A New Year's Resolution...in August

One truth about me...I like to cook. I have to admit, I think I'm pretty good at it. I have a dear friend who is getting married in 2 months and will be living down the street from me. (I'm so excited!) However, she has mentioned several times that I am going to have to teach her how to cook. But the truth is...I don't really cook that much. I can think of a few times my friend has been over to eat, but the majority of the time its been party foods. And let's face it, party foods consist mostly of cheese, bread/chips, and more cheese. These aren't really a good judge of how good of a cook I am so I am really flattered by my friend's compliments. Plus, the menu around our house consists of pretty much the same thing week after week--spaghetti, taco salad, grilled chicken, etc. Nothing really to "teach" my friend. So in an effort to share some cooking advice with a soon-to-be newlywed and to save a little money, I'm going to start cooking more--its my New Year's Resolution--in August.

Now, to help with the dilemma of what to cook... two blogs I have recently discovered, Plain Chicken and Southern Plate are going to make my life a whole lot easier! Both blogs offer simple, easy recipes that sound delicious!! Unlike all the cookbooks I got when I got married, both authors offer southern comfort recipes with a short list of ingredients. So, I have my menu planned out for next week, all I have to do is go to the grocery store and actually follow through. We shall see how this goes...maybe I will even share some pictures of what I accomplish! :)

Thoughtless Thursday...Well, Not Really

As a first grade teacher, my days are anything but thoughtless at this time of year. Typically, I am frantically trying to get everything ready for the first week of school. My mind races with the 50 jillion things I have to do...my to do list grows and grows each and every day. But in the rush to be prepared I sometimes forget about the most important part...the students. I forget that I have about 20 six year olds who I will be teaching for 180 days of the next year. I forget that I might be the only hug they get. I forget that I might be the only Jesus they may see. So, as I wrap up my loose ends in the next week and finish preparing my classroom (as seen above...which is beginning to come together...but is still a work in progress), I pray that the Lord will use me not only to be an effective teacher this next school year, but to share the love of Jesus Christ in every word, smile, and action.