Senior Class of 2015 - Back to School Breakfast

We began this with our daughter's Senior class two years ago, so now continue this tradition with our oldest son.  Their Senior class is invited to our house every month to get together for a meal and fun.  Today was the first event for the Class of 2015 - an early morning, before school breakfast.  There were 18 or 19 in attendance out of 22 or so. A great group and a great turn out!

 Since our school colors are black and gold and the mascot is a tiger, I decided to go with that for the decorations.

 Many of the tigers will be auctioned off at our annual Fall Festival in November. I buy them throughout the year whenever I see them.  But, it was good to get some use out of them instead of having them setting around the house doing nothing but collecting dust!

 I decided to get Starbucks Frappe chinos for the Seniors as a special treat. I have empty bottles that were used with paper straws for other juices and milk if the Seniors desired.  Why does a special glass and paper straw make everything more fun?! :)

 The fruit and yogurt parfait station is probably more of a "girl" station, but a few boys seemed to like it, too!

And the boys' favorite is the Slow Cooker Breakfast Burritos. In fact, I took this to the elementary, JH, and HS buildings on the first day of school and the teachers and staff think it's their favorite, too. So many people use this recipe. It's such a great recipe (so whoever came up with it, THANK YOU!) It's on my "Life's a Bowl of Cherries Blog" if you don't have it already. I have used it or heard it used for county fairs, family reunions, vacations, and camps.  It's definitely a time saver, too!

 I've started grilling onions and peppers and serve along with the burrito fillings. (Bacon is next to that pan.) A funny story:  The elementary had the grilled onions and peppers hidden somehow, so they didn't even realize they were there until late in the day - right before I picked up the food on Monday! The HS principal was visiting the elementary and happened to mention the onions and peppers. They thought they had been left out, but found them under a lid! Ha ha!

 My son made cinnamon rolls for his classmates on Monday, plus again for this breakfast. We also served biscuits and sausage gravy.  Oh, and Hostess powdered donuts! :)

This class has mostly been together a long time, with just a few changes and additions along the way. It's a close class and we are looking forward to spending more time with them during this last year.

 They're a talented group of leaders.  They're fun to watch no matter what sport or activity they're involved in at the time.

Have I told you about my addition?  The old Ford pickup?  If you don't live here, you may not realize that I've always wanted an old pickup in the field.  Just for pictures.  Really.  But look!  It's it just perfect for these Senior girls to stand by and pose?  I think so, too!

Followship

We often hear of leadership, and that's an important attribute, but sometimes you must follow.  Spiritually speaking, if you aren't following, you won't be an efficient leader.  The key is that it matters WHO you are following.

Who are you following? What are you following?

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Mark 8:34

If you are a Christian, you've made the commitment to follow Jesus.  That's what He expects.  But notice what else he expects.  He expects you to deny self.  In fact, in order to follow Him, you have to deny self first, it seems.

Is following easy?  Is denying self easy?  Often times it's not easy to do either one. You may think it's easy to follow, but if you really dig deep and examine your own life, it's not quite so easy.  It's easy to get caught up in the things of the world. It's easy to get all caught up in the "it's all about me" society we live in.

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4:19-25

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Luke 5:27-33

Reading the scriptures above, it seems that the apostles Jesus called immediately left all they had and followed Him. There was no hesitation.  There was no looking back. There was no clinging to what was left behind.  

Jesus wants your followship.  It's probably not a word, but let's make it one.  

You often hear about Jesus wanting a relationship with you.  Until the new version of the NIV Bible came out recently, that word wasn't in the scriptures, except when used in other places not relating to Jesus.  It seems that some would say this "relationship" because it's like a friend, pal, someone you who can come to you and you can go to and catch up with from time to time.  That word is used to bring Jesus down to our level - our human thinking. That's not what the scriptures teach at all.  Jesus wants to lift us up, not us to bring Him down.

Jesus wants you to deny self.  He wants you to follow Him daily.  He wants you to become more and more like Him.  

Followship.  

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

Lessons from the Water Park

Last Wednesday night my husband did a short devotional after Bible classes. I wanted to share it with you. I may not get all of the details he gave, but you'll still get the general idea and message.

The Tipton Children's Home family to the water park on Monday.  One of the "big rides" was the Cliffhanger.  

 On the Cliffhanger, guests grabbed a tube, walked many flights of stairs, and sat down on the tube (my husband and youngest son rode together). The attendant tied himself/herself to the side of the top with a big, heavy cord, then grabbed the tube and gave a big "push" to it to start it down the HUGE ride. It's a lot of work to go on the ride, but the end result is worth it.

In the middle of the water park, there is a Lazy River that runs in a great big circle.  The lazy river isn't fast, but just an easy thing to do that doesn't require a lot of effort. The current can take you around and around and around as many times as the guest wants to go.

The problem with the Lazy River is that, once someone gets on, it may be hard to get off.  There is a tendency to get what the name suggests: Lazy! There are no stairs to climb, no tubes to carry, no responsibility.  But, on the other hand, there's no reward at the end like there is on the Cliffhanger. There's no feeling of accomplishment.  No task completed.

Isn't it the same way with life?  We climb, we carry, we feel like we're not going to make it up a steep hill, but then the reward at the end is so awesome that it makes the difficulty all worth it?  But it's also true that if we get in a rut, get lazy, and seem to go round and round in circles that we don't get anywhere....we're just coasting....then we wonder why nothing is going the way it should in our life.

We could say the same thing about our Christian walk.  Our walk with Jesus should be going up, up, up all of the time.  There may be short times that we slow down, but we should never, ever get on the Lazy River! If we're not growing, we're just coasting.  If we're not climbing, we just as well be going downhill.  Jesus wants us to GROW.  He's not satisfied with lukewarm Christians.  God expects more from His children. He expects us to DO something.

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  Revelation 3:15-16

If you're on the Lazy River, GET OFF!  If you're on the Cliffhanger, and you're tired of the uphill climb, just be patient. You're reward is coming!  And in the end, you'll see that it was worth the climb.

The First Day of School - 2015

Today is the first day of school. The first day to start on a Tuesday EVER for our children, but it wouldn't matter what day they were starting - none of them were ready! Ha ha!  Zachary is a SENIOR! Jacob is a Sophomore. Tyler begins Middle School (Jr. High) as a 6th grader. Unbelievable to not have anyone in elementary! But, I'm still doing Elementary PTO, so I get my "elementary" fix :).

Of course I made Tyler take some pictures going into middle school. Don't want to miss that opportunity! He's the least fond of school of any of our children, but thankfully he seemed okay with it once he got there. I'm praying he has a great year and keeps up with his stuff!  This will be a challenge for him :), but he can do it. I know it!

The tallest in the family is excited to be in his final year of high school! As a special treat for his class, Zachary made cinnamon rolls for the first time. His grandmother helped him learn to make her mother's recipe for bread that's a family tradition, then a few days later she (and his uncle) showed him how to make them into the famous cinnamon rolls.  They're great!  I think his class will be excited about his baking skills!

Zachary is excited about their new FFA Broadcasting Studio at the school. Now, along with being able to stream football games and stock shows online, they will also be able to host interviews and various segments for a show!  Pretty exciting for a small town!

Jacob is probably more excited about next year's new school year than he is this one. That's because next year all of the Senior athletes will be gone and he'll get to play more! Ha!  That Senior class is super-talented, so they'll be greatly missed, but we're excited about the up-coming talent, as well. A new thing for Jacob: He got to DRIVE to school for the very first time!  That is pretty exciting! No more football taxi for mom!!!  Yay! (At least until Jacob graduates.)

And here's the BIG 6th grade middle schooler!  Tyler is pretty fortunate this year. He has a cousin-in-law, an aunt, and an uncle (that we know of so far) teaching and coaching him, plus several other new teachers that we are excited for him to have!  It will be interesting this year, but great.

Sixth grade is an odd year. It's in the middle school, but they play elementary sports/activities. It's kind of awkward, to me. I'm always excited when they get into the JH level of sports. It's just fun!

I'll post about our college girl next week, after she moves in.

And now for a traditional poem that I usually post the day before school starts, but waited until now.  I wrote this in 2010, but it always helps me to read it each year as the kids start to school.

'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED

'Twas the night before school started and all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring not even a mouse (thankfully).

The backpacks were hung on the laundry room hooks,

They would soon be loaded down with papers and books.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of homework danced in their heads.

And Dad in the bedroom had just begun snoring,

And I was still cooking and might be 'til morning.

When out of a bedroom I heard such a clatter,

I sprang down the hallway to see what was the matter.

Away to the bedroom I made a mad dash,

And opened the door, my toe I did smash.

The night light plugged in shone brightly in the night,

One of the children had yelled out in a fright.

When what to my wondering ears did I hear,

But children exclaiming, “It's finally here!”

With a kiss and a hug I calmed down their spirits,

And told them I loved them – they needed to hear it.

More rapid than TIGERS, the prayers for them came,

And I spoke to God softly and called them by name.

Be with Lauren and Zachary, Jacob and Tyler,

And guide them all safely - my prayers lifted higher.

To the kitchen I then wandered all calm and sincere,

That God would be with them throughout the school year.

I rushed through the cooking and baking with ease,

And got to bed early – I was certainly pleased.

But before my tired eyelids ever closed for the night,

I prayed for my children one more time – it seemed right.

In the morning they'll awaken, mixed emotions galore,

I'll miss them and think of them and pray for them more.

But I won't need to worry for my Father knows best,

That He is still with them when they're out of the nest.

Written by Lori Waugh

August 18, 2010

Rehearsal Dinner Decorations

Our nephew asked me to decorate for his wedding rehearsal dinner, which was last weekend. Being held at a BBQ restaurant (Central BBQ) in Memphis, TN, it was something I had never done before! I was excited to be a part of the celebration!

The wedding colors were shades of green and dark gray. The bride chose to use some burlap and wood, as well.  The colored chairs in the restaurant added a bit of whimsy to the room.

 I found cute chalkboard, "They Lived Happily Ever After" placemats on Etsy, and ordered personalized little bags from "For Your Party" for the napkins and silverware.

 Also from Etsy, I ordered this personalized cutting board for the wedding gift.

 The hardest part of the decorating came as we began to put placemats at each setting. It would be easier if we knew everyone!  But, it worked out fine.  We finished decorating just a little bit before the guests arrived.

 These two guys were my helpers. These looks are meaning, "We're done! We're not doing any more!" Ha ha!

 And here's the bride-to-be and groom-to-be.  Such a cute couple!

And here's the rest of my family, minus my husband, who was unable to go to the wedding (conflict with a 69 year old tradition at his work).  We had a lot of fun together!

I'll post wedding pics soon!