'Tis the Season of Busy

I feel like I haven't been on here forever -- mostly because, I haven't. Things have been absolutely zooy here at our house. The biggest time-taker is done: I made it through student teaching! August seems like so long ago. I've got two more weeks of observations, then I am completely, utterly, forever finished.

This holiday season has already presented some unique challenges and opportunities. The first is that since we're going to Liberia in January, Shaune has no days available to take off. So, he'll be working until 5pm on Christmas Eve and have to return right away on Monday morning. It isn't ideal, but it does allow for us to take our two and a half weeks in January for our missions work.

The second kind of ties in with that. Since we can't go anywhere, we have both decided to accept seasonal positions at the nearby shopping mall to bring in a little extra income. I'm working at The Glass Gallery selling hand-blown glass. We're working together at Hickory Farms with cheese and sausage gift sets. They're paying us to work side by side in a slow moving mall. It's the best of all worlds -- working with Hubby, getting a little cash, and filling in the time between graduation and traveling.

So, hopefully I'll be able to pop in a little more regularly to update on our family's first Christmas here at home. Last year we were out of town on our honeymoon, so this is the first time I've gotten to decorate, bake, and all those other wonderful warm-smelling house things. The tree is up with lights and I'm working on the decorations this afternoon, all to the sound of Manheim Steamroller Christmas in the background. Gotta love this time of year!

I'm Hooked on Phonics

I swear, my students think I’m crazy.

For the first time today – in my entire life – I get phonics. I get why we say “plain” like “plain” and not “plah-in” or something else bizarre. And that everyone in the Midwest calls those things in the center of every hallway at the mall “kEE-osks” when they’re really “kI-osks.” And when I finally had this revelation, I may or may not have shouted out “I GET IT!” fairly loudly into the fairly silent Reader’s Workshop…

Phonics may just make sense after all.

What I've been so busy with

Friday was (finally) the Medieval Fair at school. That means I only have 8 more days of teaching! It's shocking -- it seems like it has been forever, but then all the sudden it is almost over. I finish being "in charge" on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I'll be observing again in this room and various others for my last two weeks. I'm so grateful for this experience. And, I'm so tired and ready for it to end.

This is a picture from the end of the fair. You can't see it, but I'm wearing a full medieval princess gown made out of silk (um... cheap not-real-silk stuff from the $1 bin, but I told the kids that it was silk since "that is what they used") and a heavy pink something that was also in the $1 bin. I made it 7 years ago for my own medieval fair in high school and have been looking for excuses to wear it ever since. I'm in the middle. I'm so proud of my kids!


We also had our open house today. It was small but fun. I think more people would have came if it hadn't been raining and cold. I made a table full of treats and had some great conversations with friends from church and a couple of neighbors.

But I wanted to show you something exciting! I actually, in this new wonderful house, have a place to call my own for sewing:

The table is small, but very sturdy. The dresser is full of my patterns, fabric, and notions. Things actually feel organized. I'm glad I won't be sharing the kitchen table for my sewing. It is less than ideal for both purposes: when I was going on a project, I didn't want to clean up to eat, and I didn't like having to get my machine out, move the centerpiece, and get it all set up whenever I wanted to sew. Now there are seperate spaces on seperate sides of the house. Perhaps more of both will happen this way.

See that floor space in between the sofa and the dresser? That's where my much-hoped for Christmas present will go (if it can happen). I very much want a dress form to help me with my fitting. I've been having a nightmare of a time with a jumper I've been working on. The straps keep coming in at strange angles. Hubby's tried to help me at the bathroom mirror but the pins always seem to move when I pull the dress off again. Things like that always seem to happen. I know exactly HOW to make fitting happen, but I don't have enough hands. I believe a dress form will help with those things. SO! Do you ladies have any suggestions for a brand or model to look for?

A Fast-Approaching Deadline

I always have the best of intentions. Start a new dress that will become a wardrobe staple. Plan a menu and only grocery shop once a week, or even every other week. Move into a new house and make it a pretty home...

The problem is, life tends to get in the way and my big ideas get put on the back burner. Well, this time, I refuse! I'm not living in a half-unpacked house any longer. How am I going to ensure that? By having an open house. On Sunday.

It seemed like a good idea when I first planned it. I will be motivated to keep pushing on and get the house ready. We'd rush to move in then have a lovely party to celebrate. But... life got in the way, in the form of sickness, job projects, family commitments. And the house got put on the back burner. So... me being me... I set a deadline. Of Sunday. As in, three days from now. And my in-laws are coming over for dinner tomorrow night.

I'm not sure what posessed me, but it's coming like it or not! Some of the ladies from Bible study are helping with the treats, at least, but my dear friends will hopefully have a giggle at my half-hung pictures and un-curtained windows. Unless a miracle shows up between now and then!

Wish me luck! And, since everything will be done (theoretically), there will be many more pictures of our little paradise very soon!

A Road Trip of Great Joy

I was approached with an unexpected and massively wonderful offer through Craigslist a few weeks back: If I would go visit this lady, she would give me all of her patterns from the 1950's. When yesterday proved to be a lovely, sunshiny, great for driving day, my darling beloved husband agreed to drive me just over an hour north to Peoria so that I could recieve these:

Arlene was in high school in the mid 1950s and made nearly all of her own wardrobe. She's been hauling these patterns around for the past 50 years. She and her husband just recently moved into a new, smaller home and she wanted to get rid of them. I happily obliged. She's a tiny, vibrant, active woman -- I was shocked when she told me these were hers, not her mother's! I didn't believe she was in her 70's.

I'm torn as to which of these to make first:

2958, from 1959

4743, I can't find the year. If you know, please tell me!

They're both a good bit small. Looking at the back of the patterns, sizes were about 2" smaller all around than they are now. And I'm a larger size than this anyway. All of them will need scaled up -- I *think* I know how to do that. It'll take some experimentation. Look at the bust on the second picture: a size 11 was a 29 inch bust! Thankfully I'll have tons of time after graduation -- only a short 5 weeks away now!

There's 15 more patterns beyond these 10, but these are the ones I'll be playing with first. The others are mens and childrens, and some from the 1960's - 70's that I'm less interested in. I'm so blessed by her generosity. These patterns can't be found anymore. It's an honor to carry on their tradition. Yay! Dresses!

New Clothes

I've been quiet lately because I've been beyond swamped with constant work. But I finally had a day to run down to the city with my best friend and do a little shopping. I'm so happy that finally the major stores are selling clothing that covers! (At least for the most part). I was able to find some lovely sweaters and long sleeve tees to replace those pieces in my wardrobe that have bit the dust. My dear friend also bought me these lovely hats:

I've never considered myself a hat person before, but these are charming. And warm! I think I'm hooked...

My dear mother also gave me this lovely fabric. Each piece is becoming a skirt. Specifically, they're for my trip to Africa in January, since the women in the village we're visiting don't wear pants. However, I'm also looking to incorporate more skirts into my wardrobe, so I'm excited to add these to the closet. They'll go nicely with my new tees... and hats! They were each $2.25 a yard at Wal-mart, 100% cotton.

The pink circles are going to be a three-tiered skirt like I saw on Sarah's blog a LONG time ago -- if I can find the post again, of course. The plaid is going to be an ankle length A-line. The purple flowers are going to be a full wrap skirt based upon a pattern of my mom's from the 1970s.

Funny story about this flowered fabric: when I was in 3rd grade, my very first ever historical costume was made out of this fabric. It was a Little House on the Prairie dress with a matching bonnet that I wore ***all the time*** I swear it was my favorite outfit for several years, until I way outgrew it. I still have the bonnet, even though it is too small. When I saw this fabric again at the store, my heart was stirred! I couldn't walk out without it! I don't need another prairie dress at this point in my life... but I'll have another favorite outfit. How funny the way things work out.

Green & White Pizza

I wanted to share with you a special treat that my husband and I enjoy with our dear friends on a regular basis. I got this recipe from Amanda (thank you, dear!) and haven't even tweaked it! We each have our own favorite crust recipe though, so mine tastes a tiny bit different.

This pizza is a bit more expensive than what I typically spend, but it is SO worth it!



Green and White Pizza

• Your favorite crust recipe, preferably one with olive oil


• corn meal to dust the pan


• one packet Korr's basil pesto mix


• a good handful of shredded spinach


• feta cheese


• mozzarella cheese


• 1/2 to 1 can of chicken (depending on how much you want)

Dust the pan with cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking. Stretch the crust to the pan. It should be fairly thick. Know that it will rise a good bit -- these toppings don't weigh it down the same way that lots of cheese and meat does. Cook up the sauce according to packaged directions, then coat the crust. Cover the pesto with the shredded spinach. I like to use LOTS! It's my favorite veggie.

Once you have your "green" layers, you have to add your white: just a few crumbles of feta around the pizza and a sprinkle of mozzarella. I don't use much since they're both such flavorful cheeses. Then, I crumble the canned chicken over the top and stick it in the oven for about 25 minutes at 375. You can adjust that to however your family likes it -- other than the crust, everything is already cooked or doesn't need to be.

This twist on pizza is SOOO good! I'd cook it more often if feta wasn't so expensive. But I'm not aware of an equally fabulous alternative, so I wait until it goes on sale. Aldi often has it for right about $2 for 4oz, not bad at all in the world of cheese.

*****

Do your families have a favorite pizza recipe? I'd love to hear about it! We're always trying something new. Some weeks it feels like pizza is a food group in our home!

Introducing Sundowner Lane

I'm excited to show you, for the first time, our new home!

We live in the lower level of this split level house. We bought it for this view here:

I swear this is the ONLY hill in Springfield. Maybe all of Central Illinois. It's so pretty! This picture doesn't do it justice. We went biking on Thursday evening and it was absolutely stunning. There's a creek (currently flooded) just at the bottom of the hill. Riding into it stirred my heart. I'm so happy to be out in the country. We can see the stars for the first time since moving to Springfield. We can also see amazing sun sets -- hence the name of the street. Everything about this place was carefully provided for us by the One Who Cares.

Things are still chaotic. We spent the first half of the week scrubbing the 6th Street apartment then the second half of the week scrubbing this one. I refused to unpack boxes until the windows were clean -- there was a 1/2 in of dirt in the sliding tracks that made them so they couldn't open. This is the first and only room so far in my house that is pulled together:

That extra shelf unit was because we've got a ton fewer cabinets that at 6th Street. It was a $12 Goodwill find. It'll also be a nice place to knead my bread and stuff, because the other countertops are a little clasuterphobic. It's got all my frequently used appliances on it in easy reach to grab and plug in: crock pot, toaster, rice cooker, blender. The rack will hold bread and fruit, napkins, and other easy-grab things. The trash can is hiding behind the shelf.

All the paintings are still stacked in our bedroom closet and there's still three suitcases of clothing to be opened and washed. It's a far cry from finished, but now we're into the fun part. I love arranging everything.

Blessed Sunday to you all!

New House Happiness

We have a new house! We're almost entirely moved -- there are only the vacuum and a box of cleaning supplies at the old apartment. Already the hassles of the move have been well worth it: I have done 8 loads of laundry since Saturday night. That would have cost at LEAST $20 to wash and dry at the old house. I can finally stop wearing those "I think I can get one more wear out of this before washing it" outfits!

The biggest blessing still floors me. While my friends and I were carrying boxes into the house on Saturday, I heard someone calling my name from down the street. "Jenny! Jenny -- are you my new neighbor?!" One of my dear friends from Bible study lives in the duplex right across the street. I'm eagerly anticipating our relationship deepening over the next several months. What a blessing to move in not only knowing someone, but knowing a fabulous sister in Christ!

I'll have pictures soon, but right now everything is a massive (and slightly dangerous) pile of boxes and bags. I'd rather show you all something I'm proud of once I get things arranged.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers!

Family Update

Hey all!

So yesterday, Shaune successfully completed the Chicago Marathon -- all 26.2 miles of it -- in a little over 6 hours! I am so proud of him. He's trained so hard for six months, all for this big day. He had some pretty interesting revelations while he was running that he shared with me last night; I'm going to try and write them up as a post soon because I think they're extremely insightful.

I finally got a new dehydrator! After almost 2 months of talking on the phone to various customer service reps, they decided to service my warranty. Within a week of sending in the broken motor, I recieved a brand new one in the mail. I was so excited I cried. Now... to find some more apples...

Our house is a disaster-land of boxes. We move on Friday -- only 4 short days away! We pick up the keys at 7am, have to go to work, and start moving as soon as we get off work and change. We've got some dear friends lending a hand all weekend, so hopefully everything will be packed, moved, and unpacked in it's new location with a minimum of struggle.

I'm officially half-way through student teaching. I'm glad to see the end approaching. But, with the end comes the potential for new beginnings. I have been informed that the school is seeking a new kindergarten teacher to begin in December -- directly after I graduate. Shaune and I are spending a lot of time in prayer to decided what to do. Part of me wants to work and help us achieve our financial goals. The more persuasive part of me wants to come home. We'll see which wins out after we pray.

Things are constantly a whirlwind! Thanks to all of you for sticking around in this post-less wasteland named "too busy to write." Things will hopefully start settling out sooner rather than later.

God bless!