Safe & Sound

I have not read the books, but they are next on my list.

This song makes me want to hurry up...

Perfect duo.

Dot & Roscoe

I know one of the things that'll be occupying my time this Christmas...

My kindred Emily Martin has gifted the general public with free printable paper doll projects for the winter - meet Dot & Roscoe (my dad used to call my brother Roscoe all the time when we were little!)

"Dot and Roscoe love to go on walks in the winter, because they love to come home with cold noses and dash to the kitchen to make Dot some hot chocolate. Roscoe is content to burrow under a nest of blankets while Dot knits mittens for her sweetheart."

Dot, Roscoe, and their little winter wardrobe just might be adorning my tree as garland this Christmas.

Because, as the ADS alarm system guy exclaimed, "Girl, you ain't got enough ornaments on that tree!!"

Thank you, kind sir.

And thank you, Emily!

I tried stayin' on the porch...

This weekend we had Hardin Christmas in Starkville. 'Twas a good time - I don't have many pictures, because Hailstorm was home and therefore all the best ones were shot with her camera.

Aunt Nita, Daddy-D, and Dad

Kurt & Marty

The "kid table"

Granny, Nita, me & baby Campbell (whom I met this weekend for the first time!!!)

Nita's gingerbread house

Admiring her handiwork (it was so hilarious to watch her figure out that the frosting was edible)

And my sweet baby nephew Shepherd

And the 18 wheeler I stalked all the way from Gordo to Tuscaloosa so I could catch him at a stoplight for a picture (I think I made him nervous, actually). When the kids and I write narratives at school, we work on eradicating their "This is a story about..." habit in favor of interesting leads. I like to give them leads to begin stories a lot, and ideas find me in the oddest places. I'll be using this one next.

Inspiration is everywhere!

I'm home now, pulling on my Cuddle Duds and cranking the space heater. This little house and I, we're going to get along just fine (a few photos coming soon!).

Hope you all have a lovely week!

"Marley was dead to begin with..."

This might be risky, but I'm going to share something here because it's ridiculously hilarious. You won't think this is funny unless you've known me for awhile.

I sent these videos out in an email, but I don't think anyone could open them. The other day in class I started noticing that some of my kids had worms. I pretended I was taking candid photos, which I do often, but captured the mini-me's on video instead.

I'm so glad I did.

Also, I cannot cannot CANNOT WAIT to read Jacob T. Marley, a prequel to A Christmas Carol!!!!!!! It has the potential to be sorely disappointing, but I think it looks so good!! I'll be asking Pippi for this for Christmas this year.

Goodnight!

Two things I can't get enough of this season...

This Christmas album, produced by musicians at my church.

Each and every song is absolutely beautiful, and it's even sweeter because they are sung by some of my favorite people and dear friends.

You can listen and download it here for $5. Well worth it, I assure you.

Also, I bought a house and moved, as you probably already knew - I love every second of being in this house - it was built in 1928 and is so filled with character. There is much I'd like to do to it, and the fact that it will take me years is going to be an exercise in both patience and stewardship. The only downside so far (and I walked into this knowingly) is that it. is. frigid. in. here.

There's never a point in setting the thermostat above 60, because the house will likely never be above 57 or 58 degrees. And I'm cold natured. Thank goodness Alabama winters are only truly harsh for a couple of months of the year.

So, to combat the cold without draining my wallet trying to heat my house, I've invested in a few pairs of Cuddle Duds. My friend Melissa (whose song on Half Spent, "The Wexford Carol," is stunning!) opened my eyes and my world to these, and I'm forever grateful. Apparently I'm the last person alive to find out about these, but ya'll. They. are. amazing. I got them a couple of days ago and have yet to take them off. I like to sit around in them, like this...

They are so soft and so warm. If you're somewhere really cold or are trying to save money by keeping your heat really low, you need these. I'm wearing them under everything.

Hope everyone's having a warm and peace-filled advent season so far.

Here goes...

As of 3:00 this afternoon, this sign will go from "Under Contract" to "SOLD."

Kind of ridiculous...if you'd ever told me that I would EVER buy a house by myself, I'd have laughed at you.

I can't wait to live in this little bungalow!

I'm taking a day off.

Every so often there comes a day when I just know that I cannot go to school the following day. It hits me that until I have a day off, my being at school is not doing anyone any good.

Today was one of those days - with Homecoming week (which really turned out to be two weeks) and nine-weeks grades behind me, there's not much of me left.

I'm physically sore from being stampeded by herds of middle schoolers at yesterday's pep rally (and maybe also from the students vs. faculty volleyball game), my voice is gone from repeating things like "Don't climb on the windowsill!" and "You only space ONE time after each sentence when you're using MLA style!" and "For the love of everything that's good in the world, DO NOT unzip your pants unless you are in the bathroom!"

So, today I called my trusty sub and wrote my principal a brief note letting him know that I would not be in tomorrow.

I stapled this article to the note. I really did.

Here's a glimpse of why I might need to put away anything flammable that I have access to:

I do exaggerate. They are really sweet kids. I tell them all the time that try as they might, I am seriously more thug than they are. I love these faces more than I can even tell you.

But they drive me to the brink of insanity. Exaggeration...maybe. Or maybe not.

So this weekend, when I'm not passed out flat on my back, I plan to finish off this treat of a book, continue my end of summer summer love affair into the fall, and hang out with good friends at my favorite Greek cafe down the street while it's still within walking distance.

Yes, I might be moving at the end of this month! :)

So crispy, so tender

I've been short on blogging material lately. If you follow Don't Test My Gangster, then you know that either I've quit posting to it or my students aren't saying anything particularly funny this year. Unfortunately, it's the latter, so far.

I don't know if it's the group of kids or if it's me - but the ridiculousness hasn't been abundant this year.

Today, though, I do have something, but as it's too long for Don't Test My Gangster, I'm saving it here.

While we were working on parts of a short story and discussing Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-tikki-tavi, there was one young man who was concentrating particularly hard on his work.

"Gosh, he must really be GETTING internal and external conflict," I thought, as I watched him hover over his desk, head hunkered, eyes squinty with concentration. He was writing ferociously.

This was yesterday. Fast forward to today, when I found this - in his handwriting and on the orange sticky notes he was using....

Last year I found

baked beans on top of my house

and I ate them.

I got butter in my shorts.

So crispy, so tender

Got those BK chicken tenders.

Those crispy crispy bites

inside tender white meat briiiiite.

Got's to get me some,

Got that yummy yum.

CHEEEEEEEESE!

How come turkey bacon isn't crispy

Dad, da, da

Dada, I love to eat pie

Da, da, da, da, da

It helps me fly

Da da da da da

Dadadadadada

Remember how I said that 7th graders' brains are literally always in a really thick fog, kind of like they're constantly smoking weed?

I think I might take a mental health day tomorrow.

Delicious autumn!

Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin.... We anxiously anticipate it every year.

~Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, October 2010

9.11.01

¹ There is a time for everything.

There's a time for everything that is done on earth.

² There is a time to be born.

And there's a time to die.

There is a time to plant.

And there's a time to pull up what is planted.

³ There is a time to kill.

And there's a time to heal.

There is a time to tear down.

And there's a time to build up.

⁴ There is a time to cry.

And there's a time to laugh.

There is a time to be sad.

And there's a time to dance.

⁵ There is a time to scatter stones.

And there's a time to gather them.

There is a time to hug.

And there's a time not to hug.

⁶ There is a time to search.

And there's a time to stop searching.

There is a time to keep.

And there's a time to throw away.

⁷ There is a time to tear.

And there's a time to mend.

There is a time to be silent.

And there's a time to speak.

⁸ There is a time to love.

And there's a time to hate.

There is a time for war.

And there's a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

30 things I learned in my 20's

I'm allowed to post a one man shot for a post like this, aren't I? Good.

I admit that I've been thinking about this list ever since yaya published hers, and come my 30th birthday, I was still stuck at #16.

Maybe I'm growing more and more hard-headed with time? A scary thought. I'd like to think I have just learned SO MUCH over the past 10 years that I could never get it organized into a list of 30 things. Something like that.

Anyway, I think I did learn a few things, and most are things that I am really thankful to have learned.

Here they are:

30 Things I Learned in My 20's

1. Hot chocolate is exponentially better when made with milk vs. water

2. It's worth whatever I might be missing out on ( 95% of the time) to go to bed early.

3. How to appropriately correspond with someone who wants to sue me. Thank you, Matt Jackson.

4. I am, in fact, more like my mom than I thought. And that's a good thing.

5. Root canals aren't as bad as most people think they are. But it is still a bad idea to watch a cartoon video of the procedure the night before.

6. The astounding impact a Volvo can sustain while keeping a person relatively unharmed.

7. That sleeping in my contacts for months is, in fact, a bad idea after all.

8. That I am a lot tougher than I thought I was.

9. That #8 is singularly by the Lord's grace.

10. That children's literature is some of the very best there is.

11. How to negotiate a ridiculous deal with used car salesmen.

12. That being single throughout my 20's is a lot more fun (and fulfilling) than I thought it would be.

13. That cable TV is not worth the money it costs. Nor is Tivo.

14. That I will give up cable TV, but probably not Netflix.

15. That Dave Ramsay knows what he's talking about.

16. The unspeakable value of the oldest of friends.

17. To trust my gut...but only sometimes...

18. Because my gut knows how to play tricks on me (thanks Kathryn Evans)

19. What an overhead projector is, and most importantly is not, capable of (thank you, Graham Bucciantini, for the digging up of this memory)

20. That email will never, ever replace the handwritten, mailed letter. At least in my world it won't.

21. When to speak up, and when to shut up (at least, I think I have a better grasp on this than I did ten years ago...)

22. Cheesy, but this song helps to articulate A LOT of what I learned in my 20's (not surprisingly, it's Sara Groves):

"so conditioned for the win
to share in victor's stories
but in the place of ambition's din
I have heard of other glories
and I pray for an idea
and a way i cannot see
it's too heavy to carry
and impossible to leave
I can't just fight when I think I'll win
that's the end of all belief
and nothing has provoked it more
than a possible defeat"

23. That Clifford IS hilarious and NOT because I was 12 when I discovered it. It really is a work of art. Say what you want.

24. That I will always, always sleep better with clean sheets on my bed. Yes, this took me 30 years to learn.

25. That being a part of a church that I LOVE (by choice, mind you, not because it's got everything together) is something that I need far more than I thought I did.

26. That I can eat on $25 a week if I have to.

27. I consider my discovery of Patty Griffin one of the best things I learned in my 20's.

28. That when in doubt, listen to Dad (I realize most people learn this earlier in life. Oops.)

29. That being tan isn't worth what the sun is doing to my skin.

30. That just like my 20's, my 30's will be fleeting, but that's okay, because the best part is what will be eternal anyway.

Aand, I ended it with a rhyme. BAM.

Here's to the 30's!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you dearly.

summer highlights

Ah, lovely June has me in her clutches.

So far, the summer has been filled with time in the park, avocado smoothies, afternoon naps, good friends, a middle school writing class (only eight days; I temper my exposure to adolescents in the summer), morning runs, and today, I watched The Book of Eli and, I hesitate to admit to

you, crafted a cat bed out of fabric and a cardboard box. Because during the summer, there is time for things like that.

Among other happenings:

The baptism of a dear friend's baby boy, Jaxon (Isn't he adorable?? Look at those shoes!!)

The wedding of another dear friend, Amanda Blake. One of the sweetest, most beautiful weddings I've ever seen.

The little chapel

That morning, setting up for the reception

A visit from Dwana, Tyler, & Biggie!! Other dear friends from New Orleans. I lived with them during my time there last summer (you might recall my somewhat dramatic departure).

Visiting 16th Street Baptist Church

And then this.

I've been meaning to share this with you for awhile now...one of my students - I'll call him A - gifted me with this drawing on the last day of school. Let me first tell you that this kid is (and I know I say this a lot) one of my favorite humans on the planet. He's 13, but you'd think he's 8. He's about 4 feet tall and skinny like a pipe cleaner. But what he lacks in stature he more than makes up for in personality - the kid is brilliant. A voracious reader, articulate and dynamic orator, and analyst of global news (he's the one that credited me with the sniping of Bin Laden on my days away from school), he's constantly debating, declaring and proclaiming, and spouting wry commentary about everything. He is truly hysterical. He regularly gets himself so worked up that he breaks his glasses on a daily basis (granted, he sneezes and they break) so half the time he's got them taped up with masking tape, which only adds to his charm, in my opinion.

I give you this intro because I think it makes this even better.

Anyway, if you know me then you know that I have a somewhat distinct, yet unconscious, way of walking, particularly when I'm on a mission. It dates back to high school (or maybe middle school, now that I think about it) when I steadied my backpack and carried books with one arm and would swing my other arm ridiculously fast so that I could maintain my desired pace (which is notably swift).

In college, it was coined by several as "The Gorilla Walk" and "The Speed Skater," among others. At every school I've taught in so far, the kids have perfected it themselves and have taken great pride in showing off their renditions of what has become, to them, "The Hardin." Yes folks, I am a verb.

So you can only imagine my delight when A proudly yet casually handed me this drawing on his way out the door on the last day of school. I love the detail - the cropped pants, flats, and ponytail I always wear + the "swangin arm" and if you look closely...very closely...you'll see there's a worm in my hand.

It's scary how much attention to detail they exercise on a daily basis. Makes me wonder what other evils they've noticed in me, particularly on my worst days. I'm astonished at the levels of grace they give - I've been the recipient of a whole lot. Heaven knows I don't deserve their affection. Pretty sure I teared up when little A handed me this, gave me a hug, and hopped off on his sprightly way.

As grateful as I am for my relationships with these kindreds, I am so, so unbelievably thankful for summer and for the respite it brings.

Hope you're having a happy June - soak it up - can't believe it's half over!

Seventh grade

Just in case you forgot what 7th grade was like (and I know you want to revisit that), here's a list compiled by my kiddos...

You know you're in the 7th grade at JHP when...

1. You hear "tuck in that mini-skirt"

2. You hear "You just got four points taken off your homework average, baby!"

3. The teachers make you sit next to them at lunch when you're in trouble.

4. You hear "Don't even go there."

5. Mr. Edwards takes your food.

6. The trash gets thrown on you.

7. MESS is the only language. (??)

8. People walk around hitting you with brushes.

9. You hear Miss H's bell in your sleep.

10. You hear people just randomly start singing.

11. Ms. T throws away your Powerade.

12. Miss H has her big deerlight eyes aimed right on you.

Obviously 6, 8, and 12 are my favorites.

The Cat Daddy + I started my summer reading a little early

Did you know there is some kind of dance called the Cat Daddy?

Well, there is. And 104 13 year olds cheered and chanted for me to do this strange dance at our honors and awards program yesterday. I declined, made some less-than-witty comment about saving it for the after party and sat down, baffled and red-faced.

Afterwards I gave everyone a stern talking-to about taking me off guard and putting me on the spot like that in front of their families and my bosses.

And then I learned the Cat Daddy. I'd say it's pretty white girl friendly, but apparently it was still the most hilarious thing my kids had ever seen.

I don't know what they were laughing at. I mean, can't you see me killing this?? For a prime demo, go straight to the 2:10 mark of this video.

I'll be back soon to share some more goodies from the last days of school (how did I end up with a job that kills me over and over again every single day and yet I keep going back for more??) but for now, I have a few book reviews.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

I'm one of the five people who have never seen this movie - and I'm not anti-scary movie - I think I've kept it up on a pedestal as the phoenix of all horror, and I somehow didn't think I'd survive the viewing. I did survive the book, though, and loved every page of it. Is it sick to admit that I loved Hannibal Lecter's character? I thought he was hilarious. Again, not sure I should be admitting this, but there it is. Masterful suspense. And, now I understand why people have always greeted me "Hello, Clarice."

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

I've not seen this movie, either, but the book was a very quick and completely absorbing read. Written simply and cleverly, it's the story of a nine-year-old German boy, Bruno, who befriends a Jewish boy, Shmuel, at Auschwitz (his father is one of Hitler's commandants) and doesn't at all have a clue what is happening around him. It's a very innocent account of a child's perspective of the atrocities of the Holocaust, and for that reason it's especially poignant (I feel like such a wannabe book reviewer using that word, but really, it's the best word for the job). I loved everything about this book.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I guess I'm on a roll here with novels-turned-movies (and hyphens, it turns out). The preview for this movie got me intrigued enough to read the novel (I think people should make trailers for books!) but I'm sorry to report that both book and movie were kind of a let down. Maybe it was that I'd recently finished Silence of the Lambs, but I thought the plot unfolded rather slowly. A lot of times that's okay, but I don't think this guy is a good enough writer to get away with a really slow plot. That said, it was entertaining, and I don't usually take to science fiction, clones, organ harvesting, that sort of thing. I liked it just barely enough to think about reading The Remains of the Day.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

I'm reading this one right now, and as it turns out, so is my pastor's sweet little 8 year old daughter. It's pretty golden - it's about four sisters, their dog Hound, and their widowed father vacationing at a summer cottage where they meet some interesting characters (and two rabbits). I'm of the opinion that the best adult lit usually doesn't hold a candle to really good children's books - it's in the children's section that you find the best stories, characters, humor, wit, and often, writing. The Penderwicks is no exception - I laugh out loud reading it - it's really a treat. I can't wait to follow it up with The Penderwicks on Gardham Street and The Penderwicks at Point Mouette.

Back soon!!

Good Friday

From The Rabbit Room (emphasis mine):

(See Matthew 27:1-61, Mark 15:1-47, Luke 23:1-56, John 18:28-19:42.)

"On Thursday night in Gethsemane, Jesus was arrested—betrayed by one of His own disciples and abandoned by the others. The Chief Priests and the Sanhedrin called for secret trials in the dead of night, and the verdict handed down was that Jesus would be crucified. This was something the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, would have to execute. And reluctantly, he did.

After a severe beating, Jesus was nailed to a cross where He’d remain for six hours until dead.

Never before or since had more been lost and gained at the same time as at Jesus’ crucifixion.

The world gained the atoning sacrifice of Christ. But for those present, either the significance of the moment was lost on them or their hearts broke because the One they believed to be the Savior of the world was dying at the hands of Rome. They couldn’t stop it and they didn’t realize it was for them. They hoped in Him, and though He had told them He would suffer many things and rise three days later, (Mk 8:31)how could they have possibly known this was what He meant?"

Today my mind keeps wandering to those who were present at the crucifixion. The very moment they were given life itself; the very moment they received the complete and unmerited mercy and grace of eternity seemed, by all accounts, to be the single most devastating event of their lives.

I don't understand it, but I'm so, so thankful that His ways are not mine, that from sorrow will come song, and from tomb, breath and life.

This poem...oh, this poem. I'm sharing it with my kids today. Risky? Yes. Do I care? No.

A Night Poem (For Easter)
Andrew Peterson

I lie in bed these sweet few days
When the windows yet are open
And the weather yet is fine,
And love to hear the dead of night
Announce its living presence
With hoot and croak and creeping vine.

I love the knowledge that for years
As I have waited on the bench
Beneath the juniper tree,
And paid such close attention,
There is an owl I’ve never seen
An owl, I know, who watches me.

I love the sound of secret things,
I love to hear their nearness,
And to feel their wildness, too.
(Three days ago we sowed the seeds
And every hour I check the dirt
For seedlings pushing through.)

I lie in bed awake, alert,
Aware of the God of the Garden.
I sense in the seed a promise,
An unfolding resurrection
In the furrowed row, in soil
And root, in husk and humus.

I sense an ancient heart alive
Who haunts these moonlit acres,
Blessing, bringing life from death,
Dawn from darkness, song from sorrow.
The night owl swoops, the zephyr sighs;
I hear within the tomb: a breath.

summer book list

Here is, give or take one or two, my selection of reads for this summer.

Now, whether or not I get through all of these in six weeks is highly questionable, but here's what I'd like to aim for, in no particular order:

1. When Knighthood was in Flower by Edwin Caskoden (or, Charles Major)

I'm excited about this book because 1) It is the story of Mary Tudor, the younger sister of Henry VIII and the courtly commoner Charles Brandon and 2) I don't think I have ever read a copy of a book this old - this book is copyrighted 1898 and it was a Christmas gift to a Mabel Miller in 1899. I found it on eBay for pennies, and something tells me this copy is worth far more than what I paid for it.

2. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

I think this book has the kind of quirk in it that I dearly love (and it's a children's book, go figure) - the four main characters - two of whom are named Constance and Sticky (I rest my case) - travel to an isolated school where children are being trained by a criminal mastermind to participate in his schemes to take over the world. Bottom line: Any book that has a place in it called the Whispering Gallery has my attention.

3.

Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott

Because it's Louisa May Alcott. Since this is the sequel to Eight Cousins, perhaps I should read that one first.

4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

This one's been on the shelf calling my name for awhile now. I fell in love with the cover of this one and I hope the inside lives up to it.

5. Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

This one seems really interesting: An upper middle class journalist tries to live on the wages of unskilled jobs in three different locations in the US. The author describes her experiences and tries to relate them to a larger frame of reference by laying out statistics about the US.

6. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

John Ames, a 76 year old preacher in Iowa, is writing a letter to his 7 year old son to leave to him an account of his life. It's a meditation on fathers and children, particularly sons, on faith, and on the imperfectability of man.

7. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America by John M. Barry

I started reading this one at the very end of last summer, and was surprised by how much I liked it. Sadly I had to put it down in August and have yet to pick it back up so I'm excited to finish it this summer. It's a mix of social history, politics, and science - sounds pretty boring, I know - but what could very easily be a pretty dry account of the 1927 flooding of the Mississippi River turns out to be (at least in the first few chapters) a really engaging story of the transformation of American society.

8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Because it's what I assigned for next year's 7th graders to read this summer. And I have never read it. Please don't tell anyone.

hither and thither

Yep. Still here.

In short, here's the latest:

1. Dodging lightning bolts and straight line winds at least once a week

2. Starting a new skincare regimen (I didn't really have one before? Oh. That is correct.) because my derm said these horrifying words to me, "You know, you're nearly 30...it's time for you to think about aging when you pick skin products."

3. Mad Men, seasons 1-4 Not sure how much this is worth since I don't watch much TV at all, but I'll make the claim that this show has the best cast of characters of any show in the past three decades at least.

4. As usual, the wrangling of many 12- year-olds I'm trying very hard to really enjoy these personalities these last few weeks. Five and one day, to be exact.

5. Virtual conference webinar series Five things to say about this: 1) huge headphones 2) web cam 3) national viewership 4) adhesive mustache 5) I am in WAY over my head

6. Frozen dinners Mostly as a result of #5. I feel very icky health-wise.

7. Birthdays! Holly & Nita both had birthdays this month, and we celebrated last weekend. So fun.

I think Nita looks a little like a Who in this picture

The birthday girls

8. Summer reading list Sadly, I don't do much recreational reading from August-May so I try to pack in a lot of good reads during the summer weeks. I'm working on my list for this summer and I plan to kick off the reading a little early this year. I'll be back soon with my completed list.

In the meantime, have you read anything really good lately? I'd love some recommendations!

30 Days of Lists: Day 5

Today's Playlist:

My Teacher Has a Life?!: Installment #2

Are you ready for this? Because I wasn't.

"Well, we all know that Miss H is my English teacher. But we all wonder what her life is like outside of school. None of us think of the good things she may do. We are all thinking of the negative and grown-folk things she's doing. Well, me personally, I think outside of school Miss H is boy crazy, a facebook addict, and a ballet teacher.

Miss H looks like she has a lot of boy problems. I think she might have a different boyfriend every week like us 7th graders! I wonder if she cries about boys. Oh excuse me I meant to say MEN because she is grown and don't want or need to be dating any little boys. That's called nasty. Anyways like I was saying her men are probably muscular and ghetto. Just like she likes them. LOL.

Have you ever heard of facebook? Yeah I'm quite sure you have. But if you haven't then you should think about joining it. Oh wait nevermind it should be going away on March 18, 2011. I don't think it will but if it does someone else's life is going to be ruined. Who may that be? We all know the answer to that. Miss H.

She spends 20 out of 24 hours on there a day. Doesn't that mean she is on facebook during school? Yes it does. I think that is why she is so crazy because she only gets four good hours of sleep a day.

Miss H is also lanky, tall, and loud. I think she may teach ballet on Saturdays. The one day she's not on facebook having poke wars. Her little ballerinas probably wear the cutest outfits because Miss H has unique swagg. Which all ballet teachers need.

I wonder if she is better than I am in ballet. Hmm. I think so. That means she can be my ballet teacher one day. Maybe sooner than you think. I will pay her $50.

Now we all know what Miss H does in her free time. Well I ain't gone say she does it. I would prefer to say, 'Now we all know what I think Miss H may do or be in her quality time.'

Do you know what time it is now? If you don't, then I do."

30 Days of Lists - List 4

Day 4: What I'm looking forward to...

Well, I can tell you that Morning Glory was a disappointment. Worth a Redbox rental, but I'm sure glad I didn't spend $9 to see it in the theatre. You know, I think very few movies are actually worth $9 to see in the theatre.

Spring break, however, is far from disappointing. Time outside, Mad Men, lunch & coffee with good friends, some much anticipated reading, testing out new recipes, and another project that will remain under wraps for the time being. :)

Tomorrow I'm heading to Tupelo for lunch to find out the gender of Kurt & Marty's little one. Then I'm heading to Starkville to spend a few days with my parents, brother & sister in law, and sweet little niece and brand new baby nephew!!

p.s. I'm going to go ahead and admit that I'm watching The Bachelor finale as I type. Somebody get poor Chantel a tissue!!!

Puny branches and sufficient roots

I love, love, love this excerpt from a letter written by Hudson Taylor to his sister.

Thanks to Ron Block over at The Rabbit Room for sharing.

Now if I can figure out how to stencil this whole thing on my ceiling...

“…I felt assured that there was in Christ all I needed, but the practical question was - how to get it out. He was rich truly, but I was poor; He was strong, but I weak. I knew full well that there was in the root, the stem, abundant fatness, but how to get it into my puny little branch was the question.

As gradually light dawned, I saw that faith was the only requisite - was the hand to lay hold on His fulness and make it mine. But I had not this faith.

I strove for faith, but it would not come; I tried to exercise it, but in vain. Seeing more and more the wondrous supply of grace laid up in Jesus, the fulness of our precious Saviour, my guilt and helplessness seemed to increase.

Sins committed appeared but as trifles compared with the sin of unbelief which was their cause, which could not or would not take God at His word, but rather made Him a liar! Unbelief was I felt the damning sin of the world; yet I indulged in it. I prayed for faith, but it came not. What was I to do? When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter…was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed to me the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before.

(I quote from memory):

“But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” As I read I saw it all! “If we believe not, he abideth faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, “I will never leave thee.”

“Ah, there is rest!” I thought. “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has not He promised to abide with me - never to leave me, never to fail me?” And…He never will.
Nor was this all He showed me, nor one half.

As I thought of the Vine and the branches, what light the blessed Spirit poured direct into my soul! How great seemed my mistake in wishing to get the sap, the fulness out of Him! I saw not only that Jesus will never leave me, but that I am a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. The vine is not the root merely, but all-root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit.

And Jesus is not that alone - He is soil and sunshine, air and showers, and ten thousand times more than we have ever dreamed, wished for, or needed. Oh the joy of seeing this truth! I do pray that the eyes of your understanding too may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ.

…it is a wonderful thing to be really one with a risen and exalted Saviour, to be a member of Christ! Think what it involves. Can Christ be rich and I poor? Can your right hand be rich and your left poor? or your head be well fed while your body starves?

Again, think of its bearing on prayer. Could a bank clerk say to a customer, “It was only your hand, not you that wrote that check”; or “I cannot pay this some to your hand, but only to yourself”? No more can your prayers or mine be discredited if offered in the name of Jesus (i.e., not for the sake of Jesus merely, but on the ground that we are His, His members) so long as we keep within the limits of Christ’s credit - a tolerably wide limit!

The sweetest part…is the rest which full identification with Christ brings. I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realize this; for He, I know, is able to carry out His will, and His will is mine. It makes no matter where He places me, or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me, for in the easiest position He must give me His grace, and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient.

It little matters to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the most expensive articles. In either case he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases.

So if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in places of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength?

No fear that His resources will prove unequal to the emergency! And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me."

Introducing the "My Teacher Has a Life?!" Series

It all began with my homeroom class going on a kick where they wanted to ask nonstop questions about my personal life (few of which I actually answered). They asked if they could write a paper on what they think my life is like outside school. After a brief moment of hesitation, I agreed.


Who was it that said seeing your teacher outside of school is like seeing a cat walk on its hind legs?

Letting 7th graders write about what they think my life is like outside school has opened a massive and hilarious can of worms. There should be more studies done on the 13 yr old brain. It's like they're constantly in a state of being high.

This is really the kind of thing I should post on Don't Test My Gangster, but it's just too long for that, I think.


So for the next 3oish days, in between lists, I'll share a few of these tasty morsels.


Installment #1

"Have you ever wondered what your teacher might do after school hours? I have. My name is ***** ******** and I am here to tell you three ways I think my teacher lives her life outside of school. My teacher's name is Miss H and she is my English teacher. I never really thought about it until I saw a show called iCarly. Carly, Sam, and Freddie went into their teacher's house and stayed for hours spying. Then they found out she was just a regular boring teacher who was in love with Randy Jackson and she worked out all the time.

I always thought Miss H was a spy. She always seems to appear out of the dark like Batman. One minute she's in her room the next BAM she's in the teacher's lounge making copies. After school she could put on a black suit and become a spy who climbs on walls and walks on the ceiling. Does she spy on the president or spy on the government and see what they might be hiding from the world? How does she appear from no where like that? I think Miss H is a spy. From now on I will call her Miss Darkness.

Miss H could also just sit at home and drink coffee all day and knit. Miss H is always up and walking real fast like she has to use the restroom or like a thousand ants are biting her butt. Through the whole school day I probably see her sit down twice. I always laugh at the way she walks super fast with her black cup. She smells like coffee; I tihnk it might be her favorite drink. If I ever found out that Miss H sits and knits all day I would just die of laughter. I never wanted a boring teacher because that is LAME.

Have I been wrong about my guesses? I don't know but I have one more. My teacher Miss H could be a rebel. When you're at school teachers and kids are supposed to act in a great attitude. Walk on one side of the hall and don't talk without permission (we really don't listen or walk on one side of the hall unless there is a fire drill, and that's only once every two months.) or you're in big trouble.


You never know what she could do after school hours. Miss H is from Mississippi so she could have did some bad things there like rob a bank or murder someone. Miss H could have changed her identity. Who knows, her name might really be Holly or Amanda. She could have a tattoo of her name or of a heart. If Miss H is a rebel I need to change schools now because she might try to cut me.

There are so many things that Miss H might be outside of school. She could be a spy, a coffee drinker who knits all day, or a rebel. If Miss H is one of the three, then I told everybody so. If she's not any of those things, then I made good guesses and I will still think she is one of the three. But, who knows but Miss H what her life really is. She could be a normal person who goes to the mall and watches movies. (I really hope Miss H is a spy, spies rule!)"

30 Days of Lists: Day Three

Today's to-do list (or, my to-do list from two days ago):

I am the cat lady: I'm a little worried about my girl Pip; she has been throwing up. A lot. I stepped in it this morning. So add to my to-do list: Clean up cat vomit. Sorry. Just keepin it real.

30 days of lists: Day two

Today's list (and if you're going to the blog I linked to yesterday, you know that I am several days behind): Things I'm good at. I'm good at a lot of things - most of them things I wish I weren't so good at:

And an unrelated photo:

:)

30 days of lists

For most of my life I've been a pretty faithful journaler.

I'm not sure why the journaling has slowed to a near halt over the past few years, but it has, and that's the unfortunate reality. I'm confident my extensive journaling days are far from over. In the meantime, though, I discovered this blog and it seems like a really fun way to record a little snapshot of my life at least once a year, if nothing else.

There are 30 days' worth of prompts that each call for a list. I like lists.

You make a little listy notebook to keep them in. I also like notebooks.

I'm diving right into this one - you're supposed to make a list everyday for 30 days during the month of March, but in true fashion I'm not following the rules.

I just started it this weekend and while I do plan to share most, of not all, of my lists here, I can't promise a post every day for 3o days. I'm just keepin it real.

Here's my book of lists:

You can get downloadables for the title page and headings for each list - that's what I used. They're $3 to download, and I thought it would save time, but in hindsight they're really kind of unnecessary. You could probably make headings as cute or cuter on your own.

The first list:

A few things about yourself. That's easy!

Yes, the photo on the left is me dressed as Alice in Wonderland the other day at age 6.

I did two lists this weekend, but I'll save the next for another post.

Want to join me for this list-making endeavor? It'll be interesting to see how the lists change over the years, and won't it be fun for your children and grandchildren to read them?