A Little Paint

When I walked into my "new" classroom for the year, over the summer, for the first time, I just stopped in disbelief. It was hideous. The walls were a depressing shade of "prison blue", the ceiling looked like it could cave in at any moment, and there were stacks of this and that everywhere.

How could I teach here? And honestly, how could my students learn in an environment where even their teacher was unwilling and uninspired?!

(BEFORE: July 25)


So, armed with a bucket of paint and a few purchases, my team of intrepid young people helped me attack the room. Now, it makes me happy to be there! (And it only took a few dollars and a week out of my summer to make such an improvement in the room -- and in my attitude!)

My gorgeous classroom, Aug 2:

Please especially note the tree crafted by my daughter and her friends. It makes me so full of joy every time I see it! And it's right across from my teacher desk. :)

Time in Trees

The kids were climbing trees this afternoon.

Now, frankly, I didn't remember we had any climbable trees in our backyard -- and I'm pretty sure the giant tree in our front yard is unsuitable for climbing. But climb they did.

My son must take after my brother. He found ways into the topmost branches of the little tree in our backyard, and discovered various ways to get down! I even heard talk of a "tree house".

They remind me of times climbing trees with my brother. He was always much braver than I was. Yes, I could climb, but not nearly as well as my brother. And I'm pretty sure he is still climbing trees!

We've also been watching the Lord of the Rings movies. It's easy to see the connection between my kids climbing trees and the pro-nature/anti-industrialism theme at work in Tolkein's grand design. I heartily endorse reading this masterful trilogy. (The Hobbit is good, too, but a bit more difficult to make one's way through.)

The timeliness of my kids' discovery of the love of trees has not been lost on me. Arbor Day is this month. I hope everyone will find time to enjoy the great outdoors -- and maybe plant a tree.

Speaking of planting trees, I just heard that my dad has been planting trees at the farm! Can't wait to see what they will look like in a few years!

Hearing God

Another amazing weekend with the youth from the church. We took 8 young people (grade 6-12) to MidWinter. It was great to see so many kids devoted to Christ and to each other. And it made our own kids grow closer to each other. As one of them commented, "I didn't really know what you guys were like before!"

The best moment of the weekend for me was during the Nature Hike led by my husband.

During the nature walk, we were to be thinking of ways that God's love is expressed in nature. Especially how nature reflects the attributes of love expressed in 1 Cor 13. ("Love is patient, kind...") We explored the grounds of the camp, some places the kids had never been before. At the last stop on the hike, he took the kids to his favorite spot on the camp's grounds. It was a sheltered area under a huge tree. We all sat down in a circle, and got quiet. Then we all shut our eyes and listened for the sounds of God's creation. After a few moments, we talked about what we had heard. In those moments, we all felt closer to the Creator than we had for a long time!

If we are quiet, we are more likely to hear the voice of God. Sometimes I think we are so busy rushing through the day, we don't have time to listen to that still, small voice.

So many things make the camp experience worthwhile. Thank you, God, for moments of quiet to listen for You!

I'm a huge fan of the Clarice Bean series, as well as the TV show Charlie & Lola. The author, Lauren Child, has written several books, all of which are great for preteens who need a little humor and who are tired of Wimpy Kid.

Christmas Tree Ornaments

The kids picked out ornaments to give to each of their teachers. (With 8 teachers between them, this was a monumental task!) It was fun to watch them carefully looking at each option, deciding which teacher or coach would like a Christmas tree, or a cupcake, or a candy cane.

So cute! And though I thought some of their choices were a little odd, they were excited to take their precious gifts to school to hand-deliver to their teachers today. (Teachers, hope you're ready for this!)

The kids at church made ornaments for our sanctuary tree this year. It was a fun project, and the finished products looked so pretty!

We took clear glass bulbs (the sturdy kind, since we have several Pre-K kiddos), and poured craft paint inside. Each child got to pick two colors to use. The pastor got to make an ornament, too, but he got three colors! Then, during the Hanging of the Greens service, the kids placed their ornaments on the tree. The church tree looks lovely with the new additions. And the children were glad to have a part in decorating the tree!

While I'm on the subject, I found the coolest pictures of Christmas trees made of books!

How fun is that!! Maybe I'll try it next year. It looks pretty time-intensive, but wouldn't that look amazing in the library! (Although I think the idea behind it was to use old but colorful tomes you weren't reading anymore.) Hmm, maybe that's a good use for all those dusty encyclopedias that are out of date and never used...

How about a great Christmas book to read? Try "What Child is This?" by Caroline B. Cooney! Not her regular style, but an amazing read, nonetheless.