IT'S A WRAP

December 31, 2012

No comments



we ended 2012 by celebrating our gorgeous girl. there's no better way to bring in the new year, i think. 

this is one of my favorite times of the year. i'm excited for the possibilites of a clean slate. i'm excited to see all of the reds, pinks and hearts for valentines day. the bright colors of spring and organizational inspiration galore.

there are so many things i want to accomplish in the new year. and i've been so busy with the holidays and parties and family that i haven't written it all down yet, but i will.

i just wanted to pop in to send the year out properly. i've got lots of tell you about and goals & dreams to share. for now, have a ball tonight. see you in the new year!
Read More

THE NEW GUY

December 27, 2012

2 comments
we've been thinking about adding another dog to our family. a bigger one who wants to play a little more than our dachshund. he kind of does what he wants, when he wants. and we love him the way he is! we just wanted to expand the family a little. and, maybe lia won't bug toby as much??

i found this handsome guy online by accident while i was looking for a shelter to donate some old towels. and it was love at first sight. i just couldn't get him out of my head. so M and i chatted and decided to start the process. almost a week later, here he is!




and we are in lurve. this big guy is SO sweet. he's got some killer long legs and he's pretty energetic. i'm also sure he is going to eat us out of the house. but he's great. 

we adopted him from a local dog rescue haven that rescued him from a kill shelter when he was a puppy. all we know is he's a great dane/lab mix, about a year old and around 70lbs. oh, and his name is maverick.

the rest we'll figure out on this new adventure! 

we've got family coming in this weekend for l's birthday. she'll be 3 on saturday!! the house will be full and extra dogs will be here too so things are gonna get crazy. it'll be quiet on the blog front while family is in town. but then get ready for some serious posting, some changes and a resolution or two!

happy new year! we'll be ringing it in together with several pounds of dog hair and some extra slobber. hope yours is just as awesome!
Read More

CHRISTMAS TIME

December 25, 2012

2 comments



christmas was magical, messy and full of good things. we kept it quiet and simple, just the three of us. with lots of simple wooden toys that spark creativity and imagination, some yummy treats and a nice family dinner. and now i am thankful to say everything has been cleaned up and almost every toy is put away. 

one holiday may be over but we'll be celebrating all week. my girl turns three on saturday. how that happened, i don't know. but it did. so cake, balloons and lots of family time will be happening. 

merry christmas to all. and to all a good (quiet & full of rest!) night!
Read More

merry christmas!

December 24, 2012

No comments
it's christmas eve. i can't believe it's christmas eve. we have been scrambling around all day cleaning, putting up blinds and getting the house ready for the holidays!
 
it's been a busy, busy day. but as i type this, sitting in my cozy new office with twinkling lights, i know how blessed i am. for my amazing husband who stays up late (and all day too) putting together toys and furniture. for my baby girl who lights up my world. just a few christmas eve's ago, i was mourning the loss of our first pregnancy. and as i sat reading L a few christmas books before bed, i realized how truly lucky and happy i am. 
 
now the stockings are full, the gifts are under the tree and santa's milk & cookies have been left on the front porch. someone is a little scared of the big guy in red coming in our house tonight so we left cookies on the porch and made sure santa knew to leave the presents there too and mommy & papi would handle the rest. then our little girl was happy.
 
christmas, we're ready!
 
merry christmas from my family to yours.



Read More

currently.

December 20, 2012

4 comments


 
watching | i am loving parenthood lately. i'm trying to catch up on the current season through hulu. the show is just so relatable and cozy, if that makes sense.
 
thinking about | fresh starts in the new year. life has just been so go, go, go the past few months. i've let things slipped, i've gotten unhealthy and i am just not taking the approach on certain things that i want to take. trying to just figure things out, you know?
 
listening to | L repeating all the words on the episode of mickey mouse clubhouse she is watching. it's just us girls tonight and we needed some quiet down time.
 
excited about | the possibility of adopting a dog. we're just starting to think about looking at local shelters but i did find a very adorable guy that i just can't get out of my head.
 
reading | bitter is the new black by jen lancaster and gretchen rubin's happier at home.
one is funny, the other inspiring. both are exactly what i need right now.
 
loving | my girl. i feel like a change is coming. we still have our bad days ridden with attitudes and tantrums, but there's been some really good things going on. she's been more loving and generally happier lately. and she blows my mind every day with how smart she is and how much her vocabulary is expanding.
 
inspiration for this currently post from danielle.
Read More

HOT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

December 19, 2012

2 comments



i'll admit. i only made these because the picture looked so darn cute. they were really good, but really sweet. the icing is basically sugar, topped with sugar and a cane of sugar on the side. 

and if i am being really honest, only two got eaten. and these don't last long. the candy canes start to sweat and drip on the cupcakes and they look like a hot mess a few days later.

but they are fun to make!

you need:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspon salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk

& for the topping:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
2 tbsp PLUS 2 teaspoons milk
1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
candy canes (i used about 3, broken into long pieces)

+ heat oven to 350 degrees. line your cupcake pan with liners.
 + in medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda & salt.
+ in large bowl, with mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until smooth & creamy.
+ beat in eggs and vanilla until fluffy.
+ on low speed, beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beginning & ending with flour mixture.
+ fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.
+ bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until done.

topping:
+ in medium-size bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat powdered sugar, shortening & milk until smooth.
+ spread over cupcakes, top with about 8 or 9 marshmallows and tuck an unwrapped piece of candy cane into each cupcake.

enjoy the sugar high!


Read More

ADIOS, AU REVOIR, SAYONARA

December 18, 2012

No comments
i haven't spoken out about the tragedy in CT. i don't have the words to express my heavy heart and sorrow. all i have is prayers. for the children. for the parents and families affected. for all the parents and families in the world. all i know to do is pray and then hug my little one a little tighter.

 


she did it! she kicked the bobo to the curb. it's incredibly bittersweet. for almost 3 years, my girl loved her bobo. it was HER source of comfort. 

a few days ago, on a whim, i decided that that was the day we ended the bobo reign. she'll be three in a few weeks, it's time. not to mention, i was getting a bit worried about her teeth. 

i dragged out this speech of how she's becoming a big girl and we need to give all of her bobo's away to other babies that need them. then she told me that other babies already had their bobo's and she needed to keep hers. oy. i rethought my strategy and agreed to keep the bobos IF she learned to sleep without them. and IF she could sleep the whole night, then we'd have lots of fun things planned the next day.

that first night was hell. she screamed and cried and screamed some more. after giving in for a few minutes, letting her in our bed and then putting her back to bed - she slept most of the night. she also came down with a cold that day so we both felt cruddy and it didn't help matters at all. nap time the next day was hell too.

but we pushed through and we didn't give in. i think i can officially say we are done with the bobo. she's been sleeping through the night in her bed and taking naps. it's a little harder to get her down for bed. it's taking more stories being read, a few extra cuddles and some "mama, watch me" time until she falls asleep, but is that really anything to complain about? 

and today, when we were on our way up for nap time, my girl looked up at me and said "mommy, i want to slweep wid out a bobo".
you got it, kid. and i cry, where did the time go?

what amazes me most is that i simply told my little girl that she couldn't have her bobos anymore. because it's what me and her papi decided was best. and she trusted me. she stopped using something that was such a big part of her life because she trusted me. she believed me when i told her i loved her and i had faith in her and i knew she could do it. she listens to me when i tell her every time she wakes up that i am SO proud of her.

i'm not a perfect parent. i let my kid watch too much TV. and she still uses diapers because I am not ready for that battle. she eats candy sometimes. and yells at me. i lose my patience and sometimes we don't do nearly enough fun, creative things in a day. but i am teaching her love. and that's pretty darn good, i'd say.

but seriously, potty training is up next. and if you've got good advice, i wanna hear it!
Read More

LET'S GET FESTIVE

December 17, 2012

1 comment

i am a to-do list lover. i need to write everything down or my world just may come crumbling down around me. really. and holidays earn their own kinds of lists.

our christmas to-do list
+ bake some yummy homemade treats & share them!
+ watch tons of christmas movies. the santa clause, home alone and a christmas story are classics and must be watched every year. 
+ visit santa claus.
+ take a drive & see christmas lights.
+ hang up lights on the house.
+ send christmas cards.
+ trim the tree.
 + hang the stockings.
+ watch the town's christmas parade.
+ make a festive wreath for the front door.
+ wrap the presents.
+ make a gingerbread house. 
+ leave milk and cookies for santa. 
we've already crossed off quite a few of these items. but i still don't feel ready for the holidays. i can't wrap my head around the idea that christmas is next week!
Read More

IT'S A GOOD DAY

December 14, 2012

No comments
i'm only here for the record.

today was a good day in toddler raising. minimal tantrums AND she listened to me. oh. and i may have won the nap time match today. buh bye bobo. my girl is not a baby anymore.

now i'm off to finish up some hot cocoa cupcakes with my girl. we're tackling christmas one homemade treat at a time.


Read More

stepping back.

December 12, 2012

1 comment


via

i want to write. my brain is running a thousand miles a minute and crammed full of to-do lists, christmas plans, birthday party ideas for a soon to be three year old, parenting woes and everything else. 

but the words fail me. i sit and i stare at the screen, hoping to find a way to get the words flowing from my brain to to the keyboard. and i come up with nothing. 
 
i don't mean to take a little break from the blog. i don't mean to disappear when i should be posting holiday hoopla. but i think it's what needs to happen. i'm going to step away and not worry that the blog is collecting some cobwebs. and hopefully i'll be back really soon to dust them off.
 
but between making our new house a home, planning for the holidays & l's birthday, expecting guests at the end of the year, dealing with day-to-day things, trying to find my bearings with my thirty-one business and attempting to keep some patience with my toddler who has now started screaming at me. in defiance. whenever she feels like it.
 
i am so happy & blessed & thankful for my life. but it's overwhelming, just a bit.
happy december-ing to all of you! until next time...


Read More

oh, hi.

December 4, 2012

1 comment
where to start? it's been so long and SO much has been going on.

i guess i'll start with telling you that i am not looking forward to an empty nest. L is spending the week with her grandparents and all of my sisters and brother and nephews in NC. she's only been gone since sunday afternoon and i miss her like crazy. the house is QUIET! like, so quiet i am actually getting stuff done. fun stuff. and boring stuff. and stuff that HAS to get done. i appreciate the help and can't lie about being totally happy to sleep in. also: date night, watching movies with the hubs, cooking dinner with the hubs. it's nice to reconnect with him. 
 
BUT i miss my girl.
 
we're going on three weeks of living in the gray house. i'm totally in love. the windows. the hard wood floors. the leaves in the backyard. the black front door which is the perfect backdrop for some handmade wreath love. slowly but surely, we're filling it up with memories and love and favorite items.

i *think* all of the boxes have been unpacked and we're down to decor and frames and stuff. i plan on tackling the cleaning tomorrow. pretty big feat since this house is double the size of the last house. i also want to tackle wrapping christmas presents and any other little tasks i'm currently forgetting while the babe is away.

the hubs & i have a date tomorrow night. for one night only, the local movie theater is playing a christmas story. which is pretty much awesome. and this weekend, we'll be hitting up ikea for another shopping spree before we pick up L. we're gonna finally get the rest of the furniture we need and hopefully that'll help get the house finished.

good times.

now i'm off to snuggle up on the sofa with a cozy blanket and watch some tv while i wait for the hubs to get home from class.

here's a peak at our 'lately'...


   
 









have a great week!
Read More
Copyright © KRISTY EVERYDAY. Blog Design by SkyandStars.co