tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27519078302776434712026-08-29T02:04:37.034-05:00I am living single in Small Town America, but being single is not all this blog is cracked up to beGifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-55519326396699752562014-09-24T22:17:00.001-05:002014-09-24T22:17:26.139-05:00

This is my busiest time of the year for sure! As a high school English teacher, I am trying to keep up with all the grading. That is a full time job for sure! I am also the sponsor for our Student Council ,which is in charge of all the Homecoming activities. And Homecoming happens to be next week. MAJOR stress. Oh, and I am also a class sponsor, so I have to organize the all the stuff the class

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-30846495351652676832014-09-20T17:20:00.001-05:002014-09-20T17:25:35.558-05:00

No, I didn't make a dress that looks like a cupcake. I like a few of Katy Perry's songs but not enough to dress like her! I had a friend commission me to make a Princess Anna cupcake dress for her youngest daughter's birthday. I had made a princess cupcake dress for my niece's birthday a few months ago, and my friend had seen it and wanted to know if I could make one for her daughter. My

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-62725092955660876512014-09-15T18:22:00.001-05:002014-09-15T22:04:26.802-05:00

Obviously I haven't posted in a long, long time. I am the type of person who tends to really get into something and throw everything I have at it. The problem is, that it is never a slow, steady burn, but more of a quick, hot burn that ends up burning out way too quickly. I get this from my Dad. He tends to get into expensive hobbies that cost a lot of money (like laking and diving), drag the

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-54244718654734944972011-02-01T21:13:00.000-06:002011-02-01T21:13:50.145-06:00

So...it's been awhile. I've been really wrapped up in my photography lately.  I've been doing a 365 this year and it takes quite a bit of time every day. To keep up with my photos, you can check out (and follow!) my photo blog Views From a Small Town. Okay, so with the apologies and plug out of the way, on to the Storm of the Century! The Midwest was hit with what everyone has been

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-8262849832509522011-01-05T06:20:00.000-06:002011-01-05T06:20:16.890-06:00

It is six in the morning and I have been up for almost an hour. I HATE mornings. So why do I get up so early? It is the only way I can function. It takes me about 3 hours to really wake up and for my brain to kick into gear. My friends usually think I'm crazy when they find out that I get up so early if I don't have to be at work until 7:30 (even though I get there at 7). To be fair, I am

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-81678528125941313272010-12-26T19:58:00.001-06:002010-12-26T19:59:25.057-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and remembered the reason for the season. I am saddened when I think of how many people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ without recognizing it in any way; some don't even know that is the reason we even have Christmas... We give presents because the Wise Men gave presents to the baby Jesus, not because Santa exists. Speaking of presents, I was a

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-64414183262331654682010-12-23T00:41:00.001-06:002010-12-23T01:00:06.756-06:00

This year has been an experience. A huge part of that experience has been my weight loss. I am within 5 pounds of having lost 100 pounds! I started Weight Watchers the second week in January of this year, and I hope that I will have lost 100 pounds by the second week of January 2011. A hundred pounds lost in a year...I can't even imagine. Me after losing almost 100 pounds The other day some of

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-51764579313659058312010-12-18T09:57:00.000-06:002010-12-18T09:57:42.961-06:00

I opened my email the other day and there was a letter in there from my aunt about a Christmas get-together at her house this weekend. Due to the fact that my generation has all gotten married and has other families to include in their Christmas celebrations (which kept them from coming to ours), we started getting together the week before Christmas so everyone could be there. Instant

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-46063543647681541342010-12-12T07:00:00.029-06:002010-12-12T07:00:03.826-06:00

This weekend is the yearly Christmas Cantata. Every year my church and another local church get together to put on a Christmas Cantata. Maybe you know what a cantata is, and maybe you don't. A cantata is a vocal composition that is made up of a choir and various solos, duets, trios, etc that is set to music. I'm not sure if Christmas Cantatas are done much in larger cities. I would think

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-87107113866099075262010-12-11T07:00:00.036-06:002010-12-11T07:00:02.431-06:00

What are all those single women out there looking for in a man? Thankfully, what attracts each person is usually a little different from what attracts the next person. If that wasn't true, man would have become extinct sometime shortly after Adam and Eve. Personally, I like tall men (I am 6 foot myself) with dark hair, thin, but athletic build (think basketball/baseball players, not football or

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-19577610897609542282010-12-05T08:53:00.000-06:002010-12-05T08:53:13.706-06:00

One of the downsides to living in a small town, especially my small town, is having to drive to a larger city to do major shopping. Unfortunately, my small town is almost 100 miles from a city large enough to have any major shopping.  This does, however, make shopping an experience, one that can be a lot of fun if you go with the right person(s). My mother and I made a "quick" trip to

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-40369896213551701602010-12-02T07:00:00.017-06:002010-12-02T07:00:04.829-06:00

As an addition to yesterday's post, I thought of something else that really bugs me when it comes to Facebook...  Couples with one FB account. Example: Jim and Samantha White  I have been seeing this more and more. First off, I have NO IDEA who is commenting. Is the wife? The husband? How am I supposed to know? Who liked my status? Who commented on the picture I posted. Who thinks

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-4485491817897191852010-12-01T07:00:00.002-06:002010-12-01T07:00:01.561-06:00

This is my blog and I reserve the right to be petty and vent about things that bug me if I so choose.  Today I've decided to rant about FB status updates that bug me. Here are a list of things that I either get tired of seeing, or think people shouldn't do... 1. Constantly updating about how awesome your kids are. I cared the first time, maybe the second...I'm over it. 2.  Pregnant

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-8582503238434479752010-11-28T07:00:00.033-06:002010-11-28T13:47:26.738-06:00

I'm sure Thanksgiving is important and full of traditions no matter where you live in the US, however, I can't imagine that Thanksgiving is quite the same in the big city. Here in the small town, families often still live around each other. Even those who move away, will often come back for the big holidays. I love Thanksgiving. It is full of tradition, family and food!  This year I

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-76515114415039919112010-11-27T09:18:00.000-06:002010-11-27T09:18:14.315-06:00

At this point, I've lost 90 pounds. Although I've gotten rid of most of my old clothes, however, there are still a few things I've kept around. One of my favorite articles of clothing is my old 3X hoodie. It's now huge on me and I've been wearing it a lot lately.  As I was wearing it around the house the other day, I got to thinking about how girls often wear their boyfriend's shirts,

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-28397840506584433082010-11-16T07:00:00.001-06:002014-09-15T21:14:28.324-05:00

It is official...I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which is a lifelong disease. The good news is that my doctor has assured me that we caught it early and I won't end up looking like this... I like my doctor and he is conveniently located within 20 miles of home and 40 of work, but when I went to visit him the other day his office had switched from being a clinic to an extension of the hospital.&

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-57934111664060073232010-11-14T07:15:00.000-06:002010-11-14T07:15:11.390-06:00

It's here! One of the most important times of the year for so many people in the Ozarks...Deer Season.  Schools are canceled and people take off work. Seriously. My school takes of the first Monday of deer season. A few of the more rural schools in the area take off the whole first week of deer season.  I cannot believe they do that, but... The reason schools do this is because of

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-37628411769890463752010-10-30T07:00:00.000-05:002010-10-29T22:57:42.555-05:00

I think one of the hardest things for single people to do is just enjoy life. There is so much pressure for singles to find Mr. or Mrs. Right. The pressure begins to overtake everything else in life. I think it is time for singles to just embrace life and enjoy it! I am a big proponent on letting things happen naturally. I just don't think the best thing in life come from forcing them to

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-82841955180317460682010-10-25T21:21:00.000-05:002014-09-15T21:27:27.924-05:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I have been having trouble doing just about anything I don't have to because of my joint pain. By the time I get home, I'm wiped. This last week has been the worst yet and I just couldn't get myself motivated to write a post. Unfortunately the pain affects my mood and I've been a little depressed lately. A person can only take so much constant pain without

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-10842805797230407932010-10-13T16:57:00.000-05:002010-10-13T16:57:56.547-05:00

I'm really getting behind on my blogging. I just haven't felt like taking the time. I've been super busy at work trying to get papers graded and lessons planned, so I've been staying late most days. Then there is the joint pain... I went to the doctor last week, then had my blood drawn. Found out that I do have elevated levels of inflammation.  The ortho doctor (hand specialist) that I saw

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-12431101356687969122010-10-09T08:48:00.000-05:002010-10-09T08:48:48.921-05:00

If you are single, you have had someone try to set you up with a date. For me, this is one of the worst parts of being single.  I always feel like less of a person when someone tries to set me up. Maybe that's just me, maybe other people don't feel that way. I have been set up with a couple of doozies in my day, and so I do not allow people to set me up anymore. Yesterday, one of my

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-17795155512884498692010-10-04T19:58:00.000-05:002014-09-15T21:37:11.928-05:00

For the last year I have been living in pain almost daily. I could probably count the number of completely pain free days on my fingers. Every time I have some new pain, I just tell people it is one of my "random pains".  I feel crazy; at least I feel like everyone else probably thinks I'm crazy. I've blogged about this before. For the last three weeks I have been having consistent joint

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-73833503375495596572010-10-02T15:00:00.002-05:002010-10-02T15:00:42.964-05:00

Sorry there isn't a Single Saturday this week.  It has been super busy this week with Homecoming at my school. I've barely had time to sleep in the last week, let alone blog. Here's hoping you enjoy your weekend!

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-36492600096911751942010-10-01T07:00:00.025-05:002010-10-01T07:00:08.854-05:00

I was reading (okay...skimming) my People magazine the other day and saw an article about grandparents raising their grandkids.  As a high school teacher, I've seen a lot of this. It seems that more and more kids are no longer living with their parents for one reason or another. In the high school we have a lot of students that don't live with their parents, and it isn't just because they

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2751907830277643471.post-9635017844765326742010-09-27T07:00:00.044-05:002010-09-27T07:00:10.385-05:00

In my never ending question to be the most popular non-famous person on Facebook (562 friends! woot! woot!), I was sending friend requests out to old high school acquaintances the other day. During this befriending frenzy, I noticed that one of the guys I went to high school with no longer went by the same last name. In fact, I only knew it was him because he put his old last name in parenthesis.

Gifts of Naturehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04818559999152919110noreply@blogger.com4