Lemonade & Chevron Stripes

I had a reality snap and came to the conclusion that I am in a really irritable mood today!
Then I thought... MAKE LEMONADE!

I was forced to run my life away when I played mutliple sports in elementary, middle, and high school. Though I didn't absolutely love/crave it, I did come to see it as stress relief. So when this bad mood introduced itself to me, I saw it was an opportunity to seize! I want to start working out and running more, so I put on my sneaks and took off! I only got to about half a mile before I was semi-winded, so I slowed down and it became more of a run for a little/walk for a little than an all out "I'm jogging!" Anyway- I see it as progress and seizing what could have been a sucky day. I am now happy and a little lighter feeling :)

What I REALLY want to share today:
A DIY trick for creating your own chevron striped curtains (These styles of curtains are going for almost $200 bucks on Etsy!):
This website shows you exactly how to create those trendy chevron striped curtains for a SMALL fraction of the cost of the ETSY ones! ENJOY! This is definitely going onto my list of To-Dos! Very exciting!

Etsy CastleCreekDesigns

The DIY version- any color you want! Courtesy Kristen F. Davis Designs

Book Review: Joan Didion's Blue Nights

Joan Didion's Blue Nights is a a memoir in every sense of the word. Didion has inserted such a... frankness into the memories and what she makes of them. Throughout the memoir, Didion recalls her daughter, Quintana Roo, and her actions and reactions. These recollections then cause Didion to question herself and her skills as a mother and person in general. Blue Nights--described by the author as "the long, light evening hours that follow the summer solstice... the opposite of the dying of the brightness, but also its warning"-- is a book that entirely captures the feelings of love after the one it has been directed towards passes on.

Christmas 2011

nativity: (noun) birth or origin

The Nativity Scene Charles Poerson

I almost got too wrapped up in Christmas to remember what it is really about. Yesterday, friends & I were going down the road and one recalled his father always making them pray riiiiight as they dove into gift piles. "It's not our day," he would remind them.

With that being said, I have so much to thank Him for:
family who love me, friends who don't give up on me, a love that endures, a great roommate, a job, a car that only messes up sometimes, hot apple cider (that I am currently sipping), unconditionally loving pets, brand new bedding that I miss all day long, 2nd chances, 3rd chances, 4th chances... You get the hint. These things only top the list- there are many more.


Goodnight to all, and to all a good night. May God bless you.

crayons and glue sticks and paper, oh my!

I just started my new job at a middle school. In my heart, I wanted a high school position. After a summer of reluctance and questions and fear, it is turning out to be not so bad. I am actually liking it... a lot! The Language Arts curriculum is split between LA classes and Reading classes- that is the part I am struggling with most. It is just so natural for me to tie it all together, so splitting it is somewhat difficult. However, I made a promise to myself and to the children I will be teaching to still put my entire heart into what I do and to be the very best teacher possible to them.

Coming soon: Pictures of my new classroom!

"We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne..."

A postcard from 1915. I wonder if those people have reached their resolution yet.

The best part of New Year is NEW! New beginnings, new outooks, new new new new new. HOWEVER, if I lived my life the way I should, "starting over" wouldn't be an issue. I would want to keep going like I have been. I am now going to have some superficial resoution this year. I want to be more charitable and I want to live more for God. I want my life to be a testimony to him. I want to alleviate the pain of others. I want to look back and say, "I was here."

Life as a Golden Age

The term "Golden Age" brings to mind peace and prosperity and goodness. I was curious about the origins of the phrase, so I began researching it. Apparently, a golden age is a most flousrishing period. It is a direct translation of a Latin phrase used by classical poets to define the first age of human history, a time that is said to have been one of ideal harmony, innocence, prospoerity, and happiness, free from all strife.

There is a Greek myth about the goddess Astraea; Astraea lived among men during a time when the world was peaceful. Eventually, the world fell into a state of darkness and distress, and at the time, Zeus (her father) placed Astraea among the stars. We know her today as the constellation Virgo.

I want to live my life so that it can be defined as golden. I want to live my life so that I will be free from regret. I want to be the best possible version of myself. This is my goal for the new year: Be golden.