With a cool drink in hand, Char spins tales of kittens,
While Cheryl's novel gets a fresh look, and totally rewritten.
Join us on this journey, a creative flight,
From playful kittens, to thrilling books, and a dessert that's a delight.

The Formation of the Westeros Gang!

Early in Summer, 2019, Char–and hubby Don–became the proud foster parents of a bouncing six-pack of feral kittens.

When their feral mama cat hid all six of them in a back yard woodpile–then took off–Char had a choice. Become an instant foster human. Or call Animal Control.
Char chose to rope hubby Don into fostering. Truly, it didn’t take a whole lot of roping.
Six tiny, flea-bitten kittens were tricked into leaving the woodpile and were captured and brought into the Chaffin laundry room. The moment Char got a good look at them–and figured out their genders–giving them names based on the Heroes of Game of Thrones was kind of a no-brainer.

That first night they huddled together in a crate and stared suspiciously at their rescuers (above photo).
Two days later they were stuffing their little faces with grog, aka Lil’ Friskies kitten chow mixed with kitty formula. Left to right Heroes: Arya, Dany, Bran, Sansa, Jaime, and Jon Snow.

For two weeks we wiped messy faces and butts, picked off legions of fleas from squirmy little bodies (that’s Jaime on hubby Don’s lap, getting de-bugged), until they were flea-free and fairly neat when they snarfed their food.

Suddenly there were six purr-vibrating little bodies crawling all over, digging needle-sharp, minuscule claws into everything. And sometimes drawing blood. It became clear that padded protection–aka a thick towel–was needed whenever the stinkers came near.

Below, Top to bottom: Jaime, Arya, Dany (left) and Bran (right), Sansa, and Jon Snow attacking Char’s enemy sneaker.

Thus began the Summer of Where the Wild Things Shred Winterfell (aka the laundry room).

Summer and Sand: It’s a Texas Thing

The heat of Texas is upon the Chaffin homestead! Temps in the high nineties. Humidity, not to be outdone, nearly at ninety percent as well. It’s like living in a hot, wet blanket. It might be better at the beach.

Current Water temp: a cool eighty-four degrees. Um, so, that’s a big NOPE. Guess this half of CiCi is staying inside with a Dr. Pepper and her laptop. 🙂

Hello, dear readers!

We’re absolutely thrilled to share some exciting news with you. An upcoming photoshoot is in the works for a brand-new cover of Cheryl’s novel, “Between Midnight and Dawn.” This romantic suspense thriller is not just getting a narrative makeover, but also a stunning new look!

A book’s cover serves as the reader’s first glimpse into the story. Keeping this in mind, Cheryl is committed to designing a cover that perfectly encapsulates the mystery, romance, and thrill that “Between Midnight and Dawn” offers.

And to make it even more fun – Cheryl is inviting you to join her on this creative journey! She’s offering an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the process. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?

Be sure to drop by next month for a sneak peek at the photos from the photoshoot. We’re eager to bring you along on this artistic adventure.

So, don’t forget to mark your calendars and stay tuned!

Recipe!

Apple Pandowdy

Pandowdy has been around for many generations. It’s a delicious dessert that’s part pie, part cobbler, and wholly yummy.

CiCi’s favorite pandowdy uses apples and spices to create the perfect warm, serve-with-ice cream-dessert!

Apple Pandowdy

8 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup butter, cut into bits

Topping

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 9″ x 9″ pan.

 Divide the pie crust dough into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other.  Roll out the larger piece to fit into bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

To make the filling: Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4″ slices, and toss them with sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon the apples into the crust.

To make the topping: Mix water and maple syrup, and pour over the apples. Dot with butter. Roll out the second piece of dough and fit it over the apple mixture. Seal it to the bottom crust.

To top the dowdy: Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar for a golden, crunchy crust.

Bake the dowdy on the lowest oven rack for 45 minutes, then decrease the heat to 325° and continue to bake until the crust is well browned.

 Remove the dowdy from the oven and cool it on a rack for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, take a knife and slash, in a random pattern, all the way through the dowdy.

 With a fork and spoon, gently lift pieces of crust from the bottom, and submerge pieces of the top crust; in effect, you’re just really messing this whole thing up. Don’t get carried away; crust pieces should remain in fairly large (2″ square) chunks.

Let the dish cool to warm before serving. Enjoy with a side scoop of ice cream!