Role Reversal

Watching my parents age is not a stage in my life I enjoy. I try not to think about the time when they will no longer be with me here on earth. That is too painful, even though I know it is inevitable. For the most part, my parents seem very young and look great. But, there are times when it is difficult watching them struggle. I had a difficult weekend with my mom. She was quite sick- a blockage in her bowels and up in her stomach. In addition, her mood was not great, thus causing some miscommunication issues with me. I, in turn, became impatient and said some things I probably should have left inside my brain!! My dad was away in the States for a men's conference so I was left to care for her. It's funny how roles reverse as we age. As I sat with her in the bathroom, holding her head and rubbing her back, I gained a greater appreciation for all the times she held me when I was sick. Today, even as a 40 year old adult, I want my mom when I am sick! She is doing much better and our miscommunication issues are long forgotten. Forgiveness is a beautiful thing! I am forever grateful for the unconditional love of our mothers!

The Final Installment of "similes are like metaphors!"

Here’s the story of a lovely Canadian teacher
Who was busy teaching her students the parts of speech
All of them were keen on learning like their mothers
The youngest ones were like a peach

Here’s the story of a vintage t-shirt company
Who was busy as a tribe of its own
They were trying to bring back the fresh in regular t-shirts
With the help of many good people they were not alone

Then the one day when the teacher met this cool company
She totally knew they were a perfect match
That Camp Cool would have a t-shirt to help her teach the parts of speech
“Similes are like metaphors” what a catch!

That’s the way they all became the perfect batch!

Giggly Wiggly Girl

Look into the big, beautiful brown eyes of this sweet boy and hear the words he spoke to me yesterday as he touched my upper arm, " Why is your arm giggly?" I silently replied under my breath while ignoring his question, "because I haven't been doing my arm exercises like Mariah Carey."
A little while later, he called me over to help him using these words, "hey there giggly, wiggly girl." From that moment on, I became the "giggly, wiggly girl!" Well this giggly, wiggly girl better go now and work on those triceps and biceps.

Tag I'm It!

Kimberley at Hokey Pokey Life tagged me with this meme. I had no idea what a meme was and still am a big confused about the whole thing. According to Kimberley, it means, "another cyberworld tool to expand your blogging horizons that really means nothing!" In other words, a chance for you to get more traffic on your blog!


Yet, I LOVE questions that enable you to find out seemingly insignificant tidbits about people.

So, apparently this meme tag topic is to post 6 unimportant things about yourself. And then tag 6 other people. But first,

the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you. (In my case, that would be Kimberley)
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry.

Now, here are 6 really unimportant things about me:

1. I rode a mechanical bull for 8 seconds when I lived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada!!! The Albertans are true cowboys and cowgirls. Yet, I was only an "honourary" cowgirl for the 5 years I lived there! I still have in my possession well worn cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans! And I must confess, I still listen to country music on occasion!

2. I have never eaten a hamburger at McDonald's. It is true. Hamburgers are not one of my favourite foods, only if they are homemade and cooked on the BBQ!

3. I had my coc·cyx removed the summer before entering high school. For those of you wondering what a coccyx is ( no it is not a cuss word) and how to pronounce it, here is dictionary.com's definition:

[kok'siks] (okay, so even the phonetic pronunciation sounds like a cuss word!)


a small triangular bone forming the lower extremity of the spinal column in humans, consisting of four ankylosed rudimentary vertebrae.

In other words, I had my tailbone removed!
How did that happen you ask? Well, I was playing around in grade 7 gym class and sat down hard on the edge of a wooden bench. OOUCH!!!! For two years I complained to my parents about the pain in my butt - no I was not a "pain in the butt...I was a good daughter!!! Finally, we went to the doctor and discovered my coccyx was barely hanging on, just by a thread. So, my doctor strongly suggested I get it removed, especially if I was going to have children as it would certainly have broken off and done some damage to my child. Well, I never had children - not yet anyway- but have no tailbone in the way!! The only effects of my surgery is the arthritis I now have in my lower back!! The bonus of the surgery is my scar line is not visable. It is hidden in the deep folds of my buttocks!! ALTHOUGH getting the stitches removed was not a pleasant experience. but I will spare you the details!

4. I played trumpet in our high school band. For a short period, I played baritone, that is until I had a minor mishap with the instrument! It happened on the first day we got our brand new $500 baritone ( remember this was back in the 80's so $500 was a LOT of money). It happened to also be the first day I wore my brand new $100 glasses with a brand new prescription. I was feeling dizzy and seeing double all day. So, when band practice was finished and I was putting my beautiful new baritone away, I thought I was stepping down on the wooden riser, but in reality I was stepping on air. All I remember after that was hearing everyone say, "Mr. Ward ( our music teacher) is going to kill you." I wasn't sure why they were uttering those words UNTIL I moved saw the smmmmuuuussssshed baritone before my horrified eyes. I guess when I fell, I landed on top of the brand new $500 baritone. No one seemed concerned for my physical state at that moment as they were all examining the flattened bell of the baritone! I don't remember if I cried, but I probably did. What I do remember is how Mr. Ward handled the situation. He was soooo GRACIOUS and CALM. He never yelled at me nor did he ever ask me to pay for the repairs. I loved Mr. Ward! He is actually still teaching at my old high school. When the baritone came back from the repair shop, it looked brand new ,except for a couple of tiny crease lines in the curve of the bell. Needless to say Mr. Ward put me back on trumpet for the remainder of the year! In addition to playing trumpet, I was a wanna-be Broadway star in our high school musicals! Actually, I wasn't the star, only chorus and bit part member. To this day, it is my dream to be in a Broadway show. Considering I can't dance and am now 40, I don't think this dream will become reality! Maybe I will be a talk show host instead. Move on over Oprah! All kidding aside, my experience in my high school musicals instilled a deep love of the theatre in me, even to this day!

5. "No Boys Allowed in the Girl's Dorm" was a College rule I broke on several occasions without getting caught. I went to a strict Bible College from 1988-1991, thus the rule. Actually, it was a great school and eased up on some of the strictness in my final year. Wow...it feels good to confess that to the cyberworld! After all, apparently "confession is good for the soul!" One of the "boys" I had in my room was none other than Ken in Bolivia. In fact, one night I had to hide him in my walk- in closet because a dorm mate stopped by my room for a visit. She never left until 1am ( I did try my best to get rid of her so Ken could escape). Ken was a wee bit late for his 11pm curfew! And a bit claustrophobic!

6. I walked up all 700 steps ( and down too) of the Eiffel Tower. I was in Paris to celebrate my 40th birthday. I travelled alone to the city of lights and love and absolutely LOVED it! I felt free! Free to be me with no one to answer to! I even had a brief Parisian romance! You know what they say, "whatever happens in Paris stays in Paris! I was proud to have the "chutzpa" to travel alone- a first for me and hopefully not the last. Although the next time I go to Paris, I would love to be in the arms of the man I love!

Okay, here are my 6 tagees: (If you haven't visited their blogs, go right now because they are wonderful...really! )

1. Ken at The View From Down Here.
2. Carolyn at Spend a Penny.
3. Catherine at Catherine's Chatter-Waiting for Hannah.
4. Barbara at Writing From the Inside Out.
5. Ally at Supersimbo.
6. Rachel at Huse Blog is it Anyway?

Thanks for tagging me, Kimberley! This was fun!!

Happy Earth Day!

Our school did their part for Earth Day by cleaning up the garbage around our school property this afternoon. Here are a couple of my special ed students doing their part!!:) We have a "tree hugger" in our midst!! Who knew?!!

One final random note...one of my students who has Downs Syndrome and is non-verbal--well she talks but we cannot understand what she says most of the time--looked at me this morning, pointed to my hair and said, "hawr cut." I couldn't believe she noticed I got my hair cut over the weekend! It was a cute moment!

I hope you all enjoyed Earth Day and celebrated this world God created for us to take care of, enjoy, and see Him in His creation!

The Unexpected Traveller

The subway car came to a screeching halt. Doors slide open. My friend Sandra and I scramble in and find our seat. Reflecting on the lovely time we just had eating, drinking (coffee that is!) and being merry with her sister Shari and another mutual friend who had driven up for the evening from Kingston, I think I glimpse a familiar face sitting behind us.( forgive my run-on sentence!) I ask Sandra if this young man is carrying a sports bag. She replies with an affirmative YES and adds, “He is staring at you like he knows you.” I was 98% sure this young man was a former student of mine.

Finally, gathering the courage to speak to him, I turn around and ask if he was “J.” Suspiciously, he looks at me and tentatively says, “Yes.” I continue to affirm his last name and former school. He still looks suspicious. I then add, “It’s me, Miss Whalen.” Smiling he replies, “oh, you cut your hair!”

This young man was in my grade 8 class three years ago and held a soft spot in my heart, in spite of his unhealthy reputation. He made some bad choices and got himself expelled. I remember being very sad, in fact I cried over the whole situation. This boy really touched my heart. I remember thinking he could go either way in life. He was a phenomenal basketball player and I would occasionally go to watch his high school games. I felt relief knowing he turned his life around and would be okay!! I had lost touch with him, until last night! I have prayed for him over the years. What are the chances that Sandra and I would get on the exact subway car “J” was already in!! It was a God moment for sure. In fact, Sandra and I had contemplated not taking the “Kiss & Ride” subway into Toronto. We were going to drive downtown. But, obviously there was a reason I felt pressed to opt for this method of transportation!!:)

“J” appeared to be traveling our way so I offered him a ride home. Hesitantly he accepted my offer. I assured him I was trustworthy and still the same Miss Whalen he knew!! After I dropped him off, Sandra and I commented on how so many teenagers today have to grow up so fast. This grade 11 student was coming home from a basketball tournament in the US and had to find his own way home. It was late at night. He was traveling all alone in a somewhat unsafe area. How sad he had no adult in his life, for whatever reason, to make sure he arrived safe and sound.

I believe God allowed our paths to cross with “J” last night on that “red rocket” subway car. I may never know why but am so glad I followed my heart to reach out to him in this practical way.

Happy Sunday Morning!

I wanted to share what I read today from Romans 12. I just LOVE how it is paraphrased in "The Message."

Here you will find more ways to "walk our talk!" Be encouraged on this happy Sunday morning!

"....If you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. ( this part spoke to me, especially in my line of work!!) Keep a smile on your face. ...Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody. Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. 'I'll do the judging,' says God. 'I'll take care of it.' Our scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good."

Walk the Talk!

A co-worker of mine recently asked me,

“Karyne, why do you participate in organized religion?”

“That’s a good question,” I replied!

It is a question with many layers.
Yet, I knew the inferences he was trying to formulate.

With candor, I proceeded to share my frustrations with the church. I hate the hypocrisy and legalism too. However, I went on to explain that in spite of the many negative issues of “organized religion,” the positive benefits prevail. I was clear to indicate that my focus is on my relationship with Jesus, not on all the other “stuff.” That is why I can participate in “organized religion.”

I am actually surprised I haven’t given up. I have experienced some nasty spiritual abuse and a crisis in my faith. After high school graduation, I attended Torchbearer Bible School in Holsby, Sweden. It was an AMAZING experience, yet my faith experienced a crisis! Prior to Holsby, I had never questioned my faith before as there had been no reason to question. Enter the Swedish people into the equation. They are intellectual people who want logical reasons to believe in God. I was forced to challenge my thinking and knowledge on the tough questions of the faith they were asking:

Prove God exists.
How do you know your religion is the right one.
Why does God allow suffering.
And the list goes on….

I couldn’t give them clear answers. I began to doubt what I believed. I wanted to give up on Christianity. In spite of my doubts, I KNEW at the core of my being God was truth. I found my way back. God welcomed me with open arms!

Why have I continued to be loyal to Christianity, to “organized religion?” The answer lies in a passage of scripture I read today from Romans 11,

“They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago.” (The Message)

I am convinced God is truth. I am convinced of God's grace and His purpose. I continue to keep my eyes focused on Him!

After my conversation finished with my co-worker, I realized more than ever that we Christians need to smarten up and "walk our talk." Our track record has not been good. Show God is truth. GENUINELY show God's AMAZING grace. Stop pretending and ...

"Love from the centre of who you are; don't fake it." (The Message)

The grand arrival of "Similes are Like Metaphors"

Here's a story

Of a Canadian teacher

Who was eag-er-ly awaiting her grand prize

Fin-a-lly Mr. Postman de-ee-liv-ered

Right before her very eyes...

The "winning" Vintage Vantage t-shirt that will arise....

Okay, okay, I promise no more cheesy poems to the tune of "The Brady Bunch" theme!!

Here is a pic of me and my new t-shirt!! Isn't it perfect! !:)

No one was around to take a photo, so I attempted this one myself! Stay tuned for a pic of me, this t-shirt and my class!

I was a bit disappointed this evening when I wore my new t-shirt to run some errands and to get my hair cut. No one commented on it!! I just think this shirt is hilarious, so I assume other people will find it funny too! I guess my sense of humour is different from the rest of the world!!:) C'est la Vie!!!:) I am just thrilled "similes are like metaphors" found its home with me!

The Krazy Escapades of a 40 year old DATING single!

I have been wanting to post something here for a while about my "krazy escapades" of dating/being single at 40 when I read this GREAT post the other day from a new bloggy friend. The post pretty much summed it all up! Peruse at your leisure. It will help you understand how the dating scene is VERY different in this stage of life!! One difference being: where do you find the single men?

I have had some Krazy, with a capital K, blind date adventures that I will eventually share here, especially for my married bloggy friends! You can live vicariously through me! Decide for yourself whether or not you would want to enter the dating scene again, should the opportunity arise!!! :) lol!

In the meantime, you can join me on my dating/non-dating adventures! Stay tuned!

Stop and smell the SPIDERS????

" There's a spider. Come here spider...come here," my sweet "D" gently whispered and beckoned with her hand for this creature to join us at our end of the dirt on the playground this afternoon. Amazed that my sweet "D" was verbalizing her thoughts, I barely noticed" Mr. Dandy Long Legs" crawling towards us. I am THRILLED to be finally invited into that little brain of hers! It is an honour, even though she is being a wee monkey lately! Must be the hormones!!

Creative, crazy hairstyles!

Fascinated by the creative hairstyles of our black students, I embarked on a photo journey to capture the wonderful assortment! Enjoy this journey. Appreciate the time and effort put into these styles. Be inspired!

For those visual learners, a sneak peak at some of the students in my "yarns"...

A favourite place for "C" to be when he doesn't want to do his work! Wouldn't it be GREAT if we could do the same - go to our quiet place- when we don't want to work!!:)

My sweet "S" after she just viewed the pics I took of her!

The "enigma": " T"

The Mystery of the MRI

It is midnight. I just returned from a community care drive to Toronto. I left at 7pm and was supposed to be home by 10pm. Welcome to our health care system!

My client was having a MRI and usually you are in and out, give or take a few minutes. Apparently not tonight. The reason for the delay - a poor, frail, 90-year old woman was traumatized by the whole experience. Although , contrary to what we were witnessing, her daughter told someone on the other end of her cell phone that ,

"mom was a hero tonight."

Meanwhile, her poor mom almost fainted in her wheelchair and was having a major panic attack. The nurse was called. Those of us waiting PATIENTLY in the cramped waiting room overheard the whole interchange. I discovered we were all pretending to be reading our books and magazines while secretly trying to overhear the conversation between the nurse and daughter of this poor frail 90-year old woman! The nurse checked the woman's blood pressure and found it quite low. With further assessment, it was revealed that the woman hadn't eaten anything all day. Immediately, I made a diagnosis...take this woman to emergency- she is dehydrated, has low blood sugar and is still in a state of panic. They offered her apple juice and I am thinking ...WHAT, she needs orange juice or Coke!
We, those of us who were PATIENTLY waiting in the cramped and now warm waiting room, continued to listen to the nurse incessantly tell the daughter,

" I am recommending and am putting it on your mom's chart, that you take her to emerg. Her blood pressure is very low."

By this time, we, the PATIENT people in the warm, cramped waiting room, set aside our reading materials and were this close to yelling out to the daughter to

"take your mother to emerg!!!!!! She is 90 years old. Her blood pressure is low. take her to emerg!!!""

We, the PATIENT patients, discovered a common camaraderie between us...our diagnosis for this frail 90-year old lady was the same!!

Finally, after 1 hour, that is 1 hour where this poor frail woman could have been waiting in emerg and probably would have been seen by a doctor given her age and condition, the daughter decided to heed the nurse's advice. Go figure!

At the expense of this poor, frail, traumatized 90-year old lady, our time PATIENTLY waiting for the MRI was enjoyable!

ABC Wednesday - "T"

It's that time of the week to check out the great photographers at Mrs Nesbitt's Place. Here are my "T" pics for this week....


"T" rillium - Ontario's Provincial Flower (check out this history of the flower !)



Maple "T" ree - My favourite tree in Ontario, especially in the fall!


A selection of my mom's "T" ea cups - 50 years ago when my parents got married, it was customary to have "Teacup Showers" for the bride-to-be! Every lady attending the shower would buy a teacup for the bride-to-be. I have always LOVED my mom's assortment of teacups she received for her shower! To this day, I LOVE collecting teacups and LOVE using them for tea parties!

My Week

What a crazy week I had - crazy in the good sense of the word!

School Highlights:

Monday:

I asked politely, and with a please thrown in, for a grade 8 student to pick up the book he kicked halfway across the room. He looked at me and said, "you can't tell me what to do." My dream response involved some expletives, but thankfully I held my tongue and used the calm, silent treatment and stern look to get him to pick up the book!!! The supply teacher was not helpful so I went to our SERT ( special ed resource teacher) for help! I eventually got an apology with an added, "I didn't know I was kicking a book. I just knew something was in my way." Ah, teenagers!!:)

Wednesday:

I attended an "Education For All" conference at our local Board of Education office. The keynote speaker, John Draper, is a friend and former employer. He was amazing! Check out his website! As a person with a physical disability, he has wise, funny and valuable insights into how we can build inclusive communities in our schools!

Thursday:

My sweet "D" sneezed in the presence of my co-worker, Kim. Kim wasn't paying attention to the sneeze so sweet "D" yells, "Kim....God Bless You." (What "D" really meant, "Kim, you need to say to me, God Bless You.") Immediately, Kim responded, "Oh sorry "D"....God Bless You!" Apparently "D" gave her a dirty look which said, "how dare you forget to say God Bless You when I sneeze!!"

Friday:

The students were "wanky"...maybe it was the rain! The grade 2 boy I work with in the morning, "T" was off -the -charts- hyper, mixed with a defiant attitude. At one point in the morning, we went to run an errand in the library. My sweet "S" was there with her class. She has always had trouble with pronouns and today was no exception BUT, it was sooooo perfectly in context! "S" came running over to me to say hi and check out my accessories for the day! Towering over "T", she glanced at him then turned to me and asked in her east Indian accent, "WHAT is that?" In my mind, I am thinking, " oh yes, WHAT is my dear "T"...he is an enigma today!! " Unfortunately, I had to correct her grammar to "WHO is that?" It was a priceless moment! Don't go thinking I'm a terrible EA !!! lol! My co-workers that heard the story all laughed as well!!

In my next class, I had a boy ask me how old I was. As I hesitated in silence for a moment contemplating how to respond, he asked if he could guess my age. Sure...this would be interesting. He asked, "are you 2o?" I didn't want to crush his spirit so I just smiled and left the room!!:)

In the afternoon, my sweet "D" came up to me at snack and said, "no Rice Krispy square?" followed by a high five!:) She was trying to manipulate me into giving her a Rice Krispy square thinking I didn't know she was a little monkey all afternoon and was not allowed to have one!!! Apparently, she tried to pee in the drain in the bathroom, spit all over everything, steal YoGo's from her fellow classmates, etc. Good thing she is soooo cute!!:):)

On a sad note, we have many teachers dealing with difficult personal issues. It is my prayer I can be a support in some way to them during this season of their lives.

Personal Highlights:

Monday:

I am a volunteer driver for a community organization that helps adults who are unable to drive to their doctor's appointments. Today, I drove an interesting special needs family!:) Our conversation felt like we were all part of a three ring circus!:) It was great!:)

Tuesday:

My mostly all white choir was trying to master an amazing black gospel song! We are slowly getting the rhythm down!:) At least we have the heart!

Wednesday:

Girls Night Out. I look forward to it every week! It never fails that our conversation always turns to "colourful", real, and honest dialogue! Don't worry, it is not x-rated- this is a church group after all!!:):) This particular Wednesday was no exception. One of the girls that comes is a teacher. She taught us an interesting, "inspiring" lesson based on this book:



Hopefully this information will come in handy one day! !!! Can you believe there is a book on this topic?!!!

Thursday:

Book Club dinner meeting. Book of the month: "The God Delusion." Had a lovely dinner and interactive discussion at this amazing Italian restaurant!

Friday:


I got to hang out with my 19-year old niece. She is a graphic design student and has this funky photo program on her computer. Here are a couple of pics of the two of us:

After our photo op, we decided to go to the movies. On our way to see "Penelope", we stopped at the corner store so I could visit the ATM machine! My niece decided to purchase a Monopoly Lotto Ticket.

A winning ticket...
... so we believed for about 5 minutes! My niece was playing this game while I was driving and all of a sudden she started screaming, "I won a Jaguar. " I was speechless. At first I thought she was pulling a belated April Fool's joke on me but then I quickly realized her screams were serious! I couldn't believe it! So, we called my parents to tell them, well scream in their ears, the good news!! Being wonderful grandparents, they started giving some wise advice to my niece!! While they were giving the pep talk, I decided I better check the ticket again. To the dismay of my niece, I found there was an error. Not a winning ticket! What a roller coaster of emotions we experienced! We finally made it to the movie and continued to laugh about our "winning/losing" ticket!

I cherish these times I get to spend with my niece! It was the highlight of my week!

A budding writer? You decide!!!

I am soooo excited! I won my first ever essay contest!! I discovered this cool online vintage t- shirt company, Vintage Vantage, via my bloggy friend Ally and his wife Cherith.

In the above photo, I am modelling my first ever Vintage Vantage t-shirt! Wouldn't I make a great tourism ambassador for Canada!!!? lol!! So, I was browsing their sale rack when I found this shirt.

I HAD to have it! Not only was the colour calling my name, but the logo!! I still crack up laughing at the play on words!:) Wearing this t-shirt at school would help reinforce parts of speech to my students in a creative way! I was about to order it when I came across this "Top Shelf " essay contest. So without further ado...here is my winning "essay" and the email notifying me of the good news...


hey karyne-
thanks very much for your pre-amble, amble, and post-amble!you win you win!lemme know your shirt size, and where it's going one more time so I'm sure and I'll get a shirt out to you...get back at me with anything else at all and I'm here for you...for reals

james
www.vintagevantage.com

Top Shelf Essay Contest

Pre-amble:
I wrote a song for the occasion to the tune of "The Brady Bunch Theme Song" ( Frank DeVol & Sherwood Schwartz)Don't worry, I didn't plagiarize. I acknowledged the original writers of the song! I hope you enjoy my 124 word paraphrased rendition. Sing it almost 4 times and it will meet the 468 word requirement!I have also enclosed a pic of my very first VV t-shirt! Wouldn't you agree I make a great Canadian tourism ambassador in your t-shirt?!!!:):) Without further ado, here is my song:

Here's the story of a lovely Canadian teacher
Who was busy teaching her students the parts of speech
All of them were keen on learning like their mothers
The youngest ones were like a peach

Here's the story of a vintage t-shirt company
Who was busy as a tribe of its own
They were trying to bring back the fresh in regular t-shirts
With the help of many good people they were not alone

Then the one day when the teacher met this cool company
She totally knew they were a perfect match
That Camp Cool would have a t-shirt to help her teach the parts of speech
"Similes are like metaphors" what a catch!
That's the way they all became the perfect batch!

Post amble:
Oh how I long to wear your "Similes are like Metaphors" VV T-shirt! It was meant for me to wear! It is calling out my name!! Like a baby calling for its mother!!! Please pick me as the winner of your top shelf contest!!!:):) If you do not choose me, please let me know ASAP so I can order "Similes are like Metaphors" before they are all gone!!!:) Thanking you in advance!
From one of your fellow tribeswoman at Camp Cool,
Karyne
PS Surely I am at 468 words with pre and post ambles!!:):)