A High Calling

Told you so. :)

2012-01-23T22:51:00.002-06:00

I told you I would post more frequently.

But I mentioned a while ago an exciting event surrounding some writing.

Well, it is now time for me to introduce Teachable Moments. There are so many things that are going to be happening over there this year.

First of all my '09 NaNo novel will soon be ready for purchase on Amazon.

Also, I have been working on a couple of books that use a Proverb to tell their story.

And I am also writing a Preschool curriculum designed to be accomplished in short spurts, giving a homeschooling mom enough time to work with older students.

So keep your eye out over there! You never know what's going to show up next!

Tiffany

Kookaburras and Kangaroos and Koalas, Oh My!

2012-01-23T21:59:00.002-06:00

We just returned from a week long vacation in Australia. We were visiting with some friends of my parents on Tamborine Mountain on the Gold Coast. It was absolutely breathtaking. The were kookaburras singing outside the window each morning.

We were also able to see a waterfall in a rain forest, visit the Movie World amusement park, and on the last day visit a park where we fed lorikeets, pet kangaroos, and held a koala.

My camera requested a break from all the pictures I took, so I'm granting it's request. Hopefully, I will be able to post them soon.

A week was definitely not long enough, but was a great appetizer. :)

Now that I am back, my posting should be getting back on schedule.

Tiffany

Edoras and pictures......

2012-01-08T23:26:00.006-06:00

I thought I'd make up for all the pictureless posts by using this post to add a lot!

We made our way to Edoras on an official tour this past Saturday. We almost didn't go. The weather in Christchurch was awful, cold and wet without even a peek of blue sky. But we decided to press on and go to Mt. Sunday.

I also elected to wear an Eowyn costume I had made a few years ago. It was fun being able to stand up there dressed as the part.

We were so glad we did. The weather there was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining and there were just enough clouds in the sky to add dimension to the place.

Right, now on to the good stuff.

Mt. Sunday (the place used for Edoras) is set in a valley. As you come over the mountain and see it for the first time, it really doesn't look like much. Set against the backdrop of much taller mountains, it actually looks like a tiny hill.
But then you start driving closer. And it starts looking bigger.

And then you are at the base and you realize that it is pretty big. It also sets in around this time that you had agreed to climb it. :)

The only natural thing to do when get ready to climb is to sit down for a rest first.

Then we made it to the top.....

And the view was breathtaking.

The nice thing about going on an official tour is that they bring props. Archery I'm comfortable with. Swords......not so much. :)

This is the view on the other side of the mount.

This is the view they used when Aragorn first sees Helm's Deep. Although Helm's Deep is actually a few hours drive away. :)

Dad had fun with Aragorn's sword.

And he got to hold up the Rohanian flag.

Afterwards we had a delightful lunch at a lodge nearby and then made the almost two hour journey back to Christchurch.

The beauty here in New Zealand is breathtaking and I wanted a panoramic camera the whole way up.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Tiffany

Just.....Stuff

2012-01-05T18:37:00.001-06:00

I thought I might post an update on my visa. But then I realized that I don't have an update on my visa.

So I thought I might post an update on pictures joining my posts. But I don't really have an update there either. I have found a device that will copy pictures from the card in my camera right into my iPad, but I am waiting to get it from the States.

So then I thought I might post an update on my writing adventures. But I don't really have an update there either. I mean things are progressing forward, but still no dates or anything to announce.

So finally I thought I would post an update about the earthquakes because there are always updates about earthquakes.

So here is my update:

We have had many aftershocks since December 23rd. Our family was at the camp for the really big ones, but we had a good sized one (4.8) two mornings ago.

So there you have it. I hope this has been an enlightening update(less) post. ;)

Tiffany

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HELP!

2012-01-03T23:52:00.001-06:00

I need your help.

I am in the process of writing a monodrama (a performance by one person) about the life of Jane Austen. It has been fun researching and planning and I am really excited to move onto the writing stage.

However, this is where I need your help. I am torn between writing the whole thing from Cassandra's (Jane Austen) point of view and writing it in more of a play format with multiple characters (Jane, Cassandra, their mother and brothers, etc.).

So, what do you think? Which do you think would be more interesting and communicate her story better?

Tiffany

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So, I am not a......

2012-01-03T03:19:00.001-06:00

Camper. Dad was invited to be the morning speaker for our denomination's family camp this last week. It was held at a camp on the north island. Our family was fortunate to have a little cabin to ourselves. Fortunate in that we weren't in a tent. :)

It was a wonderful weekend full of biblical teaching, friend making, talent show performing, and family relating.

However, by the third day I had realized that I was not a camper. I don't enjoy having to chase the outdoors from indoors. I don't enjoy sleeping on a mattress in the middle of the kitchenette. I don't enjoy the muggy stickiness of hot a humid days with no air conditioning. I don't enjoy having to check each room I enter to make sure that there are no spiders already inhabiting it. Like I said, I am not a camper.

Just to make sure you understand, the camp itself was lovely. The people were amazing. I met some lovely new friends. And the teaching was amazing (not just Dad's, the evening devotions were wonderful).

In fact, I haven't completely ruled out going again next year. I just now know a few more things to bring so that I will be prepared.

Tiffany

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Firsts

2011-12-26T01:57:00.001-06:00

There are a lot of firsts going on right now.

I just finished packing for our first family camp with the whole denomination. We are flying to the north island and I can't wait to get on a plane again. I love flying. Probably has something to do with living on Guam for two years when I was really young. The only way to travel there is to fly. For whatever reason, I love to fly and am really looking forward to this trip!

I also sent a script into my first competition. It was a minisode (7-10 pages) of a current TV show. It was a lot of fun writing characters I already knew and putting them in my own scenario. If you're interested I wrote for the show NCIS:LA and the logline was: "Christmas always brings surprises, but no one was expecting this."

In a few weeks I am also taking my first trip to Australia! That is exciting because I have always wanted to go to Australia as we have good friends there. Now I am getting to go and meet those friends!

Also in a few weeks I am going to reveal another exciting first! A truly life changing first that has focused me more on God and eagerly awaiting what He has for this next chapter of my life.

What are some firsts that you are experiencing right now?

Tiffany

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Merry CHRISTmas!

2011-12-24T07:59:00.001-06:00

"In our world too,
a stable once held
Something inside it that was
bigger than our whole world."
-- Lucy in The Last Battle.

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Christmas Cookie Exchange. Oh. Wait.

2011-12-22T21:30:00.001-06:00

Well, I was going to post about the spontaneous Christmas Cookie Exchange. But then we our six-monthly event.....and aftershock......a big aftershock......5.8 to be exact.

Then there was the nearly half hour of continuous smaller (but by no means small) aftershocks. Then came the calming down and breath catching. Then came the slow relaxing. Then came the second, bigger earthquake.

So now we are waiting to see how big that one is and I'm pretty sure the cookie exchange will have to wait until later.

Tiffany

Update: The second was a 6.0.

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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like.......

2011-12-21T02:38:00.001-06:00

Summer? :) It is very different to go into the stores and see the decorations for Christmas up and then drive by the fields and see newborn foals. :D

Being completely spontaneous, Mom and I decided on Sunday that we would host a cookie exchange. So we have busy calling people and inviting them. So far it looks like a good turn out for such a last minute event.

I have decided to make these:

So that is on my list of things to do tomorrow. That and hopefully upload some more pictures to shutterfly so I can post them here.

May you all have a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our King!

Tiffany

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A Little Catchup

2011-12-18T15:53:00.001-06:00

You must forgive the picturelessness for a while. I am still trying to decide the best way to make them accessible to my iPad.

I am trying to think of how to even begin catching up on all that has happened. I guess the biggest thing is that I am no longer appling for a student visa to go back to school next year, but instead a work visa. The school where I work would like me to continue working there next year. On top of that, when I was sick I had a lot of time to pray and listen. The short version is that I am concentrating much more on my writing (exciting news about that in the near future!) and drama.

I truly believe that in a culture that has strayed so far from the Bible and God that drama is a really positive way to reach them. Lord willing, I will be using drama in a more evangelistic way in the coming year.

Anyhow, remember when I said I was applying for a work visa, well, now I need to go fill out some more paperwork.

It's so good to have access to you all again!

Tiffany

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Just trying new things

2011-12-17T15:04:00.001-06:00

One of the reasons I have so infrequently posted here lately is that our computer situations don't allow for a lot of internet time and, until now, my ipad has been useless.

So I was looking for a new computer, but wasn't quite ready to get one. Then I discovered an app for wriitng blogs.

So, if you are reading this, be assured that more posts are coming.......and soon!

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2011-12-16T02:47:00.000-06:00

Seriously! December!?

2011-12-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

A Little Bit Longer

2011-10-03T00:48:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know I've not been around or finished the giveaway, but there is a good reason.

I had kidney stone which turned into a kidney infection which turned in sepsis which turned into a hospital stay which turned into a long recovery time which turned into a low immune systerm which turned into getting sick from some of the kids at school. So, I have crawled off the couch, braving the blinding headache, to tell you that I'm adding another month onto the giveaway.

So you have until November 1st, Central Time to answer the questions. Just a note.....there are no rules about not using google. ;-)

I can promise you that pavlova is certainly worth the extra bit of effort! :-)

See you in a bit!

Tiffany

Location, Location, Location........And A Giveaway

2011-09-01T03:45:00.003-05:00

At long last the pictures I have been promising. For my birthday, I asked my parents if we could go sightseeing outside of Christchurch. Mount Hood, where they filmed Edoras in Lord of the Rings, was close enough that we could visit in a day, so we went.

The drive up was amazing. The mountains were already snow capped. Just from the car, they were so majestic.

Mount Hood is actually located in a kind of bowl. This is looking over the valley before going in:

As you approach, the road actually stops and you continue on a gravel path.....which will make your car slip and slide. But the truly astounding part about being out here is the completely silence. Nothing, not a single sound. Not a bird, not an animal hiding in the low bushes, nothing. Just silence. As majestic as the mountains and snow and scenery was, the silence was just as awe inspiring.
And then our first glimpse of Edoras. We approached from behind and on the opposite side than they do in the movie, but still it was unmistakable. And breathtaking.
We tried hiking to the mountain, but there was a stream which we weren't prepared for. We plan to go back when it's warmer and we can wade in it. Personally I think a costume will be called for. ;-)
So that was our little excursion, made even more fun by the promise of a Part 2. :)

Now for something a little different:

I've been wanting to do a Kiwi giveaway on my blog for a few months now, but haven't been able to figure out what to do. Then I was inspired. It works like this......I will post a quiz about New Zealand here. Leave your answers in the comments section and on the first day of October (USA Eastern Time) I will randomly draw a name from those who answered correctly. What does the winner get? A container of Pavlova Magic delivered right to your door! (Sorry, but I'm going to make this giveaway only open to Non-Kiwis. :) )

If you are wondering what Pavlova is, my sister, Shannon, posted a wonderful description of it on her blog. It is a Kiwi dessert extraordinaire. The Pavolva Magic has everything you need including the correct measurements.

So here are your questions:

1) If you really like something you say:

a) "Say yes"

b) "That's magic"

c) "Good as"

d) "Not bad"

2) What is the name of the New Zealand basketball team?

a) Tall Blacks

b) All Blacks

c) All Whites

d) White Jumpers

3) How many earthquakes/aftershocks has New Zealand felt since Sept 4, 2010?

a) over 2,000

b) over 3,000

c) over 4,000

d) over 5,000

4) What are the two symbols are on the New Zealand flag?

a) the union jack and the little dipper

b) the southern cross and stars and stripes

c) the union jack and the southern cross

d) the big dipper and the southern cross

5) If you play housie, what are you going to do?

a) play bingo

b) bet on the races

c) play field hockey

d) play scrabble

6) What is a popular home show in New Zealand?

a) Mary Kay

b) Rubbermaid

c) Discovery Toys

d) Tupperware

7) What word do you use if you are talking about a lot of something?

a) megas

b) heaps

c) loads

d) batches

8) After greeting your guests for an afternoon tea, what is the first thing you tell them?

a) where the restroom is

b) where they can hang their coats

c) where the tea kettle is

d) where the strongest doorway in your house is

9) When you turn on a light and it doesn't work, what is the first thing you check?

a) the outlet switch is on

b) the lightbulb is not burnt out

c) the electrical wiring is still good

d) the breaker out in the garage is still on

10) What is the morning break at school called?

a) morning recess

b) morning tea

c) morning rest

d) morning halt

So there you have it. Ten questions, ten answers. Leave your answers in the comments section. Your time starts now!

Tiffany

Just in Case You're Wondering

2011-08-27T05:04:00.002-05:00

I am not still in the same outfit. Nor is there still snow on the ground. However last week we did have a good snow storm which resulted in two snow days. That was grand fun!

Lord willing I will be back this week with some pictures from Edoras. :)

Tiffany

"Summer" WIFD Day 2

2011-07-25T21:04:00.003-05:00

Yay! There is still some snow left on the ground today. However the sun is out and warming things up lovely. That means I could go outside without coat or cape to get pictures for today.

Today I'm wearing:

Shirt: Long sleeve tee

Sweater: Knit crossover sweater gotten at an op shop here

Skirt: Chico's Traveler's Skirt (By the way, this is the best purchase clothing-wise I've ever made! The skirt is flexible enough that I can put a t-shirt or a formal top with it and it looks perfect! It never wrinkles. The flow is amazing. I really like this skirt, in case you couldn't tell. ;) )

Shoes: My "Galinda" shoes

I made my first snowball (although dad rightly pointed out that it's technically an iceball :) ) in years and had fun tossing it around.

It turns out that 10 years in Florida did not prepare me, closet-wise, for a real winter. Hopefully I'll be able to put together enough warm winter things for the rest of the week. :)

Tiffany

"Summer" WIFD Day 1

2011-07-24T18:33:00.005-05:00

Yes, it is the "Summer" Week in Feminine Dress over at the Sense and Sensibility Forums. However, living down under, we had snow for the first day of the week!

Just a brief description of what I'm wearing:

From in to out: Petticoat

Cammisole

Brown skirt

Bluish/Green cashmere sweater

Red scarf

Green cape

I went with a red and green theme today in honor of the fact that it is the seventh month anniversary of Christmas today. (We are a day ahead here down under.) We just heard reports that parts of the city has 30 cm (almost 1 foot) of snow. Outside our door is about

5 inches!

It was amazing to look up at the sky and see the snowflakes drifting down. Trying to catch them was a bit tricky, but I managed to get a few.

Our backyard currently looks like this.

But the snow is still coming down like this. I can't wait to see the final results.......from the warmth of our house.

And sipping this Pumpkin Soup Mom is making. MMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

Tiffany

And, no, I haven't forgotten about the location pictures. Soon, I assure you, soon.

An Explanation

2011-07-19T23:42:00.001-05:00

Well, after three weeks of moving, losing internet for a week, and my netbook refusing to connect to our internet connection, I am commandeering my dad's computer to post a quick note.

So that the first explanation.

The second is that, although the Kiwis claim to speak English, it often becomes almost like a cryptic message that you must decipher. So for when you come visit us here, I thought I would give you some words and their translation so you can comprehend at least most of what is going on around you.

So, in New Zealand you may hear:

"That building was munted in the February one, ay."

The translation:

"That structure is no longer usable after the February aftershock, don't you agree?"

Or:

"Did you bring your togs and jandals?"

Translation:

"Did you bring your bathing suit and flip-flops?"

Or:

"Want some pav?"

Translation:

"Would you care for some pavlova?"

BTW the answer to this is ALWAYS yes. ;)

That is a few of them, and I'll be back later with some more.

Tiffany

Hopefully I'll be able to put up some pictures we took on my day trip to a local mountain for my birthday to a film location. Can you guess where we went?

New Writing Prompt

2011-06-27T02:25:00.003-05:00

Remember the writing blog I talked about here? Well, another prompt has come in and I thought I'd give it another go.

Just to refresh your memory: The author of the blog, Stephanie Morrill, gives the first sentence of a story. You come up with the next 100 words of the story. It's not a whole story, just the next 100 words.

So without further ado:

No one wanted to be there. And yet here we all were under the old oak tree.

The field stretched out to the end of the earth. I looked up and drank in the deep blue sky and wild cotton clouds. The sound of the wind blocked out the words that were being read. I breathed in the fresh mowed grass. The scent of the hothouse flowers invaded the clean, cool air.

Suddenly, the pastor's words dragged me back from my desperate escape.

"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust."

As my father's shoulders slumped, I held my little sister as she started toward our mother's casket.

And there you have it. I can't wait for the next prompt!

Tiffany

So Big!

2011-06-15T00:10:00.001-05:00

Just in case you were wondering how that Cutest Little of Nephew of mine is growing, I've decided to show you some comparison photos.

This picture was taken just after Cutest Little Nephew was born:
The size in the onesie read Newborn, but it reached from his chin to his toes.

Now:
It was actually too small to put on him while Mom was there a couple of weeks ago.

So.....How big is Cutest Little Nephew?

SO BIG!

Baby Conversations

2011-06-09T02:11:00.008-05:00

My mom went back to America and was able to visit friends and family. She brought back pictures as evidence of the many conversations babies have. Here are a few examples:

"I know the secret button is here somewhere. Then I will reveal the secret stash."

"Wait! You told her!"

"I can't believe you surprised me like that. Who are you?!"

"Oh, Mumsy! It's you!"

"Okay, fine, you guys can have the spotlight now. But just wait...."

"I know how to steal the show!"

"Oh, you want a look, huh. Well, here's a look."

"Oh, you wanted the 'cool dude' look."

"Hey, that was pretty good."

"But I'm good-er."

We interrupt these conversations to let you know that we don't think you can start too early teaching your children that Pavlova is the best dessert (or that it was invented in New Zealand).

It's easy. After you've used a container of Pavlova Magic, take the empty container and put something hard in it. It closes securely, so there is no worry of the object coming out. Then you give it to your baby as often as possible. The Pavolva energy will be absorbed by the baby and they will grow up loving Pavlova. (You don't have to worry about telling them that Kiwis invented Pavlova....everyone knows that.)

"Tag Rags are the greatest! Thanks, Mumsy!"

"You're pretty funny too, Mumsy!"

"Yeah, we're pretty cool together!"

*blows raspberry*

"What? What was so funny?"

"You really thought it was that funny, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess it was!"

Hope you enjoyed the little visit into the world of baby conversations. They are pretty smart little cookies aren't they? ;)

By the way, here is a close up picture of the tag rag Mom made while she was with Shann and her family:

Wilowbank

2011-05-20T04:03:00.006-05:00

In the first week we arrived in Christchurch, a wonderful new friend invited me to go with her to a nearby nature reserve: Willowbank. We had a great time! I got to see the illusive Kiwi bird! That made my day for weeks. (I know that sentence makes sense. I just have to find which planet.) Anyhow, I thought I'd give you all an abbreviated tour.*

The main entrance:

You could feed the eels. They would literally slither out of the water onto the dock to get the food offered to them. It was both reviling and riveting.

A very obliging deer. As you can see, he is very photogenic....just ask him.

There was a specific area where many wallabies lived peaceful lives, but this little guy is definitely a rebel. He was wandering around the park and visited the guests. He was the self appointed host....just let him know if you see any of the park staff coming close.

These are his many friends that he had deserted for the nomadic life.

No matter where you go, there are always those who monkey around, even in New Zealand. Fortunately these guys were fun to watch and VERY energetic.

This handsome bird has a dance routine prepared for us. I wish my camera could take video, because it was quite the performance! I was laughing....I mean encouraging him....very hard!

This friendly otter was also very active.....until he suddenly decided he'd had enough and lay down in the middle of the path where his two buddies continued to race around him.

"All right. I'm ready for my close up!"

"Right, like there aren't a thousand other creature you could take a picture of. You had to interrupt my dinner."

Well, there's no story here. Just a beautiful, although small, waterfall.

We saw Kiwis, but they are noturnal and the area where they are kept it kept in "moonlight" so they will come out to feed. But there was a wonderful little display about them before you went in.

I'm not known for choosing normal pets. (I mean, how many people do you know who have a hedgehog for a baby?) After seeing the Kiwis, I've decided I want one of them too. They are just so CUTE! So this is a baby Kiwi:

And all the white eggs in front are Kiwi eggs. The off-white coloured on in the back is an ostrich egg. And the middle one is an emu egg. And the last one is a chicken egg.

This is an adult Kiwi with its egg. They show an x-ray of the egg inside the female and it took up the whole abdominal cavity.

There is amazing wildlife here! You don't even have to go to Willowbank to see it.*

Tiffany

*But if you come to visit, I will take you to Willowbank and you can see all these things and much more!

A School With a View

2011-05-09T05:23:00.003-05:00

I have been very blessed to have the most funnest job I can think of. I get to help out teachers in exactly the way I wish someone had been available to help me when I was teaching. I get to work with some AMAZING teachers. I get to see the New Zealand school system up close. I get to work with a little boy and see the visible results of my efforts.

And I get to see this every morning:

The school has two campuses that are separated by the road. I work on both campuses and sometimes, as I'm walking, I literally have to stop and catch my breath from the beauty of these hills. The sun plays on them, the clouds hug them, and the rain hides them. And each weather brings another view of beauty.

No wonder it's called Hillview Christian School.
Tiffany

Oops, I did it again.....

2011-04-28T03:26:00.004-05:00

And from across the world this time. Today was Mom's birthday! (Happy Birthday, Mum!) I kept trying to get her to come up with something she wanted to do for her birthday. But all she wanted to do was surprised me with something. (I think the hobbit-air here is getting to her. ;) ) So she did! A bookarama!

The local Rotary club is having their annual book sale. So we went. I bought. I now have books that did not come over of the ship. However, I did constrain myself. But I found some books, that I literally couldn't pass up!

Here they are!

I found a sweet little Winnie-the-Pooh trivia book that I'll post a snippet from in a minute.

I was also ecstatic to find a copy of Emma from 1932! I've never seen one that early in my budget!

After being in The Miracle Worker last summer, I've been very curious to learn more about Annie and Helen. I think the 782 pages in this book might quench that thirst.....or possibly drown me.

I am very happy to report that Enid Blyton books are available here. Well, there are now two less because I picked these up today.

But my most treasured book today is:

There is a story that explains my enthusiasm for this gaudily painted cover. When we lived in England, I frequently found books to buy in the charity shops. And I found a book that I loved. It had a story about Bonnie Prince Charming that I read over and over. Much to my chagrin, it went missing. I can't remember if I got rid of it accidently or it was just misplaced during a move. The point being, I didn't have it anymore. And I wanted it. I really wanted it. However, I had always known exactly where it was on my bookshelf and had never bothered to remember the title. So while I performed numerous searches online, I could NOT find the book. If you concentrate all your imaginative powers, you might be able to slightly understand my resounding shock that literally left me shaking when I found this book on the table today. When I first saw it I wasn't sure that was the book because mine had looked like this:

But with the lettering mostly rubbed off. So I opening the cover to read the stories, and every single story I read confirmed that my nearly 16 year search was at an end.

Did I mention this was a good day? :D

So, how better to end a happy post on an exciting day (Happy Birthday, Mum!) than with a trivia question from Winnie-ther-Pooh (You know what "ther" is for, right?).

"When Pooh, Christopher Robin, an the others go on the Expotition, what are they looking for?"

How well do you know your Milne? ;)

Tiffany

And Now for Something.......A Little Different

2011-04-27T00:54:00.002-05:00

I've been following a wonderful Writing Blog for a while now. The author is Stephanie Morril. She's written a few teen girls' novels. I haven't actually read them, so I'm not recommending them. But her blog is focusing on talking about how to write a novel. It has been great! If you've got a story in your head that needs to come out, be sure to check out her blog!

One of the things she's doing to encourage young writers is a writing competition. She gives the first sentence of a story. The contestants fill in the next 100 words. Sadly I'm too old (which seems so wrong) to participate in the contest. However, I thought it would be fun to do it on my own anyway. Then I thought it might be fun to put them on here every once it a while.

So here it goes:

It had been 4 years, but the memories still lingered.

"Hello."

David! I looked up at him, praying he couldn't hear my heart beating.

"Hello.

"You're Kate?"

"Yes."

He remembered me!

"You rode Providential in the dressage competition."

Correction: he remembered my horse.

"Yeah, that was me."

Oh boy, was that me! It was my first competition with Providential. She was ready, but I wasn't.

Seeing my nerves, David had stopped and assured me that the butterflies would eventually start flying in formation and actually help. As I listened, he grew to hero stature.

And here he was. Again finding me as I was calming my nerves before a show.

And there you have it!

Tiffany

The Real Deal

2011-04-22T04:09:00.014-05:00

So, finally, I was able to travel around to some parts of the city to get some pictures. Again I think the pictures say more than I could, so here they are:

You can see the banister is stilling standing inside.

The building leaning to the right is the Grand Chancellor hotel.

I think you can see the crack in the tower in this picture.

This is the only part of the Cathedral you can see right now. The rest of the views are blocked off.

These are the dreaded stickers that could find their way onto a door near you:

Yellow sticker: meaning restricted use. This is the sticker our church bears at the moment. We are not allowed to meet in the building, either as small groups or the congregation as a whole.

Red Sticker: meaning danger, do not enter.

But lest you think there's no beauty in Christchurch:

Here we were in the midde of a broken downtown, and yet the beautiful hill were visible down the road.

The weather today was just perfect! The clouds were particularly amazing!

When we were here last year, we walked passed this building, I don't know how many times, but had somehow missed this saying. It reads, "Lo these are parts of HIS ways but how little a portion is hear of HIM."

The roses are still blooming.

The sun and the changing, falling leaves, with the clouds was truly breathtaking.

And for the first time in years, our family is experiencing a true Fall! True, we're used to celebrating Spring right now, but it's still wonderful to see the changing colors!

This bridge is call The Bridge of Rememberance. It so "happens" that the Grand Chancellor can be seen through the arch as you go past.

And there you have it. An up close and personal semi-tour of Christchurch.

Tiffany

BTW you can click on the pictures to make them bigger

New Pictures

2011-04-14T05:00:00.002-05:00

Well, sort of anyway.

The exciting news is....The Lord provided me with a job! And a wonderful one too. I work at a Christian school helping out teachers in different classes. It's perfect for me!

The only downside is that I haven't been able to get out to take picture as I'd like to. (Our break starts tomorrow, so Mom and I have a planned photo day coming up in the next couple of weeks.)

However, Christchurch has put a link to this. A video that was taken to be shown at the Christchurch Memorial Service. It is able to to show you pictures of areas we can't get near.

I hope you get a clearer vision of what things are like and now know how better to pray for us.

Tiffany

Pictures

2011-03-24T16:52:00.004-05:00

I think I will just let the pictures speak for themselves:

A row of shops:

The Knox Church:

A "Dairy":

Please continue to pray for the people here. The implications of this earthquake are felt now, but will increase with time. There are many lives that have been lost, houses that have been destroyed, jobs that are gone, and for many those things are being threatened.

I don't want you to think I'm telling you this to make you pity the people here, but to know more fully how to pray for them.

Tiffany

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Silence....

2011-03-23T05:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I meant to post MORE now that we're in New Zealand. I really did. I even told people I was.....

However, I didn't take into account the need to be able to plug my computer in to be able to have enough power long enough to download pictures and put them here. For a while we only had one converter, and three of us were plugging in our iTouches, laptops, iPads, etc. Didn't leave a lot of time to plug my netbook in.

Well, I'm glad to say that we now have an extra plug and my netbook is again seeing the wonderfulness of being fully charged.

Be assured that, although I haven't been POSTING pictures, I have, in fact, been TAKING them. They are now languishing on my camera card, where I will remove them and parade them for your perusal in the not very distant future. In short (I love Mr. Micawber), I have pictures and will post them soon.

Tiffany

God's Timing

2011-02-24T22:01:00.002-06:00

We are not where we thought we'd be on this beautiful Friday. We are in Auckland, New Zealand. We arrived at the airport and the North Island and were able to call someone in Christchurch who told us that there was no water and sewage and recommended that we stay in Auckland. He set it up that we were to stay with a lovely family here until we can move down to Christchurch.
It's been a blessing in a way, as we were exhausted from the moving and flights. If we continued to Christchurch, we wouldn't have wanted to rest, but just go right to work. However, now that we have had opportunity to relax a bit, we realize just how much we needed it. Lord willing we will be able to continue our journey soon, but we are glad for this time to build up strength to help when we do arrive in Christchurch.
We've heard that y'all state-side aren't getting much coverage of the earthquake. If you are interested in getting more news about it at CNN News. The devastation is horrific. Over 100 are now declared dead with about 200 still missing. One building in particular pancaked as it fell and they haven't been able to rescue anyone alive from the building. The cathedral spire has fallen and the cathedral will have to be torn down because of damage. In fact most of the downtown will probably have to be levelled before it can be built back up.
I know we would ask for your prayers to be with the people, obviously, who were impacted by this earthquake. Beyond that, we pray that the Lord will use this to bring people to Him. We have been encouraged by the response when Dad has mentioned that he will be pastoring a church in Christchurch. Most people have been encouraging us to continue on when we can saying, "They really need you now." From a self-proclaimed godless country, this is amazing.

From the pictures you could probably tell we've been "touristing" today. We visited Auckland and just leisurely strolled around downtown taking in all the sights. Again, we praise the Lord for His wisdom in allowing us time to relax. And while we do appreciate it, please pray that we may move to Christchurch soon. We know that whereever the Lord has us is in His will and timing, but our hearts go out to those in Christchurch and we want to be reunited with our new church family soon.

Thank you for praying!

Tiffany (for the Rott family)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T11:24:00.002-06:00

I met the love of my life when I was four years old. My dad was a Navy chaplain and we were living in Guam. My parents were actually the ones who introduced us. I accepted my Beloved wholeheartedly. Our relationship has continued to grow throughout the last 24 years.

Not that I have been perfect. I've strayed and questioned and pulled away and doubted many times through that time, but he has always been right there waiting for me with open arms. And each time I come back, I'm closer to him.

He, on the other hand, has been perfect. His absolute love for me has always been there. His patience with me has been greater than Job's as I have wandered. His answers to my questions have alway been gently and quietly given. When I knew I was pulling away, I also knew he wasn't. And when I doubted he just quietly put him arms around me and held me.

The best thing about my relationship is that it doesn't have to be just mine. My Beloved is the Beloved of all those who trusted in Him.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Tiffany

Family Games

2011-02-10T22:55:00.003-06:00

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous:

and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Psalms 32:11

The last few weeks have been less than happy-go-lucky at our house. Somehow transcontinental moves do that. But we've also rejoiced to see how God has taken care of us and really carried us through many of the hardships that were thrown our way: He sold our house, He made ways for us to sell a lot of our things, He provided people who we could give things to, He is in the process of selling our vehicles right now, He provided a place for us to stay between selling the house and moving...and on and on.

It has been just a blessing to see Him working through this whole process.

Our family loves to play a game after dinner, and one of our favorites is Liverpool. But with the move and all, we hadn't found time to sit down and play....until tonight. How much fun it was to just sit with my mom and dad and play together!

I was rejoicing in our reestablishment of this favorite time of day and had to capture it on camera. May the Lord grant many more nights of family games!

Tiffany

Learning

2011-01-31T17:08:00.004-06:00

As a single lady who has desired to be only a "wife and mommy" since she was five, I have had to fight hard to not fall into the my-life-will-be-everything-I-want-it-to-be-when-I-get-married syndrome.

As I have gone through and am going through lessons on learning to trust, to be content, to look to my Saviour alone for what I need, particularly recently, I have watched my little sister get married and within a year have a beautiful baby who is thriving (and has learned to use his lungs!). I will admit to the sin of jealousy during this year. Not constant, but every once in a while I would long to be where I wanted to be and not where God wanted me to be.

Then I read this post. Granted, I already knew the happiness and struggles. But reading her post really made me realize that she is learning the same things as a married woman as I am as a single woman. Somehow, that encouraged me. It made me realize (although I already knew it) that the stuggles I deal with now aren't because I am single, but they are lessons that everyone needs to learn: man or woman, single or married, young or old.

I want to thank my dear sister for writing a post that led me to this beautiful realization.

I just had to add this because he's so precious!

Tiffany

A Cute Little Nephew Tale

2011-01-18T17:32:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time The Cutest Little Nephew came to visit his aunt....I mean his grandparents and aunt. They had a wonderful, fun day and he was a perfect little angel all the way through dinner. Then someone mentioned dessert.

So the Cutest Little Nephew asked his dad to hold him at the table. He waited in anticipation to see what the dessert would be.

"Oh, brownies!"

"Is this for me?"

"Oh, boy! Wait...."

"Can I have some, Dad?"

"Dad" agreed that he could have some by the prearranged method. So everyone enjoyed the brownies.

THE END.

I just realized this was my 200th post. I think it only appropriate to celebrate it with my Cutest Little Nephew. ;)

Book of Light

2011-01-13T12:03:00.004-06:00

"Michael, look at this," said Lissa.

Michael turned around. His little sister walked into the room carrying a big book. Michael took it from her.

"What is it?"

He began turning pages. One page at the beginning fell open. Michael quickly shut the book.

"Mariah! Come here!"

A voice drifted in the room from upstairs.

"Where are you?"

"In the living room," Lissa told her.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore, Michael. I refuse to go," Mariah was almost shouting.

"Mariah, wait it's not...." Lissa tried to interrupt.

"It's just not fair, Michael, and you know it! Aunt Carrie doesn't really want us."

"No, Mariah, that's not what....." Michael also tried to explain.

"Michael, the only reason she's taking us in is because you asked her to."

"Mariah!" both Liss and Michael yelled to get her attention.

She looked at them, startled.

"What? You didn't need to scream."

Michael took Mariah's hand and led her to the couch. Lissa followed. Mariah shrugged and sat down. Michael maneuvered the book for everyone to see. As he opened the cover, Mariah and Lissa gasped.

On the first page were four envelopes labeled Michael, Mariah, Lissa, and Our Children.

The three silently took out their letters and read quietly together. They visibly relaxed as they finished their letters. One by one they put them back in the envelopes. Then Michael pulled out the letter for all of them and read it out loud.

"Our Dear Children,

We love you. This book is a tangible legacy of our love for you. In it we've recorded all God has done and is doing for this family. Our prayer for you is that you may use this book to overcome the many temptations you will face. We also pray that as the Lord grows you in His grace you will be able to add the wisdom you've learned to this book.

'But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, tha the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubed on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. II Corinthians 4:7-9'

Love,

Mom and Dad"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is the beginning of a pilot for a television show that popped into my head. I'd been praying for an idea for a TV show that would honor and glorify God and be practically applicable to the audience. And this seemed to fit the bill.

The book that they read from is called a Book of Light. Their parents have been adding to it all their lives. Making pages on Trust, The Armour of God, The Fruits of the Spirit, Forgiveness, Mercy.

I enjoyed planning everything for the series....especially the book.

Then I thought, "Wait! Why don't I made one of my own?!"

So I did. Only two pages so far, but many planned.

The inside cover

The opening Bible verse

The first technical page. The envelopes contain blank business cards that I've written verses about trust on.

The worse part is, I'm now into scrapbooking! AHHH! I've always said that I wouldn't get into scrapbooking because of all the extras that come with it. But I really love working on this project.

Do any of you have something of this kind? Or other scrapbooking things that you like to share?

Tiffany

Introducing....

2011-01-04T22:41:00.003-06:00

I would like to introduce you to First Laugh:

First Laugh fluttered into my head about three days before NaNoWriMo '09 and asked (she is a polite fairy and would never demand) that I put her story down on paper....So I did and actually won my first Nano in the process.

Then for the next months (year) I have been editing and rearranging her story so that it suits her perfectly (she is also a very precise fairy and doesn't want anything to be presented the wrong way).

Fortunately she's a lovely fairy to work with. It took me a while to get her to hold still long enough to sketch her, but at last she did and I was able to show the world what she looks like.

I am working on the illustrations for her story as well as implementing some very good advice I got from some wonderful friends (only after consulting First Laugh, of course).

So, if all continues to go well, and First Laugh give me some better descriptions of what some scenes looked like (and I can excel very quickly in the art department) her story will be available for you to read as well.

She is really a loveable fairy and would love to meet you all, I know it!

Tiffany (and First Laugh)

An Unexpected Party

2010-12-19T23:26:00.004-06:00

A friend from church and I made plans to go and see Shannon and have a tea party. Now that my sister doesn't live down the hall, almost every visit turns into a tea party. Well, we certainly had a fun one:
Oh, why is there an IV bag hanger, you say? Why is Shannon wearing a hospital bracelet, you say? Why does Shannon not have a baby bump, you say? Wait are you in a hospital, you say?

YES! I say! The location of the tea party had to be changed because this little one made an unexpected appearance:

But seeing as he is the most adorable little thing on this earth, we had to forgive him. Plus it was just fun to pack up china and tea bags and use a hospital tray to have a tea party. And if he hadn't made his appearance, I wouldn't have been able to do this:

And there certainly wouldn't have been any of this yet:

Yes, it was an unexpected party, but a fun one! And there were no dragons or dwarves involved in this Unexpected Party. :D

*A very happy aunt* Tiffany

My Dream Bookshop

2010-12-16T17:56:00.003-06:00

*The link is fixed now. Thanks for letting me know!*

I've always wanted to open a bookshop. I knew that I wanted it to have an Alice in Wonderland theme. But I thought it was far in the future.

Then as we decided to move to New Zealand and I realized I needed to cut down on my library (which has grown to almost 500) and I found out that Etsy allowed vintage books to be sold, I realized I could have my dream.

True it's not a brick and mortar store (which I would still love to have one day), but I think it's the next best thing.

I would love to have you stop by and visit: Adventures in Bookland

See you there!

Tiffany

Another Movie Review

2010-12-13T21:42:00.002-06:00

Over at Take Two, I reviewed the newly released in the USA Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Tiffany

Home Again, Home Again Jiggety Jig

2010-11-19T18:29:00.003-06:00

New Zealand was amazing! After being home about a week and a half, I think I've been able to process and articulate what was so wonderful about it.

The People:

The people in New Zealand were so kind and friendly, and not just the ones at the church (who were absolutely lovely!). Everywhere you went there was a distinct lack of "I must push past you because I need to be somewhere" that you see in the US. Their mindset, what I saw of it, was very laid back and others focused. It was so heartwarming to be able to smile at people and not have them look at you like you were crazy. Also, I don't think I went into any shops or things like that where I felt that I was a nuisance, which was also very lovely.

The Place:

Well, I don't think words could ever really describe the beauty of New Zealand. I'll just show some more pictures instead.

The Food:

The food is actually quite close to England with a few additions. I grew up in England and really like the English food. And the additions the Kiwis add are scrumptious! If you are ever in New Zealand near Auckland, there is an amazing Fish and Chips shop in Ponsonby. It has a sign out front that advertises the best fish and chips in Auckland.....and they are RIGHT! Another, or couple of, benefits food wise to me is that all the chickens (and hence eggs) are free range and not fed hormones or anitbiotics. The same goes for their beef. They have lovely exotic vegetables (we had Kumara with dinner one night) that I can't wait to try! Also, I would love to be able to set up some gardens when we move: vegetable, herb, and flower.

Overall:

I know I'm going to love living in New Zealand. Christchurch, where we'll be living, has many suburbs that are a short walking or bus distance to the city center. My ideal environment! The amazing people, truly awesome scenery, and wonderful atmosphere is truly a draw to move and stay!

Now, if only I can figure out how to move a certain part of Florida where my sister, brother-in-law, and soon niece or nephew lives to Christchurch, everything would be perfect! Seriously, I KNOW I will love living there when we move, but as I visit my church family and my sister and her family I can't imagine living halfway around the world from them.

But God is good. He gives a peace that passes understanding!

Amen

Tiffany

Lovely...Lovely, Lovely

2010-11-05T21:46:00.002-05:00

Even though it was forcasted to rain, we made a trek to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens. Here's the results:

I think this is the rose from Beauty and the Beast.

This was not in the Botanical garden, but the dry riverbed from the family camp we went to last weekend.

If you're interested there are some more here .

Tiffany

Heaven on Earth

2010-10-28T22:28:00.003-05:00

...Otherwise known as New Zealand.

After 18 hours in three planes and completely skipping Wednesday, I landed in Christchurch, NZ...our new home in about 3 months. We're here for a visit and to sort out some things and I've already taken a load of pictures:

Here are a few:

A picturesque spot across from Christchurch. We were on top of a hill looking on Christchurch on one side and here on the other.

I love taking pictures in planes because you see from above the shadows of the clouds.

This was sunrise over the Pacific ocean.

And here's a link to the others.

Be assured (or scared), more are on the way.

Tiffany

Moving is a Process

2010-10-18T15:29:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true. Moving is a process. Right now I am trying to process down some of my things. :)

One of the hardest things to go through has been my books so far, but honestly I do have to many to move halfway across the world.

So I've set up an ebay account to sell some of my more vintage items. I just listed a Children's Classic Robinson Crusoe with illustrations by N. C. Wyeth here .

Stay tuned for more books and some vintage glasses and an 1840s baby's gown and other various and sundries.

I'll try to keep my posting updated with more moving info. I'm excited to get all of this organized and started! :)

Tiffany

Pillowcase Dress

2010-10-11T17:45:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I found this fabric stashed in my---stash. So I decided to use it to make a pillowcase dress for a little girl I babysit. After some cutting sewing and bias-tape-using.....
this is the result:

Then I was able to take it the other day while babysitting and we had a fun photoshoot. At the house, she wore a long sleeved onesie underneath to show winter wear. After a few minutes of that, it got hot, so...

We went to the park to swing. Although the basketball game was much more interesting than smiling at the camera.

Then came the dog wandering by who was more fascinating than all my attempts to get her attention.

Once the game was over and the dog had left, she finally recognized all my lip-smacking, tongue-clicking and face-making.

Then we started having a good time! :)

This was a fun project and so cute on such a cute little girl!

A New Movie Review

2010-10-08T23:09:00.002-05:00

I just posted a review of the movie "Like Dandelion Dust" on Take Two. Here's the link.

Tiffany

A Treat!

2010-10-04T15:17:00.003-05:00

My mom and I went to a new Smoothie cafe down the street. It was delicious! So, well, smooth and creamy. Mmmmm. The only downside was the price. Worth it, definitely, but not as often as I'd like.

So this morning, I decided to try to make my own. Armed with three strawberries, an orange, and a handful of blueberries, I plopped them in our blender and in a few minutes has this yummy looking treat:

Then I thought for a minute and decided to add something. I came up with this delicious breakfast this morning!

I was about half done when I noticed that the pulp was separating from the juice, so I strained the rest of it and had the best fruit juice. I drank it so fast there was nothing left to take a picture of. ;D

Now, I had a wonderful, delicious, healthy breakfast, discovered how to make great juice, and I even kept the pulp to add into some muffins or something later on!

Tiffany

Cookbook Surprise

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

If you saw my last post, you might be wondering why I was looking at a recipe book from Christchurch, New Zealand. If you are, or aren't, I'll tell you why.

In exactly 4-ish months, our family will be moving to Christchurch, New Zealand. Dad has been called to a church there. While it will be hard to leave daughters, sisters, grandbaby, and neice/nephew, we are so excited at this new adventure God is giving us!

Please pray for us as we sort through our belongings, have numerous yard sales, apply for visas, and pack as the list of "To-Do"s seems to be getting longer rather than shorter!

Tiffany

Wise Advice

2010-09-16T23:57:00.002-05:00

Recipe for Preserving Children

Take one large grass field
Half a dozen children
2 or 3 small dogs
a pinch of brook & some pebbles

Mix the children and dogs well together. Put them in the field, stirring constantly. Sprinkle field with flowers. Spread over all the deep blue sky and bake in hot sunshine. When well browned, remove to the bath tub.

~Taken from the Reformed Church of

Christchurch, New Zealand Cookbook

New "Take Two" post

2010-08-27T00:53:00.002-05:00

This one really isn't a specific movie review, more of a general reminder of what to look for in movies. You can find it here.

Tiffany

Treasures

2010-08-08T00:18:00.002-05:00

I was just featured in my first Etsy treasury! The theme is Fall and there are some splendid reminders that cool weather IS coming. Follow this link to see them. A warning: don't scroll down to the end, there is an immodest picture.

Tiffany

Just Opened-Again!

2010-08-05T22:29:00.005-05:00

As you might have noticed in my side bar, I have recently reopened my Focus This and my Simply Scrumptious Scarves Etsy shops.

You might find things such as:

or:

Come by and take a peek!

Tiffany

In Memorium

2010-08-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today is the One month anniversary of loosing Tiggles. I have tons of pictures that I took of her so I thought I'd put some of them together with the captions I thought of as I was taking them.

"Why did you put me in here again?"

"You woke me up to SEW!"

My Two Girls

"Mom, there's a big black thing pointing at me!"

"Is it safe?"

"Ooooh! My favorite shoulder!"

"Ooooh, there's something over there! I can smell it!"

"MOM! There's the big black thing again!"

"I can't smile at the big black thing. I'm too shy."

"Really, Mom, all I want to do is curl up and got to sleep."

"I'm not sure about this, Mom. I mean it's big and black."

This one is just too sweet not to put up.

She was SO cute!

Tiffany

God's Blessings

2010-07-23T01:14:00.003-05:00

What exactly do you say after you've disappeared off the planet for three months? Simple. God is GOOD!

In the ast three months I have been able to:
~Go to New York City
~Meet wonderful new friends
~Get better aquainted with old friends
~Witness the marriage of a best friend
~See Wicked on Broadway with front and (almost) center seats
~Experience my first dance tech week
~Experience my first dance recital
~See my parents off to New Zealand for three weeks
~Go to Indiana for a month for the Masterworks Festival
~Say "Goodbye" to my beloved Tiggles
~Be blessed in being part of such an amazing cast of The Miracle Worker
~Be blessed by that wonderful cast
~Be a part of the truly awesome things God did at Masterworks

Right after school let out, I flew to NYC to be a part of a friend's wedding. What a beautiful picture of God's covenant with us that was. The Lord was so glorified that day and I know all the days since in that new family created for Him.

While in NYC, a new good friend won tickets to see Wicked on Broadway. She was so kind to let me tag along with her. What an experience! We could literally have reached out and touched the conductor's head! (Not that I think he would have appreciated it much. :-) Every sequin was sparkling for us to see. Every curl was visible. Every facial expression was right there for us to see!

The week I came back was the week of my first ever dance tech week. The dance class I was in was involved in two of the three performances. So I attended a couple of dress/tech rehearsals. Then came my first ever dance recital. It was SO much fun! I think I've found a new interest (because, you know, the four or five.....or six I already had weren't enough. ;-)

Then came my fourth year at Masterworks. Every year I come back and say, "That was the best year, ever!" And it is always true! God brought together such an amazing cast from so many different places. He used us all in our own unique ways to create and amazing production of The Miracle Worker. He blessed us with a packed house all four performances......even the afternoon ones! If you've ever been involved with a production that has afternoon performances you know what a blessing that is.

Sadly, two weeks in, (on my birthday) I found out that Tiggles was very sick. My wonderful sister, Shannon, and her husband were hedgehog sitting for me. I was so glad they were there and willing to cuddle and be sweet to her. Two days later I was told that my baby had passed away. Again, God used that amazing cast to be there when my sister couldn't be and my parents were in New Zealand and only able to communicate through e-mail.

God did so many amazing things that month. He continued and continues to bless me.

"Blessed be God, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which hath blessed us, with all spiritual blessing in heavenly things in Christ."

~Ephesians 1:3~

At Last!

2010-05-02T16:20:00.004-05:00

One of the things that is required (quite rightfully) of the teachers at the school where I teach is that we create lesson plans each week. Now, I would always make mine up, put it in the binder where I keep all of mine, put it on a music stand that doubles as my podium, and then struggle each day to make my way around the second music stand I have instead of a podium, almost knock it over and catch it just as I glanced at the lesson plan I was looking for. A lot work for something I look at multiple times a day.

So I thought, "I'm spending all this time creating lesson plans and I go through this twisted dance just to use them." I use an index card system to keep track of what needs to be done each day. Then, six weeks before the end of school mind you, I came up with the idea of putting my lesson plans on index cards.

It works brilliantly! Each day is on one card and I file them with all the other things I have to do during the day. My second music stand has a one area that is cleared. I had a binder clip that I stuck on the edge and slip the lesson plan for the day in there. Now it's right in front of me all day. And I love it.

Now if only I had thought of this at the beginning of the year.

Tiffany

Something to Think About

2010-04-18T21:59:00.002-05:00

I would like to introduce you to My Adventures in Shadowland. I love the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I also love C.S. Lewis' description of our world as just a Shadowland of what we are looking forward to in Christ. When I decided to create a blog for my personal Bible Studies, I wanted to combine both into a title for it.

So it has begun!

Tiffany

After almost a year....

2010-04-17T17:04:00.001-05:00

....I have written a new movie review here.

Hobbit Feet

2010-02-15T10:54:00.003-06:00

18 days ago our landlords gave us 30 days to get out of our house. The Lord has been so good and allowed us to find a house to buy (which we were not expecting) within a week and a half. (I'm going to be totally redocorating my room, so I'll be posting plenty of pictures of the house later.) So we've been busily packing and going through stuff. I found something today that amused me greatly.......Hobbit Feet!

Shannon and I hosted a get-together/party when the last Lord of the Rings movie came out. Shann and I and some good friends decided to dress up. Because I was the shortest of the group, I was going as a hobbit. I had gotten the rest of my costume together, but couldn't figure out what to do for my feet. Then Shannon saw a pair of sandals at a garage sale that just had a mesh over the top. I bought them and we glued hair on them and voila, perfect hobbit feet!

Tiffany

Interesting Choice

2010-02-12T18:32:00.002-06:00

My dad has been out of town this week (but coming home tonight! Yay!) leaving Mom and I alone. Between busily packing and school, Mom and I have done some fun things this week. For instance, Monday night we put on our pajamas, made breakfast for dinner and watched 24-great fun! We've been random and quirky, but I think the most quirky thing I've done this week is my dinner for tonight. Mom made a pasta and shrimp meal for herself. I don't care for pasta, but I do like shrimp so I decided to have shrimp cocktail. But I didn't just want red cocktail, I really wanted a white sauce as well. So I just mixed some sour cream, lemon juice, sea salt, and garlic powder together. I poured both into a stem glass (much to my mom's confusion) and placed the shrimp around the edge. For crunch I put some chips around the bottom. To add some nutritional value, I'm drinking a fruit smoothie. :D

Bon apetit!

Tiffany

How To Make A Knight

2010-01-27T18:53:00.020-06:00

Supplies: 1 pillow case
1/2 yard of sequin fabric

Note: Measurements are for a small "knight". Make sure to measure your "knight" to get a proper fit.

Directions:

1. Iron pillowcase

2. Fold in half lengthwise and mark center with pin.3. Open back up and measure down 2 inches on center. (2 in. makes the neck come all the way up. For more room, measure 4 in.)
4. Stop and take a break to look for the pins that grew legs and walked away. Finally give up and get your mother's old pincushion.

5. Once you've marked 2in down, measure 5 1/2 in. on both sides of center pin. This gives you an opening of 11 in. Adjust according to your knight's head. You now have the markings for the opening of the neck.

6. Cut out neck area.

7. Measure down 6 in. on each side.

8. Carefully slice the edge off, just enough to create an opening. Repeat on other side.

9. Invite your favorite hedgehog to join you...even if she is really grumpy.....

.......really, really grumpy

At this point try your armour on your knight. If everything works, continue.

10. Cut out two 13X20 rectangles from the sequined fabric

11. Sew sleeves into tubes.

12. Pin sleeves in armholes and sew.

13. Have knight try on his armour and hem sleeves to appropriate length.

Now let us make a hood.

14. Cut a 9X12 rectangle out of a paper bag and round 2 of the short edges.

15. Place on fabric and cut out 2.

16. Sew 2 halves together

17. Hem neck edge of hood 1/2 in.

18. Take time to de-sequin iron.

19. Put more sequins on when you iron the outside edge of the hood under 1in. Sew.

20. Iron neck edge of body over 1/2 in. and sew.

21. Re-de-sequin iron.

22. Pin hood to the back edge of the armour (you get to decide which is the back edge) right sides together. Sew.

Voila!

The Lovely Mr. and Mrs. Pablo D

2010-01-09T22:04:00.002-06:00

Congratulations!!!!

Your loving sister,
Tiffany

(soap nuts :-) )

Where did it go?

2009-12-27T17:57:00.003-06:00

Is it really almost 2010? When did that happen?

I very clearly remember teaching six little students and having to remind them to write 2009 on all their papers.

I also very clearly remember getting excited for Shannon as a propoasal was coming up.

I'm sure it was only a few days ago that I left for a month for MWF.

And yet the calendar is telling me that that was five months ago!

Now I have a whole new class that I have to teach to write a new year on their papers.

Shannon is, at this very moment, moving the boxes out of her room to move to the apartment on Tuesday. The big day is 13 days away!

And I'm anxiously waiting to find out what play has been selected for this year at MWF.

Yeah, I guess it has been a year. The Lord has been so good!

And the winner is.....

2009-12-05T16:17:00.003-06:00

After writing out the names and piling them together

I reached in and pulled out

Congratulations, Bernie! I'll contact you for your address!

Thank you all for entering. I had a lot of fun.

Tiffany

Reminder

2009-12-05T07:56:00.002-06:00

I wanted to remind everyone that I'll be doing the drawing today at around 4 o'clock. This is your last chance to enter! :-)

Tiffany

Take the First Step

2009-12-02T12:59:00.002-06:00

I mentioned before that I was able to go to an amazing Christian theatre festival this summer. I met some really and truly wonderful people there and we've been keeping up since then.

Masterworks is an amazing place, really. You spend four weeks preparing and performing a full lenth play. That means days of rehearsals, more rehearsals, and yet more rehearsals (btw, that's sounds insanely fun to me:-). The leader is Rich Swingle who provides many wonderful Masterclasses for the students and we are privileged to be able to spend time (on top of rehearsals :-) learning with some of the most amazing Christian performers.

As if that weren't special enough, Masterworks is dedicated to showing Christian artists how to use their art for Him. So each day there is a Quiet Time and an evening Bible Study. On Sunday morning we all gather together to worship the Lord. As wonderful as all the technical experience and learning is, it truly has touched my heart each year (this was my third year) to see how God uses those who give themselve completely to Him.

And it's easy......at Masterworks, where your whole life is centered around your art (they have dance, music, and sometimes opera concentrations as well) and you are constantly reminded of Him.

But then you get home, and suddenly things aren't so easy anymore. It's not that you've forgotten that God is with you, or your faith has been shaken, or you don't want to spend so much time with Him anymore. It's just hard when everyday life comes in to remember how completely and wholly the Lord took care of you there and will continue you do so at home.

At Masterworks, it was easy to take the first step the Lord directed you to take, because you could usually see the second step looming ahead. With everything being so focused on your art and Him, you could be fairly certain the second step had something to do with one of those. So you followed what He told you to do.

But here at home is much harder. Your life isn't just focused on your art and Him. You have a family, a job (that may or may not have anything to do with your art), you have friends, you have other responsibilities. When God asks you to take a step, you don't necessarily see the step after that He's going to ask you to take. That's scary. I mean really, really scary.

I was chatting with one my friends from Masterworks a while ago about this difference. They said something that really stuck with me.

"God doesn't tell us what the second step is. He just tells us to take the first one."

I can't tell you how much I've quoted that to myself these past months. It's still hard, but sometimes just knowing that God knows the second step is enough to remind me to trust Him and take the first step.

So, remember in all you do today, to take the first step......He'll show you the next one.

Tiffany

Copy Cat

2009-11-30T17:22:00.004-06:00

Actually I'm not truly a copy cat. Shannon and I came up with the idea to have a give away at the same time without consulting each other.

But this give away is for this 8X10 print from my etsy shop Focus This.

To enter, just leave a comment. How simple is that! I'll draw the winning name on Saturday, Dec. 5th.

Blessed providence to you all!

Tiffany

I won!

2009-11-29T20:48:00.003-06:00

This year I decided to take the National Novel Writing Month challenge. The challenge is to write 50,000 words of a novel in 30 days. Well, 30 minutes ago, I won and got this really neat poster.

Yay! Now for a month or more of editing! :-/

Now to celebrate winning!

Check back tomorrow to find a chance for you to win something. :-)

Thanksgiving Day!

2009-11-26T11:52:00.003-06:00

Thank You, Lord, for this wonderful land that You have given us. Thank You for the Pilgrim Fathers who stood up for their faith and chased down a Land for them to worship You freely. Thank You for all Your guiding of the meetings in the New Land that allowed the Pilgrims to survive. Thank You for directing all those who have risen up in our history to give us a place where we do have freedom to worship You. Thank You for surrounding us with those who love You and encourage our love for You.

Thank You!

Wonderful Wednesday

2009-11-25T07:38:00.002-06:00

Yay for thankfulness!

I'm thankful for

~my Parents

~my Sister

~my books :-)

~a school where I can work and be under my father's protection

~the opportunity to use drama for others

I'm Thankful for.....

2009-11-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

I was reading through my posts from last year and saw the posts about things I was thankful for for the week of Thanksgiving. Obviously I'm a little late, but I will be posting on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I'm going to challenge all of you to do the same! I'm going to limit myself to writing 5 things I'm thankful for each day. Will you join me? If you do, please add a link to your post! It would be wonderful to see all the things we're thankful for.

Tiffany

Teach a Child

2009-11-23T13:12:00.002-06:00

Psalm 8:1-9

"Oh, Lord our Lord, how excellent in Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the starts, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?
For You ahve made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over thew orks of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen --- even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, and the fist of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!"

One of the things I love most about teaching 4 year olds is teaching Bible. I don't get to teach all the stories (they have those in another class), but I get to teach the Scripture memory passage. I mentioned our Scripture Memory passage.

It has been such a blessing to see all of the students learn the Scripture passage. One of the most wonderful things I do each month is listening to these little people recite God's Word.

If you have never seen a young person recite Scripture, find the nearest one and teach them one (Psalm 8 is a good because it starts and ends the the same way. Psalm 1 is also good because it flows easily.), then have the recite it for you. If you want to bless those around you, let them hear as well. To make it even more enjoyable, teach them motions with it.

I have been so encouraged to hear the students (K4-12) reciting God's Word together during morning meeting. I really think this is missing in a lot of "Christian circles".

I'm so thankful for school who not only teaches the students' minds, but their hearts as well.

Tiffany

The Art Fair

2009-11-09T14:35:00.002-06:00

I was so excited to go the the local Arts Fair on Saturday. Mom and Shann had told me about this amazing photographer, Scanlan Photography, who did landscape pictures from all over the world. The Ball was Saturday evening, but we had a little time to spare before we started the dressing frenzy.

So headed off to the fair. My jaw dropped as I walked into the Scanland Photography tent. I could have stayed there forever and just admired all those pictures. We stayed there as long as we could, but eventually had to move on.

We went to the historic arts section and there was a tent with all kind of herbs and teas in it. They had a really neat bottle with vanilla beans in it to make vanilla extract. That was where I spent my money:

The jar of tea came with a diffuser and a stick of rock candy. I also bought a stick of licorice root to knaw on. It was surprisingly good! It tasted just like the candy that you buy.

After wandering around a little more, we went home to get ready for the ball.

Tiffany

The Hundred Acre Wood

2009-10-30T13:52:00.003-05:00

Today was the Day! The K4 class finished our first literature book (Winnie-the-Pooh). To celebrate we had a Pooh Celebration. I was Kanga with Tiggles as Roo. It was quite fun. I can't post any other pictures because of the other students in them, but we all had a great time....and a great nap after. ;-)

Tiffany

Yes, I am still alive...

2009-10-22T20:53:00.003-05:00

Nope, I didn't fall off the face of the earth....completely anyway. But I have been extremely busy.

First of all the Lord has given me a very busy little K4 class this year. They are adorable! But I'm VERY tired at the end of the day.

Second, after getting home from the Masterworks Festival I was very excited about pursuing acting, but had no idea how to go about it with our beliefs about young ladies staying at home. But I really felt that the Lord wanted me to get more involved. At first I thought I would be using it at school, but that fell through and I was so confused. Then out of the blue, a friend from another city called and asked if I would do a monodrama about John Calvin for their Reformation Celebration! God is so good!

Thirdly, after that I felt so blessed! Then, the Lord being as good as He is, gave me another opportunity. The ladies in our church each year host a Christmas Banquet. The leader of the group asked me to put together a Christmas program for them. So now I'm blessed to be working on that as well!

Fourthly, in K4 we are finishing our first literature book, "Winnie-the-Pooh", so I have been planning our Winnie-the-Pooh Celebration for next week.

Fifthly, coming up insanely fast at school is the K4, K5, 1st grade, and 5th grade Thanksgiving Feast. So that has needed to be planned.

Sixthly, I have "reopened" my etsy shop Simply Scrumptious Scarves. This didn't actually take that much time as I had just allowed my scarves to expire and had to relist them.

Seventhly, (it's really fun to make up number words:-) I have opened a new shop! After getting my new Nikon, I have discovered that I love to take pictures. Really pictures of anything, but especially God's magnificent creation. So I opened my shop Focus This.

So, that's what I've been up to. Not much, right? ;-)

Tiffany

2009-08-31T12:44:00.002-05:00

We are still working to get the wireless connected at our house, but while we're waiting, I managed to upload a few pictures of the trip.

After waiting a while, and only being able to whisper, we got to watch one of the pandas in the San Diego Zoo while it played with some of the bamboo in the enclosure.

Near the entrance to the zoo, there were some pretty amazing flamingoes.

This the the Suprise, star of the movie "Master and Commander" (you only thought Russell Crowe was the star). I did get to see this one up close as Mom and I were watching Wicked while Shannon and Dad went to the Maritime Musuem, but Shannon took some great pictures!

One of her great shots of the rigging.

Well, hopefully I'll be able to share some more of them soon!

Tiffany

They're coming! They're coming!

2009-08-07T18:10:00.002-05:00

I have tons of pictures from our vacation to post....Unfortunately they are all on my little netbook. Also, unfortunately, we don't yet have wireless connected in the new house. Sooooooo, when the wireless is connected you can expect LOTS of pictures (well, I may try to limit myself to just a few from each place).

Tiffany

Some Pictures of My Baby

2009-07-29T18:05:00.003-05:00

We're in our hotel overlooking the most amazing view of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately I can't take any pictures because we're on a military submarine base.

So, to compensate, I thought I'd post a picture of my baby, Tiggles.

You can just look at that and know she's thinking, "And why did you put me in here, again?"

I know, I know, she's not quite the Pacific ocean, but she's pretty cute!

Hopefully I'll get some pictures in the next couple of days to share!

Tiffany

And Off We Go

2009-07-28T13:10:00.003-05:00

Just in case I got too used to being at home, we're heading out tomorrow morning for a family vacation! My bags are not packed, and I'm ready to go! I can't wait to take some pictures!

Tiffany

Home Again, Home Again

2009-07-24T19:55:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been home almost a week now! It's really hard to believe! I came home to a room full of boxes and have dwindled the boxes down so you can see my bed when you go in.

I was going to try to sum up Masterworks, but there's no real way to do that. I mean to fill you in on everything, I would have to do a minute by minute account. The Lord worked so mightily there among our amazing group that literally things were new everyday! I have definitely come home a different person than I left.

I guess I could say that I learned two things at Masterworks: God does not want me to live a life of fear, and on-camera acting feels more natural than stage.

That first Sunday we were there, God used the worship time to really convict me of living with a spirit of fear. Fear of what others thought, fear of using my gifts for Him, really what amounted to fear of everything. After showing me this, He then led me to the wonderful arms of the theatre group to help heal and grow me. Wow, what an experience to allow God to work in your life with no help from you. That theatre group has become some of the most important people in my life. When you've gone through something like that with a group of people, you are bonded forever I think.

Also, we were able throughout the month, but specifically the last full day, to work with a casting director from Hollywood. Bev Holloway was/is amazing! She took us through what it would be like to audition for her. She had a camera set up and really worked with us in being in front of a camera. Most of the theatre people were just that, theatre people. We were used to the stage and big movements and projection. All of which are not always necessary for the camera. I have to say working in front of the camera felt so natural and exciting! I was amazed.

Now those were, by no means, the only two things I learned, but they are the ones that changed my life the most. Some of the other fun things were: seeing friends again, some of whom I hadn't seen for 5 years!, getting to know so many others who are interested in the same things I am, meeting people who are influential in Hollywood, being cared for and helped by those same people, and I'm serious the list could go on and on with stories upon stories for each.

God was so gracious and kind and faithful during this last month! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Tiffany

After three weeks......

2009-07-13T23:29:00.003-05:00

I knew I wasn't going to be able to post much, but I really didn't think it was going to be this long. We are starting our last week (which I really, really, really don't want to think about) and getting down to the rehearsal crunch time. We got out early tonight, actually 11:30 p.m.

It's really late and I can't think of anything witty to write, so I'm just going to share some of the pictures I've taken this month. Enjoy. Waking up in the morning, with the spider webs and dew still on the plants.

The Village Green

Wait, I thought I left these in Florida!

The flowers here are so pretty.

Our aparment building.

"Mornin', Howie!"

Rearranging the furniture...again. "Now, where did I put that stove?"

"Children! Time for breakfast!"

Resting while stringing beans.

"Look at that moon, Julia!"

Well, that's a brief cap of what's been going on here. I'm off to bed to get ready to start a new day.

Tiffany

TTFN

2009-06-20T14:31:00.002-05:00

Tata, For Now!

My bags are packed, except for things I'll need in the morning. Tickets in hand and I'm off!

I'll try to post some while I'm gone, but knowing the schedule, it probably won't be very often.

See you later!

Tiffany

Change

2009-06-17T20:39:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting on my bed with my cute, I mean, handy computer surrounded by books, and boxes. I started contemplating all the changes in my life right now.

Shannon's getting married (remind me to look at that ring again, Shan;-), I'm going away for a month, and my family's moving houses while I'm gone.

How's that for someone who does NOT like change.

You know, I'm kind of afraid that the Lord might be preparing me for something. I mean, this not liking change thing is not new. I've never liked change, but I grew up in a military family that moved every two years.

God certainly taught me about change then. And how He's always with me.

Then I thought (which was probably my first mistake) that we were finally settled in our nice house. Then Shannon got engaged. Wow! Talk about a big change!

But God's teaching me about change through that. He's the One I need to lean on.

On top of that, we're moving house....exactly what I'd come to think I was safe from (except for moving out when/if I get married).

Again, God's teaching me about how to deal with change through this. No matter how many changes are going on around me, He will never change.

I'm really getting concerned with how well I need to know this lesson about change......

Tiffany

Getting Organized: Lesson 7

2009-06-08T20:27:00.001-05:00

So sorry for the delay. Life is crazy as I count down to Masterworks! Trying to finish school, get ready for next school, and pack takes up more time than I thought it would.

All right, the next task is to make cards for everything. The article talk a lot about color and system organization. I have decided….I don’t know actually. The color issue is what’s stumping me. I know I want to have dividers for Sun-Sat, 1-31, Jan-Dec. That just makes sense to me. But she presented so many neat ways of using color. Do you color code according to frequency? What about job type? Then there are all those wonderful colors to choose from! Ah, too many decisions.

Well, I’m not going to worrying about that now. I’ve decided to make my cards on the computer and print them out. That’s just easier for me. Plus it’ll give me some extra time to figure out the whole color thing.

Tiffany

Getting Organized: Lesson 6

2009-05-22T12:55:00.000-05:00

Okay, now to make the BWP (Basic Weekly Plan). Again you’re supposed to do this on a 3X5 card, but I haven’t gotten my supplies yet (seeing as I’m impulsive and decided to do this on a whim). But I’m going to do it here and transfer it once I have all my cards.

BWP
Monday- wedding
Tuesday- wedding
Wednesday- organizing
Thursday- shopping
Friday- cleaning at school
Saturday- cleaning at home
Sunday- Wedding

This really is for me right now very flexible on everything except for cleaning. Friday is the general cleaning day at school. All the students pitch in to get their classrooms and the school looking sparkly.

I do my shopping on Thursday because I have voice that day and inevitably I forget to get out the money to pay. So I do the shopping that I need and get out money at the same time. Of course, if I get organized and remember to withdraw all my lesson money for the month right after I get paid, I may not need to do this anymore. :-)

Tiffany

Perspective

2009-05-21T08:16:00.002-05:00

I'm blessed to be able to tutor Tobi in Math on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tobi is very special to me. He was a part of my third grade class two years ago and brightens up every day I see him. Tobi also has Aspergers.

Yesterday we had a very interesting conversation. It went something like this:

Tobi: "Why don't animals have souls?"

Me: "Because that's the way God made them."

Tobi: "But why? I don't think that's fair."

Me: "Really?"

Tobi: "Then they can't go to God. That's sad."

Me: "That's the way God made them."

Tobi: "That's not fair."

Me: "Tobi, do you think God is good?"

Tobi: "Yes."

Me: "Do you think God is perfect?"

Tobi: "Oh, yes. He's God!"

Me: "So don't you think He made things perfectly?"

Tobi: "Well, I still don't think it's fair."

Me: "Tobi, do you think you know better than God?!"

Tobi: *horrified look* "Oh, no, ma'am."

Me: "Don't you think we can trust God to do the best thing?"

Tobi: *thinks for a minute* "I don't understand, but God is perfect, so it must be all right."

Ah, if only I would remember to answer that way: "I don't understand, but God is perfect, so it must be all right.

Praise the Lord for these little ones who so often, and sometimes unknowingly, offer so much wisdom.

Tiffany

Getting Organized: Lesson 5

2009-05-20T08:12:00.001-05:00

Hmph, the next lesson is entitle “Press As You Sew”. How did she know I hate to do that!?

Well, she explains how she knows.

Those of us who are “blessed” with being sidetracked often have the attitude of “well, if it doesn’t show, it doesn’t matter.” I’ve discovered that isn’t true in sewing (although I still don’t like to do it) and I have a feeling I’m about to learn it in becoming organized.

Basically this lesson was “It’s going to be tough. Some of it isn’t going to be fun, but if you skip something it will negatively effect the rest of what you’re doing.” So bring on the ironing!

Tiffany

Getting Organized, Lesson 4

2009-05-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

Well the next thing is to write down your activity list, but I sort of already did that at the top. So I’ll just use that list for whatever comes next.

*Just a note as I do this. I’m focusing mainly on my room and my classroom. That may/will change once Shannon gets married and Mom and I will again be responsible for the running of the house. So I’ll repeating this process then.*

So now I need to assign frequency to my lists and length it will take to complete it. I’m reprinting my list here for me to see it.

School
1. Trash needs to be emptied Weekly 3 minutes
2. Baseboard needs to be wiped Monthly 5 minutes
3. Math Center needs to be tidied Weekly 20 minutes
4. Surfaces dusted Weekly 10 minutes
5. Books put away Weekly 5 minutes
6. Organize projector cart Monthly 15 minutes
7. Vacuum Weekly 20 minutes
8. Clean desks Weekly 20 minutes
9. Wipe out pencil baskets Weekly 20 minutes
10. Wipe door handles Weekly 5 minutes
11. Clean white board Weekly 10 minutes
12. Clear off desk Daily 15 minutes
13. File papers Daily 10 minutes
14. Reorganize once a week Weekly 30 minutes
15. Send Home papers Fridays 3 minutes
16. Magistra Thursdays 10 minutes
17. Grade Spelling Wednesdays 20 minutes
18. Enter Grades Wednesdays 5 minutes
19. Grade Bible Tuesdays 30 minutes
20. Enter Bible Grades Tuesdays 10 minutes

Home
1. Make bed Daily 3 minutes
2. Dust Weekly 20 minutes
3. Vacuum Weekly 15 minutes
4. Pick up clothes Daily 5 minutes
5. Reorganize once a week Weekly 25 minutes
6. Clean fan blades Monthly 10 minutes
7. Baseboards Monthly 10 minutes

Personal
1. Shower Daily 20-30 minutes
2. Brush teeth Daily 5 minutes
3. Wash face Daily 3 minutes
4. Oil bath Weekly 20 minutes
5. Moisturize Daily 2 minutes
6. Laundry (if needed) Weekly 60 minutes
7. Exercise Daily 45 minutes
8. Track points Daily 20 minutes (total for day)

My mind is spinning just thinking of all those cards!

Tiffany

Getting Organized: Lesson 3

2009-05-15T12:35:00.001-05:00

All right, the next task doesn’t look so bad. Write down 5 (no more than five) frustrations on a three by five card. Since you can't see my card, I'll write them down here.

1. I can’t seem to stay organized. I’ll get everything just the way I want it and then one little thing gets left undone and all the work I’ve done goes out the window.
2. I can’t seem to get a good way of keeping track of my points during the day. *pauses to go add lunch points into the online tracker*
3. My finances are not where I’d like them to be, ie. Budgeted and clear.
4. My writing seems to take a side road because I always feel like there’s something else that has to be done first.
5. Not getting to sew as much as I like. I’m going to cheat and put a couple of reasons down here: because when I walk into my area of the sewing room, I feel overwhelmed before I even begin things and I never get organized enough to know exactly what I need and when.

That wasn’t too painful, but I like the next one better. Write down 5 things you hope you will accomplish by becoming organized. Mostly these will just be the opposite of what I have above, but something may surprise me.

1. Keep everything exactly the way I have worked so hard to get it.
2. Be able to lose weight
3. Have a budget and know what it is ;-)
4. Be able to write and polish my ideas into screenplays that might actually look interesting to a filmmaker.
5. Being able to finish all the sewing I need/want to do.

Not too bad. Maybe this won't be too hard after all.

Tiffany

On the road to organization- Lesson 2

2009-05-14T07:34:00.001-05:00

The next “lesson” is to get up 30 minutes before everyone else. Um, I don’t think so. I have a medical excuse. With adrenal fatigue, I need to sleep in in the morning as long as possible (I’m already getting up around 5:45, I just simply can’t get up any earlier than that.) However, the reason for getting up earlier is to be able to shower and get ready for the day. I shower at night, so perhaps right now at this stage of my life I don’t need to get up so early. I won’t feel guilty for this…I won’t….I won’t.

Okay, It's Time.....Really This Time

2009-05-13T11:50:00.003-05:00

I can't even count all the times I've tried to get organized and stay that way. Now, I'm not a "dirty" person, just an unorganized one. I know this is an area to work on, so here I go!

I'm very interested in "The Sidetracked Sisters' Cardfile" system. But the book isn't in our local library and I'm just not ready to purchase it.

Fortunately I found a site that explains how one lady uses the system. She even has a nice 21 day plan to put it into use. So I began that journey yesterday.

I thought I'd post my progress here. It's going to take me some time, I know. I'm determined not to read everything and just do what I feel like. (That's the method I've tried before and it didn't work....any of the times.)

But I'll post a link to her lesson, a summary of what she says to do and then what I did.

So here's the first lesson.

*Stand in the center of the room and list EVERYTHING that needs to be done in that room.*

Right, I'm at school, so I'll start with my classroom. Then I'll mentally go home and go through my room.

School
1. Trash needs to be emptied
2. Baseboard needs to be wiped
3. Math Center needs to be tidied
4. Surfaces dusted
5. Books put away
6. Encyclopedia put away*
7. Move cubbies in here *
8. Organize projector cart
9. Vacuum
10. Clean desks
11. Wipe out pencil baskets
12. Wipe door handles
13. Clean white board
14. Clear off desk
15. File papers
16. Reorganize once a week
17. Magistra

Home
1. Make bed
2. Dust
3. Vacuum
4. Pick up clothes
5. Reorganize once a week
6. Clean fan blades

Personal
1. Make bed
2. Shower
3. Brush teeth
4. Wash face
5. Oil bath
6. Moisturize
7. Laundry (if needed)
8. Exercise
9. Track points

Because I’m also beginning to think ahead to next year, I’m adding a list of things I need to do before then.
1. Get boxes for the letters of the alphabet
2. Organize Math
3. Organize Letters
4. Organize Letter activities
5. Finish supply list

Now that wasn't too bad. I think I'll go right on to the next "lesson."

Tiffany

P.S. If you want to join me, I'd love to do this with someone!

Another Exciting Event!

2009-05-12T09:07:00.003-05:00

I've been waiting to say this until all my ducks were in a row. Now they are and I am announcing that I've been accepted to the Masterworks Festival theatre program. I will be leaving June 21 and getting back July 19. Yep, it's a month long. I'll be in beautiful Winona Lake, Indiana.

During that month we'll be putting on a full production of Our Town by Thorton Wilder. Yes, in four weeks time we will completely cast, direct, find costumes for, and perform a full lenth play. Fortunately I love rehearsing.

It was actually up in the air for a while because the school where I teach is having a conference the first week of the festival. But the theatre department leader was able to arrange it so I can go to the festival for the first few days, leave, go to the conference, then go back to the festival. fortunately I love flying! :-)

So now I'm furiously trying to get everything together to go! I can't wait!

So you see the new arrival is actually needed, ahem, I mean will be well used. And with the SD reader right on the computer, hopefully I'll be able to share some pictures!

Fortunately I love taking pictures. :-)

Tiffany

A New Arrival

2009-05-11T17:43:00.004-05:00

As of 1 hour and 30 minutes ago, I became the excited (and somewhat proud) owner of an Acer Aspire One Netbook.

That doesn't really give the right perspective. Let me see if I can find another.

This isn't the right color, I got the blue, but this does give a good idea of size.

Obviously I've only started using it, but I'm having a lot of fun. It's so cute and little. Not the best reason to like a computer, I know, but it really is a great computer. Very versatile and has exactly what I need without the extras.

Thank you for letting me squeal. Oh, wait, I haven't squealed yet. Here it is: SSSQQQUUUEEEAALLL!

Now that that's settle, I'm going to go look at some other things on here.

Tiffany

Hmph

2009-05-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

One of the most ridiculous questions I get asked is, "Did you get sunburnt?"

I took the K4 on a field trip to the zoo on Thursday. Summer has officially arrived. It was about 86 degrees with full sun. I got red. Very, very red. But the funny thing was that all these people who knew I had been out in the sun for about 6 hours asked me if I got sunburnt.

My new answer for them....

"No, I just overdosed on vitamin D."

Cheekily,
Tiffany

Possibly, Maybe

2009-05-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned script Frenzy in this post. I thought it might be fun if I posted an excerpt from it on the blog. I archived it so that if you're not interested, you can just pass it by. However if you are interested in reading it, it's here.

Tiffany

Change in weather

2009-05-06T13:17:00.002-05:00

Our family has felt some changes in the weather. If you haven't heard about it, head over here.

Tiffany

School Jokes

2009-05-04T12:47:00.002-05:00

Michael: "Why did the plane grow a graden?"

Me: "Because he wanted to see flowers grow."

Michael: "No."

Me: "Because he was going to land and he wanted somewhere soft to land."

Michael: "No."

Me: "Because he was going to pick flowers for his mommy."

Michael: "No."

Me: "I give up. Why did the airplane grow a garden?"

Michael: (pause) "I don't remember the answer!"

Ah, I love these jokes!

Tiffany

Yes I am still alive

2009-04-30T18:24:00.003-05:00

Well, contrary to popular belief, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. "What have I been doing"? you ask (you probably are not asking and really don't even care to know, but I'm going to tell you anyway). Well, I've been up to a few different things.

Last Friday was the opening night of the school play, Anne of Green Gables. I was in charge of keeping costumes sorted and getting people changed. That was a big chunk of my time.

Some other things, that shall for right now remain anonymous.

And then this:

I've been hearing about NaNo WriMo for a while now, but just was reminded about the Script Frenzy about four and a half weeks ago. It's a challenge: write 100 pages of script in 30 days. The challenge begins April 1st at 12:00am and ends April 30th at 11:59 pm. At 5:30 today, I verified my pages and officially won!

What do you win? The cool banner right up there, a certificate you can print off, and an insane amount of excitement at finishing something like this!

That's what I've been up to.

Just in case you wanted to know.....

Tiffany

Script Exerpt

2009-04-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE- DAY

Libby is in the kitchen fixing sandwiches for the girls' lunch. Elizabeth is in her high chair eating Cheerios. Outside the window, Ella and Emma Kate, are playing on the swing set. Suddenly sirens go off. Libby runs to the door.

EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE- DAY

Libby is standing at the door.

LIBBY
Girls, come in quickly!

GIRLS
Coming!

As Libby watches the police car stops at Jessica's house. Libby goes inside with the girls.

INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE- DAY

Libby unbuckles Elizabeth and picks her up out of her highchair.

LIBBY
Ella, Emma Kate, I want to to hold onto my skirt and don't let go.

ELLA
Where are we going?

LIBBY
To Jenny's house.

EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE 2- DAY

Jessica is standing in her driveway talking to the police officer. Libby rushes towards her.

LIBBY
Jessica? What's wrong? Can I take Jenny for you?

JESSICA
She's missing.

LIBBY
What?

JESSICA
Jenny's gone. She was outside playing. I went inside to get more sunscreen. It was right inside the door. I came back out and she was missing.

POLICE OFFICER
Have you looked for her inside?

JESSICA
Yes. After I called the police I looked through every room.

LIBBY
Let's look again. Maybe she found a really good hiding place. We'll let the officer call it in and we'll all go look for her.

SERIES OF SHOTS
- Libby with children looking in the living room. Libby is looking in the closet. Ella is looking under the couch. Emma Kate is just following everyone calling, "Jenny!" Libby looks around the fireplace. Ella opens the bottom cupboards of the bookshelves.
- Jessica looking in Jenny's bedroom. She checks the closet. She looks under the bed. She mvoes the clean laundry. She continues to call her name.
- Libby & co looking in the master bedroom. They check closets, bathroom, sitting room. Under bed, under furniture, around T.V.
- Jessica looking in guest room. Again, looking under everything and in everything.
END ON: Jessica coming down the stairs to meet Libby in the foyer.

BACK TO SCENE:

JESSICA
She's gone.

POLICE OFFICER
We've called it in. Is there anyone who can stay with you?

JESSICA
My husband's on his way home.

LIBBY
We'll stay with her till he gets here.

The Wit and Witicism of C. S. Lewis

2009-04-06T13:33:00.002-05:00

"When it was almost dark Tirian heard a light pitter-patter of feet and saw some small creatures coming twoard him....Then, in a moment, they were all standing up on their hind legs, laying their cool paws on his knees and giving his knees snuffly animal kisses....They fed him with oat-cakes and fresh butter, and then with some more wine.

"'Now hand up the water,' said the first Mouse, 'and I'll wash the King's face. There is blood on it.'"

The Last Battle

C. S. Lewis