Spirit of Christmas

I've just not really been feeling much in the Christmas spirit lately.

Perhaps it's the weather, the busyness of five Christmas programs, the obnoxious "in" excelsis rather than "een" excelsis deo that is pervasive in bad pop renditions of Christmas classics, but gosh darn it, I'm feeling more like Ebenezer Scrooge lately than Santa.

That is, until tonight.

I've spent the last two days away from students (which, I swear, didn't contribute to the change of heart!) and in my house, sleeping, prepping meals and baking treats for family, and spending time with friends that real life swept away from our little corner of the earth. There's nothing like spending time with old friends who know you better than you know yourself to make you feel better. Of course, the goodbyes that drag us back to reality are always hard, but the times together are so dang good that it's worth it. Always.

I got to spend yesterday at brunch with one such friend. The updates on her life are always welcome and entertaining (my old married self has half the adventures she has) and she's just such a crafty story teller, any time spent with her leaves me with cheeks sore from smiling.

Then, I had the opportunity to host my immediate family's Christmas celebration in my house. It was the first time in the past three Christmasses that we were all together, and it was such a breath of fresh air. It was just so good to be together. Simultaneously bittersweet, since my grandfather is no longer here, though the memories of hosting that sweet man on Christmas last year (in the house for which he did so much) kept my heart warm. Good family time, wherever it happens, is such a blessing.

Today I had the good fortune to spend an extra few hours with one of my closest friends, re-live college memories together, and just get caught up on life things. With a smile and a story for everything, and a quick wit that makes my belly ache from laughter, time with her is so precious. And then, we got to cap it off with dinner and a fabulous production of A Christmas Carol with other college friends who are dear to my heart. These special get-togethers involving lots of laughter and conversation have become a little holiday tradition for us (this was our third time; so hard to believe we're that far out of college).

At the end of the night I get to come home to our little house, festively dressed in it's one row of little white lights. Our little house has brought us many an adventure, and will continue to do so, I'm sure, but has also brought such precious memories. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us in this place.

When I walk in the door, there lies my amazing husband, fast asleep on the couch, exhausted from working four 4:00am-12:30pm shifts this week. Even after six years together, he still makes my heart melt. Just the sight of him, sleeping so peacefully that he barely rouses when my clumsy self enters the room makes my heart swell in praise to God for such a man. This man who works so hard, loves me so deeply and unconditionally, and always keeps a smile on my face -- I get to have him as my husband.

Reading another dear friend's post about the real reason for Christmas left me in awe of a God who would so humble himself because of his love for me. His love for me caused Him to need a Mary, walk this earth, suffer betrayal and feel the sting of death. That my God set so many things in motion to rescue me from myself and give me the chance to be with the One who loves me most . . .

God's grace in my life just overwhelmed me tonight.

His blessings are so rich and plentiful, far more than I could ever really deserve. But He does it because He loves me. He loves me that much, and all the good things he gives me in this life are there to serve as reminders of just how much He cares for me.

So, may this holiday season cause you to take stock of God's blessings in your life. May you remember how wide and high and long and deep is the love of Christ for you, and may it cause you to glorify Him with your life.

Perhaps, in the end, that's the spirit of Christmas. Or, at least, that's the spirit I'm feeling this year.

The strongest man in the world

I'm sitting here snuggling a quilt that my grandpa made. He learned to make quilts when his legs were run over by a truck at the cement factory he worked at. The pedal on the sewing machine was good therapy for his legs, so I'm sure Grandma put him to work doing something useful. This quilt was his most treasured creation -- a postage stamp quilt, with 1.5" squares. There are hundreds of those little squares, made from fabric salvaged from old shirts of his and my late grandma's or fabric that was given to him by the people in his little town. You see, he was a rock star of sorts, because he lived to be 103, still driving to the next county to renew his driver's license when he was 101. He was known around the little town as a man who would get up on his neighbor's roof and help repair it when he was in his 90's. Stubborn to the fullest extent of the word, but with a quiet strength that kept him on the earth for these 103 wonderful years.

My grandpa was, without a doubt, one of the strongest and most wonderful men in the world. I'm sure it sounds like a sweeping generalization, but for those of us who knew him, it rings true. His approach to life was something of an inspiration -- he never seemed to worry or get stressed out, he sort of just let life happen. Even in these last two years, when his he was finally beginning to act his age, that same spirit endured.
"How are you doing, Grandpa?"
"Oh, I'm just a-going"
That was nearly always his reply. He knew that it wasn't in his control to change things or make things better or worse than they were. He knew he just had to "keep going" and do the work he's been given.

My grandpa had an ornery streak to him as well. He loved to walk by and suddenly clap his hands in my sister or my face, tease us, and play around with us. Even a month ago, when he was in the hospital, that ornery streak continued, giving the doctors and nurses (and us) a good laugh. But, he always did it with his gracious grin going from ear to ear, so we knew it was his little way of showing us just how much he cared. I think that smile is what I'll miss the most.

Anytime I heard my grandpa pray, he always ended his prayer with this line. "You've been a real good Lord, and we thank you." Despite all of the hard things he had to endure in his long life, his faith in the Lord's goodness and providence never wavered. In that way, his faith is an example to me, and I pray that my circumstances will never cause me to doubt who God is and what he does in my life, like Grandpa never allowed the things of this life to change his faith.

My earliest memories of my grandpa are of him running around outside his little house, playing ball, tag, or whatever my heart desired. In my head, he's not older than fifty, but in reality he was in his late eighties. It was his approach to life, his faith, and a dash of his stubbornness that kept him around this long, and I'm so glad I got to share so many years with him. While I'll miss him here on earth, I know he's been given a new body that is worthy of his strength and will never make him tired again. After 103 years in the same one, I'm sure he was more than ready to trade up for a better model.

Miss you so much and love you dearly, grandpa.

Kindergarten Korner

We explored the ways our bodies can bend today, and then practiced those motions while keeping a steady beat (there are important neurological connections being made, as silly as it sounds!)

So we're bending our elbows to the steady beat (in the same way one would do if they were flexing). All the kindergartners are doing a great job and are mostly on the beat and following me. Well, that is everyone except for one of my students, who we'll call Little Man. It's a fitting name, actually, because he likes to think he's grown.

Little Man has rolled up his sleeves to show-off his "muscles." He's flexing those tiny little biceps with all his might.

Aaannnnnd he's kissing them. Kissing each bicep, one at a time, just utterly in love with them.

But, he's doing it with a steady beat, so I just decided to let it go. 

For a day like today

It seems so strange that it's been only ten years. I remember walking to Mr. Fahrmeir's history class, passing through the library and seeing those images on the TV, thinking the librarians were watching a movie. In class I discovered it was not fiction, but real hatred played out in its worst form. It feels like a lifetime ago, not a mere ten years. I have no real memory of a world without "terrorists" and "orange alerts" and security at airports and "wars on terror"; it's amazing to think that this much has changed in ten years.

Jordan and I missed class at church this morning because we were riveted to the TV, watching the replay of events from that morning, living it like it was happening all over again. We couldn't turn our eyes away, feeling the emotions as if it was the first time, not the tenth. Strange to think that even ten years later those images still produce the same raw emotion as the first time.

As soon as I reflect on September 11, I can't help but remember September 12 and all the flags lining the streets. I remember the unity and the courage our country showed in the face of such tragedy. (There is, of course, the tragedies our own ugliness created in the weeks after, and the bigotry and racism that still persists. That is an unfortunate scar that makes the wound even uglier.) But, even in the face of that, we still joined together in support of the survivors and their families and the first-responders, rightfully calling them heroes. Never in my life have I felt so connected to strangers; I've not felt that exact same way since. For a moment we were truly united.

I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. 

For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
or causing them sorrow.

Lamentations 3:20-23, 31-33, NLT

There is hope in the midst of suffering for those who love Him. Because of His love, we have hope that no matter what we bring into this world through our ugliness and bitterness and hatred, His compassion can still cover us. His mercies are new every morning, with faithfulness and compassion and Love that knows no bounds. It is a choice to pursue this hope, both as a human and as a believer.

I choose to pursue this hope because I know there will be days like today.

But, praise God, my hope brings Tomorrow.

Easy way to impact my students!

To get the funding we need to make our classroom flourish, my elementary music class is participating in an exciting program called Yahoo! Homepages for Homerooms. Yahoo! has partnered with DonorsChoose.org to donate up to $200,000 to help classrooms like mine across the country.

From now through October 16, 2011, Yahoo! is donating $25,000 each week across projects that receive the most homepages (up to $600 per project). Help make sure our class project is one of them!

You can help - it’s simple! Just go to my project (see the information below), and follow the prompts to make Yahoo! your homepage. You can vote once in this 8 week cycle per each email address you use. Yahoo! is the leader in online child safety, and they’re investing in education – what could be better?

Our project is called Our Music, Our Heritage, and through it we’re trying to get better drums for our classroom. Simply go to yahoo.homepagesforhomerooms.com, click “Find a Project” and type the project name where it says “Project ID.” Then click “Vote Now” and follow the prompts to quickly and easily support our project.

Yahoo! will also send out extra credit opportunities to earn even more votes for our project. Feel free to participate in these opportunities as well.

If you'd like to learn more? Visit yahoo.homepagesforhomerooms.com for details. Or, if you feel inspired to give monetarily, follow the link in my sidebar to my DonorsChoose page and make a donation to either of my projects (one is only $111 away from being fully funded!!).

Thanks so much for your help! Feel free to forward this information to anyone you think would help.

They're back!

And so am I. Back in the real world, away from the freedom of summer. I'm definitely glad to be back with the kids (it always amazes me how much they grow in two months. I think I have a harder time dealing with them getting older than their parents do!) but I'm very sad to see summer's free and open schedule gone. While we did A LOT (have you seen our kitchen) I still don't feel like I finished everything I wanted. There's still so many craft projects, sewing projects, things to be cleaned and organized . . . but, who's to say that I won't be able to do those during the school year? Maybe I'll be better about that this year . . . I'm sure the mister would appreciate it.

I've got some exciting things on tap this year, like Bobcat Pride, our new after-school honors performance ensemble. I'm hoping it will be a great motivator for our kids, and it will give me a chance to do some of the more elaborate performance pieces that I simply don't have the time to do during the year. We have a new curriculum and pacing guide, which is VERY helpful but will definitely stretch my teaching this year. I'll be doing some PD and hopefully getting teachers more comfortable with activities that are friendlier to students who learn kinesthetically and musically. (And no, spell check, kinesthetically is spelled correctly thankyouverymuch)

It's gonna be a good year. I'm really really hoping sure of it.

Investing in my students

So, blogosphere, I'm going to give you a wonderful chance to make a difference for my students.

I *finally* got around to posting a few projects on Donors Choose for a few Conga drums and some speakers (imagine, a music teacher having quality speakers! That project will be up in a few days). Check out my page, read a little about my students, and even give a little if you're feeling so inspired! Also, I'm following my friend Alyssa's example, and posting a permanent link to this page in the sidebar.

http://www.donorschoose.org/mrs.wiarda

Thanks in advance for your support!

Tomato Garlic Chicken with Cous-Cous

Jordan and I created this recipe while searching for something a little healthier and it's definitely one of our favorites.  So favorite that we made it for our anniversary. It's very simple, too, as that's the only thing I like to cook!

You'll need:

 1 pint (or whatever size container you have) of grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2-3 cloves garlic, minced. Or more. Garlic is good.

1 lb. Chicken breasts or tenderloins (we used tenderloins here)

Your favorite seasoning mix (we use Mrs. Dash)

Salt

Pepper

Chicken stock

1 box garlic flavored cous-cous

Olive Oil

1. Cook cous-cous according to package directions.

2. Go twice around the pan (probably will be about 2 tbsp.) with your olive oil and turn burner to medium high.

3. Season your chicken with the seasoning mix and salt and pepper.

4. Once oil is hot, brown chicken until cooked thoroughly.

5. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan. Add more olive oil, once around the pan, and once oil is heated, add garlic. Let cook for about a minute or until you can smell the garlic, then add the tomatoes. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.

6. Deglaze the pan by adding a splash of chicken stock. Be sure to rub the bottom to get all those delicious bits off of the bottom.

7. Let this get happy and warm for at 5-7 minutes, or until the tomatoes are melt-y (squishy? shriveled? I don't know the technical term) and the chicken stock has reduced significantly. You can squish some of the tomatoes down with your spatula, too, as this will help create a sort of sauce. It'll be more like a broth, but incredibly tasty.

8. Add the pan again, and let this get happy for another 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is heated again.

9. Make a bed of cous-cous on the plate, and then put the Tomato Garlic Chicken over the top. Make sure to add a spoonful or two of the delicious sauce-broth over all of it.

And then, if you're really feeling really nice to your husband, make him this for dessert.

Recipe here!
But, no matter how much your husband wants to eat it, it has to sit in the freezer for a long time first.
Otherwise all the ice cream squishes out, and you get sad because it's not pretty anymore.
Also, if you really want to make him happy, use hot fudge instead of chocolate sauce.



Thrift Hits

The thrift stores I frequent tend to be very hit and miss, resulting in more hits than misses. However, yesterday proved to all hits! I've been looking for accent pieces for the space above our new cabinets (didn't have that before!). Yesterday finally yielded some yellow and orange accent pieces for above the cabinets, as well as some other vases for which I've got nifty plans. Then, Jordan found a Kindermusic instrument, the exact name of which I don't know, but it was $.99, so I snatched that. AND I got a skirt. Told you it was a day of hits, no misses.

Small sounds HIGH, big sounds LOW. That is science we should know!

Linen Merona (Target)  for $3.99. I have this same skirt in coral.

Flash bleaches it out, but this is to give you an idea of the length. I love it!

Stay tuned to see what happens!

Grandma's Earrings

I'm winding up for school starting again (three weeks!!) and getting super productive around the house. I saw something like these at an antique store a while ago, along with a bulletin board that I'm going to make tomorrow (stay tuned!), and knew I had to make them. They were super fast and honestly took around 5 minutes, including removing the backs of the earrings.

I had my dad bring back some of my grandma's old jewelry, combined them with some of my broken and single earrings (where does the other one go?), put some hot glue on the back, added a thumbtack, and voila! Chic pushpins. These are so much more fun in my craft room, and I can't wait to add them onto that bulletin board I'm making tomorrow.

Now I know we're married.

Despite having our second anniversary on Monday, I am now 100% convinced that Jordan and I are really a married couple. Here's an excerpt from the conversation we had regarding what to eat for dinner:

N: I don't want to go out to eat.
J: Well, I don't want to cook.
N: You haven't been wanting to cook lately.
J: Who says I cook in the summer?
(In my head: "I do!" with a good deal of sass)
J: Oh whatever. (Not missing a beat, and with the same tone he uses when I'm being sassy.)

Yep. He can now read my mind. Either that or I'm sassy far too often.

We'll go with the first one.

The finished product!

It's done! It's done! It was a loooong month, full of LOTS of work and very little sleep, but it's done. And here is photographic proof!

The cabinets I finished myself. Yep, that's right. I never knew I was so handy. Oak cabinets are not our fav and weren't our first choice, but we got them for such a great price that it was worth it in the end. But the ugly stove is staying for a while thanks to the moldy floors and drywall.

That landing beside the fridge wasn't there before. And all of those drawers (which will have pulls once we  find the tape measure . . .) tripled the amount of drawer storage that I had before. We now have six drawers, and before I had two. Yep. I'm excited.

 The counter tops are my second favorite part of the kitchen. Really anything is an improvement from the ugly faux butcher block laminate mess that was there before. AND the sink is integrated into the counter top, so away go the toothpicks and the awful task of cleaning that edge where all the grease and grime accumulates.

The tile!! My number one favorite thing about this kitchen! It's a mix of gray toned glass and various natural stones including white marble (gush!). I was determined to get that pretty stuff into our little house somehow. All Jordan had to say about this tile was "I think it has some marble" and it was in the cart. Immediately. The other tile was purchased at Habitat for $.10 a tile (compared to the $.22 we were going to spend on the same thing at Lowe's.)

We went with a light grayish blue for the wall color. It's fun to watch it change throughout the day from bright blue to steely gray. And I love the orange accents with it and can't wait to figure out how to incorporate more.

Things I'd made for the green kitchen still work really well with the new kitchen, which means I have less new decorating things to find/create :)

Our beautiful new floors! We went with the spice brown (thanks for all your input) and couldn't be happier. As you can tell, it turned out to be much richer than initially thought, and I absolutely love it. And I love it even more because they were done while I was at camp and I did nothing but write a check to make them look this pretty.

The bathroom even got a new floor. Not the greatest picture, and the bath mat blends perfectly, but you get the idea. Much improved from the stained white linoleum that was there when we bought the house. How does one stain a floor purple and florescent yellow? Actually, I'm not sure that I want to know.

So there it is. Our little house is all of it's shiny new glory. I think it's pretty happy with the changes. I'm also shocked that we did this, albeit with help from family and friends, but we did this. Call us brave, naive, young and stupid, whatever, but by the grace of God we made this happen with our own two hands. No one died in the process either, and we're still married. All good things in my book.

I think our pride in our work will last for a very long time. So long, in fact, that I think we'll never do anything like this again. Or at least we'll pay someone else to do it. 

Help! I need somebody. . .

. . . 's opinion. We're having our hardwood floors refinished next week, but we are at a loss as to which color to chose. We know we want dark, but that's all we know! 

1: Spice Brown; 2: Dark Walnut; 3: Coffee Brown; 4: Medium Brown; 5: English Chestnut

Jordan doesn't really see a difference between most of them, so he's left the choice to me (though he prefers the Spice Brown). I'm leaning towards the Spice Brown or English Chestnut (1 & 5). Originally I was in love with the Dark Walnut, because it looks vintage and old, but now that's the reason I don't like it. We're not old, and the house isn't vintage enough to warrant a cool antique looking stain. I think. I like the Spice Brown because of how well it goes with the furniture, but that's also the reason I'm leaning away from it. Matchy-matchy is not my thing. The English Chestnut coordinates with the furniture and the light oak cabinets and it isn't too dark, so I have no fear of my house turning into a cave, (my concern with the Spice Brown). I just can't decide!

So tell me what you think, especially between the Spice Brown and English Chestnut.

The long awaited master bedroom reveal

Better late than never! Can't figure out why the pictures won't go in order, so you'll unfortunately have to deal. I know, I know, I make you wait forever and then I don't do the pictures right. 

Someday I'm sure you'll forgive me.

We don't have real nightstands, just these cheap shelf-things.
Someday we'll  be grown-up enough for them.

I bought this little elephant at Savers for $4. It was nasty looking with streaky brown glaze. But I loved him so much I bought him and gave him new life with a can of Krylon. And now it's my favorite part of the room!

The dresser side. I really like the height the free mirror from my parent's basement added, but I think I want to move the candlesticks a little further south. It would make the tall mirror even more dramatic.
Also, this is my favorite paint color that I've done to date. I'm desperately in love with gray.

New fan! It only took my poor husband a bajillion hours to put in, thanks to a screw that just wouldn't let go.
It liked the nasty brass fan better. Luckily my smart hubby won that battle.

I made those little stick things from the abundance of branches I have in my yard, tissue paper, craft glue, and beads. The milk glass vases I had, and the candle was $4 with coupon from Michael's. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself!

That 8 foot wall of curtains only cost $65! We made the curtain rod out of conduit pipe, wine corks and store-bought finials and mounting brackets (bought on super clearance + coupons at BB&B.)The curtains are actually shower curtains from Target that I no-sewed ribbon loops on. They were slightly pricier than I wanted to spend at $20 a piece (yes, I'm cheap) but I loved them and never found anything else I liked better. But, it was overwhelming to have three panels. It made our tiny room feel very closed in, so I bought the sheer for $5 at K-Mart and was much happier.

Curtain detail. I absolutely love them. If I didn't have curtains everywhere else,
I might have bought them and put them everywhere.

All in all, we spent $100 on this room, including paint and supplies and all the knick-knacks, but excluding the fan. I'm playing around with the idea of doing a darker gray on the curtain wall, but that's still just an idea  in my head. What are your thoughts?

What goes up, must come down.

 Kitchen is ripped out. Loads of surprises found along the way, and I'm stinkin' tired.

We discovered the source of the funky smell in the cabinets -- mold! Everywhere! This is the result of a kitchen drain pipe that was only loosely attached until we had a flood in our living room last summer, and a water line for the fridge that was never completely shut off. Both were fixed once we got the house (the latter was our very first fix-it project for the house; we walked into our house as homeowners for the first time and found a giant puddle in the corner of the kitchen. It was a wonderful welcome to home-ownership . . .)

The new cabinets are hung, walls are painted, but since there is still more to do, I'm not going to show you those pictures yet. 

Drywall that's never seen the light of day! And also Sam, who volunteered to help for two days in a row. 
He even stayed to help muck out the mold and rotted sub-floor. Thankful for great friends.

Taking out the tile I've always hated!

Who would have thought that mucking out houses after Katrina would prepare us to fix our kitchen? This was the surprise find that was throughout the kitchen. None of the work we did on the sub-floor or drywall was planned at all, but at least we now have a mold free kitchen!

Another view of the nastiness -- can't believe we've lived with this for a year!

The damage extended as far as there were cabinets. From the entryway you see to the other side of the wall, all of that had to be removed to the floor boards. We started with just one chisel, and I quickly got sent to Home Depot to get more!

Tar paper = floor boards! Praise God they were sound and untouched by the water damage!

That's my "I hate mold in my kitchen" face.

SO GROSS! Glad it's gone!

. . . but not enough to remove the nasty linoleum and find the mold growing rampant in the kitchen.
Apparently we love Julie more.

We found three different vinyl tiles, at least three different kinds of wallpaper and four different paint colors in the kitchen. Apparently our kitchen has had quite the life in it's 60 years. Lots of stories, I'm sure.

Stay tuned for more!

Oh, hello carpenter ants!

It's so very nice to see you again. It's been so long since last you invaded our space.

I'm flattered by your love for our little house, though I'd prefer it if you lived amongst the stumps and trees we've left for you in the yard. You, then, must know our friend the woodpecker, who prefers our gutters and asbestos shingles to the aforementioned trees.

Obviously, we parted on good terms, since you came back again. Well, no fear this time friend. Our intentions will be made quite clear.

The exterminator is being called tomorrow. And he will be given a license to kill. Prepare ye to meet thy Lord.


(Oh, and by the way, I know Him, too. And I think He likes me better.)

Summertime, and the livin' is easy.

And by easy I mean sweaty and incredibly productive.

In my first 2.5 days of summer break, here's what we've done:

1. Put another coat of Golden Oak stain on the cabinets

2. Organized the garage

3. Mowed the lawn (that one was all Jordan. I refuse to mow have allergies.)

4. Ripped up hallway carpet and removed all nails and tack strips.

5. Bought most of the tile for the back splash at the9. ReStore for cheap!

6. Went to a concert, or at least stood outside the gates to hear Mumford and Sons. I cannot even tell you just how much I respect their music and their performance.

7. Had friends over for s'mores and hot dogs and FIRE!

8. Put the final coat of stain on the cabinets -- cherry on top! tehe!

9. Removed cabinet doors on the current cabinets in preparation for DEMOLITION next week!

10. Put in a corner garden bed where no grass grew in the yard. Not even weeds grew there, and that's saying A LOT because we mostly have weeds.

11. Put in a circular garden area around the old clothesline pole.

12. Planted a little garden area around the bird bath my dad brought back from my grandpa's house.

13. Bought plants for above gardens. I made a commitment! All. by. myself. That's a big deal, folks.

14. Slept in (believe it or not!) for two days in a row!

Whew. Now we're off to a fish fry at a friend's house. Never been to one before, so it should be a fun experience!

 

A Post for Mother's Day

God chose a mother for me who would teach me to love and honor Him in everything, to draw strength from Him alone. A mother who would raise me to be a confident woman who behaves like a lady. She taught me to love laughter and good friends, to invest in the lives others but not to be a doormat, and to fight for what is right. She modeled for me a passion for seeking knowledge in God's Word and to work hard at everything I do. Not to mention she is an amazing teacher. I've met a many of her former students and I have yet to hear anyone say anything less than how influential she was in their lives. I hope I turn out to be half the teacher she is. I'm grateful for my mother, and while our relationship was not always peachy, I've grown to appreciate her as a friend and a role model. She is such a blessing to me.

I'm also blessed to be given the dream mother-in-law! She loves me like a daughter and helps me to be more easy-going. I have friends who dread visits from their in-laws. Luckily, I'm not one of them, and we are well on our way to cultivating a fantastic relationship. In fact, when ever she comes to visit, she just hugs my husband and then she and I spend the next hour chatting! 

And there's one other woman whose one choice to give me better changed the course of my life forever. I think she'd be quite pleased to know that decision worked out so beautifully. While I don't consider her my mother, as that role was filled by God's perfect choice for me, I'm eternally grateful that she loved me enough to want better for me. Adoption is a beautiful thing.

How blessed am I.

PS. Someday, I'll post those other pictures as well as our kitchen updates. Promise.

Master Bedroom Makeover - Before Pictures

Since we moved into our little house almost a year ago, we have decorated and painted nearly every room in our house except our master bedroom. This was mostly because we couldn't agree on a color scheme, bedding, or anything aside from the fact that we did not want an oversized duvet cover. We did hang some stuff on the wall and eventually bought a plain white well-fitting duvet cover, but the room needed help. Here's proof!

We lived with the bed blocking the entrance to the room for a long time. Decided we hated it about a month ago, and we had to figure out how to re-arrange it.

The only problem with the bed on the opposite wall was that the window was not centered and did not create symmetry. I. must. have. symmetry. It makes me crazy otherwise.

View from the wall where the bed used to be.

Nasty old ceiling fan that we hated. Don't worry, it's gone now!

Stay tuned for the after pictures! I'm excited, and you should be, too :)

Maybe it's a bad thing my students are so comfortable with me.

I have always been mistaken in appearance as younger than I am. Always. When I was student teaching in middle school, I needed a band-aid from the nurse to fix a nasty paper-cut (me = wimp. I'm okay with it.) However, before the nurse could give me a band-aid she needed me to clarify if I was a student or a teacher. Mind you, this is happening mere months before I graduate college, become a real teacher, and get married, and she wanted to know if I was a student. at. the. middle. school.

Not so lately. In the eyes of my students, I'm apparently beginning to look quite weathered. Today, one of my students was looking at a picture on my desk from my wedding (taken less than two years ago) and was confused as to why I had the picture. He was asking if it was my sister, having a hard time believing it was me. I thought it was simply because I was so fancy in the picture, since they have never seen me that gussied up, but no. No such luck.

He said "Well, if that's you, then that picture must be really old. Must have been taken in like 1999 or somethin.'"

. . .

(Also, is 1999 really that long ago? Geesh!)

Then later, at choir, I told the kids that I had sung a song they're currently learning when I was in eighth grade. To which one student retorted, "Wow. This song must be really old then."

. . .

So, in my not-quite-two-years of teaching, I have gone from being mistaken as ten years younger to 10 years older than my actual age. Maybe, just once, someone will mistake me for my actual age. A girl can hope, can't she?

Either way, I'm starting to think the relationships I've worked so hard to build with my students for the last two years have begun to backfire. At least I know they feel safe to speak their mind, even if it's making me think Botox.

Honduran Loves

I know I'm a little late, but I wanted to join in on the Portrait Party over at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures. While these are not portraits taken specifically for this project (seeing as I'm sick and not in Honduras) these are some of the photos I'm most proud of. They were taken back in '08 while we were on a mission trip in Honduras. These kids still have my heart (along with my 500 students . . . guess I've got a big heart?) and they were easy subjects to photograph. Great lighting (hello Honduras!) and great subjects allow even the least gifted of photographers to get great pictures!


Precious girls with lots of personality.

 


If I hadn't been in college, I probably would have taken Kingler home with me.
She is as sweet as she is gorgeous! I used my camera to make this picture sepia.
I like that the background was overexposed, as it brings more attention to her gorgous face!

 


Some may not like the way I cropped this one, but it's one of my favorites from the whole trip.

 


This picture completely represents Lucito, the only boy in an all girl's orphanage.
He is the defintion of a ham (probably from getting lots of attention). I love this guy . . .

  I am most happy with the personality I was able to capture in these shots. I literally took hundreds of pictures, and that's what I learned from shooting here. Take lots and lots of shots, because in the end, you can't ever completely recreate the environment or the feeling in that moment -- and that's what makes for a good portrait!

So I'm linking up (never done this before!) with the Portrait Party!

Proceed with caution -- radical politics ahead!

As in the radical politics of providing our children with the best public education possible, even in a recovering economy! I know, I'm crazy, but I just don't think that public education should bear the burden of fixing our nation's budget woes. The quality of my students' education should not be sacrificed to the budget gods! What follows is a letter I sent to my congressmen -- you should send one, too!

I am writing to you to discuss my fears regarding Washington’s current stance on education, specifically the language in Continuing Resolution H.R. 1, and the impact it has on my students’ education and available educational programming. I am well aware of the budget crisis facing our great nation; however I am distraught at the thought of our already struggling public education system sustaining any more cuts in funding. Few agencies affected by the budget deficits are also entrusted with the responsibility of preparing the future presidents, senators, representatives, doctors, teachers, and technicians that will guide our nation toward bigger and better things. My fear is not for myself, my income, or my retirement, but that my representatives in Congress have no knowledge of how the proposed cuts will affect the 500 young minds I am charged with inspiring and educating on a daily basis.

The majority of the proposed cuts will drastically affect educational programs, specifically Arts in Education programming. These programs provide essential enrichment activities for students, many of whom are from rural communities in Kansas and would otherwise miss out on these opportunities. Arts-based programs are proven to promote more authentic learning, collaboration across the curriculum, and the creativity necessary for problem solving. Moreover, study after study confirms the necessity of these enrichment activities (or so-called “extras”) as they play a pivotal part in learning theory, thereby making enrichment programs essential, not optional. I cannot accept that cutting funding for these critical educational programs is the best way to solve our budget problems because I know there are more options available. Surely Congress is creative enough to find other ways to reduce the budget that will not directly impact students? What about ending the tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of the country and fixing corporate tax loopholes? While cutting this funding might provide a short-term solution, the long-term ramifications to our students’ education are simply not worth it.

I am also repulsed by the banter in the Republican Party about what is happening in Wisconsin, most specifically the regarding the value of teachers. I have heard prominent Republicans refer to teachers as “part-time” workers who are earning “too much,” doing whatever they want to do with no accountability because they can “never be fired.” This sort of speech shows sheer ignorance on the part of the Republican Party and in no way whatsoever represents the realities of teaching in the public education system. I am held accountable for everything that I teach my students, and I know the same is true for every one of my colleagues. Teachers tend to the educational, emotional, and physical needs of hundreds of students every week. For anyone to imply that we are over-paid babysitters is absolutely ignorant. You or any member of your staff would certainly be welcome to spend a day in my classroom to garner first-hand experience with what it’s really like to be a teacher under NCLB.

I am sure that as my senator you will make my voice heard. Education is far too important to the future of our America to offer it as a sacrifice. Education is a necessity, not a privilege, guaranteed to every American student, and as such it should not bear the burden of fixing our country’s budget problems. In the interest of all of your current and future constituents, please find another way to balance the budget.

Design springs from necessity. . .

. . . and in my case, crafting emerges from a desire to have a home, not a house, without a whole lotta moola to make that happen.

So, I thought I'd share a couple of my crafty projects that I've done to make our house feel more like a home. That, and I was home sick today, (ear infections + subsequent limited ability to hear = sick day for a music teacher) so I finally had a chance to take some pictures of my craftiness, you know, between naps and David Tutera CNN. My priorities are right.

Latest craft. Next to the fun stamps, my favorite part is that the edges are lined with a different print, but sadly no picture I tried to take was post-worthy. Just trust me that it's wonderful, and its message is an imporant reminder for me as I walk out the door.

  

 Done on metal roof tiles we had leftover from another project. Since I have no fancy Silhouette, I printed the letters at home and cut them out very carefully. I think the "r" is too big, but I'm not bothered enough to re-do it!




Sorry about the bad picture, but our kitchen is the one room without a window in it. Center print was a wedding gift that we love. Frames were $1 each at Michaels, ebony-stained and then collaged with scrapbook paper I already had. $4 display? Yes please!



Baby picture of my precious momma! She thinks this is the only cute picture of her, ever, and I might agree, since she is pretty stinkin' adorable here. The colors in this picture served as the inspiration for my craft/guest room, though the walls are not nearly as blue as they appear in this picture.





 My crafty spot! The desk was inherited from the 'rents, but I painted it and added new hardware. The  ice-cream parlor chair shined up nicely after a lot a little elbow grease, a new coat of paint, and new fabric. If you like the fabric, I'll pass the compliments along to the twelve year old who picked it out. She's awesome, and since I couldn't decide what I wanted, I told her she could choose her favorite. I did the same thing with the paint color in the room, though that was chosen by my grown-up friend, not the baby I once sat. (baby I once sat upon? the adorable kid I watched? Oh how I wish I was clever.)

 



Detail of the chair bought for $5. With paint and fabric, I think I spent $15 total on this. I <3 it.





I covered some jewelry and check boxes for some extra storage for small craft supplies. It was the perfect fill for the little niches in the desk, and gives my tiny craft space some extra storage and style.
Happy crafting results in better crafts!

If you want any more information about anything, feel free to ask! Also, bonus points to the person who finds me in one of the pictures!

I've done two posts in as many days. How will you contain your excitement?