christmas

santa was good to me - new pots & pans, a food processor, dishes (can you tell the theme this year?)

but i'm so glad i got to see my family (both sides) and celebrate the birth of my savior!

happy birthday jesus!

I want this outfit...

I fell in love with an outfit on another blog I read.  this one, actually.  (image from The Satorialist)

So I went to a site called Polyvore and recreated it for me!  Polyvore is great.  You can play with all kinds of clothes and accessories and not have to leave your house or lose any weight or anything! 
Here is what I came up with...


Find me on Polyvore
have a great day!

life gets in the way

did you know that? 

my life got in the way this week and distracted me from the basic things like cleaning my home and hanging up clothes.  i did laundry a week ago and still haven't folded it. 

i made a ROYAL mess in my kitchen today because i was making Christmas goodies!!  in the boxes this year, homemade graham crackers & homemade marshmallows.  i am also including small chocolate bars and hot chocolate packets! 

i made the marshmallows last year from this recipe.  the graham cracker recipe came from here. 

now, my kitchen is devoid of all the flour i used (and spilled), the dishwasher is loaded, and the baseboards are wiped down.  that last one is random, i know, but it has been bothering me and so i finally took care of it.

well, it's time for bed.  sweet dreams!

yesterday and today

i was worn out and a smidge grumpy last night so i didn't post about my day so i'm doubling up today!

wednesday was a short work day.  that morning, i put together more sewing kits.  i really enjoyed this more than i thought i would.  after lunch, we headed off to an adventure!  our group went to avery island to the tabasco bottling company.  i bought spicy mayonaise that i can't wait to try on a turkey sandwich.  from there we attempted to find a movie theatre to go see blindside (which was fantastic!!) and to find somewhere to eat.  needless to say, the GPS lead us astray and we ended up in lafayette, la.  all i need to say is that i was glad i wasn't driving!

this morning, i worked again at the depot putting together sewing kits.  i think we almost finished two pallets this week!  then after lunch, i headed to chez hope - the women's shelter.  we worked again in the clothes closet but this time, we made a serious dent in all the donations.  it looked much better after we finished.  that place touched my heart this week.  they do offer hope in so many ways to people who really need it. 

i'm still trying to figure out why the Lord wanted me to come on this trip.  i feel a little more at peace with myself and God though. 

one of my favorite moments of today comes from mrs. jewell.  she is hard of hearing and during the singing at the service this evening, she was singing as only she can.  her husband told her she was singing too loud.  so she sang louder!  i couldn't help the giggling after that!

today's distraction...3 yr olds & old clothes

today was a little different for me.  i went to the head start program in baldwin and hung out with the 3 year old class.  they were precious!  of all the names i heard this morning, my favorite was Le'zay'lon.  he has two apostrophes.  super cool! 

after lunch, i went with a small group to Chez Hope.  this is a battered women's shelter.  i had no idea about this kind of stuff.  i knew of shelters existing like this but had NEVER experienced anything like it.  this one is housed in a remodeled hotel.  it's fantastic.  they help lots of women and children.  what they needed us to do today was to sort through "my sister's closet."  this is a clothes closet where the women come and can get what they need at no cost to them.  we do this in psj but ours is the cadillac version of this one.  at least today we cleared a path from one door to the other.  it's a tangible way to see how we have helped. 

it was a good day. 

my quote today comes from the preschool teacher at head start (it's actually more of an experience).  they were going over their daily morning activities like what the date was and what day it was and after they recited all of this, she said, "you are so smart!  kiss your brain!"  then they kissed their little hands and pressed their hands to their heads.  it's was PRECIOUS!  i'm gonna use this one later! :-)

today's distraction...sewing kits (day 2)

today was a great day at sager brown!  we rose nice and early and had several orientations of what kind of work we would be doing this week.  then we headed over to the depot warehouse.  this place is impressive.  everything that comes into sager brown is sorted and all kinds of stuff get ready to head out to whomever needs it.

i worked at the sewing kit table.  at this table, we had to make sure that each bag had 3 yards of fabric, a matching spool of thread, a pack of needles, a pair of scissors, and at least 5-8 matching buttons.  i had a great time putting these together.  it was fun matching everything up and digging through massive amounts of thread and buttons.  many of the kits were already packed by the folks who sent them to sager brown but they all have to be checked.  i couldn't help thinking of who is going to receive each kit and what they were going to make with it.  i pray it blesses their life!  other kits that were being put together were school kits, layette kits, birthing kits, and health kits.

tomorrow, i am headed to the head start program in baldwin.  i believe i will be working with 3 and 4 year olds.  right up my alley!

today was also mary's birthday (68, i believe).  mac surprised her with a cake and candles and she clapped and grinned like a little girl.  pure joy!

quote of today...skip - (talking about planning the communion service on thursday) - well they argued about who was going to bless the condiments.  (he meant elements, as in communion elements)

today's distraction...travel

this morning i left with a group of 17 older folks on a mission trip.  we headed to baldwin, louisiana to the UMCOR sager brown depot.  it was a loooooong bus ride from psj to baldwin.  i think we stopped 5 times!  i sat in the back with the luggage so they wouldn't have to.  have i mentioned that i am the youngest person here by at least 30 years or more??  it's definitely going to be an experience!!

quote of the evening...mrs jewell - anybody got any scotch tape?  no?  well, i'll just find some chewing gum! (she was trying to hang up a small poster of some sort)

today's distraction - flooding parking lots

we have had one serious storm this morning and after hurricane season is over too!  the parking lot has been flooded.  the road on the other side of the church has been flooded.  the yard is still flooded.  it's completely fascinating me today.  i cancelled my programs for this afternoon because of the weather and i have done NO other work because of watching the water rise and fall.  i got soaked to the skin when i looked out the window and noticed the water was almost up to the doors of my car!  i took off my shoes and ran to move it!  i have never experienced anything like this!

this picture is from the drain that caused all the flooding in the first place.  someone finally came and cleared it!  it made a fantastic noise too!

this one is taken from the upstairs of the church.  the water here is much lower than it was.

closer view.  see the line of pine straw and pine cones - that's how high it was!

november in review (my constant distractions)

Listening to...currently - Enter the Worship Circle - Third Circle & CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Watching...Elf on repeat

Reading...Emily of New Moon by LM Montgomery (LOVE IT!)

Need to be reading...Stuff for ministry - Orange, Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions

Eating...Christmas party food - it's that time of year!

Drinking...same ole' same ole - diet coke and water

Wearing...my slippers (the MOMENT i get home - i wish i could pull them off as real shoes)

Lusting after...Keurig coffee machine (i just can't justify it in my mind but it seems oh so fantastic)

Brainstorming on...my new craft room/exercise room

Excited about...Christmas, clearly & Children's Pastors Conference in January

Getting ready for...traveling and upcoming responsibilities and lessons

things i'm thankful for (2009 edition) version 2.0

kitty cats
my macbook
family adventures
christmas decorations
diet coke
fuzzy slippers
dominoes (the game - not the pizza)
the nice man at O'Reillys auto parts who changed the battery in my car
emmet otters jug band christmas
elf

advent

Advent packages went out to the children of FUMC today.  I enjoy giving advent gifties because it is something that is not often recognized.  I think that children should learn the importance of advent and what it actually means.  I love advent.  Advent is a season of the church that comes before Christmas.  It is a period of waiting for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  We prepare ourselves, our hearts, and our homes for the joy that Jesus' birth bring us! 
I encourage you to spend this time of advent learning more about and growing closer to Jesus. God gave us the best gift in all of creation when He sent Jesus to us.  Let's welcome Him into our lives and homes this season and for the rest of our lives!
Blessings!

things i'm thankful for (2009 edition) version 1.0

new friends
tiny neighbors
cooler weather
catalogs
clean carpets!
babies on the way (not me - just lots of folks in my life)
netflix
movies
books
new to me furniture

October in Review

I'm a little late on this one...oops.

Listening to... b.reith & lots of randomness on the radio

Watching...All Creatures Great and Small (on Netflix)

Reading...for book club - The Help by Kathryn Stockett
                other reading - Anne of Green Gables series by LM Montgomery

Eating...my made-up version of stir fry (i don't think this is actually how you make stir fry but it works for me!

Drinking...sweet tea

Wearing...my snazzy new brown jacket!!

Lusting after...

Laughing at...the random things you deal with when working with children! 

Brainstorming on...Christmas!!!  It's coming!!!

Excited about...putting up my Christmas tree in 13 days!  (yes, that's before Thanksgiving) there is a method to my madness!

Getting ready for...my mission trip to Louisiana next month - UMCOR Sager Brown - have i mentioned that i am the youngest person by at least 30 years going on this trip?  definitely going to be interesting...

why i love high school football...

i love high school football.  i didn't like it at all when i was in high school but over the last three or four years, it's one of the highlights of my life!  the joys of living in a small town!!

Here are the reasons why i love it so:

1. marching bands (good or bad)

2. excellent people watching

3. everyone in town is there

4. the joy of sitting with the older ladies from my church doing something that is not typically related to old ladies.

5. watching the children of the community goof about and not actually pay any attention to the game.

6. being in this town long enough to actually know some of the players on the team and the cheerleaders.

7. the fact that the concession stand sells things that you wouldn't think of as stadium food - like gumbo, chili and gator tail (welcome to florida!)

8. the announcer who says happy birthday to anyone and everyone whenever there is a lull.

9. at one of the first games i attended here, a dog got loose on the field and they had to stop the game for 15 minutes until they could catch it!

10. the actual football game itself.

enjoy your friday night lights!

GO SHARKS!

September in Review

I can't decide if September has flown by or not but it does all seem a blur.

Listening to...Fellowship of the Ring on Audio CD in my car (almost done!)

Watching...The Vicar of Dibley - ah-mazing!


Reading...anything I can get my hands on but mostly Jan Karon's Mitford Series

Eating...Fried Chicken every Wednesday night because that's what we have at church.  the best fried chicken EVER. Period. End of Story.

Drinking...believe it or not...more water!  and also diet coke.

Wearing...some stuff other than flip flops!

Lusting After...new brown boots - i want flat knee high ones.  and also new floors for my house.

Laughing at...some of the prayer requests I get from the children...I love this part of my job!  For example, this week I prayed for a fish named Snake Eyes, a puppy, a little girl to get wings, and for another little girl's house to turn into a castle so she could be a princess!

Brainstorming on...what to get Dad for his birthday

Excited about...the cooler weather that has FINALLY arrived in Florida.

Peeved about...the wasps that were trying to build a nest in my shutters.

preparation

I once again learned the value of preparation as a part of ministry yesterday.  I know that I need to be prepared ahead of the time actually spent with the kids, but for some reason I got REALLY overwhelmed yesterday.  Actually, scratch that.  I have been REALLY overwhelmed for the majority of the week.  Maybe it's the rain, maybe it's not having a space for the children's ministry to call our own, maybe it's just me.  I don't know but I was overwhelmed.

I did let the kids play in the puddles at the church yesterday.  There was no keeping 26 third, fourth, and fifth graders inside.  It wasn't raining but the church yard was flooded.  About four minutes into letting them play in the puddles, the little boys were coming out of their shirts.  Too funny.  

We survived the TruthWalkers and then had some INCREDIBLE fried chicken for dinner.  Then we started our practice for our Children's Sabbath, which will be held on October 11th.  This is where the kids will be running the service.

**side note - what do you say to a woman who comments, "I always skip that service."??**

Practice was a disaster.  I was not prepared and I was ill.  Totally my fault that I couldn't get control of the kids.  There was one injury and one pouty sourpuss and about 12 wild hooligans.  Needless to say, I learned my lesson.  Wednesdays come whether I like them or not.  Preparation is key.

Picture from here.

Disciple

In a small turn of events, I will be starting the Disciple Bible Study tomorrow evening.  This will be an online study and I am really excited about it.  If you are interested in this, visit www.beadisciple.com.

I was originally registered for a different group on Monday nights and was told that one couldn't happen.  After my utter disappointment, I had decided to just get a refund and attempt to find a study somewhere else.  God pulled through and so I will be starting tomorrow!

great quote

I'm watching Evan Almighty and was just reminded of a great quote.

"When you pray for patience, God doesn't give you patience.  He gives you the opportunity to be patient.  When you pray for courage, God gives you the opportunity to be courageous."

I like this movie.

Have a great Labor Day.

find us faithful

I have spent my evening dreaming and reminiscing.  Dreaming about the future and reminiscing (by the way, I'm very excited I didn't have to look up how to spell that!) about days past.  I've also been listening to a couple of the Songs 4 Life CDs.
Music brings back so many memories.  There were definitely two that came on strong tonight.  Interestingly enough, they both have to deal with YClub memories.  One was Find Us Faithful by Steve Green.  At Christian Life Conference, as seniors in high school (at least in the SouthEast District) you stood and sang this song and then the College/Alumni staff would gather behind you and sing it with you.  Kind of a powerful moment.  I really listened to the lyrics tonight.
The majority of the videos I found on youtube were cheesy but I thought I would post one anyway.

The other was Awesome God by Rich Mullins.  As an officer in the SE District, we walked in at the end of this song and I still get goose bumps at the end of the song.

I don't know how many people can relate to any of this.  I may be rambling.
Have a great week.

August in Review

A friend of a friend does this and i think it’s brilliant. So, I’m gonna use it! Thanks, friend of a friend!

Listening: Lots of TobyMac, Sugarland, and Yancy

Watching: Not a lot because I no longer have cable – so lots of movies!

Reading: finished Ana Karenina in early August now working on Christy

Eating: lots of stuff that I shouldn’t but also yogurt

Drinking: Diet Coke & flavored sparkling water

Wearing: anything to keep me cool – it’s hot in Florida

Lusting after: a super fun ring at Dillards that I just can’t justify buying.

Laughing at: my tiny neighbors and my ridiculous cats

Excited about: Shark Football – I’m so ready for the high school football season to get going!!!!

transferring over

hello!
I decided to move over here from another site. whoohoo! i'll be working on it for a while so bear with me