May Madness

Wow! What a crazy couple of months! But the end is in sight. Fourteen more days of actual in-school stuff and that includes finals. Over the past few weeks, honors has finished The Great Gatsby and is now reading The Whistling Season in groups. Brit Lit has finished C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces and will start Peter Pan in groups on Monday. Am Lit will finish The Great Gatsby this week and do a short story unit the last week of classes, designed to help some of them earn big points - up to 20 each day. Anyone want to bet there are students who don't?! It has been a crazy semester and I've barely kept my nose above water, but here we are - almost finished. Honestly, it has been quite amazing. Some of my students mourned the loss of their former Lit teacher and rightly so. Having a teacher resign in the middle of the year is never easy but when it is the senior year, that is tough. However, slowly but surely, these students and I have forged ahead and learned to respect each other. One of the students sent me a card recently that said "Over the past weeks, your passion for teaching has won me over and I've really learned a lot. Thank You!" I'm not sure anyone can understand what a big deal this was to me. I knew this young man was initially quite skeptical, and his note was a huge encouragement to me. This summer I plan to work diligently on my first semester classes so I don't have to rush in preparation. I hope to have all my power point presentations created and projects lined up for the entire semester. It's a big job but it will be so helpful to go into the year with this already in place.

Stuff

What a crazy week! Week nothing... April was too full to manage well!

On top of everything, I tried to update firefox and lost it since I have an older mac. Nuts! All those bookmarks, gone. Oh well... first-world problem, as my students like to say.

Spring Break Bliss

I have always been a big Spring Break fan. I think students and teachers need this week more than any holiday time of the year, except Christmas break, of course. However, this year it has meant even more to me for several reasons.

First, I've been fighting a silly virus since December 26th. Before anyone rags on me about going to the doctor (because I never do that) I have been twice, and the second time he told me that there was really nothing anyone could do. Evidently this virus has hit Thurston County with a vengeance and is showing no signs of letting up!

Second, changing schools has been a lot of work. I don't mind the work, and I am loving the change, but I was quite ready for some rest. Traditionally I don't count the days left in school until after break but the last couple of years, I counted them out well beforehand. This year I didn't even think about the number of days left until it was time to prepare lesson plans for the week after break. I realized then that I needed to plan backwards. I don't know if anyone else does this, but as the year comes to an end, I recognize that there isn't enough time to do everything I'd like to do so I plan backwards. I literally plan the last week of classes and move backwards from that point. For me, it is the only way to guarantee that I can finish those end-of-the-year novel studies on time. And yes, I always end with a novel study. Brit Lit will do two next quarter: Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis and Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. We'll end with PP just because it's such fun. Honors American Lit will also do two studies: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. We'll end with WS as it is more entertaining than Gatsby. It's been twelve years since I read Gatsby so I re-read it during break. Oh yes... lots to dig into with this book! My American Lit classes will also read Gatsby but will end the year with a short story unit that we will do in stations. I haven't figured it all out, but I want the year to end by doing fun things in literature, and these classes are less interested in working than the others, hence the gimmick of stations. All that aside, this has been a great third quarter, and I love being back in high school. Nothing is more fun than teaching students who want to learn more, think deeply, and pursue excellence.

Last, my brother's girlfriend died the 24th from brain cancer. It was an awful way to go into break, but her memorial service was the Saturday after the last day of class. Denice was an amazing woman who loved her children, my brother, and the Lord with all there was of her. She literally changed my brother's life. Fifteen or sixteen months ago, Denice moved into my brother's house with her then 15-year-old son. She was not Jeff's girlfriend at the time, just a friend faced with homelessness due to a traumatic medical crisis. Jeff lives alone in a huge, gorgeous 5000-square-foot house in the historic district of our capital city. When Denice started planning for her future without a home, Jeff offered her the right side of his house. During the following months, they slowly, thoroughly developed a love for each other that was tested like nothing I've seen in a long time. Jeff waited on her with compassion and gentleness that he has never shown to anyone before, other than our father when he was at the end of his life. As Denice took her final breaths, Jeff held her face in his hands and gently told her to move on to heaven. I was the one my brother turned to for help understanding how to face this end, deal with family members, and plan a memorial service. As he spoke at her service, I sat amazed at this brother of mine. He never speaks for anything. This was so far outside his comfort zone that it might as well have been in another universe of life. Denice's two children (21 and 17) and her 30-something stepdaughter were supposed to share but none were capable of doing it. That left Jeff to be the one who really made Denice live before our eyes. He was brilliant, and I was so proud of him. Spring Break allowed me to be available to help wrap up the details of a life well-lived and support the one who loved her so deeply.

And now... the last quarter awaits. Actually, we are already a full week into fourth quarter. There are 43 school days left; we have May 4th and Memorial Monday off and will end school with graduation on June 8th. I will be glad for my summer break to rest, take a class or two, and plan for the next year!

Stuff to love about high school

It's been 12 long years since I taught high school, so I have been working hard every day to get back in the game. In spite of all the work, there's a lot to love about this new job. First, I get to go to school a half hour later. This is a very big deal. I've always worked late into the day, and I am not a morning person so getting that extra half hour in the morning is huge! Next, no duties: no lunch duty (my least favorite), no break duty, no after school duty... love this too! Then staff meetings are once a month instead of once a week. There is nothing more frustrating that sitting through irrelevant meetings. Most of the all-staff meetings at the prior school dealt with elementary issues, but junior high staffers had to sit through those meetings anyway. Last, far fewer discipline issues. High schoolers aren't perfect, but they have learned quite a bit more self-control than junior highers. I don't have anywhere near as much missing or late work, no issues of disrespect (so far), and a much quieter work environment. When I'm speaking, students are listening. Wow! That's an odd experience after all my little chatterboxes! I must say, however, I miss the effervescence of junior high. When students were happy, they radiated, bounced off the walls, and hugged everyone in sight, and when they weren't, oh my goodness -- we certainly all knew it! However, I have to say, the very best, most excellent part about teaching at the high school is working with my new principal. I do love my hubby!

The Chosen

My students are currently reading The Chosen by Chaim Potok. Although the book is about much more than the irritation that arises between various Jewish persuasions, that discord certainly comes into play. Given our study, this photo on MSNBC hit me as hilarious this morning. Look at that little clown! Normally I don't care for clowns but this one was too cute for words. What a statement about progress within a religious body.

Staff Meeting

I've been teaching school for a while... since the mid-70s; yes, I am that old. Anyway, I've been to my share of staff meetings. Most meetings during my public school days dealt with policy, why we had to do this and couldn't do that. I think that's a pretty fair statement for most public schools since I've taught in a wide variety of those institutions, including rural communities with migrant populations of students who were in school for a while then gone forever, suburban areas with parents who were total defenders of their kids - no matter what, and the inner city where few of my students even lived with their own parents.

Living overseas and being a part of an ex-pat community made school a really big deal. It was the center of our world. The most important aspect of ex-pat life overseas is making sure our kids aren't traumatized or forever damaged by not living in the same town as grandma. Now that I'm that grandma, I'm worried about myself not the babes. They'll be fine; I know this because my boys turned out just right, regardless of all the cultural differences they faced that I thought would mess them up forever. Teaching in that school was completely different from anywhere I'd ever been. Our staff meetings dealt with coup d'état plans and other never-before-thought-of scenarios.

Moving back to the states and into private school teaching - junior high - was quite a change. For many years I brought student work to grade during staff meetings. Being in a K-8 school stateside is quite different. It didn't take long to realize that primary teachers love staff meetings because they get to talk to adult-type people. The junior high teachers just wanted to go home and lick their wounds, but those poor primary teachers and their need to speak to grown-ups made those meetings drag on forever!

And then I moved across the parking lot to the high school. For years my complaints about staff meetings have been central to dinner table conversation. When the hubby took on the principal job at ye old private high school, he faced the realization that he would now be the one to create those much-talked-about, waste-of-my-time meetings. The man does like a challenge, and I have to say, he can rise to one as well. In the first place, staff meetings at ye old high school are monthly. Yeah, I know, cry your hearts out all of you who have to sit through the same thing week after week. We meet on the first Wednesday of each month, and we are told ahead of time what one thing to prepare for discussion. During February's meeting (my first), our core issue was meeting the needs of our international students. This month was about teaching creatively, and we were supposed to bring examples of what we do. My example was of what another teacher did! I felt so stodgy and dull. I couldn't think of a thing - other than my table contest - that was creative about my classroom. In my defense, having very little time to prepare classroom and curriculum had me focused on getting through the basics and personal survival. I am just now at the place of planning more than a few days ahead. But that meeting... it really pushed me. We watched a Sir Ken Robinson clip and discussed creative teaching techniques in small groups, then came back together for a quick wrap-up. Afterward, the hubby asked me if I was mad or if he had said something irritating. I guess my face reflected the storm raging inside. I apologized and let him know that for the first time in a very long time, I felt professionally challenged because of a staff meeting. And then I did something about it.

I am the queen of power point but after a while, that can become routine. I'm also the biggest google freak around. If I don't know an answer to anything, google is my go-to guy. So I did what I do best and started googling for ideas and found some pretty cool things. Yesterday I used one of my new-found ideas in Brit Lit, where my students are working on creating poetry anthologies based on a single poet. Within the anthology, students must also thoroughly analyze one poem. Just one... they can choose and decorate and respond to the rest to their hearts' content, but that one poem has to provide layers of analysis. I gave them a hand-out that thoroughly described the process with an example, presented a colorful power point detailing analyzing a poem, and yesterday we had stations of analysis. First I found a reading on you-tube, a very British guy with a deep, scholarly voice read the poem (while eagles soared overhead - a bit lame); then in groups of three or four, students moved on to the stations. One station had dictionaries piled on the table so students could look up unusual words. Another had thesauruses for descriptive words. I found an article on the web that dealt with a big historical event that may have been the trigger for Yeats writing the poem in the first place and used that for a station. I put a big tablet at the front of the class with a couple thinking questions and students had to answer one question then post a question of their own. Directly across the hall in the computer lab, lap-tops were ready with a website that explained the allusions within the poem, and at another table, colored pencils, markers, and crayons were ready for students to create an artistic rendition. I had eight separate stations in all, and students spent six minutes at each one. It was fast-paced, fun, and hit a bunch of different levels of analysis. Yes, it took a while to prepare, but I'll use this idea again in other classes. I wonder what the next staff meeting will push me to do.

Life in High School

A few months ago, the literature teacher at NCHS informed my principal husband that she would be leaving at the semester's end to pursue her music career. I had heard inklings that she was headed this direction, but everyone thought it would happen this summer. Having pursued my secondary English endorsement, I knew I was in a good position for this job and wanted to go after it for next year. However, mid-year - that was something else, until I began to think about the students left behind in those classes.

I came to teach at the junior high in 2007, and my first classes of students were now the juniors and seniors about to make a teacher switch mid-year. That did it; I wanted the job. There is no question that I have worked hard in the junior high and loved every minute, well, almost every minute of it. I truly loved working with my colleagues, especially Mrs. History. The two of us were so compatible in our thinking, planning, and organization. I did not want the junior high language arts program to flounder and really encouraged my former boss to hire a particular young lady. After a lot of prayer, he did it. I worked hard, planning lessons to the end of the year, making copies of studies that I knew would be helpful, leaving everything on the computer so she would have easy access, and meeting with her weekly to answer questions and provide encouragement. As I expected, she is doing a wonderful job. It's been baptism by fire as she has dealt head-on with all kinds of issues, but she's been thoughtful, moderate, and firm in her decision-making and discipline. She's a great fit for that assignment.

Thanks to a full week of snow days, I was able to spend two days preparing my new classroom and getting ready to teach literature again. Yes, again. For several years at QCS in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, I taught American Lit, World History, 7th, 8th, 9th grade Reading/English, 12th grade Bible... whatever was needed (other than science and math). Those years, and my on-going relationships with colleagues from that time, have really helped me as I have made this change. I love teaching high school students again. But it is so different! The technology available to me now that I did not have at QCS is incredible. What an amazing benefit to have so many resources right at my fingertips via the internet.

Technology aside, serving at QCS taught me many things, especially planning ahead. The political dynamics in Haiti were always a bit dicey, and we were never sure when something would erupt and close school. Due to the uncertainty, we were required to prepare and distribute assignment sheets every Friday for the following week, detailing lessons just in case our students could not get to school because of burning tire barricades or soldiers in the streets. I did this type of planning for years, and that routine is still a part of my life today. It's probably why it was relatively easy for me to leave plans behind for my junior high replacement. I'm always looking and planning ahead. Case in point, my blog with homework posted ahead for those who are absent or planning extended absences.

It has been a serious challenge to get to that place in the high school. For the first week, I was really pushing myself with prep. However, I'm finally there. My lessons for this coming week were finished last Wednesday, and I hope to move that up to Tuesday for next week. I can always make changes but having a blueprint in place makes my life so much easier. At first I was worried about whether the students would accept me on this level. I knew their former teacher was challenging, but I heard last week that some consider me to be more challenging. What? Not possible! I'm requiring a bit more reading and writing, but I honestly don't think it's harder. I don't have as many daily assignments, preferring to have students working on bigger assignments over time. We'll see how it all functions in the weeks ahead, but I am loving my job, my classes, and my boss... yeah - my hubby. It's a good thing to be back in the high school again.

One thing that was relatively unrelated to literature (but helped create a fun classroom experience) was the table contest from last week. Our tables (rather than desks) are a bit funky and I didn't like looking at them, so I held a table covering contest. First place winners would receive a free-homework pass, and runners-up might win a free-journal pass. I had some great entries, as you can see:

First Place Winner - all hand drawn - The Edgar Allan Poe table

Second Place - The Brit Lit Table

The Granddaughter Award (Gracie's favorite)

Third Place - The Poetry Table

It was fun and the students are delighted to have their passes.

Missing my adorables!

Thursday, mid-day, our two red-headed grandchildren flew off to CA and the next step of their stateside journey. They'll spend a week in California with their parents before heading to KC and the mission commissioning - career assignment - for mom and dad. After that, it's on to Indiana for a month with our daughter-in-law's sister and family. In early April, they will all head back to France and continue their ministry in that beautiful country. Our good-byes were not as tearful as they might have been. I took the time to buy new toys for the little ones, a great distraction for them and for me. I made it through without sobbing all over them; I was terrified I would lose it and make their transition even more difficult, but God is good and gave me the fortitude to get through that very difficult moment.

In addition to all the good-byes, Grace and Eliott will say a loving hello to a new baby sister in May as baby girl arrives to join the family. We have had a precious time, six weeks worth, with our beautiful little redheads and look forward to lots of chatting over the internet. What a blessing. For now, here are my little adorables:

Eliott Ray LOVES cars and trucks (and calls everything bus!)

Grace Blue, our dramatic princess, loves dress-up.

Eli is a big cookie monster fan too.

And Gracie dreams about baking cupcakes! She's the only pre-schooler I know
who will sit - for hours - watching the cake-decorating shows on the food network!

Such vivid little personalities! Is it any wonder we miss them?

TIRED!

I am SO tired tonight. Tomorrow I start at the high school, teaching 11th and 12th grade literature and a study skills class. Before I left my current junior high position, I prepared lesson plans for the whole year with detailed calendars for novel studies and the whole thing. I did this because the young teacher coming in to replace me is a first-timer in junior high. She's subbed a lot, taught younger children, but never done junior high. I happen to believe in this young lady and really want her to succeed. I'll be working with her for the rest of this year in a mentor-teacher relationship. I've invested a ton of time and energy preparing for her success.

This afternoon, I walked across the parking lot to the high school and began working in my classroom. There was far more stuff in there than I expected. The former teacher is coming by tomorrow so I'm going to talk with her to see what needs to be done with all this old work/projects/stuff. I love using kids' work in a classroom, but once they're out of the school, graduated, I don't actually see the point of keeping their old work. It may be that the former teacher was emotionally attached to these students and couldn't bring herself to throw their stuff away. I get that and will gladly perform the task for her if that is necessary. I do not like clutter in my classroom! I had to take all the chairs off the tables so I could see the room and get a sense of what I want to do with it. Then my hubby and I started taking things off the walls and cleaning up in general. It will be good to get the physical part completed so I can finish my lesson planning. I need to be ready to go on Friday morning, first thing. I really am looking forward to it. I don't think I mentioned that these students were my first group of junior highers! Now they're juniors/seniors. Wow! Where does the time go! Like now... it's after 10 and I'm tired and sore from working so late. Bed... I'm coming!

Winter Break - Part 2

We have been out of school ALL week! I am grateful to have a full week to enjoy my little adorables from France. It has been so sweet, even during the time with no power. Little ones are easy to entertain. We never heard the dreaded "I'm bored" even once. Lots of cuddles, stories, make-believe play will fill our memories long after they leave next month.

And today, older son and his family came over so they could have hot showers. They've been without power for quite some time, much longer than we were. They lost it before us and it's still out. We took advantage of the time together to celebrate daughter Kassie's birthday that's actually tomorrow. Oh all right, she's my daughter-in-law, but she feels like mine. I love her dearly. I truly love both my girls! My sons chose so well; I am truly blessed!

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.