Are you tasty?

I LOVE chips! Let me say it again, I LOVE CHIPS! sour cream and onion, cheddar and sour cream, salt & vinegar, ranch, barbeque...pretty much any flavor you can think of. My favorite is chips and salsa. I have been known to eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting. Sometimes, if I'm really lazy, I eat chips for dinner. There is something so satisfying about their salty goodness!!

Salt makes things taste good. Popcorn, potatoes, vegetables, eggs... they all just taste better with a little dash of salt. Without it, they all just taste a little bland. Kinda like something's missing.

God thinks so too! The bible says in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless."

I've heard this verse a zillion times. I'm sure I've even taught it a zillion times in church. But yesterday in church, I heard it in a new way.

The world thinks christians are pompous, judgemental, hypocritical, egotistical, people. We tend to look down at people who aren't like us or who don't believe the same things as us. We're the ones who are point out everyone else's flaws but our own. We are the first to point out someone else's struggles and insecurities.

But that's not the way it's supposed to be! The bible says that we are the SALT of the earth. We're supposed to make things taste better! It should be bland when christians aren't around.

Instead, we tend to throw our salt in other people's eyes! Ever got salt water in your eyes?? Not a pleasant feeling. But every time we snub our noses, or point or fingers, or wave our religious beliefs in front of people, we are pouring salt in their wounds. Ouch!

We need to show people how relevant Jesus is to us. When someone at the office tells us of their financial troubles, we shouldn't tell them of all the wrong decisions they've made to get them to that point, but we should show them how Jesus helped us through our financial troubles. It's like that old saying (well, I don't know how old it is, but...) People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

And so our pastor asked us, "are we tasty?"

It really made me think about the way I treat other people. I should be that tasty flavoring like salt is in popcorn. I know that's one thing I need to work on. Adding tasty flavor to someone else's life.

What about you? Are you tasty?

Only in a 2008 classroom

Yesterday, my kids drew a profile of the ocean floor. They used sonar readings and had to do some multiplication to find the depths of about 20 different points. I told the kids that if they had their own calculators to bring them because I didn't have enough for everyone.

I can't tell you how many kids asked me, "Can we use our cell phones?"

We are in a different generation :)

By the way, they couldn't use their cell phones because it's a school rule that cell phones stay locked in their locker.

Amazing!

My friends Derrick and Chrissy Skelton are expecting their second child! Derrick is the children's pastor at Metro Church of God. He happens to be one of THE most talented, creative artist I know! Please take a look at the nursery he's painted for their second child.

4 Things

My new bloggy friend, and the creator of my cute new site!, Brandy tagged me for this survey.

Four jobs I've had:
-legal secretary
-roadside clown (no joke!)
-church secretary
-teacher

Four places I lived:
-Alpharetta, GA
-Cumming, GA
-Cleveland, TN
-that's it!

Four movies I've watched over and over:
-The Holiday
-Dirty Dancing
-How to Lose a Guy in 10 days
-Sweet Home Alabama

Four shows I watch:
-Biggest Loser
-American Idol
-24 (whenever the dumb writer strike ends!!)
-Big Brother

Four places I've been:
-Hawaii
-Bahamas
-Monterrey, Mexico
-Philadelphia

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
-teachers at work
-Mandi
-Amanda
-Becky

Four favorite things to eat:
-chips & dip
-any dessert
-movie theater popcorn
-mexican food

Four places I'd rather be:
-a cruise ship
-a beach
-Switzerland
-the altar

Four things I look forward to this new year:
-my new niece/nephew being born
-my friend April's wedding
-my friend Lisa's birthday weekend trip in Vegas
-meeting new bloggy friends

Now...I tag Mandi, Becky, Kristen, Brandy H. (Amanda-you get tagged for everything. Thought I'd spread the love :)

A cabinet and a chest

(This is a long one...just to warn ya!)
I'm still in the midst of cleaning out my room. This weekend, I tackled my filing cabinet and my hope chest. We'll start with the filing cabinet.

My file cabinet contained every pay stub, credit card statement, utility bill, bank statement, major receipts, and basically any other piece of paper that I thought was required to keep. My dad enlightened me that all of that is really NOT necessary.

So, in my quest to clean things out and simplify things, I wanted to get rid of all that paperwork I didn't need. The problem is all this paperwork dates back to 1995! Yes, that's 18 years worth of documents!! Thankfully, my dad had gotten all of us kids a shredder a few years ago for Christmas. (He always taught us shred or rip up anything with an acct. number on it.)

I took my little shredder upstairs and got to work. I filled up the bucket a couple of times, and my poor shredder started to wear down. It started to make that sound a car might make as the engine's trying to turn over. The motor was overheating, so I let her rest a little bit.

The problem was that I had barely made a dent in my HUGE pile and I knew there was no way little shredder was going to shred the mound I had created. She needed backup.

So I went to Office Depot to recruit a backup.

This bad boy can shred credit cards AND CD's/DVD's! So, I paired them up and while one was cooling down the other was busy shreddin' up my history!

Right now, I've taken a break to let the tag team cool down and so I could watch the season finale of The Amazing Race (which I'm sure Amanda hasn't watched yet!)

OK...now to the hope chest.

You could say I'm quite a pack rat. (As evidenced by the 18 years worth of paperwork! ) Not the sad, pitiful kind that buy stuff off theHome Shopping Network and leave it laying around everywhere. Or like this woman on Oprah who had created small paths throughout her house because she had so much junk!

My "collection" of stuff is more sentimental stuff: movie ticket stubs, name tags from different events I've been a part of, trinkets from other countries, notes from friends, etc. Well, cleaning out my hope chest was a walk down memory lane! In cleaning it out, it was SO much fun to go back to those times of being a naive, oblivious-to-the-world teenager.

It also made me so extremely grateful because I have been incredibly blessed. I really feel that God has spoiled me in my life with wonderful friends. And I've kind of arranged those friends in groups:

1. Youth Group/Church Friends

I was very involved in my youth group. I was at every event, every Wednesday night, every fundraiser...you name it, I went to it. We always had something planned. There were 2 main trips we took every year: a mission trip and a back-to-school retreat. At each one of those trips, we always had these posterboard cutouts. They hung up the whole trip and during any free time, we could write little notes of encouragements on other people's template. It was a great keepsake from the trip. They were cut in the shape of a symbol that represented our theme for that trip: "Walkin' in the Light"-a footprint; "Carry the Torch"-a torch; "Heart to Change the World"-a heart...you get the picture. We would pour out our souls on those things! I loved going back and reading them and it was always a boost of encouragement when ya needed it.
Those were my closest friends! Some of them I haven't seen or talked to in years, but when I do run across them, we pick right back up and share stories of the good times. A few of them, I see on a regular basis and keep in close touch with them. They add such fulfillment to my life that I can't imagine my life without them!

2. The M&M Puppet Team

Yes, I was on a puppet team. And not just any puppet team, the M&M Puppet team. The award winning M&M Puppet Team! I loved my time on the puppet team. It took me all over and was a great tool to share the love of Christ with people in other countries. I also learned an invaluable skill. You work through different levels until you complete the master puppeteer level (the same level as Jim Henson).
The puppet team was a HUGE part of my life. I was completely devoted to it and our team had such a comraderie. We just celebrated our20 year reunion and it was such a special time.

3. Sigma Nu Sigma (my sorority)

I went to Lee University which is a small private Christian school in Cleveland, TN. I absolutely loved my time at Lee. I met some wonderful people who have changed my life for the better.
One of the best parts of Lee was my time in my sorority Sigma Nu Sigma. You get really close to people when they put you through induction. Those girls were a group of people who I could constantly count on. We laughed and cried together. They truly became like family to me. My roommate, Amber, was one of those girls :)

This was me getting tapped. It was a very "pomp and circumstance" moment!

This was my tap (all the girls that got in with me). This was us AFTER our weekend of induction and we were officially sworn into the sorority.

4. Camp Rocks

Camp Rocks is a camp I help direct with my friend Cindy. I've gone to camp since I was in grade school. It was something I looked forward to every year, so as soon I was old enough to serve on staff, I did and have been ever since.
It's a TON of work getting it all together, but so rewarding once you get there. At camp, all the staff go by bird names based on this verse. My bird name is Daisy (as in Daisy Duck) so I've got a lot of little doo-dads with Daisy on it.
I love working at camp because of the sense of family we develop. Living with people for a week really brings you together!

So at the end of cleaning out my hope chest, I felt very blessed and satisfied at all the good stuff my life.

Now I'm going back upstairs to continue shredding :) Thanks for staying till the end of this post :)

Oh...just for fun, here's some old pictures I found in my hope chest:

MLK Day

MLK day is kind of a big deal around here in Atlanta because this was his home. I'm sure there will be all kind of activities at the King Center. I have actually been to Dr. King's church, Ebenezer Baptist Church. We went there on a mission trip in downtown one year. But as far as MLK day festivities...I don't really do anything other than enjoy the day off :) However, I do have this little piece of history. In middle school, one of Dr. King's children came to visit my home ec. class (i know...I don't really see the connection there!) I couldn't tell you what he talked about. Must have been truly life-changing. But I did walk away with a little momento. A genuine, authentic Martin Luther King III autograph! I know you're jealous :)

I feel like a grown-up blogger!

Since I've started blogging, I've been using standard templates. The same ones that most people use. Now, that I have a custom header and background, I feel like a grown-up!!

I came across Brandy's website and saw that she did some amazing headers and backgrounds. I got in contact with her, showed her some colors and patterns I liked and she did an amazing job!!

I love it Brandy! Thank you so much!!

The BIG news!!

OK...it's safe for me to tell you my big news. I had to wait till my sister posted at her blog. She finally did, so now the cat's out of the bag....


I'M GOING TO BE AN AUNT....AGAIN!!!!!!


Mandi's pregnant!! This is her 2nd baby and my 5th niece or nephew!

We all got together last night for my brothers' birthday. They're twins and turned 26 on Tuesday. Since it's hard to get the WHOLE family together, I guess Mandi thought it was the perfect time to tell us.

So Matt and Clint were opening their cards, the kids were running around all over the place, and people were just kind of mingling around. All of a sudden, Matt reads his card and his head shoots up and he says, "You're PREGNANT?!". Of course we were all a little confused because it was just a birthday card. Then Clint reads his and this is what they read:

Sorry it's kinda blurry. It says, "Love, Mandi, Pep, Evan and baby on the way!"

Well, we finally understood that she used the card to announce her pregnancy, we (or mostly me and Evan) started screaming!! Literally! It was funny because he didn't really know why he was screaming. He just likes to copy people!!

So, that's the big news! I am SO excited and can't wait!!

Stay tuned....

BIG news coming!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I've lived in Georgia for 31 years and I could probably count on my hand the times it has snowed. I realized for some of you "snow" is a relative term. For us down south, a couple of inches can literally shut down the whole town, schools close and grocery stores become vacant as people buy up all the milk and bread. But it is such an exciting time.

Last night we had one of those nights! As I was driving home from work it began to very faintly snow flurries. That in and of itself sends the native in a frenzy. After I left the gym, the flakes got bigger and bigger. Wednesday night is dinner night and it was Brandon's turn to cook. He made some de-lish Carribbean Jerk Chicken! Yummy!! After dinner, we looked outside and could NOT believe our eyes! There was snow EVERYWHERE!! Of course, us 3 teachers were on pins and needles waiting to hear that our county had called off school. Here's us havin' a little fun:



Here's how pretty the snow was:






We got all excited and Brandon and Amber went to the store to get stuff for s'mores!! While they were gone, I built...er....turned on a fire.



It was such a fun night!! Of course, that fun quickly ended at about 5:30 am when we realized we still had school today :(

Cool New Stuff!

So I mentioned last post how I went to the mall this weekend. Finally, spent some christmas money I had. So here's some of the fun new stuff I got:




3 pairs of shoes! I have been looking for black boots with a low heel forever now! Everybody is just about sold out of boots. I had to go to about 10 different shoe stores. Maybe that's why I walked away with 3 pairs instead of just the one!



I am a scarf queen. I'm addicted to them, so it was hard for me to pass on this gray cable knit style scarf from Old Navy. Oh...did I mention it was only $1.50!


Remember my adventure in William's Sonoma? I did have some luck despite the scream fest. This mixing bowl with lid was only $6! Plus...

...a cool brand of cupcakes called Sprinkles. This was pumpkin flavor (which makes me think it was leftover from fall. Hope it's still good!) Oh, this little find was only .99!!


YIKES! I know this is scary, but I wanted to show off the outfit. The pants were majorly on sale at Express. This is what I wore to school today :)

Did you have any incredible finds this weekend?

5 Things

I've been tagged by Kristen to tell you 5 things (x2) about what I want for 2008. I'm supposed to tell you what I want materially and spiritually. Well, here goes!

5 material things I want for 2008:
1. A wedding dress (and the man amazing enough to wear it for!). A girl can hope, can't she?
2. More money. I'm working on paying off some debts. I went to a money conference called ReThink Money a few months ago. It was very practical information on how to pay off debts, so I'm on my way!
3. Smaller size clothes. Meaning I want to lose weight! Which should happen since I've now joined the YMCA! Nope, that is NOT a typo. Those of you that know me, know how much I HATE...repeat HATE working out! My roomie Amber has convinced me to do it with her. I just figured that if I want to be around on this earth, I've GOT to start exercising. Don't worry...you'll be seeing lots from this, I'm sure.
4. A new kitchen table and chairs. The one I have is from K-Mart that I got for college. It is about to go!
5. Flat, brown slouch boots. Similar to these. I have looked everywhere: Macy's, Dilliards, Nine West, Cathy Jean, Aldo's, Bakers, Payless, Rack Room, DSW, Off Broadway, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom...NO ONE HAS MY SIZE!! Ugh...maybe it's a sign :)


5 spiritual things I want for 2008:
1. To be able to KNOW it's God's voice and not my own.
2. To become more disciplined in my devotions.
3. To fully trust God with an unwavering faith.
4. To share my faith more.
5. To see God's hand in my every day life.

Rules are there for a reason!

I'm a stickler for the rules! If there's a sign saying "Don't do [something]", you better believe that I WON'T do it. (OK...unless it's a speed limit sign!) And it frustrates me when other people totally disregard the rules.

Today, I saw the perfect example!

I was at the mall (which by the way I'll post later some of the cool stuff I bought!) and was about to get on the escalator. I don't know if this is the case for all malls or not, but at my mall there are signs at the escalators that say "No Strollers". Simple as that. I'm pretty sure there's even one of those circles with a line through it over a picture of a stroller. Can you GET any clearer than that?!

Well, this priss-pot, metro couple hopped on before me with, yep you guessed it, a stroller. Not just any stroller mind you, one of those 2 seater where the kids sit one behind the other. My blood pressure boiled as I screamed in my head, "Didn't you see the sign?!" Ugh...

We got to the top of the escalator and it became apparently clear why they don't want you to use strollers on the escalator. The front wheel had turned sideways, so as they tried to get off, it acted like a brake and wouldn't move! They wiggled and wiggled as hard as they could. At first, it was kind of funny, but then it quickly turned to panic. The stroller was NOT moving. The dad had wedged himself towards the front to frantically try and unstick the wheel. The mom was now coming up on the stuck stroller and had now where to go, so she was forced on the other side of the stroller. The stroller had now turned diagonal because of the twisted wheel and both parents trapped on either side. The mom started shouting and they dad became even more frantic. By this time, the dad was leaning over the stroller trying to pick up the front of it. Nothing was working. Mind you, the escalator is still going! I was next in line! I started making my plan of what I was going to do. It was coming up fast. Was I going to jump on top of the stroller? Get wedged with the mom? There were really no other options.

Literally, about 2 seconds before a pile-up happened, the dad got it unstuck! It spit the dad off the escalator onto the floor on all fours.

My heart was about to jump out of my chest. Ya know that feeling of release after you've been tense for a long time? That's what it felt like...like a flood.

I almost had to sit down to catch myself. Then I went on my way. I stopped in to Williams-Sonoma to check out their after Christmas sales. As I was looking around, I heard this squalling, ear-piercing screaming. I walked around the corner and who did I see...

...the law breaking stroller couple!

I know kids yell, but normally a parent will...er...should discipline the kids for doing that. But this ever so trendy mom just sort of shooshed them. And it wasn't a one time thing. SEVERAL times they screamed bloody murder and the mom made no attempt to quiet them.

It made me even more made at them!

A Potpourri of Posts!

The randomness of my weekend:

~I made cupcakes for my friend Amanda's daughter's 2nd birthday. It was a snowflake party, so I made snowflake themed cupcakes.


~One of my Christmas presents came in this weekend. It's a knife block set from KitchenAid, but what I love about it is that it's PINK!!

~In the midst of all of this, I've been cleaning my room. Not just your basic tidy-ing up...I did a massive overhaul of my closet. Basically, I got rid of half of the clothes in my closet, half of my shoes, and half of my purses. It feels SO good to get rid of those clothes that I always said "I'll wear this one day". Yeah right. I'm not done by any stretch of the imagination but my closet was a huge obstacle. Here's some shots in the midst of the process:

These are the clothes, shoes, purses all bagged up and ready to go.



I wish I would've taken "before" shots because it's hard to appreciate the "after" shots.
~I saw "National Treasure: Book of Secrets". It was SOOOOOOO good! Go see it!! Very family friendly!
~Today, I had a Square Peg Ministries board meeting. I'm the secretary. It was an exciting meeting as we talked about different fundraising ideas.
~I'm SO frustrated b/c I have a stinkin' cute video of Evan that I CANNOT figure out how to post! It didn't work Jason :(
~I start back to work tomorrow after 2 weeks off. Wah-wah :( I'm hoping my kids all made New Year's resolutions to become more studious and more respectful to their teacher. Wishful thinking, I know.

New Year's Eve 2008

So, did you have a rockin' New Year's Eve?? Mine was! OK, so most people might not classify it as "rockin'", but we had a blast! I went over to my sister's house. Here's how the night went:
Evan entertained us with his Stevie Ray Vaughan impersonations.



Then, Pep and Mandi made us a delicious dinner: steak, potatoes, broccoli, salad, and mushrooms.



What New Year's would be complete without fireworks?! Ok...so sparklers and pop-its will have to do. (FYI: I got carded for the sparklers! Weird, huh?!) Don't worry...Evan was under close supervision :)








Fireworks worked up quite an appetite, so we went in and made s'mores!!


I'm not as young as I used to be :( so I had kind of rest up for the big moment:

Don't worry...I did make it for midnight! Then, it was night-night :)

Hope you had a fun and safe New Year's Eve!