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Close call

The wisdom found in the theme song from the 80's t.v. show The Facts of Life really applies to my week so far: you gotta take the good, and take the bad. 

Monday: Halloween. 34 nine-year-olds. Lots of sugar. Controlled chaos. Exhausting, but all in all, a really fun day.  And I will never grow tired of introducing a child to the joy of watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

 "I got a rock." (Been there, Charlie Brown. Been there.)

Tuesday: Awesome day of teaching.  They were engaged. They listened intently. We laughed. We watched dry ice sublimate. We all learned something. I finished the day thinking, "I love my job!"

Wednesday: Awful day of teaching. I wanted to bang my head against the wall during the math lesson.  They just weren't getting it.  I explained it 5 different ways. And they still didn't understand. And the day didn't ever go up from there. They talked. A lot. It was windy outside, and that just makes them all a little nutty. I had mountains of tasks to complete.  I ended the day feeling like a complete failure. And you know, that's always fun.

Thursday: A day off from work. So. Thankful. For. That. It's amazing how 11 hours of sleep and an excessive amount of time in my pj's will give me a whole new perspective on things.

It's a close one, but I think when I add in a few really great conversations I had with some of the wonderful people in my life and a rockin' party that I'm headed to tomorrow night, the scale's gonna tip toward me ending up with a good week. Phew!

A little re-decorating fun

I've been wanting to re-style the blank and boring corner of my bedroom for a few months.

Before...

My mom and I had a wonderful day together on Tuesday, which included yummy lunch and a trip to Home Goods. Which really should be called Home Greats because wow, it's awesome. After our shopping adventure, I came home and arranged and re-arranged, and then re-arranged again, a few new purchases and a few pieces that I already owned.  And I really love the end result!  

AFTER...

I have a dream of making my own headboard someday, but until I make time to get that done, I improvised. I used a framed verse that used to be in the living room (my mom did the calligraphy!) and the mirrors that used to be on the wall by the window.  

(Yes, that's a stuffed animal on my bed. I may or may not tuck him in with me each night. Don't judge.)

I absolutely LOVE the shutter/frame thingy. It's my favorite. No, wait. The clock's my favorite. But then again, the lamp is lovely, too. Any how, I needed some brown on the other side of the room to tie it all together. I brought up a captain's chair I got from my nana's house (maybe from the 70's?) that I've been storing in the garage.  I don't love the details on the back part of it, so I covered it up with some fabric.  And added a hot pink pillow because that's always a surefire solution to any problem. 

Done and done. =o)

Best. Decision. Ever.

Last spring, I made a big decision to teach part-time.  And now, here at the end of October, I find myself two months into my new schedule and simplified life.  Guess what?  It's totally awesome.  =)  No, really.  I am SO thankful that God made it possible for me to team teach and that he gave me the courage to go for it.

Some wide open space and the beautiful sky from a weekend trip I went on to Arizona.

There are lots of things I could share about how I'm filling my time and things I'm learning in this new season, but for now, here are three observations:

I'm doing a lot of the same things I was before, but now I have time to actually enjoy myself while I'm doing them.  I'm still teaching and loving kids, ministering at church, hanging out with friends and family, homemaking and hostessing. But I'm not stressed as I do all those things! I may have shifted my teaching schedule to part-time, but I'm still living life full-time.

I'm smiling a lot. When I first decided to make this big change, lots of people would ask me what I wanted to do with my extra time.  On many occasions, I would list off a few things and then make a joke along the lines of, "And, you know, it'd be fun if I could fill the space I'll have with a tall, wonderful guy! We'll see what happens..." Lo and behold, not even a month into my summer, I started dating this really incredible guy. And he's totally tall! Way to hit your cue, Travis. He is a super duper fun person to spend my extra time with.  And he makes me smile.  A lot.  =D

My closet is still a hot mess. Turns out that no matter how much extra time I have to do chores, I am still horrible at doing laundry efficiently. I don't know what my deal is. I keep trying to figure out a new system that will save me from drowning in a pile of clothes, but so far, just shutting the closet door is the only thing that's working.  I think I'm okay with this, but if you hear me complaining about not having any money to go shopping for new clothes, just tell me to go do laundry.  I'm sure I'll find something great that I completely forgot I own, and I won't have to spend a dime!

Simple Blessings

A friend of mine once told me a story about her son who was about to celebrate his 6th birthday. They were in the store looking for plates and napkins, and they were having some trouble picking a theme. She was holding up all the boy options (Thomas the train, super heroes, etc.), but he kept pointing to the girl options (pinks and purples abounding) with the explanation that he knew his little sister would like those. My friend said to him, "But son, this is a party for you. Which one do you want?" And he responded with something to the effect of, "I want to pick one that she'll like, Mom! Let me bless her!"

This saying had taken a place in this little guy's heart because his dad says it to him often when giving to him. And what a beautiful way to sum up our gracious heavenly Father's love towards us- "Let me bless you!" Yet, my heart often feels guilty for enjoying grace and I hear the whisper of "You don't deserve any of this!" Jesus is helping me courageously yell back, "I know that! But God wants to bless me anyway! He's that lovely!"

As I recover from the school year, I'm finding myself enjoying lots of little blessings. Here's a snapshot of a few of them:

A pretty bowl of colorful fruit that makes me smile whenever I walk into my kitchen.

Going swimming and having lunch down by the pool

Sweet stories from Adventure Week: a little 6-year-old saying to the actor telling the story of Joseph, "You are adorable!" And another little friend turning to her neighbor during story time and saying, "God's in every story!" So true!

Turning leftover morning coffee into this yummy treat-

And verse 2 from the book of Jude-

Mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance!

Let him bless you!

Makeover!

A Day's March Nearer Home had a little styling done. What do you think?

Just a little note...

I love hand written notes. Words of affirmation are my number one love language, and I love paper. So, a handwritten note just makes me happy. =o)

I ran across this note that my parents wrote to me FOREVER ago. I think I was in 1st or 2nd grade, and they left it on my desk after going to Back to School Night:

Hi Laura,

Daddy loves you. I * am proud that you read and like school. Keep studying hard and be kind to everyone.

Love,

Daddy

*Here he switches to block printing. I can imagine my mom leaning over and saying, "Larry, she can't read cursive yet."

Dear Laura,

It's fun to sit at your desk and write with your chocolate pencil**. I love you and I am very proud of you.

Love,

Mommy

**Yep, a chocolate pencil. Scatch and sniff. Totally my favorite.

And even though they wrote that note a long time ago, it still encourages me every time I see it.

On the last day of school last week, I received a note from one of my students that I think will become a life-long encouragement. It really speaks for itself:

Dearest Miss HasBrouck, (dearest- so sweet!)

Here's a hand when you need one. It's not much, but it's my hand...

It left me speechless when I read it the first time. So lovely! One of my friends pointed out that these kind words will be exactly what my sweet student suggested- a helping hand when I need some encouragement. I'm thinking of framing it and hanging it up so I can see it often.

So, let's all grab a pen and some paper, and write someone a simple little note. But first, I wouldn't want you to leave today without your own little bit of encouragement:

Dear Blog Reader,

Thanks for stopping by! God loves you greatly, and he wants to bless you. His grace is abundant. I hope you see something today that makes you smile.

Love,

Laura