Ask for Help, And It Will Be Given

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?

Happy New Year (From the Kitties)

Today, as I began 2016 by working on a deadline, I had plenty of help.

 

Too much help, in fact.

This one, Mabel, jumped up right after sister, Monet, left.

 

I sense a new year trend in my office.

 

 

What work? You are doing that?



 

I think I should help you. Yes. Let me scooch right here.

 

Move? You want me to move?

 

Fine. I will sit over here. I'll just watch my sister.

 

Mom, what is in the basket? Can I get in the basket? Let me chew on some things in the basket.

 

What book? You need this book? I'm sitting on it . . .

 

And so went the day. There have been times when my mind was so focused, I didn't even see or hear the approaching kitty until she leapt in the middle of work. This was especially troublesome when her paws were wet and a touch muddy.

 

We have new S.O.P.

(standard operating procedures)

 

1. Be prepared at any moment to quickly and calmly gather all ready-to-mail papers in a pile and remove them from work counter.

 

2. Try very hard to hear the tiniest pitter patter of kitty claws on the wood floor. This will give warning of impending assistance on the work desk.

 

3. Give loves. This allows kitties to purr, shed fur, and roll around on paperwork. This also encourages kitties to vacate the project zone in a timely manner.

 

 

Paws up to 2016!

 

May your year be fulfilling, joyful, and overflowing with peace.

 

And may your clothes always bear fur from the administrations of 4-legged children. For that means you have provided a home to loving pets.

 

Happy New Year!

Reading with Kitty - Always Easier

What paper? What table?

Mabel, the skittish and hands-off member of the Motley Two gray girls, has adopted her 'acceptable-to-touch-me-zone."

That would be on top of the AM newspaper.

Yes. Now we know it's appropriate for loves if one is at the table, has the paper spread out or held up, and the reader is engrossed in perusing the news.

There's a cat on the newspaper?

Maybe because she has figured out WHEN it's ok (?) to be on the table. Or maybe just because she wants to be in the know about current events.

Either way. Reading with the assistance of a furry, four-legged, clawed feline is the way to go.

I do not see a cat on the table. Are you talking about Monet?

Angie Quantrell has seriously adopted many new house rules and redecorations as the result of adopting two gray kittens.

A Month of Thanks - November 12 - Clothes (and Help)

Mabel, the tightrope walker

So this is why my clothes look the way they do!

I just need a little help from my friends...

I am thankful for clothes.

Especially with the cold (or hot, wet, snowy, muddy, windy) weather coming, I am very happy to have clothes to wear. I am also glad that I do not have to wear my birthday suit as I trot around town running errands or when we go out for dinner. Whew.

Regardless of how my clothes actually look on me - wrinkled? old? out of fashion? - I am so glad to have them to wear. You should be, too.

Monet. The eyes say it all.

Two. I wanted two kittens. TWO.

Double trouble is a reality.

Recycle a Kitty. Or Two.

I've long had goals of recycling everything I can get my hands on. After all, we live in a world with LIMITED resources. We should do all we can to preserve those resources.

Remember? Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Three key words to remind us how to decrease the amount in landfills and the need for raw materials.

Eons ago, recycling was new. And then I went to Western Washington University. On the West side of the state. Ecology and the environment were (and are) hot topics at Western.

And now, thankfully, ecology and the environment are big everywhere. True, I may go overboard at times, if one asks my family, but so what?

If we all went overboard to reduce our waste, reuse all we could, and recycle everything possible, just think how much we could save! Natural resources, money, landfills, garbage, the environment...

And I LOVE the new refurbishing movement. Let's take the old ugly, and transform it into something tres chic and use it for another 40 or 50 years. Amen, Sistah!

I am so glad to live in a city that has recycling as a part of its waste management plant. Not glass, but let's not open that bottle of worms - for now.

Being good stewards, after all, is a part of God's Big Plan. He gave us this place. We need to take care of it.

Enough preaching.

On the personal level, I've had additional help with recycling. And destruction, but that's another subject.

Meet my new converts. Mabel and Monet, on the job, condensing my recycling box so more can be added.

Way to go, girls!

Let's not fight about it! Let's see if you can get your kitties to recycle.

The gauntlet has been tossed.

Writing Tips for Maximizing Your Creative Potential

What can you do to help your writing career?

Tips abound wherever one looks. But these are the ones that help me. Plus, they are fun and take the sting out of long bouts of concentration and writing spent hunched over a keyboard.

1. Have equipment that is in good working order.
As seen in this photo, (figuratively) duct-taping miscellaneous electronic devices may not be good for work efficiency. Splurge on current and working (!) pieces of equipment. Mine is on it's last leg. Seriously. There are portions from three different systems at work in this photo. All necessary to keep it afloat until pressing deadlines are met.

And them, BAM. Time for a new computer. That should clear off the desk!

2. Ask for lots of help.
Additional pairs of eyes can catch errors you don't see. Listening ears will hear those spots that cause readers to stumble. Listen to your critics. Let them help you mend your ways.

3. Make sure you have a comfy chair.
After all, your backside will be spending oodles of hours flattened on the seat while your brain wheels twirl and create fascinating stories. Be willing to share a tiny portion of the seat with your fans.

4. Adopt desktop editors.
Give them ample work space and easy access to your work. Every extra set of eyes, ears, and paws that peruses your documents provides invaluable insights.

5. Evaluate your work station.
Do you need a bulletin board? A document stand? Speakers? A foot rest (essential for short writers)? External memory drive? Wireless mouse or keyboard? What makes you super productive as you write? Adjust your work area accordingly.

Regardless of where you do your best work, take a few minutes to proof it for comfort, efficiency, and availability of essential work tools.

And then, no more excuses. Get writing.

Help is Never Far Away

What is it that Dumbledore says to Harry in the second movie featuring the Chamber of Secrets? Something like "Help will never be far from those who need it" or "Help will always be given to those who deserve it."

I'm finding that very true in my house.

Help comes in small packages! And it is always, always available, needed or not.

And look! The kitties are ever so generous. I came back into the room, and I found a prize. Mr. Mousey would like to help me read the Bible.

Anyone need extra help? I've got plenty to spare.

pas de souci

New school. Boxes. Piles and stacks of teaching supplies. Blank walls. Unassembled things. Old school. More stuff. New rules and guidelines. Revised procedures. Lovely building. Expansive playground. Fresh paint and carpet. Empty lesson plans and grade book.

The clock spins ever faster. Ah, my aching neck and clenched teeth.

No worries. Pas de souci.

All in good time, each task will be completed at the right moment. I don't know why I worry, when I really do know that God will get me through everything. He has never let me down, even when I work myself into a frenzy of tight muscles and knots. Sigh.

Note to self: He. Will. Take. Care. Of. Everything. Everything!

Our help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:8)