November Highlights

I truly did enjoy November this year. Was it a bit hard? Oh yeah. Were there things that made my stomach scrunch up and my head have a stress headaches...oh yes! But I did have so many wonderful things that happened!

 I enjoyed each and every day I got to sub. I truly feel like I have happiness adrenaline when I get work! I love to work and play with the kids at recess! I love teaching and walking around the schools with my little ducklings behind me! I applied for jobs that would thrill me to pieces even if I just got an interview and imagining the jobs is enough to get me hyper! I also had hard days of figuring out if I truly should keep subbing. The market is seriously INSANE here on PEI! There are tons of subs, experienced with Masters degrees and years teaching out West and tons of upgraded courses and specialties that are in the same boat as me. So I try to keep perspective...when I get work I am happy.

I am enjoying our little house! We have (ALMOST) finished our upstairs bathroom! The whole house is all cozy and decorated! We had lots of visitors come by this month and I hosted my first baby shower! It was JAMMED in here! It was a mix of old friends from my church that split a few months back...so that was strange but good. We have been trying to really get comfortable in our new church experience, but sometimes I just feel sad that for the past 6 years (since returning from Japan) I've enjoyed going to church with so many faces that I love, including both sides of our family, and now we don't go to church with any of them. The up-side, the service starts at 9 am and we are done by 10:15 to enjoy a relaxing Sunday together! I love Sundays!

So now its almost my fave month. I'm hoping to blog through the 1000 gifts like I tried to do last year!! But still waiting for the new updated calendar, if not I'll just reuse last years! Hope to see lots of Christmas decorations from anyone else who happens to read this! LOL!

Pretty excited to play in some snow with my husband this year!!! 

(this is from our engagement shoot: Photo Credit: Justin Hebb)

Christmas Decorations!!!

Disclaimer: I know I don`t have the coolest, craftiest, pinterest-esque Christmas decorations! But I can honestly tell you that most of the decorations I have are very nostalgic for me! Even the dated ones that I got passed on from my childhood Christmas memories from my Mom, or the ones that I got from KT in Japan when Josh and I celebrated with her, or the ones that I got this year from one of my dear older friends Mrs. Bell! I have decorations that were made by my sister in 1995, and decorations that were Christmas gifts from high school,weddings, college... Christmas books I`ve been collecting for years and special little trinkets that precious friends have given to me over the years. So poor Danny has alot of CHRISTMAS in his face this year! He told me if he lived in the house alone he wouldn`t even put up decorations....say what!!!! I can`t believe it!!! Anyways....here`s a little tour, mostly for my sweet friend Kristin who loves to be part of my life even though she`s miles away! She`ll be here in real life soon to see it all!!!

Here`s the quick view!!! (hahah)(Thanks to finally figuring out Picassa Collage Maker)

Here`s the long view.....

Welcome to 46 Hilltop Drive

My little green kitchen...All of these things are so nostalgic. Those hanging stockings were given to me and Josh for our Christmas in Japan, filled by KT!!! And the wooden ornaments hung in my childhood trees, and both of my apartments as a single girl! And this year I even have mistletoe given to me by Mrs. Bell!!!

My Living Room

This year my mom gave me her little village that fits perfectly on our Bay Window sill....oh man so many years of setting this up and acting out the villagers lives! I love our stockings and just feel so blessed in our cozy, colorful living room where we spend most of our time! Can`t wait to get our tree!

Downstairs Den and Laundry Room

This is more of the random and crazy decorations that I just want to use even though they aren`t that cool or cute! I love all the little random collections I have sitting every which place I can find! haha Dan hasn`t seen this yet, so he`s in for a real treat when he gets home from work!

Our Bedrooms

 This is where I put all my love themed decorations! I just love our bedroom! Dan bought that little heart hanging from the window for my stocking last year and Kristi made us the BEST wedding gift ever of a tupperware full of decorations and I found those two hanging little hearts on my dresser! I love all the little decorations I have and that little Santa I found in Japan and I just love him!!

Outside-Day

Dan and I cut down some greens on the weekend and hung them up to dry and I just quickly put them together into a ``RUSTIC`` looking wreath! It will do!! haha

My little home cozy at night

I`m so thankful for my darlin husband for hanging those lights for me! He did it on the coldest afternoon and I just love seeing them twinkle when we come home at night!

Looking forward to seeing some of YOUR decorations soon!!!

Journey out of the depths of despair

Last week was a bit rough around the edges. I can speak of it now because I am currently filled with a million jumping butterflies in my stomach because I just saw my dream job posted at my dream school...and although the logical side of my brain says I'm probably NOT going to be considered for it, the dreamer in me is already imagining how I'd organize my classroom!! That's just the way I am!

This month has been hard in a few ways. My dads been in the hospital for over a week, and hoping to get out this week! There's been improvement so that's great! We are connected with a few families that have major health concerns and this is hard. Its almost debilitating-ly hard to not know what to do when someone is going through a hard time. My go to is food and flowers. Its what I want to do to help and sometimes the only thing I can think of to do. And in this case I can't even do that very well since my friend is all the way in Nova Scotia. But I'm trying to think of other ways to help.

And the big looming darkness is work. I actually had a big cry last week about it and my darlin husband just let me cry big wet tears on him for a few minutes...but then he patiently suggested and encouraged me to volunteer more and work even harder at achieving my dream. He hates seeing me discouraged but he said exactly the right thing to remind me that there's always something I can do. I hate selling myself. I'm not a good marketer and feel like that should have been a course that is offered in Education degrees because marketing yourself is maybe the BIGGEST obstacle that you deal with after graduating. I know I love kids and I know I work hard but selling myself and convincing the adults in the system I should be there is not my fave...playing with the kids, drawing and reading, teaching and working directly with students IS my fave. I long to be a teacher so much. Its a little distracting how much sometimes. I stuff it down and try to fill my days with being a housewife, but I listen to talks like this!!! and I just want to be a CHAMPION to some little people on a consistent basis!

And reading blogs of productive woman who are successful at what they do is also something that confuses me. Sometimes I feel encouraged, but other times I get a little down seeing all they accomplish in their waking hours!

I literally have few obligations right now in my life...and this hilarious youtube video reminded Danny and I of this really magical time in our marriage of TIME TOGETHER!!! We literally can just walk out the door! hahah I love that! And things will not always be like this (hopefully!!!) but I can't seem to figure out how to really just accept where I'm at in life! I am always looking forward to what could/will happen next!

All that to say I want to leave this post with joy in my words that despite the darkness that inches in some days there is truly so many things that are lovely and wonderful in my days such as:

• our house is finally at a stage that we have had visitors come over...including a crazy amount of woman for a Baby Shower (this was a wonderful reunion of a bunch of ladies from our old church who haven't all been together in a few months due to our church split...crazy but great!!) and a sleep over with our nephews and an aps and zerts with some of my fave people around our dining table!!
• Fresh flowers on my table! There is something that just always cheers me up when this happens
• Cozy rainy nights with my best friend (and fresh salted brownies for a treat!!!)
• re-reading Harry Potter series has been fun! I have to use a head lamp when I read at night...to be polite to my bed-mate!!! But I'm already almost done book 3!
• Movie Nights! Last week we saw Ender's Game and hopefully tonight we are going to see THOR! I can't wait and it helps that we can go to 2 movies a month instead of 1 when we go on cheap night!
• New yummy recipes! Last night we had coconut mango chicken with basmanti rice! Tasty! And it also helped that Dan had it cooking after I got home from tutoring! 
• I have to say that I am enjoying reading through Romans as we are studying this at our new church! Its a deep book but very encouraging to go through a whole book of the Bible and learn the background and context of some of my fave verses!
• Enjoying seeing our house come together! Dan's almost done our bathroom renos! Can't wait to show you the before/after pic! 

Have a great day! Thanks for reading!

Twinkle Lights and other blessings

When I was younger, I used to have a Christmas decorating contest with my brother, who lived next door over! We would put lights all over our room, with tacks sticking every which way, all around our windows and over our closet doors! We would have Christmas tunes blaring from our tape decks, most likely Marty Robbins or Boys II Men! Oh man, I am getting excited just thinking about it!

Its November, which means...CHRISTMAS IS A COMIN!!!!

But this year I had fun decorating my house for FALL/THANKSGIVING! I have pretty little twinkle lights in my kitchen and living room and almost as soon as the day starts I will turn them on and it will make me feel a 1000 times more excited!

We have been working away at our house and it feels cozy and I love being here. It's definitely my favorite place to be with Danny! So I will post a few updated pics so you can see how we are doing so far in our renos!

Kitchen:
Here it was in May:

• with help from our friends and family we painted the ceiling, took down the wall paper, got a new table and chairs.....

  

Here it is in October: We still need to touch up a few spots on the ceiling and replace our "beautiful" chandelier but for the most part I feel pretty happy with our little kitchen! Down the road we may also change our flooring in the kitchen side, but pretty happy with our  wood floor for our dining room! 

 In May: (pardon the blurry pic) We had lots of supplies "decorating" our counters....

 In October: My twinkle lights made their appearance, and although I'd prefer fresh flowers as often as I can I like to keep the little pink ones there as well! I have some fake leaves around my window too! I'm still getting used to the LIME color of my walls, and was honestly a bit disappointed with the shade at first, but its cheerful and does give the room a more finished look then that wall paper for sure! Who knows, maybe some day I can tone it down to a lighter green, or I may just end up loving it!

Summer Fall

Living Room:

Before-May...........................................August...........................................

October..............................................

Before: May....................................................August.............................................................

 October............................................................................................................

Looking from the kitchen......

August.........................................................October............................................................

                             

 Our Bedroom: in May......

 and now in October...........................

This was my Gram/Papa Bredin's dresser and I refinished it! I was so happy it turned out so good!

Upstairs Bathroom in May.....and not yet done in October!!! (can't wait to show you when its done though!)

                      

Outside!!!First time walking through it in May....

And Celebrating Fall!!! but we still have a dirty gross step to clean up and tons of updates outside, but that will come!!!(We hope and pray, anyways!!!)

Morning Miracle

I love charts, lists, spreadsheets, forms and anything that makes it visually easier to see information. Nerd alert???
I'd say so.

Anyways. I've already pushed (MINT) on my reader (maybe, readers??) and to recap quickly, its an amazing FREE website that helps visually organize and budget your money. Its great.

So Subbing hasn't really been the greatest in the past 2 weeks...circumstances due to Thanksgiving, Teacher Convention, and maybe teachers are healthy??? I don't know. I just want to work. And last night I made a huge chart to compare subbing from last year to this year...and the numbers don't lie. I am not making millions by any stretch of the imagination. Its alarming actually how few days I get when I look at it on paper.

I'm not really encouraged and I am scared that I am going to have to walk away. We had a pretty big conversation about it last night and I went to sleep with a few sad tears in my eyes wondering what the future holds for me.

This morning I woke up sending emails, researching and trying to make something happen for myself. I sent a spur of the moment email out to my prayer warrior friends and SECONDS later...I was assigned work. SECONDS! LITERALLY!

I don't know what that means, but for today it encourages me. I want to sub more than anything. I wish I could send an email to every teacher and principal on PEI to tell them how MUCH I want this. I would do anything to have work every day of the week and would travel anywhere to make it happen. But for now I have to just do what I can.

So today I work.

Praying for work for tomorrow, but one day at a time.

Feelings...nothing more than...feelings!!!

I've always had a lot of feelings. Since Danny, I think I'm more aware of them, maybe just a bit more full of feelings too...love, frustration, joy, etc..hahaha you know what I'm sayin! Anyways, I don't really like reading blogs that complain, and fortunately none of the ones I read regularly do. I like reading people who have joy and look for good and are happy with their lives even though its not always perfect. Even now there are people popping in my head of those types that can at least "present to the world" a happy spin on things! Thank you to those few people.

I am not really feeling particularly joyful about not having full time employment in teaching. But every single time I start to complain (in my head or out loud) I am reminded by someone or by myself (the odd time) that I have so many things to be grateful for.

• every day I thank God for Dan. If he was all I had, I'd be the luckiest
• I am thankful for my families. I have brothers and sisters from both sides all within a 5 or 10 minute drive. If my prayers are answered my brother will move home from Toronto! Our two oldest siblings on both sides of our families are not as close in distance, but we still manage to see them and feel part of their lives. All of that to say. pretty lucky. VERY, in fact.
• But beyond that, I have a Home. I have a home I LOVE to be in. Its not perfect, done or even very well decorated but I love being home. Its my favorite place to be with Danny. We love the beach, We love our visits, We love to camp and (I) love our visits in town to the shops...but my favorite part of every day is the end of the day when Dan drives in the yard and is home for the night.
• Work: I do not have a full time job, but I have got to work in my field this year. I got to be part of lots of different classes and grades. I got to teach full time all summer in my own classroom, planning my own lessons for my own students. And since fall, (no---I did not have as may days as I WISH) but the fact that I had ANY days booked is a blessing. I am grateful and thankful and LOVE my job and work is FUN for me. I want to work. I pray for work and I am utterly thankful when I get work.
• PEI: You would not believe the colors, the beauty, the air, the scenes, the beauty, the people, the wonder of living here. Its the best place on earth. I love it. Did I mention how BEAUTIFUL it is in the FALL!!!
• Food: We love eating and preparing yummy meals! We have been given so much meat in the past few months by our dear friend Amanda who was moving and then Dans boss also gave us a ton of beef  as well. I spend too much on groceries but I am learning to be organized and generous with my food. I love to share and want to be as generous as so many have been to us. Both sides of our families are gifted with generous and kind siblings and parents who have extended the welcome to us so much in the past and I am learning to open my home and heart to others as well.
• Health: I have just discovered, or become self aware, that I am a bit of a hypochondriac. I hate even imagining anything wrong. I do not want or like being sick...duh...but I am also aware that there are so many things that could go wrong. Daily, all the time, every day there is some health concern or issue that someone in my life is dealing with. I hear about it through calls, emails and FB. There is so much pain and suffering around me sometimes it overwhelms me. And then I feel so thankful for what I have. I am not the picture of HEALTH but I can run and swim and climb and walk and enjoy my life. I am thankful for an active husband who is a great example to me too. We both could stand to lay off the sweets, of course, but all in all, I do feel like we are blessed with health.
• Friends: I have lived a life surrounded with good people. There has never really been a time that I have not been connected to good people. Friends are a blessing and the older I get the more I realize how precious those people are and how much more intentional it is to keep connections strong. I know I am not great at keeping in touch. I need to do this because  I want to keep my friends. I am inspired by my own mother who has 3 or 4 faithful friends that have prayed for eachothers kids for over 40 years! CAN YOU IMAGINE!!! that is crazy! I have recently been blessed and feel so much more connected by praying for my friends kids and hope to follow my moms example of a faithful prayer partner for their lives and see wonderful blessing by watching these kids grow up...even if some of them I have only ever seen in pictures.

I know there are many more. I love my life here. I am frustrated with my financial and work situation but beyond that there is blessing upon blessing when I really look for it. I am thankful even though sometimes it takes me awhile to get out of my slump.

Thanksgiving Adventures

Oh the colors of Fall! I love how they look! I love the fresh air and seeing trees in their glory days! I know Winter is coming, but we are still enjoying the cool, sunny Fall days! After stuffing our faces at a DELISH meal at Mom's we all agreed we needed a nature hike complete with TONS of photo shoots along the way! *Action/Blurry Shot Below*

Together at the new Ropes Course in Cornwall-Rise and Climb! So fun! We did this with Dan's sister and let me tell you, she is much braver and handles herself with much more grace and dignity! haha I only screamed once but I did falter a bit over one of the sections! Thank Goodness Dan was there to reach out a helping hand! But I had so much fun! My body was in achy pain for a few days after! But GOOD pain!

My cuddle bug! I love this guys hugs!