tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16946979686971328282024-02-06T20:33:00.956-08:00Domestic Bliss and BlundersThe Misadventures of a Middle-Aged MamaKristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-59429906263671625722019-06-25T18:34:00.000-07:002019-06-25T18:34:08.095-07:0010 years?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I cannot believe I started this blog ten years ago!</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am sitting here reflecting on yet another big life change and I found myself searching out my old blog. Just to see the pics and read the stories. I haven't posted often and my posts are not earth-shattering or full of profound wisdom. However, it <i>was</i> pretty cool to read back through them and remember those very specific days-days I had forgotten about. I have a terrible memory and reading my thoughts about my everyday experiences brought me real joy and a bit of sadness because I wish I had written down more! I wanted to remember <i>more. TEN YEARS have just slipped right on by! </i></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found myself pining for those days in the pictures. </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet I know, as much as I'd like to sometimes, we can't turn back time.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I can choose to more fully embrace today and be present. I can choose to blog more, share more, appreciate more.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I cannot let another 10 years of memories go by. </span><br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-48055100906777346472017-06-10T15:21:00.002-07:002017-06-10T15:21:59.543-07:00Refrigerator Makeover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have settled into life in San Antonio. Still not LOVING it (I miss my older kids) but I do like it more than I expected to. There is always something going on in the city, we have found a church we enjoy, Makenna had a great school year, and the house is really coming together. I have tackled many of the bigger projects, so now I have moved on to smaller, one-day, type undertakings. We have had this old and ugly refrigerator that now lives in our laundry room for three years. We use it for storing extra milk, soda, beer, etc.When we first bought it, it lived in the garage and I never had to look at it. Since we moved to San Antonio, it's home is now in the laudry room/drop zone and I have to see it multiple times a day. It was definitely putting a big damper on the bright and light vibe that I was going for in there, so it had to get a makeover. My sweet husband was home sick one day (I bet he doesn't do that again anytime soon) so I figured it was a great time to ask him to haul it into the garage for me so I could paint it.<br />
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I used some handy dandy appliance epoxy to take it from blechy beige to bright white so it would match my washer and dryer. I also removed the handles and spray painted them with some silver metallic.<br />
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I ended up doing three coats to get as much coverage as I wanted. Then, because I just can't leave well enough alone, I had to break out the Cricut and vinyl to add some much needed pizzaz. I love how it turned out. It is cute and fun, lighter and brighter, and makes me happy when I see it now. I Googled images for hibiscus (my new favorite flower) silhouttes, uploaded the images to Design Center, and ta-dah, cute fridge! I had to add the Razorback per request of my hubby-I figured I should comply since I made him haul a major appliance with a fever, but the Razorback ended up with a hibiscus tattoo. </div>
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-18925316316575677192016-08-09T06:32:00.001-07:002016-08-09T06:32:22.014-07:00Hobby Lobby Haul!<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mo643Z-uanY" width="480"></iframe>Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-44673845516110508992016-05-07T18:36:00.001-07:002016-05-07T18:36:12.056-07:00Remember the Alamo!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, folks it looks like I will soon be a resident of San Antonio,Texas! Hubby got the job and they want him there in six weeks. This last week has been a flurry of organizing, cleaning and basically just freaking out. The house hit the market a few days ago. May I just say that trying to live in a house without messing anything up and keeping it show ready is beyond frustrating. I have lived in this house exactly a year this month. I love this house. Its big and beautiful and we will probably never get a location like the one we have again. However, I know God has great plans for us and this will be an exciting adventure.<br />
I was born in Colorado and aside from 6 years in North Dakota with my first husband I have lived here my entire life.<br />
I am scared, nervous and excited all at the same time.<br />
My two adult children live here in Colorado Springs.<br />
I will miss them terribly and am already planning to get them down to San Antonio as soon as possible.<br />
I hope they fall in love with it and want to move down there :)<br />
I did manage to get some crafting done right before he got the news and my craft room had to be put in order. Here is a pocket letter that I made for a private swap. This one is for the daughters of the gal I am swapping with. I love how it came out and will probably make a duplicate for my own collection. I they love it and I hope you do too!<br />
Oh, and the meals worked out great! We found some new favorites and it was great to get out of routine. I will definitely be doing that again once my kitchen doesn't have to stay in pristine condition!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-9968607137609527422016-04-20T18:17:00.001-07:002016-04-20T18:25:38.382-07:00Rut-Busting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">I have been in a food-rut. I think we all do it at some point-life gets busy, cooking drops to the bottom of the priority list and we resort to making whatever is fastest and requires the least thought and effort. On days when I stay late at school to tutor it falls to my husband to make dinner. This means we will have one of two selections-Papa John's Pizza or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Those are the two recipes in his cooking repertoire. Uh-huh. Both of which are fine in a pinch but as a staple of our diet, not quite doin' it for me. And, frankly I was getting really bored of eggs and bacon, crock pot roast and jambalaya that can be served in 18-20 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Here are my cookbooks. I collect them like I collect Halloween scrapbooking supplies. I may never use them but they are fun to look at. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0CPKJLLTF1TtTzOHiH0_xl2clbZ2tgjRfvyQyp7nVT12CtDS-2N7dYBvR8njrGNzcU4cLRDGaFQkM5gizAvQ4X-p-laX2Ob-zhaJIZoX6F7q1SOXFrvJlpxe8ye5S2NY780tNc-zng/s1600/20160420_184039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0CPKJLLTF1TtTzOHiH0_xl2clbZ2tgjRfvyQyp7nVT12CtDS-2N7dYBvR8njrGNzcU4cLRDGaFQkM5gizAvQ4X-p-laX2Ob-zhaJIZoX6F7q1SOXFrvJlpxe8ye5S2NY780tNc-zng/s320/20160420_184039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Which is a shame, on both counts.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">It's got to change.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Change starts with me s</span><span style="color: #0b5394;">ince I am the only one in the house that can read the mysterious language that these books are written in. Words like "saute," "deglaze," (no, honey that is not a fancy word for a plain donut) "simmer" and " boullion" might as well be French as far as my husband is concerned. Actually, boullion may really be French but that is beside the point.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">I decided that this week I was going to pick five new recipes to try and I was going to come home every night and make them, come hell or high water. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">This week I selected recipes from a couple of my Pioneer Women cookbooks. Ree has never steered me wrong and I was confident that this would make my week a success thus pushing me to continue this tasty journey.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">I did my online grocery shopping-which if you haven't tried you absolutely should- and made sure that I had all the ingredients so there would be no excuses or last minute pizza ordering.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Every night I do a quick check to see what proteins I may need to thaw or if I can chop something in advance.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">You know what? I have loved cooking this week! My husband and daughter are excited about dinner. We are sitting at the table and enjoying our food and each other's company. My house smells amazing. Dinner has become a treat and not just a boring nightly routine like doing homework and taking a bath. My husband clears the table and loads the dishes. An added bonus has been that hubby and I both have yummy leftovers for lunch the next day which are so much better tasting than frozen microwave food.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Here's what I have made thus far. They all have been great. The chicken with mustard cream sauce was AMAZING. </span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/?s=chicken+with+mustard+cream+sauce">Chicken with Mustard-Cream Sauce</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/meatballs-with-peppers-and-pineapple/">Meatballs with Peppers and Pineapple</a><br />
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<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/?s=beef+stroganoff">Beef Stroganoff</a><br />
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On the menu tomorrow night-PIZZA.<br />
THIS pizza-<br />
<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/steakhouse-pizza/">Steakhouse Pizza</a><br />
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I hope you will give these recipes a try! I have already found some new favorites. Definitely domestic bliss! :)</div>
Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-86276487924324204812016-04-14T19:41:00.000-07:002016-04-14T19:41:07.894-07:00Pocket Letters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="background-color: white;">I have fallen in love with pocket letters! These nifty little things were created by Janette Lane and I think the idea was sheer genius! You create nine little Artist Trading Cards (ATC's), place them into a baseball trading card sleeve, add a few little crafty goodies in them along with a letter about yourself to your swap partner and send them off through snail mail to the recipient. It is a fabulous way to meet some new friends, use up your stash, and get some artistic inspiration. On a side note, for crafters that suffer with ADD like I do, it is wonderful because it can be done in very small bites-it is much easier than tackling a 12 by 12 layout or an entire scrapbook. Here are a few that I have created and sent off!</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-30480490029688312962016-04-14T19:21:00.001-07:002016-04-20T18:25:05.948-07:00Craftiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How can it be 2016 already, let alone APRIL of 2016? Time has flown by! Since my last blog post, we have moved AGAIN. We loved our previous house but let me tell you, all it takes it one rotten neighbor to take the shine off of a new house. Fortunately we were able to recoup everything we had put into it plus enough for a nice down payment on the house we are in. It all worked out for the better-we have a bigger house on a much, much bigger lot in a nicer neighborhood. In a weird way, I have to thank my rotten neighbors for all of that. :) Now, it looks like my husband may be transferred to Tampa,Florida or San Antonio, Texas and we could be making another move in the very near future. I am becoming a professional at this moving stuff, I tell ya!<br />
In the middle of the last move, I finished my degree and passed my state exams! YAY! The best thing about that, aside from a job I love, is that I no longer have to spend my evenings doing homework-I get to CRAFT again and I am so very excited. Hubby bought me a Cricut Explore Air for Christmas and I have been craft crazy since then. I LOVE that machine. Here are a few of the things I have been working on!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-66272037963833121262014-08-18T15:31:00.001-07:002014-08-18T15:31:40.127-07:00Fall Tags<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am so ready for fall! It is my favorite season and it's just around the corner. I decided to do a little crafting while Miss Makenna was off to her first day of school and this is what I came up with! The owl tags are made with the current August stamp of the month from Close to My Heart. It is a really versatile stamp set and I just love the images on it. The Halloween tags are a mish-mash of various things I had in my stash. Thanks for checking them out!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-28264817668419181582014-08-18T14:05:00.001-07:002014-08-18T14:05:32.380-07:00First day of school!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today was the first day of school for Makenna. I cannot believe my beautiful baby is already in 3rd grade! She was very excited this morning and couldn't wait to get there. I am praying that she has a wonderful school year. I always look forward to the first day of school-the new crayons and shoes, the fresh smell of a new ream of paper, sharp yellow pencils with the eraser still attached-they all take me back to when I was a child. At the same time, I also look at this day with a small sense of regret. Did I take full advantage of the extra time I had with her or did I spend the last three weeks of summer vacation wishing the clock would go faster so I could get five minutes to myself? Actually, I did both. Today I have had a whole day full of peace and quiet. And I am a little lonely. I miss her. Hurry up and get here Saturday!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-69244285566427529082013-08-22T12:42:00.002-07:002013-08-22T12:42:56.260-07:00What a difference a coat of paint makes!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here is the before picture of my new living room. This mess was driving me C-R-A-Z-Y! I can close the door to all the other rooms that aren't put together yet and kinda forget about them, but this is part of the great room and no one can possibly enter from the front or back without being confronted with whatever this room looks like. First impressions are important to me, so this had to be painted and decorated ASAP!<br />
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Very, uh, un-inviting. To say the least.<br />
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So, I headed out to Lowe's to shop for paint. And of course, I forget to take my pillow to color-match the paint with. So I guess. I have had successful guessing episodes in the past when selecting paint, and I have had some not-so-successful ones. Like the one I just had for the spa room. The initial paint I picked out for my spa room was called "aloe", a very soothing, mellow citrus-y green. The name itself evoked soothing, nature-like connotations. I laid that puppy on the wall, and instant "neon, light up glow stick"! It was really awful. BUT, I digress. The color I picked for my living room was DEAD ON PERFECT. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is called "Royal Palm" and it is everything I wanted. Striking, but not overbearing. Colorful. Modern. Soothing. Peaceful.<br />
Here is the picture. I don't think my little Galaxy 3 photo is the greatest, but my other camera is probably in a box labeled "cook books" or "bathroom knick knacks" and has yet to make an appearance.<br />
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Da-da- da!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-63820426547991498462013-08-12T20:51:00.001-07:002013-08-12T20:57:28.614-07:00Moving-Another Love/Hate Relationship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, it happened! With only a minor hiccup and one unplanned night in a hotel, we closed on our new home and are now the proud owners of a 5 bedroom, 3 bath mortgage! Woot woot! Only two plates suffered fatalities, which in my book is a pretty darn good moving job. Our movers (Mayflower) did an excellent job of packing our belongings one day and getting them in the new house the next. This is the first time I have ever had the pleasure of having professional movers and it definitely spoiled me. We will have to use them the next time we move, which will hopefully be NEVER!!!!!!!!!!<br />
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new home. It is big and beautiful and represents everything I was sure I wasn't going to be able to have for a long time.<br />
I absolutely hate the digging out. The disorientation. The sheets hung on the windows so you don't scar the neighbors by flashing them. The inability to locate things-like the title of a car that you have had for sale for six weeks and the week that you move and the movers pack the title in a box labeled "kitchen utensils" is the week that someone decides to buy it.<br />
My house is a disaster zone at the moment. Surveying the never ending mountains of boxes and living with the chaos and disorganization is hard for me. I want everything done NOW. But of course, we had to have a few exciting bumps in the road just to keep things interesting. I have finals-this week. Makenna starts school-this week. Brad is on his last week of furlough (Thank you, God!) and he wants to use his final day off to take baby girl to the mountains-this week. And I wanted to get my house put together-this week. Alas, I will have to be patient. For now, here are some pics of the wonderful mess that I am so very grateful to be living in.<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-68319747931274526362013-07-05T13:49:00.001-07:002013-07-05T13:54:29.566-07:00House Building-A Love/Hate Relationship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After what seems like an eternity (nearly 4 years, same thing!) of living in a rental, it looks like we are going to be moving into a new house in 24 days! Although, looking at today's pics of their progress, I am doubtful that they can really assemble my beautiful home in 24 short days. I am excited, but reservedly so. After 4 years of complete and utter frustration, can it really be that something wonderful is about to happen? Like so many people who lost everything when the housing market crashed, we have spent the last four years trying to rebuild our abysmal credit. My husband and I had to give up our dream home in a short sale, negotiate with creditors to avoid bankruptcy, and try to hang in there and keep our bank account and marriage afloat through a long stretch of unemployment, school and personal stresses. It has been emotionally and physically draining. And it really felt like it was going to last forever. I guess at this point, the underwriter could still look at our loan package and deny us for some odd reason. That would be par for the course we have been on, but I am clinging to the glimmers of hope given us by the loan officer and the builder that, yes, this can be done. In sum, I love this house and am beyond excited that it could actually be mine. On the other hand, I hate the process-the loan application and approval process is excruciatingly slow and uncertain-absolutely nerve wracking. The packing, the timing, the possibility of someone missing a deadline and us being out of a home as of July 31. So many variables. Hard for a "planner" like me. My husband and I never fight, but the emotional strain of all of this has pushed us to the brink. Almost to the point that it would be easier to walk away from the house. But it is the smart thing to do-build equity, plan a future, put down new roots. Start over. Lord knows we need a fresh start. If God chooses to bless us with this unexpected miracle, I will blogging the complete journey of decorating and furnishing this beautiful house and I hope you'll watch. I can smell the fresh paint already!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-41408634419608019262013-01-01T07:21:00.000-08:002016-04-20T18:42:20.983-07:00Happy New Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is me and my sweet, sweet man. Not the greatest shot as far as photography skills go (it was, after all, taken by a six year old) but I love it anyway. This was taken on December 31st, 2012. The last day of a very crazy year, and we are still together and still smiling. That is an accomplishment that I grow more amazed at and proud of with every single turn of the calendar. Over the past 5 years, we have gone through so much. At one point, we nearly broke as a couple. But God, in His goodness and wisdom used what was intended to destroy us to make us even stronger. Our relationship is better than it ever was. Now, as far as major life events this year, we had a ton-but I think that is true for everyone. At certain points this year, I was on my knees begging God to just give me a week off-a week with no stress, no worries, no curve balls. His answer was always, "There is no such thing. This is LIFE. Hold on to my hand-no matter what happens." I didn't hold on to His hand. I clung to His neck like a drowning woman with a life preserver. Here is our year in a nut shell, in chronological order. Compared to some, it may be crazy; compared to others, you may wish you had had my year instead of the fiery furnace you had to walk through. Some of these events are very happy ones-but any woman knows, if it is an event that you personally are in charge of (like the two weddings!), they may be happy but they are dang stressful!<br />
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January-My mother gets married. This is her fourth marriage. The third marriage was in 2010. Ugh.<br />
My 43 birthday. Any birthday that starts with a "4" now causes a tiny bit of anxiety. :)<br />
My sweet father-in-law quits breathing and is admitted to a hospital in Arkansas. He will be there for 121 days and will never go home. Hubby goes to Arkansas for 2 weeks.<br />
I make the decision to go back to school full-time and carry a maximum size class load.<br />
February-Hubby and baby girl's birthdays.<br />
Get notified that hubby's job may going away.<br />
Confirmation 2 weeks later. He has thirty days left, and his position is being cut across the nation. No possibility of a transfer.<br />
March-Jobless, for the first time in 24 years.<br />
April-Father-in-law passes away on Good Friday. Hubby and I fly to Arkansas for two weeks.<br />
Hubby hunting for a job.<br />
May-I decide to a full class load over the summer. (What was I thinking?)<br />
My son graduates from college on May 18th. So proud of the young man, missing my little boy.<br />
My oldest daughter gets married on May 19th. So proud of the young woman, missing my little girl.<br />
At this point, all savings are gone.<br />
Hubby searching diligently for a job.<br />
June-my Volkswagen Beetle, now out of warranty, blows up. $3000 to repair.<br />
Fixed it with borrowed money, sold it, broke even. Bought a junker car, which I still drive.<br />
The first time in 13 years I have not had a "nice" car to drive but thankful for a car.<br />
Still hunting for a job.<br />
July-hottest on record, no AC, and the largest wildfire in Colorado history breaks out 5 miles from my house and burns for six weeks. We house an unknown family of five evacuees in our house for a week.<br />
Still hunting for a job.<br />
August-Baby girl starts first grade. We change schools. She is excited, I bawl like a baby.<br />
We have to sell my husband's motorcycle-we can no longer make the payments. This was his<br />
retirement gift when he left the Air Force after 22 years. I grieve.<br />
Hubby is still looking for a job. For each job he applies for, at least 24 other veterans are applying as well, all equally qualified. He starts looking for work out of state. This causes me much anxiety because all of my family and kids are here. I do not want to move.<br />
Still praying.<br />
September-Fall classes start. I decide to take a double load. Getting straight A's, but looking back, I don't think that is necessarily a mark of intelligence. Why did I keep doing this to myself?<br />
October-Hubby has six weeks left of unemployment benefits. We find out Colorado is one of only five states that are terminating extended benefits. Their reasoning-they are getting too many unemployment claims.<br />
The poor man is getting so frustrated and discouraged.<br />
Still praying.<br />
November-Hubby starts a part-time job (thank heaven he is at least out of the house! We are driving each other stir-crazy!) That job goes away after two weeks.<br />
The day his part-time job ends, and at the very beginning of the last unemployment pay period, he gets a full-time job offer. Half the pay of what he used to make, but it will keep us afloat.<br />
Two weeks later, he gets a job offer from an application he submitted in June. Full pay at previous salary, benefits, and job security. I, again, bawl like a baby-this time out of sheer relief.<br />
December-Hubby starts his new job.<br />
Wonderful Christmas season. :)<br />
Mom announces she is getting a divorce and wants all of her husbands things out of her house put into a storage locker. THE NEXT DAY.<br />
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But, in spite of job losses, deaths, weddings, divorces, and car problems-I can honestly say it was a very good year. It brought us closer together as a couple, it taught us what we really NEEDED to get by, we got our priorities straightened out, and we had to draw closer to God and totally depend on Him. And through all of it, He never, ever failed us. We were never late on one bill. We never went hungry. If my husband had not been unemployed, he would not have been able to take the time to be with his mom and comfort her following the death of his father. The weddings and graduation celebration were beautiful. I made the Dean's list every semester. I don't have the burden of a car payment or motorcycle payment, and we are now in better financial shape than ever. God is good, all the time.<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-31602176789800667502012-11-05T15:29:00.000-08:002012-11-05T15:29:53.010-08:00Post Card Swap and Pinterest Birthday Card<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I got to do a little crafting today and I am so excited about how they turned out. Just wanted to share! Thanks for looking!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-11931344147996472912012-10-17T16:56:00.001-07:002012-10-17T16:56:31.348-07:00Harvest Pound Cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I found some really cute little mini bundt pans at Homegoods (my all time favorite store) on the same day I found this recipe on Pinterest. I decided it must be a sign from Heaven that I was supposed to make this cake! Yesterday I cranked out 8 of these little beauties and sent them out to the neighbors. They are AMAZING! So moist, and yummy, and Autumn-y :). The caramel topping is divine. The only change I made to the recipe was to add 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of cloves.<br />
<a href="http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/harvest-pound-cake/3aee7486-55b5-4e3e-ae01-3c60c03eaaec">http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/harvest-pound-cake/3aee7486-55b5-4e3e-ae01-3c60c03eaaec</a><br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-79956274998133530542012-09-24T19:50:00.001-07:002012-09-24T19:50:27.403-07:00Scrapbook page<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I cannot believe my little lady is already in first grade! Time goes by so quickly :( Thankfully I am learning that each and every day is a precious gift and should never be taken for granted. I am learning to "let-go" of things that used to stress me out. My house does not have to be in perfect condition anymore before I give myself permission to doing something I enjoy. Life is not meant to be a big guilt trip. I have learned to prioritize. People are more important than pots and pans. Anyhoo-I love these pictures of my baby. Makenna was so excited to go to "big kid school" (aka, full day school ). She looked so cute in her new uniforms and was very happy to get to carry her new backpack. I love her enthusiasm-that million watt smile gets me every time- and I am so thankful for the blessing of all my children. Paper and stickers by October Afternoon. Die-Cuts, Cricut-Plantin Schoolbook.<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-23947763681205485992012-08-29T21:07:00.001-07:002012-08-29T21:07:20.024-07:00Cute treat bag!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tonight I made this cute treat bag with my Cricut Artiste cartridge and a CTMH stamp set. I am a coffee lover, and have lots of friends who enjoy it as well. I am going to put a clear bag of flavored coffee beans inside this adorable little bag and send it along with some homemade cookies to my fellow coffee fiends!I think they'll love it!</span><br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-75228802545128029872012-08-27T17:10:00.004-07:002012-08-27T17:10:56.295-07:00Wooo Pig Sooie!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hubs is an Arkansas Razorback fan. I never should have let him on Pinterest. He saw one of these and was about to order one, until he found out that they run anywhere from $55-$80! I made this one for $25 (he already had the license plate) and I think it's pretty dang cute!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-47286663914268088852012-08-26T20:20:00.001-07:002012-08-26T20:20:40.227-07:00Card for Teacher<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Teaching is a tough gig! I know this from 13 years of full-time elementary classroom experience. Makenna goes to a great school and her teacher is doing one heck of a job, so I made this card to attach to a home-baked treat we will be sending in to her this week. I used the Cricut Artiste cartridge for the pocket and insert, a Jenny Bowlin bingo card, and various school themed stamped images and buttons in my stash ( I have almost as much school themed scrapbook stuff as I do Christmas and Halloween!). Hope you enjoy! Hug a teacher and spoil them when you can!</span><br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-83327382339807075582012-08-25T19:52:00.000-07:002012-08-25T19:52:21.576-07:00Fall Inspired Craftiness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Makenna started first grade a few weeks ago. Now she is gone ALL day! Kinda happy-she loves school and being around other kids, and it gives me more time to do my college course work and get crafty. Kinda sad-my baby is gone for 7 hours a day, and it's really super quiet around here! Well, except for my sweet husband being home all day with me (but he doesn't talk that much :). He got laid off in April and is still looking for work, but we are praying for something to open up soon and enjoying the time together that we haven't had for a long, long time. Anyhow, with my spare time I finally got to get crafty with my Cricut and the new Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge. I love ALL of my Cricut cartridges, but I have to say that the Close to My Heart cartridges are far and away the best bang for your buck. So extremely versatile! Here are a few examples of what I have been working on. Have a great day, y'all!<br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-53053602415404719292012-08-25T19:38:00.000-07:002012-08-25T19:40:04.828-07:00Pinterest Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I discovered Pinterest around 4 months ago, and I am completely hooked! My favorite boards to pin from are the Food, Crafts, Fitness and Home Decor. I probably should spend way more time on the fitness part than the food part. Anyway, I am probably a little late jumping on the burlap wreath bandwagon, but once I got wind of them, I knew it would be the perfect fall decor project. I love how it came out. I sprayed the final product with Copper Glimmer Mist to give it just a little shimmer. I think the burlap roses came out cute, and I used bottle caps with some scrapbook paper centers for those. We have had a really hot summer here in Colorado, and I am SO ready for fall! I am breaking out the fall decor on September 1st, come hell or high water! Thanks for looking!</span><br />
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Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-77228176853595676142012-01-09T17:29:00.001-08:002012-01-09T17:29:48.699-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br /></div>Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-28661949159455306562011-11-02T11:09:00.000-07:002011-11-03T14:01:51.449-07:00Halloween Treats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had to make something ultra cute for my daughter to take in to her Fall party at school, but I wanted it to be something she could be involved in. The trick now is when sending food in to school for public consumption you cannot send in anything homemade. Too many allergies and other issues to consider. This makes it difficult for a child to "help" make treats. So, I found a cute idea while surfing the internet and we gave it a go. I was very pleased with the results! I cut out the treat boxes with my Cricut using the Batman cartridge. Then I designed and printed the "Spooky S'mores" label and directions on my computer. Makenna then used various pre-made die-cuts to decorate the boxes. Then we placed pre-wrapped bags of Halloween marshmallow and small size, individually wrapped Hershey bars into the boxes. The only tricky part of this treat was the graham crackers. They don't come individually wrapped. We wrapped four squares of grahams into plastic wrap, then copied the ingredients label off the box and printed them out on computer labels and used them to seal the crackers. These got carefully placed into the boxes as well. Makenna took great pride in the fact that she had "made" s'mores for her friends. I love it that she will have these fun memories of making projects with her mama.<br />
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<br /></div>Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-5926426597592986362011-11-02T10:44:00.000-07:002011-11-03T14:04:14.828-07:00Pumpkin Carving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My daughters and I are the pumpkin carvers in the family. The men are just too wimpy to handle the slimy, stinky pumpkin guts. Really, when it comes down to it women are just altogether tougher. Don't you agree? I mean, it HAS to be done. Pumpkins MUST be carved. How could anyone fathom the idea of a Halloween without plunging a knife into a large orange gourd? Anyway, my 5 year old got her pumpkin when her class visited the local pumpkin patch. Upon bringing it home, she immediately "decorated" it with a huge purple sharpie. It looked, well, bad. Really bad. And she knew it. So we had to think of some way to salvage the pumpkin, because using a different one was out of the question-that was THE ONE she had selected. We decided to paint over the mess. The only thing that would cover it was three coats of metallic black acrylic paint- and it looked <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple;"><i><b>totally</b></i></span> cool. Then she decided she wanted a Batman themed pumpkin. My older daughter did an awesome job of tracing and cutting out the Batman logo for the pumpkin. I have never used pumpkin stencils before, but after seeing the end result of my haunted house stencil I am completely hooked. And my girls and I had a wonderful time together. A stinky, slimy, totally gross and fabulous time together. :)<br />
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<br /></div>Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1694697968697132828.post-53227221624214005942011-11-02T10:33:00.000-07:002011-11-03T14:05:57.936-07:00Big Fat Bacon Sliders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My sweet husband was gone for a week on a business trip and had to eat out for every meal. I wanted to try something new and fun for his first dinner home. I am currently on a huge Pioneer Woman kick, and when I saw these on her blog I knew they were definitely something a man would be happy to come home to. My 19 year old daughter and I made them along with her fried onion straws. They were SO fabulous! Delicious-full of flavor, juicy, filling. COMFORT food. I am having SO much fun getting out of my cooking rut. I swear, for about 5 years I just got in the habit of cooking only a few meals over and over and over again. I was bored and so was my family. I visited the Pioneer Woman's website after seeing an article about her in a magazine. I am completely hooked on her. Not just for the cooking and recipes, but she is so very, very <i>real. </i>She talks about her family, her expanding waistline, her insecurities, her faith. The good, the bad and the ugly. She is not trying to be something she's not. And I think I can learn a lot from someone like that.<br />
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<br /></div>Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03763670373141208439noreply@blogger.com0