May Goals

I've been feeling inspired by my friend Jen over at The Accidental Domestic. Every month she posts what her goals are for the month and recaps on her goals from the previous month. I have issues following through with my goals, but maybe posting about them monthly will help me keep them fresh in my mind. So here goes nothing!

Health I've been following the Whole30 food plan since April 11th. I've adjusted it some because it is hard to follow it when I at someone else's house. But when I am on my own and can control it I'm following the Whole30. I want to make it through the month of May.

Financial Not long ago I mentioned that I'm saving money for a trip to Europe. Following a budget is something I struggle with big time! I make a budget and follow it for a few weeks and then forget about it (not sure if the forgetting is intentional or not). I want to follow my budget for the entire month. No ifs, ands, or buts.

School Plain and simple I want to be consist in grading papers. I teach 1st and 2nd grade and only have 11 students. It shouldn't take me that long to correct one day's worth of papers. But I save them all to the end of the week to correct which leaves me with a mountain of papers. If I spend 20-30 minutes a day before I leave school I could have almost all (if not all) of it done by Friday.

Home "Exceptional Housekeeper" is a title I could NEVER be given. Baby steps people. This month I'd like to go to bed with no dirty dishes in the sink. Like I said, baby steps. Don't worry I'll be cleaning my house still, but trying to build good cleaning habits.

Me Less tv time. I watch way too much tv. Half the time I'm just searching for something to watch and settle on something I don't really care about. Talk about a waste of time! This month I'm going to take away the channel surfing and only watch the shows I know I want to watch. And in the time I'm not watching tv I have projects to work on, books to read, and tons of music to listen to while I do it!

Happy!

MY MOM IS COMING IN 25 DAYS!!!!! 

I'm just a little excited! Oh the fun we will have! 

Dependence on God

       Last week I started taking a Proverbs31 Online Bible Study. It's on a book called 5 Habits of a Woman Who Doesn't Quit. So far I'm failing because I haven't been keeping up with it. This is an area I struggle with so much. I get myself all pumped about a new Bible study or devotional book and then I get so busy that by the time I get home I'm drained and sit on the couch and veg, ignoring what I should be doing. Just by the title of this study I know I need it...badly. So tonight I've been looking over the blog posts from this first week of the study. This quote really stood out to me. And it reminds me that I really do need to read the chapters in the book because I think I'll really benefit from them.
       I'm thankful that in my life the desperate situations have caused me to turn to God.  I haven't had a lot of huge desperate situations, but I've had a fair share of small ones. I'm not sure if I'm making sense. I feel like you can have a desperate situation that isn't life altering, but still causes you to feel desperate and need help. Something that you realize you can't do on your own, sometimes it makes you panic, you feel hopeless, and so confused about what is going on.
       The problem I have in one desperate situation in particular is that I'll struggle and struggle with it for a period of time, I'll seek the Lord and feel comforted, get my focus on Him and soon after I'll forget about it. And then a few months later it will pop up again. I'll depend on God so much during that time and then I'll go back to doing it my way, depending on myself or flat out ignoring the problem I have.
      Clearly that does not work well.
       I wish ignoring it would make it go away. Life would be so much better. I know, I know, but then I wouldn't be depending on God. Which is what He wants me to do.
       So, the only solution I can come up with is to depend on God. I need to be in His Word continually. I need to be praying regularly about this issue that keeps coming up. I need accountability to get through this. Someone to check to see how I'm doing so that I don't just ignore the issue and hope it doesn't come up again.
       The chorus to one of my favorite worship songs comes to mind. "Lord, I need You. Oh, I need You. Every hour I need You." It's true I really can't make it through this crazy life on my own.

Reading Challenge Update #3

Can it be? Have I really read 8 books so far in 2016?

This week I've been trying to make a point to turn off the tv and read more. It's amazing how you can get sucked into a story and feel like you are there with the characters. Last night I only got a few hours of sleep because I couldn't put Unspoken down. At the moment I'm regretting that as I've practically falling asleep sitting at my desk. 

Anyway, here are books 7 and 8! 

 #7 The Siege of Macindaw, by Jon Flanagan - I've really enjoyed reading the Ranger's Apprentice series. Good adventure books and I really like the characters you follow throughout the series.  Not sure how many books there are, but I'm sure I'll pick up book 7 soon. 

 #8 Unspoken, by Dee Henderson - The O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson is one of my series to read. I'm ready to read them for a second time. This book connects to those a little, but it does not compare. It was a pretty long book and I almost gave up on it multiple times, but I made myself keep reading. About halfway through I was hooked. It took me about 200 pages to really get hooked on the book. I can't believe I made it that far! Once I got to the halfway point I didn't want to put it down. She does such a good job at writing about suspense, but there was way too much leading up to it in this book. After looking at goodreads reviews I can see I'm not the only one to feel this way. Bummer. 

Dreaming Big

       The other day I was randomly looking at my 40x40 list. Every once in a while I look at it and cross off things that I've finished. It was nice to cross off the cookbook I've been working on of my Grandma's recipes. But as I was scrolling through the list I realized how much I have left to do. It's true I have just over 7 years to finish it, but 40 things is a lot! I've only crossed off 16 things. That means I need to do 3.4 things on my list over the next 7 years. So, all that to say, it's time I start figuring out how I'm going to finish up this list. 

       This week I've decided to plan a big trip! My goal is to go on a trip to Europe next summer. I don't know who I'm going with or exactly where I'm going but I'm going to do it. 

       Really I was inspired by my sister. She said they were saving up for a trip and I started asking myself what am I waiting for? I love traveling and never do because I don't have the money. Well, it's time to start saving. And I have a goal in mind and I'm feeling determined! It definitely makes me think twice before I spend money.  

My Dad

 I love that my dad loves leading worship. His joy in music has really made a huge impact on my life. He was the music pastor at my church when I was little, but I don't remember that a whole lot. I do remember him always being involved in the music at my church. He would fill in here and there and play guitar with the worship team. But over the last 5(ish) years it has been so fun to see my dad lead worship in his church. He stepped into the role and I feel that he is doing such a wonderful job. It's true that I'm not living in the same state, but the times I've visited over the last few years I've really loved seeing his commitment to leading others in worship to the Lord. His passion for music and praising the Lord really encourages me in my worship and love for music. I'm so thankful for the godly example of my father. 

Spring Break with Family

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! 

Seriously, my spring break was so fantastic! The best one I can remember. 

I wouldn't trade the time with my family for anything. It's true I spent some time with friends and loved it, but the time with my family was the most precious. 

Anyone who says they have the best family ever is wrong. I have the best family! We are not perfect at all. We have moments of frustration and getting on each other's nerves, but we love each other. Some days are harder to live far away from them, but the distance definitely made the week home extra special. There was laughter, singing, tickling, lunches, kite flying, egg dying, crafting, laughing, Jerry Lewis movies, did I mention laughing? It was such a great time! 

Just trust

Being real with you, this afternoon/evening was a struggle for me. 

Lots of anxiety and over-thinking going on. So here I am vegging on my couch watching DWTS and surfing the net. (Do people still say that? Am I old?) 

I've calmed down some, but still have a certain situation on my mind and I came across this on Lysa Terkurst's Facebook page. 

Sometimes God has to lean in close to my heart full of questions and gently whisper, “You don’t have to have all of the answers, Lysa. You just need to trust.”
Maybe your heart needs that reminder tonight too.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Thankful for people willing to be used by God to encourage others and direct them to Him. I needed it tonight.  And thankful that God knows me and knows my heart. He provides what I need to hear when I need to hear it. 

Spring Break with Friends

Last week I was home in CA on my spring break. It was such a wonderful week! I was desperately in need of relaxing and visiting with friends and family. And I returned feeling so renewed and rejuvenated to finish up the school year. 

I'm reminded over and over again how much God has blessed me with good friends. No matter where I have lived God has given me great friends who I can laugh with (lots of laughing), relax with, and grow in my walk with Christ with. It was so wonderful to visit with these dear friends last week. I'm already thinking about my next visit and all the fun we will have! 

Whole30 - Take 2!

It's amazing how you really crave a certain kind of food when you can't eat it.

Like when you are fasting in the morning so you can get blood drawn.
Breakfast is usually a meal you skip, but because you can't have it you want it! I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one like this. Come on, let's see a show of hands.

Glad I don't really look like the Hulk! 

Well, today I'm starting the Whole30 again. I liked the result so much the last time that I'm going for it again. But do you know how much I WANT sugar right now? I'm usually not a huge sugar person, but today I want it so badly. I'm imagining the Hulk ripping through town in that Pepsi or Coke (can't remember which one) commercial. That's kinda how I'm feeling about sugar at the moment.

Look out people!

Pray more, talk less

Having to remind myself today that I need to pray about it (the situation that is bothering me) more than I talk to others about it.
Some frustrating things going on around me. And it is easy to vent to others about it and get myself worked up more and more. But really the one who can help with the problem the most is the Lord.
I need to be on my knees

Reading Challenge Update #2

It's been a while since I've posted. And I've been having fun reading! I'm kinda going half and half between books I'm reading at school and ones I'm reading on my own.

3. What is the Statue of Liberty? by Joan Holub
I read this "bobble-head" book (as my friend Jen so affectionately calls them) to my class last month. I'm always surprised by how engaged my students are with non-fiction books. I don't know why I underestimate them. I had to explain things as I read this book to them. But they really liked it. After each chapter we talked about and wrote down information we learned. These books are so fun. I'm going to read another one with them sometime this year. Probably one about a president.
4. Sparky byBeverly Gherman
I've been wanting to read this book for a while. When I taught in California my favorite field trip was to take my class to the Schulz museum. It was fun to live in the same town where Charles Schulz lived. I love driving around my home town and seeing random Snoopys and Charlie Browns. So all that to say, when this book was available to borrow as a Ebook I jumped at it. I'm pretty sure it is a children's biography, but I don't care. I still liked it.
5. Meet Addy by Connie Rose Porter
I actually had this book set as a kid. Unfortunately I didn't like reading as a kid. How sad is that?! I missed out on a lot of reading as a kid. Anyway, I just finished reading this book to my class. This book brought on some fantastic discussions with my 1st and 2nd graders! Addy is a slave who is planning on running away to go North with her mother. As we read the book my class and I had several talks about slavery and how people were treated, are treated, and should be treated. They wanted to me to continue in the series they liked this book that much. I really hope I can instill in my students a love for reading that I didn't have at their age.
6. Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
This is the book after The Goose Girl. I really liked this one. It took me a while to read this one because my Ebook had expired and I had to wait for a few people to be done with it first. I finally just checked out the actual book at the library. I think I'll look for the next one in the series in the near future.

I'm excited that I've already finished 6 books on my reading challenge for 2016! And I'm already half way through with my next book! Yay for reading!

Looking Up

       This snowman in my yard started melting the other day. It almost hit 40 degrees so everything was melting. I laughed when I saw it. It is looking perfectly up to the sky. 

       Is it possible that a snowman could be an example of how we should be living? It is so easy to be constantly looking all around us when we really need to be looking up. The world influences us in so many ways. I don't know about you, but I get sucked into those influences very easily. 

       Like my snowman we need to look up. Look to Christ. He is the best influence we could ever have. Look up. Watch for His return. 

       Are you eagerly waiting for Christ to return or are you focused on what is around you? 

Whole30: Day 30!

       Woohoo! I did it!! I've made it through 30 days of eating healthy.
       Over the weekend I was majorly craving bread and chocolate. But we all know there are certain times when women crave those things more than usual.
       I'm still not sure how I'm going to continue.
       Do I stay hardcore?
       Do I continue doing the whole30 part time?
       Do I stop altogether?
       I don't think stopping altogether is a good idea. Even though it was hard at times I feel like it has been a good eating plan for me. I know for sure that I'll eat whatever (within reason) when I get invited to someone's house. That was probably the most uncomfortable part. Some people I just declined going to their house for a meal. The others I sat there feeling so guilty that they were worried about finding food for me. It was not a good feeling.
       Maybe the best thing would be to continue while I'm at home with an occasional treat like popcorn, bread, or dessert. And then when I'm out eat what is served within reason. The key is to not overeat the "bad" stuff. I can do it! I know I can!!

The Best Yes: Mondays

       On Sunday mornings my ladies Sunday school class is watching a DVD series on The Best Yes by Lisa Terkurst. I'm really enjoying it. It's a book that I've been wanting to read, but I have a stack of books that I've started recently that I want to finish first. So for now the DVD series will have to do.
Yesterday she talked about how she has reserved her Mondays as her family time. Anything different that comes up on a Monday she says no to. She has made Monday as a priority to her family and opening her home up to friends as well.
       I really liked this idea. I have a tendency to agree to do anything that someone throws my way. Last week was so busy that I was exhausted by the time Friday came around. I hardly did anything with people over the weekend (other than church). I even stayed home alone during the Super Bowl! I had a very introverted weekend. There's nothing wrong with that, but I don't want to make that a habit. I really enjoy being around friends and don't want to miss out on time with friends that will be moving away this summer.
       So I've decided that I need to make Monday nights a priority to stay at home. I need a "me day." That sounds very selfish when I say it, but I don't think I'll make it if I'm not home at least one night a week. I'll lose my mind!
       I'm going to spend my Monday evenings making sure my house is picked up and working on craft projects. I'm the queen of starting projects and not finishing them. A while back I opened up an Etsy shop to sell some of my art/craft projects. It would be a good way to make a little extra cash and I find crafting relaxing. So I'm making a list of projects I can work on and I'm going to get my Etsy shop open by the end of the month. If I work on something every Monday then I should be able to keep my Etsy shop full of things to sell.

40x40 - Snowmobiling!

       I'm crossing another thing off of my 40x40 list! I went snowmobiling today! I was nervous and totally a chicken about how fast I went, but it was SO MUCH FUN!! My co-worker's husband, who is a distant cousin, took me this afternoon. He knew it was something on my bucket list and wanted to make sure I got to do it. He even got up early to clear the trails for me and got new licenses for the snowmobiles so that we could go on the state trails. So sweet! I only got stuck briefly but got out by myself. I know it may not seem like a big deal to most people, but I get really excited when I try something new. Especially if it is something that scares me. 5+ years ago I never would have dreamed of trying this! It was such a beautiful day. The trees were filled with snow and part of the trail was a canopy of trees. 

       So since moving to Wisconsin I want to purchase a kayak, a small camper (to have by the lake), and a snowmobile. I need to find a rich person who will add me to their will. 

Whole30: Day 27

I'm on the homestretch!

       The struggle I'm having at the moment is that it has been a busy week. And with a busy week I don't have as much time to cook. I've been eating ok, but not cooking as much as I was earlier in my 30 days. I came so close to cheating a couple of times, but resisted. There is birthday cake and chocolate fondue in the teacher's lounge today. :( I took a bowl of the fruit and left the room as quickly as I could.

       Once my 30 days is up I'm going to have to work really hard at making good choices when it comes to food. It could be so easy for me to just go back to my old habits. I have to remember how good I am feeling eating the right things.

       As of last weekend I've lost a total of 13 pounds. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow! 2 more pounds would be so encouraging. I'm definitely seeing a difference in my clothes.

       I think tonight I'll make fajitas and wrap them in lettuce. I found a fajita mix that didn't have sugar in it. I know I've said it before, but do you know that sugar is in almost everything! Good grief!

Whole30: Day 15

Day 15

       I made it half way! I'm feeling so good too! Yesterday I was doing some shopping and tried on a few tops at JC Penny's and I needed a medium instead of a large! Yay!! More confirmation that this food adventure is going well. I've been too busy to really try anything new in my cooking, but this week I should have some more time. I picked up a spaghetti squash and found a recipe for some meatballs. I'm going to give those a try this week. I'm also going to make my own spaghetti sauce. Do you know that most spaghetti sauces have sugar in them? And a lot of them have some sort of cheese too. That isn't too much of a surprise. So I have the stuff to make my own.
       I also found a recipe for a chocolate chilli. I've been craving chocolate today so when I saw the recipe on pinterest I pinned it right away. I realize that the chilli won't taste like the snickers bar that is waiting for me in my freezer, but it still sounds good. I figure I can freeze some of it too so that it goes a long way. 

       Tonight I added to my goal of working on being healthy. I used my treadmill. My sister made me. ;) I just needed a little push. I have this great app called 5K runner. I've attempted to use it a number of times and never get past the first day.  Who am I kidding. I usually don't get past the first 15 minutes. Well tonight I did it! The full 25 minutes! I was ready to give up at 15, but when I saw I only had 10 minutes left I told myself I could do it. And I did! It would be pretty awesome if I continued using my treadmill and could run in a 5K this summer. I really want to accomplish that. Pretty sure it's on my 40x40 list too. 

Reading Challenge Update #1

2. Ramona Quimby, Age 8, by Beverly Cleary. I find it funny that the cover of this book has Ramona riding a bike on it. This happened once in the book, and she never got her own bike. I really like Beverly Cleary books. Ramona, Beezus, Henry, Ribsy, Ralph S. Mouse. They're all so fun. My class really liked this one. I love when I tell them I'm going to read for a few minutes and I hear several kids say "Yes!" If I could get away with reading and doing art projects all day long with my class I totally could, but I don't think my administrator or the parents would appreciate that. :) I love my job!

Whole30: Day 12

Day 12
I'm almost half way through my 30 days! I can totally do this! The hardest time for me is the evenings when I feel like munching. Lara bars have been helpful.

Today's Menu:
Breakfast: 2 fried eggs with hot sauce and coffee
Lunch: Hot lunch at school today was tacos so I made mine into a salad. It was tasty.
Dinner: Chicken, spaghetti sauce, and broccoli
Snack: banana, V8 fusion (Not sure if I'm really supposed to have this. There are way too many names for sugar. I get confused)

How I'm feeling:
Well, I wondered how that soda would affect me yesterday and I figured it out. I drank it at lunch and by 3:00 I was so sleepy. It took me a minute to figure out why. Then it hit me. The Sprite! And then I realized that since I started my "food adventure" I haven't been as sleepy as I usually am. That is huge! For a long time when someone asked me how I was I always wanted to answer tired. I knew there was something wrong, but I just thought I wasn't getting enough sleep. I've been this way for years. I'm definitely starting to see how what I fill my body with affects me. And I'm really glad for that.

On a side note, today I bought my tickets to go home for my Spring Break in March! I am SO EXCITED!!! I miss my family and friends back home so much. I'll be home for a week, and that doesn't include my travel days. Woohoo!! Happy dance!

Whole30: Day 11

       Oops, it's been a while! I can't believe I didn't write anything on Saturday. I weighed in on Saturday. Guess what?! I lost 10 pounds! Woohoo! What a start!
       No I'm not expecting to lose that much every week. But clearly eating this way has made a difference. I had a few days of craving sugar and bread. And I miss having my simple go to's for snacks. I need to cut up some more veggies and use the olive dip I bought. That will help. I did discover that I can have a burrito bowl from Qdoba. That was exciting! They have excellent fajita veggies and I just asked for extra. Yum! I'm sure you could do the same thing at Chipotle. Fast food and the Whole30 don't go so well together.
       I have to admit it though. Today I'm going to cheat. I'm going to drink a Sprite with my lunch today. Not because I'm missing Sprite or anything. I'm a teacher and I held a garbage can for a student throwing up this morning. I don't think I'm sick, but my stomach just feels funny. I think the Sprite will help. I wonder if I'll notice how the sugar makes me feel after 11 days of no sugar.

Reading Challenge 2016

 I did it! I finished my first book for my reading challenge of 2016! It's true I started this book in 2015, but who cares. One book down, 19 to go! I have multiple books I've already started so I'll pick up one of those next. I'm the queen of starting books and not finishing them. 

1. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman was a fun book. It is the second Mrs. Pollifax book that Gilman wrote. Emily Pollifax is a retired woman from New Jersey who ends up working for the CIA. She has fun adventures and goes everywhere wearing a big flowered hat. I really like these books.

Oh the Possibilities of 2016

Found myself day dreaming this morning about 2016.
       Before moving to Wisconsin when I'd think about the year ahead it was pretty predictable. Sure things would come up to change the norm, but all in all it was predictable. I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. In one sense I really liked it because like most people I'm not a huge fan of change. But on the other hand it wasn't so good because I would get comfortable and just enjoy my time in my bubble.
       Since my move in 2014 I feel like everything down the road is up in the air and could change at the drop of a hat. And honestly the 2014-15 school year was pretty much like that. Nothing happened like I thought it was going to happen. Now I have NO idea of what 2016 will look like.
       I'm actually looking forward to the end of it so I can look back and see how God orchestrated it all. There are just so many unknowns right now.

• I'm not sure how things are going to go with my job after this school year is over. 
• Since moving here God has provided me with two great friends who've encouraged me so much. In October one moved 2 hours away and the other friend will probably move away this summer. So I'm not sure what my friendships will look like by the end of the year. 
• My church is looking for a new pastor right now. I've really struggled with the person who has stepped into leadership while we've been looking for a new pastor. I do think his heart is in the right place. He wants our church to grow and prosper, but he has legalistic tendencies and often says things that I don't agree with. And he is leading the pastor search so that makes me nervous about the pastor that will come in next. Will I agree with him? Will he be legalistic? Will I need to find a new church? 

See what I mean? A year of unknowns.
As I was day dreaming/worrying about all of this this morning I was reminded of the Psalm we went over in prayer group this week.

Psalm 16
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."
As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.
The sorrows on those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.
The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 

       I could sit around and imagine the possibilities of 2016, but that's all they are possibilities. Instead I need to lean on the only one who has everything in His hand. He will preserve me. He will keep me safe. I only need to trust Him. I really like verses 8-9.
"I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure."
       He is always with me. I have confidence that God will always be at my right hand to hold me secure no matter what comes my way.

Whole30: Day 5

Day 5
Today was torture!!! Hot lunch at school today was Papa Murphy's pizza. It's my favorite. And the school kitchen is right under my classroom. It smelled amazing. But I was good. I ate what I brought with me.

What's on the menu:
Breakfast: sausage and scrambled eggs
Lunch: leftover brussel sprouts, broccoli, and ground beef
Dinner: roasted sweet potatoes, sausage with onions and green peppers
Snack: apple, banana, almonds

How I'm feeling:
I've been feeling pretty good today. My self-control when it comes to food is better than I thought! The pizza...oh the pizza was a struggle today. I was craving bread today like I've never craved bread before! The struggle is real people. :)
Now I need to get my water drinking habits up to par.

Whole30: Day 4

Day 4

Well, I'm still alive! So far so good.

What's on the menu: 
Breakfast: coffee and banana
Lunch: chicken salad with balsamic, peach cup, hot tea
Dinner: baked red potato, broccoli, and cauliflower

How I'm feeling:
       Lunch was filling. Dinner was not. So right now I'm hungry. I munched a little on some left over roasted brussel sprouts from yesterday. But I'm still feeling munchy. I think I'll just go to bed soon and that will help. Other than being hungry tonight this food adventure has been going really well. I'm cooking more and eating a lot more veggies than I was before. I really love vegetables! I knew I did, I just didn't take the time to cook them. Can we say LAZY?!
       I think this weekend I'll make a big batch of meatballs for next week. I can freeze them and eat them throughout the week with spaghetti sauce and spaghetti squash. That actually sounds really good right now. Wow, I really have the munchies right now!

Whole 30: Day 2

Day 2

What's on the menu:
Breakfast: Coffee with my coconut creamer
Lunch: pulled pork and sweet potato hash
Dinner: beef lettuce wraps (they were SO good!)
Snack: almonds, apple, strawberries
(I couldn't resist the strawberries in the store. And let me tell you, they were very tasty!)

How I'm feeling:
Well, I made the huge mistake of not eating breakfast this morning. So by lunch time I was "starving." It also didn't help that one of my students brought cookies in to school today for her birthday. They looked so good. I really wanted one. But I was good. I resisted.
So tomorrow I'm going to eat breakfast. I promise!

Whole30: Alcohol
Honestly this area isn't a problem for me. I like having an occasional glass of wine, but at my job I signed a contract saying I wouldn't consume alcohol. So no alcohol for me.
Basically, it is on the list of don't's for the Whole30 because it is addictive and because when under the influence of it you are likely to make poor food decisions. It can also mess with your blood sugar levels. The book says more regarding alcohol, but I don't feel like sharing it all. You can read about it if it applies to you. It doesn't really apply to me. So, there you go.

Lettering

I follow Dawn Nicole's Hand Lettering Facebook page and she offers free practice sheets. So I spent a nice relaxing Sunday afternoon playing around with watercolors and lettering. I really would like to get better at hand-lettering so I could make signs and other things worth framing. 

Whole 30: Day 1

This is it! Day 1

What's on the menu:
Sweet potato hash with a fried egg
(I'm going to add sausage to it next time)
Broccoli slaw and beef stir fry

I made my own coffee creamer this morning! It is coconut milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. It was pretty good. Not as sweet as the creamer that I'm used to, but I think I could get used to it. I don't want to give up drinking coffee so this is what it will have to be. :)

How I'm feeling:
I'm not really sure if I can say that I feel any different at the moment. It's only day 1. I am happy to say that after my lunch I'm feeling full. That's helpful. I've got to drink more water this afternoon to help me not want to munch as much. But I have a tray of veggies all cut and ready to eat for when I do feel like munching.

Whole30: No Sugar
Those are pretty daunting words. No one wants to cut out sugar.
Chocolate, cookies, candy, vanilla coffee creamer...and the list goes on.
But as I've been reading about the Whole30 I've learned a lot about sugar. Did you know that sugar alters the balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in your gut? It increases the bad and decreases the good. The result could be gas, fatigue, body aches, headaches, and joint problems.
The chapter on sugar ends with this: "When it comes to less-healthy foods, understand that the less (and less often) you indulge in them, the healthier you'll be. Where you draw that line is totally up to you." (It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig)

Honestly, I love sugary things, but I'd rather have more of the savory most days. But I'm also weak. If there are brownies in the staff room I don't hesitate to take one...ok maybe two. I'm weak. Will I be able to handle the temptation at work?

1 day down 29 to go!

Whole30 on hold

Well, I came down with the stomach flu this morning. So I won't be starting my food adventure just yet. Saltines and sprite are my current food adventure! Yay me!

Whole30 Prep

I'm continuing to read Its Starts with Food as I get ready to start the Whole30 diet. I skipped a few chapters so that I could get to the nitty gritty of what I can and cannot eat. I'll go back and read them a little later. Friday will be my start date since I'm going grocery shopping on Thursday (weather permitting, there may be a snow storm on Thursday). I'm really liking this book because it isn't just telling me what not to eat. The book explains how the food affects my body.

As I'm reading I'm working on my grocery list so that I can start with a bang and attack this diet full force. Anyone else dislike the word 'diet'? Hmm...what else can I call this? Food adventure. Adventure is a much better word. Yup, I'm going on a food adventure!

I'm also using pinterest for ideas of what to be eating on my first week of my food adventure. A bunch of people have blogged about their weekly menus when doing the Whole30. I'll take any inspiration I can get!

My Shopping List (so far)

• apples
• almond butter
• eggs
• cucumber
• sweet potatoes
• coconut milk
• tazo passion tea
• bell peppers
• broccoli slaw

I realize there is no meat on my list this week. That's because I have some in the freezer already. :) 

I think one of the harder things for me will be when I get the munchies. So I'm going to prep a container of veggies to have in my fridge all the time. I'm also going to look for some sort of dip/tapenade to keep those veggies interesting. 

Whole 30

Ok, here it goes!
Step 1 to working on a healthier year.

I'm excited and nervous about giving this a try. But I weighed myself last night and suffice it to say I need to make a change in how I have eating and taking care of my body. The number I saw was not ok and I'm feeling it in my pants as well. All those sweets at Christmas took their toll.

Like I said in my last post, I'm going to give the Whole 30 a try. I picked up It Starts with Food from the library and started reading it last night. Basically I need to be filling my body with foods that are helpful for me. That sounds good to me. It isn't going to be easy. I'll be cutting out grains, dairy, and sugar. Do you know how much food has grain, dairy, and sugar?! Do you know how much I LOVE breads and cheese?! And don't even get me started on CHOCOLATE!!! So this week I'm reading up on what I need to be eating, and not eating, as well as eating things from my fridge that I won't be able to eat. Yum! I'm going to really savor the lasagna I'm having for dinner tonight. Thursday is my grocery shopping day so starting then I'm going hard core.

30 days.

I can do this.

I'm SO ready to shed some pounds, sleep better, and overall have more energy.

Happy 2016!

     It is so crazy to believe that today is January 1, 2016. Where did 2015 go?!
I don't know about you, but I'm enjoying my New Year's Day on my couch bingeing on season 1 of Psych. After driving to the airport at 5 I think my couch and I are going to stay close for the rest of the day. It's a good opportunity to blog, nap, search pinterest, and nap some more!

     2015 was a busy year that is for sure. I'm excited to see what God has in store for 2016.
As most people do, I have some goals for the year. I try not to make huge goals that I'll have a hard time completing at the end of the year. This year I want to focus of being healthy and reading more.

     My mom and dad are going to try out the Whole 30 diet for a month and I'm feeling challenged to try it as well. It is hard to think about cutting out some of my favorite foods (especially bread!), but I'm going to try it for a month and see how it goes. But all in all I'm wanting 2016 to be a healthy year for me. Eating better and exercising more.

     I'm excited to say (like I did in my last post) I have rediscovered my love for reading! There are so many good books out there. I want to read 20 books this year. It may not seem like a lot to you, but I'm not the fastest reader and I have a tendency to be busy. So 20 books it is! My friend Jen posted this picture on facebook today and I love the idea! What a fun way to pick books throughout the year! It will help me to read a good variety of books throughout the year. I'm starting the year by finish a few books I started a while ago. Right now I'm reading a Mrs. Pollifax book.
I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Reading Challenge Update #6

14. The Talking T-Rex by Ron Roy. I'm always trying to read different genres to my class of 1st and 2nd graders. This was a fun mystery! Some of my 2nd graders have already read others in this series so I picked one later in the series. We had fun talking about who we thought "did it" before they told us in the book.

15. GI Brides by Duncan Barrett. I noticed this one on my library's e-book website quite a while ago and finally was able to borrow it. I really enjoyed it! For some reason I tend to forget how much I like historical books. It was so interesting to read about the lives of these women who married GIs during WW2. Their stories were very different. Most of them were sad at times, but it was neat to read about how things worked out for them. I would definitely recommend this book.

I did it! I finished my reading challenge for 2015! Several of the books were ones I read to my class, but I'm ok with that. I'm excited to start another reading challenge for 2016. Now to decide how many books to try to read. I already have a few started. I'm going to aim for 20. A few more than last year. I love that I'm rediscovering my love for reading!

Just being real with you

       It's been a while since I've posted anything on here. My last post was when school started! Clearly things have been busy since then. Honestly not sure if I've had a weekend at home since school started.
       Not sure why I feel like writing right now, I don't have much to say. Just want to be honest and say that I'm feeling lonely today. Missing my family and friends back home and sad that things are changing around me right now. Some friends are moving away and another friendship has changed. I'm not a big fan of change. Wondering what the Lord has for me down the road.
       As I'm sitting here having a pity party for myself the Lord is reminding me "I am here. I am enough." It's so easy for me to get stuck in feeling sorry for myself and laying on my couch for a good cry. But I do need to reminder that God is enough. I don't want to waste my life sitting around waiting for something to happen, watching friends and wishing I had what they have. God is so much better than any dream I may have for the future. He is enough! So now I'm going to get up off the couch, get some work down around the house that I need to do, and thank the Lord for always being with me. (And also thank Him for talking me out of the pity party I was having!)

Happy New Year...Wait What?!

       It may sound weird to you others, but today starts a new year for me. No you don't have to stop and check your calendar it isn't January 1st. Tomorrow is the first day of school. I count today as a big day since the kids and parents can come in today and drop off stuff and meet the teachers. I've been working so hard at getting my classroom all put together for this year. Its my second year teaching this class of 1st and 2nd grade and I have a much better idea of what my room should look like (in my opinion) than I did last year. The beginning of last year is such a blur to me! But I'm loving the way I have my classroom set up this year!! Its completely different. I'm not one who really likes change, but for some reason I absolutely love changing up my classroom. :) Go figure.
       I got to school early this morning in hopes of getting a bunch done and I did. I got so much done that I felt I could sit down for a minute and take a breath before my staff meeting this morning. Grabbed my Bible and opened to the book of Psalms. I love the Psalms. This is the first thing I read:

Psalm 115:1
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

       I want this to be the theme of my year teaching this class. I want God to have all of the glory for what goes on in my classroom. I could find great ideas for teaching and my kiddos could grow a ton this year in my class, but it has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with God! I want God to do great and wonderful things in the lives of my 12 students this year. I'm so excited!!

Reading Challenge Update #5

10. Eragon - I really enjoyed reading this book! It was long, but I stuck with it. I think I started it by listening to the audiobook and then finished it with the actual book. I got so far with the audiobook and then it expired and I was going to have to wait for a long time to be able to get it again. So I ran to the library to get the actual book. I must have been at a really good part because I picked it up as soon as I could. :) I'm really looking forward to picking up the second book in the series.


11. The Willoughbys - I'm a really big fan of Lois Lowry because of The Giver series. I absolutely LOVE The Giver series. So when I saw this book I had high expectations. It was strange. I would not read it to my class no matter what the age. The kids in the story were disrespectful to their parents and then in the end when the parents died the kids didn't even care. It was weird. I won't be reading that one again.


12. Anne of Green Gables - I'm ashamed to say that it took me forever to read this book. But even though it took me forever I really loved reading it. I know, I'm a little strange. I'm totally going to pick up book two in the near future. I finished it while I was flying on an airplane and I had to work really hard at not crying through the last few chapters. Its one thing to cry openly at home, but on an airplane...not so much. I knew that Matthew was going to die, because I grew up watching the movie, but I still cried through that part. Very well written and, like most books that have been turned into movies, there was a lot more info in the book than in the movie.

Project Time

 A few months ago I found this wooden piece at the local goodwill. It had Santa painted on it. I went into the goodwill that day looking for potential project pieces. I'm so glad I bought it! It turned out so cute! The sides of the rim are navy. Now the question is do I keep it or try to sell it on my Etsy shop that I'm opening? It looks pretty good on my wall! 

Church Camping

       Just got back from my church camping trip.
       Last year when I moved to Wisconsin the church camping trip came at just the right time. I know that the Lord had it all worked out in advance. It was later in the summer last year and I was struggling some missing my family and adjusting to living with my grandparents. God used that camping trip to remind me that He is always with me and hears me when I cry out to Him.
       This year the camping trip was just as much of a blessing to me. There is something to wonderful about sitting on a small dock at the edge of a lake reading your Bible and praying. The sound of the water hitting the boats and the wind in the trees reminded me so much of how God loves me more than I can even imagine. His creation is so amazing and reminds me of how awesome He is. I'm just this puny little nothing in this world, but God chose me to be His child and He saved me from a terrible eternity. During our last kayaking outing on the lake this morning one of my friends pointed out the awesomeness of God and how cool it would be to kayak in the new heaven and new earth. He was so right. I thought that lake and its surroundings were so wonderful, but how wonderful will it be in the place that God is preparing for me!
       This morning as I was spending my quiet time with the Lord these are the verses that stuck out to me.

Psalm 111

Praise the Lord! 

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, 

in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 

Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. 

Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; 

the Lord is gracious and merciful. 

He provides food for those who fear him; 

he remembers his covenant forever. 

He has shown his people the power of his works, 

in giving them the inheritance of the nations. 

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; 

they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 

He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. 

Holy and awesome is his name! 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a

ll those who practice it have a good understanding. 

His praise endures forever! 

Its been a while!

It has been a while since I've posted anything. Let's just say the last few months have been crazy busy. Since I've been home I've been itching to work on a craft project. The last one I did was while I was home last month. I tried my hand at nail/string art. I like how it turned out. A cute little bird and adds some pizzaz to my photo wall.
Instead of working on craft projects my time has been full of this. This is my garage. In case you can't tell, it is completely full of boxes. My grandma has a terrible habit of buying things and immediately putting it in the garage or basement. After living here for one year I've decided that I need to use the garage for the car. We had a mild winter and I parked my car in the driveway all winter. The ice that would accumulate overnight was crazy. So if this coming winter isn't mild the ice will be even worse. It would be so nice to have my car in the garage. I'll still have to warm it up, but I won't have to scrape ice off of it. So I've been spending about every other morning working in this garage. I've already made a dent and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of my work. But working in the garage isn't something I can do all day long. It has been pretty hot here and I don't last super long in the hot garage. I also have to consider how much I can get rid of at a time. My buick only holds so many boxes to take to St. Vincent De Paul. So all that to say I have the entire afternoon to do something else.
As a pinterest-a-holic I have a lot of ideas of craft projects to work on. So I have to decide between the different types of craft projects I could choose. (This is so hard)

• quilting
• sewing
• painting
• wood work
• drawing
• lettering
• painting
• felt

How does a crafter make a choice?! Argh!! 

Hopefully I'll be posting soon what project I decided to do. 

Bittersweet time of year

       It's been a while since I've written a new post. It is definitely a busy time of year for me. There are only 3 weeks left of school, which is so crazy to me! But with those 3 weeks comes many events.
       The end of the school year is definitely bittersweet. I'm sad that half of my class will be moving on to a new class next year. They have grown to be so dear to me. Thankfully I'll still see them, but they won't me "my kids" anymore. Teaching at such a small school does have some perks though! The other half of my class will be staying with me for next year! I'm excited to have them for another year. We definitely have our ups and downs, but I'm looking forward to another year of training them and seeing them grow closer to the Lord and stronger in their education.
       The big sweet thing about this time of year is SUMMER!!! I'm super excited to be going home next month!! I'm so looking forward to some time with my family! Honestly don't know how my mom moved to California when she got married without the technology I have now. Even though I don't talk to them every day we are communicating in some way every day. And Skype is a huge help! It's nice to be able to see them every once in a while. I'm also looking forward to some fun time with friends. Apart from my family, I'm not the best at keeping in contact with people who are not living near me. But I'm super thankful for friends who understand that. I love that we can pick up right where we left off. I know things will be different when I get back but I'm just going to enjoy the time I have with them.
       I'm so thankful that the Lord made it possible for me to go home for a good chunk of the summer. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that next summer or not. Still haven't bought my ticket back to Wisconsin, and I honestly don't know what the rest of the summer, or 2015 for that matter, will hold for me. That is mostly because I'm not sure what my grandma will be doing. But even though I don't know what the future holds I do know who holds the future. My Lord and Savior has everything in His hand. And that everything includes me. I could look at the rest of 2015 with dread, fear and anxiety, but I don't have to do that. I'm sure there will be highs and lows, but in those times I can rest in the Lord and find peace in Him.

He is faithful!

Good Reminder

Tune my heart

       I've sung these words for my entire life and never realized what a great picture it gives! I've been learning how to play the guitar. With playing the guitar comes tuning it. If I don't tune the strings the sound that the guitar makes is not a pretty one. When you turn the knob to tune the strings of a guitar it cranks them tighter so they make the right note.
       What an interesting picture for our own lives. When saying the words "tune my heart to sing Thy grace" I'm asking God to pull me how He needs to so that I will see and sing all that He has done for me. Sometimes it is hard to see what God is doing in our lives. We need God to tune our hearts so that we can see how He is working.
       This is such a good reminder to me, not only to ask God to work on my heart to see how gracious He is to me. But also to take the time to read words of the songs I am singing in praise to Him and think more about what they mean.

Reading Challenge Update #4

9. The Goose Girl - This is a book by Shannon Hale. I read The Princess Academy a while back and really liked it so I thought I'd try another of her books. This is the first in her Bayern series. It was really good. Kinda predictable in parts, but I liked it over all. It's not a book I'd read to my class because there were some weird things in it here and there, but for myself it was ok. It reminded me a little of a Gail Carson Levine book (Ella Enchanted style). Looking forward to reading the next one in the series!

Feeling Thankful

Just feeling very blessed and thankful today.
God has done so many great things for me that I couldn't even name them all.

I know it sounds funny, but I'm actually thankful that I'm feeling thankful. I've been complaining a lot lately about things...mostly mice. But things could be far worse. And even an annoying thing like mice in my kitchen is something God is using to teach me something.

Do you ever have those weeks where it feels like you are complaining about everything? I've been frustrated by those kinds of people before and I DO NOT want to become one. I'd much rather have a heart of thankfulness than of complaining and griping.

How do we get out of the pit of complaining? (it sure is an easy pit to fall into!)

1. Keep Scripture close at hand. As a kid I went to Awana and memorized God's Word weekly. And actually I memorized it in school every week as well. But I was totally one of those kids that memorized it the night before it was due and forgot it by the time the test was over. I have to say it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how important it is to have God's Word memorized. I do love using my verse cards, but it is much more convenient to have the verses memorized. I don't always have the cards with me. And when the verses are memorized God brings them to mind and just the right moment. 
2. Remember what you are thankful for. When you find yourself complaining stop yourself and name 2 things you are thankful for. This take a bit of time to become a habit, but keep at it and it will. There are times when I have to make myself do this. I let myself get into a terrible mood and it is hard to think of the things I am thankful for. But once I get my focus on the positive and what God is doing the bad mood starts to fade away. 
3. Pray about it. Ask God to help you stop complaining. It is easy to forget to bring a little thing like that before the Lord. We have to remember that when we are weak He is strong. 

These are all things I know, but sometimes I have to remind myself. 

Reading Challenge Update #3

8. The Unusual Suspects - This is the second book in the Sister's Grimm series. I really loved this first book in the series. This one wasn't as good, but it was still fun. I love books, movies, and tv shows about fairy tale characters. Its fun to see how the author uses the fairy tale characters in this series. I look forward to reading the third one and seeing which characters he uses next.

Reading Challenge Update #2

7. Mr. Popper's Penguins - I'm actually a little surprised that I had never read this book until just now. I saw the movie when it came out a few years ago, but the movie and the book are like night and day. I absolutely LOVED this book! I decided to read it to my class since we are working on penguin reports this month. My 1st and 2nd graders loved it. It was adorable hearing their giggles and "oh no!"s when something crazy would happen to Mr. Popper. We were all surprised by the ending. It was such a cute book!

Mice aren't Nice

I've  been really good at not watching TV while I'm trying to fall asleep over the last month. But tonight is a little different and I'm breaking my rule. The reason I'm breaking my rule you may ask? None other than the fact that there are mice in my house and while I was watching TV in the living roomI could hear them eating the poison bait I left out. (Shudder!) I'm trying to distract myself from the fact that there are mice in my house! Ugh!! So watching tv in bed is a must.
Hoping the poison does the trick and that they all die.

Good Night, Jamie the Mouse Killer

Reading Challenge Update #1

5. Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run - Finally a book I read for fun on my own! Yay! I was intrigued by this book when I saw it on the library website. I did enjoy it, but I wouldn't read it to my class. It was definitely for older kids. But even then I wouldn't want my older kids to read it either. There was some bad language which was disappointing to me. Other than that I really liked the book. It gave an interesting perspective on the Civil War.



6. Brave Emily - This was a very sweet American Girl book. My boys groaned at first when I said I was going to read it, but I think they actually enjoyed it. Although they would never admit it. What I liked best about this book is that is brought good conversations about WW2. Most of my students don't know anything about WW1 or WW2. So it was neat to explain some about the war to them. We talked a lot about what it would be like to leave your family and have to live somewhere else during a war.

Already working on a book at home and a new book at school too! Almost halfway done with my challenge!

God's Word

I'm super thankful for this packet of cards. They have seen me through a lot of stuff in my life. Every card is full of truth from God's Word. I made this ring of Scripture cards when I was in college, but I really started using it and adding more cards my first year of teaching. For a while I was in a good habit of carrying it around with me, but sometimes I fall out of that habit. Yesterday I came across them and decided I needed to try keeping them with me again. It is so helpful to have God's Word in my hands easily. I work at memorizing these verses and God brings them to mind at just the right time.  

Just last night I was praying through some 'what if's' I was struggling with. God brought to mind Psalm 118. I love that every other line is "His steadfast love endures forever." After some time praying and giving my 'what if's' to God I made a list of them and wrote this phrase after each one. What a relief to know I can say that phrase after every worry I can come up with. No matter what gets thrown my way God's steadfast love endures forever. Even if something is hard or makes me feel uncomfortable God's love is still there and it is better than anything I can think up. 

Yup I'm a Geek!

Grading papers and watching this one! Yay! 

Reading Challenge

       Is it cheating on my Goodreads reading challenge that the 4 books I've read this year are books I've read aloud to my students? I'm saying no. They are all books I have never read. So I'm counting them. It's my challenge I can read what I want to. (I'm totally singing that in my head now!)

       I've really been wanting to read a lot lately. I watch way too much tv and read way too little. So I've started reading when I go to bed at night instead of watching a show on my computer. I have to say, I've been sleeping a lot better because of it. And my desire to read has been growing.

       One thing that has made me really excited about reading is my local library. We have a cute little library in town. The first time I walked in, all of the ladies working there knew who I was. That was the moment when I realized I liked living in a small town. Anyway, not only have I liked checking out books for school, I've discovered that my library is connected with overdrive.com. I log on with my library card and can check out ebooks that will link to my kindle app on my ipad. It is wonderful!! Some of them I have to wait a while to get because they only have so many copies. But I'm loving it! I've created a long list of books on there that I plan on checking out. The only hard thing is that you only get the book for 7 days and you can renew it only once. I even use it for read aloud books at school. The kids think it's fun that I'm reading off of my ipad and I can still show them pictures when there are some.

Back to the reading challenge.
       The last few years I've majorly failed at my reading goal so this year I only put 15 books as my goal for 2015. I've already read 4. I think I've made a good start. And I'm almost done with the only I've been reading at home.

Here are the books I've read so far:

A Bear Called Paddington - I read this book to my class because the movie was coming out and I thought it would be fun in case they went to see it. I'm sure the movie is very different, but the kids really liked the book. There was a lot of giggling while I read this one.

 Attack at the Arena - The is an Adventures in Oddessy book. I checked it out from my library on my ipad. Woohoo! My class was really disappointed when this book was over. They wanted it to continue. It was a fun one.

 Who was Dr. Seuss? - Dr. Seuss' birthday is coming up so I figured it was a good idea to learn a little about it. This was a very interesting book. As I read it I also read Dr. Seuss books that were specifically talked about in the book. It was really fun. There was one part in the book though that was a little inappropriate for my class and I was really disappointed that the author felt it necessary to put it in a book written for kids.




 Who was George Washington? - Read this one to them right after President's day. It was a good one. It brought up good conversations about our country's history. Things that did not go into our history curriculum. Any time I picked up the book the boys in my class were really excited. It was great! I love that it gave my kids an excitement for history.

Blech

       I'll be honest. Today was a rough day. I'm still getting over a cold so I'm tired, which doesn't help. But I've been struggling with one of my coworkers yesterday and today complaining about a lot of things. I try to be encouraging to her, but today it was just so discouraging. Nothing seems to meet her standards and she even tells people how they should change things so they will be better for her.

       I tried really hard to brush it off today, but couldn't. It put me in a funk and I really struggled getting out of it this afternoon. I made myself go to the school basketball games tonight, which turned out to be a good thing. It was the perfect distraction to get me out of the mood I was in. That along with some funny pins on pinterest from a good friend.

       I'm hoping that a good nights sleep will help make tomorrow go better.

Time Flies!

Wow, it has been over a month since my last post!

This last month feels like a whirlwind. What is really blowing my mind right now is that we are sending out progress reports this week. That means that the 3rd quarter of school is half over! Good Grief! How is it that times seems to go faster as you get older? Have you ever noticed that? As a kid school lasted for-ev-er. Now as an adult it flies by! I don't get it. Not sure that I ever will.

I've already been offered a contract for the next school year. It's hard to believe that I'm thinking about the next school year. This year has gone nothing like I thought it would. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be living in my grandparent's house by myself I would have thought you were crazy. Honestly, it is going ok, but it is very strange to live here alone. I'm living here as if it's my home, but it looks nothing like me. There are so many changes I would make to this house. I have moved a few things though. I probably could get away with moving furniture, since I'm not sure when my grandma will be coming back, as long as I move it back before she comes. ha! But I think if I remodeled the bathroom she would notice. (not that I have the money to do that--don't worry mom)

On an extremely random note: whenever I hear Ellen Degeneres' voice I want to watch Finding Nemo.  It doesn't matter what she says I just think of Dory. K I'm done now. :D

A goal for 2015!

       Like most people I make goals for the New Year. I'm trying not to make too many goals because I actually want to accomplish them, and if I have too many goals it just isn't going to happen. One of my goals is to complete a project once a month. I love working on craft projects but I don't always make the time to do them. So here goes nothing! I'm looking through my gazillion pins and finding a project to do for the month of January.
       I've been in the mood to sew lately so this month I'm going to work on a quilt. I've got some really cute little girl fabric that I'll use. Not sure who will get it, but will be fun to do. Time to get cutting! I'm excited!