Gardening Again

Just a few minutes ago I was feeling a little low, when I got a call from friends. This cheered me up quite a bit. It appears they also are putting together a “square foot garden,” and were wondering what kind of mix I was making for the soil. This has renewed my excitement in this adventure, and I plan to work on it tomorrow. If at all possible, I will post pictures of what I get done with it tomorrow. I think it will be fun to watch our gardens grow!! Maybe we can take turns visiting each other’s gardens over the course of the summer to see if we can all learn from each other.

Now, for all of you reading this who are thinking, “wow, these people don’t have a life,” well, let me just say that you should never be afraid to try new things. Gardening has never been my sport, but I can never find anyone to play baseball or tennis with anymore, so I have to do something! Hmmm, gardening is not really a sport, is it?

Visit Makezine HERE.

A Lot Happened

I thought I would take a moment to record some of my thoughts over the past several days. I don’t usually get this personal with this blog, but this might be a little personal.

The last few days have been hard. I lost a good friend who I have known for many years. I watched a husband say goodbye to his wife, a daughter say goodbye to her mother, and I watched my friends cry. Through it all, I was totally amazed by how strong they all were. Amazed to the extent that I felt guilty for not being stronger myself.

I have learned some valuable lessons over the last few days, and I think I will share them here. First off, I have learned that I need to appreciate those I love a little more than I do. I’ve learned that life is short, and how I live my life will make an impact on someone else. That friends are really important, and sometimes they surprise you. I’ve learned that sometimes I am too quick to judge people, and that people really do change for the better. I learned that what bothers me most about others are usually the things that bother me most about myself, and that I really hate to admit this. And I’ve learned that some people who I didn’t like in the past, are in reality, pretty good, descent people.

I’ve learned that you may only know how strong something is when it is put under pressure. This is especially true with people and friendships.

I’ve learned many doctors, nurses, and other hospital personnel really do care.

I’ve learned that a good Christians can undergo the worst this world can dish out, and still keep their head held high.

I think I’ve also learned some things about God the past few days. I’ve learned that it does not help to pretend, even for a moment, that God does not exist. I’ve learned that God is Sovereign, and sometimes there is nothing we can do to change his mind. I’ve learned that sometimes it doesn’t matter how much I pray, or what I say when I pray. And I’ve learned that there will be things in this life, that I just don’t understand, and if I’m able, I will one day ask God “Why?”

I’ve learned that a good church, and a good pastor are priceless, and that my church has the resources to help people when they need it the most.

Finally, I’ve learned some other odd, almost silly things. Stuff like, it really does help to bite your tongue to keep from saying something that you may later regret. And that you don’t ask people, “How are you doing? at a funeral...DUH!!.” That I can drive 90 through St. Louis traffic, but I can’t find my way around a hospital. That two men were never meant to sleep together in the same bed, even if they’re both Christians. And that good customer service is worth paying for. Finally, I’ve learned that I should talk less, and listen more, and that it’s okay to admit that I don’t always win.

Until We Meet Again

Today was a sad day for many. After a valiant fight with cancer, our friend Janice passed away this afternoon. Many of you who read this blog knew first hand what a wonderful person she was. She was truly an inspiration to us, and we will never forget her. Our hearts go out especially to Bobby and Faith, but also to all her friends and family. It was a privilege to have known her, and an honor to have called her a friend.

Please visit http://www.faithmooney.com/sb if you would like to send a note of condolence.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorry, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain…”

Revelations 21:4

Thank You Ryan

I (Amy) have never posted anything on our blog. I have always left it up to Ryan. He does a good job keeping it updated. I did have a few things I wanted to say and I didn't want to ask Ryan to post them.

I wanted to say thank you to everyone that helped us during Callie's birth. Thank you Rachel for being there to help with Cassidy. I especially wanted to thank Ryan. He was very helpful with Cassidy. He took care transporting her from place to place on the day of Callie's birth.

Ryan also helped me during the labor. The epidural only took on my left side. I still felt the pain on my right side. Ryan helped me relax and the pain decreased. Thank you Ryan.

Ryan took several days off work to be with us at home. He did a wonderful job of taking care of all of us. He cooked, cleaned, played with Cassidy, and made several trips to Wal-Mart. I am not sure what we would have done without him. Thanks Ryan.

Getting Ready To Garden!!

More Teaching Woes

Wow, I am really being tested these days. Perhaps it is because I am trying to encourage someone who is going into this field. A parent really griped at me for marking down their student’s citizenship grade. I had marked it down because this student refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. The parent demanded it be changed, and basically threatened to sue over the issue. Of course, from taking the two or three school law classes I have had, I knew that a student could not be “compelled” to stand for the pledge. I thought I might have a week argument that marking down the citizenship grade did not constitute “compelling” a student to participate since the citizenship grade did not directly reflect on the student’s grade point average. And, of course, we were always told in school law, “you can do anything until you are challenged on it.” The issue died as soon as I spoke to the superintendent. The mark will be changed.

The bigger issue, of course, is what I was trying to teach the student--respect for the symbol of patriotism, respect for the country, respect for liberty and justice, respect for the men and women who gave their lives for us, etc. It saddens me that if my children go to public school, their teachers will be forbidden to teach them these virtues.

So why are people so set against reciting the pledge. Probably because of these two simple words: “…under God…”. Many people hate God. They simply don’t want anything to do with Him. There are a lot of reasons why this is, but I really think it is just that simple.

Teaching Woes...and Anchor

Teaching can be the best of job in the world. Unfortunately, there are times when it can seem to be one of the worst jobs in the world. Such was the case one day this past week when I had to deal with a difficult student. Dealing with student discipline has always been somewhat difficult, as I suspect it is for many teachers. This is due, in part, to the fact that most teacher were "good" students when they were in school. For example, I graduated Mt. Vernon Township High School in 1993. I spent four years there, and never once received a disciplinary referral, much less had crisis (detention) or a suspension. In fact, I had only one tardy in all four years! The only time I can remember even getting a lecture from a teacher was when Amy and I got caught kissing in the hallway (yep, we were high school sweethearts). I guess when I became a teacher, I was a little naive. I knew there would be difficult students to deal with, but I had no idea to what extent this would preoccupy my time and my thoughts. So how do teachers, who are so unable to relate to these types of students, get better at dealing with them? Unfortunately, many of the teachers take the easy, liberal way out. They put up with student outbursts, allow students to talk down to them, and ultimately end up loosing most of the students' respect, if not total control of their classroom. All the while, they defend their lack of leadership by touting "well, we don't know what kind of environment these students have at home." (Duh?) This is not, in my opinion, the way to handle the most difficult students. Just as a strong willed child receives comfort in knowing where the boundaries are, a strong willed student does better in a more disciplined environment. It is even more important for the guidance of these young people to be firm and consistent in disciplinary measures. So what about this past week? How do I become better at dealing with the difficult students? Well, we live and learn. Each time I have to deal with a difficult situation, it simply makes me stronger. I make mistakes, but that just shows I'm human. And sometimes, its a test. Believe it or not, a teacher once told me that, "In the real world, we don't take tests." Nothing could be further from the truth. LIFE is a test. Some days we do well, some days not so well. What is really important, is our overall score. That page of the test this past week was hard. But I'm prepared for the rest of this test called life. I know I can pass the test, and I think that, with God's help, I can still pull out a good grade.

Switching gears here: I got up early today and went to Anchor again to buy more compost and peat moss. I have now had two really good experiences there. I like to support home-town small business if I can. What I really like about Anchor is that the people there are extremely friendly, and the service is AWESOME! They gave me good advice, and when I went to pick up my bags, two gentlemen loaded them into my vehicle for me! Compare that with Lowes: I've built two houses, and have spent thousands of dollars at Lowes. Yet, very rarely will they help you (if you can even find someone). My wife once loaded 10 windows onto two carts by herself because no one would help her. More than once I've been tempted to try to operate their forklift myself when I can't find someone to get something for me. Anchor has my business!

My square foot garden idea is coming along. My friend Bobby is working on one also. We met and looked at lumber. I ended up buying a 2/6 board, but when I got it home I remembered that a 2/6 is really only like 1.75/5.5. Five and half inches I'm afraid will not be enough soil. So, I went back and got the 1/8 inch Cedar board. It was more expensive, but cedar wood is supposed to resist rotting anyway. I now need only to mix the rest of the soil and start planting! Its supposed to be really cold the rest of this week though, so I may not start this week. I plan to post pictures of it as it comes along. Thanks for reading!

Guitars Cometh To Me!

Some of you may remember that not long ago one of my coworkers gave me a really nice older style Gibson guitar. Would you believe that another one of my coworkers gave me an electric Fender guitar! Wow! What a blessing!

What else is going on? Not a lot. Things are still going great with Callie. Everyone is adjusting quite nicely.

Last night I (Ryan) went with Bobby and Faith to visit Janice. On our way back we had a rather intriguing experience. As deer sometimes do, one walked right out in front of us. Now, it really appeared that we were just about to hit this deer...I mean it was close! Then, just as we were all bracing for impact, I shouted out, "Get out of the way deer!" What happened next, was nothing short of amazing. It was like an unseen hand smacked this deer on the but, visably pushing it out of the way! Perhaps I should give second thought to the teachings of Kenneth Copeland...nahhhhh....or.... maybe???

I went to Anchor today and bought some items for the square foot garden I plan to make. I plan to post pictures as it comes along.

New Gas Grill

Grilling is quickly becoming one of our (my--Ryan) hobbies. I have to admit, I am not too good at it, but it is something I really enjoy. Today I bought a new gas grill. This was quite the decision, and we spent a lot of time trying to find the right one. We finally picked it out, and then I took the jeep to get it. It took like three hours to put together! I felt more like I built it than assembled it by the time it was all done. Anyway, we had bbq pork steak on it tonight. It was okay. It will take a while to get used to cooking on this new grill.

What esle is going on? Well, baby Callie is doing just great. She wants to nurse all the time, but I guess that is too be expected.

Not a lot esle right now. I have been toying around with the idea of creating a "square foot garden," after my friend Bobby gave me the idea. More information on it can be found HERE. I have always wanted to have a successful garden, but it seems like it never really works out. The bugs get it, or it ends up looking bad, or the weeds take it over, or it simply gets so hot in the summer that we just about give up on it. I really think this might be the solution to our problems.

Well, tomorrow we will take our new baby to church for the first time. That will be exciting. We didn't make it to church last Sunday because Callie had just been born. Well, thanks for reading!

Life with TWO children!

We are starting to settle into a routine now. Things are going good. Callie is doing all the things a normal infant does. She is quite a lovely baby...so meek and mild. Totally different than her sister! We both remember Cassidy crying and crying for long periods at a time. This baby is much more content. She wakes up, eats, gets her diaper changed, and goes back to sleep. This pattern gets repeated several times a day, and a few times at night, but that is about it. All in all, not too bad.

Cassidy is adjusting well. She loves her baby sister.

Not much else is going on with us at the moment. I (Ryan) went to the high school today to get stuff ready for the substitute. I am taking tomorrow off, and then I will be back on Wednesday. After this week, it is just four weeks until Spring Break!!

Finally, if you are reading this, we are glad you are back home Janice!

Still Recovering

We are all at home now. Things are going good. Callie is doing what babies do--eat, sleep, cry, etc. She is a good baby. Amy wanted me to make sure everyone knew that she was 7 pounds and 2 ounces. She is quite a bit smaller than Cassidy was when she was born.

Hope you enjoy some of the other pictures here.

Meet "Callie Renee Robinson"

Things for the most part went as scheduled. The birth was a little rough for both Amy and Callie, but they both made it through relatively well. Hope you enjoy the pictures. We will post more on today's events tomorrow, but right now we are both tired and ready for bed! It's been a long day!

The Night Before

Tonight is the night before we go to the hospital to have our second child. I thought I would take a moment to record some of the things that are going through our minds. As I write, Amy is gathering stuff to take. It is about 9:15pm, and we are getting ready to load up the car. We have gathered clothes, the camera, the video camera, and even a toy for Cassidy to give the new baby, as well as a toy for the baby to give to Cassidy.

Amy is nervous. She generally shows very little emotions, but I can tell. I keep trying to reassur her. We have been through this before, and we will make it through it again. It is kinda hard, but joyous at the same time.

We have several people who are very willing to help us if we need them. The plan for tomorrow is as follows:

Wake up at 5:10am
Get to hospital by 6:00am
Try to keep Cassidy occupied until lunch
Ryan and Cassidy go get lunch
Cassidy goes to the Hammon's to play for a little while
(Here is where it gets a little tricky)

Subpart Plan A--Baby comes before 2:30pm
Ryan picks Cassidy up and brings her back to the hospital to see the baby
Our new family spends quality time together
Ryan takes Cassidy to the Mooney's for a couple of hours to play
Ryan picks Cassidy up and either goes back to the hospital or home for the night

Subpart Plan B--Baby comes after 2:30pm but before 5:30pm
Ryan picks Cassidy up (before baby comes) and brings her back to the hospital
Rachel and Grace come to visit Cassidy in the waiting room
Cassidy comes to see the baby
Ryan takes Cassidy to the Mooney's for a couple of hours to play
Ryan picks Cassidy up and either goes back to the hospital or home for the night

Subpart Plan C--Baby comes after 5:30pm
Ryan picks Cassidy up and brings her back to the hospital
Ryan takes Cassidy to the Mooney's for a couple of hours to play
Ryan goes to get Cassidy and takes her to see the new baby and then go home

Look for pictures, as we will post them as soon as possible. The name we have picked out is

Callie Renee Robinson.