wordless wednesday: a challenge

everytime i challenge someone to something(it probably happens often) i want to say to them "chawl-onge" in my most gravely voice.

and do a quick tap dance and extend my arms in their direction.

referencing this, of coure:

one of my all time favorite sitcom moments.

love me some Huxstables(sp?) and Cosby Show

flowers caught on camera+

Fresh flowers make everything better.

I've never had a favorite flower.

Still not sure.

I like bunches of wildflowers, I reckon.

Or white hydrangeas.

Either way, they make our house feel more homey and I like it.

Jamie, my SIL, also introduced me to camera+. Winner!
It's a legit iphone app that makes my pics look emo and artsy fartsy.
Hey, if i'm gonna use my iphone for every pic...why not try and look like I know what i'm doing, right?
moving on.

these are just a bunch of lovelies in some mason jars that i found in the barn(duh).

with camera+, i used the effect: cross process

beauteeful sunflowers just holding their head up high

camera+ effect: grunge

more sunny-flowers on the kitchen window sill

camera+ effect: HDR

stunning gladiolas that just make the right statement

camera+ effect: depth of field

right on.

from a rather cheerful home,
Kate

Beautiful Boy

"fee me, Seymor" 

"you talkin' to ME?"

"why yes, that was me"

a Friday loves list

It's been a while.

reminds me of a song. we won't go there. Staind reminds me of my early high school years and the youth group guys playing Nirvana in the basement of our church for hours and makes me remember why that growling/yelling band playing by bands like Nickelback, Tool, some Creed and others makes my skin crawl. 

I digress.

Where was I?

oh yeah, loving Friday and life. hello!

Here is a list of some things I love on this here Fridee:

1. my boo is home for a good solid 7 days. Can i get a whoopty whoop!

i think we might just kick it at home tomorrow.

that's gonna be perfect and rare.

can't wait!

2. i keep finding more goodies in our new/old barn.

like these random wooden things.

awesome, huh?

i stuck 'em in a big urn that we already had.

3. Sara Bareilles

I'm very aware that she's no new-comer.

I saw something, somewhere about her the other day, so i just started youtubing(verb?) her.

So now, she's one of my faves.

She's ridiculously gifted and her voice is effortless.

brilliant.

this song has been a fave of mine for a while.

both of their voices. their harmony. the song. their hats. Gasp.

4. seeing two deer this morning on a run with GT and Woodrow.

have i mentioned that i love our new house and new road?

(house makeover pics to come soon)

5.beautiful dresses

 

it's perfectly feminine, structured, elegant, dreamy and romantic

if we were to wed each other again, i might want to wear this.

of course, i saw this on pinterest

hope everyone had a great week and are gearing up to relax.huh?

anyway

happy Friday folks,

Kate

Healthy tarts

I just feel so much better about my breakfast knowing it is a "good source of 7 vitamins & minerals".

Pop-tarts are my Achilles heel.
And to be informed that, despite their cardboard exterior and sugary center, they are adding valuable vitamins to my daily nutritional intake just makes my heart sing. (also my belly grow).

Regardless of the truth of this proclamation, I shall continue to eat them.

Thanks pop-tart for making me feel better about my poor meal choices.

Wall decor

This little craft was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. What else is new?
This verse has always been one of my favorites. GT and I actually repeated this verse to eachother as our vows.

I used some scrap wood found in our new barn, stencils from Hobby Lobby and left-over paint from our 1/2 bath. Then, just nailed them to the wall. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out!

it's always better when we're together

GT and I are grateful to have a good 1st year of marriage under our belts.

To celebrate our first year of wedded adjusting, forgivenss and understanding bliss, we thought that we'd do a bit of traveling.

Somewhere along the way, we got our wires crossed and neglected to plan our trips in congruence with one another. whoops.

In order to demonstrate our on-the-go, busy lives...I created a diagram of our travels.

This is just a map of GT's travels since last Thursday. He still isn't home. (yah, that's Iowa.)

Luckiliy, we were able to be together with my family at the beach for a few days.

I think i'll do a heel click when he finally gets his trottin harness on and heads towards home.

This is just a map of my international travels this summer.

Far enough away from my man.

He's going with me next time.

Brooks n' Dunn.

There have been many travels we have taken together, also. And I like those most, duh.

His new travel life with Buck Commander is pretty sweet though.

This week has been exceptionally great for the company and i'm thrilled that GT is a part of the big deals!

He's meeting some fun people, going to new places and making incredible connections.

Hooray for working in the hunting industry and with my family, b/c then I like going with him more.

I'm proud of my hubsters. He's a hard worker.

Remember that time I decided to do a Sunday Portrait Series?

Yeah, another series I failed to follow through on. Wanna know why?

Tomorrow will mark 8 weeks, save 1, that GT and I haven't been to church together on a Sunday b/c one or both of us have been out of town/the country.

So, when we get back in the swing of things...pic taking with be cranked back up.

Luckily, we both love traveling and the reasons for which we travel. Granted, we'd rather have eachother as travel buddies. It's always better when we're together.(thanks j.johnson for the lyric)

I have few pics of us at the beach this week.

here's one with Beau!

in the closet

watching Mickey Mouse Club

and a sneaky one

Happy trails to us...until we meet again...

Kate

summer essentials: goodtimes edition

ain't summertime just grand?
but, it's hot. everyone knows it.
here are a few things that make the dog days better.

1. The Tankini
here's how i feel about swimsuits.

i'm a woman, so naturally i dread this time of year only because my body will be on display for all fellow beachgoers to see. but, i'm not alone. everyone's doing it.

Growing up, i was not allowed to wear a "two-piece".

I was so happy when tankinis hit the market and i could get away with the occasional short tankini to show off a 1 inch sliver of my stomach. i remember years of being the only teen in a one piece or tankini. i hated it. oh well, now i love them.

i'm pretty uncomforatable in a bikini or two piece for many reasons, but mainly because i was never allowed to wear them.

But, since i was in jr.high, i said that i'd wear a bikini on my honeymoon. so, last year i shopped bikinis til i dropped(money). so, now i have like 6 two-pieces and wear them only for a tan when no one is looking.

I liked this tankini inparticular because it's cute and has paisley and it's comfy and cheap from Target.


2. a good book

Millie Kalish

The Little Heathens

this is my summertime read.
i have finished it, but gonna read it over and over again.

Millie wrote it about growing up in the Depression era and shares the resourcefulness of her family.

I can't wait to try all of her home remidies and home-made delicious recipes and gardening tips.
I will share just one quote, as there are many that I love.
 "There was always something to do on that farm: cakes, cookies, and pies to bake; potatoes, radishes, beets, carrots, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, and beans to pick, wash, clean and peel; chickens to kill, scald, pluck, singe, draw and disjoint; dishes to wash and dry; clothing to wash; laundry to be hung on the line, then taken down from the lin, folded, and ironed."
tired yet?
i love their busy hands.

ok, ok...one more.
(regarding her grandmother) "One of her more important observations was that it was impolite and unacceptable to visit your ill temper on those around you. If you wake up feeling at odds with the world, direct your attention outside of yourself, see what the world requires of you, and then get busy".
simple wisdom.
i recommend this for a good read.



3. good kicks

some people hate on crocs.

don't hate.

actually, you can if you want.

actually, i think they're pretty unattrative.

but, most of the time...i don't care.

i hate having dry feet. so, i wear crocs and my feet feel like they have on socks.
they also protect your feet. i like them. i wear them at home, on the beach, to the store and doing lots of things.

so hate away, you haters.


4. ponytail holder on my wrist, always

my hair is in a ponytail, bun or braid 24/7.

It's hot, y'all.

5. a ridiculous video

and some beach-y tunes.

 

There's a short list of my absolute essentials for summertime.

It's short because i'm at the beach with my fam.

and this dude

so, i kinda gots-to-go.

burnt to a crisp,

kate

Jantsen's Gift

If you haven't read this yet, do it.
It is a read-in-one-day kinda book.
Pam Cope's story is quite inspirational and will leave you quite misty eyed.


Her book was just mentioned in Parade Magazine here:

http://www.parade.com/parade-picks/2011/08/14-jantsens-gift.html

JANTSEN'S GIFT

by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy, nonfiction

After her 15-year-old son, Jantsen, died unexpectedly of a heart ailment in 1999, Pam Cope channeled her grief toward a new purpose: improving the lives of children around the world who suffer from poverty and abuse. This inspiring memoir of loss and healing traces the emotional journey Cope took to rebuild her family and honor her son’s memory by making a difference
(from Parade Magazine online)

 

  She is the founder of Touch a Life.
You should be familiar with this organization, as I have mentioned it on numerous occasions.
I also just returned from my first trip with them to visit the kids in Ghana.

sweet Joel

This is my friend Rachel

I can't say enough about her and her heart. I'm sure that I've blogged about her before.

She works for TAL and organized the entire trip with 55 volunteers and 550+ kids. Crazy, huh?

She's my age. Hello. No excuses here people.

The kids were so excited to see her and her feelings were mutual, obviously.

Rach and I with TAL kids

Here is Pam with Garrett and Kelly Nichols, the in-country directors for TAL and George Achibra, a Ghanaian anti-trafficking crusader(when i saw him, i felt like i was meeting a celebrity with the kindest spirit ever).

Rach, David(my good friend from WM and a brilliant pharmacist) and I with some of the kiddos


our very intellectual medical team

with Brad Gautney(on my right), the founder of Global Health Innovations, that partnered with TAL for the health fair. He is awesome and blogged a little ditty about the trip here:http://globalhealthinnovations.org/update-on-ghana

there are millions more pics taken by myself and many others on the trip.
here are a friends on facebook
an incredible profesh photographer also tagged along. here is a bit on her blog as well: nancy borowick


As you can see, i love this organization, i love these kids and am honored to have been a part of their work.
Thanks to Pam Cope for starting TAL through her heartache.
Because of her passion through tragedy, childrens lives are forever changed. and ok, mine too.

(i think i've posted enough links in this post, ha)


p.s. good to see you again blogger.
i'm back in the game
Kate

update from the homefront

I'm home...for good.

 At least until next weekend. But, then my man gets to travel with me!

This last month has been so full of great experiences and traveling and moving and packing and unpacking and decisions and work and emotions and sweat(some serious sweat) and little sleep.

Needless to say, The last month has been FULL.

I'm thankful for all that i've been able to do and what has been done for me.

Last week recap.

we had a wonderful and rewarding trip to the Dominican Republic (more to come)

we moved into our new house

This is Dads land (that we're living on) getting completely cleared.

Seriously, you should see this machine in action. It terrifies me. It's so intense.

Woodrow loves our new house and the new land. Evidenced by a complete mud bath. How about being an outside dog there Woody? 

Our sad little house in N.LR. Will somone please buy it? It's a great home and has beautiful floors.

GT killed our first copper head on our 2nd night to stay at our new house.

Yikes.

I was pretending that there weren't any snakes on the land. Who was I kidding?

 It's full of 'em.

I guess if i'm gonna be a gardening, chicken-keeping, cow-raising and huntin' woman I gotta get use to the snakes.

Or carry a .22.

my fave pic from the DR.

little bro-in-law graduation from HU.

We got in to WM from DR at 5am Saturday morning. Garrett graduated at 10am in Searcy. And we were there.

BAM! take that, sleep! I beat you! and then i slept for a long time.

(this pic is of Gare Bear with his roomies. i'm in the background trying to keep GT from ruining their pics)

1.5 weeks til I get to see this guy.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

happy weekend eve folks,

kate