Back to the Grind

Good Afternoon Friends! I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend! There hasn't been too much going on around here. Thankfully, I have had a few days to just relax. We have had a couple of really beautiful days which have made me long for summer all the more! I am ready for consistent warm weather, the beach, a tan, watermelon, flip-flops, tank tops, pool days, lemonade, summer nights, and no school. Mmm....

Anyways, no more of that talk because it is not summer yet! Brett's parents came into town this weekend. It was great to spend the weekend with them! Yesterday was absolutely beautiful so we took Outlaw, Drew and Brett's dog, to the park to walk. He loved it. We loved it. Last night Brett and I cooked for his family and we watched the Olympics. We made chicken parmesan and it was delicious. For dessert... chocolate-chip cookie dough dessert. I have made this easy dessert probably 30 times. All credit for this goes to my dear friend Katherine and her family. Katherine's mom made this for us all the time when we came over in high school. I have passed the recipe on to many other friends so I suppose I will share.

First, spread a roll of cookie dough on the bottom of a 13x9 dish. Mix one egg, a cup of sugar, and an 8 oz package of cream cheese. Spread this one top of the cookie dough then break another roll into pieces on top. Oven on 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. So easy. So good. Enjoy!

This week is going to be looooong. I don't have classes so I will be with my fourth graders all week! I am excited. I guess I better be considering this is what I will be doing when I graduate! :) I will be teaching two more of my own lesson plans so hopefully they go well! I will be going to bed early and waking up early all week. So...I am relaxing this afternoon.

Before I depart from this fascinating post :) I want to tell you about church this morning. As I have mentioned before, we are going through the book of Genesis. This morning we were in chapter 25 discussing when Jacob and Esau were born. The overall point that Jack started with was that, "Families Can Cause Problems." This is different because so often we think that our families solve problems and make things so much better. If you think about Jacob and Esau, there was conflict from the beginning.

"The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, 'Why is this happening to me? So she went to inquire of the Lord.' The Lord said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.'" -Genesis 25:21-23

The Lord was telling Rebekah that she was going to have twins and that they were already at odds with one another. Also, normally the birthright is given to the oldest son which we will find out is Esau. The Lord is telling Rebekah that in her sons case this will be opposite. In verses 29-34 Esau comes in to get something to eat. He asks Jacob for some stew and Jacob says he will give him some of Esau will sell him his birthright. Just as the Lord told Rebekah, Esau agrees. Jacob's name means "trickster" which is appropriate. In this situation we see Esau give up a promise from God for instant gratification. He invested greater value in a bowl of stew than in a promise from the Lord! At first I am thinking, this is crazy but then Jack went on to say that so often, we are Esau. We sell the greater things that God has for us for the things of this world....only to be hungry again. Basically, our families are not solutions to our problems. We cannot value our relationships with our friends, parents, children, or anyone else more than our relationship with Christ. A relationship with Christ is the only solution, the only thing that can satisfy us. Have I mentioned I love my church? I love that we study full books of the Bible. I learn so much!

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my afternoon before I head back to the grind. Have a relaxing Sunday!

My Guy

Today was a day to celebrate! There were many reasons:

1.) It is now the weekend for me!

2.) I have a light week next week..

3.) Apparently we are getting SNOW tomorrow!!!!

But most importantly.....We got to celebrate the life of this special young man...

Today was Brett's 21st birthday. Although we didn't celebrate until tonight it was still a pretty good day. He had to coach tonight so I decided to surprise him by cooking dinner and having it at his house when he got done. This ended up being just what he needed because sadly, the lady bulldogs lost and ended their season. They really did have a great season and have so much to be proud of!!

So...I am going to give you a couple of recipes...you will be glad you have them! I was going to try to go all fancy and pull a Paula Dean but then I thought....Brett loves this dish....why not cook this? His eyes lit up when he saw what we were having! For dinner we had a simple recipe of jambalya. Attention!! If you are not so good in the kitchen or if you are great...this recipe is so good and so easy!!! It is almost impossible to mess up!

This is what you need:

2 cups of rice, a can of french onion soup, can of beef broth, 8 oz. can of tomato sauce, 1 lb of sausage, and a bunch of green onions

Also...you will need 2-3 lbs of chicken or shrimp (whatever you prefer) and you can throw in a bell pepper which I love but did not add tonight...

You simply put all of these ingredients into a 13x9 dish and cook for an hour and a half with the oven on 350 degrees. I am telling you....it is so good and so easy.

Dessert was so much fun for me to make..... Brett loves those chocolate molten cakes you can get at Chili's so I decided to attempt to make them. I have to say....I did a pretty good job. Brett claims that "it was better than Chili's!" These are slightly more time consuming but pretty easy as well...Here is what you need:

I used these trays for the individual cakes but you could use the giant-sized muffin pans as well. These were a little shallow but ended up working well. All you do is make the cakes as the box directs and bake them...

After they have cooled a bit take a serrated knife and cut a small hole in the top. Do not go all the way through to the bottom. Essentially, you are making a small crater in your cake. :) Take a spoon and slide the excess cake out creating a "crater"

Then take your fudge (already heated in the microwave for about 45 seconds) and fill the hole with the fudge! Stick your cakes in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Take it out...Pop it in the microwave for about 45 seconds...Stick a scoop of ice cream on there and top it off with the hard chocolate shell! It is delish!

The birthday boy also enjoyed reading his new Bible on his birthday.. haha. Okay just kidding...I mean, he really did get a new study Bible from my parents but he was really just reading Song of Solomon... Don't let him fool you! :)

Then...my gift. He wasn't quite sure what it was......

But I think he was pretty happy....

Hopefully I was able to make his 21st a memorable day! Oh, an in case all of you in Alabama haven't heard...we are apparently getting a little visit tomorrow. How I wish we could wake up to lots of white stuff. I fear it might only be a small amount. Oh well...it was enough to cancel school for my fourth graders tomorrow and they were simply thrilled about it! Everyone bundle up tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Sweet Sweet Boy! You are a blessing in my life!! :)

It Is Well With My Soul

Well, I have kept one New Year's resolution for one month so far.. :) I finished my book that I was reading as my January book. In case you have forgotten, my resolution was to read a book a month. Brett got me the book, The Jesus You Can't Ignore by John MacArthur.

I really loved this book. It was great because it went along perfectly with what I have been studying in my own personal time with the Lord. I have been going through the book of John and this book basically takes you through the gospels.

The overall theme is that Jesus has two very important sides and we tend to only see one side...or simply ignore the other. The book explains that Jesus was a loving, compassionate, gentle, and caring person. He is the one we see holding children and healing the blind and raising the dead. However, Jesus Christ was a bold man. He declared the truth without hesitation and confronted the religious leaders of his day with no apology. I love knowing that while Jesus walked this earth he was fully God, yet fully man. He experienced every single thing that I have ever experienced or ever will experience and still was without sin. That is amazing to me. Here are some quotes from the book that I loved:

"The effects of the wind may be observed, but its boundaries cannot be discerned by human senses, and the wind itself can neither be harnessed nor directed by human efforts or ingenuity. The Holy Spirit's ministry operates in a similar fashion. He is sovereign and moves where He wishes, not at the whim of any human agenda. his workings are not contained in-or automatically dispensed through-any religious rituals or ceremonial protocols. In fact, the Spirit isn't moved by what we do at all, but by His own sovereign will."

This part of the book was talking about Jesus and his interactions with Nicodemus:

"And Jesus cared more for the truth than He cared about how Nicodemus felt about it. Sometimes the truth isn't 'nice'--but it's always focused and unyielding."

"Obviously, both forgiveness and healing are impossible for any mere man to do. No mere man has the power either to heal at will or to absolve sin at will. Healing is actually a perfect metaphor for forgiveness in that regard. In fact, the two things are inseparable, because sickness is a result of the curse brought on creation by sin. Sickness is merely a symptom; sin is the ultimate cause."

"Jesus, of course, embodied all the attributes of God--kindness, long-suffering, and mercy on the one hand; wrath, righteousness, and judgment on the other. All those qualities are discernible in some measure in the way He dealt with the Pharisees over the course of His ministry. But because the gospel was at stake and His own lordship was constantly under attack from these men who were the most influential spiritual leaders in the nation, His tenderness never overshadowed His severity in any of His dealings with them."

Sorry they are such long quotes...I should've said here are some of my favorite sections from the book..Here is one more quote from the book that Charles Spurgeon said:

"He is a man--a thorough man throughout--a God-like man--gentle as a woman, but yet stern as a warrior in the midst of the day of battle. The character is balanced; as much of one virtue as of another. As in Deity every attribute is full orbed; justice never eclipses mercy, nor mercy justice, nor justice faithfulness; so in the character of Christ you have all the excellent things."

It really was an encouraging book and full of Scripture. Of course do we expect anything less from John MacArthur? Absolutely not. So I am on to the next book for February.. Hopefully I can stick with this resolution!

Now..I have to give a shout out to this special guy in the picture...Not that adorable Brazilian boy on the right...the other guy.

Since the semester started Brett and I have basically been crazy busy. Brett really doesn't get stressed much so I handle that part. It is an overwhelming time for us both. Brett is attempting to balance work, school, observation hours, etc. We pretty much see each other on the weekends because of our crazy schedules. Anyways, today was just one of those days when nothing seemed to go right for him. On the way home from dinner I was listening to the song "It is Well With My Soul." I was so encouraged by these words that I have heard forever...

"When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll.. Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control.. That Christ has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed His own blood for my soul. It is well, it is well with my soul."

I am so thankful that He is in control.

On that note..I hope everyone has a great week!

Sweet Little Reminders...

Children are a gift from the Lord....

Every Sunday night I get to hang out with a few of my favorite friends. Okay...so technically I babysit them but we have so much fun. We play dress-up, have sword fights, play candyland, read, and many other exciting things. Tonight..I walked in the door and was greeted by screams. They were all saying, "Hey!! I didn't know you were coming tonight! Hurry up! Come play!" They make me feel so loved. :) I know the above picture makes me look like a great babysitter. :) What can I say...I had four tonight and turned around for one second and she was in the cabinet. Naturally, I had to take a picture.

These two are inseparable.

She was a ballerina tonight...

Sorry it's so blurry..I didn't have a camera so the iPhone had to do. The quality of the picture doesn't take away any of their cuteness though...

I am so thankful that their parents entrust me to take care of them...They take so much of my stress away during those brief times I get to spend with them!

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend. Mine consisted of watching Brett coach, lesson plans, homework, and Miss America. Saturday night was great. Brett and I got to see my best friend and her husband (still weird to say :) ). They were in town visiting so we went and had dinner with them.

I'll be back tomorrow to update you on my book of choice for January! I have a little more to read tonight before bed....

Sleep tight...

It's All About Attitude

So today was one of those days that started off not so great but then ended up being fabulous! Honestly, it probably didn't need to be stressful but I have this new thing where I stress myself out and put far more pressure on myself than I really should. I know. I know. Not so smart. Thankfully, I have sweet friends and family who step right in and feed me truth and pray for me! I am so grateful for them. I constantly kept trying to remember in Psalms where it says, "Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you..." (Psalm 55:22)

The rest of my day was so great. After the initial unnecessary stress in my first class I had three more. How is this good? Well, in case you didn't know or couldn't tell..I LOVE my major. Really I do. No, class isn't always fun and I cannot wait to graduate but overall, I really do enjoy my classes and try to soak up all that I can in them. I have amazing teachers who are passionate about what they do which probably helps. After class I went to the intramural fields and walked with my sweet friend Julie. I love the time that I get to spend with her. What an incredible encouragement she is to my life. Now, I am sitting in bed, listening to worship music, blogging. :) What a perfect end to the day. I was looking through some pictures from Christmas that I was just now able to load on my computer because of "technical difficulties." Most are of Virginia...so obviously I have like over 200 and it takes forever to edit each one. Here are just a few that I love....

I mean seriously.....precious.

I love this. She loves to be rocked by her daddy. It is so fun to see Eric and Lindsey with Virginia. They are such great parents...

Jimpa and Lili

I know you are thinking you have never seen anything more beautiful....it's true. :)

On that note...I am off to bed.

A Tribute to a Wonderful Woman

Monday..Monday...Monday...I have to say, I am normally not bothered by them but today Monday and I just did not agree. I did not feel well. Classes were long and crazy. Things didn't go just how "I thought" they should have (that is probably the first problem... :) Will I ever just learn that the Lord is in control?)

I have to say...it ended up being a great afternoon/evening....except that I will be asleep by 10:30 after planning to be in bed at 9. Oh well....

Today was my mom's birthday. She is so amazing. Really, I can truly say that she is a woman whose example I desire to follow because she follows Christ. We had such a fun night. Amy, mom, Julie, and I all went to Felix's and had dinner together. It was nice to have a night with the girls and celebrate this wonderful day!

She is the most sincere, humble, gracious, giving, loving, honest, faithful, wonderful woman I know. No, she is not Jesus :) but she sure does strive to pursue holiness in all that she does. I am so grateful that the Lord blessed me with an example like her. I can say with complete honesty that she has the character of a Proverbs 31 woman.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her; 'Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.' Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Proverbs 31:25-31

Those verses are so true of her. I only hope to be half the mother, wife, and friend that she is.

Sorry this is so short...I have an early day and it is way past my bedtime!

So Much Joy

This past weekend was great. I was able to relax a bit and we had today off from school. Starting tomorrow....busy, busy, busy. Anyways, Friday was dads birthday so we celebrated that with family. I love my dad. He is truly the most amazing father. He is such an example to me. He just recently became the teaching leader for the evening men's BSF class. BSF is Bible Study Fellowship. This ministry began many years ago. It is a weekly Bible study that now involves men, women, and children all over the world. My mom began doing BSF about 12 years ago and it has truly transformed her heart and life which has been transforming our family as well. Now that my dad is beginning and evening mens class I can only imagine what this is going to do for the city of Mobile. My dad's obedience to the Lord and his walk is so encouraging to me. He is the most selfless and giving man I know and I am so thankful for him!

Saturday I spent the day doing homework with Brett. We also ran errands and attempted to give blood. Brett was successful...I, however, was unable to give blood. My poor little arms don't have many great veins. The nurse did not feel comfortable sticking me. Oh well. I will try again! :) Saturday night Brett and I went on a date.

I swear we don't take pictures every single time we go out...it had just been too long since we had taken a good one so I figured..why not! I just love him!

Tonight, just like every Monday night, I got to spend it with this precious little girl. Well, she would hate knowing I called her precious....we'll just call her cool! :)

I know...she is great! I love hanging out with this 6...almost 7 year old!

As I drove out to pick her up I was driving way out. Not exactly the country but kinda...it was beautiful out there and I couldn't resist taking a quick picture. Sorry for the not so great quality...

Seeing this is just a reminder of how great our God is! I have been learning so much lately. First of all, I am constantly reminded that I am a huge sinner and Christ is a huge Savior. When I was studying in John yesterday I came across something I had never really noticed or thought about before. John 11:9 says,

"Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

This verse spoke to me. "Day" is referring to the knowledge of Gods will and reliance on His guidance. "Night" is talking about our own self-reliance. If I am walking with complete reliance on Him and His Word, I am not going to stumble. I really needed to hear that. So often I think I rely on myself and I know I shouldn't. He is a definitely a much firmer foundation to stand on. I pray that I constantly remember that truth!

Well, back to my fourth graders tomorrow. I am definitely excited even though it is going to be an early morning! :) Until later....Goodnight!

A Football Frenzy

So...over the break I experienced lots and lots of football and even went to a couple of games. For Christmas I gave Brett tickets to see the Falcons. Let me just say, I have always enjoyed football. I always liked going to high school football games and would watch college football. Professional football was never really something I enjoyed...but have I mentioned that Brett is a P.E. major and wants to coach football one day. Having said this...he pretty much loves it. All of it. Every game. It doesn't matter who is playing. It's football. So...my love has grown. I have learned a lot more about it (rules and such). I have not become the fanatic that Brett is but I know he loves it so I couldn't go wrong getting him football tickets for Christmas. He loves the Falcons so I became a Falcon fan for the day. It was our first professional football game to attend and we had a Falcon victory!

The game was so much fun and entertaining..We also went to the Cheesecake Factory after which was delicious!

The second game we attended was the GMAC Bowl. Basically, it was freezing but Brett and I decided to go support our Troy friends. It was so good to see everyone even though we didn't make it to the end of the game!! :)

Love this girl!

Cherish and LJ

Did I mention my beautiful Brazilian friend was there as well? Love you sweet Gabi!

Last of all, in case any of you did not know...Alabama won the national championship on Thursday night! We were all pretty excited around this house...minus Brett. He is an Auburn fan...what do you expect? We try to overlook that flaw! :)

School starts back tomorrow. I have to say...I am looking forward to it being my last semester of actual classes but not quite ready for the craziness that comes along with it. Until then, I am cuddled up on the couch this Sunday afternoon watching a chick flick. 27 Dresses...I will be singing Benny and the Jets for the remainder of the afternoon.

P.S. We'll see how blogging goes once we start school. :)

Great Memories and New Beginnings

So, I have to say that 2009 was pretty much great! I have definitely had my ups and downs but overall it was fabulous. I had the privilege of spending three amazing months in Belo Horizonte, Brazil with a great team!

I also met some pretty amazing people while I was there... :)

No...seriously...they were great! I miss them dearly!

I also celebrated a year of being with this amazing guy! He has definitely been one of the greatest blessings that God has given me!

I also celebrated two special days with two of my very best friends! Katherine and Blake got married in August and Colleen and Jason just got married in December. I had the privilege of being part of their special days. Each wedding was different but both girls looked unbelievable and had perfect weddings! Colleen's wedding also gave me the opportunity to travel to Canada which was so much fun! Wish I could share pictures but I still do not have the software on my computer to add my pictures!

Of course, my family and I welcomed the newest member of the Blackman family into this world and have celebrated many of Virginia Louise's "firsts" with her!

Including...her first Christmas! :) She is precious!

There were way more things that happened this year but these were some of the major events!

This past year God taught me so much. I have to say, I definitely learned that God is so faithful even when we are unfaithful. He has blessed us with so much. It makes me think of the verse in James:

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

-James 1:17

How great it is to know that He does not change.

Now that I am thinking about the next year there are many things that I would love to change. Call them New Year's resolutions....I guess. I've never been one for them but as I think about the last year there are things that I have seen in my life that could be improved and changed.

*I want to be more faithful with my prayer life. I want to be consistent in praying for my family and friends and ask them specific ways that I can pray!

*I want to be more consistent with my time in the Word and with memorizing Scripture!

"I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You."-Psalm 119:11

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." -Matthew 24:35

*I want to read one book a month...I saw this on someone else's resolutions and I think that this is such a great idea and although school is overwhelming and crazy...I believe that this is completely reasonable and beneficial.

*I want to take better care of my body as far as what I put into it with the things that I watch, listen to, read, and eat!

*I will write letters or an encouraging note to someone once every couple of months....not emails or facebook messages. Snail mail!

*I want to remember that my role towards Brett is first and most importantly, his sister in Christ.

*I want to cook more and learn more about it from the best, mom!

*Save money. Give it to those who are in need.

*Blog more consistently...haha. Lets not be too specific. :)

*Be intentional with all that I do and not waste time.

((These are just a few. There are plenty of things that I can be improving on over this next year. Most importantly, I pray that the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. I know that this world is full of so much darkness. I pray that I will not be sucked in, but instead will be a light. Thank You Lord for a new year!))

I Am Still Alive!

So...about me not blogging for about 4 months. I knew I would be bad at this. I will say it again...I am going to try and be better about this. Right. So basically, the day after school started in August my life was completely consumed with elementary education. What a fun, crazy, stressful, challenging, confirming, amazing semester it was. I had the amazing privilege to observe all semester in a 4th grade classroom at George Hall Elementary. I love this school. My class was so fun and I learned so much. I have pictures but unfortunately....I cannot show them right now because my computer doesn't have the software on it. (But that is another story that goes along with this semester and contributed to the stressful part of it!) Anyways, I am thankful that I will be back in this same classroom next semester!! All of my classes consumed the remainder of my time. I stayed on my computer constantly...and as a result...my computer pretty much died. Luckily, I am on the inside with a mac professional and he helped me revive it! I have to say, this semester was probably my craziest but also one of the best. I barely had a social life but I am grateful because the Lord definitely continues to confirm that I am supposed to be a teacher and I cannot wait!

In other news...during the time that I was able to break for 2 seconds from school I got to visit my precious niece. Seriously...she is adorable. Here are a few pictures that I took in recent visits....

Adorable right?

Not even and Auburn fan could deny that she is so cute in her Alabama dress! Roll Tide!

She LOVES bath time!!!

Anyways, so my excuses for not blogging for four months basically consist of school. I have been on Christmas break for a couple of weeks now and honestly have not known what to do with myself. It has been nice to rest. Christmas Eve is tomorrow which is exciting and Saturday I am going to Phenix City to visit Brett and his family! That is one hard thing about breaks....all my college friends and boyfriend go home. Boo. But, this has been a great time to be with family! I have been so encouraged and refreshed! So..hopefully, it won't be four months before I update again! I really do enjoy this blog even though I am probably the only one who reads it....I really should make time to do it. haha. Oh well...Merry Christmas Everyone!!