Challenging Quote

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything you gave me." Erma Bombeck

If you have ever read Erma Bombeck you know she is a great comedienne. I was a bit surprised to see this quote but love it. As a teacher I often feel like I am bashing my head against the wall. It often seems like there are no changes being made in these kids lives. This helps me remember that it is my faithfulness that counts not their responses. I guess the same can be said for parenting too, or anything in life really.

2Co 12:15 And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.

For Vickie

My little sister is a nag! She is tired of the kitchen pictures and nags me about it often saying I need to put something else here. So, since I love her this is for Vickie:

One of my students was asking me what we were going to do the next day. (We are doing achievement tests and he wanted to know which tests would come next. ) I told him it was a matter of national security and if I told him he would have to be beheaded. He said "NO, they don't do that any more all they do is legal injection." I thought that was pretty funny.

Yea, A New Kitchen!

Before: ugly wall paper
This is the cleanest the kitchen has been since we moved in! Ha! Matthew kept raving over how big the room is and how much counter space there is. It really is just that his mother chocks it up with junk.
Stud muffin working! After one days work!

The Gang's All Here

Here is our gang. They are all here. But are they all there? You be the judge!

Say What?

I have seen this sign several times as these people are "professional" yard salers. I always get a hoot out of their signs. Not all of them are misspelled but they often have one of their 7-8 signs that look like this one.

Andrew's Wedding- Behind the Scenes

Just what you want your child to do at a wedding. Something dangerous!

Julia and Sydney, the flower girls, admire themselves in the mirror. Julia found snails, then Nicholas found one too.
Then Nicholas stomped on them. "That is what Grandpa said you are supposed to do to snails" he said.
The flower girls pick the flowers in the beds on the veranda. (a much better word than porch I think!)
The pillows the kids sat on had grapes sewn on the corners. Ella and Calvin tore them off the pillow they sat on.

Something tells me Calvin doesn't want to take anymore pictures.The rest of my pictures can be seen here on my facebook site.

Lots of Rain and a Roasted Pig

A couple of weekends ago we went to Georgia for a going away party for our friends the Laterzas, who were soon returning to China. It rained the whole way there and the rain continued during the party most of us stayed under the carport type area of the barn but Joe, Matthew and Anthony had to go fishing. This is Joe in his gortex which keeps him completely dry. He's as happy as a lark with his coffee and pole in one hand and a cookie in the other.

Matthew came back to the barn soaking wet.

Anthony is all business when he fishes.
Penny Sue and I walked down to see the pond and take the coffee and cookie to the guys.

Poor piggy! This is what was left of him- his head. But he sure was yummy!