Monday, December 23, 2013

Bored Before Christmas

I think the reason I usually procrastinate so long before anything is that it builds the anticipation.  Also, if I'm super productive and get everything done ahead of time, all I have left to do is wait.  And wait.  And wait.  Which is no fun, because then I just get bored.  Like today.  I'm done with all my Christmas shopping, and I'm done with all my homework for my Master's degree.  So now what?  I'm bored, broke, and in debt.

Yeah, this is great.

I could exercise, but that's no fun to do alone, and I don't feel like getting all sore and sweaty.

I could write more in either of my two stories, but it's been so long since I've updated them, I've forgotten where I was going.

I could...well, that's about it.

So what am I doing instead?  Shopping on Amazon and Etsy, of course!  And spending more money I don't have.  Pfft.

I want to decorate a gingerbread house.  I want to write a song.  I want to have a guitar lesson.  Where are my artistic and musical peeps at?

Sorry if this was more like a drawn-out Facebook status than an actual blog post.  Here's some fun pictures to make it more interesting:









*Sigh* I need to go caroling.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Impromptu Recipe

So I woke up this morning hungry.  (Who doesn't, right?)

I looked in the refrigerator to see what we had in the way of healthy breakfast foods.  Okay, is it just me, or if you're out of fruit, you're pretty much screwed regarding healthy choices?

But then I saw it - we had one egg left!  Hallelujah, praise the Lord!  Except...I'm not a skinny model-type, so I require more than one egg for satiation.  Then I got a brilliant idea.  Beyond brilliant!  I would make a new recipe that would be talked about for generations and generations to come!  I, Christina Acree, would create a masterpiece to end all breakfast masterpieces!  In my mind, it would look something like this:


So, armed with my hopes for the end result, I began...rifling through the refrigerator.  Onion, oh yeah, can't go wrong with that... Don't forget the one egg that started it all... Parmesan cheese, what a good choice! (mental back pat)  Zucchini and squash to use for the bottoms... An orange pepper just for fun...  Tomatoes and cheddar cheese... maybe?  

Once I had my ingredients, I was ready to begin.  I briefly considered donning an apron to feel more epically domestic, but then I thought, "Mmm, yeah, better not..." (Name that movie.)  I hollowed the squash and zucchini using a vegetable peeler, because we didn't have any other kitchen utensil I could think of to use.  Then, I threw the innards (that's an awkward word to use when cooking...) into my Magic Bullet cup, along with the one egg (sans shell, of course), a bit of orange pepper and onion, and...that was pretty much it.  Blended it all together until it looked like runny, gag-me, orange goop.

It was at this point that I decided to give myself a pep talk, because so far, things weren't progressing quite how I had originally pictured them... So after the pep talk, I forged ahead, just as Julia Childs (Child? Chiles? Eh, whatevs) and the other culinary greats had before me.

I placed the zucchini and squash shells on a black, greased 9x13 pan.  I poured the concoction onto each shell, then sprinkled on the parmesan cheese (in hindsight, step-by-step pictures probably would have made this seem more legit, but that's why hindsight is 20-20 and foresight is...not).

Then, everything was ready to go in the oven...which I quickly realized I had not even pre-heated as of yet.  So, being the impatient person I am, I popped the pan into the oven and turned it on to 400 degrees (not gonna lie, I just stared at my keyboard for about 2 minutes trying to find the degrees symbol).  Then I cleaned up the kitchen while I waited for my food to cook (also eating whatever I had not used for my recipe).

After I had cleaned up, the oven finally beeped, signalling that it was done preheating.  I turned on the oven light and peered in, hoping my masterpiece had transformed in just 10 minutes!  Nope...still looked sad.

So instead of fangirling over my food by the oven for the next 8 minutes, I decided to set the oven timer and clean my room whilst waiting.

Now, cleaning my room is another story within itself.  It actually usually only requires me making my bed and sorting through my clothes to look a million times better.  The trick is knowing which clothes are clean and which ones need to be washed - or, if I'm really lazy, I just throw all of the clothes in the hamper and call it a day.  But today, I was feeling productive.  So I decided to sort through my laundry using the sight-and-smell method.

First, I look at the laundry in question.  Are there deodorant stains on the shirts?  Yes?  Dirty.  Do the shorts/jeans have any hideously grotesque food or grass stains on them?  No?  Clean.  Is this a pair of underwear?  Yes?  Dirty.  Is this a bra?  Yes?  Clean.  Socks?  Dirty.  Then, for the clothing that is not easily sorted by sight, I use smell.  This is reserved as a last measure, considering that some clothing (especially any shirts or socks left here by my boyfriend) can be really rank and devastating to my nasal passages.

After the laundry was all sorted, I made my bed.  The oven timer beeped.  I surveyed my dish's progress through the oven window.  On a scale of 1 to 10, it looked to be about a 7.  Not bad.  I pulled it out of the oven, sampling a zucchini piece and then a squash piece (both pretty bland, next time I need to add some seasoning), and then I put the rest in a storage container for the fridge - lunch perhaps?

I threw all the dishes in the sink for my mom to do later, then left the kitchen.  Ten minutes later, I came back in the kitchen and turned the oven off (Oops...).

And (drumroll please) here are the results:


Hold your applause.  No really.  They were nothing to write home about.  Although, let me just say, for only using what I had to work with, these didn't turn out bad!  And at least they're healthy.

So that's my impromptu recipe for today.  Help me name it and you'll win a prize!

Friday, September 27, 2013

Life Lately

I know you all are probably sitting on the edge of your seats wondering what I've been up to lately, because I haven't posted anything in a bajillion years! ...Right?  Knew it.

So, first of all, I'm hoping to graduate with my Masters degree in December.  We'll see how that goes.

Secondly, I'm in a band!  It's called House of Alitheia, and we've been together for about 3-4 months now.  We've had 2 shows so far, and we're working on some original music now.  I'm so excited!

Also, for those of you who aren't up on the Facebook or haven't talked to me in awhile, I'm dating this pretty incredible guy named Tyler.  It's pretty official :)
There's more photos, but I'm too lazy to upload them right now :)

Um...I guess that's about it.  I'm still working at the church three days a week, I still love my niece and nephew, and I still wish I had more time to write my stories... :( Maybe one day soon...

So, you can back up off the edge of your seat now.  Oh, and you're welcome. ;)

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

LiveJournal Post from March 3, 2007

[This is a good reminder of what led me to counseling in the first place.]

     I am the queen of crap. My whole life - a load of crap. Everything I try to do - utter crap. 

     Ok, here's what I'm trying to say. I've met a lot of Christians in my life. They all have completely different personalities from mine. But when I met them, I noticed the love and passion they had for Almighty God, and I wanted that. So instead of seeking after Him, I sought after imitating their mode of worship and how they acted about their love for Him. So my worship to Him about 80% of the time was not real. It was not me. But today, I was challenged. I have been challenged a lot lately. Challenged to be who God made me. And to be real. To be authentically Christina in love with her heavenly FATHER. 

     And tonight I was grieving. Because I've been sick lately, and I've been focusing more on trying to get better instead of growing closer to God. So I was thinking about areas in my life that I'm unsatisfied with - I don't trust guys. I haven't developed very close friendships with the people I've met at college. Why? The heck if I know. So there I was, sitting in confused anguish. And I opened my Bible and prayed for God to open my eyes. And I found - 

"Give the Lord - you heavenly beings - give the Lord glory and strength. Give the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the SPLENDOR of His holiness. The voice of the Lord is above the waters. The God of glory THUNDERS - the Lord, above vast waters, the voice of the Lord in power, the voice of the Lord in SPLENDOR. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion, like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord hews out FLAMES of fire. The voice of the Lord SHAKES the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer to calve and strips the forest bare; and in His temple everything says, "Glory!"" (Psalm 29:1-9)

     His voice does all this. His power is infinite. And His voice calls my name. He gives me His power over my enemies - His enemies. Wow. 

And then - "One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple...When You said, ' Seek my face,' my heart said to You, ' Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.' ...Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:4, 8, 14)

     That is what I pray I may do all the days of my life. To wait for the Lord. To dwell in His house. To behold His beauty. To meditate in His temple...to inquire in His holy place. To be transformed from the inside out. To show with my life His glory. My spiritual gift is exhortation. I want to use it for Him. 

     I do. This is my prayer. My plea. My passion. This is my purpose. I want to encourage others. I want to be available to everyone who needs someone to pray with. Because I've been so deep in despair and I've felt so alone in my quest, in my search to find God. I've felt like there was noone willing to pray with me who cared about what I might be going through. Who might not understand what I was going through or who might not want to try to understand. 

     But I want to know my life is open to God to use however He needs to use me. To lead me wherever I need to be led. And that I will be willing to follow. 

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him." (Psalm 28:7)

Friday, August 2, 2013

So Many Blogs :)

I have added 3 new blogs to my collection :)

Two of them are private, because they are stories that I am currently in the process of writing.  If you would like an invitation to read either of them, let me know!

The other blog can be found by going here.  It's a compilation of my many writing endeavors (mostly right now, it's just journal entries from middle school.  Embarrassing for me; entertaining for you).

I'm also wanting to write a blog post soon about "lifting up holy hands."  It's a phrase found in 1 Timothy 2:8 that struck me as very interesting.  Coming soon!! :)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

SICK

Yes, I am sick.  As in, stuffy/runny nose, sore throat, entire body aching, wishing-I-was-in-bed sick.  Ugh.  But I came to work, because I'm a faithful employee (and part-time means if I don't come to work, I don't get paid).  Yet, all I want to do is go back to bed.

So, to take my mind off the fact that I'm not feeling too good, I want to praise God for the things He has done/is doing in my life.  Ready?  I thought so :)

First of all, I want to thank Him for my family!
Me with my nephew, Liam, and my niece, Bella, at Disney for my 25th birthday :)

Me, Mom, my brother-in-law (Matt), my nephew (Liam), my niece (Bella), my grandma, and my sister (Jessica) in New Mexico this past March.

Me, my two sisters (Jessica and Sara), my Mom, and my niece and nephew in church last year :)

My cousin, Jennifer, her daughter, Bailey, and I at our family reunion in Marietta, SC at the beginning of July 2013.
Next, I want to thank Him for my closest friends :)

Me, Hannah, and Amy :)

Me, Stephanie, and Amy :)

Dakota, Amy, and Me...I hang out with Amy a lot :P
And finally, I want to thank Him for Tyler :)

We take silly photos together :)
We hug a lot.  This is us, hugging.  Without hair.  Or clothes.  Or noses.
I am thankful for so many other things, but these are the people God has put in my life to bless me beyond measure.  Thank you, Lord! :)

Friday, July 12, 2013

Writing

For those of you who know me (I mean, really know me), you know I like to write.  I just have a big problem with laziness, procrastination, and finishing things I start.

FOR EXAMPLE, there are at least 2 writing projects I have started and 2 I would like to start.  My question to YOU is: which one should I give my attention to at present?

1. Camp Tandy - fictional story based on my summer as a counselor at Camp Gilead (I have about 4 chapters written)
2. The I.T.D.S. - a fictional Sci-Fi story about a boy, a girl, and meeting in the girl's dreams (that's all I'm saying about that right now - but I am at the beginning of Chapter 2)
3. An adult choose your own adventure book! - I've never written one, but it can't be that hard, right?!
4. A devotional book - I don't have a format in my mind yet, but this is something I have briefly thought about before

Also, instead of focusing on any of these, I could go back and work on typing out my many previous journal entries, songs, and poems...

So what do you guys think? Opinions, please!

Office Grind

People often ask me, "So, what do you do at the church?"

I get to work at 9:00 (if you round by 15 minute intervals.)
I check the mail (if the grass is not to high or dewy.)
I listen to voicemail (unless the phone is blessedly silent when I pick up the receiver.)
I read through emails (MOST of them are professional, anyway.)
I answer the phone (and random questions such as: what is so-and-so's phone number; where does Mr. Such-and-such live?)
I call various hospitals (for updates on members who are visiting for some reason or another.)
I update ACS (our church directory.)
I proofread the bulletin (for every prayer service and Sunday Morning/Evening service, adding and taking away announcements as needed.)
I type up visitor letters (copy and paste is my best friend.)
I change the order of service (and make up powerpoint for the Sunday morning songs.)
I copy, I print, I cut, I fold, I call, I speak, I sit, I walk, I greet.
I eat lunch at 11:00 (early enough so my boss can take her lunch when I get back.)
I go home at around 4:00 (or later, if my day is super busy.)

These are my days at the church.