A Glimpse into CRAZINESS

I just thought it would be a good idea to document the craziness that has come with packing up this not-so-large house.  I definitely did not realize just how easy it was to accumulate STUFF.

The process has been...stressful, to say the least.  But on the other-hand, it has been relieving also.  It's been kind of therapeutic to purge stuff and feel like you're really cleaning!  I've liked that ;)

Now one day we can look back and remember all the challenges of packing up and preparing to M-O-V-E!  Whew!

But, I must say, we are excited :)

Bacon Cheddar Quiche

It was quiche time last weekend at the Palmer house.  I sought out a yummy recipe and found this one:

BACON CHEDDAR QUICHE 

(You can either opt to make your own crust (which is the true, pro way to do it!) OR you can do like I did (I know, shame shame) and buy an already made crust that is just dough, aka NON-BAKED.  Find the whole recipe here.)

Ingredients:
*8 strips lean bacon, cooked and crumbled
*4 large eggs
*1 1/2 cups of half and half
*1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
*1/8 teaspoon pepper
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*non-baked pie dough (usually found in cookie section, or nearby)

1)  Roll out your dough in a 9 inch pie pan.

2)  In a bowl mix together eggs, milk, thyme, and pepper.  I also added cheese to mine here as well (we just so happen to really love cheese).

3)  Pour into crust.  Crumble bacon over top as well as cup of shredded cheese.

4)  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Not a tough one on the difficulty, but it's yum to the tum, I promise.  Now go bust out that whisk, you'll need it :)

Brightleaf Love

There is a place in Durham called BRIGHTLEAF SQUARE.  Jas and I happen to thoroughly enjoy this part of town.  There are plenty of restaurants, cute little (expensive) shops, gelato, and people always hanging out.  It's a great place to go and people watch ;)  We like to grab a bite to eat, walk around, and just hang out down there.

Here are some shots captured from around that area.  Take a look!

Go check it out sometime!  It's good stuff :)

Sooo EXCITING!

The other day was a normal day at the grocery store.  Yep, I was just walking around looking for the items on my list.  Pesto was next to find and so I went down the aisle for pasta items.

I turned the corner and...

what did I find...

You'll never believe it!!!

(at least I didn't)

There were 7 DAYS (brand) chocolate filled AND vanilla filled croissants!

Now you may be wondering, "What is a 7 DAYS croissant?"
Answer: only the best filled croissants that we have found solely in Slovakia.  We have never seen them here...until now!  Can you imagine my excitement!?

So I bought two vanilla filled ones for Jas (he and chocolate aren't best friends)

And....they were only 79 cents!  Thus, I will be buying more.

I guess maybe they could have been here before, but we've just never seen them.  That's why all the hooplah on our end ;)

OHHHHHH YUM!

DAYCATION!

Today we had a nice daycation (this is simply a "vacation" for a day :)

We met my parents half way in Winston-Salem.  After a little lunch at a BBQ joint, we hit up Toy Story 3 in 3D!  It was quite adorable.  I'm a serious fan of those little animated toys...they're quite precious.

And, of course, because the 3D glasses are SO cool, we HAD to get a picture in them!

Jas had a really, REALLY hard time keeping his eyes open...haha.

It was a nice, welcomed break from the hectic-ness of packing up and going through things in the house for MOVING!  This whole packing-up process has been more challenging than I thought it would be.  Trying to figure out what to get rid of, what to keep, what to take to Slovakia...man!  It's tricky!

Thanks to my parents for the nice daycation.  And thanks to Buzz Lightyear for his Spanish-speaking hilariousness ;)

In Christ Alone

"In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song,
This Cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm,

What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, and strivings cease,
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand."

This has been my song all day.  It's been kind of a tough, stressful day, but at the end of it all--CHRIST ALONE is our strength.

Thank goodness :)

By the way, it's necessary to mention that we as humans collect FAR, FAR too many things, possessions, items, etc...UGH!  And that makes me think of my sweet Haitian friends...and...

This little guy that I miss OH SO MUCH!

A WHOLE LOT.

Any takers?!

Does anyone need:

A Coffee Pot?!  Barely used (maybe twice).  Mr. Coffee...you know he brews good coffee!  Any takers!?

Or perhaps a reliable bookshelf?  Good for holding those classics you've been wanting to read.  Also good for holding many, many other things...

What about a side table/end table.  Nice, good wood, with a drawer and a shelf below.  Whatdya say?

If none of these things tickle your fancy, I'm sure I can find some other things in this house to offer you ;)

Seriously, though, if you would like any of the three things you see above, please let me know!  (charityeliza@gmail.com)

I'd/We'd love for you to be the proud new owner :)

Shots of Summer

Just a few shots of the relaxing parts of summer :)

Now back to going through things in pre-preparation (ha) for packing up and mooooving!! (An answered prayer!  Now for the appraisal/inspection part...whew...)

Today's List:

- trip to Goodwill

- pack another box for Goodwill

- organizing some things in the study

- spray paint a pair of shoes

- READ

- laundry

And it's official...I am craving a Cookies 'n Cream Loco Pop!

Two Special Men

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to these two awesome examples of Fathers.  We love you both!

Pool Pup

We took Bella for a swim the other day...and I must say, the girl LOVES to swim and doggy paddle (haha, get it? ;)  She is actually quite defiant when she is not allowed to be in the water (aka she just jumps in).

But she does make a very cute swimmer!

Trying to learn to get out using the ladder (with a little behind boost, of course)

This guy decided to hang out at the pool too...I can't take credit for this photo, good job D. Palm!

And on a photography note, I am really enjoying pool photos with the blue water as a background.  Three cheers for summer!

VBS Highlights

This week is Vacation Bible School week at Ridgecrest.  I got to be a photographer and shoot some of the many kids in action.

Here are a few of my favorites :)

That last one....priceless face....possibly my favorite :)

"How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. "  PSALM 36:7

Durham's Subtle Infatuation

You have to have a keen eye to find these little guys around town...but did you know, Durham has a subtle infatuation with...

GNOMES!!!

I give credit to my husband who is quite observing and first spotted these sneaky, hidden, little guys.

As you drive around town you may look up on a bridge, or a building, and find a gnome just chillin' there looking at you!  Jason has spotted three (or three locations with several gnomes), then we decided it was time to look them up.  And lo and behold, we found a website all about Durham Gnomes!

We just so happen to think this is funny and one of those neat not-found-everywhere kind of things.  Who knew Durham liked gnomes so much!?  Cute...

Here are a few (very distant) shots I got of these gnomes during a gnome-hunting outing Jas and I had...well, we were driving somewhere and Jas remembered we would pass a lot of them, and I had my camera, and well, here ya go!

Gnome 1 above.  He's a little hard to see...but he's there!

A Gnome family...affectionately entitled as brothers.

And blurry gnome number 5.  Aren't these hilarious!?  Go check out the site above and see all the other ones people have spotted.

Now you can start the gnome search yourself!  Let me know if you find anymore :)

camera strap cuteness

This weekend we went to Hickory for a wedding and some family hang-out time.  That meant that mom and I got to have a craft adventure :)

I have had bookmarked on ETSY some camera strap covers that I've been wanting for some time now.  Mom has gotten into sewing recently, so we thought we'd give it a whirl!

I picked some fabric at Hobby Lobby, then we set off (or she set off) doing the sewing part.  It wasn't difficult and ended up taking less than 30 minutes, probably.

And I am pleased to say the camera strap turned out great (after one less-succesful attempt due to some bulky felt).

We used this tutorial for making a camera strap cover.  There are also good ones here and here.

Ok, I know it's the little things, but I am a fan of this cheery burst of color hanging around my shoulder....here's to creative inspiration ;)

Thanks, mom! Looks great :)

No more. Nada. Zilch.

No more teaching for me!  I can't believe it!  I can't believe it's been two full years...ok, well, maybe I can.  But it's finished!  For real this time!  No more school come August for me.  This was the last day of school, possibly, probably, forever.  Ah!  It's a little hard to believe.

And, I have to admit, it was kind of a sad day/week.  When it's all said and done, the stress, the disrespectful students, the crazy things you sometimes have to deal with, the meetings, the budget, and all the other lovely things that come with teaching, it's worth it for those one or two students who you really get to see grab hold of another language and run with it!  That's exciting!  And I will miss that.

And these students...

What a good lookin' group of kids :)  And super smart!

This is what I call my "Yearbook Board."  I love all these notes and the kids that wrote them.

Please notice how Michael Jackson was in my class (I didn't know I was THAT old!??!) and if you'll look carefully one sneaky student (who knows I am a Carolina fan) snuck in some Duke symbols...grrr...

Well this brings me to the end of two years of teaching.  Sigh.  Both feelings of relief and sadness.  Ok, chapter closed.  Bring on the next one! :)

Bring on the CHOCOLATE SYRUP!

Tonight was the annual end-o-year MUCK WARS!  This is a super fun, let's get everyone dirty, throw condiments on one another kind of time for the youth.  I thoroughly enjoy watching everyone get all messed up!  It's great fun! (And should I mention it doesn't bother me so much being behind the camera ;)

Here are some highlights-- (bear with me on the many photos!)

We started the night with some watermelon...and some goofy faces!!

Exhibit A:  Dillon covered in his own flour!  And Carly applying some mustard to top it off...yum...

The Aftermath.  And what's left of the sticky syrup amo.

Some condiments, oh yeah, and Noelle's under there somewhere ;)

MESSY GROUP SHOT!

Jump it, Kels Lou!

Ah, nothing like a pair of stinky, wet, post-condiment friends!

Possibly one of my favorite photos of the night.  They make me laugh!

What a fun night...gotta love it!  Muck Wars, Jason and I will miss you.  Think Slovaks could get into some muck-throwing!?  We shall see! :)