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It really tears me up inside when my babies are ill.  I’m mommy!  To my babies, I can always make them feel better in a jiffy.  Well, not this time.  Things got a bit murky when my daughter’s cough could not be cured with cough syrup or her nebulizer.  Nope, not even the happy puppy nebulizer could make her feel better.

Early on, my son said “Mommy, she has a fever, coughing, and her neck hurts.  She has the symptoms, I think she has pneumonia.”   I brushed him off, thinking this child is ELEVEN years old, NO my baby girl does NOT have pneumonia.

 

My son was right….

Nothing seemed to be working and her fever refused to break.  There was no choice but to visit the experts at the hospital.  I thank God for giving man knowledge and expertise to examine and diagnose a patient.  I thank God for giving man knowledge to make such things as antibiotics.  Many years ago, my child could have died from pneumonia.   Medicine has come a long way.

 

Life is precious.  Don’t take it for granted.  If you have asthma or any other life illness don’t take it lightly.  My daughter’s asthma was exacerbated which led to pneumonia and weakened her lungs.  She complained her belly was hurting her.  She was tired and couldn’t sit-up on her own.  When she vomited, everything went downhill so quickly.  She began breathing very fast, using her axillary muscles to breath.  I wanted to breath for her so badly but couldn’t.  Thank God for doctors!  Thank God for prescription medication!

 

 

 

Today we visited the Huntersville Colored School located in the South end of Huntersville (known as Potts Town long ago).  It was the first school for children of former slaves and tenant farmers in 1937.  Originally the building served as a segregated school, which also helps document segregation and the Jim Crow era in in Mecklenburg County.   This seven room building had a total of 181 students from grades 1-11, three elemetary school teachers and two high school teachers.   Isaac  Graham was the schools principal.   As news of  Brown v Topeka Board of Education became more and more popular in North Carolina,  Huntersville Colored School changed it’s name to Torrence-Lytle High School in 1953.

 

 

 

Top:  Huntersville Colored School 6^th Grade Class, Late 1950’s (via)

Bottom: African- American student bus drivers continue to drive African-American children past all-white high schools to get to the county high school, Torrence-Lytle High. (via)

On May 17, 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren read the decision of the unanimous Court:

“We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other “tangible” factors may be equal, deprive the children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does…We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

Although, the Supreme Court struck down Plessy vs Fergusson of  ”separate but equal”.   The decision did not abolish segregation in other public areas, such as restaurants and restrooms, nor did it require desegregation of public schools by a specific time.  What it did do was declare the permissive or mandatory segregation that existed in 21 states unconstitutional.  In 1963, North Carolina passed its first anti-segregation law, and through the decade, schools in Mecklenburg County and across the state were gradually integrated.   By 1966, Torrence-Lytle was closed and students were reassigned to integrated schools.

Top: Torrence-Lytle band 1950′s (via)  Bottom: 1965 Varsity Basketball (via)

Right:  Isaac Graham, Torrence-Lytle Principal  (via)

After Torrence-Lytle High School closed its doors the building was used as an alternative learning center.  Students, counselors and teachers lived on campus.   Today, the Torrence-Lytle High School gym is used as a Recreation center for the community.   The rest of the high school campus currently being used as a storage facility for Mecklenburg County and the Town of Huntersville.

 

An inside look at what once was:

 1. classroom    2. auditorium complete with 2 backstage dressing rooms  3. glass windows and heat    4. old building connected with “newer” wing built in 1957     5.  glass windows and heat    6. main hall

(via)

 

“We’ll be friends until forever, just you wait and see” – A.A. Milne

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away

a baby boy was born.   He turned one year older

and wanted to have a Star Wars birthday party!

My son is Star Wars MEGA fan!  When brainstorming what theme he wanted to do for his birthday party, he immediately suggested Star Wars.  Now I knew NOTHING about Star Wars.  Boy did I learn sooooooo much in TWO months!

Darth Vader greeted each guest at the front door:

For the invitations I made Jedi Warrior “tickets”.  Funny thing is that as each Jedi entered the training center (our home), they presented their tickets expecting to get them scanned.  I thought that was sooo cute!! If only I had a barcode scanner.

As guest entered, they were instructed by this:

We needed a cake.   I know how to bake.  So I made one from scratch.  I was inspired by this post which comes comes from Revenge of the Sith (3rd Star Wars movie).   I melted some chocolate chips in the microwave, then spread the mix  on a cookie sheet lined with foil and lightly sprayed.  Then I placed it in the freezer.  To make the lava I used white frosting and added Wilton’s  red icing color and a pinch of purple to make the red a bit darker.  When the melted chocolate cooled, I then broke the chocolate I had frozen into pieces to look like the land was breaking up in the lava.  To place Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi, I added little melted frosting at the bottoms of the characters feet to keep them in place.

I thank Pinterest and my son for helping me with naming all the various food and drink items (for more detail photos view album below):

Thermal Detonators: Malt Balls

Death Star Crunch: Star Crunch Cosmic Snacks

Ewok Food: Nigerian Chin chin

Bantha Milk: blue milk in decanter

Vader Veggies: Veggie Platter from supermarket

Light Sabers: Candied Pretzel sticks wrapped in foil at the bottom

Padme Bars: Brownies  Muja Fruit: Apple Dipper packs (from supermarket)

Carbonite Jello: Lime Jello in cups

Leia’s Buns: Honey Buns

Sith Punch: Cherry Kool Aid

Palpatine’s Pizza: pan pizza from Pizza Hut

Yoda Soda: Sprite

CP3Oil: Water bottles that I spray painted gold.

These were my ULTIMATE FAVES!!  This was in the main area of the party:

Snack bar in the theater room.  This kept all Jedi Warriors in one room.  If they needed a snack it was right there for them, so no need to walk about.

 

I stocked these in the snack bar area of the theater as the kids watch Star Wars on the screen:

If ever an of the Jedi’s drank too much CP3Oil, Sith Punch, or Yoda Soda they knew immediately where to go:

The Jedi’s were assigned various tasks.  One task was light saber training where the Jedi’s worked on their blocks and strikes.   After some intensive training they proved themselves Jedi masters.

The ULTIMATE task was to  save the galaxy.  The Death Star was major threat!

(Death Star Pinata made by my sister)

It had to be destroyed or it would destroy us!  So one by one each Jedi big and small went after the Death Star with all their might!
(The day of the party it POURED!!  So we came  with an indoor alternative to save mankind from the Death Star)

(Photo Courtesy M. Queen)

….. we smacked it….. we creamed it….we DESTROYED it!!   I tell you all the extensive training really helped.
(Photo Courtesy M. Queen)

Here is the complete album from his party.  If you are thinking about doing this theme and would like to use the table tents, wall signs, etc. just let me know and I’ll send you the files.

 

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