tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43570529387083561802012-01-28T02:34:09.283-05:00Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.comBlogger4661100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-25642516019933411242012-01-13T13:14:00.020-05:002012-01-13T16:10:35.557-05:00

I'm finally getting around to blogging about Christmas!! It was a busy one! We kicked off the Christmas season the day after Christmas with the town's Christmas parade. We spent quite a bit of time on our Advents. We put up our Christmas tree and decorations. Morgan had her Christmas performances. And, as you'll see, we did quite a bit more!The first weekend in December, we went to the Lighted

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-75492106129259149282012-01-05T09:40:00.002-05:002012-01-06T08:44:55.018-05:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've blogged. I didn't plan on taking a break, but it ended up that way anyway. :-) I'm hoping to catch up blogging about all our Christmas activities we had real soon. For now, I have some of Morgan's performances that I wanted to share.Morgan had a Kindergarten Christmas sing at the school, which was really nice. They sang 8 different songs and you can tell

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-83165592657080318032011-12-19T13:24:00.003-05:002011-12-19T16:45:34.282-05:00

We found a cute little tree behind Rich's grandma's house again this year.The trunk was so small that Rich had it cut down before I could get a picture of him cutting it-lol!Blake thought the chain saw was a bit noisy, but he still liked it ;-)We got it up and decorated within the next several days. The kids posed for a picture once we finished and the picture became our Christmas card this year

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-5298562877926506452011-12-13T12:25:00.007-05:002011-12-13T13:06:34.873-05:00

The kids and I are enjoying advent this year, but it sure is going fast! I added a couple more 'calendars' to our original two this year. The new ones are a little more involved now that the kiddos are older :-)I've seen this done a few times, but never took the time to do it myself before. I wrapped up all the kids' Christmas and winter-themed books (plus a few mailing envelopes with notes to go

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-18403051782466841112011-12-01T13:30:00.001-05:002011-12-01T13:37:51.144-05:00

I know it may seem minor to have a pot rack put up in my kitchen, but it's exciting for me! I've been waiting for six years for it to happen! When Rich and I were married, we received this nice set of pots for either my shower or the wedding. (See, it's been so long I can't even remember-LOL!) Anyway, there isn't enough room in the drawer under my oven to store them and if I tried, they'd scratch

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-21891142591934778192011-11-29T17:00:00.011-05:002011-11-29T17:29:30.403-05:00

This is a guest post by my sister, Katie. Please take a minute to help if you can. (It would literally only take a minute!)*********Hello All! My name is Katie and I have a favor to ask of everyone. I live in Metro Detroit and happen to volunteer at an animal rescue called Almost Home. Almost Home is a great shelter and is absolutely 100% no kill! They rescue dogs and cats in the area and if they

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-56227537530647139962011-11-29T15:30:00.000-05:002011-11-29T15:44:28.736-05:00

We've been a little busy....and sick...lately. The five days leading up to Thanksgiving we had three birthday parties, two of which were surprises and the other was a little guy turning 4, so they were all fun :-) Blake and Morgan had colds throughout that time and then Rich and I got the colds in time for Thanksgiving...not so fun!Thanksgiving day was spent with Rich's family. I made up some

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-21687859810512723992011-11-16T12:39:00.004-05:002011-11-16T12:58:14.812-05:00

A few of Rich's fellow firefighters flew out to Pennsylvania about a month ago to pick up the department's new fire engine. We went to see it the next day to get some pictures and check out all the special bells and whistles....quite literally! ;-)This is the special bell that they had put on it.Morgan and Blake posing with the bell.Isn't it pretty. Since it was in the bay, I couldn't get a full

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-33858609036997076082011-11-16T11:00:00.004-05:002011-11-17T07:25:01.570-05:00

When I think of my favorite time of the day that I spend with the kids, it's the time we spend together reading bedtime stories. I love everything about it. I love seeing the joy in their faces while they pick out their favorite books. I love how they run to their places on the couch and start looking at the books before I even get there. I love cuddling with my favorite two little ones, while

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-59355008974208977172011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:002011-11-09T06:00:09.536-05:00

Our local library celebrated 100 years of being open this past weekend. We went for Story Time and Blake made the paper! (Upper right-he's doing the craft.) I was also quoted, but you can ignore that. ;-)One part of the celebration was the kids could get their faces painted. Morgan chose a butterfly... ...and Blake went with a shark. Of course the library had other things going on and snacks for

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-19089519801772761522011-11-08T12:49:00.012-05:002011-11-17T07:16:54.599-05:00

Congratulations to the winners, Debby @ Just Breathe and jenblizzard!! With the holidays quickly approaching, it's more important than ever to get organized. Before I know it life is going to be even more hectic than it already is! When I was selected by Ashley at Sweetpea Lifestyle to review the Home Organization 101 Binder, I couldn't have been more excited-it's exactly what I needed!The Home

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-78871737395294704592011-11-08T10:15:00.000-05:002011-11-08T10:17:28.147-05:00

We managed to squeeze in a few pumpkin projects this fall, despite having less time with both kiddos being in school. I think it's harder on me than the kiddos, not having the time to be as creative with them! LOL!The kiddos' entries into the newspaper's coloring contest. I think it's cute Blake tried coloring his like his sister's :-) These are some Marshmallow Pumpkins we made. I had seen them

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-55318814224742029662011-11-03T13:45:00.005-04:002011-11-03T14:46:09.095-04:00

This year seems busier than usual, so we haven't done as much crafts as in the past, but the kids still had the chance to do some trick-or-treating and other fun activities for Halloween. (We did do some pumpkin crafts and activities that I'll share in another post.)Two weekends ago the local library had their Halloween Story Time and craft. The kids heard the story "The Little Old Lady Who Was

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-32365965245358614982011-11-03T12:26:00.010-04:002011-11-03T13:29:09.265-04:00

For those of us who don't necessarily want to vacuum pet hair every day, but would love for our children to have a pet to take care of, MyOwnPet Balloons might be a great option! Not only are they hair free, but the child has all sorts of options! Anything from a dog to a dinosaur! No matter what one you choose, they'll definitely inspire a young child's imagination. As the child who receives a

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-32312160100242848132011-10-31T10:53:00.005-04:002011-10-31T11:23:54.754-04:00

The final guest post about the kids' and my apple adventures posted Friday at Energizer Bunnies' Mommy Reports. In the post I share about some apple science and history that we enjoyed learning about, so please click on the link above and check it out! :-)I also wanted to thank Marina for asking if I'd like to be a guest blogger at Energizer Bunnies' Mommy Reports. I was honored to be asked and

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-74369130681547968582011-10-21T17:18:00.002-04:002011-10-21T17:25:05.712-04:00

My third guest post is up at Energizer Bunnies' Mommy Reports. This post is my favorite so far! In it I share about all the fun apple crafts and activities the kids and I enjoyed! Please stop over and take a peak :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-68270009128080380152011-10-19T06:00:00.003-04:002011-10-19T06:00:13.225-04:00

This little flower bed usually just has some tulips in the Spring then nothing (or weeds) the rest of the year, but this year I decided to spruce it up a bit for fall :-) After cleaning it out and adding fertilizer (thanks to the steers), we were given mums from Morgan's dance teacher. And since our pie pumpkins didn't come up this year, Grandma let us take some of hers'. For not spending a

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-64339855285994237802011-10-14T08:56:00.002-04:002011-10-14T09:06:37.465-04:00

My second guest post is up at Energizer Bunnies' Mommy Reports. The post includes some cooking and baking that the kids and I did with the apples we picked at the orchard. Please stop by and see the fun we had! :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-11432696887295831412011-10-12T06:00:00.001-04:002011-10-12T06:00:02.960-04:00

Taken a little over a week ago...so much pink! :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-85253967397507055152011-10-07T16:46:00.004-04:002011-10-07T16:58:10.813-04:00

I just wanted to share that I will be a guest blogger at Energizer Bunnies' Mommy Reports every Friday from today to the end of the October! I'll be blogging about the activities the kids and I have done with apples. Please stop by to see the fun we've been having :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-38153114919741864732011-10-06T12:16:00.008-04:002011-10-06T13:27:42.044-04:00

The Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum came to visit during our town's festival this summer. When I saw they were going to be there, I knew it would be fun to go, since the actual museum is a blast. Plus, I couldn't beat that the kids got to do this all for free! :-)The kids started off by playing with magnets to see how they work.Then Morgan got messy with cornstarch and water. Depending on how fast you

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-9614311859549183022011-10-05T16:32:00.004-04:002011-10-05T16:39:36.246-04:00

The little guy who ALWAYS wants me to do things for him asked to button his shirt himself.

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-21748451047994948542011-09-28T09:53:00.010-04:002011-09-28T12:26:23.003-04:00

We spent a day at the fair that I grew up showing cattle (and all sorts of other things) at near the end of July. (I'm still catching up on summer posts!) It was so nice reminiscing a bit and watching Morgan, Blake and my nieces enjoying their time there.We took pictures at the cut-out by the poultry barn.Enjoyed seeing the MSU and fireman scarecrow projects.Blake's favorite cake...and from the

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-76026310877088033392011-09-27T13:32:00.006-04:002011-09-27T14:31:27.357-04:00

Since it's been a month since Blake's birthday, I figured I should probably share his birthday celebrations with you before I forget completely ;-)Due to busy schedules of our families, we were not able to get everyone together for one birthday party for Blake, so we ended up having two! So there are a few pictures from each that I'd like to share.Party #1Blake's birthday cake. He wanted

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-55508081475894423082011-09-26T11:07:00.006-04:002011-09-26T14:08:05.684-04:00

Back in August the kids, my nieces, my mom and my brother all spent an afternoon at the beach. It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful time enjoying the water and soaking up the sun :-)Morgan and Blake playing in the park by the beach while they wait for their cousins to get ready.Blake in the water...I love how the sailboat is in the distance :-)Morgan holding hands with her cousin in the

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-37976046966354899682011-09-17T19:24:00.008-04:002011-09-17T22:51:57.374-04:00

I'm bummed to admit that we didn't make it camping this year as a family, so as Rich went camping with some fellow firefighters this weekend for the Michigan Fireman's Memorial Festival, I decided the kids and I would also do a little camping of our own.Since it was FREEZING (literally) outside, I thought it best to do it all inside. Of course it was nothing like true camping, but the kids and I

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-24701871490546703842011-09-15T22:50:00.006-04:002011-09-15T23:37:38.034-04:00

Blake started preschool on Wednesday. As the day approached, I tried not to think to much about it, but I knew it was going to be tough on me. I was in tears about it weeks ago, then after Morgan started Kindergarten last week, I knew that Wednesday was going to be particularly rough (for me).HE did great! No tears and went with his teachers no problem after hugging his Daddy and I.His teacher

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-76809251814855202812011-09-06T11:22:00.004-04:002011-09-06T11:47:51.738-04:00

My baby girl started her first day of kindergarten today. She has been really excited about school and counting down the days.She is going to the same school building she went to last year and knew her teacher already, so I think that made the transition a bit easier.Though, I think a little worry started to set in once we got into the classroom by the look on her face.She found her seat quickly

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-85849432296736729122011-09-01T12:02:00.004-04:002011-09-01T13:21:01.565-04:00

(I apologize for the long post...I had to get it all out! LOL!) I haven't been looking forward to this coming school year. Both my little ones will be gone...Blake for the morning in preschool and Morgan will be in full day kindergarten. Nonetheless, they were both signed up for this school year in the Spring. Blake was easy to sign up(with the exception of the hand cramp from the paperwork-lol)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-59243941671704873232011-08-20T18:34:00.004-04:002011-08-20T20:25:09.708-04:00

Photo credit: Mike Barrett of The Times Herald Our little town is celebrating BIG tonight as our Girls Little League Team just won the World Series! These same girls, who have been playing softball together for half of their lives, came in 3rd in the World Series in 2009 and now, after a 10-0 win over Tampa, FL, are #1 in the WORLD! I'm sure the whole town will be celebrating such a big win for

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-46381649485361456762011-08-17T09:19:00.005-04:002011-08-17T09:28:30.619-04:00

I found the first egg from the kids' Easter chicks this morning...obviously the chix have grown! :-) Blake is excited about it and wants to keep it :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-26565914866648746032011-08-11T12:48:00.005-04:002011-08-11T13:31:32.787-04:00

Rich's fire department decided to host a Waterball tournament during our town's annual festival this year. Although they didn't win, they had a lot of fun! Rich's team is on the left and they're just starting their 2nd match. This is a point where Rich's department was doing really well. (They are on the right now and have the ball over on the opposite team's side, which earns them points.)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-53725353869244992502011-08-11T11:01:00.004-04:002011-08-11T12:04:36.704-04:00

My mom and I had planned to take the kids blueberry picking and had a morning that would work all figured out. When we left home, it was sunny, yet cool, and it felt like it was going to be perfect....until we were a couple miles from the berry farm and the dark clouds rolled in. It rained on and off for a while. We had other things to do planned, so we did those first and ended with blueberry

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-2852423801954939712011-08-08T08:46:00.005-04:002011-08-08T09:36:09.519-04:00

After being deployed to Afghanistan for 8 months, my brother-in-law is HOME! It's so good to have him here after praying for his safety each day. YAY! :-) I wanted to share this picture of him, taken by photojournalist, David Goldman. A friend of the family found it on The Sacramento Bee's Photoblog "The Frame". (Click on the picture to see it better.)"U.S Marine Cpl. Derek Newton, 21, of Jeddo

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-88560019122812674862011-08-03T12:49:00.008-04:002011-08-03T14:08:16.485-04:00

Our Goofy AnimalsBear sun bathing. Busch guarding the kids' castle...kinda like a dragon (and about as mean as one too! LOL!) Leinie a little pink after rolling in the kids' sidewalk chalk. "The Boys" shortly after getting out on me while Rich was at work and going for a walk down the road to visit the brown cows (Jerseys). They are back home here and eating from their new feeder for the first

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-36761014891121118322011-07-28T11:24:00.009-04:002011-07-28T14:01:16.345-04:00

A couple weeks ago the kids and I met up with my blogging friend, Alexia, from The Mommy Rambles. We found a city halfway between us and then chose a place to go in it and the day couldn't have worked out any better! The Flint Children's Museum was not only nearly EXACTLY the same distance from each of our homes, but we happened to go on a $2 day! So instead of paying $18 each family, we only

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-55825306715971870362011-07-27T10:30:00.005-04:002011-08-03T22:04:44.881-04:00

*The winner is comment #4: AmyLynn. Congratulations!! :-) When I found out I was going to have the opportunity to review Prenatal Pilates with Dale Shea, I was excited! NO, I'm not expecting, I was just excited to be introduced to not only Pilates, but also prenatal workouts in general! When I was pregnant with the kiddos I wished I knew what to do to exercise besides to go for walks. I didn't

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-39066351457381691982011-07-20T12:13:00.006-04:002011-07-20T13:34:05.569-04:00

The Vegetable Garden(Everything is fairly small because it went in late due to a very wet Spring.)Morgan's Flower Garden(Morning Glories are growing up the compost bin and the others are 2 types of Zinnias.) The Kids' Growums Herb GardenJust planted Saturday and today (4 days later)........we already have Oregano.... .....and Basil! :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-698330527981141792011-07-07T11:06:00.012-04:002011-07-07T11:48:03.283-04:00

HSN is celebrating their 34th birthday in a BIG way! Not only have they started a new HSN Arcade where you can play games and shop on the same screen, but there are also thousands of dollars worth of giveaways available!Here is what HSN has to say about their new arcade:*In an unprecedented move to combine casual gaming with the ecommerce experience, HSN Arcade allows people to play their

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-31770693097579427252011-06-30T09:46:00.003-04:002011-06-30T11:45:18.818-04:00

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-88879619248162354362011-06-22T10:45:00.003-04:002011-06-22T11:01:01.611-04:00

Morgan and Blake all dressed up for my sister's wedding.*By the way, their outfits only cost me about $25 at JCPenney...total! Together, regular price, without coupons, would have been $90! AND I bought them big and made adjustments, so they can wear them again next year....I was excited about that, so I thought I'd share ;-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-73322072957276787352011-06-20T14:27:00.011-04:002011-06-20T17:21:23.086-04:00

I don't usually do a lot of a theme for the kids' birthdays besides the cake. It's usually only family that comes and we don't make a huge deal out of it...just have a fun time. But this birthday was different because I ended up with some awesome deals/freebies/winnings that made it possible for Morgan to have a princess birthday. (More specifically a Rapunzel/Tangled birthday.)My family working

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-58919853288471685512011-06-14T12:13:00.011-04:002011-06-20T14:26:24.760-04:00

Morgan's 5th birthday was over three weeks ago and we made sure to have a lot of fun and make it a super special day by doing things Morgan enjoys...Morgan wanted French Toast for breakfast...yum! :-)Of course we had to read this special birthday book.Morgan loves getting her nails painted!Plus we had to do a project...she LOVES projects! :-)I also had planned a trip to the library to pick out

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-50742771131143534902011-06-14T09:11:00.007-04:002011-06-14T12:04:47.484-04:00

Pajama/Sundae PartyMorgan's class had a little party one of the last few days of school and the teacher invited Blake to come too. He had a BLAST! He's going to think every day of preschool is as neat as that day was. ;-)Snack time 1st thing....the program has to provide a snack and ice cream doesn't count.Play time! Blake fit right in and played with all the kids just like he was one of

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-73500074293611875182011-05-12T14:06:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:42:59.785-04:00

Morgan's school has had a lot going on trying to fit some fun things in at the end of the year. A farmer came in with a HUGE John Deere tractor, read them a farm book, helped them start growing a bean and do a craft project. They've had a dental hygienist come talk to them about the importance of brushing their teeth and received fun bags with stickers, a toothbrush, floss and toothpaste. They'll

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-22325152205234936962011-05-11T07:40:00.005-04:002011-05-11T09:57:26.876-04:00

Since getting married and having kids, life has gotten busy...to say the least! Between making meals, running the kids around, doctors appointments, cleaning house, yard work, laundry...I could keep going, but you get the idea. It's busy! Some days, at the end of the day, all I want to do is sit back and relax and just do nothing. The last thing on my mind is being intimate with my husband, but

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-30229052680727700302011-04-26T10:58:00.023-04:002011-04-26T18:51:26.412-04:00

I apologize ahead of time for the long post, but we had a lot of fun this Easter! :-)The eggs the kids made out of marshmallows.Blake's entry into the newspaper's coloring contest.Morgan's entry into the newspaper's coloring contest.Morgan couldn't wait to get me an Easter present, so she and my mom picked me up some beautiful flowers when we went shopping last week :-)We dyed Easter eggs.Morgan

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-57630868717299466832011-04-19T10:08:00.011-04:002011-04-19T12:20:24.448-04:00

What a weekend this last weekend was! With how busy we were, I know summer must be on the way, despite the continued freezing temps and snow! :-/This is what we did:*Thursday: The busyness started Thursday. I took Morgan to school in the morning and picked her up again after an hour to go to my husband's aunt's and do a spinning demonstration for a group of home schooled children that were coming

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-69650628330595166612011-04-13T10:51:00.006-04:002011-04-13T11:11:40.284-04:00

I came across these links this past week and liked them SO MUCH that I just had to share them! Spring Crafts, Fun & Activities for Families eBook: This is a FREE eBook and has SO MANY fun crafts to do with kiddos this Spring! I've looked through it several times already dreaming about the fun the kiddos and I could have...and we've already made one of them! :-) We Give Books: I actually just

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-57290638058906819522011-04-12T18:42:00.004-04:002011-04-12T19:06:49.408-04:00

There is currently a giveaway going on at Tiger Tales' blog for the book Roly-Poly Egg. I was asked if I would spread the word and it's such a cute book (like most Tiger Tale books are) that I thought my bloggy friends would be interested :-) If you would like to enter you can leave a comment either on this blog post or on their facebook page.*I was not compensated for this post in any way. Just

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-49472730283299202652011-04-12T09:15:00.011-04:002011-04-12T10:23:11.169-04:00

I think learning about the letter 'D' is the most fun we've had so far...check out what we Did! :-) The kiddos' Dog word wheels. The words on the wheels this time were: Dog, Doctor, Dragon and Dish. (We Didn't Do anything with Dragon and Dish, since I couldn't come up with anything, so we used the word Duck instead!) We played Dog games. Cuddled with Dogs During reading time. Read about some Dogs

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-9923305112108715682011-04-06T10:50:00.006-04:002011-04-06T14:16:57.509-04:00

These are some random pictures that didn't seem to be enough to be into a post by themselves, so I thought I'd share them for a Wordless Wednesday! :-) Morgan and Blake's first snowman!! A Red-headed Woodpecker on the pinecone bird feeder Morgan made in preschool. The sky yesterday morning as the rain/yucky stuff was coming. Neat to be able to find beauty in it! :-) The 2-blade helicoptor (

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-13016733005783867982011-04-06T09:59:00.008-04:002011-04-06T10:46:47.658-04:00

You are all more than welcome to ignore these posts because I'm sure they'll get redundant (if they haven't already-LOL!) These are for me to document the learning fun the kids and I have had together, but if someone gets some ideas from these posts, that's great too! :-) Blogger went a little Crazy while uploading this pic...ended up a bit Cockeyed ;-) These are the kids' Car word wheels that

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-84414730483889871792011-04-04T10:47:00.014-04:002011-04-04T17:54:30.615-04:00

This last weekend our family, along with Rich's parents, went to Ann Arbor to see Rich's brother compete in a steel bridge competition at the University of Michigan. We haven't seen my brother-in-law since January as he has been a long ways away at college working on a Masters in Civil Engineering. He didn't make it home over Spring Break either because he was working on Habitat for Humanity

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-11040760004816174312011-03-29T10:51:00.010-04:002011-03-29T18:23:52.470-04:00

My mother-in-law treated Morgan and I to the Enchanted Princess Ball this last weekend. We were welcomed with this pretty little sign. We expected for there to be a hairdresser, but for some reason they weren't there this year, so Morgan got a new scepter instead and grandma did her hair :-) When they finally let us take our seats, Morgan looked around and waited patiently for the show to

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-58384420637498380132011-03-21T16:40:00.000-04:002011-03-21T16:41:30.659-04:00

To keep my head from spinning too much with ideas, I'm keeping learning about each letter to the words mentioned in the wheels that are sent home from school with Morgan (plus something from the Bible when it works out)....These are the kids' Butterfly wheels. The wheels have words/pictures of a Bear, Butterfly, Book and BoatTheir Bear puppets.I used a Bear mold to make these Bear Buddies.Blake

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-27264257766174898602011-03-18T13:38:00.009-04:002011-03-18T17:29:44.472-04:00

What's St. Patrick's Day without some Irish inspired food. These were made for Morgan's class.This is a big chocolate chip cookie that was made for the neighbor who cleared out our driveway last weekend after the snow storm.Irish Soda Bread-YUM! :-)Of course we had to do a few crafts too!The kids' uncle sent them candy bars so they used the wrappers to make pots of gold......as seen on the Frugal

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-30209071993924096142011-03-11T10:49:00.008-05:002011-03-11T11:33:03.122-05:00

Morgan's teachers send activities to do at home on occasion and yesterday they sent home a couple activities working with the letter 'A'. Well Morgan couldn't wait to do them, so I made a copy (so Blake wouldn't feel left out) and we expanded on their learning the letter 'A' a bit....We started by making some apple wheels. When the kids turn the wheel behind, they see 4 different things that

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-65880724530710456192011-03-08T10:00:00.000-05:002011-03-08T08:36:42.577-05:00

I'm actually excited for lent this year! I'm excited about the idea of letting go of the rut that I'm stuck in. A rut that I feel is holding me back from living life more fully, as well as, keeping me from fully trusting God.I'll admit that I'm scared too. Not only scared that I'll go back to my old ways, but also scared that I'll allow myself to be miserable for the changes instead of embracing

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-57535992364905771162011-03-02T14:57:00.017-05:002011-03-03T14:37:33.923-05:00

I was reminded :-) by Alexia at The Mommy Rambles how fun it might be to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday this year, so I did some planning and this is what the kids and I spent the day doing:We had to do some reading of Dr. Suess books of course, with the help of some the Dr. Suess characters. (Only seven books and it had to be over an hour of reading combined....phew!) We had some fun with food

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-56038469391483550072011-02-21T15:31:00.006-05:002011-02-21T16:16:08.280-05:00

Being Presidents' Day, I wanted to be able to teach the kiddos what today is all about. I tried printing off some mini books from Scholastic last Friday, thinking they were free, but turns out there was a fee. I ended up just reading about Washington and Lincoln to the kids from the computer. BUT, this afternoon, Brimful Curiosities posted a few links to some printable books and activities that

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-80395467305084249922011-02-16T14:11:00.007-05:002011-02-23T22:12:04.124-05:00

Congratulations to Mami2jcn, comment #2!!I have really enjoyed working with CSN Stores doing reviews of their products and hosting giveaways. I've been fortunate to be contacted again and this time I chose to host another awesome giveaway!!If you haven't heard of, or have never stopped by, CSN Stores you don't know what you're missing out on! They have everything from flat panel tv stands to kids

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-86967835002690060602011-02-15T10:00:00.000-05:002011-02-15T10:04:41.499-05:00

We had a couple things happen yesterday that caused this post to be delayed, but I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day...full of love! :-)Our Valentine's Day activities started almost a month early with preparations:Cutting a paper for a paper chain.Hanging the chain and hanging some hearts from it :-)Adding a Valentine's Day sign and some heart snowflakes.Making picture Valentines for

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-70448864570157954802011-02-13T15:32:00.004-05:002011-02-13T16:42:05.669-05:00

Morgan's preschool class, along with another class, put on a Family Fun Night at their school last week. Everyone in the family was invited to come, so all 4 of us made sure to go...a little late due to the car getting stuck at the end of the driveway in a snow drift....but we made it! :-) They provided us with pizza, chips, cookies and drinks and then everyone could make their way to the gym to

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-79031258045451650832011-02-11T10:18:00.004-05:002011-02-11T10:30:16.939-05:00

I love reading to my kids and am always looking for good fun books. When I saw a giveaway at Little One Books I knew I had to enter. They are giving away a $50 gift certificate to their site and there are several ways to obtain entries! CLICK HERE to go to the entry page. Hurry, because the contest ends February 15th! :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-27420058975904699232011-02-03T10:39:00.006-05:002011-02-03T13:21:08.758-05:00

Today is Morgan's second snow day due to the blizzard that came through. She still doesn't quite understand how the snow keeps her from going to school, but we've been making the most of our days here at home, so she doesn't miss school quite so much ;-) Here's a little list of the things we've been up to: *Slept in...okay, so I'm the only one who slept in....the kids were still up and running

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-46207212723142904252011-01-31T10:35:00.006-05:002011-01-31T11:14:03.982-05:00

This past Saturday Rich took the kids for their first sledding experience! They've been pulled around the yard before, but with the lack of hills here, they've never had the chance to sled downhill until Saturday. Rich's grandma has a perfect sledding hill. I didn't go, but from what I understand (and from the pictures) Morgan LOVED it! She'd ride down and Rich pulled her up several times and she

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-39974272808566527722011-01-19T09:57:00.011-05:002011-01-19T10:49:21.821-05:00

This past weekend we had our 3rd annual girls weekend with the girls in my family. My nieces were unable to make it yet again due to a previous engagement with their mom, but we hope they can make it next year! Morgan and I left home Saturday morning and headed to meet my mom at her place. Due to snow and sleet and my windshield wiper blades continually freezing (resulting in me having to stop to

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-23391132854150898622011-01-04T09:14:00.012-05:002011-01-04T10:59:48.224-05:00

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a wonderful end to 2010 and is enjoying a wonderful 2011 so far. We had a busy, yet relaxing, end to last year.... Last I mentioned was all the cooking/baking I had been doing for the upcoming Christmas parties....and we had several! We had the usual Christmas Eve party with my extended family on my mom's side. It was a really nice time....then home to get the

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-32273039984475030472010-12-23T12:07:00.015-05:002010-12-23T18:58:41.042-05:00

I hope everyone has been enjoying this Christmas season. We've been doing our best to make the most of our time together as a family and it has been wonderful!Our tree search fiasco continued after we put out tree up....it ended up falling over after about 3 days!! It's all good now, though, and the kiddos even posed in front of it sporting matching sweaters made by their aunt a couple

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-57993118201595095922010-12-14T20:30:00.004-05:002010-12-14T20:41:25.836-05:00

A year ago tonight my friend, Amanda, lost her husband and 2 young children in a fire. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers tonight, and throughout tomorrow, as I'm sure it'll be tough reliving those memories all over again.Also, in memory of her family, be sure to give your husband and kids an extra hug tonight...or tomorrow....or all the time! :-) I'd like to share again this poem that

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-44550202555021636212010-12-14T16:14:00.011-05:002010-12-15T09:07:54.705-05:00

I had been hearing that we may get some snow since sometime last week. I didn't think much of it because sometimes we barely get a dusting when they forecast several inches. So the snow started Saturday night as a Winter Weather Watch was under way . It was a really wet and heavy snow that made the roads slushy and yucky. We passed up on going to church Sunday morning and Rich ended up on a

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-72429322276005313302010-12-07T12:47:00.006-05:002010-12-07T13:37:46.663-05:00

I had never been a huge fan of the TV...until becoming a parent. I know that sounds terrible, doesn't it? I honestly didn't watch much TV, and neither had Rich, before kids came along and it wasn't something that I wanted my kids to see too much of either. (We actually didn't even HAVE TV the first year we were married.) I don't know when exactly things went downhill, but they did!There was a

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-2981685147933889222010-12-07T09:52:00.003-05:002010-12-07T10:14:09.456-05:00

Michelle at Flying Giggles and Lollipops has an amazing giveaway going on right now for a $500 gift card to Kmart! Can you imagine all that you could do with that? I think I'd finish my Chrismas shopping (I don't have much left-yay!) then grab several names from Salvation Army's Angel Giving Tree and go to work shopping for them! Or, if the giveaway ends too late for that, maybe buy a bunch of

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-11479340528644568652010-12-06T08:54:00.007-05:002010-12-06T09:39:45.389-05:00

Yesterday we decided we'd brave the cold and go get our Christmas tree. Rich's mom mentioned that the field they are cleaning out to farm has some nice trees if we'd like to get one from there. So the four of us jumped into the truck and headed over to the family farm planning on getting a free Christmas tree and helping clean out the field at the same time (not that it was going to be a lot of

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-20997457114317832692010-12-03T18:35:00.005-05:002010-12-03T18:49:22.987-05:00

Morgan asked for a dollhouse this year for Christmas and they are SO expensive that I'm not sure that it will happen this year...unless I'm lucky enough to win one!Mom Spotted has a giveaway going on right now for a Melissa & Doug Multi-Level Solid Wood Dollhouse. Isn't it beautiful!? Morgan would absolutely LOVE it! And I love that it's wood. It could be something that she keeps and hands down

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-2604054753397660222010-12-02T10:31:00.006-05:002010-12-02T10:41:00.232-05:00

Hip Mama's Place is currently hosting a 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Event where you could win some AWESOME prizes. Some of the prizes include several gift cards to K-Mart and Sears to help with Christmas shopping this year! :-)Make sure to stop by Hip Mama's Place before midnight, December 11th to get your entries in. You really won't want to miss out on the chance to win!! :-)

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-53761088893769770802010-11-29T21:15:00.003-05:002010-11-29T21:29:39.203-05:00

Each night, the kids and I (and sometimes Rich when he has the chance) do a preschool devotion after bedtime stories. It has been wonderful for the kids. The devotion is short, so it keeps the kiddos attention and asks a simple question or two to engage them in what is being taught. It also has a bible verse and a prayer to go along with what we're learning....and when I say 'we', I mean me too!

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-74730851152615009222010-11-25T00:00:00.002-05:002010-11-25T09:07:40.549-05:00

We have been having fun, like usual, doing some crafting to get ready for Thanksgiving. Most of these I saw online and seemed easy enough, so we tried them out!This one is actually a card. Morgan and Blake each made one (with mom's help) and the cards were given to their grandparents. Aren't they super cute!? This one was found at Peppers and Pollywogs.This is Morgan's entry into the newspapers

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-35069347841960139722010-11-24T16:49:00.021-05:002010-12-01T21:26:56.009-05:00

*UPDATE: First of all I wanted to thank those of you who took the time to write U.S. Airways. I really appreciate the time you took out of your busy schedules to help a member of my family and a Marine! Now for the update! U.S. Airways has been in contact with my in-laws and are in the process of having a $150 voucher sent out to them. Great news, right!? In light of this news, if there are

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-85253037820315895372010-11-18T16:53:00.010-05:002010-11-25T22:06:15.725-05:00

Congrats to Liz, comment #26!! Just in time for Christmas shopping, CSN Stores has offered a $45 gift code to one of my readers!! Isn't that awesome!? I've thought of a couple things that I could get from CSN Stores if I had a $45 gift code: I like this Bilibo for the kids. I LOVE how versatile it is for the kiddos to use their imaginations: I also like this backpack for Blake. It has Legos AND

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-1795972734943983092010-11-17T06:00:00.002-05:002010-11-17T06:00:02.127-05:00

Blake decided he could quit taking naps when his sister did and this is what happened:This little guy sleeps everywhere!

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-6304227191416426712010-11-16T09:58:00.010-05:002010-11-16T23:04:57.401-05:00

I wanted to apologize for the lack of personal posts lately. (And that I haven't been to visit your blogs the last week or so.) I've been busier than I realized I would be: *My sister is engaged now...happened last Sunday (November 7th) and she plans to have her wedding up by me. So between her working 60 hours a week and not having time and the fact that I live near everything, I've been trying

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-61957745722425384712010-11-16T08:53:00.005-05:002010-11-16T09:55:37.665-05:00

I had another Girls' Night Out this past Saturday night and had a wonderful time. It was at my close friend's place that I roomed with all 4 years at college. She and her dad fixed up a run-down foreclosed house and it's beautiful now! My favorite spot is her kitchen...I dream of a kitchen like hers! I just LOVE the island in it with the counter stools along one side for people to sit. Saturday

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-39963321232953817542010-11-09T14:34:00.003-05:002010-11-09T14:46:22.002-05:00

I have loved the idea of having a digital picture frame since having kids. I would love a way to display all the thousands of photos that I take and would enjoy seeing each day...not just when I happen to go through my pics on my camera. Right now Kristen, at Our Ordinary Life, is giving away a Ceiva Digital Picture frame to one very lucky winner and I'm trying my best to get as many entries as I

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-56484144163291635292010-11-01T09:51:00.015-04:002010-11-01T12:26:48.638-04:00

We've been busy with all the fun surrounding Halloween this year....as you'll see! :-)We made this Curled Paper Pumpkin that we saw on the Frugal Family Fun Blog.We also went to our first Lowe's Build & Grow clinic to make these flapping bats! I was awed at how well Blake did for his age and it was exciting that they got to keep the aprons, got badges (like in girl/boy scouts) to sew on the

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-40344734366511618512010-10-29T10:53:00.015-04:002010-10-29T13:23:24.866-04:00

Did you know that cleft lip and cleft palate are the most common birth defects of the head and face for children worldwide? These children suffer from multitude of health issues like difficulty breathing and hearing loss and not to mention have to endure several surgeries to help fix the defect.Unfortunately, many parents worldwide cannot afford to have their child's cleft lip/palate treated,

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-39932217680984783102010-10-29T08:07:00.008-04:002010-10-29T10:29:06.423-04:00

When CSN Stores contacted me to with another review opportunity, I had a REALLY hard time deciding what I was going to get to review. I'm sure there were things that we could use or would want, but then I thought it was a great opportunity to get a Christmas gift. So I looked for gifts for the kids and came up with all sorts of toys...that they don't need....so then I looked for others and still

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-64803543427009069102010-10-29T07:04:00.008-04:002010-10-29T09:57:41.711-04:00

It's been quite a week leading up to today. Starting early Wednesday morning, about 3:00 am, I came down with the flu. Rich took the kids to my mom's, then came down with the flu himself at work, so my parents ended up taking the kids to Rich's parents' (because my mom had to work the following morning). Thursday morning Rich felt good enough to go to work and Rich's parents were leaving for a 12

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-48002892403147935282010-10-18T11:18:00.016-04:002010-10-18T16:19:54.273-04:00

Rich and I were on the road a lot last week with all the happenings going on around here. Last Sunday we had a trip planned to the area my sister lives to have dinner with her for her birthday. We got up that morning thinking we'd have a great day...the weather was beautiful, everyone was in a wonderful mood until....the throwing-up started! To make a long story short, Blake puked, then Morgan

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-73953610231483990502010-10-15T00:15:00.000-04:002010-10-15T12:14:23.975-04:00

When I received a "Mama Likes It Easy" planner in the mail to review, I'll have to admit I was extremely impressed! The planners I've been using are the cheap $5 ones that just have some lines and boxes to fill in dates. I'm a fairly simple person and I never thought I needed more than that, but now I know what I was missing out on!! The "Mama Likes It Easy" planners were well thought out and

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-3420416992048855242010-10-13T09:37:00.011-04:002010-10-14T07:13:00.239-04:00

As I sit here typing, I'm thinking back 8 years ago when I moved to my first apartment at college. I'd lived in the dorms for 2 years and decided to take the leap and move into an apartment with my sister and friend/dorm roommate. Despite being comfortable with my future roommates, I was nervous to be more 'on my own'. The dorms supplied you with meal plans, access to the Internet, phone, etc and

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-50629859778210211132010-10-08T13:45:00.001-04:002010-10-08T13:56:00.467-04:00

The last couple months have been a bit of a whirlwind and as much as I thought things were going to settle down, they really haven't....and with the upcoming holidays, I don't anticipate that life will slow down too much, but I'm back!! I've decided that I'd like to cut back on blogging, though, so you probably won't see posts as often as I had been (before the break), but I am hoping to have

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-57238087415902599862010-10-08T08:07:00.009-04:002010-10-08T08:58:15.028-04:00

I happened across some recipes this past week that I tried, loved and had to share with you guys-they're delicious!!The first one I tried was Pumpkin Spice Popcorn that I came across on Jolly Mom. The kids and I had this for a snack just a couple hours after I saw it...I couldn't wait to try it and it is YUMMY! I actually made it 3 times that day I liked it so much!! (One batch was for my

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-16949735671700729202010-09-21T14:55:00.015-04:002010-10-08T12:56:07.516-04:00

We spent this last weekend camping at Higgins Lake and enjoying the Michigan Fireman's Memorial Festival. We went up on Friday and had a steak dinner at the campgrounds with the guys from Rich's fire department and the neighboring town's fire department. Rich went out the the guys afterwards to the barn on the festival grounds for a few drinks while I slept! :-)Rich's past chief's name on the

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-25520944736793832622010-09-21T14:45:00.003-04:002010-09-30T11:10:59.509-04:00

Congratulations to the winner comment #1-Domestic Diva!! :-)I'm a bit behind on getting this post up, so I'm going to keep it short and make it simple! After my original teaser post a couple weeks ago, CSN Stores offered one of my readers a $60 gift code to any of their 200+ stores! Isn't that great!? Thank you CSN Stores! So here are the rules:GIVEAWAY:To enter to win the $60 gift code to CSN

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-87261065278114039162010-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:002010-09-03T06:00:03.707-04:00

Blake turned 3 last Saturday. If I think about it too much, I'd probably tear-up. I love his sweetness and cuteness at this age and I really don't want him to grow up, but unfortunately he will and is. (Although he promised me he would try to stay little.) :-)Blake is a Lego lover (along with many other things-the little guy really knows how to play!), so when I saw a block cake on Betty

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-52477137388817583732010-09-02T11:00:00.000-04:002010-09-02T10:50:27.784-04:00

This summer has been BUSY! I'm going to try to catch you up with everything we've been up to, but I'm sure I'll miss something. (And you'll probably be glad I missed it, because it's already going to be a LONG post! LOL!)Forth of July weekend was packed, especially that Saturday! We had a parade to ride in the fire truck. Morgan decided she wanted to watch the parade and get candy, so she watched

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-25097049606522875312010-09-02T08:16:00.010-04:002010-09-02T09:04:28.002-04:00

Nearly every day, when I walk into my kitchen, I think about how nice it would be to freshen it up. I would love to redo it all, put in more cabinets and counters and move our kitchen table into the dining room (which we currently use as an extension of our living room.)The kitchen table is something else that could use a change....well, more than a change...it could use a trip to a garage sale

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4357052938708356180.post-38503334581046575162010-08-17T15:21:00.002-04:002010-08-17T15:44:09.518-04:00

I haven't posted recently about Amanda Buckland, my friend who lost her children and husband in a house fire in December, but she had been doing well. She was back to work by the end of January and finding ways to enjoy life despite the extreme loss she had faced. I'm asking for more prayers for her today and the days to come, though, because she just lost her father last night too....almost

Kristiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15874806511167194233noreply@blogger.com7