24

This week, I turn 24. Wednesday at 9:24pm to be exact. To celebrate my birthday week, I'm going to do a week long series of posts.

Today's post?


24 Facts About Me:

{1} I am crazy good at remembering things, whether it is names/faces, or a childhood memory. Josh thinks I'm a stalker because I can recognize people even if I've only seen them once or twice. Example: We were at the midnight premier of The Hunger Games and I saw a woman walking up the aisle towards us. I told Josh, "I know her." He said "Of course you do." "It's the lady who sliced our cheddar at the grocery store last month..." I explained. He just nodded.

{2} Sometimes I think in the voice of Louis Armstrong.

{3} I love to host guests at our home. I put that down to never having friends over when I was younger. [[Seriously, I rarely had friends over to my house.]] Now, I think I'm just trying to make up for lost time. We have friends over at least twice a week.

{4} I had a spare hour in my schedule my Senior year in high school, and decided to fill it with Physics instead of Trigonometry because I loved science and hated math. No one informed me that Physics is only math...My teacher realized early on that I wasn't qualified to be in his class so he went super easy on me. "Oh, you wrote down the problems for the assignment but weren't able to solve any of them? I'll give you 2 out of 3 points for effort." I somehow ended that class with a B+...

{5} My favorite car is the Koenigsegg. If you have Netflix, watch one of the episodes of Top Gear where they review this car. It's beautiful and frightening at the same time.

{6} I do crosswords to keep my brain sharp.

{7} I was against being a musician for most of my life. [[You can't play sports and an instrument...are you nuts?]] Somehow I ended up as a music major in college. [[Well...for a year...I don't really fit in with that particular crowd...]]

{8} I'm allergic to artificial sweeteners.

{9} I am the oldest of four girls. [[My poor father...He claims that God gave him daughters because when he was younger he said "If I ever have a daughter, I'm going to flush her down the toilet." Thankfully, he didn't follow through with that.]]

{10} When I was younger I always pictured my twenty-something year old self as a lady with big hips, and short hair. Oh, and my face was completely different. Like...I would take someone else's face and put it on this ginormous body.

{11} When I was younger, I wanted to be an astronaut. My dad told me he didn't want me to do that because I'd get blown up. I set my sights a little lower and told him that I wanted to be the first woman president. He told me that I couldn't do that either because I would get shot.

{12} I identify with this song.

{13} I love watching Disney Channel Original movies. [[My favorite? Geek Charming. It's on Netflix. Watch it.]]

{14} I love David Bowie.

{15} My favorite genre is Sci-Fi. [[this applies to books, movies, TVseries, etc.]]

{16} If too many people are into something, I won't like it. [[Why I said no to Relient K, Butler basketball, & Harry Potter.]]

{17} I like having new friends but I'm terrible at meeting them. [[Problems of an introverted extrovert.]]

{18} I don't like receiving a bouquet of flowers because why would I want a bunch of dying flowers? Josh has resorted to buying me potted plants instead. 

{19} I got my first ever cavity this year.

{20} I want to get rid of our TV, but I like watching movies and Doctor Who too much.

{21} I always knew that I was pretty geeky [[I would spend my recess under a tree reading books.]] But it wasn't until high school that I discovered the "Nerd World" and it took me until college to really embrace my nerdiness. 

{22} I don't like being in the mountains. Everyone I know just loves it, [[the fresh air, the beauty, etc.]] but it makes me physically ill to be in the mountains. I get car sick when driving through them, I get migraines from the elevation, it's just not fun for me. I found all of this out on our honeymoon to Denver.

{23} I don't understand the thought process behind getting a pet. 

{24} My life isn't where I thought it would be, but I wouldn't change a thing.

At this point, you know me pretty well. I would love to get to know you better! Tell me 5 things about yourself. 

Much love,

Goals for a New Year

Welcome to the year 2013, friends!

I hope that you have spent some time recently thinking over what you want for yourself and your family in the new year.

I have come up with a short list of some goals that I aim to achieve.

{1} I would like to read 20 books. I've always been a reader, but just haven't been making the time for it lately. I want to get back to my list of books to read [[I have read 11 out of 100, so I have quite a ways to go...]]

{2} I want to sponsor at least one blogger this year. I love what I do here and really want to bless someone else who is trying to make a living through opening up and sharing their lives with the world.

{3} I want to be more available for friends and family. Since I am a homemaker, my time is my own. I want to open up more time in my schedule for friends and family.

{4} I would like to start learning Mandarin. I've made several half-hearted  attempts to learn this language, but I would like to go all in and really start to pick it up. Even if I make slow progress, at least it is still forward motion!

{5} I really want to become more organized! I would like to keep a better house. Our house is generally clean, but I wish that I were more consistent. There are sometimes weeks where you can't even see the kitchen counter...I have found in the past that scheduling out my cleaning really helps, so I hope to get better at following and keeping that schedule.


If you haven't dreamt up any goals for yourself yet, it's never too late to get started! I recommend that you think of at least one thing you would like to work towards this year.

Much love & a blessed new year!

In the New Year...

Over the past few months, I've taken a break from my blog. I've posted a few times, but nothing major for a while now. I've just been focusing on other things.

• I've been growing my handmade business, Fāyán Knits.
• I've been focusing on my husband and my relationships. It's really important to me to have people on my side. People I would fight for and know would fight for me should I ever need it.
• I've been focusing on rest. I've had a few warning signs lately that I need to slow down my schedule [[migraines, etc.]] I also need to learn to say "no" to things because being a people pleaser leads to nowhere good.

But, with a new year, comes new hope! I'm taking a week of rest starting Christmas Eve. During this week, I plan on actually sitting down and taking time to create a working schedule for myself. It seems like I have 3 main parts of my life right now and I can't balance them equally at all. If I'm too into keeping up house, my business and blog suffer. But these last few weeks, my sole focus has been growing Fāyán Knits, so our home and my blog have taken a back burner.

Also, I've been reading The No Brainer Blog by Hayley Morgan. I will be making a few changes to the blog and how I do things around here. This book has been so inspirational and helpful! If you have a blog, please consider hopping over and picking up a copy. It's seriously great.

So, since this will be my last post of 2012, Merry Christmas, y'all! + Happy New Year!

Catch you on the flip side!

A Month of Thanks: Week Three

This is week three of my "Month of Thanks" series. If you missed the first two weeks, you can get caught up here and here.

Now, week three has come as kind of a challenge for me because, let's be honest, after the first few major things on the list, it's a bit difficult to think of more. But, I persisted and came up with a few more things I'm grateful for.

{1} The interwebs. Yep. Even with all of the negative stuff that you can find online, I still love that it exists. Today, we have access to so much more information than was previously possible. We can connect with people on the other side of the world with the click of a button! It just amazes me that the world is literally at my finger tips. Plus, without it, I would not be writing this right now and you would not be reading it and we would not be growing in community. It's just a fact. Also a fact? No human could survive the low pressure of Mars. If you went to Mars without an appropriate space suit, the oxygen in your blood would literally turn into bubbles, causing immediate death. [[I actually don't know if that's true. It just came up when I searched for "random facts." Whatever. You have internet. You do the research! =] ]]

{2} Hot herbal tea. More specifically, Celestial Seasonings. There aren't a whole lot of ailments that a good strong cup of herbal tea won't fix. I use it for falling asleep, headaches, sinus congestion...pretty much everything. But don't ask me what my favorite blend is, because I don't have one and I don't want to try to have one because they're all too delicious. Also, I hate favorite things. [[No I don't.]]

This is my current tea collection. Yep...count 'em. 15 teas. It's a little outrageous, I know...but I'm telling you...I love the stuff!

{3} Seasons. I love the changing of seasons here in Central Illinois. The melting of the snow and blooming of flowers and leaves in spring, the melting of my face and the uncontrollable frizz of my hair in the summer [[okay so I really, really don't like summer...]] but then comes the cool crisp air of autumn and the crunch of fallen leaves under your boots, and finally, winter brings the freshness of snow and the icy bite of the wind [[also it brings warm, cozy sweaters and things like, I don't know, hot herbal tea!]] Winter is by far my favorite season, but I really appreciate that I even get to have seasons. I don't know what I would do if I moved to a place with only one or two seasons. For serious.

So, tell me, what things are you thankful for this week? I would love to hear from you!

A Month of Thanks: Week Two

Last week I started a month long series I've decided to call A Month of Thanks.

In continuing this series, here is this week's list of things I'm thankful for.

{1} The gift of music. I love music. I love listening to it, playing it, dancing to it [[not in public...usually while doing chores!]] It makes everyday tasks suddenly not so every day. It is the way my heart worships. Usually, if I can't find the words to say to God to express what I'm feeling, there is a song. And if not, then there are melodies that arise that speak to/through me. I am just so thankful for music and how it has influenced my life. A few bands/artists that I'm really into lately are:

               - Jenny & Tyler
               - Brian Crain
               - Sufjan Stevens
               - Elenowen
               - Flatt & Scruggs
               - Josh Garrels
               - Punch Brothers
               - Simon & Garfunkel
               - The Walla Recovery

If you haven't heard of any of these, I highly recommend going right this instant and checking them out. [[here's a tip, a lot of them are available on Noisetrade. Plus...you may find some other fun, new artists that you like while you're there.]] What are some of your favorite artists these days?

{2} I'm thankful for books. All books! [[Well...not all books. I'm not thankful for the kinds of books that are filled with negative imagery and that fill your mind with filth. You know the kind.]] However, I am always looking for a good story. Fiction, non-fiction, action/adventure, sci-fi, almost any genre. If it is a good story, count me in. Though I've always been a reader, I've only come to appreciate the beauty of the written word as of late. To be transported to a completely new world through the magic of words. I love it. There are so many things that we can learn from books. Not only can you learn life lessons or learn about the life of someone great [[or not so great, as the case may be.]], you will probably gain a larger vocabulary! [[I guess it depends on what you're reading. If you're my age and reading Captain Underpants, I would maybe stop and reevaluate it...]] What are your favorite books? I mean, all time, could read them a million times and they'd never get old, favorites. I honestly have to think on that question myself a bit. =]

{3} Creativity. Today, I've written about music and books, and they both fall under one category. They reside in the realm of the creative. But creativity can be so much more! I think often people put it into a box and say "if you can draw a decent picture, you're creative," or "if you can play an instrument, you're creative." But creativity can go so far beyond that! My husband, at work, came up with a new software that can be used by actuaries. THAT'S CREATIVE! Some people can look at someone's face and know exactly what colors and styles of makeup to use. THAT'S CREATIVE! You guys...there are so many different types of creativity, sometimes, you just need to think outside the box to recognize it. Today, I challenge you to change the way you see creativity. Think of ways that you can appreciate it that don't simply revolve around "the arts."


So there is this week's list, what are the things you're thankful for this week?

A Month of Thanks

So here it is.
The month of November.
A lot of big things are happening this month.

My husband is celebrating his 24th birthday.

Some dear friends of ours just so happen to be getting married this month.

Thanksgiving is this month, which means a couple of things:

      {1} Lots and lots of family//friend time!
      {2} Piles of delicious food [[most of it containing some form of pumpkin. YUM!]]
      {3} A new series of blog posts from yours truly. Each week will contain a smattering of things I've been thankful for recently. I would encourage you to also spend some time each week in thought. Think about what you're thankful for, how God has blessed you over the last week, month, or even year. Also, it would be great if you would come back here to share with me and others what you've been thanking God for.

It will just be one giant thankfulness fest! We'll join together and thank God for what he has been doing in our lives. It'll be great.

So! Let's get this wagon rolling, shall we? This week, I'll start with the big picture stuff.

For Example:

{1} My husband. Joshua. This man. I tell ya what. We are most of the way through our third year of marriage [[can you believe it??]] and we are still just as in love as the day we met. [[Actually...bad example because we despised each other when we met...but that's a story for another day!]] Anyway, we're still very much in love and he is continually surprising me with his love. Some days I feel so unlovable, but he loves me anyway. Unconditional love, people. There is no greater blessing.

{2} I have a great family. A great big, giant, supportive ball of family. They bless my socks off. Seriously. They are there for me [[and the husband]] when we're going through rough patches. They push me to use my skills for God's glory and not my own. They are hilarious, people. You should meet them some time. For reals.

{3} I have a place to call home. I don't mean our actual house [[although I am quite thankful for it...]] but instead the town that we now call home, Bloomington-Normal [[a.k.a. BloNo for those of you that are "hip..."]] This town has so many things to offer! [[I will be doing a post soon about an awesome new food experience I was recently introduced to. Be on the lookout...it'll blow your mind!]] Aside from the great restaurants and culture and thrift stores and gift shops and everything, this town has one thing that we won't find anywhere else. Our family at Jacob's Well. Sure, in the future, when we move on, we'll find other churches with other families, but I doubt that any of them will feel quite as much like home as the Jake. God has blessed us with friends upon friends [[most of whom have actually become more like brothers and sisters than friends!]] and I can't even begin to tell you what a blessing they have been. For a small taste of how they have helped us, check out my posts here and here.

So there you have it. The first three things in a long list of things that I am quite thankful for. Don't forget to think about your own list and also  to come on back here to share it with the rest of us!

Happy November!

The Joys of Summer

 

 What I like about this summer [[so far...]] :

{1} Peaches! I've always liked peaches, but this year, I'm really enjoying buying them locally and eating them often...perhaps too often...

{2} I have really enjoyed making different kinds of iced drinks this summer. I've been experimenting with different ways to do iced coffee and I have even tried making Sun Tea!

{3} Trips to the zoo. You're never too old to enjoy the zoo! [[even if we do look a little odd going without any kids, we still have a ton of fun!]]

{4} My garden is actually producing crops! We've gotten to enjoy some lettuce and spinach thus far, but the tomatoes are looking good and ripening quickly! They should be available to eat soon!

{5} Every day that passes we are closer to becoming licensed foster parents. This prospect really excites us and I am LOVING that we have a nursery in our home!

{6} Since the weather is nice and people don't mind driving, we've gotten to spend a lot of extra time with friends and family

{7} I opened my Etsy Shop so I've been doing a lot of knitting and crocheting [[which I have a lot of fun doing]].

{8} Again, because of the nice weather, Josh and I have been able to go on a TON of bike rides. I really enjoy the time we get during those to chat and connect.

{9} Summer = ice cream. It's just a fact.

{10} Summer is Blockbuster Time so all of the great high action films are coming out in theaters! [[If you haven't seen The Avengers yet, get off of your computer, or whatever you're reading this on, and get that booty over to the theater to see it! You heard me...GO!]]

HAPPY FRIDAY Y'ALL!

Weekly Playlist

Something new I'd like to try to do is to start posting my weekly "Top 10" songs.

{1} Skyline Hill-Jenny & Tyler
{2} The Sound of Silence-Simon & Garfunkel
{3} The Far Country-Andrew Peterson
{4} Viva la Bohemia (Yes Sir, We Are Alive Indeed)-Boulder, CO
{5} Deja Vu-Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
{6} Three Graves for Evelyn-The Dowry
{7} The Good Things-Flatt & Scruggs
{8} The New Hello (Hers)-The Hawk in Paris
{9} Farther Along-Josh Garrels
{10} Sweet Darlin'-She & Him

What are some of your jams this week?

So it's almost Thanksgiving...

This year has flown by. I can hardly believe that next Thursday is already Thanksgiving! One of the girls that I nanny for had an assignment for school to make a list of things that she is thankful for. Whoever had the most things got a prize. [[This was a little silly, I thought, but it really made me stop and think...what am I thankful for?]]

I started making a list in my head of all the things that I make my life easier, more fun, things like that. I ended up with a pretty huge list of things [[I probably would have won the prize...]] but I think it's probably not appropriate to share a "Top 10,000 Things I'm Thankful For" list...I mean...who wants to read that? [[And why would I want to type that?]]

So...here it is...My Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For in 2011:

1. A wonderful, supportive family.  Who else would pretend that I'm a good cook? =]
2. An amazing church family. The Jake is an awesome example of what a church community should look like and I am humbled that they have accepted my husband and I into their lives.
3. A place to call home. By that, I don't just mean that we have shelter. Yes, we do live in an apartment, and I am thankful to have a roof over my head and electricity so I can have heat during the cold days ahead, but I'm talking about having a town that we fit into. Looking back at the few places my husband and I have lived together, we are now in a town that is more "our style," [[Whatever that means...]] and I am thankful for it.
4. I am thankful for my husband. He works hard every day to make my life easier and to make me happy. He treats me well and he respects me. I truly couldn't ask for a better partner in life. I am so blessed.
5. And finally, my friends. This year has brought about new friends and has brought me closer with old ones too. It is awesome to just have someone to share life with.

If you haven't already thought about it, I challenge you to think about what you're thankful for. Think about it throughout the day, whenever you have a spare minute to think. Write it down so you're reminded of these things whenever you see it. And if there are people on your list, tell them how thankful you are that they're in your life.

It's the Little Things in Life.

Because last Friday marked the beginning of Fall, I have decided to do a post about things in Autumn that bring me joy.

 

1) The changing colors of the leaves.
2) The smell of cinnamon that seems to permeate the air. 
3) It's football season!
4) Brisk morning walks.
5) Big, comfy sweaters.
6) It's finally knitting weather!
7) A big mug of hot tea and a good book.

What are some things about this beautiful season that bring you joy? E-mail them to me and I will feature your list on my blog!


jspencer2303@gmail.com