Melissa's Idea Garden

I know that I haven't been around much lately. I haven't been blogging or reading blogs. I have been feeling very anti computer in 2009 and not interested in being online more than I have to. I was on Facebook for awhile and it was fun for awhile, now I don't want to go there either. Other things are much more interesting to me these days. So, if you are reading this, I hope you are well. We are well, busy and I'm sure at some point, I'll be back on here more regularly.

I do want to share an experience we recently had. Our youth group has been raising funds so they can go to Go Tell Camp this summer. It is a weeklong bible camp and it costs $250.00 for the week. Throughout the year, we have been raising funds. We sold baked goods at Centerfest in September. Took candle orders in November. Had a chili dinner at the church in February and in April, we did a mission/fundraising project. The youth took one day of their spring break and spent 5 hours working at The Daily Bread.

The Daily Bread is a place in Lynchburg which provides one balanced meal a day for anyone who needs it. People come in and are served. They can eat as much as they want. They can also take breads, rolls and cakes home with them when they leave. There is also a phone where they can make calls from and free books to borrow and clothes and a place to get cleaned up. For the fundraiser, the children asked people to sponsor them for the time worked there. It is one of our most successful fundraisers and it is the one that has the most meaning for the children.

We arrived at 9 am. During our time there, we folded napkins around utensils. Unloaded donated bread and drinks. Set up the tables with condiments and napkins. Swept and vacuumed and got ready for the guests to arrive. Once everyone was seated, it was the children's job to serve them. We took the guests plates. We took their drink orders. We refilled plates and drinks as needed and we carried about a dessert tray for them to choose from. The children did such an awesome job. It was a wonderful reminder to me of how when we give them true responsibility, they will rise to the occasion. I worked at a table with a young man. I was being vigilant, but he always seemed to be a step ahead of me. I would see a new guest had come in and I would turn to get a plate to serve them and see that N would already be on his way with the food. At the table next to them, I beamed as the lady in charge complimented the boys on their clean work station (my son was on that team). I watched girls who might complain about doing dishes at home, clean up after complete strangers to make room for another guest. For an hour and a half, these children worked hard and they each came away feeling like for a little while they had been able to make a difference in someone's life.

I had a special moment as well. There was a guest who didn't have arms. He ate by putting his head to his plate and picking up his food with his mouth. He was very self-sufficient, but I kept an eye on him to see if he needed anything. At one point, I noted that he seemed to be having trouble with his drink. I went to ask if I could help and he said he was trying to knock some food off of his face (rice was part of the meal for the day). I told him I would be happy to wipe his mouth for him, if he would like and he let me. As I did this, I asked if he was a veteran and he told me he had fought in Vietnam. I thanked him for his service to our country, and his response was, "You do what you have to". As I looked into this kind man's face, I couldn't help but think about my own father who also was in the service during the Vietnam War. Dad never got sent overseas due to a clerical error, but this man sitting here relying on the kindness of others could just as easily have been my dad. It broke my heart and it made me glad that I was able to be there and provide some assistance to this man.

I know we all live busy lives, but if we all just did one volunteer thing each month, think of the differences would could make in this world.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I received an email today that sent me to Snopes to learn about a threat I had never even thought of. My children are older and probably wouldn't try to see what hand sanitizer tastes like, but for a younger child who likes to explore, a lick of hand sanitizer could cause them to end up in the hospital. Take a few moments to read this article and be sure to warn friends, family, schools and churches that you are in touch with. These events happened two years ago and I had never heard of them.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Miss Jocelyn at A Pondering Heart has set up a lovely homeschooling carnival this week and it centers around the theme of gardening. Perfect timing and homeschooling fits right in! Go check it out!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here is the link to the photos from our very fun birthday party/sleepover! We had so much fun! And go so little sleep;)

Posted by Melissa Markham at 6:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, we are busy, busy, busy today (of course that isn't too unusual in the Markham household), but today we are extra busy. You see, Katrina is turning 9 next Wednesday. Last year for her birthday, we had a great day out shopping, but this year she wanted to have a party. Not just a party, but a big party. And not just a big party, but a party with a sleepover.... So we started making plans back in January. First the guest list...it ended up with 25 names! Then we looked for a venue. We didn't expect all of those girls to come, but we needed to be prepared and our house was not big enough. So we lined up the fellowship hall at our church.

Then we made up invitations and sent them out. Of 25 people, we heard back from 20 (I was pleased with that) and of 20, 15 were coming! Yikes! So the last few weeks we have been busy getting party items and food and planning activities. So, here's the list of anticipated events.

4 pm - young ladies will arrive. They get to set up their beds (the ones who are spending the night, some aren't), then they get to create their own name tag. Katrina has friends coming from 4H, church, homeschooling and they don't all know one another so we thought this would be a way for them to get to know one another.

We have 6 pizzas waiting to be consumed along with string cheese, baby carrots, chips, cookies, popcorn, cake and ice cream. No one will be going hungry!

For fun, we have color by numbers pencil pictures, iron creatures (put pegs on board, then iron them and melt them so they stick together), beads for bracelets, and nail polish. We have Bingo, Twister and Charades. And there are plans to play flashlight tag outside after dark and then two movies to wrap up the evening.

Expect pictures to follow!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 2:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You decide...

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several years ago, when it became apparent to me that we would be traveling a lot, I bought a notebook and wrote down what we were doing during our trips so we would all remember later on. Then we entered the computer age and I started blogging about trips. At least I think I did...I have had a couple of blogs, so who knows where that information is. Sometimes, the problem with the computer is your stuff ends up in odd places or you forget about it and it gets lost during a computer crash. I can still walk into my bedroom and lay my hands on the two notebooks I have filled with information about our travels...

Oh well, that's another post;)

So last Thursday, I was up at 4 am (after not having slept well the night before because I was worried about oversleeping and missing the flight). The kids were up and we were on the road by 4:30 am. We had a fine flight from Lynchburg to Atlanta. We arrived, had breakfast and met Daniel who had flown to Atlanta from Bloomington. We toured the Crown Club Room and then caught our flight to Orlando. A bit bumpy due to the rain storms, but otherwise fine. I was a bit worried about how Jack would do since the last time we flew in 2004, he wasn't really crazy about it. But he did well. Once in Orlando, we spent 45 minutes getting from the gate to the luggage pickup to Hertz. Then we were on our way. We had a bite of lunch and arrived at Tess' house around 3 pm.

Within 30 minutes we had unveiled one of our main reasons for the visit. A laptop computer. The laptop was a surprise gift for Tess and Johnny. We have been talking about getting them a computer for awhile because we wanted to be able to send them emails, videos, and photos. They seemed very tickled with the gift. We spent time each day giving Tess her first lessons on the computer. We also got her some books and videos to help her when we weren't there.

We spent the rest of Thursday visiting. Tess and I took the children to the pool for awhile. We enjoyed a yummy spaghetti dinner and Tess, Jack, Katrina and I played Kings in a Corner.

Friday, after a yummy breakfast (did I mention Tess is a good cook?), we headed on a trip to Pine Island. There was a restaurant there that Tess and Johnny wanted to introduce us to and they wanted to take us for a visit by the Shell Factory. The children and I are fascinated by seashells so we were very excited to see that. Our lunch was good, the Shell Factory was amazing! When we walked in there was a huge collection of shells from around the world. Katrina bought a pair of pretty shell earrings. There were several other shops there and Jack purchased an authentic Constantinople coin. He was very pleased with that.

We visited the pool again on Friday evening and played some more cards.

Saturday morning, we had breakfast and packed up. We visited with Tess and Johnny and then we went to a lunch they were having in the park where Tess and Johnny live. It was fun meeting some of their friends and even more fun looking at the crafts different ones had made. It was a 'show and tell' day and there were paintings, quilts, homemade instruments, cannons, stained glass and more. We really enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful things that people in the park had made.

Then we headed back to Orlando. We were sorry our trip was so short. We would have loved to spend more time with them, but it wasn't possible this time.

We arrived at the Renaissance near Sea World and checked in. We visited the pool for a bit, then enjoyed ordering food that was delivered to the room. We watched the movie Bedtime Stories, then headed to bed to get rested up for our Sunday at SeaWorld.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed a magnificent buffet breakfast (the fresh fruit was amazing...and Jack had all the strawberries he could eat). Then we headed across the street to SeaWorld...in the rain. Yep, we had five days in Florida and the one day we wanted good weather, it rained... So we picked up some SeaWorld ponchos at the gate and prepared for fun.

SeaWorld was nice, but it seemed like everything could have been just a bit better. Makes me wonder if I have been to too many zoos and aquariums. I thought there would be more aquarium type exhibits than there were. We loved seeing the Killer Whale show, Believe. And it was cool eating in the Underwater Grill, while sharks swam around us. I loved touching the manta rays and wish I could have touched a dolphin too, but that didn't work out.

We rode the Sky Tower and had a lovely view of the park and nearby Orlando. The Journey to Atlantis Ride was one of the highlights of the day. It was a cross between a roller coaster, a fun house and a water ride. The Clyde and Seamore show (sea lions and otters) was also fun, though the mime that was hanging out before the show was the best part. He was hilarious. He was making fun of people that were coming in and had the crowd cracking up. About 5 pm, Daniel's feet screamed they had had enough. Katrina wanted to ride a few of the 'kid' rides, so we stayed and didn't leave the park until they announced closing time was upon us. Boy were we tired then!

Monday morning, up at 5 to get ready to leave, eat and get to the plane. We flew from Orlando to Atlanta and parted ways there since Daniel was returning to Bloomington. The flights on Monday were much smoother because the weather was better.

One thing that really touched me was that at the beginning of the Killer Whale show (Believe) and on the plane when we landed in Lynchburg, people from the armed services were recognized. At Believe, they asked all the veterans and current people in the armed services to stand up and be recognized and everyone clapped long and hard for them. When we landed in Lynchburg, the flight attendant recognized a lieutenant that was on our flight, we all applauded him and he got to get off of the plane first. I was just a wee chap during Vietnam. I am so glad to see people honoring the men and women in the armed forces today instead of treating them the way they did back then. No matter which side of the fence you sit on regarding the war, these people deserve our respect and support.

So, there in a nutshell is our five day trip. Next trip will be to Myrtle Beach the end of June. And today Daniel purchased our tickets for flying around Australia while we are there...slowly, but surely that trip is coming together. The kids and I have both received our passports. Next we have to get our VISAS to enter Australia and New Zealand.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A friend of mine loaned me this book back in the fall to read because we had been talking about Clinton, Kennedy and rumors of Abraham Lincoln. If you are interested in how prevalent extramarital affairs are among the United States Presidential population, it's a good book to read. Published during the Clinton administration, I am sure the idea came about because of the scandals that President Clinton was involved in.

The truth of the matter is that Presidents all the way back to George Washington have dallied. Some more than others. I have to say, I am amazed at the way the media kept their lips shut during the Kennedy administration about his behavior. And I honestly don't know how his wife put up with it or how he ever managed to do anything Presidential. President Clinton seemed determined to follow in Kennedy's footsteps. I didn't realize half of what was going on with either President.

I also found that Woodrow Wilson is a President I want to learn more about. I didn't realize he was such a learned man and since his library isn't too far away, I hope to get out and visit it this year.

At any rate, the book is interesting and discusses a side of Presidents that we don't generally know much about.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have uploaded photos to Flickr so you can see what we were doing while we were out of town visiting. Details to follow!

Posted by Melissa Markham at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I met the Bach family about 14 years ago. We were attending the same church and frankly I thought they were a bit odd. After all, they had many children and they did something called homeschooling. They had home births and didn't do vaccinations. How kooky is that? But they were very nice people and very committed to serving the Lord. As I got to know them, I began to think they weren't so kooky and I credit them for the fact that I homeschool today.

Over the years I have been impressed by the kindness of the children, the way the family reaches out and serves others and their faith and trust in God. The family has a business called Many Blessings Farms and with that business they provide hippotherapy to people who suffer from disabilities such as Autism, Down's Syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy. The children grew up being homeschooled and learning how to serve others. Now the fruit of that upbringing is really showing.

Renee, the second oldest daughter, is 19 and has already spent several months in Uganda doing missions work. In fact while she was there, she didn't just do what she had been sent to do, but came up with a new idea of a way to serve the people there. She started a program for feeding the children. Her idea has grown and now, this 19 year old young lady is heading back for a prolonged stay in Uganda and she has started her own nonprofit organization which will focus on feeding and caring for children. Serving His Children now has a website that will tell you way better than I can about what they plan to do and hope to accomplish. The organization website is brand new and still under construction. But there is also a blog Be Hands and Feet that you can check out.

I know there are a lot of worthy organizations out there, but this one has touched my heart and as I have watched Renee grow up, I know that it is an organization being run for the right reasons. Please take some time to go visit the website. If you can help in anyway, I guarantee you will be blessed as much, if not more, than you are blessing others. I know economically times are tough, but we know nothing of hard times compared to these children.

Posted by Melissa Markham at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)