The rambling resumes

Wow, it's hard to believe I haven't blogged in over three weeks! We've been busy but we've also been having some computer issues that make going online more frustrating than fun. We are suddenly getting lots of pop-ups, no matter what pop-up blocker setting we use, pages don't load correctly, and our virus software keeps blocking viruses. Is anyone else experiencing that?
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As for what has been happening here:

The girls' team took 3rd place in the Sr. Teen Veteran A division at their Bible quiz. They are usually in the B division but each month at least one team from the B division gets moved up to even up the divisions. February was their turn. The competition is obviously tougher in A but the girls did well and challenged the top two teams. Julianne also took 3rd place in individual competition.
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We've added swim class back into our schedule after taking time off last fall. It sure seems like each additional activity added to the schedule makes the week exponentially busier. I'm sure we'll find the right groove sooner or later.

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This past Saturday we were part of a group from church that went to work at the homeless shelter in Flint. Clarence sanded and mudded drywall in the basement where a new bunk room is being constructed. Drywall is about his least favorite thing to do but working with friends makes unpleasant tasks more enjoyable.

Julianne and Allison worked on cleaning the sanctuary area and offices. They washed windows, vacuumed the carpet and chairs, mopped the floor, dusted, and polished the woodwork. Julianne worked as photographer, too, which is why I don't have a picture of her in action.

I had kitchen duty. My friend and I made two types of soup to serve to our group, with leftovers for the shelter to serve their clients for dinner that night. We had taken along rolls we made and she brought several types of cookies, too. It was a simple, enjoyable feast.

We took along another batch of socks and underwear from the girls' "Sock It To 'Em" drive, too. The collection has slowed down since Christmas but so far we have delivered over 600 pairs of socks, more than 230 pairs of underwear, 45 t-shirts, several sweatshirts, and a couple winter coats. God has certainly blessed their efforts and we hope the clothing is a blessing to those who really need it in this weather.

I'll try to update my blog before another 3 weeks goes by. It's been snowing here all day, with 5"-7" predicted by this evening so, for now, I'm off to shovel. Hope you are all staying warm where you are.

Vacationing is hard work!

It wears a person down.

Even the youngest of us need to rest.

Home again

As we were leaving Lakeland Sunday afternoon:



In our driveway at home Monday night:

(It's only gotten colder here since then.)

Our cat did well while we were gone but we're going to have to figure something else out for the litter issue next year if the old guy is still with us. The litter was supposed to work for one cat for 20-30 days. Um, nope. Poor Belle. Any suggestions?

We had a great time-beautiful weather, nice visits, lots of relaxation. Getting back to reality has been tough but we're slowly getting back in the groove.

I didn't take a lot of pictures while we were gone but I'll likely come up with a couple to share soon. Once my frosty fingers thaw again and I can pry my frozen memory card out of my icy camera, that is. Maybe June or July?

My girls think I'm gross

The girls can't believe I would take, let alone post, a picture of Belle in the litter box.

Julianne keeps asking if he was using the litter box when I took the picture. I refuse to answer. What fun would it be if she knew for sure?



The litter box has a story, however, and I think Belle is cuter than just a picture of a litter box, right?

We are leaving tonight to head to Florida to visit my inlaws for a week. The past two years Belle has stayed in the garage with a huge food dish, a dishpan as a water dish, and two litter boxes. Prior to that, he stayed in the shed outside where whoever did Clarence's chores could give him food and water each day. He's showing his age these days, though, so neither of those seemed like a good option.

I harassed my mom about keeping him and she surprised me by agreeing. I started trying to figure out ways to make it a bit less painful for her and suggested to Clarence that maybe we should invest in an automatic litter box. As we were discussing it, my best friend called and, during our conversation, I mentioned all this to her.

Her cousin had recently offered an automatic litter box to her and she'd refused, certain her cat wouldn't adapt well. She offered to call and find out if they still had it and how much they'd want for it. In the meantime, I started researching them online and decided I wanted a ScoopFree box.

She called back and described the box to me-it was exactly what I had decided on. They gave it to me! We stopped and got the litter, cleaned it up and set it in place. He seems to think it a bit strange, but he has used it without any problems.

A young man from church we can trust is coming to feed the rabbits and chickens so we gave him a key to check on Belle a few times. Mom is off the hook, Belle gets to stay home instead of going to Grandma's, we won't worry so much about him while we're gone, and my house shouldn't smell like the litter box when I get home. It's all good.

We'll be gone for a week and a half. Santa Clarence gave me a laptop for Christmas so if I happen to have wireless internet available, I may update here while we're gone. Otherwise, I'll be back toward the end of the month.

The Secret School

Our book this month for our FIAR group was The Secret School by Avi.

The book is about a one-room school that loses its teacher near the end of the school year. When she isn't to be replaced, the students will lose credit for that year's studies. That is unacceptable to the students, who don't want to repeat the whole year. They devise and implement a plan to keep their school open for the rest of the year, making one of the eighth-graders the teacher.

At our planning meeting, one of the moms had the brilliant idea that we should step back and let the kids plan the day and be the teachers. The kids were surprisingly (to me, anyhow) enthusiastic to take on the project.

Phone calls and email messages went back and forth. They had great ideas and came up with a firm plan.



My friend Lisa had a teacher's desk all set up when we arrived. With the kids in charge, I think we started more promptly than we ever have! They started the day by singing Amazing Grace, just like the students in the book.

The kids all shared mottos to live by that they had chosen ahead of time. Then they each shared a funny pet story.

One of their ideas was to play Jeopardy. Each family made up questions, based on the book. The kids divided into two teams to play, sitting out the questions their family had submitted.

They picked something to teach to everyone else. Our friend Mary taught them how to draw a cat.

Molly taught them The Lord's Prayer in sign language. Julianne can't seem to get past her tendency to mirror the instructor.

My girls took their bow making supplies and taught everyone how to make bows. They were teaching my friend and me on New Year's Eve and I found them much more difficult than I expected. The kids didn't seem to have any trouble getting beautiful bows, though.

There was a vast body of knowledge present yesterday. They had a Highland Dance instructor, they learned about crystal radios and Model Ts, they discovered what the Latin on the back of a dollar bill means, and they were taught how to fry an egg.

It was a full, fun-filled day, as always. The kids impressed me with all they planned and how well they executed their plans. I think it was one of the most memorable FIAR days yet.

January Quiz

Our girls went to Saturday's quiz as a two person team but were joined by a friend from another church who didn't have anyone to quiz with. They had a lot of fun with Hannah on their team and managed to bring home a first place trophy again this month. (Hannah had to leave before the awards, so just imagine an extra girl in this picture, ok?)



The individual competition was harder for them. They both made it to finals, but neither of them placed. Julianne is quizzing in the Sr. Teen division for individuals, although she's actually a Young Teen Veteran. It's a hard competition for me to watch sometimes. The Sr. Teens have so much experience and they pre-jump almost every question. It can be mind boggling even when you're only a spectator. Julianne chooses to compete there to gain experience and sharpen her skills. It also keeps our girls from competing against each other.

Clarence said Allison did a lot of pre-jumping in her individual finals, too. Maybe the Young Teens aren't any less stressful to watch anymore?

(A note on the tank top: Yes, it is frigid in Michigan these days. She did have a hoody to go over the tank top-but they get so warm when they quiz, she decided to dress lighter. I get goosebumps just looking at this picture. Brr.)

Midwinter Garden weeders

I was taking a couple pictures today for an upcoming blog post. I wanted some natural light, so I took the stuff in by the living room window and started to set up a tray table to put it on.

Some movement out in the yard caught my eye.

I looked out and saw this:



Pawing at the snow like Belle paws around in the litter box (sorry for that mental image!), she was digging in my flower/herb bed that I neglect to weed most of the summer. I think she might be chowing down on some pale pink perennial geranium here. Interestingly, she avoided the garlic chives and sage nearby in favor of crab grass. Gotta love that!

She wasn't alone, though. This one was snacking on the remains of Julianne's snapdragons across the yard.

I called the girls to come and watch. Julianne saw what this one was doing and wondered aloud why people find these animals cute? They obviously haven't learned-you don't mess with Julianne's snapdragons.