A Big Thank You!

Monday morning as I was walking to my classroom before school, the fire alarm went off. So I went out to the playground with a few other teachers. It seemed like the alarm went off forever. And actually it was going for about 15 minutes. Talk about a major headache. In the end it was a false alarm, thankfully. But we had to wait for the fire department to come. So I am sending out a BIG Thank You to the Fire men and women who came to check on us at school. :o) 

Thankful - Day 10

My apartment -
I had a very good day today. Work was good and after a few trumpet lessons I headed over to my parent's house for dinner and some time spent with my family. I loved spending time with them. But now it is nice to be at my apartment. I call it an apartment, but it's not really an apartment. At first I called it a granny unit, but I don't really think it is that either. So I just call it an apartment.

I love having my own place! I've lived here for just over a year and I still love it. It is just the right size for me. I love decorating it and cooking in my kitchen. I'm really looking forward to decorating for Christmas in a couple of weeks.

I am so blessed to be able to live here. My landlords are wonderful gifts from God. I've known them for several years and I feel safe because I live right next to their house. I am able to go to them if I need anything. What a huge blessing!

The only downside is that I'm not here a lot because I tend to be pretty busy. But actually I think that makes me appreciate it more sometimes. :o) It is nice to go home to a place that is mine.

These pictures are from last Christmas.

Thanks Lord!

Thankful - Day 9

My 3rd Grade Class - I am so thankful for my 3rd grade students. They are such a sweet group of kids. They are easy to teach and love to laugh. As a teacher I love to have fun with my students, I can be strict for sure, but I love to laugh with my students and do fun activites. This group of 8 kids is so much fun. We laugh a lot together, sometimes they can get a little carried away, but for the most part we stay on track. I'm just so thankful that I get to teach them and be around them all the time. This is my first experience having my own class, and in reality I'm not their only teacher because it is a spit class, but God is so good to have given me this group of kids. Because it is a small class we can do more and have a blast at the same time.
Thank You, Lord for this wonderful blessing!

Thankful - Day 8

I have to admit to you. I'm sitting here trying to decide what to write about and all I want to do is have a pity party. I feel like I could give you this long list of ways I'm feeling sorry for myself. But instead I'm working at taking the attention off of me and putting it back on Christ.
After sitting here for a few minutes I'm drawn to one of my favorite passages in scripture, Psalm 139. And right now I think it clearly says what I am thankful for  today.

Psalm 139:1-18
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it. 
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night," even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You. 
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully make; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.   

and then the chapter ends with verses 23 & 24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.

I know that this is a somewhat long passage. But it is so encouraging to me. I love these verses. It is hard for me to choose just one or two verses out of this chapter. I am so thankful that God is always with me. There is nowhere I can go without Him! And He is always thinking of me!

Thank You, Lord for helping me put my focus in the right place tonight!

Thankful - Day 7

I'm thankful that I grew up in a Christian home. God is so good. I've already talked about how thankful I am for my family. But I praise the Lord for putting me into that family. I'm thankful that I was raised going to church, reading the Bible, praying, memorizing scripture and singing praises to God. Because of that I have a great love for my Savior. I love going to church, and not just because I like to be social. Growing up I practically lived at church. I love singing to my Jesus. I love hearing how God is working in other's lives. I love being encouraged when I open God's Word. My parents have always been great examples in that area. 

Thank you, Jesus for your many blessings!

Thankful - Day 6

My Savior - If I were to put these things in order I would probably have this one on the top of my list. I don't even want to imagine what my life would be like without my Savior. I don't deserve His love at all. He is always thinking about me and often I don't include Him in my plans. That is something I am always working on.
One of the hard things about being single is the feeling of loneliness I have every so often. But one thing I have to remind myself of is that God is always with me. I don't have to feel lonely. I can recite scripture and be reminded of how much my Savior loves me.

100 things about me as a reader

I love to read, and yet I'm in a season of my life when I don't have a lot of time to read. Vacations are wonderful because I can be content with curling up with a good book. I saw this on a blog somewhere out there and thought it was a cute idea. I might even suggest that we make a list at school. (hint hint Jen) :o) 


I'm pretty sure I can't finish this list today, but I'll add to it occasionally. 


100 things about me as a reader:
1. I love reading children's literature.
2.  I didn't like to read when I was in elementary school.
3.  Realistic Fiction and fantasy are my favorite genres.
4.  I started to like reading in Jr. High when I read my first Lori Wick book.
5. I have to love the character in a book to enjoy the book.
6.  I'd rather own a book than get it from the library. I usually have a large fee at the library. :o/
7.  I've met Jan Brett. She is my favorite children's author and illustrator.
8. I totally judge a book by its cover.
9. I have a couple shelves of books that I haven't yet read.
10.  I often skip parts in books when scenery or nature is described. But usually only when I'm reading a book for the second time.
11. I am love listening to audio books. Especially when I'm on a long road trip by myself.
12. I almost never like the movie better than the book.
13. I'd rather read the book before I see the movie. But I'll watch the movie first on occasion.
14. I'm not good at getting rid of books.
15. My 2nd grade teacher read Little House in the Big Woods in our class and to this day I love it!
16. I get excited about having authors autograph my books.
17.  I like to share my books with others, as long as I get them back.
18. I like to alternate between fiction and Christian living books.
19. I love used book stores.
20. I usually can't read in the car--I get carsick.
21.  I like to look at blog reviews and other reviews to find new children's books.
22.  I have many favorite authors.
23.  I haven't read too many graphic novels.
24.  I have a bad habit of starting a book and not picking it up for a long time. That has to do with the amount of time I have.
25. My aunt is an author and I'm planning on reading her new book when it comes out in December.
26. I love reading books that my students suggest.
27.  My favorite class in college was Children's Lit.
28. I have very little patience for reading how-to/directions.
29. I love love love to hang out in any bookstore.
30. I buy too many books!
31. I save gift cards to bookstores for a long time. It is just too hard to choose!
32. I could walk around a bookstore for hours. 
33. I like reading magazines. 
34. I really struggle with reading books that I'm required to read. I have 4 waiting on my bookshelf right now. And I need to get busy!
35. I don't read very much nonfiction. 
36. I'm really good at imagining I'm in the story. 
37. A Tale of Two Cities was my favorite book that I was required to read in High School. 
38. I'm known to giggle while I'm reading. Just ask my family. 
39. I'm a sucker for Christian romance novels. But I don't read them very often anymore. Once again...no time. 
40. I get really into the story when I read aloud to my class. So much that I might lose my voice if I read aloud for too long in one sitting. 
41. I love libraries even though I don't check books out too often. 
42. My favorite thing to do on a rainy day is curl up on my couch with a cup of tea and a good book. 
43. I use whatever I can find to use as a bookmark. But I can't keep track of actual bookmarks. 
44. I want to read all of the Nancy Drew books. 
45. There are only a handful of books that I will read more than once. 




Well, that is a pretty good start. More to come later on. :o) 
Don't forget to change your clock!

Thankful - Day 5

My Family -
I am so thankful for my family. I love being around them. We laugh a lot and sometimes cry together but mostly laugh. My parents are wonderful Godly examples to me. They have always been very supportive. My mom is a fantastic listener, and it is funny how much alike we are in so many ways.  My dad can always make me laugh.
Julie and I have grown so much closer in the last several years. I love spending time with my sister. I was just talking with someone the other day about how sisters often grow closer when they are living farther apart. Julie and I were friends before I went away to college, but we definitely grew closer while I was gone. :o) She is such an amazing woman! I love to see how God is growing her.
And of course there is Danika. It is so wonderful to walk in the door and have an adorable 3 year old come running up saying "Auntie! Auntie!" I love it. She loves to call me and sing songs over the phone.

Thankful - Day 4

Going for walks -

I love going for walks. Over the summer my mom and I went walking almost every morning. It was so great spending some one on one time with my mom and talking while we walk. Yesterday I went for a great walk with Danika, my niece. Actually I walked and pushed her in a stroller. She chatted with me the entire way and cheered me up. And then there are the walks I go on with Stephanie. She and I try to go walking a couple times a week, depending on the weather. We go for great fast paced walks, you know, the kind where your legs are tingly when you are done. We have a great time talking and we also work at memorizing scripture together.

Thankful

It is the month of November and I've decided that everyday I'm going to post something that I am thankful for. I'm a little late getting started, but that is ok.

Nov 1. - My job - So many people are out of work right now, and I have been richly blessed with my job. I love the kids I work with and I've grown very close to some of the people I work with too.

Nov. 2 - Catalyst Group - I truly love being a part of my Bible study. It is so nice to meet during the week. We eat great food every week, have a great time of prayer and best of all study God's Word.

Nov. 3 - A good mechanic - I had to take my car in to be fixed yesterday and I very much appreciate the guys who work at the 76 station where I take my car. They do a great job and I know I can trust them.

There's my start. More to come!

Flowers

I love taking pictures of flowers. A few years ago I discovered the macro button on my camera and now I am always playing around with it. Sorry if you get sick of me posting pictures of flowers (all two of you who look at this blog). :o) But I still like taking pictures of flowers. 

We have such an amazing creator! 

Candles

 I love burning candles in my apartment. I love the smell of them and I love the look of them in various places in my small living space. Sometimes I'll just turn on my candle warmer, but more often I'll light a variety of candles while I'm at home. One time last year I had to drive home during my lunch break to make sure I hadn't left a candle burning. I don't light candles in the morning anymore. :o)

I've had a few candles from Bath and Body Works that I like, but they haven't burned that well. There was never enough wick for all of the wax. Just recently I've discovered my two favorite candles. I bought the Pumpkin Harvest Febreze candle at Target not too long ago and I've loved it! I burned it everyday since I bought it. It had a great fragrance and it burned totally down to the bottom. Now I can reuse the glass jar it was in. (I like to recycle those kinds of things.) The only problem with that candle is that it is seasonal. It isn't even November and the candle is off the shelves. Now they have the Christmas candles out. And I'm not ready for Christmas yet.

Now that I've used up that candle I looked in my cabinet for something else to burn while I'm at home. I pulled out this Yankee Candle that a family gave to me at the end of last school year. It isn't Field of Dreams like the picture, it is Over the Moon. I LOVE IT! It has a nice fresh smell, and because my place is so small the whole apartment smells great. I'm hoping it will last a while and that it burns down nicely.

California

You know you live in California when...
There is a little bit of frost on the playground slide and a kid yells "Look! Its snow!!"

Grandma's Cooking

First of all I'm pretty sure Julie must have been wearing shoes in this picture and I wasn't, because she is NOT taller than me. I'm pretty sure this picture was from 2002 or 2003. Not sure. I think that was the last time my Grandparents came out for a visit. 

Ok, now that I've gotten that straight. Over the summer my family took a trip to Wisconsin to visit my Grandparents (my mom's parents). As much as I love going to visit my friends I wish I could visit my Grandparents the most often. I love going to see them. On this last trip I decided that I wanted to copy down my Grandma's recipes. Grandma is a great cook. She is known for her cinnamon rolls, which she makes from scratch. So for a good portion of the week that we were there I sat with my dad's laptop and the recipe book which my Grandma has been adding to for years. It took a long time to type all of the recipes out, and I still have more to type. I ended up taking pictures of the pages so I could continue typing out the recipes. My goal is to have all of them typed and then make a cookbook. I've been looking around for ideas of how to make a cookbook that looks nice, but doesn't cost a ton of money. I thought about going the Shutterfly route, but I didn't really like the layouts that much and I knew that I was going to put a lot of recipes in it so it didn't really go along the amount of money I wanted to spend. I thought about just printing it at Kinkos and having them bind it. And I was probably going to do that until my friend Stephanie told me about Lulu. Lulu is an online publishing company, which Steph's husband Jeremy used for some Bible curriculum he wrote. I looked at the website and loved the idea instantly.
So the plan is to...

1. Finish typing all of Grandma's recipes (I think I am getting close to finishing). 
2. Try out a good chunk of the recipes and take pictures of them. 
3. Create a format for the pages of the cookbook.
4. Collect pictures from my relatives of them and Grandma.
5. Upload the entire project & publish it. 

Lulu is the kind of thing where I wouldn't have to try to sell huge quantities of the book, but they would make them as they are purchased. And honestly I'm not looking to sell that many, other than to my family members. I know that a lot of the recipes will taste amazing, but really for me it is special because it is the recipes that my Grandma cooks. 

I love my Grandma, and I am sad that I have lived so far away from her and my Grandpa for my entire life. Every visit is a wonderful time. 

Reading list

So after I made my list of things to do by the time I turn 30 I looked through the books on my shelves to see how many I had to read... And then I almost passed out. It is a very long list! Yikes! I am ashamed to say that I have a lot of books that I have started and never finished. I'm going to  work really hard at marking the books off my list in the next couple of years. I can do this!

I was going to share the list, but I'm embarrassed with how many books I have to read. So I'm skipping out on showing the list until I have a few more checked off. :o/ Yes, I'm a chicken.

30 by 30

I've been feeling inspired by seeing my friend's lists of thing they want to do by a certain time. In 2 1/2 years I will be 30 so I'd say that is a good amount of time to get through a list of things I want to get done.

Italicized items are ones I am working on right now.

So here is my list in no particular order.

1. Read through the entire Bible
2. Donate my hair to Locks of Love (I'm growing it out at the moment)
3. Publish a cookbook of my Grandma's recipes
4. Read through the books on my bookshelf that I have not read
5. Draw one sketch each day for 30 days in a row
6. Make a quilt for my bed
7. Walk in a half-marathon
8. Take a cooking class
9. Loose 20 pounds and keep if off for 6 months
10. Make a Christmas quilt (I started cutting out the pieces a while ago and haven't picked it up in a while) 
11. Visit Yosemite
12. Eat at the Melting Pot
13. Cook through an entire cookbook
14. Visit another country (other than the ones I've been to)
15. Sew something I can wear
16. Publish a children's book
17. Stick to my budget for two months in a row (I hope after 2 months it will be easy to stick with it for a long time)
18. Go on a hot air balloon ride
19. Visit the Grand Canyon
20. Write my Grandma 2 letters per month
21. Clean out my Gmail inbox to zero
22. Have a picture taken of me that I really like
23. Visit a winery in Sonoma County
24. Sing with someone famous (not sure if that is realistic or not)
25. Go to the middle of nowhere at look at the stars
26. Get a massage (I have the gift card, just need to make the appointment) 
27. Learn to play the piano so I can sing while I play
28. Make a pie from scratch
29. Take a flower arranging class
30. Host a tea party at my apartment. 

I'll be posting things as I cross them off of my list. 

Some aren't extremely realistic, but they are fun anyway. 

So far this fall!

1st day of school!

Dani's 1st day of school!

Happy Birthday Allie!

Silly!

Driven to walk by faith - Teachers racing!

Soccer Under the Lights! Ethan all bundled up!

Sonoma County Fair

Top 5 Reasons why I love going to the fair with my family:

5. The Flower Show - I don't know how other fairs are in different areas, but the Sonoma County Fair has an amazing flower show. There is an entire pavilion dedicated to it. Landscaping groups take up sections of it and fill the entire area with plants of all colors and sizes. Every year there is a theme. This year the theme was wine. Which makes sense for Sonoma County. Walking into this area was like walking into

Fountain made of wine bottles! Very cool idea!

4. Free Clover Ice Cream - Every day during the fair there is a booth that passes out free ice cream cones. The ice cream tastes great and best part of all...it is free. :o) It is nice to not have to spend a ton of money at the fair.

3. Kids Rides - Normally I don't go on rides at the fair, but my niece Danika is at the age where she loves going on rides. We tried to do other things, but all she talked about was the Carousel. It was fun going on rides with her. Most of the time she had a very serious face, but we all knew she had a great time.

She looks terrified, but this ride was all she talked about for the first 20 minutes at the fair. 

2. The Food - Raise your hand if you like fair food! (mine hand is high in the sky!) Food at the fair is so much fun. I love trying new things. Now I'm not talking about a greasy hot dog. My usual at the fair is pesto pasta from The Pasta King. I know exactly where to find them at the fair. This year I had pork sliders from Johnny Garlic's. Wow they were amazing! Another favorite is the kettle corn.

1. Photo-booth Pictures - This is my favorite thing to do at the fair! It is the main reason I go. People laugh at me and tell me to just go to the mall, but it isn't the same. I LOVE the tradition Julie and I made the first time we took Dani to the fair. It is fun to see how she has grown in one year. She still doesn't quite get the idea, but we are getting there. I played around a little on Picnik with the picture.

And there you have it!

< 3

Ok so what do you think of my chip?! I pulled out out of the bag and almost ate it. :o) I saved it to show to my 3rd grade students.
They liked it.
School has been going well. I have one student who is being a little trouble maker and I'm having to get him in trouble and then I feel bad. I am pretty good about following through with my discipline at school, but there are times when I second guess myself.
I really love my students. :o)

Funny thing happened today.
I'm teaching the jr. high computer class...not really teaching it. Just keeping the kids in line as they work on a typing program. It just so happens that I am pretty good at recognizing their voices and I totally tell them to be quiet, by name, when I'm not even looking at them. God is good. One boy just slammed his hands on the keyboard today and I told him to be quiet. He was shocked that I knew it was him. It made me feel like a great teacher! Haha.

2010-2011 School Year

Well, the first week of the 2010-2011 school year is almost over. The week has flown by. My schedule has changed yet again. At the rate I'm going I don't think I'll have two school years that look the same. Ever. But I really do like what I do. This year is different in that I have the opportunity to teach more at the elementary level. Due to financial difficulties the Christian school I am teaching at had to combine the 2nd and 3rd grade classes. The administration had to let go of the 3rd grade teacher and the placed me as the combined class' aid. I am working with Jen Bauer, who is an amazing teacher. This week has been a lot of fun. Jen and I are a lot alike and we love to laugh when we are working together.

The bigger challenge I have for the year is the work I am doing in the jr. high. Oh boy. I am continuing teaching jr high art the same as last year. It is nice to have the class again because I can learn from my mistakes. :o) I am also teaching jr. high computers and spanish. Si, hablo espanol. Un poquito. Praise the Lord! Both of those classes are computer programs, so that I just have to make sure the students are actually working. We'll see how that goes. :o)

I'm really excited to see what God has planned for this school year. I know that He is going to stretch me this year and teach me a lot.

Say Cheese!

I've created a monster! 

Julie is still a little upset with me for teaching Danika how to use her camera. It is so cute though! Although some of the pictures she has taken of me are not too flattering. :o/ 

Look at how she has her tongue!! So adorable. I love this little girl!

Avid Reader... not too sure

In my life I've kind of had a love/hate relationship with reading. I did not enjoy reading in elementary school until I started reading Christian romance novels. It all started with Lori Wick, an author whom I know personally and still love reading her books. I would devour her books when I started reading them, but if a book was required for school I had the hardest time getting through them. There have been a handful of required reading books that I have enjoyed (A Tale of Two Cities and The Silver Chalice to name a couple). That was in high school and the same thing happened in college until I took a Children's Literature class at TMC. Oh My! I loved that class! That class made me love reading even more than before. Children's literature is so much fun (and easy) to read. I think if I weren't a teacher I would open my own children's book store just like on You've Got Mail.
The problem I have with reading is that I start a book and then don't have time to read and never finish it! Ahh!! It drives me nuts. I have a huge stack of books that I need to finish. At at the rate I am going I won't have time to finish those books until I retire (who knows when that will be). I think I need to challenge myself in reading books. I've gotten into the habit of watching something on my computer before I go to bed. I love doing that because it helps me to relax before I sleep. My new plan is to only do that every other night. On the off nights I want to do more reading. That way my stack of books will start to decrease. Such a good goal. I hope I can keep it up.
So the current book I am reading is Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper. I read it once in college, but it was a required read so you know what that means... I don't remember one bit of it. My Bible study is reading through it right now. So far we are on chapter 6 and I think I've read half of each chapter. Yikes! I am terrible! This week I'm going to do better!

My Crazy Life

I am so tempted to change the title of this blog to "My Crazy Life." It truly is a crazy life! I could call it "My Crazy Life In Christ Alone." It really is through Christ alone that I am able to survive my crazy life. In my 3rd grade art class we painted today (always an interesting experience). One of the moms had to drop something off for me and I said to her "Welcome to my crazy life!" She laughed at me and agreed that I was pretty brave in the art project we were doing. So at the moment I am in a classroom, which smells like tempera paint (not the most pleasant smell) and tables that are covered with artwork, dreading the idea of cleaning up. I'll be honest though...I never want to clean my classroom. Wouldn't it be great to wiggle your nose have have everything done for you! But then I wouldn't be able to rely on the Lord, so I guess I'm in good shape. 

I feel like I am rambling. :o) Hope you (whoever reads this anymore) are having a wonderful week!

Person in process

"I am a person in process. God is chipping away at the peeling paint in my life, driving nails in where the boards are breaking away, and working hard to make my house what it should be. He is painting deep brushstrokes in my life, but He has a long way to go. "

Carole Mayhall, author of Words That Hurt Words That Heal

I'm reading through this book with some college girls from my church and I have felt convicted after reading each and every chapter. I get a little frustrated though when I forget what I have learned in a couple of days. Yesterday I read the next chapter and came across this quote at the end. It made me feel a little relieved. Don't get me wrong, I still need to work on remembering the things I have learned and applying them to my life, but there are times when God uses those things without me even knowing. I'm so glad that He is at work! And I don't have to grow by my own strength.

It kinda reminds me of a song...

He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

Funny stories

It is so entertaining to work with kids. Sometimes they are just so funny!

This week I subbed in the PreK class on Wednesday. It was a fun day, and the kids were great. In the afternoon I was talking with one of the girls in the class.

This is how it went:

Me: "That is a pretty bracelet. Where did you get it?"

Student: "Um (with a puzzled look), where do you go? VBS? Or UPS?"

It was so hard to control the laughter that was bubbling inside me.

Me: "VBS. UPS is the company that delivers things."

Student: "Oh, yeah."

It was so cute!!!

Conversations with a 2 year old

I'm hanging out with a certain adorable 2 yr. old tonight.

One who happens to be my niece.

She is currently holding my chin so that I will look at her, talking gibberish and finishing with "Ok?"

Hilarious!

I can't answer yes because I have no idea what she is saying. :o)

Just a few minutes ago she was in the other room and I could hear her tearing apart some paper bowls that she had been playing with. I called to her and asked her what she was doing. She ran into the room and asked me to come with her.

"What? Do you want to show me the mess you made?"

Her response was, "Yippidee!" (translation - yes)

We went over there and then she expected me to clean it up! I don't think so kiddo!

I was nice and helped her clean it up.

What can I say, I'm a softy.

What an entertaining evening! I love this kid!

Recently

It has been a while since my last post.

So I thought I would tell you what I have been up to.

Family

Friends

Hawai'i

(Yes I did just write the word Hawai'i! I took a week off of work and went to the beautiful island of Kauai with one of my best friends, her parents and her roommate.)

Orchid

At the end of the 08-09 school year a family gave me an orchid. I loved it, the flowers were so beautiful! But deep down inside I feared that I would kill it. I had always hear about how orchids were so high maintenance.

When I moved out in August I was really excited because my place gets great light. The flowers eventually fell off, which they are supposed to do. I kept watering it and now...there are new buds on it!!! I'm so excited!! I didn't kill it!!!

Im excited to post pictures when it blooms.

The flowers are a speckled purple/magenta and white.

New Blog

A few weeks ago I started a new blog. (No, I'm not getting rid of this blog)

In January I decided to start cooking through a Rachael Ray cookbook and blogging about it. Yes, I am oh so original. But I'm really having fun doing it.

Once a week I'm cooking from my Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals 2 cookbook. So far I've only been doing this for two weeks. I really want to become a better cook and I thought this would be a good way to get some practice.

Here is the site, if you want to take a look at it.

www.myjourneythroughcooking.blogspot.com

(Thanks for the name idea Mary!)

Little Lamb

This is a pattern I got off of youcanmakethis.com.

There are so many great ideas on this site. It is so fun!

I made this lamb for my dear friend Michelle's sweet little Avery.

I love the fun shape of it.

It is especially fun because I can choose the fabric to go on it.

Apparently I have issues rotating pictures. I tried twice. Oh well. You get the idea.

Selah's quilt

(It is sideways, but I think you get the idea)

This is the quilt I made for Selah O'Brien.

She is such a sweet little baby girl. It was a quick quilt, but I think it turned out pretty well. One of my favorite things about making quilts is picking out the fabric. I could go to Joann's everyday. :o) If I had the money and the time.

Lady in Waiting - chapter 1

Colossians 2:9-10

For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.

I’ve just started re-reading the book Lady in Waiting by Debby Joes and Jackie Kendall, well I guess technically I never finished it. So really I’m starting over. The first attempt to read the book I didn’t make it through, and I think that part of the reason was because I wasn’t ready for it. I’m so glad that I started from the beginning again because God knew what I needed to hear and when I needed to hear it.

Lately it seems that I have been getting into these awful moods. Sometimes it is because of someone else and many times it is because of myself. I have this terrible tendency to beat myself up over something that really should be forgotten quickly. Once I start beating myself up about it everything tends to go down hill. You know what I mean, I get stuck in hole and can’t, or won’t in many cases, dig myself out of it. I have a wonderful family and great friends who attempt to help me out of the “funk” I get in (as I like to call it), but more often than not I stay in it and ignore their attempts to help me.

The other week I was in one of those “funks,” and at this point I have no idea what happened to get me there. I was feeling sorry for myself in my “miserable” single state. (that tends to be the main thing that bothers me lately – but when I really think about it I am not that miserable….that is for another time) When I got home I opened up Lady in Waiting and was shocked at how much the chapter applied to how I was feeling right at that moment. (Isn’t God Awesome!?!) Here is one thing that stood out to me.

“Incompleteness is not the result of being single, but of not being full of Jesus”

“Only the single woman who understands this means of being complete in Jesus is mature enough to be a helpmeet (compliment).”

As I was reading this I knew that I am definitely not there yet, but it was so encouraging to me. I spend so much time thinking about wanting to be in a relationship that I push aside my Savior. Our culture has this view that every young woman needs to get married. This is engrained into our brains at a very young age through fairy tales and whatnot. God has given me this wonderful opportunity to right now to spend time with Him. I should be taking advantage of that time right now. Who knows what I have been waiting for.

I fell in love with Colossians 2:9-10 while reading this section of Lady in Waiting. My fullness or completeness is in Christ and nothing else. After reading those verses I wrote them down on a card and carried them around with me a for a few days. When I would start wishing or dreaming of being in a relationship I would pull our the card and meditate on those words. It totally helped! I even went on a little rampage, in a kind way, at one of my friends when she mentioned something about me needing a man. :o) I held up my verse card and said “Oh no! Not right now! My fullness is in Christ!”

Now I have to be honest with you, today was one of those not so good days. There were a few moments when some friends of mine cheered me up, but not long later I curled back up onto that awful mood. A friend has challenged me to spend more time in the Word and bring my focus back on Christ and away from myself. Tomorrow my verse cards will go everywhere with me in hopes that I will remember the promises I have from my loving Savior.

Thank You, Jesus for making me complete/ full in You!

I'm a proud big sister!

Tonight I went to a wonderful, yet odd event. Wonderful because it was honoring my sister and odd because of the people who shared. Julie had her first graduation (there is another one in Jan) from Empire College. She finished her certificate in Legal Office Administration. I am SO proud of her. She did so well that she received an outstanding student award at the graduation. That was awesome, but the ceremony in general was extremely long and the speeches were kind of strange. Someone near us asked if the president had had a few glasses of wine with his dinner because he was having trouble reading his cards. At one point Danika (who spent the majority of the time running around the lobby) just started saying "bye, bye" repeatedly in the middle of a speech. I think that speech was by the mayor of Santa Rosa. :o) It was funny. The guy behind us looked at her and said, "yeah I want to go home too." (!!) Hilarious!!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the graduation. We are all so proud of Julie and all of her accomplishments!

Yay Julie!!!

Before Danika got bored.

When she wasn't running around in the lobby she was keeping busy :o)

Proud Family!

Love you Jules!

Art blog

As I've said in previous posts I'm getting into looking at blogs about all sorts of things. I found this cool elementary art blog. They have some great ideas. Check it out!

Art Lessons for Kids

Tasty

Well as Rachel Ray would say...

Yum-o!

I just cooked lunch for my family and it turned out wonderfully. I was trying something new and cooking with wine. You have to try this recipe. It was easy, easy, easy. The only thing I'm facing now is finding other recipes to use the wine in. I have a lot left over and I'm not a fan of the taste when just drinking it. Cooked it is wonderful though.

I don't have a picture of the meal, because my family devoured it. But you can look at it at the website where I found it. Here it is!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

I'm kinda funny because I go through fazes of cooking and baking. I'll cook and love it and then get lazy and not cook. I'm sure it drives my mother nuts. I've been thinking a lot more about cooking though since I am moving out in a week. I want to eat healthy and cook meals for myself, but I think cooking for one person can be a challenge. I'm keeping my eyes opened for good recipes and cook books that will work for me. This recipe might not be the best for just one person, but I'll cook it for my family for sure.

Food!!

Lately I've enjoyed looking at craft and food blogs. This is one that Kate Brown showed me. I love it! Mostly because it shows pictures. I need to see pictures of food in order to be interested in it. :o) www.tastespotting.com directs you to personal blogs with recipes. There are a few ads that you might have to say "no thanks" to, but the ideas on the site are worth it!

Here is one of the great ideas I found on the web site.

This might look like dirt, but it is actually a great idea!

Here is the link for this great idea. It is for coffee. I am planning on trying this. It is especially a good idea for someone who does not have a coffee maker. Since I am planning on moving out soon and my new place doesn't really have room for a coffee maker I am going to give this a try.

Pictures soon to come of my little apartment/granny unit. I move in next month!!

Quilting

I am trying something new. I have decided to make baby quilts for my friends. It started out when I made one for Danika when she was born. I think it is such a special thing. So when I found out my friend Kelley was going to have a baby this summer (any day now) I got busy working on a quilt for her new little girl. It is definitely challenging and I am no where near an expert, but I find it enjoyable. I did have a little trouble with one of the fabrics I chose, but I got over it eventually. :o)

This is the quilt I made for Kelley's baby. Kelley helped me pick out the fabric which made it even more special. She couldn't wait to see what it turned out like. She studied interior design so has a good eye for colors and patterns. And the colors she picked out go with her baby's room. I am so excited for her sweet little girl to be wrapped up in this blanket.