The Spelling Bee - round 2

Today was a day we have been anticipating for months. The regional spelling bee. My son David was top speller in his class, so he got to go to the regional spelling bee in Winston Salem today. The top spellers and the runners up from each class got to go. Seven regional Christian schools were represented there today and I was amazed at the sheer number of them. We met at the school at 6:30 a.m. (yes, a.m.!), loaded up and headed out. We reached Winston Salem at 8:30 and had time to get ready before 9 a.m. Each grade level was broken off into their own room to do the spelling bee. No parents are allowed to watch. Only the spellers and the 4 judges are allowed in the room. Most grades had over 25 students competing. Even though I couldn't watch David, I was able to be a judge for the 5th graders. I actually was grateful I didn't have to watch my son. I was a complete wreck just for these 5th graders I didn't know. You want them to do so well, and honestly, most of them did. I seriously couldn't spell most of the words these kids had to know. As I watched each of these children get up and attempt words I couldn't pronounce, much less spell, I was struck at the camaraderie among the students. Of course you had the high fives and "good job" spoken among students from the same school. But you also had encouragement from other students who didn't know each other. These children were visibly disappointed when someone missed a word. We had a few tears from the girls, and even the boys after the contest. These children have worked hard over the last few months, and to leave disappointed was not on their minds. It broke my heart when a child was eliminated. But the encouragement they received from their peers was amazing to watch. David did really well and made it to the 7th round. I could tell he was disappointed in himself and I asked him if he cried. He said "just a little". :( Kids are resilient though. He bounced back really well, with the encouragement of his friends, and by the time we sat in the auditorium, he was happy again. I am grateful for this experience. I am thankful my little boy, who just a few years ago wouldn't go into his Sunday school room without crying, is now standing up in front of total strangers with the wherewith all to spell hard words. I am thankful for our school, and other schools, that teach good sportsmanship and values Jesus taught us to have. I am thankful for all the hard work our teachers and volunteers put into this. I am grateful to my husband for working so hard so that I may help out at our school on a day like today. Most of all, I am thankful I got to spend the day with my son. To hear him laughing with his buddies in the back seat of the van; to watch him pull himself up out of disappointment and look at the bright side; to be proud as he said "mom, I want to run upstairs and tell Mrs. Dukes how I did" when we could have gone home. I am sure the Lord was proud of those children today. And he most certainly was glorified in all that was done today. The most glory for him came in the actions of these children, which we can all learn from. I know I did.

It's only temporary

If I had known that living in our "dream home" would only be for a short while, I wouldn't have spent so much time worrying about the cabinet color, granite type and hardwood floor finish. If I had known my children wouldn't grow up in the house we built, I wouldn't have spent so much time planning their rooms out. If I had known I would only drive my car for a couple short years, I wouldn't have worried so much about the color and the features. If I had known I was going to go to sleep one day with my infant asleep in his crib, and wake up the next morning with him turning 9, I wouldn't have spent so much time cleaning. If I had known how quickly my hair was going to turn grey, I wouldn't have complained about it so much when I was younger. If I had known my dad wasn't going to be around very long, I would have told him every day how much I loved him. And I would have spent hours just asking his advice that I desperately need now. If I had known the turbulent time we went through was only going to make us stronger, I would have trusted more. I didn't worry about what the apartment looked like before we rented it....it was only temporary. I didn't care that the rental place didn't have granite countertops or brand new carpet.....it was only temporary. I didn't care how small the car was we drove in Colorado.....it was only temporary. The shot didn't bother me so much.....I know the pain was only temporary. Everything in this life is temporary. Does it matter what house we live in our the cars we drive? The Lord allows us to have these things for our enjoyment, and I love Him for that. But if I am wasting my time worrying about these temporary things, I have missed the point. The trials in this life are temporary as well. But through those trials I have become stronger, and learned to trust him more. 2 Corin. 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Thank you God that you are eternal. Your love for me is eternal. Everything else is just temporary.

My new favorite drink

I have been really trying to cut back on sugar the last week or so, and it has definitely paid off. I have lost a few pounds just by doing it. I always struggle with what to drink in my house. I love 1/2 sweet, 1/2 unsweet tea, but other than that (and a good glass of wine) I really am stumped. I am not a soda drinker, but I did find this great recipe for a non-alcoholic mimosa that I revamped to my liking, and boy do I love it! Here it is: Sparkling water (like Perrier) 1 slice of lime 1 slice of lemon 3 leaves of fresh mint splash of Crystal Light Lemonade (or just a little Splenda) Yum!

So behind on things....

Oh my gosh I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. Yikes! Sickness, and well, not having much to say has kept me away. Two snow days in one month has been a dream come true for my husband and our boys. We went to Banner Elk last Tuesday night and they got over 1/2 a foot. It was so much fun and the boys loved snowboarding and sledding. I can't believe how well our 4 year old snowboards. It is frightening! Our sweet little Sunday school class of four year olds brings me joy every time we teach. There is always something that comes up during our circle time. This week our lesson was that God can do anything. We asked the children to name some things God can help them with. Some said God could help them when they were sick or afraid. Others came up with God helping them when they were sad, but the best one came from one little boy......."God can help you when you are playing Wii"......yes, well, ok - what do you say to that? This week is filled with Colonial Times projects, Valentine's parties (I'm still not sure how I got roped in to doing two for my 4 year old's preschool class....I though I was done with the Fall party), and trying to get over this nasty cold, as well as caring for my sick husband and little boy. Thankfully David is still well, for now. Although he informed me one little girl in his class threw up before Spanish on Friday. Great! Something to look forward to. Still hoping to get to Zumba this week and I am very excited to start a new bible study at church on the Love Dare. Although I am embarrassed I haven't seen the movie yet (will I get kicked out for that?). Anyway, we are plugging along over here and praying for everyone to be well. Looks like the president has finally stopped talking, so I'm off to watch "24".

It's the little things....

What an unexpected gift we received yesterday in the form of snow! Snow is a big deal in our family. We travel long distances to play in it (like NY). What a blessing it was yesterday to have it delivered to our doorstep.

Me, being the great mom that I am, tricked our oldest son David. I woke him up around the normal time, pretending he had to go to school. Now, since he had been out for 4 days already (MLK and Teacher workday) he was sad and the tears started rolling. Daddy, being a true sport, said "yeah, I'm sorry buddy, it didn't snow last night". Unfortunately (and unbeknownst to us) while climbing out of his bunk bed he saw the snow through the blinds and the tears stopped. He then proceeded to play along with our little trickery until we open the living room blinds. Needless to say, he was happy there was no school.

Daddy went to work late so he got to spend the morning sledding and snowboarding with all of us. He then called me coming home from work early to tell me he wanted to take us out to dinner to enjoy the last bit of snow. This is an old habit of ours from vacationing up north - eating great Italian food and watching the snow fall. Well, the Italian food was so-so and the snow had stopped falling, but our moods didn't change. We were all happy and by the time we got home we were worn out from this fun filled day.

Here they are making tiny snowmen as a surprise for Grandma when she got home.

In the midst of the world, national and just daily worries we all face, it was a blessing to have this little gift from God. At least, that's what I consider yesterday to be. An unexpected blessing - the best kind!

A pasta recipe I love

I had a craving for this the other night and made it. Here's the recipe: Farfalle Pasta with Prosciutto and Chicken 1 box bow tie (farfalle) pasta 1 to 2 cups frozen tiny peas 1 tablespoon butter 1 package (6 slices) prosciutto, chopped ¾ cup chicken stock 1 cup heavy cream ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 cup white wine ½ cup parmesan cheese 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up mushrooms (if you desire) Boil pasta and cook. Cook chicken (I do this in a skillet. I use thin cut chicken breasts, cook until done and then shred). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes. Add prosciutto and cook a few minutes more. Stir in chicken stock and white wine, boil over heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream, peas, nutmeg and salt/pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce thickens some, stirring occasionally. Toss together sauce, pasta and chicken. Add parmesan cheese. Serve. The great thing about this recipe is you can leave out the chicken or the mushrooms or both. It even tastes good without the cream (although not AS good!). You can add as little or as much prosciutto you desire. It is yummy!

Farewell Bob

We lost a very special member of our family on New Years Eve night. Rick's grandfather, Bob as he requested everyone to call him, passed away. He was 84 years old. He was a hard worker, opinionated (as most of that generation is) and devoted to his wife. They were married 64 years, and the love I witnessed from Grandma to Bob, especially in these final years of his life, will stay with me forever.

Bob and Grandma loved their grandchildren, especially their grandsons. I could barely hold it together as my husband spoke at Bob's funeral of the strong handshake he will miss from his grandfather, and of a special time at our wedding. I didn't remember this, but Rick spoke of the time Bob and Grandma came down from NY to our wedding (almost 17 years ago). Rick fondly remembered as the back doors opened and I came down the aisle with my father. All guests stood and turned to look at me; Bob stood, looked at Rick for a few moments, and then turned. My husband cherishes that moment to this day.

I will miss his strong handshake and bear hugs. I will miss his "ah-geez" when something struck him as funny. I will miss Grandma giving him a hard time and him saying "oh, ok..ok!" He accepted me as his own granddaughter for the 23 years Rick and I have been together. I am thankful the Lord put him in our lives and that he is now at rest in heaven. We will miss you Bob.