Don't Throw a Pity Party, God Chose You!

Today I had a mini pity party for myself. 
You see, money has been really tight for our household the last few months simply because I have not been working while in practicum. And today I realized Sunday is Easter. I know I know, you're thinking wake up you definitely should have known this by now. And I did know subconsciously...but it kinda just hit me. I mean this week has been so busy that I haven't sat down to think about what that means.
And as much as I hate myself for saying this, today when I thought about Sunday being Easter, my first thought was not about Jesus and his horrific death and incredible sacrifice. No my human, selfish self had another first thought:
I won't get a new dress to wear for Easter this year.
And then I proceeded with my little pity party. All I could think of is that we just really don't have extra money for me to go spend on a new dress just because it is Easter Sunday. Even if I really want one. And how I have no idea what I am going to wear Sunday. And how it will surely be obvious that I don't have a new cute springtime dress. And how I want to look cute but having very little stupid money means I can't. (Totally untrue but just how my brain goes.) And how much that stinks. And how I wish I had been able to just keep my job with practicum. Blah. Blah. Blah. I'm pretty sure God was just shaking his head at me. 
I'm not kidding you after my five minute pity party in my head was over (even though I still wasn't happy about the situation) I got on my phone and was checking Facebook, because of course that's what you do when you wake up right? And one of the first posts I read was from my friend Kellie who is a fellow elementary education major who is in practicum right now also. The status said:

Well hello there guilt. Come on in. 
God sure does know how to wake you up when you're being stupid and selfish doesn't He? I read this (and liked it obviously) and just started to think about my own kids. I do call them my kids even though I have only been in their class for two weeks. But honestly I love all of them like they were my own kids.
But in all seriousness, many many of my students are from extremely low-income households. Some of them have been abused, some have been neglected. Some of them come to school wearing clothes that are way too small or way too big or have holes all in them. The smiles those children get when they are given any type of gift, even a pencil, is the most beautiful sight. And when I read Kellie's post, I thought about that little girl, and how that could literally be any one of my sweet students. I loved how she said that the girl was so ecstatic over every piece and every outfit that she got. And those are clothes are used, but she doesn't care. Because they are new to her, and they make her feel like a million bucks.
I, on the other hand, have a closet so stuffed with clothes that I can barely fit any more in, and I'm sitting here having a pity party about having nothing to wear. It hit me big time, and as cliche as it sounds, I need to remember the real meaning of Easter. People say that all the time about Christmas, but Easter is the same way. And sometimes in the past, it has felt for me that is is more about the outfit I'm going to wear on Sunday than why we are celebrating in the first place...
God picked us out of a closet. We were not new and shiny and pretty. We were used. We were someone else's leftovers, someone else's trash. But he was ecstatic to get us. Ecstatic for every single one of us. We have to remember that, and realize that we are celebrating Jesus being raised from the dead just so we, the used and broken, could join Him in Heaven. It's not about your dress. 
So don't have a pity party. Have a praise party for the fact that God chose you out of the closet.

Week Full of Mondays

Last week, I swear every day felt like a Monday. I'm telling you it was something every day. Especially in the mornings when I seem to always end up running behind no matter how on top of things I feel. 
One morning, I dropped my loose powder blush and it went EVERYWHERE. That is italics and capitals. That's how bad it was.
Another day I was way late and got in the car only to realize that I had no gas and was going to be even later to my practicum. (Not exactly a good way to say "Hire me")
It just seemed like every day had something that went wrong. But while I was having my pity party about my rotten mornings all week, God reached down and tapped me on the shoulder to say, Every day will always have something go wrong because that is how this world works. But if you just lean on me, these little things won't bother you so much.
Helllooooo. I have to say... I used to have friends tell me that God "told" them something or "spoke" to them and I always thought that they were being strange because hello, God doesn't talk. But once I started to realize that God gives us the Holy Spirit to guide is in the right path, I realized that when he puts something in my heart, that is the Holy Spirit trying to relay a message to me from God. 
That is exactly what He did for me this week.
So while I had some rough mornings last week, and I will probably have some rough Monday-like mornings again this week, I know that these little things don't matter and I won't let Satan use something so trivial to bring me down. And I hope you won't either! Lean on God every morning this week and don't let the small stuff get you down.
Have a wonderful week :)

Practicum Experience

Last fall, I did my first ever field experience since I have been in elementary education. And it blew me away. I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn't know I would fall in love so fast! I started in October in 2nd grade at Cane Creek Elementary School. I had 16 precious second graders who just seemed so small. Surely I wasn't that small then! They were hilarious and loving and occasionally infuriating but overall the love they showed for me touched my heart. 

Now don't get me wrong, every day was not a breeze. And I know there are so many more aspects to being a full time teacher than I got to see. There were even one or two days when I woke up and thought, "Ya know...I'm really not feeling this today." And that made me nervous. I mean I wasn't a full time teacher! Surely I could handle going to teach for a few hours...if I was meant for this as I believed I was, shouldn't be excited to go and ready to jump in every day?? I came to realize though that we all are going to have those days. You know what? As soon as I did go in, their bright faces and funny stories made me forget about wanting to stay in bed.

I'll always remember the talkative girl in the front who made me feel so welcomed and even though I had to get on to her a lot, she always was excited to see me and it made me feel so good.

I'll always remember the girl who saw me walking into school and rolled down her window to call out to me and wave at me in the parking lot.

I'll always remember the boy who was the most frustrating but taught me so much about being a real teacher. 

I'll always remember the quietest little girl who rarely said a peep but opened up to me by the end and became one of my very favorite kids ever. (Come on I know everyone will have a few favorites!)

I'll always remember the boy who helped me realize being positive can have such an impact.

I'll always remember the boy who got so excited when I talked to him about playing plants vs zombies because I could relate to his interests.

These kids touched my life and made my first practicum field experience one I'll never forget. Tomorrow I start my next field experience. This time I'll be in 4th grade at Baxter Elementary School. And while I can't wait to meet my students and see just how different 4th grade is, I'm remembering my sweet 2nd graders in Mrs. Metzgar's class. All I have to say is this class has a lot to live up to in my book! I am looking forward to this experience. It will be different, and it will be challenging. But. I was made for this. God made me to teach children. I can't wait to make Him proud.

(I would post a picture of me and my 2nd graders but I won't to respect privacy! It's hanging on my desk where I see it every day to remind me of just how much I want to be a teacher!)

Best Book I've Ever Read

Last night I finished reading the best book I have ever read - Kisses From Katie by Katie Davis. Many of you have probably heard about this book, and I encourage you to go pick it up and read it. But don't if you think your life won't be changed. I'm being completely serious.

Kisses From Katie is a nonfiction book written by Katie Davis about her experience in Africa. She is a girl not much older than I am who is from Brentwood, TN (only an hour from where we live which is crazy!) who felt God calling her to missions in Uganda. She originally went there expecting to go for awhile then return home to the United States, but what she found was that her home isn't here - it is with her fourteen beautiful daughters in Uganda where she helps anyone and everyone she comes in contact with.

I am not going to spoil the whole book, but in it, Katie tells stories that will touch you no doubt about it. I don't know if there was a single chapter that I did not cry. It's that good.  She also includes sweet pictures of her girls and some of the people over there.

But more than the stories, she relates everything to our walk with Christ and how he wants us to live. I am not saying everyone of us should pick up and move to Africa - then who would do the work in all the other countries?? All I am saying is after this book, you will probably want to. At least that's how I felt. So if you are looking for a read that will challenge your faith and bring you to tears of sorrow and joy, read this book. It is the best book I have ever read. I even am trying to get Wes to read it again with me!! Katie has this incredible gift from God for not only helping people in Africa but for writing as well. It is an easy read that you will find yourself engulfed in! Enjoy the book, and let me know if you read it...I'd love to hear what you thought!! 

much love,

 

Junk "Drawer" Organization

I have a feeling we all have a drawer in our house that looks something like this:

Now I know this is not a "drawer"...hence the post title! Our little apartment has barely enough drawers for our silverware and cooking utensils! We always have to use creative ways to make more space. I bought this white bucket thing at the Dollar Store I believe. And ever since we moved in, it has been used to hold miscellaneous household items, important papers, and random junk we didn't know what to do with. It may not look so bad in this picture, but it was driving me crazy! (Not to mention the stack of papers underneath the junk that you can't see...I was amazed to find things I had been looking for for months!)

So I decided that I just could not take it anymore! Since today is Monday (daily focus = declutter) I thought I would share the result! And the result is so much less stressful and simply much prettier to look at :) 

First thing I did was to just take everything out. Then came the purging. We had so many random things in there that either we had no use for anymore or needed to be thrown in the trash or things that needed to be fixed. I got rid of all that stuff and looked at what we had left. Several things could be categorized together - command hooks & strips, batteries, zip ties, etc. So those things I put in their own bag (or container for the batteries) and labeled.

We are always looking for batteries in our house, and it seems that we never can find them when we need it. So I got the idea to use a fishing box off Pinterest. We don't have that many batteries nor the space so I bought this little battery holder from The Container Store with a gift card I got for my birthday. It fits so nicely in our little "drawer!" To make the labels, I typed it in Microsoft Word and changed the colors of the letters (I just loved things that are multicolored!) and printed it on white cardstock. You could print on regular printing paper but I wanted to make sure they were more sturdy. Then I cut them out and laminated them with my laminator. (This is where to get it on Amazon but I got mine on sale at Walmart for about $30.) Then I attached them to the box/bags with tacky tape.

I did the same thing to make a label for the front of the container. (HERE is the link for the free font I used!)

And here is the junk drawer's home! 

It sits there (We hardly use our toaster) because it is the most convenient spot. And I love knowing exactly where things are and being able to find a zip tie or command hook when I need it! 

I hope you're having a great Monday, and hopefully this will inspire you to declutter something of your own!

much love,

What I learned from a bunch of crazy sweet two year olds

Today was my last official day at Little Sprouts Mother's Day Out at Life Church. Tech started back with classes today, and unfortunately I have a full load of classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester. I have been in such a depressed mood today thinking that it was my last day. The sad thing is, my sweet kiddos have had to readjust to having a new teacher, so I haven't gotten to be in their class the last few weeks. So today, I went in to work and tried to stay positive.  The thing is...I love my job. It is the best job I have ever had. I have a wonderful boss, great coworkers,  a Christian and God-filled work environment, and it is something I love. I certainly can't say all that for all the jobs I have had in the past! When I found out I had to leave a job I love in order to go to school for a degree I love, I felt sick. I do feel I made the right decision in staying in school and not being set back in order to stay at MDO, but I am still so stinking sad. I had to leave early to be at class by 1:25, and when I got to my car, I balled my eyes out. Okay...that may be an exaggeration. But I wanted to. I just didn't want to look like a nutjob for my first class of the semester. It seems weird because I have never left a job and felt so sad. I am just going to miss it so much, but I know God has a plan for me that will include the classrooms full of children I will touch by being their teacher someday. And who knows, maybe (hopefully) MDO is still in my future. For now, I have to stay positive and remember all the fun times I had with my crazy class of two-year olds.  And let's be real. Not everyday was wonderful! There were days I wanted to pull my hair out and walk out the door! That's the thing about toddlers. They make you so mad and so frustrated, and then five seconds later, they want to love on you, and you can't help but laugh at the little boogers.  My class was so sweet.

And so funny.

And more times than not, someone would not take a nap and we would end up doing this...

And those little crazies were just all-around sweet messes.

So besides the fact that my whole class is incredibly cute and sweet and loving, they also taught me some things about life. 

1. When you fall down (literally for them, not so much for us), you get back up, brush it off, and don't let it ruin your day.

2. But occasionally there is that time you just need to cry it out, and that's okay.

3. You need a time to rest (maybe not physically but definitely mentally to spend some quality time with God) or you will get cranky!

4. It's ok to be silly. In fact, it's more than okay. It's fun. Don't take life so seriously.

5. Let go of things. Don't hold grudges. It's not worth it. Not once did I see one of my little ones stay mad at another for more than a few minutes even if they took their most favorite toy.

6. And last, just be like a child. Depend on Someone who has the resources to take care of you, and don't try to be so independent because just like little ones need to be cared for, we need to be cared for by the Lord our God. 

God has definitely made me grow through this, albeit short, experience. I am so thankful for these kids, the work environment I was placed in, and for all the people who encouraged me when I needed it. I will continue to pray every day for all the children in the MDO program for they are all sweet, precious children of God. I will also pray for the program itself as they make decisions and go to work to love on these children and show them that Jesus loves them too. 

I will always remember my class of crazy sweet two year olds.

2014: Daily Focus

When I was waiting on my new planner to arrive in the mail, I looked online to see how other people use their planner. I am trying to stay even more organized this year than last, and I wanted to use my planner to its full potential!! I came across a lady who did what she called a daily focus. I absolutely love this idea. However, because people are going to be in different stages of life, I found that her categories for daily focus did not suit my needs. SO I created my own. :)

This is my daily focus section in my Erin Condren planner. I LOVE how it turned out. I came up with the 7 categories based on what I needed to do in my everyday life.
Monday - Declutter This includes things that no matter how hard I try just end up getting cluttered! Now this does not include my daily cleaning routine (you can look forward to a future post on that!) meaning this is not the day I set aside to clean my house. This day is a day I can set aside specifically to declutter my purse, my car, my desk and "to file" papers, etc.
Tuesday - Anti-Procrastinate I am probably world's worst procrastinator. I hate to admit that because I really feel that I am a pretty organized person, but I always seem to push some things off until the last minute. And by some things, I mean everything! This applies especially to my homework and school assignments. So Tuesdays are my day to get ahead and do assignments and things that are due in the future so I can be less stressed about trying to get things done at the last minute.
Wednesday - Intentional I am trying so hard to be intentional with my relationships this year. It is one of my big 2014 resolutions. I have many friends (and sisters!) who live out of town now. Wednesdays will be my day to write cards to people who need encouragement or make phone calls/send texts to those who I haventt talked to in a while.
Thursday - Etsy I am trying to get my Etsy shop back up in 2014. I have been doing all sorts of fun projects using vinyl and heat transfer with my Silhouette Cameo and using my brand new embroidery machine!! This will be the day I take extra time to make sure my shop is organized, orders are being made and shipped, and coming up with new ideas for items to sell.
Friday - Errands Starting next week, I will have class on Fridays only in the morning until 11:00. So Fridays will be used to do extra errands - go to the bank, post office, etc.
Saturday - Plan and Play In the past, Saturdays have been my day to finally get the house clean after a long week. I am hoping that with my new daily cleaning plan, there won't be as much cleaning to do on Saturdays. I am going to use it to plan for the upcoming week as far as activities or events, meals, etc. I called it plan and play because I would like for Saturdays to be the day I can do something fun at the end of each week. Obviously I know I will have homework over the weekends that will be necessary to do on Saturdays, but I figured if I call it Plan and Play, I will have to get some fun time in there somewhere....right?
Sunday - Renew Spirit Sundays are my favorite day of the week. I would really like to stay busy through the week if it means I can relax and rejuvenate on Sundays. Of course I'll literally be renewing my Spirit by going to church and spending extra time with the Lord. This is a daily focus that doesn't take much work and that, my friend, is the point.

So you are probably thinking...how did she get those letters in her planner!? I will tell you. I drew them. That's right...believe it...I actually drew those!! (Sorry if I sound a little proud, I just didn't expect for them to turn out so well!) 

So what I did was I looked on Pinterest and found a picture of a font I liked used in a quote. I drew it in pencil from looking at the picture and when I was satisfied with how it looked, I gave my hand a break. Haha. Then I went over the letters with my Staedtler fineliner pen in black so the pencil would not smear but the black would not bleed through to the back of the page.

I love how this page turned out. I get excited because I figure if I like looking at it, then I will see what I should be doing and be more inclined to keep on track! I love this system, and I think it will work for me. Maybe it would work for you too with some tweaking to fit your life!

Have a great day :)