I came across this great book when I was searching for some Thanksgiving books to read to my 1st graders.

I can’t even begin to explain how meaningful it was to me, so I’m just going to type the story verbatim.

Grateful

A Song of Giving Thanks

By John  Bucchino

I’ve got a roof over my head.  I’ve got a warm place to sleep.  Some nights I lie awake counting gifts instead of counting sheep.

I’ve got a heart that can hold love.  I’ve got a mind that can think.

There may be times when I lose the light and let my spirits sink…

But I can’t stay depressed when I remember how I’m blessed!

Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am.  Grateful, grateful truly blessed and duly grateful.

In a city of strangers, I’ve got a family of friends.  No matter what rocks and brambles fill the way, I know that they will stay until the end.

I feel a hand holding my hand.  It’s not a hand you can see.  But on the road to the promised land, this hand will shepherd me.  Through delight and despair, holding tight and always there.

Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am.  Grateful, grateful truly blessed and duly grateful.

It’s not that I won’t want a lot, or hope for more or dream of more.  But giving thanks for what I’ve got makes me so much happier than keeping score.

In a world that can bring pain, I will still take each chance. . . for I believe that whatever the terrain our feet can learn to dance.

Whatever stone life may sling, we can moan…

Or we can sing!

Grateful, grateful, truly grateful I am.  Grateful, grateful truly blessed and duly grateful.

Truly blessed.

And duly grateful.

Amen.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the sunshine.  :-)

Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve been doing:

Running a half-marathon with my sis…

Getting ready to leave town to surprise my mom…

Writing 12 pages of sub plans…

Revising sub plans…

Traveling to Texas to surprise my mom for a long weekend visit…

Helping her teach kindergarten, listening to her kids read, watching them perform a program, playing Scrabble, shopping, going to lunch, laughing and crying together…

Traveling back to Iowa…

Helping Doug get ready to leave town…

Picking up the pieces in my classroom when the sub (who apparently preferred high school kids to 1st graders) didn’t listen to the 12 pages of sub plans…

Praying, crying, and talking with friends and family who are hurting deeply…

Crying…

Praying…

Going out to eat…

Praying…

Praying…

and

Praying…

A lot has been going on this last month in some of my close friends’ and families’ lives.  I have felt myself crying out to the Lord in desperate pleas for the peace, comfort, healing, hope, and livelihood for my friends and family.

I find great comfort in this verse,

It won’t be news for any of my siblings or friends that know me well.

Seeing as how I was the 11 year old girl who came home from a sleepover at my friend’s house growing up because I was scared and homesick.

My friend lived less than half a mile from my house.

Really???

I’m also the girl that cried almost every day at summer camp because I missed my mom.

Go ahead and say it.

I already know the truth.

I’m a baby.

I wish I could say that I’m better now, but I’m totally not.

I get homesick.

A lot.

Still.

Homesick for my parents in Texas.

Homesick for a Sunday meal with my husband, parents, and siblings.

Homesick for a leisurely day spent with my mom and sisters shopping and going to lunch.

You would think, that being 27 years old, I would have learned to live without parents.

And in some ways, I have.

I have a job, I can pay bills, and I can function on a day-to-day basis without needing my parents.

But in other ways, not so much.

God has truly blessed me with parents who love me and have created a legacy of faith that runs throughout our family.

The older I get, the more I value their thoughts, wisdom, guidance, and memories.

And the older I get, the more I miss living close to them.

I often wonder what God’s purpose is in having me live so far from my parents.

Is it to teach me to be more dependent upon Him to meet my needs?

Is it to teach me to “leave and cleave” and draw near to Doug as we learn to function as a married couple?

Is it to help me appreciate my relationship more?

Whatever the reason, I can say that I’ve learned to adjust to it.

I still don’t like how it has to be.

But I’ve adjusted.

I’ve drawn hope from a verse in Joel that my mom shared with me once.

Joel 2:25b

“I will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten…”

You might be wondering what locusts have to do with any of this.

Essentially, this verse is saying that God will make up for any loss (or perceived loss) of time, experiences, or relationships.  (loose interpretation by me- Bible scholars, please don’t come after me). 

Wesley’s Bible commentator states that restore means to “make up for”.

I take this to mean that God will make up for our losses.

Of course, my finite human mind wants to question God.

When, God? 

How, God? 

How are you going to make up for 10 years of living away from my parents? 

How are you going to make up for so many missed experiences? 

Why do you have to make up for the lost years later?  Why couldn’t you just grant us the ability to live closer?  Then, you don’t have to make up for anything.

As if He really needs my help, ideas, and suggestions.

As I was reflecting on all of this, it seems to me that it can apply to a lot of situations.

Why God?

Maybe it’s different questions than mine,

Questions like,

Why did I miss out on those years with the person that I knew who died too young?

Why did I miss out on the years of a happy marriage?

Why did I miss out on the experience of parenting?

Why did I waste all that time and money on frivilous things?

Why did I spend so much time and energy in a relationship that I now regret?

Why, God?

I can’t answer any of those questions for myself or for you.

And I don’t expect God to answer them either.

He doesn’t owe us any explanations.

But if we believe in Him and his faithfulness, then we do owe him the ability to trust that His ways are true and right, even when they don’t make sense.

“Oh the depths of the riches of both the wisdom and knowledge of God.  How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable are His ways.  For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor.  Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again.  For from him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory and honor forever and ever”.

                                                                                Romans 11:33 – 36

Deep thoughts for a Tuesday night.

I hope that your brain doesn’t hurt like mine does. 

Praying that God helps grant you peace in the knowledge that He will restore and rebuild any loss of time, experiences, or relationships.

I don’t know how.

I don’t know when.

But I know that He will.

Enjoy the sunshine,

Couldn’t resist sharing a quick pic of me and my parents…

It’s my favorite season ever.

In second place (not a close second, but still second nonetheless) comes fall.

I don’t love it like summer, but I do enjoy some good fall food, like chili, candy corn & peanuts, and caramel corn.

And who doesn’t love the crisp air, changing leaves, pumpkins…

And natch…. some ISU football!

By the way– have you seen this poster?? 

Love it.

Anyway…

I wanted to share a fall muffin recipe that I absolutely adore.

Yum!!

I love muffins, for one reason alone.

They’re an excuse to have cake for breakfast! 

And these Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins are delish!

The recipe is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I got from my Grams.  She’s pretty great.

Here’s the scoop…

It’s easy-peasy, of course.

I don’t make anything else.

You need two ingredients.

That’s right…

Only 2.

Told you it was easy!

1 can of pumpkin

And

1 box of devil’s food chocolate cake mix

Then…

Mix pumpkin and cake mix together in a large bowl.  Stir well.  The batter will be extremely thick.  Pour patter into greased muffin tins (I like to use the mini muffin tins).  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

That’s it.

Done.

Easy-peasy.

And yummy.

These muffins are moist, chocolate-y, and perfect with a glass of cold milk.

You can even frost them and turn them into chocolate pumpkin cupcakes.

And actually, they’re good anytime of the year, not just fall.

Bonus— the mini muffins are only worth 1 Weight Watcher’s point.  Just remember that the goal is to get a low number of points, not a high number. 

Like golf…

Not bowling.

Hehe.

Enjoy the sunshine! 

It’s the p-word.

That’s right.

The p-word.

You can tell I’m an elementary teacher, because I say things like that…

 ”P-word.”

Random sidebar…

I hear this a lot during recess duty at school… it goes like this:

Student:  ”Mrs. Bear  ____ just said the “i” (insert any other random letter) word to me.”

Me (racking my brain for what the “i word” could be):  “Can you tell me what the “i” word is?”

Student:  “I can’t say it, because I’ll get in trouble”.

Me:  “No you won’t.  Just whisper it to me”.

Student (barely even close to a whisper voice):  “Idiot”.

Me (stifling a laugh):  I see.  “Tell ____ to come here so I can talk to them.”

Okay…

Back to the p-word.

It’s pride.

Ugh.

Pride.

I hate it.

I want it to go away.

But it won’t.

pride

 praɪd/ noun

The definition itself makes me shudder.

Because I can’t believe that ugliness exists in my heart.

Lately, God has been showing me how often my pridefulness causes me to crave encouragement and approval from others.  

I want to be sure that people tell me that I’m as great as I think I am.

Doesn’t that just sound sick??

Whether it be at church,

At work,

Or at home,

I crave that approval from others.

And the reason that I crave it is because of the pridefulness in my heart.

I don’t want to be that way… but my prideful nature takes over and I feel frustrated or annoyed when someone doesn’t give me the encouragement or approval that I feel like I deserve.

God has been teaching me to find my identify, my fulfillment, my encouragement, and my approval from Him alone.

Because my identity is in Him.

II Corinthians 5:17 “  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

My identity can’t be found in approval from my husband, my family, my friends, my students, their parents, or my co-workers.

It has to be found first and foremost in Christ.

And Christ alone.

I went to my sister’s church this weekend.  She goes to Prairie Ridge in Ankeny, which is an incredible place.

The pastor was speaking about unity in the church.  Since music has been a divisive issue in the church for hundreds (thousands??) of years, so  to demonstrate unity among Christians, they sang a couple of old hymns at the end of the service.

I was struck by a phrase from the hymn “Be Thou My Vision”.

It says,

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.”

That’s my new desire.

To not crave “man’s empty praise”.

It’s hard.

Really hard.

I’m not going to try harder to do it, because that doesn’t work.

I have to put my faith in my Savior and pray that I’m aware of His presence in my life each and every day.

Aware of my identity in Him.

Aware of my own depravity.

Aware of His grace

And aware of when pridefulness rears it’s ugly head so that I can be reminded to find my identity in Christ and not in the approval of others.

That’s it…

The P-word.

Don’t say it too loudly… because you might get in trouble. 

Here’s a link to a version of “Be Thou My Vision“. 

Enjoy the sunshine! 

I’m working hard to get to know my kids, understand their needs, and teach them what they need to know.

Some days go smoother than others. 

But I truly believe that teaching is my calling and that I am privileged to get to be a part of these children’s lives.

I’ve compiled a little list of ways you know you’re a first grade teacher.

Some of them you might not understand unless you’re a teacher.

All of them are mentioned tongue-in-cheek, with a smile…

You know you’re a 1st grade teacher when…

*You answer not only to your own name, but also to “Mom”, “Grandma”, and “Teacher”.

*You wonder why they decided to cut the grass right outside of your classroom window while you are teaching math and find yourself asking the kids if this is the first time that they have ever seen a lawn mower before.

*You wear a fancy bracelet made out of pipe cleaners all day because it was a gift from a sweet student and then realize when you’re out with friends that night, you’re still wearing it.

*Life revolves around the excitement of Christmas, class parties, and birthdays. 

*You understand the phrase “Is this hell?  No… it’s indoor recess”. 

*You’re able to comfort a crying child and tell them you know it hurts when a friend says something unkind.

*You know that every time you show a picture from a book, someone will say “I can’t see”.

*You’ve seen a child pat another child on the back to comfort them because they are sad about losing a pet.

*You frequently receive homemade cards and pictures with your name spelled in a variety of ways-  Mrs. Bar, Mrs. Baer, Mrs. Ber, and my personal favorite, Mrs. Bare. 

*You know that children usually have trouble telling time and counting money and wonder why a quarter of an hour can’t be worth 25 minutes to make it more consistent with the quarter coin.

*A hug from a child can melt your heart.

*Your sparkly shoes and curly/straight/pony-tailed hair are the talk of your classroom for the day.

*There are certain childrens’ names that you probably might most definitely won’t use when you have your own kids.

*It’s clear to you that a class popcorn party or a child receiving a prize from the prize bin= the best day ever.

*Your husband tells you, “Please don’t use your teacher voice with me”.

*You have a constant stream of transition chants, lining up songs, good morning songs, and goodbye songs going through your head.

*Your 1st grade playlist on your ipod has more music on it than any other playlist. 

*Your husband doesn’t get upset when you tell him that another man brought you a rose and that another man  told you how much he likes your pink toe nail polish, because those “other men” are 6 year olds.

*Discussions about bathroom issues such as not flushing pencils or using too much toilet paper are the frequent subjects of your work emails and announcements.

*You have watched children light up because of words of encouragement spoken to them.

And…

*You know you’re a first grade teacher when feel as though you’ve learned more from your students than they have learned from you.

Lessons about grace,

Patience,

Unconditional love,

Patience,

Forgiveness,

Patience, 

Flexibility,

Acceptance,

and did I mention patience????

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  Matthew 19:114

Enjoy the sunshine! 

Here’s a photo of Iowa State receiver Patrick Mulcahy reading to our class during a school reading celebration! 

Cards, phone calls, text messages, and a trip to Cold Stone with Lisa and Kyle made it an extra special day.

We actually headed to Eastern Iowa for a wedding on my birthday, so we also drove through my hometown of Mt. Vernon and ate a the cutest little restaurant there called The Lincoln Cafe.

We I enjoyed a nostalgic tour around the town before we headed to the wedding and reception.

So fun!

The reason for my post is that I wanted to share a gift that I got from my friend Lindsey.

She’s pretty much one of the most thoughtful, kind, caring, and talented people that I know.

Lindsey gave me a recipe book that she created on Tastebook!

I love this book, because every time I use it, I think of her!

The book was full of all of her favorite recipes, such as

Homemade tomato soup…

Crepes…

and my personal favorite…

3 hole chocolate cake!

The Tasebook website is incredible!

You can create your own recipe book for yourself, friends, or family by uploading your recipes.

If you want to upload photos of your recipes, you can.  Otherwise, the website has pictures of food that you can use if you want to.  There’s also a place to include little tips for each recipe.

The site creates tabs and pages for your recipe book.

The finished product is a hardcover professional looking recipe book.

How cool is that??

I’m already thinking about trying to convince my mom to create a Tastebook with all of my favorite recipes that she would make when I was growing up (salmon loaf not included, please).

Enjoy the sunshine!! 

My friend Rachel sent this to me and I thought it was worthy of posting…

So true!

You can totally tell that I have school on the brain as that seems to be all that I post about lately.

Sorry to all of you non-teacher readers. 

Enjoy the sunshine!!

5.  The Total Money Makeover  by Dave Ramsey

I’d heard from several friends that this was a good book, so I read it early in the summer.  With all the couponing and money saving things we’ve been doing, I thought it would be interesting to read a little more about finances.  I’d say you have to take this book with a grain of salt.  Some of his ideas are excellent, such as paying down any debt you might have by using the “debt snowball”.  I thought a few of his ideas weren’t reasonable, at least for our family, but overall, it was still a good read!

4.  Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

I had never heard of New York Times best selling author Anna Quindlen until I read Every Last One and then I started wondering where in the world she’d been all my life!  She’s an incredible author who gets to the heart of tough issues.   A word of caution- this is not a light read, but if you’ve ever experienced any kind of trauma in your life, you might be able to relate to it.  This book takes a look at the complex process of grief and it’s deep affect on individuals.

3.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I loved this book!  The story of African American working as maids in Jackson, Mississippi is a poignant mix of humor and sadness as it explores the relationships these maids share with white women and their children.  It’s hilarious and heart-breaking all at the same time.  I can’t wait to see the movie!

2.  Created to be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl

True confessions… I haven’t finished this one yet, because I’m going through it with a friend.  I just started it and am a few chapters into it.  I’m excited to learn more about God’s plan for me as a wife and my role in my husband’s life.  This is an older book, but the author is bold and a little feisty. 

1. Too Small to Ignore  by Wes Stafford

My parents are great about giving me books that they think I would enjoy. My Dad heard Wes Stafford, the President of Compassion International (a Christian non-profit children’s relief organization) speak at a conference and so he picked up this book and then let me borrow it. 

Dr. Stafford speaks of horrific abuse that he endured as a child at a boarding school and the way that abuse shaped into being an advocate for children.  He strongly believes in the importance of children and the fact that so many children are suffering in silence.  It is an amazing story and anyone who is a parent or teacher everyone needs to read this story. 

Not gonna lie… you’ll be hearing more about my number one pick later on the blog…

Random side note… to all my teacher friends and anyone who is a parent- I love this song by Watermark called Noah’s Song.  I think the lyrics are especially true and inspiring as we think of the role that kids play in our lives.

That’s it.

A few of my top summer reads.

Now I need some new ones for the school year…

I’ve heard Sarah’s Key is a good one… any thoughts?

Enjoy the sunshine!