From 3-day weekend to who knows how many?!

My last post addressed my joy at having a three-day weekend. The snow has changed all that. Tomorrow's school cancellation gives us a five-day weekend, and who knows what will happen on Thursday! We are stocked with food, milk for the grandbaby, camping stove, and all the other supplies we need. We have a gas fireplace insert in the living room so if we lose power (which will probably happen), we can open the hide-a-bed for the little pregnant mama and three-year-old granddaughter and set up the pack-n-play for the baby, so they'll sleep warmly. Today I was able to take my mom shopping for all she needed, so she's ready. Now I guess we'll see just how much of the white stuff falls on us. It's supposed to start in just a few minutes, giving us around 10 - 14 inches. That's a lot for this part of the world. This could really be interesting, but I really am unconcerned. I'm with my children and grandchildren, and I know my other kids and grandkids are very well prepared. Plus, they have a big old wood stove that will heat their whole house! The kids are having a blast and so are we. Time together: an unexpected blessing.

Three-Day Weekend!

I am so grateful for the upcoming three-day weekend. I've been fighting a nasty virus that has left me so tired. I spend the biggest portion of my nights coughing rather than sleeping. Yesterday I left school early so I could go home and sleep. I have a few things to do today or I'd do it again. But I think I have a new med combination that is going to work: musinex by day and nyquil by night. It worked last night! I'll try anything at this point. No, I haven't been to the doctor. I have no fever, no discoloration of anything that winds up in a kleenex, no aches or pains. My HMO doesn't want to see me unless something like that is present. The fact that this is the end of week #2 should mean that this will fade away over the next couple of days... I hope!

In the meantime, I have grandchildren at my house who make my days and evenings most enjoyable. I was designed for grandmothering. It is so much easier than mothering, and I'm just so good at it! I even have a Christmas ornament of two geese holding a heart between them with my motto. It reads: grandchildren spoiled here. Love it.

Dark Day

What a weird day! If I didn't know better, I'd say the sun gave up. It's not only gray but really dark and gloomy outside. This hasn't helped my homeroom. They were a group of crazies today. And it's not just me; it's not because I'm leaving junior high and heading to high school, so junior highers are making me nuts. I asked one of my colleagues about my homeroom, and she informed me that they behaved worse today than they have all year long. So... it's not me; although I feel relatively awful from coughing all night long for several nights and dealing with the afore-mentioned darkness around me. Then Mrs. History happened to mention that there was a full moon last night. Why don't I pay more attention to this? It is true; werewolves, vampires, and junior high students go nuts whenever the moon is full.

Late this afternoon, Mr. Custodian stopped by to see how things were going from a maintenance perspective. I really like this guy. He is vigilant, a self-starter, and thorough. He also has cancer and is dealing with chemo right now, so enough of me complaining about hyper-students and coughing. Mr. C is a real inspiration!

A former student asked to observe my classes for her field ed college class. I said of course, and she said she'd be here Tuesday and Thursday, until last night about 7:30 or so, when she let me know she was coming Monday and Wednesday instead. So I skipped morning staff to prepare a few things so I'd be ready to chat with her. Of course she wants to be here on full-moon-day. Gotta love the irony.

Tomorrow I will meet with the teacher I am replacing at the high school. I have a few things to ask, such as: what have you finished? and where are you in the chronology of Am and Brit Lit? I also want to ask about some innovative things she's doing on the web. I am actually sorry she's leaving. She's a good teacher, and the students have benefited from her instruction. I think it's hilarious that the one student I'm most concerned about accepting me as her teacher is the lit TA for one period. That ought to be interesting.

Well, I have after-school duty, so I'd better get my act together. Another thing I won't miss, all the duties. I won't have to eat with students, supervise their break time, or stand outside to be sure they don't get killed getting into their parent's car! Plus staff meetings are normally once a month not once a week. Joy, joy, joy!

The Joys of Family

We are really enjoying our children and grandchildren. Thought I'd post a few photos:

The Joys of Christmas as a family

back row: Erin and Eliott, Terry, Kathie, and Kassie
front row: Brian, Colton, Kayla holding Grace, Scott with Sierra

Grandpa Terry and his little buddy, Eliott

It's so much fun for cousins Grace and Sierra to watch TV
on Grandpa and Grandma's bed!

Moving across the parking lot

The word is definitely out. Letters and emails were sent to parents; students were personally informed. I am moving to the high school to teach Literature. Yes, I am excited! It wasn't as easy a decision as one might think, but it is the right one. It's never easy to make major school changes in the middle of the year, but if I don't do it now when it's offered, it might not come my way again for quite a while.

The former teacher is part of a musical group, and I've been told that they are quite good. The band is planning to go on tour, and that will start before the school year ends, so the teacher resigned, effective the end of the semester. The principal investigated short-term options but red flags kept coming up, so the offer was made and I'm accepting. Yes, I am ready. I've loved teaching 7th and 8th grade language arts but I am ready for a change. Moving to juniors and seniors in high school is a great opportunity. I've taught these classes before so I'm not totally out of my element, but it's been a long time. I have some refreshing to do. I'll do it. My replacement is the teacher who subbed for me while we were in Texas for nearly three weeks. The students know her, like her, and most important - she's good, very good, at what she does.

The move will happen on January 23rd. Actually, moving stuff will happen before that, probably over the weekend. It's going to be fun!

Books Read in 2011

I had a lot more time to read this year because of our trip to Houston for T's surgery. I wouldn't mind if he never had to do that again! Part way through, I quit making comments. Oh well...

1. Essays 1: First Series - Ralph Waldo Emerson (love Emerson!)
2. Stuck in the Middle (Sister to Sister) by Virginia Smith (Christian fiction: so-so)
3. Deeper Water by Robert Whitlow (Christian mystery: okay)
4. Hide in Plain Sight by Marta Perry (Christian mystery, based in Amish country: I really liked it)
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (for the 50th time, still love it!)
6. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (brilliant!)
7. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (magic!)
8. Drums of War by Edith Morris Hemingway (great for lit circles)
9. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
10. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (love these stories)
11. Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (sweetly old-fashioned)
12. Emma by Jane Austen (what can I say? A-u-s-t-e-n!)
13. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (incredible)
14. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (not well written, but faith-building)
15. Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson (Christian Romance… cheesy!)
16. Invisible by Lorena McCourtney (old lady mystery, like Murder She Wrote)
17. The Apothecary’s Daughter by Julie Klassen (old England novel, beginning and end were good)
18. Fated to be Free by Jean Ingelow
19. Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli (great book, quite disturbing)
20. The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne (like Sherlock Holmes, good read)
21. The Heart of Rachael by Kathleen Thompson Norris
22. A City Schoolgirl by May Baldwin
23. Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (love her style!)
24. I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson (fabulous!)
25. Evergreen: A Christmas Tale by Richard Taylor
26. “Hard Creek Bridge” a short story by Isaac Sweeney
27. Dandy Detects: A Victorian San Francisco Story by M. Louisa Locke
28. A Chance in Time by Ruth Ann Nordin
29. Summons From A Stranger by Debra Diaz
30. A Lady of Quality by Frances Hodgson Burnett
31. The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade
32. Teddy’s Button by Amy LeFeuvre
33. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
34. The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux
35. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
36. The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre by Ann Rinaldi
37. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collings
38. April Morning by Howard Fast
39. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
40. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
41. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
42. Ragman and other cries of faith by Walter Wangerin Jr
43. The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Patterson
44. Cast Two Shadows by Ann Rinaldi
45. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
46. In My Hands, Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Cut Opdyke
47. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
48. The Hidden Hand by Emma Dorothy Southworth
49. Cape Cod Stories by Joseph Crosby Lincoln
50. The Chess Master’s Violin by Jennifer Willows
51. The Man from Brodney’s by George Barr McCutcheon
52. Capitola’s Peril by Emma Dorothy Southworth
53. Duty Free by Moni Mohsin
54. Caribbee by Thomas Hoover
55. Not Pretty, but Precious by John William De Forest et al
56. South Wind by Norman Douglass
57. The Radiation Sonnets by Jane Yolen

Wonderful Chaos

As we gathered around the table last night, I felt an overwhelming sense of blessing. Our sons and their wives, our five grandchildren, plus the little one yet to be born, all were there at the table, happy to be together. It's been two+ years since we've done this and even though that's not a terrible amount of time, a lot happens in two years, especially when the grands are so little. It has been wonderful, and we're only into day two. I am so grateful!

Our sweet 7-year-old Colton reads to his little cousin Grace (3 years).

The youngest, Eliott (14 months) and the oldest, Kayla (11 years) having fun together.

The cousins: Grace, Colton, and Sierra love spaghetti!

Grandma and Gracie making ginger cookies

Grandpa and Eliott, checking out one of Grandpa's carved Santas.

Jesus really loves children

I remember reading that line in the book Heaven is for Real... "Jesus really loves the children." I know He does; I'm glad He does, but part of me is just a tad disappointed that He chose to take Anna Joy home to heaven when her mommy needed her here so much. So did the rest of her family, but her mother has suffered through multiple miscarriages and infertility; to lose Anna Joy now, it is absolutely heart wrenching. I'm praying for the family as they mourn this Christmas. Oh may God be close to them, hold them, assure them of his love, and heal their broken hearts.

Baby Anna Joy

It's three o'clock in the morning, and I'm still recovering from a terrible cold. Over the past few days, I have been haunting the blog of some of our church friends. A little baby girl, Anna Joy, was not expected to live more than a couple of hours after her birth, but God has moved yet again. She has endured open heart surgery and is a living witness to His power. This little one's grandmother (now worship pastor at our church) and my hubby have been friends since his early college days. Anna's mother has been one of our son's friends since he was in high school; they met during one of our evacuation from Haiti experiences. If you are one who prays, I would invite you to whisper a word to the Lord for this little one.

The Day After Thanksgiving

We have been busy! My husband is the Grand-Master Dickens Village creator. Here's the process:

Take down the "Cabin by the Lake" print and put up the Dickens Village painting.
Add the wood base and boards for height.

Add quilt batting and begin placing houses, roads, bridges.

Lighted houses means lots of cords!

T adding the characters, lamps, trees.

A sparkling Dickens Village complete with snow, ready for Christmas.

I love Blythe Pond

The Watch-maker and The Old Curiosity Shop are our favorites.

The Village Church next to Ebnezer's house.

Gratitude

It's the night before Thanksgiving... and we've been busy. Tomorrow morning is the Turkey Bowl, the annual kids' football game that our son has hosted since his son was three. Lots of little children get out in the yard and play football for an hour, then we all eat breakfast together. Totally fun, although this year our son suggested calling it the Gravy Bowl since the rain has made the yard into a mud hole. But that won't stop the action tomorrow... no sir-ee! And we can't wait! I'm so thankful to be able to enjoy this time with our children and grandchildren.

School was only a half-day. I left within 30 minutes of the last bell. Couldn't wait. Went to Trader Joe's for a case of spiced cider then to Costco for several other things. Since I went when I did, it wasn't a horrible experience. Got home and have had a great evening, working on making our home more enjoyable for the little ones who are coming to stay.

We've been converting my husband's office into our grandchildren's bedroom and playroom and we are close to finished. Here's the latest:

Toys, Books, Fun for Little Ones

Dollhouse for Gracie and her cousins to enjoy

Eliott's bed, complete with the baby quilt my husband used as a baby.


Gracie's bed, with a sweet white teddy bear

We are so excited to have these sweet children come stay with us for six weeks. What fun we will have together! They arrive in 27 days - but who's counting; you bet I am! I am so grateful for my family, so blessed that we love each other and want to be together. There are far too many families who do not. Yep, I am living in a state of gratitude.

Getting Ready!

December 20th, one month from today, our son, daughter-in-law, and two adorable grandchildren will arrive from France to stay with us for six weeks! Hooray! We have been changing furniture in various rooms and picking up things that we think we will need. Friday, the church that has been meeting at our school prepared for a 'moving party' as they leave our school for a budget-wise transitional place before moving into their new building. Among the freebies: a high chair, a dinosaur rug, a little tykes play table with drawers, a large doll house with all kinds of accessories, a big (as in laundry basket size) bin of duplos, a toddler race car set, books and other miscellaneous toys. And yes, all these things have a new home in our home.

Saturday, I sanded, stained and sealed the old crib that I found on Craig's List. Today I asked my hubby to stop at Target so I could pick up some crib bedding. I finished quickly and was ready to head out when he mentioned wanting to check out the toys. Guess who's almost finished with Christmas shopping?! Amazing! This is so much fun!

Prove it

Have you ever read something about teaching and come away feeling really satisfied because you got there on your own? That's how I feel about this. I've been teaching my writing through literature this way for quite some time. The assigned essays always come from the literature students are reading, and students must always prove it, whatever it is. Right now I have students who have chosen, The Land, The Giver, The Same Stuff as Stars, Archer's Quest, and White Fang. One of their essays involves showing the effect society has on the character of the protagonist. Another deals with the ending of a book, that it ought to conclude, not simply stop abruptly. We always look back to A Wrinkle in Time when we talk about this essay because that was the number one complaint students had of this book. There are always a few students who get it. They realize I'm allowing them to express their opinion. But there is one way I go after this, and I repeat it with every essay. I say, "So this is your opinion. Is your opinion right or wrong? Neither, it's your opinion. Do I have to agree? No, but what do you have to do? Right... you have to prove it. Prove your point with evidence from the novel or other sources." And some of them do it, while others just write a summary of the plot (irritating) and receive a C- at best. But that's okay; they are getting exposed to this manner of writing, and I am hopeful that they will eventually catch on. I always ask the students to bring in their essays early. I put them in groups and have them edit and discuss their writing. Often I extend the deadline after this experience. It depends on what I see happening in the group. Anyway, I love what I get from about 70 percent of my classes. It's a good thing to know they can prove it!

A New Blog

My daughter-in-law was born and raised in the Middle East. One of her best friends married a few years ago and recently moved to Niger. They are a great young couple, and I have been following their blog. Really rich reading; I highly recommend it!

Finished, I hope

I am hoping and praying that my students have finally finished all their Halloween candy and will be somewhat normal on Monday. Last week was really a ridiculous week. Having Halloween on a Monday night is just about one of the worst things that can happen to junior high students and therefore, to their teachers! By Friday, I was so tired. About 11 o'clock in the morning, I called my hubby, the high school principal, and gave him some suggestions about what he could do with my students. It was that bad. They were simply not capable of calming down. After school, I came home, sat in a recliner for about an hour, then fixed taco salads for dinner. Quick and easy. I then went back to the recliner and didn't move again until bedtime.

Today was another tiring day but for a completely different reason. A couple weeks ago, my mother's dishwasher went on the blink and ruined a section of her hardwood floors. Mom's house dates from the late 1940's and the dining room floors were amazing. She decided to pull up all the carpets and have them refinished. A really smart move. They are gorgeous. She's been in a hotel for four nights (she wouldn't stay with us, didn't want to disturb us) and I helped her get back home today. But we couldn't walk on the floors until after 1 o'clock this afternoon so first we raked leaves in her front yard. After that we went to her church for their annual bazaar. Lots of handmade goodies, toys, and such. We each spent less than $20. Not bad. Then we went across the street to Lincoln Elementary for their annual toys and books sale. I got a box of books and several nice toys for $20! The books were a steal, nearly all hardback picture books for my little ones who are coming in a few weeks. Have you priced little kids' books these days? They are so expensive. I think I bought close to $150 worth for that 20 dollar bill! After lunch and a quick trip to the store, Mother and I went back to her house. We dusted walls and doors, got the pictures back up, rehung the drapes, and created enough room in each bedroom so she could watch TV in one and sleep in the other. We can't put furniture back in her living and dining rooms until Sunday evening and may wait until Monday after school. We'll see. She's just so glad to be back home.

Another good thing is that today/tomorrow is Fall Back! I love adding an hour of sleep to my day and of all times to do it, this week is perfect.

November

When my friend, Shannon, posted that she was ready to begin her 50,000 word novel for NaNoWriMo, part of me wanted to cry! I am not ready to write, even though I love it. Not ready to blog faithfully, even though I did it last year. That was last year and things have changed! We are doing pretty well these days. T is healing, face is nicely healed, leg is fine... that wrist still screams at him from time to time, but he is so much better. First quarter ended yesterday and I uploaded grades last night. Started with a clean slate today and some of my students were grateful for the new opportunity. I have a week and a half until conferences. I'll say nothing of those.... nothing... my mother always said, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." I love my mother. And she is right.

My 8th graders are back in novels of their choice, and the 7th graders are working through parts of speech. My writer's workshop kids are tearing things up! They love writing and I love that they love it! I can't wait to do "monikers" tomorrow. It's a fun little exercise with names. Yesterday we talked about puns and they each came up with five. Some were hilarious and others were quite painful. My favorite assignment that I have them write is the letter to themselves - 15 years from now. But they won't get that assignment for a few weeks, after Thanksgiving. January is going to be poetry, every day, from the beginning of the month to the end of the 2nd quarter. I found a sample unit online from NYC that I am hoping to apply to some of the projects I have used in the past.

The big news is that those two little kids pictured in my previous post are going to have a baby brother or sister in May. Yeah... can you say three under three? My kids can! And I can't wait!

Halloween Already?

October is gone. How is that possible? I think I've only written two or three posts on this site during the month of October. I could not have imagined how busy this year would be. Seriously, I'm pulling back and not apologizing for it. There are several things I am not doing. When asked to speak at retreats or conferences, I've said no. When expected to attend a conference, I didn't go. Normally I sing in both services for choir, not this month. Even when I try to simplify, life seems so busy. I really don't understand this but I'm plugging away, doing what I can, when I can, and forgiving myself when I can't.

My hubby is mending well. The eye area is healed; the leg is healed. But that arm... it is going to take time, a lot of time! The doctors took a big chunk of flesh from his wrist to patch the hole they made in his face. Since there are no functioning nerves in that area of his face, he feels no pain. However, the wrist is an entirely different story. One wrong turn and the man is in agony! It makes me want to cry to see him suffer like that. Honestly, it is getting so much better. He is radically more capable of caring for himself. He even takes care of all his bandages but one, the ace that wraps around his wrist and forearm. It has been six weeks since surgery; healing is a slow but steady process, and we are grateful for the progress.

School continues to demand our mental and physical energy. My students are doing back-to-back novels since I missed a critical two-week period in September when they should have been in a novel study. I decided to leave the grammar for the sub and concentrate on the literature upon my return. It was a wise move but there's still a lot to accomplish in a very short time. November is full of holidays, conferences, and potential snow-days. (From my mouth to God's ear!)

In 50 days, our kids from France arrive for their first home assignment. We called it furlough, back in the day. We are looking forward to seeing Gracie and Eliott again.

They are growing so fast. This past week, they moved into a new home in Chartres, France. They loved their little village in Jouy, but this location is more central to their ministry and the house is slightly more than twice the size of their prior teeny 500-square-foot apartment.


So as October fades away, we are grateful for the blessings of the past six weeks. As I look back over all we went through over these two months, I see God's hand of strength and healing. I don't know what lies ahead, not sure I want to know, but more than ever before, I believe God is in control. I'm simply going to let him deal with it all.

A Good Day

Wow, it's been such a long time since I posted anything! Today has been such a good day that I have to celebrate with a quick post. First, I over-slept. All right, that's not exactly a good thing but I got to school before the kids came in the classroom so it worked. And I didn't beat myself up over it either. I am tired of holding myself to a higher standard than I do others. Time to let that ship sail. Next, 8th graders had a major essay due today. I had two students unexpectedly absent but they sent their work to school! That is HUGE! Finally, the sun is really shining brightly. We have been told that the rain is going to come on Thursday so we should enjoy this while we have it. I plan to do that... somehow. And now, back to work.

Outside again

I should have been grading papers. Two stacks of essays sit on my desk awaiting my responses. But it was not supposed to rain (and it didn't) and I have a flower bed that has been driving me crazy. First of all, my nephews needed money. Cameron is a senior and Riley is a freshman in high school. Both boys have bikes that constantly require maintenance, due to the crazy things these boys do! The plan was to remove the old weed barrier, covered in clover - hate clover - and put down new barrier and bark. The boys were confident they could remove the old weed barrier before I returned with the load of bark, didn't happen. That old stuff has been there for decades and the roots that were tied into it... incredible! It took them almost three hours to remove about 350 square feet of the old stuff. With another hour's work, the new barrier and bark were in place. I worked with them and have the sore muscles to prove it. Although it's a relative small project, it has been making me crazy for a long time, and I'm so happy to have it finished.

Preparing

A couple months ago (seems like a life-time) we moved T's office furniture to the school and began converting his office into a den. Scott and Kass had a beautiful, wrought-iron daybed that they weren't using, so we brought it to our house (minus the hardware) and made plans to set it up for Gracie's arrival in December. Yesterday, S/K came over with their three adorables, and we set up the daybed. It was quite a process but turned out nicely.


I have a pack-n-play for Eliott but I am looking for a full-size crib that I can set up instead. I have a call into a Craig's list post for one from IKEA. Eliott is not a little guy. He weighs well over 25 pounds and is pretty tall. He'll be a year next Wednesday! Oh how we miss our French kiddos but it's all good; we understand what they are doing and are thrilled that they are able to experience the French world as a family. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to Christmas! They will arrive around the 20th and be with us for six weeks! This will be a super good thing.


And it will be so much fun to watch Eliott grow and develop over that time. What a blessing our little ones are to us.