ready or not....

My precious first born....how are you starting kindergarten already?

Wasn't I just rocking you in my arms?

Weren't you just learning how to walk and run?

And now you're flying.

I feel like kindergarten is the beginning of a roller coaster unlike any I've ever been on before.  Speed is the number one attraction this ride boasts.  Soon I'll be packing you off to college or maybe into your own home.

OK so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but that's what it feels like.  Of course I want him to grow up to be a  loving/responsible man but can't he stay little for a while longer?  

I know...despite my tears...he must grow. 

L will be attending all-day kindergarten, everyday...so it really feels like full-on school years have begun.  And he'll have homework and projects and gym class and Spanish.  

I'm not ready for this.

But he is. 

He's so excited about school and his teacher. 
As I was getting him dressed in his uniform this morning he asked me not to cry. 
Thankfully this made me laugh instead : )

Fly on my sweet boy. 
I cannot (and will not) hold you back.

Favorite Things Friday

Some favorites from this past week.....  

 

Knights of the playground

We got to take the boys to a playground this week that we don't go to very often.  Some of our friends live close by and brought their two little girls down to play for a while too.  Since we don't get together with them often this was a real treat.  I was so proud of my boys.  Oh they're crazy and rambunctious on the playground alright but when the girls showed up they were such chivalrous little gentleman.  L helped one of them across the shaky bridge, holding her hand until she was comfortable on it herself.  And E just kept telling her that he would protect her and save her.  So cute and gentle they were.  I love to see the rough and tough side of them balanced out with this utter sweetness.

Every girl's crazy about a sharp dressed man

Don'tcha just love that ZZ Top song?  It's true though...

there is something about a man in a uniform, or just a tie :)  My husband used to be able to wear essentially "business casual" to work but now has to wear a dress shirt and tie everyday.  While he's not exactly thrilled about it, I secretly love it (except for the ironing...downright hate that).  We've been having fun picking out shirts and ties and experimenting with what combo's look good.  If he has to wear a tie, he wants it to at least be stylish.  It's nice to see him all jazzed up in his dressy clothes.

Dish duty

Not to gross you out but it seems a every point needs a pic to go with it right?

L has been growing up this past week...well I'm sure its been over a while but I've really been noticing it this week.  Doing some things for himself, doing what I ask the first time, and doing some things without me even asking...like putting his dishes in the sink after dinner!  Though I'm often sad at how quickly he's growing, there are some perks too : )

A hair affair

I straightened my hair and am happy to see that it is indeed growing!  It was barely chin length when I started letting it grow 10 months ago.  I would like to see about 4 more inches on there but I'm loving being able to pull it into a pony tail. wear it curly, or straighten it....variety is the spice of life!

finding joy

Have a great weekend!

Something so simple....

It's no secret.  

I am not a great cook.  

Not bad, but more like mediocre.  And let's just say last night's dinner was not my finest. We had baked potatoes and a salad and I tried to copy these great baked potatoes we had at my friend Amanda's this past weekend.  Well....I kinda botched 'em.

All you do is coat them in oil and rub on some spice and then bake them in the oven (laid right on the rack) for about 1 hour.  The skins come out nice and crispy and the spices add a nice touch.  I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil.  Ended up I used a tad too much garlic...oops!  And it sort of burned and got bitter....double ooops!  At least we had sour cream to top them ;)

And the salad?  It was basically lettuce and shredded cheddar.  We do our grocery shopping on Thursday nights you see so this is really all we had.  I dressed mine up with some mandarin oranges and walnuts but my poor hubby isn't really into oranges on his salad.

Needless to say there were several hints from my hubby that dinner was less than stellar.

"How much garlic did you use?"

"Is this all we had for on the salad?"

"Don't we have any croutons at least?"

Let's just say that these comments were not necessarily received well by me.

Now for the good part.  Shortly after dinner while I was cleaning up, my man said 

"thanks for dinner Babe"

Those simple little words totally turned me around.  It showed that even if the meal was not very appetizing, he still appreciated me making it and doing the best I could with whipping up a meal when the cupboards were practically bare.  

Don't you just love when your hubs says something unexpected and totally disarms your cranky funky mood?  I do. 

God bless him!

P.S. Thank goodness it is grocery shopping night tonight!  My kids will be so happy to have something other than water to drink :)

Time to get serious - Week 4

 

Today's weigh in: 158 pound

Total weight lost: 2 pounds

***Enormous sigh ***

 Alright, rather than bore you all to death with what is essentially my lack of weight loss success I have decided not to post these every week  Rather I think I will wait until I have some exciting news to share, like maybe that I lost 5 pounds....(imagine that). I mean how interesting or inspiring is it to read them when not much is happening?

That said I have no intention of giving up. 
Getting healthy is a major goal of mine and I'm not going to let it go :)  I have come to a conclusion this week....I am a sugar addict...oh yeah...all the way. 

So I will leave you with this little tidbit from SparkPeople.


Breaking your sugar addiction

Some real eye openers in there...at least for me.


Have a Happy Healthy Wednesday!

Miscellany Monday

I finally have my act together on a Monday to be able to link up with Carissa! 
So write your own Miscellany and join in :)

lowercase letters

This past weekend was so nice.  

We had that great combination of  accomplishing some things and relaxation. 

1. A purging we will go....

We're gearing up for our garage sale next month and we are approaching it like we are moving across the country.  

If we don't HAVE to have it, it goes.  

No more "well I may need it someday"....And so my mantle has been taken over by all our stuff we can do without.  Most of the items are in our basement but we just have so much it is overflowing into the rest of the house and I can't contain it.  Just think of all the space we'll have once it is all gone!  AAAhhhh.......can't wait.  We do have a few rooms that have been completely de-cluttered and re-organized and I must say my husband and I are already reaping the benefits of less "stuff".  We just feel like a weight has been lifted.  

Less is SO more.

2. A birthday bag....

My mom got me this lovely tote from LL Bean and I just adore it.  See that little patch of camo thrown in?  I love that.  It's so me....

I have a little tomboy thrown in for good measure.

And see how huge it is?  I can fit my camera bag, purse, diapers, and wipes with plenty of room left for more.  I use it mostly for work because I can carry my lunch bag and purse all in one bag.  

Thanks again Mom!

3. Spiced up pretzels...

I finally made these spicy pretzels that I've been wanting to make for quite some time now. And the entire family loved 'em :)  I was first introduced to these by my stepmother...check out her blog here for awesome food tips and recipes.

Here's the recipe I used.. 


1C Vegetable Oil
1 - 1oz package of Ranch dressing mix
1tsp garlic salt
1tsp cayenne pepper
2 - 10oz packages of pretzels
In a small bowl, combine oil, dressing mix, garlic salt and cayenne.  Divide pretzels on 2 baking sheets.  Pour mixture over pretzels, stir to coat.  Bake at 200 degrees for 1.25 to 1.5 hours.  Stir occasionally.  Cool.  Store in airtight container.

4. Clothing swap...

Ever notice how long it takes to sort through clothes to get the next season/size ready and old clothes separated for keeping and donating?  

FOREVER I tell you!  

But finally I have both boys ready for fall.  We had very little actual school shopping to do since my oldest will be wearing a uniform this year.  Not to mention we were lucky enough to receive some really well kept hand-me-downs from an former neighbor.  It may not look like much but there's more in the part of the closet that you can't see.  I'm really wondering if he'll be able to wear them all with having a uniform now.  Little E was a little jealous of his big brother but was excited when I showed him all of L's clothes that we would be storing for when he is big enough to wear them.

Happy Monday!

Favorite Things Friday

Oh this sniffer of mine...

lets me enjoy so many wonderful things. 

Some for the shear scent itself and some for what they make me think of.

finding joy

Some good smells from my week....

The smell of coffee in the morning - 

so warm and comforting.  I love anything flavored but I have to drink decaf so that makes it harder to find sometimes.

The smell of my husband laying next to me in bed -
simply having him there brings me more joy than I could ever express.

Birthday roses from L

Birthday roses from E

The smell of E after a bath - 

there's still a hint of baby smell that I just adore.  

It will be totally gone all too soon!

The smell of cleaner -

simply because it means something is clean.

The smell of the creek as we walked through the woods - 

earthy and a little fishy. 

Some might not think this a good smell but to me it means we are outside and that is indeed a good thing my friends :)

Yummy candle gifted to me by a lovely co-worker - 

I love having candles at the office...and at home.

Fresh tomatoes from my garden -
they smell simply divine and I even like the way they make my hands smell after picking them.  I think these babies are on the chopping block...a tomato mozzarella salad is in my future :)



How about you?  
What are some smells that you love?

1 child....34 birthdays

Can I just say that 1 child is so much easier than 2...not better mind you....just easier.

Last night my older son L spent the night at my mother-in-law's so we had the evening with just E.  Not that this is the first time L has spent the light elsewhere but it is indeed RARE.  My husband and I kept remarking on how easy it was to just have 1 child.  

No spats to break up.  

Less demands.  

And just quiet.  

We wanted to do something special with E so we took him to a new park and let him go wild on the playground.  He had a blast.  Then we took a ride in the Jeep with the top down and got him some ice cream.  

I think the little man was in hog heaven :)

After we got back I home E and I placed race cars down the hall.  I was the Batmobile and he was Speed McQueen.  I had so much fun playing this simple little game with my baby boy.  It reminded me how important it is to have this one-on-one time with my child.  Somehow we still seem to have this time with L but not much with E.  Being as he is the second child, we really haven't had much time where it was ever just him and I.  I was surprised to realize that I have been feeling guilty when I love on E because L would be sitting right there and I was afraid he would feel neglected so I often cut the snuggles short with E to keep L from feeling bad.  I've been doing this unconsciously and and it just hit me when I was snuggling and loving on E last night.  I dearly love both my children and don't want either of them to feel neglected but I don't think shorting E on the snuggles is the way to go.  I'm SO glad I realized what I was doing so I can change it. I'm gonna love on them both freely now.

We called L at grandma's to say good night.  We had him on speaker phone but he didn't realize we could all hear him.  He and E talked for a few minutes which was completely adorable...then he went and really melted my heart.  He asked E to tell me that he loves me and Happy Birthday (which is today but I won't see him until after work).  I can't describe how in love with my boys I was last night.  

One near and one far but both in my heart.  

They are such gifts.

So that leads me to today, which is my 34th birthday, and finds my very emotional for some reason.  I just want to cry about everything...my blessings...my disappointments.  I guess reminders that time is ticking away will do that to you.

How about you?  

Do you welcome birthdays or dread them?

I guess I do a little of both :) 

Happy Wednesday!

Time to get serious - Week 3

Today's weigh in: 159 pound

Total weight lost: 1 pound

Alright.  

COME ON Mr. Scale!  

You've got to be kidding me right?

I weighed myself 2 days ago and you said 155 pounds.  How does one gain 4 pounds in 2 days I ask!  I have been working my butt off (seriously) and haven't had a single potato chip or sweet treat in 10 days.  This is a major sacrifice for me and you're gonna do me wrong like this?  Maybe it's you.  You are 10 years old ya know, maybe you're just off your game and not as accurate as you used to be.  Yep, that must be it!

Ok, I guess I'm done beating up on my poor old scale.  But I really have been good this week and was hoping for another pound or so to be gone : (

Here's to better luck next week!

Favorite Things Friday

finding joy

I did a favorite things friday post a while ago using my senses as a way to find joy.  Well, I decided I would expand on this a bit because I am VERY grateful to be able to experience life in these ways. 

So here's my experiences this week through sound.

 These are all sounds that bring me joy.

Sorry no pics but just close you eyes and use your imagination OK :)

Cicadas in the heat of day

L belting out the words to "Dirt Road Anthem"

(and getting most of them right)

The scree of seagulls

The wind flapping the soft top on the Jeep

Hearing L tell an adult "I don't speak grown up"

Brothers whispering to each other when they are supposed to be asleep

The hum of the ceiling fan

The sound of the waterfall in our back yard

Little boys giggling and splashing in the pool

The American flag flapping in the summer breeze

Peepers just before bed

The ringtone for my hubby on my cell
(You & Me by Dave Matthews)

A quiet house with windows open to hear the rustling of the leaves in the breeze outside

Hope you had some great sounds in your life this week!

Are you there God? It's me Krista....

Dear God,

I need you.

This is certain.

But I feel like I can't find you.  

I suppose the longing I have for a tangible relationship with you is natural and completely part of your plan.  But I just can't help but feel frustrated and lost.  I look for you in the things around me, and I do see glimpses of you but sometimes I feel like I need a really big sign.  I want so badly to share you with my sons but how do I explain to them how to hear you when I so often feel like I can't hear you for myself?  

How does one "hear" God anyway?  

I know the best way to teach them is to lead by example.  I want to have an ever increasingly strong relationship with you.  

Teach me how.

I know you're here....but I long for so much more. 

So I keep looking.

Looking at the world around me which you created....

good job on that by the way....it is awesome ;)

Reading the Bible.  But it is bringing up so many more questions.  I feel like there is something wrong with me that I don't understand the truths that are written in there.  It scares me to even admit that.

So open me up Lord to all the ways you reveal yourself.  Help me to see all the ways you are working in my life.  Keep me from getting caught up in the things of this life and help me see things through your eyes.

Until next time...

Time to get serious - Week 2

Today's weigh-in: 159 pounds
weight lost: 1 pound

OK not what I wanted to see.
But at least the scale is moving in the right direction....

if only by a minute bit :(

What I am proud of though is that I have run twice and walked three times (pulling close to 100 pounds of kids mind you) and my muscles are sore so that's a good thing.

As far as eating, well let's just say I was out of town for the weekend visiting relatives and it's never easy to "diet" when traveling.  BUT I think I did pretty good.  We had ice cream every night but I only had it once....
and just a wee bit at that.  For a gal like me who likes to eat, this is a pretty major accomplishment!  Ever notice how hard it is to not partake in something even though everyone else is?
Darn I hate that.

So all in all I'll mark it as a success for the week even if things are slow going.


Got any tips?
How do you stay in shape?

Favorite Things Friday

Some random things that have brought me joy this week...

Love notes

Since my husband is off during the summer, I don't see my kids before I head out the door in the mornings.  So I have started to leave my oldest some little love notes all around for him to find when he wakes up.  He loves them so much he doesn't want to throw any of them away, he posts them up on the fridge.  I have to get rid of most of them because we have no space but I let him leave some of them on there.  Makes me so happy that we this little connection even when we aren't together.

Backyard Bravery

L wanted to go outside to play the other night.  He said "Can we go outside Mother?  I just adore the evening air".  What 5 year old talks like this?  Cracks me up!  So I took them outside to play and L wanted to try swinging on the rope swing starting from the TOP of the playset.  He said "I'm kinda scared Mom, but I think it will be fun".  He gathered his courage and took the leap.  You have to know my L though, he will normally avoid it like the plague if it is even remotely scary and just refuse to try.  He's very happy in his comfort zone thank you very much.  So this little moment of bravery really made me proud of him.

Mac N' Cheese please

I came home from work to the wonderful aroma of homemade mac n'cheese being made by my mother-in-law (what a woman!).  While this is not exactly diet food, who can resist an awesome surprise meal that they did not have to cook?  I tried to stick to a small portion but man I enjoyed every bite!



Spooning with E
My little wiggle worm actually asked me to snuggle him and promptly assumed the spooning position.  Melted my mama heart!  He's rarely still long enough to snuggle in any way.  Man I soaked it up!



Friendship

I had a great visit with my lovely longtime friend Dana.  We've known each other since I was 11, lived across the street from one another actually but became good friends once we hit highschool and we were both on the rowing team.  We've been great friends ever since!  She is such a positive and uplifting person to be around, I just can't help but smile when I'm with her.  Unfortunately we don't get to see each other as much as we would like but when we do, it's like no time has passed at all.  She is a true treasure in my life.



A new purchase

We just love camping so much we decided to buy a pop-up camper.  Our recent trip to Pymatuning showed us that our boys are at the age where we can really start branching out and taking longer trips.
And they LOVE IT just as much as we do.
My awesome husband sacrificed his dirtbike to help fund the camper cause.  He said the bike was just for him but he was going to sell it and do something with the money that we could all enjoy.  And he made a huge profit - gotta love that!  So alas we are now the proud owners of this cute little pop-up.  Watch out campgrounds of America - here we come!

Go check out Rachel's Favorites at Finding Joy!

Time to get serious - Week 1

Ok so I've been on this self improvement kick so I might as well keep it going right?  

If anyone else wants to join in, I'd be happy to have a buddy in this!

I need to lose some weight.  

This is not new but I've been slacking in my efforts given it is summer and I can fit into my shorts and such (granted barely fit but you get the idea).  But the other day I was thinking about the upcoming school year and how fall is fast approaching.  I cannot fit into a single pair of my dress pants for work!  

This will not do. 

I have bounced up and down the weight scale most of my adult life.  After I had E, I lost all the weight and was able to hold a good weight for about a year.  Then I started on a slow and steady creep up the scale again.  So I've been thinking about the reasons why I've been having such a struggle getting my eating and exercising under control.  I really do like to be physically active.  I enjoy pushing my body and seeing what it can do.  But for some reason I just can't seem to get into it this year.  I normally at least run on a regular basis in the summer since the weather is nice.  Granted July has been a little rough for me with my foot injury and then stomach issues but really I was slacking long before July. 

But I REFUSE to go out and buy new clothes when I have perfectly good ones at home that just don't fit because I haven't been taking care of myself.  

That said, I figured "hey, why not use the blog as a way to be held accountable for my goals?"  It may just give me the motivation I need if I broadcast my progress for the world to see.

That said starting today I will be posting a quick update on my progress every Tuesday for about the next 8 weeks.

The goals:

*Exercise a minimum of 4 times a week for at least 20-30 minutes

*Lose 16 pounds in 8 weeks

*Fit into my current dress pants by the beginning of October

*Quite binge eating

(tend to go a smidge overboard on sweets and potato chips)

I've included an actual # for weight loss but for me its really about how I feel and not the # on the scale so I'm not going to be too hard on myself about the #.

Starting weight:  160 pounds

Next update:  Tuesday 8/9/11

Stay tuned...can Krista do it?

I think yes.

Have a HEALTHY Tuesday!

Pymatuning buggy summer bash (aka Misc Monday)

It's been a while since I linked up with Carissa at lowercase letters so I thought I would do so today.  She's such a sweet gal, go check her out here.

I've been a little MIA lately.  My sweet non-blogging husband was laughing at me when I mentioned that I haven't posted or checked in with my bloggy friends in over a week.   I tried to convince him that this was indeed a long time for most bloggers :)  

I just got an eye roll.  

None-the-less I hope to be checking in with everyone this week.

Here's what we've been up to.....

Camping at Pymatuning Lake

This was such an awesome little mini-vacation but we will have to try and make it a longer trip next time!  We had wonderful weather (if a tad on the humid side).  Will post more about our trip later.

Stomach bug

Came back from camping with some strong stomach cramps.  Thought maybe it was all the junky camp food we ate.  A logical conclusion considering our menu consisted of hot dogs, kielbasa, bacon, potato chips, marshmallows, cookies, and store bought danishes.  

This is NOT my normal diet.  

But alas it lasted several days and I had a fever too so it had to be more than just too much bad food.  Well, I finally went to the doc who thought it could be a parasite picked up from the lake water but thankfully it was just a stomach bug of some sort.  The whole idea of a having a parasite kinda creeps me out.

Summer fun

We had our second annual church festival of the year on Friday at the parish my husband teaches at.  It really is one of the nicest fairs I've seen.  They have a TON of things to do there.  Lots of rides, game booths, balloon animals, free cookie decorating, performances, adult beer lounge, farm market, fire rescue demonstrations and probably more that I am forgetting.  My hubby worked the dunk booth, the kids always love the chance to soak their teacher.  I had to laugh because they would really wail the balls at the target but totally miss and I would try to yell out that they needed accuracy, not heat.  

Most missed but he ended up pretty wet anyway :)

Seafood Bash

We had our second (hopefully annual) steak and seafood bash with my mom and sister's family on Sunday.  It was indeed an event!  We had tomato mozerella basil hor' devours, marinated delmonico steaks, crab legs, scallops, broccoli salad, and cream puff cake.  Can I get a OH YEAH!  

I of course ate WAY TOO MUCH but it was worth it!

So that brings us to today, the first of August.  

Not to be a Negative Nancy here but we always get a little depressed when we hit August.  Summer is essentially over, you are surrounded with back-to-school errands and such (not to mention a certain gal has to face yet another birthday....sigh).  We will be squeezing in one last summer trip this weekend to visit my sister-in-law in Michigan.  My little guy is sick though so hopefully he will be over it before we go.  

Aside from the 5 hour car ride - I can't wait! 

Happy Monday!