Getting Ready for School to Start!

School starts for the 2011 school year on Monday, Feb. 21st at Centro Escolar LifeLink and I'm really excited!

Over the last week that we've been back in Nicaragua, I've enjoyed catching up with our students and their families as they stop by the base. Everyone is looking forward to the beginning of the school year!

While Wayne has been busy with finishing the Primary School Building, I've been lesson planning, completing registrations and getting all the admin stuff squared away. But yesterday was the most exciting day yet!

Elisa and I got together for some brainstorming and then headed to the bookstore where we purchased our Preschool curriculum for this year! After some feedback from our teachers last year, we felt that changing our curriculum might be a good move for us, so we started researching our options in November. After seeing what the market had to offer and speaking to teachers and Directors of other private schools here in Nica and in the States, we found the perfect curriculum for us! Our students are going to benefit so greatly from this quality platform for learning!

We've also selected our First Grade curriculum and found a bookstore willing to give us an amazing deal on it!

God is blessing our planning and we know that with Him on our side, great things are on the horizon!

Quote Inspiration

"The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."

--Abraham Lincoln

Saw this on a friend's fb page and immediately loved it. Great words to kick off the 2011 school year at Centro Escolar LifeLink.

Feliz Na

In praise of fancy photo cards

Shutterfly has really stepped up their game this year with beautiful, new card designs to meet all your holiday needs. While browsing their new catalog, I could not help but notice the great use of color and clean design.

Classic looks and colors, right along side non-traditional color palettes with modern images. The perfect frame for your Christmas photo.

I don't know about your family, but we spend several hours each year walking around, posing, smiling, the whole nine -- and a few years we've had to go back out a second night/day to get the perfect shot! I love to have already decided on a card so that I can match our clothes and accessories.

They're also carrying the cutest, personalized gift tags! I'm not always the most matchy of persons, but I love the idea of wrapping everything in plain, jewel tone colored papers with fancy, personalized tags.

And if you're still shopping for gifts -- don't miss their photo gifts, including huge canvas prints and make-your-own calendars.

Here's some of my favorites!

Cards I love

Gifts that rock

Fun stationary items

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."

-- Melody Beattie

stardust

Sterling Silver Stardust Hoop Earrings by NauticalWheeler

Diamante Dark Gray Swarovski Pearl Earrings by DutchTouchBeads

three modern mommy necklace oxidized sterling by hazelnutcottage

stardust spheres ear posts by dadamietz

stardust discs on black chain by bunniesinla

Stardust Vintage Constellation Map Petite Earrings by sherrytruitt

supernova stud earrings by osirisjewellery

*love*

Thankfulness

I know, I know, it's already Nov. 7th and it just occurred to me that it's November and Thanksgiving is on its way. Last year, I made a thankful status update on my facebook page each day in November and it was a great time to reflect and focus on the good.

I'm going to catch up here and then keep it going for the rest of November over on fb. :)

1. I'm thankful for the new, cooler breezes we're experiencing.

2. I'm thankful that my sister's baby was born happy and healthy!

3. I'm thankful for short lines at the grocery store.

4. I'm thankful for all the friends the girls have made here.

5. I'm thankful for Gonper's Libreria carrying felt, in lots of colors.

6. I'm thankful for crayola.com.

And 7 will be live in seconds on my profile. :)

Socktober Progress

I started trying to get just one photo of my sock-in-action, but got a bit carried away. Almost halfway through the month . . . I hope that sock 2 is extra speedy! :)

I'm A Winner

Thanks to my lovely friend Allison for awarding me:

Allison is keeping an amazing blog about her homeschool adventures with TONS of great ideas and links -- if you're homeschooling, I highly recommend it.

The rules for winning this award are as follows:

* Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
* Share 7 things about yourself.
* Pass the award along to 10 other bloggers who you recently discovered and think are fabulous.
* Contact the bloggers you chose and let them know about the award.

7 Things About Me:

1. I hated tomatoes growing up and didn't ever eat them until I was pregnant with Alison and fell in love with Chevy's salsa.

2. I receive a lot of compliments on my handwriting. It's nice because I spent a lot of time practicing in high school, not taking notes, actually practicing my super-cool handwriting.

3. I love that necklace that Mariska Hargitay wears

on Law and Order:SVU

and my wonderful husband had one custom made for me for our anniversary.

4. I own 2 Swatch watches.

5. As a kid, I loved red licorice, not twizzlers, the legitimate stuff you can get on the Boardwalk in Ocean City.

6. I love fine-point Sharpie markers.

7. I make up word a lot, in English and now in Spanish. :)

I award the following bloggers:

Table for Four

My Journey of Growth

Meyer Family

Mighty Woman

From the Inside Out

Jenna's Jots

Counting My Blessings

PoMo Golightly

Halfway Down the Stairs

Running, Knitting & Such

The future

Both of my lovely sisters are pregnant with princesses who will be born in the next few months. Throw in a few friends who are also expecting and I feel like I've been churning out baby stuff for months -- baby stuff that's still here in Nica and seriously needs to get mailed. :)

I'm just about to finish my last baby gift and am setting my sights to the future.

The future uses small needles.

The future is a project that won't sit on my lap and make me hot while I knit it.

The future is also a gift, but a somewhat predictable one so I'll probably still blog about it.

The future begins Oct 1.

The future is Socktoberfest-friendly.

Here's to happy sock-knitting, care to join me?

Happy 8th Birthday Alison!

This year Alison celebrates her third birthday abroad -- a great way to start a life if ever I've heard one! :) She's having a slumber party with friends from school and church that we're all hoping we survive.

The road to eight has been paved with a lot of growth and changes. Our little girl is becoming more than a big girl. She's asking questions. She's making decisions based on long-term outcome instead of short-term.

Still a voracious reader, Ali's gotten pretty good at reading in Spanish. And speaking Spanish, too. It's still pretty funny to listen to her go off on a tangent in Spanish with her friends -- it makes her sound a lot more intense.

Big girl things have become more important: purses, nailpolish, not-Princesses, distance from her little sister; and it's been a little difficult for this mommy, but we're all growing.

Happy Birthday Roo! I love you a million!

Love Languages

The description in 1 Corinthians 13:3-7 describes what love IS, perfectly.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Therefore, that must also mean love is NOT a "feeling." It is a verb. An action. It is what you DO.

God designed 3 types of love and 5 love languages.

The 3 types of love are:

EROS: commonly known as erotic or romantic love

PHILOS: a friendly or brotherly love -a la Philadelphia (the city of brotherly love).

AGAPE: unconditional-the love a parent has for a child and God's love toward us.

Next, come the LOVE LANGUAGES.

Love languages are how we interpret and express love that is both given and received.

1-WORDS OF AFFIRMATION

You experience someone's love most when they encourage you and speak words of affirmation

2-QUALITY TIME

You experience someone's love when they simply spend time with you and make themselves available

3-RECEIVING GIFTS

You experience someone's love most when they express it with physical gifts.

4-ACTS OF SERVICE

You experience someone's love most when they take on some of your responsibilities and do things for you.

5-PHYSICAL TOUCH

You experience someone's love most when they hug you or just hold your hand.

You can take a quiz, found HERE, that helps you identify your love language.

My love language is Words of Affirmation, followed quickly by Quality Time. These two are biggies to me and anyone who has spent a lot of time with me could probably guess them. Alison and Wayne's language is Physical Touch so they get LOTS of hugs!

Even if you show someone else how much you love them using YOUR love language, they might not experience the depth of love you're trying to express. Express your love for them in THEIR love language and watch them light up and your relationship improve. I think everyone should figure out what theirs is and what the love language is of those they love!

HIYA Papaya: August 2010 Newsletter

August 2010 Newsletter

Happy 100th Day!

Today, Centro Escolar LifeLink had our very first 100th day celebration -- complete with yummy treats, a 100 link chain decorated by our students, a balloon drop and lots of fun! We are totally honored to be able to celebrate this occasion and serve our beautiful students.

More photos to follow. :)

A Gift

Each day, I greet all of our students by name at the gate. I wish them a good morning. I extend greetings to their parents and siblings as well and have started to remember many of their names too.

Some mornings I'll receive a fist-full of flowers picked on the walk to school. Other days, I'll get a bag of mango slices or an avocado from someone's tree.

I receive each gift with thanks and a hug.

Last week, I received a very different gift.

Elisa came to find me in the auditorium to let me know that two of our students had just arrived a bit late and their mother had a gift for me. A smile played at the corners of her mouth while she said she could not wait to see how I reacted. I didn't know what to expect as I headed down the sidewalk. The students are two of the most impoverished students in our school and I knew that anything they could give would be a treasure to them.

I approached their mother who had her back to me and when she turned around, she handed me a bunny. A real, live bunny rabbit.

She immediately started giving me instructions about how often he needs to be bathed, what he eats, etc. I was shocked that I was holding a bunny, not-to-mention that I was now the proud owner of one.

That afternoon we brought Pelusa the bunny home and the girl's immediately fell in love with him. Emily has plans to take him to school when we get him a travel cage and we'd also like to take him to visit our students periodically. He eats a lot of carrots and celery, but is much quieter than the dog. :)

An excellent gift!

Beattitudes Redux

Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn and are meek and constantly hunger and thirst for righteousness. Through their mercy and pure hearts they are peacemakers and because of their right lifestyle and because of My name they are often persecuted.

Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven and they shall enjoy my comfort and my inheritance. I will fill them, show them mercy and show them My face. I will call them My sons and daughters, again I say that the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs for great is their reward in Heaven!

-- based on I John 2:6

Emily the Exploradora

While our very first group was here this past week, helping us celebrate and complete our first year in the missions field, our little Emily participated in some very brave fun. Not quite unexpected for a kid who, if we visit another country this year, will have visited one country for each year of her life -- something we hope she continues throughout her life.

Emily and I bravely took our first zip-line tour over the Tiscapa Lagoon in Managua. She LOVED it!!

Knitting Skillz Master List

I think the biggest surprise is the fact that after almost 8 years of knitting -- I've still never done a long-tail cast-on. :)

Afghan/BlanketAfghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental Knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
American/English knitting
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting (albeit unsuccessful)
Knitting with someone else's handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steek
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting>
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Feliz cumpleaños Em!

Happiest of birthdays to my littlest princess!

We're headed under the sea...

For Emily's Little Mermaid birthday party tomorrow afternoon -- I've got a faboo cake planned, but haven't been able to find the exact ingredients I need. I've got some stand-ins and we'll see how it turns out. :)