Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Not Easy to Admit

Happy Hump Day!!  I'm so thankful for a new day!

Today's randomness is about fears.  Everyone has fears, but coming to grips with your fears and sharing them with others is something that not many people do.  I know some of ya'll are probably thinking, why in the world is Nicole writing about this kind of stuff, but there may be somebody out there that this reaches and helps.  You never know.  :)

Describe 3 legitimate fears and explain how they became fears. (This is going to be a tough one)

1. I think my first fear was developed as a child and became a fear because I didn't want to let my family down.    This is the fear of failure.  I have grown to realize that when things fail they are lessons and life experiences.  I was driving in Newnan the other day and read a sign that said, "most profitable lessons are learned from failure, not success."  This is so true in so many aspects of life.  How many times have you learned anything from being successful at something?  When you fail and are able to see the reasons why you failed, and are able to recognize it as failure, you can learn from that and move on a stronger individual.

2. I fear for the future of our country.  Gosh, this could be one that makes people a little angry, but this is a legitimate concern and fear of mine.  There is nothing more that I want than to have a family, but I just don't know how I feel about raising kids this time and day.  There are so many crazy things going on and I honestly feel that human character has changed so much.  I was talking to someone the other day about trying to get a teaching job and it hit me how our economy, education, and so many other issues in this country are at an all time low.  This is the teacher coming out in me, but if we don't have high standards for our children and educate them than think about how our future will be.  This terrifies me, but what can you do?  I don't know what the answer is to fixing the problems, but I think one issue that can be worked on is greed and selfishness.  It seems like people are only out for "how can this better me" or "how much money can I make" or "what's in it for me".  I know that we can't control others and change people, but I think that people really need to reflect on how they are treating others and dealing with situations.

3.  My third fear is something that I'm going out on a limb and sharing...the fear of being alone.  Alright, let me explain what I mean by "alone"...  I have found out that over the last couple of years being single (yes, years!), I have grown and learned a lot about myself, and still do everyday. I also know that there is someone out there who is perfect for me, and I'm willing to wait however long it takes until that person comes into my life, but you can't help but want that person to share life's adventures with.  I think the lessons that I'm learning in life right now deal with happiness and how you can not allow happiness to depend on someone or something.  You make your own happiness.  (There will be a happiness post soon).  I don't want anyone to take away from this that I'm lonely or that I'm sad, because I am far from it.  I have such a wonderful family and amazing group of friends who help me get through EVERYTHING, but the relationship you build with a significant other is different than other relationships in your life.  I know God has someone planned and waiting out there for me, and it is exciting to know that that time in my life hasn't happened.  (I am probably confusing the heck out of you right now...)  :)

Whew!!  Glad that's over with...  ;)

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my 3 legitimate fears and please share anything you would like to with me.  I would love to hear about some other people's fears.

I hope everyone has a great day and I'm going to leave you with a quote...

"The minute someone decides to walk out of your life, that is the same moment in which the opportunity and space opens up for someone who actually deserves your love, to finally walk in..."

Makes me excited about what the future holds!!  Bye!!!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Beginning of Nicole Randomness

WOW!!  Happy mid-March, April! (That's when I was going to post this...how time flies!!)  I have neglected my blog and writing, but I am back and so excited to have something to write about the next couple of weeks.  I found this great idea for blogging on Pinterest and thought..."You know it's time I blog again..."

Just a little update, things have been crazy busy with trying to get everything together job wise.  I am still searching for a teaching job, but I'm lucky to be subbing two days a week now and working in the office three days.  :)  It is working perfectly and it is so nice to be back in the classroom.  I've missed it so much over the last couple of months.

I turned 26 at the beginning of March and had a great time celebrating with friends and family.  We did go back to our college roots and saw one of my favorite bands back in Auburn, 17th Floor.  :)  It was a great time!!  Other than that, I am just trying to stay patient waiting to see what God has planned for the next step in my life!

Alright, now on to the good stuff.

On Pinterest, I found a great topic to write about.  It will consist of 30 days of getting to know myself and for others to kind of think about these things also.  My hopes are that people share things about themselves and also just take the time to reflect.  I think it is such a great thing when people open up and share things about themselves, positive or negative.  It really helps people grow and I strongly believe you can't be afraid of change and finding out about yourself, even if it shows you a few flaws.  If you never know yourself how can someone else get to know you?  Enough of that...

The first one is to list 20 random facts about yourself.  Here are mine.

  1. I have four names: Margaret Elizabeth Nicole Stewart
  2. I have my bachelors and masters in Early Childhood Education, but am working an office job.
  3. I am currently working on my specialist degree in school library media...yeah, I'm a dork. ;)
  4. I lived in Panama for 10 months as a live-in teacher/nanny for an American family.
  5. I am my mom's only child, but have two wonderful step siblings. 
  6. I can never hold a grudge against ANYONE...it is probably a good thing to be able to forgive, but sometimes I forget too, which is not always a good thing. 
  7. I graduated from Auburn University!  (War Eagle!)
  8. I am single. :)
  9. I teach Sunday School to 4 year olds.  
  10. I am a little obsessed with music, any kind, but those close to me know what my fav is.
  11. I taught first grade for two years.
  12. My family is auditioning for Family Feud.  HAHA! No lie!!
  13. I continue to grow in my faith daily.  
  14. I have a difficult time just letting things be.  I always need an answer. 
  15. I was born on 3/4 at 4:03.  HAHA!
  16. I love to cook, but definitely need to practice a bit. 
  17. I could spend all day looking at or on the water.  I'm a Pisces!
  18. I have found a new obsession: Crossfit (look it up if you don't know what it is) 
  19. I am reading the first Hunger Games right now. 
  20. I write everything down...I am calendar obsessed. 
Ok, well that was a little harder than I would have imagined.  I would love to hear random facts about anyone who wants to share!

I am leaving you with this inspirational verse that is on my wallpaper on my phone and I read it everyday to remind me that the plans I try to plan for my life are nothing compared to what God has planned.  Amen to that!

"The Lord will work out his plans for my life- for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.  Don't abandon me, for you made me. 

Psalm 138:8 NLT

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday and I will be back tomorrow with the second dose of Nicole randomness.  :)

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

There Is No Such Thing As Perfect...Well...

Well well, my friends, it has been WAY too long since I have written.  I have a lot of catching up to do...especially with me not writing ANYTHING in October.  My first post back is dedicated to a new little life that made a huge difference in our family.

I understand what is said about there is no such thing as a perfect human...but I have to share with you the most perfect little thing...

Baby Aubrey Grace!

My brother and his wife, my sister-in-law :) (Danielle), had a precious little girl on August 20, 2011.  My mom and I were able to get down there a couple of weekends ago and visit her.  This was the first visit I had made, but Mom went down previously during Labor Day weekend.  I was so excited and could not wait to see and hold her.  I think I have shared with you guys about my fear about newborns and just feeling like I was going to do something wrong with them, ask some of my friends with babies...but that was not the case with Aubrey Grace.  I walked through the door and she was handed to me and it seems like the weekend passed by too quickly and I never put her down.  :)

Here are some pictures to give you an idea of how beautiful she is, but these pictures do her no justice.




I hope you enjoyed my post and pics about/of Aubrey Grace!  There will be lots more of her in the future...

I hope everyone has had a great week and had a great October!  I promise I will do better about writing...

WAR EAGLE!!!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Divine Intervention

Good Monday Morning!  I have had an interesting week and I wanted to share it with you.

It amazes me everyday at how God plans and works in our lives.  If you do not believe that, then listen to my story.

As most of you know, I interviewed for a nanny position here in Newnan.  After about a month of not hearing anything, I tossed it aside and began seeking other opportunities.  Then, I get a phone call from the mom explaining that she was still interested and wanted to see if I was still wanting to possibly see if the nanny position would work out (this was two Wednesdays ago).  I met the little girl on Thursday and then began on Friday.  I left on Friday unsure of what was expected of me the following week, but knew that I would hear from them and wasn't too worried about it.  Monday rolls around and I work, the same for Tuesday and Wednesday, but then on Thursday plans began to fade out and on Friday my day was canceled.  Let me back up to Tuesday afternoon and tell you that I was feeling like I wasn't sure if the position was going to work out.  I called my Mom and spoke with her about it and told her honestly that things were not going as expected, do they ever, and that I wasn't sure if this was the position for me for this school year.  I felt in my heart that it would get taken care of one way or the other, and had a great day on Wednesday.

Just a side note, I have bills to pay, and those sometimes weigh heavy on my shoulders.  There are some bills that I am able to put to the side right now, but as far as my car payment goes, I was beginnng to stress out a little bit.  Please remember, I have not had a steady paycheck since the end of May.  I saved enough money to get me through three months of bills, so you can see my urgency for steady work.

Back to my week.  On Friday, I went to my Mom's work, since my nanny day was canceled and was just talking with her about what I needed to do and how I needed to approach the questions I had about the job.  I left there and headed home and when I got home I recieved a phone call explaining that my hours had been calculated for the week and I could pick up my check.  This phone call came as a complete surprise to me, because I was under the impression I wouldn't get paid until around the 1st, so you can imagine I didn't know what to expect when I went to pick up my check.  I opened the envelope and the check amount was more than I had ever hopped for and well enough to get me through one more month of paying my car payment.  I felt a HUGE weight lift off of my shoulders and could feel God's presence with me saying that he will take care of me, just trust him.  It was amazing and gave me chills just to think how He works in our lives.  I called my Mom right away to tell her and she said it was divine intervention.   

With that being taken care of, I enjoyed my relaxing weekend, and knew that I was going to have some questions that would have to answered about my job.  Yesterday, I talked with the mom and we both came to the agreement that it was not working, and that what she was needing would not be fair to my schedule and to what I had expected from the position.  She needs someone with a real flexible schedule, and not that mine couldn't be, she just needs someone who can stay later and it may not be consistent.  She was grateful for my hard work and I was grateful for a week's worth of work and pay.  Now, I know that may sound weird, but I honestly knew in my heart that this was not the position for me, and I was fine with not moving forward.  I only hoped that I was able to get put back on the sub list and get things straightened out there.

At the beginning of last week, I had emailed the county I was subbing for and told them that I would not be subbing any longer this school year, and so I needed to undo that.  I sent an email to them last night, so they would get it first thing this morning, and I am now back on the sub list.  I was also signed up to attend another counties sub training class that I had canceled TWICE due to my nanny job, so I needed to get in touch with them as well.  I sent my email to that county and they are having another training class TOMORROW MORNING!  Isn't that amazing?  Oh, and this week my Mom's work is holding a book fair and I was going to run, but because of my job I wasn't able to be there, but this week is the perfect week for me to do it, so I will be running a book fair this week as well.  

It really is amazing how God's plans are never what we have planned for.  I have learned over the past year, and I'm still learning, that anything I plan for goes the complete opposite way.  Even though it's not what I planned, it always turns out BETTER!  The only thing I can tell you is that I pray for guidance and for Him to "do His thang"...do you think He is?  I definitely do...

Sunday, September 18, 2011

J.O.B Status

Happy Sunday to everyone!  I hope everyone has had a great weekend.  I was unable to watch the Auburn game due to having to be in a training class for a new tutoring position I got, but did keep up to date with the game on my Mom's phone, and was so sad for the outcome!  I knew we would have to loose sooner or later, but it is still one of those things you hope you don't have to do sooner.  :)  I still believe in Auburn and LOVE it...WAR EAGLE!!

On to other news...I filled you all in on the interview that I had about a month ago for the nanny position here in Newnan, and I started on Friday!  I met the little girl, Lexie, who is 6, on Thursday and then began on Friday.  We had such a great two days together and I am so excited to be working with her.  I am a HUGE fan of Pinterest and can't wait to do some of those activities with her.  Lexie's mom wants me to challenge Lexie with activites and crafts and things after school.  Lexie is so smart and very indepedent and I can't wait to share more things with you guys.  We took some great pictures at the Kid's Castle (a big playground here in Newnan) on Friday and I am going to have her make a book using her sight words and the pictures tomorrow, but I will share some of those pics with you another day.  :) 

Thank you guys for all the prayers and thoughts!  I am so excited about this opportunity and will continue to keep you posted on fun things that we do.  If anyone has any fun things for us to do, please let me know.

I hope everyone has a great Monday!  Bye!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Happy Labor Day!

I hope everyone has had a great weekend and had a great Sunday!  Many of you will have a long weekend and that is always nice! 

I have been dog sitting this weekend and it has been so nice to not have any obligations except football watching all day yesterday (WAR EAGLE!!!) and relaxing.  My allergies have been in full effect as of yesterday and it is a blessing to get a little rain today.  I hope that we get a little more so I can feel better!  :)

This morning I was excited to get to church because it has been a couple of weeks since I have been able to attend.  The last month has been crazy with traveling.  The month of September is looking pretty vacant, which I'm actually excited about.  Anyway, this morning was communion (first Sunday of the month) and our pastor read from Romans 12:1-2.  While he was reading, I read on a little and probably should not do this (because I should be listening to him), but today as I read on this jumped out at me and I want to share it with you.  I am not preaching or anything of the sort...I am simply sharing with you what spoke to me today and I want you to read it and take what you want from it. 

"Let your love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.  Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.  Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.  Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitatlity.  Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.  Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief].  Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, highminded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks.  Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits.  Repay no evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone.  If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay [requite], says the Lord.  But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.  Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good."  (Romans 12:9-21)

I think that this is something I need to read everyday and remind myself of how I should act/behave.  I cannot change others, but I can do my part to be a better person and to continue living my life becoming better everyday and building my relationship with the Lord.  

On a different note, tonight Mama (my grandmother) made a really yummy dinner and it was a recipe that I shared with her and I wanted to share it with you guys.  It is below.  We paired it with a yummy salad and it was delicious!

Chicken Spaghetti
Ingredients-
A whole chicken, cooked and chopped
1 package of spaghetti
1 bell pepper
1 oinion
1 can of rotel
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (Healthy Request has no MSG)
1 thing of Velvetta cheese cut in cubes
1 Tbsp margarine
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

Directions
Oven 350 degrees.  Spray 3 qt. rectangle baking dish with Pam.  Cook spaghetti in the chicken broth from earlier.  Saute onion and pepper in butter in a large pot.  Add rotel, cheese, soup, and broth to big pot.  Cook and stir over low heat until cheese melts.  Stir in chicken.  Add drained spaghetti to chicken mixture.  Toss and coat.  Spread in prepared rect. pan.  Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.  Cover and let sit for about 15 minutes after taking out of oven before serving. 

Please share with me if you make this...feel free to add or take out any ingredients. 

I have begun a new book, The Shack, which I borrowed from one of my good friends Michelle.  I will admit this is the first book I have begun reading since being home from Panama.  It is amazing how much time I had there compared to when I'm home and I'm able to run around town.  I just began the book today and I'm excited to hopefully get some time to read a little. 

On the job front,  I am still speaking with the woman who I interviewed with about the Nanny position here in Newnan.  She was trying her best to get in touch with the family from Panama.  The little girl also doesn't begin school until after Labor Day...so that explains a lot.  I will continue to keep everyone updated on any new news.  Keep those thoughts and prayers coming...thank you so much!!

I think that is all for now.  I hope everyone has a relaxing day tomorrow and has a great week. 

Auburn plays Miss St. this weekend and I'm looking forwards to another great day of watching football!  :)

Bye for now!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Baby Fever

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone is having a great day so far and had a great weekend! 

I want to share with everyone the new baby girl that is in our family now...Aubrey Grace.  I am officially an Aunt and I'm so excited!  I won't be able to get down to see her until October, but I just love looking at all of her pictures and can't wait to hold her (even though new born baby's scare me a little).  Alright, I will explain that one...I am afraid that I will hurt a new born baby...it scares me to hold them.  Once they get out of that newborn stage I'm fine, but for some reason I'm so afraid I'm going to do something wrong when I'm holding them.  Maybe since I will be holding Aubrey Grace a lot, I will get over that.  :)  Here are some pictures...

 Precious Baby!  This was right after she was born.

Brother Joe with his little girl!  They look just a like in this picture to me.

Some more baby news...this weekend we celebrated Danielle and Pauline's new babies.  They are both having boys and we had a great baby shower for them.  I can't get over the fact that it is time for my friends to have babies and many of them already have babies.  This is just so crazy to me, because I don't feel like we are that old.  :)  

I am so excited for Danielle and Kyle and can not wait until Cameron Kyle Meadows is here...he will be arriving mid-December!  YAY!  Here are just a few pictures from the shower. 

 Can't wait to see Baby Cam!

I decided last week that I wanted to do something extra special for Dan.  I decided to make a blanket.  I picked out some really cute cowboy fabric and this extra soft brown fabric and went to sewing.  It was so easy and will be something she can use for Baby Cam forever!  Here we are with the finished product.

 The blanket I made for Dan and Baby Cam!

 Love her!

 Mumma and Dan!

 Kissing bellies picture!

It's been a long time since we were all together!

That's all for now.  I hope everyone has a great day and I will be back soon! 

5 DAYS UNTIL FOOTBALL!!  YAY!!!