Chicks, Feathers, Eggs... Oh My!

Yes, chickens are in the very near future for the Taflans! The chicks will hopefully be ready this weekend and their box and heat lamp await them in the laundry room. You may be thinking we're crazy, or have a weird obsession with feathered friends, but we see it like this - when you have a little bit of land, and part of it is already fenced in, and you love the thought of having fresh eggs from an animal that initially costs $3 each... then who can resist having their own backyard flock? Not us! We think it's great that we have the opportunity to take care of God's creatures and enjoy what they produce here in our own backyard :)

I've thought for a while now that having chickens would be a neat, productive pet to have and when we began renting our little white house, I felt like the place was perfect. Will our landlord agree? We don't really know! Maybe fresh eggs will make her think like we do... In the meantime, before gathering our first egg, we have to keep the little chicks warm and inside until fully feathered (around 6 weeks) and then they probably won't lay an egg until mid to late summer. I'm not sure what our parrots will think having more birds inside, but we bet they'll imitate the chickens a little now and then. While the chicks are growing feathers, Matthew plans on building the chicken coop in the fenced in portion of our yard. He has it sketched out and we plan on cutting costs some by using wood found in our shed and my dad's shed. I'll post pictures whenever it gets completed.

Buff Orpington is our breed of choice and we hope to pick out some healthy little hens (fingers crossed that we don't get a rooster!). Right now 4 is the magic number and I've had the names picked out for them since this past fall. I'll share those later along with a picture of the chicks once they're home.

If I could (maybe one day?) I'd add a milk goat and dog to our miniature farm... although a dog is much more likely than a goat in Matthew's opinion. For now I'll be content with some chickens!

Ugly Sweaters and Gingerbread Eggnog

Christmas festivities are upon us and this is certainly a favorite time of year for the Taflans. Not only is Christmas a joyous time, (Happy Birthday Jesus!), but two days after is our wedding anniversary. It's a season of celebration!

In our house we've been crafting, wrapping, and dressing up in ugly sweaters. We dress up in ugly sweaters for fun... at a Christmas party hosted by some friends of ours of course :) Mine had lovely plastic candy canes dangling from it, as well as cats hiding in presents - yuck - and dear Matthew found a lady's sweater at Goodwill for only $4 that he had to cut thumb holes into just so he could stretch the sleeves down his long arms. It was utterly disturbing and I am proud to say that my honey took home first place prize for the ugliest sweater! (You go dear!)

With Christmas festivities comes great food and yummy, seasonal drinks. Have you tried the delicious gingerbread eggnog? We found it at Lowe's Foods and love it! It may not be new to the stores, but it's new to us this year and I don't think just one carton will do! Yum... enjoy some Christmas in a cup!

A Pilgrim & An Indian

I would just like to take a moment to post how awesome my husband is and how much of a trooper he can be when it comes to putting up with my childlike ideas. I'm a kindergarten teacher, so silly ideas are to be expected!

It was two Fridays ago when all of kindergarten had a Thanksgiving feast together. My students wore their Indian headbands, macaroni necklaces, or Pilgrim hats and I wore an Indian outfit I found at an vintage/costume shop. My sister spotted the dress and at $7, I couldn't resist. I fringed the bottom and sleeves, and found a headband for $3 at the same store. Not bad for something cheap and simple! When I got home from school that day I said, "Why should this only be worn once, when it's very appropriate for this time of year? Let's dress up for Thanksgiving!" (Picture my husband rolling his eyes). Matthew laughed a little at first, then realized I was serious and didn't say much else until Thanksgiving morning. I helped him choose Pilgrim-ish clothes and he wore the hat I made just for him - same as my students, just adult size ;) I got excited at the thought that this could be a new tradition and we can dress up for Thanksgiving every year... but my husband told me he thought differently...

Here we are Thanksgiving day at my parents' home. This Indian maiden is in love with one handsome Pilgrim!

A little fun with the SiStErS! (oh, and some little Thanksgiving friends!)


Comical...yes, but silly things lead to great memories!

Appreciated

This week was Teacher Appreciation week... I must say I am quite blessed with the students and parents who are a part of my first year of teaching. Each day this week I was brought gifts and cards by the students, which always makes me smile when I read what they've written or see what they've picked out as a present. Children are sweet (at least mine are!) and I couldn't have asked for a better kindergarten class! When I'm feeling exhausted or as though I could scream if I have to repeat myself just ONE more time... God always provides me with a student who gives an extra hug, says "I love you," or will smile and exclaim, "this is so fun Mrs. Taflan!"

I'll have to post pictures of the poster my room-mom put outside my door on Monday and the apron she made with all the students for me. Oh and you would not believe all the sweet treats I received! And to think I was starting a new exercise program this week... :)

Also during this week was the National Day of Prayer. Our kindergarten team leader invited me and others into her room yesterday morning for some prayer time before our school day started. It was so comforting and a blessing to know that I am surrounded by fellow Christians and we can share in prayer together. Definitely a great start to the day!

Since I'm gone all day tomorrow to babysit, Matthew and I are going out for a date night. Well, we call it a date night but that doesn't necessarily mean we're going someplace special. We're really just going out wherever we feel like going - if we think of something. Maybe a walk by the lake if live music is playing tonight. I don't know. I do know that it's nice to end the work week with a relaxing evening out with the husband!

One more thing...

I know I should get ready for bed, but I just remembered that my husband mentioned he had a blog that he was going to try to devote time to with an emphasis on his passion: pictures in the form of videography and photography. Well, I decided to read it in these past few minutes because I had neglected to do so before.

I wanted to share. Check it out here: www.taflanpictures.wordpress.com (it won't let me link it for some reason...)

After reading his two posts, I smiled and thought of how cute he is. The video of his favorite part of the day warmed my heart. Mmm... it's a blessing to be in love.

Breezy Saturday

It's so nice to be able to have the windows open and feel a fresh breeze blow through. There's only a short time we can actually do this in Florida and I'm enjoying it immensely. It's a high of 65 today and sunny. I feel a bit guilty freely enjoying this weather when my parents have had wintry mixes, sleet, and snow off and on for the last week and Matthew's parents have a blizzard happening in Ohio... and no electricity. Guess I should do my best to send some warmth up their way!

Today I was on my way to the grocery store when I noticed that my herbs have sprouted in the pot outside our door. I planted them about two weeks ago - even though January is a bit early for planting. It's Florida... the cold won't last much longer. This year we're going to have cilantro (Matt's pick), garlic chives, and lavender (my pick). With my leftover seeds, I secretly tossed them onto the little landscaped island outside our building. The apartment landscapers never seem to care about that spot, so I thought having some extra herbs pop up would be a nice surprise ;) We'll see! One day, we hope to have a nice spot of land of our own where we can plant to our hearts' content... yes, one day.

I wish my husband was here to enjoy a relaxing, breezy Saturday as well. He's been at work since 7 this morning photographing youth sport teams. When he gets home he'll have just a small chance to rest before we head out to a get-together with our Sunday School class. We both are looking forward to this. It's Mexican themed and I am in the process of making Sopapilla Cheesecake Pie... the recipe looked easy enough so we'll see how it tastes later. I was a bit disappointed as I put the ingredients into the dish because the smell very much resembled breakfast cinnamon rolls and there's nothing really Mexican about cinnamon rolls. Oh well. The recipe got great reviews and I think it'll be yummy served with ice cream.

This past week was a bit rough for me. A very stressful event happened at school last week that carried over to this one. I was constantly reminded to trust God and everything will turn out fine. For me, this was difficult to do because I kept going over every possible scenario in my head that could take place and worried over how I'd prepare for it. After wrestling with this for about four days, I finally began to feel some peace and relax a little. One morning as I was getting out of the shower, this song came into my head and it was perfect:

"I will cast all my cares upon you.

I lay all of my burdens down at your feet

And anytime I don't know what to do

I will cast all my cares upon you."

With this comforting chorus, my prayers, and prayers of others, the incident came to a close this week with little drama. God is so good! I can look back now and see how He handled things and how silly my worrying was.

Matt & I started Crown Ministries this week. It's a faith based approach to dealing with finances the way God intended us to. We've been looking forward to doing this with the small group we meet with every two weeks. There's homework to accomplish, scriptures to memorize, and questions to get us thinking deeply about the direction our financial life should take. Call me a nerd, but when I saw the hard back books, nifty carrying case, and the challenge of homework, I was quite excited :) I'm curious to see what God will teach us over the next 10 weeks.

To finish this post, here is a picture of the latest sewing project - a request by my husband. He asked if I could make him a pouch for his graphics tablet so it's protected in his bag when he travels. We went to JoAnn's Fabrics last week and I smiled to myself as I watched him roam through the aisles of fabric obviously overwhelmed. He decided on simple stripes (yay for easy sewing!) with a soft liner. I hope to have this simple case finished this weekend. It's nice being able to use the sewing machine again and get in some MUCH needed practice. I think I'll go work on finishing it now before we leave.

Freedom School...

Oh how I wish my days provided adequate time for some much needed blogging. I will not even attempt to explain all that is happening in my life right now. And when I say all, I mean - Freedom School. Remember that 10 day training I attended in TN? Well, we have completed one full week of Freedom School and now have four more to go. As much as I'd like to indulge you in the details of the last week's events, I am going to refrain because I'd risk giving into frustration and negativity once again. Let's just say it's been one of those weeks... My prayer is that I am able to handle whatever and whoever crosses my path.

I need to take a minute and brag about my husband. He has been absolutely incredible through all of this. While I was away in TN he organized and cleaned the apartment - he made a list for me to look over when I got home that sent me around our little home "oohing" and "ahhing" over what he had accomplished. He has cooked me dinner many recent nights and held me when I could no longer hold back my tears of frustration. My husband whisked me away on a spontaneous hotel/beach trip a few weekends back and has also informed me that he has planned a full day for us this Saturday to celebrate our 6 month anniversary (it's a surprise, so I'll have to share next week!). It's wonderful to know that no matter what is happening during the work day, I have a safe, warm, and loving husband to come home to. The words husband and home make me smile :) I am truly blessed.

My last day of Freedom School is July 17th. Guess what happens July 20th? My family will be down from NC and they will be taking Matthew and I on a cruise with them! I am so excited and really looking forward to a vacation. It's a 4 night/5 day cruise with Royal Caribbean (the best!) and we'll be visiting the Bahamas. My family and I have taken this cruise before, but it's Matthew's first time on one. Yay for making memories! I'm very thankful for family and that we'll be able to spend quality time with them in only several more weeks :)

6 a.m. comes early so bedtime is soon. I'll close with a couple Freedom School week 1 photos. This was during our morning Harambee time - Photo 1 is of the scholars sitting quietly for Read-Aloud and Photo 2 is of the scholars doing one of their chants & cheers :

Weekend Picnics and Relaxation

I can't believe the weekend has come and gone so quickly! It was my first full week teaching kindergarten, and I must say that I was ready for the break. Last week consisted of many efforts to get the class somewhat caught up on all the knowledge the poor kids have missed out on. I'm very proud of my students for catching on to the routine of literacy centers and math centers. Although discipline is still a MAJOR issue for a handful of kids in there, I still love them and try hard to get them to where they need to be! Here's a photo of most my class taken on Friday - minus two. We planted sunflower seeds and radish seeds that day (they were SO excited!) and I was shocked to find that all of their seeds have sprouted over the weekend. My excitement matched theirs as we peeked into each cup this morning - I had said a little prayer that something would grow before school let out for the summer. I didn't really expect it to happen over 3 days :) Aren't my students cute?


When I got home from tutoring a student Friday night, my husband shared that he wanted to take me out. There was our lovely picnic basket by the door and a bag packed with blankets. Ahh... romantic and relaxing - could a girl ask for more? He drove us to Crane's Roost Park (we could walk there, actually) where we sat on the grass overlooking the pond, listening to live music. Perfect! I just love live music and being outside during the last couple hours of daylight is my absolute favorite. He cooked fish, chicken and rice, and brought applesauce. We ate, played a game of cards, and enjoyed each other's company as we listened to the band play. The security guard on duty joked about getting us candles and a lighter to add to the night :) Here's a photo of that a jogger offered to take for us...



Saturday was busy as I prepared for a meeting for my summer job. Being site coordinator is a great promotion, but also a bit more stressful! Saturday evening was spent at Borders scoping out books and magazines. I found a sewing one that has motivated me to try sewing again! We later came home to catch up on episodes of Lost (we just finished season 3!). Sunday morning consisted of Sunday school and church - then lunch with friends. This family is one of our favorites to be around - wonderful people that truly leave you feeling encouraged. They are missionaries with New Tribes and it's great having friends with which you can spend an afternoon relaxing.

Now I'm off to bed. I'm very tired and tomorrow is another busy day!

Day 1 of Kindergarten!

I began teaching kindergarten today! I will teach until the end of this school year (a few more weeks) and then it'll be time for summer break :) My first day went quite well and I'm blessed to have some nice teachers on my grade level. Unfortunately, the original teacher has been out for almost a month - meaning lesson plans and student work are a bit off schedule... I have my work cut out for me. It'll be a great experience though - not to mention it'll add to my resume! I love being called Mrs. Taflan, and I look forward to doing the best I can to make these remaining school days memorable for the kids.

As much as I'd love to write more and go into detail about the kids and classroom, I'm completely exhausted. I'm going to be balancing teaching all day and then tutoring each afternoon - at least until the month of May is over. Before I head to bed, I would like to share what my sweet husband had waiting for me when I arrived home in between school and tutoring... It made me smile and feel even more blessed!

Happy Resurrection Day!

"Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He has risen from the dead! Don't you remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?"
Luke 24:5-7


What an incredible story! Matthew and I began this morning by having our Sunday School class read of the resurrection in the book of Luke. Today's focus was on the gift of salvation, and the lesson related salvation to a "parachute" - meaning, when we make the jump from this life to the next, we can have a parachute of salvation, guaranteeing a safe landing into eternity. We can choose to wear this parachute, appreciate it, and understand its purpose - or we can grab a parachute because we believe it will enhance enjoyment in our life. If we choose a parachute for the latter reason, it won't be long before we shrug it off at the first sign of problems, difficulty, or pain. When we have an understanding of our parachute (salvation), we push through trials and tribulation because we know the parachute on our backs serves an eternal purpose, one that gives us a hope and peace. We had the class brainstorm reasons why people don't want to accept a parachute and also the benefits to having one. A student brought up a good point when she said, "I would want others on my plane ride to have a parachute too. I would tell them about it!" Her statement made me smile because that is exactly what Jesus told the disciples to do after the resurrection, when he ascended up into Heaven. He told them to go and spread the news with all nations, so they may have life. We can't just sit back with our parachutes and ride in neutral - we must share as we were commanded to do. Our Sun. School class had a lot of good things to share today. We ended with prayer and another youth prayed something that is so very true: "Let us remember the significance of Easter every day, not just today..."


Our church service was nice as we all joined in singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," wearing our pretty Easter Sunday clothes :) It's certainly been a day of joy and thanksgiving. Matthew and I took some photos down by the lake after the service. We plan on sending them out to family as a Spring Greetings postcard later this week. This is what we decided on:




We ate a wonderful, filling meal at Cracker Barrel and then headed home for a relaxing afternoon. We decorated the four eggs I had boiled earlier in the week with tissue paper (it seemed like a good idea in the magazine, but I was reminded that they are professionals...) Our eggs are cute, we just have to remember to throw them out before we leave to visit my family in NC on Wednesday or else our apartment will not be pleasant when we return! After decorating, Matthew had me hunt for my Easter basket. It took me about 20 minutes or so and it was filled with delicious Godiva chocolate and some jelly beans! He made the "basket" himself out of neat scrapbook paper. It's something he wanted me to be able to reuse, and I certainly will. It's quite creative.


After hanging out here, we left and headed to Wal Mart to have our Spring Greeting picture printed out. We then got some ice cream from Marble Slab. I came inside just a little bit ago from sitting down by the pool with my sweet husband. We were eating our ice cream, playing some card games, and just enjoying each other's company. I'll be off to bed soon, wondering whether or not I'll get called to sub tomorrow. Hopefully one day soon this little stress will be gone because I will have a class to call my own :) One day...

Happy Easter!

Are you being productive?

My husband shared with me several years ago that before he falls asleep at night, he does a bit of reflecting to determine whether or not he had a productive day. He told me that he considers what he accomplished during the day, apart from fulfilling his expected role at work. Did he work to bring glory to God and go out of his way to reach out to others? Did he have purposeful, meaningful conversations with God, me, family, and friends? Did he seize opportunities and use his God-given talent of creativity with film/photography in some way? Days that he didn't feel he was as productive as he could've been, it reflected in his voice to me over the phone at night. He didn't like going to bed knowing he could've done more with the day God had given him.

Off and on since we had that conversation a while ago, I think about my productivity and the time that is wasted. Take today for example... I didn't get a sub job although I searched again online this morning hoping a 1/2 day would pop up. Instead I had a day here at the apartment. I did some laundry, dishes, took out the trash and browsed around on the computer. I also went out for a little bit and found me an Easter dress for Sunday ($50 on sale for $25!) Now it's almost time for me to leave to tutor for two hours and I think about all the other things I could've done today had I planned and prioritized accordingly. I've been wanting to write letters and mail them out, sew or crochet gift items, read my book, etc. Days like this one do and will continue to happen - like getting wrapped up in little things and pushing more important tasks aside "just because." I haven't thought about that conversation with my husband in a while, and today I was reminded of it as I said to myself (more frequently over the past week) "where does the time go?!" I realize that fewer days such as this one will result in a much more fruitful and productive me! I desire to reach out and take advantage of opportunities God gives me - whether the day be super busy or slow...

Ok, enough of me trying to get my thoughts in order. The point I need to grasp and remember is each day is a gift and I can choose to be productive - accomplishing things with a purpose - or I can let opportunities and time pass me by. There are so many character qualities mentioned in the Bible that I desire to have and continually build. Wasting time is not a character builder :)

Aside from those thoughts, I am off to tutor once more. I am getting extra hours with some of my students this week because it's their Spring Break and their parents want them to have something to do. I also subbed yesterday at a school I enjoy going to and walked away with four more days in the near future! Then when I got home, I got an e-mail about babysitting 3 days straight in May (the pay is better and easier than subbing - yay!) and also an e-mail from a teacher asking me to sub for her class again this Friday. Although I find subbing stressful at times, I am so thankful for the jobs that come up.

*Here is a project I created on Monday. It didn't take me near as long as I expected and I am pleased with the end result! It'll be a great wedding keepsake made from one of the North Carolina newspapers that our wedding announcement was in.

6th Grade Social Studies

I am happy to say that I subbed two days in a row and loved every minute of it! It was for a 6th grade social studies class, and while I was hesitant at first to be with middle schoolers all day, I have to say that I truly enjoyed it. The school was awesome and I'd like to sub there again if possible. It was certainly a God-thing that I was able to get the same sub position twice - You see, you have to refresh the internet page literally every minute to look for new postings. Almost as soon as you read about the job, it's taken and you're back to clicking refresh once more. You can wait and see if you're called in the morning, but I'd much rather prefer knowing the night before where I'm headed and what age group to prepare for. For the past two nights while talking to my family on the phone I'd constantly hit the refresh button for jobs. The same job I had Tuesday came up last night and I went back to the same classroom again :) It was great!

Something quite unique happened my first day subbing in that class. During 4th period I was taking attendance when I stumbled across a familiar name. I asked the student the name of her parents, and when she told me I was surprised. Our parents had been friends long ago when my family lived in Florida before. They went to the same church before my parents had kids. I told this girl that we used to get pictures of her when she was real little, and now here she was in this classroom! Crazy :) I know I weirded her out the first day and today she came back saying she remembers going fishing with us.... I don't remember that because I thought we last saw her when she was three... either way it was neat that God placed me in that particular school (out of over 100 in the county) and in that particular 6th grade classroom.

Tomorrow I'm taking a break from subbing and heading over to Seminole county to sign a paper. I received a phone call saying that once I sign this paper then they can hand over my substitute approval letter. Yay! Now I can sub in both counties. I also have to tutor tomorrow afternoon for two hours - then assess a new student that is coming into the tutoring program. I'm going to be at the library from 5-8 tomorrow night. Talk about being there at the worst time... dinner time. Oh well, I'm helping students and making money :)

I need to make about 15 cupcakes for Friday night. It's another Girls' Night Out for those in the Projects, like we do once every month. This time they're actually coming over to our apartment for a belated Valentine's night. We're going to talk about purity and eat a meal together. Our place isn't very large... but we can spread out on the floor I guess. I'm looking forward to it because it's always fun hanging out with these middle and high school girls. They seem to say the funniest things and ask the most random, put-you-on-the-spot questions. If I can ever figure out how to upload pictures, then I'll post one of all of us Friday night. My prayer is that each time we get together, they will see God in a new way and draw closer to Him. Most are not saved and live in unfortunate situations.

Warm cookies and ice cream are waiting for me! I'm going to spend the rest of this evening relaxing with my husband, probably play some Wii games with him, then head to bed for some much needed sleep!

Escape to Africa

  Where the lions, zebras, giraffes, and hippos roam...Africa. My husband and I just went to see Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa. We both would definitely recommend it - way better than the first one. Quite humorous! We thought it'd be fun to go on a "date" and with the cheap seats less than a mile away, we splurged the $3.oo and bought ourselves tickets :)  You can't beat that price for some good, clean fun. We were going to see a movie "on the lawn" in Winter Park tonight, but decided it's a bit too cold out! It's much warmer in the theater.

  Tomorrow is the only Saturday he isn't working this month and I'm not babysitting, so we have planned a relaxing day. We'll start with shopping... at garage sales! We like to look for anything worth buying, although usually we end up just browsing, and sometimes we get ideas to be creative with. That's what we're hoping for tomorrow - maybe a neat frame, or canvas, or wooden chair, etc. that's affordable and sparks a creative thought into our minds! Who knows... I usually end up buying books :)  After garage sales, we'll come back and just hang out here. We need to hang up some more shelves, and other various items, as well as unpack one or two more boxes. We also have to go over the Sun. School material so we are effective teachers for the 12th graders on Sunday! 

  I'd write more but Matthew's playing the Wii and keeps asking when I'm coming to play... plus I find the game sounds and his outbursts a bit distracting. He's one of those players that narrates what's happening - but only when I'm not in the room. Maybe because he doesn't want me to miss out? Well, I'm off to challenge my husband to a game of Mario Kart ;) 

  

Passing Time

My day began to the sound of my husband's alarm going off at 5:40 this morning. That's an hour earlier than usual because today he is working on a film crew near Sea World. I wake up with him every morning because I'd feel guilty sleeping in while he readied for work. Plus, I love being able to make him breakfast and pack his lunch (wifely duties are fulfilling!) I do find enjoyment in rising early - I'm more of a morning person than a night owl, but having no consistent job to wake up early for makes it quite difficult at times!

Good news is that I have a substitute teacher meeting tomorrow for one of the counties that I applied. Unfortunately, it's from 8:45 - 3:30 (a long time to be in a meeting) but I should be able to start subbing as soon as next week - at least I think! I don't see why not and I guess I'll find out tomorrow for sure. Soon I might be the one needing my breakfast cooked for me ;) I did have the dishes unloaded, laundry put away & another load began, fitness dvd complete, and shower all by 8:30 this morning. It felt wonderful!

I mentioned a fitness dvd... let me explain. The gym here at the apartment doesn't open until 8 and I prefer to exercise as soon as Matthew walks out the door because it gets my day going (and my chances of doing it at any other time minimize as the minutes tick by). To get me exercising, my wonderful husband got me My Fitness Coach for our Wii. It came before the Wii Fit, so it's an older version that just requires you watching the animated "coach" as she instructs you for 15 - 45 minutes. I have stuck with it consistently for 6 workouts and she has honestly worked me hard! I had no idea it would make me this sore. It's a great alternative to going to the gym because I can do it right in the living room. Nothing compares to being outside in the fresh air though. I'm trying to get Matt to walk/jog with me some evenings when we're both home at a decent hour. I do love being active, it's just a matter of discipline.

Speaking of discipline, that is what is most needed when sitting before my Singer sewing machine. I got it as a gift from my parents two Christmases ago and have only been able to use it a handful of times. This is because I have to teach myself. I have many books and have spent much time on the internet researching simple projects, etc. We don't have the extra $ for me to take a class at the craft store, so for now I explore on my own. Over a year ago I made four simple pillows out of multicolored scarves, and I also made the curtains in my bedroom at my parents' house, as well as my little sister's bedroom curtains. My latest project is dish soap aprons - cute for gifts! I wanted to start off simple (although after yesterday I've learned that sewing 1/4" bias on an item so small is not as easy as I thought). It's a progress and I hope to sew more. I love having the time now and will be sad when this spare time is gone. Maybe I'll post pictures later of my simple creations and gradually work up the knowledge and courage to tackle something more difficult!

For now I will go sit once more in front of the sewing machine, making more aprons because I'm determined to stitch the bias on correctly!

**Oh, I never did drive Matthew's car on Sunday. I was going to and even offered (rare), but we were in a hurry and he needed to drive. I told him he missed his chance :) He does want me to drive tonight though... hmm....

Another Saturday of Babysitting...

I'm off to spend the day babysitting in Edgewater. I've been taking care of this little girl since she was 4 months old - now she's turning four next month! She's adorable and hardly ever gives me trouble, so I couldn't ask for a better weekend job :) Her vocabulary always makes me laugh too - like last weekend she said I was "irritating." Then a few weeks ago we walked outside to play and she told me it was "blustery." I asked her what blustery meant, to check if she actually understood, and she said, "It's windy Olyvia." Yes - exactly.

Matthew's car is a stick shift and I was supposed to drive it by myself today. You notice I wrote "supposed to." Well he's gone to photograph sports teams and took his car because I told him I just can't do it. Now, I've driven it about five times (all with him), but the last time I drove his car was maybe 5-6 months ago. It stresses me out. If we lived in the country, maybe - but we don't. Driving SR 436 is like being a part of a heard of animals, all steered by traffic lights, with never a moment to go the actual speed limit (unless you're driving on Sunday mornings). I went over every possible scenario in my mind and decided I'd be a danger to those around me if I drove his car today :) He needed my car to load up the photography equipment for this gig he has, but told me he'll make it all fit in his somehow (I honestly don't know how he'll do it). My husband loves me and I'm thankful for that! In frustration I told him I know I'm being a baby about it - he agreed, then kissed me on the forehead, told me he loved me, and said we'll practice driving tomorrow :)

So tomorrow I will learn to drive his car... again. This time I'll be confident! Thank goodness I have a very patient teacher.

Off to Edgewater I go!

Blueberry Waffles & Strawberry Milk

Here I sit with blueberry waffles for dinner and strawberry milk (my favorite drink!). I was suppose to tutor two students tonight, but the mother cancelled as I was driving to meet her. Hence the reason for the simple dinner. Oh well - at least I was able to see Matthew for a bit before he headed off to praise band practice. He plays guitar :)

I've been reading an excellent book lately - Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. When I crave and have time for great Christian fiction, I usually read books by Lori Wick. I have read every book of hers and highly recommend them! A lady at church gave me Redeeming Love to read recently and I was hesitant at first - mostly because I'm a devoted Lori Wick reader (silly, I know). Well, I began reading it and have become completely wrapped up in the story. It is a fictional representation of the biblical book Hosea. If you haven't read this book of the Bible, it is a short, intense read that reveals God's love for his people through the love of Hosea and the prostitute wife God chose for him. Incredible. I have fought back tears while reading Redeeming Love and can't wait to finish it! Read Hosea in the Bible first, before reading this book, and you're understanding and awe for God's love will certainly increase.

Besides reading my book, and this other book for a Book Club, I have been all consumed with getting paperwork accomplished for substitute teaching. Oh the hoops I must jump through. It'll be over soon and all I'll have to do is wait (hopefully no more than 2 weeks!) to hear back about acceptance. I can then venture out into the academic world once more and find my place. I miss being in a classroom! Best case scenario, at least in my opinion, would be finding a long term subbing position that transitioned into full time teaching. Anything can happen :)

I took some time to try out a new recipe today. West African Lime Cake - extremely simple to make, as well as a simple flavor. I am supposed to bring two on Friday night. I'll be heading into the Projects of Sanford for another monthly "girls' night." Me and a few other ladies from the church hang out with the teenage girls in that area for a few hours. We bring dinner and share some sort of devotion with them. It's Africa themed this month because one of the ladies is sharing about her trip to Uganda. I offered to find an African dessert - so lime cake it is. Matthew tasted the one I made today and loved it. Actually, he loved it so much that at practice tonight he ran into our small group leader and said I would bring two of the cakes for dessert on Monday! I love my thoughtful husband :) He did call to ask if it was ok... although it was after talking to our leader. Guess I'll be buying more limes. Maybe now he'll buy me a juicer!

Well, my glass of milk is empty and my husband is home. Time to go...