Christian Music on a Sunday Evening

Hey!

It's yours truly! It's been a pretty good week. The planning has been A LOT better. Of course, you never get everything done that you set out to do. Thank goodness there is always tomorrow.

Cool stuffs. On Friday, I got to go out to dinner with some couples from Caldwell I met when I worked there. It was really something different, since three of them were over fifty. It really was fun.

And I got Deniz' dresser scarf photographed! Ryan was nice enough to bring his digital camera to mass today so I got a picture of it for my records. (Thanks, Ryan!) So, Deniz, I should be sending it tomorrow or Tuesday,and I should be posting the picture also.

I'm teaching roots and root words this week in Learning Strategies. They will be lethally bored but you can only do what you can do.

Hyper Static Union

I've been listening to the Christian radio station the past few months on the way to work. I must say, that, most of the time, the songs get old really fast. I mean, let me pull over and hand me a bucket . . .but I keep listening because there are a few songs I really like. The grand prize winner for this year is definitely a song called "Praying for Sunny Days" by a new band called Hyper Static Union. They're a Christian band from Portland, Oregon, and they're just now starting to get popular. It's so cool that they're from so close by! If you're interested in hearing them, try this link

That is the page where you can buy their CD from Amazon.com. If you scroll down to the part where you can listen to samples of the songs, double click on the sample link for "Praying for Sunny Days". I love that song. I've been listening to that sample over and over.

By the way, there are only eight months of shopping days before my birthday. . . :)

Decorating

I got a call from the decorating lady today. Looks like we'll be starting to paint my living room within the week. How cool!

Also, Hubert of Hubert and Petra is going to help me with coffee and doughnuts next Sunday -- and he's going to give the drop cloths and paintbrushes to paint my apartment with. Thanks a million, Hubert! (I'm still trying to work up the courage to steal of picture of Hubert and Petra's family from their website, post it here, and then get flattered if they notice. But, Nah. I don't know them that well.)

Elisabeth

Scholarships, Masters Degrees, and the like

Well, what should I say about this?

Hmmmm. This post has everything to do with my long-term plans, which I can sum up in one sentence.

Teach, pay off my student loans, get my masters degree, reevaluate.



THE SCHOLARSHIP POSSIBILITY

Oh, the sweet sound of paid-for credits!

There is a scholarship that would make my ELL masters from BSU totally free! I am more than happy to say that I am just about completely ready to submit my application. I just need one more letter of recommendation from my boss, and I think I will ask her if she can get it to me by Jan 30th. I hope that won't be too pushy. :)

IN CASE THE SCHOLARSHIP DOESN'T WORK OUT

There is still some sweetness!

Thanks to my high-fallutin' job with the Meridian Schools, I discovered that I can be reimbursed for 15 credits per year! After having looked at the schedule of classes, what I've already taken, etc. it would take me two years to finish. That would get me done in the Summer of 2009. If my plans to pay back my loans works out, that should also be about the time that I pay them off. (more on this after I figure out my tax info for 2006) Reimbursement from my job would bring the total cost of my graduate degree down to about $800 per year! Doable, by any means.

Also, I have kind of decided that my main long-term goals for now are paying off the loans, finishing my masters, and getting some more teaching experience. This plan would put all that ending about 2009. At that point, I will reevaluate. Do I want to be a teacher for foreseeable future? Would I like to move? Where? For how long? What should I do when I get there?

I'll ask myself those as soon as the above goals are fulfilled!

More about this later!

A Pic of A Memory

I just found the picture of us girls with Eric Idle in 2003! Here it is! This is a fun memory. We trotted around the mall in our knight outfits just to get the right to meet him for free. :) Enjoy! (For those of you who don't know, Eric Idle is a member of Monty Python. He came to Boise and we got to meet him. . .for free!)

My Many Projects

Hello, all!

This is simply an update on my many projects, both long-term and short-term. They make up quite a bit of my spare time. I will start with the most long-term ones and work down to the most short-term ones.

Home Decor

I decided a while ago to decorate my apartment in a French Country style. This is a very long term project, as the funding for it is coming in a trickle and the cost is a bit more. So, at the moment, this project is mostly dreams and motley elements I somehow want to incorporate. Though, at this point, I'm not sure how it will all be done in a harmonious way.

First, the following picture is the inspiration for my ideas.



I have looked at MANY books, websites, etc., on French Country home design, and this is the one that comes closest to what I'm looking for. People's ideas of "French Country" range quite a lot, from the virtual palace to the pink and flowered cutesy-style (gag to the flowers and the pale pink) shabby chic (I admit to liking shabby chic though.) I don't like the extravagance of some people's ideas. I am much more for simplicity, and this picture most encompasses what I have in mind. Not only is it mostly true to what I remember from living in Provence (minus a few yellows), but I love the mixture of textures and colors. The only question is how to best recreate it. Since this is my first shot at this kind of project, I don't want to make a lot of expensive mistakes along the way.

Here's what I have to work with, which is truly very promising. I'm just not sure what to do first!

The Elements

Here are some pictures of the elements I want to incorporate in my home. Some are the actual items, others are simply pictures I found on the internet that approximate what I'm looking for. Here they are:

Provencal Door Knocker



This is a good example of the knocker I saw on just about every door I passed in Provence when I was there in 98-99. It's a hand holding a ball. The one I would get would be distinctly cast iron, so you wouldn't be able to see the detail quite so well, nor would it have lace behind it and a frame around it.
Think it's a little creepy to have a hand attached to your door? It could be, but it's also very Provencal.

Chandelier



These are the chandeliers I've found from target.com to possibly go in my bedroom. (Of course, I would take the bead string off the one) They're iron-looking at least. The only problem is my white, metal daybed. Would iron go with metal painted white? I don't know. And I'm not about to buy a new bed. 1) It's expensive, and 2) I'm in love the with following bed, and, at $1500 a pop, I won't be buying it any time soon. A cheaper version just wouldn't be the same thing unless it was identical. Of course, there's always the possibly that this bed doesn't accomodate a twin-size mattress. In that case, I would have to find a knock-off for it to be functional. Following is the ideal, anyway.



An Elisabeth-Embroidered Chair

I got the idea from this picture that I found. I think I've actually embroidered the pattern on the seat before! I wonder if I could really do this.



And there are other elements I am considering. A faux fireplace (not the kind that actually works)in the living room, a cast iron pot rack hanging from the ceiling for the kitchen . . .We'll see.

This is post just keeps getting updated and edited. Keep watching for more pictures and changes!
Elisabeth