My Students of the Month

{smiling}

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I was getting ready to blog and came back to this. 
Anna typed her numbers. 
I love it!

Who is...?

I always write on the back of ornaments the year they were received, who gave them to us, and who it was given to.  As we were putting up our Christmas tree last night, Kate asked, "Who is Chin a (she pronounced it with a short i sound and the /a/ as a short u sound)?"  You can see where I am headed!  The sticker said, "Made in China."

I Love Notes!

Here is another note...
My MOM is the best in the wrld! she helps my clss win tha ned help
Awwwww......

A Love Note

Tonight I was given the following note:
"You are my kissing booth!"  Love Kate

The Pilgrims have Landed!

Today was just one of those days that made me smile from deep down in my soul!  ;)  Both girls' classes had special things going on in their classrooms so instead of going in on Tuesday, I spent all of today at school.  The fun started last night as I found directions (click here) on how to sew an apron using a pillowcase.  I made the girls "Pilgrim" aprons since they were to dress up like Pilgrims today.  I also cut them out a Pilgrim collar.  They were ecstatic this morning to see their aprons since I made them after they went to bed last night.  In Kate's class this morning I made each one of the students a "Pilgrim" hat or bonnet.  When I was finished with that project Mrs. C sent me off to laminate!  Can I just tell you - I LOVE TO LAMINATE!!  Laminating is one of the most thrilling parts of teaching. I was in high heaven getting to laminate.  Oh, I was laminating the students' time line projects, which were so very cool!  It was great to witness the students sharing their timelines with their friends.  :)  After enjoying laminating heaven, I then had lunch with both Kate and Anna.  Their lunch times are back to back.  I went through the lunch line and enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving meal "school style" with all the Kindergarten and First Grade Pilgrims and Indians.  What a delight!  In the afternoon I headed to Mrs. M's class with Anna Marie.  Although I didn't laminate, I got to help prepare the Mayflower and set it off to sail in her hallway.  I was in high heaven again!!  Look at those incredible 3-D sails.

After library special, the Indians (class across the hall) came to feast with the Pilgrims (Anna's class).  The feast included: Red Salmon (Swedish fish), corn (popcorn), turkey drumsticks (thick sliced deli turkey with a pretzel stuck in it), pumpkin pie (vanilla wafer cookie with pumpkin pudding on top), nuts, dried cranberries, apples, & berry punch (? - Hawaiian punch - ?).  It was an absolute hoot!  To top it all off, at the end of the day the girls were both selected to be the "Student of the Month" for their classroom. There is an assembly tomorrow and Scott will be going with me.  :)  After such a fun filled day, I was thankful to come home to leftovers, no homework since it is a short week, and the opportunity to chill out.  

Appropriate

The girls have learned the vocabulary word 'appropriate.' Soooooo, this is what we hear quite a bit ...

"That was not appropriate!"

Should the Tooth Fairy be Fired?

Kate lost her tooth at school on Friday and she did literally lose her tooth.  While you would think the tooth fairy would still show up because the tooth fairy knows when teeth are lost, she did not.  The tooth fairy didn't show up Saturday night either.  Kate has been heartbroken, sure that she doesn't deserve anything from the tooth fairy since she actually did lose her tooth.  We reassured her that the tooth fairy probably has been very busy.  Tonight as we sat around the table playing a game, Kate said she was pretty sure the tooth fairy has been very busy since a little boy at AWANA had lost a tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy did not show up at his house either.  We then discussed if the tooth fairy should be fired.  I suggested Kate write to the tooth fairy's boss (who she said was Santa) to report the tooth fairy's delinquency and she should be fired.  Kate said, "NOOOO!" with a huge toothless smile! 

**The tooth fairy will definitely be showing up tonight, with an apology letter.**

The New Little Man in My Life

{Creating}

I love, love, love my new space!!

I Don't Run!!

If you ever see me running, WATCH OUT!  I am a disaster waiting to happen!   In fact, when I was a child my aunt was very concerned about my lack of athletic and running abilities.  ;)  She asked a friend to "teach" me how to run.  Yeah...no joke!  I remember this plain as day.  We went over to the elementary school, her friend asked me to run to the swings and back, and my "lesson" was over because she told my aunt, "Good luck!"  I truly run with my legs and arms flapping all around me.  I try to be consciencous and controlled when I do have to run, but it doesn't matter.  I am a mess and know better, or should know better. 

Yesterday I had to stop by the library after I picked the girls up from school.  As I was coming out I was trying to hurry (yep) and so I was doing a little jog out to the car.  I thought I would cut through the landscaping.  Anyhow, when I came down on my right foot I could tell I stepped down the wrong way and lost my balance.  I felt like I was in slow motion as I tried to recover control but there was no hope at that point.  I literally ended up flat, totally flat, on my belly with my face on the asphalt.  What else could I do but laugh hysterically?  There were two teenagers who saw the whole thing!!  The boy asked me if I needed help to which I replied, "Nope (as I was laughing), I'm fine.  I am just really embarrassed!"  My knee is scraped up and my body feels jolted but other than that I am fine, Praise the Lord!  I seriously could have skinned my whole face!  This is my SECOND skinned knee in six months.  Last time was the other knee.  If they have video survellience, I would love to get my hands on a copy.  Seriously funny.... 

Which leads me to another "deep" thought....  I have learned to just not take everything so seriously.  We are all human, make mistakes, don't know it all, and have embarrassing moments.

Favorite Animal

This morning Anna said, "Mommy, I want to guess your favorite animal."
I said, "Okay."
Anna said, "Chickens since we have chickens all over this house."

{I love roosters!}

A funny

I told the girls they could split a cookie. Anna says, "I had to get a big and wide one so we could split it." ;)

Sometimes you fail...

I am only human.  In my human flesh, tonight I failed.  As a Christian, I am to be a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  This means I am to die to my selfishness.  I feel like I failed tonight since I just wanted the girls to go to bed so I could enjoy "So You Think You Can Dance."  Yep....there, I said it out loud.  Much to my selfish dismay, the girls were completely out of sorts tonight at bedtime.  Bedtime issues completely rock my world.  It isn't always because I want some downtime for myself, but it because I don't know if they are playing a game of "mommy manipulation" or if whatever is the issue truly is an issue.  "I need a drink."  "My throat is killing me.  Can I have a cough drop?"  "My tummy is hurting so bad.  I need a Tum."  .....  ACH!!  You don't want to be soft nor too hard.  Parenting is so hard....

"The" Coat Drive+

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin when trying to put into words the way the Coat Drive+ has impacted me.  Our church started a small group ministry called "Homes of Hope".  Over the summer, Scott and I prayed about being a host/lead home.  We thought originally we were going to be teaming with another couple but that didn't quite work out.  So, in September we just plunged in to the unknown.  Now, don't get me wrong, we have been apart of small groups and even leading, but it they have always been with friends and we knew them very well.  Everyone who was invited to be a part of our group were totally new "friends" to us.  The study was "Better Together: 40 Days of Community" by Rick Warren.  Scott and I had different opinions about the study and then of course Sundays were always stressful as we prepared the lesson and our home for the study.  The one major premise of the study stressed the importance of Christians needing to be active in "community" both within the local church, the community, and just even in daily life.  Our group was tasked with planning a community service project that would demonstrate unconditional love for people.  When we started I was hoping for something small and easy...like volunteering a few hours at a food pantry, or just helping in the school.  One night one of the other moms suggested a community coat drive.  Hmmmm?  The group liked the idea.  Hmmmm?  WHAT?  I didn't know what that looked like or where to even start.  Might sound silly to some of you, but it's the honest truth.  So another mom and I began to just plot out a plan.  We got some boxes together, asked the principals/secretaries at the schools, called the library, and secured some drop off locations.  Many of you are aware of our Facebook postings for help.and responded with so much love and support.  We called the newspaper and they ran an ad for Free.  We found the name and number of a local seamstress.  She not only fixed zippers at the cost of buying a zipper (if she didn't have one in her collection), she was creative in fixing tears, etc.  The dry cleaners were going to charge us $5.00 but when my friend showed up to pick up the coats, the owner decided to do it for FREE!  The VFW boys were willing and ready to let us use their ballroom (:)).  The local print shop advertised around town.  The librarians were so very supportive and excited about our project.  Our church even purchased professionally designed signs for us.  We had over 100 coats donated (some brand spankin' new), 50+ gloves/mittens, 40+ hats, 20+ scarves, and miscellaneous items.  So....the big day to allow the public to come get coats was finally upon us.  Cookies were made, the coats were laid out, the signs were set out, the hot cocoa was ready, the River was playing, and the prayers had been said.  Unfortunately, it was so warm on Saturday I think people forgot they might need a winter coat.  Only 3 families showed up to actually get coats and 1 elderly man showed up for the cookies.  As you can imagine we were very disappointed.  However, our associate pastor came to support us and reminded us it doesn't matter who shows up or how many show up, it is that we obeyed.  Our world is so focused and based on performance...but that isn't how God works.  He is more interested in our obedience than the acutal performance.  What an amazing truth!?!  Even in writing this, I cannot fully explain or describe the signifcance the Coat Drive+ has played in my recent spiritual growth.  Just ask me about it if you really want to know the rest of the story....

The Weekend

We had a blast on Friday night.  Seriously!  The girls and I made pizza (sauce was from scratch), I baked cookies, we watched "Anne of Green Gables", and the girls built these amazing tents.  I let them sleep in their tents for the night.  Priceless!!

Saturday was the Coat Drive+!  I took my camera and forgot to take any pictures.  Talk about being frustrated.  I was a little startled because when I showed up, the VFW was unlocked and the lights were not turned on, which was fine.  However, there was a woman in there with an armful load of coats.  We weren't even "open."  I had to really guard my heart and commit it all to the Lord.  I will give a Coat Drive+ update in another post.

We spent the entire day together as a family on Sunday.  I cancelled our small group "pizza" night because Scott and I could tell our family needed some down time, just us.  We walked back to the tree line on our property.  In the morning while getting ready for church we could see a family of deer frolicking in the field and tree line.  It was amazing!  In the picture above with Scott and Cash if you look you can see where the deer family has been bedding down.  The tall grass/weeds are matted down.  Our Associate Pastor came out to scope the land for hunting.  He noticed where a young buck had been rubbing his antlers (I am sure there is a more technical term) on several of our trees.  We had a grand time!  The girls also played "Laura & Mary" out in the field, gathering the chaff of the beans.

Speaking of trees earlier, isn't this tree line beautiful!

We finished off our weekend with a bonfire, complete with hotdogs & smores.  Kate and Anna had a blast playing Hide & Seek in the dark with their flashlights.  I am so thankful for my husband and children.  I especially appreciate and am so grateful for these family moments!

Unfortunate or Fortunate Event

This is a very busy weekend for us.  Tonight we set up for the Coat Drive, tomorrow is the Coat Drive, tomorrow night is a small group leader dinner, and Sunday is church and small group.  WOW!!  I have so much to do to prepare for all these events so I started out early this morning to the grocery.  Unfortunately, I left my keys in the ignition and my car doors locked.  There was no other choice than to call Scott and wake him up.  Fortunately, he had to get up because he had a haircut today.  So, I decided I would get my groceries and wait for him at Frisch's (next door to the grocery).  Maybe you can already see my next unfortunate event?  Duh Cara, I can't carry all of my groceries to Frisch's.  What was I thinking?  {{{COFFEE!}}}  Oh well, I just sat and waited.  Fortunately, it was just what I needed.  I enjoyed watching the people coming and going.  I enjoyed saying "Hello" to them with a smile.  I enjoyed wondering what they were wondering when they saw me just sitting there.  Then I began to wonder about them.  Who were they?  What were they doing today?  Were they a happy kinda person or sad?  There was one gentleman who I saw come and then also leave (I was there for a good while) who must have had a stroke.  He had no use of his left arm and in order to walk had to swing his whole left leg kindof in an upward forward motion.  My first instinct was to feel bad and want to help him.  When he was leaving the store I smiled and said, "How are you today?" to which he smiled back and said, "I am doing GREAT!"  As I watched him walk out to his car, set his one bag of groceries on the ground in order to open the door, I then began to think about how he was so grateful he had life.  If he had suffered a stroke, he had come a long way to be able to drive to the grocery by himself, get a bag of groceries, smile, greet another person, and the list could go on.  There were plenty of "able bodied" people coming and going from the store...but he was one of the only people who smiled and truly responded with joy that he was doing GREAT!  What a fortunate event for me to stop and see those around me, and have a unscheduled quiet time of reflection.  Pretty soon after that my knight in shining armor drove up and my heart melted - he is such a hotty.  We thought we would be fortunate enough to enjoy breakfast together, but unfortunately it didn't work out afterall.  I challenge you to think about how you can turn an unfortunate event into a fortunate event.  Who knows...you might discover a fortune?

Reflections

Kate's class is studying a unit on "Past, Present & Future."  She has to complete a timeline of the last 6 years of her life.  She has to have pictures as part of her timeline,then write a complete sentence with each picture.  Not only do I love the idea, my strong teacher juices are wanting to get back into a school.  Gotta get that committed and covered in prayer before it goes anywhere though.  Anyhow, I was reading back through my blog, finding some pictures and I was overwhelmed in how much the little girls have changed, grown, and matured in a year.  It is just a reminder that they grow up in a blink of an eye.  I don't want to think about regrets and live in what is true now....but it is hard sometimes.  The last picture of her timeline is what she wants to be when she grows up.  She wants to be a veterinarian or a teacher.

Grounded

Our electric went out yesterday.  It happened as soon as the girls and I walked in from me picking them up from school.  When Kate realized she couldn't watch cartoons she said, "Oh man, we are grounded by God." 

A little lag...

in my blogging.  Life has been busy!

• The girls have had the overrated and dreaded HINI flu.  Can you tell I am a cynic?  I won't even go there and get on my soapbox concerning this topic. 
• We celebrated the life of my great Aunt Nancy with her entire family who flew to Ohio from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.  I had my camera with me but didn't take a darned picture because I was enjoying the time.  I will post some pics later... 
• Our small group called the Richwood Home of Hope hosted a community coat drive+.  We have been collecting and washing coats for close to 4 weeks now.  Scott jokes about taking many cold showers lately.  Saturday is our big distribution day to the public.  I will write about it once it is over and share the amazing ways God has moved and gone before us to ensure it's success. 
• I have made an incredibly amazing new friend, who happens to be my partner in spearheading the coat drive.  She is an amazing woman of God who has challenged me greatly to be a better wife and mother. 
• I have been checking in on Isaac who has completely stolen my heart. 
• I have been volunteering at the school...which I LOVE!!  In fact, I think I am going to sign up to be a substitute!  Can you believe it?  It's like I can't wait for Tuesday to arrive so I can go see my new favorite little people!
• I actually have been stamping and creating in my new area.  It is AWESOME because I can run down there real quick and whip out a card.  Great way to get a quick "creative" fix!

I squeeze in the cleaning, laundry, and dishes around all the FUN stuff.  I honestly do enjoy these routine chores...well, except unloading the dishwasher.  I wouldn't say our house is spotless, but it is a happier home for sure. 

New creations

I'm Allowed

to brag on my little nephew all I want.  Here are some updated pics!  He is finally up to 3 lbs!  Thanks for your continued prayers.