Quincy

its 12:57 and Im still up. why you ask? because im crazy. instead of buying the donuts my husband wanted for breakfast tomorrow, I offered to bake muffins. well since Quincy the turkey (yes we named the turkey, yes we're demented) has to go in at 6:30 in the morning. I have to bake the muffins that I opened my big fat mouth and said I would make tonight. if it wernt 1 in the morning, I would just go buy donuts. but oh well. I like baking, I love sharing my baking with others, it will be worth it.

my in-laws are here for Thanksgiving. since we've moved to the bay area the tradition of celebrating my birthday when we're together for thanksgiving has come to be. I dont complain, I get early presents. well this year is like no other, I got my birthday present early.

wanna know what I got? we regardless if you do or dont, I will tell because it makes me very happy and very excited. I hugged it

a Pfaff expression 2.0 sewing maching. as always Im technology defuncked and have yet to take a picture with my own camera so no visual. but i assure, its beautiful.

it has an extra long throat so I can quilt and a walking foor (something my current machine has lacked for the last 3 years ive had it) and it has all kinds of fun stitches and its just beautiful.

I cant wait to try it out, weeeeeee.

ok im delirious and my timer for the first batch of muffins is almost done and i have to find the camera battery and I really dont know how im still functioning much alone typing this.

needless to say, ignore all spelling errors and typos. too tired to bother editing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

T minus 2 days to Turkey day

3 days or so ago-ish my apartment was nearly ready for Thanksgiving company. My kitchen was a disaster but that is always the last thing to get cleaned.


Today? Today it is a disaster. I couldn't find 1 (1!) of my matching napkins that I'm using for Thanksgiving. I have another matched set, but I was gunghoe (sp? gun hoe? whatever) on using that set (its brown with orange and tan stripes, the tan stripes match my tablecloth perfectly, and they just look like thanksgiving) so I had to go in search of it. well I found it, but in the process started sorting clothes to get rid of since we're moving. which turned into sorting clothes for laundry, and then laundry.which actually got folded for a change, but not put away. I have stacks of towels and dish towels in my living room. so I was productive yesterday, you just cant tell

then at like 8:00 last night I decided it was a good time to organize my fabric, because I need to start Christmas presents, and I couldn't get to anything in the hall closet that I actually needed.

well needless to say, I now have fabric and sewing notions all over my hallway.

I'm supposed to have people over in 2 days for dinner, tomorrow Lulu is coming over to help prep. I have class tonight. so I need to get my act together, instead of writing about it I need to get up and do.

regardless of all of this I have almost all of my separate piles for my various Christmas gifts and I'm really excited about what I'm making people. it just needs to go on the back burner for now.

ok, off to fix my disaster of an apartment

the best time of the year

So we're entering my absolute favorite time of year.

Not only do we have the holiday, but my birthday is right around the corner. With the the month of December and part of November comes all the pretty decorations and lights and Christmas wreaths and just general holiday cheer.

Going into it this year I'm really trying to hold onto my holiday cheer. We've been ridiculously poor for the holidays before, so I'm not worried about that. But despite the lack of fundage we've always been able to decorate, even if it just means putting up my nativity scene and angel Jackson bought me the first Christmas we were married.

this year, that cant happen. 6 days before Christmas we have to be out of our apartment. It looks like we will be moving into a room in our church.

And I know that Christmas isn't about the twinkle lights and the tree and the ornaments, but oh how do I love those, they bring great joy to my heart. the memories that come with every ornament, the great smell the tree brings to my whole house. the Christmas music playing as I make my apartment pretty.

This is only a season and if we do move into the church, I wont have one tree Ill have at least 3 and the whole place will be decorated and Ill have a roof over my head and Ill be with my husband. these are the things that matter. I know this. I just really, really like making my apartment pretty.

Defining sufficiency

2 Corinthians 12:9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me


Portions of this verse have been popping up for me lately, and my question is this, what does it mean?Sufficiency is Christ, in the trinity really. what does that mean? how do I live this in my daily life?


Ive been going through alot of stuff lately, some really hard decisions are having to be made.Ive been talking off and on to a friend about the situation and Ive been getting really frustrated because for the most part I've been getting a lot of christian-ese of how God will provide and no situation is too big for God etc when all I was really wanting was a ear to listen to, a shoulder to cry on and some it will be ok's


I was thinking about this the other day because I've basically stopped talking to her about this particular situation because I wasn't getting what I wanted/needed but then it hit me, she was teaching me to rely on the complete sufficiency of The alpha and omega.


but I don't know how to do this, she has been in a similar situation and I was the one telling her how He will provide etc, but I cant seem to take that advise for myself.


when all seems lost or hopeless in a situation how to listen and hear and rely on His complete sufficiency, grace and unconditional love?


I pray for eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to be open to the path He has for me and in this situation for it to be very obvious, because I'm very oblivious most of the time.

Today

I do not want to be a grown up today. that is all.

inspiration

when inspiration hits, it hits. Ive had projects needing to be worked on for months and Ive finally started one of them.

Today I have a bridal shower and a baby shower to go to, so of course they need gifts. I made a nursing cover for the mommy to be and recovered a brand new photo album I just happened to have in fabric and ribbon to match the brides colors.

I like how they turned out

The first one is a table runner for a housewarming, our friends just bought their first house. Im thinking about making placemats as well

the second picture is the album and cover

My First Thanksgiving

I've said this before but for the first few years I was married, I hated to cook, barely did it. Since moving to the bay area though I started cooking more. partically because I had more time and partially because Jackson didnt want to cook as much anymore because our new apartment didn't have a gas stove.

Flash forward to last year, Im fresh out of my home experience group and I was inspired and brave enough to tackle a turkey. That and my friend Lulu had done it before and said she would be my moral support/sous chef.

I prepared for weeks. Planning the menu, finding the right recipes that didnt sound intimidating. Shopping for a gravy boat, linens and all the ingredients.oh the list, so many lists, I loved it!

The day before comes around Lulu come over. we prep the turkey,bake pies, she makes cranberry sauce we have Kung fu panda on an endless loop in the background (I still have yet to watch the movie again) and it was fun

Thanksgiving day comes around and for the most part went off without a hitch. there were some timing issues, and my silly oven almost burnt the rolls, but everything turned out edible and my table looked beautiful. Larry the turkey was yummy.

it turned out so well that Im doing it again this year. i even started a tradition last year, Lulu is coming over wednesday again to help prep. it makes me happy

my matching napkins with leaf placecards, I was quite proud

The pretty table complete with rolls, turkey and gravy

Yummy, Yummy side dishes

this and that

• I didn't get the job, I'm doing surprising well about it.
• we're in the process of figuring out what to do for December, give our notice now and try to save our deposit or trust that we'll be able to come up with the money and if not forfeit the deposit?
• times are bleak but we have full faith in our God and know He has great plans for us Jer 29:11-12 and I Cor 2:9 are reminders of this
• we had some friends over for dinner last night: chick pea and tofu curry and chocolate oatmeal bars for dessert. The guys played chess while the ladies figured out how to rearrange my apartment, it was quite nice
• Class tonight and I haven't done any studying, I should probably do that
• I love my husband and my friends

odd dream

I had a dream about my dad last night.



not quite sure of the circumstances but for some reason I had to wait to be picked up by my mom at my dad's house, the random thing is I'm pretty sure I was the age I am now.



but I was supposed to be waiting in his empty house, the reason it was ok was he wasnt going to be home. 15 minutes, It was only supposed to be 15 minutes. but my mom was late and he showed up and it was quite akward.



in the dream I discovered things about my dad ( have no idea if they're true) he's a tinkerer and a clean freak and has christmas decorations up all year. but it wasnt like he hadnt taken them down ever, it was like he was in a constant state of redecorating, with christmas decorations.



he was confused on who Jackson was, first he thought he was someone my mom was married to and I was like,hello my husband, we've been together for almost 10 years!



it was quite odd indeed

grown up work

my interview went well, at least that's what I'm going with. I don't particularly think it went poorly, I'm just always my own worst critic.

this interview has refreshed my enthusiasm and passion for wanting to work in the non-profit sector specifically related to youth.

If I don't get this job, I have new inspiration for continuing my dream. I really hope I get it, in my head its the perfect entry level job combining all of my passions and skills sets.

I'm supposed to hear back by Friday or Monday at the latest. ideally she wants to hire Friday and have the person start working Tuesday.

Have I mentioned I really want this job?

nervous wreck

yep thats me, a nervous wreck about my interview.

I have great friends though and they help, and my awesome husband helps as always.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this