We are Easter People my family and moi.
We are powered by resurrection faith.
I have seen experienced the possibilities first hand of rising from ashes.
Joy can arise from brokenness.
My life story gives witness to that truth.
I am w-a-y behind in enumerating my gratitude and blessings.
That's what happens when you have a couple of weekends on the road.
1. Let's rewind ALL the way back to Easter morning.
Yes. In large part we selected our church due to the location's proximity to the ocean.
True story.
We LUV the music program.
We believe in the outreach ministry.
We appreciate our pastor and staff.
But, truth be told?
The deal was sealed because our church building
is just a couple of blocks from our favorite walk.
This may well be my favorite picture of all time of the two of us.
In our Easter finery.
Note-to-self: At some point I need to get this one printed.
Blessed people, knowing we're truly blessed!
{Allen did wear 'long-pants' to the church service: LOL.}
We are a labor of love, the two of us.
We each emerged from 'original marriages' with two children.
The scaled back Brady-Bunch-of-the-nineties
-- without Alice the housekeeper, alas.
My last name has not matched my daughters for over twenty years now.
We each came from very broken places.
This man. This gift from heaven, LITERALLY turned me into 'Debbie Clement.'
An evolved, contributing, creative and healing soul.
The fact that you are reading here today is testament to his support of my gifts.
Our broken pieces fit perfectly one to the other.
Blessing. Blessing. Blessing.
TY TY TY TY TY TY TY
9Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.10Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might Eclesiastes 9:9-10
2. Take a look at our local McKee Botanical Gardens.
Literally God's gift: heaven-on-Earth.
Between the two of us, I have deemed this year,
"The Time of Austerity."
We didn't see this chapter coming.
We had no preparation for it.
Yet. We have been called to rearrange our own financial picture to respond to the unforeseen needs of our child. That's what parents do. No matter the age of the child. Pick them up and hold them, while they regroup and put themselves back together.
What does that have to do with the Botanical Gardens?
We had never been to McKee.
It's right down the road.
Allen has been suggesting we go for ages... but it costs moolah.
This season they've had a LEGO sculpture display.
It was down to the final week.
At his insistence, we squinted and purchased the tickets.
Va-va-Vooooom!
Our winter gift to each other!!!
Such a blessing to shower on each other.
Seeing the creativity of others, juices my own.
LEGOS. Just imagine.
But it was the hundreds of waterlillies in bloom that took my breath away!
{*Mom, I promise to get back into my memory card and add more of the waterlilly photos I took for you.}
Do what you can. Where you are.... with what you have!
We learned that for just a few bucks more, we could transfer our day's tickets into an annual membership, with reciprocal entry into another 300 sites across the country. A fitting anniversary present to each other. PLUS we can take the WonderPeeps, too!
With all of our travels we will make serious use of our membership!
PROMISE!
For the creativity of the LEGOS: First Kings 3:12 “Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.”
3. NASHVILLE! I got to give the keynote for the opening day of the Nashville area AEYC conference! And you know if I'm going to Nashville, I'm going to go to Mr. Greg's classroom. This makes my third annual visit!
Yup. That's the two of us outside his classroom door.
He's wearing his very own 'giraffe-hat' in my honor!
To receive this photo below, in my text messages, before we ever left home, made my heart skip a beat. The old art teacher in me celebrates this amazing shot that captures the energy, color and creativity of his classroom! Yes. That's my picture book right there in the heart of it all!
I just LUV the focus on creating authentic art in response to my work!
If you're a Mr. Greg fan or especially if you have not yet discovered him,
you MUST go to his article with the various video clips of our time together!
Yes. One of his five year student's wore the 'head-cam' and gives quite a perspective of our fun!
After every visit to Mr. Greg I get orders for my second book,
"Tall Giraffe"
since he swears by that one for rhyme building!
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17
4. FELLOW PRESENTERS on the Circuit
I can't say enough about spending time with others who are on the same wavelength.
While in Nashville for the two day conference, I got to spend some quality time with
We go w-a-y back.
We've spent time in each other's homes.
With each other's spouses.
At national events. And local events. And everything in between.
Mary Jo has amazing skills, energy and a steel trap for a mind.
She also has the biggest heart out there!
She remembers details from a decade ago as though it was yesterday.
She's been everywhere and done that.
She has an extra decade+ of life experience and I treasure her coaching.
She fills my ears and heart.
She gets my challenges.
She rejuvenates me.
She listens to me. She listened to me.
She let me blather on and on and on.
Then she gave me one of her infamous hugs.
The hold on tight. Sway back and forth. Don't let go kinda hug that sticks with you.
One of those bring-you-to-tears hugs from a dear friend.
Memorable. For.Ev.ER.HUG.
The kind of hug that goes right through you.
She introduced me to her bud: Michael Shoulders.
AUTHOR extra-ordinaire.
I have applied to have him mentor me into the future.
We talked to each other as fast as words could fly.
He could teach me a gazillion things: wow!
The three of us will all be presenting this summer for FrogStreet at SPLASH.
JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY: Can't wait to reunite!
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Proverbs 19:20
5. Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary.... Deedee and Cheryl, too
The next picture is a favorite from a while back.
Me, with THE Deedee and THE MARY!
These gals are faith-filled women.
Mary carries her heart and her faith on her sleeve.
She has been a truly amazing support during this recent chapter of challenge.
She has single-handedly pumped REAL life into our
WOBBLE SEAT enterprise.
She started with a purchase of four wobbles for her classroom.
Her kinder-kids LUV'd 'em and so did she.
She went on to order another DOZEN wobbles: for her birthday gift from her hubby!
As if that wasn't amazing enough?
She then went on to blog-at-length about them!!!
As thought that wasn't sufficient?
She sought other bloggers to share about them from FB.
That's where Deedee and Cheryl and others got involved.
As a result of Mary's visibility and muscle we have already received seven
additional orders for WobbleSeats through our distributorship!
PLUS NUMEROUS INQUIRIES!
Which has prompted us to go give a face-lift to our site.
So it looks more like me/my travels.
Everytime someone new orders Wobble Seats through our site, we generate some new and unexpected revenue for the unforeseen and I say, "Hallelujah."
Thank you Mary. Thank you Mary. Thank you Mary.
You simply must go to Sharing Kindergarten
and read Mary's insight for yourself!
I won't put words in her mouth. Go read of her enthusiasm.
Her endorsement means a lot, but her caring means more.
***Thank you to all of my blogging friends for spreading the word!
Deedee's FB page went a little crazy with shares! Oh happy day!
As a result of thanking Cheryl for her FB share,
I will be going to her school ON TUESDAY!
Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10
6. The WonderPeep Actual Birthday Celebration Week!
Our WonderPeeps are two years and five days apart.
Thank goodness Mr. WonderBoy's birthday is first on the calendar!
Can you believe I have a nine year old, biological grandson?
I can hardly believe it myself!
There he is over the years.
I've figured out how to make the collages on my phone!
Technology and my brain! WOWOW!
That's his actual birthday-hat-day in the middle and his choice of wearing the
Buckeyes hat that grand-dad gave him some time back.
Makes us so happy to see his smiles from years gone by.
Then five days later?
Celebrate all things TWINZEE!
YUP. If WonderBoy is nine, then the twins are SEVEN!
Just over a year ago, Little Red was in Children's Hospital for that fluke chemical burn from prescriptive medicine.
We are so fortunate to have these Wonders in our world.
I feel so very blessed.
Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged. Proverbs 17:6
7. My latest SKYPE visit: FL to CA!
Technology is an amazing gift. An opportunity!
This week I had the great good fortune to meet Mrs. O. in cyber-person.
We had to persevere through a tech-snaffu on our scheduled day and try again!
Who could have predicted that the internet would go 'down' at her building at the appointed hour? But persevere we did! We had a back-up plan and got our clicks to connect on our second effort. That's a REAL-LIFE lesson to five year olds. Mrs. O I am indebted to you for your encouragement during this chapter! {Melissa ALSO signed up to join me/us in Younique! YEAH team!}
Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
8. Unique Younique
Before this winter surprised us. Our daughter, Sarah had signed up to be a presenter at Younique. I joined her enterprise myself, knowing that I interact with so many women, whose dedication to early childhood, keeps them in marginally paying positions.... and that many are searching for a bootstrap to pull upon. Little did we know what would lie ahead.
The Younique company offers an annual incentive program that culminates for some industrious folks in a trip -- this year to Jamaica. Guess who is within striking distance of earning her first ever, incentive trip? Sarah joined in November '14 and is just a heartbeat or two from earning this trip!!! She hopes to get officially qualified by the end of April. Yes. Six days away. You can help her reach this amazing journey AND pay her utility bills.
Any sales to MY site, will put her move her forward toward her goal. Theoretically she 'just' needs about 67 more mascara sales to put her over the top. They can be from MY site or her own, to reach the goal. Good news, is that she has til the end of the month of May to cross the finish line and be island bound. The goal is at hand.
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Of course I would LUV to recruit YOU, your daughter, your daughter-in-law, your sister, your grandmother, your friend-at-church, and-or your mom!
That would seriously HELP Sarah and contribute to my eventual retirement as well!
So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 2 Corinthians 8:11.
9. Sales made at TeachersPayTeachers
To be honest. I have VERY little traction over at TpT.
I can't quite figure out why not.... but this week has been my best in recent memory. For that I am VERY grateful.
I have two songs/books that are particularly appropriate for End-of-Year Kindergarten performances.
Every extra download brings a few more dollars into the coffer,
supports our extended family
and brings your class an opportunity to shine!
Thanks to anyone willing to pin that image, too!
Possibility of extra eyeballs learning of my existence
is where it all begins.
And the Lord answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:2-3
Yup. I'm totally connected to my fitbit! LUVIN' it! LUV the idea of having a goal. Daily. Tracking. Motivation to move. Little goals and 'stickers' and badges and smiley faces. A daily pat on the back. I earned my 500 flights of stairs badge. SERIOUSLY!
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1:2
11. Pensacola: pan-handle appreciation!
How on earth can I attempt to describe what happened in Pensacola? I wonder where there are some pictures? I received the DIVA package experience. We had a tech team for my all-day seminar. All set up and actual sound check the night before: be still my heart. Then we were taken out to dinner by the planning committee, who invited their spouses. Allen was NOT the only man at the table. Real people. Real laughter. Real HARD laughter, hold your sides laughing..... and on and on and on and on.
The kind of evening where you invite people to come to your home... and you hope that they take you up on it!
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10: 24-25
12. Dianne and Jim: their new business
13. Germany to DC connection on the horizon
14. Evening Street Elementary Phone Call Today
We have neighbors coming to dinner in 45 minutes and the place is upside down.
I will dig into scripture tonight and add a heart felt closing, too.
This is the week for prayers.
Thursday morning EARLY would be perfect timing.
Thanks.
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