While Mom's Away

Tuesday -
Another snow day, but David was able to get me & Valorie into the office again today! Today, we had about half of the office show up!
The kids took the absence of parents as an invitation to do experiments. All day I got texts asking where things were in the house...the flour, the salt, the liquid starch. I started getting nervous since we are supposed to host a chili party tomorrow night. Morgan took pictures of the fun, and the kitchen was in pretty good shape when I got home. I just noticed that they even used the craft mats on the table!

Let It Snow - Enough Already!

Monday -
The work week begins - David had to take me in to work today, and on the way we rescued Valorie! The roads were still snow-covered, and most people were wise enough to stay home. Only four people (and the boss!) made it in to the office!

Snap Circuits!

Let It Snow -Still!

Sunday -
Church, which is NEVER cancelled, was cancelled!
Parties were cancelled! :(

Let It Snow - More!

Saturday -
Plans for our annual trek to see Santa in Richmond were cancelled. :(
No more shopping - hope I'm really finished!
Snow finally stopped and the kids could play. Sledding was not so great, but they all had fun anyway! Even Gracie loved it!

Let It Snow!

At 11 pm we had 11 1/2 inches on the deck!

Choral Concerts

Last night the Honor Choir and other graded choirs presented their Winter Concert. Katherine & Caroline both sing in the Honor Choir. They sang well, and I especially liked Sleepers Awake.
Tonight the Bearettes gave their Winter Concert. It was fun to see them sing all of their songs again. I love their rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas!

Becoming a Bobcat

Will loves being a cub scout! He also loves having his dad as his den leader!

Tonight there was a potluck dinner and awards ceremony. The Tiger scouts all earned their Bobcat award, and even better, each scout received his Pinewood Derby car kit as a Christmas gift!

Circle Christmas Party 2009

Shelley, Jane, Sarah, Alice, Debby, Linda

Valorie, Pam, Mary, Diane

Nancy, Laura, Jen, Jennifer

Chess Tournament - Fall 2009

Every semester the chess club hosts a chess tournament. Today's tournament conflicted with several musical performances - the band concert at the middle school & the Bearettes performance at the high school.

By the time I got to school, the kids were on their second games.




In between the second & third games several of the participants had to change for their performances - Cal came back in a tie & Caroline came back in her dress & pearls!

Ms. Judy's Christmas Shop

Each year, Judy heads up the Annual Christmas Shop for the kids at church. She collects donated items, and sometimes goes out and buys new items. All of these she sells for 50 cents each. This year the shop raised almost $170 for foreign missions.


We've almost run out of room for all the goodies! The kids love to come shop and cross the names off their lists. In fact, when they move to the Youth Department, they have to wait to shop until after all the littler kids have gone through. We even have some adults who do their shopping at the shop!


This is Ike's first year shopping. He was very excited!

Bella, too!

In addition to shopping, there's cookie decorating. Make two - one to give away and one to eat. The cookies were taken to the Sawyer House, where people stay while loved ones are in the hospital.



There's a dress up nativity station - this year there were a bunch of ninjas visiting the baby Jesus!

There's also a craft table for making cards to go with the cookies! The kids also made ornaments!

Annual Circle Luncheon & Shopping

First, we eat at Red Robin. This year there were so many of us we needed 3 tables!



After stuffing our faces, we divide up into groups and set out to purchase clothing for the children we've adopted. Because the kids attend the school where one of us is a teacher, we get to hear about how much they enjoy what we've gotten them.

Decorating the Tree

Will and Gracie took charge of getting some ornaments on the tree. This was the day that it didn't snow at our house, but snowed enough everywhere else that all the fun was cancelled. Parties and performances were cancelled all over town. So, we responded by decorating!

Bearettes at Belk -Take Two

The girls were asked to sing for an hour tonight while people shopped for Christmas. They sang their own music, and filled in with the typical Christmas tunes. Everyone had fun! The store even doubled their promised donation toward their Charleston trip. The church youth group came by to hear Caroline sing before heading off to make purchases for their Angel Tree child.

Advent a la Lego

The boy loves Lego's. He can make all kinds of things I could never think of. It made sense to get him his own advent calendar, especially when I found out that Lego makes one! Each day there's a new door to open with pieces inside to make a person or object for the Christmas scene.

Capital Quilts & Trader Joes

I spent the weekend visiting my mom and her friend Cheryl. We went to Capital Quilts to see what we could see. I picked up some gifts and fabric for the backing of that wedding quilt. Then we went to Trader Joe's - Oh my! That would be a nice addition to the Cville scene! Mom also brought me my new featherweight sewing machine- unfortunately the guy who tuned it up forgot to give me my peddle & cord. He's supposed to send it in the mail.

That's the quilt mom made for Cheryl for Christmas!