Hurried Thoughts

Okay a few random thoughts on my mind...

Tazo Orange Tea is saving my throat....

I have rediscovered raisins. So good.

I need to survive tomorrow and then the rest of the week will allow for breathing time.

Christmas Cards ordered. check.

Does malt o'meal qualify as a dinner? hope so.

It is snowing right now...and blowing....brrr.

Homemade chocolate croissants are difficult to make and overrated. (sorry ladies...I threw the rest of them away this morning)

I am convinced some students don't want to understand fractions and yet are fascinated by the origins of the name of the country Hungary and how the liberty bell was cracked. I can't blame them. I'd rather learn about history too. Oh but just...tomorrow fractions are getting FUN! ;)

I will get to bed before ten.

So Goodnight.

Belated Thankfulness

I realize that Thanksgiving was yesterday, but it is never too late to say what you are thankful for. Here goes...

I am thankful for my wonderful sweet Husband, and that we were able to celebrate our first married Thanksgiving together for at least half a day.

I am thankful for friends that make you feel at home in their homes, and Christ's love that seems to overflow through their doors.

I am thankful for a family that makes me feel loved even when we are hours apart.

I am thankful for a warm apartment as the temperature drops.

AND...I am thankful to have survived Target at 4am ;)

Here are a few Photos taken from my day. (Not the best quality...still without my Nikon and not feeling like doing any editing)

Meal #1 (Ham) Turkey came later...

Late night baking before heading out to shop

Old Navy...at Midnight.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Preview

Rumor (and the news) has it that we are expecting a blizzard starting tomorrow into Thanksgiving. I feel out of the loop since I have not been watching the local news lately...

So I perused the weather report and discovered that a winter storm is expected, but for some reason I doubt that it is really going to be that severe (and trust me I will freely admit if I am proven incorrect). I guess I will just have to wait and see. I do not have to drive anywhere too far so the snow can come if it so chooses.

A local campus even canceled classes tomorrow, but not my school.... still going strong ;)

On other notes I have begun to think of Christmas Gifts...making Christmas gifts to be exact. There are so many things I wish I could make but I have a feeling time will not allow for too many projects.

At this time I don't want to share too many specifics, but I have a feeling some hot chocolate will make things progress much faster.




Now if only I had the time/patience to make these little gingerbread houses

Practical? Of course not! Cute....yes.

Let it Snow...and snow....and SNOW

It's finally here.

Welcome Winter.

I guess we couldn't put it off any longer.

At least there is Christmas to look forward to....

and YES...our Christmas Tree is already up.

We arrived home last night without sliding off the slippery interstate thinking we had outwitted winter for the time being. Upon waking however I saw the blanket of white outside, and I must admit I was not disappointed. It was beautiful snow that fell slowly to the ground. As the school day progressed the flakes became bigger and continued to fall and fall. Now I am currently curled up with some hot chocolate. Mmmmm. I hope everyone else is staying warm and cozy tonight as well :)

Sharing Secrets

I wanted to post much earlier in the weekend to share this news...but I had to keep it off the Internet for a few days so that calls and visits could be made.

The BIG news is.............

My little sister....Bethany Jo......is getting married!!!

I don't have any pictures to share of their engagement...(I forgot my camera at home) but I rounded up some photos I have of them.

So Congratulations you two! I am so happy for you and love you both!

Welcome Thursday, Welcome.

Thursday is a lovely day...

It is just close enough to the weekend, and you already feel like you have more energy. 

 And.....

I get to see this girl on Friday! :)

 (she is my "stress sister" and I miss her)

Happy Thursday Folks!

Off to school...

Etsy Round Up

Ceramic Eco Travel Cup



 

Chunky Knit Scarf

Wood Frame

Bless This Print

Mustard Purse




Doily Coasters

P.S.

Oh and I am currently craving this.....yum!

Excuses Excuses

Okay so I don't really have time for a long post....so instead you are getting...........

......................

..........

...

10 REASONS WHY I CANNOT WRITE A LONGER POST

1. I sat through 3 hours of conferences today

2. A hot shower is calling my name.

3. My alarm clock is unable to tell time (not an attractive quality for an alarm clock) and so it woke me up an hour early this morning.

4. I had a grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner and now I'm all cozy and sleepy.

5. I had to turn in an assignment that I didn't realize was due today until yesterday. I started it yesterday as well.

6.My computer sounds like an airplane because it is overheating

7. I am tired.

8. I miss my husband who is at work.

9. I cannot possibly think of anything creative or witty to write about.

10. I spent too much time reading other people's blogs.

XOXO,

Britta

The Most Amazing thing.

The God of the universe loves us.

and wants us to know him.

How exciting is that?

 

This morning I got up at five with Ben to make him breakfast and spend some time together before he left for work. I didn't have school today but it was worth waking up early to spend some time with him. After he left for work I took some time for myself. Just God, my Bible, the book Crazy Love, and my coffee. I haven't had a quite morning like this in quite awhile so it was such a filling time. The sun is rising now as I write this and I am overcome with how Big my God is and how insignificant I am. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes about how the Creator of the magnitude of the galaxies and the complexity of caterpillars desires for us to know him. I am amazed at how I can feel like it is so hard to see God at times, when the truth is he is in everything around me. Everything was created by God and for God. The beautiful frost on my patio outside and the warm colors bursting from the sky, and even the coffee that warms me every morning. God finds so many ways to make us feel loved and yet we often forget he is the creator of it all. It is too easy to wake up in the morning and forget who has given me the life I am living that very day.

It is frustrating sometimes when it seems that I cannot love God in the way that I know he deserves.

"Shouldn't it be easy to love a God so wonderful?"

"When we love God because we feel we should love Him, instead of genuinely loving out of our true selves, we have forgotten who God really is."

Francis Chan writes:

 "we need [reminders] about God's goodness. We are programmed to focus on what we don't have, bombarded multiple times throughout the day with what we need to buy that will make us feel happier or sexier or more at peace. The dissatisfaction transfers over to our thinking about God. We forget we already have everything we need in Him. Because we don't often think about the reality of who God is, we quickly forget that He is worthy to be worshipped and loved."

...and the hardest part about trying to understand God is that I know he is too incredible to every fully understand. Chan also talks about what it means to be Holy. God is Holy therefor he is set apart and distinct from us. We can never fully understand who God is be cause he is so Holy. My mind will never be able to truly wrap around the entire concept of who God is. I love how Chan also talks about how comforting it is to know that we worship a God that we can not exaggerate. Anything I have to say about my God is an understatement. This is such a blaring reality when I compare this to the numerous exaggerations I could make about myself. Even thinking back to the resume I recently created I am struck by the pathetic exaggerations that we write down on paper. I have failures everyday. God, however will never fail me.

Out of my knowing I can never exaggerate God's goodness or love comes a desire for me to know him further. I need to realize that no I will never fully realize God's characteristics, but that to love God from my true self I need to strive to know him better each and every day. It may seem like a daunting task since It will never be completed, but I'm okay with that. In reminds me once again of God's graciousness. I will never know him perfectly, and he knows that...but he is also encouraging me to give my life to knowing him as complete as I can.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Last weekend I (with the help of my wonderful friends) made some delicious Pumpkin treats. I didn't take any pictures at the time because we were in a hurry to watch a movie (Toy Story III). So you must be happy with Martha Stewert's perfectly stylized photography. It is her recipe after all so now you can see what the recipe will look like if you are a perfectionist. My whoopie pies were not this beautiful but they did taste absolutely delicious. The recipe says it will make 12 whoopie pies but I must have used a smaller ice scream scoop because I ended up having probably 2 dozen smaller ones. I actually preferred the smaller size because they are so rich to eat. Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before piping on the filling. I made the mistake of being impatient and started to assemble the pies before the last batch of cookies had completely cooled. What resulted was a mad rush to get the melted pies into the freezer to set before the filling oozed all out. The work was worth is though :)

PUMPKIN WHOOPIE PIES

RECIPE

FOR THE PUMPKIN WHOOPIE COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CREAM-CHEESE FILLING
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

12 Hour School Day

Conferences today.

It made for a long day. And unfortunately I have saved a large amount of homework to finish up tonight so it will end up being a long night. I keep telling myself it's a short week. A Short Week. Only get to Wednesday. I can do it. Yes. Positive thinking.

Haha Yes.

Other positive thoughts for you.

1. It is November and I can still get away with not wearing a coat most days. It's incredible.

2. My sister's soccer team is going to Nationals. GO COBBERS! (shhhh- don't tell anyone I am cheering for them)



3. I am planning a lesson on the illustrations from the book, "The Mystery of Harris Burdick". The book is made up on illustrations that are given a title and a single caption. They truly spur one's imagination. I have included a few examples below.

 Legend has it that Burdick was interested in having some of his short stories published, so he met with a Publisher to give him the illustrations with captions from his stories in hopes the Publisher would be interested. After giving the illustrations a look, the Publisher tried to get a hold of Burdick for more information, but he never heard back because Burdick had disappeared without a trace!

MR. LINDEN'S LIBRARY
"He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late."

   

THE SEVEN CHAIRS
   "The fifth one ended up in France."
 

THE THIRD-FLOOR BEDROOM
"It all began when someone left the window open."

Okay back to work. Goodnight people :)

Dear Daylight Savings Time,

Thank you for letting me sleep in one extra hour tomorrow. I promise to make good use of that sleep. I am also excited to have a little sunshine before I head to school in the mornings (even though it will be short lived with winter coming). However, with one less hour of daylight in the evenings I will have to challenge myself to be productive with the time I have.

Things I wish I could do everyday

-Read a book

-Coffee with a friend

-Make something/Sew something, etc.

-Try a new recipe 

-Get all the laundry and cleaning done

-Scrapbook! (I am years behind, ugh)

-Take more naps ( I have forgotten how wonderful they are)

-Have more/longer quiet times

Okay so there is my "wish list" for my lack of spare time :)

Hope everyone enjoys their extra hour of sleep!

Goodnight.

After School Crafting

This afternoon I decided to work on a lil' project while I unwound from the week. I had some leftover cream tulle from wedding projects so i did some braiding, cutting, and stitching until I ended up with the headband. I was pretty pleased with how it came out. I would like to play with some patterned fabrics next time around.

Hope everyone is starting off their weekend in a lovely way!

-Britta

Happenings.

Today was a busy day, but a good day.

After school I rushed out the door as my students waved to me from their bus windows. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they are still excited to see you even after they have spent the last 6 hours with you.

I then rushed off to campus to buy my cap and gown (whoop) and then get the teaching license application for substituting next semester. I also attempted to change my name with the records office but I needed to have my social security card. I knew I just had to get it done when I had time to be on campus before all the offices close down. (It is hard to get errands done when everything closes at 4 on campus)....so I rushed home grabbed by ss card, and then spontaneously decided to grab all my work so that I could spend a few hours working at a coffee shop afterwards.

So here I find myself at Starbucks. It was meant to be....why? you ask.....? well they have just reintroduced their peppermint mocha. I know I say I love the pumpkin spice latte (which is what I planned on ordering originally) but as my eyes spotted the sign that said "The wait is finally over, the peppermint mocha is back...."  I forgot all about my previous plans, and "A peppermint mocha please, with skim milk" just slipped right out of my lips. It is/was delicious. Something about it makes me not mind that it will probably be thirty degrees below zero any day now, ha. Let's hope not.

Last night B and I had a lovely dinner with the Morberg's (Lee and Sara). Sara was my roommate for a few months before she was married to Lee. Sara made some lovely enchiladas and we had some french silk pie for dessert...yum. 

Game Time

The night before (so Tuesday) a few friends came over and we made some appetizers and played an intense game of dominoes. I say intense because Ellie was a little upset when I schooled her ;) Only kidding Ellie dear....(but I really did beat her). Here are some pics from that night. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad Wraps



Pesto & Tomato Crackers




To check off my list (since coming to Starbucks) 22 students X 10 Math study links = 220 items corrected.

Lesson Learned: Don't let studylinks stack up.

Have a Lovely Evening

-Britta