Merry Christmas

Here is a variety of links that make me laugh about Christmas, which is a great accomplishment, because I am currently a giant scrooge.

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/12/12-wrecks-of-christmas.html

http://kraftmstr.com/christmas/humor/confuse.html

Christmas Letter 2010 from Scrooge.

It's that time of year again. The time of year when my mailbox is FULL of letters about you, your children, their activities, etc. I don't have children. So, I figured that very few people actually care what Tim and I are doing. Everyday. Because it doesn't change. So, here is my Christmas letter. If you read it, great, if not...then you are obviously not seeing this. I thought about making things up to sound amazing and wonderful, but that's just not who I am, so here you go.

Dearest Family and Friend(s)-

This year has been rather eventful, if you consider having burst sewer pipes, stitches, dead trucks and vet visits eventful.

We added two furry children to our family: Jack the Cat in December, and Lily Belle as an Un-Mother's Day present in May. They don't play soccer, go to school, or have ballet. They sleep, eat, purr, scratch my couch and eat my lunch when I am not looking. And I love them.

Tim and I have been busy. We work. Sundays we go to church. Then we come home. That's all. We are grateful for our jobs, our home, our cars and each other. We love our family and our kittens. We love each other. Nothing else matters.

I went to Girls Camp as the Head Chicken in Charge in July. Tim came too. The cats stayed home. We went to Yellowstone for Mothers Day weekend. It was awesome. The cats stayed home. We visited my Granny Hippo in Rexburg once or twice a week until we moved her to IF to be closer. The cats came along. My brother got married to a girl that's a great cook. I like her. We went to Boise for that....and you guessed it-the cats stayed home. I started teaching piano lessons. It's pretty fun. The cats watch and Tim listens from the other room.

Welp, that's all there is. Sorry it's not more exciting. Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Best Solstice wishes and whatever else I'm missing. Hopefully next year will be much more entertaining and I'll send a real letter. :)

Love,

Katie

All I've Ever Wanted...

Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of year when we all feel thankful for everything we have, until Black Friday...the day when we all feel the urge to spend tons of money on useless garbage we don't need. So, this year, I'm going to work on being grateful for what I already have. I have started a daily "Gratitude Journal" in which I am trying to find SOMETHING to be thankful for everyday. It's not always easy...In this process, I've come to realize that there is something to be grateful for in every aspect of my life, even in my trials. There are lessons learned, friends made, qualities gained, relationships strengthened, and skills sharpened. For example, in dealing with a certain trial in my life in the last few years, I've become much more empathetic towards others trials and have gained a softened heart. So, in honor of this realization, I'm going to post some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Michael McLean.

What I Need

All I ever wanted,

All I ever dreamed of,

Everything I hoped and all the things I prayed for

Couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given,

I've been given what I need.

A mansion on the hill or love like in the movies

Perfect little lives, where no one has a problem

Instead of all those things I thought I really wanted

I've been given what I need.

Even when I didn't understand,

When I thought you had no heart,

Thank you for rejecting my demand

And always giving me the better part.

All I ever wanted,

All I ever dreamed of,

Everything I hoped and all the things I prayed for

Couldn't hold a candle to what I've been given

I've been given what I need.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, I'm grateful for each one of you!

Love, K.

October~where did you go?

Okay, hullo. Been a while, right?

First and foremost, we celebrated our 9th (yes, 9 years) anniversary.

Reasons that this is great:

I love my husband.

I love that he is nice to my cats.

I love that he supports me and my family.

I love what a good uncle, husband, friend, brother, person, hero blah blah blah that he is.

I love that he makes me laugh everyday, even when I'm miserable.

I love that he is my knight in shining armor.

I love that he lets me drive his big, awesome, new to us pickup truck.

I love every minute of our life together, even when I say I don't.

I love him.

So there.

************************************************************************************

Second-we went to Boise to hang with my fabulous fam. It was Palin's birthday. And everyone was there. I made her a tutu, gave her a magic wand, some jewelry to match and have thus, created a monster. :) She put it on and ran around the living room full of people who now think I am nuts hitting them with her wand and screaming "TaDaa" at the top of her lungs. It's her party and she'll "tadaa" if she wants to.

All in all, been a fabulous month. Bring on the next one.

hugs.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I demand you try these...

http://creatinglineuponline.blogspot.com/2010/08/muffins.html

Girls Camp!

G is for the Great time that I had.

I is for the Itchy feeling I got from the horseflies on steroids.

R is for Rest and Relaxation of which I had none.

L is LOVE! (that's something I have a lot of...)

S is for Smorritos-what else? Oh, yeah...and Starburst.

C is for the Christmas Carols we sang in the rain.

A is for Action-it was nonstop.

M is for Mischeif that we certainly got into.

P is for Party!

I had the time of my life! I worked harder than I ever have, but it was the most REWARDING experience ever.

To my little Chickens- I love you to pieces.

To my Directors with a K- my newest bestest friends.

To those of you who volunteered your time-I love you forever.

Can't wait for next year!

Being Bountiful...

I am a girl who LOVES a bargain. (note all the Deseret Industries bags at my house...) So, may I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Bountiful Baskets. It is a heck of a deal. Tim and I have become faithful followers/contributors/whatever-ers. Maybe we should call ourselves Basket Cases...perhaps not. Anyhow, for the low price of $15.00 (plus a $1.50 service charge) we get TWO laundry baskets of produce. And it's usually awesome produce. Example-

last Saturday- Watermelon, pineapple, canteloupe, carrots, celery, lettuce, brussel sprouts, bananas, tomatoes, and bunches more. Two weeks ago, we got almost two full pounds of cherries and a whole bunch of plums as well as the usual apples, bananas, lettuce, etc. If you add all of this up at the grocery store, it will usually total up to around $70. In a world where we need to making more healthy eating choices, this seems to be the most economical way to go. Also, they support local farms when they can, recycle all containers and the entire operation is run by volunteers. (like me) We are currently working to open our own site, so stay tuned for that.

The other thing about Bountiful Baskets that I adore is that often times, I receive produce that I would not normally purchase such as artichokes, avocados, baby bok choy, brussel sprouts, and many other things. This encourages me to try new things and forces me to find new recipes. I have found that I don't love baby bok choy, I do love artichokes, and adding avocado to anything makes it better.

I also love the special bargains they offer. For example, my friend Jenn and I purchase 25 pounds of fresh peaches for only $12.50. This week I purchased 12 pints of blueberries for $20. The first time I contributed, I purchased 8 pounds of Strawberries for $1.00 a pound! Unheard of in this area...

I am strongly encouraging all of you to give this a shot. Head over to www.bountifulbaskets.org today! It will give you all the information you need to get started. There is a one time $3.00 set up fee, but really? Still a great deal. Caution-in this area-they go fast!

Love, K