Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Heaven is For Real

Yesterday after school, I went to go see Heaven is for Real at the theater.

The book was really good, so I thought I would see the movie, and how they were able to interpret the story.

Let me just say, it was a great movie!! It made me cry several times, and it showed a realistic view of life, and everything that a family would go through in life.

If you don't know, Heaven is For Real is based on a true story, about a family who went through very hard times, where the father was a pastor and was facing rough times with his church, is in a freak accident playing softball, and then his and his wife's young son, who was four at the time of this event, had to go in for surgery because of a burst appendix.

During the surgery, Colton, the boy, left his body and visited Heaven, although he did not die. It was a very difficult thing for the father to accept and then to explain to others, when Colton described this to him. But he accepted it as true, and truly believed that his son visited Heaven and saw Jesus.

Heaven is For Real was/is a very touching, moving book, and now movie. I highly recommend both.

Monday, April 28, 2014

All Animals Seek Love


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Saturday, April 26, 2014

Meetup #4: Lunch at Delia's Kitchen

Today was Meetup #4 for me: brunch at a local restaurant called Delia's Kitchen.

I had never been there before, so I figured I would check it out by going to this Meetup.

Seven other women went to this brunch meetup, and they were all very nice, although much more talkative than I was. But, I enjoyed myself nontheless.

I had Belgian waffles and bacon, and it was very good! I will definitely be going here again.

I am so glad I went, as I have been wanting to go to Delia's Kitchen for ages. I live only a few blocks away, yet I've never been. This meetup event was a very good excuse for me to get out, and to go here.

The next Meetup event I plan on going to is Giving Artfully Charity Crafting Night on May 7th. I enjoyed the craft night last time, and look forward to the next one.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter Fun

Well, Easter is over now. The day went by fast, although I really enjoyed it.

The day started out with church at 9:30 am. On the way there, I saw a little girl wearing a bunny ears headband. I have one of my own, and love it.

Around 12:30 pm, my dad and I left go drive over to my sister's place, to celebrate with her and her family.

My niece and nephew were both very happy to see us, and to get their Easter baskets. We had an Easter dinner (ham, asparagus, potatoes, and sauerkraut), my niece and nephew had an Easter egg hunt (I was asked to hide the eggs again, which I don't mind doing), we had dessert (French silk pie), and then just relaxed awhile.

During that time, a friend of my niece, and her little sister had come over to play for a while.

The sweetest thing that happened was that the younger sister (who I think was about three years old) kept sitting next to me, even sitting right up close to me a couple times.

That made me feel really good, as it showed me that the girl trusted me enough to want to sit next to me, and to like me. We have never met before, so I was a little surprised by that, but I didn't mind at all. She was such a sweetheart!

Her older sister was also very nice to me, but she was really talkative. That's not a bad thing exactly, but seeing./hearing a six-year-old (I think that's how old she is) talk that much is...interesting. In a good way.

Prior to Easter, I had boiled eggs on Friday, to dye them later. That is one thing I will NEVER get tired of doing. Ever.

Saturday, I dyed the eggs, which came out really well, and made a bunny cake. It wasn't the greatest, but it came out better than expected, which I am happy about.

I had never made a bunny cake before, so I didn't really know what to expect, but it was a neat experience.

I have seen recipes for bunny cakes on several occasions, and have been wanting to make one for a while, and I finally got the chance to make it for the weekend.

Here are some pictures of the fun.

French Silk Pie...Yummy!!

                                                 The garage of the LEGO Simpsons House

The LEGO Simpson House, in progress

In progress

The Easter Bunny cake I made for Easter






Happy Easter!! These are magnetic color cubes that I got for my birthday, from a neighbor family.

Dyeing eggs for Easter


I had to change to these cups, as the other ones didn't work as well.



Hard-boiling the eggs so I can dye them for Easter.

All the eggs are dyed!
 
 
I hope everyone who celebrates it, had a wonderful Easter!
 

A Dad's Letter to His Daughter

While on Pinterest today, I came across a pin about a letter a dad wrote to his daughter, about her future husband. It was amazingly, beautifully written, and I think every woman should read it.

Enjoy!

Just Be You


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Friday, April 18, 2014

Itching to Play the Violin Again

I played the violin for a couple years in elementary school (fourth and fifth grade), and then quit. I seriously regret quitting, as hearing people play the instrument makes me wish I had kept going with it, and was still playing it now.

When I was at a local thrift store yesterday, I found a CD by one of my favorite violinists, Andre Rieu, a Dutch musician, and it made me want to pick up the violin again.

My other favorite is David Garrett, a German-American violinist. I heard about him the same way I heard about Andre Rieu, by seeing concerts of them on TV a few years ago.

My sister got me into the instrument, when she played in school. I remember she had shown me how to play a few notes on her violin, and had me play them. When I did, she brought me over to our parents to show them that I could play the notes.

I am so glad she got me into this, as I love the sound of violins, and had fun in my elementary school's orchestra.

I'm planning on saving up for a new(er) violin, as the one I have from when I was in elementary school is too small for me.

Music is a big part of my life, and love my range of favorite music, from classical, to pop, to country, to Christian, to foreign.

I am looking forward to getting back into the fray of things, and relearning how to play the violin. I just need to actually practice playing regularly, because I didn't like to practice very much in elementary school.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

I Still Want to Be a Special Education Teacher

Even though I didn't do well in classes while I was going for my special education degree, and had to switch majors, I still want to be a special education teacher.

Part of the reason is that I have a learning disability myself, and have some idea what it's like to be in the special education program, and some idea what those students go through.

Another part is because I have several friends who have disabilities, both physical and non-physical. They have inspired me to want to be a special education teacher.

Also, I love children, and this is probably the best way for me to help them.

Although, I am a very shy person, and do NOT like speaking in front of a group of people. And, I didn't really do in school, until I got to college. And I didn't really like school because of this.

But, I still want to try again for my special education degree. I also tend to check out teaching ideas on Pinterest, for if I do become a teacher. There are a lot of great teaching ideas on there, which makes me want to be a teacher even more.

I also plan on going for my teacher's aide degree as well. So, even if I don't become the main teacher in a classroom, I'll still be able to help out in the classroom, as an assistant.

I just hope that I can do better this time in my classes, than last time. I seriously want to get a degree in this field. And that I will have a lot of support in this dream.

Although, this won't happen for a while, as I want to concentrate on finishing my baking/pastry degree, before starting another one.

Monday, April 14, 2014

True Beauty


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Sunday, April 13, 2014

Finding Vivian Maier

On April 4th, while volunteering at the library delivering materials to homebound patrons, I was using a photography app on my phone, and the guy I was volunteering with noticed. I told him I am really into photography, and that I plan to get my photography degree someday.

This past Friday, he surprised me by giving me this article, about a documentary called "Finding Vivian Maier" :








It is in theaters right now, and none of the theaters near me are playing it, so I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD to see it.

It is about a photographer, Vivian Maier, who worked as a nanny in Chicago's northern suburbs. She would take the children she looked after on many expeditions, and took many, many photos on those expeditions.

It seems interesting, so I will definitely check it out when I can get a chance.

So, to the guy I volunteer with every Friday morning, thank you for giving me this article. I really appreciate it!!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Living the Single Life

I have never had a boyfriend, and although I do want to be in a relationship someday, I am perfectly content with being single at the moment.
 
I can focus more on my schooling, and finding a job, and taking care of myself.

Yes, I do eventually want to have a boyfriend, and eventually a husband, but it's not a huge priority at the moment. Though, I am starting to get a little anxious about when that will happen, as I am getting close to 30, and I really want to start a family of my own.

This is my favorite "single" song, that Natasha Bedingfield sings. It pretty much sums it up for me right now.

Although, I am starting to think about (hopefully) getting in a relationship someday soon, as I really want to get married and start a family. And I'm not getting any younger!!

I don't see why teenagers and young adults feel like they have to rush into relationships, and to go through a bunch of different boyfriends/girlfriends before they get married.

They have many, many years ahead of them, and they don't need to be worried about whether they are in a relationship in high school. They need to focus more on school, friends, and family time.

So, for the time being, I am content being single (no drama, no anger, no negativity). Although, I won't say no to going out on occasion!

Friday, April 11, 2014

Volunteer Appreciation Week

This week is Volunteer Appreciation Week, and while getting ready to volunteer at the library today, I was given a thank you card and treat (a bar of chocolate) from the volunteer director, in appreciation of the volunteer work I did.

It is nice to be appreciated on occasion. Especially for the work I do. It means people notice what I am doing, and appreciate it.

There is going to be a Volunteer Appreciation Reception next month, and I am looking forward to it.

I love the volunteer work that I am doing, and plan to stay with it as long as I can.

This is the second year of my volunteering at the library, which is amazing. I can't believe it's been that long already. It kind of feels like yesterday that I first started, but it also feels like ages as well.

I am so thankful for this opportunity at the library, and for the amazing people I met during this time. Everyone has been so nice to me, and supportive in everything else that I do.

So, as the library is thanking us volunteers for our work, I thank them for giving me this opportunity to work with them. I truly enjoy it, and it wouldn't be the same without it.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

This Needs to Stop

Yesterday, there was yet another school incident, this time a stabbing. It happened at a Pennsylvania high school, where a 16-year-old stabbed 21 people.

Just because you are hurting, that does not make it right to take it out on other people. If you feel the need to hurt others, PLEASE TALK TO SOMEONE/GET HELP.

No one deserves to go through something like this. Ever.

Prayers, thoughts go out to those affected by this event.

A Change is in the "Hair"

Well, today I got a hair cut. I normally don't like getting haircuts, but I really needed one. Plus, I've always wanted to try a pixie style, and since the weather is warming up, I figured I'd go for it now.

I am very happy with how it came out. The stylist did a wonderful job.

Here is my before picture:



And....


My after picture:




It is very short, but that is what I wanted. Although, it'll probably take me a while to get used to the new length, as I am so used to how it was before.

I wanted to try a pixie style cut, like I said, and had been looking for the perfect cut for about a week or so. I found a picture of the perfect cut today on the internet.

My hair isn't quite the same as in the photo I found, but that's ok. I am very happy with my hair.

I am going to miss my long hair, and I will grow it long again. But, I figured I'd get a short style for the summer, so I don't have to spend a lot of time on my hair.

A few people have already commented on how they really like it, and that feels good to hear.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Meetup #3: Making Hats for Preemies and Pillowcases for Cancer Patients

Today was the third Meetup event I went to. It was a charity craft event, where we made hats for preemies, and pillowcases for cancer patients.

I hadn't done any knitting or crocheting in a while, so this was a perfect excuse for me to start up again.

The women there were very nice, although I think I was the youngest one there. But, I had a good time.

I crocheted a hat, and it came out pretty good, although I made a minor mistake during the process. Here is a picture of the finished product:


Purple is my favorite color, so that's why the hat is purple. It looks pretty good, seeing as this is only the second thing I've crocheted.

All in all, today was a good day, and I am so happy that I was able to make something for someone in need.

Monday, April 7, 2014

Your Greatest Test


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Saturday, April 5, 2014

Joy Drive

Some time ago, I heard about Joy Jars, and I was on the NEGU website, and saw an idea for hosting a Joy Drive.

This organization was started in memory of Jessie Rees, a girl who died from cancer.

I am thinking of hosting a Joy Drive sometime this summer, and maybe ask a friend or two if they want to help out as well.

I do not like seeing people suffer, especially children. It just breaks my heart. And if I can do something to help out, even just a tiny bit, I'll feel like I helped someone live. Or at least get the treatment they need, or whatever else they required.

So, if you want to help in some way, please check out the NEGU website. It is well worth the time and money!

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Vegetarian/Vegan Lifestyle

Several years ago, I tried the vegetarian lifestyle, which was inspired by my sister, who had been a vegetarian for many years.

But it only lasted for a month.

Although, in that month, I had more energy, I felt better, I was sleeping better, and because of that I wasn't as tired as I usually would be.

I also cut down on how much meat I ate in general a bit.

I recently went out to eat at a vegan/vegetarian restaurant with a few other women, and the food was great!

Since I have tried healthy foods that taste really good, I am more willing to be a healthier person in the long run.

I have been recently checking out vegetarian/vegan cookbooks from the library, to see if there are any recipes that would interest me, and so far, about half of them do interest me. Hopefully I will be able to start making these recipes soon! They sound really good!!

Let's just hope I can stick to this lifestyle for longer than a month this time!