Surprise Visit

 Tonight I have 2 extra girls for the night.  I normally only have Lexie at home, my 17.5 year old.


It has been a while since any of my girls have been able to pull one over me.  Well, I am sitting at my desk and Casie comes in.

Casie said, "Mrs. Sherree, can I have a private conversation with you?"  So I get up and follow her into my bathroom.  I close the door and Casie forgets what it was she wanted to talk to me about.  Now, at this moment if I would have been more alert, I would have thought something was up.  So I open the door and proceed back to my desk.


Lexie has come through the door and flopped down on my daybed.  Casie goes and sits down on the end of the bed.  Gabrielle is lounging on the sofa that sits in front of my desk.  I look at each of them and ask, "Okay, what is going on?"  They just turn to each other like I am dumb or something.


Then my sweet Lexie asks me for a piece of paper.  This is so she can make Casie a snowflake.  So I give her the sheet of paper.  Of course she needs the scissors.  So I hand them to her.  Still I am not thinking clearly.


"Hey, mom", would you give me the house key that I left on your desk?",  Lexie asks.  So of course, I start looking and she tells me that she had dropped it in the spot that I normally keep the scissors.  I have a file holder that holds papers and then has two spots for pens and other things.  


As I put my hand down in the slot, I jump back.  Reason?  There is a frog and I actually grabbed it.  Now it is looking over the edge with it's two front legs hanging over.


It jumps out and Lexie is trying to get it and it jumps off the desk and under my small file cabinet next to the desk.  When she finally gets it, she grabs it and starts toward me.  I grab a mirror and try to get her to take it away.  And all this time the frog is going to the bathroom on my chair.

As if this would not have been enough for my evening, I am sitting at my desk trying to do this post and a wasp flys out of nowhere and lands on the side of my drink.  To which I rather quickly grab my cup and the remote with the other hand.  Casie is looking at me like I have lost my mind.  I do kill the wasp and things have settled down.  Or at least I hope that it has.

Teachers

Now, please don't get me wrong here.  I have taught and I have always tried to stand on the side of the teachers.  But today, I have to stop and wonder if they are always in the right.

About 2:30 this afternoon, I received a call from one of my friends.  She had gone to the school to pick her daughter up early and found one of the teachers out in the hall talking about the students.

It seems that one of the students had brought a bottle of liquor to school and some  caught.  After taking a breath test, they found at least four of them with alcohol on their breath.  So these four were sent to ECAP for the next 90 days.  Two of them being cheerleaders, one a dancer and the other a young boy.  A fellow student informed on them and got them caught.  Now I don't agree with what went on, they deserved what they got.  I can just imagine what happened when they got home.  I know what would have happened at our house.

Well, it seems that this teacher was out in the hall talking about the students that had got caught with another teacher. When my friend walked by, she heard them and being her nature to take up for the students, she turned around and said, "Why are you not in the classroom taking care of the students that are in your room crying?"  Well, they both started back at each other and finally the security guard came and asked my friend to leave.  At which she did.

My daughter's teacher came back in and was fussing at the students for crying.  Now why they were crying is beyond me.  I would just be glad that I wasn't involved!  The teacher came to my daughter's desk and said, "Boo Hoo, why are you crying?"  Which to my daughter came back with, "I wish you had a friend that went to jail and then you would know how it feels".  Now I can tell you right now, that what she said was beyond appropriate.  This is an area that we deal with her. She is always quick to have a comeback.  I have asked the teachers often if she is disrespectful in class and the answer is always no.  So I was surprised when she said that.  I guess I really should not have been though.  Then the teacher came back with, "I hope that you get run over by a car".

Now how would that teacher feel, if that were to happen?  My problem is, that I realize teachers take alot off the students today.  My hat goes off to each and everyone of them.  But isn't a teacher suppose to the the bigger one?  My only memories of teachers were positive, as far as encouraging me.  That is, except for my 3rd grade teacher.  But perhaps, I had tried her patience!!!!!  Who in their right mind would plug their ears and scream, thinking that no one could hear them?????  I do know better now.

This teacher is known to call the students "stupid", almost every week.  I know this because of listening to my daughter and her friends talk.  

I know that I need to continue lifting the teachers up in prayer, but when one makes the comment that was made today, it is hard.  I think that I just need to visit with the teacher and then the school board, if I need to.  Keep me in your prayers.

Women are Writer's

Today, I have a great saying on my desk calendar and wanted to share with you.

THERE ARE MORE SECRET WRITERS AMONG US THAN WE REALIZE.  IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT THOSE WHO REALLY WANT TO WRITE ARE WRITERS.  LISTS ARE WRITING.  NOTES ARE WRITING. JOURNALS ARE WRITING. WOMEN ARE WRITERS.


**When we speak our truth in our writing, even if it's only for our own eyes, we are cleaned and healed.


I do believe that one day My Mandy will start writing.  She's always had a way with words.  Growing up, she was learning new words that she would get out a dictionary and then learn how to use it in a conversation.  And spelling, she awesome.  Then My Gabrielle, has always used big words in describing.  My friend would always get upset  when she was asked what was her birthstone and she would not say green, but EMERALD.  She is always amazing her teachers with her words.  


For myself, I love reading and writing reviews for books.

Teenagers and Jeans

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on the windows.  I thought to myself what a way to start the day. I had made a promise to start my day with the Lord first and I fully intended to fulfill this.  First off, I should have taken my Bible and my devotional book upstairs.  I know that I need to do this before I even place my feet on the floor.  So down the stairs I go.  Except that when I got downstairs, the atmosphere was not at all peaceful.

I have Alexis (17), Payton (18 and living with us until I get the trailer ready for him) and then our lovely, dramatic Gabrielle(14).  It seems that Gabrielle has left her ONLY 2 pairs of jeans at her friends house and she has no jeans to wear.  Now if her sister would only get off her pedestal and let her borrow a pair, we would not be in the spot.  Alexis probably owns 20 pairs at least.  So asking nicely, I thought, Alexis proceeds to let me know that she is not sharing her jeans and that it is not her problem.  Never mind that I am the one that pays for the jeans.  So off to school Payton and Alexis go.

Now begins the real drama,  "Mother, I can not go to school without jeans to wear."  When I ask where are the 6 pair that she bought while living in San Antonio are, she responded - They are too short now.  Right, like she has grown in the last month.  Well, I send her upstairs to her sisters room only to find that the door has been locked.  At this moment, if I had high blood pressure, I am sure that it is skyrocketing.  So off I go to my desk, hoping that I have a key to the lock.  Yes, I do, so now perhaps we can get to school.

Drama must be Gabrielle's middle name.  Somehow it is my fault and all I did was get out of bed without giving the Lord the first 10 minutes of my day.  Trust me, tomorrow I will make this a priority.  So off to school we go and the car is silent.  I always hated when my mother would give the silent treatment.  I wanted to talk, but in my heart I knew that anything that I said would meet with disdain.  As we are pulling into the parking lot, I notice other parents letting their LATE children off.  Thinking that I could do the same.  Oh, no, now it would be my fault again if I were to decide that because it is pouring down rain, that she could walk herself in.  So I get out of the car, all the while not saying a word( you know how teenagers can be if you say the wrong thing).  When I finish checking her in, I ask the secretary if it was required that I sign her in when she is late.  Oh, no, she is able to do that herself.  I turn to Gabrielle and say "have a great day", to which she replies(you don't want to know).

So after school today, I take pick her up and take her to "the New Black"  a consignment store and start looking for jeans.  Nothing fit, but we did find some shirts, purse and a pair of shoes(new).  All for the total cost of $207.00.  Then I get home and order some on Hollister(fortunately the are on sale).  I look at Gabrielle and tell her, that she had better wash the jeans she has on, because those will be going to school tomorrow on her body.  I know that I should have just looked for jeans, but I knew that the shirts would be the next thing that she didn't have.

My Mandy and Bridgett were never this hard to please or dress.  One of these days, I am going to get to go shopping for myself and enjoy it.

35 Years Ago, Our First Daughter and My Best Friend Was Born

Exactly 35  years ago, I got up, got dressed, went over to my Mother's and then went to get my Grandmother.  Then we headed out for Dr. Matthew's office.  For that day was the day that our first daughter was to be born.  Or at least, we were hoping that it was a little girl.  At that time, there was a lot of guessing about the gender of the unborn child.
Well, I went in, but the dr. told me that I needed to go for a long walk, that is after he gave me a shot.  So off to the park, we went.  All three of us walking and hoping that my labor pains would start to kick in.  After a while, my grandmother said enough already, let's take her and have the dr. check her out.  (that meaning me) After waiting to see the dr., he finally sent me to the hospital.
After getting me settled in a room at Methodist Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, we began the long, long wait.  Here I was thinking wow, now it is just a matter of minutes.  Not hardly.  Sixteen hours later of hard labor, without any drugs, our precious, MANDY JEAN (named after the book, Mandy and my mother) arrived.  Just a side note:  At this time I had had a chocolate poodle that was named Mandy, and to this day, people really think that I stooped so low, that I would name my first born after a dog.  NOT HARDLY!!!!!
My husband was so cool and steady, that the nurses thought that my brother, Stephen was the dad.  For he was the one fussing at the nurses about not giving me any thing for the pain. (What a great brother).
After a stay in the hospital for a few days in a plain room.  Nothing like the ladies get today. I finally went home, not to my house, but to my Mother's.  We stayed there, for my Mother not only took  care of me, but had the time to spoil Mandy. The first grandchild and first great-grandchild.  In my day, Mother's took care of the new mother and child.  It was so nice having her there to pamper me.
Now, 35 years later, our little Mandy has grown into a lovely lady.  She has a heart for the Lord, a great and good-looking husband that we are so proud to call  our son-in-law.  They together have blessed our lives with 2 sassy, wonderful, and energetic daughters.
Mandy is the first of our four awesome daughters.  Over the years, she has become my very best friend, one that I can always count on.  If you ever get the opportunity to know her, you will find that she can be a little sassy, straight to the point and a loyal friend.

 Our Mandy, on her first trip to church. This was her dedication dress, and was used for all four girls and then Mandy's two girls.

My Mother, Betty Jean, with her first grand-daughter.

 WOw, momma, this dog is as big as me.  He won't eat me, will he?        







Mandy always loved playing with the cats, now she can't be around them, due to allergies.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MANDY

WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES