We Made It Through First Competition!

March 26, 2012

Last week was an absolutely terrible week around here.  Dad was out of town, and Mom spent 3 days not feeling well, and then Cymbre got a migraine, and Cooper got a terrible upset stomach.....all right before dance competition.  However, we all rallied, and made it to competition.

The girls had a wonderful time with the friends that were also there to compete, and they did a tremendous job on their solos and group dances.  Here's the rundown:

Cooper:  Baby You Got What It Takes, tap solo....High gold and 10th overall

You Can't Buy Me Love, tap solo...High gold and 9th overall

Standing There, jazz solo.....high gold

For You I will, contemporary small group...elite gold and 8th overall

Don't Stop Believin', tap small group...high gold

Cymbre:  Ain't We Got Fun, tap solo...high gold and 8th overall

Don't Stop Believin', tap small group....high gold

So, all in all they did a great job for themselves and for Ms. Traci and Ms. Andee!

And today, I have a pile of dirty costumes to wash, repack, and organize for next weekend.....in order to do the same thing all over again.  I have pictures of some of the costumes, so I'll post them later.

Cymbre is home today with another headache...at least we have the medicine that works somewhat for her.

My Sunday School class was doing the allegory of the olive tree....so I took them outside, assigned them each to be a kind of olive tree and had signs for different continents for the scattering of Israel.  As I told the story....we had a master of the vineyard and a servant acting out the parts.  I took some garden tools and small branches of greenery and duct tape and scissors.  As we told the story about the pruning and grafting of branches...they removed branches or grafted them in with the duct tape, to a ficus tree I had taken. (Just a side note....you can't graft the branches unevenly because it makes the olive tree fall over if you do it more on one side than the other....just saying)  So we grafted the wild branches first....gentiles were baptized and joined the house of Israel.  Then had to remove some good branches and plant them other areas in the vineyard....so they took them out to the signs where some of the kids that were tame or natural branches were standing already.  Then the master discovered he had good and bad fruit growing on his scattered branches.  (Now a lesson in how you can have good things grow out of bad homes or influences in the world today, and you can have bad things grow out of good homes and good situations too, and a bit about how the Savior is constantly trying to work with us and help us.) They tell the teachers to apply the lessons to our times.  Then the final visit of the master to the vineyard where he discoveres all bad fruit.....but finally decides in the end to nourish and dig and prune the vineyard just one more time before burning all of it.  (A welcome respite for the kids still scattered over the world!)  So the master and the servant digged, pruned, nourished the vineyard one final time and everyone was grafted back into the original tree. 
(Then came the lesson that this represents the final restoration of the gospel in it's fulness on the earth today.  We have living prophets, we have all the ordinances and keys needed to return to live eternally with our Heavenly Father and the Savior.....but are we using them to the full potential, or are we just skidding by doing just the bare necessities? Are we really doing our part in the final grafting for the master of the vineyard, or are we still causing trouble and bearing bad fruit?)

It was interesting to watch as the realization dawned on the kids that this just wasn't a story in the Book of Mormon, but that it really pertains to them in living in the world today.  SCORE one for the teacher!!!...just saying!!!  What have I been telling them all these weeks?

The lesson in two weeks....we have General Conference on TV next week, will be about Enos, Jarom, Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom and Amaleki.  I'm not sure how we will get thru all that, but I will come up with something.

Just a little sidenote.   There was a younger class whose teacher had to go out of town, so she asked if her class could join mine.  I said ok, but that also meant that there would be 30+ kids in the class....hence the reason to take them outside to let them move around.  Now some of those kids want to know if they can just come to my class all the time.  I had to say no.  They need to attend the class for their age level....don't think that made them happy though.  However, my kids are the oldest ones, so they don't really want all the "little" ones in the class all the time.  I guess it sort of hinders their style....and their ability to tease the teacher!  I have 18 every week as it is, and some weeks some of them bring non-member friends.  This probably means that I will die before I ever get out of this job!  Just saying!!

Cooper has had some of her artwork selected to be put in shows, and one is going into a Goggle contest.  Who knew...she can draw and dance!

Cymbre is getting excited as the orthodontist told her at her last visit that something would be coming off her teeth on the next visit.  That means she will at least leave with some braces removed!  She is thrilled.  She has had some sort of metal in her mouth since she was 9.  She is 13 now.  And it doesn't look like we will have to do any cosmetic work as the orthodontist made the skinny teeth fit perfectly in their spot...so we don't have to make them bigger.  Dad is grateful for the money that will still be in his wallet.

And on that note, I must get busy on this pile of costumes...some can't be washed do they have to get febreeze and air out, the rest get washed, dried, ironed, and repacked....it's a full days job.

Remember to get out there and do what the Savior expects you to do in serving others.



A Memorial Service

March 14, 2012

Well, today we went to the memorial service for Hannah's dad....he died very suddenly the end of last week.  It was a lovely service, but it was not an LDS service, and there wasn't any talk of being a forever family, of where he is now and why, of they will see him again.  It was all talk of golden streets, pearly gates, and walls made of diamonds.  Who knows for sure unless you have died, what Heaven looks like, but the eternal perspective of families can be together forever, eternal life with the Savior, and life on earth has a purpose sure seems to make more sense to me than the "nothingness" of some religions. And if there are eternal families and such, why would we need all the golden streets etc?  Those would all be just material things.  I'm sure it left the family with a sense of peace, but for me and the girls, it caused some questions.  We are grateful that we know things a little differently, and for the comfort and purpose it brings to our lives.  To me it would be very difficult to reconcile the purpose of life if we didn't know where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going when we die.

Needless to say, the girls were a bit confused when they were quoting scriptures that they recognized the scripture references, but the words were totally different than what they are used to hearing.  And the whole thing just sort of left you hanging as to what would happen with this wonderful man now.  They had some lovely photos running in slideshow on screens showing him with his family having all kinds of fun.  And after, there was a luncheon for everyone in attendance, but we had other commitments, so we didn't stay.

Cooper finally got her little "beep beep" car back.  It's been in the repair shop getting the front end fixed after someone backed into her and drove off.  Also had to get some new tires, and be inspected....but everything is now done, and she's back "on the road again" as they say.

Spring break is half over, and so far we have spent time with some wonderful friends, gone down to Harwin street jewelry shopping, and today the funeral, and dance private lessons.  Cymbre is also making some things to doll up her desk in her room, so she is busy painting and cutting paper, and gluing things.  They will be cute when she is done. 

I'm doing laundry today since I was gone all day yesterday, so it didn't get started until later than usual yesterday.  Also did some shopping, and mailed some packages to Caleb.  Now I need to get out the rhinestones for the last costume, and then get busy.  Also have to make the Easter treats in bags for my Sunday School class....and then finally clean off the dining room table.

Tomorrow we have the sprinkler repairman coming first thing, and then we are going to lunch with a very dear friend, Patti Weinken.  The girls just LOVE her, and she is a good friend to me.  She was Cymbre's primary teacher when we first moved to Houston, and they have loved each other ever since.  So when the girls are out of school, we try to go to lunch at least once.

Guess that's about all the news for today.....

Scripture Feast

March 11, 2012

Well, today I took some of my "vintage" fischer price toy kitchen food to Sunday School.  We were talking about "feasting on the word of God"  so it applied.  I set it out on a plate, and then ask the kids what a feast was?  After the typical answers....a family celebration, a time for stuffing yourself with good food, a day when Mom spends all day cooking....I brought it more around to where I wanted it.  I told them that today we were not talking about earthly feasting, but spiritual feasting....several groans!  Can you tell we go to church during lunchtime?  So we talked about how the meat on my plate could represent the more "meaty" teachings in the scriptures...the atonement, eternal life, priesthood power, eternal marriage, covenants the Savior makes with His people.  Then I moved on to the fruit, vegetables, and other food I had taken.  These represented smaller things...tithing, keeping the word of wisdom, keeping commandments, dressing modestly, using clean language, following the living prophets, setting a good example for others....the list could go on and on.  Then I brought it around to how Nephi just before he died was teaching yet again his people regarding "feasting on the word of God", the baptism of the Savior, the need to walk in the straight and narrow path, to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost.  All this is recorded in 2 Nephi 31-33.  We talked about how feasting wasn't just hurrying thru a meal, but enjoying the food that had been prepared, it's not just a nibble of food, but the total eating of full forks.  Therefore, when we are studying the word of God, we need to really "feast" and not just snack.  Feasting on the scriptures does not mean a quick handful of crackers in a ziplock bag in your purse.....it's spending some time reading, pondering, and figuring out the meaning of the scriptures we read. Then I went on to expand more fully on some of the teachings we had already discussed.  I brought out how the Holy Ghost is a key person in our feasting...it's His job to help us understand the things we read in the scriptures, and how to put them to use in our lives.  Then I tied everything up in a bow....at least in words, and presented the fact that if we are really feasting on the word of God, we shall know all the things we are supposed to be doing while here in this earthly test before returning to live with our Heavenly Father.  This whole concept makes reading the scriptures seem like a necessity so that we can more easily make it thru this earthly experience....at least in my feeble mind these days.

The handout was two scriptures typed out about feasting on the word of God, and some little plastic doll house food glued on the bottom.

Although after all this, I must admit that they really enjoyed the birthday cupcakes I took.

And that's the lesson for today.....I don't teach next week as it's Ward Conference....but the week after that I already have magnifying glasses......I'll post more about that lesson later after I put it all together.

This week is Spring Break for the girls, so we are going to try to get some things done we haven't gotten to do yet.  Cooper and Cymbre are going to some extra dance lessons, and classes....we have a funeral to attend for the father of their close dance friend, they want to go down to Harwin street jewelry shopping, and Cymbre has to meet with ther school group to finish up making a game, and Cooper wants to go to the outlet mall....I think she thinks she needs more clothes.  AND I am going to finish the last competition costume rhinestoning if it kills me!

I survived the finishing up of my root canal that started a month ago, but I had to take antibiotics for several weeks to clear up the infection in my gum.  Well, now I have a temporary crown, and they are done drilling on me.  Next time I go back in 3 weeks, they will just glue the permanent crown on....then I better be done for months.  I hate that place.  Makes my teeth hurt everytime I go there.

All the drama around here was further complicated this week, but I think we managed to straighten things out before they really got out of hand.  This whole mess is so exhausting for me to deal with.....I am spending too many hours home alone.

We have a new chore schedule around here, and things went smoothly the last few days this week, and Saturday was great.  So I feel better about that issue.  The girls did a wonderful job upstairs.  I am proud of them.  Now if we can just keep it going......

Cymbre's IPod seems to be going on vacation a lot lately without her....a frustrating problem we are dealing with again today.....it's got to be here somewhere.  Too bad you can't call the thing like a phone and find it!

Cooper had a dance audition today....they wouldn't let her come another day.  She claims she "nailed it", and they are on the way home.  Guy took her because of the terrible rainstorms in the area the last few days.  This means that she will probably have a dance intensive this summer in downtown Houston for a couple of weeks, going every week day.  It will be good for her.

Well, I need to sort through some shopping bags that are cluttering the dining room table....they are full of Easter goodies for grandbabies and the girls and Britni.  And I need to clean up the rhinestones from everything that is already done, and get out the ones for the last costume.

So on that note, everyone needs to be doing their scripture "feasting", and their earthly serving this week.  Get out there and do something for someone who is less fortunate than you are.  These people are everywhere if you just look around.  Just take that little step outside your comfort zone.....it's a wonderful feeling!

Mom

Gwamma's House

March 5, 2012

Caleb brought Holly, Jack, and Lucy for a wonderful visit to Gwamma's house.  We had such a grand time playing with what are now being called "Vintage" toys.  Grandpa got out the Fischer Price kitchen and food, the Brio trains, the legos, and there were also some tigers running amuck all weekend!

Even though it was rainly most of the time, we still managed to get a visit in to the Houston Aquarium, and the Houston Zoo.  The Dance Studio was also on the list of places to go, and was riding in Aunt Cooper's mini cooper car.

Here's just a few pictures....

Jack and Gwamma making cinnamon muffins!

Lucy and Daddy riding the train at the aquarium.

Lucy

Frogs Are Going To Sunday School

March 2, 2012

I am taking frogs to Sunday School this week.  I had to go buy some to use, and I found a really cute one that goes in flower gardens.  Cymbre will use it when I am done.  Also got some little rubber ones to use as the handout, and some that you can press on their tails and they will jump.

The object of the lesson is....there is a quote by James E. Faust to the effect that if you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out, but if you put the frog in a pot of tepid water and slowly turn up the heat a little bit at a time, he will boil to death.  This is like the illusions that Satan uses on us.  First, he gets us to accept some tiny little sin, then he turns up the heat just a little bit....a slightly bigger sin....then a bit more, and a bit more.  Finally, we are stuck in his chains.

Hence, the frogs.....and I am taking my chains again.  I also have some optical illusions to use to prove the point.  I have some little ones that I can make jump which I have labeled with small, bigger, and large sins.  I will talk about each sin, and make the frog jump off the table towards the class.  If nothing else, they won't quite know what to expect, and I think they will have fun.  I just have to remember to collect all my frogs before letting them out of the room.

The whole lesson deals with the issues Nephi saw occurring in the last days.  And how we need to recognize Satan's ploys and to be able to resist them.

Should be interesting to see how the class reacts to frogs......we'll see.

At Hobby Lobby tonight, when I went for labels for the frogs, I found a good deal on muslin.  I bought some to use in the Title of Liberty lesson.  I am going to make the class individual Titles of Liberty and then let them write on them during class.  Got some little dowels, and a fancy thing to do on the top so the material doesn't come off.

Also got a book at the church bookstore this week that has a great handout for the Anti-Nephi-Lehi's lesson. it's a paper sword in a sheath with statements about the burying of weapons and keeping covenants.  Should be fun.  Also picked up some pictures of the 2000 Stripling Warriors standing with their mothers.  It kind of makes me stop and think considering some issues I am dealing with in my family at this time.  Hurtful things have been said about Mom, just complaining about everything...hurt feelings caused, gossip being spread, family members upset. People judging that don't have a clue what really happened.  It's a big mess.  It all makes me wonder what a mom of a stripling warrior would have done if faced with the same situation.  Hopefully, things will get better, but who knows for sure.

The tooth I had a root canal on is finally not hurting...and my jaw is finally not sore.  What a mess!  Now on Monday I am getting my teeth cleaned, and then on Thursday, I have to go for the crown....so my teeth will hurt all over again for the next week.

I think I am getting that walking pneumonia stuff again....it seems like a yearly thing for me.  Just a few more days, and it will be bad enough for the medicine.

I am almost done with the rhinestoning of dance costumes for this year....it's been rough going getting them done with everything I have been dealing with the past two months.  However, the end is in sight as soon as the last order of rhinestones arrives.

I am enjoying driving the new van...it rides really nicely, and isn't hard to get in and out of for me with my back issues.  And it has rear air conditioning so the girls are thrilled.  The seats in the back will all fold down, so it can haul a ton of stuff.  Guy got a good deal while I was in Raleigh with the girls, so I came home to a new car to drive.  A good thing because the old one was ready to die any day!  I do need to take Cooper out to learn to drive it though...she never really did learn to drive the big van.  She is much more comfortable in her little mini cooper, beep beep, car.

Well, that's about all for tonight....I am tired and my back is very sore tonight.

Remember to get out there and do some service for someone....it will make you smile.

Mom