hello work.

i work at a daycare center with 2-year-olds.

the other day i was playing an instrument and making up a song with the last two kids waiting to be picked up. in my dandy little song i made up, i sung, "i love camp!" i then turned to the kids and asked them what they loved? without hesitation the little girl turned to me and replied, "Jesus!"

no, this is not a christian camp.

yes, my heart just about melted. 

L

hello beauty.

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.. 45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32. 1 hour: He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: *In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? *Do we stop to appreciate it? *Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made. How many other things are we missing?

hello things.

so monday nights in east cobb have turned into monday night, dessert and game night. epic right?

the other week i conned my friends into the idea i had of getting everyone together every monday night during the summer and playing a game and eating dessert. when first pitching this idea to them all, most laughed, called me a mom, and quickly changed the subject. but i insisted on how it would be oh so much fun and to just give it a chance. so we had our first monday night and we all gathered to play the game things and i made pazookie. we all had a jolly time and by the end of the night our stomachs were stuffed and sore from all the laughing. 

this last monday night i brought chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches, fruit kabobs, and orange jello slices (which my friend shay changed to joranges.. and then lauranges). i'll post the recipe to joranges later for anyone interested. the others are kind of self explanatory. 

the game things is quite hilarious. i won't go into detail about how it works, but if you haven't played, you should.

things you shouldn't do in a black out

things you shouldn't dream about

things you would do if you were a giant

things you shouldn't do on a bus

things you would do if you were a dictator

things you shouldn't laugh at

david's jokes. 

my friends are great.

L

hello employment.

i'm employed! 

finally!

time to make some bank

$$$$$$

hello red velvet strawberry shortcake.

try saying that 10 times, fast. 

so lately i've been baking a lot more. i find it fun. but mostly i make things that are completely unhealthy and delicious for ya. which is really the only way to go right? well, for mothers day my mom said she wanted strawberry shortcake, so i decided to look up a cool recipe to go a little out of the box with it. this is what i came up with

and with my new found desire to bake, i decided i'd share the recipes for anyone one here wanting to give it a try. i got this recipe from i am baker. which is a great blog with lots of great desserts.

red velvet strawberry shortcake

need: 

1 package of white cake mix

1 package of red velvet cake mix

2 tubs of whipped cream 

1 carton of strawberries

directions:

make each cake mix separately, according to the directions on the box. then, pour cake mix into 9 inch round pans. (4 different pans) bake according to time on packaging. while cakes are baking, slice up strawberries. 

once cakes finish baking, take out and cool for 20 mins. then put in freezer to cool for another 15 mins (this makes it easier to handle). 

place first layer of red velvet onto a plate, spread whipped cream on top, then sprinkle sliced strawberries across. next, place layer of white cake on top and repeat steps. 

whhhaaala. its really easy and yummy. enjoy!

hello above and beyond.

so i'm slightly obsessed with the sky. it is my favorite thing to take pictures of. i find it incredibly amazing sometimes how beautiful it is. nature in general is the definition of beauty. every sunrise and sunset, it's just another gift god gives us. 

did i mention how much i love the sky?

hello literature.

"he is living proof you can find contentment outside the accumulation of things. the closest i've come to this sort of thinking as pondering the writings of henry thoreau. but i went to walden pond a year ago, just to see and feel the place, just to walk alone around the water, and they've made a suburb out of it. it hurts to hear the traffic rolling in through the trees. people commute from the land of thoreau's solitude to boston, to work at banks, to work at law firms. and i wonder if walden exists anymore. i am not talking about the real walden, the one in boston; i am talking about the earth god meant to speak before we finished his sentence." 

-donald miller from through painted deserts

hello matt & kim.

thanks for a great night.

hello favorite quote.

"i believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. 

that myth is more potent than history. 

that dreams are more powerful than facts. 

that hope always triumphs over experience. 

that laughter is the only cure for grief. 

and i believe that love is stronger than death."

-robert fulghum

hello jules.

this is jules mccools.

she is purrty.
but she moved to florida.

which is far.

and i miss her purrty face.

and i think i need to take a road trip to go see her and her purrty face.

real soon.

hello guhhtar.

hurray.

hoopla.

and a whoop-de-doo for me.

i can play the guitar.

and i luhhhve it. 

i'm so happy i actually stuck with it this time and fought through the pain and frustration. because it is something that i find so relaxing now. when i'm stressed, mad, sad, i just pick up the guitar and quickly it's so much better. 

now, by no means will i be the next great with my own single. and i know i'm not a pro, but i'm 

perfectly okay with that.

i've written my first song and i'm halfway done with my second and i am just looovin it all.

maybe one day i'll post a song onto here.

but probably not.

so don't hold your breath. 

eek. eek.

meep. meep.

hope everyone is having a splendid thursday.

too bad j.shore isn't on right now so i can't say jersday thursday. mm..sad.

p.s. i uploaded new music. i know it's annoying that it doesn't play automagically. so scroll over and click play if ya wanna hear some of my favorite songs.

L