Valentine Centers in First Grade

Once again my class enjoyed a wonderful holiday celebration. Eleven parents were able to come and help me and Sandy celebrate Valentine's Day with the children. We were able to eat, make conversation hearts necklaces, make love bugs, add with M&Ms, graph conversation hearts, do a sticker project, guess how many conversation hearts we could pick up, make cards for the nursing home, make a bear lollipop cover, and a bear art project. We all had a wonderful time, and the children went home with lots of valentines and candy along with projects to remember this special day.

The Champion

Wayne has been coaching a "travel" basketball team of fifth and sixth graders this winter. The boys have done well, but the season is over now. One of Daniel's friends, Grant, plays on a travel ball team as well, and they were going to be a player short today, so he asked Daniel to play. Their team won the championship in the tournament they played in today at Ramer. Great going, guys!!

Say Cheese!!

This is a picture of me at my parents' house when I went home to celebrate my mother's birthday.

1. I've got on my lucky FHU sweatshirt.

2. My nephew Joseph made this picture with a digital camera I got for him.

3. There's a picture of me and my sister in our wedding dresses behind me.

4. When I got home, I went to see FHU beat Cumberland!!

5. We went to eat together for Mother's birthday at the Rocking Chair.

I tag Kerri, Sasha, Laura, and Melissa.

Valentine Treats

Saturday was Choreography Review for Makin' Music. The groups managers wanted to make treats for all the directors, so Friday night I tried to think of something to make that didn't require me to go to the store, so I started looking in the cabinet. I had strawberry cake mix and strawberry cream icing, so I decided to make valentine cupcakes. They're really easy to make. You just mix up the cake mix and pour it into the cupcake liners. Then you put a marble, or in my case, a ball of aluminum foil in the pan with the cupcakes. As they bake the ball causes the batter to indent and make a heart. Then I iced them and sprinkled red sugar on top of them. They were yummy, and everyone seemed to enjoy these Valentine treats.

My Hometown: Cherokee, AL

Last Saturday February 1, I went to Cherokee to celebrate my mother's birthday. On the way I decided to make some pictures of the places that were important to me as I grew up.

This picture above is the house I grew up in. I lived here until I went to Freed-Hardeman. My parents still live here on Cross Street. Our neighbors were the Moores and the Dodsons. We spent lots of time riding bikes and playing outside with our neighborhood friends.

The picture with the American flag is the Rock Crusher. I remember playing outside and hearing the dynamite blasting. The flag was painted to the side of the building after 9/11.

I went to Cherokee Middle School for grades 5-8. Mostly I had wonderful teachers throughout my educational career. In fifth grade I had Mrs. Ruth Guthrie for homeroom. Some great teachers taught fifth grade that year: Mrs. Cone, Mrs. McWilliams, and Mrs. Beene. In sixth grade I had Mrs. Judy Williams for homeroom. I also had Mrs. Thompson (we called her Debo) and Mrs. Haley. Fifth and sixth grade classrooms were in an old part of the school, but when we went to seventh grade, we got to be in the new part of the school. I had some great teachers in seventh and eighth grade as well. I loved middle school so much that I didn't want to go to high school. Sadly, the student population has decreased so much that the middle school has now been closed down. Below is the elementary school I attended for grades 2-4. I went to another building for first grade, and then after school started for second grade, we moved into this new school. I call it new, but we moved in the 1974-75 school year. My first grade teacher was Mrs. Mitchell. She's since passed away, and I went to her funeral. I think her funeral was the first one I ever attended. She was a wonderful teacher. My second grade teacher was Mrs. Crocker. She, too, was a wonderful teacher and person. In third grade, my teacher was Mrs. Strickland. In fourth grade I had Mrs. Hayes. I loved elementary school and dreaded going to the middle school. I started riding the bus in the afternoons when I attended school here.

This picture shows my high school. I didn't want to go to high school, but once I got there I had a great time. I had great teachers - Mrs. Mills, Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Chumbley....I loved all the sports teams we played - football, basketball, and baseball. I graduated valedictorian of my class in 1985. I loved high school so much that I was very nervous about going to college.

I attended Cherokee Church of Christ from the time I was born. I have wonderful memories of going to church here and many people who have made life-long impressions on me - Mrs. Holt, Coach Hubbard, Kenny and Patricia, my Granny, Tommy and Evelyn, my parents, and the list could go on and on. L.D. Willis baptized me in February 1976 on a Wednesday night. I have tried since then to live right and to bring as many friends with me to heaven. Wayne and I got married here on July 22, 1989.

Grisham & Guthrie was a hardware business. My friend Mona's grandfather owned it. It's since closed.

The Cherokee Post Office was very important to me when I was the editor of the yearbook in high school. We would work right down to the wire on the deadlines and then rush the shipment to the post office.

Colonial Bank - it has a new name now - is where my parents do their banking. We had our wedding reception in the banquet room of the bank.

Old Cherokee - Mr. Harris was a prominent citizen. The football stadium is also named after him.

Chevron station

My Granny's house. It doesn't look like it did when she was alive. She always had lots of flowers and bushes as well as places to sit on the porch. I spent so many wonderful hours inn this house with my sweet Granny.

My aunt Evelyn's house. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful family members. Stacy and I stayed here with Tommy, Evelyn, and Melinda when Mother got burned and then when Chris was born. Tommy died of a heart attack here several years ago. Evelyn works hard to stay busy since then. We all miss him so much!

Thankful Thursday

I cannot believe that it's been an entire week since I've been able to add a post to my blog, but the stomach virus invaded my life on Saturday. I have a lot to be thankful for on this Thursday!!

1. I am sooooo thankful to be feeling better! I started feeling pretty rotten on Saturday evening and today's really the first day I've felt 100%. It's so easy to take "feeling good" for granted. I'm going to try to remember that.

2. I spoke at Lectureship on Wednesday morning (with lots of help from Becky), and I'm so thankful that everything went well. I prepared for 100 and only about 10 showed up, but I hope those 10 learned something about teaching David's psalms to preschoolers.

3. I am very thankful that the FHU Lions basketball team continues to work hard and play well. They are doing a great job and have moved up to #13 in the NAIA rankings!

4. I am thankful that I got to spend some time with my mother, daddy, sister, and nephew on Saturday before I got sick. We celebrated mother's birthday with a lunch at the Rocking Chair in Tuscumbia. I really enjoyed that meal of catfish before I got sick. I may never eat catfish again.

5. I am thankful for good friends who pitch in and help when you're sick. A big thanks to Sandy for teaching my Sunday morning Bible Class and to Becky for being "on call."

6. I am thankful that Wayne got a new truck and all the doors actually open!!

7. I am thankful for Sandy who keeps my class running smoothly when I have to be gone. This week I was sick on Monday and spoke at the Lectureship on Wednesday.

8. I am thankful for my electric blanket during this cold spell.

9. I am thankful for Sprite. It's kept me going this week.

10. I am very, very thankful that so far no one else in my family has gotten the stomach virus. I hope they are fortunate enough to miss it.

This has been a very busy week in Henderson with the Lectureship and everything going on associated with it, but it took a stomach virus to make my world come to a screeching halt. It really made me think about how many things I have to be thankful for. How about you?