Reflection

6 years ago TODAY one of the greatest gift I have ever recieved was brought into the world.  September 20, 2006, our first son was born.  I know I write about him often but today I want to reflect on not the now but the before we ever met.

Pregnant:
February 15, 2006 + 1 digital pregnancy test that took all of 2 seconds to read PREGNANT= lives changed forever.  We had an idea that we were pregnant before the test but decided to have one last Valentines day where we went out, had the times of our lives, no responsiblity and spent all the money we had {because once you find out you are pregnant all of that changes, right?}. 

What are we going to do:
Matthew was 19 and I was 21.  At first, we had no idea what we were going to do.  We were so young, we thought that there would be no way that we would be financially responsible to be parents and really...were we ready?!  I knew that our relationship was in a very solid place and we both knew that this baby would be our responiblity NOT our parents in any way shape or form.  It we were going to be parents then we would have to decide that our lives seperately would not be #1 anymore, we would a family, we would work as a team and the road would not be easy. We weighed out every option in the book & I'll never forget the moment that we let it soak in that we were actually going to do this.  I was relieved and weighing out the options really made me realize that I was meant to be this babys Mom.  Matthew's reaction was a little different.  He literally said, "well, I guess I won't get a new pair of shoes for a few years".  LOL.  He's the best! {I would like to make note that he got a new pair that Christmas}.  But after we decided that we were all in and that we were having a baby, it seemed so fun and natural to plan this new chapter in our lives.  We talked about what gender we really wanted, Matthew wanted a boy and I agreed becuase lets be honest...I wanted nothing more than to see Matthew be a daddy to a little boy that would be just like him. 

Ultrasound:
I had to drink 8 gallons of water and Matthew was LATE.  Well, actually he was right on time but got pulled over in the parking lot of the doctors office for running a stop sign so that he wouldn't miss anything.  The police man didn't care and Matthew missed part of the ultrasound but was there just in time to see our little BOY'S 10 fingers and 10 toes for the first time {because that is what daddys want to make sure are there, right?}.  It was magical and I cried. 

Name:
This might be my favorite part of my pregnancy...how we picked a name** We wanted something different but not crazy.  So, I picked 5 boys names and numbered them 1-5, in no special order, gave Matthew the same list that I had and told him to reorder them by listing his favorite to least favorite.  It just so happens that when we did this, our list were different but there was one thing that was the same, our #1 pick! And that folks is how Keagan became, Keagan :)

Work:
What the.... I always told myself that I would NEVER work until the day my child was born, I would take time off and enjoy my me time before I had our baby, until I became an adult and realized I needed to make money in order to help support our family! I couldn't really complain though, the pregnancy was so enjoyable, no pain, no sickness and I always said I would love to be pregnant always and for other people {later with second pregnancy I retracted those previous statements} but it was wonderful with my son.  So working while being pregnant was pretty easy and I worked right up until the day before. 

The Night before:
We waited until the very end to do our birthing classes {that just how I do it!} so the night before we had class.  I was miserable, did not want to be touched, my bed is the only thing that sounded "good" that night.  It was 2 weeks before my due date so I didn't even have my bags fully packed.  That night, I went home and went to bed. 

September 20, 2006:
Matt stayed up watching TV, so at 2:45 am when my water broke, I came out of the bedroom and told Matt to come upstairs with me becuase I wasn't sure what was happening. {at this point and time we were living with my parents} I woke up my mom and everyone wanted to know if my water broke..."I DON'T KNOW!! THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE!!!!"  So we packed our bags and headed to the hospital.  I remember telling the check-in lady that my "water keeps breaking", she corrected me that it only breaks once and next thing I know we were upstairs, I was hooked to monitors and I was ready to have this little boy!  I didn't really start having contractions until then started the potosin around 7:45 and then once those bad boys started, I was ready for the edidural.  I didn't think twice about it and any opinions I had before the contraction pains didn't matter.  I wanted the pain blocked! Immediately after, Matthew and I both took a nap and when I woke up it was time to start pushing.  12:46 pm, Keagan Matthew was born.  He was breathtaking.  All 7lbs 6oz of this little boy were just perfect.  I had never been so proud of something in my life, I didn't know it was possible to feel the kind of love that I felt until I held my son. 

Happiness

Speaks volumes, huh?

Dear Notre Dame

As you play your first game of the season in IRELAND tomorrow.  I want you to know that I will not be a fare weather fan, I will stand by you always. & these things I promise you...

 

{I promise to}

 

;Yell at the top of my lungs at the screen as if I were at the game {so loud that at times it scares my kids}

 

;Proudly wear my blue & gold or Irish green. 

 

;Put my koozie to use, even if the game does start at 9 am {hey, its 5 o'clock somewhere!}

 

&

 

; Try to understand and like Brian Kelly {this is a big one for me and should 100% show my love for you}

 

 

GO IRISH!!!

 

 



My frist day...

About two weeks ago our sitter of almost 6 years told us that she would be filling out a job application to her kids elementry school, 7 days ago we found out that we had two days to finalize a new day care for our two children. 5 days ago my almost 6 year old started Kindergarden and my 2 1/2 year old had her first day at her new day care.

Is your head spinning, mine has been.  As a Mommy, my heart broke.  How was I going to find a new sitter/daycare in just a week?  My amazingly awesome friend, Leslie came through BIG TIME to find us a day care that seemed perfect and has great references.  Its more of a structured enviornment {which little Miss Kaylen needs} and it has a before and after school program for Keagan {and he gets to ride the bus to and from school!!...THIS IS A HUGE PLUS. he wanted that experience so bad and I wanted it for him even more}.  I had the hardest time the last few weeks finding the silver lining but I am starting to see the blessing in disguise. 


Life seems to be getting a little less complicated and I promise to get back to blogging!

Until the next post, enjoy a few photos of the kids FIRST DAY!

 Have a great week everyone!

Beauty Box Swap: REVEAL

I know the link up was yesterday but my life has been a mess the last week so I am trying to pick up those pieces before anything else.
 
So on to the one thing made my smile grow extra in the last week is this...

A month ago, I signed up for a Beauty Box Swap.  I filled out a Presh Little Form about the things I like when it comes to make up and the amazing host & co hosts picked a special someone to surprise me with a box filled with fun beauty products that I loved.  How awesome is that?

I picked up my box on Sunday {in the process of moving, my box was at my parents address temp.}  I finally was able to pick it up last night and let me tell you, it was so much fun to open something that was for me from someone that I have never actually met {I think that made it even more exciting}.

Kyna from http://greatexpectations-kyna.blogspot.com/ sent me my amazing box.  You should take the time to check out her blog-- you will not be disappointed!-- Thank you so much to Kyna for spoiling me BIG TIME!

Check out what wonderful goodies came in my Beauty Box;

I refuse to save the best for last when I am talking about beauty products, especially this one, this is the best lotion EVER!! & it smells heavenly, leaving your hands silky smooth!

Clearly I'm excited about the lotion {I am letting you all view me looking like a mess!}

Here are my other goodies:

I have got had the opportunity to indugle in this uber amazing box but you better believe that when I do, you'll hear of my favorite products!  I have to be honest and tell you that I am most excited to try the {Studio Gear Lipstick; WINTER RED} it looks like it will be the perfect color for a sexy red lip! OW OW!

Thank you again, Kyna!!

Queso Dip

Now, I want to point out that this recipe is actually called CHILI'S SKILLET QUESO DIP and I did find it on Pinterest {Surprised?}.  The reason I was hesitant to put that it's Chili's recipe in the Title is because, I in no way shape or form have ever tasted Chili's queso dip so I can't say if its just like it or not. I just like me some DIP! So enough yip yap, heres it is

Stir until all cheese is melted & then let simmer for 20 minutes

I don't know if its just like Chili's but it sure was good!

Ingredients:

16 ounces Velveeta cheese

1 (15 ounce) can Hormel No Beans Chili

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Cut the Velveeta into cubes
2. Combine the cheese with the remaining ingredients in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
3. Stir until the cheese melts and all ingredients have been added. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Serve with Tortilla Chips for dipping & an ice cold Summer Shandy is the perfect drink match!

ENJOY!!

How....WEIRD.

EVERYONE has something about them that someone would look at from the outside and go... "thats weird!".  I'm going to put a couple things out there that believe me, if I could help or stop... I would, for my sake more than others!

1. #2 pencils.  Mostly, i just can't stand the sound of the eraser on the paper and the friction it makes {instert goosbumps the entire time I am typing about this subject} YUCK.  For some strange reason, it is only the eraser on the #2 pencils that get me. Literally, If you start to erase with one, I will have to leave the room.  The sound is like nails on a chalkboard to me!

2. CHEWING.  I would say that in the last year, I have has this "thing" with chewing.  I first noticed it when my husband would eat tortilla chips.  It would drive me bonkers! No joke, I would reather listen to a cow chew its food than listen to my husband eat those stinking chips {he said he liked the crunch...I said STOP} Of course that was in a totally loving way. It actually wasn't until about 4 weeks ago that I realized that I was the problem. --WHHHAT?--  I was sitting at my desk and it was probably about 10:30 in the morning.  Two ladies were sitting in their cubicals eating chips, at the same time, louder than Sally Mae's adult cows.  At the risk of being dramatic {at that point, I didn't really care} I had to shut my door.  It was then that I got on Pinterest & found this....

HAHAHA!...now when my huband eats chips all I have to do is give him 'the look' and he says...."oh yeah, you have a disorder!!" :)

HAPPY WEEKEND

A Mother's Love: Dear, Keagan

Dear Keagan, 

When I was younger, I always knew that I wanted kids.  I dreamed of a daughter to dress and cover in pearls and a boy that could move a soccer ball just like his daddy. When we found out we were pregnant, I hoped that our first born would be a boy.  From the day that we found out that we had a little boy growing inside of mommy was the first day I remember your daddy being truly proud of you.  {I think its because he thought you were going to come out a little him because you were a boy...} Little did he know, you would come out with jet black hair and your big brown eyes, just like your mommy {which I think makes him love you that much more ;-)}.

There are so many moments that I can remember that have made me proud of you.  All of the normal, firsts, smile, laugh, wave, word, even the sound of your cry. And then there was your first parent day at preschool...

  All of the kids made a hand and a foot  mobile and the teacher wrote on the other side of each a hand and a foot what you would use each for.  Your teacher said that it was the first time in almost 30 years that a child refused to do his feet.  She said that you expalined to her that since you could only do one hand and one foot that you couldn't do a foot, you needed 2 HANDS to pick up and save animals. I think it was in that moment that I really realized that others would be able to feel your presence in this world, you have something about you that is different, YOU have something inside of you that is going to change this world and I fully believe you will do so by just following your heart.

Yesterday, you had your first soccer game.  Your passion and drive is fun to watch.  The things I will remember forever from your first game is not that your shoe came untied twice {which it did, double knoted or not} or that you helped a kid up after they had fallen to the ground during play{thats just what you do}, I will remember this...  I will remember the look on your face after scoring the last goal of the game, that smile with a thumbs up and then a 4 pump first pump at the end of the game.  It was a moment that not only were your Daddy and I proud of you but YOU were PROUD OF YOURSELF.  That is a moment that I will remember forever and my promise to you is to always  be your BIGGEST fan and you will always be MY SUNSHINE.

KARMA

what goes around, comes around...keep the circle positive, peaceful and loving.

I keep this on my desk as a daily reminder {it's much needed at work!!}

Recently, I have decided that I wanted to try to live my life surrounded by positive thoughts and energy.  I would start to look at the good in every situation even if from the outside and at first glance the situation seemed negative or really bad, I would dig and dig until I found a positive. 

{Example of a current situation}...

The other day, my husband had a day off of work, he decided that he would take the kids to my parents house and go swimming all day.  I said that I would meet him there after work.  Since we have 2 dogs, my parents have been keeping one {Mason Nickolas} and the other one {Brady Gene} ((cough cough, yep, they have middle names!)) has been continuing to live with us until we sell our house.  So...I decided that before I went over to my parents, I would quickly stop by home and pick Brady up so he could play with Mason for a bit while we all swam.  I went to put my purse in the car and somehow between putting the purse in and taking Brady to the passenger side to get him in the car, we were both locked out.  My purse, MY PHONE, my house keys, all in the LOCKED CAR.  Now, I didn't have much of a choice, I found a neighbor, called Matt and sat on the front step of the house patiently awaiting his arrival to "save" Me and Brady. 

Heres my point :)

As I sit on the step, I think to myself...what did I do today that Karma is paying me back for?  I must have done something wrong!  In the 20 minutes that I sat there, I honestly couldn't think of one thing.  It wasn't until we got home later that night that I was looking through my purse and realized that I didn't have my wallet with me.  It was like a lightbulb went off!! Karma wasn't paying me back in a negative way, Karma was protecting me...If I had driven without a license earlier, I probably would have gotten pulled over and fined for driving without a license! At least thats the way I CHOOSE to look at the situation.

There is definitely something powerful about being able to take a bad situation and look at it in a positive light!

CHALLENGE TO YOU

:  Take something negative today and turn it into a POSITIVE!!!!  &&& I would love to hear your story :)

xoxo,

Kristin

If Marilyn Monroe was still alive...

....I think we would be friends. This is why;

The last quote brings me to this...whether you like Nicki Minaj or not, you should listen to her song, 'Marilyn Monroe' off of her Deluxe Edition Roman Reloaded.  I personally think it will put a PeP in your STEP today.

Beauty Box SWAP!

CHECK IT OUT... 2 days left to sign up for Beauty Box!

So here goes it ... Click here to fill out your presh little form. SPREAD the LOVE, pass the word, get it out there. You know you want to join, everyone is doing it. Nothing like good ole peer pressure.

We will be taking information up until July 25th.. THAT'S LIKE forever away, the more the merrier is the motto.

You will then be assigned another blogger by July 31st. Send items by August 10th, reveal post by August 20th & link it up!

Rules

• You MUST meet these deadlines, it is important that each & everyone that signs up gets what they signed up for.

• Follow your hosts pleease, http://tiffanyreitz.blogspot.com/ , Absolute Mommy, & Shabby Kitteh.

• Come back on August 10th for your link up.

Optional Rules

• Grab the swap button & advertise via blog world.

• Shout it out via Twitter, Facebook .. You get it right?

<div align="center"><a href="http://tiffanyreitz.blogspot.com/2012/06/beauty-box-swap.html" title="Blabbering Thoughts"><img src="http://i1161.photobucket.com/albums/q513/tiffanyreitz723/BeautyBox-175.jpg" alt="Blabbering Thoughts" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Summer Hair Tip {for no cost}

I have been a little...lax when it comes to posting the last week or two. whoops! Hopefully this wonderful summer hair tip makes up for my slack!

As a woman, I adore my hair.  They say that you always want what you don't have and until about 2 1/2 years ago I would agree with that.  With the birth of my daughter also came the fun relaxed wavy curls on my head (with the help of a little Garnier Fructis($4).  But, there is something that I dread about my hair when summer time comes along...

My hair becomes brittle and dry.  Especially when my husband and kids want to go spend time in the pool 4 out of 7 days of the week.  My body loves the extra vitamin D but my hair, hates the chlorine. My ends feel horrible and the chlorine turns every strand of my hair stiff as a board! 

I had a hair appointment on Saturday morning and I was discussing this with my new stylist (she is pretty amazing).  She is a natural blond but does put color in her hair.  Now, I don't have blond hair but Krissy said that she is always concerned about her hair turning green {so for the blonds out there, take note!} 

TIP: Before going outside and getting in the pool, wet your hair with tap water. 

Your hair can only soak up so much water and when you wet it before, it won't give the chlorine as much of a chance to attack your strands. 

This little tip I have yet to try but was hopful that I would be able to do so this week or if you try it out, LET ME KNOW if it worked for you, please :)

Now, you can protect your hair {with water} AND your skin {with some SPF}

Happy Monday ALL*

Who doesnt love a pretty polish?

Nail Polish 101

If you are anything like me, going into a CVS or Walgreens is very time consuming.  Mostly because, I go straight to the nail polish isle and can spend an hour looking for the perfect nail polish color. 

This season, I have a slight obsession with the orange-pink/coral colors. 

Check out this new essie brand polish that I found and LOVE

I love the brightness of the color.  At first it has a hot pink color to it but on its more orange.

It is very OLE CALIENTE!! HOT HOT HOT!!

TIP:  When applying the first layer, apply polish horizontally to tip of your nail and then the remaining coats, vertically.  This will help with chipping {hopefully:)}

Happy Monday!

A Little Bit of Metal...In my FOOD

So...Who has ever been invited to a cookout and made the comment, "I'll bring the pasta salad!"?  To be honest, I have always been the girl that brings the chips and dip but lately I have been trying to branch out.  HA! 

This past weekend, my family and I were invited to a little get together.  I didn't get a chance to make anything and a quick stop at Martin's Supermarket deli sounded right up my alley.  My husband and kids waited in the car while I ran in.  I knew what I was going to order, so I asked for 2lbs of the Greek feta pasta and got out of Martins in record time.

When it was time to eat, I got the pasta out of the fridge and everyone helped themselves{right out of the container}.  When I sat down to eat everyone was going well UNTIL...

I took a bit of the pasta and felt a weird sensation of metal/aluminum meeting with a cavity that I had filled a while back.  I made some kind of a weird sound and then out of natural reaction bit down on the bite again.  That time I knew something was wrong.  I take the piece of pasta from my mouth and this is what I find....

Yep, that's right folks, that is a piece of metal{which later, after lab work was done, turns out to be part of a cooling coil that broke off in the fridge!}  

After calling Martins, they apologized and gave me my money back.  Oh, I guess I should mention that they also offered me another pasta, to which I declined.  DUH.  I forgot to mention that when I bit down the second time, it chipped my back molar filling so Martins Insurance company will also be taking care of that bill.  what a mess!

It may just be me but I feel as if I should get a years worth of FREE GROCERIES for the trouble this has caused, right?!

I am just thankful that it was me and not one of the kids! 

HAPPY WEEKEND and watch what you eat :)

Moving On...

IT'S HAPPENING!! We are officially on the market! Well, its been a week BUT for those of you that have gone through the whole process it is super overwhelming and days feel like months. For those of you who have not been through it...here is a little taste--

Day 1(June 25)- First day on the market; I think I checked the Re/Max website close to 1,000 times that day{1,000 may be pushing it but I bet 100 is RIGHT ON!}.  Finally, after a year of contemplating we took the plunge.  The time felt right and althought the market isn't on our side, lets face it...we are running out of room, QUICK! 

Our house is cute, perfect for a starter home and a couple just starting out or an older couple who doesn't need much room but for a family of six {i include the two dogs because, they are definitely a part of the family}, we are ready for a bigger home.  The kids share a room and although they love it, soon our son will soon be heading into kindergarten and sharing a room with your sister IS JUST NOT COOL anymore.  If he doesn't realize that now, its only a matter of time. 

Plus, I will be honest....Momma is ready for a bigger closet, his/her sinks and more kitchen space...maybe then I will learn to use all the pots and pans but until then, I will continue to use the excuse that {I can't find anything}.

DAY 4- Have you ever done a diet cleanse?  I haven't BUT, I hear that day 3 and 4 are the worst! haha.  Seriously, I felt like day 4 should have been day 364.  My husband mowed the lawn that night thinking that come day 5 people would notice his nice clean yard and someone would forsure want to buy our house.  --Cute, right??--

Day 6- SOLD! I wish! The listing was put in the Sunday ads, maybe this will help get people interested in our house, so it can become their home.

The last week has been a roller coaster of emotions.  Most people ask us if we have found a new home or if we are looking.  The answer is always this, "No.  We are selling first.  We have looked, fallen in love with the 'perfect house' and watched someone else make it there home." I have never been good at losing something that I love. We will take our chances that when our home sells, our true 'perfect house' will come along.  Until then, we will let it be and let whats meant to be...JUST BE.

Sticks and Stones...

The old saying, "sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me", is a lie.

Being a Mom has taught me so much, my relationship with my first born son has taught me more.  My son, Keagan, is a 5 year old that is going on 30.  When I discribe Keagan to people, I say that he is sweet, kind, smart, quick and funny.  I often will tell Keagan that my favorite thing about his is his heart.  Its not often that we disagree, we have the kind of relationship where a look says more than words and a stern "i'm disappointed in the choice that you made" is a far worse punishment than a time out. He loves to make me proud.  So, last night when the following words came out of his mouth, I could have been literally hit by a bus and not known.

It was 8:45 bath time and we had just come inside from playing, my husband and daughter went to move the sprinkler before coming in.  When Keagan found out that sissy was still outside with Daddy he wanted to go too.  Of course, at this time, he had already had his clothes off and the bath was running.  I told him that they will be inside in a second and that he needed to stay inside.  He responded with....

"MOMMY, YOU ARE THE WORST MOMMY EVER!!"

I just stopped and said, "okay".  I had never heard anything like that come out of Keagans mouth.  The fact that he even thought it long enough to say it, broke my heart.  Now, I think that if you are a parent you will hear those words at least once in your life.  But to be honest, I was completely caught off guard hearing it from Keagan's mouth. 

Matthew heard him and had a talk with him, Keagan later apoligized but you can bet that I will never forget how that first time, HURT. I explained to Keagan that {it is very important to think about what he says before he says it, words can really hurt people, just as his did to me}

This morning, the first thing Keagan did was say, "good morning, mommy" and when it was time for me to go to work, he looked at me and said, "good-bye SWEETHEART". 

Hair. Hair. Hair

I love having a little girl! & I love that my little girl loves being such a girlie girl. She loves jewelry, purses, shoes, all things pink and her hair.  I happen to be very thankful that she likes and allows me to do her hair. If she didnt, she would walk around all day like this....

Let's call these the BEFORE...

 

AHHHH...

And here are a few of my favorite CUTE, EASY & FuN styles...the AFTER...

Messy high Pony with clipped back side bangs

Low pony

Piggies with bangs

My Favorie: French braided bangs

If you can't tell...I love a cute braid!...

   

Happy Hair Tuesday :) 

Picky Eater to Superhero!

Do you have a little one that won't eat anything other than hotdogs, ramon noodles, chicken nuggets and poptarts?  If your family is anything like ours, you have at least one child that no matter what you say or do, getting your child to eat something new is frustrating and beyond difficult. 

Even mac n' cheese is "yucky" to my son {who doesn't like mac n' cheese!!}. 

Dinner these days seems to be filled with threats of, "if you don't eat your dinner, there will be no snack before bed"...until, last night.

Last night, during one of those {i refuse to eat my red potatoes and mac n' cheese}moments, I turned my very picky eater into a SUPERHERO eater!  I picked up his fork and put it to his mouth.  I told him that  I heard he had super strength teeth and asked him to show me his powers. {I think that the word powers to a 5 year old is like the word caffeine to an adult in the morning}.  10 minutes later, his food was gone!  Of course in those 10 minutes, I played up his powers and by the end of the meal he was explaining to me why taking care of your teeth is so important. WOOHOO!

Here are my two little Superheros :)



Wine Lovers

I'll make this short and sweet

I love wine...

My favorite was Riesling, its one of the sweeter white wines and it was always the safest bet for me when I ordered at a restaurant.  I have since branched out and tried and liked many different wines but I found a new favorite....

Red Decadence Chocolate Red Wine

If you have never heard of it or have never tried it, YOU SHOULD!  Its definitely a dessert wine with a chocolate covered cherry taste.  Yumm...ENJOY!

Autiques Antiques Antiques

I grew up spending my weekends at my grandparents antique booth in Allegan, Michigan.  I remember how I would walk with my parents to view different booths.  Not really appreciating the structure and history behind each piece {lets face it, I was 10 and wished I would have been able to sleep in}. If my grandparents were not selling antique furniture, they were refinishing it. One of my favorite things about my grandpa was the way refinished antique pieces.  The care and value he took in every piece he refinished. 

  And then it started...

I have one hour for lunch each day.  One of my favorite things to do on lunch is go down the road to a local shop called, Antiques & More by Fretta.  Its one of those places where if you are not careful, you could pass by the most amazing mirror, mint conditioned antiqued suit case or heaven for bid, a LIFE Magazine with James Dean or Marilyn Monroe's face on the cover.  I usually take the time to go through the old records to see if I get lucky and come across one that says, 'THE BEATLES'.  I've been told that I have an old soul. 

 Anymore you have to be cautious about things that you pick up at "antique" stores.  There used to be an "age" limit on the items that can be priced and sold as antiques but I have found lately that people are selling pieces that are in no way, shape or form antique.  As a matter of fact, I made a purchase today that I promise you was probably purchased somewhere like Pier One a few years ago and repainted.   Most of the time you can tell by the kind of wood, how it is stained and it might possibly  be stamped with a date.  Glass pieces are also usually marked as well. 

Here is a picture of my new "antique" wine rack.  Who doesn't love a cute wine rack!

If you have never been into a local Antique shop near where you live, stop in one day just to look around!  I can almost guarantee that you will find something that you love, and if not...you didn't look hard enough!

A little reminder never hurt...

words to live by

seven. one. two

Ahh, what is in a name, you ask?  In order for you to get to know me, I will introduce you to my other {better} half.  His name is Matthew and he is pretty much the coolest guy on the planet. 

Matt and I met in 2000, we had a class together, I was a junior and he was a freshman (I know, I know,but hear me out!) He walked into class and I immediately asked who he was.  I thought he was just the cutest boy, I even remember what he was wearing{i blame that on my photographic memory}.  I was the forward one and asked him to be my 12 o'clock partner and the rest was history. Well, almost.  I still have to tell you the meaning of {seven.one.two}.  Matthew and I both played soccer in high school, can you guess our numbers??  I was #7 and he was #12.  Exciting huh? LOL.  Those numbers have seemed to followed us through the years and are a nice reminder of where we have been as a couple and how far we have come...

In 2006, we welcomed our first perfect little boy into the world, his name is Keagan and then in 2007, 7 years after Matt asked me to be his girlfriend, he asked me to marry him! So, at Paris, on top of the Eiffel Tower he popped the question.  ::cough, cough:: Okay, before you start to imagine the scenery of the real Eiffel Tower, I should tell you that  it was the one in Las Vegas but whatever, it was perfect :)  In 2009, along came our beautiful baby girl, Kaylen and in 2010, we decided that it was time to stop doing things so backwards.  In May of 2010 we traveled to North Carolina and on the grounds of Biltmore Estate, and said "I do".  There is definitely something extra special for us to know that our children got to be part of our wedding day, they got to be there when we "all got married", as my 5 year old still says. 

                                       This is a picture of the 4 of us right after our wedding

I cannot imagine taking this journey through life without Matt by my side, I am thankful for him and what he does for our family, each and every day.  His strength is admirable and his heart just makes it that much easier to love him.  Alright, enough of that mushy stuff but that gives you a little insight on a big part of me.

who. why. what. when

Hi, I'm Kristin.  I'm a 27 year old (28 in exactly one month and 1 day from today but today,i am still 27), wife to my high school sweetheart and mommy of two. I could ramble on and on about my husband and children for hours on end but will save all that jazz for future posts. Lucky You!

I am starting this blog for one reason... my best friend won't leave me alone about it! She is one of those people that really doesn't like to open herself up and let people in to her personal life yet, she loves to blog! .don't worry, she is completely as crazy as my last statement sounded BUT she will be the first to admit it.  I guess part of me believes thinks that I  might enjoy blogging and the people I follow as much as she does, time will tell I suppose.  I'll go ahead and take this opportunity to invite you to read her blog and follow her. http://tiffanyreitz.blogspot.com/

I have to be honest and say that I have no idea what I plan to write about or if it will even be interesting to anyone other than Tiffany but I will tell you this...

I love my family & friends but I am very private in the way that I don't love to share personal things with just anyone so this blogging thing is very much...out. of. my. element.  I'm a little nervous.  So bare with me and maybe with a little time, I'll let you into the fun things and funny moments that fill each and every day.

Side note:  I am super random(which makes for a lot of exciting moments) so I will now apoligize ahead of time for all of the random posts that might be about to happen. So...here goes...HAPPY READING.  Isn't that something bloggers say?

Side note 2:  Upon writing the last sentence, I got ADD and clicked on another tab and I some how exited out and lost my entire post.  Apparently, there is something called, auto save?  Niiiiice!