"Man, you must be busy." This almost always follows the comment when I tell folks how many kids I have. Six, in case you're wondering. I have six kids. While my answers have changed over time, I'm really starting to hate that question because of one simple thing: as a society, we have glorified "busy" and it makes me nuts. Let's be honest, y'all. We are ALL busy. We all have to eat which involves shopping, cooking, making and cleaning up breakfast/lunch/dinner. We all wear clothes which involves buying, saving, cleaning, folding and hanging up said garments. We all have a home somewhere which involves repairing, renting, paying, decorating and loving our humble abodes. We all … [Read more...]
The Best of 2016
I always love the "best of" lists people write: best photos, best blog posts, best recipes, best everything. It's such a glimpse into life, isn't it? 2016 was beautiful, and hard, just like most years. With age, I'm starting to truly understand that no year is perfect, rather it's our perspective that changes. We learn to soak up the joys and live in the moment for we know no milestones are guaranteed. This was the first year, in nine years of blogging, that I haven't religiously checked my blog stats. I think I just stopped caring so much about the numbers and started focusing more on what I was writing rather than how often I published it. For those that are new here, I'm so honored you … [Read more...]
My Christmas Card Addiction
It started 20 years ago when my grandmother called and said she received my Christmas card - a whole day ahead of my mom's card. It became a friendly competition to get the cards to grandma first so we could enjoy her bragging rights all year. Even though she passed away in 2010, I've kept sending cards so they arrive the Friday after turkey day. For me, it's a labor of love and one that I probably spend too much time thinking about. #graphicdesignerproblems I think it's because I love hearing from friends and family so much during the holidays. Most evenings, you can find me sitting/sweating by the fireplace, carefully reading letters and smiling at photographs of people we dearly … [Read more...]
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Some Fun Cyber Monday Deals
Remember when I shared my art dilemma about which photo art to choose for the perfect gift? Well, the winner has been decided and I *really* hope the recipient loves it. Do you love it? #pleasesayyes Quite honestly, I almost went with that Texas state photo art. It was so unique, but this one won out just because of the number of photos I could include. Trust me when I tell you that the state art will find a place in my home eventually. It was just so great. Minted has awesome Cyber Monday deals going on today. For the photo lover or party thrower in your life, you will not go wrong with their things. If you missed last Friday's post about my favorite religious gifts (and deals!) … [Read more...]
Kathryn’s Favorite Things: A Religious Shopping Guide
Remember back when Oprah had her favorite things episode on her talk show? That was nuts. As much as I enjoyed seeing everyone squeal like kids on Christmas morning, I was always curious to see what Oprah chose and why. This is kinda like that, but without the TV deal. I've mentioned our "three gift" Christmas we celebrate with our kids. The gold gift is the one they want the most (within reason), myrrh is a gift for the body and frankincense is a religious gift. While I have no idea what your kids want most, nor do I know which gifts would be perfect for their physical selves, I do have a beautiful roundup of religious gifts for you, your toddler to teen, and everything in between. These … [Read more...]
