Happy New Year!

Do you have traditions you follow today?

We traditionally we have black-eyed peas, cabbage, cornbread, and ham. Even though I am starting 2016 alone, I have soaked my beans and have now started cooking them, and I've started my cornbread.

As the food cooks, I am sitting here watching the birds on the back patio enjoy birdseed. It makes me so happy to see the male and female Cardinal each day.

Do you have plans for the new year? Resolutions? I'm not a resolution girl, and at this point, I am just taking each day one day at a time, so we will see what the year brings.

The Literacy Triad is planning to attend two conferences here in the state, and we are presenting numerous times at one of them. Those will be my little mini vacations and time to rejuvenate.

I enjoy my work, and it will keep me busy in the coming weeks and most of the semester.

I'm on a new committee at church, so I'm looking forward to seeing where that will lead.

I'm sure I will be going to see my nephew wrestle and play soccer, and it will soon be dance competition season.

Whatever this year holds and you choose to do, I wish you a very Happy New Year, everyone!

Saying Good-bye to 2015 and Hello to 2016

When 2015 began, I would never have imagined it would have encompassed all that it did.  

• I would be parentless (burying my mom) by the time summer began.
• My brother and his family would move out of state that same summer.
• I would be alone (in a sense), making the decisions I am, and trying to figure out who I am and what I'm supposed to do now.

I have noticed since June that I have become so negative.  Things just pop out of my mouth, and at times, normally at work, I don't sound like my old self.  But . . . who am I? This is an area I plan to work on this year. I have to find myself--whether it be the old me or a new me.

While the negativity has become a way of life, it seems, and not something I am happy about, if I sit and ponder, I can come up with positive moments where I have been blessed. (These are in no particular order.)

• My brother survived an accident at the end of June that could have taken his life.  He walked away with only bruises and pain b/c God protected him as the truck crossed three lanes of traffic on a busy, rainy highway during rush hour after hydroplaning and bouncing off the cement median. No one hit him miraculously.
• My niece and nephew continue to thrive and find success in school and extra curricular activities.
• My niece is is doing well with no changes in her Chiari.
• I got to chaperon a trip with my niece and nephew to Washington DC. It was a great experience and tons of fun.
• I have a great job with great people and administrators who support me and push me to be better.
• I have seen the power of prayer, support, friendship, and family through everything this year.  For this, I will always be grateful.
• I have two of the best friends anyone could ever have, and they are here for me day and night, whenever I need them. Jill and Robin are the best!
• My Moss and McDonald staffs/friends are amazing, and I will forever be grateful for them.
• First Presbyterian Church of Rockwall truly is all about Feel the Love. Be the Love.
• Friendship Baptist Church sent two men to pray with us and Mom, and within the hour, she made her journey into Heaven. These men and this act mean more than I can explain.
• I have a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes in my closet, a car to drive, and a job. I also have a sweet kitty who needs me and follows me everywhere I go.
• My Great Aunt Darlene calls to check on me nearly every night. Again, there are no words. Her love, care, and concern mean so much.  Her kids also make me feel loved and not alone.  I love this family!
• God protected me and got me home safely on December 27th. There was so much rain, high water, and a detour that could have left me trapped, hurt, or dead.  
• I was able to attend six conferences this year, so I got to see Houston, TX, The Woodlands, TX, St. Louis, MO, Austin, TX, Ft. Worth, TX, and Costa Mesa, CA. I met great people and learned a lot.
• I made it through my first start of school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve without Mom.

A friend posted this on her Facebook page:

"Psalm 23 tells us that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. I can just picture Him, making my seating arrangements at my 2015 table. Like a bride preparing for the reception dinner, He's strategically placing the name cards at my table. Sitting with me at my 2015 table is Fear, Death, Grief, Regret, Sickness, Stress, and Worry. All of them make their presence known as each course is served throughout the year.

But God also promises in that same chapter that while we are sitting among our enemies, He has anointed us, and our cup overflows. I can stand today, on January 1, 2016, and tell you this is true. During each of these events, my cup has not just been filled, but has overflowed during each course with an abundance of love, peace, protection, and grace. Relationships have been renewed and restored, financial burdens have been lifted, protection has covered us, and I could go on and on."

"My challenge to you while your 2016 table is being prepared in the presence of your enemies is to cling to His promises that your cup will surely overflow with abundance."

I could have almost written those exact words.  I really liked what she has to say, so I am adding it here.  I don't know what God has planned for me in 2016.  I don't know who will be sitting at my table this year, but with friends, family, and most importantly, God, I will face each day with faith and hope.

Ice and Snow Days

This has been a crazy week full of freezing temperatures, ice, and snow. While I have enjoyed my yard being covered in white, it has raised two points of discussion that have truly irritated me.

1.  Schools are closed, and parents are irritated about being home with them.

2. Schools making decisions about whether or not schools will be closed, and parents getting angry no matter what decision is made.

On Monday and Tuesday, February 23rd & 24th, my school district, along with the majority of those around us, decided to close.  It was great that both decisions were made the night before, and we could actually sleep through the night, not setting alarms.

I don't like having Ice/Snow Days.  We were just off for Christmas and then we get a day off for MLK, Jr Day.  I look forward to the built in Snow Day holidays later in the semester when we need a day off to rejuvenate.  I hate to use a Snow Day when it isn't necessary.  However, I do not want anyone on the road when they are bad.  I know what a hard decision it has to be for school districts to make.

I know there was a wave of excitement moving across the Metroplex Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from all the parents/loved ones who had been locked up with children for two days.  Monday evening and Tuesday brought many Facebook comments from parents about their frustration of being at home with their children.  The number of comments I saw really angered me.  All I wanted to yell (and post in all capital letters) was "They are your children!  You had them! You think it is hard to deal with them for 2 days? Try being their teacher all year.  The teachers spend time with your child and 20+ more every day for more hours than a parent has them.  Try being a teacher on the day it is snowing while still at school.  Come on, people!"  The more comments I saw, the more I bit my tongue.  I tell you, it almost fell off.

We were back in school on Wednesday and Thursday.  Heading to bed Thursday night, meteorologists were forecasting 1-4 inches of snow on Friday, followed by freezing rain.  When we awoke, nothing was falling, and roads were fine. My district and most surrounding districts made the decision to have a normal day of school. Then . . . around 9:00 or so, the snow began.  It kept falling and falling.  What was melting due to traffic on roads was refreezing making layers of ice under the snow.  A few districts started closing at 10:30, 11:00, 12:00, 1:45, etc.  My district chose to stay open and run buses at regular times.  For parents who wanted, they could pick-up their children for excused absences due to weather.  Bridges, road shoulders, and parking lots were icy and slick, but the most driven parts of the highways were fine. Later in the evening, I read the district's Facebook posts about staying open and then I read parents' comments.  Again, complaining, which frustrated me again.

I completely understand the fear parents have about the safety of their children.  I respect that.  However, a district has to do what they think is best for the majority. When schools close, many times, students are going home to empty homes.  Parents struggle to get home due to weather and traffic, and getting home earlier makes for even more difficulty.  If schools are closed, children who depend on schools for meals don't get them.  They go hungry every day schools are closed. Parents always have the right to pick-up their children when they think they are in danger.  However, they do not have to complain or gripe at the district for the decision they are making when it is being made for the whole.

At no point does a district or administrator set-out to make people's lives difficult or put children in danger.  Decisions have to be made for the good of the whole and with the details/information that they have at the moment.  Not everyone will be happy, and I understand that.  I just wish parents stopped to realize what all goes into a district's decision.


Here are few pics:

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

How are you spending the first day of 2015?

I started the day walking 2.5 miles for the 2015 #100DaysOfMiles challenge.

We have eaten our black-eyed peas, cabbage, and cornbread.

We have not watched any football.  Once in my life, I lived for college football.  I watched several games over the break and loved them.  I once thought I could see myself married to a coach (middle or high school or even college). Now, I'm not so into it.  I could be again, I guess.

There has been a lot of lounging around, but I have not taken a nap yet.  I really could use one though.

I hope you are having an amazing start to the new year!

Happy New Year's Eve!

Happy New Year's Eve!

How do you spend the last day of the year?

I am not a partier.  I am normally home, watching movies or one of the shows showing celebrations around the country, and snacking.  When I was little, I would spend the night with my paternal great grandmother and we would watch the ball drop.  Other than staying with her, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I was not at my own house relaxing on New Year's Eve.  Tonight, I know I won't make it until midnight.

How do you feel about ending the year and starting a new one?

Many people look at it as ending one chapter and starting another or wiping the slate clean to begin anew. I don't see it that way.  Maybe it is because I am in education, and our year runs August to August instead of January to December.  I can't just wipe the slate clean and start anew when I am in the middle of a professional year.

Sometimes, I just want to ignore the idea of ending and beginning and just think of it as another day.  I don't set goals or create resolutions, so really the day is just like any other.  Looking back can be sad or joyous, depending on the year.  Looking ahead can be scary because of the unknown.

One of my BFFs posted the following:

I really struggle with this, so this is a verse I plan to revisit this year.  I have faith and believe in God.  He is in control, and all things happen through Him.  He knows His plan for me (and family members), and I need to let go of my plans and let His prevail.

This goes back to what I wrote earlier in this post.  I guess my professional book begins each August, but my personal book can begin each January 1st.  I wonder what God has in store for me this year.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

My amazing niece and nephew with me on the last seat of the train at the zoo.

My talented niece and nephew with my wonderful mom on Christmas Eve.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2014!  Do you have any resolutions?  Do you do anything special on the 1st? 

My mom has always said, "Whatever you do on the 1st is what you do all year."  So, what do I do?  Little of nothing.  No laundry, dishes, etc.  We do have to have black-eyed peas and cabbage. It is said it will give you good health and wealth throughout the year.  We pair ours with ham and cornbread.  We enjoyed it for lunch and dinner.  I do not like cabbage, so I bury the little I do eat in my peas.

Happy New Year's Eve!

What do you do on New Year's Eve?  I have never done anything too exciting, and the older I get, the less I do. I do try to watch the ball drop in New York.

Tonight, we had dinner with my Great Aunt and cousins.  We had a great visit before running to the store for cabbage and cornbread mix.

Stay safe!

Christmas Tree

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Is yours huge, small, sitting on a table, in front of a door/window?

This particular tree was bought for $10 after Christmas many years ago.  At the time, we thought it was about 7 feet tall and full.  What we learned the next Christmas was that it is just shy of 6 feet and fairly skinny.  Oh, well!  We have used it and loved it ever since.

My parents have blue glass ornaments that they have used since they got married.  When we use those ornaments, I prefer white lights and silver tinsel.  If we use all the various ornaments collected over the years, I prefer to use multi-colored lights and gold tinsel.

You might notice we have a star on top, but it is not lit.  It is silver, to go with the tinsel, but it has multi-colored lights, so I didn't plug it in.  We need to get a silver star with white lights.

Even when we choose the blue ornaments with white lights and silver tinsel, we choose a few special ornaments to add to the tree.

We used to put it in the formal living room in front of the window, but the last few years, we have put it in the den/living room in front of the back door.

Doll House Christmas Tree

When I was in the 1st grade, I got the Chicken Pox the last day before Christmas Break, and I had to go home early.  Of course, I stayed with Granny and Grandpa until Mom and Dad got off work.  We also stayed there while they were at work or finishing up Christmas shopping.  I didn't realize it then, but my Christmas present had to be moved and hidden in the garage. My grandparents made me a doll house.  They built it, decorated it, and filled it with some store bought items and some homemade items.  It was amazing!  I wish I could find a picture of it.  Any way, one room in the 3rd story had a Christmas Tree. 

I decided that my niece, who has her Barbie house readily available again, needed a tree, so I took her a tree and all kinds of little things that could be ornaments.  This is what she created.  Simple and beautiful!

Holiday Ceramics

Each year, we do some sort of craft.  This year, my sister-in-law got ceramic things that light up or are banks.  My niece, nephew, and I painted these the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The paint brush was too big and weird to do these justice.

Nativity

Growing up, we always had a Nativity.  It was the one my mom got her Freshman year of college to put in her dorm room.  She has put it out every year until this one.  This year, we brought Granny's to our house.  Granny painted every piece, and Grandpa built the barn for it.  (I am not sure why she never fired the pieces.) It has always been so special to me.

 

Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Wise Men, donkey, sheep, and angel

 

Shepards

 

Camels

Gingerbread Creations

We don't always make gingerbread houses, but we did this year.  I have the privilege of making them with my niece and nephew the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  She created the house, and he created the train.  Pretty good if I do say so myself.

Family Christmas Tree

Many years ago, my aunt gave Granny a lit Christmas Tree on a 2' x 4' that had a large star that said, "My Great Grandkids," and had 5 red ornaments, each with a great grandchild's name.  We didn't know what to do with it, so we repainted the star to remove the words.  We then repainted the ornaments, and put my name and the names of my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew.  She even found 4 little starts that I painted yellow and we wrote the names of all the pets--our 1 and their 3.

Talking Santa

Every year, we went to Granny's on Christmas Eve.  She had a talking Santa hanging on her front door, and it would talk/sing all night.  Finally, someone would have enough and go take the batteries out.  Mom decided to hang ours up this year, and after a few minutes, we took the batteries out and hung it on a different door.

Christmas Cards

When I was in Kindergarten, my Brownie Girl Scout troop made Christmas card holders, and it is one of my favorite things to hand each year.  It has 3 ribbons, and each ribbon has 3 clothes pins.  We hang all the Christmas cards we receive from the pins, and we normally have quite a few cards on each one.  I even had my Girl Scout troop make one several years ago b/c it is such a vivid Girl Scout memory for me.

(Excuse the GS calendar behind it.)

Christmas Scenes

Granny collected all kinds of little houses, people, trees, benches, and so much more.  She had them on her mantel, hearth, in front of the fireplace, and on the other table top like surfaces of her living room. We have not had those types of things at our house.  This year, Mom decided she wanted a scene or two on our piano.  This is what we created.  It is even lit, which is a first for each of the pieces.

Ice Day and Christmas Light Stroll

Today, we received an unexpected Ice Day, so no work or school for much of the northern part of the state.  Normally, I would either lay around, clean, do school work, or read.  I would not get out b/c I would heed the warnings and stay inside.  Not today!  Mom and I braved the ice and cold, defrosted the truck windows, which took nearly 30 minutes, and headed south.  (I'm still not sure why we never put the truck in the carport to protect the windows.  Oh, well!) The roads were slushy, wet, and somewhat icy near home, but once we got about an hour from home, things starting clearing up.  Once we were 2 hours away, things were significantly better.  Now that we have arrived to our destination, the wind is gusty and freezing, but the roads are dry.  Can't wait to have a fun weekend with my niece and nephew!

While the ice is so bad for the trees, they sure were pretty covered in ice.  These are pics I took as we drove.

 

After dinner, my niece, nephew, and I spent a short time walking along the Colorado River lookng at Christmas lights and scenes.

 

Church and Wise Men

Ever since I was little, we have put out these wise men and this church.  We always set them up so that the wise men are walking to the church.  I have no idea why.  The wise men are actually candle holders, but they have never held candles.  This is the first year we have ever put a light in the church.  Usually, these items are on the mantel or heart, but this year, we put them on the piano stool.

Holiday Boots

When I was little, Granny was really into ceramics.  I think she even took a class, and Mom even joined her at times.  Mom made these two boots one year, and we put them out every year at Christmas.  Sometimes, they sit under the tree.  Other times, they sit on the hearth.