Forced to Rest

I'm sick. Could it be from picking up all the used tissues lying around my classroom, mentioned in the post below? Could it be because I spent time with my mom earlier this week, who has been sick for the last several days? Could it be because one of my roommates is sick, too?

Who knows? Either way, I'm forced to be still and rest today, which is a very good thing.

I spent some time reading in the book of John this morning, and I love these words found in the first chapter:

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (v14)

As Christmas draws near, I want to meditate on this truth. God - the God of the universe, the One who created you and me - put on flesh and entered the world as a baby all those years ago. He did it because of His glory. He did it because He loves us. He did it to reconcile sinners to Himself.

Do you feel like you don't deserve that? You don't.

I don't.

"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God..." (v12)

He is full of grace. He lived the perfect life I couldn't and bore the wrath I deserve. Oh, come let us adore Him.

I don't have many pictures from this week, but in preparation for Christmas break, my coworkers and I celebrated appropriately at school. Meet Diane. She's amazing.

And on that note, I'm signing off. Thanks for reading my random thoughts! :)

I love you, but...

As you can see, I'm ending Project 365 with great gusto. One picture from this week is below...enjoy! :)

I keep finding these treasures around the classroom, and after confronting some specific students about it (who I knew had a hand in it), the problem just grew worse. So I sat down with my kids, pointed to the tissue, and began my spiel like so:

"Boys and girls, I love you, but this is just plain gross."

They agreed. They're getting better. :)

Christmas Time is Here

This week I've been able to freely listen to Christmas music without being teased. And I have LOVED it.

Enjoy! :)

November 28: Grandma & Lee, the day we left San Antonio. We had a great visit with them!

November 29: Mmmm...Starbucks. On Mondays I pick up a Chai Tea Latte for my mom before I head over to her place for dinner. I may get myself something, too. :)

November 30: No picture

December 1: My classroom assistant, Sharon. Ask me about this picture...it has a story.

December 1: A small peek into one of my favorite days of work...ever. My rule while I'm working with reading groups is "Do not talk to me". If my students have a question, they can ask a friend or our classroom assistant...or wait. But they know they are not to interrupt me while I'm working with a small group. So after group rotations were over, I found this tissue on my desk. Yes, tissue - as in Kleenex. A student had written her question on the tissue and left it on my computer keyboard. And she had signed her name (which I had to erase) - and better yet...she had put her classroom number underneath her name. In case I wasn't sure which student she was. Precious.

December 2: We started our simple machine unit in science, and for most of the unit we work with Legos. This is so much fun - and VERY clearly shows one way boys and girls are wired differently.

Another from the 2nd: A family at school delivered this to my room while I was at carpool duty - chicken spaghetti, dinner rolls, and brownies. Part of the card reads "We hope this makes this evening easier. Enjoy!"...what a blessing!

December 3: No picture

December 4: Cousin Ashley and family came in for a visit this weekend! Little Aaron enjoyed his straw for lunch at Chuy's.

Thankful

It's been a great week! I'm thankful to the Lord for family, friends, and some time off work to enjoy with them...

Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy the pictures! :)

November 20: Some friends of mine asked me to take a family photo for this year's Christmas card, and I was happy to do it! This is their precious little boy, Bennett.

November 21: My roommate Jamie had family in town for a few days, and I had the pleasure of baking with them on Sunday afternoon. You can tell they are both a lot of fun! :)

Making snacks for small group...

November 22: The 3rd grade team - 4 gifted teachers who make me smile!

November 24: My brothers, looking all westerny (It's a word, I promise!). Aren't they handsome? :)

Elise and Abi, my sisters-in-law who I love. They are just beautiful.

November 25: No picture, but here's another of Eric from the 24th.

November 26: I took several family shots on this day, some of which I've posted below. Here's a small glimpse into the personalities of my family. I love the above picture of cousins (and a brother), although Becca may not like that I posted this one. She may have been in the middle of eating an apple. ;)

Cousin Allison - such a sweetheart!

Cousin Ashley

Aunt Lisa & Uncle Will

Cousins Catherine & Rachel

Cousin (in-law, I guess) Caleb

Grandpa Bob & sweet Cousin Annabel (my gpa is actually wearing a visor with attached gray hair - I'm not sure where he got the hat, but it was hilarious to see him with spiked "hair". He wore it all week long!)

Fall Colors

This week, the colors around Dallas have been incredible. I don't remember this variety in years past, although maybe I didn't take time to notice. God's love is so evident in His creation, and His works so clearly proclaim His glory! I love this verse of a hymn I recently saw on a favorite blog of mine:

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest;

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above,

join with all nature in manifold witness

to Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

November 13: Dallas Arboretum with Kim - it was the perfect day to go!

Isn't she beautiful?

November 14: Puzzles with the little ones at church. These kiddos bring a smile to my face.

November 14: I may have turned around on a busy street and creepily stood in front of a stranger's house to take this picture. But can you blame me?

November 15: Chocolate Kahlua cake I made for a coworker's birthday. Thanks for the recipe, Julie!

November 16: A bit of Christmas shopping.

November 17: Group Connect! We had our own sign and everything! :) Rachel and I have officially begun a small group through our church (thank You, Lord!), and we were able to meet some girls on Wednesday night who will help start the group off.

November 18: Baking with Megan...always a pleasure!

Six of Seven. Not Bad!

Halfhearted attempts to take pictures this week...but there ARE pictures!

Enjoy! :)

November 6: My new craft project. A few months ago I started thinking of birthday ideas for my assistant at school. I decided I wanted to order a name plate for her desk - you know, one of those fancy plates that CEOs of big companies have (or maybe that's just in my head!). But I wanted one that was cute, not...professional looking. Turns out nobody sells those!

So...a piece of wood, some cute scrapbook paper, paint, and Modge Podge later...voila! I give you...Mrs. Miller's desk plate! There is a different design on the other side, so it's like two gifts in one! I got a little stand for it tonight, too.

I realize I'm a huge nerd. I'm okay with that.

November 7: To bake or not to bake? As soon as the question was asked, I realized we didn't have enough eggs, so...........not to bake.

November 8: No picture

November 9: Cary and I went to see a screening of the movie "Courageous" this week. It comes out in September of 2011 and is made by the same people who made "Fireproof". It is a great movie - check it out!

November 10: Hummus. Yummus.

November 11: The best homemade apple pie I've ever tasted. Thanks, Megan!

November 12: Making a diaper cake for a shower my roommate is throwing this weekend! The finished product (minus a teddy bear on top):

N.D.I.

A first-grade teacher recently told a story of a little boy in her class who was writing N.D.I. on several papers he was turning in. Most questions would be answered, but the mysterious N.D.I. would randomly appear on a line or two.

It happened enough times that the teacher finally asked him about it. After a gentle, "Honey, what does it mean when you write this?", the boy looked directly at her and responded with:

"Not doin' it."

Ha! So straightforward, yet entirely unacceptable! :)

This relates to the week, I promise. And now for my pictures...

October 31-November 6: N.D.I.

I have no excuse for failing to take a single Project 365-related picture. Such is life. Tomorrow begins a new week, and hopefully I'll get back into it!

Just for fun, below are a few favorite moments from the week:

*Being interviewed with my roommate for home-group leadership by one of the pastors at church, in hopes of beginning a home-based ministry to single women.

*Taking my mom to Bible study with me on Monday night.

*Wearing galoshes at carpool duty in the rain.

*Taking a moment to really watch my kids learn in class - watching them use the minds God gave them, and thanking Him for my job that I love.

*Rejoicing when my students respond to correction with teachable hearts.

*Listening to Christmas music.

*Decorating the lunch table with a Christmas tablecloth and centerpieces, knowing full well it would make two coworkers mad.

*Spending time with one of my favorite families.

*Singing hymns with Jamie when she pulled out her guitar after a year of no practice, and laughing hysterically because we couldn't find the right key.

*Partaking in Jamie's "snack" that she so proudly offered me. When I asked what it was, she said with a smile "cake batter!".

*Turning on the heat and wearing my comfy robe.

Short & Sweet

Enjoy! :)

October 23: The result of leaving an anxiety-ridden dog in a crate with a bed for several hours. Oh, Precious.

October 24: No picture.

October 25: Building volcanoes with my students.

October 26: Such a bummer! I had about 1/3 of this drink left when I got home and was so looking forward to drinking the rest after I reheated it!

October 27: Dinner date with Mom! :)

October 28: No picture.

October 29: The best parallel parking job I've ever seen! Notice the space left behind us - it took us about 5 minutes to get into this spot! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time...

October 30: Women's conference at my church. Lauren Chandler walked us through Psalm 107, reminding us of the Lord's steadfast love in all seasons...in loneliness, in bondage, in folly, and in trials. The Lord is good to His children, and it was refreshing to have our focus brought back to the love of the One who sustains us.

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!"

~Psalm 107:1

Randomness

Feeling kind of "bleh" about pictures this week, but enjoy the ones I have! :)

October 17: Cousin Ashley made this little guy for me. Isn't he cute? It was a craft she did with some younger cousins of ours - made out of socks, stuffing, and buttons. I love it!

October 18: These leaves I picked up while on a walk, and I was so excited! Red, brown, and yellow are colors you don't see very often in Texas. During a Texas fall, you really only see...well, brown. So like a nerd, I carried these leaves another mile until I got to my camera.

October 19: We celebrate a national holiday each day in Miss Cunningham's 3rd grade classroom. Some days there just aren't any good holidays to celebrate, so I usually make one up. On this day a student came up with one for us - "National There's a Pencil Stuck in the Sharpener Day". There WAS a pencil stuck in the sharpener. So we celebrated accordingly. I like the way this kid thinks! :)

October 20: Evidence that I haven't dusted in a very long time. Gross.

October 21: No picture.

October 22: The poem I wrote about here. :)

October 23: Rachel had some coupons/gift cards for a fancy restaurant called "The Place" in Uptown (great name, I might add...). So we had a bonding night! We got all dressed up and enjoyed a meal and fellowship, ending the night by renting "Night at the Museum 2" from Redbox. It is currently one of my favorite movies.