Happy Halloween!

Here is my little chicken, all decked out and ready to go. Too bad it's only 4:30 and we have to wait until 6:00. ;o)



Lily had a wonderful day. She began the day at Miss Shari's with a party and costume dress-up. When I picked her up we went to trick-or-treat at Dr. B's and Crystal was ready with a bag of treats. :o) My little shy chickie walked right in and said, "Trick-or-treat!" and I was so proud! Hooray for getting bigger!


We're hoping Nana and Pop will come to share the evening with us, but we're not sure.



This photo is SO funny! She was bent over trying to fix her shoe and it turned out rather perfect. :oP



As you can see, I too got in the spirit of the holiday. I'm blessed to teach in a school where teachers are encouraged to dress up. I was a HIT! Hee hee! I'm not kidding. I had parents stopping all day (even in carline) to tell me how wonderful my ensemble was. LOL! It's all about the hat. My friend Debbie loaned me the hat and I'm grateful. Hee hee!

We had a party at the end of the day today, and let me tell you, I'm rather beat. But, I'm still looking forward to taking Miss Bit out this evening. She should really get the hang of it this year. I remember how much Hannah hung back the first few years, and she was my extrovert. I wonder how my little introvert will do...


I miss Hannah today. I wonder what she would have wanted to be this year. I wonder what sort of candy swapping she and Lil would do when they got home. Lil loves the chocolate and Han was my sugary fruity girlie. I wonder if Han would have deserted us to go run through the neighborhood with her friends. I wonder I wonder I wonder...

Holidays are truly for the kids and it's hard to have a holiday missing one who had so loved it. :sigh:

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Today's Sparklies:

1. It's Halloween!
2. It's Friday!!! BONUS!
3. We gain back an hour this weekend. YES!
4. Lily's chicken costume is hysterically funny. Ha! :oD
5. Last night while at Nana and Pop's house, Lil decided she didn't want to eat. They had served her a nice plate of food and she declined to consume it. When it was time for dessert, Nana gave Lily some ice cream. Apparently Lil looked at Nana and while looking at her dinner said, "This food makes me sad." Then, upon turning to her ice cream she declared, "This food makes me happy!" Ahhh, a child after my own heart. :o)


No milestones per se, just another holiday without my Monkey to make it extra extra sparkly. That's not to say it won't be, it's just to say how much I miss her.

Busy Tonight

It seems that in my world of teaching there is an ebb and a flow. I'll go days with nothing to do and then suddenly I have a test to create, five quizzes to grade and grades to imput. How do these things happen? Just when I think I'm ahead, I'm behind again. Yeesh.

Tomorrow is Halloween and the kids are going berzerk. You would think fifth graders would be beyond that--yeah right. ;oP I've had a plastic pumpkin of Smarties sitting on my desk and began handing them out today. As I began to snarf my own roll of sugar, I wondered if anyone else in the class shared my peculiar habit--sorting the Smarties and eating them by color. Over half the class is like me (I took an informal hand-raising poll :oP). I always eat the green ones first because they are my least favorite and save the white for last because I like them best. :o)

I have to confess I'm looking foward to tomorrow. I know most school teachers dread Halloween, and the truth is, the kids are a little keyed up. Yet, they have SUCH fun! We will have our party in the afternoon on the school green and it sounds as if it is going to be a blast. :o)

Lil will go trick-or-treat Dr. B's tomorrow just before the office closes--they put in a special request you know. She is going to be a chicken again this year and I'm already chuckling about it. She is the funniest chicken. I anticiapte she'll be hanging back quite a bit until she realizes all the good loot you get when you say "trick-or-treat". We'll see. I do know I'm wondering if we shouldn't have the Sugar Fairy visit our house like she'll be visiting Jessie's. It's something to consider...

Lily meanwhile has been so imaginative. She's either a mouse or a kitty or a puppy or Ariel or Belle most days. Actually, anymore, she's mostly just an animal. You see, Ariel seems to be living in our house. Today, the car was flying through the clouds where Ariel was swimming and following us home. Lily will chat with Ariel and make me wait for her and such. It's rather like having Ron and Pablo all over again.

Pop and Nana are going to watch Lil this evening so I can get some work done. I guess I had better make good on that and get off the 'puter. ;o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1. I love it when I give out assignments and projects and the kids are actually excited about it.
2. Brien will be home some time tonight. yay!
3. I'm planning on getting a good bit of stuff done while Lil is playing with Nana and Pop. Thank you guys SOOOOO much!
4. The cool weather is just wonderful. :o)
5. We are getting ready to do a novel study on "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" and I'm SO excited! Yippee!

No Milestones.

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Writing about "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" has me curious, what are your favorite books? I would LOVE to know if you feel like sharing! :o)

Warning: Captain Random Strikes Again

I had this great post planned and then it fizzled. I can't remember what it was I wanted to write about. CRUD! I've been distracted this evening, and quite frankly, I'm already thinking about snuggling down with the dogs under the down comforter.

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I miss having Brien here when I want to gripe about political commercials. I miss my sounding board. ;o)

And, while I'm in this random this-post-is-so-not-flowing-mood, why do I have such a hard time making myself wash my face at night? Seriously. It takes what, three minutes, five minutes max? And yet, I find I just want to curl up in bed and not bother. Sheesh. Talk about laziness. :eye roll:

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Lil is struggling to go to sleep this evening. I put her down about an hour ago and within the last ten minutes, she's begun crying (the fake variety, not the real deal) and I'm not sure why, other than she wants to "snuggle". Hm. And, everything is calm once again. Hmmmmmm.

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When Lil and I left Nana's office this afternoon, we moved down to DOG Street. When we turned the corner at Confusion Corner and found ourselves in front of Williams-Sonoma Lil declared (rather excitedly, I might add), "It's da Farmers' Market!" This was followed with, "Hey, where are da doggies? Where's da food for da childrens? Oh, no, it's all gone!!" She was very nonplussed to hear the FM is finished for the season. Poor Bit. :oP

While on the subject of Miss Bit, this afternoon I had more evidence of just how introverted she is. We went to the pumkin carving party Nana's office sponsored this afternoon. I had to chuckle thinking about how different my girls are when it comes to being in public with hoardes of people they don't know and unfamiliar situations.

Had Han been with me, she would have thrown herself in, head-first, jabbering away with any and everyone. Lily, meanwhile, hung back. In fact, I don't think she said more than three words to anyone other than Nana and me. I work hard not to push or pressure her to do things that would make her uncomfortable, but as an extrovert myself, I sometimes forget that just because she's not talking doesn't mean she's not having a good time. Nor does it mean she's being rude.

I live in fear of my children being rude in public. Sure, they can be as sassy frassy as they want at home (of course, with correction and discipline if needed) but I am desperate for them to be wonderful in public. I suppose it's because they are a reflection of me and my parenting and I don't want anyone to say, "Uh huh, that one's a spoiled brat. Did you see how she was acting??" Let's face it, other parents are our harshest critics, which is a shame since this is the hardest job in the world and we should be there building each other up, supporting each other, not tearing each other down.

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Today's Sparklies:

1. Pumpkin party at Nana's office. Thank you for iniviting us, Nana! Even though Lil really didn't talk much, I know she had a good time. :o)
2. Intelligent discussions about politics, religion and society in general. Thank you to those of you I can have these chats with.
3. Dinner from the Cheese Shop. MMmmmm, bread ends and house. So so good!
4. Cell phones and high speed internet with Skype. I miss Brien, but I get to talk to him either mobile-to-mobile or via the internet.
5. The cooler weather is such a blessing. Halloween should be cool, not warm and humid like it has been in years past. Growing up, I remember we had costumes under which you could wear as many layers as necessary to stay warm. I can remember a number of Halloweens when Han was wearing sleeveless clothing and was still too warm. This is much better. :o)
6. "Time Warp". I know I mentioned this show last week, but I could barely drag my eyes from the t.v. enough to get the post finished. AND, I just received this comment:
"Keith Johnson ~ BubbleGuy said...

Hey, I am glad to see you got a kick out of the bubble segment on Time Warp. It was a blast to shoot but a really long day. Anyhow that bubble guy was me & I wanted to say thanks for your nice comments. If you want to see a quick video I made about what the day of taping was like from my point of view, there's a page about it at BubbleArtist.com

Why not make some bubbles of your own?

Keith"

How fun is that?? Check him out! :o)

No milestones.

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Well, "Mythbusters" is about to start and this post has taken on a weird, random life of its own. I think I'll put it out of its misery here...;o)

Beauty All Around Me

I know I'm usually incredibly whiny when Brien is away, but I confess, I don't have much to be too whiny about--so far. ;o) Lily and the dogs slept beautifully last night and I got about 8 hours' sleep. Woo hoo! Today was a pretty good day at work, Lily was in a plucky sort of mood, and, when I got home, there was the most BEAUTIFUL (yes, it deserves capitals and italics!) gift awaiting me. Okay, really, awaiting Lily, but still gorgeous and amazing nonetheless.


Rachel, my sweet, kind and generous friend, I don't know when you find the time to do these beautiful things, but I thank you. They make my heart sing. It's not because I'm receiving a gift (and I confess receiving gifts is always fun), it's the fact that you would think of us. It's the fact you would take the time out of your VERY busy life and make something so incredibly wonderful for Lily. It's the fact that you think enough of me and my family to gift us with something so very precious. I'm at a loss for words. Thank you just doesn't seem like enough, but I truly do thank you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you.


(Lil's "hiding" under her new afghan.) Do you see how lovely this is? Rachel wrote that she saw the pattern and thought of Lil's room and just had to make it. Well, Lily LOVES it and it went with us to dinner this evening. :o)


Check out the details. The ladybugs are three dimensional and so very sweet and cute. I love the fine detailing along the edges as well. It's always amazing to me that people think of me and my family and say prayers for us. I'm astounded and awed by the impact Hannah has had on so many. Thank you. Just, thank you.

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When I picked Lily up from Shari's she announced she wanted steak for dinner. Yes, you read that right, steak. Not feeling like dirtying the entire kitchen for just the two of us (funny how when it was just Bri and me I didn't mind it but don't want to do it when I know one of the consumers won't be eating all that much...) I decided we should dine out and invited Nana and Pop to join us.

We had a lovely dinner (and I got some adult interaction--thank you SO much, Mom and Dad!) after which Lil and I made a pit stop at Tar-jay. I found her the most delightful dress for Robin's wedding. I initially wrote it off because it looked very Christmas-y with a red shrug with furry white cuffs and collar. Then, I took a closer look. It is actually quite sweet in a lovely red. I am planning on pairing it with a white sweater and her "roovy" slippers. I know she'll feel just like a little princess. :o)

As I was getting ready to check out, I heard my name so I turned to see who it was. There was a nice looking gentleman and he gave me a little wave, but he was talking on the phone so I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or on the phone or what. I was desperately wracking my brain to figure out if/how I knew the man and drew a blank.

As Lil and I were walking out, he came to introduce himself and I'm so delighted he did. His name is Mark and he is from Giles (the county next to mine back in the 'burg for those interested) and he wanted to reassure me he wasn't a stalker. :oP It turns out he is in town on business and his wife (Hi, Melinda!) and her sister (Hi, Austie!) and mom read the blog if not every day, almost everyday and he and Melinda wanted to say hi. :o) How wonderful, and what a HUGE coincidence! I tell you what, all the stars had to align just right for me to be in ye olde Tar-jay the same day Mark was in town and in the store. I had a delightful chat with Miranda and I'm so happy Mark had the nerve to say hi. It was wonderful to meet you both. :o)

Anyhow, Lil and I were SUPER late getting home (my fault for dawdling at the store--I needed some witch-y type stuff for my costume Friday) and I know Shari is going to thrilled with how grumpy Lil is tomorrow. Oops...

Brien, meanwhile, is having a fun time in Nashville and staying in some sort of schwanky hotel--lucky man. He has picked up all sorts of free vendor loot--the sort we would NEVER let either of the girls bring into the house, of course ;oP--and also a very cool messenger bag. I confess, I'm jealous of the bag. :oP Skype is a wonderful thing, allowing us to see each other and Lil to see her Daddy as we chat, so even though he's gone, he's still with us.

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Today's Sparklies:

1. Dinner with Nana and Pop.
2. Oh, yes, before I forget:The Scooby Doo pumpkin. I think Pop did a wonderful job. :o)
3. The gorgeous afghan.
4. Meeting Mark and Melinda. :o)
5. The sun was out again today. Hooray!
6. Halloween candy--even though I KNOW I shouldn't. :sigh:
7. The Books for Namibia project we have going on with our fifth grade.
8. The candy drive we'll be doing next week to support our troops in Iraq.

No milestones.

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I'm in insanely good spirits this evening and feel like I'm on some kind of high. I'm planning on hitting the hay with a good book and enjoying the ride I'm on. :o)

Pumpkins 'R Us

I'm not sure what happened to the weather. The day started out fairly promising with sun and temperatures in the low 60s. Right now it's 39 with rain and wind--definitely a good night to snuggle down with your honey. Too bad mine is in Nashville. :oP

Meanwhile, Lily is upstairs fake crying her little heart out, "Mommy, don't weave me. Don't weave me." I'm not sure where the fake crying has come from, but it surely is annoying. Of course, I dealt with the same thing with Hannah so you would think I would be used to it. Ha! And, it's one of those habits I would put up with forever if I could only have my sweet Monkey back.

Sometimes it still feels so fresh and new and yet, so unreal. I come back to "How could she be gone?" it makes no sense.

But, per the norm, I digress. This is about Lily and Pop and the pumpkin. Last night, we went to Nana and Pop's house for dinner and pumpkin carving. Dinner was beyond divine--pot roast with potatoes and carrots, "pepper peas" (family story I'll have to share someday), and apple crisp. Yum!

Before dinner, Lily had selected the pumpkin she wanted carved and she chose her design. I think that may be one of the reasons she wasn't much interested in eating her dinner. ;o) After dinner, Pop got the pumpkin, cut the lid and was ready to dig in to the de-gutting (or "pulp" removal as Han would have said).

In typical Lily fashion, she hung back for a while, taking in the situation. She's like her Daddy in that respect. Hannah was a lot like me, throw yourself in head first, no matter what the situation is like. Lil likes to check out all aspects and details before getting into something, definitely a "look before you leap" kind of girl--thank goodness. :o)



Pop held out some of the "guts" and on about the third offer, Lily finally tentatively touched the goo. Okay, so this pumpkin wasn't that slimy or gooey, but the guts can still be a little off-putting. Me? I LOVE me some pumpkin carving. I love the sound the pumpkin makes when you thump it, the smell (oh how I LOVE the smell), the color, all of it. I love the slime and the textures and well, everything!

Jack-o-lantern carving was something we always did with Papa the Sunday before Halloween. Jessie, Papa and I would go and choose our pumpkin the day before. The week prior, I'd spend all my spare time deciding on my pumpkin's face, doodling on everything in sight. Sunday afternoon would inevitably be crisp and golden and we would sit out on the front porch with autumn surrounding us. Papa would begin by sharpening his pocket knife (his BIG one, not his pen knife) on his whet stone. How I enjoyed the sound of the blade being honed, watching him drag it back and forth, back and forth across the oil.

Then, it was time! Papa would slice the top and it was time to de-gut the pumpkin. I would get as much as I could with my hands (which were usually frigid by the end of the cleaning due to the chilly autumn air) and then scrape scrape scrape with a spoon. We would ask Papa if it was clean enough (at least six times) until he relented. He would then work on carving the face we had decided was best for our pumpkins. As I got older, my designs were more intricate, and yet, Papa carved them. Even after he had his stroke and lost feeling in his right side (and therefore his hand), he still carved our pumpkins. Mistakes happened, to be sure. I had Jack-o-lanterns lose teeth and have them reattached using toothpicks. I remember a hairlip one of Jessie's Jack-o-lanterns once had. :oP

We would finish our carvings, clean up and load them and us in our car to head for Mom's house. There, the pumpkins would burn on the deck railing until they were caricatures of themselves one week later. I still associate the smell of burning pumpkin flesh with Halloween, as we always seemed to scorch our Jack-o-lanterns' lids. :o)


Lily, meanwhile, continued to remain skeptical about the removal of the pumpkin innards, allowing Pop to do most of the initial de-gooping. And then, Pop had a brilliant idea, asking Lily if she could please reach in and remove the three seeds that were left. Lil is always up for a challenge and she reached right in!


Then, she couldn't clean fast enough. She was a gut removing machine. ;o)






Here she and Pop remove the last of the pumpkin innards.


Showing off her scraping tool. She did a really good job with that thing.

I transferred the Scooby Doo design to the pumpkin while Pop and Lil had their dessert (Okay, Pop did anyway).


Pop found carving on the island was a little easier (the light was better, less hard on the knees) and worked on Scooby's face while Lil looked on.


What a ham. :oP


Lil was an excellent supervisor, just ask Pop. Hee hee. :oP I forgot to take a photo of the finished product but will be sure to do so before Scooby turns into a wrinkled old man.

Thank you, Pop! We had a wonderful time last night. :o)

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Tonight, Lil and I just took it easy. The weather is gross and she and I are tired so we cuddled under a blanket, enjoyed our pizza and then put her to bed (the "crying" has long since stopped in case you were wondering). I'm going to finish this post and head that way myself. I never sleep well with Brien gone, but I'm hopeful tonight will be different.

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Today's Sparklies:

1. Brien is safe in Nashville.
2. Warm fleece blankets for snuggling under.
3. The funny things Lil continues to say. Btw, if you haven't a copy of this book in your library (assuming you have small-ish children), I would highly recommend it. It is a repetitive story and kids LOVE it! You should see Lil do her "shake shake". :o)
4. "Antiques Roadshow". Who doesn't love this show, wondering if the junk in their house may be worth a fortune? Not to mention some stuff is so ugly it's fascinating, and that which isn't ugly is just plain cool. It's a history lover's dream show. :o)
5. Going to bed early.


Milestones:

Yesterday was the first pumpkin we have carved since Hannah died. I so vividly remember her last Halloween and her pumpkin cleaning. She gave me a lecture on the best way to remove the "pulp--it's PULP, Mommy. Not guts!" and I got a short little movie of her at work with her chattering away. I just couldn't do it last year. I'm grateful Pop took the first step in getting it done this year because this was a far more difficult hurdle than I had anticipated.

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Well, I'm beat. I really am. I'm going to give B a call and then hit the hay. I'm hoping for a good night's sleep...

Photo Uploader Being Spooty

With that said, here are a few photos from this morning. For some reason, Lily decided the best time to get up this morning was 6:00. I wanted to weep and then I heard, "I want my daddy. I need my daddy!" coming from her room. That bought me almost another hour's rest which was quite lovely, but still meant I was up far earlier than I had wanted to be. Ah, such is the life with kids.


When I came downstairs, Daddy had put "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" on for Lil to watch. My only grump with this was I missed most of it. Thank goodness for DVDs. ;o) Which leads me off on a tangent here.

Do you remember when Snoopy only came on CBS and how anxiously you would await those television specials? You couldn't see them any other time of year--who had a VCR??--only during those special holidays? It was "The Great Pumpkin" at Halloween (Garfield was added sometime there after), Christmas was awash with wonderful holiday specials, and then there would be some for Valentine's Day and Easter. I anxiously anticipated those days as only a child who LOVED cartoons could. I remember the crazy intro letting us know it was a special and then being told the sponsor was Peter Paul and then being treated to Peppermint Patty commercials. Ah, those were the days.

Today, if you want to see any of those "specials" all you need is a DVD player or VCR. It sort of removes the "specialness" of it somehow. Heck, the first times I saw "The Wizard of Oz" and "The Sound of Music" were as television specials (this time on NBC). I do love my DVD player, but sometimes I miss the excitement created by the thought of something different and special on t.v.. I should probably also mention this was also before cable t.v. took off and you only had network t.v..

Now, back on to the regular blog...

After Snoopy, Lil was ready to play and headed into the playroom for a bit of play. (No, I hadn't dressed her yet.) She played contentedly in there for quite some time and was then ready to move on to painting.

As you can see, it was quite eventful. Thank goodness for vinyl flooring, lol! Realizing she had made a mess, Lily immediately attempted to clean it up herself.

"I use them on my feet like this, okay, Mommy?" Sure, Lil.


I worked well, no? :o)

Thank goodness for water soluble paints. ;o)

Currently Miss Bit is pitching a big fit because I'm insisting she have a nap. We'll see what happens. She's supposed to go to carve a pumpkin with Pop tonight. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, Brien goes out of town tomorrow until Thursday. Per the norm, I'm really not looking forward to it as everything just seems so much more hectic when he's away. :sigh:

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Weekend Sparklies:

1. The rodent invasion of our home has been stymied. Thank goodness. You know, it doesn't matter how clean you keep your home, if it gets cold, they're going to try to find their way in. Ugh.
2. Yesterday was one of those yucky rainy days that was just wonderful to be home with family.
3. Voice chat while playing WoW with Bob and Jessie. :oP
4. The beautiful sunny day today.
5. My sweet husband who still loves me after all these years (15 for anyone wondering--9 1/2 of them married).

No milestones. Sundays continue to be the day I miss Hannah the most and I wonder if they always will be.

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I'm off to spend time with my sweetie since he leaves me tomorrow. :o( Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone. :o)

So, I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin'

You know, it's rarely a good sign when someone starts with that phrase. But, it's true, I have been thinking--thinking hard, actually. Jessie's recent post about Ella and Jesus really struck me. How DO we learn about Christ? Jessie and I learned at Sunday School and I don't remember attending before the age of six or so, so did I know about Jesus? Did I know about God? I'm sure we knew a little something because we had a Christmas story book and Jessie always wanted to be the Virgin Mary when she was wrapped up in her towel after her bath. But, how do you know what it means? When do you figure out what it's all about? I still don't know, I still don't completely understand. Can we fully understand? Am I even able to articulate what is in my heart and head?

Some things I do know:
1. God truly truly loves us. I know this because he sent His Son to save us. Losing a child hurts. It is a pain that is indescrible. He set Himself up for excruciating pain for us. I don't think I truly understood what a sacrifice this was until I lost Hannah. I mean, I knew, but I couldn't really comprehend the depth of it.
2. I haven't even scratched the surface of my understanding of the Catholic faith. I had a long chat with a good friend this afternoon. He is so strong in his faith and helped clarify a number of things for me.
3. Each person's religious journey is their own. It is none of my business where anyone else is on their path to God. Christ said, "Judge not lest ye be judged" and there is much wisdom in that.
4. I want to be a follower of Christ, not just an admirer.
5. There is something to be said for continuing on your journey of faith with a group of like-minded people. Yes, you need to maintain your own identity, but you can learn more from one another than you can learn on your own.
6. You have to approach your religious journey intentionally and with purpose. You have to set aside the time because otherwise, life just gets in the way.
7. My faith in God is just as solid as it has ever been. God has a purpose for Hannah, and for me. I need to live my life fully to try to live up to whatever that purpose is.

I'm just not sure how it all comes together for me. :sigh: I'm off to explore this. We've done Protestant churches and now, I think it may be time to check out some Catholic churches. I teach in a Catholic school, Brien and Nana are Catholic, and Jessie's checking into it. There is SO much I really don't know about the faith and I confess, I'm intrigued--I want to understand, I want to know more. Most of what I know I've gleaned from attending Mass with B and friends, and from school. I'm not saying I'll convert, but I need to figure out what it is I need to know in order to move forward in this journey. We will be attending Mass this Sunday. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Today's Sparklies:

1. Nice long chats with friends. Thanks, Will! :o)
2. Thursday Night College Football.
3. Whatever Night dinners.
4. Memories.
5. Burt's Bees lip balm. It is most definitely that time of year. :oP

No Milestones.

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Well, a grammar quiz looms large on my horizon--as in, I need to create the darn thing. Oy. Tomorrow's Friday and then the weekend! Hooray! Happy weekend, everyone! :o)

Coming Around

After a sleepless night and a very upset tummy, I went in to work this morning to be told the situation had been resolved--as if the conversation had never even occurred. Grrr. Why couldn't it have been taken care of yesterday and allowed me a full night's sleep? At least things are once again copacetic and all is well in the world of education. ;o)

We had the most beautiful ecumenical service today. I once again have to say how much I'm enjoying working in a school where we can have such services. For those who are like I was last year, an ecumenical service is one in which many faiths are celebrated. We have children in our school who are Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, protestant (all denominations) and Catholic. It was wonderful to see how they all came together. The service was officiated by a Catholic deacon, a Baptist minister and an Episcopalian (I think...) priest. We sang, we prayed and we celebrated diversity. :o)

This afternoon, Lil and I traveled to Hampton and met up with Brien (I had a bridesmaid's dress to catch up on). We decided to stop at our local Mexican food place, Pancho Villa, for dinner. I LOVE me some good, inexpensive Mexican food! I'm still stuffed two hours later. I know I shouldn't eat like that, but when it tastes so good I have a hard time stopping...oy.

Lil is finally settling in for the evening. We've been having such fun now that's she's feeling better. She is responding better to directions (a small reminder of time-out works wonders :oP) and has a couple of chores to help out around the house. She is in charge of sorting the utensils into the drawer while I empty the rest of the dishwasher, which she thinks of as a fun matching game. She is also in charge of tossing the laundry down the chute (with adult supervision). She likes to help me sort the laundry (HA!) and toss it in the washer and dryer and to push the buttons to start the machines (I have those wonderful Whirlpool front loaders and I LOVE them!!). Oh, yes, and she helps get the silverware for dinner and helps set the table. Oh, and of course, she helps clean up her room and the playroom. That's quite a few chores for one little kid. The only one she really does by herself just yet is the putting the silverware away, but it's definitely a start. :o)

I was debating whether I should put this out there or not, but it's just too funny not to share (and, as we all know, I'm very up-front and honest about my family and my life and I want to have a record of this so I don't forget). Lily loves to be tickled. LOVES it. She will beg and beg and lie in my lap as I tickle her under her arms ("tickle my arm pits, Mommy!") or her tummy. However, I'm often hesistant to do so because my sweet angel has quite the defense mechanism, rather like a skunk. If she gets to laughing too hard, she poots--quite a bit. Eek! At which point, she gets so tickled with herself she laughs harder, causing further, er, emissions. Pee-yew! And, yet, it's all so funny I can't help laughing right along with her. :oD Kids...;o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1. I'm so happy you all are enjoying the simple crock pot recipes. The chicken from last night was AWESOME! I mixed a sixteen ounce carton of sour cream with a can of cream of mushroom soup (substitue your cream of "____" of choice) with about two to three cups of chicken stock (my crock pot cooks hot so I have to be sure to have enough liquid) and poured it over the chicken in the pot. Once cooked (again, we set the pot at 10 hours), I shredded the chicken and mixed it all together and served it over rice.
2. I receieved a Stampin' Up! order today. Woo hoo!! (Cate, I'll have to email you the details. ;o))
3. The gorgeous autumn weather is WONDERFUL!
4. Is anyone else out there as taken with "Time Warp" as Brien and I are? It comes on Wednesdays on Discovery and it is pretty cool.
5. Lily and her utter silliness. :o)
6. Today's ecumenical service. It just felt good. :o)
7. Leftovers make the most wonderful lunch.
8. All is better stress-wise. Whew!
9. "Time Warp" is playing with soap bubbles and I'm enthralled!


No milestones.

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My friend Robin's mom has been experiencing some horrible back pain recently and as anyone who has had a bad back knows, you are laid up for quite a while because it hurts to even breathe. Robin says she's doing better, which is certainly a relief, but I'm still keeping her in my prayers.

For now, I'm off to grade history tests. Woo hoo. ;o)

Uncertain

As is always the case, a healthy dose of stress and anxiety combined with some sleep deprivation has led me to a point where the yo is on the down. I'm having some stress over work and I have to say, I don't mind being called to task when I do something wrong. However, I DO mind when someone else is at fault and somehow I still look like the one to blame. And yet, I still feel as if somehow the situation is my fault and that I've somehow done something wrong and not done my job the way I should.

I go to work every day, determined to give it everything I've got. Everything. Even with all the trials and tribulations last year I didn't complain and I gave my job and my students everything I had. I guess I just hate to feel that I'm somehow not doing my best. :o(

Ultimately, it's all about the children. I LOVE them. I ADORE them. They really do make it all worthwhile. In fact, I just received an email from one of last year's students telling me just how much she misses me. It was quite sweet and brought an abrupt end to the rant I felt was ready to flow out of my fingertips. :oP

Unfortunately, it doesn't stop me from missing my sweet Monkey and feeling her absence so keenly this evening. I smile rather wistfully when watching Lily draw--Han was quite the artiste as well. Lily is currently drawing squares on every piece of paper she can find--her newest feat. She's begun drawing what I like to call "cookie people" as well. You know the kind, a circle for a head with the arms growing out the ears and legs out the neck? They are too wonderful and I'll have to take a picture and post it. Right now, though, it's all about those squares and practicing until she gets proficient. I'm not making her do this, this is all on her own.

Hannah was just as driven. I once again find myself comparing Lil's growth and development to her sister because of course, Han is what I know for that age. Lily is a peanut. Seriously. She was 27 pounds when she went to the doctor last week. That's it. Hannah at this age was a solid little chunky monkey and already in 3Ts. Lil is teensy tiny and barely wearing 2Ts.

Han was a klutz, pure and simple. Bless her heart, she inherited all her grace from me. ;o) Lily on the other hand is actually quite graceful and athletic. She can climb and tumble and jump and run, all without tripping over her own feet. While Hannah was the most athletic of children, she was with it cognitively. She knew all letters and letter sounds by three. She could count to 100 and all sorts of other crazy non-three year old things. Lil meanwhile seems more "normal" and is only just learning to identify her letters and numbers. I'm not suggesting Lil doesn't measure up, only that she is in fact her own unique person who happens to share a bunch of mannerisms and likes with her sister. I love genetics, they allow me to have small reminders of my sweet baby just by watching her sister. I love and appreciate Lily for who she is, but enjoy having reminders that she is indeed Hannah's sister. :o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1. The smell of food cooking when I walked in the door. Yes, folks, crock pot day number two was a success. :o) Tonight we're having chicken cooked in chicken stock with cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. The chicken has been shredded and will be served over rice with a salad and green beans. Yum!
2. Watching Lily draw with such determination and enthusiasm.
3. Kettle corn form Trader Joe's.
4. Preschool art projects. Hee hee! :o)
5. Family dinner.


No milestones, only memories.

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Happy 36th anniversary, Nana and Pop!! We love you guys! :o)

Autumn Lily

I realized I had posted very few photos in recent days. When I looked in my "Blog Photos" folder, I saw only two folders for October. Oh, dear. Lily continues to grow and change so quickly and I really did start this blog as a place to keep track of the girls and their growth and changes.


The day is simply beautiful and I couldn't wait to get some quick photos of Miss Bit.





I feel like she is swimming her clothes. I just bought them and there was no way I could make myself spend money on 18-24 months when she's going to be three in three months. Yeesh. So, we have the 2t's and they are only a little too big. But, as my Mama always said, "Get them so they're too big the first year, just right the second year and only a little too small the third year." ;oP


Lil has been out playing "pirate", "Ariel", and is now "looking for clues" using a hand-held mirror. Don't you just LOVE their imaginations? She and I played for quite a while--I got to be Ariel. Of course, that meant I had to sing--eek--and "play in the water".

I've just been informed a "clue" has been "found". Woo hoo! We're not sure what it is a clue for, but it is, in fact, a clue. ;o)

The following are photos from the backyard:

Hannah's tree


I'm not sure what it is, but the purple flowers sure were pretty.


Acorns are littering EVERYTHING! The squirrels are having an absolute field day and it's driving the dogs MAD! Anybody else out there have terrors, er, I mean terriers? Oy!


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Today's Sparklies:

1. The smell of lentil soup greeted me when I walked through the garage door. Don't you just LOVE crock pots? I've decided to do a crock pot recipe every day this week. I can tell you the lentil soup is going to be incredible. Mmmmmm.
2. Our newest Hannah candle:

Isn't it lovely? It came form Pier 1 and smells divine. Harvest Spice Cake or some such nonsense. ;o)
3. My newest "floral" arrangement:
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE autumn?
4. My other new floral arrangement:

So pretty. You know, when I was younger, I really didn't care much for the color orange. Now, I just LOVE it--especially when it is all autumn-y. :o)
5. The funniest Lily story. We didn't turn our heat on last night, leaving our house more than a little nippy this morning. Lil came in to join us in our bed (and share heat) around 5:00 or so. Her feet were little blocks of ice, let me tell you! In a bid to warm her piggies, she used them to pull out the waistband of her daddy's pj's and tucked those little piggy-popsicles right on her daddy's back! Hee hee hee!
6. One more quick Lily story. Eventually it was time for us to get out of bed (*groan*) and we did the usual morning things--shower, radio, hairdryer, etc.--and nothing woke Lil up. She was snuggled up warm on her daddy's pillow sound asleep. At 7:00 I finally tried to wake her with, "Hey, Lil, time to get up to go to Miss Shari's house." I was told, "NO! I just sleep, no Shari's house today." Needless to say she lost the argument, but I really did have to laugh. Kids are SO darn funny sometimes!


No milestones today. I just miss my Monk. I was reading the news on cnn.com and there were four different articles about kids dying--two drownings, one fire, one shot--and I found myself weeping. I've always been an empathetic soul, but losing Hannah has made me so much more aware of the parents' sorrow when they lose a child. I find myself aching for the parents, knowing the horror they are living and the nightmare that won't end.

I've found I hurt less and less. I still ache, but mostly the memories aren't painful, just fond. Of course, I still can't really look at photos--I have no idea when I'll be able to manage that. That's yet another milestone to cross off my list.

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That lentil soup sure is calling to me. Mm mm mm. :o) I'm off for a bowl or two and then to TJ's for groceries for the rest of the week. We're hoping to get to the 'burg this weekend. We'll see...

************EDITED TO ADD*****************

Crock Pot Lentil Soup (sorry I don't have precise measurements, this is the way I cook--I eyeball quite a bit)

1 package lentils (any variety)
5-7 potatoes, cubed
1 handful baby carrots, chopped
1 smoked sausage (any variety), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carton chicken stock
2 cartons beef stock

Combine all ingredients (depending on the size of your crock pot, you may not be able to use all of the second carton of beef stock) and cook on low all day (ours cooks by hours so I had to choose between 4, 6, 8 or 10 hours and I chose 10).

I can say it was utterly delicious and I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow. :o) Again, sorry for the lack of specific amounts...

Report Cards Tonight

So, I won't be making a very long post. Lily is mostly better. She's still a little congested, but the nasty bark is gone--thank goodness.

I had a wonderful internet/email free weekend (although I did play WoW with Brien...) and am looking forward to doing it every weekend. :o) We had a wonderful Saturday spent doing family things--including watching the Hokies lose, BOOOOOOOO--and I think it was good for me to have a break.

I'm dealing with one heck of a headache so I'm REALLY not looking forward to doing those report cards. Oh, well. Procrasto-girl strikes yet again.

Wishing you all a fantastic Monday! :o)

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Weekend Sparklies:

1. Time spent with family.
2. Lil sleeping in until 8:30 this morning!!!!!!!! Holy COW!
3. Lil continuing to be on the mend.
4. A clean playroom and downstairs (we'll worry about the upstairs later...).
5. A clean fridge and freezer--go me!
6. The weather is fantabulous! 59 degrees and perfect for snuggling inside with the candles and a fire. Ahhhhhh. :o)


No milestones.

Modern Medicine...

...is a WONDERFUL thing! Two doses of steroids and my Bit is much much better. :o) She slept through the night last night, napped a bit this morning, and again this afternoon and is just as chipper as a chipmunk. Hooray! :o)

Jessie and I were talking about how incredible it is we live now, in this day and age. I cannot imagine what we would be going through right now if we hadn't had the steroids and decongestant, not to mention the Motrin.

Jessie mentioned being grateful we live in a day and age of moisturizers--for body, lips, hands, etc. What did people do before chapstick? Before lotion? What did faces look like if there were no moisturizers??

This in turn led me to thinking about my hair. Holy cow. I would be in a whole world of hurt with this frizzy mess of mine if I lived long ago. Seriously, what did people do with curly hair? What did you do if you had dry, brittle, coarse hair? Man. Modern cosmetics are a blessing too!

In the meantime, taking a page from Jessie's last blog post, I too have noticed I've been spending far more time on the computer than I should. I've committed myself to turning off my computer tonight and not turning it on again until Sunday evening--two days sans the 'puter. Weekends should be time for families not for children to watch their mamas play on the internet.

And, with that, I'm off. :o) Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! :o)

We Have an Answer

And, well, it's not exactly a happy one. It's not awful either, just not the quick fix I was hoping for. I was hoping, based on the way she was "barking", that Lil had bronchitis which an antibiotic could "fix". Nope. Try croup. Yes, croup. She sounds dreadful and is not sleeping because she's so fevered and can't breathe. It's actually rather frightening in the middle of the night. She awoke, coughing, the coughing hurt so she started crying. She started crying which hurt more and then she couldn't breathe. This, combined with the fever left her a shaking mess. It was awful. And, as much as I love Brien, and as wonderful as he is, he's rather worthless in the middle of the night. He knows it. He's a grumpy mess and is rather short on patience which isn't so great when you've got a scared, sick kiddo. I usually depend on B to be my rock, so I was an anxiety riddled mess last night as well.

B stayed home with Madame Bit today and took her to the doctor--is there anything more terrifying than a child struggling to breathe. See, I told you he's wonderful, just not in the middle of the night...

I'll be home with her tomorrow, working on report cards and grading papers. I'm hopeful she'll be all better tomorrow. She was given an steroid and it seems to be working. :fingers crossed:

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We had the most wonderful field trip today. We went to the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach and had a ball! I could have done without the hour and a half drive there and back (on a bus, a nice bus, yes, but still a bus) but it was worth it. We had a class on classification, had a yummy lunch, watched otters, harbor seals and TONS of fish, loggerhead turtles, leatherback turtles, and sharks. We touched rays (SOOOO cool!!), horseshoe crabs and a corn snake. There is truly nothing more magical than watching a child explore an awesome museum. The fabulous thing about fifth graders is they can read the signs on the exhibits. So, every time one of them asked me, "What's that, Mrs. D??" I could reply, "Did you read the sign?" I LOVE that! ;o)

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Today's Sparklies:

1. The field trip and well behaved children.
2. Lil getting the medicine she needs.
3. To go along with that, HEALTH INSURANCE!!!
4. Lily now weights 27 pounds. Woo hoo!! She's growing! Hee hee!
5. I got my hair did. ;oP I swear, nothing makes me happier than a decent cut and color. :o)
6. Touching a ray. They fly through the water, they really do.
7. The otters and harbor seals were such a delight to watch. They are SO playful.

No milestones.

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It's 8:30 and I've still not eaten so I'm off to stuff my gob. 'night all! :o)

Lil's Still Down and Out

The title pretty much says it all. I was home with her today, which was actually nice since I got so little sleep last night. Bitty Bit was up twice, once at 2 and again at four. At four, she got in bed with us and even with Motrin, was still a little furnace. :o( She had a difficult time going to sleep meaning B and I had a difficult time getting any more sleep. :sigh:

Sick kiddos are just no fun. You always feel so awful for them and there's really nothing you can do to make them feel better. :o(

Thanks for the kind thoughts, everyone. I'll continue to keep you posted.

Last Week's Farmers' Market

I swear, one of the best things about living here is CW. The FM is, of course, wonderful, and I'm always so sad when it's over. However, even when it's over, we can still go to CW. Last Saturday was SO gorgeous we decided to visit the FM and then stroll down DOG St. to CW. Oh, the fun we had!





This gorgeous flower was one of the last blooms on the plant.


The musical talent for the day.


Look at the window display.


Beautiful!


Check out the joy on this sweet girl's face! She was in LOVE with that baby pumpkin.


And this is why I LOVE CW! Where else will you see a horse drawn buggy? Okay, barring Amish country...





Bruton Parish church.


Crocuses? Croci? Blooming in the ivy? This time of year??


Sure did look like it. :oP


Yet another sign of autumn.

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When I began this post (around 4:30), Lil awoke from her nap crying. She had stayed home because Shari was sick today. When I got upstairs, I discovered a roasting child. I took her temp using an oral thermometer (I say this only because she spit it out before it was finished) and her temp was 102.3. She is roasting and glassy-eyed and I'll be staying home with her tomorrow.

I only just finished the sub plans. Those of you with small children can appreciate just how difficult it is to type when a small child is draped across you.

To that end, I'm off to cuddle my poor sick baby. No sparklies or milestones tonight. :o(