reformation

In 1516,  Johann Tetzel, a Dominican friar and papal commissioner for indulgences, was sent to Germany for the Roman Catholic Church to raise money to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
The theology was that faith alone could not justify man, so charity and good works were expected. The church suggested that benefits of good works could be obtained by donating money to the church.
With these concerns about how the Roman Catholic Church was conducting church business with the people, mostly raising funds, Martin Luther wrote a letter of protest to the Archbishop of Mainz and Magedburg on October 31, 1517.
He included a copy of his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" which today is known as The 95 Theses.
And the Reformation followed.

Heavenly Father, We thank you specifically for Martin Luther, who shared with the Church Your lost words of grace. Send your Spirit today so that we who are often blind to You may hear You say, "Let there be Light!" Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to believe.

new favorite old movie

I watched another old movie yesterday, The Razor's Edge, filmed in 1984 with Bill Murray playing the main character, Larry Darrel, who goes from World War 1 to a coal mine in the Himalayas seeking inner peace.
It was a great film and reminded me of my grandfather who fought in WW1 and was wounded in France. He eventually came home to Missouri and died of his war injuries. My mother was eight.

balloons for elizabeth

They launched pink and purple balloons this week for nine year old Elizabeth who died a year ago this month. Actually she first went missing until the fifteen year old neighbor girl confessed to luring her into the woods behind her house, stabbing and killing her, then burying her in a grave she had dug the day before when she ditched school.

Dear Jesus, I didn't know Elizabeth but from her picture she had a beautiful smile. She didn't need to die such a violent death.
Just as I believe in you, I also believe there is a devil and he does evil deeds in this world. Please protect us from those that wish to harm us.
The fifteen year old girl who is in jail now needs your help more than ever. She cannot take back what she did but she can come to know you and ask for your forgiveness.

really good pumpkin cake recipe

1 large 29 oz. can pumpkin
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup melted butter
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Prepare pumpkin mixture in a 9" by 13" cake pan. Sprinkle yellow cake mix over pumpkin mixture. Melt butter, pour over yellow cake. Bake @ 350 for one hour. Top with whipped cream or Cool Whip.

I had a taste of this cake one morning in kindergarten, the kids were actually snarfing it down. It was so good I had to ask the teacher for the recipe. Instead of all the spices, I'm going to use "pumpkin pie spice."

second grade, jungle theme

Before school, the quietest part of the day...

another movie

I watched another movie this morning, actually it was a documentary called Touching the Void. It was about two British mountain climbers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates who are climbing in the Andean mountains in 1985. Joe falls into a deep crevasse and Simon ends up cutting the rope and leaving him. He makes it down the mountain thinking that his friend Joe has  perished. Well, because Simon cuts the rope he was attached to, Joe ends up crawling his way back to base camp and his friend. It was so good I would like to see it again, since I missed the first part. Be prepared to hear the "F" word alot especially after Joe falls into the crevasse and thinks he's a goner.

walking downtown

The Capitol, taken from a parking lot.

george c scott

This morning I was bored with the Today Show so I surfed to the movie channel and found The Changeling with George C. Scott. Filmed in 1976, it was supposed to be spooky but not at all by today's standards. Still, as old movies go, this one did hold my attention. Scott is the main character. He is a music professor who has experienced the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. He takes a new position at a college in Seattle. With the help of an attractive, single realtor, he rents a spooky old house and gets caught up in a murder mystery involving an old man who happens to be a senator and hugely rich.
The movie did a good job of tying it all together at the end and I kind of enjoyed the fact that Scott was a chain smoker, even lighting one up while he was sitting at his piano composing.
It's nice having the time to watch old movies at 9:00 in the morning!

class list

1. the misshapen head
2. the poor starving little kid
3. little miss america
4. the artist
5. shy boy
6. fashion plate (new clothes and shoes everyday)
7. little mister anti-social or come near me, I'll spit on you

Teachers who work daily with autistic kids are the true heroes of this world.

downtown

I don't know the history of it, I just think it's a classy old building on Main Street.

fridays lunch

Jack, the fattest roundest kid in second grade, enjoys bringing his lunch from home. On Friday he brought two big gas station donuts, a bag of BBQ potato chips and a Snickers candy bar. Jack's parents are fat round too.

day 17

When a student has been rude and disrespectful to his teacher all day that usually means that he has learned that behavior at home. He has grown up listening to his parents being rude to each other and also to him.
 Teachers have so much on their plate. They need to cover the curriculum in creative ways, strengthen study and organization skills, and how to work efficiently in a group. Basic rules about behavior should be taught at home.

dream and book review

I've always been able to remember my dreams and last night I had a strange one. I was coming out of a bar in downtown River City and I couldn't locate my black hatchback car. In the real world, I don't drink alcohol and I drive a white Boxy-shaped Honda. Back to the dream. a small boy comes running up to me and announces that he knows where my car is. He points to a large wooden garage with a door covered with chains and padlocks. No problem, I just used the super-powers that I possess and kicked open the door. Inside was a skinny man dismantling cars. I asked for his help in finding my car. Later, I was sitting in a restaurant eating with family members and the skinny man appears with a huge triple- decker chocolate ice cream cone. He has found my car and I follow him to the parking lot but first, I eat the ice cream cone.

This has nothing to do with the dream, but I am reading No Way Down by Graham Bowley.
It is the story of the tragic 2008 K2  ascent that claimed the lives of eleven climbers. It is fascinating, especially if you enjoy reading books about mountain climbing. 

the miners

It's nice to focus on the miners today and not the war in Afghanistan or the political debates or whether or not we want to ban smoking in restaurants (a local issue).

Dear Jesus,
We know that a lot of smart people from all over the world gathered together to rescue these miners today but really it was you answering all those prayers that made it happen. What a wonderful God you are!

rain and hail

I got caught in a thunderstorm today. I was about a mile from my car when it started.The sky got dark purple so I knew something was up. I didn't mind getting wet. As a matter of fact, the raindrops felt rather invigorating. Then it started to hail and I got worried; not about me but my little nine-year-old car was out in the open. What to do? I decided to chance it and make my way back home. I swear the hailstones were marble-sized, not huge but I have never been in a car while they were shooting down all around me. By the time I reached my garage, the sky was blue again and it looks my car withstood any damage... all the more reason why I love it!

the old state pen

 I tried to get a picture of the new federal courthouse that is being built on the grounds of the old state penitentiary but I could not get to it because the streets are currently under construction. I took a picture of a lookout tower on the wall of the old prison and the house across the street. The house was originally built by prisoners and was at one time, the home of the warden and his family. It was later occupied by a law firm and now it's for sale.

The area around the old prison is nice and flat and a great place to walk. Plus, I enjoy the history of it!

vitamins

Instead of a daily multi vitamin, here's what I take:

Mornings:

• one Lil Critter Vitamin D gummy bear
• one timed release B12 vitamin
• one generic regular strength aspirin
• one omega-3 Krill oil (hey, it keeps the whales alive)

Afternoons:

• one one-per-day Omega-3 fish oil
• one alpha lipoic acid capsule
• maybe another gummy bear

I also drink 8 ounces of generic vegetable juice and plenty of Diet Blueberry Pomegranate juice (Ocean Spray). I try to eat a daily banana and snack on almonds and cashews.

fountain

A fountain on the grounds of the Capitol

second grade: day 15

I love second grade. I love it because the kids are like little sponges and it's so fulfilling to know that I played a small part in all this learning that's going on. Anyway, this morning we took part in " Read for the Record Day." The book that was chosen was The Snowy Day by Esra Jack Keats, not one of my favorite authors but we talked about the characters and why the snowballs melted when he brought them into the house.

The second book we read together was more enjoyable. It was Read all about It! by Laura Bush and Jenna Bush Hager. When I asked why Laura Bush is famous, no one could tell me. I told them that she was married to someone very famous and they guessed Kyle Bush, who is big in NASCAR. Then they started getting silly and guessed all kinds of crazy things like Brittany Spears mother. I ended up telling them that Laura Bush was married to a former president. The story held their attention and Denise Brunkus did a great job illustrating it. I hope that Mrs. Bush and her daughter actually wrote this book. It would be dishonest if someone else wrote it for them.

We finished the day with a movie, The Magic School Bus Gets Planted. I love Ms. Frizzle too!

steam train

The world's largest operating steam locomotive rolled into town yesterday. It's on a six-state, 2,200 mile tour from Cheyenne, Wyo. to Gorham, Ill. to celebrate railroad heritage.

I was somewhat disappointed. I thought it would be an "old-time" steam engine. It wasn't.

prayer

Enough of sweat pants and flannel shirts. I pulled on my walking clothes, my new Asics gel shoes and my two pedometers (Yes, I wear two, it's an OCD thing) and walked this morning in my neightborhood. I always do a couple of miles on the middle school track. 
As you can see, the leaves are just beginning to turn.
Dear Jesus,
Thank for this glorious October morning. Help me to remember always, "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it."

i finished it

I had a late phone call last night to sub today but I pushed the "star" button, which how I  "decline" for the day. Did I feel guilty? A little, but I spent most of of my day in a flannel shirt and sweat pants reading Oprah. I'm glad I finished it, as I had contemplated returning it to the library two-thirds unread. It did get better and I found myself intrigued by some of the weird facts about her. I don't think about Oprah as being ultra-rich, but  the book really brings out the fact that she loves all of her "billions" and how she lavishes it on herself and Gayle, her BFF.
So if you are an Oprah fan, do what I did, check out this book at your local library, no need to buy it!

oprah

Oprah by Kitty Kelley has turned into somewhat of a snooze but I'm going to finish it anyway. The author makes her out to be a real money grabbing, ego-maniac. It's over 400 pages and I'm only on 132 so hopefully things will pick up soon. I'm not scheduled to sub till Wednesday so I might be doing some marathon reading to finish it.

subbing: day 14

In kindergarten the class made banana bread muffins and read a story about the little red hen.
 In first grade the class wrote stories using onomatopoetic words; words that are the sounds they make, like beep or chirp.
In second grade the class played a new song using drums and maracas. They also celebrated a birthday with juice boxes and cosmic brownies. I had forgotten this but second graders love cosmic brownies, it's their favorite classroom treat!