Today we have been married FORTY-ONE years!!!

41 years ago, Jim and I were sealed in marriage for "Time and All Eternity" in the Los Angeles Temple. We're still kickin' and loving life. It's been good, bad, wonderful, hard, funny, sad ... you name it, but it has all been worth it and that's what matters. 

Here is a cinquain poem I wrote years ago - still applies: 

Comfort
Feeling secure
Where judgment has no place
Wrapped in the safety of your arms
Husband

Stephanie Abney ~   © 1998

I couldn't hope to "re-cap" 41 years so I posted what has emerged as our "theme song" ~ "Through the Years" by Kenny Rogers. Enjoy - I'll be busy ...

A Day in May . . . or 4 or 5 days

Ah, the best laid plans… I always MEAN to get right back to my blog, but then this thing called LIFE gets in the way. So, a little catching up to follow: for May – one of the biggest events was that I went to LDStorymakers Writers Conference for the first time ever!! (I’ve been going to writers’ workshops and conferences for over 20 years but never to this one before).

It was the first weekend in May and my dear friend, Theresa Sneed, and I drove up together (well, I drove and she rode). We left on Wed afternoon (later than we meant to) and spent the night in Henderson, NV. The next morning we got ready and drove on up to SLC where Theresa was signed up for Writers Boot Camp so I dropped her off and then I had a great lunch with my cousin, Kathy Goold Gunther, whom I haven’t seen in years!

Our hostess for our stay was Kari Pike, a fellow ANWA member who moved from AZ to UT a year or so ago (maybe more – my brain doesn’t keep track of time very well - DUH). We had lots of fun with Kari. Thanks, Kari - you're the BEST!

That night (Thurs) Theresa and I drove up to Ogden, UT so we could watch this precious men’s’ chorus during their rehearsal as I was writing an article on them. The Men of Song (More info at their blog) – AND you can read the article I wrote for Deseret News about them here: Men of Song musical repertoire resonates with audiences ~ these men were so precious with their mellow voices. The group members range in age from 43 to 86 years old. :)

But I digress. It would be impossible at this late date to try to recap the conference – suffice it to say we had the best time, met lots of fellow LDS writers, took great classes, and even topped off the week by attending the Whitney Awards Banquet. Think I better start saving now so I can go again next year, LDStorymakers was AWESOME!

So, on Sunday, Theresa needed to get back home in order to teach school on Monday and she drove home with Betsy Love and her husband. I, on the other hand, took my sweet time; first, attending Sacrament Mtg with Kari and her family – it was Mother’s Day – and then I drove down to my sister’s house in St. George. Camille was so cute – she made us a nice lunch. We had a visit that was much too short and then I was on my way to Mandy and Jason’s house in Henderson, NV. I got there in time for Mother’s Day Dinner and had a wonderful visit with the grandchildren.

My plans were to go home on Monday, but, again, the best laid plans . . . NOT! I must have eaten something over the weekend that didn’t agree with my hypersensitive tummy (which is light years beyond just needing to be gluten-free) and I was in bed, sleeping most of the day. I drove home on Tuesday and pulled in just moments before I had to leave to go tutor in Gilbert.

And so, there you have it, one MARVELOUS extended weekend in May – wish I could have told more but this is LONG enough! Cheers!

Your Pinkie is More Powerful Than Your Thumb

Do you LOVE trivia - then you'll enjoy a new book I recently reviewed at Deseret News: 

Check out my book review on a book that dispenses more than 300 facts you never thought to wonder about ~ click here: Book Review on Deseret News - Pinkie Stronger Than Your Thumb

Would LOVE it if you left a comment in the "Comment Section" ~ Thanks!

Day 30 - Final Day of the Poetry Challenge

Day 30 - Last Day of National Poetry Month 

Well, this month has been quite amazing – for one, I actually posted on my blog EVERY day for 30 days in a row. That has GOT to be some kind of a record; especially for the A.D.D. poster queen that I am. I’m pretty pleased about that. However, my greatest satisfaction comes from seeing what these posts prompted others to create. Amazing!! 

If you’ve been following on the blog, you have seen the work of only 2 or 3 brave souls who have posted here, but I’ve also made this poetry challenge part of two email groups I belong to and the poems there just kept coming and they have been remarkable! So, for today, the last day of National Poetry Month – I’d like to hear your comments on what this has brought to you. What have you learned? What did you love? What frustrated you (if anything)? Did you discover you were a poet and didn’t even know it? 

I hope you have had fun and please post your comments (which I would love to read) here ON MY BLOG ~ even if you never wrote a poem, but enjoyed reading the poems others wrote.

LAST DAY POEM ~ please feel free to create any style poem you have enjoyed. Or you might try summing up your feelings in a poem. Thanks for taking this journey with me. See ya’ next year for Poetry Month. But please stick around as I have other things you might enjoy reading about coming up on my blog. 

Today, I’m going to a pancake breakfast this morning (my sweet gluten-free friend, Kathy, is seeing to it that there are pancakes we can eat there) and then I’m off to Day 2 of a really interesting workshop on grieving, but more importantly, awakening. It’s been pretty fascinating so far. Take care!!

Here’s MY poem for the last day of National Poetry Month, a cinquain poem, (pattern 1) – I’ll post the pattern here to remind you:

1^st line ~ two syllables – the subject (or title) or your poem

2^nd line ~ four syllables that describe the title/subject

3^rd line ~ six syllables that express action

4^th line ~ eight syllables that express a thought or feeling

5^th line ~ two syllables synonym for title (restates your subject using a different word)

Poems

Feelings expressed

From down deep in my heart

So you know who I am I’ll sing

Word Songs

                    © 2011 Stephanie Abney

Enjoy!! YOUR TURN!!

Day 29 – Let's Write a 5 W’s Poem

Day 29 – 5 W’s Poem 

This is an obvious poem, but can be a sweet one, or a silly one, or a serious one, depending on what you fill in. This poem answers the 5 W’s: Who, What, Where, When & Why.

I suggest you go to the Instant Poetry Maker on this one (it will include your punctuation for you when you click on the box “Create My Instant 5W Poem Now!” button. 

(Tomorrow is our last day)

Here is the link: Instant 5W poem creator  (it also has an example)

Below is the one I wrote inspired by a Christmas I will never forget for so many reasons. Christmas was my mom’s all-time favorite holiday and we lost her to pancreatic cancer exactly one week before Christmas of 1998. I was in California all month with my mom, dad and sister. (The rest of the family joined us for the funeral and we buried mom 2 days before Christmas). Back in Mesa, while I was gone, BJ didn’t have any money but wanted to make me a gift. I collect nativities so he decided to make one, from scratch, without a pattern, except for the vision in his head. He had leukemia and was given a freestanding woodworking workshop with electricity and power tools as his wish from “Make-A-Wish” and so he set out to create the most memorable nativity of my collection of about 50 nativities. It is so precious, as was he. Two years later, BJ lost his battle with cancer too. I cherish every reminder of who he was, what he stood for and how he loved. This one is most precious.

Brian James Abney
Made his mom a wooden nativity,
In his "Make-A-Wish" woodworking workshop,
For Christmas in 1998 when he was 14 years old,
Because he loved his mom and she collects them.

                            © 2011 Stephanie Abney

MORE on Day 28 - MY example of a Clerihew Poem

Day 28 - Clerihew Poem

OK, folks - here's mine 

(if you missed the instructions for today, just look at the post below).

 

They say Jim Abney is one of the good ol’ boys,

To make him happy, just share your toys.

He likes to wrestle, laugh and leap,

But by afternoon, he falls asleep!

                  © 2011 Stephanie Abney

Day 28 ~ Let's Write a Clerihew Poem

Day 28 - How to write a Clerihew Poem

A clerihew is a four line long poem.

1. They are four lines long.

2. The first and second lines rhyme with each other, and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

3. The first line names a person, and the second line ends with something that rhymes with the name of the person.

4. A clerihew should be funny.

Example:

When Pollyanna came to town

all the people wore a frown.

She spread gladness, hope, and cheer

and kicked their grumpies in the rear.

© 2008 Katy Jones as found in Highlights of Homeschooling “30 Forms of Poetry About Girls in Literature”

YOUR TURN!! 

Day 27 ~ Let's Write a Lantern Poem

Day 27 ~How to Write a  Lantern Poem

OK, We are nearing the end of our challenge. Sorry this got posted later than 5am - life happens. So it's after 9 am AZ time, but we're doing a simple little Japanese poetry form today, a "Lantern Poem."

A lantern is a five line poem in the shape of a Japanese lantern. 

The Pattern is:

Line 1: noun (one syllable)

Line 2: describe the noun (two syllables)

Line 3: describe the noun (three syllables

Line 4: describe the noun (four syllables)

Line 5: synonym for noun in line one (one syllable)

Example:

Sword

weapon

straight-edged steel

deadly saber

Blade

      © 2008 Sally Clark

(Example from “The Highlights of Homeschooling: How to Write 30 Forms of Poetry – The American Revolution” by Teresa Ives Lilly, poetry by Sally Clark)

YOUR TURN!! :)

Day 26 - Let's Write an "If You Were" Poem

Day 26 - If You Were Poem

On day 17 we did an “If I Were” Poem – today we will do one very similar called “If YOU Were”

This is a fun little poem that is actually a quatrain (4 lines) in which the last sound of lines 2 and 4 rhyme. It also has two metaphors (remember, a “metaphor” is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to draw a comparison). It is not the same as a simile. A simile uses the word like or as in order to make a comparison, whereas metaphors use is or are. So if you say “If I were” or “If you were” and named the thing (noun), it is a metaphor.

A simile: Your hair is like golden flax.

A metaphor: Your hair is golden flax.

So, there’s a little grammar lesson for ya’ – sorry, it’s the teacher in me. OK, back to the instructions: one metaphor is for the “I” part of the poem and the other metaphor is for the “you” part of the poem.

Here are some instructions taken from Charles Ghinga’s site (with his permission – I suggest you GO TO HIS SITE for more details and other fun stuff pertaining to poetry:

Instructions: Think of a person you like. Compare that person to some thing (inanimate object). Now compare yourself to some thing associated with the first object.

Giggle poetry class for kids by Charles Ghinga ~ Great site on fun poetry, for all ages, especially for kids from Charles Ghigna

 Example:

If you were a candle

And I was a match,

I’d light your wick brightly

And some shadows we’d catch.

                                © 2001 Stephanie Abney

Yeah, not great, but you get the idea.

YOUR TURN!!!

Day 25 ~ Let's Write a Quinzaine Poem

Day 25 - How to write a Quinzaine Poem

OK, back to specific poems with patterns. Having to fit your thoughts into patterns is good practice for learning to express yourself. This one is VERY short and VERY specific in the pattern to follow. Try it out:

A quinzaine is an unrhymed three line poem that contains 15 syllables.

The pattern is:

The first line has 7 syllables

The second line has 5 syllables

The third line has 3 syllables

The first line makes a statement and the next two lines ask a question about the subject.

Example:

Spunky, brave young heroines.

Why are so many

orphaned girls?

      © 2008 Katy Jones as found in Highlights of Homeschooling “30 Forms of Poetry About Girls in Literature”

Here's a couple I came up with:

We're on earth to serve others.

Why is finding time

hard to do?

     © 2011 Stephanie Abney

God sees us as we can be.

Can’t we see others

that way too?

      © 2011 Stephanie Abney

YOUR TURN!!

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they post them. Thanks so much!

Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO THIS BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.