HELP!!!

I am in charge of decorating Anna's class door for Red Ribbon Week, and I have NO idea what to do! It has to be decortated on Monday! YIKES! I actually didn't volunteer for this, it just sort of fell into my lap, and I want to do a good job! It's a competition as well, and while I don't expect to win, I still want the door to look good. The theme has to be drug-free related. PLEASE give me any ideas that you have! Also, if the class can be involved in some way, that would be even better, maybe with their pictures or something that they can color or create.

It’s Christmas before Halloween again

Well, I went to WalMart this week and they have nearly all their Christmas stuff out. I guess I usually see the leftovers when they are 75 or 90% off, so it was kinda nice to look around. I was surprised to see black and white as a new Christmas decorating scheme. So, I bought a new nutcracker. I haven’t bought one recently, just waited for gifts from John. But I was afraid these would all be gone. I guess you might call her “Miss America” or “Dancing with the Stars” since her dress is pretty low cut. Anyway, she will join the ranks of the most unusual in the collection.

PECAN FUNDRAISER

Okay, so I'm not a big fan of school fundraisers, but for once they have come up with something decent. Gideon's school choir is selling pecan halves in 1 pound bags. They are $10/pound, which is comparable to the grocery stores. They are more expensive than Sam's (about $12 for 2 pounds), but we (meaning Jared & I) are driving to Corsicana straight to the orchard to pick them up, so they're super fresh. You also get an attractive Legacy High School sticker on front! They'll be available for pickup after Nov. 15th.

Let me know by Oct. 20th if you're interested. I might also be persuaded to buy a pound for a stocking stuffer if you'll let me know. My kids think that's a lame Christmas gift, but personally I'd really enjoy it!

Mother's Wisdom in about 3 minutes

Check out this video--it's hilarious! (for some of you young 'uns, it may be more what you remember your mom saying) http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1202370&fr=yvmtf

Action Group plans for 27th Christmas

We had a partial Action Group Directors Meeting on Sunday to plan a schedule for the holidays. This schedule has been OK’d by Gary and Connie, so we are set to go. We may need a few more volunteers this year, so we will select some trusted souls to approach.
The tentative schedule is:
Saturday, Dec. 1, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Interviews at the Community Center.
Tuesday evening, Dec. 18 - Move toys from Shelby storeroom to Church.
Wednesday, Dec. 19 - Pick up groceries from store, schools and other places like Fire Hall. Sort and make boxes in afternoon.
Lunch will be served at noon for volunteers.
Complete boxes in afternoon and begin filling toy orders. Those who cannot work during day can pull an evening shift. We will not stay late.
Thursday, Dec. 20 - Complete toy orders by noon, then eat lunch and distribute beginning at 1 p.m., hoping to finish mostly before kids get out of school.
Melinda will be there since Danny’s mother appreciates what we do and has offered to babysit.We need input from our younger members on toys for younger kids.
This is a year when the holiday falls at an inopportune time, so we just have to deal with it. Work when you can and it will all work out.
We will look for reinforcements to come Thursday afternoon to pack up and haul the leftovers back to Shelby. We will probably just put them in the middle of the garage and put them away properly later but we will see how tired we are. I think we will have a lot of applicants this year but everyone will be blessed for helping.
I plan to visit the Lions Club really soon and see about funds.
If this all sounds confusing, it will work out! just say a prayer!

“Prowler” in good hands

Those who were here for Conference met “Prowler,” a young male dog who “broke into” the house while I was sleeping and tore up the trash. He was a nice dog who brought me the newspaper. When I looked out the kitchen window this morning, he was there looking at me with the newspaper for the second day. However, all of that schmoozing did not work. I tried to lure him into the van with bites of ham, but he was too smart for that. So, I got a rope, made a lariat and got it around his neck. He REALLY did not like that and I had to drag him to the car. He did not bark or fight, just remained grounded. I finally crawled all the way through the car, pulling the poor dog and got him in far enough to shut the door. I took him to the Everman Animal Shelter, hoping to make a deal there. I guess I looked pitiful – I promise that I did not play the widow card. The officer, a young woman I had met before, said that the dog was in good shape and was part weimereiner and shepard, a good mix for kids. She was glad to take him and look for a home for him with children, since he was not ornery - that was my job. I felt good about this and gladly left him. Another blessing!

Purple Cooler

I am looking for the owner of a purple cooler, lunch box type thing that was left in my freezer. Please let me know if it's yours so I can get it back to you!

China Remembered

Seems that I have been home for two hectic weeks, so I thought I should post at least one picture from spending 12 days in China. Picking only one is a challenge, so maybe two, a typical street scene and all of us on the trip in front of the revered Chairman Mao’s famous photo at Tiananmen Square where hundreds were massacred in 1989 during a young people’s protest.

The monster in my driveway

Hopefully, this is only temporary. A new family moved into our ward while I was in China and they have inherited this monster camping rig which is a no-no to park in Arlington (and a lot of other places). I raised my hand in Ward Council and offered to let them put it here so the shooters, motocrssers, etc. would see it. The Bishop said he had already told them they could park it at my place. They are fairly young and need to sell this rig so I am helping out. It is an F250 V10 2001 pickup and a 1999 30-foot fifth wheel camper rig with a pull-out section. It is a challenge to manipulate. It took Troy 45 minutes to get it parked. If you know of anyone who is looking for a deal, this could be it - only $18,500 for the truck and camper. (See boys, I was right it is for the whole deal!)

Cook-Off?

Hi family! Are we going to do a cook-off this weekend during conference? Anyone interested in doing it?