New Day

When one refuses to accept change, life ceases to be an enjoyable adventure. When I was forced into retirement, I was sad, defeated, and angry. I refused to believe that getting away from the stress of my profession would extend my quality of life. Now I am enjoying my grandsons and my family. I still wake up on my "school clock"; 4:30 AM is a habit hard to break. Not grading essays hours on end is a chore of teaching high school English that I do not miss. I do miss the students that I have had the privilege to watch grow from wide eyed juniors into self assured young adults. I smile when I hear of their accomplishments, marriages, and children. I keep up with most on Facebook. Yes, FB is a current social network for an "old biddy like me."

Selfishly I have enjoyed seeing my family grow. My older daughter Sarah is the mother of two incredible sons. Her husband Wade is a wonderful hands on dad.



My younger daughter married her perfect partner Jeff.



She and Jeff have become foster parents to two amazing boys. A & J came into all of lives almost a year ago. They are a big part of our family. They quickly were vital in our family's "heart". Jeff and Rebecca are their mom and dad; A & J are their sons. Soon the legal system will catch up with what is already a reality with the adoption of these two little guys.



Life is good - especially if we "Let go and Let God."

June 25, 2010

Today is full of confusion. I am from Louisiana; I remember the bayous, water creatures, Cajuns, crayfish boils and more. I will always remember fishing with my grandfather from a john-boat in a Louisiana bayou. The moss dripping down from the cypress trees was amazing- even the water moccasins were beautiful. I know in my heart that Louisiana will not recover in my lifetime. I pray the Gulf Coast will not experience the fury a hurricane. A way of life seems to be destroyed by the love of money.

But today also made me smile. I tutored a young lady today on her summer reading. It was fun to see her feel more comfortable with a challenging reading. Asking her probing questions gave me "my fix" of teaching. I told my student's mom I was being selfish tutoring her daughter. I had the best of both world's; I got to see a student gain self confidence without having to grade papers. It is much more rewarding to see the glimmer in a student's eyes.

Life According to Mrs. H

Life is always interesting. My life centers on our grandsons - Clayton, Drew, A & J. A & J cannot have their picture on my blog until they are formally adopted. All four boys are a joy - each in their own way. Clayton is a "hoot"; you never know what that boy will say next. Sarah's blog www.carpenterscorner.blogspot.com chronicles some of his antics. He will be in kindergarten next year; I hope they are ready for him! Drew is a jewel of a one+ year old. He is a gentle, loving, active boy. Since we had two girls, a boy growing up is a sight to see. Drew learns so quickly the ways to keep mom on her toes. His amazing smile tells you to watch what he will do next.



A & J joined our family nine months ago. A will be in first grade next year. He is a real lady's man. No matter where he goes, he leaves broken hearts. McDonalds, school, and sports events are his favorite haunts to catch the eyes of the girls. He loves all the places Rebecca and Jeff take him. Sometimes he is a challenge, but all of the time he is joy. J is a typical little brother. He knows what buttons to push. His angelic smile and twinkling eyes make me joyful that he is our grandson. He will be in pre-k next year. Oh to be a fly on the wall...



Life is such a blessing when grandsons are a part of our lives. Each daily adventure with these four could be the focus of a best selling book.

#39

Happy Anniversary, D We continue to grow and change. Thank you for who you are - now and even all the 39 years before May 15, 1971.

Joys of being a Grandparent

" In youth we learn; in age we understand."

Happy Mother's Day - especially to our two amazing daughters. I thought being a mom was the best, but being a grandmother is even better. Seeing my daughters becoming such sensitive, insightful, and loving moms is such a blessing. Watching them both with their boys reminds me that Jer. 29:11 is a promise that I will cling to each day. This weekend all for boys filled our house with swimming, bar-b-que, laughter, activity, and yes even a little sibling horse play and arguing, I got to sent quality time with each boy but especially with my youngest grandson. It warmed my heart to hear him say "ov yu" and give me kisses only an 18 month old can. Thank you daughters, son-in-laws, and grandsons for visiting.



Drew and t-ball action.


Sarah and her boys


A & J visit the horses


Wade and his boys love to ride bikes


A & J walking across a bridge - maybe to join a loving family


Toothless A

"Truth, which is important to a scholar, has got to be concrete. And there is nothing more concrete than dealing with babies, burps and bottles, frogs and mud."

March Birthdays

March is the birthdays of three of my favorite men: Clayton ("Batman"), Jeff, and JD.

Happy Birthday, Guys.

The return of Mrs. H

I realize that I have not blogged lately. There is several good reasons. After working in the oil industry 35 years, Mr. H found himself on an unplanned sabbatical. The economical downturn seemed to be no respecter of experience and loyalty; those with more gray hair and years appear to be first to go. Seven and a half months is a long “vacation”. He was faithful to know that God would not leave us unemployed for long; this was a time for revitalizing our relationship, marriage, and friendship. The last two years have been difficult, but the morning has come. Mr. H says “They meant it for evil, but God means it for good”. I not only have my husband back, but I also rediscovered my best friend.

Another reason was the arrival of two new grandsons. Our younger daughter is a social worker. She observed the foster care system first hand. Her heart ached for each child. She and her new husband of three years were led to explore the option of being foster parents. The process is long and involved as it should be; after all, these children must be treated like the gifts they are. They completed the process and are now fostering with the option to adopt two very special little guys. A and J are a handful but a blessed handful. We are enjoying being real grandparents to them. It is so exciting to be able to see them daily and to babysit when needed. Papa He, as J calls Mr. H, loves to be able to shower them with love – and discipline. We were on duty last night; they will jump through hoops for Papa He. I must admit that I still miss our Dallas grandsons so much. I have to work on not being jealous that we cannot see these two rascals more often. Our daughter is so faithful to regularly update her blog with pictures, videos, and a description of their antics. Even this is no substitute for being there.

Now that I have explained my absence from the blogospere, I reflect on the real reason for Christmas. The truth is “He is the reason for the season”. Merry blessed Christmast to all of my family, friends, and ex-students.

Nanny Man and Super C

Once upon a time there was a guardian of supers, and the guardian of supers was so amazing. Their names were Super Miss Leah and Super Mister Todd. When my mom fell down the stairs, they came to our house. And Super Mister Todd took her (mom) to the hospital.

Nanny Man is so thankful for Super Miss Leah and Super Mister Todd. He realized that it is now necessary for him – Super Nanny - to train new super heroes, He must become a Jedi Warrior Trainer in the tradition of Obi-Wan-Kanobe. Nanny Man looked for a true leader of this group of Super Heroes. Eureka.. He automatically thought of Super C. Super C is a real super star of Super Heroes. He appears to Nanny Man dressed in his orange outfit with a white star on his chest, a red cape with an orange C on back completes the amazing picture of a true hero. His outfit is complete with black gloves and black shoes. His posse is composed of Daring Drew, Joyful J, and Amazing A. Nanny Man is eager to help Super C train his gang of new recruits.

Super C's first task is to rescue a birthday party in America. Super C becomes the real hero in the Birthday Adventure. The party had so many fast moving children that they began to look like ants at a picnic. Each child jumped and jumped in the Bounce House that was the entertainment for the party. It was hard for each child to be safe as they jumped. In fact, there were several close calls as they jumped. The Gang of Four helped rescue a three year old who was jumping in the Bounce House. The young blond haired girl was cornered by all the other children; she found herself in the back of the crowded Bounce House. Her eyes were full of tears; she was so afraid. The Gang flew into action. Daring Drew was the first to reach the hysterical girl. Joyful J and Amazing A were not far behind. The rescue only took our heroes minutes but it seemed like days to the girl. She was so grateful to the Gang.


Super C was so proud of his new recruits that he considered them his closest friends. In fact Amazing A became known as “Cuz”. The party continued with the eating of the birthday treats. The hot dogs were delicious. So was the treat called Cracker Jacks. The main attraction of the feast was a brightly colored birthday cake. The cake was vanilla with butter cream icing. The cake seemed to be covered with purple, orange, and blue balloons. There seemed to be millions of flaming candles on the cake. All of a sudden Joyful J noticed that the burning candles were getting out of control. He knew that the Gang must come to the rescue! The cake became a ball of fire. Super C jumped into action. He needed help, but someone needed to be the leader. The fire was extinguished very quickly. The Gang came to the rescue again and saved the party. The mother Miss Becca was so thankful Super C, Daring Drew, Joyful J, and Amazing A (known as Cuz) where at the party and came to her aid.

Super C is also proud of his gang. He smiled and congratulated each brave guy. It was time to continue their training. What is to be their next challenge?

Nanny Man to the Rescue

Once upon a time a guardian of supers was fighting together from a dangerous enemy. And there was a new hero in town. His name was Nanny Man. And Nanny Man was so super that he rescued his mom from falling down the stairs.


The secret door under the stairs is really an advanced refrigeration mechanism. Nanny Man was able to fill it with necessary items to help in any rescue. He rummaged through the contents. Eureka! There is what he needed. He got her an ice pack. Then he was the guardian of supers, and he opened the door for more help.

His other friend was Batman. Batman is officially from Gotham City. Then he was a buddy of Nanny Man. Nanny Man is so relieved that his mom, he, and his brother got help from his mom's friends who rushed over to help. He realized that his job was not finished. Because he did such a great job in the rescue of his mom, he was given a most important job. He was now the guardian of supers. His other friend was Batman.They were off to complete his mission.

Nanny Man is so exhausted from the busy day that he decided to rest his eyes just for a minute. He went to sleep instead. During this nap, he was contacted through a dream by his mentor affectionately known simply as Obi by his trainees. Obi had another rescue for Nanny Man and Batman. Obi told of a land far, far away called China. An evil emperor had captured Spiderman, Captain America, and Hulk. Rescuing them was a dangerous task, but it had to be done. Nanny Man woke up from his dream with new energy and determination to not run from this new challenge.

Traveling to China was a new adventure. He and Batman could hardly believe some of the unique sights visible even for the space traveler.


Nanny is intrigued by the sights of China. He sees dangers ahead in the rescue. There are many strange creatures in this far away land.


Communication in this strange place is only by video conferencing. New heroes that are already in China must join the rescuers.


This new superhero is named Daddy Man.

The heroes must fight the evil emperor. What was strange is that the evil one resembles a child.


An elaborate rescue by becoming invisible is necessary. The battle is long and dangerous. The battle is fought in strange and difficult terrain. But Nanny Man's army of rescuers cannot be defeated.



Nanny and the army of the heroes must rescue the superheros so that mankind can be saved. The emperor and his army cannot see what is attacking them. The amazing army of new rescuers from a galaxy far, far away fought with highly advanced light sabers and other weapons that proved to be indefensible. They are able to rescue all of the supers - Spiderman, Captain America, and Hulk. Nanny Man to the rescue again.

*This story is co-authored by Clayton.

Luke Meets Nanny Man

Luke found himself desiring a new adventure and maybe meeting a new friend. He had so many friends, but Luke never turned down an adventure that would introduce him to new friends. Luke always wanted to explore new places. Going further out in space than he had been before required a larger, primitive technological rocket. Luke remembered hearing ancient stories of something called a space shuttle. Maybe he could go back to the cave where he found the comics and find the plans and bill of materials to build his own shuttle.


Luke was able to re-locate the cave. He climbed deeper and deeper into the underground of this mysterious cave. Suddenly, he discovered an old laboratory. There were stacks of ancient lab experiments and reports. Brushing the cobwebs aside, Luke poured over these papers. There in the corner of the lab was an old machine. Luke was amazed when he realized that he had discovered one of what scientist then called a computer. This was before the creation of the teleprompter of this age. A computer was so archaic. Maybe Luke could use this to solve the mystery of the building of his own space shuttle. Excitedly, he was able to pull up old drawings of a shuttle from the hard drive of the computer. Now he must acquire the materials to build this ancient space traveler. Through the help of Obi, Yoda, Hans, and his robot sidekicks, Luke was finally able to construct his own shuttle. He found a museum of space travel and was able to get some rocket fuel. He had heard stories of a superhero named Nanny Man and his companion Brownie. This was to be his new friend.


Nanny Man was relatively young but was very creative. He rescued a mom that fell down a staircase, fed the screaming, hungry toddler, and was the doorman for others that were needed to supply more help. Nanny Man was wise beyond his age. Luke was anxious to meet this superhero. It was finally time to begin his journey. Luke climbed in the shuttle, secured the harness, and checked all the gauges prior to lift off. 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Lift off.


Nanny Man's home plant was beautiful even from way up in space. It was amazingly colorful. Luke had never seen such vibrant colors. The planet was named Ynnan World, a perfect planet for a superhero. Luke set the shuttle down like an expert on planet floor. Now Luke must search for Nanny Man. Luke carefully descended the stairs. He could not believe it. At the foot of the stairs was a welcoming party consisting of Nanny Man and some planet dignitaries. Luke was known and admired throughout the universe. Luke could not wait to begin an adventure with Nanny Man.