An e-mail forward I got today......

This photo is from Touchtone picture's movie "The Guardian" (Kevin Costner & Aston Kutcher) It's an appropriate image for this post. The movie, as a side note, was awesome.






I received this as a forward in my e-mail and thought I'd share it:

The Church's Pastor slowly stood up
after the worship time was over, walked
over to the pulpit and, before he gave
his sermon, he briefly introduced a guest
Pastor who was in the service.

In the introduction, the Pastor told the
congregation that the guest Pastor was
on of his dearest childhood friends and
the he wanted him to have a few moments
to greet the Church and share whatever
God laid on his heart. With that, an
elderly man stepped up to the pulpit
and began to speak. "A Father, his son, and
a friend of his son were sailing off the
pacific coast," he began. "When a fast
approaching storm blocked any attempt to
get back to the shore. The waves were so
high, that even though the Father was an
experienced sailor, he could not keep
the boat upright and the three were swept
into the ocean as the boat capsized."
The elderly man hesitated for a moment,
making eye contact with two teenagers who
looked somewhat interested in his story.
He continued with his story, "grabbing a
rescue line, the father had to make the
most excruciating decision of his life:
to which boy would he throw the other end
of the life line? He only had seconds to
make the decision. The Father knew that his
son was a Christian and he also knew that his
son's friend was not. The agony of his decision
could not be matched by the torrent of waves.
As the Father yelled out, 'I Love you, son!'
He threw out the life line to his son's friend.
By the time the Father had pulled the friend
back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared
beneath the raging swells into the black of night.
His body was never recovered. By this time, the two
teenagers were sitting up straight in their seats,
anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of
the elderly Pastor's mouth. "The Father, "he continued,
"knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and
he could not bear the thought of his son's friend
stepping into an eternity without Jesus.... Therefore,
He sacrificed his son to save the son's friend."

How great is the love of God that He should do the
same for us! Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His
only son that we could be saved. I urge you to
accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of
the life line He is throwing out to you in this
service." with that, the elderly man turned and sat
back down in his chair as silence filled the room.
After the service was over within minutes the two
teenagers were at the elderly man's side. "That was
a nice story," politely stated on of them, "but I don't
think it was very realistic for a Father to give up
his son's life in hopes that the other boy would become
a Christian." "Well, you've got a point there, "the
elderly man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible.
a big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again
looked up at the boys and said, "it sure isn't very
realistic, is it? but I'm standing here today to tell
you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have
been like for God to give up His son for me.
You see....
I was that Father and your Pastor is my son's friend."

Saturday out and about

My sweet son, who actually does have 2 legs :)

Tempe Art Festival

My daughter and her friend


My son's brief career as a street performer :)
Daisy Mountain Railroad

Yesterday we went to the Tempe Art Festival. My daughter had a friend that came with us, she enjoyed having a friend to hang out with, I think it made it more fun for her. The festival was along a road that goes through a downtown shopping area. For a good part it was shaded, but it was a day in the 80's, already. It was a little on the toasty side in the sun. We walked around for several hours. I think it was inspiring to be there, seeing all that talent. Both my husband and I were inspired. He is interested in the metal type art, being a sheet metal mechanic and natural artist. I must also credit him for all of the pictures in this post, except the one of the girls, I took that one. I didn't bring my camera on this outing. My son was a volunteer that took part in a street performers act. He was a juggler with a dog as part of his show and needed some little volunteers. His dog jumped over the kids :) Of the Art Show one of my favorites was a contemporary artist that used crystals in her work. I wasn't aware that they were swarvoski crystal until I asked more about the paintings. The Artist used mixed medium to make some really creative unique paintings. She is actually from Florida, which I didn't find out until I checked out her website. We moved to AZ from FL almost 10 years ago. If you are interested in checking it out, her site is: www.artbypj.com My favorite was one called shared hearts. She also does some really pretty high heel shoes too.

After the Art Festival we went to the town of Anthem which is supposed to be "the perfect place for families" if you work anywhere near this oasis in the desert and can actually live there. It's in the middle of nowhere if you ask me. Once you are there though, it is well equip to keep you happy. They have the most amazing kid park I've ever seen! It is like a kid park paradise. The playground equipment was like no other I'd seen. There were also plenty of basketball courts and little fishing ponds etc... We took a ride on the Daisy Mountain railroad and the kids played in the play area.

After we left the park we caught a quick bite to eat before making the journey back to our familiar civilization. While we were finishing our dinner I looked over at a family sitting nearby, I thought to myself that I knew the woman from High School! Mind you we're talking 25 years ago now. I told my husband I was 99% sure it was her. Her name totally escaped me. I thought for a minute, what if it wasn't? total embarrassment it would surely be. My husband encouraged me to say something to her, why pass up the chance, how bizarre would it be. I went to High School in Florida and we were in the middle of nowhere in AZ! These things happen to me though. I have a list of questions for God when I see Him :) Mind you I had also run in to the alleged person at a Mom's group at the Church we were attending when my daughter was little. So you're wondering what the outcome of that was aren't you? Well I casually walked over to the trash can to throw out some trash, had to have a reason for getting up right. I needed some time to think. I thought what do I say? I'm interrupting their dinner, what if it isn't her? Oh well take a chance, if not I'm sure she won't mind the interruption right. So I said would you by chance be from Florida? YES! Did you go to, and I said the High School I graduated from.... YES! It was her and once she reminded me of her name that came back to me to. They live up there now, have for 5 years. They have been in AZ for 12 years. Small world isn't it? Of all the places and times to run into someone from your past.....It was a very nice day, enjoyed by all.

April Fools Day Idea

We like to have a little fun at our house on April fools day. This caught my eye:
At first glance, a slice of this pie appears to offer something sweet: chocolate filling topped with strawberry whipped cream. But unsuspect­ing diners are in for a surprise.... It's really a shepherd's pie in disguise! Cocoa, molasses, and barbecue sauce give the meat its chocolaty color, while whipped potatoes infused with beet juice complete the deception. The best part of the prank is that you're also making dinner! RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
"Chocolate" Meat Loaf Filling
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon dark, unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup bread crumbs
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 egg, lightly beaten
"Strawberry" Potato Topping
2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
Salt
1/2 cup canned sliced beets (not pickled)
1/4 cup (or more) warm milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Piecrust
Frozen pie shell (use your favorite brand)

1. Heat the oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine the barbecue sauce, milk, molasses, cocoa, and chili powder. Set the pan over medium heat and whisk the mixture until it is lukewarm and the cocoa is completely dissolved. Set it aside to cool.

2. Sauté the onions in the tablespoon of canola oil until they are transparent, about 7 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, celery salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. Then add the beef, egg, sauce mixture, and onion. Thoroughly mix the ingredients using your hands or a wooden spoon.

4. Remove the pie shell from the freezer. (We placed ours in a Pyrex dish to help ensure that the pie would bake evenly.) Transfer the meat to the shell, spreading it evenly with a spoon. Bake it until the meat is cooked through, about 60 minutes.

5. While the pie is baking, prepare the mashed potato topping. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to completely submerge them. Salt the water lightly, cover the pot, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook the potatoes at a low boil until they are tender, about 12 minutes.

6. While the potatoes cook, puree the beets and 1/4 cup warm milk in a blender until only small bits of beet are left in the mixture. Set aside.

7. Drain the potatoes and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and pureed beets and, using an electric mixer, whip the mixture until it's smooth and fluffy. Add more milk if needed and salt to taste.

8. Spread the whipped potatoes over the top of the cooked meat pie with a spatula, as you would whipped cream, mounding it slightly in the center. Slice and serve the pie while the potatoes are still hot. Makes 8 servings.

FOUND! March 18th

This girl that I posted about has been found. Her and her family would greatly appreciate prayer.

Easter Sunday

After dinner last night we colored Easter Eggs, here they are minus two. After the children went to bed I filled plastic eggs for their Easter egg hunt this morning. I actually managed to stuff 48 eggs, I think they look very colorful in this lovely basket, is that an Easter basket or what? When the kids woke up they each had goodies to wake up to. They were personalized to each of them and received with excitement. We talked for a few minutes about how God is like an egg. God is 3 in 1 (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) After they went through their goodies those 48 eggs had to be hidden around the backyard. Eggs containing candy can't sit to long in the desert. I thought that it would be difficult to hide all of them but it really wasn't. Some of the eggs were hidden in pretty obvious places which made it harder to find them. Once they had found all they could we did a count to make sure none were left behind. Then we divided them equally. After a little each goody sampling it was time to get ready for Church. After Church we had some down time then headed out with family and friends to eat dinner. We ate at a family style Italian Restaurant. It was not the traditional Ham but it was still a special dinner just the same. I took a picture of the kids at home after we'd gotten back from dinner. I think it's really a sweet picture of them. Now the day comes to a close and back to our school routine we'll go in the morning.
Happy Easter! Hope yours was a Blessed one.

The upstairs bathroom has been painted!

This week has been Spring Break for my children. Having the added time without having to get ready for school or drive to school & pick up, I wanted to accomplish some project around the house. Yesterday I began to tape off the upstairs kids bathroom. My husband joined in to help once he got home from work. Once all the tape was done I started to do trim. I'm ashamed to admit I bought paint for it back in June, well actually I'm not ashamed, life happens.... This paint was a good brand but all the mixing I did, it still was like painting with glue. I think only one coat is all it will take. It's finished so we'll have to go up and take a look at the coverage in total daylight.

I was partly inspired by my friend Lisa in Georgia to do a beach themed bathroom. I chose a blue color, "coastal mist" to be exact. From the swatch it looks like a very light blue. My sons room is blue and compared to it, it looks blue/green. We found a great shower curtain that reminds me of a scrapbook page of the beach minus the personal pictures. I thought it would be nice to have a picture of each child at the beach as little ones playing in the sand, Lisa did this. I haven't gotten the frames for that yet and I need to choose a size, maybe 8x10's would be nice. I also bought a coordinating rug and soap dispenser to the shower curtain. We have a stained glass window that we had in a bathroom when we lived in Florida that will go perfect in the window in this bathroom. It's actually a window taken from a house in Scotland that was being demolished. I also have some ceramic sea sell type plaques to hang on the wall. A sweet friend has also been encouraging my venture and has given me a Bible verse about peace with an anchor and the sea in the background. She also got a couple of little towels she thought the kids would like. Over the summer we took a trip up the coast of California and bought a little sand castle. I also have a couple other things that accent the room. I may surprise myself I may have more things I don't remember, it will be like Christmas :) I want to get a net and glue seashells on it and drape it from the mirror. I can't wait to start putting everything together, I love decorating! I'll have to post some after pictures. Maybe my daughter will like being in her bathroom more! She's always in mine :)

The Passion of Christ

Being the Art lover that I am I found this painting. If you click on it you can view it larger. This painting sums up the Passion of Christ all in one. This is information taken from www.ArtBible.info/

Hans Memling ca. 1430 – 1494

Scenes from the Passion of Christ
oil on panel (57 × 92 cm) — 1470-71
Galleria Sabauda, Turin

Memling combined all passages from the Passion into one painting, adding the Resurrection. There are 23 scenes in total on the rather small panel. The praying figures in the lower corners are probably Tommaso Portinari and his wife, who ordered the painting.

The story starts in the top left, with the entry into Jerusalem, follows its way through town to the Garden of Gethsemane (in the lower left), continues in the central part (before Pilate, flagellation), and leaves town on its way to the hill behind the city.

If you go to the website, you will be able to move your mouse over the hotspots in the image to read a short description of the underlying scene.

Have a Blessed Easter!

A Trip to the Art Museum

Sweeping Clouds by Ed Mell



Gift Bearers by Philip C. Curtis


Mountain Village by Philip C. Curtis




On Tuesday afternoon we went to the Phoenix Art Museum. From 3-9 PM most of the museum is available to see for free. We really enjoyed walking around and looking at all the beautiful works of art. We commented on what our favorites were. I especially loved the older European work done on wood. There was a room where the kids could touch a painting to feel the texture. They could also do other hands on things.

My children loved the firefly room. My son wanted to go in twice. It was a dark room only illuminated by tiny lights hanging from the ceiling. The walls appeared to be mirrored. The floor may have also been or might have just be some kind of shiny surface. When you first walked in the lights appeared to be everywhere and the floor seemed to have no bottom. I entered with caution a bit not letting my mind accept that I wasn't going to fall down.

An artist I had never heard of was Philip C. Curtis apparently he was from Arizona and did Surrealist and Abstract work. His work was interesting having a whole room dedicated to his art.

Good Friday

I'm reflecting on the great sacrifice Jesus made for us. All the pain and abuse he endured so that we could live! How great His love is for us.

Horton Hears a Who, the Drive-In & spending money

On Saturday night we took the kids to the Drive In. Yes you read right, we went to a drive in! It was really fun, we brought blankets, pillows, chairs, snacks,drinks and a radio. We did buy some corn dogs and a hot pretzel there. You no longer attach a speaker to your car window at a drive-in, thus the need for the radio since we chose to sit in the back of our pick up truck. The movie is transmitted to your car radio. The cost was $6 for adults and children are free. If parents have a carload of young kids it's a pretty good deal! If we had gone at the same time to our local movie theater it would have cost $32, not including any snacks. On a side note, a friend shared that rather than going to the movies they wait until the movie they would like to see is on DVD. They buy the DVD rather than taking their family of 4 to the movies. New releases can be as little as $15. It works out to be less expensive and you can own the movie and watch it over and over again. Even if you don't know if you'll like the movie enough to own it, it's still less expensive than taking a family of 4 to the theater. As a parent I'm trying to teach my children about being good stewards of God's provision rather than indulging them at every turn, making good choices of what we spend our money on. In what has become a very self indulgent world. I'm not saying that we'll never go to the movies or treat ourselves to certain special privileges but not at every turn. I'm hoping this will also help my children to be independent adults that can afford things on their own rather than trying to keep up with a self indulgent appetite they may have been fed growing up, that will also make them confident knowing they can afford what they are accustom. I am a stay at home Mom, which obviously forces us to be this way but I'm glad it does because it's a valuable lesson and I feel it's what God wants from our family. Ok I'll climb down from my soap box and tell more about the movie :) I'm passionate about my opinions and I'm grateful that my Blog gives me the opportunity to express them.

On Saturday night it was a little chilly, so it was nice to have brought some blankets and pillows. It was a beautiful clear night. We arrived a little early and got some corn dogs to go with our snacks. Then we settled in to watch Horton Hears a Who. We thought it was a really cute movie having been fans of the book and the cartoon. I thought about the message of the movie and how no matter how big or small we all matter a persons a person.... I thought about how as a Christian I could derive some positive message in this movie and the Christian rating site "Plugged In" sums up my thoughts best. Read some of what was said at that site, this isn't the entire review but just bits of it:

Though God is never mentioned, Horton Hears a Who! explores the concept of faith in a larger—unseen—being. At first, McDodd is the only Who able to communicate with Horton, so the other Whos think the mayor is delusional. Meanwhile, McDodd is trying to wrap his mind around the idea that his whole world fits on a speck of dust atop a flower held by Horton's trunk. His difficulty in grasping this concept is heightened by the fact that he can't see Horton.

To his amazement, when he begins factoring in Horton's presence, McDodd's own world suddenly makes more sense. When he tries to explain this to his fellow Whovillians, he uses words strangely similar to John 3:8: "Look at the wind! What do you think that means?"

Out in Horton's world, the kangaroo takes a hard-line naturalist view. "If you can't see, hear or feel something, it doesn't exist!" she insists. But her dogmatism is shown to be unfair and motivated by fear of losing control over the other jungle creatures.

The mean kangaroo accuses Horton of turning the jungle children into "a bunch of harebrained half-wits" and other such things.

Hands down, the addition I was most pleased by was the exploration of faith in things unseen, which gets only a passing mention in the book, but enjoys significant screen time. The interaction between Mayor McDodd and Horton leaves viewers with the distinct impression that faith is not just reasonable, but in this case, makes one more loving and more responsible.

So moviegoers looking for a Sunday school take-home lesson all spelled out and labeled with circles and arrows won't find it here. But they will be given a chance to engage in meaningful discussion about both faith and responsibility—all because of a lumpy and lovable elephant who's sure to make parents and kids alike leave the theater waving their trunks and looking around for purple clover to pluck.

Civil War Reenactment at Picacho Peak

Last weekend we went to Picacho Peak near Tuscon Arizona. Early every March there is a Civil War Reenactment there. It's also the perfect time to see the desert in bloom! To my surprise I spotted an old friend and her daughter. They are reenactors and were giving a demonstration of period clothing. Afterwards I stayed and caught up with her for a while. Last year I took lots of pictures of the battle. After the Reenactment was over we went for a hike. This particular day I was having lots of problems with my camera. I have a Nikon D70 and we LOVE Nikons but I wasn't loving my camera on this day. We are still looking into the cause of it's problems. I'm still mourning the loss of some shots I took. They have disappeared into digital wasteland. It's weird because we witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets at Picacho during the EL Nino about 10 years ago or so. We had camera problems that day too. The flowers were amazing that day also. It wasn't until sunset that we had our troubles. I forget what the problem was but that was before we went digital with our cameras. Well I have memories of our day, just wish I had a few more photos of my own to go with it. My husband was able to get some great shots so we do have the memories captured. Being a photographer though I wanted some of my very own.

MISSING GIRL

Margarita "Magui" Martinez
DOB: 4-19-1994
MISSING: 3-10-2008
2 scratches on left arm, just above the wrist; scar from a burn as a child on right index finger.
5'2", 120 lbs., hispanic
Magui has Retinitis Pigmentosa, an eye disease. Due to this, she has nightblindness, photophobia and tunnel vision.
May be accompanied by hispanic male.
Possibly in the Yuma, AZ area/ El Cajon, CA/San Diego, CA area.
If spotted, please call your local police department.
*CLICK ON THIS POST TITLE "MISSING GIRL" FOR MORE INFORMATION*

Art Masterpiece Today

Today I did my Art Masterpiece presentation. I bring in a different work of art to the kids every two weeks. Today I brought in a painting by Pieter Brueghel, the younger called "Wedding Dance in the open air". It was received with quite a few comments, the kids also had more to say to one another about it. I began my presentation by asking the kids how many had been to weddings and how many had danced at them. I then showed them the painting, it wasn't quite the picture they had in their heads, that was fun. Most thought it look more like a wedding battle than a joyous occasion in their opinion. This particular piece was actually from the early 1600's, high Renaissance. Pieter Brueghel was a Flemish artist, from what I learned his father was an artist as well as his younger brother. His father died when Pieter was 5 so his maternal grandmother taught him how to paint. He spent a lot of time copying work of his fathers with his own variations, mainly he did town folk type work such as this and winter scenes but also did New Testament work. I recognized his fathers winter scene he was actually Pieter Brueghel, the elder. Pieter, the younger would also do ghostly, creepy, dark stuff that earned him the nickname "Hell Brueghel". I found it interesting how much red the wedding attendees wore. That really stood out to the kids also.

Hero by Superchick

The song you are hearing playing on my blog is called
HERO By: Superchick
(I will eventually change it, then you can click on it if you'd like to hear the music to the words)

These are the lyrics to the song:

No one sits with him, he doesn’t fit in,
But we feel like we do when we make fun of him,
'Cause you want to belong, do you go along?
'Cause his pain is the price paid for you to belong
It’s not like you hate him or want him to die,
But maybe he goes home and thinks suicide,
Or he comes back to school with a gun at his side,
Any kindness from you might have saved his life...

TAG: Heroes are made when you make a choice...
CHORUS:
You could be a hero,
Heroes do what’s right,
You could be a hero,
You might save a life,
You could be a hero, you could join the fight,
For what’s right, for what’s right, for what’s right...

No one talks to her, she feels so alone,
She’s in too much pain to survive on her own,
The hurt she can’t handle overflows to a knife,
She writes on her arm, wants to give up her life,
Each day she goes on is a day that she is brave,
Fighting the lie that giving up is the way,
Each moment of courage her own life she saves,
When she throws the pills out, a hero is made...

TAG/CHORUS

No one talks to him about how he lives,
He thinks that the choices he makes are just his,
Doesn’t know he’s a leader with the way he behaves,
And others will follow the choices he’s made,
He lives on the edge, he’s old enough to decide,
His brother who wants to be him is just nine,
He can do what he wants because it’s his right,
The choices he makes change a nine-year-old's life...

TAG/CHORUS

Little Mikey-Dee was the one in class
Who everyday got brutally harassed
This went on for years
Till he decided that never again would he shed another tear
So he walked through the door
And grabbed the .44 out of his father's dresser drawer
He said 'I can't take life no more'
And like that a life can be lost
But this ain't even about that
All of us just sat back and watched it happen
Thinking its not our responsibility
To solve a problem that isn't even about me
Well this is our problem
This is just one of the daily scenarios
In which we choose to close our eyes
Instead of doing the right thing
If we make a choice and be the voice
For those who won't speak up for themselves
How many lives would we saved, changed, rearrange
It's our time to make a shine
So don't keep walking by cause you don't want to intervene.
Cause you just want to exist and never be seen
So lets wake up, change the world
Our time is now.

You could be a hero - (Our time is now) heroes do what’s right
You could be a hero - (Our time is now) you might save a life
You could be a hero - (Our time is now) you could join the fight
For what’s right, for what’s ri-ight...

Junior High and High School kids can totally relate to this song. We are all wounded in some way at some time. There are Church youth groups that are trying to reach the kids. I hope that more of them will make it a priority. I pray that more kids would be bold enough to not go with the crowd that taunts and mocks those kids that are different. We need more of those "Heros" in our schools. There is strength in numbers and they can go either one way or another either to be a positive force or a negative. We live near a Church that has a skate ministry, I think it's awesome that they invest in this. Teenagers are so important, it's critical that they be listened to and heard. They are pretty complicated, don't let that scare you away. I spent time with some and they are so awesome. They are just figuring out who they are. They are trying to fit in to what they feel is the mold they need to fit into. There is no mold and each child is unique and has so much to offer. One of my favorite quotes is from a movie called "What a girl wants" and it is "why are you trying so hard to fit in, when you were born to stand out". I LOVE that and wish every teen would hear it and take it to heart. I hope and pray that some way teens can be reached and lives can be changed.

44 Things to make you smile

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail.

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).

12. A bubble bath.

13. Giggling.

15. The beach.

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

17. Laughing at yourself.

18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you

19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

20. Running through sprinklers.

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS

24. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

25. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

26. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).

27. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

28. Playing with a new puppy.

29. Having someone play with your hair.

30. Sweet dreams.

31. Hot chocolate.

32. Road trips with friends.

33. Swinging on swings.

34. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.

35. Making chocolate chip cookies.

36. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.

37. Holding hands with someone you care about.

38. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.

39. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.

40. Watching the sunrise.

41. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

42. Knowing that somebody misses you.

43. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.

44. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Bedtime Stories

Tonight as planned we went to hear bedtime stories at school. As a side note I didn't realize it was Dr. Seuss's Birthday. Thank you Heidi for pointing that out :) That would explain the two individuals in the Library dressed in the Cat in the Hat hats! Also my son came home with a need to bring the Green Eggs and Ham book to school tomorrow. I love Dr. Seuss, can't wait for the Horton Hears a who movie!

Well back on track here, the night began with the principal wearing a night cap and nightgown reading to the children, with a Cat in the Hat back drop. It ended with milk and cookies. After the principal read we then broke out and could go to different classrooms of our choice to hear more stories. Our classrooms at our school are all very unique. Each classroom has some sort of comfy reading corner usually with a couch and some pillows so it all fit in well for a night of bedtime stories. The school strongly promotes literature and writing. The classrooms are set up in a way that makes it comfortable for the students to gather and discuss their reading in depth. The first classroom was my favorite and they had a cool loft area with a ladder in the classroom. It was there that I heard my favorite book of the night. It was called "Airmail to the Moon" by Tom Birdseye. It was adorable and the teacher did a wonderful job reading it with just the right voices, I was captivated along with the kids by her story telling :) She even got the kids involved in saying "send'em airmail to the moon" each time. I loved it so much I just bought it at Amazon! Here is a review of it:

This children's book has so many different things to it!! If you are looking for a different tooth fairy book, look no further. If you are searching for a longer children's book with lively characters, this is it. With diverse, distinctive, atypical characters, you and your child will love this unusual tooth fairy story about a little girl who loses her tooth. Literally!

With lively, entertaining, vivid sentences such as "Some crook stole my tooth. And when I catch'em, I'm gonna open up a can of gotcha and send'em airmail to the moon!", this book comes alive with an entertaining story. The family lives on a farm in this book and the illustrations are hilarious such as one of a little girl hanging upside down, with her legs hooked over the tree limb, panties showing and all. From the picture of dad outside shaving and his pants hanging from a tree limb to Ora Mae Cotton sitting in a pig pen beside of a couple of pigs, the illustrations will leave you in stitches! The colorful, bright pictures of a cartoon farm family are entertaining in and of themselves, they really tell the story!

This is a story of a little girl who has a wobbly tooth that finally pops out, hops in bed, awaiting the tooth fairy's money drop. The next morning, the tooth is missing and no money was left so Ora Mae assumes somebody stole it and sets off to find the culprit to send him "airmail to the moon." She goes to her mother who says the tooth fairy may have just forgotten to leave the money. When this does not satisfy Ora Mae, her mother says to talk to her father. Her father talks about the tooth fairy grinding up teeth and the tooth fairy waiting on the tooth dust to turn into money. Not very happy with that answer, she insists someone stole the tooth. Her father sends her on to her brother. Ora Mae considers that her brother lost some teeth and probably needed hers as a replacement.

Her brother tells her that the tooth fairy took her teeth, no money down or possibly she gave it to some baby in need of a tooth, but that he would never be able to use a girl's tooth to replace his own. He gives her the idea that maybe the little sister has something to do with the stolen tooth so Ora Mae heads to find her. Her little sister is hanging from a tree branch upside down and tells Ora Mae that no, she did not take it but the tooth fairy takes teeth to make doorknobs. Or Ora Mae could have thrown it away with the spaghetti. So right then and there Ora Mae broke down crying, "nobody was a bit of help." The whole family comes arunning to check on her as her sobs get bigger and louder. She then sticks her hands deep into her pockets.....to find....her tooth, right where she left it.

This was an enjoyable, creative book and I think that any child would get a kick out of it! Some very interesting takes on just what the tooth fairy does with all of those baby teeth she collects each night.

PJ Day

Today is PJ day at school. Both kids were excited about wearing their PJ's. When we arrived at school my daughter looked around and thought this must be a joke! She didn't see hardly anyone dressed in PJ's in the parking lot. I reminded her that she and her friend talked about it yesterday and both agreed to wear their PJ's, no joke. You are not on Punk'd and this isn't Candid Camera. We saw a small percentage of kids in the parking lot. It's not a requirement of course but at the 6th grade level sadly it becomes more about what their peers are going to do, not wanting to looking foolish.... The thoughts must have really been going through her head, I didn't realize she'd left her backpack in the car. I'm guessing it was her life line out of there, she had pre meditated it :) Should have caught on when she wanted to walk with her brother and I to the little kids playground. Her area was the opposite direction. Then I noticed and said "where's your backpack?". I'm going home to change, she said. I tried to talk her into it, that it would be fine.... she was then ok with the idea, thankfully it didn't take much convincing. I think it's sad to worry about what everyone else is doing. HAVE FUN! Her biggest concern was how silly her sneakers looked with her PJ's - today is PE. I'm guessing that will be an interesting sight though. I didn't bring the camera because she didn't want me to, out of respect for her I left it at home. She did agree to pose for the above photo :) Tonight we go back to school for Bedtime story night with cookies. I will be bringing my camera then. If she doesn't want her picture taken, it's ok. Now the thought is, will me and my husband be wearing our PJ's?????? He actually doesn't own any, you didn't need to know that though did you? I think the Sponge Bob underwear would not be appropriate. I guess so he's not the odd man out I'll be wearing my clothes :) we'll seeeeee.........