Words, feelings, thoughts, actions, public, emotions, personal, safe, and scary.
Love is all of this and much more.
I'm spending this week studying Love. It is both the beginning, middle, and end of all the things that really matter. It is also infinity tied into all things.
So it probably is important that I continue to know more about it. Knowing full well that I won't ever get every beautiful, fragile nuance, but not letting that hinder me.
At this present time in life I would say that daily I feel loved, and get a chance to show others my love for them.
In some ways love to me has always been a bright thing. I have not had others try to manipulate me to gain my love and in my naive way I open myself up and welcome others into my life. Except on the times when I don't do this. Because there is a catch of course. There are little hidden parts and crevices of this love thing that still allude me.
Loving those who make adult decisions that effect the lives of children. Being open, loving and vulnerable in a romantic relationship. Loving forgiveness that heals and then tries again, and again. These are my mountains. There is only 1 guide who will be able to help me with these particular peaks and cliffs.
However, loving words given to those who are in need of some brightness. Spur of the moment words and questions that let people know that I care. I care so very much. Loving thoughts and prayers lifted for those near and far who still reside in my heart. A genuine smile and listening ear. These are my love accomplishments. At 26 they are the things I know and things I do and practice in love.
At the start of this year I wrote about Positive Growth. It has been a wonderful goal for this year. Full of health and time to be with myself. I hope Love continues to uphold me. That my Positive Growth be illuminated by a growing love, a mature love, and a refreshing love that becomes a vital part of my everyday life.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Replace
I keep laughing to myself as my things start falling apart, or not working. Technically, it is not so bad, as much of this stuff is over 5 years old. I have mattresses, a DVD player, and more that I bought when I got my first job in Tallahassee. They are all still plugging along....but I think they are crying out to be replaced.
They are gonna have to wait until later this year after I get a job and a more permanent place to live and thrive.
I did cave in and buy a new hand held blender. No good cook can go too long without one of those. My new one has a clip on container that holds the beaters....fancy;)
I also had to purchase a new crock-pot which I have put to GOOD use! I broke the old one, with my aggressive knob turning.....no joke.
Here are a few more things on the list that I want to have in my future living space.
I have always found it SO daunting to clean a blender.....so I think the compact Magic Bullet would be perfect for my smaller cooking and blending needs.
I am also gonna have to find a kitchen table and chairs. Melanie has our old ones. That will definitely be a fun purchase. Of course I know it's the food and folks who eat at the table that matter. But I think we should give the table and chairs themselves a little credit.
With barely concealed envy I have seen my sister and other friends use their Wii to stream from Netflix. I have got to get that little set-up in my new place. Also, the Wii -Fit especially the Zumba game are must-haves!
Sigh, this list is getting longer and my mind is getting more and more carried away. But reality calls. Cough syrup, class, and ridiculously long online applications are calling my name none too gently. 2 weeks to Spring Break! Can you see my gigantic grin?
They are gonna have to wait until later this year after I get a job and a more permanent place to live and thrive.
I did cave in and buy a new hand held blender. No good cook can go too long without one of those. My new one has a clip on container that holds the beaters....fancy;)
I also had to purchase a new crock-pot which I have put to GOOD use! I broke the old one, with my aggressive knob turning.....no joke.
Here are a few more things on the list that I want to have in my future living space.
I have always found it SO daunting to clean a blender.....so I think the compact Magic Bullet would be perfect for my smaller cooking and blending needs.
I am also gonna have to find a kitchen table and chairs. Melanie has our old ones. That will definitely be a fun purchase. Of course I know it's the food and folks who eat at the table that matter. But I think we should give the table and chairs themselves a little credit.
With barely concealed envy I have seen my sister and other friends use their Wii to stream from Netflix. I have got to get that little set-up in my new place. Also, the Wii -Fit especially the Zumba game are must-haves!
Sigh, this list is getting longer and my mind is getting more and more carried away. But reality calls. Cough syrup, class, and ridiculously long online applications are calling my name none too gently. 2 weeks to Spring Break! Can you see my gigantic grin?
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Cooking Mama
With February wrapping up I have had some peaceful weekends. Time for naps and $2 movies. Time for school work and cooking. Yep, time for cooking!
I have been in the kitchen much more at the start of this 2012 year. Hooray!
Of course, not having a dish washer kinda puts a cramp in things, because I hate to use a whole bunch of dishes when I know I will have to put in the elbow grease to wash every thing. I know, such a complaint from the "modern world" or whatever people call it;)
I thought I would recap here and provide some recipes, because you know, food that comes recommended from someone holds a little more weight than just random recipes.
This veggie lasagna was good. It was too salty to me, so I would cut back on the salt it asks for. Also, I choose to use broccoli and zucchini (you can use whatever veggies you like). The fab part is I made it in my crockpot. Yeah, I know! It's one I would make again, with just a little tweaking.
These cupcakes were nice and dense and delicious. They were not super sweet, but they were tasty. After a day or two, they tasted better if you warmed 'em up in the microwave for 20 seconds.
At this moment (last night now) I am sitting here waiting for these brownies to cool! Easy to make and the addition of mini marshmellows, almonds, and chocolate chips makes them over the top delicious! My sweet tooth is satisfied:)
On a frigid, rainy weekend I made this Mexican Chicken soup. YUM! It has my seal of approval as well as my families and some of the cohort. It's soo very good and easy to make. Another crockpot champ! The only tweaking I did was to substitute one can chicken broth for the one bottle of beer it calls for.
Oh and Melanie made these biscuits on my last visit. SO DELICIOUS! I mean they were fabulous and so easy to make. It feels like cheating because it should not be this easy to make a biscuit. I always feel like biscuits should leave you a flour covered mess, muttering and waving around a rolling pin;)
Now I need to know. What have you been cooking? Please share if you have a winning recipe that you think I should try.
I have been in the kitchen much more at the start of this 2012 year. Hooray!
Of course, not having a dish washer kinda puts a cramp in things, because I hate to use a whole bunch of dishes when I know I will have to put in the elbow grease to wash every thing. I know, such a complaint from the "modern world" or whatever people call it;)
I thought I would recap here and provide some recipes, because you know, food that comes recommended from someone holds a little more weight than just random recipes.
This veggie lasagna was good. It was too salty to me, so I would cut back on the salt it asks for. Also, I choose to use broccoli and zucchini (you can use whatever veggies you like). The fab part is I made it in my crockpot. Yeah, I know! It's one I would make again, with just a little tweaking.
These cupcakes were nice and dense and delicious. They were not super sweet, but they were tasty. After a day or two, they tasted better if you warmed 'em up in the microwave for 20 seconds.
At this moment (last night now) I am sitting here waiting for these brownies to cool! Easy to make and the addition of mini marshmellows, almonds, and chocolate chips makes them over the top delicious! My sweet tooth is satisfied:)
On a frigid, rainy weekend I made this Mexican Chicken soup. YUM! It has my seal of approval as well as my families and some of the cohort. It's soo very good and easy to make. Another crockpot champ! The only tweaking I did was to substitute one can chicken broth for the one bottle of beer it calls for.
Oh and Melanie made these biscuits on my last visit. SO DELICIOUS! I mean they were fabulous and so easy to make. It feels like cheating because it should not be this easy to make a biscuit. I always feel like biscuits should leave you a flour covered mess, muttering and waving around a rolling pin;)
Now I need to know. What have you been cooking? Please share if you have a winning recipe that you think I should try.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Favorite Things Party!
As you can tell...maybe, my first attempts at a Favorite Things party went fabulously.
18 girl friends. (I know I don't have any photos of them! But they were there...I am making a transition to a new camcorder/camera and well, I'm still learning).
Endless delicious goodies and snacks.
Mountains of gifts and laughter, and delightful fun.
Some of the gifts were: green tea, jewelry, homemade CD's, chocolate, notepads, bubbles, etc. You name it, and we might have had it. Hearing the stories behind the gifts was the best part of all.
It made me so happy to see so many friends together, catching up, chatting, relaxing, and enjoying time together. Why don't we do this more often?
Are you interested in hosting your own Favorite Things party? I know you are;) You can always contact me if you have questions. Or go here for some ideas about having a Favorite Things party of your very own!
Just follow the basic mold, but let the details be centered around you and your special group of friends.
* Thank you to Annie for inspiring me to host my own party and Julie for always sharing your fun stories about being a Favorite Things party guest! *
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Transitions for Sabrina
"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."
— Anne Bradstreet
Currently in the life of Sabrina I am entering a transitional phase. The trying thing about it is I don't really have a timeline as to when it will be complete. Of course graduation will be a signal in someways. But really, until I get a job and then start that job and get my feet wet, the transition will continue. If I had to put a time on it, I would say from now until around October. Whew! I get nervous just rereading that.
I want to share this with you all though so that you can pray for me and this time in my life. I am not exactly scared because in many ways I feel prepared. I am kinda anxious, and sometimes worried, and maybe even knit-picky and that does not help anything.
I am going to get my resume out there at a job fair specifically for Teachers and Administrators (that will be me kinda) tomorrow. It's from 10-1 and I would appreciate all prayers and positive thoughts then and throughout the next few months as I have to walk the path of uncertainty. As I know full well, it is not my favorite path. I often try to scurry off of it as soon as possible. However, there is trust and faith on that road. And I need to grow in both. So this time I am going to try and breathe deep, and not plot ways to get through quickly, and maybe even be still and find peace in the fact that I know it will all work out for good.
This time of transition can bring forth a new Sabrina. The one who will be 27 this year. The one who has spent 2 years in graduate school and has learned more about herself than she thought possible. If you want to change, well now is the time to do it, so "they" say. And I want to transition better, I don't want to repeat old patterns. Instead I want to embrace the fact that right now I cannot see my future clearly at all.....and though that is petrifying, if I am 100% transparent, I know with some grace, mercy, strength, and wisdom it can be done. Here's to the journey!
— Anne Bradstreet
Currently in the life of Sabrina I am entering a transitional phase. The trying thing about it is I don't really have a timeline as to when it will be complete. Of course graduation will be a signal in someways. But really, until I get a job and then start that job and get my feet wet, the transition will continue. If I had to put a time on it, I would say from now until around October. Whew! I get nervous just rereading that.
I want to share this with you all though so that you can pray for me and this time in my life. I am not exactly scared because in many ways I feel prepared. I am kinda anxious, and sometimes worried, and maybe even knit-picky and that does not help anything.
I am going to get my resume out there at a job fair specifically for Teachers and Administrators (that will be me kinda) tomorrow. It's from 10-1 and I would appreciate all prayers and positive thoughts then and throughout the next few months as I have to walk the path of uncertainty. As I know full well, it is not my favorite path. I often try to scurry off of it as soon as possible. However, there is trust and faith on that road. And I need to grow in both. So this time I am going to try and breathe deep, and not plot ways to get through quickly, and maybe even be still and find peace in the fact that I know it will all work out for good.
This time of transition can bring forth a new Sabrina. The one who will be 27 this year. The one who has spent 2 years in graduate school and has learned more about herself than she thought possible. If you want to change, well now is the time to do it, so "they" say. And I want to transition better, I don't want to repeat old patterns. Instead I want to embrace the fact that right now I cannot see my future clearly at all.....and though that is petrifying, if I am 100% transparent, I know with some grace, mercy, strength, and wisdom it can be done. Here's to the journey!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The :) File
One of the best pieces of professional advice I ever received was to create a "smile" or "happy memories" file. As a teacher you work hard and sometimes the days and months and years can begin to flow together. A wise person told me that it would be important to file away little notes, pictures, and small treasures that would remind you that yes you are appreciated, yes you are changing lives, yes the hard work is all worth it.
My :) File is a purple, legal size folder from my 3 years of teaching. It has no real order to it, but sometimes when I miss teaching, and some days when I miss the working family I had created, and some days when I just need a reminder, well I flip open that folder.
It does not take long for the flowery pictures, the bold colors, the childish sentences, and the cards to uplift me. My wise mentor was right....this file was one of the best things I could have done.
Among the many fond and precious memories of children and families is a simple email. It was the first note of appreciation that I received and it means so, so much because the parent who sent it was a father who was a graduate student at FSU. He was raising his daughter in the states while his wife and the rest of his family were still in China. I can only imagine how difficult that had to be. Anyway, at the very start of my teaching journey during my Freshman year I did volunteer work at a local elementary school. I was assigned to V, a precious little girl who spoke very limited and halting English. She was in 3rd grade and yet we worked on handmade vocabulary cards about place words like up, underneath, and over. We would "read" together and sometimes just be together because the language barrier was difficult.
As I was about to leave for the term, so was V. She and her father were moving because her mother was finally going to be able to join the family. I was so excited for her, because without words I knew she missed her mama deeply. Anyway, a few weeks before our last time together her father sent me this.
Hello Sabrina,
How are you? This is J and I am V's dad. V mentions you many times, and she always has a good time to learn English with you. Anyway, I appreciate your gracious help.
Best wishes,
J and V
I will never know how he got my email. I will never know what his family ended up doing and where they settled. Yet, this simple email gave me such encouragement. It literally surprised me and warmed my heart. I was 18 then, I was enjoying my FSU days, and this note helped fan the flame that had been sparked earlier. Teaching was for me. Elementary children were my especial joy. Not everyone is so sure at such a young age that they have entered the right profession. But.... I was. I knew it, just as deeply as I knew my own name. Teaching was for me and I was for it and together, well together we were a force to be reckoned with:)
I hope no matter where you work, you keep some type of "smile" file. Maybe yours is not even work related. Maybe yours is centered around your family, or your spouse, or your friends. But I think the work file is important because we spend so much of our time working, and a part of the big picture of who we are, is who we are at work. Another week is upon us. We are moving right along and Spring will be approaching sooner than we think!
My :) File is a purple, legal size folder from my 3 years of teaching. It has no real order to it, but sometimes when I miss teaching, and some days when I miss the working family I had created, and some days when I just need a reminder, well I flip open that folder.
It does not take long for the flowery pictures, the bold colors, the childish sentences, and the cards to uplift me. My wise mentor was right....this file was one of the best things I could have done.
Among the many fond and precious memories of children and families is a simple email. It was the first note of appreciation that I received and it means so, so much because the parent who sent it was a father who was a graduate student at FSU. He was raising his daughter in the states while his wife and the rest of his family were still in China. I can only imagine how difficult that had to be. Anyway, at the very start of my teaching journey during my Freshman year I did volunteer work at a local elementary school. I was assigned to V, a precious little girl who spoke very limited and halting English. She was in 3rd grade and yet we worked on handmade vocabulary cards about place words like up, underneath, and over. We would "read" together and sometimes just be together because the language barrier was difficult.
As I was about to leave for the term, so was V. She and her father were moving because her mother was finally going to be able to join the family. I was so excited for her, because without words I knew she missed her mama deeply. Anyway, a few weeks before our last time together her father sent me this.
Hello Sabrina,
How are you? This is J and I am V's dad. V mentions you many times, and she always has a good time to learn English with you. Anyway, I appreciate your gracious help.
Best wishes,
J and V
I will never know how he got my email. I will never know what his family ended up doing and where they settled. Yet, this simple email gave me such encouragement. It literally surprised me and warmed my heart. I was 18 then, I was enjoying my FSU days, and this note helped fan the flame that had been sparked earlier. Teaching was for me. Elementary children were my especial joy. Not everyone is so sure at such a young age that they have entered the right profession. But.... I was. I knew it, just as deeply as I knew my own name. Teaching was for me and I was for it and together, well together we were a force to be reckoned with:)
I hope no matter where you work, you keep some type of "smile" file. Maybe yours is not even work related. Maybe yours is centered around your family, or your spouse, or your friends. But I think the work file is important because we spend so much of our time working, and a part of the big picture of who we are, is who we are at work. Another week is upon us. We are moving right along and Spring will be approaching sooner than we think!
Friday, February 17, 2012
February Friday Tunes
The only negative thing I can say about this simple, soul-stirring song is that I wish it was longer. Friday, Friday, today is FRIDAY!!!
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