today, I am thankful

Originally, this post was going to begin my prayers for our sweet son that is going to bless and change our lives forever this December.  As I sit here typing, I'm surrounded by blankets, tissues, tea, and E-mergency.  My eyes are watering, and that's just from the cold.  When I started thinking about our prayers, the tears immediately started gushing, so a change of direction was needed.  So today, I'm sharing the little things in life that are filling my soul with joy and gratitude:

+Panera Bread chicken noodle soup...I crave this soup every single time I'm sick 

+The sweetest students who have been bringing me tissues in the middle of my lessons.  This has never happened before, and I don't know how I got so lucky to be blessed by students who are so loving and giving.  They sure are taking care of me! 

+The coziest of blankets we picked up at Costco for only $15 this past weekend! 

+Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy, oh and New Girl and Revenge...TV is back!  But watching Parenthood and Grey's Anatomy back to back this past Sunday was a bad idea, way too many tissues were needed! 

+Trader Joe's harvest tea..I love you!  

+I came home Monday night from a long work day and an amazing women's event to the prettiest bouquet sitting on my kitchen counter.  I love this man who catches me off gaurd with "just because" flowers.  

+Last night at 7pm it was dark outside, there was a chill in the air, and I breathed in the first real feeling of fall.  

+We were talking about ways we are unique in my class a couple weeks ago and one student wrote "I'm God's little princess".  Oh, how I pray that our son will forever know he is God's little prince, that he is loved more than he can imagine, and is as bold as my sweet student. 

+Saturday night we went to my in-laws to celebrate my mother in laws birthday.  The Mr. and I decided to give the gift of dinner, so we cooked dinner for the entire family.  I love knowing my gifts, and cooking for others is definitely one of them.  But the sweetest moment was when my 3-year old niece said the prayer for dinner.  There are no words to describe hearing her tiny voice blessing our family.  

{thankful vol. 22} give thanks

"Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
Psalm 100:1-5

Today I am alive with a thankful heart, an amazing husband, a beautiful family, a fulfilling job, joyous friends..... (and my first homemade pumpkin pie)....

It has been a blessing to reflect upon everything and everyone I am thankful for.  The biggest blessing has come from changing my heart and attitude to thank God for all of the little things in life as well as everything that has been given to me.

I hope that you all are having a wonderful and peaceful Thanksgiving!  

Cherish those that you are with, thank God for everything you have, and continue to have a thankful heart beyond this joyous day!

{thankful vol. 21} family

Before I begin my post today I have to give a shout out to my little brother who turns 21 today!  Woot woot!

Today I am utterly and gratefully thankful for family.  My family has changed so much throughout the years and my view of what family is and how it is intertwined in your life has taken on a different meaning.  I could give you the rundown on how my family is comprised, but we might be here through Black Friday.  Instead I will tell you that it has taken me some time to realize how important family is no matter how they are related to you, and that it is hard to find the words to deeply express my love for my family.

My brother and sister are actually my step-siblings and the crazy thing is that we are no longer related through marriage.  However, no legal ties could ever separate the deep love we have for one another or replace the remarkable and hilarious memories from our childhood.

I am thankful for my brother and sister who have taught me to love one another unconditionally, laugh no matter the circumstances, give more than you can imagine, and cherish the beautiful memories we make together.  We don't get to see each other too often with my sister living in Arkansas, but looking back at pictures that mark our time together is heart warming.  

I am thankful for my step-dad because of the love he gives my mom.  He is gentle, wise, respectful, honest, giving, loving, and caring.  He has shown me that you can do anything you set your mind to, and you can always run harder than your little legs can carry you.  He is retired from the Navy and I am forever grateful for the service he has done for our country.  I love to see the smile on my mom's face when he walks into the room or when she is just talking about him.  

I am thankful that God has brought all aspects of my family together and has strengthened my relationship with my dad, step-mom, and sisters.  My dad continues to tell me "Family is family, no matter what".  I love how committed my family remains through the distance and the love my dad and step-mom bestow upon us.  God has truly blessed me with an abundance of family members, but each and everyone of them are so near and dear to me.  

It wasn't until I married Daniel that I realized what family is, how much you will do for your family, and how to truly love one another.  Daniel's family has been the most accepting, giving, and loving family I have known.  They have always loved me as their own even when we were just dating.  I love Papa's big hugs and his endearing statements when I walk into the room, I love how his mom provides me with wisdom that makes the tears well up inside, and I love how Daniel's brothers will do anything for a family member.  I especially love our tradition on Christmas Eve-mathicng PJ's in front of the fire place.  

One day when we start our own family, there will be deep roots of values and morals from each of our families.  

Family is irreplaceable, unconditional, and shows you how to love more than you ever thought possible.  

I am beyond thankful that God has given me so much family to love and cherish and that He has shown me how valuable family is.  

{thankful vol. 20} morning quiet time

This morning I am thankful for a couple of things:

1) I am on vacation for the week!

2) This allows me to enjoy morning quiet times with God

3) God is always teaching me something new and challenging me

4) Oh, my new coffee mug always makes my mornings brighter :-)

I am a planner.  I know that I have said this so many times before, but this "planning" way of living has thus caused anxiety.  Lately I have found myself anxious about life.  It feels like we are in a holding pattern, waiting for my grad school to finish, and waiting for life to take us through to our next season.

I have done some amazing studies with even more amazing and beautiful women about the seasons of our lives, and although this has prepared me for what each season will bring it has also made me complacent.  This is because I feel like I have been in the same season for the past year.  It feels as though nothing has changed.  

However, the changes that I feel as though should be happening to us our outward symbols of achievement.  I read this quote by my favorite women's author, Lysa Terkeurst, "External achievement never equals internal acceptance".  Right now I find myself struggling to accept this season that God has put me in, to just live life right now as it is, and live it fully to His calling.  

Right now I feel like I'm waiting.  Waiting for grad school to be over.  Waiting for the right time to have a baby.  Waiting for a new season in our lives.  Waiting....  When I wait I deal with questions, wants, and worries.  

Yesterday morning I was reading Psalm 23 about David.  David had just been anointed King but then he was sent back to his fields to wait, and the place he had come from was the most unlikely of them all.  He was a shepard.  The following scriptures were from David's experience yet they touch me deeply:

"The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."  

Psalm 23:1-4 

Verse 4 was David approaching his fight against Goliath.  Can you imagine?  Coming up against Goliath, everyone believe that there is not way you can take him down, yet having faith instead of fear?    David chose to resist the temptation of discontentment by looking at the greater good of his waiting period.  He rested, reflected, and became restored so that when it was his time to become King he would be able to do what God had planned for him to do.

That is like me today.  I need to read more of God's word so that I am encouraged in this waiting time, reflect on what God is teaching me, be restored so that I can live each day to His purpose-not my own, and truly put my anxiety and worries into his hands.  

I hope this encourages you in some way today lovelies!

{thankful vol. 19} date night re-do

This year for our anniversary we wanted to keep it low-key and just cherish a fun evening out since we don't get to do that often anymore.  Plus, we are planning some trips next month and are busy trying to save for those :)

Last Saturday night we had a plan: dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the beach, cupcakes, then a comedy show. We got all gussied up....heading out to dinner...and then a change of events happened. 

After dinner we both started feeling awful, so as we drove to our next destination we decided to end the night early.  I was feeling super nauseous, Daniel wasn't feeling that great either, and we knew we wouldn't enjoy the festivities planned.  We deemed that the following weekend would be an anniversary "re-do".

So to make the day special I started with baking the husband's favorite cookies.

And then I made a "manly" dinner.  This means steak with caramelized onions, green beans, and twice baked potatoes.  

The husband was completely surprised with dinner since I hardly ever make red meat.  I have to admit that I was pretty proud of myself for making the steak and it tasting mighty delicious.  The only epic failure of the night was the potatoes, which just wouldn't cook, but we were entirely too full to enjoy them so it wasn't that bad after all.  

After our romantic dinner at home we headed to The Comedy Store in La Jolla.  We had never been and were super excited to try something new.  

Oh. My. Goodness.  This will definitely be another date night activity!  We were laughing so hard that our cheeks hurt.  

See: still so happy after!

Then we strolled down the pathways of beautiful downtown La Jolla.  I was in LOVE with the lights that were already up!

And my new coat that was a killer deal! 

Daniel couldn't resist stopping into a little cafe to snag a slice of his favorite: carrot cake.  

It was the perfect evening to celebrate our beautiful marriage and three years of wedded bliss!

{thankful vol. 18} killer deals

There's one thing my mom taught me that I will be forever grateful for: how to bargain shop and appreciate a good deal.  

Saturday morning I had a coupon from Bath & Body Works and a great friend to accompany me who unlocked a whole new deal of the day.  We first powered through B&BW.  I have to admit that this is actually one of my least favorite stores because I just can't handle how many smells they have!  However, I desperately needed some new hand soap for our house along with some festive candles to make it feel "cheery and bright".  

I walked out with 2 new candles, 4 new soaps, 1 room spray, and 1 wallflower refill (not pictures because I am currently enjoying the beautiful aroma).  My grand total was $23!  I felt like I robbed the place given that the candles originally are $10 and soaps are $5.50.  Oh yes, I left with a huge smile on my face knowing momma would be proud! 

My sweet friend delivered better news when she told me that Old Nave was offering 75% off of their outerwear for five hours that day.  I went in to just browse and came out with a beautiful white coat for myself and an adorable little gift for my niece (not pictured since it's a Christmas present).  

Okay, so the coat was originally $90 and I bought it for....drumroll please.....$22.50!!!  I was so proud of myself that I had to call my mom after to get her stamp of approval.  She was definitely proud!  

I can barely stand paying full price for anything, especially when it comes to clothes, nowadays.  The feeling of success when you walk out with a killer deal is far greater than just loving what you bought.  And so today I am extremely thankful for my mom who taught me how to look for deals and appreciate them like crazy, the "wintery" smells flowing through our home, and the cute little coat that I proudly wore out on date night! 

{thankful vol. 17} my little cuties

A parent was helping out in my classroom the other day when he said, "How many times do you hear your name?"  All day long I hear, "Mrs. LaFuze...."  But, it is the sweetest sound to my ears.  You see, when I was in kindergarten I decided I wanted to be a teacher.  I never strayed from this passion of mine, and in sixth grade I even dressed up as a teacher for career day, a kindergarten teacher to be exact.  

Today I am utterly thankful for my job and all 20 sweeties in my class.  It is amazing to see my dreams come true after much hard work.  My first year teaching was the hardest of my life, and I ended the year asking myself, "Is this really what I want to do???"  Luckily, God confirmed that this was definitely the job for me.  Teaching is a blessing, and kindergarten is even more special.  I love how curious they are, loving they are, imaginable and creative they are, and how much they grow in such a short amount of time.  When I get them they can barely write their name, and now they are writing 2-3 sentences by themselves and reading!  

I wish I could show you just how cute they are!  

These are the joys of the job:

-hearing them accidentally call me "mommy"

-telling me "you're the best teacher ever"

-coming up and hugging my leg just because

-asking me to play with them at recess

-the sweet drawings of me during their free time (you should see how good they make me look!)

-coming home with paint on my clothes

-remembering the silly stories they tell me

-hearing them say, "Oh, you're so silly Mrs. LaFuze"

-seeing their face light up when they "get it"!

-telling the husband the latest crazy thing a child told me

There are so many more little perks to the job, but what I love most is their handprints.  They are so tiny and remind me how precious they are.  Children is the most precious gift, and having a job surrounded by their love fills me with warm fuzzies.  

{thankful vol. 16} for the love of bread

The day was Sunday.  The husband worked all day long.  I had already spent most of the day before by myself and was not ready for another day with just me.  Instead of being sad and crying waterfall like tears I was inspired by a can of pumpkin in the pantry.  After going to my new favorite blog I found the recipe of my dreams: Gluten Free Pumpkin Pistacio Bread!  

It must sound a little silly to you but I'm truly thankful for this bread.  It turned my frown upside down, it made a dreary day bright, it made me feel accomplished, and it tickled my taste buds.

I'm ready to marry this bread, it is so good.  How about bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  In fact, I wrote it a little letter:

Dear bread of mine,

I'm not sure how you've made it in the kitchen for the past 4 days.  I was pretty sure I would've devoured you by day 2.  Thank you self control!  Thank you for tasting so gosh darn good, being gluten free, keeping my belly happy, and making me want to come home to enjoy a slice of you.  Your pumpkin-y taste is oh so divine, your texture is light and airy, your pistachios are the perfect compliment.  How about we make you a cousin this weekend???

Love,

Jamie

{thankful vol. 15} beautiful coworkers

You know those days....you just can't seem to find that happiness or smile, you want to crawl into a whole and press fast forward to the next day? Well, confession time! This week has been one of those weeks.  As much as I wish I was happy 24/7 there are times where it just ain't happening.  Luckily I have an amazing job where 20 kidos can say the littlest thing that just brightens your day.  On top of being around kids that warm my heart, I have THE best coworkers ever.  I never imagined that when I became a teacher a big part of my job would be the relations that I make with other teachers.  My school is so unique in that it is like a family, and all of my coworkers make my job so much easier.  

Whether we are creating inside jokes at annual holiday parties.  

Or celebrating friend's birthdays.

Or appreciating ourselves at the Padre's teacher appreciation day.

Or dominating at the annual 8th graders vs. teacher's kickball game.  

Friendships have been made and created, bonds have formed that are inseparable, tears have been shed, laughter has been shared, advice has been given, and love has been overflowing.  

I feel truly blessed to have a job I love and coworkers that have become my closest friends.  There are days when you just want to break down and cry....maybe you did cry...and you duck into that one teacher's room that will know the right words to say to help you get through the stress or the frustration or the pressure or just life.  I love having others to lean on in times of need, others to share the joys of teaching with, and coworkers that have become mentors and helped me be a better teacher.

I am so thankful for my beautiful friends!

{thankful vol. 14} peace

Today marks the day that my loving husband and I have been married for three years.  

Warning: I got picture happy for this post...

And even though time goes by much too fast it is always a blessing to look back at where time has taken us.  Like Daniel's brother's wedding in 2007 where all I wished was to be his bride. 

Or the many trips he made to visit me up at college.  (You are lucky I'm revealing these pictures, all squishy nose and all!)

To the night he proposed.  Yes, those are fake eyelashes.  We had just come from a wedding I was a bridesmaid in, they just add to the dewey eye effect.

To the weekend we spent celebrating our engagement in Santa Barbara. 

To the dress that I will continue to love over and over again, the earrings my grandmother passed down to me, the anxiety that overcame me as I got ready.

To the tears of joy that overflowed as I walked down the aisle, knowing I was marrying to best friend and forever love.

To our first communion as husband and wife.

I've been thinking a lot about this past year of marriage.  Each year we always seem to tackle something big, whether it's finishing my credential, Daniel graduating college, landing my career job, buying our first car together, establishing long-lasting friendships....  

For some reason this year doesn't seem so big when I look back on those things.  We got through a year of graduate school, continued to plug along at our same jobs, and for the most part everything seemed to stay the same.  As I thought about this I was reminded about something I read recently in a book I'm going through right now.  Lysa Turkeurst writes in her book Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl:

"The world has made 'love' a dime-store word used to describe a feeling that can change with the wind.  The world's offering of joy, hope, and love is fleeting, temporary, and dangerously unstable"

"The peace that flows despite circumstances can only be found through Jesus being with us.  That's why Jesus phrased it the way He did, 'Peace be with you!'"

The things that I defined as successes in our marriage were mearly romanticized earthly treasures that are temporary and fleeting.  This year we gained a deeper sense of PEACE, not only about our marriage but about life.  This was the year of US.  We dived deeper into one another to create a stronger unit together, we challenged ourselves to be better for the other person, we became a selfless team.  This year has been one of my favorites because we have been able to truly enjoy one another, learn together, find new hobbies together, and have fun.  I wouldn't have been able to balance work, school, and life without the comfort of my hilarious husband offering up jokes to even me out and dish-duty to ease the stress.  It feels as though we can conquer anything because of how strong and connected we are together as a family.  

I am so extremely blessed to venture into more peaceful memories together with my forever love.

Happy Anniversary babe!

11.15.11

{thankful vol. 13} craftiness

Today I am thankful for this stressful trip to a new mega craft store with this beauty....

That made us burn one too many fingers...

But produced the most elegant of flowers...

And the cutest bracelets on the block...

That I accessorized an outfit with...

And also got uber-cute fabric to bless a friend's new baby with two adorable onesies...

And matching headbands!

Who would've thought that a stressful trip could produce so much goodness?!?  I'd call it a success!