Friday, June 20, 2008

Update on the Mustangs!

It's been about four weeks since Prada, Thunder, Reece and Rudy made their way to Columbia, Missouri - thousands of miles from their birthplace in Nevada. So far, they seem to be enjoying their new, temporary adopted homes here in the midwest!

The Granny's House trainers have been on the farm working hard, investing countless hours in this year's Mustang Heritage Foundation's "Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition" which turns wild yearlings into domesticated animals, ready for permanent adoption. Much progress has been made, and we thought we would give you a quick update on the horses and their young trainers!

Prada: Vernita's chocolate brown horse was properly named! She is a tad "snobby" as Nita puts it, but is overall a very loving and sweet horse. She has come a long way since day one, and is now allowing Vernita to lead her around the "round pen." Vernita has also started working on some of the obstacles that the horses will be asked to complete in the September competition in Texas. She is incredibly protective of "Rudy" and gets upset when they are separated!

Rudy: Arreal is no longer able to compete in the competition, but her cousin Arianna has taken over the responsibility of preparing Rudy to compete at the Mustang Makeover competition in September. Although his personality is somewhat "laid back" (or lazy as some would put it), he is a very gentle and patient horse who has accomplished a lot in such a short span of time. Like Prada, he has already completed many of the competition obstacles, and is getting more and more acclimated to a more domestic life on the farm.

Reece: LaShawnda's chestnut colored horse is the biggest of all the Mustangs, but has an incredibly calm personality. It didn't take long for him to get accustomed to being near humans, and LaShawnda has been working hard at "leading" Reece and challenging him with new obstacles. She has even gotten Reece to walk over a small home-made bridge which is a big challenge! He is a good listener, and a great horse to work with! Oh...and if there is a camera around, you better believe Reece will find it and pose!

Thunder: What a perfect name for Starr's rambunctious yearling! Thunder is still struggling to adjust to the restricted, confined life on a farm, and at times gets a little "spooked" by all the people in the barn. Even though she's been the most difficult horse to "break," we are convinced that she will be ready for competition by September. Starr has been incredibly patient with her, and has a great attitude when she works with her!

We will keep you updated throughout the summer on their progress! And in the meantime, please pray for our four trainers' time and patience as they continue to make great strides to prepare their horses for the Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition in Texas this September!

Kids Club 2008


For the past 5 years, Granny's House children have participated in "Kids Club," a week-long summer adventure hosted by The Crossing. This year, this high-energy event drew more than 300 children, and 22 Granny's House kids were part of that crowd!

The Summer 2008 theme, "Amazing World Adventure," centered around the idea that God loves the people of the world. Each night, the children "visited" a new continent and learned about the culture, people and games of that continent. In addition to learning general "knowledge" about each continent, the kids played crazy games, participated in team competitions, and had plenty of opportunities to release all the energy that had been stored up throughout the day.

Each night, as the children made their way into the auditorium for the "opening skit," loud music, dancing and cheering echoed throughout the church auditorium. Our kids had a blast all week and were singing the "Kids Club" cheers every time we saw them!

The week ended with a family celebration where the kids enjoyed international foods, games (including the ever-popular sumo-wrestling) and even live African music. The Granny's House kids are already asking "When is the next 'Kids Club'" Thanks to everyone from The Crossing who enthusiastically welcomed all the precious children from Granny's House!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Art on Wheels


We certainly didn’t think of our entry as a “Masterpiece,” at least not in the classic sense of that word. After all, underneath all that creativity lies yards and yards of duck tape, pints of glue, dozens of bubble wands, and at least a gazillion tiny glass seed beads in every conceivable shade of brown. And instead of using fancy, natural fiber brushes, wooden toothpicks and a hot glue gun were the perfect tools for transforming that old pink bike into an “ArtCycle.”

After months of bead-painting, duck-taping, and spray painting, “Bubblin’ With Joy” finally made her debut at Columbia Art League’s premier ArtCycle Parade last weekend. The Art League’s contest rules were simple: transform a working bicycle into moveable art.

We think our all-primped-up little banana-seat bike showcased all the whimsy, fun, and intricate beauty of the precious children who cross our threshold everyday at Granny’s House… and so did the ArtCycle Contest judges. “Bubblin’ With Joy” was awarded the Grand Prize!

Click here to read the article in the Columbia Missourian and watch the video!

-Granny Pam


Friday, June 6, 2008

How Does Your Garden Grow?


Well, how does it grow anyway? That's a question that can readily be answered by the Granny's House kids who planned and planted, nourished and watered all those gorgeous flowerpot gardens that now adorn almost all of the front porches on Trinity Place.

The "Flowerpot Garden Project"* was the brainchild of Laurel McLagan of "Laurel's Flower Bed Makeovers." She wanted to do so much more than just teach the Granny's House kids about root systems, soil composition, and summer-weather plant care. Her main goal was to instill in the kids a healthy sense of pride and "ownership" as they beautified the neighborhood with the work of their own hands.

Laurel was assisted by an army of student volunteers from Christian Fellowship School who worked one-on-one with the Granny's House kids who carefully hand-picked which flowers to plant, nourished the soil, and then gave their freshly planted "gardens" a great big drink before each kid's pot was delivered to their front door. Their "gardens" were sealed with love by a sign that said "Planted And Watered With Love By_____" Afterwards, all those beaming faces and bright smiles confirm that this project was, indeed, a labor of sheer love and joy!

-Granny Pam

*The Flowerpot Garden Project was financed by a grant from WalMart