Merry Christmas 2011

I love love love Christmastime, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't just a teensy bit sad when it's all over. This year was wonderful as always, celebrating the birth of our savior, spending time with family, and having fun with traditions. One tradition I would love to see continue year after year was the banquet Daystar held for people that serve in the church at the beginning of December; it was so much fun to get dressed up and eat dinner with wonderful people. I uploaded 2 pictures below from the banquet of me and Jen and me and Enoch. Thank you Jen for taking great pictures! Alexa Stutts (a very talented photographer in our church-Google Alexa Stutts photography to check out her work) also took some very hilarious and memorable shots in her photo booth. Thank you Alexa for taking the time to do that for everyone!

Traditions at our home include making and eating alot of food on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! We tried some new recipes this year and we found the perfect Crab Dip recipe along with a very yummy spinach artichoke dip recipe, and a dip called Santa Fe Cheesecake was a huge hit. Us kids spent alot of time cooking on Christmas Eve while mom wrapped presents; then we all proceeded to fall asleep on and off while watching The Polar Express (Christmas movies are also a big deal around here-I lost track of how many times I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and The Santa Clause). Mom never ceases to amaze me with her gift giving every year. It's like she can't help but spoil us even at the ages of 19, 21, and 22. My big gift this year was a dutch oven-LOVE it.

I try to do something crafty for my mom every year for Christmas; this year I used an idea I found on Pinterest (I'll admit I'm kind of an addict) to make her snowflake Christmas ornaments. It involved cookie cutters, fabric, and Elmer's glue. Very inexpensive and cute :)

Sighhh, now it's time to look onward to 2012 and the last semester of my undergraduate career. Student teaching here I come!

My Hope is in You

New favorite song, check it out!

Aaron Shust - My Hope is In You

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God , in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:2

10 Years

I was 11 years old. It was a seemingly normal school day at home with my mom, Megan, and Steven. My mom got a call from her best friend who had a daughter with a husband in the Air Force. They were in the process of flying back to the USA from his base in Italy and were over Canada when all flights were grounded. My mom immediately turned on the TV, and I watched the first tower burn and the plane hit the second tower. I also watched the Pentagon burn and smoke rise from Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA. I watched both towers collapse. I had never heard the word terrorism used before. I began collecting newspaper articles and magazine articles in the months that followed 9-11. I still have all of them sitting in 2 shoeboxes under my bed. I created a 9-11 notebook with some of these articles as well as pages of journal entries I had recorded, noting my fears, sadness, shock, and hope at what had happened. That too still sits in my closet.

After watching a 9-11 special tonight, my heart is thankful and my heart hurts again for the families of those that lost loved ones. For the firefighters who were so brave and gave their lives to save others. For the firefighters and departments who's lives were forever changed permanently by what they experienced that day. For the children who are growing up today without parents.

September 11, 2001. Never Forget.

I'm Back!

I'm back from a 3 month blog hiatus!

It was an amazingly busy summer for me working at Quaker Lake Camp, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

I believe God has a reason for everything, and it was so cool to see how He used my past experiences in food service and kitchens and preschoolers and science in my job at Quaker Lake. I worked in the kitchen about 2 meals a day and then coordinated a preschool nature program that took place twice a month. I built great relationships with some awesome people and loved doing something different for a summer job that didn't involve tourists :)

Now I'm back at UNCG, a little over 2 weeks into my SENIOR year, and tackling things head-on. It was a little rough the first week or so, trying to get things organized and getting settled into a routine, but I'm getting there and am really enjoying my internship in 5th grade.

There are so many things running through my head right now about my future, where God wants me, and all the big things he wants to do through me. I'm really focusing on thanking Him for everything he's given me, including an incredible boyfriend that he brought into my life over the summer :)

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my momma! Your strong spirit and determination when life has thrown you some tough curveballs amazes me constantly. You're beautiful and smart and I'm so glad I get to be your daughter.

Pig Pickin' Cake

I saw this delicious recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks back in January and I finally had the time and the ingredients to make it! If you want the recipe you can find it here - Pig Cake. The one thing I will say is that with the icing, it calls for all the pineapple juice to be reserved and then added, but my icing turned out a bit thin for my liking (as you might be able to tell by my picture), so I would recommend adding in half the juice and then adding more as needed. It's still delicious, but it might have made spreading a bit easier if it was thicker. Another side note is that Pioneer Woman bakes her cake in a 9 by 13 pan and I chose to layer mine using 2 round pans, so pick whatever way fits your fancy and go with it :)

Chicken Adobo with Rice

This is a great dish mom found in Food & Wine magazine that's a take on an original Filipino dish; we've made it several times and love the salty and tart flavors that the vinegar and soy sauce bring to the chicken. It's great served over steamed rice with broccoli, plus it's quick and easy to make!

Chicken Adobo with Rice

- 1 tbs. Vegetable Oil

- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch strips

- Ground black pepper

- 4 cloves of garlic or 2 Tsp. of minced bottled garlic

- 1/2 c. white vinegar

- 1/2 c. reduced sodium soy sauce

- 1 bay leaf

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, seasoned with 1/2 tsp. of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until light golden brown (4-6 minutes). Add garlic and cook one minute. Add vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf (broken into several pieces), and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer (medium-low heat), and simmer until liquid reduces by about 1/4-1/2 or to desired thickness (8-10 minutes). During simmering, push the chicken to the edges so that it doesn't get overcooked. Also, stir occasionally, always pushing chicken back to the edges and the bay leaf pieces to the center. Discard the bay leaf and serve over steamed rice.

Cuffed Hat Knitting Project

I completed another knitting project! I was surprised at how quickly this one went, only taking me about three days plus this morning making the pom-pom. This is a toddler size cuffed hat knitted using straight needles and then sewn up a seam (most hat patterns call for knitting using round needles so no sewing together is required). This was a step up from my other 2 projects, requiring some different stitching techniques plus the sewing and the pom-pom. I looked around the apartment for something to use as a model to display the hat and could only find a skein of yarn! I think this 'yarn baby' does a pretty good job :) Not sure what I will attempt next, maybe another dishcloth?

Psalms

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

-Psalm 73:26

Happy Birthday Steven!

Happy Birthday # 19 to one amazing baby brother! It looks like I was very happy and excited to be holding you as a baby, and it looks like I am just as happy and excited standing next you to you all grown up. I love you and am so proud of how much you've grown in the past year!

Hobby Love

So you might be asking, 'Katie what have you been up to with all this spare time you've had since you finished the semester?' My response: ' Nothing. Knitting. Planting small plants. Cleaning. Reading (for pleasure NOT for school...). Cooking. Sleeping. Packing.' That about sums up my life over the past week or so, and it has been glorious.

My mom called me up Saturday morning and asked me to go to the outdoor antiques show in Liberty, NC, and I of course said yes; mom and I LOVE thrift stores, yard sales, antiques, essentially cool stuff for cheap. During our ventures there mom found a clock that is very similar to one my grandmother, who passed in 2002, gave to my mom. Mimi had painted the glass door of the clock by hand, but the clock fell off the wall one day, shattering all the woodwork but the glass managed to stay in one piece. So, mom is going to take the clock she found and my grandmother's glass piece and get them combined into one beautiful clock! She was very excited about her find and even more excited that she is going to be able to hang onto a piece of Mimi's handiwork. My find was a set of primary colored Pyrex bowls (mom bought them for me as an early b-day present, thanks mom!); over the past year or so I've become quite interested in collecting Pyrex, so it's a new hobby (as you can see below).

My Pyrex collection to date! The bowls on the left were the find from last week, while the bowl set in the middle plus the two casserole dishes were a find from the Raleigh flea market. The other two bowls were a thrift store find and a hand-me-down from momma.

Mom put these Zinnias in my Easter basket; I planted the seeds and within 2 days they had taken off!

Besides my antiquing and window sill gardening, I've been knitting mom a Mother's Day present over the past couple weeks, so I will wait till she has opened it on Sunday to reveal it in all its' glory in a Mother's Day blog post. Lots of love to all you moms and second moms out there, you rock!

Royal Wedding Thoughts

Okay, so I really had no plans to watch the royal nuptials of Prince William and Kate M. I'd barely been listening to all the media coverage that has been constant since the couple's engagement. People were talking about waking up at 4AM to start watching coverage of the ceremony, and I was thinking 'Y'all are crazyyy'. Then late last night I was like 'What the heck, I'll wake up for the thing'; I asked my soon-to-be step-mom when the thing really started because in my words 'If I'm gonna waste sleep over history then I want to cut to the chase and skip all the pre-gaming.'

So I snapped awake this morning at 5:30, clicked on the TV and got sucked in. Yep, I was mesmerized even as all the royal family was arriving. I don't know, maybe I just felt like there was something slightly magical about the whole thing, just slightly.

I fell in love with Kate's dress (and her sister, Pippa, looked stunning in her dress as well), and my favorite moment was when Kate got to the altar and William turned to her and you could tell he was letting her know she looked beautiful; both were flashing smiles at each other, definitely a sweet moment. I thought the two kisses (first time there were two) they gave on the balcony were perfect. I was very pleased and glad I decided to lose the sleep and watch the whole thing. That is all. Cheerio :)

Source: Foxnews.com

Reflections

Some days I feel defeated. True story-teaching can be really defeating. (And for all you full-time teachers out there, you probably agree even moreso since you do it 5 days a week). The victory is found in the hope that God has called me to do it, so I know everything’s gonna be alright. If God is for me then who can be against me? That’s right, no one. But still, some days it feels like the doubt overshadows the faith. And then God comes on the scene in all his amazing ways that still blow me away. Let me just fill you in on some reflections from this semester of interning:

I went on a field trip in March with my OSTE’s Kindergarten class; I rode with a parent to the final destination while the students rode the Amtrak train. I am so glad and so thankful I got the opportunity to travel with this parent. We talked about where we were from, where I go to school and where she went to school, her kids, magnet schools, and then I mentioned Daystar. She exclaimed that she used to live right near Daystar and she knew of Pastor Allen. I also mentioned Urban Ministries and we started talking about Grace Community Church in Greensboro and the awesome work they do with the homeless and her knowledge of the church. She told me about where she spent a lot of time with her grandparent who lived in the Burlington area and she explained how the area has changed over time. She told me all about her grandmother, now her kids’ great-grandmother and how she is still going strong in her 90’s. We had been driving around downtown Burlington looking for coffee and happened upon two places that were closed before we hit one that was open. When we reached the second shop, I insisted on paying for a coffee while she insisted right back that she was going to pay for me. She looked at me and said something to the effect of ‘Considering you go to Daystar, I assume you know of the Grace of Jesus Christ’. I smiled widely and said ‘Yes mam I do’. This parent who bought me a cup of coffee and took the time to have great conversation with me just made my day! And the funny thing is, God knew that was exactly what I needed. He knew that I needed to see the classroom from a different perspective. I believe that deep down, most parents want was is best for their child and they love them immensely. Each child I teach and will teach is someone’s child. It made teaching so much more personal for me to have this interaction with this particular parent and I’m so thankful for it.

Reflection number 2: The day I got to spend with 11 EC students at a festival, wow! I’ve always said I could never work with Exceptional Children, but after taking the time to learn and interact with these brilliant kids, I have completely reversed that statement. This was a diverse group of students and their personalities and needs were all different; it was a blessing to see these students so curious, engaged, and they loved to just be around me and hold my hand or ask questions. Again, God knew exactly what I needed. It definitely revived me and my desire to teach.

All of this reflecting noted, I am officially done interning for my junior year (How crazy is it that I graduate in about one year!!), and will be interning and student teaching in 5^th grade at the school I interned at during my fall semester. Wooot J

Banana Chocolate Chip MultiGrain Waffles w/ Peanut Butter

I know my last 2 posts have been recipes... but food and cooking is amazing! My blog becomes a recipe archive for me in case I can't find one I want to make :) So here's another one for ya:

Banana Chocolate Chip MultiGrain Waffles w/ Peanut Butter

This one resulted from me using up several things I had in the pantry.

- I used a pre-made pancake/waffle mix where you just add water but you could use your own mix recipe if you have one. So, just make that mix like you would normally.

- I also had a dry cereal that is a combination of grains, soy, and flaxseed, to add some fiber and healthiness to the pre-made mix; I added in 1/4 cup of that. You could use plain flaxseed or bran if you had it on hand.

- Then, after I combined my pre-made mix with the dry cereal and water, I added in 1/4 c. chocolate chips. You can add in as little or as much chocolate chips as you want. I add them so there is just enough in the batter, so the waffles won't be too rich.

- After you mix the choco chips in, grab that ripe banana or two that is sitting in your fruit bowl and mash them up. Add that mash to your batter and mix to make sure everything is combined. Again, you can add in as little or as much banana as you want. I don't like to be overwhelmed with the taste of banana so I used one banana for about 1 & 1/4 c. of dry mix.

- Now, it's time to cook those waffles (you could do this with pancakes if you so desire).

- Take warm waffles and spread with peanut butter (I use a peanut butter that is low in sodium and sugar, so the waffles are not too sweet w/ the peanut butter).

Enjoy!

Yummy Black Bean Dip

On a whim, driven by Heather's desire for some bean dip last night, we made an awesome, super simple recipe for black bean dip discovered on Google. We did have to call Steve and Josh to bring some tortilla chips over, but other than that, we had everything we needed in the fridge and pantry! Love it when that happens; here is the recipe so you can make it for yourself. Definitely was a hit with the small crew we had over for the Carolina game:

1 can of black beans

1 package of cream cheese

salsa

cheddar cheese

9 inch pie pan

The cool thing about this recipe is you can use more or less of all the ingredients and guesstimate amounts, and it's easy to double.

Layer everything in the pan, starting with the black beans at the bottom mixed with the cream cheese (You can just combine the beans and cream cheese in the pie pan). Spread the salsa on that and top off with as much or as little cheddar cheese as you want. Put in the oven on 350 for at least 20 minutes or till hot.

Serve with tortilla chips to hungry individuals.

Someone Else's Shoes

Sometimes you actually have to experience something before it becomes real to you. Sometimes just having someone tell you about something isn't good enough.

I had to complete an assignment for one of my classes where I had to go eat a meal at Urban Ministries in Greensboro with a friend from my class. Urban Ministries is an outreach ministry that provides meals, food, clothing, housing, and emergency assistance. Both my friend and I were nervous about having to do this assignment because we knew we were going to feel uncomfortable and we weren't really sure what to expect. We first had to walk there from near UNCG. We got to an intersection on Lee St. and noticed a building with an Urban Ministries plaque on it, and we also noticed a very large congregation of people clustered near this building and the gas station close by. We opted to cross over to the other side of the street, walk up, and cross back over further up, so we could avoid having to walk through this clustering of people. Once we crossed the street, there was a brief moment of panic (at least for me) , before we noticed a security guard standing at a building entrance, like a saving light, and we made a beeline for him. He was so helpful directing us towards where we needed to go to wait in line for the meal, and told us we could tell the security guard at the door there that he sent us. With eyes staring, we made our way to a brick wall and securely planted ourselves against it, not making eye contact with anyone. We stuck out like a sore thumb. There was one other female, we were 2 of 3 white people, and the only individuals in our age group. There was yelling, cussing, smoking, and some rough looking individuals. Faces that lacked hope. The gentleman in front of us tried to start some conversation, but he could tell we weren't comfortable chatting. A gentleman behind us yelled out 'Y'all look so sad!' Little did he know we were just doing our best to look as inconspicuous as possible. The line started moving and we made our way inside, 15 at a time. We got our drinks, 12 at a time, and were then directed to fill in seats with plates waiting. The gentleman sitting across from my friend was not at all interested in chatting; he plugged his cell phone into the wall, opened up his magazine, and slowly began to eat. The gentleman across from me was the same one who had tried to start a conversation earlier; he stuck to asking me about Kitty Hawk written on my t-shirt and wishing us a Happy St. Patrick's Day. The food was good- grilled chicken, baked beans, cornbread, salad, and a cupcake. We ate and I observed everyone filling in the seats around us; most of them were black, male, and over 30. There was a smattering of females, whites, and younger people in their 20's, but no children. It intrigued me that I noticed at least 3 individuals with cell phones. It was also evident that many carried all they owned in sacks or bags with them. The volunteers were efficient and quick at their jobs, cleaning up, restocking silver ware, and directing people to tables. We took about 10 minutes to eat our meal before leaving, breathing an inward sigh of relief.

Sometimes you have to actually experience something before it becomes real to you. Sometimes these experiences are uncomfortable. Put yourself in someone else's shoes for a moment. Go outside your comfort zone to experience someone else's reality. The plight of another will become so much more real to you, and I think you just might want to do something about it. In the least, you will have more compassion and understanding for others.

http://www.greensborourbanministry.org/

Report: Triad Has Two of Five Hungriest Cities in U.S.

http://www.hungernwnc.org/news-and-events/Goodwill%20locations.html (Goodwill Food Drop-Off locations in NC; there are 4 in Greensboro)

Signs of Spring

I bought a tulip bulb along with a daffodil bulb that had already begun to grow, over spring break and today the tulips opened up with the first good day of sunshine we've had this week!

I love growing things and am delighted to have this mini garden growing on our living room window sill :)

Spring is on its way!

He Still Reigns

As I listen to the song 'Forever Reign' by Hillsong, Japan and the tragedy they are experiencing lies heavy on my heart.

This is all a part of God's bigger plan, and even in the middle of this sadness and devastation, He still reigns, forever!

I just lift up the people of Japan and everything they are going through, that lives will be changed and turned towards God. I'm praying for the Christians in that part of the world, that God will use them to reach out to other people and bring healing to the hurt. I'm praying for peace for those who feel like their world is literally falling down around them.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give to you.

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Looking Back

A year ago at the beginning of this month, I was here...

With awesome people like this....

And this....

Doing crazy fun stuff like this....

And this....

Thanks for the memories and....

My feet will find their way back to ya soon, Australia :)

Changes

Obama: Egypt 'Never Be the Same'

The world is constantly moving and changing and we saw Egypt make its' mark in history this week as the nation's President stepped down after 30 years in power! The strength and stamina of the protestors over the past 18 days has been inspiring, and it will definitely be interesting to watch the direction Egypt is headed as the military steps into power.

Meanwhile, I am 1/3 of the way through the spring semester as of the end of this week! What can I say, time flies when you're having fun. As I work my way through my internship this semester, I can say that I like 3rd grade more than Kindergarten, which I'm really glad I figured out now, because I initially wanted Kinders for my student teaching. I never saw myself liking the upper grades more than the younger ones, but now I'm thinking I want 3rd or 4th grade next year. I have also discovered that Kindergartners are very germy! I just keep telling myself that all these colds I keep getting are strengthening my immune system; and it could be worse, I could have the stomach virus.

Hope you are encouraged by the return of some warmer weather this weekend like I am. Sit back and relax!

Snow Days (Again)

This is the first week back to school after winter break and how many classes/internship days have I attended? 0.

Zero, none, zilch.

GCS decided to call off school on Monday because of the impending winter storm, so that meant no internship. UNCG called off all classes after 4P, so that meant no night class.

UNCG closed all day Tuesday so that meant no morning class.

Aaaand, GCS decided to close again today, so that meant no internship.

I have no class on Thursdays, so that means my first official day of school will be Friday!

God just knew that we needed to jump back in very slowly :)

Our apartment has been full of people over the past few days, playing board games, cooking, doing puzzles, and watching movies. Good times, good times.

Thrift Store Finds

Thrift stores are one of my best friends and I had a couple of good finds today:

The Salvation Army thrift in Greensboro has a great book selection and I'm always keeping an eye out for books I can use in my future classroom library. I snagged Boxcar Children book #9, Caddie Woodlawn (A favorite of mine when I was younger), Annie Oakley (a part of the 'Childhood of Famous Americans' series that I also enjoyed growing up), and an old copy (1928) of 'Wind in the Willows'.

I also found a Chris Rice CD: 'Smell The Color 9'.

The Goodwill in Greensboro does not have a great book selection but they do have a great clothing selection, and I found 2 J. Crew sweaters and another nice gray sweater, all 3 of which I can wear for internship.

All great finds for a grand total of $14 dollars spent!