Minor changes, blah blah blah, and something silly.

Look, look guys look!

I have decorated my blog for spring. Are you excited? I bet you are.

Wait, are you excited for spring or my slightly springy-er blog? Because my blog is way more interesting than, you know, flowers and colours and nice weather and outside things.

But, no, really, the weekend's blizzard snow is almost gone, and while I have yet to see anything actually growing, I went outside without a coat and only froze a little bit. Maybe spring is actually here? Maybe March will actually go out like a lamb?

It smells like spring at least!

Anyways, please be patient with me and my occasionally funny looking page, I'm going to be trying to make it prettier while still keeping lots of white space. Because I love white space and I love pretty things. And maybe it will motivate me to be diligent and post more, since I do not seem to be posting four times a week like I wanted to!

Actually, it seems like almost everyone is going through a bit of a blogging lull. Is this the case? Or am I insane? Probably I am insane!

Everyone, everyone, I hope your week has been good, I hope your Wednesday is lovely! Here is something that never fails to make me smile

I am thankful for.

In upstate New York it's not odd to get a blizzard out-of-season, except for the fact that there IS no real out-of-season for blizzards here. We get them in October and they knock out the power, and we get them in late March and everyone goes "NOOOOO!!" and laments the spring lost to twenty-degree temperatures and white fluffies.

But I'll tell you a secret.

 

I like the snow.

I think it's the most beautiful thing. And even though I'm probably a colder person than your average Jane (my natural body temperature rests at 96º), I don't mind the freezing weather. I like to bundle up!

So I am thankful for this last lovely snow.

I am thankful for another chance to wear my coat and scarf.

And I am thankful for my electric blanket to keep me warm at night through my almost-favorite season!

So much for productivity.

So, who here has heard of Polyvore?

I've known about it for a while now, it's really just a website where you make outfits out of whatever clothing you want. Perfect for satisfying my clothing fancy without spending any money, right?

Finally signed up for it last night after hemming and hawing forever for no reason, as I often do. Sure is fun. Yup, super good times you guys. I was totally absorbed in making my first set last night when my mom rudely interrupted me.

"What are you posting about tomorrow Amelia?"

"Idunnooo"

"I thought that's what you were doing..."

"I'm on Polyvore"

"What?"

"It's a thing."

And that was enough explanation for her, I guess. But then, an hour or so later I was once again disrupted by questions.

"Amelia, are you going to post anything tomorrow?"

"YESS. I am thinking. While I am on Polyvore."

"...because it's getting lateish."

"Yeah, I'm waking up at 5:00 anyways, I'll just do it then. LOOK AT THIS DRESSSSSS."

This is all I have to show for last night.

 So I wake up and brush my teeth and the baby comes and I put her to sleep and I sit down with my coffee and my mac and I go on Polyvore and start a new set.

This is all I have to show for this morning.

 And mom comes downstairs.

"Did you decide what you're going to do your post about?"



"............Poooooooooolyvore?"

Update in Nanny-Land

So, in the universe of baby and me, all is going well. She is basically the best child anyone could ever hope to nanny, and I love her, LOVE HER, to itty bitty tiny bits and pieces.

Being home is also the best.

Good times you guys, real good times.

Only thing is...I haven't been quite as productive as I had planned to be. It turns out babies take up all your time. Who could possibly have imagined that?! I'm getting all (well, err, most) of the things I need to get done done, but my extracurriculars are falling by the wayside. 

A few weeks ago, Diana (sweet baby Ariana's mother) called me up and told me she wanted to apply for a new job, since she was massively unhappy at her current one. Um, yeah, go for it Diana!! Why ask me? Welllll, it's only three days a week, but it's twelve hour shifts. 6:00am-6:00pm. And the days would vary, but you'd get them four weeks in advance...would you be okay with that? 

Yes.

Yes, I would TOTALLY be okay with that!!

So this was the first week of the new long shift job. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I got the baby at 5:15 and she went home at 7:00. And I am thrilled.

I am not thrilled about waking up at 4:45. Noo, no sir. But I am thrilled about having four days off! I have the time now to really be productive, and to better keep to my plan for self betterment, and to sleep more because I love to sleep so much, and to help with Noah's school, and to actually cook dinner, and to finish and send out the two billion packages I have for people, and all sorts of other lovely things.

It's kind of amazing how God just keeps giving and giving and giving.

Oh, disapointment!

So I've already told you guys about how I love to make desserts for my church's winter dinners (Pie Pops?). And also you know that I like to make them fun. So a few weeks ago I decided I wanted to make something both delicious and pretty. Like, maybe the prettiest thing I could find a recipe for. Yes, the prettiest thing. So I found this GORGEOUS cheesecake-y tart with fresh strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, and a lime glaze.  And I spent a good time making it too. It was absolutely the prettiest. I was proud. I was the best. I was excited.

Then suddenly, BOOM. Snowstorm. I am unperturbed. This is western New York. A third of the year is a snowstorm here.

Then suddenly, BOOM. Or, RING. The phone. And church is canceled because of the snow.

So guess what we had for breakfast?

(It was very delicious!)

Something very close to my heart.

So, I had a post all planned for tomorrow. All written out, in fact. As, you know, a part of my quest for betterment of self and being responsible and posting and such. And I saved it, and I went to check my feed. And I saw that a few people I am following had posted the same thing. They aren't posting anything tomorrow, they are participating in a blogging day of silence for Japan.

For Japan With Love

When I was fifteen years old I had the chance to go to Japan with a family from my church. The husband is a Japanese teacher and the wife is Japanese, born and raised in Sapporo. At the time they had three kids and I went along, kind of as a mother's helper but mostly because they were kind enough to let me...and it was the most amazing experience of my life. Even then, my heart went out to the people there. Did you know that less that 3% of Japan is Christian? Their culture is such that it is nearly impossible to evangelize to them. I want to say more on that, and someday I will, but it's 11:50 and I only have 10 minutes left!

Anyways, this disaster affected me massively. On Wednesday, one of that family's little boys was telling me about the nuclear meltdowns and how there were whirlpools and waves and fires. And all I could think of was his family over there, all the people that I met and knew and love and pray for, and how I wish I could just fly over there and DO SOMETHING.

So, this is what I'm doing, I guess. I know I only have a few followers, but it's a start, right? And I'm not trying to guilt you into donating, but if you would just send off a prayer when you read this...a prayer for their physical needs as well as their spiritual ones. Because God is Great, and he can make good come out of the worst situations imaginable.

It's 11:57! I just made it I think!!

Today I share with you one of the reasons I love the internet.