Count Your Blessings

Alabama Loss

2010-10-16T14:41:00.000-07:00

South Carolina had two weeks to get ready to play Alabama, and it showed. They beat Alabama in every way possible. I was hopeful when Garcia threw the ball out of the endzone for a safety to start the second half, but that hope didn't last long. Hopefully the Tide can bounce back this Saturday against Ole Miss.

Parathyroidectomy...What is that?

2010-10-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

On September 27, I had a parathyroidectomy. I have been feeling really tired for a while, and during a routine blood test, it was discovered that my calcium level was really high. I had it checked again in a week, and it was even higher. It was decided that I should go for a scan in Jackson, so I did. The scan showed that I had an adenoma in my lower left parathyroid and that I should have it removed. The surgery was done on Monday and I had to stay in the hospital overnight. Now after about three weeks, I'm beginning to feel like myself again. This picture makes me have chills. I can't imagine this being my neck...

Daniel's 13th Birthday

2010-10-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that Daniel is already 13. He wanted an Alabama cake, so I found this one online and the ladies at Miller's Big Star made it. It tasted as good as it looks. I got the candles that keep lighting after you blow them out - don't do it. We had a hard time getting them put out. Happy Birthday, Daniel!!

Evelyn's 75th Birthday

2010-10-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

June 19 was Evelyn's 75th birthday. Of course, she didn't want any fuss made over her, so we all met at Country Squire in Iuka to celebrate with her.

Differentiated Instruction Conference in Chicago

2010-10-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

In July I was fortunate enough to go to Chicago to the Differentiated Instruction Conference. Ms. Linda and her friend Janie picked me up early Monday morning and we went to Memphis to get on our plane to Chicago. We had a great time. We learned so much that we'll be able to share with our teachers. We also had fun together after the conference - we ate some yummy food, went on a bus tour and a boat tour, and enjoyed Navy Pier. I made so many pictures - there was so much to see where we stayed on the Magnificient Mile. The only thing I didn't get to do on our trip was visit Wrigley Field.

My 43rd Birthday

2010-10-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful family and friends. I was surprised with lots of goodies at school on my birthday this year. I love flowers! We had cake, and I got to open lots of sweet gifts.

Fall Wildlife Show 2010

2010-10-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

September always means a visit from Bob Tarter, the animal guy. This year he brought five very interesting animals for us to see.

Baxter, the kangaroo
fruit bat

Egyptian chicken
hedgehog
legless lizard

Trip to Atlanta

2010-10-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 11, we left for Atlanta at about 10:00. The Boltons, the Browns, Wayne, Daniel, and I were going to see Atlanta play San Francisco in the baseball playoffs. We were hoping for a win, but the Braves lost. At least we got to see Bobby Cox's last game as Braves manager. Daniel went on to Gatlinburg with Kyle and his family. We got back home about 4 AM.

Surprise!

2010-05-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

PTO surprised Spring and I with appreciation gifts. They gave us a box of cards the kids had made for us, flowers, a cookie basket, and a crystal statue commemorating our first year as principal and assistant principal.

Daniel and Travel Ball

2010-05-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

This summer Daniel is playing Dixie Youth baseball as well as travel ball. We've been watching a lot of baseball so far this summer. Looks like it's going to be a long, hot summer of baseball fun!!

Outside at East Chester

2010-05-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Recess, PE, and Fantastic Fridays....All good reasons to enjoy the beautiful weather outside at East Chester this year.

Kite Day 2010

2010-05-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Kite Day is always fun at East Chester. We had a great day his year.

Easter Centers in Kindergarten

2010-05-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

I visited Mrs. Michelle's class while they were enjoying Easter centers. I snapped a few pictures of their fun.

Flood 2010

2010-05-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

We knew that the weather forecast for the weekend was calling for a lot of rain, but I don't think anyone expected what actually happened. We got so much rain that school was cancelled for Monday, May 3. There was also a tornado in Selmer that did a lot of damage. It seems like Chester County was extremely lucky compared to others around us.

Javy Lopez

2010-04-17T16:18:00.000-07:00

One of our all-time favorite players for the Braves was #8 Javy Lopez. He played catcher a while back. Katy was about 3-4 when he played and when we would watch the Braves every night, she would stand in front of the TV and yell "Go Javy, Go Javy!". She loved Javy so much. When we heard that he would be coming to the Diamond Jaxx game last night, we knew we would have to go and try to see him. He was so nice. He autographed Daniel's glove and made several pictures with us. It was a perfect night for baseball, and we enjoyed it very much with Becky, Carter, and LB along with Mr. Gary and Mrs. Rosemary. But, hands-down, the highlight of the night was getting to meet Javy Lopez and how very nice he was to all of us.

Dixie Carter

2010-04-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was very sad to hear that Dixie Carter had passed away Saturday, April 10. She was 70 years old. I love to watch "Designing Women" mainly because of Julia, the character she played. Our second graders are going to a play at "The Dixie" in Huntingdon, her hometown. She was a great southern lady.

2010-04-13T18:21:00.001-07:00

This year's Makin' Music is over. Chi Beta won this year with their show "Ear"replaceable. I thought all the shows were good this year. There really was no clear winner, and that's the way I like for it to be. I am amazed each year at the talent that we have here at Freed-Hardeman University. It was a pleasure to work with the students as they prepared their club shows. I worked a lot with the groups managers Marcia Jo and Whitney. The coordinators this year were great as well: Dustin and Erin. We had a great time together...

Lads to Leaders

2010-04-13T18:16:00.001-07:00

This year Lads to Leaders was held during Retreat Weekend, so I didn't get to go. Wayne and the kids traveled to Nashville without me. I'm very proud of Katy and Daniel for participating in several events including speech, Good Samaritan, song-leading, puppets, scrapbook, and oral Bible reading. Katy has also been teaching this year, so she received a special award for that. I'm also very proud of them for encouraging others while they do their events. They're pretty good kids!!!

Jana's Last Tournament

2010-04-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to attend the NAIA Banquet of Champions thanks to Mrs. Katrina again this year. Jana Cross has been a wonderful role model and example to our kids. We're very proud of all her accomplishments on the basketball court for the four years she has played for Freed-Hardeman. I know she's going to be a wonderful teacher!!

Laura Beth's Cookie Party

2010-04-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

In December we were very excited to attend Laura Beth's cookie party for moms and daughters. We had a great time!

Earthquake in Haiti

2010-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

A 7.0 earthquake has devastated the poor country of Haiti. The Estes congregation has supported an orphanage in Haiti for several years, and it had just been decided that the Henderson congregation is going to join them in this work rather than return to Guyana. It is very difficult to see the people suffering in Haiti in particular the children. One of the children at the orphanage that Estes supports was killed when the earthquake caused a wall to collapse on him. One of the children at East Chester is trying to collect 1,000,000 pennies to help the children in Haiti.

Week 1

2010-01-09T18:10:00.000-08:00

1. One of Tennessee's longest serving politicians died following a brief illness. Somerville native John Shelton Wilder, Sr., died Friday, January 1, at a hospital in Memphis at 88 years of age. I remember Lt. Gov. Wilder attending many, many Freed-Hardeman events over the years.2. Alabama wins the National Championship!!!! Roll Tide Roll!!

Principal Reflections

2010-01-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

We only went to school three days this week because of weather, but that's ok. I wanted to take some time to think and reflect on the first half of this school year I've spent as principal of East Chester Elementary School. Somehow the word principal doesn't describe me. First of all I feel extremely lucky to work with the faculty and staff at East Chester. Since I student taught at East in 1989 I've wanted to teach here and be a part of this special family. The teachers at East Chester genuinely care for each child that comes through our doors. A lot of behind the scenes work goes into seeing that these little children's needs are taken care of. I can honestly say that everyone employed at East Chester works very hard to provide the very best educational experience possible for each of our children. My job is now very different from the job I've loved for 20 years. The day still flies by, because I am still extremely busy with a variety of jobs. Spring and I try very hard to be in as many classrooms as possible each day. I love being with the children, but whenever I visit a classroom, I miss my classroom very much. I gave so much of myself for 20 years that I almost feel lost when it comes to the chores that come with keeping a classroom running efficiently. I know that I've made many mistakes in the first half of this school year, but I hope that the children feel the love and genuine care and concern we all have for them. Each day I end announcments with, "Let's all work hard today and remember to do the right thing." If the children can learn those two important ideas at East Chester, hopefully they will do well at the middle school and later in their lives. I'm very lucky to be at East Chester.

National Champions!!!!

2010-01-09T17:11:00.000-08:00

Well, its been a long season. I remember the night we played Virginia Tech to start the season. I felt pretty good about most of the games until the Tennessee game. Boy, it took some luck AKA Mount Cody to win that game. Then we survived the Auburn game. I wasn't sure how we would do against Florida, but we dominated that game. I was really nervous before the national championship game because the "experts" were picking Alabama and that usually means that we don't play well. We were out of school Thursday and Friday because of weather, so it was very nice to get to relax (haha) and enjoy the game. Becky, Carter, and Laura Beth came over to watch the game along with Lee, Margaret, and Terry who have watched every game with us this season. We were not thrilled with the way Alabama started the game to say the least (winning the toss and not deferring the kick, fake punt, etc.) and then we were really concerned when Colt McCoy had to leave the game. We all like him, and certainly didn't want him to be hurt. We also didn't want to hear all the people say that Alabama would have lost if Colt McCoy had've played the whole game. Anyway, the end of the night when the National Championship Trophy was presented to Coach Saban was SWEET! Roll Tide Roll! I can't wait until next football season starts!!!!

2009

2009-12-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight when I read the Chester County Independent, I thought about all the events that happened in 2009. I thought I would put some of them down in my blog so that I wouldn't forget them. Michael Jackson, Natasha Richardson, Patrick Swayze, and other famous people passed away in 2009, but I want to remember the things that happened in our town of Henderson.

January: Barak Obama took the official oath of office at his inauguration.

February: FHU's Lectureship: "Crying Out to God: Prayer and Praise in the Psalms" I (with lots of help from Becky) presented our VBS/Bible class lessons about David and Psalms.

On the 27th we had a record snowfall in Chester County - about 12 inches.

March: Mrs. Carolyn Ward was taken from the parking lot of Fred's and later found murdered.

April: Chi Beta wins Makin' Music with "In Living Color." More cuts were make in FHU's budget with 12 more people losing their jobs.

May: CCHS graduation: Jessica Steele was valedictorian.

June: VBS: We taught about Jesus' miracles: feeding the 5,000; calming the sea; healing the 10 lepers; and the empty tomb were our lessons in the 3 year old class.

July: Chester County Sheriff Mark Davidson passed away after battling brain cancer. We also had some bad storms in July - one storm happened during church services on Wednesday night. We all went down in the basement and stayed for quite some time before feeling safe to go home.

August: School started and so did my job as East Chester's principal. I'm so lucky to have Spring with me and the wonderful faculty and students at East.

September: CCHS beat McNairy in football 39-20 for the first time in 16 years.

October: BBQ Festival

November: Mallerie Graves passed away after a long fight against very severe Post Hepatitis Aplastic Anemia.

December: The Henderson National Guard unit left for training in Mississippi before going on to Iraq. Mike Huckabee spoke at FHU's Benefit Dinner. Henderson Police Captain Dennis Cagle dies following attempted robbery. Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the state attended the funeral service for Cagle at Loyd Auditorium to pay tribute to their fallen comrade.

The Independent also listed some other facts:

Top 5 U.S. Scenic Drives:

1. Seward Highway, Alaska

2. Highway 1, California

3. Beartooth Highway, Montana/Wyoming

4. Zion National Park Scenic Highway, Utah

5. Custer Scenic Byway, South Dakota

Top 5 Social Networking:

1. Facebook

2. Myspace

3. Twitter

4. Fixster

5. Linkedin

Top 5 Football Movies

1. Rudy

2. All the Right Moves

3. Any Given Sunday

4. Friday Night Lights

5. Invincible

Top 5 Breed of Dogs

1. Labrador Retriever

2. Yorkshire Terrier

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Beagle

Christmas at Nana's House

2009-12-25T16:42:00.000-08:00

After lunch at Wayne's parents, we went to Cherokee to my parents' house. My mother found out on Wednesday that she has a stomach ulcer, so she wasn't feeling very well. Mother, Daddy, Chris, Stacy, John, Joseph, Wayne, Katy, Daniel, and I enjoyed time together. We enjoyed finger foods together: ham & cheese rolls, cheese ball, chicken ball, sausage balls, candied pecans, fudge, cherry delight, popcorn chicken, Bagel Bites, Granny cookies, sugar cookies, cookie sandwiches, and coconut cake were on the menu for this family gathering. After we ate, we opened presents. It was so fun to watch Joseph open his presents. He got so excited each time and would say, "How did you know that I always wanted one of these?" John brought Daddy a flag from Iraq - that was a special gift. Chris got Mother and Daddy a 26 inch flat-screen TV. We all got wonderful gifts, but we would all have traded them for Mother to feel better. Hopefully, she's on the road to recovery and next Christmas she will be back to her old self. Merry Christmas, Choat Family!!!

Christmas at MawMaw's House

2009-12-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

We started Christmas Eve morning by traveling to Florence to Wayne's parents' house. We were joined by Wayne's sister Tina and her husband, Steve. Their daughter Stevie and her boyfriend, Landon, were also there along with their two dogs. Wayne's aunts Carlene and Faye also came as well as his cousin Zack. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch together: ham, macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, potato soup, grape salad, peas, and rolls. Dessert was a choice between turtle pie, lemon pie, rice krispie treats, pecan pie, and fudge. We all got wonderful presents. In the pictures Pawpaw Scott is opening knives he picked out; Daniel is opening a video game; and Katy is opening Transformers movies. Merry Christmas, Scott Family!!!

More Favorites

2009-12-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

6. Favorite Holiday - I love all that comes with Thanksgiving and how people seem to take a minute to think about all the blessings we have to be thankful for, but I have to say that Christmas is my favorite. I love the songs, the decorations, giving gifts, and the food. I also love getting together with family and friends. 7. Favorite Candy Bar - This is an on again off again favorite. My favorite right now is....

8. Favorite Potato Chip - Chips are my favorite snack of all. My very favorite are...

9. Favorite Flower - I love flowers. My Granny loved flowers, and she always let us help her water the flowers when we spent time with her. I love three flowers in particular.My Granny always had geraniums on her front porch. They were so big and beautiful. She had a green thumb - she could grow anything. Then in the fall, she would break off stems from the geraniums and "root" them so she could have them again the next year. I always plant geraniums in the spring because of Granny.Granny also had buttercups in her yard. We dug up bulbs from her yard, so we now have Granny's buttercups in our yard now. I'm always so excited when they buttercups come up in the spring.

Granny also had roses in her yard. She loved roses. Mother has the same rose bushes in her yard. All Granny would do is stick a branch from a rose bush into the ground and amazingly it would grow. Daddy can do that now. Mother and Granny always wanted a yellow rose bush. Hopefully Mother's yellow rose bush will live. Granny always said that the soil must be wrong in Cherokee for yellow rose bushes. I had lots of rose bushes at our blue house, but so far I haven't been able to find a good place to plant roses at our house now.

10. Favorite Homemade Christmas Candy - Mother's Fudge

My Favorites

2009-12-22T17:23:00.000-08:00

For the few remaining days of 2009, I'm going to write down my favorites right now. I'm interested to see if they're still my favorites this time next year...

1. Favorite TV Show

2. Favorite Drink

3. Favorite Football Team

4. Favorite Basketball Team

5. Favorite Restaurant

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

2009-12-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

Today is my daddy's 66th birthday. We planned a family lunch for him at our house. Mother, Daddy, Chris, Stacy, Joseph, Evelyn, Rhonda, Melinda, Wayne, Katy, Daniel, and I were the partiers, but Stacy and Mother were both sick. Chris stayed with Mother to take her to the doctor. Doug was able to come with Rhonda, so we had nine partiers after all. We had Honeybaked Ham, scallopped potatoes, peas, green beans, deviled eggs, marshmallow salad, grape salad, and rolls. Daddy's favorite dessert is German chocolate cake, so we had that and cherry delight. My granny always had cake and cherry delight at Christmas. Mother also made "Granny cookies." We talked about some memories we had of Granny - that was nice to do. We also played Dirty Santa. I'm so glad that we were able to have this special time for my daddy, Roger Choat. He's an awesome dad!!!

Roll Tide

2009-12-22T17:04:00.000-08:00

We're so excited that Alabama is going to be playing in the National Championship Game. The Auburn and Florida games were thrilling, but if we could win the national championship again, that would be just wonderful!!!! Roll Tide

Cookie Exchange

2009-12-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

Laura Beth invited Katy and me to her cookie exchange party. Becky made the cutest invitations for the party. Katy and I made reindeer noses for the party. We took three dozen cookies - 2 to eat and 1 to share. The girls made goody bags for some of the elderly neighbors in the neighborhood. The hit for Katy was Becky's chicken ball that she made by her grandmother's recipe. We'll be making one for our family Christmas gathering! We enjoyed the cookie exchange very much!!!

"How the Penguins Saved Christmas"

2009-12-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

Each year for the December PTO meeting a different grade level puts on a Christmas play. This year was second grade's turn, and I think they did a great job! Several moms helped with the stage decorations; Mrs. Norma helped work with the kids who had speaking parts: Mrs. Nancy ran the music and sound; and the second grade teachers and students worked so hard getting ready. Everyone enjoyed the program on Thursday night and again on Friday morning. Merry Christmas!!

Fall Festival Entertainment

2009-11-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of Fall Festival was each grade level's singing performance. Every 30 minutes a different grade met in the library and performed some songs for their parents. The auctions for the class items followed the entertainment. We weren't sure how many we would have in our audience for each performance, but the library was crowded every time. We are so lucky at East Chester to have parents and grandparents who are really interested in their children's activities.

Harvest Hoedown

2009-11-29T11:32:00.001-08:00

On November 7, East Chester celebrated our annual Fall Festival. This year we called it "Harvest Hoedown." Laurie Tucker, Emily Shelton, and Michele White worked incredibly hard on the festival with decorating, planning, and organizing all the activities. The night went well, and we raised quite a bit of money for our school. Some of the activities included Win a Fish, Silly String a Teacher, Cake Walk, and Plinko. The building looked great with all the fall decorations. Everyone enjoyed the night, but I was glad it was over and that everything went well.

Fall Festival Class Crafts

2009-11-29T11:26:00.000-08:00

Becky, Spring, and I worked with each class to make a class project for each to be auctioned off at the Fall Festival. We decorated gingerbread aprons, turkey aprons, Christmas tree aprons, and flower pots. They all turned out really good!!!

Kindergarten Crafts

2009-11-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Each kindergarten class made two crafts with their children. I was able to get these pictures of their work. I don't have Mrs. Brandi's table runner, Mrs. Michelle's fish pillowcase, or Mrs. J's quilt. The crafts were just precious and the parents/grandparents loved them.

Fall Festival Baskets

2009-11-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Some teachers chose to collect items to make themed baskets for auctioning at the Fall Festival. I think we ended up with about 25 baskets. The gift wrapping basket and chocolate basket were two crowd pleasers. The baskets were assembled and wrapped by Suzanne McCarver and Marla Davidson. What would I do without those two girls? They've helped me with these baskets since Lillie and Kendyl were in kindergarten. Thanks, ladies. You're the best!!!

Fall Festival Trees

2009-11-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

One of the many ways that the teachers help with Fall Festival is by decorating Christmas trees for auction. Ten of the eleven trees decorated are pictured here: Dee Arnold's, Jill Egros', Malorie Pusser's, Rosemary McKnight's, Carrie Sells', Sherri Cherry's, Leslie Hunt's, Kim Poston's, Michelle Hopkins', and Wendy Siler's trees were all beautiful.

Joseph's Thanksgiving Photoshoot

2009-11-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

Fun With Joseph

2009-11-29T10:37:00.000-08:00

I tried to get a good picture of Joseph after we ate Thanksgiving supper at Mother's and Daddy's. Mother had gotten him a book about George Washington, and I was thrilled to hear him read it to me. He only missed a few words like Mount Vernon, Martha, and surveyor. I think I made about 20 pictures before I got a few that were good. We enjoyed the time we had to spend with Josie!!!

Thanksgiving Break

2009-11-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

We had school Monday and Tuesday of this week. I got some kind of bug and felt terrible on Monday. We were expecting the fire marshal, so I went ahead and went to school. After he left, I went to the doctor, got some medicine, and came home and went to bed. I felt much better on Tuesday, so I went to school. Wednesday Katy and I went to Cherokee, and Wayne and Daniel went to Florence. Katy and I went to Valdosta to church with Mother and Daddy. It was good to see Kenny & Patricia and Ed & Emily. Thursday morning Katy and I went to Wayne's parents' house to meet the rest of the family for Thanksgiving lunch. Wayne's mom had gotten up at 4:00 AM to check on the turkey only to find that someone had turned the oven off, so she went to Wal-Mart and bought two turkey breasts. We enjoyed the turkey, macaroni and cheese, dressing, English peas, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and rolls. She also had turtle pie, pecan pie, carrot cake, and cookie things for dessert. Wayne's parents, Van and Jane; Wayne's sister, Tina and her husband Steve; and Wayne, Katy, Daniel, and I were there. After lunch Wayne and I went to K-Mart and bought a few Christmas presents. Then we went to Cherokee to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with my family. Mother and Daddy had had lunch at Pawpaw's, and Mother had been cooking for days to get ready for that meal and our supper. We had ham, macaroni and cheese, deviled eggs, green beans, gravy, rolls, and cranberry sauce. Mother even grilled chicken for Katy. Then we had chocolate pie and cheesecake for dessert. Mother, Daddy, Stacy, John, Joseph, Wayne, Katy, Daniel, and I enjoyed the time together. After supper Wayne and Daniel came home. Katy and I stayed so we could go shopping on Black Friday. Stacy went home, too, but she came back Friday morning and met us to go shopping. We went to Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Lowe's, and Martin's. We ended our shopping day by eating together at O'Charley's. We had a great time together. Katy and I were trying to get home in time for the Iron Bowl, but we didn't make it in time. We watched the game with Daddy, and what a game it was. We had a great time especially since Alabama pulled out the victory. We enjoyed a lot of wonderful food, but the time spent with family was what made this Thanksgiving a special one.

ABCs of The First Nine Weeks

2009-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I've made it to October being principal of East Chester Elementary School. Who would've thought that I would ever be a principal? Certainly, not me!!! I love teaching, and thankfully I still get to teach four-year-olds at church. Now that nine weeks have passed by and we're on Fall Break, I've had a little time to reflect over what's happened so far. I hope that I will be able to be as happy being principal as I was being a teacher, but for now, I'm just happy that things seem to be going well. I want to have something to look back on to remember this first year, so I thought I'd do the ABCs of the First Nine Weeks.

A - Awesome Students, Faculty, Staff, and Parents
B - Buses
C - Cafeteria
D - Detective
E - Emergency Lights - Spring and I get to check those once a month
F - Fire Drills - I was so nervous before the first one, but it went great!
G - Grandparents Day - menus, visitors, schedules, etc...
H - Help! Everyone has been so wonderful to help out!
I - Illness - Flu especially
J - Jill hurt being a buzzard...
K - Kindergarten - I miss it!!!
L - LEAD conference
M - Meetings - IEP, faculty, PTO
N - Nashville - I've had to go to Nashville all by myself for Beginning Principals Academy.
O - October - Getting ready for Fall Festival
P - PTO
Q - Questions
R - Recess
S - Spring - What would I do without her?
T - Technology - Great when it works...
U - U-turn - I made several when I went to Nashvile
V - Valuable - Everyone should feel valued.
W - Wildlife Show
X - eXhausted
Y - Yummy treats
Z - Zoo - sometimes the office seems like a zoo

Daniel's 12th Birthday

2009-09-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Daniel's birthday was August 31. We celebrated with our family on the Saturday before. He decided that he wanted a soccer cake this year. We enjoyed grilled hamburger and hotdogs along with cake and ice cream. Nana, PawPaw, Aunt Stacy, Evelyn, Joseph, MawMaw, and PawPaw came for the birthday celebration. Daniel's really lucky to have such a loving family that loves him so much. Happy 12th Birthday, Daniel!! We love you!

Daniel's Playing Soccer

2009-09-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Daniel decided that he wanted to play soccer this year. Wayne and I weren't too sure if he would like it, but he has totally surprised us. Not only does he like it, he is really good at it. He's not too thrilled with his number - 13- he says it's not a good number.

Grannys All Around

2009-09-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed teaching at East Chester, and I've had great friends the entire time I've been here. It's been so fun watching my friends become grandmothers. They all have different names - "Nana", "Nini", "Mimi", "Grank", and the list could go on and on. This is Allison and one of her grandbabies....Emma. Emma started kindergarten this year! Now we're all looking forward to seeing Leslie become a grandmother, too.

New Floor!!!

2009-07-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

We're so excited that we were able to get hardwood flooring installed in the living room, down the hall, and in Daniel's room. We love it!!!

John's Home!!!!!

2009-07-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a great day! My brother-in-law John returned home from Iraq after six months. Daniel, Katy, and I went to Decatur, AL, to welcome him home. My parents were also there (oh, and Carolyn, too). We're so thankful that God kept him safe and now he's home!!! Thanks to everyone who prayed for him and our family...

Standards Training: Logic/Research

2009-07-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

At the Standards Training, we also learned more about combining activities across curricular areas in order to maximize the students' learning time. This was a cute activity that taught vocabulary, logic, and research. In today's educational world, it also allows the children to make an art project.

Standards Training: Story Map

2009-07-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Recently I attended a Standards meeting at Lexington Middle School with some teachers at my school. Dee Arnold and I attended the language arts session. We learned several neat ways to make reading fun for kids. One way was using these story maps. The class was divided into four groups. Each group was given a category: characters, setting, problem, and solution. We came up with the drawings and then at the end combined our drawings into one big story map. The book we used was Charlie the Caterpillar, a great book!!

VBS Night 4

2009-07-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

Night 4: Jesus is Alive!
I thought this lesson was a little advanced for my little ones, so we simplified it as much as possible. Using the tomb that Becky and I have used for the lions' den, the fiery furnace, etc., I made the kids' pictures outside Jesus' tomb. Ava wanted to go inside, and as if on cue, when she got inside, she said,"Mrs. Kim, there's nothing in here." PERFECT TEACHING MOMENT....I couldn't have planned it better. We went from there to explain how Jesus was raised from the dead. We also talked about how Jesus made breakfast for his disciples on the beach. We had fishsticks again - they loved them so much the previous night. We also had resurrection rolls. They were really neat!!! Check them out on the Bible Teachers blog. Sandy made pictures.

VBS Night 3

2009-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Night 3: Jesus Heals 10 Lepers (but only one says thank you)

The kids were getting really tired by night three, so we relaxed a little. We did our story together and sang songs together. We learned how important it is to always say "thank you." I made their pictures with white spots on them to go in their scrapbooks. We made lepers out of wooden spoons. Then I got out some of my kindergarten toys and we practiced playing together and sharing. The kids were so good. While they were playing, my helpers and I asked them review questions from all our lessons. This was just a very precious group!!

VBS Night 2

2009-07-19T12:57:00.001-07:00

Night 2: We learned about how Jesus fed over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. We went on a "picnic". I had the children hunt for lunch bags I had sitting around the room and bring them to me. All of them were empty except for one - it had five little loaves of bread and two sardines in it. OOOh, the kids were so excited until they smelled the sardines.

We ate rolls and fish sticks for snack. The kids ate and ate and ate. We made little baskets out of paper bags and put diecut fish and loaves into them and we made a loaves/fish necklace. I made the kids' pictures in front of a big hill I had made. They held a basket that had five loaves and two fish in it.

VBS Night 1

2009-07-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

VBS has been over for a while now, but I've just been so busy that I haven't had time to work on my blog. I taught the three year olds this year. They were just precious. I enjoyed being with them every night. Even though I missed working with Becky (she was in charge of the entire VBS this year instead of teaching a class), Sandy and I had a good time planning the activities for our two classes.

Night 1: Jesus calms the storm: I made a scene of a boat in the storm to make the children's pictures in for their scrapbooks. We made toothpaste bags and oceans in a bottle for the kids to take home. Our craft activity was a sailboat. I think the kids' favorite thing was when we made a storm with streamers and cookie sheets.

Braves vs. Yankees and Red Sox

2009-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

We love going to Atlanta to see the Braves play. Earlier this summer the Braves were playing interleague games against the Yankees and the Red Sox, so we went and saw them play on Thursday and Friday night. Katy couldn't go, because of her babysitting, so Daniel took his friend Kyle. Some friends of ours, the Boltons, went, too. We had a great time even though the Braves lost both games :( I enjoyed getting to see John Smoltz even though he looked funny in a Red Sox uniform.

The Valerie Project

2009-06-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

The medical mission trip to Guyana is coming up soon, so Mrs. Lowe has been busy getting clothes ready for the children there through the Valerie Project. Valerie went to Guyana several times on mission trips, and she loved helping the children there, so after her tragic death, Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have dedicated lots of their time to keeping that dream alive through the Valerie Project. Little dresses and shorts/shirt sets are made throughout the year to go to the children of Guyana with the medical mission team. Rhonda, my cousin heard about this, and she got the ladies at Maud Church of Christ busy sewing. My aunt Evelyn and my mom also sew for the project. Last Tuesday morning Rhonda and Evelyn came by my house and delivered 375 pieces to go to Guyana this year. Tonight after the evening service all the dresses and outfits were on display in the Activity Center for everyone to see. The Sew Sisters have also been busy making bears to go to the children. I can just see Valerie's beautiful smile....

Buddy Carlyle

2009-06-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

While watching the Braves today, the announcers reported that pitcher Buddy Carlyle (one of our favorites already) has diabetes. Apparently he hasn't been feeling well for a while and he had lost quite a bit of weight. Now that he's started insulin, he's already feeling better. Even though I'm sorry that he's diabetic, I'm glad that someone with his character will be able to be a role model for my kids, especially Daniel who really watches athletes. I found this article on Braves.com that tells more about Buddy. I'm wasn't at all surprised when I saw that he wants to help kids deal with diabetes. Well be keeping up with Buddy and hope that he's feeling much better soon.

(Article from Braves.com) The right-handed reliever went on the disabled list May 26 with a back/neck strain. But after losing nearly 20 pounds in recent weeks, Carlyle went in for bloodwork Wednesday that revealed an extremely high sugar level.
Tests confirmed he had type-1 diabetes, once known as “juvenile diabetes.” It’s usually diagnosed in children and young adults. Diabetics’ bodies do not produce enough insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar (glucose), starches and other food into energy for daily life.
It’s a serious disease, but one that can be managed if treated properly. There have been notable athletes with type-1 diabetes who have continued successful careers, including NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.
Cutler lost considerable weight and zip on his passes before being checked out and diagnosed with diabetes. He now carries insulin with him in a pouch.
Carlyle experienced a loss in energy and a decline in his fastball velocity over a period of several weeks this season, and his ERA ballooned to 8.84 after a string of rough relief appearances that included two grand slams allowed.
“Now it makes sense,” he said, describing how something felt wrong during that period, when his energy level wasn’t normal and he couldn’t keep his weight up. “It’s given me and my family some relief, knowing what is wrong and that it’s something that’s treatable.”
Carlyle was holding a syringe and insulin as he spoke to a reporter Friday afternoon. He was about to go to a private area of the Braves’ clubhouse to give himself his first injection, the first of five-daily injections he must take.
“I’m going to do everything right, treat this the way you’re supposed to,” he said. “It’s definitely a life-changer. My plan is to get back to pitching, and I’m going to try to use this as a positive, to help other people out, kids who have a hard time dealing with it after being diagnosed.”

Daniel Goes to Baseball Camp

2009-06-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

This past week Daniel attended Freed-Hardeman's Baseball Camp. Daniel is a good baseball player, and he wants to get better. Coach Patrick McCarthy and some of the Lions' Baseball players worked with the boys from 9-12 each morning Monday-Wednesday. Then on Thursday morning the boys were excited to learn about sliding, because they got to use the Slip'n'Slide. They all had a good time, but Daniel's friend Kyle got cut on the tarp and had to have stitches. The boys received certificates and camp shirts at an awards ceremony at 11:00. Daniel had the highest score on the baseball fundamentals tests for the 10-11 year olds, and he chose FHU baseball shorts as his prize. We were very proud of him!! We were also proud that he helped out with some of the younger boys who came. Carter, one of Daniel's favorite friends, came to camp for the first time this year. Daniel said, "I'm going to look out for Carter and make sure he has a good time." When he thinks about others instead of himself, I feel like we're doing something right as parents. We were also proud of Kyle, who was chosen as "Camper of the Week." Great job, guys!!! Maybe you'll be playing for the FHU Lions someday.

Star Trek with Stacy

2009-06-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today Stacy and I met at mother's and went to Florence to see the newest movie "Star Trek." We both enjoyed watching some Star Trek episodes growing up, but we really kept up with "The Next Generation." Anyway after seeing the previews we both agreed that we'd like to go see it, so today was the day. We enjoyed the movie even if we didn't enjoy the $6.50 tickets, $7.50 popcorn, and $4.45 cokes. It was nice to spend some time with my sister.

Last Pictures

2009-05-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to clear out some of my pictures, and when I looked at these, I just couldn't get rid of them. These were the last pictures I made of my kids. I guess I've made 10,000 pictures of them over the last two years. I thought these shots were so sweet. We used them during our Mother's Day program. I also used some of Becky's shots from the program and some pictures of the kids with their moms. I want to have some memories saved from this group of kids I've grown to love so much.

Lauren's Going-Away Wedding Party

2009-05-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Whenever I have a student teacher, we have a going-away party to thank them for their hard work. Since Lauren is getting married at the end of May, we decided to give her a wedding shower for her going-away thank-you. We enjoyed wedding cupcakes and punch for our refreshements. Then Lauren opened her gifts from the children. We all hope that Lauren and Gavin enjoy a wonderful wedding day and have a long, happy marriage. Congratulations!

Easter Lunch at Nana's

2009-05-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

I miss Easter fun with Katy and Daniel since they're getting older, so I had a blast with hiding Easter eggs with Joseph at Mother and Daddy's house. We enjoyed a great lunch together, and then we went outside to have fun with Joseph. I snapped these pictures of the egg hunter and the beautiful snowball bush in the yard.

A Fun Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

Bright and early Friday morning (May 29), we set off from Henderson to Memphis to visit the zoo. Becky was taking Carter, Laura Beth, and Cecily, and she asked us if we wanted to come along, so Daniel, Katy, and I went along. We had a wonderful day. The zoo was not too crowded, and the weather was wonderful. We loved seeing the lions, tigers, elephants, and of course, the pandas. For some reason the boys (and LB) wanted to visit the snake house all day, so right before we left, we saw all the slithery and slimy snakes. A polar bear swam right up to the glass where the kids were standing, and thy loved that! We were also entertained by some monkeys. We enjoyed a lesson about giraffes from one of the zookeepers.

One of the favorite parts of the day was visiting the birds. We were able to buy little sticks with seeds on them to feed the birds with. After a few minutes everyone was able to "catch" some birds to feed. Of course, I loved all the flowers that were in the birdhouse. After feeding the birds, we washed up, and enjoyed our picnic lunch. After a going-home trip to Sonic for drinks, we all agreed that we had a wonderful day with friends. Katy and Daniel love to do things with Laura Beth and Carter, and we all had a great time with Cecily. She was so much fun!!!

Field Day 2009

2009-05-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

Field Day was rained out for its original date, and we were beginning to worry about whether we would even get to have it. Finally, the rain stopped for a while, and we were able to enjoy a fun day outside. The kids loved the games, playing on the playground, and the tug of war. We also enjoyed some time just playing with sidewalk chalk, bubbles, balls, and frisbees. The kids found a nest outside, and they were so excited about that. I even ran some of the relay races with the kids - fun, but I was so sore for days afterwards! We had a great day together which is what field day is all about!

Mother's Day Program

2009-05-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

I've been so blessed with such a wonderful mother that I'm always looking for opportunities to say thank-you to moms. Before Katy and Daniel were born, I taught at Tri-County Bible School in Decatur, AL. Mrs. Whitson did a Mother's Day program that I just loved, and when I started teaching, I incorporated some of her ideas and began doing a Mother's Day tea with my class. Through the years, the number of moms who work during the day has increased, so I stopped doing it because so many children were disappointed when their mothers could not attend. This year is a special year though. I've had the joy of teaching this class for two years, and the parents have been absolutely wonderful. I really wanted to say thank you in a special way especially to the moms. Each one of the children had a speaking part, and we sang several songs. Then we had cake and punch. We also gave our moms a special gift: a box of love. I made a powerpoint presentation of the children introducing their mothers and saying something that is special about their moms. It was a wonderful day, and I was so proud of all of the children. I will remember this special group of moms (and dads) always. They will always be very special to me. (Thanks for the picture, Becky! I can't believe I didn't make a single picture...)

Mother's Day

2009-05-09T07:02:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I have been so blessed with a wonderful mother. She always took (and still does) such good care of us. I have such great memories of growing up with such an awesome mother. There's three of us - me, Stacy (2 years younger than me), and Chris (8 years younger than me). We definitely learned that working was preferable to being lazy. We also learned to have respect for our elders. A very important lesson we learned was to help others - taking food, mailing a card, making a phone call to check on someone - Mother does these things all the time. She can sew, is an excellent cook, and loves flowers. She always takes such good care of our daddy, too. I remember her getting up to fix his breakfast before he left for dayshift and then having that breakfast (fried egg, bacon, toast, coffee) ready when he got home from midnight shift. We always look forward to the birthday celebration each year (my birthday and Stacy's both are in August). We love smoked chicken with "Tommy" sauce, so that's what we have. Mother is also an incredible grandmother. She has three grandchildren - Katy, Daniel, and Joseph. They are so lucky to have a grandmother like Nana. All of us have been so blessed by our mother. She is like the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. Thank you Mother for all you've done for all of us! I love you!!

Principal?!?...

2009-05-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

I've had a big decision to make over the past few weeks. Our principal is taking a job at the Central Office, and our school needed a principal. I really had mixed feelings about the position at first - more than mixed feelings - I love teaching!!! I cannot imagine myselft not teaching. After lots of prayer and advice from different people, I decided to take this opportunity. I hope that I will be able to help more children in this position. I also want to help keep East Chester doing what I feel is most important: love all children and take them as far as they can go regardless of their circumstances in life. Please pray that this decision will work out to be what's best for me and my family as well as the East Chester family. I'll probably be posting challenges and hopefully triumphs as I begin this new phase of my career.

Katy's 15th Birthday Party

2009-04-19T11:05:00.001-07:00

Katy's birthday was March 27 - her 15th. It's so hard to believe that she is really 15. It seems like only yesterday that she was running around in her rubber boots singing "The Fireman Song" with Barney. The weekend of her birthday was Makin' Music retreats, and since I was the off-stage manager, it was going to be very difficult to do her party then. She was very pleased to have supper at Spaghetti Store with Wayne, Daniel, and I and then to go to the retreats with me. The following weekend was Makin' Music, so no party that weekend. Then we had Lads to Leaders the next weekend, so party was out for that Saturday. Yesterday April 18th was the first Saturday we could all get together. My sister's father-in-law has had some complications with heart surgery and late Friday evening it was decided to redo the surgery on Saturday, so Stacy left Joseph with our parents and made preparations to be in Nashville. Then on Saturday morning Mother called and said that Joseph had had fever in the night and seemed like he was getting a sinus infection. We decided that it was ok for him to come, so the party was on. Melissa Allen had made Katy a wonderful PKA Makin' Music genies, wizards, and leprechauns cake; the house was clean; and all the food was ready. Wayne's parents, my parents, my aunt Evelyn, and Joseph were the guests for the big party. We had pork and chicken BBQ from Rick's (Mother brought it - Katy's request), chips, baked beans "hot" dip, chips, creme puffs, and cheese ring with no onions (also Katy's request for Nana). Then we enjoyed cake and ice cream. Katy got several nice gifts. We replaced her cell phone for an upgrade. She also got a Lucy watch, some Bama jewelry, a pair of Yellow Box flip-flops, Snoopy pajamas, a beach towel plus some money which she wants to use to get a new camera. Daniel had been to a sleepover the night before and hadn't gone to bed until 3:30 AM, so he was not a very happy camper. Then Joseph wasn't feeling well either, and we found out today that he has the flu!! But, all in all, the party was great, and it was wonderful to get to spend time with our families. (Oh yeah, my daddy brought me a bluebird house. I have to find a place to put it though. When we first moved into this house bluebirds would bang into the picture window in the kitchen, but we haven't seen many since then, so maybe now that I have a house, they'll come back.) I'm so glad that Katy had a wonderful birthday - now we've got to work on getting the driver's permit.

Lauren's Centers

2009-04-19T10:58:00.001-07:00

My student teacher Lauren Goodman has been working hard especially with the types of center activities she has the children doing. I was particularly impressed with these centers, so I snapped a picture of each. She had the children working with vocabulary words with the pig activity; they measured with different objects and rulers; they used our spelling tubs for extra spelling practice; Sandy did TCAP practice and PBJ, Mrs. Carol worked with money concepts; and the children worked on the computers. It is very interesting to watch other people's concepts of effective center activities. Watching other people is so helpful to me in making centers stay exciting for the children.

Tornado!

2009-04-17T19:18:00.001-07:00

While we were in Nashville for Lads to Leaders, a tornado hit in Murfreesboro. I mentioned to Wayne that I hope that Alicia and her family were ok. Alicia was my roommate at FHU. Anyway, we were so busy that I didn't think about it anymore until I got home and saw these pictures on Alicia's facebook. I've been in touch with her and she and her family are all ok, but they've been having to live in a hotel this week. Please pray for this sweet family. I know God will take care of them, but they're going through a very difficult time.

Katy's Birthday Cake

2009-04-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

Katy's 15th birthday was March 27, but it was Makin' Music Retreat Weekend, and she wanted to go to the retreats with me, so we didn't get to have her family party then. The following week was Makin' Music, and the week after that was Lads to Leaders, so we're having her party tomorrow! We worked on the menu, but when it came to her cake, she wanted a Makin' Music cake (did I mention that this girl LOVES Makin' Music?). We found a cake in one of my Family Fun magazines that was called a Wonderland cake - three layers with each being a different color. Katy loved it, and she wanted a pink layer to represent the genies in PKA's MM show; a blue layer to represent the wizards; and a green layer to represent the leprechauns. I told her I would try, but I could not promise a good-looking cake. I took the picture to school to talk to some of the moms that come to help me with centers, and one of my sweet mothers offered to make the cake for me (thanks bunches, Melissa!). Anyway Wayne and I picked it up tonight, and Katy absolutely loved it. Melissa did an outstanding job making it be just what Katy wanted. I am so lucky to have this set of parents - I don't know what I'll do without all their help and support. I'll post more pictures tomorrow of the big event!!

Ryan Reynolds

2009-04-17T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've been blessed over the years to work with several student teachers. A few years ago I was blessed to have Selene Reynold student teach with me. After she graduated, she was hired to teach kindergarten at our school. Then she had Maggie (who was born on my birthday, August 25)! Katy loves Maggie and Selene. She really misses them since they've move back to be close to their families. On April 9, the newest member of the Reynolds family was born - Ryan. I can't wait to see him. Aren't his pictures adorable?

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-16T19:18:00.001-07:00

1. I am thankful that my sister's father-in-law is doing better today after heart surgery. He's had a rough two weeks, so I'm glad to hear that he's showing improvement today.
2. I am thankful that Lads to Leaders was such a wonderful experience for my kids. I'm so proud of their efforts and their willingness to cheer for their friends, too.
3. I am thankful for the parents of my class. I can hardly believe that we only have six more weeks together. I'm going to miss them so much - they will always be so special to me.
4. I am thankful for my mother - among many other things she is bringing barbeque and cheese ring for Katy's birthday party on Saturday.
5. I am thankful for Snookum's night with my school friends on Thursday nights.
6. I am thankful for my kids' good report cards. They really are good kids (even if they fight more than we like for them to).
7. I am thankful that my FHU roommate and her family are safe after the tornado in Murfreesboro hit their house. Alicia, Hunter, and Hilary were in the house, but they didn't get a scratch. The entire second floor was ripped off of their house. Their church family has stepped up and helped them get through this week. I don't know what people do without a church family.
8. I am thankful to work at a wonderful school. I have so many wonderful people to work with.
9. I am thankful that the Cookie Dough order for Dixie Youth baseball has been sent in.
10. I am thankful that Wayne's parents, my parents, and Stacy and Joseph are coming for Katy's belated birthday party on Saturday. It's so wonderful to spend time with our family.

It's been a great week!

Jordan Schafer

2009-04-12T13:13:00.001-07:00

I have really been impressed with Jordan Schafer in this early part of baseball season. Hopefully the Braves will have a better year this year.

Lads to Leaders

2009-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to Nashville for the Lads to Leaders Convention. Katy and Daniel both participated in several events. Katy did Good Samaritan, Photography, Scrapbook, Speech, and Puppets. Daniel did Good Samaritan, Speech, Songleading, Oral Bible Reading, and Puppets. We are very proud of them both!

Our group did very well at the convention. Becky and I are trying to think of ways to help make this a more productive activity for our young people. It really provides the kids great opportunities to learn about being leaders in the church.

Gus Gus

2009-04-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

Kendyl's mom brought her cat to school on Thursday for us all to enjoy. Gus Gus was very sweet and rode in a cat carseat. The kids loved seeing Kendyl's pet.

Spring Centers

2009-04-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

On Thursday before Spring Break, I planned on having spring centers. We had a great time. I had lots of help with the awesome parents my class has! We got to do about 10 activities:
1. We ate yummy treats.
2. We make a bunny and painted our hands for its ears.
3. We played Easter egg Memory.
4. We made an Easter pin.
5. We made an Easter bunny bag.
6. We decorated an Easter egg.
7. We planted violets.
8. We made suncatchers to go in our plants.
9. We graphed Skittles.
10. We looked at Easter books.
It was great fun!!!

Kite Day

2009-04-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

An annual event at East Chester is Kite Day. We had it scheduled earlier, but it rained, so we had it on Thursday, April 9. I had scheduled Spring Centers for Thursday morning, so we had to modify our plans. We did a couple of center activities and then went out to fly kites at 9:00. The kids always have a great time trying to get their kites up in the air. Luckily I have lots of parents come out to help, and I'm glad to say that we had no major tangles for the 2009 Kite Day.

Thankful Thursday

2009-04-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

I've been so busy lately with Makin' Music that I haven't had time to post Thanksgiving Thursday, but I have many, many things to be thankful for:
1. I am thankful for my wonderful family.
2. I am thankful that my sister's father-in-law had successful heart surgery. It's really hard on John who's in Iraq now, so please pray for their family.
3. I am thankful that Makin' Music is over and was great! I'm a little sad that I'm not getting to see Garrett, Chelsea, and Kathryn, but at least Lauren is student-teaching in my room, so I do still get to see her.
4. I am thankful for Lads to Leaders and the opportunities it opens up for our kids.
5. I am thankful that Katy is participating in L2L.
6. I am thankful that Daniel is participating in L2L.
7. I am thankful that Kite Day is over.
8. I am thankful that my class has awesome spring centers with plenty of parental help. I have a super class!
9. I am thankful that Mallerie's bone marrow transplant is over. Hopefully, she'll feel much better soon.
10. I am thankful that I am so blessed.

Makin' Music 2009

2009-04-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

Makin' Music 2009 "Home" was a great success. I enjoyed working with Garrett, Lauren, Kathryn, and Chelsea. The directors were also great to work with. I was very proud of each club. I've heard over and over again how people think the club shows were all good this year and how no one was really sure who would win on Saturday night. I have many good memories I'll always remember from working with these fine students on a great show!!!

Xi Chi: A New Year's Resolution

2009-04-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Xi Chi's show is called "A New Year's Resolution." Wow! From the first time we talked to these directors to now, this show has turned into a great show! It has it all - cool choreography that show's off some Chinese moves; a fireworks show; a dragon; and clever lyrics that tell the story of the Chinese people and the New York councilmen working together to produce the best fireworks show EVER! I've enjoyed working with this group - they've worked so hard to have a show they can be proud of!! Good luck Xi Chi! I know you'll do great this weekend!!

GTO: Cafeteria Catastrophe

2009-04-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

GTO's show is called "Cafeteria Catastrophe," and it is hilarious!! This group has worked so hard, and their show has come so far. The cafeteria ladies are not making yummy lunches for the students and besides they look terrible, so in exchange for a makeover, the lunch ladies agree to make better food. Along the way, the show is so funny! I'm very proud of the way GTO has worked together and how they have supported one another and the other clubs! Good luck GTO! I know you'll do great!

PKA: A Notion for a Potion

2009-04-04T06:29:00.000-07:00

PKA's show is called "A Notion for a Potion." This group has had some very creative ideas for making their show fantastic. I've been very proud of this group, because even though they want to win the Sweepstakes trophy, they've also been able to display a good attitude when they've had to face some obstacles along the way. The leprechauns, genies, and wizards are all trying to create a potion to help their queen. She's really tricking them though, and at the end of the show, they find out that she's planned this all along. I can't wait to see PKA perform this weekend!!

EP: Once Upon a Rhyme

2009-04-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

Sigma Rho's show is called "Once Upon a Rhyme." Since I teach nursery rhymes, I have loved this show since I heard their idea. The nursery rhyme characters are tired of the way Mother Goose has arranged the rhymes so they decide to switch. Georgie Porgie hangs out with the King's Men; Little Bo Peep hangs out with the girls; and Humpty Dumpty hangs out with the sheep. In the end, they find out that "mother knows best," and they go back to their original rhymes. This group has been super to work with. They worked hard from the beginning, and I was so amazed at how organized and motivated each person in this group has been. I know they'll do a great job this weekend! Good Luck, Sigma Rho!!!

XBX: In Living Color

2009-04-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

XBX's show is called "In Living Color". They have worked so hard. It was truly remarkable to see the improvement in their show over the retreat weekend. I'm hoping that their problem with their costumes is the only glitch this club has in Makin' Music and that when they get their costumes fixed, it will be smooth sailing for this group. Their show is such a great idea - how black and white TV changed to color. Their vocals have been great, and their choreography is awesome. I think XBX has done a super job with their show!! Good luck Chi Beta! I know you'll do great this weekend!

Hop into Bible Class! bulletin board

2009-04-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break I was able to work in my classroom at church. The new tile and new paint is finished, so I worked on organizing and sprucing up my room. This is my spring bulletin board. The kids love it!!!

Makin' Music Directors

2009-04-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

We made pictures of the directors when we delivered their candy bar cards. Jeremy and Hannah are two of Xi Chi's directors. Bradley, Dickey, Blake, Jessica, and Marcia are XBX's directors, Addie and Ray are two of GTO's directors. Craig, Hannah, Katie, Jill, and Tom are Sigma Rho's directors. Josh and Tyler are two of PKA's directors. They have all been such fun to work with this year.

Makin' Music Retreat Weekend

2009-04-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a busy day. The clubs at Freed-Hardeman were all on retreat working on their Makin' Music shows. The groups managers, Kathryn, Lauren, and Chelsea and I visited all the retreat places and took the directors some goodies. One of our surprises was these cards. They said:
Makin' Music (M&Ms) is almost here. You will have these memories (Now & Later), but we know your mind is on your (PayDay), when you hit the stage. Of course, you deserve (10,000 Grand), but (Mounds) of stress seems to be the only payment Makin' Music (M&M) can afford.
We have had lots of (Snickers) watching your little (Sweettarts) learning to move their arms and lets together. Sometimes your cast members macy seem like (Airheads), but they will be (Lifesavers) when it's SHOWTIME. We hope your budget is not below (Zero) when (Heath) comes to see you. You are an (Extra) special group of directors so (Skor) big next weekend!! Love Mrs. Kim and Your GMs
We used candy bars to make these special treats for all the directors. They all seemed to like it!

Happy April Fool's Day!!

2009-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to have a special snack for April Fool's Day today with my first graders. While they were having centers, I made this snack with cool-whip, peach halves, and graham cracker sticks. The kids loved it!! I laughed and laughed at their expressions when I came in with their "eggs" and "bacon." I couldn't believe how real it looked!!!

My Little House on the Prairie Bird House

2009-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

When Katy and I went to visit Mother and Daddy this week, my daddy had a surprise for me. He had seen a birdhouse that looked like the house the Ingalls lived in on Little House on the Prairie, and he had made me one!!! Doesn't it look great? Daddy can make so many things with wood. I love Little House on the Prairie, but I love this birdhouse because he made it for me. Mother bought me a bird to sit on the porch. While Daddy was making birdhouses, he made one for Mother and Stacy, too. I'm so lucky I have such a good daddy!!

Quick Trip

2009-03-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Katy and I made a quick trip to Cherokee to visit my mom and dad. We went after church on Wednesday night and spent the day on Thursday. Stacy and Joseph came on Thursday, so we got to spend some time with them, too. Mother, Stacy, and I visited with Jean (her husband, Coach Hubbard passed away recently). Joseph and Katy had a good time together. Katy needed to make some pictures to turn in with her yearbook staff application, so she decided to make some picture of Mother's flowers. We had to leave Thursday afternoon so we could get back home in time for the basketball game at Oman Arena. We enjoyed the time we were able to spend with Nana, PawPaw, Aunt Stacy, and Josie.

First Round Game

2009-03-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to go to the first round of the tournament on Thursday night. Wayne and Daniel sat down in the seats close to the court, but Katy and I sat up in the crowd with the
F-HU group. Laura Beth has lost her two front teeth while we've been out for Spring Break (thanks in part to Carter), and I couldn't resist making her picture. We were surprised when they announced that Wayne would be shooting a granny shot while sitting in a recliner at a time-out. He got two shots, and if he made one of them, he would win a recliner. He came close on his second shot, but we don't have a new recliner. The kids all got a big kick out of his being out there shooting - some adults did, too. He's been getting lots of advice on how he should've done the shot. This game went well, and we won 73-59. Unfortunately, our game on Friday night went into double overtime, and we lost. One of our girls got her nose broken, and the officiating seemed to be different depending on the end of the floor the action was on. We were not very happy about the game or the outcome, but the Lady Lions have definitely made us proud this season. There are no seniors on the team, so we are looking forward to next season!!!

NAIA Banquet of Champions

2009-03-21T17:34:00.001-07:00

One of the things we've come to look forward to doing over Spring Break is attending the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament in Jackson. F-HU's Lady Lions have been part of this tournament every year for the last several years. We have been very fortunate the last couple of years to be able to attend the tournament banquet on Tuesday night thanks to Katrina, one of the sponsors of the tournament. We went along with the Welches and Ryan. We enjoyed chicken, corn, green beans, potatoes, and key lime pie. The decorations were all leprechauns since the date was March 17. The teams are announced and then the All-American team is announced. Our own Jana Cross was named to the All-American team again this year. She's had to miss several games this year due to injuries, so we were thrilled that she made the All-American team, but imagine our excitement when she was named NAIA National Player of the Year. Katy was so excited - I think her face says it all. I can't think of anyone who is more deserving of such an honor!! We were sort of disappointed when Channel 7 or the newspaper didn't mention anything about her in the upcoming days, but Wayne mentioned this to Reggie, the sports man at the tournament, and on Friday night, he did a spot with Jana. There was also this article in the Jackson Sun.

Reading Continues with Mrs. Rosemary's Class

2009-03-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Cierra, John Nic, Alex, Kate, Tyler, Tyler, Dalton, and Starr enjoy their time with their new third grade friends.

We continue to meet every other Friday with Mrs. Rosemary's third graders. We take turns visiting one another's classrooms. I know my children love this activity. They spend a lot of time picking out the books they want to share with the older kids. We made them valentines for Valentine's Day, and we were thrilled that they brought us valentines, too. The next time we got together, the third graders performed two plays for us - one about Rosa Parks and one about Harriet Tubman. The children are forming relationships with one another. I love walking around the room and listening to their reading and the conversations they share. These pictures show my Alex, Evan, Shelby, and Tyler reading with their third grade friends.

Natasha Richardson

2009-03-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Katy loved watching The Parent Trap when it came out in 1998. We watched it over and over. I loved Natasha Richardson in the movie. I really couldn't remember her real name, so when the news broke about her skiing accident, I had to look it up to see if this was who I remembered from this movie. I'm so sad about her death - especially since she had two young sons. It really causes you to think about priorities and how we need to have our lives in order.

Thanksgiving Thursday

2009-03-12T16:58:00.001-07:00

Well, it's been another eventful week - some good and some bad. I still have so much to be thankful for.

1. I am thankful to have known Nana - Mrs. Carolyn Ward. She was such a sweet person, and I will miss her.

2. I am thankful that the police department has apprehended two suspects in her murder. I hope they get what they deserve.

3. I am thankful that the Lions and Lady Lions both received invitations to the National Tournament.

4. I am thankful that most Freed-Hardeman students act like Christians are supposed to act at a basketball game.

5. I am thankful for all the Freed-Hardeman students I'm getting to know as I help with Makin' Music this year. They are truly awesome.

6. I am thankful to have such a wonderful husband.

7. I am thankful to have super children, Katy and Daniel. (I just wish they wouldn't fight so much sometimes.)

8. I am thankful for children. They make me very happy.

9. I am thankful for all the FHU students who are willing to spend their spring breaks on mission trips. I hope they all have safe trips this week.

10. I am thankful for spring break. I just hope we can make it through tomorrow. The natives are restless. (Kite Day was cancelled because of the weather, too.)

Hopefully next week I'll have more time to spend with my blog since it's spring break. It helps me so much each week to at least reflect on my blessings with Thanksgiving Thursday!!

Thanksgiving Thursday

2009-03-05T16:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been so busy that I haven't been able to put my Thanksgiving Thursday post up for a couple of weeks.
1. I am thankful for the beautiful snow God sent us.
2. I am thankful that I had two days I could spend at home catching up on some overdue projects.
3. I am thankful for a new floor and newly painted walls in my classroom at church.
4. I am thankful that my parents got home safely from my brother's house in Orlando.
5. I am thankful that Wayne celebrated another happy birthday this week.
6. I am thankful that Daniel's Titanic project is done.
7. I am thankful that the Lions and Lady Lions have done so well this season.
8. I am thankful that both Daniel and Katy had good report cards.
9. I am thankful to have such good college students to work with on Makin' Music. They're all doing a great job!
10. I am thankful to have such supportive parents in my class.
11. I am thankful that we received a letter from John this week. He's doing well in Iraq but misses home.

I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now, and it helps so much to reflect on all the blessings God has given and continues to give.

Mooncakes

2009-03-01T19:14:00.001-08:00

Recently my first graders read "The Lady in the Moon," a story set in China. Mrs. Sandy made mooncakes for the kids to try. They were very yummy, and the kids loved them!

March 1: Snow Day!

2009-03-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

It started snowing on Saturday evening. The kids played outside until almost 8:30 - throwing snowballs at each other. When we got up Sunday morning, Wow! I measured 8 inches in our front yard, but some people at church said that we had 10 or more inches of snow up to a foot. Daniel and Ryan went tubing with Andrew and had a great time! We won't have school tomorrow, because the roads are still covered and the temperatures are supposed to go down into the 20s. The snow was so beautiful. We're enjoying it while it lasts.

Teachwell

2009-03-01T15:08:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, February 21, our congregation participated in a program called TeachWell. We're trying to help people become more comfortable teaching Bible class. (We need more teachers!!)

Joyce Bloomingburg taught the CradleRoll class. I taught the 3-5 year old class. Becky taught the K-3 group. Dwina and David Willis taught the 4-6 grade group. Other presenters taught the folks who were interested in teaching junior high through adults. Becky and I had decided not to bring much stuff, but as you can tell by the picture, I did not follow that decision. I'm always so afraid that I'll go blank, so the more "stuff" I can have, the better. Along those lines, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation - it had 209 slides!! I was able to cover them all and cover all the "stuff" I brought as well.

I thought the day was great! Justin showed a video of the elders singing children's songs and encouraging everyone to try to be a teacher. I hope we were able to encourage some more people to share in the joy of teaching. I have gained so much by being a teacher, and I wish more people would try and see the great things that will happen!!