Wrap it up. 2012.

I don't even know where to begin, but I can say that this year has been amazing! I married my best friend on June 16th and God has blessed us more than we can imagine. I love you Eli and thankful for the precious gift God gave me in you!

I am thankful for this Christmas/New Year's break. We have been to Florida and now spending the last night in Georgia. Blessed to have an amazing family.

Most importantly, I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me life. I pray that this year is full of opportunity to grow closer to Him and along the way lead others to His marvelous light.

Notepad

Below is an excerpt from my notes this morning.  I though I should share.


November 14, 2012

This morning I woke up and I had a bad dream.  I was walking on a bridge with people - some were my students, co-workers, and other unfamiliar faces - and all of a sudden it turned into a huge war.  It seemed like an attack on our country, I woke up kind of scared. Eli asked me if I was alright and then he told me that he saw that some states have people submitting requests to secede from the United States.  Thinking of all of the other craziness in this world, again this got me scared.

The first thought that came to my mind was I really think we are living in the end times. Which are scary. I though about earthly things that I have yet to do - having a family ,etc.  Then my husband with his kind and gentle words reminded me about my faith and relationship with the Lord. It's times like these and we get scared when we really have to realize where our faith is and who it is resting in.

As soon as we started talking the song, "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand" came to mind.  I love worshipping through music, so quite often, songs pop in my mind.

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.

When darkness seems to hide His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood.

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh may I then in Him be found.

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand. 

Isaiah 28:16

¹⁶ So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.

Psalm 18:30

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord’s word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

This reminder this morning shook me and slapped me in the face even to tears. Spent time praying with my husband and praying by myself and just really keeping my focus on the Lord. As I go today to teach my third-graders I pray that my hope is in nothing more than Christ Jesus. May I be a solid rock for the kids and point them directly to Christ today.

What about you?  Where does your hope, rest, strength, faith and comfort come from?

xoxo,

pt byrd

Fall is in the Air

So tonight, I tried to make my first ever Pumpkin Roll. I used the recipe from http://www.verybestbaking.com/mobile/detail.aspx?id=32372.

I just tasted it and it is alright. I have had way better, but for the first try I think it will do! I followed the recipe except for two things; someone in the comments of the recipe stated that if you use pumpkin pie filling instead of plain pumpkin, you eliminate the need for the spices and I used medium eggs instead of large. Not sure if those two things made a difference but I do think there was something wrong!! The pumpkin roll didn't cook all the way and was a little gooey. That made it tough to roll.

One thing I can say, the cream cheese filling is amazing and the pumpkin flavor is good! I have two more pumpkin treats I want to cook.

Until then...

xoxo,

pt byrd

My pumpkin didn't "bounce back" as it said in the directions...even after 18 minutes.  I was afraid to keep it in longer for fear of burning the entire thing!!

I rolled it in a cloth towel, but I think it should have been a thinner cloth.

It was gooey, but spread on pretty well!

In the fridge and chilling.  Maybe overnight it will solidify!!

From Rome to Home...

Weekend Escape - Part 1 and 2

Part 1

Several weekends ago, Eli and I had the privilege of traveling to Rome, Georgia to see my sister and brother-in-law!  We spent Saturday morning at Chick-fil-a and then went to see the Shorter vs. CSU football game.  CSU won the game, but Shorter put up a good fight!  This is what I understood to be true anyway... I'm still working on figuring out how this game works!  

After the game, we took a tour of the Berry College campus where Chick-fil-a has the "WinShape Camps".  The campus was HUGE!!  It is the largest in the world at 26,000 acres!  With a campus that large, you would expect to see a lot of bikes.  We couldn't believe how many bike racks there were and how many bikes were parked there!  Well, I couldn't believe it.  I guess I'm the only one who gets excited about bikes!!  Anyway, it was a cool place to tour! 

We also went to a "Corey Classic" location to eat.  He is real good at finding local hot spots.  Eli and I had the best Japanese food ever!  Saturday night we watched the Florida State football game and then Sunday we went to church.  It was easy to say goodbye because we knew that we would see Ella Mae, Becky and Corey the following weekend!!

 

Ella waiting for church to start!

 My sweet girl reading devotions with Eli and I.

Eli, Ella and I standing in front of the Dwarf House.

 

 Our delicious Japanese cuisine!

Part 2

The weekend after Rome, we went to Mistletoe State Park near Augusta, Georgia.  We were all together except for Mark.  The weather was great and the camp ground was perfect.  It was so much fun to camp with Ella and Olivia!  They did a great job sleeping in the tent and hanging out by the fire at night.  We truly had an awesome weekend and now Eli is ready to plan the next trip!  Yes!!!  This is the Dave Ramsey approved vacation back-up plan!


Well I did update my cell phone, so I am going to try to do better with pictures.  I don't have one single picture from camping!  My parents did take a few, so if I can get my hands on one or two, I'll post!

xoxo,

pt byrd

Yeah, we went there.

Homemade laundry soap?  Sure!  Why not!

Eli and I are always looking for ways to be frugal and save a penny here or there as we are paying off our student loans (thanks again Mr. Ramsey!).  Our first attempt at homemade soap went pretty well!  Here is what we did:

1.  Supplies.  One bar of Fels-Naptha laundry bar soap, borax and Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

 
2.  Grate one bar of soap and then put it in the food processor to chop it as tiny as possible!  I don't have a picture of the food processing because we had to take a late night trip to my moms to use her 1977 processor and I didn't have my camera with me!!

 
It looks like cheese, but it doesn't smell like it!  It's really a super "clean" scent.  Again, don't forget to chop it smaller.

3.  Mix the super finely grated Fels-Naptha with one cup of borax and one cup of super washing soda.  Stir/shake well.  Use about 2 tablespoons for each load.

We use a round plastic container to hold the mixture.  The soap doesn't completely mix with the borax and washing soda, but we try to use equal parts when we put it in the washer.  When doing research to make this, we found SO MANY recipes of this, but they use pretty much the same ingredients.  So we just took a chance on this mixture and found it's been doing great!  

I had a couple of items go into the washer that I watched for stain removal.  It did just as good, if not better, as regular store detergent.  I have also found that washing on "hot" has been helpful.  We use high efficiency washers and don't have any problems.  The bar soap, borax and super washing soda are all "low sudding", "low suds", "get the point?"  

Oh and I bet you want to know the cost???  Sorry!  I don't remember the exact cost and I can't find the receipt but the breakdown below is pretty close.

Borax:  $3
Fels-Naptha - $2
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - $3

We found all of the ingredients at Walmart (right Eli???).

We have already done about 15 loads with the mix and have TONS left in the first batch.  That doesn't even touch the rest of the materials ready when this first mix runs out!

So, who else is going to try this??  Look up other versions of the homemade soap online!  You can make a liquid mix too!  Anyone else know of a homemade item that we could make and save some cheddar??

Next blog....  
Follow up on our homemade body wash, trip to Shorter U, and/or Dad's birthday camping trip!!

xoxo, 

pt byrd

The TREE!!

As promised, here is a picture of the tree that my sister Becky and my former student built.  It really adds dimension and color to my room!  I love to keep the classroom clutter-free, fresh, simple and organized (...ok, I try).  I think the tree was the icing on the cake!  Now, if this stays up all year, I'll be amazed!!  As many times as I say, "stay off the swing" there is always that one student interested in testing to see if the cardboard swing (above the striped "bench") will hold them...

xoxo,

pt byrd

The Classroom

So...it's Labor Day weekend and I am finally getting a chance to blog about my classroom!  I have had several requests to see the nest, so here goes!

Of course, I had to go with the bird theme.  Mrs. Byrd.  The cricut cartridge and machine from a friend who recently went to China to teach was a LIFESAVER (thank you Amber!!).  I laminated these three birds and use a dry erase marker to change the names each week.

My amazing co-worker gave me the idea and the supplies to put burlap on the background of this bulletin board.  Again, I used the cricut to cut the small birds and mounted them to two different types of paper.  I laminated the sheets and then hot glued them to a clothespin.

 

This is a close up of the clothespin with laminated bird.  I used twine as the "clothes line".  Students choose their own work to celebrate each week and are in charge of changing it out.  It gives my third graders the ability to choose what they are most proud of and it is one less thing I have to change out.  I honestly prefer them changing it anyway so they can take ownership.

I reused the letters I made last year in "Camp Kellenbenz" and they fit perfectly with the vintage looking clock and the rest of the classroom decor.

One MAJOR item I don't have pictured here is the tree!  My sister Becky and one of my students from last school year spent an entire day building a tree in the corner of my room by the book shelf.  Vines branch out and are suspended from the ceiling and also drape out in the corner of the wall.  Book jackets mounted on the wall complete the look.  I'll post a picture of that soon!

I am excited about another year at Faith.  I am honored to teach and know that God has me there for a purpose.  I don't take this responsibility lightly as I know God has placed a stricter judgement over me (James 3:1)!  I have to pray daily that my students and others see me as a light, the way I see my Heavenly Father.  The only way I can be a light is if I lean on, learn from and light my candle from THE LIGHT SOURCE.

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness."

James 3:1

Have a great school year everyone!

xoxo,

pt byrd

Thanks a lot, Dave Ramsey!

"Americans who have a financial plan not only feel more confident about their futures, but are also saving more and getting into financial trouble less than those without a plan." —Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards  (posted on FPU Facebook page)


My eternal future is not in question.  I have secured a place with my Heavenly Father after I leave this Earth by believing and trusting in Him (Romans 10:9).  It's my Earthly future I need to be concerned with!


Since I'm a planner, it would be seem that I would have a plan for finances as well, right?  Wrong.  I have never been "good at that".  I always pay my bills on time and take care of financial obligations as they occur, but I don't didn't have a plan.  That is until now.  


As I have mentioned in my previous posts on my old website (http://juliekelle.blogspot.com), Eli and I decided that as part of our marriage counseling, we would attend Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  Eli researched and found a class in Charleston.  This was one the best thing we could have done as a part of building our future together.  


In the class, you are taught principles to learn how to manage and spend your money so that you can build wealth and bless others.  He breaks the steps down into "baby steps".  Get through one, then move on to the next and so on.  Simple.  He teaches and emphasizes the importance of having a budget (don't we all have one??) and actually sticking to it!!!  Start out by cutting up and closing any credit cards you have.  Don't worry about your credit - DON'T BORROW MONEY!!!  Use an envelope system where you put cash (or debit/gift cards) for each area where you "spend" (like clothes, eating out, grocery store, gas, etc.).  Once the envelope is empty, then you're done!  Transfer from another envelope if needed, but don't over spend!


We have used the envelope system, stuck to our budget, sold things on eBay and a few other things to complete step one and now are on to step two; what will feel like an eternity of saving - pay off all debts - our student loans and our truck.


Proverbs 22:7 states that, "...the borrower is slave to the lender."


In the journey of becoming debt free, we have to sacrifice.  It's not an easy path to go down.  Easy would be spending pay check to pay check, not building savings, going out shopping and to restaurants as much as we like, and going on another vacation now without saving for it first!!!!  Part of the sacrifice I am willing to make is being creative with my clothes.  Eli is so easy going with his wardrobe.  During the summer, he has the flexibility to throw on shorts and t-shirts as he leads his staff through preparing for a new school year on campus.  For me, and probably because I am a girl, I like to get a "new" outfit every now and then.  As I think about preparing my classroom and returning to work, I wanted to get a few new things!  Can I spend the money?  Of course!  There is a budget line item for clothing - cash in an envelope - for that!!


I wanted to think of the best way to spend the money and stretch it out as much as possible.  I first thought about looking online to see if NY&Co (my favorite) was having a great sale.  Then I realized that a great sale is never great if I really don't NEED it or can't AFFORD it.  I then thought about used clothes.  Why not check out eBay?  I sell stuff all the time, why not buy clothes?  I like to order things online, but it would be disappointing if what I ordered didn't fit or look right.  So what is a girl on a budget to do?  GOODWILL!!!!  Again, I'm good at dropping things off there during my quarterly clean outs!  Why not see if I can find anything.  So I went on an adventure and to my great surprise, I got some great stuff!


Here's a sneak peak:

I spent a grand total of about $22 on a jean skirt, three dress shirts and two blazers.  A few times through the wash cycle and I'm ready to go.  Can't beat that!


So, thanks a lot, Dave Ramsey!  Here's to knocking out these loans and living absolutely debt-free!

xoxo,

pt byrd

I now pronounce you husband and wife!!!!!

On February 10, 2012, Eli asked me to be his wife and I said yes!  On June 16th, we were married!  TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!

I want to walk you through the wedding, from decorations to the food to the ceremony and so much more, but I will wait until I can reveal more pictures.

Until then, please check out our album designed by Nathan!  

http://charlestonwedding.com/index.html#/jkellenbenz/

xoxo

pt byrd

New Last Name. New Site.

I know you're waiting on wedding pictures and a blog about the wedding, but it's coming.  A work in progress!!!!

In the process of "legally" becoming married, I have pretty much found a new place every day where I need to update my new last name.  The blog being one of them!

So, as I keep the wedding blog in the drafts until the final product, follow me under this new address so you don't miss a thing!!!

In the meantime, check out some other blogs.

My sister, Maribeth.  http://ourscottlandyard.blogspot.com/

My best friend, Chelsea. http://chelseabedenbaugh.blogspot.com/





Previous blog address:  http://juliekelle.blogspot.com