Outside the Pigeon Holes

Lori hosted a special yard sale this weekend especially geared toward teachers. She is downsizing her teaching materials because she is now on the road with Broadway shows teaching the younguns who perform in shows like Annie. So in the style of my blog idols, Remedy and Reverb , here are a few photos from the day. Heather, Corinne (Lori's mom), Steve (Remedy) and Lori. Steve stopped by on his way back from dropping off equipment for Refuge , the coffee house that will be opening soon on Glenway. Heather helped keep the tables stocked and Corinne provided conversation and support. The Live Cup Holder idea didn't attract many buyers...But it was an interesting concept. Lori would make lovely decor for any home! This is Jennifer. She rocks. We love her! This was Steve's puzzling find at the sale. Hmmm. This little guy tried to hide but we caught him spying on us. I think he also threw some leaves down onto us and hoped we'd think it was just an act of autumn. Bear with b...

These lovely eyes belong to one of the precious students in our class. Her name is Lucy. She was born with Gardener's syndrome which is a rare genetic disorder mostly affecting the colon. Typically -from what I read- cancers do not start showing up until teen years. But Lucy's doctors recently found cancerous cells in her blood-work. They can do nothing until the cells "settle" into her colon at which point they will begin chemotherapy. Lucy is just shy of turning 5 years old. Please stand with me in prayer against this illness, that she is completely healed and that God shows up in a wonderful way in her life to restore her to health. She is a strong, energetic and beautiful girl. I know that she has big things to do in her life!

I did it... I made my first purchase on WOOT. It seemed like a deal I couldn't pass up. Reviews are quite favorable and my only other recourse in moving myself up in the world of digital music technology was a $50 Sony MP3 player with 1GB and no screen for videos. This MP3 player has 4GB of memory, FM radio, and a nice screen where album covers will be displayed (a feature I geeked out on with Lori's MP3 player). Including shipping this little guy was only 39.99. Granted it is refurbished (aka - "respiffied") but I just thank my Jesus for blessing me with some spending money and a little part-time undercover gig that I am not allowed to discuss in public forums. :) And now to borrow a page from my friend Reverb , I will ask an interactive question... What is the best deal you have ever gotten on something you had been hoping to purchase?

My Aunt Kathy sent me the program from Aunt Helen's memorial service in Jacksonville, Florida. I cried...I laughed...I cried some more. Here is the cover...Note how she matured from bespectacled, conservative mother to sun hat, contact-wearing beach babe. :) Included in the program was a photocopy of Aunt Helen's handwritten funeral plans. I love #3: The title in the actual program of the eulogy is "say what needs to be said" in keeping with her plans. # 5 says "Everyone stand and sing a praise (after all, Jesus is in the service!)". It's just like Aunt Helen to direct things from Heaven. :) There is also a full page that is a brief biography of her life. If she'd only written an autobiography. The world would have been blessed by her story. This excerpt sums her up well: Helen loved Life! No matter what her children and gra ndchildren were involved in she was there in the middle of it. She loved picnics, traveling, any adventure, and ju...

Last week was bittersweet...We know the bitter...Let's enjoy the sweet...

Aunt Helen Glover July 29, 1933 - August 5, 2008 Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven....For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:20-21

We bought a Trikke at a yard sale yesterday...Cool! Wow! Fun! Party! They're a good $500 new. We got it for $35! I can't wait til I can look like this dude as I race around on it like a pro. :) For now I am relegated to going up and down on my street trying to master the motion I need to keep it going after the momentum from the decline runs out. The training video says that you have to use some sort of punching motion with the handle bars. At this point I pretty much look like I'm desperately trying to keep it from tipping over (which it actually doesn't do. It stands on its own and doesn't wobble or tip). The neighbor's 4 cats were all standing on the porch and the lawn staring at me condescendingly as I practiced this morning. They'll all be cowering in the corner when I'm doing wheelies on their lawn! That'll show 'em! But first I gotta get it moving!...I need to find some tough turf kids who know about these things...Hey, Melanie, is Jo...

One reason that I hesitate to get a tattoo is that as much as I change my blog layout and my desktop background, I think I'd also want to change my skin art! I still haven't found a layout that I truly like and the instructions on how to add a custom layout from another source is confusing. I'm certain I would screw it up and be forever lost in template hell. Therefore, I am limited to the blogger templates - which are ok and are customizable to some extent. So that's a happy thing. Anyway - here's the new look...And a new name. Renegade is a name given to me by Denise (aka Radar), my friend and cohort in hell-gate storming. It came from my saying something about preventing renegade prayer scheduling. :) I thought it made for a good blog title...So there ya have it... Helen Ann Renegade for Grace