2:49 in the Morning and a New Year's Update

Here it is, 2:49 in the morning and I can't sleep. It seems that sleep is taunting me. I know I need it. My body knows I need the rest, and yet I am not tired enough to let my head hit the pillow. I have spent the past hour to hour and a half simply piddling and learning all there is to fixing up my blog. I think it looks ten times better than before, and I'm sure when I have my next fit and cannot sleep, it'll be in for another change.

I began another sewing project. It's actually a present for a friend of mine. I bought some baby material and am in the LONG process of making a onesie. Maybe I was too adventurous for this one. You would think that something so small and tiny wouldn't be too difficult. All I'm saying is dream big but keep the small stuff realistic and never ever be too proud to ask for help. I could surely enjoy the company and help of my mother for this one.

As for school, we are more than halfway through the year. In fact we have approximately 4 more months and then we're free to enjoy our summer! January was a tough month, I'm not exactly sure how I made it. God is soooo good though. I have joined a Bible study on Wednesday nights. The ladies are all older than me, by at least 20+ years, but I enjoy the company and wisdom of these ladies. This Bible study has also helped me get out of the complacent routine Adam and I have been stuck in. 

Oh and I do have an update to those New Year's Resolutions I made....
1. (I am continually) growing closer to God; though we all know when we make a resolution like this sometimes thereafter it seems harder....

2. (The only way I've been incorporating this is to visualize how my students see me and hear me throughout the day) To be conscious of the way I handle and represent myself so that others may always see Christ and never second guess where I stand


3. (Yes, in keeping with being honest, this has been a weak spot of mine and seriously needs to go into immediate affect!) To spend 10% of my time = 2 hours 40 minutes daily with the Lord and another 5% of my time = 1 hour 20 minutes of my time with my husband in devotion as well


4. (Have started re-memorizing and tapping into my memory of those verses once learned) Adam and I are going to start memorizing scripture (waaaaaay back in high school I was a part of a ministry and we found encouragement weekly by memorizing scripture and then sharing that with others as a tool for witnessing)


5.(I've been more active spiritually but have a long ways to go and physically, don't laugh, but yes I've been using the Wii much more and even discovered I had lost 1 1/2 lbs....definitely nothing to brag about but you gotta start somewhere, right?! I believe if I were to blog everyday and would truly "document" this journey I think it would help me be more accountable and work harder at becoming more healthy) Be active 1) spiritually ---refer to resolutions #1-4 and 2) physically --- I plan to start documenting weekly my progress in becoming healthier. I've noticed women who have blogs in which they document themselves growing throughout the course of their pregnancies, so I'd like to do something to that extent except with the idea of getting smaller and not grow a child within me.


6. (Woohoo! Adam got a raise and we've been able to pay off some more bills. Frugality is questionable....definitely need to work on it!) Financially I'd like to save up and have 10% as part of a down payment on a house -- this will mean living more frugally than we have been. (For those of you who are homeowners, what is a good ball park figure to save?)


7. (No finished products yet...haven't had time since time has been devoted to school) Finish projects! I am a pretty creative person (I love to knit, sew, scrapbook, paint, cook/bake, etc.) and I tend to start a lot of projects, but usually fail to complete them (minus baking/cooking endeavors) so this year I aim to be more productive.


8. (Praise the Lord!!! We prayed and prayed and prayed and finally decided that God's will for us was to go back to Redeeming Grace and it's been wonderful!) Find a church to attend regularly


9. (This is a work in progress....don't judge me) Take more photographs!


10. (Ok I set out to read not just the Bible but more literary works...I started Gulliver's Travels, but haven't got past Chapter 2) Read more! I have a huge collection of books sitting on a shelf that I've specifically set out so I'll make a point to read them!

It seems I've built a good appetite for sleep now that I've gone through and updated where I stand with my resolutions. Sweet dreams!


11. (Still a work in progress...) Blog more regularly!

Sewing Endeavor #1

For my birthday back in November I requested a rather pricey item. I figured that if my parents, brother, and husband all pooled together then I'd possibly get what I wanted. And guess what?! I got it! What is it you ask? It is none other than a Singer Fashion Mate!

This little beauty is amazing! I simply went to the Singer website www.singer.com and searched their products. Well if you notice while you're there, you 'll see that each sewing machine allows for consumer reviews. Based on what I looked at and knowing what I wanted to use the machine for, I figured this would be the best one for me. It features "70 stitch patterns, an automatic needle threader, a top drop-in bobbin, as well as a 25 year warranty" just to mention a few.  And so far, I'm giving it two thumbs up and a 100% positive review! So if you're in the market for buying a sewing machine be sure to stop by and give this one a look over!

Ok ok, so you've got the picture. This sewing machine is awesome, but what exactly have you done with it? Well I'll be documenting my progress on each challenge. This post is about my first sewing endeavor. I bought copyrighted Redskin fleece material and made my father-in-law a pair of pajama bottoms out of them. Check it out:

Sadly, my mother (who took these pictures) failed to send me the one of the finished product. If I ever get it I'll be sure to post it on here, but just trust that it turned out GREAT! And yes, my father-in-law LOVES them, too!

Welcome 2011!

In keeping up with new year traditions, I have made 11 resolutions for the upcoming year:


1. To grow and be closer to God


2. To be conscious of the way I handle and represent myself so that others may always see Christ and never second guess where I stand


3. To spend 10% of my time = 2 hours 40 minutes daily with the Lord and another 5% of my time = 1 hour 20 minutes of my time with my husband in devotion as well


4. Adam and I are going to start memorizing scripture (waaaaaay back in high school I was a part of a ministry and we found encouragement weekly by memorizing scripture and then sharing that with others as a tool for witnessing)


5. Be active 1) spiritually --> refer to resolutions #1-4 and 2) physically ---> I plan to start documenting weekly my progress in becoming healthier. I've noticed women who have blogs in which they document themselves growing throughout the course of their pregnancies, so I'd like to do something to that extent except with the idea of getting smaller and not grow a child within me.


6. Financially I'd like to save up and have 10% as part of a down payment on a house -- this will mean living more frugally than we have been. (For those of you who are homeowners, what is a good ball park figure to save?)


7. Finish projects! I am a pretty creative person (I love to knit, sew, scrapbook, paint, cook/bake, etc.) and I tend to start a lot of projects, but usually fail to complete them (minus baking/cooking endeavors) so this year I aim to be more productive.


8. Find a church to attend regularly


9. Take more photographs!


10. Read more! I have a huge collection of books sitting on a shelf that I've specifically set out so I'll make a point to read them!


11. Blog more regularly!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

A year ago, as of yesterday, I married the most wonderful man I know :-) Last year this time, we were honeymooning in Hot Springs, NC in a quaint log cabin. Here we are a year later and this past weekend was interesting to say the least. We were on our way to Garth & Kristen Runion's wedding when a deer crossed onto the highway and ran into us. So the front right light on our car is gone and the hood is bent underneath itself. Needless to say this wasn't exactly what we had planned in our anniversary weekend. Despite my sour attitude, with the encouragement of our brother Luke, we continued to go on to the wedding.

At the wedding, I was able to catch up with some friends of mine from college and it changed my sour mood immediately! (Oh how I miss those wonderful friends of mine!) The wedding and reception were absolutely beautiful! Kristen was stunning and Garth was beaming! After the wedding, we drove north to Charlottesville and stayed the night there. The next day we slept in late and meandered around the city until we saw all we could on a last minute dime and then finally went home. We did not exchange gifts; although we did swap some sweet anniversary cards and Adam did find the disposable cameras from our wedding and we have taken some to get developed :-) It may not sound like the grandest anniversary weekend and it certainly wasn't if you consider the deer incident, however, despite that one minor detail, it was PERFECT and I loved nothing more than spending time with the man I love and cherish! God is always so good!

"Book of Eli" Review & Inspiration

I had the opportunity to watch, on the eve of my father's 61st birthday, the movie "The Book of Eli" starring Denzel Washington. It is perhaps the most inspiring movie I have seen in quite some time. While I do want to say what exactly inspired me, I don't want to give any spoilers away. However, I do feel that once you have seen the movie you'll probably see what made it inspiring.

I truly hope that everyone would consider watching this movie. It is most definitely NOT for children, however, it ultimately takes you out of the cookie cutter reality that many Christians have come to accept and helps bring a new sense of urgency in knowing God's word, spreading, and sharing His word -- something we ALL need!

"School's out for summer!" -Pink Floyd

Yippee! I am so very very thankful that I made it through my first year of teaching! I'm not sure I could even thank all the people that helped me get through this year, but to any of you who read this blog, thank you! Before I continue in my ramblings I would like to say that I ended up receiving a 79% pass rate on my SOLs, which was a little disappointing, but again this was only my first year and it can only get better! And I must say that while the SOLs do limit what the kids can learn, I'm glad I had some sort of a guide to follow. I'm not sure we would have covered or "touched base" on everything had I been able to do as I wish. I do think with more time and experience I'm sure I'll change my mind. I will say that I do hate how focused schools are on just one assessment, it's not fair to the kids, but that's life.

My last week of school went relatively well. I spent most of my time cleaning and organizing my classroom in preparation for this upcoming fall. As I was organizing and going about my business I found myself saying oh this would be great for next year, this would be a fun project, and oh I'm gonna handle this situation like this next year, so if my college adviser were to ever read this I hope she'd be proud of my "reflectiveness." While I'm not saying that I'm eager for school to start up again, I will say that I am looking forward to starting over and doing a better job! As a final note about school, I did return my contract to central office with my John Hancock signature saying I'll be coming back next year, so unless if Adam gets this freight train conductor job then my plans are to return with more gumption and ambition!

I know I said I was finished with school but I will say that I worked among some of the best teachers! I enjoyed getting to know all of my colleagues and I can truly say I've learned something from all of them! The relationship amongst the faculty and staff was encouraging and even upon getting ready to leave a group of us decided we'd go to the Courthouse Grille for lunch as one last "hurrah" you could say. And for those colleagues leaving us I wish nothing but the best of luck in their future! I hope it's filled with even better opportunities for them to succeed! So finally I leave with this parting quote from Pink Floyd, "School's out for summer!"

SOLs are history....no pun intended :-)

*My last post was supposed to be from this past April, but somehow I logged on to an old post that never quite got posted so that is why the date is wrong.

As most of you know, I am currently in my first year of teaching at Charles City High School. Well thankfully, with all praise to the Lord, the SOLs are history....no pun intended! I say that because 1) the course I teach is World History II and 2) my students were finally able to take their SOL tests after some much awaited technical problems were fixed! I'm still waiting for the final passage rate, but overall I'm just thankful to have this behind me! This year has been especially tough, but praise God in His mercy I've somehow made it through....well almost....we still have 15 more days of school until we're officially finished, but I'd say it's close enough to say done. And I am eager to see what all summer has in store!

I've already made a list of goals that I hope to accomplish, including finishing my Europe scrapbook, reading through several novels, starting and finishing our wedding scrapbook, visiting friends, visiting family, traveling, volunteering at the Holocaust Museum in Richmond, and starting and finishing the Insanity workout program. Finally, with fingers crossed, I will most definitely catch up on some much needed sleep, relaxation, and time with my wonderful husband!

As for tomorrow I've got a lesson I need to prepare so my 16 year olds don't get bored and into trouble ;-) So until summer officially arrives, you'll hear from me later!