The 21 April 2023 Friday Finds are here with new books, authors, recipes, and crafts!
Hello, my friends & welcome to the 21 April 2023 edition of the Friday Finds.
Did you try the Dandelion Shortbread Cookies in the email portion of the Friday Finds last week? I haven’t had a chance since my trip to Wisconsin was postponed. I hope to test the recipe with the littles up there soon.
Tax Day has come and gone in the US. Did you survive? I think my accountant only made it through by telling Dad Jokes to everyone. He definitely had a couple of good ones for us. Laughter always helps. (I was thinking of getting rid of all my socks, but I got “cold feet”!!) Groan if you must.
I hope you enjoy this week’s post, and be sure you leave a comment below voting for your favorite find of the week.
Peace & Love
Note: I will share purchase links on all recommended items if possible. Every purchase made through my links helps support this blog.
Question of the Week for 21 April 2023
What is a website that you visit every week? Leave a link in the comments so we can all check it out.
Friday Finds | 21 April 2023 | Author News
Do you have a new book releasing soon, a special promotion coming up, or any other news I can share with my readers?
In the reported book and author news this week…
Crystal Stewart is unpublished as yet, but she is an author nonetheless. She tells me she finished book three and has started on book four of her series, How Do You Like Me Now? Go Crystal!
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Eve Gaal is my newest featured author. She won last month’s Question of the Week contest, & not only earned an Amazon gift card but was bumped to the top of my Author of the Week list. Please welcome Eve to the website (on the sidebar & in this post) by reading my reviews of her work and visiting her website. Eve is also the featured author in my Bookshop.
Would you like to be featured as my Author/Blogger of the Week? Please drop me a comment below to let me know. That’s all it takes! If no one “volunteers,” I have systems in place to choose one.
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Friday Finds | 21 April 2023 | Books
When God made a mother, He had you in mind.
Are you a mother?
Do you have a mother?
Do you know a mother?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, So God Made a Mother is for you.
Join Leslie Means, founder of the popular website Her View From Home, as she weaves together a powerful, emotional collection of essays from women of all ages and stages. These real-life, straight-to-the-heart stories will make you laugh, cry, and nod along.
No two mothers are alike. No two experiences in motherhood mirror each other. But something powerful happens when our stories come together: they speak love, worth, value, and beauty. They take the undefinable experience of motherhood and give it shape, substance, and strength. They speak to us all.
So God Made a Mother promises to show you the incomparable heart of a mother . . . a mother just like you.
Available in Audiobook, Kindle, and Hardcover!
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Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal
From the New York Times bestselling author J. Ryan Stradal, a story of a couple from two very different restaurant families in rustic Minnesota, and the legacy of love and tragedy, of hardship and hope, that unites and divides them.
Mariel Prager needs a break. Her husband Ned is having an identity crisis, her spunky, beloved restaurant is bleeding money by the day, and her mother Florence is stubbornly refusing to leave the church where she’s been holed up for more than a week. The Lakeside Supper Club has been in her family for decades, and while Mariel’s grandmother embraced the business, seeing it as a saving grace, Florence never took to it. When Mariel inherited the restaurant, skipping Florence, it created a rift between mother and daughter that never quite healed.
Ned is also an heir—to a chain of home-style diners—and while he doesn’t have a head for business, he knows his family’s chain could provide a better future than his wife’s fading restaurant. In the aftermath of a devastating tragedy, Ned and Mariel lose almost everything they hold dear, and the hard-won victories of each family hang in the balance. With their dreams dashed, can one fractured family find a way to rebuild despite their losses, and will the Lakeside Supper Club be their salvation?
In this colorful, vanishing world of relish trays and brandy Old Fashioneds, J. Ryan Stradal has once again given us a story full of his signature honest, lovable yet fallible Midwestern characters as they grapple with love, loss, and marriage; what we hold onto and what we leave behind; and what our legacy will be when we are gone.
Available in all formats, including Audiobook.
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Last week’s pick, Life Skills for Teens, was quite popular with readers. So this week, I’m featuring a companion book.
Life Skills for Kids: How to Cook, Clean, Make Friends, Handle Emergencies, Set Goals, Make Good Decisions, and Everything in Between by Karen Harris
Life Skills for Kids is the perfect gift for boys and girls!
With the help of this guide, kids can learn foundation skills such as the basics of cooking, handling emergencies, communication skills, setting goals, running appliances, and so much more! Complete with cute illustrations heading each chapter, this book is sure to help your loved ones master necessary life skills!
Life Skills for Kids covers a lot of topics, including:
- Self-regulation
- Decision-making strategies
- Basic navigation skills
- Age-appropriate ways to make and save money
- Calling 911 and keeping calm during emergencies
- The importance of chores
- How to use appliances safely
- Ways to start building independence in the kitchen
- And much more!
With our current fast-paced, technological society, it is more important than ever to ensure our children learn the basic life skills often neglected in our convenience-driven era. Whether it is building autonomy in the kitchen or effectively navigating challenging situations with bullies, Life Skills for Kids is here to help teach the habits necessary for a successful future.
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL • This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated—and overwhelmed—pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic!
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So God Made a Mother: Tende...Shop on Amazon 
Saturday Night at the Lakes...Shop on Amazon 
Life Skills for Kids: How t...Shop on Amazon 
Hot Dog: --Shop on Amazon
Friday Finds | 21 April 2023| Recipes
Peach Chiffon Pie from Bunny’s Warm Oven
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Thai Roasted Chicken Thighs by Do Good Chicken
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Fresh Vegan Vegetable Spring Rolls from Healthy Nibbles
There is an excellent video with this recipe if you have never made spring rolls.
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Best of Thailand [Round] Wh...Shop on Amazon 
Hospitality Graham Cracker ...Shop on Amazon 
Mahatma Jasmine Rice, 32-Ou...Shop on Amazon
Friday Finds | 21 April 2023 | Creative Projects
A character in the book Flawless Witness was reliving her youth by making flower crowns. It brought back some fun memories for me. Here’s a kit you can use to make your own or a great project with kids.
Flower Crowns & Bracelets~~~~~~~~~~~~
Premium Candle-Making KitThere is a beneficial video included on the website. I love that everything you need from start to finish is included in the set.
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Hapinest Make Your Own Flow...Shop on Amazon 
Premium Candles Making Kit ...Shop on Amazon
Friday Finds | 21 April 2023 | Gina’s Blog Roundup
If you missed one of my reviews in the past week, here’s an easy link to find them all, or click on the image & links below. Be sure you check out the giveaways. There are some great prizes this week!
Daugment by August Niehaus | 4.5-Star Book Review ~ Win a Copy | #Scifi #Space #Dogs
The above post and raffle need some love! Leave a comment and enter the drawing! Multiple ways to enter.
Great story, entertaining author!
Flawless Witness: Flower Girl Novella Sequel by Merida Johns | Book Review ~ Excerpt ~ $25 Gift Card
A very touching story. If you haven’t read Flower Girl, do so today!
Laugh Cry Rewind: A Memoir by Judy Haveson | Book Review ~ 2023 Award Winner
What would you like to see in next week’s Friday Finds?
Thanks for reading this week. Peace & Love!
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Happy Friday! Love the Friday Finds! I have to get moving though because I have a big event this weekend I need to prepare for and then Children’s Book Week starts May 1st so I’ve been preparing for that as well.
Have a great weekend!
Good luck this weekend, Jessica!
Thank you for bumping me to the top of your author list, Gina! Always wonderful to be here among pies, books and, flower crowns. It’s like a dream!
You are most welcome. I flipped a coin to see who went first, you or your co-winner Jessica. She’ll be up next week.
A website I make sure to visit every week and even daily is 15 and Meowing. Their website URL is: https://15andmeowing.com .
Thanks Crystal. I enjoyed visiting it.