Life and the lack of passion in January.

January is such a dull and dreary month. But can I get an Amen to the sun that we've had in Ohio/Pennsylvania so far?
Here is some encouragement my professor shared this morning. He asked, "How many of you thanked God for being able to wake up this morning?". Not one hand raised. (I, myself, was exceptionally cranky and sleepy today.) He went on to tell us about his home in Malawi, and how he was one of very few that had the privelege to get the education that he has now and to have the opportunity to live in America. "I don't know why me," he said. "I knew others who were much smarter than me. But it is only by God's grace."

Let me challenge you with this: remember to thank God for waking up. Not everyone will wake up tomorrow. But you are given another day to live and move and enjoy and learn. So go make the most of it. YOU are so blessed. YOU are given lots of opportunities and blessings. Take advantage of them.

God loves you so much. I hope you remember that when you wake up tomorrrow.


So here is my update. January is a bit of a dreary month, so here's what has been keeping my busy so far:

Successes so far:

1. Flossing record is already better than the last 19 years!

2. The dress is on its way... really excited for that one.

3. One Hundred Push Ups... are killing me. But Leana Phillips and kicking my rear end into shape. And/or my arms and abs.

4. There are currently 4 participants in the pie-eating contest. It is scheduled for sometime this semester.

5. Registration begins on February 3 for Broad Street Run. Until then. we're working out with Jillian Michaels to build up our core and get in shape for running training!

6. Fruits and veggies have been a better part of my diet!*

7. Saved $40 toward paying off that interest for my student loans!

8. I am getting my weekend off campus very soon... like, the end of this month.

Failures so far:

1. I have NOT quit biting my nails. (Seriously, Amy? Seriously?) I need to tell more people to call me out on it. It's so gross.

2. Still have not really gotten on that Bible reading plan. I need to.

3. The bed time routine is almost there... I have to remember to quit working on my computer sooner.

So there you have it, friends. Blessings and love.

*Disclaimer: I binge ate chocolate on tuesday night right before bed. But other than that...

Bucket List 2012.

Funny how a year goes by and everything changes. You never fully expect the finished product from day 1 to day 365. Sometimes you feel the changes, sometimes you don't. But in the end, you are not where you began.

So last year I prepared a bucket list. 50 things that I wanted to complete in 2011. Did I complete them all? Nah. I didn't. But did I have fun creating and accomplishing parts of it? Yeah. I sure did. And I overcame my fear of touching worms, 19 years into life.

I also made a dress...

And borrowed a whole dinnerware set from the cafeteria!

Not to mention that one day when I went crazy and cut a lot of my hair.

It was a fun bucket list.

But this year, I made it a bit more practical... although there are some fun things on here. :)

2012 Bucket List!

Physical

1. Really load up on fruits and veggies.
--How: Follow Emma Hooley's lead; Pick a day each week to go without grains and meat

2. Run 10 consecutive miles.
--How: Accountability with friends; Sign up for Broad Street 10-Miler

3. Hundred Push-up Challenge.
--How: LEANA PHILLIPS.

4. Floss way, way more often. (Really Amy? You're almost 20.)
--How: Post-it note reminders; Limiting permission to get into my bed without flossing first.

5. Quit biting my nails.
--How: Give people permission to call me out on it.


Spiritual

1. Find a Bible Reading Plan I can follow.
--How: http://www.arcamax.com/ttb-yr-print.html


Financial:

1. Pay off the interest on my school loans.
--How: Set aside 40% of the money for every time that I get paid.


Mental

1. Set up a night-time routine at school.
--How: Tea, teeth brushing and floss, journaling, reading a chapter, no computer 30 minutes before bed; write this down.

2. Take once-a-week walk or bike ride by myself.
--How: Just do it!

3. Read the following books:
The Kingdom of God is a Party: Tony Campolo
The Politics of Jesus: John Howard Yoder
Prodigal God: Tim Keller
(finish) Gifted to Lead: Nancy Beach
(finish) Girl Meets God: Lauren Winner
(reread) To Kill a Mockingbird
--How: Make Reading a chapter part of the nightly routine.

4. Be sure to get one weekend off campus just for mental health.
--How: We'll see.


For fun

1. Make a blanket.
--How: Learn to crotchet a Granny square; Get help from girls on my hall who are professional granny square makers.

2. See the Pacific Ocean.
--How: Not sure yet. But I'm sure Emma Hooley would go with me.

3. Sew a dress (again).
--How: Get a pattern and learn to use it, dang it.

4. Write a quick note of encouragement every day for someone around me.
--How: Make it part of the morning routine!

5. Stick myself to a Velco Wall.
--How: Locate nearest velco wall; stick self to said wall.

6. Have a pie eating contest.
--How: Locate group of boys and Leana and eat pies.

7. Do a Mud Run.
--How: Find locations near Philly or wherever I will be during the summer. Sign up.

8. Go dumster diving.
--How: I go to Eastern. Let's be real here. I can certainly find someone to take me.

9. Plant a tree.
--How: Find tree. Plant in summertime.

10. Participate in Send Me Something.
--How: Yeaaaahh.

11. Use a whole pack of "I wish this was" stickers.
--How: http://candychang.com/i-wish-this-was/


Here's to another year of accomplishments. Let's see where I end up at this time next year. :)

Easy Pants Hemming Tutorial & Project Update

I told you this was an amateur blog.
But for those of you who have never hemmed pants... it's simple!

1. Turn pants inside out. Roll up a cuff to desired length.

2. Pin the outer edge of the pants.

3. Line up the footer with the top part of the section being hemmed. Sew a straight stitch all the way around, keeping the left side of the footer aligned with the edge of the hem.

 4. Turn pants right side out. Voila! Hemmed pants!

In other updates.... Here are some other projects I got myself into this week.

The States Project: All the states I have lived in with a heart marking the cities. Done on a canvas with 5 colors of paint. Simple and a good decoration.

The Conversion Project: I turned an old textbook into a journal. The book was only $4 and had an amazing cover. So I sewed some papers together and bound the whole thing with Mod Podge and clear packing tape.