love this song

He wraps Himself in light
as with a garment,
He spreads out the heavens
and walks on the wings of the wind.

He sends forth the springs
from the valleys
the flow between moutains.
the birds of the air dwell
by the waters,
lifting their voices in song-

singing glory, glory!
glory to the Lamb!
all praises and honor forever.

He made the moon for its season,
the sun knows it setting.
He looks at the Earth and it trembles,
He touches the mountains
and they smoke,

i will sing to the Lord all my life,
i will sing praises to my God -
as long as i live,
praises to the Lord, oh my soul.

singing glory, hallelujah!
glory to our God!
all praises and honor forever.



i've been mentally preparing my "end of 2009" post. lots to say, so i hope i don't forget any of it :)

dpp day 25

my dad got this for us. i've been thinking a lot about my gram not being here this christmas. it's a dark photo, so here are the words:
i still hear the songs
i still see the lights
i still feel your love
on cold wintry nights

i still share your hopes
and all of your cares
i'll even remind you
to please say your prayers

i just want to tell you
you still make me proud
you stand head and shoulders
above all the crowd

keep trying each moment
to stay in His grace
i came here before you
to help set your place

you don't have to be
perfect all of the time
He forgives you the slip
if you continue the climb

to my family and friends
please be thankful today
i'm still close beside you
in a new special way

i love you all dearly
now don't shed a tear
cause i'm spending my
Christmas with Jesus this year.

dpp day 24

is it really Christmas eve already?!

tim and i went to kohl's today.... and i saw a girl wearing this hat. if i had been alone, i wouldn't have had the guts to snap this picture. i thought the hat was hilarious!



MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

dpp day 23

no worries, i found my camera :) it was right on my desk where i left it!

here are some photos from today's party in the autism room. they had a panacke breakfast and asked me to come down and play some christmas carols on the keyboard.... i snapped some pictures of some of my favorite kids :)


i took this picture as i was leaving school today, because this car has given me a giggle every time i've driven by it this week:


brett playing with the keyboard:


lizzy refusing to smile for me:

nigel:

my boy marcel. i love this boy! and the fact that he FELL ASLEEP on the bean bags makes me love him even more!

dpp day 22

i'm worried sick. i brought my camera to school today to take pictures of the kids performing in their concert.... and i gave it to a coworker.... i remember her giving it back to me.... but i don't have it with me. i really hope it's on my desk tomorrow at 7 when i get to school.

anyhow, here is some cookie decorating fun that took place tonight - these cookies are by rebecca a. plungis:

dpp day 21

i have to post another boring picture today. i only went out for about 2 hours to run errands on my first snow day of the year... so all i've got is a picture of tessa bo bessa after she came in from romping around in the snow:

dpp day 20

I HAVE A SNOW DAY TOMORROW!!! in honor of that, here are a few pitures from the "blizzard of '09"...

dpp day 19

a few photos from today:

sensational six for 12.19.09

1. snow! we have a BLIZZARD WARNING!! this is our first BIG snowfall in a few years, and i am like a kid!! i'm so excited!

2. went to chipotle today with rachel and kyle, kathryn, emily, becca and morgan. good times.

3. 3 days of school until christmas break. i can't believe how quickly this school year is going. when we get back, there will be just 3 weeks of school until we're HALFWAY through the year! crazy!

4. i just baked sugar cookies (thanks for the recipe, christie!). i'm thinking i'll make another batch tomorrow since it doesn't look like i'll be going anywhere all day.

5. i LOVE kohls. they have a GREAT sale going on. well, they did yesterday. they'll have a one day sale wednesday with really low prices again... i may splurge and buy a down comforter. we'll see.

6. christmas season. call me a dork (amanda, i expect a rude comment from you)... but we were rehearsing the sunday school christmas program today.... and when "Mary" sang "What Child Is This?" holding Morgan (aka baby Jesus) i got chills. i LOVE this time of year!

dpp day 18

first i will post yesterday's picture. josh had his first varsity wrestling match of the 2009-10 season, which happened to be at new london high. i'm happy to report that we kicked new london's butt (including their TWO female wrestlers!). here's the team before the meet started:


and tonight's photo... we had the JV/Varsity christmas party tonight... because of the way christmas falls this year, we didn't get to go caroling as a church... so, we took the kids caroling!

dpp day 17

so i definitely took multiple pictures today - but my camera is in my purse... which is in my car... which is in the garage. i really don't want to go outside seeing as it's about 15 degrees outside. so, i'll post my REAL picture tomorrow... but for now, i'll leave you with these cuties!

dpp day 16

youth group girls!

dpp day 15

holy moley! halfway through the december photo project. i can't believe it's already december 15th. where has the month gone?! i digress.

tonight was a holiday cookie/movie/pizza night at the middle school. it was sponsored by the PIC... or the parental involvement committee. it's a new committee as of last month and so far, we've had 2 successful events! tonight's event was from 6-8pm, and 5 teachers (myself being one) volunteered to bake cookies. i had 12 dozen to bake:



the night was a huge success. 50 dozen cookies and 25 pizzas later, everyone had a great time. i wanted to take pictures of all the kids there... i took one, and then got distracted talking to parents... which, i guess was the point of the event :)

dpp day 14

my poor dog. she looks thrilled about wearing her christmas coat today:

dpp day 13

today after the musical, i went to lunch with the grundys and the leblancs. cavan is always the source of my entertainment when i hang out with the grundys!

dpp day 12

so i am a HUGE slacker and forgot both my phone AND camera today as i was running around like crazy shopping after the sunday school christmas program rehearsal this morning. so... to go along with my lameness, i'm posting a totally lame picture for day 11:



i love this bottle of wine... and it sits on my dresser. i think about opening it at least once a day, if not more... but can't bring myself to do it!

dpp day 11

today i was at jennings elementary. i love this school and get to spend 2 days a week there. this is a picture of my coworker's 1st grade class that was singing a song called "pinata". they were adorable!!! they have their school wide concert next friday and i can't wait to see them perform!

i have a video of the adorable kiddos singing, but it won't upload so check back tomorrow! :)

dpp day 10

tonight my thoughts are with the new london board of education. we have a new board lined up, and i pray that the drama becomes less... and the work for the KIDS becomes more.

here's the set up in the middle school library after school.

dpp day 9

well, tonight was the last choir rehearsal of the year. we have our musical this saturday night and sunday morning. the rest of the year we will sing songs from the musical and/or songs we know well. it's a crazy thought that we won't be together again practicing until 2010... and by the end of january we'll be working on easter music!

here is a picture of my beloved choir. we're a big group this year and we sound strong! pastor bruce was praying before dismissing us... and i was of course, not focusing on the prayer, but taking a picture!

dpp day 8

ok... this is the picture i was going to post before the power went out. it's real exciting... totally worth the wait!

when i went back to the middle school yesterday for a parental involvement committee meeting, i looked at my odometer when i pulled into my parking space, and saw 123.4 - so naturally, i took a picture of it :)

ummmmmmm

Literally just signed in on the computer to do my day 8 photo........ and the power went out. The bad weather isn't even here yet! Very bizarre... so I'm going to bed. I'll post days 8 & 9 tomorrow!

dpp day 7

i had great intentions today... but forgot i had my camera so another picture from home will have to do.

i've been wanting a smaller tv (bulk wise) since getting my grandparent's bedroom furniture in july. my old tv took up about half of my grandpa's bureau...

this is a picture of my new 22" tv i bought on black friday!!!

dpp day 6

big time failure today. totally forgot about the daily photo, so you're going to have to settle for a picture of my dog :)

for amanda dishmoney

another hilarious video from last night: (ignore the pig pen basement)

dpp day 5

i give you the griswold... err... muckle family christmas tree.

i went out in the COLD rain this afternoon to the yetter tree farm to get the tree! i saw dave and jordan cook working there (former youth group kids), and they always treat me like gold when i go pick out my tree. i love yetter tree farm... but i love it more when amanda dishmoney is with me :)

sensational six for 12.5.09

six things that made my week:

1. choir practice. i was worried that the musical would bite the big one this year, but after rehearsal on wednesday, i am no longer worried! it's gonna be great :)

2. starbucks coffee. i've finally come to realize that starbucks is better than dunk. i just wish that i had a 'bucks on my way to school. as far as iced coffee, i still prefer dunk... but... 'tis the season for hot coffee.

3. horns for kids. i got 2 FREE instruments from horns for kids. drove to hamden this morning. a trumpet and a clarinet for new london public schools. amazing.

4. had a great observation yesterday. one down, two to go!

5. my dog. she gets so stinking excited when i come home. she's always been like that, but i've really appreciated it this week for some reason.

6. I'M GOING TO GET MY CHRISTMAS TREE TODAY!!!!

dpp day 4

so, this isn't a picture... but a video. briana performs the "quaker hill school" rap. we were down in the basement looking for christmas decorations and got distracted :) i hope you find it as hilarious as i do.

ok, and a picture. bri must have made me video tape her at least 10 times tonight... songs she knew, songs she made up, a magic show and a scary story to name a few. all of them had some sort of crazy dance... where her perfornabces were over, we came upstairs... she sat down to read her care bears book, and next thing i knew, this is what i saw:

dpp day 3

tonight at praise team we were having some major sound issues. i'm not sure anything really got resolved. with the christmas decorations up, we had to change from our usual spots to a different location. in the process, a lot of things got moved: people, instruments, toas, the manger scene, etc. well, joseph apparently was not happy with the way we sounded. mary thought we sounded great, but joseph... well, see for yourself:

dpp day 2

this is boys choir singing with the choir for the Christmas musical! tonight was their first rehearsal with us. They. Are. Adorable! And sing GREAT! i am super excited for the christmas musical - i really think this is the toughest musical we've done (music wise)... and the choir has risen to the challenge.

anyways, here's the picture:

dpp day 1

i cannot tell a lie. today was super busy, and it wasn't until i just woke up from accidentally falling asleep for 2 hours that i realized i hadn't TAKEN a picture! i was so excited last night about this project, and decided i would only take pictures of things that were NOT at my house. that didn't last long.

i also haven't loaded my camera info on my new computer, so i had to settle for a picture from my phone. deal with it :)

happy december and happy christmas season!!

December Photo Project

December Photo Project
What: Take one photo each day for the first 25 days of December. In this month of celebrations, there is something new to see each day. The DPP is fun way to challenge yourself creatively and share the results with your friends on a daily basis.

Why: Because all the cool kids are doing it. Nah… It’s just that December is my favorite month of the year and I wanted to enjoy it in a unique way, so I started the DPP a few years back.

How: Upload a shot to your blog (or to our Flickr pool) each day. Easy peasy.

Who: Anyone who likes to take photos or wants a new challenge.

New this year: This dedicated DPP page, along with displaying my daily pic, will be featuring YOUR photos! Each day I’ll randomly select four blogs and post both your photo and your web address. With your kind permission of course, no pressure.

sensational six for 11.28.09

1. twin boys. they are the cutest, most adorable, happiest, loving boys i have ever met.

2. thanksgiving football. my high school football game was a lot of fun, even though we lost 42-0. it's neat to see my nephew play football at my alma mater.

3. skype. i love skype. it's fun to visit with family and friends that are thousands of miles away.

4. thanksgiving meal. holy yumminess. we had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnip, peas, carrots, corn stuff, sweet potatoes and rolls. for dessert: PEE CAN pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie and chocolate cake.

5. advent. i love the season of advent. i have my advent wreath all ready to go for tomorrow!

6. christmas decorating. nothing better than blaring christmas music and decorating the inside and out of the house for Christmas. my favorite time of the year!

sensational six for 11.21.09

1. mandy is a candidate for surgery! she'll have her stomach completely removed between now and christmas. keep her in your prayers.

2. i went out with mandy and kim tonight to the hard rock at foxwoods. great meal, fun atmosphere and fun friends. there was a bachelorette party at the table next to us, which made things even more interesting :)

3. got a droid this week. love it.

4. thanksgiving!!!!! tim, bridget and the boys will be here WEDNESDAY!!! SOOOOOO beyond excited!!

5. mike came through his emergency gallbladder surgery, for this i am thankful.

6. uconn beat notre dame!! i'm still in shock. i think it's safe to say that charlie weiss' days at nd are numbered. i'm happy for uconn, though... it was a great win for their program!

boring this week, i know. i'll be back this week with an alphabetical list of things i am thankful for!

cancer is...

... a bitch.

ahem. i apologize.

but it's a true statement.

i have a friend that i met just after i graduated from high school. we went to mitchell college together, and she started coming to groton heights while she was in school, seeing as she's from MA. in getting to know mandy, she told me her story of being diagnosed with hogdkins lymphoma at 14 years old.

mandy never looked well, but she was cured of her cancer and lived to tell about it. she lived to tell about the miraculous works God performed in her life. she was told she would never have children. after getting married, she has since had 3. 3 beautiful boys, who are being raised to chase after Jesus.

mandy was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago. she was 27 years old, and the mother of 3. she underwent surgery after surgery, round after round of chemo. these cancer cells were new, and not related to the hodgkins at all. she lives to tell about it... about her 2 bouts with cancer and her 2 stories of cancer survival...

back in august i found out mandy was diagnosed with stomach cancer. again, the cancer cells completely unrelated to the previous 2 cancers. she looks awful. she has lost too much weight, and her stomach is so distended she looks about 7 months pregnant. she's in round 4 of chemo, and her symptoms are getting worse, not better. she goes for a CAT scan tuesday, and sees the doctor wednesday. they will determine wednesday if she is a candidate for surgery - which would be to REMOVE her STOMACH - and if she's not a candidate, it's chemo for life. it's certain to be a shortened life, filled with drugs that sometimes make you more sick than the actual cancer symptoms themselves. and when i say shortened, i'm thinking months, not years.

i don't get it. i don't get why these types of things happen. i don't understand why God allows cancer. i've known people who have died of cancer... but tonight when i saw mandy... i SAW cancer. it's hideous. and repulsive. and revolting. i saw cancer and the way it's rearing its ugly head in mandy's life again. i saw the toll it takes on a person; on a mother of 3 young boys; on her husband and on her family. It consumes her every thought. she desires to get her mind off of it, but wants to talk about it constantly, too.

please keep mandy in your prayers. i hope to update later this week with good news. i try to see the positive in all things. i try to see God's mercy - new every morning... but this time... it's going to be tough.

sensational six for 11.14.09

1. i could really get used to having wednesdays off. such a great, mid-week re-charge that was SO needed. i loved knowing on monday i only have to get through 2 days before a day off. then, coming back thursday, i was only 2 days away from the weekend!

2. this week the elementary schools had parent conferences thursday and friday, so i didn't have to travel. i spent both days at the middle school. thursday i helped out in the special ed autism room. i love those kids to no end. i've really bonded with one student inparticular... marcel. love that boy! today i worked on my word wall, catching up and getting ahead on my vocabulary lists. it's amazing how much i can get done in school when i don't have classes to teach!

3. i saw a big billboard on colman street today that is advertising 24 hour christmas music on the radio!!!!! i am getting SO excited! i'm going to try to stay out of the stores from now until thanksgiving. i don't want to get too ahead of myself because if i listen to christmas music and christmas-y things for too long, it tends to loose its magic. i can't wait for the music, decorations, shopping, and christmas movies!

4. you know you go to dunkin donuts too much when the girl who always hands you your coffee at the drive thru says "are you sick?" i told her i wasn't feeling 100%... and she responded "i can tell. i can see it in your eyes". aww, very sweet my dunkin donuts drive thru girl is... but a little creepy, too, that she noticed my eyes were glazed (haha, no pun intended).

5. heard the cutest story this week about the song "i am a friend of God". the song goes like this: "i am a friend of God. i am a friend of God. i am a friend of God, he calls me friend". well, a grandma called up the radio station and said her grandson had heard the song and asked "gramma.... who is fred and why does God call me fred?" haha! kids. :)

6. there are some exciting things going on with the youth group at church that have me very optimistic. it's a small group, but intense and a few of our kids are deeep and chasing after God with their whole hearts. it's encouraging. we have a few events coming up, among other things that make me think God really IS in control and hasn't forgotten the youth at ghbc :)

[not so] sensational six for 11.7.09

this week has been a rough one. so much so, that i took friday off for a mental health day. i got some much needed rest, and a few things accomplished around the house for myself and the 'rents. this week really kicked my butt, which i will talk about here... i'll be making up for the extremely short list last week. if you make it to the end of this, i congratulate you.

1. sunday night i set out to have a GREAT week. i was ready for monday, for PD on tuesday, choir wednesday, a special rehearsal thursday and pizza/fun night on friday. monday morning i got an email around 6:50 from my co-worker addressing some issues that were none of her business. my immediate response was anger (not good before 7 am). i took about an hour to sort through the things i wanted to say. i did reply (coincidentally, she was out "sick" that day), and i was polite, yet firm in my response. basically telling her to butt out of my job and do her own... but not in those words. it has been one thing after another with her this year, and i know she wants her job back (my current job of 6th grade general music every morning and then a different elementary school every afternoon). i've been told her time with NLPS is limited, because she's been very dishonest on several fronts. and she pulls some not-so-cool stunts.

2. tuesday. PD all day. the morning session was actually quite interesting, and we're moving towards the responsive classroom. i'm super excited, because behaviors throughout NLPS is ridiculous. we had a district music meeting during my hour lunch on tuesday, and i was expecting a whole lotta drama. BUT... the music coordinator had touched base with all of my principals and said he got nothing but absolutely fabulous, positive feedback from all of them. they're all thrilled with the job i'm doing, and i'm glad that this was announced in front of my crazy co-worker. definitely the highlight of my week!

3. wednesday. i had a good day at the middle school. at the elementary school i had to confiscate marijuana from a 5th grader. the police came and the student is suspended for 10 days. 10 years old!!!! anyways, i had to come home to be interviewed by debra alfarone about my credit card and student loan debt. a few weeks ago they posted something on facebook about looking for someone to interview about their debt. i threw my name in the mix because i was hoping to get the free financial advice they promised. well, who knew... they picked me! ack! so, debra and her camera man, dave showed up wednesday at 3. good times. while they were here, i got a call from our security guard at the middle school. she left a message saying i had to call her back because she had a story for me. i called her back, and apparently, while i was gone in the afternoon busting drugs in the new london public schools, my crazy coworker was at it again. she. FLIPPED. OUT. crying. yelling "i can't do this anymore! these kids don't listen to me!" she slammed a door in the principal's face. and then: she left. walked out of school. gone. wow, this week just keeps getting better.

4. thursday. i was ready for the week to be over. i woke up not feeling well, exhausted and just not wanting to be at school. thursday was an after school club day, and i was at school around 4pm when my brother called. he was really quiet, making small talk and then blurted it out: "peg and i are done." WOW. this week REALLY DOES just keep getting better!!! i went to the high school practice field where he was watching josh practice. just wanted to talk to him, or if he didn't want to talk, just go visit and sit there with him to let him know he's not alone. it's been a long few months for him. he admits he's not the easiest person to live with, but i have witnessed first hand the changes he has made since july to make this marriage work. it's so sad to see it falling apart before my eyes. AND i realized the muckle kids marriages are only 50% successful. 4 marriages, 2 divorces. i guess it's the going rate these days. i hear the statistics and don't think much about it until it hits home like this.

5. friday. i took the day off. much needed day of sleep and work. i wasn't feeling well, but popped some advil and went to the JV fun night. i baked some cookies at the church, watched some dodgeball with rachel - which, by the way... it was pretty amazing that kyle and rachel stopped by! - ... i was nosey and snooped on a wedding rehearsal going on. overall a fun night until about 9 when i felt my advil wearing off. came home to help momma muck bake some pumpkin bread at 10pm and watched doubt. great, but sad movie.

6. today. i've done some dusting, laundry and washed my bed linens. they're currently hanging on the line right now, and i'm already excited about going to bed tonight with some great smelling sheets. i don't feel well, i think i have a sinus infection, but i'm looking forward to a relatively easy week. monday and tuesday i have school, wednesday i'm off but helping in the kitchen for church dinner, then thursday and friday are half days at the elementary school for conferences.

i don't see how this coming week could possibly suck as much as this week. i tried to find the positive in all situations this week... but i'm looking forward to church tomorrow and a new start to a new week.

sensational six for 10.31.09

a quick sensational six this week:

1. hymns. LOVE them.
2. fires in the back yard. love them, too.
3. friends to hold me accountable. pretty bomb.
4. a potential visit from someone in early 2010..... amazing.
5. teaching 5th graders... i get a LOT of hugs!
6. 3 weeks and 6 days until christmas music, christmas decorating and christmas scented candles!

sensational six for 10.24.09

1. just got back from pennsylvania! i was mike and thea's first house guest. LOVE the house, and the scenery! can't wait to go back.

2. skyped with tim, bridget and the boys today. i freaking love skype. it was like 3 of the 5 muckle kids were together in one room. a little more than a month and 4 of the 5 muckles will be together - for thanksgiving. can't wait!

3. mike and thea took me out to carrabba's last night. doesn't go well with the healthy eating thing, but HOLY MOLEY was it amazing!

4. mike and thea are getting a chik-fil-a about 10 minutes from their house!!! we passed it on our way to dinner last night. it looks about ready to open and there's a playscape there!

5. i thought i was short instruments for my kids, but God has an amazing way of providing even when i doubt. PTOs are buying a few here and there, and i'm piecing a few together. some kids have moved. it's been neat to see God work.

6. i only have ONE true, full week of school between now and christmas!!! ack!

sensational six for 10.17.09

1. it is my dear brother michael's birthday today. he is 40! hard to believe that we're all getting so old!! i have been so blessed with an incredible family, and am so proud to be able to call michael james muckle my brother :)

2. iron sharpens iron: for women. pretty good day. learned a few things, but overall i'm a bigger fan of women of faith.

3. the kids in my district are pretty neat. i NEVER thought i would be able to say that. EVER. i LOVE my job. i LOVE teaching. i LOVE teaching in new london. WHAT? did i just say that? i never thought this day would come, but it's true :)

4. i made a pretty big decision about a week ago, and i'm excited about it. more info on that to come...

5. friends. i've been reminded this past week just how groovy mine are.

6. marquis. my job this year allows mwe tremendous flexibility. this past week i spent a period covering a resource class for 6th graders. marquis, a student in the resource class, shared his story of how he is a cancer survivor with me. he then proceeded to show me his prosthetic leg. he had to choose between recontructive leg surgery, or amputation. he was tired of being in pain, so at 9 years old he decided to have his leg amputated. his outlook on life is amazing, and this past week, he became my hero.

sensational six for 10.10.09

i. am. so. tired.

but here's the sensational six:

1. Adah. She's seriously one of the THE happiest, most relaxed, easy going babies i've ever had the priviledge to be around. She is as cute as she is easy going. I've loved these past few days with her, getting to know her... and... putting her to sleep. The Baby Whisperer strikes again. Rachel, anytime you and Kyle can't get Junior to sleep, you give me a call.

2. Amanda. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun this girl is. I have had a blast being around Amanda. Always have; always will. I've only seen her one other time since June of 2008, and we never have had a problem picking up where we left off. Always good (read: inappropriate) times. Then when you add Rachel to the mix... it's just awful. We have the same stupid sense of humor and find ridiculous things funny. We love to laugh and there's never a lack of laughter when we're together.

3. Overtime. I was pretty ticked when I found out I had to spend the whole night... but in retrospect, I wouldn't want it any other way. We had a ton of fun. The praise and worship time was pretty incredible. I'm already looking forward to next year.

4. Fall foliage. I LOVE this time of year. And the foliage is looking pretty spectacular right about now.

5. Rachel's shower is today!!!!!!!! I am SO exhausted but SO excited! I think this will work out well because I can only sleep for about an hour before having to get up and get ready. I'll go to the shower, and then come home to nap for about 2 hours before going to Chili's. If I wasn't so busy I'd be sleeping all day and then wouldn't be able to sleep tonight so... it works!

6. Came to the Rescue. LOVE this song and SO excited to sing it in church tomorrow. I don't know what it is about this song... but I adore it. The Praise Team has worked hard on it, and it shows. I could sing it all day.

sensational six for 10.3.09

what a crazy, long week! but, there was some good:

1. longer hair? i'm still going strong on growing out my hair. this is pretty exceptional. i think the last time i got my hair cut was at the beginning of august (if not earlier). 2 months and still going! when i'm tempted to get it cut, i look at pictures of my hair from the summer of 2007 for inspiration. goodness gracious, i loved my hair then.

2. shopping. nothing like retail therapy at the end of the week. i came home with a few pairs of pants for school, a long sleeved shirt, sweater and a dress for $100. courtesy of my save $50 coupon! i also came home with 3 new candles from yankee candle. buy 2, get one free! i LOVE autumn and can't seem to stop buying their harvest-y scented candles! i also hit up homegoods. love that store.

3. crazy love. this book is incredible. i'm keeping up with the reading, and have a feeling that i'm going to have to re-read it, because it covers a lot of heavy subject matter.

4. the fire pit in the back yard. kathryn and kim came over last night, and we were outside until after midnight, just talking around the fire. i plan on using that sucker a few more times before it gets too cold!

5. babies!!!!!! so, i have done some counting. 9 friends have had a baby within the past 5 months, and i have another 13 friends that are expecting between now and april. holy moley!!!! unbelievable! i guess my circle of friends are experiencing a baby boom! i'm loving it :)

6. friends! amanda, adah AND becky plungis come home this week! i am SO excited to see everyone! i'm not looking forward to everyone leaving, though! that part will stink. but, while they're here i will refuse to think of the sad saying goodbye that will come at the end of their visits!

sensational six

yeah, i'm copying rachel. so what?

i'm pretty bored waiting for my pumpkin bread to finish baking, so instead of doing a fab five on friday, i've decided to do a sensational six on saturday. i'm not sure i have anything so sensational, but here goes:

1. i made a pot of homemade chicken soup today. first soup of the season! it's so easy and i'll have it all week to bring to school for lunch. it is a bitter sweet soup season, because i won't be able to bring my soup to gramma this year. booo.

2. pumpkin bread. i noticed a can of pumpkin in the pantry the other day, and i decided to make a loaf about an hour ago. smells yummy!!

3. chili's. i love chili's. the girls went after praise team practice thursday night and i hope i can speak for all of us when i saw it was a BLAST! getting together with the ladies doesn't happen often, but it's always good times when it happens.

4. praise team practice. i always look forward to praise team practice. it's just a neat way to end the week. i love having that few hours set aside to praise the Lord, laugh with the rest of the praise team, and share about our weeks.

5. i bought a new laptop friday. i was convinced my next lappy would be a mac, but i just couldn't do it. i was sick of my dell, and it's been crapping out for over a year now, so i went to best buy and bit the bullet. here's my new baby.

6. AMANDA AND ADAH COME FOR A VISIT A WEEK FROM TUESDAY!!!!! i'm just a little excited. momma muck is getting to see what she calls "one of the happiest babies" she's seen. all she's seen is pictures, so far, and well... momma muck is stoked. so is poppa muck! all the mucks are ready.

well, this helped quite a bit. only another 10 minutes until the pumpkin bread is done! i'm going to go finish reading so i'm ready for my book club tomorrow!

it's here!

i'm off to read!!

crazy love

more than a year ago, i stumbled across the blog of angie smith. she and her best friend jessica have teamed up to form the bloom book club.

unfortunately, this book club started on the 13th. i'm 2 chapters behind, but feel that i can catch up fairly easily. i ordered the book here and got a free upgrade to 2-business day shipping. i paid $8 total, getting the book for a fraction of the price.

the current book is Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God . from what i'm gathering from angie and jessica's week 2 video, this is going to b e a pretty neat experience.

one of the things i want to do each week is blog about the chapter we're reading. i'm hoping to be disciplined enough to do that. there are discussion groups online to get involved in, but i'm hoping to use this as a place to put my own thoughts.

i've always wanted to join a book club, but felt that would be just one more thing on my already packed plate. i'm hoping this is a way to check one more thing off my to-do list! :)

this and that

so much excitement!!!!!

- gall bladder surgery was successful. had the surgery on tuesday, 8/25... and was at work friday 8/28. i was sore but i was there. had my follow up last week and my surgeon lifted all physical and dietary restrictions. my insides still hurt, but the incisions are doing well. too bad i suffered for 2 years with that pain... but i'm incredibly relieved that i'll never feel that pain AGAIN!!

- rachel found out this past week that she's having a BOY!!!! AHHHHHHHH so many babies! and i'm LOVING it.

- i got an amazing surprise when i returned to work: i'm officially the 6th grade general music teacher and 5th grade instrumental teacher!!!! no more 7th and 8th graders. pretty stinking cool. i still get to see my 7th and 8th graders, but i don't have to deal with them and their craziness every other day! God is good!!!!

- mike and thea close on their house this coming friday!! holy goodness gracious that 5 weeks went by FAST! i foresee many, many trips to pennsylvania in the future :)

- amanda and adah's visit is a mere 16 days away!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!! we're planning a pretty rad baby shower for rachel, which has been a BLAST. i love planning things like that. i've planned and thrown a few showers before, but they've always been bridal showers. baby showers are SO MUCH FUN too!!

- we're moving into week 4 of school already... 14 days down... 166 to go!!

- today's weather was pretty much perfect. sunny and about 68 degrees. autumn has arrived!!!

- got a blackberry tour today and i'm pretty much in love.

- year of transformation. i've been praying for brokenness lately and it's been neat to see what God has been doing... hopefully i'll be able to post more on this tomorrow.

- going to fold some laundry before heading to bed!

first - a big shout out to becky plungis, who i am currently skyping with. she had to go pee, though, so i thought i'd post my absolute favorite song.

it's been my favorite for a few months, but hasn't come out yet (i think the release date is 8/25). it's by selah, who i have grown to love after discovering angie smith's blog. her husband is a part of the group - he's the one with the goatee in the video. they lost their infant daughter just hours after being born.

anyways, this song speaks to people from all walks of life, which is why i guess i love it.

i need thee every hour...

i have had this song by selah on repeat on my ipod this week. i keep thinking to the day i got back from california. the next day i had a few appointments, and i decided to stop in to see gram that wednesday. she couldn't speak, except to say "water" and "cold water"... i knew she was bad. i hated seeing her like that, and i left not knowing that she would pass from this life to the next 4 days later.

this video is not what i would have preferred, but it will have to do i suppose.

seriously?

BABY ADAH! come out already!!!!!! 24 hours in and still no princess adah. your mom and dad aren't THAT bad that you need to be THIS scared to meet them! in fact, they're pretty amazing. so, whadadya say? cut your mommy a break here and pop out already so they can meet you, precious!!





ps: i hope to one day sing this song for you with your mommy in our "old lady voices". :)

nothing of interest

i guess i don't lead a very exciting life. i haven't done much since returning from arizona. i did participate in the march for babies... i didn't have the chance to actually walk; but i did exceed my goal of $200 by $35!!! very exciting!

the following week i participated in a 3.5 mile walk that benefited lawrence and memorial hospital - the same hospital where i was born! 2 ladies from church joined me along with a student from the youth group. we had a great time just walking and talking. the 3.5 miles went by so quickly! of course i forgot my camera, so i have no proof of these festivities. :)

as far as my year of "transformation"... God has definitely been teaching me a lot this year. again i'm leaning on Him regarding my job... i got my letter of non-renewal (along with 69 other teachers in new london) and my future as a music teacher in the district is unknown. my gramma (my only living grandparent) went into the hospital while i was in arizona and is currently in the nursing home down the road... not sure if she'll ever come out. i have friends in serious financial trouble. friends with addictions. friends with health problems. lately, i ve had a very, very heavy heart.

i've had this song on repeat on my ipod for the past week. it reminds me to keep my eyes focused on God, and my praise on Him - through the sunshine and the storms.



a BIG shout out to amanda who is currently in the hospital about to make me an honorary auntie!!!! i'm hoping this post entertains her bored self for 3-5 minutes (depending if she watches the video and how fast she reads) love you amanda! praying your delivery is easy, quick, and pain free!! speaking of my honorary niece, adah... i'll be holding her in less than 2 months!!! :o)

i need your help!

i have raised $85 towards my goal of $200 for the march for babies NEXT SUNDAY! please consider donating -in any amount- via the link on my blog. one day, ALL babies will be born healthy!!!

i never made it to a good friday service today. my sister's church didn't offer one, and when i asked the secretary for any recommendations of churches in the area that did offer one, she said she didn't have that information. AND my niece and nephew had a half day of school today! on good friday?! so wrong.

i love Christmas, but Good Friday and Easter are what our faith is all about. the birth of Jesus is great, but without his crucifixion and resurrection, we wouldn't have our faith, and the relationship with our Heavenly Father that we have. every year i am more and more moved at the thought of Jesus hanging on the cross for me. it is something that i am unable to express my gratitude for in words... praise God for the sacrifice of his son!

today was spent shopping with mom, my sister and my 3 year old niece, natalya. we took a nap this afternoon, and ran to the store to get ingredients to make homemade pizza! so yummy! tonight i played uno! with my niece, becca.

off to try to sleep... this time difference has me all messed up! i'm trying my best to stay on east coast time... but... so far it's not going so well.

i'll leave you with a picture of natalya. here's the gorgeous face i woke up to this morning:

unredeemed

if you haven't already, you need to go to angie smith's blog. tomorrow she will mark the 1 year anniversary of giving birth to her daughter, audrey caroline, who only lived for about an hour outside the womb. she has used her blog to share audrey's story, and she has been such an incredible example of a woman after God's own heart for not only myself, but hundreds of thousands of people.

angie's husband todd sings for the group selah, and they have an album coming out soon. for 3 days only (and now probably just for today and tomorrow) they have the song "unredeemed" available for listening on angie's blog. i encourage you to go listen. (make sure you mute the music at the bottom of her blog page.) just a few lines in i felt the tears fall from my eyes. the song is amazing.

it's holy week, and i'll be posting some thoughts later in the week (i hope - lots to do before leaving thursday!)

be blessed!

not me! monday

by inspiration of mckmama, i'm going to give a shot at the "not me! monday" post. you post all of the things that you "didn't do" throughout the week. here goes nothing:

I did not say I was going to go to the gym every day until I leave for vacation in arizona and come up with a "valid" excuse not to go every day except for one!

Also, I did not press the unlock button for my car this morning on my way out, thinking that it would unlock the door to the garage. Nope, not me!

I didn't secretly hope that my coworker would be out sick today so i wouldn't have to play therapist.

Oh... and I didn't decide to eat brunch for lunch at school instead of my healthy choice frozen meal.

I didn't decide against the gym today because by the time i left school it was almost 4 o'clock and i didn't rationalize it by telling myself i'll go first thing tomorrow morning. No way. Not me.

I also didn't go to the cheesecake factory on friday night in spite of wanting to lose 6 pounds before leaving for vacation next week.

And there is NO WAY I went tanning despite warnings from my mother and a close family friend who recently had surgery for skin cancer.

Oh and I definitely didn't text my way through choir practice.

I didn't add Stellan's picture to the background of my phone because I think he is absolutely gorgeous (I actually did did this in order to pray for him every time I look at my phone... which is nearly constantly).

And finally, I definitely did not have iced coffee for breakfast every day last week, in spite of the healing ulcer in my stomach.

- - - - - -

So that's it! My first not me! monday post!

get on your knees

it's midnight... i'm trying to fall asleep but it's not happening.



I follow MckMama's blog. Her infant son, Stellan, was not expected to live when he was born due to a heart defect. To the surprise of everyone except for the Great Physician, he was born healthy with no trace of any heart problems.

Stellan has been in the hospital since Saturday night with a rapid heartbeat. We're talking 300 beats per minute with little reprieve. You can get the details and medical mumbo jumbo at MckMama's blog...

One thing you may not know about me, is that I pray for people's children as if they were my own. I haven't been blessed with a husband or kids, so I take my friend's kids and pray for them as I would my own. MckMama isn't a "friend" per say, but I know enough about her and her children that I feel as if I know them.

Tonight, I found myself weeping at the prospect of this amazing Woman of God losing her beautiful, seemingly healthy son. I know that none of this comes as a surprise to God, and He's got the outcome under control... but I can't help but wonder...

I'm pleading with God to heal this boy. And I ask that whoever comes across this hole-in-the-wall blog to get on your knees tonight and ask for healing for baby Stellan.

love this verse

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.". ~ Zephaniah 3:17

transformation

back at the beginning of the year, i made a post about transformation.

it was the beginning of 2009 - i didn't want things to stay the same. i can hardly believe today is the last day of february, and the year is 1/6th over already! there were a few things that i wanted to transform:

first and foremost - my walk with the Lord. I don't want my walk to stay where it is - it is something that can easily fall by the wayside, especially with school, career decisions, my BEST portfolio, naps, anything really... anything we put in priority before the Lord. I've committed to finding or starting a Bible study that is weekly or at least bi-weekly. I've committed to sharing my faith with coworkers, and have found in doing so that they become open about their faith! I've committed to increasing my prayer life, my Bible reading and in doing so... falling more in love with my Lord and Savior!

secondly i wanted to transform my body. it's no secret that the past year has been a tough one, and in doing so i turn to food as my therapy which has been detrimental to my girlish figure :) i'm going to the gym at least 4 times a week, and it feels great! the physical results haven't been much yet, but my endurance is higher and my energy level is soaring. i even went to the gym last night for an hour and a half - on a friday night! i'm training for the march for babies 5K which is april 26th! very exciting!

third - school. i can't even begin to express how great my odd day students are. my 7th grade band is still trouble... but my 8th graders and my general music classes... it's been amazing!!! i don't even have to give quizzes because when i ask questions about prior classes - THEY KNOW THE ANSWERS!!!! it feels SO GOOD to know that at least SOME of my students are learning!!!

so there it is - a 2 month update. i'll be back at the end of april with hopefully more positive results!!!!

check it!!

new layout made exclusively by amanda 'ward' dishmon!!! I LOVE IT. and can't wait to see what the PINK ONE LOOKS LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you, amanda!!!

25 random facts about me

1. i LOVE washing dishes. doesn't matter what time of day or night. it's very relaxing.
2. i'm not sure i want to teach music for the rest of my life.
3. i love being an auntie to my 4 nephews and 3 nieces. they mean the world to me.
4. i'm awful at communicating what's in my heart to come out of my mouth. a lot of times i don't think there are adequate words to describe what's in my heart.
5. i cannot wait to have a husband, a house and children. i've dreamed about this my entire life - ever since i was a little girl.
6. i love a clean kitchen. i love a clean bathroom. i often clean late at night. i also clean when i'm frustrated or angry.
7. i've never truly been in love with a man.
8. i didn't have my first real kiss until i was 25, and i'd give anything to take it back.
9. i'm desperately trying to lose weight.
10. one of my favorite movies is dumb and dumber. it's not something i'm proud of, but it's the truth. i've seen it at least 50 times and it still cracks me up every time.
11. i LOVE former presidents george w. bush and his father (who went skydiving on his 80th birthday and plans to go again on his 85th). they are men of integrity, deep faith and incredible moral values.
12. i love country music and line dancing.
13. i love to cook and bake, but that unfortunately interferes with #9.
14. this year i am participating in 2 walks: in april, the march for babies, benefiting the march of dimes... and in may, the spring stride benefiting lawrence and memorial hospital.
15. i want to begin training for a half marathon, but need someone to train with otherwise it won't happen. not to mention i'm not running 13 miles by myself. :)
`6. seriously? i'm only up to 16? let's see. i'm a big time blog and facebook stalker. i definitely spend way too much time doing that.
17. i accepted Christ as my Savior at age 12, but wasn't baptized until i was 19. it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life.
18. i have always always ALWAYS wanted a younger brother or sister. always.
19. i am constantly wondering if i am in the smack-dab center of God's will.
20. i didn't step foot on an airplane until i was 21. i was in my first year at CCSU and the men's basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament. our bracket sent us to minneapolis where i went to the mall of america in our down time.
21. i went to the NCAA tournament a 2nd time my junior year of college - this time we went to pittsburgh.
22. i did gymnastics in the 6th grade just so i could get a trophy at the end of the season.
23. i always wanted to try out for cheerleading, even though they REALLY get on my nerves now that my nephew plays high school football.
24. i think i'm running a fever right now.
25. i have recently become obsessed with house. i think hugh laurie is one heck of an attractive man, i love his scruffy face, the fact that he really has an english accent and he plays both piano and guitar in real life.

march for babies

on april 26th, 2009 i will be walking in memory of my baby cousin: isabella madison bychowsky. please think and pray about donating to such a great cause. you can find more information and make a donation here.

song of the week

with risk of amanda getting annoyed that i am copying her (remember: imitation is the sincerest form of flattery)...

and since AMANDA did not post as requested yesterday, i'm going to post the song that has been on repeat on my ipod for a while now. and RACHEL, don't steal this song because i plan on bringing it to praise team practice next week :)

i know the words are not in english but the pictures are pretty stinkin amazing.

it's official!!!!!

michael and thea have solidified a wedding date! tuesday, june 23rd, 2009. the ceremony will take place in the smokey mountains... in gatlinburg, tennessee!

i am especially excited because i have never been to tennessee! they went on vacation there this past october and fell in love with the area... it looks beautiful and i'm excited for our families to celebrate these 2 beautiful people joining in marriage.

now... get to making me a niece or nephew!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

one word:2009

every year, Ali Edwards encourages her readers to select a word to be their mantra for the year. here is what she has to say:

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009?

It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.

One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

i have been thinking about my word a lot and have landed on transformed.

trans·form (trāns-fôrm')
v. trans·formed, trans·form·ing, trans·forms

1. To change markedly the appearance or form of



this morning, on my way to work, i was talking to the lord... asking Him for a good start to 2009 at school - i asked for a transformed attitude towards administrators, staff members, teachers and students. i asked for transformed strength, patience, calmness and insight at school.

i want to be transformed in my walk with the Lord. i want to seek His presence daily. i want to dive into His word and seek the Truth. i don't want to be in the same place in december as i am today. i want to bear the fruit of my studies.

it's a new year, and i don't want things to stay the same. while i've never been a big fan of change, i think this is the year for it. i'm excited and totally at peace about the changes that i am potentially facing this year. i'm excited to see what God has in store for me, and am pretty sure it's going to be a year of transformation. :)