A few days ago, I was telling my mom my strategy for Christmas shopping and she told me I should write about it. So, this entry is dedicated to my mom, who doesn't have a computer and will probably never read it. LOL!

1. Shop the back to school sales.  I know, telling a homeschooler to shop the back to school sales is like telling you to breath. But while you are drooling over those piles of fresh white notepaper, new crayons, and gluesticks, try to imagine a home where every closet is not packed with colored paper, markers, and paintboxes. Yes, such places do exist. And in homes such as those, a box full of art supplies will be welcomed with shrieks of joy. The recipients will be amazed at your generosity, since such items cost a great deal more in December, never suspecting that you were clever enough to stock up when prices were ridiculously low.  Don't  forget those homes with preschoolers. Preschoolers LOVE  a new box of crayons.

2. Visit the dollar stores. There are two reasons you should be shopping now. First, you will find a lot nicer merchandise than you will at Christmas. Second, the crowds are smaller. Be sure to look for some coloring books to go with those crayons.

3. Yard sales, Goodwill, and other second hand or discount stores are a great  place for Christmas shopping.  Baskets and jars can be purchased cheeply for creative packaging. Also look for craft supplies and get statred making a few gifts. Toys can often be found in very good condition. Even if you don't feel comfortable giving a second hand gift to someone else, your own children probably won't mind. My children enjoy buying affordable gifts for each other.

4. Hit the clearance racks on November 1.  Halloween clearance items make great gifts.  Also, look for clearance candy that you can use in your holiday baking. Put it in the freezer to keep it fresh.

5. Take advantage of the bounty of nature. Keep an eye out for plants and flowers you can dry which would make nice additions to your holiday decore.

6. FOR NEXT YEAR: Stock up on Christmas clearance items for next year. If you don't want to store things that long, at least look for stuff you can use for other holidays. Red for Valentines and fourth of July, green for Easter and Saint Patricks.

I want to introduce you all to a fantastic new product: educational scrapbook kits from ScrapandLearn.com!  Imagine being able to purchase scrapbooking supplies to match your current area of study. Use these kits to decorate your lapbooks, create fabulous notebook pages, or make pages for your school yearbook. 

ScrapandLearn Pirates kit

Over all, I am very impressed with this product. All the papers, stickers, and embellishments are high quality. There is a nice selection of papers. These, with the exception of the gold print page, are all cardstock. Another page or two of plain paper or some journaling boxes would have been nice, but  the variety of prints was good. The resource list was very handy and includes some wonderful books and websites I had not heard of before.

I did wish there was a little more instruction as to how the kit might be used. A list of ideas would be nice.  Also, the inclusion of "realia" in the form of pirates coins and jewels is a nice touch, but we were at a loss as to how to attach them to the pages. But creative students will have no problem finding ways to use this product.

Currently, the pirates kit is the only  one available, but I am looking forward to seeing more of these in the near future.

Here my daughter is working on her page about Mary Read

And here is her finished page.

We actually finished our study of Mem Fox  last month. I checked out every one of her books that our library had and we read them all that same afternoon. Then we read Where Is the Green Sheep about twenty more times. It is definately my little girls new favorite.  I think we will check it out again on our next trip to the library. Joann at Ten Kids and a Dog came up with a really cute idea to use with this book, and I'd like to try it out.

I also found a unit study  for Hattie and the Fox that looks like a lot of fun. There are also these instructions showing how to Make Your Own Chicken. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the books our library had.

I must say, I wasn't entirely impressed with this author. Though she did have several books that we really lliked, there were several others that had witches and magic in them. These are not things we like our children to read about. It just shows that you can't make asumptions when choosing books for children.

My blogging friend Jimmie  has inspired me to stretch my brain by writing the title to my own memoir using only 6 words. I was leaning towards "You'll miss me when I'm gone"  since that's what I tell my husband when he complains about something I've done.   I also came up with a few that summed me up really well, but were a little too personal to post on a pubic blog. But I finally settled on a fragment of one of my favorite verses:

YET, THE LORD THINKETH APON ME

"But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh apon me." Psalm 40:17a

I'm also supposed to tag five other bloggers.

1. My real life friend, Karen from Fritzemeier Family Blog

2.  Sonia from My Homeschool Treasure Trove

3. Heather from VA Homeschool Mom For God

4. Sharon from Momn4Boys

5. SchoolinRhome from School In R Home

The rules
1. Write the title to your own memoir using 6 words.
2. Post it on your blog.
3. Link to the person that tagged you.
4. Tag five more blogs.

There's a local store that my children and I like to visit. It sells items from South America in vibrantly bright colors. Our favorite items are these cute hand knit finger puppets from Peru. As you can see from our collection, they are rather adictive.  I'm always looking for an excuse to buy more.

So, here it is:  Write a blog entry listing your favorite ideas for summer fun. Tell about games you played as a child, educational ideas, favorite summer reads, craft projects, ideas for staying cool, favorite snacks that children can help make, etc.  Just remember to write about things that anyone could do in their own backyard. We don't want to be running a taxi service all summer. Leave a note in the comments section of this post telling me where I can find your entry.  At the end of the month, I will draw the names of two winners who will each receive four of these cute little puppets. (Puppets will vary from the ones pictured above.)  Have fun!

Yesterday I was teaching my daughter a song I had learned as a child. It was actually used in a hand clapping game my sister used to do with her friends while we road on the bus (in the four years I attended private school before my parents began homeschooling). Unfortunately, I was the "pesky" little sister, so she never bothered teaching the hand motions to me.

The song went like this:

Say say oh playmate

Come out and play with me

And bring your dollies three

We'll climb my apple tree

Slide down my rainbow

Into my cellar door

And we'll be jolly friends

For ever more.

After indulging in this bit of nostalgia, I began thinking about some of the other childhood games I remember, but haven't taught to my children, and all the ones I've probably forgotten.  I was thinking it would be nice to make some kind of website to record these games. That afternoon, I received this email from the Games For Learning Yahoo Group list:

I have an idea I'm starting to put into action that I need your help with. I've created a group at YouTube for people to upload videos of step-by-step instructions of children (or grownups) teaching how to do different playground games.

Examples would be:

hand clapping games
jump rope rhymes/games
chinese jump rope
traditional/chinese jacks
hop scotch
playground ball games
cat's cadle/string games
etc etc

The idea being a place to go to be able to learn all these wonderful games from our childhoods and to be able to pass them along to the next generation and so on. I want to see a resurgence of these games! I know they are still out there but doesn't seem like they are as prevalent as they used to be so I want to change that!

So help me out!! All you have to do is get your digital video cameras out and let your kids know that they can be a star on YouTube and help share some fun games with kids around the world! Break the how-to video up into short segments...Multiple videos will probably be necessary for many of the games...Just make sure you label them all with the same title and a very clear "PT 1, PT 2, etc" and go through it slowly and carefully to ensure that its easy for someone who's never heard or seen the game to be able to fully learn it from your video. Once you have a video you're happy with, go to the link above and join the group and upload it!

Make as many of these instructional videos as you like...Even ones that have been done already because there are so many variations of so many of these games! Ihope you will help me out and that your kids will enjoy making how-to videos!! I hope to hear from many of you soon!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Tina

Talk about providential! I love when God works things out like that, don't you? If you're interested in seeing what is posted or posting some videos of your own, please visit Playpalooza. Let's all renew our childhood memories this summer and help our children create some of their own. (And if any of you know the hand motions to THIS clapping song, I'd be extremely greatful if you'd teach them to me.)

It's June and time for a new author  at the Author Fiesta blog. This month (actually two months) we will be reading the books of Mem Fox.  Time for another trip to the library!

We really enjoyed getting to know the works of Patricia Polacco.  She does a wonderful job of turning her simple childhood memories into fascinating and touching stories. I am amazed at the details she remembers from those times long ago. Her illustrations are also wonderful.  I think the children and I will try writing a few of our own stories.

If you decide to join us in studying Mem Fox, you may want to check out  the Pirates Multi-book Theme Unit at Homeschoolshare using her book Tough Borris.  Currclick also sells a book called Teaching With Favorite Mem Fox Books which has various activities you can use.

A while back, Jimmie introduced me to Squidoo and I love it. Building lenses on Squidoo is a great way to organize information and resources so you can keep track of everything  without filling your computer memory with zillions of bookmarks. And they even pay you a little something for doing it!

Check out some of the lenses I've created, then build one of your own:

Notebooking 

"Notebooking" is a term used to describe the process of creating a written and illustrated record of learning. Unlike other methods of education which are based on cosumable workbooks and texts, notebooking produces a journal of past educational adventures, which can be added to whenever additional learning takes place. Notebooks are a great way to review information and are an excellent way to share your learning experience with others.

What To Do With Lapbook Scraps

Although lapbooking is a great educational tool, it does create an abundance of scrap paper waste. This is a major turn off for some who are considering this method of education, and a source of guilt for many avid lapbookers.

But good stewardship and lapbooking can go hand in hand. There are many ways to recycle lapbook scraps, and some are as fun and educational as the lapbooking itself. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

You may also want to check out the Notebooks and Lapbooks Group  for more great notebooking and lapbooking lenses.

Sewing Lapbook

This lens provides ideas for completing a lapbook on the topic of "sewing." It's not anything fancy, but hopfully it will provide you with a few ideas. I will be adding to it as I think of additional topics to include.

Books For Girls

In an effort to help our daughters prepare for their futures, my husband and I began a hopechest for each of them at birth. This is a collection of high quality household tools as well as precious heirlooms.

Along the same lines, we have also begun a library for each of them by purchasing the highest quality books we can find- some newly published and some which are old favorites. We hope that by reading these books, both now and in the future, our daughters will develop the skills needed to be sucessful women- wives, mothers, and homemakers. Take a peek at our girls' bookshelf.

Table Manners

As the party guests gather around the table and begin gorging themselves, your glance shifts to the man seated across form you. His impeccable table manners add pleasure to your meal. Noticing your stare, he politely asks if you are enjoying your meal. Replying with an empathetic "Yes!", you shower him with food particles. After a scene like this, you may feel like giving up and becoming a hermit. But, there is still hope! Proper table etiquette is easy to learn and will save you from future embarassment.

Teatime Treats

Teatime is once again gaining popularity as many young mothers seek to establish this tradition with their children. Ofcouse, the sweetest part of these times together is the memories made, but here are a few recipes for some other sweet things you can serve with your tea.

Bringing The World To Your Living Room

So, you've made the decision to do a geography unit study. You've finally let go of your boring (but safe!) textbooks and made a trip to the library. But now what? Just follow these easy steps and soon you will find yourself touring the world from the comfort of your own home.

Creating Geography Treasure Boxes

Continent Boxes are sort of like treasure boxes- one for each continent- which contain maps, books, and artifacts from the countries on that continent. You can buy or create things specifically for your continent boxes, or you can do a "scavenger hunt" around the house to see what objects you can come up with.

Country Unit Studies

I've also mead some unit study lenses for different countries. These have ideas for crafts and for notebooking or lapbooking.

 China Unit Study

Mexico Unit Study

Japan Unit Study

Native American Crafts and Ideas

This is a list of projects and ideas that I will be using with my children as we study the Native Indian tribes of North America.

How To Teach Your Three or Four Year Old To Read

Teaching your child to read can be one of the most enjoyable things you will ever do. Preschool aged children are eager to learn and have an amazing capacity to absorb information. The key is to keep it simple and keep it fun. Do a little each day and maintain a relaxed environment.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

This simple book has been a favorite with generations of children. The simple, repeating text and bright, colorful illustrations are perfect for engaging young minds with short attention spans. However, this is more than just a storybook. The Very Hungry Caterpillar contains a wide variety of themes. So many, in fact, that this one simple book could be used as the basis of an entire preschool curriculum!

Making A Yearbook For Your Homeschool

At the end of third grade, my parents removed my sister and me from the private Christian school we had been attending and began home schooling. While I eventually grew to like being at home, I still to this day enjoy looking at my old school year books from the private school. I'm sure I would enjoy looking at my home school year books as well, but there aren't any. Nor are there any pictures. Not one single photo to prove that I ever attended school after the third grade. So, when I was paging through an old Teaching Home Magazine and read about the yearbooks someone else had done, I knew this was a tradition I was going to start.

Slime Science

Let's face it, most kids love to make a mess! And, yes, slime can be messy. But it is truely amazing how many different things you can learn about just by playing with this oohey gooey goop. Come on, admit it. The kids aren't the only ones having fun!

Holiday Freebies

There are tons of freebies available online. All it takes is a printer and some common art supplies to add some fun and educational activities to your holiday routine.  

Yipee! After years of waiting, Mystery of History 3 is finally here! Isn't it beautiful? I hope Mrs. Hobar doesn't mind me posting pictures of her baby on the web.

Speaking of babies, we have two new kids at our house!  Their names are Darby and Lazerus.  When our neighbor told us their mothers didn't want them and offered to pay us to raise them, we jumped at the opportunity. Our children are so excited to have some new little friends.  Oh, did I metion they are goat kids?  Hee, hee! Aren't they cute?

Here's a picture of my baby. She's a big help around the house.

And here is another little baby we found in the yard yesturday. I hope he learned to fly before our cat found him!

 This guy obviously thought he could fly. Good thing the rails stopped him.  

OK, enough silliness! I'm just so excited that my copy of the Mystery of History book came today!!! Yipee!

*If you are interested, you can see some sample lessons HERE.

My sons spent a few days last week working with their papa, so my nine year old daughter was looking for some ways to make money too. I told her if she did the research and came up with the ideas for the minibooks, I would help her design some lapbooks to sell. We just finished one on Memorial Day which you can purchase at my Lulu storefront  or at Currclick. Here is a picture of the completed lapbook which she cut out and assembled:

She is planning to use her profits to save for a digital camera or a sewing machine.

Sewing is a skill that I really want my daughters to learn. My mom did teach me some hand sewing, but never got around to teaching me to use the sewing machine.  So, we had to look for someone (besides me) to teach our girls.

Yesturday my oldest daughter had her first sewing lesson with my husband's aunt, who is an accomplished seamstress.  She  started out by teaching a few hand sewing basics.

 She even made some "homework" for my daughter to do. I thought this was such a neat idea. The first is a single turn hem which my daughter has already finished. She sewed it with black thread so her aunt could check it. The second is six different styles of buttons my daughter had to sew on. The third is a double turn hem, which still needs to be completed.

My daughter is also working on the sewing lapbook I put together. If you are interested, you can find the information and free printables here.

My children love summer reading programs. Besides signing up at our local library, here are a few we plan to participate in this year:

Barnes and Noble has a Summer Reading Program for children in the first through sixth grade. Children are required to read eight books and fill out a form telling their favorite part of each story to earn a free book.

I read on Dana's blog that Cay Gibson just started a blog called  Author Fiesta,  which features a different  childrens' author each month.  I thought it would be fun to follow along with her and  find some new books to read. She also has free printables and other neat stuff to go along with the study. This month the featured author is Patricia Polacco. We just checked out a stack of Polacco books today.  If you are interested, you might also want to check out the new family reunions unit   at Homeschool Share which uses the book  When Lightning Comes In a Jar by Patricia Polacco. There are also studies on An Orange For Frankie, John Phillip Duck, Mrs. Mack, The Butterfly, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Thunder Cake, and Rechenka's Eggs. (Thanks Dana.)

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine just announced their Summer Reading Splash, a reading program for homeschoolers. Every child who participates will receive a free E-book. Other prizes and incentives will be offered throughout the program, including some free bookmarks which you can download right now.

If you know of any others, please let me know.

Our science textbook this year was Apologia Elementary's Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day.  Here are a few things from our study.

For the second lesson (on whales),  we tried out the sample lesson from the Live and Learn lapbook. I really liked the layout of this lapbook. It was, for the most part, easy to follow and the booklets were all easy to cut out and assemble. I have already ordered their General Science lapbook for next year and am considering ordering the Botany one as well. The owners of Live and Learn promise these will be on sale in July, so I'll wait and see how good the deal is. 

When we studied sharks, we completed another lapbook. This one was the Sharks lapbook from Hands of a Child.  We decorated them with additional clipart which we found at LearningPage.com.

I really like the HOAC lapbooks because they come with a study guide, so you can use them by themselves or use them to supplement a textbook. Some people prefer to have their students do their own research, because they will learn more from the experience.  While this is a great idea if you are making a lapbook from scratch, we've not had good experience doing this with premade lapbooks. The children get frustrated trying to figure out what information was intended to go in a booklet, Mama goes crazy trying to help everyone at the same time, and the lapbook gets put away unfinished. If you don't have time to make your own lapbooks, Hands of a Child is definately the best choice. My one complaint about HOAC is that their fondness for shapebooks often makes the cutting a bear. (I do all the cutting for the kids, so I had to cut every book out five times!) However, it does make for a really cool looking lapbook.

We haven't really done any  of the experiments listed in the book because we didn't start science until (way too late) later in the year, but we have done a disection and some observing. Having a creek has really come in handy for this study. When we discussed swim bladders, the kids went down to the creek and caught a small fish which we proceeded to disect. Not only did we get to see the swim bladder, but we also got to see some eggs she was carrying. Unfortunately, I was filmimg this so I don't have any pictures of it. 

Our study of  crustaceans led us back down to the creek for a crayfish.  Notice how one of the front claws is bigger than the other? In the lesson, we learned that they will sometimes lose one of their cheliped (claw feet). This is one defence God has given them to escape from preditors.  This missing claw will then begin to grow back. Our crayfish had obviously lost a claw and it was now growing back. 

The children  boys wanted to see how crayfish eat, so a couple of minnows were added to the bucket.  Here you can see that he has grabbed ahold of  a minnow.

Jeannie Fulbright recommends making an "ocean box" during the study. We never got around to making ours, but the children did make some sea creatures out of clay. They also did a  little notebooking. (Although it wasn't as much as normal.)  Here's one of the drawing asignments my 11 year old completed. (Sorry, the pencil didn't scan very well.)

I hope you all have your own creek to explore. But if you don't, here's a little "I Spy"  fun. I took this picture of our creek yesturday. This is in a pool above a "dam" that the children built.

Can you see the animal hidden in the mud?

Last Sunday my husband invited some friends to go mountain climbing. So, while everyone else in the world was enjoying Easter dinner, we were on a two hour hike. I admit, I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it was a perfect day for climbing- clear and quite warm- and I'm glad I went. I hadn't been up there in several years and it was so beautiful.

This is a view from the parking lot. That doesn't look so bad, does it?

Here are a couple of nature finds along the way:

We have a lot of pileated woodpeckers in the area, so I'm assuming that's what made these holes. I'm not sure what else would have made a hole that big. 

My son found this feather, but we weren't sure what kind of bird it was from. As I was taking this picture, I noticed that the dark edge was actually matted with blood. Poor bird!

And here we are at the top. (The brown place on the right side of the photo is the top of the trail.) And if you look at the picture below, you can see the county where we live. (Please excuse the graffiti. There's always someone who likes to spoil the view for others.)

This is the top of the mountain. The four people in front are our friends who hiked with us. Their son, who is almost two actually walked almost the whole way up. 

For those of you who didn't know, we are in the middle of "birthday season." Our family will be celebrating five birthdays and an anniversary between now and the end of May. We got the idea for these cupcakes from the latest issue of Family Circle Magazine. (Directions available online.) Ours didn't turn out exactly like theirs, but we thought they were cute anyway.

Some friends of ours gave us a coconut from Florida, so my husband opened it up for the kids. He had never seen a coconut in the husk before, so I think he learned as much as they did. Unfortunately, this coconut was fermented. We will be purchasing another one (minus the husk) from Wal-Mart so the kids can try the fresh coconut. Yummy stuff!

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  James 4:14b

I've known for a long time that I would eventually have to face the death of my mother's parents, but I was still unprepared for the shock of that phone call four Sundays ago. "Grandma's dying, " my sister-in-law told me between sniffs. As I probed her for details, we both burst into sobs. How could we face the loss of this woman who had meant so much to us all? 

"When will you be heading up?" I asked. She wasn't sure yet. My brother had told her they might leave the next day to give them a little more time to recover from the stomach flu. I thought about the two day drive they had ahead of them. I was pretty sure they wouldn't wait.

Four hours later, my own family was packed and on the road.  It was a ten hour trip to Michigan. A phone call to my brother's cell phone confirmed my suspicion. They had left two hours before and were also speeding down the highway, hoping for one last chance to see the precious soul we couldn't ever imagine being without. Every one else was already gathered at the hospital.

"It isn't fair!" my mind argued. "After all these years of living so far away, when my husband finally decides to move to Michigan, why now? Why couldn't our house have sold? She was so excited when I told her we were coming. And I really wanted the kids to get to know her better. I'm not ready to let her go. It isn't fair!" Yes, I know that life isn't fair. If it were, things would be much worse. Still it was hard to grasp this news which came with so little warning. Flu . . . hospitalization . . . pneumonia . . .kidney failure . . . heart attack . . . congestive heart failure . . . only days, maybe hours to live. It was just so sudden.

We arrived at 2:00 AM. My husband dropped me off at the hospital and stayed in the car with the sleeping kids. I woke my aunt, who was sleeping in a chair by Grandma's bedside. Grandma was sleeping peacefully and I hated to wake her, but Aunt R. did it anyway. This might be my only chance to say good-bye.  "Mom, Melissa's here."

 I kissed her as the tears ran down my cheek. "Hi, Grandma. It's Melissa. I'm so sorry! I'm going to miss you so much."  I wasn't sure she could recognize me. Her breathing was ragged. Her voice weak and horse. It was hard to believe that this broken, suffering body really belonged to my dear sweet Grandma. I couldn't bear to see her, but I couldn't bear to leave.

Grandma drifted back to sleep and my aunt and I chatted. "You can stay the night if you want, " she said. I breathed a sigh of relief and called my husband so he could take the kids to the hotel for the rest of the night. Coming was hard, but leaving was harder. 

"Thanks." I told her.  Something about her response made me think she was glad for the company. None of us wanted to face Grandma's death alone.

The hours ticked by and none of us got much sleep. Grandma squirmed restlessly,  her back aching from days spent in bed, her breathing tube irritating her nose. I watched my aunt massage her back and offer her occasional sips of water.  We watched the clock, hoping my brother would make it in time.  "Tom's coming," my aunt told my Grandma. "he'll be here soon."  She seemed to be waiting for him.

After a couple hours of sleep, squeezed in between interuptions as we sat wedged into uncomfortable chairs, we noticed that Grandma's breathing had changed.  My aunt suggested we have the family members come to the hospital as soon as they could. It was about 5:00. I called my brother. They had stopped for the night and wouldn't be there until after lunch. We were getting nervous.

My aunt stepped out of the room to get some coffee. I sat by the bed, stroking my grandma's swollen hand. Her arm was covered with bruises where they had failed to insert an IV. Her ventilator  let out a steady beep. Her breathing slowed. Where was my aunt? I couldn't face this alone! Should I call someone?

My worries were in vain. Grandma continued to live (for a whole week in fact), and soon the room was full people. Grandma asked if she could go home.  "Not yet. You need to rest," we told her. She tried to climb out of bed, but my mom and aunts restrained her. "You aren't strong enough to stand up," they told her.

I'm sure the sight of the family standing in a ring around her bed must have startled her. "Why are you all here?" she demanded. "Everyone out!" she waved us out of the room.  We all filed into the hallway, insisting that Grandpa should stay. We weren't sure what she was going to do. I think she just needed some time to think.

We all went down to a family waiting room and sat chatting, catching up with each others lives. I couldn't help thinking how Grandma would love to be a part of this, and yet she was all of it. It made no sense. And yet, it made perfect sense that this woman who was the glue of our family should bring us together even in her death.

And so began one of the most horrible weeks of my life, and yet one of the best. Life is full of contradictions: That I could spent almost thirty-three years of my life taking from my Grandma, and receive a greater blessing from one week giving back. That watching her die to us was like watching her being born into heaven. That I could spend precious time with my family while losing an important part of it. That I could become closer to my Grandfather as my Grandmother drifted farther away.  And that I could miss her so terribly and yet be glad that she is no longer here.  

I do wish you all could have known her. She was quite a woman. And while she,  like the mist,  has slipped away, her legacy lives on.

Below is a tribute I wrote for her two years ago. Thanks to everyone who expressed their sympathy. It has been a comfort.  Melissa

Grandma,

When I think of you, I think of how you have devoted yourself to making those around you feel special and loved. Almost all my memories of you involve you giving something- money, gifts, time, or attention. If there was ever anything you knew we needed or wanted, you would try to give it to us if there was any possible way.

You made yourself a part of our everday lives. You came to the important events: baptisms, grandparents days, plays, graduations, soccer games, professions of faith. You went on outings with us, took us along on errands, and picked and canned fruit with us. You invited us for sleep overs and let me sleep on the floor by your bed when I got scared and cooked whatever we wanted for breakfast. You kept a special drawer with special toys just for us and you had another drawer filled with candy that you were always happy to share. You baked cookies and cakes and bought donuts and came and had coffee with us. You bought groceries and clothes for us. You saved bones for our dogs, toilet paper tubes for our hampsters and gerbils, greens for our rabbits, scraps for our chickens, and the last piece of steak from your dinner for Mom. You spent hours knitting us mittens, socks, sweaters, and washclothes. And you were always there when we needed you, like when Mom cut her hand cleaning the cupboards and you not only took her to get stitches, but came back and finished the cupboards.

You were always patient with us. You never got upset when we were loud or wild. (Yes, I know I was loud and wild.) And I can only remember one time that you punished me, and I cannot remember what for, only that I was shocked that I had actually done something bad enough to deserve it from you. You always gave the impression that we were the most wonderful and important people you knew, and we never felt like we were a burden to you.

Holidays would not have been the same without the care and trouble you took to prepare special meals and add special touches (like Andes candies on the buffet). Even if we were not there to celebrate with you, you did all you could to bring the celebration to us by sending Valentines, Easter candy, Christmas cookies and such. And you were always glad to provide anything we felt was necessary to our enjoyment of the day.

You showed us an example of generosity through your generosity. And you showed your love for us through your actions. You have sacrificed for us, worried over us, laughed and cried with us, worked and played with us. Some people are worthy of love and honor simply because they are what they are- a grandmother. But you have set a higher standard for all the others. You have shown the love of Christ to us, and like Him, we love you because you first loved us.