Sharing the Wealth

I decided that it was very selfish of me to keep all of these amazing craft blogs I follow to myself, so I've added some of my favorite blogs' buttons to my sidebar! If you've got a few minutes I highly recommend checking them out. They've got some great ideas and tons of projects that I can't wait to try! Seriously, check them out!

Ps, check out makeitandloveit.blogspot.com. Right now she has a great giveaway with Dip-sy, which has some of the most yummiest dips ever!!

Check

I found this on another blog. Things in bold are things I've done. I feel so blessed to have done so many things in my life! (Well, most of those things at least) As soon as David keeps his promise to take me to NYC I'll be able to bold a lot more of these.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I count donating almost $300 worth of furniture to DI)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (Not well though)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Visited the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (It was only because no one was fast enough to catch it rolling on the ground)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (Thanks parents, for not taking me on this trip)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community (The keyword is "seen")
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (Well, I was with someone that knew the person, but I didn't personally know him, so he was a stranger to me)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (Um, drawn?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie as an extra
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (I took karate for about 3 classes then gave up)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Until recently I was too light to do so. Now that I am, I'm too scared)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (Some day...)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (I published one for David for our anniversary...does that count?)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House (Won a contest in fifth grade)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I was too scared to kill it, so someone else killed it an I prepared it)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Amy Grant!)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (Been to it though)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Made amends with someone who offended you
101. Flew in a small plane
102. Ran out of gas (Was on the previously mentioned motorcycle)
103. Eaten fried okra
104. Swam in the ocean or a foreign sea
105. Peed in a swimming pool
106. Rented a beach house
107. Hosted an exchange student
108. Been a Secret Santa to a family in need
109. Worked on a political campaign (Volunteered in high school)
110. Coached a sports team
111. Gone kayaking in the ocean
112. Certified as an elementary teacher (It's in the mail!!!)
113. Been the mother to twins!
114. Eaten sushi (I LOVE SUSHI!!!)
115. Swam with sting rays
116. Married someone you met online (No, but at an airport!)
.117. Lived in China
118. Ridden through the floating market in Thailand
119. Given your kids a big kiss and hug just because
120. Had your name in U.S.A. Today
121. Been to Mexico
122. Shot a gun
123. Mountain Biked in Moab
124. Learned to Snowboard (tried, didn't learn)
125. Originate an idea and have it published
126. Tried out for a Reality T.V. or Game Show or Talk Show
127. Wasted lots of time on blogs and the internet
128. Made up an original recipe
129. Won a writing contest (That's how I got to go to the White House, actually)
130. Won a trip to Disneyland
131. Won something on the radio
132. Had too much time to do things like this (...guilty)
133. Thrown a surprise party for someone
134. Gone without sleep for 48 hours
135. Survived in the wilderness without matches or fresh water
136. Worked at a Ski Resort
137. Taught group fitness/aerobics classes
138. Visited all 50 states
139. Lived in NYC (No but David has)
140. Roller bladed in Central Park
141. Been a member of the New York Road Runners Club
142. Ran a marathon with your Grandma
143. Visited the grave of your Great, Great, Great Grandfather
144. Totalled more than two cars
145. Had a pet----- hamster, frog, mouse, rabbit
146. Eaten a whole carton of ice cream at once (The teeny tiny sample size from Ben and Jerry's)
147. Gone tanning in a tanning booth
148. Had a ride in a limo
149. Driven a giant-front-end-loader
150. Served as a tour guide
151. Paid off a credit card in Full! (I love doing this)
152. Given everything up to be a Stay-at-Home-Mom and hold the world in your hands!

An honor

This week, we went to a friend's surprise birthday party. It was a blast. This friend (Matt) also happens to be David's 2nd cousin, and the older brother of David's best friend (Robert). Robert goes to school at BYU (blech) and is coming up next weekend to visit his brother and sister in law (Ashley), his sister (Tamara), and of course, his best friend. Tamara casually mentions that while Robert is here, we should have Hawaiian haystacks for dinner one of the nights he's here. I LOVE Hawaiian haystacks, so of course I had no objection to this proposal. Upon further discussion, I discover that the sister-in-law (Ashley) hates Hawaiian haystacks....except for the ones that I make. Tamara also pipes in that the haystacks I make are the best she's ever had. What an honor! :)

Fast forward to today. David and I are eating dinner, discussing our plans for the upcoming week. We talk about the haystacks and shopping and stuff, and then David reveals that Robert was the one that told Tamara to tell me to make haystacks because mine are the best. That little schemer!

And that is my cool story for the week. I really do feel honored that four people (yes, my darling husband is one of them) think that I make the best haystacks. :) I really wish I had a recipe for them now....

A few exciting things

Last week I was able to substitute almost an entire week, which brings my grand total this month to almost three solid weeks of substituting. I feel so blessed that I was able to sub so much, any money I make is an added benefit to our budget, and it makes me feel so much more secure if anything were to happen during the semester (like my unexpected "minor surgery" last week....*shudders*). It won't be a huge paycheck, but bigger than any paycheck I've had for a while. :)

Other exciting news, at DI I found an itsy bitsy sewing machine!! It goes really well with my new "crafting" hobby. It's tiny (it's meant for scrabooking actually) but I made a little fabric block with it so it's working pretty well for me so far. Besides, it would be silly of me to buy a real sewing machine if my little "hobby" fizzles out soon. I like it, it works well for small projects and I think it's just what I need right now to help build some skills and give me something to do during the day.

I made sweet potato enchiladas. They were absolutely delicious. I love sweet potatoes, I love enchiladas, and even though the thought of the two together was a little bit weird, I loved them. Thanks Lydia, for posting about it. :)

And finally, my very talented former roommate, Brielle, whose homemade cards are nothing but gorgeous, is giving a few away. Lucky us! Check her out at www.iholdallthecards.blogspot.com for the giveaway and pictures of her cards. Trust me, you'll be in love.

Substituting

I just finished a long term sub job. It was two weeks long, and I actually got to plan and teach real lessons, it was ALMOST like I had my own classroom. I've noticed that I like teaching so much better now that I get paid for it. Is that bad? I sometimes feel bad, shouldn't I just enjoy teaching for the love of teaching? I guess I'm just human right? :P

Pros of Substituting:
1. Money
2. Usually really easy days
3. Don't have to stay late or some early
4. If it's a horrible class, you don't have to go back

Cons of Substituting:
1. Awful pay
2. Kids don't respect you
3. You have to follow someone else's rules
4. You never know when you're going to work, it could be weeks before another job

All in all though, I've enjoyed. it. :) Hopefully I can get a full time teaching job sometime soon.