Happiness

Happiness is . . . having my niece and nephew for 6 days of Spring Break!
I can't want to spend time with them. They are setting the schedule for the week, and since Gram is still in rehab for her broken leg, we will include her in as much as we can, and when we can't, we will show up with dinner or ice cream to tell her all about our day.

We'll keep you posted on our adventures!

Today, we begin with our last Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sale of the season.  2 hours in front of our local Walmart before we spend some time getting the final items for their Be Prepared goodie bag of the church shut-ins.


Bronze Award and Girl Scout Meeting Update:
I missed the last Girl Scout meeting because of the Visitation, but the girls decorated bags for two themes--Be Prepared, in honor of Girl Scout Sunday, Girl Scout Birthday Week, and Girl Scout Birthday, and Easter.  Few items were donated for the bags, but the items that were donated were placed in their respective bag. Once we finished our shopping today and finalize the bags, I'll let you know what was placed inside.

We continue to hear "thank you" and what joy the Valentine's Day bags brought the church members.

Saying Good-bye

We have grown accustomed to burying our loved ones in March.

My maternal grandfather broke his hip the Tuesday or Wednesday of my Spring Break in 1995. He never really returned to himself after the surgery and passed away the Wednesday after Spring Break, March 22, 1995, and we buried him on Saturday, March 25th.

My father had a stroke the Wednesday of my Spring Break in 2003.  He was doing well in the hospital until he had another massive stroke the following week and never recovered.  We lost him on Wednesday, March 26, 2003, and said our good-byes on Saturday, March 29th.

My uncle (mother's brother) passed away from complications of lung cancer on March 20, 2005, the Sunday at the end of Spring Break.

We have lost other beloved family and friends, but Spring Break just seemed to be a difficult time for us. We normally say we just want to skip Spring Break, but now, maybe we just want to skip the whole month of March.

Yesterday, March 2nd, we buried my maternal grandmother, Granny, the lady we knew would outlive us all.  The little lady everyone seemed to know, who loved her husband of 52 years and greatly missed him for almost 18 years, and who loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren more than anything.

I have very few memories that don't include her.

• My mother was a teacher, so Granny (and Grandpa) took us on the first day of school and attended any events during the school day. She was at awards ceremonies, special lunches, band concerts, field days, and middle school & high school sporting events. 
• She took my brother and I to our doctors' and dentists' appointments, helped us learn to drive by letting us drive her around, and loved to just sit and talk, listening to what was going on with us. 
• When the great grandbabies came along, she was in the floor playing whatever you could imagine--Hide and Seek, battle games with a curling iron as a weapon, cars, rolling them to and fro, and she read book after book. 
• During college, when I didn't have class, we would run her errands and enjoy lunch together.
• We had Christmas Eve at her house nearly every year of my life--silver aluminum tree, ornaments from the early 1940s, twirling color wheel, crocheted tree skirt, handmade, sequined stockings hung from the mantle, and villages all around. 
• When I was a toddler or just beginning school, Granny and Grandpa moved back to North Texas part time from their vacation place at Port Mansfield.  I remember helping them move into their apartment.  Later, while I was in elementary school, they moved a few streets behind us.  I could walk to their house whenever I wanted.
• We spent time at their place in Port Mansfield fishing and enjoying the coast. When they decided to sell their property and move back full time, I practiced my driving by helping move their final items. 10 hours of driving and experiencing being searched by Border Patrol kind of stick with you.  :-)
• These are just a few memories.  I could go on and on. 

Below are the memories I typed to share at the funeral for my grandmother, Nadine, better known to everyone as Granny. Some ideas are the same as above, while others are memories shared by my mother, brother, cousins, and aunt. Even though some repeat, I wanted to leave it all intact.

Family

Nadine loved being around her family. When her children were young, she drove with her daughter, Jayne, to orchestra and band concerts, and to hear and support the band during football games.  She enjoyed attending football and wrestling with her son, Andrew. The day school was out, they would get in the car and drive wherever her husband was working in the United States and spend the summer.  Throughout her life, Nadine visited every state except North and South Dakota. 

Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren

Nadine’s grandchildren and great children were her greatest joys. She was there to take her grandchildren to the first day of school almost every year, doctor and dental visits, attend awards ceremonies, band concerts, and other school programs. She taught her grandchildren how to drive, and she enjoyed going to dance and sporting events.

Her great granddaughters loved teaching her to dance. Her granddaughter, Andrea, remembers when her youngest taught Granny the “Walker Bootie Dance.” Her great grandson enjoyed teaching her to play soccer.  She got down in the floor and played whatever they wanted.

Her grandson, Danny, remembers her push for everyone to get their education and that she was there for any and everybody.

Holidays

Nadine loved spending holidays with family.  Until the family grew too large to meet in one place, she enjoyed the huge family Christmases she had with her brother and sister and their families.  Each year, Nadine enjoyed decorating for Christmas and having her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren over on Christmas Eve to celebrate and visit.  The grandchildren discussed the silver aluminum tree decorated with ornaments from the early 1940s and the twirling color wheel. She hung the handmade sequined stockings from the mantel each year. She would decorate her front yard, but the decorations had to be brought in every night because someone might take them. Whenever eating at Granny’s, the grandchildren had to sit at the “kids’ table.”  There was a “kids’ table” even after the great grandchildren came along.

Her daughter-in-law, Peggy, mentioned the memories of handing out Halloween candy each year.

Summers meant homemade ice cream on the back porch.  The grandchildren would get so tired of cranking, but the ice cream sure was good.

Her grandson, Pete, recalls one Mother’s Day when he and his dad rode the motorcycle from up north to Dallas to visit Granny.

Nadine sent cards to everyone for every holiday and birthday. The grandchildren mentioned the excitement of receiving the card and it having either a $5 bill or pennies taped inside.

Helping Others

Nadine enjoyed helping others.  If anyone was in the hospital and needed someone to sit with them, Nadine was the one to call. When others needed her help, she was there.  When her granddaughter, Micheal, taught 5^th grade, many years ago, Nadine rode the bus with the class as the parent chaperone to hear the Dallas Symphony because no other parent volunteered, an act that impacted the students for many years.

Everyone knew Nadine as Granny, and if you visited, you always got hugs and kisses before leaving.  Every time you visited, you had to have a Coke.

Hobbies

Nadine loved crocheting, knitting, sewing, cross-stitching, and more.  She crocheted baby outfits and blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would teach anyone who wanted to learn.

She baked and made candy, and she enjoyed eating sweets until her final day. Her granddaughter, Laurie, remembers stories of her helping Granny make rum balls and Granny telling her not to eat them as they were made.

She enjoyed working in her yard—planting strawberries that no one could touch and the lilies she planted after Easter each year.

Later in life, she enjoyed working the daily puzzle in the paper and watching Wheel of Fortune, NCIS, and Law and Order.

She will be missed by all.

Caring for the Elderly

You just never know what is going to happen when caring for the elderly.

My mom broke both right leg bones at the ankle on February 10th.  With her injury, hospital stay, surgery, and need for rehab, Granny needed round the clock care from the ladies we used in the past. They were good with her, and we greatly appreciate them.

Over the last two weeks, Granny has seemed more confused in the evenings.  Our head caregiver called that "sundowning."  This last weekend, when she talked, she didn't really make sense, but she kept going.  She seemed to not be as interested in her daily puzzle in the paper or drinking as much coffee, but she still seemed OK.

At 11:33 pm,  Feb. 25th, I was awakened by a phone call with the head caregiver telling me Granny was unresponsive and the ambulance was on its way.  When I got there, I knew she was gone, but they couldn't officially tell me that yet.  They did CPR for at least 20 minutes and then transported her to the hospital, still doing CPR, but she never woke.  The lady we thought would outlive everyone, Granny, passed away in the wee hours of February 26, 2013.

She was an amazing lady, and she will be greatly missed.

God's Test

I truly believe that God doesn't give us more than we can handle.  He pushes us to test us, and He knows how strong we are, so He pushes us right up to our limit or even a little further in order to strengthen us.

With that said, the last 12 months have been very difficult and exhausting.  I know God has a plan, but I just don't understand, and I am getting so tired.  I know!  I know!  I should not analyze and try to figure out His plan.  I should just follow it.  However, it is so hard.  Just today, yet another thing happened.  My mother fell and broke both bones at the ankle in her right leg. I hate to see her in pain, and we have to figure out how this will play out since she is Granny's caregiver.  It will get interesting this week.

I recently saw the following: "When you are down to nothing, God is up to something."
I am sure He is, but I have to stay in prayer for patience b/c I want Him to just get me there already.  :-) He has gotten me down to the lowest place I've ever been, so I know great things must be to come.  However, I also know that things could get a lot worse.  I just pray they don't.

I also saw this one: "When everything seems like it is falling a part, that's when God is putting things together just the way He wants it." I believe this.  I have to be patient and do as He wants in His time.  I am sure this all has something to do with my lack of patience. :-) Or . . . He is trying to get me back on track and onto the path He wants me to follow rather than the one I have been making the decisions about the last 20 years.

Finally, I saw this one: "When God puts you through trials, He breaks you down, but He always puts you back together stronger than before."  I truly believe this one too.  He needs me to give it all to Him, quit doing things my way and wanting to be in charge of everything, and allow Him to lead me.  I know God has a great future ahead of me.

What are your thoughts about tests from God?  The quotes I shared?

World Thinking Day and Bronze Award Project Update

On Friday evening, our troop met to cover two major topics.  First, the girls who chose to participate, presented their World Thinking Day projects.  The girls were given the choices of Jordan, Malawi, Pakistan, Venezuela, Russia, Japan, and Ireland.  They were asked to tell us what Girl Scouting is like in the country, what the Girl Scout uniforms look like, and what life for a young girl is like in the country.  The girls did a great job!

The second part of our evening was spent on their Bronze Award project.  The girls decorated white coffee mugs with sharpies for Valentine's Day.  (I put them in the oven on 350 degrees for 30 minutes to set the color.)  They also decorated the gift bags.  We will fill the mugs/bags with sugar free hot chocolate, coffee, tea, chocolates or cookie, and a book of poems/quotes for women or a tie for men.  The bags will be taken to the church by the weekend and then delivered before Valentine's Day.

Feel the Love

Every 3-4 weeks at work, we hold a day of Professional Development.  Today's theme was Feel the Love.  We had heart stickers, Valentine's Day foam stickers, and Valentine's candy, and we wore red or pink. We also played "love" music.

In order to reach every teacher on campus, we repeat our session each period.  We start about 5 minutes into the period and try to finish a few minutes early.

Today, we began by having the teachers reflect on the activity they did since the last one (using a behavioral strategy). We discussed the Kisses and (Cupid's) Misses. (This was our create way of discussing Glows and Grows.)

We then asked the teachers to write as many ways to say or show praise with students. We kind of did Scattegories. One person read their list. If anyone had the same word/phrase, they marked it out. We went around a few times. The person with the most left was the winner.

We then had half the teachers read an excerpt from Fundamental Five by Sean Cain, and half read an article my Principal found that I retyped on positivity with students. To summarize their reading, they wrote a tweet and then some shared out.  A co-worker created this cute third of a page slip of paper with the Twitter symbol for the teachers to record their tweets.

We then did a Temperament Survey and let the teachers discuss their findings.

We then explained that depending on their temperament, it may or may not be easy to praise students.

Their homework is to use a list of 100+ statements to praise students and challenge themselves to say more and more praises as the days pass.  They are to journal about their process and outcomes.  We asked then to continue working on their behavioral strategy from last time and to continue journaling about it too.

We will meet again in 3-4 weeks to discuss how they did.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports

My school has implemented PBIS this year with the theme of SWAGG.  We want our students to be Successful, Wise, Accountable, Giving, and Goal Oriented.  The students have an ID card and lanyard.  As long as they have it on them, they can receive various positive rewards.  If they do not make a wise choice, it can be removed for no more than 24 hours.  During that time, the student loses his/her privileges.

To help reinforce this each six weeks, a group of educators on my campus has created videos.  Take a look at their amazing work . . .

SWAGG – So Keep Yours Maybe 

Swaggalicious 
(This is one of my favorites.  I think the rapper is hilarious!)

We Will Swagg You 

Hey Ho Trailer 

Hey Ho (You’re My Swagg Card