Where does the time go?

No, this isn't an introspective email about the last year. :)  Just the last couple of days.  I've been productive and lazy interchangeably...then all of a sudden it's 2:45 on NYE and my house is a mess and OH MY GOSH I JUST REMEMBERED I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE SOCKS TO THE PARTY TONIGHT FOR STAR OF HOPE.  So I run out the door to Target (major bad decision...there was not one person still in their Houston home...they were all in the mall parking lot.) 

I skipped that and went to HEB because I had also forgotten something when I grocery shopped last night.  SCORE!  HEB sells men's socks!  Then raced home, put away all the groceries, PILED up my desk with all the paperwork I have yet to handle as well as the little Christmas items that somehow didn't get packed away and checked on the food items that have already been started.

Seriously!  Where did the last couple of days go?

It probably didn't help that I stayed up til 4:30 this morning reading...when I was getting up at 7:30...then took a two hour nap about noon because I could no longer keep my eyes open.

Ready or not, here midnight comes!

Year End Retrospective

At the beginning of the year, I started "The List" of things I wanted to accomplish this year.  Some of those things happened.  Some of the desires changed.  Some of them are still desires, but haven't happened yet.  This is my "end of the year" update.  I think I will do this next year, too.  It was fun and I enjoyed it a lot!  (Partly because I LOVE marking things off a list and partly because it's fun to set goals and then get motivated to achieve them...(so I can mark them off the list!))


This was the original posting:

They are in absolutely no particular order.


__1. Take a self-defense class

_x_2. Pay off medical bills

__3. Go to Chicago

__4. Go skydiving

__5. Take a course on gun safety, get a license to carry a gun and purchase one

_x_6. Re-take the GRE (long story) and work HARD at completing my Master's degree

_x_7. Go cash predominantly (I'm not sure cash only is even an option anymore)

_x_8. Go on a mission trip

_x_9. Plant things (I'm being vague on purpose) in my garden

_x_10. Cook more regularly

_x_11. Figure out why my wifi doesn't work at home

_x_12. Use everything in my pantry before going grocery shopping

_x_13. Re-read the Proverbs 31 woman study...focus hard on the character traits the Lord leads me too

__14. Meet Angie Smith

__15. Visit Crosspoint Church

__16. Meet Brandi and Pete Wilson

__17. Meet the first few requirements in Dave Ramsey's list of 'acting your wage' (I'm using my own words here)


That's what I can think of right now. 17 is an odd number to end on, but I'm okay with that. I can add more later if I want to! :)

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These are the items I added through the year.

__Researching PhD programs

__Going on a cruise

_x_Post more regularly

__Spend quality time with the Lord more regularly.

_x_Take more pictures of life as it happens!

_x_Write my little Compassion boy more often.

__Plan fun lessons on the SMART board for next year.

__Have my neighbors over for dinner.

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Well, as you can see, I didn't accomplish it all...but hey, that gives me a good place to start for next year!

Wow!

We had a fun day at school today!

 

 

We do these types of days three times a year.  We get the kiddos excited about writing and also provide them with experiences to write about!  (Two birds with one stone, so to speak.)

Every year, schools in our feeder pattern are asked to exchange stories students have written.  We're given a certain prompt, a certain window to do it in, etc.  We've never wanted to participate in this, because the timeline doesn't work well.  Also, it's asking us to grade someone else's class of papers.  And trusting someone else to grade ours?  No thank you.  This year, when our principal declined,  (We can do that due to our exemplary status.) she was asked to give a snippet of our writing curriculum.  This was in early November.  She responded with information about one of our big writing days.  We had just had our first one at the end of October.  She ended up presenting the info at a principals' meeting...and then was inundated with people wanting to observe our next presentation.

Voila, we had 50 visitors today!  We didn't change any part of our presentation.  They're welcome to come, but we do this for the kids.  While the students were icing their cupcakes and writing down their brainstorming ideas in their journal, Mary and I fielded a bunch of questions while also helping children.

Then our wonderful team took the students outside for a track break and Mary and I gave a 25 minute overview to all the visitors and had a mini Q & A session.  It was fun because I love teaching teachers, but it was EXHAUSTING too...like 'first day of school' kind of exhausting.

Whew!

Just a few thoughts

I'm currently sitting at a covered dining room table with boxes of Christmas decorations all around my house.  Can we say "MUCH BETTER THAN GRAD SCHOOL PAPERS!"

Yes.  Yes, we can.

This week has already been busy, but I'm having fun, too!

I submitted my last paper of grad school last night.  What a blessing!  Afterwards, I took a big sigh of relief and then ordered Domino's to be delivered.  Yesssss!

Today I've run errands for work and personal pleasure and then come home to clean and decorate.  I won't get it all done tonight, but only because I don't want to rush.  I want to enjoy it!

For the love!

I was putting on make-up this morning and had the little brush used to apply powdery substances in my hand.  I use it to apply eyeshadow.  I always use it to apply eyeshadow.  Uh-huh...always.  K?  K.  So my hand is heading to my eye to apply the shadow, but my eye didn't get closed in time and "poof" that little brush went straight to my eyeball! 

OUCH!  "What do I do now?" was my first thought.  It's not as if I can take a Kleenex to my eyeball.

That ended up being exactly what I did though.  Gently.

Talk about bad hand-eye coordination!

December is HERE!

I'm looking forward to this month so much!

I know it has already started, so that might be a weird thing to say.  But I am.  I'm ready to be finished with grad school and December is the month!  THE month!  Wa-hooo!

I took a final on Wednesday.  I didn't do great on it, but with all the other points with the semester, I'm not worried about it.  And it's over!  That's the main thing!

I have a paper due Monday night.  While I haven't started writing it yet, I have all the prep work finished for it and that's a huge burden off.  This weekend is fairly busy, but the paper will still be written!

And that is my last milestone!  I'm not "walking."  I just don't care enough, but I've got the papers in the mail saying I'm ready and set to graduate.  I just have to finish the 6 hours from this semester.  Well, there's only a few days left and then I'll have done it! 

My parents threw me a wonderful surprise graduation party while we were in Oklahoma City last Friday.  Both sides of extended family came and I felt so blessed and encouraged.  It was exciting, completely unexpected and a huge blessing.  So fun!

My house is a mess right now.  Fall decor is still up.  Christmas boxes are unloaded from the car, but don't have any where to go.  The sink is full of dishes.  Black Friday shopping bags are sitting in the bedroom.  I can't even blame grad school work this week.  There just hasn't been time to work on grad school or clean/put away! 

Ah, well.  Just a couple more days.  Then I'll breathe a HUGE (read: gargantuan) sigh of relief and really enjoy this month.

There are parties coming up that I could say YES to attend.  Do you know how big that is?  I've had to say "no" to almost every invitation this semester.  Honestly, life got very narrow...and very lonely.  I'm so excited to attend activities, meet friends for coffee or dinner and even initiate things at my house!
Yay for December!

Creative? Me?

I've been doing a study of Proverbs 31 off and on for about a year now.  I've really enjoyed it...certainly learning a lot from it, and hopefully applying it, too!

The study is broken into lessons, with each lesson focusing on a particular verse from Proverbs 31. 

I've always struggled with one particular verse...24. 

"She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants."

The lesson title for this verse is "Creative."  I've never thought of myself as creative.  I can use a sewing machine (and I'm using the word "can" loosely here...meaning I can do it with a little guidance.)  I know how to put a picture up on the wall.  (Deciding where to put it is another matter.) I can wield a paint brush.  (Choose a color?  Choose which wall to paint?  Texturing?  Not so much.) I have the ability to do these things, but I don't have an eye for what looks really good.  I know what I like in decorating, but I don't always know what I want before it's time to decorate.  (Bring Hobby Lobby home?  That's my motto.) 

I have friends that make baby blankets and diaper bags and clothing.  Other friends play music beautifully.  My mom and aunt are fabulous at decorating a home on any type of budget.  Other friends have a fun sense of humor and make the world a better place through laughter.  I've just never had that ability or talent or gift....and I kind of think it's all three!

I was talking about this in small group the week we got to this lesson and our mentor said, "You're a teacher.  You tutor children.  That IS creative.  You can help guide them through a confusing concept, see them understand and move forward with new knowledge.  I definitely think that's creativity." 

I don't know if I can articulate how that rocked my world.  ME?  Creative?  That's something to describe beautiful women who already have it all together.  Creative women are ones who can show their family and friends they love them through a tangible item that can be touched, seen, heard.  Creativity means praising the Lord through a beautiful voice or instrument.  I'm not creative. 

But I received her words.  I have such respect for her, and have for years, even though I didn't know her well...having listened to her speak at a couple different events, being friends with people who were friends with her...watching her in action, and soaking up the words of a woman who is further along in her Christian walk than I am.  I received her words in a way I might not have from a peer. 

Hmmm, creative. 

I am creative.  Helping a child to learn is creative.  Saying these words...typing them...is freeing. 

I'm so glad our singles' group is working to bring women together from across life's phases to learn from each other and encourage each other!!