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Curriculum Policy
The school curriculum aims to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve.
The school curriculum aims to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.
The development in both these areas is essential to raise standards of attainment for all pupils. These broad aims are reflected in the Education Act 1996, which requires that all schools provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum.
The 4 main purposes of the National Curriculum are:
to establish an entitlement
to establish standards
to promote continuity and coherence
to promote public understanding.
Education only flourishes if it successfully adapts to the demands and needs of the time. Our school curriculum must be responsive to changes in society and the economy, and changes in the nature of schooling itself.
Structure of Ingleton Primary School
We have 6 classes in school for Reception, KS1 and KS2 plus a part time Nursery class. The children leave us at the end of Year 6 go to Settle College or Queen Elizabeth School. We have six full time teachers and three part time teachers. We have a part time Advanced Teaching Assistant (ATA) who works in the Nursery. There are five General Teaching Assistants (GTA) working in the FS, KS1 and KS2 classes and supporting SEN pupils. We also have a Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) to cover classes for teacher's PPA time.
Teachers have Subject Leader roles – see appendix 1.
We have some extra curricular activities available for children – chess, cross country, football, netball, dance, gardening.
Curriculum Planning
The long-term plan is reviewed annually to ensure it meets the needs of our classes. It ensures coverage, continuity and progression for each child. It makes best use of our available resources and supports teamwork.
The long-term curriculum plan is based on the National Curriculum 2014. Our topic headings are used to support Medium Term Planning, but emphasis is put on staff creativity to achieve a rich, stimulating and meaningful cross-curricular approach. We are following the guidance from North Yorkshire LA on the number of hours spent on each subject to ensure there is balance. At the end of an academic year the children will have covered the recommended hours for each subject. Some work is continuous e.g. Mathematics and Literacy, whilst other areas are blocked e.g. history and scientific knowledge. Blocked areas are linked to other subjects in topics when appropriate.
Subject by subject
English – follow the National Curriculum 2014 for English working and planning to phases within units and use the NY LA guidance on the organisation of mixed Key Stage classes if appropriate. English planning is closely linked to class themes to achieve a cross-curricular approach.
Mathematics – follow the National Curriculum 2014 for Mathematics and use the NY LA guidance on mixed Key Stage classes if appropriate
Science – use LA units as a starting point
ICT – use planning units as a starting point
RE – follow NY Agreed Syllabus 2017
Design Technology – use planning units as a starting point for progression in skills
History – use planning units as a starting point for key questions
Geography – use planning units as a starting point for key questions
Music –use NY LA scheme and planning units as a starting point and online resources from the North Yorkshire Music Hub
Art – school scheme
PE – use planning units as a starting point
The Early Learning Goals set out what most children are expected to achieve by the end of the Foundation Stage. They are organised as three Prime and four Specific Areas of Learning:
Prime: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical development
Specific: Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, Expressive Arts and Design
Children who are 'exceeding' The Early Learning Goals are working at a level broadly equivalent to a Year 1 pupil following the National curriculum. Some children will still be progressing towards the Early Learning Goals at the end of the Foundation Stage and some will achieve and progress beyond them. The achievement of children beyond the Early Learning Goals can be assessed using the 'steps' descriptors on Scholarpack.
For medium term planning we aim to adapt, as necessary, planning units to fit the needs of our school. We use the programmes of study to track the coverage of each subject throughout school. We use planning discs and computers to generate plans in an attempt to revise and improve in the future as well as reduce teacher workload.
Plans are saved in Staff Common on the school computer network so that Subject Leaders have access for monitoring purposes.
We pay special attention to key skills which are embedded in the National Curriculum and these help learners to improve their learning and performance in education, work and life. The key skills are:
problem solving
creative thinking
information processing
managing feelings
social skills
In the National Curriculum there is emphasis on;
use of language across the curriculum
use of ICT across the curriculum
health and safety – this applies to science, design and technology, ICT, art and design, and PE.
At Ingleton Primary School there is emphasis on;
basic skills
art and display
learning outside the classroom
global awareness
developing links with our community and other schools.
We use the Development Matters statements and Early Years Foundation Stage Profiles in Nursery and Reception. Progress is tracked using the online learning journals 'Tapestry.' Parents are encouraged to contribute to this process.
In Years 1 to 6 Scholarpack is our new data management system. Pupil progress is tracked in 'steps' each year, six steps progress a year being the expected measure. We track individual children's progress from their Foundation Stage Profile through to the end of KS2. As class teachers we use ongoing formative assessments during the year to ensure that the children are making good progress. We keep individual records of the children's progress and we have detailed evidence of work to support these teacher assessments in literacy and mathematics. Subject Leaders sample pupils' work to gain an overview of their curriculum area.
We report twice a year to parents on pupils' progress through school written reports. We have a drop-in session for parents in September. This is followed by a one-to-one parents' evening in February or March and an annual Open Evening in Summer as a celebration of every child's success. We are always available for parents and carers to arrange meetings with us to discuss their children's progress. We are keen to keep them informed and involved. We value their support in their children's learning.
The Headteachers and Subject Leaders monitor the teaching and learning in school through classroom observations and looking at the teacher's plans and records as well as children's work. Support is gained from governors, our SIA and LA Advisers who also sample work and observe lessons both formally and informally. There is annual timetable, policy and evidence file for monitoring the curriculum.
Target Setting
From April 2018 our new data management system, Scholarpack, has been used to track pupil progress, using 'steps' progress and not levels. We look at the results of the Foundation Stage Profile, the end of KS1 & KS2 SATs and the end of year summative assessments in years 1, 3, 4 and 5 to set targets for individuals, groups and classes. We analyse test results in order to set realistic curriculum targets which are shown on the School Development Plan.
The information from the LA is used to make comparisons with similar schools and to look at our performance in KS1 and KS2 SATs in relation to overall national results. Issues are then identified as areas to develop.
We have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children in our school, including able children. There are three principles that are essential to develop a more inclusive curriculum:
setting suitable learning challenges
responding to pupils' diverse learning needs
overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of children.
Our SEN policy provides more detail about our provision for all.
JC October 2018
Review October 2016
Appendix 1
ARTS ( art, music, drama, dance) JC DB
HUMANITIES (Geography & History) JP DB
SENCO DB All
ASSESSMENT JC All
Appendix 2
Classes and school organisation
Class 6 25 Miss M Braund
Class 5 25 Mrs A Jackson/Ms J Gill
Class 4 26 Mrs R Clements
Class 3 23 Ms J Middleton
Class 2 25 Mrs H Burnett
Class 1 22 Mrs J Pickard
Nursery 26 Mrs J Colledge


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St Anne's is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Mrs Leese
Mrs Dagnall
Miss Evans
Mrs McGann
Mr Busst
This half term our topic is...
Our class reader is...
Our Author of the half term is...
Michael Morpurgo
Have you seen the Kids' Zone? Play games, and visit some cool websites. You can vote for your favourites!

subset: commoncrawl


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A new community writing program at Indiana University East has received a grant from the Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council (WPLC) at Indiana University. Red Wolves Write was awarded an $8,000 grant from the WPLC.
Red Wolves Write is a community-oriented, yearlong program is centered on writing intended to bring together college students and diverse community members for reading, conversation, writing, and reflection in a supportive environment.
The program will serve high school students, juvenile offenders, older adults, and English language learners. Through the program, participants will discover opportunities to connect, share stories and learn about each other.
Frances Yates, director of the Campus Library, coordinated the grant application.
"We are appreciative of the support of the IU Women's Philanthropy Council and their recognition of the importance of connecting campus and community through writing. Our goal is for the Red Wolves Write program to serve as a catalyst to bring together diverse individuals who will share their unique stories," Yates said. "We are excited that, thanks to the financial support of the WPC, we will be able to celebrate their writings through public readings and a published book, as well as an interactive online venue. Red Wolves Write represents a variety of disciplines from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and will provide IU East students with a valuable experiential learning adventure."
Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Ross Alexander said, "This grant represents a significant collaboration among several groups, offices, and faculty members on campus and supports a very important program. All of those involved possess an inordinate and impressive commitment to our students. I am proud of them all."
Red Wolves Write programs will be under the direction of faculty coordinators including Stephanie Whitehead, assistant professor of criminal justice; Tanya Perkins, lecturer of English; Christine Nemcik, assistant professor of history and world languages and cultures; and Sarah Harris, assistant professor of English.
Additionally, each Red Wolves Write program will have a student coordinator, providing these students the opportunity to excel in leadership, develop project management skills, and be a peer role model to motivate other IU East students to become engaged community citizens. Katelyn Brown, a junior biochemistry and Spanish major at IU East, has been selected as the student coordinator for the Los lobos rojos escriben program.
The Red Wolves Write program will target four distinct groups:
- Red Wolves Write Online: will help area teachers better understand and resolve the gap between high school and university writing. It will encourage area students to prepare for college, and strengthen the connection between Indiana University East instructors and students with community members in the IU East service region.
- Red Wolves Write with Wernle: will provide strategies for vulnerable youth to make positive choices using a literature-based and therapeutic writing approach. It will also enable IU East criminal justice students to improve the communication and social skills needed to be effective criminal justice professionals.
- Red Wolves Write with Older Adults: will give participants the opportunity to share, through discussion and writing, the transformative effect "place" has on their lives. IU East students will improve communication skills interacting with older adults; learn new research skills, and enhance their use of reflective writing to communicate their understanding of community history.
- Los lobos rojos escriben: will develop IU East students as cultural ambassadors. They will use writing and language learning activities to improve the literacy of English language learners who are within the 5 percent of households in Wayne County where Spanish is the primary language.
Nemcik will be the coordinator of the Los lobos rojos escriben program. She has worked with ELL students in the Richmond area schools through service-learning in IU East Spanish language classes and projects of Spanish language students and the World Languages and Cultures Club.
"We are extremely grateful for the support of the IU Women's Philanthropy Council, which will enable us to expand these reading and writing programs with area English language learners. This program is significant for facilitating improved literacy of ELL students, and has meaningful impacts on IU East students in expanding their cross-cultural awareness and helping them to promote a campus-wide appreciation of the increasing diversity of the Richmond area," Nemcik said.
Perkins said the project moves writing out of the classroom and into the community.
"When students collaborate with our community's older citizens, they'll come away with a new perspective on the significance of local places," Perkins said.
Writings from all program participants will be published in a book as well as published online at iue.edu/redwolveswrite.
About the Women's Philanthropy Council at Indiana University
The IU Women's Philanthropy Leadership Council was convened by the Indiana University Foundation Board of Directors in 2010. The WPC's mission is to lead fundraising and engagement efforts that inspire women to give of their time, talent, and resources to Indiana University, and to develop women leaders in philanthropy.
Founded in 1936, the Indiana University Foundation maximizes private support for Indiana University by fostering lifelong relationships with key stakeholders and providing advancement leadership and fundraising services for campuses and units across the university.


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The November edition of Bird Watching magazine has my Raven image on page 32.
Welsh Follies... (Kindle Edition)
One more... a design company asked to use a picture I took of shoppers in the city of Chester.
congratulations, andrew! that raven pic is fabulous. :)
Hey, don't give them away. The Raven is a cracker. How are the legs?
I went for a spiral bird feeder. £18.00p. It looks good but i doubt the birds would appreciate it.
Nice job! Are your ravens the same species as ours, Corvus corax?
HI Andrew I am impressed. Congratulation. I think they are all great however I do love the 1st one best.
What fabulous close-up on top! Love the new header.
Oh, yes, Andrew, the expression on the raven's face just cried out for publication. Fabulous!
And the photo of Chester reminds me of a story. The only time I was in Chester was with my parents, brothers and sisters-in-law in 1996, when we were hit with a sudden downpour.
We rushed into the nearest place for shelter. It was a pub, and on the wall was a poster saying, "Coming in October, Acker Bilk" so I announced to the rest of the family, "I'm staying here until October."
My brother Clint could also remember the clarinet hit 'Stranger on the Shore' in 1962, as could our parents. They were sympathetic, but my brother Rob had bought my plane ticket, and the date could not be changed.
I would have happily stayed in that pub, washing dishes or walls or floors or whatever, if I could have, just to see and hear Acker Bilk.
The Raven photo is beautiful!
Greetings, RW & SK
wow, i can say I knew you when, if you be come world famous... i mean WHEN you become world famous. fantastic, congratulations.
i went to the kindle book and did see your photo in chapter one.
Congrats Andrew. Beautiful Raven.
This is great Andrew, I am also pleased ... congratulations!
Very nices pictures.. Congrats..
Congratulations! They're all great in their own way... I adore the raven.
Congratulations, sir! That's awesome! Love the raven image!
Congratulations! It is a well deserved honor. I know you are thrilled. Your capture of the raven is out of this world.
Good for you. You made me laugh having to buy a copy of the magazine. Why at least they could have given you one as a token of their appreciation. Why the nerve of them!
Congrats Andrew! All wonderful images especially the Raven. That Shoppers building is lovely, tutor style.
well done Andrew; that's quite a coup!!
You are such a fabulous photographer!
** Luna is sending purrs!
Well done Andrew; but I agree with Adrian, don't give your stuff away.
Congratulations Andrew, well done for getting some more of your work published.
I love that fluffy Raven!...[;o)
your a super star..... well done Andrew.
It's very rewarding to have your photography recognized in this way. For me, only happened a few times. Best example was a very polite request from student in the Middle East who wanted to use my photos of mistletoe in his research paper on plant parasites. :-)
All three of your photos were publish worthy for different reasons.
I am not at all surprised that you are being published ... you are that good and this is probably only the beginning. Your photography is wonderful ... Congratulations, Andrew ...
Andrea @ From The Sol
Andrew, congrats, that Raven is absolutely a winner, outstanding detail, beautiful work!
Wow Andrew- that's fantastic. That first shot is super- a grand image!
Congratulations, Andrew!! This is terrific and so well deserved!! I'm really happy for you! I love all of your captures and particularly the Raven!! Superb! Thanks for sharing the good news! Have a great weekend!!
Terrific shots.
Congratulations,Andrew!Well done!
Cool Andrew, congratulations!
Congrats to you with your published photos ~ they are divine and very professional ~ glad for you! ~ thanks, carol, xx
Congratulations, you do amazing work.
Heart congratulations!


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Christmas Gift Ideas
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For the word of the Lord is right and true, He is faithful in all He does.
...The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love. Psalm 33:4, 18
Forty years. Some would say that anniversary marks the half-way point in a person's life. Or life on this planet, I should say. I have said those words myself a time or two, even when I didn't quite want to believe them. But today marks the fortieth anniversary of the day I began my relationship with Jesus, so I can say with the authority of heaven above me and the Holy Spirit within me, that I'm just getting started. There's more ahead than behind me, even if I leave this body tomorrow. And some days, I wouldn't give a plug nickel for this crumbling body, anyway!
In honor of such an auspicious occasion, I lay in my bed this morning and mentally took a trip down memory lane with Jesus. Thought I'd share some of the highlights with you.
My infancy as a believer coincided (or collided, depending on the moment and my adolescent, quixotic mood swings) with a rather horrible case of full-mouth herpes and mononucleosis. My physical body was a mess. Excruciating pain in my mouth, because I'm talking 200+ cold sores which went down my throat, preventing me from eating, and required some sort of surgical cement covering my braces to keep them from making the pain worse. I was too young in my faith, too ignorant in scripture to recognize the 40 days of testing, but looking back I can see clearly the ugly hand of the enemy working to steal my new-found love for and joy in God. Because of my infancy, however, the protection I needed came from the Holy Spirit. I remember spending those days drinking in His word when I was unable to do more than drink my food.
I began high school that fall and, by His grace, plugged immediately into Young Life. The milk most needed for the baby Christian was ready and available to me and I lapped it up like it was my job. My prayers during the first decade of walking with Him were most often self-centered and outcome-based. "Let him like me, Lord." "Help me pass this test (even when I've barely studied)." Do, do, do for me. I think God was patient and gentle with me, recognizing that children need affection and confidence to be raised up. I often had the sense of sitting on His lap with His arms around me, of His presence like a cloak (which was something else I also asked for--cover me like a cloak, Lord!). And worship--how I loved and needed the songs of worship. Music was synonymous with worship to me in those years, and once I discovered contemporary worship music, I stayed there, singing hallelujah with gusto in the company of saints so like me we could have exchanged our very lives.
My second decade of being a believer began just about the time my college relationship was ending. So that decade started in pain. I had been certain that man was God's plan for my life and had prayed so hard for him that AC allowed my conviction to convince him for a while. And God gave AC to me much like He gave the people of Israel Saul when they asked for a king, even knowing he wasn't right. And it ended in pain, as such things are wont to do. That pain created the darkest period in my life, when I tried to live my life without Christ. For a whole school year, I tried. Found it as impossible as flying. He just plain loved me too much. Snuck into the corners of my heart and brain when I was trying to turn my back. And, in the end, I lay down my walls, knelt before Him and repented of my hard-hearted, pain-induced sin. Not a year later, I was re-acquainted with my across-the-street neighbor, SW, who became my husband when I was 26. God was in that, of course. That painful break-up was the necessary step to the real love-story He intended.
The rest of that decade was spent pleading His mercy and counting on His grace. We had, 14 months after our wedding, our first child and two others in such quick succession it still stuns people when I speak of it. Three children in 3 1/2 years. I didn't have time to take a shower alone, let alone pick up a Bible. We lived in a sleep-deprived, diaper-changing haze where church was our food and fellowship our crucial thirst-quenching drink. I remember no sermon, no study, barely a word of song from that time. And count it good that He was in it and we all grew despite it.
By the third decade of my walk with Christ, Beve and I were part of a high school ministry leadership. Leading trips on mission fields, teaching Sunday school. I was involved in Bible studies, church committees, so deeply involved in that church that our elementary-aged children took off their shoes when they walked through the church doors, like they did in the entryway of our home. I learned to pray in a more selfless way during those years, more fully for His will. Less for His gentleness and more for His likeness. More for Him to be met in all things and less for Him to do for me and mine. It began to be clear that He had gifted me in teaching, studying and contemplative ways, in leadership and prayer. And when our closest friend, a pastor who'd been handing me his books by the busload, told me of a seminary in Vancouver, BC, Beve and I looked into it. I cried when I got the catelogue. Cried just knowing there was just a place on this planet, teaching such things, so wholly aligned with the very things I'd most want to study if I could dream them up in my deepest imagination. It was a no-brainer to Beve that God intended me to go to Regent College, though it meant pulling up stakes, moving our children, etc. I felt like a little island of faith in a huge sea of doubts that spring and summer, but Beve believed the logistics were God's problem if God was calling, and he was right. God was ahead of every decision. Sold the house, provided a house, a job, schools, finances for Regent. It was breathtaking and a beautiful gift. Since then, I've always felt that He gives in direct proportion to how much we're willing to risk for Him.
My fourth decade began while I was at Regent, in a world of academics and theologians, so stimulated I could hardly contain it. Prayer grew, as did study. I was growing up into an adult in the faith. As I should have been. Began to lead retreats, preach, be confident in both, love both. Less afraid to preach in front of 500 than walk into a room of 50 strangers. Leading mission trips to Mexico, where I had to surrender myself because I felt so over my head. If He didn't do it, it was doomed, and too many people's lives and faiths were at stake. Writing the devotionals for such trips. What fun but what a stretch. And a women's prayer group deepened my prayer life in ways I cannot begin to express. In the last decade I've learned to pray without ceasing at times. Not always, but sometimes. To give myself over to Him to prayer. To allow Him to direct that praying so that I am hardly conscious of it, rather, He is praying to Himself, if that makes sense. It is a privilege to be His vessel. The deepest prayer of my heart has become not "glorify me," but "Glorify yourself in me." The difference is enormous. It is not I but He who lives in me. NOT I. And this blog, which has taught me to look at life and small moments always with an eye toward the holy. An eye toward His Kingdom. The Holy Spirit does it about ninety percent of the time. The other ten, my words fall flat.
Growing in wisdom and stature, knowing there is more before me than behind me. Certain that if He had not called and not been in every step, my life--which is not my own--would have falled as flat as that ten percent.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the inexpressible gift of this life everlasting. Go before me. Subtract more and more of me from the equation of myself, and multiple (not add--I'm making no math error here) your Holiness, and your presence in my every dealing.


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( CNN) US President Donald Trump said on Thursday not to discount the chance of members of the military conflict with North Korea.
"There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, " Trump told Reuters amid an ongoing standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear and weapon planneds.
He said he would prefer, however, to avoid conflict and peaceably achieve a non-nuclear North Korea.
China pumps billions into North Korea


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This week, Appellation Mountain 's Abby Sandel travels around the country and across the pond to discover which names ranked Number 1 where.
Baby name news is fast and furious at year's end. Lists of Worst and Best Celebrity Baby Names abound. (Did anyone else notice that Zuzu Audrey, daughter of Top Chef contestant Tania Peterson, has made both Best and Worst lists?)
Then there are the lists of top names from local hospitals and birth centers, as well as a handful of state and local authorities, and plenty of websites, too. Sometimes the data is drawn from only a few hundred births. And yet, if your child is going to attend the same schools as other kids born in the same maternity ward, then it is a pretty good indicator of whether he'll share his name.
Many of the articles end with a little onomastic treat: a list of the wilder appellations given to children in the past year. Gems from recent articles include Wynter, Rhemidy, Savi Fair, Zyier, Nixen, Passion, Tuff, and Lijah.
It's tempting to focus on the extremes, but the year end lists always remind me that names become popular for good reasons. Even though I know plenty of kids called Jake, I love his bright, friendly sound.
These nine names are a mix of enduring classics and current favorites, drawn from the top ranked names somewhere in the English-speaking world, as announced over the last week.
William – He's tops in Tennessee, a spot he's held since 2007. Nation-wide favorite Jacob is all the way back at #4, with Mason and Elijah in between. Mason was the state's biggest climber, while Emma is #1 for Tennessean daughters. William has also fared well with English-speaking parents in Canada. Get ready for articles attributing the bump to 2011's Royal Wedding and predicting bunches of baby Billys in the US, too. Berries know that the prediction is only half right – there may be more Williams, but they'll all answer to Will.
Alexander – He's been in the US Top Ten for the past three years, but Genesis Birth Centers in Iowa welcomed 17 Alexanders last year, making it the most popular choice for a boy, beating out Elijah, Noah, and Landon.
Mason – In Western Michigan, Mason makes it to the #1 spot, ahead of Lucas, a surprising #2. Their girls' Top Ten list also contains a few surprises, like Natalie and Grace. My eye is on Mason – can't you imagine him as the top name in theUS?
Harry – British parenting site Bounty gives the top spot to Harry, as in Potter and Prince. While Bounty's stats are unofficial, Harry does rank in the English Top Ten, reaching #3 in 2010, so maybe it isn't a stretch to imagine he'll take the lead.
Charlie – Heading to Northern Ireland, another royal moniker is in the top spot – only it is the informal Charlie, rather than the stately Charles, finding favor in Strabane. The girls' list is headed by Sophie – together the names could almost be the title of an animated cartoon. Oh, no – that's Lola …
Lily – While we're in the UK, West Dunbartonshire parents favored Lily last year, over Sophie, Ellie, and Lucy.
Lilyana – Lily brings us back to the US, where this surprising spin on the botanical name ranked #3 for newborn girls at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota. The familiar Sophia and Isabella ranked #1 and 2. Their boys' Top Ten included another surprise – Levi.
Macie – Combined with Macey, she's the top name from St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, with Aubrey/Aubree right behind. The hospital's decision to combine spellings probably explains why their list is so different. The #1 boys' name is the equally unexpected Logan.
Mia – She shares the top spot with Olivia in Newcastle and the surrounding area, in New South Wales, Australia. She's familiar to American parents, but a few others on their list are unusual in the US: Sienna, Ivy, Matilda.
Are there names that feel extremely popular in your area, more so than the statistics would suggest?
7 Responses to "The Nameberry 9: There's more than one Number 1"
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Lola Says:
In my neighborhood, nothing repeats. Unusual but true. Unless you count the little Laura in with us Moms! 😀
But I do know of three girly Morgans (which makes me cry inside). I also know two Nates but one's Nathaniel & one's Nathan in full.
There's another Josephine/Josie in town but I hear of her, we've never met her!
I really like William, Alexander & Lily from up there. They would make a fabulous, classic sibset! 🙂
skizzo Says:
William and Alexander are really boring. I wish they'd go away for a very long time and take Jacob with them.
phoebesmom Says:
Lila is just exploding in my part of Texas. Henry is over the place, as well.
littlebrownpony Says:
Lily/Lilly is everywhere here in CT–including my own niece! Jack seems to be the most popular boys name, followed by William.
Abby Says:
Lily is suddenly huge here in DC, too – there are two within a stone's throw, and a friend has one, too – though all three have different formal names.
i.heart.nerds Says:
For some reason unisex names that once slid to the girls side are now being picked for boys in my circle of friends.
2x Avery
2x Riley
I am kind of surprised really.
LydSyl Says:
I know of two baby Lydias, besides myself
leave a reply
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text:
Trainz Community Express Archives
6th October 2002
25th September 2002
12th September 2002
5th September 2002
28th August 2002
14th August 2002
8th August 2002
1st August 2002
17th July 2002
10th July 2002
26th June 2002
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15th May 2002
Hi everyone,
For those that don't know, John Banks is taking some time off to finish his studies, and I have stepped into the role of forum moderator and community support here at Auran. Many of you already know me as I have been a forum and chat regular since before Trainz 1.0 was released, and I hope you'll forgive me for changing sides, as it were. :)
Keeping in tone with this week's UTC screenshots, I have some 3rd party European Content websites for you. These guys do great work and anyone with an interest in European railways (and probably everyone else too) should drop by and see what they have to offer:
JLB's Trains
, locos by genesteal.
Le Train Virtuel
, scenery by RaymondParrot.
ElD's TRAINZ Factory
, scenery by eldwane.
Svenska Tågwerkstäderna
, locos by janne, skogen and emges.
, scenery by Tafweb.
Medway Valley Trainz
, bridges and splines by Mike10
While you're visiting these sites, you'll probably come across
John King's Trainz Webring
which is rapidly apporaching 100 web sites all devoted to Trainz. For those who are interested in joining the webring, we have a webring logo at the bottom of this page which you can use, and there is also a fan site pack containing banners and logos.
I wasn't planning to do a Waffle of the Week, but there's one thread on the forums that definitely deserves a mention.
Who's Staying?
by nkpellegrino is a wonderful example of how great the Trainz community is. There's some interesting 3rd party content hidden away in there too.
Well that's my first Community Express. :) Until next week, I'll see you all on the forums and in the chat.
Privacy Policy
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If you are planning to sell your home in Oakville one of the first things you will want to do, is consider what improvements you can make that will give you the best return on your investment. This ranges from simple things such as painting and primping, all the way down the line to the big ticket items.
Should I renovate my kitchen, should I renovate the bathroom to sell my house etc. Is it worth it to make my home more energy efficient? These videos are simple bits of information that will help you answer some of those renovation questions. Of course, I'd be very happy to drop by to discuss the direct value of larger projects as they relate to sales in your immediate area. Sometimes it's really worth it - but not always, so it's just as important to understand what's involved AND to get real estate advise.
I've also added a few links to companies that I have personally dealt with and been very pleased with the service and results!


text:
Momma - posted on 03/11/2015 ( 5 moms have responded )
How do we teach our girls the importance of loyalty without the "bandwagon effect"? How doe we prevent an "either or" message? Young girls need to understand the importance of supporting each other rather than back-stabbing, but yet have a healthy sense of competition that can inspire fellow girls to reach their potential, so they can be that generation to shatter the "glass ceiling" yet, young girls seem to use loyalty as a way to bully other girls, or as a crutch to hide behind an abusive boyfriend or independence to excuse back-stabbing catty behavior. What is the best way to teach girls the importance of having both without contradition?


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Court of Appeals of North Carolina
October 3, 2017
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA,v.RICKY LEE HINNANT, Defendant, and TERRENCE C. RUSHING, Bail Agent, and AGENT ASSOCIATES INSURANCE, L.L.C., Surety.
in the Court of Appeals 7 August 2017
by Wilson County Board of Education from order entered 12
September 2016 by Judge John J. Covolo in District Court,
Wilson County No. 14 CR 054745.
Schwartz & Shaw, P.L.L.C., by Kristopher L. Caudle and
Rebecca M. Williams, for Wilson County Board of Education,
brief for Ricky Lee Hinnant, Defendant-Appellee.
brief for Terrence C. Rushing, Bail Agent.
brief for Agent Associates Insurance, L.L.C.,
Defendant-Appellee Surety.
Chief Judge.
Wilson County Board of Education ("the Board of
Education")[1] appeals from an order allowing a motion to
set aside a bond forfeiture filed by Terrence C. Rushing
("Bail Agent") on behalf of Agent Associates
Insurance, L.L.C. ("Surety"). Because the record on
appeal indicates that, at the time Surety posted the bond, it
had actual notice that defendant Ricky Lee Hinnant
("Defendant") had failed to appear in the same
matter on at least two prior occasions, the trial court was
prohibited by statute from setting aside the bond forfeiture.
Accordingly, we reverse.
failed to appear in Wilson County Criminal District Court on
23 October 2015 on charges of driving while impaired. As a
result of Defendant's failure to appear, an order was
issued for his arrest on 26 October 2015. On the order for
arrest, a box was checked indicating "[t]his [was] []
[D]efendant's second or subsequent failure to appear on
these charges." Defendant was served with the order for
arrest on 6 January 2016 and released the same day on a
secured bond posted by Bail Agent in the amount of $16,
000.00. Defendant's 6 January 2016 release order also
explicitly indicated "[t]his was [] [D]efendant's
second or subsequent failure to appear in this case."
Defendant again failed to appear in the same case on 15 April
2016, the trial court ordered the bond forfeited, with a
final judgment date of 15 September 2016. Notice of the
forfeiture was given to Bail Agent and Surety on 18 April
Agent filed a motion to set aside the forfeiture ("the
motion to set aside") on 15 August 2016, on the basis
that "[D]efendant ha[d] been surrendered by a surety on
the bail bond as provided by [ N.C. Gen. Stat. §]
15A-540[.]" At a 12 September 2016 hearing on the motion
to set aside, Bail Agent presented a letter from Deputy J.D.
McLaughlin ("Deputy McLaughlin") of the Wilson
County Sheriff's Office, in which Deputy McLaughlin
On [26 April 2016] Terrance [sic] Rushing[, ] a Bondsmen
[sic] for Wilson County brought [Defendant] to [the]
magistrate's office on case 14cr054745 to surrender. As I
took [Defendant] to the jail I saw [Bail Agent] taking the
surrender form to the Wilson County Jail Control Room to drop
trial court found "that the moving party ha[d]
established one or more of the reasons specified in [ N.C.
Gen. Stat. §] 15A-544.5 for setting aside that
forfeiture" and allowed the motion to set aside. The
Board of Education appeals.
Motion to Set Aside Bond Forfeiture
Board of Education contends the trial court was statutorily
barred from setting aside the bond forfeiture in the present
case and that no competent evidence supported the trial
court's decision to set aside the bond forfeiture. We
Standard of Review
In an
appeal from an order setting aside a bond forfeiture,
"the standard of review for this Court is whether there
was competent evidence to support the trial court's
findings of fact and whether its conclusions of law were
proper in light of such facts." State v. Dunn,
200 N.C.App. 606');">200 N.C.App. 606, 608, 685 S.E.2d 526, 528 (2009) (citation
omitted); see also N.C. Gen. Stat. §
15A-544.5(h) (2017) (providing in part that "[a]n order
on a motion to set aside a forfeiture is a final order or
judgment of the trial court for purposes of appeal. Appeal is
the same as provided for appeals in civil actions.").
Questions of law, including matters of statutory
construction, are reviewed de novo. See In re
Hall, 238 N.C.App. 322, 324, 768 S.E.2d 39, 41 (2014)
(citation omitted) ("Resolution of issues involving
statutory construction is ultimately a question of law for
the courts. Where an appeal presents a question of statutory
interpretation, full review is appropriate, and we review a
trial court's conclusions of law de
exclusive avenue for relief from forfeiture of an appearance
bond (where the forfeiture has not yet become a final
judgment) is provided in [ N.C. Gen. Stat.] §
15A-544.5." State v. Williams, 218 N.C.App.
450, 451, 725 S.E.2d 7, 9 (2012) (citation and quotation
marks omitted); see also N.C. Gen. Stat. §
15A-544.5(a) (2017) (stating in part that "[t]here shall
be no relief from a forfeiture except as provided in this
section."). In addition to enumerating the circumstances
in which a bond forfeiture must be set aside, including where
"[t]he defendant has been surrendered by a surety on the
bail bond as provided by [ N.C. G.S. §] 15A-540, "
see N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-544.5(b)(3) (2017),
the statute explicitly prohibits a court from setting aside a
bond forfeiture "for any reason in any case in
which the surety or the bail agent had actual notice before
executing a bail bond that the defendant had already failed
to appear on two or more prior occasions in the case for
which the bond was executed." N.C. Gen. Stat. §
15A-544.5(f) (2017) (emphasis added). N.C. G.S. §
15A-544.5(f) further provides:
Actual notice as required by this subsection shall only occur
if two or more failures to appear are indicated on the
defendant's release order by a judicial official.
The judicial official shall indicate on the release order
when it is the defendant's second or subsequent failure
to appear in the case for which the bond was executed.
Id. (emphasis added).
State v. Adams, 220 N.C.App. 406, 725 S.E.2d 94
(2012), a surety challenged the trial court's finding
that, pursuant to N.C. G.S. § 15A-544.5(f), the surety
had actual notice that the defendant had failed to appear on
two or more prior occasions before executing a bail bond. In
that case, the surety "[did] not dispute that [the]
defendant's release order contain[ed] an explicit finding
that [the] 'defendant was arrested or surrendered after
failing to appear in a prior release order . . . two or more
times in this case.'" Id. at 410, 725
S.E.2d at 96. The surety instead contended that it had
conducted its own independent investigation and
"determined that [the] defendant had only forfeited a
bond once previously[.]" Id. The surety argued
that because the court system's computerized database did
not contain information about one of the defendant's
prior failures to appear, "its agent should have been
free to disregard the finding on the [defendant's]
release order." Id.
Court held that the "surety's reasoning [was]
inconsistent with the plain language of N.C. Gen. Stat.
§ 15A-544.5(f)[, ]" because under the statute,
"it is only a defendant's failure to appear in court
that is relevant to the judicial official who is entering a
release order[, ]" not the number of bond forfeitures or
orders for arrest. Id. We concluded that,
"[s]ince [the] defendant's release order included a
finding . . . which reflected that he had previously failed
to appear on two or more occasions, the trial court properly
found that [the] surety had actual notice as defined by N.C.
Gen. Stat. § 15A-544.5(f)." Id. at 410,
725 S.E.2d at 97.
in the present case, both the 26 October 2015 order for
Defendant's arrest and the 6 January 2016 release order
explicitly indicated that "[t]his [was] []
[D]efendant's second or subsequent failure to
appear" on these charges. Thus, applying the plain
language found in N.C. G.S. § 15A-544.5(f), Bail Agent
"had actual notice before executing [the] bail bond that
[] [D]efendant had already failed to appear on two or more
prior occasions in the case for which the bond was
executed." Accordingly, the trial court lacked authority
to set aside the forfeiture "for any reason." The
evidence presented by Bail Agent at the hearing on the motion
to set aside - Deputy McLaughlin's letter stating that
Bail Agent had surrendered Defendant - was immaterial,
because the language found in N.C. G.S. § 15A-544.5(f)
is unequivocal. See, e.g., State v.
Davis, 364 N.C. 297, 302, 698 S.E.2d 65, 68 (2010)
("Courts must give an unambiguous statute its plain and
definite meaning, and are without power to interpolate, or
superimpose, provisions and limitations not contained
therein." (citation, quotation marks, and brackets
to the dissenting opinion, Adams is distinguishable
from the present case because, in Adams, "no
issue was asserted [before the trial court as to] whether the
surety had seen, read, or had 'actual notice' of the
[defendant's] release order[, ]" because the surety
"acknowledged that [it] had conducted an independent
investigation to determine the veracity of the notation on
the [defendant's] release order [indicating two or more
prior failures to appear][.]" However, in
Adams, this Court explicitly held that the efforts
undertaken by the surety were inapposite with respect to the
"actual notice" requirement in N.C. G.S. §
15A-544.5(f). The singular fact that "[the]
defendant's prior failures to appear were noted on his
release order. . . supported the trial court's finding
that [the] surety had actual notice as defined by N.C. Gen.
Stat. § 15A-544.5(f)."[3] Adams, 220 N.C.App.
at 411, 725 S.E.2d at 97.
dissenting opinion also submits that the Board of Education
did not meet its burden of showing that Surety or Bail Agent
had actually seen Defendant's release order such
that they were aware that a box was checked indicating
Defendant's prior failures to appear. However, that is
not what the statute requires and is unsupported by its
legislative history. The version of N.C. G.S. §
15A-544.5(f) in effect prior to 1 January 2010 provided:
In any case in which the State proves that the
surety or the bail agent had notice or actual
knowledge, before executing the bail bond, that the
defendant had already failed to appear on two or more prior
occasions, no forfeiture of that bond may be set aside for
any reason.
See N.C. Session Law 2009-437 (eff. 1 January 2010)
(emphases added); see also State v. Poteat, 163
N.C.App. 741, 746-47, 594 S.E.2d 253, 256 (2004) (construing
the term "notice, " in version of N.C. G.S. §
15A-544.5(f) then in effect, "to include constructive,
as well as actual notice[, ]" and concluding
professional bondsman "through the exercise of proper
diligence could have readily discovered the earlier bond
forfeiture notices, arrest warrants, and orders for [the
defendant's] arrest, any of which would have indicated
that [the defendant] had a second prior failure to
the 2009-2010 legislative session, our General Assembly
amended N.C. G.S. § 15A-544.5(f) in several ways that
inform our holding in the present case. Significantly, the
General Assembly eliminated the "burden of proof"
previously imposed upon the State to show notice by a surety
or bail agent. It also replaced the phrase "notice or
actual knowledge" with the current requirement of
"actual notice, " and expressly defined
"actual notice" for purposes of the
statute. See Pelham Realty Corp. v. Bd. of
Transportation, 303 N.C. 424, 434, 279 S.E.2d 826, 832
(1981) ("It is within the power of the [L]egislature to
define a word used in a statute, and that statutory
definition controls the interpretation of that statute."
(citations omitted)). We do not, as the dissenting opinion
contends, read the requirement of "actual notice"
in N.C. G.S. § 15A-544.5(f) as encompassing
"constructive" or "record" notice. We
instead follow the exact wording of the statute as amended,
under which a properly marked release order is per
se sufficient evidence of "actual notice." The
State is not required to produce any additional evidence -
including evidence that the surety or bail agent actually saw
the release order before executing the bail bond. We stress
that the question of whether a trial court, in applying N.C.
G.S. § 15A-544.5(f), may consider evidence that,
notwithstanding a properly marked release order, a
surety or bail agent was prevented in some way from
discovering a defendant's prior failures to appear is not
presently before us.
disagree with the dissenting opinion that "[n]othing in
the record indicates whether the parties presented evidence
at the hearing . . . of whether Surety or Bail Agent had
'actual notice' of the notation on the release order
indicating Defendant's prior failures to appear." As
discussed above, the Board of Education was not required to
present any evidence of "actual notice" beyond the
properly marked release order itself, which was contained in
Defendant's case file. See Adams, 220 N.C.App.
at 411, 725 S.E.2d at 97 ("The trial court's finding
. . . that [the] defendant had failed to appear on two prior
occasions was supported by competent evidence, because
[the] defendant's shuck demonstrated that he had
failed to appear [on two prior dates]." (emphasis
added)). Moreover, the narration of the trial court
proceedings submitted by the Board of Education - which
Surety did not challenge - indicates that, during the hearing
on the motion to set aside the forfeiture, Surety did not
argue Bail Agent lacked notice of Defendant's prior
failures to appear before executing the bond, and
"[n]either the Board [of Education] nor Surety submitted
any sworn ...
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Dark before dawn
Today was garbage pick-up and recycling pick-up day. The sound of large annoying trucks, sirens from assorted vehicles and whatever the hell that Justin Bieber song is, wafted through the window. And seems to be continuing. The assorted wildlife of Rideau Street cursed and screamed and yelled for most of last night. Assorted black or white cars, stereos blaring stop and start mostly in front of the building across the street. Some woman is screaming at her child about how she cannot buy him anything at the moment. Just now two dogs being walked got into an aggressive-like altercation while their owners tried being polite and shouting at the same time. I heard an angry sparrow on the tree outside my window. Someone in hard shoes is clacking their way down the sidewalk. In the city, peace comes from sealed air-conditioned apartments and nature videos on television. The longing for green solitude just a memory, a vacation, a brief respite inside the cement their souls have hardened into. I thought I saw a bluejay but it was a recycling bag caught fluttering at branches. It is a wilderness here. It has evolved beyond irritation into a silence of the soul.
Better I should return to my paints. I could paint the grey man on the grey sidewalk who digs into the bins for grey bits of food. I could paint the grey glass of grey buildings that scrape the grey sky until it bleeds pools of rain. And the gutters that run with the detritus of cigarette butts and candy wrappers and the tears of the addicts who tremble and shake. I could paint the old drunken man who shaved half his head and soils himself while he begs for a cigarette or a kind word but the kind word isn't really what he wants. He wants a bottle and a place to be for just the night. One night. The ones in suits and designer shorts wear earphones and spend their gaze on iphones. They search but don't find. They see but don't look. They love but don't know love. Better the man in the gutter, his fingers in the grey dust who sees you as you pass; who cuts you with his pain, his disenfranchisement, his humanity. Better the man who watches, shadowed eyes, scanning, moving panther between the cars, his hands hidden, face flat with a seasoned indifference. Born to it. Bred to it. And he hands out little packets, quick like a bird, disappearing magician hands into dark pockets.
And the women, sheathed black like sleek crows shuffling that odd gait that speaks to what has happened to them as little girls. As little girls in the hands of monsters whose acts are proscribed by traditions foreign, mad, bad, hatred of the feminine. Fear of the feminine. There is nothing there in their eyes that can be read. Sometimes I catch a smile but it is rare here, as if there is some cage we cannot see around this part of town, this block, this place, these women. They do not want to know you. They live in a fear I don't understand. But they don't see it as fear but as duty, as dignity, as an act of deference to an unseen God. And I wonder what God was there when the little girl cried? What God would deserve such deference? What God would wear black and drag the hem of that garment through the snow and slush trailing a kind of despair, a kind of haughtiness, a kind of penitence? A skeleton of love. A tribute to resignation. To duty? To deference? To The Man.
"Yo the Man," he said slapping palms. He laughs hyena-like; a whooping animal, a wounded creature. A man loud with the right of the gender of his birth. I see him on the street. I hear him every night in an apartment above me somewhere. I have once seen him in the elevator. He is quick with a smile but his eyes move back and forth so much so I could almost hear them shifting, gliding in their sockets. They hide something. Those eyes. They hide something I don't want to know. I smile back. I make no comment except to say the weather is fine. And he smiles frighteningly.
I always talk in elevators. How can you not? About the weather. About something people are wearing that they are inordinately proud of. About the children who do not smile ever here. They are serious little souls with wide eyes. One young teenager seems riveted to my hair when I wear it out long. It is as if he has never seen long hair before. I ask him if he plays on a team because he is standing there awkwardly with a basketball in his hands. He says "no" and looks at the floor. He gets off on my floor but he does not live on my floor. He makes his way to the stairwell. I am slightly amused.
At the end of the hall when I head to the garbage chute a woman is carting in groceries. Her son is with her. He is about 5 years old. His name is Hemmie. Short for Abraham. Her cart tilts and falls to the floor and I say to him, "oh, I hope the eggs are not broken. The chicken would be sad." He looks at me seriously and explains that "there is no chicken." And I laugh and say, but "who made the eggs then?" And he looks confused. "There is no chicken," he explains again. His mother tells me not to correct him. She says it laughingly, even lovingly. But I had a sudden flash of a future man: Little Hemmie who was not to be corrected grown into manhood. Yet now, he is ripe with the curiosity and certainty of a child. He is ripe with the opportunity that life allows, for a short while.
I want to take his mother by the hand and sit with her. I want to tell her about the 70s here. About how we as women had to fight for so many rights and how we cried sometimes. But how could she understand? Her battles are monstrous compared to ours. Yet she is a proud woman. And who am I to say that she is wrong, sheathed as she is? For have we not lost sight of what mattered? We women? Does this woman not have a certain dignity? A certainty? She is not unhappy. She does not care about how hard I might have struggled in my life to come to terms with sexism. The coffees I refused to serve; the fight for wage equality; the insistence on personhood. How lost the cause. Because I see them. The young girls there on the street. Did we do battle for their right to be objectified? To objectify themselves? I don't remember now what it was all about. Sometimes I want to shake them, these Kardashian girls with whiney voices. Don't you see what you are doing I want to say.
I like her though. Hemmie's mother. She smiles at me. She is not on an iPhone. She has clear and intelligent eyes and is warm with laughter. We will not be friends though. The divide is clear on her part. Polite but no further. I wear my hair long perhaps. I see that she is happy in her world that I could not abide. But that is me. That is my prejudice, my hard-fought struggle to gain what little ground I have. And I in turn, cannot imagine the struggles she has gone through. Far worse I'm sure than mine. I leave her behind as I wander back up the hallway, the acrid smell of some spice I don't recognize there yet again.
Yesterday I went to the window because a man was yelling. His voice was loud and deep and he kept yelling. He was a block away making his way down the sidewalk. "You're a fucking bitch! You're a fucking bitch! You're a fucking bitch!" He said over and over again. I looked to see who he was addressing but there was no one there. He was screaming to himself, pasty white chubby striding at an unfathomable pace down the sidewalk, his backpack wobbling at each step, his beard skyward. He said everything three times. "You don't fucking know anything. You don't fucking know anything. You don't fucking know anything." He never breaks stride. "When the wolves come don't come to me. When the wolves come don't come to me. When the wolves come don't come to me." No one else breaks stride. They glance up, move on. They must be used to it. I will never be used to it. I hear him blocks away but cannot make out his words anymore. Partly because there is a man across the street. He is retching horribly. I don't look. I can't look anymore.
I don't like the city. Around me of course are the happy and content, the middle upper classes walking their designer dogs and laughing with each other. The retirees and the students and the ones in between who are too busy to actually be where they are. I see them, the happy ones. I'm not all bleak with the world. My neighbour is a kind man. A good man. He has lived in his apartment 30 years. Retired from a government job he had for 25 years. He has routines. They are very important to him. I don't much care to know beyond a nod anyone else in the building. People tire me. I am tired of them. I did my best most all these years, helping, hoping, holding hands. But I am old now and disillusioned with people. There is not enough time, love or understanding left in me. And the problems people have seem beyond redemption now, at a certain age. If you've been a narcissist, a fool, a user, a selfish idiot, a sanctimonious arse, a neurotic control freak, a greedy monster for 40 years, it's unlikely now you'll change and I don't care to help you do so even if you want to. I do not ask to understand you and I do not ask you to understand me. Let it be.
Of course I do not mingle with the happy ones. In my grief I look at them as if they are mad. I can't relate. I try not to hate them.
Today I got an e-mail from a friend who says "I think of you often," and I just wonder if that was true why he did not pick up the phone, in all those times he thought of me so often, in the seven months since last I heard from him. Am I to be grateful and gracious and respond with all the manners I've been raised with? Am I to be grateful he even thought of me at all? If I am not grateful I'll end up all alone. That's beyond funny in a dark kind of way. Aren't we widows supposed to be grateful for even the slightest indication of interest by anyone? No. I think not. Go away. I'd rather keep the company of my small dog and cat. They are better beings than humans. They don't make promises they have no intention of keeping. They love you even when you're sad and have been for a long long time. They love you even when you have nothing left to give, when you aren't who you used to be. They love you without an agenda.
In truth, the only ones I relate to now are my fellow widows. They know things. They know things I have yet to find out. They have learned to deal with the inappropriate comments, the outrageous behaviour and the pain of silence they've been forced into. They know things and I am grateful for them. They know things about the people who come in to fill the void that others have left behind in their desperate effort to keep away from all that grief. They have to get on with their happy lives after all. Lives you no longer can relate to. Lives you know are as vulnerable as a lighted match in the wind. You almost cringe to see their happiness. It is not a given. You do not envy them. You just wait. You do not wish them what you have gone through but still you wait. Because that seems to be what happiness is, ephemeral, a silence before a storm, a waiting room.
The ones that come in, the selfish and the dangerous people who use and abuse and control, feed on the vulnerability of loss to serve their own agendas. And there are many agendas. And oddly, my widows do not think it necessary to forgive anyone despite having had the same nightmares. My widows. They say "fuck them" and move on. And so I say "fuck them" and move on. I feel relieved that I don't have to forgive anyone if I choose not to. Forgive them they know not what they do. "Fuck that." Some people say that forgiveness is the antidote to bitterness, so I respond as I've learned to, "fuck that." It is not a fairytale world. Ask the old man on the street who sits on a bench and cries. No one knows why he cries. But he does. I want to tell him what I've learned. I want to tell him to say "fuck that." I don't of course. Some things we really can't say. I just know that forgiveness is a luxury of the deranged. There is no God patting you on the back. That God died a long long time ago. Personally I think that God died from grief. Even he could not handle a prayer that said "Our Father who art in heaven, I think of you often."


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Harry G. Phillips has been sculpting salt water fish for several years. Harry is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in art. He has taught painting, drawing and pottery at Alan Hancock Junior College in Santa Maria, California, and has been involved in pottery and painting project of his own for over thirty years. For several years he was the art director for Santa Barbara County.
Harry is an avid scuba diver. Many of his shapes, colors, and textures come from his diving experiences. Harry designs, sketches constructs, glazes, and fires each piece produced, mixing design and aesthetic awareness to make his personal statement.
While watching art patrons browse at South Florida art shows accompanies by their pet birds, Harry became interested in sketching and sculpting these beautiful creatures. Studying attitudes, movements and shapes, he sketched what he saw. Bringing this back to the studio he has developed a new sculptural direction using birds as his topic.


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Here they are.
So, I used a Fat Quarter bundle that had a pretty good mix of green, yellow, red, pink, and blue. The fabrics came from the Apple of My Eye and Millie's Closet collections from Riley Blake. (Note to self: when you get a fat quarter bundle that is only available for a month, write the collection names down! You don't want to spend hours clicking through thumbnails online, trying to find the pattern just to order backing fabric.)
The backing & binding fabric is on order, along with more batting. I'm really excited about this quilt, because it's intended for the nursery!
Ok, like many, many other women, I have a thing for bags. So I found this pattern and had to make some:
And that green floral-looking one? There are tiny skulls hiding in it!
My point is, I am going to wind up with a ton of these little things, because they are pretty addictive once you start.
There's also my jump-start on decorating for the holidays...since we had just moved here last fall, we weren't able to really do much for Halloween or Thanksgiving. So right now I'm working on a Halloween themed quilt to toss over the couch come October:
Seems like a lot, right? Except I've been ignoring my blog for the past few months, so it really isn't as hectic as it seems.
Linked to WIP Wednesdays...Check out the button on the right-hand side of the screen! You know you can't resist it...


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Archive for Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Basketball roundup: Maranatha girls, St. James boys earn victories
February 22, 2017
Maranatha Christian Academy senior Kayla Crowder scored a game-high 13 points to lead the Eagles to a 35-23 victory over Kansas City Christian on Tuesday.
Crowder and the Eagles were dominant on the defensive end, as they shut out KC Christian in the first quarter, and jumped out to a 10-0 lead.
The Eagles will end their regular season at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a home tilt against Waverly.
Maranatha (6-11) will be the No. 4 seed in its Class 2A sub-state, and host No. 5 Heritage Christian (6-13) at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Olathe Northwest 55, Shawnee Mission Northwest 48
Shawnee Mission Northwest's losing streak hit three games as the Cougars' comeback against Olathe Northwest fell short in a 55-48 loss to the Ravens.
The third quarter plagued the Cougars for the second straight game, as the were out-scored 22-10 in the period. The Cougars bounced back in the fourth to make in a single-digit contest, but could not erase a 16-point deficit.
Senior Gena Ojeda led the Cougars with 15 points, and junior Jordann Nachbar added 12.
The Cougars (12-7, ranked No. 10 in Class 6A) will end the regular season with a road contest against SM North (4-15) on Friday.
Blue Valley West 50, St. James Academy 37
OVERLAND PARK — Emily Kaufman and Mary Goetz scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, but it was not enough to power St. James Academy past Blue Valley West, as the Thunder fell to the Jaguars, 50-37.
After facing a 14-6 deficit at the end of the first quarter, the Thunder called back in it to make it a three-point game going into the fourth. The Jaguars pulled away in the final quarter, though, by out-scoring the Thunder, 19-9, in the fourth.
The Thunder (5-14) will conclude the regular season at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Blue Valley Northwest. St. James is already locked in as the No. 6 seed in its Class 5A sub-state, and will play No. 3 De Soto (12-7) on the road at 7 p.m. on March 1.
Olathe South 59, Shawnee Mission North 32
OVERLAND PARK — Shawnee Mission North freshman LeLe Love scored a game-high 17 points, but the Indians fell to Olathe South, 59-32.
The Indians trailed the Falcons (No. 3 in Class 6A), 13-11, at the end of the first quarter, but were held to single digits in each period the rest of the way.
North will end the regular season with its senior night at 5:30 p.m. Friday against SM Northwest.
St. James Academy 47, Blue Valley West 35
OVERLAND PARK — St. James Academy senior Zach Thornhill scored a game-high 20 points, and junior Keenan Fitzmorris added 14 to lead the Thunder to a 47-35 win over Blue Valley West.
The Thunder bolted out to a 20-8 in the first quarter, and kept BV West at bay from there.
St. James (13-6, No. 10 in Class 5A) will take on BV Northwest (ranked No. 1 in Class 6A) at 8 p.m. Friday for senior night.
Olathe South 73, Shawnee Mission North 68
OVERLAND PARK — Avante Williams scored a team-high 27 points. Danny Bradley Jr. and Amari Williams scored 18 and 14 points, respectively.
North could not slow down Olathe South's Nic Slavin, who led all scorers with 42 points. Slavin was two points off his career-high 44, which he netted against SM South on Jan. 10.
The Indians (6-13) will try to end the regular season on a high note for senior night against SM Northwest (7-12) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Kansas City Christian 71, Maranatha Christian Academy 61
Maranatha Christian Academy had Kansas City Christian on the ropes midway through the fourth quarter, but the Eagles could not get over the hump in a 71-61 loss to the Panthers.
Roland Hou led Maranatha with 22 points. Jax Holland had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Mitchell Peacher rounded out the Eagles who scored in double figures with 12.
Mitchell Paul scored a game-high 26 for the Panthers.
Maranatha hit 13 3-pointers. Hou knocked down six treys, and Peacher and Holland had four and three, respectively.
The Eagles (7-10) will end their regular season against Waverly at 8 p.m. Friday at home, and then hit the road on Monday for their sub-state opener. Maranatha will be the No. 6 seed, and square off against No. 3 Bishop Seabury (15-4).
Olathe Northwest 50, Shawnee Mission Northwest 38
Shawnee Mission Northwest only trailed by two going into the fourth quarter, but Olathe Northwest pulled away late for a 50-38 victory over the Cougars.
Colton Skeens was the lone Cougars in double figures with 12 points. The senior guard drained three 3-pointers.
The Cougars will try to bounce back on the road against SM North at 7 p.m. Friday.
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The Heart
The parents went to the doctor to check on the teeny tiny baby girl growing inside. The doctor checked on the baby - the little baby's heart was not forming correctly.
The doctor met with the parents and he said, "Your daughter will be born with congenital heart disease. Your daughter will need open heart surgery." Their heart dropped as those words hung in the air; nobody breathing. Silence.
He continued, "She also will live for some time with congestive heart failure until her heart is strong enough for open heart surgery. As you may or may not know, many of these children with congenital heart defects usually have down-syndrome as well. That is a lot to care for, and is a lifelong commitment. You have a few options here, and one of them is to terminate."
The husband stood up, and in a booming voice said, "Sir, I am a Roman Catholic. That is not an option. If this is the baby that God wants us to have, then we will accept that, and love that baby and do our best to raise it. But that is not an option. " And then, they left.
. . .
The baby was born in September. She weighed a little over 4 pounds. She was quickly whisked away into an intensive care unit. She remained there for a few weeks, then was able to go home. Every day she ingested about 10 different types of medicine, administered by her parents. Each week the nutritionist came to check on her and make sure she was healthy. Each week, the baby girl and her mother would go to the doctors for checks, and they would draw blood, causing the heel of the baby to be purple and swollen from being pricked so many times. Each day she slept, ate, and took her medicine. She looked like every other baby - except she was desperately awaiting a life saving surgery.
. . .
A year and half later she was finally strong enough for open heart surgery. The family went back and a world renowned surgeon performed the surgery. The family handed their tiny, screaming baby off to a man whom they hoped would save her life. She was crying and it broke their hearts, as there was nothing they could do. Would she be ok? Would she be the same? Would she live? Would the doctors care for her like they had? The family waited in agony for any word on how the surgery was going, or if this pain they were feeling was over yet. The surgery was successful. The little girl stayed in the hospital for about a month afterwards. She would lay like an animal with all 4 limbs strapped down to the bed so she wouldn't be able to pull out the stitches that now lay across the upper half of her torso. Before her surgery she had just begun to talk. She would lay on the hospital bed and say in a raspy voice, barely audible, "Dada….OUT!" Her microscopic pointer finger would reach up as far as it could, and point to the exit, then it would fall back down in exhaustion. She wanted to leave.
Each day that she was in the hospital, her parents would take a shuttle over in the early and late hours of the day, from the Ronald McDonald house, over to the Cleveland Clinic where their daughter was. Family would visit them all frequently. After about a month, she was able to return home. However, she still was on lots of medicine and under the careful watch of her cardiologist.
. . .
As she grew up, she was just like every other little girl. She learned her addition and subtraction facts, went to disney, ran through the sprinkler, played with dolls, and chased her dog around the yard.
Through the years, she has been able to grow up just like everyone else. She plays sports, goes to dances, sporting events, and goes on dates. As similar to everyone else as she is, she is also very different from them. The normalcy of her childhood was filled with lots of medicine...their house was never short on plastic medicine dispensers. Her childhood also included things other teens had never come close to experiencing. For example, she took medicine daily. She was used to being examined very closely by doctors. She was used to being scared to death, but having to lay there perfectly still in the unknown. She had spent many hours getting echocardiograms dones, as well as EKG's. Her brain was used to being super alert for anything in her body that seemed abnormal. She got a flu shot every year because her immune system was weak. She also had a long scar down her chest from where her chest was ripped open during open heart surgery. She also had 4 other scars from where tubes were forced to be inserted into her stomach.
To others it may seem like her life is difficult, but to her it's beautiful. To her, her life is perfect because that's the only life she's ever known. Some may think that she would want to change her life, but she wouldn't. She has learned that everyone is fighting a battle that we do not know about and that we must be sensitive to others. She has also learned that we each have had struggles and no matter what we are faced with, we must stay positive and know that anything can be overcome, if we only have enough courage.
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Saturday, 7 June 2014
#SatSpanks #Corbinsbend Exile to Unity Homesick and having doubts
It seems that moving from Ireland to Corbin's Bend wasn't the magic fix that Ange had hoped it would be. Somehow or other, their demons managed to slip into the suitcases when they were packing, and out they popped, ready for action in Colorado. Here's a snippet showing the tension between the couple. Jim is hours later than expected, and he hasn't contacted Ange to tell her he was delayed. What she doesn't know is that he has spent the last hour or so in a police station, giving a witness statement and that he's on a short fuse...
Adding fuel to the fire, when he arrived home, he was met by a stony faced Ange.
"Where the hell were you? I was worried sick. Why didn't you bring the phone?" she snapped, as he came through the door.
"Ange! Don't start. I've just spent the last couple of hours in the police station. I'm in no mood for your griping now. Right this minute, all I want to do is pack up and go home, with or without you."
Ouch - that's gotta hurt.
This is the Saturday Spankings Bloghop. Thanks for calling. I love to hear from you, so please say hi before you call to the wonderful links below.
13 comments:
You're right, that must have hurt. Poor Ang and why was Jim in the police Station? Great snippet. have to find time to read this :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Lol, Constance I could tell you why he was at the police station, but then you wouldn't be curious to find out :DDelete
Thank you. I am so looking forward to your release.
Oh wow, there's so much tension between this couple (I'm part way through the book) that even when things are going well, all I can think is you guys have to talk already!!ReplyDeleteReplies
I know, they really do need to talk! But talking is in itself a skill that has to be learned. I wonder how many good relationships flounder for want of the ability to communicate properly? The lucky ones learn before it's too late.Delete
They were both upset and with good reason. Love the snippet.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks, PK. Yes, they both did have good reason.Delete
Yes, changing the scenery doesn't change the issues/problems. :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Normandie, I think they are slowly learning just that!Delete
Great snippet. Corbin's Bend is the place to be, even though transitions can be hard on everyone.ReplyDeleteReplies
Transition is hard on everyone, and Ange had lost her job and they moved country - both high up there in the stress scales. Thanks Leigh. Hopefully they will find Corbin's Bend is the place to be!Delete
Nice tension in the scene. Well done.ReplyDelete
Yikes! I can only imagine how she's feeling when he says 'with or without' you. Poor girl!ReplyDelete


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An amateur photographer's daily blog sharing favorite photos and stories discovered through her digital camera's viewfinder.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Honoring Latin American Leaders in Central Park
At the Artists' Gate entrance to Central Park located near 59th Street and Avenue of the Americas, there is a series of bronze equestrian sculptures of great Latin-American leaders. The trio join the more than 50 fountains, monuments and sculptures honoring notable historic and literary figures from around the world.
This image captures the sculpture of Jose de San Martin, an Argentine general, who helped Argentina, Chile and Peru gain independence from Spain. It is a smaller-scale replica of the original monument located in Buenos Aires, Argentina depicting the Argentine general leading his armed forces into battle.
Like many of the public artwork on display throughout Central Park, this statue was a gift from the City of Buenos Aires to the City of New York.
Posted by Crystal Borde at 10:11 AM
Labels: Central Park, New York, Sculpture
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Europe was waiting for me. Somehow, I just knew this.
I am very blessed and grateful to be a kid who was able to travel pretty early on in life, particularly to the US since I had been granted a green card that required me to be there at least once a year. But ever since I was young, I dreamt of Europe.
That is why when I finally, finally, FINALLY got the opportunity to go, I jumped in heart first. I was in the habit of putting my dreams off, and this was one of them. But as my last post already illustrated, I was done. I booked a flight that left 3 weeks later and allowed me to stay for 2 months. I didn't want to spend another minute doing what I didn't want to be doing, so I took off on what I was sure to be one of my greatest adventures.
I had craved for Europe a long time, and now it was time to devour it by the platter. As you can imagine, there is just too much to say about my experience in that continent, so I'll be dividing up my posts, starting with my Contiki experience.
|Maxing out on life
I was determined to soak in as much of Europe as I could, to spend as much time in every country that I could find a connection to stay with. Though it did cross my mind, Couchsurfing was out of the question. My family was simply too taken with Taken (the movie) to let me set foot on a plane without knowing with whom and where I was staying beforehand.
It was my grandmother, however, that convinced (threatened) me to take a Contiki tour. Bita (short for abuelita) didn't believe I wouldn't try and Couchsurf unless I had my days filled, so she nearly threw a fit when we spoke about Europe.
And now that I've gotten that out there,
To my Bita,
THANK YOU SO VERY FREAKING MUCH. You do not insist on things often but when you do, it has always been, firstly, terrifying but secondly, JUST SO VERY ON POINT. I will never understand how you do it, but thank God for your almost omniscient presence in my life.
For those who haven't heard of it, Contiki is a company that holds tours for people between the ages of 18 and 35. They are globetrekkers with tours all over the world, but I had always wanted to take one of their European ones.
I took the European Escapade tour, a tour that lasted 25 days too short and took us to 11 different countries. These countries included France, Spain, Italy, Monaco, Vatican City, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Liechtenstein and Belgium.
|European Escapade Route, as pictured on www.contiki.com
Can you say trip of a lifetime?
I can, and I do. That's exactly what it was. The tour was 25 days of my eyes being shot wide open, my heart falling for multiple locales and people, my body taking more alcohol and cholesterol than it ever has before, and my mind opening to the huge influx of sights, sounds, and cultures. I met some of the best people in my life on that tour, and I am more than elated to know they are now my lifelong friends.
But how does it actually work, you ask? Well, let me break it down for ya.
The Structure
We were 46 tour-goers plus the Contiki staff that joins you on every trip, a trip manager and coach driver. Our dynamic Contiki duo went by Tammy and Artur, respectively.
The tour was categorized as "High Energy", which meant several things: 1.) The tour was packed to the brim with action, or as Contiki would say, "exploring by day, living it up by night"; 2.) The tour would travel by a coach dedicated to our tour; 3.) Accommodations would include Special Stopovers & Cabins owned by Contiki.
The Transportation
The coach comes standard for most Contiki tours, I believe, save for the sailing and cruise ones. We were extremely lucky to get a new bus (ours would be its 2nd tour), and it was totally pimped out. I have been on a few coaches in my life, and this was definitely the best one I've been on. It fit us 46 with quite a few seats extra, and thankfully, the seats themselves were as comfortable as seats on a bus could be. Current with the times, there were plenty of power outlets to go around, and was complete with an AV system that played movies decently but was ready to rock your tunes magnificently. We found this out through many impromptu sing-alongs to Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Only thing that sucked was that at one point, our air conditioner did break down and despite it being only Spring, it happened to fall on some of the hottest days on our trip. Our dear of a coach driver, Artur, went to have it fixed as soon as he possibly could though. Considering the coach is pretty much home for 25 days, I was more than happy with ours.
The Accommodations
Accommodations on Contiki were almost always better than expected. I loved all the Contiki-owned places we went to, which included: Special Stopovers like Chateau de Cruix in the France's Beaujolais wine region and Hopfgarten in Austrian Tyrol, Contiki villages, or hotel/hostels. I adored each of the Special Stopovers (SS). The Chateau, especially, was gorgeous both in architecture and its surroundings.
Also, each SS has its own Contiki-only nightclub, so prepare yourself for battle on these nights. Because "battle" doesn't even cover the blood-pumping moments, spiced up with alcohol, the uphill struggle to get to your room after, and the hell of trying to wake up to leave the next day most likely at about 8AM, that you will experience.
|The beautiful Chateaux de Cruix in the Beaujolais Wine Region of France
Also, each SS has its own Contiki-only nightclub, so prepare yourself for battle on these nights. Because "battle" doesn't even cover the blood-pumping moments, spiced up with alcohol, the uphill struggle to get to your room after, and the hell of trying to wake up to leave the next day most likely at about 8AM, that you will experience.
Contiki villages, such as the ones in Rome and Venice, were always satisfactory. I cannot say that each of them were stunning architectural masterpieces but they were functional. Some were of the cabin-style, while some were just trailer-like. Each of them had showers, beds and shelter above your head. Considering you are most likely to spend your night out at the pub or out on the town anyway, I found that the accommodations were more than enough.
Of the hostels/hotels, I loved the Generator in Barcelona and the Wombat in Vienna. Frankly, I didn't feel as comfortable or safe in the Ibis hotel in Paris and Hotel Nieu Slotania in Amsterdam.
Overall, when it comes to accommodations, do not expect luxury locations. DO take into account the amount of resources that go into a 25 day tour, with your own coach, the gas that it takes to get to your destinations, the food that fills your belly every morning and evening, the electricity and water you expend, and most of all, instead focus on beautiful Europe and the lands and experiences you've overcome to be where you are in that moment.
The Experience
High Energy tours travel to each city and spend about 1-2 days there. In between destinations, you have Drive Days, which usually means about 8-10 hours of being on the bus. But before you throw your Contiki plans out of the window because of this, know that Drive Days are 1.) sometimes the days you'll actually see some of the best sites on the tour; and 2.) the times you get some much, MUCH needed rest after the previous night's debauchery. Most of the people you meet on a Contiki tour are, after all, of the same intent to maximize each day. This often includes copious amounts of alcohol in local pubs.
As I also mentioned, Contiki tries to use everyday to allow you to see something worthwhile. This is why instead of trying to get you to each big city quickly, the coach makes stops in places of great value and not just gas stations to have lunch. To name just a few of the Drive Day stops, we got to see, there was the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Swiss Guard memorial in Switzerland, as well as Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Though the first was a check off the bucket list, the last 2 sites mentioned were a couple of the sights that really, truly moved me.
|The Lion of Lucerne: a memorial to the Swiss Guard, loyal and brave to the end.
|The ironic beauty of Mauthausen concentration camp.
Of course, the big cities you visit in themselves are experiences. With limited time in each city, you learn not to waste any single moment, and to keep your senses heightened to soak in every iota of beauty you can while you can. To do justice to the destinations, I will delve more into each city in separate posts.
Another vital part of the Contiki experience is Me Time Optionals. Me Time Optionals are optional activities that you can sign up to take while on tour, though these are not included in the standard fee that you've already paid. A tour-goer can expect to have about 1-3 optionals offered for each larger destination they visit, but the price of each optional activity really ranges. There are certain activities like the dinners that are usually about 20-30 euro while there are more expensive options like paragliding (130 euro). Contiki makes all the arrangements for you, so all you gotta do is show up. The fees for this are done via the Tour Manager and his/her trusty card machine if you prefer this route over just paying cash. My tour, European Escapade, offered about 23 optionals, though 2 of them (white water rafting, bobsledding) were not open due to the season and time I took the tour (April 13- May 7). Payment collection time for Me Time Optionals really depends on the Tour Manager. I read reviews in which the Tour Manager asks for them on their 2nd day on the bus, while ours weren't collected till about midway through the trip.
I would say of the 23 optionals, there are a handful that are musts, while the others are either enjoyable or totally skippable. Again, in the interest of keeping this at a reasonable length, I will dedicate another post to the Me Time Optionals for a detailed review of them. I know I wish I had the opportunity to know more about each optional before I forked out the cash for each.
Why You Absolutely Need to Take This Tour
I remember reading reviews of the tour on their website and one headline that exclaimed "25 DAYS OF BLESS!!!!" I wasn't sure if this person meant "Bliss" instead of "Bless", but either one works for me. In my eyes, this tour really is one mixture of bliss and blessings all rolled into one. With every new city you see, person you meet, every laugh shared with your tourmates, you have these moments of pure joy, of being so happy to be in that very moment. As you look on at the waterfalls pouring from the mountains that line your campsite in Lauterbrunnen, or the view that overlooks the Duomo in Florence, you cannot be anything but humbled by the peace that overcomes you or the finest of happiness you feel. Your adventure with likely over 35 people, all of the exact same mindset and perspective for those 25 days, will be filled with these moments. We're all searching for these illusive instants, yet a single one makes any hike, trek or trip worth it. What is a trip worth that has innumerable amounts?
Take the tour. You won't ever regret it.
I should probably mention I am not regularly much of a party person. I prefer staying in or having a drink with friends to the all-out balls-out bonanza on the town. So, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED by Contiki's rep as nothing but a party tour. I ended up going out quite a bit, because I wanted to experience the night cultures of each city as well, yes. But there is, without a doubt, so much more to this tour than that. No one will force you to come out, or chastise you the next day, if you don't want to. Just go into it with an open mind, truthful to exactly what you want out of the tour, and have the amazing time you are guaranteed to have.
You can find more information on Contiki through their website:
I should probably mention I am not regularly much of a party person. I prefer staying in or having a drink with friends to the all-out balls-out bonanza on the town. So, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED by Contiki's rep as nothing but a party tour. I ended up going out quite a bit, because I wanted to experience the night cultures of each city as well, yes. But there is, without a doubt, so much more to this tour than that. No one will force you to come out, or chastise you the next day, if you don't want to. Just go into it with an open mind, truthful to exactly what you want out of the tour, and have the amazing time you are guaranteed to have.
You can find more information on Contiki through their website:
General website: www.contiki.comEuropean Escapade: http://www.contiki.com/destinations/europe/tours/113-european-escapadeReviews of European Escapade: http://www.contiki.com/destinations/europe/tours/113-european-escapade/reviews