STARS (no stripes!) and Notorious Ancestors
Tuesday of this week Ron and I attended an awards breakfast with Ashlyn. Every month at her school each teacher selects a "star" student. (I am not sure of the criteria, but I think it can be based on academic excellence or improvement, or even excellent conduct.) This month, Ashlyn was the Star Student for her classroom. Each month the school holds a breakfast for the star students and 2 guests apiece. They are given certificates, and ribbons in a little ceremony. Ron and I were her "guests".
There are about 770 students at Copper Mill Elementary School and that is only 4th and 5th grades! I am guessing that there are about 24-26 classrooms! Below is a picture of the February Star Students along with their principal and assistant principal. (There were a couple of students missing from this picture.) We were really proud of her.
Here is Ashlyn receiving her certificate from the principal. She was most excited to get a coupon for Canes Chicken Fingers! haha
All of the school children are required to wear uniforms at our Zachary Public Schools, but as an added "reward", the star students are given "free dress" day.
Don't even ask if I have done any more work on the kitchen. I told Ron this morning that I really want to TRY to start on the second "skim coat" (of dry wall compound) on the ceiling of the dining room. When I FINALLY finish that dreaded job, the MORE dreaded job of SANDING will lie ahead, but it will be all downhill (or down the walls) from there!!! I love to paint, so that will be pleasurable to me and I won't be putting it off so much. We will end the kitchen/dining room remodel project with the floors....and a little bit of tweaking here and there.
If you didn't know better, you might think that Ron and I are very important people by how busy we stay! We actually have established a 9 a.m. morning meeting, to plan/discuss our plans for the day. I am walking early in the mornings of Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when it is not raining (or snowing!!!!). I bowl on Tuesday mornings and my bowling (and walking) friend also bowls on Wednesday mornings. We both go to the same church and are currently discussing whether to join the Beth Moore Bible Study on Esther which will begin next Monday afternoon. We probably will. I also recently helped establish a book club (we call ourselves "Not really A Book Club") with group of ladies in this area. We meet one afternoon per month at a local restaurant, swap books and visit. Our meetings frequently last 4 hours! haha (How can 8 or so ladies, MY AGE, who have known each other FOREVER, get everything said in less time than THAT???)
LSU Baseball season began on February 19. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that there were 38 home games this season.....21 of them being during the last week of February and the month of March! So far the only DAYTIME game was last Sunday and I had an obligation that afternoon to help with a wedding shower. I am NOT enough of a baseball fan to sit out in cold weather. Did you notice earlier where I mentioned that my friend and I don't walk if it is raining (or snowing)? That isn't as much of a stretch as you might think. THIS PAST TUESDAY the weather forecasters were predicting a WINTRY MIX for overnight. There are still several nights ahead where they are saying our temps will reach down into the mid or low 30's at night. At least we are having some sunny days and the daytime temps are climbing a bit. I never thought you would hear me describe temps in the 50's as WARM weather! LOL. Anyway...my whole point about the LSU games is that on those days Ron leaves the house in the late afternoon to acquire decent parking and to possibly sell my ticket if I am not going. That means that supper has to be early on those days.
Then, there are occasional (or sometimes frequent) opportunities to "help" with the grandkids in one way or another. (This is a JOYOUS responsiblity!)
Oh....and at some point in early February, men must start talking about FISHING because Ron ALWAYS gets the "fishing fever" at this time of year. So yesterday I had to stop in the middle of something and figure out WHEN we could take the camper to Natchez State Park for a week (and 2 weekends) of fishing. This was a logistical nightmare. I MUST go at the same time in my separate vehicle to pull the boat. I do not want to miss my local obligations (described, in part, above) so I come back a couple of different times during our vacation. It is about 90-100 miles all 4 lane. No problem. We also had to contact Jake because he wants to take HIS rig up for ONE of the weekends that we will be up there and camp and fish. After numerous phone calls to this one and that one, and gathering all of our dates and obligations, we made our reservations.
When I went to the Star Student Breakfast, I asked the librarian if her project of putting AR point stickers on every library book had ever been completed. I helped earlier in the year, and then the PTO delegated some help. It's a big library and a big job as the stickers came in no particular order. Sadly, after a week or so, the delegated help faded out. I promised her that I would start coming over for 1/2 day per week soon and help her finish this by the end of the school year. After all, what else do I have to do with my time?????
Now do not think that I am neglecting my husband. He gets up every morning and reads the paper and eats breakfast. At about 8 a.m. he heads out to his workshop (man-cave) and builds a fire in the pot-belly stove. He comes in to meet with me at 9 but I sometimes have to nearly drag him away from one little project or another out there. At noon he comes in for a sandwich and afterward, takes a nap. After that he goes BACK to the man-cave or else finds a cowboy show on the the HDTV's western channel! (In the case of the latter, I can sometimes dump a load of clothes to be folded in front of him and he does the job without noticing!!!)
I would love it if he would walk with me. But he isn't interested so I walk with my friend. I would love it if he would bowl with me....we could find a couple's league....but his shoulder won't allow it, so I bowl with my friend. He would love it if I went to the LSU games with him....but not if it is too cold, because then he feels obligated to bring me home. (He'll sit through any temperature as long as it is not WET. ) I would probably enjoy fishing with him....if he would fish in the afternoon....but he says that the fish only bite at 5 a.m. or some other inhuman hour, which means he arises at 3 or 3:30 and leaves the house. Sorry. Not me.
Anyway.....you can see that our lives are busy.
Oh....you are wondering about the notorious ancestors?? Well...it all started with Jacob Hochstetler, literally. He was an Amish immigrant to Lancaster, PA, in 1736. His son John, who had a son named John, who ALSO had a son named John, had a son named Jacob, whose daughter Rebecca had a daughter named Mary Ann, whose only child, Olive, was my dad, Bert's mother! Did you follow that?? LOL More about those names in a minute!
The original immigrant, Jacob, was very well-known in the Lancaster area in his day because his family suffered an indian attack where a couple members of his family (including his wife) were scalped, and he and a couple of sons were taken hostage by the indians. I was telling my brother this story when we were all together last October. He asked how I knew and I told him how I had acquired this book about Jacob and his descendents years ago. He said he would like a copy of the book as well so when we returned last fall I started searching online for one. Yesterday I got an alert from e-bay telling me one had come up for auction. In trying to explain in an email WHO this ancestor was and how we went back to him, I wrote down the names from me: Carolyn, Bert, Olive, Mary Ann, Rebecca, Jacob, John, John, John, Jacob. Now MOST of you know that MY son is ALSO a Jacob! I called him up and told him that if he ever has a son, he MUST name him either Jacob or John. "Why, Mom?" "It's in your lineage, son. The only man since the original immigrant in your direct lineage to him that was NOT named Jacob or John, was my dad, Bert." "Okay, Mom....if I ever have a son, I will name him Jacob or John. Why didn't you call me and tell me I had somebody REALLY famous in my ancestry. Someone that would make SENSE to me, like Jesse James?" "Oh....well you ARE related to Jesse James, son. But that's on your FATHER'S side!" "NO WAY!" "Well, son, it IS a stretch....but there is a man in the Graves' family whose name was Benjamin. His nephew (ok....it was by marriage) was the grandfather to Jesse and Frank James!"
My son hung up a happy man because he has a notorious "almost" relative. I guess there is no accounting for taste!
Buh-bye
There are about 770 students at Copper Mill Elementary School and that is only 4th and 5th grades! I am guessing that there are about 24-26 classrooms! Below is a picture of the February Star Students along with their principal and assistant principal. (There were a couple of students missing from this picture.) We were really proud of her.
Here is Ashlyn receiving her certificate from the principal. She was most excited to get a coupon for Canes Chicken Fingers! haha
All of the school children are required to wear uniforms at our Zachary Public Schools, but as an added "reward", the star students are given "free dress" day.
Don't even ask if I have done any more work on the kitchen. I told Ron this morning that I really want to TRY to start on the second "skim coat" (of dry wall compound) on the ceiling of the dining room. When I FINALLY finish that dreaded job, the MORE dreaded job of SANDING will lie ahead, but it will be all downhill (or down the walls) from there!!! I love to paint, so that will be pleasurable to me and I won't be putting it off so much. We will end the kitchen/dining room remodel project with the floors....and a little bit of tweaking here and there.
If you didn't know better, you might think that Ron and I are very important people by how busy we stay! We actually have established a 9 a.m. morning meeting, to plan/discuss our plans for the day. I am walking early in the mornings of Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays when it is not raining (or snowing!!!!). I bowl on Tuesday mornings and my bowling (and walking) friend also bowls on Wednesday mornings. We both go to the same church and are currently discussing whether to join the Beth Moore Bible Study on Esther which will begin next Monday afternoon. We probably will. I also recently helped establish a book club (we call ourselves "Not really A Book Club") with group of ladies in this area. We meet one afternoon per month at a local restaurant, swap books and visit. Our meetings frequently last 4 hours! haha (How can 8 or so ladies, MY AGE, who have known each other FOREVER, get everything said in less time than THAT???)
LSU Baseball season began on February 19. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that there were 38 home games this season.....21 of them being during the last week of February and the month of March! So far the only DAYTIME game was last Sunday and I had an obligation that afternoon to help with a wedding shower. I am NOT enough of a baseball fan to sit out in cold weather. Did you notice earlier where I mentioned that my friend and I don't walk if it is raining (or snowing)? That isn't as much of a stretch as you might think. THIS PAST TUESDAY the weather forecasters were predicting a WINTRY MIX for overnight. There are still several nights ahead where they are saying our temps will reach down into the mid or low 30's at night. At least we are having some sunny days and the daytime temps are climbing a bit. I never thought you would hear me describe temps in the 50's as WARM weather! LOL. Anyway...my whole point about the LSU games is that on those days Ron leaves the house in the late afternoon to acquire decent parking and to possibly sell my ticket if I am not going. That means that supper has to be early on those days.
Then, there are occasional (or sometimes frequent) opportunities to "help" with the grandkids in one way or another. (This is a JOYOUS responsiblity!)
Oh....and at some point in early February, men must start talking about FISHING because Ron ALWAYS gets the "fishing fever" at this time of year. So yesterday I had to stop in the middle of something and figure out WHEN we could take the camper to Natchez State Park for a week (and 2 weekends) of fishing. This was a logistical nightmare. I MUST go at the same time in my separate vehicle to pull the boat. I do not want to miss my local obligations (described, in part, above) so I come back a couple of different times during our vacation. It is about 90-100 miles all 4 lane. No problem. We also had to contact Jake because he wants to take HIS rig up for ONE of the weekends that we will be up there and camp and fish. After numerous phone calls to this one and that one, and gathering all of our dates and obligations, we made our reservations.
When I went to the Star Student Breakfast, I asked the librarian if her project of putting AR point stickers on every library book had ever been completed. I helped earlier in the year, and then the PTO delegated some help. It's a big library and a big job as the stickers came in no particular order. Sadly, after a week or so, the delegated help faded out. I promised her that I would start coming over for 1/2 day per week soon and help her finish this by the end of the school year. After all, what else do I have to do with my time?????
Now do not think that I am neglecting my husband. He gets up every morning and reads the paper and eats breakfast. At about 8 a.m. he heads out to his workshop (man-cave) and builds a fire in the pot-belly stove. He comes in to meet with me at 9 but I sometimes have to nearly drag him away from one little project or another out there. At noon he comes in for a sandwich and afterward, takes a nap. After that he goes BACK to the man-cave or else finds a cowboy show on the the HDTV's western channel! (In the case of the latter, I can sometimes dump a load of clothes to be folded in front of him and he does the job without noticing!!!)
I would love it if he would walk with me. But he isn't interested so I walk with my friend. I would love it if he would bowl with me....we could find a couple's league....but his shoulder won't allow it, so I bowl with my friend. He would love it if I went to the LSU games with him....but not if it is too cold, because then he feels obligated to bring me home. (He'll sit through any temperature as long as it is not WET. ) I would probably enjoy fishing with him....if he would fish in the afternoon....but he says that the fish only bite at 5 a.m. or some other inhuman hour, which means he arises at 3 or 3:30 and leaves the house. Sorry. Not me.
Anyway.....you can see that our lives are busy.
Oh....you are wondering about the notorious ancestors?? Well...it all started with Jacob Hochstetler, literally. He was an Amish immigrant to Lancaster, PA, in 1736. His son John, who had a son named John, who ALSO had a son named John, had a son named Jacob, whose daughter Rebecca had a daughter named Mary Ann, whose only child, Olive, was my dad, Bert's mother! Did you follow that?? LOL More about those names in a minute!
The original immigrant, Jacob, was very well-known in the Lancaster area in his day because his family suffered an indian attack where a couple members of his family (including his wife) were scalped, and he and a couple of sons were taken hostage by the indians. I was telling my brother this story when we were all together last October. He asked how I knew and I told him how I had acquired this book about Jacob and his descendents years ago. He said he would like a copy of the book as well so when we returned last fall I started searching online for one. Yesterday I got an alert from e-bay telling me one had come up for auction. In trying to explain in an email WHO this ancestor was and how we went back to him, I wrote down the names from me: Carolyn, Bert, Olive, Mary Ann, Rebecca, Jacob, John, John, John, Jacob. Now MOST of you know that MY son is ALSO a Jacob! I called him up and told him that if he ever has a son, he MUST name him either Jacob or John. "Why, Mom?" "It's in your lineage, son. The only man since the original immigrant in your direct lineage to him that was NOT named Jacob or John, was my dad, Bert." "Okay, Mom....if I ever have a son, I will name him Jacob or John. Why didn't you call me and tell me I had somebody REALLY famous in my ancestry. Someone that would make SENSE to me, like Jesse James?" "Oh....well you ARE related to Jesse James, son. But that's on your FATHER'S side!" "NO WAY!" "Well, son, it IS a stretch....but there is a man in the Graves' family whose name was Benjamin. His nephew (ok....it was by marriage) was the grandfather to Jesse and Frank James!"
My son hung up a happy man because he has a notorious "almost" relative. I guess there is no accounting for taste!
Buh-bye
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Ethel