Happy Holiday

Campbell and Pappa are big buddies -- He is always willing to walk the floor and explore

It all came and went so quickly we're living in the afterglow of a wonderful weekend-- We loved having Bethany and Mat here for an extended time and the fact they would trust us for an entire day with Campbell Hope while they went to OSU / OU Bedlam game with friends.  They needed the break and we loved having total care of our precious baby girl. --  I  learned a lot about Little Miss C.

She likes:
>being held and prefers you standing up and . . . .
      would like it to be in the garden room in front of the fountain  
              . . . . if her Pappa will take her there
>sticking out her tongue
>feeling new textures
>sleeping with her hands behind her head
>singing - both hers and your's

Campbell dislikes:
>being left out of the party and having to go to
        bed when everybody else is up
>long car rides
>Mommy and Daddy to be away from her
        for very long
>having to wait for her feedings

Thankful for this precious baby girl!

Her First Thanksgiving

Can't wait to get her here. 

 I think Campbell Hope is bringing some of that cold weather KS weather  to OK for the holiday

Helping Momma cook for the holidays. . .

Ready for all the holiday games momma
and daddy will be watching. Go Pokes ---

I Love This Job . . .#4

It's that time of the semester when I get to teach 75 students how to sew -- some of whom have never seen a sewing machine. There's the guy who works a lathe and doesn't need any help at all - those are my favorites, and the one who moans and groans loudly from his corner of the room that he's just sure he's gonna sew his finger or the lad who's never sewn but wants to make a kilt for the scottish games -- sheesh -- not to mention the girls who don't have a clue what they're doing. I have one guy who's decided my name is "Beautiful" and refers to me that way as I answer his call for help. I was just about to wrap up the day yesterday with my last class of 23 when one guy hands me four parts to the machine he somehow just dismantled!
Thank you, God, for the few who DO know -- and follow my suggestion of "each one teach one and if you just learned how to wind the bobbin or thread your machine - turn around and help your neighbor". Wouldn't all of life be better if we turned to help the guy next to us when life(or Mrs. B) just taught us a lesson?

Campbell Hope's Holiday --

Campbell and her mommy and Daddy went to Mexico and revisited the resort where Bethany and Mat married.Grammy and Grandad Good decided it was time for this young family to have a get away so the whole Good Clan packed up and headed for Mazatlan.  Now, I have to admit, it was kind of hard having them out of the reach of text msg.  The kids were great to e-mail and send a pic every day -- but nonetheless, they did seem much further away.  I'm including some of the favorite pics we received during the week. It's good to have them back stateside!

Okay, I know it's upside down, but she did learn to roll over on this trip!!

I Love This Job #3. . .

Today was Pastor and Pizza day with Youth Alive -- 95-100 kids showed up in my classroom, cleaned up on 20 large pizzas and heard an awesome message from Youth Pastor Jeremy Donovan of Destiny Life Church which just opened a satellite Church near school..  He shared with them an interview he'd heard with four 80-90 yr. olds who were asked what they would do over if they could live their lives again.
Two things they said rang loudly with me -- They said:   1.  They would take more risks,  2.  They would do something that would live on after they were gone from this earth.

Makes me wonder . . .
What risks am I willing to take to be involved in something that will last 5, 50 or 500 years after I'm gone or for eternity?

There were other words in Jeremy's message that spoke right to my heart in response to prayers I have prayed for several months.  Words that confirmed that God had heard my prayers.  I realized later that my Father, had tucked those into that message to the teens to give me reassurance and hope.

Thinking back, I could echo Jesus' words   --" Father I thank you that you heard me, you always hear me." John 11:41

And this all happened at work . . . I love this job!!!!

Happy Birthday, Babe

My Favorite Terry pics:

 

Happy 62nd! 

I Love This Job #2. . .

Oh I do love my job . . . especially the side-bar comments from a parent who was upset at her son's  "D" in my class"    A "D in Home Ec.???" quoting her upset husband, -- "that's like flunking lunch".  At which point I felt the need to defend my teaching, my subject matter and EVEN my profession!  I explained quite succinctly  that, yes you could flunk a life skill's class if you didn't do the work and yes, I do keep them engaged and yes, I expect them to turn in their assignments.!
"Flunk Lunch???"  So WHY do I spend hours getting a lesson planned and hours grading their papers only to have my subject compared to lunch. . . If that's the regard they have for my class at their house . . . might be the reason their student isn't more engaged!.
I could have set her straight  to tell her that we were no longer "Home Economics" but "Family and Consumer Science" which includes an overview of: financial management and investment, decision-making, career planning, job skill training, goal - setting,  personality assessment, value clarification, emotional and physical health, nutrition, child development, relationship development, housing, plus related lab courses in sewing skills and food preparation . .. WHEW!!!-- don't know that it would have done any good.  but it did get a lot off my chest right now!
Better sign off and get to that stack of papers . . . no maybe I'll take the night off and enjoy my hubbie's birthday  ;-)

Everywhere You Set Your Foot . . .

We walked the footings of the new property this morning, excited to share these first glimpses with the congregation.

This verse was in my quiet time this morning from Joshua 1:3  Wherever you set your foot you will be on land I have given you.

 

 

Praying for God's direction in preparing to cross over.

I Love This Job . . .

There's lots of reasons I get up at 5:15and drive the miles I do  to work every day.  I love my job!  One of those reasons I love my job is that I never know what I will hear from my kids that day!!!

Conversation yesterday . . .

Student:  "Mrs. Bell do you know a solvent for superglue?"
>Me: "You might try fingernail polish remover."
Student:  "Nah -- I need something that tastes good".
>Me: Noticing his two fang teeth. . . . "Are you telling me you superglued those teeth?"
Student:  "Yep"

A few minutes later on the phone . . .
>Me to my Dentist's receptionist:  "Could you ask the Dr. what sort of solvent might dissolve superglue?"  . . .No, it's not for me . . .  Who's calling?  Jan Bell -- but I'm not the one who glued the fangs to my incisors. . . . oh, they won't just wear off? . . . he's going to have them ground off?"  Hmmmmmm

Some days are full of surprises!