The Parent Search

In August 2012, I published my first full-length chapter book. The Parent Search is a children's book that follows the adventure of three children as they try to locate and rescue their missing parents.

Missing Parents!

Ashley and her siblings Nicole and Doug were thrilled to be spending summer break in Hawaii. However, when a flood causes the kids to become separated from their parents, what they thought was going to be a relaxing vacation turns into the biggest adventure of their lives! Things get even more complicated when they discover that a criminal is behind their parents' disappearance. From a shark in the clear waters of Hawaii to a crash landing in the Amazon Rainforest, the trio is constantly in danger. Will they ever find their parents?

My book (it feels good to be able to say that :) ) is available as a paperback, as well as an eBOOK. 

To learn more about my book, please visit the official website or the official Facebook page. 

The eBOOK version of The Parent Search is available on for the NOOK, as well as Apple devices. To purchase the paperback version, click here. 

Monsters University

I am a huge fan of Disney Pixar movies, and Monsters, Inc. was one of my favorites. When I heard that Mike and Sully would be returning to the big screen, I was excited. The prequel, Monsters University, was released in U.S. movie theaters on June 21, 2013.

Here is the plot description of Monsters University, as released by Disney:

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn't always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn't stand each other. "Monster's University" unlocks the door to how Mike and Sully overcame their differences and became the best of friends. -- (C) Walt Disney 

I will admit, I was a little disappointed that the adorable Boo, the little girl who befriended Mike and Sulley in the first movie, wasn't making a return. However, don't let that discourage you from seeing this movie. The film still has a lot of heart and plenty of funny moments. I don't want to give too much away, but here are some of my favorite morals that the movie taught:

• There's more than one way to achieve your dream. Mike and Sulley don't become "Scarers" the conventional way, but they still end up with the career of their dreams that led them to Monsters University in the first place.
• Know what you're good at, and use it to your advantage. Mike comes to Monsters University thinking that he's going to be the best "Scarer" on campus because of how hard he's been studying. He proves that he's smart, but there's just one problem: no one thinks he's scary. At first, Mike is crushed. He later  realizes that his book smarts make him great at planning the perfect scare. Sulley, with his powerful roar, is just the person to execute Mike's plans. Together, they make a great team. 
• Don't let what others think of you discourage you. Oozma Kappa, Mike and Sulley's fraternity, is considered to be a joke with no chance of being successful when they enter the Scare Games. However, they still try their best to be the winning team.

Monsters University is rated G. To learn more about the movie, visit the official site.

A Bookworm's Point of View gets a makeover!

Hey everyone!
I changed my blog's theme today. I hope you like the new layout!

Nilla Wafer Cupcakes

    My dad bought a jumbo pack of Vanilla Wafers the other day, and my family ate half the pack in about two days. Let's face it: Nilla Wafers are delicious.
    So, I decided to use the Nilla Wafers (well, what was left of them) to make dessert for my family as a surprise. I Googled 'Nilla Wafer desserts' and found a recipe for Nilla Wafer bundt cake that had very good reviews. I loved the idea of a cake made with Nilla Wafers, but I felt like making cupcakes that night. Also, I didn't want to make a lot of cupcakes. So, I cut the recipe in half and poured the batter into muffin tins.
    One of my family's favorite desserts is the banana pudding that my mom makes using Nilla Wafers. I wanted to find a way to incorporate banana into the cupcakes. I thought about adding banana to the batter, but decided against it. Finally I came up with the idea to put banana topping on the cupcakes. My family loved the idea and my Dad even said that they reminded him of banana pudding. Below is the recipe for the cake batter, as well as my recipe for banana topping.

Vanilla Wafer Cake IV
(I found this recipe here)
Original recipe makes 1 10-inch Bundt pan.
1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut
1 cup ground pecans
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 (12 ounce) package vanilla wafers, crushed very fine
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch fluted tube pan such as a  Bundt®. Mix together the coconut and ground pecans; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in the crushed wafers alternately with the milk. Mix in the coconut and ground pecans. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3.Bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.


* I cut the recipe in half to make my cupcakes, but I used 2 eggs instead of 3 and the batter still turned out fine. Also, I did not add the coconut and pecans because of my family's preferences, and the cake still had plenty of flavor. I changed the baking temperature for 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend baking the cupcakes for 18 minutes at that temperature, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. DON"T FORGET TO GREASE THE MUFFIN PAN BEFORE ADDING THE BATTER!

My Banana Topping
1 large banana
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1/4 cup of milk and microwave for ten seconds at a time, stirring in between, until the mixture forms a glaze-like texture. Let the cupcakes cool for a few minutes, then add banana topping.

ENJOY!

Duolingo!

Everyone in my family can speak Spanish...except for me. I am taking Spanish 1 this upcoming school year, and I'm VERY excited. 

Yesterday, my sister stumbled upon an app called Duolingo. It is the perfect tool to help me prepare for Spanish 1, and it makes learning a new language fun.  From taping pictures, to speaking sentences, I feel like I am playing a game, rather than learning. Duolingo offers lessons on many different languages: Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and English. 

Oh, and did I mention that this app is FREE?

If you are looking for a fun and easy way to learn a new language, or to continue practicing one that you have already learned, I highly recommend downloading Duolingo! 

Astrid

UPDATE: Unfortuanately, I recently received an email informing me that the Astrid app will no longer be available on August 5,2013. To learn more, I recommend reading the article Astrid is winding down on Astrid's blog.

Recently, my mom introduced me to a new to-do-list app: Astrid. Astrid is free, and very user-friendly.

Here is some of it's features:

- Color-code tasks by importance
- Text-to-speech: Use your voice to enter tasks instead of talking
- Share lists with others & assign tasks to others ( this has turned out to be a handy way for my mom to give me chores. Uh oh... :) )
- Assign due dates to tasks
- And my favorite part of this app: the friendly reminders that Astrid gives you.Sometimes she has an attitude, but this app's notifications always make me laugh.

Goey Goodness

              Every time we have extra marshmallows lying around that no one knows what to do with, I try to think of a yummy treat that I can make using them. (That's how I came up with the snack I made in my Popcorn Balls! post.) This time, I made Chocolate Chip Sanwhich Cookies. These treats taste similar to S'mores, but with cookie dough instead of graham crackers. Here's how you can make them:

What you'll need: 1 pack of store bought chocolate chip cookies, 1 bag of miniature marshmallows, butter or margarine, a microwave-safe bowl, a spoon

Step 1: Bake the cookies (see the back of the package for cooking directions)

Step 2: When the cookies are done baking, take them out of the oven and let them cool slightly. 

Step 3: While waiting for the cookies to cool, let's start making the filling! I poured 1 cup of mini marshmallows into the microwave-safe bowl, but you may need more depending on how many cookies you baked.

Step 4: Let's add a little slice of margarine (or butter) to the bowl. Youu don't need a lot, just enough to keep the marhmallows from sticking to the bowl. 

Step 5: Now, stick the marshmallows in the microwave! I like to heat mine at 10 second incriments and stir the marshmallows  before heating them again. 

Step 6: When the cookies are cool enough, transfer them to a large plate and turn them over so that the flat side is facing upward. 

Step 7: Add a dollop of the marshmallow fluff to one of the cookies...then, place the other cookie on top! Repeat with the other cookies.





Step 8: Enjoy!

A few helpful tips:

• Once you melt the marshmallows, the fluff cools and turns sticky quickly. If you have this problem, just add a little more butter/margarine to the bowl and heat it again.
• When building the sandwich cookies, make sure that you let the cookies cool enough or may end up with cracks.