School~isn't it what this is supposed to be about?

I made this blog to talk about school and everything that goes on with it. The ups and downs, the midterms, the finals, the grades, and everything else in between. Right. Well, needless to say, I hate mentioning it. To be honest, most of the time I have a hard time liking school.

So I guess I better touch on the subject before another quarter ends (3 weeks!!)

Last quarter was terribly difficult for me, I had too much on my plate (5 classes=14 units YIKES!) and of course I didn't want to be here....I say "here" because I am sitting in the college library as we speak!

Anyways, when last quarter ended I was just thankful I made it through with some of my sanity still intact (there were moments where I wasn't really sure it was, people....Blunder.) The grades were a total plus! By the grace of God I passed every class but one with a B, and that other one I mentioned, had a final grade of an A...an A!! Blessing.

See what I did there?...yeah I still have alittle humor in me! Good ol' puns!

Go ahead, laugh at my lame joke and humor...

So on to this quarter. I only signed up for 12 units and attend Tuesdays and Thursdays. This has helped immensely! I fill so much more in control and calm. I have peace about school even if I still don't love being here...I know, I know that's terrible (I'm trying here)

I am 2 weeks away from finals and I am no where near the stress level I was at, at this time last quarter. I am so very thankful for this, I am not so sure I could have made it through another quarter like that. I feel more confident upon next quarter, I am even kicking around the idea of taking one additional class so I have more than 12 units for next quarter.....I, of course, am still contemplating this....I register on Thursday (Pray for me this day, it will be a stressful one since I have last priority for space in classes)

Okay, so there is a small recap of the latest events involving college. I feel better now, I have been putting off writing about this for awhile (I didn't want to sound as bad as I really was....isn't that terrible? I am supposed to be honest on this blog but I was avoiding writing honestly so I didn't sound true to form. I am going to have to work on that)

For what the Lord has in store for me in the future, I don't know, but for right now, I will take my time, slowly just getting through my general education requirements, and take everything one day at a time.

That's it.

I pray I can remember this, when I think things aren't as simple as they can be.

~

If you are on Pinterest or follow other blogs, I know you have seen these EVERYWHERE.

But, it's the truth.

So simply put.

Remember to Sparkle.

Weekend Thoughts.

New things being added here! Weekend thoughts. Just some random words, quotes, and verses to get your days of rest off right!

Annnnnnd Awayyyy We Goooooo!

1. Go & Be a Blessing

2. Sometimes its okay to step back and admit you're being ridiculous (ya, I need some work on this)

3."For Beautiful eyes look for the good in others. For Beautiful lips speak only words of kindness. And for Poise walk with the knowledge that you are never alone" ~Audrey Hepburn

4. You are a perishable item~live accordingly

5. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-2

6. "You is Kind. You is Smart. You is important."

7. Start each and every day with a Grateful heart.

There ya'll go! One quote for every day of the week! Enjoy your weekend!...I am off to bed. My weekend has a busy start. Birthday parties, Visits, Worship...

Remember to Sparkle!

365.

365, days that is. That equals one year, 52 weeks to be exact.

My hunny and I have been dating that long.

 I seriously have a hard time wrapping my head around this. So much has happened in one year it feels like "5 years(in a good way)" so P told me.

Here is a list of compiled events: 

Monumental events of the year February 2011 to February 2012.

*Est. February 14th 2011

* Grandpa told the nursing staff P was his grandson-in law: April 24th

(still melts my heart, love you gpa xoxo)

*Graduation was: June 8th

*Grandpa passed away: June 9th

*P first day of college: August 22nd

*My first day of college September 22nd

*My 18th birthday: October 9th

*P got hired for his first real job at Toys "R" us: October 29th

*Spent my first Thanksgiving without my family, instead we spent it with P's

*P had his Christmas Eve with the Toll's: December 25th 

*Spent Christmas Day with P, I met his grandparents from Kansas

*Celebrated P's 19th Birthday: January 8th

*February 14th: one whole year!

As you can see, the year flew by. You definitely realize just how fast time flies when you are counting down to a date.

So to celebrate that important milestone We....

Yeah, so we both had school yesterday. Me in the morning and him at night. I didn't see him till around 9pm. We were both exhausted. I was sick, he was hurting from work and we both didn't look together enough to even take a picture.

so this is what we did with what we had:

The night before our anniversary, he surprised me with homemade sugar cookie....I may be biased, but these were the best sugar cookies I have ever had!

He also dropped of my lunch he had made me for school!

2 heart shaped pb&j's, 2 more of those sugar scrumptious sugar cookies, a handful of Hershey Kisses, a bag of m&m's, an apple, and a very sweet card!

I added veggies to make this very sweet lunch a little less bad ;)

That night, after he left for school, I snuck over to his house to cover his wall with Post it notes with little sayings of love and a few little trinkets that I placed on his bed. 

While in the middle of this, he called - and at that moment his dad walked in trying to tell me something! As I am making hand signals for his dad to stop talking, P is on the other side of the phone asking me what I am doing...

thankfully he had no idea and was pleasantly surprised!

After I got done decorating I hurried home to decorate a table with his gifts.

Sorry about the poor picture quality, my phone likes some lights and hates others.

I will show you how to make those tissue flowers and cupids arrow in another post, super easy :)

These letters are some of the things I put together for him. I really liked how the stamping came out, I had totally forgotten about them until recently and now I want to use them for everything!

In the large envelope is a Sweetheart letter made with the sweetheart candies to replace some words, it turned out really cute! I thought I had a picture, but now I'm bummed,I can't find it :(

Anywho, the cool thing about having such a cliche anniversary, is you have the excuse to go all out Valentines Day! It was alot of fun just shopping for cute gifts and ideas involving the Vday.

~

Let me tell you, this boy can keep me guessing.

He handed me this container when he got here and told me to open it.

It was anticlimactic to say the least, I opened the container to find a ball of silly putty I had given him for Christmas.

I looked at him with a "if you are going to re gift something at least don't give it to the person who gave it to you" kind of look.

He knows me, so automatically he told me to pick it up.

Still puzzled I picked it up and started to move it around in my hands.

To my surprise, something shiny and hard started to show...

Slowly I moved the silly putty away and I was shocked to see this!

It is a simply beautiful ring that I adore.

He told me that he spent too long trying to figure out if I would want one that had some pink bling on the heart or just the simple silver heart. He said he chose the silver heart since I like to have everything match. That boy knows me.  

After he gave me the ring he asked me to walk out front with him. We walked down the grass to the edge of the lawn, he stopped me and placed me on the concrete. At this point I knew what he was doing, this was the exact spot a year ago he asked me to be his girl...

My guy doesn't always show his love with his words or gifts, usually he writes his love in letters. So it was absolutely lovely to hear him tell me how much he loved me and how lucky he was to have me.

He re asked me to be his girl, in the exact spot I originally said yes.

Of course, I said yes! again.

~

Since we didn't get to celebrate to the extent we wanted to, he has made a elaborate plan for Saturday. This plan I know very little about, and if you know me, you know this drives me crazy!

It is all a surprise and I can not wait!

~

So here's to another year full of ups and downs and moments we won't soon forget!

Love you P. You mean the world to me.

xoxo

~

To my readers: thanks for taking the time to enjoy our day.

Remember to Sparkle.

Hurt is a Funny thing.

Yes, you read the title right.

I am about to say something about this all too known thing called Hurt.

Now stay with me here, I write and express myself better in metaphors.

I'm not trying to depress anyone, this will end off happily, promise :)

~

A heart I believe is made up of smaller tiny hearts that encase those things you hold dear. And all of those hearts add up to make your heart. The heart that has shaped you and made you the person you are today. Some hearts are bigger than others and some are hidden away. Past loves, moments you try to forget, or things you move to make room for more important things, but all of those little hearts are still tucked away in your large patchwork heart.  

(am I making sense?...)

Sometimes those smaller hearts and the scars they bare are made known. A miss communication with your best friend, your love saying something that you find hurtful, or moments that leave you speechless with tears and confusion.

It's a funny thing really.

Me, being a perfectionist and all, it flat out bugs me.

I hate to admit when these little hearts surface, because in that moment it feels as if that little tiny heart is consuming the rest of your heart and drowning out the others.

When the scars reopen you have no choice but to see it for what it is.

A hurt.

Whatever it actually is.

Even if others (even the ones closest to you) may not understand.

But you understand. You get it. Maybe it's a glance or an unspoken realization that makes you clearly see why you are hurting.  And why that little heart still matters to you.

( I really hope I am not sounding like a bumbling mess. Forgive me if I am)

It amazes me how we are created. We have such a deep compassion and love rooted deep in us, that we have the actual capacity to hold so many hearts! We get to feel happiness, joy, bliss, hurt, sorrow, and despair. Sometimes even all at the same time.

We Get to Love so much it can Hurt.

I am a melancholy kind of girl. I love those beautiful disasters. Movies that make you ball. Songs that make you feel something true. And events that give you a true understanding of hurt and love.

When people hurt because they love, you see the true raw uncovered person that usually hides behind the walls we all build.

So parts of your heart may hurt while others are truly blissful. Isn't that a sort of wonderful thought? 

( I know, I know. I'm strange)

The point is, we have the ability to feel.

We just have to own up to feeling.

And accepting the hurt and the joy when it comes our way....

~

I hope I make sense and the point was made.

Remember to Sparkle (even when it hurts) :)

Almost as bad as a Journal...Okay, it's worse

Okay I Failed.

I hate that word. The sound of it makes me cringe.

I'm a perfectionist (Ohhhhh scary scary, I know)

This whole blog thing didn't go as planned. I never wrote on a consistent basis, I never finished projects, and not to mention I completely forgot about my blog.

Sad day. I know, I am terrible.

Ew. Gross.

I knew I was bad at my journal or writing in a diary, but I thought this would be different. WRONG.

So here I am with a no good blog and bits and pieces of projects yet to be finished.

Whats a girl to do?

...

Start fresh? Brush it under the carpet? Pretend it never happened? Start blogging right away?

Well, now we are getting some where!

Pity Party ends. NOW.

Moving on :)

Where to begin?

How about I give you a tasty treat? Sound good?

Does a salty and sweet goodie work?

(because we all know, I can not get enough of those)

Perfect!

Saltine Chocolate Toffee

Now this my friends may sound a bit odd, but let me tell you. It is lovely! Oh, and super easy :)

I stumbled upon this lovely little goodie on my favorite website. (ever). Pinterest!

How lucky ;)

So here it goes...

1 cup unsalted butter (no margarine allowed)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil. Melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the toffee becomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt, and then spread them into an even layer. (You can add nuts, cracker crumbs, or whatever else floats your boat at this point.) Let cool and/ orrefrigerate until hardened. Break into pieces the size of your choice.

And Here it is!

Doesn't it look marvelous? so yummy :)

Like my cake plates?....

Mason jars are always a good idea!

Real simple to do too!

You just need various size mason jars and tea plates! Simple right?

I just set mine on top, but you could attach yours permanently with hot glue or something in that nature.

They just became my favorite cake plates!

...

And lookie there! A recipe and a DIY all in one post. And its only my first day back, go me! :)

Hope you enjoy!
Remember to Sparkle Xoxo

It has been a month???

Apparently it has been a whole month since I last wrote to you, the "you" whoever actually reads this. :) So now I am sitting in the library with a little time to spare (yes, this is a first) and I thought I would let you in on a little dream of mine!

Exciting right??

Well not really, unless you are me who is taking 15 units at a university on a quarter system.

Truth is, I CAN NOT wait for a break!

Yes, that is my dream. A break.

Pathetic right?

Go ahead, say it. Its alright I know how pathetic it really is.

Anywhooooooooooooo....

Winter Break is 37 days away.

Thank you, Lord.

This quarter has been a real challenge for me...and the ones who have to deal with the melt downs (Love you. Momma, Daddy, Sis, and Hunny)

It has been new and a major mountain to climb. In two weeks I will have my final midterms and that will mean we are on the downward slide....or the up hill climb since finals will be all that's left, but I like the first option, so we'll go with that! 

Although...This still leaves me with my dream of a break that I can not get out of my head.

SO I have decide to share my wish list of what I want for winter break...(might as well get into the Christmas season right?)

Winter Break Wish List

* Go through my clothing and PURGE PURGE PURGE! (I need this done terribly)

*Organize my newly purged closet (yay!)

* Find mason jars for Christmas presents

*Pick up fabric for more Christmas presents (Lots o' fabric)

*Sleep in till 7 (Oh how I hate you 5am)

* Bake 3 things each out of my 3 new cook books (oh how I have missed baking!)

*Decorate to my hearts content :)

*Finish Window Frame project (it has been forever)

*Be as helpful as I can possibly be (College has prevented me)

*Play Christmas music as often as I can

*Be ahead and prepared for Winter quarter

*Write letters to my family for Christmas

* Craft as much as I can (in a month)

*Enjoy each day, not wish for a tomorrow, and take in every moment like it is my last

Well, there it is.

Yeah, it is Over Achiever month. What gets done, gets done. What doesn't, is nothing to worry about, it just means there was something better put in its place.

Annnnnnnnd....

It is back to reality. Class in a few.

Remember to Sparkle. Give all the Glory to God. And enjoy today.  

 

Goodness Gracious!

So in the time of my last post till now, my life has been hectic! I began my first year at CSUSB. It has been great, crazy, interesting, and down right exhausting! I have been wanting to blog about it for awhile now, but those 4am mornings come real early and those nights become real short. So here I go telling you about all the highlights...

* First off, this year has already been filled with many HUGE blessings from our Lord! My first week of school ran so very smoothly, I enjoy all of my professors (which I did fear I wouldn't like them, but I have been pleasantly surprised) Also, I was given an amazing gift of Nursing treasures that I will be using through the program in the coming years. This equipment (Blood Pressure Cuff, Stethoscope, medical terminology cards, and books on the Nursing program, just to name a few) was given to me by one of my old HS teachers right before I started school. She had started the Nursing Program and decided it wasn't her dream anymore so she blessed me with them! I am sooooooo, let me say that again, soooooooooooooo very grateful for this! My Lord has just showered me with blessings to pave my way to where He wants me to shine his light. The thought of these blessings just brings me tears. "For I know the plans I have for you..." Jeremiah 29:11

I now have my "Goals & Dreams" drawer in my desk that hold all those treasures. They will be my encourager when times seem hard. But with our Lord, nothing will stand in my way. Thank you Jesus, thank you...

*Along with getting in the swing of things with school I stumbled upon a thing called Pinterest...I know I know I'm behind the times, but can I say OMG?? I love Pinterest!! It is a way of feeling creative with out having to be and saving those ideas for later....when I have time of course, we all know that will be a rarity until the second week of December.

*With being a full time college student, comes the need for a desk, And in my case I wanted an antique one...if you know me, you know that I love me some good antiques! ( my whole room in antique, really like the WHOLE room) So of course I would need an antique table or desk to do the job. The search was on! The Friday before last, Hunny and I ran all over the HD looking for something that would be my dream desk and of course be in my price range ($20 tops) We looked and yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores, antique stores, we scoured Craigslist, and a whole lot of nothing appeared. Near the end of the day we found something that would work but it just wasn't my favorite. It wasn't antique and it wasn't in my price range ($30 bucks, and that was half off! At the Salvation Army, no less! Crazy....) Anyways, I thought about getting it, but something was nagging at me to wait. And boy am I glad I did!  Last Thursday while at a Thrift Store with the Bestie, I happened upon it! There it was sitting right inside the door of the store, a 1950's Sewing Table! I was in love from the moment the Bestie pointed it out (she knows me all too well)...I looked for a price but I had a feeling it would be WAY out of my price range, but we just couldn't find the tag that would tell me it was NOT going home with me.  Truth is we never found that tag! We found another tag, one that read $ 20.00, exactly in my price range!! I can not describe how excited I was. The sewing machine was still intact, the wood matched my room, and it had plenty of drawers for me to store my many necessities. It is amazing how the Lord listens to the smallest hopes of your heart! Oh and to top it all off, I found the cutest antique chair to go with it for $3.00!! The grand total, $24.78! The wait was more than worth it. Awesome huh??

*Fall has sort of finally come! I say sort of because the leaves are on the ground, but it is still in the 90's during the day...I decided to take advantage of the Fall beauty today and get Hunny out in my back yard for some pictures!

 He is so willing to please my every whim, even if it means taking pictures that require him to actually smile!

 Window frame I am in the process of redoing, stay tuned!

 I love this one! and it was my idea...hehe

 This was his idea, he was so excited about it he ran to the shed and got the rake and quickly got to work. Oh how he melts my heart!

 I have to say I think this one might be my favorite!

Oh so in love :)

These past couple of weeks I have been shown how truly blessed I really am. I pray my eyes will stay open and alert to the blessings being continually showered upon me. Now I am off to read a chapter of Biology (What a blessing...I say this sarcastically ha) and prepare for the week ahead.

Dear Heavenly Father,

May we be a blessing to you this week. May we shine your love and make a difference in this world for you. Please be with us as this week's business pulls us in every direction. Let us find grounding in you.

Amen.