Almond Toffee

Yes he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness. Romans 4:20-22 Wow This last week coming back from Tyler we had a blowout on our left front tire on our Tahoe. Another driver in another Tahoe pointed out to us that something was wrong with our tire and so we pulled over just as all the air was going our of the tire. Several years ago whenever my girls got cell phones I bought roadside assistance with Cingular and it certainly paid off. A man came out and changed our tire and we were on our way. However in all of this, we saw God working as events unfolded.The next day Leslie and Brian came through on their way to Midland. when they were an hour on their way, her car started missing. So they came back and we loaned them our tahoe and they went on their merry way. We then got her car fixed by one of the most reputable car mechanics in town.

Coconut Meringue Pie

They did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. but the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.Ex. 1:11-12 When I ponder this passage, I think of all the negative in our lives. It seems the more we think about it, the more it bothers us. The more we let others get under our skin, the bigger pain they are. Perhaps it is best to go on and think more about our blessings we have. I think about our men and women overseas in I raq and other places putting their lives in harm's way so we can have the freedom we enjoy and take for granted. Negatives are like a cancer only a spiritual cancer.

Iced sugar cookies

The scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham. All nations will be blessed through you. Gal 3:8 Aren't all nations blessed by the Lord, his son and the holy spirit and they haven't figured it out yet. I can't even imagine my life without believing in the Father , Son and the Holy Spirit. My heart aches for others whenever they don't believe as me. Not that I'm the only one right but there are a lot of people who believe like me. Perhaps this is too simple, but when I count the ways I'm blessed, it's too numerous to count. Yesterday I had the pleasure to spend some time with a friend of mine who believes Jesus is the prophet. I'll never forget the day she told me that because she is Jewish.I pray for her on a regular basis to accept Jesus as her savior.

Icebox Cookies

Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac whom thou lovest and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of Gen 22:2 Whenever I first wrote this scripture, I thought of my own two children. Little did I know that soon I would lose one of my students in my classroom. This last week a precious young man by the name of Stephan Bryan died unexpectedly. He had stomach pains since Tuesday and had gone to the Dr. The Dr. did blood work and saw that his white blood count was elevated. He called him back and ordered an MRI and he had surgery Thursday night for a ruptured appendix. He passed away Saturday morning at 3.Stephan was a model student. He wanted all his work to be perfect and was usually the one to turn in his work last. He always worked quietly and did what was expected of him. Sadly, he lost his daddy in 2002 and I feel so sad for his mom right now. To lose two people so closely together and she has two elderly parents also. If you read this, please pray for my classroom and myself. I've lost students before, but never while they were in my class.

Strawberry Shortcake

Remember the former things of old: for I am God and there is none else: I am God there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executed my counsel from a far country: yea I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass:I have purposed it, I will also do it. Isa 46:9-11Wow What does that say to me? Have I denied myself and followed his will. Perhaps I did 33 years ago when I decided to come to ACU instead of going to ETSU in Commerce. I had always planned on going there until they built UT Tyler. My daddy said I should go there and still live at home. I said No thanks. I needed to leave home at that time. Of course I married Hubert and my family thought Oh What a Mess. But you know what? I'd put my husband up against any guy in this world. He is the absolute best and I see it more every day in my walk with God. He is so totally amazing. What task does he call me today? I don't know. Perhaps it is to teach math. Yuck! Math in fourth grade is just tooo simple. I don't understand why they don't understand. 2 X 2 =4 is still the same regardless what happens.

Strawberry Pie

The Heart is deceitful about all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a deceitful man, according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve. Jere. 17:9-10. There's been times when I wanted to take in every child who wasn't as fortunate as someone else but I now know that wouldn't have worked for me. There are foster parents out there who are just totally amazing. I know now why
God sent me Leslie and Amber instead of a steady stream of foster children. I see Amber changing so much this first month away from home. It's so amazing. I see her someday marrying a man of God who lives, breathes and soaks up the word of God. She's also found some amazing young ladies who pray for her and she is just embracing the love of Jesus.She's pledging and is having the time of her life. also Leslie is coming home tomorrow after doing a month long rotation at the VA hospital in surgery.I look forward to a weekend with my girls.

Caramel Meringue pie

This has to be my favorite dessert which is why I cook it about 1 time a year. Today I'm reminded "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." 2 Chron.16:9 Wow I've come to my Lord so much these days, I'm so weak. Talk about David, I'm a woman after God's heart. Who am I? Why am I here? Those are questions I don't have the answer to. However I hope I've made a difference in lives of young children I've touched.I think of the guys who have murdered,the girls who were pimped by their moms who were too tired to think in class after a night of carousing, and the girls who would still have pain from abuses of all kind and just need a friendly face at school to accept them in their brokenness.Wow such a legacy. Our Lord and Savior. So many of us don't know the pain of those so close by and even more of us don't even care. do people really care about how your day is when they ask? You have to wonder. So long and good night.

German Chocolate Cake

Over the years I have been blessed with the best student teachers in town.I can not say enough nice things about each of them. They all thought out of the box in my class and I let them allow their creative juices to flow and bring out the best in everyone. To me it was never where they started but how they ended. So many teachers expect them to be experts but they're just beginners. Which is what I was 32 years ago. You know there are some people who can never be friends with anyone outside their little circle. Imagine our life and how it would be pointless if Jesus had done the same.
Then have them make a sanctuary for me and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I'll show you. EX 25:8-9

Italian Cream Cake

Well it is official now. Amber is now out of the house. After 24 years, Hubert and I are home alone. Wow I can't believe it. Where did all that time go? It was like a vapor and came as quickly as it went. She has gone to ACU and has found a great group of friends (boys and girls) already.Leslie starts surgery rotation tomorrow and I continue to teach math which is not my cup of tea. However I am tutoring students who don't get it. Today I say good-bye to one of the neatest ladies that ever had any contact with my children. She was leslie's and Amber's children's minister growing up and she was awesome. She's moving to Allen to do the same job there. Whenever I see her in my mind, I see a smile. There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee Exodus 25:22 To me that is the church. I'm really concerned about the number of Church of Christ who have migrated to a Baptist church because of whatever reason. Last night I studied the Purpose Driven life chapter on protecting your church. 21 to be exact. Read that chapter if you ever want to fuss about church again. Honestly, when I worship I should do so with reverance and I shouldn't have to feel the spirit jumping in me to be alive or everybody around me distracting me from my purpose there. Good bye and good night.

Red Velvet

Well, In a few more days school will be starting again. This summer flew by but it went slow in terms of other stuff. Hubert taught a class at ACU. Those students are so lucky to have him as a teacher. He is so gifted. I count my lucky stars every day to be married to him. He does so many things for me and my girls. We love him so much. Leslie took her boards and finally go the results which were great by my standards. She is so gifted and talented too. I'm so fortunate to have such a good girl as her. Amber made a big decision to quit playing volleyball and concentrate on her studies. She broke up with her boyfriend of over 4 years in March and dated someone else for a couple of months. Then she broke up with that other guy 2 weeks ago. In all of this, she is looking to God for guidance. she's one of those girls that could be single.We'll see how this path leads her the next month or two. With me this summer I started off with a mammagram then sonagram and Leslie asked me not to do so much medical stuff until after her boards. So I put off my colonoscopy and that ended up being a nightmare. I passed out on the first round so he put me in the hospital for the second round. Everything was ok so I can breath with a sigh of relief now. I will teach 3 new subjects this year that I haven't taught before because...I can't write why because you never know who will read this. HAAHAHA Anyway...I'll do my best. After all life is doing your best, right?

Sock It To Me Cake

Well I've been at Jackson now for 14 years. I would write about the people there but I have to face them everyday so I won't. They might not understand my feelings nowadays. There have been some great teachers at Jackson. My daughters went there and I know them as a parent too. Leslie had a Mrs. Vines for K and she was wonderful whereas Amber had Mrs. Partin who was fantastic. Amber was always so full of energy and life whereas Leslie was always so serious. However Leslie had funny moments with funny stories. In first grade, Leslie was in Mrs. Foster's class and Amber had Mrs. Ladyman who is also wonderful.Leslie was put in the second group of readers. Every night when her daddy came home from being a Principal she would read to him while I cooked supper. By midterm she was in the top group. Leslie was in mrs. Polnick's class in 2nd while Amber had Mrs. Martin. They had great second grade years and they were always busy enjoying friends at birthday parties, soccer games T-ball, softball, gymnastics, acting classes, dance classes, art classes, and summer christian camps. The list is endless all the experiences Hubert and I gave them so they would feel comfortable in this crazy world. our church had Marti O'Rear work with our children and she was absolutely the best. They don't get any better than her. My daughters could not have gotten a better start than with Jackson primary teachers. The students at jackson also are some of the best. they don't get any better. School is almost upon us and I can't wait.

Donuts

I get sick and tired of people who complain about not getting hired as teachers in AISD. It took me 6 years. When I started, Nick hired me as a 5th/6th English teacher. Before the summer was out, I was in 3rd grade. I worked with Sue and Betty. It was the best year of my life. Sue and I had so much fun. We planned together and everything. She had to be one of the prettiest ladies I know. She had 3 lovely children and a husband who would later disappoint her and the entire community. I worked there for 12 years and they were great. Darrell lost his first wife to cancer and since then he has lost his second wife to cancer. There were a lot of teachers who came and went. I'll never forget Lavada who smoked like a freight train and would give assignments, leave the room and smoke, smoke, smoke...There was Sally(not her real name)who has to be the most prejudiced person on Earth who hasn't killed somebody yet. I taught with a lot of teachers and worked for 7 principals during those 12 years. I always had to prove myself so I never got complacent. Students came and went. So many funny things happened there. I want to remember them and I reach into the portals of my mind and search. There are students who look me up occasionally (girls mainly) and I'm always glad to be a part of their life. There were students in my class that were killed in accidents, who even killed others,who suffered deep pain in their homes. There were students who have since succeeded in jobs and been successfulin life. All of the principals were great to work for except one. That person is no longer in the county. He was such a namedropper. It was so hard to work for him and go to work everyday. He would say and do the most unprofessional things. He showed favortism and only a couple of teachers liked him or respected him as a campus leader. He just didn't have problems on our campus because he left and had other problems on other places. Probably my last year was the best and i enjoyed the teachers I worked with that year. We had so much fun together and just enjoyed the year so much. I hated to leave but knew I needed to so I could be closer to home. Hubert had been named Principal of Jefferson and I needed to be closer to home. Life has gone on and will continue to go on. Valley view closed several years ago but schools will come and go there until all our renovations are finished or money runs out.

Strawberry Bread

As I said in my last post, Ann and I stopped off at Trent one afternoon when we decided we didn't want to drive another 55 miles one way days. It just so happened Trent needed a band director too so I told one of my friends (that was also married to a black man) about the job. Roy was our superintendent and he happened to be the youngest one in the state at that time. 15 or 20 years later my youngest daughter got jealous when he came up and hugged me at a reunion. He was not the hugging type and was probably one of the most professional people I know. He probably wanted to strangle me in my younger days. He was supportive of me when he found out about my marriage. The Board of Trent was supportive. I taught there five years. Several things happened there. I'll never forget when I drove my new car to school and a neighborhood kid preceeded to peel off the sticker of my firebird. Boy, Was I ticked? Then there was the time when Freddie bit his tongue pretty deep running around on the playground. We had several interesting characters work with us out there. One teacher went to Roy and told him the elementary teachers weren't making her feel welcome. Boy, was that a mistake. She is still a whiner. One night my family and I were eating out and she came over and spent the entire time talking to us while we were eating. Then there was Rose whose tongue wiggled like a snake while she talked. She was very weird and I think she is the strangest teacher I ever worked with. Bar none. My smallest class was 7 and largest was 18. That was when you could teach and enjoy it not worrying about a test. Boy has things changed. What life lessons I learned from that time and that community I can't begin to tell you, but I have great feelings when I think about those days and I never have a bad taste in my mouth. I am always so happy when I see children from there I taught and their families.

Cinnamon Rolls

During the year I was at Roscoe teaching 4 year old migrant children, two people visited the campus and saw me teaching there at the school. One of the people from ACU recognized me as being married to Hubert and preceded to tell the aid that worked for me. The other person with her that day was an ACU alumni who is very well known throughout the world. Anyway the school got in a uproar and told the Migrant coordinator that I had not attended any faculty meetings and therefore would not have my job the next year. Of course everyone knew that was a big fat lie and I had to find another job. H was still in ACU and I was supporting both of us at least during football season. One day Ann and I stopped in Trent for what will be another post. That year I had migrant children who were having an extra year before Kindergarten so they would have an easier time. Basically it was oral language. I'll never forget how that one person being whatever you want to call it affected my life and she was suppose to be a sister in Christ.As I said in a previous post there were those who were sent there by God to be my friend. That was also our first year of marriage,too. I was born and raised to be in a white world, but I'm black. Where my husband was born black and raised in a white world, he was more prepared for how this world is more than me. However there are so many wonderful people who entered and crossed our lives, I can't complain about one sister in Christ who caused a problem. Yes times have improved but when we were at the bottom of the world, you can go no where but up. Right???

Cranberry Bread

I have to say my favorite bread is cranberry. It was a fluke that I even ever came to ACC. I use to hang out at the Church of Christ Bible Chair at TJC and I really enjoyed the time I spent there with Bill Allen and staff. I took Bible classes and I made a trip out to Abilene for high school day. It was really weird that weekend but I just fell in love with the place and I went home talking about how I had to go here. My parents and grandparents made way even though my mom was worried about panty raids that she use to hear about in the olden days. I came out here and met Jenny Lewis and her family. Her roommate was Paula and my roommate named Janna was friends next door with Pam. They all lived in Nelson on the second floor. One of the first girls I met was Patti who lives in my neighborhood and attends my church.Our children even ended up in the same grade in school and I taught her daughter. I came out on a weekend when the roads were closed all over Texas because of snow. I drove very slow and was very careful . I made it in time to check in to the dorm by myself, Nobody was hardly around because of the storm. I found my way to a hamburger stand for food, etc. My neck was stiff and I was scared yet happy to be on my own for the first time in my life. The first 3 weeks of college I was sick and went to the Dr. each week and my mamie who married the Church of Christ man and disowned by her Methodist family died. I really struggled as a student at ACC because it seemed everybody had connections. Everyone seemed to be kin to each other and I was an outsider because my family wasn't big on Christian education.. The politics of the university was my first experience on my own not to be in a political situation in my favor. I transferred as a Jr. and started my education classes. My friends were really a lot of fun and we had a lot of fun together. During my senior year I met my future husband and we both started taking a lot of flack for dating each other. However there were those people who are examples of their Christian faith on earth who were there for us. There were peopole who were nice and people who were rude. Even one of the professors pulled me aside and encouraged me when I needed encouraging. Those people who were there for us during this time are on our hearts always. They really are examples of Christ's love for us.Roy and LuGene Lewis were one of those families. they have always opened their home to us on any holiday when we are not with my family. I guess these girls are the one I would go to in a crisis.Thankfully I haven't had many of those these 30 years but sometime I was there for them when they had something going. Why am I writing about relationships? Because that is what makes us. People who enter and exit our life make a difference every day in our thoughts and actions. For those people who are sincere in their relationships with others, I admire you.

Lime sherbert Punch

Whenever I graduated I went to TJC. I had a lot of casual acquaintances in my life at this point but I pledged a sorority so I had instant sisters. One of them was my best friend and her name was Patty Tucker and I called her Pucker. We went everywhere together that year and a half. We even worked together one summer and had a lot of laughs but I got a lot of honest answers I never really wanted to hear I'm sure. There was another girl who ran with us sometime and her name was Tricia. One experience she had that I always share with my girls is how she argued with her boyfriend and they broke up. He left mad and ran off the road and he wasn't found until the next morning dead in a one car accident. During this time in my life, I made a lot of mistakes and I have a lot of regrets but I don't have any about attending TJC. I think all students should go to Jr. College before they are thrown into the wolves in a classroom of 300 or more students. I can't even imagine a class that size after attending ACU.There was also numerous students I would sit by and have so much fun talking to them in class. One thing about school was I loved to talk to my neighbors before class. I like for my own students to talk before class too because it is so healthy. However when there is work to do and I'm teaching, that's different. Hopefully all I learned during this time made me a better person, wife, daughter, sister, mother and friend.

Almond Tea

John Tyler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Big Bad John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What can I say?????????And the peeps in Abilene think Abilene High or Cooper is bad. They have no idea. Talk about rivalry!!!!!!!!!!The Robert E. Lee Rebels had the confederate flag (yes in the 60's) and the Rebels would tie their flags to their antennaes and insert razor blades in them so when the JT Lions would drive by on the drag strip of Broadway and grab them, they'd cut their hands up!!!!!!!!!!!Yuck and they think they're bad here in Abilene with their rivalries. Well my sophomore year I met Donna and Colleen. We were in Journalism class together. We would sit and talk for hours that year. We'd write articles for publication in the school newspaper. I loved to write for the paper. We'd interview people. That year I took typing. That's why I can type now. I was in honors English and I had the absolutely worst teachers in the state that year. Mr. Cole and Mr. Young. Mr. Cole was our Biology teacher and he had the nicest daughter who was my Blue Brigade captain. Now Mr. Young was my Geometry teacher. He was so lame. They ruined my high school trac of science and math. I also tried out for the Drill Team and made it. That was fun. Teresa helped me with my routine. I twirled to Sittin on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding. My junior year a guy by the name of DeWayne sat in front of me in English and one of my best friends boyfriends or she liked him. Anyway we started dating and there went my friendship with Carol. We dated almost 2 years before we broke up. We continued to stay in touch until I met my one and only honey. I also dated a guy my sophomore year for about 2 months. I was so naive my high school years. Life was so much simpler then. My high school years were memorable to say the least. My senior year all of the black people walked out a week for some reason. I can't remember why but my senior year we integrated. We had the elite blacks come to our schools beginning in 7th grade but they closed the black high school and everybody came to John Tyler my senior year. Why would they want to be a Rebel? Of course my claim to fame is when I left, Earl came. Campbell that is. So there are very few JT Lions in West Texas but there are thousands around the world. My first car was a Chevy II and man did I think it could ride. Then my daddy bought me a Pontiac tempest. Man did it go miles and miles before it slept.

Cocktail Sausages with Barbecue Sauce

I guess you can tell I'm now writing blogs about my favorite foods. Whenever I arrived at Boulter Jr. High, I had some of the Best teachers this state had to offer. My seventh grade year was amazing with all the teachers I had that year. In Math, I'm only as good as my teacher. She was pretty good and helped me all year with the questions I had. My history teacher was awesome and he even went on to work for TEA. My science teacher was just the best and when I pierced my ears in college , she was there at the store when I fainted. But my Reading teacher had to be the best there was. Man I learned so much from that woman about our language. I learned all the meanings of the Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes. We memorized poetry right and left. My English teacher was fantastic too. Just remembering seventh grade teachers bring back pleasant memories. That's also when I became friends with Lynette, Dianne, Ramonda and Carol. I was always with the smart girls because I was in honor classes. We had PE and Art classes too. My PE teacher was a sister of the winningest Basketball coach in East Texas. Whenever we had softball, I was always the pitcher so whenever I played faculty softball games ,in the back of my mind I would wonder why they didn't ask me to pitch because my peers always did growing up.. Barbara was also a friend I had and every six weeks she would be grounded if she made a B. My parents just checked my citizenship to make sure I behaved and they were happy. However I did try to make the best grades possible. When I was in 8th grade I spent 2 hours a day with a very depressed teacher( Reading and English). Come to find out, she was going through a divorce.I found that out about 30 years later like I found out everything. My parents were so professional and I never knew about any of my teachers personal lives while they were my teachers. My parents worked with all my teachers grades 1-8. My social studies teacher was a coach and did a great job. My science teacher was next door to my daddy and one time she threatened to go next door and tell my daddy, I told go ahead. That was one thing teachers would threaten to do to me and finally I got tired of it. Of course when there was a extra spot on the bus that went to Florida for the space launch on the moon in 1969, she let me go with the bus at half price. So I guess she wasn't too mad at me. That was the only time I really went much of anywhere in my younger life. We spent the first night in New orleans and walked down Bourbon Street. Then we went across I -10 into Florida seeing the launch from the closest bleachers possible. Needless to say, when the sea gulls cried out as the rocket launched into space , I was distracted to say the least. During my ninth grade year, I had two of the best science and math teachers possible. I gained so much confidence because all my math and science teachers were so good those 3 years. All of my history teachers were coaches but they were good teachers, too. I am always amazed whenever adults criticize their coach/teachers because mine were so good at their job. They were so interesting and I learned so much from them. For these 3 years, I was a Boulter Viking I enjoyed most days I was at school,even when I would walk by my daddy's class and he'd give that look but I remember pantomining Georgy Girl in a group before the school. The speech class always sang for the school their 9th grade year. However my favorite song was California Dreaming done by the speech class. Thinking back I just remembered we had a boy cheerleader which was not normal those days. WOW!

Artichoke Dip

AS I went through elementary school, I had other friends that were in my life besides Becky. One was Janeye' who was a flower girl with me when our third grade teacher got married. She grew up to be Head Cheerleader at our high school and she was actually one of the nicest girls I ever went to school with. She never really changed and stayed the same even though she was Miss Everything in high school. Then when I went to Orr in 4th grade, I went to school with girls who were ok but some of them were the rudest girls I've ever known. It was really weird how the trashiest girls from some of the trashiest families ruled the roost of my fifth and sixth grade years. The leaders were really just scum of the earth. One of the worst was a girl named Ellizabeth and it wasn't Taylor. Perhaps I was finding myself and everything. Because of that if girls are rude and ugly to their classmates in my classroom, I jump right in the middle of them with both feet and they learn real quick not be ugly where I know it. This year I had a student who reminded me of Elizabeth and she had an undesirable background too. Needless to say, she didn't get by with being rude to her classmates. I don't remember their names with 45 years gone by but I know I never named my children after them or would.

Sausage Balls

When I think of people who were a part of my life I have to think back 46 years to my first friend. She lived two doors down and she was the baby of the family. Her parents were both from very large familes in Lindale where I lived. Her mother's brother was the mayor of Lubbock whenever the tornados came through. Sal was always so proud of him. Becky had an older brother named Will. Bill, (the dad)and Sal were the only friends my parents associated with any time when I was younger. If you read my blog about dad, you know he always worked so hard that he really didn't have time for anyone but family. However, in my mind, I can hear my parents and them laughing because they were so much fun. Sal and Bill are both dead now. I also believe Becky died of an aneurism at a young age. Becky was one of those girls who was always into playing tricks on people. She would make prank phone calls and do all sorts of stupid things. She could always talk her mom and dad out of trouble better than anyone I grew up with. At one of her slumber parties I ate pizza for the very first time, like Pizza Hut. ALso at one of her slumber parties, a group of girls poured chocolate syrup in bras and ruined them. That was probably the worst thing that ever happened at her party. She could always fall in it and smell like a rose.There was a guy that liked me from 4th grade on and we even dated 2 years in high school and there was this girls that was just madly in love with him but I don't think he ever was in love with her. We had the radio play a Rolling Stones song "I Can't Get No Satisfaction". That was probably the meanest prank I was ever involved in with her but I was the reciprient of many of her pranks. Even though her parents and mine would carpool to school, we lost touch when we went to high school and she chose a different group of people to hang with. I don't really remember the last time I saw her, but she chose a different lifestyle than me too. I couldn't even begin to tell you what that was or even involved but life has gone on. My writings will now be about all the different people I've met on this earth and some of the things I remeber about them.

Vegetables

I have to write about my husband who I have been married to for 32 years The first time I laid eyes on him and actually talked to him was walking out of the cafeteria. I told him he didn't fill out his T-shirt like his roommate did. he always wore a SMU football Tshirt. Little did I know he owned very few shirts. Then several weeks later I asked him to help me move out of the dorm to another dorm and he did. He was always so shy, but sweet, masculine but gentle, humble yet proud. He carried his head high and walked with confidence like very few men do. But it was probably it was his love for God that amazed me. The faith he had in God was unmeasured by any young man I ever had known, Even those young men who wanted to be preachers. We married and eventually had 2 lovely girls whom I'm very proud of. We have gone through so much yet so little the last 32 years. He lost both of his parents and both of mine have had serious illnesses and surgeries. He's been denied jobs because he was married to me. It has been an amazing ride. The girls have been mistreated when they shouldn't have been. All we do is pray and let God take over.My husband has made a difference in hundreds of lives here in Abilene and is always willing to help whenever he's needed. He is such a forgiving man and doesn't hold grudges no matter who hurts him or our family. It's amazing how he's such an example to all of us in that area.

Stews

Talk about stews.Whenever I went to Jackson, I thought I had gone to heaven. I have been there 14 long years and yet I have enjoyed every one of my days with the children. I went there when we did the famous boundary change and listened to parents complain constantly how they had ruined the southside. I heard who was responsible and who was guilty of the decision. Needless to say when you get down to it, teachers for the most part want to teach children who have parents who are involved but not too involved. I have taught some of the best students the southside school had to offer, but in all honesty, I lived and spent ever day of my life with two of the best. What can I say about my girls. I have seen them grow into young ladies with assets I always wished I had. I think God heard all those prayers when I was little girl. I've always wanted to move east since I settled here so I could be closer to the family but I wouldn't trade the friendships we have made here in Abilene the last 32 years. Yes, there have been hurts and disappointments but there have been smiles and laughter. My girls had some of the best teachers in town and some that were a shame to the profession.Perhaps I will retire at Jackson but who knows what will happen. We'll see.

Soups

In 1980, I started teaching at Valley View. I taught there 12 years with some of the best teachers in the business and a few of the worst. Not that any of them would read this blog and a few couldn't because they are Dead. My first year there I taught with absolutely the most fun teacher I've ever worked with, We had great times that year. We planned together, our kids had fun together at school and I was pregnant with my first child by the end of the year. The next year I agreed to teach 5 classes of reading to 5th and 6th graders. During my pregnancy, my legs swelled so bad and I was miserable most of the time. My third year there a new teacher came aboard our campus and she was a certified loser. She had so much hatred in her heart that it was empty with love for any mankind. She paired up with another loser who never graded papers and only gave students grades according to what they made in fourth on their report cards. It's teachers like these who I credit with us being held accountable with TAKS.Time passed by fast those 12 years that I worked there. I worked for 6 different principals and worked in 3rd,4th,5th and 6th grades. I'll never forget the time I walked into the cafeteria and I saw a first grader sitting on the floor eating his lunch. Then there were numerous times I heard men yell at students and get mad for attitude. You need to lead by example and expecting great attitudes with sorry attitudes just doesn't cut it. Several weeks ago I went to a dinner and ran into one of my ex-students. I had wanted him to take the Alps test and one of the other teachers argued that he wouldn't like Alps. Needless to say he redeemed me by saying he would have loved to be in it. He is a chemist in the Austin area and he married a good friend of ours. There are so many students that I taught there that have kept in touch with weddings, babies and graduations announcements etc. I miss those days because they were some of the best. My thirties were spent there.I taught students who were killed by accidents and guns along with gangs. Then I taught students who are young leaders in the community they reside. They make me so proud. Students yesterday today and tomorrow. What can I say? I love every moment I spend with them and would not trade with anyone for all the money in the world.

SAndwiches

After being a Roscoe Plowboy, I was a Trent Gorilla for 5 years. Families there were so wonderful and the students were absolutely awesome. I ended up working with Betty again and she has been a dear friend for years. I taught her daughter and when my daughters were born, she showed up at the door with bells on. I taught with a girl named Martha and her boyfriend was a pilot. Periodically he'd fly over with his plane when we had recess. They married. (Of course. ) She was absolutely one of the funniest teachers I ever worked with and she loved those kids. Every lasts one of them. We had a blast together. I rode in a carpool for 5 years to this town and spent many hours with some of the finest teachers in Texas. I had as few as 6 students to as many as 18. I spanked my first student there in the hallway. I'll never forget the time Freddie Patterson bit his tongue in half. Oh my goodness! I also fainted in the teacher's lounge whenever the nurse graphically described giving birth. When I think of each and every one of them, a smile comes to my face.I still see my students every now and then here and there and it is like I never left and I'm lifted off the ground by their character and grace. Syra was always a hoot and nobody loves Trent or gave 150 % like she did. SHaron and Brenda showed a smile on their face all the time. What can I say about Roy Neff/ Well he was a great Superintendent and was the youngest at his time. He would call faculty meetings and chew us out. It took years in Abilene to forget the fear he set in me. In Abilene, faculty meetings are for knowledge, not chewing out. Regardless, he did his job in a professional manner and i know he defended me probably several times. Then there were the times he called us in one by one and chewed the fat. I'll never forget the time he called all the Elementary teachers and told us to be nice to the music teacher. She still whines at her job today in another location. Some people never learn. Then we had the preachers daughter in law who dated the high school boys and their sister was in my class and told me innocently all about it. I also taught with a Kindergarten teacher whose husband was a Superintendent in a nearby town who was strange. She would talk and her tongue would wiggle like a snake. It was hard for me to concentrate on what she said because I was so focused on her wiggling tongue. I'll never forget my first year when I worked with a lady whose son died withReyes syndrome. I was so sad to see her suffer her loss. Her son was like a Greek God , so nice looking for a boy that age, 5th grade I think. That was the first time I heard about aspririn and fever and chhicken pox etc. So when I think about the Freeman's , Brazelton's, Beaver's, Patterson's, Lovelady, Simpson's,Brenem's, Carriker's, a smile comes to my face and I think the world is a better place because of each of you.

Salads

My first year to teach was at Roscoe. I taught 4 year old migrant children who needed that extra year so they would be successful in Kindergarten. I drove 55 miles to work and back every other week. I rode with a lady who was 10 years my Senior who had already been married several times. She drove every other week. We had a lot of talks about life everyday. She showed me a lot of kindness that year. Her family had us over for Thanksgiving dinner. She was anEnglish teacher and did an exceptional job teaching. She was cool beyond her years. She married a writer for the Abilene Reporter News and moved away. I had 10 students my first year. They were all so sweet. I worked with some Precious people . There were sweet ladies I worked with like Billie Jean Pfeifer, Betty Kinnard, and Cindy Raughton. Mr. Paty was the Principal whose son had died while he was at ACC. Joe Duncan was a scream. They were all really nice. Whenever my boss, mr. Box found out that I was married to my husband who happened to be black, he concocted up this lie to get rid of me. He said I never attended the faculty meetings, yet my carpool partner did. It's amazing how many of those people crossed my path later or their family members met friends of mine and married each other or I worked with their nephews or taught their children. Life is so entertwined. I never reallly heard from my children again after that first year but they would be 36 right now.

Poultry

Attending ACU was by far one of the most imortant decisions I ever made. You can't appreciate attending a Christian university unless you attended a state school like I did. No one is perfect and you can't expect that from anyone you meet or know.I met some really neat people attending ACU and some of them are still a part of my life. I wouldn't even begin to mention names because I might forget someone important who mattered a lot to me and shaped my moments there.By the time I graduated, I was married. I remember during this time, my grandparents would write and send me a couple of dollars while I attended ACU or ACC as it was called back then. When I think of the professors, they were pretty good and I loved living in the dorm. I decided top be a teacher when I was 8. You know when I had the teacher in third who was wonderful..I even was a flower girl in her wedding. My daddy wanted me to do anything but teach. He suggested strongly that I try to be a dental hygienist but my first day to observe in an office resulted in me fainting whenver I looked into this woman's mouth. So... from then on he reluctantly allowed me to go to school to be a teacher if only I would teach elementary. I honestly wanted to be a drill team instructor but that wasn't going to happen. He also said he would pay for only 3 years of college. so guess what? I went summers, winters, spring and fall. I have never regretted teaching. In fact, I would teach for free. Except in this crazy world, you have to pay for stuff with cash. I wonder what it was like for the cave man. What a simple world they lived.

Preserves

Well, after my horrible year in fourth grade, I had better days in school with my teachers and never felt like that again. Thank goodness because once in a lifetime witch is enough. However, the girls I went to school with were something else. It was pretty hard to spend time every day with their tackiness. Maybe that is why I have been blessed with some wonderful daughters who are sweet most of the time. Jealousy just does ugly things to people. Whenever I went to Jr. High, I had fantastic teachers. Even the coaches were wonderful. I had a fun time at school each day. I learned a lot. Then I went to high school.(John Tyler) There I was in the NHS and a member of the drill team that rivaled the famous TJC Apache Belles. When I graduated I went to TJC and graduated with an AA. While there I visited Abilene Christian University one weekend and fell in love with the school. That's why I ended up here 33 years ago on a cold January weekend.

Pies

After I started school in first grade, I stayed in school at Chapel Hill for half a year. My parents moved me to Lindale in the second half of first grade. My teacher in the fall was nice but my teacher in the spring was meaner than a junk yard dog. I think she was the one who my grandpa went to the superintendent about and the supe had told my daddy he'd never seen my grandpa so mad. Of course daddy just told me that in the last year. It's amazing the things you learn when your older, much older. I stayed another year in second and when third grade came around, we moved to Tyler. I had absolutely the most beautiful red headed teacher you've ever seen. She was so nice. She would take me out in the hall and have me walk with books on my head so I could walk like a lady. It was probably so I could be in her wedding as a flower girl. That was the year I decided to be a teacher. Her father was a county extension agent and she married into an upper crust real estate family in Tyler. I also read over 300 books that year. I loved to read. Then I went to a new elementary in fourth. That was the year from hell.. In fact, I never wanted to teach fourth because of my horrible year. Old lady Patrick was her name and she worked next door to my mother. Isn't it amazing that a teacher can mistreat you so badly that you are scarred for life and your mom can't do anything about it. You might say did she know? In the 60's, the teacher was right no matter what. She'd throw away my papers. make me cry, embarass me and a dozen other things that I've put out of mind so I wouldn't go entirely nuts. Personally, I think she was jealous of my mom and took it out on me. I think that's all I can say right now. It's too painful to keep talking about it.

Pastries

Life as I know it began in Williamsburg VA. Howeveer when I was 3 months old, I came to Texas. My parents settled in East Texas with me. I remember several things about my first five years on earth. One of them was being a mascot for the Chapel Hill Bulldogs. Of course I may have mentioned in previous logs about my early years but something I haven't written about is the request that I made of my parents ---to have a sister or brother. That's when Cindy came aboard the family. I remember my grandparents from Dallas driving down from Dallas to pick me up thinking that would be a big help.Instead they took my mom's right hand man. On the way to Big D as I would call Dallas back then. I remember holding a handkerhief out the window and it blowing right out of my 5 year old hand. Cindy was olive complexion with brown eyes ,looking nothing like me. She was shorter too. She was always smarter than me but nowadays, she acts like no way. She had the priviledge to attend private Kindergarten. When we were bugging our daddy at school before it started in August, she begged me to take her on a book cart. I said ok except keep you legs up on the cart. I was 11 pushing her around the sidewalks of our Junior High school. Well apparently she dropped one of her legs and I ran right in to one of the h-beams they have on campuses nowadays. Of course the cart hit the spot right where her leg was and she cut her leg to the bone and had stitiches. She went to first grade ina wheelchair. She always made straight A's and did really well in school. She grew up, graduated from high school and was a dental assistant for a year before she went to school to be a teacher like me. Eventually she went back to school to be a school librarian. That is her current job. Along the way she married and had 2 girls, Aimee and Abbee. They have given her a lot of joy in her life. They are a lot of fun to be around. They are special little girls.

Pasta

the last of the Pace family that is older than me is my mom. My mom grew up an only child because her older sister died in childbirth. The country Dr. had crushed her skull during childbirth. She was the apple of her daddy's eye. She could do no wrong. She grew up and graduated from high school in Greenville after being named Band Sweetheart and she was Rodeo Queen at ETSU.She was a beautiful young woman and even Amber's boyfriend has said she's the prettiest old woman he's ever seen and she probably is. She reminded me of Inger Stevens who was blonde where my mom was darker headed. I don't want to say brunette but she was a chestnut brown. She stayed home with me as a young child and I remember hanging out clothes with her and she would feed all the cats in the country. I also was told when she was asleep one afternoon taking a nap. I opened the front door and preceeded to walk across the road or major highway to the high school across where my daddy taught. Since I'm alive to write about it, the owners of the cafe next door to the school saw what I'd done and ran out to grab me before I was hit by a car. I remember wanting a baby sister or brother and Cindy appeared out of nowhere. Mom started teaching when I was in 3rd grade and all the boys were in love with her. She has a beautiful smile with dimples and She stayed in Fourth grade until she went to the Library. She retired about 12 years ago. She has a love for her grandaughters and is always teaching them things as she goes about her daily chores. They all love her too. When I was 18 a lot of people thought we were sisters because I'm a blonde version of her.I wasn't ever chosen a beauty queen like her nor do I profess to be as beautiful. Of course she always had all these sayings about everything in life. She now helps my daddy on the place and takes care of the calves. She would sew all my school clothes and definitely preferred sewing to cooking. Cindy and I would keep her in a tizzy because we would fight like siblings do and she wasn't use to that being an only child. Anyway that's my Mom. So now I've introduced you to everyone in my family except my sister

Meats

Well, I guess I'll have to write about my daddy. I don't remember my first image of him because he was always working and going to school. His father that I wrote about worked for the REA before he was my babysitter and because of that, daddy went to over 20 schools growing up from East Texas to Cloudcroft to Laredo staying for 6 months or so give or take . By the time I was born, he had his master's degree and had served his 2 years in the army. See, my grandpa had served in World War I in France as an ambulance driver and had scared his boys to death of the service. So when his time was up, he came home to TX when I was 3 months old. He had a job coaching at Chapel Hill, Texas or Snyder, Texas and he chose Chapel Hill because it was closer to his mom and dad. He taught school, coached and drove a bus so mom could stay home with me. Then he would take night classes at TJC and Saturday classes at East Texas State so he could get the GI Bill. Whenever I was 6 he was chosen to teach science classes to students all over Oklahoma, Texas and who knows where else. I just know he was gone all year teaching and one semester I had to live with grandparents because my mom was doing her student teaching. The next year he was hired in Tyler and so was mom. We built our first home. We had to pull a hundred trees out of our yard so we could build that house. He taught physical science for the next 10 years before he was named an assistant principal at a middle school. However all this time he had a second job on a piece of land-88 acres with a black top road around all 4 sides. He would come in from school after driving the bus and change his clothes and proceed with caution up highway 69N to his second love. He put in numerous hours on that place and it is one of the prettiest properties in the area. He cleaned out brush and planted coastal bermuda sprigs so he could have grass for grazing. Then after my sister graduated from high school, they built a dream house on the place and so now he doesn't have to spend time on the road everyday. He retired 17 years ago and is still spending every waking moment working on this land. There may be a man in Smith County that works harder but I don't know him. When I was growing up, I didn't think there was a man smarter than him,either. To this day, I haven't met a man to take his place in those areas for sure.

Fish and Shellfish

My Baptist grandma was something else. I would stay with her and grandpa when my parents were going to every classs TJC and ETSU offered on Saturday and nights. Where my grandpa could see no wrong in me, my grandma knew everything I did, everything I didn't do, everything I said, everything I didn't say, you get the picture. I could do no right, for you see, somebody had to balance grandpa. When I was a toddler, I would stand up beside her as she drove down the road so whenever I fell downon the seat fast asleep one day she thought I was dead.. She would tell that story over and over. I had scared her to death. Then there was the time I said a bad word in front of all her ladies in the car pool to work and I had to apologize to them all for saying something like dern or darn. mild by today's words. Grandma was the best cook and anytime I ate anything tasty, I ate it at her house first. Like King Ranch Chicken,Italian Creme Cake, all those kinds of meals. so you can understand my feelings whenever one of the last times I saw her( before she went into the nursing home,) she asked me of all people to show her how to make Earthquake cake. I remember the time we all went down to the pond and Amber laid her fishing pole down on the ground. She was about 4 or 5. Well we were catching catfish right and left. Before we knew it we had 14 large catfish out of daddy's pond. But in the meantime we lost Amber's fishing pole. A fish had pulled it into the pond come to find out because Grandma caught another fish and started reeling in the pole bringing in the lost pole with a fish on the line. So she caught 2 for the price of one. That evening we skinned catfish forever it seemed but it was so fun telling the story over and over again.My grandma could laugh out loud. Then there was the time she went into the wrong house at Hide Away Lake to help prepare a meal for a family who had lost someone. She just let herself in to the wrong house and preceeded to take over the unoccupied kitchen before she realized she was in the wrong place. She could get herself in more comical situations so innocently, just like I Love Lucy but it wasn't on purpose. As I was growing up, she was the grandparent I had the hardest time with but she lived 10 years longer than my other grandparents and I grew closer to her during that time. She was a mess.

Eggs and Cheese

When I think of my grandpa Leslie,I think of him sitting quietly and not saying much. I spent more time with him growing up than anyone in my life. See he was my babysitter when my mom and dad would do whatever they needed to do. I even lived with them(my grandma and him) when my mom was doing her student teaching. I would ride with him all over the country in his pickup and he would always take me by the store for ice cream and a coke. He would always have butter brickle ice cream at home and that guy had me eating everything from sardines to brains (in eggs that is.) See I never ate much of anything my first 2 years and I usually just drank milk. He enjoyed the simple things in life because when he was a young boy he had rheumatic fever and it damaged his heart valve. When I was 11 DeBakey and Cooley operated on him in Houston. He lived about 10 years after that operation whereas if he hadn't had it , his life would have been cut short. When I was living with them in 2nd grade, my teacher had sent home something for my parents to sign in the middle of the week. Since my dad was a traveling science teacher with OSU at the time and not home on the weekend either they couldn't sign my paper. Well the teacher told me not to come back without the signature and my grandpa ended up in the superintendents office very upset over this situation since my parents were both out of town during the week and only home on weekends. The stories go that if I was upset, he was very upset. I was the girl he never had. I was special to him. Whenever he was getting older and harder for my grandma to handle,She called my daddy once and told him to come home and get grandpa in the house. He didn't want to come in so daddy called me to go get him in the house. See they lived 15 miles away from us at this time. He also smoked cigarettes and when I was a toddler, I ate his cigs out of the ash tray. Yuck!!!But he was the MAN and whatever he said or did was the BOMB.

Desserts

Today when I think of my paternal maternal mother, my experiences with her are so vague but I can hear her voice. She suppposedly was a great cocok. When I think about her children , she would have to be pretty good. However as far back as I can remember she was in a wheelchair. She lived until I was 13, I believe. She also was of German heritage. There were times my grandparents would leave their homes and go take care of her. Apparently my great -grandparents had made a deal with one of their children that they would leave them the land if you will take care of us. Sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't. So my grandma would take up the slack when they didn't. So now I've written about all my great-grandparents now and I'll finish up with my paternal grandparents the next 2 days.

Cookies

When I think of my father's grandparents, I think of my paternal maternal father. he was an interesting man who lived an interesting life. I believe his mom was a Cherokee Indian whose husband was named Bishop. Bishop happens to be the maiden name of Leslie's mother-in- law. His dad left at an early age and so did her dad. However, Brother Teddlie told my family that Redbone(my great grandfather) used to ride his horse around the Baptist churches shooting his gun up in the air during worship service on Sunday. Can you see that happening nowadays ? I can't. So when you think about it, I've been blessed to know all my grandparents and 4 of my great grandparents in my life.

Candy

My maternal grandfather was born in Virginia like me and he got to Texas as soon as he could. He was always a farmer and even share cropped across the road from Audie Murphy's family before the War. My mom remembers going with her daddy to his place as a little girl. Then after the war my grandad went to Dallas and made Cheetos for Frito Lay. he was an interesting man. He was the youngest in his family. I can't say alot more about him. I just remember when I was little I would ask him questions and he would tell me to listen and I would hear my answer. That was whenever we watched his favorite TV shows. He also took care of his cars smoked a pipe and chewed tobacco. He also had the same initials as his father-in-law, MB.

Cakes

Why am I writing about my heritage? It's very important to me to write it down for my family to know. My grandmother could sell ice to as eskimo. She crawled out of her window at 16 to marry my grandfather. My father's parents believe it or not married on the same day and same year,too. Can you believe that? How many couples you know married and their parents shared the same day same year anniversary? Anyway, My grandmother had the most unconditional love towards me. Perhaps she went through so much in her youngers years that she showed me that side of her. She always had a big hug for me and she would say I've been so hungry to see you. I have so many good memories of spending time with her and she would always answer my questions. She would always take me places to hear preachers, whenever they came to town. See she lived in Dallas and sold ladies clothes to women in downtown Dallas. She was always in retail and sold Luziers cosmetics. Then her shop moved out to North Park. I can remember when there was nothing around there. I would spend a week every summer in Dallas with them. It would be wonderful because I was all by myself and I didn't have anyone around except my grandparents. We would always go see relatives so that would be neat. I loved those times with my extended family. I learned so much from her. Forgiveness, love for others, the list goes on. her faith in God. Tillet S. Tedlie married a cousin of hers and I sat with him at the piano one day. He survived several wives and I went by to see him before I left for Abilene. His wife at the time was also a nurse and she was the first one to mention to me about my thryroid. There are so many ways she influenced my life. I can't list them all but I can be an example to others so her legacy goes on. She was a painter and love to paint flowers. She even came to Tyler and took art lessons fom Nell Pounders who was a painter(roses I think). what else can I say about her? perhaps as I write I'll remember all the ways she influenced my life and faith.

Breads

My maternal grandmother was the daughter of the great-grandmother I wrote about yesterday and her daddy was the Church of Christ man she married. He died when I was very young, around 3 maybe and I remember him vaguely in my life. Apparently his daddy was a dentist in Tennesee who supposedly created the first false teeth gum that was soft but his partner stole his idea and received credit for it. or that's what I've been told. He also told my grandmother the story about the men on the porch talking about their neighbor(who was a good whistler) and the moral of the story is If you can't say something nice about someone , don't say anything at all. For the longest I thought the story was only in my family but I heard someone else tell the story several years ago and I realized it was handed down in other families too.

Beverages

Over a 100 years ago my maternal grandmother married her one and only being disowned by her family because he was Church of Christ and she was Methodist. If they had not married I would not be here as I know it,but this is the only strain of Church of Christ in my family. All of my other strains are Baptist. They moved to Texas from Tennessee. She never learned to drive a car and one of her highlights was riding in an elevator in downtown Dallas with my cousin Ward. My family spent a lot of time with her especially Easter Sunday.She had a small apartment in the back of her house that she rented to single women. She had 3 boys go off to World War II and come back alive. They joined the Army, Navy and Air Force. They were my mom's favorite Uncles and they started their families after the war. My mom was the oldest second generation child I knew. There were 2 other siblings of my grandmother but they were older and died before I knew them. Ada attended a Church of Christ in Greenville, Texas where we saw the congregation dwindle over the years. She would walk to church and walk to town. Her Christmas gift was chocolate covered cherries. She could cook a spread for dinner and I was probably the pickiest eater that ever has been born.My family even lived with her one summer so my parents could go to East Texas State and work on their degree. She died shortly after I came to Abilene in 1973. So actually I came 33 years ago, Time is flying by.

Appetizers

Today 32 years ago I was riding a float through downtown Dallas during the Cotton Bowl parade while my Dallas grandparents were on the sidelines looking on. It has been a highlight of my life as far as television goes because I was on nationwide TV and my other grandpa who I named my oldest daughter after could see me on TV. This was also the first time I was around champagne in my life as my family weren't drinkers. I remember being in a warehouse in downtown Dallas surrounded by floats and a bunch of people including William Conrad who played Cannon. The Cotton Bowl Parade is now history but the game isn't. I remember sitting in the end zone watching the game whoever it was. I don't even remember the teams playing that year. Several days later though I headed from the great part of Texas to the open skies of West Texas. I haven't left yet, but there have been times I've really wanted to leave this place. Yet every time I turn around I am reminded of how great this place really is.The people are fantastic and wonderful here in this great place.