Three Blogging Challenge To Try--My Guest Post

Guess what!!! I'm a guest blogger!  I have "met" Karissa over at A Fresh Start and she needed a guest blogger. Click this link and go check it out!!! I wrote about the three challenges that will help any blogger to get going.

A New Year, A New Goal

So as 2015 starts, I have been reflecting on what I want to re-start in my life.  It is always a time for new beginnings.  It seems to be more so for me this year as I kind of got thrown into a new beginning at the beginning of the school year and into a whirlwind of planning, students, grading etc.  

I often pick my restarts in life with what I feel like I have been missing in my life. One of my missing things has been this blog.  One of the things that I really had been missing is writing on this blog.  This blog's history with resolutions has been 1 for 2.  In 2013, I did a 365 challenge in which I wrote a blog post everyday.  It was hard at times to come up with new content, but overall I really enjoyed the experience, learned a lot, and it really kick started my blog.  In 2014, I resolved to blog 3ish times a week--I was going to set aside certain days and then on the off days I was going to do all of the things I had learned over the year to help grow my blog.  I felt like I could give it the right attention if I commented, shared, interacted on the days I didn't write--and it wouldn't take over my life.  I was also going to do some fixing up of this blog--new design, update links etc.  But if you notice over the past year--I've done nothing in that department and I'm pretty sure I only wrote like 15 posts...okay I shouldn't beat myself up it was like 67--but a very noticeable decrease from like July on and half of those are April A to Z Challenge blog posts.  

Anyway....I'm rambling again.  Point is: I am resolving to write everyday again this year.  I am applying everything that I learned over 2013 and 2014 to hopefully make this a little bit less stressful, more organized, and do everything that I want it to do! I will be sharing them as I go along on a couple of different places.  To start with I will be sharing things: here, my Twitter feed, and my new Facebook page!  Yes, this blog has a Facebook page. :) Please go like it!  And check back for the next posts--hopefully I don't regret doing this again!

A to Z Reflection

Been meaning to write this one all week...time to look back at April and see how I did.  Not as well as I had envisioned.  It was great to go and see people's blogs with my students--but I wish I had been able to comment as me. That was the biggest involvement with A to Z that I had--was with my students.  And honestly I probably shouldn't cut myself short with that. It was A LOT of work.  I ended up writing a few of the blog posts with student writings pushed together, and just full out writing one myself.  And then I had to hound students for FOREVER to get their posts.  Sometimes not getting them until the day the letter went up.

I had envisioned A to Z having everything scheduled and being able to go visit on this blog. But March got away from me and it took me FOREVER to come up with a theme. I really wanted to do a theme this year--and I did pretty well until the end of the alphabet.  I had pretty much caught up on everything by the time we got to like U. So the end of my alphabet wasn't great.

I have also gotten out of the habit of publicizing this thing. I have gotten so lazy with it after #365...I felt like everyone was done seeing me constantly post this on Facebook or Twitter.  But seriously--if you want the views you have to do it! That is one thing that I learned with this year's A to Z.

Goals for next time are to try again with scheduling and writing ahead of time.  At least having each letter planned so that I'm not doing the...ugh what do I write about today that starts with......

Those of you that have stuck around as Inspirefly spits and starts thank you---and hopefully see you soon with more posts :) And I hope to come around and see new people as I hop on the Road Trip!

Yay!!!

Z is for Zoom

April has been a busy busy month.  This whole blogging adventure has just zipped past but on the other hand it has gone really slow. I have successfully done three blogs on this challenge and I am EXHAUSTED from all the work....so today's is a quick lame post.  I will blog again next week for the reflection and a couple of book reviews that came up with no way to fit them into letters.  So on to the next thing :)

Y is for Yesterday

We often spend time thinking about what happened in the past.  As part of my job, I do that a lot--as a history teacher and talking to students about what they did in their past.  Your past still affects you but it is what you do with it that decides how much. The history that we have as a country still affects us today, and that is one of the reasons why I study history.  We understand the way things are now because of the history that has happened.  The same thing happens with us.  One of my students wrote a great example of this on our blog yesterday http://cedarridgeacademy.blogspot.com/2014/04/x-is-for-xtreme.html  check it out.

Sometimes dwelling on the past can get us in trouble---there is nothing that you can do to change it now. You just have to move forward!

X is for X-tra Time

Yeah so....I'm doing whatever one else does with this letter....it suddenly becomes an adjective :) But seriously...I was thinking about this today.  Everybody always wants extra time to do things that they want, get what they want done, etc.  Sometimes big projects require extra time each day.  With being sick for what feels like forever (we have officially past the year mark) and having that drain a lot of my energy...I have had to be more careful with my time.  I thought for the post today I would talk about some of the things I have learned with my time management this year.

So first things first is I make a list of what I need to get done everyday.  Because of my religious beliefs, this is very focused around that.  I need to read my scriptures and say my prayers each day. I also added time to read/listen to something that brings me closer to the Savior in addition to the scriptures--like conference talks or an Ensign article. Then I added what I wanted to do everyday that was a big project that I felt like could use some TLC. It was important that they be fun and enjoyable like: read and knit.  I also added watching lectures from Coursera and working on my portfolio.  I also have those "have-tos" like laundry or cleaning...though I'm not as good with those as I want to be.

Then I need to find time for everything.  With scriptures and my spiritual time, I like doing that while I'm getting ready in the morning--then it is done for the day.  A lot of my x-tra time tips have to do with multi-tasking---while I'm already doing something else.  I always thought that my fifteen to twenty minute commute everyday wasn't enough to get through a book at a decent pace.  And if that is all I'm doing it's right...but it is also thirty minutes of reading everyday.  I do try to get a physical book in too....but that's another tip with x-tra time--cut yourself a break! If I've done audio listening today and not a physical book I still check it off.

That's my other tip...figure out a way to keep track of what you've done each day.  I downloaded an app on my phone that is a to-do list thing that lets me have daily tasks that I can check off everyday and they reappear for the next day.  Then I know what I've accomplished, and I know the last time I checked it off. So if I haven't knitted in a while and I am trying to figure out something to do, maybe I go do that.

Best of luck trying to find those extra minutes in what seems to be a never ending cycle of trying to get things done! What ideas have you tried to find extra time?

W is for When

When is one of those annoying words.  When will everything get better? When will you feel better physically? When will life slow down? When will you get this done or that done? It seems like we are always asking for when we get this to change.

One of my favorite quotes this year from President Uchtdorf:

“Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!”

Yep patience is needed!

V is for Vacation

The past few months we have been able to get away from for many different weekends.  Some weekends we are spending time with family and friends.  Sometimes we are attending an event out in the big city or shopping for important needed items. Other times we are just getting away from the stress here.  It is so great to be able to drive two hours or so and just get away! It makes the stress just float away.

Vacation can come in other ways with movies, books, and TV shows for me. I have been trying this year to do some essential things each day:

• Knit
• Read a book
• Read Scriptures
• Pray
• Read something spiritually related

This helps me to be able to unwind and refocus my attention on what is needed and important in my life.What do you do to give yourself a vacation and remind yourself about what is important?

U is for Unproductive

As apart of my catch-up theme for the A to Z Challenge.....I was having a struggle coming up with something to use with U.  I was thinking over the past year with my blog....and I really feel unproductive with it--hence the post today :)

It is tricky to keep up with the blog...I have had lots of trouble getting motivated to even go around and comment on people in the challenge.  I think part of that is the burn out from doing the challenge at work too. But at the beginning of the year, I wanted to give myself a little bit of time off and then hop on some year long reading challenges.  Do some seriously needed updating and revamping.  Get around to blogs to give feedback and spread that comment love!

Blogging can be super hard work--but it can also be easy if you just spend a little bit everyday like we have this month.  So there's my little ramble for today--and really wanting to refocus my efforts on making my blog better.

T is for Tulip

I haven't updated you guys on my house recently.  We are still trying to get settled and find places to put everything.  Brian has been working on finishing up the basement.  He has just about finished a sanctuary for himself to put his exercise equipment and hangout (it is affectionately known as the man cave). He is currently working on the bathroom for down there.  And as it is getting warm we are going to start sprucing up the backyard.

Put there was something that popped up that I didn't have any idea we had!

These were the first ones that bloomed.

These ones started first...the green shoots came up first

Then these orange touched ones bloomed and they were beautiful!

See how pretty they are!

S is for Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Book Review)

Final catch up on this series :) 

Title: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven #4)

Author: Brandon Mull

Genre: Fantasy/YA

Rating: 4 out of 5

Why Did I Read? Continuing with the series! 

Summary: (from Goodreads) Two hidden artifacts have been found. Three more remain unrecovered. More preserves face destruction as the Society of the Evening Star relentlessly pursues new talismans. Reading in Patton’s Journal of Secrets, Kendra learns the location of the key to a vault housing one of the artifacts. In order to retrieve it, the Knights of the Dawn must enter a death trap — a dragon sanctuary called Wyrmroost. The mission cannot proceed without stealing a sacred object zealously guarded by the centaurs. Anybody seen Seth?

The race is on to acquire all five of the artifact keys to the great demon prison. Will the Knights of the Dawn conquer Wyrmroost? Who can stop the Sphinx? Can Vanessa be trusted to help? What artifact will be found next?

What Did I Love: He sucked me in again with Kendra and her stuff!!! And then he took it away again.  I yelled at it---but in a good way :) Excited to read the 5th one. 

What Did I Hate: I think I'm still bitter about the way things turned out :)

R is for Rise of the Evening Star (Book Review)

Continuing to catch up on the Fablehaven series book reviews. 

Title: Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven #2)

Author: Brandon Mull

Genre: Fantasy/YA

Rating: 4 out of 5

 

Why Did I Read? I really enjoyed the first book--especially the audio, so I really wanted to get the second one. 

Summary: (I finished this book back in December so I am stealing this summary so that it is just book 2 from Goodreads). At the end of the school year, Kendra and her brother, Seth, find themselves racing back to Fablehaven, a refuge for mythical and magical creatures. Grandpa Sorenson, the caretaker, invites three specialists--a potion master, a magical relics collector, and a mystical creature trapper--to help protect the property from the Society of the Evening Star, an ancient organization determined to infiltrate the preserve and steal a hidden artifact of great power. Time is running out. The Evening Star is storming the gates. If the artifact falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the downfall of other preserves and possibly the end of the world. Will Kendra learn to use her fairy gifts in time? Will Seth stay out of trouble? Can they overcome paralyzing fear?

What Did I Love: I loved the introduction of the new characters.  They really helped the story to evolve and get better. 

What Did I Hate: Umm...honestly can't think of anything.  I really enjoyed the book. I think the reason I gave it a 4 out of 5 was the fact that it is hard to get a 5 :)

Q is for Quotes

I completely forgot to post last night!! I suppose this is what I get for not having everything scheduled ahead of time :(  But my catch-up post for yesterday was going to be about quotes---still great for a Sunday today.

President Uchtdorf said this in one of my favorite talks from this past conference.  And I loved this little handout someone made.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/232709505720377682/

I thought that these two quotes were very appropriate on this Easter Sunday

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608057076433/

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058144573/

And a great reminder at any hard time!!!

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608055701421/

P is for Plague Legacy: Acquisitions (Book Review)

I have been wanting to do a book review on this book forever.  This is one of the few books that I have read in which I know the author.

Title: The Plague Legacy: Acquisitions

Author: Christine Haggerty

Genre: YA/Dystopian

Rating:  3 out of 5 stars

Why Did I Read? I love this woman! I have loved her short stories and I was excited to see the novel form.

Summary: Cameron Landry lives in a world that was practically killed off by a plague.  The world is separated between the mutants (living with the plague) and the immunes (people who can't get the plague). The immunes seem to hold all the power, especially in the area called Salvation, but Cameron isn't apart of that world so he has to figure out where he fits in.  This first installment of the trilogy has Cameron being becoming an acquisition of the "government" and headed to Salvation and the speed bumps along the way.

What Did I Love: The character development is superb.  I really am attached to the characters and want to know what happens next. 

What Did I Hate: Hate is a strong word because she is my friend :) But I marked it down on my rating because it seemed to drag a bit.  I felt like we could have/should have made it to Salvation before the book ends. It seems like a lot of set up and I'm hoping that the next two books help give the first one more perspective.  But seriously check it out if you are in to the dystopian world.  

O is for Omens, Good Omens Book Review

Title: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Author: Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Why Did I Read? We recently started a book club in my neighborhood and this is what we read for our meeting at the beginning of April.

Summary: The world is about ready to come to an end.  Demon Crowley and Angel Aziraphale have started to really enjoy living on Earth and they do not want to go back.  They have to stop the events from exploding out of control and deal with players that don't realize that they are moving everything forward. 

What Did I Love: I loved the writing!! I wanted to own the book or have an electronic copy so I could highlight/underline the awesome lines quickly.  I loved how the story had cool little foils and plot twists.

What Did I Hate: Hate does not fit this book--I didn't hate anything.  It just wasn't what I would pick out on my own....I might read it again but I did enjoy it.  It just didn't grab me at points :(

N is for Northanger Abbey Book Review

I finished Northanger Abbey a little while ago.  It is the next on the list of books to finish by Jane Austen.  It was also my completion of my book for the TBR Challenge (which I realized today that I forgot to do a check-in on....I started The Book Thief).

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Genre: Classics

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Why Did I Read? I want to get through all of Jane Austen's books. I have loved Pride and Prejudice and Emma. I liked Sense and Sensibility.  Mansfield Park has been a struggle...need to try it again at some point. 

Summary: This story is about Catherine Morland. She is apart of a large family and has the opportunity to go with some neighbors to Bath.  At Bath, she meets the Tilney and Thorpe families.  The story discusses the drama that occurs between the families, especially as she goes to stay with the Tilneys at Northanger Abbey.  

What Did I Love: When it started to pick up a bit more towards the end. 

What Did I Hate: So I don't usually give out 2s, but this book would make a good study of Victorian England and Gothic novels but that is about it.  It felt a lot like Austen was trying to be a newspaper columnist and explain her opinion on something.  She also seemed to really be mocking the novels idea. I was bored a lot, but it isn't horrible. 

  

M is for Magazines

Yesterday's post I talked about the quotes from General Conference that stood out to me the last few months.  This year, I have been making an effort to read the Ensign each month. I have been wanting to share some quotes from these magazines on here---so in the effort to catch up here are some of those quotes.

Life is full of obstacles, some of which seem insurmountable.  We are to endure them cheerfully and faithfully.  By so doing, we will ultimately return to live with God forever.--Elder Lansing January 2014 Ensign

As I have been dealing with the obstacles that life has thrown at me, I have been trying to do the cheerful thing.  This was a welcome quote to remind me that there is more than just the things in this life.

Many times we lose sight of our divine purpose and the Lord's promises, and the world's measuring stick can cause us to think we are less than adequate.  As Elder Wirthlin pointed out, however, the measure of our creation is to reach the exaltation and eternal life promised to those who remain faithful and obedient.--Joshua Larsen from January 2014 Ensign

This goes along with the previous quote---just sticking to that eternal perspective is so important.

There is no more solid foundation than faith in the love Heavenly Father has for you,  faith in His plan of happiness, and faith in the willingness and power of Jesus Christ to fulfill all His promises.--Elder Richard G. Scott February 2014 Ensign

It has been an unsure and unsteady time--but Heavenly Father can get us through.

I am still getting through March 2014's issue. Nothing has really spoken to me yet--but that just means you'll have to check back for future inspirational moments.

L is for Latter-day Saints

In the spirit of catching up, I have wanted to do a Sunday feature on this blog for the past few months.  Yeah, it isn't Sunday but I thought I would share what I wanted this feature to be.  I wanted to share some quotes and ideas of what I have learned spiritually over the course of the week.  These might be scriptures, quotes from the prophets or the Church magazines, and they might just be random thoughts that have run through my head. I thought today with it being L, doing LDS would be a good choice to help me catch up a bit of the thoughts I have had and the quotes that I wanted to share.

Before I get too far, I wanted to talk a little about LDS. LDS stands for Latter-day Saints.  It is a quick acronym people use because we are lazy.  But I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  By latter-day, it shows that we are apart of the same Church that Christ established during his ministry, just we belong to it in this day too.

We believe that God speaks through his prophets to us on this earth right now. As members of the Church, we participate in General Conference which allows the prophets to instruct us in what we need to hear.  We just got done with General Conference on the first weekend in April, and we won't have another session until October.  However, in between we are encouraged to read and ponder the messages received at the last conference and any other conferences previously.  I have become very fond of one particular speaker, Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

This is President Uchtdorf

President Uchtdorf is in the presiding body of the Church called the First Presidency. He is a sweet man from Germany-his accent is great.  And he says things that I usually need to hear.  I have been really studying two of his talks the last few months and I want to share a quote from each (which is going to be hard because there are soo many!).

In the October conference he gave a talk called, "You Can Do it Now!" In it he said:

Stand tall and walk in the light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine. You can do it now! 

I loved this because life can be really hard sometimes.  But I know that I can make it through with the Savior by my side.

The other talk was from October 2011 called, "You Matter to Him".  In this talk he reminded me how much my Heavenly Father loves me.  He said:

My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him! 

The power in which he says those words just reaffirms to my soul how much my Heavenly Father does love me.

I am grateful to be a Latter-day Saint because I can receive the guidance and direction I need to help me through life's hardest challenges.

K is for Kimberly

So....K has been alluding me for an idea.  My catch-up ideas were not working for the letter K.  So tonight, I said to my husband--I need a word that starts with K to write about.  And he was like "K is for Kimberly..." in this "duh" why haven't you thought of this tone.  And I was like yes it does....but how do I write some thing about my name.  And he starts with suggestions....and then I stop him and I'm like that doesn't go with my theme of "catching-up" on what I haven't written this year.  And I love him for this---he said, "It will catch people up on who you are that haven't ever been to your blog before--and isn't that the point of this thing." So I now have my idea!!! This one will be a tricky one to write but here goes nothing.

The first suggestion my husband gave me about my name was actually pretty good--explain why my name is Kimberly not Kim.  It's actually become a pretty good way for me to know if people actually know me or not by which name they call me. So, my mother named me Kimberly because she liked the name.  As a kid I thought that was a lame answer because you seem to want to have a meaning to your name like other kids.  But now that I'm older I get that more.  But at school people would call me Kim--teachers/other students/friends etc.  And I didn't really care.  My mother would always tell me to correct people and I didn't like doing that.  She would even tease me when someone would call the house asking for "Kim".  One of my best friends in high school was Kim too and we had fun being Kim squared.

As I got older, I started to care like that I was Kimberly and not Kim. I'm not sure if it was because of maturity, if I finally understood what my mother had been telling me all these years (I named you Kimberly and that is your name!), or if I realized that I actually had a preference. But I had been Kim/Kimberly for so long in one place that it was hard to really fathom correcting that many people. When I went to college I made a commitment to correct people I met no matter what. As a result, everyone there called me Kimberly and knew me by that name.  That commitment was tested pretty well with my husband ironically.  We were on our first date and he was calling me Kim.  I really liked this guy--and I didn't want to offend him with correcting him--but I also didn't want to actually start dating him and have him be calling me the wrong name.  So I remember sitting in his car waiting for the other couples to catch up to go into the house where we were all going to play games. And I just said it--and he was so understanding.  He even has started correcting people for me.

The ironic thing is that some people still never catch on no matter how much I correct them--but that really is a test of someone's commitment to a relationship in my mind.  If they take the time to learn someone's name (and I have noticed even how to spell it), it shows that they really care about building that relationship with you.

J is for JoAnn's

So in the spirit of continuing to catch-up, I wanted to share this picture of a happy Saturday a little while back.  Living in small town Utah, any time I wanted yarn or knitting supplies, I either had to order it or wait until I went out to the city (2 hours away). Then a few weeks ago, a JoAnn's opened 30 minutes away! I have gone almost every weekend that they have been opened.  I have doubled my bamboo knitting needle supplies.  I now feel like I can do two projects at the same time, because I have access to the resources.

I cannot express in words very well how exciting this is.  It is a brand-new shiny store.  And knitting has really gotten me through the last little while. It has really also made me want to take up scrap-booking seriously and sewing.  There is so much I can get now!!!

This is the new yarn that I got on the first weekend opening:






My yarn organization is finally done: