Taking Time

I love the freedom that vacation gives my mind.  I'm freshly back from a week at the beach.  Without the constant pull of the "must do" list of every day life, I found my mind refreshed.

I came to a mini epiphany while I soaked in the sun's light.  It was this: we are worth extra time and effort.

On the surface it may sound like a selfish statement, but I assure you that it is not.  I am guilty, as so many moms are, of pushing off my own needs to take care of the needs of others.  I cannot tell you how many times I've just felt completely used up because I've given all of myself away.

It was in the quiet moments when the only decision I had to make was whether to sunbathe or swim that I was given the clarity to ponder my self worth.  When I choose to take care of myself, I really am taking care of my family.  If I pour out all of me to bless them without taking time for myself, there is less of me to go around.  When I take time for me, even if it's just a few minutes here or there, I feel better, lighter, more willing to serve.  And that's when I can really be a blessing.

Starting today, I resolve to treat myself better.  I know that this will look differently each day, but I think the result will be the same; I will be happier, healthier, and more able to be the mother, wife, daughter, and friend that I want to be.

All the Pretty Little Houses

I live in a community made up of single family homes, condominiums, and town homes.  I live in one of the town homes.  There were two different builders of the town home part of the community.  One of the builders created homes that are all different; each house in the row has a different colored siding.  Some have wide, covered porches.  Others have small stoops.  Each one is unique.  The other builder created homes that are very much alike one another.  Each section of homes is swathed in the same color paint.  Some rows are yellow, some gray, some white, some blue.  These homes all have small front porches.  Each home in the row is the exact same design.

When my husband and I were looking to buy, we walked through several of the houses and saw a few of each design.  We ended up buying a home that was crafted by the second builder, as the floor plans offered much larger rooms.

Looking at the houses in my neighborhood, I see some homes that are well taken care of and others that have fallen into disrepair.  There are homes that sit vacant, needing some family to fill the rooms with love again.

I was thinking, tonight, about the houses.  I thought about my own front yard, my flowerbed full of beautiful blooms of purple and pink.  I thought about how I decorate my yard so lovingly, and how it pains me that some in the neighborhood just don't seem to care that their gutter fell down 3 winters ago or haven't figured out that old trashcans aren't lawn decor.

Then I thought about our bodies, and how some people work so hard to make sure that they care very well for the body they've been given.  They monitor their intake of calories, carbs, or whole food groups.  They regularly work up a sweat.  Many of us don't think too much about those things until our pants don't fit quite like they used to or swimsuit season is coming around.

 I guess what it comes down to is that the things we love are the things we put work into.

Blessed

I took a walk tonight, in between the swimming and the playing, the eating of delicious food and the lazing around with my family.  I walked around my neighborhood, taking care to walk the sidewalks of every cul-de-sac as I went.

It was an impromptu walk.  I only decided to do it about five minutes before I set my feet on the pavement.  I wasn't wearing the proper walking shoes; I'm paying for that a bit now...poor tootsies.  I didn't have my headphones, either, so I wasn't listening to music as I usually do when I go out for a walk.  Because of the latter, I was truly blessed by my walk.

As I made my way around my neighborhood, my ears were tickled with the sounds of conversations, children playing, adults telling stories, laughter coming from all ages.  I heard the sound of warm bodies cannon-balling into backyard pools.  I heard the sound of families, neighbors meeting together and enjoying one another's company.  I heard even heard a little girl singing a love song to her father, in Spanish, as she twirled around him as he rocked in a hammock.  I'm so thankful that I didn't have my headphones tonight.

I felt so content listening to the happy sounds of my neighbors as they celebrated Independence Day, each in their own way.  I couldn't help but think, as I walked, how blessed I am to live in this neighborhood, and to live in this country.

Summer Fun

I've been missing 'round these parts for a bit.  Summer always seems to wake up my desire to blog.  I think the school year just gets so crazy, I don't give myself the space to write until the long lazy days of summer stretch before me.

So what have I been up to?

For me, summer is always a time to get my life back in shape.  I do this in a couple of ways.  I take an inventory of what I am depleted of.  Have I been getting enough sleep?  How are my eating habits?  Have I gotten enough quiet time?  Have I been missing out on connecting with others?  When I've determined what I need to adjust, I do it, and begin to feel more in tune with myself in no time!

So I've been catching up on sleep, trying new recipes so that my family and I are eating healthier, and I've been taking really great walks. I've also joined a Bible Study/Book Study with some other moms.  We are currently reading Desperate. I'm loving the conversations that we've been having as we go through each chapter.

Next, I usually use the summer as a time to do a bit of deep cleaning around the house.  I know that most people do Spring Cleaning.  As a teacher, I do a big winter cleaning {coinciding with Christmas Break} and a big summer cleaning.  I just found an awesome organization specialist online, and her videos are giving me a ton of ideas.  I've already reorganized my linen closet, revamped my kitchen, and I've got plans to reorganize my bathroom soon!

Then, I start gearing up my brain for the upcoming school year.  I think back on what I liked about the previous school year, and I determine what I'd like to do a little differently.  I spend time cruising the web and finding ideas to make my classroom fun.  I've found LOTS of great ideas on Pinterest.

One more thing that I've gotten into this summer has been Influenster.com.  I recently made a profile, and I'm hoping to get the opportunity to try out some products soon.  Influenster has you take surveys to find out what you are interested in, and then they match you up with products to try and give feedback on.  As soon as I get wind of any products coming my way, I will be sure to share what I think about them right here.



That's about all I've got right now.  It's time to head to bed to rest up before tomorrow's Independence Day festivities!

Heaven on Earth

I recently started reading a new blog: 

Whenever I start reading a new blog, I get voracious.  I read as much as I can before I have to close my laptop and drag myself up to bed.  

One of the posts that really got me thinking, was Casey's post on Heaven.  I admit that the whole idea that we are not in Heaven does have a bit of a "duh" factor to it, but I've found that when you allow a thought to marinate in your brain a bit, you start to see things in a whole new way.

A week or so after reading her post, I suddenly had my own Heaven moment.  I was in my car, headed to the store, when I was overwhelmed with how beautiful the sky was.  Driving down the street, I saw kids playing and a couple walking their dog.  The weather was gorgeous, and I couldn't help thinking that the moment was just perfect. 

Suddenly, I felt a little zing.  It hit me that although that moment may have looked perfect, it really wasn't.  

We may have seemingly perfects days, hours, or minutes, but that period of time is just a tiny glimpse of what true perfection will be.

It kind of takes your breath away when you realize that it's only a peek of what forever will be like.

Hershey Fun

We are fresh off of our annual Hershey trip.  It's nice to have a place to go that is just far enough away from home to make it feel like a vacation.

As always, we stayed at The Suites at Hershey. It's just a stone's throw away from Hershey Park.  The rooms are big, the pools are fun, and we always have a blast.  

This time, my family tried out the grill in the gazebo.  My mother brought homemade cheeseburgers,and my dad grilled them up.  I have to say, dinner that night was divine.  Sitting around the table, laughing with my husband, parents, sister, and kids, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world.

Crunchy Chicken Wrap

I started my Weight Watchers journey this past January, and I've been doing quite well (down 32 lbs!).  One of the things that I've learned over the past few months is that I really can eat anything in moderation.  Still, it's sometimes a pain to budget my points so that I can enjoy a restaurant meal, only to come away feeling like it was a waste of points.  

One of the meals that I really enjoyed, pre-WW was Friendly's Crispy Chicken Wrap.  It's a yummy wrap made with breaded chicken tenders, salad-type fixins and a not-so-healthy-helping of honey mustard dressing.  I loved the way the flavors melded together.  Upon starting WW, however, I discovered that this wrap calculates out to a whopping 30 points plus!  Now, I'll tell you the truth; I never eat an entire restaurant meal in one sitting.  I always save half for the next day.  Still, 15 points for half of a wrap is a lot, especially when that number doesn't even include a side dish!

So I have to tell you how excited I was to have created a meal that tastes just like my favorite Friendly's meal, but at a bargain number of points!  You can eat the entire wrap, if you'd like, and it will only cost you 14 points plus!  Me?  I told you that I never can eat that much in one sitting, so I enjoyed half of the wrap for just 7 points!  That left me more than enough points for a helping of my favorite crunchy snack (Popchips) and coconut cupcake that my hubby had made, following this recipe on Skinnytaste.com.

So without further adieu..on to the recipe!

• 1 ¼ lb Chicken Breast Tenderloins
• 2 egg whites
• 4 Wegmans Whole Wheat Multigrain tortillas (10 inches)
• ½ c Wegmans Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
• 3/4 cup Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs
• 4 T Ken's Lite Honey Mustard
• 1 c boston lettuce
• 1 c fresh tomatoes 

Preheat oven to 425 . Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Whisk egg whites in a bowl. Dip tenders, one piece at a time, into egg whites and then into the crumbs.  Press the crumbs onto the tenders to make the crumbs stick. Place chicken in a single layer on baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Let them cool for 3-5 minutes.  Chop up the tenders, and divide them equally among the warmed tortillas. Top each with lettuce, tomato, 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese, and a tablespoon of lite honey mustard. Roll up the tortilla and serve.  Enjoy!

My wrap and my daughter's wrap (sans honey mustard) displayed for your enjoyment.

Scars

I fell a lot as a little kid.  My mom says that she cried the first time my little knees kissed the sidewalk.  My knees bear the battle scars of jumping rope, climbing trees, and playing endless games with my little sister.  I remember being embarrassed about my knees, as a teen.  I didn't want anyone to see.  I thought they were ugly.

I'm older now, and I have more scars.  There's the one on my foot that I got while on an eighth grade field trip.  I have one on my right hand from the day I was baking Christmas cookies with my mom, and my hand touched the rack.

I no longer see my scars as something to hide.  My scars tell a story.  They remind me of good times and not so good times.  I don't think I would trade them for anything.

At the Beach

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with how blessed I am. I know that there are many on this earth who don't get to experience 1/10th of the things that I do.  The things that I take for granted are their idea of luxuries.  I don't know why I was created to live this life, but I recognize these blessings as a gift.

I'm on vacation with my family right now in Myrtle Beach.  Vacations like this are full of frivolities.  We go out to eat for nearly every meal.  We've already spent hours lounging in the various pools at the resort.  We drove way out of the way to indulge in overpriced ice cream.  We've blown hard earned money on must-have trinkets at the local boutiques.  Tomorrow we will allow the sun to kiss our shoulders as we dip our toes in the ocean and find shells in the sand.

These are the days that take my breath away.

Oh Look: It's 2011!

As Cathy would say, "Ack!"  This blog has gotten so dusty that I'd almost forgotten the URL!

I want to promise to be a better blogger.  Perhaps putting the shortcut back on my bookmark bar might help?

Spooky

My daughter and I love to read spooky Halloween books.  Our favorites from the past few years have included Happy Halloween, Stinky Face and Ghosts in the House.


This year, as a surprise, I bought her Ghosts in the House as a Boo Day present.  She LOVES this book, and so do I.

The pictures in this book are gorgeous!  All the illustrations are done in three colors: orange, black, and milky white.  

The story follows a little girl and her innovative solution for the ghost problem in her new, haunted, house.

Another book that we have fallen in love with is Rattlebone Rock.  This book is so much fun to read!  There is an underlying rhythm that runs through the book.  The rhymes are delightful.  I think that it might be our pick for next year's Boo Day book.

I have to say...

I admire the patience and perseverance of my cat, who has been keeping quiet vigil for the past hour.  She is perched on a half-wall in our hallway, directly beneath the moth that has taken up residence beside the light fixture.  I would have gotten bored and wandered away by now.  I wonder where I can apply this lovely little lesson she is teaching me.

Edited to add...The moth was successfully caught a 6:40 this morning. She kept watch over it all night long.

Boo Day

We had a fabulous Boo Day, which is what we've taken to calling October 1st around these parts.  It started with a 2 hour school delay because of the massive rains we'd gotten; sleeping in is always a good way to start a day.  The kids then enjoyed Halloween poptarts on their new pumpkin plates:

The kids came home to find the house decorated for Halloween.

The dinner menu included Witches' Hats with Ghoulish Brew, Chilling Chili with Ghosts, and Witches' Brooms.  Dessert was Boo Brownie Cupcakes.

After dinner, we gave the kids Boo Bags with candy treats and fun crafts.  The kids finished the night by watching The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  All in all, it was a lovely, spooky night. 

back in the saddle

My favorite place in my house is my kitchen.  It isn't the perfect kitchen by any means.  I don't have the latest or greatest appliances, but I have cookbooks, ideas, and ingredients to make a lot of lovely meals.  What I haven't had, lately, is time.  Over the past few months, I have given in and passed the torch to my husband.  I've cast longing glances at my oven, Kitchen Aid mixer, and cast iron skillet as I headed upstairs to grade or study; it has been a while since I've put together a complete, home-cooked meal.

The other night I made some delicious rosemary cheeseburgers on garlic butter buns, but my husband helped with the side dish, so I don't feel like that counted.

Tonight I made Italian pork cutlets, baby carrots, acorn squash, and boiled potatoes.  It was soooo yummy.  While the the squash baked, I baked cupcake cones as well.  You should have seen how nicely my 5-year-old cleaned her plate when iced cupcake cones were within her field of vision!

My kitchen and I, we're back together. :)

of loss and love

We had to make a hard decision this week; we had to put our ten-year-old cat, Kramer, to sleep.  It was difficult and sad, and in the throws of grief I proclaimed that I would never get another pet.  As the week went on, our sadness lessened.  Yes, we still miss him a lot.  We still look for him in the sunshine or snuggled up on the back of the couch.  Lily Mae, our two-year-old cat has been looking for him and calling to him, which makes all of us sad.  Still, as our grief has ebbed away, we've enjoyed sharing our funny Kramer memories.  It became clear to all of us that although it is terribly hard to deal with his loss, we wouldn't trade our time with him for anything.  So while we adjust to the idea of being a one-cat-family, and get used to not seeing our Kramie around, we know that we will be able to open our hearts to another animal some day in the future.

Summer!

I could say that I've been ignoring this blog because of such a busy summer, but that would clearly be a lie.  I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted last.  Bad blogger!

This summer has been busy, though.  My family went on our first trip to Myrtle Beach in June.  We've decided to make it an annual trip; we loved it that much!  With the end of June came the start of my first summer course.  Right after that started, we traveled to Pittsburgh to visit family.  As soon as I returned, I was immersed in the busy-ness created by taking two graduate level courses.  Not fun, but challenging.  I wrapped up the first course on July 12, and then scurried to finish the second course material early so that I could go on a weekend trip with my hubby to Shenandoah Valley.  I did it, and earned an A in both courses!

So now I have three weeks left of summer, and I can't wait to spend every minute with my family. I just need to fit in some blogging time, too!

Neglected

If you are feeling neglected by my lack of writing, fear not!  And don't take it personally.  Just ask my library books.  You know, the ones that I checked out, renewed, and are now overdue?  There are some that I haven't even read yet!  And how about the movie that I checked out and then forgot I checked out?  Ten dollar fine on that one. 

This weekend was lovely because I was able to get to some of the things I've been neglecting.  I finished a book, vacuumed under my bed, and gathered bags and bags of clothes and shoes for charity.  My hubby was the spearhead on that one.

I also got to spend real time with my family.  We went to the pumpkin patch and went on a hayride.  We picked pumpkins, sipped cider, and enjoyed the fall weather.

I need more weekends like that.  They course through my veins and make my heart sing.

Perfect Equation

fall day + apple cider + pumpkin/chocolate chip muffin = pure bliss

I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon, and God bless me.

The moon has been spectacular lately.  His beauty has surprised me on two occasions this week. 

The first time, I was driving with my children, listening to the Haunted Mansion cd that my hunka hunka hubby bought as a surprise.  Please understand that it is the soundtrack/story from the ride, not the movie.  I haven't seen the movie, but I haven't heard too many good things about it.

ANYway.  We were driving and feeling deliciously spooked, when all-of-a-sudden we spied the moon in all of his October glory.  He was just right there, out of nowhere.  He was huge and orange and just so perfect that for a moment my breath was stolen.  I actually gasped, I did. 

What was even more spectacular was when we went the opposite direction and I watched the moon quickly rise in the sky from my rear view mirror.  Gorgeous, I tell you.

And then there was tonight, which also involved a bit of spookiness.  I was alone in the car, and as I flipped through the radio there was a song about Transformers.  There was a robotic voice in the song, which immediately gave me chills.  I have a fear of robots.  I'll tell that story another day.  But as I ascended the hill, on my way to the library, there was the moon, ready once more to set the scene.  Again, he was huge and shocking. 

There is so much creation to simply delight in.  I hope that my children inherit my love of it all.

In the Wind

There is something about wind that stirs something in me.  It conjures up a scream of excitement that sticks in my throat.  If I'm with my kids, I may let it out.  Of course, in the grown-up world, it is rarely appropriate to scream when excited.  This is why I work with kids.  The grown-up world is boring!

I just dropped off my students for gym.  This requires a walk from our building down to the main church building.  I noticed the wind and the weather on the way down.  On the way back, by myself, I savored it.  There is nothing quite like a breezy October day.  Better still, it's chapel day so I am wearing a skirt.   It was positively delicious to feel the wind whipping my skirt around my legs as I took to the long way back to my classroom.

Today would be a great day to pick a pumpkin.