New Beginnings

It has been awhile since I posted, so I thought it was time. 

I had a wonderful Christmas at home with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend.  Unfortunately it was much too short a time, as I worked until 6 pm on Christmas Eve and 9:30 am the day after Christmas-with an hour drive to get to my parents home.

I had made homemade goodies for everyone-and they went over quite well.  The pumpkin pie I made for my brother was the first pie I had ever made and I am quite proud of how it turned out.  It was quite a "sacrifice" for me to make that as well because I detest the taste and smell of pumpkin foods.  But it was worth it since it turned out so well and I know that my brother enjoyed it. 

Anyway, on a different note; I got a new sewing machine!  And a very large cutting mat and very long ruler.  I also got a nice light for my sewing area-so I don't have to use a lantern meant for camping.  I got a nice carrying case for my new machine as well.  In my stocking on Christmas morning were some fat quarters in pretty brown and blue patterns.  Another gift I got was the Taste of Home-Winning Recipes cookbook; I can't wait to try some of them out!

Today I did a lot of cleaning and organizing in the kitchen.  After all the baking that was done in the few days before Christmas, there wasn't a lot of time to clean beforehand and both my roommate and I worked right after Christmas as well.  So today was the first day I could really spend time on it.  I also have tomorrow off so I will be cleaning the rest of the apartment as well as doing laundry-then I'm going to pack for going home on Saturday morning for my mom's side family Christmas.  Then on Sunday we are going to visit some cousins who can't make it on Saturday.  On Monday morning I have an eye doctor appointment and then hanging out with mom (she is going to be my chauffeur after my eye appt. because of the drops that dilate my eyes so I can hardly see.  I have a regular doctor checkup in the afternoon, then I'll probably head back to EC since I work at 7:30 Tuesday morning.  So it will be a good few days.

My roommate left Monday morning for home and is gone for 2 weeks.  So next week after I get back and done working, I'm sure I will be bored.  But it will be nice-I'll maybe do some sewing-I have some clothes to mend and I can work on my quilt too!

As of today, it has been a week and a half since I had a soda-and as a result, caffeine.  I don't plan on completely cutting out caffeine-but it might end up that way-we'll see how that goes once I do have some caffeine again and how it affects me and my system.  It has also been about a year and a half since I had any alcohol.  I feel really good too.  I'm drinking more water, I'm sleeping better at night, I am eating better as well-my body isn't craving soda like I thought it would.  It started last Monday-I didn't have any more soda...and I just didn't feel the need for it-like the Lord was guiding me towards healthier choices.  Last Tuesday and a little of Wednesday I had a headache because of the caffeine withdrawal-but by Thursday I was back to normal.

But sort of on the note of sleeping better, it's bedtime for this lady.  Have a wonderful New Year's and weekend. 

God bless.

Domestic Thursday

Today I'm spending the day doing laundry, baking and sewing.  I baked Oatmeal Raisin cookies yesterday, they are my dad's favorite.  So today I'm baking Turtle Bars for my mom, pumpkin pie for my brother, and chocolate chip cookies for my brother's girlfriend.

Then I'll be sewing sweater mittens to give to family and friends as part of their Christmas gift.  Then I need to wrap gifts and I think I'll be done and ready to go home right after work tomorrow!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone.  And remember the reason for the holiday.  Remember that our Savior Jesus Christ was born and has saved us all. 

Marriage=settling down?

I began thinking about this yesterday when I was washing dishes and listening to the radio (country, of course).  One of the songs that came on mentioned "get married and settle down".  I have been thinking about this since then.

Does getting married mean you must settle down?  I believe the answer is both yes and no.  Yes because you have the responsibility to your spouse.  For women it means serving their husbands and for men it means supporting their family.  And once children arrive, you will spend time teaching them.  All while remaining obedient to God.

But using the Duggars (from the TLC television show) as a reference and example; they go on many "adventures" with the children.  They are always educational, but they go on trips and get to meet many new people and get to share their faith in many ways.

I am eager to get to do these things with my future husband and children.  If that is God's will for me anyway. 

Ready for Autumn

Well after yesterday's suffocating humidity, I am SO ready for Autumn to be here.  I am ready to get rid of the stickiness that is always clinging to everything during the summer.  I can't wait to be able to wear long skirts again (and not melt) and sweaters and scarves and hats. 

I am actually excited for classes too.  I feel like I'm finally on the right track.  I feel like I was on the track right next to "mine"-so I was going in the right general direction, but it wasn't quite fitting and I kept getting tripped up along the way.

I know what I have to do now, and I actually want to do it too.  I am only going to be available to work weekends at Target, so that will keep my school days free, but I will still be able to make some money.  I am looking into a job on campus just for about 10 hours a week or so-in one of the offices on campus.  If I don't find one, it's not a big deal, but it would be great for a little extra money.  Since winter is when it's tightest for my parents financially. 

I am going camping with my parents and a few cousins on the 23rd of this month.  It's something we do every summer.  So I am looking forward to that-and then Autumn can come. 

It's been awhile...

Not much going on here right now.  I worked tonight, and right now I should actually be packing for going home tomorrow morning.  Oh well, I don't have a specific time to be home and mom and dad both work until mid afternoon.  I have most of my clothes packed, I just need to pack the small things like my contact stuff and toiletries. 

The Tangen Family Reunion is on Saturday.  It is also partially a replacement for Christmas gathering in the winter-since it gets hard for Grandma and Grandpa to go out much with the snow and ice.  Unfortunately I have to work 9:30-3 on Sunday, so I'll have to leave pretty early that morning, or come home Saturday night.  But I''m done at 3, so that gives me a chance to come home, relax and clean up before church at 6:00.

Then I would like to go see the movie Toy Story 3, it looks cute.

Anyway, that's about it for now.  I think I'll maybe pack a few things then head to bed.