the very best dog

this dear fellow belongs to my brother josh and his wife kristi (sp.?)

dusty is the very best dog you could ever hope to meet

look at his smile

look at his floppy ears

he gives love

he is trustworthy

he is gentle

he is kind

he is a better person than many of us most days

thanks to dusty's mommy for sending me this photo

now she could just send me the dog. seriously. really.

paper flower happiness

good morning to you my dear 3 readers :)

The paper flowers have taken on a life of their own. At the bridal shower Saturday the flowers seemed to be the hit of the morning. Then late Saturday evening I received a call to fill-in as Sunday School teacher for our 3rd-5th grade girls...

I focused the lesson on kindness and friendship; we had a brainstorming session, sharing, praises and prayers, etc., and the girls could hardly keep their eyes off my stash of scrapbook paper!

We made our own Friendship/Kindness flowers, and to tie it to the lesson we wrote a scripture verse on the back of each flower.

I wonder where these flowers will appear next?

creativity

Ahhh, creativity is great. Creativity with decorative papers is even better! Just returned home from a bridal shower (i helped plan, throw, whatever)...we had a good turnout, good food, and nifty decorations, i must say :)

over at oneprettything.com i found a link to some paper flower templates/patterns...

there is something so satisfying about creating something with your own hands that you will share with someone else. when i craft/create/make for others, i find myself thinking of the special person and hoping they will like what i am making, and know that i put thought into it for them.

hey, if you're looking for 2 easy, crowd-pleasing recipes consider these:

1. coffee punch

brew strong coffee

chill overnight

in a punchbowl combine:

cold coffee (strong)

1/2 gal. vanilla ice cream

1 container cool whip

1/2 -3/4 bottle hershey's syrup

that's it

i am really not a cool-whip person (prefer hand-made whipped cream)

nor am i really crazy about the questionable ingredients in hershey's syrup, but--

all in a punchbowl this is a sweetly satisfying, caffeinated, dessert-like treat that people will cheer about all during your party :)

2. spinach feta egg bake

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

14 eggs

10 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced

two handfuls fresh spinach, chopped

splash of milk or cream

preheat oven to 350

bake 30 minutes (approx.)

i'll post some photos of the paper flowers sooon

it's time to do the kitchen-clean up dance and clear the dining room table of the paper-craft aftermath...

are there state standards for that?

smart vs. pleasant

As I make more moves to apply for teaching positions, I am considering the idea that being pleasant, or kind is so much more important than being smart. Yes, I want to have ideas and great ideas at that. I want to show that I am a competent teacher, but at the same time I want to show kindness. Kindness to my peers, my students, parents, volunteers...
Recently Danny and I watched segments of the movie Harvey, starring Jimmy Stewart. The line that resonated with us the most is this (paraphrase) in this world you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant...i recommend pleasant.
You can be right, or you can be friendly, and sometimes both, but how many friends can a person make while being "right" to the point of meanness? And being the "winner" all the time ends up making you quite lonely.
So my challenge to myself, and to my 2 readers :) ...remember to be pleasant. Your life, and the lives of those you encounter will be much nicer.