small stuff.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and fills it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “YES”.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.” he said.

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are
important to you...” he told them.

“So... pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Worship with your family. Play with your children. Take your partner out to dinner. Spend time with good friends. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the dripping tap. Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled and said, “I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

the little things.

we've got less than fifty days...

the cafeteria closes over breaks, and everyone goes home...

and that is when we make orange chicken and rice and eat it right out of the pan:]

this is one of the many things I will miss about concordia.

do we have to grow up?

mmm..

Cake Mix Pudding Cookies
1package cake mix (chocolate fudge is best)
1 (small) package instant pudding (chocolate)
½ (ish) cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 (ish) cup water
1 bag chocolate chips (half bag of semi-sweet and half bag of milk chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to about 360 degrees F.
2. Stir together the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. (They will probably be really shiny and oily, it is okay, they will taste delicious.)
3. Bake for about 8-10 minutes and enjoy!

sunflowers&toms.

two of my absolute favorite things.

new TOMS.

ballet flats.

crochet classics.

"3 people are smiling thanks to you"
(Mandy's wedding shoes are the third pair!)

I am feeling very blessed.

high school girls.

didn't we graduate?

"Cause Oh, I know all about your type.
You're the type of girl that texts all day and talks all night."

tissue paper flower pins.

I have a group of third grade girls who eat lunch with me everyday at school. So on Fridays we try to do something fun, and I decided I wanted to make flower hair pins this week. Now the problem was that I could not find an easy enough fabric flower, not to mention I did not have the supplies or time to prepare that for 15 girls. So I got the great idea to make tissue paper ones!

All you need is tissue paper, string (I used floss..haha) and bobby pins.
You make a very small but regular tissue paper flower (that we have all made at some point in school or summer camp). And use the string to tie it to a bobby pin, and ta-da flower hair pin!
It was so easy and my girls thought it was just about the coolest thing ever:]

something happy.

I asked a few wonderful friends to send me a picture of something happy, and this is what I got...

Arizona's happy sunshine.


two beautiful happy little girls.

happy Sedona ice cream.

there is so much happiness in this life, and it does not take much to see it.
you've just got to look around.