Monday and Tuesday

Anders won a blue ribbon at the Albany Fair. He definitely has a love for chickens. Josiah also won a blue ribbon for his entry. He included a selection of fishing lures that he made, and his display board was covered with a colorful history of lures as well as his projects. It was beautiful.

The boys won first in state for Wildlife Management, and Stennes won 3rd in individual score. They were excited especially because Teresa had made them a promise that if they won, she would pay for a meal at Dairy Queen.

And this fella here? He's one of Mean Ol' Mama's Spanish students. We had class at our house Monday night (student choice) and a meal cooked by Mean Ol' Teacher.

And these lovely ladies? They're students, also. Why are they so excited? Because as we were inside finishing the meal, we heard music playing outside. We all rushed out to see...

The boys had their instruments hidden in order to surprise us with some Spanish mariachi music. Aren't they sweet? The ladies were very pleased.

Here's a photo of the class having an animated discussion with Mean Ol' Teacher. A test on Wednesday? Extra homework? Yep...Welcome to Mean Ol' Mama's world, where excellence and hard work is always on the schedule...

ChubChub decided to impress the ladies with his "shups". He was a major hit at the party, and quite a few gals asked if they could take him home.

Mean Ol' Mama fried chalupas, made rice, garlic meat, red sauce, green sauce, pico de gallo, beans in broth, and refried beans. Yummy!!

The group had a performance at the College Tuesday morning. We are know as the "Just Us" band. The photo below shows the boys warming up while Mean Ol' Mama takes care of other things.

They rested for a bit while the audience got settled. There were plenty of students and professors filling the seats.

Afterwards, the boys were able to sample foods from an "International Spread". These tidbits kept them happy for a while, but we treated them to a special meal when we got home.

The photo below isn't too clear, but you can see that there were about 100 people at the show. We sang songs from 15 different countries and dressed appropriately in honor of International Studies week. We received so many compliments, and the boys agreed that the hard work was worth it.

One of the professors gave us a special treat: chocolate-covered sunflower seeds. She said that the kids remind her of the sunflower: cheerful and bright.

We're Still Alive!!

Whew, after a long week of illness, we're finally on the road to recovery. Friday we went to see the boys' fabulous Brazilian guitar teacher at a solo performance in Thomasville. His skill left us speechless. (And he's soooo nice, too...Strict but nice). Stennes brought a project home from the Shop to work on while he was still a little sick. He's carving a house sign for a friend.

Have you ever had a brass band in your living room? It's a little...well, loud. The boys are preparing for a performance at the College on Tuesday. We'll post more about that next week.

ChubChub is demonstrating his new "fishing" pole that Pop made him. A large washer tied to the end of the string attracts magnetic fish. Look, he caught one!

The boys are also learning new pieces/medley sets for when we go out on the weekends. They're quite fun to play along with, although we adults are getting further behind every day because these boys are getting good.

Saturday was a much-needed Family Fun Day at Shell Point Beach in Florida. Branch quickly discovered a live starfish. Isn't he incredible? (Branch, not the fish...)

The Girl wanted to feed the birds, but she first tried her hand with Daddy standing protectively nearby. Those gulls create quite a ruckus, you know.

She finally stepped bravely from under the shelter and was instantly surrounded by wings and wind. "...And childrens' faces looking up, holding wonder like a cup..."

Poppins and the boys are the little figures in the distance. You can tell from the sky that it was a cool, windy day. Mean Ol' Mama and The Girl did their share of shivering.

Stennes caught a scaly gar, or rather...the scaly gar caught Stennes. This aggressive fish was not even hooked; he was angry, opened his mouth, got the hook caught between his sharp teeth, and was down for the count. Por la boca, el pez muere. [By the mouth, the fish dies]. That should be a word to the wise: keep your mouth closed when angry or suffer the consequences of impulsiveness.

Branch hooked a stingray, which was a little uncomfortable for Mean Ol' Mama. She snapped the photo and quickly sought a peaceful spot further off.

Snacks were eaten amidst shivers, blankets, and pleas for more time on the beach.

Once the sun began shining, the afternoon warmed up quickly. Anders caught a splendid grouper and was rightly pleased.

The Girl, however, had seen enough of water, fish, and wind. She curled up with Mean Ol' Mama and sweetly sighed herself to sleep in the sunshine. We had a beautiful day and headed home to warm chili waiting on us and good memories to tuck us in. It's good to be "alive" again!!

Telegram

all children sick STOP mean ol' mama running in circles trying to keep up with runny noses STOP getting better every day STOP will post more soon STOP

Lots of fun Thursday and Friday

Have you ever seen such pretty smiles? The Girl and her friends were welcomed at the Tea Party with special hats to keep as favors. They were also told to take care of these hats and bring them each time that The Girl hosts another fete. The buffet was delicious. Mean Ol' Mama and The Girl made Orange Marmalade Cheese Tarts, Chinese Chocolate Cookies, Almond-Peppermint Biscotti, Kiss Meringues, Creamy Cilanto Shrimp Spread, and there was the usual assortment of cheese, olives, cashews, and fancy cookies. Behind the tea cups on the table was a selection of candies, stickers, little cute bees full of honey, and bags for the guests to fill as they chose.

The girls began the celebration by decorating their own chocolate cakes. They really had a good time with the sprinkles and colored sugars.

There's nothing as sweet, though, as The Girl's precious smile.

And look!! Someone snuck downstairs and crashed the party. ChubChub even managed to swipe one of the hats. We finally gave in to his pleas and made him a plate of goodies. How could we resist such a charmer?

"...And as the guests were swept away, the whispers lingered another day...". Well, the tea cups had to be washed after the party was finished, but it was a delight this time, not a chore...

ChubChub showed Mean Ol' Mama his new fingers when she finally finished tidying the kitchen.

Poppins was able to stay a while Friday morning before leaving for work, so he put the boys through a few drills of Physical Training. They usually go out every evening together and burn off their last bit of the day's energy.

Musical Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

ChubChub decided that he would compose a piece on the piano. It was quite melodic, heavy on trills, and full of bass-banging. His song was an equally...[how shall we say it?]..."joyful noise"... The boys have faithfully prepared for performances these past few days. Constant correction and "let's-try-it-again" takes its toll after a while. Thankfully, Mean Ol' Mama keeps a drawer full of miniature Hershey bars to encourage us all in moments of musical despair...

Josah helped Anders to master the bar chord. Classical guitar is made for people with long fingers and hands made of rubber.

The Girl wanted to share her drawing of Joseph's coat of many colors. She has a whole basket full of colored pencils to embellish her school pages.

What is Branch doing with ChubChub's highchair? Oh, he's scraping off jelly, smears of peanut butter, pieces of who-knows-what, etc. It's a job that has to be done frequently.

The Girl left Mean Ol' Mama a "love note" on the pillow. Mommy is my mom. Nothing extraordinarily stunning, but the fact that she was thinking about her mommy...that's special...

The boys performed Wednesday morning at the United Methodist Church Keenager luncheon. They did a really fine job and were able to enjoy the potluck lunch. There were even tiny treats at their plates.

Saturday and Sunday

Saturday the boys went with Poppins, Pop, Uncle Tim and their 2 cousins to Mule Day. That's right, folks, only in the South would we celebrate such amazing animals as the mule. They had a fun day full of activities and sights, such as the man in the photo below showing off his "mule". This lady was showing off her little companion, brightly dressed for the grand parade.

Mean Ol' Mama and The Girl stayed home and did important household duties such as: shopping for the upcoming Tea Party and painting toenails a pretty, bright blue. This was The Girl's choice of colors, and a prettier set of feet ye never did see...

After the boys returned from Mule Day and shared their cotton candy, The Girl and Branch went out to the basketball court for a time of art.

Sunday evening we went to two Haitian camps and had the best, most enjoyable times with them. These people are so receptive to God's Word. The photo below shows the end of the first meeting. We're handing out French Bibles, tracts in Creole, and cookies.

ChubChub wanted his picture taken with his new friends. These men always enjoy seeing the children

The woman below is adding her name to thousands of others already in our prayer book. There's nothing magical about it; this book simply serves to remind us as we pray for the countless people we've been with.

ChubChub found yet another friend, but this little guy couldn't quite figure out what to do.

Aahhh, this is better. He found a familiar face and decided to rest with him for a bit. The other little guy wasn't too excited about sharing his cookies, though.

We arrived at the second camp just before the sun went down. It was turning cool, but the message and songs warmed us all. Three men came forward and asked for prayer. When a fourth man saw them, he ran over to the circle of people, dropped to his hands and knees, and pushed himself through the legs of the other three men so that he could be prayed for, too. It was a moment of unspeakable "heart-clench" for us all.

Finally, the following video brings us a smile, so we thought we'd share with you.