What I really want for Christmas

I want a lot of stuff for Christmas. I want supplies for my classroom, new "teacher" clothes, and stuff for my house. I don't expect to get all or any of these things, and I really am grateful for all of the things I have. I've been thinking though about what I really want for Christmas, my wish can't be found in a store, it can't be wrapped, and it doesn't cost anything...but unfortunately it's impossible. For Christmas, I just want to go back in time. I want to have another Christmas, really another year, as a child. I want to feel the joy and excitement of Christmas like I did when I was a kid. I want another Christmas with my parents together and the people I love still here.

DW and I usually ended up sleeping in the same bed 'cause we were just too excited to go to sleep! I want to grab my brother's hand and sneak into my parents' room to wake them up really early, like 4am early, on Christmas morning to go see what Santa left us. I want my parents to make Christmas seem so real! Complete with half eaten cookies, and empty Diet Pepsi (yep, we didn't leave milk) gnawed carrots for the reindeer, boot and hoof prints in the snow, I want it all. I want my dad to cook breakfast and then I want to sit at the table with my family. Then, I want to take an afternoon nap before going to my grandma's. I want to go to my Guinkum's and see my aunt Cathy. I want to tell her all about my Christmas gifts. I want to have to wait for the prayer before we eat because Mike, Sherry, Matt, and Trey will be coming in at that exact time! I want to spend the evening playing board games with my family and laughing until we can't talk. I want to go back to when holidays were complete joy, and didn't make me miss the people and ideals that are gone... all I want for Christmas is my childhood back.

Fall Decor

My beautiful fall mantle decorations, go a lot of the ideas from other pinterest users, and tweaked them to fit my own taste, then put the pieces together!

fishing with P

Pipe cleaner fishing! P said she was wanting to go fishing so I brought out a blue covered basket, grabbed some pipe cleaners that were lying around, made fish and fishing poles! We had a lot of fun!!

Fall Wreath

I made this wreath, and wanted to pin it for people who want to put a letter on their wreath but don't have a "hole" in their letter. I bought all the materials at Hobby Lobby, and the letter I tied on with 2 pieces of fishing line! It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!

Tomboy?

I consider myself a tomboy. Believe it or not- with all my vintage dresses and hats, away from Sunday mornings this girl is rough around the edges! Now, I love looking girly and feeling like a woman, but I appreciate the finer things in life too. Like, getting dirt under my finger nails even if they're polished pink, coughing and sneezing up black gunk after halling straw, ruining a pair of jeans in the mud, and the smell of gunsmoke on September 1st.
 Before I joined the Leyhew family I was still a tomboy at heart, but had never been dove hunting. Now the beginning of September is like a national holiday for me! I know some people think it's awful to hunt, especially doves cause "they're so pretty" First of all- I believe it's wrong to hunt if you are not eating the animal or it's not a threat to humans and I'll stand by that, it's wrong to kill just cause. Secondly- Doves are not "pretty!" I cringe when people say that! I'm terrified of birds for starters, but people think of the white doves that are released at weddings, not the ugly gray things that dart across the sky!
 I don't mind getting dirty! Today when I was at my in-laws I sat down, in my Sunday clothes (Reminder- I DRESS to the nines for church) at the desk that has the relolading station on it and started loading shells for Thursday. My father-in-law said "honey you're gonna get dirty" I said "it really doesn't matter." Dirt doesn't bother me, Most times it will wash out and if not, then it can be used as a "play" outfit. (BTW- I didn't get a speck of dirt on my dress, I'm that good.)
Riding my fourwheeler, though I don't get to ride it near as often as I want to, is one of my favorite things to do. If you're upset about something riding on that fourwheeler will release all of those feelings. It's like a renewing when I get to go out and trudge through fields. I can use most tools that are in a machine shop. Though I haven't done it in a few years, it wouldn't take much to pick those skills back up.

I will always be a Southern Belle- but that doesn't mean I can't hang with the boys. Just remember that just cause a girl is polished doesn't mean she's a frail lady!

Content?

Yesterday I heard a wonderful sermon, presented by one of my favorite persons. It was on being content in your life, which I feel like was a definite God-send for me, because I have been struggling with being content.

Sometimes I think, "I really wish I had some extra money so I could go buy some clothes," yes dresses and hats are my weakness, as you may know. Then I may think "I really wish I had some more money so I could get these cool sandals, or wedges..." I always want more, when I already have so much! After I want for these things, I often scold myself for feeling I need more when some people may only have one outfit to their name, and may not even own a pair of shoes. It's such a shame that we live in a world where we are often not satisfied with all we have been blessed with, and like I said, I'm talking directly to myself here.

Along with material things, sometimes I struggle with wanting to spend more time with people, expecially my husband. You may be thinking, well you shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to spend more time with them, but hear me out. For everyone out there that has lost their spouse, or mother, or brother, or best friend I should be content that I've had this long with them, and shared this relationship with them, rather than feeling like I deserve to spend more time with them. Whenever I say, "I miss you," especially to Nick, I feel guilty and scold myself for thinking that I miss them....I have no reason to miss them because they are still on this Earth...

I need to focus on relying on God to provide the things I need, and knowing that will be enough...The sermon presented Psalms 23, which really broke it down for me, I never really understood what those first verses were saying until it was explained, I shall not want anything, because the Lord is my shepherd and He shall provide for me...

Psalms 23- The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The Boy I Thought I'd Marry

** This phrase popped in my head one day and felt it would work great as a poem or a song, though the words don't rhyme, I wrote down what came to mind and this is how it came out...**

The Boy I Thought I'd Marry

I always thought I'd marry that boy,
he was my childhood best friend.
When we were old enough to marry
we'd be royalty in our small town.
Well life doesn't always go
the way you may think.
That boy was always
just one of my best friends.
It's funny now to think about
what might have been.

I thought I might marry that boy,
I planned the wedding in my mind.
Church folks thought a preacher's son
would do my life good.
Well life doesn't always go
the way you may think.
That boy I was crazy for was
never more than a friend.
I wonder if he thinks sometimes of
what might have been.

I never thought twice about marrying that boy.
I actually said I never would!
He tirelessly asked me out, but
I always turned him down.
Well life doesn't always go
the way you may think.
That boy is now my husband,
and my very best friend.
I'm no longer saddened by thoughts of
what might have been.

Britney

      My friend Britney Waycaster Orndorff, that last name only became hers 3 months ago (just one week before Nick and I got married), passed away on Marh 11th due to a car accident. Britney and I grew up knowing each other through school and church functions, but had gotten closer the past few years. We sat together on the second row at church. On Sunday mornings, when Roy was away, Nick and Britney sat together and passed candy and gum back and forth! They were like 2 little kids! Most weeks the 4 of us (Brit, Roy, Nick and I) would sit together next to Ralph and Mary.

      Whenever Britney came in with her engagement ring on, I was so excited for her! I remember asking her when they were planning on getting married, and she said, "oh it will be a while." (I was neck deep in planning our wedding at the time.) It makes so much sense now that Britney, maybe just a week later came and told me that they were getting married in 6 weeks! (She got to experience the joys of being a wife before she left this Earth) That was going to be the week before Nick and I were getting married! I remember telling Mary (her aunt and the youth minister's wife) that I couldn't imagine planning my wedding in 6 weeks! She said, "you couldn't, but Britney can." That's how Britney was, she was very laid back and it didn't bother her to not be in charge and a control freak (....ok maybe a little like me....) Whenever Nick and I went to get Britney and Roy a wedding gift, I refused to go look at their registry and instead went to World Market and bought them a Popcorn Set. I cant remember exactly what the card said, I know it was funny and Roy made some remark to me about it afterwards, but I do remember writing "from someone who got tired of opening endless gifts of dishes and cookware,(though much appreciated) here's something fun" (or something to that effect!)

        On December 11th, it was raining terribly! It was the night of my bachelorette party but before all of that it was Britney and Roy's big day. I ran in soaking wet, and found a seat near the front on the bride's side. The wedding was sweet and low key. Just like Britney. Her nephew tripped and fell several times coming up the aisle as the ring bearer. We all laughed and then it was time for Britney to come down the aisle and she looked so beautiful! (She was actually in a dress, a rarity for those who knew Britney! And her mother MADE it!) I was sitting there watching these 2 friends of mine profess their love to each other and once it got time for the vows, I thought, "wow, those sound really familiar!" Ha they used the vows Nick and I picked out! After the ceremony, I went to the back to give Roy and Britney a hug and laughed with Britney telling her how familiar those vows were, she looked at me, laughed and said, "yeah they worked out good didn't they?" I said, "well that's something we will always share."

        Saying goodbye to Britney was very difficult. Thankfully the weekend of her passing was the weekend of the teen retreat, in which I chaperoned. There, I got to pour my heart out to my God and to my brothers and sisters, away from all the distractions of home. The joy I have is I know that I will see her again someday! When my friend Bruce died back in 2004 a verse that helped me get through was Isaiah 57:1-2. I have fallen back onto this verse many times since then to help me through. The verse says:
1 The righteous perish,
   and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
   and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
   to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly
   enter into peace;
   they find rest as they lie in death.

Save me a seat beside you friend! I can't wait to worship our Lord together again!

Cloud Shapes

When is the last time you laid outside on a sunny day, when there are big clouds as fluffy as cotton candy in the sky, and watched for shapes in the clouds?

As childish as that may seem it's one of my favorite things to do on a nice spring day. Just the other day, I wasn't laying outside, but from my car I saw an elephant in the clouds.

The weather is warming up, embrace your inner child, or take your own kids and on one of those perfect spring days go see (and argue over) what characters you can find in the sky! It's fun to see how others around you depict what they see!

Growin' up in LA (Lascassas for those of you who don't know)

     I have been thinking about what to write about for a new blog for the past couple of days. I started thinking about what it meant for me to grow up in a small town, in the family that I was raised in. I thought for today I would just share my experiences growing up in LA.

     I grew up and lived in Lascassas, TN until just recently. Starting when I was 17 I started living part time in Murfreesboro, and now own a home in the Boro, but plan on moving back to LA one day. Growing up in a small, rural town, within bike riding distance to your aunt's and your best friend's house (Kylie and I did this one day without telling Mom and Dad....not a good idea...) in Tennessee shaped my life. My most fond memories are from the summers when I was a child, living in the South during the Summer, though at times its so hot you may see lava erupt, is one of the greatest blessings I feel. My summers consisted of being outside in the yard, swimming at Nissan or in a plastic pool at home, stringing green beans, planting something and everything, hanging clothes out to dry on a line, riding bikes, going to VBS... We didn't have cell phones, we didn't have computers, and my  mother and a lot of mothers didn't work outside of the home except for maybe an occasional cleaning job or a "seeding and strawing" job at a lot for my grandpa. I remember my childhood being slow, nothing was rushed, nothing was strenuous, I was able to take in everything of the world around me. I'm only 21, for me to remember a time when people weren't glued to their cell phones, didn't have computers to play on facebook every day with, and many women didn't even have a job is so mind blowing to me! Many children as young as 10 years old have cell phones now! We use computers every day for everything, most of our cell phones even have internet access, and for a woman to not have a job today is almost unheard of. Sometimes I wish we could go back and live in a world that wasn't so rushed and hurried.

    A bit about my family. I was blessed with a HUGE extended family on my mother's side. Mom has 6 siblings and those siblings each have 2-6 kids, and most of those kids have a few kids...I think I have close to 50 cousins just on Mom's side! And luckily most of them lived close by. I lived right down the road from my aunt Cathy, uncle Nelson and two cousins Josh and Tami. I think I was at their house as much, if not more, than I was at my own house growing up! During the summer especially, the mamas and us kids were always together! I miss those days so much now. Now that I'm old enough to appreciate the childhood I had.

      Today, take a moment to reflect on the people that you grew up with, say a prayer for them to be blessed today as they once blessed your life.

Traditionalist??

      I usually describe myself and my values as traditionalist. I go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, I wear hats and like to dress in vintage. I like making things with my hands and fixing dinner at home instead of eating out. I want to be a teacher, and at some point in time a stay at home mom.  I don't like change in most areas of my life, and I like things to be how I like them to be. Some people may consider me... well, a control freak!

     I'm sick, and I have the T.V. turned on to the Superbowl, not really watching it just waiting for the good commercials and performances to start, I was watching the pre-game show and saw the touching video made of people across the country reading the Declaration of Independence. While watching the video and thinking about the signing of that document and the words it contains, I started thinking about the beginning of our wonderful nation. If I would have been living in England during the late 1700s, would I have gotten on a boat to travel a treacherous journey in the hope of a better life in a different land? On a boat in which a staggering amount of travelers died on the voyage. I'm not sure if I would have had the courage to do that. I may have been content with staying in England, suffering whatever kind of persecution, in order to escape the uncertanties of the New World. That got me thinking back to when Christ walked this Earth. If I would have lived back then, would I have followed this strange man, whom claimed to be the Messiah? Would I have accepted his teachings back then? Would I have been one in the crowds cursing, and abusing this man with liberal values, for the time? What if I would have been appaled by this man's teachings, and what if I screamed to send him to his death? Furthermore, I vote in elections and I'm a woman! Once upon a time, not so long ago, women had to fight for this right! Many of these women who fought for this right were looked down upon, and were thought to be ruining the structure of the traditional home. Oposers to women's voting rights thought that women would neglect their duties at home if they were given the right to vote. Would I have been picketing for voting rights prior to 1920? Or would I have been fine with not voicing my opinion or even opose women's voting rights myself? So am I really a traditionalist? I live in and love a country started by rebels, I serve a Savior who changed the face of religion forever by coming to this world, and I vote as a woman which wasn't possible until 1920! I'm so proud to be an American (I'm getting chills and tears in my eyes listening to Christina sing the Star Spangled Banner right now!), I'm proud to be a woman, and I'm even prouder to be a child of the Risen Savior!

Hope I got you thinking about your own values and walks of life today!

"If you can't do, teach"

As an Education Major at MTSU, education is obviously very important to me. Even as a child, I always begged to learn more and more. As an adult, I now know the power of a good education. I am not like most college students (especially those in the education field) I do not believe that everyone should go to college, and I definitely believe that college is not for everyone! I do believe, however, that everyone should get an education, even technical training, after high school.

In high school, I was once told "if you can't do, teach." What an ignorant statement. Teaching is not for the faint of heart. I am at times criticized for my decision to be a teacher, either by people who believe that my job will be easy, or that I am just doing it for the time off (which is a perk I'm not going to lie!), but we subject ourselves to putting up with snot-nosed, kids and those kids' parents. As everyone knows, the salary definitely isn't why we subject ourselves to educting the children. Education is a tough field! If you don't believe me, pick up a newspaper or ask a teacher what they have to go through everyday. Along with the diversity of children in classrooms who come from less than pleasant homes, the ways of teaching are changing, more emphasis is put on standardized test scores, and stricter guidelines are placed on teachers. I feel that I am called to teach, as cliche and mudane as it may sound, if I can make a difference in one child's life my time and struggles in the education field will have been worth it. As educators we will never know how far our influence will travel, whether good, or unfortunately bad. If you can read this note, thank a teacher.

For all my fellow educators and education majors I put together a list--

You know You're an Education Major (at MTSU) when....
 --You know how to write a lesson plan 3792758 ways, probably with your eyes closed --You get excited when you hear about new ways of teaching --You get to bounce ideas off your peers about your future classroom -- Everyone in your class is engaged, married, and or has children --You have in class debates about the AR program --You have in class debates about pretty much everything --Everyone in your class, being future teachers, wants to explain the professor's instructions to the rest of the class --You are encouraged to make your projects "cute" --The mention of No Child Left Behind creates mass chaos --Along with the mention of TCAP tests --Everyone knows if you have observation hours in the spring, you had better get them done before March because of TCAPs --You save what other people consider trash because you see it as a craft or science project item --You have observation hours for every class, and no idea how to fit them all in --You have a max of 3 boys in your classes --Cardigans are a staple in your wardrobe --You bring your lunch to school --You plan roadtrips with your fellow classmates to go to Goodwill stores in "rich towns" to get nice teacher clothes --You own at least one article of clothing or jewelry with an apple on it --You high-light....a lot! --You actually love learning and try to learn as much as you can --You can spot an education major just by the way they look --Grades below A's are unacceptable --You are kind of a dork, you may or may not be able to admit it --You have been fingerprinted, drugtested, and TB tested so many times you lost count --You can state your philospohy of education in case anyone ever asks --You want to hit anyone who comments on how easy your job will be when you get out of college --Whenever a fellow education major is dressed up, their classmates ask if they have practicum that day --You have had classes with 99% of everyone in your classes before--You love getting new school supplies --Whenever area schools get out for snow, you get excited knowing one day you will get snow days --You have so many canvas tote bags you can't count them all, but you still feel you need more --You get to go on neat field trips, like to the Chatanooga Aquarium --You love the children's literature section at the book store --Whenever a family member goes to a yard sale they buy you the sale's entire stock of children's books for your classroom library --Hearing a child laugh may be one of your most favorite sounds --You are an expert at peer teaching and at acting like an elementary student for your fellow peer teachers to teach to --Many of your professors are terrible teachers themselves --When you ask your reading professor how to teach silent letters to children, the response you get is that one day when you get your class, your teacher's manual will tell you how to address the issue --You know that being a teacher is a lifestyle, not simply a career --