05/31/09

I decided to do a different focal point on this sunflower. Trying to give different perspectives on things. That little flower seemed to be overshadowed by the largeness of the sunflower so I focused on it instead.


On this Lord's Day I was learning of what the Pharisees asked Jesus, which so many people want to know today.... "Who is Jesus?" He had already told the Pharisees earlier who He was but they didn't want to listen. It is the same with people today. All they have to do is look to God's Word and they will know Him. Unfortunately, so many people don't WANT to know who Jesus is.

John 8:15b
I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 8:25
Then said they (Pharisees) unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them,
Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

I am glad I know Who He is and have the ability to learn more each day!

05/30/09

I'm seeing a light at the end of this office mess. Hopefully Steve will paint later this afternoon/evening. Can't wait to show before/after pictures!

05/29/09

Sunflower shot.... notice the focus is in a very small area.


Today I have been married to my sweet Steve for 16 years. We are going out for supper tonight and it will be nice just to have some time with him without the distractions of school and other responsibilities hanging over my head. I love him so much more than I did on this day 16 years ago!

I was honored last night at graduation. I was presented the Elementary Teacher of the Year Award. It was a blessing and I was touched by what my peers said about me. My teaching is a gift from the Lord and without Him I am nothing so I give all of the glory to Him! Steve said he gave me a standing ovation of his own. lol That was precious to me! There were happy tears as I walked to receive the award. It did my heart good to hear others shouting their "happiness" as I walked to get it. What an honor! I am so thankful....

05/28/09

A simple fence, but it reminds me of a journey. I took this at a local park recently and love it.


A journey.

I've just finished another one of those.

A journey with 23 little people who God has entrusted into my care for an entire school year has now come to an end on this last day of school. It is so hard to see this journey end sometimes because you know what they were at the beginning and you see how far they have come by the end. I have watched my students grow and mature in so many ways. Some have had struggles all year while others have not had any "problems" and taken life in stride. Personalities blossom and confidence grows.

It is such a joy to watch them grow in the Lord! It is exciting to see how much they learn to trust and not just "regurgitate" Bible knowledge, but begin the learning process of applying principles of what has been taught into their daily lives.

It is always humbling to me to see how far they come...how the Lord gives me what I need each day to minister to all of those needs. Sometimes my ministering can be "tough" as you all know about me because I am not going to open their heads and pour in the knowledge.. it must be earned. However, they have always known they were loved through every day they have spent with me. I wouldn't be where I am if I didn't love them!

It's a bittersweet day. We're rejoicing because we need the break, but, oh... am I going to miss those kids.

I'm also going to watch my former 'children' graduate from high school tonight. It will be 20 years and 2 days after I did the same thing. Some days I don't feel as if I should be as "old" as I am, but I must admit that what the Lord has taught me on MY journey I wouldn't trade for anything to go back. With age comes wisdom if you allow the Lord to mold and shape you. That is what I pray for my students that are leaving high school tonight and going out into the "world." May they be a light for the Lord and shine as examples of what they have been taught all of these years.

I'll be cheering them from my place on the stage.

Silently there will be shed tears of joy at what they have accomplished and to know that the Lord enabled me to be a small part of that.

This is why I teach.

05/27/09

This is the same picture... the second one has a vignette around it. I'm still learning and playing in PS and wanted to get opinions. :) You may not notice as much of a difference, but I didn't want it overpowering.



Next to last day of school. I teared up today talking with my class. I am going to miss them. The kids had Field Day today and it was fun to watch. I'll post pictures later along with some end of school things.

Off to tackle more of this office. I'll get back to "deeper musings" when I finally finish all of this mess!

OK... side note of what happened after I did this post: We had a SNAKE in our house!!! I am still crazy cleaning the office and walk to the kitchen to get a bag for something. I noticed Sampson was looking up at something pretty intently, but didn't realize what he was seeing until I walked back through and saw it slithering across the window!!!!! Oh my word. I realize it was a black snake and no harm to me, but that doesn't mean I want it in my HOUSE. Steve came and took it back outside. My nerves are completely and utterly destroyed at this moment. LOL!

05/26/09

I am posting these frog pics today in honor of my Wesley. Steve recently found him a huge net that he can use to find frogs at the pond. We found these little guys at the Zoo. They were quite fun to watch. If you click the pictures you can see the wonderful markings that God has given them!

We had our second grade end of year picnic today. It was good and the Lord held off the rain. In some ways I still can't believe it is the end of the year. We're all ready for a break, but I'm just not ready to get rid of my kids. :)

I have successfully finished cleaning out the filing cabinet now in the office. I still have lots to do but I remember it is always done "little by little."

Last night I went out after the storm and photographed rain droplets. Do you want to know how much fun that was? I got some neat shots but haven't gotten them saved yet so you'll have to wait. It was so therapeutic. If this office hadn't been "calling my name" and the sun going down I would have taken more. It will give you something to look forward to seeing!

05/25/09

This is in honor of our men and women who fought for this country and paid the ultimate price. I wonder how many people really gave thought as to what this day means or did they just think of it as another day off or the beginning of summer to go to the beach?

Joshua 4:21-22
When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones? Then ye shall let your children know."

The poet George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." In the life of every nation, there are "memories" that must be preserved if that nation is to retain an awareness of its unique role among the nations of the world - indeed, among the long list of nations throughout history.

Long ago, God Himself instituted "memorials" so that the key events of history might be remembered. The rainbow was to remind God of His covenant to preserve life on the earth after the awful destruction of the Flood. Jacob set up a stone after he had seen the ladder and spoken with the angel of the Lord. Joseph insisted that the children of Israel take his bones with them into the land of promise.

In the verse above, Joshua is told by the Lord to take 12 stones out of Jordan and make a monument to commemorate the beginning of fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham centuries earlier. That day, Israel was to enter the "promised land" and start its conquest of Canaan.

The Memorial Day that we celebrate in the United States began with the ending of the Civil War. Since then, our country has added many memorials. Each of them, whether a mere plaque, a lone statue to a notable person, or a vast and sweeping edifice, are all intended to "remember" some significant event and the people who made history during that time. Typically, we honor the dead who paid the ultimate price that we might live on - and we should. There are others, though, whose sacrifices in time and treasure were enormous. May our thanks this day "remember" all of them.
-Henry M. Morris III

05/24/09

More orchids. Click on them to see more detail. :)

Let me just say... this office is in terrible shape but better than yesterday. I cannot believe how much JUNK I have kept for so long. I am so excited about how it is going to look when we get it finished. I need to get it finished before school gets out for too long because I do not want it hanging over my shoulders all summer!

05/23/09

A little bit of cactus...

Spent the day with my best friend shopping. She is re-doing an area of her house and we had the best time finding things to match.

My next adventure in our house is this office. It is in HORRENDOUS shape and needs a complete re-do, re-make and organizational blowout. We've already looked for a few things today to help with that. I'll be showing before and after pics, too. I have no idea when we will begin, but I am itching to start soon. Best of all, we are painting the room purple. :)

05/22/09

Various plants I photographed at the Zoo. I honestly have no idea what they are.



I was told today that I was "the beast" by a former student who is now in fifth grade. The child's parent told me. I chuckled because I wasn't quite sure that was a compliment. Just know I am not hairy all over and do not have fangs. lol Apparently that is right up there with "da bomb" and "awesome." I am feeling the generation gap getting wider. It did make me feel kind of nice, though.

05/21/09

A couple of different ducks and a Batelure Eagle to enjoy today. I had to photograph the eagle through a wire fence so I was pleased with the outcome. :)



Why is it that these last few days I feel I can hardly make it when I get home and I haven't taught as "fierce" as I was a week ago? I'm really feeling the need for break, it seems.

Had a dental appointment today and got home to find Steve had cooked a wonderful supper. I am so blessed to have him. I don't think I can tell him enough. He told me last week that we make a great "team"... I certainly think so. :)

Off to finish up the night "stuff."

05/20/09

Dandelions (I think) from a walk in the park the other day.


I am reminded today at how quickly time flies. I only have a few more days of watching Wesley and Mikayla in class, getting hugs from them in the hallways and on the playground, seeing them at lunch and pretty much seeing them all of the time in my building. Once they leave second grade they move to another building.

I have had the privilege of being "close" to them for four years. I am truly not wanting to think about it much as it will start the tears. I don't need that at this moment. I have eaten lunch with them for the last two days trying to soak up as many memories as I can.

I know I have been blessed to be that close to them throughout the day because many people do not have that with their children. I see it as the closest thing I will ever have to "staying home" with them. I never had that and it is something I will always miss.

I realize the next building isn't like they are moving away.

I realize this is a part of growing up.

It just makes my Mother's Heart a bit sad to know I won't be able to get those hugs that sneak up from behind or those sweet kisses in the hallway.

I have loved these days from Kindergarten till Second. I can even remember being tickled when I realized their second year of Kindergarten would give me one more year with them in my building. Now those years have flown by and it is really hitting me hard.

I can only imagine what I'll be like when they graduate from High School!!!

I'm cherishing every moment.

05/19/09

I don't know if this is strawflower or not. I saw it at the Zoo and it was so unusual and very pretty. The bloom is hard.


Here are a couple of pictures showing Wesley and Mikayla with their projects I talked about yesterday. I took these yesterday morning before we left for school. :)


If you came to my house today you would have to be ready to be "stranded on a deserted island."


For the last two afternoons Wesley and Mikayla have come home and played Swiss Family Robinson. They are reading that book right now at school and loving it. I had to chuckle as I went outside and noticed how much they have put into their imaginations.

The "flag" is made out of one of our old flag poles and a tiny branch with leaves on it. lol Wesley put water and rocks in the old water cooler container to make sure it stayed put and didn't get "blown" by the wind. (Gravity could take care of that, but we won't tell him that.) Yesterday they took all kinds of things outside with them to play. Apparently they were searching for large lizards, too. Maybe they just needed to look at my post from yesterday. (Sorry those pictures gave some of you the heebie-jeebies. ha!) The "tree house" part of their swingset must be serving as "The Nest" the family in the book made in a tree. I will say W and M were resourceful in their thinking!

You may want to click on the pictures to show a little more detail of the flag. It is hard to see against the backdrop of the trees.



I love imaginations.

I love that my children are nine and still using theirs to the best of their ability.

I love how well they play together.

I love that it is warmer and they can enjoy the day.

I love that homework is slowing down and they can actually get outside and do something without me worrying that homework isn't finished.

I love my "babies."

05/18/09

Here are three reptilian animals.... The big flat one (last one) is a Chuckwala (I hope I spelled that correctly) and I am not sure of the other two. The one in the middle was shedding his skin. Pretty neat! Again, you may want to click on them to view the detail larger. :)


I have a few moments before we leave for Wesley's baseball game.

I have to say how proud I am of my kids. I normally don't say much about what they do in school. I don't like to be one of those parents who is always going on and on about what their child (children) does. I just have to talk about them today, though.

They both had to do a Geography Project that was assigned to my class, not their own. I expected it out of them simply because they are my kids and I wanted them to do what my class was doing. I did not hear whining and complaining from them over having to do a project that was not assigned by their own teacher. They had to have a "crash course" in Geography in the process of writing this report, making a flag and drawing a map of their countries! What I have taught my other kids all year they had to learn a lot of in 2 weeks. lol They worked very hard and gave their best.

I also made them come in and present their country in front of my class. Now, if it were in front of their own class doing a project assigned in there it wouldn't be that big of a deal but this was in front of fellow peers they have not shared a class with this year. I held the same expectations for them that I did my other students and did not give in simply because they were my own children. They EARNED their grade I gave them... not that it counts for anything in their grades except that they learned something new and a job well done. That alone is priceless. They were nervous a bit today, and rightly so, but I was just beaming inside as a Mommy as I had to be "tough" on the outside as the teacher.

Thank you for giving me a few minutes to "brag." I am just quite proud of their attitude most of all, as well as what they learned. :)

05/17/09

These are pics of river birch bark. I have always found them to be beautiful. We have three in our back yard. The bark can be pulled off and people used to use it for paper long ago. Of course, paper does come from trees! :) I continue to praise the Lord for His differences in His creation. If you walk around enough and really look at things in detail without passing them by you will see how mighty our God is and that none of this happened by chance. They are all designed and you can't have design without a Creator. (click on them to view them larger)


Today at church we had a brass ensemble visit. The music was beautiful and soothing. It rained pretty hard today while we were in church so you can imagine how everyone was being lulled to sleep between the music and rain! There were several songs they performed this morning whose words were so beautiful. Here is one of them as we praise the Lord for all He has done and given.

This song comes from Psalm 150. Verse 6 of that Psalm says - Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

Praise to the Lord

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,
the King of Creation!
O my soul, praise Him,
for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
Now to his temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!

Praise to the Lord!
O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath,
come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen
Sound from His people again:
Gladly for aye we adore Him.

Praise to the Lord,
who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings,
yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
How They desires e'er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?

05/16/09

Lilac from a neighbors house.... the second is my favorite. Click on them to see them better.

Today my parents have been married 45 years.

What a testimony of love and devotion they have been for me. They have modeled so many things for me over the years and it has been a blessing to know they have dedicated themselves to each other for so long. Before Steve and I got married my Daddy told him that the "D" word (divorce) would never be an option. It never was for them and they wanted us to be clear on that. We have never forgotten what they said.

Their life together has not always been easy. There have been struggles, heartbreak and times of uncertainty through those 45 years but through it all they have become closer to each other. Here are just a few examples of their life together and why it has grown stronger over the years:

The Lord is at the center of their marriage and always has been.

They are always thinking of the other first. It has happened on many occasions when we are together that they "fight" over who is going to clean the table first, or wash the dishes, etc. It is hilarious to watch.

Mom is the first person Daddy always sees when he comes home every day. Daddy used to always tell me growing up that Mom was first in his life before us. I used to "pout" because I should be "Daddy's girl", which I am, but Mom came first. That always made me smile. I never realized until I got married and had children how much that would mean.

Mom calls Daddy every hour on the hour each day... especially if he is on a long distance haul. I don't know what she did before cell phones! ha!

They work together as a team that is so close it is like they are one person.

They like to "huddle" together after supper or any small moments and talk about their day. It is as if no one else is in the room.

They say "I love you" to each other MANY times a day.

They selflessly give of themselves to each other, always.

I continue to strive for that with Steve and me and I want our marriage to be just like theirs.

As I reflect on their marriage today, it just makes me realize how very blessed I am.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Daddy! I love you both so very much!

05/15/09

It is Friday! Oh, blessed day. :) A few orchids from the Zoo today.... You really need to click on each one to view them better. If only I could have used my macro lens.... sigh. lol


We're off to school to the "Art Museum" of the students artwork. Each child in Elementary and those taking Art in the higher grades will have something displayed. We're then running a few errands and hopefully coming back home to crash.

05/14/09

Have you ever had your eye to twitch? I have before but it usually last a few minutes and left. Well, today I have had my right eye keep twitching for 4 hours now. It is annoying. I was told it was due to stress and fatigue. Hmmmmm.... wonder when that happened???

I feel like these Patas Monkeys some days... lol


Here are a couple of pictures from Wesley. The first one is one of many of his tractors. He and Mikayla cracked me up the other day getting out "backdrops" for their photo shoots. The second one is with his camera, but Mikayla actually took the picture. I have laughed SO HARD over this picture. It is one I'll have to frame. My silly boy acts nothing like his mother... yeah, right.
I read and heard about something that made my teacher blood boil yesterday. It seems our county school administrators are wanting to pay thousands of dollars to hire a man who recommends not penalizing students for missing deadlines or cheating. He apparently has other "recommendations" as well.

No penalty for missing deadlines or cheating?

What is wrong with our society today? It irritates me to see "educated" people want to take away all responsibility and expectations from students and give them a "free ride" because they don't want to "hurt their self-esteem." Hmm.... how is that going to work in the real world? If you don't get something in on time with your job or if you decide to copy something instead of research it yourself and yet continue to say it is "yours" then you will be fired and, in some cases, worse could happen to you!

Are people not cluing in that it is our responsibility as adults to teach kids the consequences of their work? Those consequences can be good or bad, depending on what choice they have made.

In my classroom I strive to teach responsibility every day. My little phrase I have said before is "In order to learn it, you have to EARN it."

I also heard from my own parents all of my life: "Be the labor, great or small, do it well or not at all... and you know you've got to do it, so do it right!"

If we make things so easy for our children that they do not "rise" to the occasion, how are we going to have the next generation care about anything? If you aren't penalized for cheating or if you can turn your work in any old time without a consequence, how is that helping? From what I read in the article the public schools already have cut out the "work ethic" on the report card. Those types of things sometimes are MORE important than the actual grades a child gets, in my opinion. If I see a child is working hard and doing his/her best on the work given to them but doesn't always "make the grade" I know the "grade" will come in time. Work ethic is something to be taught each day, every day.

I am reminded of this verse I have shared many times before:

Colossians 3:23
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

I chuckle as I read down a couple of verses:

Colossians 3:25 (I like how the NASB version puts it!)
For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

That verse tells me, I don't care who you are... if you do wrong, there are consequences. Oh that our leaders would learn to apply that in this world.

I got out one of my books that gives Scripture for certain needs in your life. I looked up laziness.... I counted 27 verses on that topic alone and I am sure that is not exhausted! The book of Proverbs is full of such things and one section of my favorites is this:

Proverbs 6:7-11 (NASB)
Go to the ant, O ^B)">sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
⁷Which, having no chief,
Officer or ruler,
⁸Prepares her food in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.
⁹How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest"--
¹¹Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.

I just wish those in charge would listen and understand this before it is too late. We are creating a generation of lazy and irresponsible people.

I will never regret one moment of standing before my children each year and expecting no less than their best from them. I expect the same from them that I do from Wesley and Mikayla.

I am thankful for how I was brought up to learn the value of a job well done. I am thankful for parents who didn't care if I got "mad" because I had to re-do or get in trouble for a choice I made because that consequence made me a better person. I am thankful for a God Who loves me and gave HIS best to me. If He gave His best for such as I, how can I not give my best to Him!!

05/13/09

I feel like this some days... lol The chimpanzees cracked us up.


Wednesday... "Hump Day".... I'm still chanting the "I think I can." Wesley has a game at 6:00 and I can't go because I need to be at church by 6:45. I do not like missing his games. He'll be at church later, but I just want my little guy to know I'm out there. Steve will be there so they can do the "manly thing." :)

I talked to my kids today about those people at Walmart yesterday. It is always good to give real life examples of why I teach them to follow directions.

The owl from yesterday was a Barred Owl... and it was the one I had photographed at the Zoo! My brother was quite proud of me for knowing what I heard. See, Kevin... all those "glazed eye" days you thought I wasn't listening and look at what I can remember!

I am in need of the couch for a few moments. Good thing, though... finished all of my papers feverishly during my kids Spanish time this afternoon and then LOST Season Finale is tonight! :)

05/12/09

I heard an honest to goodness owl last night. Steve kept telling me I was hearing a dog, but I know it wasn't. It was saying "Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?" Now, I realize my loving brother will correct me if I am wrong, but that is an owl... I just don't know which one. So... in honor of the owl last night, I am posting one from the Zoo today!


Today at Walmart I became a bit agitated. Not in a bad way but deep inside where you are smiling and trying to act like everything is just fine, but you really want to "pull out" your teacher voice and yell "WOULD YOU PLEASE READ THE SIGNS?"

Picture this:

The kids and I enter into Walmart using the ENTER doors only to have a guy with a cart about mow us over exiting through this same entrance. I just smiled to show we are understanding and gracious and want to have "mercy" with strangers while hurriedly moving Wesley beside me as Mikayla was already holding my hand. Wesley is our "cart driver" so he had to maneuver around the guy going out the wrong way.

Well, then we are exiting the store using the EXIT doors. There are people coming at us left and right. We walked into the "lobby" area where the drink machines and carts are kept and it was like a madhouse of people all going in and out the wrong doors! Wesley was so confused he didn't know how to cross over the area correctly to take the cart back to its proper place. I was never so glad to get out of an area!

HELLO, PEOPLE... CAN YOU NOT READ THE SIGNS? They are really simple: ENTER and EXIT. Is it really that difficult to follow directions?

Apparently so.

That is why I know it is my duty as a teacher to teach my students to follow directions. These are life lessons I am teaching them so that one day when they need to go to Walmart, they will know how to ENTER and EXIT in the correct way.

05/11/09

Ostriches from the Zoo today.... I can remember being in Kindergarten and going to the Zoo. I vaguely remember watching the Ostrich behind a chain link fence. Oh, how they have changed the Zoo here since then! (Of course, that was 32 years ago... scary to think of it that way!) We can now get "up close" to them but from the comfort of a walkway that looks down on them with no worries of my fingers being bitten off. lol A couple of them were "showing off" with their wings. I had never seen ostrich wings in that way before so this was neat. I love the last shot.



Today was quite chilly! I was one of those parents today that didn't pay attention to the weather forecast... and it showed with what we all wore today!!! I'm going to have to write myself a little "note from the teacher" and tell myself to pay a bit more attention. I think Steve needs to build a fire tonight. hee hee

Only two more weeks left of "real" school and the last week is mostly fun, fun, fun. (Not that ANY day with Mrs. Fowler isn't FUN, but you know what I am meaning...) We are all (students and teachers )getting that "look." "The-deer-in-the-head lights-dazed-am-I-gonna-make-it-look" We are all going to start quoting The Little Engine That Could "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...." I am not ready to let go of my class... just ready for a nice break.

Well, off to work on more of the homework and reports that are needing to be done. I have a lot of papers to grade, too... if I just put a big fat red check on them without really checking do you think they'd notice??????? :)

05/10/09

Happy Mother's Day! What a wonderful day it has been.... It started out with receiving these beautiful flowers from Steve and some very sweet "creations" from Wesley and Mikayla. Their cards were the best, though. They actually wrote something special in them other than a "prepared" message and it meant so much!

Something I read in my devotions this morning was so interesting so I just had to share. It talked of "God's Mother Heart" and was thought provoking on this Mother's Day. This is the verse that went with it.

Matthew 23:37
How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings."

Can you picture it? A mother hen gathering her babies to protect them. Isn't that what God does for us? He created male and female so of course there would be a "Mother's Heart" in Him even though we dominantly see the gender in the Bible as male! Here is the ending of that devotion today:

As we honor our earthly mothers this special day, may we also give thanks to the Creator who made the unique female nature that reflects the complete and pure love of God for His children (I John 4:19).

I loved that!

Today at church I was challenged to be a mother who is a godly example to not only my children, but to others as well. I take that very seriously since I teach but I know of others that are always watching. It was humbling to think of all those who could look to me for guidance.

Proverbs 31 came to my mind today, not only because of my devotion this morning, but as it does many people for Mother's Day. These verses continued to humble me to be all I can be for the Lord and my family.

First of all, and most importantly, how am I with my Lord:

Favour (charm) is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

Secondly... how am I to be a wife to my sweet Steve:

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Lastly, how should Wesley and Mikayla see me:

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

I am to be a woman who loves the Lord with all of my heart. Once I do that, then I can be the wife and mother I am to be to honor and glorify Him. In reading this scripture today I found so many ways that I fall short. I am thankful for His mercy and forgiveness. I am thankful for His patience. He has blessed me in so many ways and for that I cannot praise Him enough!

05/09/09

This bird is for my Mother in Law today... she loves birds and I shot this at the Aviary at the Zoo. I honestly don't know what kind it is, but it is beautiful.

We celebrated Mother's Day with her today and we all gave her a digital camera. She was tickled pink and purple. :) We spent most of the day on her computer trying to figure out the software that came with it. It was a nice afternoon. :)

Speaking of cameras.... Wesley and Mikayla used some of their birthday money and money they have saved to buy each a camera. They got a Kodak easy share and they are having a ball with them. It has been interesting actually being on the other side of the camera with their pictures! ha!!

Just for your information.... I graduated from college 16 years ago today. Wow....that seems like yesterday and so long ago at the same time.

Off to help my kiddos with their Geography Project from Mrs. Fowler. Yes, my own children are having to do the same project I have assigned my class even though they aren't in my class. Bad, huh? I figure I'll keep 'em learning. :)

05/08/09

Flamingos anyone? It had just rained a bit and they were "cleaning".... I love how the rain droplets are on their feathers. Click on them to notice more detail. The first one has feathers in his beak.



I'm glad it is Friday. It's been a long week, it seems. Gonna crash and rest up for a busy weekend. :)

05/07/09

It is National Day of Prayer so I thought I would post this pic of the Polar Bear sleeping.... he looks like he's praying. :)


National Day of Prayer... have you prayed today? Better yet... do you pray every day? It's nice that we have a day set aside to recognize the importance of prayer, but I am thankful that anytime, every day I can go to my Lord and He hears me.

Psalm 145:2 - Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

I have shared this before, but there are some days as a teacher where you feel that no matter what you do it is never enough. You often wonder if you are even getting through and outside forces can sometimes make you feel that way, too.

Today I had a moment like that early on and I know Satan wanted to use it to get me down. The Lord had other plans that helped me to see that what I am doing is what I am supposed to be doing.... and that it matters. Many of my kids have brought me sweet treats or flowers in the last few days that have been uplifting. Then, today my parents showered me with a lunch where my assistant and I could eat lunch by ourselves... in quiet... away from the lunchroom. After that they surprised us with a "birthday/appreciation" cake after lunch. It was just what I needed to get through that moment this morning.

I am so thankful the Lord knows of our needs before we do. I am thankful for His ever present love that wraps us in His everlasting arms and helps us to see that as long as we are doing what we are doing for His glory, nothing else matters.

Here are the words to a song I used to sing as a child. I wish there was a way I could figure out how to do the whole music thing on here because the group Selah sings this so beautifully. It fits my day today and I praise Him for how He watches over me....

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why do I feel discouraged
Why do the shadows come
And why does my heart feel lonely
And long for heaven and home
When Jesus is my portion
A constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.

So I sing because I'm happy
And I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know He watches me.....

**OK... still not sure how to upload a YouTube on here, but here is the link that I found for this song. I am not fond of some of the pictures they used, but you at least get to hear the song.****

05/06/09

California Sea Lions.... they were so cute! They were sleeping sitting up and it was so funny.


Off to AWANA.... enjoy the pics!