"I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for!"

Jeremiah 29:11-The Message

sometimes it's good to have a reminder. 

2012, you were weird, and you made me cry a lot. and laugh a lot. i am glad i met you, but i have to say, i'm not really that sad to see you go. 

on to the next!

this is what makes me smile:
freshity freshness.
you'll have to imagine what that one looks like for yourself.

peace.

sometimes, when you're by yourself, feeling pretty alone, and you're maybe having a teeny melt down, shouting to God-not in a voice of triumph or a voice of praise, but in a voice of defeat and confusion-and as soon as the shout pauses because you are tiiiired,  THIS song comes on the radio....well, it's hard not to feel like the God of the Universe is listening only to you, and you are His favorite. and He loves you. more.

this is what makes me smile.
feeling refocused.

Murrah Crumus, ya'll.

top ten awesome things about christmas 2012

1. it's Christmas. Jesus still loves me, and would come to earth as a poor little baby again tomorrow if i needed Him to. Hey Jesus, it's Your birthday, we're gonna party like it's Your birthday. (yeah i know. not the actual DATE..but the day we celebrate..can you believe someone actually tried to start an argument about this with me this week? hahah ohhh, people.)
2. family time. i love it. even when it's insane, chaotic, and overly....warm. 
3. IT SNOWED. first white christmas i can recall in over a decade..sweet. :)
4. gifts..i got super awesome gifts this year. yeah. i'm going there. why were they so awesome? because every single one of them showed evidence that the person who gave it to me cares enough about me to know what things i enjoy. ♥
5. gifts..the ones i gave were winners. not to toot my own horn.. i love to see people's faces light up when they open up a gift they actually like. :)
6. sledding. on christmas. yeah, i know i mentioned the snow already, but not all snow is sled-able. this was. and it was fun. 
7. the guinea pig is still alive. he somehow picked up a bad respiratory infection which we were assured would likely kill him in days. he's squeaking at me right now. :)
8. we did not have to watch "A Christmas Story." instead, it was a marathon of "Lord of the Rings."
9. there is another storm on the way, so both my sisters and their families are staying another day...or two. YAY! more niece & nephew time!!
10. the mayans were wrong. hahah not that i believed that silly nonsense...but at least i don't have to hear about it any more! 

this is what makes me smile:

unexpected christmas snow.

:)

i guess when i'm not "being thankful" i can't think of anything to write. huh. how about that..

random fact of the day: i saw a kid with a bright orange afro today. it's his natural hair color. it. is. perfect.

this is what makes me smile:
christmas trees....even when they are crooked, undecorated, & unevenly lit. heheh

today i have too many things to write about. i will only choose one. big brother. in the form of live feed classroom cameras. um...does anyone else out there think this is a horrible idea?

sure, it's good for parents to be able to keep an eye on their kids, and their kids' teachers..but how close an eye do they really need to keep? i mean..is it really fair that anyone who happens to be in the scope of the cameras will never be able to pick a wedgie without an audience? or what if you forget to wash your hands after blowing your nose one time? is someone going to call you out on that?

i had a grandmother picking up her grandson this afternoon, who walked into the room with the biggest, proudest, glowing smile on her face as she loudly proclaimed, "N!! you took a NAP today!! we are SOOO PROUD OF YOU!" to which both N and i replied simultaneously, "nuh uh." haha. and then grandma proceeded to argue with me (me-the chick who sat beside N for the better part of an hour TRYING to get him to sleep, but not succeeding, and finally giving up-only to have him wake up the children on every side of his cot..grrr), saying, "well his mom said he slept." end of discussion.  ? his mom works 25 miles away...oh, yeah...the cameras. well, sorry granny. she didn't see what she thought she saw. 

i am not a fan. there were also a few parents who burst through the doors wearing much less proud faces..and who were yelling about their child's poor behavior before they even said hello. :/ yeah. camera surveillance is a terrific idea. 

sike.

this is what makes me smile:

...at least there aren't any cameras in the bathroom. 

i forgot that i originally intended to only have thankful posts until Turkey Day...oh well. it's good to be thankful. most times when i think of the word thankful or thanksgiving, it takes me back to the 80's and the first Bible verse that i chose to voluntarily memorize. "enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name." Psalm 100:4 :) a good one, i think. i was probably around 7 or 8.

Day 30:
today at work i thought of what i was going to write here. and now i forget what it was. heheh. oh what a poor short term memory i have!
i am thankful for chick fil a's ice dream. it is delicious. i am thankful for this crazy, sometimes incredibly boring, but still good life i've been given, and i am thankful for opportunities to serve my God and bless the people around me. and i am thankful for you, whoever you are, for reading this thing.
i am thankful that i am thankful.

this is what makes me smile:
finding an old picture of my dad in a tree stand...and then taking a pic of a pic ghetto style instead of scanning it. heheh.

what a weird week.
both good weird and not so good weird. just plain weird. when a toddler wants to eat paint, there is nothing you can do or say that is going to stop him. just saying.

Day 26:
Thankful that i was able to convince one of my sisters to stay with us for the week! YAY!! more sweet niece hugs & kisses!

Day 27:
i was thankful that it wasn't day 26 and i didn't have to repeat that day of work. heheh. jk. (mostly)
i was thankful for snow. even though it didn't snow enough to be pretty.

Day 28:
i am thankful for my friends. i have more than i deserve..a strong core of people who i know i can turn to if i am freaking out (good or bad), if i need advice, or just a listening ear, people i can rejoice with, praise God with, do nothing with... and people who feel the same way about me.

Day 29:
i am thankful for technology.

this is what makes me smile:
a picture i will insert later, when i can think of something that won't make me feel embarrassed.
:)

it's c-c-cold outside with snow flurries and wind. lots of wind. inside, it's cozy and warm and the house is filled with family. i LOVE this time of year. 

so much laughter, some tears, lots of laundry and dishes, and a general air of chaotic happiness. :) good times.

Day 23:

friday, i was thankful for my daughter, especially. she is so caring and helpful. she is smart, and funny, and beautiful. she loves my Jesus, and is growing closer to Him every day, and this makes me happier than  anything else in the world ever could. ♥

Day 24:

thankful for surprises. and for a hopeful future. 

Day 25:

i am thankful for heat. brr. and socks. and scarves and hats and sweaters and blankets, and for people to snuggle with. :)

this is what makes me smile:

moe.

it's the big day...my favorite holiday of the year. my family is gathered together, my nieces are running around holding hands-the cutest thing i've ever seen. my giant baby nephew keeps trying to eat my tiny baby niece. and my kiddo gets to be the cool big cousin. my sisters & their husbands are here...somehow i always forget the amount of hilarity that happens when we are all together. my cheeks hurt and i've laughed so hard i cried more times than i can count already.  there are pies in the oven, turkey waiting to be FRIED, and a big ole batch of my mom's mom's home made stuffing-which is not stuffed into anything but a bowl. haha.
i am so thankful for all the blessings i have been afforded in this life. my heart is full. ♥ happy thanksgiving.

Day 21:
i am thankful that my relatives are some of the most ridiculously amusing people i have ever met. i love being surrounded by funny funnies.

Day 22:
i am thankful for this mixed up crazy series of days on this earth that i have called life. and i am also thankful for the days i have ahead. live it up, people.

this is what makes me smile:
today, everything.
:)

oooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh myyyyy gooooooodddnnnneeeessssss.

today i had a GREAT day at work. i think it is mostly because i got to spend the day with a class-full (mostly) of kids that i have taught over the past 4 years. i know those guys. i know how they are, their quirks, their humors, their bathroom habits...too much? okay. i will NEVER get tired of hearing a kid delightedly yell, "MISSS AAAAAMY!!!!!," run toward me, and fling their arms around me in the most honest hug ever. never, ever, ever.
today i heard everything from, "why did YOU come back?" to, "oooh, miss amy...i LOVE the sparkles in your hair!" (ha! gray. :) ) to, "i missed you so, so, so, so, so, so much...wanna play UNO?"
it was fun. and i hope i get to do it again tomorrow. :)

Day 20: bonus
today i was thankful for all the crappy days at work i have had over the past four years. hearing a 6 year old say to a younger kid who i never had in class, "rhyming words have different beginnings but the same endings. you know...word families? didn't you learn that in miss amy's class??" made me realize that some of them were actually listening. :)

this is what makes me smile:
remembering. (wow...never realized my artwork displays, etc. were hung in such an OCD manner! yikes!!)

i didn't realize it was tuesday already. well...that's something for me to be thankful for in a week when i get to see my far away family on wednesday!

Day 18:
i am thankful to have the freedom to worship or not worship any god i choose. and i am thankful that the God i choose, chose me first.

Day 19:
i am thankful for employment. wait..did i already say that?

Day 20:
i am thankful it's tuesday already and i get to see my far away family in one day! (i KNOW i already said that.)

this is what makes me smile:
not realizing i had my shoes on for over 16hrs. today. they are comfy.

guess i've missed a couple of days here...things have been kinda nutty around & i've been not feeling so great. blah blah blah excuses..

Day 13:
i was thankful for plumbers. septic problems are no fun. no fun at all...

Day 14:
i was thankful for clean clothing to wear.

Day 15:
i was thankful to have a job.

Day 16:
i am thankful for modern medicine, even though i think it is WAY over used...sometimes it's really helpful.

Day 17:
i am thankful that i have a lot of cleaning and things to do today, because it's in preparation for a visit with my sisters and their adorable kids.

this is what makes me smile:
surprise banana cream pie.

i am not good at being a friend. it happens over and over. i find a friend, we get a long really well, have fun together, learn to trust each other. time goes by, we grow. we change. our friendship does the same. we over look one another's faults, help each other to change if we can, and accept help when we need it. we are honest. we talk, we listen, we advise, and even admonish. we argue, we apologize, we forgive. friendship. that is what i wish i could be thankful for today.

Day 12:
today i am thankful for honesty. even when it comes way too late.

this is what makes me smile:
being real, even when real is unusual.

Day 11:
today i am thankful that it's Veteran's Day, so i have something to feel thankful about. i mean, if i didn't feel thankful for the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for my greater good, what kind of human would i be, anyway?

this is what makes me smile:
my daughter. and not a whole heck of a lot else today.


God bless all our Veterans.

whoopsie. yesterday was a day full of ups & downs...i woke up refreshed, because i was so grumpy day before that i'd made myself go to bed early..got some nice news in the morning, saw some people i hadn't seen for months & received a few heartfelt hugs, had a rather easy morning at work doing some office-y type work for most of the time..and then i got a call that literally caused my breath to catch, and my heart to crumble. noone died. but i got some terrible news, and thought the rest of the day was definitely sunk. nope. the afternoon was revived after spending some sweet quality time with my kiddo, and then spending some more time with my kiddo. had a good talk with an old friend, and forgot to update this blog.

Day 9:
yesterday i was definitely thankful for the caring teachers and staff at my daughter's school. those people are great, and it's awesome when you are blessed with people as educators and support staff who genuinely care about your child's welfare.

Day 10:
i am thankful for the beauty of a sunset.

this is what makes me smile:

today was not my favorite. i want to yell and whine about the insanely crappy afternoon i had, but then i start to feel guilty because many people have much more to complain about i do. seriously, though..it sucked.

Day 8:
today i am thankful that even when i am in a foul mood, i am reminded that things could always be much worse.

this is what makes me smile:
looking at really old stuff.

i am not, under normal circumstances, a diva. or anything close to a diva. but today i totally was. and it sucked. i actually may have been less "diva" and more "actually standing up for myself and what i want"...but i felt like a diva, nonetheless. i am not a fan.

Day 7:
today, i am thankful to have good health. so many people who i grew up knowing have passed away in the past few weeks, that it has left me kind of reeling. people younger than my parents-who are relatively young compared to parents of most people my age. some who didn't take care of themselves, and fell into disease because of poor self-maintenance. some who were in that boat, but worked hard to turn their lives around...just a little too late. and some, who, despite respecting their bodies were eaten alive by cancer. i am really thankful that in heaven, there will be no disease. 

this is what makes me smile:
longevity.

Day 6:
thankful to live in a country where i have amazing rights, privileges, and freedoms.

this is what makes me smile:
exercising my civic duty.

Day 5
today i am thankful that after tomorrow this ridiculous presidential campaign will finallly be over. then we will get to hear the winner say "neener, neener." and the loser will cry foul & demand recounts and investigations of voter fraud, etc...i hate politics.

this is what makes me smile:
reflections.

woohoo. the sun came out today. for the entirety of the daylight hours. it was fantastic, because the past 11 days were full on clouds. tropical clouds for about half that time.

Day 4
today i am thankful to live close to a town, but not IN a town.

this is what makes me smile:
kittens.

aaand i missed a day already. heheh. i have a decent excuse, though. i spent the afternoon/evening/and well into the night making my niece's birthday present. she is a huge disney princess fan...what 3 year old girl isn't?? so, i decided i was going to make her a rapunzel wig, "Tangled" style. i went out and found all the supplies i needed (it is ridiculously difficult to find yellow yarn. i ended up with a pale yellow textured "baby" yarn), came home and got busy. about 10 minutes into the project i made a grim discovery. someone, at some point while i was away for the summer, spilled something very sticky on my sewing machine. no good. i am now sewing machine-less with a few previously promised projects coming due in the next couple of weeks. i am facing a bit of a conundrum. anyway, because of the death (no fixing that sticky mess..i tried for nearly an hour.) of my machine, i was forced to do the sewing by hand. blarrrgh. there was a whole lot of yarn cutting, untangling, gluing, sewing, untangling, braiding, untangling, re-braiding, and decorating. hot glue really hurts...this was the end result:

and now on to the thankfulness..

Day 2
yesterday, i was thankful for rice. it is so very versatile. 

Day 3
today i am thankful to have a place to live. i have friends who don't, and it sucks to not be able to do much to help them. it also makes me think about how close i am to being in the same situation.

this is what makes me smile:
it was a winner.

i have been meaning to get back to this...

to get back into the swing of things, i am going to hop onto the "22 days of thanks" bandwagon. that's right, i'm going to post one thing i am thankful for every day, right up until the "Big Day" when i will celebrate all these blessings around a table piled high with delicious food, and in the company of a group of crazies. i do love Thanksgiving. 

Day 1

i am thankful for my family. yep...took the easy way out here, but it's true. i love each and every member of my family, and i wouldn't have a different set of strange individuals to call my clan if i was offered the world in exchange.

this is what makes me smile:

weirdos to call my very own.

O LORD, You have searched me and You know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. 
Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD.


You hem me in-behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. 
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.


Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I go to flee from Your Presence? 
If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. ♥


If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light will become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.


For You created me in my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.
When I  was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before even one of them came to be. ♥


How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You.


If only You would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! They speak of You with evil intent; Your adversaries misuse Your name. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against You? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.


Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ♥


Psalm 139




This is what makes me smile:
flowers.

some things of note that occurred this week (in no particular order):

• a huge turkey waddled across the road in front of me.
• thunder shook my house at night.
• i found out that the road closure which forced me to re-route my drive to and from work never actually happened, so i've been going "the back way" for two weeks for no reason.
• my sister and her family came for a visit. ♥
• i saw a swan, a great blue heron, a bald eagle, a bluebird, a sparrow, and a hawk...all in the same day.
• my daughter cleaned her room without being asked. !
• a deer snorted and pawed the ground in my general direction...like a bull. i have never thought a deer was about to kill me before. it was an interesting experience...and one i don't want to repeat.
• while i was walking, an f-15 flew over, escorting a small plane to a local airport..loud.
• i found a HUGE four leaf clover...and i didn't pick it. i want to see how big it will get.
• i wrote a really boring blog post.
• on friday (today), i thought it was thrusday all day..until around 7:30 pm..then i had the greatest evening ever. well maybe not ever, but it was a good one.
• there was a cloud that looked just like a scorpion hovering above the sun at sunset.
• i was blessed to wake up every day and to serve a faithful God who loves me with an everlasting love.

Colossians 3:15

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

this is what makes me smile:

little girls + flowers. 

have you ever stood on the edge of a 2 foot drop off, and imagined that the weeds you saw below you were really trees, the drop was actually a 100 ft cliff, and instead of a man made lake, you were looking down at the ocean?
if not, you should give it a whirl. it's pretty cool to feel like a giant. :)

the picture doesn't do the moment justice, but here it is, none the less.

"The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice!" Psalm 97:1