A Busy Season

I've been blessed to have presented several storytelling presentations in the past weeks.  Saturday I had fun with the girls from the Empress Group at their Christmas party.

A Warm and Friendly Group

What a great storytime at the nursing home! The residents loved singing "She'll be Coming Around the Mountain."  I told two stories, "Stinky Spirts and The Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything."  I used my old lady and stuffed animals to sing "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly."   We all had a lot of fun.  I may get a call back for November.  I have another job for next week.  Storytelling is great work.  My daughter, Lupe, helped out by being the clown (instead of a scarecrow).  I passed out balloons as their treat and the smiles were beautiful.  It was a blessed day.

Jobs are on the horizion

Wow, I just got a call to present some scaries stories on Oct. 28, 2010 at one of the nursing homes that I visited on Monday.  God is so wonderful!  I have a job interview for Monday and my daughter takes part of her state exam for her nursing aide certification on Monday.  What a great day!

I recieved an email from a storyteller in Australia.  How cool to hear from someone on the other side of the world.  My goal is to reach there within the next year, Lord willing.

It Was a Good Day

Razzle Dazzle Family Literacy Day 2008

Monday morning started off cool and chrisp.  I took my advertisment packets to seven location (two schools, four nursing homes and one day care).  I was hired on the spot at one nursing home to tell stories once a month starting in November, Yea!  One school librarian wants me for Black History Month and another nursing home activity directors is interested.  All in all it was a blessed day, thank the Lord.

A Fun Storytime for Juneteenth 2009

We had a grand old time at Ridglea Branch Library.

Time to Begin

Today is the day to look for places to present my stories. I've waited long enough for the grief to lift. My sister, Faye, would not let me linger in sadness for such a long time.

I told my Birthday Story for our Ladies' Bible Class Luncheon. The ladies enjoyed it and were inspired to reach out to others. I pray that God will lead me in the right direction for more presentations.

Selma Faye Fields

The past two weeks are still a blur. My sister lost her battle with kidney failure on June 2, 2010. Family and friends keep telling me that she is free of pain and in a better place. Their loving statements don't ease my pain. I miss my sister so much. I use to beg God to help ease her pain and now I beg Him to get me through my pain. One Day At A Time, Jacqui.

Busy Week

Time passes so quickly. So much can happen in one week, my sister was admitted to the hospital in ICU on Monday. It was touch and go for most of the week. Thank the Lord, she is improving. My Cinco De Mayo craft program was a big hit on Wed., Friday I had two programs and today our Mother's Day Card Make and Take had a super turnout. The kids created beautiful cards. I'm glad that this week has ended on an up beat. God Bless, Jacqui.

A story and Lunch

Last Thursday I told stories to a group of kindergartners while they ate their sack lunches. One little boy came up afterwards all excited and said, "I liked the old lady that ate the fly." His eyes were almost as big as his smile.

A Rainy Night

Cool, wet weather puts me in the mood to bake. I made peanut butter cookies and homemade bread. My son came by and he took a cookie on his way out. My husband loves freshly baked bread. I'm working on a story about a little boy that sells meat pies. Meat pies are a favorite snack food in Belize. Enjoy!

Little Meat Pie Boy
Early each morning, Ramon walked to the village market with his bucket full of meat pies. Each afternoon he returned with an empty bucket and his pockets full of coins and dollars. The villagers called him the “Little Meat Pie Boy.”
Near Ramon’s village lived a demanding old lady. One morning, she met Ramon with his bucket full of meat pies.
“Stop little boy,” called the old lady. “Give me all your meat pies.”
“No,” said Ramon. “I must take them to the market. I can’t give them to you.”
“Is that so?” said the old lady. “Then I’ll take you and your meat pies too.” With that she grabbed Ramon and put him in her sack. Away she ran toward her little bamboo hut. Halfway the road she remembered her cassava bread at the market. “I must go for my bread before somebody eats it.”
A man was picking coconuts near the roadside. “Watch my sack,” she told the man and she hurried towards the market.
When she was gone, Ramon called, “Please let me out. The old lady wants to eat me and my meat pies!” The man untied the sack and freed him. Ramon thanked the man and asked him to help fill the sack with coconuts. Ramon then hurried to the market along another path.
Back came the old lady with her cassava bread. She took the sack and swung it over her shoulder. “I must be tired for this boy and his meat pies feel heavy,” she moaned.
When she reached her hut and opened her sack out rolled the coconuts. “WHERE’S MY DINNER?” she yelled and she threw a coconut out the window.
The next morning Ramon left earlier than usual, hoping the old lady wouldn’t see him. She was waiting behind a giant mahogany tree. “Give me your meat pies,” she told Ramon waving her bony arms to keep him from passing.
“No!” said Ramon. “I must sell my meat pies at the market.”
“Is that so?” asked the old lady, “Then I’ll take you and your meat pies too.” She threw him and his bucket of meat pies into her sack. Off she ran towards her little bamboo hut. She almost reached her hut when she remembered.
“I left my magic herbs at the market. I must get them before somebody uses them.”
She saw a man filling a wagon with white dusty stones. “Watch my sack,” she cried and ran off towards the market.
When the she had gone, Ramon called, “Help me! The old lady wants to eat me and my meat pies.” The man hurried over and untied the sack. Ramon thanked the man and asked him to help fill the sack with the stones. Ramon ran down another path to the market.
When the old lady returned to her sack, it was so heavy that she couldn’t pick it up. “The sun has made you fatter,” she said. She bent over and started to drag the sack the rest of the way to her hut. She untied the sack to find nothing but stones. “WHERE’S MY DINNER!” she yelled, and kicked the stones. White dust covered her from head to toe.
The next morning, Ramon decided to wear a disguise. He wore one of his mother’s scarves, her skirt and her apron to fool the old lady. As he walked pass a tall hedge of red hibiscus out popped the old lady. She grabbed him with her brown wart covered hands.
“Give me those meat pies,” she ordered.
“No!” yelled Ramon. “I must sell them at the market.” He struggled to get free.
“Is that so?’ asked the old lady. “Then I’ll take you and your meat pies too.” The old lady wrapped her spaghetti arms around Ramon and rolled him and his bucket into her sack. As she walked up the path to her little bamboo hut, she remembered her new pot that she had left at the market.
“I must return to the market to get my new pot before he gives it away.” This time she carried her sack inside her hut. “You won’t get away this time,” she laughed and she placed a huge padlocked on the door.
After she had gone, Ramon took his mother’s sharp pair of scissors from the pocket in her apron and he cut a hole in the sack. He searched and filled the sack with bags of her magic dust. He sewed the hole. He removed a board from the side of her hut and squeezed through. He ran along the sea shore to the market.
The old lady rushed inside with her new pot. She untied the sack. “Now I will have my dinner served in my new pot.” She lifted the sack to empty it into her pot. Out poured the bags filled with her magic dust. “WHERE’S MY DIN DIN DIN NEEER? AH AH AH CHOOOO! Her magic dust caused her to sneeze so hard that she disappeared.
Early each morning, Ramon walked to the village market with his bucket full of meat pies. Each afternoon, he would return with an empty bucket and his pockets full of coins and dollars. The villagers called him the “Little Meat Pie Boy.”

Today's Thought

I spoke with my sister last night and she sounded very tired. She had a painful day and was sleepy from the pain medicine. She is always in my thoughts.
"We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope."

Martin Luther King

Help those in Need

A Mouse, Pig, Cow and Snake

Little mouse was hungry. He looked through a crack in the kitchen wall. The farmer and his wife were opening a brown package. “Maybe it’s our dinner." thought Little Mouse. The farmer removed the new mouse trap.

“Oh my! It can’t be! It’s a mouse trap!” cried Little Mouse and he ran outside to the barnyard.

Little Mouse hurried to the fence to warn Mr. Rooster. “There’s a mouse trap in the house! Oh my, sound the alarm. There’s a mouse trap on the farm!”

“CROW, CROW, CROW!” said Mr. Rooster. He jumped down and strutted around Little Mouse. “The alarm is only for you. The trap is of no consequence to me. I can’t be bothered by your trouble.”

Little Mouse scurried over to Mr. Pig who was wallowing in the mud. “There’s a mouse trap in the house. Oh my, sound the alarm. There’s a mouse trap on the farm!”

“SQUEAL, SQUEAL, SQUEAL,” said Mr. Pig. “I am so very sorry Little Mouse but there is nothing I can do about it. I hope that you will be alright.”

Little Mouse saw Miss Cow chewing hay. “There’s a mouse trap in the house! Oh my, sound the alarm. There’s a mouse trap on the farm!”

“MOO, MOO, MOO,” said Miss Cow. “That doesn’t matter to me. I’m sorry for your trouble but I can’t help you.”

So Little Mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer's mouse trap alone.

The house was dark and silent. Suddenly a sound was heard throughout the house. It sounded like the snap of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught.

In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.

The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer took his wife to the hospital.
She returned home but she continued to sweat heavily with a high fever.

“I know what you need to make you feel better,” said the famer. “I will cook you some fresh chicken soup.” The farmer went to the barnyard caught the rooster and made soup.”

The farmer’s wife continued to have a fever. Her family and friends came to sit with her.
The farmer said to his friends and family, “You must be hungry. I will roast the pig for our dinner.” They all ate until their bellies were round as barrels.

After many weeks the farmer’s wife was well. She said, “Let us have a grand celebration to show God our appreciation.”

The farmer agreed, “I will bar-b-que the cow.” He had enough meat to serve all his family, friends and Little Mouse.
Heb 13:16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

A New Beginning

The day has come for me to start blogging about my storytelling. My older sister, Faye, has been my biggest fan and encourager as I develop my skills in storytelling. Faye is having a rough time with her dialysis so being able to tell her a story has lifted her spirits.

I look forward to sharing many stories with my old friends and the new friends who join along the way.