A Moment To Breathe

or...What the Heck Happened to Pinterest Projects Week #2?

Okay, first of all I have to say I am completely sorry that I did not post the last three days of the Pinterest Projects week.  I had every intention to complete the week, and then...(cue blinking lights font) I GOT A NEW TEACHING JOB!

I know, reader, you are thinking, "Doesn't she already teach private lessons?"  And, yes, you are right, I do teach private lessons.  But this is a vocal music teacher position in a school - the same school the Ladybugs attend to be specific.  And when did I find out?  Tuesday.  Yes, reader, one week before the start of the school year.  I have been waiting ALL summer, and I actually had just finished my Fall household schedule a day before.

To be fair, I actually made the pasta this evening...

From Espresso & Cream - link

and it was pretty darn good.  We omitted the corn and added red pepper flakes, but all in all it was a very successful dinner.  So I suppose I did MOST of the week of Pinterest Projects.

What Happens Now?
Well I had to redo my private teaching schedule - I eliminated my Friday afternoon/evening students, I kept my Monday evenings and Tuesday afternoons/evenings and Saturday mornings/early afternoons.  However, with teaching two days at the school I will be more than overwhelmed with stuff.  Therefore, Friday was the day I eliminated.

I am diligently wrapping my brain around the fact I will be responsible for classrooms of students - which is a lot different than one-on-one lessons.  Regardless, forgive my inability to focus more on the blogs this week.

I Peter Bible Study - Weekly Update
Believe it or not, I did not complete the study this week.  However, like everything else, I was able to get through 3 days worth.  One of my favorite parts was the scripture what starts at 1 Peter 1:24:

"All men are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers

of the field; 

the grass withers and the flower fall, 

but the word of the Lord stand

forever."

I just love the imagery from this verse.  It is poetic and very truthful at the same time.  It moved me.

Another moving verse is found in 1 Peter 3:8:

"Finally, all of you live in harmony with one another; 

be sympathetic, love as brothers, 

be compassionate and humble."

As a musician, I love the parallels of harmony found in music and in nature.  Some of you know that my forearm tattoo says HARMONY in kanji.  I believe in order for us to survive we need to live together in harmony.  It seems like such a simple thought, but still so much hatred exists.  I have definitely been challenged with Hello Mornings, but I am confident once school starts this week I'll be able to achieve the success I need.

The Name Game
I have been Miss Michelle as a teacher for close to 20 years.  However, this school is a Christian school and children are expected to address the teachers as Mr or Miss/Mrs. So-and-so.  So now I have to use my last name.  Not my legal last name, mind you, which has a hyphen in it.  Just my Mommy last name: Martin.  I have become an adult (at least in the school setting).  I am officially Mrs. Martin.  I have this feeling a kid will call me the name and I won't respond.  We'll see how THAT goes.

Wish me luck!

Day #2 - Pinterest Projects Week 2

Today's project is Cloud Dough.

I saw this craft pinned on 99% of all my friends' boards.  So I thought it is a must.

Here is a picture of the original pin:

The recipe was very basic:

1 cup baby oil
8 cups flour


The How:
I took a large baking dish and measured out 8 cups of flour and then 1 cup of baby oil.  I kneeded the mixture together until it felt soft but the dough held together when released.

The Verdict:
If I ever decided to make this craft again I would have measured and mixed outside.  I'm sure you all know the frustration of vacuuming up flour.  It is so messy!  I also would not have ignored the Ladybug's attempt to change the consistency of the dough by adding copious amounts of water from the garden hose.  Flour and water make glue, and that is exactly what they made.

Here are some pictures of our fun:

Day #1 - Pinterest Projects Part 2

One of the most pinned children's crafts on Pinterest is Sidewalk Chalk Paint

picture from Pinterest pin

The recipe is quite simple - it is 1 to 1:

1 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
food coloring

The How:
First, I added a few drops of food coloring to each muffin tin divot.  Then in a separate bowl I combined the water and cornstarch.  I doubled the recipe - because why not?  The mixture takes awhile to come together, as cornstarch is a strange ingredient with properties of a solid when mixed with water.  Then I added a scoop of the cornstarch/water mixture to each divot of the muffin tin.  Finally I mixed each divot until color was incorporated.

The Verdict:
This paint works a lot better on flat cement.  My girls had a hard time getting it to work on the heavily depressioned walkways at our home.  However, our porch is much more level and thus provided the perfect surface to paint.  We also ruled that fat paint brushes were the way to go.  The skinnier the brush the more difficult the paint adhered. 

Here are some pictures of our fun:

Colors waiting to be painted

Initial attempt on very bumpy sidewalk

SUCCESS!!  The paint dries beautifully too!

I Just Don't Get It

or how 50 Shades of Grey is Beauty & The Beast with Porn

After vehemently refusing to read 50 Shades of Grey, I decided to read it to see why so many of my friends were calling it a great trashy love story.  And no, I did not get all swept away by Christian Grey; sorry ladies.  This book was not even close to the romance and erotic Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by Anne Rice, which were far superior "mommy porn" in my humble opinion.

I read trashy romance novels when I was 17 (see above), and honestly reader I cannot say that I found this book to be very innovative.  In fact, it was poorly written and not very believable.  I wanted to repeatedly slap Ana (the young, naive point of view character) back to reality, and I never once thought Christian Grey (the rich and kinky beast in the story) was hot.  However, I am sure my romantic 17 year old heart would have LOVED this book.  I was very captivated by romance and love stories when I was in high school, which explains why I pined for a certain "beast" during that time.  In fact, when I was 17 I also saw Disney's Beauty & The Beast and fell in love with the beast.  Was I the only one who thought the prince was weak and ugly in comparison?

But I digress... Before I read 50 Shades I heard the author, E.L. James was a fan of Twilight, and that her debut novel was in fact fan fiction.  I was anticipating more of a Twilight feel - but besides a hard-body male lead (Edward was hard because he was dead) and my desire to slap both heroines (for completely different reasons mind you), I was at a loss to why it was fan fiction.  However, I really thought 50 Shades was more of a contemporary Beauty & The Beast with erotica.

To prove my point, here is a list of some of the reasons why the stories are very similar:

Hero (Beast/Christian):
Rich
Complicated
Quick to anger
Childhood secrets
Has secret area (West Wing/Red Room of Pain)
Releases Heroine to visit parent
Dresses Heroine in beautiful clothing
Gives gift of old books
Spontaneously dances with Heroine (i.e. not at a party nor ball)

Heroine (Belle/Ana):
Book Geek
Naive
Wants more
Sees something in Hero no one else sees
Wins over Hero's family/friends
Defiant
Refuses to date local boy

Picking Pinterest Projects - Week 2

A few weeks ago I did a blog series testing Pinterest pins, and I received a lot of positive responses.  So in response, I have decided to do another Pinterest series next week.  Next week is the last full week before the Ladybugs return to school, so I thought I would devote the week to them (well besides the yummy pasta salad).  Regardless, I wanted to make their last full week memorable (and as free as possible).

If you are interested in seeing the first 5 Pinterest Projects:
PICKING PINTEREST PROJECTS - WEEK 1

In no particular order, here are the 5 projects for next weeks blog posts:

Summer Pasta Salad

Sidewalk Paint

Cloud Dough

Naked Egg - Science Project

Homemade Rock Candy

Peter Was Human

or - What Simon Peter and Laura Ingalls Have In Common

St. Peter  - Guido Reni

I am currently studying about Peter in my morning Bible studies.

Yes, reader, THAT Peter who was a beloved friend and disciple of Jesus, who denied knowing Jesus when Jesus was taken prisoner, and yet still the ROCK to which the church is built.  The same Simon Peter who with his brother, Andrew, fished on the Sea of Galilee.  In Matthew Chapter 16, Jesus approaches Simon and asks what others are calling Jesus.  Simon tells Jesus he is the Messiah and the son of the living God.  Jesus renames Simon, Peter, because only God could have shared this information.  The name Peter means Rock.

There are so many "human" characters in the Bible.  Men and women who screw up, make mistakes, and seem an awful lot like us.  Even the most important characters were sinful in their nature, and many questioned God and His intentions.  I can relate to how Peter denied his his friend and teacher, his rabboni, and so can Laura Ingalls from the TV series Little House On the Prairie.

Last night, after I returned home from book club, I turned on the TV to look for something to watch until Grimm started at 10pm.  I noticed a Little House was on, so I clicked over.  The episode, called The Music Box, was a story about how Laura betrayed her friend, Anna, all over a stolen music box.  In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a little girl, Anna, who has a lisp.  All the girls (headed by Nellie Olson, of course) make fun of her; all the girls that is except Laura.  However, when Nellie realizes Laura has stolen her music box (something she simply threw aside) she uses that knowledge to blackmail Laura into also making fun of little Anna.

I was bullied, but I do recall a couple of times I tried to tease another child hoping to get the heat off of me.  I ALWAYS felt uncomfortable when it happened, and I regretted behaving so horribly.  Laura also realizes her mistake and apologizes to Anna for her behavior.  I believe it is human behavior to survive in this world, and I believe that is exactly what Peter was doing when he betrayed Jesus.  He wanted to live.

As we know, Peter does not continue to deny Christ.  It is widely accepted that Peter was the first pope.  However, at this point I really don't care if he was the first pope or the first leader of the world-wide church. What one can gleam from the Bible is that Peter was loved by God and by Jesus.  Even though Peter denied knowing Jesus, he was still seen as the one to whom others could rely: the ROCK.

I certainly look forward to learning more about Peter in the days to come.

Reclaiming My Mornings

A Declaration to Myself

Today I began a new chapter in my life - Reclaiming My Mornings.

What does this mean to me?

• Taking time to walk at least 2 miles per day
• Spending time with God
• Planning out the day (including dinner)

I have also decided to incorporate making healthy choices for meals and snacks, and no after dinner snacking (unless it is a very small healthy choice).  I will also wake at 6am and go to bed by 11pm.  I also must wear my mouth guard 5 out of 7 days in order to help my teeth cope with the grinding.

I sincerely hope this public declaration will encourage me to continue with my progress.