I've never really been big on New Year's resolutions. First of all, the word resolute is too final for my taste. This year though, I've decided to instate some goals for the new year. I've thought about these a lot and I think all of them are attainable. Putting them in writing, for all to see, will make me take them even more seriously! I'll use this blog to keep you updated on the progress of each one as well, so that'll give me more to write about. Without further ado...
SPIRITUAL
1.Finish reading the Bible all the way through- I read about four month's worth last year, and want to read the rest in 2012.
2. Complete "The Utmost for His Highest" devotional (with Jamie)
PROFESSIONAL
3. Obtain a full-time teaching position for the 2012-2013 school year
4. Create a teaching website- I'd like to use it to help other teachers find resources and share things I've created for use in my classroom
5. Read an hour's worth from professional material each week
HEALTH
6. Exercise at least 3 times a week
7. Use USDA's MyPlate feature to make healthier eating choices- I've already started this somewhat on my own, doing little things like switching out white bread and pasta, for wheat and whole grains
BLOG
8. Write at least two entries a week
9. Start regular features- some examples I've seen are "The Friday Five," "Five Song Friday," or "What I'm Loving Wednesday"
OTHER
10. Stick to a $50 weekly grocery budget
11. Rewatch the entire series of "Lost" (with Jamie)
12. Find a way to use my vocal talents- my current sights are set on our church's new choir for the modern worship service
Did you set any goals for 2012?
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Favorites of 2011!
Here it is, the post you've all been waiting for... or not :-) I've compiled a list of my favorite things of 2011. Keep in mind, these are my favorites, not necessarily the best, according to critics and the like. Some were brand new things that were introduced this year, while others I just happened to read, watch, buy or consume this year. Nothing is ranked in order, as that would take entirely too long for me. Enjoy, and share your own favorites for the year in the comments section!
Okay friends! Now it's your turn!
Reading
Books
The Help
The Hunger Games trilogy
The Firm
Magazines
Entertainment Weekly
Good Housekeeping
Television
TV Shows
The Middle
The Sing Off
Downsized
The Voice
The Closer
Parks and Recreation
Modern Family
New (2011) Shows
Revenge
The Glee Project
Up All Night
New Girl
Switched at Birth
Guilty Pleasures
Pretty Little Liars
Sister Wives
The TO Show
Dance Moms
Real Housewives of Atlanta & New York
Music
CDs
Adele "21"
The Cocktails "Another Round"
Bruno Mars "Doowops and Hooligans"
Kelly Clarkson "Stronger"
Florence and the Machine "Ceremonials"
Maroon 5 "Hands All Over"
Songs
"Rolling in the Deep" Adele
"Moves Like Jagger" Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
"Perfect" Pink
"Not Over You" Gavin Degraw
"Til the World Ends" Britney Spears
"Skyscraper" Demi Lovato
"Poison and Wine" The Civil Wars
"Without You" David Guetta & Usher
"Mr. Know It All" Kelly Clarkson
Movies
2011 Releases
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Super 8
The Muppets
Bridesmaids
Technology
Blogs
Apps
Hanging with Friends
IMDB Trivia
Spotify
Flixster
TripAdvisor
Shopping
New Beauty Products
New Food Finds
Okay friends! Now it's your turn!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Christmas with the Cashatts
This year might have been the most "celebrating" of Christmas I've ever done in my life. The entire month of December was jam packed with holiday cheer!
The season started with The Cocktails' Winter Concert. My friend Elizabeth accompanied me. And while, as you can see from the picture, they didn't actually sing that many Christmas songs, it had that wintry feel.
Our "official" kickoff to the season was going to see Glorious, which is the modern worship style Christmas program at Shandon Baptist, our home church. The songs didn't quite seem as "modern" as they normally are, but it's always a fun experience.
We attended two non-family Christmas parties this year. At Jay and Alison's, we got to see some of our upstate friends, learned how to play Mexican Train Dominoes, and won 90's Trivial Pursuit! (Thanks to help from Michelle and Tara.) At Magan's, we were serenaded by Joel and Reid, and will probably never listen to "Bad Romance" or "Tik Tok" the same way ever again.
One of our favorite things is going to see The Lights Before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo. We've done this ever since we started dating, so it's a special tradition for us. I love the musical Christmas tree! We also took an evening to just ride around Columbia and look at some specific neighborhoods and houses that have beautiful lights.
I went down to Myrtle Beach for a couple of days to see my mom and brother (who was visiting from Oregon). I also got to see one of my bridesmaids Holly (first time since the wedding!), where we had a three hour Starbucks date! That same day, Mom and I went to see "The Muppets." Boy, did that make me nostalgic for my childhood. As soon as we got home, I went digging through the record collection and found these gems:
And somehow, this record player, which is over 20 years old, still works... Go Fisher Price!
When you get married, you essentially double the amount of family holiday shindigs you will be invited to. We are very lucky in the fact that the majority of our families live within forty-five minutes of our house (minus Mom and Troy of course). For us, that means six Christmas events just for family! This year, so far we've attended four, with one more to go. My favorite parts are Secret Santa gift exchanges (won some lovely B&BW soap this year!) and playing board games.
Christmas music and Christmas movies are a staple of our celebration each year. I love Hanson and Mariah Carey's holiday songs, while Jamie prefers David Crowder. We have many of the same favorite movies though, as we usually watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon), A Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, Four Christmases, Love Actually and The Holiday. I also am guilty of vegging out in front of Lifetime or ABC Family during the holiday season.
My favorite gift we gave this year was to Jamie's parents. It was definitely the most creative, which is why I like it so much. Unfortunately, I have to give that credit to Jamie :-) They really love the dipping oil that comes with the bread at Carrabba's, so, we tried to recreate that for them. Here is the recipe we used:
That about sums up our Christmas season this year. Looking forward to 2012!
The season started with The Cocktails' Winter Concert. My friend Elizabeth accompanied me. And while, as you can see from the picture, they didn't actually sing that many Christmas songs, it had that wintry feel.
Our "official" kickoff to the season was going to see Glorious, which is the modern worship style Christmas program at Shandon Baptist, our home church. The songs didn't quite seem as "modern" as they normally are, but it's always a fun experience.
We attended two non-family Christmas parties this year. At Jay and Alison's, we got to see some of our upstate friends, learned how to play Mexican Train Dominoes, and won 90's Trivial Pursuit! (Thanks to help from Michelle and Tara.) At Magan's, we were serenaded by Joel and Reid, and will probably never listen to "Bad Romance" or "Tik Tok" the same way ever again.
One of our favorite things is going to see The Lights Before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo. We've done this ever since we started dating, so it's a special tradition for us. I love the musical Christmas tree! We also took an evening to just ride around Columbia and look at some specific neighborhoods and houses that have beautiful lights.
I went down to Myrtle Beach for a couple of days to see my mom and brother (who was visiting from Oregon). I also got to see one of my bridesmaids Holly (first time since the wedding!), where we had a three hour Starbucks date! That same day, Mom and I went to see "The Muppets." Boy, did that make me nostalgic for my childhood. As soon as we got home, I went digging through the record collection and found these gems:
When you get married, you essentially double the amount of family holiday shindigs you will be invited to. We are very lucky in the fact that the majority of our families live within forty-five minutes of our house (minus Mom and Troy of course). For us, that means six Christmas events just for family! This year, so far we've attended four, with one more to go. My favorite parts are Secret Santa gift exchanges (won some lovely B&BW soap this year!) and playing board games.
Christmas music and Christmas movies are a staple of our celebration each year. I love Hanson and Mariah Carey's holiday songs, while Jamie prefers David Crowder. We have many of the same favorite movies though, as we usually watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon), A Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, Four Christmases, Love Actually and The Holiday. I also am guilty of vegging out in front of Lifetime or ABC Family during the holiday season.
My favorite gift we gave this year was to Jamie's parents. It was definitely the most creative, which is why I like it so much. Unfortunately, I have to give that credit to Jamie :-) They really love the dipping oil that comes with the bread at Carrabba's, so, we tried to recreate that for them. Here is the recipe we used:
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil (or as needed)
That about sums up our Christmas season this year. Looking forward to 2012!
Friday, December 16, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like...
Sorry for the cliche title post, but there's no other way to really describe it! I snapped some shots of our Christmas decorations to share. We don't have a ton, (like some people I've seen on Facebook!) but hope to build on it little by little each year! Without further ado:
Stay tuned for a later post about all the celebrating we're doing this season!
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| We decided to do an "old school" Christmas tree this year, full of color! |
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| I got these stockings after Christmas (half price!) last year from Land's End. We have no mantle, so we put them on the entertainment center :-) |
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| These are all pieces from my childhood. My neighbor used to paint and "antique" wooden Santas. I absolutely love this Nutcracker, which I've had as long as I can remember! |
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| Here's our little snowglobe collection. |
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| This is our miniature tree, which we acquired from Cin after our first celebration of "Christmas in July." |
Stay tuned for a later post about all the celebrating we're doing this season!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Must See Movies
I just came across this list of the Top 25 Must See Movies of 2012.
If this is any indication of what's to come, I can't say that I'm super excited about the state of movies. However, from the list, I would like to see:
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit (maybe)
The Hunger Games
Snow White and the Huntsman
Wanderlust (maybe)
Some of these movies just look unnecessary. Do we really need another American Pie movie? Or Taken 2? Or Expendables 2?
What about you? Do any of these movies seem appealing to you? Are there any others you are looking forward to that did not make the list?
If this is any indication of what's to come, I can't say that I'm super excited about the state of movies. However, from the list, I would like to see:
The Dark Knight Rises
The Hobbit (maybe)
The Hunger Games
Snow White and the Huntsman
Wanderlust (maybe)
Some of these movies just look unnecessary. Do we really need another American Pie movie? Or Taken 2? Or Expendables 2?
What about you? Do any of these movies seem appealing to you? Are there any others you are looking forward to that did not make the list?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Bookworm! Fall Edition
Alas, I have not been reading as much in the past couple of months, but it also took me some time to make it through a couple of these books!
The Chosen One Carol Lynch Williams
I found this book fascinating. According to my mom, it's quite timely, as it's reminiscent of the Warren Jeffs case. It takes place in a Fundamentalist Mormon polygamist compound, but the environment is like a cult, not modern like "Sister Wives." The protagonist of the story is a young girl who has been promised to her uncle as a bride and conveys her struggle to escape. Yes, it's uncomfortable at times, but it's a compelling story, and so hard to put down! I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Gray Baby Scott Loring Sanders
I was excited by this book at first, as I expected lots of dialogue about race relations. I was somewhat disappointed. The beginning chapters moved along quite nicely, as they described the circumstances surrounding the story. However, the next few chapters were quite s-l-o-w, with little action taking place. Finally though, a little beyond halfway through the story, a completely unexpected event takes place and the rest of the book picks up magnificently. My thought is that this book would make a great movie. They could quickly move through those slow chapters as a montage. If that happens, this is one case where I would say skip the book and wait for the movie.
The Firm John Grisham
This is only the second John Grisham book I have read, but I have loved them both. As I began the book, I wondered how it could possibly be worth the hundreds of pages it contained. My wondering soon ceased. This book had me hooked quickly! I've read reviews that thought it dragged a bit near the end, but I didn't think so at all. I was always eager to see what happened next; it was definitely a "page turner." The movie was on TV a couple of weeks after I finished the book, and having remembered nothing about it after watching it years ago, I decided to see it again. It was SO different from the book! I actually thought it was a horrible movie compared to the book. I don't know how a person even follows the action in the movie without having read the book. They also changed quite a few details from the book to the movie, which I always have a problem with. End rant. Definitely read the book, but definitely don't want the movie!
Afterthought: The other book I've read is "The Pelican Brief" and I recommend both the book AND the movie :-)
Enter Three Witches Caroline B. Cooney
This is pegged as 'A Story of Macbeth.' I actually expected it to be more about the witches, but it really wasn't. It was about Lady Mary, who I honestly don't remember if she was in Shakespeare's version or not. Anyway, it told the rise and fall of Macbeth, through the view and life of Lady Mary. It was fairly interesting, slow in parts, but an easy read. I think this would be a really good comparison piece for high school teachers to read after Macbeth to analyze how the events were told in each case. That's really the way I thought throughout this book, as a teacher. It's obviously much easier to understand, as it's written in modern English for the most parts, with Shakespeare scattered throughout. I love Cooney as an author though, so I thought it was a valiant effort. I could take or leave this book.
The Shack William Paul Young
I know I'm pretty late to the party on this one, as it was 'all the rage' a few years ago. I still don't know how I feel about this book. First of all, it took me a looooong time to get through this book, almost a month. I read all the reviews about how people cried the whole time, rededicated their life to Christ, and the whole shebang, so I expected to be a bumbling wreck while reading it. Eh, not so much. There were definitely touching moments, and I can probably see how some that weren't quite 'living right' might be rightly convicted. Now please know, I'm not saying that I, or my relationship with Christ is perfect, but I feel that it's in quite a good place. Maybe that is why I wasn't quite as affected. Or maybe it's because this was really my first venture into Christian fiction, and I was just expecting something different. Whatever the case, I think this is probably one that you will have to decide upon yourself. It seems to be a love- it or hate- it book, so you might love it.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are you reading these days?
The Chosen One Carol Lynch Williams
I found this book fascinating. According to my mom, it's quite timely, as it's reminiscent of the Warren Jeffs case. It takes place in a Fundamentalist Mormon polygamist compound, but the environment is like a cult, not modern like "Sister Wives." The protagonist of the story is a young girl who has been promised to her uncle as a bride and conveys her struggle to escape. Yes, it's uncomfortable at times, but it's a compelling story, and so hard to put down! I wholeheartedly recommend it.
Gray Baby Scott Loring Sanders
I was excited by this book at first, as I expected lots of dialogue about race relations. I was somewhat disappointed. The beginning chapters moved along quite nicely, as they described the circumstances surrounding the story. However, the next few chapters were quite s-l-o-w, with little action taking place. Finally though, a little beyond halfway through the story, a completely unexpected event takes place and the rest of the book picks up magnificently. My thought is that this book would make a great movie. They could quickly move through those slow chapters as a montage. If that happens, this is one case where I would say skip the book and wait for the movie.
The Firm John Grisham
This is only the second John Grisham book I have read, but I have loved them both. As I began the book, I wondered how it could possibly be worth the hundreds of pages it contained. My wondering soon ceased. This book had me hooked quickly! I've read reviews that thought it dragged a bit near the end, but I didn't think so at all. I was always eager to see what happened next; it was definitely a "page turner." The movie was on TV a couple of weeks after I finished the book, and having remembered nothing about it after watching it years ago, I decided to see it again. It was SO different from the book! I actually thought it was a horrible movie compared to the book. I don't know how a person even follows the action in the movie without having read the book. They also changed quite a few details from the book to the movie, which I always have a problem with. End rant. Definitely read the book, but definitely don't want the movie!
Afterthought: The other book I've read is "The Pelican Brief" and I recommend both the book AND the movie :-)
Enter Three Witches Caroline B. Cooney
This is pegged as 'A Story of Macbeth.' I actually expected it to be more about the witches, but it really wasn't. It was about Lady Mary, who I honestly don't remember if she was in Shakespeare's version or not. Anyway, it told the rise and fall of Macbeth, through the view and life of Lady Mary. It was fairly interesting, slow in parts, but an easy read. I think this would be a really good comparison piece for high school teachers to read after Macbeth to analyze how the events were told in each case. That's really the way I thought throughout this book, as a teacher. It's obviously much easier to understand, as it's written in modern English for the most parts, with Shakespeare scattered throughout. I love Cooney as an author though, so I thought it was a valiant effort. I could take or leave this book.
The Shack William Paul Young
I know I'm pretty late to the party on this one, as it was 'all the rage' a few years ago. I still don't know how I feel about this book. First of all, it took me a looooong time to get through this book, almost a month. I read all the reviews about how people cried the whole time, rededicated their life to Christ, and the whole shebang, so I expected to be a bumbling wreck while reading it. Eh, not so much. There were definitely touching moments, and I can probably see how some that weren't quite 'living right' might be rightly convicted. Now please know, I'm not saying that I, or my relationship with Christ is perfect, but I feel that it's in quite a good place. Maybe that is why I wasn't quite as affected. Or maybe it's because this was really my first venture into Christian fiction, and I was just expecting something different. Whatever the case, I think this is probably one that you will have to decide upon yourself. It seems to be a love- it or hate- it book, so you might love it.
Have you read any of these books? What did you think? What are you reading these days?
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