Christmas Nostalgia

My Nanny had an ugly Santa in her attic.  I'm sure Santa wasn't ugly in his day, but let me explain.  This Santa was made out of construction paper, before the days of "acid free".  He was also made by my brother...I would guess when he was in about 2nd grade.  (So that puts Santa at about age 25 when I am remembering him.)    Every year, without fail, Nanny would hang Santa on her tree.  His red suit was rather pink, and his face a color I can't exactly explain.  Maybe you have seen it...the color white paper turns when it ages.  His belt was grey and his beard really tattered.  It is a wonder he didn't crumble to pieces, but Santa survived.  

I guess one day this will be my house, and my tree.  I have saved my favorite decorations that the kiddos made for me over the years.  I go a little overboard with Christmas decorations in the house, and many of them are home made.  Here is a sampling....

One Christmas wreath from each kid.  Scott's is already starting to look like that Santa, and has a drip of paint on it from one year when it was hanging and I was (guess what)  painting :-).

Two lovely creations from Hannah.  The manger scene was created
at a parents day out at Riverwood church, and the angels
in 2003 at Northport Baptist Preschool.

Two glittery candles made by Scott and James in
the first grade.  Yes...they had the same teacher
James' is the blue one with the 3D flame.

This wreath was made from James' tiny little hands in Kindergarten (I think)

Don't worry....only two more.  Just be glad I did not attempt to explain every ornament on the tree (which I can do for most of them)

Lots in this picture...two hand crafted angels,
a white nativity glazed by my grandmother, and
a lighted church recently given to me by  Barbara.
The church belonged to her aunt.

And not to be left out...Lowell collects guitar playing
Santas.  Something he thought he would never have many
of.  Oh, how wrong he was.  This is just a sampling.  They fill the tree and other areas of the living room as well.

      Did I say only two more?  Sorry about that.  Guess what?  I have an ugly Santa, too.  I won't divulge the crafter, though. As I breathe a heavy sigh because this will be the first Christmas I have not received anything homemade,  Merry Christmas 2012 from all of us!     

                             

On the Craft Table (for under a dollar)

Last weekend I spent some much needed time away in Huntsville, and at my dad's lake house in Guntersville.  Saturday I had lunch with a dear friend from high school.  It is always nice to catch up and talk with someone who really knows you well.  Deb and I graduated together, were married in the same year, and also lived in T-town together for a while.  I'm glad I had a chance to catch up with her. 

Sunday was a beautiful day at Lake Guntersville.  My brother and I started a fire in the fire pit and burned some of the rubble on the property.  We barely made a dent in the piles of downed trees and brush, even though we kept the blaze going all day.  For a couple of hours I walked the property and picked up gum balls, acorns, and hickory nuts.  I brought home three quart Ziploc bags full.

There was a reason for collecting these nuts, other than trying to control the squirrel population.  I was scheduled to have a brunch at my house Nov. 17th for the girls in our youth group.  For quite some time I have had a craft in my head involving acorns, pine cones, gum balls, and hickory nuts.  Unfortunately, the brunch did not happen but I crafted anyway.  Hannah helped me a little but I did most of this myself.  Here goes:

I searched the internet for leaf templates.  I chose a maple leaf shape and an oak leaf shape.  Then I cut card board bases for my wreaths.  I placed a votive candle holder in the middle and started with a circle of acorns.  Next remove the votive holder and grab the glue gun.  Add the nuts in any pattern you like.  My original votive holders were pink, so Hannah painted them fall colors for me.  I have a red and a green which will serve a dual purpose and show up again at Christmas.  I have enough nuts left to make some nice circle wreath holders for Christmas.  To put the final touch and pretty things up, I found a good use for my spray ModPodge.  I sprayed the wreaths to make them shiny. 
               Here is the finished product:

You can see the card board.  To avoid this, cover with felt or burlap first.  I was just being lazy.



 Credit for this craft goes to my mom.  She used to take numerous walks in the woods, gathering nuts and pine cones.  Of course I used to help.  Did you know that Mobile pine cones look different from Huntsville pine cones?  It's true, and they are also prettier in wreaths.  Mom used to make large scale wreaths with plywood bases and take orders for them at Christmas.  They were huge pine cone wreaths and could be hung on the door or placed  flat with a candle in the center.  These are just a mini-version.  But they were fun, and I'm sorry the girls didn't get to help and take one home for their Thanksgiving table. 

The best part, I only spent $.84.  I already had the votive holders...left over from my wedding in 1989.  (Ummm, yes, I save most everything.) The nuts and gumballs were found on the ground, except for the squirrel I had to wrestle.  I already had acrylic paint and  ModPodge.  I paid only for the brown votive candles themselves...on sale at Wal-Mart for only eighty-four cents :-). 

And that's it in a nutshell.

In other news, S is home for Thanksgiving break, and it is great to hear the sound of my three kids together again.  Han quickly asked S to complete a level for her on one of her Ipod games.  Hours of gaming commenced...together.  J and S are horsing around and J may be close to overpowering his older brother.  We'll see.  S was still the victor and brought J to his knees.  :-)  Nothing was broken and I told them if they broke something they had to pay for it.  Still, it was great to see them acting like boys brothers.
For most of Saturday there were three teenagers in the house, and one tween, and it was awesome.  Of course, I was gone much of the time on a date with hubs.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and Roll Tide!!!

The Great Outdoors

I've always been an outdoor girl.  Credit that to my Dad, whom I spent lots of time with during the pre-teen years.  My Dad owns property on Guntersville Lake, and he spent many weekends working on the property.  I would always tag along, roaming through the woods while he worked.   I had a friend named Kenny whose parents owned the lot  nearby. We would run through the woods with "swagger sticks" blazing trails. We jumped from rock to rock on the banks.   I also swam in the lake and learned to ski, albeit not very well.  The swimming hole was best at Kenny's because you could touch bottom there, but beside our red boat house there was an excellent fishing hole.  We still pull bream and catfish out of the water  today and all of my kids caught their first fish from the boat house dock. 

 I was also a girl scout and loved camping, and went on to become a summer church camp counselor for two summers post high school.  No air conditioned cabins at the time.  No bother to me. If you visit my house today, you will see I would rather work outdoors than indoors.  It the weather is nice, I might mow the lawn instead of clean a bathroom.  Oh well.

So recently my family went on a camping trip to Auburn, Al.  Hannah has not been camping since she was three with the family, so I guess you can say it was past time.  We took a borrowed tent, and one borrowed sleeping bag since one of ours seems to have disappeared.  (don't worry...we had the other four on hand so no we did not all share one sleeping bag).  We picked up Scott at Auburn and went to Chewacla State Park.  Chewacla is about 5 minutes from his dorm room.  Somehow Friday night the campground was booked, so we took a very disappointed twelve year old to a hotel for one night.  ***Note we did try to make a reservation but were assured that one would not be needed.  That's Auburn people for you.  Oh well.  We arrived early Saturday morning for try number two and set up our tent.  The campground is really quite nice and the first hint of fall was in the air.  Temperatures were great and it was wonderful to spend time with Scott. 

Outdoor camping is a lot of work.  Especially the preparation beforehand...packing and loading the van with all the essentials.  The difference from just checking into a hotel (which my hubs prefers) is packing the food and drinks, items to eat them on and eat them with.  Also, packing your own bed. Quite an extensive list for folks who don't camp regularly.  In order to save money we cooked all of our meals at the campground on the grill, and also a Coleman Stove for breakfast.  Lowell, Scott, and James set up the tent twice.  That is because when we arrived early Sat. morning we claimed the first spot available, but later found one we liked better and relocated.  Above is a picture of the first site.

So, what exactly did we do all day?  We hiked to Chewacla Falls.  I am using the term Falls extremely loosely.  Due to the lack of rain in Alabama, they were more of  a trickle.  You will see what I mean.  After our hike, Scott returned to his dorm room to do some studying and Hannah and James got a little bored so they explored some more.  Chewacla has an old fashioned playground equipped with a teeter-totter.  I laughed so hard I cried watching James torture Hannah on that thing.  I did get some video but not the funniest.  When I got on the teeter totter James did the same to me.  If America's Funniest Home vidos had been there, I can guarantee we would be winning.  I screamed my head off.  You see, due to child birth, I really don't have any abominal muscles.  When James tilted me upright at a 60 degree angle, I was sure I was coming down face first.  I couldn't straighten up my back to compensate for the tilt.  It really was scary, and I am sure I was way more than 3 feet off of the ground...honest!  Anyway, we eventually mastered the crazy see saw and had fun together...like you are supposed to do in the first place. 

The rocks are black where there was actually a little water falling.  The boys climbed up the middle to view the lake at the top.

                                                                                 

That's me making the Hobos.  I would like to point out the mini-van in the background, our version of a truck, which was packed to the ceiling with camping equipment.  I have to point this out because one day, young mom mini-van haters who drive them any way, you will appreciate yours!

Scott returned later that afternoon and we cooked Hobos on the grill and made S'Mores on the campfire for dessert.  We played a round robin game of storytelling where everyone adds a sentence until you have some crazy story.  We  played that for a long time until ours were the only voices in the campground.  Time for some shut eye.  The sun shone brightly into our tent at about 7 AM and a few of us got up, others slept a couple more hours.  My only complaint?  The bath house was a bit far away and of course I had to go in the wee hours of the night.  I should have slept next to the tent door because I had to climb over Lowell to get out.  We had a great time, stayed on a budget, and got away from the hum drum of T-town for a while. 

Jellybeans

I went to see The Jellybean Conspiracy Saturday night.  As I entered the Historic Bama Theater, a friend and usher for the evening asked:  "Did you bring your Kleenex?"  And indeed, I had grabbed a handful before I left the house.  I certainly needed them.  The kids on that stage were near and dear to my heart.  My passion from many years ago in 1985 when I was bold enough to tell a University of Alabama advisor that in fact I did not like computer science at all but was very interested in special education.  I declared a major and began on a journey toward working with kids with emotional difficulties, but ended up majoring in Orthopedically Handicapped and Other Health Impaired.  These kids typically have Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or Spina Bifida.  Those are the kids that appeared on stage this weekend.  Playing the drums, singing, dancing, and smiling oh so big!

Perhaps the most touching part was listening to the stories from the parents. A handful of very brave Moms stood on stage and shared what it was like to get the news that their precious baby would not be "normal."  There can't be anything easy about raising a special needs child, but it is amazing to hear that in reality these kids teach us so much.  Most of them, although they sometimes are laughed at, teased, or called names such as stupid and retard, are loving and kind.  They greet each day with a smile and most days make everyone else smile as well. 

Act II hit home as well since it took place in a high school.  The story of a teenage girl with a brother who has Down Syndrome.  In that classroom, kids were calling each other names such as idiot and retard and stupid, unbeknownst to the fact that Cricket had a brother at home who actually fit that description.  Cricket, prompted by her wanna be boyfriend, sets out to make her brother normal.  She tries to try and fix what is wrong with him.  Of course in the end she realizes that he is just fine the way he is, and boyfriend actually makes friends with her brother. 

I would venture to say that the first real "bad" word kids learn is stupid. Ummm...he just said the "S" word.   It is a no-no in Kindergarten, and probably most of elementary school, especially when directed toward an individual.  By middle school, however, it is pretty common-place.  As is idiot and retard.  My son uses idiot frequently.  I don't like it.  He was also at Jellybean, and I think now he gets why that word bothers me so.  You never know who is listening, or what circumstances someone is facing, and you certainly would not hurt them on purpose

Aren't we all like the character Cricket, though.  We want to fix things.  If something doesn't fit into the mold just right, it needs to be fixed.  Parents don't want to see their children hurt emotionally or physically.  We can bandage a skinned knee or put a broken bone in  a cast, but some things are just meant  ordained to be. 

I have to tie this all into my faith.  I am reminded of someone who was laughed at and scorned as well.   Jesus, my savior,  died humbly on the cross for my sins.  The God of all things created each and every one of us, all unique individuals with various gifts, talents, and quirks.  Thank goodness we are not all alike.  We're "fearfully and wonderfully made."  You wouldn't want to walk in my shoes, and I probably wouldn't want to walk in yours.  But the body of Christ works together. 

So, fellow jellybean, you are just right.  You are beautiful in the eyes of the Lord.  God created you to be who you are, and sent His son to save you from your sin.  You will never be perfect on this earth, but neither will anyone else. 

Psalm 49:3  My mouth shall speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

Monica

Defending the Family Dinner

WOW!  Back to school hit with fierceness this year.  I can't remember ever being so busy.  The Tuscaloosa City Schools changed from the four block day to the seven period day.  At the same time, our Case Manager at Northridge decided that she would like a change and go back into the classroom.  That means that she no longer handles all of our paperwork and meetings.  Sooo...I could go into a really long explanation about the new things I have to do at work, along with having forty-three students at once rather than the ten or so that I am used to managing, but that would probably be looooong and boring.  Suffice it to say that I am working 300% harder, and I also have half the time during the school day to manage the workload.  My brain might explode.  Some days I get lose all coherent thoughts.  I'm getting too old for that.  I am tired when I get home mentally and physically.

One thing I am set on, however, is the family dinner hour.  I use the term loosely, because sometimes it is the family dinner ten minutes, but we make it to the table.There are many obstacles to this event.

Obstacle one:   Extra Curricular Activities...especially theater.  It is next to impossible to get everyone together during show production week, but it can be done!!  Many times the hubs walks in to sit straight down at the table, scarfs something yummy, and then heads out to a meeting or a practice.  If I have to pick someone up from an after school practice, that messes up cooking.  You can't start dinner, leave for a while, and then come back and finish it.  Someone has to be home to keep the house from burning down :-).  Thankfully J is driving this year.  But Unlike Scott, he is not home much so if sister needs a ride it is up to me. 

Obstacle two:  Event start time.  Don't event planners know that it is virtually impossible to feed a family and make it to an event by 6 PM?  If they don't I guess I just officially let the word out.  It is even harder for the working mom who doesn't even leave until five.  No way can you cook, sit down to eat and make it on time for something that starts at 6 PM.  What falls into this category?  Open houses, baby showers, craft nights, board meetings...etc.  This leaves two options for the sit down to dinner crew:  fast food or chicken nuggets.  Why?  Because one you pick up on the way home and the other takes 10 minutes to cook.  If you are lucky you can add a veggie or two to the nuggets.  Oh...option three would be to cook after the event, but that would put bedtime at around midnight I guess, by the time conversation and clean up are finished with.  

This fall I have managed to plan every evening event under my control on the same night.  That way we only miss one family dinner opportunity.  Only one missed opportunity to talk about grades, friends, and events at school.  Maybe one missed opportunity to have a rousing family disagreement.  Ummm...yes that happens a lot, but we use it as a teaching tool. Only one missed opportunity to pray for each other and bear one another's burdens.  Only one missed opportunity to cry with each other.  All of this and more has occurred at our table for the past twelve or so years.  

There are many statistics about the advantages of family meals together.  You can google them if you  wish.  I can tell you I just like talking to my kids and my husband.  I want to know what is going on in their lives and what brings them joy or sorrow.  I want to minister to them  through paper plates and chicken nuggets and sometimes no veggies.  So if you plan an event during the week I am not shunning you, I'm just home cooking and waiting to talk. 

 My kids have friends over occasionally to spend the night and we sit down to dinner with them.  Some of them feel very awkward at our table.  I can tell they eat on the run a lot. Possibly in front of the television on a tray.  I've had folks come to the door while we were all gathered at the table. (you can see us through the picture window) They look startled and unsure what to do.  One kid even asked his parents why they never sat down together to eat.  Heavy sigh :-(. 

So I hope if you are able, you might be inspired to try one sit down dinner per week with the fam.  Baby steps, you know.  We're all busy and have different things that might prevent the dinner hour.  Good luck and happy dining.  Try some new crock pot recipes for those busiest days. 

Roll Tide and Go Reds!!

Monica

Welcome to the Cave of Champions

Yes that's a turnstile.  A fully functioning electronic programmable turnstile that when turned on reads Welcome to Great American Ballpark. How cool is that?  Really, Really cool if you are a HUGE Cincinnati Reds fan. 

Our Cave of Champions is not new by any means.  I've previously mentioned it used to be a bedroom.  We transformed it into a cave, which by the way can't really be considered a cave since we have a one level house, several months after my Nanny died in 2005.  What is new is that it now has a name, and a really cool entrance. 

We can't call it a "man cave" because it has always been more of a "teen cave."  When it isn't full of teens, it is full of crazy Alabama fans!  When it isn't full of crazy Alabama fans, it is full of my family watching a movie.  Hopefully soon it will be full of Reds fans watching the World Series.

So...back to the turnstile.  Ladies, have you ever been shopping and found the perfect dress or the perfect pair of shoes, so you just bought it (them), no matter what the price?  I guess this piece of history can sort of be compared to that.  In 2002, Riverfront Stadium, home of The Big Red Machine, was demolished.  At that time, there were seats from the stadium for sale.  We thought about purchasing  a few. These would be original seats from the stadium  where Lowell went to games with his dad.  Priceless.  Unfortunately, we were not able to do this.  I was a stay at home mom.  It was a wise (and pretty easy) financial decision to let that dream go. 

Fast forward to July 2012, on vacation in Cinci.  Our family walked into the REDS Hall of Fame to check on ticket prices, and there it was...another piece of history...with a price tag on it.  There are no longer turnstiles at Great American Ballpark, and sure enough the remaining were for sale.  Cries of "Dad, you have to buy that" began.  Everyone wanted Lowell to buy this thing, and I'll admit I was on board as well.  Did we have the money, no...not really.  NO NO NO  said Lowell.  We thought about it...overnight.  The kids, bless their hearts, donated their allowance.  Scott offered some of his graduation money.  So sure enough, the Great American Ballpark turnstile was loaded into our minivan.  (free shipping)   I drove the van to the Cincinnati Zoo with that 300 pound piece of history in the back. [ And please don't tell any cops but the kids had to trade out riding on the floor on the trip home. ]  

If you ever visit my house for a sporting event, or to watch a chick flick, you can now enter via turnstile number 15.  This is the very same turnstile L and J went through  at their first Cincinnati Reds home game.  At least that's our story :-). 

Here is my ticket taker.  She worked a couple of hours making Bama vs. Michigan game tickets.  There are a few fans in the background.  They had to wait for the gate to open. 

If you want to know what we paid for our piece of history, I'm not telling.  I will tell that I looked it up and retail price is around $3000.00.  We didn't come anywhere close to that.  It was a little bit like an episode of American Pickers, except we are not reselling! 

Roll Tide and Go Reds!

Post Script:  I hope you like color...some of this was on purpose, some of it just happened :-)

Memory Making

If you have read more than one of my posts, you now at least know some of my present.  This blog will flash back a little bit, to about 1996.  That is the year that J was born.  At the time, I was teaching at Matthews Elementary School.  I had a lovely class of 2nd-5th graders. My own class taught in a portable and decorated my way.  (If you are reading this as a public school teacher you will know this isn't the case so much any more for Special Ed). Talk about variety. Lesson planning was a challenge for sure.

I taught at Matthews for two years until the hubs and I decided it would be beneficial to our two boys if I stayed at  home with them.  I still loved my job.  This change was something we felt called to do.  At the time, hubs was a teacher as well, so the salary thing was going to be an issue.  I had to find something to supplement, and I chose Creative Memories consultant.  Scrapbooking was already a hobby, and it was about to be a career (of sorts). 

My days as a CM consultant lasted 3 years. I made a little bit, but we also had some extra money from my retirement fund.  It turned out to be a bit more lucrative for me to work part time at a day care and take my boys with me.  A win-win.  I got paid to be around the kiddos.

Even though the consultant career was a wash, the hobby never left.  I still scrapbook to this day, the old fashioned way, the 90's way.  Die cuts and stickers and pretty colored paper, and photos cropped with scissors instead of Photo Shop.  I write on my pages in my own handwriting and use acid free pens of course. 

I tried digital scrapbooking.  I even have two digital books printed out.  At a recent Creative Memories event, I won software for digital scrapping.  I loaded it up.  I tried it out and even made some pretty cute pages.  There is only one problem.  Since I have been doing this since 1995, most of my books are not digital.  In fact, there are twenty-five of them.  When I made my cute digital pages, I realized that they belong in  a scrapbook that I am only halfway through.  I can't switch in the middle, ya know.  That just wouldn't work.  So I am sticking with the slow method some might call it, or the twentieth century method.  It isn't easy.  I used to be able to go to "Crops" once a month.  Attendance has dwindled so much that now those are only offered twice  a year, and this year the date is NHS homecoming.  I won't make that one.  So I keep my supplies set up in my room and do a page (or ten) when I have the chance.  It isn't the same as competing with fellow scrappers to get pages done but it works.

I finished Scott's books this summer.  Though I may have a handful of pictures to add, I am finished with his books.  They chronicle his school years from Kindergarten through Twelfth.  I wrapped them and handed them over.  I sort of expected him to spend hours pouring through them but he didn't.  Maybe because except for the 9th-12th book they have been sitting in the house for perusal anytime.  :-).  I did get a hearty thank you.  It felt really great to finish them.  Now I will have more time for James (I'm currently at 6th grade)  and Hannah (I think I am at 2nd grade).  Not to mention countless vacations.  I'll stay busy.  I'll stay entertained.  I'll have the memories.  I'll have Hobby Lobby close by.  I'll have my consultant to order scrapbooks from.  I'll be happy. 

Empty Spaces and Amazing Grace

I think the mist has finally cleared from my eyes enough to complete this post.  Most of you who might be reading this already know that I/we took this guy to begin his Freshman year at Auburn University on Saturday. 

This event is by far one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  Our family is very tight knit.  I  teach school at the same high school Scott graduated from.  I always knew where he was going, and even what was on the lunch menu for the day.  I've been involved in our church youth events enough to know what was going on at church as well. 

Guess what?  He went to/visited  a new church on Sunday.  I had to ask what he had for lunch.  I have only met his room mate for about 30 minutes.    I certainly hope I never have to meet any of his teachers :-).   Control lost.

There is an empty bedroom in the house.  There is an empty chair at the family dinner table.  There is an empty parking spot in front of the house.  In six days there will be an empty seat in the van because yes, Scott enjoyed riding to school with me.  There is an empty chair in our row at church.  Emptiness.  There is an empty space in my heart. 

The physical spaces will remain empty; however, God can fill the space in my heart.  Amazing Grace.  It is our song of renewal this month at church.  I couldn't sing it Sunday...too many tears.  Guess what else...Chris Tomlin's version  (of Amazing Grace) was on the radio as I drove home.  More tears.  Sheesh.

So what does Amazing Grace have to do with Scott beginning a new chapter of life as some have called it?    Comfort.  Peace.  Joy.  Fullness.  A reminder of what God did for me.

T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.
The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.

My job is almost complete. I say almost because there will be visits...and many discussions yet to come I'm sure.   Lowell and I have trained Scott.  He belongs to God.  My influence is fading.  Only God's remains.  Control lost.  What an awesome thought. 


I'll close with a link to Chris Tomlin's Amazing Grace. 

By Bread Alone

Matthew 4:4  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.


Last week our church youth went on a local mission trip to Lincoln Village in Huntsville, AL.  The Village has quite a story, and you can check it out here.  I was most affected, however, by our time at the Manna House soup kitchen. 
I'm not quite sure what I expected.  Well, take that back.  I envisioned all of us standing behind a counter pouring soup into a bowl with a smile on our faces and offering a hot meal.  I figured we would help make the soup before hand.  After all, we were to volunteer from 3PM-7PM. 

I found nothing like that.  No soup anywhere.  Instead fresh produce, fresh eggs, sandwiches made with care, sweet breakfast treats, bagels, and desserts.  Even cat food and dog food by request for the family pet.

It was about to storm when we arrived.  Faye, bless her heart, was so concerned that those who came would have to stand in the rain that she put us to work immediately clearing a place inside for everyone to stand in line.  It was a short downpour, but almost everyone made it inside.  Men and women made their way through an assembly line.  They were given fresh fruit and vegetables, clothing if needed, sandwiches (balogna or peanut butter), and sweets for dessert.  About four of our girls spent their time cutting cakes and putting them on plates to serve.  They were nasty and sticky messes when they finished.  I spent my time bagging bread and bagels. 

For roughly 3 hours, the bread supply just kept coming.  I know some of it was from Panera, and some from The Mill Bakery in Huntsville, but just as soon as I thought surely there is no more bread, I was given another bag of bagels to sort through and individually bag.  Three young men from Huntsville High School were also helping me.  Problem is they got it wrong.  They were mixing the loaves of bread in with the bagels.  A lovely lady tried so hard to explain to them their mistake.  She was mute.  Yes, that is right.  She used only her hands to try to explain to us our mistake.  I finally got what she was telling us.  I don't even know her name, but I was so touched by her hard work.  Obviously needy herself, she was giving her time at Manna House.  I could tell she had been there many times before.  She knew exactly what to do.  God Bless her!!!

Because I was working with the bread, the verse "Man can not live by bread alone" kept popping into my head.  At the end of the assembly line for food, a few volunteers were praying with individuals before they left the kitchen.  I listened in on  a few prayers.  God, please continue to bless (insert name)'s family.  Thank you for providing for them today.  Please help (insert name) to find a job.  Thank you for providing Jesus as our savior.  And so on.  That completes the verse; "but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."  Matthew 4:4

After standing for four hours in not the most comfortable shoes, I was sore.  I thought surely I would sleep soundly that night, but my muscles were aching.  The volunteers at Manna House do this three nights a week.  They feed about 2000.  I am not sure if that is daily or weekly, but it is amazing. 

Thank you, volunteers of Manna House, for your ministry.  I hope to visit our local soup kitchen soon. 

For the Love of the Game, and the Hubs

Summer trip number three.  Cincinnati, Ohio.  Reds Baseball.

So of course the minivan did not take me to San Diego, but it did take us to Cincinnati for a three day weekend.  The best part of this trip was the spontaneity.  This three game series against the Brewers was supposed to be a guy thing.  Specifically James and Lowell.  The tickets were a gift to James for his birthday. 

 The past couple of years, our vacations have involved Cincinnati Reds baseball.  Except we have been watching them play on unfriendly turf.  We saw them play the Braves in Atlanta, the Cardinals in St. Louis, the Phillies in Philadelphia, and the Mets in NYC.  We invited our friends, and none of them are for the REDS.  See....



I'm pretty sure James made Eli wear the hat.







BFF's in  spite of Ed's loyalties.









Greg's kids were wearing Cards shirts :-).

So why did Hannah, Scott, and I crash James' party?  Simply because we like to hang out together.  It was much better than staying home for three days without the hubs.  The three of us did not attend any games, so James still had that time with his dad.  We watched the fireworks from our hotel, swam in the hotel pool, ate some good food at Tom + Chee, and went to the zoo.  Do I love the REDS?  Only by default. It is something my hubby loves, so I want to share that with him. Naturally.    Lowell gets his love for  this team from his dad Frank Urban.  Frank, a native of Ohio,  took Lowell to a few games.  Lowell wanted to share the memories with his own sons.  He has accomplished that in so many ways.  What a great DAD!!!



 Thanks, James for letting us tag along.  You and your dad are truly the REDS FANS EXTRAORDINAIRE!!!!  If you follow a team long enough, they have a good season.  The REDS are currently in first place!!!  WooHoo!!!

This is the picture that was featured on the

Better Off Red blog.



So what do you do in the summer? Part 2

Travel.  In a white 2004 Chevy Venture.  That van has been around.  Estes Park, Colorado; Brigham City, Utah; Yellowstone National Park;The Grand Canyon, Arizona; St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois;  Staten Island, New York; Boone, North Carolina.  These are just a few.  Kind of like trying to thank everyone at the Oscar's.  I'm sure I have left somewhere out.  Not to mention the other minivans that also took us places.   

I'm not exactly sure when we started packing up and hitting the road.  I think it goes back to when Hannah was about 3.  We traveled to Washington, DC and stayed with a friend of mine from college.  We like to fit in family or friend visits when we can.  That helps the budget, and it is also fun.  We managed to visit family in Baltimore on that trip as well.  The only reason this was tolerable when the kids were that age is because of the DVD player in the van.  I felt so guilty for purchasing the van with this add on.  Not any more.  That thing was great!  It has been broken for a couple of years now but we can still travel.  The kids have replaced movie watching with Nintendo DS and IPods.  I'm okay with that, until there is a video game haze.  At this point the game becomes nothing but frustration.  The youngest is always losing and it is finally wearing on her.  Cries of JAMES!!! resound in my ear.  Time to stop playing I chime in from the front seat.  No really, we are fine.  I won't do that any more.  This lasts about one second and finally the game between three ends.  Time to go back to single play, or music, or even the alphabet game.  On our trip last weekend we played 20 Questions.  After midnight.  I can do a whole blog only on that game.  It was hysterical.  Lowell seems to think that Under Hannah's Bed is a place in the West.  Oops...no we didn't guess that one.  But he answered wrong.  Okay so he had been driving a long time I give him one mistake :-).  Scott came up with the fictional person Ronald McDonald.  Who can guess that?  Mine was Abraham Lincoln and I think they guessed in two guesses.  Oh well!!!

Okay so this summer our family vacation was to the beach.  We didn't do anything except sleep late, swim in the ocean, swim in the pool, eat a nice dinner with extended family.  Repeat.  One evening we went to Adventure Island in Orange Beach. This is our standard Putt-Putt place. Wait, I think it is MiniGolf now.  Putt-Putt is a chain :-).  Kind of like all sodas are called Coke in the South. Then the kids like to burn quarters in the gaming section and earn tickets to be redeemed for ummm... junk.  If only all the kids could get the same number of tickets.  Tough luck for the youngest...again.  Hannah, I can relate.  I am the youngest.  Tough stuff.

This is my extended fam...only missing one nephew. Mark Meador.  He gets his first name mentioned since he was absent.  Lucky guy. From left to right, the Urbans, the Lawther's, and the Meadors. 



Trip number two was a tag along with the hubs to San Diego.  He had to go to a technology conference...poor thing.  We still managed some time together.  Actually quite a bit, including the zoo, and since the trip fell on our 23rd anniversary that was just fine.  I really enjoyed San Diego.  The temp was almost too chilly for me at night so I always kept a sweater close by. Highs about 72 each day I think.  I live in the wrong place, y'all.  I love the water.  I can walk beside a river or on the beach or beside the bay and feel really close to my Creator.  I pray while I walk.  I am reminded of God's beauty, even on the city streets.  I would have been happy in San Diego for a long time.  I walked everywhere.  I even found a mall.  Once I found the mall I walked some more while I shopped .  Nice.  That was vacation, though.  That is what it is for.  Tuscaloosa is home.  When we deplaned it was about 103 degrees.  Ugh!  Vacation ends.  Home is nice as well.  The dogs missed me and maybe the cat.   My kiddos were having their own fun with the cousins  in Huntsville.  But they were also happy to be home.

Stay tuned for trip number three.

So what do you do in the summer?

I get asked that question often.  That is because the beauty of teaching is having the summer off.  I have always cherished this time with my family, an awesome compromise between career girl and stay at home mom.  I did the stay at home mom thing while the kids were little though, until they all reached school age.  I don't regret it, tough as it was at times.  It was lonely...but I digress. 

To answer that question, there are several things.  It will take more than one blog.  I'll start with crafting.  My first big project this summer is dedicated to my mom, lover of all things old.  She was a painter and a crafter and I can remember stopping on family trips at antique stores for her to find just the right piece to paint.  Somehow mom acquired two old milk cans.  One of them still sits in my dad's basement.  The other I brought home a while back.  It sat on my porch and got a little rusty.  I decided to help it out a little this summer. 

This is what I started with.  It was actually solid red...a favorite color of mom's and my grandmother Nanny's, but since I let it rust I had to do some scraping first.  I did not remove all of the old paint because I wanted there to be a bumpy surface to preserve the "old" factor. (you see so many of these around these days)  Ha Ha!  Next, I spray painted the entire can white. 

My plan was to create a stool for our movie room.  The movie room is red...Nanny used to live there...and it is a transformed bedroom.  It has a dual theme, sports and movies. 

After completing the white I was ready to tackle painting a houndstooth pattern.  Then I saw the light.  There must be an easier way.  I own a roll of houndstooth wrapping paper.  That will cover the base nicely.  So off to Wal-Mart I went and purchased some ModPodge. My favorite craft spot is Hobby Lobby, now within walking distance to my house I might add, but I needed something else at Wal-Mart.   For some reason I decided to try the spray ModPodge.  Not my favorite product.  It just doesn't work the same as the kind you brush on.  And the smell is different.  Part of my ModPodge obsession is because of the smell.  Again, it reminds me of mom who was into "decoupage".  I don't know if she used the same product but the smell was the same.  It reminds me of growing up around a crafter.  Our dining room used to smell like oil paints and turpentine, too, because that is where mom painted.  Anyway...back to the milk can. 

Here it is looking a little rough after the wrapping paper was applied.  I had to trim the edges, and push out some creases.  The spray ModPodge mixed with the rust on the can and left some yucky brown stains.  I ended up cutting patches of paper to cover the brown and applying them with the ModPodge that you brush on. 

Once finished with the houndstooth, I found some embellishments online for the top and sides of the can.  I printed them, ModPodged  (is that a word?) them on, and then hand painted them.  

 So here is the finished product. It looks like there is some blurriness...these may have been cell phone pics, but you get the idea.   Roll Tide!!! Only 37 days until kickoff!!!

Why the blog?

I spend more time these days on Facebook.  I love to read bits and pieces of what is happening in various folks' lives.  There are a few bloggers I follow and I love the quick easy format.  So I have bitten the bullet. 
Now I just have to figure this out.  We'll see how it goes.  Kathy may be my only follower.

I love my family.  There are 5 of us.  The hubs (Lowell) and I have been married 23 years now.  WOW!!  My oldest son Scott is about to leave the nest.  He's headed to Auburn.  Yep...sorry about that Tide fans.  But he is a pre-vet major and Auburn is pretty good for that you know.  James is a Junior at Northridge High School.  There isn't much he doesn't like.  Band, theater, choir, church youth group, and even school most of the time.  Hannah will be in 7th grade at Rock Quarry Middle School.  She loves to sing, play the flute and piano, and hang with friends.  She doesn't always like James, but Scott is cool!  (Don't worry...Scott used to be the enemy). 

Here we all are on vacation this summer.  We went to Perdido Key and stayed at Sandy Key Condominiums.  Thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Lawther for planning the family get together. 

I hope you enjoy a few tales from the jungle.