Five on Friday

1)  You've probably seen the macaroni-and-cheese-boiled-in-milk pin/recipe floating around for a time, but I finally tried it on Wednesday.  It was very decadent and filling, but I approve.  The only thing is, I over salted it.  Blurgh.  I will have to try again soon.

2)  To put me in the holiday mood further, the Christmas trees went up on campus this week AND we had our annual Thanksgiving feast today.  In our meeting this morning, we early Christmas celebrators were chastised with the song here.  It was coincidental considering I tried to convince Zach to let me listen to Holly on route to work today because I was feeling bad, but no dice.  For the Thanksgiving lunch, my suite mates headed over 20 minutes early, so we could get in line first, and half of us braved the freezing temperatures (literally 32 degrees) to walk across campus there.  But it was worth it!  I'm so ready for turkey day and the Christmas rush.  :)

3)  I watched this video, and now I am obsessed with learning more about Hasidic Jews.  I love learning about other cultures, and I was really touched by one man's description of his soul being attached to God (I immediately thought of an umbilical cord) and how nothing can severe that connection or break God's love for him.  (He worded it much better than me.)

4)  The night before Veterans Day, we were visited by a little grey cat.  Then that Thursday, I heard the cat mewing when we got home after my long night of teaching.  This kitten was so sweet, purring and rolling around so we could rub its tummy.  It was clearly domesticated and not feral.  So we made it a box with blanket and put out some food since it was getting skinny.  Little kitty got upgraded to a carrier and a warmer blanket, and we started calling him "Pancake."  Now, we have found him a home with my SIL's coworker, so we are keeping him inside where it's warm.  Meet Pancake!

5)  Zach and I are "adopting" a little boy for Christmas through a program at work.  I am very excited to serve and go shopping for him over the coming weeks!!  I've already spent my lunch breaks all week combing through Amazon and Black Friday previews for a game plan to maximize our budget for the most blessings.  :)

Sensory Overload: 5 on Friday

What a week.

Thank goodness it's time to link up for 5 on Friday!  It's finally the weekend, which is known in these parts as the calm before the storm.  (Classes start on Monday.  Thankfully, mine isn't until Thursday.)

1)  WHAT I'M FEELING:  accomplished, satisfied, and exhausted.  I had a BIG week at work, giving lots of presentations throughout the week, prepping for the new semester, celebrating being a new (full-time) employee this year, and winning a grant to fund a new leadership program.  :)

2)  WHAT I'M SMELLING: the carwash, which got a reno.  Now, the foam is all kinds of bright colors and smells like what I would imagine Fruity Pebbles to smell like if they smelled like the colors they are...not how they actually smell.  Uh.  Yeah.  I'm nuts.

3)  WHAT I'M HEARING:  Doctor Who.  And not my Bible study app because I haven't had time to hardly pee, much less do anything essential, which makes me sad.  I'm going to do better tomorrow.  I'm going to get to the Urgent and Important again.

4)  WHAT I'M SEEING:  our ritty rat rolling around on the naked bed.

5)  WHAT I'M TASTING:  peach tarts, Italian cream cake, a tomato sandwich, chicken wings, fruit salad, and Bliss (as in Bliss Cupcakes).

This time, we went with Razorback Red Velvet, Banana Pudding, and Salted Caramel.  :)

Sensory Overload: 5 on Friday

It's Friday, y'all!  My first Friday back at work (we've been on an efficiency schedule this week) consisted of going in late after taking Hobie cat to the vet and leaving early to take the car to get serviced.  In between that, I caught the tail end of orientation, went to get lunch at Arby's with Zach, and played our cake-smashing video from our reception.  So a very productive day, no?  No.  ;)

I decided to take part in the this 5 on Friday business that has hit the blogging world by storm.  But I'm doing a twist by looking at my five senses...

1)  WHAT I'M FEELING:  sore but stronger!  Zach and I survived our first week of yoga.  Oh, man, was I sore on Tuesday after our Monday class!  I got a bit better on Wednesday and could get my boat to float.  *lol*  (This a position in which you sit on your bottom, raise up your legs, hold them, and lean back a bit.  I couldn't do it in the first class.)  It was quite relaxing, except for being embarrassed by my gross toes (time to change my varnish!) and hitting my head on the concrete when we went down on our backs the first day...

2)  WHAT I'M TASTING:  homemade macarons!  The wife of one of our friends at work made strawberry-lemon macarons, and they were sooo good!  Her husband said--and I quote--"They are very hard to make."  I could just nod because I have always wanted to make some of these yet haven't because they are so difficult.  Zach actually LOVED these, and he has never liked macarons.

3)  WHAT I'M SMELLING:  I don't really want to go into that.  Let's just say it involves our cats and the floors (and part of the reason why I had to go to the vet this morning).  : /

4)  WHAT I'M HEARING:  About two weeks ago, I downloaded a Bible-study app called "Through the Word" (which will look like "Thru the Word" on the app logo itself).  It has three parts each day:  a sermon/talk on the chapter of the day, the chapter itself, and a journal.  The weekdays are devoted to a certain book, and then Saturdays look at a Proverbs chapter and Sundays a Psalm.  While there are some things that irk me that the preachers/pastors say, and I'm not really into Paul's letters anymore (I feel like more people follow him than Jesus, but that's a discussion for another day), I've learned so much and am feeling blessed by this.  I needed this guide of bookended devotion in which I get to hear an expert's take on the chapter and then give my own, and I like diving so deeply chapter by chapter.

5)  WHAT I'M SEEING:  my sweet sister-friend Sherrie on her last day at work (she was in Student Activities, too, which Zach was over this past spring); my stomach (It's a food-baby!); and this awesome article on what the goal of marriage is and how submission fits with it from To Love, Honor, and Vacuum (It's not what you think:  "Oneness is the goal of marriage; submission is a tool to get there. It is not the end, in and of itself.")

Thanks for reading and be sure to say hello if you are stopping in from the 5 on Friday Link-Up!