Superstitious?

Each year since sometime in the 1990s I've eaten blackeyed peas on New Year's Day. In the South, they claim eating these on New Year's Day will bring good luck for the year. I think you're supposed to eat them with collard greens too.
When I started this tradition I remember the year had been a bad one, and I was open to any suggestion to make the new one better. I don't remember if it worked, but I've kept up the tradition.
I pair them with hash browns. Not sure why, it just seemed like a good thing at the time.
At the grocery store today I picked up my can of blackeyed peas and paid that outrageous amount of more than $1 for them.
Tonight we'll probably eat something easy, like spaghetti or chili and chips, and watch something on the Internet about the festivities around the world. Tomorrow I'm going to make snacky foods and we'll sit around and eat all day and play games. The meal will consist of hash browns, blackeyed peas and greens, probably some corn and green beans for Sean, and maybe some chicken. (He doesn't like blackeyed peas.)
The photo above was taken from the Allen's Web site. I can't get the Southern Style where we live. I get the regular plain blackeyed peas.
I really like them, but I just wonder why they're so expensive. Are blackeyed peas difficult to grow? Are they difficult to harvest? Maybe they're only expensive here.

Some Christmas Eve/Day highlights

Yesterday we wore our matching aprons that Aunt Bennie made for us, and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Sean mixed the dry ingredients, and then slowly added them to the wet mixture. He likes to operate the mixer.

We posed for a couple of pictures in front of one of our trees. This one is the Santa tree in the dining room. I thought of having a family photo with the dog, but figured the cats would freak out.

OK. Now this one has a story to it. I wanted to bake an apple pie. Then I decided that it would be fun to give little miniature pies as gifts. Oh, but how would I do it? I don't have tiny pie pans. I have a loaf pan that makes tiny loaves. I use it for banana bread. I would have made that too, but I didn't have bananas, nor the time to do all of this in one day.

Back to the apple pies.

So I remembered that I had these little foil muffin tins that are heart shaped. I got them at the dollar tree who knows when. I've been waiting for the perfect time (like Valentine's Day) to use them. But I figured they were the right size and they could work. Hearts convey love, and I love my family -- weird as we all are.

While the first batch of cookies were in the oven, I started on the dough. As I made the dough I thought of the muffin tins and how the heart shape just wasn't what I was going for. I pulled out some cookie cutters that are Christmas shapes (stockings, trees, etc.) They were too big.

It hit me. I knew that somewhere in my crafting supplies I had a stencil of Santa.

Believe me when I say I don't aspire to be a baker. I really just wanted to have something fun, a conversation piece and yummy individual treat for all of my family members.

The tins are very flimsy, so they're not really a good idea for pie dough. It was difficult to get the dough into them and then getting the top on and pinched together was even harder.

By the time I had four of these finished I was completely wiped out. I decided to use this as a test run, and maybe I'll do it for real next year.

The cookies on the other hand turned out very delicious. They're still good today, but were best last night.
Sean said they were mouth watering good.
We had a couple of them after we got back from the Christmas Eve service at church, and then tracked Santa for a while before getting to bed.

This morning at 2, Sean came into my room to inform me that Santa had left the gift he asked for, and then proceeded to excitedly tell me the features of his Star Wars Republic Gunship. I had been asleep for maybe an hour or so. I mulled it over in my mind, "Up at 2 a.m. to open gifts/play, then back to bed (doubtful), or up until time to go to his Dad's house and both of us in a horrible mood by noon, with more family events planned for the day? No."
So I made him go back to bed. I got up at 8:30 a.m. and found him in bed, but all of his ship was assembled and sitting in his bedroom floor.
Jewel found this thing and mailed it to a family member, who then handed it off to me. Places I looked it was out of stock, and online they were going for $300 + last time I checked.

This camera is making me crazy, but here it is. The Star Wars The Clone Wars Republic Gunship. And the smiling face of a boy who believes.

What a season

Sean and one of his friends at church were shepherds this year in the play.

It's the joy of childhood, that freedom to imagine and dream and believe. Christmas.
Sean knows we celebrate this holiday because we are Christians, and we give gifts because we are so happy that God sent Jesus for us.

I remember being quite mad about the whole Santa Claus thing as a kid, and didn't want my kids to havethat experience. But the whole of American society, as well as others, seem to live through the disappointment. That magic, the time of believing, forms some of our favorite memories of childhood.

Last year we used NoradSanta to track him as he flew closer to our house. Sean remembered that and asked early on this month if we could track him yet. The excitement has been building.

Santa called him last week. He knew that Sean had been working at the food bank, and he talked to him for a few minutes on the phone about what he wished to have under the tree on Christmas morning. This has been a HUGE thing. For a few minutes just after he hung up the phone he started to quiz me. He wondered if a family member had been behind the whole thing, or maybe I had told someone to call. In the end he decided it had to be the real deal.
Then he immediately called family members to tell them Santa had called.

Once he made his round of calls, I asked what he and Santa had talked about. He said an elf got on the phone too, and sounded "about this big" as he motioned with his hand above the table about a foot high.
As the week has progressed, he has revealed more of the conversation.

At first he only said that Santa said he was working on his toy and he could expect it under the tree. He wants a Star Wars Republic Gunship. I was interested in talking to Santa sometime soon, because those things are quite expensive, and they are "out of stock," everywhere I have looked. I now see them going for $300 + online. It seems every day Sean has said, "Santa said I could expect it under the tree. He didn't mention any problem."

Today Sean told me Santa said the reindeer only need one carrot because they can share. And he has had a problem with them eating the cookies, which are his favorite, of course.

It has been such a fun Christmas season this year. He totally enjoys Christmas music. Until this year his favorite Christmas song has been "Noel." His favorite this year is "Oh Holy Night." LOVES it, and asks me to turn up the radio when it comes on. It is also on the movie "Home Alone," and he has watched that several times -- maybe more than several.

He loves "It's a Wonderful Life," and has watched it over and over too. Tonight he said his favorite part is when George is in the cemetery. I'm not sure why, unless he thought that would freak me out.
But he asked a couple of questions about the story and when I explained that the grave stone was George's brother's, because if George had never been born, his brother would have died, Sean suddenly said, "Oh! I get it." Then he explained it back to me, and realized that he wouldn't have been there to save him when he fell through the ice.

I've been able to sit and watch some of these movies with him. We started early and ordered a lot through Netflix. We watched the Charlie Brown Christmas, which we own, and The Grinch, and we got Frosty and Rudolph. When he watches them a second time I've been off to work at my desk. Deadlines. I'm almost finished.

I hope we can make some cookies and bake at least one apple pie in the next couple of days.
Christmas Eve we will participate in the service at our church.

I think this is the most full Advent Season we've ever had. It has been filled with lots of church activities and a lot of being at home, listening to music and decorating, watching movies that we watch each year, and enjoying the time we have together.

 We haven't been shopping. I took him to see Santa at the Mall, but I don't think we even bought anything, except the pictures.

Longest Night

Karen took this picture in 2006 when she was visiting. 

I would have scanned the pic, but the scanner is on the fritz. 

Tomorrow we recognize the longest night of the year. I've seen some scientific information that reveals  it varies depending on where you live. Your longest night could've even been in November and you didn't even realize it.

I have always enjoyed the seasons, and by the time each one is approaching I'm usually ready for it. I begin to look forward to those short days when it is dark at 4:30 p.m. here and it comes as a comfort to me. I've even enjoyed the days that meld together into one long time of gray. In summer I can usually tell what time it is by looking outside, but this time of year it is difficult. What time is it? someone may ask.
My response is "Gray."

Last year was a very difficult winter for me. The gray descended upon us and I couldn't tell if it was morning or evening, and the color matched my mood. It was our first year without my mother. She died just before Christmas in 2007, but as anyone who has been through grief can tell you, it's the year after the death that gets you. That first birthday, Easter, or Christmas without them is the toughest.
This year I am recovered from that grief, though I still have tearful moments when I am reminded of certain things we experienced. And I miss her every day. It so happens that the anniversary of her death is close to the longest night of the year. I'm not sure I'll make it to the Longest Night Service at church tomorrow night. Things are busy with deadlines, etc. But I know in the small moments when I take a break she will be on my mind, as will other loved ones who have died that I miss. (Grandpa Dave, Aunt Alice, Uncle Dan, Uncle Elmer, Aunt Muriel, Grandpa, Aunt Gee, Granny Myers, Aunt Beulla, Grandma Hart, Grandpa Hart, Granny and Pa)

I have many, many fond memories of Christmas time with my mom. I remember she always made Christmas fun for us. She had Alvin and the Chipmunks on the record player as Christmas approached, and I always helped her wrap what seemed like hundreds of presents. She loved Elvis, and played his Christmas album during the holidays. We helped her decorate our tree each year, and she always baked a ham on Christmas Eve. I only remember a few of the things I ever got at Christmas, but I certainly remember the time we spent together.

I am also reminded of the tough time that we went through in November and December 2007, when she was so sick. But with that are memories of some very wonderful people who helped us to keep her home and care for her here ~~Hospice nurses.

As I've gone through this experience, I can relate to my grandmother in some ways that I didn't before. I used to wonder (only a few years ago) why she would say things like, "My mother would never believe how this town has changed." I would think to myself, "Well, of course. It's been more than 40 years since your mother died."
And now I find myself saying "My mother would never believe how this town has changed."  In just two years there have been a lot of changes. We have a Costco that my mom saw being built, but didn't get the chance to walk into. We have new roads, and new buildings in the places we used to drive and shop.

And I know none of that matters. She is in a place that is beyond anything any of us can imagine, and I know Costco doesn't compare, even though she really liked Costco ;-)
I think this must be how we process the death. It is a huge landmark in our lives, a place where a part of our lives abruptly stopped. When the loved one was living we saw and experienced things, not realizing that someday those tiny moments, like a meal at a fast food restaurant, would become a favorite memory.
As new buildings go up, homes are torn down, or babies are born, it reminds us that we can't share any more moments. Not even the tiny ones.

The Revels

www.revels.org/
Couldn't take pictures, so I'm glad I didn't drag my camera to this event. There is a video at the link above that will give you a glimpse of what we saw.
Sean and I invited my aunt Bennie to come with us to see The Christmas Revels last night. It was a good show and we had fun.
Note to self: Always be sure we have had a meal and some outside play time prior to attending a sit-down-for-3-hours event.
Sean enjoyed a lot of it, but he was very hungry because we didn't get time to eat before we left. It was truly too early to eat until almost time to leave, and I planned to stop for fast food on the way. However, getting out the door is sometimes like herding cats. He needed to make a major bathroom visit prior to leaving (and for that I am very thankful) and then we were running a bit late. Picked up my aunt, got on the road and you know how you just don't want to lose the momentum? Well, I just went straight there thinking we had already eaten a few snacks, like Cuties. (Another subject for another post)
It clearly wasn't enough to hold us over.
But the show was nice, and the theatre was great. We've been there before.
This year's Revels show was "In celebration of the winter solstice with traditional dances, processionals, carols and drama."
There were The Celestial Fools, Karavana Sefaradi, The Revels Chorus, The Hobble Knobble Children, Wassail Bells, Seattle Brass Ensemble, Abbotts Bromley Horn Dance and special guest: DEATH.
Sean and I had fun trying to keep an eye on DEATH to see where he was lurking on stage. It was a guy (very skinny) in a head-to-toe costume that looked like a skeleton with a hat. He stayed in the shadows most of the show, moving from one area to another watching the festivities.
We sang several songs as a group, including "Dona Nobis Pacem," and "Star Round," a round by Mozart, and one that is being sung by Revels in 10 American cities, "Sussex Mummers Carol."
Words below, in case you would like to sing along ;-)
God bless the Master of this house with happiness be side; Where-e'er his body rides or walks, his God must be his guide, his God must be his guide.
God bless the Mistress of this house with gold chain round her breast; Where-e'er her body sleeps or wakes, Lord send her soul to rest, Lord send her soul to rest.
God bless your house, your children too, your cattle and your store; The Lord increase you day by day, and send you more and more, and send you more and more.

2006-christmas

Click here to view these pictures larger

This is Sean with Santa from the FD in 2006. We'll miss this.
 Since we moved here, it has been a fun part of the holidays
 to hear the siren a few streets over and know Santa was on his way. We'd bundle up in our warmest clothes to stand outside,
 for sometimes more than 30 mins. to wait. The fire truck
was first with the lights and siren, and the loud speaker announcement, "Santa is coming." We would watch as
 the truck with Santa's sleigh rounded the corner at the
bottom of our hill, and made its way up the street over
from ours. Excitement would build and everyone would
be anxious for their turn to get on the sleigh and sit on
Santa's lap. In this photo, Sean wouldn't get on the sleigh,
so Santa came to him.

This time of year my mom would be really excited for this
event. In  2005 he didn't come to our street. We heard the
sirens the next street over, and never saw the fire truck or
the sleigh. Mom was pretty upset about the whole thing and
put in a call to the fire department to let them know a little
boy stood here in the cold for a long time waiting for a
Santa who never came. The next night he made a personal appearance on our porch with candy cane in hand and I
think he must have gone to each house on our street
wishing everyone a personal "Merry Christmas."

Christmas 2005

This was taken in our front yard in 2005.

It was one of those rare moments when there was fresh snow, and a willing participant.

We haven't seen snow yet this year.

This is the House That Sean Built

This was our day to go to the local library for a free Gingerbread House activity sponsored by Friends of the Library. So I tried to get Sean settled down and in bed at a decent hour last night, but for some reason this kid has become a night owl. He got up really well this morning, but everything seems to take longer when you have to be somewhere at a specific time. I thought we were going to be late. We were 30 minutes early--only because I thought it started at 10 a.m. and it wasn't until 10:30, and because the clock on our stove is about five minutes fast.

Sean devoured this Curious George book in the few minutes we had before "Story Time" began prior to our Gingerbread House activity.

So we looked around the library and Sean chose a few books, and then a few more, until I said, "We don't have our book bag today and we have to carry all of these." He read a book while we waited for everyone to arrive. Then the Children's Librarian read a cute book about a Gingerbread Man who became a toy pirate. When she finished reading the book, she demonstrated for the kids how to spread icing onto the bottom of a box and "glue" it to the tray, and proceed to glue on the graham crackers to make the house.

The Children's area was decorated nicely and the kids enjoyed the book.

We all filed into the room where there were long tables set up with everything we needed right in front of us. A styrofoam tray, the white box, graham crackers, a Dixie cup of white frosting with a popsicle stick for spreading, and a baggie filled with cookies, peppermint candies, candy canes, and jolly ranchers. I helped spackle a bit, but it was all Sean's design. Of course some of those candies had to be saved for a snack.

The finished product, complete with a window upstairs, front door to match, and beautiful red and white pillars at the front;-)

A side view of the Gingerbread Mansion.

 I took one picture during construction, but I'm having a lot of trouble with the camera these days and it didn't turn out. After that one picture, Sean didn't want me to take any more of him working. He carefully chose where everything would be, and I helped with the frosting.

This was a lot of fun, and we even ran into some of Sean's old schoolmates.

It was the first time I've ever made a Gingerbread House and I've always heard they are very difficult. I remember an in-law (in the late '80s) saying she watched Martha Stewart do it and she made it look easy. She tried the same thing and it was a disaster. She used an expletive to refer to Martha after that.

This one was pretty simple, and I think this would make a wonderful activity for a winter birthday party, or a children's Christmas party.

A Special Nativity

This Nativity set is one that was given to me in about 1990 or 1991. David and Jewel were small, probably 5 and 6.
It was given to me by Mrs. Isaac, the mother of an old boyfriend.
I have brought it out each Advent season, and it is very special to me, I think because it is so child friendly. It is hand-made of wood and the people and animals are painted.  I have always put it out where it could be touched and allowed the kids to "play" with it as long as it was put back.
Mrs. Isaac said a man made it and gave it to their family. I was touched that she would give it to us.
Each year I bring it out I think of the man who made it. I never met him, but I imagine he must have put a lot of work into it, crafting it with care and love. It is perfect for little hands, and a great way for children to explore the story of Jesus.
Sean has also enjoyed this set, and this year we have it on the china cabinet.
It came with a little lamb, but when Sean pulled it out of the box he set it on the coffee table. We have two new kittens who like to bat things around and carry them off. I hope we find the lamb sometime soon.
I have another set, or maybe two more. This house is small, so I haven't displayed the others this year. Last year I set one outside on our porch inside a "barn" scene that I found at a thrift store for almost nothing (maybe 50 cents.) Seems like one or all of the pieces was tipped over each time we went in or out the door, so I abandoned that idea this year.
One minister at a Presbyterian church in Asheville said she had her Nativity set "travel" through her home during Advent season, and she moved the pieces closer to the manger each day. Finally on Christmas the pieces were all together at the manger.
I think that is a neat idea. We've never done that, but I think it would be a nice way to focus each day of the season on the coming of Christ.

Long Journey

King Herod addresses us, and his guard is not happy with us. 

Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph - and some guy with a guitar.

Our tickets. We were in group 37. 

Last night Sean and I took a long journey. We drove to Auburn, which is quite a ways from where we live. I ordered tickets (or reserved our spot) for Journey to Bethlehem last week. It was the only such Christmas drama I could find. There are some drive-through and walk-through manger scenes, etc., but this one was different.

I didn't know what to expect, but I figured it was on the scale of an outdoor drama of the crucifixion I played Mary Magdelin in when I was in high school. The ticket confirmation suggested warm clothing and be ready to walk for about 30 minutes. Our reservations were for 8:30 p.m. That's a little late to be out walking around for us, but I thought it would be a nice way to prepare for Christmas.

So I drove, and Sean fell asleep on the way. I wondered if it was going to be a mistake to go, because sometimes he wakes up grumpy and if he falls asleep that early I worry he's getting sick. (It was only about 7 p.m.) It was really cold. We wore our flannel-lined jeans and heavy coats, etc.

Sean woke up before we got there. We were stuck in traffic for a while because of an accident on I-5. I started to worry we might be late because I had never been to this place.

It was a campus. I thought it was a church, but it was a church/campus at Auburn Academy Church. It was a Seventh Day Adventist Church.

When we finally found where we were supposed to be, and got our tickets, we had to walk across to the campus to wait inside the church for our number to be called. We were put into groups, and our group was 37. I didn't expect that, I thought we would just get our tickets and walk through.

Our number was flashed on the screen, and once we all made it out the door, we were taken into a different world. We were part of the family from Capernaum, commanded by King Herod to search for the new Messiah.

This was way more than I expected. The costumes were great, and the actors were too. Sean was offered fish in the market place; we were invited to be part of a wedding celebration; we met Zacharias and Elizabeth who told us about their baby John, and how Zacharias couldn't speak for nine months. We kept searching for the Messiah, and along the way we met the Magi. They showed us the gifts they were taking to the baby, and told us about the star they had seen and that we should also follow it. There were lots of real animals, donkeys and camels, etc. It was really a good time. I didn't mind the cold until the last part.

As we walked to our car one of the men directing traffic said the numbers were around 960 for that night. I didn't realize the scope of this event until I read the program while we waited inside the church. The program says more than 8,000 people are expected this year. Last year there were 5,000.

It is a free event, and donations benefit the Auburn Food Bank. Last year the event raised $5,000 for the food bank.

My only complaint, and I hate to even complain because it was such a nice ministry for the community, is that we were rushed through. I think the event has gotten so big that they have to do it that way.

I didn't say anything about that to Sean, I asked him what he thought of it and he said he didn't like being rushed. He also was a little afraid, I think. Everything looked very real. (Even the fish were real.) The Roman guards were really mean and had swords. Sean said they were real swords.

The first year there were 100 actors, this year there were 325, with 175 supporting roles behind the scenes, and more than 250 musicians who share music during the wait time.
As I said, it was more than I expected.

Good Ole St. Nick

Yesterday we decided it was a good day to visit Santa. I think there has only been one year that Sean would not sit on Santa's lap.

Last year we had  Santa sightings at several places, including our bank. He was putting something in the trunk of his 1970s model Cadillac. It was an impromptu meeting because I didn't know Santa was at the bank, but of course we had to say hello. Luckily he was headed back inside and Sean got to sit on his lap. Unfortunately I had only my cell phone, and that pic wasn't great. He was a great Santa, real beard, nice outfit. Sean decided he was the real guy. But he wasn't sure why he was driving a Cadillac and what he had done with the Reindeer.

Other than that, we didn't go anywhere to see Santa and just waited for him to come by our house. Our local fire department has had Santa visits to all the neighborhoods in our community for as long as we've lived here.  It is very cute, and such a great community service. The truck stops so the kids can get on the sleigh and have time with Santa and Mrs. Claus, they get a candy cane and we can take pictures.  I'm not sure they will do it this year. Money is tight, and the schedule doesn't have neighborhoods listed, only major centers in each area.

I wanted to have a nice picture this year. Sean is 7, and I started thinking this could be our last year for that true Santa experience.

In the past he has been excited to see Santa, but this year was over the top. He has asked several times how we can tell if it's the real one. As we stood in line - a short line YAY! Sean was inspecting him, craning his neck around people and surveying the lay of the land. He was asking if the trees around the set up were real. Some were, some weren't.

When it was his turn, he willingly sat right on his lap and told Santa what he wanted. He smiled for pictures, which I paid way too much for.  I did get to take some with my camera, but the sign said only if you were buying.

After the visit we went to eat at the food court. That is where Sean told me he thought it might have been the real Santa. Real beard, and seemed like the real thing.

FISH for those in need

I don't have a picture to go with this post, though I did have my camera. Space was tight and opportunities for photos were low.
Sean and I spent the morning at our local food bank helping stock the shelves. We are fortunate to have a food bank here, because the assumption is that there are no poor people living here. Some people from our church started the F.I.S.H. Food Bank in our town some years ago. We saw today that it is filled to the brim with donations, and is serving the people in need.
There was a bit of drama at the place, and for that I am sorry. I was saddened by an exchange that I overheard there between two workers. I plan to talk to some people at church about it, in hopes that something can be done to help with the problem. I think there are some people from our church who are still involved with the food bank, but I don't think the director goes to our church.
Anyway, one of the newspapers I freelance for was helping out today, so we signed up.
I saw that they can definitely use some help, and if it works out, maybe Sean and I will start going there on Fridays to help out. (If the atmosphere is better next time we go)
Sean helped put a few things on shelves, but mostly talked with one of the older gentlemen there about Star Wars while I put things away. The man asked if we were coming back next week, and he would have something specifically for Sean to do. He wasn't one of the people in an argument, but definitely seemed concerned about the episode.
I was surprised to see all sorts of things on the shelves, from soap and cat litter to pet food and clothing, draperies and dish detergent.
Sean understood why we were there. I think this is something we will just put on our calendar and make it a weekly activity.

The gift of giving

Sean signed the Christmas card we included in the shoebox, and he was super excited to take his box to the drop-off site.

I've been patiently waiting for Sean to get to a developmental stage for joyful giving. Until now he has still been in that stage of "I want to keep that," so I've waited. I don't think it is a good idea to force kids to give when they don't want to. I think if we model it for them, talk about why it is important, and wait, they will come to it on their own. That is true joyful giving, and that is what I've wanted for him. He has a generous nature, so I knew he would get to this point.

He finally is really starting to get it, so this year I offered to let him pack a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child. I explained what Operation Christmas Child is, and he decided to pack a shoebox.

We talked about where it might go -- some country far away to a little boy just his age who has no home, who has been the victim of war, or other heartache and difficulties. He said he hopes it will go to a child in South America.

We talked about the many children in the world who have never had a toy, and maybe his box would go to a child like this, or who lost all of his toys when his home was destroyed. We talked about how this child might not know Jesus, maybe never heard of him, and I explained that the people who help deliver these boxes to the children also put a little book in the box that tells about Jesus.

Sean was very excited to pack his own box. We had a few things in the closet to put in the box, and then he carefully shopped at Target to fill it. We included a Christmas card with the Nativity scene, and a picture of Sean. On our way to drop it off we stopped for nuggets at McDonald's and he got a toy in the Happy Meal that he already had. He decided to put it in the box too.

He was curious to know where the box would go, who the child was that would receive it. If I had realized I could, I would have filled out the form online to track the box. I think that is a very exciting feature, and we'll do it next year. But I didn't know, so I just said we have to pray about it, and God will make sure that box gets to just the right boy.

It was a wonderful feeling to watch him pack the box, joyfully giving all of these nice little trinkets and candy, most of which he doesn't have. He doesn't need them, of course, but in the past he would have wanted one for himself.

He put it all in the box.

He normally doesn't like his picture taken, but I asked if I could take a picture of him giving his box at the drop-off site. He agreed. When we got there, he started to give the box to the lady working there, and then pulled back and said, "My Mom is going to take a picture." So she suggested he put the shoebox in the big packing box for the photo.

The big smile on his face in the photo is precious to me. He was so happy to give, and it was all on his own. I didn't push, or force, or cajole. It was simply a choice. And to me that is the best way to give.

What would you do with $350,000

Today Michael Jackson's white rhinestoned glove sold for $350,000. It struck me that when something is sold at auction for what is to me a large amount of money, I am surprised. In some cases it could be something valuable, such as a very beautiful and rare painting. When that happens I always hope the person purchasing the item will preserve it, and even make it available in some way to the rest of us who could never afford it.
But today we're talking about a glove.
If I had that much money, I'd like to think I could find a more creative way to spend it. Maybe fund research to help eradicate a disease, dig 70 wells for people in some area of Africa who don't have clean water, help fill a school library with books for children in a rural area of our own country-- good gracious the list is endless. But a glove???
What would you do with $350,000?

Snapshots of Fall

Sean loves every little creature, and that includes snails. We have an abundance of these, and he frequently brings them inside to watch them slime along on various surfaces--yep, even his face. I've grown to love all things boy, and now embrace slime, and the beauty of snakes and frogs and even spiders. As long as he loves to learn about them, I get just as excited as he does.

For a while there, Sean was starting to get his days and nights mixed up. So it was to the point of ridiculous, and I decided I was going to wear him out and get him to bed early one day last week. We went to the park and he ran and played for well over an hour. Blew homeschool day, but hey, it got him back on track. This pic is as the sun is setting. It was getting pretty chilly, and he was getting tired.

As if life wasn't full enough, I decided it would be a good idea to get a kitten. We have a dog, and we love her. But I thought Sean would enjoy an inside pet. I've had cats before, but one at a time. I thought maybe it would be better to have two and they could play and have a companion and not cry all night long. We got these two on Monday night. They race through the house all night, wreaking havoc on anything that isn't too heavy to knock over. Sometimes I think I should have my head examined.

But they are very cute, and I think it will be good for Sean to learn how to take care of them.

Sean's Jack-o-Lantern

We went to the poor man's pumpkin patch yesterday. The big cardboard bins at Fred Meyer.
Oh, I've made that Be a Good Mom syndrome trip to the cute pumpkin patch and paid an outrageous price. One year I think I spent close to $40-some on a couple of pumpkins and a carving tool set which promptly bent and broke after about a minute of cutting into the pumpkin.
Right.
Sean carefully chose a pumpkin from the three bins, we paid our $3 and brought our new friend home. When we were ready, he drew the design he wanted. I transfered it to the pumpkin and we got to work.
I believe I have carved a pumpkin with my kids for about 18 or so years. Some years we had more than one because the elongated shape lent itself to ghostly faces, and the squat ones more of the traditional creepy snaggle toothed types.
It is pouring rain as I write this. Predicted weather for Halloween? You got it, pouring rain. So I think we will choose an inside gig.
We usually have a huge decoration in the yard that I got on super sale at Big Lots a few years ago. We call it "The Great Pumpkin," and it rises in our front yard. It's one of those popular ones you plug in that fills with air. Not sure he'll make it to our yard this year with all the rain.
But this little guy will be on our porch and we'll attempt to keep him glowing.

Do you see what your children are seeing?

In the past I have been a big fan of children's movies. In more recent years I've been disappointed by the quality on several levels. But there is one thing I didn't see and it took Sean to show me that what some people have been saying for years is really true.

He enjoys movies. He loves Peter Pan, and has for a while now. We recently found the old movie, "Hook," at a thrift store and he watched it for a few days. It's the story of Peter Pan all grown up, who has to go back to Neverland and fight Captain Hook again to save his children. But really it's about a dad who is way too focused on work and worldly things instead of being present for his kids. It's cute.
For years people have been saying that Disney movies are produced in a racist way. The good guys are always white. Bad guys are black, and sometimes the black animated characters (such as the crows in Dumbo) are portrayed with a Southern accent and obvious black dialect.
I could see it, but also always said people can take anything and pick it apart and make it into something to support their agenda.
Sean is a brown child, with brown eyes and very dark brown- almost black hair.
Recently he started saying things like, "I wish I had white skin." We talk about that and how God made him brown, and God believes he is wonderful just the way he is, and I do too. I love his brown skin and think it is beautiful.
Another night as I put him to bed he said, "I wish I had blue eyes." I asked why, and he said because in the movies, the one the movie is about always has blue eyes and they're the good guys."
He has noticed it in other films too, and cartoons.
Now my job is to subtly replace those with more healthy options, if I can FIND ANY! I could do away with movies and cartoons all together, but I don't think that is realistic.

It's a Wild West out there

Danna, Rodika, Irene and myself at Seattle University 

for the Northwest Journalism Conference.

The campus was very nice, and I love the fall colors.

I attended a Journalism conference yesterday in Seattle and it was AWESOME. All three of the sessions I attended were incredible, filled with some of the best minds and best journalists around. A bunch of the former P-I guys have launched a non-profit online news site, and there are several others that have cropped up as well.

You should check these out: westseattleblog.com

That one is run by a woman who used to be a newsroom manager at a TV station years ago. She and her husband manage this site 24-7 and do it in shifts. It is for profit and they're bringing in 6 figures a year.

pubicola.net is run by a guy who was an editor of a city paper called The Stranger. publicola started with what it did best, politics in Olympia, and then expanded to include other topics. The amount of coverage for Olympia dropped from 30 reporters to 7 since the cutbacks in newspapers.

crosscut.com  also does some politics, but more analysis type stuff. They just recently went to non-profit.

Another bunch of P-I people launched invw.org, an investigative news site.

Sounded like all of these guys link to each other's sites too.  Journalism is becoming much more cooperative, and I've seen that out in my area as well. A quasi-competitor of mine and I frequently share story ideas, photos, etc.

There was a guy at the event named Mark Briggs who used to be the online tech guy for the Tacoma News Tribune. He has written a book that is being used in college classrooms now called Journalism 2.0. He has another one coming out soon and he also has some great info about what to do and not to do online.

The publisher/owner of the Seattle Times provided a question answer during lunch, and actually said the newspaper business model is solid, and there are other factors in the mess that people don't realize and understand. Big business conglomerates that own newspapers have tacked on debts that are pulling the newspapers under. Seattle Times is a family owned paper, one of the last in the country. 

He said he doesn't believe the online news has a good business model. But the west seattle blog lady seems to be doing something right.

Several people said Seattle is a great case study for what is happening in journalism right now.

What I saw was optimism and excitement about the endless possibilities. The theme of the day was try it and fail quickly. If you fail, do something different.

Another theme: All students graduating need to know the fundamentals of journalism, ethics, etc. but also all of the online tech tools, how to operate a video camera, edit that content, and know some html. crosscut.com and publicola.com editors both said they incorporate video into their news site.

As the former editor of the Spokane Spokesman Review said, "We're back to the Wild West days," where anyone who had a passion for getting the information out to the people could do it and they weren't considered professionals nor did they need to be.

Questions about credibility, how to identify a credible source online, and whether there should be some way to tag credible sources was discussed in one session. A big caution to where the information used in stories comes from was given. One example: information that was taken from Wikipedia and used as fact in a story. It was wrong. Also discussion about how information can travel so fast, and be wrong.

I'll end with this quote that was mentioned:

"The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue."

Edward R. Murrow

And I got that quote from a source called thinkexist.com, which also provides an icon under that quote that says, "suggest a revision." A shame Ed isn't here to correct us if we're wrong on that one.

Godly Play

I am so excited I can barely contain myself. Just a couple of weeks ago I was thinking about our church Sunday school and wishing there was a different way of teaching it. The reason I started thinking was because I received a call asking if I would teach again.  I said no to teaching this year because this is my first year of homeschool teaching and thought I would be overwhelmed. I've been a Sunday school teacher, and followed a curriculum and did what the book said, and it was fine. But after experiencing the Montessori way of learning academics, I wished there could be a Montessori way of learning about Christ and the Bible.
Well, I had no idea!
There is such a thing, and our church is starting Godly Play Sunday School this weekend!!! (There will also be traditional grades Sunday school.)
I am so excited for Sean.
And when I mentioned it to my friend Shane, she said her little boy Jacob-Joshua had been in a Godly Play Sunday school in Germany and she was looking for one here. She tried one in another city that didn't quite get it right, she said. So I think they are going to visit our church soon.
I feel like it is a validation for me in a way, on my decision to Montessori homeschool. Sean's academic and faith education will be based on the same philosophy of learning.
If you want more information about Godly Play check out this site.
Here is a description from our Sunday school letter:
The Godly Play classroom is designed so that children can use and explore everything in it. It is a safe, engaging and loving environment where what children say and do is valued and respected. The walls of the classroom are lined with shelves, each containing baskets of stories made out of beautiful, natural materials. Children are thus surrounded by the biblical story in the classroom.
And this:
During the "work" time children are invited to use the enrichment materials of the classroom to further explore the story. These include books, maps, and art materials, as well as the stories themselves. During this time, besides having fun, the children are linking up the religious language of the story with their own inner understanding, which helps them understand the story and makes it come alive. This makes sense, because in so doing they are entering into relationship with God--opening themselves to grace.

Rain and home work

Here comes the rain again...

Rain puddled onto the bottom of a metal bucket I plan to use as a planter.

We have had a little dose of fall with a cool 59 degrees and hard rain last night and today. Makes me want to curl up with a bowl of soup and watch some cool old movie. But I can't. I've got fours stories to write. Maybe later on the soup and movie.

I enjoy working from home. It is something I have wanted to do for years, and prayed that someday I would be able to do it. I have freedom to work in my pajamas if I want to, and I can go to my refrigerator whenever I want. I control the temperature here. I can't tell you how many times I just wanted to leave work because the office was soooooo cold. 

Karen and I have had conversations about this. We've both admitted to spending some time with our hands under the hot water faucet in the bathroom just to get warm. I shocked co-workers at one office because I actively sought out the maintenance guy to remedy the problem. I was shivering, and they were also cold but looked at me like I was crazy when I placed the call. I believe I left early that day because nothing was done about the temperature.

There are other positive things about working from home. If my child is sick I don't have to get permission from anyone to take off from work, and if I need to write a story at midnight, I can do that. It makes so much more sense to me to work this way. I believe I am more productive working from home. 

Working from home has made homeschooling Sean possible, and for that I am so thankful.

The only drawback, and I wouldn't even go so far as to say negative, is that I never feel like I'm "off from work." Work is always right here. I don't get a lot of down time from it, and it is always on my mind. 

But I try to think of it as a hobby that I get paid to do. I enjoy my work, and try to grab moments here and there to think of something else. Like when we go to the beach, or I take Sean to a museum.

Life is Good. I'm enjoying the ride.

Change is in the air

Sunday was beautiful, so we spent a little time at the beach.

Sean found this cool log lodged on some rocks, and he loved balancing and walking across it. I tried not to think of the jagged rocks below and just let him be a boy.

There is a different glow when the sun rays hit the water, and the chill in the air as the wind picks up is telling me to enjoy every summer moment possible before autumn arrives. We have had a very warm and pleasant summer, so I should not be as disappointed when the rain comes. There have been summers here that we didn't put on a pair of shorts the whole season, and this year we've worn them every day.

Soon the grass will be green again, and I'll be racing to get it cut before the rains come. We'll be chopping carrots for our carrot stew, firing up the pot for our beans and cornbread, and baking breads.

But we still have a little bit of summer left, and we will spend as much of it as possible at the beach.

Another blog

I've started a new blog to chart our Montessori journey. Anyone interested in lower elementary Montessori links, resources, materials, and our experience with Montessori homeschool can follow us at Montessorielementaryathome.blogspot.com

Schoolin'

I knew before the school year ended that I could not afford to keep Sean in his Montessori school. As much as a I wanted to, and looked over our budget many times to figure out a way, it just wasn't possible.

So we toured a public school that I had visited and written stories about. It was small, very close to the size of his Montessori school, and had a family feel. But it had that public school feel to it.

One example: Rules that didn't make sense to me. This particular school had drumming circle for extra curricular activity, but you couldn't participate until 4th grade. Sean has had a full drum set since he was 4. That rule just ain't right.

He has spent three years in a school that encourages the child to do what they love to do, and enjoy their work. They research what they are most interested in, and have a lot of freedom to choose the materials they want to work with, and activities they want to participate in. It has given Sean a sense of responsibility for his own education, and the confidence to succeed.

I asked myself, "so you take a child who loves music, and I mean loves it, and can mimic the sounds, and hold the beat, and you put him in a room with bongos and drums and then tell him he's too young, can't touch it, can't play, sorry?"

No.

So I decided to research other options. I got online. I found WAVA, a virtual school that is done at home and part of the state public school system. Something about it seemed rigid. It felt like public school, at home. Their idea is x minutes in a chair = x amount of learning.

Well, I don't feel like I learned much sitting in a chair when I was a kid. I think there's a better way.

That's why I put him in Montessori to begin with.

So I figured I'd just put him in the school he is supposed to go to that is within our boundary. I've heard the teachers there are good, experienced, there's an accelerated learning program there, etc.

But I just didn't feel right about it.

I went back to the computer and did more research and found there are people who do Montessori homeschool. I kept looking into it, and decided that was the answer. Montessori homeschool.

I also ran the idea past his father, because though we are no longer married, he is his father and I believe if he wants to participate in the decision he has that right.

He was all for it and offered to split the cost of materials with me.

I found an inexpensive curriculum online through a certified Montessori teacher, and got a book on the subject and I'm assembling the materials. A lot of it is free pdf downloads, and all you need is a printer and some card stock. (They suggest laminating the card stock, but we aren't doing that.)

Sean already knows the routine of how to handle the materials, and how to work independently, so I hope this will be a way to continue his education with the Montessori philosophy and that we will both enjoy it.

We plan to follow the local school year calendar, so we will begin Sept. 2, unless we get the materials I've ordered from ebay and others sooner. Sean is excited to get started. He said today, "we'll start as soon as we get the stuff." He has been involved in the selection. Whenever I find something I wonder about, I ask him if he's seen it before. Usually he says, "Oh yeah! I want one of those."

It took me a while to make a final decision, because I want him to have social time with other children. I prefer a mixed age group, like the Montessori schools, so we are visiting with a family tomorrow for a play date, and I joined a meetup group that will meet the first week of September. There are more than 20 who belong to that meetup group and I'm anxious to exchange ideas and for Sean to meet some new friends.

I'm going to look into joining the YMCA here because they have homeschool P.E. twice a week and it is very popular.

I hope to find others who use Montessori, but so far I've only met some online. Most live pretty far from us.

I'm excited about this new adventure, and so happy that Sean is so excited too.

Sean's best friend's mother is a certified Montessori teacher and she has offered to provide help and advice when I need it. What a blessing!

I have this on my wall and try to read it often, especially on those difficult days when everything seems to be going wrong.

If a child lives with criticism, 


he learns to condemn.


If a child lives with hostility, 


he learns to fight.


If a child lives with ridicule, 


he learns to be shy.


If a child lives with shame, 


he learns to feel guilty.


If a child lives with tolerance,

he learns to be patient.


If a child lives with encouragement,

he learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise, 


he learns to appreciate.


If a child lives with fairness, 


he learns justice.


If a child lives with security, 


he learns to have faith.


If a child lives with approval, 


he learns to like himself.


If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,

he learns to find love in the world.

Amanda Cater

Karen's Day today

Today is Karen Lim's birthday and I hope she is having a great day.

I wanted to scan an old photo of her to include with this post, but my printer/scanner seems to be taking a day off- maybe permanently.

Karen is one of the easiest people to hang out with, go on a road trip with, and go shopping with. She knows how to laugh and she loves the Lord. She is a great friend.

Karen taught me everything I know about Hallmark Christmas ornaments, and some other Hallmark paraphernalia. She also taught me a lot about Beanie Babies, and I still love them today. Although I don't have as many as I once had.

She also taught me about spyin, and some other things with catchy words that I won't define in this post lest we be held responsible.

She knows what I mean when I call and say, "Huh! I'll be down 'ar," and "What's yer brother gonna do for ya, hold yer hand?"

She knows a lot about a lot of things, but both of us agree, when we want to buy a boat we talk to Jerry. 'Cause Jerry knows about buyin' thangs.

Happy Birthday Karen!!

Life of an Executive editor

This has been one of the most stressful work weeks so far. Not the worst, because I've had some bad ones, and have even shed some tears over the years. It's been rough, but I realized this week why I have the fancy title and make the big dollars -LOL!

Because I work for a non-profit, there are different rules about things, especially politics. So when a community member wanted to create and pay for a negative political ad - a double truck, and for those of you who are not newspaper folk that means two full pages side by side, I had to think hard. It was also a local, community campaign. I'm talking small community here.

I not only had to think, I had to do some research. This process took about 2 1/2 days. I'm a slow thinker, yes, but that wasn't what took the 2 1/2 days.

First I knew I had to approve the ad before it could run, and made that clear through the ad rep to the customer. Then the ad had to be pre-paid, and check clear the bank prior to publication. Not a problem. As I researched a bit more it looked as if we couldn't run the ad at all, based on the code I was reading pertaining to non-profits.

The customer was not happy.

I then researched more and found something in our guidelines that led me to think maybe it was the type of ad that if we ran it, it would require him to pay for postage. Our paper is mailed, and this had to do with non-profit stuff, so he would have had to pay postage at the regular postal rate of more than $1 a copy. We mail more than 8,000 copies. Yes, the math was looking scary for this person.

And he was not happy.

I assured the ad rep I was continuing to do some research on the topic.

Oh, did I mention this ad came in on Monday - deadline day?

I decided I needed someone with legal experience to look at the code and tell me if we would be allowed to run it. It seemed we should if we ran political ads in the past, and we have.

So I called on someone with such experience. It was late, I don't know, maybe 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He assured me that we could run it and it would not have an effect on the non-profit status.

Then as I started to really read the ad and wade through it for possible libel, I again wanted some help. I consulted with that person again, the next day, and though there were a few things in the ad I had questions about, there was only one item that he said could be a problem.

I again talked to the ad rep, and the customer agreed to omit that item.

This was Wednesday, I think. It could have been yesterday morning because my days have all run together now.

At the same time I was doing the research, trying to find the person to consult with, and calling my assistant editor and chewing it over with her, stories and photos were coming at me left and right.

Also on deadline day, I got a call from an ad rep who was in the hospital and couldn't contact her customers nor could she get to her paperwork to turn in her orders for ads. Guess who had to do that?

I'm getting off topic--sort of.

There were other problems with advertising this time, but I'll keep it to this one.

In the middle of this, the customer threatened to sue if we didn't run it. Now that didn't scare me, and I put it out of my mind as I tried to get to the answers I was seeking. Some people on the board were quite frustrated with that, and I was fielding those E-mails too.

The president of the board sent an E-mail message that stated the decision was mine, and they would support me in the decision.

Meantime, stories were piled up ready to be edited, and I had a couple or three of my own that I was supposed to be writing.

On top of all of this, I had a serious E-mail exchange with a staff member that turned into a topic for our staff meeting. And as you can imagine, the staff meeting was this week too. Last night in fact.

I had to collect my thoughts, put them on paper, and present them at this meeting. I was ready for anything. (No worries, there's a liquor store just around the corner from the office. I could hit it on the way home.)

I didn't need the bottle.

The meeting was the highlight of the week. I think it's the only thing that has gone really well this week.

It's Friday, and I still have to proof the paper this weekend. But for tonight, and a little bit of tomorrow, I'm going to relax.

Then I just wait for the bombs to hit after we go to print.

Even with all of this craziness, I like my job.