There is nothing that gets me quite so excited than the first time I get Delicata squash in the CSA. Delicata squash is the sign that this is it—summer, move over, there are knee high boots and scarfs to dig out of the basement. Fall has always been my favorite season. I believe my AOL profile in middle […]
Source: Roasted Delicata Squash with Parmesan and Walnuts
Anytime you say delicata squash, I’m hooked!
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
The Right Word – Roget and His Thesaurus
By Jen Bryant
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014)
Fantastic illustrations reminiscent of vintage nature journals fill the pages of this wonderful book.
Meet Roget and discover his love of list making. After losing his father at a young age, Roget began his lists with his father’s death. Moving often did not allow Roget to make and keep friends, but books made great friends and he didn’t have to leave them behind. Making lists kept Roget’s world in order. Organized word lists helped those searching for just the right word.
The Right Word – Roget and His Thesaurus is the perfect book to engage young readers in the study of words.
KID KANDY:
Make a List
1. Grab a notebook or pad of paper.
2. Think of a theme for your list of words. Some ideas are animals, food, places, sports, school, or toys.
3. Make a list of all things that relate to your theme. You can include how they sound, look, smell, taste, or feel. Think of words that mean the same thing as words you list.
4. Stuck? Ask for help looking up your word in a thesaurus. You will find word lists that could have possibly originated back when Roget was making his lists. How cool is that?
I love making lists. It helps me organize my to-do’s and helps me remember what needs attention. Making grocery lists seems to take up most of my time. Maybe you can help your parents make their shopping list!
P.S. This is the perfect way to add chocolate or ice cream to the grocery list.
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
SO many events and changes going on in our lives right now, I’m having a difficult time choosing what to share. Let me just be honest and tell you that I’ve been avoiding posting just because of the vast plethora of options.
There. Got that off my chest.
It may take me months to fill you in. Or just a day. Let’s see, shall we?
Life in Quantrell Land has been tornado-like in the sense that every day has been consumed with a whirlwind of activities, decisions, stressors, excitement, responsibilities, and cat fur. Truly. At times, we just had to grab something – anything – and hang on!
But it’s ALL good.
Because now, we are living in the RV full-time with 2 insane cats. Which if you want some more truth, makes us the insane ones. 2 shedding, clawing, racing, sneaking, messy, loving, snuggly kitties. In. A. Small. RV.
This classifies as an adventure for sure. I kid you not.
When folks used to show up late for church spouting, “The cows (dog, birds, chickens, pigs, horse) got out and we had to chase them down,” I would nod in agreement. But now I REALLY understand the stress and anxiety produced by such an event!
MONET, the sneak, wants out. Not just a little want, but an all-consuming desire of wanting out. Of the RV. The problem is Tiger, who is resident cat on the property. Tiger is very territorial and has been seen chasing off and beating up other cats. She’s a sweetheart to adult people, but not other cats. So we don’t want the girls out unless we can protect them from each other.
MONET, who cares she thinks. I want out. So she watches the door and our feet and if the door is open, ZIP, there she goes. Oh, the anxiety and interesting language on our part! She is having a great time, but we are watching for the arrival of Tiger and trying to lure the naughty girl back in…
Last Sunday, to connect you to what I was sharing, she did it again. Kevin was being nice to the moth and trying to get it out (before MONET, the best moth-catcher west of the Mississippi, ate it). MONET saw the open door – a mere 3-4 inches – and zip, she was out.
Church day. Big luncheon to prepare. Stuff to take (we still forgot the meat and cheese). A wonderful guest speaker to hear. Responbililty to get there first to unlock the building. And we had a loose cat.
I understand, all of you chasing-of-escapees people! Arrrggghhhh!
We won. This time. Even made it on time (except the meat and cheese, which had to arrive with our son).
So goes our tornado lifestyle. Adventures around every corner and open RV door.
By the way, RV doors are difficult even when not dodging the cat. Narrow, steep, metal shaking steps. I cringe just waiting for one of us to biff the landing and go sprawling face down in the gravel.
But for now, we are good. It’s ALL good.
Because He is good.
I’ve found a fantastic publishing contest for anyone who has ever dreamt of writing a children’s book. Southwest Human Development, a lovely nonprofit based in Arizona that focuses on e…
Source: Publishing Contest: First Edition Children’s Book Contest, $1000 Advance and Publication
Hey, writers for children! Here is a great opportunity!
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Happy to see this new article, Into the World, in Missions Mosaic. |
It has been a whirlwind summer!
Selling our home, moving into an RV, fixing the RV set-up, sorting belongings, giving away stuff, acclimatizing the kitties to living in said RV, learning how to cook in an RV, . . .
The list is much longer, but just that much lets you know why I have been lost in cyberspace.
On to fall. The dust is settling, and in just a few more days, we will have only 1 home to care for.
Writing is back on the menu, boys! (Can you name that movie reference? Comment below!)
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Into the World |
Here is something I’m happy to see, rewards from past labors. I love this magazine, Missions Mosaic, and am honored to write for Woman’s Missionary Union in several different areas.
You might want to check them out here.
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Missions Mosaic |
Happy reading!
Back to the chaos.
by Colleen Rowan Kosinski Not long ago I had the book launch for my debut picture book, LILLA’S SUNFLOWERS. It was an exciting, invigorating, and tiring day. Now I am deep into the marketing …
Source: LILLA’S SUNFLOWERS Plants a Seed of Hope for Military Families (plus a giveaway!)
This book sounds wonderful! I love the cover image!
Source: The Most Astonishingly Unconventional Children’s Books of 2016
This is an interesting list! I’ve only read one of these titles and it was truly unconventional yet wonderful.
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Freshly painted, with assistance from my kitchen drawer. |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
I just finished repainting our shoe shelf with a fresh coat of clean paint. Now it’s ready for storing shoes at the RV. Welcome to our shoe-free zone. Come on in, but plant the shoes right here!
We’ve used the shoe rack for years and it’s been very handy to keep most of the shoes off the ground. But it was ugly. Add paint.
The problem was the paint. Color (secluded garden) was lovely, but as it hadn’t been used in years since the Blue Door Table was painted, the ingredients had separated.
So there I stood, mixing with one of those silly wooden sticks they give you at the hardware store. I think it would have taken hours. It would’ve been faster to drive to Lowe’s and ask them to remix it for me – at least a 45 minute round trip.
Hmmm, how could I assist and speed-up this remixing process?
Aha! I needed to sacrifice a kitchen whisk. That should work.
Oh boy! Work it did! I LOVE my new discovery of the most excellent painting tool. I whisked that paint right back into shape. Perfect!
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My new favorite painting tool – a whisk! |
Maybe you’ve already had this idea, but for me, it was original. Guess I should check out the rest of the kitchen section before I take on any more painting projects.
What’s your favorite painting tool?
Posted on July 1, 2016 by jlfatgcs Chapter reading is one of our treasured moments of the day at school. I know this, and so does Jackson. Books bring to life the imagination, the world, and the …
Source: Project BMG -The Boy Who Cried Tears of the Heart
This blog post perfectly illustrates the importance of reading aloud to children – even chapter books! Thank you for sharing with us!
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This is the perfect book for back-to-school! |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
School’s First Day of School
By Adam Rex
Pictures by Christian Robinson
(Roaring Brook Press, 2016)
School was new.
He was so new that he didn’t realize children would soon come pouring through his doors. Gasp! Janitor was his confidant and friend and tried to tell him things would be great.
But School was anxious.
And the children came to school. Some were bored (that hurt School’s feelings), some cried and were afraid to stay at school (School was that bad?), and School even had an accidental fire drill the first day!
Would School enjoy being School?
I LOVED this story! Who would have thought about first-day-of-school-new-building story from the viewpoint of the school!
Funny, imaginative, and realistic. School’s First Day of School will lighten the hearts of all readers.
KID KANDY:
Draw a Picture of Your School
Materials: paper, pencils, markers, crayons
1. Use the pencil to outline your school. Maybe you go to a huge elementary school, a small private school, or homeschool. Whichever type of school you attend, draw a picture of it.
2. Decorate your school. Maybe you could name your school, or print the name it already has on the top of the building.
3. Share your picture.
How do you think School felt before the first day? How did the boys and girls feel about going back to school? How do YOU feel about going to school?
I love school! Now that I am a writer and I work from home, I don’t get to enjoy the first day of school as a teacher. I miss school! But I hope to visit again soon and read books with my favorite people – the students.
