Dick and Jane

Does anyone who reads this blog remember Dick and Jane?  I didn't grow up with Dick and Jane, but my mom did have an Alice and Jerry book that I liked to look at.  The main reason being that it had a story in it about them going to a candy store, and I loved candy!  Still do, in fact.  That candy used to look so delicious to me.  But I digress. 

For Christmas, Peyton received a Dick and Jane volume that she absolutely adores.  We have read a few stories a day in this book for over a month now(it's 350+ pages long), because it's about the only thing she wants to read most days.  I love it too because it's simple, and the stories are short.  So I can read her one or two of the short stories before bedtime, and she's perfectly happy.  Then I turn out the lights and she likes flipping through the book and looking at the pictures for a while.  In fact, she insists on doing this, she loves that book so much.  If you're in the market for a fun, simple book for your child, you should check Dick and Jane out.

The Psalms

Reading through the Psalms, I have come across some great verses that I thought I would share on the blog. They have spoken to me, and maybe they will speak to you too, regardless of where you're at in your life right now. The Psalms are such a great source of encouragement and comfort.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:7

Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:3-4

I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.  My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.  Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.  Psalm 34:1-3

Joel Osteen - homosexuality is a sin

A Little Lady

The Feast or Famine Law

Have you ever noticed in life how things happen all at once?  I'm sure there's a name for it, like Murphy's Law or something along those lines.  We'll just call it the Feast or Famine Law.  For instance, one day I'm sitting at work, and it's a slow day.  The phones aren't ringing much, students aren't coming in to talk about classes, the schedule doesn't need changing.  Heck, there may even be a week of this.  Then the next week comes along and it's like you can't catch your breath!  Everything falls apart at once.  The phones are ringing off the hook, professor's cancel their classes, every student in the world needs to change their schedule, the heat doesn't work, the lights are burnt out, we have orientation scheduled, and the power point projectors are broken.  This hasn't actually happened to me all at once, but there have been similar weeks to the one I just named. You catch my drift though, right?  Everything happens at once, or nothing at all happens.  I guess the Lord has to make life interesting for us and drastically change things up every now and again.

Friday Thanks

The top 5 things I am thankful for on this Friday afternoon....

1. Weekend!

2. Heat in my office.  It has been 65 (or maybe even colder?) in my office this week.  Finally the heat is working and it is warm enough to take my gloves off.

3. MLK Jr. Day, Holiday!

4. A warmer weekend, supposedly.  Park time!

5. The Office starts back up next week.  Can't wait to laugh!

A Great Mocha

If you like coffee or coffee drinks, you are probably amazed at the price of these drinks at several coffee shops. For instance, a tall(the smallest size) white chocolate mocha, one of my favorite drinks at Starbucks, will cost you almost $4. Even a mocha from McDonalds will run you $3. So in order to keep feeding my addiction (not really an addiction, I just enjoy these drinks), I decided to ask for an espresso machine for Christmas. And here is what I got....

An espresso machine

and then I decorated my own coffee mug.

One of my college roommates, who was the cafe manager at a local Barnes and Noble at the time, had one of these machines and taught me how to make a mocha.  After she graduated, I decided to buy my own machine.  When I came to seminary though, lack of space dictated the machine move to Goodwill.  Now here I am 6 or so years later with my own espresso machine again, and I love it.  I can whip up a drink in a few minutes for pennies and enjoy it on my ride to work.  I love making drinks for other people too.  So if you are driving down Veterans one day and start craving a mocha, stop by my house, and I'll make you one.  For free!

Christmas Pictures

I have taken such a long blogging break, that I'm not even sure where to begin.  Actually, this post will probably be filled with a bunch of pictures. 
We had a great time in SC but were extremely busy visiting relatives and my sick grandmother, who was in the hospital.  It was a great time though, getting to rest, seeing family, and enjoying the holidays and snow, however brief it was.  But you know that time just flies by, and so here I am again, like the last few weeks of 2010 never happened.  But I thank God for that extended time off!  I sure needed it.

 Peyton's first haircut

 A cheerleader in the making

 This was her favorite "toy"....crawling on the stepladder relentlessly.

Me, Peyton, my sister Keri, Raegan, and some random serial killer.

 

Blogger doesn't like adding 23 pictures to one post.  Some of these pictures may be duplicated.