When I was in elementary school, all the 4th-6th graders took part in a musical extravaganza called The Legend Train, where different narrators would ride around on this wooden train, pulled by the…
Source: Don’t Be Afraid to Be Embarrassed by Jo Whittemore
Use your embarrassing moments as humor in your writing. Great post!
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Comments from the peanut gallery… |
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
I work at home.
I’m sure some people think I just goof off, sip coffee, play in the backyard, eat bon bons, and read great books.
It’s true. I do those things. Occasionally. Or maybe even almost daily.
But I also work. At home.
Last week, my grands and great-niece and their adult caregivers (mom and Nama) hit the road to visit Owen Beach at Pt. Defiance Park near Tacoma, Washington. As the road trip one-way was about 3 hours, there was plenty of time to talk. This conversation came from the way-back seat of our van.
Nama: Audrey, are you talking to grandma (via Face-Time)?
Audrey: Yes.
Nama: Is she at work?
Audrey: No, she doesn’t work. She just goes in her office.
Hayden: (Looking incredulously at Audrey) Nana does that! She works in her office. (Now looking at me) Nana, you write books in your office!
Long-distance-front-seat-to-backseat high five!
Yes! He gets it. I am working in my office. I do have a job. I don’t make much money right now, giving credence to the term “poor starving author,” but I am working.
This writer felt very pleased and encouraged by the voice and total belief in the voice of a 7 year-old boy. He believes in me.
Who encourages and believes in you and your life’s work?
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Lily from my garden fireworks of flora speckled bursts of joy fireworks cool to my touch enchanting lily by Angie Quantrell |
Reblogged on WordPress.com
Source: A child is…
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The top cover of my decorated tin |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
I joined a group of ladies to make these pretty prayer boxes last weekend.
I recently attended the Columbia Basin Baptist Association’s Annual Women and Teenage Girls’ Retreat at Camp Touchet, just outside of Dayton, Washington. What a beautiful, if somewhat remote and out of cell coverage zone, location!
Much fun was had Friday night when our craft lady and photographer shared her idea and supplies with us. We made these fun prayer boxes!
Of course, the boxes could be used for anything, but we were at a retreat that featured prayer, so our boxes were prayer themed.
So make use of those empty Altoid or Ice Chip metal tins and create to your hearts’ content.
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The top and bottom of my tin |
Decorated Metal Tins
Materials:
empty metal tins
spray paint
decorated scrap paper
scissors
pencils
thin-tipped permanent markers
craft glue
washi tape
buttons, ribbon, stickers, gems, glitter glue, and assorted embellishments
1. In advance, spray paint the outside of the tin, including top, bottom, and sides. Let dry.
2. Trace the tin bottom on decorated scrap paper. Cut it out and trim to fit. You can use this as a template for the bottom, top, and inside top of the tin. Glue in place with craft glue.
3. I loved the look of the washi tape, so I edged the top and bottom with washi. It doesn’t stick very well around the corners by itself, so I need to glue down the corners.
4. Add buttons, butterflies, stickers, or any embellishments you want. Make a decorated label for the lid to tell what the tin is for. Glue to top.
5. I also decorated the inside of the lid. You can see the little poem that we included in our lids.
6. I left the bottom empty, but added small pieces of paper for notes and a short pencil (our craft person found them on Amazon – just search for mini mechanical pencils).
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The inside poem, note paper, and pencil |
Et voila! You are ready to take notes, write down thoughts, pen tiny masterpieces, or scribe prayers.
How are you going to use this craft idea? I think it would be great for a camp project!
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Great flyers from WMU and my friends in the Preschool Resources Department |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Ask (for help) and it will be given.
This weekend I will be presenting two breakout sessions about writing at a retreat. I’m very excited to attend and enjoy the retreat, as the past couple of years my schedule has not allowed me to go.
Besides sharing with women, I was invited to bring my books. Isn’t that nice? Of course I’d love to bring my books.
The problem was that I didn’t have any up-to-date flyers or informational handouts.
What does Angie do? She contacts the professionals (and her good friends) at Woman’s Missionary Union.
I asked and boy, did I receive.
We back-and-forthed messages for quite a few days. And because there was a tiny break in their schedule of deadlines, my friends were able to put together several lovely pieces for me to use.
The flyers and posters look so lovely and colorful, I just had to share . . . though it is odd and a bit disconcerting to see so many me-faces staring back!
Thank you, Clay, Teri, Robin, and Joye! You ROCK! You also made me look good. We can never underestimate the value in that now, can we?
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Word sources |
By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Words.
Words are amazing.
The entire process of how we learn to speak and use words in intelligent conversation awes me. And the fact that we learn to write and read and utilize words is fantastic.
What can words do?
They can be used to:
~ encourage
~ affirm
~ express emotion
~ praise
~ tear down
~ build up
~ destroy
~ curse
~ forgive
~ add fuel to or put out the fire
~ share dreams
~ explain
~ teach
~ condemn
~ inform
~ question
~ make choices
~ create
~ stand firm
~ call for help
~ offer assistance
~ distribute faith, hope, and love
Words can be our best friend or our worst enemy. We can use them with kind regards towards others in our society.
Or we can abuse and pirate our words to wound, pillage, and plunder the hearts and lives of those around us.
How do you use your words?
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. ~ Psalm 19:14 ESV
Read 99 more verses about the power of words here.
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A perfect book to foster empathy for those new to our country |
by Angie Quantrell Quantrell Quips
My Two Blankets
By Irena Kobald
Illustrated by Freya Blackwood
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)
She used to be called Cartwheel. And then there was a war.
My Two Blankets is the story of a girl who moved to a new country where everything was new, different, and confusing. She loved her old blanket of the sounds and words she grew up with. It was warm and made her feel safe.
In her new country, the girl had nothing. Then she met a friend at a park. The girl befriended her and slowly gave her new words to learn and new experiences. As the girl learned to speak a new language, she realized she was creating a new blanket of sounds and words. By the end of the story, she was comfortable with both blankets.
My Two Blankets is a wonderful picture book. Readers who are new to this country or readers who want to learn how it feels to live in a completely different home with a strange language will find this book insightful and refreshing.
KID KANDY:
Do a Cartwheel and Listen to a New Language
1. The girl in this story was called Cartwheel by her auntie because she loved to do cartwheels. Do you have a nickname?
Go out on the grass or playground and do cartwheels. If you don’t know how, ask a friend to teach you.
2. To see how the girl felt when she first moved to a new country, listen to a different language. You could:
– listen to a radio station
– check out a book in a different language from the library (look for books that have listening CDs)
– watch a television show featuring actors speaking a different language
– ask an adult to help you find an online video of someone speaking or singing a different language
How did you feel when you couldn’t understand the words?
What would you do if you had to move to a place where no one spoke your language?
Can you think of a friend at school or in your neighborhood that speaks a language different from yours? Maybe he or she needs a friend!
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Beautiful yet encroaching and taking over a flower bed |
By Angie Quantrell Angie Quantrell
Encroaching.
honeysuckle
crab grass
pink flowers
vines
raspberries
strawberries
parsley
pumpkins
sunflowers
evergreen tree
birch branches
moss
slugs
sow bugs
daddy long legs
yellow jackets
aphids
white grass bugs
ants
gossip
television
news
media
politics
pollution
violence
wars
famine
drought
Encroaching.
In my yard. In my community. In my world.
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Aggressively encroaching vines grasping for toe holds |
It starts small, but once you start looking, it’s everywhere at every level.
Encroaching.
What is encroaching in your life?
Yet. There is always hope. Big or small encroachments, He is here.
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Raspberries escaping and encroaching throughout yard |
But you are a shield around me, O LORD;
you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
To the LORD I cry aloud,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the LORD sustains me.
Psalm 3:3-5 NIV
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Four Feet Two Sandals is the perfect book to read when learning about new families moving to our country |
Four Feet, Two Sandals
By Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
Illustrated by Dough Chayka
(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007)
Lina and Feroza met at a refugee camp after traveling to escape war torn countries.
One day, while gathering clothing from a relief truck, two girls secure one sandal from the same pair. Eventually the girls decide to take turns wearing both sandals and they become good friends.
Everyone at the camp is waiting for a new home. Life goes on as they wait. Finally, the day came when Lina’s family reads their names on the list of those who get to travel to America.
What to do with the sandals? The friends figure it out in time to say good-bye.
Four Feet, Two Sandals is a story about current events. This picture book tackles a difficult subject in a realisic yet simple way. Almost everyone has heard about refugees, wars, and relief work. Read this book to help children discuss the challenges and transitions that some families face.
KID KANDY:
Donate Outgrown Clothing
Many families in America, both newly arrived and those who have lived here for a long time, need help. You can help by giving clothes to agencies that help families.
1. Ask mom or dad to help you go through your clothes. Put everything that doesn’t fit anymore in a box or bag. Shoes, coats, pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, and other items are all needed.
2. Help mom or dad find a nearby organization that collects clothes for families in need.
3. If you can, go with your parent to deliver the clothes. If you can’t go, I’m sure they will tell you how the clothes will help other boys and girls.
Way to go! You just helped families that need our help.
I always have a bag or box ready to go. As I find clothes I can’t wear anymore, I place them in the bag. When the bag is full, I donate it to a place that helps others.
I’d love to hear where you gave your outgrown clothes!
Love, Laughter, and Life 