Saturday Housewife

Now that my edTPA is done, I have got to spend my free time doing weird homemaker things I never thought I would be good at but I love! :)

Canning:

This is a few weeks old by now, but I just had to share. Never thought I would ever do anything so home-made! I always remember canning being like....an old person thing? But it is actually pretty fun! We have made tons of tasty things now that may or may not be coming to a kitchen near you ;)

Cooking in Bulk:

Derek and I recently came to the possession of about a million pounds of potatoes. So I took advantage of our time and froze some potato chunks, hashbrowns, and mashed potatoes. I also made about two dozen baked potatoes that I was going to make twice baked potatoes with, but I was a little tired after over an hour on my feet so I will have to come back to that in a bit. Here is our potato pile!

Making Laundry detergent:

For this one I paired up with my awesome friend Brianne,  and we each made our laundry detergent using the recipe from Coupon Closet! I thought it would be hard, messy, and kind of like I hippie thing to do...but I was intrigued by the fact that about $20 of laundry detergent could last the entire year. It is a super concentrated formula so you only need about 1-2 TBS every load.

We were able to find all the supplied we needed at our local Walmart, and we got to work. Now, since I always have to be contrary, I used pink Zote instead of the fels-natha. I guess I had been looking at so many different recipes, I didn't use the amount of oxi-clean it called for (I only used 1.5 pounds...which I swear I read somewhere...oh well!). Brianne and I want to compare our laundry detergent after we get the chance to really test it to see if any of these changes really made a difference. 

Oh and P.S., this project was EASY. Probably took about 30-40 minutes, and over half that time was spent grating the bar of soap! Definitely willing to do this again. 

Arranging the china cabinet: 

Can we just bask in this Christmasy glory? Perfect for the winter season! Looking at my china makes me feel very spoiled and rich (I am only one of those things, but I appreciate feeling like both). Seasons greetings, and Merry Christmas!

Memoirs of a Student Teacher

Only a few weeks into student teaching and I am already having a few thoughts jumble up in my head. Which usually means I need to express them. So, whether you are currently a student teacher, might someday be a student teacher, or have no desire to ever come near student teaching (which is the wisest choice), I think we can all take a little away from the following:

1. Have an ally
Throughout the education program, we talk a lot about being an ally to our peers and our students. While that is all well and good, I think there is a lot more to be said about having an ally. Student teaching is stressful. Not only are you emotionally invested in every kid who walks through the door (which is like having your heart walk around the classroom vulnerably....NOT easy), but you are constantly critiqued on how those relationships pan out and how well you are setting these kids up for success. People pleasers of the world: this will be your living nightmare.

Allow yourself to trust a few people outside of school that you can just dish to. You can complain about your lesson, your students, or your evaluations in absolute confidence that they will support you and help you. For me, my main allies are my family members, my professor, and my student teaching cohorts. They keep me sane

2. Allow yourself to love what you do
Almost every teacher I have talked to has offered a warning about being too invested in the kids, and seem to almost constantly berate the teaching profession. They will try to convince you that paperwork is so exponential that it is impossible to teach, that students don't care, and that you can never really change the lives of your kids (uh, hello, ever seen Freedom Writers?!).

Despite the fact that you work with a whole bunch of people with sticks up their....lesson plans...YOU can LOVE what you do. While often time these joys will be expressed quietly (to avoid the inevitable scolding for when you find yourself swept up in the joy of teaching), find a way to enjoy what you do. You are too young and too motivated to be jaded just yet. Your positivity brings a heck of a lot of fun to the classroom. So let your heart ride the teaching roller-coaster.

3. Your joy is not dependent on the satisfaction of others
I had the strangest experience recently where I received positive feedback from an evaluation, got super excited about it, and then when we reconvened, this same person sort of knocked me down a few pegs. I have since tried to understand why this person would do that (were they afraid I was too confident? Did they reflect and realize I really am crappy? Huh?) I have decided that the best I can do is to acknowledge the feedback and move on.

There will be dozens of people in this world that will try to make you feel small or inadequate for not living up to their expectations. These people are not worth the time and energy to please! And while I do not believe this person was trying to hurt my feelings, I cannot allow his passing critiques to become my obsession. Instead [saying this to myself as well!], take what you can learn from and LEAVE the rest. Find joy in what you do, and do it well.


And while I may seem completely confident in my ability, inside my head I am TOTALLY not. From this I have learned that I need to be more careful to how I treat others. Even those who seem like they have it all put together need support and recognition.

XOXOX

Finding Our Callings

Excuse the lack of posts these past couple months, the Askham family has been "enjoying" several changes that have come our way recently!

After driving a 15 year-old-plus car as our ONLY car for about 5 months,  and saving and budgeting every penny carefully, Derek and I were finally able to move up in car!

For me, a 2004 Suzuki Aerio

And for Derek, a sporty little 2001 Mercury Cougar

This has been such a huge blessing for us. For my student teaching, I have to drive about 70 miles a day, so it is awesome to have a reliable car that I feel safe in during my commute. And for Derek, he finally has some wheels that are ALMOST as cool as he is :) With our new car purchases, we had to say goodbye to an old friend, my blue Pontiac Sunfire. My Dad was kind enough to sell it on Craigslist for us after we left the area, and it went to a good home! All in all, we came in under budget and we are both really proud of ourselves for the long hours we worked to get here!



This semester has already proved to be a busy one, as both Derek and I work to tie any loose ends on our degrees. Currently I am student teaching in a small middle school about an hour away from the University. It has been a challenge in many respects, but ironically, teaching has been the EASIEST part. The most stressful aspect has really been building relationships with so many people that are going to be the gatekeepers to my career! Sometimes I feel inadequate, but I am trying to remember I am just beginning a career. I have plenty of time to improve!

Derek still has a little over a year left on his degree, but he is also working hard on securing an internship for the Summer. In so doing, he keeps pretty busy studying, working on resumes, attending school, and also being our soul breadwinner for the semester. He is just rockin' it! Typically, we wake up around 6 am, we leave for school and work, we get home between 5 or 6, we eat, Derek goes to meetings or studies and I work on lesson plans, and by the time 9:30 rolls around, we head to bed. It seems like an impossible life, but Derek and I have both felt energetic and motivated, sustained by power we know must be from God.




Adding to our fun changes has been my recent call to be second counselor in our ward's Relief Society! I was really shocked (I even asked the new RS president when I first met her if she was sure she meant ME. She said she was! haha) but now that it is starting to sink in a little, I feel great peace in knowing that "Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." The ladies I get to work with are just SO awesome. We are still working to get things running smoothly, but I have no doubt that we will be able to unify and be a great power for good in our ward and community. 


As I have reflected on all of these changes as well as my emotions, I was surprised to find that I feel more motivated, enthusiastic, and energetic than before. While there are so many wonderful things going on that I feel I can attribute this too, "finding my calling" kept coming to mind. Though I know there will be stressful days ahead, I feel that we come alive when we are doing what God has called us to do. Whether its working hard with a spouse to get in control of finances, educating ourselves, serving in our church or community capacities, or following a lifetime's worth of promptings as we start new careers, I believe God blesses us for those efforts. He says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” While often times we hear this scripture and think to "come to Him" through prayer and sacrifice, I am finding that we "come to Him" much faster on our feet serving than we do on our knees (which is good because if I get down on my knees to say a prayer I will probably fall asleep!). 

I am really excited to be able to see these blessings in my life and I am thrilled to serve others and build some character :)

In conclusion, I thought I would share a little message! Over a year ago, I had a professor tell us to write little notes to ourselves in the future. I don't actually remember too much about writing it, but I remember I wanted it to be something encouraging to read when I started student teaching. This week, I got my little letter in the mail and it made me so happy! Although I directed it to myself at the time, I feel it is something that can apply to all of us in some respect. I am posting a small excerpt below...So read, and enjoy!

        "...The best example of teaching I will ever have is Christ. His love, patience, and encouragement is the way to help others. You may be working furiously on your edTPA right now, but remember there is always more to life than paperwork. Having the example is the key! 
        There is a deeper purpose than a grade, a certification, or a job. The greatest thing I will ever do in life will be my opportunity to bring beautiful children into this world with my husband. Second to that only, is to help raise other children. With the latter, my goal goes beyond content or standards or state testing. My goal is to bring light and love into the world. Never be afraid to show love. Even if some are failing in content, through love they will know that they are not failing this life. Love, patience, and encouragement always.
         You are blessed more than you know....You can do anything. So go and TEACH!"

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

It has been a couple weeks months since I last wrote. Despite my desire to keep a record of our life together, I just have had trouble making it a priority when I have so much going on! So here's a little update for you all!

The Sugar:
-Derek got a new job (in addition to his current job) as an IT manager for some condos here in Pullman. He is such a hard worker and is looking forward to his first day!

-Derek and I paid off our first student loan: 4,371.46 dollars! We are so excited! We are doing the Dave Ramsey plan and we are loving it. Technically, the plan calls for us to pay off our smallest loan first, but we both felt very impressed that this was the one we needed to get rid of. Not only did it have the worst interest rate, it was our largest, and it was also the only one my Dad had cosigned on. I have some more ideas about the loan, but I figured I would save those for another post so we could all get on with our lives ;)

-Honor Cords, Caps, and Gowns OH MY! I graduate in 22 days! Hard to believe that in just 3 weeks I will be walking at my college graduation! Those years go by so fast. They weren't always fun but I did make an effort to work really hard. I have student teaching in the fall at a local middle school, and then I am all certified to begin teaching and substituting! I am graduating with a 3.68 Cum Laude honors, in addition to my Outstanding Senior Award from the history department and my Phi Beta Kappa honor cords. So weird to think this part of my life will soon be over (but at the same time I am so grateful it will be! It's can be really hard!!!)

-We have a nephew!!! Or more importantly, my wonderful sister Hillary and her husband Nick had a beautiful, healthy baby boy. On April 14, 2014, Daniel Pulsipher Steckler came in to the world at 7lbs 3oz, and 19 1/4 inches long. His mommy says that he is "very strong, alert, and loves to check out his surroundings wherever he goes." We are very excited to meet the little guy, but unfortunately we may not be able to for a little bit. For right now, we are enjoying looking at pictures of our sweet little baby.

The Spice:

-A little low on the Vitamin D. Always a rough world for me, particularly in the winter. I hate feeling agitated, tired and depressed, but when my Vit D is low, that's pretty much all I feel. I had a really bad week in early April, but I have been doing fairly well since I increased my Vit. D. dosage. So far I have only had one other rough spot. I hate thinking this is something I will live with for the rest of my life, but I am encouraged by the fact that soon I won't have to live in Pullman. Or Washington for that matter. I always enjoyed sunny days, but I have a greater appreciation for them now more than ever! My dream would be to move to southern Utah or Nevada to get some much needed sunshine. The summer here will do me good, but I am in need of sunshine 365 days of the year! :)

-Saying goodbye to an old friend. In March, we said farewell to our old friend, the Jeep. Derek had inherited a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee from his father. We had so many great memories in that car and it was so hard to say goodbye! Unfortunately, there were a lot of issues with the car and repairs to be made so it was smarter financially to sell it at a decent price to someone who thought it was worth all of that! Initially we were going to buy Derek a newer car almost immediately, but sharing a car wasn't at all as hard as we thought. We decided to put a majority of that money towards the loan and continue to save. We are planning on getting another car in July.

Everything Nice:

-Love my husband even more! Saturday is our 9 month anniversary! I can't believe this year is going by so quickly! We just have so much fun together. It was actually pretty exciting because these past few weeks we have made our first BIG decisions together. Selling the car, and paying off the loan. As fun as it is to reach my own goals, it is a million times more fun to work together with someone else I love so much. Making those decisions together has actually given me a lot more confidence to make more big decisions together over the years. Everyone says that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but I don't think there is any way I could possibly agree with that. Derek and I have been blessed beyond belief and we just have a blast together! He is my everything!


Thanks for reading!

Sometimes getting a B is worth it.

This has been an extremely busy few weeks for Derek and I. Between school and work, and my being sick, we have just been wiped out! Trying to get back on the blogging band-wagon.

A couple of days ago, I got an assignment back. I got an 80%. Pretty rare for me. A couple days later, I got a B on another assignment. At first, I got that horrible pit-in-your-stomach feeling. Eighty percents are not impressive. They do not go on the fridge. And honestly, they make me feel stupid.

And then I thought for a second:

These past few weeks...
I got to snuggle with my husband.
Spend time with our family.
Call my side of the family...several times (sorry if I annoyed you).
Watch a movie or two.
Laugh at funny jokes.
Fed the missionaries in a big family-dinner extravaganza.
And just spend time talking with Derek.

I guess I just had a good reminder that life is far more than school, and I am far more than a student. For the first time in weeks and weeks and weeks, I feel so darn happy and content and at peace with everything!

While I DO plan on working to get those grades back up, I am so grateful for my huge wake-up call.

As Elder Uchdorf said a few years ago, sometimes we focus too much on reaching our "Golden Ticket" or worthy goals, that we get lost! He says:

" The happiest people i know are not those who find their golden ticket, they are those who while in pursuit of worthy goals discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of everyday moments. They are the ones who thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy."

We only get one shot at this mortal existence. There is so much to do, to see, and to become! But getting that B was a great reminder to me that life is so much more than "doing", "seeing", and "becoming". Sometimes just being is the greatest thing we can do.

As life becomes less about the golden ticket, and more about the blessings we have that make this life BEAUTIFUL, that is where the magic happens :)

Breathe in. Breathe out. ENJOY TODAY! Happy weekend!