Kayla I. Shown-Dean's Blog, page 66

Christmas at the Dean’s and ARWB’s Ornament Exchange

Christmas has finally hit the Dean household. It’s actually kind of been creeping in slowly for the past few weeks. It began when my son starting begging for the Christmas tree to be put up after spending a weekend at his grandmother’s who already had her tree up. We spend last weekend putting up the tree and watching my favorite childhood holiday movie, Mr Magoo’s A Christmas Carol.

Then today, when I came home from work, I discovered that my personal little elf, my Aunt Kathy, had added some of her own finished touches.

Isn’t she creative? I swear, I realize that I write books, but when it comes to home decor and crafts, I don’t have a creative bone in my body.

In addition to this pleasant surprise, I also got my ornament from my secret sister. I participated in Arkansas Women Bloggers’ ornament exchange. I sent my “sister,” Jenetta Darley, an ornament I made out of modeling clay. First I shaped the clay into a circle, and I used a pine cone to leave an tree-shaped impression in the clay, and then I pressed a stick into the bottom of the tree impression to imitate the trunk. After the clay dried, I filled it in with green acrylic paint.

Earlier this week, I received my handcrafted ornament from TingsMom who sent me these two super-cute candy ornaments. I’d actually seen these peppermint ornaments on Pinterest before, but I wondered how well they’d turn out. I thought these turned out beautifully though, and I couldn’t wait to put them on my tree. It might actually be a craft I do with my son in the future.

Thanks TingsMom and ARWB for orchestrating the exchange.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

Dreams of Summer–through the wood

Musical Mondays: a loud dose of Christmas

Ahhhh!!! I remember the first Christmas I spent with the Relient K’s Let it Snow Baby, Let it Reindeer album. I’ve had a number of Christmas albums through the years, but this one,  I will truly never give up. It’s so much fun, AND it’s still true to the season!

Plus, R-K is always good to rock out to. Give them a listen: I guarantee it will brighten your Monday!

A Day at Moss Mountain Farm #AR529

A few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Moss Mountain Farm and participate in a Financial Education Planning focus group for AR529, and believe me, the day was much more invigorating than its technical label suggests.

Not only did we get to tour P. Allen Smith’s property, including his house, gardens, and Poultry Palace, we also got to learn about an amazing college funding program, AR529.

P. Allen Smith homestead

Now, as much as I want to delve into the experience of Moss Mountain Farm once again, I’m going to hold off on that today; instead, I’m going to use this post to educate my readers about saving for education.

My parents, like many others, didn’t save anything for my education. I remember when I graduated high school my father said, “You can either go to school or you can go to work, but if you choose school, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.” Luckily, I had a full-ride to Harding University, so I wasn’t too concerned with paying for college. However, after only a few weeks at Harding, my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and a full-time college load became too much to bear. Unfortunately, no one told me that when I dropped to part-time status, I would lose my scholarship money, so the following semester I found myself attending Arkansas State University in Beebe. I finished my Associate’s there on a combination of grants and student loans, and I happily accepted the transfer scholarship to A-State in Jonesboro upon my graduation. It was there that I finished my B.A. in English, partially paid for by my transfer scholarship, and my M.A. in English, completely dependent upon student loans.

Therefore, I can say from experience: college debt sucks!

As a parent, it is my goal for my son to never take out a student loan for college. Being raised by my father, I was always taught that college funds were for “rich people”. However, now that I’m in my late twenties and I’m staring at student debt that’s equivalent to owning a second home, I agree with Gwen Mortiz, one of our speakers, that every dollar saved is one that I don’t have to borrow.

With this being said, now I’m going to tell you all about the AR529 gift plan, in which I am currently enrolling my son. The AR529 gift plan is a college fund account that has a tax-free  benefit to Arkansans; however, the plan is open to all for enrollment no matter your state of residency. The gift plan invests your money in stocks and bonds in a variety of percentage combinations. You can select an age-based option that works best for you or you can customize your investments. Personally, I chose the age-based for my son since it lessens the risk-level of investments as my child grows older.

Once your account is set up, you will receive a code number for your account. This code can be distributed to friends and family members as it will allow them to send monetary gifts directly into your child’s account. Since the code only allows for deposits and not withdrawals, you can even post it on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to include long-distant family members. There are also other reward programs such as Upromise, which helps you find easy ways to save by providing cash back on selected purchases for college.

And to combat my father’s belief that college funds are for the wealthy, AR529 plans even offers an Aspiring Scholars Matching Grant Program (ASMGP). There are two ways families can qualify for this program:

If a household makes less than$60,000 per year, the ASMGP will match your annual contribution dollar-for-dollar. However, if your household bring in less than 30,000 per year, the ASMGP will double every dollar you save at a $2 for $1 ratio–you can’t beat that!

I’m thankful that I was able to attend this workshop and learn about an inexpensive and unique way to save for my son for college.  I, like many of you, I’m sure, don’t want my son entering adulthood under the weight of crippling student debt, and AR529 seems to be a wonderful way to get the whole family involved in saving for his education.

If you would like more information on the AR529 gift plan or on P. Allen Smith or Moss Mountain Farm, please click on the hyperlinks.

And don’t worry, readers, I will be posting about the beauty of Moss Mountain Farm just after the holidays.

 

A Day at Moss Mountain Farm #AR529

A few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Moss Mountain Farm and participate in a Financial Education Planning focus group for AR529, and believe me, the day was much more invigorating than its technical label suggests.

Not only did we get to tour P. Allen Smith’s property, including his house, gardens, and Poultry Palace, we also got to learn about an amazing college funding program, AR529.

P. Allen Smith homestead

Now, as much as I want to delve into the experience of Moss Mountain Farm once again, I’m going to hold off on that today; instead, I’m going to use this post to educate my readers about saving for education.

My parents, like many others, didn’t save anything for my education. I remember when I graduated high school my father said, “You can either go to school or you can go to work, but if you choose school, you’ll have to pay for it yourself.” Luckily, I had a full-ride to Harding University, so I wasn’t too concerned with paying for college. However, after only a few weeks at Harding, my mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and a full-time college load became too much to bear. Unfortunately, no one told me that when I dropped to part-time status, I would lose my scholarship money, so the following semester I found myself attending Arkansas State University in Beebe. I finished my Associate’s there on a combination of grants and student loans, and I happily accepted the transfer scholarship to A-State in Jonesboro upon my graduation. It was there that I finished my B.A. in English, partially paid for by my transfer scholarship, and my M.A. in English, completely dependent upon student loans.

Therefore, I can say from experience: college debt sucks!

As a parent, it is my goal for my son to never take out a student loan for college. Being raised by my father, I was always taught that college funds were for “rich people”. However, now that I’m in my late twenties and I’m staring at student debt that’s equivalent to owning a second home, I agree with Gwen Mortiz, one of our speakers, that every dollar saved is one that I don’t have to borrow.

With this being said, now I’m going to tell you all about the AR529 gift plan, in which I am currently enrolling my son. The AR529 gift plan is a college fund account that has a tax-free  benefit to Arkansans; however, the plan is open to all for enrollment no matter your state of residency. The gift plan invests your money in stocks and bonds in a variety of percentage combinations. You can select an age-based option that works best for you or you can customize your investments. Personally, I chose the age-based for my son since it lessens the risk-level of investments as my child grows older.

Once your account is set up, you will receive a code number for your account. This code can be distributed to friends and family members as it will allow them to send monetary gifts directly into your child’s account. Since the code only allows for deposits and not withdrawals, you can even post it on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter to include long-distant family members. There are also other reward programs such as Upromise, which helps you find easy ways to save by providing cash back on selected purchases for college.

And to combat my father’s belief that college funds are for the wealthy, AR529 plans even offers an Aspiring Scholars Matching Grant Program (ASMGP). There are two ways families can qualify for this program:

If a household makes less than$60,000 per year, the ASMGP will match your annual contribution dollar-for-dollar. However, if your household bring in less than 30,000 per year, the ASMGP will double every dollar you save at a $2 for $1 ratio–you can’t beat that!

I’m thankful that I was able to attend this workshop and learn about an inexpensive and unique way to save for my son for college.  I, like many of you, I’m sure, don’t want my son entering adulthood under the weight of crippling student debt, and AR529 seems to be a wonderful way to get the whole family involved in saving for his education.

If you would like more information on the AR529 gift plan or on P. Allen Smith or Moss Mountain Farm, please click on the hyperlinks.

And don’t worry, readers, I will be posting about the beauty of Moss Mountain Farm just after the holidays.

 

By the Barn

I Declare Musical Mondays

This week, I decided to try something new. By now, most of us have probably heard of Wordless Wednesday and Foodie Friday, but I’m thinking of adding something new to this trend. I often use musical pairing on my site, a wonderful term that I borrowed from my friend, Talya. However, sometimes I just have a song in my heart for no reason, with no connection to a story or meaningful post: I just enjoy the sound.

So as of this week,  I declare Mondays to be musical.

In the words of a famous bear, “C’mon, baggy–get with the beat.”

 

Writing Focus: Commonly Asked Questions

With my collection of poetry’s release last week, I decided to spend this week’s post answering some of my reader’s most commonly asked questions. So without further ado, here are the answers to your most-asked questions.

What is your collection of poetry about?

My collection of poetry, Autumn Leaflets, is a collection of poems covering four main themes: nature, religion, unity, and the releasing of the past. Topics range from the death of a loved one to marital trouble to pollution and false advertisement. I wrote these poems after a lot of reflection upon my own life and relationships and the way in which I view our society.

What inspired you to write your collection?

When writing this collection, I was inspired by Johnny Mercer’s “The Autumn Leaves”. If you’ve never heard the song, I suggest you take a listen. It’s simply beautiful.

I actually sang the song in my college choir at ASU-Beebe a few years ago. It’s just always stuck with me. I tend to get a lot of inspiration from nature; I just think there is a lot that it can teach us if we will just slow down and listen. This is what I think Mercer was trying to point out in this song: a lesson from nature.

When did you start writing?/ What made you want to write?

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember. I actually have “books” that I wrote when I was as young as five. Most of these books are pieces of copy paper stapled together with just a few short sentences under some drawings, but I remember being so proud of them. Writing is just so much a part of me; I don’t know who I am if I can’t write. For me, it’s both an intimate form of disclosure and a vehicle to share life’s deeper meanings with others through entertaining tales.

What inspired you to write your novel, Muted?

I actually began writing Muted while at a writer’s retreat in Piggott. It began as a simple short story that was largely inspired by my uncle who had down syndrome. I remember once we brought him to my brother’s soccer game; my uncle was so excited to come and watch my brother play. But when we got in the parking lot, he refused to get out of van. While I didn’t understand why at the time, as I got older I realized that he was afraid of the crowd, afraid of their stares, comments, and sneers. My goal in writing this book was to give others a peek inside someone with disabilities, to show them that just because someone is different doesn’t make them a spectacle; it doesn’t make them unworthy.

Are any of your stories, poems, etc. based on real life experiences?

Yes and no. While you won’t find any of my stories to be 100% truthful to my life’s experiences, there is always truth to my stories which I have gained through real life experiences. For example, like I said, I found a lot of inspiration for my novel, Muted, from my uncle. However, unlike Kennan Wesley, the novel’s protagonist, my uncle was not locked in an attic for thirty-plus years.

Are you planning to write anything else? If so, what’s next?

Of course, I am. I have tons of ideas. But first and foremost, I will be working on a series of three novels with my husband. These novels detail the lives of three siblings who have unknowingly survived the apocalypse, and needless to say, I am super pumped about telling their story.

Where can I purchase these books?

You can get Autumn Leaflets: A Collection of Poetry and Muted on Amazon, Createspace, and Kindle, or you can order an autographed copy from me by filling out the order form on my books page.

Buy Autumn Leaflets here                         Buy Muted here                        Get your autographed copies here

My Thanksgiving Post–a lesson from Joy

 

I told myself that I wasn’t going to do it this year, that there was no need in my joining the hordes of other “what I’m thankful for” Thanksgiving posts. It’s not that I’m ungrateful or a snob or anything; it’s just that I’ve never been a crowd-follower. I’ve just always thought of myself as more of a leader, or a loner at times…when I have no one following me. But that doesn’t stop me; I just keep walking. But then she had to do this:

My niece made it, and although it doesn’t look like much, it stopped our Thanksgiving conversations in their tracks.

We were all lounging around outside, after eating our second portions of Thanksgiving deliciousness and our post-lunch holiday nap. The kids were playing in the rocks near the empty fire pit as the adults sat back in the lawn chairs and looked on, chatting about upcoming plans for Christmas and New Year’s–always, always planning ahead. When Whitley, my four-year old niece, made us all look back.

She made the arrangement you see above, stood back, and exclaimed, “This is for Grandma Joy, who couldn’t be here for our Thanksgiving today.”

A hush fell over us and our conversation dropped, along with our jaws.

My grandmother has been gone now since 2001, and Whitley has never even met her. She’s only seen a picture of woman with white curls, light wrinkled skin and kind eyes hanging on my mother’s wall, but Whitley remembered her, the woman who once held this family together.

Thanksgiving was her thing. As a chef and a mother who loved to see her children full and smiling after a warm meal, my grandmother lived for this holiday, and she held the joy of the holidays in her heart year round. The two things I remember my grandmother saying more than anything is: “What’s your hurry?” and “Do you want something to eat?” You see my grandmother knew the secret to life: to slow down and enjoy it. That’s why she made her savory dishes from scratch and sat them in front of hungry faces, a snare and prelude to the heartfelt conversation that would always come next.

Today, in  an act of desperate boredom, my son and I went to Wal-Mart partly to investigate their Black Friday sales, but mainly to get my 200 walk-in points via ShopKick (I’m only a few hundred points away from a gift card). Everyone was so hurried, and I know it was only worse last night. Needless to say, we left nearly empty-handed (I say nearly because I got my ShopKick points). However, I couldn’t help but think,”I wonder if my grandma would ask them what their hurry is?”

I know a lot of people who get caught up in the commercialism of it all. My Facebook feed then fills with a list of thanks-giving to businesses, sales, and good deals. While these are all wonderful benefits, they also come with a price: hurried-ness. And it’s in these bouts of rushed panic that we forget the very people for whom we are shopping.

This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for Grandma Joy and the small voice of a little girl who quieted her elders and reenforced my grandmother’s lesson.

Happy Turkey Day

 

Photo taken at Moss Mountain Farm.

Don’t forget: Your chance to win a $50 gift card to Moss Mountain Store is open until December 12. Click to enter!