‘Ink Re-Cap 131: Sharing Sketches, Scribbles and Inklings
‘Ink Re-Cap 131.
Sharing sketches and scribbles,
and catching inklings of the best life.
Plus an inspiring quote for your scrapbook.
The best sketch from our life this week:
Is about our g’littles of course!
Message from my NE DIL:
My faraway mini-farm family has 19 chickens. One hen stands out from the rest. She’s reddish brown, and fluffy and pretty. And always meets them at the gate when they come to feed the brood. 5 year old L. named her Lucy. No, he didn’t name her after any Lucy he knows, because he doesn’t know any Lucy’s. (He knows 2 for sure.) But for some reason, Miss Fluffy Red is now named Lucy.
So one day he’s walking around the farm, Lucy in his arms, just enjoying life.
Mom is with his brother on the lawn mower tractor, teaching him to mow. Because he promises he will act responsible, he won’t go too fast, and he will mow with great care.
Mom is convinced finally that he will putter along like an old man, stay in the proper circuits on the lawn, and be responsible. Her heart swells a little with pride as she goes inside to make supper. One boy is happily cuddling his chicken, and one bigger boy is proving himself.
Five minutes later she sees unexpected movement out the front window. She leaves the kitchen to see what it was…
Mr. Responsible is tearing U-ees on the lawn at high speed, laughing and shouting in glee. Little L has let Lucy run, as he watches in amazement and adoration of his big brother.
So mom tries valiantly to suppress her grins as she goes forth to scold Mr. Now-not-so-responsible. She knows how much harmless fun he’s having. Although the grass has a few gouges, which she elaborately explains is unacceptable.
Again he promises to mow like a very old grampa, and all 3 go back to normal life.
‘Ink Re-Cap 131 Sketches and Scribbles
So this week we decided it was time to get serious about getting financial resources for Kim.
The last job she had, which was the greatest opportunity, was too much stress for her,
with not enough give from the company to accommodate her issues,
so we’ve come to the difficult conclusion that a public sector job is out for her at this time.
She really wavers on that one. It’s so, so hard for her to accept that what her head wants
doesn’t match with what her psyche will allow.
She can imagine doing what everyone else does and she wants it for herself. Then we go over the things that cause problems in the job world for her, and she has to accept, once again, that she can’t do it.
Three programs should have given her the tools to do have a job, and all three have failed.
So we talked to an advocate, because the SS people see that she held a job for almost a year, making good money, and that’s all they see. They don’t see the spiral from happiness, to anxiety, to near breakdown in those 11 months. If she hadn’t quit when she did she would have ended up in the hospital.
It’s so amazing to feel that someone is on your side. We’re happy to pay the price just to know someone is going to look out for our best interests. And won’t give up until it’s done.
I feel like a failure sometimes that I don’t have what it takes to push through to success on this government aid thing, which she deserves, but seems too capable to them to provide. If you need the name of a good disability lawyer, ask us. We like this man very much. In fact, he just might be our hero of the week. Or the year!
So because of all our phone calls,
and all our kimenink and VBS related work,
(and an out and out craft fail on Thursday)
we only had 4 posts this week:
Travel Themed Bridal Shower: Budget Friendly DIY Ideas
Kim’s Birth Story, The Dawn of Our Autism Journey
Retro Wedge Salad Recipe, Good Things Always Return
Postponed Living; A Study of Drusilla of Acts 24
Art Chalk Poster
Have you ever used art chalk?
I don’t have a lot of experience with it, but every once in a while our Church School will put on a last day of school program that requires a background.
One year their topic was the Titanic, so we did a 10 foot by 15 foot chalk drawing of the Titanic sailing proudly into the sunset.
This year their theme is the Underground Railroad, specifically a certain landowner helping slaves escape.
So on Thursday afternoon I used up all the black, dark blue, green and brown chalk that the school had in their stash.
I was getting near the finish line (which we had to put on hold to get more chalk) and my eyes were glazing over and my back was protesting. I had to quit for the day, but I couldn’t stand to leave the things that needed touching up. The more tired I got, the worse the poster looked.
And then…
angels came to visit.
The upper grade teacher brought her class over to see what was happening, and I heard ohs and ahs from the moment the door clicked open.
I sat down on a chair and listened in wonder at their comments.
They thought this was amazing? This job I was getting so discouraged about?
Wow. What a balm for a bruised soul. Because, the truth is, 3 hours of chalking isn’t THAT amazing. And they like it.
So I was able to step away and leave the rest for another day, and when I got to the door, and looked back,
well, I was amazed.
It is totally worth it to step away from a hard thing and take another look, preferably through someone else’s eyes.
That should be a poster.
Most read posts this week:
This one topped the rest by far. It seems the questions needed answers?
Kim’s Story, The Dawn of Our Autism Journey
and the second chapter
Kim’s Birth Story, The Dawn of Our Autism Journey
Runner up:
Retro Wedge Salad Recipe, Good Things Always Return
New Products in our Shop
Dad Photo Frame Card to Celebrate a Special Man
Most of you might think pink glasses at a Dad’s work station is weird.
And those look like girl’s hands. They probably are, but hear me out.
Dad’s are random, right? At least, my Dad was. He would totally have had a cluttered, rustic desk like this, with a daughter’s glasses sitting beside him. Which he might put on if he thought they would help him see his screen better, and never know he didn’t have his own on until someone told him. So this picture is sort of a nostalgia thing for me, although my dad never touched his fingers to a keyboard in his life. He was born in 1922, friends.
Anyway, the best thing about this card? You can insert your own photo into this frame card, and after Father’s Day is over, he can put it into a square frame and take it to the office!
And then he could think of awesome you anytime his eyes glanced away from the screen!
Top Sellers This Week
How many times has this card topped the list?
One last order for Mother’s Day. I’m so excited how it turned out!
Custom Family Sign: At These Moments, Time Stood Still
Birth Details Sign: At These Moments, Time Stood Still
Catching Inklings of the Best Life
Inspiring Story: The Teacher’s Hand
End of school is almost here.
Children everywhere celebrate, and teachers heave sighs of relief.
But this is also the time we realize and recognize the value of teachers.
This little boy knew his teacher’s value when he was still a young student.
Have a Kleenex nearby.
Inspiring Book: Humankind by Brad Aronson
“Brad Aronson’s life changed in an instant when his wife, Mia, was diagnosed with leukemia. After her diagnosis, Brad spent most of the next two and a half years either by her side as she received treatment or trying to shield their five-year-old son, Jack, from the worst of Mia’s illness. Amid the stress and despair of waiting for the treatment to work, Brad and Mia were met by an outpouring of kindness from friends, family, and even complete strangers.
Inspired by the many demonstrations of “humankindness” that supported their family through Mia’s recovery, Brad began writing about the people who rescued his family from that dark time, often with the smallest of gestures. But he didn’t stop there. Knowing that simple acts of kindness transform lives across the globe every day, he sought out these stories and shares some of the best ones here.
In HumanKind, you’ll meet the mentor who changed a child’s life with a single lesson in shoe tying, the six-year-old who launched a global kindness movement, the band of seamstress grandmothers who mend clothes for homeless people, and many other heroes.” bradaronson.com
Punctuation, Authors, and Writing Styles
“Punctuation marks are the unsung heroes of writing. They determine the story’s rhythm and clarity, but are doomed to play second fiddle to the author’s words. Inspired by a series of posters featuring literary punctuation, scientist and writer Adam J Calhoun decided to compare how different literary figures throughout history have wielded punctuation. He stripped down novels like Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, and Ulysses to analyze the differences between authors’ styles. And there is a stark visual difference.” mentalfloss.com
More Inklings
This dad walked his daughter to school every day for 10 years.
And this dad ran 1100 marathons, pushing his wheelchair bound son.
This 1890’s Bible riddle poem by a woman (that a man who thought he knew everything about the Bible couldn’t solve).
We mentioned our current hero before. This man was a hero since the 1960s, and no one knew it till many years later.
Back in 2006, when she was four, her father took a photo that went viral. This year they decided to take ownership of “Disaster Girl” and it might make them a few bucks. What’s it like to be a meme girl??
These first chapters of a book being written by an autistic millionaire.
Inspiring Quote
And this quote for your scrapbook:
Just because we need reminders sometimes.
