Ask and You Shall Receive

Our small group from church is awesome. I requested money to buy children's Bibles in Spanish for Honduras, and each member reached deep in his/her pocket and pulled out lots of cash. We will be ordering the Bibles online, and soon, those books will be in the hands of the little ones who never had a Bible before.

Future Football Pros

Yesterday Hubby and I had the opportunity to go watch a football game. It was exciting with many great tackles and scores by both teams. The players looked so macho in their uniforms, especially those shoulder pads. The players ranged in age from 7-9 years old. Yes, we went to watch our grandson, D, play. He played guard or nose tackle, and he did his job very well. He stayed with his "man" until the whistle signaled the play over. The best part was how D hustled back to the line every time. He truly enjoyed every aspect of the game, but especially the hot dog and snow cone he won for his performance.

The Big Yellow Bus Adventure

My granddaughter, Toots, rode home on the big yellow school bus for the first time this week. Her bus driver is my sister-in-law, and she told me that Toots boarded the bus and sat in the seat behind the driver. She sat quietly and didn't move her head from side to side. I asked if she talked a lot, but no, she didn't. Sis said it could be because there were kids fighting on the bus. One little girl was hitting another over the head with a lunch box. When we met up with Toots and her mom for dinner, the first words out of Toots's mouth were, "I want to take my lunch to school in a lunch box."

State Fair Record Attender

I was being so smug last week when I told of my record attendance to the state fair over all these years. Well, I am ashamed of my bragging. There is a woman, Liz, who has not only attended every state fair since 1948, but has attended everyday of the fair since then!!! She is 83 and just loves the fair. She arrives in the morning, leaves in mid-afternoon to go to her job as a janitor, then returns to the fair till midnight. What a woman!!

Let Papa Tell You

My granddaughter, Toots, is finally in kindergarten! She promised that the day she started K, she would be good for the rest of her life. LOL My husband and I met up with her for dinner the other night. I was a little late so hubby got to hear her news first. When I arrived and asked about kindergarten, she said, "I've already told Papa, so let's have him tell you everything. I'll fill in what he misses."

Not Another Gift To Open?

I am so tired, I can hardly type. All week I have been unpacking boxes at school and putting the stuff away along with teaching my students. With the remodeling, our school is now twice as large, and just getting any where is a hike. My old bones and arthritic joints are feeling it on those stairs both up and down ten times a day. But who's counting! I've made it to Friday and I have 5 boxes left to open. Maybe I can delay and pretend it is Christmas. I haven't missed what is in them yet. By then I will really be surprised!!

School Has Begun

Well, it is finally here. I got to meet my 25 students for the first time. There are several live-wires, a couple of know-it-alls, three very shy ones who barely spoke, but all smiling faces. One boy kept asking for homework all day while another one spent his time going upstairs to the bathroom. (He gets two trips today. Use them wisely.) It's going to be an interesting year. Already they think I am 32, but as a friend reminded me, to them, 32 is ancient. Thanks, friend. When I reveal my real age, they will think I am dead! LOL

Dressed Down But Up for the Wedding

Yesterday was the wedding of two dear friends of ours. They were introduced to and got to know one another on mission trips from our church. I'm not sure when they fell in love, but if you can fall in love with someone on a mission trip, it must be love. For the wedding, my husband had this great idea. He suggested to all who have been on a mission trip with Justin and Barb over the past few years should wear some article of clothing from one of the trips. Wow! It was great. We saw two different kinds of shirts from the Indian reservation this summer, shirts from the Mexican trip, ladies hats from Barbados, sandals from Mexico and Barbados, shirt from Haiti diaper mission, sombrero, tool belt, sewing supplies, and shirts, shorts, and headbands from working in the heat in Barbados. The bride and groom loved it!! Both said they wish they had thought of it and worn something similar as their wedding attire. Thanks hubby for the close connection we felt to them through our outfits. May God allow us to go on many more trips with them.

How Do You Like Me Now?

Two years ago, our president and his wife could do no wrong. He walked on water. He changed water to wine. He fed the multitudes. She was right no matter what she wore. No matter how bare her arms. Whatever she supported, we were urgently encouraged to follow. Fast forward two years, and he is not doing so well. His ratings have dropped. Criticism has followed him everywhere. And now...he has agreed with the placement of the mosque near 911. I'm not sure that was a wise decision for a president who is struggling with his ratings and who has been accused of following that religion. She vacationed in Spain with a full entourage. Not the USA. Not even North America. And now the family will vacation on the Gulf Shores. Briefly. Any predictions on how far they will fall?

May I Be Excused?

I heard that the bathrooms are not completed in my school. I wonder if they will be green like those at a school in Honduras. I wonder if they will be large enough like the other one in Honduras. As it stands, both Honduran bathrooms are better than what we have. LOL

Prayers for the School

I had the opportunity to attend a prayer meeting for our Christian school last night. There must have been 25 or 30 people who attended. Divided into 2 groups, we went into each classroom and prayed specifically for the teachers, children, and the success of all. I was honored to be able to so. Wish we could do the same for our public schools, especially mine.

Need Milk For Those Cookies?

Toots and I make cookies the other afternoon. They are/were delicious! She ate a ton of them as did Mimi and Papa. Finally I had to cut her off. She seemed okay with that and went on with the visit of her imaginary friend. A while later she asked if she could give a cookie to her imaginary friend. "NO!" She grinned.

Too Hot To Toast Marshmallows

Toots and I were planning to build a fire in the fire pit and roast a few marshmallows last evening, but the outdoor temp was still searing at 88. I told her we would have to wait until it cooled off. She watched the gage, but it never dropped lower than 84. So I decided to use the gas stove top to toast the marshmallows, and it worked beautifully. Toots was impressed and we didn't sweat a drop. Actually, we could have melted the marshmallows by just holding them outside under the sun. Next time.

The State Fair Was Awesome!!

Hubby, Toots, and I attended the fair yesterday, and I will share. On the way we passed a cemetery that was advertising the old-fashioned Burma Shave way to buy one plot, get the second one free. Now we are all about saving money, but we were in a hurry to the fair so we didn't stop on this trip. Toots has been to the fair at least 5 years, and with her good memory, she knew what she wanted to do. During the 4 hours we walked 5 miles and sweat a lot. She didn't get to ride the elephants because I was not going to be the indulgent grandparent who allowed her grandchild to ride a seemingly calm elephant who might go berserk and cause damage. More importantly, the elephant stunk and we had to ride home in the car together. LOL Toots pet every animal that she was allowed to get close too, even the massive oxen. She stood under mist and fountains, put her hands in all the running water, and visited several bathrooms just because she could. (I took a picture of her balloon floating high above the bathroom stall.) We ate sensibly, but could have devoured the following, if we had the guts to try:

• deep fried butter
• deep fried Twinkie
• deep fried Pepsi (don't know how they do this one)
• pig in a pancake
• chocolate covered bacon
• ice cream sundae with chocolate fudge and bacon bits on top
• chocolate covered popcorn balls
• garbage burger (pulled pork and more)
• deep fried dill pickles
• deep fried vegetables (they are yuckyyyyy!)

I need to stop as I'm getting a little nauseous this early in the morning. But you need to go to the fair and enjoy every little part of it! I'm hoping to go back again this year.

HEY, PAPA!!

Toots, Papa, and I went shopping yesterday for back-to-school clothes for me. After a successful trip, we were headed home. Toots was talking a mile a minute, as usual. Papa was listening to a sports radio talk show, as usual. I'm tuned in to both of them. Toots asked her Papa a question which he didn't hear, as usual. Frustrated, she declared, "Why is Papa so sporty, sporty, sporty?" I thought I would die laughing. I'll have to try that one the next time Papa doesn't hear me.

How Hot Is Too Hot?

At 4:00 a.m. yesterday it was already 80 degrees with a promise of the high 90s. So for a change of pace, Toots, Papa, and I decided we would go to the movies instead of swimming. While Papa was driving us, the temperature gage registered 100 degrees!! With the air-conditioning in the car, it wasn't bad until we stepped out onto the black asphalt! I felt like a marshmallow in the middle of a campfire! The movie was good but the air was not that cool. On our way home, the temp reached 103 degrees!!! Now that is too hot!

School, The Ultimate Mission Trip

I'm sitting here with mixed emotions--school is about ready to begin for another year. I have had an awesome summer with the following:

• mission trip to South Dakota to help build an addition to the church on an Indian reservation
• National Beginner Bible Bowl tournament in Cincy with our 4 awesome players
• a week of Vacation Bible School
• mission trip to Honduras to teach sewing to the ladies
• sewing 254 diapers for the mission in Haiti with a large team of workers
• babysitting my granddaughter

I need to change my thinking and my focus about school. Instead of dreading it, I need to consider it another mission trip, another opportunity to witness and nurture the children and staff. That's what I will do:) No funds are needed, just prayer that I am the best ambassador I can be to all who see.

Now What Should I Do?

I have nothing planned from now until the beginning of school. I don't do well without plans. There is always work to do such as cleaning house, pulling weeds, etc. But I don't want to do that. I also have homework to do, but I don't want to do that either. So, I need to be creative and come up with something useful and fun to do so I don't waste away. I need to make housework and homework fit into my useful and fun category. LOL

My Homework Is NOT Done!

This summer I had planned to get a lot of things organized for school and do some planning. Well, school starts in 15 days, and I have little done. I have this sickening feeling in my stomach that the teacher is going to be mad at me and that I will receive a bad grade. And the bad thing is, I'M THAT TEACHER. Maybe I will get some of it done this week. Maybe.