January AYM/3

The assignment this month was: "Five Memories at Five Years Old"---or any interpretation there of. I was quite impressed with our group. This is everyone's first time doing A Year of Memories and they all did a great job. The journaling is usually the stumbling block for most people. But, I have to say, these girls did a really nice job with it. They are all story tellers!

Another thing about this project---as each person tells their memories---it sparks a memory for the rest of us---many things we had forgotten.

"Me at 5" is Charon's title. One of her memories was about being an only child and playing with her imaginary friends, Yogi Bear and Boo Boo. Her mother even made lunch for them! She realized later that those "extra" sandwiches wound up in her school lunch the next day.

Kathy chose "5 Memories" for her title. She talked about living with her grandparents and being spoiled by them. She mentioned sleeping in a featherbed and having banana curls---the type of things that are unknown to kids today.

Linda S. did a different take on the topic. She chose "7 Memories" (at 7 years). She told about growing up in Springfield, MO, using the "list" technique for her journaling.

Linda N. grew up in St. Louis. Since that's where I'm from, I could relate to her stories. "Five by Five" is her title. She talked about her move to Berkley (suburb of St. Louis), her house and going to a new school.

"5 MEmorable Teachers" is the title that Barbara chose for her layout. She went in a different direction with this topic. She shared a few stories about her favorite teachers and how they affected her life---especially one she didn't like and thought didn't like her. She found out at the end of the school year that this teacher cared enough to make her push herself.

On her "Memories" layout, Erna made her handwriting look like a 5 year old's---but she did say that's how she writes now. I wasn't quite sure if she was kidding or not. Her father was in the military, so she was born in Italy. She got her naturalization papers here.

"ReMEmber 5" is Sherry's title. She told about her first trip to Chattanooga and what it meant to her---Lookout Mountain and seeing 7 states.

Linda M. chose "5 Memories at 5" as her title. She has a note from her mother written as if in Linda's words. She took her for her first haircut that was supposed to just be a trim. When they cut off most of it, she tells of it nearly breaking her heart.

Jann told several funny stories and was able to pull some things off of the internet. She talked of her favorite tv show---"Winky Dink" and sending away for the "Winky Dink" kit. I had never heard of it, but just about everyone else in the class had. Apparently, the kit contained some type of film that you put on your tv so that you could use the accompanying crayons to interact with the show. Everyone loved being reminded of that.

Beverly's "five at 5" layout talked about growing up in Nashville. She made a record as an embellishment to go along with her mention of the records she loved to listen to when she was little.

Kathy J. went with the title "5 Decades of Memories" and told a little story about each decade. The class got a chuckle out of the fact that she liked to talk, but her teachers didn't want her to.

Fran's "Unforgettable Moments" had us laughing about the fact that she grew up with dogs, but never really liked them. She also told the story of falling out of the backseat of the moving car and then getting the "tar" beat out of her.

Shara's "5 Memories at 5" included the many boyfriends she had at such a young age. She told stories of making mud pies and kissing under the porch. We like how she put her stories in circles. She has a few more photos to add to the right page.

 

Considering Jennifer doesn't like pink, she did a good job with her "Five Memories at 5" layout. One of her stories was about the fact that she and her sister always had short hair. They put towels on their heads to pretend like they had long hair. She moved around a lot due to her dad being in the military.

Kathy T. went with the title, "5 Life Lessons I Wish I'd Learned When I was 5." She had a clever, push button recording device that played the song "Itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, yellow polka dot bikini"---which she also had. She related it to not being afraid to face her fears in life.

I was very happy with how each person took the topic and made it their own. That's what this workshop is all about---telling "your" stories that only you can tell. I look forward to seeing what they do next month with their "purse" layouts.