Second Floor Sleeper

I was sitting outside my apartment in the SIM library connected to a cable hoping to get a little bit faster connection.  I happened to glance out the window and see this guy snoozing on the grill work.

He's probably tired after climbing so high!  Sleep well little guy!

Discovering Our Creator in the Hedges

One teaching position that has been on our list for the last few years is that of an elementary Bible teacher.  I know it would be awesome to have someone come along who would be passionate about teaching Bible to our elementary kids but secretly (or not so secretly), I'm kind of happy that I get to teach Bible to my own students each year.  As I take on this responsibility, I love to see how God connects the truths we learn in our Bible time to other subjects and to things that happen in our every day lives.

We start right at the beginning with the story of Creation.  Last year as I searched for some hands on activities to do with my kids centered around creation, I ran across the idea of drawing the number for each day of creation and having the kids illustrate inside the number what God did that day.  So my trusty assistant at the time made me some numbers that the kids could trace and away we went.

What I love about this project is that it forces kids to be creative in their drawing and how they fill the space.  Here's my favorite one out of this year's projects.

After we finished talking about all the days of creation, we took a class and just reflected on Creation and what we can learn about who God is through Creation.  Something crazy was going on and I had to run an errand so we turned it into a walk in "God's Creation" and as we walked we thought about what we could learn about God.  What did we happen upon on our walk but two hedgehogs curled up in the hedges - a rare sight during the daylight!

(And yes, I can count.  This picture was taken after one had been picked up. :)

You better believe that we stopped and took time to terrorize enjoy them.  Poor little things probably won't ever let the sun rise on them again without being hidden away in a very dark corner.  

After our very eventful walk, the kids definitely had lots to say about what Creation teaches us about God.  Here are some of the truths they pulled out:

• God is creative - all the amazing and different animals he created.
• He loves color.
• He is mighty - he speaks and things happen.
• God doesn't have a beginning.
• God loves us and created us with great care.

Some simple and profound truths about Our Great Creator were discovered in the hedges that day.

Squinty-Eyed Smiles & Such

Who doesn't need a squinty-eyed smile and a laugh or two to brighten up their Monday?  

Order up.  One squinty-eyed smile coming your way!

As for the laugh or two - this little guy can provide those.

While we were exploring the geoboard and the many ways we could use it he announced, 

"I'm making a Chinese word."

"What does it say?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said, "but I've seen it on Chinese tv."

So there you go...if anyone knows what "Chinese" word he has made fill us in.

And my favorite quote of the day came from the same kid as he was putting away his phonics book,

"I love this book!" he proclaimed, "It's educating!"
Why yes it is.

At the end of the day we gave this little one a group hug

and said good-bye for now as she and her family go to join their Dad at home for a little while.  We will miss her but we know that it's been hard for them to be separated so we're glad they get to be together again.

Nailed It!

And it's back to school with me!  I have seven kiddos this year and I'm loving it.  During the first week of school with first graders, I can not remember a year where I have actually had the opportunity to sit down at my desk for a few minutes while my students worked but it happened this year.

We started out the year with a fun little self portrait.  Here they all are and some of my students nailed it!

Awesome hair.

A carefully included freckle.

Prepare to laugh with this little guy.

Braids!

Wispy hair perfectly captured.

Lovin' the lips.

A winning smile.

All fearfully and wonderfully made!

Glorious Green - My Last Crafty Project of the Summer

Way back in February, I ran into this fabric. 

It was the perfect thing to tie together the blues and the greens in my living room and dining room.  I thought there was only going to be enough for curtains or dining room cushions but I happened to find more which meant there was plenty to go around.  So I made the curtains.

But I let someone else do the hard work of making cushions.

One last look into that lovely green kitchen...

where my handy with a drill friend Deb helped me attach all the new door handles.

(I needed help because my first encounter with the drill included the loss of a chunk of skin off the bottom of my toe and the drill wasn't even moving!)

And finally a look into my living room which means my last summer crafting project is complete.

Maybe one day there will be more on the walls but I wouldn't get your hopes up!

Busting Out the Color

You may remember when My Apartment Fell in A Bucket of Fresh Cut Grass.  Well my living room/dining room/kitchen wasn't the only room in which I decided to bust out the color.  I also chose some pretty bold colors for my spare room.

This is the necessary before picture...messy and lived in! Important to note that right there where my chair was sitting a hole was being worn in the cement floor.

I chose the color for the wall based on this fun fabric I found  and my friendly neighbourhood painter mixed up the paint and painted that wall right up.  He also painted my shelf pink and of course, green couldn't be left out.  So he painted a little cupboard green for me.  You'll see that little guy in a later picture.

Now most people would do things in a logical order but me, I like to be different so I decided to address the little problem of the hole in the cement floor a few months later after everything was nicely painted.  Brilliant, I know!

They literally came in and chipped up my floor carrying it out in buckets but still leaving plenty of floor behind in the form of a thick layer of dust.

But it was worth it because I got this beautiful tile floor.

When I put everything back I decided to rearrange the furniture which made this whole room seem so much bigger.  Great decision!

I found the fun green sheets and bought them because they were perfect for the room and because I needed more green in my life (yes, I have a problem!).  One of my crafting projects for the summer was to make the grey cover for the bed.  Someone I love dearly told me I should trim my grey material with pink bias tape.  "More color," I said to myself, "of course!"  Ignorance is bliss. But I know now that making bias tape is hard work especially the part where you iron it all.  However, I will say this.  There is a certain very satisfying feeling you get when you see it all rolled up neatly lying on your table.

Anyway, my summer project is complete.  The bias tape has been sewn on and the bed cover completed.

I'm quite happy with my colourful little spare room...except for that little problem of the curtain rod that's falling out of the wall.  Yep, should have taken care of that before the room got painted too!

Relaxin' & Craftin'

Since I have stuck close to home (which also happens to be close to work) this summer people keep checking up on me to make sure that I'm not working too hard.  Just to put any worried minds at ease, I thought I would post some of my summer crafting which mostly consists of cards that I've made.

Introducing....

my very first shaker card.  So fun!

Loving the Rich Razzleberry cardstock from Stampin' Up!

This card and its awesome colors and happy little hello from Simon Says Stamp - 

well, they just makes me happy!

As does this skunk also from Simon Says Stamp who is just downright cute.

A little Hero Arts and The Alley Way Stamps goodness.

And then there is my very first card made with Lawn Fawn's Scripty Thanks die.  Love the font!

Hope this is evidence enough that I've been enjoying myself but if you need more you can come check out the rest of my stash.  There's plenty more fun where these ones come from!  

Supply & Demand

Prior to the beginning of Ramadan these hangars comprised a bustling little business, feeding faithful breakfast and lunch seekers along the side of the road.  Since the beginning of Ramadan and the Muslim fast the benches and tables have been stacked up, unused, collecting dust.  Across the city as I walk or drive, I notice the absence of these small street vendors who earn a living by providing food for those who pass by.  With the majority of the country fasting there simply isn't a demand for the service they supply.  In this nation that is one of the poorest in the world, what does it mean to lose your livelihood for an entire month?  At the same time, there is an increasing demand for faithful Muslims to spend their income on feasting each night and on brand new expensive outfits for the end of Ramadan.  This often leads to debt which they spend the remainder of the year paying off.  During this month when followers of Islam are working extra hard to meet the requirements of their religion, pray that God would open their eyes and help them to see that fulfilling all of these demands cannot supply them with peace or a right relationship with God.  Pray that many will encounter Jesus - The Way, The Truth and The Life.

Hello Hyena

You just never know what you are going to see when you wake up in the morning!  This morning I headed out for my morning walk and I actually grabbed my camera because I had in mind a picture that I wanted to take for my forthcoming newsletter.

These guys are members of a pack of dogs that I see on the mornings that I walk around the national stadium.

But this particular morning as I walked in through the parking lot a much larger, round eared animal caught my eye.

Well hello there, Mr. Hyena!  I did not expect to see you here this morning.

Yep, Mr. Hyena and a fellow hyena friend were just hanging out under the tree.  Don't let that fence fool you though, they were chained to the tree but definitely not enclosed.  Their owners had obviously spent the night sleeping on the pavement yards away from them.

Things that make you go, "Hmmm?"  There had to be a story there somewhere.  I didn't get it but I did get a picture of the curiousity of the day.

There you have it, you never know what you are going to see when you wake up in the morning.  So get up with a sense of expectancy, Sleepyhead, and maybe grab your camera on the way out the door!

It Was A Good Last Day

The 2013-2014 year has come to an end.

We began the day with our traditional soccer game.

The secondary and some staff played while the rest of us watched and cheered.

Midway through the game we were introduced to a new animal called a bush baby or a galago.

Then we moved inside for our closing assembly where these four earned a certificate for saying their verses with no errors.  I am especially proud of the little guy on the end next to Miss Carriger who is an English Language Learner and made only one mistake all year!

We finished our assembly with the "Be Happy" dance.

And if you don't feel happy after that then there's always kid writing.

And there you have it another year of "theaching" in the books for Bothers.