Something Beautiful

Kitchen Before Pictures and Ideas

2012-02-08T14:47:00.009-05:00

I have so much homework due tomorrow! My first SLP observation report, a big research paper, and signatures from 5 oral mechanism exams I had to complete. But I have a good chunk of my work done, so I'm going to let myself have a little break to blog about our house project. It's been in the back of my mind all day anyway.

My focus today is the kitchen, because it needs a lot of work and because it will be my sanctuary. It looks like a nightmare, but all I see is a blank canvas that needs a whole lotta love. I can't wait to get my hands on it! Here are the "Before" pictures:

(PS - during some weird fluke with a Walgreens clearance ad mistake, Luke surprised me with a new P & S camera that he bought for $17!! Believe it or not, I've used nothing by my iPhone camera for the past year. I'm not complaining, but having an actual camera works better in situations like this where there's not much natural lighting. That's what I used to take the "before" pictures)

Okay, now for some ideas! Here's what we plan to do:

New light fixture/fan. Paint all the cabinets and put beadboard between the counter and cabinets as a backsplash (it's cheap and easy and we can paint it). We will paint the ugly paneling a very pale blue color. Cute hanging light fixture in the window. Little breakfast nook in the corner. Replace ugly brown fridge with the white one that's now upstairs. build shelving on the empty wall.

Inspiration photos:

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: simplyseleta.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: leblahg.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I don't know why that last picture is aligned to the left, but there doesn't appear to be anything I can do about it. Thanks again, Blogger, for making things impossible.

Anyway, there are some cabinets above the stove that I think we will leave open and paint the inside like that last picture. Maybe we will add beadboard in there too, because I like the way it looks.

I'm so excited!! I can't wait until all the boring stuff is done (Refer to Monday's post where I talked about scraping glue off the floor), and I can get to the fun part: painting and decorating!!

***

As I've mentioned before, Luke and I are no strangers to DIY-ing and renovating. Our kitchen in the upstairs apartment was a million times worse than the one downstairs. Here's the before and after of our project there. See? A little tlc makes a big difference :-)

Before

(actually, I didn't get a before picture. This was after we had all the ugly stuff torn away and the cabinets mostly painted, but you get the idea)

After

Whirlwind of a Weekend and some Big News!

2012-02-06T11:59:00.011-05:00

So much transpired this weekend, I feel like I don't even know what happened. I know I usually do my 1000 gifts updates on Mondays, but I'll try to do that later this week when I have a little more time to think.

Anyway, over the course of this weekend I...

...spent Friday shadowing a speech pathologist in the school where I sub and I loved it!

...Became a bridesmaid for my friend Lindsey's wedding! I'm so excited. she was in my wedding,too! And she asked me in the cutest way:

...attended a birthday party and a Super Bowl party where I got to see and hold lots of cute babies

...Watched my cousin's baby take some of his first steps.

oh, and there was one other tiny thing too:

... We ripped out a wall in our house and spent hours upon hours this weekend cleaning and working on renovations. Because...

...WE'RE MOVING!!

See? Whirlwind. Where are we moving, you ask? Right downstairs in the same house we live in now.

If you're new around here, I'll give you the "Reader's Digest" version of our home story. Right after we got married we had the opportunity to buy a house that has three apartments in it. My grandma lives in the back one, we live in the top one, and we had renters in the bottom one. A great situation for us.

If you'll remember about a week or so ago, I wrote about how we had a big need and I was trusting God to meet it. Well, the need was that our downstairs renters had the opportunity to buy a relative's home, so they moved out.

So then we had some decisions to make. When we first bought the house in October of 2008, we really wanted to move into the bottom floor. Call me crazy, but I didn't love the idea of walking up 20 + steps every time I needed to enter my house. Especially with groceries! However, when we bought the house, there were already renters in both downstairs apartments, but not upstairs. And the upstairs needed the most work. So it made sense for us to move up there and fix it up while we lived there.

But now that the downstairs is available, it's our chance to fill it and rent out the upstairs apartment (which has been newly renovated by us).

It would have probably been easier for us to just rent out the downstairs apartment. But Luke and I just couldn't resist the challenge of fixing it up, and making it the perfect, cozy home for ourselves.

So here's a quick pros and cons list for moving:

Pros:

~I can park in the front by the entrance, and I don't have to walk up all those steps

~We now can use the huge, wrap-around porch!! I keep picturing myself out on a porch swing in the summer sipping sweet iced tea, or barbecuing out there with friends.

~You guys, there's a FIRE PLACE. A dream of mine has always been to have a fire place in the living room. It isn't exactly in working order at the moment, but Luke assures me we can make it work.

~ The living room is huge and open and has beautiful windows. And we made it huger this weekend when we removed a wall. Because we're crazy.

~ It has high ceilings, and I can't wait to get a bigger Christmas tree.

~ Huge bedroom with more beautiful windows.

~ Bigger kitchen

~ A tiny bedroom that would be perfect for a cute little nursery

~Direct access to the huge basement (Living upstairs we always had to go outside to get to the basement).

Cons:

~Even though the rooms are bigger, we are actually losing a lot of square footage

~It will be kind of a weird layout, as our bedroom will be right next to the kitchen. We are no strangers to weird layouts though, so it should be okay.

~ I won't have same-floor laundry anymore, and I'll have to go to the basement for that.

~Extremely reduced storage space. there are only three small closets on the first floor compared to the massive closets in every room upstairs. However,it will be helpful that we'll have direct access to the basement. And Luke is already talking about building a wardrobe for the bedroom.

~ Smaller bathroom

~It will be a lot of work. Luke and I really do enjoy this kind of work though (or else we never would have bought such an old house) so this won't be so bad. The areas that will need the most work are the kitchen and the bathroom. And we also ripped most of the carpet out. The carpet was glued on top of beautiful hardwood floor, just like in our hallway upstairs. So we are litterally scraping the glue off by hand. Because, again, we are crazy.

Glue-scraping progress after about 4 hours. See? Crazy.

I feel like we have just started another chapter of our lives! Posting may be sporadic in the next few weeks as we're renovating and moving and I'm also juggling classes, homework, and substitute teaching. But blogging is my outlet, so I bet I'll still be posting at least a few times a week :-)

All You Need is Love

2012-02-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

I got my old dresser as a birthday gift, and it has quickly become one of my very favorite pieces in my house. It's right in the hallway where I see it every time I walk from one room to another. I've decided to try to change it each month! Or at least with the seasons. So yesterday I changed it for February, with an obvious love/Valentines Day theme.

Super simple, but I didn't want to overdo it with the Valentines Day thing. I like it better this way :-)

This month I just grabbed a few red and pink candles I had stored in a cupboard, put the Amaryllis I got from my grandparents for Christmas on a cute plate, hung up the "love" print that was in our bedroom, and printed that sweet "love chapter" printable. I think it's cute! I've been wanting to make some sort of heart garland too, like the heart one found here, but I'm trying to be honest with myself and I realize that the possibility of finding time to do that is probably nonexistent at this point. Oh well!

I found the plate a long time ago at Goodwill for $.50! I think it originally came in a gift pack from Bath and Body Works. I love thrifting :-)

I found this print a few years ago at Hobby Lobby.

And this FREE PRINTABLE I found on Pinterest (where else?) is my favorite part.

I'm happy with the results of my update, and it literally took five minutes.

I love celebrating each season and the fun things that each month brings. I've really enjoyed making this focal point of our home reflect that!

Looking back...

Here it was in January with the snow theme:

And December, all decorated for Christmas:

(The drawers are almost never pushed in right. I try not to be too OCD about it :-P)

Do you decorate for Valentines Day?

I Believe...

2012-02-01T15:01:00.007-05:00

I felt like I needed to clarify a few things from yesterday's post, and I'm just feeling passionate about some things today. So this post was born. I threw in some fun ones too to break up the seriousness.

I believe:

...that our president deserves a little respect. Do I agree with him in most areas? No. But I can't think of too many jobs that would be more difficult or more stressful. And I get really sick of the hateful comments I see from a lot of people. Disagreeing is one thing, but mean, nasty jokes and comments are completely another. I guess this is one of the reasons I wrote my post about politics yesterday.

...That every winter should be like this one. Snowy for a day or two, and then warm the next few so it melts right away. I'm kind of liking the blue-skies-in-January thing too.

...that people who disagree with us deserve a little respect. This was also my main point yesterday. We're never going to all get along. Friendly debate can be a good thing. But I've seen a lot of "friendly" debates turn ugly. I've seen friendships end because of hateful comments made during political debates. This is not okay! That's what I meant when I said, "We need to stop letting the party line separate us."

...that some days you just need some chocolate!

...that as Christians our main job is to LOVE PEOPLE. Not condemn them. Not separate ourselves from those who believe differently than us. But to feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. And above all, LOVE LOVE LOVE. Call me a hippy if you want, but that's what I believe. We need to share Christ's love through ours!

...that these two are pretty good replacement babies for the ones I don't have yet

...that I can be a Republican and still think it's okay to be environmentally conscious. (to be completely honest, I'm not environmentally conscious. But I wish I was. I was just using that example for the sake of this point). Do I think it's more important to save unborn babies than trees? Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to try to save the trees too. This is what I was talking about yesterday. That I'm a Republican, but that doesn't mean I disagree with everything a Democrat might believe just for the sake of disagreeing.

...that everyone needs to read this book (and most people probably already have! I was late getting on the bandwagon)

...that it's okay that I don't let myself get totally wrapped up in politics (hence my decision to stay off of Facebook on election day next year...until I realized election day was also my birthday :-P) I'm going to be totally honest with you: I literally panicked the day Barack Obama became president. Mostly because he is so opposite of most of what I believe. But I think in the past 3 years I've grown up a bit and realized that no matter who the president is, God is still God. No matter what the President believes or what happens to our country, God is unchanging. I can't put my faith in my government just like I can't put my faith in any human thing. I have to put my faith in God. That doesn't mean I should quit fighting for what I believe. But it does mean that no matter what is going on around me, I don't have to worry or stress out about it because God works all things together for good.

And with that, I think I'll cool it for awhile with this political/serious talk. I don't often write about things like this because I have this horrible "disease" where I basically get my heart broken whenever someone disagrees with me. Ha! But I'm learning to build a thicker skin and to just not care. That's the reason we live in a free country, right? So we can believe and practice whatever we want (within reason/the law, of course). My point is just that we should agree to disagree sometimes instead of hurting others!

My Thoughts on Politics

2012-01-31T21:59:00.004-05:00

Alternately titled: "Can't we All Just Get Along?"

Already, social media is BLOWING UP with information and opinions regarding the 2012 Presidential Election.

I get it. It's a BIG DEAL. And we should all be passionate about what we believe and stand for!

However, the thing that's bugging me right now is how we are all so busy trying to be RIGHT, that I think we're forgetting what's important.

Yes, some of us are Democrats. And some of us are Republicans. And whatever else.

But we are all Americans.

we are one nation, under God.

And I'm certainly no expert. But I think if we would all come together and stop trying to be so right all the time, we might get somewhere! We need to stop letting the party line separate us!

On Sunday, my pastor mentioned that he's a "Republicrat." And I liked that. I like to think of myself the same way.

Yes, I lean strongly toward the Republican side of things. But there are some areas in which I agree more with Democrats. I think the best way to vote is to strongly go with what you think is best for our nation. Not strictly with what your party believes.

Those are my two cents, and I feel very passionately about it!

***

As a funny side story, last year on election day, everyone on Facebook was arguing and complaining and being very negative all around. I found myself in a bad mood because of it.

So I promised myself I would not log on to Facebook on election day next year.

Well, I recently realized I didn't know the exact date of election day, 2012. So I looked it up.

Turns out, this year is going to be just like the year I was born:

This year, just like 1984, my birthday happens to fall on the first Tuesday of November. During a presidential election, no less!

And everybody knows your birthday is the most fun Facebook day of the year!

So anyway, in some crazy oxymoron sort of phenomenon, November 6 will the best and worst Facebook day of the year for me. What are the odds? And what a dilemma! ;-)

Be.

2012-01-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

God is showing me it's okay to just be. I don't have to always be busy, and I don't always have to be worrying about "what's next?"

I've been taking time to "unplug" more often. To put away the distractions and open my eyes.

I have to ask myself: a month ago, would I have seen the gift of raindrops clinging to branches during a January thunderstorm? Would I have recognized the blessing in the little white sheep souvenir brought to me all the way from Dublin? Would I have noticed the simple pleasure of fluffy whipped cream atop a steaming mug of hot cocoa?

I'm not sure that I would have. But last week I did. And that in itself is the biggest blessing.

Just some of last week's blessings:

65. Melted snow

66. January thunder storm

67. Getting to know people in my classes

68. Rest after a long day

69. Lunch date with a friend

70. Unexpected free gift card

71. A little piece of Ireland from my sister's trip

72. Belly laughs

73. Check marks on the to-do list

74. Fun open mic night with friends

75. Cute chocolaty drinks

76. Saturday with nothing on the agenda

77. Days slowly getting longer

78. Warm forecast for most of the week

79. Anticipation of reading a book I've been looking forward to for awhile

80. Beautiful white-out

{it appears we have come full circle, weather-wise, this week}

***

Born in the Wrong Era

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've always felt a tiny bit misplaced in life.

In second or third grade I read Molly's series of the American Girl books. I remember wanting to be her.

When I was 12 years old, my favorite TV show was I Love Lucy. In 1996.

And now that I'm all grown up, I have a strange fascination with anything involving 50s housewives.

I think I would have fit in pretty well about 50, 60, or 70 years ago. I would have loved to have grown up during that time. (Aside from the fact that I can't imagine life without my iPhone).

So you can imagine my excitement when I discovered Mad Men about a week ago!

Don't get me wrong...I had heard of the show. I don't live under a rock. (No offense if you actually haven't heard of the show. If that's the case then I'm a jerk). But somehow I thought the show was about the Mafia or something. How I got that wrong impression, I have no idea! Anyway, if you haven't seen it, it's about a fictional ad agency on Madison Avenue. (hence the name "Mad Men.") It is set in the 1960s. (hence the reason why I am beyond obsessed with it).

Do you watch this show? The actual theme and tone are a bit depressing. However, the beautiful sets and costumes more than make up for that in my book.

The main family in the story is the Drapers. And here is their beautiful home. Just look at those cars! *swoon*

Oh to have a dining room/dinner party like this one. Maybe someday

via

It all just makes me nostalgic for a time that I didn't even exist in

I understand that AMC is probably overly-romanticizing everything. But I still love it.

And what do I love most about the whole thing?

Betty Draper.

via

She is such a glamorous housewife! I want to wear a big dress, heels, and pearls like that while I do housework!

She is who I want to be when I grow up :-)

via

Now, I've only watched about five episodes of season 1 so far. And I'm not sure...but I have a hunch that Betty is about to completely lose her mind and go totally crazy. But I'm ignoring that for now because I love her so much.

Do you watch Mad Men? I'm so excited I discovered it! It's available for instant streaming through Netflix...in case you didn't know :-)

Current Reading Love

2012-01-25T10:16:00.011-05:00

Over the past year or so, I've become increasingly interested in biographies and autobiographies. I used to think they were boring, but obviously I was way off base. I'll take a good biography over a fiction book any day (with a few exceptions).

I started my biography obsession last year when I read Life, in Spite of Me by Kristen Jane Anderson. It was a book about a girl who had tried to commit suicide by jumping under a train. She miraculously survived, but lost both of her legs. The story was an incredible story of hope, and I loved it!

Next up I read Unplanned by Abby Johnson. It was about a woman who had worked for Planned Parenthood and then changed her whole stance on the abortion issue. The book was great to read for anyone on either side of the issue.

This year I've jumped into the biography/autobiography thing with both feet. I finished Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman a few days ago. It is the story of the Chapman family (as in, Steven Curtis Chapman) and their journey through adoption and ultimately, the tragic loss of their youngest daughter. The book was so good and totally inspired me to want to adopt. Even more than I was already inspired! Make sure you read it with a box of tissues.

I'm currently in the middle of reading Tina Fey's autobiography, Bossypants. I will add a disclaimer that I do not agree with everything in the book, and there's definitely some language in there. But for the most part, I can't read more than a sentence or two without laughing out loud. If you like her and that type of random humor, you will be in stitches if you read this book. (I always read on my Kindle in between classes at school in the atrium where a lot of people hang out. Last week I was reading Choosing to See and wiping away tears, and this week I'm reading Bossypants and suppressing giggles. People are going to start thinking I'm crazy!)

I just received another Amazon gift card as a thank you for pet-sitting the week of Christmas. And I've decided I think I'll spend it on two more biographies I've been wanting to read:

Kristin Chenoweth's A Little Bit Wicked

And Gabby Giffords' book

I don't know where this obsession has come from, but I just love reading/hearing interesting stories about people. Maybe that's why I read so many blogs, too!

What are some other biographies I need to read??

A Fun Surprise!

2012-01-24T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love surprises! And I got a good one last Tuesday...

I had had a long day of classes followed by Luke's volleyball games at the church. By the time I walked through the door at home, I had been gone for roughly 14 hours, just like every Tuesday.

I can't even begin to tell you what a wonderful surprise it was to walk into the kitchen and see this after such a long day:

Luke surprised me with a Keurig!! I had broken my coffee pot a few weeks prior, and he went behind my back and bought a Keurig instead of a replacement coffee pot. I was so shocked!! I have wanted one for awhile.

The next day I promptly went out to buy some K-cups. There were so many to choose from!! But I finally settled on this butter toffee flavored coffee.

I liked it, but I didn't love it. I kind of wished I had just bought straight coffee so I could use my favorite go-to creamer (Coffee Mate's white chocolate caramel latte). Anyway, I have a gift card from Bed Bath and Beyond that I got for my birthday, and I've decided to spend it on K-cups.

So I need some help: what is your favorite kind/flavor/brand of K-cups? I know there are tons of different kinds, and I may just end up buying a variety pack. But I feel overwhelmed with all the choices, and would love some recommendations :-)

And I have to sign off by saying a big THANK YOU to Luke!! It was such a fun surprise, and I really loved it!

It reminded me of the time Luke surprised me with another "just because" gift back when we were engaged: a waffle iron.

Maybe my love language is small kitchen appliances??

Eyes on the Prize

2012-01-22T22:39:00.016-05:00

As I mentioned on Friday, Luke and I heard some news last week that has slightly shaken us. We're really on the edge of our seats, waiting to see how God answers all of our questions and prayers.

My natural reaction would be to fret constantly about the situation. But looking for the gifts in every moment has kept my eyes on what is important. When I fix my gaze there instead of my fears, the fears lose their power.

This week's gifts:

45. Four-day weekends

46. Green traffic lights

47. A husband who helps carry in groceries (without being asked!)

48. My favorite study area on campus

49. Interesting classes that I love

50. Watching Luke do what he's good at

51. Coming home to a BIG surprise from Luke!

52. Afternoon pick-me-up courtesy of my new Keurig

53. Sweet blog comments

54. Parking deck at school so I don't have to scrape snow and ice off of my car at the end of the day

55. All-wheel drive

56. Walking in the door at home after an hour and 45 minute drive through ice and snow

57. Winter sunshine, spilling through curtains

58. Ellie in a cuddly mood

59. Baby gift shopping with Mom

60. Four deer out in the snow

61. First birthday celebration

62. Afternoon spent with my sister and brother-in-law looking at Ireland pictures

63. Family pizza nights

64.. The promise that God will always provide.

***

The Only Place to Fall

2012-01-20T09:11:00.005-05:00

It was a warm, spring afternoon, and I was taking a walk with my good friend Sarah. She may not even remember this. But we were catching up, just talking about life. I spoke to her about the possibility of quitting my full-time job, and going back to school in the fall.

I can't remember the exact words she used in her response, but they went something like this:

"Wow, that sounds like it will be really hard. But it will be an excellent chance to stretch your faith. The best situations for stretching our faith in God are those where we have nowhere to fall but into his arms."

Sarah can correct me if I got this quote totally wrong. but I know it was along those lines. And the major gist of what she was saying has stuck with me until today.

This year has definitely been a faith-stretching year, since I did end up quitting my job and going back to school. The first few months I found myself worrying a lot. I didn't know how we were going to make ends meet some of the time.

Finally, by about October, I had a revelation: God was going to take care of us. It didn't matter how few days I subbed or how many bills we had. As long as we trusted, gave back our first fruits, and asked Him, God provided. In many cases we even had more than enough, which made absolutely no sense since we had so much less money coming in than normal.

Yesterday we got some news. We could look at this news as a huge stresser. At this point, there are a lot of questions and we can't see any answers yet. All we know is that all of a sudden we have an immediate need, and we have no idea how it will be met. We are officially out on a limb, with nowhere to fall except His arms.

What we do know is that God won't let us hit the ground. He is there to catch us, no matter what. He has simply provided us with another situation where His power will be proven.

So today instead of worrying and trying to answer the millions of questions in my head, I am choosing to rest in His peace. I can't wait to find out how He will put all the pieces of this situation together in His perfect way. And when He does, I will definitely share all the details here in the hopes that this chapter of our story will help others to see that there is a God, and that He is a mighty, powerful God. He always provides if we seek Him first.

***

Before I sign off, I just want to thank everyone for your sweet comments on my last post. I really don't write posts like that for sympathy, but instead to hopefully show others that there is hope in every bad situation and that God has a perfect plan in mind. But your comments made my heart happy, and brought me a lot of encouragement!

Happy Friday!

Verbal Spill

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've tried to write this post about four times and it just keeps coming out whiny and all wrong.

So I'm just going to let my thoughts spill out. If you know me well in real life, you know that this is pretty much how I communicate: I just talk about whatever comes to my mind. My dad calls it my "stream of consciousness." So here you go:

I've heard and seen tons of pregnancy announcements lately. And you better believe Satan has been using them to make me feel completely isolated. He's feeding me lies like crazy. Telling me that God forgot about me. That He just doesn't want me to be happy, and that my infertility is a punishment because of some unknown yet unforgivable thing I've done in my past(look in the Old Testament and see how God often punished women...I'm sure you can see how Satan uses that to plant major paranoia and fear in me).

I can recognize the lies for what they are. However, they cross my mind multiple times a day, and it's gotten worse with the pregnancy announcements.

Sometimes I want to lock myself in my bedroom and close my eyes and cover my ears so I can't hear about anymore pregnancies until I have my own to announce. So many friends are "ahead of me" in life. And not just a bit ahead of me, but they've lapped me twice because most are expecting their second child (or third).

The thing is, my hands and arms feel so empty. I just know they were made to rock a newborn; to change diapers; to give baby baths; to wipe tears away; to give big bear hugs.

***

Today Satan wants my arms to be empty. He wants me to be so focused on the emptiness and pain that I miss one really important fact:

My arms were made for more than just baby-holding.

Maybe the reason they're empty right now is because God needs to fill them with something else. Maybe He wants me to take the comfort He has given me in the past 19 months, and use my empty hands to comfort and bless others.

I need to fill them with something:

A broom or paintbrush to turn my house into a haven for my little family and those we invite into our home.
A cookie sheet, baking up a blessing for someone who's lonely
Things that I can give away to someone in need
A textbook, getting ready for the future God has for me
Hands folded in prayer for others who are going through this ugly infertility or other bad situations
Etc. The possibilities are endless.

And there is the revelation. My verbal spillage always seems to result in a treasure.

I knew there was a reason 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 showed up in a sermon and in the book I was reading on Sunday:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."

Maybe sometimes we have to go through pain in order to feel God's comfort and pass it on to others.

***

And just like that, you have been brought through the crazy maze that is my thought pattern. Kudos to you if you made it this far :-)

I am off to let God fill my arms. It seems silly to let them sit idle simply because they are not filled the way I want them to be. I'm glad that He has had victory in my heart today: in a day when I really wanted to curl up and sulk.

Looking for Joy

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

This week had its fair share of annoyances and inconveniences.

In spite of those things, when I look back on the last seven days, I only see joy. During those annoying and inconvenient situations, I looked for blessings, and always found them.

Instead of focusing on the bad things, God is showing me to be thankful for the following instead. What a full week I had!!

27. Beautiful new bed, compliments of my handyman husband

28. Delicious, new dish for dinner shared together

29. Good weather and no snow or ice on my drive to school

30. Beautiful, blue skies during a walk through campus

31. Sweet notes from students

32. January Raindrops

33. A restful night of sleep after two that weren't

34. Classrooms with windows

35. Starbucks smell wafting through the lounge

36. New scarf

37. Gabby, always making me laugh

38. Long visits with Grandma

39. Snowflakes floating by my window

40. Surprise visit from a friend

41. Movie date night

42. Sunday morning worship

43. Sunday morning fellowship

44. Burgers at our favorite place

***

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

2012-01-13T12:56:00.011-05:00

I like to write posts like this from time to time just to share the great things I've discovered lately! So here are my favorite things lately (yes, half of them are books):

1. The Hunger Games trilogy

Some of the best, most entertaining books I've ever read. I could not put them down!

2. One Thousand Gifts

I've written about this one enough already, but the things I learned in this book are changing my life.

3. Choosing to See

This book is written by Mary Beth Chapman (Steven Curtis Chapman's wife) and I'm only halfway done, but it is so good. I haven't gotten to the tragic part yet. But anyway, the Chapmans are very passionate about adoption, and even have a foundation that helps couples with the cost. I was reading through the chapters about adoption at school yesterday in the atrium of the floor where my classes are...cried like a baby. I need to stop reading emotional things when I'm out in public! Ha! Anyway, this book is just fueling the flames that have already started in my heart regarding adoption.

4. Muenster chicken

I found and pinned the recipe awhile ago, and finally got around to making it last week. It is so good, and really easy!

5. Scarves.

Luke says I have too many scarves, but I just love them so much! I got three more for Christmas and have to fight the urge to wear one every single day. The one in the picture above was a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law Maria. I believe it's from Body Central and I'm obsessed with it!

6. Dark Chocolate Sensation Swiss Miss

The best instant hot cocoa ever. Period.

7. Kindle Fire

Yes, I'm still obsessed with it. No, it has still not left my hands for very long since I opened it on Christmas Eve. I've read almost 4 books on it, played so many games, watched movies...etc. I have lots of little breaks between classes this semester, and my Kindle is the perfect thing to fill that time. I'm in love.

What are you loving lately??

January Raindrops

2012-01-11T19:05:00.006-05:00

I exit the school building and enter the gray. Rain falls, and my boots slog through puddles. I roll my eyes and duck my head.

I pass someone in the parking lot as they mutter angrily. One word reaches my ear: "unbelievable."

And just like that, my eyes are opened. It is unbelievable. It's raining! In January!

Suddenly everything changes. I look up and let the cold drops sting my face. I splash through the puddles and delight in the drizzle.

The rain becomes a gift: a piece of spring.

It's all about perspective.

Bedroom Makeover: New Bed!!

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

In the past year, I've been in the process of making over our bedroom. Here I posted about the picture I had in my head, and here I posted when I updated the bedding, curtains, and pillows.

Well, this winter Luke decided to add a big update: a new bed! He made it himself. Little-known fact about him: he is very artistic, and has a great eye for nice things, so he is very talented at making furniture. (He has also made our coffee table, end tables, hall tree, and TV stand/entertainment console).

So here it is! I love the monogrammed headboard, and I think he did an excellent job! It's so special when he makes things, because I know they will be in our family forever.

(The picture quality is not the greatest because I took them with my iPhone after dark. But you get the idea :-) I'll have to take better pictures when there is natural light available).

Obviously, all that wood kind of darkens the room a bit, so I can't wait to paint the walls a lighter blue/gray color!

I'm so excited, and so thankful to Luke for working so hard on this! I love it :-)

A New Perspective

2012-01-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

This first full week of opening my eyes to the things around me has been amazing. It has surprised me as I am finding so much more joy in the everyday blessings of life. My attitude of entitlement is slowly decreasing, and I can't wait to see what God continues to do in the coming weeks and months.

The count continues:

6. New blanket of snow

7. Football game days with friends

8. A warm house during a snowstorm

9. God's promises

10. Hot soup on a freezing cold day

11. Ellie, purring in my lap

12. Lazy days before school starts again

13. Lighting my favorite candle in the evening

14. Hot chocolate to warm me through, after shoveling snow

15. House smelling like heaven when I walk in the door after work because supper's been cooking in the crockpot all day.

16. New recipe success

17. Empty laundry baskets

18. Long, hot showers full of deep thoughts

19. Warm day in January

20. Growing Amaryllis

21. Sunshine

22. Soft lips

23. Clean sheets day

24. A breakfast date

25. Hard-working husband

26. Sunday afternoon naps

***

Advice from a Former Ballerina

2012-01-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I'm taking some serious liberties in calling myself a ballerina, but just stay with me for the sake of this post :-)

I took two years of ballet in high school and sometimes received compliments that I possessed a natural grace -- that has to count for something, right?

Anyway, I went to ballet class every Wednesday night for two years with my best friend in high school. We were on danceline together at school, and took ballet because we knew it would help us build our strength, flexibility, and grace.

We spent our Wednesday evenings practicing our plies, arabesques, jetes, and chasses. We perfected our turn-outs and positions.

And then we spent a significant part of our class-time working on turns: piques, pirouettes, and fouettes.

We worked for what felt like an eternity on our turns! Luckily, turns were my favorite. Because while they were difficult, it just felt so good when I got it right!

Anyway, when I began classes, I couldn't believe how difficult a simple turn was to execute. Every single part of my body had to be lined up perfectly. My weight had to be distributed just right so as not to throw off my center of balance.

And above all, no matter what, the most important thing to remember when executing a turn was to spot.

Here is a definition courtesy of Wikipedia if you're not familiar with "spotting" :

Spotting is a technique used by dancers during the execution of various dance turns. The goal of spotting is to attain a constant orientation of the dancer's head and eyes, to the extent possible, in order to enhance the dancer's control and prevent dizziness.
As a dancer turns, spotting is performed by rotating the body and head at different rates. While the body rotates smoothly at a relatively constant speed, the head periodically rotates much faster and then stops, so as to fix the dancer's gaze on a single location (the spotting point, or simply the spot)

Spotting was the most important element of the turn, and for that reason, we were taught the skill long before we tried so much as a pique turn.

Because as long as a dancer keeps her eyes fixed on one spot, she will keep control. She won't become dizzy, and she probably won't fall.

But without spotting, everything falls apart. The world begins to spin out of control, and more than likely, the dancer will come spiraling to the floor, all sense of equilibrium gone.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

This week, God is teaching me that life is nothing more than a series of pirouettes: difficult to begin with, but completely impossible if you don't keep your eyes fixed on Him.

Lately I've had a hard time keeping my eyes on Him. I've wanted to look around at the things in my life. Or better yet, the lack of things. The fact that I'll always fall short, I'll never be "good enough," I'll never accomplish all the things I plan, or attain all the possessions I want.

The moment I start looking at those things (which really don't matter anyway), everything falls apart. My world spins out of control.

...Until I find my "spot" again. When I remember to keep my eyes on the Father, everything rights itself, and life becomes beautiful. I become beautiful in it, because I am the dancer, and He will not let me fall!

I realize that I don't have to be perfect. In my imperfections, God shines through. He is strength in my weakness. He's the one keeping me going.

What a beautiful reminder during a time when this world was doing everything imaginable to make me fall.

Don't lose sight of your spot!

Post-Christmas Week in Review

2012-01-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

I know this is late, but I wanted to remember the highlights of the last week of 2011! I'll skip Christmas because I already recapped that :-)

So here are some highlights from the week following Christmas:

~I spent most of my time relaxing, watching movies, reading, and playing on my new Kindle. I read 2.5 books the week after Christmas: Catching Fire, One Thousand Gifts, and half of Mockingjay. I'm really going to miss all this free time next week when the semester begins.

~Tuesday evening was fun! We went out shopping with JC to spend some gift card money and we went out to dinner. then I went to the church to watch Luke play volleyball. He is playing in a competitive league this winter with lots of friends, and it's really fun to watch!

~On Wednesday we went out to dinner with our friends Sarah and Doug (my cousin and her husband). Then we went over there for a little while so Luke could help replace Sarah's cracked iPhone screen since he's fixed about 3 of them now, and we had fun playing with her Baby Hudson. Fun night :-)

~ Friday was the TSO concert! We go every year. This year we went with Luke's Mom and sister. It was a great show as always! Afterwards Patty treated us all to dinner at Rockne's. YUM is all I have to say about that :-) It was a great night out!

~We spent New Years Eve at a party at Sarah and Doug's house! It was just a few friends. We played a fun game, enjoyed the cute babies, and brought in the New Year!

What a great week of relaxation, friends, and fun! This week has been much the same. However, I am subbing today and tomorrow, and then next week my world gets crazy again as I go back to school with another 16 credit hours this semester. I'm so thankful for this peaceful time before the craziness begins again!

White as Snow

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I finally got around to putting the last few Christmas decorations away.

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time deciding what to do with my house in the months following Christmas. In the spring and summer I can add bright colors and flowery touches; in the fall my house is filled to the brim with warm oranges, reds, and browns; and for Christmas it's all reds, greens, silvers, and golds. But winter? Hmm, that's a tough one.

As I was packing away my last Christmas trinkets, I looked out my window, and there was my inspiration:

Snow! White! What could be more perfect for winter?

I'm going through kind of a "white" phase anyway. I have to fight the urge to paint all my walls and furniture white, because I think white on white looks absolutely gorgeous.

Anyway, the area I targeted Yesterday was my new dresser. Which just so happens to be white :-)

This is how I had it decorated during the Christmas season:

And this is what it looks like now

I like it! Simple. And white.

I replaced my Christmas names of Jesus printable with this free one I found here. Technically it's a Thanksgiving printable, but I thought it would be a good reminder of my count to 1000 gifts. And the frame has a bit of a blemish in the top left corner so that's why I covered it with a red bow for Christmas. But for the winter, I made a cute little puff out of coffee filters.

Then I threw in a few white candles, my little white lantern that I got for about $4 at Ikea, my old copy of Little Women (I LOVE old books!) and my homemade chalkboard.

It used to be my menu chalkboard, but I just liked this idea better. I thought the lyrics to that old hymn would be perfect for my snow/white theme.

I also explained this here, but to get the words to look like that, I found a couple fonts I liked, typed out the words I wanted to use, printed them out, colored the back of the paper with chalk, then placed the paper on the chalk board and traced the words on the paper with a pen (pressing pretty hard). I had to go over the words with chalk again on the board because they weren't showing up enough. It wasn't too difficult, but I'm thinking some chalk markers may be in my future.

Is it perfect? No. But that's sorta what I love about it :-)

And that's that! My house is now ready for the long winter months. Next project? To paint the bedroom so it's ready for our new bed! Luke is making a bed frame, headboard, and footboard!! I am very anxious to see how it will look in our room, and I thought the walls needed a fresh new color too(pale bluish gray).

2011 Resolutions Revisited

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

In 2011 I made a big list of goals I wished to accomplish during the year. Resolutions, if you will. I didn't share it on the blog, because in years past I had failed miserably. Well, this year I did better than normal, so I thought I'd share now. I guess maybe keeping them secret all year was key??

1. Complete Project 365. Fail. I have tried this two years and failed both times during the summer. Clearly I am not cut out for it, and I've decided not to feel bad about it :-)

2. Read at Least 30 Books. I ready 26 out of 30, and that's pretty good considering the fact that I spent 15 weeks studying during every spare moment and couldn't read for leisure during that time.

3. Complete at least 6 DIY projects. Complete! I actually did 9:

Altered curtains (counting it!)

Made these frames, which I now hate, but that's not the point :-P

Julie's bridal shower banner

This dry-erase to-do list

Rolled paper flowers in frames...one of my favorite projects!

Rolled fabric flowers used for various things

My chalkboard menu

Painted dresser which I'm in love with

Poinsettia Wreath

Is it just me, or do they get better as the year went on? I hope that means my 2012 projects will be better still :-)

4. Lose 10 pounds. Well, I guess I kind of get half credit for this one. In the spring and summer I was doing great, counting calories, and swimming laps every day. I lost 9 lbs! ...and then gained them all back in the fall when I started drinking coffee (with lots of sugar and fancy creamers) and maybe eating a lot when the stress of studying became overwhelming as well. I really need to work on this.

5. Figure out what I'm going to do about the job situation. Complete! I knew I needed a change in my life, and I made it when I quit my job and went back to school full time!

6. Buy a dSLR camera and an iPhone. Half credit. I bought the iPhone but not the camera.

7. Finish reading the Bible. Fail. And to be honest I've really been struggling with my daily reading as well. I hope to improve in this area this year.

8. Cook/bake/make at least 30 new dishes. Complete! I actually made 34 brand new (to me) recipes last year! I think that's pretty great :-) I mostly have Pinterest to thank. I listed them with links and starred my top 10 favorites. Because I have OCD.

saucy Mexican chicken

chocolate-chocolate chip cookies

pretzel-crusted chicken *

deviled eggs

cake balls

garlic rosemary potatoes

Chicago-style deep dish pizza

strawberry-stuffed French toast

homemade whipped cream

Pioneer Woman's taco pizza

chicken divan casserole *

penne, sausage, and peppers dish

sticky bun breakfast ring *

crock pot tortilla soup *

chick-fil-a copycat nuggets

Olive Garden copycat salad dressing

baked Parmesan garlic chicken

crockpot beef stroganoff *

new mac and cheese recipe

white pizza *

pumpkin cookies

pumpkin pie cupcakes *

shortbread

pretzel-Rollo sandwiches

chocolate crackle cookies

I think I made out pretty well last year with my resolutions! The reason I made so many was so that I knew I'd at least accomplish a few of them ;-) I'm keeping it simple this year with my one, solitary resolution of recognizing God's blessings and giving thanks for them.

Beginning

2012-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to welcome the New Year on Saturday night! I could say that 2011 brought its share of disappointments, but I'm trying not to look at it that way. I know God will use every situation in my life, good or bad, according to His will. I know He has great plans.

2012 is beginning with a new perspective for me. This year I'm choosing to look up to my Father instead of the day-to-day situations that surround me. I can only see a tiny part of the picture, while He can see it all: every flourish that melds with the rest to create a beautiful masterpiece. So it makes sense that I surrender all. As my humble offering back to Him, I will try to be wholly present in each moment, and offer Him my greatest praise for His priceless gifts.

On Saturday night I began my count to 1000 gifts as I entered the new year:

1. A sweet midnight kiss from this guy

2. The hope and possibilities of a brand new year

3. Afternoon board games

4. Clean laundry smell

5. Reading a good book straight into the middle of the night

***

2011 Books

2012-01-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

One of my goals in 2011 was to read 30 books. I didn't quite make it, but I came so close with 26! Anyway, it's better than the 12 books I read in 2010, so I'm counting it a success! Today I thought I'd share the books I read. I made a nonfiction and a fiction list, and kind of put them loosely in order with my favorites at the top and least favorites toward the bottom. I always love getting new book recommendations, so hopefully this is helpful to someone out there :-)

Nonfiction

1.Hearing from God Each Morning - Joyce Meyer (daily devotional)

2.So Long, Insecurity - Beth Moore (Christian self-help)

3. Wild at Heart - John Eldredge (Christian book about masculinity)

4. Captivating - John and Stasi Eldredge (Christian book about femininity)

5. Unplanned - Abby Johnson (Christian biography about an ex-Planned Parenthood worker)

6. Life, in Spite of Me - Kristen Jane Anderson (Biography about a woman who survived a suicide attempt)

7. Forgotten God - Francis Chan (Christian book about the Holy Spirit)

8. The Harvey Girls - Lesley Poling- Kempes (Historical book about the Harvey restaurants and railroads out West)

9. Sun Stand Still - Steven Furtick (Christian book about praying with power)

10. Cracking the Communication Code - Emerson Eggerichs (Christian relationship book...too much similar content to Love and Respect by the same author. That's why it's not rated very highly.)

11. A Thousand Days in Tuscany - Marlena de Blasi (Autobiographical book about a woman's experiences moving to Tuscany. I thought it was boring which probably means I'm not very cultured :-P)

Fiction

12 - 14. Harry Potter books 3-5 - J.K. Rowling (YA fantasy)

15. Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Maude Montgomery (Classic Novel)

16. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins (YA)

17. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins (YA)

18. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (historical fiction/romance)

19. The Lost World - Michael Crichton (Science Fiction...Jurassic Park was way better in my opinion!)

20-22. The Ashley Stockingdale Series (What a Girl Wants, She's Out of Control, With This Ring, I'm confused) - Krisin Billerbeck (Christian chick lit)

23. Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne (Children's classic)

24. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult (Realistic fiction)

25. Here Burns my Candle - Liz Curtis Higgs (Novel based on the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi)

26. Something Borrowed - Emily Griffin (Chick lit. It would have been rated higher, but chick lit is not my thing)

Happy Reading!

A Year of Peace & One Thousand Gifts

2011-12-30T10:01:00.000-05:00

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place with no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."

In 2011 my word of the year was "Peace." In the past {almost} 365 days, I have learned that peace is:

The umpire of my life. I try not to choose to do or think something unless it brings me peace
Always there. God's peace is there for the taking 100% of the time.
A decision. We must decide to accept it in all of life's situations.
A cozy, quiet night at home alone with a good book. But it is also...
A crazy hectic day when I just want to cry and give up.

I guess the main thing I'm taking away from this year is that peace is not circumstantial. Yes, it is very easy to feel God's peace during a quiet time in a good day. But it's also possible to feel it while you're stuck in a traffic jam. We can feel it when all feels right with the world, and we can feel it when our worlds are crumbling. We can feel it when the harvest is plentiful, and in times when we don't know where we'll get our next meal.

If we choose peace in a situation that is not peaceful, that is where real discipline can be found. And real victory, and real closeness with God. It doesn't come naturally. But those are the times in which we need peace the most. Because life isn't always quiet mornings and beautiful sunsets. Life is traffic jams, running late, deadlines, arguments, pain, disease, divorce, infertility, loss, depression, poverty, and even death.

But God is peace. So when we choose peace in those difficult situations, we are ultimately choosing God. We are choosing to let Him take over and have control. Because we know that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

I praise God for all He has taught me about peace this year, and I hope this is a discipline I can carry on throughout my life.

***

I have chosen my word for 2012 as well. It is a word that lends itself to peace. It is peace graduated: being so peaceful about something that we praise God for it. My word for 2012 is:

I am just finishing reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts.

Ann has some beautiful things to say about thanksgiving:

"...thanksgiving always precedes the miracle."

"Thanks is what multiplies the joys and makes any life large, and I hunger for it."

"God gives gifts, and I give thanks, and I unwrap a gift: joy."

"Thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens."

"Take the pain that is given, give thanks for it, and transform it into a joy that fulfills all emptiness."

"Is this the paradox - that giving thanks for what is, creates an appetite for more - not more things, but for seeking more of God to give more glory?"

This book has inspired me. As you can see, it is beautifully written but also full of wisdom. A must-read.

It has inspired me to make "Thanksgiving" my word of the year. I want to take peace a step further. I don't want to only let God rain down His peace on me like He has for the past year; I want to also feel thankful for his peace and all of his other gifts: the good and the bad.

Ann also has a blog. Although I'm pretty sure you're probably already following it ;-) Anyway, every Monday, she does a link up where people can post the gifts from God that they are thankful for, counting up to a thousand and beyond.

So that's my resolution this year: to count one thousand (and beyond) of God's beautiful gifts. And not just the ones that are easy to be thankful for, but the difficult ones too.

I'm so excited for 2012! I hope I can change my perspective and start appreciating all the gifts that God gives me daily. Then maybe I can turn my focus away from myself, my problems....me, me, me.

***

(I know I sound like a commercial, but seriously: read One Thousand Gifts if you haven't! And join in on Mondays :-) There's even a "One Thousand Gifts" app where you can record your gifts and pictures! I'm so excited to begin!)

My Two Cents

2011-12-29T19:08:00.000-05:00

I mentioned the other day that my friend Sarah (AKA Robbie) started a brand new blog. My favorite blogs are the type that are deep, and not just "fluff" blogs. If that makes sense. Anyway, Sarah's is about as far from a "fluff" blog as you can get, so I absolutely love reading it! She has a unique perspective on things, and I love reading her thoughts :-) So go on over and read, comment, and follow!

The other day, Sarah asked if I would share my experiences in a guest post in the area of physical boundaries before marriage and sexual purity. I know this is not the most comfortable issue to talk about, but I felt honored that she asked me! So I'm over there today, guest posting. Check it out...I'm sure Sarah would love to hear your thoughts, and so would I.

And just like that, I'm off to play with my Kindle Fire some more ;-)