Fashion Fun!

Alright folks, the cruise is coming, and I'm in packing mode.  Yes already.  Today is all about outfit choices. I had to get some special new clothes just for the trip, of course.  No really, I did.  I didn't have many summer clothes, and what better time to get some than for our "honeymoon"?  The good news is, I didn't spend any more than about $10 for most of these pieces.  I do love a bargain.  Anywho, I decided to put up some of the potential outfits for the cruise, and have you all tell me your favorites, or suggest other combos!  Maybe that bores you, but I happen to love this kind of stuff.  

Next will be packing tips!  I'm going to try three different methods and see which works the best!

So be prepared for some travel-themed posts in the future... I know I'm looking forward to them!

 From top left going right, then the middle row, then the bottom row:
1.  top: Kohl's; shorts: JC Penney a few years ago; shoes: Kmart.  2.  top: Kohl's; shorts: JC Penney a few years ago; shoes: Kmart; hat: JC Penney 3.  top: Kohl's; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Old Navy; scarf: Italy-- a gift from my mother-in-law.  4.  top: Ecko outlet; shorts: Ross; shoes: Kmart.  5.  top: Kohl's; shorts: Ross; shoes: Kmart.  6.  hat: JC Penney; top: Target; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Kohl's.  7.  cardigan: Target a long time ago; top: Old Navy; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Old Navy.  8.  cardigan: Kohl's; top: Old Navy; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Old Navy.  9.  top: Kohl's; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Kohl's.

 1.  bikini top: Target; top: target; shorts: Kohl's; sandals: Kohl's.  2.  hat: JC Penney; cover up: Victoria's Secret outlet; shoes: Kmart; bathing suit top: Target; bottoms: Target.  3.  hat: JC Penney; cover up: Ross; shoes: Kmart; bikini top and bottom: Target.  4.  hat: JC Penney; scarf: another Italy gift from my mother-in-law; bikini top and bottom: Target.

1.  cardigan: Old Navy, years ago; top: Target; shorts: Kohl's; shoes: Kmart.  2.  dress: Target; cardigan: Target a long time ago; sandals: Old Navy.  3.  dress: Target; shoes: Kmart.  4.  dress: Charlotte Russe; 5.  hat: JC Penney; dresses: Target; cardigan: I have no clue; sandals: Kohl's.  6.  dress: Target; sandals: Kohl's.

So if you please, could you tell me your faves and your ideas? Cast your votes! Thanks! :)



xoxo, A

Aaaand We're Back.

So, our lack of internet allowed me to take a two day blogging break.  I liked it/needed it.  I'm pretty burned out in general.  That tends to happen at the end of the school year.  This year seems longer than usual, and in truth, it is.  We go at least an extra week longer than other schools.  But this week we're watching films, next week is review week (and four days-- thank you, Memorial Day!), and the week after is exam week (four half days).  And then a few days after that, Hband and I leave for our vacation!  How did that happen already?!


Let's break this down into my current thoughts: 


1.  We are watching To Kill a Mockingbird in my eighth grade classes.  What a fantastic movie... but even more fantastic is hearing my students say, "The book is so much better."  Those kids loved TKAM, and I was blissful about it-- it's my very favorite book!  We are also watching Life is Beautiful in my high school classes, as we finished reading Night.  I had forgotten what a truly fantastic movie that is.  We're only about an hour and a half into it and I already have bawled my eyes out.  Plus, I'm learning Italian, listening to it for 45 minutes times 3 per day.  If you haven't seen these two movies, stop what you're doing now.  Stop.  Now.  Go rent them.  You will not be disappointed.  


2.  Writing.  I love it.  It is a favorite outlet of mine, and I like to consider it a kind of art form.  I like blogging because it forces me to do a little writing every day or few days, but sometimes it feels forced, or like a burden.    Often on a Sunday, I feel like saying, "I just don't feel inspired today.  There will be no 'Inspiration Monday.'  OK?"  And sometimes I do.  But it's good for me to be disciplined and do it anyway.  I'm always glad I did.  Again, I love blogging, but someday I ultimately want to be an author.  I want to write Bible studies/devotionals for women, and I'd like to dabble in children's books.  I put that on hold when I got rejection letter after rejection letter after submitting some queries to multiple publishers.  But last week, Hband handed me a letter from Chicken Soup for the Soul.  "It's probably a rejection letter," I said as I made dinner.  I had totally forgotten that I'd submitted a couple things over six months ago.
"Well that's positive thinking," he said, or something to that effect.
I opened it and immediately my eyes welled up with tears.  One of my stories had been chosen for the final selection to be published in October in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Finding my Faith.  It's not guaranteed that it will be published, but it's close.  It's closer than I've ever gotten.  I couldn't stop crying.  "I'm just so happy," I said through my tears.  
Hband held me close and said, "You sound the opposite of happy."
But I was so happy.  Something I'd worked so hard for was almost mine, and thank God-- it wasn't some goofy article or something meaningless.  This was the story of my faith, the story of how God used my youth pastor's life and death to make my faith real to me.  If published, this would be a way for God to continue to use his legacy for God's glory and the good of others.  
So in short (or I guess, long, since I gave you the whole back story), my passion was revived.  Even if I'm more sporadic in blogging, my passion for writing remains, and God has given me the encouragement I needed to keep on.


3.  I am entirely so excited about our vacation.  This is our "real" honeymoon.  I simply can't wait, but I can't believe it's here.  I'm pretty sure the nightmares about forgetting things will be coming soon.  I've gotten to looking up good restaurants in Rome and Venice, and soon, I will be blogging some fun packing tips and outfits, mostly just because I'm excited and want to share.


4.  Hband and I want to gorge ourselves on the cruise and not gain eight thousand pounds.  So we went on a Weight Watchers type diet... Eight pounds down in two weeks, for both of us!  It's exciting, and I'm doing so much more experimenting and cooking... with some failures, but mostly successes.


So in case you were wondering, that's what's going on these days.  I'll probably still take a few more days of blogging off, just for a breather.  


Thanks for reading! :)


xoxo, A

No internet, no blogs.

Sorry, friends.  Our internet decided to take a break, so I did too.  When it's up and running (so I don't have to do this from school), I'll start posting again.  Thanks for your patience!
xoxo, A

Photography Saturday: Florida Favorites

My roots run all the way to Illinois, but now I'm here in Florida.  I've begun growing roots here, too, as I've been here almost 5 full years.  A lot happens in 5 years.  You could get a job, move in with your bestie, be in three weddings, move into your own place, get a boyfriend, get engaged, and get married.  *whew* 


I didn't always love Florida.  When I first moved here, I kind of didn't like it.  The only thing keep me here was the people.  Well, that and the fact that I knew God wanted me here and to leave would be a Jonah-like thing to do, and we all know how that turned out.  The heat was opressive, my hair was no match for its humidity, the people drove weird, they called it "soda," not "pop," and there were only two seasons-- hot and hotter. 


But now, I enjoy Florida for its own unique features.  The beach is gorgeous every time.  Even on a hot day, spreading my toes in the sand and then hopping into the salty waves is fun.  Nothing beats those clear, non-humid days that are warm with a cool breeze.  While everyone else is freezing their goofies off in Chicago, I'm taking a nice walk in the sunshine.  I love the fish here.  I'd never heard of Mahi-Mahi until I moved to Florida, and oh how life has changed for the better.  It doesn't get any better than fresh fish on the beach.  I love that all my friends are not bleach-blonde tan goddesses, like I thought Florida was full of.  They're normal people who really only go to the beach maybe a few times a year.  I like the solidarity of those who live here-- we band against those crazy Spring Breakers and Snow Birds!  Publix.  Need I say more?  There are Publixes galore in Florida and I'm grateful.


Enjoy some of my favorite glimpses of my life in Florida.

The sunset on Clearwater Beach... always.

Home-grown oranges.

Old, kitschy hotels.

The sponge docks.

Two words: Disney World.

The skyline that makes me happy when coming home from a road trip.  And a storm blowing in.

Ocean life.

Fresh strawberries from Plant City.

Tarpon Springs.

The Bucs.  My other, newer boys.

I <3 Florida.

xoxo, A

DIY Friday: Photo Editing

Maybe I shouldn't tell you this.  Maybe I should keep this a secret.  But no, I think you need to know, if you don't already: anyone can pass for an amateur photographer these days.  It's easy.  Don't get me wrong-- there is no faking those extreme talents with an awesome DSLR camera.  That's why they have actual jobs as photographers.  But for the rest of us who just like photography and want to make pretty pictures, we have to use our point-and-shoot and some kind of post-processing.


I'd like to think I possess a little bit of photography skills-- both in the actual taking of pictures and the post-processing.  I'd like to think I have a bit of an "eye."  But maybe I'm just good at using the tools laid out before me.  I used to use Picnik, but they're closed.  Boo.  Since then, I discovered PicMonkey, which I think I like even better.  The only downside is that it seems like after a while, they're going to start charging for some of their features.  Nobody likes that, PicMonkey.  Nobody.


If this is old hat to you, I'm sorry.  But if you're overwhelmed by the website and think you're not creative?  Think again.  You can do this, and you can rescue almost any bad photo.  I mean really bad photos.  Want to see what I mean?

The photo of darkness: no flash= no faces.

OK. so maybe this isn't a FANTASTIC photo, but it's at least artsy and somewhat salvaged.

The blur: somebody moved = shmear. 

Not so bad, right?

This one is not so bad, just a little out of focus.

 

But this one is better, yes?

See? Just a few clicks and we've salvaged/improved photos!  Just mess around and play with the features-- nothing is permanent!  Have fun!


xoxo, A

Thoughts for Thursday: Joy-Robber

Take a look at this picture.

Take it all in.  Aside from my freakish laughing horse-face, do you see anything... off... in this picture?

Look more closely at the cake.  That was our wedding cake, with our topper below, on the table (a gorgeous Irish porcelain figurine).  We ordered a simple cake with whipped frosting, to be applied in a sort of messy way-- not polished looking, anyway.  But somehow in transport, our cake got lumpy, and it couldn't support our cake topper anymore.

The friend who transported the cake was beside herself.  What she didn't know is I was so, so thankful for her help, and so, so glad I didn't have to worry about the cake that day, that the state of my $20 Publix wedding cake was not going to upset me.

Notice our faces.  We clearly were not upset.  I found it hilarious, actually, that we were cutting our wedding "lump."

But I use this picture to illustrate a point I've been thinking about.  It would be easy to look at this picture and think, my wedding cake wasn't as good as so-and-so's.  I feel bad about it.  I wish I had had this.  I wish I had had that.  The day wasn't perfect because of this detail, and that bugs me.  Maybe that's a silly illustration, but I know I can't be alone in the comparison game.  As prideful people and sometimes perfectionists, maybe you (like me) want your everything to be "the best," and you find yourself constantly comparing yourself/things to others, making sure you measure up.

Why?  Why do I do that?  I didn't do it with my wedding cake, so it must be possible to stop doing, right?  I have found that comparison, as I've written before (don't know where I first heard this) kills your joy, kills your contentment.  Constant comparison of anything only makes you unhappy with your life as it stands and unable to find joy in the moment.

I've been thinking about this because I have this problem when it comes to different parts of my life, and I hate it.  It's so prideful and it's so wrong to be discontent with any part of this blessed life God has given me.  Confession: while I love wedding blogs that feature gorgeous weddings, I get slightly jealous that I hadn't gotten married on a boat/in the woods/in the city/on a rooftop or whatever.  I also love wedding photography, and while my photographer was both very talented and a great deal, I sometimes think, why didn't I get pictures like THAT?!  Another confession: my husband is fantastic.  But sometimes I compare him to what I think he should be doing, and it makes me discontent.  Why isn't he telling me I look pretty enough?  He doesn't bring me flowers.  He must be unhappy.  These confessions are hard for me to own up to, because they're embarrassing.

But they're real.  I think it's a natural, human, sinful instinct to compare yourself to others and either pridefully believe you're better, or to become discontent and wish for something else/better.  That strips life of joy.  Joy is peace and contentment whatever one's circumstances might be.  My life is far too wonderful to even begin to wish for something else/better (for the record, I don't want something else/better when it comes to my husband... he simply is THE best. :) ).  If I spent less time wanting what I think is better, perhaps I'd be more satisfied with what I have, and therefore better able to serve Christ as a wife, teacher, and friend.  After all, God's Word tells us that godliness with contentment is great gain.

So I'm thinking I'm going to apply the wedding "lump" approach to life.  Take whatever I have and enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn't or what it could be, and laugh along the way.  God's in control and everything is as it should be anyway, so I may as well not fret and strive for something else.  I don't want to let comparison rob me of my joy in each moment that God gives me.

How about you?

xoxo, A

Recipe Wednesday: Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies

Warning: while healthy, these are highly addictive and you won't be able to stop eating them!  I found this recipe on Pinterest, but the original recipe is found here.

I have an incurable sweet tooth.  Seriously, it's a problem, especially now that Hband and I are on Weight Watchers.  I find that if I can say "no" and never have that first taste of sugar, I'm alright... but if I take one taste of that sugary carbo goodness, I'm gone.  I'm just gone-- down for the count in diet-world.  


But these-- these are healthy, and not so sweet that I find myself needing more and more sweet things afterward.  A lot of these healthy "cookies" are really more like baked oatmeal bites.  I happen to like the consistency-- that dense, moist texture-- but Hband's not a huge fan.  Plus, these weren't quite sweet enough for him.  Maybe next time I'd add a little honey.  I did think they were good as is-- so good that I really have to make myself stop eating them (but I don't feel guilty... there's no dairy, sugar, or flour in them!).


Plus, they are so, so, so very easy to make.  I literally made them in ten minutes. 


Here's what you'll need (makes 30 cookies):

3 ripe bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients. Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.











And in other, completely unrelated news, one year ago today, I said "yes" when he asked, "will you?"  I'm so glad I said yes-- it's only gotten better and better.  I'm so thankful he chose me out of all the girls in the world, and God saw fit to bless me with this man of my dreams.  :)  Prayers answered; dream come true.


xoxo, A
Here's what you do:

Nutritional Information (per cookie): 47 calories; 7.5 g carbs; 1.6 g fat; 1.5 g protein; 1.3 g fiber; 1 WW PointsPlus

Enjoy!!

Tip for Tuesday: Wedding Prayer

Sorry, I'm on a wedding vein this week.  I continued to think about the wedding on Sunday, and they included a prayer I've heard at many of my friends' weddings.  The first time I heard it was at my friend Ashley's wedding (find her blog here), still one of the best I've ever been to.  I knew from the first time I heard it, I had to have it in my wedding, too.  


We found it online, and Dad made a couple adjustments to it. Those adjustments aren't reflected here, but I think there was some kind of theological wording issue.  Regardless, it remains, in my opinion, one of the best prayers I've ever heard period, and completely perfect for a wedding.


So here's the tip: getting married?  Know someone who is getting married?  Consider this prayer, or even get crafty and put it on a frame or something lovely like that!


Enjoy!

The Puritan's Prayer for Marriage:

"Father in heaven, thank you for this husband-wife commitment to Christian marriage. As they look ahead, we pray that their future will never lack the convictions that make a marriage strong. 

Bless this husband. Bless him as provider and protector. Sustain him in all the pressures that come with the task of stewarding a family. May his strength be his wife’s boast and pride, and may he so live that his wife may find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs. 

Bless this wife. Give her a tenderness that makes her great. A deep sense of understanding and a strong faith in you. Give her that inner beauty of soul that never fades, that eternal youth that is found in holding fast to the things that never age. May she so live that her husband may be pleased to reverence her in the shrine of his own heart. 

Teach them that marriage is not living for each other—it is two people uniting and joining hands to serve you. Give them a great spiritual purpose in life. May they seek first your kingdom and your righteousness knowing that you will sustain them thru all of life’s challenges. 

May they minimize each other’s weaknesses and be swift to praise and magnify each other’s strengths so that they might view each other thru a lover’s kind and patient eyes. Give them a little something to forgive each day that their love might learn to be longsuffering. 

Bless them and develop their character as they walk together with you. Give them enough hurts to keep them human, enough failures to keep their hands clenched tightly in yours and enough success to make them sure they walk with you throughout all of their life. 

May they never take each other’s love for granted but always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims, “Out of all the world, you have chosen me!” Then when life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then as now, still hand in hand, still very proud, still thanking you for each other. 

May they travel together as friends and lovers, brother and sister, husband and wife, father and mother, and as servants of Christ until he shall return, or until that day when one shall lay the other in the arms of God. We ask through Jesus Christ, the great lover of our souls.

Amen."

xoxo, A

Inspiration Monday: Vows

Inspiration Monday is taking a bit of a different turn today.  Instead of rounding up a collection to inspire you to have a party or decorate a room, I thought I'd give you inspiration for your marriage, whether it currently exists, or it still lies in your future.


Hband and I went to a wedding yesterday.  Well, "went to" is an understatement.  We actually drove nine hours round trip to see a dear friend get married.  The trip was fun because I got to be with my best friend the whole time.  This was the first time he and I got to attend a wedding together (besides our own).  Ironically, it was exactly one year after I attended another dear friend's wedding, where her mother told me I'd be next... and sure enough, I was engaged three days later!


I was unprepared for the emotions I'd experience watching a wedding with Hband.  I felt a rush of all those feelings I experienced firsthand just four months ago.  I told him I hope I never forget those feelings.  The tears I used to shed at weddings was different-- tears of happiness for the bride, tears for the changes that would occur... but yesterday's tears were tears of joy simply remembering the truly divine experience of entering into a covenant relationship before the Lord.


As I sat there, watching this couple become one, remembering my own wedding just a few months ago, I remembered how meaningful our vows were.  I remembered how we labored over the wording, careful to craft them to say exactly what we wanted to promise, and careful that they reflect a biblical marriage relationship.  We got the skeleton of our vows from some kind of bland "Christian vows" on the Internet, but we added Scriptural references and personal promises.  They are unique to us, they still give me the chills.


I remember pulling mine out of the pocket (yes, pocket) in my dress and barely choking back the tears as I promised my husband these things, and I'll never forget his precious, rare tears as he did the same.


I hope these vows inspire you to write your own promises for your spouse, or to keep the ones you promised long ago.


And by the way... if you're a bride-to-be, feel free to use these vows if you like them... but be sure to honor them.

I, Michael, take you, Amanda, to be my wedded wife. With deepest joy I receive you into my life that together we may be one. As is Christ to His body, the church, so I will give sacrificially to you, as a loving and faithful husband.  Always will I perform my headship over you, even as Christ does over me. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care. I will continually seek to love you, comfort you, honor and cherish you, even as I care for my own body.  I will provide for you, pursue you, and protect you, as the weaker vessel.  I will set as my goal in life to please first God, and then you, in all things, and I promise that I will lead us spiritually in faith and hope in Christ Jesus. I will faithfully follow Christ as I entrust our marriage and family to Him, and I will let Him make me into the man you deserve.  Ever honoring God's guidance by His Spirit through the Word, and so throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful husband.  Forsaking all others, I will keep myself only for you as long as we live, so that in all things, God might be glorified.

I, Amanda, take you, Michael, to be my wedded husband. With deepest joy I entrust my whole heart to you, and the rest of my days as God wills. As you have pledged to me your life and love, so I too happily give you my life, and in confidence submit myself to your headship as to the Lord. As is the church in her relationship to Christ, so I will be to you.  I will live first unto our God and then unto you, ever deepening my relationship with Him, as my first love and Savior. Loving you selflessly, patiently, gently, I will strive to obey you humbly; being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry; caring for you thoughtfully and always seeking to please you. God has prepared me for you and so I will strengthen, help, comfort, respect, and encourage you. I will strive to bring you good all the days of your life. Therefore, throughout life, no matter what may be ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as an obedient and faithful wife, and promise to persevere until death alone shall part us, so that in all things, God might be glorified.

xoxo, A

Recovery Time

Please excuse another hiatus... I need some recovery time!  Hband and I drove a total of 9 hours yesterday, to and from Tallahassee for a friend's wedding.  And had to go to work today, too.  So I'll be back, just as soon as I recover. :)
xoxo, A