Meanderings

My parents left this past Monday on a Mission Trip to Ghana and Togo. I've been unsettled in my spirit about this trip all week. Perhaps it's just that it's so close to Christmas and there's so much going on in my own life right now. But the more prayers for their protection going up the happier I'll be.

We have heard from them. They arrived safely in Ghana and then were heading up north into the mountains. A member of the church in Sparta, Georgia that my father pastored for several years has gone with them and he called his wife yesterday. He said they were at a Welcome Center and he had borrowed someone's phone to make contact. He said they were doing fine and having a blessed time.

And still I worry. It's not that worry is foreign to me, it's just that I'm usually very secure about my parents while they're on their Mission trips, so this is pushing me a little off my stride.

Please add them to your prayer list. And my family, in their absence, could use prayer, also - my sisters and brother, my nieces and nephews, my children and husband. When my parents do missions, we seem to come under a huge amount of attack. The devil tries to hit them where it hurts the most - their children and grandchildren.

My niece who is a legislator on Capitol Hill called twice yesterday. I haven't heard from her in over a year. She stays in close contact with my parents and speaks to them several times a week. After we hung up, it occurred to me that she's missing Grandpa, too, and thus the call to me. We were just sitting down to dinner when the phone rang, so I was a little distracted. Then Don walked through the door from work, so the timing wasn't great and I'm not sure that I did justice to our conversation, but it was good to hear her voice, all the same.

Oops! The phone's ringing and someone just rang the doorbell. Better run for today!

Time Spurts

Don and I are in charge of a Silent Auction at this year's big fund-raising event for the school - the Christmas Festival. People have been calling and dropping items and donation sheets off at the house all day.

And since I've been at the school the last three days and unavailable to sell pecans, my customers are also pouring into the driveway.

So much for trying to clean and get ready for our Christmas tree. I have to stay in the front of the house, but I needed to set up the boy's new hardwood dresser in their room that matches their bunkbeds and get rid of the old, pressed board ones whose drawers are, literally, falling apart. All their clothes needed to be sorted and transferred and the floor and walls cleaned. I've tried to accomplish this job in snips of time - between the phone and the doorbell ringing.

But things are coming along quite well for the auction. We've gotten several nice items today and Don should be able to finish all the data entry tonight so we can spend tomorrow setting up. I got all the errands run today, too. Barely. As I was taking my purse, the package and Christmas cards (my mothers, not mine - I should be so lucky) that I needed to drop at the Post Office out to the car, a man pulled into the driveway and asked if I'd wait to go and sell him some pecans first. I was glad to take his money.

So I attempt to get my chores done - in little spurts of 5 - 10 minutes. But I remember to be thankful because the interruptions either mean more money for the school or more for my furniture fund, both of which are good!

Soap Blobs

Well, the Third Graders seemed to survive my Math lesson. Today was my day to help in the Kindergarten class and the Administrative Assistant saw me in the hallway and told me that none of the children had missed any of the problems where they had to solve for the unknown. I was thrilled although I can't take credit because the parents got the job of explaining that one.

I led Deanna's Little Sister's group today. It's similar to Campfire Girls or Girl Scouts and this was my first time leading this year. I decided to teach them about soap. I borrowed my mother's Canadian cookbook that actually tells you what fats to use and how to clean and render them for soap-making - quite informational. I got there early and was all set up. I decided to take the 9 girls three at a time while the remaining six sang songs with the other leader. I had three colors, three scents, and several different molds for them to choose from. Of course, Deanna wanted to try something more exotic - she wanted to swirl two different colors in her soapbase. All her friends were suitably impressed with her finished product.

The girls listened attentively while I talked about saponification, lye, and the commonly-held story of how soap was discovered. I read from the cookbook and answered questions - lots and lots of questions. We talked about how the pioneers wasted nothing, even their old fat and the ashes from their fires were used to make soap. We talked about how simple our life is by comparison and how the world has changed significantly during my lifetime. It was an interesting and fun exercise and the girls really seemed focused and interested.

The most amazing part, at least to me, was that they were more interested in the skin of the soap left behind in the Pyrex measuring cups that we used for melting the soapbase in the microwave than in the actual soaps they each made. Everyone of them, without exception, asked if they could have the hunk of soap that I peeled off the bottom of the measuring cup to clean it out and prepare it for the next girl to use. I finally decided to stop fighting it and saved all the skins for them. I even made two extra for two of the girls who didn't have ones.

The "ooh's" and "ah's" were unbelievable. Each one had to touch every other girl's blob. They compared blob colors and sizes. They compared the texture on the bottom of the blob and discussed why some were different. The blobs were much more popular than the beautiful molded soaps they made. Go figure.

The most important thing, however, is that they had fun and learned something, to boot. They all probably know more about soap and soap-making than almost every adult they know. And they each had their pretty little scented soap to use in the shower tonight.

One girl missed the meeting - we called to check on her and was told she had something else she had to do. Deanna was concerned in the car on the way home that tomorrow in school all the girls will be talking about their soaps (and now we all realize, their blobs, as well) and this girl will be left out. There's nothing I can do about that, except pray for her and hope she doesn't miss any future meetings.

Here's hoping the other two I do this year will be as big a hit!

Is this Modern Math?

I've been substitute teaching in Dane's class the last two days. Yesterday went fabulously well. We flew through the morning, enjoying every minute. We got so much done that we had about an extra 1 1/2 hours in the afternoon to work on Christmas posters. I begged some soft music off of one of the other teachers and put on a nice CD, playing softly in the background while the children worked on their art. Ah! What a peaceful, joyous day.

This morning, I went in expecting another of smooth sailing. The morning went well, though drug a little more than yesterday. Then we hit the afternoon - math, right after lunch recess.

The lesson was solving for an unknown number, such as "n" or "a". I taught this same lesson to Deanna's 4th grade class last year and Deanna told me afterwards that I stunk. There were only about 6 kids in the class that got it. I got heavily critiqued that evening by a self-conscious daughter. So, here I was, facing the same lesson with children a year younger.

To add to the difficulty, the 4th graders had already been introduced to this idea in 3rd grade. However, I was teaching the 3rd graders today, making it doubly hard. I explained the concepts, clearly defined the rules (whatever you do to one side of the equation, you MUST do to the other side), then looked at the first of 3 problems they gave for the children to solve. Uh-oh! The problem began n-2=6+3. -2. The 3rd graders don't know about negative numbers yet. How do I explain to them how to make 2 equal to zero so you can isolate the n?

I tried drawing a line across the board and putting 0 in the middle, explaining that numbers below zero are written as a - number. I tried pretending there was an imaginery line through the classroom that was 0 and I took 4 giant steps to the right, then asked how I would get back to 0 again. Dead stares.

Ultimately, I decided to skip the whole negative number concept. I told them that if the equation had a minus sign, plus the same number on both sides. If it had a plus sign, minus the same number on both sides. Unfortunately, by then they were thoroughly confused.

Up next on the agenda was a speed drill. As the kids looked vacantly around the room, I knew I was in trouble. I had them put their pencils down and stand up, planning some deep breathing and exercise to clear their heads and get the oxygen pumping to their brains. Dane, on the front row, stood up and began to cry.

"What's wrong, honey?" I bellowed across the room, disturbed that my baby was crying.

"My stomach hurts and my heads hurts, Mama," he whimpered. I called him to me, placed his head against my chest and snuggled him in front of all his classmates. Dane has a stomach problem and takes medication. Last week the doctor double his medication to twice a day, but we keep forgetting to give him his morning dose. The stress of unknowns and negative numbers was just too much for him. He was really feeling sick.

I had a headache, too, as did most of the students. It was just a little too much. Finally, I encouraged the students to take their math books home and have their parents explain this concept to them. What I cop-out I am. They ought to fire me as a sub.

At a meeting I attended this evening, I asked a friend of mine about her daughter who's in Dane's class and has been out sick the last two days. The mom told me she's been running a high fever and was hallucinating but is better and will return to school tomorrow.

"All I have to say," I told her, "is that she ought to be glad she wasn't there today. She would've felt worse by the end of the day."

Perhaps the 4th grade teacher will have more luck next year. If not, they might need to consider changing the curriculum so that the introduction to solving for the unknown doesn't include a second difficult topic such a negative numbers. You can add the negative numbers into the lessons once the children have the basic concepts of unknowns down.

Either that or fire the sub.

Rain . . . bow

I have a nephew who lives in Atlanta and another at UGA in Athens, GA. Over Thanksgiving, we talked about the drought and how badly Atlanta has been hit. I told them the little ditty my California sister taught me one summer while I was visiting: "If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down."

Both nephews said they've heard the same ditty coming out of the mouth of the Governor (of Georgia, not California, although Arnold's predecessor in CA was the originator of this little saying, I'm told). Apparently, things are PRETTY bad.

We discussed water conservation efforts. I suggested the Governor ban Deanna from showers. Then there'd be no drought at all. Her grown male cousins thought that was hilarious and kidded her mercilessly.

It's been raining of and on all day today - lovely, wet rain. We need it, but not near as badly as Atlanta needs it. This evening, before settling down to dinner, I noticed a break in the rain and took the pup out for a tinkle trip. The sky was amazingly light and had a strange glow. I was looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of the dipping sun in the West. When I didn't succeed, I turned to the East and saw the most amazing, full, clear rainbow, going from one point on the low horizon in a complete semi-circle, disappearing into the horizon at the opposite end of the earth. Just short of the glowing rainbow was a second shadowy bow, not clearly visible but definitely more than a hint.

I was struck by God's promise to mankind. A rainbow is so staggeringly beautiful all by itself but, add to that the significance, and it's unbeatable.

I hate that Atlanta's in a serious drought, but the rain and the ensuing rainbow were a blessing to behold.

God loves Deanna enough to make up for some of her showers, anyway.

Familiarity

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful this day for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country, for being able to love the Lord and worship as I choose.

I'm thankful for my husband and beautiful children. I'm thankful for my parents who live just 5 doors up from us and for my sisters, brother, and their families. I'm thankful for my home - not only a roof over my head, but a cozy, happy place that more than meets our needs. I'm thankful for the quality of life that we're able to have because my husband has a good job. I'm thankful for my neighbors and friends, my church, that there are laws in this country to protect me and my family, and I'm thankful for all those who sacrifice so that we might have this protection - soldiers, fire personnel, policemen, as well as pastors, crossing guards, and librarians.

Basically, I'm thankful. I love life, I love the Lord, and I love His Church.

Last year at this time, we were in England. The children and I left the Saturday before Thanksgiving and landed on Sunday morning. A driving service picked us up, attempted to load our luggage, me and the children, then took us to our hotel, which we came to love, although the first day wasn't the best. By Thursday, the kids and I felt like we had England by the tail. We had taken buses and trains, walked for miles, been to Church, eaten English foods, including going to a Pub, been blown over by the wind, and trudged through the rain to do whatever we wanted to do, because it always rained.

I didn't miss Thanksgiving. Being in England was an adventure! We called home and talked to the family, but we didn't yet miss the familiar things. Thanksgiving was just another day in Warrington. The thing that I really DID miss was having Don home. He had to work all day, which seemed wrong to me. Most of the Americans who worked in his office had flown home for the weekend. There were only 4 left, of which Don was one. One of his co-workers made some phone calls and found a restaurant that served what we would consider a traditional Thanksgiving meal - turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes . . . She made reservations for us and the other 3 Åmericans left behind. The children and I took a train, then a bus to arrive at the Toby's Carvery where we were to meet Don and his friends. They arrived by taxi and we had a wonderful meal. It was the first time I met Jeannie, Peggy, and Richard whom we later became very close to.

It was late, but it did feel like Thanksgiving, although everything was very different. The stuffing was served in hard balls. The turkey had mint sauce with it. There was nothing to drink that seemed American to us. But it was a close rendition.

I've really missed England since returning home. But, over the last 2 weeks, I've begun to be thankful for being home. As England recedes into the distance of my memory, I appreciate more the goodness and fullness of the life I have here. While it was an experience I will never regret and am very glad we had, I'm equally glad to be home this year and enjoying "life as we know it".

Things here are easier. Perhaps because there's a rhythm to our life here that we never quite found in England. Or perhaps we're just too American. In any case, we're in Georgia this Thanksgiving and I'm happy we are.

Hope each of you have a day filled with a depth of happiness that outlives even your best memories.

God bless!

Holiday Bug

There's something about the weather being cool and an imminent holiday. The kids just wanted to be outside. The whole neighborhood, or so it seemed, gathered in the backyards until well after dark. Daelyn had a friend over and some others friends of my sons', who live in the next block down, came over, too. It was a glorious evening.

We discovered during dinner, which was late because of that glorious evening (which ended with Don, who's off this week, playing baseball with all our children), that Dane had not done all his homework. Apparently, he had a lot because he was very late for school yesterday due to an appointment with the Allergist at 9 a.m. He also has two major tests today for which he needed to study. Unbeknownst to me, he had given into temptation and gone out to play before all the schoolwork was done. We sent him away from the table to get his homework completed and he ended up in the kitchen, half an hour after bedtime, working with Don to get it done.

All the same, you can taste the holidays. This morning I was up early and more rested than I have been lately. I made a nice hot breakfast, then sat with the children to drink a cup of coffee. While at the grocery store yesterday buying our supplies for Thanksgiving, I found a new seasonal coffee creamer - Gingerbread. I bought a bottle and tried it out this morning. I let both Deanna and Dane have a taste. It's delicious and it was quite impossible to keep the image of golden roasted turkeys and hot pumpkin pie, chestnuts burning the ends of my fingers and the smell of bonfires out of my mind. I could almost feel the holidays, if that's possible.

Perhaps I'm so tuned in this year because we were gone last year. Or maybe England and the cool weather in the land of Dickens just sensitized me more. It could even be the shopping spree last Saturday that focused my thoughts and emotions. Perhaps the pecans are candidates for the excitement I'm beginning to feel building in my chest - that sense of anticipation of wonderment just around the corner.

Whatever is causing it, I can now report that the Holiday Bug has bit me and the rest of my family. We're eager while lingering over every moment along the way.

Life should always feel like this. I'm glad the Holidays remind me.

Sleepyhead

Tuesday's are linen-washing day. Guess who was too tired to get up this morning as I was stripping the bed around him? He's just not a morning . . .

Child, cover thy nakedness!

Don has decided to have Family Prayers each evening. I always have prayer time with the children but, because of his work schedule, we've never been able to come up with a workable time to do them with Daddy present.

Last week, he woke me up at 4:30 a.m. one morning to talk. Not exactly MY idea of the perfect time, but I'll take it when I can get it. He mentioned the issue of family prayers again and we set out to find a solution. The children don't get up until after he's already gone to work in the morning, and he usually doesn't get home from work until 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. With the children going to bed at 7, it's a bit of a problem. But we decided to try and gather just before the children's bedtime for a few minutes. Some nights this won't work, like Wednesday's, when we're at church during that timeframe. But if we even manage to hit 5 nights out of 7, that would be GREAT!

Lest you think Don is a sadist, there were several other important issues we needed to discuss but just hadn't been able to carve out the time. And I was going to be gone all day Saturday with a group from church on a bus trip to Commerce, GA to the Tanger Outlet Center Christmas shopping. I left the house at 6:30 a.m. and got home at 10:45 p.m. - not too much time for talking about family issues. And Sunday was going to be almost as bad. Don and I had to drive to church separately because the handbells were playing and he had to be there early. I had to lay out clothes for the boys for Work Party on Saturday morning and church clothes for Sunday on Friday night before I left for shopping. It was a hectic weekend - hectic, but fun.

So - - - last night I sent Dane to get his bath while I was putting the finishing touches on dinner. Daelyn had fallen asleep on the couch, complaining of a headache which was really just exhaustion. Deanna's bath takes forEVER! so I asked her to get everything ready so she could jump into the shower as soon as dinner was done. In other words, lay out her pajamas and do everything possible in advance to minimize her shower time. Half of the time it takes her to shower is preparing.

I sent Dane to gather her when we were ready to sit down. Dane was in his new Christmas p.j.'s that I bought him at the OshKosh outlet (just a little premature) and Deanna showed up in her robe. As we were sitting, she announced,

"Mom, you'll be very happy to know that everything is ready for my shower. I'm even naked underneath my robe, so I don't even have to undress before I get in the shower."

Me: "Oh, lovely, dear. We all really needed to hear that you're sitting at the table naked."

Deanna, stifling a laugh: "Well, I'm not really naked. I have on a robe."

Dane: "You ARE naked, Sis. Gross."

Deanna: "I'm just as naked as you, Dane. I have a robe on."

Me: "Well, not exactly, Deanna. He's fully clothed."

Deanna, out-and-out giggling: "Well, at least I'll be ready for my shower right after dinner."

Don and I might have to have another 4:30 a.m. meeting if evening prayers means Deanna has to come to the dinner table naked (or half-naked). Oh, me! The plight of motherhood.

Pecan Frenzy

Pecan business has been great this year. Deanna has already made $50.00 and still has more pecans to sell. She's also steadily picking more for poor mama to sort and bag.

I've never seen a year like this. The last two have been terrible. The trees just didn't produce. They say that pecan trees rest every seventh year, so the first year we were expecting a poor crop. But, then, to have another poor crop the next year was upsetting. I depend on pecans for my baking. I always shell several pounds and freeze the meat. I had completely run out and found myself at the grocery store buying pecans at $8.99/lb. during the year. It was a travesty! I live in a pecan orchard and I had to buy them at the store!

So this year, I'm shelling tons to replenish my stock. One year I shelled and froze 17 cups of nuts. I'm about on par with that this year.

The amazing thing is that the nuts seem to just be flying out the door. People love our pecans fresh from the orchard, and always have, but usually sales are slower. One year we had just sat down to Thanksgiving Dinner at Grandma's house - all 22 of us - when the doorbell rang. A woman with an entourage asked if she could buy some pecans from my father. Her family had decided that they wanted a pecan pie and she was trying to oblige. Papa jumped up from the table and made the sale. Now, why couldn't she have come the day before? Or, at least, early in the day. But right during Thanksgiving Dinner? My father didn't care. He was happy to have the customers.

Last Friday, Don was doing yardwork in the front yard. Dane was home sick with his stomach bug and wandered around the front yard with his daddy. Suddenly, people started descending on our house. I suppose it was because they saw him in the yard and knew someone was home. I actually had people knocking on the front and back doors at the same time. As one car would pull out of the driveway, another would pull in. I'd complete a sale, walk back into the kitchen, and the doorbell would ring again. It was madness. I finally told Don that we only had four pounds left to sell and I had better go and pick. As I was walking down the street, I saw a car pull into the driveway. In a few minutes, Don appeared with the dog.

"Did we sell out?" I asked.

"Yep! It's a good thing you're picking more."

Yesterday was the same way, without Don in the front yard. I sold 25 pounds in one hour. And everyone who's bought from us has asked how much longer we'll have nuts, because they think they might want more.

The only thing I can figure is that after two bad years, everyone's afraid we'll sell out (which is quite likely) and wants to make sure they get their nuts, so they're flocking to our house early in the season. It's great. I'd love to sell completely out before Thanksgiving and not have to mess with pecans anymore while I prepare for Christmas.

In the meantime, I dutifully sort through the children's bags and take out leaves, sticks, hulls, and bad pecans. It's a dirty job, and I have to wash my hands repeatedly. But they're making money and it's not coming out of MY pocket. It'd take a lot of lost teeth to make $50.00 from the .75 the tooth fairy leaves.

After all, isn't that what Mom's are for?

Fast Old Guy

After finishing his homework today, Daelyn ran over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I was out picking pecans when Daelyn tracked me down.

"Mama, Grandpa needs you to take him to the drugstore."

"Okay," I responded. "It's almost time to pick up your brother and sister from school so we'll need to leave right now. We'll swing by the drugstore, then go to the school. Would you run over to his house and tell him?"

Several minutes passed and Daelyn didn't return. I made my way over to my parent's. My father was standing in the kitchen with the back door open.

"Papa," I called to him, "we need to go now if I'm going to run you by the drugstore."

He was on the phone with my nephew but paused in his conversation to tell me he'd be along momentarily. I started for home to drop off Donovan, who was pecan-picking with me, and my pecan picking paraphenalia. On my slow way home, Daelyn joined me.

"Where's Grandpa?" I asked him. It was taking him a very long time and, already, we had used up the extra time. I needed to leave to pick up the other kids.

"He's coming right behind me," Daelyn said, turning around and looking behind him. Then, a little nervously, "He'll be along any minute." Finally, as if to convince himself, "You know, he walks pretty fast for an old guy."

I choked on a laugh. Sure enough, by the time we reached our yard, Papa was coming up fast behind me. He headed straight for the van while I dropped things inside and grabbed the keys. When I reached the van, I repeated Daelyn's remark.

"He knows, Mama. I already told him."

Gift Ideas

My in-law's have been e-mailing me for weeks asking for suggestions for Christmas presents. I've asked the children, oh, I don't know - maybe 300 times each. No ideas. Not a single one, except, of course, for the $80 wheelies, which I REFUSE to tell Grandma and Grandpa about.

Yesterday, while they were out of school, we went to the Mall. Deanna needed new jeans and some winter clothes, Dane needed a school sweater, Daelyn needed lunch.

Guess who arrived on Sunday? Santa. Unbelievable. How can he possibly get all his work done at the North Pole when he's sitting in Malls weeks before Thanksgiving? Does he have a new head elf who's taken control? Is he tired of making presents and would rather dilly-dally in stores across America than prepare for "the big day"? And what about Thanksgiving? Have we completely forgotten that holiday in our rush towards Christmas? Last year, we found that very problem in England. We arrived the beginning of Thanksgiving week. The Christmas decorations had already been out for so long that they were broken and pushed aside in most businesses. It made me incredibly sad to see my favorite holiday turned into such a commercial push.

However, there sat Santa. And there was no line of children waiting to sit on his lap. My kids looked pleadingly at me. Okay, okay. We all trudged over to the escalator and took it down to Santa.

Daelyn and Dane ran right up to him. Daelyn climbed easily onto one knee. Santa put out the other for Dane. Deanna hung back with me.

The boys talked and talked to Santa. In the meantime, the girl who worked there came over to me and we talked about needing to put a microphone on Santa so parents could hear the conversation. Daelyn and Dane finally finished and walked over to me. Deanna moved close to Santa to have her private conversation.

"Mama," Daelyn started, "he's a very nice man, even if he isn't the real Santa."

The girl looked at me funny. I smiled and attempted to offer an explanation.

"My children have met the "REAL" Santa," I explained. About that time, Deanna walked back up to us.

"Yeah," she said, "twice. We're on a first-name basis with the real Santa."

It was Dane's turn. "We met him twice in two different states."

The girl stared at me. I smiled back.

It's easy to be happy when you're on a first-name basis with Santa. She just doesn't understand because she's not.

I wish I could have heard what the children said, though. Grandma could use some ideas.

Many Names

The kids are out of school - it's a teacher's work day. The kids still woke up early, as usual.

Daelyn came and climbed into bed with me to play with Donovan. I was woken out of a deep sleep by something wet on my belly. My pajama top had pulled up a little and Donovan had managed to climb under the covers. When he saw skin, he began licking. Yuck!

I called the kids into my bedroom and suggested that we all dress warmly and take off for the backyards to pick pecans. They fall early in the morning - probably because of the dew and warming up process. We threw on coats and headed out, with me promising to feed them a big breakfast after 1/2 hour of good pickin'.

An hour later (they were everywhere - it was hard to stop), Daelyn began complaining.

"I'm starving, Mama!"

"You're not Starving, son. Your name is Daelyn," I joked.

"No, I'm starving," he pushed.

"I'm your mother. I named you. I promise, your name is Daelyn, not Starving."

"Well, my name may be Daelyn, but in the food department, I'm Starving!"

Snowmen from the Nether-parts

The weather has been much cooler this week. We've even had below freezing temps two mornings in a row. The backyard was covered in frost and Donovan refused to tinkle on the grass.

Don and I have a retreat this weekend and the children will be staying with our friend, Uncle Ken, tomorrow and his new son, Ryan (he married a woman with a young son in May). Before we left this evening for the opening of the retreat, I encouraged the children to lay out their clothes for tomorrow so the morning would be peaceful. Deanna came into the bathroom, where I was getting ready, and started to complain that she had no warm clothes.

"What happened to all the things we bought last year to take to England?" I asked.

"What things?" Deanna responded.

"I bought you a couple of pairs of sweats, honey - a burgundy pair and a blue pair. Where are they? Do they still fit you? You better go try them on and show me."

Grudgingly, Deanna went to her room. In a few minutes, she reappeared in the burgundy sweats. They were long enough and looked very warm and cuddly, perfect for a cool winter morning, but were a little voluminous. Deanna's at that age where she wants things to fit snugly. I knew I was in for a bit of a battle. They just weren't "cool". In an effort to convince her that this outfit would work nicely, I gushed just a little.

"That's great, honey. They still fit you. And they'll keep you nice and warm!"

"I can't wear these," Deanna yelled. "I look like the Abdominal Snowman!"

Exhausting sickness

Dane's still feeling puny. I took him to the doctor today to be sure it wasn't strep again. Once last year, the school called me because Dane threw up at school. I went to pick him up and noticed he had a rash on his body. The combination of rash and vomiting scared me, so I took him to the Pediatrician. Surprise! He had strep throat and scarlet fever although he had never complained of his throat hurting. I learned a hard lesson about Dane - watch him like a hawk and ALWAYS suspect he has more than meets the eye.

So we made a trip to Dr. Miller. Dane lay on the bench in his waiting room, rolling from side to side with a bucket pressed against his face, crying and moaning. He was pretty pitiful. I finally asked if they could go ahead and put us in a treatment room for the sake of the other patients in the waiting room.

No strep this time, just a virus. Dane was a sad case and Dr. Miller felt bad for him. But he said I could give him Tylenol for the cramping and he should feel better in a day.

We were laying in my bed snuggling and trying to take a nap when Daelyn's carpool dropped him off. I heard the kitchen door open and then Daelyn walking down the hallway on his way to my bedroom. Then he appeared at my side.

"Take off your backpack, son, and climb in here next to me so I can snuggle you," I suggested.

Daelyn dropped his backpack to the floor and began kicking off his shoes.

"Wow, Mom, it was an exhausting day!"

You're five, son, and only in school until 1 p.m. If you think this is exhausting, wait until you're a parent with a sick child who never sleeps.

I guess everything's relative - and my relative was exhausted today.

Unexpected Freedom

Dane's home from school sick. He was complaining of his throat and stomach hurting yesterday morning before school. I assumed it was post-nasal drip from the temperature change and getting food on his belly would help. He never said anything else about feeling bad - until I picked him up from school.

Apparently, he told his teacher after lunch that he felt terrible. He had worsened and wanted to call me. She encouraged him to try and push through. If she knew Dane better, she would know that he's not a complainer and, if he told her he felt bad, he REALLY felt bad. But he was obedient and pushed through the rest of the day.

As we came in the house, he started to cry. I sent him in to lay down on my bed and got the thermometer. No fever. I got him in more comfortable clothes, worked on his homework with him, and made sure he had a throw-up bucket. Then I went to start dinner. I saw my father walking through the backyard and around to the front, so I hollered out the door to him that he needed to come in and pray over his grandson.

A few minutes later, Grandpa walked into the kitchen with Daelyn on his heels, announcing that Dane was throwing up. I found him on the couch in the den, feeling miserable.

He fell asleep on the couch later and got a good night's sleep, but he's still feeling puny. I had to call the Kindergarten teacher and tell her I wouldn't be able to be in today, which puts her in a very tight spot. I hoping everything will be alright.

In the meantime, it gives me an unexpected day to work on the house. The children have been picking pecans to sell and my father loaned me one of his "Pecans for Sale" sign and put it up in the front yard for me, so I need the get the ones the kids have picked bagged up for sale. That's first on the Agenda, then cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

The air is crisp and I've lit an apple pie scented candle. It dropped below freezing last night. It's invigorating and perfect temperatures to prepare for Christmas.

Dane's lying on the floor in the den watching the Mommy-edited version of "Walk the Line", the Johnny Cash story, and I'm attacking the dining room. Having a sick child is always hard, but having Daelyn home is much worse. At least Dane is my quiet one.

Unless he's throwing up, that is.

Moving On to Other Things

I did my Crafts Show on Saturday. Dane really wanted to go with me. I was afraid he'd be bored, but he took a book just in case. He did great and never did get out his book. He shopped, went and got breakfast for me and boiled peanuts for himself, shopped some more, then did a little shopping. He was great company (when he wasn't off shopping and spending all my profits) and I'm glad I took him with me.

I did quite well, considering this was my first show. A couple of the vendors near me told me that I did much better than them, which made me feel very good. I ended up just $3.00 short of the goal I had set for myself, which was pie-in-the-sky since I had not benchmark.

I've decided to not agree to sub at the school anymore until after Thanksgiving. I need to spend some time getting the house in order and ready for Christmas, which will be upon us before I can blink an eye. I'm terrible at saying no, but Don and I discussed it and he's going to back me. Already this week, I've turned down two requests to sub.

At the Crafts Show on Saturday, they had a silent auction. I bid on a night at a local Bed and Breakfast and won it for $60.00. I really want Don and I to get away soon, since we never got to spend a night away for our anniversary. We talked about it last night and just aren't sure when we would be able to fit it in, but possibly in December. The other option, of course, is saving it for our Anniversary next year.

All-in-all, it was a fun day on Saturday and I have lots to keep me busy at home now that I'm finally through the Craft Show. I've spent the last couple of weeks getting ready for it, so now I can concentrate on cleaning out cabinets, trashing junk, and taking items of value to Good Will - one bag yesterday, another today and I have one ready for Friday.

If I can just keep up this momentum, I may be able to fit a Christmas tree in the house by December!

Emergency Surgery

My niece that's in Graduate School, Alicia, had a appendectomy last night. I was at my parent's house yesterday morning when my sister called very upset. Alicia had been sick all night and went to the School Med Center Thursday morning. They gave her a shot of antibiotic and sent her to the E.R. at the hospital.

My sister, my mom and I took off for Statesboro. She was drinking barium when we arrived in preparation for a CT Scan. She had been given morphine and was pretty perky. Around 3:30, they came in with the diagnosis -acute appendicitis. The surgeon followed shortly after and explained that he'd try to remove it laperoscopically.

Next was the anesthesiologist, then they showed up with her pre-op meds and wheeled her into the O.R. The surgeon brought the appendix to us in the waiting room in a jar. It was huge. He said it was normally 3 cm big - hers was 8 cms. He told us that it was a "sick appendix" but they caught it in time, with no perforation or rupture.

She came home from the hospital this morning and is e-mailing all of her students who wrote complaining that they can't open the file with their homework in it.

We're glad she's okay and so close to home, but say a little prayer for her. She has no insurance and no income as a Grad Student and surgery isn't cheap. She was pretty stressed out about how she's going to pay the bill.

The day before I got the call, Deanna reminded me that it was about time to pay her a visit. I can check that off my list for another couple of weeks now. Wish is had been under a little better circumstances, but at least she's alright and healing well.

Sure wish I healed up that fast.

Speak to us, O Wise One!

This is Aaron, the brother of Moses, who spoke for him to Pharaoh. Thanks to Rachel Balducci for the wonderful picture. Notice the tugging on the beard!

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam

Last night we went to an annual neighborhood All Saint's Eve Party. There was a hayride, cotton candy, popcorn, an obstacle course, a moonwalk, and tons of other fun stuff. Dinner was available for purchase by the senior class of my children's school. This year the fare was exemplary - chili with cheese and corn chips, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, nachos, and sliced apples with hot caramel poured over them in a bowl. Wow! What an amazing meal. And I fed the children and myself for $9.50. We can't even get away that easy at McDonald's.

The children were given bags with their names written on them. Each bag contained tickets. They could take the tickets to stations throughout the neighborhood and pick two pieces of candy out of closely-supervised bowls. The clincher - they had to be dressed as a Bible character or a Saint. No scary costumes here - Hallelujah!!!

With everything on our plate this year, we considered not dressing for the fun, but then the children would've missed out on the candy. So I decided I had to invest a little time, at least, in costuming. We talked for two weeks, trying to come up with suggestions. In the past, we've used a family theme. Last year, the two older children and Don and I went as Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund from "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. Daelyn went as Aslan (in an L.L. Bean lion costume left over from when Dane was a baby). The year before, Dane went as Noah on the ark (we built an ark out of cardboard - wooden slats and all - and hung it by rope from his shoulders), Deanna went as a rainbow, and Daelyn was a lion on the ark (See? We've gotten great use out of that L.L. Bean investment.) I can't remember further back than that, but I'm sure we've used several other family themes.

This year, Deanna wanted to go as Ruth and Dane wanted to go as Jesus. Daelyn had no ideas. We batted these around, trying to mold them into a family theme. Don suggested John the Baptist for Dane and said he could carry a water pistol, baptising everyone. I was a little skeptical about the plastic water gun. Then Dane suggested Moses. Moses! It was perfect. Deanna loves to dance. She could go as Miriam, Moses' sister, who led the Hebrew women in dance after safely crossing the Red Sea and being delivered from slavery. Daelyn could go as Aaron, who God sent along with Moses to speak for him to Pharaoh. The plan began developing.

I made a quick trip to Good Will Tuesday after picking Daelyn up from school to look for robes and gowns for the children. I found a gown for Deanna and several shirts that I thought might work for Dane or Daelyn. A V-neck, gray nightshirt became an outer cloak for Daelyn once I cut it down the middle. We found an old costume left over from Deanna when she was little and used that as Daelyn's undergarment. We found cloth belts and rags to use for head coverings.

My mother came over yesterday afternoon and asked if she could help with anything. I asked her to make the stone tablets and gave her a copy of the Hebrew alphabet that I printed off the Internet. She left and went to work. I got started applying beards and bushy eyebrows to the boys with cotton balls.

We figured Moses would have white hair and his beard would be white after being in the presence of God on Mt. Sinai. Aaron, however, would have a gray beard, so I applied black eyeshadow to Daelyn's and grayed them nicely. His beard was small and well-groomed. Moses', on the other hand, was long and unsightly. I powdered Dane's hair to make it white, put a head-dressing on Daelyn, checked over Deanna (who had found a tamborine and put bells around her ankles for extra jingle), and we headed out to meet Grandma and Grandpa. My Mom had made the most beautiful stone tablets imaginable. She had taken thick styrofoam, cut it in the correct shape, spray-painted it gray and silver to look like stone, then wrote in black ink from the Hebrew alphabet I had given her. They really LOOKED like stone tablets.

The kids had a wonderful time and I think they looked fabulous. Of course, all the props get dumped on Mom very quickly so the kids can go and play. Don and I got to snuggle on a hayride and everyone got enough candy to last them until Santa fills their stockings at Christmas.

Now I've got to buckle down and get my soaps finished. I still have 12 bath scrubbies to wrap and label and set-up for the show is tomorrow morning.

So little to do and lots of time. Wait. Reverse that.