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.

Spring Break

There are definite pros and cons for working in education. Obviously, teachers do not get paid as much as they deserve. The hours can be brutal. Teachers come in to work at least a half an hour before school starts and often do not leave until after 4pm. And I'm sure there are more cons to teaching, but this post is not meant to be a time of complaining about my job.

I could think of more pros to teaching. I know I am a first year teacher, but I just love my job so much. It is so rewarding being a teacher. I love seeing the looks on kids faces when they finally grasp a new concept. I love reading from a children's novel in funny voices completely shocking the kids and sending them into a fit of giggles. I love the hugs, the drawings, and the starbucks cards around the holidays. :o)

I am so thankful that I love my job. God has blessed me so much. Another perk of teaching is the vacation time. Not many people get the summer, 2-3 weeks at Christmas and a week off in the spring. What a huge blessing. I guess that helps make up for the long hours.

I have to say that I was in desperate need of the Easter Break we just had. The week off was wonderful! I was feeling a little burnt out. It is interesting to see how the Lord knows when I need a little break. He provided that week off just when I needed it.

About a month ago my mom got a call from my Grandma that my Grandpa was in the hospital with congestive heart failure. It was quite a big scare for all of us. Grandpa is getting old and he hasn't had the best health in the past several years. Right away we were trying to figure out when the family, or at least my mom, could fly out to Wisconsin to be near my Grandparents. We couldn't go right away, but Easter break was just around the corner and we thought it was the best time.

Thankfully our entire family was able to go. We had a great time with my grandparents. Of course, to them Danika was the best part of our visit. They thought she was just wonderful. And who can argue. :o) The last time they had seen her she wasn't even crawling and now she is practically running. We were able to help them around the house, visit with my mom's cousins and aunts, and just relax.

Because my grandparents live so far away we don't get to see them very often. So it was really nice to just be around. Julie had fun learning some new recipes from my Grandma (which were delicious).

Mom, Julie, and I went with my Grandma to Bingo at the little senior center in the area. The people were so excited that we came. It was sweet. My grandpa gave each of us a dollar in nickels. They didn't last too long. We played several games and I lost every one. I had to get a loan from my Grandma who won at least 4 games. :o) But win or lose it was a fun time. I'm so thankful for the time we were able to spend there.

Today was the first day back at school. I was so excited to be back. I missed the Kindergarteners. Even the challenging ones. :o) I feel very revived and ready to keep going. So I guess I should be getting to work on my lesson plans instead of spending time writing this post.

Thank You, Father, for the time you gave me to relax.

I praise you for taking care of my family as we traveled

and my Grandparents as they are far away.

Thank You for the job you have given to me

and the love I have for this job.

Help me to glorify You in all I do at work.

Give my wisdom and patience as I work with

the kids for the next 6 weeks. Thank You for being

such a loving and gracious God.

Amen.

Praise Him!

"Does not all nature around me praise God? If I were silent, I should be an exception to the universe. Does not the thunder praise Him as it rolls like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not the mountains praise Him when the woods upon their summits wave in adoration? Does not the lightning write His name in letters of fire? Has not the whole earth a voice? And shall I, can I, silent be?"
- C.H. Spurgeon

A Personal Guide

Well, I have no idea if anyone even reads my blog anymore, but I'm going to keep writing on it. This is one of the few places I feel free to share my thoughts. So here it goes. :o)

These are the verses I read this morning in my devotional/journal.
But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way,
who can't see where they're going.
I'll be a personal guide to them,
directing them through unknown country.
I'll be right there to show them what roads to take,
make sure they don't fall into the ditch.
These are the things I'll be doing for them—
sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."
Isaiah 42:16 (from The Message)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
"This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

We can make our plans,
but the Lord determines our steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

(These verses apply to my life so much right now. I love it when the Lord gives you exactly what you need to hear in your quiet time.)

I'm at this age where things seem very uncertain. (I'm sure that age is a very large span or ages, but it seems to have hit me pretty hard this year) It began with the decision to stay in SoCal or return to NorCal. Again I'm wonder where God is leading me. Am I supposed to stay here? Or go somewhere else? Do I stick with the job I love or try to find something that pays better? It stresses me out. But when I remember that God is leading me and guiding me I breathe a sigh of relief. God is in control!! He has plans for me and He will lead me in the direction of those plans. He is my guide.

I'm reminded of Psalm 139. I can not hide from God. But not only that, His hand will hold me steady. He will steady me as I walk along the path He has for me. There is always the great illustration from the poem "Footprints." When things get hard God does not leave us He carries us through it.

What would I do without my personal guide? No matter what gets thrown my way my Heavenly Father is with me guiding me through it.

The Road Ahead

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.... But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me. And You will never leave me to face my perils alone."
I found this quote by Thomas Merton in a journal I have been using lately. It says pretty clearly how I have been feeling lately. I want so badly to know what is going to happen next in my life. But that is something that God is in control of and He has decided not to fill me in ahead of time. (Sometimes that just drives me nuts!) But it is so great to remember that He is in control and that He won't leave me, even if I am in the shadow of death.
I am so thankful for my wonderful Savior!!

Praying for Troy

Hello friends,
I just wanted to write a quick note asking you to pray for my cousin Troy. I just found out that he is battling depression pretty harshly. My sister has been receiving emails from my aunt and she seems pretty worried about him. He has been attempting to hurt himself and refuses to see a counselor or any sorts saying they don't know anything. Please be praying for him. It is especially hard for my aunt. I'm sure as a parent there is the thought of "what did I do wrong". Pray that she will find strength and hope in the Lord. My sister is trying to give her a lot of encouragement seeing that she went through a lot of the same situations that Troy is going through now.
Thank you for your prayers.

Jamie

Friday Fave Five

I skipped a week, but I'm going to try to keep this up.

1. Watching tv with a puppy sleeping on my lap. I've been house sitting and thier dachsund puppy likes to take naps on your lap while you watch tv. So relaxing.
2. "When the Little Baby Boy was Born" - I sang a solo with my church choir on Sunday. It was such a fun solo! I love singing!
3. Queen Jamie (has a nice ring to it) - Today I was the Queen at the Pre-K and Kindergarten wedding for Q and U. It was quite the event. We even had a pastor say the opening prayer.
4. Danika's smile. It is so fun getting home in the afternoon. She always has a big smile on her face when I walk through the door. I love that little girl!
5. Psalm 103:11-12 - "As high as the heaven is above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness to those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." I am so thankful that the Lord loves me so much greater than I can even imagine. I totally don't deserve it.
   

Peet's Coffee

Now that Wolfe Coffee is no more :o( We all went to Peet's this morning.

Very nice atmosphere, but a little busy.

Dad was there too, but he was too busy reading the paper to take any pictures. :o)

Friday's Fave Five

A while back I was looking at blogs and saw this idea. I don't even know the person who did this, but I liked it so I thought I'd try it. Every Friday (hopefully) I will be looking back at the week and reflecting on the great things that happened. I think it will be a great way to be thankful for what the Lord is doing in my life on a regular basis.
So here it goes!

1. Walking with Stephanie. Steph and I have decided to go walking twice a week together. Yesterday we found a great place to go walking. It was so relaxing.
2. The time I spent with the Lord. Recently I've felt that my time with the Lord daily has been lacking. I'm working really hard at being consistently in the Word. This week I have had some wonderful mornings spend with my Savior.
   
3. Danika's "talking". I love hearing Danika "talk." She really just jabbers away sometimes and it is so sweet.
4. 5th grade art class. The 5th grade class is the hardest one to teach for me. But this week there were a few students who really put a lot of effort into the work they were doing during my class and I really appreciated it.
   
5. Isaiah 41:10 - "Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not look anxiously about you for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." The verse I am working on memorizing right now.
   

There is none like you

"Helpless children are safe in Your arms.
There is none like you."

Right now (I wrote this on Friday) I am sitting in the Sacramento convention center drinking a white mocha and listening to my ipod, I would be in a seminar right now, but my throat is killing me and I am afraid I will fall asleep while listening to the speaker (not that the speaker is boring :o).
I'm sitting here listening to Shane & Shane, one of my favorite Christian groups. Just now the song "There is none like you" came on. I love their version of the song. This one line really rang out to me as I was listening to it. "Helpless children are safe in Your arms." I don't know about you, but I have times when I feel helpless. Maybe I feel alone, or the world is against me, or I am trying to do things by my own strength (which doesn't work). What a great reminder that even if I am feeling helpless I am safe in the arms of my Savior. I can turn to Him and have peace because there is no one like Him.
I am so thankful for the one who sent His Son to die so that I may be able to spend eternity with Him. I am thankful for those arms that surround and protect me from harm.

Thank you, Lord, for loving me.

i forgot it

Well, I wrote something to put on my blog while I was at the Teacher's Convention yesterday and I don't have it with me. So I'll just have to post it another day. Today I'll just tell you about the convention.
I was so excited to go to this convention. I have wanted to go to the teacher's convention since I was in high school. I am such a nerd. But oh well. I had a great time. I was able to go to some great seminars and come up with some new ideas to use in the classroom. The whole trip started out on the wrong foot for me, but it didn't ruin my time. We left at 5:30 am on Thursday and wouldn't you know...that would be the day my alarm clock decided not to work. Yeah, go figure. But I dashed around the house and was ready when they came to pick me up for the second time.
There was a family that led worship in the general sessions at the conference. They were so good. They were called the Annie Moses Band. What a fun group to listen to and worship with. They have a Celtic feel to their music and it was fantastic. I was amazed at how much energy they had on the stage. It made me tired just to watch them.
Well, you will hear from me soon. As soon as I find the paper I had been writing on. :o) Hope you are having a great weekend!