And the Band Played On

Hubby and I traveled more than an hour to attend a marching band contest to see our nephew perform and see the band that all three of our children had marched in some years ago. The faces of the band members had changed, but not much else. I saw some of the same fans there as we had many years before. They are probably wondering the same thing I was: Does she still have a kid in band? Isn't she a little old to still have a kid in band? We enjoyed the competition, but it is just not the same if your child is not in the band. I didn't know the songs or routines that our band performed so I couldn't say whether or not it was a good performance. I do know that all the props that were required is a nightmare for those parents who work in the pit. I certainly can remember band shows where we lugged/dragged around "stuff" to carry in and out for the shows. That part I will never miss! We will have to attend another contest, maybe in two weeks or more. Just like the band has done in years past, they will improve and will definitly be a crowd pleaser.

Blue Hairs Special

Our family went out to eat and celebrate the birthday of my husband. We arrived at a famous restaurant and received two menus, one being the Early Bird Special. My husband was impressed at the savings on the meals until we saw that the choices were quite limited. That being said, I ordered a four ounce steak from the Early Bird menu. All the other items such as salad bar came with the discounted meal. I was surprised when the steak arrived to see that it was almost the same size as the steaks of the others in our party and was more than enough meat for me. As you get older, it becomes easier to accept the ammenities offered to the "blue hairs" and not be offended. In fact, we blue hairs become entitled. If you are not understanding this part of my blog, guess you will just have to wait till you are closer to my age. Then you will fully comprehend.

Getting Older

Today is my husband's 59th birthday. Somehow that sounded so old, but now? Sounds normal and just fine. Happy birthday, hubby!

Happy Birthday, Grandmother

Today is my grandmother's birthday. She would have been 115 years old and would have relished in that honor. However, she did live to be nearly 95. During that span, she lived to see many major changes in technology as well as human behavior. Perhaps there will never be a span of time that will experience such change as during her life time. When our children were young and competed in 4-H with dairy goats, my grandmother wished to see the animals. So we packed them up in the car, yes, the car. We opened the back door and they hopped in. I drove them to her house where she invited my kids and their goat kids INTO her house. She was so pleased. Luckily the goats did not treat her home as the barnyard; however, they were extremely interested in all the "stuff" my grandmother and aunt had within the living room. What a great grandmother!

Stressed

Stressed--that's what we are at my school. Did you know that stressed spelled backwards spells desserts? We need a banquet full of desserts as this week culminates the ISTEP+ testing, the NWEA testing, and ends the first 6 weeks of school. On top of all that, we will be attending the funeral of the husband of one of our teachers. I would like to say that we are upbeat about it all, but we tend to be downtroddened and a bit deflated. I suppose that when we complete this marathon, we will be much better prepared for the rest of the school year. But at this moment, we've hit the wall.

Sympathy to J

We never know how much time we have on this earth to love our families, witness to others, enjoy life, etc. The husband of one of our teachers was killed in a car accident this past Sunday. He was driving on a state highway, just like we all do, when the accident occured. J never thought she would be a widow at such a young age. But do we even give it a thought at any age? Our thoughts and prayers are with J and daughter.

Cats Exercising

I read a few blogs faithfully and always enjoy. I found a cat video on one of them this week and have laughed so much. I want to share it with you. I CAN'T GET IT TO LINK. I'll get it on sometime today. http://www.sonnyradio.com/treadmills.html

Marshmallows Roasting on an Open Fire

We are keeping the granddaughter, Toots, for the weekend while her parents are at a statewide meeting and fancy ball. Toots has been anticipating this visit for a long time. We spent the evening outside last night, enjoying the patio, koi pond, her huge swing set, tricycle, wagon, and fire pit. She tends to be a bit hyper, okay, she is hyper, so she goes from one thing to the next in rapid succession. We built the roaring fire and immediately she wanted to toast the marshmallows. Waiting is such a hard concept for her. So as the evening wore on and she enjoyed all the activities over and over again, she kept asking if it were time to roast the marshmallows. When it was finally time, she and I sat on the logs around the pit as she toasted two marshmallows at a time. She patted my arm and said, "I'm really good at roasting marshmallows, ain't I Mimi?" Yes, she was because she didn't burn any. As we ate the first of what I thought would be many, she gave all the appropriate ummms and ahhhs. But soon said, "I don't really like the marshmallows burned (toasted). I just like them plain." Wish I had known that before I built the raging fire and waited till it was just right. But it was worth it all to spend the evening with her.

Epic Novel Idea

I am enjoying my students this year. I have several that are very inquisitive. One wants to know so much more than any student I have ever had. We were talking about epic heroes (the kids think Captain Underwear is an epic hero). I explained and showed him an excerpt of The Odyssey. He was so intriqued that he asked if we had it in the library. We don't, but the librarian assured us that she will try to get a copy for us somewhere. I've read it while taking Latin classes in high school. Can't remember much about it, but I'm sure it is not that exciting. But then, who knows, he may really enjoy it. I have a feeling that I am going to learn a great deal this year also.

2 Frogs on Lily Pads

The last time we saw a frog on a lily pad (see former post with picture) it rained very heavily afterward. Well, yesterday we saw two frogs sitting on their own lily pads. Hope that doesn't mean double the amount of rain.

Dear God

Our granddaughter, Toots, came over last evening to play on her swing/slide set. She and her daddy were going to go to the local high school football game, but she decided to stay here to play. We hunted in the pond for the "go frog" (bull frog) with no luck. We built a fire in the fire pit. Sat in a semi-circle visiting with one another. At one point, Toots decided we would have a "ticnic" (picnic). So we pretended to eat sandwiches with her. But before we could eat, she offered prayers. We sat, hands folded, anticipating her usual "God is Great, God is Good..." prayer. I was blown away by what we heard come from her. Here is one of those prayers. Dear God, Thank you for my family, for daddy, mommy, my Mimi, my two Papas, my St. Louis Mimi. Thank you for Papa's pond and the fish. Thank you for my go frog. Thank you for my swing set. Thank you for my shirt. Amen. For the next 20 to 30 minutes, she offered up prayers. I asked her where she learned to do that and she told me, "At preschool." Thank you, God, for her teachers and leaders who have instilled the words for praying. And thank you for giving her that tender spirit. Amem

You Passed the Test

I have experienced a first in all my years of teaching. My class took a math test yesterday and everyone passed. No one received an F or a D or even a low C. I don't know how to react. But until I figure it out, I plan to enjoy the ride.

Bullfrogs Eat Butterflies

Can't sleep so decided to get up and get some things done. I've been wanting to know more about our bullfrog or "go frog" as Toots calls him so decided to google. Very interesting information. Did you know that a bullfrog eats just about anything? I watched a video that I can't seem too load (lucky for you) that shows a bullfrog eating a trantula, full-sized bird, snake, and even an small bullfrog. YUCK! I don't want that bullfrog to live out in our pond! No wonder he or she (Did you know that there are female bullfrogs?) came to live in our Koi pond. He has 7 beautiful Koi swimming around, just waiting to be his next meal. They have been so skiddish and understandably so. Hubby has ordered tadpoles. Not a good idea. He, the bullfrog will be so happy when they arrive.

Make a Bug, Buy a Block

Hubby and I worked at the Youth Kickoff at our church last night. It was for pre-Kindergarten through 5th graders. I was helping at the booth where children fingerpainted a concrete block to resemble a ladybug. The block was already painted black on the smaller end for the head and red on the other for the body. The kids used black paint to put dots on the red and white paint to make a smily face. Some of the bugs ended up being works similar to Picasso or Van Gogh. The bugs will be sold to the parents for $5.00 each. The goal for that is to raise funds to buy the materials to build a church building in Mexico. We need $7,500 to fund the materials. By enlisting children in this project, we are growing mission-minded children.

Searching for the Song

Just checked out Google for the song "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More" and got 332,000 hits. I checked out several just to see. Very interesting! Seems it is a South African camp song. Also boy scouts and girl scouts claim it. What is most interesting is reading each of the verses. The boys' version is quite different from the girls' version by being a little more blunt or maybe gross while the girls' version includes verses I've heard from other songs or hand-clap chants. The song is even on You Tube with several to choose. Washboard Hank is quite animated while the one with the baby is so cute. When I figure out how to link them to this post, I will come back and edit.

Weather Frog Update

That weather frog from a couple days ago (see picture of frog on lily pad) was wrong. We have had rain, lots of wonderful, much needed rain. The grass is actually beginning to turn green again. The pond is more full and the plants around the pond seem to have flourished also. As I sat outside last evening by the fire in the fire pit, I surveyed the pond carefully in search of that frog. But alas, he was no where in my sight. Perhaps he drowned.

Good Behavior Equals Treats

I had a good day at school today. I started a reward system for those students who are listening, following directions, books open, and behaving. I am marking positive points. Upon earning 5 points, the student will choose a treat or a coupon for no homework in one assignment. The students were very excited by the system and for the most part, behaved very well. By dismissal time, one girl had earned 4 points. That is remarkable since this girl is one of the problems in the room. She does not listen, is out of her seat, and is never ready with her materials. Today, she was a model student! I know this will probably not last, but I will "milk" it for all it's worth. If all else fails, I have all the chocolate I could eat for months.

Frog Sat on the Lily Pad

Growing up, my mom always sang a song about a frog sitting on the lily pad and how it "ain't gonna rain no more." We snapped a picture of a frog doing just that, but since it hasn't rained in a long time, I'm not so sure the frog can predict weather.

Sale Items on Clothing

Hubby and I went out to eat after church yesterday and then on to shopping. Since he stumbled onto such good deals last Sunday, he wanted to see if anything was left. Would you believe he was able to buy items of clothing for $1.97 each? So if the store can sell those items for that price, just how much are they gouging us when the prices ranged from $30 to $50 originally? I checked out the $1.97 items for the women. From what I could see, the store might resort to paying people to take those items!