black friday...

first i just have to say how amazing thanksgiving dinner was! we ate on time (major miracle for us...we're usually 2 hours behind my original "plans"), the kitchen was cleaned up immediately after dinner (another record...we usually leave the dishes until later and just put the food in the fridge), and we were finished with both by 2:30 p.m. and had plenty of time to catch naps!

another record was broken...the tree was up with lights on it on thanksgiving evening. (we usually put the tree together so late at night that i end up putting on the lights the next evening, and then we end up decorating on a third evening...making it sunday night at the earliest before it's completely finished.) part two of that record was broken too, it's fully decorated and it's only friday afternoon!!! we're way ahead of schedule! now i can enjoy the rest of my weekend off!

now back to black friday...

i ended up not going to bed at all last night! i was going to but i got sidetracked doing a couple of things and time got away from me. i woke up elisabeth at 3:30, she threw on her clothes and we headed out. we went to target first and it was a total mad house! we grabbed some hot chocolate and a white chocolate peppermint mocha latte at starbucks on the way out the door. next we headed over to walmart. after one super quick stop back at target (forgot something), we went to jcpenney's. i am now the proud owner of a coffee maker (mine got so clogged up that it wouldn't work at all a few weeks ago...it was pure torture to go without it!) and a toaster (which we haven't had since the move back in may). these are both actually better than the ones we had and once i get my mail-in rebates, they're $10 each (usually $40ish or so)!

and just to verify the ridiculousness of some people, here's a pic of what we saw on the way out of penney's...



...that's just as silly as the woman wearing 4"+ heels in line at target!!!

people watching is 95% of the fun of black friday...most definitely!

my facebook status this afternoon: Thanksgiving highlights...kids cooking, toddler singing "Happy Birthday" over the phone to grandma (when he heard us say "Happy Thanksgiving"), shopping with my daughter, naps...and the Christmas tree fully decorated!

happy thanksgiving!!!

as i sit here awake at 3:00 a.m., i am reflecting on the goings-on of our family activities over the past 24 hours and i am grateful for my family, my doctors, my health, and all of the blessings in my life.

i had a trip to the dermatologist, which revealed a possible problem spot on my foot...so it was biopsied. that concerns me a little, but whatever comes of it i am sure it will be fine. i am trusting that if it is malignant, it's an early detection and we'll take care of things. following that, i went to my chiropractor. it was a trip that was well over due, but was accelerated due to a couple of recent "happenings" regarding my back being jarred. it was a great session and i really need to do some follow-up, which i don't love financially, but need to do so that i can function at my best. i want to be able to start working out and things, so i think it will be necessary to bite the bullet and just fork over the co-pays. i have to say, i definitely felt much better afterward! thankfully the things that led up to it weren't as bad as they could've been and this is just a little side effect of being jarred around a few times.

when i got home, we sat down as a family and planned out the schedule and assignments of getting things ready for turkey day. my kids just jumped in and did everything they signed up for, which was absolutely amazing! things accomplished for thanksgiving dinner by my kids: chocolate meringue pie, fresh (not canned) pumpkin pie, 5 lbs of potatoes peeled, and side dishes put together and ready to bake include: sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, arkansas green beans, cream cheese corn bake. it was amazing how much we accomplished, they were amazing!

i woke up around 2:00 a.m. to check on the turkey, which was thawing in the kitchen sink, to find it was done early. what to do? the fridge was full and i wasn't sure everything would fit with the bird back in there too...but it did! the rub and dressing were amazing, if i do say so myself! i mixed sage, rosemary, dill weed, thyme, salt, pepper, onion powder, worcestershire sauce and crushed garlic together, squeezed in some fresh orange and lemon juice, and rubbed it under the breast skin and all over the skin of the turkey. it smells so good! i then put cut-up orange, lemon, apple, celery, onion and carrots inside the bird and around it in the pan and poured in a can of chicken broth. now it's sitting in the fridge, soaking in all of that savory goodness, ready to be popped into the oven first thing in the morning.

all that's left now is to cook and mash the potatoes, make the gravy and dressing, and make homemade rolls...we are ready for a feast!!!

...and my hubby just woke up and is wandering around the house looking for change so he can buy me a paper with all of the black friday ads...love him!!!

wow, time flies when you're having fun!

my life has gotten a little bit more crazy in the past month or so.

i accepted a teaching position at a different school than where i had been working. it was a bittersweet decision, i loved my old school, my daughter was there, i'd seen all of the kids grow from K-5th, my coworkers had been coworkers for 7 years...but i was getting a foot in the door, better pay, and experience (though not my own classroom). i am a "floating" kindergarten teacher...i move throughout the kindergarten wing at my school, which consists of 6 classrooms of 20+ students. it's not ideal (for teachers or students) but the teachers seem to be amazing, the school seems to be well run, and i am getting used to it. talk about living life "off the beaten path"...how many kindergarten teachers do you know who float and don't have their own classroom? the key for me is to stay organized and flexible. i do better at the latter one, need improvement on the first. i am planning a trip to the local "teacher" store this week and will be purchasing a rolling cart with an organizer. if they don't have one, i will be buying a scrapbooking storage cart on wheels from michael's.

so now i'm looking forward to planning for the holidays and getting re-focused on building our business (which got put on the backburner awhile back due to varying circumstances). time to make some more positive progress in our lives!

up next...holiday planning, stay tuned!

dream, renew, refresh...

i thought this was perfect for labor day...

Monday, September 06, 2010
DREAMS
I nurture myself today, and I am renewed.
I may consider my work to be an expression of who I am as I use my mind, physical capabilities and actions to create something of value in the world. I also realize that I do my best work when I am relaxed and refreshed.

I take time for myself today to daydream the possibilities for good. Closing my eyes and opening my imagination, I feel great hope inside. As I dream of my life's potential, I become aware that I have been given many talents to use, many gifts from God. I resolve to use these gifts to see my dreams come true.

When I return to work, I feel nurtured and revitalized. All of my activities are a blessing to me and to others.

I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams.--Numbers 12:6

i recently was searching and came across daily word, which i read as a kid and hadn't thought about in years. i am so excited to reconnect with thoughts and ideas that were introduced to me as a child, and that are in line with the path i am currently taking on my journey to renewing myself and becoming the person i am meant to be. amazing!

first week of school...

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." --Albert Einstein

first week of school has passed successfully. i am enjoying my job and co-workers, and excited about the possibilities of getting a "promotion" within my team. as silly as it sounds to some, i go into the empty classroom where a new class will be placed once hiring has been done. i look around and imagine myself in there as the teacher. i imagine where my desk will be, where the children will sit, and how my room will be decorated and arranged. i visualize the children coming in and learning and having wonderful, successful days.

as much as i want to have my own classroom, i still can't help but miss spending time with my little one. in less than 2 short weeks, he will be turning 2. so i have decided that saturday is now my favorite day of the week because we can hang out and snuggle all day if we want to! he's growing so quickly and i don't want his childhood to flash before my eyes and wake up tomorrow with him in high school. (it feels like that's what happened with my oldest...now a sophomore in high school.) i know all too well that these days are quickly going to be gone, so the pauses for snuggles, the handprints on the tv, and even the marker "art" on the walls are all highlights of the time we have while he is still little.

i am happy, at peace and have amazing hope for the future. life is good. i am blessed with so many things of which i am grateful, and i am enjoying living in abundance. "i know the plans i have for you...plans to give you a hope and a future..." i can only imagine!!!

invictus...

Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley

just watched the movie invictus tonight with the family, it was really good. the poem stood out in my mind and i wanted to read it in it's entirety. it's amazing how it speaks to those going through tough times, and how we can come out of it unscathed if we so choose...a good reminder when thinking about things we've gone through and thinking about all of those close to us who are going through things. so many people i know are dealing with losing loved ones, cancer, and other horrible things...but we can all come through it unafraid, unbowed and unconquerable...if we so choose to be the master of our fate and captain of our own souls. it all goes back to "what a man thinks, so is he"...we can choose how we will deal with what life throws our way. will we be defeated or victorious?

nothing but sunshine and blue skies...

so today i was driving with my oldest when we got caught in an absolute torrential downpour. you know the kind, where it's raining so hard that even with the windshield wipers on full blast, you can barely see the road ahead of you. you're surrounded by darkness even in broad daylight because the clouds are so thick and heavy. in the middle of this downpour there were clouds (obviously) above us, but they were also behind us and to both sides. the interesting thing was that straight ahead of us there was nothing...not even one tiny cloud was visible in the perfectly blue sky ahead of us. so i thought of this...

Sitting under a cloud with a torrential downpour, straight ahead, not a cloud in sight...metaphor for life?

over the past while it seems like there have been so many dark clouds surrounding us and such a downpour that the road ahead was impossible to even catch a glimpse. i think that a lot of times it's mind over matter and our outlook can definitely change the way things look. you know, you have to choose to be happy, no one can make you happy, and all that jazz...

so i looked at that rain cloud as if it were the cloud over us that is finally dissipating, and up ahead there are no clouds in sight. isn't that amazing? i do believe that phrase in proverbs that says "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." if we think we are a failure, we will be a failure. if we think we're not good enough, we won't be. if we think we will always be poor, then that's how we'll stay. if we think we will succeed, prosper, and be blessed, then we will be. i have been working on changing my own point of view, to think about what i want to become compared to who i am, not worrying about things i can't control, and controlling what is in my own power to and that's about it. but i can also think about how good the future can be instead of dwelling on "how sucky it's been and probably will continue to be forever and ever".

as i continued to drive out of that downpour today, i emerged from under that cloud, refreshed and renewed from the rain, and looking forward to the excitement the future holds, and now...

Dark clouds behind us, nothing but sunshine and blue skies ahead!

waiting for change?

What are you waiting for? You think it's going to change itself? Now is the only time you can act. --adam mclane

i saw this statement posted on adam's FB status and had to borrow it! i know a lot of times we sit around waiting for things to change, hoping something will fall in our laps to make life better. i suppose things do come along now and then that could change things for some people, but most of the time it takes us taking a step in a direction (any direction) to get the ball rolling to change things.

i know that i want change for our family. i don't know what that change is going to look like. ministry, location, business, etc....it all seems to be up in the air right now. but i know that if things are going to change, we have to act.

this concept is obvious for "changing the world", but i think more people need to think about how they can make changes on a smaller level too. big change starts with a series of small changes.

i have begun making small changes, hoping that they can eventually lead to some bigger ones...a few recent ones include eating healthier, trying to get in the habit of working out, planning out my day and budgeting my time, and such. just the habit of working out can not only change my weight and health, but it can be a catalyst for changing my mental outlook as well. i use the time i am on the treadmill, or swimming to take my mind off of the cares and stresses i have and focus on nothing...sometimes i focus on the view of the woods out the window from the treadmill, or just the weightless feeling of my body when it's surrounded by water as i swim laps. as i make these small changes in my outlook and attitude, i can see where bigger changes are in store...

what small thing can you change today to allow you to act on bigger changes that need made?

not a follower...

i think it is important to be your own person, though in this society, where everyone wants to belong, it's easy to get caught up in trying to be like others and live out the old adage of "keeping up with the joneses"...which is funny because in my life, i've only known two families with the last name "jones"...and i haven't tried to imitate or outdo either one.

living in suburbia, you see it all of the time...people trying to show each other up with the best hairstylist, how many times a month they get pedicures, what pretentious place they ate or drank coffee, who has a new car, who just put in a new pool, who bought a new house (though that one is pretty much a moot point around here these days)...it's fun to sit back and people watch.

in order to stay sane in the midst of all of this, you do somewhat need to conform, but it's good to be your own person too. my plan is to do something different (than the perceived "norm") at least once a week...something that seems a little offbeat, or go somewhere that isn't part of my usual routine or "rut". everyone talks about going to busch gardens and universal studios...i want to make cool memories with my family of the unique places we checked out, and exciting things we did that most kids don't do.

what path will we be traversing this week? stay tuned and you'll see...even i'm not sure yet!

just a beginning...

i am working on changing my internet image, along with my whole mindset. i've been stuck in a rut for awhile and i think it's just what i need...starting a new blog "home" and linking my other stuff to it.

i grew up on a wheat and soybean farm in kansas, and our property was at the end of the cicero road...thus the name of my blog home.

"life begins just off the beaten path"...and i think it ends there too...if you can't get off the beaten path and live there (literally, or figuratively), then i don't think you are really living. why follow everyone else? why be "normal"? is anyone really normal...well, yeah i guess so, since everyone has issues and that's truly the "norm".

i have several blogs that i am linking here. stay tuned, you might miss something pretty cool if you don't!