Oh, and by the Way...

...this happened!

One month ago today, to be exact. Incredibly thankful!

Top Ten Mason Jars Uses

My wedding decor included about 85-90 mason jars. Roughly 75 of those were hanging as lanterns, and others were dispersed around the lobby and reception hall to hold candles and Baby's Breath. One very large mason jar held my bouquet at our sweetheart table. Friends graciously loaned us all their canning jars, but we purchased a good deal ourselves. This has led to discovering creative ways to use mason jars, both pre and post-wedding. Here are my favorites, including some old staples, as well.

1. Green smoothies

I drink at least one, usually two, of these a day. Simply blend 2 1/2 cups water, adding spinach until the level rises to 5 1/2 cups. Add frozen fruit until the level reaches 8 cups. Divide into four jars. Keep for two days.


2. Salads in a jar

Ty and I eat these almost every day. I like to make a whole bunch at one time and keep them in the fridge for the week. They are a quick go-to for packing lunches.


3. Overnight oats

Summer heat hasn't been encouraging me to eat stove-cooked oats, so I tried out overnight cold oats. Refreshing! I keep it simple with 1/2 oats and 1 cup milk. Combine in a jar, shake, and store in the fridge overnight. Sometimes I add cinnamon and PB in the morning. Mmmm. Now if only I had some raisins...

The trio: green smoothie, salad, overnight oats

4. Staining craft!

I was skeptical and thought I'd ruin a handful of jars trying this one out, but it's SO EASY! Have a lot of dye on hand if you prefer a darker stain. (Note: don't use these to store food.)

The jars I stained, waiting to be hung...

5. Hanging lanterns

My friends and I are pros at this now, though, seeing as we made 75 for the wedding. I've decided to make four more with the jars that I stained and use them as dining room decor. My dark blue jars match my fine china.

Here's a glimpse of the reception room with the hanging lanterns (and twinkle lights).

Photo by: K. Linduff

6. Party favors!

I made party favors for the guests at my 4th-of-July-themed bridal brunch using these small jars, Peppermint Patty Pieces, and red ribbon. Super cute and also very easy. (Can't seem to track down a photo of the actual favors at this moment.)

7. Vases

The larger jars work wonderfully as centerpieces! I used a handled jar to hold Baby's Breath in our engagement photos.

Ms. Williams brought me flowers!  Don't think we own a vase. No problem!

Photo by: KT Crabb Photography

8. Bathroom organizers

Saw the mountable version of this on Pinterest, and decided not to make more work for myself (or Ty). We had an extra shelf in the bathroom, so I used our available space. This is so convenient, and I use it every day.

More jars I stained. Considerably less dye made them this color! 

9. Storing alcohol

If you want to open a bottle of beer or ale for cooking and don't need it all, just pour into a mason jar and store away in the fridge. It will stay fresh!


10. Salad dressings.

I use the "baby jars" (same as for my party favors) to store homemade salad dressing. Just shake and pour!


And let's not forget the good ol' fashioned milk glass...

In short, I've been using them for EVERYTHING! I have about 16 jars of varying sizes and styles in my cupboard and about ten more decorative ones around the house. Every single one serves some good purpose in our home!

I want to try this next...

Lovin Me Some Girlfriends!

They are pretty darn awesome! So thankful for these and many more I call friends. :)

Photo: K. Linduff

Four

One-thousand, four-hundred and sixty-one days down.
Twenty-two to go.

Well, that puts things into perspective.

So, so thankful! :)

Repost: Normandy Visit

I've been thinking a lot about the advent of the anniversary of D-Day this year. It's different now that I've been to Normandy Beach and the American National Cemetery. I'm planning to watch Saving Private Ryan tonight. We can't forget this.

I'm reposting my trip to Normandy last year. Click here to see it.

And all those pictures I took - that was just on one half of the grounds.
Truly sobering. I am thankful for the men and women who gave everything to stand for good.

Historic Happenings!

Took my last undergraduate finals today. Next semester is internship only, so all my course work is finished. Very bittersweet. This is how my piano classmates and I studied for our Piano Literature final this evening. Yes, we took up the entire hallway, and the school orchestra conductor and music history professor walked over us. Haha.

The worst part of having finals all day today is that I missed this:

My niece, Alice Kate, entered the world today - three weeks early and a bit unexpected!
She was born at 2:20PM, which is already the 27th in Laos. That's important because April 27th is my sister's birthday. So you could say that she got a niece for her birthday. Pretty good deal. And she got a Skype call from my parents, Isaac, and me this evening. Isaac was too cute, waving and playing peek-a-boo! He loves Aunt Julia. So excited to spend time with Julia, Isaac, and Alice this summer!!

Photo credit: Sara G Photo

Isaac loves his aunties, can't you tell? :)

This is the Face...

Rather, these are the faces of joy and relief!

I gave my senior recital on Saturday, and then Sunday I watched four of my classmates give their recitals.

Jessie, Artur, Rochelle, Marius, David, Professor B.

I am so proud of my classmates and thankful to have been part of a spectacular studio for the past four years!

Salad in a Jar

My friend, Amy sent me to another friend's site where I discovered how to make a salad in a jar. Anything with fresh ingredients that I can prepare in advance is worth a try for me! Apparently these stay fresh for up to five days! If you're on-the-go during the day, you could make these Sunday night and eat fresh veggies all week! I had ingredients enough for two, and I tweaked the recipe to fit my needs.

It's important to start with the dressing so it doesn't get soggy.

After the dressing, I added shredded carrots.

Next came the cucumber and red onion. Later I discovered broccoli in the fridge and felt sad that I hadn't included it! I think I would have needed a larger jar for anything else, though!

I didn't have any feta or gorgonzola, so I added shredded almonds and raisins instead.

I put the lettuce on top, and I later added some spinach, too.

I compressed it to fit as many greens as possible!

With my salad in a jar and my green smoothie, I have the dynamic breakfast+lunch duo!

The only downside is that my lunchbox is so heavy! :)

Favorite

This may just be my new favorite picture.

:)

Kudos to KT Crabb!

Recent Observations

1. Green smoothies really are delicious! Mrs. W exposed me to the yummiest green smoothie I've ever tasted. I've had my pint of plants every day this week, and I feel my energy level has increased some.
2. I have grown to love spicy food.
3. Is there such a thing as a gluten-free ice cream cone? I'd like to get my hands on one.
4. My education class homework is what I do when my brain is too muddy to practice.
5. My nephew can always make me smile.
6. Trust is a choice.
7. I get strep throat more often than most.
8. It's better to have a complete memory slip in the middle of a piece in a practice room for friends than on stage at a public master class.
9. Good teaching is stinkin' hard work!
10. Funniest moment of the day: I asked one of my students to tell me who Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was, and she responded by saying, "I don't know, but he sounds like he's from the 'hood!"
For. Real.
I quickly informed her that she'd just insulted one of the most incredible composers to ever live. :)

Highlight of the Week

Yesterday afternoon I called Ms. Williams and said, "Guess where I am!"
She said she got shivers when I told her I was standing outside The Manhattan School of Music. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the school. That's just not a phone call you get to make every day. :)

P.S. I'm trying to publish this from my new (thanks, Ty!) iPod Touch, so I hope I did it correctly!

Staying Focused

Monday was a rough start to the week. I drove to school, practiced an hour, fell asleep twice at the piano, drove home, hopped back in bed, and skipped class. (It may or may not have had to do with staying up all night at the women's retreat!)

Tuesday is looking better. I am just not a fan of this online homework. There's no darn way around it.

In other news, I'm missing my Japanese sister who moved back to her home country. And I ate a lot of chocolate today. A lot. Darn those cute piano students and their Valentine's presents.
Let's just leave it at that.

My recital is in two months! Eeek! Oh, yeah. Isn't there a wedding in just under five months, too?

I'm not too sharp past 8PM. That's all there is to it.

Case in point: I failed to mention that today I purchased a plane ticket to NYC.

The Sign

There's always a defining moment in the semester when it becomes clear that things are in full swing.

Today, Ty called me on his way home from work. He asked me what I was doing, fully anticipating to hear the "I'm practicing" response, I'm sure. (No, really? Never would have guessed!)
After a few minutes of chatting, I suggested going to the mall for dinner and a quick shopping run, so I could use a coupon.
"Really? Really?!"

He was utterly shocked.

"You don't have to act that surprised."
"It's just that we never go out."

That, my friends, is the sign.

Enough Said

Making Sense of the Days

At Bible Study on Tuesday, my Friend, Carissa, said something that grabbed hold of me:
"All I know is that when I'm thankful, everything makes sense."

I am complainer. There. I said it.
I didn't really realize this negative pattern in my life until Ty told me about his "no complaining" rule. He's very gracious and teases me when I complain. It's helped me become more aware.

Instinctively, I'd like to complain about this week. When I take time to instead be thankful, I realize there isn't room for complaining.

This morning I'm thankful for:
-Waking up when I planned
-Time to clean the coffee maker/grinder (a chore I really don't cherish)
-Fresh coffee, free coffee!
-Getting homework done last night
-A phone call from Ty at 4:50AM (I love when he's on my morning schedule!)
-My parents sleeping in the other room (unless my music disturbed them - sorry Mom and Dad!)
-Tsukasa still living here for the next week

And it's only 6AM! How could the day go wrong?

Sweet Subtleties

Last night I dreamt I was drinking fresh spring water. All night long.
It was beautiful and delicious.

In the morning I woke parched as a desert. Lately, I've been terribly negligent about drinking water, and my dry skin has been testimony to that.

Perhaps my body was sending me a message?

Time to Breakfast

Not as in it's time to breakfast right now. I've already done that. What I'm alluding to is simply setting aside time - time to enjoy a meal.

I love breakfast. I never miss it. It's important to me.
The last few years, however, I've been consuming my first meal of the day while driving through the dark to get to school and practice. The last two years my typical wake-up, shower, and get-going routine took thirty minutes. I never quite understood why my practice buddy would wake up even earlier just to have some time in the morning.

Recently, I've been allowing just a little bit more time in the mornings. Ten, fifteen minutes, maybe.
Time to be before I do.
Breakfast is the ideal moment for me, because it's so quiet. I love the stillness of the morning (the middle of the night, some might argue).

Twice this week I sat and enjoyed my breakfast. I prepared a plate of food, I read, I sipped my coffee.
This is part of what makes me human. My breakfast-eating habits have looked all too much like those of a machine or robot. I inhale fuel to keep me going. It's been a necessary time-waster. How foolish!

I'm hoping to hang onto my humanity as the semester escalates!

Wordless Wednesday

Catching Up

Over break, I experienced some great rest, just sitting around with post-surgery Tali, staying up late, visiting with people I don't get to see often enough, cooking, hanging with my nephew, etc., etc. Generally speaking, it's difficult for me to rest, but I was able to embrace that much better this break. By the end I was getting antsy, but overall it was wonderful.

I jumped back into the swing of things easily this week. Tyler and Tali called me a "weirdie" for loving school so much. (Just you wait, Tali. I'll poke fun at your Latin studies! ;)
I just can't help it; I'm thrilled to be working harder than I've ever worked.

My senior recital is in April, so there's no time like the present to give it all I've got! It's strange to think I'm in my last undergraduate classes. Next semester I'll be enrolled in a full-time music internship at an elementary school. Lord willing, I'll graduate December of THIS YEAR!

Recital program is lining up to look like this:
1. Bach Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue
2. Mozart Fantasy in C Minor, K 475
3. Beethoven Sonata no. 30, Op. 109

You'll make my teacher heart glad if you click on the links above. :)
(FYI, the Youtube listing on the Beethoven is incorrect; it's in three movements, not two.)


Did I mention I'm marrying this guy in six months?

December 2010-December 2011: Looking Back

December 2010
My students gave a Christmas recital.
I became an Aunt! Welcome, Isaac James!

January
I helped lead worship at my church's women's retreat.
I began the gluten-free journey.

February
My church had a long-awaited "ground-breaking" ceremony to celebrate the beginning process of building a church home
I turned 21.

March
My parents traveled to Laos for two weeks, and I had my first taste of full-time house-keeping. Carissa and Tsukasa helped me hold down the fort. I learned that I don't want to take a care of a dog full-time.
I participated in a pro-life walk-a-thon.

April
I read the entire Harry Potter series for the first time ever.
I practiced harder than I ever have.
I gave my first solo recital, 30 minutes in length.
I competed in my first college-level competition and made it to finals.

May
I watched one my cousins graduate from high school.
I helped my brother and sister-in-law move to a different house nearby.
I went to a reunion lunch with Ms. Williams and my high school piano quartet (first time since '08!)
I took a six-week summer class.

June
My students gave a spring recital - my longest studio recital yet!
I helped Tyler move into his own apartment.
Ty and I celebrated our 3rd dating anniversary.

July
I traveled to France and Belgium and learned more repertoire in a month than I ever have! I met Cassandra, and I processed so much about life, God, and music.
I saw HP 7 part 2 in Paris, before the US release date.
My sister came home!

August
Upon returning from Europe, I got to see my sister!!
I insisted on having family photos taken professionally (everyone is thanking me now :).
My first music education internship began - two full days a week - at the elementary level.

September
I attended hours and hours of an international piano competition and had my world rocked.
My family said farewell to my sister as she traveled back to Laos.
I played four-hands music at my church's variety show with Erin. I also participated in a flash mob dance for the grand finale! (Ha!)
Ty and I started attending an awesome growth group at my church.

October
Ms. Williams and I threw the 3rd Annual Halloween Musicale for our piano students. I hosted the event this year.
I finished my first internship placement and moved on over to high school for the rest of the semester.

November
Erin and I gave a fundraiser concert and raised nearly $1000 for our church building fund!
We also made it to the concerto competition finals.
I fell so in love with performing.
I was a fill-in accompanist for two weeks at a local church.
I played in two master classes for Rebecca Pennys, teacher at Eastman.

December 2011
I finished my internship! I talked at a middle school girls' Bible study. Tyler proposed! All three in the same night!
I learned more music than I ever have in one semester.
I traveled to Laos and back! I stayed eight days with my sister and saw the sights and sounds she experiences every day.