Saturday, August 31, 2013

Timing.

I'm thankful for God's perfect timing. Even though at times it doesn't seem perfect, His ways are perfect, and it's neat to be able to look back and see how God was using a time to work something in you.

Thursday was not the best day at work- it was like my kids had a sugar drip running into their bodies. Wild and crazy.

Friday, though, was much better. There were good moments of laughter and obedience. We had a teacher meeting- always good to have time to connect with other teachers. Someone gave me a nice compliment. And it was great knowing that a long weekend is here!

His ways are perfect and He knows what we can handle- when we need to be stretched, and when we need to be encouraged.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Last first day of school!

Today was Kley's last first day of school- yay! (Meaning, today was his first day of his third and last year of law school.)

We joked about taking a nerdy back to school picture at church, so today I really made him do it. Here's to one more year! 

I'm pumped. :)


(This picture has really poor lighting, I know. Sorry.)

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Happenings.

This week was pretty busy. I believe I said once, "I feel like all I've done at home the past few days is sleep." I'm glad I don't feel like that all the time.

-This week was more calm at work. The week before was crazy with so many kids in the room (older ones preparing to move up along with getting new ones). This week they all moved up, along with getting a few more. Now I have more new kids in my class than old, which is a little strange. It's a huge blessing that it's going well and most of their adjustments have been smooth. I'm excited to get to know them better. It's harder to make connections at first simply because you don't know them yet.

-We also started implementing Creative Curriculum this week, which means doing small groups everyday and taking tons of notes. For all you out there who've used it, you know exactly what I mean. :) I think we've got a pretty good system going already, so we can stay on top of it and do a good job. I think it's a great assessment tool- very well done- I'm just a little nervous on how to implement it.

-Wednesday we had a friend over for dinner. Thursday I went out for dinner with my good friend Lauren, my mom, and her mom. Lauren was visiting from Denver for the week, so it was great to see her! Friday I hosted a work party at my place and we played games. Saturday we drove to Clear Lake, IA to visit my friend Jackie. She was visiting Minneapolis (she's living in Virginia), for her brother's wedding, and we met up half way for lunch. It was great to see her too! So, it was all great things, but we've been super busy the last few days. I'm hoping this week won't be as packed.

-I was thinking this morning how much I love our church. I really love our worship. I will definitely miss it when we move.

-Next weekend we are going to Orange City to visit Kley's family. I'm excited! We're meeting them up in Omaha on Sunday, so we can do a little shopping. We will also see all of our grandparents, visit my sister and Kley's sister's dorm rooms, Kley's interviewing at his dad's firm to meet the other partners, and we're looking at a house! I will write more about that later if something comes from it.

I'm ready for fall to come! We have lots of good stuff coming up! :)

Also, Kley's last first day of school is tomorrow!

Saturday, August 17, 2013

An afternoon at the fair and anniversary dinner.

This morning/afternoon we went to the Iowa State Fair! It was a beautiful day, and fun to go with some friends from small group.


Sky Glider.


Walking in and immediately bombarded with tons of colorful things they want you to try and win.



The main street.


Tons of food!




Midway.



Deciding what to eat.


One of my favorite pictures of the day.




Church friends!


Prize winning flowers.


Butter cow.


Another favorite picture- I love the colored chairs against the perfect sky.


Kley's tradition- has to have cheese curds.



I had a gyro.


 Baby animal building- chicks are hatching!


This was one of my favorite events of the day.


Ducks.


Baby ostrich!


Testing for the perfect sleep number.


Giant slide! Unfortunately, the line was crazy long, so we didn't get on it. I love the giant slide.



Art building- tons of balloons!




Tonight we had our anniversary dinner at Bravo. Happy anniversary, Kley! These three years have been the best and I'm so looking forward to all the years to come. God has richly blessed me through you. You make life so fun and enjoyable. I love you very much.

We even ordered drinks (we rarely get anything besides water). Wildberry lemonade.


White peach palmer.


My chicken parmesan.


Kley's lemon and herb chicken.



Sunday, August 11, 2013

An afternoon with the Cubs.

This afternoon our small group went to the Iowa Cubs Game after church. It was fun! (Not that I watched much baseball, but talking with the girls was great!)



Downtown from the field. We don't make it downtown often, but it's cool when we do. (The building on the left with the slanted roof is my dad's!)



Saturday, August 10, 2013

Recycled crayons and a handy project.

At work, we are doing a big project of organizing our storeroom. It's a big task. One of the items in the storeroom was this big bin of old crayons. We didn't want to just throw them away, so I took them home to make "recycled crayons." All the websites and pinterest pictures make it sound so easy, but that is not true.

It's very time consuming, especially if you are making a large batch. First, you have to take all the paper off. This is the worst part. It takes so long. My fingernails are still hurting, even hours after finishing. It's like getting something shoved underneath your fingernail. Ouch. A ways into it, I tried to use a knife to loosen the paper, which definitely made it easier, but it was still work.

This was only some of the crayons in the bucket! (This was what was left after making batch #1.)


All the papers from batch #1.


Ready to go in the oven! The websites tell you that using cupcake holders makes it easier, which it does, but it still is a huge mess. The wax seeps through the cupcake holder, and it's very hard to clean the pan after. Also, little wax pieces fling all over, so be prepared to clean your whole kitchen after.


It ruined/split most of my fingernails. Bummer.


Finished products. :)

You cook them for a few minutes (until the crayons are melted) at 250. Take them out right away once all the crayons are melted- the longer you leave them in, the more wax seeps out and the harder it is to clean. I learned this on batch #1. I made two batches, so I have a lot of new crayons!


This is the handy project I did today. This is super easy and no big deal to most people, but it's a big deal to me. This week at school I brought some of my old beanie babies (who still has theirs?!) and my bunk bed. The kids love it! Unfortunately, one of my kids sat on it on Friday and cracked the top bed post. 

I originally thought about throwing the whole thing away. Then I thought about sawing the top bunk off entirely. Then I got smarter and tried to think of how I could just get another wooden rod. I went to True Value and bought a small wooden rod for 70 cents! I was quite proud of myself for thinking of this.


Unfortunately we didn't have any type of saw, and Kley's pocketknife was too dull, so I ended up using one of my nice kitchen knives to cut it. I know- not the best idea for my knife.


But I fixed it all by myself for under a dollar! :)


Wednesday, August 7, 2013

It's not fair.

Yesterday something minor happened at work that I felt wasn't fair. I was annoyed about it- probably more than I should have been. Then we got home and Kley was practicing this song- One Thing Remains- for worship practice.

I love those lyrics.

"Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me."

It was a powerful and instant reminder for me. His love never fails and never runs out on me. There are plenty of times where it should run out on me. I don't deserve it.

You know what's really not fair? Jesus on the cross.

But He graciously and sacrificially did it for me and my sins. And yours.

And all those minor annoyances begin to fade away...

Thank you, Jesus.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Highlights.

Some people are extremely talented writers. Other bloggers I follow have a wonderful ability to turn their experiences into beautifully written memories and to narrate their ordinary days in an interesting way. I usually don't feel like that, which is fine. Sometimes I write about my kids a lot, such as in this post, and this post, but other times after work I don't feel like writing anything at all. I usually blog a lot on the weekends and rarely ever during the week, which is okay. A lot of nights after work, I simply don't want to write anything at all, and if that's how I feel, I'm not going to force it. Some days taking care of many kids all day is all I can muster. :)

This week I didn't feel like writing anything, so instead I will just list some highlights going on right now:

1. It is now August, which means summer is nearing the end. Usually, in most years, I would never be excited for summer to be over. I love summer. I love the beautiful skies, green grass, warm weather, sunny nights lasting longer, and hitting up the pool. However, this year feels a little different. Once the "school year" starts, I feel like things are different for us. This is going to be a huge year for us together- as referenced in this post. This is Kley's last year of law school (!!!), and at the end of the year we will be moving to Orange City, IA. We have a lot of changes coming up- it will be scary and exciting. This summer was sort of "down time" on our plan for the next year. Not that I'm not enjoying this summer- I really am. It's a good lesson for me on enjoying the moment where we are, but in ways it felt like we were just waiting for what's to come. So, I'm excited for fall.

2. Our third anniversary is coming up on August 14!

3. Three friends who live out of state are coming to visit this month!

4. October is going to be a good month as well. Kley's birthday is on the 18th. Also, we have TWO awesome events. We rarely go to concerts or pay for tickets for something, but in October we are going to see BILL COSBY and RASCAL FLATTS! I am so excited.