May Madness

Yes, Madness is what these last few weeks have been.  Pure Madness!  My boat is loaded to the very top, oh, what's that....something else, sure...down, down goes the boat...careful...balance...the slightest misstep and the boat will capsize. 

Yep, that is kind of what I feel like.

I forget every year how busy and crazy the last three weeks of school are.  I feel like I should hire a housekeeper just so my dog will have someone to look at!  Seriously, we have been really busy.

So just what is going on at the Harbin household.....

We are in the middle of softball season.  Ciara has always loved softball until this year.  She is a really good player, but she is the "little" one in this league.  Playing with girls older than her has been a challenge.  Sometimes she doesn't get to play as much.  Plus, she started kid pitch this year.  One team has a girl who can really pitch fast balls.  You have to see her to believe her.  They beat us 19-4.  But my baby girl was one of those four!!! Yipee!!!    The first game we played against them she tried to hit and struck out.  The next time she got a little hit and made it to first.  She stole 2nd!!  She made a run.  The next game, she was wiser and she watched the ball.  The girl is fast, but not always accurate.  Ciara got 4 balls right off and walked to first.  Then someone hit the ball and she made a run.  Last Tuesday, May 10th it was 101.  I sat out and watched her play ball and thought I was going to throw up because it was so hot.  There are NO shade trees for the girls park.  (So unfair)  Anyway, Friday, May 13 she had a game.  I had a jacket on and was freezing.  How is that for Texas weather???

I am also the director for VBS at our church this year.  I am so thrilled that they trusted me with this job, but wow...I have no clue how many hot dogs to feed a hundred people.  Our theme is Beach Blast and it is a one day vbs on Saturday May 28th with a pool party the night before.  I am so excited about doing this.  I have decorated and planned and written schedules and letters and made lists and lists and lists..... and, AND... I have lost all the teacher manipulative materials and the video.  Yes, I will not blame it on anyone else.  I LOST IT!!  So if it isn't found, I will have to find the time to drive to Amarillo to replace it next week - the last week of school - yes, that is crazy.  VBS is 9-4 that day so if you have any kids in elementary school, bring them out or call me to come pick them up.  It will be so much fun!

They have also asked me to take over WMU in our church next year.  I am still praying about it.  I want to really bad, but I want to make sure that it is what God wants me to do.  I have a lot of ideas and totally support the idea of WMU and love WMU.  Founded in 1888, the main purpose of WMU is to educate and involve preschoolers, children, youth, and adults in the cause of Christian missions.  They have a website here that has more information.  Yes, it is a Southern Baptist thing.  But I have learned over the past ten years that I am a Southern Baptist.  Yes, I am.  My biggest problem with being VBS director or WMU director is that I don't feel like  a grown up yet and feel like I need someone to tell ME what to do.  Maybe it is time to grow up.....  (The strange thing is that I am involved with two WMU groups right now.  I am still involved in the group from my old church cause they voted me the historian last year so I would do a scrapbook.  I was planning on quitting at the end of that term, which is this month, cause I felt like they wouldn't want me to go anymore once my job was fulfilled.  But a friend told me they voted me in the same job for next year???????  I know they don't want me, they just want the scrapbook!  I really love those ladies so much and would love to be  a part of their group.  Should I?? or should I move on???  Life is so  confusing some times...)

School will be out soon....9 no 8 1/2 more days!  This has been a fast year, but I am glad to see it go.  I have been offered a new position next year and I am so excited to be making this change.  I will teach the younger special ed kids.  It will be quite a challenge, but I am ready for a change.  I have been doing this for 16 years.  You would not believe some of the stuff I have found in my cabinets while packing up!

Well, we have softball game and wmu tonight, church and end of year gymnastics party tomorrow, game thursday and play day at school, get out of school early for kids Friday and workday for teachers, and a crop that night, vbs workday saturday to decorate the church... which i need to spend some time there every day getting things ready for that.  Next week is card swap on Wednesday, a game on Thursday, last week of school, pack up my personal stuff and move into a new classroom!!!, swim party on Friday night, and vbs on Saturday.  whew!!!  I know I can do it, but it sure makes someone want to just lay in bed and pull the covers over their head for a few weeks!

The Boot is Back

I had other plans for today.  I had other plans for this month, this summer.....  Sometimes our plans are not our own.  A few weeks ago I began doing the WW Walkit challenge.  I started off really great and was so excited.  Then my foot started hurting so bad I couldn't even put my weight on it.  I went to see our local dr. who sent me to a foot dr.  Yesterday I got to visit with him.  He used a big long word for what is wrong but basically it is just sore.  I need to rest it so it can heal.  If I don't it could lead to a stress fracture.  SOOOOOOOO, I will do what the Dr. says.  I have to wear this:::::

for three to six weeks.

Since I had worn this:::

for two months two years ago when I partially detached my Achilles tendon, I am not exactly excited about the joys of the boot. ( This injury has nothing to do with the past injury.  It also has nothing to do with the fact that I am the proud owner of an extra bone in my foot!!!)

• they are heavy
• they are hot
• they look UGLY!!
• it is impossible to go down stairs without the fear of tumbling down
• they rub
• they press
• darn it, they down smush your leg bone where that stupid strap goes...

Oh, sorry, I am trying to be positive.

• My clean socks will last twice as long.
• I don't have to find but one shoe in the morning
• and the best positive thing......MY FOOT HAS NOT HURT SINCE THE LADY WRAPPED IT AND PUT THE BOOT ON!!!  YAHOO!!!!

So my dream of gardening and mowing my own yard might not come true this spring.  I won't get in shape for that walkit challenge.  I will have to ask my daughter to help me tape the foot up or get the boot on ( she is a pro!!), but hopefully soon it will all be well.

Even though I don't like this...I look around at other's burdens and this is one I will gladly bear.  (remind me of that)  This is easy-peasy to what others are going through. 

Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!

Whatcha been doin??

My cousin sent me an email that asked what I had been doing and there was just so much to tell.  Life seems to be extremely busy or kind of blah....  This was one of those busy weeks.  Monday was our last practice day for TAKS and C had softball practice that night.  Then right home, bath and bed early....ha ha haha hahahahahahhahahahahah.....  well, you get the idea... I tried.

Tuesday - up early, breakfast burritos, Math TAKS test.  Tension and stress so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Exhausting day.   Tuesday night - music practice, fun, fun, fun.  Wednesday - up early, biscuit and gravy for breakfast, Reading TAKS test.  More tension, more stress....Gymnastics recital right after school...who'se idea was that????  Church Wednesday night - lost vbs decorations, dead computer, not much accomplished...  Thursday up early to go to ISS, but what is that??? no iss for elementary kids during TAKS week, woohoo, so back at elementary school.  Thursday evening - card swap with friends..... Awesome cards, will post pics now that I have a camera.   And somewhere during those days made a scrapbook for a teacher who is retiring for her part on ..... Friday - windy day and two softball games canceled.  I guess I will just go home and chill tonight!  I think I've earned it!!

Easter 2011

 

We had a lovely Easter weekend.  We were out of school on Friday.  Thursday night C played her first softball game and they lost 15-16.  She hit an out at the very end and was so upset.  Friday night we went to our church for a video and communion service for Good Friday.  Saturday we went to Altus and saw Hop and Rio and shopped.  It was so relaxing.  Sunday we woke up really early to go to the sunrise service at 7 am.  Then we ate breakfast at church.  After church there was an egg hunt for the kids.  I am glad C is still young enough to want to hunt eggs.  

Here is one of the songs we sang Sunday morning that was so awesome.  Most people have only heard one verse, but there are five and they tell the easter story so well.  It is based on this bible verse:

Isaiah 52:7
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him
that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace;
that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation;
that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 

 How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him,
Who brings good news, good news;
Announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.
Our God Reigns!  Our God Reigns!

Chorus Our God reigns!   Our God reigns! Our God reigns!   Our God reigns! Our God reigns!   Our God reigns! Our God reigns!   Our God reigns!

He had no stately form, He had no majesty
That we should be drawn to Him.
He was despised and we took no account of Him.
Yet now He reigns, with the Most High. 


It was our sin and guilt that bruised and wounded Him.
It was our sin that brought Him down.
When we like sheep had gone astray our Shepherd came,
And on His shoulders He bore our shame.

Meek as a lamb, that's led out to the slaughterhouse,
Dumb as a sheep, before it's shearer;
His life ran down upon the ground like pouring rain,
That we might be born-again! 


Out from the tomb He came with grace and majesty;
He is alive, He is alive!
God loves us so, see here His hands, His feet, His side;
And yes, we know, He is alive!

Vortex

I am the proud owner of a new LG Vortex!!  At first, I wasn't sure I should go the smart phone route.  I wanted my phone to be a phone, not a computer, gps, and game system.  Even the first few days, I was determined not to get caught up in all that a smartphone can offer.  But I finally got sucked into the "Vortex" if you will of all the possibilities.  I can facebook, or check my email from anywhere.  I can go online and watch a movie while I wait for someone to bring my meal at a restaurant.  I can check the weather instantly.  I can keep a calendar with reminders of all the things I have to do.  It has an alarm clock to wake me up in the morning with a snooze button.  I can listen to downloaded songs or radio.  I can take pictures, edit them and upload or email them.  I can play a multitude of games by myself or with my friends.  I could twitter if I knew what that was and I can navigate to unknown destinations.  I can keep up with the breaking news or search for information on the internet.  I can download a book on my kindle and track my weight watchers points.  The hardest thing to do on this phone is ....call someone!!

I was unsure if I would keep it at first cause I didn't know how to use a lot of the applications and there was a setting that was wrong.  I took it to the verizon guy and he was able to fix it and it works great today.  I hope it keeps on working cause I really, really love having a smart phone!!

Negativity

I just want to know one thing...... I suffer from depression for several months out of the year and even in my darkest hour, I try so hard to stay positive.  My glass is always full, even if it is empty, and I know things are always going to get better.  Some people are so negative.  I just want to know....if you go around saying how bad things are and how they will never get better, do you feel any better???  If not, quit telling the rest of us who are trying to be positive.

12 Steep Steps

For the last two months I have been planning and getting ready for a scrapbook getaway at Palo Dura Canyon.  At times I have been so excited about it that I could have squealed with giddiness!!  However, it wasn't a great weekend.  Admittedly, I did 22 wonderful scrapbook pages, but the weekend just wasn't what I expected.  I was thinking about this on the way home.  Sometimes you plan things and are so excited about them and they aren't very good.  Other times you dread something for a long time and it turns out so much better than you expected.

The cabin we stayed in was so neat.  There was a privacy fence around it with 12 very, very steep steps going down to a cement patio area with picnic table.  The cabin was two very small rooms and a bathroom.  There was a small fridge and micro, but no cooking allowed.  Each room had a fireplace.  One room had a queen size bed and small dress and night stand.  The other room had a day bed and trundle.  Picture 5 women, 5 scrapbooking tables, 5 bunches of scrapbooking junk, 5 suitcases,...if one person got up, we all had to shift!   The fact that we were squeezed in like sardines wasn't the bad part.  We had a couple of windows with majestic views.  The cabin was built on a ledge at the edge of the canyon.  I can't wait to take Ciara to stay there sometime. 

Instead of focusing on the miserable weekend, I decided that I would try to find 12 steps back in my life that were so awesome I would want to live them again.

1. Scrapbooking with my cousin Shari, the week we left the kids in OKC with her husband and came to Childress to scrap in my shop.  We wore our pj's the whole time.  We watched a couple of seasons of Family Affair and started hating the theme song and made a dance to go with it.
2. Playing Nuts at the park with Mandy.
3. The first day driving to Disney World. (Actually I would relive the whole trip, but that first day still makes me smile!)
4. The first day I cooked fried potatoes in my new house.  C was playing happily in her play pen.  I was used to a stove that took forever to heat up.  So I put the oil in the skillet, turned on the stove and ran out to empty the trash.  I came back to flames on the stove.  They were easily put out, and my precious little daughter was still happily playing in her play pen.  That day could have been a disaster, but wasn't.
5. Any of the days when my uncle took us out to Lake Meredith water skiing.
6. The day Ciara hit a grand slam!!!
7. Any of the days I spent at GA camp.
8. The week my mom and I went to my aunt Sue's house while her husband went to boundary waters.  Mom sewed school clothes for me, my cousin and I scrapbooked.
9.   The day Ciara and I went to Caprock Canyon.
10. The day Ciara and I went to Sea World.
11. Many of the days I spent paddling around in the pool last summer.
12. The time I went camping with my friend Lou.

I was hard to limit it to 12.  There are so many days I would relive.  What about you?  What were you best days ever that you would want to do again?