Finding Joy

I really enjoy my job here much more than in the urban district.  I'm able to relax more, and enjoy my students as people.  Though I always tried to before, sometimes I felt like there was a constant expectation for them to be little machines.  Finding joy in my work is becoming easier!
For Wednesday night church I made:

Diet Coke Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
BBQ Pork Topped Baked Potatoes
(No picture.  We had leftover pulled pork, and potatoes were an easy fix.)
Tomorrow after church, I get to hang out with some of my favorite ladies.  I made:
Peanut Apple Butter Bites

These look pretty, taste amazing, and are quick to make.
Here is one of my precious students with an ice cream cake her mom brought in:

We got our new IPhone 5s yesterday.  HH busied himself with transferring all our stuff onto the new phones.  He has a lot more patience for technology than me.  
HH has lost 13.6 pounds!

Sometimes It is OK to Cry in Your Kitchen

For Wednesday night church I made:
Oven Baked Tacos
I forgot to snap a picture of these.  They were easy to make can can feed a crowd!
Weight Watchers Strawberry and Banana Pie

HH and I celebrated the fourth anniversary of our engagement:

I have the day off for Martin Luther King, Jr holiday, but HH starts his Lakota Language class today.  I am sending him with cookies.  This goes back to something his mom did when he started seminary.  She would send him cookies, so he could pass them out at his classes and make some friends.  Who doesn't want to be friends with someone who has fresh cookies?
HH has lost 10.2 pounds!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Cookies

Anniversary Cake for my friend's parents celebrating 49 Years of Wedding Bliss!
Honey-Apple Almond Cake
Yes, I cried when I was putting the icing on this cake.  It was too runny, then it was too thick, and then it was too runny again.  HH finally made me leave the kitchen as he attempted to repair it.  I'm big about doing something in a grand way for people, and not giving them average stuff.  

Reading

I got to read quite a bit over the break.  I hate how choppy my reading gets during the school year.  I am always "adding" to my book collection on my Kindle though! When a Woman Inspires Her Husband

Unshaken

I Love You, Ronnie

Friendship for Grownups

100 Pound Loser

Life Interrupted

Scouting the Divine

1000 Gift Devotional (Working My Way through this, deep stuff)

Champagne for the Soul (Working My Way through this too)

Personal Bible Study I'm Doing Now:

Duty or Delight?

A You Tube Video I recommend....

I bought this DVD series, and I am excited to go through it!

Winter Storm Weekend Recap

Hello blog world!  It has been a bit, sorry!  I am still recovering from a pretty rough ear infection.  
For my curriculum meeting, I made Mexican Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles.

For my friend's birthday, I made Strawberry Lemonade Layer Cake.

For our guidance counselor's birthday, I made Chewy Peanut Butter Cinnamon Cookies.  It didn't sound good, but they tasted amazing!  My students each wrote letters that began with, "Mrs. Berndt, you are a gift to our school because....."  I was very impressed about how personal they were.

Oatmeal White Chocolate Pudding Cookies

We had early release on Friday due to the winter storm that came in.  Temperatures were very cold this weekend, but we stayed inside until church today.  
Warm Gingerbread Pudding Cake

Cookie Brittle

I had "brownie brittle" on the way back from Charlotte.  As you can see in the picture, I botched the edge of it, but the rest of the cookie brittle looks good.
In Other News
HH and I are still plugging away at the Roman's Project.  He is a great teacher and coach.  :)
HH is on a diet, and has lost 7.6 pounds.
HH always makes me laugh....
Our sheet ripped, and HH says, "Some farts are just too powerful."  We replaced the sheet with a set of flannel sheets.  I've not used them since I got married, because I thought they might make HH too hot.  Turns out they are just right.

I was talking about how flat his butt is, and he said it is just right.  "If God made men's butts any more padded, we'd never get off them."
I got a new address book, and I'm having way too much fun updating my old one.  Nerd life forever.
HH and I love Duck Dynasty, and yesterday, I sent him this quote...

On February 23rd, I'm going to visit my family!!!  I got approval from my boss to take five sick days to take care of my dad after his knee replacement surgery.  I get to stay until March 3rd!

Rachel's Baby Shower

I wanted to do a baby shower for my friend Rachel.  She wanted a penguin theme, and I was able to pull it off thanks to Etsy!  

HH did EVERYTHING for the shower.  I was feeling awful!  He made the angel food cupcakes, cleaned up, and made me rest.  I simply could not have done it without him.

He made this delicious Banana Nutella Cake for potluck today.  I thought it looked so pretty, that we should leave the frosting off.  I stayed home and rested so I could be ready for the baby shower.

I'm also going to participate in Ann Voskamp's Romans Project.  I am pretty intimidated because it is a lot of memorization, but it is broken down.  I do have the added advantage of having a husband who was a theater major in undergrad, and will help me memorize my lines.

Sickness and Recipes

Oreo-Stuffed Red Velvet Crinkles

Gingerbread 7-Layer Bars

Candy Cane Sparkle Chex Party Mix

HH's Early Valentine's Day Gift to Me

This is a Bible cover with my "life verse."  I found a craftsman out of Arizona who made covers, and fell in love with his work.  I sent a picture of what I wanted, and it was that easy.  I LOVE IT!
I had chocolate candy made for HH.  This was moments before he told me he wanted to start losing weight.  The first picture is him smiling with it, the second is his discontent that he can't eat it.  Poor guy!

I left work early on Thursday because I had Pink Eye.  I went to the doctor and got meds.  My pink eye spread to the other eye.  The drops cleared it up, but now I have an upper respiratory and ear infection.  It has not been a well weekend at our household.

Happy 2013!

I have MISSED baking and cooking for people.  I love to do it!  I made cookies for the telephone authority and bank on New Year's Eve.  I forgot to snap a picture though!
Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies
Brown Sugar Baked Brie

I apparently got a "bit above my raising" with this.  I have not made anything using brie before.  I didn't know it had a rind on it.  HH helped get the rind off so I could make this amazing dessert for the party we went to.

I'm going to participate in Ali Edward's One Little Word.

My word is: WONDERSTRUCK.  (definition: affected or overcome with wonder)  I'm going to participate in the online class as well.