Christmas Break

 Wow...this break is flying by (granted I only get Dec.24-Jan. 4). iTs been full of working and spending time with friends, family, and people who might as well be family. I've spent time with Eric and his family and with my family and with my friends.  Though I have had a great holiday I cant help but hurt for those around me who have just been having hard times.  You know who you are so I won't put you on the spot and call you out on blogger.....just know that my heart hurts with you and though I don't know how it feels to go through what you are going through know that my heart hurts with you and I am always here for you.
    My heart also goes out to the Miesner family who lost their son, Garret, in Afghanistan this past week. His family speaks so highly of him and I know his testimony is touching people around the globe.
    I am now in Mountain View, Arkansas. Eric and I are here with his mom and step dad and step sister.  This place is SO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL!!! I am reminded of God's amazing creation everytime we drive up here.  The scenery is breath taking esp. today when we drove up here in the fog and got to see the mountains just blanketed in it.


Wellll....I didn't really have much to say just wanted to get those few things out :)

10 things Thursday :)

Yet another Candace inspired post....from what I have gathered by reading her blog I just post ten things that I want to say  (whether it be victory or something I like etc. ) ....who knows...if I'm wrong and someone wants to correct me feel free too. :)

10. i LOVE Starbucks Gingerbread Latte...YUM!!!







9. I have an ECG certification test tomorrow.....(insert nervous sigh here)
8. The tree is up at Bellevue and I am super excited
7. Goodbye 4 pounds haha
6.I am almost ready to start my second to last class till being done with college!
5. I love Christmas music and hello 104.5 you are my favorite
4. In aline with the Christmas music theme. I get to play some Christmas carols this sunday morning.
3. I love peacoats! they are so warm and trndy :)
2. Thankful for the job I have
1. Thankful that God is teaching me soo much right now. :)

Try It Tuesday

So whether or not anyone reads my blog I don't know but I like the idea of a Try It Tuesday (inspired to me by Candace Jerkins) and decided to share my own...This tuesday's try it......(drumroll)...SAUSAGE CASSEROLE!!

If you are a breakfast lover than this is for you. i haven't made it for anyone yet who hasn't liked it, and I have taken it to many different places for many different people.

It's so simple.

Ingredients

one pound of sausage (i used mild but if you or your family enjoys spicy ...go for it)
one box of cream cheese (the rectangular shaped one)
2 cans of crescent rolls (they now make seamless crescent rolls and I have found that those seem to work best but the regular kind work just fine too.)

All you do is....

1. cook sausage in pan until all sausage is brown and done
2. add cream cheese to sausage (while still in the pan)
3. spray cookie sheet lightly (this is important) and lay out one can of crescent roll in a full rectangle on the bottom.
4. Next, add the sausage cream cheese mix on top & spread evenly
5. lay out second can of crescent roll on top of this covering the sausage mixture.
6. cook in the over per directions on the can of crescent roll (it is usually about 13 minutes)
7. cut and enjoy! :)

This is perfect for any brunch, holiday morning, or just any morning with the family.  :)

ENJOY!

chuckle for the day...

Its sad when a 3 year old can tell your book (even though it has pictures) is boring at some points.  I worked at MDO today after school with the homeschool kids. Those kids are hyper. Anyway onto my short story. After I got off I went down to three year old class my grandma works in to say hi and bye as I was about to head home.  Upon entering the room I immediately saw P, or rather heard him, as he loudly proclaims hi to me....or anyone else who walked into the room for that matter...seriously yall a man with a gun could walk into the room and P would proudly say hi with a smile to the man...anyways. I walk into the room and P tells me hi. I sit down at the table and all the kids proceed to crowd around me and look at all the pictures on my school notebook insisting I tell them one by one who everyone in the pictures on my notebook are. After answering who every person was (about 8 times I should add) P takes my book and begins to look at it. There is one section in the book over the heart and EKG's (if you don't know what it is, don't worry its not that interesting....although I think it is but other don't) One thing you should know about my book for school is it has lots of pictures so most younger kids find it cool to look at at some point (and hey when you're 3 a picture is a picture) ...anywho...as P is looking at my book he shuts it looks up at me and proclaims "what are you thinking reading this book?"....I had to chuckle to myself because sometimes I think the same thing to myself. At least sweet P and I are on the same page. :)

Alright alright. It may not have made you chuckle but if you knew what I went through memorizing for school it would be a good chuckle for you.

Thanksgiving with Plenty to be thankful for :)

So the official turkey day has come and gone (with tons of yummy food and about 3 different dinners to attend)....running on the treadmill should most definitely follow soon. :) I got to see many people I don't normally get to see and I got to play with a hyper australian shepard puppy named Ava. Sweet but wild and everywhere.

The exciting part of the thanksgiving weekend starts with black friday. I didn't have to work on this crazy day until 1 in the afternoon, leaving me all night and morning to go shopping with Eric. We needed to get an xbox 360 and we had heard walmart was the place to go. So we planned our night out to stand in line at walmart all night.  Around 9 pm we decided we should do some last minute looking at papers and noticed that toys r us had a sale starting at ten thanksgiving night with a pretty decent deal on the xbox. This intrigued us because it left us the rest of the night to shop elsewhere (Old Navy, Mall, etc.) So we headed out at 9:30 ( in the rain and 40 degree weather) jumped at the back of the line at Toys R Us and crossed our fingers. The doors opened at 10 pm, and by 10:40 we were standing in the electronics line with our ticket for the xbox (which guaranteed us an xbox) At 1 in the morning we were walking out of toys r us with the xbox ( a line to trump even the longest wait I've ever had in a line at Disney world.....and if you've been to Disney World those lines can get LONG).  The rest is uneventful, went to Old Navy and got some stuff (I got some cute pajama pants for five dollars....score.)

CONGRATULATIONS TO BECCA AND BEN who welcomed their precious little girl Isabella Cheyenne to the world yesterday. The pictures are to die for and she is gorgeous (like her mama)

Today is Alissa's (Eric's step sisters) birthday. We have been to the mall with her and are going to have a birthday dinner later. So far pretty great holiday. Now to get back to the grind tomorrow and finish my work for school on Monday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND EVERYONE.!!!!

some people will always just make you smile.

as the title suggests it is mighty true...

even though the day today was stressful with the whining of classmates  of the failing test grades and the "Allyson doesnt study for her good grades she is just naturally smart"  (which is not true AT ALL)  upon finding out i passed the test and the tense and down atmosphere that surrounded the class for the rest of the day, I got to talk to Eric  who is always cheering me up and keeping me positive and i got to see my big sis Miriam whom I love dearly and she also makes me happy.  Aunt Sheri is another, she is always so loving to everyone. It touches my heart.

Truth is I have been dealing with recurrent anxiety and panic attacks (i should actually call the Doctor about this in the morning...memo to self) I have medicine for it and it helps for the most part....well I am in the recurrent phase of anxiety where the anxiety is recurring (sorry for the obvious statement). So anytime I get to see the people who will always make me smile i welcome it.

I feel so helpless when these stretches of time with anxiety come about. I should be able to control my brain from going 90 miles per hour yet somehow I can't.  The smallest things make me feel like an awful person. Like if someone texts me and I call them instead of text them, I will see that little text message later that day and be like "why didn't I text them back" even though I know I called them. I guess its like a people pleaseer disease to the extreme. Haha I don't know how I will ever last in the real world.

Oh well thats enough venting for right now I guess....

tense, happy go lucky, tense

The title pretty much describes how my mood has been today. Quite back and forth if I may say.

My Monday Morning Face.....

  (well the picture wouldn't load but it was a rather funny picture of Garfield the cat and illustration for his "love" of the day monday) bummer.


Mondays are test days for me at school. I personally think that is enough to make anyone tense on your monday morning. 8:00 Monday is just not the time for a test. However, it is what is so I digress on that topic. The test was uneventful I get my grade back tomorrow but i am confident I either made an A or a B. (preferrably the A)  My class has its normal drama so that was tense but also passed and I have perfected the art of tuning out most of the whining (although occasionally giving my opinion in discussions here and there)

By the time i got home i was much more relaxed. Mady has a tooth infected so i checked on her and made sure she had everything she needed and headed upstairs to practice some cello music for the Singing Christmas Tree. Playing violin or cello always seems to relax me so I enjoy doing it quite often (although I'm not so sure my family may find it relaxing.) Soon after this I found time for a nap (which are always quite enjoyable.   I went to cello and SCT practice and had lots of fun there. The kids are so happy and not complaining that it makes my day and the little cello kids are always bringing a laugh.
Dinner (treated to me by Eric) was a wonderful end to my day. I must admit I diddn't know pork tasted that good in a baked potato, but I think I may have found a new favorite at Jim N' Nicks. :)

That was the end of my not so eventful day. I ended back up tense (well not too tense) at the tornado watch. Although I don't really think anything tornadic will actually occure, but since I tore some tendons in my ankle the last time we had tornados I am extra cautious about watches and making sure I am out of harms way. Mady helped me avert any crisis by humbly offering up her bed downstairs for me (she mumbled through her hydrocodone glazed eye self from the couch she plans on sleeping on) (I guess we are all weird because whenever we are sick or in pain we would always rather sleep on the couch in the living room than our own bed, i personally think it is because the couch is central to everything in the house, and when the back cushions are taken off is slightly bigger than a twin size bed)

Wow, that was alot of pointless blogging right there. oh well enjoy.

Reality Check

 Today I went with very close family friends to the funeral of their father. He died suddenly and unexpectedly of a heart attack. No words can express the sadness i felt (though none close to what the family was feeiing), the loss was sudden and the pain and hurt real. I had a reality check in my life. Only one heartbeat separates us from being here on Earth and God and eternity. One simple little beat. How am I living my life? Am I encouraging others? Am I sharing my Jesus with others?

It's late so this is just a short simple blog but there will be more to come (of which will not all be about funerals that is just what happened to be my day today.

We love you Mr. Doyle, we know you watch over us now. You were a great man of God and you will be missed dearly!