Cheryl's Boys

My friend Cheryl in Oregon sent me this picture.
It is so charming and endearing that I just had to post it
so that others could enjoy it too.

More Beanie Babies

A student, Kirsty, created this ship for our Beanie Babies to pose in. We'd like to wave "Bon Voyage" to them when we raise enough money for their travel expenses to Iraq.




Another student, Noah, drew an ark so the Beanie Babies could gather around in pairs as they prepare to depart two by two.

Beanie Babies Update

Our Beanie Baby project has soared into outer limits. Zeke Campfield, of the Lawton Constitution, wrote an amazing story about JB McClung and how he started throwing Beanie Babies to the children in Iraq. I hope to get the link to the story so I can post it for you to read.


The response has been incredible. First, a woman from Lawton called to tell us she had 80 Beanie Babies to give us. She has hundreds more and may cull her collection even further. Later a woman called from Sterling offering to send some Beanie babies our way. The next morning a man from Fletcher dropped off 100 Beanie Babies from his wife. Later that afternoon, Carrie Thomason, our school counselor, went to collect 10 copy paper boxes full of Beanie Babies. There are approximately 800 Beanie Babies in this table top pile. To me, this is what generosity looks like. We are now looking for ways to pay for postage so these BBs can get to Iraq and start playing with their new friends.

Easter Bonnets

In your Easter bonnet
with all the frills upon it,

You'll be the grandest lady
in the Easter Parade.

Oh, you may write a sonnet
about my Easter bonnet

And of the girl you're taking
to the Easter Parade.



Who knew Easter bonnets were making such a comeback?

And how does one decide which hat to choose when they are all so extraordinarily attractive?

Home Made Cards

These are flowers bought by my friend Cheryl with the $5.00 I sent her for her birthday. Why did I send her $5.00? It's something my mom used to do, although back then it was only $2 or $3. Instead of sending Hallmark cards on occasions like Valentine's Day, Easter or Halloween, she would make cards by gluing pictures from magazines to colorful paper, add glitter and maybe a few stickers. Then she would enclose the money she would have spent on a card had she bought one. She thought we'd enjoy spending the money on something besides a card. She was right. I decided to bring back my mom's homemade card idea this year for birthdays. My niece, Lisa, wrote and told me she put the $5.00 on her Starbucks card. What a clever idea. I'm so happy to have treated Lisa to a tasty beverage and the enjoyment that drinking a cup of coffee brings. I challenged Cheryl to be creative with her $5.00 and she rose to the occasion. Since Cheryl started working part time, she quit treating herself to fresh flowers. $5.00 was enough to bring these flowers back into her life. And they lasted for two weeks! They are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing the picture, Cheryl.

Beanie Babies

My service learning class is collecting Beanie Babies to send to Iraq. We send them to a soldier who is from Indiahoma. He and his friends throw the Beanie Babies over a 15 ft high fence to Iraqi children on the other side. JB told me that there is a watch tower nearby and from there you can see the children who are delighted when it rains Beanie Babies. I think they throw candy to the children also. Let me know if you know of any Beanie Babies wanting a free trip to Iraq. I can hook them up.

I just wanted to show off the beautiful necklace my sister gave me for Christmas. Thanks Beemer!