True Love

I not only have found my true love, but he really is my best friend. I used to wonder how people would say that about their spouse....until I met Barry...now I know!!

I don't love a lot of country music, but I do like Rascal Flatts. The song Bless the Broken Road really hits home for me. I feel like Barry and I both went through all the things we did to find one another. It may sound dorky, but I just really connect to the lyrics of this song. I've even cried while listening to it while driving down the road...ha! That's not tough for a sensitive girl like me. I thank God everyday for bringing Barry into my life!!!

Bless the Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

Thankful Thursday

I have so many things to be Thankful for, I don't even know where to begin! I'm going to do bullets this week!

• Not counting today, I have 3.5 days left until I start my Christmas Vacation!! I cannot wait!! I love teaching, but I am always ready for some time off. I definitely feel the need this year because we are going to Michigan for the break!!! I can't wait to hold that big ole baby! He has gotten soooo big since I've seen him in October. I am thrilled to be spending over a week with my family and getting to see my friends. We are driving so we can take Sam. I could never leave him in a kennel for almost 2 weeks and he loves his "grandma" so he will be excited to see my mom.
• I'm thankful that I have an amazing husband. He puts up with me when I'm having a bad day and I'm grumpy. He supports my crazy crafty ideas of late. He loves Sam, even when he has to get up and go to the door 5 or more times because Sam has decided to make a game out of "asking" to come inside. Ha! Sam knows how to push Barry's buttons for sure. That dog will usually come in right away for me, but with Barry, NO WAY!! Barry will go with me to take Sam for walks, even when it is cold! I'm loving the cold weather, but of course I'm used to it. We went last week to a nearby college campus for a walk with Sam and it was beautiful...all decorated for Christmas.
• That leads me to Sam. As much as he does drive us crazy with his "black lab" ways....I love that dog! I've had Sam since he was a tiny baby! He was just 5 lbs when I got him and not even 6 wks old. Now he's a giant monster dog. Some people don't get my love for that dog, they must not be animal lovers! Sam kept me company when I lived alone. I think back on his puppy days and wish he was still that small, chubby and cuddly, but now he is big and cuddly. He is 1 1/2 yrs old and still thinks he is little. He crawls right up into my lap and snuggles. Last night I laid down on the couch and he got right on top of me and went to sleep. He's a faithful friend.
• I work at an amazing school! I know I haven't written in detail much about my school this year, but I am so happy with my move to Texas because my school has turned out to be so great. That was really the only worry I had when I moved here. I knew things with Barry would be wonderful, I knew I could make friends, I was just concerned about moving to a new school. My school in Michigan was amazing!! I worked with some of my closest friends and we had the best time together. I knew so many parents and kids from our school and felt right at home. It was truly my dream job. Well, my school here is great too! I have made some truly wonderful friends that I can't imagine never meeting. I have great administrators and a great team to work with. The rest of the teachers and staff are so friendly and helpful! My kids are fun although at times exhausting, but more fun than anything else. I say all this to tell you that yesterday the staff had a wedding shower for me. It was so special and very touching. I was blown away by how many people attended. Our school is quite big...in size and numbers. There are two floors and I don't know everyone very well. I don't often see the kinder or first grade teachers and yet everyone attended. It made me feel a part of this place and the people. It meant so much to me that they did this for me.
• I may not be posting next week because we will be on the road to MICHIGAN!!!! My posting from MI will be rare, if at all. My mom does not have internet access so I will need to post from my sister's house if I post. Not sure I'll want to leave Cooper alone in order to post. I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Crafty, Crafty, Crafty!!!

I've been in a crafty mood lately! I've started making these decorated clipboards and selling them to teachers at my school for $10. I've also got a couple orders from my mother-in-law for herself and a teacher she works with. Some of the teachers at my school ordered for themselves, others ordered as Christmas gifts for other teachers or children. I think they make a fun gift idea for $10.
I also made a CUTE, CUTE, CUTE Christmas Card holder! I bought a plain white tin at Hobby Lobby and decorated it. I used Mod Podge to put on some pretty "Christmasy" paper and stickers. Then I added some more embellishments on top of that. I think it turned out super cute!

I'm in such a crafty mood, who knows what will be next!! Stay tuned!

The front view of my clipboard. This is for a student in my school district. I used our school colors. I can't find my picture of the back. It has the cutest black paw prints. We are the Coyotes!


The front view of my Christmas card holder. It's so much cuter in person. This picture is a bit dark! I used paper, stickers, embellishments and ribbon. I think I am going to switch the ribbon for something more muted and add some "jingle bells" to it! I just think this is darling!


Here's a too shiny view of the back.


Another pic of the back


One of the sides.


The other side...more paper and stickers.

Sunday Scripture

This is more for myself than for anyone else. I wanted to start writing down some of my favorite scriptures and spending some time thinking about them so I decided Sunday was a great day to do it. I don't usually have a lot going on Sunday afternoons so it's a good time for me to sit and reflect. I've been reading Philippians recently so I chose something from that book that I've always loved.

Philippians 4:6-7
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have to remember this everyday. I am not a worrier by nature, but I do start to worry if things don't go the way I think they should. I need to spend more time in prayer and be thankful for all the things I do have and the things that do go my way instead of worrying about the other stuff. I know that peace comes through God and my prayers to Him certainly do help quiet my heart.

Please feel free to add a comment with your favorite scriptures or any that you have been thinking about lately.

Enjoy your Sunday!

My New Look

Do you just LOVE my new look??!!! Jennisa did such an amazing job!! I can't thank her enough! If you need a blog makeover, she's your girl.
Check out her site here

Thanks, Jenissa!!

Thankful Thursday

I read several blogs that have a "Thankful Thursday" post each week. I decided to give it a try. Everyone who reads my blog...all three of you :) know I'm not very good about blogging on a regular basis, but this is something I want to do on a regular basis. So here's the first of many Thankful Thursday posts.

I have so many things to be thankful for in my life right now. Something I am most thankful for is my marriage. I love Barry more and more each day. He is showing himself to be a truly amazing man. More so than I ever imagined. :) We pray together all the time, but we've started praying together in bed before we go to sleep at night. We talk about the people we want to pray for, things that are on our minds and then we pray about them. This time with him really makes me feel closer to him. It is something that was very important to both of us and the fact that he is such a good spiritual leader is something I am so thankful for. I know that when the time comes for us to have children, he is going to be the most amaizing dad! I am truly thankful for this wonderful man!

Have I mentioned how wonderful my mom is? She is a wonderful mother. I am so thankful for her and her example to me. She has been through many tough times in her life and suffered many losses, but she still has faith in God and loves Him so much. I am thankful she was my example growing up and my example now.

I have married into the most wonderful family. Barry's parents have made me feel welcome since the day I met them. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms and made me feel like such an important part of their family. I am truly blessed to have them as my in-laws. They raised Barry to be the man he is and they did a great job! I am thankful I have them in my life.

This might not be quite as nice as the previous three, but I am SOOOOO thankful I will soon have a vacation! I am thrilled to have the days off from school that we will have. It's not enough...believe me...but it's better than nothing. I am exhausted from teaching. Don't get me wrong...I love it! I just need a break. I am thankful for each child in my room, even the ones that know just how to push my buttons, but I'm ready for several days away from them. :)

I'll leave it at that for my first week. I could go on and on, but I do need to do some other things. I'm glad I've decided to do this! It really makes my heart feel glad to put down into words the thoughs that are on my heart already.

For those who truly believe

The teacher in me decided to start something new. I love, love, love children's literature! I probably have over 1000 children's books in my classroom. That's not counting the books I given away over the years to students who had a favorite of mine or the others that have been "loved" so much they fall apart. I've decided that one day each week (not any specific day...I'm not a good enough blogger for that) I will designate a post of a favorite children's book. Since this is my favorite time of year, it's only fitting I share my favorite Christmas book.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg




I doubt there are many if any people that read this blog, who have not read this wonderful book. I read it each and every year to my class. I remember the year the movie came out, I was excited and sad at the same time. I couldn't imagine that the movie could even compare to the book, although it does! I also knew that after children saw the movie the book wouldn't be as special to them. For some this is true, but for those true book lovers, they don't mind that they've seen the movie.

What I love most about this book is the imagery that Chris Van Allsburg creates in with his choice of words. Even without the beautiful pictures, the words enable students to create pictures and movies in their minds. This book allows those children who really want to believe in Santa a bit longer, to do just that.

From the moment the story begins until the very last page, the reader is swept up into the story. I love that this book is written from the perspective of the little boy who is now all grown up.

It begins like this: "On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets. I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound -- a sound a friend had told me I'd never hear -- the ringing of Santa's sleigh.

'There is no Santa,' my friend had insisted, but I knew he was wrong."

Instead of the ringing bells, he hears the hissing of steam. The young boy leaves his warm bed and boards "The Polar Express" for a non-stop trip to the North Pole. We follow him on his journey to the frozen north. Once he enters the North Pole, he is the lucky child, chosen by Santa Claus to choose the first gift of Christmas. What does he choose? A simple, silver bell from the reindeer's harness on Santa's sleigh. Unfortunately, we discover that he has lost the bell as the train is pulling out of the station. Of course this is a Christmas book so it has to have a happy ending. Santa finds it on the seat of his sleigh and leaves it under the boy's tree and he discovers it on Christmas morning.

The boy and his little sister admire the beauty of the sound it makes when he rings it, but their parents say, "Oh, that's too bad....It's broken."

The book ends with the following (which just happens to be my very favorite part of the entire book):

"At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe.”

If you don't have it, go out and buy this treasure of a book!