The Tradition Lives ON...

and the TRADITION continues!!! we LOVE sunday evenings :) and just for funny, here's a classic kindra conversation about our "plans" :) lol...

My Many Pinterest Projects...

 i LOVED this idea when i first saw it on pinterest...

a cute frame, some chic paper, and a clip...

i found an old white frame and had trevor screw in a few hooks...

a perfect spot, next to the wreath and the bird we made on THESE nights and then i added a vase that i found in my grandma's "stash".

2 new frames and mats to show off these...

My Man-TEREST...

it had been about 7 yrs since our ramp had been painted and re-surfaced and it needed to be done. with all of these projects that i've been doing and having trev help me "install", he decided that it was finally time to pull the trigger and do it. and for the record, HE is MORE of a PERFECTIONIST than i am! seriously...but i'm NOT complaining :)



now. no lie. our basketball backboard HAS NOT changed since the mid '60's so we figured that it too was in need of a remodel! plus it was a PERFECT job for the kids to help out with...

taaa daaaaaaa!

And The FUN Continues...

"the wood connection" and i are now GREAT friends!

woot woot! my HOTT handy-man!

LOOOOVE...



Happy Thanksgiving...

i have a hard time eloquently expressing the things in my life that i'm thankful for in a way that is full of depth. i tend to stick to the simple basics when expressing my gratitude. so. here. we. go.

i'm thankful for my carter. though he can be one of my hardest challenges, he is the most kind, loving, tender, innocent, and obedient boy. he works 100% at everything he decides to do and LOVES to have projects. he is organized. he has the greatest smile and a laugh that is addicting. he loves to play basketball, go on bike adventures, and hang out, doing absolutely nothing, with his dad. he loves to read. he loves to draw. he loves to swim. he loves to have fun. i'm so thankful for all of these traits because he reminds me daily what it's like to live in a simple and innocent world where anything is possible. i'm thankful that he was given to me because of the lessons i've learned because of him. i love my carter.

i'm thankful for my kindra. she's my mini me. stubborn, headstrong, knows what it is that she wants and goes after it, and she has no fear or the ability to hate anyone. she has a tender and sweet spirit and yet she can be a full on fire ball. she's silly. she's imaginative. she loves to be with her family. she can memorize any song and quote any movie or show. and she still psychotically loves horses and cats (though i will never understand why) she hates to do homework but loves to excel at school. she tries to act like she hates to read but i always catch her in her bed, late at night, reading when she's suppose to be asleep. she's definitely not my hard worker like her brother but if i ask her to work together, having fun with a project, she'll step up, help, and come up with a solution. she loves to goof off, play "games", and to have fun! i love my kindra.

i'm thankful for my kids because they've always kept me going. when i haven't felt a reason to get out of bed or i've struggled to "endure", they are the continual reason that pushes me forward. being a parent is the hardest "job" and yet the MOST rewarding and one that i'd never give up.

i'm thankful for my best friend, my husband. since january of 1997, he has ALWAYS been there for me and has continually put me first. even if and when we weren't dating or married, he's always been my best friend. i'm thankful for his love, his support, his work ethic, his desire to always be the supportive and loving parent, and his ability to think calm, rational, and realistic. i am thankful for the love and commitment that he has for our little family. i am thankful for second chances. i am thankful for forgiveness. i am thankful for our bond. "i promise on us that i will love you always, no matter what, for eternity. you are what, i never knew, i always wanted."

i am thankful for our home. i am thankful for my passion and desire to serve. i am thankful to have the drive to excel at and achieve the things that bring me the most joy. i am thankful for the health that i was allowed to keep and the understanding and knowledge that it could have been worse. i'm thankful for my abs and my "m'arms". i am thankful for the country that we live in and the freedoms that we are allowed. i am thankful for all of the "adventures" that i've gone on, both alone and with my family. i'm thankful for my love to travel, to meet new people, and to understand their different cultures. i am thankful to have been given a different and new perspective. i am thankful that i know what is truly important in this world. i am thankful for the friends that i've been given, who are there for me continually. i know that they will never judge me and that i'm allowed to be katie, never having to pretend to be something or someone that i'm not. i'm thankful for the acts of service that i've been involved in. i'm thankful to be constantly humbled and reminded of just how much i have to be grateful for. i'm thankful for the life i lived before i was paralyzed and i'm thankful for my life after. i'm thankful for my "trial" because it taught me personal lessons that i would never have learned had it not been "so hard". i'm thankful for the tender mercies that i've received. i'm thankful for my ability to hear and to listen to promptings. i'm thankful for my spiritual testimony, for the knowledge that i have, and for the strength that it gives me. i'm thankful for my ability to listen to "me" and to not disregard them as silly or stupid ideas. i'm thankful for the "greater calling" that i've been given, for the "job" that i said i would do, and in the faith that others have in me. i'm thankful that i love to read. that i can become immersed in my love of history. i'm thankful for my blog. i'm thankful that i'm a romantic. i'm thankful for my passion and for my desire to never give up. i will endure and i'm thankful to KNOW that. i'm thankful for and LOVE my life...

oh yeah. and i love my bed, my TV, and "LOST" and "Vampire Diaries"! ;)

VICTORY!!!

so you know that i've always been and always will be addicted to LOST. there will NEVER be another show that i look so forward to watching every week like that...(ok. never mind. "vampire diaries" is a close 2nd) i've been holding off re-watching it again because i wanted to go through the wonderful experience of doing it a 3rd time with trevor. he fought it for the longest time but finally gave in!!!! except i got a little worried that i was going to lose his LOST interest after a few episodes in, when he simply said, "if it doesn't pick up here soon, i'm ending my commitment." NOOOOOOO!!!! of course i had to bribe him with a few "extra's" but he came around and now he's more excited to watch it then i am! ok. not really. i just play it off like no big deal only to make him feel like he's in control and that it's his call. but really he LOVES it! VICTORY! it's no longer a "I heart LOST", but a "WE heart LOST" :)
hehehe
xx