as promised...

pictures of my "costume".

{see, i'm cute - aren't i? ;) }

and just because i made myself laugh...

{my shadow falling on my desk (with horns on, of course)}

and we had our 5th Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest at work today, and since matt & i decided not to carve this year {why did we decide that, again??} i adopted one to welcome the trick-or-treaters i was goaded into answering the door for tonight...

{we call him "monobrow", but i suppose you can't see that part very well...}

in honor (or something like that) of halloween...

a few childhood memories... these came to me this morning as i was remembering halloween as a kid...

-my mom decided, when we were in 5th grade, to throw us a halloween party, instead of sending us trick-or-treating. we lived in a teeny tiny town in the middle of nowhere, and not only was it not very well lit, it got a little weirder every year. most moms dress up as a cat, or a witch or a... something simple... right? but no, my mom, and i suppose you would have to know her to fully appreciate this, rented a penguin costume. the kind where your face would be between the upper and lower portions of beak. i can still picture it. it might sound kinda silly, but i think my mom is one of the coolest moms ever.

-the year before, and quite possibly the reason my mother decided to throw us a party instead, we went trick-or-treating and came upon a home in which we knew an older gentleman lived. we rang the doorbell, and he was delighted to see us. but before he'd give us *any* candy, he *insisted* that we sing "Jesus Loves Me" for him... what were we to do? so we sang. and he gave us candy. yeah, we each got ONE piece of peppermint taffy, which had a christmas tree design in the middle of it. in october. know what that means? it was taffy from *last* christmas.

and finally, a list of the things i've been over the years:
-a {pink?} bunny rabbit (1st halloween, i'm pretty sure)
-a witch
-a cat
-a gypsy
-a graduate
-a pirate
-a bride
-a flapper
-a 50's girl - poodleskirt & all {2 years, it was so good}

i don't {technically} dress up anymore, but i do store a pair of red satin horns in my desk at work... while i hate what we teach our children when we let them dress up as axe murderers and goblins, i think the red horns are pretty harmless, and besides, i'm cute enough to get away with it. ;) sometimes i even bring out the matching tail.

maybe i'll post pictures later. :D

confessions...

-i love to shop in the baby section at target, because they have so many cute little outfits... i tell myself that i'm browsing for gifts for my neices and nephews, but really... i'm browsing for me.

-i actually like football.

-i'm a compulsive listmaker. i always have a to-do list that's a mile long, even though i never realistically expect to accomplish everything on it.

-having said to-do list makes me feel like i have a purpose, like i'm necessary.

-i actually have a list of the lists that i work off of.

-i feel called to be a pastor, but i dream about being a mother.

-i'm more amused than angered by the family conflicts i witness first hand in my husband's family.

-i work well under pressure, so i tell others that i procrastinate in order to do my best work, but really, i'm just lazy.

-i'm happy spending $4 for a high-maintenance coffee drink a la starbucks, but really, i'd prefer to drink folger's drip at home.

-on mars, a day is 24 hours and 40 minutes long, and so they don't call it a day, they call it a "sol". i wish i lived there. i could use the extra 40 minutes.

there's nothing like a productive weekend...

the truth is that productivity makes me feel good. it makes me feel like i've accomplished things. it doesn't matter WHAT i accomplish, if i had a list and i crossed stuff off it, then i feel good.

i'm a HUGE listmaker.

i have lists of my lists. no, i'm not kidding.

anyway, my to-do list took a SERIOUS hit this weekend. :D i ran errands; i went shopping; i totally pumped out 6 layouts - all of which i am CRAZY about - for a call that i even got them scanned and submitted to in time; i did chores; i did homework (and finished my class w/ a 90%); i cooked; i helped matt organize the garage; i cleaned; i went to a stamp camp (and bought stamps); i went to the scrapbook store (and bought scrapbook supplies. hahaha.).

anyway, i feel good. i feel like i accomplished something. and like i don't have a ginormous to-do list awaiting me when i get home.

and next weekend is the CK convention... i'm SO excited!

nothing special...

not much happening today... today is "coffee day" at work - on wednesday mornings, my mom and i always go with our friend dave to get a cup of coffee from one of the local places. (my mother is a very regimented, self-controlled woman... which is why wednesday morning is coffee day. period.) today, i had the *best* mocha ever from a very ritzy place that's just a few blocks away... (so ritzy, they don't serve drip, and they only serve short & tall... kinda too ritzy for my tastes.)

forgot to mention earlier this week that i accomplished all of my canning on saturday. it was a long process, peeling, coring, chopping 18 lbs of apples, and then making the assorted yummies and processing the jars... but it was a huge success. now i just have to find a place to store the 8 quarts of apple pie filling, 3 pints of apple butter, and 3 pints of applesauce... i really should've considered that PRIOR to this project. oh well. :)

tonight, we're having some friends over for dinner, which i'm quite excited about, namely because i get a baby-fix of their 21 month old sweetpea. anyway, last night (and the night before) was a whirlwind of chores because i've kinda let the housecleaning slip in the last few weeks. (can't believe i'm admitting that to the general public... my MOTHER could be reading this!)

reading more in my text book for class, and really, really enjoying what i'm learning... came across a really great quote yesterday: "For the most part, the function of the [pastor] is to comfort the disturbed, and to disturb the comfortable." I suppose that's another day, another post, but I'm behind this concept 100%. (...prepare to be disturbed... just kidding.) ;)

ok, that's it for me. over & out.

my dad is the greatest. he is my second biggest fan (matt being my first, of course) and has supported {almost} every idea i've ever had.

last night, we talked on the phone and he mentioned how he's been trying to tell his dad - my grandfather, who's sick - that he wants to have some pictures of them taken together... this came up after i emailed my grandfather and asked him if i could "practice" on him and his wife, by taking them to a local park for a photo shoot. grampa shared that with my dad, and my dad is all over the idea.

i'm pretty sure my love of photography came from my dad. i was often the subject of his own practice shots as a child, and have numerous really great photos of myself as a baby and toddler, because of his love for photography.

on my mom's side of the family, where i'm the only one who brings their camera to *every* event, to photograph other people, and other people's children, i'm pretty sure i have something of a reputation as the family paparazzi.

but in my dad's eyes, i'm the family historian, with a gift. i love that he sees my sometimes obnoxious habits as a treasure. i'm so excited about the kind of photos i could take of my own family together. i have thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head and can't wait to share them with him, and i can't wait to produce memorable photos that really capture the personalities of my wonderful family.

i'm reading a great book right now for school, called The Handbook of Christian Counseling. my current class is focusing on - you guessed it - the pastor's role as a counselor. counseling has always been a subject of interest for me, and when i pray about my future ministry, i pray that counseling will be a large part of it.

anyway, this book is great. it doesn't cover as much of the psychological side of counseling, it covers the hows and whys of counseling, showing you how to relate to your counselees, teaching you how to protect your integrity and blamelessness (which, as a Christian, a pastor, and a wife, is extremely important), etc. and that's just the first chapter.

my other materials for this class don't arrive until thursday, and i might very well be done with the text before they do! anyway, if you have any interest in counseling as a Christian, i'd highly recommend checking out this book.

i have butterflies.

and no real immediate reason for it. and while i can't talk about all of the "gorey" details, i can tell you that i feel like something big's coming down the pipe... i hoping for it, pushing for it, and Lord knows i'm praying for it. and so inside, i feel anxious. anxious to know more, to have answers, to get this ball rolling. anxious to fell like i'm going somewhere.

oh boy. pray for the Lord to give me peace, if you wouldn't mind. i could use a little... ok, a lot... right now.

sick again...

i'm ill again - not sure what it is. seems to be that "thing" that's going around lately. crazy sore throat, headache, bit of a fever, overall feeling of blahness.

but inside, i'm burning up. not in a feverish kind of way, i'm on fire. in the last few weeks, i've felt my passion for ministry ignite again in ways it hasn't ignited in years. i've registered for the first class of my final year of Bible school (11 classes total to take this year...) and am beginning to consider a move into ministry. dunno how, dunno where. just trusting God.

18 lbs of apples and 4 dozen jars...

sounds like a country song.

anyway, that is the trappings of my weekend... albertson's had a killer sale on apples - buy one 3 lb. bag, get two free. one coupon per customer. i'm a customer. matt's a customer. we came home with 6 bags - 18 lbs.

they're threatening to take over my kitchen. thank goodness they're all in those lovely plastic netting bags, or there'd be no telling of the massacre.

so, i've never canned before. i've done a ton of research, bought a how-to cookbook, and have collected a few recipes that i love, and this week - and weekend, i'm sure, will be spent canning. we're looking at apple butter, apple pie filling, apple sauce, apple rings, and perhaps, apple cider. i might even pull out the old dehydrator too. mmmm.

i've been wanting to can for a long time, but couldn't justify the cost of the jars (yeah, yeah, they're reusable, i know, but still). anyway, i mentioned this to matt and he said "...did you ask my mother??". little did i know, my mother-in-law had a stash of unused canning jars that nearly rivals her mother's collection (which is impressive) in her shed. sure enough, all i had to do was ask, and i was quickly sent home with four dozen jars, and lid rings to fit.

so then, i'm looking for cheap labor to help me core these bad boys. come on over. we'll share some apple crisp when we're done. that is, if you can stand looking at another apple. ;)

today has been kind of a rough day at work - not because of work, but because of me. hormones or something, but i can cry at the drop of a hat, and can't stop thinking about junk food.

slept in this morning, instead of getting up for my walk, because i'd left my mp3 player at work and couldn't bear the thought of walking with a regular old walkman (i know, i know - i'm so lame). so this morning, i was definitely not feeling as good as i'd been feeling, and the hormones, etc, certainly didn't make things any easier.

after eating my lunch, feeling terribly unsatisfied, and thinking more about junk food, i decided to get up and go for a walk. with my mp3 player. i was out for just a few minutes longer than my usual morning walk, and let me tell you, i feel a hundred times better.

note to self: walking eases hormonal sensitivity.

now if i could just stop thinking about junk food... ;)

an all around good day...

• my grandfather was baptized yesterday - a gigantic moment in my family's legacy that can and should be counted among the Lord's many miracles
• we had a late sunday lunch with my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law and her little brood yesterday, where my sister informed me that she would be dedicating her children to the Lord this Sunday
• and if it didn't get any better than that, she told me today that she'll be dedicating herself to the Lord, by way of water baptism, this fall/winter
• my husband is in complete control of our finances, and i love not having this stress
• and he's cooking dinner
• which means i have to clean up, but at least he'll make sure the kitchen's clean before he starts cooking
• it's october and i just love fall
• i went for TWO walks today. TWO!!
• i got a new {old} mp3 player today {handmedown from my mommy} to accompany me on my {many} walks
• i picked out a pattern to make myself some comfy excercise pants, which will be so luxurious that i can sleep in them, which may ease the pain of getting out of bed on these cold mornings
• i bought a book today called "becoming" which is actually the entire new testament, published in "magazine" form... since i love mags, i thought this might be interesting, though some reviews have said that it's trivializing the word of God. i guess we'll see...
• i'm back on ebay, selling a few items for my mom, and also selling a few of my own pieces... they'll be listed tonight, so check them out.
• i think i'm going to scrapbook tonight.