Charlie

Charlie
Originally uploaded by jannza

Charlie worked on the shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico. He doesn't talk much about those days of shrimp, hurricanes, crabs and catfish but I'll tell you a bit of his story.

You can understand why Charlie would pick the seafood industry. He's partial to a good meal. (So am I.....we have that in common.)

He'd always looked into the night sky with wanderlust. Charlie wanted the thrill of the water and waves. He wanted to feel the rocking of the boat and to hear the gulf waters lapping against the seaworthy vessel. He dreamed of catching the wayward mouse as it scurred across the deck. Charlie wanted the "big catch."

He spent his days watching the tide coming in and going out. His eyes followed the seagulls flying overhead. Were they taunting him?

Charlie's day came. He boarded the ship and his adventures began.

I've given away too much already. I'll resist the temptation to go on. The only other thing I'll tell you is this:

Charlie got the "big catch," only differently than he'd expected.

Be watching for: Charlie's Big Catch.

Homeschooling in Autumn

Homeschooling in Autumn
Originally uploaded by jannza

Peaceful, serene, autumn.....

A word of comfort

Flowers to remember

A candle for peace

Colored pencils to inspire

A table-runner from a delightfully creative day

and

A rock from the new homestead to remind me of the south

Turn the Page....Tuesday (September)

My middle son and I tend to recommend books to one another. We enjoy some of the same authors and I'm always eager to read more of what he finds interesting. There's something to be said about sharing the love of reading with your children and the joy that comes from being able to discuss a book and the way it makes you feel. (This book is not a childrens book. This particular child is on the high end of the teen years.) Books....stories....are so full of impact and power.

Jerry B. Jenkins has written many books and I have read several, all of which I enjoyed. This particular book was a special one to him. The author hopes that you're left pondering the story and it's characters. I'm finding that to be so for me.

I'll tell you straight up that it has a spiritual base. It that offends you, you may not enjoy this book. If, however, you are intrigued by the workings of mankind and our relationship to God, this may be just the ticket.

Riven follows the life of a wayward teen who makes repeated mistakes in his life. I found myself almost cringing at his choices. They were understandably the choices of a person not in control of their temper. Page by page I could see the consequences adding up and painfully so.

I wouldn't be honest if I lead you to believe that bad choices were out of my realm either. I've certainly made my share. Thankfully they weren't as far-reaching as his but before I get lost in patting myself on the back.....let's be clear, they were bad choices in and of themselves and the sting of Wrong still burns.....like it or not.

Brady, the struggling teen, did face difficult obstacles. We all face those, right? Brady even wanted to set things aright in his life and made some efforts to do so but was easily led astray by situations he believed would fill voids that had existed in his life for as long as he could remember. Has that happened to you before too? Something comes along and you know that there is a better solution but this one seems handy and quickly available and viola, you've readjusted your plan. It's only later when you realize your folly.

I can't (or won't) give away the remainder of Brady's story. Anger acted upon is not pretty and this story only convinces me further. He does make a decision to change the trajectory of his life. Will it be too late?

Several other characters are noteworthy. I found myself following them closely as they interacted or "rippled on one another" as I choose to say. We do ripple on one another, knowingly or not. That is, after all, where the very name of my blog comes from. I consider my life to be one little ripple on the lives of those around me. It's sometimes strange to watch the affects of one life touching another and in a compelling story such as this, it is profound.

My son and I will continue to share the stories we enjoy and we will continue to ripple on others, hopefully in a positive manner. Consider reading this book for a glimmer of true hope even in light of seemingly dismal circumstances. Consider rippling on someone. Be a blessing....an encouragement. Life is hard and we all have a story!

Thank you again to Adrienne for a thought-provoking month of reading! My next month's selection is made and is completely different from any I've done so far. Best to keep you guessing....

Turn the Page....Tuesday (August 2009)

When Adrienne suggested we read a classic this month, many choices came to mind. I decided on: I, Juan de Pareja simply because I've read it at least three times and I will do so at least once again.

Since we are homeschoolers, there are several books which I choose to read to the children aloud. This is one of them. Since the kids are at different levels, I have read it to them separately and there is still one daughter waiting her turn. (Many of you are thinking I'm crazy at this point but I actually enjoy reading it to them on an individual basis. We always have great discussions.)

I love history and this book focuses on the time period of slavery in Spain during the seventeenth century. Juan de Pareja is a slave working for a famous painter, Velazquez. He is loyal and faithful to the family for many years and begins to learn a love of painting. He believes he has talent and wants to be a painter himself but slaves are forbidden to paint.

The chapters follow this great family through many turbulent (and a few exciting) years and we are able to watch the friendship between master and slave develop. I am always taken by the closeness and confiding relationship of the two main characters. This story offers talent, romance, bravery, loyalty, sadness and loss, and years of devotion.

I, Juan de Pareja is a very touching story. It continues to stay with me over the years and already I am looking forward to reading it again. Although the story is just a story, it is based on the few known facts of these two real men. I hope you will read it and not shy away since I've mentioned it as somewhat of a children's book. It was written in 1965 and received a Newberry Medal award. If you do happen to get around to reading it, let me know what you think. It's one of my all-time favorites.

**On a side note: I missed posting my Turn the Page Tuesday last month as I was out gallivanting in the south trying to warm up my cold body from last winter in northern Illinois. I hate to promise something and then not fulfill it so the post intended for last month is directly below. I hope you'll take the time to read it as I enjoyed the book and thought myself very clever for combining the book subject with the object taking all of my free time that month. I often get a bit proud of myself and then quickly fall flat on my face. Last month was no exception. God likes to keep me humble.

Turn the Page Tuesday (July 2009)

During the month of July, I began a wonderful sewing project. (IF you enjoy sewing, I strongly recommend that you NOT go to that link. You'll get sucked in and I can't be held responsible. The sew-along is complete, however, you could follow along on your own and still create a masterpiece. That wasn't me encouraging you...or anything.)

Sewing is like therapy for me (and many others, I'm told) and though I'm not in any particular need at the moment for some good "therapy", I always relish the time of creativity. I am an avid quilter and have quilted for many years.....enough so that I should probably have more in my personal quilt collection to account for so many years......

At any rate, I decided to read a quilt mystery as I was working on my first-ever quilt-a-long with a wonderful group of people lead by an amazing woman fully-equipped with great sewing skills. So, throughout the month, I read and sewed. Read this fun book: The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini and sewed on this lovely quilt top.

I was able to meet Jennifer Chiaverini many years ago at the Sinnissippi Quilt Guild in Rockford, Illinois where I attended meetings once a month. It was great to see a woman who appreciated quilts begin to make it in the world of writing. At that point, I believe she had written only one book. She now has quite a few.

This book was interesting as the chapters broke down by character. Each chapter focused on the life on one of the individuals and revealed their background and current dilemma. Since the women were such varying ages and in some cases related to one another, their stories were quite interesting. And as naturally occurs in life, they were at many different stages of living.

I believe I rather found it to be a comfortable book to read. It was good to see the human nature of people and how they struggle through the processes of life. It was enjoyable to imagine a quilt retreat somewhere run by women who love their roles in the art and want to encourage others to try their hand at being so very creative. The description of the mansion and grounds left me wishing for a chance to visit or work there.

Speaking of working there.....I have worked in quilt shops. (Now I'm off on a tangent but seeing how this is MY blog : ) My mother and I first opened a quilt shop in Gretna, Louisiana, just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. That shop was opened in 1980, when people were just thinking about quilting as a hobby and avenue for art. Everything was still quite traditional and machine work was strictly piecing. I later moved to Colorado where I had a chance to work with Harriet Hargrave for several years. She was taking quilt-making to a new level with machine-quilting. Those were all fun years. Now I'm on my own, sewing on the same sewing table I bought in the late 70s and sewing on the same (amazing!) machine (Bernina 830) that I bought back then too. I can't count the number of hours of sheer bliss I have had on this machine and now I am teaching my youngest daughter to sew. We'll have our snowball quilt finished as soon as the binding is on.

It was easy for me to get carried away in my quilting happiness since the summer offers me more opportunity for sewing than the school year.

Look through Jennifer's current collection of books if you're interested in mysteries and quilting. The book and the sewing were great therapy and much cheaper than the pill/office-visit version with a great pay-off at the end.....something wonderful to stay warm and cuddle under especially if you have a good read in hand!

A Day of Quilts

Our little town recently had a festival complete with quilts. Several of the quilts were auctioned and some were used in a bed-turning. The theme for the bed-turning was: Red and White.

How to Decorate for a High School Graduation Party..........on a Major Budget

I decided to get creative this year for my son's high school graduation party. No pre-designed, pre-made stuff for us! We were going to forge new trails and come up with our own party decorations.

It seemed to me that decorating with typical kid quotes would be the most fun. Disclaimer: my son did not say ALL of these things.....though he probably thought most of them, if not all. (Sorry, Big Boy) Come to think of it, I have five kids. Put together, they've probably said them all.Correct me if I'm wrong.....but did I see you wince as you remembered saying some of these yourself?

Oh, good, I didn't think so. YOU would never say that!