November News & Plum Pudding

I know I haven't been nearly as faithful writing this blog this fall. I miss sharing and even thinking about what I should share with my blogging friends.

My positions at Hopkins Middle School & MAISA (Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators) have kept me working almost full-time with only an occasional day off. This week I was in Lansing Monday - Wednesday attending two different conferences. Both dealt with using data from student work to improve the teaching. The emphasis in education is changing from the focus on the teaching to a focus on what the students are learning. It is a subtle difference but it makes huge differences in the end product-the achievement of the students. Then Thursday and Friday I was at Hopkins Middle School working with teachers to implement strategies to help students better understand and remember what they read.

Hopkins Middle School is a small school with great kids. I'm enjoying my work there getting to know the teachers and students. My work takes many forms and no two days are alike. I might be researching the latest methods on the Internet, visiting classrooms to observe teachers, meeting with teachers to implement new strategies, meeting with administrators to plan, or analyzing test results to try and pin point where our students' needs are. I also spend some time just socializing with teachers because building trust is a huge part of what I have to do before teachers will feel comfortable working with me.

Last Saturday we celebrated Sherry's birthday which was actually on Thanksgiving. Tom and I took dinner down to their house and we had a great time. Tommy and Sherry's business is going well and it keeps them busy as it grows.

School is going well for the kids. I miss volunteering in their classrooms like I did last year. Hopefully after Christmas, I'll have more time to do that. This is Madelynn's last year in elementary school as a 5th grader. Jay is in 4th grade and says his favorite part of school is library time. That makes this grandma very happy. Jack is in 1st grade and making great leaps in reading. Anna is in Kindergarten and I'm sure she is charming her teacher and class. Anna's class made me a get-well card when I hurt my ankle because many of them remembered me from last year.

Speaking of my ankle-it is healing well. I was able to stop using the crutches this week and it makes my life much easier. I am still wearing an air cast-the boot- but it comes off at night and also allows me to shower normally. It gets sore if I'm on it all day but I'm very pleased with my progress. The next step is to stop wearing the boot and I'm ready for that but it will be a few more weeks before I try that.

Winter arrived Thursday night in West Michigan and it isn't fun. We had to cancel our planned trip to the Soo for the Mitchell Christmas Dinner yesterday. That is the annual family Christmas celebration of Ma Erickson's family-my grandmother. It is held every year for at least 80 years. It was always a highlight when I was growing up. My grandmother came from a family of 11 children and when everyone gets together, there were always so many kids to play with. The Mitchell family has a Christmas tradition-plum pudding for dessert. Plum pudding is a flour based mixture with raisins, lots of sugar, and even suet that is boiled for hours. (No plums) Then it is sliced and topped with a sweet sauce. It is the highlight of the meal. My own family doesn't like it and so I never make it because it involves hours of work. You must keep it slowly boiling while wrapped in a cloth and that means you must be in the kitchen watching it. But I crave it and just writing about it makes me want to try it for my family one more time. I think it must be an acquired taste. If you are interested in trying some, let me know. One writer described plum pudding as "dark, dense and delicious". I agree. Maybe I'll have a plum pudding party for people interested in giving it a try. I found this picture on the web and it really looks like this but when you cover it with a rich butter sauce, it improves the look greatly.

In doing some research on plum pudding, I found the following quote: "Other historians suggest the link to Christmas started with a decree by the medieval Catholic Church that "pudding should be made on the 25th Sunday after Trinity, that it be prepared with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles, and that every family member stir it in turn from east to west to honour the Magi and their supposed journey in that direction".

I don't know if our recipe has 13 ingredients but it must have at least that. Now our plum pudding has Christian symbolism. I think that is rather a big stretch-all I know is that it is wonderful and a true sign of Christmas for me.

A 'Turn' in My Life

This week started like every other week. I meet Joyce, my sister-in-law, for running down Kettle Lake Drive. We've been doing that every Monday for years. On Wednesday we run in a different location. We run about 3 miles and we think it is a great way to start our day. But this week, I stepped in a pothole which I didn't see because of the dark. I twisted my ankle. At first, I thought it was just bruised but by Wednesday, the bruising and swelling convinced me to get it checked out. I have a small fracture and am now on crutches and keeping off my feet. This has really crimped my style. I did work yesterday but because I work in a school and visit many classrooms, I put many 'miles' on my crutches. Today I'm so sore that I can barely get around. The soreness is in my arms and shoulders and I'm bruised from the crutches too.

I see an orthopedic doctor on Monday and I hope I can get more mobile then. I am developing a new appreciation for people with mobility issues. It is exhausting to do every day activities and there are many things that I can't even begin to try. Luckily, Tom is home now from deer hunting and he's very willing to wait on me. So now I'm having hot coffee and fresh ice packs-just little things make a big difference.

It just took part of a second for my life to be changed and I'm having lots of trouble adjusting mentally to such limitations. But I'm sure God has some lessons to teach me. My friend, Marcia, told me this week. "Want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans!" Isn't that the truth!

Our New Home

Here are some pictures of our new condo. You can see that we aren't completely unpacked and there aren't pictures on the wall but we are getting there.

Moving was very stressful but actually everything went smoothly. I learned a valuable lesson during the entire process of selling the house and moving. Don't focus on how much work you have in front of you. Focus on what you have already accomplished. I found that once I started thinking about how much I had to do, it slowed me down, made me nervous and kept me from doing all that I could do.

We are living in a complex called Jasonville Farms which is near Caledonia, Michigan. We only moved 2 miles but went from a 5 bedroom house to a 2 bedroom condo.

Our balcony is enclosed and gives us extra living space. We put an air mattress in there last weekend when Jen visited and it worked well. We call this space our Arizona room because it reminds us of the time we spend at Kristen's in Arizona last winter. Every day we sat on her balcony eating our lunch and playing cribbage. Our Arizona room won't have the warm temps or the blue sky every day but we can hope for that.

We have one large bedroom and one small one, two full bathrooms and a laundry room.
Our living room, dining room and kitchen are an open area and we fit our recliners, my Clavinova (piano) and the TV all into the space.

So far we are loving it here. The first time I vacuumed, I was amazed that I plugged in the vacuum in the hallway and didn't have to stop and move the cord. It reached the entire condo. Cleaning isn't a day long project.

Another perk is that our Grand Rapids Press is delivered to our doorstep. I don't have to go outside to get it. I especially like that on Saturday morning. I get my coffee and open the door and pick up the paper and sit down and enjoy. That's what I'm doing right now!

Everyone Gets New Toys

This first picture was taken on our moving day. I looked out front and found Madelynn laying on the couch that was ready to leave. She was reading a book she had found and was enjoying herself there.This week has been one of special treats. We got Anna and Madelynn American Girl dolls. The plan was to go to Chicago and pick them out at the store but with the move this fall it became impossible to find a day to do that. We're still planning on a trip soon. So we ordered the dolls and they arrived Monday. It was very exciting.


The boys weren't as excited about the dolls as you can imagine so they have a special treat coming-yet to be decided upon.

Tom and I went up to the Soo over the weekend and returned with our new toy. A 5th wheel camper and a truck to pull it with. We're looking forward to many happy days traveling around with the 5th wheel. We haven't planned any trips yet but will be in the future.

We are newbies to the RV life, so if you have any hints or info, we'd love to hear about it.

Our Move is Complete

Back in March when we decided to put our house on the market, I never thought we'd be to this point. However, yesterday was our closing and the new owner is moving in today. It was a group effort to get to us moved.

We worked hard to get the house ready for showing. Over the summer, we made many trips home from the Soo to keep the house ready for showing and open houses.

The timing on all the events since the first of September certainly show the Lord's leading. September and October have been so full that I know I'll forget much in the retelling.

When the offer came in on the house, we had no idea where we would be moving. But the Lord lead us each step of the way. We found a condo in Jasonville Farms in Caledonia to rent. The two bedroom condo keeps us near our friends and family here but the condo lifestyle allows us to travel and spend our summers away without worrying about the house.

Many people helped us the task of downsizing from a 5 bedroom house to a much smaller place. We had a huge garage sale to help in downsizing. Many thanks to Tom & Sherry for helping us get ready for the sale and then helping during the sale.

Tommy, Sherry, Eric, and Jack helped out with the move. Jack recruited his other grandfather, Al Hackney, to come an help on move day. Tommy's brothers-in-law also helped out as did Kirk and Sherri Mulder who are now our neighbors. Sherri packed up my entire kitchen and unpacked it at the condo. My kitchen has never been so organized. I promise to keep it that way!

During September I finished my contract with Grand Rapids Public Schools and started working with the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Association of Intermediate School Administrators in training for an instructional coach position. But in early October, I was offered a half-time position at Hopkins Middle School as a literacy coach to lead a project to impact student achievement there. I'm loving my work there plus I'm still in training for the State position and may pick up some work later in the year.

We're slowing getting settled in our new home. Our phone is now hooked up and we have the same number. Here's our new address and we'd love to show off the new place so stop by soon.

8634 S. Jasonville Ct. SE

Caledonia, MI 49316

Cabin Close Up and Garage Sale

The past few weeks have been unbelievably busy but we really feel God's leading in every step. We received an offer on our house that we accepted and things have been moving very fast since then. Our closing is scheduled for Oct. 23 with possession at close which means we have to be out by then.

We had a garage sale that was very successful. Here's our front yard full of stuff from the barn and it almost all sold. Tom's stuff was very popular. We used Craigslist and it worked very well. We are going to use Craigslist to sell the few remaining items.
Unfortunately, my side of the sale wasn't quite as successful but we did sell lots. The rest of the goodies will be donated to Goodwill or Mel Trotter.
This weekend we headed up to the Cabin with a load of furniture we want up there. The colors were beautiful on the way up and at the Soo. Sugar Island, which you see in the picture, was in full glory.
This was our last sight of Scenic Drive as we drove out for the last time this season.


We had hoped to spend the month of Oct. at the cabin for a leisurely fall but it didn't work out that way. Our close-up went well and the cabin is set for another winter without us. It did snow while we were there both Sat. and Sun. The flurries didn't last long but did last on the grass for a while. It was a sign to us that summer was over and it was time to move on.

We will be moving into a condo in Jasonville Farms in Caledonia this Saturday. It will be a big change for us but we are looking forward to this new phase in our life.

I also starting working at Hopkins Middle School as a literacy coach last week. This will be a 2 - 3 day a week position helping teachers implement strategies to improve the student achievement. I'm excited about this new opportunity. I will be meeting the teachers on Wednesday and getting to work right then.

Oh Where Have You Gone?

Things have been going up-side down in our live lately.

But I'm beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We're cheering about that!

I know I haven't been posting for the past few weeks because things have been crazy in my life. I'll give you a quick update.

My Job I work in schools as a consultant helping teachers improve their teaching. The current grant I work under expires on Sept. 30 (today) so I have been working every day this month. Not what a retired person wants to do! I'm looking forward to a day off tomorrow but this weekend we are having a garage sale-see next section to see why we are downsizing.

Our House Our house sold recently after having been for sale for months. I was worried that we were going to be homeless but we found a condo to rent down on Monday and will be moving into it the end of October. It should work well because we will be close to our gra

ndkids. We will be in Jasonville Farms at 8634 Jasonville Ct.

Our Family Last week my mother had some medical problems and came down to the hospital here for treatment. She had several issues which they were able to resolve with medication. We took her back home last Friday and got to spend the night at our beloved cabin.

Family Wedding Last weekend our niece, Elizabeth Stanley got married and all our children came home for the festivities. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

This is a tearful reunion when Jen meet the grandkids as they got off the bus last Thursday. Betsie's wedding was beautiful and a wonderful chance to see our loved ones.

We all went to Jay and Jack's games on Saturday. Jay is playing football and Jack loves playing soccer. We spent time just hanging out together at our house. That was great fun with something always going on.