Multiple Blessings Tuesday

I have come up with themes for my blog every day of the week. (with some help from friends) Mondays will be "inspirational quotes" Tuesdays will be "Multiple Blessings" Wednesdays will be "wordless wednesday" Thursdays will be "Imperfect prose" or "Awkward/Awesome" depending on my mood/what has happened in the week. Fridays will be "What I'm loving" and Saturday or Sunday...depending on which day I can get to a computer will be "weekend cravings" So with it being Tuesday, I am going to go ahead with the multiple blessings segment of this week! I'm not going to go and explain each one. I think they're pretty self explanatory. If not, meh. it's me..what can I say? sometimes I am so random and silly I don't even know what I'm thinking lol!

• Family
• Friends
• God
• Sunshine
• School almost being over
• SEVERAL subbing jobs
• Good books
• More than one job (specifically the one I'll have in the summer)
• Being able to pay off student loans
• My cat

Inspirational Quotes Monday-Memorial Day Themed

I'm just going to keep this simple. It's Memorial Day. The day we honor those who are and did serve and those who made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom. Let's not forget what the meaning behind this day is. God Bless America!

Memorial Day remains one of America's most cherished patriotic observances.
The spirit of this day has not changed -
it remains a day to honor those who died defending our freedom and democracy.
- Doc Hastings

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,
but what is woven into the lives of others.
- Pericles

Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.
- Anonymous

Quotes from:

www.daily-inspiration-quotes.com

Weekend Cravings

So, before you start thinking I'm totally nuts, let me just say that during the week, sometimes I forget to eat so when I remember, I don't eat much...not good, I know, but it happens. Anyway, during the weekend, when I have time to stop and actually THINK about what I want to eat, I start having a ton of cravings...it could be what sounds good, what I haven't had for a long time, anything really. Usually, I have specific cravings that are always coming back to me no matter what and I can't get rid of them. This weekend, it's been calamari. That's right, folks, I, Andrea Kester, have been craving calamari like CRAZY. Why?? no idea. :) So based on these random weekend cravings, I have decided to make Saturday/Sundays "weekend cravings" themed. I have some more weekly themes, too! should make my blog more interesting :)

Ok, here are some of my favorite ways to eat calamari...

Salad. Classic and delicious! :) but it has to have a light dressing. otherwise, it's not good...

Pasta with Calamari-yum!

Sauteed in olive oil, garlic and seasoning. very light of course. you don't want to overpower the squid's taste. :)

Fun Friday!!!

Let's just say that I am soooo happy it's Friday. I had a pretty long, trying week. Thursday, yesterday, I subbed in a class that had 31 kids and about half of those kids were special needs of some kind. Making for a long day and a really big headache for Andrea...Today, I decided to treat myself to a "spring spruce up" shopping trip...pictures of thing I got to decorate my room coming in this post :) after I went shopping, I worked out and it was awesome, then decorated after I came home, then went to an orthodontist appointment where my braces were tightened and now my mouth HURTS :( :(...and of course, I went to work for a couple hours. Now i'm back home relaxing and I wanted to share what I got. so without further ado, here is my Fun/what i'm loving blog :)

what i'm loving---scented candles---I LOVE scented candles....always have, always will. lately, I've been burning candles like a maniac.
what i'm loving---sarongs-I have always loved them and now the store I work in is carrying them just in time for summer! gonna have to get a couple :) yay! now...if we can convince mister sun to come out and stay around for a while...
what I'm loving---leather flower rings. that's right folks! the store I work at now has these and they are so cool and gorgeous! :) LOVE them!
I got TWO sunflower garlands at Michael's Craft store....they are both about six feet long. one is white and the other is yellow. beautiful! :)

These!! are the EXACT color that I bought today. Umbra wallflutter and wallflower from Bed, Bath and Beyond for both sets. That's also where I got the wall decals below. and YES there WAS a sale :) lucky me!! basically, I just mixed the flowers and dragonflies up and stuck them on the wall.

Love, Imagine and Dream wall decals. The ones I have are different than the ones in the pictures, but they are still really cute! :) perfect for the bedroom!

Lantern Lights---I've had them FOREVER but now they are sooo amazing looking next to everything else I bought today :)

I have to add that I am still loving these quotes from www.daily-inspiration-quotes.com. one is found at the top of this post.

Life isn't about finding yourself.
Life is about creating yourself.
- George Bernard Shaw

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.
- Arthur Rubinstein

Let your light shine. Fulfill the promise that is within you.

Wacky Wednesday-Quote edition

Here are some inspirational quotes I found off of www.daily-inspiration-quotes.com. I haven't done a quotes post yet, so this is going to be my first one...hopefully more to come...

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...
It's about learning how to dance in the rain.
- Vivian Greene

A flower is a weed seen through joyful eyes.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I have been looking on this sight every day for about a month now and call me crazy, but there is always a quote each day that I can relate to, sometimes both. like today. so many bad things happen, but you have to learn to push through it and know that God is going to take care of everything and everything is going to work out for the best in the end. :)

The Shack-By William P. Young

I realize it's not Wednesday, but I wanted to write a little review about The Shack. I finished it this morning-I intended to finish it last night, but I fell asleep, so things didn't go according to plan. :)

All I can say is that I am left speechless about this book. It left me thinking about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It's one of those books that made me question my faith. Not in a "I don't know if I believe in God anymore" kind of ways, but rather in the "What if that's what God/Heaven/Jesus is really like" It got me asking and thinking about things that I hadn't thought about before. I know that it's a controversial book, and I know a lot of people who have read it and felt disgusted or appalled by a few ideas in the book, but for me, it was a journey through literature that I think will ultimately bring me closer to Jesus. I am Catholic and I have a very personal relationship with Jesus. I pray, go to confession, mass, vigils, live my life the best way I can with Jesus always at the center of it, adoration, service, it goes on and on....The questions I have had while I was reading the book are those that I am going to pray on and hopefully some day I will be walking on water and rejoicing with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and a world that is beautiful and happy...

on that note, here are some thoughts/questions I had as I was reading the book:

• Is it possible for God to be a woman and a man in times that we need a Father more than a Mother? what if we grew up with a better mother and a not so great father figure. would God appear to us as a Woman until we were in need of a father or felt safe with a father figure?
• Father, Son and Holy spirit are one but also separate
• Relationship over Rules
• Is Judgment day going to be more about recognizing flaws and learning from them rather than being damned to hell for all eternity?
• God IS loving and forgiving.
• Forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. it means being able to move on. God doesn't forget our sins, but he forgives them because he loves us all for our uniqueness.
• We were created in his eye
• God doesn't make bad things happen or let them. He uses those bad times and tries to lead us so we can see the good.
• The Trinity is always with us, no matter where we are. even if we can't feel them
• Not all roads lead us to Jesus, but Jesus will find us on whatever road we are on.
• Is Jesus for religion? in the book he doesn't say that he is for religion in the institution sense of the word like we have here on earth. It's about the relationship with him and putting him at the center of your life. a Relationship with him is more important than what religion you belong too...he mentions the institution of marriage...once again, it's not necessarily a who is better than who in marriage, it's a relationship and seeing the other person through Jesus' eyes.

I am interested in any thoughts you may have about this book. I understand that not everyone will agree with what I am saying, but I am asking you to all be open minded to my thoughts and I will be with yours.

Last day of Sunday School Today...

Today was the last day of Sunday School with my Kindergarteners and First graders. This has been an amazing experience. before this year, I never did Sunday school, but I have learned and grown so much from this group of kids. My relationship with Christ and my Church community have only gotten stronger. The confidence that comes from teaching regularly has also been a benefit and an experience that I don't think I would have gotten any other way.

I am thankful to God that I got to work with such an incredible group of people this year. I didn't realize how close you can grow to people in such a short amount of time. that only makes me more excited for the day I find a "real" teaching job. God has been so good to me, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve his love and grace. I am blessed. :)

Going Theological/Philosophical up in here!

Ok so I have been hearing for EVER that today, the world is going to end. ummm can I just say that either the Mayans stopped counting (because honestly, who would want to keep counting after 2012) or God is going to come in a different way than destroying everything...I don't get it. My opinion-you don't have to agree with me at all, that's not why I am here....like, at all...but what if something miraculous happens today somewhere and that is Christ's way of coming back? what if something bad happens somewhere but not enough to kill the entire population on the planet? What if NOTHING happens and life just keeps going on? I don't think people should plan for their deaths. That's not living. You should believe what you believe, love what you love and keep doing what your doing until your time comes. If that time is 6pm tonight, so be it because that's God's plan, but if nothing happens tonight and we keep rocking long into the future, people should freaking LIVE it...live in the moment and be happy. How is it that humans expect God to come on their watch?

I am not one to say that I don't think about the future, because I do. We're human, we are allowed to think about that stuff, but by no means do I "wait" for the world's end. So if you get anything from me today, the take home message is to just Live in the moment, love, believe, trust, smile. it's all good! :)

just a thought

So, I finished a book today and it was about World War 2. it's called "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen. I have this strange fascination with WWII..don't know why, but it's probably the most interesting periods of history, to me anyway.

I think a lot after reading a book (love it when books make me do that) and I got to thinking, The Holocaust, if you get really down to basics and I mean, very basic basics started because of hate for Jews and any other race/ethnicity/what have you because they are different...I see so much of history repeating itself today. I thought Christians were supposed to LOVE one another, not persecute one another for differences. Here's a profound idea. How about people stop trying to play God. How about we all try and love each other despite our religion, ethnicity, background, race, etc and let God judge us when the time comes for him to do so.

The reason behind this (no i don't need to defend myself) but I've noticed that people are judging each other based on the most ridiculous things and forcing what they think is right on other people. Only God knows what's in our hearts. let him be the judge. why can't we all just get along. life would be soooooo much better if we did...ok. peace out. nighty night all!

Friday Reflections

So this is a more subdued post than the last one, but basically I have been reflecting a lot and I have noticed that my "dream job" may not exist any more. Not as in a bad way, but a good way. Since I have been subbing, I have fallen in love with both public and private schools. I no longer feel that silverton is the only place that I would really be happy in. I would be happy in a small private catholic school. No they don't pay much, but let's face it, if you are going in to teaching for the money, maybe you should take twenty giant steps back. Something that is appealing to me is that I will be able to share God's love with students and staff without being judged or made to question my faith. To have that foundation of friendship with my colleagues blows my mind.

I would be happy in Silverton too because it's my home. who doesn't love their home. There are so many wonderful people in Silverton that I would definitely be happy. The only thing about public school is that there are more behavior issues as well as other issues, but having done my student teaching in that setting, I know I would be able to handle anything that comes my way.

The point of this post is to say that I know that God has plans for me. I haven't figured out what they are, and I don't think you are supposed to know the plans he has for you, but I know that he has the perfect spot waiting for me. I have to trust him and know that he will lead me. That's still so hard for me to do because as humans, we want to know everything now and want what we want now. little do we know that God is planning what we NEED...not WANT. Maybe when I find the spot to teach in my first classroom, what I NEED into something I WANT. Maybe I don't know what it is I want. *sigh* Trust God. :) He is the way, they truth and the life. :)

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

Grey's Anatomy. Yes I have always loved it, no it's not news to anyone who knows me, but it just keeps getting better each season :)
hats. we have had so many hat sales at the store that i work at in silverton since the royal wedding. I love hats even more than I did before. So many cute styles. Yup. I finally broke down and bought two today! :)
THE SUN!!!! enough said :) I think you get the point haha!
Summer totes-There are so many out there that I love and I couldn't choose which one to post, so I chose the rainbow one because...well, there's almost every color :) love love love!
SUNGLASSES!!! mostly because we can wear them now...thanks to the SUN! hopefully the sun will come around more often instead of giving us a taste then sneaking off to wherever he goes while it rains...
Gladiator Shoes-I only have one pair, but they are sooo cute. I really want more. Target has them for pretty cheap.

Bali Mango from Bath and Body works. LOVE summer scents, they can always bring a smile to my face.

the end! sorry it took so long to get this post up. blogger was not working for a couple days.

Love

Andrea

Louisa May Alcott

Those of you who know me may know that I love classic literature and historical fiction. I found this book today that is BOTH in ONE! hooray!! it's about Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women and about a bazillion other amazing stories. I'm a HUGE fan of hers, so what do I do? I snatch the last copy of the book off the table. the lady next to me looked at me like I was out of my mind, but if she only understood my love for this author maybe she would understand why I snatched it up in a hurry ;) one can only hope.

Little Women, the movie with Winona Ryder has been on TV for the past couple of nights and I watched it both times. It brought back all sorts of memories for me. Whenever I was sick, that's one of the movies I would watch, it wasn't the FIRST movie my mom and I saw in a movie theater together, but it was a movie that we saw that I really remember having a good conversation with her afterwards. I watched the movie before I read the book, but after the movie I asked my mom if we could buy the book. of course she said yes because the book is ALWAYS better than the movie. It was. mom was right. I read it and fell in love with it even more. I think I could relate to each of the characters in Little Women and that's the first time that happened to me. It was so real and so were the characters. That's why I read it whenever I can. I see myself in each of the girls and I remember that's why Louisa May Alcott wrote about them. They are classic characters that are HUMAN and easy for a reader to relate to. :)

Wacky Wednesday Back on Track!

A lot happened last week so I wasn't able to give you all a very good post for Wacky Wednesday...So, today, I'm going to make up for it! It's been a pretty trying week for me, Especially yesterday. Let's just say that yesterday was more of an emotionally and psychologically draining day and I was in need of fun and awesomeness today...

Awesome:

* my wake up call being a snuggle with the cat at 5:30. an hour later, the dog decided to wake me up by snuggling and nudging my head. (don't worry, after the morning walk/feeding/etc, i went back to sleep for about an hour)
* borders-i know! i have said I love this store, but when I have a coupon to use for this store, I end of loving it even more.
* The SUN is FINALLY out and it was 70 degrees today!! woot woot! let's hope Mr. Sun sticks around for a while longer
* music-more specifically, a cappella groups that can sing crazy amazing.
* The scent of peach from bath and body works. it's so summery. call me crazy, but I like to use my lotions and sprays based on the season.
* color coordination...I'm very observant about what colors go with other colors and I tend to always match when I dress/accessorize. I get a lot of compliments about clothes I wear and the lotion or spray I use. interesting compliments...yes...but who am I to complain?! at least I look and smell good! ;) haha!