My... Baby

So I got a Baby.

Anyone who knows me is probably very confused right now.  How does the college aged girl who has never even had a boyfriend have a baby?  Easy, I bought one.

It was an investment, but so far I love having it around.  Still thinking about names though and haven't decided about the gender.  Haven't decided the gender?  Oh yeah, it's not actually... human.

So pretty much every photographer I have ever met has referred to their camera as their baby.  The first time I heard that I simply thought it was strange.  The second and third times I questioned the photographers sanity due to their attachment to an inanimate object.  Following occasions I began to think there was some strange cult... like those moms who buy life-like baby dolls and pretend they are real.  Now I've joined their ranks (the photographers ranks I mean, not the weird moms.)

Well, I've mostly joined.  I haven't referred to my new Nikon D3100 as my baby... yet.  I haven't created a scrapbook of its first stuttering steps in ISO and aperture.  And I certainly haven't lovingly cradled it in my arms, crying tears of joy, as I imagine our long future together, which will probably include Doctor Who and bacon, and feeling overwhelmed by the fact that I can have such a true and steady friend who will simply capture the memories instead of insisting that I share the bacon too.  Certainly nothing like that.

I will tell you that I have never been so excited when waiting for a package.  I don't know how many times I plugged in my tracking number to see where it was at.  When the doorbell rang the only thing that could have made me happier was if I saw the current Doctor standing there with the TARDIS perched in one of the front yard trees.  Unwrapping it was sort of like Christmas on steroids.  Taking my first Photo Adventure was great fun. 

And it was during that adventure when I got the first inkling of why photographers might refer to their camera as their baby.  And not just cause you want to hold it close to your heart... but because when you do, it's heavy.  Seriously.  How do these photographers do it?  I lugged my camera bag all over campus and when I got home I felt like I had not just a baby strapped across my shoulders, but more like a very small hippo.  And the camera is so heavy around my neck.  This could be just me, because sometimes even just wearing lightweight necklaces gives me headaches, but my neck is always sore after carrying my camera around.  I really wanted to have this camera for if I study abroad, but now I'm wondering if I'm that committed.  I guess I'll just have to keep practicing and maybe hope that love will lift the weight from my shoulders.  Till then, I can see how "baby" is an adequate description.

The photo below is from my first Photo Adventure, and is of a yellow hibiscus.  Not a perfect photo, but pretty good for the first hour of use I'd say!



Oh yeah, I'm thinking about Mildred.  Opinions?

Obsession... Oh My!

I used to be obsessed.  I mean, knock-down drag out in love.  You know how some girls are all "Team Edward!" "Team Jacob!" "Team Anything Hot and Popular!!!"  Yeah, well, when I was 10 I was like "Team I Freaking Love Books!" and "Team What Is Twilight?" and "Team I Love The Wizard of Oz!"

Yep, the Wizard of Oz.  I was into guys made of metal before Iron Man made them cool.  I liked green people before the Hulk made them awesome.  I liked people without brains before Bella made them... oh wait, no, she didn't really give anything a good name.  Anyways, while other kids shuddered at the sight of a flying monkey I was like "ermergerd rubyr slerperrrs!"  And not because I was particularly fond of shoes.

I had this calendar with pictures from the movie and my mom and I cut it up and laminated it and then hung them all over my room and painted the walls and furniture to match.  I had a Glinda bank, a Wizard of Oz clock, and Oz themed fabric.  I collected all the books and movies.  Wait - books and movies?  Plural?  Oh yeah - it didn't stop with The Wizard of Oz.  You've got Ozma of Oz, Rinkitink in Oz, The Road to Oz and a whole host of others.  Plus the books other authors wrote when L. Frank Baum died - including some by his illustrator and also his son.

I like to think I've gotten out of the Oz obsession phase and have moved on to other things like Harry Potter and Doctor Who.  But I admit I still like it.  In fact, just naming off some of those old books really makes me want to re-read them.  However, perhaps the reason I know the phase is over is because I found The Wizard of Oz shoved under my bed a few days ago and it looked so sad and lonely I just couldn't bear to shove it back under... so I cut it up and made it into some cards.








Okay, I left you guys some room to gasp and freak out for a moment.  I promise you I love books.  And I promise I still love the Wizard of Oz.  But I hate books that just sit under my bed so lonely.  Plus, it's not like it was my only copy!  And, I also figured some of the pages would feel much more loved when they were in the hands of a soldier overseas.  I used the pages to decorate the front of AnyHero Mail, that is, letters of encouragement for our American hero's.  The cards will then be donated to Operation Write Home which will mail them to hero's who don't get much mail.

 

 

This card-making technique is so easy and... I don't know, I guess I just love books even if they are cut up into pieces.  I'm sort of hooked and can't stop making them!  I think half of my motivation to write letters is just to make these cards at this point.  Seriously, I freaking love making these cards!  And the quotes are sometimes so perfect and... shoot.

I'm obsessed.

Again.

Whew!

I think the title describes it all.  Whew is right!  It's been a crazy semester at college.  I don't ever actually remember breathing, but I must have since I'm still here.  I don't think I remember sleeping either.  Maybe I did.  I definitely ate though - some of my best friendships were formed through food.  That is, if bacon can even be classified as simply a food... I'm thinking it deserves a title closer to Life-Giving-Substance-That-Tastes-Like-Heaven-In-A-Frying-Pan.  So yes, I definitely remember eating bacon.  And baking cookies.  And making crepes.  Not sure about the vegetables though... I think I probably ate them at some point.  Hm.

So, yeah, a crazy semester in which breathing, sleeping, and eating healthy was forsaken!  But, really, what else are college memories made of?  I certainly did homework somewhere in there and did amazing in all my classes (that's not bragging if the grades back me up haha), but I won't be telling my kids about that great afternoon I spent working on an English paper.  Although I might tell them about the time I spent an hour in a "study group" for history which deteriorated to making voices like Yoda and Tinkerbell.  Yeah, I think they might enjoy that one... especially if I include the sound effects.

You know what else I didn't do a lot of in college?  Crafting.  Seriously, I've missed my ATG tape gun.  A lot.  That's probably something really weird for a college kid to miss... I mean, imagine the conversations that could take place:
RANDOM ADULT FRIEND OF PARENTS: So what do you like best about being home?
ME: ...I get to use my tape gun?
ADULT: I think the stress got to her.
But, in all seriousness, I really have enjoyed crafting again.  And taking some time to write letters!  I'm still making cards to donate to Operation Write Home, and I'm still writing letters to heroes to send to OWH.  I wrote a bunch through my year at college and now it's time to mail them off.  I probably should have done that more regularly throughout the school year but... well, like I said, breathing, sleeping, healthy eating wasn't happening, let alone mailing off packages.

To start the summer crafting marathon off right, I've posted a picture of one of the cards I made recently!  Rather simple design, which I like, and the teal blue color is one of my most absolute favorites in the world.  I mean, if I had to choose a favorite color that would probably be it.  But I'd feel bad for all the pretty colors I left out.

Anyways - I can't promise to post here regularly throughout the summer.  Promises, promises... easily made, not so easily kept.  But, I am in a writing and a crafting mood, so I figure posting may kill two birds with one stone (although I really don't advocate killing birds and my aim is so bad I would probably end up hitting some rabid animal hiding in the bush which would come out to chase me.  Oh, and I don't run, so I guess I'm doomed.  Yeah, let's stay away from killing birds with stones.  The consequences could be terrible.)

So - happy summer, happy crafting, happy eating-sleeping-breathing on a semi-regular basis!

All

Jesus paid it all

All of it.  Everything.  The little white lie you told your parents, the gossip you spread, the time you ignored a person in need, the impure thoughts, the malicious actions… everything.  And not just for you – for everyone.  Every single person living on the earth today, their sins were all paid for by Jesus.  The irritating person who likes you more than you like them, the pastor who isn’t perfect, the prisoner who raped, murdered, and stole.  Christ came to pay for all of the sins of all the people, past, present, and future.

He really paid for them too.  Sometimes when one thinks of the word “paid” a simple transaction comes to mind.  We think of Jesus coming to earth and chillin’ down here for a while before deciding it was probably time to trade in his life for the forgiveness of sins.  But it wasn’t that painless.  Jesus really paid for our sin.  He didn’t just trade his life in as if he were exchanging an old car for a new one.  No, he paid for all sin for all people with all of himself.  He lost everything, not just his life.  Stripped nearly naked and ridiculed, he sacrificed his dignity for our sin.  Whipped until his flesh was filled with long gouges pouring blood, Jesus paid for our sin with his comfort.  The entire time his mother watched.  The woman who had rocked him to sleep as a baby, who had raised him into a young man, who had watched him work as a carpenter, was forced to look on from the sidelines as her son was tortured in a manner that must have made her sick.  It was hard enough for her, but Jesus knew she watched his suffering and he had to give up his peace of mind that his own family could be spared the horror of seeing him in his current condition.  Jesus paid everything he had in the most terrible manner possible for all the sin of all the people.

All to him I owe

All of it.  Everything.  It was my sin he suffered for.  The thing is, I should have been in his place.  In fact, with all I have done to hurt Him, Jesus probably should have been the one driving nails through my hands.  Instead, he took my place.  I didn’t just stand on the sidelines weeping in gratitude though.  No, I held the whip in my hand and beat him repeatedly.  I shoved a makeshift crown constructed of thorns on his brow so hard it punctured his skin and caused little rivelets of blood to trickle down his face.  I mocked him when he fell and the cross nearly crushed him.  And it was my left hand which held the nail steady as I raised the mallet in my right.

Christ did this for me without complaint.  He did it knowing I would continue to whip and mock him with each sin I committed.  He paid for it knowing I might not even accept him as my Savior.  For this perfect, unconditional love, I owe him everything.  Just as he didn’t only give up his life, so I can’t just give him mine.  I must give up my dignity, comfort, wants, time, money, talents… everything.  Without Him I would be without it anyways, as I would have been the one hanging from that cross.

Sin had left a crimson stain

Without Jesus I would be wearing red.  Perhaps even more than that – without Jesus I would be red.  Sin would be my identity.  The thing is, stains hard to hide.  Sure, you can try to cover them up for a while, but soon enough you’ll get another somewhere else and the more you accumulate the more difficult it is to hide them.  And with sin, they all leave the same crimson mark.  It’s not like a white lie is a little faded pink pin prick near the hem and adultery is a large blood red blot on the shoulder.  No, all are the same and are equally obvious to God.  Not only are they hard to hide, but they are also hard to wash out.

But he washed it white as snow

Here’s what I find interesting – Jesus washed out blood with blood.  The blood we have on our hands from all manner of sins, he cleanses it off with his own.  It doesn’t make sense.  I was baptized into His death and subsequent resurrection.  I was baptized into his suffering, His pain, his blood, and then resurrected with His triumph.  Through water and blood I am made as white and as pure as snow.

The idea of being washed also evokes the image of Jesus washing his disciple’s feet.  This simple act of service is reminiscent of his entire ministry and the sacrifice of his death.  His whole life seemed to be about washing – washing others with love, washing them physically in acts of service, and washing away their sins with his blood.  This is a reminder that if we want to imitate Him then we must wash others with love and service in any way we can.

Since Jesus paid for all the sin of all the people with all he had, I owe him all.  I must ask for His help in making Him my all so He may use me to reach all I meet, even if in the smallest way.  Lord, you paid it all, and I owe all to you.  Be my all.

One of My Nicest Thoughts

This is one of the handmade cards I made for Operation Write Home.  I folded an origami heart from a book page and then used a stamp set for the sentiment.

I Have Returned

I’m back!

Sorta.

Kinda…

Maybe!

I’ll explain… sorta… kinda… maybe!

Okay, I’m done with the sorta, kindas, and maybes (kinda… sorta… maybe… nooo stop it fingers!  Y u no type right?)  …See?  Reason #73 I should never write when I’m tired, hungry, or hopped up on sugar.  And I’m not even tired or hyper right now, just really hungry.

ANYWAYS.  To the point.  I’m back.  Just not in the same way was before!

I’ve been in some scary places the past few months.  To the State of Waiting for Some Exciting Things To Happen.  To the Land of Creating a New Blog and a journey to Discovering a New Blog Does Not Mean One Automatically Creates Brilliant Posts.  I’ve been to Infinity!  And Beyond!

Yes, I did create a new blog.  One of the reasons was because this one was connected to my Etsy store.  Not only was my Etsy site failing miserably, I hate selling things (I mean, apart from souls… kidding, kidding – I’m a ginger, I don’t have one.)  I guess one of the reasons I hate selling things is because I hate having things sold to me.  If I want to buy something, I’ll buy it, if not, well, I hardly doubt you can convince me.  It was really hard for me to try to recruit people to buy things from my shop, and I felt like all my posts here had to relate to what I was trying to sell, you know, to build a fan base or something like that... and somehow I didn't think book reviews and life rants fit into that.

Of course, when I got my new blog I discovered a few things.  1) A new name does not necessarily mean I got new (more regular, witty, and interesting) posting habits. 2) I really love the custom template I’ve made here (what?  I like pretty things!)  3)  I still need a reason to post.  And the reason for having a blog is everything.

Recently I had an epiphany while writing (a whole ‘nother post there), but the basic premise was this: I have to write because I love to write.  I decided the same was true for blogging.  I have to blog because I love to do it.  I can’t blog to sell things (goes against my personality), I can’t blog to inform other people (because, then I’m just another informative blog in a sea of millions), and I can’t blog to aid my future career (because, well, I don’t exactly know what that will be.  And I’m sure this is nowhere near professional enough.  I mean, just look at that introduction!)  All those things could be side benefits – but they can’t be the main reason!

So, yes, I’m back!  What does this mean?  When I have something to post, I will.  I love writing book reviews, so you’ll get some of those.  I love making handmade cards and writing letters to heroes, so you’ll get some posts about that.  I love being nonsensical and writing about random things that happen to me.  I’m going to be very busy in the next few weeks, months, and years, as I am starting a new chapter of my life.  That means I can’t promise to have weekly posts on a certain theme or host bloghops or do anything that a professional, real blogger would do.  It just means that when I have something to say, I will!

I have a few book reviews in reserve, so I will try to set those to post automatically (since I’m sure I’ll forget.  Hey, I may be back, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly have great memory retrieval tricks.)  I also have some Word documents with rants about writing, Doctor Who, internet memes, and glitter-phobia (intrigued?)

I will end this post not with goodbye, but with a hello!  And an allons-y!

P.S. Rereading this (and going all Grammar Nazi on it and stuff) I realize that I've used a lot of exclamation points.  This bothers me grammatically, but the perpetually cheerful side of me can't bear to delete a single one.  So I'm keeping them!  Just thought I would apologize for those that were also bothered.  Feel free to post a long exclamation point free comment to counter the excess of them in this post.

Stars and Stamps Our Daily Bread February Challenge

My first challenge!  This card was made for the Stars and Stamps ODBD challenge and we were supposed to use "yummy ribbon."  I don't know how "yummy" this ribbon is, but I am really happy I learned to tie such a neat looking bow, courtesy of this video here.  It also features an origami dress folded from a 3x3inch piece of origami paper.  I don't usually do such pastel colors, nor three patterned papers together, but I was happy at how this card turned out!

This was my first challenge for OWH and... it was really fun!  I don't know if I can do them regularly, I'm sorta strapped for time and do cards sporadically whenever I have a free day, but I certainly hope I can participate in more!

Thanks for visiting!

Spirelli and spirelli and spirelli... oh my!

I've been having more fun with Spirelli cards!  These are all made for OperationWriteHome.org.

One tip for making Spirelli cards is to remember that dark thread shows up well on light paper, but light thread doesn't "pop" when wound around dark paper.  My solution?  Use thicker strands of light colored threads.

Using thick embroidery thread makes this a bold fun card.  Now, see how it contrasts with a card made with single strands of dark embroidery thread on a light background.



These are two totally different looks, using the same colors - just reversed!

I also made a rather patriotic card... perfect for our military! 

I have also made a flower with Spirelli.  I didn't have any stamps with flower stems, so I had to improvise and draw one of my own.  I'm not sure what this means as far as sending it to OWH, I know that crafters can't include handwritten sentiments, so it might be the same rules for hand-drawn.



I hope you enjoyed these Spirelli cards!  I hope to post a tutorial on how to make them one of these days.

Paper 3D Snowflakes

I'm doing a service project at an assisted living home and we need centerpieces for the party we're hosting.  Here is the snowflake I made with instructions found HERE

I might post a tutorial at some point, with the tips and tricks I discovered while making it!

The snowflake was made out of six sheets of 8.5x8.5 inch copy paper.  It measures nearly 22 inches across!

Metallic Spirelli Cards

Remember making Spirelli as a kid?  It's still fun years later!

I have wound metallic thread around a flower shape cut from a Cricut.  

These are cards I am donating to Operation Write Home (an organization that sends handmade cards to our heroes overseas so they have something nice on which to write home!)  Since this was made for a soldier to write home on, the inside of the card is not black because I mounted the black square onto a white cardstock base.

Have you noticed my background?  I have several hardback books that are the same color and I simply stood them upright to block out the (very) messy background.

Elegant Blue and Gold Lucky Stars

The blue stars and gold stars are very pretty on their own, but combining them leads to a stunning result.

The gold stars were placed in a circle around the bottom of the wineglass and then the blue stars were laid so two gold stars were between each of them.

The result reminds me of a snowflake! 

Really, the designs you could make with lucky stars are limitless.  You could put several rows of stars alternating colors to make a huge snowflake design for a grand centerpiece.

Of course, a simple circle of gold stars is just as elegant!

Elegant Lucky Stars in Blue Wineglass

These lucky stars are blue with gold streaks, coordinating perfectly with a blue stemmed wineglass and gold stars set around the bottom.

Although these stars could work for any occasion, the deep blue color reminds me of especially of the Christmas season.

Setting gold stars around the bottom of the wineglass really gives the setting an extra "pop"!

Elegant Lucky Stars in Gold Goblet

Lucky stars can be cute, but they are also very elegant when folded from metallic papers.

One of the most sophisticated ways to use lucky stars is to place them in a wineglass or a goblet.

You can use a plain wineglass or one that complements the stars.

This would be the perfect centerpiece for tables at a wedding or other elegant party.

If you scatter the stars around the table, they also take the form of a classy confetti that your guests will want to take home (talk about easy clean up!)

Gold stars would also be a great gift for a "golden anniversary."  Imagine giving your loved one 50 gold stars in a wineglass or maybe 500 in a vase!  The gift could be displayed for many more years to come and will be a continual reminder of your love.  You could also write one thing you love about the person on every single star and have your loved one read a new one each day.

New Blog Layout

If you can't tell, I've redesigned my blog!  I felt the need for something a little "cleaner."  I changed the colors to black and white so that things would be easier to read, especially the links.  I hope the fun fonts show up, I really like them.   I also adjusted the width of my blog so I can use huge pictures.  Then, of course, there is the header...

Okay, I'm going to brag for a moment... isn't it beautiful????  Alright, bragging done.  But seriously, I really like this.  The blog is clean, and somewhat professional looking, but still has that little "pop" that is totally me!

The curvy design is a spirelli (you know, that string art you did as a kid).  I had already made it for a digital scrapbooking set and had never used it before!  I was thinking of using the spirelli I made to accent backgrounds, but I think inserting photos within them could make a really interesting (albeit difficult) scrapbook layout.

The hardest part of creating the header (after actually figuring out what I even wanted to do for my header and trying various photo-montages) was finding the right photos.  I have tons of photos, but not all of them look good in such small spaces.  I had to stretch some of them out... the stretch is somewhat noticeable to me, but what do you think?  If you had to pick, which are the ones that you think needed to be stretched?

After finding the right photos, it wasn't to hard to insert them.  A little bit finicky re-sizing them once they were placed in their slots but, overall, not to bad.

This probably isn't the last time I'll redesign my blog (I really, really enjoy it) but I think this template shall stick around for awhile.

"Lantern" Book Folding Art

I'm at it again!  This time I decided to try a paperback book.  Take a look:

I found some really cool vintage-looking children's books along with a book rack at an estate sale this weekend.  "Well," I thought to myself, "I would feel terrible folding them... but I could definitely photograph them with folded books!"

There was a set of nine for $10 and the book rack was free (probably since I purchased all the books it held!)

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This folded paperback book is two books in one: "A Time to Forgive" and "Promise Forever" by Marta Perry.

Book folding can be placed as book ends by other books.  I would suggest using one of those slim black metal book ends if your books don't actually stand up on their own... you wouldn't want your folded creation to be crushed!  So far, I've only used metal book ends as a safety precaution since my books seem to stay standing on their own.

I really had a lot of fun setting up all these different designs!

I call this design "Lantern" because it reminds me of one of those paper lanterns you might hang up outside.  This one is made of paper too, but I don't think I'd risk putting it outside!

Thanks for reading... and looking!

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee (Full Book Review)

Title: Somebody Everybody Listens To

Author: Suzanne Supplee 

Pages: 245

Content: V=1, D=1, S=1, L=2

Plot: Retta Lee Jones has dreamed of Nashville all her life.  The summer after graduating high school she takes her guitar and heads to that city of country music.  She knows it won’t be easy and she isn’t expecting fame overnight… but when her car breaks down her first night and she’s mugged the second she begins to doubt she can really make it.  Things don’t get any easier.  In fact, the friendship of Ricky Dean and book sales girl Emerson and her best friend from Starling, Brenda, seem to be the only things pulling her through.  Can Retta make it as a country music singer?  Pick up the book to find out!

What I liked: Alright, I like country music myself so it was really cool that before every chapter there was a half page “biography” of country music artists of where they were born, where they worked, their “big break,” and a life event.  Also, it had their full names (Did you know Faith Hill’s name is really Audrey Faith Perry?  Or Toby Keith’s last name is Covel?  How about “Richard Keith Urban”?  Also, all of the chapters were titled after a song that a country music artist wrote.  So that was super cool!

I also felt like I connected with Retta and how she had done all this research on country music and knew she wasn’t going to be famous overnight… and she wasn’t.  I feel like the same thing has happened with me: I started a handmade card business and did a lot of research and I knew I wasn’t going to have millions of orders on *my Etsy shop* overnight… and I didn’t.  I think Retta might have felt a bit like me, where you *know* something isn’t going to be easy in your head, but in your heart you hope by some miracle it will be – or that it will at least be easier then it was for others.

I really liked that there were actually a few songs of Retta’s in the book.  Sometimes it peeves me to read a book about how a character is really good at writing, or poetry, or whatnot and then you don’t see any of their work.  I only wish this book came with a CD so I could actually listen to the tune of the songs! =]

Also, just detail wise – on the page of the country music artist bio and the first chapter page there was some *really* pretty grey swirly-flowery printing.

Negative: I didn’t find anything I really disliked about this book!  There was some language, if you are worried about that, but I didn't find it particularly overwhelming.

Who would like this book: Anyone who enjoys country music!  Of course, if you are totally hate the country twang the book would still be a good read (after all, it’s not like you can actually hear the music.  Although, if you’ve listened to the artists, maybe you can.)

You can visit Suzanne Supplee’s website here: http://www.suzannesupplee.com/index.html  (Read through her Q&A or even the “Contact” page – I got a giggle from both.)

View book discussion questions (after you've read the book of course!) here: http://justbyjosephine.blogspot.com/2011/08/somebody-everybody-listens-to-by.html

Just When You Thought They Couldn't Get Any Cuter

Oh my goodness... you thought these little origami lucky stars couldn't be more adorable:

I'm here to prove you wrong.  Take a look at this little guy:

Told you.  And these ones:

And finally these:

They're like paper emoticons! =P  Can you imagine how cute these would be as earring beads?  Having colors to match your outfits is sooo last year - now expressions to fit your emotions are totally in!

The Queen of Water by Laura Resau (Full YA Book Review)

There was that moment while reading The Queen of Water by Laura Resau when I finally tore myself away from the book to get some sleep.  As I shut the cover, I glanced at the author’s names and let a loud “OHHHHH” escape my lips.

The plot:  The Queen of Water tells the story of Maria Virginia, a Quechua girl living in Ecaudor, who becomes a servant for an upper class mestizo family while she is very young.  Virginia never receives any sort of pay, nor the promised visits to her family so whether she was sold by her parents or simply given away remains ambiguous.  The Doctorita is almost the “evil step-mother” type who beats Virginia and keeps her locked in the house.  The Doctorita’s husband, Nino Carlitos, is a seemingly kind father figure until his affections for Virginia and his jealousy of other teenage boys reeks of something more sinister.  In spite of her terrible situation, Virginia is vivisima (very clever), curious, and resilient.  Even though she hates the mestizos she serves, there is something, apart from their threats, that holds her back from escaping.

The moment:  So about “that moment” I mentioned above.  If you’ve read The Shack by Wm. P. Young you might have had this reaction too (except, with The Queen of Water it’s undoubtedly a real person and situation.)  You see, the book is written by TWO authors one of which is Laura Resau, whom I recognized as the author of Red Glass.  The other is Maria Virginia Farinango of whom I had never heard.  Maybe I should have guessed after reading the words on the cover “a novel based on a true story” – but then again, I’ve read a lot of historical fiction books, most of which are based on true stories.  Once I put together that the author and the girl in the book were the same person it made the story all the better.

Random Interesting Fact: An interesting note for Spanish students – on page 259 it is mentioned that the poor indigenas are scorned by shopkeepers and middle class indigenas and they show their dislike by not using polite usted form when speaking to the poor indegenas.  So instead of “Como estas?” (as to a stranger to show respect) they would say “Como esta?” (which you only use with close friends or peers) (of course, these would have accents, which I haven't figured out how to work on blogger =)

Overall: I loved this book!  I loved it as a story, but I also loved that it was a true story.  Even better was that Ms. Resau has so much information on her blog about her experience writing the book and time with Maria Virginia.  It is so interesting to have a book literally "come alive."
Ms. Resau's website: http://www.lauraresau.com/
Ms. Resau's blog: http://lauraresau.blogspot.com/

What I Took Away: In the last third of The Queen of Water, Virginia goes to a shop and finds a book Secrets to a Happy Life in which 

“the key idea is Querer es poder.  To want is to be able to.  To want is power.  If you want something enough, you’ll find a way to get it.  You have to be creative, think outside the box.  You have to repeat your dream to yourself, with complete faith that you will get it.  You have to envision your dreams as if they’re already real.”

Querer es poder is the way that Virginia eventually achieves her dreams.  She is creative, just like MacGyver – her admired television star – and works towards her dreams.

Learning:

1 – This was mostly entertainment; I may have seen the characters learn and grow but did not do so myself.

2 – I may have learned a few interesting facts or life lessons that I’ll probably forget in a week.

3 – This book was informative on a topic I wasn’t very knowledgeable about and/or I learned a new way of looking at life.

4 – I felt like I learned about something I knew nothing of (and I will remember it) and/or it answered questions I had about life.

5 – This book was life-changing.

Vocabulary:

1 – No new words here.

2 – I might have seen one or two I didn’t recognize.

3 – A couple of words OR foreign language words.

4 – Lots of new words to look up and learn!

5 – There were new words every page, I sometimes felt they distracted and inhibited me from understanding the book.

(based on vocabulary needed for SAT or ACT tests.)

Content:

1 – Nothing to worry about, I would be comfortable reading this book to my mom, sister, grandma, or Pastor.

2 – This book may have mild violence or language.

3 – This book has medium content in several areas and is suitable for ages 13+.

4 – This book may have blatant content in one or two areas (violence, language).

5 – This book has blatant content in many areas.

(Please contact me if you would like to know specifics about the content and why I rated it a 3.)

Have you read The Queen of Water or any of Laura Resau's books?  What did you think of them?  Leave a comment letting me know, I would love to hear what you have to say!)