General Women's Conference

This is the first time the Church has combined the annual Relief Society broadcast and the Young Women's meeting plus added in Primary girls age eight and up. While I am disappointed in some ways as the Relief Society broadcast is my FAVORITE meeting of all, by the same token, I see positives coming from this, especially with the addition of the girls.

Lucky me, I am at Jessica's home for Cambria's blessing. Laurie, Andrew's mom, is also here. Craig, Andrew, and Tom (Andrew's father) have gone to Buffalo Wild Wings for wings and to watch a March Madness NCAA game while we watch.

Below are the notes I took while watching the broadcast.

Bonnie Oscarson, Young Women President conducting.
The YW has a new international worldwide board - five sisters from New York, Brasil, Japan, and other countries. What a wonderful idea!

The choir consists of women from age eight to eighty. It is wonderful to see all of them singing together. And just as the women tend to "blend in and become one" in the temple, it seems to me that a similar thing has happened here - they are so unified that they appear as one, not as individual women and girls.

Rosemary M. Wixom,  Primary General President
We are all daughters of our Heavenly Father,  covenant-making women, walking through mortality to join Him again. Sr. Wixom hummed three notes of a hymn, inviting the Primary girls in the audience to begin singing when they recognized the song. They were singing at the third note! The song was Teach Me to Walk in the Light. The rest of the girls and women joined in on the second verse. (This was soooo beautiful; Jessie, Laurie, and I are teary!)

Bonnie Oscarson, Young Women General President
We cannot call ourselves Christians when we continue to judge each other. Mary and her cousin Elizabeth shared a common bond despite their age differences. A wonderful role model of women nurturing each other. There is no age barrier when it come to service. "Oh, how we need each other!" Sr. Marjorie Hinckley.

Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President
Parable of the rich man (who could not give up his riches.) The word "perfect" in this story is translated from a Greek word that means "complete." Our journey through life helps us become complete. (Don't beat yourself up about becoming perfect - think complete!) We are disciples of Jesus Christ.

President Henry B. Eyring
Get the gospel down deep in your heart. The path we must take on our journey back to our Heavenly Father is marked by the covenants that we make. Bear one another's burdens, comfort and mourn with those that need it. Trials, tests, and opportunities are chosen just for us as part of the plan. It is our choice to make those covenants. We are blessed to be surrounded by others who are also making this journey. He is pleased every time we try to choose the right. (I love that Elder Eyring used the word "try.") He expects us to treat every person we meet as a child of God and to forgive them. Each person we meet is His loved, spiritual child. "I have a sure witness that God watches over each of you." Powerful statement!

Cambria's Blessing Gown

I was thrilled when Jessica asked me if I would make Cambria's blessing dress. She had a pattern in mind and some ideas of what she wanted, so with the help of my iPhone's Facetime application, I went to JoAnn's and got just what Jessica wanted.

It started like this:

A blessing dress Jessica had seen on Pinterest and fallen in love with. This one is made from dotted swiss, a fabric Jessica wanted, but I could not find any locally.

She selected a vintage pattern, asking that I make the slip and the short sleeved dress without the embroidery. I misunderstood her and actually had cut out long sleeves; fortunately I discovered my mistake before it was too late!

(Ashley made the same vintage pattern for Whitney's blessing dress!)

The pattern package was STUFFED with different pattern pieces and sizes. It took a while to sort it all out and find the right ones for Cambria's dress.

 The slip pieces all cut out and ready to be stitched.

 The slip (minus the double bands of ribbon I added later to make it a little more special.)

Sewing anything, big or small, means you need room to spread out. I even used the shelves of my collection to hold some of the ribbon and notions I needed.

All the machine sewing is done on the dress. Now the hand sewn button loops, ribbons on the sleeves, and button decorations need to be added. I love the tucks down the front and back of the bodice!

Narrow ribbon embellishments, one in a solid white, the other with a sheer center. I liked the sheer best, but thought maybe a wider ribbon might look better, so it was back to JoAnn's!

It does! And Jessica asked that I add two buttons to the front of the dress - a detail that I think makes it even prettier. I used a partially sheer ribbon and will trim the bows' ribbon endings after Jessica sees the dress in person and lets me know just how long she'd like them to be.

 The back detail of the dress - again it has the tucking and two pearl button and loop closures.

Coming soon - a picture of Cambria in her blessing gown!

A "Hillbilly" of a Student

I got this email today from Madeline Roberts, one of my three-year students.  I have always loved Madeline's sense of humor and she is full on in this email for sure!

(When you read this here email, read with an' Ozark twang....)
  Heeeyy, you'll never guess what I've been up to.  So, I got cast in this play, called Beverly Hillbillies. Y'all should come, Matthew n' I be in it. I'm Cousin Pearl n' Mrs. Stokley-Symthe an' Matthew is gonna b' Mr. Turner n' Mr. Oglethorpe.
  Beverly Hillbillies is at Civic Theatre an' runs April 11-13. If yore goin't go you should buy tickets now cuz there sellin' em lickty split . :)

Matthew and I would shore appriciate it if you came!
Thanks,
Madeline Roberts

Gonna git myself on down and get me a ticket or two!

A Rejuvenating Trip to the Temple

A couple of weeks ago, I asked Lisa C., Loni, and Bryn if they wanted to go to the Chicago temple with me during my spring break. The answer was a resounding YES. So, yesterday we all hopped into Lisa's car and were off!

We had to go up 52 because a fatal accident had closed northbound 65, and that meant that we arrived at the temple too late for our session. But that was okay - we stopped at Wendy's and grabbed a snack to tide us over and then headed back to the temple for the next one.

What can I say about the temple? Even in a place like Chicago, it was an oasis of peace. Rejuvenating. Relaxing. A chance to connect with the Lord in His holiest spot on earth.

It was simply wonderful.

And to go with good friends? Even better.

Bryn, Lisa, me, Loni. (Dress code appears to be black skirts! We had a laugh about that.)

 Loni snapped what I thought was to be a practice selfie, but it turned out to be our favorite photo.

We left the temple around 3:30 and still hadn't had lunch. Feeling it best to get away from Chicago before rush hour, we drove about 45 minutes to Merrillville where we stopped at an Outback.

Bryn invited us to share the Ahi-tuna appetizer. I have to admit, it was pretty tasty, and I am not a fish lover.

Not only was the temple a wonderful experience, but the chance to catch up with good friends was terrific, to. We chatted all the way to Chicago and back and all through dinner.

I got home at 7:30 to find Lisa had done some spring cleaning - she'd cleaned the fridge, wiped down the baseboards, mopped floors, and vacuumed. What a lovely surprise to top off an already super day!!

Julie's Blessing!

Cole blessed Julie on Sunday, March 23.

 The happy family.

Emily's sister, Cathy, and her boyfriend, Adam, also were in attendance. Craig was there, but I was home with the flu.

 Cathy crocheted Julie's beautiful dress. What a treasure!!

I love this picture of Cole and Julie - the joy on his face as he looks at his daughter!!

Like most good dads, Cole is handy with all aspects of baby care. Here he is changing Julie with his "one-leg-lift" method.

And, of course, Julie has a good stash of Illini casual wear.

I wish I could have been there, but I spoke by phone with Cole later in the afternoon and got to hear about it from him personally, so that was almost as good as the real deal.

Changing Perspectives Via Classic Literature

Yesterday, EP was presenting his fourth classic paper and project. That's the biggie in my class - the culmination of two years of reading classics. By this time, the children write and reflect very well, and essentially the presentation is a celebration of the student, the book, and good literature. (Often the papers are ten plus pages long!)

EP chose one of the more difficult books to read and present about: Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. With several hundred stories included, many of which are obscure and seemingly pointless by today's standards, it is challenging to pull together a paper that covers such a broad group of stories. (Aesops Fables and A Child's Garden of Verses present the same problems.)

EP chose to highlight several of the stories in the book, stories with which he had a personal connection. He then connected these to other classics he'd read during the past two years and simply NAILED the assignment as he reflected on themes, messages, and other insights. (I love it when that happens!)

Afterward, the classmates are given the opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback. I always participate in this part, and I asked him why he thought that this book, which contained stories still well known as well as ones that would be forgotten otherwise, was still valued by our culture and being read.

EP's response caught me a bit off guard.

"I think it's because it gets people to think differently about the world, sort of like our spider cup."

Like our spider cup? The plastic cup I keep near the sink (along with a giant fake black spider) for the kids to capture spiders and other insects and then dump them out the window? How does the spider cup change our perspective?

And so I asked EP that very question.

He seemed surprised that I would ask. "Well, it's like how our perspectives changed after reading Charlotte's Web. Those of us who have read it look at spiders differently now. We put them in the cup and take them outside instead of squishing them."

He's right. That is why I have the spider cup. I am trying to teach children that all life, great and small, has value, and that there is no reason to kill something just because it wandered into our classroom. (I do make exceptions for flies, mosquitos, fleas, lice, and more recently, fire ants.)

And, if a classic book like Charlotte's Web put a face to those spiders and other insects, causing children to change their actions, then that, in my opinion, is a very good thing.

The fact that EP could then extend that concept to other books and their ways of changing us and our perceptions, makes me happy as a teacher.

Meet Me at Arni's

(As their slogan goes...)

Yesterday Jenny came up from Indianapolis to take our mother to a doctor's appointment. Afterward, Mom took the family out to dinner at Arni's. Most of us who live locally were able to make it.

Left to right: Steve, Cindie, Granny Slash, Lisa, Vanessa, Curt, Rick, Eric, Jenny, Craig.

It was the first time Mom has really been able to get out since Christmas - just too much snow and ice for her to feel comfortable leaving home.

Indianapolis Temple - an Update

And the construction continues!

 I cannot wait until MY temple is completed.

That drive through Chicago to get to the one in Glenview is a bear, so to have a temple only 67 miles from my home and on the north side of Indianapolis (no heavy traffic to get through!) is a real blessing.

If all goes as planned, the Indianapolis temple will open in 2015.

Celebrating No Celebrex!

If you are in arthritic pain, Celebrex is a prescription medication that works wonders. For me, it has kept me mobile as my hip and knee joints deteriorated to the point to where they needed to be replaced. I do not know how I could have managed without the relief that Celebrex provided.

There is a downside to the drug, however.

Celebrex has some nasty side effects. Increased chance of heart attack. It is very hard on your digestive system and causes issues with that. (Case in point - I have an ulcer, have been on acid-reducing meds for several years, and have bouts with diverticulitis.)

I have been on 200 mg of Celebrex twice a day for over a decade. That's a long time to take a drug, especially one as powerful as this is, on a daily basis. And as time has worn on, I have become more and more concerned about the side effects it was having on my body.

I've spoken with my doctors in Illinois and here in Indiana about going off Celebrex. Both doctors felt the pain relief and quality of life I received as a result of the drug outweighed the other issues. But I continued to feel more and more as though I needed to stop taking it. (It is also very expensive - over $100 per month with good insurance. How those without insurance afford it is beyond me.)

It was when I went on the Grammy Tour Part Two in early March that I had my chance to see what I would feel like if I stopped taking Celebrex. My prescription had run out, and the doctor's renewal did not get to the pharmacy before we left on our trip. I had no choice but to leave town without my medicine.

I packed a bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol (another side effect is interactions with other pain relievers; Tylenol is all I can take), crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best.

To my surprise, I did not notice a difference.Yes, I had joint pain, something I always have, but the pain did not noticeably increase. (Prior to having my hip and knees replaced, if I skipped a day or two of Celebrex, I was in pain.)

A week went by, and I did not feel in need of my pills.

Two weeks have now passed, and I am doing okay.

My plan is to see what happens. I am delighted to be doing as well as I am, and although I have taken Tylenol several times for some joint and back pain, I am not feeling anxious and desperate to get out the  Celebrex to alleviate the pain.

I am celebrating being Celebrex free!

Good Parents Begin Early

Good parents begin early. Just sayin'.

Obviously, Julie's parents are doing their job!

(Photo by Emily.)

The Grammy Tour Part Two - A Whooping Crane Sighting!

While we were driving in Georgia last weekend, a HUGE white bird flew low over the freeway, close enough to worry about hitting it. That also meant that we got a really good look at it. It was all white with black edging on the wings.

My first thought was "whooping crane!!" but that was unlikely as there are so few around. (About 600 birds in the United States.) I googled snowy egret, snow goose, and some other birds, but they did not look like what we'd just seen. (Gotta love technology and the ability to do that while on the road.)

Finally, I googled whooping crane, and to my astonishment, there was a picture of what we had just seen fly in front of us.

I am still in awe, and very, very grateful, that I got to see such a rare and unusual bird. 

(We were also under the sandhill crane flyway at times and saw flocks of them in the fields along the road as well as in the air. Such a sight!)

Craig and The Grammy Tour - Part Two

It was during our quick trip to Florida that Craig got to meet Julie for the first time. We left West Lafayette Friday around 4:30, stopping in Murfreesboro for the night, and having dinner with Cole, Emily, and Julie.

Puckering up for a kiss!

TM, the very generous student who made an anniversary card for us (blogged here) and gave me two model horses from her own collection (found here) had made a card for Cole.

There were some sequins affixed around the word "baby" but they didn't stay on.

The last line she wrote, although it is playfully said, saddened me just a bit. Does she really wonder if something is wrong with her? I have suspected that TM may be dyslexic;  seems as though she may be concerned about it. Surely something to keep an eye on at school.

We left early the next morning with no more photo opportunities, but we'll get to see sweet little Julie again on March 23 when we head down to Tennessee for her blessing.

That's a New One!

I've been teaching school for sixteen years now, so I've pretty much "heard it all" from kids - those excuses and reasons they offer for extra trips to go to the bathroom, to excuse missing homework, etc. (Once I did have a dog who really did "eat" a student's homework!)

A common ploy kids use is a request to use the bathroom. My current class doesn't abuse this privilege and generally I will let them go whenever they ask, even if we just used the restroom recently.

Still, when AM asked me this morning if he could go not even an hour after we'd just been, I hesitated, thinking about what the class was doing and trying to determine if this was a good time for him to leave.

He must've thought I was questioning his need to go, for he confided, "My leg is on crooked."

Wait...what??

But then I remembered that AM has an artificial leg. He manages so well, with barely a limp, that none of us give his leg a second thought.

How it became crooked during class is a mystery to me, but I let him trot off down the hall so he could get things back in order.

I am still smiling. "My leg is on crooked" is probably the most unique reason to use the bathroom I have ever been given by a kiddo!

Fire Ants Update

I am still surprised (and grateful) that my fire ant bites are not causing me more trouble than they are. Kyle has scars all over his feet and ankles from when he stepped on a nest last year, and I fully expected that.

I have some hard brown "dots" and some skin peeling, but still no blisters or heavy swelling.

 No pain or itching whatsoever, either.

Judging from what I've seen on Kyle's feet and ankles, and what I've read about fire ants, I think I am very, very fortunate to have gotten off so easily.

The Grammy Tour - Part 2

And the Grammy Tour continues!

Craig and I made a FLYING trip to Florida this weekend so we could attend Whitney's blessing. It was a whirlwind, and we spent more time driving than we did with family, but it was worth it.

There were challenges - I had a bout of diverticulitis Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The worst part was the sweats and chills, but the good news was that I wasn't contagious and did not have to worry about exposing anyone to my germs.

We arrived around 8:00 Saturday evening. I was too ill to visit so I said a quick "hi" to Kyle and then went to the hotel and to bed. 

Sunday I was still ill, but the fever had broken and I had no more sweats or chills. The blessing went well, even though it was a meeting of two wards that were being split into three. The building was packed!

 Whitney and me. Isn't she sweet? And she looks so much like Braden!

 Craig's turn!

 My former baby and me.

This is Corinne's idea of a smile - when you pull out a camera, she does this! Love her beautiful curls.

 The men who stood in the circle with Kyle and participated in the blessing.

Braden, Addie, Corinne, and Bennie and Ezra Queen sat at the kids' table (which Kyle made!) and play hand games before lunch. 

Craig and I left Kyle and Ashley's home around 3:30. Our car was parked by a vacant lot, and unfortunately, as I stepped off the street and into the grass, I stepped onto a fire ants' nest. I was very, very lucky - only six or seven bites on my foot and one between my fingers from brushing them off, but they burned and itched.

Kyle quickly made a paste of baking soda and water which I spread over the bites. It helped a lot, and I have been lucky to not have had the blistering and the pain bites from fire ants usually engender.

One more challenge was in front of us, though. A snowstorm hit Indiana late Sunday, and brought ice to Kentucky and Tennessee. Driving 65 was difficult - our speed was between 30-45 mph, and much of the freeway was down to one lane.

 Ice covered trees and highway in Tennessee.

Pine trees bent over from the weight of the ice.

The weather impeded our trip enough that it added a couple of hours to the drive, but we pulled in around 6:30 Monday evening. (Lisa had cooked a nice, hot dinner for us, too!)

Two more trips to be taken this month - March 23 to Nashville for Julie's blessing, and March 30 to Virginia for Cambria's.

And the Grammy Tour chugs on!