Nothing that I could say seems significant enough.

I was busy dashing around to get ready for K-'s party yesterday when I read a blip on Yahoo about the school shooting.  At that time, they didn't have any information to give other than big, bad things had happened.

My cousin came over to help assist in the process of painting and whatnot and was talking to me on the side about it.

How my heart breaks.

Mr. B, our principal, used our weekly All Call to reassure parents, grandparents and guardians that we have regular lock down drills, have certain sign-in procedures for a reason and you could tell in the quiver of his voice that with this being an elementary, it hit particularly close to home.  He knows each of our 530 students personally.  He stands at bus stops, stops by homes, calls regularly truant children in the morning to make certain that they are up to get ready and be on time for school.  Our kids are his kids.  He asked that we hug them a little extra tight.

I can write that I've been in the school for a full lock down.  It was not a drill and I saw the entire school buttoned up in well less than 60 seconds.  Each child has been locked down in every area of the school, so they know what they are to do if they are in the gym, art room, hall or the cafeteria that has a full side wall of glass.

I had 4 additional young ladies stay over with me last night.  I told their parents that I did not turn the TV on on purpose.  I told them that if they wanted to approach the subject with their children, I wanted it to be on their own.  I just wanted the kids to have one more quiet night of fun before reality of another mass shooting came to light.

I could ask, "What makes someone do this?" Obviously this is not a new thought.

"How could we stop it?"  But then, you have people accusing each other all the way around.  This one is right and that one is right.  In the end, we have death.  A mass death.  Let's not lay blame.  Let's lay prayer.

I have a child who just got past the anxiety of the OAA.  I can't imagine the anxiety that she might have over worrying about a gunman coming into her school and wiping out a classroom or more of children.

I was awake in the middle of the night, listening to the little snores of the sleepers in my living room.  I can't imagine not having any one of them around.

I just can't imagine.  It's safe to say that I'm sure that Newtown wouldn't want anyone to have to feel their pain.

We lift the families, the community and everyone concerned in prayer.  How my heart breaks.

5200+ e-mails made my account blow up.

I have a confession.  I have admitted it to you before, but it got absolutely no better when the computer crashed.  I was behind on clearing out old e-mails.  The computer crashed and I could only access those e-mails on the Kindle.  When you erase them from the Kindle, they don't erase from the actual account. (Or at least, that is what I found.)  When the computer got replaced with a machine that works willingly, I had 5243 e-mails.

Yowza.

I was dealing with them bit by bit.  I went in one day and noticed that my e-mail had now become one page with many additional spaces left for more.

Juno ate them.

It's okay.  The account needed freed of the clutter.  Still, 5243.  Really?  If I was that stuffed full of e-mails from the Vitamin Shop, Old Navy, Bass Pro and more, I would explode, too.

I've since been very good at clearing out the old.  I've also blocked e-mails and changed subscription notices.

A New Year's Resolution?  Keep better control of the e-mail.  I promise.

I touched hundreds of little faces.

We had our Santa Shop and Winter Wonderland event at the school yesterday.

Sweet Pete, I was tired.

I was the face painter.  I had a few young ladies helping me, but it was primarily my gig.  I had 4 designs for them to choose from.  Still, I had the "but I want a monster!"  "Darlin', you can choose from these different designs here.  Would you like a snowflake, an ornament, a star or a tree?"  "I want a monster."

I was not paid by the hour as a party painter.  I was a free volunteer and happy to do so.  Still, to keep the line moving, I had to be that lady who made them stick to the four designs.  Oh, and I had to have them stick to the one cheek per kid rule.

I would say I was no fun, but I did sing silly songs to kids.  Some were impressed.  Some could care less.  Still, I had my hands all over hundreds of little faces.

The good news is that no one bit me.  :)

I'm preparing to go be the cupcake decorating coordinator at our church.  We're having a Happy Birthday Jesus party and it is me, and me alone, who will be manning the sprinkles and icing.

Lord be with me.

Still, I'm happy to do it and we want the kids to have fun.  We anticipate 70 children, but since we put out over 1600 invites, we're hoping for a lot more.

Frosting knives raised and prayers of patience.  Have a great day!

ETA:  We went.  We enjoy.  We iced, sprinkled, sang and ate.  We ended up with 96 extra cupcakes, so we had the older kids ice and sprinkle the additional cupcakes so that we could put them up for our Family Promise families that will be arriving this weekend.  Something tells me that they won't be in a want for cupcakes any time soon.