Merry Christmas

Today was the last day of school for the year. Now we have a nice long break, and I am so excited for it. I got each of my students some stickers, a pencil, a notebook and a piece of chocolate. They were so happy with them. I was a little worried that they would think it was boring or dumb, but they loved it. I think what made it even more special was the wrapping paper and bow. They spent at least 20minutes just playing with their notebooks and writing Christmas letters and putting stickers on notes. I have a small stack of pages that they made for me.

Some kids went crazy with the stickers, putting tons on each pages, until there were none left. Some just looked at the stickers and didn't use a single one. Some "saved them for later" and put just one or two on a note. My biggest joy was that their first response was to use their gift to make something for some one else. These kids are so full of love. Not that they aren't selfish or disobedient, but they love to show affection. After apologize they want to shake hands or hug and move on. They like being friends with everyone. I love it.

The three day weekend before this week was just what I needed. I enjoyed these last two days immensely. We were able to celebrate and have fun without them going crazy and being naughty. (I am having a problem with little boys climbing on things in the bathroom, but I can't catch them at it and I don't trust them enough to just go on the reports/tattling of other students.)

Today we also had a Grandparents' Party. Each student brought at least one grandparent, or elderly friend/relative. It was a very special time. One grandmother told about her grandmother bringing cookies to a Grandparents party when she was in Kindergarten. She was thrilled to be able to carry on the tradition by bringing in cookies for the students. My students were adorable, of course, and we had a fun time together.

I think I will miss them over the break.

But I will enjoy being able to miss them, rather than having to deal with them every day.

Quick story. Last night was the school Christmas program. It went very well. One of my little boys was so happy afterward. As I was saying goodbye to him and his parents, I wished them a Merry Christmas. He responded very loudly, "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to everyone." I couldn't help but think of "God bless us everyone."

Christmas Tree!

On a beautiful, late Saturday evening, Thomas and I went out to a Christmas Tree Farm and pick out our tree. It was the perfect trip. It was cold enough to want coats and scarves and mittens and long johns, but not so cold that you couldn't move. It wasn't windy at all, but as we got there, a light snow began to fall. We looked at the pre-cut ones, but I have always been skeptical of pre-cut. I like to do it myself... or at least be there when someone else cuts it. So we got a saw and a tree cart and went down to the field. They didn't have any juniper, which was what we really wanted, so instead we got a fraiser fir. We didn't know at the time, but seemingly they are a good type to get because they aren't so prickly. When we got back into the car, with our tree strapped into the trunk by my brilliant husband, I brought out a Snickers bar for each of us that I had kept a secret until that point. We both think it is a good tradition to have.

We had more difficulties when we got home, but thanks to the genius of my husband, all our problems were overcome without too much headache. We decorated it on Sunday afternoon and now it looks wonderful. I love having a Christmas tree. It makes the whole house look happier, or something. 

Maybe it is just me that is so much happier.

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat

Please to put a penny in the old man's hat

If you haven't got a penny, then a ha'penny will do

If you haven't go a ha'penny, the God bless you

Run Run Reindeer

Run Run Run Run

Random Bits of Life

I have have a student who tells me every day, "Mrs. Wiley, you are beautiful." It is very charming. These kids give great hugs too. I feel very loved, which is good, because I love them dearly too.

New word from my Kindergarteners. Benext: beside, next to; as in "You can sit benext to me."

We learned "The Farmer in the Dell." This afternoon one of my student began singing, "The Farmer takes the cake, The Farmer takes the cake..."

Thomas took me out to dinner last night for our third anniversary. It was a beautiful evening together. He is such a great guy. Three years ago I thought so, but I didn't know the half of it. He keeps getting better and better - kind of like aging wine.

Speaking of wine, we had some good stuff last night. It was Cabernet Sauvignon, Pepperwood (?) Grove. I don't like much of the wine that I have tasted, but this was smooth and yummy. It went wonderfully with the veal dish that we had. It seems when we eat at The Powerhouse, our taste buds are enlightened. Everything tastes so good, but we also can taste what goes into it. That may not make sense, so you should go try it.

I just began teaching Music Appreciation to some high schoolers. This week I had resigned myself to be a boring teacher, and things went better. I actually ran out of time, rather than the week before, when I had too much time. I am used to 20 minute classes, rather than one hour classes. So my first week I planned one lesson that I assumed would take an hour, but ended up having about 15 minutes to spare. This week I planned 3 twenty minute lessons, and ended up running out of time. But that is ok, because I can always start where I left off next week. I don't have a curriculum to follow or to keep me on track.

I have posted some play pictures on my facebook account, if you are interested.

I can hardly wait for Thanksgiving. I love this holiday the best, I think.

The Play is Over

The play is over. The cast party was Saturday. Now all that remains is moving my sewing machine back to the basement and organizing my paperwork. I had a blast this play season. My cast was fun, the play was funny, my brother was the director and I could focus on the little details. That meant I got to do costuming again. And make a flag. And rely on my mother to take care of a whole bunch more details. And guess what? I even finished most of my thank-you notes already. I was very pleased with myself.

Now I have time to get online and clean my classroom and organize my desk and get caught up on grading before Parent Teacher Conferences get started. What fun. Life doesn't really slow down, but the immediacy of certain tasks does ease up. And Hooray, no school tomorrow! So maybe I can really get caught up.

Well, this is the official back to the blog, so stop by every now and again, let me know what's up with you and I would be delighted to try to keep in touch better.

Blog Post

Many thanks for all the notes on my birthday. They were really sweet and made my day special.

Eight more days until the opening of our play. I have costumes to finish, the program to make, and many more details to work out. God has been very good to us though. I have enjoyed working on this play so much. Sure we have had troubles and I am beginning to stress, but God has given pretty much everyone very good attitudes about working through our troubles. If you want to come to the play, facebook (I can't believe I just used that as a verb) or email me for details

Tidbits of Life

Open House is a day when parents can come see their children in school. All the parents who visited got to see what their child is like at their most excited, least classroom behaved time, at any given time of the day. I got to see these moments all day long, from every student.

Rehearsals are going well. We are off book in a week, but we haven't got any scripts yet. But we can finally buy the scripts! I need to get working on costuming and props in my spare time now.

For the Missions Conference we are singing a John Stainer piece, "For God so Loved the World." It is absolutely gorgeous.

My sister introduced me to some You Tube clips of Straight No Chaser. I don't know much about them, but their "Twelve Days of Christmas" and "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" are amazing.

The internet on the computer at the school is all funky, but hopefully they have it fixed now. I should even be able to access it in my classroom.

Funny Story

I have some puppets in my Kindergarten classroom of various careers. I have a farmer and a businessman, a nurse and a doctor, and many others. They are also multicultural. The doctor happens to be a black man. The other day, one of the boys found him and said, "Look, it's Obama!" Then there was a general outcry to play with the "Obama puppet."

Politics according to Kindergarten. It made me laugh.

Play Season

We have a play and a cast.

The play is The Mouse that Roared.

It is very funny, slightly satirical and the kids really enjoy the story.

Everyone also seems to be mostly pleased with their parts.

Happiness!!!

(and incredible busyness)

Last Day of the First Week

I am not really counting down... really... but we have 177 days left of school. The first three have been good. I cannot say they have been great because I teach Kindergarten. The nature of the first three months of Kindergarten is teaching them how the world works. That means they don't know yet, which means that things aren't great.

But I love my kids, every single one of them. I love the way they are so anxious to learn and how excited they are about Kindergarten. I love the way their faces brighten up when they are excited and how pitiful they look when they are sad. I love their little quirks and irritations, and there are plenty of those to love... I am beginning to see hints of problems that we will have to deal with, but right now, they all respond to me very well, and love giving me hugs. Since it has been really warm (in the 80's) and we don't have air conditioning, I haven't wanted too many hugs, but I am looking forward cooler weather.

Today, right before lunch I told them all to go back to their chairs and get ready for a squirt of antibacterial hand sanitizer. They all got in their seats, but kept talking. They got louder and louder until they were almost yelling. Then all of a sudden the sound just died out, and there they were sitting quietly. I figured I must have kept them quiet for too long and their little boy energy had to get out somehow. I found it rather amusing.

Well, Monday is auditions for the highschool play. I can't say I am looking forward to them too much because then I have to figure out what play and who plays what part and people are never happy and what if people don't audition because of last year and I people audition just for the main roles and when they don't get them they get mad at me. Then I have to figure out scheduling and the craziness begins.

One More Week

There is only one more week of summer vacation. I know that for some summer vacation is a thing of the past, but today was the first day where the reality has hit me. I will have 11 little students running around, talking non-stop, touching everything, and listening to hardly anything. We had a Get-Acquainted Party today. It was only a bit more than an hour and I am exhausted. It is times like this that I think, maybe I am not cut out to be a Kindergarten teacher. But then someone comes in and says, "I just saw you with all those kids; you were amazing," and I think that maybe I just am letting the emotions of the moment get in the way of what I really know. Anyway, now that I have had a wake-up shock, I know that I will be ready for the first day of school. I may not be all happy about it, but I will be ready. And there is something very comforting in that.

We are in the middle of in-service again. I love these times of learning. I have such respect and admiration for my fellow teachers. They are sincere, knowledgeable, loving, and learning to follow Jesus more and more. Together we strengthen and encourage one another. I am proud to serve along side of them. This in-service we are talking about how authority is a blessing - it is a blessing to be under authority, and it is a blessing to be an authority. We talked about the ramifications of that for our classrooms, but it reminded me of the conversations between Weston and the Green Lady and Ransom in Perlandra. Weston is trying to persuade the Lady that Maledil gave a command that it might be broken, but Ransom says that the command was given so we might know the joy of bowing our wills to that of another, Maledil. The Lady is delighted by that concept - that most commands we can see the goodness of and desire to follow, but Maledil was so good as to give a command that we don't see the benefit, so that we might know the joy of bending our will to his command.

C.S. Lewis says it better. I don't have to book right here to quote it. I have been reading the Space Trilogy again and finding it so rich and beautiful. In the words of the Green Lady, "I am being made older," and it is good.

My Olympic Experience

We have been watching the Olympics this week. I have never done this before. I saw clips from Olympics many weeks or even years afterward. I have read books about them. I have heard stories and even watched a movie or two about them. I also generally prefer the winter Olympics. But now, completely surprising me, I have enjoyed watching each night - until midnight or one in the morning. Now for something to be so fascinating that I actually choose to stay up that late on a regular basis, even when I have to get up the next morning, it must be impressive.

I must say that gymnastics were my favorite to watch, still are, for that matter. I am glad they are not over yet. I was cheering for Nastia Liukin to win, even though Shawn Johnson was amazing. I realized that the balance beam makes me really stress to watch. The uneven parallel bars are my favorite. Men's gymnastics were really amazing too. The high bar and rings are my favorite for them.

You cannot watch the gymnastics without watching the swimming. So we watched the "historic eight medals for Michael Phelps." I also learned the name Eamon, from Eamon Sullivan of Australia. I really like that name. Because he didn't win and wasn't American, I didn't see much of his swimming, but I really like his name. My sister says it sounds like Haman with a dropped "h", and I like saying like a Jamaican "Hey, Mon!" but I still think it is a great name.

So now there is one more week of the Olympics. I am looking forward to the gymnastic individual event competitions and my sister is getting me excited about some of the running.

Sometimes I think we watch them to see who will win, but sometimes I think we watch them to see lose or get hurt, even though we feel bad when they do. Evan Hunter in his short story, "The Fallen Angel," about a trapeze artist who fell on purpose says it this way. "You know why people like to watch trapeze acts? They like to watch because they are evil. They think that the fool up there is going to fall and break his neck, and they want to be around when he does it. So I figured it all out." Sometimes I think it applies to watching the Olympics. But whatever the reason for watching, it is still enjoyable.

Various sorts of excitement

Today I got up after my alarm went off. I didn't snooze it. I didn't fall back asleep. I didn't stay in bed long enough for the alarm to go off if I had snoozed it. I was very proud of myself. I was also very proud of how my husband got up too. We got out of the door before 7:30. Go us!

The reason I wanted to get up so quickly was that I was going to go blueberry picking. Daddy had a meeting, so I was going to borrow that car to drive to where Mommy was picking blueberries and join her. I got about half a gallon of blueberries - tiny ones compared to the ones you buy in the store, but really tasty - in about and hour and a half. It was fun to pick and talk with my mom. I got back in time to wash up before my summer school meeting. Daddy left pretty quickly after I got back to the school.

I read in the library which was very relaxing and enjoyable. I found several new ones to read to my students next year. When I came back to the office, I heard that my mom called to tell me that my dad had totaled the van. He is ok, scratches on his face and arm, but it shook everybody up. He was a half mile away from home. If you think of it, please pray for my family. Things are a bit crazy right now and this is just one more thing added to the pile. Thanks.

Not much other news except that I played softball Monday night and had a fun time, but was sore all Tuesday and Wednesday. I think that the relief from pain helped me wake up this morning. But I would definitely play again. I need to practice a lot though.

Beauty that makes me dance

I went to Camp yesterday to be a SAFA person/babySITer. It was fun. I got to hang out with several Staff in Training girls (one was my sister!) We got ice cream and shirts, picked flowers, watched a movie. I gave them back rubs, and one of them gave me one too!

As I was leaving, I looked up at the stars. I really think there are more stars over Camp. Katie pointed Jupiter out to me too. The sky felt so deep and reminded my of my childish dreams to be an astronaut. The funny thing was that I wanted to share it. Rather than just lay or spin or look, I wanted to show it to others. It almost wasn't enough just to enjoy it. For the joy to be complete, it had to be shared. Since I haven't been able to yet, the memory will sit in my mind. Then maybe, someday you will come to Camp with me, and I will say, "Look up!" and you will be amazed. And I will dance because you have seen the beauty too.

But it is not just about the stars. Every time I get to share the beauty of Jesus with some one and they see some of His amazing-ness too, I want to dance in the same way. I love to see how wonderful Jesus' love was for me. He saw poor, dirty me and loved me, and took my dirt on himself, and died for it, but made me a princess. But he didn't stay dead because of my dirt. He destroyed it forever and rose from the dead. Does it excite you? Are you amazed? Then I will dance because you have seen the beauty too.

Next school year

I am getting ready for next year, which fortunately does not start until after Labor Day. I am laughing an evil laugh at all you who have to start in August... mwhahahaha. I work at a smart school where we like to wait until September, the proper time to start school. And we still get out the first or second week of June - and that is counting snow days.

Anyway, getting read for Kindergarten currently means rearranging my room, cleaning and organizing on the way. I am also making a lesson overview for the entire year so as I find fun things to do, I know what folder to put it into. It is like a card catalog on my computer. It is taking a long time to type in, but I know it will be helpful in the long run. I currently like the new arrangement of the room too. I have a little office that is somewhat separated from the rest of the room. I still have one huge shelf to move and boxes of stuff to find places for, but I also have several empty shelves currently. I haven't started decorating or writing names on things yet . It is a bit too early for that and I like the summer decorations I put up at the end of the year.

My current biggest dilemma is trying to hang five Beatrix Potter Prints on cement walls. Sticky tack doesn't hold them up and I don't want to ruin the prints by nailing them, nor do I want to spend the money to get them framed. I may just do what I have done the past three years, and put them behind the bookshelf where they stay hidden. But they would make nice year round decorations for the top unreachable-except-by-a-very-high-ladder four feet of the room (our ceilings are approximately 12 feet high). I currently have some posters that look like they came from a Kindergarten class in the '70's. Cute kids, dressed in oranges, pinks, yellows, browns, and blues drawn with rather geometric shapes, but not quite what I am looking for. The teacher looks absurd too, wearing a very impractical dress... tight and pink.

I have had a pleasant little break now, so I should return to my cleaning and so on.

We are Home

We had a wonderful vacation, but there is something so nice about being at home. It is good to see friends and sleep in my own bed and work at my own desk and be home.

That isn't to diminish the greatness of the vacation though.

The trip down was full of excitement. We left mid afternoon Sunday and entered a rainstorm around Dillsburg and followed it all the way down to Richmond. We almost got squished between a tractor trailer and a car entering the highway. We saw a jeep with its top down driving in the downpour. We were glad we were not them.

On Monday morning, we left later than we meant to, but that is what vacations are for, right? Around noon, we got a flat tire. We changed the tire by the edge of the road. It was wet and drizzling and not the nicest weather, and the tire was the front driver-side tire. Not five feet away from the zooming traffic, my babe was working on the tire. I was scared, but I stood at the end of the car, wearing my cute denim hat and my bright yellow shirt and hoped that I increased visibility so they would move to the other lane. Sometimes they did. Finally we made it to a Wal-Mart where we got new tires (the others needed to be changed anyway) and about three hours from our initial stop we were back on the road. We arrived in Savannah finally. It was a long day.

The next few days we were at the beach. I love the waves! I love looking around historic districts. I love hanging out with my family. It was really nice. I will write more about the waves some other time.

Then we went to the family's home. It was nice there too, very relaxing.

Then we came home. The trip home was boring, Praise God! Although I described the trip down in the most detail, it wasn't the most detailed part. I just don't have time for anything else right now.

Books and Movies

I finished The Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeline L'Engle. It was amazing. You should read it, but you should read it after you have read the other two in the trilogy. You might not like it, but that is ok, because you should still think about the importance of names and genealogies and pictures and unicorns drinking the wind. I need to read it again now that I know the ending. I think I will appreciate parts of it more.

We watched Wall-E. I liked it, not as good as some other Pixar's, but still great fun. I think my favorite part was when he woke up with a low "battery" and then soaked in solar rays for energy. I really related to him at that moment. I also wondered how that plant survived. I can't get my plants to live very well, and I don't carry them all over the galaxy. Oh well, maybe if I watered more regularly. My aloe and cactus variety plants do well...

We also watched Come What May. I have been working on a fuller review so I will wait to comment on that.

Yesterday, my sister and I finished our three week watching of the Bourne trilogy. I really enjoyed them again. Sister pointed out that part of the fun of watching them is seeing smart people chase other smart people. You don't want to cheer for the bad guys but you can't help noticing how clever they are, even though Bourne is, of course, more clever. I also realized this time that the scene at the end of the Supremacy happens half-way through the Ultimatum. So most of the third movie happens before the end of the second. Very clever movie-makers too! Sister didn't like the nebulous ending though. She preferred the first one, where it was happily ever after, (until the next movie.) She did appreciate the parallel scenes in the first and last one though, but didn't like the car chase in the last one so much. She also kept pointing out how violent the movies were. I told her that what happens when people try to kill other people.

Well now, the next time I post, I will either be on my way to GA, in GA, or having come back from GA. Happiness!

It is time to post

It is Monday, the only day I really get to use the internet, but I don't have much to blog about.

I have been reading Madeline L'Engle, who is an amazing author, and have found the way she looks at things refreshing.

I have been reading Jeffery Overstreet, who has opened my mind to new ways of thinking about art.

I have been reading Romans, which has reminded me of the foundation of my faith, taking my mind and my heart, making them work together, rather than at odds, and it has confirmed and convicted me.

These three readings have made me do a lot of thinking. The way they all work together and build off each other reminds me of the power of the Holy Spirit, who is able to use whatever is around us to draw us closer to God.

Science

We just had teachers' inservice, which is like teachers going to school in a really fun way. We talk about science this time. It was excellent and mind boggling. I cannot describe all of it, but go outside and look at the world God has made. Study how the flagellum of a E coli bacteria works. Think about the immensity of space. Consider that you have 11 different skeletons in your lifetime. Research Kepler and Newton and their God. Wonder at Him.

Just one other bit: people get passionate about suppressing the truth because they have nothing else to stand on. Evolution is still being taught in schools even though it has been discredited by those who believe in it because they refuse to accept the obvious solution to all the flaws in the theory of evolution: God created.

God is a rational God, so the world can be explained rationally. Our reasoning cannot be separated from our faith.

He who has ears, let him hear. He who has eyes, let him see.

Oh Lord, open my eyes and ears and let me know you!

Aha!

Today I went to our thrift store and found three tank tops and a pair of shorts! It is very nice to add to one's wardrobe, especially as you realize that you have had the same basic summer shirts for about four to eight years.

Now, what to do with all the Camp Susque shirts? They hold so many memories, but I feel a little deceitful wearing shirt that say Camp Susque staff. People might ask me questions and expect me to know the answer. If we go up there as often as I would like this summer, then I would be more comfortable wear them. I guess we will see.

But I still have 3 new tank tops and a pair of shorts!

School Is OVER!

Friday at 11:30 I sent all my little Kindergarteners out of my room for the last time. I gave them all hugs and told them I love them. In one hand they had a folder of papers and a bag of candy (as a gift); in the other, they had a plastic cup with an aloe vera plant in it. About 10-15 minutes earlier they were so excite and happy I thought they would burst. They had just come back to school from my house where we had an end of the year celebration and had gotten a bag of candy that they weren't expecting at all. They could hardly take it all in.

It was a good way to end the year.

Saturday morning I had a dream about them all. They were so sweet in my dream; it made me miss them.

Saturday we took a break, got our hairs cut, and went shopping. Once again the proverb proved true, "Go shopping with Thomas and he will find something and you will not." I bought him a stopwatch which was supposed to be his Christmas present last year, but I couldn't find one. I was looking for some sandals, sneakers, summer casual shirts, and pants/shorts that don't have holes in them. Maybe I am too picky, but Thomas said he didn't see anything that was quite my style either. I am planning to check out the thrift store today. I usually find more stuff there.

I am looking forward to this summer, but I will talk about why some other time.

Authority

Perhaps as a Kindergarten teacher I get stuck on this issue a bit, but it is startling how little it is understood. I am just beginning to understand the necessity and beauty of authority structures. Most recently I have been thinking about the authority I don't have.

"I believe that murder is wrong," is an authority statement. Unfortunately it is an appeal to a faulty authority, myself. Murder isn't wrong because I think so. Murder is wrong because God says so. So I must be willing to leave off the "I believe" and "I think" because that is an appeal to a false authority. When I say "Murder is wrong," I am appealing to the ultimate authority, God's revealed law in Scripture.

However, with this must come a humility because I am not the authority. I must be willing to hold on tight to what I believe, but rest my reputation in the same place I find my authority. That also means that when confronted with Scripture that says I must change, I don't really have a choice but to obey. It has many other ramifications that I am still learning.

By the way, Taylor Mali's "Speak with Authority" Slam Poetry thing, is based on authority outside ourselves. The real answer to his question, "why don't we speak with authority" is that , so often, we don't want to admit an authority outside ourselves. Check yourself. When you say "I think..." are you really being humble, saying that you might be wrong, or are you not wanting to admit - or search for what God has already said. True humility points to another authority.

I am not there yet. But by God's grace, He will lead me, and I will follow, where he wants me to go.

Please, offer your comments, critique my point of view, strengthen my argument, tell me what you think of it all. I want to learn more.

Prince Caspian

Well, we went to see it with the family. Such movies bring out my snobbish nature more than it usually shows. At this point, I will not endeavor to give a real review, but simply mention a few things.

My greatest issue with it is that they called it Narnia, and Prince Caspian, as if it really had anything to do with it.

Peter ought to have been a noble king rather than a buffoon stuck on himself, which I suppose is redundant.

They just didn't understand Narnia at all, not the book or the characters or the literary history.

However, Caspian's shirt was really neat.

Half-Anniversary

I always liked half birthdays, and well, today is our half-anniversary. Two and a half years ago, I married a man who I thought was the best person on the earth. Since then I have learned that though he isn’t as perfect as I dreamed, he is more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. Laughing and joking with him are so much more fun than I ever could have thought. We haven’t run out of things to say and keep learning about new things we can talk about. Little things, like watching him come down the stairs of our house or smile at me across the room, fill me with delight. Though I know him much better now than I did when I married him, it is exciting to think that we have the rest of our lives to continue to grow closer to each other and to God. Whatever God brings to us, I know that he is mine and I am his until death us do part.

The Play!

It is over now. I must confess that I am very glad. It was a harrowing experience, but it showed, once again, how good God is. I am not quite ready to talk about it, but I do have a few pictures which Thomas so kindly took.


This is our Stage Manager.

"What are you crying for Emily Webb?"Stage Manager, as Mr. Morgan; Emily; George

This is our Emily while sitting atop a ladder, staring at the moon.

This is the Dead. Yes that is me in the red hat, playing the part of Mrs. Soames.

This is the entire Cast and Crew and Directors.

There are a few more pictures on my facebook.

Calm before the Storm

Today is Friday, but I am not at rehearsal. Why not, you may ask? The reason is that most of my cast has deserted me to go on a class trip to Philadelphia. At first I resented the scheduling conflict, but at this moment, I am very grateful. It has given me time to catch-up on sleep and calm down a little from the craziness of April. Last night, my mother and I worked on costuming and Keith, Mom and I worked on making stage curtains out of non-wovens. It took a long time, but I think we will be pleased with the end result. The costuming is looking pretty good too. I am very happy with our Mrs. Webb's hat and Rebecca's outfit especially. My mother is amazing. I can make things pretty, but Mom is good at making things work and look good.

I also have been able to focus a little more on Kindergarten, which has been exhausting. These children are worn out and trying to make sense of a broken world on their own. They don't want to listen to how God explains the world and they don't want to accept the rules he has given. So the world doesn't make sense and everyone is against them. They are stubborn little buggers too. Everything from doing what they ought not to as soon as I stop looking at them to pretending to not know what they are supposed to be doing. They frustrate me, wear me out, and yet then when I least expect it, do exactly what they are supposed to be doing, smile at me sweetly, give me a hug, and get back to work. Five minutes later chaos ensues, but there was that moment, short as it was, that makes me realize that they really do hear what I am saying, at least sometimes.

Why is it that wrong things look so much nicer? Why does jumping off the top of desks sound like more fun that sitting quietly and listening to the rules of the game? Why does talking all through seatwork time sound so better than having no play time because they haven't finished their work? Why does reading a book sound like more fun than doing corrections? It has struck me again and again recently that most things worth doing are worth doing well. Having good handwriting takes longer, but it is worth doing because then people can read what you have to say and it looks nicer. The costume alterations that need to be done are tedious, but when done well, look really good and stay put. Cleaning, cooking, corrections, pretty much everything, when we do it well, we are happy with it - satisfied that with the work of our hands. But when we just throw stuff together, sure it may work, but we don't get the same pleasure out of it.

I think I am beginning to understand how humans were made to work and one of Satan's most devious plans is to try to trick us out of doing what we were made for. That doesn't mean that I am that anxious to get back to my room and start grading papers. But it does mean that I know that if I do, I will be happier with the results than if I put it off until Sunday night, and I will be doing what I was made to be doing.

Anyway, these past three days when the high school has been gone have been a sweet and much needed rest. And the play is next week, so this will probably be the last time I post before then.

Bye, have fun, wish you could come to my play.

This is half of the kitchen. It may seem small, but it has at least double the counter space of my other kitchen. This was taken before I unpacked the kitchen. It currently looks much cleaner and more organized.





This is one of the most exciting parts of our new house - the dryer. I have done at least 5 loads of laundry and it works beautifully. Doesn't our dear little washer look so tiny next to are new wonderful helper?







Here is the other half of the kitchen. It is also before I unpacked, and also looks even better now. Someday I will show you unpacked pictures, but those need to be developed.

A Week of Much Stress and God's Grace

The stress started back at Easter when moving began to be a reality. It got worse as we moved, but Saturday, it finally hit me full force. I felt sick and crabby and depressed. There was a potluck and concert at our church, but I didn’t feel like going. However, after late nap, we ended up going to the concert anyhow, and it was worth it. Ange and Ris were wonderful and I got excited about music again.

Sunday was not stressful – well, yes it was, but it was a good kind of stress. We went down to Harrisburg to visit with some friends. We ate yummy food and saw the Harrisburg Symphony perform Dona Nobis Pacem by Ralph Vaughn Williams and Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony. It was amazing. I could gush at the beauty of the pieces and the thrill of seeing them performed live, but I would be unable to capture the wonder of it. Although we had to miss church it seemed as though we had worship service and a sermon in those pieces. Both concluded that peace is only found it God, and the music emphasized the various aspects of peace beautifully.

Monday’s schedule was all messed up because of a Christian school’s “Military Drilling Team” came to school. Their presentation was fascinating and the kids loved it. It was hard getting them back into the swing of the day though. Grades were due too, but mine were not done. My drama kids didn’t have their lines memorized, which caused a bit of stress.

Tuesday the grades were half way done and I was feeling pressured, so I wrote some emails that I have been meaning to write for ages. That didn’t help the stress, but I was glad to get it done.

Wednesday, I finished the grading during lunches, but need to tally them and write notes. I didn’t get it done before the end of school, so I got given a hard time about it. It doesn’t help that I have a student who never completes their homework and I was feeling incredibly guilty about holding him accountable, but not finishing my work on time. My drama kids did a great job at practice, but I only had four dedicated workers scheduled for rehearsal.

I finally turned in the grades on Thursday and began to worry about the play. That afternoon I had my fashion design lesson which was wonderful and encouraging, but I didn’t get other things done because of it. That night drama kids called to ask if the could miss rehearsal the next day. I am pretty sure I answered the way I should have, but before I could answer, I had to make many stressful phone calls.

And then came Friday. My kids were not bad, but they weren’t good either. They pressed the limits of my patience, but when I told them individually that they were doing what was wrong before God, not just because I said so, they apologized and stopped. They gave great hugs too. However, more drama kids missed than I had planned and several of those who did come didn’t have their lines memorized. We therefore could not really work on anything I had planned on working on and by the end it felt like a wasted rehearsal. I was pretty depressed and ready to quit entirely, but Keith said there was hope for a good performance and encouraged me to press on. Thomas let me take a nap. Then I was happy and we had dinner with Keith and got ready for FISH (Fellowship In Songs and Hymns), which was absolutely amazing. There were drums and a tambourine and a harmonica and my flute and Keith’s mandolin and guitars and lots of voices all praising God together. That was thrilling too.

Saturday, I began to sort out some of the drama things and I unpacked my kitchen. Both helped my stress levels. And Sunday was a great time of worship and refocusing. I meditated on Psalm 107 before the service started and the encouragement from God’s Word continued. In the afternoon, I made spaghetti and wrote thank-you notes for many of the moving help. We had ensemble practice, which was good. Then we celebrated the Lord’s Table.

The funny thing about the stress this week was that even during the worst parts, I was acutely aware that God was in control and He loved me and was doing all this to make me more like Him. I wanted the nasty stuff to go away, but I wanted to be holy, and I knew I needed all that He was bringing my way. I can look at the issues that are still unsettled and say with confidence, God has a plan that is better than my plan, so I can trust in that plan and do my best with what I know. Nothing has really changed. The house is still a crazy mess, drama kids still don’t know their lines, and lesson plans still need to be done. But enough got done for the week, and I can face this new week with excitement and hope because God doesn’t change and God is good.

God be with you.

We Moved...

...in the rainy-ish weather. We had tons of people helping. It was amazing. God was so good in providing everything we need. The apartment was completely emptied and the other filled in two and a half hours. Now we have the days of unpacking and sorting. Once I get past the overwhelming nature of it all, I will be excited about making our new house become home.

Thanks for your prayers and comments. We will have to have you all over sometime. :-)

Moving Day

Today is moving day. Right after school, I will be changing and finishing packing last minute stuff. A half hour later, our friends and relations will be taking everything from our house and putting in a truck, or various vehicles. Then they will unpack it at our new place. I will be trying not to get in the way.

Tonight we will be sleeping in our new house. Tomorrow we will be cleaning our old house and Saturday turning in the keys. My tulips and daffodils that I planted last year are just beginning to come up. So perhaps I really have begun to make the world a more beautiful place. (see the story of Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney)

IN WHICH Visiting My Blog Dashes My Hopes

I suppose if I don't update often, I shouldn't expect people to comment, but Eeyore was so funny, I kept hoping. He keeps making me laugh. Then I scroll down and see that no one else thought it was funny enough to say anything.

Then I look at facebook and that seems to be were everything is happening. Yet everytime I visit I realize I dislike it more and more. I haven't figured out why. Maybe it is because no one talks to me there either. Maybe that's because I don't talk to anyone. Maybe that is because I don't ever quite know what to say. My life really isn't that interesting unless you like kid stories and random philosophical thoughts, which I post here. And I don't usually say them very cleverly; my husband is better at that.

All that to say, I am rapidly becoming fed up with my online life. Fortunately I have one outside of the internet. Maybe that is why my online life is so bad...

Now a question. Do people like comments such as: "That's great" or "I read this" or "check out this; it has to do with what you said"? Or if I don't feel that I have something to say, is it better to say nothing?

By the way, I like little nothing comments. :-)

IN WHICH Eeyore makes my day

They were playing Poohsticks and waiting for this sticks to float out from under the bridge.

Looking very calm, very dignified, with his legs in the air, came Eeyore from beneath the bridge.
"It's Eeyore!" cried Roo, terribly excited.
"Is that so?" said Eeyore, getting caught up by a little eddy, and turning slowly round three times. "I wondered."
"I didn't know you were playing," said Roo.
"I'm not," said Eeyore.
"Eeyore, what are you doing there?" said Rabbit.
"I'll give you three guesses, Rabbit. Diggning in the ground? Wrong. Leaping from branch to branch of a young oak-tree? Wrong. Waiting for somebody to help me out of the river? Right. Give Rabbit time, and he'll always get the answer?"
"But, Eeyore," said Pooh in distress, "what can we--I mean, how shall we--do you think if we--"
"Yes," said Eeyore. "One of those would be just the thing. Thank you, Pooh."
"He's going round and round," said Roo, much impressed.
"And why not?" said Eeyore coldly.
"I can swim too," said Roo proudly.
"Not round and round," said Eeyore. "It's much more difficult. I didn't want to come swimming at all today," he went on, revolving slowly. "But if, when in, I decide to practise a slight circular movement from right to left--or perhaps I should say," he added, as he got into another eddy, "from left to right, just as it happens to occur to me, it is nobody's business but my own."

I have a New Computer!

Hooray! Yippee! Wa-hoo! Shiny!

Babe got me a computer. It is a spiffy Macbook so I feel really smart. I like its address book and calendar and dashboard. But my favorite thing is Photo booth. It is really fun to play with and spend hours messing around. Friday night, I was laughing so hard I was crying. They don't seem so funny now, but I did post them on my face book account.

I also did my lesson plans on it and my March Newsletter (for Kindergarten), all while Thomas was working on something else on his computer. (I think he was watching Heroes, which I wouldn't mind watching if it weren't for all the brainless people. They give me nasty, weird nightmares.)

We don't have a house yet, but we do know a few houses we won't have.

Looking for a house

Today we get to look at a half double. Tomorrow I get to look at a second floor apartment. Saturday, we get to look at another half double. Please pray that God would guide us to exactly the right one for us. I wouldn't mind a huge flashing sign from heaven, but that would be too easy. What would be the need for faith?

Hooray!

Today is a snow day, but I am at school. Why is that happy? Because I walked here with my wonderful husband who didn't have to go to work because of the six and accumulating inches of snow. Why did we walk here? Because I was all crazy from drinking some incredible coffee, and we wanted to do some stuff on-line with a faster connection than our dial-up. Why did I drink caffeinated coffee if it makes me crazy? Because it is a snow day and we had time to make it in our French Press which my dear and wonderful brother gave to us for Christmas. (This dear and wonderful brother is not to be confused with the loving and adorable brother, not that the qualities don't overlap.)

There is a slight bummer though. We had planned on going to a Matt and Shannon Heaton concert, but now cannot because there is too much snow and driving 2 hours would probably take four or more and could be dangerous. However listening to bits of songs on-line is somewhat comforting.

I haven't mentioned it on my blog, but Thomas has, so in case you don't know, we have to move by April. Our land-lord is selling the house we live in and the new owners want to live in it, so we have to move. The deal will be finalized in April, so we have a little time to look. It will, however, be absolutely crazy because March and April are the main rehearsal months for the play Keith and I are directing. Momma suggested that we get the cast to help us move on one of our workdays. I think it sounds like a great idea, but I don't know if the kids will think so. We also need all the time we can to get ready, so I would hate to take away time from rehearsal and such. We would be grateful for prayers as we find a house and for sanity as we pack up and relocate.

I hope to start packing up the attic today and tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Maybe will all the energy I have I will be Speedy Carrie, aka Crash Bang Boom.

Hi

At the end of the day
Its another day over...

I can't really write more right now because I am really tired and rather distracted. Everything is just ducky and I watched Newsies yesterday and my kids wore me out today. Water is good. Chocolate cream pie is good. Thomas is good. Happiness!

100th Day of School!

Tomorrow is the 100th day of school this year, which calls for a little bit of reflection. My students came in not knowing how to act, how to think, how to button and unbutton their pants by themselves. Now they are reading one and two vowel words. They can count to 100 by 1's and 10's. They know how to hold their pencils and can write neatly if they want to. Staying in their seats is no longer a novelty, putting their pencils away is almost a habit, and daily routines are established. I am proud of the accomplishments of each one of them. And I love them each dearly.

In the next 70-some days, they will be learning to read even more. They will learn to count by 5's and 2's. They will get in the habit of writing their names neatly (hopefully). They will learn to work independently and when to ask questions when they don't understand.

They are beginning to go from being babies to being little boys and girls.

And I get to be a part of it. :-)

Thoughts

World had an interveiw with Robert George and Chris Tollefsen, two authors of a book entitled Embryo: A Defense of Human Life. This statement struck me in its far reaching implications.

"Embryos at risk of destruction [from stem cell research] suffer from two disadvantages when other human beings think about what is owed to them, though neither is ultimately unique to embryos. The first is the disadvantage of distance. Like those that suffer on the other side of the globe, embryos are distant from our awareness: We cannont see them, we do not know them personally, they cannot ask for our help. Second, the suffer the disadvantage of numbers. We cannot adequately respond, emotionally, when thousands of persons are killed or otherwise harmed; it owuld overwhelm us. And there are hundreds of thousands of embryos currently cryopreserved and considered "spares" from in vitro fertilization procedures."

Distance and numbers... People that are far away from us, people that are in groups that are so large we can't really comprehend...

And sometimes we have difficulty caring about the individuals we know and interact with every day.

And is this the reason that thinking about praying for celebrities seems odd to me? (See this post.) Who are we called to love? Who is my neighbor?

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers..."

That has to do with people I see and can help. What about those I can't see, and really can't help? Are they my neighbors too?

I got a hair cut!

Actually I got several hairs cut. In fact the floor around the chair was covered with red and gold and brown curls. The lady who cut my hair kept asking if I felt bald, but I felt light and happy. Thomas said it was spunky and it fit my personality better than my previous hair cut. I have been told I look older and that I look younger. I think my students were a little weirded out too, but by the end of the day they had gotten over it.

I like the feel of it on my face and the way if wiggles when I shake my head. I like being able to wash, dry, comb, and rub some gel in it and then be done. The biggest change is that I have bangs. Not bangs that stay in the front of my forehead, but ones that come down the side of my face. I haven't had bangs since I was six. I am not annoyed by them yet, but that might happen if I am not carefull. If I can get Thomas to take some pictures on his digital camera I will have some up soon. If not, you will just have to wait until you come visit.

ICE!!

I like ice. I like it in my glass of water. I like it when it keeps me and my husband from having to go to work. I like it when I can skate on it.

Which is what I got to do on Tuesday and Thursday! There is something so freeing about it. Unfortunately, Tuesday night I was sore for hours even though I skated about a half hour. But yesterday I skated longer, and I think I must have worked out a lot of the soreness because once my toes warmed up, I wasn't sore anywhere. I was really tired, but that could have been from the cold that Thomas passed on to me. (We are good at sharing things.)

I love to ice skate. It is fun to go really fast and feel the wind and not worry about how graceful or anything, but just enjoy the freedom of flying. It is fun to turn around and skate backwards, which I still can't do on one foot, but am getting pretty good at doing with both feet. It is fun to weave back and forth like you are skiing. It is fun to sing and skate with siblings, and skate in circles around one another. Keith was in the center skating tiny circles, then I went around him in the opposite direction, Kate went around my circles in the same direction as Keith and another friend went the same direction as me beyond her. So we had four layers of concentric circles and tried to keep up with one another but the further out, the faster you had to skate. Then we ran into each other.

The big challenge this year was to do the thing Daddy does. He starts skating frontward with his foot back a little. Then he pivots and continues in the same direction as before, but now with his foot in front of him. It looks really cool, but I haven't quite figured out how to do it. That and I can't skate backwards on one foot. I can't jump either, which is one of my dreams to learn how to do. On ice I feel that I am flying; but when I try to jump, I feel as heavy as lead. Maybe someday. I am still afraid to fall, probably from bruising my tail-bone too many times.

Thomas hasn't skated yet this year, but don't let him fool you. He really does enjoy it, when he doesn't fall and crack his head, but that only happened once and it was because his skates were really dull. But now he does like it, really! He just forgets sometimes. (grins at Babe) Right?

This is my 100th post!

The Old 100th

All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.

The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.

O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.

For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom Heav’n and earth adore,
From men and from the angel host
Be praise and glory evermore.

Amen.

The bad part about breaks

The bad part about getting breaks from school is that they end and you have to go back. It is Tuesday and I am ready for Saturday.

The weather has been lovely. I took the kids outside to run around, but I told them they couldn't fall in the mud. To ensure that they didn't we played on the playground that has little stones and no mud. No one fell badly; a few fell from monkey bars, but they landed on their feet, mostly. We didn't have to wear our coats though. Last night we sat on the porch. Kind of crazy weather for January in PA; I'm not complaining though.

I have been kind of stressed the last week or so. I think that is the reason I haven't been sleeping so well. Maybe it has to do with the occasional discomfort in my tummy and head too. I know it makes me more impatient with my students. So I should just stop, right. Ha. I don't think my stress is real bad, but it has been enough to make me wish for a break. I don't think I am going to get much rest done. Is there a way to schedule rest, so you just stop everything, even thinking and feeling, but just enjoy the restfulness? Maybe I should start Yoga or something.

Happy New Year!

I like new things, so Christmas was great. I got lots of new things, including the sweater I am currently wearing and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead play and movie! (Brief side track: this play/movie is pure genius and I am only beginning to scratch the surface.)

But even more than Christmas, I like new years. There is something comforting about fresh starts and something exciting about the many possibilities. This year so many things could happen. It could be scary to think of all the terrible things that might happen, but this could be the year when we have a baby, or Thomas sells a novel, or I get to act in a play. Maybe all my students will understand what I am trying to tell them; maybe they will ask Jesus to change their hearts; maybe they will learn to love reading better than their video games and movies. Maybe this will be the year that is the beginning of a Drama class at my school, maybe my cast will understand their characters and themselves and grasp meanings in the play that are deeper than what I can spell out for them, and together we can make a beautiful and rich piece of art. Maybe this will be the year that I have consistent devotions, maybe Thomas and I together will discover where in the church God wants us serve, maybe we will find that this church is only the launching pad to serve God somewhere else. Maybe...

Beginnings give us a time to look back as well, to reflect on what has happened and figure out what we are thankful for, what we want to change, and what we enjoyed along the way. This year I realized that I am more in love with Thomas than I was when I married him. I found out more ways that he is the perfect fit for me - that I need him, and he needs me, and together we are both better people. I also realized how much I love my family, my extended family, my in-laws, and my immediate family. I see that how much I am Knowlden rebel and a practical and down-to-earth Ulmer, how I find myself writing like my mother and reasoning like my father, how my brothers' perspectives creep into my view of culture, and how Thomas and his family help me filter it all from another perspective.

Teaching has been easier this year, but I keep finding things I want to do better next year. I understand kids better, so I understand how to teach them better. I am learning and tailoring the curriculum to fit my style and finding how to adapt my style based on the needs of my students.

I have made some really good friends this year, and gotten back in touch with friends that I haven't talked to for ages, as well as continuing friendships that have been around for a while. I have learned from you, been encouraged by you, and enjoyed time spent with you.

There have been books and movies and music that I have learned about and enjoyed. R&G, as mentioned before, stands out, as does Anuna. I re-read most of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (only my second time, on my own) and listened as Thomas read some of his childhood stories. The one that stands out is Mr. Monkey and the Gotcha Bird. I discovered the Bourne movies, as well as the fact that Thomas usually has good taste in movies (except when it comes to blood and guts, especially the guts part; but even then he has his limits). As far as theater movies, the best experience was watching Ratatouille while sitting at a table in a theater, eating a cinnamon scone. I also enjoyed participating in a theater class, several readings, and watching BTE perform several plays. My favorite there was A Christmas Carol followed closely by You Can't Take It With You.

Its been a good year. Another good year is yet to come. God is on His throne and in my heart, and He is faithful and will complete the good work He has begun in me. Of course it will be good.