Let it Snow!

Snow Days!

The excitement in school is nearly ready to boil out of the pot.  We are anticipating Christmas break, a whopping week and three days!  Nothing like leaving college; no fall break, no spring break, and no month off.  Oh well, I strongly believe I would start having withdrawals from my students if I was gone from them for that long, as well as get pretty bored.   However, with that being said I still cannot wait for the day when I wake up to a fresh coat of snow is on the ground turn on Channel 5, WHO TV, for Ed to tell me the latest news, school or no school that is the question.  Even though I do not want to be in school until June 17, it would really mess with my summer tan, I wouldn’t mind having a weekday off.  

The kid in me.

Some days I need to apologize to the teachers I co-teach with for making the kids more rowdy than they already are.  Yes ,I am my father’s daughter I tend to be sarcastic and like to keep the mood light.  So when the kids are running around spreading rumors that we are getting out early, or course always believe the 8^th graders, I tend to join right in, “Yeah I heard that too!” Then my students start to believe me because of course always believe your teachers.  “Yup, I am feeling nice maybe I will let you out at 3:17!!!!”  I have been waiting to use that line since I got my degree.  I now understand why my teachers would tell me that when I was in grade school.  It is so much fun to see the excitement in their faces and then just wash away with an eye roll.  J 

Snow Storms!

Emotions flood over me with the excitement of new snow, the chance to use the snow blower and a day to turn on the Christmas lights, Christmas music, and do my thing.  Bake!  Thank goodness Brodie is gone.  I love her to death, but she does not have patience to bake with me and I have a system.

A clean slate. The only way to begin baking. 

1.     Establish the goals for the day. 

2.     Make sure the entire kitchen is clean.  A clean slate means a smooth process. 

3.     Dive in!

4.     Dishes

5.     Dive in… again!

6.     Dishes

7.     Dive in…yet again!

8.     Dishes

9.     Test the final products!

Almond Bark Pretzels

Easiest Christmas candy to make.  Why did I not learn how to make it til I was 22?

Baked goods always a great holiday giflt.

Flat as a pancake cookies.  Attempt #1= as my studetns say, epic fail!

Mrs. Field's Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Attempt #2= success!  Hopefully the students will enjoy these. 

When the stomach hurts because of too much sugar, you know you have had a successful snow storm.

Why I love winter.

The house creeks, the lights glow.  The wind is rushing past and the world is forced to slow down just long enough for the storm to pass.  While we wait, the earth is reborn; a fresh, white layer is there to cover everything up.  For a second it is blemish free.  Then we rush past leaving our tire tracks, foot prints and anything else that we can conjure up to leave our mark.  We cannot just sit and be, we must get out, go.  I for one love winter for this very reason, much like I am teaching my students, how molecules slowdown in cold and speed up in warmth.   I love that God has planned for me to be an Iowa girl, where winter means snow and cold, my time to slow down.  The cold (winter) always allows time for me to make my plan (goals), clear my mind (clean), and dive in!  Hmm… a lot like my days of cooking. 

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home.  ~Edith Sitwell



Family and Friends

This time of year always makes us think about the things we are thankful for. Of course the phrase most often uttered is “I am thankful for my family and friends.” Now after being away from home for a bit over four years, I find that statement ringing more true than ever.

The holiday season also brings with it reflecting on the past year. I know this usually comes around Christmas or New Years but, this year I feel massive reflecting needs to be done so I am starting early.

It is hard to believe that it has been seven months now since I sat in tears at my computer worrying about what the next chapter of my life will bring. Thinking that the only way I would be happy or have a purpose was to go to Texas or Council Bluffs. Then becoming overly dramatic, giving it all up and thinking about moving to Africa for a year in order to serve. God then laughed at me a bit and said his plan was a little town of Webster City. Thank goodness He takes care of the details and I don’t need to worry (although yes, I do). I didn’t know why he sent me there but I knew after I accepted this job and nearly bounced out the front entrance this was going to be something good. (Yes, I actually remember saying with tears running down my face from fear, excitement and just being very overwhelmed, “this is going to be something good.”) While I was content with the feeling of “something good” I still knew I wanted to know/ find my purpose. Why was I sent here? What am I suppose to be doing? Why, How, When, For how long???? The questions still come but I have my amazing family and friends that remind me not all the answers are there right now and not all the answers will come, even in my lifetime. But as a great friend once told me, in summary of course I cannot remember the actual quote, “My faith in God frees me from needing to know all the details.” If God would like to spend time numbering the hairs on my head, I am sure he is just fine with taking care of what to do since my computer crashed, how to teach a massive unit on Lewis and Clark with veteran teachers who have been doing this for 13 years (stressful, I think so!), to what to eat, to what to wear. I can be, and am a lot happier when I don’t worry so much. When I am happier, I show the love of God to everyone around me a lot more. When I show the love of God, I think I am fulfilling my purpose! Which I think is to be happy in all circumstances and show the love of God to everyone around me.

Now for my tribute to my family and friends and a little lesson that I was taught in my last class at Central College from an amazing professor and friends, Dr. Esther Streed.

Allow me to teach for just a moment. In life people come in and out of our lives. We never know for how long and we never want to see them leave. When someone does leave we ask God why and how we will ever go on without them. But then God, without even a second to spare puts someone in our lives, not to take the place but to walk with us.

Now that you are all a little confused as to why there are lines separating my blog, let me explain. This was a diagram used to illustrate this concept. The darkest line is God, the  line above it is me. God is always present in my life, whether I acknowledge it or not is another question, but even when my line ends, his keeps going.

All the other lines are of the different people that have come and gone in my life, in no particular order and really no lines are assigned to people, just more to prove a point. Notice there is always someone in our life. God is always there and he puts someone else in our lives when another might leave. These lines are not just random; they are there for a purpose. As once again I was overwhelemed and didn’t know how I could survive after leaving home for Central, God filled my life with amazing people. Once again after Central I thought the world would fall apart, God has kept significant people in my life and filled it with many, many more.

Even though it is after Thanksgiving, I am thankful for all the people past and present in my life. For the family that picks up to visit because they think I need them, which I do. To the friends who listen to me whine, complain, cry, and be overdramatic most everyday of my life. I thank God every day for this life and that you are in it.

“Sometimes when God closes a door he opens a window.  But sometimes he does one better; he kicks down the entire wall.”- Unknown