10 Things Thursday

!0 things about today.

1. I forgot it was Thursday. For some reason I was all mixed up this week about which day it was. Weird.
2. It was my kindergarten class's day to lead chapel, which means two girls lead the Pledge of Allegiance and two boys lead opening and closing prayer. We learned that one of my girls loooves the microphone and one doesn't so much.
3. Another teacher covered my class for a while so that I could go to some local businesses asking for donations for our school's annual fundraising auction. Surprisingly, I didn't hate it as much as I used to. And I discovered a cute little Italian place that I want to try.
4. I got done with my donation list a little early and stopped at Arby's for lunch. All by myself. And sat there and ate. And only felt a tiny bit guilty.
5. After lunch, I graded my afternoon class's spelling pre-tests and was happy that I had two 100%s, two 95%s, and one 90%. I wasn't so happy with the rest. (Note to self: work on spelling more with the struggling ones.)
6. After that we read about industrialism and inventions in the early 19th century. Did you know that in his lifetime, Andrew Carnegie gave away $350 million and John D. Rockefeller gave away $550 million?! Me either.
7. A bird flew into my window on the way to school this morning. It was dark when we were coming home so I'm just going to assume he jumped up and flew away as soon as we were out of sight. And that he had a bunch of little birdie friends hiding on the side of the road waiting to laugh with him about the look on my face.
8. I'm glad it was a bird that hit my car and not the moose we saw earlier this week.
9. The boys and I got haircuts after school. I was thrilled. They were not. Mean mama won't let them be shaggy.
10. Tomorrow is Friday. I know that's not about today, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Blessed Sunday

My 11 year old son leaning over in church and whispering to me about his sister who was sitting on his other side, "I love her so much!" That's a blessing.

10 things Thursday

10 of my favorite things from today.

1. Hugging on my favorite niece in the hall at school.
2. Laughing multiple times in chapel.
3. Discovering a new way to get my kindergartners to work quietly.
4. Answering the question about why my afternoon class was eating suckers with the reply, "Because I gave them suckers."
5. Making Kathy hiss "shut up" at me.
6. Hearing Patty's story about her call from the mayor.
7. Seeing how excited my kindergartners got about the new seating chart.
8. Tacos for dinner...even if I did have to cook.
9. Quiet reading time.
10. Bedtime.

(9 & 10 are still to come... but I know they'll be on the list.)

10 Things Thursday

In honor of A Butterfly Moment soon surpassing 40,000 page views, here are the top ten viewed posts (and number of views to date) on my blog.

1. The Story of How I Came To Sit Beside Ellen Travolta (1418)
2. Why I Don't Go To The Mall  (498)
3. Tragedy (375)
4. A short story... (326)
5. Potty Training 301 (316)
6. 32 + 1 (294)
7. Yeah, Minnie! (220)
8. 10 Things Thursday (184)
9. Disney on Ice (178)
10. Pronounced (173)

And the top 10 countries to view my blog.

1. United States
2. Russia
3. France
4. Netherlands
5. United Kingdom
6. Germany
7. South Korea
8. Malaysia
9. Canada
10. Australia

Show and Tell

stuffed penguin with green mittens and scarf named Pengpeng

doll named Rainbowlicious whose "...eyes close when she lays down and when she stands up her eyes are open."

plastic, purple snake

Zuzu pet puppy

Huggy Buggy the fat butterfly

dog Dream Lite*

Velveteen Rabbit--"Her first name is Velvet and her middle name is Velveteen and I haven't decided her last name yet."

plastic baby bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes

dog slippers used for beds for littler animals

pirate ship shaped like a dragon

Christmas flipbook

unicorn Dream Lite named Rainbow (last name Party--nickname Dreamy)**

eagle and shark toys "This is my eagle and I like to play with it and this is my shark and I like to play with it."


*The dog Dream Lite was the one thing Julianna wanted most of all for Christmas. She loves it! It really does shine the stars and shapes on the ceiling. I would have loved it when I was little!

**I love when stuffed animals have first, middle, and last names. I think the nickname was a first after many years of show and tell. And a rainbow party would be dreamy!

Blessed Sunday

Over the past two days I have been blessed to spend time with some of the sweetest, cutest, snuggliest babies in town. Yesterday I was able to play and snuggle with my sweet nephew, Asher. He is such a wonderful little guy. He smiles and laughs and giggles almost all the time. He is funny and talkative and adorable. He sat with me and we read and sang and discussed all the wonderful things outside while watching the other kids play in the snow. And for a few sweet moments, he snuggled on my lap and slept. What a sweet face he has! I love him all to pieces and treasure all the baby moments with him since he's the last baby in our family for a while.

Then this morning during church services I was asked to watch the babies in the nursery. There were six little ones to enjoy. They were all so good and we had lots of fun playing and emptying out all the toy boxes in the whole nursery. They are all very special babies with very special families.

So here's what I discovered from all the baby time I enjoyed this weekend: I'm glad they went home with their mommies and not me. I am done with babies. And although I love them and loved every minute spent with them, I am glad to not have to change their diapers and get up with them at night and follow them around with a broom and a handful of baby wipes. Baby-ness is wonderful and I will always be grateful for my time of mommying babies. But those days are over for me. And I can finally say that that's okay. It took a long time for me to be okay with it. But I am. I really am. I'll just love on other people's babies and then smile as I hand them back to their mommies as soon as they start crying or stinking. Now that's what I call blessed.

10 Things Thursday

10 things I got for Christmas.

1. Boots from my dad on our pre-Christmas shopping trip. I love them. I have wanted some like them for a long time, but never bought them for myself. They are my new favorite shoes...at least until sandal time.
2. Silverware from mom (and dad). The silverware we had been using was a wedding gift, I think. We were down to five forks after all these years. And there are five of us. So I had to wash forks after every meal. Or plan meals that didn't need forks.
3. Cups. Which doesn't sound so exciting, but they are my favorite kind of cups with lids and straws. I use one every day to take ice water to school. And since two of mine have disappeared (NOT to Arrty's office), I needed a few more. One was filled with socks and one had a TJ Maxx gift card in it.
4. CDs. Three lovely, thoughtful, mixed cds from my sweet sister. One is titled "to chill to." One is "to sing to." And one is "to move to." I love them all. They make me smile...and chill...and sing...and move.
5. Brave. The movie. Not the adjective. Although it is both my favorite animated movie and my favorite adjective.
6. A mug. With lots of big words that I had to look up on dictionary.com. It is perfect for tea and hot chocolate. I love it and the person who gave it to me.
7. A journal with butterflies on the front. Just perfect for lists and reminders and book ideas.
8. Fuzzy, polka dot socks. Which are comfy and warm and make my feet happy.
9. A romance novel. That I picked out for myself when I couldn't find "The Life of Pi." I read it Christmas week. Let's just say I should have waited for "The Life of Pi." It was terrible. Just terrible. And still I read the whole thing.
10. Another book that will most certainly be better than "The Christmas Bride" and a Hastings gift card. With which I will buy "The Life of Pi."

Bonus: Adam gave me a fuzzy, gray blanket that he got as his gift at the youth group Christmas party. It was so sweet of him to pass it on to me since he knows how much I love a nice, soft blanket.

I also got a big, red mixing bowl, a cupcake carrier, chocolates, pens, pajamas, movie tickets, a monkey cup, homemade fudge, a calendar, chocolate covered graham crackers, a brush, a Texas Roadhouse gift card, a Dutch Bros. gift card, a cupcake ornament, a beverage warmer, Diet Coke and Oreos, and probably more that have been used, put away or eaten.

I'm very blessed and a little spoiled.

Another End, Another Beginning

So here I am at the end of another year. And getting ready to begin a new one. Honestly, other than having to write 2013 instead of 2012, tomorrow will be much the same as today. But it is a chance to look at my life, where I've been, and where I'm going. I've had the same resolutions for far too long to write them down again. I know what I need to do...or not do. And hopefully being older, and wiser, will help in finally getting all those things taken care of so I can move on. On to bigger and better things.

But when midnight strikes tonight, it will not change who I am. Who I have been. Who I want to be. I am grateful to know that I can start over every day, not just tomorrow. Each morning when I open my eyes, I am given the blessing of another day. None of which during the last 40 years have been perfect. Nor will any during the next 40. As a matter of fact, some of my days have stunk. Some were full of fear and tears and pain. But even more have been wonderful. Full of laughter and joy and peace. And the older I get, the more of my days are of the wonderful variety. And fewer and fewer of the stinky.

For the last few years my family has been in a sort of limbo waiting for this and that and the other. And finally, finally we are enjoying some security and stability. We still have a lot to overcome, but there is a light at the end of a very long tunnel. And that light is what I've been waiting for most of all.

So as the old year ends and the new one starts, I will feel blessed. What else is there to feel when I am healthy and happy and surrounded by those I love more than life itself?

Happy New Year. May you be blessed to overflowing, too.

Christmas Vacation Ramblings

Christmas vacation started a day early, so we didn't get to have our class Christmas party. We will be having a New Year's party in my class in January instead. Then it's right back to learning how to read.

Saturday was date night. Arrty and I went to Red Lobster for dinner and talked and ate crab and solved all the world's problems. Date nights are rare...and nice.

Sunday night we put up our Christmas tree. (Do not judge me.)

Since we don't have a traditional Christmas meal at our house, I decided to start one...Christmas Eve breakfast. This year it included eggs, sausage, bacon, cheesy hash browns, and biscuits. Upon smelling the yumminess, Josh declared me "the best mom ever." Who says teenagers are hard to please?

Christmas Eve morning was spent baking and making treats. Then we made a few stops on the way to the Christmas Eve service to deliver goodie plates to a few special folks. We also waited in line at Dutch Bros. for $1 drinks. And Arrty didn't even complain too much. It was Christmas Eve, after all.

The Christmas Eve service was lovely and singing carols while all in the room were holding flickering candles was my favorite part. Even if the two little girls sitting with me came alarmingly close to setting the old people in front of us on fire.

Then it was time for Christmas Eve festivities at Mom and Dad's. Tons of food including the traditional WV sandwiches and homemade fries. Then we opened presents that weren't surprisingly at all pajamas. Mine are purple polka dotted.

Christmas morning I woke up before the kids and was showered and holding a warm cup of tea before they appeared. We opened stockings and presents and enjoyed each other's company. I was relieved that the boys were happy with their gifts. And I was surprised to find that I missed the days of being surrounded by Legos and Transformers.

Then I did some cooking in preparation for going to Arrty's grandma's house for lunch where we were served Cornish game hens and the best mashed potatoes on the planet. Then there were more presents. And laughter and Christmas cheer.

Then we headed to Mom and Dad's for dinner where I thought I wouldn't be able to eat another bite. I was wrong. There was prime rib cooked to perfection and several yummy side dishes. Then more presents. There are twelve of us and we open gifts one at a time. The kids were very patient waiting for their turn to open. It was busy and crazy and wonderful.

Since then there has been lots of movie watching and playing games and reading. Which makes for a perfect vacation if you ask me.

Oh. And apparently the BEST girl's night EVER at Kathy's. Which it kind of was.

Blessed Sunday

I was blessed this morning at church.to sit next to one of my very favorite people in the whole, wide world: my sister. 

And if that wasn't enough, we got to sing together. She with her beautiful soprano voice that matches perfectly with my alto. It was wonderful and natural and a perfect way to start the day and a new week.

 (Her birthday week, by the way.) 

I adore my sweet sister and count her among my blessings each and every day. 

Tragedy

Here I sit, in a room full of kindergartners, reading about a tragedy that happened in a kindergarten class thousands of miles away. My heart is breaking. My soul is crying out. My arms are aching to hold my own children.

All I can think about is those poor mamas and dads whose children won't be coming home from school today. How will they survive? How will they make it through this terrible, horrible, life changing tragedy? How will they tell their other children that they have lost one of their own? What will they do with the packages already under the tree for their babies?

And the teachers. How will they be able to walk into their classrooms on Monday or the next week or the next month and teach reading and writing and addition to the survivors? How will they be able to walk into a classroom ever again?

I know, without a doubt, that there is an army of angels descending on Connecticut right this minute to surround those families and provide peace and comfort in a time when it seems impossible. Angels whose purpose it is to clean up another mess made by Satan whose cruelty and hate and devastation never cease to amaze me.

And I know that in Heaven Jesus is surrounded by 20 new angels and he is wrapping each one in his holy embrace and whispering words of love in each little ear.

Because I have to think of how God, the Messiah, is taking care of his children. I have to.

And I have to remind myself that Satan tries, with all his might, to tear us away from our Lord. The Dark One uses some of us humans to hurt others. He tricks the weak and hurting. He targets those who are searching and gives them lies. Lies about how to make their pain go away. Lies about others in their life. Lies, lies, lies. And those lies lead to pain. Terrible, faith shaking, heart breaking pain.

So I will pray for those families who are hurting today. I will pray long and hard. And I will love on all the children I see today. And I will thank God, from the bottom of my heart, for His peace that passes understanding.

Wednesday WORD

Where you are right now is God's place for you. 

Live and obey and love and believe right there.

             

1Corinthians 7:17

Show and Tell

Soccer medal. Apparently E. scored "infinity" points during his soccer season.

Unicorn Dreamlite. "It glows on the ceiling when the light is off." (Kindergarten consensus is that Dreamlites would make perfect Christmas gifts.)

D's sister's "magic for kids" cards since he forgot to bring show and tell.

Knitted pink, beaded purse made by Aunt Vicki. (Teacher voted most special show and tell of the day.)

Plastic dinosaur and purple car.

Pink, sparkly belt. (More of a show and tell accessory.) (The belt went missing...and was finally found around the owner's waist.)

Julianna's brother's stuffed horse...that seemed much larger when her brothers were smaller.

Flower hair clip. Bought by Grandma who "loves is a lot. And so does Grandpa." (More accessories.)

Transformer toy won in the "Shining Star" drawing at school this morning. (He loves it so much!)

Little Mermaid book complete with explanation of each. and. every. page.

Red top (Also won in "Shining Stars.")

Teeny, tiny notebook with a teeny, tiny pencil.

10 Things Thursday

10 words not allowed in kindergarten until at least December 17th.

1. Christmas
2. tree
3. presents
4. reindeer
5. Santa*
6. sleigh
7. jingle
8. bells
9. Batman
10. smells


*Santa discussions are not allowed at all. Even after the 17th. There is always a debate about whether he's real or not. And it always ends in a 5 year old wanting me to tell them the truth. And I do not want some parent mad at me for telling their kid that he's real.

Blessed Sunday

Every day is full of blessings. And being able to recognize that is a blessing in itself. But this past week, as we gave thanks with those we love, the blessings were abundantly apparent. Family, friends, and food. Homes and clothes and dependable cars. Health and happiness. Jobs to go to and steady paychecks. Children to make us laugh. And grandparents and aunts and uncles who adore them. Nieces and nephews who we love like our own. Sisters and brothers who know us like no one else. Parents who have sacrificed and worked to make us who we are today. Love and laughter overflowing. And sweet, sweet salvation and the hope that comes with it. All blessings. Blessing upon blessing upon blessing.

10 Things Thanksgiving Thursday

1. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. So laidback and relaxing. All about gratitude and family...and really good food.
2. The annual Flanagan Thanksgiving Cheeseball Contest was once again a highlight. This year's offerings: taco, chili-cheese, chicken jalapeno popper, fiesta, chocolate marshmallow, and peanut butter.
3. And the winner was...everyone! Because, really, with that much cheese, don't we all win? (Although Mom's peanut butter cheeseball with apple slices was super yummy.)
4. I found out that Dad has been reading my blog. Which I love. Any writing talent I have comes from him.
5. I love the kids in our family. They are funny and smart and wonderful. And really, really cute. They are six of my greatest blessings.
6. I will be cooking a turkey dinner at our house tomorrow since we ate at mom and dad's today. It's all about the leftovers.
7. We just finished a rousing game of The Big Deal. It's a board game from the early 80's that's a cross between Monopoly and Life. Julianna and I were a team and we won!
8. Although I think the boys were glad to lose to me since I then got supper ready while they finished the game.
9. And now we are watching our traditional Thanksgiving movie: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
10. I have so, so, so much to be thankful for today. And every other day of the year.

Disney on Ice

Mom took all of us girls to Disney on Ice on Sunday. It was princess-y and we knew the girls would love it. We didn't tell them where we were going until we got in the car to go. They were so excited! They grinned and giggled. I thought Abby was going to jump right out of her seat!

I learned a trick from a friend that when going to an event, it's a good idea to pick up a related toy to take with you and then when the kids see all the souvenirs, they already have one for half the price. And usually better quality. So I picked up princess dolls for the girls at Costco the night before. Ariel for Jules and Belle for Abby. They were thrilled with their new friends and didn't put them down for the rest of the afternoon.

We got there a little early and found that our seats were taken...by four adults with no kids in sight. (Okay. I would have gone to see Skyfall if I was with a bunch of grownups. But whatever.) They soon discovered that their seats were on the other end of the row and moved. And we discovered that they did have kids with them...sitting in the right spot.

The girls were shaking with excitement and could hardly wait to see what was going to happen. Abby apparently thought it was going to be a movie and Jules thought WE were going to be the ones skating. So the real thing was a surprise and a wonderful treat.

Ready for the show.

My four favorite girls in the whole wide world.

The Princess and the Frog was the first story.

The frogs and the Cajun lightning bug.

On the bayou.

Mickey and Minnie introduced the stories. Julianna leaned over and said, "Mommy, Minnie waved at us!"

Next was Cinderella. The wicked stepsisters were naughty. They even stuck their tongues out at the audience!

I wish I had a fairy godmother. But I wouldn't want a ball gown and carriage. I'd want fuzzy pajamas and a new minivan.

Magic!!

So sweet! Horses and carriage and off to the ball.

Prince Charming and Cinderella.

That wasn't in the movie!

Julianna and Ariel at intermission..

Belles of the ball.

Maximus from Tangled...the third story. The poor guy in the back end must have drawn the short straw.

Flynn stealing the crown Mission Impossible style.

Rapunzel.

Skating AND flying?!

Mom was a little worried.

Finally friends.

Flynn and Rapunzel.

All of the princesses and their princes.

 It was so much fun. And a really good show. Even us grown-ups kinda loved it. And our little girls really loved it. I wasn't sure we were going to get Abby to go home with us. She wanted more princess fun.

Then we went to lunch at Azteca. Ariel got in on the pictures.  

It was such a great day with all the girls. We've decided that it should be an annual tradition. I'm already looking forward to next year.

10 Things Thursday

10 titles of unpublished blog posts in my draft file.

1.The Grounding
2. Life Is Hard
3. Supide Down
4. Great is Thy Faithfulness
5. Fear
6. Consider the Hermit Crab
7. 20
8. Play Ball!
9. Seriously
10. Oh, Brother

Blessed Sunday

Yesterday was girls' day at my house. The boys were away at friends' houses and Arrty taught his NIC class, so it was just Miss Julianna and I in the house for a few hours. Our big project was to clean her room and move a bunch of her toys to the basement. So in I dove...with her "helping." The thing about her helping is this. It's not much help at all. As soon as I put something away she thinks it's the funnest thing ever to play with. Or if I put something in the box to go downstairs it's suddenly her favorite toy and can't possibly be moved to the far off land of the basement. But we got through it and moved two big boxes of stuff out of her room.

In the process, she discovered in her closest a play tent that I had bought at Target last year in the summer clearance. It's shaped like a tree and has branches and leaves surrounding the top. She was thrilled. And wanted to put it up. At that very moment. The problem was, at that very moment, her entire bedroom floor was covered with stuff I was going through. After her impatiently waiting for me to finish, we were able to clear enough space for her new play place. I was able to get it all together and set up...again with her help. And she quickly filled it with friends and books and toys to keep her company. And she loved it. And therefore I loved it. She played in there for the longest time and could hardly wait for the boys to get home so she could show them.

And what I was reminded of is this. I will do pretty much anything within my power to make my kids happy. I try not to go overboard and spoil them. (Although they are a little spoiled. But aren't we all?) But if it's something easy like putting up a tent in the house, I do it. Did it make my life easier? No. Did it make Julianna's day better? Yes.

Because, here's the thing. Kids grow up. Fast. And so if on a day when what I really should be doing is cleaning the house and I end up setting up a tent instead makes any one of my kids smile, I'll let the dishes and the sweeping wait. If I've learned anything from being a mommy for thirteen years, it's this. Kids don't wait. They just keep on moving through their lives. And if I don't join them on the journey, I'll miss out on some lovely, wonderful, exciting adventures with some amazing little souls.

So what is the blessing for today? Well, there are many. One is that I have a daughter when I never thought I would. She is a blessing many times over. Another is that our family is together and even when we are apart, we aren't really. And another is that I have three healthy, whole children to love and follow through this life. And by God's grace, lead into the next.

10 Things Thursday

10 completely random things.

1. I am fully aware that it is Friday. So I guess this is 10 Things Friday. Whatever.
2. It is snowing. And there is snow on the ground...and the trees...and the cars. And you may like snow. But I do not. Not one little bit.
3. I spent a whole lot of hours at school yesterday grading papers and filling out report cards. Guess that's why it's called "teacher work day."
4. It takes twice as long to grade papers for 14 students this year as it did to grade papers for 7 students last year. Surprising, I know.
5. Oh, yeah. I also had to figure actual percentage grades for my middle school class. I got in a little bit of trouble because their grades were too high. Really?!
6. Not real trouble. Don't worry.
7. My daughter is going through a phase where she wants everything she sees in the store or on commercials. So the other day I said to her, "Julianna, you want everything you see." To which she replied, "Not everything...not boy stuff."
8. Speaking of my daughter, she wants to sleep in on the days I have to get up early, but she wakes up early on the days I get to sleep in. What's up with that?
9. It's less than two weeks until Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday.
10. Did I mention the snow? And that I don't like it? Oh, I did?