On the 7th Day of Christmas . . .

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

On the Seventh Day of Christmas . . . I am dreaming of a Snow Day at OLR. Hey! It could happen. I'm also excited about the New Year! Goodbye 2010. HELLO 2011! Wow! A whole New Year! Oliver and I will be hanging with the gang. We've got bubbly apple cider chilling in the fridge. We're going to go for a walk, and spend some quality time with our old friend 2010. Then we're going to play some board games, and maybe go online for some Club Penguin. Penguins are cool for non-bears. Later, Gorilla has picked out a book from the Library to read to all of us. I hope that it's Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O'Dell. Oliver is hoping for Shiloh, by Phylilis Reynolds Naylor . Gorilla usually chooses a great book. What are you doing to celebrate?

Sloshy

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

A Goldfish?

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Rainman

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

4th Sunday of Advent

Gaudete!

Did you notice the pink candle in the Advent wreath at Mass? The third candle in the Advent Wreath, which is lit on the Third Sunday, is pink because it's Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is latin for REJOICE. During Advent, as we approach the great celebration of Christmas, we offer little sacrafices to God, to help us "PREPARE A WAY FOR THE LORD!" (Remember John the Baptist saying that in the Gospel?) One of my classmates at OLR dressed up like John the Baptist at our Christmas Concert and came loudly down the dark Chuch ailse shouting, "Repent. Prepare the way of the Lord." Well, on Gaudete Sunday, we take a break from the preparing and repenting, and REJOICE for a day, because God is so awesome that He became one of us. It's like a little Christmas on the way to the big Christmas. Cool, huh? How's your Advent going? Don't forget to REJOICE along the way.

SS

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Win Your Own OLR Bear!!!

AWESOME! We're running a CONTEST. We, meaning: me, Reffie the Bear,  AND the Our Lady of Refuge School FaceBook Page which is run by the totally cool Ms. Limon. And guess what the P R I Z E  is? Your very own OLR BEAR Backpack!

Really!

And it looks just like my buddy, Oliver Bear. CHECK IT OUT. I'm wearing one in the photo below.

Here's how you ENTER:

The First 20 people to either A.) Comment on THIS OLR Bear Blog post, or B.) Get a new “like” for the OLR Facebook Page, will be entered into a drawing to win the OLR Bear (Oliver) pictured below (with me.)

Rules: For my blog, do not use “anonymous” profile for your comments. (We need to know who you are) On Facebook, you must send us the name of the new “like” that you secured. If you haven't Like'd the Our Lady of Refuge School Facebook Page, then LIKE it NOW and you're entered (if you're one of the first TWENTY.)

Oh, yeah. There's a link to the Our Lady of Refuge School Facebook Page right here in my Blogs sidebar.

So . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . what are you waiting for?

Altar Bear

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Happy Advent!

Advent is here! It's time to Prepare the Way! How are you preparing? My Mom told me that Advent is a time to get ourselves ready to receive the "numero uno" Christmas present - Jesus. She says it's kind of like when company is coming and everyone has to pitch in and get the cave ready. During Advent, we get to do things to make the cave of our heart into a comfortable manger - or a pretty palace, depending on how much work we want to do. LOL.

Looks like the bear in the photo above is getting into the spirit. Check out how he made that wreath at Catholic Icing by clicking HERE. 

Anyway - lots of preparing to do. Want to join me? Do you have any ideas? Let me know.

Happy Happy!

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from me and my OLR Family! Oliver and I are looking forward to a bear-sized feast with lots and lots and lots of mashed potatoes and yams! Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday. See ya at the 9:30 Mass.

"Let them thank Yahweh for his faithful love, for his wonders for the children of Adam!

He has fed the hungry to their hearts' content, filled the starving with good things."

Psalm 107 8-9

Peek-a-Bird

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Guest Blogger!

HEY! WHATSUP?

My name is Oliver Bear. I'm a friend of Reffie's, and she's letting me be a Guest Blogger on her Blog Site. 

Sweet!

I'm also a student at the TOTALLY AWESOME Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School in Long Beach California. 

OLR BEARS ROCK!

Thanksgiving is almost here and I CAN'T WAIT. My favorite part of the day is the Football Games, the parades - AND PUMPKIN PIE. Oh Yeah! I am so thankful for pumpkin pie. I'm also thankful for my family, my friends, and my SCHOOL. 

THANKS GOD!

I found some more Thanksgiving Links that I think you'll like. Reffie said that she would add them to her sidebar, but for now, just CLICK on the Links below to check them out:

Thanksgving Riddles

Macy's Parade

The First Thanksgiving

Reffie's cool and so is our SCHOOL! If you're an OLR BEAR, let us hear you ROAR! Send your OLR School SHOUT OUT to Reffie and me at olrbear@gmail.com or leave a Comment below and we'll POST IT HERE.

iGorilla

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Rocking Turkey

Hey. How do you like my Rocking Turkey? Looks like she's all dressed up for a big holiday gig. Ms. Turkey must have been attending the OLR After School Music Courses. Looking pretty cool Ms. Turkey. 

If you want to try dressing up your own Turkey, CLICK HERE. Check out my other cool Thanksgiving Links on my blog sidebar. That's over there - on the right of your screen. Have fun. More links coming. If you know of any that you want me to add, just leave me a comment or email me at olrbear@gmail.com .

Lab Tour

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Basketball!

The Girls Basketball team was on the court for the first practice of the season on Friday afternoon. We're looking forward to an awesome season. Make sure you come out to our games to show your support. Go Bears!

November?

Wow. Are you sure this is really November? Feels like summer to me. I guess all the leaves on the ground are proof that it really is still fall, even though the temperature feels more like a beach day.

I love fall leaves! Don't you? I took the photo above of some Liquid Amber leaves surrounding a pumpkin that didn't get "jack o' lanterned." I played with the photo on the computer a bit to make it look more interesting. After I printed out my photo, I got to thinking more about the fall leaves, and how they are only here for a little while. So, I wrote the following poem.


   Falling Leaves

   Falling leaves of brown and golden,
   leaves of orange, leaves of red,
   falling down upon the sidewalk
   on the cars and on my head.
   Leaves that danced with rain in springtime,
   leaves that shaded summer’s noon,
   falling from November branches,
   falling, falling, gone too soon.

Hey. Why don't you write a poem and email it to me at olrbear@gmail.com ? Or leave it for me here by clicking on the Comment link below this post. I'll publish it right here on my blog. Come on. You can do it.








I'm waiting . . .

Still waiting . . .

. . .  and waiting . . .

Sooooo Scary!

Trunks & Treats was soooo much fun!  I'll be eating candy for a month! I was there. Were you?

Congratulations to my friends Ava and Ashley for their Winning and Honorable Mention entries in the Long Beach Press Telegram's Scary Story Contest. I forgot to enter! Oh well. Lots and lots of OLR Bears did enter. You can read everybody's stories right HERE. Careful - pretty scary . . .

After your finished getting scared  - check out the Press Telegram's new Mini Page by clicking HERE.

Trick or Treat

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Hal - lo - ween Week!

Can you believe that it's almost Halloween? Costume Parade this Friday, and Friday Night is Trunks & Treats! So much to do! Check out these Jack O' Lanterns that I made online.

Pretty cool huh? Want to try some carving yourself? Follow these links to three different places for carving Jack O' Lanterns.

Jack 1
Jack 2
Jack 3

Email me yours to olrbear@gmail.com and I'll post it.

WWW

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Football Baby

Live from the sidelines. Our Boys A Flag Football Team is taking on St. Maria Goretti's team right now at St. John Bosco's Football Field. GO BEARS!!!

We Are PeaceBuilders

Here's a video of a slideshow by the students of my school, Our Lady of Refuge in Long Beach. GO BEARS! The thoughts are from the students. The drawings are by my friend Johnnie in 8th Grade. WE ARE PEACEBUILDERS! Aren't you?

Fall

(Click on panel for larger view. Back Arrow to return)

Blessing of the Animals

Wow. I thought that our student population had doubled last Friday. Then I realized that it was the Blessing of the Animals Day, and all of the new "kids" where the guests of honor. How does a bear forget about that? Anyway - there were so many cool visitors to our school and a special Mass. We prayed. We sang. We even laughed a lot. I took lots of photos. I also got some from my friend Ms. Limon. She's the grownup who runs the Our Lady of Refuge Catholic School Facebook page. Check out the video I made below.

Where In OLR Is It? #1

Hey! I just thought of a new game. I call it "Where In OLR Is It?" Do you want to play? COOL! Just look at the picture above, and see if you can guess - "Where In OLR Is It?"  Do you think you know? Then leave me a Comment and tell me what you think. Good luck.

Shhhhh

I really love making a visit inside the Church with my parents when there's no one else there. Don't get me wrong. It's really cool to be at Mass with my family and friends, with the whole Church full and everybody singing Allelulia. But when the Church is empty and quiet, that's cool too. It gets so quiet that you can almost hear the candles flickering. My Mom told me that each candle represents someone's prayers. Gee. Prayers sure are pretty.

Bling

This time of year, it's all about the ducks. Oh yeah. Quack, quack, quack.

Football and Ice Cream

"Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?" The Boys A Flag Team kicked off the 2010 season going paw to paw with St. Cyprian's at Saint John Bosco High School. Our Bear's didn't get the win, but this team sure show lots of potential. Did you come out to cheer them on? GO BEARS!!!

I stopped by to get a closeup look at this cool statue of St. John Bosco. Somebody tell the statue kid that I'm not a present from Saint JB. Awkward . . .

Did you know that St. John Bosco's relics had actually visited the High School the day before. The year 2015 will mark 200 years since St. JB was born. To celebrate, his relics are touring the world. Do you know what a relic is? I didn't. I had to Google it. According to the FreeDictionary.com a relic is "An object of religious veneration, especially a piece of the body or a personal item of a saint." How cool is that? Learn more about relics HERE. If you want to wach a slide show of the Bosco Braves hanging with their main Saint, click HERE .

Ice Cream Social was mega fun as usual. There were so many people from my school and from my parish, I got worried that they might run out if ice cream. THEY DIDN'T! Did you see this new kid who was hanging with Mrs. T.? I didn't get his name, but he's a Peace Builder, which is way cool. Man. The Boys Flag Football team could sure use him. Somebody sign this guy up!

What a Week!

Can you believe we've already been back at school for over a week?

It's true. And we've been busy! Here are just some of the highlights.

First Assembly!

It was great seeing everyone all together.

We met the new kindergarteners, and learned

about some really cool FUN DRAISER prizes.

The Eighth Grade sponsored a hot dog sale. HOT DOG!

This is our Principal, Dr. Joan Bravo. Hey, Doctor Bravo.

Is that a new student? How come he's out of uniform?

Awesome food at OLR Night at Super Mex on Spring.

Why do I always fill up on the chips?

Fun, Fun, Fun

Click on panel to enlarge

I Love to Read!

One of the best things about the new school year is having the OLR School Library and Computer Lab open for business again. Wow! I'm excited! Have I told you how much I enjoy reading? Mrs. Napier runs the coolest Library & Lab ever. She's really helpful and she has lots of suggestions when I'm having a hard time using the computer. I can't wait to check out my first book for the new school year. My friends and I will keep a look out for the best books. Watch for our reviews right here.

The gorilla above on the right lives in the school library. I nicknamed him H2T, because he swears that he is the cover model for Eric Carle's classic picture book, From Head to Toe. I'm not sure. What do you guys think?

You can usually find H2T hanging out next to "his" book. When he's not looking at his picture on the book cover, he likes to read books about the rainforest. He also likes to learn about the rainforest online. One of his favorite sites is National Geographic's Rainforest at Night . Check it out HERE..

We're Back!

Backpack? Check. All supplies from my supply list? Check. Pencils sharpened? Check. Emergency supplies for my classroom? Check. Make sure not to leave everything in the van because I'm sooo excited? . . .

Hey, Mom! Wait!

Goodbye Summer!

Wow! Summer 2010 is already gone. Well, almost. It doesn't officially end until September 22, which will be the first day of Fall. But school starts in just 5 days!

It's been a great summer!

I spent a lot of time at the beach. I swam, made sand castles, and roasted marshmallows. I even took surfing lessons.

I had a blast at OLR Creative Summer School, where I learned to cook some amazing meals, improved my guitar skills, and discovered the world of digital photography.

I also used a sewing machine for the first time, went deep sea fishing, wrote a new song AND started serving at Sunday Mass.

It's been a fun summer, and I hate to see it go - BUT - a whole new school year is waiting just around the corner.

I CAN'T WAIT ! ! !

Pizza Time

Check it out! I made this pizza online. Yep. Those are fishies and wormies mixed in with the mac n' cheese and marshmallows. Eye of newt, too. Looks beary delicious to me. Try making your own pizzas online at Chateau Meddybemps.

Now. Can someone tell me how I eat an online pizza?

Saint In A Cave?

Did you know that Saint Giles was a wealthy young man who loved to help the poor? He was so kind and generous that everyone started thinking he was really great. Saint Giles didn't like all of the attention. He thought that people should be thinking that God was really great, so he went off to live by himself in a dark forest - in a cave! Sounds like a saint a bear could really relate to. Anyway, God didn't let him stay hidden for long, and he ended up founding a large monastery and serving as the monastery's first Abbot.

I learned all of this and more at J Club - a Place for Catholic Kids. They have a Saint of the Day, a Joke of the Day, and more. Check it out HERE.

Fun With Graphics

Click on panel to enlarge