Year End Update!!!

So, it’s been a while and I figured I should probably up date everyone as to what is going on in our lives …


Blaine has been offered a permanent part time position at Best Buy for the next 90 days. We are both so excited – and he really enjoys hanging out at his favorite store and getting paid for it! We still haven’t heard anything from BYU, but he did make priority status on getting his application in, so hopefully we will know in a few weeks.

After much discussion, and weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, we have decided that I am not going to be student teaching in Texas this coming semester. Our current financial status is not going to allow me to quit my job without some sever repercussions and we need the income too badly (and it just felt right to wait). I did do some research, and can transfer my credits to a Utah or Idaho program and finish up with just a few more classes. So, after my current class ends on Jan 24, I won’t be doing any more classes until August … or when we have an address in the Utah/Idaho area.

We definitely had a great Christmas and we made out like bandits (despite the fact that our tree and all our Christmas decorations were locked in a shed … Blaine’s dad has a huge workshop from his cabinet building days that we were storing some things in while we were at my parents. When the Blazer died before Thanksgiving he parked it in front of the workshop and locked the keys in the car … the same keys that had the keys to the workshop on them … the end result … no tree or decorations for Blaine and Blythe this Christmas because there are no spare keys to the blazer)!

We kept Christmas fairly simple and were finally able to replace the tires on the car after needing to for the past year. We were also hoping to replace the windshield, which has a nice, growing crack, but that is going to have to wait until later …

...BYU...

. . . Here we come . . .

The application is IN!

Now we are waiting to see if we are accepted :) So excited.

Just a quick up date. . . I finished my uber hard math/science class and I'm on the down hill to finishing my course work. 1 week left in my current class (it ends Nov. 30) and my FINAL class starts December 1.

I get a two week break for Christmas (HURRAY!!!) which I am looking forward to, followed by 4 more weeks of classes. I'm still waiting to see if they will have me placed for student teaching in February. I'm hoping to find out more tomorrow. The placement people have a huge meeting in the morning and my counselor is going to call and let me know.

Blaine did get the job with Best Buy and he absolutely loves it! He comes home happy, which is so different from when he was doing pest control and getting home at 10 p.m. asleep on his feet.

We have been so incredibly blessed lately, its difficult to fathom sometimes. The Lord is truly mindful of our circumstances :)

The Sacrificial Pumpkin

Last week I received a cute mini pumpkin from a friend at work and I excited brought it home and placed it on my table next to my plant. Its very darling and I love the touch of fall to my apartment. I also decided I needed another one, because that pumpkin was lonely. So, the two pumpkins became great friends while sitting on my table.

Tonight, I sacrificed them to the Pumpkin Pie Gods.

Pure Bliss . . .

Thoughts

Last night as I was lamenting, yet again, to my husband about our current childless state, he said something that I thought was rather profound.

“Some would say that the Lord is punishing us because we don’t have children yet. But, we haven’t done anything wrong. I think the Lord is extremely aware of our situation and knows that we can’t handle a child with our current circumstances. He won’t give us burdens we are unable to bear.”

I was thinking of my dear friend Andrea. “I wonder if I’ll be really sick,” I replied,

“Maybe, and think of where that will do to us financially.” I am the one that brings home the paycheck we live on. If I were to get as sick as Andrea – not being able to function on a semi-normal level, we wouldn’t survive. Of course, I could probably get short term and long term disability, but that only covers 80% of my paycheck. And then there is the issue of having to go back to work at the end of maternity leave. That would KILL me!!! I wouldn't be able to do it.

And don’t go judging Blaine. Circumstances in our lives have dictated that he be jobless so that he can help his father and brothers through the recent divorce that tore his family apart. It has been a blessing for both us and his father, but that’s a story for another day. (And Blaine just got a second interview with Best Buy, so we’re hoping he gets hired, even if its only for the seasonal work. It may turn into full time . . .)

Back to our conversation –

“Not to mention the fact that you wouldn’t be able to finish your master’s degree.” Now, as appealing as that is at this moment in my life and as tired as I am of working full time and schooling full time, I’m currently 2 ½ classes away from student teaching. That's 4 months away! I’m so close to finishing and I want to get it done!!! Especially before we uproot and move to Utah or Idaho so Blaine can go back to school. I need to finish this degree.

“So, think of it more as the Lord knows that for us to have a child right now would be too much for us to handle.”

And as willing as we are right now to have a child and welcome one into our home, it really would be too much.  So I will find other things to occupy my time and enjoy nursery on Sundays :)

ACT Test Scores are Back!!!

Blaine took the ACT September 11 and we got his scores back! He made a 25 on the test, which is good enough to get into BYU-Idaho. Provo is still his first choice, so, we will see what happens. The application for the 2011-2012 school year isn’t open until October 15 and he is so ready to fill it out and get it turned in. We’ve already got an appointment with the Bishop set up for the endorsement. I’m so excited everything is starting to come together!

We’ve decided that we can’t put his school off any more, so if the business doesn’t take off, we are taking out student loans to pay for school. We will be in either Utah or Idaho next fall no matter what happens! Personally, I want the business get going because it is a great income during the summer months, but we’ll scrape by without if we have to. I’ll keep you updated on what happens.

Babies, Babies Everywhere . . .

But sadly not for me :(

However, both of my brothers' wives are expecting :) Jeremy and Stephanie are due at the end of April and Stephen and Nizza are due at the beginning of May. Too bad I can't have one due in June . . . oh well, maby someday . . .

Hot Fudge

I am of the firm belief that Hot Fudge fixes EVERYTHING!!! Especially when it is homemade!

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup light brown suger (firmly packed)
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
12 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat heavy whipping cream and brown sugar over medium heat until brown sugar has dissolved. Add butter, bittersweet chocolate and chocolate chips and stir until melted and combined on medium low heat. Add salt, stir, remove from heat and serve. I like to chop up my bittersweet chocolate if it is too thick..I think it melts better.

Can keep in the fridge for one month. - This makes a TON of gooey pick me up :) I filled up a 16 oz peanut butter jar, a pint jar and still had enough for the guys (Blaine and his BF Quay) to pig out still in the pot. So if you don't want a whole lot, I would suggest cutting it in half :)

Sad Days . . .

I don't want to complain, because I know it will make my friends feel bad . . . just know that it makes me sad, even though I'm happy for them.

Food Allergies Suck Big TOE!!!

For those who are not aware, my father was diagnosed with Celiac Disease several years ago, which means he’s basically allergic to a substance called gluten which is found in all wheat products. If you started reading the packages in grocery stores you would discover that you can eat next to nothing!!! It is very sad :(

Slowly, one by one, his children are falling victim to the same disease – and I have caught the bug! Some days I feel like I can’t eat anything, and others, like yesterday, I eat something I think is safe, only to find out a few hours later that, it was not kosher. Monday, I went grocery shopping and bought a big bag of almonds, because I live on them (they make great snacks, and I LOVE to chop them up and put them in my yogurt in the morning and it is something I can eat!). I got the bag from Wal-mart instead of Target like I usually do, because it was late and I didn’t want to make the 2nd stop, & I just wanted to go home. I started munching on them Wednesday night and noticed that I was a little bloated, but I thought it was because I had one of my father-in-law’s onion rings, which is definitely on my taboo list. I had a hand full of almonds before I went to bed and when I woke up Thursday morning I was uber bloated and stayed that way all day long. We’re talking my stomach was extended 2 inches! And my clothes were not comfortable, I didn’t like standing, and sitting was a pain! Of course, I was munching on my almonds all day and it hit me this morning that those almonds must have been processed on machinery that also processed wheat products and that’s why I was in so much pain. So, I haven’t eaten any today, which is very sad, because I love almonds, but no tummy bloat and I’m feeling much better. Therefore, food allergies really suck big toe!

Scary Tests

One of the milestones in my Master’s degree is a test I had to take called the TExES Gen 111 Exam (it is the Texas Equivalent to the Praxis II Exam). I have been stressing about this exam for months because I haven’t been able to find the time to study. Well, the day came to take the test and I had completed 1 practice test and a few parts of another practice test and didn’t feel like I was ready to take it. However, it was the only chance I have to take it and pass or all of our plans will be ruined (Our plans include me student teaching in the winter of 2011 and Blaine starting at BYU in the fall of 2011. If I didn’t pass, my student teaching would be pushed back to fall of 2011 and Blaine would either miss a semester of school, or I would stay in Texas to students teach and he would do a semester in Utah without me. Either way, we didn’t like the idea.)
So, I got up that morning and ate a good breakfast, dithered about the apartment and finally my husband convinced me to walk out the door. We arrived at the test center with 45 minutes to spare, but I went in anyway and was able to get started right away. I completed the test in about 3 hours, which includes double checking and changing some answers. Since then I have been every so impatiently waiting for my scores to appear. They appeared online this morning and I PASSED!!! I have been so excited all day! One step closer to being a teacher (and doubling my current salary) :)

Sunbeams and Smiles

I never realized how much I depended upon my sunbeam class to make it through the week, until I no longer had them on Sunday. It was pathetic, really. I was sitting in church watching all of the little babies and toddlers from the back of the chapel thinking, “Oh! I wonder if I could steal her for the rest of the meeting!” and realizing that since we are in a new ward, and most of the parents don’t know me, it prolly wouldn’t happen.

So after the meeting, we talked to the usual people to get our records transferred over and I realized that 1) our old ward was about to start and 2) if we hang around in the foyer long enough, we could ‘run into’ some of our old sunbeams! So we skipped Sunday School, because I was having serious withdraws! Don’t judge me! We hung out in the foyer long enough to see Sam.

Now Sam is one of my favorites . . . just thinking about him makes me smile! He has some of the funniest ideas about things and says the ‘darndest! For example, Blaine and I had brought animal crackers for snacks and Blaine had the kids showing off by naming the shapes of the animals. Well, we got to the donkey and little 3-year-old Sam goes “Sometimes, donkeys are also known as Asses!” That was a funny moment :) and his poor mother was mortified!

Back to hanging out in the Foyer. . . Sam was a little caught off guard seeing us because his mom tried to prepare his for our absence by telling him we weren’t going to be at church and there we were! So he was a little shy, but I got a big hug from his younger sister Lindsey and a promise from his mother to swing by our apartment later. Happy and content I went to RS where I met Mandy and her oh, so adorable Mason!

I was talking to Blaine later that evening after Sam and his family left and I've determined that borrowing other people's children isn't working any more and we need to find some children of our own to keep. However, its easier said than done. I think we should just plant a garden and grow cabbages so we can find the babies out in the cabbage patch - you never know, it may work!

All Moved In :)

So, after a very long weekend, we are all moved into our new apartment :) Blaine and I are both really excited about all of the room - going from a 16'x16' bedroom to a 812 sq ft. apartment is bliss!!! We even have pictures on the walls :) Blaine has done a great job with most of the unpacking. Everything is almost finished with the exception of the boxes in the dining room which should go in the kitchen, which I've almost finished . . . between working all day, school at night and other various activities (random trips to walmart to pick up things we needed) I haven't had a chance. I might get to it this weekend . . . I hope . . .

Caught A Break!!!

So, I was at work on Friday and I got a phone call from my Visiting Teacher asking if Blaine and I wanted to come house/dog sit for her for the next 10 days! We are both so excited to be away from my family and at the end of those 10 days it will be time to move into our apartment! Gotta love the little blessings :)

Stress, Stress and More Stress

So, I started a new class on Tuesday and I'm excited about it, but it is also involving TONS of work . . . I have to tutor a student (I'm making Micah do it and he seems to be liking it), I have to come up with 3 lesson plans for that students (once again, interesting because I don't know what I'm doing) and I have to create a Unit for an entire classroom and I don't know what I'm doing. Add to that the HUGE TExES Exam that I have to take in the middle of July that determines whether I'm going to be student teaching in February like I want to, or if I have to wait until fall.

Then throw in working full time and we're moving in 3 weeks.

And don't forget the dr appts every tues/thurs. I've been working with a dr to lose some weight and i've lost about 20 lbs, but i'm getting tired of the 5:30 - 8:00 pm appointments that cut into my limited time to do homework and the rare opportunities that I have to see my husband.

And I still haven't finished pulling together a "look" that I like for my blog . . . If you haven't noticed, it keeps changing and it will until I get it looking the way that I like . . . I just don't have the time to look for pictures and look for the perfect background. Right now? I'm supposed to be sleeping . . . 6:30 comes awful early . . .

The Beginning

So, I decided that it is time for us to start a blog, and so I did. With all of the crazy madness that is going on in my life, I haven't a clue when I am going to keep it updated, but I guess I'll see what happens :)

I'm still a little confused about how to make everything work, but I guess I'll figure it out as I go.