Trip through the 80s - A Video Compilation

OK, I'm hooked.
I'm skating
at Tucson's
in Norton
zooming down the
concrete floor
while my
Pacman
takes a break
wishing Michael would ask to
skate with me
just
once
then I'm a little
older
not much
but enough to know
that the 80s
are going to pass
and the
90s will give way
and I'll
get over it
and
i
did
:)
(yes, I'm getting hooked on youtube!)

Dallas opening

OK, this will take you back, too.
This makes me think of standing in Grandmomma and Grandaddy's trailer, talking to my cousin Mike about who shot JR. I must have been 10 or something. Not very into the more grown-[up nuances of "Dallas", but definitely into the opening tune. Well, I kinda liked Bobby, too.

TEC- Easy Reader

Oh, the memories.
That's Morgan Freeman, did ya know???

You've just gotta watch this. 

Expect tears.

Have you ever read this book - Big Stone Gap. It's one of my favorites, most probably because it's set in a small town just a short drive down the valley (past the state prison) from my hometown. Well, talking to Dad tonight, I learned that a tornado hit this small southwest Virginia town, creating a 300 yard-wide path of destruction a mile long. I googled it and found this set of photos on Flickr.com. Wow, powerful stuff. More telling than the news channels I found online. Please keep Big Stone Gap in your prayers.

And check this out: I couldn't afford the matching king-size pillow shams to go with my new duvet cover. Sooooooooo I ordered a sheet instead, paired it up with this gorgeously rich and heavenly silk fabric I got super duper cheap at at JoAnn's, and, voila, I made my own! I'm so darned proud of me. :)And I think you should be, too. (Mostly because I just did it. I mean, I didn't put this off. I went to my sewing machine and did it. Right on the spot. Woohoooo!

And finally, happy birthday, Dad! I know this is the best one you've probably ever had, even if you didn't get a new Red Rider BB gun.

This man, this patient, loving, constant, bright-side-of-the-road Dad, went to his ear-nose-and-throat specialist today. While there the good doctor did a scan of his throat. After 6 weeks worth of chemotherapy and radiation that left him drained, severely burned, cranky (but, hey, he has every reason to be, right?! And Dad told me this himself; this is in no way a personal judgment; for the record, he was only cranky to me one time, but who's counting?), unable to eat, and in the worst imaginable pain, Dr. A. peered into his tiny camera lens, walked out of the room, and then returned after a short while that must have seemed like a zillion years. 

Then he beamed. He did not see any cancer. It was gone. 

Praise God. Dad has been on more prayer lists than I can count. Mom, Michelle, and my little family have prayed for him daily. We've prayed for him weekly during devotions at school. Churches here and in Virginia have prayed for this man. 

And God listens. He always listens. We never know how he will act. I don't know why God chose to save this man. I like to think He has more work for Dad here on earth. I like to believe that somebody, somewhere, will be led to Jesus through Dad's healing. All I know is that God knows what He is doing. It doesn't matter if I know or not. For now, all I can do is thank Him. Thank you, God. Thank you for making my Dad whole again. Thank you for giving him hope, relief, LIFE. Thank you for loving him, holding him throughout his treatment, keeping Mom in your loving embrace, and guiding them both every single step of the way.

Dad needs scans of his body every six weeks for the next two years to be considered "cured" or "cancer free". Today's proclamation is early, but it's a bend in the road in the right direction. We'll take it.

Did I mention how very courageous that woman beside this man is? She is. She's my mom. She's the caretaker. The nurse. The worrier. She insists that Dad eat when he doesn't want to. She puts up a brave front when she might otherwise shrink into the bed covers for the day. She loves him. For at least 44 years she's loved him. Yeah, I'm praising God for her, too. I think Dad pulled through this horrible time with her right by her side. Right where she belonged. God brought the two of them together for better or worse, in sickness and in health. They are a testament to the power of love and marriage. Thank you Mom and Dad.

I wish I had a picture of this.

This thing that stopped me today. 

Slowed me down.

Made me marvel at the creativity of children.

The kids (my first graders, not my own personal children) came in this morning and developed a little competition among themselves building houses out of snap cubes from the math manipulatives corner. They started off in pairs and quickly settled into constructing their own unique homes for the barrel of monkeys who also live in our room. They convinced me that I should reward the best builder with a Hershey's Kiss.

What I hadn't expected was the sheer creativity these kids put into their little homes. They had fireplaces, see-saws, vines for swinging, even a prison for the naughty monkeys in the community. I sat, perched on the tiny chairs and cushions in our classroom and listened. Each of the four participants in this game of Flip This House To Mrs. Richert explained how their house worked for the monkeys and why their house was, indeed, the best. I was honestly just taken aback and filled with joy for them. For the fun they had making these and the friendly competition it spawned. 

In the end. I couldn't decide, so I awarded everyone a Kiss. And I popped one for myself for the sheer enjoyment of stopping to listen to these awesome kids.

cough

cough

cough

When you watch the news this weekend,

I want you to remember just

one

thing:

I am 

one of the

ones

who had the 

flu

this week.

I am an 

official

number

in the grand flu count.

I

am

one

of

the

epidemic.

today

in the dining room

which is my crafting room

with a couch 

and a way cool lamp from the

salvation army

that came with a light bulb

that still worked,

i made this little collage 

of birds.

That's the grand and 

wonderful

thing about a

Prompt # 6 ~ Lists Lists Lists

 Latest purchase: thrift store lamp

. 

Originally uploaded by wendirichert

List No. 1: What I did today in chronological order
5:30 - Rise and shine. Well, just rise.
6:00 - Make sure the boys are risen and shining.
6:30 - Drive to school.
7:10 - Morning devotions at school
7:30 - The first graders are coming!!!!!!
8:15 - Gym. Time to breathe.

8:55 - Library. More breathing  time.

11:00 - Fantastic writing workshop minilesson on general vs. specific.
11:30 - Lunch ~ tomato soup and grilled cheese.

12:30 - Finish Horrible Harry and the Goob. Glad this is over. Not terribly interesting, although the kids love it. Tomorrow - Junie B. Jones!!!

2:00 - While the kids make their art project, I reorganized my Reading Workshop notebook.
2:20 - Dismissal
2:45 - Staff meeting
4:00 - Back in my room, gather up my stuff and the boys and come home.
5:30 - Cook supper.
6:30 - Talk to Mom
7:00 - Read Wind and the Willows with Camden
8:00 - Boys "should be" asleep.
8:51 - Now. I'm on the computer. Blogging. Making lists.

List No. 2 - My day in order of time spent on tasks
The school day - 10 hours
Staff meeting - 75 minutes

Reading with Camden and Benjy - 45 minutes
CSI - 60 minutes

Talking with Curt after school, between dinner and his karate class - 30 minutes.
The rest of the stuff I did today - tiny minutes squeezed in between everything else.

List No. 3 - My day in order of what was most important to me
1. Reading with Camden and Benjy. Camden and I are loving Wind and the Willows. We got through 3 chapters tonight. That crazy Toad!
2. Stolen hugs from Camden and Benjy during the day when they see me at at school. These happen in the hallways between lunch and recess, in the mornings before the opening, in the afternoons when on the way to after school care. Love these impromptu moments, these hugs and kisses.
3. Talking to Mom on the phone, catching up on her day out with Charlene and how Dad's doing. He has 9 more radiation treatments left.

4. Reading and Writing Workshops - I just feel so blessed that God has called me to teach children how to read and write and love doing both. This class absolutely begs to read and write. That love of literacy is just amazing. Who couldn't love that?!

Land of the Lost 1 and Prompt #5

Dear Blog,

Today's prompt is to write a letter. To anyone. So I'm writing to you. After all, I write to you more than anybody else. You're easy. And have you seen the cost of a postage stamp these days? You're easy and free.

I've spent a couple of odd minutes searching Youtube for ancient stuff. I've happened upon old movies of Puff the Magic Dragon, which my first graders LOVE. I've watched old School House Rock videos. Wow! Interjection! And I just found this gem. 

This used to scare the pants off of me. Every Saturday morning found me and Shell in front of the TV. This was before remote control, so we were pretty close to the set. She loved this show. I was hesitant. I watched it because I am the older sister and I had to be brave. Yikes! Interjection! Do you remember those sleestacks? Jeepers, they were a fright! 

Anyway, Blog, if you want me to look up something for you, like, say TaeKwondo forms or Scooby Doo episodes or video footage of Elvis, just lemme know. I'm your girl. Yeah!

Journal Prompt #4

The word is

maniacal.

It's a fun word to say.

It's not a fun thing to be.

Not that I would know.

It's just the way that it 

slips off the tongue

sort of at the back of the mouth.

Maniacal.

Say it.

Maniacal.

That's my word for the day.

the W project - Journal Prompt #3

W

in the big blue van

at Suds carwash

on route 66

during Benjy's snooze

beside itself

at its first outing

in its lifetime

Journal Prompt #2

Shimelle's journal prompt tonight was to take some words you hear often and interpret them. I've been hearing Emma's words since the spring of 1995, so I think I've got a bit of insight into what she's saying. Click on the image to read it. 

Journal Prompt #1

This boy likes to wear suit jackets and ties, but he usually just wears his pjs.

This boy is the loudest child on the planet, but he has the softest and sweetest singing voice I've ever heard.

This boy fusses when it's time to go to TaeKwondo, but he kicks and punches and yells with the best of them once he's there.

This boy reads everything, but he doesn't pick up his clothes in plain sight.

This boy wants to go to fancy restaurants, but he hasn't quite learned to chew with his mouth closed.

This boy runs and talks and GOES all day long, but after he says his prayers, he's still, quiet, and positively dreamy for 9 hours.

I'm so excited that Shimelle is starting a free journaling challenge tomorrow. I've missed the daily December prompts that I used to put together my Advent art journal. Most of the February prompts will make it to the blog, I'm sure. But I'm also hoping to do some more artsy pages for my scrapbook, too. Here's my response to today's pre-February prompt:

i love vanilla, vintage, and free.

i love yellow, itunes, and sleep.

i love Ws, daisies, and magazines.

but i can't stand a runny nose.

camden.

curt.

blue

belt.

red

belt.

two

steps

away.

one

step

away.

from

black

belt

excellence.

so

proud.

First Tae Kwondo class

Benjy gets his first High Five!

I hope you enjoyed those videos. We have LOTS more. But I didn't think it right to hog the blog with video footage of every move Benjy made in his first Tae Kwondo class tonight. Cute as he is. :)



Tiny Tiger Benjy had his first TaeKwondo class today. So proud, we are, of him.
He was the shortest tiger there. We rolled his pant legs up and his sleeves up and he still looked positively swallowed in his uniform. All in all, he did a great job. He broke a board. Twice. He bowed and said "ATA" at the right times. He threw some great knife-hand strikes. Now, he also faced the wrong direction a few times, but really, what's so wrong about that anyway? And he punched his brother who was holding a punching bag about 14 times instead of two, but, hey, can you blame a bro?

As of now, the whole darn family does martial arts. Curt outranks all of us. Then there's Camden. Then Benjy and I are equals at white belt status. Even black belts used to be white belts, though. So we're not hurtin'.