Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Book Review - Here Burns My Candle by Liz Curtis Higgs

this is the latest book i've read for a review and it was pretty good it shocked me at how long it was at first glance. but i did enjoy reading it. when i started it and all through it the scottish terms were really kind of hard to get i wish the glossary was in the front instead of in the back.

when i started the book it seemed to move sort of slow at least just for me but i can tend to be picky about books. but as i got into it then it really started to draw me in. the main character elizabeth was pretty amazing just the way she carried herself in the book was something kind of inspiring. all in all i did like the book it just took a little bit for it to get to the point where i didn't want to put it down. here is the summary i hope you will pick it up and read it :)


"A mother who cannot face her future.
A daughter who cannot escape her past.

Lady Elisabeth Kerr is a keeper of secrets. A Highlander by birth and a Lowlander by marriage, she honors the auld ways, even as doubts and fears stir deep within her.
Her husband, Lord Donald, has secrets of his own, well hidden from the household, yet whispered among the town gossips.
His mother, the dowager Lady Marjory, hides gold beneath her floor and guilt inside her heart. Though her two abiding passions are maintaining her place in society and coddling her grown sons, Marjory’s many regrets, buried in Greyfriars Churchyard, continue to plague her.
One by one the Kerr family secrets begin to surface, even as bonny Prince Charlie and his rebel army ride into Edinburgh in September 1745, intent on capturing the crown.
A timeless story of love and betrayal, loss and redemption, flickering against the vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century Scotland, Here Burns My Candle illumines the dark side of human nature, even as hope, the brightest of tapers, lights the way home."


http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781400070015


This was book was provided for review by WaterBrook Multnomah.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

fire alarms, wind and cherry blossoms

that was the summary of sunday haha.

sunday i drove to church by myself for the first time kinda intense. and i totally was late too hahahhahahha whoops. i sorta hit every red light ah well then it took me forever to park and then i parked in the lot that was sooooo far away and right when i got out of the car it started to pour down rain and i was like what the crap is that how this is gonna go?

things were going okay but then i was the only one in a room the t-2 room. tim came in and then not long after that........ the fire alarm went off and i'm like wtf?!?!?! so we were attempting to move the kids out cause well thats what you should do right ? and then we got told to stay in the rooms. but even so it was kinda chaotic kids were screaming and crying they wouldn't all go in one line then i realized dude we totally need a rope or something. but i digress. it was just a kid that accidentally pushed the alarm in another room. all was fine.

later on we had these gems from my kids....

"i have a spider in my basement and its dead" -sophia
"its a ballcano" -soren
"i'm not a goose, i'm soren!" -soren (they were trying to play duck duck goose.)
"where are you going?" -me "elmos"-eli

haha those kids are so hilarious i love them.

anyway then later on in the day i dropped mom off at church went to the park with the boy and we walked around and took pictures it was good but sooo windy. and the cherry blossom trees are delightful i love them.

yesterday we went walking on alki with mom alki is a beach around west seattle for those who do not know. and its SO pretty and especially yesterday we walked 2.4 miles wooohooo gotta get this weight off. and it was so pretty and picture-worthy.

found out an ex is getting married i'm not sure how i feel about it but i mean its not like its my life but whatev. thats about it

tonight the boy and i are gonna go to taco tuesday hopefully and i need to run some errands before that so i hope we aren't tooooo late but we'll see. goood times!

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Thursday, March 18, 2010

oh drivers tests

well i meant to blog the other day but that just never happened.

had my drivers test yesterday and i am now a licensed driver! hooray! it was super nerve wracking my face is all broken out from all the stress. and i did a really hugely bad curb shot during my test but i did a perfect parallel parking job! wooo!!!!

i can't really drive though because i don't have insurance sooo thats kind of a bummer but its okay gotta roll with the punches. and my picture is super cute!

almost done with the book review book i have and then i have to start another book wheee.

lets see what else

oh my hair yes i noticed the other day i put my bangs up to clip them and before when i did that i noticed baldness cause i found out i was anemic and vit d deficient and had a slight thyroid issue. so that was the reason for my thinning hair. but recently it has seemed that my hair is starting to grow back so thats pretty exciting. and especially now i can clip my bangs up and it doesn't look bald! i'm pretty stoked about that. i have to go to the doctor soon though to get another blood test to check my levels and see how we are doing.

got a hair appointment on saturday stoked about it. also going out to dinner with a free meal coupon at claim jumpers.

skipped CG again i just have been so stressed and justin and i needed to have alone/downtime really. so he napped here and then we hung out and talked. it was good we needed that. last night was sorta blah/really intense so it was good we talked and now we're better than ever.

i think thats about all i have to say leave comments if you want. but please do i feel like i'm talking to no one!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

been a few days

well its been a bit since i blogged last and not a whole heck of a lot has been going on. its just crunch time for practicing for my drivers test which is on wednesday (the 17th) so i'm kinda nervous kinda worried. but i'm pretty positive about it at the same time. my dad and i had tailed some of the tests at the dmv haha and it was pretty quick and simple so i'm hoping i won't screw it all up and be able to pass on the first try. pray for me if you remember it.

justin and i skipped CG this week cause really we just wanted to have time alone we had some issues of getting along a bit and we just wanted us time which was really good for us. friday we had time alone again i don't remember what else went on. i am working on reading the book review book for next week so i probably was reading that.

friday i was practicing with dad and was all "well we can practice some before i leave tomorrow" and hes all leave? and i was like yeah  so he wanted to know where and i told him "oh a movie with justin" and hes all "so you're gonna have a hot date" and i was like "yeah." ahhaha it was so baffling to me to hear that out of his mouth. so i kinda didn't know what to do or say. but anyways to the "hot date"

i met justin downtown at the theater we saw valentines day. it was good but i was tired and kinda blah cause my monthly friend came to visit. (hooray.....) but i digress. so we watched that then we were hungry but wanted food asap but the restaurants around were super expensive so we waited for the bus and went down to the west seattle junctiona nd got mexican and boy it was great. but while waiting for the bus this guy comes up and hes this heavyset black guy and he was all "hey miss lady." and i think he said sir to justin but i don't remember. but he wanted change to get a hot chocolate hahaha. it was so funny he had bumble bee striped socks it was so weird. but funny.

then after dinner justin and i were talking while waiting for the bus again and i was so uncomfortable and bloated and i was just like i want to go home and warm up and get in my sweats. and hes like "i really like it when you wear sweats" and i was kinda shocked i mean he does like that and me without make up and likes things that i don't nessicarily like about myself. haha hes totally a keeper!

today was church day so i got to serve! i was kinda bummed that sophia wasn't there but it was cool i just haven't seen her in a couple weeks. ah well. but anyways i wasn't sure how it would go cause of daylight savings time. i want my hour back btw. but i mean the kids were really good we only had like 11 i think. but they were all really goood. here are some quotes.

" we are gonna make an easter basket then go trick or treat and say thank you" - casey

"thanks buddy" -casey

i walked out of the hallway and found jacob and his dad and so i said hi and how are you to jacob and he came up with this gem..

"i am not feeling nice today"

i died laughing it was pretty classic.
welp thats about all for now i hope you are all great. and i hope to welcome new readers soon i shall get to reading that book now. see ya!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

serving at church

something struck me yesterday as i was in the bloom chatroom. and it has stuck with me til now. i was talking about how i was sick and how i didn't get to serve at church on sunday. yes i said get to.. that stayed with me cause i was so sad about it but i shouldn't get those kids sick. but it struck me. most people would be like  "yes i don't have to check that thing off my list i don't have to go there" not me though i was sad cause i didn't get to. it was kinda baffling but thats totally how i look at it. if i am not there for a sunday im  a little big sad cause i didn't get to serve and how many poeple really think/feel like that? probably not a lot. it just struck me.

i really love to be there with those kids it is such a joy and its not cause i'm checking something off my list cause honestly that would be dumb and i'd hate mysel if i looked at it like that. i genuinely love to be there. amazing to have such a heart to serve like that isn't it? i'm not worthy of it but i am grateful for it nonetheless.
http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

^ there is the link to kellys korner blog if anyone would like to check it out. i love her blog.

the last few days have been kinda crazy well thursday was CG and justin and i had been getting sick and stuff but we went anyway it was good. didn't get home til wayyyyy late but that was fine. friday i dunno i kinda didnt like friday nothing went well and we went to the drug store and the manager was super super rude to my mom and the pharmacy was so stupid. i don't really remember what we did after that except go to the store and then hang out here after.

saturday my sickness was at full force then and we were having company over so i did errands with mom practiced parking and then went home when dad was cooking we were smelling a burnt smell and we thought it was just the rice burning in the pan (he was making fried rice) but in the end it was the pan was burning and the rice had this smokey smell and flavor it wasn't very enjoyable and we were pretty sad. but we made the best of it our friend made us homemade hot fudge sauce and we ate ice cream. then we played taboo and laughed our butts off for a long time i got a headache i laughed so hard. then justin and i watched 30 rock and the office.

sunday well i didn't feel like i should be around the kids and get them sick so i didn't go to first service i came for second service to do my other volunteer thing. then justin and i hung out at home for awhile. we went on a walk and we talked about a lot of stuff and we're pretty exciteda bout what is to come in the future..

so since my drive test is next wednesday (the 17th) stil working on parking and remembering other things so thats what is going on this week i think i'm okay with it but i'm still worried about not passing i just pray that i do. today i also didn't see justin which was kind of hard cause we're pretty much always together its so weird sometimes its like i can't focus if hes not around when he normally would be. i tried to read one of the books i am gonna review but i just couldn't focus really. i felt better when i talked to him later on though.

maybe i'll have more to say later but i'm tired and bed is calling my name. i am now at the stage of a cold where i have a tickle in my throat and the old man cough. not a constant old man cough but one nonetheless. until later my people!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

oh changes

well a few days ago i put my blog like on kelly's korner blog and ive gotten some new followers and some nice comments so thanks and keep it coming!

i also re did my blog so there is a new section to look at just book reviews as i have a few that will be coming in teh next few weeks!

i don't have a lot of news to report i've just been kinda sick and hoping to get better asap. my drive test is on the 17th of this month so i'm busy preparing for that.

i hope you are all well. leave comments! <3

Monday, March 1, 2010

sundays

i always look forward to them no matter what kind of craziness i endure because i get to serve in CM and i love those kids with my whole heart they bring so much joy. even though sometimes i may complain about one kid that is causing a ruckus it doesn't overshaddow the ones that bring me joy and the encounters i have with all of them. i wouldn't change it for the world. it especially makes it that much better when i get a note like this from a parent.

"Hey Amy,
So, we obviously went looonnnngg on a counseling appointment, but when the Spirit moves, I guess who am I to stop it! Truth be known, we totally lost track of time and didn't think to have made other plans as no one thought the meeting would go that long.

The gals in the toddler room said that you had picked Madeline up and then dropped her off again for her second round. Thank you so much for looking out for them! Then at lunch Madeline said, "I clean up with Amy" and that she got to play with you. Together we thanked God for you and for your care. How come kids just know who is kind and who loves them?! I have a lot to learn from my 2 1/2 year old!

We all love you and are especially thankful for you today!
Love, HJ "

i know i'm in the right place when i get a note like that for sure.


yesterday was kind of weird i only had 12 two year olds usually i have at least 18 so it was just a bit strange i also didn't have my shaddow sophia or the one that likes to stir up the most craziness casey. it was just a quiet day with the toddlers i think i was out of the room half the time with potty breaks though. super crazy i do say.

they are so funny though. the quotes from yesterday are. H was fake crying so i ask her "does that fake crying ever work" and she just said "no.." haha. then i took carter to the bathroom and he looked at the potty seat and hes all "that elmo hes a pretty cool/funny guy" i just couldn't help but laugh.

i've had an ear ache and other nonsense the last few days today i have i dunno i efel so stuffily and i think its cause i still had fluid in my ear from a long time ago. and its all coming up and the body is just a weird thing. hah. but i'm trying to feel better and i have managed to pull a muscle in my butt. how that happens i honestly have no idea.

things with justin are good/hilarious. we watched fun with dick and jane last night haha funny movie. i am blessed to have the friends i do i wouldn't change it for the world right now.