the partons

happy valentine's day

2012-02-14T09:29:00.000-05:00

Love ~ Zooey

recently i'm... [23]

2012-02-13T22:59:00.000-05:00

Excited about: our CHV Community Group! Tonight we had the inaugural potluck dinner at our house. We're getting together every other week with friends from our neighborhood (6 couples total!) for the "4 F's", as Doug said: friends, food, fellowship & faith. We had such an awesome time tonight with everyone, and we're so excited for the next CG.
Looking forward to: winter break = WNY :)

Not looking forward to: dentist on Wednesday :(

Listening to: Beirut. Click here for the weirdest music video I've seen in awhile.

Swamped with: just school in general. Musical practice, preparing for the senior trip, getting ready for junior research papers to be turned in... argh

Watching: Downton Abbey. My mom mentioned this last time we were home, and I'm officially hooked.

Obsessed with: Annie's Eats chocolate chip cookies with mini M&M's... so delectable.

Baking: Um, see above. Also, we made V-day Pancakes on Sunday morning.

Working on & enjoying: grading freshman poetry. I might have to share some. I just made up an assignment last week based on an ee cummings poem, and they turned out so much better than I even hoped for!

Reading: There Is No Me Without You

Loving: snow on the ground!

Needing: to go to bed. Now.

friday lunch

2012-02-12T10:11:00.003-05:00

On Friday, one of my senior boys asked me if "some students" could do

praise & worship in my room during lunch.

There were probably at least 30 students crammed into my room,

singing & reading Scripture together.

(This video is a little awkward because I didn't want to record any of the students' faces,

and my phone was sitting on my desk, so I just recorded the ceiling...)

I love my job.

where i'm from

2012-02-09T10:35:00.001-05:00

My friend Kelly had her classes compose a poem called "Where I'm From", based on the poem by George Ella Lyon. A few of my seniors shared their compositions with me, and I loved them so much I was inspired to borrow Kelly's format and compose my own.

Where I'm From
for Dad & Mom & the kids

I am from the tire swing,
     from Windex and Fast Orange.
I am from the worn sofa and the bustling kitchen
     (Tired, full,
       it felt comfortable and familiar.)
I am from the apple tree
the haystacks,
      growing strong, practical yet fun.

I'm from stolen bites of cookie dough and blue eyes,
     from Roger and Christine
     and from God bless Robert, Ethan, Emily, and Jayne.
I'm from the hard-working
     and togetherness.
From boopadapa! and
     love the unlovable.
I'm from God is on the throne
     and Sunday mornings of dish-rattling Ron Kenoly.

I'm from Albion and England and Germany,
     afternoon tea and bratwurst.
From the toe Dad broke kicking a cow in the head,
     the sticks Mom picks up on her walks to the pond,
     the countless re-telling of old stories that make us laugh every time,
     upstairs in the library, neatly preserved for moments of nostalgia.

I am from a daddy's lap,
a mother's sweet kisses,
    the hostile and welcoming arms of siblings,
      protected and encouraged,
        challenged and supported,
immeasurably and eternally loved.

-RCP 2.9.2012

Your turn!
Challenge: write a poem about where & what & who you're from!
AND leave me a comment linking to it!
Click here for the template.
You guys, poetry is FUN!

work & play

2012-02-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

My freshmen are in the middle of a poetry unit, and we recently read a few poems centered around the idea of "work". I told them to compose a poem about work, and wrote one of my own to model. It's not very good, but was fun to write.

Work & Play

The difference between work and play
Can vary for me day by day.
Grading essays with no style,
Disciplining when kids are wild --
These components constitute "work",
And frankly, make me feel like a jerk.
But chatting with students who share what's real --
Their dreams, hopes and fears and what they feel --
Those are the moments of "play" that I treasure.
Investing in my students is a true pleasure.

-RCP 2.6.2012

---
And, psst! Look over here! We are getting closer...

feb. photo-a-day 3,5

2012-02-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

Well, I hadn't anticipated falling off the bandwagon as quickly as I did!
I did take a picture of "hands", but I can't remember if it was on the correct day.
I did not take a picture of a stranger.
I did end up taking a picture approximately around 10am today.

3. hands

5. 10am

somebody is sad that she's not allowed in the bedroom.

p.s. check out the new, girly collar!

(check in at fat mum slim!)

Happy Super Bowl!

Who are you rooting for?

I guess I don't really care...

Doug is telling me to root for the Pats because Tom Brady went to U of M.

I suppose that can be my excuse to adore Tom Brady, right? Wink!

february photo-a-day

2012-02-02T08:55:00.000-05:00

(read more at fat mum slim)

Guys. I can't promise this will last beyond today, but here's to trying.

Aaaaand, since I'm already behind, here's day 1 and day 2.

1. view today
(i took this picture today, but it's a truer picture of yesterday.
stupid cold.)

2. words

(this hangs on my wall next to my desk. always need a reminder.)

Join in, friends!

insta-birthday

2012-01-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

Well, it's happened. I got an iPhone, and now I only take pictures with that. In my defense, instagram is just too fun and easy. And my camera is too obnoxious to lug around everywhere.

Anyway.

I had such a fun birthday!

My friend Patti brought in pie for her 6th hour class, which meets in my room, and had them all sing to me. Then after school, we went to Zin, in downtown Plymouth.

The waiter described this dessert as "fudgy lollipops"... aka, cake pops?

Actually, they were more like brownie pops, with pistachios and a whipped espresso cream.

Yum.

On my birthday, Doug made me breakfast in bed! And it snowed!

We had a leisurely day... or rather, I did, because Doug spent the day making THESE!

1. NOT instagram!

2. CHUBBY HUBBY cupcakes! (minus the peanut butter)

3. Zooey may have gotten up on the counter & eaten about 4 of these.

For dinner, Doug & I got dressed up & enjoyed a quiet, delectable meal at Ocean Prime.

(not instagram!)

The most incredible calamari I've ever had...

The hottest husband ever.

The awkward birthday girl.

crab crusted blue tilapia. oh the gluttony.

complimentary birthday creme brulee!

After dinner, we went to the Homecoming Social at PCA, because ain't no birthday party like a high-schooler infested birthday party! It was actually a really fun time celebrating my seniors' last homecoming (and high five for coming in 1st place!).

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes & for making my day special!

3 awesome things

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

1. Passed a first-grade class in the hallway this morning, and little boy looked up at me and said, "Hi, pretty lady!" What up, playa?

2. Yesterday were the lip syncs for our spirit week, and my seniors came in 3rd place. We were all really disappointed, but the kids managed to maintain decent attitudes... and then last night, while we were eating dinner with our friends Patrick & Kennerly, the doorbell rang. Doug went to answer it, and all that was at the door was this:

I seriously love my kids.

3. Birthday gift from my friend & fellow English teacher, Patti. We've been drooling over this copy of TKAM at Barnes & Noble for a couple years now...

Happy Friday!!!

a comment on comments...

2012-01-23T22:17:00.000-05:00

Um, I usually assume that anonymous comments are from my mom (probably about 99.9% accurate).
So, if you comment anonymously, you should expect to be referred to as "mom" in my response to you.

Thanks for being my #1 fan, Mum. xoxo

Also, just because I'm obsessed with instagram & like posts better with pictures - drool with me over these perfect, incredible cookies that my friends Patti & Sarah made...

senior poster

2012-01-22T14:32:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I pretty much have to brag about my kids.

from the desk of mrs. parton...

2012-01-20T10:48:00.001-05:00

Happy prep hour

(starbucks & spotify!)

happy Friday!

things that have occurred within the past week

2012-01-19T08:55:00.001-05:00

... some cool, some weird, some inappropriate, some random & some downright embarrassing.

- My little bro turned 24! I feel bad because I haven't been doing birthday posts this year, much to some of my siblings' chagrin. Sorry guys.

- I read the word "seaman" aloud in one of my classes and nearly giggled. NEARLY.

- I worked out twice on MLKj Day?

- I'm having trouble walking as a result.

- We talked about pole dancing in my small group. My adult small group, people! Yeah... that doesn't really sound much better, considering the context.

- A class made fun of me because I had hiccups.

- Doug & I got to spend time with our beloved friends, Dave & Sara.

- Sara and I helped a 21-year old boy decorate his condo with "homey, yet masculine" decor.

- My leg was attacked by a vicious and potentially demon-possessed cat. This might be an overexaggeration. See picture below, in which Sara is refusing to come any closer to psychotic cat.

And my favorite...

- I almost peed with the bathroom door open in the teacher's lounge. NBD, as the kids say... N.B.D.

So, what's been happening in YOUR life lately?

the destination of marriage

2012-01-17T21:53:00.000-05:00

[the following is a devotional that i did at my friend (& co-worker!) kelly's bridal shower. i had a few people ask for a copy of this, so i'm putting it here. kelly is having a destination wedding, so our co-worker hosting the shower suggested that i tie in the theme of "destination". i'll offer the same caveat on my blog that i did at the shower - i've only been married for 4.5 years. however, marriage experience or lack thereof does not negate truths about marriage. one more warning: this is long.]

The Destination of Marriage

A magnificent marriage begins not with knowing one another but with knowing God.

-Gary and Betsy Ricucci, When Marriage Meets Grace

When we think about the destination of marriage, some of the immediate things that come to mind are happiness, fulfillment, eternal love, comfort, completion, etc. And yes. A healthy marriage can and should possess and strive for many of those things. The problem is, first, that we become too focused on our own happiness, and second, we want that happiness to come from our spouse.

Understandably, this self-centered approach to marriage causes friction between spouses and diminishes the joy that can be found in a marriage. In addition, marriage should be so much more than just two people trying to find happiness in one another.

The teachings of Tim Keller and Gary Thomas hae really helped me understand more fully God's intentions for marriage and the ways that our culture has misunderstood this intricate relationship. I'm going to briefly address our culture's misunderstandings about marriage, and outline a Biblical "destination" for marriage.

First, I'd like to share an excerpt from... an excerpt of Tim & Kathy Keller's book, The Meaning of Marriage, titled "You Never Marry the Right Person." <article here>

So, when we overlook the presence of sin, we have this false idea that two people in love should have no problem creating a happy life together. Gary Thomas wrote a book called Sacred Marriage, which can be summed up in the question he poses on the cover: "What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?" The Biblical destination for marriage? Holiness. Throughout the book, Thomas explores ways in which couples can use the challenges and celebrations of marriage to draw closer to God.

Thomas quotes 17th-century Christian writer, Francis de Sales, who responded to a letter with questions about marriage by saying that marriage might be the most difficult ministry one can undertake. He writes, "The state of marriage is one that requires more virtue and constancy than any other [...] It is a perpetual exercise of mortification [...] From this thyme plant, in spite of the bitter nature of its juice, you may be able to draw and make the honey of a holy life [...] We have to look at our disappointments, own up to our ugly attitudes, and confront our selfishness." [1]

As we're celebrating Kelly's wedding, we can't help but feel excitement about the big day. Weddings call us to our best - creating almost an impossible ideal of marriage. It's what we want marriage to be - excitement, fluttering stomachs, love. But as Thomas points out, marriage reminds us of the daily reality of living as sinful human beings: "Most of us who have been married for any substantial length of time realize that the romantic roller coaster of courtship eventually evens out to the terrain of a Midwest interstate - long, flat stretches with an occasional overpass. [...] We can run from the challenges of marriage [...] or we can admit that every marriage presents these challenges and asks them to address them head-on. If we find that the same kinds of challenges face every marriage, we might assume that God designed a purpose in this challenge that transcends something as illusory as happiness." [2] Transformation occurs in marriages during the commitment of twenty-four-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. This is what shapes us into the character of Christ. We are called to a new and selfless life.

If we want, as Paul encourages, to be conformed to the image of Christ, community is essential, and there is no more intimate community than within a marriage. In such close context, much is revealed about our behaviors and attitudes. Thomas continues, "We have to change our views of marriage. If the purpose of marriage was simply to enjoy an infatuation and make me 'happy', I'd have to get a 'new' marriage every two or three years. But if I really wanted to see God transform me from the inside out, I'd need to concentrate on changing myself rather than on changing my spouse." [3]

Part of this change can occur only when we know where our identity and meaning comes from. As Keller mentioned, we too often look for that in our spouse. Thomas wisely says that marriage is "one of many life situations that help us draw our sense of meaning, purpose and fulfillment from God." [4] If we do believe that our primary meaning comes from our relationship with the Lord, then we need to view marriage as another opportunity to draw closer to Him. Because of this, both spouses can, as Thomas writes, "find even more meaning by pursuing God together and by recognizing that he is one who alone can fill the spiritual ache in our souls." [5] As much as we may love our spouses, and they us, we will never love them or fulfill them the way Christ can. Thomas sums it up by saying, "We need to remind ourselves of the ridiculousness of looking for something from other humans that only God can provide." [6]

As I was reviewing this devotion, it felt kind of heavy to me. I do think that marriage is incredibly serious, and worthy of such seriousness, but at the same time - marriage is incredibly beautiful. It is a gift from God as a picture of his relationship with the church, and Scripture is filled with marital imagery (Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Revelation, hello - Song of Solomon?!). Keller writes, "The reason that marriage is so painful and yet wonderful is because it is a reflection of the Gospel, which is painful and wonderful at once. The Gospel is - we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared to believe, and at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dare hope. This is the only kind of relationship that will really transform us." [7]

God didn't intend marriage to be drudgery. He designed it to be a reflection of his intimacy with us - a profound and beautiful mystery. As we pursue holiness through the intimate relationship of marriage, I think we find that by centering our marriage on Christ and His Gospel, and by putting one another's needs first, we begin to experience more happiness and fulfillment as a result - a "holy happiness", as Thomas calls it.

In the book of Deuteronomy, young Israelite men served God by defending Israel in war, with one exception. Deuteronomy 24:5 says, "If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married." Thomas writes this beautiful passage:

"Although [this verse] addresses just the first year of marriage, every spouse should spend some time thinking about how to make their spouse happy - and celebrating the profound reality that making their spouse happy pleases God. [...] When Jesus said, 'Love the Lord your God... love your neighbor,' he opened up the vistas of love and 'religion' much bigger than we realize. [...] Marriage is designed to call us out of ourselves and to learn to love the 'different'. Put together in the closest situation imaginable - living side by side, sleeping in the same room, sharing our bodies with each other - we are forced to respect and appreciate someone who is very different from us. We need to be called out of ourselves because, in truth, we are incomplete. God made us to find our fulfillment in him - the Totally Other. Marriage shows us that we are not all there is; it calls us to give way to another, but also to find joy, happiness, and even ecstasy in another.

"There are no lessons to be learned when a husband dominates his wife. There are no inspiring examples to emulate when a wife manipulates a husband. But love unlocks the spiritual secrets of the universe. Love blows open eternity and showers its raindrops on us. Christianity involves believing in certain things, to be sure, but its herald, its hallmark, its glory is not in merely ascribing to certain intellectual truths. The beauty of Christianity is in learning to love, and few life situations test that so radically as does a marriage. Yes, it can be difficult to love your spouse. But if you truly want to love God, look right now at the ring on your left hand, commit yourself to exploring anew what that ring represents, and love passionately, crazily, enduringly the fleshly person who put it there." [8]

In light of Kelly's profession as an English teacher, and as a fellow lover of literature, I thought it appropriate to end with the words of T.S. Eliot:

Marriage is the greatest test in the world... but now I welcome the test instead of dreading it.

It is much more than a test of sweetness and temper, as people sometimes think;

it is a test of the whole character and affects every action.

- - -
[1] Thomas, Gary. Sacred Marriage. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000. 12-13.
[2] Thomas 16-17.
[3] Thomas 23.
[4] Thomas 24.
[5] Thomas 24.
[6] Thomas 25.
[7] Keller, Timother. "You Never Marry the Right Person." Relevant Magazine. 5 Jan 2012.
[8] Thomas 42-43, 50-51.

newborn photography: isabelle

2012-01-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

One of my friends & co-workers, Elise, just had a beautiful baby girl - Isabelle Marie.

Today I got to take newborn pics of her little bundle of joy!

10 on 10 : jan

2012-01-10T08:50:00.001-05:00

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1 :: a dismal start. Back to work today. I have not missed seeing this on the alarm clock.
2 :: back to work. I haven't really missed this view either!
3 :: out on my prep hour to pick up class t-shirts... and Starbucks!
4 :: class t-shirts
5 :: lunch!
6 :: came back from Christmas break and found this little origami guy sitting on my desk...
7 :: condo row in the village
8 :: cupcakes for small group tonight (yep. from the store.)
9 :: sometimes she's so sweet
10 :: John 11. He who believes will never die...

Thanks, Rebekah!

Join in on the 10-on-10 fun here!

insta date night!

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-05:00

UMI Sushi

Shrimp Tempura, Spicy California, Philly, Volcano & Malifornia rolls.

Pocket knife to split the last roll...

Sweetwater Coffee for dessert.

My Caramel Creme was delicious.

The desserts looked awesome, but... were less than delectable.

Snyders.

Partons.

We always have so much fun with these guys!

In other news:

Go buy this & read it immediately.

What Is the What

by Dave Eggers

Based on the real life of Valentino Achak Deng, but termed a novel because of the recreation of several conversations and minor events that Deng couldn't have remembered from such a young age. The novel dramatizes Deng's escape from Sudan, his life in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, and his life as an adult in the United States. Heartbreaking and enlightening. Read it now.

"and i am yours"

2012-01-08T22:02:00.002-05:00

I've talked before about our friends Jim & Emily, who are adopting from Ethiopia.

2011 was an intense year for Jim & Emily - they continued in their adoption journey, lost their first referral, were put back on the waiting list, mourned and celebrated Emily's mother going to be with the Lord, and rejoiced at the referral of their incredible son, Moses.

Give1Save1, a website that assists with fundraising for families adopting from Africa, has shared Jim & Emily's story. You can read Emily's words and watch a great video about the Hapners and the story God is unfolding for them here. Jim & Emily should hear about their court date any day, which means they will make the first of two trips to Ethiopia. As you might imagine, last minute overseas airline tickets are quite pricey, so this fundraising will help alleviate the last large portion of their adoption costs. Click over to Give1Save1 to help them out!

another annie success

2012-01-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

Homemade vanilla bean caramel sauce.

Yum.

Good on ice cream, good on apples... amazing.

Recipe here!

post 700, featuring a new obsession.

2012-01-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Happy 700th blog post!

Soooo.... instagram.

It's official - I'm hooked.

Ann Arbor with Doug, Robert & Bailey, and Katie

Pics from today:

[Christmas gift from Grandma Lynk]

[thanks, Barnes & Noble]

[walk]

[steep]

[God bless Christmas break.]

[Repeat: God bless Christmas break!]

happy new year

2012-01-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

Looking forward to in 2012:

- Turning 27?

- Going to Costa Rica with my seniors

- My parents' 30th anniversary

- Celebrating 5 years of marriage with Doug

- Continuing to see God's faithfulness in our adoption journey

- New babies in the extended Bannister family

- & much more! (Some that can't be divulged yet. Ooh, suspense!)

(trying to keep my readers hooked here!)

Big Resolution:

Ephesians 4:1-3

... live a life worth of the calling you have received.

Be completely humble & gentle;

be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit

through the bond of peace.

Mini Monthly Resolutions: January

Decided to do mini monthly resolutions/goals with weekly wishes this year.

- Complete home study

- Work out 2 x's a week

Weekly Wishes:

- Get to doctor's office to pick up paperwork.

- Go to Planet Fitness & sign up for membership.

- Paint mini bookshelf.

Happy 2012!

2011: playlist

2011-12-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

1. Doveman "The Best Thing" - Just discovered Doveman this year. Not in love, but I like this song.
2. Lecrae "God is Enough" - This makes me laugh, but this was my most played workout jam. Well, if we're being honest, this song would usually come on somewhere between Kanye and Li'l Wayne, but... my dad reads this blog.
3. Aqualung "Garden of Love" - Rediscovered Aqualung on my iPod and listened to this a ton this summer.
4. Adele "Someone Like You" - Except I like the cover better. I know this is one of the most overplayed songs of the year, but I'm a sucker for piano driven songs.
5. Mumford & Sons "Sigh No More" - "oh man is a giddy thing". The first time I watched this video, I did a double-take because I thought the guy in the trucker hat was a kid I knew in college. It's not.
6. Radiohead "Codex" - Mopey & beautiful. Quintessential Radiohead.
7. Coldplay "Charlie Brown" - Sometimes I love Chris Martin and sometimes I want to just... shake him. Regardless, can't stop loving Coldplay.
8. Foster the People "Pumped Up Kicks" - Kind of disturbing lyrics ("better run faster than my bullet"), but such a fun beat.
9. Mandi Mapes "This Love" - sweet, fun song about adoption! Ever since I heard this song, I knew I wanted to make an adoption video to it, and this link is to someone who did just that! Love it.

And last but certainly not least,
10. Gungor "Beautiful Things" - Gorgeous melody, beautiful harmony, great lyrics... I'm obsessed.

2011: year in review

2011-12-28T15:00:00.000-05:00

January 2011
- Celebrated the new year with my family
- Became obsessed with peanut butter frosting, much to Doug's chagrin
- Enjoyed snow days
- Turned 26 & got my first sewing machine

February 2011
- Became slightly obsessed with sewing baby dresses
- Enjoyed more snow days
- Participated in my 3rd homecoming at PCA with the juniors
- Got my annual winter cold
- Rooted for my little sister in the NYS Dairy Princess competition
- Finally put knobs on our bathroom cupboards

March 2011
- Became mildly obsessed with the first season of Prison Break
- Discovered boy's underwear/compression shorts on my classroom floor one morning
- Got a haircut (this is big news for me, since I only get 1 or 2 a year. oops)
- Went to Washington, D.C. with my juniors

April 2011
- Tried to quit blogging.
- Was reprimanded.
- Returned to blogging.
- Helped direct my first drama production at PCA
- Celebrated Easter with my family.

May 2011
- Became obsessed with baking stuffed chocolate chip cookies.
- Had a little spray-tanning mishap.
- Remodeled my bedside table.
- Went to my second prom.
- Took Zooey to the new dog park several times
- Spent Memorial Day with our friends Maria & Troy at their cottage

June 2011
- Wore shorts for the first time of the year!
- Made strawberry jam
- Became obsessed with frozen blueberries in yogurt.
- My sweet, smart husband finished his Masters!
- My sweet, smart sister graduated salutatorian!
- Got to see David Platt teach for a week in Alabama (and apparently never shared pics on the blog. oops!)
- Decided to pursue Ethiopian adoption

July 2011
- Celebrated 4th of July with Doug's parents in our backyard
- Celebrated 4 years of marriage
- Completed the pre-screening with our adoption agency and were placed on a waitlist
- Went on a mission trip to New Orleans
- Spent a lot of time at the pool in CHV
- Road trip to D.C.! Got to see the newest Bannister boy.

August 2011
- Became slightly obsessed with the pool in CHV.
- Took a trip home to tell my fam we were adopting!
- Enjoyed fun times with my girly cousins.
- "Helped" Dad prep the house for painting.
- Had fun adventures with my small group
- Road trip to Chicago to visit Dave & Sara!
- Got my 2nd haircut of the year.
- Lost my Grandpa.
- Went back for my 4th year at PCA.

September 2011
- Attended Grandpa's funeral.
- Baby shower for Jeanette!
- Sushi date night with Team Snarton
- Enjoyed the delights of fall: apples, crisp weather, donuts, cider...
- Announced our adoption!

October 2011
- Finally remembered to do ten-on-ten!
- Got accepted to our adoption agencies.
- Helped organize & run our 2nd annual walkathon for World Orphans
- (Backed up into a huge rock leaving the walkathon, causing damage to our muffler.)
- Started Sweet Bo Peep to help raise money for our adoption.
- Decorated for fall
- Victoria, Jeremy & Colden came to visit!
- Became slightly obsessed with caramel/cream cheese dip.
- Celebrated our 2nd Halloween in CHV.

November 2011
- Had our home study for the adoption.
- ~~Suffered through~~ had parent-teacher conferences.
- Had a lovely weekend with my mom & Jayne!
- Celebrated a co-worker's pregnancy and gave another co-worker an allergic reaction.
- Celebrated Thanksgiving with the family.

December 2011
- Held our Adoption Auction, which was a huge success!
- Somehow survived the end of the 1st semester.
- Celebrated Doug's 29th birthday!
- Participated in the 4th (?) annual Small Group Cookie Bake!
- Had our annual college Christmas dinner in Spring Arbor
- Celebrated Christmas in WNY.
- Currently hosting my in-laws for Parton Christmas.

Here's looking forward to two thousand twelve!

adoption update

2011-12-27T17:41:00.005-05:00

Just a note to say that you can read about the most recent happenings in our adoption process over on the adoption blog!

a very insta christmas

2011-12-26T21:00:00.000-05:00

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1 :: Mom & Dad's traditional 1st Christmas ornament

2 :: O Bannister Christmas Tree

3 :: Mom's Christmas schedule

4 :: Friend/family necklaces

5 :: Cute wrapping, if I may say so myself

6 :: Apron for Victoria

7 :: Oh, genes.

8 :: Cold drive to Albion.

9 :: Excelsior chcoolates

10:: Knitting + creme brulee truffles = joy

11 :: Mumsy

12 :: Christmas lovebirds

13 :: Centerpiece

14 :: Mom's Frye boots from college!

15 :: sister-sister
16 :: on the way home to Michigan

from our home to yours...

2011-12-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

We're heading to NY tonight, so I probably won't have another chance

to post this before Christmas. We just wanted to say...

No, that picture isn't recent. Yes, it is from over a year ago.

No, we didn't mail out cards. Yes, we are slackers.

My New Year's resolution is to send Christmas cards.

Speaking of the new year... get excited for some new changes on the blog!

christmas quiz!

2011-12-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Quiz

ala casey wiegand

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Probably 9 times out of 10 I'd say hot chocolate. But if this is a Christmas quiz, there's something very Christmas-y about egg nog to me! Christmas Eve = egg nog.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them, of course!

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I haven't ever! I want to each year, but never do.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mm. I love holiday meals. Prime rib & mashed potatoes.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Just everything with my family. All the traditions and laughter. Eating breakfast and dinner together. Watching the movie from Santa.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? 3rd grade - a boy ran around the classroom yelling that Santa wasn't real. (I'm looking at you, RUSSELL.)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No. But I did get my Christmas gift early this year... ;)

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights. Random ornaments that we've gotten for years/made years ago.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it! (Until March)

12. Can you ice skate? Yes.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Oh boy, there have been so many. Probably one that has become increasingly meaningful to me is a handmade quilt from my grandma. I probably wasn't thrilled about it when I got it, but I love having it now.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating everything that the birth of Christ means. Being surrounded by family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Mom's traditional ice cream cake (kind of like grasshopper pie).

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Goodness. Probably the night before Christmas. Growing up, we always went to the Christmas Eve service at church, then drove around and looked at lights. When we got home, we'd change into pj's and get ready for bed. Dad would read "The Night Before Christmas" with all of us kids piled on the couch, Mom in the rocking chair. Afterward, we'd all light candles and go up to bed singing "Silent Night".

17. What tops your tree? a star

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving.

19. Candy canes: yuck or ymmy? Um, I like the mini ones. I get sick of the regular-sized ones.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Rudolf and Elf. "Bumbles bounce!"

21. Saddest Christmas song? Um, half of the Sufjan Stevens album ("Did I make you cry on Christmas day?") or the Josh Groban "I'll Be Home For Christmas" with messages from soldiers overseas. Totally overplayed, but it gets me every time.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night.

Then I added these ones, because you need 25 questions on a Christmas quiz

23. When do you finish the bulk of your Christmas shopping? A week or 2 before Christmas. This year, sadly... 4 days before Christmas.

24. Who's the easiest and hardest person to shop for? Easiest = Mom or Victoria. Hardest = Robert.

25. What's your favorite Christmas cookie? The chocolate/molasses cut-outs that Grandma Bannister makes!

That's all! Merry Quizmas.

Boo.

weekly wishes: recap

2011-12-20T10:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I wished to...

... finish grading all the college portfolios. CHECK.

... finish grading the juniors' in-class essays. CHECK.

... get the rest of Doug's birthday gift. CHECK.

... finish making one Christmas gift. CHECK. still cryptic!

... not develop a stress-induced tic. CHECK. so far.

... drop off home study forms at my doctor's office. CHECK.

... select the pieces for the auditions for our school musical. Nope. Didn't do it yet. BUT I can tell you what it is - Beauty & the Beast. Yes. YES.

ALSO - remember when I made a goal for the school year to leave the house each day before 7:05am?? Well, friends, I'm feeling pretty good about myself in this arena. Friday was the first day I left the house after 7:05am - and I left at 7:06am.

THIS week I wish to...

... grade all the freshman research papers, all the freshman in-class essays, and all my midterms. I kinda have to, because the semester ends on Friday.

... finish Christmas gifts. I kinda have to, because Christmas is on Sunday.

... go for one walk a day with Zooey. Because she's cute. And because it's the holidays, so I'm eating even more junk food than normal. Which... is just a lot.

That's it! I'm going easy on myself this week. :)

Happy ~~Monday~~ Tuesday! (started this post yesterday!)

Also, because I'm procrastinating on these research papers, here are some pictures from Small Group Cookie Share and College Buddy Christmas Reunion! (Not the official name of either gathering...) All pictures stolen from my friends' Facebook albums. Cheesecake pictured made by yours truly!

twenty-nine and fiiiine

2011-12-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

Doug's 29 today!

I tried to get him to take 29 pictures with me - we got to 20 before he checked out. :)

"Okay, this was fun... time for the game."

To the man who makes up songs in the car with me, who makes me laugh,

who supports me and encourages me, who puts up with my nonsense ...

Doug, you are so wonderful & I am so thankful for you.

Happy 29th birthday, HB. I love you.

weekly wishes

2011-12-12T17:29:00.003-05:00

Props again to Maria for this idea. I'm doing this because the end of the semester is almost here, and I really need some accountability.

This week I wish to...

... finish grading all the college portfolios.
This sounds like a massive undertaking in my mind, because I'm picturing the huge stack of binders behind my desk that is inhibiting my rolly-chair movement... but I know I can do it.

... finish grading the juniors' in-class essays.
This should have been done last week. Or the week before. Oops.

... get the rest of Doug's birthday gift.
Pretty much have to, since his birthday is on Sunday. If you weren't listening the first time, Doug's birthday is on Sunday! And he's turning 29.

... finish making one Christmas gift.
Ooh, cryptic.

... not develop a stress-induced tic.
It's the little things that count.

... drop off home study forms at my doctor's office.
This should have been done last week.

... select the pieces for the auditions for our school musical.
Yes, people. You read that correctly. I am once again helping with the high school drama production. This year it is a musical, AND - you are ~~looking at~~ reading the blog of the musical director for... I can't say yet! But soon & very soon. I am beyond pumped.

I have to stop there. Because I want to keep this realistic.

Here are 2 more pictures from our walk on Saturday morning. I suppose I could have added these to my ten-on-ten... oh well.

ten on ten :: dec.

2011-12-10T11:13:00.001-05:00

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[1] traces of jack frost on our morning walk

[2] sprig from our concolor adorning the table

[3] boo-yah. lunch at t-bell.

[4] public display of affection.

[5] while shopping at target for our niece & nephew, we encountered this ludicrous and disturbing "game". i don't know if you can click on the pictures to enlarge, but it reads "feed and walk your little pup. when he makes a mess, you clean it up!" AMERICA. STOP IT.
[6] random intersection shot. the moon was so bright!
[7] at the rusty bucket with patti & zac - sharing fried pickles!!
[8] cheating picture! this picture was taken on doug's phone.

and um... no more to come. oops!
8-on-10 brought to you by a busy saturday!

link up with ten-on-ten here!

Christmas haiku

2011-12-08T14:45:00.001-05:00

Wrote some Christmas-themed haiku with my students today.

Santa in his sleigh,
reindeers prancing on my roof -
they better not poop.

-

Down the chimney he comes!
Oops - our fire was still lit,
so he burned his bum.

-

(This is what happens when you spend every day with teenagers. Yikes.)

recently i'm... (22)

2011-12-07T16:55:00.001-05:00

Excited about: Obviously. The auction!!

Looking forward to: Um, everything about Christmas. Decorating, baking, family, friends, parties, snow, giving gifts, no school, New York, laughter, the smell of Christmas trees... everything!

Listening to: Christmas music! There's a chance I might be obsessed with some Michael Buble Christmas songs. Don't judge.

Swamped with: Grading. I have dug myself into a hole. Or rather, I have buried myself under a mountain. A dismal, growing mountain of essays, diary projects, college portfolios, 7th hour tests, and journal entries... with research papers on the way.

Sewing: Yeah, this has been on the back burner since I finished my last project. Which I don't think I ever posted pictures of as promised. Oops. Here's one of the dresses.

My apologies to those of you waiting on orders. Next up: a onesie for Debbie! I have some really fun ideas for projects, so we'll see if I get to those in time to create some Christmas gifts...

Watching: It's been awhile since I watched Glee. I made the mistake of watching a recent episode on Hulu two nights ago, and I almost threw up in my mouth. The show exists now solely to be as sexually provocative as possible, I'm pretty sure.

Obsessed with: Christmas mint M&M's. Delish.

Baking: Made double chocolate cupcakes for my small group girls last night. Mom's recipe for chocolate frosting = divine. Though... when I was trying to get creative with the frosting, some of it ended up looking like... well... piles of... you know. Poo.

Trying to remember: 10-on-10-on-Saturday.

Working on: Slowly but surely gathering documents for our home study/dossier.

Off to: make dinner!

** Edit: I randomly remembered the Radvent project I did a little of last year, and went to the blog that started the project. Today's question:

Have you ever taken a trip that changed your outlook on something, inspired you to consider a new worldview, or helped you fulfill an important goal?

YES. You can read about it here!

ADOPTION AUCTION!

2011-12-04T22:54:00.001-05:00

The auction opens at midnight!

Be there, or be square.

http://partonadoption.blogspot.com

(and please, do us a favor? tell your friends! thanks!)

2011 mastheads

2011-12-03T19:20:00.000-05:00

January 2011:
um, this one is missing in action. Oops.

February 2011: I got that boom boom pow

From "Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas

March 2011: intellectually credible and existentially satisfying

I almost didn't use this, because it was a David Platt line talking about Christianity... it seemed a little self-absorbed to use as the tagline for my blog, but I couldn't stop giggling about it...

April 2011: no fiddle-diddling

From our class trip to D.C. - our tour guide kept saying this when she wanted us to hurry.

May 2011: less than ordinary

From "Story of Love" by Mandi Mapes. "Just like the sun lights up the moon, this love is a reflection of more than just me and you. Our lives were less than ordinary and while I couldn't see past tomorrow, God was making history. What a beautiful story of love."

June 2011: peanuts to an elephant

Whoops! That's from a Li'l Wayne song. How did that get on here?

July 2011: this grace that i've received, i want to show you

From Mandi Mapes's song "This Love". Doug & I did our pre-screening for adoption in July, and this song is about adoption.

August 2011: rockin' the suburbs

From the Ben Folds song/album. Celebrating one year in our first house.

Sept. 2011: sharing rainbows of happiness

The best fortune cookie I have ever gotten: "Loving is sharing rainbows of happiness." I still don't even know what that means.

Oct. 2011: a giddy thing
From a Mumford & Sons song - "Sigh No More"

Nov. 2011: i guess i have got my swagger back.
Image stolen from the Internet - cover of Jay-z & Kanye album Watch the Throne. Line is sort of from their song "Otis".

Nov. 2011 - 2: every day, a day closer
The last one just seemed too cocky. And too gold.

Dec. 2011: peace on earth, good will to men

o friday night

2011-12-02T22:21:00.001-05:00

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[1] Don't love getting Christmas trees in the dark, but we didn't want to wait any longer!

[2] Doug & I with our concolor. Um, it took us approximately 5 minutes to find this tree. I'm usually pretty picky and want to look at every single tree, but I loved this one as soon as I saw it!

[3] "JT" telling Doug about the time one of his employees accidentally tied a tree on a car in such a way that he tied the family inside the car... oh, JT. He loved helping us...

[4] Love this little place - Mary's Farm Market. Plymouth/Canton residents - get your tree here!

[5] Tree topper! It's become our tradition for me to put the star at the top.

[6] "Look at me!"

[7] Zooey, basking in the glow of Christmas...

thanksgiving in pics

2011-11-30T21:30:00.001-05:00

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[1] girls making place tags

[2] place tags: "i love it when a plan comes together." - mom

[3] dining room table

[4] dining room table - aerial view

[5] centerpiece = collaboration by mom, jayne & me

[6] dad & jayne's awesome hors d'oeuvres

[7] cute bangs, bangsy.

[8] six/eight of our thanksgiving party

[9] katie beth & little karalyn

[10] look at that smiley little love!

sneak peek 5

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

ONE WEEK TIL THE AUCTION.

Today's auction sneak peek involves 2 amazing blogs:

The Anderson Crew & The Wiegands

Check out Emily's tales of life as the mother of soon-to-be SIX kiddos!

Entertaining, heartfelt, beautiful - this momma has her hands full of love & laughter.

Check out Casey's beautiful creations & photography

and learn a little more about this sweet family of four!

Is your curiosity piqued?!

Dec. 5-9

www.partonadoption.blogspot.com

sneak peek 4

2011-11-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

Some artwork...

[Rachel Shockey]

Some photography...

[Jeremy Gerhardt]

And some jewelry...

[Calista Miakoda]

Be excited!

I am!

Dec. 5-9

www.partonadoption.blogspot.com

P.S. Want a sneak peek of all the AWESOME donors so far?? Check it out!

And be sure to check out their websites for more great products!

a story about cupcakes.

2011-11-19T09:55:00.001-05:00

... a post in which I both brag and complain. It's like an American miracle.

On Thursday afternoon, the female teachers at my school had a shower for our co-worker, Elise, who is expecting her first baby - a daughter! - in January. I volunteered to make (surprise, surprise...) cupcakes!

I was inspired by this ruffled cake by Sweetapolita and this tea-party that she did. Then I saw this pin by Manda and knew I had to make pink cupcakes. And finally, since I love raspberry as a flavoring in... pretty much anything, I wanted to re-visit these cupcakes by Annie that I've made before and maybe tie in these cupcakes by Annie as well.

So. I had a glorious picture in my mind of dainty, pink ruffly cupcakes with raspberry filling.

I was pretty pleased with the result. The end!

Just kidding, because if you know me, you know that there were obviously some bumps in the road.

I started out with ridiculously high and lofty goals, and decided that I would try to make the pink of the cake fade from light to dark. I had purchased gel food coloring, which I've never used before in my life, and thankfully, I had the gut instinct that a little would go a long way. I dabbed the tip of a knife into the food coloring - barely anything. Wiped the blade on the paddle of my mixer and began to stir it into the cake mix, and the batter turned, like, neon pink. So, there went my idea for changing the shades of pink. Oh well, the cupcakes will be pink, which is cute.

Baked the cupcakes. All was well. Made raspberry filling, all was well. Started to make raspberry buttercream frosting.

I opened the cream that I had purchased THAT DAY, and huge clumps of nastiness plopped out into my half-made frosting. Now, I don't know if I should admit this online, but if I were just making these cupcakes for myself or maybe even family members, I might have just scooped out said clumps of nastiness and gotten different cream and continued. But I was taking these to a baby shower, and there was a chance that the guest of honor might eat one and who knows what bad cream could do to an unborn baby, because I didn't really pay attention in biology, and frankly, I don't even know if we covered that. Then I thought about what would happen if I made all the female teachers sick, where would we get that many substitute teachers, and how would our school survive if only our male co-workers were there? So I just threw away the tainted frosting.

Thankfully, I had purchased another container of cream, and could successfully create my raspberry buttercream. My illustrious dream of ruffly pink goodness was about to become a reality. I pulled out a Ziploc bag (to pipe with - I keep it classy.), which I had also just purchased that day... and realized that I had mistakenly grabbed a box of 2-gallon bags. Why are there 2-gallon Ziplocs? 1. Who has that much freezer space? 2. What are you storing? Leftover turkeys?

Anyway, I cut the bag in half and put the box back, lacerating my index finger on the cutting edge of the parchment paper box. I made some weird, pained noises and Doug came in and helped bandage my poor, afflicted finger. The show must go on!

I started trying to make pretty, ruffly, ribbon-like frosting decor on a cupcake. The operative word being "trying". Sweet mercy, these things were ugly. In fact, I saved a picture on my computer as "ugly cupcake".

Maybe you can't really tell, but take my word for it. These things were not living up to my expectations.

At which point I decided to try to make roses. Which, surprisingly, were much easier than I anticipated. But I realized I was going to run out of frosting. So, in a last minute effort, I made some chocolate ganache and finished my cupcakes. Ta-da! They ended up looking kind of cute, and the shower was really fun and people liked them. The end?

The next morning, one of my co-workers told me she had an allergic reaction to the cupcakes. I'm not joking. (She was okay - just lip & facial tingling and minor swelling... no breathing problems or anything.) Apparently she's never had a reaction to any of the ingredients I listed before, so she thinks she might have developed an allergy to raspberries...

Lesson learned? Maybe just buy some cookies for school-related events.

Also, I had a cupcake for breakfast today.

auction sneak peek 3

2011-11-18T16:35:00.001-05:00

Less Ordinary Designs is donating a card design & print credit to our auction!

I absolutely love Sara's work.

You may have noticed her adorable button on my sidebar.

Be sure to check out her Etsy shop and blog.

And make sure you jump at the opportunity to work with her creative genius!

:::

Dec. 5-9

www.partonadoption.blogspot.com

another sneak peek!

2011-11-17T20:19:00.001-05:00

Check out this beautiful necklace from sTuckintheCoop!

It could be yours...

Dec. 5-9

(p.s. Take some time to look at the other beautiful work by sTuckintheCoop!)

in the kitchen with rachel... clara.

2011-11-15T18:54:00.001-05:00

My mom & Jayne came to visit last weekend. We had a full weekend of touring Canton, thrifting, getting coffee/hot chocolate, going for walks with Zooey, baking, playing Euchre (Jay & I beat Mom & Doug... twice!), and so much giggling. I had planned on making Mom's mac n' cheese for lunch on Saturday, but I forgot to start the process in the morning (needs 4 hrs in a crockpot), so we improvised and made homemade tomato soup & grilled cheese. I was worried, because I do like Campbell's tomato soup, but I loathe raw tomatoes, so I wasn't sure if I'd like homemade tom soup. Answer: I DO. Delicious. We got the recipe here & adapted it a bit, but this is a good start.

And who doesn't love that amazing stretch of cheese when you pull apart the triangles?!

I also baked a pie for Ethan's 21st birthday. He was supposed to meet Mom & Jay in Erie, PA on their way home, but kid was a no show. What's the deal, E? Apparently it's in Mom & Dad's freezer, waiting for you. For shame. Could have had a fresh pie. For shame.

Okay, this last pic is from awhile ago. Remember how I said I had an awesome culinary experiment involving the caramel cream cheese dip? Well, I decided to try it as frosting with these apple pie cupcakes. It was pretty good, but shockingly - jot this one down in the record books - maybe too sweet. I know. I just said that.

That picture looks pretty disgusting, but it tasted good... sigh, the pictures on my blog leave a lot to be desired... I should take more time to take pretty pictures for my blog & make them look fancy. Maybe someday.

On an unrelated note, we had our first 2 home studies today! Hooray! (Edit: you can read a brief story about my thoughts surrounding the home study here!) Now the paper chase begins...

auction update and sneak peek!

2011-11-14T19:42:00.001-05:00

What: Adoption Auction

When: Dec. 5-9

Where: www.partonadoption.blogspot.com

Why: to raise money for our adoption

How: browse through the great list of items & simply comment with your bid!

It's just in time for Christmas! There are some incredible items & services that will make great Christmas gifts.

If you like golf, then you'll be ecstatic about a donation package involving Victoria National Golf Club - voted #35 of the Top 100 golf clubs by Golf Digest!

image from VNGC website

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks!

& help us spread the word - tell your friends & families & blog readers about our auction!

catch up: 10-on-10 and conferences

2011-11-13T10:41:00.001-05:00

Well, I did remember to do ~~ten~~ six-on-ten, but that was the day we had parent-teacher conferences all day. So, I got 6 pictures. Because I thought it might be awkward to snap a picture of parents.

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[1] I could get used to waking up at 7:30 each morning.
[2] Taking pictures at red lights.
[3] Peppermint mochas (one for me, one for Patti - I promise!)
[4] Back early from lunch. (Morning: 9-12pm, afternoon: 1-4pm). More caffeine. Lesson planning.
[5] Hi Patti! We LOVE conferences!
[6] Outside of Office Max on the way home for dinner (yeah, had to go back for more conferences from 6-9pm!). Can you tell it is SNOWING?

More 10-on-10 here!

Some fun tales from parent-teacher conferences:
- I made a mom cry. But it wasn't bad. I told her I was praying for her child who is struggling with something right now... I still felt bad for making her cry in public.
- I found out that a parent has read/maybe still reads my blog on occasion? Hello, parents! I'd like to take this time to reiterate that I love my students and the school where I teach!
- I did not get yelled at by any parents. No matter how many good conferences I have, this is always my fear.
- The best quote of the night that made the whole day worth it? "Thank you for educating my daughter. Teaching is the most difficult and honorable profession I know." Wow. I can think of some other professions that are more difficult and more honorable, but I surely appreciate the sentiment.

Coming next: adoption auction update and a sneak peek!

recently i'm... (21)

2011-11-09T18:19:00.003-05:00

Excited About: Our home study!! We were accepted to our agency & have our 1st two home studies scheduled! Hooray! (Lots of exclamation points!)

Also Excited About: (More exclamation points ahead!!) Mom & Jayne coming to visit this weekend!!!

NOT Looking Forward To: Parent-Teacher conferences tomorrow. Ugh.

Sewing: My friend Lindsay ordered three outfits for a baby shower - one more to go! (Pictures will be coming... sometime...)

Reading: Still working through Orphanology, and also working through The Connected Child. Loving both of them.

Overwhelmed By: the generosity of friends, family and people I don't even know. We have received so many great donations for the adoption auction - you are all seriously AWESOME. I'm so humbled and so, so grateful... So be sure to spread the word! There are some sweet products that you will NOT want to miss!

Enjoying: Mornings of "daylight savings time". People. This week it hasn't been pitch black when I leave my house in the morning! Granted, it's darker in the evenings, but mornings are so much easier when it's light out!

Cooking: Quick, awesome story. While Victoria & Jeremy were here, I made Pumpkin Spice Pancakes (ala - who else - Annie). They were delectable. Monday night I told Doug that I was going to make them for dinner on Tuesday (yesterday). True story: Victoria texted me last night to say that she was making them for dinner. We did not plan it. We are the same person. Another true story: I will be making them for breakfast on Saturday. I want one right now just thinking about them.

Listening To: Coldplay's newest album, Mylo Xyloto. My favorite song (for now) is "Charlie Brown".

Doing A Lot Of: Sewing, soliciting, cleaning, grading.

Slacking On: Taking pictures (but I will do ten-on-ten tomorrow!). Working out. I don't even want to talk about it.

Needing: To get my bangs trimmed... badly.

Headed out: To dinner at Zac & Patti's!

adoption auction!

2011-11-07T12:40:00.002-05:00

Friends & Family -

We are so excited to announce our newest fundraiser!

Coming in DECEMBER -

an online adoption auction

to help bring our babe home!

We have already secured some awesome donations,

but we are asking for YOUR help to make this a success!

Do you sew? Crochet? Knit? Paint? Make jewelry?

Do you have a service you'd like to donate?

(photography, babysitting, baking, etc)

Do you own a business that sells exciting products?

Do you sell Pampered Chef? Lia Sophia? Mary Kay?

OR - do you know of someone who does?

If so, please leave a comment with your email address,

or email me at rachel.parton@gmail.com.

Please feel free to pass along information about our auction

and my contact information to anyone you think might be interested!

We'd love to advertise your shop or Etsy store!

Stay tuned for more details and sneak peeks of some of our fantastic items.

A huge thank-you to Emily & Jim for the adoption auction idea

and for all their support in our adoption journey!

orphan sunday.

2011-11-06T22:03:00.001-05:00

Missing these boys pretty intensely today.

Praising God for His faithfulness to these boys.
Praising God for organizations like World Orphans.

Pray for the orphans in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Pray for the over 143 million orphans across the globe.
Pray that God will continue to stir the hearts of His people to care for His children.

thoughts for thursday.

2011-11-03T17:55:00.001-04:00

A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! -
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

1838

image take 10.2010

happy halloween.

2011-10-31T16:31:00.002-04:00

SWEET. heavens. to. betsy.

This is cream cheese caramel dip with Heath bar.

In other words, this is insanely delectable and you need to drop everything you're doing, run to the kitchen and make this IMMEDIATELY.

Victoria & I made it this weekend, and I am slightly obsessed.

[there is an embarrassing chance that i may have eaten 2 apples when i got home from school just so i could dip them in this divine delight.]

Directions

Beat 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp til smooth and creamy. Blend in 1 16.5oz tub Marzetti's carmel dip. Stir in 2 crushed up Heath bars. Eat your heart out.

So. Good.

I am planning the master of all culinary experiments for this bad boy tomorrow night... stay tuned...

Oh, P.S. - Zooey says she's Tom Selleck for Halloween. I told her it's not as believable without the chest hair protruding from a Hawaiian shirt...

family/friends.

2011-10-30T16:09:00.003-04:00

Victoria & Jeremy & Colden visited this weekend!

So blessed to have family members who are such incredible friends.

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[1] Zooey's always a little skeptical of tiny visitors, but she warms up quickly.

[2] On a morning walk around Cherry Hill Village. [geez, model much?!]

[3] The boys watched Colden so V & I could run to IKEA for a bit. I bought some new pillow covers, finally. This room has needed some color for quite some time... still in the works, a year later...

[4] While the boys & Zooey hit up some local trails, V, Colden & I enjoyed lunch (Mom's mac n' cheese!). I whipped up some honey mustard dip for pretzels, and Colden tried some... and ended up loving it! We were dying laughing - he was essentially using the pretzels as spoons for the mustard, which he kept calling "soup".

[5-8] On our way to Three Cedars Farm, Colden fell asleep and we drove by a pretty field... so we did an impromptu photo shoot! Jer was our obliging photographer , while...

[9] Doug stayed in the car with the sleepy babe.

[10] At Three Cedars - Colden modeling a pumpkin.

[11] "Hi, 'carecrow"

[12-13] C enjoying a plain donut; though, not as much as he'd enjoy Mommy or Daddy's sugar donuts...

[14] Family!

[15] The Gerhardt men.

[16] Mama & her boy.

[17] Priceless expression!!

[18] Uncle Dougie & Colden check out the chickens.

[19] Little boys love their tractors!

[20] Jarritos to go along with our enchiladas - yum.

[21] Cider n' Donut party: Three Cedar cider & donuts, pumpkin spice cheesecake, pigs in blankets, and cream cheese caramel dip with apples. The insane gluttony...

Such a fun weekend with people we love so much!

when i look at the works of Your hands...

2011-10-26T19:06:00.001-04:00

For everything created by God is good... -I Timothy 4:4

i'm annoyed; quick, someone affirm me.

2011-10-25T18:01:00.001-04:00

Just logged into Yahoo, and saw this article about how to "avoid embarrassing your child on Facebook."

Some of their suggestions? "Don't pry. Don't get too personal. Don't assume your child can chat with you just because he's logged in. Never, ever reply to comments for your kids."

Seriously??

SERIOUSLY?!

I'm trying to give "Tecca" (the author of the article) the benefit of the doubt, and hope that she's talking about children who are grown up, out of the house, with their own families.

Parents. As a teacher who interacts with teenagers daily (and, incidentally, as someone who has parents) - please, PLEASE pry into your children's lives! It's your responsibility to know what goes on in your children's lives!

I know, I'm so old-fashioned, and I'm totally repressing the freedom of teenagers across America. But having been a teenager, and being around teenagers all day everyday... they could use some more repression. Facebook stalk away, parents.

today...

2011-10-24T18:05:00.000-04:00

... I posted a new onesie (already sold, sorry!).

... I picked up my friends from the airport, returning home from Paris.

... I had some of the best chocolate I have ever had in my life (thanks, Ellie!).

... I mailed our application to CHI! Hooray!

... I cried in excitement, realizing that every day we are a day closer to our baby.

... I cried in pain, thinking what our baby's birth mama is going to sacrifice.

... I prayed for our baby's birth mama.

... I prayed for our baby.

... I prayed for us as parents.

... I snapped this picture of these amazing trees in our back alley.
Little glimpses of God's beauty.

**Edit: Finished editing these senior pics.

"fall fabulous!"

2011-10-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

This is what I've been saying all day. "Fall fabulous!" I'm not really sure why, except for the fact that I'm so excited we finally went to get pumpkins and fall decor.

I made some nice, hot, minestrone soup.

And here's a sneak preview of a fall onesie I'm making! LOVE this fabric!

Yay for fall!

recently i'm... (20)

2011-10-18T17:58:00.000-04:00

Sewing: completed my newest project for SBP - check it out here!

Reading: Orphanology by Rick Merida - so, so good. (Foreword by one of my favorites...)

Laughing at: So, our class pumpkin was Cinderella's carriage -

and we took first place! But then our pumpkin started rotting... so, for some reason, our class had purchased another pumpkin? Just in case they didn't like the first one? So, we replaced the rotting carriage with a regular old orange pumpkin... and a sign that said, "The clock struck midnight!"

Excited about: our walkathon was a huge success! People heard the Gospel, more people are becoming orphan advocates, 210 pairs of shoes were purchased, and we raised over $30,000 to donate to the boys in Kenya & children in Ethiopia! Some pictures from the event...

Listening to: this cover of Adele... I can't watch them sing it because they're so affected, but their voices are lovely.

Overwhelmed by: a former student sent us a check for our adoption - the tithe from her graduation party.

Working on: our application for CHI. Hopefully will be in the mail tomorrow or Thursday!

accepted!

2011-10-12T20:10:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to say:

We're accepted into YWAM's Ethiopia Adoption Program!

Next step: Apply to Children's House International (CHI - the agency that is licensed in Ethiopia to complete all the legal work)!

Hooray!

how to make my day/really weird me out

2011-10-12T09:22:00.003-04:00

Journal Question: If you could have dinner with any famous person (living or dead), who would it be, and why?

Response: "I would have dinner with Mrs. Parton. I would have dinner with Mrs. Parton because she's gorgeous. I'll see ya there!"

Thank you. / Yikes.

10 on 10.10

2011-10-10T13:03:00.003-04:00

GUYS! I remembered to do 10 on 10. Um, but right now I'm at school and I don't have the cord to my camera, so you're going to have to wait to see all my glorious pictures. Ah, suspense...

**Edit** Okay, the much-anticipated photos. I present you with my fake instagram photos, because I'm not cool enough for an iPhone. Yet.

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[1] Unlike the rest of the country, PCA doesn't celebrate the subjugation of entire races of people. In other words, we had school today. I left the house early and got myself a little treat to start my Monday.

[2] Finally finished grading my freshman kiddos' Great Expectations projects.

[3] Whee! A co-worker surprised me with a treat!

[4] My prep hour - browsing through my crockpot cookbook from Aunt Jan, looking for a soup to make for "October birthday treats" luncheon tomorrow...

[5] Sneak preview of our class pumpkin that's due tomorrow! So excited...

[6] Okay, here's a funny story. I'm the worst sister ever, and haven't sent Emily any packages yet (I know - seriously?! What's wrong with me?!) So, last night I made cookies and went to the post office today... and forgot that postal workers are white supremacists (just kidding, anyone who doesn't know my sense of humor...) and therefore lovers of Christopher Columbus and therefore NOT OPEN. So now the cookies will definitely be stale. Sorry, Em.

[7] Convenient roadwork right outside our garage...

[8] Someone was really excited to see me get home.

[9] School clothes. FALL FASHION! Shirt: Calvin Klein, thrifted (and I found out today why - some of the buttons don't like to stay buttoned... yikes. Good thing I had an undershirt on, or class today might have been really interesting.) Pants: Express, like 3 years ago. Shoes: Aeropostale like 4 years ago - for TWO DOLLARS. Boom, baby.

[10] Leaves outside our house. Pretty. I love fall.

Hooray! My first successful 10-on-10! (Even though I maybe cheated and did 10 pictures in 9 hours. Shh.)

I joined in on the fun here - you should too!

autumn sunset

2011-10-09T17:39:00.003-04:00

introducing...

2011-10-07T21:19:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited to share my latest business venture: Sweet Bo Peep!
(because I don't have enough blogs going right now.)

www.sweetbopeep.blogspot.com

Sweet Bo Peep is a place for me to sell some of the dresses & onesies I make - all profit will go to our adoption account.

Currently, there is one item for sale, so get it while it's hot!

Thanks for supporting my creative whims and our adoption!

recently i'm... (19)

2011-10-03T21:48:00.003-04:00

Loving: all the support and encouragement we're getting from friends and family in our adoption process! You guys are AWESOME.

Waiting: to hear from our agency about whether we're accepted or not! Eeek. We have a lot of waiting to get used to! :)

Baking: red velvet cupcakes for my small group girls tomorrow

Sewing: uggghhhhh - I can't say or show a picture because it's a surprise for someone! Oh, the suspense. It's probably killing me more than any of you...

Enjoying: the beautiful fall weather. I try not to complain about the weather, but man alive - I am loving this sunshine.

Excited about: SO much! Family/friends planning visits, the walkathon on Saturday (and the accompanying forecasted temperature - 81 degrees!), becoming a mom (look at this turning into a mom blog already... it's disgusting), a short work week... the list could go on.

Reading: I finished the books mentioned in my last "recently i'm"... Ella Minnow Pea was SO cute. I loved it. The Story of a Marriage was really interesting, with a lot of surprises. Beautifully written.

Listening to: "Woods" by Bon Iver > "Still" by Volcano Chair > "Lost in the World" by Kanye. Love when creative artists collaborate!

Cheering for: the Tigers! Beat those Yanks!

Going to bed before 10? Yeah, I'm pretty awesome.

Sept. 2009

... and the outtakes.

2011-10-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

Zooey....

"I don't know if I can get behind the thumbs up." - Doug

"Let's jump!! [...] That did NOT turn out well."

If this is anything like a new puppy, Zooey's not so sure.

three is a magic number

2011-09-26T19:00:00.000-04:00

Fact: I have actually been composing and editing this entry since the end of June. Every post in the meantime has been a struggle not to explode with this news - not to just throw out a random P.S. WE'RE ADOPTING!

We were on a waiting list to even apply to our program (for 2 months and 20 days - not that I was counting... or checking my email obsessively multiple times a day...), and we were just given the OKAY to APPLY yesterday!

We want to enlist your prayer support now. Pray that we would seek God's direction in every decision. Pray that God prepares our hearts for parenthood. Pray that God is even now comforting our future child and his/her birth parents.

Um, additionally, the cost of international adoption is pretty overwhelming, so we are going to start fundraising soon. So, you could maybe prayerfully consider a donation, too.

With every inch forward, my heart just feels like bursting!

You can visit our adoption blog here for more stories about how God led us to this decision.

If you have any questions at all - please feel free to ask. Just know that once I start talking about adoption, I might not shut up.

P.S. WE ARE ADOPTING!!!!!!

skyping with gram

2011-09-24T19:26:00.012-04:00

I skyped with my dad and Gram the other afternoon, and Dad decided to have some fun with Gram's accessories...

"Get that thing off of me!"

Also, Doug & I took Zooey for a walk and did a photo shoot - here's a sneak preview!

at the orchard

2011-09-22T21:59:00.005-04:00

why did it take me this long to hear this hymn?

2011-09-13T23:23:00.008-04:00

Let your heart be broken for a world in need -

Feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed.

Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread -

Be the hands of Jesus, serving in His stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love -

Visible expression God still rules above,

Living illustration of the Living Word

To the minds of all who've never seen and heard.

Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,

Challenged by the need apparent everywhere,

Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place,

Be the means through which the Lord reveals His grace.

Add to your believing deeds that prove it true -

Knowing Christ as Savior, make Him Master too:

Follow in His footsteps, go where He has trod,

In the world's great trouble risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear -

See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near;

Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain,

Share your rich resources - give and give again.

"Let Your Heart Be Broken"

Bryan Jeffery Leech, 1976

When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them. - Matthew 9:36

recently i'm... (18)

2011-09-12T19:40:00.005-04:00

Taking pictures... while driving. I know. It's dangerous. I'm sorry. But it's so pretty out I can't help it.

Listening to: Mumford & Son's "Sigh No More"

Reading: I went into Borders the other day and it was one of the most depressing sights ever. However, I did manage to get three books for $7, so I suppose that's one good thing. I got Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which I read in high school. The other two I've never read (always a gamble for me when I'm purchasing a book...), but they came highly reviewed. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn and The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer. Hasanyone read either of those?

Enjoying: Being a senior sponsor. Especially on days like Murray's Lake. When we win almost everything (including volleyball, for the first time!). Dominating in tug of war, during the cold rain.

Looking forward to: Spiritual Life Retreat with my seniors this Wednesday. Don't look now, but I might get a little teary when I think about how everything with them is the last time...

Cooking: Will anyone judge me if I confess that I've had hotdogs for dinner 3 nights in a row?

Loving: My new handsoap - Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin by Bath & Body Works!

Really excited about: (Am I even allowed to do this category if I already have a "looking forward to"??) Our church's walkathon!! Look for a post coming soon about how you can support me and Doug in this, if you're interested!

Too obsessed with: Pinterest. Yikes. I need a support group.

Annoyed with: I asked this journal question today: "If you had $500 to donate to any charity or organization, which would you choose and why?" One student responded, "Honestly, if I had $500 I wouldn't donate it." Stop it immediately, you punk.

Enjoying: Sunshine today! I graded some papers outside during my prep hour!

Also loving: that my dad called Doug to ask how he could watch the Monday night game online. Those cuters.

Headed out: to babysit!

you, me, sushi?

2011-09-11T09:12:00.008-04:00

Friday night we decided to do a night of Team Snarton Sushi. Diversion: I developed the name "Team Snarton" a couple years ago when Patti and I were partnered while working at CDC's Restoration Warehouse. This was back in the day when I was still nervous about being funny enough or clever enough because I wanted Patti to like me! (Hello, awkward junior high self - nice to see you poke your awkward head in my life still...)

Anyway! Friday night we headed over to Umi Sushi in Ann Arbor.

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[1] Fun restaurant decor!

[2] anything?

[3] ANYTHING?! OKAY!

[4] Hm, I can't pick up my water...

[5] But I can "pick up" Doug! (Hey baby. You, me, sushi?)

[6] Mmm. My favorite is still California rolls...

[7] The Snyders of Team Snarton!

[8] The Partons of Team Snarton!

6 on 10?

2011-09-10T18:35:00.010-04:00

I've been wanting to do the 10-on-10 photo thingy for months. MONTHS. And every time I forget! So I just saw Manda's post and realized, yet again, I'd forgotten to take a picture each hour! Thankfully, I took a few pictures throughout the day anyway, though! Even though 3 of these are technically the same thing... I present you with my 6-on-10. Dang it.

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[1] Newborn onesie for Jeanette's shower today.

[2] Ruffle butt of the same onesie.

[3] All wrapped up & ready to go.

[4] On the way home from the shower - gorgeous drive!

[5] Stopped by the side of the road to pick a little bouquet.

[6] Dinner time.

Maybe I'll remember on October 10th... someone should probably remind me.

p.s. check out my most recent senior session here.

food for football

2011-09-08T20:55:00.007-04:00

My friend Patti's husband, Zac, writes a blog for the Detroit Lions called the Side Lion Report. He has graciously asked us women to partake in a weekly feature called Tailgate Thursday - we provide fun recipes themed by the team the Lions are opposing that week! This Sunday, the Lions are playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so we went into pirate mode!

We made "Peg Legs" - aka, Oven-baked Mozzarella Sticks (original recipe here)

and "Treasure Chest Cupcakes"...

... or, if we're being really immature (and we are) - "Booty Cakes". Haha. Booty.

Check out our Tailgate Treats here!

it's my kind of town

2011-09-05T10:33:00.019-04:00

Playing catch up! Pics from our trip to Chicago to see Dave & Sara.

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[1] partners in crime on the way to chicago

[2] night in the city sure looks pretty to me

[3] potato boats for breakfast. we unintentionally had a "boat" themed weekend.

[4] sara's cute decor on the balcony.

[5] hanging out* after an afternoon of window shopping & thrifting.

*didn't get a great shot of them, but we're sitting on benches sara made from old pallets!

[6] down to the boardwalk for dinner!

[7] boat out on lake michigan

[8] cute picnic & game bags. we brought a little grill & made kebabs.

[9] sun setting. watching navy pier to see if they'd do fireworks...

[10] the sky gets darker & the city lights get brighter

[11] just hanging out & talking

[12] sara & doug are disappearing!

[13] the 4 of us.

[14] me & sar

[15] started to rain, so we* went back to the house to grill banana boats!

*an incredibly alarming picture. we are extremely excited about this endeavor.

[16] grilled banana boats: cut open your banana, add various things that make said banana unhealthy, wrap in foil & grill for about 10 minutes.

[17] zucchini boats & homemade mac. incredibly sunday lunch.

[18] afternoon snack of frozen grapes, our* new fav!

*possibly the only picture in existence in which sara is in a dress and i'm in shorts.

A wonderful weekend with people we love!

Thanks, Winks!

bingo bango.

2011-09-01T09:07:00.005-04:00

Oh Grandpa, how we loved to laugh

at the little things you'd do -

napkin tucked into your collar,

Equal always at hand

for that "strong potato flavor".

Clotheslines strung in minivans,

causing questions at borders.

Numbering the orchard blocks

and shaving while you walked.

Do you remember when Robert and I

stole your cart and tried to make it a car?

Or how mad you'd get

when you caught us peeling the birch tree?

And Grandpa, when we played Rummikub,

you'd impatiently urge us to hurry

then take your time at your turn.

Sneaking a cookie when I decorated with Gram,

I'd take out a snack to your studio.

Watching the slow, patient brush strokes

as your created life on the canvas.

You'd make me show off my latest piano piece

and you'd show off too -

the latest piece you'd composed.

How you'd beam with pride at our recitals!

Planting a hard, whiskery kiss on our cheeks.

On birthdays and at Christmas,

a harmonica has never sounded as sweet.

Always around the farm,

you'd come over and help me pick peaches.

Driving tractor, I'd climb up

To bring you a cup of water.

And when I was old enough to drive,

you flagged me down at the end of the field

to give me a frozen Snickers.

Picnics at the pond, where you sat

quietly watching the ones you loved.

A family so loud, so proud.

So beautiful, so bickering, so full.

As the old tree in the yard lost branches,

you nailed planks in their place

so your grandkids could still play.

Bingo bango, bingo bango...

Oh Grandpa, we love you.

in loving memory of

Grandpa Bannister

December 31, 1918 - August 31, 2011

back to school

2011-08-29T16:49:00.005-04:00

Hello, my name is Mrs. Parton, and I am an English teacher.*

*Childish lunch box - with Goldfish and juice box - not pictured.

Today was our first day back! It went really smoothly, despite my apprehension. Because of our last-minute trip to NY last week, I kept feeling like I wasn't really prepared. I missed some meetings and didn't have as much time in the classroom as I would have liked, but I ended up being more prepared than I thought! I guess the fact that this is my 4th year at PCA probably helped a bit.

My friend Maria (hey, Maria!) recently started doing her "Weekly Wish List" - and I love this idea, so I'm obviously stealing it. Maria writes that she wants to document goals for the week: "things I am looking forward to, dreading, want to accomplish, etcetera." As some of my readers may know, I'm a big list person (hello, Type A syndromes). I also love resolutions and goals, so this is right up my alley. I don't know that I'll share these on the blog each week, but when I remember, I probably will.

So! This week, I wish...

[1] to memorize the names of my freshman class. I'm decent with names, and there are only 22 of them, so hopefully this will be easy.

[2] to mail Emily some cookies. Oops, I hope she's not reading this because I really like surprises and want her to be surprised.

[3] to finish The Sun Also Rises. Last "summer" book. Sigh.

[4] to get my new contract signed & update the school website. Oh, I forgot to mention that I'm the new school webmaster? Yeah, I am. Not really sure what I'm getting myself into.

[5] to finish memorizing Psalm 121. My grandma is an inspiration.

Oh - one more for this week.

[6] to blog about our trip to Chicago! Life got a little hectic after we got back from this trip, but it was definitely a blog-worthy experience.

Okay - what are YOUR weekly goals?!

Come on, peeps - jump on the list bandwagon.

AND just because I'm feeling ambitious - I'll share my goal for the ENTIRE school year! This is a big one, folks.

My goal for the 2011-2012 school year is to leave the house every morning by 7:05am.

I was going to say 7am, but let's not get crazy.

seeing God

2011-08-28T15:47:00.004-04:00

During times of trial and pain, people often wonder where God is. Now, I'm no theologian, and my faith certainly waivers because of my fickle heart, but I just wanted to share a few places that I've seen God so far during the past week.

- God is in Grandma's lack of injuries.

- God is in the fact that Grandpa was not killed immediately.

- God is in my family not being injured while getting Gram & Gramps out of the house.

- God is in my family living next door.

- God is in how fast Gramps was taken care of - how quickly ambulances & helicopters responded.

- God is in the love that the Bannister family has surrounded one another with - buying clothes for Gram, bringing food to the hospital, hosting meals for those visiting the hospital, phone calls, emails, hugs, tears, love from far away...

- God is in the love that has been showered upon the Bannister family.

- God is in the masses of prayers that are going up from people who don't even know Grandpa.

- God is in random messages from people I haven't talked to in years, telling me they're praying and thinking of my family.

- God is in Aunt Lynnie's discovery of something important we thought had been lost among the rubble.

- God is in Gram memorizing Psalm 121 and encouraging her children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren throughout everything.

- God is in little smiles that Grandpa has given visitors.

- God is in a good night's rest.

God is sustaining. In the good and the bad, he is sovereign. This list is only a glimpse of the ways God has shown himself to me this week.

My sweet family members -

what evidences of God's grace have you seen?

Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.

-Job 1:21

trivial.

2011-08-27T11:26:00.006-04:00

So, it seems a little ridiculous to follow up the post about my Grandpa with a silly before&after hair picture, but I promised a couple people I would do a blog post to unveil my haircut. We got back from New York around 3pm on Thursday, and I had a haircut at 5pm. I felt like an insane person - lying there, getting my hair washed while the rest of my family was sitting in a hospital waiting room. As Marla wrote, "when things like this happen, you walk around in a haze. wondering how the world can just go on. wondering how i can just go on. but life goes on. and i go on. but there is a lump in my throat that never fully goes away." I think more than ever, this week has taught me what it really means to "pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17). The report on Grandpa was good this morning - it sounds like he will hopefully be off the ventilator in a day or two. Pray for continued progress!

All that being said - here is my "before" shot.

As you can see from my expression, I don't really know what's going on. I was debating chopping all my hair off. Split ends are out of control. It's a hot mess.

After:

This is what I call my "unsure smile" - I think I like it, but it does make me look like a 12-year old. I chickened out at the very last second and decided just to chop my bangs instead. At least the split ends are gone!

too deep for words.

2011-08-24T20:11:00.006-04:00

My grandparents were in an accident yesterday morning - a propane tank blew up in their house. My grandma was not injured, but my grandpa was flown to the hospital and remains in guarded condition. Please pray for him. Pray for my grandma. Pray for their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Pray for family members who are unable to make it home to be with family. Pray for my sister who leaves for her first year of college tomorrow and is still traumatized by the experience. Pray, pray, pray.

I have been clinging to Romans 8:26: "The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know what we ought to pray for, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words..."

Below are some of the news reports with more information about the accident.

WHAM News Channel 13

YNN Rochester

WHEC News Channel 10

ode to summer

2011-08-18T17:07:00.007-04:00

Work starts again for me on Monday. I'm always astonished by how quickly the summer flies by. I was talking with someone the other day and mentioned that the month of August is like a Sunday night - you know school is looming. Some of the distinct warning signs of summer's close...

1. Peaches. Sweet, sweet peaches & nectarines - the taste of summer & sunshine.

2. Realizing you need to change into jeans & a sweatshirt for that bonfire at night.

3. Fresh corn on the cob.

4. The hum of cicadas.

5. Crayon boxes and notebooks and pencils and erasers and packages of paper lining the aisles of grocery stores.

6. Premature orange and yellow leaves peppering otherwise green trees.

So, we try to make the most of our dwindling days by grilling as often as possible & enjoying as much fresh produce as possible!

[peach blueberry cobbler]

[chipotle pork wraps... yummm]

What signifies the end of summer to you, and how are you enjoying it??

i'd like to call back summertime

have her stay for just another month or so

but she's got the urge for going

so i guess she'll have to go

-joni mitchell

cake pops!

2011-08-15T12:09:00.003-04:00

The other night we went over to Maria & Troy's for game night & cake pops! Maria had a lovely display of her delicious cake pops: salted caramel and spice, oreo, and my favorite, strawberry cheesecake. Yummm!

When I offered to bring something and Maria told me the theme was "cake pops", I got really excited because I've never made them before and now I had an excuse to make them! I looked up Bakerella for some inspiration and was a little overwhelmed, but still determined. Mine didn't have to look awesome, I just wanted to be able to say I'd made cake pops!

As it turns out, cake pops aren't nearly as difficult as I had thought they might be. You bake a cake. Cool the cake. Break it up into little chunks. Mix frosting into it. Roll into balls and let chill for awhile. Put a stick in it. Chill for even longer. Decorate as desired.

After browsing the internet, I realized that I had missed my opportunity to celebrate National S'mores Day, and realized that s'more cake pops might be delightful! So I decided to create my own.

I had originally planned on using a box mix of white cake and making my own marshmallow frosting to stir in, but time was of the essence, so I just used a can of vanilla frosting (for shame, I know...). I do think the mallow frosting would have contributed a little more to the s'more effect, but they turned out pretty well.

Coated them in candy melts, sprinkled on some graham cracker crumbs and topped with cut up mallows and tiny Hershey chunks.

Although they were tasty, I have to admit... I would still take a regular ole s'more over these any day!

getting old & things that embarrass my mom

2011-08-13T19:46:00.002-04:00

You know those moments when you realize, oh my word - I'm getting old? Don't get me wrong, I like to think that 26 is still pretty young. But there are still those things that make childhood seem forever behind you. Things like paying a mortgage. Getting your first real paycheck. Thinking to yourself, teenagers today...

For me, one of those things is coupons and grocery shopping. I don't know what it is, but seeing little deductions from the original price on my receipt and coming home to organize my produce and cans and boxes... there's something immensely satisfying in that.

Now, I'm not a crazy coupon-clipper - I'd like to be one of those women who find amazing deals that allows them to get 14 boxes of tampons for free and 5 cases of toilet paper for 20 cents. Not quite there yet. However, I have recently started to compare prices at our two closest grocery stores - Kroger & Meijer. Meijer almost always wins, but every once in awhile there is a weekly special at Kroger that ends up being cheaper. Yes, teenagers of America - roll your sarcastic little eyes because I have become one of those. My grocery shopping takes me to different stores. I look forward to aggravating my children with this practice in the future.

Getting excited about a good deal is just thrifty, right? Not old.

Anyway, on the way home from the grocery store today, I was at a 2-way stop, waiting for traffic to clear, when a big black SUV (by the way, thanks Mariska Hargitay - now I have to pause and think to make sure I'm using the right acronym...) pulled into the left turn lane, obstructing my view of traffic coming from the left. Rude. In an act that surely would have appalled my mother, I threw up my left arm in a very obvious signal of exasperation, and to top it off, shook my head in annoyance. I'm sorry, Mom - I know that if I had done that to a ref at a soccer game, you would have been mortified. But... the dude backed up his car. Yeah, that's right.

(Is another sign of aging exasperated driving? Or is that just the 'burbs getting to me?)

girls' night, aka extreme geocache

2011-08-12T19:00:00.002-04:00

I've been in a small group of girls (I still struggle to refer to myself and females my age as "women"...) for the past 3 and a half-ish years. The group has changed a bit since I first started, but what's been constant is the love and support and accountability and FUN!

Last night we had girls' night, and in the words of my dear friend Andrea, "It started with margaritas and ended with rabies."

We began our evening together at Ellie's house - bean & guacamole dip, grilled pineapple, chicken fajitas, luscious sunshine and a cool breeze on the deck, conversations both deep and silly... As we were wrapping up dinner, tummies content, Ellie asked, "So... what should we do?!" Katy, ever the adventurer, excitedly exclaimed, "Let's go geocaching!"

After explaining what "geocaching" was to some of our group (Wait, so there will be a box? How does the box get there? Is it a treasure hunt? Are there prizes?), we decided a leisurely walk and casual search for a geocache would be pleasant. After some outfit changing ("I wore my sparkly skirt for girls' night!"), we doused ourselves in bug spray, grabbed flashlights and headed out the door, into the woods of... suburbia.

Slight oversight on our part - our daylight was rapidly waning. As it turns out, geocaching is significantly more difficult in the dark.

We crossed the street and entered the park, following our coordinates into a small patch of trees, at which point a bat swooped down approximately 4 inches from my face, prompting multiple screams and frenzied running and covering heads. We eventually got to the point where the geocache should have been and looked high and low, to no avail.

By this time, having endured multiple mosquito bites and a near bat attack, we decided to press on and look up another geocache. Almost two-tenths of a mile away. Psh. That was nothing to our fearless...ish troop. We got to the next location and again, were unable to locate anything! We looked up the next location, which was a quarter of a mile away, back past the house. We decided to make a pit stop at the house, re-apply bug spray, and perhaps get some refreshment in the form of ice cream. On the way back, we got honked at by a passerby. Yeah, girls' night!

Refueled, we stepped back out with dauntless resolve - the third time would surely be the trick! We crossed the street. We stumbled through dewy grass. We trekked across... the hospital parking lot. Behind the hospital is a marshy, swampy... pond? There were a few sections where our path went through some undergrowth and low-hanging branches, at which point we started giggling because here we were in the middle of Canton, fighting through random bushes between the hospital and the library. We were about to cut through a playground when a scampering creature caught our attention. No big deal - it's a skunk.

Now, as you may remember, our household has had a run-in with a skunk before. And I was not about to be the one getting hosed down and taking a tomato bath in yard in the dark. Suffice to say, there was much panicking. I will admit it, folks - I nearly abandoned our quest. But we watched the little fella scamper into his wooden & plastic playground kingdom (to quote Patti, "If I were a skunk, I would totally live here at night") and still pressed on. Back through the parking lot. We got a little turned around. Our coordinates led us to the edge of the parking lot ("The cameras are totally picking us up - we are going to be on the news tomorrow. Have you seen these women? Local small group arrested for trespassing..."). Again, we searched high and we searched low, and...

We found nothing.

We endured vicious, blood-sucking mosquitoes. We battled potentially rabid swooping bats. We withstood sketchy, ogling drivers. We struggled through hidden, flip-flop eating mud holes. We ran like babies from skunks.

All this, and no geocache.

The good news is - I think it's a memory we will not soon forget. And, being extreme geocachers, we do not quit that easily. We plan to revisit these spots to find the goods... in the daylight.

L-R: Katy, Patti, Ellie, Andrea, me, Mandy

photos of a wonderful week

2011-08-11T17:03:00.018-04:00

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[1] country mornings = old barns + queen anne's lace

[2] karalyn grace! meeting katie's pretty little lady.

[3] sparkling dew drops in the peach orchard.

[4] trees full of ripe & ripening peaches =

[5] yum. this is what summer tastes like.

[6] take a last look at this house color!

[7] emily helps with the scraping

[8] dad & jayne power washing in the lift.

[9] gorgeous sunset on the way to manda's

[10] cute kitchen all set up for milk & cookie party!

[11] manda's adorable mini chalk boards

[12] happily obeying the chalk board instructions!

[13] photo stolen from marla. so blessed to have such awesome cousins!

family.

farm.

bonfires.

laughing.

catching up with family/friends.

peaches.

corn on the cob.

austrian meals.

little bannister kiddos.

so, so much love.

i love western ny.

numbered list of awesome 5

2011-08-05T15:48:00.002-04:00

1. Afternoons spent sewing & puppy watching: the soft whir of the needle, the sporadic twitching of puppy paws, the sigh Zooey emits when she flops to the ground...

2. Homemade salsa via Brown Eyed Baker. Yum! The recipe is super easy and tastes amazing. My next step will be making salsa that I can ... can. In other words, I would like to make salsa that I am able to can. Whatever. You get it, right?

3. Homemade Peanut Butter Pretzel Balls. Or, in my case - Peanut Butter Pretzel Globs.

Oh my. Oh my goodness. Doug, I am so sorry, but these are AMAZING. I had to change the font size. That's how good they are. The peanut butter. The chocolate. The salty crunch. It's the kind of treat where, after you eat one, you keep thinking about how amazing it tastes and the thought of that delectableness keeps interrupting your thoughts throughout the afternoon. Not ringing a bell? That's just my gluttony speaking? I dare you to give these bad boys a try.

Momentary interruption while I mop the drool from my keyboard...

4. Making jewelry again. It's been awhile! Pictured below: Katy's birthday gift.

6. Sara spending not one, but TWO nights! That means long walks (with a pit stop at Coldstone, of course [banana&pb ice cream w/ pb cups and fudge]), non-stop conversation, a lot of laughter, and oh-so-much fun.

7. Thinking about opening an Etsy shop? Maybe? For stuff like this?

8. Going home this weekend! Getting to hang out with my family & maybe help with some painting??

9. Getting to meet Katie & Ryan's daughter, Karalyn Grace!

10. This pup. Currently passed out on the floor because our time at the dog park was soooo exhausting.

Alright, off to ~~eat more pb pretzel globs~~ pack for New York!

**Edit!

11. This video!

Tim Keller: True & Better (The REMIX) from Grant Jenkins on Vimeo.

why orphans?

2011-08-03T21:59:00.009-04:00

Exodus 22:22 * Deuteronomy 10:18 * Deuteronomy 24:17-21

Deuteronomy 27:19 * Psalm 10:14 * Psalm 68:5 * Psalm 82:3

Psalm 146:9 * Isaiah 1:17 * Jeremiah 22:3 * Zechariah 7:10

Malachi 3:5 * James 1:27

John 14:8

video: Why Orphans? from World Orphans

Find out how you can help.

real life conversations, pt. 13

2011-08-02T23:32:00.004-04:00

I won't disclose which person in our marriage said this:*

"I wonder what would happen if you ran urine through a Brita filter."

*Hint: It wasn't me.

babysitting brady

2011-08-02T11:26:00.010-04:00

My friend Maria just got a new puppy, and luckily for me, Brady sometimes needs a babysitter. However... Zooey has remained a bit... skeptical about the newest kid on the block. The quality of the following pictures is awful, but the expressions on Zooey's face are still abundantly and hilariously clear.

Not impressed.

Zooey eventually flopped on the floor and tried to act casual... without much success.

In the meantime, I tried to sneak a few more pictures of Brady while Zooey wasn't looking.

By the end of their time together, Zooey had just sort of accepted that Brady was present and tried to ignore him. But guess what, Zoo? Good news - Brady's coming over again tomorrow!

"baby scout"

2011-07-28T13:07:00.002-04:00

Made for Jeanette's little bundle.

Also... had Chinese for lunch today, and my fortune cookie said: "Someone thinks you are wonderfully mysterious." Wonderfully mysterious. That's me, alright! As mysterious as, say, a chair.

DC weekend

2011-07-26T23:27:00.013-04:00

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[1] What's a road trip without a "[destination] or bust!" sign?!

[2] Team Snarton Summer Trip, Pt. 1. We made it through a near gas-outage in a desolate wasteland [Pennsylvania]. We established the Unofficial Frappucino of the First Half of Summer [white chocolate mocha]. We established the future Unofficial Frappucino of the Second Half of Summer [white chocolate mocha with coconut]. In other words - Part 1? Success.

[3] Road trip necessities.

[4] We took the heat wave with us. Temperature = 108. Heat index = 120.

[5] Oh, hey George. This was the closest we got to the monuments this time. No touristy stuff - we were trying to pass as residents. Thanks, Matt!

[6] Inside Matt's house - in the library. The house was amazing. Old wood floors, amazing staircase, bedrooms with fireplaces, see #7...

[7] Inside our guest bedroom. Thanks, Guy Who's Away For the Summer!

[8] Reminds me of Brooklyn. I love red doors. And it's for sale!

[9] I made a little felt "sou chef" applique for a baby onesie for...

[10] Grayson Erik. Such a tiny, perfect little bundle. Heather & Ralf are going to be such wonderful parents!

[11] 3 of the LASP guys: Matt, Doug & Caleb.

Such a fun weekend with such quality people. Looking forward to LASP Reunión Diez: Costa Rica!

it's gettin' hot in here.

2011-07-21T14:14:00.003-04:00

Zooey wants to send a huge shout out to the previous owners/squatters of our house for taking the AC unit when they left...

recently i'm... (17)

2011-07-20T10:52:00.015-04:00

Loving: Ephesians 2:1-5.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and followings its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But !

because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved."

Enjoying: Visiting the CHV pool across the street on these crazy hot days!

Excited about: DC this weekend! LASP reunion with Doug's friends and DC Bannister Babes reunion. (The only downside is that I had to turn down an opportunity to shoot my first wedding...)

Listening to: Um, I randomly started listening to my old Aqualung albums to fall asleep the first night we were in New Orleans... and have been listening to them every day since. Magical.

Reading: Finished The House on Mango Street yesterday - wonderful. Also read The Help before New Orleans and adored it. Pumped for the movie!

Cooking: Yeah, haven't done this so much since New Orleans. Doug & I have both had meetings or other stuff in the evenings where we've been fed, which is pretty nice.

Annoyed with: Music that plays automatically on people's blogs. Usually, I'm listening to music while perusing the internet, and your playlists are interrupting my sweet jams!

Wanting to make: bright & bold pillow cases for our couch pillows. They're so boring.

Also wanting to: chop all my hair off...

Wishing: I could go to Africa with the team that leaves next week...

Helping with: planning our church's walkathon this fall! So excited about this. All the money raised goes to World Orphans.

Laughing at: the usual.

NOLA

2011-07-18T12:00:00.002-04:00

01. Trinity Christian Center - the building where we girls stayed.

02. Gecko? Mini lizard? We saw many of these.

03. Kyle & the Muscle Divas. Our OG paint crew.

04. The home of Belinda and Deonica. I forgot to take a before picture, but this is the house in the works. Before, the house was white with blue/gray stairs and the green/white awnings pictured. Belinda said her mom owned the house, and they were forced to move during Katrina. Her mom's desire was to fix and paint the house before she moved back in. Unfortunately, Belinda's mom passed away before this dream could be realized. Belinda said she wanted to finish the project for her mom, so she picked out the colors and our new friends, Rene and Mike from Americorps, have been heading up the team to bring this dream to reality. (You can see in the far left corner that the awnings are also being painted.)

05. Kyle & the Muscle Divas, part 2.

06. Some of our crew got a little messy...

07. Flowers along a fence in Hollygrove.

08. Face painting at Family Fun Day.

09. A drain system that we walked over each morning and night.

10. Americorps truck.

11. Doug helping Clint with some construction.

12. Vibrant colors! The white house to the left is the back of the house where the boys stayed.

13. Look what we found on the ground.

14. Doug & Jesse watching the skit on Family Fun Day.

15. Little hands like to color.

16. "Lord, when did we see you thirsty and give you a drink?"

17. Beautiful feet of New Orleans.

In a nutshell - amazing week. I have never sweated as much in my entire life. I'm so proud of our students - they were given some extremely difficult tasks, and they conquered without complaint! We had some funny bus mishaps, and found out more than we wanted to know about some of our new Americorps friends, but if you want to know more about that, you'll just have to ask in person.

Thank you so much to those who prayed for our trip or contributed monetarily. Your partnership in spreading the gospel is greatly appreciated.

how to celebrate 4 years

2011-07-18T09:30:00.001-04:00

1. Make a last minute version of Annie's Tuxedo Cake.

2. Grill out together.

3. Admire your rings. (Also, get your engagement ring cleaned for the first time in... 2 years?)

4. Seriously, this cake. Also recommended for non-celebratory occasions. Like, you know, July 18th.

5. Take pictures of your ridiculous dog begging. [Every so often, Zooey's upper lip will get caught, giving her an "angry pout" expression, which I find hilarious.]

6. Cave in and give pup some watermelon.

7. Give your husband hugs and kisses for bringing home a rose for each year.

8. Take a picture of your squinty-eyed, no make-upped, trying-to-do-laundry-from-last-trip-while-packing-for-next-trip, but still wildly in love selves.

9. Invite friends from out-of-town who are in-town over to enjoy cake. Even if they protest because it's your anniversary. Remember, an anniversary, like a wedding, is just one day. Every other day is what makes the anniversaries possible.

[Pictures & stories of New Orleans on the way...]

4 years

2011-07-07T19:50:00.003-04:00

i love you with every fiber,

with my entire heart and soul.

i love your strength and passion -

the better half of our whole.

i love your sense of humor

and the way you make me laugh.

i love how you make sense

in a world that seems so daft.

i love your arms and kisses

and the warmth of your embrace.

i love your humble leadership -

your example of Christ's grace.

i love that we're forever -

better or worse, my whole life.

i love to stand beside you;

i'm so proud to be your wife.

-rcp.3.2011

the best four years of my life.

i love you so much.

salutatorian

2011-07-05T09:13:00.001-04:00

My little sister graduated at the end of June, and that smarty pants ended up being salutatorian. Way to represent the Bannister Babes - brains, brawn & beauty! Hehe!

Unfortunately, Robert wasn't able to come home from North Dakota (oh, did I mention on my blog that he's back out there indefinitely?), but he was with us in spirit!

The best sisters anyone could ever ask for.

Congrats, you little warmint. We are so proud of you. We can't wait to see the ways God continues to work in and through you! Um, and after this picture, we're praying for a mighty work indeed...

I LOVE YOU!