1. Work is still crazy, but I still enjoy it.

 

2. I am about to finish my fourth quilt this month (one was almost already finished, one I had the blocks sewn (but not sewn together or with a back or quilt), and two I have started from scratch).  I am feeling very productive.  I might start a few table runners or maybe even another quilt soon.  I even let myself buy some new fabric (because I used up so much old fabric) and 20 yards of Cotton batting. I did use that new fabric very quickly for a new flannel quilt that will soon be making its way to Colorado (for two cute little blond kids - that I get to see next week).

 

3. Less than a week until I get to meet the Stef's children and spend some time with my Hornor "family".  Vacation day!!! Not counting my wedding, because you really don't visit with anyone during your wedding, I haven't seen Stef in over 4 years when I was last out in Colorado.  I am so excited.  I feel like the day before Christmas. 

 

4. I have an amazing recipe for you, but I have to make it first and make sure it is as delicious as it sounds...  I might make it for the hymn sing.  It is something about peanut butter pound cake with chocolate chips (or Reese's cups inside) with peanut butter glaze and chocolate fudge icing... 

 

5. So I walked into my house last night and it smelled like an old person's house. It was musty and like walking into a house full of antiques or a thrift store.  I am not sure what is going on.  The windows are going to be opened tonight and the house aired out.  Also, I am cleaning everything this weekend.  YAY!  Maybe it is the large plant that Aunt Suzanne gave me that was part of her mother's grandmother's plant.   

 

6. Last weekend was great.  My parents and Annadrew and Jared and I spent the weekend in Shippensburg, PA at a Bed and Breakfast.  It was so relaxing to just hang out with all of them and do nothing all weekend.  We went on a 20 mile long bike ride and listened to some fun bands and some not so fun bands.  I bought a bunch of old sheets to turn into some quilts and some apples to turn into apple cake.  I love my family (as it grows and grows).  They make me happy.  Anna posted pictures on facebook.

 

Have a great week.  Recipe and pictures to follow.  Also, pictures of two of my quilts.  The other two are secret for now. 

Today...

 

I purchased 20 yards of cotton batting on an amazing sale!  It is lovely.  I wanted the unbleached cotton batting because I think it is prettier, but no one is going to see it inside the quilt so I settled for the bleached batting.  They were sold out of the lovely nateral colored cotton. 

 

Listen to Jars of Clay (over and over again).  They would be on my top 5 list of artists.

 

Finished grading my 48 labs.  At least 10 of my students spelled flour as flower... really? 

 

Received a begonia from Aunt Suzanne that was once part of a plant from her mother's grandmother.  How cool is that!?!

Eating (taste): A banana (the third and fourth from the left are my favorite ways to eat a banana - green is good, when it gets too yellow it tastes funny).  It and the next one that I am about to start eating are my dinner today.

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Favorite activity right now (sight): quilting and seeing my newly finished quilt.  I just finished one quilt (it is going to be another present, so, you can't see it until later) and I started (and almost finished the whole top) another quilt, which is also going to be a present.  So for now, no pictures, sorry.

Listening to (sound): Majesty by Delirious? One of my favorite songs ever by one of my favorite bands ever.  On a side note, Jared's ipod keeps ruining the song for me because he has it on shuffle and it keeps jumping into a loud Rolling Stones song after Majesty ends.  It just doesn't work.

Here I am humbled by Your Majesty,

Covered by Your grace oh friend.
Here I am knowing I'm a sinful man,
Covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Now I've found the greatest love of all is mine,
Since You laid down Your life,
The greatest sacrifice.

Majesty, Majesty.
Your grace has found me just as I am,
Empty handed but alive in Your hands.

Here I am humbled by the love that You give,
Forgiven so that I can forgive.
So here I stand,
Knowing that I am Your desire,
Sanctified by glory and fire.
And now I've found the greatest love of all is mine,
Since You laid down Your life,
The greatest sacrife.

Majesty, Majesty.
Your grace has found me just as I am,
Empty handed but alive in your hands.
Singing Majesty, Majesty.
Forever I am changed by Your love,
In the presence of Your Majesty.
Majesty.

We're singing Majesty, Majesty.
Your grace has found me just as I am,
And I'm nothing but alive in Your hands.
We're singing Majesty, Majesty.
Forever I am changed by Your love,
In the beauty of Your Majesty.
Majesty.

Favorite Candle: Farmer's Market, Apple Pie, Cinnamon Spice, Pumpkin Pie... all those Fall and Christmas cooking scents.  And homemade english muffins with butter and honey smell pretty awesome as well.  They taste amazing too!!!

Wearing: Soccer sorts and a Gorden College t-shirt (most comfortable t-shirt ever created).

A pet peeve of mine: I thought I had finally solved the problem of having my meat bagged with my produce by helping out and bagging the meat before the cashier bags the meat.  We have a new problem with the cashier now, the last two trips to the store that I have bought eggs, the cashier has banged the eggs all around and rather thrown my eggs towards me.  Fortunately they haven't broken any yet, but it causes me to wince everytime they do it. 

I still love my job. For the last two weeks we have started out the day doing one thing and have had to rush around and finish up things for other projects.  It is always changing; it is great.  I love it.  I worked 9+ hours today and it seemed as if I only worked two or three.  Tuesdays are my favorite day because I have at least 3 meetings (and it makes the day go extremely quick); today I had 5 meetings. My favorite motto for meetings I found online somewhere, "none of us is as dumb as all of us".  ha ha ha.  I would love to start off every meeting that way.  If I had my way, every meeting that I had to throw would be a standing up meeting.  People start becoming tired of standing and they last maximum of 15 minutes.  Perfect timing to accomplish what you need and not waste too much time.  Tomorrow and the rest of the week I am leading a training class for one of my new cells.  We are going to make toast and draw crabs (or maybe make paper airplanes - I am not sure yet).  I might make banana bread.

I started teaching last night.  This year is shaping to be my best year yet.  Right now I have a nice stack of 48 lab reports to grade. 

odds and ends

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I want to make these soon.  I love the bright colors and the way it uses up scraps.  I also like because it showed up on my favorite food blog because the pattern is named, "chopped vegetables".  Notes for myself below.  :)
For each pillow, you will need:

20" Pillow Form
3 Print Fat Quarters (or scraps, as described in pattern)
1 Yard Coordinating Solid Fabric
1 Yard White or other Neutral Solid Fabric
1 1/2 yards 36” wide Muslin

For pillows with a visible zip closure, you will also need:

22" (or longer) All Purpose Zipper
Zipper Foot
4" x 4" Print Fabric Scrap (can be cut from fat quarters)
12" Fusible Hem Tape
1 Batting Scrap 22" x 22"
1 Batting Scrap 22" x 25"

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I love these.

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I like this bedroom for three kids too. The father of these three boys made all of the beds, without glue, so he can reuse the wood later on.  He also says his kids have bins of toys under the bed and they have to give away toys if they want to put in more toys.  I love the book shelves up on the top bunk.  I would love to have books that close to by bed (I do, just not on shelves, so they don't look that neat). Anyhow, I think this is a great small room. 

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How fun are these? Maybe next time I make peanut butter stuffed chocolate cupcakes, I might die some of the icing orange and yellow... hmmmm.  that might be weird.

I am going to go finish a quilt and maybe start on those chopped vegetable pillows.   I have to go sort through some scraps.  There are some really creepy people looking at the house across the street from us.  Ugh.  College kids. Two families have looked at the house so far... I liked them better. Oh, and speaking of neighbors, our neighbor next to us just got a chicken. WHAT?!? I have been asking Jared for chickens since we got married.  :)  I want free eggs (not that they are free since I have to pay for the feed - I will do a study to see if they are worth it - I wonder how many years until they pay for themselves...). 

I am making pizza for dinner with my Grotto pizza sauce from Anna and Andrew.  Yum yum yum.  I still have 4 or 5 jars.  Delicious!

Some pictures from life

Jared sang at the Salisbury national day of prayer prayer breakfast at the civic center, but the video isn't loading.  So you will have to imagine that for now. 

 Jared sang on the Huckabee show the week of my birthday.

 Jared sang at the Shorebirds a couple weeks later.

Jared sings around the house ALL the time.

Jared is singing at the Salvation Army start of their football season on Saturday.  He sang there last year and they asked him back.

These are some quilt blocks that I have been meaning to do something with.  Jared pulled them out on Monday and arranged them for me (not like the picture - I failed to take a picture of the final result).  I sewed all the squares together and put on the boarders.  Now I just need to quilt it (my plan for tomorrow night). 

When I had shoulder surgery in 2005, Mrs. Shelton bought me this puzzle to play with.  I have always loved changing the triangles around and coming up with different combinations.  Well, Jared and I were playing around with this the other day and we had tried several different combinations before we came up with this one.  I saw this one and I said, "it would be fun to make this a quilt." Jared replied, "a Christmas quilt!!!"  And that is how the following quilt came to be. 

 Here is the quilt. The funny thing about this quilt is that Jared cut all the blocks and sewed them together.  The only thing that I did was quilt it and sew the binding on.  When I had the flu, right before Sarah's wedding, we started to pick out the fabrics.  Jared was so excited about the quilt that he cut out all the squares and once he was finished that and saw that I wasn't moving off the couch, he asked how to use the sewing machine. Jared has hemmed and altered his own pants, so I am not surprised that he can quilt too. 

 Closer shot and a picture of my foot (for Anna).

 The quilt draped over one of our chairs.

 Another close up.   I love the bright colors and can't wait until Christmas to be able to hang this on our wall!!!  YAY!!

 This is the back of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  That is all I am showing you until they see it. 

 Here are some doodles of the back of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  I had to sketch everything to calculate the sizes and boarders that I need.

And this is another doodle of the Sarah and Josh quilt.  Once again, this is the back.  You will have to wait to see the front.  I don't think I even have any pictures of the front right now.  ha.  My goal is to have it to them by Christmas.  It is not that long to wait until you will get to see it.  :)  I can't decide if I like the Annadrew quilt or the Sarah and Josh quilt better... I guess that is a good thing.  I love them both.

I am headed to bed now.  Thanks to the neighbors for the free Internet.  It is super slow, but it let me post pictures.  Yes. 

Today at work I was audited by two guys from France.  I am not sure that we understood each other completely, but it seemed to go well.  I had to explain everything that I was doing in my department and how I keep records and track everything.  Thanks to my Dad for making me write everything down and stopping me from doing things in my head.  There have been many times that I have been tempted to do things in my head and not document them, but it always seems to turn out better when I can track and find everything that I have done.  It is much easier to repeat what I need to repeat and avoid what I need to avoid. 

My department is slowly shaping up to be quite a great place to work.  I am starting to have all my own forms and documents that I can start to use over and over again.  At first I was reinventing the wheel each time, but now I can reuse some of the things that I have created. It is nice.  I am looking forward to next year.  There should be a lot going on next year.  They are looking to grow my department by about 8 or 10 more people.  It is going to be crazy; it is going to be awesome.  I am going to love it.  I am going to get so much done.  I can't wait!!!

Plus, I mean, how can you not love chocolate peanut butter stuffed cupcakes?!?  And how can you not love pizza parties and fried chicken picnics for the winners who have the highest audit scores? It is our goal to make people smile as much as possible.  I think people are starting to understand that we are there to help them instead of feeling threatened by change. 

I love my job.  I am so thankful for it. God is so good to me.  I NEVER NEVER NEVER thought I would find a job that allowed me to use so much of my degrees and that let me have this much fun on the Eastern Shore.  That whole year of misery that I spend in their engineering department was all preparing me for running this department.  I often asked Jared why I had to work at such a boring miserable job, now I know.  I am able to relate to some many things because I used to work with them.  And I am so thankful for a boss that talks to me like a normal person and for co-workers with a sense of humor and employees that do what they are told and want to do a good job and interns that follow directions and are creative. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love my job.  I never thought I would be able to say that.  God is great.  Follows are the words to a wonderful old hymn.  It is so true and has been such a comfort to me since the days during college.  I know the igrace tune to this song (if you haven't listened to igrace music yet, you need to head over to their website RIGHT NOW and buy all their cds -- my kids are going to be raised on igrace, Judy Rogers, and GT and the Halo express, I am just saying, they are that good, they never get old and really, how can you beat the words of hymns (unless it is scripture, in that case, go buy some gt and the halo express cds)?  Go buy yourself some igrace and be blessed greatly!); that is where I first heard it. I just love the words.  I listen to this hymn often.  Praise God for his goodness and grace. He gives us more than we could ever hope or imagine.  He is awesome.  

1.Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord who rises
With healing in His wings;
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
To cheer it after rain.

2.In holy contemplation
We sweetly then pursue
The theme of God's salvation,
And find it ever new;
Set free from present sorrow,
We cheerfully can say—
E'en let the unknown morrow
Bring with it what it may.

3.It can bring with it nothing,
But He will bear us through;
Who gives the lilies clothing,
Will clothe His people too:
Beneath the spreading heavens
No creature but is fed;
And He, who feeds the ravens,
Will give His children bread.

4.Though vine nor fig tree neither
Their wonted fruit shall bear;
Though all the fields should wither
Nor flocks nor herds be there;
Yet God the same abiding,
His praise shall tune my voice,
For, while in Him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.

Peanut Butter Stuffed Cupcakes

Has anyone listened to Alison Krauss's new cd Paper Airplane?  Love love love. I acutally bought it with an itunes gift card that Aunt Suzanne gave me for my first graduation. So, thank you, Auntie!! 

More wishes than a thousand hearts can count for you

More smiles than a merry-go-round

The sweetest ending to a bed-time story told

My love follows you where you go

More laughter than a kindergarten out to play

One Sunday morning song that says it all

More summer than a California beach can hold

My love follows you where you go

For those of you that know me, you will know that one of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and peanut butter.  I had a peanut butter and chocolate wedding cake (oh my goodness it was amazing, but it is SOOO much work).  Does anyone else LOVE these flavors together?

This recipe satisfies my cravings for chocolate and peanut butter without too much work.  I even use a box cake mix and applesauce instead of oil and it still tastes amazing!!  I am not a big cake person.  I think cake is only good for the icing and stuffing that it brings with it.  You NEED to make these cupcakes or at least find someone to make the icing and fudge sauce and eat it up.  This is the third time I have made them and I am still eating the icing with a spoon and dipping it in the extra fudge sauce (there is always extra icing and fudge sauce...). 

And I am making this, but without the Candy corn.

The Christmas quilt is finished!!!  And the Sarah and Josh quilt is coming along nicely.  I have had the front finished since sometime last year.  I just need to get the back sewn together.  I don't know why I keep jumping projects in front of the back.  The goal is to finish all the sewing squares together by the end of today.  Then all that will be left is to quilt it and put the binding on (my two favorite parts).  I used some of the same fabrics in Sarah and Anna's quilts, which I think is pretty cool.  I might also finish some cloth napkins today for my kitchen.  I keep promising myself that I will make some that aren't Christmasy (because that is all that we have right now - ha). 

17 thank you notes for VBS finished.

6 more to go.

If I have forgotten you on my long list of thank you notes, please, know that I am extremely grateful for anyway that you helped out with VBS.  I really appreciate all that everyone did to make this year so special.  It seemed to go really well.  Photos of the madness here.  Thanks to Nancy Anderson for shooting such great photos of the week for all of us to remember.  And to the rest of you that helped out, Thank you, thank you , thank you, thank you for all your hard work!!!  I had so much fun and I am looking forward to next year (Olympic themed - how fun).  I promise to be better organized next year. 

Mom, start thinking about how we should train the teachers next year.  You probably have all your notes that I can just borrow.  I was actually hoping you could help out with teaching the teachers next year.  Think about it and get back to me.  Hopefully we can find other teachers and you and Dad can be in the same class next year (if you want to teach again :) However, even if you don't want to teach, I still think you would be an excellent trainer.  Again, think about, pray about it, get back to me... you have some time - ha ha).  

Anyone who has any input on what you would have liked to know earlier, let me know.  We will try to work on it for next year. 

Thanks again.  You are the best! I am SO SO SO thankful for everyone that volunteered.  And thanks to a great director, Jeanne.  :)  Thanks for all the time we spent together organizing this VBS.  I have really really really appreciated all your hard work.  I know it hasn't been easy, but it was so worth it in the end.  Thanks.

Also, we are looking for another co-director next year.  Let me know if you are interested.  The material suggests that the co-director becomes the director the following year and the director takes some time off.  That way the leadership is always fresh, but at the same time you have a year of planning under someone that has already run the system.  

Being in baby nursery once every six weeks makes me happy.  Leaving baby nursery once every six weeks makes me even happier.  :)  I like entertaining small children and then giving them back to their parents.   Babysitting for my niece and nephews used to be a lot of fun (it used to be because I don't have the chance to anymore).  We are supposed to make gingerbread cookies again this winter.  They are hilarious. 

I bought a dress at Macy's yesterday for $0.80.  It was $10.80 on the clearance rack and I had a $10 off any purchase coupon. YAY.  Jared and I then wandered in Hobby Lobby and I bought a bit of fabric (I wasn't impressed by their fabric sections at all... very small).  The woman who was cutting my fabric was grumpy; she was telling me about how it was her last day because they fired her (or when they told her she would be working a different section of the store, she quit... not sure they really fired her).  I don't think I'll be going back in there for a long time, too much junk and stuff I don't need.  I am trying to pare down the stuff in my life; there is too much stuff!!  I sold 3 books on half.com from college.  More than two years out from grad school and I still made over $400 on 3 books.  Not bad.  Not bad.  I wish I had sold more books.  Jared is glad they are not sitting by our front door anymore on my to-do list. 

I am thankful for friends and family.  We spent some time with Jamie, Dasha, and Lydian this week (thanks for the delicious food!!).   And we spent some time this afternoon with the Catalliers in their lovely house (seriously, I want the colors and painting in their house - I want to be artistic!!).   The food was awesome with them too.  I think it is funny about how much I want my food to be perfect when I invite people over (and I worry and worry about it not being good enough).  But when I go over to other people's houses, I just want to spend time with them.  I don't even think about the food; I don't juege it because it is just extra to spending time with them.  I will have to remember that next time I let the fear of not having good enough food stop be from inviting people over.  People make me happy.  I am thankful for friends!!

Something good (to be thankful for):

My eyes are still healthy and better than 20/20!  YAY!

I made the most amazing chocolate cupcakes stuffed with peanut butter frosting and topped with peanut butter frosting and hot fudge icing.

Jared's thumb is getting better.

The weather is cooling down.  Yay.  I love fall.  It is my favorite season!!!

We finally got around to meeting our neighbors.   

I have the best job ever!  I love it. 

My interns remain amazingly helpful.

 

Something bad (pray for me to have patience):

Insurance company is still billing me incorrectly.  Which means that they are charging me an in network AND an out of network deductible.  This means that I have to pay over a grand more than I would if I only had to pay my normal in network deductible. 

BOO!!  Boo.  Boo.  Boo.  boo.  boo. 

When I was growing up, I often wondered why my Dad spent so much time on the phone with insurance companies; I wonder no more. 

 

Jared's surgery is being billed as out of network, meaning that instead of paying 20% of his surgery, I get to pay 40% and a higher deductible.  Why doesn't the system just work like it is supposed to work?!?  Sigh.  I guess I am about to spend a lot fo time on the phone with these people.  Not cool! IT IS LISTED ON THEIR WEBSITE AS AN IN NETWORK OFFICE!!!!  And I am arguing the emergency room fees... Boo boo boo, United Health Care.  Boo boo boo. 

 

In other, much more happy news, VBS is going well.   Everyone is doing a great job.  I am so thankful for every one's hard work.  And I got to spend time with little baby Ivy last night.  She might be the happiest baby that I have ever met.  :)

VBS is going wonderfully, better than I thought it would.  Everything is running itself at this point; it is great.  It is better than work because I don't have to follow up with people as much.  Everyone is just doing what they are supposed to.  I love it. 

Today I went to the allergist.  My back itches!!!  Apparently, I am allergic to a whole mess of dusts and molds and ragweed and dust mites.  Boo.  Oh, and cats.  I am extremely allergic to cats, but I knew that from the way my eyes itch and my nose runs whenever I go to visit my parents.   They are trying me on clariton and nasal spray and seeing me again in 4 weeks.  Anyhow, if at that point I don't feel better, we will talk about doing allergy shots.  I am really thinking about doing the allergy shots and getting everything over with.  What do you think?   Have you had allergy shots?  And if so, what are you allergic to?  

Today at VBS we learned about the fall, how man used to be happy and holy, but he had to go and mess it all up.  :)   I guess allergies are part of that.  Boo allergies.  Also, one more question today... do you ever smell things and they remind you of something?  I washed my hands at the doctor today and they now smell like Uncle Bill's (Dr. Taylor's) office to me (more specifically the doctor's in dr. Taylor's office).  ha. 

A song, a recipe, and a question...

I reliezed again today that I adore Coldplay's music and I was going to post lyrics on here, but I it was taking too long to search for them and copy them. 

I also realized that I couldn't copy the recipe that I wanted to share with you because the website won't let you steal text from the pages.  Boo.  I will type it out some other time for you because it is the best peach crisp that I have ever made (I have made it twice now, it is so good).  If you invite me over I might make it for you because I have 156 (minus the 4 I ate for breakfast, so 152) peaches sitting on my counter and table right now (I counted :) yes ).  I could possibly make it glutton free ... I think it will still turn out.  The flour is only 1/4 and oatmeal seems to do just as well.   Anyhow, that recipe is coming soon too. 

Now on to VBS week.  I am so glad it is finally here.  After it is over it means I can start planning vacation time for me. 

Tomorrow I am cutting the grass when I come home from work, VBS, work, and the gym (I might skip the gym).  When was the last time you cut the grass?  I used to cut my neighbors grass for two or three summers.  I am really glad I don't make my living cutting grass, but it was nice to get paid back in the day.  What was your first job? 

So, I was listening to NPR on the way home for lunch and I heard part of this interview with a democratic congressman.  He was talking about the tea party freshman in congress and he said something like this, "It is like they are on a mission to do what the people that elected them to congress want them to do.  They don't seem to care if they get re-elected or not."  He basically implied the entire time that they were so reckless and stupid to do that and that they were dangerous to the health of the nation because they were following the will of the people.  I just had to laugh.  *GASP* We would actually listen to the people that elected us?!?  ha ha ha. 

Does anyone want to attend the broadway shows in Salisbury with me???

Okay, so here is the deal.  I was to go see Cats and Riverdance.  I don't really care about Mamma Mia and Young Frankenstein, but since tickets are cheaper in sets of three or four and I wouldn't mind seeing either of them, I am thinking of buying a set of three tickets (you could convince me to go to all four, if you are going with me).  Jared does not like Broadway. :(  And he does not want to go to any of these shows (I mean, even Riverdance...?!? What?!?).  So, who wants to go to 2 or 3 or 4 shows with me?  Sarah, I wish you were here.  I hear the Civic Center is a terrible place to watch a Broadway play. Is it even worth it?  I don't have to drive two hours...  which saves a lot on gas...   

I have posted the schedule below.   Thoughts? 

 

2011-2012 Broadway in Salisbury Shows
Mamma Mia!             Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 5:00pm
CATS                        Monday, March 5, 2012 at 7:30pm
Young Frankenstein    Monday, May 14, 2012 at 7:30pm
Riverdance                 Thursday, May 31, 2012 at 7:30pm

Chinook Visit

Photos at the Daily Times of the Chinook visit at our plant!!!  The back of me is in some of the photos. And the back of me made the front page of the Daily Times.  Ha ha.  Article here.

reading... c.s. lewis

Two quotes from C.S. Lewis that from things I have been reading lately.  When you are sick you have the chance to read more books than normal.  :)  That may be one of the only good things about being sick.  Everything seems to slow down and there is more quiet time to enjoy. 

"The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment, He has scattered broadcast.  We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy.  It is not hard to see why.  The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose as obstacle to our return to God: a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with our friends, a bathe or football match, have no such tendency.  Our father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasent inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home."

I agree.   I am very thankful for all the wonderful things that God has blessed me with on this earth.  He is good.  Spending time with friends or family, enjoying music, and seeing beauty outside in nature is wonderful.   But this quote is so true, without the pain of sickness and not having everything that we think we desire, we would not long for heaven.  Praise God for sickness because it points us even more towards him.   Which brings me to my other C.S Lewis quote for the day, from the Last Battle.  It is from the end of the Last Battle.  I do love the Chronicles of Narnia so much (not those dumb movies that they have made about them... not to get off topic or anything, but I watched the Voyage of the Dawn Treader while I was sick... they ruined the whole book, the book is a 1000 times better... sorry, I just had to rant).  One reason I love the books is because I fondly remember my mother reading them to us as we went on camping trips.  :)

"Then Aslan turned to them and said: '...you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead.  The term is over: the holidays have begun, The dream is ended: this is the morning...'
And for us thsi is the end of all the stories, and we can most truely say that they all lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.  All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

Love Love Love!!  This description makes so much sense to me.  That is all I have for tonight.  I have to finish up a presentation for tomorrow at work.  Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will see all my family!!!  YAY!!!  They make me happy, even when they make fun of me.  I love them all very much. 

Pictures from life (stolen from facebook)

First I just wanted to say that being sick is getting REALLY REALLY boring.  Go away fever, go away!!   Second, I really enjoyed both my sister-in-laws random posts today and I tried to write my own, but being sick also makes you really really non creative.  So instead I offer you a random photo blog.  Photos are worth more than words. 

 Hope danced at the Salisbury Festival.  She is really good.  I ate kettle corn.   Anna had a bridal shower afterwards with lots of good food.  Yum yum yum. 

 Chicago sunset.  From April when I traveled out there.

 My spacious Hyatt Hotel room that has spoiled me forever.  <3 <3 <3 And the food was INCREDIBLE!!!!

 I just can't stay away from toys and engineering things.  How cool is the massive Ferris wheel built from Connects?  I saw this in Chicago.  It actually spun around tool.  Wow wow wow.

 Chicago.

 Proof that I was actually there.

Chicago.

Hope and I went to go see Toby Mac and Brandon Heath in concert.  Toby Mac is old.  But he still puts on a good show.  I enjoyed being there with Hope.  Hope is such a great kid.  I just thought I would tell you, in case you hadn't realized that.  You should spend some time with her.

 Aw, my beautiful sister and me.  Here we are front and center.  I taught her the skills of getting a close standing spot.  My Dad says I have a good worming technique to getting good spots.  Spread your elbows... That is the big secret.  No one likes bumping into elbows.  Second, if they give an inch, take two inches.  Make them uncomfortable.  They will move over more and you will soon be in their spot.  :)   

 Stained glass in Chicago.

 For Mama Cindy, here are all the Shelton/Wingo people in the New York Public Library.  The library is a little bit crazy. 

Oh, and here is a picture of Mike Huckabee and us.  What fun.

Sunday afternoon I was sitting on the couch reading a book, while Jared was taking a nap (I just don't get naps - they make me more tired), and I thought to myself, "I am really cold; I should put on a jacket. I bet Jared has turned the ac really low." So, I put on a sweatshirt and huddled under a blanket on the couch and kept reading my book.  When Jared woke up and saw me he asked if I was sick because he had actually made it warmer in the house than it normally is.  Yikes.  I took my temperature and it was 101.7.  Yikes again.  I took medicine, felt better, was really cold again, was really hot, and tossed and turned all night.

Monday, Independence day, we ran by the Shelton's early in the day to pick up some fabric for a Christmas quilt that we are making.  Jared treated me to a coffee smoothie at Rise Up because I thought it would perk me up.  I was feeling so tired and hot.  We came home and cut all the pieces out for out quilt.  Preview below.  Jared wants to change the light blue color to something else... And we might replace the yellow to all match.  The reds are scraps from Anna's quilt.  The quilt is based on a wooden puzzle that I have, called a Colorado puzzle.  We picked up the orange, dark green, and dark blue from Mrs. Shelton's collection.  The blue actually had a print on it, but it looks solid in that photo above. 

Christmas Quilt

Colorado Puzzle

Jared went outside to cut the grass and I started to read again.   Then because I was feeling particularly lousy, I went upstairs and watched tv.  I was hoping it would lull me to sleep.  Once again, I started freezing.  I had sweatpants, socks, and a sweatshirt on and I was bundled up under two blankets.  I checked my temperature again and it was 103.5.  I took 3 Motrin and sat on the couch in my delirious state until Jared came in from washing my car and told me that I needed to go to the doctor.  We went to Your Doc's In, but they told me I was a mystery.  My lungs were perfectly clear, my tonsils were great, my lymph nodes weren't swollen, but I was radiating heat.  I was so hot.  We stopped by my parents house to drop off some gifts for Sarah, that people at church had given me on Sunday.  Mom and Dad fed me English's chicken and sweet potato biscuits.  Last night again I tossed and turned all night, cold one minute and hot the next. I am sorry, Jared. 

Anyhow, that is how I spend my day off.  It wasn't the best holiday, but it could have been worse.  I could be throwing up or in pain.  I don't mind being cold.  Hopefully whatever this is will pass before Sarah's wedding. 

Happy wedding week, Sarah!!! 
I love you.

A few thoughts...

Yesterday when I went home for lunch, I brought my newspaper in, created my lunch, and sat down to read my paper in peace.  Normally I read the Wall Street Journal during lunch (thank you , Hannah) every day.  I look forward to it because it is relaxing.  However, I opened the paper bag and it was the Baltimore Sun.  What?!?  It was so disappointing.  I realized that I was so used to good writing.  I started thinking that I am really glad that my Mom taught me not only to read, but also to love reading. 

Thanks to Mom for teaching me to read. 

Thanks to Hannah for the Wall Street Journal.

 

Last Tuesday was my birthday.  It was one of the best working birthdays that I have had.  My office (3 interns, 2 full-time employees, and me) all went out of lunch.  We have so much fun together; more fun than should be allowed in an office.  Have I mentioned that I love my job?  I am very thankful for my employees.  I had countless meetings also that day, but they all went really smoothly (that is a huge blessing).  That night my Mom made me favorite foods and a dessert.  Yum yum yum.  Thanks again to Mom.  And on Thursday the engineering department took me out to lunch.  Yay.  Finally, on the weekend, we went to visit Jared's grandmother and go clothes shopping for me.  Jared took me to Georgia House for dinner that night.  It was a great birthday week.  :)

Thanks to my office, engineering, and Jared.

 

My job continues to go well.  I run around all day and never finish everything that I need to do, but I really enjoy what I am doing.  I even have started to enjoy working with some of the people around the plant.  Several of my projects have started to actually make money.  :)  That is always a good thing.  People are starting to work together instead of resist change.  That is another good thing.  This is a job that I never dreamed that I would have the chance to do; if a job could be perfectly designed for me, this would be it. 

 

Have a great holiday weekend.  I am looking forward to relaxing and actually cooking some meals.  Baking is about the only thing that I have had time for recently.  The grill is being used this weekend!  YAY!