Last minute Tammy struck again.  I promised to make a quilted prayer shawl for our retiring retired pastor (get that?!) as we were installing a new pastor yesterday at church.

But, dang, I was in the middle of a very good book!  So, Saturday night, I’d make a block, then read a chapter (or two)…head back to the sewing room and work on a couple more blocks, then go for another reading break.  I could have had the project finished by midnight – but, the book breaks were killing me!  hehe

Finally, by 2 am, I had it finished, pressed and almost ready to gift (with a couple of chapters in my book that I just could not keep my eyelids open for) – I needed the PC that was in our bedroom (with the hubster sleeping) to create the tag for the back, so I held off waking him up and made us nearly late for church on Sunday instead <blush>.

The three crosses represent Calvary and the two Jacob’s Ladder blocks show that our way to redemption and eternal life are there for the taking. 

All Pastor Don cared about was that it was “quilty.” 😉

The presentation was made after the installation service and before we had lunch, and was a fun time.  First, my husband draped the prayer shawl around Pr. Don’s shoulders:

Then, our new pastor got up and draped the shawl around Pr. Don’s head:

And finally, a very happy pastor, pleased with his gift (which he invited me to make for him a few months ago):

I sent a note home with Pr. Don’s wife (in the blue in the photos) with a bit more explanation of what the blocks and the prayer shawl represented.  One of the things I mentioned in the note was that a number of hymns & songs were playing through my mind while I was putting it all together – such as The Old Rugged Cross, Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art and God is Great, Beer is Good and People are Crazy. 🙂

It was an enjoyable (though not for impatient children) insallation service and a fun ending to a LONG morning.  I was too tuckered out to tackle the grocery store, so we stopped for the essentials and then went home for a lovely Sunday afternoon nap.  Ahhhh, success can be humble and entertaining.

 

Remember when I sang the praises of the local library program’s summer reading fun, with the production from the Texas Storybook Theatre of Amelia Bedelia and the lesson on idioms?

Ever since then, there have been a number of instances where I’ll call the hubs (who is very literal) or one of the kids (usually non-literal) Amelia – they truly make the word IDIOM come to life!

But, none so hilarious as the exchange we had at lunch on Sunday.

Dad to DD#1:  “So, what is the cost of the school lunches?”

DD#1:  “$1.25 for K-3, $1.50 for 4-6 and $1.75 for 7-12.”

Dad:  “What’s the difference?”

DD#1:  “ummm, TWENTY FIVE CENTS!”

I laughed until the tears fell.  Lunch was delayed by 30 minutes because I couldn’t quit laughing.  The real question he should have asked was WHY the difference – but, my Amelia prodigy was just way quicker on the draw than her dad!  HAHA – it’s still funny!

The school had their open house yesterday, so we lugged the two younger daughter’s loot (aka supply list) over, because there’s no way they could have carried it on the bus.  DD#3 was as happy as could be and just wanted to sit in her classroom for the evening and pretend that school had already started.  The school is a conglomeration of buildings (not portables), and she gets to move up to the second building.

DD#2 said she wasn’t ready for school to start, but of all of them, I think she’s the one who is most ready to use her mind in a constructive way again.  They’ve changed the way they’re teaching the middle school, and now there will be four teachers (two are the ones she had last year for fifth grade) so that each teacher can focus on their specialties – as is the law in Texas for the public school system, one has to teach to the TAKS test.  I think this is good, though one of her teachers is questionable in my book.  But, we’ll see how it goes!  Sixth grade is one of the big milestones for the TAKS test, so she must do well (not that I have doubts, she did excellent last year on the tests).

DD#1 just wanted to hug everyone – students, previous teachers, new teachers.  Teacher’s pet?!  She’s ready for her mind to be challenged, too, and is a quality student as well.  She’ll complain a bit, but she’s pretty darned smart (commendable on 3 of 4 of her eighth grade TAKS tests and one question away from commendable on the fourth one), so we don’t worry too much about her academics.  But, she is moving up to the high school, so her social life will probably get more involved as she participates in some of those upper grade activities. 

DD#1 was measured for her cheer squad outfit, too – can I just say ADORABLE?  Imagine 20+ little first, second & third-graders, getting out on the football field during halftime and doing a routine!  Although I’m not athletic now, I was a cheerleader in Jr. High … and I (secretly) can’t wait to see these little ones having fun and cheering on our school at the football games!