A word from the kids

Words that make my heart melt...

• "I wish I could play with you every single day, all day long."
• kid: "Why would you want to live here?" me: "Because I love you guys." kid: "Oh....(long pause)....really?"
• "Miss Marla, are you poor? You can have 76 cents from my allowance."
• "Will you sing me that song about God turning ashes into something beautiful like me?"
• Letter to their mom: "Dear Mom, Don't worry about me. I met a new best friend named Marla."
• "Goodnight, Miss Marla. I love you."

Words that just make me laugh out loud...

• "You made me not pick up that towel I left on the floor!"
• "If you don't pick out my clothes for me, then I'll just go pick out ugly clothes and wear them to school!"
• "If I end up in band, I'll play the concussion."
• "Will you help me with my homework? You only have to do 10 problems."
• "That's not fair. Mr. Dan said I could ride on top of your car if I wanted to!"
• "How much allowance will I lose if I stick my tongue out at you?"

Power Uno Unleashed

Lock up your children. Power Uno---a simple fun and crazy card game---has turned into a phenomenon that becomes addictive and spreads like the plague. Once you play it you'll never go back to boring lame Uno.

You might be addicted to Power Uno if...

1. You have a permanent red hand-mark on your forehead

2. You carry Uno cards everywhere with you in your purse or man-bag

3. You try to force people to play the game to the point that they hate you at first then are forever grateful

4. Seeing the numbers 8 and 0 make you very anxious

5. You stop making plans with friends who refuse to play the game every time you come over

6. You write blog-posts on it (I am not the only one!)

7. You buy decks of Uno cards to give away as gifts to new friends overseas...partly because you want them to have fun, but mostly because you want it to go global

8. Spontaneously in conversations with people you'll shout, "SKIP you--haHA!!"

9. You've played it over 11 hours with 3 different groups of people in a two-day period

10. You lie awake at night wondering things like, "I wonder if the person who invented the original Uno is Hispanic."

My friend Pam

Pam with Sparrow Eyes So Deep

Pam with belly-laugh like music
Beaming from deep sparrow eyes so
Deep, in fact, they swallow
You to whisper all

Secrets meant for those who
Are survivors
Conquerors
Those who laugh on glory’s side and
Say Amen, Hallelujah, Thank You Jesus

Pam who every dark-dim morning
Wakes to soak in presence of
Her K’Dome baby boy
Who lies so hold-your-breath-still

Hope-giver to remind her of
The Gift
Before there was
No hope to give

Pam whose knees make base-drum
To the earth
In repetition day and night
To familiar sounds of

Sirens, Yelling
Knocking
Banging, Ringing
Screaming
Cursing, Blaring
Honking

Beat, beat, beat
Beat on the woman
Next door
Who just last night

To Pam said
"Thank you for your love and kindness to a stranger"
Through her black-berry pie so
Mouth-watering sweet to lick all fingers

Pam whose back is aching from
Carrying and bathing
Auntie with one leg
Who at one time kissed Pam's little-girl-forehead goodnight
Now throwing daggers; cursing for want of cigarettes and beer

Those sparrow eyes so deep to see
Bus 217 driver needs a smile so she calls him
By name and gives her belly-laugh that
Brings spark to his eye never there before

Bonfire Night

We successfully pulled off our first bonfire (more like out of control camp fire) with the kids. After handling a run away dog, some initially reluctant participants, and about 50 requests to use the chain saw, the kids got to work on pulling in branches (even entire TREES) to use as wood. We ended up having enough for three nights of bonfires! My parents got to come that night and meet the kids and see most of them eat smores for the first time! Even our dog Prince did his part to help out.