Summer Love

It's been summer vacation for me (kind of) for a couple of weeks since I've just been subbing on and off (more off). During that time I've also been crafty and had some adventures. So bear with this picture-laden post and you'll see my last couple of weeks.

Jewelry Making
I spent a couple of hours one afternoon making some jewelry. My uncle gave me a bunch of beads a couple of Christmases ago, including these shell beads, which I wasn't sure how to use. Well I figured out how to use them while also trying out a three stranded necklace technique. Whatcha think?

The Zoo
A few of us, including Miss Ellaneous, went to the zoo on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. There were a lot of people there, but there were also more animals out than last time I was at Cincinnati Zoo. I was super excited to find a sloth. Did you know a sloth only poops once a week while a goose poops every twelve minutes?

House Sitting
This week I am housesitting for my pastor who is on vacation in Florida. He has a beautiful log house sort of out in the country but still close enough to town that there are neighbors. You can actually see his house from certain parts of the Pinnacle. That's creepy now that I think about it...there could be people on the Pinnacle looking at this house right now.

There are five dogs and three chickens here right now that I'm taking care of. I don't know all of the names of the dogs but I do know Piper who loves to jump and tries to escape. In fact, earlier I had to lock her in the back part of the fence so that I could close the doggy door that goes in to the house. She's just a bit hyper and easily excited. In the pictures, she's the one that looks sort of like Hetty.

One cool thing about living here is that they have strawberries growing that they said I could pick. This morning I picked some and made a strawberry smoothie. I got the recipe here. The only thing I changed was that I used milk instead of soy milk. It was pretty good and definitely filled me up for breakfast. I probably should have used quick oats instead of whole oats, but that's what I had. Some people might not like it because it has quite a bit of texture. I think I did need more strawberries for more flavor.

Well that's it for now.  Maybe I'll make another post after I finish re-reading The Poisonwood Bible.

I love summer.

Granny Eyre

Happy Blog-iversary!

First of all...

 Happy 1st Anniversary Tidbits From TwentySomethings! 

I just realized that exactly one year ago Granny Eyre made the first post on our blog. I'm really excited that we have stuck with this for a whole year and have been fairly dedicated to keeping it up-to-date. I hope we can continue to keep it that way. I have never written on a blog so this has been a new experience for me, and I really enjoy it!

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On to my blog post...It's the 21st day of my summer break. It's been great!! I've been getting into a variety of activities including seeing some really great new movies, shopping with my Mamma, going riding, fishing and more.

My beau and I don't go to the movies often, but we do enjoy going to the theater occasionally when there's a movie we're wanting to see. This weekend we set a record, we went to see a movie on Friday night and then went again, to a different theater, on Saturday night. First-run movie theaters are expensive, but it is so nice to kick back in their comfy chairs in the chilled room and watch a movie on the big screen. We saw Tommorowland and Age of Adaline. They were both Awesome!

Tommorowland just came out last week. Most people know I have an obsession with Disney and this Disney movie didn't disappoint. It's a really cool story; the actors are good, the videography is cool and the way the story unfolds keeps you wanting to know more. I'll just let you watch the trailer here to find out more about the story. I recommend that you see it if you're into Disney and/or sci-fi.

Age of Adaline has been in theaters for a month now. Blake Lively (who I love from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies) plays the main character. She is stuck at age 29 and she lives nearly a century being the same age; her appearance stays the same, her body remains functioning like a 29-year-old's body would, while everyone around her ages normally. It's full of history, love and romance. We actually saw the 9:55 PM showtime and I stayed awake through the entire movie (well...at the very end I may have drifted off for a couple of minutes), but still...that's really saying something for me! It was that good! I liked this even better than Tommorowland! The trailer is here. Seriously, you should see this movie! Have you seen any really great movies recently? 

In other news, I have been spending some time outside with my beau. We went riding his four-wheeler down in this picturesque creek/wooded property called "Jig-Water". He drove his old farm truck down there with the four-wheeler in the back. It was very bumpy and rough at times. We rode down a rocky road and parked beside the creek. Then we took the 4-wheeler out and rode around the woods and through the creek for a couple of hours. It was awesome! When we were finished, we loaded back up and crossed the creek and drove to town to get wings for dinner. It was pretty neat and it was a beautiful creek. Plus, riding is really fun! 

Last weekend we went fishing. It was another beautiful outdoor adventure. We were at a pond, on a gorgeous, hilly piece of land (my neighbor's). We caught several large blue-gill and a couple of bass. It was a successful fishing trip; although we didn't keep them because we had told my neighbor's we wouldn't be. It would have made a delicious meal though!  

See Nova in the weeds there?

I've been trying to take more walks, both with others and with the dogs. It's been really great weather for being outside too! I hope it stays like this for a while longer. Speaking of which, I hope the weather is lovely for the 5th annual Twenty-Somethings camping trip! 

Adios Folks! 

The Farmer's Daughter

Sweet Summertime

I'm really enjoying this whole not-having-homework part of being off school, but I'm not really enjoying the substitute teaching EVERY day part. It's my choice to work, and I want to as much as I can before school is out, but being a substitute is sort of stressful. I just don't like not knowing what the situation in each classroom will be like until I get into the room for the day. Most days the students I get are not bad. This job is definitely  helping me to exercise my willingness to be flexible and be able to practice my judgement to react to various situations quickly. It's valuable job experience, much more so than working at a grocery, restaurant, or department store. I'm thankful for this job, but it can be stressful. Speaking of which, I am trying to decide exactly what my summer job plans are...

I plan on working with my father on barn repair, but he likes to just work in the mornings (when it is cool) so we can both have the second half of the day to do other things. He needs the help and I'm available, so I will be doing this with him for about 4-5 hours each day. I am also wondering if I should take another job. My mother was talking to someone she knows who is a manager at Cracker Barrel. They are hiring servers, cashiers and other positions. I'm trying to decide if I should also apply to work somewhere else (like Cracker Barrel). What do you all think? The thing about working at Clare's Barn Repair is I will only be working part-time and there will be at least two weeks when I will not be working (Mom & Dad will be going on a summer vacation and Dad will be cutting hay). I could also decide to try to sell some handmade things or try to book some photography sessions this summer which would help me make some more money but not tie me up as much as working somewhere like Cracker Barrel. The question is, should I be some-what lazy and just work part-time or take another part-time job and possibly be very busy because I have two part time jobs? I'm almost leaning toward the lazy-summer option, but we'll see.

I have accomplished a little bit in my week of being homework and class-free. One of the first things I needed to get done was groom Nova. Her hair has been cut and she got a bath..I think she looks better and probably feels much better too! She was beginning to look like a homeless puppy. I meant to get good before & after pictures but she wasn't cooperating with me taking her picture. I've worked 5 days in a row as a substitute and I'm still going strong. This past weekend I was able to meet up with Captain Something Fun and Granny Eyre in B-town and go for a hike. It was great!

I got to try the smores frappucino
(& it was happy hour!) Delicious! 

I also got to go to my first drive-in movie last weekend. I was really excited about going, but it wasn't quite what I expected. We didn't have the best parking spot and it was a warm night. We were too far away from the screen...there were just several problems. Next time we will probably bring chairs and bug spray and sit up closer to the screen. Several people in trucks fixed up the bed of their truck to be comfortable and watched the movie from there. The truck beside us had what looked like a blow-up swimming pool in the bed of the truck and lots of pillows and blankets in it and they watched the movie from there. It looked cozy! We saw The Avengers and The Longest Ride was coming on second, but it was 11:30 by the time the first movie was over, so we didn't wait for the second one. I really wanted to see The Longest Ride though!

My summer photo-challenge is going pretty well. I've already skipped one day accidentally, but I haven't given up yet. It's much harder than I thought!

This girl is looking forward to more time celebrating summertime! 

The Farmer's Daughter

Is It Summer Yet?

It was a beautiful afternoon full of hammocks, books, and fresh air laundry.

Painting

After painting a bookshelf for Amanda's graduation present, I had some blue paint and some inspiration left, so a few weeks later, I decided to re-paint my bookshelf. It felt a bit wrong to re-paint it because it's had yellow paint and little hearts on it since I was a kid. My dad made it and my mom painted it. Nevertheless, I decided it was time for a change. It's now blue with a huge sunshine and flower. Maybe it's not any less childish, but it's at least different. Who knows, maybe I'll keep it and pass it along to own daughter some day and she can re-paint it yellow with hearts?


                                                          

Amanda's Bookshelf

 My bookshelf 

Summer Photo Challenge

    I know I just posted a couple of days ago, and I'm probably setting a record for myself with these posts so close together! Today is my first official day of summer break because I took my last final yesterday! Yayyy!! I plan on substituting all I can this month and working with my dad to rebuild a different barn this summer; so I spent my first day in the classroom.
      I am pretty excited about a break from school work and driving to school every other day of the week. I found this article today about a fun, summer to-do list..."Summer Bucket List: 2015" One of the items on the list was to take a picture every day. I read this right on time, since today is my first official day of summer break and I can start it out right! I wanted to challenge you all to do the same. I really enjoyed seeing Captain Something Fun countdown her last days at college, and I hope my "count up" of my summer days is as consistent and entertaining as her count-down was!
     As you probably know, I love to take pictures (even if they are with my phone). It is still an expression of an art to me, even when it isn't the highest resolution photo. Plus, it is so convenient to use my phone for pictures because I nearly always have it with me! So join me if you like. I will be posting mine to Facebook and possibly Instagram, but of course- you don't have to share them on these websites. You could always just share them with your friends or with this blog! (Just a thought!)

Here's Day 1:

Day 1: An evening walk

Adios Amigas!
The Farmer's Daughter

Updates

Work Life
I'm finishing up my last week at the elementary school this week as an interventionist. The sad part is that I feel like I'm just figuring out how to do my job effectively. I'm also going to miss my kids. Yesterday, one of my fourth graders gave me a little note on a scrap of paper saying he really liked my class. Today another of my fourth graders gave me a rock. Hey, it's a gift, right?
I won't be leaving the school though because I've been asked to stay on to do some modified testing for the school. I was trained today. It's a bit intimidating because if you do something wrong, they can put you in prison! Yikes. This is serious business.

Home Life
Things at the house are going fine. I'm never quite sure when to expect to see my housemate, but we get along fine.

Social Life
Last night I went to watch some of the senior presentations at Model. It was cool to be back and to see how far these kids have come. When I left, they were struggling to understand the purpose of a thesis statement and it was pulling teeth to get them to talk in class. They are now writing 20 page papers and giving formal presentations. It's kinda cool. I think I'm going to go back for some more of the presentations.

I'm not really sure that I have anything else to report.

Granny Eyre

Strugglin'

Alright y'all. I know, I know. I have been on an about-to-run-out-of-gas, sputtering, burning oil struggle bus for a good while now when it comes to posting on the blog. Hopefully, that will change as the semester comes to a close (next Thursday!!!). I honestly feel like I don't have too many exciting things going on recently because I've just been working and schooling and cleaning and homeworking and Marveling all the time. All those things put together leave me with a limited amount of free time. Plus, I've been on the hunt for a job! Now, I've got one---woot, woot! I am going to be the personal assistant for an ophthalmologist in Lexington. It's the same ophthalmologist that Dan works for. She didn't even have me fill out an application or interview me because she had already heard about me from Dan. It was crazy. Thursday, Lucas and I are going to their house in Lexington for dinner and to talk more about the specifics of the job. I am excited but also a little nervous. It's a very personal initiative based position. She is going to give me a list of to dos on Monday and I have to have them done by the end of the week. The perk being that I can work on my own time. Anywho, enough about that.




Since I know all of you love sweets about as much or more than I do, I wanted to encourage to try this outrageously delicious snack I discovered recently. If you've already had it, tell me what you thought about it.

Every time I eat it...



Yes, it's that yummy. It just tastes like a crunchy brownie (and it isn't nearly as unhealthy as a brownie! yet, it satisfies the craving). Sheila G. is my girl.

Also, not sure if you read blogs but I truly love this blog written by a [probably] twentysomething about her life as a blogger, gardener, chef, and used-to-be graphic designer. She also recently had a baby and writes a bit about that. Anyways, her blog is always uplifting and inspiring to me because she is so real and open. Maybe you'll enjoy it too.

I guess I better get back to studying. Presentation tomorrow. Exam Thursday. Other little assignments in between. Then, four finals next week. I'm trying to stay motivated to keep my head in the books. Excited to celebrate my Freedom next Friday.

Until then, I'm wishing you all the best!

Fun Tidbits

Just a couple random updates with photos...

Substitute Teaching

      First of all, don't get too excited about me switching my pursuit of a career, but being a teacher isn't too bad. I have really grown in my understanding of how to discipline and keep kids in line much more effectively than when I first started. (But I could really only go up from where I started...because I had no experience!) But I feel much more comfortable in front of a classroom and I have learned enough about kids to give me better judgement about handling various situations. I have especially become used to working with special needs children which is perfect, since Occupational Therapists usually work with this group of children (especially in the school system). Over the past couple of weeks I have gotten to be an unofficial OT, by using sensory boxes with children and even going into the OT's office in one of the schools and letting an autistic youngster jump in the ball pit to rid him of some excess energy. 

      Also, last Friday (the day before the Kentucky Derby), was a big day at the school where I substituted. First of all, it was a field trip day. One thing I have learned about substitute teaching is, you never really know what you are getting into. I wasn't aware there would be a field trip I would be going on, until I got to the school and one of the regular teachers informed me! It was DARE graduation day and the students were going to the high school for the "graduation" then going to the park for a cookout celebration afterwards. The speaker, Retro Bill, was entertaining while also educating them about bullying, drugs, and other subjects. The park was also fairly nice. I was working as a teacher's aide that day, so I basically just had to follow one special needs child around and make sure he was safe and he didn't get in a fight with any of the other children. I even got a free lunch that day--a freshly grilled hamburger, chips and cookies...it was nice! When we got back from the park the children at the school had their own Derby. Kids from each grade raced around a track-like driveway in the back of the school with horses made from pool noodles. It was pretty cute. The kids could also wear decorated Derby hats. I thought this boy had a particularly cool hat. He said his mom cut out the horse from cardboard and then decorated it. I thought it was a really cool hat, so I snapped a picture of it. 

Poppy

  It was also a very exciting weekend at my house because, my niece, this adorable little ball of energy was here to visit. Unfortunately she was feeling ill throughout the visit, but most of the time she still had so much energy and happiness that you couldn't tell she wasn't feeling well. We took her down to Gwyn's and we all rode (the beau, me, Gwyn and Poppy) out through the woods and down to his pond where Poppy got to feed the fish. It was a nice adventure and I think Poppy had a good time.

Catching up with "Nofa" when she first got to the house. She really likes "Nofa"

Graduation
     Sunday was also an awesome day because I got to see the last of the Twenty-Somethings graduate from Berea College. I was very excited for her and I wish her the very best in life after Berea! I am glad that we should all be in and around Madison County next year so we can have more fun together. Also, Naomi Judd was a very good graduation speaker. She was funny, wise and had a short and sweet message for the graduates.

You probably can't tell, but Naomi Judd is on stage in this picture

A picture of my dinner after Amanda's
graduation, because it was really tasty.
It's a burrito with pineapple, chicken, onions
& mushrooms with rice & beans! 

That's all for now Folks,

The Farmer's Daughter

Goodbyes

As graduation is slowing creeping up and real life is starting to hit I am hit with a sudden wave of goodbyes. I dislike goodbyes though, they seem too permanent. I like to think of a better way to depart from a person would be to say see you later alligator, after while crocodile. You know like children do. This way it leaves things open to possibilities and potential. Today I had to say goodbye to the CDL. I almost cried which is very unusual for me. I am sure going to miss those wonderful children a whole lot. Not to mention the other teachers and my fellow labor students, it was just an all around good work environment. This weekend is going to be full of goodbyes, some more permanent than others but that is okay. I keep thinking about that verse in Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Even though God was talking to the Israelite people, I think this verse is still applicable to His children today. No matter what lies ahead of me God will always be with me so as Paul says, " I will press on and keep fighting the good fight until that day comes when I am called home" (that is Amanda paraphrasation for you there). It has not really hit me yet that I am graduating from college in less than 48 hours. Maybe by the time Sunday rolls around it will, but there are still lots of goodbyes to be said, moving to be done, and lives to be lead. It has been a busy week and it's going to be an even busier weekend.
In other news as some of you may remember from last year, there have been goodwill bins placed in many of the dorms on campus. So this afternoon/evening I have been dorm hoping. I have to say that I have seen and found some pretty interesting things. I also gained a few extra things along the way like a huge duffle bag, a new backpack, and a trash  bag full of clothes. This should be an interesting addition to my current wardrobe.
In other other news I have unofficially but officially yet, gotten a duplex apartment with a trust worthy acquaintance It is exciting and will be officially moving in on the 15th. So yall should be on the lookout for me, for a bed and dresser?
I have been looking forward to this summer and what this next chapter in my life has in store. I am quiet excited to see what God has planned for me. My new job at the daycare starts on Monday so that will be fun I do believe. Also am thinking we should all meet up sometime soon I miss seeing you all. Sometimes I wish life would slow down a little bit and maybe even have a rewind button so to go back when we were all in one place and didn't have to travel very far to see one another.
I am getting sleepy so I should stop while I am ahead. But I'm sure I'll be making another post soon about graduating and starting my new job so be on the lookout. Captain Something Fun signing off.