Third birthdays

Three years ago my friend Karen became a grandma and today she was working on prize bags for her granddaughter's birthday.
Ah! toddler birthdays. Jono's first birthday we went to play miniature golf with the Schlichters at the Putt-Putt place in Hamilton, forgot the camera though. JJ got a fire engine for his third birthday. Katie, and JJ went to King's Island for birthday 5 and 7 courtesy of the Andreas. Then there's the party we had for Jonathan. It had a circus theme, a pinata, bunch of balloons to throw at a clown, and fun on the climbing tower. My favorite part was the water balloons.
Somewhere there is a picture of JJ in a stripped shirt from that birthday party. Who can forget Jono's party at McDonald's right after Lita was born? Joe's first birthday party with friends was there, too!
Good times cake and ice cream and the simple life. What is the first birthday party you remember?

I love my Job!

Where else can you say good morning and have 21 kids say it back? Where else can you be exhausted and yet get up the next morning anticipating an adventure?
I remember a kindergartner asking me to marry him. Thank you Bamadele Babjedi. Isn't that a great name?
I remember a first grader building me house on blocks. Literally he used blocks of wood from the wood pile with a drawing on it of a house.
I remember a first grader saying the pledge backwards because we forgot one day.
I remember another first grader standing in the drinking fountain to wash his shoes so he didn't get into trouble from him mom. Then there was another one walking down the hall on his hands because he just felt like it.
Just on Friday as we are walking to recess~ one boy asked, "Can we study robotics?" Well,no, not next week; next week we are studying eyes and how they work.
But it got me thinking, who do I know that could come in and teach something about that?
Teaching is a good thing. I am so lucky, I love my job!

Back to School Time

It is almost ready to go. School is almost in session. Where did the summer go? It melted away in trips to the doctor and to the pool.
I am truly lucky to have a job that I love! I can't wait to see the class and get started. I hope that things go well this year.
Can't think of anything more I want to say!

Birmingham, Alabama

One of the places I want to go someday- Besides Savannah, Georgia-is Birmingham, Alabama. I want to climb the statue of Vulcan there. One of my favorite writers Anne George comes from Birmingham. She writes mysteries with a humorous twist. The mysteries happen around the town. Her humor makes me want to go there and experience both the statue and the town for myself. I love her two characters Aunt-sister and Mouse. I really relate to Aunt-sister in that we are both big, bold and bossy.

The Dentist

Today I went to the dentist. When I was brushing my teeth, the tooth brush bumped my front tooth and cracked it. So I went to have it filed the porcelain one not the real tooth. The sound of drilling and the taste of tooth dust is till in my mouth.
Later today the receptionist said there was a cleaning opening so I had my teeth cleaned in the afternoon. Wow! That was sore on my jaw and the sound of scratching is still in my ears.
In between I played school.
Then tonight we had soup and crackers for diner. I was biting the cracker when my tooth broke in half! so now I have an appointment for the dentist agin on thursday at 8:30 a.m. bright ad early.
Did I ever tell you the story of why I have a dead front tooth? In 10th grade you have to take gym or at least in 1967-68 you did. One of the activities in the winter is gymnastics and that includes trampoline. As I was learning to do a flip on the trampoline and the gym teacher was holding on to me, I flipped over her and landed on the floor. Actually it was one of those blue gym mats. My teeth bit my leg and it was loosened. So I had a root canal. To prevent infection the dentist gave me antibiotics, which gave me an intestinal problem that lasted for months. (probably was only a week but it seemed like months) The only good thing that came out of it was that in the end I weighed all of 120 pounds, and stayed that thin for 8 years. So that is the story of the dead front tooth. It didn't turn black though until 2000 or so. At that point it was time to get it capped and now I have to get it recapped!

Birthdays

This is a week of birthdays. Several of my favorite people have them this week. August is a good time to have a birthday, but a bad time to be pregnant. It was so hot, and humid.
I remember when Jonathan was born, I was in labor and didn't know it. Katie and Jj were at the pool and I couldn't have a baby yet. So I went home. When Lita was born, well, Rachel was there to help with all those children. It was a scarey night when she was born because I was worried something was wrong with her. All turned out all right, though.
Happy birthday to all of you with August birthdays! Cupcakes for you!

Looking at Things

Have you ever been to place that is so restful that you just want to sit and enjoy the peace? Eagle Harbor is like that. Being there helps you to regain your perspective on life. Being there helps you know what is and isn't important. Being there makes you remember who created the world. Being there let's you know who is in control and that you will not be forsaken.
I like walking along the beach and feeling the chilly water between my toes and hearing the lap lap as is covers them. The sand is rust brown and different from the sand at the ocean. I like sitting on the beach and seeing the shimmering water just before sunset. I like standing on the rocks and looking out and seeing nothing but water. The wind blows through your hair but the sun is warm so it doesn't feel chilly. Sometimes the big lake is rough and tears over the rocks with a wild abandonment and you realize how those little grains of sand got that way. But then in the evening it calms down. All is peaceful.

Driving to work

Everyday when I drive to work I see this: Corn to the left of me and corn to the right of me. Stuck in the middle with corn! Never in a million years did I think I could and would live in the country, but low and behold I do. I thought of the beach~been there did that. I thought of a white house with black shutters and porch that went all the way around it~been there did that. But not living in the country.
Where would I like to live? In a little white house with no steps. It should have three bedrooms,two bathrooms, a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a laundry room, a patio, and a garage. No basement and a tiny yard. I would like to live where it is warm and where I can go swimming in a pool or maybe near the ocean! I also do not want snakes or mosquitos! Hmmm... that could be hard to find a place like that.
Do you know what happened to us? Someone tipped over my flowers off the porch the other day? Why would someone want to do that? But they survived and look good still. Just one more thing to make me sad.

Favorite Foods

I recently found out that I am diabetic. I am not surprised as my dad is and probably Uncle Freddie was too. And though I thought I was like my grandmother Dessie it seems I cam like my Dad's side of the family too. So now I am going to make a list of favorite foods I can no longer eat.
1. Sweet and sour meatballs.
2. Pineapple upside down cake
3. Mint chocolate chip ice cream
4. Barbecued spare ribs
5. Long John Silver's fish and hush puppies
6. Pizza
7. Rice
8. Crab Rangoon
9. Coke
10. Chocolate Chip cookies/toll house marble squares
There are probably others but I can't think of them now.
These are things I can still eat!
1. Mooshu pork
2. homemade applesauce
3. raisins, apricots and other dried fruit
4. watermelon
5. strawberries
6. turkey
7. salad
8. Thai curry soup
9. Black bean soup, just not in a bread bowl
10. Egg whites
I am feeling not so happy about the good things I can not eat and sometimes it makes me cry.....
But If you concentrate on the good the bad won't seem so awful.

Writer's Notebook

Writing is a good thing. Being a writer is a good thing. I keep my writings in a writer's notebook. Katie gave it to me. I think someone decorated it for her, but maybe she decorated it for me. I love the brown colors and the ribbon to tie it shut! When you blog sometimes you can't think of a thing to write about but since I found my writer's notebook, now I can come up with lots of thoughts.
One thing you do with a writer's notebook is make lists. Lists like pets and favorite foods and favorite songs and colors and holidays and people. Another thing is to recall favorite events and places and people. Oh don't forget things.
My favorite thing as a little girl was my brown dog. I loved that brown dog, I took it everywhere and i especially had to have it when I went to sleep. The worst thing I ever did as a little kid was to forget my brown dog. I once forgot it at a friend's house and cried until the cabbie turned around and we went back for it. In those days my parents didn't have a car and we went places by bus or cab or trolley car. I once left it at my grandmother's home in Chicago and she had to mail it back to me.
I loved that brown dog so much I chewed the ears right off, rubbed the fur off. In fact it doesn't have much stuffing now. I know because my mother sent me a box with some childhood mementos in it and there was my brown dog.
See what I mean? Just thinking about a thing can make a person come up with a writing idea. I wonder if that dog is still in the box? Should I take a photo of that and add it to this good idea? Why not? It was a good thing back in the 1950s when I was a little girl!

Sunday

At Mass today I was reminded of all the things that Jesus taught us about himself. I particularly remembered I am the Resurrection and the Light and I am the bread of life. Yet though he dies and he lives. Such confusing concepts. Then on tv the morning paper had lovely paintings of the last supper and Jesus. Truly Jesus made a stamp on the world as none other. I am so glad that I trusted Jesus.
ON to other thoughts.
School days are fast approaching. I am starting to think of school. Did I ever stop? Here is a pleasant thought 23 days left of vacation!
I like this picture, the clouds predict a wonderful storm. Most of all I like the windmill. It makes me think of wooden shoes. One day I would like to go and see the windmills of Holland.