on my mind this tuesday ...

a lonely tree while waiting for husband yesterday 

1.  and JUST LIKE THAT ... christmas is over + the new year is almost here (!!). 
2.  2011 ... you are a year that have taught me to forgive (beyond what i thought would be possible) + to love (beyond what i thought i can).  glad you're going to be over, but definitely won't forget you.
3.  thankful for my husband, for all the growth in his life. *a good sigh*  Lord bless that man.
4. God is unfathomably kind ... and oh so amazing.  beyond what my brain can comprehend and beyond what my little words can express.  the most beautiful Being.  i am so grateful for Him. 
5.  can't wait til' the day i can eat sushi, have a balsamic martini, and drink coffee. ugh. 
5.  new year's resolution. to have one or not?
6.  desiring life, and life more abundantly. 
7.  misty's "simple devotion" brings me to tears every time. *another happy sigh*
8.  hotpot w/ husband tonight (wooooohooooooo)
9.  that disgusted feeling i get when the ugliness of my flesh is staring me in the face ... God really can love the unlovely. 
10.  waiting patiently til' the belly is "noticeable" and for not having to call baby "he" or "she".  it'll all be so clear. 

currently snacking on ...

chestnuts!! 

it's starting to feel like Christmas around here

Christmas is my favorite holiday (!!) and our little place is beginning to feel so festive with all the decorations. I am looking forward to a fabulous time with family, secret santas, lots of vacation days and reflecting on all that has happened during 2011. happy holidays!

the happiest place on earth!

we FINALLY went to disneyland!! (it's been something that i've wanted to do w/ husband for a while) ... it truly is such a magical place.  we had so much fun.  the fireworks, the rides, the "snow" and the all-you-can-eat bbq (aka. big thunder ranch) made for such a grand time w/ our close newlywed friends.  thank you people of disneyland for the clean bathrooms, amazing service, and a perfect day.  

some friends are for a lifetime

i've known these girls for almost 20 years. it was so amazing seeing them ... especially the friend who lives so far far away. the last time i saw her was at my wedding 1 1/2 years ago . i feel blessed to still have them in my life .. these are very special people. thankful.

brownies

we decided to buy a box of brownie mix after dinner + i "spontaneously" baked what might be MY VERY FIRST BATCH OF BROWNIES.  it wasn't my dessert of choice (husband's request, mine would be this), but if i am going to bake more, i have to start somewhere right? ... even if it's a not-too-gourmet-betty-crocker-triple-chunk-brownie mix. ;)

ta-da!! 

husband's messy portion ... 

this is why he got the messy portion ... it kinda fell apart.

my little bit + pellegrino w/ orange slices

the long week ahead

i am going to have probably the busiest workweek next week, w/ back-to-back parent conferences + minimum days + having to teach well the letter "N" + art projects + making copies (the list goes on ..) with the little time i'll have.  i just hope the upcoming thanksgiving break will be here soooooon!  but other than busyness at work ... (a moment of vulnerability here) ... life feels really tough lately.  i am in need of peace + a lot of letting go.  i know it takes the darkness to see the light and it takes much ugliness to appreciate true beauty, but the lesson i am learning feels too difficult, almost too impossible.  i am realizing that love has to be tested for it to be true, and forgiveness has to be exercised for the heart to grow.  it's all a process, it's messy and raw ... and life shows no partiality to who will learn what lesson.  oh. i am looking forward to the day i come out the other side FREE + NEW.  how exciting.  the possibility of owning a kind of love that have been found true, brings hope (and tears) to my heart.  in the meantime, back to report cards.  

things that make me happy

1. fresh flowers
2. home-made chicken tortilla soup
3. sweet treats w/ a sweet friend
4. getting my annual physical DONE
5. 11.11.11
6. the upcoming holiday season
7. the possibility of moving in the near future
8. a peaceful home
9. my new BIG cutting board
10. my brand new rolling pin from Anthropologie (see here)
11. will reagan + the united pursuit band - set a fire
12. friendships

what's in our space

1.  amarula (creamy liqueor) ... a delicious drink. 

2.  burlap art project. materials arrived today .. thank you amazon.

3.  fish measuring cup. a gift. 

4.  fall color. 

my first true pinkberry experience

last night we went up to SB to check out a venue that the SBHOP is getting (!!!). It is beyond what we can ask for & we are so thankful to God for it! so after all the excitement husband & I decided to go across the street to the infamous yogurt place, pinkberry ... I feel like I've been living in some remote & far-away land not having tried pinkberry before ... but all that has changed with one small order of 1/2 original + 1/2 mango yogurt w/ strawberries, mangos, mochi (yum!) & raspberries. it was refreshing & made for a sweet ending to a happy night. :)

i love weddings

husband + I went to TWO weddings this weekend AND a baby shower! yep. it's a weekend full of love + celebration ... so basically, our weekend was totally awesome.  :)  being at  weddings is seriously one of my favorite things!   i cherish these special moments of people celebrating LOVE ! ... and it always reminds me of the importance of being in covenant and what it all means.  creating a happy + peaceful marriage takes work (as ANY married couple can testify), but the rewards of sowing into another person's life is SO much greater than the work it requires.  now that husband + i have been married for over a year now and we're the ones "giving advice" to our newly married friends; it really makes me appreciate all the lessons we've learned on this journey.  oh, the bliss + not-so-blissful moments ... they all transform us into kinder + more loving people.  

CONGRATS dear friends!!

dinner

Cooking is so therapeutic. I love going to the the store, picking up the ingredients, prepping the food, cooking it, and eating it! Every step of the cooking process delights me so much! ... tonight I made lemony garlic chicken w/ olives ... it was okay (in my opinion).  I personally hate olives, but husband likes them! here's the creation :)

2 good things in my life

the weekend went by wayyyy too fast ... sad.  

here are two things that made me happy (the top picture is still making me happy every night after dinner)  :)

yea. extreme mouse tracks ... it's INCREDIBLE. 

Elbow.  the amazing British band played @ the Greek Sat night.  so brilliant. as usual.  

life as a teacher

i love my job.  it's exhausting (24 kindergarteners is NOT an easy task for anyone), but it's  super rewarding.  this is a tiny little peak into my room ... 

ps. i can't wait til' Thanksgiving Break!! (yes. i just said that)

wise words

love me when i least deserve it because that is when i really need it. 


- swedish proverb 

a Sunday night

This is what happens when husband is away for a weekend. I buy snacks. Japanese or European ... it doesn't matter, I love them all.

sweetness

flowers from the husband.  a nice surprise after a looooong day with 23 little 5-year-olds!

Sent from my iPhone.

how i feel

lately

so ... school is starting next Wednesday (oh.boy ...) and I still haven't completely finished setting up my room yet!  ... I'm sure I'll get it done on-time ... actually, I would've gotten it done on Friday if I hadn't encountered some "difficulties" w/ the furniture situation.  (sigh) ... teachers sometimes can be just like the kids, immature + selfish.   So already I'm going through this minor conflict about possibly the silliest things (cubbies?! really? ) and hearing really "weird" stuff about how some teachers do things around here (hoard, steal, take? again ... really?).  This isn't something I'm used to, especially coming from another school where we were so generous and giving with all that we have ... because we know that when we share our ideas + resources, it actually benefits the kids!  ... and at the end of the day, teaching is about the kids. (right?!) 

let the white walls be gone.

we finally added something to the side-walls in our bedroom ... nothing grand, but we are happy with it ... for now.

coffee time

i have not scheduled any girlfriend-time in about 3 weeks. 

i know. it sounds really long ... 

 so finally today i went on a coffee/tea date with a good friend and i am so thankful for the time w/ her (2 hours went by so fast!).   i love times w/ authentic + real people ... real conversations + real tears + real stories of what's been happening in their lives.  it's so healing, so genuinely good for the soul.

{photo via this site}

missing washington

this was taken while we were in Washington, man, do I miss that place. The friends, the trees, the lake ... I miss it all!

bandmate/good friend Dave (left) 

art + such

such a cute print. hate to admit it, but also very true.  {photo via here}

all we need is love! .. and maybe a red umbrella?  {photo via here}

beautifully said.  {photo via here}

steak

i am 95% sure that i have my job back next year.  

that is a good reason to celebrate. and with that, we're having steak tonight!

  

i used sirloin steaks instead. (cow girl = the pioneer woman)

tho i still have mixed feelings about getting my job back.  i know i should be excited, but i am not. honestly, i was hoping to take it easy this coming school year and be a sub. i had my heart set on taking a class w/ some friends monday mornings,  so i really wasn't looking to change that plan (!) and i don't mind being a sub ... really.  why should i?  the flexible schedule, not having to deal w/ weird parents or making really difficult decisions that may affect the child's life forever for a looong time.   but thank you God for coming through yet again.  you know what's best and i'm grateful.   

meanwhile.  this steak will be eaten in celebration of this job-returned + for the best provision a girl can have.

thank you God. 

our dinner

i finally baked the macaroni grill rosemary bread ... i think it turned out pretty good (for being the first ever bread that i baked. ever), but i can't say that it was exactly the same as the fresh and warm rosemary bread that you get at macaroni grill.  it's very similar.  maybe it's because i cheated and didn't wait for it to rise for a full 45 minutes the second time around (i cut the time to ummm .. about 15).  either way. it was worth trying.  now i am not intimidated by the idea of baking (again, i love to cook, and i'm learning to bake.)  my next goal?  these delicious chocolate chocolate chip cookies (the name uses chocolate 2x and that's why i'm baking it).  can't wait!

mixing the dough in my never-been-used mixer. 

they have risen!

ta-da! all done. 

gunna be making these

i am determined. 

this. will. be on. our. dinner. table.

tonight. 

{photo via here}

it's monday.

it's a very gloomy monday morning here in southern california, but i am loving this gloom. it makes me think of my short time up in washington and how amazingly fast time goes by (it's already august eighth!).  

some things on my mind:

1. how incredibly delicious fresh biscuits and fresh-whipped cream are together. (see picture above) 

2. god has been so good and so wonderfully present in my life.

(i am always amazed by his love. always. it never fails me.)

3. i would LOVE to have acres of land and my own vegetable garden, chickens, barn, and all that good stuff ... someday. lord willing.

4. coffee is such a good friend.

5. jesus is an even better friend.

6. amazed that texas had their day of prayer + fasting initiated by their governor rick perry. (god bless that man)

7. so thankful for my husband. for his hard-work.

8.  really tired of going through this season of disconnect in my soul. god knows where i'm at.

9. friendships can be so fragile.

10. this artichoke flower. never seen one before. gorgeous isn't it? 

11. grace, truth, love. needing more in my life.

12. jesus. yea. i'm really thinking about Him. a lot. 

a very m e l l o w saturday afternoon

 i guess you know it's a very mellow afternoon when you're taking random pictures of yourself.   i'm not usually one to do "that kind of stuff", but when times get mellow (ok fine. boring) ... i'll jump into the sea of vanity + take some pix of myself.  i know. girls do it all the time, but that's still not a good enough excuse for complete narcissism. it should be allowed on a limited basis. serious. 

i think 2 is the limit. 

ps. i got some pretty flowers for the kitchen ... that sometimes happens too when things are mellow boring around here. 

a good laugh!

tho i am currently on summer vacation and mondays + fridays make no difference in my life (other than having husband the next day or not), it doesn't mean that i don't need a good laugh at the end of the work week ... 

{photo via pinterest}