Friday's Fave Five - 1/24/14

LINK to Friday's Fave Five

1. An easier fix than expected.  This morning I got a text from Andrew in China that his debit card had locked down. Big problem--it's Friday night there, and he is traveling in the southern part of the country, so he can't just go to his apartment and figure it out on Monday.  Mike is off today, so he met me at the bank with the paperwork that allows us to make decisions on his account.  It took some phonework on the part of the banker, and about 45 minutes (thank you to the teacher who covered for me at school!), but we got it straightened out--as well as put some safeguards in place for getting it solved more easily if it happens again.  And it was wonderful to have WeChat so we could talk directly with him via text as we were trying to get it straightened out.  He was even able to send a verbal text to thank us and to thank the lady at the bank!

2. A day off school.  Monday was a holiday for students - teachers had to go for three hours of inservice training, but it was still a nice day.

3. Great training sessions. We are studying Biblical worldview over a ten-week period.  It's a lot of work, but it's very informative.  

4. Morning Glory Muffins.  I wrote about them here, a couple of years ago--we have been enjoying them again.  They are full of good-for-you stuff and are very filling also--great for quick breakfasts.

5. A new title. My husband is now the Operations-Chemistry Safety Tagging Single Point of Contact person at his job.  He said not to get excited--it is not a promotion.  Nor a raise.  But it sounds impressive!

Monday Misc.

--Today was MLK day, but the teachers at my school had a half day for teacher training.  We are studying Biblical worldview, and though it is a lot of work, it is good.  We will have 11 training sessions (have completed three so far), including a video for each one, reading in a textbook, study questions to answer, and a quiz each time.  So far it has been challenging and enlightening.

--This is a picture that I meant to post before Christmas.  Our music students sang for several hours (taking turns--solos, duets, etc.) at the local mall, and we had a display table which teachers took turns manning.  Here I am taking my turn.  It was kinda fun--

--Today  at a local printshop I made copies of this drawing on cardstock, which our daughter drew in memory of Aunt Jane, and gave it to her dad on Jane's birthday.  She did a beautiful likeness.

A Slight Mistake

A precious lady affiliated with our school, for whom English is not her first language, recently wrote me about her part in helping out with concessions during basketball games (I keep the list).  Her message adds a whole new dimension to what we're trying to accomplish here:

"Please let me know when I am helping with the conception stand."

Package Arrived!

I mailed a package to Andrew the day after Thanksgiving.  You've got to be careful what you send--if a package is too valuable it might not make it all the way there.  :-)  Also, mailing is very expensive.  This package was worth about $30-$35 max, and it cost $26 to mail first class.  (Any mailing method less than first class takes so long and is so erratic it's just not worth it.)  And we found out the hard way that you can't mail used clothing--all his winter things were here (by design) for us to mail--and we couldn't mail them due to postal rules.  

This box contained a scarf I crocheted out of camo yarn, a "gator" that Mike bought him to go around a person's neck and can be pulled up (that's what's over his face in the picture below--I'd never heard of one), a USC knit hat, and a blue knit hat given by one of my students: "My mom knitted it because your son is cold in China."  (Needless to say, I was deeply touched by that gesture.)  He is going to send another picture with him wearing that hat.  He also said he is very glad for the gator because the one he had freezes if he is outside more than about fifteen minutes, and this one is much warmer.

All the mail for the English team apparently goes to one postal box.  One of the other teachers saw this box, took it home, and wrapped the whole thing in Christmas paper so that Andrew would have something to unwrap at Christmas.  (Which I also thought was very kind!)  So--this morning he sent this picture to my phone. My Christmas was made.

Christmas 2013

I have not done much posting this month--for a combined number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is so busy with things to go to, plus exams.  I graded over 16,000 exam questions last week.

It's been a little difficult to get into Christmas, knowing that Andrew is on the other side of the world.  It is where he is supposed to be, but I will miss his not being here for the festivities in a couple of days.  

Mike and ML bought, set up, and decorated the tree one day while I was at school.  They also hung all the outside wreaths and got up other decorations as well, so it was a very, very nice surprise to come home to.  They put the tree in the kitchen so that it would be visible from outside when the lights are on.  It is a nice change.  The only time I don't like it is late night or early morning, when it's nice to sit in the living room with the room lights off and just the Christmas tree lights on.  But--they did the work; they can choose where to put it!

It also is not critical where it is placed because we won't have a lot of gifts to open this year.  My children are past the opening presents stage, and Mike and I combined birthdays and Christmas this year by giving each other jackets that both of us needed.  Plus, we'd rather save "presents" by taking trips at other times of the year when possible.

ML also set up our long-time nativity set.  She and Andrew played often with this stuffed set when they were younger.  Sometimes I would come out in the morning to discover that their dinosaur toys, or whatever, had joined the manger scene as well.

If you look closely, you can see that, in her usual creative way, she has "protected" the holy family in a rather unique way.

I tried a few arty close-ups while taking pictures.  They didn't work great, but are kind of nice for a change.

I have much to do in the next couple of days.  That's the downside of getting out so close to Christmas. The upside--we do not go back until January 6!!

"In The Sweet Bye and Bye"

Because I miss hearing my son sing. :-)  Used with permission from the Calvary Quartet, "Singing Around the Piano" CD.  www.calvaryquartet.org.  Picture is taken of him singing in China last week.  All the voices are good - their blend is great - but I love that tenor voice at the beginning and the end.  :-)

Playing Basketball

Andrew sent this picture this morning of himself playing basketball at the gym at the school where he teaches.  I think he's looking good!

One-sentence Summary of Obamacare

Quotation from a commenter on a Washington Post article.  

"In short 85% of America will have worse coverage while paying on average 41% more, so the other 15% can receive some form of free or nearly free healthcare."

Thanksgiving 2013

It's always nice to go to Mike's brother's house for Thanksgiving.  They have a large home in the country, with plenty of room for anyone who comes - and it's usually a diverse group.  Andrew's absence was keenly felt, but it was a good day.

Here is yours truly with my niece's eighteen-month-old, very sweet, very photogenic little girl.  She commanded attention all afternoon, and she loved every minute of it.  It was difficult not to pay attention to her because she was just so stinkin' cute.  The lady behind me is my sister-in-law's mother, a very gracious lady.

 ML with little Bailey--

We always shoot skeet if the weather is OK.  This is where we really missed Andrew because he always loves the skeet shooting.  ML got two out of four--not bad!!

And of course, Mike, the man with a gun--got two out of four his first go-around, then six out of six his second.  He is quite the shooter.  And his brother, behind him, is a good shooter also--as well as the provider of the skeet and ammo.  Thank you, Steve--

 And one last picture of the day's main attraction--

It was a good day.  Lots of good food.  Family from both sides, friends, and a spirit of Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Eve

It's 8:30 on the night before Thanksgiving.  ML will be in later from a friend's movie-watching party.  And Andrew is on the other side of the world.

It's hard having him so far away at Thanksgiving.  I keep reminding myself that he is just on the other side of the world.  But I miss him.

One of my eighth grade students brought a hand-knitted hat to me on Monday.  "It's for your son in China," she said.  "My mom made it for him because it is so cold there."  I was deeply touched.  I meant to take a picture of it--but remembered after it was already packed.

He is not real warm. He stays bundled up, but the temperature is hovering around 0 degrees.  He has heat in his apartment, but it's on the first floor--and heat rises.

Today I packed a small box with that hat, the scarf I knitted earlier that was to go in the box we couldn't mail (found out too late that you can't mail used clothing into China), a "gator" which Mike says keeps your neck warm, and a Carolina knitted hat just to make him smile.  I also included gluten-free snacks--not because he is on a gluten-free diet but because he said that that if you state that on the customs form, it helps get things past the censors without their looking into packages.  (Apparently none of them are gluten-free.)  And he said there is someone there who will be glad for them.

I walked into the post office with the package at 4:37.  And discovered that the post office closes at 4:30.  Se la vie, or however you spell it.  Guess I'll send it on its way on Friday instead.  And hope and pray that the censors really are gluten-free.