Monday, January 31, 2011

Junk into Treasure...?

What is that old saying about 'one person's junk could be another person's treasure'? Well, whatever that saying is...that is what I was going for with my latest little project!

I came across this shelf-thing (basically, some wood nailed together and  REALLY dirty) that was going to be thrown out...until I rescued it! It sat in my living room for a couple of weeks - staring at me. I had no idea what to do with it.


On Friday, I had an idea! I could use it in my closet as a shoe-shelf / sweater holder (for the 10 days of winter when my sweaters come out of the winter tupperware). Pause for a weather update:

Friday was warm = 75 degrees warm.
Remember that post awhile back where I said it finally felt like winter?
Not so much anymore.
They say the cold is coming back.
We'll see.

Back to my story. So, it was a warm day outside and I decided to clean up the old-nailed-together-wood-thing and paint it!




After it had time to dry I put it in my closet and there it was...my treasure!


Maybe 'treasure' is not the correct word here...but it works for me!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Online Book Club

I used to read a lot. I read all the time while I was in High School - for fun. Then I started college and had to read not-so-fun stuff. So, my fun reading became pretty non-existent. I had gotten back into the reading habit for a few months at a time ever since college...but I think I can actually say that I am a 'reader' once again (consistently)!

Although I am now a 'reader' I have never been involved in a "Book Club". Have you? I have actually read many books  that book clubs were doing, but I have never participated....until now. Well, until the first part of February! I am gong to be joining an online book club called "Bloom". (You can see their 'button' on my right sidebar - go check it out for yourselves if you are interested.) The reason for joining is because of the book they have chosen to do.....

Awhile back, I started reading the blog http://www.aholyexperience.com/ and loved it. Seriously. (You should go check it out as well. It's much deeper and more meaningful than my blog. I don't think she discusses the colors of her wardrobe either - Ha!)  Anyways - back to my story....I learned that the author, Ann Voskamp, has recently written a book. I hardly knew anything about the book but I went online anyway and purchased it.


After making my purchase and before I ever received it, I learned that this book club online was going to be reading her book! I'm in! (And that's the long story of me joining an online book club). I'm sure I could have told it in less words....I'll work on that for next time!

This book club will actually post videos each week for each chapter. In the videos they speak with the author about the chapters and then have some discussion about it. (I think...from what I understand about it, anyway). I am getting anxious to start reading the book - but I'm trying to hold off for a little while. I don't want to be totally done with the book before I ever see the first video!

Now...about the book. The title is One Thousand Gifts. It is a dare to live fully right where you are. Click below on the video to watch its 'trailer'.

I can't wait to start reading and joining in on the Book Club!
 

Monday, January 24, 2011

Our Weekend

Friday night: Volleyball night! About once a month we get together with a group (anwhere from 8-25 people, ranging in age from 18 years - 60-ish) and play volleyball. We have so much fun on these nights! It is a good end to the work week - just hanging out, talking, laughing, sometimes eating and playing. We have made some really good friends through volleyball night and it has become one of our favorite things to do! (I tried taking some pics, but it is pretty hard to do!)


Saturday: Upward Basketball! This was week 3 and things went great. Some of the 'kinks' of a new season have been ironed out and we had a great, fun day!  (Nik, below, getting ready to referee a game).


Saturday night: Cards with Friends! We taught some of our good friends, Alan and Michelle to play the card game, Hand and Foot. This is a game I grew up playing with my family. When we lived in New Mexico, we would get together with friends and play. Once we moved to Texas we had to teach someone how to play so we were not deprived of this fantastic game! Final Score: Boys 1 game / Girls 1 game = Tied so far in 2011 (yes, we keep score - I can't even imagine playing and not keeping a tally of who wins...!)


Sunday: Sunday School and Church! Currently, in Sunday School we are going through 1st John. What an incredible book of the Bible! We have really great discussions and God is really showing me some amazing truths in His Word.

Sunday afternoon: Grocery Shopping, Laundry and cooking Sonia's Chicken Spaghetti! An afternoon filled up with all the things that make our world (week) go-round. Not necessarily the Chicken Spaghetti-part (althought it is pretty yummy) but the part of laundry and groceries!


Sunday night: Back to Church then home to eat Sonia's Yummy Chicken Spaghetti! The rest of the evening I relaxed, read a book and was in bed by 9:30pm so I could be rested for the next week!

** You might have noticed in some of the pics above that Nik shaved off the beard! I'll try to post a better pic of him later this week. He only gets slightly annoyed when I take pics of him for my blog!





Sunday, January 23, 2011

Christmas Decorations part 2

I DID IT! My Christmas decorations are finally put away...
  
...and before my deadline of Valentines Day!

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Bearded One

"The Bearded One" is my husband, Nik. See pics below for proof:


Early December:

Late December (side view):

Mid January:


As you can clearly see - The title fits him! I love this man, beard and all!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Cold Days

After we had some 80 degree days in December (not even kidding) - it is about time we had some of these days:

I love the cold weather! This statement is only really made because I work indoors, in a heated office building. Then I go home, to a heated house. If I had to work outside in the wind and cold...I might not enjoy these days so much.

However, I am loving the cold days. Texas is hot most of the year. Blazing hot! And humid. So, I want to enjoy the cold days while they are here.

Maybe one day I will live in a climate that actually experiences seasons...central Texas does not!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A Year Ago Today - January 19, 2010

One year ago, today, the Sanctuary and offices of First Baptist Church of Temple, TX (my workplace) were destroyed by fire.

Early Morning:

Later in the day:

The Sanctuary after fire (from Above):

This fire was intentionally set by an individual and to-date, no one has been caught for the crime. Other buildings of the church were damaged because of smoke and flooding.

The church office moved across the street to an empty building that was for rent, and we started work again - from scratch. My job is going well - lots of changes over the past year, but thankfully I'm pretty good at being flexible! The church is good - They have started a 3rd worship service west of town where they will build a new church in the coming years. Over the past year, we have seen God's hand at work in this church, their ministries, and in the Temple community (who gave a great outpouring of support, love and prayers).

God is good!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saturdays

Every Saturday until March will look like this:

The view on my right:

and the view on my left:

It is called: Upward Basketball!


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Fuzzy Vision

So this morning, I got ready for work like normal and out the door I went. While driving, I realized I was seeing things a little fuzzy. When I got to work and actually started looking at the computer screen and papers and trying to focus on details - I realized that I could not see well at all!

I finally could not take it anymore (the seeing things unclear) so I took out my contacts to look at them. There was nothing abnormal about them. So, back in they went...and back to working with fuzzy vision. All day long.

I kept telling my co-workers that I could not see very well and kept coming up with different things to try and correct the problem. At one point I thought that maybe I only put in one contact and forgot the other, or had 2 contacts in one eye (both of which I have done before). But after multiple trips to the bathroom mirror,  looking at my eye I still had not determined the reason behind my fuzzy vision.

So after doing everything I knew to do to my contacts - I decided it was not my contacts, but that it was my eyeballs. Not long ago I had been diagnosed with a 'bump on my left eyeball". (Long story - details at another time.) But being recently diagnosed with that - I started then going to the bathroom mirror multiple times to look at my eyeball (mind you, with fuzzy vision). Still nothing abnormal. About 3pm I decided I must have some kind of disease. I didn't know what else it could be. I could see fine with my contacts yesterday, but not today. I exhausted all the options of problems with my contacts or my eyeballs - what else was left except a disease that was taking my vision away quickly?

Well, about 4pm the answer came....are you ready for this?

I finally realized there might be a chance, a slim chance, that maybe I put the wrong contacts in the wrong eyes. With my new thought, I took out both contacts and switched them....and I could see! No more fuzzy vision! I could actually see what I was typing on the computer instead of hoping I was typing correctly! I could finally relax from thinking of diseases I knew I had!

I was healed! Actually, that's not true...nothing was wrong with me except that I obviously didn't pay any attention to the little colored lid on the right contact case. Ha!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Pink

Most of you who know me well, know that I never really wore pink, owned anything pink and don't really care much for the color. However, look at what I wore yesterday to work:



My shirt is PINK! I knew this would make many of you happy to see how far I have come in my wardrobe colors (especially Kylee and Diane - they have been working on me wearing pink for many, many years)!

I have also recently purchased these:




A-shade-of-PINK shoes! They kinda hurt my toe a little right now. I need to wear them around the house a little longer before I venture wearing them out for multiple hours at a time.

I know this is not a major significant event happening in my life - the wearing of pink - but I figured a few of you would enjoy knowing I have expanded my wardrobe colors....a little!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Christmas Decorations

So the date today is January 9....and my house is still completely decorated for Christmas! I can't believe that everything is still in place from the day I decorated (the Wednesday before Thanksgiving). I know this would drive some of you crazy...mom...







Am I the only one who has not un-decorated? Please tell me I'm not alone.

The other night me and Nik were sitting on the couch and I asked him how he liked our Christmas Tree. He gave me puzzled look and then I continuted to tell him that if he thought it looked okay, I might just leave it up through the year until next Christmas! Ha! That is how much I am feeling the need to undecorate. However, later on that evening Nik mentioned to me that I would have plenty of time this next weekend to undecorate (think that was a hint?).

We will see how it goes....my personal goal is to have it undecorated by Valentines day.

Friday, January 7, 2011

2011

So, it is now 2011.

I know that is not new information you. But it kind of is to me. We spent the last days of 2010 and the first days of 2011 with 25 teenagers during a weekend event called EVO. This was a discipleship weekend of spiritual formation, growth and development that Nik planned for our youth and other youth groups in our church's mission area. The weekend was awesome. More about that some other time. Back to 2011.

So while other people were sitting in their homes, warm, with a fire going, wrapped up in thier Snuggies thinking about 2010 and making resolutions for 2011 - I was cooking meals, doing dishes, helping with small groups, attending worship, not sleeping much....you get the idea! Before I knew it, the date was January 4, 2011 and I was back to work, in the normal routine of things. No long pondering thoughts in my mind! I barely even knew 2010 left and 2011 came!

But with the year of 2011 comes the unknown. And I am okay with the unknown. I have surrendered this year to God, taking each day at a time. I am praying for strength to do what He is calling us to do, guidance for the unknown territory we will cross, for perserverance when things are tough and that Nik and I will live each day intentionally for Him.

Happy New Year!

How 'The Days of Nik & Carla' came about...

So this blogging thing has been on my mind for months now. I read other people's blogs and I love them! I have often thought that I wanted to create a blog for me and Nik. However, I could never really think of anything to blog about...I mean, we don't have any kids, and I'm not a super-wife who cooks from scratch or makes crafts and I can't offer much insight on how everyone else should live their life. So - no blogging for me.

Until...I decided that I did not want to blog for other people - I want to blog for me (and Nik)! Our life can be crazy, busy, fun, spontaneous and even at times, boring. But no matter what is happening - I want to remember it! So, this is my way of tracking our days.