. Put back in oven to cook/brown more. Browning again after washing is essential for good flavor. (This also works well if you are frying ground beef.)

ANOTHER HINT: grate a carrot and stir fry with onion for added nutrition. One medium carrot for each pound or two of meat works well.

WHAT I’M READING:

I am a Claude Monet fan. One thing I really enjoyed on my long-ago trip to London <insert longing sigh> was the National Gallery where I got to see Monet paintings up close. I enjoyed equally as much my visit to Musee D’Orsay in Paris where they have much space devoted to this famous French painter.

I discovered a fascinating book in our library called, MONET AND THE IMPRESSIONISTS FOR KIDS by Carol Sabbeth.    It describes in easy-to-read style the beginning of Impressionism. There are some lovely quotes. Claude Monet, “When you paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Instead think, ‘Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow,’ and paint it like it looks.”

Pierre Auguste Renoir thought paintings should be "likable, joyous , and pretty." He said, "There are enough unpleasant things in this world. We don’t have to paint them as well."

The book is interspersed with drawing and painting lessons. They were so simple and straightforward I am almost convinced I could become a painter artist. (Though not of the caliber of these famous painters. 🙂 )

On second thought, I think I will return to my writing. LOL.