Sweet Summertime

Like I said in my last post, it is so hard for me to believe how quickly the time has passed this year. However, please don't mistake that unbelief for ungratefulness - I LOVE summer!!! Haha. And it promises to be a busy one... and I will tell you that I would have it no other way! There are weddings, guard practices, summer Kindergarten work (for some extra moolah), a trip to NYC, almost two weeks at the beach, a weekend with my girls at Rebecca's wedding, and some summer house projects! I am just so excited. I had intended to get started right away on things this weekend, but I just haven't found the motivation. I have fully enjoyed this long, relaxing weekend in every way imaginable. I did absolutely nothing on Saturday, or Sunday, and I don't think today looks to be more eventful than the last two days. I am okay with that! I will say that in between watching some TV (which I hardly ever do), feeding my neighbor's dogs, reading, napping, and "facebooking", I have done some productive things.

I received my Pampered Chef stuff last week, and I finally had the chance to open the boxes and sort the orders! WOW, I got a lot of awesome stuff! I washed everything last night before going to my Mom and Dad's for dinner, and found a place for everything this morning. I even cleaned up my mail piles - which get pretty bad. I've found all the things that have worked their way to my house that really belong at school and put them in one place so I can return them tomorrow. And really, that's about it. I am planning on organizing my craft room and dragging out my scrapbook stuff today. I'd like to sort out my pictures and figure out which pictures I need printed and that kind of thing. I am pretty pumped about getting started on all of that again. But I sure have a lot of work to do to catch up!

And with that, I am going to get to work. Sorry this was such a boring post, but I felt like I owed a post, and that's about all I've got right now... although I did just think of something. After I've been productive, I'll post again... enjoy your Memorial Day!!!

Ten Days

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time has gone by over the past 10 months! I am very happy, but it is so hard for me to believe that there are only 10 days left of the school year. I am ready for my class to move on this year. I feel confident that they will all succeed in first grade. I have taught them all to the best of my ability. I currently have 16 precious students in my kindergarten class, and have had the pleasure of teaching 19 students throughout the school year. I smile everyday that I hear my kids picking up a book and reading it - or trying to. And while I don't really like for them to talk in the hallway, I always smile when I hear a student trying to sound out a word or asking, "Miss Hynninen, what's that word say?" We are currently reviewing all of our math skills by going through a practice workbook. It has been amazing to me to see how many things they remember - their little brains are amazing little sponges! We are also going back over our handwriting which has been somewhat of a nightmare. I am definitely going to be more picky about that from the very beginning. Like I've said, they learn things so quickly - and unfortunately, they also learn bad habits quickly. For example, I have a student that hates to write so he will write the first letter of his name and then scribble a little wiggly line for the rest of his name. Ridiculous!! I have another student that will put big spaces between her letters on her handwriting sheet, so she won't have to write as many. I have another student that will just not do her work - and thinks I won't notice! Unfortunately for these students, I have been exceptionally picky over these last few weeks. I will erase their shortcomings and send them back to work during recess (I don't intentionally pull them away from their play time, but that is when I have the time to check their work - and lucky for them, they've been given extra recess time in recent days because we actually have time for that!) Two of the three students I just mentioned have begun to change their ways and know they need to do their work the right way the first time. Of course, there are still those students who just don't care. I pray everyday that their attitude would change - they have a LOT of school ahead of them and don't need that attitude to last.

Not only has time flown in the school sense, but in my personal world. It is hard for me to fathom that I have been a homeowner for almost 6 months - crazy! And I have lived here for just over four months. I walked into this strange house on November 26 that had completely white walls, and it now only has 8 white walls (4 in the hallway and 4 in the bathroom). Every room has furniture and almost every room is completely finished. I bought the final piece for my bedroom this weekend (at Wood You in Auburn) and it will be my first summer project. I am going to "paint" it white and then de-stress the wood to try to make it match my armoire. I plan on doing the same thing to the bedside table I bought as well. I am hoping that my dad will get my armoire fixed and moved in by the end of the summer, so then everything will be complete! I would love to have some chairs and a lamp table in my living room, but I think I'll save up for those and get something I really like. So for now, everything is good.

I cannot believe I am about to finish my second year of teaching. What a joy and challenge it has been - a whirlwind for sure that nobody could have prepared me for! Only by the grace of God have I survived this "real world" since graduating from college. It has been exciting, but it has also been hard. Looking back, it is obvious to me that the Lord has worked in my life. There have been times of grief, and there have been times of joy. There have been times of tears, and times of laughter. He has definitely walked by my side through every time and I am thankful. He has placed people in my life at the appropriate moments reminding me that His timing is perfect. He has completely changed my plans reminding me that He has a perfect plan for my life. God certainly has a funny sense of humor, but He also has a funny way of reminding us "who's boss" so that we always come running back to Him. I have definitely done my fair share of running in the last two years, and I hope that I am now at least running on the same track that He wants me on so I can slow down and smell the aroma of His love that is surrounding me.

I apologize for not posting in a while, but obviously, life has been a little hectic. I hope that things are slowing down, so I really can stop and smell the roses, as people like to say. I'll keep you posted if that actually happens. In the meantime, I pray that the Lord will reach out to you and to me so we can continue to grow in the knowledge of His grace.

My Small Bladder

So, as most of you that read this know, I have an incredibly small bladder. It's terrible. I could go all day at school in middle and high school without going to the bathroom - because I was scared I would catch some disease in those bathrooms! (at least until we moved into our new school my junior year and yes, I do realize this means I was extremely dehydrated probably all the time - oh well!) Now, I teach Kindergarten and I can only go to the bathroom when I take my kids to specials or during my lunch break. Thankfully, I have a wonderful parapro that I can trust with my kids and she doesn't mind if I leave for a few minutes to relieve my bladder. So I probably go about three times throughout the school day - only 7.5 hours - and I go immediately after school. And that's a good day!!! As soon as school is out, it seems like my bladder just knows I am no longer restricted, so I have to go all the time. Imagine other days when I don't have school/kids in my room - I literally have to go all the time. Well... here are a few stories over the last few years...

Brittany and I were on our way back from attending a reading conference in Huntsville when we stopped to eat lunch with Phyliss (her mom) on Sunday afternoon. We got started back towards Auburn and decided we wanted to stop and look at the new houses they were building in Chelsea Park. We drove to the back of the neighborhood and walked through the houses that were still being built, so they had no doors and such. On our way out, I decided I needed to go to the bathroom. There really weren't many options on that part of 280. So what was I supposed to do? We noticed that several of the houses that were move-in ready were open to potential buyers to walk through and such, so I came to the conclusion that they had running water. And how convenient that I kept napkins in my car! So, we carried in some napkins to this one house, looked through it, and decided we just had to the use the bathroom in that house. I went first with no problems. And Brittany went after me. As luck would have it, I was standing in the kitchen when the front door opened, and then she flushed the toilet. The man walked in and introduced himself as the builder and wanted to know if I had any questions and so on. As he is in the middle of talking, Brittany walks out of the bathroom. HILARIOUS! We totally made up for it, but I really don't remember how, and it was completely embarassed. Other people have told us that it was terrible, but I would totally do it again if I had to go that bad! HAHA.

Another time I had been out in Opelika for something with Terri Leigh and Jack. I honestly do not remember where we were or what we were doing, but I do remember that we were coming back into Auburn to go to something else. Well, as it turns out, we both had to go to the bathroom, and I guess wherever we were going didn't have bathrooms???! So, we tried to think of places that we could stop and go to the bathroom. I HATE gas station bathrooms so those were out of the question. I think we thought about the fact that Lakeview was open for some reason or another, but would look stupid if we did that. We turned onto Samford Avenue and I said, "I wonder if Mrs. Marcia is home and still awake - we could stop there!" So, I think we drove by her house first to see if there were lights on, and there were so we turned around and came back. I know we scared her to death knocking on her door late that night, but thankfully, she recognized us in the dark and let us in. And she totally understood that we were going to be like those guests who "eat and run" only we weren't eating in this case! HAHA. I sure wish I could remember where we had been and where we were going!

So, if you live in a house in Chelsea Park, I am sorry that your bathroom may have been used once before you moved in, but I do thank you for allowing me to relieve my bladder. You helped me to avoid some serious bladder problems that day I'm sure. At the same time, thank you Mrs. Marcia for answering your door when I'm sure you were worried sick as to why someone was ringing your doorbell late that night. And thank you for understanding that Terri Leigh and I were basically using you for your toilet that night - I definitely appreciate your hospitality! :) To all of you out there, be aware that if you move into a brand new house, the bathroom may have been used before, but don't be offended - just think of it as "paying it forward" in a backwards kind of way. And, if I know you really well, always know that if I see a light on in your house late at night, I see it as a sign that you are awake and available to answer the door to your friend who needs a blessing at that moment. And for everyone out there, please know that my bathroom is always available to those that may be in need. I cannot promise you that it will not overflow, but at least you'll get to relieve your bladder!!

Our Great God

I am amazed tonight at the power of the Holy Spirit. Three years ago on March 18, a precious godly man, HT Ford, was taken home to be with the Lord. He was the father of Toma Knight - "my Auburn mom" and spiritual mentor. Ever since that day, I have remembered the date (for the most part) and told myself that I want to always send Toma and Becky a message of some sort to let them know that I am thinking of them on that day. Well... last night as I was getting ready for bed, I realized that it was April 1st which meant March was over and I had missed the date. I wrestled with myself over whether it was March 18 or March 19, but had already turned my computer off for the night. So, this morning it was still bothering me that I couldn't quite remember the date, so I tried to look it up online when I got to work. I couldn't find it right away and had some things to do to get ready for my kiddies, so I gave up. Then, I tried again after school. The first result to come up ended up being an obituary for Abigail Ford from the Macon newspaper. I pieced it together and figured out that this 14-year-old granddaughter of HT Ford passed away on Wednesday. I knew that I immediately needed to call Toma and tell her this story. I was so excited when she answered so I could share this with her. It has turned out that Abby has been having health problems for a long time and had made some progress in the past week. The doctor made some changes earlier this week, and unfortunately, they were not to the benefit of Abby's earthly body. However, the Lord is sovereign and had a plan - as he does for each and every one of us. Toma said it has been neat because Abby's dad/Toma's brother, Ty, as well as her husband, Cliff, and brother-in-law, Chris, were given the opportunity to share the love of the Lord with Abby's doctor. She did ask that I continue to pray for Abby's family, especially her mom, Traci. I know that not very many people read this, but I figured even one more person praying than me is great. PLEASE pray for Abby's family - her parents, Ty and Tracie, and her siblings, Grace, Lilly, and Luke as they go throughout the coming days with her celebration service tomorrow and the burial service on Saturday. In addition, pray for the entire Ford family - Mrs. Martha (HT's wife/Toma's mom), Cliff and Toma, Tom and Leigh, Chris and Katie, and all of Abby's cousins. Remember to trust in Him with all your heart... and He will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). So clearly, I forgot March 18 this year so that the Lord could guide me to finding Abby online today so that he could piece this story together today. What an awesome testimony to the power of the Lord - to God be the glory!

New Hobby

I know, it's crazy, because I already have enough unfinished projects laying around, but... I have discovered that I LOVE stamping. I decided to give it a try when we went to Missouri two summers ago and I saw what Dawn had done. She made some pretty incredible things, and she gave me her catalog to look at while I was there. I think I spent the entire week just carrying that catalog around gawking at all the adorable things that stamp creators had thought of! This past fall, I found myself gawking at the 50th wedding anniversary celebration invitations Dawn had made with a stamp. Several of us drove up to Missouri for the party, and I got another catalog. This time it was mine to keep! When my mom asked me for additional things I wanted for Christmas this past year, I just handed her the catalog with my favorite stamps listed! Thankfully, I got several and was so excited. Unfortunately, with all the new house excitement and life in general, I haven't had a chance to do much with them. I decided this week to save myself some money and make thank you cards instead of purchasing them after I ran out last week. So, I made my way to the Rubber Stamp Fantasy on the Square (amazing!) and bought blank cards and envelopes. This afternoon, I went to town. It was the only productive thing I've done all day, and it didn't even take that long! Take a look...
You'll notice that I stuck with the same three or four stamps, but changed the ink colors. Obviously, they're not the greatest things ever made, but I still think they're pretty cute. I cannot wait for other occasions that are coming up that will allow me to make some different cards.

These next ones are my favorites. I kept having to clean off my stamps on a scrap piece of paper, and most of the time, I found that I liked the softened stamp too. So I decided to experiment and try it out. Of course, the orange and blue one is my favorite out of these three...

Now I just have to hope that I don't get too caught up in stamping to forget about my scrapbooking! I am really hoping to just bring stamping into my scrapbooking and then I'll be doing two things that are fun and that I love. I am really hoping to get back into that during my Spring Break because I don't have any major plans - which is fine! My first major project before I can start will be to sort my printed pictures. Maybe I'll plan to get THAT done during Spring Break... one step at a time... one step at a time... I need to keep reminding myself of that!

So there ya go! I have a new hobby that I discovered today! Watch for some fun cards coming your way soon...

The One You've Been Waiting For...

Pictures of My House!

Here is my front steps... Auburn garden flag to greet everyone, as well as the pansies (thanks Ashley!!), and my St. Patrick's Day door hanging. I have made it a goal to have something cute to hang on the door each month. I think I've been successful so far... maybe I could have a "running" blog entry of my door hangings!! Full view of house from across the street...

Close-up of house from the driveway...

My barn a.k.a. my dad's workshop... Yes, I have decided to be a gracious daughter and allow my dad's dreams of having a woodshop come true in my own backyard. Honestly, I have a three bedroom house - what would I need all that space for?! I may be regretting this decision later in life when I have too much junk, but for now, I think it'll be fun!

Haha, my swing - no worries, I haven't tried to sit in it. The plan is to buy a new one and paint it orange and blue (war eagle!)!

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

My sister and I plastered this room in one day! It's called Venetian Plaster and the awesome people at Home Depot will color it for you. Then, you slap it on the wall with a trowel and move it around. You can then burnish it and/or glaze it... I just left it alone and love it!! I plan on getting some new lamp shades for the chandelier.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

You can't really tell from this picture, but the wall on the left is striped. My plan was to use a flat paint and a glosst paint to achieve this effect, but again, the awesome Home Depot workers told me to buy a glaze instead and just paint over the original paint. So, Kristen helped me tape it off after my mom and I painted it. We put about 4 layers of glaze to get this subtle effect. The door on the far right is my front door... in case you were wondering.

Another shot of the living room...

I have decided to start collecting crosses, so here are the beginnings of my wall of crosses.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Painted by my mom and me...

Before: Kitchen

(this is Richard in the picture... the guy that sold me my new refrigerator AND fixed my cabinets - notice how low they are and then notice the height of the cabinets in the next picture PLUS the new fridge)

After: Kitchen

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

The amazing calendar is compliments of my sister - it was my Christmas present, and I LOVE it! My plan for the kitchen table is to paint it bright colors like the calendar. I'm thinking to do a cool design on the legs of the table and chairs.

Before: Den

After: Den

Painted by my mom, Kristen, Kaitlin, Katie, and me. The curtains look purple in this picture, but they are denim (like the loveseat) and have a yellow and white stripe. Curtains were hung by Brian Johnson - thanks! The quilt on the sofa is my Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt - love it!

Before: Den

After: Den

Before: Laundry Room

(Gotta love the rooster curtains!)

After: Laundry Room

(There was no door on this room before we started - my dad and brother had to dig it out of the barn, and my mom had to paint it.)

Painted by my mom, Kristen - ALL the way around the hot water heater (impressive work!), and me.Before: My Bedroom

After: My Bedroom

Painted by my mom, Mrs. Lewis, Sarah, Katie, Kaitlin, Elise, and me. (The whole thing had to be paint brushed because of the paneling).

Before: My Bedroom

After: My Bedroom

My armoire from college was ruined in storage and is now awaiting repair work in the barn, but it will go where the TV is now. My intention is to get another piece of furniture (like a dresser of some sort) to go under the shelves on the wall.

Before: My Closet

After: My Closet

Painted by Elise and me.

I love elfa shelving - sold at The Container Store - amazing store!

Before: My Bathroom

After: My Bathroom

Painted by me. Before: My Bathroom

After: My Bathroom

Yes, the little sign says "Laugh until you tinkle in your panties." ;) Haha!

Before: Guest Room

After: Guest Room

Painted by Katie, Sarah, Elise, Kaitlin, my mom, and me. Fun night - thanks so much girls!

The furniture was my grandparents' and I had it when I lived with my parents. They graciously allowed me to take it causing them to buy a new bed (oops). The quilt is another one made by my mom. Before: Guest Room

After: Guest Room
Gotta give credit where it's due... my initials were hung by Brian Johnson - thanks again!

Another view of the guest room...

Before: Hall Bathroom

After: Hall Bathroom

Surprisingly... NOT painted!!

Another view of the hall bathroom: "You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." Song of Solomon 4:7 Another view of the hall bathroom: my monogrammed shower curtain! Before: Craft Room/Office/Guest Room

After: Craft Room/Office/Guest Room

Painted by - haha! - first shade of pink: Elise and me, then I decided I hated it, so I changed the color and it was painted by my mom, Kristen, and me. I am SO excited about this room and the things I hope to get accomplished in it! I am about 5 years behind on my scrapbook now, so I have LOTS of time to catch up on... maybe one day it will happen.

Before: Craft Room/Office/Guest Room

After: Craft Room/Office/Guest Room

Another view of my craft Room/office/guest room...

SO, that's my house! I clearly had LOTS of help to make my Open House happen this past weekend. I never would have this house painted if it had not been for my family and friends that helped - all of you are a blessing to me!

My house obviously needs some work still, but it is coming together really well, and I am fully enjoying it. Yes, there are the joys of homeownership that keep sneaking up on me, but as someone said to me the other day, my life can't be boring - I wouldn't know what to do! So, I'll take it.

I hope you enjoyed these photos, but I promise it's a lot more exciting in person, so PLEASE come visit! If you don't live near Marietta, I've given you proof that I have plenty of room for you to visit, so do it!