Something(s) I've Learned

1) I am not a very good OR consistent blogger. It's been weeks and weeks since I updated last! I always have grand schemes of posting different things, but I rarely get around to it in a timely fashion.


2) Never try to dye Easter eggs a la Country Living (or Martha Stewart, or Better Homes and Gardens, or....you get the picture). Mom and I had a somewhat unfortunate attempt at dyeing eggs a few weeks ago. Let the fun begin...

Start with some hardboiled eggs....although you can use non-hardboiled eggs, but as my dad said, "What would you do with those?" ("Eat them," we replied.)

We  gathered our foliage--ferns, leaves, flowers, cut some pantyhose up, and started bundling our eggs with the greenery. It wasn't as easy as CL made it out to be, but we managed.

Three of our eggs, ready for dyeing!

We thought that these cups would be the perfect size....but then we put boiling water in one of them, with these results. "I'm melting, I'm melting!" said Mom.

Take two, with styrofoam cups--less eco-friendly, but much sturdier. We chose yellow, blue, and green to start. 

Here are some of our results! We liked the yellow the best.

The shamrock had the best contrast, but wasn't very seasonal.

The purple dye was kind of ugly, and those evergreen-y ferns were very disappointing,

The whole mess!

In conclusion, some of the eggs (the ones Mom was in charge of) were cuter than others (my eggs, which ended up hidden under the pretty eggs). In any case, after the lace fiasco of 2004, multiple years that Hilary and I tried to decorate eggs with crayons, neon dyes, and now this---I think we'll stick with simple egg-dyeing from now on...until next year, when we see another foolproof way of dyeing eggs in another magazine...and we'll inevitably think that we should just try it once more!

Painting Pictures

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my future, and past. I'm still trying to make a decision about grad school, and as I've been mulling over my options, looking at finances, trying to weigh pros and cons, it makes me think a lot about the college that I left behind. I miss it, and my friends, and my professors. I miss the atmosphere, and the camaraderie, and chapel. Houghton will never leave my heart.


But the other day, I was listening to a song.


I don’t want to leave here 

I don’t want to stay
It feels like pinching to me either way
The places I long for the most
Are the places where I’ve been
They are calling after me like a long lost friend

It’s not about losing faith
It’s not about trust
It’s all about comfortable
When you move so much
The place I was wasn’t perfect
But I had found a way to live
It wasn’t milk or honey
But then neither is this

I’ve been painting pictures of Egypt 
Leaving out what it lacked 
The future seems so hard 
And I want to go back 
But the places that used to fit me 
Cannot hold the things I've learned 
And those roads were closed off to me 
While my back was turned 

The past is so tangible 
I know it by heart 
Familiar things are never easy to discard 
I was dying for some freedom 
But now I hesitate to go 
Caught between the promise 
And the things I know


I'm just like the Israelites, painting pictures of Egypt, "leaving out what it lacked". In my mind, I visualize this utopia, this perfect place. Yes, it was wonderful--the memories that I made there, the amount that I learned, how much I grew--those things I'll always carry it with me.


But it wasn't perfect. A lot of it really stunk. I was stressed about relationships, about tests, and homework, and getting a job. Knowing that, though, doesn't stop me from wanting to go back. It wasn't perfect, but I knew what to expect. I knew what was going on, I was comfortable. And now I'm not.


The future does seem hard. I try to think of all the adventures I'm going to have, and all of the people I'm going to meet, and everything I'm going to learn, but I am stuck looking back at my past and wishing that I could go back there. When I was at Houghton, there were times that I was just ready to leave and live my life. And now that I'm at that point, I'm scared. I'm "caught between the promise and the things I know." I know the promises that God has for my life...


"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."


"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"


...and yet I'm having a hard time claiming them.




If it comes too quick
I may not recognize it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?
If it comes too quick
I may not appreciate it
Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?




But I'm trusting that there is a reason "behind all this time and sand." 

Girl From Tennessee?

One of my favorite songs is a NeedToBreathe song called "Girl Named Tenessee." Every time I hear it, it just makes me happy! (You can listen to it right here.)


Catchy, right?

The reason I'm writing about this song is because I've been thinking about grad school a lot lately. Back in December, I applied to three grad schools, one of which is Vanderbilt University (more specifically, Peabody College).


A couple of weeks ago, I got in! I was accepted to VU and, even better, received a Peabody Honors Scholarship, which covers two-thirds of my tuition. It's a great school that is always ranked highly, and it was exciting to get in. I haven't heard back from the other schools yet (Ohio State University and Teacher's College), but now I at least have a fall-back school.


So maybe next year, I will be a girl living in Tennessee, listening to country music and wearing cowboy boots. And if I am, you can be sure that you will be hearing a lot about it!

Is it too late...

Is it too late to rejoin the blogosphere? I can't believe that I missed an entire month! First, some pictures of Christmas in WV...

Andrew and Shelley's Christmas tree + presents.

Dad reading the Christmas story.

Shelley--pregnant and adorable!

Who's that stud?

Christmas was a blast--lots of laughter and great food and cute dogs and discussion of Baby Ben's arrival. Speaking of which...

Shelley mentioned when I was at their apartment for Christmas that they did not have a mobile for Ben yet. I cheerfully volunteered to make one--"Hey," I thought to myself, "if Martha can do it, I certainly can." Besides, I just took a class that taught me a lot about babies and their development, and I learned that most mobiles, while very cute to the parents' eyes, don't look like much from the baby's perspective. I set out to make a mobile that was both cute and developmentally appropriate (and now I know why they are so hard to find!).

Well, it was quite the undertaking. After looking online for inspiration, I decided to use styrofoam spheres covered in fabric attached to dowels hung by yarn, or fishing line...it was all rather hazy. I went to the store to get the necessary supplies, and returned. I fiddled around with the supplies for a couple of hours and then decided to work on it the next day. Unfortunately, I got rather sick that evening, passing on my illness to my sister and father in the process, and so the project was forgotten for awhile. When I regained strength and motivation, I began to realize that my plan was not going to work. First of all, did you know how hard it is to cover something spherical with fabric? Way too hard for an amateur crafter. Secondly, how can two dowels be attached together using yarn? (My brother-in-law had to figure that one out). Thirdly, how can one affix spheres to a dowel so that it is balanced and doesn't look weird?

The questions were overwhelming. I almost gave up. But, suddenly, inspiration struck when my mom and sister started making and canning strawberry jam (yum). I thought that maybe the jar lids could be used somehow in the process of making the mobile. A few more weeks, a trip to Joann's, and lots of glue and yarn later, this is what I came up with:

The final product!

From the baby's perspective...

In honor of Hilary.

A dog, while not jungle themed, was necessary in the Brautigam household.

My favorite--the cute lion.

I hope Ben enjoys this! :)

Giving Thanks: Day 22 & 23

Whoops! Like my sister, I too have gotten a little tired of actually writing my thankfulness posts every day....I don't think I will become a professional blogger anytime soon!


Yesterday, I was thankful that I only have three days of school this week :) Yay!

And today, I was reminded of something I am thankful for every day of my life. As anyone who has been reading this blog knows, the building I work in used to be a church. I was sitting with some kindergarteners today at the end of the day, and one little boy looked at the stained glass windows and said "Where's God? I want to see one with God."
"Well, I don't think that there is a stained glass window of God," I responded. Then, thinking better of my first answer, I said "But there's Jesus," pointing to a picture of Jesus and the disciples. "Do you see him with the halo around his head?"
A different little boy said quietly, "Jesus did everything for us. He did everything for us."


And yes, Jesus did--and I am so very thankful for him.


"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Giving Thanks: Day 20 & 21

Yesterday I was thankful that we have so much and we are able to make a child's life happier by putting together a small shoe box. The joy that these children have always brings tears to my eyes. My mom and I went shopping to buy our items for our boxes this year--it's always fun to imagine the kids opening their boxes and seeing the things we picked out for them, and it's humbling to know how much we have compared to so many around us. My Aunt Faith packed and sent over 40 boxes this year, which inspires me to pack my very own next year. Here's a video about Operation Christmas Child: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG6GU5g76t4. Even though I am so happy for the kids who receive the gifts, I'm also saddened knowing that there are kiddos right in my neighborhood without the basic necessities that I take for granted--a winter coat, school supplies, boots, gloves...the list goes on. I hope some of the boxes that we pack come right back to Buffalo for the kids here, and I hope that if they don't, I can somehow brighten the lives of the neighborhood kids that I've come to love.

This is the most recent picture I have (2008) of my Grandma and her kids: My mom, Uncle Bill, and Uncle Mike

Today I am thankful for family, specifically (today) the Sard side of the family. Like I said yesterday, today was the party for my Grandma Sard's 75th birthday, and I got to see a lot of that side of the family today. 


If I do say so myself, we are a fun bunch, and it was wonderful to share time with them and celebrate my Grandma. We ate pizza and wings, watched the Bills win (!), and laughed a lot. I swapped stories with my aunt who is a teacher, looked at quilt patterns with my Grandma and mom, talked about wedding plans for my cousin's fiancée. It was a ton of fun and I can't wait to see them all again on New Year's (our annual Sard family Christmas get-together!).

Giving Thanks: Day 19

I'm thankful that I'm home safe and sound from a long bus trip, that tomorrow is my last Reading Saturday until after Christmas, and that I get to see the Sard side of my family this weekend for my Grandma's 75th birthday :)