New Years

New years is a holiday I can really get behind (and there are a lot of holidays I can't say that about haha). Of course, having someone to kiss at midnight would make this holiday exponentially better, but even without that, it's one of my favorites. :-P

I love new years because it's a chance to start over. I know it's just another day, but the idea of a new year, a blank slate, and a chance to get things right, makes me feel very happy inside. It's a chance to start fresh, and I have a serious love for the prospect of wiping the slate clean because more often than not, I find that I feel a need to just start all over in different aspects of my life. Now, I do realize that I could do that any day of the year, but something about January 1st just feels different. Maybe it's that everyone has a blank slate, or maybe it's just that others understand when you decide to start over. I don't know ... hard to explain.

Goo Goo Dolls - Better Days

And you asked me what I want this year

and I try to make this kind and clear

just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

'cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings

and designer love and empty things

just a chance that maybe we'll find better days

So take these words and sing out loud

'cause everyone's forgiven now

'cause tonight's the night the world begins again

Here's looking toward a WONDERFUL 2010, filled with possibility and adventure.

Happy New Year!

photo from Notebookdoodles

Photoshop - color

I spent my afternoon today playing with photoshop. What should I have been doing? Oh, just grading multiple sets of writing papers and writing report card comments ... oh well. I'm new at this whole photoshop thing and there are a lot of things I want to learn how to do, I just never seem to have time to sit down and learn it. Today, I played around with color.

LOVE it! :)

Resolutions

Usually around the first of December I start thinking about the coming year and what I want to accomplish. I want my resolutions to be meaningful, to be things that will add value to my life, and to be things that are actually within my reach. Success is a big key here ... I don't like to fail at things.

Each year (starting in 2004) I have written a letter to myself giving an overview of the previous year, and stating my goals for the next year. At the end of the year it's interesting to look back and see how much was accomplished before making goals for the next year. It's also interesting reading back over the old ones to see how life has changed and remember what I was like each year. 5 years ago I wrote this (5 years?!? Can we just hit pause for awhile, time is going WAY too quickly!!):

Every year I make it a goal of mine to try to be a better person than I was in the previous year ... you know, to help someone or do something that makes a difference. I mean really, it's always good to strive to be better right?

Every year since then I've tried to have that same goal, and I can honestly say this year I am ending the year a better person than I started. In fact, the word better doesn't even begin to describe the night and day difference from a year ago and today. That definitely could not be said of each of the years between then and now. This year, I'm pretty happy with the person I have started to become.

So this year, after much thought, I have landed on a few goals for the coming year (or at least a few I am willing to share publicly with you):

- volunteer at least once a month

- read through the entire bible

- try at least one new thing each month (could be as simple as a new type of food, restaurant, activity, etc)

I'm pretty happy with these goals. They are measurable, I think each one is attainable, and each will add value to my life. Each one will help me to become a better person than I was the year before, and that is the ultimate goal.

I have one more goal, which I'm not sure is entirely attainable, but I want to make it a goal anyway. It will be my, "give it my best shot" goal because it most likely will not be 100% successful, but I'm going to make the effort anyway. I am going to (attempt to) participate in Project 365. The idea is to take at least one photo every day for a year. This requires actually getting out and taking pictures, so it's really a pretty lofty goal, but I'm going to give it a shot. I think it could be really neat to look back on a years worth of photos and remember where I was and what I was doing when I took them. As an added bonus, hopefully my photography skills will improve, and I'll get more comfortable with using my new (or not so much new anymore haha) camera with the daily use.

4 years ago I wrote this, and I swear I could have written the same thing today:

Time this year sure has flown by. Sometimes I wish I could just make it stand still for awhile. Give me more time to do the things I want ... It's like you blink and a whole year has gone by.

I swear each year goes by faster than the one before! Where does the time go? I wish there was a pause button for life. There are a lot of changes in store for this coming year, and while I am excited at the prospect, I also wish I could just hit pause for awhile and soak in every minute of this life I have right now. Change can be a good thing, but there are some things I don't want to change. There are some things, and some people, that I want to stay the same forever. Nothing can stay the same forever, I know this ... I'm just not ready to let go of it all yet. And, who's to say what will happen this year ... yes, a pause button would be nice...

However, things are looking up :)

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

I got a new KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas and couldn't wait to try it out. What better excuse to make cupcakes than using my new mixer?!? I have gotten to the point that I have so many cupcake recipes I want to try that it is difficult to decide on just one to bake at a time. I went back and forth, and finally decided on peanut butter cupcakes this week. These are officially my favorite cupcakes EVER! Seriously, yum!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Fluffernutter Frosting

Next time I make these (oh, and there will be a next time!), I'll make a little more frosting. I had enough to cover the batch, but just barely. Plus, they would look much prettier if they had a larger dome of frosting on the top.

And let me just say, baking is SO much easier with my new mixer! I am in love! You just put the ingredients in and walk away to let it mix; it's wonderful! Thanks, Mom! :)

So here's the recipe in case you want to try these too. And trust me, if you like peanut butter, you NEED to try these. It's like a delicious peanut butter explosion in your mouth. yuuummm!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

6 T unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl; set aside

In a bowl of a mixer, on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter, and brown sugar until smoothly blended and lightened in color, about 1 minute. Scrape down bowl and add egg and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute until batter is smooth. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture in 3 additions and milk in 2 additions, starting and ending with flour. Mix until flour is incorporated and batter is smooth.

Fill each paper liner with a generous 1/4 cup of batter. Bake until tops feel firm and are lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Remove cupcakes fro oven and place several chocolate chips on top of each. Allow chocolate to soften enough to spread. Spread to cover top of cupcakes and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup marshmallow fluff

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/4 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1-2 T milk

Directions:

In mixer bowl, on low speed, combine fluff, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt until blended. Scrape down bowl, and add powdered sugar. Beat until blended. Add just enough milk to make frosting the desired consistency.

It's better to give ...

For Christmas, I made this for my mom:

By made, I mean I took the black and white pictures, bought a frame, picked out a mat, had it cut to size, then put it all together. I think it turned out wonderfully!

It took FOREVER to find a picture for the letter "m" (seriously, I drove around for something like 4 hours one day just trying to find something that would work), and I had a heck of a time finding a frame that would be long enough, but not too wide either. But, in the end, it came together nicely (I actually wanted to keep it for myself I liked it so much haha!).

I was pretty excited to give her this; I was sure she was going to love it. Sure enough, she's called like 4 people already this morning and explained it to them in detail. I love when you give someone something that you know they really love.

I did good this year :) It is definitely better to give than receive (that's not to say I didn't like receiving all the wonderful things I got this morning too hehe).

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Have a blessed day :)

Luke 2:8-20

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."

When the angles had eft them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Treasure

This verse was really laid on my heart a few months ago and it's resurfaced a number of times since then so I've done a lot of thinking about it:

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

What does my "treasure" consist of? That's simple: time and money. And where is my treasure? That one wasn't as easy to answer, and the answer didn't really make me feel very good. My time and money are mostly used for selfish purposes. For the most part, I spend my money on a bunch of things for myself that I don't need, and I spend my time doing a whole lot of nothing. When I really stopped to think about this, I felt awful inside. If I am hoarding all my treasure for myself does that mean that is where my heart is too? Am I really that self centered? Is that really the most important thing in my life? It shouldn't be.

What should my time and money be spent on then? Where do I ultimately want my heart to be? That's easy: with Jesus. If He is really the center of my life, and if I am really living my life for Him, then my treasure should be a representation of that. When I stopped to really think about this I discovered this disconnect between what I want my life focus to be, and what it was in reality. Something had to be done about this.

So, I started thinking. What were some things I could do to make sure that I am investing my treasure in places that put Jesus into the center of my life. The first was easy. I needed to start giving money to my church. I don't think it's necessary to talk much about this because it really isn't anyones business but mine what I give, but the point is, I made a conscious effort to start giving much more. It was a bit scary for me at first because I've never dropped more than a $20 in the offering plate, but when it came down to it, I decided that I would much rather use my money to further the kingdom of God, than to buy something stupid for myself. It was scary at first, but now, months later, I'm not even sure why. I have the money to give, I'm not scraping by. God has provided much for me and that is a pretty simple and straightforward way to give back to Him. I feel like my money is being used for a purpose now, and every week I smile when I drop that check into the offering plate.

Around Christmas it is SO easy to find ways to help others around you who are not as fortunate. I have had more fun picking out gifts for children to donate, through Toys for Tots at school and Gifts of Love at church, than anything! My heart is so full knowing that I am doing my part to help make some less fortunate children have a special Christmas. It started with just one gift, but I felt so good after buying that first one it sort of snowballed. Let's just say I've bought a lot of gifts at this point ... haha! It makes me very happy to think about some kids opening those things I purchased on Christmas, and smiling. That's what it's all about. This is the first Christmas I think I have the right kind of spirit. Sure I'm good at Christmas spirit, I love the lights, the music etc., but this year, more than anything, I feel like I've finally got the real point.

So, what about my time? I noticed recently that I have become very lazy. When I leave work, I don't want to do anything but lay on the couch and watch tv or read. What's the point of life if you aren't living it? So again I had to stop and think, what could I do with my time that would have a positive impact on those around me? I mean, isn't that what it's all about; showing God's love to others through our actions?

So, I started signing up to volunteer for whatever I could. Here's what I've got so far; it's not much, but it's only the beginning:

When a situation came up recently to give a little time to mentor a child who I absolutely adore, I jumped right on it. Why can't I give up some time every week to love on and encourage a kid who could benefit from it? There is no reason why I couldn't ... so now I am.

I volunteered at the Sugar Land Town Square Christmas tree lighting event a few weeks ago and spent 3 (freezing cold!) hours passing out jingle bell bracelets to children. I watched child after child's eyes light up and twinkle as I offered them a free bracelet. As cold as I was, it was worth every freezing cold minute to get to share God's love to those children in such a simple way.

Last weekend, I volunteered at the Second Mile Mission Gifts of Love Christmas Party at my church. Second Mile is an organization that provides food, clothing, etc to those who need it. At Christmas my church collects toys and gifts for the organization. Then, we sponsor a party where families get to come in and pick out gifts for each other so they leave with a gift for each person in the family. I enjoyed it so much! I was able to spend the morning with 2 adorable little boys (one who was about 3 years old who kept screaming "this is the best day of my life" over and over and over!), helping them pick out and wrap gifts for their mom and dad. Then we worked on some crafts, ate some cookies, and played on the moon walk. It was such a blessing to be able to minister to those families that way.

I've got something else in the works for this coming year as well, but you'll have to stay tuned for part two. There is SO much more to come!

Why am I sharing this with you? Well, because I can ... and I like to blog! haha. In all honesty, I am SO excited to see how God is going to use me in the coming months, now that I am making a conscious effort to invest my treasure in what really matters!