My Own Random Act of Kindness

For those of you that haven't heard, there is an awesome blog out there called 366 Random Acts of Kindness. I love reading this blog SO SO much. It is inspiring to me to know that there are people in the world who know that just being kind can make such a huge difference. Love it.

Yesterday, I got an email from my aunt. I wanted it to share it with all of you because I think what she is doing is awesome. So. I have gathered up 3 shirts from my house (thanks to husband for his contribution, too) and I'm hoping that by putting this up we can get a lot more going. Here is the email she sent me:


"I am looking for college t-shirts. As most know I work for an online HS and we are wanting to have college days on Mondays. If the kids wear a college shirt on these days they will get a candy bar. HOWEVER most of these kids come from homes where college hasn't even been thought of, let a lone attended by anyone in their families. AND they wouldn't be able to afford to buy a college shirt and we would like to give them shirts. We have over 100 students and this venture will cost a lot if we buy them new . . .

SO I am looking to see if there are college shirts out there that aren't in need of being in your house any more and you would like to send them to me. I would love to pay the postage to get them here.

No pressure - just fishing - I would love to see what I could get out here to possibly encourage the kiddos to "dream"."


If you want to send a t-shirt, just send me an email (nashellejackson@gmail.com) or post a comment with your email in it and I'll email you the address so that you can send them. :)

Thanks!

Not that I know anything about being a mom...

So I teach school, right? Second graders. Yup. And 21 of them. Beautiful, wonderful, talkative, energetic, easily excitable, crazy, science-loving, and super fun children.

And I love them.

Yup. All those crazy crazies that run around and drive me crazy sometimes. I love them.

And it kills me when I can't reach some of them.

It breaks my heart that sometimes they are so far away from me and I don't know what to do about it. It kills me when I have to have negative consequences for things that they do. It drives me crazy that I try and try and try and sometimes I just can't get into their heads and understand - even though I want to.

Sometimes I think I might know how it feels to be a mom and have to see a child struggling in life and school. Granted, none of these are mine, but sometimes I wish they were so that I could protect them and shield them and give them what they really need.

Unfortunately, that is beyond my capabilities. I wish that it weren't. I wish I were smarter so that I could open the doors and air out the curtains and give these children something to look forward to. Something to appreciate. Some way to understand so they wouldn't be so frustrated.

And some of this is selfish too, of course. I want them to succeed so that I won't be frustrated with them and so that I can feel some self-confidence. I want to do more for them. I guess that's one of the hardest things about being a teacher. My influence stops at 3:15 pm. I can't control what they do or see or where they go after that. I can't make them do their homework so they can have more self-confidence when they read and do their math. I can't make them practice their spelling words so they can pass a test.

I pray for them every day, those 21 kids of mine. And then I pray that I can do a little bit more.

FIVE.

hearing:
show tunes / disney soundtracks / frank sinatra / beatles - all to sing along with

tasting:
the candy that is set out for my students & parents who are coming to SEPs. i shouldn't, but i hunger.

smelling:
delicious dinner-ness from the PTA. ladies - you saved this woman a breakdown.

touching:

the softness of my sweater. good choice for calming the nerves.

seeing:
stacks of paper that are smaller than they were but still bigger than i want them to be. always.

 

what are your five today?

{inspiration from ashley}

Book Review: A Timeless Romance Anthology (Winter Collection)

Probably one of the only things better than reading a good romance is reading six of them. And some hot chocolate and viola! a perfect evening. At least, it was for me when I was reading this beautiful collection of stories.

Each story is very different and reflects the knowledge and character of each author. Because these are romances, each is filled with passion and drama and yes, some humor, too. These authors make romance more than just romantic - it's also a lot of fun. It is a collection that I am thrilled to have and cannot wait to read again.

You should definitely purchase this collection. There will be another anthology, but this is a great starter with the cold season just around the bend. Don't wait - enjoy the thrill of reading a well-written and wonderfully clean and tactful romance right now. I'll even give you the links to where you can buy it! Go! Go! Go! And as always, Happy Reading!

BLOG

 Amazon (kindle)

Lately by Eugenia the Phone

At least... I'm pretty sure her name is Eugenia.... I remember I named her once, but it's so early in the morning that I cannot actually remember what it was that she was called. Oh well. That's not really the important part. The important part is that I have been taking some pictures with my phone and it's finally time to share them because my internet is finally working *knock on wood*! Hoorah!

A lovely (and huge) flower sighted outside the Dairy Keen in Heber.

A rose that Husband got me. :)

The aforementioned Husband.

I don't remember where we were going, but it was exciting. Probably to campus to watch tv or something.

More flowers. This time from the school.

Another picture of my planetarium. Because that's how it goes.

I made one.

Remember clear back when I was a little baby ECE cohort student with classes two days a week? And remember when I did this post about an awesome planetarium that a girl in my class made to show to the class? And how we all died of awesome-ness?

Yeah. Well. I made one. :)

It was pretty simple all things considered. It took us about 2 hours in total to make.

Granted, I didn't use a big enough fan and so day-of blowing up and getting ready was stressful because I had to make a whole new windtunnel, but hey. That's how it goes.

It was SO worth it. The kids loved it and so did I, to be honest.

I wish I could show you the pictures I got of the students' faces while they were in that monstrosity. It was beautiful.

I could probably be convinced to make another one... though if I were to keep it at my house, it would only be 5x5x5 instead of 10x10x10 so that I could actually blow it up inside. That's important, you know.

Book Review: ATHENA

Athena is a self-proclaimed bachelorette at the top of her game. Her company is thriving and her relationship is perfectly static. However, when her boyfriend Karl decides he wants to move to the next level, her reluctance pushes Karl away and he calls her out on being a workaholic. To prove him wrong, Athena joins a book club after going into a used bookstore and meeting Grey, the proprietor.

Just when Athena gets her world under semi-control again, a family tragedy throws her back onto the floor and she is left to care for her terminally ill father. With the help of Grey and the ladies at the bookclub, Athena learns how to stand again, but this time with a new perspective on the relationship her parent's had and the future she wants for herself.

ATHENA is a beautifully written and emotionally touching story that had me giggling and crying. This book is the only of the four in the Newport Ladies Book Club series that has a romantic ending, but that didn't take away from the reality of the story and the feeling. Heather B. Moore artfully uses true emotion to reach down inside her readers and leave them always wanting more. This book was a fantastic read for anyone that has ever been - or wanted to be - in love as well as for anyone who has experienced a hardship.

Learning to take a new perspective is never easy, and ATHENA shows that first hand with incredible story-telling and an accessibility to the characters that is fresh and readers will love.

Want to learn more about the series? Check out the Newport Ladies Book Club Blog.

Forgot how the series works (and why it's so incredible and wonderful)? That's okay, just click HERE.

You can purchase ATHENA, as well as any of the Newport Ladies Book Club Series Books, at any of the following sites:

Amazon (paperback)

Amazon (kindle)

Goodreads

Deseret Book

Seagull Book

Barnes and Noble

What other books are in the series? Check out my reviews of OLIVIA and DAISY and PAIGE. And remember, it doesn't matter what order you read the books in -- just start reading!! Trust me - you'll love it. 

Quick Update

The last week has brought lots of the usual insanity that seems to float around in our lives. No biggie. It has also brought a complete and total shutdown of the internet connection that used to belong to our computers. Hence the extra-lack of blogging or being on the internet of any kind. The only time I have internet access is while at school and I can't do me stuff there. So instead I am waiting for dinner at my grandma's house and using her internet connection.

So, in the last week, we built a planetarium (it's massive and awesome), we spent a day with Daniel's brother Eric and his fmily (which was superb), we tried out a new restraunt (expensive and not worth it), we watched a movie ('Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' - fantastic), and we caught up on Dancing with the Stars (our guilty pleasure).

I had a short week at school for fall break, but I didn't feel like I got much of a break. However, I did sleep in past 7 am each day which was really weird and also magnicificent, so... I guess I did sort of get a break. Ha.

I hope your lives are progressing steadily onward and upward.

Remember that God is involved. With everything. :)

Signing out.
Me.

Blessings Blessings All Around

(this post was actually written last Sunday instead of today but due to poor internet at our house, it never got published. however. i am a firm believer of 'better late than never' as well as reviewing blessings regularly.)

- spending all weekend with husband
- seeing and spending some extra time with sister #1

- seeing husband's brother Mark & his extended Jackson family

- fun shopping expeditions

- listening to a prophet's voice

- seeing my parents & siblings

- eating tasty gyozas

- having a nice car for travelling

- eating the best doughnuts in the world

- getting all the bills paid (for now)

- buying two dresses for $7 at downcast basics. That never happens.
- giving one of those dresses to my mom and her telling me she will actually
wear it! Yay!
- feeling the love. lots of awesome love.

Life is good.

Finger Release

I miss blogging.

I miss the emotional and mental relief that comes with putting my fingers on a keyboard, closing my eyes, and telling my brain to just go. It is such a fascinating feeling. It is such a release from all things when you just allow your fingers to go and your brain to say what needs to be said.

Except that sometimes I don't like what my fingers have to say. And then those become 'drafts' in my posts. Never published. Usually forgotten until a distant day when I find them and reread them and think 'I really wrote that? ...huh...'. It's crazy. I love going back and rereading what I've written, whether or not I've 'published' them to the blog. I don't know about all of you, but I think I have a pretty interesting mind sometimes.

This week has been draining in a number of ways. I think it has been the storm before the dawn. I'm not sure if that's the right way to say that, but I mean it in reference to General Conference this weekend. I am so excited to listen to the voice of a real live prophet and to spend time with my dearest family. This will be the first conference since I graduated high school that I will actually be with my parents for. We aren't going to Vernal - they are coming out for the Sunday sessions of conference. I am so excited. It's been much too long since I got to be with them and enjoy their company and my mommy's Conference Cooking. ;) You know, the extra good stuff that she only does every six months. Yay.

In the meanwhile, life has continued on for us. I am loving teaching. I could do it forever, I think. Especially if I get to work with young children. I also think I would enjoy teaching high school, but since I've never done that I don't know for sure. So, I could teach little kids forever. And love it. They are so incredible and bring so much light to my life. Them and Daniel.

Man oh man. I feel as though I should write a million posts all dedicated to the awesomeness of Husband. Seriously. This week he has put up with a lot of bad attitudes and mood swings from me and has been very patient. He is such a wonderful rock and support for me. I hope he enjoys the dinner I make for him tonight as my thank you. The first dinner I've made in a couple of weeks. Crazy. I know. But he gets home first and so gets to do that job for now. I can't wait until I get to do it again. I love cooking, surprisingly enough, and will enjoy filling that role in the future.

So I guess this post is pretty random and doesn't have much to do with anything, but it felt good to write and to catch up on everything that has happened with everyone else in a week and I feel better now.

I'm grateful for love, life, and family.

I'm grateful for happiness, hope, and faith.

Have a great weekend. I know I will. :)

Photo a Day! (24-30)

24. 3 things

These are the three things that I use most everyday while applying makeup.

Sometimes I skip one or all, but if I'm wearing makeup, I'm probably wearing some combo of mascara, foundation, and blush. With the occasional bit of eyeshadow for fun. :)

25. Frame

Clearly this frame isn't on our wall. But it will be. Someday.

26. Near

This thing is always near me. Except on the weekends when I keep far away from it.

It also could have fit into the Love/Hate category, but that's a different story...

27. Love/Hate

To be honest, right now I am in a major love/hate with my body. In one year of marriage I gained 10 pounds. I know I know. You can't tell just looking at me, and honestly I am thrilled because I finally 'fit' into the BMI spot that everyone and their dog has been telling me I need to 'fit' into since I was 15. But whatever. So. I'm fine with the added weight. I think it's healthy. Awesome. HOWEVER. I can't fit into my pants any more. They were fine back in February and March when I wore them and I was teaching. Now I'm trying to wear slacks again because Utah's temperature is steadily dropping and they don't fit. Well, they fit but they are super uncomfortable and tight in the hips and thighs. It's been miserable the last four days trying to wear them. And I don't have anything else to wear except skirts, which I don't mind some days, but not every day when I'm working with little kids and freezing anyway. So... Hating. And loving.

and writing a big long paragraph venting about it. no big.

28. A good thing
The Oquirrh Mountain Temple

29. Errand

Went with my mommy & sister and bought two new pairs of pants to help since I lost four this week.



30. You, then
This is me & Daniel on September 30, 2010. True story. :) 

See the entire month of September by clicking HERE, HERE and then HERE.