Don We Now...

I didn't really mess with photos on my last post but here is a snap of the first concert of the season, the Lapeer County Community Chorus at Hunter's Creek Church. Then there's Ben (the shorty) playing the bell set and Fox with his Euphonium. Ben is quite diligent in his practicing and never has to be reminded to do it, which I love. He also goes beyond what they are working on during rehearsals and tries to figure out parts on his own, many times calling me in to play duets with him. Since we didn't rent the bell set he just practices on the piano and I think it's a good thing. Fox's run with band is coming to a close but he'll finish out this year. He did what I asked and tried it for middle school, it's not his thing and I'm ok with that, next year it will open up his schedule for more electives.

The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of final preparations and performances. Although it was a bit crazy at times the Lord knew what he was doing in blessing me with these projects because it has really helped keep me going instead of wallowing around in grief. I know my mother would have appreciated and supported these endeavors and hope she's been looking over me through it all. Although our final dress/tech rehearsal for Star of Wonder left me wondering if this was truly going to minister. The annointing hit when the time finally came and the kids did a fantastic job, the shepherds rocked the house, actors delivered their lines well, the "wee" kings were too cute, and the vocal soloist touched my heart. One of our elders told me later he thought it was probably the best children's program the church had done. Glory to God! We even had a special moment at the end of the program, the second from the last song "Constellation Celebration" the kids come off the platform and dance around the aisles and when they came back up to the front a brother of one of girls danced up on stage with the rest of the cast. I was familiar with this boy and had him with us on Wednesday nights on a few occasions, he has some mental challenges but really comes alive when we work on music. Sister was concerned and tried to make him leave the stage but I intervened told her it was ok and invited him onto the risers with the group. He sang the final song "Look Up" (which he knew from being in with us) with the his face beaming and the biggest smile you've ever seen. It was truly precious and just that little moment made it all seem so worthwhile.

There were some other personal 'mini' miracles that happened surrounding my actors but I'll refrain from sharing them since they're personal, but as I started to get feedback and testimonies afterward it gave me a new understanding of why we were given this assignment. Pastor has also asked us back to do a couple selections from the program at the Christmas Eve service which was a bit of a surprise and a little last minute, but hey...I'm game.
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The school programs had a bit of a wrench thrown in due to snow days on Monday and Tuesday so we lost our 'dress' rehearsal for choir and two days of practice for the 4th grade skit. Then when we went to set the skit on the stage we had to change everything around because of miking issues. The kids did great and went with the revamp gracefully. I had to leave Mrs. Martin to finish things out because on top of everything else I was also running my daughter around because she totalled her car on an icy hill after the first snow fell. But it all worked out in the end, didn't they make for a cute cast!?

Friday night we went down to Rochester to drop off the band fruit at my in-laws and caught the light show on the way back. This is really a cool concept draping all the buildings and they've even added more down some side streets and further north of town.

Yesterday was the holiday choir program with the North Branch Schools. I had about 130 chairs set out initially and we had to pull out and set up another 100+ chairs there were so many people that came! I was floored. Unfortunately because of the trimester change, other commitments and some teenage blow-off the middle school and upper elementary group were not at their full capacity but they did well none-the-less. The NBE After School Chorus brought it full force and sang with all their hearts. Technical challenges aside it was wonderful. Afterward I had some positive feedback from several parents and grandparents plus had a father/son team with sound experience come up and offer to help me work out some kinks for the next program. What a blessing that will be. In all the excitment I didn't even take a picture even though I had the camera in my pocket the whole time. I emailed a few moms and hopefully they can send me some snaps.

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Well, even though this batch of musical activities has concluded I've already begun receiving the download for my next assignments....a choir pops concert on Valentine's Day, coordinating VBS (found one I'm really excited about), working the creative arts camp at Paint Creek Center for the Arts (already talked to the director about some theme ideas), and a future ministry of "Praise Rocks!: A Children's Musical Giving God the Glory" - hopefully put together in a Saturday Kid's Praise Club format. But for now I just need to get busy wrapping.

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I'll leave with a quote from Bill Rancic (I love the Bill & Guilliana show).

"Everything will work out alright in the end; and if it's not alright, then it's not the end."

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Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

Damn December

I've lived in Michigan all my life and I have never come to like winter. It's flippin' cold but thankfully there isn't much snow and I can only hope there won't be. Praying for a mild winter all around. The boys however are estatic about the white stuff and immediatly went out to try and make snow balls. But I guess I shouldn't complain, Rob is spending the week in Manitoba, Canada on a training and service call.....the shop is way out in the middle of nowhere he said, and its good the guys from the shop have been chauffering him around otherwise he'd be totally lost.

Last weekend I participated in my first concerts with the Lapeer County Community Chorus, the Friday night performance at Hunter's Creek Church had a decent turnout and went well but the Sunday afternoon concert at Trinity United Methodist Church rocked the house! It was packed to the gills, they had people in the choir loft and brought in more chairs to the sanctuary. Everyone sounded great; voices, brass, and our amazing accompanist. I have the utmost respect for our director Garth Starr, I'm really learning (and 'borrowing') a lot from him.

Now I'm in the final throws of the Star of Wonder program which will be ministered next Wednesday and we're finalizing things for our Holiday Program at North Branch Schools. My elementary group has been a delight, the Ruth Fox group has gotten through a lot in a very little time and the middle schoolers are starting to perk up to things as well.

In addition to that Ethan's teacher asked me about helping the class with a holiday skit so I found a cute Reader's Theater script that we ammended a bit to accomodate the whole class and I've been in three times so far to work with them. The 4th graders will be putting on a program next Friday and that's where we'll present "A Crazy Mixed-Up Christmas Tale." The kids have really been getting into it and are coming up with some great ideas for costumes and props. Some have even ventured into using silly Elf voices and Mrs. Claus is just too cute.

Not sure if I had mentioned it before but the Praise & Worship Choir I'm directing at church made the jump from practice room to platform last month. It's a small group at the moment but I'm anticipating more people adding in soon now that they've seen what it really entails during services. Most of my members are on the older side but I'm very proud of them for pushing beyond their comfort zone and am honored to be working with them in this capacity. Make a joyful noise for the Lord, all ye lands!


Comic from Stuff No One Told Me (but I learned anyway).

So, I hope people are getting that my first post of the month title has been a take-off on a Broadway play title. Get it? Damn Yankees, No No Nanette, Oklahoma.....? Oh, whatever. Gotta think of a good theme for next year, any suggestions?

Not So Bloggy

Haven't been feeling very bloggy this month at all, not that there hasn't been things going on; quite the contrary, there's been plenty. Ben and Ethan have been into writing letters lately (however I'm still trying to get them to understand how to address them properly), recently after a disappointing candy experience Ben actually sat down a wrote a letter to the Spangler Candy Co. that makes Dum Dum suckers to express his disappointment in the lack of chewy chocolaty center to his lollipop. Low and behold he received a sizable box in the mail with not just a sucker but a whole bag of them with a nice response explaining that sometimes things get through quality control at the end and the beginning of the runs and the suckers don't get filled properly. Needless to say Ben was beyond excited and promptly sat down to write a thank you letter to the company for their attention to customer satisfaction.

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Ethan's latest shot in the arm was being accepted to the Safety Patrol! He works during the 4th grade recess to make sure everyone stays safe on the playground. The first day he had a few of his peers giving him grief but the teachers and principal backed him up and dealt with the defenders and it hasn't happened since. I'm very proud of him for getting all the paperwork filled out and turned in on time and for taking his responsibilities seriously. Anyone considered has to have good grades and no disciplinary infractions.

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Had several substitute jobs over the past few weeks and have now been in every building at least once. One thing that I have observed as consistent in any building or grade is that the productivity significantly decreases after lunch and each hour after until final bell. My remembrance of school was that most kids were pretty concerned about their grade and giving a good performance but the overall attitude lately is pretty noncommittal, they don't really care if they get an A, an E, or even finish the work. I'm still trying to understand how they handle the learning "impaired" in the upper grades, mainstreaming them into the regular classroom makes for an extremely disjointed day. I also recently learned that our teachers, principals, nor administration have any say in the curriculum the district uses, it's all state mandated. Yuck! Takes all the creativity out of being a teacher....plus one size does not fit all, compared to the educational strides being made in China we're moving toward the demeanor of a third world nation. Sad. Ethan and I had a discussion about homeschooling again. I'm torn. There are things I like and dislike about public and home school. I wish I could take the best pieces of both to make a well-rounded experience for the boys. Fox will be making the move to high school next year will probably duel enroll the whole way through with the goal of obtaining a business associates along with his high school diploma, plus he'll take advantage of the ed-tech program as well.

Last weekend the kids learned how to make ravioli from scratch with my Dad. It was quite the process but with all the helping hands we got quite a few made just a few hours. They tasted great but I'm thankful for frozen ravioli, cuz it's a lot of work to make it like they did in the old country. We went out in the afternoon to see the Megamind movie which was cute; evil becomes good and good becomes evil.

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Alex got registered for the Winter semester at Mott. She was a bit shocked when I supported her taking non-core classes but I'm glad to have her in something that will be more interesting. She got lucky and has the majority of her classes on Monday and Wednesday out at the Flint campus which is where most of the music and theater classes are and will taking Intro Acting, Intro Screenwriting, a Beginning Guitar class, and Keyboard I (piano with the teacher we used to go to for private lessons). Then she's got Ethics one night at Lapeer with the same prof she had for Intro Philosophy.

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Ethan has been doing well with his guitar lessons and I've been working on getting my string fingers back also, working through my classical guitar book. It takes a while to get those callouses back, but they fade surprisingly fast. Soon Alex, E and I will be able to work on some selections together. I also purchased some painting supplies and am looking forward to some cathartic creating. Plus I've been given an assignment by the counselor to "write it out" and purge all the feelings about mother's illness, death, and family. This is something that's been in my mind to do but I haven't put it into action yet. She wants me to get cracking on it tout suite so we can analyze and emulsify. I may not be doing much else over the next few weeks.

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The concert for the Lapeer County Community Chorus is next week already; then Star of Wonder program shortly after that (I'll begin painting shirts tomorrow) and finally the NB Schools program. Choice Time Choir has been challenging time wise because they cancel it for assemblies sometimes without notice. I only get them for a half hour a week as it is! Thankfully they're a great bunch and pick up songs very quickly. Next year however I think we'll morph to an after school practice with the upper elementary and the middle school together....

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Looking forward to Turkey Day with the out-laws. Rob will be heading off to Manitoba shortly afterward and the rest of us will hold down the fort and wait for the snow to fall.

No No November

Feeling obligated to update but not really inspired; it's been an odd week with much going on yet nothing at all. Sports have finally concluded for the fall season with a final make-up soccer game Tuesday (man, it gets cold when that sun goes down). Halloween was decent, we just went around up in North Branch, the first time we've done that in many years since we used to go to mom's house in Grosse Pointe for the last five. Rob and I worked the Haunted House, he in the parking lot and I taking tickets and psyching people out at the door before they entered. There were about 175 people that came through which was their biggest night of the month. I was interested to learn he runs it as a fundraiser for athletic, community, and church groups; those who come volunteer get to take a decent portion of the night's proceeds. Nice.


Also dealt with a stomach flu which had me down for a few days, the worst of it only lasted 24 hours but it takes several days until you're on solid ground again. Ben stayed home yesterday with it. I did manage to eek in a sub job at the high school on Wednesday for one of the science teachers, Intro Macrobiology classes and an Environmental Science class. Went well, pretty mellow with only one extremely immature bunch right after lunch. Go figure. This is the same group from the nightmare English classes I had last year.


Alex's financial aid finally got straightened out and logged on her account so Fall is now paid for in full and she is released to register for the Winter semester. She is finally getting a clue that she should have thought things out better during her senior year and has been flip flopping in what she really wants to do. Everything she's been bringing up now are things I'd mentioned to her before but she didn't want to deal with it. During our chats I explained that part of the whole college experience is testing out different things to find out what you want to do, and not knowing exactly what your total focus should but is not unusual and it is certainly not to late to get on the right track. Since she registered at the final hour for Fall classes at Mott she got the bottom of the barrel choices and has really been dreading it. For winter she is going to take more art and creative based classes which hopefully will spark her enthusiasm again. But of course you're never going to love every class you're required to take. Serious topics of late include transferring to U of M Flint for next year, she had already been accepted but didn't pursue it fully originally since she kept a primary focus on Grand Valley. She's also mentioned cosmotology school but although I haven't completely condemed it I gently tried to tell her I didn't think it would be satisfying to her long term. Getting back into some music or writing classes will make a world of difference in her outlook as well as being involved in a dramatic production somewhere. If the class schedule works out she's talked about auditioning for 'Mousetrap' at the Pix, that would be cool.


Haven't taken many pictures of late but here's a blast from the past picture. This is me with the Farrah hair, oh yeah '80s baby, and my little brother, with a colleague of my dad's checking out some crazy aparatus in the electronics lab at Henry Ford Community College.

Finally I'll leave with a 3 Things Meme

3 things I love: the smell of lilacs, walking the dog, my kids/hubby

3 things I loathe: doing dishes, doing laundry, stupidity

3 places I'd like to visit: Europe, Australia, South America

3 places I wouldn't want to be: the Middle East, jail, hell

3 items I wish I had: an awesome laptop, blackberry, better stereo

3 accomplishments I strive for: inner peace, income that more than meets our needs, caring & responsible kids

Occasions to celebrate

Friday was my birthday, it was a good day, the boys gave me their homemade cards which are always a treat, I got some items for my van, a steering wheel cover and cup/stuff caddie. Dad and the boys even worked together to make a box for the caddie to sit on so it was up higher and easier to reach between the two front seats. I subbed in the upper elementary for a 5th grade teacher, it was crazy hat day. I had my Choice Time Choir practice and we are plugging away on our North Pole Rock & Roll Medley. I've been joking with my kids forever saying that I'm 29 whenever they ask how old I am. They're still a bit confused. This year I told Ben I was 39, and he exclaims "aha! then you're going to be 40!" "No, no you heard me wrong I said 35." Disbelief continues. Below is Benny and I with the cake he baked and did most of the decorating on, although the other kids had a little input as well. To keep the gag running they put 31 on my cake although I'll never tell the true number!


Friday evening I attended a wedding for a young adult couple from our church. They've known each other for several years and kept God in high esteem during their courtship, they even had to "break up" for a time while he attended The Honor Academy where your focus is purely on God and mission work and you're not allowed to be involved in any other relationships. As soon as he was released from his program there he asked her to marry him. It was so cute; when the pastor asked if anyone objected to this marriage all the groomsmen pulled out tiny sword daggers and pointed them at the crowd to keep 'em quiet. Of course we all bust out laughing. They had the best ceremonial walk-out I've seen to date, instead of the traditional music they used "Everybody Dance Now" and boogied down the aisle as did their wedding party of eight couples! The reception was a blast as well with much dancing and comraderie. I haven't laughed so much or so hard in a long time. It was a wonderful night and I pray their union to be forever blessed.

Saturday morning I headed up to Caro with Fox and Ethan for a huge cross-country meet; the last of the season. We got lucky during the high school and junior high race as the sky remained blue and the air clear. However the elementary runners were not so fortunate, just moments after the gun went off it began to rain but they all kept on like little troopers.

Coach Jason, with, what's that a smile? and his hard working junior team. Coach's son was there later to run the elementary race with Ethan also. Fox ended the season with his best 2 mile time ever a 12:42 and Ethan did great for his second ever 2 mile run. He set a goal to finish as close to 18 minutes as he could and killed that goal with an official finish of 15:35!

Here comes Ethan around the final soggy turn and heading into the home stretch. Although Ethan didn't offically medal in the race, Coach was very proud of all the kids and gave each a medal for a great effort. Fox although having his personal best time was just outside the top 20 for this race. Like I said it's a big one and these guys (and girls) can run!
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One proud runner!

Sunday I attended church by myself as the kids stayed to clean house with dad and make a cake to have later when the rest of the Partons came over for a family portrait session with a professional photographer friend of mine who lives convieniently "around the corner." It was another good message and I am so grateful to have such a fabulous church family. We're not perfect, we're all works in progress but since I first started going there nearly eight years ago I've really gotten to know them, love them, appreciate them, and count on them in ways I hadn't realized until recently. My heart is continuing to heal since loosing mother and all that transpired during the final ordeal. I'm not feeling so angry and truely wish that my aunts, brother, sister-in-law and the like would have true peace in their hearts, health in their bodies, and joy in their lives. I know my future is ahead of me and there really isn't much reason to keep looking back for we all know what that brought unto Lot's wife! She looked back and lost her future. Amen. I'm coming to a better place with my teenager as well. She's making an effort to step up and take care of business; I'm loosening the reins and trying to accept her for who she is and not for who I think she should be. She's a good person, a talented young lady and a beautiful spirit. We've had some good chats over that last few days and I'm hopeful for what she's got on the horizon.

The cousins Parton looking sharp for some family portraits

on a gorgeous fall day!

I'm confident the professional's shots

will be much more appealing than our snapshots!

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Sunday evening I went to the first meeting of the year for the North Branch Finish Line Swine with Benjamin. He's been buggin' me to raise a pig for several years. We've had many animals on the property including bunnies, chickens, sheep, mini-horses, pot-bellied pig, big horses, ducks, cats, and dogs but never a true swine! There is always a lot of business to cover at the first gathering, selecting officers (Ben is going to be a club photographer), discussing fundraisers, and explaining the educational forum for the year. For 2010/11 the club is going to work with The Heiffer Project and donate two pigs to the project, for the educational focus at each meeting a group of club members will give a presentation on the swine industry in a particular country such as how they're raised, used, which breeds, diseases that are a concern, income generated, specialty dishes, etc. Ben was a little overwhelmed with all the info but I'm excited. This is a long established club with good leaders and I'm looking forward to learning more myself. Over the weekend Rob and I will be volunteering at a local Haunted House for the club to earn money for its fund. Should be a screaming good time!

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Monday I had my first productive practice with the Middle School Singers and another fabulous go with the North Branch Elementary Chorus that have started working on their third selection for the holiday program. Rejoice!

Ongoing Tests

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost ten days since I've blogged no wonder I've been in withdrawls. Life has been a series of ongoing tests of intelligence, faith, grace, endurance, and general wherewithall. The boys have been heavy duty into MEAP testing the last couple weeks but say it hasn't been much of a problem for them at all. Rob has been facing some employment shifts but I'm thankful for it although we don't exactly know how everything will pan out just yet. Below is a picture of Ethan making his best rockin'-it-out face during practice time. He is being tested by muddling through the rigors of daily practice and the tedium of beginner lessons.

Benjamin has been enjoying soccer overall but finds some of the situations challenging to deal with and sometimes wants to drop it all. One thing I am determined to instill in my boys is following through on their commitments. When the going gets tough (or isn't what you thought it would be) the tough DON'T get going, they stick with it, and make it work, hopefully improving along the way. Oh, hum, and I guess I was just preaching to myself in that statement. Below is Ben taking a moment during his quarter out of play to visit with the fans.

The 40 days fast at our church ended Saturday and I did finish back on the 2Timothy trail however I've been doing alot of bible bouncing as I prepare lessons for Wednesday with the kids. I have been so impressed with the transitions God has been bringing on our family that I am continuing to fast. This week I've asked the boys to join with me as we believe for the right new job situation to make itself present, so all of us are foregoing watching television all week. It's made for some quiet mornings. I certainly can do with a little less SpongeBob! Below is a snap of some girls from the 4-5 year old class kicking up their heels to "Constellation Celebration."

Fox continues to test himself in the athletic arena coming in 25th at the Reese Invitational last weekend with a time of 13:40. This is a huge meet and the pressure was on, these guys are in great shape and push the competition to new heights. Medals were given out to the top 30 finishers. Tuesday he was at Swan Lake for regionals, he came in top 20 with his best time yet, 13:11 - Yowza! We've had some conversation recently about how to get more kids involved in cross-country, currently he is the only 8th grader running for his school and many kids on the high school team are seniors so he is concerned about what kind of team they'll have next year when he hits high school. I suggested he write an article for his school news and the district paper about his experience the last couple years and maybe it will inspire some people. He is of the impression that not many people really want to exert or challenge themselves. Sad, but in many cases true.

I have been spending much time in my office chair working to complete an editing project that has gone on far to long, the end is near but my butt is loosing its roundness from all this sitting; to compensate I've been getting out a couple times a week and walking with the dog. Jake comes with me when I take Ben to soccer practice and we boogie around Dryden, Sundays I usually get out and walk for a couple hours on the dirt roads by my house. The teenager thing is still a constant challenge to me and I'm praying to get past my unrelenting irritation over her choices and behavior. Somehow I have to find a way to show the love no matter what.

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I'll end with a Friday Fill-In since I haven't done one in forever!

Happy Autumn Days to everyone.

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1. My favorite month is October because all the colors are bright and it's my birthday!

2. Fall days are filled with a fresh breeze.

3. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and campfires.

4. Hot cinnamon rolls is what I like to have as a breakfast treat.

5. The hobby I enjoy most is painting on canvas with acrylics (when I get the chance).

6. Oh me, oh my.

7. As for the weekend, Friday night I'm looking forward to a wedding for two young adults from our church, Saturday I'll be taking Fox & Ethan to Caro for a cross country meet while Rob accompanies Ben to his soccer game, and Sunday is church, family portraits, and our first meeting with the North Branch Finish Line Swine 4H Club!

One More

... race. Saturday the whole family (minus girl child) went up to Cass City for the cross country meet. They held a K-8 run so Ethan and Ben both ran along with big brother. I was so proud of all of them for their gallant efforts. Benjamin kept pace with coach's son and made his 2 mile in 16:36 (unofficial time) which is fantastic for his first time ever running. Ethan after a very full week persevered and did not give up ending with a 19:26 (again unofficial), Fox however had all motors running and came through the shoot 9th place receiving his best time to date for a 2 mile, 14:11. Sah-weeeet!

Ben on the course.
Ethan coming into the finish.

... rocket!

Sunday we traveled en masse again up to North Branch so the boys could shoot off some rockets up at the baseball/soccer fields. This is something they like to do from time to time when we can spend some mad money on engines and the like. The newest rocket had three great launches, the old gray mare, which hypothetically wasn't going to go as high/far went just the opposite getting such gust it landed over the fence in the propane yard and busted. I'll have to put more rockets and materials on the Christmas list!

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... ride.

After the launch the little guys and I went for a walk with the dog around town and rousted some friends to come up to the park with us while Fox and Rob ran a few errands. Their buddy had a some scooters so they brought them out and had fun at the new skate park next to the playground. Ben was a little hesitant but E went for it and had a pretty good wipe out off the big hill, however it didn't slow him down for long.

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... rehearsal.

Yesterday I had an "informational meeting" for the Middle School Singers after school. Six kids showed up but two more were on the list as well but went to cheer practice instead this week. The announcement was made rather late last week so I'm hoping we'll have a few more add in. We did a little singing but mostly talked about possible song selections for the two programs. This will be my most challenging bunch fo shizzle, they are very 'energetic' bunch and it will take a heaping portion of grace to keep them focused. From there I headed over to the elementary for my first time together with an amazing group of nearly 40 kids! Hallelujah! Some students forgot to get a note to stay after but I still had their permission slips and I know a few classes got the notice late so more will probably come. I'm giving both these groups open add-in until the end of the month to accommodate sports commitments. But all in all we're off to a great start, we warmed up with the 'Joy' song that many knew from last year, introduced 'Sing Together' but the round attempt was a train wreck as anticipated (we'll get there) and we learned our first song for the Christmas program, "Look Up!".

Out in the Woods

This week Ethan participated in the three day Ecology Camp that all 4th graders at North Branch Elementary get to participate in at Camp Lael coordinated by Pete McCreedy. The first day's lessons were the same ones I caught with Ben last year but still loads of fun and very informative. Our first lab class was about Native American culture and took place in a huge teepee, amazingly 30 of us fit in there comfortably and with a fire going it was nice and cozy. He talked about the lifestyle, habits, houses, farming, tools, and more.

Below is a picture of a hoe made from a stick and a buffalo shoulder blade and Ethan wrapped in a buffalo hide with his antler rake ready to do some serious farming for the tribe. During the next class we went for a hike and learned about plants that you can eat, some tasted good, some disgusting, and we also tried acorn pancakes (thank goodness for fresh maple syrup made at Chatfield School's Willow Preserve). Lunch was spaghetti severed family style and our last class of the day was about beavers and animal adaptations.













Day two we started out with a canoe ride on Skinner Lake and had a gorgeous day for it. Ethan ventured out with his own boating buddies. I got to take out a young lady from Ethan's class who was very scared about the experience. After assuring her I knew what I was doing in a canoe and would stay close to the edge, I said a little prayer with her and we headed out. She was the passenger, I was in back steering and another young man was my front man. We glided out along the side, around the lake and over to investigate the beaver dam from the water side. She relaxed and enjoyed the ride eventually asking if we could go faster across the lake. "Oh, so now you're a daredevil?" I joked with her. She didn't even want to go back in to shore when our time was up and commented, "I have to tell my mom about this place so we can come back and do this again."


Our second lab class of the day was a great presentation about copper. Did you know Michigan has the purest source of copper found anywhere in the world? Mr. McCreedy also talked about native burial grounds and how unrighteous it is for people to dig up sacred land without any remorse or restitution to the Indians. He told about some finds in the burial grounds one of which was a skull that still had hair on it and was adorned with copper pipe beads. After the lecture the kids got busy banging out copper wiring to make it flat. The anvils they used were made from old railroad track off the Saginaw line.

Once the entire piece was flat enough, they clipped it into three fairly equal pieces, then it was put in the smelter, doused in water, and twisted into a tubular shaped.

Lastly a piece of cord was added and voila, a modern version of the Native American pipe bead, made into a bracelet.

After a great explanation about the importance of wetlands and their intricate function in our ecosystem the kids all got their own net for some pond dipping. Many tiny creatures were discovered as well as several frogs. However our identification time was cut short because we had to high-tail it back to catch the bus.

All this camp stuff makes for one tired boy!

I wasn't able to go the last day because I had the first meeting of Choice Time Choir in the upper elementary. Twenty students signed up and they are a fine bunch, several of the girls from last year returned and I have one brave boy included. First we did a quick warm up, then a "Sing Together" round, and I introduced a piece from the Star of Wonder musical called "Look Up" which they picked up very quickly. Ethan's last day at camp was filled with fun, including the Herd Game, the Bean Game, Square Dancing and making ice cream! He also had his first guitar lesson yesterday with Mr. T so it has been a very full week for my blessed and victorious 9-year old.

Wednesday night was the Kick-Off party for the Star of Wonder program at church. After opening prayer and reading of Psalm 1 & 92 I read them a story from when I was a little girl called "The Shiniest Star." It's about three little angels who shine the stars and the littlest one thinks her star isn't bright enough or good enough but hers is the one that leads the Kings to baby Jesus. It's a precious tale and I explained to the kids that everything we do matters no matter how small, even when we don't think it does. I wanted them to understand that everyone working on the program is important whether they have a speaking part, a song solo or sing with the group. During the story they were all quiet and listening intently and I hope that translates that they all 'got it'. Next I played the entire program CD for the kids and talked about what will happen during and between the songs; they were really digging the music and dancing along. Last we snacked and had some beverage while I answered some of their questions. Next week we'll dive into practicing. Glory!

Open Run

On a beautiful, crisp fall afternoon Brown City held their invitational run at the Brown City Park. Ethan decided it was his time to run and for the first time ever he participated in the K-6 mile and a half run. There were 147 boy runners, and 139 girl runners that ran separately thank heavens. Ethan did a fabulous job for his first time out coming through the shoot in 13:26 not far behind his running buddy from North Branch, the cross-country coach's son. He was pretty pumped up about it and is hot to run another race at Cass City this Saturday. The only glitch is he's feeling pretty sore on the upper front of his right thigh. Coach said to ice it, maybe massage in some muscle rub but still run over the next few days to prepare for Saturday.

Fox is keeping in the groove with his times out of 92 junior high boy runners he kept pace with the front of the pack on a very challenging course, with a huge hill several smaller inclines, straight aways and a few wooded sections which can get a little hairy sometimes with a large group running. Medals were given out to the top 20 runners, Fox finished the two miles in 14:46 coming through the shoot in 17th place! Way to go!

I've been to several rehearsals for the Lapeer County Community Chorus and I am loving it. Although my tongue is not exactly enjoying the Latin pieces yet but I'll get there. My favorite selection so far is "Children Go Where I Send Thee" A Gospel Spiritual arranged by Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory. I was fortunate enough to perform this exact arrangement with the Flint Festival Chorus years ago and jumped back into the part easily. I don't have a huge group for the Praise & Worship choir at church so far but I'm believing new people will continue to show up each week.

Looking forward to tomorrow, during the day I get to go to Camp Lael with Ethan's class and learn more about ecology then in the evening we have our Star of Wonder kick off party at church where I'll finally get to introduce the kids to the musical I've been listening to daily. Any public or home school kids in the area that would like to join us Wednesday nights from tomorrow until December 15th and participate in a fantastic Christmas musical please join us at 7pm. Click on the website link below for location information.

Well you may have guessed since I haven't mentioned it lately I did not make the 2Timothy challenge. I have however been making an attempt to study the Word more than I have lately and enjoy thoroughly being able to listen to weekly messages from my church pastor via internet while I work on my editing project. I've also re-listened to a missionary speaker we had visit recently from Tree of Life ministries in Honduras who spoke about the process of forgiveness. Very interesting, very timely. Needing something meaty to consider than visit the FCFC website and check out the audio feeds and downloads.

Oooooo October!

Finally got the sub ball rolling this week starting with a half day as an elementary art teacher. My first group was Ethan's class, we worked on the beginnings of a tree project. His buds thought I was so awesome I have been asked to chaperone two days at Camp Lael next week. Woot! Then I had Mrs. Coppo's third graders which are always a great group of kids, with them we started a leaf composition, you can see the sample I used and Ben embelished with sharpies. Next I had a first grade health class then a second grade group that also worked on the leaf project. Below is a snap of two friends from last year's after school chorus who have informed me they are looking forward to singing again. Soon, ladies very soon. Benjamin walked the trail over after school and hung out during my last group and was a fabulous helper at the end of the day from there the younger boys and I headed out to Marlette for the cross country meet. I could totally be an art teacher full time, it is so much fun to see kids create.

Wednesday after school was the Marlette meet and it was a fabulous day weather wise. This year they had the elementary open race separate from the junior high race which was fortunate since last year the kids were tripping over the little rugrats and a few of 'em bit the dust. Fox did the 1.5 miles in 11:32 and came through the shoot 11th. Medals were given to the top 12 finishers. He said he felt he was really pushing himself to keep in it this time but he looked good to me.

Friday I subbed in a 6th grade team at the Ruth Fox Elementary, since this weekend is homecoming everyone was dressed in their blue and white getting charged up for the big game. They even had a 'tailgate' party in the staff dining room for lunch which was cool; much better than your cafeteria fare.

At the end of the day we trucked down the street with the whole gang to see the Homecoming parade with the band in full uniform, last year's king and queen, this year's court, football and other teams, floats with an American cities theme including Honolulu (Seniors), Hollywood (Juniors), Nashville (Sophmores) & Detroit (Frosh). Unfortunately my camera was being kooky so I didn't get everything but you get the general idea.

Here is a video of the band coming through the halls playing the fight song.