thankfulnesses.....

the holiday came and went so fast, i never got to write out my 'thankfulnesses'... so here goes...

• i am thankful for grace, and peace, and security beyond circumstances.

• i am thankful for love and relationships and all the hard work and energy and effort it takes to make them strong and healthy.

• i am thankful for my upstairs abode and all the comforts of home i would otherwise be unable to afford if it weren't for the support and provision of my parents.

• i am thankful for kayla and her lively spirit. she is a joy and a treasure and i'm so glad she's safe and sound and able to grow up here under the spoiling parenting of my mom and dad.

• i am thankful for the vineyard church and the family i've found there.

• i am thankful for grace and the constant, however slow, transforming power it has in my life.

• i am thankful for growth and the fruit of joy when i study and apply the Bible to my life.

• i am thankful to be able to learn from my mistakes and grow in obedience and faith.

• i am thankful for coffee... my favorite mugs... my favorite chair... a place to rest.. the joy of cooking & experimenting in the kitchen... friends to share life with... books that challenge and inspire.. the opportunity to teach the Bible to children (at work and church and bsf)...

• i am thankful for ups and downs... the change of seasons.. a lifetime of cherished photos and memories.. and i'm especially thankful for each new day i get to make more!!

...i'm still pretty exhausted physically and emotionally, so it's kind of cool that i didn't get a chance before now to do this... certainly 'fills my tank' to consider all i have to be so thankful for!! <3...all to say, i totally recommend this exercise, if you haven't already done it; slightly therapeutic! :)

thankfully exhausted...

this has been a terribly busy, wonderfully exhausting couple of days!!!


first we had thanksgiving dinner at j's gma's (my fam went to my mom's mom's) and j's fam decided to wrap things up early -so j. and i took a [somewhat spontaneous] roadtrip to charlotte to see my cousin katie!!



glad for the chance before she moves back to NY..



great to get to see amanda and her finace' troy while we were at it!



..and J's college roommate Jeremy..

(not only do they have the same name, jeremy l. is dating a kim (who teaches), their brothers and dads have the same names, and their moms' are cheryl and carol!!! :)

really fun times!!! ...we got up early and hurried home today so i could make it to my friend lynn's wedding...

we're both exhausted, but i'd say it was totally worth it! :)

cooking improvements...

notice the fluffy difference compared to the picture last time!! :)

so, i recently posted the recipe for these brownie chip cookies... (see 'new favorite')...

well, in that post i mentioned kind of arbitrarily that the recipe said i would end up with 6 dozen -but that i only ended up with about two dozen... hahaha.. well, i just discovered the reason why as i was trying the recipe for a second time today...

the recipe calls for a 23.7 ounce pack of brownie mix and i only used a 10.5 ounce pack!! -wow!

i thought they tasted great last time... this time they're really delicious! <3

new arrival...

oh, the joy of Birth!! ...especially when the friends are close ones...


(the reflection is quite bad, but it's the best shot i could get!!)

i had the JOY of visiting candice and brandon at the hospital this morning and seeing -from a distance obviously- their new baby lillian kate streff!!!


...here's a close-up c's sister took when she was first born...

Tues. 11/25/08 @ 1am

...since the joys of life are more fun when shared, i thought it merited a post! ;) --(steph, candice is the one who helped babysit and 'nanny' for amy a lot last year!!)

weekend update...

...FRIDAY night our TMP kiddos performed as a 'family night' practice for their sunday performance!! (my fam came which was really nice! we went to landolfi's afterward and ricardo came... double nice!)

thanks, thankfulness, & thanksgiving... [ideas for when you gather]

i was just searching for some last minute ideas for a the little gathering we're going to have tomorrow night...
j. and i have invited over two of our favorite couples, the goffs and the mangerchines!

here are a few sites i came across... none too earth-shattering, but some thought-provoking ideas at least...

'get to know you' game...
...great idea... especially for a group that doesn't know each other all that well yet --rather than trying to play with immediate family or spouses..

'be thankful, everyday'......kind of long and drawn out and requires some prep-time, but seems like it would have a cool result! --(also seems modifiable for last-minute situations like mine! :)

alphabet game...this one's actually a christmas idea, but i was thinking of modifying it for thanksgiving! ..the 'thankful' extension on the same page could be used anytime with any small group!

printables...
just had to throw in these printable ideas!!! (never know, you might see something you like!) ..i just realized you have to pay for these! oh well. <3

too funny...

so, i'm cooking a chili-chicken stew recipe for the first time this wednesday night and it said to cook it all in a 'dutch oven'.... not knowing exactly what that was, i googled the word and came across this picture!! ...lol... just had to share!!

(i almost posted the story to go with it, but in the interest of taste, i decided against it! ;) -shannon, jeremy might really get a kick out of the story that went along with it actually!

no more plastic...

i made it to and from wal-mart without adding any plastic bags to the collection!! (not always an easy feat!) ...yay!!

29 before thirty #29!

new favorite...

these yummy-looking things are called brownie-chip cookies and, man, are they gooood!

the recipe is simple...

combine 23.7 oz.pkg. brownie mix, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup veg.oil..

beat about 50 strokes with a spoon...

stir in one 6 oz. package of semisweet chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup chopped pecans..

drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets..

bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes..

cool slightly on cookie sheets, remove, and cool completely.

(supposedly makes 6 dozen... for me, it made about 2 dozen -i guess my spoonfuls were a little big... ;) ..delicious though; two thumbs up!!

en.courage.ment...

Encouragement. n.

1. The act of encouraging; incitement to action or to practice...

2. That which serves to incite, support, promote, or advance, as favor, countenance, reward, etc.; incentive; increase of confidence;

(dictionary.com)

22. Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

23. A man finds joy in giving an apt reply—

and how good is a timely word!

proverbs 15:22-23




i thank God for friends and family that incite, support, promote, and help advance us in our daily walks in life...




played and looked through a bunch of these exploding dog images last night... didn't realize how many of them relate to encouragement until now....<3

'reactions'

just wanted to give this a try... supposedly we can get the 'reactions' of our readers with one easy click... here's the Blogger Buzz about it..

so, it took me a minute but i figured it out, but i think i like it.. yay!!

holy habits...

this week our pastor taught about daniel and his 'holy habits'... (for example how daniel always prayed three times a day; before, during, and after the king's decree)...

he made the point that when the pressure -of-the-world- is on, it's a lot easier to face or handle when we already have those godly/holy habits in place...

therefore he challenged us to consider the 'holy habits' in our own lives... or the lack thereof.. i know that i have some, and i also know that i could/need to develop some more...

jk turns three..

to celebrate three years of love, we went to the state park..












a very nice place to walk, talk, reminisce, and dream...









and then carraba's! ♥

mission(s) complete...

i officially updated my 29 before thirty list!!
--as of friday and for good i think :)

...AND i've officially taken the PLT Praxis Test (#25) on the list of 29 things...

sooo relieved to have it over with! :)

7 kitchen favs.......

shannon 'tagged' me and i couldn't wait to respond....

the 7 things i love MOST about my kitchen...


1. my coffee cabinet [and maker]




2. my little 'breakfast table'




3. the natural light i get from the window by the table




4. the garbage disposal... [totally underrated!!] -i love that thing!


(how else do you photograph the disposal at work??)


5. the dishwasher -i really don't know that i would like using my kitchen so much without it...




6. the extra counter & cabinet space i have separate from the rest... (great for entertaining, setting out a buffet, or housing working tea- and/or rice-makers :)




7. my eclectic collection of mugs, dishes, bowls, pots, and pans... (sometimes i think it'd be nice if they all matched, but each piece -just about- has it's own purpose and charm!)


(this is just a sample of the plates/bowls of course ;)

study study... [3 days to go]....

yes, the picture is random, but i like it... :)

...off to study for two more days until i get to take this thing on saturday!!!!

baby candon??

our friends candice and brandon have been taking bets to see if we can all guess the gender, weight, length, time and date their baby will be born --mostly to get some extra diaper money :)


i thought it was a cute idea and just thought of posting this beacause today's the day i picked!! (she's not due for two more days, but she looks ready to me!!)


lilly kate or river candon... which will it be??
(i guessed girl; today around 8pm, so i guess we'll see!! :)

..the picture's from halloween... they came as 'parents' --later in the night, the babydoll ended up draped through candice's sweatshirt! ..it was quite a site! :)

update...

i updated my 29 before thirty list... it's mostly complete, but i still can't seem to fill in that last space, just in case i think of something really great ;)

...thanks for your comments and encouragement!

i'm still studying as much as possible for the PLT (#25)...
after saturday i'll be able to think about working on some of the other items! :)

celebrate the fam... (#12)

29 before thirty #12 accomplished:

cooked and served mom and dad for their anniversary this weekend..

it was great. definitely quaint... we had three-cheese tortellini with shrimp, sauteed asparagus, and bananas foster over vanilla ice cream for dessert! mmmm! :)

mom and dad really seemed to enjoy it ..and kayla got to eat the other half of her hot dog from lunch and sit up high on the stool, so she was happy girl :)


(wish i had a photo to document the moment...this one will have to do.. it's from mother's day at villa romana)

window treatments...

when i came home tonight and closed the blinds in my bedroom i noticed the noises from outside as usual and realized how the top window frame seemed to be slipping down, out of place.


it finally occurred to me that was why the top and bottom locks were not matching up!!

...as soon as i slid the window frame 5cm back into place, the locks matched up and i was able to lock the window back into place! i did all three in my bedroom and then moved to erin's room and the kitchen and living room!

probably 10 out of 11 windows had to be moved back into place and reinforced!! wow! ..so glad that's taken care of! :)

29 before thirty...

my official list of 29 things i'd like to do/accomplish before i turn 30! (oh my!)

i'll put the green check each time i complete a list-item, so as to distinguish them from other posts :)

...(in no particular order)....

1. finish thank you notes from this birthday!
(kind of kidding, but maybe if i write it down i'll actually get them done! :)

2. sew-my-own pajama pants (5/14/09)

3. become part of a vineyard lifegroup

4. design & print my own greeting cards

5. carve a pumpkin & roast seeds with jeremy (10/24/08)

6. go kayaking (9/19/09)

7. get a 'just right' job (2/9/09)

8. pay off my vehicle!! (4/19/09)

9. take a photography class

10. get /use/experiment with a tripod

11. read in a pit with a lion on a snowy day and finish reading same kind of different as me

12. serve my family by planning an anniversary party for them (11/2/08)

13. serve Jesus by discipling others (possibly lead or co-lead the lifegroup with Vineyard; see #3) (Nov.-May, BSF Children's Leadership)

14. serve others by using my gift of hospitality: have people over on a regular basis -monthly.. in process..

15. write my brother Michael; send him the shack

16. spend time with my brother Gary, his wife Nancy, and his boys Dustin & Christopher

17. hang mirrors from IKEA that I purchased in march of 2008!

18. paint and assemble frames from IKEA that I received in october of 2007.. or was it 06?

19. write a letter of love and appreciation to someone who influenced me greatly

20. make my own costume

21. take kayla somewhere special (i haven't decided where yet; i may let her decide)

22. make a recipe book -including design and sources etc..

23. involve my students in a service-learning project (maybe send a care-package overseas?)

24. write a love-note to a dear friend who died in december of 05 (maybe give it to her widower; maybe not...)

25. pass the PLT exam and regain my teaching certificate! -(2/09)

26. do something worth-while with my teaching certificate!

27. visit friends in charleston, savannah, and/or charlotte (all three might not be completely realistic, but that would be the best!)

28. foster relationships with certain people at church... intentionally get to know them for mutual encouragement and sharpening.

29. for the last one, a true challenge: give up plastic bags completely... i've tried and it's difficult... you really have to assert yourself sometimes just to avoid being given a simple grocery bag!

.....as i finish and blog about them, i will link each to their respective post!! :)

updated 5/23/09

working on it...

so, before i post my '29 before 30' list, i had to show you this blog i came across...

i thought she had a great idea of making her list a list of links to the appropriate posts!!

for now i'm just working on completing my list... <3

did i mention...

did i mention it took me three hours to vote the other day??

...i was trying to look up a news story about it, but i couldn't find one...

just because...

...my kiddos on the hay-ride in Pawleys Island.

they were so excited. it was a good moment. just wanted to share...

word-play...

steph linked this cool site (wordle) on her blog (you enter text and it arranges it for you in random order, color, and font; you can even specify the settings you like if you want.)

...the girls from my BSF class are having a sleepover in december, so i thought i'd use it to make the invite.. hope you like!
(i'm actually using the one on the right. :)

election day..

happy election day!












....i've spent the morning with kayla, and now it's time to go to the polls!

God Bless America!

all hallow's eve...

after kayla & anna (jasmine and the dark princess) walked around the neighborhood for a bit, we took kayla to the festival at surfside presbyterian...



jeremy and i wore our favorite polyester...
kayla racked up on the candy and we saw some of our favorite friends!!



we had a great time...
the most fun i've had on halloween since steph and i used to roam around caropines way back when! ♥

(steph, that's meg in the middle... do you know she's getting married in april?!)