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.

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/

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 :)

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.

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.

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!

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">