On the way home from Pine Bluff last night, we met my parents, some of their friends, and my brother in West Little Rock to celebrate my mom's birthday.

She was really kind and asked for lots of spoons to share her yummy birthday dessert at Macaroni Grill.

My mom's actual birthday was today, so we invited my parents and my brother over to celebrate at our house.  Sarah made a delicious lemonade cake with lemonade buttercream and a surprise inside.

She dyed the cake blue because it's my mom's favorite color!

The kids enjoyed being goofy with Uncle John.

Because we had rain showers blow through late in the afternoon, we opened the windows, turned on the attic fan, and enjoyed the cooler air.  We all got a kick out of the fan sucking up the balloons.

When the heat and humidity kicked back in, we turned on the air conditioner, and the kids went outside to play with the balloons.

I'm so thankful for my mom and the impact she has had on my life, and I'm especially thankful that we are close enough now to get together and celebrate!

Conway Woman's Daybook

For today...Tuesday, July 10

Outside my window...the clouds are gathering, the wind is making the windchimes sing, and I think rain may be on the way!

I am thinking...my mother's birthday today and how great it is that we get to be in the same place to celebrate.

From the learning rooms...Henry Purcell and his lovely opera, "Dido and Aneas".  I think Dido's Lament has to be one of my favorite pieces ever, and I will be singing along.  I just have to choose whether to sing with the ground bass or Dido.

I am thankful for...rest.

From the kitchen...layered Italian zucchini casserole and lemonade cake for my mom's birthday party tonight

I am wearing...a red t-shirt, a long white skirt, white sandals, and a white shell necklace from the Solomons

I am reading... "Smart Moves: Why learning is not all in your head" by Carla Hannaford, Ph. D.  I found this book at Barnes and Noble one day and called my mom to see if she would like it.  She did, so I bought it for her, I'm just reading it first.

I am hoping...to begin scanning old pictures and saving them digitally.  Lots of great memories to organize.

I am creating...a care package for our colleagues in the Solomon Islands and for our friends in the village

I am hearing...the train going through town (I love the Doppler effect) and the dishwasher (thank you, Lord, for a dishwasher)

Around the house...repotted geraniums, a bird feeder, and some new basil on the porch.  I needed to do a little bit of nesting since we will be home for ten days straight.

One of my favorite things...the blanket my great-grandmother made for me when I graduated from high school.  The ultimate in snuggle-up comfort.

Pondering these words... "Recent findings indicate that parent offspring interactions that include a lot of touch, play and being fully present, may be crucial for cognitive development.  The touch of closely bonded family members increases activity in the hippocampus, an important center for spatial and general learning and memory."  Carla Hammaford

Looking ahead...going to my grandparent's house tomorrow; enjoying Aaron's side of the family on Thursday; attending the Central Arkansas Library's book sale with Sarah, my aunt and cousins on Friday; and celebrating Olivia's 9th birthday on Sunday

Here is a picture I am sharing with you...from the Festival of Pacific Arts finishing up in Honiara this week.

Pine Bluff

Over the weekend, we returned to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where Aaron and I used to teach orchestra in the Pine Bluff school district.  We met a couple of former youth group members for lunch at McDonalds.  Laura, the young lady on the left, used to hold Sarah, and now Sarah is carrying around Laura's little girl.

Sunday morning we attended Immanuel Baptist Church, the first church where Aaron served on staff.  We got our start into full time ministry because this church was willing to take a chance on a guy with a young family.

More of our former students drove down to meet us at church, and it was good to see their growing family again!



When we weren't visiting with former students, we were hanging out with former colleagues.  When we taught school in Pine Bluff, we enjoyed an amazing group of mentors who taught us more about teaching than we ever learned in college.



Now these friends function more as adopted grandparents and encourage our kids to do things like catch frogs in the creek in the backyard...

stuff teddy bears down the laundry chute...



sign Dr. Bill's cast...



roast marshmallows over the grill...

to make delicious s'mores...



and they were good...

slide down the stairs...



push Dr. Bill around in his wheelchair (or ride around in it themselves)...

and just generally be goofy.

Staying in the home of life-long-learners amazed me around every corner.    What great friends they have become.  Pulling out of that driveway was hard.

"Everything you want in the world is just right outside your comfort zone.  Everysinglethingthingyoucouldpossiblywant!!!"   ~Jamie Lee Curtis

(the quote I found at the top of the calendar when I finally turned it to July this morning)

There's not much normal in my life right now, but today was a normal day, and I enjoyed every minute.

My grandparents gave us some absolutely gorgeous tomatoes and squash yesterday, and I loved the way the tomatoes looked sitting on my great-grandmother's milk glass cake stand in the morning sun.



I left the house for an eye appointment (still trying to figure out which contacts work best for my old eyes), listened to some amazing music on KLRE (C.P.E. Bach cello concerto in A and Ives' string quartet no. 1), made a trip to the library, and came home to stuff those beautiful tomatoes with tuna salad for lunch.

After lunch, the kids experimented with cabbage water and baking soda to blow up a balloon for science.



It was so good to be home and to enjoy a day inside my comfort zone.  Tomorrow morning , we head to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and I intend to enjoy every minute of that road trip, too!

Loving the library

Now that we're back in the land of libraries, we are fully taking advantage of the many, many books available.  Between my mom (who specializes in early childhood education), second hand book stores and the local library, we compiled a basket of Independence Day books to celebrate our first 4th of July back in America and to help our children with re-entry:

A Fourth of July on the Plains by Jean Van Leeuwen

Apple Pie Fourth of July by Janet S. Wong

Happy Birthday, America! by Marsha Wilson Chall

Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney! by Leslie Kimmelman

Francis Scott Key and the Star Spangled Banner by Lynea Bowdish

Fourth of July Mice by Bethany Roberts

I Pledge Allegiance by June Swanson

Meet Our Flag, Old Glory by April Jones Prince

Purple Mountain Majesties: The Story of Katharine Lee Bates and America the Beautiful by Barbara Younger

The Great Cake Bake by Helen Ketteman

The Flag We Love by Pam Munoz Ryan

The Pledge of Allegiance published by Scholastic

Fireworks, Picnics, and Flags:  The Story of the Fourth of July Symbols by James Cross Giblin

I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson

Being an American can be fun by Munro Leaf

Hello, Olive Branch!

We lived in Olive Branch, MS, from 2002-2006.  One of the first families we met have done a good job of staying in touch during the last six years.

We enjoyed Nerf gun wars with creative twists...

 and even the dads got involved.

Sarah got to use some of Christine's tools to decorate a watermelon basket.

The finished product looked like it belonged in Candy Land.



Our friends also have violins in several different sizes.  Aaron enjoyed playing a duet,

and Katherine insisted she had to play the little one like a cello.



We celebrated the 4th of July by washing vehicles,



inside and out.



Then the kids cooled off with popsicles



and the slip and slide.

Fireworks with friends, another Choate family tradition.



I also learned a little bit about Fire King glassware, since Christine had picked up a couple of mugs at Goodwill.  Cute, functional, full of character and cheap - my kind of dishes.



It's still so hard to say goodbye, but I'm thankful for every little bit of time together to make more memories!

Goodbye, Memphis!

Tuesday morning, we said goodbye to Memphis and celebrated with friends at IHOP.  We're so thankful for the many people God has placed in our paths!



Memphis Woman's Daybook

For today...Monday, July 2

Outside my window...bright sunshine, but the temps are supposed to stay just under 100 this week.  Wonder why we think 100 degrees feels worse than 99?

I am thinking...about and praying for the Festival of Pacific Arts being held in Honiara right now.  You can read updates and see pictures on our friend's blog. 

From the learning rooms...still only bits and pieces of school.  Katherine, who loves workbooks, is enjoying book one of "Developing the Early Learner" series and "Get Ready for the Code".  The big kids are reading some picture books about Holland in the 1600s and doing a little bit of math, too.

From the kitchen...leftovers all day as we clean out the fridge and pantry and prepare to leave seminary housing in the morning

I am wearing...pajamas still.  To be exact, plaid pajama pants and an iMOM t-shirt.  It's a packing day, and I'm just slow.

I am reading..."Stillmeadow Sampler" by Gladys Taber and "Martha Stewart's Gardening Month by Month", both finds at the Memphis Central Library's second hand bookstore.  I think I'm looking forward to changes of season, and I hope to do some late-in-the-season gardening when we move to Dallas in August.

Pondering these words..."We simplify, not just to be less busy, even though we may be right to pursue that.  Rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ.  WE prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful.  We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ.  All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ."    ~Donald S. Whitney

Noticing that...I'm craving order and schedule, but I sure do love all of the amazing people we are getting to see again!

I am hearing...not much.  I just made all of the kids go do math.

Around the house...it looks like we're moving again.

One of my favorite things...our new Invitation to Partnership on Wycliffe's website

A few plans for the rest of the week...leaving in the morning to spend a couple days in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with old friends from our library story time days; driving back to our house in Arkansas for a couple of days before we head to Pine Bluff, Arkansas for a few more days (including Sunday at Immanuel Baptist Church)

Here is a picture I am sharing with you...our little rent house in Pine Bluff as it looked ten years ago.  Loved that house where we welcomed Sarah and Benjamin into our family!  We'll be driving by again next weekend.

Sweet Sabbath

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."  Psalm 28:7

Leaping for joy and giving thanks...

-for this very patient family who used to live underneath us in seminary housing when we had three very active little ones.  And they still wanted to see us again!

-for my gift of a four year old who still likes to crawl up in my lap and snuggle



-for this mustard yellow chair that may look ugly to some.  To us it's beautiful because it belonged to Aaron's grandmother, then it lived in his office at HHBC, now it cushions members of a Sunday School class.



-for this amazing Sunday school class that reminds me of Revelation 7:9:  "...I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb."  Cambodian, Hispanic, African American, Caucasian, all come together to study God's Word and give him glory each Sunday morning.



-for impromptu guests willing to eat spaghetti for Sunday lunch after church



-for checker games and the chocolate chip cookie dough that we still had in the fridge