Teen Traveling

Well, Teen is on the road again. I can't believe how much he has traveled in the last 2 years.

He is currently in Michigan with the YSU band.

Here he is in his uniform. He is now an official YSU Marching Pride Penguin. The first football game is tonight at 7:30 against Michigan State. The band does not usually travel to the away games but since it is their first game for the season they invited the band along.

The game is being broadcast on Big Ten Network tonight. I imagine I will not get to see the band at all but it is still pretty exciting.

They left yesterday at 5:00 and stayed at a hotel near the MSU campus. They practiced earlier today and after the game tonight will head back home. They expect to get in around 4:30 am. Please pray for safe travels on their way back and for him driving back home at that hour.

Stacy

Hawaiian Night Desserts

Last night was 'Hawaiian Night" for our Wednesday night church kids (K-6th). I offered to make the desserts.

The first thing I made was a watermelon basket. First I cut two wedges out of the melon, then I balled all of the fruit and set it aside. After that I cut the "v" marks around the bottom of the bowl and across the handle. Finally I scraped the handle into a few lines. Once it was all carved and cleaned out I put the balled fruit back inside.

And this is the final product. It really isn't hard to do, just time consuming. It probably took me about 45 minutes to do this.

Recently my friend had a surprise "50th" birthday party put together by her sons and their girlfriends. This was the centerpiece for each table.

In case you can't see everything on there it is sand, seashells, beach glass and candles. In the little favor bags are handmade white chocolate seashells.

I absolutely loved it and knowing that I would soon be at the swim party with the kids I started thinking. I wanted something edible but also fun and safe for the kids.

So I kicked a few things around and this is what I finally came up with:

The 'sand' is crushed graham crackers and the 'water' is blue jello. To make it more fun for the kids I added swedish fish and sea creatures on the water and we used my friends left over chocolate seashells to put in the sand.

I had so much fun coming up with this and making it and the kids had fun eating it and picking out the chocolates and fish.

Stacy

New York City

Tween recently went on a trip to New York City with his show choir group. He had an absolute blast and was torn between coming home and staying there forever. I am glad he chose to come home.


While he was there he got to see 'Wicked' and experience a behind the scenes workshop where they learned a song and dance from 'Wicked'.


They also got to see Ground Zero, shop in Chinatown and 5th Avenue and have lunch in Times Square.


After he got home from his trip we talked on an off about it for a few days. In the course of talking I came to find out that he had to sleep on the floor in the hotel room. When I questioned him it came out that there were 4 of them in the room, 3 kids and a student teacher from last fall. The student teacher refused to share a bed with the kids as he felt he 'earned' his own bed. And one of the other students being a junior pulled rank and refused to share a bed with anyone as well. So my Tween and the other boy had to sleep on the floor. (btw - they all paid the same amount)

To say that I was mortified would be putting it mildly. As soon as I found out I shot a text message to the teacher in charge. She had no idea that any of this happened. Tween verified that he didn't tell anyone. I ran the whole gamut of emotions from mad, to sad, appalled to disgusted and back to mad.

The next day the principal called me and expressed his sincere apologies. He was just as mortified and disappointed and appalled as the teacher and I were.

So now it is after the trip.

The principal and the teacher and Tween and I have all spoken on different occasions and have come up with the best possible solution.

But I would like to know what you feel would resolve the situation for you.

Stacy

It's a Boy and a Boy and a Girl!

I am now a grandmother of triplets!

I know, I know, I kept it quite a secret. Well I actually didn't find out myself until this afternoon when Teen called to let me know.

You've heard of or watched that show "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"? I didn't know I was going to be a grandmother. Apparently Teen knew for a few weeks that this great event was going to happen, but failed to share it with his parents.

So without further adieu, here is the first picture of the triplets:

From left to right they are my grand-eggs: Thomas Edward, Jayden Michael and Samatha Marie. They are all healthy and just beautiful.

Teen made the crib himself and the blanket they are using was his kerchief from prom.

We are so proud of these little buggers...errr...eggs.


And I even got to babysit them tonight while Teen finished his Christmas shopping. Aren't I a lucky grandma!

Stacy

November 10

One week from today Teen will be leaving for Auburn, Alabama to compete in the B.E.S.T. Robotic's competition at Auburn University.

His high school technology and shop classes took 13 volunteer students and they built a robot, set up a presentation booth, video, brochure, presentation book and t-shirt. This is the first year that they have done this program.

In early October they went to Pittsburgh for a preliminary competition and did very well there. In fact some of the other schools were studying their robot to get ideas to improve their own.

On October 23rd they went to Grove City College and competed in the regional event. Although their robot didn't make it to the final round they place 2nd over all. They are not only judged on the robot and what it can do but also on the other factors from above (booth, video, t-shirt, etc).

The school administration could hardly believe that these kids who never worked together before did so well. And on Oct 25th the school board approved for all 13 students and their 2 teachers to travel to Auburn all expenses paid to compete at the National level. Only the first place robot and the first and second overall get to move on.

We are so proud of Teen and all the work he and his team have put into this project. Each of the students were in charge of a different aspect of the robot and Teen was in charge of programming it. This project has also encourage Teen to pursue programming and networking in college.

His school has also set up a web site to tell more about their robot and their adventures: Big Red Robots. Teen is the one on his knees in the group photo with their medals and trophy.

By the way B.E.S.T. stands for Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology.

Congrats Teen and the Big Red Robots Team! Good Luck in Auburn!

Stacy

Pink Out

We had a 'Pink Out' Friday night at the home football game in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Watching the band walk into the stadium brought tears to my eyes and I struggled not to cry in a stadium full of people.

Not only was every band member, dancer, cheerleader, and flag line member in pink, if you look real close in the background you will notice that the football players wore pink tape on their shoes and pink wrist bands. And the flag line had their old white flags dyed pink for the night.

The athletic director had all of the yard line numbers redone in pink as well as the end zone stripes.
Even God participated in the event by lining the clouds in pink.

All of this was set up by the 'Students For Charity' group at the high school. They even had a stand with all kinds of 'pink' stuff and all of the proceeds went to Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Charities.

I am so proud of our school and the students for picking this cause and for all of those who willingly participated.

Stacy

Pumpkin Farm

Tonight our Jr Youth classes took 19 kids between 3 and 13 to the local pumpkin farm. We had such a nice evening for it. The weather was perfect, not too warm and not too cold.


We started out letting the kids climb the hay bales that were stacked 6 high and running through the hay maze.
Then we went for a hayride. This is Little S and I traveling back to pick our pumpkins.

And here is Little S in the middle of the pumpkin field. This was a great year for pumpkins. There were so many and they were all big and in good shape. Several years we have gone down and they have been little or rotten. We really picked some nice ones out.

After we all got our pumpkins we went back and let them climb on the hay again and took a group picture on the stacked hay.

Then we headed over to McD's for dinner and home.

This weekend we are taking the senior youth (6th grade - college) to the Corn Maze. This is always an adventure. We split up into teams and see who can come out first. I hope to have some more pics of that this weekend.

Stacy

Meet the Team

Tonight was 'Meet the Team" night at the high school. Basically all of the fall sports and the band go out on the football field and are introduced to the community.

We live in a small town so this is a big deal for the town. The principle stated tonight that there are about 500 kids in the high school (9-12) and that almost 300 of them are in some type of sport with many of them in more than one.

Here's a few pic from this evening:

Teen is in the middle there playing the trumpet. I know, which one. See the kid on the right in the tan shorts? Go to your left 3 people. That's him with the sun glasses on....he is so cool!

And so begins the first football season for the Tween and the last for the Teen.

Stacy

June 25

Tonight at 3 am (Saturday morning) my Teen & Tween will be leaving for South Dakota on a mission trip with their youth group. This is a 21 hour trip. There are 20 people going and they are taking 2 (15) fifteen passenger vans.

They should get into Sioux City, Iowa sometime tomorrow evening around 9pm. They will stay in a hotle for the night to get some rest. They will get up early Sunday morning and make it to Rapid City, SD by about 4pm. They will be staying just outside of Rapid City near an Indian Reservation.

They will start out bright and early Monday morning on the Indian Reservation. During the morning hours they will be helping to run a Vacation Bible School program. Their group is responsible for the snack, crafts and testimonials for the week. In the afternoon and early evening hours they will be helping to repair homes on the reservation.

The last few times that Teen has gone away there has been a death in the family. During the last missions trip that he went on in 2007 his great-grandfather passed away. I contacted the youth leader and they didn't tell him, but they made it home in time for Teen to make it to the second visitation and services.

There have been two other trips that he went on and someone passed away as well. This is a constant burden in the back of his mind any time he goes on a trip.

As we were joking around last evening, I said I was going to cry when they leave. He said to me 'Just don't break my heart when I get back home'. I felt sick remembering how many times he has come home all excited from a trip only for Hubby and I to have to sit down and tell him that someone died.

So if you would all do me a favor and pray this week, first of all for traveling mercies and safety. And second for not only the health of those on the trip but for the health and safety of those left behind. And lastly for peace for the boyz as they travel, knowing that they are doing God's work and that what ever does happen back here at home, we'll get through it one step at a time.

Stacy

June 12

Busy, busy day today.

First we have the church work day and clean up in the morning. While I am doing that, the older two have to be at church for their final training session for their mission trip (tell you more about that soon).

Then Little S has a T-Ball game at 11. They are so darn cute at this age. Just learning, confused, trying too hard, not trying enough, watching clouds and airplanes instead of the ball, picking daisy's, etc.

Next up is the graduation party for Teen's girlfriend. She is actually having 2 as her parents are divorced and cannot be in the same room with each other. I find that very sad. I think that when it comes to kids with divorced parents, the parents should find some way to work things out that they can at least be in the same room together. I know it doesn't happen that way, just wish it could.

Finally we are having a picnic at the church this evening to get to know a prospective pastor. The church board is interviewing him at 4, while I watch 4 of his 5 boys. After the interview at 5ish, we are having a picnic to get to know him and be able to ask questions ourselves before any final decisions are made.

As a mother of 3 boyz myself, if they can handle 5 of them, they have my vote! :)

Hope your day isn't as busy as ours and you can relax and enjoy!

Stacy

June 3

Today's prompt: Define 'FREEDOM'

Websters has 17 definitions for the word. Seventeen!

So how do I define 'Freedom'?

With these pictures:

Because of these brave: (This is our Honor wall at my house)
And these brave:
And they were proudly honored Monday by these students and many citizens:

And finished by playing Taps on the hill.

Teen is the far one on the left. His friend John was the first player and my son was the echo. We were so proud of him. My heart swelled until the tears fell from my eyes that day. I cried not only because of the pride I had for my son, but also for what so many have done for us.

Stacy

Busy

Teen is now a licensed driver. WooHoo! He passed on the first try. The hardest part of the test in these parts of the woods is the parallel parking. And for the life of me (and many others) I can't figure out why you have to parallel park to pass your test. I actually think that the permit (written part) test is much harder to pass.

I am so glad that prom is only once a year. I don't think I slept at all last weekend. Well maybe a few hours.

We started out Friday afternoon by going to W*Mart to get prom pictures, then to Taco Bell for late lunch as dinner wasn't until 8:30 pm, then back here for pictures and on to Grand March.

Prom was until midnight and then the school sponsored and after-prom until 2am. The kids left about 1am and headed back here to crash. The boys in Teen's room and his girlfriend and I in the living room (the other girl went home).

I have to mention how much I love our florist. Look how great the flowers matched her dress. Plus they put the flowers on a bracelet that she can keep long after prom.

We got back up bright and early Saturday as Teen had to run an early errand. The kids then went out on J's uncles boat for a while. It was cold and rainy and windy. Even though the boat has a cabin (with kitchenette, living room and bath) it was still too cold and choppy to do much and the fish weren't biting at all. As they were tarping the boat the wind kicked up and took Teen's Steelers hat and fishing license right out into the water. lol

They all came back here and crashed for a few hours, ate and then headed out to midnight bowling. It ended at 2 am so I was again up late.

Sunday morning we were up bright and early again for church.

Everyone had a great time and I am almost caught up on my sleep.

Lots more soon!

Stacy

National Letter Writing Month

April is National Letter Writing Month!



Can you remember the last time you received a hand written letter in the mail? I can.

There is a moderately functioning mentally retarded woman that goes to my church. Her name is Bonnie. Bonnie loves to send letters out. I think she writes a letter every day to someone different. You never know when you are going to get a letter from her. But you can guarantee that you will get one on your birthday. She never forgets a birthday. Her letters are a little mumble as she writes the way she talks and thinks, but it always puts a smile on my face to see a letter from her in the mail.

So in honor of national letter writing month, I am committing to writing at least 10 letters this month. They will be send out via snail-mail and hopefully bring a smile to someones face.

Would you be willing to commit to writing 4 letters this month? Just one a week is all I am asking of you. Who knows, the person to whom you choose to write may need it more than you know.

Stacy

Lunch with the Bunny

Saturday morning the local Women's Club sponsored a lunch with the Easter Bunny. As we walked in up the steps guess who was standing at the top for pictures:

There were a few games for the kids to play and then there was a huge line for face painting. Little S wanted a lightning bolt, but I asked him to get something Easterish. He settled with a bunny.

Later as we were eating one of his friends came and sat down beside us. He had gotten the lightening bolt. Little S made a point of telling me that "D" was allowed to get a lightening bolt. When he finished going on about how I 'made' him get something Easterish, "D's" mom (God love her) let Little S know that the only reason he got a lightening bolt is because she wasn't with him in line or he would have gotten something else....hehehe. Chalk one up for the mom team!

After he was done eating he got to sit with the Bunny. He got a stuffed duck and a packet with a few pieces of candy, a bunny cookie from Eat 'N Park, free admission to the Fun Zone and a gift certificate for a free personal pizza at the local pizzeria.

After we were done there, we headed over to the lawn behind the bank where the local Kiwanis set up an Easter Egg hunt for the kids. They divided the sections up by age groups, through out boxes of candy on the lawn and 3 eggs in each section. If you found an egg you got an additional prize. Little S didn't find an egg but he did get a bag full of candy.

He had a blast and Hubby and I enjoyed watching him be so happy and have so much fun and delight in his eyes.

Stacy

Reading Class

Early last week I had the privilege of going to Little S’s class and helping with Read Across America Week. (It was actually the previous week, but due to the fire at the school they had to move it back)

When I first got there Mrs. E had me sit over in the reading corner and listen to the kids read to me from their book box. It was very eye opening listening and watching the children read. They each picked a different book and I heard so many stories. She does not have the parents own child read to them but I get to listen to Little S read each night.

I did that for about 15-20 minutes and then Little S had packed one of his favorite books in his back pack that morning for me to read to his class. He recently bought a book with some nursery rhymes in it and that is the one he chose.

I had an absolute blast reading to the kids and letting them fill in here and there since most of them knew the words. There were a few rhymes in there though that neither I nor the teacher had heard before. She even grabbed her Mother Goose book and they weren’t in there.

One was:
Higgledy, piggledy, pop!
The dog has eaten the mop;
The pig's in a hurry,
The cat's in a flurry,
Higgledy, piggledy, pop!

Another was:
I had a little nut tree
And nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear.

The King of Spain's daughter came to visit me,
And all for the sake of my little nut tree.

I skipped over water,
I danced over sea,
And all the birds in the air couldn't catch me.

Have you ever heard either of these?

The most eye opening part of my being there was when the kids read to me. I was never quite sure Little S was reading up to speed and I want him to love to read so I push him a little harder with reading. Let me just say that I am proud of how well he reads. I found out from the teacher that he is one of the top readers in his class. Yeah Little S!

However I was a little saddened at some of the other kids reading abilities. I understand it is kindergarten and I hope that perhaps they didn't have any type of preschool and they will catch up. But one kid in particular I can't get out of my mind. He memorized the whole book so that he could "read" it. I stopped him at one point as he read the wrong word, so I thought, but when I asked him to sound it out, he didn't have the first clue as to how to do that. He couldn't even tell me what the letter 'a' was when I asked him. My heart just breaks for him and I so wish I could help him learn to read.

Other than that I had a blast and can't wait to go back again!

Stacy

November 3

Ok, one more Halloween photo and I am done.

Friday night there was a charity dinner called the "Boo Ball" a few towns over. There was a whole group that went. I was unable to attend, but hubby went with a few of our close friends. Hubby is Pres. Bush in jail.

Stacy

Open House 2009

Last night was open house at the High School. About 2 years ago they started a new way that they handle it. I don't know about your school district, but it used to be that you went in and could visit the classrooms or teachers that you wanted. Our school has a whole totally different program. We don't even hardly get to talk to the teachers.

A week prior to open house we are sent a blank schedule in the mail with 9 periods and a modified schedule. We then fill in our child's classes. If you have more than one child you have to coordinate ahead of time which class you are going to visit.

When you get to the school you go through your child's classes just as they would through the day. Except the classes are 7 minutes long. That is enough time for the teachers to give you an overview of their class and what is expected from your child for the year. They also give you their contact information and there is a sign up sheet to schedule a conference at another time.

During "lunch" period you get to go to the cafeteria and eat. The local pizza establishment in our small town donates all different types of pizza for us to sample. Standard, dessert and breakfast which are cut into small bite size pieces. The PTO donates all of the drinks.

During "library or study hall" period you can go to the book fair set up in the library.

I wasn't sure that I would like open house this way the first year I went, but it gives you a feel for your child's day. And it brings back many memories of crowded halls and stairways and trying to get from one side of the school to the other in what is actually 4 minutes but seems like 30 seconds. At least we don't have to stop at our lockers and change books along the way.

Our elementary school has the traditional 2 hours that the doors are open and the teacher is available for questions. It is actually more crowded and you don't get a feel for your child's day like you do at the high school open house.

How does your school handle open house?

Stacy

Men's Escape

So after seeing me off on many girls weekends, hubby decided to get in on the act himself. He and two friends went down into Pittsburgh for 2 days.

When they got there they checked in to the hotel. They ended up on the 17th floor. None of them smoke so they got a non-smoking room. However, they do all enjoy the occasional cigar.

So they decided to step out on to the balcony to enjoy a cigar, 17 stories up! When the last one walked out the door, hubby says "We should probably shut the door so that the smoke doesn't get into the room."

As they shut the door they hear "Click". Yep, they locked themselves out on the balcony 17 stories in the air.



This is Jay - good thing he had that cell phone with him. lol They had to call down to the front desk to have someone come up and let them back in their rooms. Go ahead and laugh I did!

Next they went to a FREE concert by Tim McGraw at Point State Park. Yes, I said Free! How cool was that? This was the Kick-Off concert for the opening of the 2009-2010 NFL Season. Since the Steelers won the Super Bowl last year, they get to play the first game of the season.


After the concert they wandered over toward the stadium.


This is Heinz Field from across the River. Look at all of those gold seats. Unfortunately they couldn't get into the game, but they had fun anyhow. They went to a local bar and watched the game and had dinner. It was probably much cheaper there anyhow.

The next morning they went down to the Strip District for breakfast. And then wandered around down there for a little while.

After that they went to River's Casino and played the penny slots. Hubby spent $20 and walked away with $35. Not too bad.

While they were there they also ran into Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Logan who was more than welcoming. Notice the big Super Bowl Ring on his right hand. (Hubby is the one on the far right.)

They had dinner there in the casino and headed back to the hotel.

I am glad that he went and had such a nice time. I think this is the first time that he has ever gone away from us. It is usually me traveling. His get away is when I go to my mum's and take all the boyz with me. lol

I enjoyed the break as well, but I really missed him at night. Even though many times he sleeps on the couch half the night, I am still comforted that he is here. I had a terrible time sleeping and kept hearing all kinds of things.

I am almost positive that if something happens to hubby, I will have to get a dog just so I can sleep at night. lol

Stacy

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen things about Compass Inn

This is where the boyz and I went when we visited my mum last weekend.
1. It is an original fully restored stagecoach stop built in 1799.


2. I learn something new every time I go there.



3. It is my one of my favorite historical sites to visit.

4. Do you know how we got the phrase "shotgun"? Back in the stage coach days you had 2 riders on the front seat - the driver who managed the horses and the other seat was called "shotgun" because they had to hold the shotgun to protect the stagecoach from animals and other humans.

I wish you could see Little S's face better in this pic. He just looks so happy and full of love.

5. The original Conestoga Wagon was set up with 6 horses. There are only 2 original sets left in the whole world. One set is in storage at the Smithsonian and the other is on display here.

6. To go along with this, if you look at the hitch on the bottom left you will see that it also has a saddle on it. Back in the day, people would hike from place to place. When a Conestoga wagon would come along, they would often pick up a hiker and they would sit in this seat. Therefore they were a "hitch hiker".

7. They ate of off lead plates and drank out of lead mugs back then. Many of them ended up dying of lead poisoning. Their biggest fear though was eating baked bread. They thought that it wasn't done in the middle and therefore you would get deathly sick eating it. This is when they started making toast.

8. They had a community cook house. The oven was called a BeeHive oven. You can see why from the shape of it below. The owner of the inn would get it all ready and cook all of her food for the week. Then when she was done, the neighbors and such would come over and cook their food. The oven would stay very hot for several days.

9. See that feather there resting on the oven? It had several uses. There is also a fireplace to the right. Once in a while the fire would crackle and some sparks would come out. The feather was used to brush them back into the fireplace. It also came in mighty handy as a fan on a hot day.

10. Below is a picture from the Blacksmith shop. See that red thing there. Back then they used oxen for as they did horse. Oxen do not have good balance. Therefore, they would walk the ox in between those two red arms and then they would put the strap under them and lift them slightly to steady them while they were being shooed.

11. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite. This phrase also came from back in that time. The beds were made of rope and straw. Before you would go to sleep you would have to use a special toy to tighten the ropes (sleep tight). Also being that the beds were made of straw, there were a lot of critters living in the bed, especially lice and other bugs (don't let the bed bugs bite). Often if you didn't check in with bugs, you would check out with them.

12. The reason that we call a bar, a bar is due to the fact that when the proprietor back then thought his guest had enough to drink, he would close the alcohol in a room with bars. This is also how we got many of the terms used in the judiciary system. Back then judges would come to you. They would often sit behind the bars. When the council wanted to talk to the judge they would come up beside the bar (sidebar). And the protectors of the judge were the barristers.

13. I will leave you with my favorite picture from our visit that weekend:

Just looking at this picture makes me feel like I have stepped back in time. The weekend we went was living history weekend. It was really hot that day and some of the people scheduled didn't show up. But we still learned a lot. I hope that you learned a little something after reading this also.

Stacy

Mum & I

I planned on posting about Women of Faith before now, but it has been really nice out so I have been out on the porch watching the boys.

This is a pic of my mum and I sitting at Hard Rock Cafe in Cleveland.

Now if I could only get a pic like this of her and my step-dad for my wall. Hint Hint ;)

Stacy