Tenya and Rachel are cousins, born exactly eighteen months apart. No! We are not going to tell which of us is older. Between us, we have seven children ranging from age two to adults, all of which we either have or are currently homeschooling.
Our family has been infused with the idea of self-education and learning as a result of being blessed with grandparents who encouraged curiosity, discovery and most-of-all READING! Our grandfather was a school teacher and our grandmother was one of the most highly self-educated people we have ever known; because, even though formal education only went to 8th grade in rural Montana, she never stopped reading and learning from everyone she could. "Can't" simply was not in her vocabulary.
Our family has been infused with the idea of self-education and learning as a result of being blessed with grandparents who encouraged curiosity, discovery and most-of-all READING! Our grandfather was a school teacher and our grandmother was one of the most highly self-educated people we have ever known; because, even though formal education only went to 8th grade in rural Montana, she never stopped reading and learning from everyone she could. "Can't" simply was not in her vocabulary.
The values of learning and reading were not the only things passed down to us through our parents. We were also encouraged to express and share our ideas with others by writing. It has been our privilege to pass a love of learning and expression to our own children. These are our passions - to read and to write - and to share that passion with those around us. - We are kindred cousins.
More about Rachel...
Rachel lives in Rural East Texas with her husband, Tim, and 4 children.
- Kendra has begun her writing career with a passion and is determined to bring as much of her family as she can along with her. As a part of the second generation of cousins, Kendra is also a regular contributor to reviews at O.Scarlett! Find out more about Kendra below.
- V. Kathie is just starting high school, and is passionate about animals and using animals as a therapy to expand the world of those with learning challenges. V. Kathie's blog: Making Me a Servant
- Joel is just starting school, but already has a budding love for learning and reading.
- LaRue is the "baby" and already shows a flare for a vivid imagination.
- Rachel has been reading books with a hunger for adventure and knowledge since first grade. She discovered writing by third grade, and spent a great deal of time spinning tales of adventure and magic with her younger siblings and friends.Rachel has notebooks filled with writings that she hopes to someday publish, so she is very interested in helping others on their publishing journey. Her talents lie more in teaching and absorbing information, than artistic endeavors. She has a wide range of interests, and has dabbled in many artistic and educational endeavors. Her favorites seem to revolve around herbs, soaps, Science-fiction, fantasy, and children.
She earned a BA in Mathematics, and minored in Bible. She married right out of college and then taught at a small Christian school for nearly 4 years - everything from Preschool to High School maths and science. Her family has been highly involved with children's ministries, such as AWANA, missionaries, and foster children over her lifetime.
Today, she is a happy homeschooling housewife, intent on passing on her love of reading and learning to her children. Over the years, they have had goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, cats, dogs, fish, and turtles join them. They have quite a bit of family living nearby, so their life is full of children and imagination and discovery.
Visit Rachel's blog Eagle Nest Momma for homeschooling information and free book announcments (and more!)
Some other stuff ....
1. Yes! We did have a horse growing up ... it belonged to my sister, but we didn't have a ranch.
2. I prefer mountains to mosquitoes. And I've lived with both.
3. We do live in a Little House ... a cross between the woods and the prairie ... . Ironic.
4. We love BBQ and Fried Catfish and Fresh Shucked Corn on the Cob. I've eaten freshly shelled Black-eyed Peas and Purple Hulls with fresh Collards from the garden.
Recently a self-published indie author herself, Tenya thrives on helping others to succeed! Musically and artistically inclined, Tenya holds fast to the arts. She's a poet, a muralist and painter, and a worship vocalist. One entire room of her house is devoted to creativity, with shelves full of craft and art supplies, sewing notions and a general bunch of junk.
She loves science fiction movies and spy-oriented TV shows, but prefers historical fiction when it comes to reading. Tenya is a huge football fan of the LSU Fightin' Tigers and the New Orleans Saints. Each fall, college football games appear on every household TV on Saturdays, and fantasy football gets slightly intense. When it comes to English Premier League Soccer, Liverpool reigns supreme.
Tenya was raised in the Pacific Northwest, the Idaho panhandle to be exact, in a small town supported by logging and lumber mills. She attended a Baptist university in Missouri where she met her husband Bobby (her roommate's brother). After Tenya earned a BA in Theatrical Arts with a minor in History, the couple moved south to Bobby's hometown in southeast Louisiana.
For over twenty years, they have lived, worked and worshipped in the same community, raising three children.
For over twenty years, they have lived, worked and worshipped in the same community, raising three children.
- Ben is a senior at LSU, majoring in Digital Art & Media. Follow him on Twitter @TheDunderMan or find his videos on You Tube under the same handle.
- Mikaela graduates from high school this year and plans to further her education in linguistics. Her blog, Maiden's Mind, shares her artwork and unique brand of poetry.
- Jonathan is a 10th grader and is currently working hard to learn how to kick football field goals as a member of the JV Yellow Jackets.
The family is active in ministry through their involvement with Louisiana Messianic Communities. Bobby and Tenya own and operate a small decorative concrete and hard surface cleaning/restoration business. Tenya also works part-time as an administrative professional for the local district of an international campus-based ministry organization and other small businesses.
Tenya also has a poetry and religious discussions blog called The Bayou Poet. Please feel free to visit and comment.
Tenya also has a poetry and religious discussions blog called The Bayou Poet. Please feel free to visit and comment.
Just in case you were wondering...
1. Yes, my last name is really Ingalls, and we are related to the famous author of the "Little House" books, Laura Ingalls Wilder. She is my husband's 1st cousin four times removed, which is a technical way of saying that Laura's Uncle Peter and Aunt Eliza were my hubby's great-great grandparents.
2. No, we do not live in a little house in Louisiana on the bayou; however, there is a canal running behind my rather large house. Yes, it has snakes in it, but no alligators, at least none that I've seen.
3. Yes, we do eat jambalya, crawfish pie and filet gumbo, and I know how to cook every one of them plus some other really good food. We like to eat in Louisiana!
4. Yes, some of the "swamp people" live in the same town with us. Really.
More about Kendra...
Kendra is the eldest of Rachel's four children, and the eldest of all her local cousins. While she was a baby, her mother would put audiobooks for her to listen to during her naps, introducing her to the world of reading at an early age. As she got older, her mother introduced her to many more great books as well as fairy tales - not just the common ones, too! She was constantly coming up with stories, often about her crayons, math problems, pictures she was coloring, her shadow, and any odd or end she could find..
She began devouring books as soon as she was able to read. However, she didn't like writing because it took too long, and she was not very patient. When she was ten, however, she, her sister, and a friend of theirs decided to put on a play - but they needed a script. Since Kendra was the eldest of the three, and the most adamant about where the plot should go, she was elected to do the actual writing, and you know what? She discovered that writing wasn't so bad after all. They never preformed the play, as she kept changing the plot, and it eventually got so complicated that she had to turn it into a book. Soon, every nook and cranny of her room held notebooks of her writings, as all the other plots and stories began escaping though her pencil.
At the age of fifteen, she discovered NaNoWriMo, which gave her the incentive to write Sew, It's a Quest in a month, and since she completed the challenge, she was given a free proof copy of the book, which allowed her to self-publish it for free at the age of sixteen. Then she discovered how easy it was to publish to Kindle, and did that as well.
She remains a voracious reader, and enjoys helping other self published authors, especially teens like herself. She writes pretty faithfully on her blog, Knitted by God's Plan.
She is currently working on finishing highschool, and plans to get into herbalism.
Fun Facts about Kendra:
1. I share a birthday with two famous authors!
2. I have three huge collections: Nutcrackers (as in the ballet), giraffes, and ladybugs.
3. I am a better cook than my mother - and she will testify to that!
4. My pen name is a palindrome.
5. I have a dip calligraphy pen - and I'm not afraid to use it.
6. I love knitting and crochet, and I can sew by hand - but I have yet to tame a sewing machine.
