sunday school & a penguintervention.

• i am now officially a sunday school teacher. say whaaaat? remember when i told you about meagan leaving to go on a mission trip? what i didn't mention is that she teaches the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade sunday school class at our church. and guess who is filling in for her while she's away serving the Lord with gladness? me.
  
  i am so excited, y'all! though i've never actually taught a class of any sorts before, i feel the Lord will bless me through this new endeavor. i already have my lesson planned, which is kinda crazy because procrastinator is my middle name.
  (it's actually "dawn", in case you were wondering. if not, come at me, bro.)

sunday school preparation.

the class has been running anywhere from 7 - 10 kids, with the majority being boys. i always said that if i had kids, i'd want all boys. if any readers are teachers or have boys, i would appreciate some tips. i have sat in on meagan's class for the last few weeks to get a feel of how she teaches and interacts with the kids. at first, i was so worried about them not liking me, but that all changed when one of the boys helped me clean up at church last sunday.

• i had to contain myself like never before while in the middle of the scrap booking aisle in walmart. i was casually walking along with mama when i saw an item that stopped me dead in my tracks. PENGUIN DUCT TAPE. complete hysteria followed. i had to contain myself so much that i forgot to grab the items i went to walmart for in the first place!

 mid-freak out in wally world.

i think i need a penguin intervention. a penguintervention. my love for this tuxedo bird reached an all-time high yesterday. 

now i am off to make crafts for my VBS class that starts in two weeks.

y-e-s to v-b-s!

instagram.

instagram: joyfulamber

 black & white // a welcomed rainy afternoon // flowers by the pond

 thistle view from above // glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling // thistle view from below

 dandy // daddy saves the day again! // pretty flowers

new awesome headphones // the most amazing salad of my life // vanilla iced coffee

prayer box.

"don't fret or worry. instead of worrying, pray. 

let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. 

before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. 

it's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." 

- philippians 4:6-7 (msg)

this is a common verse that's quoted when we go through tough situations or circumstances.
it brings comfort and peace to our soul that only comes from the Lord.
we get on our knees, give it to God, and go.

for me, it hasn't always been that easy. i'm what they call a "worry wart".
i am always worried about something—no matter how trivial it may be.
i wrestle back and forth with this thought:

"if i fully trust God, then why am i worrying about something so insignificant?"

i read a book a few years back that totally changed my life. (in more than one way, actually.)

in redeeming love, one of the characters, susanna axle, is a constant worry wart. 

she is always worrying about anything and everything, so she started a prayer box. 

basically, she writes down whatever she is currently worried about, and puts it into the box and gives it over to God.

after reading this book, i started my own prayer box.

the process of putting the worry into the box has allowed me to let go of whatever it is that was occupying my thoughts at the time. 

once that worry is on paper, it's like i'm physically handing it over to God.

i know it may sound strange, but it has helped me so much.

the coolest thing about this is after 6 months, i take all the papers out and read each one.

if a prayer has been answered, i praise the Lord and give Him the glory. 

if a prayer is unanswered, i still praise Him and give Him the glory, because He holds tomorrow and there's no use worrying about it when the God of the universe is in control. 

He hears my prayers. He knows my thoughts, worries, and everything else. 

when i feel myself getting all worked up and worried over something, i remind myself:

pray. write it. give it to God.

over the weekend.

scenes from the weekend:

we have two bunnies that come out to play around dinnertime every night. they are adorable.

 thistle.

 wish i knew what this was. it's so vibrant.

 pine cones.

 this is the weirdest but coolest thing ever.

biggest dandy evah.

 prettiness in tulsa // fuzzy

thistle // clouds

 prettiness + clouds

wish i knew what that was called // that one, too

can ya tell i love flowers? // randomness growing in the pasture

bubba's truck

5 tidbits of wisdom:

- daddy saved the day again. he fixed mama's tire. obviously he does it for a living, but still. he's my hero. 

- beware of thinking the grass is greener on the other side. it could be astroturf. 

- grilled corn on the cob is outta this world.

- "Jesus, friend of sinners" by casting crowns is a great song!

- yesterday was my spiritual birthday. 5 years ago, i received the best present anyone could ever imagine: eternal life with Jesus.

4 posts i'm currently lovin':

- this post by renee at fill my cup to the top.

- this post by tamara erbacher photography. (her little man's curls - sigh.)

- this post by hannah at honestly here.

- this post by gary at new life'n. 

3 things i'm looking forward to this week:

- i start teaching sunday school next sunday! (more on this later)

- making the crafts for VBS.

- seeking the Lord's direction for a possible new situation.

2 random facts about me:

- my burps put grown men to shame. 

- i won 3rd place in my 5th grade science fair.

1 thing i read:

" but God does not just sweep life away; instead, He devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from Him." 

 -2 samuel 14:14b.

i'll come and get you.

i don't normally post on the weekends, but i just had to share this story.

picture this: i'm sitting in my room, editing pictures i took last night when i get a text from daddy saying:

you got your camera

found flower

i'll come and get you

dad

with the ninja quickness, i grabbed my camera & shoes and ran to the backyard.

i hopped up onto the tractor and he drove me to the back of the trees that are in the middle of the pasture.

that's when i saw them: gorgeous orange (ok, i know that sounds weird coming from me, the biggest sooner fan evah, but they were so beautiful in the midst of all the junk surrounding them) tiger lilies. 

then daddy told me to look up and i saw these!

as we were driving back to the house, daddy said,

"i know how much you like taking pictures of flowers, so i wanted to make sure you got a picture of those before they were gone."

cue the tears. 

just google it.

here are my recent searches on google:

• how to see google history
  - that's right, i had to google how to see google history.

• magnetic nail polish
  - i can't wait to get more colors.

• web md
  - basically tells you that you have cancer.

•  fuji instax 210
  - want. so. much.

• VBS decorations
  - because we need ideas. duh.

•  best lip colors for fair skin
  - am i cool or warm? i still don't know.

• transformers 4
  - if you know me, this doesn't surprise you. and it won't surprise you that i already told my g-ma (boss lady) that i'm taking off work the day after its premiere so i can go to the midnight showing. did i mention it doesn't even come to theaters until june 27, 2014? i can't help myself.

•  geocaching
  meagan told me about this. there's an app called geocaching that is basically a treasure hunt. you are given coordinates to find these treasures where you live. how awesome is that?!

• wuciwug
  - my mama sent me a text that said, "wuciwug". wait, what? turns out she was trying to say, "i love you, too."
  parents + iphones = good laughs. i googled wuciwug to see what it meant: what you see is what you get.

•  hide and seek toddler's pov
  - if you haven't seen this video, be prepared to say awwww a lot. way. too. cute.

•  kindle fire vs ipad
  - i still don't know which one i want. any input would be appreciated.

• why do people hate lebron james?
  - now i know.

• polly pockets
  - because i had some nostalgia and wanted to reminisce.

i got this idea from this post and this post over on lyndsights.

first day of summer.

 root beet float!

 root beet float!

 IBC.

 salad with olive oil & raspberry vinaigrette dressing with a parmesan bowl.

not sure what this is, but it is SO vibrant.

 

beautiful (windy) summer day!

all photos belong to amber kanady photography

sweet peace.

i received a letter from kwagala peace this past week!
when i see "letter from your sponsor child" on the compassion envelopes, my heart almost leaps out of my chest.

she drew me a picture and signed her name at the bottom.

she thanked me for soap, toothpaste, saucepans, and plates. (the money i donate buys these things)
she also thanked me for loving her. hello, tears.

her prayer requests were for healing for her eyes and for God's wisdom.

i am humbly asking if y'all will say a prayer for this precious child.

kwagala's birthday is in september, so i have to send off her birthday package next month. 

i am going to tulsa on friday to get color pages, stickers, bookmarks, and band-aids. 

this sweet girl has changed my life. 

i constantly pray for her and wonder what she's doing at the moment.

i've started calling her "sweet peace", which is a variation of "sweet pea". (can you tell i'm southern?)  

i highly encourage you to sponsor a compassion child.
it is one of the most fulfilling things i have been apart of.

i've posted here and here about my sponsor child if you're new here and want to know more.
i added a picture of her on the bottom of the blog, as well.

1 timothy 6:17-18:

"teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. 

their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 

tell them to use their money to do good. they should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, 

always being ready to share with others."

linking up with blogging from the boonies today. 

such a great blog and helpful in letter-writing and sending gifts to sponsor children!

meet meagan.

amber kanady photography

i have known meagan since we were kids.
we grew up attending church together.
we take awesome adventures and go camping. (see here and here)

next week, she is leaving to go on a mission trip to honduras for six months.
we are all going to miss her so much, but i know God will work in her life and use her to show His love to others.

meagan will be keeping a blog while she is over there.
i highly encourage y'all to follow along and pray for her while she is on this journey.
she is hi-larious and her heart for the Lord will inspire you.

follow her blog, soils of the world. 

"for as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow,  

so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."

isaiah 61:11

 

chocolate chip scones.

over the weekend, i tried this scone recipe from one sheepish girl.

one word: delicious. 

i can't wait to try different flavors!

ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1/3 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of cold cubed butter

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1 egg

2/3 cup of dried cherries

1/2 plus 2 tablespoons of mini-chocolate chips

place your dry ingredients in a food processor and blend. slowly add your cubed butter pulsing your food process after each addition until mixture is soft and crumbly. in a separate bowl place your egg and heavy cream and mix with a fork.  add all the the ingredients from your bowl except enough to use as an egg wash on your scones into the mixture in your food processor. add your cherries and chocolate and pulse until well mixed.  

on your counter or on parchment paper scoop a small mound of flower and place a large round mound of scone dough to the center. press your dough out until it forms a circle about 3/4 - 1 inch thick. cut into 6ths or 8ths and place on a well greased pan (or covered in parchment paper).  use a basting brush to add your egg wash to the tops of your scones before baking. bake at 350 degrees for about 14 minutes if you make small scones or 25-28 if you make larger scones.

amber's tips:

• use a lot of chocolate chips. mine were slightly bland, but still delicious.
• for the cold cubed butter, i used unsalted butter that i had left over from these salted caramels.
• parchment paper is kinda awesome.
• it took around 16-17 minutes for my scones to bake.
• having siri remind me to take the scones out of the oven is epic.

over the weekend.

 bought this pretty paper flower at hobby lobby. and it was on sale. score!

also bought these pretty glass bottles for decoration. also on sale.

caramel iced coffee // yours truly

pretty flowers at the post office // strawberry acai green tea & honey

 tried my first turkey burger. verdict: ah-mazing.

deuteronomy 31:8 // the brave little toaster

pretty flowers at church

love these yellow flowers // iced coffee 

 me & daddy, circa 1987

OU game, 2011 // we are so alike

to daddy:

you are the best example of what a man of God should look like. kind, generous, patient, loving. 

our father/daughter time is spent in front of the tv on saturdays in the fall, cheering for those sooners.

people think you & i are shy and reserved. they'd never look at us the same if they saw us during those games.

thank you for being a wonderful daddy to dustin & i and a wonderful husband to my mama.

thank you for being you.

i love you.

4 tidbits of wisdom:

- my brother is my hero. he fearlessly went outside last night because i thought someone was trying to steal our a/c. turns out the a/c was the one making all that ruckus.

- mama is always right. just accept it.

- you'll learn more if you keep your mouth shut.

- turkey burgers are good. really good.

3 things i'm looking forward to this week:

- starting this online book club. (i have a serious book problem)

- starting more vbs preparations.

- writing letters tonight with meagan.

2 blogs i'm lovin':

- this post by a beautiful mess.

- this post by laundry cakes. pancakes = way to my heart.

1 quote from something i read:

"...may my mouth be filled with joyous laughter, because of the singular, surprising grace 

which i have received of the Lord, for i have found Jesus, the promised seed, and He is mine forever."

-charles spurgeon.

it's beginning to look a lot like summertime.

linking up over at kacia + robot