Life lessons from an odd sculpture!

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I really do not know what it was about this sculpture that seems to intrigue me, (I mean look at it… it’s actually really strange) but intrigue me it does.  The more I look at it, the more I feel that someone was trying to portray (in a very abstract way) someone who has some unknown burden holding them in place.  This made me think of how it can relate to life.  How sometimes we can let something hold us back, be it the past, fear or simply lack of courage to try.  If I am being honest, I have a big tendency to not try new things/ideas for fear that I may fail.  Though failure isn’t my worst fear, it most certainly is up there in the top fears I have.  What’s so bad about failure though?  Thomas Edison failed so many times on the creation of the light bulb, that it must have begun to look hopeless, but he kept trying and soon his failures would turn to triumphs.  So maybe one cannot conquer until he faces the failure, and trying again.  All I know is that this weird little sculpture sure did give me a lot to think about, and I hope it can inspire you in such a way as it has me!

That being said,  I am getting ready to start a new chapter in my life.  I just recently got a job at a restaurant close by, and am preparing to start training this coming Wednesday.  I will be starting out as a hostess, and working my way into being a waitress (which is what I most would love to do) so I’m pretty excited about it all!  If I am only working evening hours, then I might even attempt getting a second job, during the earlier day time hours, at a deli right next store, at least till I can afford to get my car! Then I will want to have some bit of free time to try to catch a little contra dancing! Ha! I must say, it shall be an interesting next couple months, because as much as I really need a job, really do enjoy working, and really love the place I was just hired at… I shall seriously miss contra.  Contra dancing has become a big part of my life of late, so when I miss, it’s almost like my world has gone topsy!  I take consolation though, that I shall stay so busy, I shall have little time to think of much anything else then working, teaching my Wednesday night bible study, and keeping up with the kiddo’s I babysit.  Life is fun!  Funny when I look back now and think how I wanted to grow up fast for so long, and now I would give just about anything to be little again.  Life was most certainly less complicated then 😉  I am just going to go with the place that I am at now, and try to get as much enjoyment out of it as possible.  Life has some pro’s at this age too!   As one of my current favorite bands “Boys like Girls” says in one of their new songs… “You never get a second chance at a first time, We will never be 18 again!” So might as well make sure the next 18 are just as memorable!  Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Peace=Happiness!

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It has been almost 72 hours since my departure from facebook, and honestly, I haven’t missed it one bit. Maybe it’s lack of sleep, or possibly it’s that warm feeling, knowing that I now have some undivided time to devote to some studies I have been wanting to do. Whatever the reason, I am happy about my decision.

“So, what’s up now?”. Good question, glad you asked. 🙂 If I can manage to actually get some sleep and begin to function right again, then I’ll be on to step 2. Organize and schedule my life! One can get a lot accomplished when they have a bit of structure in their life, and I plan to be one of those “Accomplished” people. If I can get myself to cooperate with my plans that is! I need to be going to bed early (which I strongly dislike), getting up early (which I even more detest), and eating a good breakfast to jump start my day ( Tosha simply does NOT hardly EVER eat breakfast). On that note I begin my battle, to conquer and tame the savage in me. 😉

I have many plans mapped out on a to do list right now, and even more swirling around in my head. Aside from searching for a job, and directing our Wednesday night girls bible study, I hope to also find time to: get back into playing classical piano, study medicinal herbs, learn HTML coding, and map out a healthy eating regiment just for me. Those are my short term goals! I shall not even go in to all my longer term goals, at least not until I have a job, car, some money and time to back them.

To all those who personally know me, it may sound like I am going and locking myself away, but I assure you, this is not the case. Weirdly enough, at this time in my life, I’m beginning to appreciate the peace and quite of solitude more than ever before. It’s like I have finally begun to give myself some room to breathe and think for myself instead of being all wrapped up in everyone else’s business or drama. I must admit, it’s rather relaxing! I feel a strong peace about things, like I’m going in the right direction, one step at a time. That being said, prayers are still always appreciated.

Tomorrow is the art fair at Pyramid Hill, and I am impatiently looking forward to that. I love the peaceful serenity that you find there, up in wooded hillside, surrounded by abstract sculptures. Perfect bliss! Then come Monday, it’s time for a makeover!!! I have an idea what I am going to have done with my hair, but I shall leave you all in suspense until I am absolutely positive, and have pictures to show off! Other than that, my week is looking rather normal at the moment. On that note, I shall sign off, go wash dishes, and get to bed at a reasonable time. Looking forward to being in God’s house tomorrow morning!

Crazy inspired and setting myself free!

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It is rare that I become really inspired, so when this phenomenon occurs, I have to strike while the iron is hot!  I am a big believer in bucket lists, or goal charts, and have made several over the years, filled to full capacity with ideas I want to try, places I want to see, things I would like to do. If I were really to be dedicated to the making of these lists, I’m sure I could add something daily, as I’m always finding out about new things to do, see, buy, ect! The only problem is, what good are these little pieces of paper, should I never be able to cross anything off? I’ve heard it said, that dreaming is good, but you can’t forget to wake up and make it a reality. I have a tendency of creating a million reasons why now is not a good time to make something happen, and then I let those reasons (however stupid they may be) hinder me from actually accomplishing anything. If I was honest and called it what it is, I would have to say I have a procrastination problem.  Except for when it comes to napping. I’m already ready for tomorrows nap! :p I sit around dreaming of what I want to do with my life, instead of living it. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Then recently I met someone who is completely different in this area. Someone who has goals, and is checking them off day by day, and in turn has room to create new goals and dreams. To say the very least, I was in awe! Then reality hit me like a slap in the face. “Hellllloooo dummy, that could be you! You could chose to daily make something happen. Its not rocket science ya know!!” I must say, I felt rather sheepish. It really made me start thinking hard about what I really want to do, and try to accomplish before 2012 is gone, never to return again. After much thought and restructuring my list to where its put more in order according to priority, I realized that I do not have time to do everything I want to do, and still have time to be doing the things I have been doing that are been holding me back. Essentially, I have to cut the time wasters out! That’s what I’m currently working on. Facebook is a wonderful site, as far as being able to keep up with friends, or long distance family members, but for me it has become a time wasting, drama waiting to happen. I get on any form of internet, and automatically log onto facebook to check in, and before I know an hour has easily slipped through my fingers, and all for what? So, come Wednesday, I am cutting the off the chains of facebook and setting myself free to spend more time blogging/writing and creating! I also am still currently trying to get a job, and know that with all this going on, I wont have time for facebook anyways! Believe it or not, I am really excited, to the point of being thrilled with the chance for a “New me” so to speak. I want to be daily striving to be a better me than I was the day before! 🙂

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My parents can’t afford a tower…

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I am convinced that sleep deprivation turns my brain to mush. That has to be the explanation for why one thought can so rapidly turn into another, on and on.  Or maybe i’m just naturally a little ADHD 😉 I really don’t care what the reason is, I just know I come up with the most random thoughts, songs, ideas when tired! It can be rather hilarious…mostly.

Today, I was curling my hair, trying to get ready for my day out with my friend, when I began thinking of common homeschool myths. Having been schooled from home all 12 grades, I have personally been asked many of the common “Homeschool questions”, and shocked a few people when I actually answered their question, instead of the expected response of crying for mommy. That’s how people tend to view homeschoolers.  Though it does seem that society has become more excepting of learning from home, there will always be the few who just cannot grasp the concept of being able to grow as a person, or learn anything from home. Those people are most likely to ask questions like these…

1. Do you ever get to socialize with kids your age? 

This translates, Do your parents lock you in a tower? I don’t know about other families, but my parents couldn’t afford a tower. We had to settle for a card board box! Just kidding. I don’t blame people for being curious or even worried about kids and their socials skills. I mean studying at home does mean that the only kids they are ever around, would be narrowed down to just their siblings, Right? Only if their parents chose to have it that way. As for my siblings and I, we got around. Girl scouts, 4-H, Homeschool group, Co-op are just some of the things we participated in outside of our home. My younger siblings both played basketball, my sister and I took group voice lessons and all 3 of us had piano lessons. We may not have as many friends as public school children, but honestly, how many friends does one person have time to keep up with? Also, another great thing about the friendships built through homeschool is that they are not limited to only people of your own age.  I believe it is good to have friends of many different ages. Younger that you can be a help too, your own age to hang around with and older to help you grow and mature. I am not limited to my own age in my friendship opportunities.

2. How do you meet people? 

It never fails to amuse me when a random person in the grocery store who happens to strike up a conversation (or even better when I’ve initiated the conversation) finds out I am homeschooled, and asks me this question. Ummm, I’m talking to you, in a grocery store, am I not? Looks like meeting people isn’t rocket science! We meet people, the same way as the rest of the population.

3. How does your mom keep track to make sure you are doing enough work? 

I love this question. Best part is the bug eyes when I reply, She doesn’t? Then after administering some CPR, I manage to calm their shock by going on to tell them of the greatest beauty to homeschooling. The freedom to chose your curriculum. Usually by the end of the conversation, people come to reason and even mostly agree, that the public school system hammers on so many different things in a year, and never really focus in on any of it, to the child’s harm. Public school requires a ton work on things kids are most likely never going to remember after passing that test. Homeschool gives us the freedom to study in depth subjects we are interested in/wanting to learn about, instead of tidbits of everything. Think about it, who remembers everything? Usually the more you can study something, the more you will remember long term.

4. Do you still have to take tests? 

Yes! I know it’s hard to believe that us aliens ever do anything more than lie around and stuff our face with cake all day, but we do. Tests not only help you to gauge where you are at academically, but also at the end of the year it is required that all students take a test or be reviewed by/have a certified teacher sign that they have learned enough, to move on the the next grade. No one really likes them, but they are required for the homeschooled and public school kids alike!

I could point out some other questions, but those are my favorites. Homeschool kids are just normal kids, who are blessed to have parents that save them from having to spend an hour riding a bus, dealing with bullies and hours of paperwork. Instead giving them a chance to learn more of what really interests them, a bully free environment, and less papers, more hands on/visual learning. I’m proud to be a homeschool kid!

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Feedback Please?

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I am currently trying to decide how I would like to structure my blog.  I want to provide a wide variety of topics, so as to include recipes, craft tips, personal funny stories, and my views on subject matters important to me, along with a now and then fashion blog post. This is my personal goal, but I want to hear from readers! What would you like to see? What makes for a good blog that you want to come back to time and time again? More pictures or more writing? I am open to any suggestions or ideas! 🙂

My attempt at Bakers Greatness <3

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I love to bake!  I just tend to hold back because I am afraid of messing a recipe up and wasting ingredients.  However, today I decided it was time to face my fear and make that coffee cake that I have been dying to try.  Well, I am happy to report that it did turn out!  It’s super rich and maybe not as picturesque as I may have wished it to be, but it tastes amazing all the same!  Best part is… the recipe came from one of my bargain steals!  It’s this cute little recipe book called “baking…made simple” by Love Food, that I got from (get this) JoAnn fabrics for $4!  Want to try for yourself!? It’s fairly easy, just follow the recipe below! Good luck! 🙂

Cake Ingredients:

1  1/2 sticks of butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

3 tbsp. strong black coffee

1 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup walnut pieces (optional)

walnut slices to decorate with (optional)

Frosting Ingredients:

1 stick of butter

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp strong black coffee

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Instructions:

1.  Grease and ling the bottoms of two 8 inch round layer cake pans

2. Cream together the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.  Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition.  Beat in coffee.

3. Sift flour and baking powder into the mixture, then fold in lightly and evenly with a metal spoon.  Fold in walnut pieces.

4. Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth level.  Bake in preheated over, 350 degrees for 20-25 mins, or until golden brown and springy to the touch.  Turn out onto wire rack to cool.

5. For the frosting, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, coffee, and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and creamy.

6. Use half the frosting to sandwich the cakes together, then spread the remaining frosting on top and swirl with a metal spatula. Decorate with walnut halves.

 

You are precious, because God made you!

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The more young girls I have the opportunity to get to know, the more I feel like God is calling me to work with/minister to young girls who are struggling with their past and/or self esteem issues.  It has become a burden to me, to see these girls treat themselves like they are nothing because according to the media they are short of being a beautiful woman.  They are too fat, so they quit eating, they have flaws, so they cover themselves with lbs of makeup.  Or maybe the scenario is different, and somewhere in their young life, they made a mistake, or were taken advantage of, and now they feel like no one will ever love them, unless they advertise themselves.  As one who used to struggle with self esteem and went on to realize how much I am worth, and the value of myself in Gods eyes, I would love to help these young ladies come to the same realization.  It makes me sick to think that music, magazines and television has corrupted the standard for beauty.  Who are they to set the standard for what a beautiful girl/women is?  They judge a person on what the eye can see and paint a one sided picture of what beauty is.  What happened to beauty is as beauty does?  One can be the most charming on the outside, but just as ugly as can be on the inside.  This world has lost sight of what matters most, and that is the inward appearance.  We need more women of grace, love, and virtue, women with true beauty!   “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7   If only girls knew that they were going after a beauty that would never fulfill them, a beauty that will fade in time and leave them feeling once more worthless.  I would love to help them learn to go after a beauty that can last a life time! I’ve learned that once I began to see myself as God sees me, I’ve began to see the beauty God created me with.  I’ve come to appreciate myself for who I am, and count my flaws as blessings and in the meantime I’ve gained true happiness within myself.  God loves me no matter what I may look like on the outside, with a love that never ends.  No matter what I may have done, or where I have been… He truly loves me! He sees me as irreplaceable, a princess, and one of His own.  No person could ever love me like that, therefore I strive not to please man, but I pray to serve God.  This is what I would love to help other girls to see.

God has given me the opportunity to start a bible study with some young girls in my church, so I chose to go through the book “Before I meet prince charming” by Sarah Mally with side lessons from “Christian Charm course” by Emily Hunter.  The whole object of this class is to teach the girls that 1. They are precious princesses in the sight of God, with great value to him.  2. They need to be seeking the will of God instead of running after the love of young men, and God will provide the right person, at the right time.  3.  How to behave like a young lady, with class and grace, instead of this new fad of behaving as a man.

W0w, so far, we are two weeks in, and already I have come found something I needed to be reminded of, or something I was struggling with myself, while preparing class.  I am realizing that while my goal is to help these young girls, God is still helping me, while giving me to opportunity to practice helping them.  My greatest prayer is that I will let God use me through this class and help these young girls to see their worth, while being an example they can follow.  With the opportunity of leadership comes great responsibility, something I cannot take lightly.  I ask for prayer that I will be able to be used of God to lead these young girls to Him and that I may not get in the way of Him working.  Also that I will be open to learning myself, and continuing to grow in God.  Will you pray with me?! 🙂