Currently

    Happy Friday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. The prompts for this month are:

* loving * looking forward to * planning * wearing * eating *

I'm currently loving the slightly cooler temps we've been having lately. Although, I'm sure I just jinxed us all by saying that. But seriously, y'all... Hot Season has drug on for a long time this year. So it's about time we had some cool breezes around here. Just saying :)

I'm currently looking forward to Spring Break. I love my students. I so love them. But y'all... Teaching during the time between going back to school in January all the way to Spring Break, which isn't until the very end of March/beginning of April with no breaks (unlike a couple that those in the US get) is HARD. It makes for a long long time. So yes... I am definitely looking forward to Spring Break :)

I'm currently planning out my next newsletter which will come out at some point in the next few weeks. I've got some big news that will be shared in this one. So if you'd like to hear my upcoming ministry update, let me know and I will add you to my list.

I'm currently wearing nothing terribly exciting. I did dress up for this first night of our Senior Cafe this past weekend though. Our seniors dressed up as various music genres. So thanks to my 80s girl t-shirt and a few cheap, neon pink accessories from Amazon, I was "80s Rocker." That was fun :)

I'm currently eating very boring, plain-ish foods and very little of it, since we're like 95% sure I have an ulcer (or at least, the start of one) or maybe some intense acid reflux. Partly due to gut issues. Partly due to anxiety/worry. Partly due to life and getting older and such. Partly due to other issues. It's also partly (well, more than partly) not fun.

And since it's my blog and I can, I'm including a few more currentlys in this month's post :)

I'm currently feeling thankful for a change of scenery while doing lesson planning this past weekend. There's just something calming/relaxing about sitting close to, and watching the water and hearing the waves crashing.

I'm currently enjoying looking back over the pictures and videos I've seen of this past weekend's Senior Cafe (a school-wide talent show put on by our senior class). It was such a fun weekend! I wish I could show you all the pictures I took of the kids. They were all dressed up and worked so hard, both in prepping before the event, during it, and then cleaning up after. 

I'm currently finding listening to hymns in the afternoons/evenings or when I'm working is a source of calm for me. There is just something so nice about these incredible songs - so many that were written long long ago. But they're just so incredibly peaceful.

I'm currently reading a book that I checked out from the school library. It's Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. I'm only a few pages in so far, but so far, so good. I'm hoping to be able to read a bit this weekend.

I'm currently gearing up for a busy day tomorrow. I'm helping with the proctoring of the SAT on campus in the morning. Then I'll probably bring lunch with me and finish up lesson planning/prep after that. And then we have a get-together with the other AGWM-ers here tomorrow afternoon/evening. But as of now, I have nothing but church and resting planned for Sunday.

I'm currently praying for God to move in big ways for my students - both current and former ones. Will you help me pray for these incredible humans that I call "mine..." Because whether I teach/work with them now or I taught them a decade ago, I still call them "mine" :)

And that’s about it for me.

What  about you?

What are you currently up to? 

Currently

  Happy Thursday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. However, I'm ignoring the prompts for this month and instead just writing about some of the random "currentlys" floating around in my head.

So what's currently on my mind?

I'm currently thinking about Christmas. I found the cutest shirts on Amazon for my nieces. Each one has something on it that I know they'll love. I wasn't even looking for them. I was looking for a dress for myself and for some reason, Amazon showed me these shirts. And the best part was that they were on sale because of an extended Cyber Monday deal. So that helped! And on the off chance, they're reading this over someone's shoulder, which could indeed happen knowing them, I don't want to post the pictures of them just yet ;)

I'm currently smiling over (about?) the sweetness of my students. One of my girls mentioned wanting to mail a birthday card to a friend in the States. So I quickly found a card design on Etsy, printed it out, and asked a fellow teacher if this student's classmates could sign it during his class the next day, and then a person visiting took it later that night to mail once he got back to the States. Then there was another student who helped me plan a snack theme for our Christmas party that all students could enjoy, including the one friend that has fairly significant food allergies. There was another student who asked to borrow my colored pens to write a birthday note to her mom, asking me how to spell certain words as she wrote. And yet another who excitedly told me all about his plans for an upcoming project he’ll be doing with his parents and the mission work they’re doing, because "I just love getting to help other people, especially when they don't know that I'm helping. It's all about them and nothing about me!" :)

I'm currently shifting into study mode with most of my people, as we prepare for their midterms next week. I told someone the other day that it's somewhat surreal... For so many years, as an elementary teacher, at this point in the school year, I would have been planning all sorts of Christmas crafts and coloring sheets and all of that. But for the last few years, I've been creating, helping kids study for, and administering exams. And while I do miss the fun Christmasy activities, I do so love what I'm doing now too :)

I'm currently enjoying this casserole I made the other day, with shredded pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, rotel, cream of chicken, a bit of chicken broth, cilantro, some random seasonings, and topped with grated cheddar cheese. And it lasted a while too! Y'all... It was so good!

I'm currently feeling happy that at the end of next week, I'll be able to see my family again, for the start of my Christmas Break vacation :)

I'm currently looking forward to Friday's lunchtime party with my students. We're having ice cream (or sorbet) and juice. Then they can either eat lunch and hang out in my room or take it with them when they come pick up their Christmas gifts. I enjoy this day each year. We get to "party" before the craziness of the last week gets here - when my younger students get out early since they don't take exams and my older ones will be busy studying for their exams.

And lastly, I'm currently planning to pick up this journal that I ordered for myself a few weeks ago when I arrive in the States next week. I like that there are 366 pages in it, so my plan is to take a page a day in my efforts to journal all year and also, to intentionally notice/show gratitude for all the ways God is working in my life in 2024. P.S. How is it almost 2024 already?! Is that crazy to anyone else besides me?! :)

And that’s about it for me.

What  about you?

What are you currently up to? 

Currently

Happy Monday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. 

The prompts for this month's post are:

* loving * excited about * watching * seeing * observing *

So what am I currently up to?

I'm currently loving what I'm teaching. I've always loved lesson planning. I love researching activities to meet the needs of the students I'm teaching. I love finding creative ways to instruct my students and give them the needed tools to successfully master the standards for their various grade levels. I love finding little ways to make learning more enjoyable for them. Research has always been enjoyable to me and since this is sort of a form of research, I think that's why I like it so much...

I'm currently excited about this school year with my people. I'm soaking in all the things... Lessons I'm teaching, students' sporting events, small groups, class parties, senior/graduation events, chats with students, all of it... I'm enjoying it all and I'm so grateful to be here doing what I'm doing.

I'm currently watching nothing. I really do think I could enjoy living my life without TV. Just saying.

I'm currently seeing the price of plane tickets go up and up. I'm planning to buy my Christmas Break flight tickets in November. Here's hoping that price goes down before then...

I'm currently observing how God's working in a situation that is not quite ready to be shared. I love how God perfectly opens/closes doors, making His perfect will for our lives clear. And while it's often not on our own (even preferred) timing, it's on His. And that's what is most important :)

And since it's my blog, and I can, I'm throwing in a few more Currently's...

I'm currently drinking more water. If I can have ice and a straw, it's definitely far easier for me to drink water. And thankfully, it's better this year because I actually have planning periods this year, which means I have more time to break during the day if need be due to drinking all that water. Ha! :)

Although, let's be honest... I'm also enjoying drinking pumpkin spice chai lattes from a little tea garden down the street. I won't be able to drink them all the time, but y'all... This little weekly treat I buy myself is amazing. Just saying :)

I'm currently spending time laminating each week and I love it. I love the tediousness of it. I love that it's something quiet and simple I can do at the end of my day, as a way of "unwinding," all while helping out my co-workers. I enjoy it.

I'm currently reading and studying the book of Genesis, as part of a Ladies Bible Study I'm participating in AND as part of one of the classes I teach. And once again, I'm reminded about what a gift it is to 1) teach in a Christian school and 2) to learn new things from the Word of God each time I read it even if I've read the same passage (book) many, many times throughout my lifetime. 

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?