My first layout of 2016 is complete!
I used Winter Break papers and embellishments from Digital Design Essentials to put together this layout celebrating our 22nd anniversary. Molly took this photo of us when we were at Amelia Island the week of Thanksgiving Break. She’s my little apprentice. This is one of my all-time favorite photos of the two of us. <3
It feels good to have one done!
In my last post I shared my goals for 2016. I am happy to say that I am still on track! I just got back from the gym, a couple things are marked off of our home improvement list, and I made the first entry in my journaling Bible! Tonight I thought I would share my progress in my reading goals.
I shared this reading challenge that I had found in my last post. I’m only challenging myself to read 24 books this year, and I am already working on my second one. I really like this reading challenge because the hunt for the book is as fun as the read. Here are a couple of the ones I have marked off my list so far.
A book set in high school.
Being an high school teacher has its perks! I enjoy reading Young Adult Fiction, and I just have to walk down the hall to visit the school library. I brought home a stack of books for Elizabeth and me to read over Christmas break. This was one of them. Elizabeth and I both enjoyed it. A fun read. Some of it isn’t too realistic (it becomes school policy that all seniors must be on a school team of some kind), but I found the adult to teen relationships to be very realistic and not watered down. Parents aren’t perfect, but they try their best for their kids. Sometimes they are wrong. This book does a good job of showing that.
A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet.
My mom gave Chris the latest Grisham for Christmas, so this was an easy pick. I’ve read almost all of his fiction works (I haven’t read all of the Theodore Boone series), and A Time to Kill, his first novel, is still my favorite.
I am about halfway through this one, and I’m enjoying it. Its different for Grisham. It’s told in the first person and the chapters are shorter than normal. I like the venture from his usual style. In fact, I think I will wind this up now so that I can go stretch out on the couch and read it now!
I will try to keep my reading progress updated as I go. If you want to keep up with what I’m reading, send me a friend request on Good Reads. I post all my books there. If you have a good read to share, I would love to hear about it! I will add it to my to-read list!
I love a new year. Now, I’m not crazy about how quickly each year seems to approach, but I love the idea of a fresh start. I see each New Year as a do-over. You know, those things you got to do back when you were a kid and you messed up. Like when you missed the kick ball, or when you reset the Atari when you messed up on your first life on Pacman. A do-over.
For me, 2015 was a tough year. Sure, it had some bright spots. Parts of it just really sucked though. Sucked big ole rotten eggs!
I guess that’s why I am excited about 2016. Like a lot of Americans, I start off the year with a list of things I want to accomplish. I don’t like to call them resolutions. I think that word has too many negative connotations associated with it. I like goals. I set goals for each year. Sometimes I am successful (like my goal to give up Diet Sun-drops three years ago) and sometimes I am not so successful (like that weight loss one I set each year). However, I set them each year.
Now, I am of the opinion that goals not written down are just dreams. If you really plan to accomplish your goals, you must write them down. So here is my list of goals for 2016.
1. Finish the last three classes for my teaching certification (yes, it’s a long story. Even though I have my MBE, I am being required to take three more classes).
2. Read 24 books. This is less than last year’s goal. I was on schedule, but the volume of text I was required to read for my MBE really turned me against reading for a while. This was sad for me. but I have rekindled my love of reading in recent weeks. I am playing around with this reading challenge. I don’t’ have the goal of reading 50 books this year, but it gives me some fun options for choices. It’s kind of like a book scavenger hunt.
3. Home improvements. Chris and I are both on board for this one. We have written a two-page list of home improvement projects. Some are small and some are not-so-small. I’m going to keep the list and mark off each one we accomplish. We will see how many we get done by the end of the year!
4. Get fit. Yes, this one again. I actually started working out more before the holidays. I have found myself working out at least four days each week. I have got to lose some weight. I’m trying to be realistic yet consistent. I have an accountability partner, so that is a positive step!
5. Scrapbook more. I had gotten more on track, but after my mother-in-law passed away, I really didn’t have a lot of desire to be creative. I’m ready to rekindle that passion, too. I’m downloading some scrapbook kits as I type this.
6. Blog more. I think I have said this the past two years.Once I and the rest of the world joined Facebook, I pretty much stopped blogging. Blogging used to be part of my daily life. I would blog and visit my favorite blogs each morning. Then Facebook took over. Honestly, I have grown tired of facebook, and I am seldom on there. I’m more drawn to Twitter and Instagram. In 2016 I hope to FB less and blog more.
7. Bible journaling. I discovered Bible journaling on Pinterest. I’m not an artist, but I was immediately drawn to it. For Christmas, Chris gave me a journaling Bible. I haven’t garnered the courage to do my first entry yet. My hope is that journaling in my bible will enhance my Bible study. I need to just dive in and do it! I will share here when I do.
8. Financial Goals. Chris and I are going to work on our financial plan for 2016 together. We need to get back to budgeting like we used to do. This is personal in nature, but I at least wanted to share here that it is on my list.
9. Couponing. Life got busy last year. Really, I think it was last summer when I was taking four classes to finish up my MBE. Couponing went out the window. I’ve gotten a little bit back in the swing, but for 2016 I plan to get back on schedule. I save so much money for our family doing it that I have got to get back to it.
Now, it seems that I should have just one more to make the list complete. You know, a nice even 10. Well, those are my top ones, and I see no reason just to add another to have a Top Ten Goals of 2016. Do you? Yes, if I accomplish these, I will feel accomplished!
So what are your goals for 2016? I’d love to hear them. Just remember to right them down! They are just dreams until you do!
As Chris’ plane is probably close to landing in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, I thought it fitting to share this message he shared with our church family earlier this year when asked to speak about the mission. Many have asked why he goes back after getting sick after his past two trips. I think this answers as to why.
(Overlooking Tegucigalpa on last year’s trip)
In Chris’ words:
I’m not sure I’m the best spokesman for the Honduras mission. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve made the trip to Honduras four times now. Two of those years went perfectly well – with no issues whatsoever. In 2013, I came down with flu-like symptoms a couple days after returning home. After several days of not getting better, I was finally diagnosed with Dengue Fever. Dengue is a mosquito-born illness that is fairly common in certain areas of Honduras. No, I didn’t use mosquito repellant on that trip. It wasn’t as if I was trying to be careless, or reckless – but I never saw a mosquito during the whole week we were there. Joe later told me that he killed one in our room the first night we were there. So even if I had used it at the work sites, I wouldn’t have had it on in the room so chances are I still would have gotten bitten. Like I said, for me, Dengue felt a lot like the flu. Just overall “feeling bad,” slight fever, headache. But apparently it also can affect your kidneys which tends to get the doctors pretty excited. That led to a short hospital stay but thankfully no lasting effects.
This past year, I returned home with just a feeling of “not feeling good.” Once again I ended up with a short hospital stay. This time with a diagnosis of a bacterial infection. Like the year before, I wasn’t reckless or careless. I didn’t eat or drink anything that the rest of the group didn’t. It could have come from anywhere. I could have shaken hands with the wrong person and then touched by face. I could have gotten water in my mouth while showering. Actually, it could have even come from the airplane or airport back in the U.S.
When we got to the emergency room, one of the nurses thought she recognized us and asked if we had been there recently. Brandi and I looked at each other as Brandi told her, “Yes, we were here about this time last year…” That led to a whole series of questions about where we had been, what we had been doing there, the length of our stay, and details about my illness the previous year. I’m sure this lady had the best of intentions when she suggested rather bluntly that we not go back to Honduras. Hers was the first of many unsolicited comments, opinions, and suggestions regarding our travels to Honduras. We heard,
“Maybe you should rethink this Honduras thing.”
“I hope you aren’t going to try that again.”
“Maybe mission work isn't for you.”
“Y’all are crazy.”
and my favorite…
“Maybe God is trying to tell you something.”
I’ll just tell you, every time I heard one of these or a similar comment I got mad – really mad. It wasn’t because I don’t like being told what to do – well maybe that was part of it. But seriously – the ignorance of every one of these people that should have known better is what angered me. Health care workers that should have known how much good an American mission team can do in a week’s time. Friends and family that should have understood that a few days under the weather isn’t that big of deal when given the chance to do so much good. And fellow believers who have read and studied Mark 15:15 as much as I have. “And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” In each case I was tempted to say, “Okay, you go next year so I won’t have to,” but I didn’t.
I can remember saying to someone in our group at one of the job sites this past year, “Can you imagine waking up tomorrow morning and THIS is your reality?” Let’s do that together – imagine with me.
You are a young, single parent of two or three small children. Your spouse has left you to state a new family with someone else. You live halfway up a very steep mountain on a narrow, dirt road. The road is so steep it takes either a 4-wheel drive or running start to make it around all the curves – but that doesn’t really concern you because you don’t have a car. You have to walk almost everywhere you go. The terrain where you live is what we might think of in many places in the United States a light beige, sandy type soil covered in scattered pines. The scenery is beautiful, but you don’t think about that – you are too busy trying to provide for your family every day. Your house is made out of sticks and mud – literally. Your bathroom consists of a hole in the dirt. You have stuck four sticks in the ground and wrapped a sheet of black plastic around three sides for privacy. You have a blanket draped over the fourth side for a door. You have a metal roof on your house, but it is full of holes. It is already leaking, and you know that it is sure to get worse as the rainy season will soon be here. You have tried to stop the leaks by covering the roof with everything from scraps of tarp to plastic shopping bags, but it hasn't helped. The leaks are so bad that the bedding where your children sleep stays damp, and it is starting to affect their health. Imagine that – during last night rain your roof was leaking so bad that there was not a dry place in your house for your children to sleep and you have neither the means nor the ability to replace the roof.
I hope I was able to paint a picture for you. This was one of the projects that we worked on this past year. I think you’ll be able to see the pictures of the actual site on Ricky’s slideshow in a few minutes. For me, this project epitomizes the Honduras mission. I think of this family when I read Matthew 25:40 “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of there brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This was a situation where for a few hundred dollars in material and a couple hours labor, we were able to change a family’s life if not forever then at least for the foreseeable future.
This is just one family that we were able to help. The need is so great in Honduras I’m sure that there are thousands of more families just like them. I strongly encourage each and every one of you or get involved with the Honduras mission. And to be involved, you don’t have to get on a plane and fly to Tegucigalpa. There are many ways to be involved. you can collect eyeglasses, make baby blankets, donate clothes, purchase bi-lingual Bibles or children’s Bible storybooks. And of course money is always needed.
This trip is not for everyone. Even though we are very well taken case of by our Honduran guides and military escorts, it is still a third world country. A quick Google search will show you that Honduras can be a dangerous place. The crime rate is staggering, and I can tell you first hand that the tropical diseases and stomach bugs are no fun. But I promise you that any uneasiness or discomfort that you may feel along the way will be far overshadowed by the rewards of this trip. You will never meet a more genuine, loving, appreciative people anywhere. You will make friendships that will last a lifetime. After you’ve been one, each return trip will feel like going home.
Speaking of friendships – when I mentioned to my dear friend Nahum that I would be speaking tonight (anyone who has been to Honduras in the last few years knows Nahum. He’s one of those people who it’s just hard not to like. He has done everything from helping Rickey preach to order for us at Wendy’s. And, he has become one of my dearest friends over the past few years. We chat over Facebook almost daily and talk on the phone at least once a week.) Anyway, when Nahum head that I was speaking tonight, he asked me to convey this message:
“When I first started helping the brigades from Washington Street, I was waiting for work, Now it is like I am waiting for my family to return. The work they do is wonderful Sometimes it is difficult to communicate but God does everything for you. We almost always understand everything though most don’t speak English or Spanish. With patience, we can accomplish most anything thanks for God’s love.”
(Chris and Nahum 2010)
As I was typing this, I received a text from Chris that they are in the airport in Tegucigalpa. I’m thinking about his going through customs, picking up his baggage and going through the doors to see out friends, Nahum, Marvin, Johnny, and Franklin. I wish I was there with him. I hope we are both able to go back next year. I hope you will join me in praying for our team this week.
It’s never good when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Good news just doesn’t usually come then. If it’s good news, it can wait until morning. Our phone rang last night just after midnight. I never expected what was coming.
It was my mom calling to tell us that my cousin, Jeff Newgent, had unexpectedly passed. Jeff. How could that be? If you want to get technical, Jeff wasn’t my cousin by blood. He married my first cousin, Donna. She was a few years older than me, but we lived next door to each other growing up. I spent a lot of time at her house, and I can remember when she and Jeff were dating. Jeff drove an old blue truck, and I can remember it parked in the the drive.It wasn’t long until my daddy performed their wedding ceremony. I can still remember that day clearly. The green and peach dresses, my cousin Wendy and me keeping the register, how cute Dana was as the flower girl, Uncle Richard watering down the dirt road all morning so there would be no dust during the outdoor wedding. That’s when Jeff became my cousin.
He was a carpenter by trade. A very good carpenter. The one we trusted to build our house because we knew it would be done right. I can remember us sitting in my grandpa’s front yard looking over the plans with him. Yes, we live in the house that Jeff built. We spent lots of time with Jeff over those 18 months. I can remember the day he put up these columns on the front porch.
We have a loose shingle on the front of the house now. One that was blown loose in March storm. I asked Chris not long ago if he was going to fix it. He smiled and said he wasn’t getting on that roof. It was too high for him. He would call Jeff.
Call Jeff. That’s what so many would do. For whatever reason. You knew Jeff would be there. My mom has called him times when I wondered why in the world she didn’t call Chris. Always dependable, Jeff.
The word that has come to mind over and over again is good. Jeff was good. Just good. He was just a good person. A person you couldn’t help but to like.
Good.
Honest.
Dependable.
That was Jeff.
A lot of people are going to miss him. I know I do. But there are lots of things that I see in this house that make me think of him. From the “drawer” he made for me to carry my dishes to potluck dinners, to the hardwood floors he installed, to that very tall roof I remember watching him climb onto as I held my breath.
He may be gone, but I’m proud to say that I live in the house that Jeff built.
Warning: Proud mom post ahead!
Miss Molly was inducted into the Junior Beta Club tonight.
The Beta Club Mission Statement is “To promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, service and leadership among elementary and secondary school students.”
I am confident in saying that Molly demonstrates all those characteristics. Molly has always been determined. She is one to work until she figures out how to do something or until she gets it right. I can remember her teaching her older sister how to tie her shoes and ride a bike. I can remember when she was learning to read in kindergarten that her teacher remarked what a diligent worker she was. She would work with Molly during rest time because that was what Molly wanted to do. She wanted to be able to read. It was so important to her. I’m thankful that she had a teacher that recognized that and took the time out of her day to give Molly that extra attention.
She has a confidence that I wish I possessed. I was shocked the day of cheerleading tryouts last spring when she told me that she had volunteered to go first! That is Molly. Tonight and every night I am super proud to be her mom.
We have been out out of school seven of the last nine school days, and today we FINALLY had our first snow day. We were out all last week because we had freezing rain and icing. That is common here in the south. It pretty much shuts things down. Yesterday we were released from school early because there was a BIG snow headed our way. It didn’t disappoint. At least it didn’t disappoint those of us who become big kids with the first snow flake!
At our house we got at least six inches of the white stuff. Last night we made a big batch of snow cream, drank hot cocoa, did a little night sledding, and made plans for today. We thought the sledding might be a little better at my in-laws’, so after a big breakfast to fuel us up for a morning of sledding, we headed out. As we topped a hill on our road, we were met by this.
Apparently these critters had gotten excited about the snow and had escaped. Some of our neighbors rounded them up and moved them into a farm lot for safe keeping until they could be returned home.
We live in the southern part of the county, and we actually had more snow than my in-laws did. Since we already there, and they do have a big hill that’s good for sledding, we stayed a while and played.
Now here in the south, we don’t get a lot of snow. We may go a few years before we have enough to play in, so we don’t all have snow gear like our friends to the north. So Miss Molly is demonstrating what we do. We put on our camouflage insulated bibs and find something for sledding. Here she is using a deer sled. If you don’t know its proper use, don’t ask!
A country girl will survive.
Stewart is sporting your more traditional snow gear.
Either way, all that matters is that you have fun!
And when you have a dad that is a bigger kid than you are, this is what happens!
The kids weren’t the only ones having fun.
After playing for while we came home and played some more. Anna Catherine came over and joined us for a trip or two down the hill. I had already put my camera up by then, so I don’t have any photos from that fun. It was a great day.
Sadly, it’s almost all gone now. We’re going back to school tomorrow with a two-hour delay. It was fun while it lasted, and this was a reminder that spring in just around the corner.
This unexpected week off from school has given me some extra time to scrapbook. I needed to catch up on some of my design team duties. I created this layout using Gina Cabrera-Myer’s new Mad Crush Collection available at Digital Design Essentials.
And from another favorite Gina is this Valentine’s collection title You + Me = Awesome. Using one of her templates, made the page super-quick to put together.
And finally, I’ve realized that I need to go back and scrap a lot from Stewart’s little days that I failed to document. Today I created this one about his second year of pre-school. I used one of my favorite school collections of Gina Miller’s, School House Rocks. Gina’s designs are available at The Lilypad.
Well, we’re into snow day number three and have already gotten the word that we will be out again tomorrow. We haven’t had a lot of snow – actually none until today, but it sure has been nice to have a break. We weren’t scheduled to have President’s Day off this year. We lost it because we had to start back to school later than normal due to the tornado that hit the kids’ school back last spring.
Thanks to some freezing rain, we ended up getting it off anyway! You could sense at school that the kids were needing a break. I remarked to some of the other teachers on Friday that the halls were quiet. I think the kids were just tired.
Chris has been giving me a hard time about staying in my pajamas all day which I have not been doing! I have showered, washed and dried my hair, and put on clean yoga pants every day! Not to mention cleaned the house, written a paper for my graduate class, taken three quizzes, edited a session AND had supper ready every night when he has gotten home!
Today I did put on some blue jeans (I’m glad I could still fit into them), and went into town for the first time since Sunday. We were out of milk, and we made a stop at the library while were in town. I think we will be good for a few more days.
We did have to get some marshmallows so that we could make smores nachos again tonight. A friend shared this recipe on Facebook yesterday, and we had to try it. YUM-O!
Chili is in the crockpot, we have a movie from Red Box, and dessert…maybe I need to switch back to those yoga pants.
It’s supposed to be dangerously cold tomorrow, so stay inside if you can. Be careful and enjoy your Tennessee snow day!
This is the second time I have set the goal to read a classic each month of a year. As I have gotten older, I have had the feeling that I haven’t read as many classics as I should have. We read a few in school but not as many as I would expect. So I have set out to mark 12 more off my list this year.
I decided to start the year with an easy one. I guess you could say that I didn’t want to set myself up for failure by choosing something like Moby Dick. After the last semester I had in school, I really wasn’t in much of a mood to read anything. The Wind in the Willows, a classic novel written for children, seemed like a good choice to ease myself back into reading.
I read most, if not all, of this book while at the gym. It kept me going on the elliptical many nights while Elizabeth was at swim practice. I may have read an illustrated storybook or two of The Wind in the Willows when I was a kid but never the complete novel. I knew it was about Toad and some of his pals, but I didn’t remember much about it. I have to say that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Since finishing it, I have encouraged both Elizabeth and Stewart to read it.
So if you’re not familiar with the story, it was written by Kenneth Graham in England and published in1908. It’s neat to think that this was probably a favorite story when my grandparents were children. The animals in the story remind me a lot of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Toad is always finding himself in trouble, and Badger, Rat and Mole are the dear friends who are always trying to look out for him. The characters are so loveable, especially Mole and Rat. It’s probably safe to say that we all know a Toad.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
Rat speaking of his home on the river: “It’s my world, and I don’t want any other. What it hasn’t for iis not worth having, and what it doesn’t know is not worth knowing.”
Badger, Rat and Mole walking to Toad Hall: “Animals when in company walk in a proper and sensible manner, in single file, instead of sprawling all across the board being of no use or support to each other in case of sudden trouble or danger.”
The birds speaking of migrating: “Ah yes, the call of the South, of the South!”
This is an enjoyable read for children or adults. It would be a wonderful book to read aloud to your children. I’m glad that I started the year off with it. I give it two thumbs up!
