Because I'm a Teacher...

So technically I am a Children's Minister, but here's a fun little list I put together that will resonate with many.  

Because I'm a Teacher...

*I own just about every color of marker that Crayola has ever made. 

*I have a bag that hangs next to my front door that I collect toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, and egg cartons in.

*I color...a lot!  

*I can't decide if Pinterest is my best friend or my greatest enemy.

*I can tell you the "tax exemption" process for most stores in the Austin area.

*I spend my workday, evenings, weekends, and even my dream-time thinking about new and creative ways to teach information to children that is fun, cost-effective, and most important memorable!

*At the drop of a hat, I can tell you at least 25 ways that you can use paper plates to make a craft.

*I have perfected "The Look"

*I have accidentally used "The Look" on friends, family, and co-workers.

*In any given week it is pretty much a guarantee that I will get glue on my pants, paint in my hair, and snot on my shoulder.

*I am strong!  Teaching is not for the faint of heart!

*I carry at least three different bags with me at all times...often more!

*I have the privilege of praying for more than 150 children, 25 caregivers, and 50 plus families.

*I laugh a LOT!  The cliche, "Kids say the darnedest things", is very true!  (I once had a child tell me that she liked my hair because it reminded her of a zebra -- it was black and white stripes all over).

*I have brown (not black) and silver (not white and not grey) hairs peeking through - many of these are probably due to my profession.

*I have a collection of art, cards, and little trinkets given to me by children.

*I have learned how to alter lesson plans and activities because I couldn't get to Michael's to buy red cellophane, cardboard circles, foam board, etc. before they closed.

*I hoard Sharpies, Paper/Binder Clips, and Scissors...don't mess with these items! (Insert "The Look" here).

*I intentionally consume Vitamin C in inordinate quantities because there just isn't time to get sick.

*I always have a Google window open on my computer that has at least 10 different ideas for crafts, games, stories, etc.  I live with a small amount of fear of my computer will close down and the hours spend brainstorming will be lost.

*I have gotten very comfortable being on the floor.  I can even do this in a skirt - although I prefer jeans!

*I have been thrown up on more than once.

*I will never tire of seeing little hands get bigger.

*I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have been called into this service!  I love what I do!

What is your list?  I know there are at least 100 different things that I could have listed, but these are what came to mind first.

I don't know if I am the only one who does this, but I doubt that I am...

I love to write. In fact, I love to tell stories. I really like to tell stories about me. I have a blog; this written story that is all about me. So far, this sounds like a plan that could work out. Right? However, I quite often go for very long windows of time where I neglect to write stories about myself on my blog.

I think about writing. I even visit my own blog and read things that I have previously written to remember all of the fun stories I have about myself. And then, I leave my page without writing anything new.

It has been over a year since I wrote on my blog. Wow. I feel terrible about this. Apparently feeling bad doesn't seem to stimulate much change,though.

So, tonight (or this morning as the case is) I remedy my one-year hiatus with a senseless post about how infrequently I now write on my blog. It really hasn't always been this neglected! I promise. What I don't promise is this...I don't promise that I will start writing on a regular basis again. I wish I could make that promise, but I think I would be at great risk of making a liar out of myself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Yesterday was my 31st Birthday! I have always been a bit of a birthday princess. It's kind-of funny. I don't generally gravitate toward the party or want to be in the spot-light. But on my birthday, I want to be recognized as being special. It is one day each year that I celebrate being me!

Normally on my birthday I take the day off of work, sleep as late as I want to, and then slowly start my morning. About the time that I get hungry, I get myself ready and go out and buy breakfast - this is a big deal for those who don't know me. Then I spend the day going to stores I like and shopping or window shopping. I may have lunch with a friend. I may go sit at a park. I pretty much give myself license to not schedule anything! It's awesome!

This year, I did something different. Late Sunday night a friend called and asked if I could watch her son on Monday, because their babysitter was sick. I love taking care of him, so I said yes. It was a wonderful day! I got to play with a one-year-old! It doesn't get much better than that! Plus, my morning started out getting a text saying "Happy Birthday, Gorgeous" from a friend. The messages continued throughout the day! I got texts, phone calls, and facebook messages all day wishing me a happy birthday and wishing me blessings! It was just so wonderful that I can't even begin to describe how great it made me feel!

Thank you to everyone who messaged me in some way and wished me a happy birthday! I appreciate you celebrating my life with me! And for those of you friends who live near, my party is Saturday night - the more the merrier!

Welcome to the World, Emily Loraine Curtiss

Emily made it out of her Mama's belly and into the world! She is a precious doll! A 7 lb 13 oz, 21 inch long, baby doll! Oh My! Isn't she beautiful?



I have an adorable picture of her Mommy holding her, but I'm having issues getting it to post. Here are a couple of me holding her. I also wanted to post some of our friend, Randi. I think she was awaiting this baby with more excitement than anyone! She is calling her "Little Tree Frog". Too cute! It brought me so much joy to watch her holding her and cuddling her! You can see pictures of her here: http://rmichelle.blogspot.com/ .





















(And it's so not the point of this post, but don't I need a hair cut oh so badly? It's horrible! My hair has lost all ability to hold a style! I'm just too darn cheap to go get it cut, though. It's in the "wish" budget for November. Can I make it that long???)

High-Lows

My small group has gotten into the *sort-of* habit of doing high-lows when we get together. We share with each other our "highs" of the week and the "lows" of the week. The last family that I lived with did high-lows most every night at dinner. I like this. I think it really does help us learn to love each other better - rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. (Thank you Mike Watson for the great series of relational growth teaching!)

So, today I want to share my high-lows. I always like to start with my lows, so I can end talking about the things that make me happy. So, here are my lows of the day:

1) I never got my coffee - when I was able to make it to the break room, it was all gone. I made a new pot and by the time I made it back to get some coffee, that pot was all gone. No coffee for the coffee fiend today!

2) I had to explain to at least 10 people today that no, I am not going to school and yes, I am staying in Austin and continuing to work at ACS. I am VERY thankful to have my job and to have roots where I am at, so that is not a complaint. It is just still hard. I think I am in a new phase of grieving this and it is just hard to not be where I want to be!

3) I got a call from a good friend today who had a doctor's appointment. It didn't seem to go poorly, but also didn't seem to go well. The doctor ran some additional labs and told her she will have to wait for the results before knowing more. From what she had to say, it doesn't sound like he did a good job of telling her what he was looking for/ruling out or if she should be concerned. I think most people's default is that when the doc only gives you a penny's worth of insight it leaves a lot of room for questions, doubt, fear, etc. I'm a little perturbed that he didn't take better care of her and arm her better to know what to do in the mean-time while she waits. Plus, she is supposed to be leaving to go to school across the country and he didn't tell her if it was advisable to stay or safe to go -- seems like he just left the ball completely in her court. Don't doctors understand that we look to them (rightly or not - absolutely NO judgement here) for wisdom and guidance? Yes, we have to be our greatest health care advocate, but if you don't know what questions to ask the doctor, he should be kind enough to help guide you through the muddy waters. Sorry - this could very easily become a rant...in fact, maybe it has! I'll stop it here.

Here are my highs. I am so gonna rock the highs out of the water tonight!

1) Jenn is having her baby. Like right now! PUSH!! Welcome to the world little Emily Loraine! I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I couldn't wait for you any longer tonight, I had to come home. But I am so looking forward to meeting you face-to-face tomorrow and seeing this beautiful doll that I have been praying for, for the last nine months! Do you have any clue how loved you are? Any clue how many people are waiting to hold you and kiss you and cradle you and teach you about life? Oh, this world isn't that frightening when you have people who want to embrace you - and you have LOTS!

2) As if No. 1 isn't enough... I talked to an amazing, and hilarious woman today at work. She insisted that I am the only "case manager" she wants to talk to from now on. When she calls back if it isn't me and the Cancer Information Specialist who answers can't transfer her (which we can't), she will hang up and call back until she gets me. Does she realize I am one of about 250 Specialists in our National call center that is open 24/7 (of which I am there 30 hours a week)? I tried to explain, but to no avail. She insisted that when she wants something, she gets it. You know, I believe her! In her thick, New York, elder Jewish woman accent she closes the call by saying, "Oh Baby, you have just been the sunshine in my rainy day! You're such a Doll! May God bless you all the days of your life. No really, I mean that; all the days you live! You have given me hope today and that is more than anyone has offered in a while. God love you." It made me laugh and smile and gave me warm-fuzzies all over!

3) When I got to work this morning and checked my schedule, I saw that I have tomorrow off! Wow! I had requested the day off like 4 months ago and had forgotten about it. Since I didn't change my schedule after getting re-hired back to work, they never cancelled this time. I thought about giving it back. But given that it is now 10:30 at night, Emily is joining the world and I want to hang out with her and Jenn & David a little tomorrow, and that well...they're paying me to sleep in, I figured I would go ahead and take the time off! It is probably really good for me. Plus, the couple I'm staying with is getting back from vacation tomorrow. This will give me a chance to do a once-over on the house and make sure everything looks nice for them when they get home.

Yay for high-lows! It's good to practice sharing what's going on in life. It isn't always easy, but it is good. What are your high-lows for the day/week? Please share them with me. I really do want to know!

The Fun Things I am Doing This Weekend

The couple that I am temporarily staying with is away on vacation for a few days. I have the house to myself. It is so much fun! I thought I would take advantage of the space and have a project weekend!

Yesterday, I scrubbed the kitchen. I loved it! I wish that I had the time & energy to have tackled cleaning off all of the cupboard doors. I didn't, though. I am happy with what I did! After getting a nice clean space, I let the fun begin!

Tonight I made a batch of Lip Balm. I adjusted my standard Peppermint Rose recipe a bit and I really think I like the way this batch came out! It's a bit heavier on the Vanilla Flavor. I think it will be fantastic for the autumn - maybe it's wishful thinking that the autumn will come very soon! I have hopes for a Cinnamon Spice recipe for the upcoming season as well. I'm working on a new base recipe as well, but not ready to make it in batches yet - this one will be good for the drier months of winter -- it has Vitamin E in it.

Tomorrow, I am going to make a good sized batch of laundry soap. I have some soap shavings that have been waiting for me to get to and I just haven't had the space. I think tomorrow will be a great time for that. It is so easy to do, it just takes some time and a willingness to slow down a bit. I think it is good for me!

While I'm letting the laundry soap rest, I may also make some shampoo from some soap that I made a few of months ago. It's Patchouli Lavender. I have been using the bar since it cured, but I am ready to experiment with turning it into a liquid shampoo. This will be a new one for me, because it is a milk soap base - goat's milk to be exact. I will start out small and see what happens. There is this piece of me that is fearful - probably irrationally - that once I emulsify the soap it will go rancid faster. I don't have anything to base this off of - at least not in the quantities that I will be making it in. I would like to get a good liquid base for shampoo, though because sometimes it is nice to have a liquid shampoo. I know it is probably what most people are used to, so it may sound strange for me to even refer to shampoo as anything but liquid. Since starting to make my own soap or get good quality natural soaps, I have found that I actually really like lathering up and soaping my hair down though. It works well, uses less soap, and I know exactly what is in it! Plus, there is something very fun about getting a fresh lather of creamy bubbles all over your hands! I reminds me of childhood!

I may be overestimating my ability for tomorrow. In fact, I'm pretty sure that I am! I may not get to it all, but it sure does sound fun. Doesn't it?

What are your fun plans for the weekend? Anything exciting?

Dinner Mishaps!

I have two things working against me in making tonight's dinner. This has left me with a small injury.

1. I am cheap!
2. I am lazy!

I am making Basil Chicken Primavera, which requires 3 cups of grated carrots. I am cheap! In my kitchen are 2 Costco bags of baby carrots. I am too cheap to spend an extra $3.00 to purchase a bundle of whole carrots to grate. I am certainly too cheap to spend $5.00 on the pre-grated bag of carrots that measures out to right about 3 cups. Given the plethora of carrots currently occupying the refrigerator, I decided to grate baby carrots. FYI: it takes about 25-thousand-million baby carrots to end up with 3 cups, grated. This is where the second part comes in.

I am lazy! I have a food processor. I could get on my hands and knees and dig the food processor (and it's seven necessary parts) out of the cupboard designated for awkward kitchen appliances. That takes effort. Then, after I remember how to put the thing together right and use it for the 20 seconds it would take to grate an entire bag of carrots, I would have to take it apart and wash each of those seven separate pieces. This just seems like too much work!

So, I individually grated baby carrots with a hand-held cheese grater and stopped after skinning my knuckle twice - with about 2 1/2 cups of carrots to use for dinner. Don't worry - no flesh (or blood) made it's way into the carrots. I washed everything very well! But after all of that, I decided that it may have been worth the extra money to just buy the "convenience" bag of pre-grated carrots!

Oh well, at least I now have a legitimate excuse to wear a princess bandage on my finger! =)

Just a Question

Why do they make fish oil that is strawberry flavored? And why did I buy it? I can promise you this...it doesn't really taste all that strawberryish. What it actually tastes like is oil with a fishy flavor and a hint of strawberry. It doesn't really go! What was I thinking? It's not that bad - and it's only a teaspoon a day. I do think that I'm going to go for the lemon or orange flavor next time - I just think it might go with the already present fish flavor a little better!

Everything in life can be a learning experience, right?

A Trip to the Vet

On Saturday, I had to take my sweet Siamese cat, Cinnamon, to the vet for her check-up and vaccinations. It was good timing for her appointment because for the last few weeks her eye has been looking a little weepy. Being that it is the spring and everything is blooming and growing, I figured it was allergies and didn't worry too much about it. Last week I noticed that both eyes were weepy and one of them was looking pretty irritated. My eyes are also pretty weepy and irritated - once again because of allergies, so I dismissed it. I knew we were going to see the doctor this weekend, so I didn't feel too neglectful. When we get to the vet, they proudly inform me that my sweet baby has conjunctivitis - that's right, my cat has "pink eye". How that happens, I'm not quite sure! Had it not been for the doctor's appointment, I probably would have just continued ignoring and dismissing the symptoms for quite a bit longer, though.

The fun part about this is that I get to put eye drops in her eyes twice a day for the next week or so. Have you ever given a cat eye drops? Can you imagine the drama that ensues? This cat, who is an absolute sweetheart, is also...well...a CAT! Cats are very dignified! They are very private! They like to be touched when they request it - and generally only when they request it! Cinnamon is no different! Amazingly enough, cat's also don't seem to like to be picked up, tipped over like a little baby, and then tortured by having their human hold open their eyelids while dropping some cold medication (that I can only imagine stings) in their already hurting eyeballs! I can respect that! Here's my question though, how do I make it better if I can't put the drops in her eyes???? Does she understand that I am trying to help her? I don't think so. And if so, I don't think she cares! I think that in her own cat way she is cursing at me and planning her revolt!

So, you can imagine how excited I was to go about the scene of drama and torture (for both of us) tonight. To my surprise, she let me pick her up and hold her. Then, she let me hold her eyes open and drop the drops in without so much as a squirm! I was so proud of her!! She was sooo wonderful! If she was a human child, I think I might even feel tempted to reward her with some extra-special treat! I gave her the cat equivalent, though -- I put her down as soon as I finished putting the drops in! Man did she run away fast! When she got to the other side of the room, she turned around and looked over at me like I was the most evil person she had ever encountered! Once again, I imagine there was some feline cursing going on!

Here's what I wonder now...what will happen tomorrow morning?

25 Things About Me

I decided to take the challenge given to me several months ago by a friend on Facebook and write out 25 things about myself. I was going to do it then, but I got side-tracked and seemed to forget to come back to it. I saw a couple of them in the last day and remembered my attempt-gone-awry. After starting this, I logged into my FB account and there was another challenge for me to do this. Good thing I did it. Now I can just copy it over.

1. I love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. The more I get to know Him, the more I love Him and the more I want to know Him!

2. I have a thing about oral hygiene. I brush my teeth a lot, carry dental floss with me, and can produce two options of toothpaste on queue.

3. There is always music in my head. It doesn't stop!

4. I have two sisters who are both married to wonderful men. I love my sisters and my brothers-in-law.

5. I used to match my clothes to hangers of the same (or similar) color and then hang them all in order from lights to darks, short sleeved shirts to long sleeved, skirts, slacks, dress shirts (short then long), then dresses. Now I have a really small closet and I have to smush everything in, so it goes long sleeved on the the left with dress shirts and short sleeved shirts on the right with skirts, slacks, and dresses. I no longer match my clothes to the hangers - it's first come first serve (most of the time.)

6. I love butterflies! They make me smile, laugh, and sometimes cry. They mean a lot to me and are beautiful!

7. I love projecty things - this weekend I am going to make lip balm!

8. I have 3 cats and they mean the world to me! They are my babies! Their names are Noelle, Cinnamon, and Truffle.

9. I don't like to take time to fix my hair because it is so soft and fine that it falls within 15 minutes of fixing it. I would rather just pull it back and look like a slob.

10. I like to use organic products. It makes me feel like I am making healthier choices and also contributing somehow to the bigger picture.

11. If it isn't convenient, I don't recycle. I do recycle most things at home, though. I also reuse things well.

12. I have a lot of food hang-ups. If you are going to go out to eat with me, just sit back for the ride. If you ask "why" too many times, you will be overwhelmed with my answers and it will discourage you from eating out with me in the future. Just trust that I know why I am asking for my salad with no dressing, the chicken to be prepared with no seasoning, and any sauces to be served on the side!

13. I love to play with children! I love how they laugh at themselves when they do something silly and how they just freely give affection! They are not tainted or inhibited. I truly believe that one of the ways to be closest to the presence of God on earth is to spend time with children! They are great!

14. I like to sleep in on Saturdays and stay in my pajamas all day long!

15. I am comfortable being alone. I am grateful for that because I haven't always been.

16. I am very sentimental. I hold onto seemingly insignificant things, because they mean something special to me!

17. I dream of one day having a yellow house with a vegetable garden.

18. If I could meet one person that has passed away, it would be my great grandfather; Papa Cogburn. I have heard a lot of really neat things about him and I think it would be great to get to spend some time with him.

19. I wrestle with fear - many different fears. My greatest one is probably that I will not live up to the full potential that God created me for!

20. When I was in the 5th grade I tried to change my name from MelonieLynn to Lynn because I wanted to simplify my name. My teacher wouldn't let me without a note from home saying that my parents would let me go by that name. In middle school I changed my name to Lynn just to prove that I could. (It didn't hurt that one of my friends was Melanie McB* and it made it easier for our teachers if I went by Lynn.)

21. I pray now that if I ever have children they don't have my streak of rebellion! I just don't know how I would handle it!

22. Overall, I consider myself to be a very blessed person and I am optimistic about my future!

23. I live with a family that I love very much! They are wonderful people and I can't imagine my life without them, now that they are in it!

24. I love to eat pancakes for dinner.

25. One of my favorite things to do is pray for my friends! I love to pray for blessings to fall on them and for them to receive dreams and visions of what the Lord has for them!

The Questions

My friend, Cortney, asked a few questions of me to answer and post on my blog. Here are the answers.

1. If you could live anywhere in the world but you could never leave, where would it be?
That's a really hard question. I think that I would probably stay right where I live right now. Maybe I would choose for a few things to be different, but for the most part I love where I live! I love the city I live in and I believe I was called here for a purpose. I wouldn't want to leave until that purpose is accomplished!

2. What was your favorite toy as a kid?
My favorite toy when I was little was my "Sit 'N Spin" It was blue and I would play on it for hours! It went in the sand box, on the grass next to the sand box, next to the swimming pool, on the trampoline (that was an interesting one). I played with it until I had wayyyy outgrown it and my parents finally took it away and got rid of it when I was not looking! I loved how I had to work pretty hard to get going, but ahhhh the thrill of the dizziness that ensued when I actually got up to speed! I saw one of these amazing little toys at a friends house not that long ago - she got it for her son. They don't seem to be as sturdy as they used to, but they still look like fun!

3. Who has made the most impact on your life?
There are a lot of people that have made a big impact on me. I think that one of those people is my friend, Olivia. She has walked through some very difficult things and has been able to turn her circumstances over to God. Her story has been one of pain and surrender and redemption; understanding that we will never be able to understand some things in life but that God is still good and still sovereign. I know this has not been easy for her - and is more difficult at some times than others. In fact, seeing how she has walked through some things in her life has really been an inspiration and encouragement to me in walking through some of the tough times in mine.

4. What are you most proud of?
This is not a question that I contemplate too often, so it has been one of the more difficult ones to answer. I think that the thing I am most proud of is that I treasure my friendships and relationships above being right. I know that I am often wrong and that even when I feel I am right, other's may have a very valid opinion that differs from mine. I think this is something that has grown and changed over time, but that I have seen a lot of value in.

5. What are your top 3 favorite CDs?
This is REALLY hard! I have a song for every occasion, so to narrow down my top 3 CDs is like asking me to restrict my breathing to one breath a minute for the rest of the day. OK - maybe it isn't that drastic, but you get the point! I would have to say 1) Misty Edwards, Relentless 2) Third Day, Offerings 3) Delirious, Access: d (You can find some of my favorites on these CDs, but this is by no means a complete list! You can also get a good idea by listening to my playlist on my blog.)

Now that you know more about me, let me know if you want me to send you some questions!
Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me." I will respond by sending you five questions that I pick out for you. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions. At the end, include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will get to ask them five questions.

Right or Left?

Here's a random question:

In countries where they drive on the left side of the road, do they also push their carts at the grocery market on the left side of the isle? (presuming they have carts at the grocery market)

Just an Update on the Curry in the Car

I just wanted to give you an update on the curry in the car situation. I woke up today and went outside with various potions and lots of rags and towels and a bucket of hot water to clean up the seat and the carpet. (If you're lost at this point, the other night I spilled a LOT of curry all over the front passenger seat of my car. It was a mess!) I decided to use diluted laundry detergent, because I thought it would clean the yellow stains out of the seats the best. I sprayed the seat down and let it sit while I cleaned the rest of the car out. I came back and scrubbed it and to my amazement all of the curry stains came out. I wish I could say the same for the smell. I sprayed it again to make sure the seat and carpet got really clean. My car is now the cleanest it has been in 2 years! And, it now smells like curry...and lavendar! It's really funny...and kind-of gross! I think I may just leave the windows down whenever possible!

Yummy Dinner...BIG Mess!

Tonight I had my Bible Study group. It was great fun. One of the things that I really love is that we have dinner together. It's a great time to sit around and enjoy each other's company and find out what is going on with each other. We take turns preparing the meals and rotate. Tonight was my turn to bring the food.

I made this yummy honey-mustard curry dish. For ease of carrying, I packed it up in a laundry basket before putting it in the car. There was a towel on the bottom to cusion it and keep it from sliding and then another towel rolled up on the side to fill in the extra space. I loaded the basked into the front passenger seat and began the 6 minute drive. On the way, I had to make some twists and turns and go up a few hills. In the course of driving, the sauce sloshed out ALL over the seat of my car because the lid came off! It is great! I have no idea how to even begin cleaning it out! The chicken and a fair amount of the sauce was still there, so we had plenty for dinner. I just didn't think well enough to cover it better! Oh well! When I got home I looked at the towels that were also covered in curry and didn't know what to do except put them in the washer. I just peeked in and the water is mustard yellow! I think I may have to run them through more than once! And, I have a feeling that my car may smell like curry for the next month or two...if not longer!