Wow

It has been a SUPER long time and I have SO MUCH to share! For today, since its late and I have work in the morning, I'll just leave you with a glimps of whats to come.

-Christmas
-Ski Trip
-Super Summer plans
-Reflect Conference
-God's plan for me in 2012
-Work Work Work

There are some of the posts that have been sitting in my brain waiting to be written. Plus one or two more. Anyways I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving/christmas/newyears and I'll be posting soon!

Read the Directions!

I spent my entire day subbing at Crosby Middle School. I find that most of the time when I give students work and they tell me they don't know what to do its because they didn't read the directions. OR They'll assume they know what to do and get it wrong because again..they didn't read the directions. I spend the day reading directions and saying (a MILLION TIMES) READ THE DIRECTIONS!!!

I was sitting on the couch perusing pinterest after finding out the paper I was working on isn't due for another week (YES!). When I found this! I thought YES! I love those tasty lil apple chips and I could have em now, made myself and add it to my list of stuff I know how to make AND that I did something I pinned! SO I see this as I look at the screen

Looks yummy! Ok it says apples, cinnamon and 200 degrees! So I quickly jump up and grab a knife and a couple of apples.

Then I slice them up

then I add the cinamon

I popped them in the oven and set it to 200 and thought I'd come back 15 min later to crispy apple chips. Well 20 min later they looked exactly the same as when I put them in..so I actually clicked on the link to the website it was pinned from and discovered that it takes 2 HOURS for them to cook! WOW talk about a let down! Well so I thought I'd "modify" the recipe and turn the heat up a little. Just about then my ride showed up and I had to leave. I turned to my brother (who was laying on the couch watching tv). I tell him, "Justin take the apples out in like 15 min, don't let them burn" He kind of mumbles ok and I leave. I came home to the smell of crispy burnt apples and fans on in the kitchen.

Apparently all he remembers hearing is they are supposed to cook for an hour. So I learned a couple things, 1. Always remember your brother does not actually hear what you're saying when the tv is on so just don't even try. 2. You can't sped up cook time by turning the heat up (I should have remembered my mom telling me that). 3.Read the DIRECTIONS before you try and do something to make sure you have time to follow through.

Have you ever messed up a recipe by not reading the directions? Have you ever depended on your guy to remember something you told him while he was watching tv?

I actually did it!!

I actually made something I pinned! I was going to a birthday party for one of my students and realized at the last second that I really did want to bring a gift (15min before I needed to leave for the party). I quickly scoured all the things I pinned because I KNEW there had to be something I could make quickly from things I already had.This was it, my sweet Hannah would love something cute like this and I could do it quickly. Now I was of course doing it quickly so I didn't take any pictures like all the good bloggers do-sorry :( I grabbed one of my moms extra frames from the closet, cut some colorful scrapbook paper to size and put it in the frame. I stuck it in a bag along with a dry-erase marker that I had in my desk and called it a happy birthday!  The end result was a cute gift AND I actually made something I pinned :)

Have you ever scrambled to throw a gift together?

pinterest possibilities

So I have become totally obsessed with pinterest and all the super cute things people make. I am going to attempt a few things in the near future (when this semester is over). I was showing my mom all the cute lil kid stuff and home decor things and I would say 'when I have kids I'm going to do this" or "when I have my own place I'm going to do this" She finally stopped me and said, "Amanda, when you have kids you will not have TIME to do this stuff." I figured she has a point and as much as I'd like to make it all then save it for when I have kids that is totally unrealistic SO I'm going to attempt to make and sell some of the preciousness that it is and I'll get to make cute stuff and hopefully a little money and all you lovely people out there will get great stuff for super reasonable prices. Products will follow in a few weeks.

What do you think? Do you have time to craft? What kids of things would you buy for your family?

Jesus-Ville

Working with teenagers is like working at a theme park, the theme of the park is Jesus. Jesus ville, the theme park, has lots of roller-coasters, theses coasters are students. The excitement and joy of the spiritual highs and the scary, close-call sadness of the lows are what I do all day every day. See working with teenagers is not a job you can just "clock-out" of. They call you and tell you about life and the ups and the downs. Because the Lord has placed in me a love for them the highs they have are almost more exciting for me and the lows bring me to tears. Because there are so many of these "coasters" to ride in a weeks time it seems as thought there is always someone on a low and not necessarily always someone up on the highs. The trouble with the ups and downs is that the world says "when you don't do it our way-were done with you." The world says, "when you mess up-your done." Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. Jesus says, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Jesus wants us to love the way He loves, and His love is unconditional. The reason we who are part of the body of Christ are different from the world is we love the crazy roller coasters even after they knock the wind out of us or we get whiplash. When the coasters hurt us and make us want to stomp out and never ride it again, Jesus says go right on back and love unconditionally. I have exsperianced great heartache because of the choices of students I have loved on and the struggle is and I'm sure will always be, to love them after they mess up really bad. Most people who like roller-coasters (I have NEVER been one of those people) usually like to go and ride them all, even for a few days! However, after awhile you get totally drained by the whole experience and need to just walk away. Now don't freak out I'm not walking away or leaving my lovely theme park of FBC Crosby's own Jesus-ville, but I write this to ask for prayer. Prayer for me and the other adults who are giving parts of each day to pray for a love on the roller coasters that are teenagers. Pray for the adults and then pray for these teens. The Lord had 12 disciples and a lot of them were teenagers. Media is focused on teenagers, families surround their lives around what their students are active in, God uses teenagers to impact the world. THAT is a lot of pressure especially when you have regular life to deal with and I am here to tell you folks, teenagers are not innately sweet like they used to be and school is NOT the way it used to be either. So pray for our students to keep their focus on the Lord and to seek wise counsel when they are on the roller coaster of their lives. Students need to know they have the support of those "loyal fans", they need someone in their corner. If I am a believer I am to be an encourager and motivator and one who loves the way Jesus loved, not the way the world loves. So if you know a teenager and you don't know what to do with em-just keep loving them and encouraging them and PRAY for them no matter what.

brain trouble

So the past few weeks I've been a little...off. Bumping into things, forgeting stuff that I would usually NEVER forget. I'm not really sure what the deal is. Michelle thinks theres something wrong with my brain, to which my sweet Samuel said, "mom don't talk about manda's brain!" (LOVE HIM) I'm thinking its the stress maybe?

the word I love and hate all at the same time

Theres this little word that Lord has explained to me that I should use more often. The word is "no." I try to help and just make things worse, I shouldv'e told myself "no Amanda, stay out of it." I get asked to help with this or that and I say yes until every sencond of my week is full then I'm stuck and stressed and end up dissapointing someone because I can't physically pull off everything I've said "yes" to without shooting someone. The Lord showed me this at Conclave, well tried to tell me at Conclave, about this precious little word. I though tI got it, I thought I understood and then I came home and said "yes" to myself one more time and well we will just say I am not the only on who was affected by it.

So how am I doing? I did cancel my piano student and I said no to 2 others who wanted to take piano and I'm starting to try and delegate responsibilities a little at the church to the interns. Thats about it, I'm praying about a few other things I may need to take out of my schedule.

How am I feeling, a little overwhelmed, stressed and sleepy. I have 4 group projects, 7 papers, 7 weeks of daily assignments and projects and only 7 weeks left of school to do it in. On top of all that I am trying to get some things lined up for the girls conference in the spring and I'm running out of time on that, and trying to plann a mission trip for the Middle School students in december. Oh plus regular weekly stuff at the church and teaching and oh yea I'm a friend and a daughter and a sister too, wow. Ready or not its a 7 weeks left race that will (hopefully) slow down after finals (come on december 6th).
 You know what would be nice, a night out. My last night out really helped me to relax and de-stress. So lets all (all 3 of the people who read my blog) pray that it works out for me to go out with my sweet friend Michelle on Saturday. Ok great.
Are you stressed out too? Are there things in your life you've had to say "no" to for your own sanity? Is fall as crazy full for you as it is for me?