Monday, December 16, 2013

Mitten basket

We were in desperate need of a mitten basket... so I took a medium wool sweater from the thrift store and put it on a milk crate ... wrapped the arms around so it hugged itself and tied it into a bow. Et voila! Practically free, and useful (and i think kinda cute, too....) and no sewing or glue involved, so easy, too!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Variegated yarn ....present. (stay tuned)

Just a tiny snapshot of the yarn I'm using for hubby's Christmas present... i love the way variegated yarn makes such interesting designs!
I'll share the pattern I used after he receives them :)

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Snore

December 8, 2013- first sticky snow started about 9:30. It is about 10:00 right now. David and I are making the trek to our little church, and then plan to drive to Michaels for my shift.... enjoy your morning, and don't forget to listen to His Word today.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Coffee or tea? Why not save time and have both?

Have you ever had a craving for some delicious fruit tea, only to find that you'd left a K-cup with coffegrounds in your brewer, leaving you with a half-caff cherry berry coffeetee?

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

365 temperatures - a year's worth of blanketing

I have decided to undertake yet another a rather momentous project. . . and am looking for your help!

Perhaps you have heard of the temperature scarf? As in, you knit/crochet a row a day in various colors depending on the temperature out-of-doors? ...(seen on revelry, with bernat yarn, and several bloggers' attempts.)

Well, I would much rather have something more all-purpose-and-all-encompassing, so my goal for January1st - December 31st of 2014 is to crochet a blanket (potentially 10 foot long, enough for couch-warmers to share/stay warm) with a row-a-day based on the temperature.

Here are my color choices, and the temperatures I chose to associate with those colors:
(All yarn is Caron Simply Soft, found at Michaels, Joanns, Walmart, and online retailers).

100F and higher:  Autumn Red
90-99F: Red
80-89F: Persimmon

75-79F: Bone (also used in another afghan I am trying to finish)... 
65-74F: Sunshine (because I hope to have lots of sun this coming year, obviously!)
55-64F: Sage
45-54F: Light Country Blue
33-44F: Blue Mint
21-32F: Pagoda
10-20F: Ocean
0-9F: Iris
below 0F: Passion

....would you be willing to sponsor me by donating a skein (or more?!) of yarn? My goal is to start and finish this project by January 1st of 2015, and I would need to start ASAP on January 1st of this coming new year :)  I can't promise you a prize or anything fantastic if you donate some yarn, but I will mention your name (or not, if you prefer anonymity) on this blog and post updates regularly of my progress.

Please let me know in an e-mail (if you have my address), FB message (if we're friends), or a comment if you would like to donate some yarn, and I will message you my address if you will be willing to be so fantastic as to join me in this!  ... and share this post with your friends, and maybe we can keep this fun little (well, large) trend going!

~Amanda

Friday, November 8, 2013

nothing = 0

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." 
-Theodore Roosevelt (born in New York City on October 27, 1858)

Monday, October 21, 2013

201 (boldly approach because of Him!)

This is my two-hundred-and-first-post. Here's something insightful:
my next post will be number 202, which is coincidentally "Amazing Grace" in my favorite hymnal, right next to hymn number 203, my favorite hymn, "And Can It Be" -



  • And can it be that I should gain
    An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?
    Died He for me, who caused His pain?
    For me, who Him to death pursued?
    Amazing love! how can it be
    That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
    Amazing love! how can it be
    That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
  • ’Tis mystery all! The Immortal dies!
    Who can explore His strange design?
    In vain the firstborn seraph tries
    To sound the depths of love Divine!
    ’Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
    Let angel minds inquire no more.
    ’Tis mercy all! let earth adore,
    Let angel minds inquire no more.
  • He left His Father’s throne above,
    So free, so infinite His grace;
    Emptied Himself of all but love,
    And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
    ’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
    For, O my God, it found out me.
    ’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
    For, O my God, it found out me.
  • Long my imprisoned spirit lay
    Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
    Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
    I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
    My chains fell off, my heart was free,
    I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
    My chains fell off, my heart was free,
    I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
  • No condemnation now I dread;
    Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
    Alive in Him, my living Head,
    And clothed in righteousness Divine,
    Bold I approach the eternal throne,
    And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
    Bold I approach the eternal throne,
    And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
  • Wednesday, October 16, 2013

    this little nose

    this little nose likes to lead this little dog to some interesting places. . .
    tonight, for example, she was sitting at the top of the steps sniffing under the door (leading into our neighbor's kitchen, where she was baking something delectable). 

    Saturday, October 5, 2013

    Loud crickets and louder dogs need not apply...

    photo from Orkin
    For the past two days in a row Chester, Clyde, and Cletus Cricket have serenaded us half an hour before our alarm (at least they waited until seven in the morning instead of five A.M. today!), and when I went to escort Cletus to the door this morning (Or was it just Clyde returning after feeling he had failed to complete his assignment yesterday??), our upstairs new-neighbor-dog, Boaz, decided I was an axe-murderer and has spent the past quarter hour and the authorities that I am on [my own] premises. 
    [nb: Boaz is as "protective" as Sally, but much more relentlessly, persistently annoying in what exits his throat]... 



    photo from http://www.etsy.com/shop/geministudio?ref=si_shop - buy his stuff!! 


    Needless to say, I could have walked up the stairs to ask him to cease and desist his clamoring and reassured him that I was, indeed, a murderer of the worst sort, but I chose to leave him in suspense and slink back into the apartment, allowing his imagination to run rampant, and his howly-barks to condemningly follow me back to my courtly oasis as I tried to be quiet so my husband could glean a few more needed minutes of slumber. 

    I am almost afraid to go into the kitchen and make coffee, because opening the cupboard and refrigerator doors might stir up another dose of you-must-all-hear-her-sharpening-her-knives!





    You mean to tell me I could have just set out some molasses?
    *link discovered, but not made, by myself....


    Friday, October 4, 2013

    Baby mobile

    Just finished a little mobile for Johnson grandbaby #1 :)  I tried to incorporate all of the colors mama and daddy have in the nursery; the stinkers aren't revealing the gender until baby is born, and they wanted a gender-neutral room. I really hope they like it!

    Wednesday, September 25, 2013

    Following

    Sometimes following the Master isn't as easy as walking down the street. Those times, I'm grateful for His love that leads me like leash leading my puppy to water after a long walk. She knOws I'll take care of her as we walk dOwn busy roads or sidewalks, and sometimes have to give her a smack when she wants to cross the street to find a more shady path...but I do by best to make sure she knows I love her, even after I have to scold her when she puts herself in harm's way. I am so grateful for His love, that keeps me from straying too far from the safety of His hands.

    Sunday, September 22, 2013

    Walking iris times nine

    Blast... just deleted the entirety of my post because I pushed a button  and I'm still trying to figure out my new phone.

    Anyways, my friend Jacki gave me the start to a walking iris back in 2011. It decided it liked me, and grew itself a nice little root system after I moved to Florida. Found it a pot so it could move from its gas station cup into something more p permanent and roomy.

    While we were staying with David's grandpa, Iris favored us with a few blooms that were blue, white, and heavily scented. She then proceeded to continue growing beautiful, green shoots until the pot was dwarfed by a small forest.

    Yesterday I went to go split Iris into some new pots and found NINE separate plants. ... and had only picked up two extra pots. Some garden forums I'd found mentioned planting walking irises in groups of three in a triangle, so that's what I went with. I put three plantlets in each pot in a little triangle . . . And now I get to wait and see if they like their new digs :-)

    Thursday, September 5, 2013

    big move

    (from 7/15/2013)
    Almost two years after agreeing to move to Florida for a job (and working there for a year, and then moving back to Michigan for about a year), my husband has accepted a position in Maryland... a state I know almost nothing about.

    vermicomposting

    1) We're in Maryland - it's been almost a month! :)  more later ...
    1.74) I realize no one knows what's been happening, so I am going to make more of an effort to post on here using pictures, if not words, to keep life interesting for whatever-who-are. :) You might see a lot of "older" pictures, but there are some things I wouldn't mind sharing with the world :)
    2) I'm in the process of digging in the dirt clay to make more room for dirt slash topsoil (The dirt is very much clay-ey, the top inch or so has a little dirt, the next few inches have small rocks, and after that it's one big rock after another. That I get to dig out. I have a trench about 6-8" deep, and maybe 4 feet wide by now. (Not sure of the length, I'm not that cool.
    3) I built a vermicomposting bin a few days ago  - we got two 30-gallon tubs at Walmart last night - on sale for $4 each! - and I followed the directions written here to put it together.

    This is their prototype:



      It was really easy, and I think it will keep Sally and Scooter (our landlady's tiny dog) from eating composty things. . . (which I think happened a bit ago when I caught Sally nomming on a corn cob, and subsequently having nasty diarrhea for a few days; Scooter had something similar. Ick.)

    Wednesday, July 3, 2013

    elbows


    I bang or bruise my elbow approximately once every two weeks. ...just enough time for it to properly turn fun colors and heal with a few days' break...

    woot, WOOT!


    Friday, June 28, 2013

    open that can / job interview should-have-dids

    It's about time to open up that can of awkward... if you haven't yet.

    Check out my cousin(in-lar)'s blog about all sorts of awkward things!  :)  I love Anne Bridget very much. She's my hero(ine).


    I leave you with this advice on how to look back at what you could have done differently:

    so the next time you have an interview maybe it will pay off... or not. :)  

    Friday, June 21, 2013

    is anyone out there? a year ago,... (and a friendly reminder) ...in reverse order, of course!


    image is not mine, nor do I know the source. I think it was on etsy? If you can read the embedded link, you can buy it! 



    ...anyways, I have no idea who my "audience" is - If you ever read this thing, or subscribe, leave me a comment! Let me know what you're interested in reading (and I may or may not drop a few words concerning such a subject!) 





    A year ago today (June 21st), David and I had our engagement pictures taken a few miles from the chapel where we'd be married... hey, we were engaged at the time. Don't judge! :D 




    ^the logo a random bee made from weddingbee. hurrah! 


    The next day, (the typical American Friday) we had our rehearsal dinner, and the day after that we tied the knot. (I wanted to go barefoot, but found some super cute, comfortable shoes that I went with instead). 

    my shoes, necklace, and a parasol the chapel owner had :) they go together quite swimmingly! 



     Since I don't actually remember any knots that day, let's just say we got married!!. :D 

    whose idea was it to buy birdseed at Publix and give it - along with lots of tulle - to Dulcy??? Oh, wait... 


    the obligatory be-grossed-out-or-cheer-for-the-kiss picture with our super awesome wedding partayyyy :)
    (I was not angry, nor did I punch my new husband in the face, contrary to picture-looks... )

    Tuesday, June 4, 2013

    God is "in the small stuff" - as well as the big.

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
        do not depend on your own understanding.
    Seek his will in all you do,
        and he will show you which path to take.
    Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT 

    *I am so grateful for these little verses right now... 

    Tuesday, May 28, 2013

    Flyleaf - "pair of rawhide"

    In 2011 I started something ...

    somewhat akin to George Muller's (that U should have an umlaut) recordings of God's provision in his life,

    I started writing [in the flyleaf of my Bible] specific instances of how God has provided for my needs in the way only He does. . .

    Today I get to add "had enough money left over from a gift card to buy a pair of bones for Sally to chew" :)

    These puppies are Chiweenies, like our Sally...   (Chihuahua + Dachshund = Chiweenie) 

    Saturday, May 25, 2013

    how to live - pt. 1 of a million

    Don't forget to dream in the waiting,

    and use your best dishes every day.

    Add color to your life with the silliest things,

    throw maple helicopters and fly a kite.

    Chase cars with your tail outstretched,

    and watch cloud animals run just as fast.

    Spin in circles while you still can,

    sing in the car and smile at strangers.

    Scratch a friend's back when they least expect it,

    and write letters even if no one replies.

    Keep a journal at least once a month,

    and eat things you probably shouldn't.

    Stretch yourself more than you ever thought possible,

    try something new on a regular basis.

    Hold babies, hold toddlers, hold children and teens,

    hug twenty-somethings and thirty-year-olds.

    Love on the single, the married, the smitten,

    and spend time with hoary-headed saints.

    Rake someone's yard at midnight,

    walk on the grass and the sand.

    Wear shoes as little as possible,

    wear high heels and cowboy boots.

    Stay up late doing nothing but giggling,

    wake up early and make a big breakfast.

    Read something you don't want to,

    read to someone else.

    Drive just to drive,

    drive to visit a friend you have only met in writing.

    Bake something from another land,

    and bring a meal to someone else.


    Whatever you do,

    do it with everything He's given you.

    Friday, May 24, 2013

    Where are you going?


    George MacDonald wrote: 

    " I said, 'Let me walk in the field.'
    God said, 'No, walk in the town.'
    I said, 'There are no flowers there.'
    He said, 'No flowers, but a crown.'
    I said, 'But the sky is black,
    There is nothing but noise and din.'
    But he wept as he sent me back,
    'There is more,' he said, 'there is sin.'
    I said, 'But the air is thick,
    And smog is veiling the sun'
    He answered, 'Yet souls are sick,
    And your work is yet undone,'
    I said, 'I will miss the light,
    And friends will miss me, they say.'
    He answered me, 'Choose tonight,
    If I am to miss you or they.'
    I pleaded for time to be given;
    He said, 'Is is hard to decide?
    It will not seem hard in heaven 
    To have followed the steps of your Guide.'
    I cast one last look at the field, 
    Then set my face to the town;
    He said, 'My child, will you yield?
    Will you leave the flowers for the crown?'
    Then into His hand went mine, 
    And into my heart came He;
    And I walk in a light divine
    The paths I had feared to see."

    Saturday, May 11, 2013

    24

    4/20/2009

    There are 24 days left of school. Big grin and sad face at the same time.

    Fall Break, or, As Good as it Gets.

    10/22/2008

    Apparently.

    So for fall break I went to Flagstaff because I wasn't sure how much money i had left after paying all my bills (not very much, let me tell you). I brought my computer to Best Buy to get a part... (the fans weren't working and I kept getting an error message telling me to "check your both fans."
    whatever that means.

    They sucked out the dust from my laptop and it kept going...

    Turkmenistan on the plaaaane

    5/8/2009

    It is at least $2,000 for a round-trip to Turkmenistan.

    It was at least 84 degrees (F) today.

    8/14/2012

    mileage this week: 
    4.8 miles (sat) 5 miles(monday), 5.5 miles, (wednesday)

    What to say ...

    10/13/10

    I'm about halfway through a counseling class at WC. It has been amazing

    thankful

    4/9/11

    For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

    Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.




    In all the earth there was not one that could take my place. No one cared about me, not really.  I had done a multitude of wrongs, and my skin was black and peeling. My hair had fallen out in patches, but I was able to cover it up with a wig I found at the dollar store. I may have looked a fright to someone's grandma, but other than potentially scaring children and elderly people, no one looked my way. I sat all day on a bench, until someone else wanted to sit by me. When people looked at me too long, I would get up and move to another bench. My hair may have been dirty and greasy, but no one was able to see it because of the wig.

    Blessing-gift #1 - wild in the city

    I might as well share the little bits of amazingness that God daily touched my inmost me with on a basically daily basis...
    because i've been trying to apply thankfulness lately. so yay!

    :D


    I had two-and-a-half rather rough classes of 7th/8th graders today, but God used those three classes as a backdrop to a wonderful-good blessing to finish out the work day.

    While the last class of kids was coming in, I was walking around tidying chairs and papers. The kids started gathering by the window in the corner of the room, and a few of them started yelling, "Bambi!! It's Bambi!!" I looked toward the window, but didnt' see anything. The kids kept shouting, so I put the papers down on the teacher's desk and walked toward the window. There, on the slightly suburban lawn of the slightly suburban school's slightly suburban playground, was a whitetail doe and an incredibly young whitetail fawn, all speckly in the just-washed grass.

    Test #1 - interesting things that happened.

    "Write a dialogue between two people/animals:"

    "Hi my name is Walter and I'm from Teaxs my nationality is white. My birthday is on the 10-18-79 of this month. My favorite animals are horse's, dog's, and cats. My activities are riding horses, working on my dog. My dislikes are not to sit around at home."

    What time of day would you say the following? -
    "Buenas tardes" _______"late to class"

    PLARN-ed!

    i saw an advertisement for a craft bazaar and - even though i may be the only blonde - i think i am going to do it. at least, i am going to attempt to make enough plarn purses/bags, etc... :) we shall see. and if my laptop ever works again (:-/) I can post pictures? :) I have a little over a month. unless i do the one in December. :0D yey.

    a year's worth...

    We've been married almost a year.

    My boy and I have gone through so much in such a short time - and have learned how to fight, how to play nicely, and how to get by on zero dollars and gas fumes.  God has provided a place to stay, clothes to wear, and friends to talk to on the phone.

    It has been the hardest year of my life - knowing that I have to student teach to get my certificate, yet knowing I am getting paid absolutely nothing for all my work with the kids. I have to go to school about 5 days a week, and have nothing to show for it - not even a few dollars to pay for gas. We've had to ask for money for gas from family members, and God has provided money for gas and food at times when we thought there would be nothing.

    They flyleaf of my Bible is not as full as it could be of those provisional times (because I like to write down the specific times He's provided for our needs) because my head's been downcast too much lately.

    Grocery shopping is not enjoyable when you have to decide between eggs or soy milk (because of your husband's sensitivity to cow-milk), or when you have to choose to forego vegetables because you need to buy flour to make bread (which will last longer than the veggies would have, anyway.) I know what it is like to go without, but it makes things so very much harder when trying to prepare a meal that is healthy and sustaining.  My husband does his best not to complain, but I know myself how hard it is to eat the same few meals over and over because we cannot afford variety.

    He needs new pants. It is hard to find his size, because he's tall. I wouldn't trade his height for anything, though. He fits me just perfectly. It's also hard to find his size because we can't pay for pants. I can see some threads threatening to loosen on the seams, but I don't really know what we can do.

    I need new shoes.  I have some shoes that are impractical that I just want to find a new home for, and trade them somehow for some practical-for-flat-feet flats or low-heely dress /teacher shoes.  Too bad we still have some bills to pay first, because that's more important to me than new shoes.  God provided some cheap insoles for those shoes, so I can stretch them a few weeks more- perhaps until school is over on the 30th...

    I wish I could keep the house ( where we are staying ) clean - but we are never there because we don't have internet (for school, etc) and have to be gone most of the day to get our work done. .. and I'm exhausted by the time we finally make it home.

    I wish I didn't somehow gain 20 pounds since last fall... At least, I think it was about that much... and I can't make it go away. Stress-related, most likely, along with not being able to eat how I know I need to because we can't afford good food. He's providing in His own way, in His own time, but sometimes I get very sad that I can't feed my husband what he needs to be healthy and alert.

    We only really read together in the mornings on the way to school, but at least we're reading together... in Psalms, so we can start out thinking His thoughts ...  but I wish it was more.

    There are no people around this town that have made much of an effort to get to know us, and it really stinks. Sometimes it gets frustrating, and other times I am bored beyond belief (even though I have classes to work on) as well as I just feel like I don't fit in this town at all. I miss the old us, that was able to at least go visit people; but when the only gas money we have is supposed to be used to get me to and from school, then it's kinda a downer.

    And our health is going down the tubes, and we can do nothing about it.

    And then there's the day-after-day search for a job, which leaves my sweet husband and I both frustrated and discouraged. We've had a few phone / in-person interviews but then absolutely nothing... over and over and over again.
    We've been knocking on doors for almost a year now, since we decided to leave CCS...
    and I'm not sure how much more we can take.

    End scene.

    Saturday, March 16, 2013

    Praying for the Other Side ....


    Dear Heavenly Father,
    Thank you for our husbands and thank you for our husband’s family!  You know each one of our situations, the joy and the trials.  We come before you today and lift up our in-laws to you.  May your give us an acceptance and a love for our in-laws.  May you help us to find new ways of connecting with our in-laws.  Please intervene in the relationships where in-laws criticize or undermine marriages.  Please help us all to find balance and boundaries with our in-laws.  You have placed our in-laws in our life for a reason, may we understand and fulfill your purposes in Jesus Name AMEN!

    this was taken from here: - > http://unveiledwife.com/prayer-of-the-day-loving-your-in-laws/

    Monday, February 18, 2013

    Advice to a teacher considering working on a reservation


    Re-posted from a reply on ProTeacher:


    I taught in NE Arizona on the Navajo Rez. HS Spanish...

    Some of my kids were angels, but those were usually the ones from a 2-parent household that didn't allow drugs/alcohol, etc.

    Most of my kids came from broken homes, partied on the weekends/weekdays, and dealt with things most people don't encounter until after graduation. We lost at least 4 students that year to suicide or murder, not counting deaths of family members.

    I would compare it to an inner-city, urban school.   Your heart will get involved, and you will cry often for these children who have had their innocence stolen. Embrace them, and they will try to please you (by learning, behavior, etc).   You will deal with multiple absences for whatever reason, (many of my students had an hour+ bus ride to school one way!  Many suspensions, moving to other cities, etc). There were gangs, certain colors of shirts were not allowed at the school (black, blue, etc)... I kept snacks in my room for "sale" for very cheap so my students wouldn't ditch my class to go to the earlier lunch simply to hang out with friends (because they didn't bring lunch)

    Don't be afraid to ask cultural questions.:)  Some things they might not tell you, but if they invite you to a ceremony or event, go! :)

    But if you stick it out, the kids will learn to trust you with their lives. They will try to learn because you are trying to teach them; They will try to behave better because you care about their future. They will make an effort in class- or even to COME to class - because you try to make learning fun.

    Be yourself, be real, realize that they are most likely dealing with very hard things at home, and LOVE them.
    They will respond if they see you are genuine, and if they know you care about them as an individual and as a culture.

    I miss my Rez kids, but I know I'm right where I need to be right now :)

    Sunday, February 3, 2013

    caos y ruida

    there is no quiet here;
    it is all noise.
    there is no stillness here;
    everything moves.
    there is no peace here;
    chaos rules.



    all my soul wants is a tiny speck of quiet,
    a place unmoving, thoughts able to focus.

    what would happen if i turned it off?
    i'm pretty sure chaos would happen; they'd be confused.

    then, of course, i'd have my silence. stillness. peace.

    Saturday, January 26, 2013

    Lois Lenski - book reviews: San Francisco Boy, Shoo-fly Girl, Corn-farm Boy

    I recently discovered several new-to-me books at the local library. Lois Lenski's books have always been on my top choices for children, and when i discovered about ten out-of-print, expensive-on-amazon books, I couldn't NOT pick them up and take them home with me.

    Here is a short run-down on the ones I was able to find:

      San Francisco Boy is about a young boy and his sister (and their other siblings, but the book's main focus is on those two) who move from Alameda, California to San Francisco. Most of the story is about the boy's struggle with homesickness and making new friends; his younger sister makes friends easily with their neighbors and shop owners. It is full of Chinese culture - and even some Italian fun, as well! - and a great read for anyone interested in life in Chinatown, California.

    Shoo-fly Girl is about an Amish girl who is part of a large family. She helps the family grow their tobacco crop for sale, and has a pet crow that no one likes. She and her family learn to be friends with their "English" neighbors, all the while overcoming their prejudice. Reading this story was definitely fun, and recommended for anyone who is interested in the lives of Amish children.

    Corn-Farm Boy is about a boy who suffers with rheumatism. He lives on a farm with his siblings; since he has to limit his physical activity, he "collects" animals as pets, doctoring them when they're sick. He tries his best to help the family as they try a new method of planting corn that makes them look foolish to the neighbors, but it pays off in the end. This is a great story for animal lovers and young boys looking for everyday adventures.

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013

    butter typoes ;)

    When I read something - anything, be it print, on the internet, on signs, etc... - my brain is on alert and ready to mock any typos or grammatical eras* I see ;)   I'm not sure when it started, (even though I myself sometimes use lowecase letterage or coin words), but any time I catch a typo (ad nauseum), I get a little excited. ... and sometimes a little frustrated that the world didn't help out those people enough to show them they could have a much better life if only....

    Anywhoodle, I know I'm not the only one out there / they're still around / their influence makes me who I am ... ;)


    What's the best / worst grammar/typo you've seen?  comments necessary!



    Also, in the last week I've lost a whole pound of weight - that's equivalent to four sticks of butter! It doesn't seem like a lot in my head, but if I picture butter I feel so much more proud of myself!

    Wednesday, January 2, 2013

    2012, meet 2013!

    It snowed on New Year's Eve, on New Year's Day, and today. It might not have been two feet of snow, but it was a decent salt-shaker's worth of snow in appearance as it fell from the sky.

    We left my inlaw's house on NYE and as we were getting into the Jeep we got to catch fireworks exploding a few blocks away.  It was pretty super (and also pretty cold).

    at Colonial's "Movie on the Lawn"
    We've been married for 6 months and it seems like much longer(inagoodway). We've learned much about God's goodness in the Psalms in the past few months, and much about each other as we've dealt with job hunting, interviews, declined jobs, job offers that wouldn't be enough to live on, and  Still haven't been able to have the Michigan reception we'd planned on, but hope to soon. We've shared many meals with D's family, and learned to share what little we have with each other and D's grandpa (withwhomwe'reliving).

    I've been working at Barnes&Noble as a "seasonal worker" - didn't have the 90-days-of-training that almost everyone else had, but I've done all right so far. We shall see if I am asked to stay on . . . I like working there, but it's hard to pay bills on only $7.50/hr.

    Waiting for Grand Canyon to find me a placement - finally heard from someone today that all three of the schools I'd put on my application didn't have space.... so I took initiative and gave the guy who is supposed to be helping me get placed no less than 25 schools to call for me.
    we shall see.

    D and I have been scheming how we can get out of debt and move forward in our goal: alaska, airplanes, 6 kids, etc...
    February 2011 at Beaners :) 
    I've been hounding Pinterest for homesteading ideas, and gradually learning bits and pieces of how-to-make-it-on-very-little. Even though we still don't have our own place, we've been learning to live on very little as it is, and I've been learning to make freezer meals (and been trying harder to cook for possibly 3-instead-of-7 people)...

    This year I hope to write more... Last year (11/2012) I attempted NaNoWriMo.... Made it to about the halfway point, but Thanksgiving / social activities got in the way, and I discovered it's incredibly hard to write when we don't have our own place... because inlaws just so happen to be very loud. :p  (sometimes loud is fun, but when trying to write or study, it's very distracting. . . at least, it is for me.)

    I can't promise I'll write every day, or even every week.
    Sally and I at the dogpark in Homestead :) 
    I want to be a better writer, though, so I promise I'll write more.

    I'll shoot for quality, too. I might post about something controversial, or simply share a recipe that my family enjoyed.
    Churrasco Steaks at Mario's in Homestead





    I might post a picture on occasion,


    or something encouraging.

    I might review a book, or a hotel, or an interesting landmark.
    in love on the beach (FL 2011)

    My blog isn't really thematical, but it is me. Coined words, silly phrases, and lots of creativity. A little bit of love for everything God made, and a lot of love for the Creator.

    Stay tuned - this could be (more) fun!
    <3 amanda="amanda" p="p">