Fireflies

One of the speakers at the Women of Faith Conference was Patsy Clairmont, and let me just say that if you ever get a chance to hear this lady speak, don't pass it up. She was absolutely wonderful! She is this tiny (and I literally mean tiny, she's under 5 feet tall), animated (I'm talking dancing all over the stage animated), hilarious (about to make me pee my pants funny), older lady, with a lot to say. She was such an inspiration! After she spoke, I felt compelled to go out and change the world ... and that says a lot.

Patsy talked about fireflies. Think about what a firefly does. It is a small speck of light an otherwise dark sky. Do you remember the way you felt about fireflies as a kid? There was something magical about them wasn't there? The way they would twinkle as they lit up in the darkness. All you ever wanted was to contain the light. How many times did seeing a firefly bring a smile to your face? Can't you just picture your little 5 year old self dancing off through the yard trying to catch one?

Patsy compared our lives to fireflies. We are God's little fireflies, let out in the world to bring small flashes of light to dark places. We are charged with shining God's light. Stop and think about that for a second ... it's a lofty task. How is one person supposed to fill the world with God's light? It's simple really, you just have to start small. You don't have to fill the whole world with light, just the corner you are living in. And how do you do this? By loving on others, making people smile or laugh, going out of our way to do nice things for people, by putting others above yourself. When you think about it, it's really not all that difficult. You can bring happiness and hope to others by doing simple things to brighten up their day. You can be a light to everyone you come in contact with.

Here's the thing about fireflies: they wouldn't be quite so magical and special if there was no darkness for them to light up. The same is true of us. If we are going to be a light to others, if our job is to give people hope and light up their lives with smiles, there has to be some darkness in order to have the greatest impact. You can't appreciate the light without the dark. And that darkness, it's all around. It's everywhere you look. Whether you know it or not, everyone is dealing with some darkness in their lives. Why not try making it a point to shed some light into those dark places. Help someone out, smile at people you walk by, or take care of a friend in need. The light won't always look the same, but it always has the same effect.

This message really seeped into me this past weekend. I felt called to start living my life as a firefly, rather than moping around and focusing on myself. Each morning this week I have climbed out of bed with the thought in my head that I was going to spread light throughout the day ... and then I have gone out and done it! And my goodness, what a difference!! At work I have made it a point to spend less time worrying about my stress, and more time loving on the kids. And oh have we laughed this week. We have taken time out of our busy day (I assure you, it's very busy!) and just giggled. I can see a difference in the kids; their eyes twinkle when I sit down beside them and let them invite me into their 7 year old world. The kids are telling me silly stories and we are spending time laughing and smiling. It's wonderful!

And, in typical God fashion, He has let me know that my efforts are not in vain. I have randomly received multiple affirmations this week that what I do makes a difference and matters. And in my efforts to brighten other people's lives ... my own life has become much brighter. I am happy to get up in the morning again. I look forward to laughing with my second graders again. I love my life again. What a blessing! In making an effort to shine my light, I have been more open to receiving light from others. What a concept ...

It's funny how following God's will can be a blessing in your own life. Funny, but not at all surprising. That's the way it is supposed to be right? If only it didn't always take a smack on the head to figure that out.

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.

~ Matthew 5:16

Why not make it a point to be a light to someone this week? Make someone smile; bring them a glimmer of hope. You may be surprised what you get back in return.

Women of Faith

I have SO much to share about the Women of Faith Conference, so over the next few days I'll most likely be slowly blogging about the things that affected me enough that I feel led to record them and share them with you.

The entire weekend was just wonderful. Every single part was really fabulous! I cannot say enough good things about it. It was inspiring and uplifting and quite literally has changed my whole outlook on life right now! The speakers were hilarious, entertaining, open, honest, and real. The musical performances were phenomenal. The fellowship with the ladies from my ABF was really wonderful as well. I laughed, I cried, and I learned a lot! It was exactly what I needed right now to push me through the rest of the semester. I feel blessed and my heart is full.

This is absolutely going to be an annual event for me. I can't imagine missing out on it after having experienced how wonderful it was. It was so good, I am already thinking about who I can invite to go with me next year. I want all the people I love to have the chance to go!

Awesome day!

Today was such a wonderful day! In my classroom it was one of those days where the kids just listened, learned, and did everything exactly like I asked ... For example:

During our reading block the kids were so focused on doing their work during daily 5 that I was able to pull groups the full time, was not interrupted once, and the kids I worked with were able to practice new skills effectively. I love when that happens!

Then during writers workshop I was teaching the kids how to "hook" the reader by starting their stories with an exclamation. I shared examples of published authors that had used this strategy and challenged the kids to try it out in their work. Every day I teach them something good writers do and challenge them to try it. They aren't required to though, it's just a challenge to help them improve their writing. Today, I had multiple kids that did it effectively on the first try! YAY! They listened to me, were pumped up about it, and then tried it successfully.

In math we took a test over unit 6. 7 kids made a 100, 13 more made an A, and 1 made a B. Only one student needs re-teaching over the concept. That just rocks!

Then after school one of the parents of a student invited me to a celebration for their son for completing this academic program he has been involved in for the past 6 months. He has worked SO hard and has shown so much progress as a result (I had him last year and this year so I can really tell). I got there thinking there were going to be a number of people (it was sort of like a graduation) but then I realized it was actual this intimate family celebration. It warmed my heart that they had wanted me to come be a part of that. I love that kid to death. I am so proud of him. He seemed so proud of himself that it really just made my day!

And finally I got to meet up with my favorite kid in the world and her mom for dinner. I hadn't seen her since before school started and have been missing her like crazy! I totally miss seeing that kid in my classroom every day. It was wonderful to see them and catch up. I had such a nice time. It was a great end to a great day!

To make matters even better, I have tomorrow off to go to the Women of Faith conference. I have been looking forward to this for months and just can't wait! I feel like right now more than ever, I really need it. Should be a nice boost to get me through the rest of the semester. I'm sure I'll fill you in on the details after I get home on Saturday. :)

Christmas Music!

I noticed in the past couple days that Christmas decorations are going up everywhere. I'm not talking about just putting out Christmas stuff for sale, I'm talking about full out Christmas decorations everywhere. The first place I noticed it was in the shopping center by Randalls. It wasn't long before Target had decorated, I heard my first Christmas music in Family Christian bookstore, and then driving by town center today I saw they have their Christmas trees up down the road. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me! I love Christmas, it's so magical. Although, every year I still long for the days of a white Christmas in Colorado, but that's okay.

I figured that since the world was starting to decorate for Christmas, I could start listening to the music. Today I busted out my first Christmas music of the season and it put me in the best mood. My car CD player is now stocked with Sounds of Christmas 1, 2, and 3 (Thanks to Jenn!), Josh Groban's Christmas album, and Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas album. LOVE IT!

I'll hold out until after Thanksgiving before playing Christmas music in my classroom, but it is with great pain, I promise.

By the way, if you haven't heard Josh Groban's Christmas album your life is not complete. I'm not kidding. This was the first CD I have purchased from a store in something like 8 years. After I bought it and put it in my car, I ran some errands. Half an hour later I went back and bought as second copy for a friend because it is JUST THAT GOOD.

I could marry him for his voice. haha Let me put it into a little perspective for you: the way I feel about his voice is very similar to the way I feel about Ryan from The OC ... you know, when he has the curl ;-) mmm

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Last week it was pumpkin pancakes, this week it's pumpkin pie oatmeal. Let me just say, wow! This oatmeal is the best I have EVER had! It's incredibly sweet, more like a dessert than a breakfast really, but oh so delicious!

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

The oatmeal is like a big bowl of gooey pumpkin deliciousness, and the topping gives it a wonderful sugary crunch which makes for a great contrast to the gooey oatmeal underneath. There is not one thing I don't like about this meal, seriously!

I have been known to make oatmeal and mix in some canned pumpkin and spices many times before. It's simple and tastes great. But I must say, this recipe totally puts that to shame! If you like pumpkin and oatmeal you HAVE to try this.

For the Oatmeal:

Mix together:

1 cup oats

2 1/2 T brown sugar

dash of cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, and salt

In a separate bowl mix:

1/2 t vanilla

2 T softened butter

3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

3/4 cup milk

Pour pumpkin mixture into oats mixture and stir. Pour into individual ramekins, place on cookie sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. While that is baking prepare the topping.

For the topping, mix together:

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1 T brown sugar

1 T softened butter

After 10 minutes, remove oatmeal from the oven. Divide topping equally over ramekins. Place in oven and bake an additional 7 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Super Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these cookies a few days ago but didn't get around to taking the pictures off my camera until today. You already think I'm the crazy pumpkin lady over here, so why not live up to the title?!? haha

Super Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

As you can see, these cookies puff up quite nicely. They are almost cake-like they are so soft. It's quite literally like eating a piece of pumpkin cake, in cookie form. yum! I think these would be really good with some vanilla ice cream :)

Guppies and Snails

Today I introduced my class to their guppies and aquatic snails. Our fall science kit is all about organisms, so we have been spending the past few weeks talking about living things and their needs, and setting up habitats for different types of organisms. Well, our guppies and aquatic snails came in the mail Wed after school, but since we had a field trip yesterday I didn't introduce them to the kids until this afternoon. Man were they excited!! Each table group has their own aquarium with 3-4 guppies, 5 aquatic snails, and an aquatic plant, elodea. We spent this afternoon observing the aquariums and writing about our observations.

The kids decided they needed to give their new creatures names. One table group had 3 male guppies, and 3 boys at the table, so they named their guppies after each boy. Too cute. Some of my favorite names included:

- Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Snails Stinky (that would be first, middle, and last name LOL!)

- Dark Chocolate "because his shell is brown, like dark chocolate, duh"

and my all time favorite:

- Froggy "you can't just say 'froggy', you have to say it long and do your hands like this *jazz hands* 'frogggaayyy'!" I just about died laughing at this one!