For my walls

I have two new pieces of art adorning my home. The first I won over at Simple Homeschool—a canvas print from Red Letter Words. My first choice was a quote from Napoleon Dynamite: What are you gonna do today Napoleon? I thought I’d hang it in the hallway at the top of the stairs. But that quote wasn’t available in the size that I won, so I opted for my second choice—the quote from Hebrews 13:2.


Hanging on our chimney in the center of the home, it inspires me all day long. I love it.

The second piece came to me via my aunt. Back in the day, she used to take pictures and then send them off to magazines to try to sell them (that’s some serious back-in-the-day stuff, no?). Anyway, a couple months ago she was going through some of her stuff and found a pile of black and white prints. She didn’t want them anymore so she brought them to our Thanksgiving gathering and let me and my brother pick over them. I snatched up this one, took it home and framed it.


I’m not sure how old I am in the picture—maybe four?—but don’t I look pathetically miserable and glum? When I get my hair cut nowadays, I probably look just as morose. But with clothes on.

My mom cut all us kids’ hair in a bowl cut that for the first six-plus years of our life. Strangers thought we were all girls, but if we had been wearing straw hats and pants with suspenders, everyone would’ve thought we were little Amish boys.


See my mom in the background? Notice the enormous goggles? If they were sunglasses, she’d totally fit in to today’s stunner shade fad.

I hung the picture on the wall behind our downstairs toilet, so if you come to my house and need to go pee, you’ll see a little Jennifer, subdued and naked. Neat-o, right?


And by the way, I’ve named the picture The Little Jennifer. As in, when I made a to-do list for Mr. Handsome, “Hang Little Jennifer” was one of the items.

“Hang Hospitality” was also on the list.

This same time, years previous: Christmas 2008

7 Comments

  • Anonymous

    good grief, she cut your hair nakit so she wouldn't have to get hair off your clothing…. think like a tired overworked homemaker ….

  • Cookie baker Lynn

    This post and the comments all made me laugh. And I love that you wanted to put a Napoleon Dynamite quote on your wall.

    Have you seen Gentlemen Broncos? Same film-makers. It mocks science-fiction and homeschoolers. My daughter and I laughed till our sides hurt.

  • Jennifer Jo

    Clearly, Mom loved to torture us.

    Or perhaps, her sister made me strip down for the picture so it'd be more picturesque.

    In any case, I was clearly at the hands of some wack-o adults brandishing sharp objects at my head.

    Or maybe I was going through a stage where I refused to get dressed…

    Who knows.

    Mom? Mom? Would you like to explain yourself?

  • Margo

    that is a GREAT photo – I loved it even before I read that it was YOU. love.
    and I love Napoleon too – that's the quote I say most often from that movie!

  • Kaytee

    Love the picture of little you! Those glasses are pretty stylish too. And I think you've put that picture in the perfect spot. Ha!

    And I love the quote. It looks great on the chimney.

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