Happy New Year! I don't so much believe in New Year's "resolutions," but I do believe in constantly working to better yourself. So, here are my 11 goals for 2011 -
1. Use Cash
I spend way too much money on things that I don't need, and I know because it's too easy to just swipe a card (even if it is debit). I'm going to start taking out my cash for the week and that's it - when I'm out of money, I can eat cereal. I'm going to take the money I'm not wasting on crap and put it into savings.
2. Get Healthy
After my surgery this year, I've had a really hard time getting back into exercise. No more excuses. I'm need to start moving again.
3. Read!
I got a Kindle from Santa Claus this year and I'm LOVING it. I used to be an avid reader, but I've stopped in the last couple of years. I love to read want to pick it up again. I'd like to read 50 books in 2011.
4. Keep a Neater House
I'm not dirty, but I'm messy. I would never leave food or mud or a dirty litter box, but sometimes I put my clothes on the floor and I never make my bed. I want to change this. I don't want to ever feel like I have to straighten up because someone is coming over - the house should already look good. :)
5. Be a More Open-Minded Dater
I rarely get past the first date, and I need to start giving men more of a chance. Little things shouldn't be deal breakers.
6. Cut the Grass
7. Continue to Grow as a Teacher
Read books, research online, talk to veteran teachers whom I admire, and try new things. I want to be the teacher parents call the office to request all summer.
8. Cook More
Frozen chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese from a box do NOT count.
9. Put Effort into my Mary Kay Business
I signed up to be an Independent Beauty Consultant at the end of this year, mostly for the discount because I love the skin care, but I really enjoyed selling skin care at Bath and Body Works, and I think I would enjoy doing classes and really working my MK.
10. Quit Gossiping
It's like your Mama always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."
11. Don't Neglect the Blog. :)
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Monday, December 20, 2010
Christmas Break!
Even though I feel like I just finished Thanksgiving break, I'm certainly not complaining about today being the first official day of my Christmas break! It's not the reason I do it, but it's certainly a perk to being a teacher. :)
I kicked off the week by going to see The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater with some college sorority sisters.
It was FAN-tastic. With one exception. The woman sitting behind us had her young daughter with her (I'm guessing she was 3 or 4) and allowed her to talk through the ENTIRE ballet. And made NO attempt to quiet her.
The first question she asked? Adorable. Oh! Look how cute that little girl is! 30 minutes later? Not. Cute. At. All.
I'm sorry. I understand that this child was young, but I paid $60 for that ticket. I went to see the ballet. If I wanted a show narrated by a 4 year old, I would have gone to see Tangled.
/vent
My favorite part of The Nutcracker? This lady (gentleman?) right here -
The one yesterday was especially funny. She was definitely "crankin' dat?" during her part. Hilarious.
The show and being downtown really put me in the Christmas spirit. Can you believe there are only 4 days left???
I kicked off the week by going to see The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater with some college sorority sisters.
It was FAN-tastic. With one exception. The woman sitting behind us had her young daughter with her (I'm guessing she was 3 or 4) and allowed her to talk through the ENTIRE ballet. And made NO attempt to quiet her.
The first question she asked? Adorable. Oh! Look how cute that little girl is! 30 minutes later? Not. Cute. At. All.
I'm sorry. I understand that this child was young, but I paid $60 for that ticket. I went to see the ballet. If I wanted a show narrated by a 4 year old, I would have gone to see Tangled.
/vent
My favorite part of The Nutcracker? This lady (gentleman?) right here -
The one yesterday was especially funny. She was definitely "crankin' dat?" during her part. Hilarious.
The show and being downtown really put me in the Christmas spirit. Can you believe there are only 4 days left???
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thankful for the Thorns
As Thursday approaches, I'm finding it harder to feel a sense of Thanksgiving. Instead, I'm feeling sadness. This week marks the two year anniversary of my father's death, and Thanksgiving last year was the last time I saw my Aunt Paul, who I also lost to cancer.
And then I read this story. It doesn't fix it. I still feel sad. But now I am thankful. I am thankful for the time I had to spend with these people that I love, and I am thankful for the influence they had on me.
So today I am thankful for the thorns.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze.
Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease.
During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer.
Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.
"She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.
"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.
"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses.
Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.
Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers!
She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.
"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said as she gently tapped her chest.
"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!"
"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.
"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."
"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.
"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.
"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously.
"Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"
"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems.
My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."
As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too...fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love.
Don't resent the thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra.
"I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."
It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain.
Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."
Praise Him for your roses, thank him for your thorns .
And then I read this story. It doesn't fix it. I still feel sad. But now I am thankful. I am thankful for the time I had to spend with these people that I love, and I am thankful for the influence they had on me.
So today I am thankful for the thorns.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks as she pushed against a November gust and the florist shop door. Her life had been easy, like spring breeze.
Then in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a minor automobile accident stole her ease.
During this Thanksgiving week she would have delivered a son. She grieved over her loss. As if that weren't enough, her husband's company threatened a transfer.
Then her sister, whose holiday visit she coveted, called saying she could not come. What's worse, Sandra's friend infuriated her by suggesting her grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer.
"She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. Thanksgiving? Thankful for what? she wondered. For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life but took that of her child?
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" The shop clerk's approach startled her.
"I....I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.
"For Thanksgiving? Do you want beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the Thanksgiving "Special?" asked the shop clerk. "I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the shop clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the door's small bell rang, and the shop clerk said, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order." She politely excused herself and walked toward a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and long-stemmed thorny roses.
Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Want this in a box?" asked the clerk.
Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers!
She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.
"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said as she gently tapped her chest.
"Uh," stammered Sandra, "that lady just left with, uh....she just left with no flowers!"
"Right, said the clerk, "I cut off the flowers. That's the Special. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"Oh, come on, you can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.
"Barbara came into the shop three years ago feeling much like you feel today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had lost her father to cancer, the family business was failing, her son was into drugs, and she was facing major surgery."
"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk, "and for the first time in my life, had just spent the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too great a debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.
"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for good things in life and never to ask Him why those good things happened to me, but when bad stuff hit, did I ever ask! It took time for me to learn that dark times are important. I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of life, but it took thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort. You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra sucked in her breath as she thought about the very thing her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" shouted the clerk to the balding, rotund man.
"My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement...twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue-wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously.
"Do you mind me asking why she wants something that looks like that?"
"No...I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we slogged through problem after problem. He rescued our marriage. Jenny here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she learned from "thorny" times, and that was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems.
My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."
As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too...fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that thorns make roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember, it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love.
Don't resent the thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra.
"I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."
It read:
My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain.
Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."
Praise Him for your roses, thank him for your thorns .
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Well, I had every intention of logging on every day and blogging about Thanksgiving. And I failed. I haven't been updating, but I have been thinking. So today I'm going to quickly catch up and list my 16 things for the days I missed.
1. My younger brother and sister and the fantastic relationship we have as adults
2. My sweet dog, Quincy
3. Being able to pay my bills each month
4. Food in the pantry
5. Friends that I can call at 3:00 in the morning to talk about anything
6. Co-workers whose company I enjoy both in and out of school
7. Christmas decorations and the smell of evergreen
8. My voice coming back!
9. My electric blanket
10. Living near my mom and sister and seeing them regularly
11. Changing leaves
12. The internet
13. Photographs
14. A great weekend in Auburn, even if my Dawgs couldn't pull out a win :(
15. Books and being chosen to give children the gift of knowing how to read
16. Gingerbread lattes (especially when they're buy 1 get 1 free!)
Now that I have this week off(!!!!), I should be able to handle the rest of my own challenge. :)
1. My younger brother and sister and the fantastic relationship we have as adults
2. My sweet dog, Quincy
3. Being able to pay my bills each month
4. Food in the pantry
5. Friends that I can call at 3:00 in the morning to talk about anything
6. Co-workers whose company I enjoy both in and out of school
7. Christmas decorations and the smell of evergreen
8. My voice coming back!
9. My electric blanket
10. Living near my mom and sister and seeing them regularly
11. Changing leaves
12. The internet
13. Photographs
14. A great weekend in Auburn, even if my Dawgs couldn't pull out a win :(
15. Books and being chosen to give children the gift of knowing how to read
16. Gingerbread lattes (especially when they're buy 1 get 1 free!)
Now that I have this week off(!!!!), I should be able to handle the rest of my own challenge. :)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Taco "Soup"
I am the pickiest eater (read: my eating habits are similar to those of a 5 year old), but this is one fall recipe that I LOVE. I adapted it from a friend's recipe to make it more "LA Friendly" (read: removed gross ingredients like canned tomatoes) and I prepare it often during the cold-weather months. It's cheap, delish, and SO easy to prepare. Here's my recipe -
1 package ground beef - cooked (I season mine with taco seasoning and (shhh!) ketchup!)
2 cans yellow corn - half drained
2 cans black beans - half drained
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning
Combine ingredients in crock pot or large soup pot. Simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Top with Fritos and shredded cheese and enjoy!
1 package ground beef - cooked (I season mine with taco seasoning and (shhh!) ketchup!)
2 cans yellow corn - half drained
2 cans black beans - half drained
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning
Combine ingredients in crock pot or large soup pot. Simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
Top with Fritos and shredded cheese and enjoy!
The Great Gatsby
Today I need to remind myself that I am thankful for this little thing...
I think you've met Gatsby before, but she is my first child.
When I was a little girl, all I wanted was a cat. Why? I honestly have no idea. Every year a kitten was the first thing on my Christmas list, and every year I found a stuffed animal under the tree. My mom is just not a cat person. Eventually I gave up and stopped asking.
My junior year of college I was living in an apartment with some friends. One day we were eating dinner and started talking about how sad a home is without a pet. "I'll get a cat!" I said. They thought that sounded like a great idea, my mom thought it was the worst news she'd ever heard, and the next day we went kitten "shopping". Many of the local pet stores had rescue kittens available for adoption, and the first store we went to had a cage containing three tiny kittens inside. Two were sitting primly on the top shelves in the cage, and one was sprawled out on her back IN the litter box at the bottom.
I knew that she was the one, and she's been with me ever since. :)
This post is to remind me that she is a source of joy in my life, even if that's not true at this very moment. Gatsby had surgery this week, costing me over $500 and requiring around the clock attention to make sure she doesn't remove her e-collar (AGAIN. That girl is quite the escape artist.). While this is not even close to being convenient for my wallet or my social life, it's worth it.
One day I will have an actual child, not just the four-legged kind, and I will laugh about this post, but right now my animals are my children and I am thankful for the joy they bring!
I think you've met Gatsby before, but she is my first child.
When I was a little girl, all I wanted was a cat. Why? I honestly have no idea. Every year a kitten was the first thing on my Christmas list, and every year I found a stuffed animal under the tree. My mom is just not a cat person. Eventually I gave up and stopped asking.
My junior year of college I was living in an apartment with some friends. One day we were eating dinner and started talking about how sad a home is without a pet. "I'll get a cat!" I said. They thought that sounded like a great idea, my mom thought it was the worst news she'd ever heard, and the next day we went kitten "shopping". Many of the local pet stores had rescue kittens available for adoption, and the first store we went to had a cage containing three tiny kittens inside. Two were sitting primly on the top shelves in the cage, and one was sprawled out on her back IN the litter box at the bottom.
I knew that she was the one, and she's been with me ever since. :)
This post is to remind me that she is a source of joy in my life, even if that's not true at this very moment. Gatsby had surgery this week, costing me over $500 and requiring around the clock attention to make sure she doesn't remove her e-collar (AGAIN. That girl is quite the escape artist.). While this is not even close to being convenient for my wallet or my social life, it's worth it.
One day I will have an actual child, not just the four-legged kind, and I will laugh about this post, but right now my animals are my children and I am thankful for the joy they bring!
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