The Granddaddy Tapes

This coming weekend my parents and their five children, along with in-laws and grandchildren, will be gathering to celebrate my parents' 50th anniversary which was earlier this spring. In preparation for a day of sharing memories, I've been gathering pictures and scrapbooks and all kinds of memorabilia to take along. As I was getting things together I happened to remember the Granddaddy Tapes.

Among my treasured possessions is a small box of dusty cassette tapes, maybe a couple dozen, that I recorded during the late 1980s and through the 1990s. They are mostly of my Granddaddy Easley telling stories of his life. He had a detailed memory and was more than willing to share his memories with me (and my tape recorder). At the time, I had the intention of writing a book about his and Grandmother's life story. They were eager for me to do so, but then my children came along. I was busy raising my babies, and then homeschooling, so that project got set aside. In the meantime, my grandparents have gone on to heaven; Grandmother in 1998, and Granddaddy in 2007. They left an amazing heritage for their 10 children, 26 grandchildren, and more great-grandchildren than I can count at the moment.

I still have a cassette deck that I have held onto just because of that box of tapes. Last Saturday I asked Lyle if he would bring it in out of the garage and connect it to my computer so I could digitize the tapes before they deteriorate too badly. Obliging man that he is, he took care of that for me.

For the past few days I've been listening to the old stories of my heritage, as I transfer them to MP3 files, and remembering again how blessed I am. I was also reminded how important storytelling is. While many of these family stories are very familiar to me, I realized that my children haven't necessarily heard them all.

Maybe I should write that book after all.

Writer's Retreat

 This week a friend and I went "off the grid" for a mini writer's retreat. We stayed in one of these cute little lakeside cabins.

It was a productive time. We both worked on our books, brainstormed with each other, and enjoyed probably just a tad too much off-topic chit-chat.

The weather was pretty blustery, though the sun was out for part of the time, but we had a lovely view of the lake from inside our cabin.  We pretty much had the entire place to ourselves, since it's the off-season.

So... I am making [very slow] progress on my novel. I'm still not sure that it will ever be anything anyone will want to read, but I feel compelled to write it anyway. This week helped me figure out what to work on next, and what research still needs to be done at this stage.

It reminds me of working a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. You dump that thing out of the box and you wonder how you're ever going to get it to make a picture. You start turning pieces over one by one, separating out the edges, sorting like colors together, and slowly it begins to come together. The more you get done, the faster it goes.

Maybe someday it will be finished.

My "About Me" Page

Lately I've been working on updating certain sections of my blog. Last week I spruced up my blog header. Today, I worked on my About Me page. Most of you probably know as much about me as you care to... especially if you've been reading my blog for awhile. But for newcomers who might be interested, I thought I'd add a short bio. Obviously, you could click on the About Me tab at the top of the page, but I'll make it easy for you and copy-and-paste it here for you. (And I'm sure my Fan Club-- a.k.a. my husband, kids, and parents-- will be the most interested, even though there's nothing new here for them to learn!) Enjoy!

*******

Hi! I'm Karla, and I'm so happy you've wandered onto my blog where I'm likely to ramble about anything that catches my interest. I'm an avid reader, life-long learner, and most importantly, a follower of Jesus Christ. Over the years my plans have not always turned out the way I expected them to, but I've found life to be a joyful adventure.

I have been married to my college sweetheart, Lyle, since 1985. He is my best friend and favorite driver. We love to go on road trips whenever we can. We both think we'd love to just live on the road, but so far that hasn't worked out. Instead, we make our home in the panhandle of Idaho, where gorgeous scenery and miles of back roads are within a half days' drive in any direction.

We've been blessed with two beautiful daughters, Laura and Becky, who bring much joy into our lives every day. We are currently in the Golden Years of Parenting, when our children are pretty much all grown up, but still living at home. I have been privileged to homeschool the girls from the very beginning. Laura graduated in 2011, and Becky will graduate in 2014. Then it will be on to a new season of life for me.

If you had asked me 20 years ago what I thought I would be interested in doing once the kids were grown, it's likely I would have said, "Go back to school." Instead, I find myself with a completely different goal. I have aspirations of writing a novel. I'm working on a coming-of-age story set in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, inspired by my Grandmother's letters and diary. For 18 years I published a monthly newsletter for my extended family, as well as two family cookbooks. I have always enjoyed researching my family history and collecting our stories.

I am the oldest of five preacher's kids. Our family moved around quite a bit, as Dad pastored several different churches during our growing up years. I've been privileged to live in 11 different states, and I've been in 39 of the 50. I always thought it was fun to move. Maybe that's why I think it would be cool to be full-time RVers. So many places yet to visit.

For the present, I travel every chance I get... and read voraciously... and write as much as I can. I've been blogging since early 2002, sometimes more than others. I don't know that I have a specific goal for my blogging, like "they" say you should... but I've found it a very satisfying way to record my thoughts, and share my experiences with others.

I'm honored that you are interested in what I've shared. I hope you'll stop by again frequently!

Warmly,

Goldtown Adventures - review

Fellow homeschool-mom Susan K. Marlow's new book series for kids, Goldtown Adventures, has launched!

Badge of Honor  is an exciting historical novel for kids. It takes place in the waning days of the California gold rush, as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Jem. There is still gold to be found (small amounts, anyway) if one is willing to work hard at getting to it. Jem and his little sister, Ellie, are willing. Too bad their pa thinks they ought to be in school. What's even worse is that Pa got elected sheriff, so now that means they have to be on their best behavior. And to top things off, "city" relatives arrive from back east to live with them. In spite of all that, Jem and Ellie, and their city-slicker cousin manage to find plenty of adventure... if not plenty of gold.

 Targeted for children ages 10-14, my 17-year-old daughter and I both thoroughly enjoyed the story. My favorite character is Strike-It-Rich Sam and his obstinate burro, Canary. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series which is due out later this winter.

Susan offers free study guides for all of her books. She also offers lap books that coordinate with the novels. These are great for turning a fun story into an educational unit study.

Friday Fragments

Sparse blogging just seems to call for Fragments on Friday, don't you think? I wasn't even sure if I could scrape up any fragments to share... but then I read of Keetha's desperate dash around the house to gather up fragments to share, and if they aren't kicking her out of the Frag party for that, I guess I can do the same thing, right? Besides, several of you assured me that it was okay to blog even if I didn't have to have anything important to blog about, so you can only blame yourselves!

* * *

Yesterday, when I posted about making yogurt a certain commenter asked, "Is there ANY domestic skill in which you are NOT proficient?"

I laughed.

Ha.

If she could only see my house. Those of you who have been here know that my housekeeping can best (and by best, I mean, most kindly) described as "comfortable." In fact, Denise described me that way last week, "You are such a comfortable person and I am proud to call you friend ~ for over 30 years now!" She has never actually been to my house (though she has been to my parents' house long ago before either of us were married), but I guess she knows me well enough to know that "comfortable" is a good word for it. I took it as a compliment.

Anyway, as an example of a domestic skill which I do not possess, here is a picture of some gorgeous... and utterly delicious... pumpkin-cupcakes-with-cream-cheese-frosting-and-dark-chocolate-leaves that my friend Janelle made a couple weeks ago. And yes, she made the leaves!! (If Janelle had a blog, I would link to it.)

* * *

Our first snow of the season was earlier this week. Our neighborhood looked like this for a couple of days.

Actually, we ended up with several inches... okay, maybe two! But the ground wasn't very cold yet so it didn't stick around long. That's fine with me. I would just as soon it not snow until winter officially starts. And that's not for another 5 weeks, thankyouverymuch!

The mums survived the snow, though they are almost through blooming, I think. The marigold (the stalky plant leaning over in front) did not. The white pumpkin did not. He's squishy and ready to be carted off. The orange pumpkin, on the other hand, gave his life for the benefit of culinary delights.

Laura tried her hand at making a pumpkin roll to start with. It also turned out utterly delicious. I've never attempted a pumpkin roll before, so there, you see? Another domestic skill I don't possess!

* * *

In Etsy news, my coffee cozies have been selling... well, not quite like I imagine hot cakes sell... but pretty well, at least for my little shop. I have lots of colors listed, but these are the most popular colors.

The top two sellers, by far, are the natural and sage. Interestingly enough, those are the most popular colors for my washcloths, too. Sadly, I'm almost out of the sage cotton yarn. I haven't been able to find more locally recently. I hope they haven't discontinued that color.

* * *

I went to a NaNoWriMo write-in last week. It was at a local coffee shop that I hadn't been to before. That was fun.

I hadn't been to a NaNo write-in before, either, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I did not expect was that most of the other "writers" would sit there chit-chatting most of the time. I don't know how they got any writing done. Maybe they're more talented than I am. I can't write and talk (or even listen to other people talking) at the same time. I managed to get around 1,000 words written in the two hours I was there... and the chit-chat finally died down about 30 minutes before I had to leave. I was parked in a two-hour zone, so rather than move my car, I just left. Next time I'll know to take ear buds.

There's no way I'm going to make it to 50,000 words by the end of the month, but that's okay. I am getting some developmental work done as well as writing.

* * *

In the evenings I've been hanging out a certain print shop. I can't say that I add a whole lot to the productivity, though I do try to help out wherever I can.

Mostly, I'm just there because a certain man seems to have taken up residence there, instead of here at home. I'm hopeful that next week, at least, may be a little slower for him, with the holiday. These 70-hour work-weeks are not doing either one of us a whole lot of good. I'm trying to coax him away for a day trip tomorrow, but it will just depend on how much work comes in today. He usually runs out of time during the week and ends up having to work on Saturday, too, to get it all done.

* * *

Thank you for tuning it to this week's episode of Friday Fragments here at Ramblin' Roads! Please come again!

Friday Fragments

I've been threatening to do it for awhile... and as it turns out, this week has been so fragmented that it seems like a good time to join in Friday Fragments along with my blogging buddy Keetha @ The Eclectic Company. The idea is to post little fragments from your week that don't warrant a whole blog post just by themselves.

***

Speaking of blog posts: I subscribe to a social media tip email thingy... where I get tips on making the most of social media. Some of the tips are helpful, some don't apply, some I already know about... but I found the latest one down-right insulting-- "You should only blog if you have something important to tell the rest of the world." Really?? I wish someone had told me that 10 years ago. All this time I've apparently been committing a faux pas by blogging about unimportant things right along. But you know what? The "rest of the world" is not obligated to read my unimportant posts, now are they? Therefore, I shall continue to blissfully blog about whatever comes to mind, regardless of it's importance. Thank you for understanding.

***

We got home from vacation on Sunday evening. We left the coast on Saturday morning, and had planned to visit Mt. St. Helen's on the way home. However, she wasn't receiving visitors that day. It was snowing heavily when we got to the visitor's center and the mountain was fogged in. I don't think that was very nice of her, do you? After we drove all that way to see her. Guess there's a reason most people don't go on vacation during the off-season.

***

I did thoroughly enjoy the fall colors as we drove through the mountains, though. Here in the Northwest our forests stay mostly green year 'round (being evergreens, you know), so the trees that do change colors really "pop" against the dark green.

***

I've spent several hours this week working on my last homeschool co-op class for the fall trimester. Our co-op has three 8-week trimesters per year. The fall trimester is September and October. Then we take a break until after the holidays. I've taught a class on Eastern Hemisphere Cultures this trimester. It's gone by fast. My last class will be on Russia. I'm always amazed at how much I learn when I teach! I've had fun putting together a Power Point presentation each week, and I especially appreciate the cute educational clip-art from Phillip Martin.

***

Another "catch-up" project this week was getting some new items listed on my Etsy shop, including mug cozies, Regency-style reticules, and flower clip bookmarks. Everything I currently have listed is my own design, so if you're looking for a unique gift, check it out!  I am happy to accept custom orders as well.

***

One more thing on my to-do list for this week was to dig out my old menu plan files and try to come up with a current plan we can stick to. I did a search online for a menu plan template and found the coolest meal-planning spreadsheet for Excel (or whatever spreadsheet program you use). And it's free! It was easy to figure out and customize with the tried-and-true stand-by dishes that my family usually eats. No fancy new recipes with obscure ingredients or anything like that (though you could certainly add them if you like). Looks like they have quite a few practical spreadsheets. So far I've only play with the meal-planning one. I guess I could start doing Menu Plan Monday posts again, couldn't I?

***

On the writing front, NaNoWriMo is coming up. I've committed to going to the kick-off party in my area tomorrow... and I hope to make it to a few of the write-ins. I am not committing to writing 50,000 words in November, but I am anxious to see what I can get done.

***

The weather has finally turned chilly. And my mums are blooming their little hearts out! I planted them in the fall of 2010, so this is my third year to enjoy them. Last year the yellow ones bloomed first and were nearly done before the orange ones bloomed. This year they got their act together! I love how they just bushed out, too. It will be fun to see how many years they come back.

***

Thus concludes my first Friday Fragments post. 

Thank you for making me feel important by reading my blog.

Visit Mrs. 4444 @ Half-Past Kissin' Time if you want to read more frags.

The Eldorado Courier

My grandparents and their children moved away from Eldorado, Oklahoma in 1958. Many of our relatives still lived there, so my grandparents had a subscription to The Eldorado Courier (pronounced "Elda-ray-duh Coo-yer") to keep up with the happenings in their hometown. Sometimes Grandmother would include a clipping from the Courier in a letter to Mother when I was growing up.

When I walked into the Eldorado Historical Society Museum the other day, and saw the Courier masthead on the wall, I had my hopes up that I would be able to pore over the archives of the small town newspaper. I love family history and research.

One issue from 1929 was lying on the table. As you can imagine, the pages are very brittle and crumbly. I lifted the first page carefully and just peeked at the next page. I wondered where the other issues were. I hoped they were micro-filmed somewhere.

So I asked Mr. Goodin, the man who had opened the museum for us, if he knew where the archives were for the Courier. He knew exactly where they were. There was a door I hadn't noticed before just under the masthead (in the first picture). The archives are behind the door!

However, due to extreme brittleness of the paper, we wouldn't be able to take them out to look at them-- which is completely understandable. Mr. Goodin didn't know if they had ever been microfilmed or not. One of my cousins said he would try to contact the district library to find out, or to see about having it done.

I hope they are able to be preserved some way. After all, tidbits like this (from 1934) are just priceless...

...even if they did misspell Grandmother Ernesteen's name!

For more posts about vintage treasures visit Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady.

Writer's Retreat

I'm not sure I dare admit that I spent this past weekend at a writer's retreat, because then I would have to admit that I've officially started my novel. That's exciting for me, but very scary at the same time because, you see, if I start it, I have to finish it, right? And if I finish it, you're probably gonna wanna read it, right? That's the scary part.

The hard part is the actual writing. I've been studying and practicing, and when it came time to put pen to paper fingers to keyboard I discovered how much more I still have to learn. However, I was extremely blessed that my friend and mentor, Susan Marlow, was also there. She basically took me by the hand and let me along step by step, reading, discussing, and critiquing as I went along. I can't tell you how invaluable her help and encouragement was.

I know I would have spent the weekend writing something if she hadn't been there, but I can pretty much guarantee you that I wouldn't have come away with the actual first chapter of my novel! It is very, very rough, and needs desperately to be fleshed out some more... so no, you can't read it yet.

The fun part is that I can't wait to see what happens to my character next, and who she might meet along the way. It's like reading a book, but even better, because I get to decide what happens.

So, okay, I'll admit it. I did spend the weekend writing. My work area was out on the deck in the shade of a big pine tree with a spectacular view of Loon Lake.

I could sure get used to an "office" like that!

***

Speaking of Susan, she's working on her third series of books for kids. I've told you before about her first series, Circle C Adventures, and then her spin-off series for younger readers, Circle C Beginnings. Her newest series is called Goldtown Adventures and will appeal more to boys. The first two books in the Goldtown series are already at the publisher. Book 1 is due out in November, and Book 2 in the spring. So she was working on Book 3 at the retreat.

It was a lot of fun to help her brainstorm ideas for her story... but I have no doubt at all that she was far more help to me than I was to her. Maybe I can pay it forward some day?

Writing

You know how I've said for awhile that someday I'm going to write a book? Within the last couple of years I have set some specific goals for myself in that regard, and I am very excited with the progress I'm making. It may not seem like much, but the baby steps are better than just wondering if I ever could, don't you think?

The first question I get when I mention I'm an aspiring writer is: What do you write? Well, right now, this blog... oh yeah, and occasional posts for the Sonlight blog. Other than that, not much. But I'm gonna write a book. I really am.

Next question: What kind of book? That one is easy. Fiction. Probably women's fiction. Maybe young adult. But fiction is what I like to read, so fiction is what I long to write.

Then: What's your book about? Up until just the last week or so my answer has been, "Umm... I'm not really sure. It will probably be set in the mid-twentieth century. Maybe in a small town... And that's all I got!" I really sound like I know what I'm doing, don't I?

Last week on our road trip, it came to me. The subject of my novel!

I'd like to say the Lord gave it to me, but that kinda sounds like I think my book will be divinely inspired like the Bible, or something. On the other hand, I know I could never do this without His help, and if He is truly calling me to write He will give me the story and enable me to do it. So yes, I think God helped me come up with a subject that I am excited about.

So, to repeat the question: What's your book about? It's going to be set during the Great Depression on a road trip across Route 66. I'm still working on the characters and plot. You know The Grapes of Wrath, right? Well, it will be nothing like that. Except for the setting, of course. John Steinbeck, I'm not.

When I shared my idea with Lyle his immediate response was, "We'll have to research that, won't we?" We had traveled across a segment of the old Route 66 several summers ago, and we have often talked about how much fun it would be to travel the whole length (as much as still exists). I don't know if or when we'll be able to work that in (because we live nowhere near Route 66), but it would be neat, for sure.

Anyway, I'm off to the Inland Northwest Writer's Conference in Spokane today. I'm really glad the Lord gave me this idea last week so I can be thinking about it as I learn more about the craft of writing.

Ozark Back Roads

 Tuesday afternoon's route took us winding through the Ozarks from Arkansas into Missouri. It was a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and warm like we never see in Idaho in March. We opened the sun roof and enjoyed the fresh spring air and the rolling hills. (We can't bring ourselves to actually call the Ozarks mountains.)

 Wednesday morning was cooler and overcast, but still a pleasant day for a drive. This view is from my uncle's yard where we spent the night. They may not be true mountains but the Ozarks do have a beauty all their own.

And of course I couldn't pass through Mansfield without stopping by to say hello to Laura Ingalls Wilder. I didn't have to time to stop for tea, but as it turns out, she wasn't home anyway. So I just snapped a quick picture to prove I'd been there, and we went on our way.

We stopped in Rolla to visit with Lyle's parents for a few hours then headed on over into Kansas where we spent last night.

Families Writing

I'm blogging on the Sonlight Blog today about how to encourage our families to write more. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Please leave me a comment over there.

Tag!

 One of my daughter's classmates, Mandy @ Eternity is Closer Than You Think, tagged me on this fun little meme. It's been awhile since I've done one, and this one is different than others I've done, so I thought it would be fun to play along!

What is happening... Becky and I enjoyed some light "summer school" this morning. Now she's doing a few chores and I'm getting some office work done before time to start work. (Hey, blogging counts as office work, doesn't it?)

How I'm doing... Pretty well, thank you. I'm glad to have the stress of the past month or so behind me, and I'm enjoying getting into a more "normal" summer routine.

Quote... "I do like a road, because you can be always wondering what is at the end of it." L.M. Montgomery, The Story Girl

How God feels about me right now... He loves me. Now and always. I'm so glad that never changes.

I see... sunshine streaming in my window. It's still early enough in the summer that I am really enjoying the sunshine.

I hear... Becky talking to the dog... or maybe the refrigerator. I'm never quite sure who it is she's talking to when no one else is around. Probably the dog.

I smell... lilacs. (Last night the Man of the Place asked me if I was "attached to that big ol' bush out by the truck." Umm... you mean the lilac bush? Well, yeah! Please don't take it out!)

I taste... cantaloupe. Just cut up one for lunch, and of course I snitched a piece. Mmm... summertime fruit!

I feel... rested and relaxed. Finally!

I think... I should scan some more vintage Workbasket ads and articles to share before long.

I'm curious... about what we'll get to review for the upcoming TOS Homeschool Crew year.

I'm praying... that Laura has a good summer, that she learns a lot and is stretched, inspired, and encouraged.

I'm thinking... about writing-- blog posts and letters and a novel some day.

When I was little... I would get bored in the summer with "nothing to do." It's hard to imagine such a thing these days! My to-do list is way longer than the summer.

I want to go... on vacation! But that's not in our plans this year. We enjoy our convention trips and camping on weekends, so at least that's something. Maybe we can take a mini-vacation in the fall.

I love... spending time with my husband.

I despise... snakes.


Scripture... "But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold." --Job 23:10

I'm thankful for... family and friends and a comfortable home.

I just learned... that Singapore has 4 official languages. I had thought that the language of Singapore was English until I had an email yesterday from a Singaporean lady who said Chinese was her mother tongue. One of my co-workers looked it up on Wikipedia, and shared that there are 4 official languages. Malay and Tamil are the other two.

If you enjoy doing tags and this one appeals to you, please consider yourself tagged! Be sure to leave a comment for me so I can come read your answers.

Writer's Conference

All my life I've had an inclination to write. Before I could even read I would sit at the kitchen table asking my mother to spell the words for me so I could write letters to my grandmother. When I finally learned to read and spell I expanded my correspondence to include several pen pals during the course of my growing-up years. My mother was (and is still) convinced that I would write a book when I "grew up." I have been open to the idea all this time, but I haven't had a story to tell yet, so other things have taken priority. For 18 years I published a monthly family newsletter, and then for the past 8 or so years I have been blogging. That's been the extent of my writing up until now.

Just about a year ago, I felt the Lord nudging me to start thinking again about a novel. I still didn't have a specific story in mind, but I began to research background information (which involves going through hundreds of letters that my Grandmother and Mother have saved) as well as the writing process. I do still have 3 years of homeschooling left, and that needs to be my priority for now, but I am enjoying the research in my "spare" time.

I was thrilled to be invited to attend the Northwest Christian Writers Association conference this past weekend. I realize I have so much to learn. It was a wonderful experience.

On Friday Susan and I sat in on several group editorial sessions with her editor, Steve Barclift, from Kregel Publications. It was fascinating to listen to various writers pitch their ideas for books.

Friday evening we enjoyed listening to a men's chorus representing the New Horizons Mission which ministers to street kids in downtown Seattle. They have an old-time revival style, singing songs I grew up with, so I couldn't help but sing along (softly). The key note speaker for the conference was Bob Cornuke, a "biblical investigator and international explorer," as well as author of several books. He is also a wonderful speaker. On Friday evening he spoke about searching for Noah's Ark, and on Saturday evening about searching for Mount Sinai. We were blown away by the discoveries he and his team have made.

On Saturday we had the opportunity to choose workshops to attend, two in the morning, two in the afternoon. I especially learned a lot in workshops presented by Ocieanna Fleiss, Bob Cornuke, and Jim Rubart.

The conference concluded with a lovely banquet on Saturday evening. Mealtimes were always fun, getting to know the other writers around the table. The first question was always, "What do you write?" Over the weekend I progressed from saying, "Nothing. I'm just a wannabe." to "I'm in the pre-writing stage. For now I just blog." (That sounds better, don't you think?) We also exchanged business cards so we could stay in touch after the conference was over. Susan said it reminded her of name cards in Little House on the Prairie!

I had a wonderful time, learned so much, and came away inspired!

Grandmother's Letters

For the past year or so I have been sorting and archiving my Grandmother's "papers." She was a prolific letter writer, and she kept most of the letters she received over the years. (My mother has done the same, so I have two generations worth of letters going back to the 1930s!) Grandmother had 10 children, and as far as I can tell, she wrote to each one of them weekly after they were grown, as well as other relatives and friends. Most of the letters I have were written to my mother, but there are also letters from my great-grandparents in reply to letters Grandmother wrote to them. It has been a very fascinating project to me, offering a glimpse into the daily life of my family long before I came along, and then on into my childhood and growing-up years.

It was fun to also find a small diary Grandmother kept during her junior and senior years of high school. She was just the age my daughter is during her senior year, so that has been interesting to us this year. (Their birthdays are just one day apart. Grandmother's birthday is today. My daughter's is tomorrow.) I have also been encouraged as I've read the letters written during Grandmother's "middle age" years in the 1950s and '60s. It's been interesting to see how she and Granddaddy dealt with some of the same challenges my husband and I are going through.

Grandmother would be 94 today. She has been gone to Heaven for several years now. She left her family with a rich Christian heritage, not to mention the "treasure" of all the letters documenting their daily life! Letter-writing is a dying art. I'm so glad Grandmother and Mother chose to "hoard" their letters for future generations.

Summer Reading Challenge

As you probably realize, reading is not a challenge for me. However, I've decided to participate in the Summer Reading Challenge hosted by A Southern Daydreamer Reads because I want to read more YA books this summer. You see, I have aspirations of writing a YA novel, and I've decided it would be good to immerse myself in the genre! So... between now and September 21 my goal is the read (or re-read) the following YA novels:

• Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
• Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
• Betsy was a Junior by Maud Hart Lovelace
• The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor
• Katy's New World by Kim Vogel Sawyer
• Katy's Debate by Kim Vogel Sawyer
• Motorcycles, Sushi, and One Strange Book by Nancy Rue 
• Boyfriends, Burritos, and an Ocean of Trouble by Nancy Rue
• Perfectly Dateless by Kristen Billerbeck
• Final Touch by Brandilyn and Amberly Collins
• Catwalk by Melody Carlson

NaNoWriMo

All my life I've dreamed of writing a novel. Not because I have this burning story that just begs to be told. I don't. But mainly because I have read so many mediocre novels that someone somewhere thought worthy of publishing, and I think, "I could write a better story than that."

That, plus my mother fully believes that someday I will write a book.

So last year, when a friend of mine introduced me to NaNoWriMo, I decided to participate. The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. It is not expected that you will publish the novel. In fact, the whole idea seems to be quantity of words, not quality. It is basically for the exercise of writing.

And so, fudging on the guidelines just a bit, last year I wrote a 35,000 word memoir. November was over before I got to 50,000, but I was satisfied with my project.

Tonight was the kick-off party for NaNoWriMo 2008 in my area, and since Lyle is out-of-town, the girls and I decided to go. It was at a local pizza place, and we knew absolutely no one. There were 12 or 15 people there. The cool thing is that the first person who introduced herself was another homeschool mom, there with her daughter! We shared a table and had an enjoyable visit.

Our "municipal liaison" had wonderful little goody bags and workbooks for us. I think of it as a "novel kit"... just add words! There is a cute little pom-pom plot bunny, a writer's block rock (with an instructions card), a tiny vial of glittery "Emergency Plot Hole Filler", and an official NaNoWriMo badge sticker... oh, yeah, and chocolate!
So now the question remains, what am I going to write about?

Here's what I have so far:

• The protagonist (that's the main character) shall be female.
• The protagonist shall be a dynamic character. (That means she shall learn something or change some way over the course of the story.)

And that's all I got!

Guess I better start filling in some of the blanks in that handy-dandy notebook and see where it takes me!

I expect I'm really just crazy to even think about doing this. I don't have time to write a novel!

Getting My Kicks on Route 66

I'm blogging today on the Inspired Bliss channel at Blissfully Domestic. Click through to read my latest post, and you can comment there... or here!

I will also be writing for the Homeschool Bliss channel sometime soon.

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