My Ramblings

Thirty Before 30 Update: 10.5 months to go

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 19:17:00 +0000

I have about 10 and a half months until I turn 30... I've made some progress on the list, so I wanted to do a little recap post. I still have a lot to do... but I have some time.

I decided to repost the whole list this time along with some updates.

Graduate from College - All set to graduate in December.
Get a Teaching job
Lose (at least) 50 pounds
Quit Smoking
Complete a 5K
~~Go a whole month without eating any fast food~~ - DONE!
Try 10 foods that I've never tried before 3 of 10
Make at least 5 Quilts (including one for Parker and Maggie) 2 of 5
Take the Wilton Cake Decorating Class
Make or do at least 20 things that I've pinned on Pinterest I've done a lot of these, I just need to sit down and figure out how many of them I've done. I may already have 20, but I'm just not sure yet. I may do a post soon with Pinterest inspired projects I've done.
~~Watch at least 10 movies, made in the 1980s, that I haven't seen before~~ - DONE!
Watch the entire Sex and the City series in order (including both movies)
Read 50 books (including 5 classics and 10 nonfiction) 6 of 50

~~Go to a Concert~~ - DONE!
~~Visit a museum~~ - DONE! We took Parker & Maggie to Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC for one afternoon. They had a great time. I still want to go to some other museums, but for now, this one counts.
See 3 Plays 1 of 3
Blog every day for a whole month (including weekends)
Write an Alphabibliography
Organize my office
Organize my closet
Organize my pantry with Tupperware Modular Mates
~~Direct the Christmas Play at Church~~ - DONE!
Mail out Christmas Cards by December 1
10 Random Acts of Kindness
Mail 20 cards (not including Christmas cards) 2 of 20
~~Upload a video of me singing in church to YouTube~~ - DONE! I actually posted 2... Here's one of them:
~~Have a Girl's Night with my Sister~~ - DONE!
Try 20 New Recipes 2 of 20
Go on a picnic
Take a day trip, alone, to the beach

So, that means I have 7 things on the list completely done... 9 in progress and a lot more to actually get done... I'm gonna be cutting it close, but I still feel like I can do all of these things before I turn the big 3-0!

*****

Is it really July?

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 01:58:00 +0000

I know that I say this all of the time, but I really did not mean to be gone from the blog for over a month. I have been so busy (it feels like I always am..) that blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I cannot even believe that it is July. Half of the year is gone... its been an interesting year to say the least, and I'm sure that things will get even more interesting from here.

I will keep this post short, as to ease back into this whole blogging thing. But I do want to outline some goals for July... just to keep me back on track. So, here are things that I want to accomplish during the next 30 days...

1. Blog more. I know that by just making this post, I've blogged more than I did last month... but I have some specific posts that I need to write, and then fill in some fun stuff too. Here are posts to be on the lookout for:

Thirty Before 30 Update
Vacation Bible School Recap
Parker's 4th Birthday Party
School Update

2. 31 Days of Thankfulness - So many people do "30 days of Thankfulness" in November on Facebook, and I just wanted to be different... and I need some positivity in my life right now, so I am doing it in July.

3. Workout 3 times a week

4. Read 5 books (not for school)

5. Go through things in my house and have a yard sale.

6. Make As in both of my summer classes for the 2nd session.

I think all of those are manageable. I'll report back at the end of the month. Like I said, short post, but I promise, I will be back more in July... if anyone is still reading...

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Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 09 May 2014 14:46:00 +0000

Tomorrow, May 10, is the largest single day food drive in the United States... Stamp Out Hunger. This food drive could not be easier to participate in. Simply, leave your non-perishable food items in a bag for your letter carrier. They will pick up the food, and deliver it to a local food bank. That's right... all of the food stays in your community. There are over 10,000 cities across all 50 states (plus DC, Guam, PR, & US VI) participating in this food drive.

Clean out your pantry, or pick up a few additional items today at the store and leave them to be picked up tomorrow. Last year, 74.4 million pounds of food was collected by postal workers. With your help, they can top that number this year. The National Association of Letter Carriers has been putting on this food drive for 22 years and has collected nearly 1.3 billion pounds of food since it's inception. The food that they collect helps feed the 49 million people in the United States who suffer from hunger... That is 1 in 6 Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from.

"Many people in this country still go hungry every day," NALC President Fredric Rolando said. "We are honored to be able to help people in need by leading an effort that brings out the best in so many Americans. Six days a week, letter carriers see first-hand the needs in the communities where we work, and we're committed to helping meet those needs."

As we head into the summer months, it is critical that we help stock the shelves of local food banks and pantries. School will be out in a few weeks, and over the summer there are hundreds of thousands of kids who will rely on the services provided by local food banks in order to have meals this summer. In the spring and summer people don't think about donating as much as they do during the winter months during holiday season.

So, before your mail is delivered tomorrow, leave a bag filled with non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, peanut butter, rice or cereal, and your letter carrier will pick it up.

Source: Stamp Out Hunger Press Release

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Cinnamon, Cheddar & Pear Panini (With Sargento Ultra Thin Sharp Cheddar)

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Wed, 07 May 2014 18:46:00 +0000

When I got an email letting me know that I was selected to participate in Influenster's Sargento Ultra Thin Slices Vox Box, I was super excited... I love cheese! I don't think that I've ever met a cheese that I did not enjoy.

The box arrived in the mail, and I've been kind of busy lately, so it took me a while to open it. Of course, they couldn't send cheese through the mail, so they gave me a voucher to go get a package of free cheese. I made a video of my 'unboxing'.

One of the tasks for the Vox Box was to try one of the recipes that Sargento has on their website. I looked for one that was quick and easy, and that I thought would be delicious. I was quickly drawn to the Cinnamon, Cheddar & Pear Panini. In addition to loving cheese, I also love all things cinnamon. I'm a big fan of fruit, and pears are one of the fruits that I don't eat enough. While I was at the store picking up my cheese, I gathered the ingredients to make the recipe.

4 simple ingredients... a few simple steps. Just butter your bread, layer cheese and pear slices and use a panini maker or a skillet to heat the sandwich and melt the cheese. Literally takes like 10 minutes with prep and cook time. Here's what mine looked like...

It was super easy, and equally as delicious. The Ultra Slim cheese melts pretty quickly, and becomes nice and gooey. The pears soften just a bit and almost melt in your mouth. This will probably be one of my go to quick meals from now on.

What is your favorite kind of cheese?

Disclaimer: I was given a free pack of Sargento Ultra Thin slices, compliments of Influenster. All opinions are my own.

*****

Thirty Before 30 Update: 13 months to go

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Thu, 01 May 2014 12:38:00 +0000

So, it's already May, which is so hard to believe. I turn 29 on May 28 of this year, which means that I have just over 1 year to finish up the things on my Thirty Before 30 List. If I'm going to complete all of the things on the list, I really need to get my butt in gear...

In my last update, I updated my list to be a little more reflective of what I want to accomplish now. I didn't change many goals, but you can click on over there to see the ones that I made edits to. Since I listed all of the goals there, in this update, I will only talk about things that I have finished, or have made progress towards since my last post.

Read 50 books (including 5 classics and 10 nonfiction) - In Progress

I am now up to 5 books... 3 nonfiction and 2 fiction. I made a shelf on my Goodreads account so that I can keep track of them. Here are the books that I've read so far.

Crystal's bookshelf: 50-books-for-thirty-before-30

Merry Humbug Christmas: Two Tales of Holiday Romance

by Sandra D. Bricker

Raw Edges

by Sandra D. Bricker

The Single Woman: Life, Love, and a Dash of Sass

by Mandy Hale

Balancing It All: My Story of Juggling Priorities and Purpose

by Candace Cameron Bure

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation

by Parker J. Palmer

Go to a Concert - DONE
This past weekend, was the Farmville Dogwood Festival, which is a local festival that I have been going to for years. Every year on Saturday night, they have a concert. I haven't ever been, but this year my sister and I decided to go. The main reason I wanted to go is because The Swon Brothers were going to be there! You might remember The Swon Brothers from The Voice a couple of seasons ago. They were on Team Blake... I loved them on the show, and voted for them many times. They were not the headliner of the concert, but were definitely the reason that I was there. They did not disappoint! The headliner was Cole Swindell. I didn't even really know who he was... apparently, he has been writing country songs for a while, but has just started singing his own stuff. He sang some familiar songs. Overall, it was a fun time. I need to do concerts more often. I love live music.

Mail 20 cards (not including Christmas cards) - In ProgressLately, I've been obsessed with watching Daily Vloggers on YouTube. Many of them have PO Boxes where you can send "fan mail," so I sent a couple of them cards. I love getting handwritten notes in the mail, so I figured they would too. So far, I've sent 2 out of the 20 cards... I have some more written out, but haven't mailed them yet... to people that I know, not random people online.

Have a Girl's Night with my Sister - DONE
So, I kind of killed 2 birds with 1 stone by us going to the concert the other night. Since it was just the two of us that went to the concert together... no kids... I'm counting it. We need to have more time together like this... Before the concert, we did walk around the festival and do a little bit of shopping.

So overall, that brings me to 5 completed tasks, and 7 in progress... time to pick up speed!

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Thirty Before 30 Update

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 08:08:00 +0000

I haven't written here in quite a while... no particular reason... I just haven't been in the mood to write. If you've been reading here for any amount of time, you will know that is nothing uncommon for me. Maybe I will feel like writing more soon.. maybe not...

I suppose I should do an update for my Thirty Before 30 list. I need this update for me to keep track. I am also changing a few of the goals, because there are some things that I just simply don't want to do anymore. I was in a different place when I wrote my original list, so now some of those goals I had, I just don't have anymore. It's my list, so I can do that right?

I usually only update the goals that I have made progress on... but I'm reposting the whole list since I'm making some updates. I will cross out the things that I am deleting and make notes about my changes. I will also update progress in Pink.

Professional

I am removing "Promote to Tupperware Director" because I am not in a place right now in my business where that is feasible anymore. They recently made some changes to the Director program to make it more of a challenge, and I just don't think that I can do it before I turn 30 with the way things are going right now. I made Graduate from College and Get a Teaching Job two separate goals, because let's face it.. they are.

Graduate from College Expected Graduation Date, December 2014!
Get a Teaching job
~~Promote to Tupperware Director~~

Health/Wellness

Lose (at least) 50 pounds
Quit Smoking
Complete a 5K
Go a whole month without eating any fast food DONE!
Try 10 foods that I've never tried before (3 of 10)

Creative

Make at least 5 Quilts (including one for Parker and Maggie) (2 of 5)
Take the Wilton Cake Decorating Class
Make or do at least 20 things that I've pinned on Pinterest

Cultural

Watch at least 10 movies, made in the 1980s, that I haven't seen before DONE
Watch the entire Sex and the City series in order (including both movies)
Read 50 books (including 5 classics and 10 nonfiction) (4 of 10 - 2 nonfiction, 2 fiction)
Go to a Concert
Visit a museum
~~Tour 5 NC Wineries~~ I'm just not that into wine as I once was... I still enjoy it from time to time, but I just don't think I want to spend a lot of time going to these wineries. I may, but I'm not making it a goal.
See 3 Plays - I want to see more theater productions. Small or big, it doesn't matter... just see them. (1 of 3)

Blogging

Blog every day for a whole month (including weekends)
Write an Alphabibliography

Home

Organize my office
Organize my closet
Organize my pantry with Tupperware Modular Mates

For Others

Direct the Christmas Play at Church DONE
Mail out Christmas Cards by December 1
10 Random Acts of Kindness
Mail 20 cards (not including Christmas cards)

Personal / Random

~~Sing Karaoke~~ I just don't go anywhere to sing karaoke... I do sing in church often.
Upload a video of me singing in church to YouTube - I think it could be fun. I'm not the best singer at all, but it would be great to have a video posted. I'm sure I'm better than some of what is on YouTube!
Have a Girl's Night with my Sister
Try 20 New Recipes (2 of 20)
Go on a picnic
Take a day trip, alone, to the beach

So, there's a little update... I haven't made a lot of progress since the last update, but I did want to make these changes. I really need to get on the ball. I have about 421 days to get it all done! I need to catch up in order to get some of it done in time, but I still think I can...

*****

#FastFoodFreeFeb

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 05:30:00 +0000

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed a few tweets throughout this month about me not eating Fast Food. I didn't make a huge deal about it, because I just didn't feel like I should. If you recall, one of my Thirty before 30 goals was to go a whole month without eating Fast Food. I decided that I was going to do it this month.

I wanted to take just a minute to explain why this was on my list of goals. I didn't want to do it to lose weight or anything like that. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I eat out, particularly fast food, way too much. I wanted to show myself that I could survive without having to pull up to the drive thru window. Seriously, some days lunch and dinner were both fast food. It is just so convenient, and easy. It is relatively inexpensive, compared to grocery shopping and cooking for one person. I had quite the addiction.

I went into this thinking that it was going to be extremely difficult. I knew that I would be tempted and that I would be surrounded with endless opportunity to fail. However, after a few days, I found that I really didn't think about it. I would drive past all the fast food places and not even think about stopping. When my parents would bring home food and I ask if I wanted anything, saying "no" was easy.

As I write this, I am 27 days Fast Food Free... I don't see me eating any tomorrow, either... so I am going to call this little project a success. I have only really craved one thing during the whole month that is fast food... a biscuit from Bojangles. It will be my first fast food purchase on March 1.

I'm really glad that I did this, and that I was successful. It really has shown me that I can cut back on it. In the spirit of transparency, I still had burgers and fries... but they were homemade burgers and fries that weren't loaded with all the preservative crap that fast food joints have in them. People have told me that I won't even have a taste for fast food anymore... I think that it will take more than a month for me to develop that. I really didn't change much else about my diet throughout the month, so I'm not sure if I saw any weight loss as a result. I will weigh Saturday morning to see.

I might still eat fast food from time to time, but I have a feeling that it will be with less frequency!

*****

Just Watching Airplanes

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 08:03:00 +0000

Last Friday, I spent the afternoon working in the office, and stayed a little longer than I had planned. I needed to leave to get to the church lock in. Parker and Maggie were at my mom's and I also wanted to spend a little bit of time with them, since I wouldn't be spending the night with them, and wouldn't see them much on Saturday because I had a Tupperware party.

It was a 'busy' weekend, without much downtime. So, when Parker wanted to go outside to look for airplanes, I really didn't have time for it, but then I remembered the blog post I'd read on Molly's blog the day before. She wrote about Quitting the "Busy" Trap. The take away from her post was that we really aren't as busy as we claim, and we really need to make time for the things that matter.

So when Parker asked again to go outside and look for airplanes, I quickly sent a text to another youth leader and told her that I would be there, but I would be late. Parker and I went outside, sat on the porch, and watched the sky. Mama's house isn't too far from an airport, so usually you can see a plane or two go by. That day, we saw 4. Parker was so excited that we saw so many planes. He said they were racing in the sky. He asked where they were going, and why they were going in different directions. Hearing him retell the story about us seeing all the airplanes to my Mom was great.

Some days, you just have to take a second to just watch airplanes. One day, Parker won't beg me to go outside and watch the sky with him. Soon he will be too big or too cool to hang out with his Aunt Crystal. I want him to remember these times with me because it is these small moments with him that I cherish.

*****

10 Tips to Plan A Successful Church Youth Lock In

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 07:28:00 +0000

Earlier this year, I wrote about growing up as a church kid, and how now that I am an adult in the church, I want to ensure that our Youth Group looks back on their time as a church kid in the same positive light that I do. That post was in response to another blog post: 20 Signs You Grew Up as a Church Kid. Number 4 on that list was: "You participated in a youth group “lock-in.”

When I was a kid, lock ins were so much fun. They made for a long night, because we stayed up all night... playing games, hanging out and chatting, and probably driving our Youth Leaders crazy because we just wouldn't go to sleep. So, when our Youth Leaders decided that we were going to have a lock in, I was scared. I envisioned a sleepless night with kids running around everywhere.

Last weekend, we had a lock in, and it was so successful. All of the kids were asleep by 11:30 pm, up before 7 am and back with their families by 8 am, and most importantly, a lot of fun was had. I'll admit, I didn't have a huge hand in planning the lock in, but as I was sitting there, waiting for the last of the kids to drift off into dream world, I jotted down some notes about what I felt like made this lock in a success, as well as things that we could have done a little bit differently. I also thought about things that could be done with different age groups and with other purposes and came up with this list.

1. Make sure all logistics are covered.
When your Youth Leaders first decide that you are going to have a lock in, make sure that you are all on board with the logistics. Date, Time, Location, etc. You want to make sure that you have a large enough area for everyone to be able to run around and have fun, but also be able to have separate sleeping areas for boys and girls. We are lucky enough at our church to have a large activity center that provided enough space for all of our needs. You also want to make sure that parents know what time to drop off their kids, and what time to pick them up. Usually, lock ins last at least 12 hours, and depending on your purpose, can run as long as 24 hours. Do what works for your kids. We started at 6 pm and had a pick up time of 8 am.

2. Age Groups
You want to make sure that your age groups aren't too large. Our church youth group is divided into 3 age groups. 3-8, 9-12, and 13-19. For this lock in, we only had the youngest two groups. However, none of the 3 and 4 year olds came, so we had ages 5 to about 11. If you want to include all of your age groups, it is possible, but know that you will have to have separate activities, since teenagers aren't going to want to play with the little kids.

3. Adult to Kid Ratio
The Adult to Kid Ratio is really important from a safety stand point, but you also don't want the kids to overwhelm just a few adults. You may have to ask for more help, outside of just the Youth Leaders. Depending on the age of the kids, I would suggest a ratio of around 1:4. 1 adult per every 4 kids. We had 16 kids, and 6 adults, so we were closer to a 1:3 ratio. You also want to make sure that you have both male and female adults present to help with things like bathroom visits and changing into pajamas and for when it is time to go to sleep.

4. Have a Theme or Purpose
The reason that we decided to have a lock in last weekend is because some of our kids wanted to go camping. With our weather being a little unpredictable lately, we decided that we could do the lock in with a camping theme, and bring it all inside. We went with a "camp in" theme. We used tents to separate the sleeping areas, roasted marshmallows and ate at picnic tables which had lanterns on them. We had camping chairs set up for when we watched a movie.

I also thought about some other themes or purposes that you use for a lock in. You could really do anything, but here are a few other ideas.

Service Based
Design a lock in around a service project. You could plan your lock in for the fall and pack boxes for Operation Christmas Child. You could pack boxes for your church missions. Have your lock in that night, and then wake up and clean up the church yard or plant flowers in the Spring. There are so many options. Just pick one and make it the purpose for having everyone get together and do something good.

Fundraiser
I remember as a kid, we used to have Rock a Thons in our church fellowship hall. I was recently going through old home videos and found one from a Rock a Thon in 1990 that was also a lock in. They are a perfect thing to do together. Have each youth group member bring their own rocking chair and collect pledges for the number of hours that they would rock. Set the rocking chairs up in front of a projected movie, or in front of TV where kids could play (church appropriate) video games. Set the chairs up in a circle and play games or sing songs or have devotion time. Just keep rocking and raising money for your cause.

Worship Retreat
Design your lock in to be a time of Worship and Spiritual Renewal. I think that this one would work really well with older kids, like teenagers. Sing songs, have a time for testimonies, spend a lot of time in prayer, have several devotion times throughout the night. Plan your activities to bring your youth group closer together and closer to God.

5. Have Food

If there is anything that our church does well, it is eating. Our Activity Center has a large kitchen in which we prepare meals often. It is important to include some type of food in your lock in, whether it is a meal or just a bunch of snack type food. Kids like to eat, especially when they are in a party type atmosphere. We kicked off our lock in with Supper. That's a good way to get everyone together for a meal before all of the activities begin. We kept it simple with cheeseburgers that one of our male youth leaders cooked on the grill. We had chips and cookies to go with them. We also had snacks that the kids could go in and grab throughout the night. It is important though, to make sure that you set a cut off time for the food and the drinks, especially if you are dealing with younger kids.

We also had doughnuts the next morning for a quick breakfast before the kids left. Since they were leaving so early, we didn't need anything too heavy. I have been to lock ins where there was a big breakfast the next morning, and that might be a good idea, depending on your time frame.

6. Have Lots of Activities Planned.

We had a lot of things for our kids to do throughout the night, but there really wasn't a set schedule of when things would happen. We kind of played it by ear to see what the kids were doing, if they were getting bored with one thing or if we needed to move on to something else. Plan out activities that are geared towards your theme or purpose.

Since we were going with a "camp in" theme, we knew that one thing we wanted to do was to roast marshmallows. We used a fire pit outside and had the kids take turns roasting their marshmallows. We didn't want to do this too close to dinner time, but we didn't want it to be too late either. After we ate, we let the kids run around and play. We had games like Twister and Giant Tic Tac Toe set up in stations in the gym. We also had access to basketballs, other kinds of balls, scooter boards, plasma cars, etc for the kids to play with. We kind of just let them run around and do whatever they wanted.

Around 8 pm, we could tell that they needed a change, so we went outside to roast marshmallows. They loved it, and it fit in perfectly with our theme.

After we were done with that, we came back inside and washed up for some group activities. It is important to have whole group activities for your youth to bond as a youth group. We wanted to make sure that we did a short devotion, so once everyone was settled back inside, we started with that. One of our youth leaders did a devotion that related to the camping theme.

After the devotion, we played some group games to wear them out even more. Think of "old school" games like Four Corners. They loved that game, and it gave them more opportunities to run around and play before we wanted them to go to sleep. After Four Corners, we played a teacher's favorite, Silent Ball. After a couple of rounds of each, it was time for a movie.

We projected the movie on the wall, and some kids sat in the camping chairs, while others curled up in their sleeping bags. Pick a movie that is appropriate and not gender specific (no princess movies or super hero movies). The movie was the final "wind down" activity for the night... some of the kids even went to sleep before it was over.

7. Know that Some Kids Won't Stay.

When planning your activities, keep in mind that some kids will not stay the entire night. There could be several reasons for this. Some might plan to leave for various reason, and their parents will arrive to pick them up. Some kids might wake up and want to go home. When dealing with younger kids, some might get homesick. Keep all of those possibilities in mind. We had a couple of kids that had plans the next morning and needed to leave early. Luckily, we didn't have any kids get homesick. Make sure that you plan activities that these kids can participate in. Since we didn't have anything really going on the next day, the kids that didn't stay, didn't miss anything. If you have big things planned for the second day or overnight activities, make sure that you have things both groups can do as well.

8. Remember Kids with Special Needs.

Know your kids and if they have any special needs. If you have kids that have allergies or asthma make sure that you know that in advance. Make sure that if kids need medication that they have it on hand. When we went outside for the marshmallows, the smoke and cool air got to one of our kids with asthma, and she started having trouble breathing, and she didn't have her inhaler. We quickly got her inside and breathing into a paper bag until her parents could drop off her inhaler. Make sure you have what you need. Also, make sure that you have simple first aid supplies on hand in case something happens.

9. Establish a Bedtime or Lights Out Time.

For your sanity, this one is important. I think that this was one of the most successful aspects of our lock in. The kids knew that they were expected to go to bed at some point. For us, once the movie was over, the kids that were still awake, went into their tents and went to bed. A couple of the adults stayed up until they were sure that all the kids were asleep. Let your group know from the beginning that everyone needs sleep. It helps if you have activities that will wear them out and make them tired. It also helped that when we started the movie, the lights went off. It calmed everyone down. Before midnight, all of our youth were sleeping and it was glorious. My fears of a super late night were gone.

10. Have Fun!

All of these tips are great, but if no one has fun, it isn't even worth it. Remember that you are dealing with children. Things will happen, someone's feelings will get hurt. Kids will bump into each other and get hurt. There may be tears, but soothe them and assure them that everything is ok. Monitor all of the activities and make sure that the kids are having fun. Have fun with them. Make memories with them.

Have you ever been a part of a youth group lock in?

Do you have memories of church lock ins as a kid?

*****

50 is Sweet: Mama's Surprise 50th Birthday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 17:56:00 +0000

Two years ago, we threw my Daddy a Surprise 50th Birthday party. Since Mama was turning 50 this year, we decided to the same with her. It was a lot harder to keep a surprise from her, since she wasn't in on the party planning. Another thing that was more difficult was deciding on a theme. Daddy was easy... trucks are his "thing." Mama really doesn't have a "thing." I found myself thinking about the stuff that she enjoys, and right now, most of her spare time is taking care of Parker and Maggie, and she wouldn't have it any other way... but I kept coming back to candy. She has a bit of a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate. I kept thinking that it would be silly to do a candy themed 50th birthday party, but I couldn't think of anything else that would really fit her and that would be simple to do. So, candy theme it was, and I played it off as "50 is Sweet!"

Here's the invitation, which I kept simple. Chocolate drizzle on top, a baby picture and simple wording.

We had a pretty standard menu for lunch: BBQ Chicken on the grill, Red Potatoes, Green Beans, Cole Slaw and Cornbread.

All types of chocolate candy were everywhere in the decorations. This is the Centerpiece on the buffet table.

I also built this massive candy "cake" tower for the center of the cake table.

The cake matched the invitation. Again, my wonderful cake lady did an outstanding job.

For centerpieces on the table, we did simple balloons and piles of candy. The candy was hot glued to Styrofoam shapes. Some were squares and others were cones. The cones looked like candy mountains!

The pretty flowers that my Daddy gave her for her birthday were the centerpiece of the gift table. Even though we requested no gifts, people brought some anyway. See there was more candy spread throughout.

The photo wall with a simple banner that said "Happy 50th Birthday Becky" was one of my favorite parts. I love going back and looking at photos of my family from before when I was born. This photo wall included all parts of her life, from growing up, to becoming a wife, mother and grandmother. Of course, there were more candy bowls so that people could snack while they viewed the photos.

There were some stressful moments, but we pulled it off. Surprise parties are so hard! I told a lot of "little white lies" to her the weekend of the party so that we could keep it a surprise. I think she kind of figured it out the night before, but she didn't say anything. Now... to do a 60th party for my aunt in April.

*****

Suck the Happiness Out

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 03:09:00 +0000

Source

I've spent some time this week doing something totally opposite of what I've spent the last few months to a year doing. I sat down and unfollowed a bunch of people on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Bloglovin. I'm not talking one or two here or there... I mean, I unliked about 190 pages on Facebook. I unfollowed over 100 people on Twitter. On a normal day when I'd log into Bloglovin, I'd have 50 to 60 new posts to read. Today when I logged in, I had 6. Truly a social media purge.

Why would one do this? Isn't the whole point of social media to interact with lots of different people? What about that whole blogging 'community' that everyone is always talking about? Well, to sum it up kinda quickly, seeing all of those posts and the tweets and the whole blogging community mumbo jumbo every single day, was sucking my happiness out. I'll explain...

I don't mean that the people that I unfollowed or unliked were intentionally doing bad things to me. Yes, there were a few times when I felt snubbed by a few of them, but I'd whine about it to some friends and get over it... but there was still just something about blogging and social media that made me sad now... and that is not how it used to be.

In my first post of this year, I wrote this:

Honestly, I think I got too caught up in trying to 'fit in' and grow my readership and all that stuff... I stopped wanted to write blog posts that were important to me... and just write for a new link up everyday. I lost sight of the reason that I started blogging in the first place. I felt like the posts that really mattered, no one was reading or responding to. I have to get past all of that and just keep blogging... maybe the numbers will come, maybe they won't... but I have to just keep writing and not worry so much about all of the statistics...

I got caught up in all of that again after just a few short posts. Constantly seeing posts from bloggers who posted every day and feeling the pressure to do the same... watching them grow their communities while all I get are hundreds of spam comments... just not feeling like I could ever really break into this whole mystical blogging community was making me sad, and my blog was and still is suffering for it.

Do I think that there is a great blogging community? Of course I do, but somewhere you have to find where you fit into it... and I just haven't found my place, yet. I always felt like an outsider, and I know that part of it was me... but there were also times where I tried very hard to fit in a be liked and those attempts were blatantly ignored. To other bloggers out there: If you think that readers don't notice their comments that you delete or never respond to, or notice the behaviors of link up hosts, etc... you are wrong. Readers notice all of that. Here's the other thing about this blogging community... it is very cliquish. I'm talking High School, Mean Girls, cliques. I don't normally do well with those kinds of situations in real life, so there's no way that I want to deal with it online.

A lot of the people/blogs that I stopped following were ones that I'd just started following to enter some massive giveaway or something... and I truly didn't read their posts or interact with them much at all, so they weren't such a big loss. There were others who on most days, I enjoyed what they had to say and would comment from time to time... but reading their blogs was no longer working for me...

So, I just made the decision that I was going to do some "Spring cleaning" and only keep blogs and people on my list who I feel that I have genuinely connected with in some way. I won't ever stop reading new blogs, but from now on, I'm just going to be a lot picker when it comes to actually following, religiously reading and committing to a blog.

I've made friends online with people that I've never met before... some of them, I have been friends with for years... but I felt like all of the people I cut out weren't contributing to my happiness, and on most days were decreasing it, so they had to go.

Have you ever done a social media purge?

*****

Food Bank Friday: Hearts for Hunger

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 23:51:00 +0000

If you can believe it, Valentine's Day is only a week away. We've all seen the posts about the perfect gift for your loved ones... but have you ever thought about doing something for that special someone that would show your love for them and also help someone else out at the same time? Flowers die, too much candy will make you sick... and there is just not enough room for one more teddy bear or stuffed animal... Why not do something that will have a lasting impact.

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina is in the middle of their Valentine's Campaign: Hearts for Hunger. This is an Honor Drive... meaning that you can donate to the Food Bank in honor of someone that you love, and in return you will be able to send them an ecard or print a card detailing that a donation has been made in their honor.

So why should you consider donating to the Food Bank? Here's a few facts:

For every $1 that is donated to the Food Bank, 97 cents goes directly to food and food distribution.
For every $1 that you donate, the Food Bank can provide 5 meals, or $10 worth of food.
FBCENC serves 34 counties in NC, which include over 560,000 individuals in need.

If you aren't local, please consider donating to your local food bank in honor of someone that you love this Valentine's Season. You can search for a local food bank on the Feeding America Website.

I am a Social Media Ambassador for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

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February Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 07:19:00 +0000

So, I intended to write this post on Monday, and it just didn't happen. I want to start setting goals each month, in an effort to be more productive, but also to make sure that I'm staying on track with my Thirty Before 30 goals. So at the beginning of each month (or somewhere near the beginning), I will share a list of goals... and next month, I will recap how I did, and go from there.

February 2014 Goals

Finish the JWA Membership Directory...about halfway done with this, and need to get it done soon.
Make a quilt to be raffled off for Relay for Life.
Complete the #fmsphotoaday challenge... I've always started this, and never finished it. Hopefully, I will actually take all of the photos this month.
Fast Food Free February... One of my Thirty Before 30 goals is to go a whole month without eating Fast Food. This one is going to be really really hard, but I have decided that I will not eat Fast Food this month. For the purpose of this goal, I am defining "Fast Food" as anything that I can get at a drive thru window. I'm also going to cut down on the number of times I order in food. I'm 5 days in already, and so far, so good.
Try to figure out some type of regular posting schedule... I'm struggling with consistent posting on the blog, so I need to figure out how to make that happen. Betsy at Musings of a Museum Fanatic kind of inspired this goal with a post that she did towards the end of last month about her Blogging Weekend. I have a lot to figure out, and try to fit in working on my blog.
Read 3 books... I've got to catch up if I'm going to make my bigger goal on my Thirty Before 30.

There you have it... some goals for February. I feel good about these, and I really think that I can accomplish them. Hopefully, I will get a posting schedule figured out soon, and will be back with more exciting things.

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Thirty Before 30: 6 Months In

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 05:00:00 +0000

An update on my Thirty Before 30 list is well overdue. I can't believe that it is already the end of January. My 29th birthday is 4 months away, which leaves me only 16 months to complete every item on this list.

To catch up, you can read my entire list here: Thirty Before 30

My last update was on August 28. You can read that update here: 1 Month In

In these updates, I will only list the things that I have accomplished or the progress that I have made towards larger goals.

Make at least 5 Quilts (including one for Parker and Maggie): In Progress (2/5)

I have currently completed 2 quilts, and I am working on my 3rd. None of those have been for Parker and Maggie. Hopefully, I can get theirs done before their birthdays this year. I think that I will go over my original goal of 5 quilts. I have so many ideas and so many things that I want to do. The 2 that I have finished were both donated to my church's Harvest Sale auction in October.

One was this simple baby quilt.

And the other was this handprint quilt.

I will do more detailed posts about them later.

Watch at least 10 movies, made in the 1980s, that I haven't seen before: DONE
As of my last update, I was 4/10. Since then, I have watched at least 6 more. Netflix has been my friend, especially late at night when I can't sleep. Here's a list of all the 1980s movies that I have watched:

Pretty In Pink
Girls Just Want to Have Fun
Flashdance
The Breakfast Club
Say Anything
Clue
License to Drive
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
An Officer and a Gentleman
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Playing for Keeps

That's 11... I will probably continue to watch some 80s movies... because there are SO many that I haven't seen. I tried to throw in some different one's so they weren't all 80s teen movies. I still have some suggestions from other people that I want to watch. I will probably more than double my original goal of 10.

Read 50 books (including 5 classics and 10 nonfiction): In Progress (2/50)

I'm really not doing good on keeping up a good pace on this... so I will have to catch up soon. So far, I've only read 2 books, both of which were by the same author. I blogged a lot about "Raw Edges" by Sandra D. Bricker. I also read her Christmas novellas "Merry Humbug Christmas."

I'm currently reading 2 books, and I have a ton downloaded on my Kindle... so I need to play catch up a lot on this goal.

Direct the Christmas Play at Church: DONE

Most of November and December were dedicated to directing the Christmas play at my church. I worked with about 40 kids between the ages of 1 and 11 to put on the play. We used "Sing a Song of Christmas" from Brentwood Benson Publishing. It was a lot of hard work, but it turned out great! I'm waiting for my copy of the DVD so that I can sit back and view it without wearing my 'director' hat. I've had many compliments on the play, and I'm already thinking up ideas for next year. It was such a great experience working with those kids.

Overall, I have 2 items completely checked off, and there is progress on a couple other ones. I really need to step up my game... I'm a little behind where I wanted to be at this point, but I still have time. I think that all of them are manageable. I am going to take some time to sit down and really make out a plan of when to get things done, and if I need to make a couple of changes to the list, I will. It is my list, and I reserve the right to edit it a little bit. Hopefully by the end of next month, I will have a lot more progress to report.

Do you have a list of goals? How are you coming on completing them?

*****

Honey Apple Cinnamon Pork Loin in the Crock Pot

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:57:00 +0000

Sunday, our church Relay for Life team hosted a crock pot lunch after church to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Basically, everyone on the team brought one pot dishes, or crock pot dishes and then for a donation, people could get some of whatever they wanted to eat.

I like cooking in the crock pot because its easy... but I don't do it a lot because a lot of crock pot recipes aren't intended for just one person, and I'm really not a fan of eating leftovers for days on end. So, whenever I get the chance to make one of the dishes I have pinned on my crock pot dishes board, I jump at it.

Some time last year, I made Honey Apple Pork Loin using this recipe. I love apples... and honey... and cinnamon, and I'm not a huge fan of pork loin, unless it is really cooked right. While it was good, I felt like the flavors were a little too mild for me.

I decided to make it again, but to change up a few things to enhance the flavor. The original recipe calls for Red Delicious apples. Since I'm an apple lover, I know that there are a lot of apples that have much more flavor than the standby Red Delicious, and that Red Delicious aren't really recommended for cooking or baking. When I was at the grocery store, the best option that they had was a Fuji apple. They are Red Delicious cross breed, and have a much better taste, in my opinion. So, I sliced up 2 Fuji Apples, placed them in the bottom of the crock pot, gave them a generous sprinkling of cinnamon, and drizzled with honey.

Then, to add more flavor to the actual pork, I cut the slits in it like the original recipe, but I then sprinkled the whole pork loin with cinnamon, and gave it a good rub. I sliced another apple and placed them in the slits that I'd cut into the pork. Once that was all done, I gave it a very very generous drizzle of honey. I put the remaining apple slices on top and sprinkled with cinnamon again. This is what it looked like right before I turned the crock pot on.

One other change that I made, to enhance the flavor, and to ensure that it wouldn't dry out, I added about 2 cups of apple juice to the pot. Since I had a lot more meat, I cooked this on low for about 10 hours (over night) so it was ready to go right around lunch time. Here's what it looked like halfway through the cooking.

It smelled so good while it was cooking! I couldn't wait to try it... Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it when it was finished because I dropped it off and by the time I got over there after church, it was almost gone! There was just enough for me to get a taste... and it was so good. A big improvement over the last time. The flavors were so much better. It shredded nicely and the apples were so full of flavor.

This is definitely one that I will be making again and again. What is your favorite crock pot dish?

*****

Pit & Peak is Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 24 Jan 2014 19:33:00 +0000

My favorite link up Pit and Peak is back! Allie and Jen are hosting now, and I'm so excited that they are doing this link up again.

Most people that are doing it this week are writing their posts, but I decided to vlog mine, because sometimes it is easier just to talk than it is to write out things. So here is my Pit & Peak...

Sorry that I kind of rambled for a bit...

So in the video, I mentioned that I'm going to start giving some shout outs to a couple of blog posts that I really enjoyed over the prior week. This is going to be completely random... just posts that I really liked, or that I resonated with in some fashion. This week, you should check out:

Writing For Fun

from

and It Is Well With My Soul from

What are you Pits & Peaks this week? Have you read any blog posts that you would recommend?

*****

A Clean Slate

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 08:33:00 +0000

Source

I am ridiculously excited about today. Last week, I officially changed my major (again) and today, I begin the classes that I need to finish. This is the beginning of the end of school for me. I feel as if the slate has been wiped clean, and I am starting fresh.

There is obviously a long back story to this (sudden) change in my major, so I will try to give you the abridged version.

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a teacher. I worked extremely hard in High School in order to obtain a highly regarded scholarship, which I was awarded. Two years into my degree, I decided that I didn't want to teach anymore, and that I wanted to go into Business Management. Then I got engaged, and we all know how that ended. School was no longer a priority for me... I just stopped going... until, I got laid off from my very corporate job.

Ironically, the day that I got laid off would have been my first day as a teacher, if I had stuck with the 4 year plan and graduated on time. I took this as a huge sign from God that in the classroom is where I belonged. Because my GPA had suffered and was incredibly low, I decided to sit out for 3 years and reapply to school under their forgiveness policy.

In 2011, I re-enrolled at ECU and with forgiveness, my GPA was back up and I was re-admitted into the Elementary Education program. Things went great the first semester... and then the combination of working full time, going to school full time and clinical depression got the best of me. My grades started dropping and I just wasn't happy. This continued for a few semesters... throw in some advising changes and some unnecessary classes and it just wasn't a good combination.

Last Monday, I met with my advisor and the director of the advising center. They presented me with a couple of options... one of which was changing my major to a new program that ECU is offering... a Bachelor of Science in University Studies. They said that because I had a wide variety of classes under my belt, that this program might be a good fit for me.

Basically, it is kind of a "create your own degree" program, within set parameters. On Tuesday and Friday of last week, I met with the advisor for this new program, and got excited about school again. There is a very real possibility that I can graduate this summer.

So what will this degree program allow me to do? Several things. I can still get a teaching license. In North Carolina, there is a lateral entry program where I can work towards obtaining a teaching license while I am working in the classroom as a teacher. They accept graduates with various Bachelor's degrees. This would be the most perfect path for me. I could have a job as a teacher in August.

However, the Education field is changing so much these days. I'm not sure that it is where I want to be 'stuck' forever. Having this degree (and a Communications minor) will allow me to have a fall back option if after a few years of teaching, I decide it isn't for me.

So today, a week after classes have already started, I am walking into my new home at ECU. I am excited, nervous, and anxious... and all the other emotions that are mixed in there. My notebooks are organized, my pencils are sharpened and my book bag is packed. 13 semester hours are ahead of me and I have a great feeling about this.

I'm thankful that this option was presented to me. I was so unhappy in the Elementary Education program. Most days I felt like this:

But today, I'm looking forward to this new challenge... It will take me less time to complete this, there are less hoops to jump through and I have options. Here's to putting all of those reasons that my slate is clean behind me and embracing the fact that I have a new start to focus on!

*****

Getting older...

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 19:29:00 +0000

I was driving the other day, and started thinking about how I can tell I'm getting older. Then today, I checked my bloglovin and saw that Chels at Red Velvet Rooster had posted a list of signs she is getting old. I decided to follow suit and present to you...

5 Signs that I am getting Older

When speaking to someone, I say things like "When I was a kid...." or "I remember when..." or "It used to be..."
Babies that I remember being born are now old enough to have their own babies.
The phrase "Kids these days..." has slowly made its way into my vocabulary.
Hair color is necessary... not just because I feel like changing it.
I relate to lists like these (and feel nostalgic) :

In a few months, I will begin the last year of my 20's.... and that makes me feel really old...

*****

Internet ADD aka Online Procrastination

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 19:39:00 +0000

The Internet is a wonderful thing. There are so many interesting things that you can find online... There is a wealth of information readily available at your fingertips. Most days, I feel like I live online. I do a lot of work online... but I also waste a lot of time online too.

I suffer from Internet Attention Deficit Disorder... I like to call it, iADD. I sit down with one goal in mind, and before I know it, I have started doing fifteen other things, and the task that I started out to do has not been completed. For example, yesterday, I sat down to write my blog post about being a church kid and a church adult. Before I knew it, I was on the church website, on the church Facebook page, on YouTube watching videos that had nothing to do with church, checking my email, checking JWA email, posting on a Facebook group... and then it was time for a meeting, and my blog post had not yet been finished.

Here are the top 5 things that contribute to my iADD:

Facebook - I love Facebook to death, but it is the biggest time suck ever. There is just so much to do on there. Pretty pictures... and videos... and links to explore... Not to mention, the addicting games and groups... and the notifications that must be checked as soon as they arrive...
YouTube - For me, this one has become huge lately. Why do I care what some young 20 something in California is doing all day long? Why am I watching videos about Natural Mamas who eat their placenta? Why, just why? Because it is there... and it must be watched... Darn those suggested videos and their catchy titles. HOURS that I can never get back have been wasted watching pointless videos made by people who are making thousands of dollars from YouTube videos that I don't even care about...
Pinterest - This one has gotten a little bit better for me as of late. I used to spend hours at a time scouring through pins and creating boards of things that I will never use. I have thousands of pins and people are always adding more... What I have started doing, is only opening Pinterest when I am looking for something specific. It has become like Google for me... If I'm planning a party or something like that, I open it up and look for ideas. Some days, I still waste time looking for hair ideas that I will never be able to recreate or food that I know I won't ever attempt to make.
Blogs - I have this crazy of habit... when I find a new blog, and I've read a couple of posts that I like, I will go into their archives and read the posts in chronological order. So, I go back to the beginning and read all of the posts... many of which contains links, and then I'm stuck in this vicious cycle where I'm clicking on links and reading all the things that are to be read. I jump from blog to blog, and sometimes even go back and read my own old posts...
Wikipedia- Maybe I'm just a nerd, but I can (and have been known to) spend hours on Wikipedia, looking up useless information. Usually, this happens when I am reading something else or watching a video and something strikes my attention and I feel the need to look up more information about it. No one ever read the encyclopedia as much as I read Wikipedia.

In the time that it has taken me to write all of this out, I have posted a Facebook status... Shared a photo on Facebook... done a few google searches... checked school email, checked Blackboard for school... replied to some comments... checked Pinterest a couple of time... and I currently have 7 tabs open in Chrome. I need help.

Do you suffer from iADD? Should we start a support group? Would we ever get anything done?

*****

On Being a Church Kid and a Church Adult

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 04:30:00 +0000

The other day, my friend Michelle, shared a blog post on Facebook that was entitled "20 Signs You Grew Up as a Church Kid." Growing up as the quintessential Free Will Baptist Church kid, I related with so many of the signs that the blogger wrote about. As I read through the list, I found myself laughing, shaking my head in agreement, reminiscing on my own youth group experiences and longing to ensure that the church kids I work with now are able to look back in 10 or 20 years and still relate to parts of the post.

I've attended the same church since I was 2 weeks old. My family has been a part of that church for much longer. Growing up, I was heavily involved and was always at church. I wasn't one of those kids who felt like I was being forced to go to church, I wanted to be there. My friends were there. We had a large youth group, who for the most part, were all close friends. My best memories come from being a part of that group.

As I previously mentioned, I was heavily involved with my church, as a child and especially as a teenager. A week of my summer was spent in the beautiful NC Mountains at Cragmont, at Young People's Bible Conference. I met wonderful people, some of who I still keep in contact with. Every May, we always went to the State Youth Convention... this is where I was introduced to eating strawberries with powered sugar... and where I grew closer with my church friends, youth leaders and other youth from all over NC. I was a state youth representative, and a state youth officer. I taught Sunday School and worked in the Nursery. I directed Vacation Bible School... I sang in the choir, and sang solos when requested. I was as involved as I could be.

And then something changed... I went to college, and for the first year or so, stayed somewhat involved, but slowly started pulling away... until eventually, I was only attending church on special occasions, like Easter, Homecoming and Christmas. I was going through a period of a lot of change in my life, and for some reason, church just didn't fit in with that. Church was probably the place that I should have been seeking out, but it got left out.

Fast forward a few years... I felt that something was missing, and that I needed to be in church, but I just didn't feel like I was getting it from my home church. I started visiting a few other places. I liked them, and they were a little more contemporary, but nothing felt like home. It's very hard to go to a church where you don't know a lot of people, especially when you have been in the same church environment for over 20 years. Its even harder, when you are by yourself and the rest of your family is still attending your home church. I was still connected to my church, and was still involved some. I still wrote the bulletin every week... I had planned a couple of the Easter Egg Hunts and still went every so often. I was still a member, but not a faithful one.

Then last year, one of my goals was to be more consistent with my church attendance. I just felt like I needed to get back in there, and be present. I needed to be more active in the church. There was a huge hole that needed to be filled, and church was what was missing. So, when they were looking for a volunteer to direct Vacation Bible School, I said that I would do it. I knew that I needed to start attending more regularly, so I did.

Now, about 7 months later, I hardly ever miss a Sunday... or Wednesday.... or Sunday night. I jumped back in, head first, and I'm serving God through my church in many different areas. I've gone back to the things that I was used to... teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, singing solos, playing my flute during the offertory song... But, I've also found new ways to be involved. Instead of being in the youth group, I am now one of the youth leaders. I'm working with the AWANA program, which was started at my church after I had graduated. I'm keeping busy with all of my roles at the church, but it feels good. It feels like I'm back where I am supposed to be. I've come full circle, and I feel like I am "home" again.

It is still hard to believe that I'm no longer that church "kid," and now I am the church adult that is responsible for instilling the love of Jesus Christ in these kids. I am helping them to make memories. I can only hope that they look back on their church experience in a few years and see the same wonderful memories that I see from my childhood in the church.

*****

One Little Word

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 20:38:00 +0000

Last year, at the beginning of the year, I posted my "one little word;" a word that I would focus on for the entire year. My word for 2013 was "Consistent." In my post last year, I listed several things that I wanted to be more consistent in doing. Overall, I'm not extremely happy with my consistency last year. I had spurts of being consistent with certain areas, but I was never really consistent with everything at one time. Probably the one thing that I worked on the most was becoming more consistent with my church attendance. I'll post more about that later.

I was thinking about what my one little word for 2014 would be, and I was actually sitting in a church service when it hit me. A friend of mine was singing a song, and it just spoke to me so much. It described what I've been feeling for a long time now.

I've been wasting my time

I've been losing my mind

I've been running races

Still don't know what I've been chasing

But my eyes still can see

Bluer skies that wait for me

And I'm on my way

Time for me to fly

Time for me to soar

Time for me to open up my heart and knock on heaven's door

Time for me to live

It's time for me to sing

Time for me to lay down all my worries and I'll spread my wings

Time for me to fly

And in that moment, while listening to the song, I knew that my one little word for 2014 should be...

I have felt "stuck" for a long time... in many areas of my life. It's time for me rise above all of the stuff that's been keeping me bogged down and just fly. Soar above all that's been holding me back.

This year's word is a lot less "measurable," and more of an experience. Here's to flying high in 2014!

*****

Well, hello there, 2014: and a 5 for Five

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 07 Jan 2014 04:09:00 +0000

I can't believe that we are almost a week into a new year. Time is flying, and there is always so much to get done. Blogging has taken a bit of a back seat over the past few months, as I have been busy, and haven't had a lot of time to think about life, much less write about it.

The Holidays have come and gone, and I'm slowly trying to pull myself of the associated funk that always seems to creep in during that time of year.

I'm trying to get my blogging mojo back... it has been missing for quite some time. I have been reading a few posts here and there, but I've pretty much been absent from the whole blogging world. Honestly, I think I got too caught up in trying to 'fit in' and grow my readership and all that stuff... I stopped wanted to write blog posts that were important to me... and just write for a new link up everyday. I lost sight of the reason that I started blogging in the first place. I felt like the posts that really mattered, no one was reading or responding to. I have to get past all of that and just keep blogging... maybe the numbers will come, maybe they won't... but I have to just keep writing and not worry so much about all of the statistics..

With the encouragement of some friends (and their moms), I am back. I can't promise that posting will be on a regular schedule or that they will come every day... but I can try to post more and I have a feeling that some people will hold me accountable for that.

I have some plans for some upcoming posts... updates I need to make and changes that I want to make. so stay tuned.

And because I need the motivation, I am linking up with Jenn at Party of One for 5 for Five.

This week, I want to accomplish these 5 things:

Actually start using the planner that I got for Christmas. Yes, we are almost 7 days into 2014, but I haven't written a single thing on my calendar.
Update the JWA website and send out the newsletter. I'm slipping on my communication duties.
Give my refrigerator a good cleaning.
Mail some Tupperware catalogs.
Write 3 blog posts.

I think that I can get all of those goals accomplished. I will report back next Monday.

*****

Merry Humbug Christmas Link Along: Post 8 {Giveaway!}

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the last stop for the Merry Humbug Christmas Blog Link Along. The Launch Team hopes that you have enjoyed getting to the know the characters of the 2 novellas, and have learned some great information about the author, Sandra D. Bricker. If this is the first post you are seeing, make sure that you go back to the beginning to get all of the details about this fabulous book.

Since I am the last stop, click here to go back to the previous blog... and then work your way backwards to get all of the info about Merry Humbug Christmas.

It is hard to believe that there are only 69 days until Christmas! If you're looking for a book to put you in the Christmas spirit, look no further... Merry Humbug Christmas will definitely do that. You've already heard lots of great things about the book. If you're looking for even more fun Christmas cheer, the Launch Team has also put together a Pinterest Board full of quotes and things that relate to the book. Make sure that you follow it.

Another fun thing that is happening, is a Facebook Launch Party. It is going to be on Tuesday, October 22 from 8:30 - 9:30 pm EST over on Sandra D. Bricker's Facebook page. You can ask questions and there will be lots of fun prizes. Make sure that you like her page so that you don't miss out! Just click on the invite below.

You'll definitely want to make sure that you attend the Facebook Launch Party, because the winners of the Link Along Giveaway will be announced there! 2 lucky readers will be entered into a drawing to receive an autographed copy of Merry Humbug Christmas! Use the rafflecopter below to enter. All winners will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Teal Take Over: I'm Taking the Teal Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 07:00:00 +0000

During the month of September, The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance makes a big fundraising effort in honor of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. They encourage people to sign up and take the Teal Challenge. This year I am participating.

I have set my goal relatively low at $100. Every dollar raised will help to fight this horrible disease and to eventually find a cure. I am asking you to help. Any amount that you can give would be appreciated.

One way that I am raising money is by donating all of the profits that I make from selling ads on My Ramblings to my Teal Challenge fund. Click on the Sponsor page for more information about the ads that I am offering. There are plenty of spaces left. This way, you will get exposure for your blog or shop, as well as help out a great cause.

If you would like to donate, all you have to do is click on the image above that says "I'm taking the Teal Challenge." There is also a fundraising widget in my sidebar. Please help if you can.

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Survivor Spotlight Sunday: Meet Kim Snyder

noreply@blogger.com (Crystal from My Ramblings) — Sun, 08 Sep 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Each Sunday in the month of September, I will spotlight ovarian cancer Survivors. If you or someone you know would like to be spotlighted, please contact me for more information.

Today, I would like to introduce you to Kim Snyder. Kim is the President of Ovacome (an organization which will be featured later this week) and an ovarian cancer Survivor. She lives in Clearwater, Florida and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 41 years old. Kim has shared her story with me, and would like to share it with you. You can tell that she is passionate about spreading awareness. I encourage you to read the whole thing. Parts in bold are ones that stood out to me.

My story...
There is so much I can tell you and I am so passionate about the advocacy, I can wonder off in many directions, so I would like to write my story about being aware of your own body, awareness. … If you feel that there may be something more that your body is telling you, please don’t be afraid to go for a second opinion. In my case, I went to three doctors before I finally went to the emergency room. (One fertility doctor, one walk-in clinic, and one primary care doctor.)

Around the middle of January 2008, I started to feel really lethargic and had no energy. On Friday February 1st, I went to a walk in clinic. I was very tired, had a small cough and some abdominal pain. The Dr. tested me for the flu, it came back negative and then she said it could be a cold or allergies. She gave me a prescription for antibiotics, something for the cough and told me to take Mucenix to break up the cough. Well, by Monday the 4th, I still didn't feel well so I went to a new Primary care doctor since my old doctor had just retired. He took me off the medicine the walk in clinic prescribed and said that I just had a virus and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He gave me a prescription for the IBS. He also did some blood work and took a urine sample, which showed that I did not have a bladder infection. Later on that Monday, February 4th, the Dr. office called and said that my white blood count was off and they were going to call in an antibiotic. I called in sick for 6 days.

I had no energy and when I stood up, I had heavy breathing. I did not feel that the breathing issue was in the heart, but that it was coming from my abdomen and my stomach felt heavy. By Sunday the 10th, I just wanted to know what was wrong with me and I also did not want to call in sick another day without knowing what was wrong. My mom and sister suggested the emergency room because they would do tests and really find out what was wrong. So on Sunday morning, my husband and I went to the emergency room. And because I was breathing heavy they put me on an EKG right away. I had a rapid heart rate and they moved me to an emergency room and they started some blood work.

I told them that I felt like I had appendicitis but it was tender in the middle, not on the right side. They started feeling around my abdomen and they felt a mass in my abdomen right away. They did some more blood work and sent me for a CAT scan of my heart to make sure that I didn't have blood clots. That CAT scan went well and I didn't have issues with my heart. Then I had to drink this nasty stuff called barium with crystal light lemonade. YUCK. Once I drank that in a very specific time frame…. Off for a CAT scan of my abdomen. The CAT scan showed the mass the size of 9 cm, (3 inches) in my pelvic area. Once that was done, they admitted me to the hospital.

This was the first time I have been in the hospital and I was there for 9 days. Once in my room, they sent me for an ultrasound. The ultrasound didn't see what the CAT scan showed in the pelvic area, but it showed the mass higher up in my abdomen. This told me that I either had multiple tumors or one large tumor. It ended up being one, self contained larger mass (15.3 x 9.4 x 17.1 cm or 6 x 3.7 x 6.7 inches). I guess because the ultrasound was showing something different than the CAT scan, the ultrasound tech said “this is an interesting case, I love interesting cases”. Not something a patient wants to hear. Now the doctor had to figure out where the life of this thing was coming from…my left ovary, the uterus, or my abdomen. So they did a biopsy on my endometrial lining (inside the uterus) and that came back normal, which was good news, but this confused them since they could see the tumor in my uterus. I equate that biopsy to a very very intense pap smear test. Then there was a blood test. The CA125, but it is not very trusting and there are many false positives. Many doctors and insurance companies do not even like to give the test. A normal CA125 is 0-35. My CA125 was 256. They also did an MRI, but that didn’t really show them either where the life of this thing was coming from. It really only showed that it covered my left ovary, uterus, and abdomen. So they scheduled surgery for Friday, 2/15/08.

My surgery was going to start out as exploratory since they wanted to know where this thing was and what it was. They needed to rule out lymphoma and felt that it was mainly my left ovary. Surgery went well and when I woke up, I found out from my husband that the mass did have malignancy and that they took everything out. So at this point, my husband and I were spooked. Cancer. My Dr. stopped by to give me some good news. He went to pathology himself and although we still needed to wait for the pathology report, he felt confident that it was stage 1, early stage malignancy. He did an appendectomy, total hysterectomy, omenectomy, and removed some lymph nodes for testing. He felt that the mass, the cancer was gone and because the mass was self contained my dr. felt that I was cured. A colonoscopy confirmed that it had not spread as well. I did not need to have chemo treatments.

At my one week post op, the dr. had my final pathology report and it confirmed what he had already told me, that he felt confident that I was cured. I asked him how it spread from my ovary to uterus to my abdomen…as seen in the ultrasound. He said actually, it was lying right on top. It took him 5 minutes to lift it out of me and a 1 ½ hour for the pathologist to figure out what it was. It was the size of volleyball and it weighed a little over 3 lbs and …my cough was gone, since this thing was not pressing on my diaphragm anymore. Looking back, I had many symptoms, frequent urination, and change in bowels, feeling of fullness, menstrual issues, back pain, abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion and fatigue.

NOW, since I had a full hysterectomy, it threw me into menopause. It is called surgical menopause. I do have hot flashes. In the beginning, they were funny. Now, they are just a pain.

Giving credit to my husband, he has been my Angel!! He is always supportive and did everything during my recovery. He truly is amazing.

This was a very surreal and humbling experience. I want everyone to be aware of the symptoms for ovarian cancer.

What can we learn from Kim's story? Be persistent with your doctors. If you feel like something is wrong, keep pushing until they rule out everything. Knowing the symptoms of ovarian cancer, and keeping track of those if you have them, will help detect this disease in the early stages. Kim's ovarian cancer was caught early enough that surgery was the only thing required to treat it. Again, know your body, know the symptoms and don't be afraid to go to every doctor in town until they find out what's going on.

Please come back on Wednesday to learn more about Ovacome, the organization of which Kim is President.

The purpose of Survivor Spotlight Sunday is to help tell the stories of ovarian cancer Survivors and to celebrate them and their triumph over cancer. Please leave an encouraging or supportive comment for today's Survivor.

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