Ian's solo!

The kids' choir sang in both services today, and Ian had a longer solo at the very beginning of the song, and Nadia had a brief solo at the end of the song. It was a medley of two songs - the second being "Holy, Holy, Holy." Singing a solo wasn't his idea, but he did volunteer after we prompted him to do so. I know I'm biased, but I thought he did a great job! I think he has a beautiful voice. Nadia doesn't need any prompting to request solos. Now if I could just get her to SMILE when she sings. Paul's parents came to the second service today to hear the kids. Last Sunday they came up after attending their church because Paul's dad had been doing a lot of work fixing up the nursery, and last Sunday was the big unveiling. Paul and his brother also helped out with the nursery project. Paul attended the first service and made a ham and cheese quiche while the rest of us were at church during the second service. After lunch we played a game that Amazon delivered yesterday called Quiddler. The kids and I had played it last night, and we played it again today with Paul's

parents. I think it's a great game! I like it just as much as Boggle and Scrabble, and it's just a card game. I'm planning on packing it for our vacation. It's a fun way to develop vocabulary and work on spelling. Ian, Nadia, and Grandma also played Life. Oliver read to Grandma. The kids saw their Grandparents 6 of the last 8 days!

Today is my 44th spiritual birthday. Our Pastor's sermon series lately has been titled "I AM." Today's sermon title was "I am the vine," and part of the sermon he talked about how pruning can bring about greater quantity and quality of fruit in our lives, which is always a good reminder. In Sunday School we've been going through the book of Revelation, and today we studied Revelation 21 which includes a glorious description of the New Jerusalem. 

Four more days!

I wasn't able to see a student teacher on Thursday morning, and I couldn't see her this coming Tuesday due to the state testing. So I asked a neighbor to watch my kids for a little more than an hour so I can go complete my final observation of the semester on Monday afternoon. I also will be participating via Zoom (from home) in a faculty meeting on Monday afternoon. Tuesday I'll have a conference with one student teacher and teach my three classes on campus. Thursday I'll conference with two different student teachers (in two different districts) and then teach two classes on campus. The following Tuesday (May 7) I'm planning to have conferences with three student teachers and also will be giving two final exams online. This means that May 2nd should be my last day on campus (not counting commencement) and May 7th should be my last day in a public school this semester. May 8th I'm giving one last final exam online. The man who is replacing our deck is planning to start on May 6 or May 7. I am hoping to finish my grading on May 8th. That means just four more days to be on campus or in a public school, and May 8th is only 11 calendar days from now.

Paul has had a zany week at work. He has been leaving for work as early as 3am (more than once) and gotten home as late as 9:15pm. Monday night he was only home for one hour and then spent the rest of the night at the plant. He came home after 7pm this evening, which meant he worked at least 88 hours in six days. If you add in the 12 hours he spends commuting to and from work in six days, that puts him at 100 hours in six days. Oi vey! The downside of his crazy week for me was that two times in the week I went a full 24 hours (or more) without seeing my kids. That is HARD for me. The upside is that the kids got to spend two days at Grandma's house. The other downside was that we had to spend extra time doing schoolwork on the other three days, and actually we've still been getting caught up today, whereas typically they don't do schoolwork on a Saturday. All three kids were also up past their bedtime three nights this week due to Paul's work schedule. They really slept in yesterday morning. This coming week Paul will need to finish removing the deck that was built 20 years ago so the contractor can begin installing the new one on May 6. Today I asked him to give us an estimate on what he would charge to replace the shingles on our shed.

Since we didn't go anywhere today I had time to mow the lawn, spread some grass seed, do a few loads of laundry, clean the guinea pig cage, vacuum, grade some units that my student teachers submitted online on Thursday, etc. Oliver played with a girl his age while I mowed. They jumped on the trampoline, went on the spinning seesaw, used the swings, etc. I remember the days when I mowed the lawn while Ian was strapped to my chest. Nadia and Ian are now old enough that I can leave them in the house unsupervised while I mow the lawn.

Coupons and Memberships

I still do a little bit of couponing but not nearly as much as I used to - partially because some of the stores where I used to use a lot of coupons are no longer in our area (ex. JCPenney) and partially due to lack of time and/or energy. I used to go to CVS every other week. I still do some couponing there very sporadically, but months can pass in between my visits. I still use coupons with everything I order on Shutterfly. For a couple of years I was able to get things totally free on that site. In 2018 (and thus far in 2019) the best I've been able to do is get the item for free and only pay shipping. Their shipping rates are a bit high, but considering that's all I'm paying for everything I order on their site, it's still a good deal. I also use coupons for AMC - either for free movie tickets, free popcorn, or a free drink. Usually around my birthday I'd use several coupons for free meals. One restaurant in our town gives you a free meal (up to $20 value) if you go on your actual birthday. I have used that one several times, but it's been a few years since I've been there. I have typically ignored the ones from TGIF (free dessert) and Texas Roadhouse (free appetizer). Most years I have used the ones for Perkins (free breakfast meal) and Red Robin (free burger meal). I'd go with the kids and just pay for their meals. The cost of doing that increased once it got to the point I needed to also order a kid's meal for Oliver. This year was the first I didn't use any of the birthday coupons I received, and I received a few new ones such as a free popcorn at the movie theater. There were three reasons I didn't use any of them this year #1 my diet (although I did find I could have a bowl of soup at Red Robin), #2 lack of time and/or energy, and #3 not feeling like celebrating due to my sorrow over the passing of my brother. I do still take the time to figure out which credit cards to use each quarter. Last quarter we were getting 10% back at grocery stores from Discover and 5% back at gas stations from a Visa. This quarter we are getting 10% back at gas stations from Discover and 5% back from grocery store and home improvement stores from the Visa. I used a $20 off coupon at Lowe's on Tuesday plus will get 5% more back from the credit card. If I hadn't been so rushed at Lowe's (stopping there after seeing a student teacher and before I needed to be on campus), I would have broken my purchases into two orders and could have saved another $7 by using a second coupon (I had three in my purse). I received those coupons because of having my brother's mail forwarded to me from Philadelphia and Maryland. I am getting some mail that was meant for my brother, but more of the mail I am getting is actually mail intended for my dad. The postal service doesn't distinguish between George Maurice Harton IV and George Maurice Harton V. My friend shared a $25 off a $50 purchase at a grocery store with me today. I will definitely be using that one! I didn't shop at yard sales much the last two years. I'm hoping to do more of that this spring and summer because my days of shopping from clearance racks came to an end when the Sears and JCPenneys left our area.

Although it's not exactly "couponing" per se, I look for other ways to save money. I am looking forward to two more years of having a fourth grader to take advantage of the National Park program where our family will get in free those two years (Ian will be eligible starting in September 2019 and Oliver will be eligible beginning in September 2021).  We have joined Owensboro for $40 a year for several years, and because they are a member of ASTC this has saved us hundreds of dollars per year as we've gotten into science museums and some children's museum for free. Back when I joined ASTC, I looked into joining AZA (zoo membership) and/or ACM (children's museum membership). At that time I thought ASTC was the best because you get in FREE at all the other museums whereas with the other two memberships  most of the time you "only" get a 50% discount. Plus there are many children's museums that are members of both ASTC and ACM.

After talking with a friend on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to research the membership options again because ours will be expiring next month, and I need to renew it before we go on vacation because we're planning on visiting several places for free via our ASTC membership. This one (in NC) was the cheapest ($69 for a family) I found that gives you ASTC membership plus AZA (zoo membership). Some places that give you AZA membership the most you can get is 50% off at the others who participate in the reciprocity agreement, but others you can get 100% off at some zoos (and 50% off at the rest). Even though this one has such a low price, it actually is at the 100% rate at some zoos. I also researched NARM, ROAM, Time Travelers, AHS (botanical gardens), and a few others. I saw several museums listed with Time Travelers that we plan to visit within the next twelve months such as the Mercer Museum and National Civil War Museum. NARM offers free admission just like ASTC. Had I joined that previously, I would have saved a lot of money as I paid full price for 5 tickets to the Museum of the American Revolution in November when visiting Maurice in Philadelphia. Time Travelers is very vague though in that it says "discounted admission" and doesn't state how much the discount is - hopefully more than say $1. Another museum that seems to offer a good deal if you are looking for multiple memberships is the Kern County Museum which charges $125 a year for a family to receive ASTC, ACM, NARM, and Time Travelers.

Since we were studying animals for the past two years, we visited quite a few zoos in that time period. Unfortunately, Nadia is not a big fan of zoos (she has a better attitude toward aquariums). She enjoys Reptiland (a zoo located less than 10 minutes from our house) because she loves feeding the birds. We go there once a year for free through our PBS membership. I also am planning to take the kids to Lake Tobias because Oliver was so small the last time we went he doesn't even remember it. Neither of those are members of AZA but the kids get in free to both through the PBS membership. So at this moment I'm leaning towards either renewing with Owensboro again for $40 or joining Kern County, if I can determine how much we'd save at the ones listed as "discounted admission" so I can determine if we would actually save money by spending an extra $85 on our annual membership.

Physically I have bounced back from the shock/grief of losing my brother. By that I mean that I am sleeping normally and the nausea has gone away. I can still have moments where I feel like bursting into tears, but I have been crying far less often than I did at first. One of my students used Starbursts in her math lesson yesterday, and that was a trigger for me as Starbursts were one of his two most favorite types of candy. Thankfully I managed to keep it together. Emotionally it's a whole different story. I feel numb and have this strong urge to just stay home All. The. Time. That doesn't actually happen very often. I ventured out of the house once today (took Nadia to art class), have no plans to leave our property tomorrow (unless I need to buy gas for the lawn mower), and only plan to go to church on Sunday, but that's not typical. I still find pleasure in physical affection. I crave it more than usual. I also still find pleasure in taking a walk outside, but other than that it's virtually impossible for me to look forward to something or feel excited. For most things my general feeling is "I couldn't give a rip." I keep doing most things even if my heart is not in them at the moment. Paul mentioned something about the NFL draft. I could care less about football right now. Maybe by the time the season begins I'll be interested in watching the Steelers play, but at the moment I haven't the slightest interest. It would be awesome if by some miracle this "numbness" would go away within a month, but I am dubious. I say that because I'd love to enjoy the vacation this year. I remember how I felt in San Diego last year, and it wasn't pleasant. Prior to Maurice's passing, I had really been looking forward to our vacation. When you have a cold or something like that you have an idea of  when you will probably be feeling back to normal (ex. 10-14 days). I wish it was possible to know when I will bounce back emotionally and feel normal again, but I have no idea what the time frame will be for this.

Grand Prix #7

Yesterday Nadia completed her eighth year of AWANA. During the 2014-15 year the kids attended AWANA at our church, and our church didn't have a Grand Prix. The other seven years she attended AWANA at the Alliance Church that is about one mile from our house. All three kids received awards for finishing their books. Nadia received a trophy for completing her 3rd book in T and T (the program for grades 3-6). She wants to earn the Timothy Award that is given for completing all four books, which means she's decided to attend AWANA next year instead of the middle school youth group at our church (which also meets from 6:30-8:00 on Wednesday nights). One of our neighbors (Madeline) earned the Timothy Award last night. Various Christian colleges offer scholarships (some greater than $10K) depending on what award you earn from AWANA. Ian received a medallion for completing his first book in T and T. Altogether Nadia has completed 8 books and Ian has completed 6 books thus far in AWANA. Nadia and Ian started

in Cubbies when they were three-years-old. Oliver started in Puggles when he was two-years-old so he technically has completed five years of AWANA thus far. Nadia and Ian completed the silver level of their books, but no mention was made of that last night. The first two years Nadia was in T&T she only completed the bronze level. Neither of them attempted the gold level. That would have involved learning FAR more verses per week. When Nadia and Ian were in the 1st grade Sparks program they went through the book twice and completed the extra credit book. Oliver just finished the book one time, but they all finished! The kids have been entering cars in the Grand Prix for seven years, and we have been consistent in that none of our kids have ever won an award for design or speed. They give out 9 trophies - 3 for design and 6 for speed (the preschoolers earn 3 for speed and K-6 earn 3 for speed). Madeline won 1st place for design. Her car looked like a hot dog with ketchup on it. She or her brother usually win at least one trophy each year for either speed and/or design. Nadia plays with a girl in our neighborhood who is two years younger than her. I have been encouraging Nadia to also spend time with Madeline and Ellie. Madeline is one year older than Nadia, and Ellie is two years older than Nadia. Nadia knows both girls from AWANA and also from when the Alliance Church used to have a summer musical program.

Paul's parents joined us last night, and then they took the kids home with them once the program was over. On Monday night Paul never went to bed. Aside from driving home to bring our kids back to his parent's house, he was at work from early Monday morning through Tuesday night. I can't imagine working that many hours straight without sleep. Last night he got a few hours of sleep before leaving for work at 3am. I had thought the kids would have five days of school this week, but they are only having three days of school this week due to Paul not being able to homeschool them this week. He has two more days with them next week, and that will be the end of his involvement for this school year. Tomorrow will be day #162. We are required to complete 180 days in Pennsylvania. We are allowed to count days from July 1 through June 30. We should hit #168 on May 6, which will be our last day. Field trips to places like Jamestown, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Valley Forge, etc. will account for days #169-186. I think the last day that will count will be June 15 when the kids are registered to participate in a 5 hour program at Fort Frederick. I gave our next homeschool affidavit to the AWANA commander last night because she is a notary public. I will submit that along with our documentation from the woman who will be doing our homeschool review by the end of June. Nadia and Ian are taking their standardized tests next week.

Yesterday I took the kids to the children's museum. They had one hour program on code breaking for homeschoolers in grades 3-5. Nadia and Ian enjoyed the program while Oliver enjoyed playing in the museum, and I had the pleasure of talking to another homeschooling mom I've known for several years. It's rare for me to have a conversation with another mom. Most days the only people I have personal conversations with are my kids (and Paul if he is home when I'm awake). I am hoping the museum will continue to offer more programs for homeschoolers. This museum is much closer to our house than the other one that has offered programs for homeschoolers for years. Also, at the moment we are members of this museum and not the other one.

I was scheduled to visit a student teacher this morning but had to reschedule due to their testing schedule. So I am home alone - blogging and grading. The kids and I have NOTHING on our calendar for Saturday which means I should have time to mow the lawn and also get caught up on grading. I really miss my morning hugs and snuggles today, but I'm going to take advantage of this rare time of being home alone by going on a walk before I leave for work at 11:15. Yesterday I had my interview with the search and screen committee. I think it went well. I found out that a professor I have been friends with since 2004 is on the committee this year. At this point we are hoping that the professor who has been on leave for the last year will officially retire and I can continue to teach two sections of the math methods course each semester (which would mean I would be 50% of full-time).

Home Alone

A few months ago the kids watched a couple of the Home Alone movies. I had forgotten that Trump was in one of the movies, but they spotted him and asked "isn't that President Trump?" Tonight I am home alone. Paul called me as I was making dinner to say that he was going to come home around 7:30pm and then leave shortly after that to take the kids to his parents' house. Earlier he had said that he would be taking the kids to his parents when he went to work on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Normally Paul stays home from work those two days to homeschool the kids while I'm at work. His brother and sister-in-law are on vacation this week, and this is a busy time of year for the plant. When the weather warms up people are more likely to shop at a lawn and garden store. He didn't think he could stay away from the plant while his brother was away. I readjusted the lesson plans somewhat, and I also had the kids do twice as much work in some subjects today to try and make up for the fact they won't be doing any schoolwork tomorrow. Instead of my kids being outside playing while the neighbors are in school, today it was the opposite. The kids in the neighborhood didn't have school today (due to Easter break), and my kids were inside doing schoolwork. I did make sure they had some time to play outside before we had to leave for their gymnastics classes. This means Paul just has three more days of helping with homeschooling the kids for this school year (April 30, May 2, and May 6). Whether he continues to help some next school year will depend on whether I continue teaching at BU or not. My interview has been scheduled for this Wednesday morning. Math, science, and history are the three subjects he enjoys teaching the most although zoology is not his favorite aspect of science. One of our topics recently has been the Erie Canal. It's so much easier to talk about canals and locks considering they actually experienced them last August when we boarded an Erie canal cruise in Lockport, NY. We've also been talking about the Mexican American War, but a field trip to the Alamo is out of the question at the moment. I'm thankful though that it's possible to drive to many different historical sites given where we live.

Today was the last gymnastics class for this session. It might be the last one ever for our kids. Nadia has been in Bolts (level 2) for many years. Ian only joined that level this past fall. For awhile now she has really wanted to be promoted to Surge (level 3), but she hasn't mastered all the skills that are required for that promotion. It's been hard for her to watch children as young as six years old be promoted when she is told she still has to stay in Bolts at the age of almost eleven years old. I feel badly that she wasn't able to achieve her goal of making it to level 3. One upside is the gymnastic classes are not cheap so we will definitely save money by eliminating that expense from the budget. The other upside is it gives us another day that we can just stay home each week. We haven't done gymnastics year round. We always take a break in the summer (sometimes we've done it until the end of June but that's the longest we've gone), and we haven't done it while they've been doing a team sport (whether that was soccer, basketball, softball, or flag football). If we bring an end to gymnastics and tennis lessons, that means the athletic things the kids will be involved in will be as follows: homeschool gym class (90 minutes on Fridays), Upward basketball (one game a week for eight weeks plus a few more weeks than that of one night a week practices), and ice skating lessons. I wasn't as impressed with the swimming lessons this year at Bucknell so I'm not certain if I'd splurge on that again next year or not.

It's going to be strange to wake up tomorrow without anyone else in the house. Usually Oliver is the first one up, and he usually snuggles with me before we go downstairs. This morning Ian was the first one up (about 6:45), and we snuggled for awhile. Oliver and Nadia didn't actually get up until 8:30 this morning, which meant we started schoolwork later than usual, which wasn't the ideal scenario since we were trying to do more work than usual today, but I hate to wake the kids up so I usually let them sleep whenever possible. Typically we start breakfast by 7:30. I will miss the hugs and snuggles tomorrow morning. I'll be observing a student teacher at 9:00 and then heading to the university. I'll get home around 8:15pm. I will have a little time to shop at Lowe's on my way to the university tomorrow as my office hours don't start until 12:00. I have some coupons that expire the end of this month so I'm planning to buy a few things like new window well covers and Drylok (for the basement walls). Paul suggested getting a new grill. Ours was broken last week when a tornado went through the area. Our grill was flipped upside down. We don't use the grill very often, and frankly the thing terrifies me after the fire I experienced on the deck when using it once a few years ago. He also suggested I could get a storm door as I've wanted one of those for several years, but until he finishes the master bathroom floor (which has been on the to do list for almost exactly 3 years), I don't want to buy something else that will be added to his to do list.

The good news is that I only have FIVE more days of being separated from the kids due to being at work  - two days this week, two days next week, and one the week after that. The end is in sight. Usually if I see a student teacher and have a little gap I come home to help with homeschooling and eat an early lunch before leaving the house at 11:15, but since the kids won't be at home I decided to see if my friend, Cheri, could meet me at Lowe's tomorrow. I haven't seen her in many months. It will be great to see her, plus she worked at Lowe's for several years so that is right up her alley.

Happy Birthday/Easter!

My birthday has sometimes been very close to Easter (the day before or after Easter), but it took 47 years for my birthday to be on the same day as Easter. I always liked it when my birthday was near Easter when I was a child as that often meant my birthday fell during spring break. April 21 will be Easter again on 2030; if I'm still alive at that point I'll be celebrating my 58th birthday on Easter Sunday. I am in NO rush for the next eleven years to fly by because at that point my youngest will be almost 18 years old. The thought of an empty nest is VERY unappealing to me at the moment. As I was about to walk backstage to join the choir last night, Ian ran up and asked if he could give me a hug first. Oh how I savor those moments.

Since the kids were dressed up and it was nice outside, I took pictures. Ian normally wears glasses, but I was getting an awful glare with his glasses so I took his pictures without glasses on.

He is RISEN!

Two chocolate cakes

The weather forecast for the day, even when I checked it this morning, did not look promising for egg hunts. The librarians hid the eggs inside the library because of the weather forecast. They had two eggs which contained a "gold" coin. Nadia found one of them, which meant she received a chocolate cake. Each plastic egg contained a penny, piece of candy (or a sticker), and a letter. At the end the kids would spell out the words candy or basket. For every time they spelled out the words, they received a ticket for the drawing. There were supposedly four "p's" along with MANY h's and o's. If you spelled "pop" you could receive a prize basket. Only two "p's" were actually found (we didn't have any), so they used the tickets for drawing two of the prize baskets also. They had three total cakes to give away. Ian's ticket was drawn, and he received a smaller cake. We've gone to this egg hunt at the library for many years, and this was the first time we won a cake - and we won two cakes! I had planned to make an apple crisp for Easter dinner tomorrow, but in light of us bringing home two cakes, I might pass on making the apple crisp. Although I actually prefer an apple crisp to a chocolate cake, and since tomorrow is my birthday I might end up making the apple crisp anyhow.

I should have brought the cakes in as soon as we got home, but I didn't bring them in until a few hours later. Oops! Nadia's cake fared just fine, but Ian's cake had some melting issues. I put it in the refrigerator for a bit. I'm sure it didn't affect the taste, but it definitely doesn't look as pretty as it did when we first received it. We went directly from the library to the second egg hunt. It sprinkled a little at that one (I got out my umbrella for a little bit), but it was warm enough the kids didn't mind. All three kids were in the same division at the library as they only split the kids in half. At the 11:00 egg hunt Oliver was in the second division (ages 4-8) and the other two were in the oldest division (ages 9-12). Most of the eggs were plastic eggs with a prize ticket or candy inside. There were also a few hard boiled eggs. The kids collected a fair amount of eggs, but none of them had a prize egg. The kids each got a hot dog as we left. We came home and ate a bit more lunch, and then I went out and started mowing the lawn. The third "egg" hunt actually is just candy strewn over the park with only 10 total eggs (all prize eggs).

That one is divided into five divisions. Oliver was with 1st/2nd grade, Ian with 3rd/4th grade, and Nadia with 5th/6th grade. Most of the egg hunts are for 0-12 years old, which means she can participate two more years, but next year will be her last at that egg hunt since she'll be in 6th grade next year. The church where she goes to youth group on Sunday nights has an egg hunt for grades 7-12 that's done in the dark; she thinks that sounds like fun. After the third egg hunt, I finished mowing the lawn just before it was time to head to the last egg hunt, which was the one held at the playground we go to the most often. We could have walked there, but given I needed more time to finish mowing, we drove. They divide the kids into four divisions. Nadia didn't get many eggs, but the boys did. All three of my kids were in different divisions at that egg hunt. None of them got any prize eggs. So this year Nadia found two prize eggs (April 14 and April 20), and Ian found one prize egg (April 13) and won one drawing (April 20). Oliver struck out this year, but we brought home more than 3 dozen hardboiled eggs, a bunch of pennies (haven't counted them yet), and a LOT of candy.

It poured yesterday, but we were very fortunate today. At the third egg hunt, the MC even said at the end (in reference to the weather) "God is good" which surprised me as it was not an egg hunt sponsored by a church but by a Lions Club. Including driving time it was about 4hr 45 minutes from the time we left for the first egg hunt and got home from the last one, which meant in the span of less than five hours we attended four egg hunts, I mowed the lawn (which takes a little more than an hour), and we ate lunch (while I read a chapter book to them about the California Gold Rush). Whew! After that it was time for Saturday chores (vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the bathrooms, etc.), dinner, and then we headed to church. I had to be there by 5:15 as the choir warms up 45 minutes before the service. The first four pictures are from earlier this month. The last three are from today.  

Good Friday

When I first started teaching at the university, we had a "reading day" (no classes) on Good Friday. They stopped that practice more than ten years ago. Our spring break falls in the middle of the semester and has nothing to do with Easter. Wendy's kids (who go to the public schools in Chicago) get a full week of school off the week before Easter (this week). We spent spring break with them in 2017. I'm hoping to spend at least a few days with them during their spring break next year. How many days will depend on whether or not I am employed next spring. The school districts in our area at least had today off, and some have a longer spring break. The school district we live in has off from April 18-22 this year. I was able to observe a student teacher in the neighboring district yesterday. The Christian school had off today so Nadia didn't have art, but the homeschool gym class that had been on hiatus for a few weeks resumed today. While the kids were in their 90 minute gym class I went to the grocery store, CVS, and the library. I wanted to get the ham for our Easter dinner on Sunday plus I got the kids each one treat at CVS. I ended up giving them their Easter gifts today. I haven't given them Easter gifts in the past. I can tell that for some households it comes close to rivaling Christmas in terms of how many gifts the kids get. Oliver received a poetry book (one of your recommendations, Jennifer) and a white chocolate egg. The poetry book came with a CD so he can listen to it (which is good because it's not at his current reading level). Ian received the latest Imagination Station book (which Nadia will also read as she loves Adventures in Odyssey) and a caramel filled chocolate bunny. I gave Nadia a bag of jelly beans and two books that are also related to Adventures in Odyssey. 

We skipped the egg hunts on April 6. The kids went to one on April 13 in our town's park. It was absolutely gorgeous out that day. The kids went to another one on April 14. It was a rainy day so the church moved it inside. Their children's choir sang three songs as part of the program they had prior to the egg hunt. Three girls in our neighborhood whom Oliver plays with were in the choir. It's been pouring down rain today (another flood watch is in effect). It's supposed to be a nice temperature tomorrow, but there are supposed to be more showers tomorrow. We have four egg hunts on the agenda. We shall see how many we actually attend if it's raining. We're headed to church tomorrow night. 

Today I finally got caught up with writing letters to the four kids we sponsor through Compassion. My goal is also to be totally caught up with grading before I go to bed tonight. I made enough rigatoni and meatballs for dinner today and tomorrow, which means I don't need to cook tomorrow. 

I know that the Friday when Jesus died was truly a good day because He paid the price for our sin, but when I think of all the suffering He endured, it seems a misnomer to call it a "good" day. Thankfully He rose again, which is why resurrection Sunday is such a joyful remembrance. We serve a living Savior! It's been very hard to lose my mom and brother in less than three years, but I have the assurance of being reunited with them some day, which is a great comfort. I can't imagine how much more painful the grief would be if I didn't have that hope.

P.S. These pictures are from April 3-7. 

Thankful Thursday

I haven't posted a gratitude list since March 2. These past six weeks certainly haven't been easy ones, but there still have been many things to be thankful for. I'm sure this list could be much longer, but here are a few things that come to my mind.

1. It's SPRING! Winter is by far my least favorite season of the year. Recently the grass has turned green (I think I'll be mowing for the first time this year sometime in the next couple of days). Some flowers are in bloom. There are beautiful blossoms on some trees. Although we still have had some colder days, there have been some really gorgeous days when the temps have been in the 70's (like last Saturday).

2. I have four days left of teaching on campus plus another day of visiting student teachers plus two days of giving final exams online. May 8 is just around the corner. I am SOOOO looking forward to the summer break.

3. It's almost Easter! I am eternally grateful that Jesus took the penalty for my sins on the cross and then rose from the dead. He's alive! The passion play we attended almost two weeks ago was excellent as was the "Good Friday" stations program we attended at a local church last Saturday. I'll be singing a beautiful arrangement of Amazing Grace with my church's choir for our three Easter services (once on Saturday night and twice on Sunday morning).

4. We are debt free for the first time in 18 years as the retirement loan used to pay off the mortgage was paid off last month.

5. I've received many sympathy cards in the mail. I also received one flower arrangement (that one was anonymous so I have no idea whom to thank). I know many have been praying for me, which I also greatly appreciate.

6. The kids and I enjoyed a homeschool program put on by Penn State at Bald Eagle State Park, a program about bats for homeschoolers at Ricketts Glen State Park, and another Saturday Science program at Susquehanna University. Tab and her boys joined us at Bald Eagle State Park. Field trips are even more fun with friends!

7. Paul and the kids had a great day at Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm last week. He also took them to their second pottery class at Camp Susque on April 4. They missed the second class due to my brother's funeral. We'll pick up their pottery in June when Oliver is at camp. Nadia enjoyed skate night on April 4.

8. Oliver learned how to ride his bike without training wheels!

9. All three kids finished their AWANA books last night, and Paul helped them complete their cars for the Grand Prix that should take place next Wednesday.

10. The kids and I enjoyed an Easter dinner at Pastor Ken's house last Sunday evening. Oliver in particular was thrilled that someone brought sweet potatoes! They were kind enough to send some leftover sweet potatoes home with us when they saw how much he enjoyed them.

11. I am a few ounces away from having lost 20 pounds in the past 11.5 weeks. Someone noticed the weight loss for the first time last night. She (another alto in choir) assumed it was just from grieving the loss of my brother.

12. The kids made progress during their swimming lessons. This past Monday was their last lesson for 2019. This coming Monday will be their last gymnastics class, at least for four months. I haven't decided yet if they'll do gymnastics in the fall. It will probably partially depend on whether I am employed or not as those classes aren't cheap.

13. My interview has been rescheduled for April 24. I'm thankful it was postponed. At the moment we're desiring that I teach two math classes each semester (50% of FT) next year.

14. Grace came over to sleepover at our house on March 29, and Nadia attended a sleepover at her house on April 5. Ian is scheduled to attend a sleepover in the near future.