Just 3 Things | #41

I'm trying to get back on track for a Friday post of J3T this week. When I started writing this sort of post, I was adapting an idea by Marian Parsons of Miss Mustard Seed fame. I knew that I had a hodge podge of ideas from time to time that I could just throw together as a post, none of which were really important enough to garner their own individual post but just ideas I wanted to capture. I liked Marian's categories and figured I could adapt to make them work for me if I kept it to a good old 1,2,3 format. Some weeks it is easy and some weeks I have to think about it. But, by and large, three things seems to work for me.

- What I've Been Working On-

This week I was a bit tired from galivanting round to watch the grandchildren exhibit their sheep and weathering through the unbelievably hot temperatures during the Tennessee State Fair. So, I didn't tackle a big project. I'd had a little bit of a hiccup last week when my sewing machine was bunching up the thread making a huge mess of a project that I was working on. So, I knew I was going to have to do some troubleshooting. I'd spent some time reading up to find out what might be causing the problem and I'd watched a few short tutorials and figured out that I might need to look for some sort of dust gathering in the machine and change out the needle again. I learned that some people change to a new needle with every single new project. I don't really believe that is necessary but maybe I could be wrong. I feel like I am alright to make three or four little zip pouches before changing out the needle. I did think it was time for a new needle and changed that out. 

Following the instructions from another source, I decided to really examine my machine and look for where dust might have gathered. I noticed a teeny tiny little bit of lint in my bobbin case.  I took a cotton swab with some machine oil on it and gathered up a teeny tiny little ball of lint that was about the size of a small piece of broken pencil lead. I had a hard time even finding that and had my reading glasses on as I was peering into the innards of my machine. That must have been the problem because I had no issues with the first item I stitched. I guess the mechanics that allows for clean, precise stitching also causes it to mis-stitch at times. I don't like having to troubleshoot but I do like the work the machine does. So, I'm trying not to get frustrated when each attempt I make doesn't turn out perfectly. In addition to completing and sending off some bag tags for one of the granddaughters, I worked on making some other gifts for holiday giving.

Embroidery for a Fall Wreath Sash

This week I have stitched up several gifts. I'm making wreath sashes for some of my relatives. I think the gals will appreciate them and it will be a different sort of gift than what they might get from anybody else. I tried out some new purchases - a new font, a new generic leaves and bow, a new turkey. I started with the closest match I could get to the colors described by the creator on the turkey. Then, I tweaked him a little bit. I didn't really like the green colors used in the fan and wings of the bird. So, I changed it up a little bit when I changed fabrics for the next gift. Then, I'll change it just a bit more for the next time. I don't think I will be making loads of things with this turkey, though because it takes quite a while to stitch out and uses lots of color changes. He does stitch out beautifully, though, in any color!

More Embroidery for a Fall Wreath Sash

One thing is for certain, I really like the new font I tried. It was part of a combination that I purchased from Blue Willow Embroidery. My next attempt at a wreath sash is definitely going to include the pumpkin that the font came alongside. I can see it looking pretty in several different colors as well. I look forward to having it on a wreath sash but I think it would be pretty on napkins, placemats, and more. 

In addition to the fall themed wreath sashes, I did a few with summer patriotic themes. I think a reversible wreath sash with a summer concept on one side and a fall or winter one would be a gift I'd really feel good about getting and that is the sort of gift I like to give.

- What I've Been Loving -

Thursday morning of this week we awoke to a thunderstorm. It was rattling the windows and we even had a lightning strike somewhere near enough to us to knock the power out briefly. In addition to the thunder rolling through and the downpour of rain, we also had some marble-sized hail bouncing around on the roof and the porch. It was quite the alarm clock. 

The best thing about the rain moving through - well, besides the fact that we got some moisture that was much-needed - is that the temperature cooled off. That meant it was not sweltering and for the second time this month the Mister has put chicken on the smoker to prepare us a delicious meal. 

Oh, we don't eat the entire chicken in a meal. We have leftovers and that is the best part. One day we have the chicken fresh off the grill and I add a few vegetables to the mix and it is a wonderful meat and three sort of meal. Then, the Mister will debone the chicken and we've enjoyed pulled chicken bar-b-que sandwiches. I've made a little batch of chicken salad. We've eaten some of the cut up chicken on a salad. It really is fabulous. I love that it is delicious, clean eating but I also love the fact that we have a good ingredient for another meal or two and that means less thinking and effort on my part. Win! Win! So, does that mean that this 'loving' section is sharing that I'm loving the Mister or that I'm loving the smoked chicken? Both! For sure!

- What I've Been Reading -

As I mentioned in my post about writing letters yesterday, I'm currently reading The Letter by Kathryn Hughes. I love the concept of this idea. A letter was written in one era but didn't get to the intended recipient. Instead it was opened and read by another person during a later era. I like that we get information about why and how and when the letter was originally written. I like that somebody else winds up reading the letter and it impacts their life. I guess I just like to think about how a letter really does make an impact even when it reaches the intended recipient. 

In the classroom, I often had students write letters as part of an assignment. Sometimes I would have them write to a character in a book or to the author. At other times I would have them write a letter to another student sharing information about a book they were reading. We would write letters at the beginning of the year where they were telling me things I needed to know about themselves so that I could be a better teacher for them. We would write letters to our future selves as a way to think about the future and make goals and plans for later in the year or for the next year. We would write letters later in the year to future students telling them what to expect in the class and I would share those letters at the beginning of the following year to new students. 

I guess I just like the idea of capturing ideas and thoughts and expressions and revisiting them and a letter is really a good way to do that. I'm enjoying this book and by reading it and some of the other things that relate to letter writing that I've stumbled across this week, I am inspired to write more letters!

___

Summer is hanging on around here and we are not rushing it away. We wouldn't mind if the temperatures stay out of the ninety degree realm though. I guess that when it gets that hot, I'll just have to stay inside and do a bit of letter writing. What about you?

Today I noticed...Letter writing really is a thing.

I just started a new book. The title is The Letter and it is written by Katheryn Hughes. The letter is written in one era and the reader is in another. The book is telling the story of how the letter came to be and the impact it had on the people involved. I'm just about a third of the way into it but I'm already engaged and looking forward to getting to know more about these characters. I'm sharing this because I kind of thought letter writing was pretty much a thing of the past.

When I was a young girl, letter writing really was a popular means of communication. We wrote letters to relatives who lived in another state, for example. I remember corresponding with my Great Aunt Mae, who lived in Mobile, Alabama. She would send us a package and we would write a thank you note. She would write us a letter and we would write her back. Now, I realize that was a way for my mother to keep us writing and practicing what we learned in school. It was a way for her to keep us occupied and not making messes or fussing with one another. It was a way of showing respect to her aunt, who lived alone and far away. Plus, it gave us something to look forward to - our own mail arriving in the mailbox. 

I continued my letter writing habits up until both of my children were involved in dance lessons, baseball practices, student council, and other school activities that required me to be a taxi. The busy days and quick communication by phone seemed to replace letter writing. 

Then, a few weeks ago I learned about Postcrossing. The school teacher in me comes to the surface and I think of loads of ways for students to write a short message and send a postcard. If I was in the classroom these days, I'd probably have students do that as a warm up activity or use the exercise as a quick way to fill that last few minutes of class if a lesson wrapped up early. (Does that even happen? I always ran out of time to do the things I'd planned in class!) It would be a low stakes way for students to practice their writing skills and they would have an authentic audience for their work.

Then, just this week I was reading through ideas shared through a list I'm on related to The New York Times. It is called The Good List. It is just a collection of good things that are happening in the world. Who doesn't need to know about some of the good things around us? There is a short list of "six good things to add some joy to your day." Anyway, I learned about an online game that is sort of fun and addictive to play each week - Clues by Sam. I completed all of the Clues by Sam games for this week and it really challenged my thinking skills! I highly recommend giving it a try. The puzzles get harder as the week goes by. I found I had to rely on the hints - a lot. 

There was an interesting link to an article and information about Baseball Walk-up Songs. We think about that sort of thing already since we have had several ball players in our family. (Don't mention walk-up songs to my son, Bryan, though. He dislikes anything that might be distracting to his players.) There was also an interesting link to an essay about a couple's third thing. It really set me to thinking about what the third thing is for the Mister and me. It also made me pause and wonder what might be the third thing for other couples we know. Plus, it made me want to ask my grandchildren what the third thing might be for them as they navigate dating. Curious minds want to know.

At any rate, I really enjoyed reading the offerings of this week's Good List and each item on the list certainly made me pause and ponder - as usual. Added as a sort of afterthought to the list this week was a mention of someone from New Orleans who found a new calling. Boy, did I find her new calling inspirational. It makes me want to write letters again. I went down the rabbit hole of this site: The World Needs More Love Letters. It might not be the type of love letter that you first think of, though. I tend to agree that it inspired me to write more letters. I will give a try to writing letters to those who I love as well as those who might need a little more love in their lives. First to come forward in my mind is my hairdresser who shared a bit of personal information that really tugged at my heartstrings and made me keep her in my thoughts for days after my hairdo appointment. I'd also like to make sure my grandchildren get a bit of mail from time to time and I will probably stray from the prescribed hand-written and snail mail letter and send some positive text messages and emails to them, too. 

I know I'm a writer at heart but I would be remiss if I didn't encourage others to be writers as well. A letter is an easy way to do that. Why not write a letter to somebody this week just so that they can feel a little extra love? Letter writing really is a thing and I think it is a good thing.

Today I noticed...I hit a milestone.

When I sat at the computer this morning, I noticed that I had posted over 1400 times on this blog. I hit that 1400 milestone on Friday of last week. When I first started writing and posting to this online space, I intended for it to be a way to share what goes on in my life and share with my family. I'm not sure if any of them really read it anymore but it has turned into sort of a journal that chronicles my life and thoughts. 

When I started writing it, I had just turned down a book deal offered by Heinemann Publishing. They approached me at an educators conference and asked me if I would be interested in writing a book. At the time, I thought they were asking me and the gals who had collaborated with me to put on the workshop I led at the conference. Later, as I talked to her, the rep told me that the company was just interested in me sharing my voice as an educator. 

I worked and wrote and started all over a couple of times. Then, I decided that I really didn't feel like I had anything to share that other educators had not already shared. So, I contacted the rep and told her that. She was quick to let me know that there was nobody who had the same voice and exact same ideas as mine but she understood that my priority was in my classroom. 

I have never regretted that decision. I could always share the ideas that I used and still have in regard to teaching and guiding student learning. I just don't know that I feel that what I have to share about educating children is earth shattering nor is it new and fresh. 

Yet, here I have been writing along all these years. Sometimes I wrote about education. Sometimes I have written about life in general and that all seems to work for me. Thank you for stopping by and taking in what I have to share!

Have you ever heard of Postcrossing?

Postcrossing was a new term for me and the concept popped up when I was reading a blog post that I follow. You may be like me and not know what on earth Postcrossing might be. "It's a project that allows you to send postcards and receive postcards back from random people around the world," is the explanation given on the official website. 

I recall getting postcards from my Granny when she traveled. Sometimes the postcard would get to us days after Granny had returned home but we still loved getting the mail. Great Aunt Mae would also send us postcards sometimes. When I was a young girl, there were times when I traveled, I would be allowed to buy postcards and send them to family members. I remember my grandparents saving postcards that they got from relatives who traveled or from family members who were in the military service. When I was clearing out my mother-in-law's desk I found several postcards that she had saved over the years. Some had not been mailed and I wonder if maybe she picked them up from places where she had traveled and saved them as mementos over the years.

There were several about Columbus, Ohio and some of the landmarks of that city.

There were two or three from Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The back side of the postcard shown above had a printed message telling the reader that Highway 58 is the best road up Lookout Mountain to Rock City.

I remember seeing postcards like the one shown above that advertised places to stay. Usually the front side of a postcard depicted something like a landmark, in this case an image of the motel. Then, on the back there was a description or message about the picture with space above or below where a message could be written to the recipient. Of course, the most remembered message was, "Wish you were here!"  Then, the other half of that side of the postcard provided space for the recipient's address to be written and a stamp affixed. 

The motel postcard was obviously a means of advertisement. The image was the front side and more information about the motel was on the message side of the card. A postcard like this might have been a freebie found in the room in hopes that guests would send away, not only providing information about their stay, but encouraging the recipient to come for a visit as well. Notice the phone number on the postcard. Even if I couldn't tell the postcard is from long ago, that phone number would be a dead giveaway!

Somehow postcards seem to have fallen into a category of things gone by the wayside, something from the past, a part of a by-gone era. I'm sure relics like the ones I found in my mother-in-law's desk might be a collector's item for somebody. With our world being ever more virtual and digital, these days we simply send a text with a photograph or video. We might get a notification on our phone and see a selfie of a relative standing in front of some historic landmark. 

The Mister and I still get a few postcards but these are mostly advertisements for a roofer or new flooring or gutters or something like that. Rarely are the postcards in our mailbox something that is a means of correspondence from a friend or relative. Almost never is a postcard in our mailbox one that we would want to keep. In fact, The Mister generally grumbles about such mail and tosses it into the trash before he even brings the mail into the house.

Yet, Postcrossing is offering people the opportunity to send postcards as a means of "turning your mailbox into a box full of surprises." They suggest it as a means of learning about far away places, different cultures, or even practice foreign languages.

After reading a bit more information, my mind began to wander. I thought of other ways that this same concept might be a really good thing. Wouldn't it be a great exercise for a group of young people or a class of school children to create their own postcards and send them to a retirement home, or a collected group of addresses of folks who are shut-ins, or to patients at a children's hospital? The writers could:

• Create the image that goes on the front
• Write a little blurb explaining the significance of the image
• Practice their writing skills within the message
• Learn and practice the accepted way to address mail

This wouldn't have to be a formal school or civic group activity, although it could be. It could be something that a parent could do with his/her own children.

Again, the school teacher in me is coming out... A class of students could create postcards and write about a topic they just learned, a historical event, a scientific fact or phenomenon, a story they just read, a book they would recommend, etc. The teacher could collaborate with another teacher in another school for swapping these postcards. 

A grandparent or relative who lives in another town could exchange postcards about different landmarks or events with their grandchildren or relatives living elsewhere. 

A great gift might be to buy or create a set of postcards, address and stamp them, and give them to a college student going away to school, or a grandchild who lives far away, or just to somebody with whom you would like to keep in touch. The gift-giver might even make blank postcards, address and stamp them and ask the recipient to decorate the front and write a message on the back and stick them in the mail. There could be one for each month or for more frequent occasions. You could buy blank postcards here.

I know that I used to love to get mail when I was a kid - long before most of what was delivered to my mailbox was bills. I also know that the anticipation of getting a delivery is still pretty exciting - often really more exciting than that quick text that is an instantaneous means of communication. I just looked it up and a postcard stamp costs less than a dollar. Plus, I saw that there will soon be issued a special, triangular shaped Global Postcrossing Stamp for sending even international mail. Learn more about postcards here.

Examples of the Global Postcrossing Stamp

I'm sure that there are loads of other ideas for ways to communicate with postcards. I kind of like this old-school method of communication and might even take the opportunity to put it into practice myself. I don't know if I will formally join in and be a part of the Postcrossing group, but I'm thinking I see some postcards going out with my signature on them in the future. What about you? Do you think you might send a postcard or two? Would you become part of the Postcrossing movement?

Today I noticed...I really like a southern voice.

The other day I was scrolling through social media on my phone and stumbled across a southern author's post. I had heard of this author and had even read several recommendations for books she has written. I never read any of those recommended options because I didn't really think it would be something that would hold my attention and be what I consider a good read. 

Yet, here was this southern author speaking my exact thoughts about something that had recently taken place in this great country of ours. She was using language, a southern dialect, and an experienced voice that spoke to me as well. I was so inspired by this one little post that I dove down into the rabbit hole of her social media account to check out another post that she referenced. Then, I kept hopping through her feed and finding myself shaking my head and patting my foot in agreement and enjoyment of several of her posts.

I think one of the things I loved most is that she is not some young upstart. She is, "a woman of a certain age." After enjoying quite a few minutes almost an hour of scouring through her Instagram feed, I clicked over to check out her book titles. I learned which was the first offering and ordered it on the spot. 

I didn't allow myself to start the book until I had completed one of the three books I had going. It served as sort of an incentive to stay up late and wake up early to get some extra reading in! As I was crunching on my cereal and slurping my tea this morning, I began this author's first published book. 

That first page was absolutely delightful! It was one that definitely would have been included in an old book notes from when I was teaching in a middle school classroom. At the beginning of the school year, I asked students to make a collection of first lines of the books they read. Periodically throughout the year, we took some time to look back at these first lines and compare them to the first lines of works we were writing. Those first lines served as inspiration for a lot of my young writers - and for them as readers as well. Below is the first page of the book that I read this morning in all it's southern glory:

First page of Every Crooked Nanny by Mary Kay Andrews

Since breakfast, I am already about one-fourth the way through this book and am enjoying every single bit of this light read. It is refreshing and, oh so enjoyable! Yet, at the same time I can hear the post by the author expressing her own opinion about what is happening in our world today. 

I've been wondering what I can do. What can one little old retired school teacher do to help make changes in the things that are happening today? I think Mary Kay Andrews is doing just what all of us should be doing. Expressing her opinions and explaining the basis of those ideas. Letting people know what she sees happening and how she feels about it.

I know that years ago my father stressed to me the importance of voting and how my voice counts. So, that is something that I definitely will be doing as well - and I will be campaigning for candidates who seem to support the way I think. I don't know what else I might do to help make changes in the things that are going on in the world around me today, but I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open for opportunities. I'm going to keep noticing.

I'm also pondering whether I should begin to follow this wonderful voice's lead and record some Kitchen Karaoke sessions to post for my family to enjoy...

Mama Wrote a Book!

 A couple of years ago I stumbled upon an advertisement for a memoir publishing service. I decided that it would make a great gift. First, I would give my mother the gift of a subscription where the company would send her an email once per week for a year and she would write a memory or a story from her life. Then, at the end of the year, I could get a published copy to give her and a couple of copies to give my children. 

The company whose subscription I gave to my mother is called Storyworth. (I am not being compensated in any way for this post.) I gifted it to her at Mother's Day. It was a really good experience for Mama and me. It worked out well that I got to pick through some questions that the company suggests at their website. I also could update some of the suggested questions to make them fit my mother's experiences a little better. Finally, I could just create a question on my own, if I wanted to do so. 

It also worked out well for my mother in that she only got one question or prompt per week. They sent her an email on Monday and she had time to think about what she wanted to write and also time to actually write, revise, and update what she wrote. 

Once she finished writing, we could upload photos that would accompany the story. I could add brief notes to expand the story and include a bit more information. I could also proofread her story to check for simple errors that we all make such as misspellings or leaving out a word.

As the year went along and Mama wrote her memories, sometimes when I read the new chapter, I would smile because I knew the story and had chosen that particular prompt or question so that the story would be captured and shared. Sometimes I would smile or even laugh out loud because the story or the accompanying photos would be something new that I had never known about my mother.

Of course, having a year's subscription meant that she wrapped up her writing in May of last year. Then, during the summer, we read and revised all her stories, when needed. We added photos and moved stories around a bit so that there was some flow to the book and so that there would not be blank white pages with no photos or stories. The platform provided by Storyworth was really user-friendly and the editing took a little time but was really easy.

Then, I ordered the complementary book that came with the subscription with the intention that I could read the hard copy and make edits, if needed. When the hardback copy came, I was so impressed with it that I didn't really feel the need to make edits. Oh, there might be some punctuation or capitalization errors in it but no more than can be found in any published book, really.

So, we ordered more copies. I ordered copies for each of my children and Mama got copies for my sister and her family. 

I would strongly encourage anybody to take advantage of such an experience. In our case, the book turned out wonderfully. My mother is pleased with how it turned out. My two children were both excited to get their copy of the book. They have both read it and truly enjoyed recalling some of the stories that were a part of their lives and were glad to learn new things about their grandmother and the times in which she lived. 

Return to Writing

I took a hiatus from writing. I guess I had so many other things on my mind that writing did not seem like what I needed to be doing.  I'll be honest, this past year-plus-a-little-bit has been one of the most difficult on my mind that I have ever weathered. 

Work was the hardest that it EVER has been in my life.  I felt unappreciated, disrespected, like nobody cared, like nobody listened, like I was making no impact on the world whatsoever.  For somebody who has always loved her job as a teacher and looked forward to going to work each day, that was a bitter pill to swallow. 

After questioning and seeking answers and weathering the disrespect, I finally came to peace with what was thrown at me and I have grown to really enjoy working once again.  Many of the people at the school where I have been assigned as an instructional technology coach for supporting 1:1 learning have embraced me as a friend and have been gracious collaborators in work.

Family decisions and relationships were difficult and I felt even worse about that than I did about my work situation.  Plus, throw into the mix that neighboring communities just north and east of us experienced a devastating tornado forcing us to acknowledge how little control we have.  Mike and I took a big step back and did a lot of evaluating and pondering and we have just begun growing toward a new place with the world when the impact of the Coronavirus began its influence. 

Like everybody else in the world, we had been hearing about this virus and how it was growing.  Mike and I were somewhat concerned because we have both crossed over into that magical age to become senior citizens.  We have mothers who are in their eighties and are still active and healthy but the news of the virus still made us concerned for them even more because they are active.  Then, the virus became a reality we were forced to face.

A couple of weeks ago we were just moving along in our world like always and climbing the hills put in front of us.  I would go off to work and Mike was beginning to work in his greenhouse in preparation for spring vegetables and growing them.  For a couple of days I was in and out of classrooms supporting teachers and students like always.  All winter long I have been more aware of sniffling, coughing, colds, and flu-like symptoms and seemed to be washing my hands even more than usual.  I also made a conscious effort to do things like push open doors with my hip instead of my hands and wipe off the keyboard of my computer after somebody else used it.  I noticed folks sitting elbow-to-elbow or across the desk from me who were showing signs of colds and flu and wiped the surface of my desk off a bit more frequently.  And after enjoying a long weekend, I noticed that there was still a lot of these symptoms still lingering.

Then, on Wednesday of that week, several volunteer parents came into my office area to stash their purses and bags and often would just perch on a chair there in my office to chat.  They were there to set up for the school book fair and we were excited about students having the opportunity to get new books.  On Thursday, an entire grade-level of about 400 students came through the library and browsed through the options of books, posters, bookmarks, pencils, and sundry that was offered there.  Let me remind you that middle school children are not so conscientious about keeping their hands to themselves or thoughtful about not touching everything in sight or careful about sneezing and coughing and covering their mouths.

So, all this was going on, plus, there was a steady stream, as usual, of students and teachers who visited me to find out why an online program wasn't responding or allowing their login to work or asking me how to use an online learning tool or working alongside me or across from me as we collaboratively planned lessons or learned something techy and new.  All-the-while we were shoulder-to-shoulder in distance from one another and often touching the keyboard of a Chromebook or laptop simultaneously.

Then, about mid-morning we get word that our school district was shutting down the next day and would remain closed on the following Monday.  We were told not to plan on coming back into the building because all of the schools would have a deep clean during that time.  Later, we learned that a parent with student(s) at our school and the school next door had been diagnosed with this virus.  Suddenly, a whole new sense of awareness took over my brain.

I thought about all the activity and encounters I'd had for the past few days right there in my office or in and around that school building.  I began looking at all the people around me and wondering where they had been and who they had encountered.  Knowing that we had just enjoyed a long weekend before and fellow educators and students had traveled with their families, I wondered whether they had been on any of the flights where infected people had been and thus, had exposed me.  I thought about how I live with a husband with diabetes and other age-related health issues and have my 80+ year-old mother-in-law living under my roof and wondered if I had already exposed them to something.  I thought about how many classrooms I had entered right there in that school and how many of the 1300+ people there I had visited with and quickly provided assistance and support with their computers - and possibly passed along who knows what.  Truly, a skewed perspective suddenly overtook my thinking.  I pondered and worried.

It was later announced that our school district would be closed for the entire week last week and then was updated to be closed until early April.  We've watched the news and searched for reputable sources and I pondered and worried.  It sort of made me think about the book Code Orange by Caroline Cooney.  I became much like the main character with my ponderings.  Who had I encountered and, in turn, who had encountered me?

I have now spent a bit more than a week at home.  It was wonderful to catch up on some reading, do a bit of spring cleaning, sleep late, and just rest.  All the while I've been pondering and we've been thinking and discussing this new situation and all the questions which arise.  We've prayed together as we lift up others who are not as fortunate as we are.  We've done all we know to do to build faith, confidence, and security in one another and those with whom we come into contact. 

Then, for some reason I awoke this morning with the feeling that I need to write again.  So, I am returning to this blog and will be writing and sharing thoughts and ideas.  I hope you will come along for the read.

Luci's Book

You may recall that way back earlier this year we wrote a book.  The book was a birthday present for our youngest grandchild, Easton.  It seemed like a great idea.  I mean, we are really blessed as a family and our grandchildren really have all their needs and most of their wants met.  So, creating a personalized book seemed like a wonderful, original, personal thing to do.

Then, we created one for Levi.  I don't do these alone, y'all.  I scour and borrow photos.  I ask for ideas of words to represent certain letters.  I ask for ways to have a page for MawMaw and a page for Mama without having two M pages.  I ask for rhyming words.  I ask for ideas of something that is yellow.  Mike is as good as Webster's gold at times and not so good at others - think rhyming words with heart and smart.

Now, we are half-way through the year, have created books for the three youngest grandchildren, and have come to realize that writing and gifting of books is a great idea.  However, it is taxing on a couple of old folks' brains to come up with ideas!  That doesn't even include coming up with all those appropriate photos, too.

Then, stop and consider that we have eight grandchildren.  Eight.  And are expecting a ninth.

Do you know how many words start with Q?

Do you have any idea how many words start with Z?

Do you know how difficult it is to write a rhyming verse?

Well, we persevere and we just wrote our third ABC book for a grandchild.

Here it is, Luci's ABC Book!

Cover 

Inside Cover 

Pages A & B 

Pages C & D 

Pages E & F

Pages G & H 

Pages I & J 

Pages K & L 

Pages M & N 

Pages O & P 

Pages Q & R 

Pages S & T 

Pages U & V 

Pages W & X 

Pages Y & Z 

Inside Back Cover/Dedication Page 

Back Cover

Three books down and five to go!

A Book for Levi

You may remember that earlier this year we wrote a book.  It was a good idea, we thought.  So, we wrote another one for Easton's brother, Levi.

Cover

Inside Cover

Pages A & B

Pages C & D

Pages E & F  

Pages G & H

Page I & J 

Pages K & L 

Pages M & N

Pages O & P 

Pages Q & R 

Pages S & T 

Pages U & V 

Pages W & X 

Pages Y & Z 

Inside Back Cover/Dedication Page 

Back Cover

Writing an ABC book seems relatively easy in concept and at first thought.  Then, comes the decision of what words and photos to use for representing each letter.

The level of difficulty increases in a huge way!

Next, comes writing a rhyme for the  pages and the level of difficulty increases astronomically!

Especially when the writer is not so great at rhyming.  So, the writer reaches out for help...

"Hey, honey, give me a word for Levi's book that starts with N."

A good response is shared.  "Nanny Goat."

"Great!  Thanks!"

Then, "Hey, honey, give me a word that rhymes with smart."

Not so great a response - not really appropriate for a sweet grandchild's ABC book!

We Wrote A Book!

I like to come up with something special for each grandchild as a gift for his or her birthday.  That was really easy at first.

The Cover (Isn't that a sweet little face?)

Then, when the number of grands started growing and each had siblings and there were toys galore and clothes as hand-me-downs and picture books filling shelves...

Opening Page

Well, we are blessed and so are our grands.  So, when it came time to give a special gift to our youngest grandson, we brainstormed and brainstormed.  It needed to be something that he and his older brother didn't already have.  It needed to be just for him.  It needed to be reasonably priced.  Well, I think you get the idea - lots of constraints.

Page 1 (A photo of one of their cows!)

Then, I saw a blog post where a parent had made a simple ABC picture book for a child.  Voila!  An idea bloomed in my head!

The grands and Mike's family have always called him Bay - what he was dubbed as a baby.

I began gathering photos that I had made which would fit letters of the alphabet.  Then, I noticed that some might be used for more than one letter - the barn could be R for red or it could be B for barn.  So, I decided I should brainstorm for words to go with each letter first.

When I first shot this photo, I was thinking R is for rooster!

I was quickly overwhelmed and called in the cavalry - Mike.  He was wonderful but he was also horrible at this.  For example, he first suggested A for ass.  Not really appropriate for children's picture book material!

Some of the images, like this one, are a bit grainy because I zoomed them after cropping them from other photos but all-in-all the quality of how it came out is great anyway!

Soon, we fell into a groove and he filled in the gaps for me with letters I couldn't think of something.

I liked how the site allowed me to bleed some photos onto two pages to vary the look.

Then, I began gathering the photos.  I had a reserve from this blog and some stored on the camera that I had never used.  So, there were only a few which I needed to capture.

This is one of the photos I got from open source.

I ran into a snag or two, like when I wanted a photo of the family dogs.  Photo hours were from about four o'clock till five o'clock when there was daylight.  Yet, their family store didn't close until six o'clock.  The two didn't coincide and I had to improvise.

I think I have an image of me holding almost all of the grandchildren and looking at them with pride.  

Glad I finally found a good way to share them!

For a couple of them, I wound up going into Google images labeled for reuse.  All-in-all, the photos came together alright.  Then, I had a bright idea that made things a bit more difficult.

Look at those sweet little baby feet!

I thought: why not write a short little verse to go with each photo?  What a great idea!  I forgot, however, that I stink when creating rhymes.

I had to borrow an old photo of the family dog and was a little inventive with the other image here!

So, again, I called in the cavalry.  Again, Mike was really good and really horrible.  Some of his rhyming suggestions were wildly inappropriate!  We persevered and we wound up being really pleased with the result.

The type of background I chose really worked well with my subject matter for this group of photos and topic.

I simply created the letters/words on top of the photos using Photoscape and my computer snipping tool.

Doesn't she look sassy?

I learned lots about combining photos, backgrounds, fonts, etc. on this project, too!

Then, entered the text using the available text boxes in the photo book creator on the Walgreen's website.  I chose a mat finish on my pages which we really liked.

I debated about what would represent our little historic town until I thought deeply and remembered a photo of Easton's grandpa captured during the building of the historic school where the local museum is now housed.

The pages are a heavy card stock which almost makes it like a child's board book.

This photo is a cell phone scan of a photo on our fridge!

There was lots to be learned about creating a picture book with this project but I think Mike and I are up to create another book for another grandchild's birthday in the future.

Okay, so that pasture scene is really more about the trees, hills, and sky background and the goats than the pasture 

and that isn't really a quilt but is a swaddling blanket and that is pretty close, isn't it?

The most important thing I learned is something I really already know...I don't take enough photos!

With the limitations of my photographic efforts, I had to be a bit inventive with my alphabet matching.

So, again, I'm resolving to take more photos and capture more of the beauty in our lives!

I love the cute shot Bonnie sent me with her cell phone.  He is so happy looking!

I also need to get the grands' parents to send me more photos of them doing the cute things they do! 

Using photos of important things to the child make it more personal, I think.

Of course, I also need to find more words that begin with X!

In this day and age when we always have a camera (on our phone) I find that I still don't shoot as many photos as I should.  Plus, I need to keep in mind that we need a variety of subjects for making these ABC Books.  

I had to shoot a photo of the bobcat at the last minute because 

I had planned to use one of Stephen driving the tow motor at the store

 - only to realize that the tow motor is not yellow!

I also need to start compiling things months in advance rather than weeks days!  Writing rhyming verses and sing-song statements is not something that really comes natural for me.  I'm far better with prose than poetry!

I do love that it can be personal and dated!

I also learned a lot about the Walgreen's website - it warned me that some photos would not look as good when they were zoomed the way I did but for the most part, we liked them anyway.  But the edge of the page is definitely the edge of the page.

I almost didn't get Easton's name on the back cover, which was my goal!

Mike and I were pleased with our creation and we think Easton and his family were, too!  We have already begun brainstorming for our next book.  After all, we already have eight grandchildren!  How did that happen?