Versatile Blogger Award

We would like to thank Kim Gosselin of http://kimgosselinblog.com/ for awarding us the Versatile Blogger Award.

Breeze is delighted to have the honor of being the first Ogre, blogger with an Award. Thank you Kim for your kindness. For parents, young or old, or grandparents Kim’s site is a delight and I highly recommend it to everyone.

The rules of acceptance for this award are to share 7 interesting facts about yourself in addition to nominating 15 other bloggers for this award.

Our attempt at Seven “Interesting Facts”

1. I (Maria) am stubborn, so stubborn at the age of four I refused to be bullied into writing with my right hand. This set the tone of my life as I carried a bright sign titled: Bully me or die trying..

2. This site came about by an accidental comment on Doris Pacheco’s site and the subsequent follow up drawings and story.

3. Doris and Maria have never met. Doris lives in America and I live in Ireland.

4. Mudpile wood is an actual place. Situated near my home in County Meath.

5. Maria has had short stories printed in magazines.

6. My imagination will not switch off.

7. I love chocolate but it hates me – I seem to be allergic to milk chocolate as it brings on a sinus condition.

Doris

1 This project started with a photo of my favorite tree , a tree that I have never touched or hugged, it is my neighbors, but it fascinates me, he is my friend. The photo of the tree was for my time out for art I do every Thursday with my friend Lisa, she lives in Ecuador, and she is one of the reason I did this project, she doesn’t know I have this page, and will find out today about the book and gets an award today.

2 I am an abstract painter, and Lisa encourage me to draw, had not drawn for more than 20 years, so I started having fun every Thursday and it made me take on this project.

3 And, just like Lisa, Gian Paolo a writer from Italy, inspired me to get off my comfort zone, he is really good at writing and creating characters, he has a thing with detail. So, he inspired me to create more than 15 characters.

4  I have never illustrated a kids Book before, my projects are very different. Maria does not know this but I got sick the first couple of days, I had no clue how to start and did not know how to do it either.

5 I went a million times to the library to see kids books, had to learn how to draw characters.

5 I made three characters with red hair, they remind me of  a friend Jonathan Caswell, he very nice, funny and sweet, a poet, he always re-blogs everyone.

6 Another interesting thing about the book, as I was finishing with the drawings, Maria published another book called Moving On, I did not know about. Please buy it.

7  Lastly, I had help from the best creative director, my niece Lillian she is 12 and she helped us in many ways. It is funny how kids tell you the truth, if she did not like something, she told us. Many things were cut out because of her. Lillian, want to tell you thank you and I love you. You were the main reason behind this project. Had lots of fun with you and Marcelo :).

Nominees:

1 http://79nexus.wordpress.com/
2 https://callmecaitlin.wordpress.com/
3 http://mylittlegrasshoppers.wordpress.com/
4 http://lizandlifestyle.wordpress.com/
5 http://monkeyworks.org/
6 http://thekidshavegonetoschool.wordpress.com/
7 http://doodlemum.com/

8 http://newwhitebear.wordpress.com/

9 https://bythemightymumford.wordpress.com/

10 http://playamart.wordpress.com/

11 http://witlessdatingafterfifty.wordpress.com/

12 http://kmihran.wordpress.com/

13 https://aquileana.wordpress.com/

14 http://lorienyoga.com

15 http://hillsofherchastity.wordpress.com/

*If you are an “Award Free Blog” or do not have time to accept please know that we understand. Your work is always very much appreciated.

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Matt’s Christmas Adventure – 2

Breeze spotted something bouncing about close to Tulip’s house. He arrived at her door and went inside. “We- have- a -problem.” He said gasping for breath after his long run.
Tulip spun around and saw Breeze. She heard his words but noticed she was missing a cake. “You have a problem. You ate one of my Christmas cakes.” She was not looking happy.
He said, “I didn’t look.” He held out both hands to her and stuck out his tongue.
“Okay, sorry I believe you. But who took it?” When Breeze told her what he thought had happened Tulip was looking worried.
“But Matt could be anywhere by now.” She paced about her kitchen. “We need to act quickly. We don’t need a Matt on the moon for Christmas.”
“Cool.” Breeze said.
Tulip glared at him. “Who made the bubble?”
Breeze whispered, “Lovisma.”
Tulip walked out onto her porch and shouted for Lovisma. By the time Tulip returned to her kitchen Lovisma was sitting at her kitchen table eating a cake. Breeze quickly explained what had happened to Matt.
“I told him it was a silly idea but the boy insisted said he would tell everyone it was me who made the food at the last party go pop and bang everytime someone tried to eat.” She was smiling at Breeze whose tongue had been burnt by the sizzling food.
“I want you to bring him back now.” Tulip stamped her foot and the whole house shook.
Lovisma said, “No need to get angry or nasty. I will have him back in a jiffy.”
Breeze surprised them both when he said, “No, I think you shouldn’t bring him back so quickly. But this is what I would like you to do.” When he told them his plan both Tulip and Lovisma were shocked but they agreed it would teach Matt to behave in future.

Matt was wide awake. The sound of twinkling bells and whispers from the stars woke him. “Santa is near.” They whispered.
Matt twisted and turned about in the bubble but he couldn’t see one single reindeer.
The bubble was sinking slowly towards the ground. It landed in the clearing near Tulip’s house. Matt could see a large group. The children were jumping up and down and racing about. The adults were enjoying Tulip’s Christmas cakes and talking to …Santa.
“I’m over here,” he shouted as he watched Lily being lifted up into the sleigh to sit beside Santa. Matt was frantic he wanted to pet the reindeer. He wondered why no one could hear him or see him. It began to snow as he watched. He sat and cried. “I messed up, stupid me. I shouldn’t have gone looking for him. I should have known he would come to us. He always does.” As soon as Matt spoke the bubble burst . The snow felt cool on his skin. He ran towards the sleigh. Breeze blocked his path. Matt looked up at Breeze and said, “I’m sorry.”
Breeze said, “Don’t say it to me, you need to apologize to Tulip, Lily, your mum, Lovisma and Santa.”
Matt said, “Yes. I will. Can I…please see him and pet Rudolph.”
Breeze was a kind ogre and he couldn’t be angry with anyone. He hoisted Matt onto his shoulder and said, “Make way for the adventurer who got a little lost on his way here.”
So it was that Matt got to talk to Santa and more importantly got to spend time with the Reindeer. As he was saying goodbye to Santa Matt was startled when Santa placed a parcel in his hand. “Specially for you Matt. Remember to be good.”
When the reindeer were mere dots in the sky Matt tore the paper off his present and discovered he was holding a ball of glass. “It’s a bubble,” he mumbled.
“Shake it,” his mum said.
When Matt shook it he saw a tiny bubble rise from the ground, snow was dancing within the glass and against a dark sky a tiny sleigh raced across the sky. He smiled and said, “Cool I won’t forget. He always comes to visit.”

Matt’s Christmas Adventure. – A Christmas 2 part story.

It was the 24th December. Every child, big and small, was hoping Santa would stop in Mudpile Wood. Last year he had enjoyed a mug of hot milk and some of Tulips Cinnamon fairy cakes. This year she planned on giving him Mincemeat bread along with his customary hot drink.
Breeze was collecting holly, with berries, for his relations. Ogres loved to decorate their cave with holly. This meant Breeze had to fight off the birds who wanted to eat the berries not sit and look at them.
He began to walk home underneath his large pile of holly which made him look like a moving holly bush. Breeze heard Lily say, “But what will we do if he doesn’t have time to stop? He is a busy man.” Breeze dropped his load of holly and sat down behind it. He wanted to hear the answer to Lily’s question.
Matt said, “I have been thinking of this and this is what we will do.”
Breeze held his breath to hear more but Matt was whispering and he couldn’t find out what Matt planned to do. He collected the holly and decided it might be best to keep an eye on the group of children. He didn’t want them getting into trouble before Christmas.

Breeze spent the afternoon decorating his cave. He finished it at dinner time. Matt’s mum Nell came rushing into Breeze’s cave. “He is gone. Matt is gone. Lily says it was an accident but she won’t tell me anything please help Mr. Breeze.”
Breeze sighed, looked very sadly at his red berry and mushroom pie, “Don’t go anywhere.” He said, then decided to scoop it into his hands to eat as he followed Nell out into the cool evening air.

They found Lily sitting outside her house. She was crying as she said, “It wasn’t my fault, or Matt’s or Lov..It just went wrong. The bubble ate him and carried him away.”
“Where to, Lily?” Breeze asked.
She pointed towards the clouds.
They all stood looking at the twinkling stars and wondered what to do next. “He hasn’t even got his hat and coat,” Nell sobbed.

*****************************

Matt was happy inside his soap bubble which Lovisma’s spell had made strong as steel. Earlier when Matt asked her to create a spell to make the bubble bigger and stronger, Lovisma was curious to see what would happen. Matt sat on a cushion of moss inside the bubble which sat on a branch of a tree. Lovisma watched him until she got bored and left.

As the sun began to sink in the sky the wind decided to play with the ogre sitting in the bubble. It pushed and pulled until the bubble was carried away high into the sky. Matt thought this was fun, he could see everyone below him.
His mum was hanging out her washing. He waved at her but she couldn’t see him. The bubble swooped low and one of his dad’s vests was sucked into the bubble to land beside Matt. He put it on.
The bubble swooped low over Tulips house. The windows were open because Tulip was baking. The bubble flew in one window and out another neatly snagging a freshly baked bun as it went.
Matt felt happy. He was warm and he had a bun to eat. Matt waited to see what would happen next. The wind tired of lingering close to the ground climbed towards the stars. The air was colder up here. Matt pulled his dad’s vest about him and waited to see what would happen next. He grew tired and curling up in a ball he fell asleep.

Christmas Mystery at Mudpile Wood.

The week before Christmas Mudpile wood was a busy place. Presents were being wrapped and cakes were baked.

Fairy Tulip met Hamish. He was wearing a white apron and a chef’s hat. He didn’t look happy.

“Where did Breeze go?” grumbled Hamish. “He promised to help me cook my pudding. I think he must be lost.”
Tulip said, “Hamish you are silly, we can’t lose a seven foot Ogre. It just can’t be done.”

“Well he has vanished.” Lovisma shouted wobbling by on her broomstick.
Lovisma was practicing a new trick. Riding her broomstick while standing on her head and spinning. So far, it wasn’t going well. She demolished the Gingerbread house, put a hole in the giant Christmas cake, Mrs. Groundsel had made. The cake looked like a very large doughnut with sprinkles on top.

“I hope he’s shopping.” Matt said. “Maybe he will buy me a pet crocodile.”

“No, he doesn’t like shopping, he gave me the list. I did his shopping months ago.” Tulip said.

They decided to search for him. Mrs Groundsel and Matt went to search the caves, the witches to search the mountain tops. Tulip and Hamish searched the wood then decided they would go and sit in his favourite tree. He was bound to show up soon. It was getting close to lunch time.

“Something awful must have happened because he missed second breakfast.” Hamish whispered.
“Hmm…” Tulip said looking into the sky. “Never mind Breeze. Snow is about to fall. Lets tell the others to get the sleds ready.”
Hamish said, “we broke them last year when we had that crazy race off the frozen waterfall. ” He sighed. “But it was good fun. We forgot about the sleds till now.”

Everyone came out of their houses to watch the snowflakes dance and twirl their way to the ground.
“But we have no sleds, ” Lisbeth said. Nobody was smiling, they loved sledding.

Matt raced back inside and returned with an old wooden tray. “This will have to do, come on everyone.”
They trudged to the top of the hill field and took turns at flying down the hill on the tray. “It’s not great but it’s better than nothing,” Matt said.

Suddenly they heard a rumble. It was growing louder.
“Thunder?” Mrs Groundsel wondered. She didn’t like thunder or lightning.
“No, but perhaps we should take shelter hurry.” Tulip ushered everyone into the wood.The ground was shaking making everybody hop or bounce about.

Then above the rumbling noise they could hear a familiar sound of Breeze laughing. With a swoosh of snow he raced past them on a giant sled.
They chased after him, “wait for us.”
He applied the brake and the giant sled shuddered to a stop.

” Where did you get it?” Tulip asked him.
“Borrowed the idea from the elves.” He told them. “It took a bit of work but all of the elves helped make it. Come on, get on. This is great. Hold on tight and let’s go.”
They rushed to sit on the sled. Breeze took off so fast Tulips hair escaped from its ponytail.
“Oooh watch out for the waterfall,” they cried as they zipped along scattering snow as they went.
Breeze smiled and kept going. The women closed their eyes, the children held their breath because they could see the end of the frozen waterfall. Suddenly they were flying high above the valley.

“We will die this time, ” Hamish grumbled thinking of his uncooked Christmas pudding.
There was a soft jolt and looking high above them they saw the reason. Laughter rang out as the giant fluffy parachute opened and brought them slowly to the ground.

Breeze looked at them and said, “I’m hungry I need a snack. Next ride will be after lunch.”
He was whistling as he made his way to Hamish’s house, because Hamish always made the best lunches in the wood.