Phone pic Hall of Fame

Looking through my phone, I remembered that I have some really great pictures on there! I figured that it'd be a great post to share them! 

Teacher of the Year

Yes, that's me... I earned that nomination yesterday. (Yes, that is complete SARCASM.)  I think I sent home roughly 18 yellow cards yesterday.  Out of my class of 28 students, I had about 10 who were worthy of keeping their good behavior.  I was so frustrated with the behavior of my class from the moment I came back to work in Quarter 2, they just didn't get how to behave and yesterday was the tip of the iceberg.  I hate having to be mean, but come on! I mean what I say.  So yes, either I totally should hand back my nomination of teacher of the year.... OR... I completely deserve it for handling these 28 crazy, 6 and 7 year olds.  I don't know, but probably more so the first choice.

Post-It Note Tuesday

Not Me Monday!

Monday, why is it that you come so quickly when Friday seems to take forrrrreeeevvvveeerrrr to get here?  WHY?!  It's 8pm, I'm exhausted.  I actually think I'm going to go to bed now.  I guess it's one of the perks of having the hubby work nights.  I don't have to stay up.  I would however, much rather him be here in the evenings.  I really miss him.  I don't get to see him for more than 30 minutes until Saturday.  I know it's great that Hayden gets to have her daddy instead of day care, but really miss my husband, and not seeing each other is a big stresser on our marriage.  We are continuing to do the Love Dare, just to keep connected.  

That being said... or really not having anything to do with what I'm next going to say... here goes "NOT ME" MONDAY!


I did NOT come home and cook a homemade soup for just myself.  Nope, not me.


I did NOT have the baby in bed asleep by 7pm so I could relax for once in the last 6 months.  Nope, not me.


I did NOT take a shower tonight so I could get just 15 extra minutes of precious sleep in the morning.  Nope, not me. 


I did NOT decide to enjoy a glass of wine after the bottle fell out of the fridge twice tonight seemingly to MAKE me have a glass since I had to clean up spilled wine twice.  Nope, not me.  


I did NOT choose to eat a glob of sugar cookie dough instead of working out.  Nope, not me.


I did NOT regret the above choice when I had a sugar nausea wave come over me.  Nope, not me.




There you go.  

Love is kind

Love is kind.  Kind is something that I strive to be.  Kindness is something that I don't always have.  In the stress of the day, the stress of life, I'm not always the kindest to my husband.  I do have a very deep love for him, undoubtedly, but I'm definitely human.  I make stupid remarks.  So does he.  It's true in any marriage.  So, day 2 is about kindness.  I'm definitely going to try to be kind to everyone, not just my husband.

I love my hubby!

(p.s. I'd give anything to look like that again. Uggh... baby weight still 6 months later.)

Day 2

Love is kind

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.  Ephesians 4:32

Kindness is love in action. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance. Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. One is preventive, the other proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built.

Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likeable. When you’re kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them.

The Bible keys in on the importance of kindness: “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3–4). Kind people simply find favor wherever they go. Even at home. But “kindness” can feel a little generic when you try defining it, much less living it. So let’s break kindness down into four basic core ingredients:

Gentleness. When you’re operating from kindness, you’re careful how you treat your spouse, never being unnecessarily harsh. You’re sensitive. Tender. Even if you need to say hard things, you’ll bend over backwards to make your rebuke or challenge as easy to hear as possible. You speak the truth in love.

Helpfulness. Being kind means you meet the needs of the moment. If it’s housework, you get busy. A listening ear? You give it. Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband without worrying about her rights. Kindness makes a husband curious to discover what his wife needs, then motivates him to be the one who steps up and ensures those needs are met—even if his are put on hold.

Willingness. Kindness inspires you to be agreeable. Instead of being obstinate, reluctant, or stubborn, you cooperate, you stay flexible. Rather than complaining and making excuses, you look for reasons to compromise and accommodate. A kind husband ends thousands of potential arguments by his willingness to listen first rather than demand his way.

Initiative. Kindness thinks ahead, then takes the first step. It doesn’t sit around waiting to be prompted or coerced before getting off the couch. The kind husband or wife will be the one who greets first, smiles first, serves first, and forgives first. They don’t require the other to get his or her act together before showing love. When acting from kindness, you see the need, then make your move. First.

Jesus creatively described the kindness of love in His parable of the Good Samaritan, found in the Bible—Luke, chapter 10. A Jewish man attacked by robbers is left for dead on a remote road. Two religious leaders, respected among their people, walk by without choosing to stop. Too busy. Too important. Too fond of clean hands. But a common man of another race—the hated Samaritans, whose dislike for the Jews was both bitter and mutual—sees this stranger in need and is moved with compassion. Crossing all cultural boundaries and risking ridicule, he stops to help the man. Bandaging his wounds and putting him on his own donkey, he carries him to safety and pays all his medical expenses out of his own pocket.

Where years of racism had caused strife and division, one act of kindness brought two enemies together. Gently. Helpfully. Willingly. Taking the initiative, this man demonstrated true kindness in every way.

Wasn’t kindness one of the key things that drew you and your spouse together in the first place? When you married, weren’t you expecting to enjoy his or her kindness for the rest of your life? Didn’t your mate feel the same way about you? Even though the years can take the edge off that desire, your enjoyment in marriage is still linked to the daily level of kindness expressed.

The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26). How about you? How would your husband or wife describe you on the kindness meter? How harsh are you? How gentle and helpful? Do you wait to be asked, or do you take the initiative to help? Don’t wait for your spouse to be kind first.

It is difficult to demonstrate love when you feel little to no motivation. But love in its truest sense is not based on feelings. Rather, love determines to show thoughtful actions even when there seems to be no reward. You will never learn to love until you learn to demonstrate kindness.

Today’s Dare

In addition to saying nothing
negative to your spouse again today,
do at least one unexpected gesture
as an act of kindness. 

What is desirable in a man is his kindness. (Proverbs 19:22)

When 2 become 3...

When we were just a couple.

(Actually before we were a "couple."  This is was the awkward "Hey! You two get together and smile!" picture.

Will and I have discovered that the first year of baby is WAAAY more difficult than the first year of marriage.  We've definitely had our fair share of ups and downs.  We've both learned of selfish and childish we can be.   We love each other deeply and with that said, we are striving to make our marriage stronger.  We watched the movie, Fireproof, and it really impacted our lives.  We bought the book, Love Dare, and we're currently doing it as a devotion.  We've just started it but, so far it's really good.  Definitely gives you something to talk about and think about.

Now, we're not just a couple, we're a family! Even though it's harder, it's unbelievably worth every up and down!

Our local Christian radio station has posted a 40 day (until Valentine's Day) Love Dare.  It's really a wonderful way to strengthen your marriage with God's perfect love.  I strongly encourage all to read it, use it, and live it not only in your marriage but in your everyday life.

Day 1

Love is patient

 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, 

bearing with one another in love. —Ephesians 4:2 NIV

Love works. It is life’s most powerful motivator and has far greater depth and meaning than most people realize. It always does what is best for others and can empower us to face the greatest of problems. We are born with a lifelong thirst for love. Our hearts desperately need it like our lungs need oxygen. Love changes our motivation for living. Relationships become meaningful with it. No marriage is successful without it.

Love is built on two pillars that best define what it is. Those pillars are patience and kindness. All other characteristics of love are extensions of these two attributes. And that’s where your dare will begin. Withpatience.

Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow to anger. You choose to have a long fuse instead of a quick temper. Rather than being restless and demanding, love helps you settle down and begin extending mercy to those around you. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm.

No one likes to be around an impatient person. It causes you to overreact in angry, foolish, and regrettable ways. The irony of anger toward a wrongful action is that it spawns new wrongs of its own. Anger almost never makes things better. In fact, it usually generates additional problems. But patience stops problems in their tracks. More than biting your lip, more than clapping a hand over your mouth, patience is a deep breath. It clears the air. It stops foolishness from whipping its scorpion tail all over the room. It is a choice to control your emotions rather than allowing your emotions to control you, and shows discretion instead of returning evil for evil.

If your spouse offends you, do you quickly retaliate, or do you stay under control? Do you find that anger is your emotional default when treated unfairly? If so, you are spreading poison rather than medicine.

Anger is usually caused when the strong desire for something is mixed with disappointment or grief. You don’t get what you want and you start heating up inside. It is often an emotional reaction that flows out of our own selfishness, foolishness, or evil motives.

Patience, however, makes us wise. It doesn’t rush to judgment but listens to what the other person is saying. Patience stands in the doorway where anger is clawing to burst in, but waits to see the whole picture before passing judgment. The Bible says, “He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29).

As sure as a lack of patience will turn your home into a war zone, the practice of patience will foster peace and quiet. “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but the slow to anger calms a dispute” (Proverbs 15:18). Statements like these from the Bible book of Proverbs are clear principles with timeless relevance. Patience is where love meets wisdom. And every marriage needs that combination to stay healthy.

Patience helps you give your spouse permission to be human. It understands that everyone fails. When a mistake is made, it chooses to give them more time than they deserve to correct it. It gives you the ability to hold on during the tough times in your relationship rather than bailing out under the pressure.

But can your spouse count on having a patient wife or husband to deal with? Can she know that locking her keys in the car will be met by your understanding rather than a demeaning lecture that makes her feel like a child? Can he know that cheering during the last seconds of a football game won’t invite a loud-mouthed laundry list of ways he should be spending his time? It turns out that few people are as hard to live with as an impatient person.

What would the tone and volume of your home be like if you tried this biblical approach: “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

Few of us do patience very well, and none of us do it naturally. But wise men and women will pursue it as an essential ingredient to their marriage relationships. That’s a good starting point to demonstrate true love.

This Love Dare journey is a process, and the first thing you must resolve to possess is patience. Think of it as a marathon, not a sprint. But it’s a race worth running.

Today's Dare

The first part of this dare is fairly 

simple. Although love is communicated

in a number of ways, our words often

reflect the condition of our heart. For

the next day, resolve to demonstrate

patience and to say nothing negative

to your spouse at all. If the temptation

arises, choose not to say anything. It’s

better to hold your tongue than to say 

something you’ll regret.

Five Question Friday Carnival!

I thought that since I'm trying to do more with my blog, I could start off by linking with some other great blogs! Here's one I found on a fabulous blog Mannland5

1. If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be?

My immediate first thought was Edward Cullen. Why? Ummm... hello, he's dreamy!

2. Where did you get your very first kiss?

Wow, umm... I was actually 21. It was my first boyfriend, Bill. Yah. 21. I know. Anyway, it was in my driveway after a date, and that's about it.

3. How did you welcome in the New Year?

We stayed home because Hayden's bedtime is around 6:30pm. Our friends Vickie and Garret came over and we share a bottle of wine (or 2) and watched The Ugly Truth (hysterical by the way) and then played "Would You Rather..." It was a really great, low key night!

4. What is your favorite Beatles song?

Unfortunately, I don't have one. I'm not much of a Beatles fan.

5. Donuts: Underrated, overrated, or 'bout right?

They're good, but I don't neeeeed them. I do however enjoy a Dunkin Donuts chocolate glazed squishy donut when given the opportunity!

My first blog carnival! Happy Friday!