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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

April 2020 in This Awful Awesome Life

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We hope you enjoyed our March 2020 issue of This Awful Awesome Life – many thanks to our writing team and guest contributors for sharing their talents.

Our reading recommendations for kids and adults are upbeat and meant to entertain during this difficult time of social distancing and sheltering in place. We also have some craft ideas to cheer up your family and support your neighbors.

Jackie Zataweski tells us what it’s like to try to maintain crucial library services for her community during this pandemic.

I wanted an upbeat book to review this month, so I selected Lauren Graham’s memoir, Talking as Fast as I Can.

Proper hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of germs. We have included a link to the CDC website which covers hand washing basics and the proper use of hand sanitizers. I’ve also listed a few often neglected areas around the house and in your car that probably need a quick wipe down.

This month Orlando Bartro discusses three classifications for writers: those who write fictionalized self-expression; those who write strictly fiction; and those who mix the two.

Linda Cahill has delicious and easy recipes from Pampered Chef with simple ingredients may already be in your pantry or should be easy to find. She also has recipes for making your own coconut or almond milk and your own peanut butter.

Have you accepted our pie of the Month Challenge? If so, you should have made a delicious lemon meringue pie for March. Your April pie will be a French Silk Pie. I’ll be serving mine as dessert for our Easter meal. Share your recipe and photos with us by sending them to my attention at fran.thisawfulawesomelife@gmail.com. Remember, I will be sending one lucky pie maker a gift from Pampered Chef in December.

I have photos of my Lemon meringue pie and I’m sharing the links for the crust and pie filling recipes.

Spring is here and we’re paying tribute to one of spring’s unsung heroes, the bee. Think about it. The beautiful flowers we enjoy and many of the foods we eat would not be possible without the bee. We have a few suggestions about bee friendly plants for your yard. Also, don’t miss April 2020 in Pictures.

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Samantha Sayers is still missing. She disappeared on August 1, 2018 after a day of solo hiking at Vesper Peak near Seattle, Washington. Sam was raised in the Erie, Pennsylvania area where her parents Ron and Lisa still live. Her family is exploring all avenues of inquiry to find and bring her home. In the face of such an enormous challenge, they have chosen hope. Please keep sending positive thoughts to Sam and her family. As promised, we will be displaying a yellow ribbon for Sam on the opening page of each issue of This Awful Awesome Life until she is home.

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For Sam

Until you are home

If you are a person of faith, please pray for her safe return to her family.

Because we are an online publication, we are able to update this article with any news. We will also post information on our Facebook page. Thank you!

Please share our link, thisawfulawesomelife.com with your friends and family.

Be sure to subscribe to our free mailing list and each new issue of This Awful Awesome Life will be delivered directly to your inbox with a personal note from me. We won’t share your name or email address.

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Happy Reading,

Fran

 

 

Next Month in This Awful Awesome Life - June 2020

Bees and Spring by Fran Joyce