Manic Monday, I Wish It were Sunday…

    

     Normally, Monday’s are my catch up days from busy weekends and this weekend was no exception to the “busy” rule. It was an all out blast, between my son’s birthday, our family in town and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday – it was amazing, but I am now T-I-R-E-D! With all that said, my house looks like a disaster and I have no get-up-and-go to get it cleaned up. I cleaned like a crazy woman before they arrived, tried my best to contain disaster while they were here, but with 5 kids under the age of 7, letting them play, enjoying the moment and worrying about the mess later, was a much better philosophy. But…. then later comes and I am now out of energy, out of gas and cannot breathe, in the mess around me.

     We had a fantastic weekend filled with activities, kids and family. Of course, a slight overflow of the shower caused a slight panic when the water came running through the downstairs ceiling – oops. Thankfully, it wasn’t a complete plumbing nightmare and just a minor scare, that just meant the toilet upstairs needed to be sealed a little better.

     This morning, the hubby and I woke to an unwelcome surprise (besides the chaos of our messy home of course), our back gate was wide open. It needs a remote to do that and it weighs nearly 1/2 a ton. Why it was open, was a mystery for this exhausted, puffy-eyed momma. After my DH was off to take Blondie to school and himself to work, I investigated further – the said “gate opener” had an odor. It was a smell unlike any other and once you know it, you never forget – electrical fire. It seems at some point between 10 pm last night and 7 am this morning, the motherboard of our vehicular gate shorted out and combusted. Thank the Lord, it didn’t set our fence on fire, like a pack of matchsticks. We are thankful that little damage was done, but it is a still an inconvenience nonetheless. Now, a phone call has been made to the company who manufactured the motor and also their competitor. Just like many great inventions in this world – I feel like there are many “conveniences” that are still a blessing and a curse. Just ask my hubby’s car to tell you what it thought when the same fence smashed into his car, not once, but twice. And when we had a serious ice storm and the bearings froze shut, or the many times I have had to prove my agility by jumping the fence, when the remote only worked by touching it to the antenna on the other side of the fence. If you can’t imagine, I have had my share of fun with this DoorKing product, so I happily entertain the comments and suggestions from those of you who have experience with other brands.

Signed,
Frustrated Home Owner

Just Pintrest-y: Greek Style Veggies

Want a new and easy way to prepare broccoli and cauliflower? In doing so your kiddos or other family members may like it a bit better. How is this possible do you ask? I start by setting my oven to broil. I then wash and break apart all the broccoli and/or cauliflower. Next, I spread it out on a cookie sheet. I drizzle the veggies with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), then sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and McCormick’s Greek seasoning on them. Stick the tray in the oven and broil until tender (about 10 minutes) and slightly crisp. I think I could eat a whole tray as an entree and so could my littles. Try it and let me know what you think.

Best So Cal Wedding Yet (And Another One to Go)

This post was borrowed from my other blog, but what an incredible time, what incredible memories and we just found out our friends, Brent and Holly will be getting married in So Cal this summer, so Yahoo, we will be back in So Cal again very soon!

In early October, we went to Southern California to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend of ours and former TCU swimmer, Ryan and his fiancee Emily. We were warned that high-heels need not be present or welcome, the setting of the wedding was in a canyon, which included rocks, cacti and snakes. You can imagine what I and the other girls in our Dallas crew were imagining. The news of the venue definitely changed what we planned on wearing. I do have to say since the creation of Pinterest, I have never been to or seen such an amazing wedding, decorated, planned, designed and crafted entirely by the bride and groom. No detail was left untouched and most everything was Eco-friendly, re-purposed or handmade (all things I adore and one more item that inspired my 2013 challenge). I made every attempt to photograph every detail, but I fear I still could never do this wedding justice. The photos need little explanation, but the event was incredible. We all had a blast and the Texas crew certainly made our mark in So Cal!

My Newest Challenge for 2013!

     I was inspired by my friend and fellow mommy blogger, Elizabeth, over at Flourish in Progress, she initially began blogging when she challenged herself not to shop for one year! Wow, I know she cheated at least once, but talk about will power. The other night my friend, Lea Ann of Mommy’s Wish List and I discussed not necessarily giving up shopping for a year, but what about only re-purposing or buying only gently used items. Well, we are in the process of getting bids to add on to our home, so I am not sure how “green” I can be as far as that is concerned, but I am certainly willing to give it a try and if not my other spending expenditures can help buy/save for the said furniture/furnishings in the new spaces.

     So far, I have re-purposed antique picture frames for several gallery areas in my home, re-painted used furniture, made a chalkboard from an old framed piece, I decorated my son’s room almost entirely from antique, re-purposed or collectible items – I will say, linens, bedding, drapery must be new – I can’t handle anything fabric that must be touched on a daily basis to be used. I bought used or donated items to re-decorate a living room wall (before and after pictures to come) and found many other delightful goodies inside the walls of the resale places. Why buy new when so many great used items or to be found?

Another example – just after Christmas I won a handbag, yes, I know, I won, from the SITS girls, 12 Days of Christmas! I thought “how fantastic”! About a month passed, when I learned the product I had won was on back order and they asked if I would rather have the cash value and buy my own handbag. I did just that. Here I went again – I hopped on eBay – spied the perfect, very gently used, handbag purchased it and still have 1 cent left over. So, of course I am sure this challenge won’t be easy, but in an effort to not spend so much, not waste so much and be a better steward of the resources God has a afforded me – I will continue to look to resale, eBay, Craigslist and other places to find incredible items at incredible prices. I will keep you in the loop as I travel on this journey! I cannot wait to see where it may lead! I will continue to post updates, have show and tell of what I’ve created and what I’ve learned in the process! Help encourage me and others to try doing this challenge as well.

    I initially thought – I’ll try for a week, then I’ll try for a month – now, I think I just need to give it a go for the remainder of 2013 – what do you think? Anyone interested in joining me?

Birchbox Giveaway!

 Last year, my amazing sister in law, Suzanne, received a Birchbox subscription from her sister. For my birthday, she gave me the same! I have loved it beyond words and think it is an incredible idea! Birchbox, has a number of different subscription options and each are customizable to your personal tastes. I received the Birchbox featured above several months ago and I have to say, to this day, my favorite is having Band-Aid’s designed by Cynthia Rowley, that my 6 year old daughter isn’t allowed to use. Designer Band-Aid’s, now that’s a girl’s dream! The best discoveries I have made via the careful consideration and research of Birchbox, have been designer Band-Aid’s, Harvey Prince “Happy” perfume and my new make up favorite. See the previous post where I discuss my favorite make up finds. I have loved all of their products and am eager to find more.

For this giveaway, I plan to give away one, 3 month Birchbox subscription, to one lucky reader. Make sure you comment below, share, like my FB page and tell me your favorite make up brand to win this amazing giveaway! I love Birchbox and I am certain you will too!

*There was no compensation given to or paid for to promote or run this Birchbox Giveaway Contest.

New Cosmetic Faves and Raves!

I have always had an affinity for fancy cosmetics and thankfully with the introduction to Birchbox, I have found many new items I love. My favorites of all, have been Harvey Prince’s, Hello and my highlighter sample from the Balm.

 Harvey Prince, is not yet a widely known designer fragrance label and sold in limited places, but I can honestly say, I am impressed with the quality of all their scents. This however, is my scent of choice for the moment. “Hello” is a delicious combination of Meyer Lemon, White Grapefruit, Satsuma Mandarin, Summer Forsythia, Pink Plumeria, Wild Verbena, Tahitian Vanilla  and Sensual Musk, that is sure to tickle your fancy.

Now, onto the Balm.com – no joke, their website is the just that! And I must say their make up is the bomb.com! (Pun intended) I got this handy little sample of the Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter and quickly found that not only is it a fantastic base eyeshadow, it can also be used as a highlighter on any part of your face. The cosmetic maker touts its use a highlighter, shimmer or eyeshadow, so how could you ever go wrong. This sample was just a small sample, compared to the actual full size product. The Balm’s price points are in line with traditional department store cosmetics, but the best thing is now more retailers carry the Balm and going to the mall isn’t necessary. You have no idea how happy this makes me – when I don’t have to go to Neiman Marcus or a mall to get my favorite make up, I am overjoyed. Pick this item up at your local Beauty Brands store. When I learned I could buy at the Beauty Brands store 2 miles away – I stopped in and ended up trying their Sexy Mama (as shown below) pressed powder as well. The Balm’s less waste packaging made from paper, and their awesome pin-up girl design makes for a fun piece of cosmetic artwork right in your very own make up kit. Give one or all of their products a try – you will not be disappointed!
– Kat

What Leaving FB Behind Taught Me

So for two months, I left FB behind – I thought “how will I ever survive”, but the good news was, I did. Not only did I survive leaving FB behind – I didn’t miss it too terribly much once it was gone. After the first week or so, I didn’t seem to care anymore. I did care that I was missing some pieces of the people I love. I came up with a new plan of action. I no longer had a deactivated FB account, I completely deleted it! Wahoo! With all the changes with the Timeline, it is no longer feasible to delete a person here or there who pollutes your FB with negativity/rants, treats you poorly or just plain has no good reason to be on your page in the first place, with all that said – “DELETE”. I came up with a new strategy – if it’s not for good, then it must go away! And in one click and 14 days later – my original account with a ridiculous amount of friends was forever scraped from Facebook. Yippie!

There are few things more coveted than freedom.  People die for it.  People pray for it.  People strive for it.  True freedom comes from knowing truth…” quoted from http://spiritual12food.blogspot.com/2013/01/true-freedom-comes-from-knowing-truth.html
  

Bye Bye FB!

      Sometimes we have to say, “Sayonara” to too much of a good thing and sometimes we need to celebrate the Lenten season sooner than Easter. Yes, I know, I am a social media-lite momma, but am taking a different approach using my blog, and twitter to gain readership and after much thought, I am giving up FB for a while. I want to focus on my family, my blog, my writing and so many other things that bring me great joy – FB is sucking the life and time out of me. I still have access to the many pages I manage, but my personal page will go away for a while. The great news is I hope to encourage readership on this blog and my family blog and put FB wasted efforts into improving the life I think is already great. I hope you can keep with me on this journey and “Like” my “It’s Kat’s Life” Facebook page to keep up with all my posts. Hope today is a great one!

The Greatest Woman I Ever Knew… A Tribute.





On Saturday, April 18th, at 1:45 a.m. my Yia Yia (Greek for grandmother) went to be with the Lord in Heaven. I know she would spank me for shedding tears in her absence, but this cannot be avoided. When I say she was the greatest woman I ever knew – I mean that with all my heart. My Yia Yia taught me a lot of what I know about life, people and about myself. The lessons and words of wisdom she gave me are endless. Not to mention all the love she poured into my sister and myself – she was my other mother. When I was sick she was always there, she always made me macaroni and cheese or massaged my neck when I had one of those all too common headaches. I have always known she was the pillar of strenth for me and my family – the matriarch – now she has passed on the torch. Her final words to me other than that she loved me was to take care of my babies – Katelyn, who she loved more than anything (who is also named for her, as am I) and little Charlie who she hung on to meet in her final days. We got the call that she was not long for this Earth, we rushed to her bedside and spent time talking to her, with her, holding her hand, kissing her, praying with her and just taking time to be by her side. Although, the way she was when I last saw her is not how I hope to remember her, but I wouldn’t change the opportunity I had to tell her I how I feel – no regrets. My heart nearly broke in two when she called to say she wanted to die and that she could go on no longer – in my usual fiesty tone I told her she wasn’t allowed that she had to meet her new great-grandson – she held on just long enough to see him and her precious Katelyn. I unrealistically never thought I would have to walk this earth without my precious Yia Yia always being a phone call, plane ride or car ride away and selfishly I wish she still was, but I know she is fully restored in the Lord and is healthy and well in Heaven having a party and seeing the world with all her friends and family that had gone on before her. Words are a good start, but none can ever compare to her and none can ever describe all she meant to me and my family. Please pray for myself and my family as I learn to adjust to life with my new little man and without the love and guidance that my Yiayia always gave. Yia Yia know that you are always in my heart and I think of you all the time!

So it’s been awhile and a lot has happened since our last post…




Since our last post Charlie and I became Uncle and Aunt to triplets (two newphews and a niece) in June – Luke, Grayson, and Sienna. Our daughter (Katelyn) turned 2, I turned __ (older) and we found out we will be parents again on or near April 3rd, 2009. We also spent time with family in Austin and San Antonio – including a trup to Sea World – it was great watching Katelyn’s face light up as Shamu jumped out of the water. This summer was busy, but fantastic. Here is a few pics on how we spent our summer. More posts to follow shortly of more recent events.

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