New Furniture

I've been keeping my eye out for something new for the living room. I recently found this leather theater seating and we ended up getting it earlier this week. I absolutely love it. I know it's not a traditional couch, but it's very comfortable and practical. I love the way it reclines and I love the cup holders. By the way, this isn't our living room. This is just a picture of the seating we have that I found online.

Scentsy!!!

I've decided to become a Scentsy consultant! I'm so excited about it! If you remember, a while back I wrote about Scentsy and said that it was definitely on my Christmas wish list. Since then I've actually been debating whether or not to become a consultant. I've been wanting to order some stuff for gifts and for myself. Since I was already going to order several things, I decided to go ahead and sign up. If you're not familiar with Scentsy..

Scentsy Warmers use a low-watt bulb to melt specially formulated wax slowly, maximizing the fragrance time of the Scentsy Bar or Scentsy Brick. With no flame, soot, smoke or lead to worry about, the Scentsy system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 delightful Scentsy fragrances.

Please check out my site at www.isaacs.scentsy.us If you're shopping for Christmas gifts, you can place an order through my site and have it shipped directly to you. All Christmas orders need to be placed by December 15th to ensure they will arrive before Christmas. Please let me know if I can help you out in any way.

Loving the Weather

Chad took me for a motorcycle ride last weekend. We spent most of the day Saturday on the bike. Somehow he always finds these really neat places to ride to. He took me to this beautiful waterfall in Joplin and we ate lunch at this really unique restaurant called Undercliff. It's built into the side of a cliff and the inside is like a cave. We have definitely been enjoying all the beautiful weather and I'm so glad we got to ride around a little last weekend. I hope this weather stays like this for a while.

New Shoes

Chad gave these to me for my birthday and I absolutely love them!!

Cake Mix Cookies - White Chocolate Lemon

I really love these cookies! AND they are super easy to make. I had completely forgot about them until a few months ago when someone from church made some for us. This is a simple recipe if you're looking for something a little different. I know most of you probably have this recipe somewhere, but if you're like me, sometimes it's good to be reminded of something you haven't made in a while...

Ingredients:

1 Lemon Cake Mix
1/2 C Oil
2 eggs
White Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Roll into one inch balls and dip into powdered sugar. Then place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

Let them cool and enjoy!

Black Friday Link

It's been a while...I'll catch you up on everything that's been going on soon. I just have a few minutes before Chad gets home and I wanted to share this site with you. I love shopping with my mom the day after Thanksgiving. I am one of those crazy people that gets up way too early and fights through the crowds. To me, shopping on the day after Thanksgiving is a sport. It's not just the good deals that I love; I also love the competition. Anyway, if you click on the link you can check out the ads (some are already loaded) or you can sign up for email updates.

I call it... Pure Love

These are hands down, my favorite brownies! The first time my mom made these I fell in love with them. I think this recipe has been passed around to everyone I know, but here it is if you missed it...

Ingredients:
1 Brownie Mix
3 Eggs
1/2 c Oil
1/4 c Water
3 Symphony King Size Candy Bars

Directions:
Mix the brownie mix as directed on the box. Place half of the brownie mixture in a greased 9 X 13 pan.







Layer on the Symphony candy bars.








Spoon the remaining brownie mixture on top.








Bake as directed on the brownie mix box. Let cool and enjoy! Super easy!

Prayer - week 1

Sunday's Sermon Notes:

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5 1-3

Talk to God:
1. with gut level honesty
2. about everything that matters to you
3. continually
4 AND listen for His response

Most of the time my prayers are really rushed. It's more like hey God, thank you for this...or hey God, please help me with this...or please give me patience with my students. When I stop to think about it, my prayers have been pretty lame. I mean really, is that ALL I have to say to God? Why don't I spend more time in prayer? Sometimes it's hard for me to focus. Sometimes I just choose to do other things. I truly do desire a deeper relationship with God. How can I expect for that relationship to grow when I'm not really investing much time with Him? This week has been different and has gone so much smoother. Situations haven't really changed, but my perspective has. Spending time with God makes all the difference. For me, the best way I communicate with God is by writing down my prayers. If I write while I'm praying, my prayers are much more focused and I'm able to stay on track. When I'm not writing them down, I either fall asleep or get easily side tracked with other thoughts. Writing things down also forces me to slow down a bit and listen. Then I can write down what God is showing me. I've slipped out of that practice, but I've started back this week and like I said, it makes all the difference. I just want to encourage you to find your own way to communicate with God and spend time with Him. He will change your life!

This Drink Brings a Smile to My Face

So if I can't fit into my pants this winter, this is cause. I LOVE Sonic's featured drink this month, the Mocha Chip Java Chiller. YUM! I've really had to fight my cravings for one every day! You should try one...it's definitely worth the $2.49.

Embroidery Machine

I think I'm finally about to make up my mind. I've had my eye on this embroidery/sewing machine for a little over 4 months. I'm really leaning towards getting it. It's a pretty basic one, but it's rated really high and has great reviews. I love the sewing machine I've been using and it's from the same line. I think this would be a good one, but I'm not sure because I don't have any experience with embroidery machines. If any of you have ever used an embroidery machine and have any advise, please share your thoughts with me. I'd really appreciate it.

I'm not even going to mention football...

So this weekend was a little more busy than normal... I don't have pictures of everything, but we got to be part of a dorm blitz with our church on Saturday morning. We went with several others to Missouri Southern in Joplin and delivered goodie bags filled with hot chocolate, coffee, and cookies to the students' dorms. Later Saturday, we spent some time on Main Street in Miami. I'm still not really sure what the occasion was, but it consisted of a car show, live music, craft and food booths, and Indian dancing/pow-wow music. Chad was one of the judges in the car show and got to present one of the awards. Sunday was another great day at church, followed by a baby shower for one of our Bible Study leaders.
Here are a few pics from the event in Miami on Main Street

The tailgate says "Witchy Woman" and there's some sort of design on the lid of the truck...I thought this one was interesting.

I don't really know much about older cars. Chad and I seem to have very different tastes. This one was my favorite though. I thought it was very cute and small. Chad went for more of the older boxier looking ones. They just reminded me of my great-aunt Chubby's car or my great-grandma's car. I'm sure they weren't the same as what they drove, but they're all in the same catagory in my mind. Like I said, I don't know much about cars...

Chad presenting an award. He gave it to a '64 Impala.

Gift Certificates

This is for those of you that may live around the Joplin area. I'm a sucker for good deals and I wanted to pass this site on to you. They have some really great deals. I just bought a gift certificate for Oasis Day Spa (this is where we all went to get pedicures before Mindy's wedding) in Joplin for half price. There are also several other half price deals for restaurants and other things. If you live around here you should check it out. www.mallofthe4states.com

October Book Giveaway

I'm going to do this giveaway a little differently. I think most of my friends have already read this one, so....this book will go to the first person that leaves a comment on this post. If I don't already have a way to contact you, please leave your email address on your comment so that I can get in touch with you. Good luck and happy reading!

Happy Birthday Hattie!

Sorry, no singing video this year...hahah. Today my favorite niece turns 5! I can't believe how big she's getting. I wish I could be there for her birthday...

Happy Birthday Hattie! I love you! To celebrate your 5th birthday, here are 5 things I love about you:
1. You're super smart and know how to think for yourself.
2. You give the best hugs.
3. You're a great helper.
4. Your laughter is contagious.
5. You are beautiful.

I hope you have a great birthday today. I miss you and I hope to see you soon!

Workshop in Edmond

This cartoon really made me laugh! Today I am at a workshop in Edmond with another teacher and our principal. I really wish I could swing by and see everyone while I'm there...hopefully soon.

Change...in attitude that is

There have been a lot of changes at school this year with a new principal, assistant principal, and superintendent. It's been a little rough and I don't think I've been handling things the right way. So last week I made a decision. I'm not going to add to the griping or the negative attitudes at school. I'll keep focused on the big things and not stress myself out about all the little things. I'm also going to leave school stuff at school. I want to come home and enjoy my time with Chad. Spending time with him is one of my absolute favorite things about each day. I don't want to ruin that time just because I'm frustrated with work. The last couple of weeks I've brought that frustration home and that's just plain stupid. So, I've decided to be positive and not bring work stress home with me....such a simple thought. Why did it take me so long to make that decision?

A Servant's Heart

If you know me very well, you know how special my grandpa (we call him Nandy) is to me.










Let me just say that my Nandy is one amazing guy! Wilmont Place Baptist Church (the church where he has served pretty much his whole life) contacted our family and told us they wanted to honor him in one of their upcoming services. We were able to make arrangements to be there for that service and surprise him last Sunday. He didn't know that any of us were in town and the look on his face when he saw all of us there was priceless. It was such special time for him and our family. I was so glad that we were able to be there and be a part of it. Nandy was honored at his church last Sunday for having such a servant's heart. He has volunteered at the church and cooked their Wednesday night meal for many, many years. He is 'retiring' from it and the church wanted to show their appreciation. It's not just the cooking though. It's his whole life that is such a godly example for others. He would do anything for anyone without thinking twice about it. If only I could develop that kind of true selflessness. He cares for the lost and is a friend to those in need...a true example of what it means to follow Christ. I am so proud of him and so thankful to have such an amazing grandpa.

The church was very generous and sent us all 20 of us to Charleston's after the service...Nandy and Ida Mary with the great grandkids...
Nandy and IdaMary with the grandkids...
Nandy and IdaMary with my parents and Aunt Susie...

Finally Finished!!

Yea! I am finally finished with my last two quilts! I love sewing, but I think I've learned my lesson. The fabric that the lady sent me to use on this one was super stretchy and slinky....meaning that it's difficult to sew things together without it slipping and sliding all over the place. Not to mention the table that I use to sew on is round so it all just kept sliding off the table. Major aggravation on this one. BUT, I'm really pleased with how they turned out. They're super soft and comfortable. I've been sending her pictures along the way and she really likes it. It's all good, I'm just glad to have them finished! Now I don't feel like I have to come home from work and work some more. I've taken the quilts off of my etsy store for now. I'm going to take a break for a week or so and then I'm going to work on some glass etching. If you are thinking about ordering any of the etched glass for Christmas, let me know. If you're in Okc, I can bring it up when I come for Thanksgiving. Then you won't have to pay for shipping.

Cheesy Ranch Corn Dip

My friend Danielle has made this a few times and I LOVE it! It's one of my absolute favorite dips. It goes great with a football game and a Route 44 Diet Vanilla Coke from Sonic! Try it, I promise it's good!


Ingredients:
2 cans of Mexicorn, drained
8 oz Sour Cream
8 oz Cream Cheese
8 oz Monterrey Jack shredded cheese
8 oz Cheddar cheese
1 package of dry Ranch dressing mix
1 chopped jalapeno
Garlic Salt


By the way, if you like this, you should check out Danielle's blog. She posts new recipes every week and they always sound so good.

My Time to Relax

Things have been a little hectic lately. My job has been stressing me out to the max. I needed a break... I needed to do something relaxing and enjoyable. Sometimes for my own sanity I just need to take a day for myself. Saturday was my day. Chad was at work and I had the entire day to myself. I started off by going to Joplin.
I had a coupon for a free 10 minute aqua massage and a tan...very nice. This was my first aqua massage. I've always wondered what they were like...I've walked by them at Penn Square Mall in Okc a million times. I'm glad I got to try it and in my opinion it was very relaxing.
Then I headed over to the mall and got a pedicure (by the way, these are not my toes in the picture). I love getting pedicures. I love sitting in the massage chair and having someone rub my feet. The problem is, I don't want to spend a ton of money so I usually go to the non-English speaking places because they are cheaper. They usually do a great job as long as there isn't anything particular that you're wanting. Every time I ask for a french manicure on my toes, it somehow gets messed up. So I've learned. I just had them paint my toes a sparkly red color and it turned out really good. Honestly I could care less if they painted my toes...I just want the foot massage. Anyway, it was so nice.
I also went to Bed Bath and Beyond and used my coupon to buy a therapeutic anti-stress microwavable neck pillow. I've been using it ever since and it is so nice! Needless to say, I really enjoyed my Saturday. Now I feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready for another week. I just wish some of you guys could have been here with me to enjoy the day. Those of you that are moms and don't get much of a break, I don't know how you do it.

After Chad got off work, we went to Joplin to meet with our IgniteGroup (Bible study group). There were 3 other couples there and I had such a good time. It's so great to finally find a church that I'm excited about and to find people that will challenge and encourage us. I love it!

Project of the Week - Nutter Butter Truffles

I LOVE Oreo truffles! There are several variations of them and I wanted to test out another recipe last week. I tried the Nutter Butter truffles. They are made the same way as the Oreo ones (click here for directions), only with Nutter Butters. In my opinion, they aren't quite as good as the Oreo ones, but they're still pretty good. They taste like a peanut butter cup. This time I stuck a toothpick in them before I put them in the freezer. It made it so much easier to dip in and out of the chocolate almond bark. I decided to just leave the toothpicks in them so they were easy to pick up and eat. I also think these taste better from the fridge rather than room temp. Since Chad and I didn't need to eat the whole batch, I took them to school and shared them with the other teachers. If I had time, I'd do that at least once a week. I love making desserts and sharing them.

Scentsy

I was talking to a friend the other day and she was telling me she was thinking about ordering some Scentsy products for Christmas gifts this year. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, click here and check out the website. Basically it's a candle warmer that uses a 25 watt light bulb instead of a candle. I am adding some of the products to my birthday/Christmas wish list. I would LOVE to have a warmer at work (it smells soooo bad all the time) and maybe one at home too. This month's featured scent is Toasted Caramel Sugar. YUM! Click here to check out the catalog. If you're thinking about ordering some, my friend Nicole (savy.savage@yahoo.com) is a consultant and will gladly help you out. While you're at it, you should check out her blog too. She does a great job of keeping up with it and I always enjoy reading it.

September Book Winner!

I still can't figure out how to get the results to show up...hopefully it will work this time. This generator is from random.org. If you come across another one that works, please let me know. I don't really love this one. Anyway, the winner is....#1, Nicole! Email me your address at isaacs898@yahoo.com and your book will be on its way! By the way, Nicole commented that this will be a movie soon. I had no idea, but I'm excited to see the movie. I wish all of Nicholas Spark's books were made into movies. Have a great week!

Labor Day Weekend '09

I really wish I would have taken more pictures. I didn't get a good group picture with everyone in it...hopefully someone did and they'll share it. Um, and I'm not really sure what that piece of my hair is doing...it's like that in just about all of the pictures. Nice, huh. Anyway, I love spending time with my friends...especially when I don't get to see them very often. Leslie has made this such a great tradition. We all get together at her parents farm in Missouri for Labor Day weekend. It's a tradition that started with her parents...they've always invited their college friends up for the weekend. Leslie added to it when she started college by inviting all of us over for a weekend of fun. We usually spend a day or so at the lake and we usually float the Elk River too. I was a little worried about the weather this year, but it ended up being perfect. Since everyone has gone different directions since college, I treasure this time together even more. It's great to see everyone and catch up on life. I have such great friends! I think I laughed harder this weekend than I have in a long time. I love you all! I can't wait till next year.
Chad managed to get up on the wake board. I've never been able to get up on skis or a wake board. I tired it once and ended up on my face every time. I prefer to just hang out on the boat.

I also got to see Stacy and the twins this weekend. They surprised her family in Joplin and I got to stop by on Monday to see them. Again, I wish I had pictures to post because they are sooo cute! I don't know how Stacy does it all, but she's such a great mom! It was so good to see her.

Project of the Week - Cork Boards

I ran across this idea this summer. I love to stick up a few of my favorite photos on cork boards at school. Why not make them look cute? I know this isn't a very good picture, but I think you can get an idea of what they look like at least. This is what they look like without any pictures on them. Here's what to do if you'd like to make a set.

Supplies:
4 square cork boards (they come in a set at target and walmart)
fabric (enough for 4 13.5 inch squares)
hot glue gun and hot glue
ribbon
heat and bond fusible interfacing
iron and ironing board

Cut the fabric into 13.5 inch squares. Follow the directions on the heat and bond and fuse the fabric to the cork board with an iron. Pull the fabric around the cork board and hot glue it to the back side. Cut some ribbon and hot glue it to the back as well and you're finished. Very quick project.

September Book Giveaway!

This month I'm giving away a copy of this book. Nicholas Sparks is one of my favorite authors. I think I've read all of his books. If you haven't read this one and you'd like a free copy, leave a comment at the end of this post and I'll randomly choose a winner next Wednesday, September 9th. Happy reading!

Allergies and a few things that made me laugh...

I haven't seen this one before. Toilet paper dispenser headgear, not a bad idea. In college I used to use tampons to plug my runny nose. Maybe I'll try this one next.

















If you know me, you know how loud I sneeze....my students got their first experience with that today.











Lastly, don't be alarmed if this is me at my own funeral. Ha!

My Mom's Belated Birthday Party

Last weekend we went to Oklahoma City for a quick trip to see my family. We were all out of the country and unable to celebrate my mom's birthday on August 12th. My brother and Keely were in Africa. Chad and I were in Mexico. We were finally able to meet up last weekend. It was a short trip, but it was time well spent. We had dinner Saturday night at Lottinville's in Edmond. I hadn't been there since they moved. If you haven't been, you need to go. Its a really neat building and the food is excellent. I highly recommend it. I have such a wonderful family and I'm so thankful for any amount of time I get to spend with them. I think they are the greatest and I love them! I am constantly reminded of how blessed I have been to have such a good family.

Project of the Week - Podium

So remember the ugly fake wood podium I had. I finally got some fabric to cover it with. I also cut out some letters and put my name on the front so that it wouldn't be too plain. Then I modpodged the thing. I love using modpodge! Anyway, here's what it looks like now.

Putting a Hold on Sewing

Sunday's sermon was titled You Can't Handle it All.

Last weekend I really needed some rest, but I felt like I had so many things to do. I needed to work on school stuff and lesson plans. I also needed to finish two quilt orders from my etsy store, along with several other things. I was planning on sleeping in Saturday, but that didn't work out too well since Chad had to work. I was wide awake by the time he left, which means I didn't get to catch up on sleep at all. Now I was going to be exhausted for another week. My allergies were going crazy and I didn't feel well at all. I was not in the greatest mood. I was stressed because I felt like I had all of this stuff I needed to do.
Sunday's sermon was exactly what I needed to hear. One of the key points was that some things need to stop. I seem to like to make myself too busy sometimes. I know I miss out on a lot of opportunities by distracting myself with my to-do list...you know me and lists, I have a list for everything. I need to be more focused in how I spend my time. I need to evaluate what's really important and what I feel like God is calling me to do. I need to decide what stuff is cluttering up my life and my time. One of those things is making quilts. Don't get me wrong. I really enjoy sewing. I loved doing it this summer and I hope to sew more later on down the line. However, with school starting and everything else that's going on, I've decided to stop for a while. It's too much. I don't want to spend my time being stressed over it. I need to have a day to relax and be refreshed in order to be my best.

Project of the Week - Bookcase

I haven't had a chance to do anything decorative to my podium yet. I wanted to practice on something first, so I worked on one of my bookcases at school. It was super easy to do. All I did was cut some material the size of the shelves and then ModPodge it on there. I'm thinking I may do the podium in zebra print too.
Before:and After: