Career: Sue Chef with Easy Recipes

Sue Chef shares some easy recipes

The beginning of the new year means a lot of folks make new year resolutions to improve their lives by changing habits or taking up new interests. Did you make any resolutions this year?

In case one of your plans is to eat healthy foods, then you might want to print the following recipes shared by Sue Chef. Sue believes "fresh is best." She prepares food that is tasty and good-for-you.

Here are a couple of her tasty recipes that are easy to whip up whenever you want a snack.

Homemade Trail Mix

Combine ¼ cup unsweetened apricots, ¼ cup dried cherries (unsweetened), ¼ cup almonds, ¼ cup walnuts, ¼ cup roasted whole kernel pumpkin seed, and 5 cups Multi-Grain Cheerios. Serves 5

Sue says you can choose your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and whole grain cereal to create your own special blend of homemade trail mix.

Mango Berry Smoothie

In food processor, combine ½ cup water or milk, ½ cup frozen mango, ½ cup frozen raspberries, 2 oz tofu, 1 tsp honey

These recipes are from The Take Charge of ADHD Booklet with recipes by Sue Chef

To learn more about Sue and the story behind how she became a chef, check out the new non-fiction e-book, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Girls Succeed is available to download a sample and purchase at the following online booksellers.

Smashwords Link 

Amazon Link 

Kobo Link 

 Barnes and Noble Link

Sony Link 

Study Guide for Girls Succeed is Now Available

The Study Guide to accompany the non-fiction e-book for middle grade girls, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, is now available.The stories chosen for this e-book are designed to inspire and empower girls to pursue their dreams for their futures. The fifteen successful women within the pages are excellent role models for girls. 

The guide is organized into themes that are found in the stories.You may jump around and use the themes/chapters in whatever order you wish. I have included questions  for discussion and activities to expand on the themes of Passion, Persistence, Trailblazers, Feeling Different, Being the Best You Can Be, and Overcoming Obstacles.

Smashwords Link

Amazon Link

Book Review: A Horse Called Trouble by C.K. Volnek

There is a Heap of Trouble in this wonderful book...and I loved reading about every bit of it. Tara is a foster child in a lot of trouble who meets up with a troubled horse named Trouble, of course. Just when the reader believes Tara is on the right track, trouble hits her between the eyes again. Ms Volnek draws the reader into the story with her outstanding writing so we cheer for Tara throughout each troubling situation. I like the characterizations in the book. Young (and old) readers have no problem identifying the good guy from the bad guy. Easy to read and understand. Excellent storytelling.

Check out the reviews at Amazon and learn more about this entertaining read.

Discover the Ringling Circus Museum's Miniature Circus

Over New Year's my husband and I visited the Ringling Circus Museum. I fell in love with the miniature circus model. I think you would too. The tiny people, the big tents, the amazing number of small circus animals all done to scale and in great detail.

The Circus Miniature and Interactive Galleries are housed in the Tibbals Learning Center. You will be giddy when you walk into the 3800 square foot room filled with the Howard Bros Circus Model. The design and set-up is based on the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey circus as it presented its Big Show in 1919-1938. The model is 3/4 inch-to-the-foot scale featuring eight circus tents and 42,000 objects--including the 7000 tiny folding chairs that seats the circus goers under the Big Top. The photo taken below was taken from the second story of the Tibbals Center looking down on the miniature circus. Notice the twinkling lights because this shot was taken as dusk falls over the circus-scape. After a few minutes, the house lights are brightened for a daytime look at the circus. 

You can spot the big top circus tent (center right) where all the magical performances in the three center rings are displayed. Sadly my photos cannot show you the craftsmanship and detail by the artist, Howard Tibbals, circus historian and philanthropist. He has worked on this model over fifty years and continues his work in its present day permanent location at the Tibbals Center. (Yes, he toured with it. Can you imagine packing this model up and then setting it all up over and over again in another location? His work is truly a delight to see.)

Unloading supplies from the train and pulling it to the circus location.

Fruits and veggies for the circus workers and animals. Ordered way ahead of time to be sure to have 1000  pounds of meat each day!

Dining tent--no paper plates and cups or dishwashers in 1918!

Side show and vendors keep the crowd happy before the Big  Show begins.

Remember the Bearded Lady and the two-headed horse? LOL

Animals in their cages waiting to perform their very special acts.

Whether you have never been to a circus or if you are an aficionado of this exotic performance art, you will love the Ringling Circus Museum. The artifacts, posters, memorabilia are everywhere to bring back the feel of the circus days. After visiting this museum, I wonder if you may want to run away and join the circus and be a clown. Brenda Marshall is a professional clown. You can find out all about how she became a clown in the e-book about careers, Girls Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women.

Check out more information about this amazing place to visit in Sarasota, Florida, the Ringling Circus Museum. 

Video: The Joy of Books

Enjoy this delightful video, The Joy of Books, filled with dancing books and whimsical music.

 I imagine you are a reader and love to escape into a fantastic story with characters you love and hate. I will be sharing books and their authors this year on the Girls Succeed blog. Please visit to discover some great books and the stories behind the authors who write them.