Day 5: Midnight

     This post is part of my 31 Day Series: Welcome to My Mess.  You can read the previous posts here.  Actually, you need to read Day 3: Embracing the Cinderella in Me and Day 4:  The Ball to understand the post below.  If you haven't read them, go ahead.  It is worth it.

Midnight:
     The Beauty Pageant competition was over.  We girls had done all that we could.  Now it was up to the judges.  TheJones Brothers and Jack whispered heatedly back and forth heads together.  They erased.  They called for more lemonade.  Then the big moment arrived.
     The elder of the Jones Brothers stood to proclaim the winners.  The fourth runner up was... Suzie.  Suzie gasped and began crying.  A little slow on the uptake, I thought Suzie had won, in my confusion I began to clap.  Suzie wailed the louder.  The Jones Brother continued...the third runner up was...Cathy.
     What a mess!  Cathy and Suzie began shouting at each other and at the judges.  That is how the Jones Brothers, Anne, and I learned about the basis for the whole pageant.  Jack jumped into the argument.  Jack shouted the girls down.  He revealed how he had reached his decision.  Jack  explained that while his sister's were mean to him all of the time, Anne had given him freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and lemonade, not to mention a comfortable lawn chair in the shade.  The Jones Brothers, not to be left out,  complained that they would not have agreed to be judges if they had known it was to see which sister was prettier than the other.  Their decision was also going to stand.  Suzie left sobbing. Cathy stood glaring at the rest of us.  She was not going anywhere.  Cathy would see it through.
     The judging continued.  The second runner up was... Anne.  The boys hadn't liked the violin, but they had given her extra points for the chocolate chip cookies and the lemonade.  Cathy complained that refreshments were not part of the competition and so awarding points for them, was just not fair.  The judges disagreed.  One of the Jones Brothers correctly pointed out that cookie baking is indeed a talent.

The Pageant Dress and my youngest brother.  Adorable wasn't he?

     That made me - the stunned winner of the pageant.  Apparently, the tap dancing had won the day.  The judges hadn't even noticed the old dress, the flip flops, or the crazy hair.  I was presented with the bouquet and the silk flower for my hair.  Cathy was outraged.  She shouted for a few minutes longer, then like her sister stormed off down the road.  The Jones Brothers left in disgust.  They were angry that they had been used and then hollered at.
     Jack sat on the shady patio with Anne and I.  Together we finished off the cookies and the lemonade.  Jack grumbled about having to put up with his sisters.  Anne and I sympathized with him, after all, he had to live with the diabolical duo.  We praised him for outwitting them.  Obviously, Jack had saved the day for Anne and I.  He was our hero.  Eventually, I gathered my flowers and like Cinderella after the Ball, walked home.
     Isn't it amazing how imaginative children can be when there are only five TV stations?
     Nearly everyone wants to be thought of as beautiful whatever age they might be.  The Bible says in Ecclesiates 3:11 that "God makes everything beautiful in His time."  In Isaiah 61, scripture reads that "God will give us beauty for ashes."
     In Bible times, it was the custom for people in times of great mourning or difficulty, to sit in the ashes of the fire, rather like Cinderella.  Consider that for a moment.  Life has so overwhelmed you that you just sit in a pile of ashes.  But the scripture says that God will take your difficult, depressing situation and give you beauty.  He will pick you up out of the messy ash pile of life and make something beautiful out of you.
     It is not always glamorous to be a woman.  There are crazy hair days and days when your shoes just don't fit.  You worry that you are not pretty enough, busy enough, or talented enough for the competition you are in.  Being a woman is hard work.  Being a mother, really complicates things. There are days when the perfume we wear smells more like eau de diaper pail than Heaven Scent.  But, being a woman of God allows Him to reveal the true beauty He has placed within each of us.
     So this month, as I talk about messes, I pray for you a true fairytale ending.  May you marry the Son of the King.  I looking forward to seeing you at the banquet.

Congratulations, Patty!

      Our daughter, Patty, won two awards today for Culinary Arts!  We are so proud of her!  Senior Prom and High School Graduation are just a month away!

You can read about Patty's dream about being a pastry chef and our trip to Carlo's Bakery here.

Welcome to Hogwarts!

    It's not every day a boy turns eleven.  Today was Connor's birthday.  My son has been a fan of Harry Potter since my husband paid him $5.00 to read the first book at the end of first grade.   He has been reading like crazy ever since.

    So it was no surprise when Connor, just like Harry before him, received an invitation to Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on his eleventh birthday.  Connor's invitation arrived by Owl Post in our mailbox on the Monday holiday when no post office mail was to be delivered.  The owl who delivered it left one of her very own feathers.

Source for Coat of Arms

            The invitation was signed by Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall herself!

    The supply list and the required Course Books for first year students was included.  

     There was also a list of miscellaneous equipment that every young wizarding student needs!

Source TrainTicket

     Connor had a train ticket for the Hogwarts Express.  He was cautioned to arrive at the Kings Cross Station inconspicuously.  He should arrive by port key linked to a local stop sign, muggle transportation,  or to hook up the living room fireplace to the floo network.

     Everything was placed in a scrapbook.  Other pages had quotes from the Harry Potter books by Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasely.  A listing of useful spells completed the scrapbook.

     It was fun to put this together for our favorite Harry Potter fan.  

Wherever You Are

     As a parent and elementary teacher, I get to enjoy children's books every day.  Wherever You Are is a warm and wonderful children's book by author/illustrator Nancy Tillman.  The simple message repeated on each of the beautifully illustrated pages is "You are loved."

     I wanted you more than you ever will know, so I sent love to follow wherever you go.  It’s high as you wish it.  It’s quick as an elf.  You’ll never outgrow it...it stretches itself! ~Wherever You Are,  Nancy Tillman

     Along with the captivating illustrations are short phrases that encourage children to grow, to try new things, to "march to the front" of their "own parade" and assures them that no matter where they go or what they do, that they are loved.

Make a big splash!  Go out on a limb!  My love will find you.  My love can swim!  `Wherever You Are, Nancy Tillman

     I shared Wherever You Are at a recent children's church service.  The text echoes a prayer found in the New Testament.  Paul writes to the Ephesians that they might know that they are loved.

For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  ~Ephesians 3

     How high and wide is God’s love? As high as the son of God who was lifted on a rugged cross and as wide as His two arms outstretched.  Wherever you are, wherever you go, His love will find you.  Passionately, recklessly, infinitely.  You are loved.

     Nancy Tillman does not know me and has not in any way endorsed this post.  I just love her book.

     What other children's books echo the sincere love of God our Father to us?

Compassion International: Hopes and Dreams

     As kids we dream about the things we would like to do when we grow up.  We know what we would like to be, where we would like to live, and what we will do for fun.  We imagine our future selves at work and play.  

     When I was a child I wanted to be like Miss Kitty on the TV show Gunsmoke.  But if I couldn't be Miss Kitty, then I was determined to be a teacher.  To that end, I marked every piece of paper that crossed in front of me with a red pen.

      When I was in third grade my teacher assigned our class the task of writing a poem about a place that we would like to vacation.  I knew immediately that I wanted to write about Florida.  I could practically smell the salt air, the fresh oranges, and feel the sand between my toes.  I labored over my poem for hours considering carefully what word could possibly rhyme with orange.  The first stanza of my poem went like this:

Florida is the land I would like to see
Where oranges grow upon a tree.
Where oceans make a lot of noise
And little children play with toys.
Yes, Florida is the land I would like to see.

     There were at least two more stanzas as poetic as that.  They have fortunately been lost in the mists of time.  My girl friend copied a poem about Hawaii out of an old Highlights magazine.  Her poem went up on the bulletin board with a big red A+.  Mine did not.  I was crushed.  But a few years later, my dream was fulfilled when my mother won a trip to Florida for the family.
 As parents we have hopes and dreams for our children.  We offer prayers for their futures.  That they will be kind, happy, smart, healthy, and eventually self supporting.

     For the month of September Compassion International has set a goal of getting sponsorship for 3,108 children who live in poverty.  Sponsoring a child costs as little as $38 a month.  When a child receives a sponsor he/she will receive the opportunity to hear about Jesus, education, food, health care, and more.  You will change this child's life.  You can write them letters and they will write back to you.  It is a beautiful way to live a ministry, and to participate in something bigger than yourself.
      Please take a minute to watch the video below where mothers share their hopes and dreams for their children.  Please prayerfully consider if you can sponsor a child through Compassion.

             If you decide to sponsor a child, or if you already do so, leave a comment with his/her name and country.
          We sponsor Jimi in Indonesia.

Peepsqueak!

     As a parent and a teacher in an elementary school I am fortunate to get to read books with children.  Sometimes I even decide to read them with adults.  I shared Peepsqueak by Leslie Ann Clark with our church family on Sunday morning, assigning parts to audience sections.  

Audience Parts:  Right:  up, Up, UP 

                           Left:  down, Down, DOWN  

                          Middle:  into the soft green grass  

                          Because WHY?  All: He was on the move!

                                              

     If you are reading this book as a family or as a class you may wish to assign parts as well. 

     As soon as little Peepsqueak popped out of his shell, he was on the move.  He was determined to fly way up high.  Peepsqueak persisted despite other barnyard animals discouraging remarks.  Eventually with the help of a friend, Peepsqueak succeeds. 

The big stone wall looked like the perfect place to take off.  Peepsqueak jumped up, up, up!  And then he fell down, down, down  into the soft green grass.  My oh my! bleated Big Sheep.  You can’t fly high!

But Peepsqueak did not listen.

Because why?  He was on the move!    From Peepsqueak

     Have you ever wondered like Peepsqueak what it would be like to fly?  Wouldn’t it be cool to soar above the earth, bank over a forest, skim over rivers, dance through the clouds or dart through canyons effortlessly?  

Unfortunately, for us like Peepsqueak we have to deal with gravity.  We climb up and we fall down.  We have things that weigh us down.  There are problems and tests, bullies and people who say that we can’t, sickness and worries, pain and loss.  

 "To whom will you compare me?  Of who is my equal?" says the Holy One.  Who created all these?  He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.  Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  Do you not know?  Have you not heard?   The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but hose who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles;   ~Isaiah 40:25-31

     God wants us to soar on wings like eagles, or like Peepsqueak on Old Gray Goose.  When we entrust our lives to Jesus everything is changed.  God is bigger than any problem that weighs us down.  He draws us upward in faith and grace.  We no longer face our problems alone.  We no longer fall down, down, down.  He is with us and that gives us the strength to continue.  We will soar on wings like an eagle when we find our hope in Christ.  And maybe we’ll walk on the waves of pond water to His outstretched hand.  Because why?  He is on the move!

     How will you soar today?

     Leslie Ann Clark, and for that matter, Amazon, do not know me at all.  I am not being paid to mention this adorable book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Graduation

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13

     Proud Mom Moment:  Last weekend our son Brian graduated from SUNY IT with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering Technology.  We are so proud of all that he has accomplished.  It is such an exciting season of life for him.

Caine's Arcade

This is an amazing video about a little boys imagination, the power of play, perseverance and how a chance encounter made his dream come true. One summer nine year old Caine Monroy built an elaborate cardboard arcade inside his Dad's auto parts store. Classrooms all over the country should view this video.

Caine's Arcade from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

Project 52: I Have a Dream

     Our daughter, Patty has a dream of becoming a pastry chef.  She is a junior in high school and currently taking the Culinary Arts Program at the local BOCES.   Patty enjoys baking cake and cookies.  The rest of us reap the benefits, and the calories, from her endeavors.   Patty baked peanut butter cookies for her brother to take with him in the car as he heads back to college.  Isn't she sweet?    
     Patty and I went to see the master baker and cake decorator, Buddy Valestro of the show Cake Boss, when he was on tour near us.  We had a wonderful time.  Buddy shared of his love for family and baking.  He called people of all ages out of the audience to decorate cupcakes.  In good fun, Buddy asked the children if their moms were as good as him.   All of them said, "No!"  Patty and I laughed, completely delighted at the attempts, some good, some not so good, at cupcake decoration.  
     Patty and I had so much fun at the Cake Boss Show that we took a ride to Hoboken, New Jersey to visit Carlo's Bakery.  Here is part of the line that stretched two blocks.  Three hours of anticipation before we even got in the door.  

     When we crossed the street we were given a ticket to get into the Promised Land Carlo's Bake Shop.  There was a "Help Wanted" sign in the window.  Too bad we don't live in Hoboken.

     Buddy's sister, Mary, made an appearance.  She was sweet and friendly and very self conscious of all the  pictures being taken of her.   Doesn't she look like a movie star?

     Some of the beautiful cakes that were in the display case.

     Patty happily holding the cake that we took home.  A rich reward for our day in Hoboken.

     Cakes are wonderful things.  They are points of connection.  At birthdays they say, "I am so happy for you."  At holidays or special events they are photographed almost as much as the people involved.  Cakes are simple or elaborate declarations of love.  

     Buddy called using a box mix to make a cake a "Cheat!"  I confess I am something of a cheater.  Patty on the other hand is not.  It amazes me how individually the ingredients that go into a cake are unappealing and even disgusting to eat.  Who wants to drink oil or eat a raw egg?  But when mixed together and heated at the right temperature they become a delicious wonderful confection!

     There are times when we wonder why God brings raw eggs into our life.  We're not sure why God has us go through bad or difficult times.  But God knows the plans He has for us and when He puts things together He works it for good.  We just have to trust Him to make something wonderful out of the ingredients of our life - even if they come from a box sometimes.

     God is crazy about each of us.  He sends us flowers every spring and a sunrise each morning.  Whenever we talk, He listens.  He gives us dreams to dream.  Like a cake baking in an oven, His sweet aroma fills our hearts and homes with love.  

"...for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." Psalm 107:9

     I hope that your day is a piece of cake.

-Donna

Linking to:  My3boybarians