It's the Little Things: Day 45

I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's waking up to find that your Tax Refund has arrived overnight and you are able to catch up on some bills...and maybe even afford a small treat.  
• It's Sister-Girl Night and laughing our heads off together over the antics of our children/grand-babies while enjoying some very tasty food.
• It's a call from your nephew asking if he's made the right choices for his Valentine's Day sweetie. (To which I laughed and replied, "Wrong sister. Kristy doesn't do V-Day and I'm barely a girl anyway.") But it's always nice to be consulted for our perceived wisdom...am-I-right? 
• It's a good day of school for Mr. T and Slick that included a pizza party (hooray for the tax refund)
• It's being nearly ready for tomorrow's Thursday Night Games for the BIGS and it's not even Thursday! Woot!
• It's enjoying my fun online Tupperware party and making new friends.
• It's appreciating my quiet alone time in the mornings to get a few small tasks accomplished and having a few minutes to myself before the rest of the Man Crew wakes up. 

It's the Little Things: Day 44

 

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a day of home education for two wiggly silly little boys that found them working diligently and earnestly, allowing us to make some extra progress towards a half day off this Friday.
• It's a mom who KNOWS that the thrill of the never-ending Pantry Challenge (Hello, week 6!) has totally and completely worn off and just 'happened' to accidentally make too much of a tasty egg casserole, and brings it to you so you don't have to cook one.more.meal without the benefit of going to the store for ingredients.  
• It's getting all your necessary house chores accomplished before Hunky Dunky comes home so that you have time to hang out with him. 
• It's your teenager chatting with you on purpose and telling you about his date he has planned for Valentine's Day tomorrow. (He's giddy, it's adorable) 
• It's a fun online Tupperware party that I'm hosting with a new friend, where all the ladies are having such a good time. Tupperware, anyone?  
• It's chatting with another gymnastics mama, who is new to the game, and reassuring her that competitive season DOES end, and there is life after traveling every other weekend for what feels like forever. And that it's OK to step back from the craziness and make your own decisions. 
• It's finally feeling competent enough to run the office without Jodi to back me up (she went home sick today) 
• It's all the details for my mom's 70th birthday tea party starting to fall into place. *squeal*  

 

It's the Little Things: Days 41 & 42

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a glorious Saturday spent completely at home, being busy about the tasks a homemaker calls her own. 
• It's digging through every piece of Christmas decor you own, remembering happy little Christmases of long ago, deciding what to repack and what can go bless someone else's next Christmas.
• It's several hours spent working happily alongside my mother, who can run circles around me, while we chat and laugh together.
• It's having an old family favorite movie to watch late in the evening to laugh over together with your favorite middlest of middle children, while others are asleep or out helping someone with a project. 
• It's an inspiring sermon at Reel2Real church that leaves plenty for you to ruminate upon during a quiet Sunday afternoon alone. 
• It's TIME to blog on a quiet Sunday afternoon...and plan a tea party for my mom's 70th birthday, and work on a surprise for Dan's 42nd birthday, and chat with my sisters, and work in my planner, and update my computer, and prep dinner so whenever Hercules wandered back in the door I could have dinner on the table in 5 minutes. 
• It's having sons that are nearly as handy as their father so that when Mama K or Grma need something, there are always helping hands willing and able to be of service with a smile. 
• It's a good CD played on repeat while no one is here to complain about my repetitive musical tastes. :)
• It's missing Caden's 1st birthday party, but knowing that there will be plenty of photos and videos coming to me across the miles via technology. 
• It's ending a restful weekend curled up in the arms of the man I love, watching a movie before putting this weekend to bed, ready to face the coming week.
  

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 39

  I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

•  COMMUNITY GROUP! How I've missed meeting together with these amazing people. These are 'our people' and I've missed them like crazy over the last 10 weeks that we've not been meeting regularly. It was GOOD to be together again. 
• LEGO Club was a large affair again, and I'm endlessly amazed at how we can have 30 people in the large room of the office, and while it's loud, there is no fighting, no fussing, no drama. It's such fun! 
• DT and Mr. T had a great day of school today. I think we are finally getting back into a good groove after the holidays. 
• I think I'm getting the hang of this free time thing. I'm reading, blogging, and relaxing more than I have in the past several years. I may get good at it before too much longer. :) 
• I'm embracing my word of the year (Progress) and learning to grant myself grace in areas where I struggle, encourage myself where I'm lazy and to be grateful for small changes instead of hoping/praying for overnight sweeping massive changes that never end up lasting. 
• I've already blogged more this year than I have during 2 other years during the last 10. I'm going to call that progress and delight in it. (Hopefully, I'm not talking your years off, LOL)
• It's stumbling across a perfect field trip for the boys that 'magically' ties in with what we are currently studying. Ain't God good?
• 
  

What's on YOUR grateful list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 36

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's Haircut Night at the Man Crew House, which means 3 handsome boys all have new haircuts, which makes this mama very happy indeed.
• In related hair-cutting news, I love that special time every few weeks when the boys are required to sit still and talk to me for a few minutes while I cut their hair. It's a time when they share their life in a way they don't often slow down long enough to do otherwise. This week, Dastroyah told me about how God was speaking to him this week and how he was taking some actions to follow the word from God. Now, THAT makes a mama smile. 
• It's starting a new TV series via the Netflix DVD option that I think Dan and I will both enjoy. (Now to get the next disc here in a hurry, glad the warehouse is close.)
• It's being well rested enough these days to make a habit of getting up early before work and not only enjoying some quiet all to myself, but getting a few things accomplished so I can enjoy the evenings with the family. 
• It's dreaming about what to do with the few dollars that will be left over from our tax refund after we do the responsible things. *grins*
• It's a handsome hubby who shows up with dinner in hand so I can take the evening off of kitchen duty after a month of Pantry Challenge.
• It's looking forward to the return of our beloved Community Group, which has been on extended hiatus since the holidays.
• It's a son who is complaining less about his new chore load. (Future wife of his, you're welcome for a man that knows how to do all.the.things. around the house.)

What's on YOUR little things list?

It's the Little Things: Day 35

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a sweet Sunday full of worship, quiet, blogging and snuggles.
• It's Hercules and Dastroyah transporting 3 dirt bikes safely and getting 2 of them running before the end of the day.
• It's DT getting an invite from Grma and Titus to spend some hours at the park.
• It's Pat and Nathan rejoicing over an entire afternoon of video game time since they didn't have to work, and then both falling asleep and enjoying a delightful Sunday afternoon nap. (It's so precious to have friends that don't care if you fall asleep in front of them. And how glorious to be that comfortable to be able to do so)
• It's the kick off of our 21 Days Fast at church. The title of the sermon series is Back to the Basics. Most of my friends that I've asked are fasting from sugar or FB, but I can't seem to pick just one thing. I'm asking God to lead me in the right direction.
• It's catching up on laundry and dishes while the house is quiet.
• It's enjoying a few uninterrupted hours to blog (I think I posted 8 blog posts yesterday) while my mind was in one place. 
• It's reviewing my 2018 Goals and realizing I've made more progress than I thought.
• It's dreaming about how to spend our tax refund money in a responsible way...and still having a little fun.

What's on YOUR little things list today?

Catchin' Up with The Man Crew

Hey everyone, I sure blogged a BUNCH in January, didn't it? Hopefully it wasn't overwhelming for you. I'm so enjoying having the time to blog more these days and with my new Little Things posts and the Pantry Challenge, I logged many posts over the past few weeks. It's been a while since I did a Catchin' Up post, so I thought you might all enjoy a broader scope of post that covers a little bit of everything and everyone.

Dan: Dan is home Home HOME!!
He is finished with the job on Eunice and he is delighted to be home again. Doesn't hurt my feelings either. *winks* He is keeping busy by working out with The BIGS and Ricky, building a deck for a friend's nursery/landscaping business, helping Dastroyah with motorcycle projects and building a bedroom suite for some friends from our beloved community group. We're enjoying the simple things like hanging out and watching Netflix together. 

Kristy: Kristy is cooking, baking, creating!
I am back to my regular schedule at work; M, T, W, and Friday from 8-2:30 and Th until 4. I'm well again after last month's flu business and I'm excited to have done so well on Pantry Challenge 2018. Only $143 spent on food last month and it was almost all fresh dairy and produce. And surprisingly, we aren't going hungry. LOL!I had fun rolling up my sleeves and digging into the kitchen work again, after Nov and Dec left me on a first name basis with the pizza delivery man and every McDonald's in town. I played paper with a friend, saw a musical concert with Mom, toured the local art museum, had lunch with friends, slept in a time or two and in general remembered how to use a Saturday. 'Twas glorious, I tell you! I pulled some books off of shelves and am in the midst of 6 books right now (no wonder I'm always confused, HA) and am hoping to surpass my goal of 52 books this year. It has been fun learning how to use my newly acquired free time. I've noticed that with the addition of a smart phone to my life a few years back, I don't read nearly as much and my attention span has diminished greatly. So this year I am working on getting my attention span back up to snuff and remembering that I had hobbies before FB and smart phones entered my life. This MAY be the year I finally get back to scrap booking!

Dastroyah: Dastroyah is doing his "life's work"
Dastroyah is in the thick of the competitive season with his little men and they are kicking butt and taking names. He is SO proud of them and all their hard work. He and  Hercules are currently working on 3 new-to-him dirt bikes in the hopes of flipping them and turning a profit. His Datsun project parts should be arriving this week and he will then start that project. His motorcycle is running again and he is SO over-the-moon about that. His little potato puppy is growing like crazy and is still so cute! He, Dan, PattyCakes and Nathan have been out off-roading several times this past month and always come home with some terrifyingly adventurous tales to share. Manly bonding and all that. *winks* 

PattyCakes: Pat is working, lounging, repairing. 
Pat is enjoying a slightly less busy season now that holiday camps at the gym are done until Spring Break rolls around. He and Nathan are currently enjoying some uninterrupted video game time since neither of them had to work any birthday parties today. His little car, aptly named "Gold Digger" is taking on a new shine as he has a bit more time to spend fussing over her. He recently overhauled his room and magically found more than 20 of my kitchen towels/reusable napkins, donated an entire basket of clothes to the thrift store, and shared some old toys/games with DT. I think he's enjoying his abode a good bit more now that it's less cluttered and more inviting. 

Derek: DT is schooling, playing, gaming. 
Derek is cruising through school with Titus and even though it took a while to get back in the groove after the holidays, they are doing quite well again. Jodi and I are so pleased with his/their progress this year. He is enjoying time after work (once his chores are finished) to just sit and play video games as our much fuller school schedule this year is consuming nearly all of his time while we are at work. (Last year we were LUCKY to get an hour at the school tables, this year he's averaging 4+) And especially since he's no longer on the gymnastics team, he has some free time to enjoy. His game playing skills, in board games and video games, are improving. In fact, he beat CHARLIE at a game of chess just last month. He's still quite intrigued by MineCraft and will play that as long as I let him. We updated his chores at the beginning of the year, much to his chagrin, and he's now emptying the DW every day, caring for all the pets except the actual feeding of the snakes, making sure the trash and recycling aren't overflowing in the house and getting them to the street for trash pick up day, doing his own laundry and keeping his game 'cubby' neat and tidy. Not that he hasn't capable of any of that for quite some time, but sometimes being the baby of the family has it's perks. LOL! Soon, he's going to start planning, shopping for and preparing one simple meal a week.

 Everyone Else: 
Karen is on temporary disability as her anxiety and several other health issues are interfering with her ability to do her job properly. She's "enjoying" the time off by spending copious hours a week at doctor appointments and therapies. I'm delighted to see her taking such steps to take back control of her health.
Mom is still here in Cruces, but after a move to escape the rats at her first apartments, she's not enjoying her second apartment much more (disruptive/scary neighbors). Poor thing, she may never come back. But her birthday is coming up this month and we are eagerly anticipating a celebration of that before she heads back to the frozen tundra.
Alex is doing very well after his motorcycle accident last fall. He's walking and driving and gaming and rebuilding engines and doing all the things he used to do, which is wonderful considering he should still be sitting in a wheel chair according to the doctors. Prayer works, y'all.
Nathan is nearing the end of his high school career and has admitted to having a serious case of senioritis, but is aware that he needs to keep his grades from slipping if he wants to get a scholarship to play football at the college level next year.

Prayer Requests:

• Either steady side job work or an actual job offer on something local for Dan.
• Continued enthusiasm for the school year for Kristy. It's about this time of year when the "I-don't-want-to-do-this-anymore" feeling kicks in. (I blame the warm weather and sunshine)
• Same for Derek and for more reading progress. And for new friends, now that he isn't in gym anymore.
• For Dastroyah to know how many projects are enough, so that he doesn't feel like he's trying to juggle flaming chainsaws ALL.OF.THE.TIME. 
•  For Pat to decide if/when he wants to go to school, or if he wants to join the adult workforce with a full time job. 
• For my mother's continued safety while she is here.
• Karen to continue to fight to get well.

    

It's the Little Things: Day 34

 I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's a Saturday that allows for sleeping in.
• It's being welcomed at Gym Magic by friends old and new. And feeling a little like I was entering "Cheers", where everyone knows your name. :)
• It's knowing that you are missed, when you leave a job. 
• It's hubby making us dinner (after he went to the store looking for ice cream, LOL) 
• It's having time to just lay around, watch TV, snuggle and not worry about how tight our schedule is for the day.
• It's going to our favorite H&R Block tax professional and finding out that we are getting back more than we've gotten in the last three years. Put together. Praise the Lord!
• It's helping a son work through his taxes so he doesn't have to pay money to have his done by a professional.
  
  
  
  What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 33

  I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's Craft Day at work, and helping little hands make something fun and beautiful
• It's FRIDAY, and knowing the weekend starts now.
• It's knowing the house is already prepared for Game Night so there will be no mad rush to get ready on time. 
• It's watching your grandson open his gifts from you since his birthday was yesterday, and his parents are kind enough to wait for us to be able to Skype to see him enjoy it. (It makes not being there a little easier)
• It's Game Night, full of friends, laughter and healthy competition.
• It's a late bedtime because Dan wanted to keep playing games, even after everyone else cleared out. Hooray for knowing I can sleep in tomorrow! ;)

What's on YOUR little things list today?

It's the Little Things: Day 32

  I want to focus on the good things this year.
All the things people get right.
All the times that everything works out just perfectly after we assumed disaster had already struck.
All the times that the right word was spoken at the right moment.
So, let's celebrate those little moments together, shall we?

• It's celebrating (long distance) with your grandson who is turning 1 today. Where DOES the time go? 
• It's LEGO Club at work today having the biggest crowd we've ever had, and all the kiddos playing so nicely together, while us mamas talked shop. 
• It's the start/new beginning of "Thursday Night Games" at our house, since they needed a place to play games once it's become cold and dark early in the evening these past few months. (during the warm months, they enjoy their games outside) 
• It's coming home after everyone has left TNG (see above) and finding that the teenagers and young adults have left your home neat and tidy. Hallelujah!
• It's attending the late showing of a movie at someone else's expense... Someone who didn't want his parents attending TNG. LOL! 
• It's seeing a movie that you didn't have high hopes of enjoying, only to discover it was hilarious and so very enjoyable. (Jumanji)
• It's having a grown son tell you that you can leave the youngest at home during TNG and he will watch him. "And by watching him, I mean sending him to his room and letting him play on his tablet all evening." Ha ha haaaaaaaa, at least he's honest, right?!
  
  Oh goodness, I am enjoying this post style so very much! It's taking the focus off of the struggles, the heartache and the frustrations that are part of this life we live, and putting it on the good, the humorous, the blessing, and the dare-I-say-it miraculous. I'm reminded of this verse found in Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."
  
  

What's on YOUR little things list today?

January Update on 2018 GOALS

As promised, here is the GOALS update I am aiming to share at the beginning of each new month. I won't bored you with every single detail, but an overall summary about how each goal is coming along. Updates will be in a color other than black. If there is no update in that area, I'll just skip it until there is progress in that area.
Without further ado,
Spiritual:

• Make a new habit of praying WITH Dan as often as he is willing. We only managed a time or two this month, but starting new habits is a challenge, and praying with each other requires us to be particularly vulnerable, so I'm looking forward to growth in this area as the year passes.
• Read the Bible every day. I did NOT do well in this area last month, but I'm committed to doing better this coming month. I have my 21 days devotional from church at my bedside ready to go for Monday.
• Make a prayer list and pray more often and more specifically. I don't have a written list yet, but I have been praying more.

 Health:

• Instead of specific numbers/servings/grams, etc. I am adopting a eat-to-live attitude instead of my usual live-to-eat policy. I'm trying to pack simple healthy lunches each day, get more veggies in than in the past, and make sure I get my water every day. By end of year, I want to be able to hike Dripping Springs, A Mountain and Aguirre Springs. That's it. I did really well on this challenge, especially since we were doing a Pantry Challenge this month. I packed simple lunches, drank tons of water and reminded myself often that I didn't need to acquiesce to every craving. It was too chilly and I was too ill for much of the month to do much hiking, but the forecast for the next week looks amazing!

Books:

• Read 52 books (or approximately one per week) hopefully along these lines
  
  • 6 marriage  2 In progress
  • 2 financial
  • 10 novels 1 In progress
  • 1 magazine subscription
  • 2 gov't 1 In progress
  • 3 history
  • 10 read-alouds with DT 1 In progress
  • 2 book club choices 1 In progress
  • 1 spanish
  • 10 Christian Living
  • 10 books that I had on my list from last year
    No wonder I'm always scatterbrained, I'm reading 6 books at a time! LOL!

Family:

• Start eating together at the table at least twice a week We managed about 1 meal per week, which is about 1 more per week than normal, so...progress
• Get away together for at least one long weekend and 4-one day trips I'm starting to plan a small weekend away for Dan's birthday later in February.
• DE-CLUTTER the whole house. I mean it. For reals. This month saw Dan, Derek and I all go through our drawers and closets, the spare bedroom closet and the linen closet all got an overhaul and we took 6 garbage bags of clothes/linens to the thrift store that we love.

Cultural/Social:

• Attend one cultural/social activity per month that's inexpensive or free~ Game Night does not count, no matter how much we love it This month I saw The Lesters in concert with Mom, went to a paper crafting event with Amanda, had lunch with Jody and Ruby, and toured the local art museum with DT.
• Attend 1-2 BIG events this year (Newsies, Lion King, TobyMac, etc)
• Participate in #NoPantsApril2018 and #100HappyDays 

Personal: 

• Wear Make Up 1-2 times per week Being ill and the weather bringing us high winds and crazy dust kinda blew wearing make up out of the water, so I only managed this once, but once is better than none. Progress.
• Slowly upgrade my wardrobe with an emphasis on high quality classics with a few trendy pieces thrown in for fun (Limit t-shirts with writing on them)
• Plan meals and cook 4 times per week, plus pack healthy lunches for DT and I at work Pantry Challenge month means I cooked every meal all month long. DT and I did well on packing healthy and tasty lunches and the guys helped by eating all the leftovers.

Financial:

• Get back on track once Dan gets a new job and stay current on the bills
• Save 50% of my monthly earnings to start and grow our emergency savings
• Tithe more generously (not just to the church, but to our community)
• Pay off Dan's Honda
• Put up a clothesline, repair the breakfast nook roof/ceiling, install raised garden beds in the back yard, get a coop and 4-6 chickens, and plant dwarf fruit trees along the rear fence line. (probably only 1-2 two of these will happen this year and that's OK) 

I know that despite my trying to be "reasonable" with my goal setting, I've set some pretty challenging goals. And that's not a bad thing. I will try to update once a month to see how I'm progressing.
Overall, I did better than I thought I was going to this month. I'm reading, I'm praying, I'm being social/cultured, I rocked Pantry Challenge, and the house is getting decluttered. Progress...in enough areas for me to be pleased. Take that, January!

Happy 1st Birthday, Caden!

Birthday Bubbles for Caden

Cake tastes Goooooood!

Precious Moments Face!

 Happy 1st birthday, sweet grandson of ours! You had a wonderful day according to your mama, and we are so pleased about that.
We are so looking forward to Skyping with you tomorrow to see you open your presents tomorrow. We love YOU!

Caden discovers mirrors

Tummy Time!

One of my faves!

Happy Memorial Day

Sweet sleepy snuggles for {Grand}MamaK

Edited to add: We sent wooden animals filled with beads so they are rattles for now and will be imaginative playthings in the coming year. And also wooden blocks, because every child needs a set of blocks. Caden was pleased with them and after he had shaken them all, he instantly threw them all off  the highchair tray and laughed and clapped. Oops.