tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58442063479445730852024-03-13T12:34:53.849-04:00Kati's CornerKatihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.comBlogger931125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-49196579943764666782020-11-23T20:39:00.001-05:002023-03-07T14:27:00.695-05:00Baby Items That Have Become Must-Haves<p style="text-align: justify;"><span>When we were building our baby registry before Caleb was born, it was overwhelming! There is so much baby gear and lots of opinions about what did and didn't work for different families. Since each baby is different, we made the best guess as to what we thought Caleb would like or need. Now that Caleb has been here for half a year, there are several items that have stood out as favorites, ones we wouldn't want to be without.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2T85b01yu2GeLpKS7gAWQ-PcgtskI2D7vneK8kOFH6dMv7gtr9ud8FNHeXCrJU3huod7LziHOoH0MJrYtCJKlx9UbC2TVryFxnq7peGzW2NBV1jWociEeZr7i2WNUHwIxCl9bQFfWfUM/s3024/Snapseed.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2T85b01yu2GeLpKS7gAWQ-PcgtskI2D7vneK8kOFH6dMv7gtr9ud8FNHeXCrJU3huod7LziHOoH0MJrYtCJKlx9UbC2TVryFxnq7peGzW2NBV1jWociEeZr7i2WNUHwIxCl9bQFfWfUM/w400-h400/Snapseed.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Swaddles</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">From day 1 Caleb has loved to have his hands up by his face. The more traditional swaddles didn't work too well for us for long periods of time because he couldn't have his hands up by his face plus he was also an escape artist and we'd find he'd freed one or both of his hands. The <span><a href="https://lovetodream.com/stage-1-swaddling/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Love to Dream Swaddle Up</span></a> </span>swaddles were more comfortable for him and he slept better. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNrEUNCJVXd5IPo6wxEveyLQnbt2OgharF9zLRGDNC0BhRINv3fSJLwjQwQniSvkIsv_h6SVzsU_fOJuNHr7CU1By3gDspyFRMAp8blc97IHMp_LZfdB8_HDv4qulFspVE3RbANjocNU/s4032/IMG_4362.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCNrEUNCJVXd5IPo6wxEveyLQnbt2OgharF9zLRGDNC0BhRINv3fSJLwjQwQniSvkIsv_h6SVzsU_fOJuNHr7CU1By3gDspyFRMAp8blc97IHMp_LZfdB8_HDv4qulFspVE3RbANjocNU/w480-h640/IMG_4362.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">When he was four months old, we worked on transitioning him to sleep sacks instead of swaddles so we used a <a href="https://www.swaddledesigns.com/collections/transitional-swaddle-sacks-arms-up" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">transitional swaddle from Swaddle Designs</span></a> that still allowed him to have his arms up comfortably but he also had his hands free and could use his arms to push up if he rolled over onto his belly. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsF9DxYpnA_JkCtETk3wVhULHzx6zycPeRXHApnEoyXQQx9HqeMQqmfhr7gZsaFTPtQ8PVBbjcLCx5TWWH5wUVlSYrYdL7NW77ALjZ_iZK3xZPyiMJPqKmh3gAtsTbzEHYWvawP6RzP3c/s4032/IMG_5151.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsF9DxYpnA_JkCtETk3wVhULHzx6zycPeRXHApnEoyXQQx9HqeMQqmfhr7gZsaFTPtQ8PVBbjcLCx5TWWH5wUVlSYrYdL7NW77ALjZ_iZK3xZPyiMJPqKmh3gAtsTbzEHYWvawP6RzP3c/w480-h640/IMG_5151.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">At five months, he fully transitioned to the <a href="https://www.halosleep.com/halo-sleepsack-wearable-blanket-100-cotton-blue-woodland-etch-wb-cot-bwe" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Halo sleep sacks</span></a> and continues to sleep well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTYc5yv71GmkFmAxt27JtH9Q6H3sS7Y-3vPAb_Tv8CO0_ZZDjm9_QQLybixuK4hqodxj1sEMdQ21f7xyNoThvHS_v2Sx7O6_vJl2UrHxZ0HhXjhGsXAODLEh6IhG19ykKMTCPifoGGQs/s2225/IMG_5406.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2225" data-original-width="1672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTYc5yv71GmkFmAxt27JtH9Q6H3sS7Y-3vPAb_Tv8CO0_ZZDjm9_QQLybixuK4hqodxj1sEMdQ21f7xyNoThvHS_v2Sx7O6_vJl2UrHxZ0HhXjhGsXAODLEh6IhG19ykKMTCPifoGGQs/w480-h640/IMG_5406.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Rocker</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://www.fisher-price.com/en-us/product/infant-to-toddler-rocker-x7046"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fisher-Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker</span></a><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span>could be used through toddlerhood which is why we chose to register for this one. Caleb loves his rocker. We kept it in the dining room (which connects to the kitchen and living room) for his first four months and we would put him in it while we eat dinner or if we need our hands free to do a chore. He enjoys the hanging toys, he can rock himself when he kicks his feet, and the gentle vibrating feature helped him take short dinnertime naps when he was a infant. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCCGX-Sm0h9Ps5axfeb05VtjrUNAucz1C05wec0y-yERShh6OzRuGARMBXRw7Y2jxAmqsP5HEQuF7s_GlF5IoURmJL40hNwnymxLcbX7uNuIph0cM5NgsXG5RGI09NQjlx8qFj7jZeCk/s4032/IMG_4829.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUCCGX-Sm0h9Ps5axfeb05VtjrUNAucz1C05wec0y-yERShh6OzRuGARMBXRw7Y2jxAmqsP5HEQuF7s_GlF5IoURmJL40hNwnymxLcbX7uNuIph0cM5NgsXG5RGI09NQjlx8qFj7jZeCk/w480-h640/IMG_4829.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Wraps and carriers</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I feel like I need to add a disclaimer to this one. We have three different carriers: one we bought, one was given to me at my baby shower, and one was passed on to us. We use and love all three of these since we have them but we would by no means need all three if we didn't have them. One would definitely be sufficient. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">When Caleb was a newborn, I could put him in the <a href="https://boba.com/collections/boba-baby-wraps" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">Boba wrap</span></a> and he would immediately settle and fall asleep. I loved having him close to me and he loved being nestled up to me or his daddy. Now that he's older and has good control of his neck, he is able to be in there facing outward. It takes some practice to get it tied right but once I put it on two or three times I don't have any trouble. I usually find myself going back to the Boba since it's comfortable for both of us. If I had to pick one wrap/carrier I'd choose this one. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iZG-My_ko4mmU6p1TvSogE0WA0XUHCJpHdgQ5KWSFGSwbsKhN2pjmtZpi8be0BIOoeqLDkzIDt4CI3HYHl8kVP9czpYp-WowombzKaAsvk427J9ttF8O2fViTsnR6BDJ5ztcnMxp9Vk/s1800/IMG_5237.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1800" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iZG-My_ko4mmU6p1TvSogE0WA0XUHCJpHdgQ5KWSFGSwbsKhN2pjmtZpi8be0BIOoeqLDkzIDt4CI3HYHl8kVP9czpYp-WowombzKaAsvk427J9ttF8O2fViTsnR6BDJ5ztcnMxp9Vk/w640-h360/IMG_5237.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;">The </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://ergobaby.com/baby-carrier/four-position-360" target="_blank">Ergobaby</a><span style="font-size: small;"> is a lot more comfortable on my back but it's also a lot harder to put on and adjust. If we're going on a walk I'll choose this one since it's comfortable for longer periods or if he needs more protection from the weather since it has more structure. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU9GRh0pOFkQwZ-6Ct5kQihVWtKs61R02vv7yPtOTGTzC4VpBlSqEX5ep6erPTQcxeGKOoj-H6lJ3YD-_3I3ow0YONUNTUmVm8ClnRsD8EEauYNjKeNqZR-1eirOctpjsuQywUG4FnqA/s1800/IMG_5556.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU9GRh0pOFkQwZ-6Ct5kQihVWtKs61R02vv7yPtOTGTzC4VpBlSqEX5ep6erPTQcxeGKOoj-H6lJ3YD-_3I3ow0YONUNTUmVm8ClnRsD8EEauYNjKeNqZR-1eirOctpjsuQywUG4FnqA/w640-h480/IMG_5556.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">The </span><a href="https://www.babybjorn.com/baby-carriers/baby-carrier-mini/" target="_blank">Baby Bjorn</a><span style="font-size: small;"> is by far the easiest carrier to put on and great for times when I need to quickly put him on. It is harder on the back but I usually use this for shorter times. Andrew usually chooses this one since it's quick, easy, and he feels comfortable putting him in it by himself without me there to spot him. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk5ViGqxlVnb7g3oCtU1v9q6ZgjMYVG2QZnSEzXbYlNEzK9DnUEAuGl9xMBWx4JcYBlql6CI3_sCtzuh8_Ky-oKjmWIDbh5YrWvH-dulBwPmQePVXawzmjEzlR2-OI9NL99b6uP4rd3E/s3429/IMG_5788.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3429" data-original-width="2571" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizk5ViGqxlVnb7g3oCtU1v9q6ZgjMYVG2QZnSEzXbYlNEzK9DnUEAuGl9xMBWx4JcYBlql6CI3_sCtzuh8_Ky-oKjmWIDbh5YrWvH-dulBwPmQePVXawzmjEzlR2-OI9NL99b6uP4rd3E/w480-h640/IMG_5788.HEIC" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">NoseFrida</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Caleb was born with a lot of nasal congestion. He still can have a lot of stuffiness. At first we used a bulb syringe but we soon switched to using the <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://frida.com/products/nosefrida" target="_blank">NoseFrida</a></span>. It's so easy to use and does a great job getting the snot out of his nose with less discomfort for Caleb.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhCNomUZ8O6DZI9DNguehTiWHDIUvYHisB6iOfGFGyXTOdEE7dWXEFKX56HxLgalifzfIcbDdST2toVc4kE5_hdaodoS0CvO6nKwCbOkH-vmswaZajDmCzX4fyU6E_RTQa7EQwCfoQ5w/s3865/IMG_5480.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3865" data-original-width="2613" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhCNomUZ8O6DZI9DNguehTiWHDIUvYHisB6iOfGFGyXTOdEE7dWXEFKX56HxLgalifzfIcbDdST2toVc4kE5_hdaodoS0CvO6nKwCbOkH-vmswaZajDmCzX4fyU6E_RTQa7EQwCfoQ5w/w432-h640/IMG_5480.HEIC" width="432" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Nail file</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the most nerve-racking things I've had to do as a mom is cut my baby's fingernails. I was so nervous that I would cut his skin and he would always jump at the last second which made me even more nervous. This <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077QBJNVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: medium;">electric nail file</span></a> has been a huge help. It takes the stress out of nail care since there is no danger of cutting his skin. If the nails get too long, I still have to trim them a bit with clippers but I don't have to get as close and I can finish up with the file. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-x-2ApvJ7GXDL1jbAiBq_5qxNijbcvPlfQG5zH3wmsOvrKGCXHjSoCzoUGIcsj20YSbJ_ERtqrDGir79yPL_sGNPU8qBOwmMOrZgElKAiJMek0xac7Y5Bwac6Em8Y0W8qOwqAq0skzuw/s4032/IMG_5242.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-x-2ApvJ7GXDL1jbAiBq_5qxNijbcvPlfQG5zH3wmsOvrKGCXHjSoCzoUGIcsj20YSbJ_ERtqrDGir79yPL_sGNPU8qBOwmMOrZgElKAiJMek0xac7Y5Bwac6Em8Y0W8qOwqAq0skzuw/w640-h480/IMG_5242.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bottle drying rack</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We tried very hard to make breastfeeding work but in the end, the best decision for both of us was to switch to bottle feeding. At first we had the bottles drying on a towel by the sink but it took up a lot of space and we always had several drying. We found that this <span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079K783F9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Oxo space saving drying rack</a></span> is perfect for our kitchen. It fits nicely up by the wall and out of the way but still close to the sink.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWHX5K9W-HQIbAi81oCSj7BjnWMNltutPdvpAqKMlzCVa9x9C8LncNIU0fcv4gJYYzT5Me2MbwDoYYeqcCa1P4WoNJrq2MngrsIpVipL8XUXT10BYUI_nbl4rTpHrMB3ffTTbIohKHo0/s4032/IMG_5285.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWHX5K9W-HQIbAi81oCSj7BjnWMNltutPdvpAqKMlzCVa9x9C8LncNIU0fcv4gJYYzT5Me2MbwDoYYeqcCa1P4WoNJrq2MngrsIpVipL8XUXT10BYUI_nbl4rTpHrMB3ffTTbIohKHo0/w480-h640/IMG_5285.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Baby scale</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We never would have thought about needing this but after all the stress around Caleb's Pyloric Stenosis, a baby scale is on our must-haves list. A friend of ours offered to let us borrow theirs and it was so exciting to see Caleb rapidly gain weight after his surgeries. We think we would have a lot of peace of mind if we have one with our future babies after what happened with Caleb (though the likelihood of that happening again is very slim since Pyloric Stenosis most often happens with first born children who also happen to be boys and bottle fed). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NpTraXGkZTmc4Lq307o1QhuF3hkBCX6_oBq9AEIw_x2MT4ve-pu9vWWUcwNp5kHq9YS-vbQg9vG6DG0O6qHqSE5O8HZDDpzsE5-Qg2idKJNxPn2NM3pLB9eXbbIB_nsN7Xug0f-2R24/s4032/IMG_4827.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NpTraXGkZTmc4Lq307o1QhuF3hkBCX6_oBq9AEIw_x2MT4ve-pu9vWWUcwNp5kHq9YS-vbQg9vG6DG0O6qHqSE5O8HZDDpzsE5-Qg2idKJNxPn2NM3pLB9eXbbIB_nsN7Xug0f-2R24/w640-h480/IMG_4827.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: justify;">It will be interesting to see if these items will still continue to be must-haves with our future children. </p>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-73349223214760018522020-09-22T22:58:00.000-04:002020-09-22T22:58:16.639-04:00Autumn Decorating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I've been itching to decorate! I decorated for spring/summer before Caleb was born so that I wouldn't need to think about that with a newborn. I tried to hold off for the official start of fall like I usually do but I did it a few days early. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The grocery stores I went to didn't have a large variety of pumpkins but they had some nice pie pumpkins, some medium white pumpkins, a large orange pumpkin, and a few various gourds. When I brought my choices home, Andrew was shocked at how many pumpkins I bought but I used every single one of them and I didn't even have any to put out on our front step. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJWh1yeoMADe3fl4bL28X8BlwNFgRj9mN7XwYlDdsbVLzjoGpQu3heiIppMx4h1qHUf1ATMsDKHsJAaqPoNbJuPLN_tEbni3qjh03olIkFrZl3Fl8yNJSaiRYVTRCF6JkLgL_uYCrIkQ/s4032/IMG_5291.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJWh1yeoMADe3fl4bL28X8BlwNFgRj9mN7XwYlDdsbVLzjoGpQu3heiIppMx4h1qHUf1ATMsDKHsJAaqPoNbJuPLN_tEbni3qjh03olIkFrZl3Fl8yNJSaiRYVTRCF6JkLgL_uYCrIkQ/w480-h640/IMG_5291.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our little "breakfast nook" off the kitchen is feeling cozy. I found a pumpkin vanilla candle at Marshalls that smells amazing and makes the whole kitchen and dining room smell great when its burning. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAhbtAN_uAwHdoSKlVyTyeOvqRlz7cUVXSZtMquP6MOCwSK0CER06pxjYf-13UE5juzhRHpv41W74pYf_vYBvjNOouFGVpxwwz0DTLVxYXZnWzO3whPMRFWXb5plMNReYIdc0NmC4uMk/s4032/IMG_5308.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAhbtAN_uAwHdoSKlVyTyeOvqRlz7cUVXSZtMquP6MOCwSK0CER06pxjYf-13UE5juzhRHpv41W74pYf_vYBvjNOouFGVpxwwz0DTLVxYXZnWzO3whPMRFWXb5plMNReYIdc0NmC4uMk/w480-h640/IMG_5308.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This beautiful bowl was made by Andrew's uncle as was the cutting board in the photo above. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhcvJOwuq_7Osq0zM4dCcThnQCHtateXjtKT_znvcdo9VxYYHJRIzzVn7zYf_5MNXskv6JaTghzOW5PBtPpL42MkG2Xj3LT-jDqC0ibfdsS_rnwr4U332Z_VoKwIaMK6cGvG9B48YEEM/s4032/IMG_5306.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVhcvJOwuq_7Osq0zM4dCcThnQCHtateXjtKT_znvcdo9VxYYHJRIzzVn7zYf_5MNXskv6JaTghzOW5PBtPpL42MkG2Xj3LT-jDqC0ibfdsS_rnwr4U332Z_VoKwIaMK6cGvG9B48YEEM/w480-h640/IMG_5306.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The only faux decoration I used this year is the acorns on the dining room table. I wanted to go with real pumpkins, gourds, and flowers over artificial this fall. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv74pNltgfyUuNo9OT-rJRqjb2NJnA2BnsgtO3GqEg7KaOzo7NFZwfSIAoHA2Me7ZCV31IcbN33Pyk5Ddhlbc5XoC2Ig8vKr1bg3eCahL7cFq17AU_QXlThGv7hGgDWjXaP2kjgJ48q1g/s4032/IMG_5304.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv74pNltgfyUuNo9OT-rJRqjb2NJnA2BnsgtO3GqEg7KaOzo7NFZwfSIAoHA2Me7ZCV31IcbN33Pyk5Ddhlbc5XoC2Ig8vKr1bg3eCahL7cFq17AU_QXlThGv7hGgDWjXaP2kjgJ48q1g/w640-h480/IMG_5304.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm really excited about the new library area of our living room! We put the bookshelves up in the spring but we just added the chair (from another room) and a rug. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_feSsPesWEr8EeDRI2scKqh1Io1E9Lkq8CwS10nOHOrgp3AQWLK7SxHekhmOcj3uT-IoHmXs2paZlCtoKRdUyLRrMey1gWmTaJPWFOvf-GLoPEEMbb73zbrd6AnDdTtCaUjK1OtEJjt4/s4032/IMG_5317.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_feSsPesWEr8EeDRI2scKqh1Io1E9Lkq8CwS10nOHOrgp3AQWLK7SxHekhmOcj3uT-IoHmXs2paZlCtoKRdUyLRrMey1gWmTaJPWFOvf-GLoPEEMbb73zbrd6AnDdTtCaUjK1OtEJjt4/w640-h480/IMG_5317.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Andrew had to pick up a couple things from the store and he brought home some small gourds that I scattered throughout the house. </div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBOa6mqk2IBoH60gEj7T78LgVeUBLnOJVqvc6QU2ghdksRJIJl9_NB8ML_FlHbA0O3VFyJcYHMWEiywBwUHDT_vG5vVDHBTlyIYvxozionL7bOed3BF4H4FjGNUoXtqDykoVQAwQOSCg/s4032/IMG_5310.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBOa6mqk2IBoH60gEj7T78LgVeUBLnOJVqvc6QU2ghdksRJIJl9_NB8ML_FlHbA0O3VFyJcYHMWEiywBwUHDT_vG5vVDHBTlyIYvxozionL7bOed3BF4H4FjGNUoXtqDykoVQAwQOSCg/w640-h480/IMG_5310.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">This pale green pumpkin might be my favorite. I like the chunkiness and the shape of it. I'm taking advantage of not having a mobile baby yet and putting these dried mushrooms on the coffee table. I'm sure next year's decor will look a lot different with a toddler. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNgZFzjkh-ut4cZMPlqOobhYLwEGBsyjL59LBeI6vIAkcDnnhFLFw9DpXN2WllaPExuFGcvOjSNZv9jHjcN93kdTBOC4MlSW116rMklXr-ZzQMmelWFEceTyM2OqAvQefiqhWNPpq170/s4032/IMG_5316.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNgZFzjkh-ut4cZMPlqOobhYLwEGBsyjL59LBeI6vIAkcDnnhFLFw9DpXN2WllaPExuFGcvOjSNZv9jHjcN93kdTBOC4MlSW116rMklXr-ZzQMmelWFEceTyM2OqAvQefiqhWNPpq170/w640-h480/IMG_5316.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had forgotten about this little pottery luminary that Andrew made until I went through my decorating boxes. I got a little excited! Andrew has been creating pottery for fun for several years and he is really good at it! I love decorating with the pieces he's made. The bowl from picture one, the pedestal and pitcher from picture four, many of the little bowls in picture six, and the short luminary in the last picture are all Andrew's creations. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4Wuvbebc3YC-0qvmXoBGaRWG2YacJaQnugkrUsKA8GCUyrefknvCUPdNRr01kdiNaGA39kRZ4rbZlrQLEcoD8OBZq8GJ_Wj7_8Mt8sbcwV4wHJY0NwIoQyP96kzet-vbMAVealJGNYs/s4032/IMG_5312.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY4Wuvbebc3YC-0qvmXoBGaRWG2YacJaQnugkrUsKA8GCUyrefknvCUPdNRr01kdiNaGA39kRZ4rbZlrQLEcoD8OBZq8GJ_Wj7_8Mt8sbcwV4wHJY0NwIoQyP96kzet-vbMAVealJGNYs/w640-h480/IMG_5312.HEIC" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">My sweet hubby heard me say that I had looked for a mini mum at the store but they didn't have any yet and he brought me a bouquet of mums. I already had this big crock on the mantel so I arranged the mums in a small vase that would fit in the crock and added them to the mantel. I've found myself sitting in a different spot so that I could enjoy the flowers today. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO1-C0yNnK6vw14AFt4EL0uAQf0F8aURiyhjl3yMh7fMr2Wek29yjN7vqD0DN2GbTKMLdBoZ4i2ktlcl9jI0GXikEpiJ08t5XLAYzzp80lslybblV8OFiAABCmT5F_qmn2L5MZjJ6HAE/s3988/IMG_5309.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3988" data-original-width="2991" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO1-C0yNnK6vw14AFt4EL0uAQf0F8aURiyhjl3yMh7fMr2Wek29yjN7vqD0DN2GbTKMLdBoZ4i2ktlcl9jI0GXikEpiJ08t5XLAYzzp80lslybblV8OFiAABCmT5F_qmn2L5MZjJ6HAE/w480-h640/IMG_5309.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">It feels so good to have refreshed the house and made our space feel seasonal. </div>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-79213675681840394932020-09-12T21:06:00.002-04:002020-09-12T22:03:34.827-04:00Introducing Caleb Mark<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wow! Four months have passed since we added sweet little Caleb to our family. We could never have imagined how much better our lives could be and how much love we have for our boy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ6QEJJZz7iyfJwRpG2gvEcgBkcph1gy3crgpZ_Scx6zBs9ktqk_0p24829Ym0I8-o-rZff5EXKfIS05Rq_xA5H4VcgNiq4xW1DONxW5LibqXTIJW1UUlWX15vvqDfsV5SsNCNGdW6fM/s1800/IMG_5183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ6QEJJZz7iyfJwRpG2gvEcgBkcph1gy3crgpZ_Scx6zBs9ktqk_0p24829Ym0I8-o-rZff5EXKfIS05Rq_xA5H4VcgNiq4xW1DONxW5LibqXTIJW1UUlWX15vvqDfsV5SsNCNGdW6fM/w520-h781/IMG_5183.JPG" width="520" /></span></a></div><span><span style="text-align: justify;"><div style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-size: large;">Caleb arrived a few days before his due date on May 1st. He was a big baby weighing in at 9 pounds 13 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. Caleb has been an easy baby and only cries when he's hungry or tired. </span></span></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooxGGRDtfySfjPF_I0skyMy-hAEZLAEkdOJzL2mW6xhLPTB_Q5IIkB_PfiikYc4T7rxd4lTS-2mVV_TNQ4T6xXHi4fdQOap9b61nGNVb_P31fO5MAQktM4d8Oi57UqnmJ04chzDpGbnk/s1800/IMG_5200.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1800" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgooxGGRDtfySfjPF_I0skyMy-hAEZLAEkdOJzL2mW6xhLPTB_Q5IIkB_PfiikYc4T7rxd4lTS-2mVV_TNQ4T6xXHi4fdQOap9b61nGNVb_P31fO5MAQktM4d8Oi57UqnmJ04chzDpGbnk/w625-h416/IMG_5200.JPG" width="625" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>On his two month birthday he had his routine pediatrician visit and we figured out why he had been spitting up large amounts. He had pyloric stenosis but after 10 days in the hospital and 2 surgeries , Caleb started to feel better and gain weight. </span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT-BgwaH0PC1ivnbIsGk1RiUQDtY_YjL5kRJXAqj-5wTYzr_jQ6VqTXBUaCYpAFvV0y7Y5wP_utDmmWwuWg6KVN7vkpbH5XOF1BkBMvjyGS6Ma3-s9M9YxBaHz76lFxC-bJaAf9Ih_fg/s4032/IMG_4695.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuT-BgwaH0PC1ivnbIsGk1RiUQDtY_YjL5kRJXAqj-5wTYzr_jQ6VqTXBUaCYpAFvV0y7Y5wP_utDmmWwuWg6KVN7vkpbH5XOF1BkBMvjyGS6Ma3-s9M9YxBaHz76lFxC-bJaAf9Ih_fg/w375-h500/IMG_4695.HEIC" width="375" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He went from 10 pounds to 18 pounds in two months! </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCpG5EDVFSUG3YBqV6BC-WlVkR0gcKBbVgZ3JLVz4WZZZtuq27qQp4VQ06VLSgnwjhw9J3frYuqVvZlO8EtkSt9K4wt68MECJrlpPU2K94HhiGi08Z3hiL5XMb_RuZM__VQlsdR8rOBg/s1800/IMG_5184.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCpG5EDVFSUG3YBqV6BC-WlVkR0gcKBbVgZ3JLVz4WZZZtuq27qQp4VQ06VLSgnwjhw9J3frYuqVvZlO8EtkSt9K4wt68MECJrlpPU2K94HhiGi08Z3hiL5XMb_RuZM__VQlsdR8rOBg/w625-h469/IMG_5184.JPG" width="625" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">That boy can't get enough to eat! He loves his bottles and he's just started eating solid food. He will sit in his highchair and grunt until we give him another bite. He loves sweet potato, butternut squash, and carrots but he is not a fan of watermelon or peaches. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq3xzDbsrczWmeuMkWA8j6KFiLSZMC239VRgy1MRlbq_rYz2gnnLLavmZfy5JXKJnKRmDcYHa26wUrTPtTTdNtbggCXj63drsNoNIgk_AKToue4nWOT3ojAfiFtGrs3GC8hKCeffqORA/s1800/IMG_5185.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq3xzDbsrczWmeuMkWA8j6KFiLSZMC239VRgy1MRlbq_rYz2gnnLLavmZfy5JXKJnKRmDcYHa26wUrTPtTTdNtbggCXj63drsNoNIgk_AKToue4nWOT3ojAfiFtGrs3GC8hKCeffqORA/w625-h625/IMG_5185.JPG" width="625" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Caleb is a fantastic sleeper at night! He goes to bed in his crib around 7 and will sleep straight through until 6 or 7 in the morning. Naps are more sporadic but we'll take the short rests for good sleep at night. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSr2FosvZ3jpYr815zr9skGtS3f4HyCkivot4lq_QDWw9Re8bJNBdA5DZ5BpR86ZA7Z1EEk6dd8fCXmoWHG2cxPlPskX0Yn6Dwz-e7e7mGfJnADuCiPIXZJaqk2lgd7pn77ZD6JZpjNM/s1800/IMG_5186.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1800" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSr2FosvZ3jpYr815zr9skGtS3f4HyCkivot4lq_QDWw9Re8bJNBdA5DZ5BpR86ZA7Z1EEk6dd8fCXmoWHG2cxPlPskX0Yn6Dwz-e7e7mGfJnADuCiPIXZJaqk2lgd7pn77ZD6JZpjNM/w625-h351/IMG_5186.JPG" width="625" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">Caleb loves his daddy! Daddy loves singing Caleb to sleep, comforting him when Caleb is having a hard time, and enjoys daddy/son time in the mornings so Mommy can get a few extra minutes of sleep.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs6_-EXhvQc6tPXaBf4t1AdhzJ4I8FZcKpjIeJp_unBiAv7h4t34vi3scsrEzEzu9MJYnmIKssltG8h5zQBflQe4XkZUTmXsPNk5bpsxBwS7bUyYPRaG9hUdn5qU8jOr4Y7jUje6bGog/s1800/IMG_5187.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1285" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAs6_-EXhvQc6tPXaBf4t1AdhzJ4I8FZcKpjIeJp_unBiAv7h4t34vi3scsrEzEzu9MJYnmIKssltG8h5zQBflQe4XkZUTmXsPNk5bpsxBwS7bUyYPRaG9hUdn5qU8jOr4Y7jUje6bGog/w556-h781/IMG_5187.JPG" width="556" /></span></a></div><span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Caleb also loves Pepper! He has started watching Pepper, smiling at her, trying to pet her, and laughing when Pepper licks his toes or tries to lick his face.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RWFoVGF0GwA" width="320" youtube-src-id="RWFoVGF0GwA"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">He is so happy in the morning and when my boys come in to wake me up every morning I always get a big smile from my little buddy.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeH0KMU7QlJigUTQf8NXp6uTCSAOHWnv4iup6vHz_h0pS7q56coE0xwdF4Zd6g5Qy9BkppualOD9XSfGiuEk4gitrOSAEeSYzhdnyo36bNbAckg7r3s0_uTUDZB31BuF2QVNTozXeFbo/s3088/IMG_5100.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaeH0KMU7QlJigUTQf8NXp6uTCSAOHWnv4iup6vHz_h0pS7q56coE0xwdF4Zd6g5Qy9BkppualOD9XSfGiuEk4gitrOSAEeSYzhdnyo36bNbAckg7r3s0_uTUDZB31BuF2QVNTozXeFbo/w625-h469/IMG_5100.HEIC" width="625" /></a></span></div><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;">One of Caleb's favorite things is music. He enjoys us singing to him but he also enjoys listening to music through the speakers or in the car. We have a Baby Einstein music toy that he loves listening to (as long as Vivaldi doesn't start playing). The faster the music the better but there haven't been many songs that he doesn't like. One afternoon he was a bit fussy so I turned on Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. He sat still and listened for the whole half hour it was playing.</span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-size: large; text-align: justify;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t_i_8levojU" width="320" youtube-src-id="t_i_8levojU"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;">It's amazing how fast he is growing up. He seems to get bigger and do more every day.</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlyKDXgyOZDiTlMh4xU9YZNKv2KQdYYmNd-poYHlISwIKlk0m6JERA9zlrM07V_5YiFQX_8HNH08-j_9dRgmC5uGk_S7ZuKRf9xnLTbcLj6623XY2qGWglmj5ilipgxVNZefTc0eOlNw/s1800/IMG_5201.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlyKDXgyOZDiTlMh4xU9YZNKv2KQdYYmNd-poYHlISwIKlk0m6JERA9zlrM07V_5YiFQX_8HNH08-j_9dRgmC5uGk_S7ZuKRf9xnLTbcLj6623XY2qGWglmj5ilipgxVNZefTc0eOlNw/w625-h469/IMG_5201.JPG" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIdbEDK7pJjt5R8gzVQxPOuNShRPtnvAJvO4j38uzM2a5dIKHNEjloakBt5tsmsSYlrPoP-TJfzd3S9jjduv0MOITS1Lu5VJ9ItAWoWBVz5bicssD9R7u97KIkgki4AY_MdUR4yXxa5U/s1800/IMG_5202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglIdbEDK7pJjt5R8gzVQxPOuNShRPtnvAJvO4j38uzM2a5dIKHNEjloakBt5tsmsSYlrPoP-TJfzd3S9jjduv0MOITS1Lu5VJ9ItAWoWBVz5bicssD9R7u97KIkgki4AY_MdUR4yXxa5U/w625-h469/IMG_5202.JPG" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9XU2IV-sxU4EehX4iG7SsVGRtimLKJxImq0se7YYfSMl0wqIl3SPmgLfHs7ZtN6RrMXqKFys-Pfw9uk5wu9f-1GT1xXxMnoua7FDyQnhIfKw_73uluNvE9dKvkFmhkCMa8NTpmn308s/s1800/IMG_5203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY9XU2IV-sxU4EehX4iG7SsVGRtimLKJxImq0se7YYfSMl0wqIl3SPmgLfHs7ZtN6RrMXqKFys-Pfw9uk5wu9f-1GT1xXxMnoua7FDyQnhIfKw_73uluNvE9dKvkFmhkCMa8NTpmn308s/w625-h469/IMG_5203.JPG" width="625" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9DaBBTmm9UsWihN-AyNchL04rRWt2kdvNo0FLgdj95w5_PvID5-L52fR0uQKYVbEFXjUeRTvJ8Y-JpIPIRnVvUcdRpvDG8DmeAhJcTGaZiMhNHGvMFauEac9IBIuBqkDAKIhw5vtXz8/s1800/IMG_5204.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR9DaBBTmm9UsWihN-AyNchL04rRWt2kdvNo0FLgdj95w5_PvID5-L52fR0uQKYVbEFXjUeRTvJ8Y-JpIPIRnVvUcdRpvDG8DmeAhJcTGaZiMhNHGvMFauEac9IBIuBqkDAKIhw5vtXz8/w625-h469/IMG_5204.JPG" width="625" /></a></div></div></div>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-75995657598206405022020-05-18T22:30:00.000-04:002020-08-04T16:43:04.934-04:00One Year<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i>Great is Thy Faithfulness!</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One year ago today, this song was playing while I walked down the aisle toward the love of my life. A few minutes before that, Andrew walked into the church to the same song. At our reception, we asked all our guests to sing that song along with us. God has been so faithful! Both Andrew and I had been waiting and praying for a Godly spouse and marriage for years. The year before our wedding we didn’t know each other existed and in the Lord’s perfect timing, he answered our prayers and brought us together. A year later God has continued to bless us with His Faithfulness! Our year has been full of joys (the sweetness of settling into married life together, getting a dog, having our sweet baby Caleb {more on that sweet subject here soon!}, and lots of moments full of laughs...) and some more difficult days (adjusting to moving away from my family, morning sickness and other pregnancy discomforts, a global pandemic that changed some of our plans...) but God provided for us so well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The best decision I ever made was marrying you, sweetheart, and I’m looking forward to spending many more years with you! ❤️</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-21207467173436569272020-03-11T22:59:00.000-04:002020-03-11T22:59:18.179-04:00Catching Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;">When I posted about our engagement last year, I didn't expect it to be over a year before my next post but between a very busy year and computer issues, blogger was pushed to the back burner.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkLh3WY4zWh8L7KgwTTCqb9jR23MpPgxjTyHU5lkOVeRaTR1hEVacdt17RIAnGga-Tw8jGBUofAKpaE_wg83qGgeOSgiKdwPCnZL989pIp3Co9eRRFg42-f5Wsuflbtgfw8bHizJDZ4U/s1600/IMG_2479.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxkLh3WY4zWh8L7KgwTTCqb9jR23MpPgxjTyHU5lkOVeRaTR1hEVacdt17RIAnGga-Tw8jGBUofAKpaE_wg83qGgeOSgiKdwPCnZL989pIp3Co9eRRFg42-f5Wsuflbtgfw8bHizJDZ4U/s640/IMG_2479.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On May 18th, Andrew and I were married! It was a beautiful wedding and both of us couldn't have imagined a more wonderful, special, perfect day. (Mom posted about our wedding with lots of pictures on her blog: <a href="https://thinking-about-home.blogspot.com/2019/06/wedding-bliss-part-1-preparations.html" target="_blank">The Preparations</a>, <a href="http://thinking-about-home.blogspot.com/2019/07/wedding-bliss-part-2-ceremony.html" target="_blank">The Ceremony</a>, <a href="http://thinking-about-home.blogspot.com/2019/07/wedding-bliss-part-3-people.html" target="_blank">The People</a>, <a href="http://thinking-about-home.blogspot.com/2019/07/wedding-bliss-part-4-celebration.html" target="_blank">The Celebration</a>.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJvDy9DyhdlQSs2qZPUo2OvMgkgWdXrvEAYQOScWS5xTOI4Ym0VcovfIMfxrYaQSGsonkG5nHtPG-Ogw_zyEWu-jLZ2WWfnv25qaO93E1i9HyBXy_kDIVvCbGyOy_MMPdrsTk_BDBPrk/s1600/IMG_3716.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1600" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMJvDy9DyhdlQSs2qZPUo2OvMgkgWdXrvEAYQOScWS5xTOI4Ym0VcovfIMfxrYaQSGsonkG5nHtPG-Ogw_zyEWu-jLZ2WWfnv25qaO93E1i9HyBXy_kDIVvCbGyOy_MMPdrsTk_BDBPrk/s640/IMG_3716.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Right after the wedding, we left for our two-week honeymoon to San Francisco and Seattle. The weather was perfect, the sights were spectacular, and we were thrilled that after our long-distance relationship we were finally able to be together knowing that we wouldn't have to say goodbye to each other in a few days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In June, we went back to my hometown for my sister's graduation and to pack up all my possessions to move to my new home with Andrew in the south. We were fortunate to have my dad help us drive the moving truck and to have my mom fly down to help us get me settled into my new house.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Andrew teaches which meant we had the summer to get settled into our home and married life together with a very relaxed schedule. It was sweet to have that time with each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Because I was living in a whole new place with no family except Andrew close by, we decided to adopt a dog to be a companion for me during the day when Andrew was a work. We adopted Pepper (a 1 1/2 year-old rescue lab/rottweiler mix) in August.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Just two weeks after we brought Pepper home, we found out we were expecting a baby! We were beyond excited!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5xNBMlujqaAk5muTt_21mY_XDzoTLZTmRDSUoWPpScJ0dwK1K_JI0Veo2pHFTQf8wn0BEUmJs1_vyHMabx-27ULZ7_E_-rBfZlmoII5SlWwNfIlAKgJTvFZzE15A-48uTHEtPGKIl7w/s1600/IMG_2815.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw5xNBMlujqaAk5muTt_21mY_XDzoTLZTmRDSUoWPpScJ0dwK1K_JI0Veo2pHFTQf8wn0BEUmJs1_vyHMabx-27ULZ7_E_-rBfZlmoII5SlWwNfIlAKgJTvFZzE15A-48uTHEtPGKIl7w/s640/IMG_2815.HEIC" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With my morning sickness and pregnancy fatigue, Pepper (who was supposed to be my responsibility) soon became Andrew's dog. She loves her daddy and gets so excited when he comes home at night. With a new baby coming, we are both very happy that she gravitated towards Andrew so I won't feel as guilty for not giving her as much attention once I have a newborn to take care of.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEABlx37bZI_C0iAzMDthxB86SLoNNayqcUtC8d1k22iueS8diB6Ua42rDO9ruSciSqrVFUOgF8zAMXl8ROBzdTlHSCByayqMs8j4PhLM-5Oc8pWV8YoFjH04d2s7fJA6nBHkEeHaf7nw/s1600/IMG_2825.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEABlx37bZI_C0iAzMDthxB86SLoNNayqcUtC8d1k22iueS8diB6Ua42rDO9ruSciSqrVFUOgF8zAMXl8ROBzdTlHSCByayqMs8j4PhLM-5Oc8pWV8YoFjH04d2s7fJA6nBHkEeHaf7nw/s640/IMG_2825.HEIC" width="480" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">December brought the good news via sonogram of a healthy baby boy. It was so nice to finally know a little more about our little one and to be able to start calling him by the name we chose for him: Caleb Mark (Mark is Andrew's Dad's name).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My pregnancy has been a very healthy one with no complications. It hasn't been the easiest with morning sickness, fatigue, sciatica flare-ups, and now third trimester aches and pains but we are so thankful that those inconvenient symptoms aren't hazardous to my health or Caleb's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From now until my due date in May we will be busy visiting with family, putting finishing touches on the nursery, and doing a few small house projects to get ready for a new baby. </span></div>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-82918093031485010182019-02-16T23:49:00.000-05:002020-03-11T22:50:39.853-04:00Engaged!I have some exciting news! I am engaged!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiGXBT_GsG-K4JmlbwyLxtHEvFvrhjhIxcly2c_OOlrZXQ-LXlqT8UtYwq_pQEgPWuNxQf_8ZDgrty3kJFqYvKzYMpmUTIVeGHV2MxHKeOGVQz9m0dhHSHRMHeHxnFDuRUuPFYpAucHs/s1600/edit+fifty+one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyiGXBT_GsG-K4JmlbwyLxtHEvFvrhjhIxcly2c_OOlrZXQ-LXlqT8UtYwq_pQEgPWuNxQf_8ZDgrty3kJFqYvKzYMpmUTIVeGHV2MxHKeOGVQz9m0dhHSHRMHeHxnFDuRUuPFYpAucHs/s640/edit+fifty+one.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Andrew proposed to me on a rainy January day under an umbrella and I said YES!<br />
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These past few months have been full of excitement! </div>
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In July, my pastor's wife told my sister (they're good friends) that I should meet her single cousin who was visiting her. Melinda and Kristin set it up so that I could meet Andrew at Bible study. </div>
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I arrived at Bible study and saw Andrew and he didn't say one word to me the entire night. (Later on I learned that Andrew thought I didn't show up until Melinda pointed me out right before I left.) Suffice it to say, I was very disappointed.</div>
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Later on that evening, I got a text from Melinda inviting me to dinner the next night to play games and meet her cousin. Of course I accepted! The evening went very well and before I left, Andrew asked me for my number and set up a time to call me the next week. </div>
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The next day Andrew was scheduled to fly back home so I was surprised to get a text from him that his flight was canceled and he couldn't get another one for two days. He asked if he could take me out to dinner. That evening we went to Your Pie, walked through HomeGoods, and talked for hours. The next morning we went kayaking together. (I had just gotten a new kayak the week before. Perfect!)</div>
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After he was back home, we started talking and Skyping with one another. Soon he was planning another visit to see me. </div>
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After visiting me in September, Andrew asked my dad for permission to date me. We were both so excited! </div>
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I planned a visit to see him in October. It was nice to see where he lived and worked, visit his church, and meet some of his friends. </div>
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Andrew was away on business for my November 2 birthday, so he made a trip up to visit me a couple weeks later. During that weekend, my family and friends planned a surprise party for me. I was so excited and thankful that Andrew could be there to share that with me. </div>
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Over Christmas, Andrew was able to plan a longer visit and his parents were even able to come up so that I could meet them and they could meet me. I loved his parents right away and they loved me! It was nice to spend time getting to know them and getting to know Andrew better. </div>
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When it was time for Andrew to leave to go back home, tears were shed and "I love you"s were exchanged. </div>
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The times between visits seemed to last much longer now that we were growing closer. </div>
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In January it was my turn to visit Andrew. </div>
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We took a day trip on that rainy Saturday and as we were walking on a beautiful terrace under an umbrella, Andrew asked if I would marry him and I said yes! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgda4u28x5UlsQrKmprSB1LZf8cVY7PqVnELAM_sc6Fk25FfoxnG_HyNRMR3H1Wj_NFQ7o0DyRAiGuYxumbFRB3SXz4clGp39oVM-u1q0KPDIEjT-7r3GN_8u420fzv8zU5jb2-m4fc5GY/s1600/eleven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgda4u28x5UlsQrKmprSB1LZf8cVY7PqVnELAM_sc6Fk25FfoxnG_HyNRMR3H1Wj_NFQ7o0DyRAiGuYxumbFRB3SXz4clGp39oVM-u1q0KPDIEjT-7r3GN_8u420fzv8zU5jb2-m4fc5GY/s640/eleven.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew made this mug for me</td></tr>
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He pulled a beautiful wooden ring box (that he made) out of his pocket. Inside was his great-grandmother's engagement ring. If I could pick any ring in the world, I would have chosen one like that one. The amazing thing was Andrew didn't even have to get it resized...it fit me perfectly! </div>
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Our parents were THRILLED to get a picture text from us with the good news. </div>
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The rest of the weekend was spent calling our loved ones and closest friends and excitedly planning our wedding!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5wnHC_yqQvKH3TMGNkp49FFtj31PIhvnMiaN9h6Edlrp7a9S-mt2o3qzdcNLK_b_vtLPph81m34YeYxJmE1cS9UUgthVEEwbgbmSJBOsB8-2Q-g0IgSSLHyirMLvUq2_mNxbSmip5ec/s1600/thirteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5wnHC_yqQvKH3TMGNkp49FFtj31PIhvnMiaN9h6Edlrp7a9S-mt2o3qzdcNLK_b_vtLPph81m34YeYxJmE1cS9UUgthVEEwbgbmSJBOsB8-2Q-g0IgSSLHyirMLvUq2_mNxbSmip5ec/s640/thirteen.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew carved these hearts years ago to give to his future wife someday. He gave them to me for Valentine's Day.</td></tr>
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We've set the date for May 18 and wedding plans are in full swing!<br />
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For years, I have wondered if I would ever find the right man but God graciously sent me Andrew and I am so thankful! Not only is he a handsome and kind man, he is a funny, creative, super smart, thoughtful, responsible, Godly man. </div>
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Andrew appreciates my sense of humor and my love of insects and creepy crawlies. We both love photography, reading, nature and we both get a thrill out of unusual things like octopus and tardigrades. We are perfect for one another! </div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Andrew, I can't wait until May when we become husband and wife and start our life together. </span><br />
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I have found the one whom my soul loves. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">~Song of Solomon 3:4~</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">***Photos by my very talented and dear friends Frances and Gary***</span></div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-1808887110036418782018-12-15T22:17:00.000-05:002018-12-15T22:17:24.467-05:00Christmas Decorations - 2018<div style="text-align: justify;">
I get excited when the time finally comes to decorate for Christmas! (Actually, I get excited when the Christmas season finally gets here!) It's always such fun to think about what decorations I want to use and where I want to put them. </div>
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<i>Joy has dawned upon the world, </i></div>
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<i>Promised from creation— </i></div>
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<i>God’s salvation now unfurled, </i></div>
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<i>Hope for ev’ry nation.</i></div>
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"Joy Has Dawned" by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend</div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-90358467926141286682018-08-28T22:26:00.000-04:002018-08-28T22:26:56.659-04:00Meet Judah Nathaniel<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a brand new nephew! Judah Nathaniel made his arrival on Wednesday, August 22.<br />
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I asked my sister if I would be able to come over and take his newborn photos. She said yes! Judah was an angel during his session. He only cried once and after a quick snuggle with his mama and a little bit of bouncing with his oldest sister, he was ready to finish his shoot. </div>
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After his photo session, Judah was joined by his siblings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv9S7GMeVZgSpOSLnNcu7tVm7r3Ji2IF8oV-XO6xhwAChHDS-278tL2cnzmahXnB10sKJLxXnlY1Ou1tndtyTIcPSRsNRDmpA5p3VYa_abzUTsiuK3PKQwrQ85FwldlMeji5y2nSVBQs/s1600/adoring+siblings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTv9S7GMeVZgSpOSLnNcu7tVm7r3Ji2IF8oV-XO6xhwAChHDS-278tL2cnzmahXnB10sKJLxXnlY1Ou1tndtyTIcPSRsNRDmpA5p3VYa_abzUTsiuK3PKQwrQ85FwldlMeji5y2nSVBQs/s640/adoring+siblings.jpg" width="506" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gavin, Maddie, Owen, Ben, Alaine, and Macie all took their turn with their baby brother.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are in love!</span></div>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-44611907714449741802018-08-20T23:17:00.001-04:002018-08-20T23:17:56.790-04:00Make Me Thy Fuel, Flame of God<div style="text-align: justify;">
I saw the last stanza of this poem a few weeks ago on facebook and I've been thinking about the words since then. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From prayer that asks that I may be </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From fearing when I should aspire, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From faltering when I should climb higher </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From silken self, O Captain, free </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Thy soldier who would follow Thee. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From subtle love of softening things, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From easy choices, weakenings, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">(Not thus are spirits fortified, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Not this way went the Crucified) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From all that dims Thy Calvary </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">O Lamb of God, deliver me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Give me the love that leads the way, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The faith that nothing can dismay </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The hope no disappointments tire, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The passion that will burn like fire; </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let me not sink to be a clod; </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God. </span></div>
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—Amy Carmichael</div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-10283460454620137792018-01-17T21:27:00.000-05:002018-01-17T21:34:19.088-05:002018 Book Challenge<div>
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For the past couple years I've used a reading challenge to try to boost my reading. Since I keep very busy, its easy to let reading get pushed to the back of my list. Having a reading challenge to try to complete is an easy way to accomplish some reading. </div>
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<a href="http://katislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2017/01/reading-challenge-for-2017.html" target="_blank">Last year</a> I finished 11 of the 12 themes. I was reading a book to complete the last theme but I didn't set aside quite enough time to finish before the end of the year. Hoping to complete the whole challenge this year!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6APj4GZUq-tkfEtjkRKepLoI08QwSuh_h9lvsLnmQ3wIcUceWwOFWCiunujSZCa0yJr80TcIFHNGgYcT9e4KbFnaAH59j1AJoQrWwZ-8a6bGS7frYCTNOxxeBduEamtlUKoIZSl6pBGo/s1600/2018+reading+challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6APj4GZUq-tkfEtjkRKepLoI08QwSuh_h9lvsLnmQ3wIcUceWwOFWCiunujSZCa0yJr80TcIFHNGgYcT9e4KbFnaAH59j1AJoQrWwZ-8a6bGS7frYCTNOxxeBduEamtlUKoIZSl6pBGo/s400/2018+reading+challenge.jpg" width="332" /></a></div>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-77544315855135375222017-12-18T23:00:00.000-05:002017-12-18T23:00:19.986-05:00Christmas Ornaments<div style="text-align: justify;">
This year, both my grandmothers have passed down to me some ornaments that were on my parents' childhood trees. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpClhm4hDnvsXT-BTos-1L8Sv6eCxzmUX0i6x5JfWkRgBBn2BsSeKVIG-VjQKmttUGZor0kUjtlfzXTPv0pg33KZASFAgzqMoC-Xb3bVtfX-8Ri6eVMajr-Z2IR97XewhcJRHNH2cdw4k/s1600/DSC_2650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpClhm4hDnvsXT-BTos-1L8Sv6eCxzmUX0i6x5JfWkRgBBn2BsSeKVIG-VjQKmttUGZor0kUjtlfzXTPv0pg33KZASFAgzqMoC-Xb3bVtfX-8Ri6eVMajr-Z2IR97XewhcJRHNH2cdw4k/s640/DSC_2650.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Silent Night ornament is from my maternal grandmother, Gammy, and the striped one is from my paternal grandmother, Mommom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8ouKlszxc1IL__GSdKxGJsFV9JtkZtYDWAHMwABBXVFPblAEvRlrU4fVXGAcA4nOLX0RnXbpFNhCyAtQlZoEgHUn_dmY-HNxkMjNRRO2SpCBgxZFBQNuVhOmz-RQAnvxqtACS1NfdEs/s1600/DSC_2680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK8ouKlszxc1IL__GSdKxGJsFV9JtkZtYDWAHMwABBXVFPblAEvRlrU4fVXGAcA4nOLX0RnXbpFNhCyAtQlZoEgHUn_dmY-HNxkMjNRRO2SpCBgxZFBQNuVhOmz-RQAnvxqtACS1NfdEs/s640/DSC_2680.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1szLfEhTvX2WGgVp-7PQTS5cwtK8KAH1kbpcCXlVO7SGRnEeIhZzLBV8UI2BZ-Y1sBBZElGCiybRZg5RrDyMk1ypRm6IFlI40tOIXnuwDLN02dsrwpvuey0T8uFE1xk3JDjzI-l2T4fA/s1600/DSC_2681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1szLfEhTvX2WGgVp-7PQTS5cwtK8KAH1kbpcCXlVO7SGRnEeIhZzLBV8UI2BZ-Y1sBBZElGCiybRZg5RrDyMk1ypRm6IFlI40tOIXnuwDLN02dsrwpvuey0T8uFE1xk3JDjzI-l2T4fA/s640/DSC_2681.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnwNdFjQCu4I9WvnuoSIfhIehLtCcgtVkJcxUqj9crANTU-2Ra389xA_tqjxLWLb9C0A8Kh5CU428bOK7JLB5sTIABGmXwzwuMPttWBbuzAu57BcsX7YW0EvwCmbszqCDwVcWYY0gvj0/s1600/DSC_2642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnwNdFjQCu4I9WvnuoSIfhIehLtCcgtVkJcxUqj9crANTU-2Ra389xA_tqjxLWLb9C0A8Kh5CU428bOK7JLB5sTIABGmXwzwuMPttWBbuzAu57BcsX7YW0EvwCmbszqCDwVcWYY0gvj0/s640/DSC_2642.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeZKIJoRFcz0BiGdiXq52ZL_xjzc0xGcWPN4wHTIuHLaTXNTVkPILlJCwy_UQZrivRBu9_lZw7JanktUDXgpGf7bJw4TcFbXdzkWxCodlAouJOLgvTI3bWKV8pC0FIrwjhihsjtwS9I0/s1600/DSC_2677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUeZKIJoRFcz0BiGdiXq52ZL_xjzc0xGcWPN4wHTIuHLaTXNTVkPILlJCwy_UQZrivRBu9_lZw7JanktUDXgpGf7bJw4TcFbXdzkWxCodlAouJOLgvTI3bWKV8pC0FIrwjhihsjtwS9I0/s640/DSC_2677.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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In addition to the boxes given to me by my grandmothers, I also have a couple boxes that were my great-aunt Lynn's and several that Dad found at a yard sale and gave to me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6G5WsihDmjbtfcWnqUKHvqEzzRtwzc8VerGpqkSAibGahugkT7I8hfJVu5z_zc1AJgB8HcgjrY1NH25-XP-SsOyzQQeyo73plt5_bUMANVCT4Xnvt5bBFlZrn0YPQNCDpsAMeztSHVE/s1600/DSC_2658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv6G5WsihDmjbtfcWnqUKHvqEzzRtwzc8VerGpqkSAibGahugkT7I8hfJVu5z_zc1AJgB8HcgjrY1NH25-XP-SsOyzQQeyo73plt5_bUMANVCT4Xnvt5bBFlZrn0YPQNCDpsAMeztSHVE/s640/DSC_2658.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Not only do these ornaments thrill my vintage soul, they are something special to carry on to the next generation.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-73111490125468488842017-12-16T10:01:00.001-05:002017-12-16T10:01:37.783-05:00Christmas Parcels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6_Ux3YGRj4WGzT-i8a0wTJkjJUHSL_HODHSrMAcbsdVn5h9CzSraW5qwfNIStLZPvFH5xa0QQapKbvZ32f_Sv5wwJErLt5jC6YMEe224dO6fN_Zx3x71tuy3Uw155lYCJtDfX4fDUDs/s1600/DSC_2621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6_Ux3YGRj4WGzT-i8a0wTJkjJUHSL_HODHSrMAcbsdVn5h9CzSraW5qwfNIStLZPvFH5xa0QQapKbvZ32f_Sv5wwJErLt5jC6YMEe224dO6fN_Zx3x71tuy3Uw155lYCJtDfX4fDUDs/s640/DSC_2621.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Every year, I search Pinterest for wrapping ideas. I like to try something different each year. I've been tempted to repeat an idea (for example, <a href="http://katislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2014/12/vintage-christmas-decorations.html" target="_blank">these tags</a>) but every year I end up with some new inspiration. </div>
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This year, while searching on Pinterest, I came across this pin.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eY8OqbQKp7Wu3N6_At18OGVZOgGfpSYBnq_BPGkJFBis5dEHttTiQ3kussemtLFPc9KaV4RRLLe1jufvah1TTX6gzEYi73X0YrSMZIKh6gjpsdPHWp9j_ezH501HPgFZDMjocVI2AFI/s1600/stamp+idea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="371" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eY8OqbQKp7Wu3N6_At18OGVZOgGfpSYBnq_BPGkJFBis5dEHttTiQ3kussemtLFPc9KaV4RRLLe1jufvah1TTX6gzEYi73X0YrSMZIKh6gjpsdPHWp9j_ezH501HPgFZDMjocVI2AFI/s320/stamp+idea.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/224265256427856322/" target="_blank">source</a></td></tr>
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Since we have plenty of brown paper, quite a bit of twine, and <a href="http://katislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2013/03/collections-stamps-intro.html" target="_blank">a very large collection</a> of old postage stamps, this seemed like just the right theme for this year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN09eNksBa4GEo9dMeR8xuZOlfIPGKeg2ky4YhKdEyrfOrTIgxed26b0_k7F2lhQiHmxOOVI-UvovD_6kcwI7rKaHqehJhteumTpAaiiU1jkqGsOo8ZCIGDNpT90_4EhPfTs4wMCpOMKw/s1600/DSC_2618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN09eNksBa4GEo9dMeR8xuZOlfIPGKeg2ky4YhKdEyrfOrTIgxed26b0_k7F2lhQiHmxOOVI-UvovD_6kcwI7rKaHqehJhteumTpAaiiU1jkqGsOo8ZCIGDNpT90_4EhPfTs4wMCpOMKw/s640/DSC_2618.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Each vintage parcel is tied up with twine and a stamp or two in the corner. For the larger packages I added a vintage "Parcel Post" label for the tag. </div>
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And for the smaller packages, I just wrote the recipient's name right on the paper.<br />
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All the parcels look so cute in the crate, don't they?!<br />
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<br />Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-11982401721552233942017-12-12T23:15:00.003-05:002017-12-12T23:15:48.955-05:00Decorating for Christmas<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">I love the Christmas season! I get excited when it rolls around each year. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">If you've read my blog for very long, you'll know that I love just about anything vintage. Christmas is my favorite time to use vintage decor. </span></div>
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My trio of handmade snow globes pairs well with two Sugared Birch candles from the <a href="https://www.target.com/c/hearth-hand-with-magnolia/-/N-4k98u#?lnk=snav_rd_hearth_and_hand" target="_blank">Hearth and Hand With Magnolia</a> collection at Target. FYI: They smell amazing! I was content with the just taller one but then when I went to Target the other day the shorter one hopped into my basket and I let it stay. :)</div>
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The pillow I purchased at Marshalls last year, is a nice pop of color on my white bedding. This pillow is a favorite of Pinky's. I catch her all the time rubbing it, sleeping next to it, or just sitting there beside it. I don't know what it is that attracts her. Silly kitty!</div>
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The top shelf of my cart holds a few (of my many) copies of A Christmas Carol and a little vintage tree.</div>
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On the bottom shelf of the cart is one of my vintage cameras and a Bess Streeter Aldrich Christmas book I found at an antique store a year or so ago.</div>
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On the shelf above my chair I have a few pieces of a new metal nativity I bought in Lancaster this past October. The whole set includes a star, a couple wisemen, a shepherd, another sheep, a cow, and a donkey. I didn't have room to put the whole set out this year but whenever I have my own home to decorate, I'll use all the pieces. </div>
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My dresser is where I put my small tree. (More on that in another post coming soon.) Next to it, I have a peppermint candle and a jarful of red ornaments that were my great-aunt Lynn's.</div>
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I am again using the old crate that I found up in the attic of the new house when we moved. It's a perfect place to put Christmas packages waiting to be handed out on Christmas day. </div>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-7261265875882695452017-12-06T20:56:00.001-05:002017-12-06T20:56:34.204-05:00My Poppop Bird<div style="text-align: justify;">
My grandfather passed away in 2011. Several years ago, my grandmother gave my dad a pajama set that had been Poppop's, and in turn Dad gave the shirt to me to use as a bed jacket. It was always big so I didn't wear it much. I kept it for the sentimental value. Last year, I dug it out and decided to make something out of it.</div>
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I found a pattern for a bird that was simple to make.</div>
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Last year he stayed out all winter and this year he's back in his old spot again. I still have plenty of fabric left so a few more Poppop birds might show up at some point. </div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-71765189362568449482017-09-26T22:25:00.000-04:002017-09-26T22:25:03.442-04:00Greek Gyros<div style="text-align: center;">
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I don't know about you, but I seem to see gyros everywhere these days! Pinterest, food blogs, even Arby's has one on their menu.<br />
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I enjoy trying new foods so I was interested in trying this traditional Greek dish.<br />
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I took inspiration from three or four different recipes to create my own: what spices to use from one place, cooking method in another, ratio of lamb to beef at a different place, the tzatziki sauce from yet a different source.</div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-large; text-align: center;">Greek Gyros</b></center>
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<i><b>Ingredients:</b></i></div>
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1/2 onion</div>
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1 pound lamb</div>
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1 pound beef</div>
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1 clove garlic, minced</div>
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1 teaspoon dried oregano</div>
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1 teaspoon cumin</div>
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1 teaspoon rosemary</div>
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1 teaspoon black pepper</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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<i style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Directions:</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the onion in a food processor, and process until finely chopped. Scoop the onions onto the center of a towel, gather up the ends of the towel, and squeeze out the liquid from the onions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the onions back into the food processor along with the lamb and beef. Season with the garlic, oregano, cumin, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, and salt. Pulse until mixture is pasty. Cover, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pat meat mixture into an ungreased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 60-70 minutes or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Cool completely on a wire rack. Slice thinly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Serve on pita with lettuce, tomato, feta, black olives, and tzatziki sauce (recipe below). </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="font-size: large;">Tzatziki Sauce</span></i></b></div>
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<i><b>Mix together:</b></i></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into small chunks</span></div>
</span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt</span></div>
</span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 small clove garlic, pressed</span></div>
</span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice</span></div>
</span>
<span style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 1/2 teaspoons dill</span></div>
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We'll definitely be having gyros again!</div>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-51177240458456454542017-07-31T22:02:00.000-04:002017-07-31T22:02:49.195-04:00DIY Pallet Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TKvEqu6aqsQjr_1FrNYMm7wFfHXojPQuDdz106nCHhOrukMEz5ewFRRdpqQBaqBxLftWzuaT4c3FvkGZ-3b1aEUJ8OBxJPB61TsKwlEs5jsi5iFYTb-F3qpjUt6ErnWuFIe40SfzUto/s1600/pallet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_TKvEqu6aqsQjr_1FrNYMm7wFfHXojPQuDdz106nCHhOrukMEz5ewFRRdpqQBaqBxLftWzuaT4c3FvkGZ-3b1aEUJ8OBxJPB61TsKwlEs5jsi5iFYTb-F3qpjUt6ErnWuFIe40SfzUto/s640/pallet.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcySzbexPke3hjjSYvdKFUqZyjRhYxCmMnYAVp_WilJSXwXFceXCWvQxJA9qTWIHYrrdk37bj1n_uQlGrLEo1tIx2h1xo7Z8b-BPZxVeJn6BzhxUDZoc44BzwYdbKYiDPjMRH3BuppNA/s1600/DSC_2117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcySzbexPke3hjjSYvdKFUqZyjRhYxCmMnYAVp_WilJSXwXFceXCWvQxJA9qTWIHYrrdk37bj1n_uQlGrLEo1tIx2h1xo7Z8b-BPZxVeJn6BzhxUDZoc44BzwYdbKYiDPjMRH3BuppNA/s320/DSC_2117.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
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In <a href="http://katislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2017/03/shutterfly.html" target="_blank">this post</a> I hinted at a project I had in the works. This past winter I found a beautiful wooden photograph pallet at HomeGoods (you can see it in the 2nd and 3rd pictures in <a href="http://katislittlecorner.blogspot.com/2016/12/ready-for-christmas.html" target="_blank">this post</a>). I kept it up all winter long but since it was a photograph of winter berries I had to take it down when spring arrived. I have to admit I was a little sad and my wall looked so bare without it. I tried hanging a frame in that spot but it didn't feel quite right after having that beautiful rustic pallet on the wall all winter </div>
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I had seen several tutorials on pinterest for diy pallet art using photographs, so when Shutterfly offered a deal on 16X20 prints, I decided to try my hand at making one. I searched through my digital photo albums and chose a photograph that would work for spring/summer/fall. That way I had something nice to hang all year round! </div>
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It took me a couple of evenings from start to finish (after a certain point it needed to dry for 24 hours before I preceded to the next step) but it was actually a very easy project to create. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You will need:</span></div>
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photograph on nice quality photo paper</div>
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wooden pallet or planks of wood the same size as your photograph</div>
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x-acto knife or paper cutter</div>
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Modge Podge</div>
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paint brush</div>
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sandpaper</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvRcIOs_t3Xkc1iWPnFsimfDy5WD2QUtF1HPvOZPhhREAwi5VTcse33xoYqXP2DARMBXPvNhB-LE66CIuHuREpansWmYwAr78iTN3iEtk1eu58YfavTsFqZk4IJOEDVraXwuX2mUXKsg/s1600/DSC_2022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvRcIOs_t3Xkc1iWPnFsimfDy5WD2QUtF1HPvOZPhhREAwi5VTcse33xoYqXP2DARMBXPvNhB-LE66CIuHuREpansWmYwAr78iTN3iEtk1eu58YfavTsFqZk4IJOEDVraXwuX2mUXKsg/s640/DSC_2022.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Align the photo on the wooden pallet. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCW04UMS1UsAnKfoafJjNo9IYjwO4a4DXA9cFPVhOEL0whyIUSHRbTGAkDVy9-CB5mmep8xh657haoVwQ1NmPlo8N-t1F_45lxzkB51iAtasJjR3g3rg2FlPjgYEXuTkTaRmcfYw9Ugc/s1600/DSC_2024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCW04UMS1UsAnKfoafJjNo9IYjwO4a4DXA9cFPVhOEL0whyIUSHRbTGAkDVy9-CB5mmep8xh657haoVwQ1NmPlo8N-t1F_45lxzkB51iAtasJjR3g3rg2FlPjgYEXuTkTaRmcfYw9Ugc/s640/DSC_2024.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Indent the photo where there is a gap between the planks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5P9lH1CKrHZdkpB1TQ6YbghqKSPbERXsZ0e7N8iDD5tBvy6BW9hNq_Qab1t8_z7hm5cMPRtmIW640s1K_sQueQMt57r3qx6o2f5l2BhCyg0TlUCVZLXWaZdIuC_zbEg0x2uNlerOD34/s1600/DSC_2025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5P9lH1CKrHZdkpB1TQ6YbghqKSPbERXsZ0e7N8iDD5tBvy6BW9hNq_Qab1t8_z7hm5cMPRtmIW640s1K_sQueQMt57r3qx6o2f5l2BhCyg0TlUCVZLXWaZdIuC_zbEg0x2uNlerOD34/s640/DSC_2025.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using an x-acto knife or cutter, slice the picture using the marks you made earlier as a guide. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_3vYkB0cskSdMe_h_uMn3RMhVSrruSXWxNeO7OfV-I0qEd7bnswu1FjuDUUvXqQzWGRkxc-6U4UIhULdhfOXgJypMP6vGpeCBiIzhJYLw0FB738sGLHdroY5KMBn9-Kbo_N2Z4QhdmM/s1600/DSC_2026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_3vYkB0cskSdMe_h_uMn3RMhVSrruSXWxNeO7OfV-I0qEd7bnswu1FjuDUUvXqQzWGRkxc-6U4UIhULdhfOXgJypMP6vGpeCBiIzhJYLw0FB738sGLHdroY5KMBn9-Kbo_N2Z4QhdmM/s640/DSC_2026.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I made my cuts slightly jagged to give a more rustic look. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1aojNxQahPrs6Buw20LCZLkQ4i99QYJ5vSAgHC1MuwLQ2JSiTnUmaK6FaPDaveOVciAPc2wWZtI2Ya-8m7F0qfF8mFwHAbuzxFht5mCpr88pqlCcx5UtpkGAtuxJJ3j9-G_vZ6AwouM/s1600/DSC_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1aojNxQahPrs6Buw20LCZLkQ4i99QYJ5vSAgHC1MuwLQ2JSiTnUmaK6FaPDaveOVciAPc2wWZtI2Ya-8m7F0qfF8mFwHAbuzxFht5mCpr88pqlCcx5UtpkGAtuxJJ3j9-G_vZ6AwouM/s640/DSC_2027.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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When I was planning this project I found several different options of what to use to adhere the photograph to the pallet. I went with Mod Podge since that seemed to be what was recommended the most. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgci76xP2buEsL7OnjatYVLdzxvIBUGfUU4DJorzFgyWQIUt4WizfG2i4_3QSl6fJtxHSAsbns83HRAsbGegE3mGjal2rLNi63qYDznuY7xDtGKIISy_VZ-8yW5xQjcSPfLmxh8fUWytxo/s1600/DSC_2029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgci76xP2buEsL7OnjatYVLdzxvIBUGfUU4DJorzFgyWQIUt4WizfG2i4_3QSl6fJtxHSAsbns83HRAsbGegE3mGjal2rLNi63qYDznuY7xDtGKIISy_VZ-8yW5xQjcSPfLmxh8fUWytxo/s640/DSC_2029.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Generously apply a coat of Mod Podge to the wood. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFIduUDbuycdzI8kCOw899Kmp9Ey6CIe0FbvAh5hGcYxbKoEeFUFO-lLP41TfEr5zN_I0xa0Zm5kI0CfZy-TvRYbUONu8lXoGfUVNyto3fkGl7OMUkoqFHLRmSrJGl6Mp4a3zoEBOsX0/s1600/DSC_2031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFIduUDbuycdzI8kCOw899Kmp9Ey6CIe0FbvAh5hGcYxbKoEeFUFO-lLP41TfEr5zN_I0xa0Zm5kI0CfZy-TvRYbUONu8lXoGfUVNyto3fkGl7OMUkoqFHLRmSrJGl6Mp4a3zoEBOsX0/s640/DSC_2031.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Apply a thick layer of Mod Podge to the back of the picture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J3-i51LuRIKlOjScHts_SG5SR8SVpJLudrNspO97E7qlAtW8Zndhu7fwc196TkJ85Hi84QRzl4qhNHsBWx8UOBI9MIgNqkJQL98LHqK-9Eu0wF0JY7l_9wBNJQE3146TgYs9mB0GzY0/s1600/DSC_2033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7J3-i51LuRIKlOjScHts_SG5SR8SVpJLudrNspO97E7qlAtW8Zndhu7fwc196TkJ85Hi84QRzl4qhNHsBWx8UOBI9MIgNqkJQL98LHqK-9Eu0wF0JY7l_9wBNJQE3146TgYs9mB0GzY0/s640/DSC_2033.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Align each piece of the picture to the wood and apply another coat of Mod Podge to the top of the photograph. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixzhvsoPO2ML0kNTBmmScotHnRe6CKuVHNZn92FH3T3oDrNOCI4DOOuQ0BoZgBfh4vyrvYpx-njTxVsXudcXA5xrEWkpw5I8QgOqfzED6QrPygl2fWlUFRiGyMFMq94EW9be6ND5y-nI/s1600/DSC_2034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixzhvsoPO2ML0kNTBmmScotHnRe6CKuVHNZn92FH3T3oDrNOCI4DOOuQ0BoZgBfh4vyrvYpx-njTxVsXudcXA5xrEWkpw5I8QgOqfzED6QrPygl2fWlUFRiGyMFMq94EW9be6ND5y-nI/s640/DSC_2034.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Make sure the Mod Podge is evenly spread out and the brush strokes are neat. Once it dries, it will be clear but you can still see the brush strokes at certain angles. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gLPx2a5m1TLwAE_VW4RqWS0nQOrDBm1oVS37dCGedWiOHA3WwQVg6AgvJYMtzvVkbieNHiA9PlR8vph_MDgsHsVyK6WDbJlRda47ybG7cRx4p35-_16nQv3Cb_IYxv1mO9VZA1NLKB0/s1600/DSC_2032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_gLPx2a5m1TLwAE_VW4RqWS0nQOrDBm1oVS37dCGedWiOHA3WwQVg6AgvJYMtzvVkbieNHiA9PlR8vph_MDgsHsVyK6WDbJlRda47ybG7cRx4p35-_16nQv3Cb_IYxv1mO9VZA1NLKB0/s640/DSC_2032.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Let it dry for at least 24 hours. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcijbOAcePvSle3qeayI_LCUON7ir6wnVhlW2t1nYCqkneemefh7hqoivzy92d2dKDelbuPY_obtlAQgueqbeY_r5mLNdW4uf2Isep1INQTaui8G_mC6y6mdmIYiBE-cHflp__BfYplh0/s1600/DSC_2035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcijbOAcePvSle3qeayI_LCUON7ir6wnVhlW2t1nYCqkneemefh7hqoivzy92d2dKDelbuPY_obtlAQgueqbeY_r5mLNdW4uf2Isep1INQTaui8G_mC6y6mdmIYiBE-cHflp__BfYplh0/s640/DSC_2035.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Using a coarse sandpaper, sand off the edges of the pallet for a rustic feel and to smooth out any Mod Podge thickness. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5J2vDsdRgV6LqnxVxANV3zk5Li3zkrAmhh5aDyYtaUfaWiPvO6ExN4C3ljtAFrWwBP3KWCGg_zEpxMTCz4B6owe3CzvxLOjW4IIvNuwh5CytfsA9CvnQUSoaGVo1Ozm63oN0Ep-D_Mo/s1600/DSC_2103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_5J2vDsdRgV6LqnxVxANV3zk5Li3zkrAmhh5aDyYtaUfaWiPvO6ExN4C3ljtAFrWwBP3KWCGg_zEpxMTCz4B6owe3CzvxLOjW4IIvNuwh5CytfsA9CvnQUSoaGVo1Ozm63oN0Ep-D_Mo/s640/DSC_2103.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Sand off as much or as little as desired. Take advantage of the knots and uniqueness of the wood by sanding a little more in those spots. </div>
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Finish it off by attaching a picture hanger to the back. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmG4ZDN3KP5EFWOH6VuhVr-BDb8-I8EfNu8f-YYWCMSkzpVqaJx95Q3m54veOrezPk4TpWptXZ0vg_TmBwyZ-Dcy4xXRXB1uqfBjTWqEazD8afFXhTleSPr4o5kyFJAtzaCJkoHiLbqRI/s1600/DSC_2114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmG4ZDN3KP5EFWOH6VuhVr-BDb8-I8EfNu8f-YYWCMSkzpVqaJx95Q3m54veOrezPk4TpWptXZ0vg_TmBwyZ-Dcy4xXRXB1uqfBjTWqEazD8afFXhTleSPr4o5kyFJAtzaCJkoHiLbqRI/s640/DSC_2114.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'm very happy with the way it turned out! </div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-88236378232174572382017-06-05T21:36:00.000-04:002017-06-05T21:36:51.777-04:00Litographs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I am a big fan of the classics. Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, George Eliot. I've found that I enjoy listening to audio books in my car on my drive to work and in this way I've completed three Dickens books this year and I'm on my fourth. It's something I look forward to when I get in my car! </div>
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About a year or so ago, I discovered a website called <a href="https://www.litographs.com/" target="_blank">Litographs</a> that takes the words of classic books and turns them into t-shirts, scarves, tote bags, and more. </div>
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I purchased one of the Emma t-shirts last year. I love that it had the comfort of a t-shirt but looks a lot cuter than a plain tee. In the cooler weather I like to pair it with a sweater. </div>
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This winter I splurged and bought a Sense and Sensibility tote bag. I've been using it as my work bag and I've received so many compliments.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFmVhWyZ_0D22Jq-hwd6mSthMr03jTDmN0fYlHEtpgCBRj5mSWhuNIddLQ6kAMte-s0X6QrrCjkLCGEKhWiZbFHZ59mpy9W-7Yneb8ySvPh9Qvsm6VdDgL7PNTfI-62Fd5R2ddK4nyEs/s1600/tote+bag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFmVhWyZ_0D22Jq-hwd6mSthMr03jTDmN0fYlHEtpgCBRj5mSWhuNIddLQ6kAMte-s0X6QrrCjkLCGEKhWiZbFHZ59mpy9W-7Yneb8ySvPh9Qvsm6VdDgL7PNTfI-62Fd5R2ddK4nyEs/s640/tote+bag.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<em>“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”</em> <br />
― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice<span id="quote_book_link_1885"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">***This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts are my own. </span>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-48716093113275282532017-04-25T23:23:00.000-04:002017-04-25T23:23:24.784-04:00Spring Word Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love spring. After the cold of winter I'm always ready to see spring arrive with the warm weather and buds on the trees. At the first hint of that spring air, I'm itching to put away the chunky throws and vanilla candles and pull out the bowl of eggs, flowers, and brighter colors.<br />
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This year, I wanted to add some spring to the old window frame that hangs over my dresser. I created 6 prints using a PicMonkey floral border in different colors and scriptures. I printed them on cardstock and attached them to the wall with tape so that they will come down easily when the time comes. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRyiQWWUuhyphenhyphenV1FhbNoiIoHfx_S0QpQV6l3kJ0Kko98d-wVj5tNmH1N-ZNv8glrdticPrGKMrk4L3tAJ1C-BwBU0wilYg83-Gxq4ZoVoHWS_FBqEB_txPS3MOr-ZE_vfPbfYNlZGgp5TU/s1600/DSC_1899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRyiQWWUuhyphenhyphenV1FhbNoiIoHfx_S0QpQV6l3kJ0Kko98d-wVj5tNmH1N-ZNv8glrdticPrGKMrk4L3tAJ1C-BwBU0wilYg83-Gxq4ZoVoHWS_FBqEB_txPS3MOr-ZE_vfPbfYNlZGgp5TU/s640/DSC_1899.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBNl7xA-145d8OQ0UshMY-vUQpttB17NJIfHHCAP3sHBEu-8eWu1OTIZtKeFp-Joocha-Sk8KCOgDh5sSW8RtEEULSeQIDuwNEdcW7nbRDAWDQ9o3c5nE5ublRS7UdEXXIVudHQzL77Y/s1600/1+john+4+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBNl7xA-145d8OQ0UshMY-vUQpttB17NJIfHHCAP3sHBEu-8eWu1OTIZtKeFp-Joocha-Sk8KCOgDh5sSW8RtEEULSeQIDuwNEdcW7nbRDAWDQ9o3c5nE5ublRS7UdEXXIVudHQzL77Y/s200/1+john+4+19.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhPAVPOsFT_fke08T5LeAc2WBWQHcxTG84h8sJU3sLzr_cW7lcOSvKOa9mfJcwRVxAy4hf0RompMu91r8NpoY6Wmj6a6VIxulITbjG6igY-BgV4wKvI5wmgoK6zNLzuGojHbXewmnz8Q/s1600/philippians+4+8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOhPAVPOsFT_fke08T5LeAc2WBWQHcxTG84h8sJU3sLzr_cW7lcOSvKOa9mfJcwRVxAy4hf0RompMu91r8NpoY6Wmj6a6VIxulITbjG6igY-BgV4wKvI5wmgoK6zNLzuGojHbXewmnz8Q/s200/philippians+4+8.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLw85rvWzOMn-2sCCDMKjpnVWIRpXEFud9YQi5N7HsvRvbhHdJ9jC6Nh_IkLpTpWjJXkVUwSHl-VfM6ZDJFMsjJLvUEJO6hqPxmRf_pnkii3_eTBRWag22eY8KK3FlUtFjAjBFm1n_4m4/s1600/lamentations+3+23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLw85rvWzOMn-2sCCDMKjpnVWIRpXEFud9YQi5N7HsvRvbhHdJ9jC6Nh_IkLpTpWjJXkVUwSHl-VfM6ZDJFMsjJLvUEJO6hqPxmRf_pnkii3_eTBRWag22eY8KK3FlUtFjAjBFm1n_4m4/s200/lamentations+3+23.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKPpsyAJ1WeCz-dwFU01f4WL1HQLeP84tyOA1dnt5E7eaMP1Q1z33M4MIASaaT4XhBs7dzsFClodpGToULJ_OGx91E3Qtl2HLdWlHo-lV7lqe0kHTBcHC9v4v_50tBMoB9brU5luaSco/s1600/proverbs+3+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKPpsyAJ1WeCz-dwFU01f4WL1HQLeP84tyOA1dnt5E7eaMP1Q1z33M4MIASaaT4XhBs7dzsFClodpGToULJ_OGx91E3Qtl2HLdWlHo-lV7lqe0kHTBcHC9v4v_50tBMoB9brU5luaSco/s200/proverbs+3+5.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-WyKraT_R8yD5l8DjAE2L53DqzRrTkNIZYDk5ZNL7k5DIHDFk9A5ZYXieCpddbKHjktvAxKnBd3eDByYl-0XXzrOLgtEe27cPkN_c72FjHq5GEEYbFpl7OM30savHzwvd9hKnFJm7WY/s1600/romans+8+28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB-WyKraT_R8yD5l8DjAE2L53DqzRrTkNIZYDk5ZNL7k5DIHDFk9A5ZYXieCpddbKHjktvAxKnBd3eDByYl-0XXzrOLgtEe27cPkN_c72FjHq5GEEYbFpl7OM30savHzwvd9hKnFJm7WY/s200/romans+8+28.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bd7u6f5-zgZBhah74j4lK3rHHYfsv6ATr2zmgJ8ckgCc9kE3dgsq5apXZ94HgdaBizeF8G_Ryxg2ACKgbYp_gCpg17rpEiY7VrMzU9KKzfX0TVW3R0Wmgk-sRdpLdfZ5ENm__R1fX7E/s1600/psalm+119+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1bd7u6f5-zgZBhah74j4lK3rHHYfsv6ATr2zmgJ8ckgCc9kE3dgsq5apXZ94HgdaBizeF8G_Ryxg2ACKgbYp_gCpg17rpEiY7VrMzU9KKzfX0TVW3R0Wmgk-sRdpLdfZ5ENm__R1fX7E/s200/psalm+119+11.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>
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<br />Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-58830562432033274852017-03-18T21:40:00.000-04:002017-03-18T21:40:06.785-04:00Shutterfly <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It all started when my grandmother gave me a coupon for a free <a href="https://www.shutterfly.com/" target="_blank">Shutterfly.com</a> photo book. All I had to do was pay the shipping. I used some of our family pictures that were taken right before we moved. It now sits on our coffee table. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJXl1yXL5IxGFTxRwlW5lrlW6Kd8B9LrIICBtItpwk01tL2Qsy5MMyLLhgF-DzGL46pHEP7_3lNjDqCrDyU8Zj6wBPXBTfj8ipUQKgnWgtmUknSo3-sPXMYrlofVU9ZrqjDj7uEkRPqE/s1600/DSC_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJXl1yXL5IxGFTxRwlW5lrlW6Kd8B9LrIICBtItpwk01tL2Qsy5MMyLLhgF-DzGL46pHEP7_3lNjDqCrDyU8Zj6wBPXBTfj8ipUQKgnWgtmUknSo3-sPXMYrlofVU9ZrqjDj7uEkRPqE/s640/DSC_1890.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Because I signed up, Shutterfly offered me three free items: 50 4X6 prints, a sheet of address labels that could be customized with a photo, and a custom refrigerator magnet. Again, all I had to do was pay the shipping costs. </div>
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Since then, Shutterfly will send out offers every now and then. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">- </span>I've gotten a notebook with a photo I took of one of my vintage cameras. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAycgQmnZDNnI7H5vZTMkEXSa6hzSjTrCUXvoCxtph5PRVdTZDBoTn8jL5fMPbfGKPVYx_qdZgkJySFjoGKcjHgETIc0dT6WhoMkfLXiU-0pKvtr11EuAcKu7YSHBLy5vmcSsCEfIjKk/s1600/DSC_1878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAycgQmnZDNnI7H5vZTMkEXSa6hzSjTrCUXvoCxtph5PRVdTZDBoTn8jL5fMPbfGKPVYx_qdZgkJySFjoGKcjHgETIc0dT6WhoMkfLXiU-0pKvtr11EuAcKu7YSHBLy5vmcSsCEfIjKk/s640/DSC_1878.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">-</span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"> </span>Another photo book, this one with photo/hymn pictures<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAxh8snk_XXlEaTl2URgFthmjjUZ39FOdPPJySvwaQFbnaXhlmAA9ucwHj3K1i7yWu3-TCzMhD5muqlUGZoHlRYbulwz15zqM1K0rBhV3jqrMJ4cFZDPGMTL_vsa3c68_QP5eHkNNwUA/s1600/DSC_1889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCAxh8snk_XXlEaTl2URgFthmjjUZ39FOdPPJySvwaQFbnaXhlmAA9ucwHj3K1i7yWu3-TCzMhD5muqlUGZoHlRYbulwz15zqM1K0rBhV3jqrMJ4cFZDPGMTL_vsa3c68_QP5eHkNNwUA/s640/DSC_1889.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">-</span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"> </span>A set of four coasters photos/hymns.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmm4MyCU2s-5Ej8ZX8gFvqBxYV1pFgf2XL4KXk95R2QjvJdaW3ULtHPRGnm_3PCA9s1g8qPpxP30nh2Pd5zjMWiQE6wULBcUk0kVHtH5U5HViQJeWFQ4l8tfDsYwJJJy9IEHW93mye6BI/s1600/DSC_1885.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmm4MyCU2s-5Ej8ZX8gFvqBxYV1pFgf2XL4KXk95R2QjvJdaW3ULtHPRGnm_3PCA9s1g8qPpxP30nh2Pd5zjMWiQE6wULBcUk0kVHtH5U5HViQJeWFQ4l8tfDsYwJJJy9IEHW93mye6BI/s640/DSC_1885.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;">-</span><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: justify;"> </span>A puzzle with a Maine scene.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99rsQ-uc1i0GShzM40MQMW-c6O19T7stbY68wUPAurl4jn6U5GMyak_E2_ryrLDPg3cpB6s6ZO8_fm4jyYfSkzYolPPJtheyxuz2fWd1VybmOXsfkC93KwjSX2o7wBE8KpsuH5-Ust4o/s1600/DSC_1897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh99rsQ-uc1i0GShzM40MQMW-c6O19T7stbY68wUPAurl4jn6U5GMyak_E2_ryrLDPg3cpB6s6ZO8_fm4jyYfSkzYolPPJtheyxuz2fWd1VybmOXsfkC93KwjSX2o7wBE8KpsuH5-Ust4o/s640/DSC_1897.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also got another item that I'm going to be using for a project soon. More on that when it's finished. :)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">***This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts are my own. </span>Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-5755633053104645392017-02-11T18:52:00.000-05:002017-02-11T18:54:22.959-05:00My New Cart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last weekend while I was in Marshalls, I found this small cart. It fits perfectly in the space between my chair and my closet. It serves as a place to set a mug while reading in my chair as well as a place to put a few books I want to have handy. Because of the multiple shelves, I also have some space to decorate. Its a nice place to display my camera collection and the camera painting my friend made me. </div>
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This will be a great little piece to have at my own house one day since it's so versatile: storing dishes or bowls in the kitchen, placing towels or beauty products in the bathroom, in a child's room with toys, books, or diapers, in the entryway to put outgoing mail or keys, in a closet as storage...</div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-4434612996917755272017-01-03T21:59:00.000-05:002017-01-03T21:59:24.083-05:00Reading Challenge for 2017<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've hit a slump with reading the last couple of years and my list of completed books has diminished by quite a bit. Part of it is just the busy season of life I'm in, but another part is I didn't have the incentive to pick up as many books. </div>
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Last year I found an easy reading challenge with 12 different themes that I enjoyed, so I decided to do one again this year. I took some of the themes from last year and added some different ones for a little variety.<br />
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<br />Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-9492779770578446782016-12-24T15:04:00.002-05:002016-12-24T15:04:54.190-05:00Ready for Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh, hello Pinky</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Merry Christmas!</span></div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-22566722422154485502016-12-08T23:26:00.000-05:002016-12-08T23:26:22.113-05:00Catching Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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This year, I've had some big changes in my life and blogging has been pushed to the back burner. </div>
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I haven't gotten my Nikon out nearly as often as I would like, but it's been the season for iphone photos instead. The quality might not be nearly as good, but the convenience and accessibility is great. </div>
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In April, we moved from the only house I've ever lived in, to a house across town.</div>
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It's exciting to have a new space to decorate and play around with. It's a lot smaller than my old room and I had to put a lot of my things in storage for the future, but my new space is so cozy. (The only downside is not having all my books but they are all down in the basement in rubbermaid boxes so I'm able to get to them easily when I need one.)</div>
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In June, I decided to leave Chick-fil-A after being there for a year-and-a-half. With the extra time I gained, I picked up a few more hours at my home health care job and I took an online class in Medical Terminology. </div>
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Sadly, about a month after I left Chick-fil-A, the patient I was taking care of passed away leaving me without a job. With my new certificate in Medical Terminology in hand, I applied to several different places and got two job offers. I chose the full-time position at an orthopedic doctors office. (The same office I went to back in March when I sprained my hand.) It was a big change going from taking care of an individual patient to bringing between 30-70 patients back to exam rooms in a day, but I'm learning a lot. </div>
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The changes haven't been all big, though. I bought a kayak and went kayaking with friends multiple times over the summer. </div>
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And of course, plenty of time spent with family.</div>
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Taking walks...</div>
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Playing at the beach...<br />
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Going to a water park...<br />
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Having fun at the county fair...<br />
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Taking funny face selfies with my nieces and nephews...<br />
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And how can this little baby be so old already?!<br />
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I can't promise that I'll be back to blogging as often as I was before, but I hope that it won't be quite as long in between posts. </div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-61200935386718942412016-04-06T23:09:00.000-04:002016-04-06T23:15:17.444-04:00Scrabble Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Scrabble is one of my favorite games. My sister-in-law, Sarah, is one of the best players I've seen and over the years, I've picked up a few tips from her. I'm usually playing at least one game of Scrabble with facebook friends. </div>
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I've talked to several people over the past year or so who enjoy playing Scrabble so I invited a few good friends over for a Scrabble night.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZpO2EbirU83746vxygcm-z1FdsR2XPxYDzm2QHpUCPE0xExKjbafMjon3mmDtVikQuVw8k-CNdfrhyphenhyphen4UTtN6Li-e_2sxVYB6kRwda5rFapG6E-sO6DQIsi4CC_-XMU8kya71yVMMuPg/s1600/DSC_1400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZpO2EbirU83746vxygcm-z1FdsR2XPxYDzm2QHpUCPE0xExKjbafMjon3mmDtVikQuVw8k-CNdfrhyphenhyphen4UTtN6Li-e_2sxVYB6kRwda5rFapG6E-sO6DQIsi4CC_-XMU8kya71yVMMuPg/s640/DSC_1400.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah loaned me her Scrabble board and Scrabble dictionary to go along with my Scrabble board and Bananagrams</td></tr>
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I had to have fun with the snacks so I made Scrabble brownies from an idea I saw on Pinterest. I also had a bowl of <a href="https://www.cheezit.com/en_US/products/sunshine-cheez-it-scrabble-junior-crackers-product.html" target="_blank">Scrabble cheez-its</a>. </div>
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Since there were six of us, we were divided into two groups of three with two games going on at the same time.</div>
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After our games were over, we played Bananagrams for quite a long time! We all had a wonderful time playing and spending time together!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, John, Aspen, Casey, and Amber. Unfortunately, Jeff had to leave before we took the picture. </td></tr>
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Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5844206347944573085.post-84836685751835686842016-02-10T22:04:00.000-05:002016-02-10T22:16:22.883-05:00Meet Macie Violet<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have a new niece! Little Macie was born one month ago on January 10. She's a sweetie pie!</div>
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I was able to take some pictures of her when she was just a few days old. She wasn't sure what to think of picture taking at first but with a full tummy and some snuggles, she decided it wasn't so bad after all.<br />
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I made a video of some of the pictures I took. She is so adorable, it was hard to chose which ones to use!</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dySMFMlRved_4Fqdebg1KA-KC4nSrEvVm6GB89ZbvfzYkx3TcWMbHvj6z9Ep4VK5jkPFSlfUaSQkA6sK-NUnw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwluGMn-ixUDaI0VcPiRPRTUAcWZehpWYXhm2Ebc3PKLMcqO8V0ZZD9UF1vLiFn8eTnfoaC6ktq83a267_VqjCb52-Y6B9HUIBGMd6tL2TIhi24VdqEnQWQXpC7K-4hVv8L5YR7P1M4gE/s1600/DSC_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwluGMn-ixUDaI0VcPiRPRTUAcWZehpWYXhm2Ebc3PKLMcqO8V0ZZD9UF1vLiFn8eTnfoaC6ktq83a267_VqjCb52-Y6B9HUIBGMd6tL2TIhi24VdqEnQWQXpC7K-4hVv8L5YR7P1M4gE/s640/DSC_1307.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macie with her mama</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YWjK3c8brsV6moKYBXalZR75r0V9bQAf1dHpxIgiey5r2fAM6lVi1Q351J7CPwPZK-mKfKjXHSVztJYlZzFL8bgSZaYbCbrjQ9pXIyA7LYrc0uu2I-Nozqj4Gly_VQUgojPTWNoLKTc/s1600/alaine+and+macie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YWjK3c8brsV6moKYBXalZR75r0V9bQAf1dHpxIgiey5r2fAM6lVi1Q351J7CPwPZK-mKfKjXHSVztJYlZzFL8bgSZaYbCbrjQ9pXIyA7LYrc0uu2I-Nozqj4Gly_VQUgojPTWNoLKTc/s640/alaine+and+macie.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alaine loves being a big sister and has taken on the role as the little mother</td></tr>
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We are all so happy about this sweetest new addition to our family!</div>
Katihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05120053850089356693noreply@blogger.com4