Catch Up

Yes, Jenn, I stole that from your blog, HA!  I saw yours and thought, okay fine, I was just going to forget the past couple weeks never happened and skip blogging about anything, I sometimes deny facebook exists too.  Anyway, on with it and where to begin? 

My lovely cousin Jennifer and her hubby and adorable children came to spend a couple days with us.  It was fabulous, they are an awesome family and we so enjoyed having them. 

Precious Posers!

And James especially enjoyed Gracie ;)

We are certainly ready for them to make a 5 and a half hour trip to visit again.  The following week is a blur, I subbed almost every day and two of those days were with Kindergarteners, I love them, they are so much fun but very high maintenance and I was exhausted.  One little boy kept telling me something (kinda bossy, lol) and I said "I heard you, you said it five times".  His reply..."actually, I said it six times".  Gotta love it.  School got out early on Friday because our awesome Ladycat softball team made the final four and were playing at 2 in Springfield.  We decided to attend, it was a good game and then we walked around the mall - hiding from our kids and then to a movie at our favorite theater (yes, $3 per person) and watched "Despicable Me".  We LOVED this movie, it was hysterical, I laughed out loud (literally LOL) several times and what made it even better was the existence of children and parents packing the theater.  There is something about the laughter of children that melts hearts or should.  I want to watch this one again!  Here's a peek...

For some reason the youtube thing isn't working right...just go to this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82utG7Q3G_k

Okay...then Monday the softball girls won State, it is the first time in Warsaw history so that is pretty cool.  Tuesday evening Cameron had a Music Concert, it only lasted an hour (whew, some are wayyyy too long) and was enjoyable but a guy gave me some inspiration for a blog entry.  I tried to get a better pic but my camera wouldn't cooperate.  The picture below shows him taking a picture of his guy or girl in the band performing with his cell phone.  This is totally acceptable but he was standing in the front row in the middle of everything when I first spotted him (hard to miss) he moved in front of others to get this shot, it kinda made me laugh. 

It reminds me of James when we are in Wal-Mart, he says I am oblivious to anyone else in the store, I just run with my cart at full speed weaving in and out of the aisles like a woman on the run, well not really but he tells me I'm not the only person in the store.  I say "excuse me" most of the time, it may be mumbled but...okay I will try to do better.

Christian and Madrigal singing in New York City

Last March 2010, Christian had the awesome opportunity to go to New York City with his high school singing group - Madrigal.  Here he is singing at St. Paul's Cathedral near Ground Zero.  A friend recorded this and posted it on facebook....the reason it's taken so long to put it on?...she just got high speed internet, so happy for her. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1516131220087&ref=mf

Relly, relly, relly sorry

Last week, I subbed for the South Elementary and Middle School Music teacher.  As you can see by the picture, it didn't go well.  The elementary kids were great, the 8th graders were awesome which was a big surprise, and 7th grade was okay.  The 6th graders...not so much, there are almost 50 of them though, whew, I had them for two days...it is always craziest for the last class of the day because they are itching to go home.  I told the music teacher about their bad behavior and this was the result...letters of apology, they really made me laugh, I think I might give them a bad report just so I can get some more goofy letters to read, just kidding, that wouldn't be right.  Here are a few quotes from some of them...

"Sorry for our bad behaveyor.  We would all love it if you came back.  This time we will sherly behave like adults."

"I am very sorry about this class had bad behavior and next time we will do much better with the talkers of the class.  I don't know what happened that day we just went crazy and that was very rude of us and my class mates apologize greatly."

"As I said we are humbly sorry please forgive us"

"You are a good substatute for a music teacher.  We were all ready to go home.  Sorry to make you sad and mad.  I promise it will not happen again."

"I'm sorry for me and my classmates behaveyour.  I know I was not as good as I shoud of been.  We relly are sorry.  And when you do come back, if you do we hope to sing better than ever!"  P.S.: Did I tell you were Relly, Relly, Relly Sorry. :(

"Mrs. D told us if we misbehave that there will be conqucens.  So we are doing this."

"I am so sorry for our misbehavior in class.  You did not deserve it.  We were acting ridicoulous."

"Sorry that we misbehavd and did a poor job.  We should have acted way better then this it's not your fault I don't know what got into us."

"We are sorry for the class and me messing up your week."

"I'm sorry for being rude and misbehaving.  This is a class for singing, not for messing around.  Next time (if there is a next time) I will behave better.  Thank you for your time."

"I'm sorry and I hope we didn't scare you off.  You'r a great music sub but we disbehaved."

"I am sorry for the undiscribable behavior on behalf of the class.  If I was a substitute teacher, I would have said the same thing I would come back the next time and see how any behavior is changed or left the same.  I truely am sorry.  I could see the frusturated and stres'd look in your eyes.  Sometimes it makes me wonder how anyone that loud and irritating could be let into this class.  I enjoy singing and I don't want anybody to ruin my fun either."

"I am also appalled at my class's behavior."

"Mrs. Hoagland rocks music class!  Super super sorry! No Joke! Best music sub on planet earth!! No joke!"

There were lots of please forgive us, we will be better next time, etc.  Mrs. D really laid into them.  I told her I would, of course, sub for her again.  After all, I need to see if there has been any change. LOL
sidenote: I found it very difficult not to correct their grammar and spelling while typing this.

How to Keep Your Pillows Fluffy

I have flat pillows...yes, we keep them forever!  Why do we do that?  I know why, they aren't cheap and the ones that are...well, they are really bad, not even worth buying.  It seems like every time we buy new pillows our poor children, although kids can sleep on anything even the floor...remember those days when you could sleep on the floor and still get up without incident, no soreness, etc?  Anywho, the boys get the old pillows which means theirs are probably really bad!  Flat, stained, and gross!  We have company coming this weekend and I told them if there was room in their vehicle to bring pillows, hopefully they will have some I like.  Oh, I'm kidding but you never know.  I found this article on how to keep your pillows fluffy and I know it's a much needed remedy to the flat pillow dilemma.  Okay, I just actually read this article an it seems like a bunch of hogwash, I know that everytime I wash my pillows they become a clumpy good-for-nothing mess, all the stuffing goes to one side or the other and splits right down the middle; and memory foam, the one we have anyway, is hard and gives me a headache, I could never sleep on that thing.  Anyway, sorry, read on...

How to Keep Your Pillows Fluffy

By Christina Fernando, eHow Member

Keep Your Pillows FluffyGoogle Images User-Submitted Article

Don't throw away your flat, uncomfortable pillow before reading this article. Learn how to revive your flat, worn pillow and spring it back to life again. How to keep your pillows light and fluffy.

Difficulty: Easy (sidenote from me, Christy, this difficulty thing cracked me up)

Instructions.
1. It's important to replace your bedroom pillows a few times each year. You don't necessarily need to buy a designer pillow to get a good night's sleep but pillows that are badly worn, soiled and no longer functioning properly should be tossed out and replaced with something new. If your pillow is still fairly new but has gone limp there is hope for it.

2.  Start off by machine washing your pillow. Pillows need to be thrown through the washer cycle at least once every 2 months. Not only will this release and get rid of dust mites and dirt, but it will make your pillow fluffier, softer and will therefore give you a better nights rest. A limp pillow that does not properly support your head can lead to headaches, loss of sleep and neck pain. For even more added softness, don't forget to use fabric softener like Downy.

3. When placing your pillows in the dryer, try using one or two tennis balls in your load. The tennis balls will help to keep your pillows light and fluffy while drying.

4. Each morning, try to fluff out your pillow using your hands. Often the cotton or feathers inside your pillow can become compressed after sleeping for eight hours or more. It is your daily job to redistribute the weight of your pillow so that it remains balanced and comfortable.

5. Your sleep is important to you so maintain your pillows to optimize comfort and quality of sleep. Consider investing in a quality pillow like the ones with Memory Foam. Memory Foam will contour to your body and give you a more restful night's sleep.

Yes, he's mine

I posted earlier about Christian singing with the 9th & 10th grade Honors Choir (210 students).  We traveled to Sedalia to watch and listen to the ensemble.  My son was amazing!  Yes, I am soo bragging about him, he got one of the "Don't Stop Believin'" solos and totally rocked it!  It was so much fun watching him up there and listening to the talent God has given him.  I took a video of it with my digital camera and was so excited to watch it when we got home and when I put the card in my computer something happened and it was corrupted, no video :( and worse, all Cameron's birthday party (skating) were gone as well.  At least we have the memories, ha.  We did order a CD of the performances and I will just have to hope some of those party-goers took some with their phones and will post them on facebook.  As a wise man once said, "This too shall pass, like a bad taco." - James

Don't run with your tomahawk!

Creepy, right?

Cameron and James recently went to a Sportsman Extravaganza put on by some christian men.  My guys had a great time, they had a dinner and got to sample ostrich, alligator, kangaroo and more...they said the zebra never made it around to them.  There were archery demos, duck calling demos, the list goes on and on...but one in particular caught Cameron's eye...making your own Tomahawk.  Sounds a little crazy, doesn't it?  But all the kids lined up and forged their own Tomahawk, starting with a piece of steel they pounded away and did all the other things that go into making a Tomahawk.  Since this thing has come home with him, he has thrown in numerous times at a "dead" tree by our pond and has repeatedly asked if this tree or that is dead so he can destroy it as well.  We said only the one please.  I've seen him out there trying to hack down saplings but I let it go.  I called him in for supper the other night and said "Don't run with your tomahawk Cameron!"  He said he was only walking fast.  Sure...

I first spelled this sapplings but it came up as incorrect. Who knew?  Sapling - a young tree.

You're Sick Mom

My son...what can I say?  He is brilliant in so many ways.  That rhymes, tee hee.  On Tuesday, Christian jammed his right index finger playing flag football in his P.E. class (Lifetime Sports) at school.  We couldn't get in to see the doctor on Wednesday so I made an appointment for after school on Thursday.  When I picked Christian up from school he got in the van and said, "Guess what, I jammed my other finger".  Yes, he jammed his index finger on his left hand.  Two matching boo boos.  I couldn't help but laugh, it really struck me as funny.  Christian said, "Mom, you're sick."  He didn't think it was nearly as funny but the receptionists at the doctors office chuckled...they're sick puppies too.

"Don't Stop Believing"

Dallas and Christian singing "Don't Stop Believing"

This Saturday Christian and his fellow classmates will be singing in Sedalia at Smith Cotton High School in the 9th & 10th grade Honors Choir.  Here the are rehearsing, having a lot of fun.  I love it when "kids", especially teenagers who think they are too cool to be silly, act like kids and aren't afraid to have a good time.  They are singing "Don't Stop Believing" from Glee, although I don't particularly like the show the arrangement is pretty cool.

Without Excuse

Breathtaking gifts from our Father.  Thank You, Lord. 

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse." Romans 1:20

Powerstar - Vol. 1

My youngest brother, Cliff, has autism.  He is something special, he can create anything out of construction paper and glue and writes tons of comics and stories.  A while back he asked me to help him with his stories, a series of comic book adventures about a character he created called "Powerstar".  She is a reporter named Victoria when she isn't fighting crime.

I started this endeavor all wrong, I was trying to edit and make it perfect and it was taking forever.  So I gave it another try and went about it differently, I only took out a few redundant things and those few things that made no sense or that made it flow a little better.  It really made the story sound so much like my brother, it made me laugh typing it...I could see the story coming to life just a if Cliff was telling me the tale himself.  Cliff's birthday was coming up and I wanted to get it finished for him and surprise him.  I printed it and took one of his Powerstar drawings and made a nifty comic book looking cover.  I also scanned his senior picture because that's the best one I had and it looked "author" like and wrote a little blurb on the last page about him.  I invited my family for dinner to celebrate Cliff's birthday and to give him his gift.  I took a little video of him while he was opening it.

He was delighted!  Yea!  Of course he talked about it all evening but the best part for me was when he told me "I'm proud of you, Christy".  It was really sweet.  Obviously he wants me to do some more stories for him which is fine, I will be honored.  James heard him saying to himself "I knew they wouldn't let me down" and that made me smile.

What boredom looks like

A happy paper bag face

A sad paper bag face

And add a nose...

Cameron, still a kid, love it!

Aqui' Estoy Rendido

Aqui' Estoy Rendido is Spanish for the praise and worship song "Here I am to Worship".  We attended church here tonight at Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana (Hispanic Baptist Church in Sedalia, MO), what an experience!  Let me back up a bit...we have been attending church at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Sedalia and this morning Pastor Efrain E. Baeza N. from Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana (PIBH) brought the message, his niece was the translator, it was a great message about "The War of the Christian".  Tonight, Pastor Chris Guffey (Cornerstone's Pastor) preached at PIBH.  The bulletin was in Spanish, of course, and the hymnals, everything!  PIBH's pastor's niece interpreted once again.  They had some of the praise and worship songs in English on the screen, sometimes we sang the Spanish words instead, it was awesome.  The pastor baptized two new Christians, the interpreter translated them telling their testimonies.  We also sang "Victory in Jesus" "Victoria en Cristo".

Pastor Chris got up to preach and the interpreter then switched to translating English to Spanish.  The message was about Jesus' prayer for us before He went to the cross.  John 17:20-23 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, they they may be one just as We are one: I in them and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me."  He spoke of how we should be united, united as believers, no matter our ethnicity, denomination, whatever the differences may be.  The gospel unites us!  How do my actions affect the gospel?

I am so thankful to have gotten this opportunity to worship with these believers, what a blessing for our family.  It really opened my eyes to bigger things...

Eres Santo = You are Holy!

A Hillbilly Good Time

A few years ago my husband built a "potato gun".  This consists of PVC pipe and a BBQ ignitor thingy.  The ammo...potatoes, the eh, gun powder....Aqua Net hairspray, yes they still make it, you know as well as I do old ladies don't like change and the stuff holds.

 Simply shove a potato in the end you want it to come out, spray the hairspray in the other end, screw on the lid and hit the button.  KaWow!  Out comes the potato, everyone cheers and we do it again.  This is actually quite the powerful weapon, we've put a hole in our burn barrel.  Why?  For fun, of course!  And whenever someone comes over, either a friend of one of the boys' or a local youth pastor, it doesn't seem to matter, the potato "cannon" shows itself.  Cameron recently came upon some new ammo....walnuts, we have a couple walnut trees in our yard, they work great and they're freeeeeee, even better, and probably more dangerous.  Christian timed several shots straight up in the air and they all came in around 11 seconds before hitting the ground.  Pretty impressive, huh?  Oh, it's just a little something real people do for fun or from boredom, either way the menfolk in my family love it and that's good enough for me.

Football is more than the cookies

Warsaw High School football is a big deal.  I have been attending games since 1988...yes, for over 20 years.  I have witnessed teenage boys cry over a heart breaking loss and rejoice over winning a State Championship.  WHS football is legendary.  Coach Morrow is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for coaching.  I have seen him yell at players and break down and bawl talking about Jesus.  I've sung the National Anthem there and so has Christian with the Madrigal Singers.  I recalled when he was little and we were at an away game getting ready to walk across a parking lot, I reached for his hand and he looked up at me matter-of-factly and said, "Mom! I am in Kindergarten!"  The boys didn't watch too much of the games then, they mostly played in the grass with other children, having their own football game.  The crowds that gather are large, they fill up the bleachers and stand and watch next to the field halfway around the track.  WHS football is one of our favorite pasttimes. 



 Tonight was Homecoming!  The booster club sells brown bag specials with your choice of brats, hot dogs, or burgers along with a bag of chips, soda or water, and a homemade cookie.  Yummy!  We are always at the games early, I mean early, we have our spot, top row of the bleachers close to the speaker where we set up our bleacher seats and where I lay out my blanket to save seats for James' parents.  The speaker is loud, way too loud before the game starts.  They play the same songs they played when I was in high school..."Welcome to the Jungle", "Hells Bells".  I do not like these songs anymore!  But we endure it for the love of the game.  Madrigal Singers sang the National Anthem tonight, I could clearly hear Christian (that's so cool), and it sounded great!


Christian singing, he's the one in the white t-shirt

 

The players storming the field, ripping through the "Beat the Mustangs Banner"

They're holding hands.....aw, sweet

The game was good, we won 40 - 30.  The season hasn't been like most, our record is 3 - 3, there have been some injuries and other mishaps but we are still hopeful for the playoffs. 

I took this before our last home game.