Gathering Graces 11/15/2018

*Love Extravagantly.  This is how The Message Bible interprets the meaning of I Corinthians 13:13.  I am doing a study of the word Love, with the emphasis on the love that is Agape.   Within Christianity, agape is considered to be the love originating from God or Christ for mankind. In the New Testament, it refers to the covenant love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term necessarily extends to the love of one's fellow man.  I want to love extravagantly...and I want God to teach me how.  I love the term extravagantly.  When I looked up the definition, some of the terms used were...

--with a lack of restraint in spending money or using resources

--in an excessive or elaborate way

--to a large degree and with extreme feeling

My goal and my prayer is to learn all I can about loving with extravagance, and hopefully apply what I learn to my life. 

*There is a social media called WeChat that is quite popular in China.  I have heard other VIPKID teachers refer to it.  This morning, I had one of my six year old students hold up a QR code to the screen, show a cell phone, and try and give me some direction.  I had no clue what he wanted me to do.  When I was able to go back and watch the class, I scanned the QR Code from the screen, and realized it was an “invitation” from him to join WeChat.  So I joined WeChat and made an account and requested him as a friend.  Once he accepts, we can now communicate outside of the classroom, and I can find out even more about this precious little student.  I am very excited!!

*It was nice to have a day today where I didn’t have to go anywhere.  It was nice to stay home, and get some projects done I had been working on.

*Taylor and Cosette headed to Coeur d’Alene to finish up some of their painting jobs, and then headed back to Moscow.  I am looking forward to Sunday, when all the family will be gathered here to celebrate Paul’s birthday by going to see him in the Sixth Street Theater production of Guys on Ice, then back at our place for dinner.  Zoe flies in on Saturday morning, and will stay here until Wednesday and ride back to Meridian/Nampa with us, as we travel down to Meridian to celebrate Thanksgiving with Paul’s family.  Because of other commitments, Molly and Travis and Taylor and Cosette could not make the trip to Meridian, so they will be in Kellogg Thursday to celebrate Thanksgiving with Christy, Everett and Bill.  I am glad they are able to celebrate with their Aunt and Uncles here in Kellogg.  And this especially makes their Aunt Christy happy, because she loves Thanksgiving!!

Gathering Graces 11/14/2018

*I finally got the dahlia bulbs off the dining room table and into a Styrofoam cooler full of sand to store over the winter.  I will try and check on them every three weeks or so to see how they are doing.  I am keeping my fingers crossed!!

*After a very productive morning, I watched the Great British Baking Show final while I ate lunch.  Oh, the final made me cry!!  It was so great.

*I made sure I had my shopping lists, and drove to Coeur d’Alene to get some bloodwork done, and then did some shopping at Fred Meyer and Costco.  It really wasn’t too busy at their place, which was very nice.

*I purchased some Italian Salami and a variety of cheeses at Costco, so I cut up salami and served the cheese and some sliced cucumbers for dinner.  Delicious!!

*Paul and I walked over to Noah’s Canteen across the street from our house at the Silver Mountain Resort to gather with others for the second Innovation Collective Fireside Chat.  This month Jeff Nearing, who runs D,G,& S Company here is the Silver Valley, was the guest speaker.  What a wonderful time as Jeff told stories about the beginnings of the business, when his grandfather, father and uncle ran it, to how he came to be a part of the business and eventually took it over.  We also heard about him traveling to the Soviet Union when he was in high school to play basketball.  We learn so many good things when we hear the stories of others.  The whole evening of sharing was fascinating.  Join us next month.  You won’t be disappointed!!

Gathering Graces 11/13/2018

*Last night I wrote out the schedule for my day.  It was the first day I had finally done a schedule.  By the end of the day, I had accomplished all but one of the items on my list.  I didn’t get around to reading my book for my book group that meets on Friday.  So now I will add that to tomorrow’s list as a top priority!!  I knew having a written down, visual reminder would help keep me on track.

*If it works out that Nikki and I are unable to walk in the morning, I wanted to find a shoulder stretching and strengthening video to do on my off days.  I found a great 20 minute video that I tried today that stretches and strengthens the shoulders.  My shoulders have become very tight with my new routine.  The video was great, and I want to try to do it as many days as possible throughout the week to keep my shoulders and neck area loose.

*With VIPKID you can be certified to teach different levels of students.  When I was originally hired, I was certified to teach levels 2 and 3, which are typically 6-10 year olds.  Last week I became certified to teach Level 4 students.  These are more 9-12 year old students who know much more English and you do a lot more talking back and forth with these students.  Kevin was my first Level 4 student this morning.  He is 11 years old.  The lesson was on Landforms, and the landforms we talked about were Mountains and Valley, so I brought up some photos of Kellogg on my Kindle to show him that I live in the mountains, and in a valley. We also talked about some animals that live in the mountains, such as bear, fox and deer.  A few years ago I captured a photo of a deer in our front yard, so I was able to show him the photo of the deer in my yard.  What a fun way to connect with Kevin!!

*Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are in Galatians 5 when it talks about the fruit of the spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I have studied these words many times and I really want to study them again, and allow God’s spirit to work through me, and have these fruits more prominent in my life.  It isn’t something I muster up in my life.  It is something God changes in my life, and transforms in my life.  It is supernatural.  So I am ready to be transformed, and to have these fruits play a bigger part in my life as I interact with those around me.

*I headed up to KHS this afternoon and worked with a student on making a list of scholarships she can apply for, and helped her with her FAFSA as well.  Then I went up to continue working on some pottery pieces.  I can’t wait until the pieces are fired next week and I get to start choosing glazes.  Woo Hoo!!

*Even though I got a short nap in today, by 8 p.m. I was ready for bed.  I tried to read my book before bed, but I was just too tired!!  I am really trying to make sure I get enough sleep so I don’t get run down and catch a bug!!  I can only hope Benjamin Franklin’s adage will be true to me....”early to bed, early to rise....makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Gathering Graces 11/12/2018

*Today I tackled working on a weekly schedule.  I made some progress.  At the end of the day, I had a schedule for Tuesday.  Baby steps!  Baby steps!

*I was looking through some boxes of “stuff” in our storage room to use for one of my classes tomorrow, and I came across some vintage Kellogg High School and Kellogg Junior High School buttons that I had saved.  I think some of these hearken back to the late 60’s and early 70’s when my siblings were students!!

*I keep being remindedShow important it is to be kind.  My niece Jennifer recently posted about going to her four children’s conferences, and how each of her children, from elementary age to high school age was complimented about their kindness.  What a proud moment for those parents to know they are raising kind children.  Imagine what our schools would be like if the first response to any situation was to be kind....by both students and staff?  I think school would have a whole different atmosphere if this were the case.

*Last night was the second month I gathered with other women from the Silver Valley for “Real Women”.  It was another uplifting evening to be encouraged by our speaker Debbie Holland and organizer Chris Schonewald Meyer.  The thing I got most out of the evening was the message that what we do here on earth is important, and we need to let God’s Spirit guide us so we can love others supernaturally.  And be a light in our world of darkness.  It was a message I have heard many times, but it is always great to be reminded what our purpose is here on earth.  Jesus calls it the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:36-40.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I mentioned about the atmosphere in the schools changing if all staff and students focused on being kind.  Imagine what would happen if all people who say they are Christians followed the greatest commandment?  What if we truly allowed ourselves to let God’s love flow through us, and we love our neighbor as ourselves?  Imagine what a different atmosphere our world would have if even the percentage of us who say we are Christians decided to love?  I think it would be a world changer!!

Gathering Graces 11/11/2018

*With it being Veteran’s Day today, our church service was dedicated to honoring our past and present veterans.  People could purchase a flag in memory of a veteran, and these flags were displayed this morning.  The whole service was in honor of those who have served and continue to serve our country.  Once of those people is our Pastor Dave.  He is not only the pastor of our church, but is also a Chaplain in the U.S. Army and serves soldiers in that capacity.  We are very blessed to have a Pastor who is able to minister to not only his congregation here in Kellogg, but to soldiers and veteran’s who are in need of help as well. 

*The closest relative that served in the military was someone I didn’t know.  It was my dad’s brother, William Woolum.  “Uncle Bill” was in the Navy during World War II, and his ship was bombed somewhere in the Pacific Theater.  His Navy uniforms hang in a closet in our house.  His photograph hangs as part of a collage of photographs honoring soldiers who were Kellogg High School graduates in the main hallway at KHS.  The thing I remember most was that my Grandma Woolum was a Gold Star Mother.  This is an organization of American Mothers who lost their son or daughter in service of the United States Armed Forces.  I know my grandma’s heart was broken when she got the news about her son being lost at sea.  And I believe the Gold Star Mothers organization was a good support system to help her through that loss.

*I was very excited when Zoe told me that there was a new season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix. Yes, Jennifer Kroos Haemmerle, I was excited to have another way to binge watch seeing Paul Hollywood in action!!!  There are some very colorful characters this season.  And some of the baking challenges have been quite challenging and unique.  There are certain jobs I see people perform on television, and I tell myself that it would be so fun to have that job.  I would love to be in the role of host that Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc originated on this show, and now  Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig  have taken over.  They have fun.  They get to encourage the contestants.  The only downside to their job is having to announce who “leaves the tent” each week and has to go home.  But even that is done in a way that makes the contestants feel good.....they all get a group hug!!

*We bid adieu to the two corgis and returned them to Bill’s house on our way to family dinner next door at Christy and Everett’s house.  Christy fixed a wonderful chicken dinner that hit the spot!!  It was nice to have Bill back in town after his  trip to Oregon to be with some friends.  Christy and Everett’s living room was very comfy and cozy on a crisp autumn evening.  We started off the evening with a wonderful new drink Christy tried using her favorite Peppermint Twist Vodka, cranberry juice and ginger ale.  It was very tasty.

*Coco and Taylor were finishing up a painting job in Coeur d’Alene today, and arrived after I had gone to bed.  They are heading back to Coeur d’Alene to begin another painting job they will be working on this week. 

Gathering Graces 11/10/2018

*There was still snow on the ground, but my Christmas cactuses don’t care.  I think they should be called Thanksgiving Cactuses, because they usually bloom sometime right before Thanksgiving.  I think they might do this because they are outside all summer, and then the shock of being back indoors causes it to bloom.  It will bloom a few more times as well before they go back outside for the summer.  I love these plants. It is always nice to have these cheery blooms as the days start getting darker and grayer. For years my Christmas cactus did not grow and did not bloom.  Now I can’t stop them!!

*I had a couple of online VIPKID workshops today, and do some other VIPKID stuff.  I am always learning something new with this job.  Paul was commenting to me how proud he was of me being able to get up every day in the wee hours of the morning.  I realized that part of what helps me maintain my energy each morning is the way the classes are delivered. It is like I am putting on five or six mini performances each day.  It is like I am a performer in a kid’s television show.  And that is what helps me keep my energy up. 

*After lunch it was off to nap....I have to get my naps in during the day!!

*Our schedules were tied a bit to our cat Toby today.  Toby is diabetic and every so often we have to check his glucose levels over a 12 hour period, and poor Toby was subjected to being pricked on the ear every two hours so we could check his glucose levels.  He was quite the trooper!!

*Paul continues to work on the basement bedrooms.  He put new flooring down, and painting has been done, ceilings scraped, and new wall board put up.  It is fun to see the transformation of these two bedrooms, and the downstairs bathroom is being painted as well.

Gathering Graces 11/9/2018

*These are the things I have been thankful for this past week.

Monday:  I was thankful for light at the end of my early morning walk.  Thank you Daylight Savings Time.

Tuesday:  Today I was thankful for being at KHS to help students, working on some pottery, and voting in the election.

Wednesday:  I am thankful today for being a part of P.E.O. and working alongside women who help support other women who want to further their higher education. 

Thursday:  Today I was thankful for a beautiful, sunny afternoon where I could hop on my bike and ride along the river and take in the beauty of the place I call home.

Friday:  I was thankful today for the first snowfall.  I love how everything looks covered in a white blanket of snow.  And I am thankful that I decided not to drive to Coeur d’Alene today.  I did not want to drive on the roads during the first snowfall of the year!!

*My plan was to go to Coeur d’Alene today.  But I napped in the morning, and by the time I had woken up and had lunch, I noticed there was snow in the forecast around the time I would be driving home.  I opted out of driving in snow today.  So I stayed home and got all the rest of my plants covered and ready for winter (just in time)!!!, and worked on some home projects as well.

*I enjoyed watching the first snowfall from the comfort of my home.  I had been sitting on the couch in the living room reading a book when I started to watch the snowflakes fall.  It is so beautiful!!  But as beautiful as it is, I have to admit I am glad I was not in the snow driving back from Coeur d’Alene!!!

*After Paul headed off to perform in Guys On Ice, and I want to the basement to teach some classes. Helloooooo China!!!

Gathering Graces 11/8/2018

*What an unexpected sunny afternoon today.  After I ate lunch, I was planning on going to Coeur d’Alene to run some errands.  But I went outside, and realized how beautiful it was, and realized I needed to take advantage of this day!!

*The first order of business was covering up some of my plants.  I got my roses covered with burlap and some of my newly planted bushes and perennials covered with a good amount of mulch to help them through the winter.

Sleep well little roses.

*After I got all the outdoor chores done, it was time for some fun.  I decided to hop on my bike, and take a ride to Elizabeth Park and back, and enjoy this beautiful sunny afternoon, and take some pictures of the beautiful place I live.

*There were many reasons I chose to retire from the school district and work from home.  And today was one of those reasons.  If it is sunny outside, and I want to take a bike ride on a beautiful fall afternoon, nothing is stopping me!!  I create my own schedule, and my own schedule can often be changed.  Which is what I did today.  And my soul and spirit were much better for it as I drank in the beauty of my surroundings on my bike ride.

The South Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River, just east of Kellogg.

*When Paul got home, I suggested we have a “Date Night” and go out for dinner.  We had not had a date in quite some time, and it was time to remedy that.  We decided to go eat at the Hill Street Depot, and it proved to be a great choice.  I had some pork street tacos and chips, salsa and cheese sauce.  Paul enjoyed a tri-tip burrito.  We both enjoyed the smokey flavor of the meat they smoke in-house.  I am not much of a beer drinker, but there is one I do enjoy every so often, and they had it on tap tonight.  It is a dark beer called “Irish Death”.  It went great with my tacos. 

Date Night at Hill Street Depot.

Gathering Graces 11/7/2018

*I have started reading the Dr. Seuss classic Fox in Socks to some of my online Chinese students in the morning.  They are loving it!!

*This morning I spent preparing a program for my P.E.O. meeting tonight. We are talking about the many projects we support through P.E.O., to help women obtain an education.  These include loans, scholarship and grant opportunities!!

*Bill came by to pick up the Corgis, and I got to see he new smile, after spending all day on Tuesday at the dentist office getting a bazillion crowns put in his mouth.  He shared a quote from, Liz, was helped with Mom through Hospice in her final weeks.  She would say, “Working with people who are dying is not for the feint of heart.”  Bill felt the same way today.  Spending all day at the dentist office and getting a mouth full of crowns is also not for the feint of heart.

*Our P.E.O. dinner and meeting went really well tonight.  Christy was part of the social committee that helped organize this event.  We invited members from the P.E.O. chapter in Wallace, and it was fun sitting with some of the at dinner and visiting, and they were very interested in my experience with VIPKID, and how I teach Chinese students.  It was fun to share with them about it.  And they talked about Wallace already getting some snow on the ground.

*Brrrrr!  The temperature dropped this evening, and it was a bit nippy as I was packing up my stuff after the meeting.  It was nice to return to my comfy, cozy, warm home.

Gathering Graces 11/6/2018

*Even more snow is covering Silver Mountain, and getting lower on the hillside as well.  The fall colors are still beautiful up in the hills.

*The roses still had some blooms so I went and clipped off all the blossoms off the rose bushes.  Soon I will get some burlap to cover them up and protect them throughout the winter.

*Today was Election Day, and I headed to the polls around 4:30 p.m. today.  It was a good time to go, because it was before the after work crowd arrived.  It was nice to hear all three daughters voted as well today!!

*I headed up to KHS at lunchtime, and spent some time in the afternoon talking to the director of the after school program at Kellogg Middle School.  I am going to teach an after school drama program at KMS this winter.  It will be similar to the program I taught at the elementary school last year.  I am looking forward to it!!

*There were a couple of seniors who came and talked to me regarding scholarship information, and then I went up to the art room to continue working on some pottery projects. 

Gathering Graces 11/5/2018

*I know most people are not fond of the early afternoon darkness with the time change, but I do love the light in the mornings on our walk.  I know it is not going to last much longer, but it was nice to be walking home, and seeing a little snow up on Silver Mountain, with the beautiful fall colors below on the trees in the hillside.

*Today I spent some time making a list of all the things I want to do on a weekly basis as part of my new “work from home” schedule.  Now I need to start putting the pieces of the schedule puzzle together to figure out when I want to work on things throughout the week.

*I said goodbye to Cosette and Taylor today, as they headed off to finish their painting job in Coeur d’Alene.  They should finish today.  They are heading back to Moscow and take some much deserved time off, then back here next week to work on another Coeur d’Alene painting job.

*Zoe video-called through Facebook Messenger and gave me a tour of her new apartment she just moved into in Nampa.  It was so fun to see her new place, and talk about items she may need, and little projects Paul can help her with when we go down at Thanksgiving!! 

*As we ate our dinner, Paul and I discussed what would be on the ballot tomorrow, and talked about how we would vote.  I look forward to voting tomorrow and seeing what happens throughout the country as well as people make their way to the polls.

*Bill is having some dental work done tomorrow so he brought the Corgis over to spend the next two nights with us.  They are always fun to have around.

Gathering Graces 11/4/2018

*Today I am thankful for family dinners.  These times we get together have proved to be a wonderful time to catch up on a somewhat weekly basis, and to enjoy the cooking of each of my siblings, or to share my cooking with them.

*It was so nice to be back in church again this morning.  Last week when I was in Glendive, a couple was in church whose daughter and son-in-law live in Bloomfield, a little farming community north of Glendive.  Paul heard them mention Glendive, and had to ask about it.  They were in church again this morning, and I enjoyed meeting them, and talking to them about my trip.

*Sunday afternoons are always a good time to take a nap!  And it was a little gray and drizzly yesterday, so that lent itself to a good nap time as well.

*Bill was the host of our family dinner this evening.  He prepared a wonderful tossed green salad with a tasty vinaigrette, and some Beef Strogonoff.  He wanted to serve some wine with dinner, but couldn’t fine the kind he wanted, so he opted for some lovely dry apple cider instead.  It was delicious.  And, if anyone wanted dessert, Bill offered his leftover Halloween candy which included small candy bars like Milky Way and Butterfingers.

*Even though I got a nap in, by 8:30 p.m. I was ready to go to bed, so I did.

Gathering Graces 11/3/2018

*I forgot to share what I was thankful for yesterday, so I will double up on thankfulness today.

*On Friday, I was thankful for the rainy weather.  We have been in need of rain after a very dry summer.  I also like the rain because it is getting all the plants I recently put in the ground lots of moisture before the freezing temperatures come.  I have been very thankful for the rain.

*Today I am thankful for the ability to be quiet.  I like our home, because it is a very easy place to enjoy peace and quiet.  I like being still.  I like having a peaceful environment.  Most of the time, I think our home has this “vibe”. 

*This morning I talked to April over in Italy.  We had not been able to talk for a while, so it was so nice to visit, and get caught up on each others comings and goings.  I shared with her bout my trip to Montana, and she talked about a wonderful restaurant and bed and breakfast her and her husband Eric go to, and the fabulous meal they had their the other evening to celebrate being Italian citizens.  Reason number 576 why I really want to return to Italy for a visit!!

*My spice cupboard has always been a mess.  It was full of outdated, old spices. It was disorganized.  It was always hard to find the spices you needed.  It was hard to know if the spices you needed were in the cupboard or not.  So I have been working on these cupboards for the past few days, and finally got them organized.  They have never looked so good!!  I also did an inventory of the items I have in the cupboard so I know what spices I may need to purchase.  And usually around this time of year, as the holidays approach, you can get good deals on spices.  And I threw away a whole big garbage bag full of items from these cupboards that I no longer needed.

This part of the cupboard is dedicated to items I would use for baking.

Yes, I really like my Pampered Chef measuring cups in many different forms!!

Gathering Graces 11/2/2018

*After teaching this morning, I participated in a VIPKID workshop for “Digital Nomads”, people who will be traveling but still want to teach.  I learned all kinds of information regarding internet capabilities, purchasing mobile hotspots, 100 feet Ethernet cables, shower curtains for backdrops and what portable lighting is good.  I will be traveling at Thanksgiving and want to get things ready and be prepared before I travel.

*I got my nap in before noon today, which was much needed.  I know I was actually sleeping, because I would wake up during episodes of Chopped, and I had jumped from the appetizer round to the end of the dessert round, so I must have slept through the entree.

*With my plethora of squash I harvested from the garden, I had been wanting to make a squash soup.  Today I finally made some soup.  Plus, I used the process of creating the soup to fulfill the requirements for the sibling assignment I recently assigned.  You can find the post here that talks about how I created my own version of Squash Soup.  My sibling’s posts are linked in my assignment.

*I taught more classes tonight.  One student was in a car while I taught him.  I am not sure that is the best idea, because the Internet connection was a little sketchy.  But we made it through the lesson.