Our Sunday

On Sunday morning we were greeted by light snow and freezing rain. Our church decided to cancel our morning service. So we had a very rare, unexpected Sunday morning at home. I used the time to begin my annual family photograph projects.

Destiny used some of the time to try out her flying saucer on our hill behind the house. It was pretty icy!

Dick was standing on the steps to the sun room, above the wash line, when he took this one.

Later in the afternoon Destiny and I made some chocolate chip cookies. Yumm.

In the evening we had our annual Candlelight service at church. By then the precipitation had stopped. At the service we had a small adult choir, including Dick's brother Steve and another young man from another local church. We did the song Beyond the Noise, which had been in the musical One Quiet Night, which we did three years ago. Oh, it was beautiful.

We also had a small children's choir, which did the song The Mystery from the musical Mystery of the Manger that the children did last Christmas. We have some amazing children's voices at our small church. Destiny doesn't look happy. She wasn't happy - she had fallen asleep during the earlier music, and was not in the mood for standing up front to sing and do sign language.

Our mime team also did a dynamic interpretation of a beautiful Christmas song. They're such awesome, talented kids. It was a completely lovely evening, especially as we sang Silent Night and lit our candles from one to the next.

Afterward we took Destiny home to Reading, stopped at WalMart on the way home for some groceries and a Christmas gift, came home and went to bed way too late. But who cares? We are having a much lighter week than we've had in a long, long time.

A touching poem

I had a wonderful day catching up here at home. Destiny is here now, Ray is home for the weekend, and Dick ran lots of errands for me so I could stay at home. I can finally think beyond December 19.

This week one day, in the midst of my busyness, I checked my email at school and had received a poem from Thyda. As I read it, the tears just streamed down my face and I had to hold back the sobs. Please pray for her and the other service men and women who long to be home for Christmas, but cannot be.

Here is the poem she sent:

Twas the night before Christmas, the ship was out steaming,
Sailors stood watch while others were dreaming.

They lived in a crowd with racks tight and small,
In a 80-man berthing, cramped one and all.

I had come down the stack with presents to give,
And to see inside just who might perhaps live.

I looked all about, a strange sight did I see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stockings were hung, shined boots close at hand,
On the bulkhead hung pictures of a far distant land.

They had medals and badges and awards of all kind,
And a sober thought came into my mind.

For this place was different, so dark and so dreary,
I had found the house of a Sailor, once I saw clearly.

A Sailor lay sleeping, silent and alone,
Curled up in a rack and dreaming of home.

The face was so gentle, the room squared away,
This was the United States Sailor today.

This was the hero I saw on TV,
Defending our country so we could be free.

I realized the families that I would visit this night,
Owed their lives to these Sailors lay willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
And grownups would celebrate on Christmas Day.

They all enjoyed freedom each day of the year,
Because of the Sailor, like the one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas Eve on a sea, far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and started to cry.

The Sailor awakened and I heard a calm voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice."

"Defending the seas all days of the year,
So others may live and be free with no fear."

I thought for a moment, what a difficult road,
To live a life guided by honor and code.

After all it's Christmas Eve and the ship's underway!
But freedom isn't free and it's sailors who pay.

The Sailor says to our country "be free and sleep tight,
No harm will come, not on my watch and not on this night.

The Sailor rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent, so still,
I watched as the Sailor shivered from the night's cold chill.

I didn't want to leave on that cold dark night,
This guardian of honor so willing to fight.

The Sailor rolled over and with a voice strong and sure,
Commanded, "Carry on Santa, It's Christmas, and All is Secure!"

Pictures from the program

I just finished posting, saying that I didn't have any pictures from the Christmas program yet. As soon as I was finished posting, I got an email with some pictures. So here they are.

Too tired to do the Happy Dance

Another Christmas program is history. I'd do the happy dance, but I'm just too tired.

God smiled on me today and caused the temperatures in our area to stay above freezing all day long. We got lots of rain, but no ice.

Things went well during both programs today, for the most part. There were some glitches, but I guess that's to be expected when you're dealing with that many different parts of a program and so many different people. The kids did great.

I did something this evening that I never did before. I wore the same outfit I did last year. I decided that since I paid so much for it last year, and since I hardly ever had opportunity to wear it again, and since we are pretty much on a spending freeze around here, this would be the year to get away with it. I wonder if anyone noticed.

Dick and I were both too busy at both programs to take any pictures, and none of our children were there this time to take any for us, so once again I will not be able to post any pictures until someone emails some to me.

Now I'm in my comfy nightgown enjoying the wonderful cheese potato soup that my coworker Danelle makes for us each program day and the sweet potato/craisin bread that one of the moms sent home with me this evening. And if I sit here much longer I'll be sleeping on the job.

Goodnight.

We're ready. Is the weather?

Everything is ready - everything. The stage, each part of the performance, the 350 chairs are set up, the new sound system is working great, the costumes are altered to fit better..... And now there's a winter storm heading our way. In all the years I have been teaching, I have never had to postpone a Christmas program. I am praying that just as on Wednesday morning, our temp would not go down and that the winter stuff will turn into rain instead.

I'm falling asleep here, so goodnight.

From 63 degrees to snow in one day!

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we had temps in the low 60's. This afternoon, however, it started to snow, and I do believe we got several inches, according to the looks of my deck furniture. I think it's turning to freezing rain now, so I won't be surprised if we have a two-hour delay tomorrow morning.

Dick finished up the job he was doing for my stepbrother today, had an oncologist appointment this afternoon (good report from the latest CT scans, praise God!), then came to school to do some things for me. By the time we were ready to leave, the snow was really laying on the roads, and I was too chicken to drive home, so just left my car at school. Dick will be coming to school tomorrow morning anyway, so we're carpooling, ha, ha!

I spent the evening altering costumes, mostly hemming ones up that are too long for the kids. I find it relaxing to sit and sew, so don't feel sorry for me.

My friend Judy read from a Chicken Soup for the Soul book for staff devotions this morning. There was a funny story that has made me smile every time I think about it. An older lady named Gladys just couldn't do her Christmas shopping anymore. So she decided to give each of her loved ones a check instead of a gift. She wrote, "Buy your own Christmas gift" on the cards and mailed them. Several weeks later when she moved a stack of things on her desk, she discovered the checks she had written but had forgotten to insert into the cards!!!!! Can you imagine receiving one of those cards?? Poor Gladys!

Crowd control

Because our primary department at school has too many children to all fit into my classroom at one time, I regularly have two Primary Chorus periods each week, half the kids one day and the other half of the kids the next day. I teach each group the same songs. Last Monday was the first time I put them all together for a practice on the stage. Oh. My. Word. Putting that many Pre-K, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders together, some with ADHD, others with major behavior issues, all of them just plain YOUNG and IMMATURE - it's like trying to herd animals from place to place.

But amazingly enough, we did it again today - twice - and it went so very much better. There was a mom and a grandma of one of the kindergarteners watching this afternoon. The mom exclaimed afterward that at the programs it always looks so easy, the kids knowing just what to do, where to go, etc. She never realized all the explaining and practicing it takes to get it that way. Oh, yes indeed. Lots and lots of doing things over and over and over and over again.

And now, down to Florida. Jeremy works at Barnes and Noble and has gotten a new acting role - Santa Claus!! It must take a whole lot of extra padding to make him look like a Santa! Anyway, Lisa and George took Sophie to see him. At first she was scared of him because he talked to her in his Santa voice. Then he said in his normal voice, "I love you, Sophie." And she broke into a big smile. Afterward she and Lisa went to the restroom and Sophie was telling people that Santa is her Uncle Jeremy. Uh-oh!

Lisa said they went on a holiday hayride that day too. I thought it was funny that they do hayrides in December. Up here we do them in October! Here Sophie is with her little friend. Aren't they just too cute?

Our weekend

Yesterday Dick and I each crossed a bunch of things off our lists, including some decorating inside and outside. That feels good.

After church today we had our monthly fellowship meal, followed by a rehearsal. I'm not directing a musical at church this year, as I have the previous three years, but next Sunday evening we will be having our annual candlelight service. So I was rehearsing one song with the kids and one with the adults to sing at that service. They were songs we had done in previous musicals, so they went very well.

Destiny is in a very "crafty" mood this weekend. She reminds me so much of Lisa at this age - able to make something out of almost anything. That's what she was doing yesterday. But today she was in the mood for painting, so we went to A.C. Moore after church to get a paint-by-number kit. It's by far the most detailed thing she has ever done, but she's been at it for over an hour now, and is doing very, very well.

Meanwhile, Dick is holding the sofa down, ha, ha, ha!!

Before long we'll be leaving to go to a family visitation at the local funeral home. Our pastor's mother passed away this week. Pastor Dennis and his wife Cindy have cared for her every need for many years, and it will leave a huge void in their lives. At the same time, they need a much-deserved rest.

We'll take Destiny home after that, do our WalMart date on the way back home, then hit the week running. Five more days till my school program. And a lot more to do between now and then.

A sweet morning

After this week of focusing on everything "Christmas program", I am even further behind here at home than before. And my "before" was "behind" in comparison with other people at this season of the year. Did you get that?? Anyway, we're each plugging away at long lists today.

However, one thing I could not miss was our church's annual women's brunch this morning. As usual, it was a wonderful, precious time. We ate together, sang Christmas carols together, and listened to our women's leader read about the Three Wise Women - stirring insights about the lives of Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna. Then we shared from our hearts about the things we are thankful for at this season of the year. There was laughter and tears as girls and women, from ages 10 to 93 shared from their lives. I am so blessed to belong to this group. They are truly my sisters.

I forgot my camera (what else is new?) But I got a few shots with my cell phone.

Well, back to work!

Happy Birthday, George

Today is the birthday of our much-loved son-in-law, George. I thank the Lord every day for giving him to Lisa and to our family. He is smart, hard-working, funny, compassionate, disciplined, athletic, wise.... I could go on and on. I have nothing but unreserved admiration and love for him. And best of all - he treats our daughter Lisa and their daughter Sophie with utmost love and devotion. Happy Birthday, George!

Living at school this week

Our house has hardly been lived in so far this week, except for sleeping. Dick has a full-time job this week for my step-brother, so he's been out the door every morning at 7:00. Then Monday and Tuesday evening we spent at school, because he's been helping with the last of the installation of the new sound system in the gym, and I needed to be taught how to use it for rehearsals. Between leaving school and going back again on Monday I went to the gym and then came home and made a big pot of soup to last us a few days (my sweet hubby does not mind eating the same thing day after day, thankgoodness), and then on Tuesday right after school I squeezed in a long-awaited hair appointment (ten weeks this time, yikes!)

Yesterday was my big costume-pulling marathon. I had measured each of the middle school students from the shoulders down, then tried to find Biblical costumes the right length for each one. If they were just one-piece costumes it wouldn't be so bad, but I alway give the boys a long vest-like cloak to wear over the dress - please don't tell them I called their costume a dress! And I have shawl -type things that the girls wear over the one shoulder. Finding shawls and cloaks that "match" the dresses is what takes me so dreadfully long. I stayed after school was over and plugged away at it from about 5:00 till 10 PM. Once again, Dick was there in the evening too working on some more sound system stuff.

I think we finally will not need to be at school for any reason this evening.

I have so much to be thankful for regarding this new sound system, but that will have to be another post. I didn't even have time to write this post this morning, and now I'm going to have to rush around like crazy.

Up to my ears

I don't have time to post or even to visit most of you. I'm up to my ears in Christmas program preparations.

Our weekend

On Saturday Dick spent the morning and afternoon working at my school, installing more of our new sound system. At home, I let Destiny dig through some Christmas decorations. I was hoping to string the lights on the tree and then let her hang ornaments on it, but alas, I had very bad luck trying to figure out why sections of strings worked and others didn't, some blinked and others did not. I know you have to check for bad bulbs, etc, but such things are just not down my "ally". So the tree decorating did not get finished. I had so many other things to do, I felt like I was racing the clock all day.

In the evening I went to the local high school's fall play. Just as I was ready to leave I discovered it had snowed. I am now officially a "wuss" when it comes to driving on potentially slippery roads. Since that experience a few weeks ago on the way to school, I don't know how I'm going to survive this winter. Anyway, Dick took me to the play THANKGOODNESS, because the roads were really slippery. While I was at the play he ran some errands and picked up Destiny from Frank, and it took him the entire time to do those things because the roads were so bad. By the time he picked me up they were better because they had been treated with salt, etc.

The play was called The Mouse that Roared. Ever hear of it? It wasn't my favorite play I've ever seen, but I enjoyed it because of "my kids" who were in it.

There were four of my former students in the play:

Derrick - just a 9th grader and already playing one of the lead roles,

Kelsey, playing the female lead role,

Linzy, hamming it up in a very funny supporting role,

and Alyssa, also bringing some laughs in her supporting role.

A family reunion

Today after church we went to an annual family reunion. It was my mother's brothers and sisters, their children, and grandchildren. This annual reunion had been dying out in attendance at one point, but my sister Mary Ellen began putting more effort into promoting it last year, and the attendance has dramatically increased. We could barely fit the 96 people who attended into the facility we have been renting for many, many years. We were told that according to fire code, only 80 were allowed to be in the building, so we will definitely have to look for a bigger place next year.

Destiny found some other children to play with, but there was really no where for them to play.

This darling baby girl stole my heart. She looked a lot like Destiny did as a baby.

We will soon be leaving to take Destiny back home. Dick has a job for this week, working for my stepmother's son on a job he has a deadline for. And I'll be head over heels in program prep and practices.

Food and sleep and comfort

Yes, I'm still alive and well. Just trying to keep up with my life the past few days. At school we're rehearsing all the different parts of the upcoming Christmas program. Dick has been working at getting the last of the new sound system up and running.

On Thursday after school I forced myself to go to the gym - first time in two weeks. I'm so frustrated with myself. On these dreary winter days, after a hard day at school, I just want to go home. Nothing else - just go home and get comfortable. I want to eat comfortable food too. Then I look in the mirror and am filled with righteous indignation and a lot of resolve. Until the next day after school when I just want to go home and get comfortable. It's a fight with myself right now, I'm telling you.

Yesterday after school I ran a few errands, then came home to quickly get ready for our date. Our staff went to a dinner theatre held at a church in Lancaster. They did the play, All Through the Night. It was fun to be with the staff, except that we sat at tables of ten, so we didn't really get to be with the ones who were at the other two tables. (You know how I hate to miss anything.) The play was pretty funny, especially the two older women in it. (I do hope I have the time someday to be IN a play instead of directing it.) But I actually got very sleepy and there were times it seemed a bit boring. I guess you know you're old when you can't stay awake on a Friday evening for a show that lasts until 9:30! I wanted to take my camera to get pictures of our staff, but forgot it. Here's a picture of the play I found on the internet.

After it was over Dick and I drove to Reading to pick up Destiny for the weekend. She was hungry when we picked her up, so we stopped at a McDonald's to get a happy meal for her and ice cream cones for ourselves so we could stay awake for the drive home. We were so glad to finally get home and in our comfy bed. (Do I have a theme going here??? Everything I'm writing has to do with food and sleep and comfort.)

Yesterday Dick bought our tree, and this morning we brought it in. When Destiny gets up she'll be excited to start decorating it. She made me promise last weekend that we wouldn't start decorating without her.

Back to "normal"

Well, Dick and I are back to "normal" - just the two of us in our house tonight for the first time in a while. Ray and Dick took the deer to the butcher this morning, and later this afternoon Ray left to go back to his duties in Virginia Beach.

Tomorrow (the 4th) is his birthday, but no celebrating this year. We love you, Ray, and we're proud of you and thank God for giving you to our family. I pray that on your birthday you will feel God's peace and His pleasure over you.

Another birthday will be celebrated in Michigan tomorrow - that of my sweet niece, Lori. Unfortunately, she'll be getting a chemo treatment for her birthday this year. We love you too, Lori, and are proud of you. You were the first of "the next generation" in our family, and the day of your birth was cause for great joy and excitement in our household of six aunts!! May the Lord's healing and mercy be upon you this next year.

Tomorrow morning Dick will be getting follow-up CT scans to see how his chemo treatments affected the enlarged lymph glands. There is no "job" on the horizon at this point, but he is actually getting quite busy with many little jobs that people are willing to pay him to do. God is so good. I would never have dreamed on September 3rd that he would go this long without being hired. Neither would I have believed that we could possibly be OK after this length of unemployment. But we are! My list of God's provision through many different people and sources is growing longer and longer. I am amazed.

Our publicity picture for The Road to Bethlehem

Here's a preview of the picture that will be in the local newspaper in two weeks. I sneaked one with my cell phone after the photographer was finished this morning. The girls on the left are playing the part of two judgmental women who "found out" about Mary while en route to Bethlehem. The little boy befriends Mary on the trip and even has a dream about seeing a king. Upon their arrival in Bethlehem, the little boy's family gets the last room in the inn, while Mary and Joseph are relegated to the stable. The little boy is one of the first to discover who the baby born in the stable really is.

We had our first rehearsal on the stage today, sans the proper mics, stage props, or even memorized parts. But it will all come together by the time we need to present it on the 19th.

I'm getting my hubby back tonight. Woohoo!!

Goodby, Thanksgiving vacation; Hello, rehearsals!

This marks the end of my Thanksgiving vacation and the beginning of the rehearsal season at school. Three weeks of heavy duty rehearsal, starting tomorrow morning. I think I'm ready for it.

Today Destiny and I had a laid back day at home. We perused the American Girl catalog for Christmas gift ideas, did her homework, made pumpkin pies, and went to Salvation Army. I found some great clothes for her there and she found a Barbie RV, complete with hot tub - for $3.99! Sorry - no pictures.

This evening I took her home to Reading. Ray came home this evening from the hunting cabin with one of Dick's brothers, since he's already completed his great feat. I think he was the only successful one of the bunch today, so he's one happy guy.

Happy Hunter

I got this picture a while ago from Dick's cell phone. At 8 Am Ray got a 6-point buck. Actually, I cropped the picture quite a bit, because I don't want to distress anyone. So I'm just showing Ray's happy face and the antlers.

Actually, I was just thinking how times have changed. Back in the day we Stauffer women would wait all day, not knowing if any of our men had been successful in their deer-hunting pursuit. At the end of the day a few of the men would drive into town and use a pay phone to call one or two of the wives with the day's report. Then we wives would spread the word among each other. Quite a difference from getting a picture right after it happens! Yes, times have changed.