ALL ABOUT LIFE BEYOND KINDERGARTEN! Kindergarten is the basic building block for all future learning. It is true that everything you need to know in life was really learned in Kindergarten. The trick is to remember what you learned when you were five or six. What you liked then will most likely be something you will like now. So be true to yourself and who you really are and who you will really be. Look back and you just may find your true self! Yes…this blog is about a variety of topics…because we are all a smorgasbord of thoughts and ideas.
It is true…we are going to be grandparents in December! Our daughter and son-in-law had the gender reveal at our farm last week…on the weekend that we had family friends enjoying time together. Although we found out about our grandchild on Easter Sunday, we had been waiting to let everyone know…that was a difficult task for me! When I have very important and exciting news, I want to share it immediately! I don’t know how, but I was finally successful with keeping a secret! A miracle!
And…the most wonderful miracle of all…our grandson! So happy!!!
Thank goodness we took our children to Yellowstone National Park when our daughter was about 10 and our son was about 15 years old. Honestly…they were old enough to like and understand the wonders of Yellowstone. Yet, they were still young enough to like and sort of understand us at the same time! Yellowstone was one of our most favorite family vacations for many reasons such as…
***The morning that we opened our cabin door at Yellowstone…and were greeted by a giant bison staring at us. He was perhaps four feet away. Look…all we wanted to do was go to the lodge for breakfast. Since he obviously did not understand “Excuse me!”, we just stared back. Our daughter sat on the floor in the middle of the cabin and refused to budge until the bison (that we called a buffalo) walked away. Our son wanted to go out and look more closely at him. Neither of the actions seemed particularly a good idea. After 20 minutes or so, he ambled off. That is why…ever since that morning…I have thought that we would open a cabin door in Colorado and be greeted by a bear.
***We sat on the benches in front of Old Faithful three separate times to watch the geyser erupt about 130 feet in the air. To watch the excitement on our children’s faces was worth the long drive to Wyoming!
***My husband and our son walked along the boardwalk trail to tour the Upper Geyser Basin. This area has the largest numbers of geysers to be found in the park. There are also several hot springs and now a recently developed mudpot. Our daughter had announced that she might not need to see another geyser that day and we had fun looking inside the Old Faithful Inn. Building was begun on the Inn in 1903 and even a ten year old was infatuated with the 65 foot ceiling and the huge log fireplace. And the gift shop was a cool place for us to visit without the guys!
***Driving alongside the Grand Tetons on the way to Jackson Hole, Wyoming! They seemed so majestic that they were almost frightening and yet…I probably have seen taller mountains…but none so very beautiful! And…Jackson Hole…fun!!!!!
I remember this particular vacation as if it were yesterday. Yes…it was a long drive, but we wanted to see the countryside beyond Colorado. We wanted our children to see another National Park…I wish that we could have visited even more. We never visited Glacier National Park and we never visited Yosemite National Park. Time is fleeting when you are raising a family.
As the beautiful song from Broadway’s “Fiddler on the Roof” says…
Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, Sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze.
Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, Sunset
Before your children are grown up, plan to take them to some of the most interesting and spectacular places imaginable. Save the money, save the time, save the memories! Their growing up time goes by so very quickly and suddenly they are college bound. Enjoy your time together! You may truly see your relationship with your children blossom! Seeing unique places happens to be one of the outstanding and worthwhile learning experiences that you can give your child. You won’t regret these special and sweet moments spent together enjoying the world!
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My favorite of the must-see places to take your children before they are grown:
1. Pacific Coast Highway Drive
Highway 1 is a curvy road that runs down beside California’s coast. The road winds past high cliffs with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. My most favorite parts…Monterey Bay and Big Sur State Park, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Malibu! And…of course… San Francisco and Los Angeles!
2. The Colorado Rockies
There are plenty of activities for summer and for winter vacations. Bike riding, horseback trail rides, four wheeling, jeep tours in the summer. Renting snow skis in the winter and signing up for classes for everyone. Learning to ride a snowmobile. Ice skating. So much to do!! My favorite towns: Ouray, Telluride, Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek. Colorado Rocky Mountain High will always be my favorite of all favorites for family fun!
3. The French Quarter, New Orleans
Everyday seems like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. You may think of New Orleans as a wild, party city. In all actuality, there are many family friendly things to do and a world of historical facts to learn. Places to see: Jackson Square, Cafe du Monde for delicious beignets, the Mississippi River, Audubon Aquarium, Audubon Butterfly Garden and beautiful St. Charles Avenue. You can ride the streetcar down St. Charles from downtown to the venerable Garden District, home of many historic mansions. Oh…how I love those wonderful houses! And don’t forget the Audubon Zoo…where I spent many fun hours with my nephews and our own children when they were little.
4. San Antonio, Texas River Walk
Your entire family can certainly enjoy walking along the sidewalks that wind beside the San Antonio River. The River Walk has turned downtown San Antonio into a mecca of vacation experiences. You can take a boat tour on the five miles of waterway and stop at nearby museums, restaurants, shops and historical locations along the way. The most famous place of history near the River Walk in San Antonio is the Alamo, a Spanish mission where an 1836 battle was fought in the Texas Revolution. And the Mexican food in San Antonio…the very best!! My favorite restaurant in San Antonio is the popular Mi Tierra Cafe yPanaderia!
Do we want the above scenario to occur? I think not.
Why do we seem to be losing the battle over anger and hate?
Have some people lost respect for their fellow man?
Have some people become so self absorbed that they are consumed by deep hateful thoughts?
Have some people forgotten about peaceful coexistence or did some people not care in the first place?
Have some people forgotten about faith…whatever their religion?
Have some people decided that their hatred is the only answer?
Actually, I think or rather I hope…that most people remember peace, love, serenity, working together, placing others above self, freedom and serenity. If we do not all recognize the severity and totality of the growing problem with volatile behavior…where can we feel safe and free and serene?
Beyond that…I am concerned about the future for the children.
Why should the children grow up with the total feeling of helplessness? We cannot let helplessness be our guide. It is not naive to think that goodness and fairness and thoughtfulness and hope are the missing factors. What can you do today to bring hope to your part of the world? What can you do to change the world that we have been given?
Besides…in our current world…where will the children be safe enough to play?
East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem…written by David Broza and Wyclif Jean; produced by my cousin, singer and songwriter Steve Earle.
So many places, so many faces. Spread some kindness today.
The Cobweborium Emporium for nominating me for the Liebster Award!! Cobs has a fun and enlightening blog… Besides…she is a master at all kinds of crafts! What a talented person!
The Rules of the Award are as follows:
* Acknowledge the blog that nominated you and display the award.
* Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
* Give 11 random facts about yourself.
* Nominate 11 blogs.
* Notify those blogs of the nomination.
* Give them 11 questions to answer.
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The questions that Cobs gave me to answer:
1. Is there one thing you’ve always wanted to do, but still haven’t done it?
I have always wanted to visit Austria! This obsession began when the exciting Winter Olympics were held in Innsbruck, Austria in 1976. I watched every moment that I possibly could. At that time, I had not tried to ski and I was so disappointed on my first winter trip to Colorado…my skiing talent was definitely lacking. I did have lots of enthusiasm!
2. What is your guilty pleasure?
I cannot pass up a Chocolate Eclair and I am not ashamed at all!
3. Who would be your dream dinner date?
My date would be my husband and we would go on a dinner catamaran cruise off of Wakiki Beach, Hawaii. I actually went on one of these dinner cruises when I was 22 and in Hawaii with two friends from college. We had just been out of college for about a year. The trip was before any of us were married. We had so, so much fun. However, we were the only three girls on the dinner cruise who were not on a honeymoon!
4. Do you have a favorite film?
My favorite film is “The Way We Were” with Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. I absolutely love this 1973 film and think that it is timeless. I have to say one more favorite! My other favorite film is “Beaches” with Bette Midler. The film came out in 1988 and I have no idea how many times that I have seen it! I truly know all of the lines in the movie…and I like to sing the title song “Wind Beneath My Wings” even though absolutely no one wants to hear me sing anything!
5. Do you have a favorite TV program?
My favorite TV program is “The Voice”! I like music competition shows and this one is particularly fun to watch!
6. If you were given a badge saying: ‘In Charge of the World, but only for 60 seconds’…what law would you pass or what change would you make in that 60 seconds?
The law that I would make would be a requirement that every future parent would be immediately required to take a parenting course. When I was teaching, so many of the parents were so very young and totally lacking of parenting skills. They often seemed like mere children themselves.
7. You found an Oriental looking, corked bottle on a beach. You uncork it and out pops a Genie. He/She grants you three wishes. Tell me your three wishes. (no wishing for another wish or two either!)
My three wishes:
***To eliminate food shortages in the world.
***To build schools in every location in the world where educational facilities for children are severely lacking.
***For the realization of the need for World Peace to become a common and continuous hope throughout the world.
8. What drew you into the blogging world?
I was about to retire after teaching for 18 years in Title I (low income) public schools. I absolutely loved my teaching career, but it was my second career. My original BA degree was in Journalism and Sociology. I worked at newspapers for seven years…first I was in Editorial and then in Retail Advertising. After our children were born, I began teaching at our church Day School and later I began teaching in public schools. I missed writing so very much and decided that a blog would be a fun activity for me!!!
9. Which do you prefer: writing and posting a blog post; or reading other people’s blog posts?
I absolutely cannot choose between the two! I enjoy the writing so much and yet…it has been a total joy to “meet” so many people from around the world through blogging!
10. You’re invited to a posh dinner this evening. What are you hoping will be served as you Starter?
I would like to have Guacamole Bruschetta. I can’t help the choice…I’m from Texas!
11. …and finally…What is the one thing, above any other, which you just cannot eat, not even if someone offered you a thousand pounds/dollars just to eat a small piece of?
I would not eat Escargot…never, ever! Well…maybe for one million dollars!
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Random facts about me:
* I took accordion lessons for nine years when I was a child! I still have my first accordion. I liked to play polkas!
* Just about everyone in my family can sing really well and I am the one who wants to sing the most and can sing NOTHING well at all! I even have a cousin who has won multiple Grammy awards! Just not fair!
* I have been working on my family tree for several years. I also am working on my husband’s family tree. It is exciting and confusing at the same time! I should have started with just one tree! But no…I had to make it as difficult as possible!
* My great-great grandfather emigrated to the United States from England in the mid 1880s. He was a very young man and eventually settled in Nashville, Tennessee. He grew up in Oldham, Lancashire, England.
* I started college when I was 16, almost 17. Therefore, my parents would not let me go to The University of Texas. I went to a smaller college that was closer to home. I really wanted to go to Vanderbilt in Nashville. My grandparents lived just a few blocks away from the campus, but I was afraid that I would be very homesick!
* I wrote earlier that I love Chocolate Eclairs! Also, I really like Cream Puffs and Petit Fours. Not healthy! I simply have to stay away from bakeries!
* My nephew is a member of the PGA and is such an excellent golfer, but he is not on the tour. I am crazy about golf and took courses in golf for my P.E. requirement in college. No talent there either!
* I am not a Dallas Cowboys fan and I live in Texas. This is pitiful, but I am a giant New Orleans Saints fan! My excuse about the Cowboys…I have a lot of relatives in New Orleans!
* Our daughter has written two children’s books. After the first one was published, it was for sale in Costco. I thought the book placement was not particularly as good as it could be, so I arranged the display a bit differently. I was just helping out Costco…right?
* When I was in college, I sold my Zoology book in October and the semester was not over until early December. I had an important date for the football game the following weekend. I needed a new outfit! My grade was not impressive in that class…to say the least.
* I really wanted to be an architect, but I had never heard of any girls studying architecture. I cannot believe that I thought that way. I certainly have the exact opposite opinion now! I still study house plans!
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My nominations for the Liebster Award…
1. The Chicken Grandma
2. bookinganita
3. CreativeSiba
4. sweetsundaytable
5. beaconsoflife
6. houstonphotojourney
7. peggyjoan42
8. settleinelpaso
9. kelleysdiy
10. nenabakingrecipes
11. crazyloveparent
12. shivamalekopmath
****Eleven nominations were just not enough for me, so I added one more. I almost added ten more!***
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My questions for my nominees…
1. Why are you a blogger?
2. What is your greatest accomplishment as an adult? Why?
3. What was your favorite subject in school? Why?
4. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
5. If you could travel anywhere in the world…where would you go? What made you make this choice?
6. Do you enjoy sports? Which ones?
7. Do you play any musical instruments? Which ones? Did you take lessons?
8. If given the opportunity, would you travel in space? Why or why not?
9. What is your favorite season? Describe what that season is like where you live.
10. What advice would you give to a teenager about achieving success in life? How do you define success?
11. What is your favorite meal?
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Thank you to The Cobweborium Emporium for nominating my blog for the Liebster Award!!!
Our family friends started gathering last Thursday at our farm. They were gathering for fun. They were gathering to be together for a few days. They were certainly gathering to celebrate. They were gathering because they simply wanted to work with the beauty of the outdoors surrounding them.
Click on picture for slideshow!
Our farm…the place where our family friends have spent many a happy hour. And we have spent many a happy hour laughing and enjoying life with them.
These are the same friends that we spend Thanksgiving with every year. My husband’s parents and our friends’ parents/grandparents were best friends for years. They began the Thanksgiving tradition that continues today…more than 60 years later. Our children grew up with all of their children. Grandchildren are growing up with each other.
A link to my November 29, 2016 post about our Thanksgiving celebration…
At the center of our friendship has been the anchor of our farm memories. It is one of our greatest joys to share the farm with our friends at any time of the year…at happy times, at difficult times, at the best times of our lives.
This past weekend was something that had been talked about for a while. Why couldn’t we gather together to work on farm projects? It was decided that the work would include clearing and tapering brush, taking down some fences, preparing for new fences, clearing some more trails thru the woods…or whatever else needed to be done! We had lunch together and went out to dinner…the children went swimming and fishing.
All of the different generations arrived from nearby towns, various states, large cities, small cities. Some traveled many miles. We laughed, we talked, we remembered, we planned…the weekend was absolutely wonderful.
Brush Bonfire!
FOR THIS…WE SAY THANK YOU TO OUR FRIENDS! LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!
For people who crave cookies from the middle of the night to the middle of the day, this cookbook is a “I gotta’ have a copy of this” type of book. No matter what type of cookie that you like…trust me…it is in this book.
Evidently I am a cookbook junkie…a nonstop collector. My mother was also a collector…so, I was just born this way! When I found this cookbook several years ago, I decided that buying one more could not hurt anything. Right?
What helped seal the deal on the cookbook purchase was the crispy chocolate chunk cookies. They are truly ultra-thin and brittle…the best that I have ever tasted! A decadent recipe…but remember…they are thin!!
7 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped into chunks, or 1 generously heaping cup chocolate chips or chunks
Directions:
Combine the flour and baking soda in a small bowl, mixing them thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oats granulated sugar and dark brown sugars, corn syrup, milk and salt. Whisk in the flour mixture. If the batter is still warm from the butter, let it cool to room temperature before adding the chocolate. Stir in the chocolate chunks. If possible, let the dough rest for at least several hours at room temperature or covered overnight in the fridge. (The resting time makes for an especially crisp and extra-flavored cookie. If you refrigerate the dough, you may need to warm it to room temperature before you’re able to portion it into cookies.)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven . (These cookies will not spread as they should in a convection oven, so make them only if you have a conventional oven.) Have ready three baking sheets.
Place three large sheets of aluminum foil, cut to fit your baking sheets, on the counter. Divide the dough into 15 equal blobs of about 2 tablespoons each. Arrange 5 blobs of dough well apart on each sheet of foil, situating 4 in a square and 1 in the center. Flatten each piece of dough until it is about 3 inches in diameter. Slide two of the sheets of foil onto baking sheets.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cookies are thin and very brown, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. If the finished cookies are too pale, they will not be crisp, although watch the cookies carefully as they turn brown quickly. Slide the cookies and foil onto wire racks to cool completely before removing the cookies from the foil. Repeat with the third batch—you can slide the last sheet of foil and cookie dough onto a hot baking sheet as long as you put the sheet in the oven immediately. Cool the cookies completely before stacking or storing. The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for at least 3 days.
Zalipie, Poland might possibly be epitome of the word “quaint”. Every building and the majority of items in the town are painted by hand in the quintessential folk art style of Polish artists. Flowers are really the chosen subject and the results are a very pretty showcase of Polish culture.
There is a long-standing legend that says the village residents noticed that soot and smoke smudges were taking over their cottages. The culprit was all of the village wood-burning stoves!
What to do? What to do? Paint over the smudges, of course!
The painters took a hint from the colors in their gardens and followed suit. They didn’t stop with the houses once the painting started. Everything imaginable is painted…water wells, dog houses, chicken coops, bridges, churches and kitchens! Flowers and more flowers are everywhere!
Let’s just go ahead and blame Barnes & Noble for my new travel obsessions. Honestly, I was innocently looking for a log cabin house plan magazine. I love log cabins. Are we going to build a log cabin? Highly doubtful. I just like to look at the outside pictures, the inside pictures and the house plans…just in case someone decides that he indeed likes them. Notice that I did not name any names. One problem with finding the magazine that I wanted…
I saw the National Geographic titled “100 Best Destinations…Around the World in Four Seasons”! I suddenly realized how much I might be missing around the world. I quickly forgot the log cabin. I mean…how can we afford a really cool log cabin when we have so many natty and wonderful places to visit?
So…I have studied the National Geographic for hours and determined the top ten places that I HAVE to see. I found it practically impossible to choose only ten, but it is very necessary for me to visit the following places…
1. Edinburgh, Scotland…to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest arts festival!
2. Alberta, Canada…for the Calgary Stampede, one of the biggest rodeos in the world!
3. French Polynesia…to Moorea…ah!!! the South Pacific!
4. Copenhagen, Denmark…to Tivoli Gardens…especially in November or December.
5. Vilnius, Lithuania…at Christmas…when the lights and the snow make the scenery resemble a snow globe.
6. Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand…to walk on the skyline trails!
7. Western Cape, South Africa…to visit Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.
8. Acadia National Park, Maine…to see Cadillac Mountain and join the Acadia Night Sky Festival.
9. Cornwall, England…to walk the Cornish Coast that winds past Celtic ruins and small villages.
10. Kassel, Germany…to see the place where the Brothers Grimm documented many folktales from the area…such as Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella and Snow White! Visitors can travel the Fairy Tale Route from Hanau to Bremen!
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***And…so many more fascinating places to visit! Another post may be extremely necessary!***
I will never forget when I first met Crystal before the school year started in 2002. She came to visit my school and meet me when we were on the first day of our teacher workdays. Over the loudspeaker in my classroom, the office clerk said…
“Mrs. Davis! Mrs. Davis! Are you there? You have a parent who wants to talk to you for one minute. I’m sending her to your room right now.”
Click, click…loudspeaker off. Oh no, I thought! My room was still in shambles with some furniture still stacked halfway to the ceiling. There were papers everywhere. There were manipulatives piled on the floor that truly needed sorting. I looked like a nutcase with my very disheveled hair pulled back, a too big shirt with another school’s name on it, jeans splattered with yellow paint and to top the look off…I was sporting my just about torn-up, most comfortable sandals. I was a sight to behold and my room was totally (if at all possible) worse…maybe that statement is backwards.
Besides…how in the world did this parent know that I would be her child’s teacher? The class lists were not even out yet. Not even the teachers had any earthly idea about who would be in their class.
However, Crystal had been able to find out. Crystal evidently knew everyone in the office and they surely understood that she was concerned about her baby boy starting Kindergarten. So…someone placed him quickly on my class list and told her the room number. Within a minute or two, there was a knock on my classroom door and in Crystal walked holding a bouquet of flowers.
“Hello Mrs. Davis! I’m Crystal and you have been chosen to teach my son! Don’t worry! You are bound to like him a lot because everyone likes him a lot! Let’s have a little talk!”
And so began my friendship with the dynamic Crystal. She was outgoing, confident, smart, funny, a bit loud, sometimes a bit quiet, pretty and dressed like she was going to church. Actually, I felt like I was really in church with every subsequent conversation. I found that her faith was at the core of her family’s life. She had grown up in Pasadena, California and she had moved to Texas after she was an adult. She simply wanted every possible opportunity for her children, their dad, her relatives. They were a close family…then and now. She stayed for a long while that afternoon and helped me with my classroom. I was thrilled! What a great parent! And…I had not even met her child yet.
On the first day of school, her son was the first to arrive. O’Shea…the sweetest and the most handsome child imaginable. He shook my hand and told me that he was glad to meet me. He found his name on a locker and put his backpack away. He was able to find his name on a table and then quietly sat down. Amazing! I remember thinking…”Wow! I can’t believe that this is a five year old!”
We had a wonderful year…a fun class who were eager to learn. Crystal continued to help every chance that she had…she was at school for every event, for every party, for every program. O’Shea turned out to be a born leader…just like his mother. He was already athletic beyond reason. The physical education teacher said that he was clearly the fastest runner that he had ever had in elementary school. I would have a difficult time getting O’Shea to line up from the playground. He would always tell me…
“Wait a minute, Mrs. Davis! I am having a race with myself! All that I had to do was to mention LUNCH and he would run over to the sidewalk immediately!”
After O’Shea graduated from Kindergarten, I would talk to his mom from time to time. The family moved to a new house and no longer were in our attendance zone. Oh goodness…it is so rewarding to keep up with a very special family. When Facebook came along, I was able to know more about what was going on in their lives. Crystal and O’Shea are one of the reasons that I like Facebook so much.
O’Shea was a star football player in a large Texas high school, made good grades and was given a “full ride” athletic scholarship to Colorado State University. Crystal asked me to write a letter of recommendation to the football coach about O’Shea. I was so honored!
Colorado State is very distant from Texas and his parents missed him so very much, but their pride in his achievement was enormous. They have attended many of the football games…no matter how far. Some parents are incredibly supportive of their children and perhaps should teach classes in parenting skills. I have always thought that Crystal should be a teacher or perhaps a psychologist. Indeed, she has been working on finishing a college degree. She talked about going on to graduate school.
I write “talked” in the past tense because Crystal lost her life last Sunday in a tragic motorcycle accident. She and O’Shea’s dad rode Harley motorcycles and had been in Houston for the weekend. They often rode to other cities to gather with fellow Harley owners, so she was very accustomed to riding on the highway. Unfortunately, her tire had a blowout and she lost control. Her motorcycle rolled over several times.
I was heartbroken to hear the news as were her countless numbers of friends. She touched so many lives and helped so many of her friends through difficult times. And yet…she knew how to fully celebrate life…how to find joy in a child’s smile…how to love with all of her heart.
To O’Shea…I want to tell you how much your mother loved you, how proud she was of you and how she would want you to try your very best in every obstacle that you face…for life is inevitably full of obstacles. She would want you to find your smile again…remember her beautiful smile? She smiled so freely and so sincerely and she smiled so often! Look for your smile, O’Shea…your smile is still with you…and so is your Momma!
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