PIZZA!

Until this evening, I have not experienced the enjoyment of eating pizza for several years.   I had resigned myself to a "pizza-less" diet untill recently when my daughter and her family were here visiting.

Pizza has been one of my favorite foods most of my life and I have sorely missed it!  Rachel happened to mention that I didn't have to deprive myself altogether of pizza, I just had to revise the recipe.  WHAT?  I can eat pizza?  That was a revelation to me and she went on to describe the ingredients that I could use to make a pizza that wouldn't wreak havoc with my digestive system.

In case you are wondering, these are the ingredients that I can not have:

• tomato sauce
• vegetables (none at all)
• peperoni
• sausage

Sounds pretty much like the basic ingredients of pizza, right?  That's what I thought too.

Anyway, my daughter suggested that I make a pizza using the crust, a pesto sauce, and cheese.  BRILLIANT, I thought! 

I decided that I would add a lean ground beef and presto, I had the makings of a pizza.  I made it this evening and it was DELICIOUS!

Thank you Rachel!!

Playroom

We have reorganized our playroom for the grand kids and I really like it.   The first thing we did was replace the back door that goes to the yard.  Then I got rid of the giant tub that held all the waffle blocks as well as miscellaneous other toys.   Actually, I moved it out of the playroom and  reused it for all of our extra blankets.  We also replaced the curtains, which was LONG overdue.

Next, I collected all of our identical containers and bought a few more to better utilize the space.  I separated the different types of toys and labeled each container with a color photo showing the contents of that container.   In theory, that makes it easy for everyone to put toys away when they're done and more convenient to carry the toys to whichever room they want to play in.

 We decided to supplement our playroom with Duplos (legos) and bought 4 tubs of them.  Then I found these cool dinosaurs from Animal Planet and I added those to our supply.

I bought an inexpensive two shelf stand to hold our books and make them more accessible.  I had to buy more books to fill the shelf!!  NOT!  Actually, there were several books I wanted to add and as I was looking for them, I found even more.

Last, but not least, we are having a deck built so that the kids can easily go out and play in the back yard.  The deck is not large but it's very sturdy and I love it!  Also, the mosquitoes are no longer a problem.

There are more containers on the other side of the room and this photo was taken before I put the visual labels on the containers.

I am pleased that the toys are more organized and I'm really looking forward to playing legos with the kids.

Thanksgiving Visit

Caleb and Ethan paid us a visit over Thanksgiving, along with their parents.   I love that they are old enough to remember us from visit to visit.  They arrived pretty late in the evening and Caleb's first comment went something like, "We drove all night to get here".  Then Ethan chimed in with, "Yeah, we drove a long, long time".   They were so cute and seemed excited to be here.

I notice changes in them every time I see them.  For instance, Ethan used to be the big eater, but now Caleb eats more than Ethan.  Both of the boys enjoyed readings books.  One of their favorites (and mine) was "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!"  I read it over and over and then they even asked Papa to read it.  Rachel took a photo of Papa reading to them.

The boys spent a lot of time at the nearby school with Marcus, Rachel, Papa, and even twice with Nanna.  I am still amazed at how well Caleb can ride his bike and how Marcus taught him.

I always thought that you teach a child to ride by running along side them, holding on the bike and letting go when they are going fast enough.  Not so with Caleb.  I wasn't there the first day Caleb rode but the way it was described to me was that Marcus explained how to do it and then Caleb just did it.

I got a real kick out of Ethan's expressions when Papa said, "How ya doing, partner?"   Ethan looked at him in the strangest way and told Papa, "I not partner, I Ethan".

Ethan LOVES to meet people!  One afternoon he went from person to person in the living room, saying, "Nice to meet you," as he shook each one of our hands.  He made the rounds at least 5 times before he went on to play.  It was even more adorable when he stuck out his hand at church to anyone who was willing.
 
Another of my favorites from the weekend was watching Caleb and Ethan on the computer.  Caleb had his turn and then when it was Ethan's turn, Caleb helped Ethan by moving the mouse where ever Ethan pointed on the screen.  Whether it was a letter or a number, Caleb patiently allowed Ethan to choose and then moved the curser and clicked for Ethan.  Talk about teamwork!!

Caleb will starting kindergarten next year and the one thing that he seems to be most proud of is that when he goes to school, "he will learn so much he will be smarter than mom".

One of the funniest moments to me was when Caleb had created a shooter (gun) out of tinker toys and he ran into the living room, ran straight to his dad, and took aim.  Ethan instantly shouted, DON'T SHOOT HIM!".

Caleb didn't miss a beat, he handed the shooter to Ethan, saying, "here, you shoot him".  Ethan was so enthused by the offer that he totally forgot that he didn't want Caleb to shoot daddy, and BANG, Ethan did it himself.  I laughed and laughed!

This weekend was my first experience shopping on "Black Friday".  Rachel and I went shopping for baby girl clothes at Penny's.  We bought lots of outfits at a great price and I LOVED IT!  We had so much fun!

Bowling

I went bowling for the first time in 20 years! (to the best of my recollection)

I've been thinking about it for about 2 months so on my way home from work, I pulled in to the SUPER BOWL.

Both Searcy Schools and Riverview Schools were there competing with one another.  I just recently learned that local high schools have bowling teams.

Two of the lanes were still available so I carefully picked a rather light ball and got my shoes.

The last time I went bowling, the scores were handwritten on a large paper formatted specifically for bowling.  Today, the scoring was all digital, which is not too surprising.

I was only going to bowl one game but after I got two spares, I decided to bowl a second game.  Then I got 3 spares and 1 strike.  I was really pumped!

I left after that game, mentally making plans for my next time.  I think I'm going to like this.  It's a fairly inexpensive hobby with one game costing $3.00.   Tthe price went down with each subsequent game.


NOTE*  My next post will be about Caleb and Ethan's visit!

Michael Allen Herwick

Michael is my older brother.  I was eleven months old when he was born.  As long as I can remember, I have been the older sister.  I've only seen him once in 25 years.  He has been developmentally disabled since he was about two years old.

I was fiercely protective of him as I was growing up and woe to the person who made fun of Michael or anyone else that had a disability.  He attended the same high school as I did but he had a "special" classroom and teacher.  He was also enrolled in several general classes with me.  Health class is the only one I can remember right now.  We graduated the same year and I was so proud that was able to walk with the rest of our graduating class of about 900 students. 

I have been able to keep up with him somewhat through extended family who were able to spend time with him over the years.  He has had his struggles, but he has accomplished more than I had hoped for him.  He began working as a custodian in a local school district the year we graduated.  He worked for 30 years and then retired with a good income.  I am so proud of him and can't wait to see him again.

I had a conversation with one of my sisters a few years ago.  I maintain that he looks very much like one of the stars of "Criminal Minds".  She doesn't really see the resemblance.

Holiday Plans

We'll spend Thanksgiving this year with Rachel and her family.  They are coming here and as always, I am eager to see the boys.  I love watching them interact with each other.  I am very thankful to be able to keep up with their growth and changes through Rachel's blog.

I think the boys have a pretty awesome understanding of grace.  They are eager to forgive each other and give unlimited 2nd chances.  Rachel is doing a good job.  I didn't think of teaching my two toddlers about grace as much as I taught them about forgiveness.  Parents can certainly learn from their adult children as much as adult children can learn from their parents.

Back to the blog:  I smile, chuckle, and even laugh out loud at their antics.  Sometimes I read it aloud to Dan so he can chuckle along with me.  I guess many guys aren't into reading blogs as a rule.

Dan and I will drive to Birmingham for Christmas and I'm really excited about the plans Rachel has made for the boys' Christmas.  We bought them bunk beds, which they really wanted.  Here is Rachel's plan:

To preserve the surprise, the bunk beds will stay hidden and the boys will "camp out" in their sleeping bags until Christmas.  On Christmas Eve, we'll move the kids out of their bedrooms after they fall asleep and then set everything up.  Maybe we'll even do a scavenger hunt in the morning (like Mimi always does with their stockings) that ends with them discovering their remodeled room.

Dan and I are staying in a nearby hotel but I have already made sure that we can arrive at their house as early as needed to see them find the bunk beds.

After we get back to Searcy, Michael and his family will join us.  I am so very excited to see Bennett and Jasper again.  JASPER IS WALKING!!  I can't wait to see him walking!  They were just here to visit so the boys, especially Jasper, will already be familiar with us.

If you read Jennifer's blog, you already know what a blessing it is that Jasper is walking.  He has a reduced muscle tone so he has to work harder than other children his age to be able to walk.  Even so, HE'S WALKING.  I am so happy for him and his parents (and grandparents)

I'll update after all the wonderful visits we have planned.

A Good Night's Sleep

I visited my doctor yesterday for my annual flu shot.  It didn't hurt at all and even now, my arm is barely sore.   While I was there I mentioned my sleep difficulties and he gave me a mild medication which enabled me to happily say:

I SLEPT GREAT LAST NIGHT!!!

I think I can say good-by to 12 hour bouts of restless sleep that left me exausted from the time I woke up until I fell back into bed as early as 7 PM many recent nights!

I feel renewed.  The sun is shining and the world looks a bit brighter to me.  I suspect I would feel the same way even if it were a cloudy, rainy day.

Teachers

 Teachers have such demanding jobs.   I came across the following and it is pretty accurate as far as what is expected of teachers:

After  being interviewed by the school administration,  the teacher  said: 

“Let me see if I've got this right.

You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning. 

You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. 

You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job. 

You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.

You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card. 

You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?”

Parents

We had our sheparding group today and for the most part, I really enjoyed it.

Several of our group asked for prayers for their mothers who were facing illness.

I found myself wanting to cry.

I held it in - until I left and then I cried in my car.   I cried and cried and cried.

I have only seen my own mother once in the last 25 years.

After growing up having been  molested by her and physically tortured by her, I chose to remove myself from her life when she molested several of her grandchildren that lived nearby her.

I didn't want my own children to be hurt by her.

I have gone through many stages of anger, hate, and then forgiveness toward her.  I now find myself praying for her soul - praying that she will turn to the Lord before she dies.

I have been having nightmares about her several times every week.  This has been going on for 3-4 months.  This has been very difficult for me.  It makes the entire day a bit rough for me.

If you read this, please pray for me and for my mother.

As a mother myself, I have striven to be the best mother I can be and yet I have failed in so many ways.  I am thankful that my own children are better parents than I was.  We all have a responsibility to do the best we can and I am so proud of both of my children because they are wonderful parents to their own children.

I thank God for my children and for my grandchildren.

A Fat Girl's Revolution

I recently read this book, which was a real page turner!

By the time I reached the 2nd chapter, I couldn't put it down.  Every time I thought I might suspect what was next, I was delighted to discover that this book was different than the others I have read.

The plot included a parallel narrative that was intriguing and it was also unique in the sense that I never saw it coming.  I found myself identifying with the main character as she maneuvered the challenges she faced both within herself and externally.

The main theme both encouraged me and is a profound truth that we all need reminded of.

I'm not a literary agent or writing professional but I am someone that LOVED THIS BOOK!

I very proud to say that it was written by my daughter-in-law, Jennifer Driggers Campbell.

Excellent job Jennifer!!

Buitoni

Buitoni is a brand of pasta and sauce meals that Dan had been buying recently.  He cooked me a lobster and shrimp filled pasta and sauce that was AMAZING!!  I don't remember tasting anything so delicious for several years.  I've discovered recently that I can handle food with fat content as long as it does not have a significant amount of fiber!!  I've been eating grilled cheese which is another treat.

When I woke up today, Dan asked, "Would you like me to make you something to eat?"  Isn't he wonderful?  He takes care of me like I am a rare and valuable part of his life.  Of course I said yes!  He prepared a squash-filled pasta with a creamy sauce that smelled and looked wonderful.  I eagerly took my plate to my chair as I commented, "they must process the fiber out of the squash like mashing potatoes".  I sat down and proceeded to lift a delicious bite toward my mouth when I heard Dan exclaim, "STOP, don't eat that".  When he heard me mention the fiber in squash, he decided to double check the nutritional content and realized he had mistakenly bought me a dinner with 5 grams of fiber per serving!

Needless to say, I didn't eat that meal and made a grilled cheese instead.  I can process about 1 gram of fiber per day - any more causes me become painfully ill for days.  Dan felt so bad but I told him that the offer of making the meal for me was the bigger blessing.   He gets so upset with himself when he tries to buy me a special treat and forgets to check the fiber.  I just love that he tries!  :)

Bennett and Jasper

Jasper and Bennett brought their parents for a visit a few weeks ago and we had a really great time.

Bennett is a major problem solver when he thinks of something he’d like to do and he sets out to describe a variety of scenarios detailing with how we can accomplish his goal.  It’s so comical that it’s hard not to laugh at his, “Well how about if . . .”.

His high energy level reminds me so much of Michael when he was that age.  He often asked me to read a book  during this visit.   I love reading to all of my grandsons.   Bennett particularly liked a book that is one of my favorites, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!”  He called it the bubble gum book, and he remembered an amazing amount of the details in the story after the first reading.

He has long memory!  By that I mean he remembers things from not only his last visit to our house, but from visits almost 2 years ago. 

One morning Bennett came up to me with a very serious look on his face.  He wanted to tell me about the broken night light in his room.   I had already noticed that the night light in the bedroom was broken – I’m not sure how.

Bennett didn’t realize that I’d already taken care of it, and  he followed the announcement that the night light was broken with, “ but we will give you one of our night lights at home”.

It was so precious that he wanted to make it right by replacing ours.  I smiled, trying not break out laughing at his intense expression, and told him that I had already fixed it and he didn’t need to give us one of his.  He broke into a huge grin that I wish I could have captured with my camera.

I'm in the process of giving my kids photos they want from their childhood.  I showed Bennett a 5x7 photo of Michael at 12 months,  Bennett exclaimed, “No, that’s Jasper”   It DID look very much like Jasper.

When I think of Jasper, what first comes to mind is his contemplative gaze, like he’s trying to figure out one of the universe’s great mysteries.  Perhaps he has the makings of a future engineer.

I asked Dan what comes to his mind and he said, “Jasper has such a sweet, calm, and gentle spirit." Then he went on to say, “Jasper is genuinely fascinated by life!”  I thought those were pretty insightful comments.

Jasper's red hair instantly takes me back to my own two little red heads!  I think Jasper's hair is going to curl up like Michael's did.  Both boys love to play outside and we went to the nearby school yard since the weather was so comfortable.

Jasper is especially easy for me to entertain since he enjoys staying in one spot and investigating everything around him.  Since I still get winded rather easily, I have to pace myself for the the more physical playtimes.

That's all for now!

The nightmare that turned into a Green Dream!!

When I woke up this morning, I was shaking from the adrenaline overload!

I started to tell Dan about my dream and before I could even get to the ending, I started laughing uncontrollably!!

It went something like this:

I was preparing to go on a trip with several dozen friends. It was some type of missionary trip and we had to pack very light. I remember going through a series stages where I had to let go of many of the "things" I have collected and were still important to me. As I traveled through the stages, it felt like they were being snatched from me and I became disoriented and nearly discouraged. I still had my iPhone - and that was a relief - until - I suddenly DIDN'T have my iPhone. It was there one second and gone the next. I kept asking people to call my number so I could run around and listen for the ringtone.

Suddenly time fast forwarded and I was on the ocean on a huge barge-like floating community. We had three very large living areas and one of them was covered. We were all going about our business when suddenly, one side of the barge was lifted up. We realized that a whale had taken position under one section of the barge. That went on for several days - we weren't too concerned.

UNTIL

The barge began tilting and creaking and suddenly, one section of the barge was torn from the rest. Annette Webster was the only person in that section and before she could get away, the whale pushed that section rapidly away from us. She was screaming for help but there was nothing we could do.

(note- Annette Webster happens to be the wife of a local computer Guru)

Several of the men decided to go after her. They disengaged one of the two remaining sections of the barge. All but three of us went with them to find Annette.

There I was with two other women, alone on the lone remaining section of the barge. It was the smallest section but sturdy and roomy enough for the three of us.

UNTIL

We felt the barge begin to tilt again!!! Another whale!!

We were near a coastline by then so we quickly disembarked and fastened the barge to the dock.

Even though we were on a dock on a coast, the water was very deep. We could see the whale come closer and closer. For some reason there was only a small area of coast and then a wall of cliffs than rose high into the sky. We saw the whale coming near to the coast and then away.

Near and then away.

Near and then away

Near and then, he reared up at us there on the shore. We used the only weapons we had at the time, several brooms and we began beating the whale every time he came near.

Soon the whale became annoyed with us and headed out to sea.

We considered whether it was safe to go back onto the boat and ocean. We decided it was safe and cast off from the shore. Too late, we saw the whale coming back toward us.

We knew we could never maneuver the barge back to shore in time, In a split second decision, we all jumped in the ocean and swam for shore.

Two of us reached the shore and climbed up, only to look out and see that our last companion was being overtaken by the whale. We screamed! We called to her, 'hurry, hurry, swim faster".

Just as the whale reached her, we covered our faces, not wanted to see her devoured, and with a splash, the WHALE jumped out of the water and onto the shore!!

We couldn't believe our eyes!! Even more shocking, the whale began to speak, "I won't hurt you, and I only ask for one thing".

We could barely breathe, let alone talk. but I finally let out a raspy whisper, "What is it?"

By then, all three of us stood there, eyes open wide and barely breathing when the whale said,
"All I ask is that you stop putting trash in the oceans".

Of course we agreed and the whale happily went on his way.

After about a week, the rest of our group had returned after rescuing Annette. Our eyes grew wide as we saw the improvements they had made to our barge. It was much larger and reinforced with steel!! There were these strange containment sections underneath the outer edges of the barge.

One of the men began explaining the plan. The containment sections were designed to hold whales and instead of using fuel, our barge would be "whale powered'.

All three of us shouted in unism, "NO hurting whales, we just have to continue to use regular fuel". The man started to argue with us until we were able to get his attention and explain what had happened to us while they were gone.

And thus a nightmare turns into a GREEN DREAM!!!

testing

checking out how to schedule or backdate a post

On the Road Again

Actually, I was on the road and in the air again. I think we left our house around 12 AM because I wanted to make sure I was going to be checked in on time. By the time I finished going through airport security, I had an hour before departure time. I didn't mind the wait at all. I would have been stressed out if I had arrived at or even close to boarding time.

Within a few minutes, I learned that we were not departing for 3 more hours due to the weather in Baltimore - 2 hour delay. I groaned inwardly but seeing the young parents with toddlers helped me quickly adjust my attitude. I had a book to read so the time passed by fairly quickly.

We arrived in Baltimore about 45 minutes before my scheduled departure to Birmingham. I remember feeling grateful that my layover in Baltimore had shrunk from 3 hours to less than 45 minutes.

NOT ! ! !

As I arrived at my gate, the attendant announced that my flight is delayed for two or more hours.

WHAT?

In the end, I arrived at the Birmingham airport sometime after 11 PM. My original arrival time had been before 9 PM. Rachel was there to pick me up and I think it was close to midnight when we reached her house.

Rachel made a comment at that time that I agree with. It took me twice as long to fly as it would have taken me to drive to her house!!

I'll think twice before I fly again.

Ohio Visit

I was able to visit several of Dan's cousins that I had never met. I really enjoyed visiting with them and hearing some stories about Dan as a youngster. Both cousins are very into Ancestry research so we had a great time comparing notes and passing on information for Dan's side of the family.

One of the coolest parts of the trip was a cousin on my side that I was able to reconnect with. I hadn't seen her for more than 40 years. Her home was one of my favorite places to visit as a child. She is several years older than me and we lost track of her when she married and moved.

I have attempted to find her for the last 5 years by checking phone directories in different cities and using people search engines. I had searched for her on facebook too, without success.

One day I decided to send a message to all the people with her unusual last name to see if I could find her. It was less than 15 people. Most of them ignored my message, several replied that they didn't know her, but one person not only knew her but was able to send me her address and phone number. Obviously, I was able to connect and we had a great visit. It brought back so many warm memories!!

Memorial Day Weekend

It's become my habit to post infrequently, but fortunately a visit from the grandkids always merits a new post.

Caleb, Ethan, and their parents blessed us with a visit over the holiday weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with boys and already look forward to our next visit.

Dan and I really enjoyed watching the boys play so well together. Even though Ethan was was not feeling great, the boys got along remarkably well. It brought back memories of Rachel and Michael playing together. I think Ethan is younger than Michael was but their play has some parallels. Most of the time, Caleb can creatively include Ethan, while at the same time, successfully acquire the toy or color he prefers. I think that is part of the territory for an older sibling. Ethan wants to be around Caleb and do everything that Caleb does. It's so cute to hear their conversations.

One day we were driving down Moore and as we passed the cemetery, Ethan exclaimed, "BONES, BONES are there!" I was dumbfounded that a two year old had made that connection when Rachel told me that they had not talked about that.

I again enjoyed reading books to both of the boys - Ethan likes being read to but loses interest more quickly while Caleb continues to be captivated for the duration. One of the books they brought was a favorite of Calebs. I think I may have read it to him a dozen times during their visit. I can't remember the name of the book but I do remember Ethan's frequent inquiry, "Not really a scary monster?" even when he was across the room as I read to Caleb. He loved hearing the book but wanted assurances that it was all pretend.

I realized something during this visit that hadn't occurred to me until now. While I read to my own kids for many hours every week, I didn't read to them at bedtime. They were always so tired by 7:00 that they practically fell asleep as they climbed into their beds. I guess that's why I still enjoy reading to the kids more during the day than at bedtime.

Spring Sing

We were blessed with a visit from Jasper, Bennett, and their parents over Spring Sing weekend.

I wish I had blogged about that weekend before now - I would have remembered more details.

Anyway, they arrived late Thursday evening. I had expected the boys to be sound asleep for most of the trip and so had their parents. It reminded me of several trips I had taken with my kids.

It was about 1983 and we were going to Ohio. We had hitched a ride with a couple that were neighbors of ours in Searcy. They were also from Ohio and had generously offered to take me and my two little ones to Ohio. That was before car seats and we had the entire back seat to ourselves. I put our suitcases on the floor and made pallets with our pillows and blankets. It never occurred to me that my kids wouldn't sleep at all on the trip since it was nearly an 18 hour drive! We had started out shortly before their naptime. Not only did they skip thier naps, but they were wide awake - content with taking in all of the night lights as we traveled on and on. We eventually arrived in KY at about 11 PM and they were both still wide awake! We got settled in our room for the night and they both fell asleep pretty quickly.

Even though we had a very late night, they both awoke as usual at 6 AM. We were back on the road by 7 and they remained wide awake, through thier naps again. I am still amazed when I think about that trip.

Back the the weekend visit - healthwise, I was feeling really good - another blessing for which I am very thankful and I was so excited to see them!

I looked forward to waking up the next morning to see them both! We hadn't made any specific daytime plans and I anticipated a relaxing day of spending time with them. We had a great together and I was excited about getting to put them both to bed Saturday night while thier parents attended Spring Sing.

I retreated several times that day for a rest period - I wanted to preserve my energy for that evening. I still had abundant bonding and playtime with both boys.

Jasper was ready to be put down a little earlier than expected but I was able to hold him off. I knew he would go down easily but I was still amazed that he went right to sleep! I kept tiptoeing to the room and holding my ear to the door, but he never made a peep! After about 30 minutes, I opened the door and went in for a peek. He was sound asleep and he looked so precious!

Meanwhile, Bennett was playing with cars and half watching a video under Papa's watchful eye. I played cars with him for a while and then announced that we had 10 minutes until books and bedtime. He didn't protest much which surprised me a little.

It was time, so I tucked him in and closed the door. He lasted about 5 minutes before I heard the patter of his little feet and he jumped into the living room with a look of pride and satisfaction, along with a big grin and a giggle.

I wasn't too surprised at that point since Jennifer had prepared me. I tried to look stern and took him back to his room. I explained that he had to stay in bed - just like when mommy and daddy put him to bed. I confess that, at the time, I didn't know if my little speech would take. I gave him another hug and reached to turn out the light. He was fast asleep in a few minutes.

We had a great weekend together. I'll post a few photos tomorrow, since it's getting late.

Aren't grandkids grand??? As I like to say, they are a special blessing from God.

ELDA

ELDA is an acronym for a test I administered to four Hispanic students this week. During my down time, I hand wrote several blog entries. I am typing them tonight and will post them over the next several days.

The Craziness!

Public schools in all 50 states administer some type of benchmark testing. I don't know about the rest of the states but my particular state has some pretty ridiculous requirements.

The one that is the most frustrating to me is how the special education population is treated. Every student in my building (5th and 6th grade) is held accountable to scoring at the proficient level in reading and math. A student that reads at the 3rd grade level (or lower) is required to test on the same material as students reading at grade level or higher. In addition, if the percentage of special education students that score proficient does not meet the state requirements, our school is put on "probation" by the department of education and according to their policy - our school is in danger of being taken over by the state. Even though our school as a whole far exceeds the state requirements, if the less able students don't meet the requirements, our school will suffer the consequences. GRRRRRRR!!

The next thing is mostly an annoyance! The department of education sends 80-95 page booklets for every teacher that assigns them a very specific scripts to be read for each test session - Ok, that's reasonable. This "Test Administration Manual" is available online before the test and for years after the test. Even so, they REQUIRE that I shred every page of all 50 manuals they sent! Crazy!!! FYI here is the link that gives anyone access - no login or password needed. So if they keep it posted online, WHY DO I HAVE TO SHRED THEM?

Last of all, was their "rule" about when the counselors in my state were permitted to open the packages of student test booklets. They were delivered to us on the Friday before testing began, but we had to work on Sunday because if we opened the packages before Sunday, it would be a breach of security!! I had over 500 test booklets in shrink wrapped packages of 10!! I had to open the, inventory them, and divide them up for each teacher to pick up Monday morning.

There's so much more, but I'll stop here!!

BTW - I did hang my diplomas and license in my office today. It really felt good.

.

Just Do It!

I've almost blogged about 5 times since my last post. The operative word is "almost" My plans and mental lists haven't made it to my blog . . . until now.

The last week or so I have been reorganizing my office and getting rid of many of the leftover files and supplies from when I was a classroom teacher.

One of my goals this week is to hang my framed diplomas on the wall in my office. I've been planning to do this for the last 5 years. At the beginning of each school year, I think that I'll have plenty of time. I put it off for a week and then two, and then it's the end of the year again and I have pack everything up.

Sounds crazy, but this is how it has gone. Until this year. I am hanging these frames tomorrow and I am very excited about it. I have two bookcases behind my desk and the diplomas will be over one bookcase and I'll hang family photos over the other book case.

It feels good to finally do something that I have been putting off for 5 years.

:)




The other things I want to blog about are:

Bennett and Jasper visiting Easter Weekend.

The crazy parts of the state mandated testing.

Skyping with Bennett and Jasper

My Counselor Assessment recently completed by my boss.

Look for some of these posts soon.

Mary Eary Farrell 1905-1952

Mary Eary Farrell was my maternal grandmother. She died the year I was born.

Obviously I don't remember anything about her. In fact, while growing up, I never heard any stories about her. I have been searching every free genealogy web site that I've found, without success.

The facts that I do know about her are that she bore 15 children, including one set of twins and she died after an infection or possibly cancer. Her youngest child was just a toddler at the time, not much older than I was.

As a child, or even a young adult, it never struck me as odd that I knew so little about her. There were so many family secrets that we didn't dream of bringing up, except perhaps in secret with a close cousin. Most of my cousins didn't know any more than I did even though we gathered weekly at Grandpa Joe's rural home and played in the dirt and the puddles.

It wasn't an especially large home, but it was comfortable. As I recall, the upstairs consisted of two large rooms with an open wall between them. There were beds and dressers and lots of child sized pallets on the floor. There were probably 4-5 bedrooms downstairs along with a large living room and and huge kitchen. We often looked up from our play in the back to see one of our aunts checking on us through the kitchen window.

One of my vivid memories is the giant (at least to me at the time) block of cheese on the kitchen table. Even with 60 or more cousins, aunt, and uncles, we could always run into the kitchen for a snack of cheese. Week after week, there was always cheese on the table and more in the fridge. I don't every remember running out or being hungry at Grandpa Joe's.

I think Colby cheese is still my favorite snack.

Project Geneology

My down time this past week has allow me to explore a variety of web sites and web programs that allow you to create a family tree.

I have settled on my favorite program and have input quite a bit of data. It's actually the most useful free online tool that I've found. I have traced one of my great-great-grandparents all the way to Ireland!

I connected with a distant cousin on Facebook. Her grandmother was a sister to my grandfather. She helped me quite a bit with that limb of our family tree.

I never before considered that I would be interested in my ancestry, but I have found it fascinating.

Spinal Headache

I am pleased to report that I didn't have to take an IV round of soludmedrol. The spelling doesn't look right but I think it's correct.

I had a spinal (lumbar puncture) last Friday and I'm still battling a monster headache. It was constant until Wednesday and I thought I had it beaten until I awoke this morning with it's familiar throbbing. Even when it lessons, a small movement of position seems to fire it up again. Since the ongoing headache ended yesterday, maybe this isn't even the same headache. Does it really matter? NO! Either way, it still makes my head my head hurt.

Actually, it's nearly noon and my headache has diminished. Praise God!!

My legs are improving as the days pass. I'm sure that my "headache mandated" bed rest has been helpful.

Illness or pain are the things that remind us to have a spirit of gratitude for every period and type of good health.

I am grateful for this moment,

this hour,

and this day!

.

Here We Go Again

My legs have gone on strike again!

My right leg has been bothering me for about 10 days. I've had the sensation of numbness and the zapping (tingling and stronger) from my foot to my thigh. I feel the zzzzzzzz sensation from my entire foot up through my shin, and thigh. It hadn't affection my gait so I pretty much just ignored it and went on. It ached about half of the time and I remember thinking, "I've been lucky so far, because pain has not been a major element of my MS.

Yesterday, while I was sitting comfortably in an auditorium, I felt my left leg get very heavy and feel numb. Not numbness of the surface, but a deeper sensation - kind of like you have a heavy pair of soaking wet jeans on. It's an odd sensation.

I called my neurologist and he isn't in the office today. His nurse was very helpful and she talked to him and called me back. He recommended I go to the ER at UAMS or even here at the local hospital to have an MRI done. I've had my share of MRI's but it has been about 2 years since my last one. I don't mind them at all but I have decided not to go until tomorrow.

Why wait?

I'm hoping that this will just clear up. Numerous times over the last 8 or so years, I have experienced difficulty walking and it resolved itself without treatment. The main difference this time is that the "zapping" is in my entire leg and both legs are effected this time. My balance is so bad that I have to hold on to the wall to even stand up and my cain isn't adequate stability


Why wait?

The only treatment option used in the past has been steroids. I haven't had a major flareup since I became Dr. Archer's patient about 2 years ago. I probably had 5-6 courses of sterioids while I was seeing my previous neurologist in Hot Springs. The solumedrol was delivered via an IV and the dosage was 1 gram (yep, that's 1000 mg) per day for anywhere from 3-5 days. You may not know this, but that is a megadose! Steroids also contributed to my weight gain of more than 75 pounds over a 3 year period. The last time I had this treatment was about 3 years ago, and it wasn't even effective. Thankfully, I was able to lose all but 5 lbs of that weight gain since I haven't been on steroids. . . . . . . . I DON'T WANT TO TAKE STEROIDS!

---

Measurable Snow

Did I get your attention? No? That's ok, I won't let that stop me.

It did get my attention, however, when I heard the news broadcaster say,

"Today there has been measurable snow in 49 of our 50 states". I changed the channel and heard the same report. Beebe had received 8 inches of snow the previous week and we had missed a total of 5 days of school.

Even so, I had to check one more source so I logged on to www.weather.com to see what they had to say. Sure enough, it was true. At least a part of all 49 states had snow that same day. That was last Friday, February 12th.

People all over Searcy were posting pictures on facebook, me included.

Hear me roar

It was December, 1972 and Helen Reddy's song had risen to #1. Why do I care? you may be thinking. Well, at that time, this song became an inward mantra for me. It began, I am woman, hear me roar.

I hadn't thought of that song for decades until a few years ago when my work peers and I were asked to turn in the name of one of our favorite oldie songs for a faculty meeting activity.

Before I even had a moment to think, out popped the words - "I AM WOMAN, by Helen Reddy"

My boss looked at curiously, and I even wondered myself where that came from. I didn't give it much more thought and the faculty activity never came to fruition.

Nevertheless, a year or so later when I was again asked for a song from my youth, I gave the same response. This time I decided to look up the lyrics, some of which surprised me. Others, however, resonated from a place deep inside me.
.

You can bend but never break me
'cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul

Even at 19 years old, I was determined that while my life up until then had almost broken me, I would not give up! (Link to full lyrics)

Now, nearly 40 years later, the Lord has removed every single link of that chain that bound me. Bent by it's weight but never broken. He carried me up the hills when I tried to climb them on my own. He has led me through the darkness of fears and doubts.

Romans 8:28 I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.

Give me strength, Lord
as You soothe my wounds
and I face life's current challenges

On the Bright Side?

I couldn't decide what to title this post. You see, I have been struggling with seeing the bright side for a while now. For the last several decades, my predominant perspective has been the "glass is half-full" and it didn't take effort because that was my natural outlook. I found it easy to see the positive aspect of most everything.

When I look back at my childhood, I think, "only a fool" could see or hope for good things ahead during those times. Back then, there wasn't much to look forward to, yet I hoped and I expected better times.

At first I thought I would just quit blogging -- after all, I'd practically done that already. I began to remove posts as I considered doing just that.

Then I decided that "going private" was my solution - That would allow me to express my feelings and not be exposed, or at least feel vulnerable to the entire world wide web.

By the way, I want to say thank you to those of you that contacted me. I liked the feeling that you wanted to continue reading or least keep up with my life.

Pretty funny huh? My following, like the majority of blogs, is just a small blip on the world's radar screen of blogs.

I'm not quitting or going private. I'm going to repost at least some of my story.