Katie.J.Gibson

5 Weeks Old

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

My niece is 5 weeks old! Love her. I knew before she came that we would love her to death and she would create so much fun and joy in our family, but my expectations weren't even close to the reality. She is perfect in every way!
I asked my sister-in-law if I could come over and take some pictures of Autumn on our day off Monday. I hear these days of being a wee one will be gone before we know it and we will soon forget her newborn ways. Just being her Aunt, I didn't want to forget anything about her while she's in this stage- from the hair on her head {copious amounts!} or the wrinkles in her feet. It was the first time I shot in Manual and RAW. Loved it! Here are some of the sweet things we were able to capture:

Recipes that Work

2012-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

I love Pinterest. I really do. In fact, every morning when I get to work, I "warm" up by pinning for 10 minutes before getting to work (don't judge- I have first hour plan anyway!). But, there have been several times that I see something and wonder, "does that really work?" I am sure there are more of you out there that think just like me. So, I thought I would post about some pins I have tried and have found to be true.

Canned beans from dry beans. At Crockpot 365, I found a recipe for making 3 cans of black beans from 1 bag of dried beans using your crock. YES PLEASE. It works great, and I actually had about 4 cans in the end, which ended up being $.25/can. That's a 75% savings! When you cook them yourself, you can also add other flavors, like lime, garlic, and jalapeno (which is what I did! Put these ingredients in during the cooking part, not the soaking!). When they are done, let them cool and separate them out into baggies, then freeze. We ate some last night with Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken (we made them into tacos. and P.S. LOVE Gina's Skinny Recipes!) and they were great! We like to add beans to just about every meat dish we make- taquitos, tacos, meatballs, burgers- to make it stretch (and I can spend less on meat). By being able to add beans for only a quarter, it saves us some serious change!

Freezer Apple Sauce. Did you know apples will soften when they are frozen and be mushy once defrosted? Yep, true. Back to Her Roots has tons of easy, healthy recipes like this one. Simply peel and core apples, soak in lemon-water, drain, and freeze in a bag with cinnamon and nutmeg. Once frozen solid (I let mine go overnight), take out and defrost, then put in the food processor. This would be easy baby food or just plain applesauce. I made it and used it instead of oil in our fav Six Week Bran Muffins to make them fat free.

By golly, that is Temptations ovenware! Seriously, love love love this line from QVC. My grandma hooks me up all the time with their stuff. It's gorgeous, dishwasher, oven, and microwave safe, and comes with lids and trivets. Check them out!

Glamour magazine (one of my personal favs) wrote an article about an all-purpose textile stain remover that is made with one part Dawn dish soap, two parts hydrogen peroxide. It claims to be pure magic, and I was skeptical. TRUE DAT it is magic! I use it on the multiple pee stains our lovely puppy leaves for us and any stain I find in the carpet or laundry. You can add water and soak clothing in it, too. We used to spend about $12/month on Spot Shot for the dog (which I used on any stain we had) and it worked great on urine- not old stains. This stuff is A) much cheaper, B) works on urine and C) works on old stains I could never get out before. I bought the clear Dawn for my first batch and then used blue "Dawn" from Aldi the second time. Both work great. The blue dye will turn clear in a few days, but you can use it immediately.
Freezer Love. Before Pinterest came along, I came up with a lot of little quirks and routines to make our life easier and save money. However, Pinterest has definitely fueled this obsession of mine. I love finding freezer-friendly, healthy meals and meal kits that allow me to cook on the weekends when I enjoy it and have the time to do it. We can easily get in meal planning ruts, but Pinterest keeps in on my toes. Let's be honest: Pinterest is the new google. Whether it's a tutorial for my 6th grade sewers or the recipe for DIY whole wheat pizza dough, just search on Pinterest and you are in business. I'd rather find a recipe from a blogger who knows what she's talking about than some commercial website. When my sister-in-law had her baby, I made up some cookie dough and put it in the freezer, then bagged it so she could easily make one or two cookies when her and her husband needed a quick, yummy dessert. Searched for a cute printable and you've got a great gift for a new mommy!

Printable Source

Photogshop Tutorials. Thanks to photogs who are willing to share their secrets, I have learned so much about photoshop and our DSLR from Pinterest. Check out my sweet niece:

Just thought I would share some things I love about Pinterest. I haven't done a sewing tutorial in a while. I'll get on that!

My Testimony

2012-02-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

I have been a Christian for 6 years. When I was I was in college and constantly meeting new people, I shared bits and pieces of my testimony rather often. At first, I had to get used to the concept of "Hi", then "What's your testimony?", but it quickly became second nature. Now that we are "real people", aka adults, and settled into our permanent church home, we don't meet new Christians as often as we used to. We know our church family so well that I often forget that most of them don't know our whole story, nor do I know theirs. After thinking about my life pre- and post-Jesus, I realized that my testimony has changed even in the time I last gave it. What a blessing it is to know that Jesus didn't just save me 6 years ago. He saves me every day. Here is my testimony.

As a child, I grew up with the knowledge and belief in the historical Jesus. I didn't know I wasn't saved then. I thought I believed in Jesus, but, in reality, I believed He existed. I believed the things I was told He did, but there were no identifying marks in me that I was a Christian. I guess I believed he was the Son of God, but it was more of a story to me. I relied on "feeling" it's truth-and never felt it. My "religion" was something that I dealt with at our Catholic school, but we didn't talk about it at home. It was something I could easily turn on and off. I've always been a people-pleaser, so, naturally, I wanted God to be pleased with me for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, like a lot of people, I believed the lie that I had to earn it, to perform for acceptance and salvation. If I had a bad day, I felt like God was just done with me. How could the God of the Universe love someone like me?

I have been chubby for-well-as long as I can remember. I can remember getting sick of lunch meat and eating butter sandwiches that were an inch thick. My mom told me I used to eat whole bags of sour cream and onion chips. When I felt like I couldn't do anything right (or when things did go right!), food would comfort me. It always tasted good, and a happy stomach never let me down. As I went into middle school, I became more and more aware of how different I was (aka bigger than everyone else) and how much I hated myself for it. It wasn't just hate. I loathed myself and started to "cut". I realized I could punish myself for the hate I felt and let it out without hurting anyone else (or so I thought. Just ask my parents how that went). When my plot was foiled it turned into alcohol, drugs, and bulimia. As thankful as I am that my parents moved us to Europe for most of my adolescent life, the readily-accessible alcohol and drugs didn't help a girl like me. My biggest problem was being able to be everything and everyone at once- top of my class, a jock, club volleyball, principal's babysitter, tutor, coach, smoke pot and get drunk. I hid the bad things like a champ. I was so far past wanting to please God that I flat out didn't care anymore. As I approached the end of high school, I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. Somehow God pulled me to K-State and I followed.

One of my high school friends went to K-State, too, and was a Christian. One day, I decided I wanted a Bible-something I had never owned before. We went and bought one in September of 2005. On our way home, we ran into a girl that invited us to Navigators, a campus ministry that met every Thursday. I didn't know her or what "Navs" was, but we gave it a shot.

It blew my mind. I didn't know what contemporary Christian music sounded like. I didn't know people-young people- worshipped. Hands in the air, arms and heart wide open, tears and joy all at the same time. "Where am I?" I thought. Somewhere I want to be, that's for sure. I joined a freshman bible study (who was led by the girl that invited us to Navs and who also discipled me for several months!) and accepted Christ as my savior at a conference in Iowa on October 22nd in 2005.

My life pretty much changed overnight and rightfully so. The feeling of not being loved, not being able to earn God's favor was shattered by the unconditional love of a God who wasn't a Savior because I deserved it. The hatred I felt for myself slowly dwindled because I finally understood that I was accepted and redeemed, that I was who I was and looked the way I did because God wanted me that way. I realized He's given me gifts in areas that I enjoy more than I can explain and has withheld in areas that would probably get me in trouble otherwise. My thirst for love and acceptance turned into a thirst to know God, to know his heart, to know his Word. The distant, unable-to-please God of my youth became the God who knew me intimately, who was as much of a part of my life as my best friend.

He was and is my Savior because he is holy. Because he is Lord. Because he is not only glorified by being just and righteous- he is also glorified by loving and dying for us while we are still sinners. The first verse I ever memorized was 2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! How true this rang in my life! At one point, my mom told me she didn't know who I was anymore. At the time it hurt, but I understood how she felt. I was just getting to know myself as this new creation, too. Now that I look back on that time, I couldn't have asked for a better compliment. I was so changed by the gospel that the one person who knows me best in this world didn't know me. Slowly she did, and we are so much closer because of it.

The next January I met Daniel through our bible studies and, again, I was blown away. God had prepared for me a husband that I would never have imagined could exist. He loved me with a godly love, whose utmost desire was to see me grow in Jesus. He is handsome, strong, and works hard. He is funny and enjoys the fellowship of others. He loves me deeply, but loves Jesus more. My relationship with Jesus is independent and does not rely on my husband, but because of my husband, I have learned things about God and his Word that I wouldn't have learned without him. I am thankful for him, for his family, and for the blessing in them that God has given me-even though I never knew to asked for it. God always knew me and knew what was best for me, even before I knew Him.

Every season of my life has brought blessings and trials. I have failed miserably in both circumstances so many times. Being a Christian doesn't mean I'm perfect. Being a Christian means I believe that the God who made the Universe and everything in it sent his holy Son to die on a cross to reconcile sinners to himself-not because He couldn't live without us in eternity, but because He is glorified in saving us.

Life is hard. It's an ongoing battle. Some days-or years-are better than others. I will never be what the world considers perfect or beautiful. Sadly, I am sure I have been one of those people who has made a person not want to be a Christian. I will always wish I didn't have to worry about fitting into my pants or wearing a swim suit. I will always wish I could remember to call people back or send them a note to say "I love you". I will always wish that people would be proud of me, but somedays I'm just a rotten person. My story isn't one that I consider uncommon or "poor you". My sin was and is just as bad as the next person, but that doesn't make it okay. That's not why I share it. I share it because when I do, people say, "I would never have guessed that about you". It's a cool thing to hear, because I know that's not a testament to me, but to Christ.

Through it all, I am forgiven, I am redeemed, and I am loved.

Ways to Save: Frugal Wrap Up

2012-02-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

Source

Ya get it, I'm cheap. I like to save money. Sometimes out of necessity, always for the thrill. Besides the posts I've shared on being frugal over the past week, I thought I'd share a few ways we save money around our house:

Make a budget. Daniel did this for us, but it's fairly easy to put together. The hard part is sticking to it! We looked at our monthly income, then our necessary and extra expenses. Daniel allotted enough money to cover our necessary expenses, tithe, missions, and money to be put into savings, then figured how much we could spend on all of the "extras". Each category has a set amount we can spend. When we save in one category, we can use those funds to cover extras/unexpecteds in another. For example- we have TONS of gifts to give December through Feb because of birthdays, Christmas, and anniversaries. We don't, however, spend a lot during those months on groceries (I know, that sounds weird, but we are always out of town and eating with family. Plus, we have LOTS of leftovers). So, extra we don't spend on groceries goes into the gift fund. If we can be cheap on everything, we put more money on payments for cars, loans, etc. so they can be paid off quicker.

Mine. Love it.

Line dry at least 3 loads of laundry per week. Daniel and I both wear business attire to work, so I usually line dry those things anyway so they don't get ruined or shrink. We have definitely noticed a decrease in our electric bill since doing this. I scored a garment rack for free when we moved church buildings (it was left behind) and I hang things to dry in our laundry room. I saw it at Walmart for $37, but it is well worth the investment in my opinion (plus, great for hanging clothes at garage sales for easy shopping!). As I posted, we make our own laundry soap, which only costs us 4 cents per load, whereas store-bought is upwards of $.15. This doesn't sound like a big deal per load, but think about it- we do laundry for 1/3 of the cost of the cheap laundry soap. Nevermind Tide.
Grocery shop and cook strategically. I guest posted at Simply Prudent about this very thing and it saves us a ton of money. Check it out!
Buy in-season. While we are on the subject of food, I will tell you that shopping for food that is in season will save you a lot of cash. Unlike my lovely mother, if blueberries are not in season and cost almost $4 for a 1/2 pint, we simply go without. Be creative and force yourself to find new recipes for foods that you can get inexpensively. When I plan to grocery shop, I look to see what I can get the best deal on, then I plan meals with those ingredients. This saves me from having to buy expensive ingredients for meals I've already planned on making and don't have the ingredients for.
Recycle and Reuse containers. I save all sorts of containers to be reused as tupperware and random-use storage. When we pack lunches, I try to use as much tupperware as possible so we don't have to waste lunch baggies (and I have been known to rinse those out, too. I know, pathetic. Can't help myself!). Some weeks are better than others. Lunch meat containers and butter tubs are the best!
Buy used. Hunting through thrift stores is one of my all time favorite things to do. I don't remember the last time I bought anything from our wardrobe or home full price, let alone from a retail store. It really keeps costs down!
If you can DIY, then DIY. That is, only if it saves you money. Don't be fooled into thinking everything that is "DIY" is cheap and will save you money. Sometimes it is cheaper to have someone do something for you or go somewhere to have something "done". I do my own French Pedicures for free (last night!), but we paid to have some new furniture delivered last year because the charge was cheaper than renting and truck and paying for the gas. Use your common sense.
Use coupons. Wait, I thought you hated couponing? I do. BUT, we usually only go out to eat if we have a coupon. They are easy to find and several restaurants have them online or give free meals for birthdays and other special occasions. There is no reason to pay full price for a meal out when you can get it half price (or free)!
Use cash gifts wisely. We always wait a certain amount of time before spending a large amount of money so we can "sit on it" and see if we really need it. Either that, or we have a list of things we "need" long term and purchase with these gifts. For example, we bought a deep freeze with Christmas money. You wouldn't think it would be exciting (Oh, how it was!), but we will definitely need it long term once we expand our family (we were already busting out of the freezer attached to our fridge!). Any extra money that comes in usually goes towards paying off our cars and students loans so that we can work towards being debt free.
Keep a "Good Deal" book, whether it's tangible or mental. I have been so cheap for so long that I know when something is a good deal. Don't be fooled by sales and grocery items that end up in the weekly circular. Sometimes companies pay for a spot in the circular and items are shown for their regular price, but people are fooled into thinking they are on sale because they are "featured" items. Na uh. When you find something for a good price, buy it if you need it or use it regularly. Don't buy something you don't usually buy just because it's a good price for what it is. This is why I hate couponing.
Find Free Entertainment. I always check local magazines for free events for us to go to-concerts, festivals, outdoor movies, farmers markets, you name it (KC Parent is a great source for Kansas City folk!). They are more widely available during spring and summer, but they're still out there. We like to rent things from the library, too. Pretty sure I have seen every single episode of Roseanne thanks for our Library!
Be content with what God gives you. I know, easier said than done. But, this really works for us. When we think we have to have something, we step back and say, "in the scope of eternity, will this matter? Usually, NO. Do I want this because I need it, or because I want other people to see me with it? Usually it's the second, which makes me realize I am being a brat. Will this, in the long run, save us money? If so, it makes "the list" (such as the freezer). God commands us to be content and not covet, which is something I personally struggle with. Knowing that God has a specific plan for my life-that ultimately Christ will be glorified (hopefully. It will happen regardless of whether or not I choose to partake in that blessing!)-helps me to rest assure that I have what I need, will be taken care of, and blessed along the way in His timing. We don't love Jesus because He will bless us. We love Jesus because He first loved us while we were still sinners.

Welp, that's my two-cents worth on being frugal. This works. For us. I hope you can adapt something-or at least get ideas- on how to be cheapskates like us.

Here are all of the links to the various recipes we talked about:

DIY Laundry Detergent

DIY Fabric Softener

DIY Dishwasher Detergent

DIY Gallon Body Wash from a Bar of Soap

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

How to Cut Hair

So long!

Frugal Home Series Part 6: How to Cut Men's Hair

2012-02-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lull in this series. The past few weeks have been difficult ones for us, but here we are again! =)

Frugal Home Series Part 6: How to Cut Men's Hair

Hair is just something we don't value much.

Daniel: "What is that supposed to mean?!" =)
True, his hair is thinning (even though he has a ton of it and it goes extremely fast) and I was born bald and didn't have much until I was 2 or 3 (and still don't). It isn't something we care to spend a lot of money on.
I get my hair cut at Great Clips or Fantastic Sams (I can hear the gasps out there!) because I always just get everything trimmed (never dyed my hair and don't plan on starting!). To be honest, I wear my hair wavy/curled anyway, so even if a layer here or there is uneven, ya can't tell. I spend about $10 every two months.

And Daniel? Well, I cut his. I didn't know what I was doing when I started, but I've been doing it for 4 years now and he hasn't gotten it cut elsewhere since.

Before we started dating, Daniel had a curly fro. I feel in love with him immediately, but woof. I hated that hair.

This was when he was in high school, years before I met him and I'm sure he didn't get a single hair cut between this picture and the time I met him. Look at that height! Ha. What a handsome guy. Lucky girl!

He must have caught wind of it, because he went and got it cut right before he asked me out on our first date. Well, first of all, the gal that did it clearly didn't know what she was doing. It was uneven and the top didn't blend well with the sides. It was better than before and grew quickly, but I figured- meh, this can't be that hard. Now, I cut it just the way he likes it (and just the way I like it). And, it's our favorite price- FREE!

This is what you will need to buy:

I have had to buy replacement shears because someone stole them and cut paper and dulled them up. :) Either way, it's about a $10-$15 investment at Walmart.

First, wet the hair. Daniel puts his head over the tub.

Second, I section Daniel's head into 3 areas- A, B, and C. We will cut them in that order and then go back and trim up the sides.

I use a 3/8 inch guard on the back and sides for section A. A is the back of his head and sides up to the "crown" of his head. Make sure you get every hair!

Then, I use a 5/8 inch guard to cut section B to "blend" section A with the top.

Then, I use a comb and shears and trim section C by hand. I usually cut it as close to my fingers as I can, then make sure it blends well with section B. I also trim the hair above his ears with the shears because I.. woops.. made a big boo boo when I tried to do it with the buzzers once.

Now, trim any extra hairs around the face. I comb his hair down and trim in this pattern:

Daniel calls this his "comb over". I just think it's plain handsome.

Now, take the guard off the buzzer and trim the sideburns, sides, and back.

Done! Free. Because his hair grows so fast, I cut it about once a month. This saves us $10/month.

Thanks to my dear hubs Daniel for starring in this post. Love you!

Frugal Home Series Part 5: Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

2012-01-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

Frugal Home Series Part 5: Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

Is it just me, or does it seem like washing your hands with foaming soap is easier than with regular liquid soap? Pretty sure you're still supposed to scrub your hands to the tune of "Happy Birthday" regardless of which soap you use (I never do. I know, awful), but I feel like I am more inclined to wash more thoroughly (or wash at all) if the soap of pre-foamed. Call me crazy.

I hate paying extra for foaming soap, though. Plus, I always find luxury soaps for cheap at places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods, but they aren't foaming soaps. Solution? You guessed it! Make your own!

Ingredients:

A few pumps of regular liquid soap
Water
Empty foaming soap dispenser

I madeover a Target $1 pump to look more shnazy over the summer, but you can use any one you have on hand.

First, pump enough soap into your dispenser to fill it about an inch high.
Second, fill the rest with water.
Put the cap on, give it a shake, and you are done! It is that easy.

I will say that you will need to shake it up from time to time, but to be able to fill it with soap we have on hand for free is worth the extra shake.

Frugal Home Series Part 4: Homemade Liquid Hand/Body Soap

2012-01-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

Frugal Home Series Part 4: Homemade Liquid Soap

Today's tutorial isn't for anything that includes borax, vinegar, or soda of any kind. No, it's liquid soap. Did you know you can make a gallon of liquid soap from just 8 oz of bar soap? Yep, it works.

My Grandma gave my sister and I a Philosophy gift set with body wash, hand cream, a bar of body soap, perfume, and lotion. I really wanted the perfume and lotion and Chris wanted the body wash and hand cream, so we split it down the middle and I got the bar, too. I hate using bar soap.

Have you ever used Philosophy products? They smell so good. I can't describe it. It's not floral or sweet- just clean and beautiful. But, you know how much that body wash costs?
$17 for 8 OUNCES.

Love it, but I love the food in our fridge and the roof over our head a little more. So, I figured- let's take the bar I won't ever use and turn it into body wash! Here is how:

You need:

8 oz of bar soap (Any bar. Read the label to make sure your are using 8 oz. For some soaps, that's one bar, for others it is 2 or 3!)
2 Tablespoons of Glycerin (found by the bandaids. You will not find it by the soap. Trust me on this! Invest in the $3 bottle and you will have enough for gallons of soap!)

1 gallon (or 16 cups) of water
Stock Pot
Container for soap (trusty milk jug for me!)

First, Grate your soap like it's cheese. You can use the same technique I used when I made laundry soap. My soap was rich and would not grate (okay, I don't own a cheese grater. I have a micro plane and it wouldn't work). I chunked it and it worked fine.
Put it in a stock pot with the water and glycerin. Heat on medium heat until all of the soap is dissolved. This will go by faster if you grated the soap.

When all is dissolved, you will have what looks like soapy water. Don't worry- you are on the right track!

Take off the heat and let cool/coagulate for 10-12 hours.

It should be like thick snot now. Beat with a hand-held mixer, adding as much water as you want in order to get your desired consistency. At this point, I added extra perfume to smell extra pretty =)

Funnel into container and you are in bid-naz!

I found Dial Men's care bars- $2 for 3 bars for my husband. Smells super manly and you will only use 2 bars, which means a gallon of men's body wash costs a whopping $1.34. He loves it. Hoo-rah.

Frugal Home Series Part 3: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

2012-01-24T04:12:00.000-08:00

Frugal Home Series Part 3: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I have always been disgusted by how much it costs to wash dishes with the dishwasher. Even sicker at the thought of wasting money on "convenience" dishwasher tabs (okay, I'll admit. I used to buy them in my couponing days when I could get an 18-pack for $2. I hate couponing now! I would always convince myself I could have something name brand because I got it cheap when couponing. Whatever. I spent too much and bought things that weren't very healthy. Sure, I can get 10 packs of hotdogs for 10 cents. But really? Hotdogs? My allegiance will always be to good 'ole Aldi!).

Pinterest is chalk full of dishwasher detergent recipes. Several of them call for citric acid, koolaid, and other concentrated items that come in tiny glass bottles and cost a pretty penny. This recipe? Easy Peasy. Cheap. If you already invested in borax, washing soda, and vinegar, you already have all of the ingredients except for one {cheap} item.

Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup Borax
1 cup Baking Soda (or, even better- washing soda! Either work)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Concentrate in the lemon-shaped bottle (technically citric acid in a tiny {plastic} bottle, but SO much cheaper!)

Mix all ingredient together (use a BIG bowl. That vinegar and baking soda will rock it out!) and store. I used an old detergent bottle I had saved for this very occasion. Shake to mix before each use.

**Please note that you will need to rinse your dishes before loading. Apparently you are always supposed to do this? =) I say this because my husband usually is the dish-loader in our family and I do just about everything else (We've had some clothes.. ehhhem.. ruined. =D) (and I don't mean to say my husband makes me do everything. I love my home and taking care of it. Sometimes we argue because I don't want him to help because I love it so much. And he works hard. My way of serving him to make up for all the times I am a total b-rat). He says I am the worst dishwasher-loader of all time. Too many dishes. Nothing is rinsed. Salt and Pepper (or something) particles on tops of cups when dry. Woops!

Other than having to rinse, it works wonderfully. Even glass was nice and shiny, no residue!

If you want to boost the rinse cycle (which I always do), add 2 tbsp pure vinegar to the rinse/jet dry dispenser. It is awesome! Seriously, who would have thought something so bitter as vinegar could be so sweet?!

Frugal Home {Guest Post}

2012-01-23T04:41:00.000-08:00

We're taking a break from frugal home care tips today to talk about frugal meal planning.

I've written a Guest Post today at Simply Prudent about how to not only frugally meal plan for your family, but how to also save time during the busy week by investing an hour or two on Sundays getting things organized.

The writer for Simply Prudent is my dear friend, Jenni. By "friend" I mean I actually know her in real life. I love having blogger friends- we can share tips, write guest posts, and laugh about jokes only bloggers will get (As in "Oh, did you see what so-and-so's baby did the other day? She is so cute. I can't believe how big she is getting", as if we know these people. It's similar to the I-refer-to-celebrities-by-first-name-like-we-are-friends phenom). =)

Jenni, thanks for the opportunity to contribute to your awesome blog!

Check the post out here and become a {blessed} follower of Simply Prudent!

Frugal Home Series Part 2: Homemade Fabric Softener

2012-01-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

Frugal Home Series Part 2: Homemade Fabric Softener

I'm definitely a liquid fabric softener kind of gal. In college I took the best textiles class ever- we learned how fabric was made and how to care for it. Once a week (maybe twice? I can't remember!) we had a "lab" where we sat in a circle, touched fabric, and learned how to identify it. We learned how it burns, how it reacts to dye, and how they make carpet. Best class of my life.

Our professor did/does research for some big-name brand like Lands End or Northface and preached about fabric softeners. How liquid is much better than sheets, how not to use too much. My mom always used Downy, but I have to admit- I can't handle the price and it almost always lasts half the time the bottle says because I use way too much.

Solution- Make your own.

I found this recipe and was skeptical. Really? Hair Conditioner? Cheap Hair conditioner? VINEGAR? I feared I'd be walking around smelling like a Šopský salát (google it).

Nope. Pure awesomeness. My clothes are SO soft- softer than with store-bought- and smell fresh and clean. The scent of the conditioner is definitely there. This recipe makes a lot of softener, so I only made half. This is the full recipe.

Recipe:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Conditioner {or other favorite scent-I found it for $1}

Directions:

Measure out conditioner.

Whisk together hot water and conditioner. Make sure the conditioner is mixed completely with the water- no clumps. I had to whisk for a minute or so.

Add Vinegar and mix well (this is the actual softener- the conditioner I think it just for scent. Vinegar also helps with static sling).
Use 2 tbsp in a Downy ball or in the softener dispenser in your machine, diluted with water (basically use it like it's store bought)

I keep it in this carafe (end of summer sale at Target for $1!) so it's easy to pour into our washer.

Love. It. I don't think I've ever been so happy with a DIY cleaning remedy as I am with this one!

Here is a printable label:

Enjoy!

Frugal Home Series Part 1: Homemade Laundry Detergent

2012-01-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

Frugal Home Series Part 1: Homemade Laundry Detergent

I love me some laundry. It reminds me of my mom. She loves it, too, and growing up our house always smelled like clean laundry detergent and softener. Our clothes were always perfectly cared for, folded when they were warm so that they wouldn't wrinkle. She never taught us how to really do laundry until it was time to go to college. I thought it used to be because she didn't want us to ruin our clothes (or hers), but I really think it was because she loved to do it.

{Side story- when we were living in Prague, my Mom and Dad had to fly to the states to go house hunting in Kansas. I was a sophomore in high school and my brother was a freshman in college. My sister was 13. My parents left ~~Danny~~ me in charge for a few days while they were out of the country. It was awesome- I cooked, cleaned, and did laundry (thanks to a cheat sheet my mom left for me! This is where my love affair with laundry began). I made sure the doors were locked at night, that we made it to school every morning, that we had lunch money (which had to be rationed because the star of this story hoarded her lunch money for a week to pierce her belly button when she was 13. Yeeep). Mini-mom at work. It went great, except for when my little sister decided to sneak out of the house, run downtown with one of her friends, and then go "missing" for a few hours until her friend's sister tracked them down. O. M. G. what a brat. You might be thinking, "WHAT were her parents thinking?!" My brother was in college, so I don't think they were thinking anything except that we are great kids and I was born with the soul of a 30-year-old (so says my mom). That Chrissy- always been a rat! Gotta love her!}

Anyways,detergent.
In the fall, I made dry detergent with my students (they loved it, as did their parents) and used it until I ran out (I loved it, too). Can I make a confession? Even though it's not true, I feel like dry soap doesn't get things as clean as liquid does. Lame, I know. It's in my crazy head.
SO, I figured I'd try making the same detergent, but in liquid form. Love it 10x more!

Ingredients:

I left the baking soda out this time, but if you want BRIGHT whites, add 1/2 cup to the whole mix.

1 Bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap {not natural, but only $1! If this irritates your skin, or your baby's, then my sis-in-law uses 2 bars Ivory and you can also use Castile. I made some with Ivory as well and love it, too. Don't use anything with a lot of oil- it's awful for your clothes (but great for your skin!)}

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 gallon + 1 pint water
Optional- 1/2 cup baking soda

Directions

Grate the bar of soap as explained in this post (cheese grater!).
Bring a quart of water (4 cups) to a boil on the stove and slowly add the soap, stirring gently (not all at once. Trust me).
Reduce the heat and let it simmer gently until all of the pieces of soap are melted/dissolved.

Add the borax and washing soda and stir until they are dissolved.
Pour the soap/borax/soda mixture into a large container and slowly add a gallon of hot water to it.
Stir until the mixture is well mixed.
Let it sit overnight. It will "gel" together.
Stir or shake the soap each time you use it.
Use 1/4 cup for a front loading washer. Use 1/2 cup for a top loading washer.

There are 16 cups in one gallon. We made 1 gallon + 1 quart, which is 20 cups total. One load is 1/2 cup, so this recipe will make 40 loads. Total cost is:
Bar of soap: $1
Water: Free
Borax: $.34 (9 cups per box, $3 per box. We use 1 cup)
Washing Soda: $.40 (same reason as Borax)
=
$1.75 for 40 loads, or about a nickel per load.
Using Ivory soap is even a little cheaper.
Yes.

The dry detergent post I linked to will have a printable, or you can use this one!

Next- Cheap, amazing fabric softener. You are going to hide in a cave in embarrassment after you see how much money you are wasting on Downy!

Frugal Home Series

2012-01-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I've been experimenting with some DIY recipes for home cleaners. All I have to say is WOW. There are so many natural and cheap ways to clean your home that I often catch myself saying out loud, "Wow, God, you really knew what you were doing when you made creation". Well, Duh.
I thought I would share some of the "recipes" I use over the next week or so in a series.
Yep, a series. Never thought I would do that! It's called the "Frugal Home Series". I'm not so much concerned with naturally cleaning my home (although it is a plus in some of the recipes!). I'm more concerned with cleaning my home cheaply.

A lot of DIY home cleaning products include the following "ingredients". The majority of DIY cleaners have Borax, Washing Soda, Water, and Vinegar, or any combination of these 4 (plus or minus soap in some cases). As far as I am concerned they are bomb and I wanted to know where these natural things came from. So, here is a little background info for you:

Borax

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Borax is generally found embedded deep in the ground, along with clay and other substances. According to 20 Mule Team Borax, it improves cleaning power of detergent, helps remove tough stains, is a natural alternative to colorsafe bleach, deodorizes and freshens, and naturally softens hard water. You can use it in the bathroom to remove Soap Scum, Hard Water Deposits and Dirt, and eliminate odors- same with the kitchen. Cleaning gold.

Washing Soda

According to Arm and Hammer, Washing soda adds extra cleaning and freshening power for tough household jobs. Works as a laundry detergent booster and as a household cleaner. It's not only an effective cleaner, it is an all-natural product. Saweet.

Vinegar

According to Vinegar Tips, White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity. Cleaning with white distilled vinegar is a smart way to avoid using harsh chemicals. In laundry, it makes whites whiter and brights brighter. It is also a fabric softener! Vinegar is made from distilled corn alcohol. Coolio.

During the series, I will blog about (and tell you whether I found it to work!) the following "recipes":

Dishwasher Detergent
Laundry Detergent
Fabric softener
Liquid hand or body soap (okay, no borax, WS, or Vinegar in that one!)
Foaming hand soap (yep, none in that either)
Carpet and clothing stain remover
Bathroom cleaner

Do yourself a favor and invest in:

1 box borax
1 box washing soda
1 HUGE jug of vinegar (I bought the jug pictured for only $2.15 at Walmart)
Dawn Soap ( I bought the clear hypoallergenic kind!)

See you soon for some awesome cleaning tutorials!

Autumn Nicole Paul

2012-01-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

Our tiny, lovely, perfect niece came into the world early Sunday morning at 1:05 am.

I have never been so closely related to a baby and-to be honest- the feeling is overwhelming (in the best sense of the word). I cannot think about my sister in law, her husband, and that baby without starting to cry. For the past two days, a wave of pride, joy, love, honor- all things perfect- has flooded our family and it is wonderful. We already have such a great family. I didn't know that there could be more love. But, oh, how much more we have now!

We adore her!

I can only imagine how much more this love is magnified when it is your own child. Holding that little girl and seeing Daniel with her made my heart ache. Not in a bad way, not in a jealous way. It's hard to describe in words. I think it was a combination of loving that little lovely girl so much and looking forward to getting to experience that for yourself, with your own children someday. To know our (someday) babies will grow up together and love each other as if they were siblings. I know she is new, but we are completely obsessed with her. We have been praying for her for a long time and are so glad she is finally here!

Bring it.

2012-01-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for my, yet again, total blog fail. School has started back up and it's taking over my life. That and I have been falling asleep at 8pm with voices of middle schoolers dancing in my head.
No, but seriously. Love it.
Sucks the life out of me!

I was on facebook the other day- yep, stalking away- and ran across a post by the husband of one of the girls in my college bible study. It said, "If the Lord is pleased to bring disaster and distress upon us so that his people may know he answers prayer, we are willing. If God cannot be trusted in the fire, then he cannot be trusted at all. He only afflicts in faithfulness".

I read it a few days ago and I can't get it out of my head. I wish I had that attitude. So many times I pity myself for any and all affliction we experience. Even on good days, I think, "Well, God will take care of it." Well, what if that's not what he wants? I mean, of course Jesus loves me. He will take care of us. We will never have to endure something we are unable to survive. But really, it's not so much about God taking care of me, but more about Him being glorified. I think being "willing" would be easier if we knew that people would see Christ's glory in our lives. But, in the end, I figured out that's pretty selfish and self-serving. It doesn't really matter if they see it or not-the point is that we serve a righteous God that deserves our trust and faithfulness. He will take care of the rest. God doesn't need me to glorified anyway.

Philipians 2:5-11

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If God's glory means there has to be toils and trials, tears and frustration, the mindset of Christ, then- dare I say it- bring it.

Resolutions

2012-01-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

Yep, I know.
It's January 4th.
I know I'm late with the whole "year in review" thing.
But, I thought if I joined the blog world of reviews and confessed my resolutions, I would be more apt to keep them. Some of my resolutions aren't really resolutions- they are changes I want to be more intentional about making permanent in my life- but more on that lataz.

2011 was wonderful. Really. 2009 and 2010 were rough for us. We were still in school (part of the time), I was student teaching (worst. semester. of. my. life. and, at the same time, was so hard/rewarding that I grew immeasurable amounts as a teacher), had my first ~~awful/made me cry every day~~ teaching position, our marriage was in that dreadful 2-year rocky point, we was po, and we stressed. A lot. We prayed. A lot. We finally learned how to trust the Lord. For everything. End of 2010 and 2011, we were blessed with all the things we could never deserve.

We bought a house. Sometimes I catch myself-well- coveting bigger, more perfect houses and I have to stop and think, NO, this is the house God wants us to be in. We are blessed beyond measure. We love it and it is our home. We are thankful for it!

My hair is sooooo short! Yuck!

Our marriage is totally different (will never be perfect, but it is rockin!). Never awful, but we hurt each other a lot because we didn't know how to love, respect, and serve each other right. We still don't all of the time, but a mighty work has been done in our marriage, that's for sure. I love Daniel with all that is in me and I am so abundantly thankful the Lord has opened my eyes as to how to {read: try!} love him as a husband.
Our jobs (as sometimes stressful as they can be) are steady, provide for our needs and pay the bills, and are, for the most part, fulfilling (well, as fulfilling as an earthly thing should be compared to our treasure in Jesus!). Nothing is ever perfect, but Daniel is adamant that we learn to not complain about work and be "lights" there. That's a hard one!
After going through-what I like to call- a spiritual "funk", we're on the flip side. Thank God! I am, again, so thankful we serve a God who is always there, who is always the most fulfilling thing we can set our eyes on. So thankful and in awe that we worship the King who humbled himself to leave a heavenly throne and be born to Earth, having the purpose to die so that sinful people would be reconciled to a Holy God. Wow. I was baptized as an adult early 2011 in front of our church family by my Father-in-law. It was really special for me- both because our church has become my home and family and because Daniel's family has helped me grow spiritually in ways I can even begin to describe. By the looks of 2009 and 2010, I'm surprised my FIL didn't pin me underwater to punish me. Hahah kidding. =) I love them so much and am so thankful for them!

Annnd that's all I got. Daniel had our DEAD camera in the congregation to the left of the picture, but-yep- dead. Oh well. I remember getting very upset with him and ~~saying~~ ~~thinking~~ saying, "WELL thanks for giving such a WONDERFUL point in my life enough thought to charge the freaking camera!!" I said EARLY 2011. Before I would describe our marriage as "rockin". Haha. I am a brat.

Hmm, proofreading this through, I seem to use "thankful" a lot. Guess that's not a bad thing, huh? Never.

Resolutions
Hopefully, I will blog throughout the year on how these go...

Pray for my husband diligently.
Read through the bible with Daniel.
Exercise more regularly. Our Zumba class is starting up again {Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!} and we also started the Couch to 5K running program. So far, so good! Zumba is more fun than anything (okay, it burns 800 calories an hour. Booo-yaaa), so I am planning on doing one class per week and following the running plan 3 times per week (as it recommends). Even though I feel like I gained 10 L-B's over break, I am not going to update you on weight. Our goal is not a number, but to be healthy!

So- you guessed it- thankful for 2011. We are so excited for 2012 and are relieved to know that, even though we don't know what the year holds, the Lord knows. He has it under control. No worries!

Chrissy + Doug = Love

2011-12-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I had a wonderful Christmas. We are so blessed. I don't mean to say that because of gifts- we are truly blessed with awesome families. When we are with family, it's like the rest of the world doesn't exist (sorry if that offends you or you have been on the butt end of that). We are so tuned out to everything but our family. I hate to take down our Christmas tree and think I will have to go back to work, but life is what it is. There are other things to be excited about, like our new niece (coming in weeeeks!) and my sister's wedding!

Not sure why, but she and Doug asked me to take some engagement pics. Whatev, I jumped at a chance to play with the new camera and Photoshop. It's a learning curve, so I apologize if you know what you are doing and I (clearly) do not. Anything as gorgeous as my sister will make any picture beautiful. The only time we had to shoot was in the morning, so a lot of the pictures turned out overexposed. Oh well. My first shot. I still think they are beautiful! Here are some of my favs:

Yeeeep, really not quite sure how we are from the same parents. I must have left all of the "pretty" genes behind for her!

Congrats Chrissy and Doug!

Four Years

2011-12-22T06:18:00.000-08:00

Today is our anniversary!
I can't believe it- we have been married for four years. I don't really know where all of that time went.
Marriage is such a hard thing to learn how to do well. When do we get to the point when we think we are good at being married? Daniel and I fell in love immediately once we met, talked about getting married after dating for one month, and were engaged after dating for eight. Never have I had a doubt in my mind that Daniel is the person God chose for me and am grateful for all the little ways we can look back and see how He prepared us for one another throughout our lives. Because I love Daniel so much and always have, I thought marriage would be eeassssy peeeassy. Pffft. Okay.

I don't mean that to sound bad, or to sound like I don't love my husband. Marriage is hard for me because of me, not because of my husband. Sure, he takes his socks off and leaves them in the living room every day of his life and he can't dance. Big Woop. He has terrrrrible handwriting (so much so that when I was in college and taking a class on students with special needs, I interviewed Daniel and asked him if he would consider his handwriting a learning disability because it interferes with his ability to take notes quickly and legibly. Bahahaha). I can fill out important forms for us. He has grouchy days. Who doesn't? Over the past 4 years, I've learned that when something's just not right, I need to point my finger at myself first before I point it at him. It took a long time to learn that, and I don't always manage to do it, but the Lord has been faithful to prayer. As a wise woman says to me all the time, "God is loving me every. single. day". True Dat.

You are probably thinking I have an awful marriage by now. Au Contraire, Mon Frère! I have a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful marriage and have a husband whom I, literally, love more and more every day I am alive. However, I think there is a lie floating around out there that claims that if we just love enough, it will fix everything and that, if we follow Jesus, we can have the perfect life. It simply isn't true. Sure, I will spend eternity worshiping the Savior in heaven, not because I did anything, but because He did it all. However, while still here in this life, I am a wretched human being. So is Daniel. So are you. And, being called to marriage, this means two wretched human beings have to figure out how to love and serve one another. It's hard! But, as my favorite verse says, "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness"-Lamentations 3:22-23. Also, 2 Corinthians 4:16: "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." Every morning is a new morning. A new day to serve and love my husband, to learn to forgive him like he forgives me (a lot) and as Christ forgave me (more than a lot). As hard as it is to say (but, how thankful I am to say it!), I cannot be married and love my husband well without the love of Christ.

My husband. {swoooooon}. How I adore that man. He works so hard at everything that he does. He is smart and uses the mind God gave him to support our family. He loves the Lord with all of his might and leads us in seeking his face. He is hilarious, makes me think I am, and is alpha-protective. Nothing means more to him than his family (me and his mama!). He texts me whenever he sees or hears about an accident, just to let me know it's not him and he's okay. He kisses me goodbye in the mornings and says I love you first (which is a lot). He sends me emails at school just to let me know he's thinking of me and hopes my kids aren't being too rowdy that day. How lucky I am to call this man my husband.

Here are some pictures from our wedding. Such a bittersweet day- Best day of my life... during "Winter Hell" as the news called it. Less than half the people that were supposed to come were able to make it. Our reception photog never made it because they closed the highway. My hair was slightly compromised by the sleet outside. But, you know what? I wouldn't have had it any other way.

We wrote our own vows (in Hastings one afternoon over coffee. I asked Daniel what he wanted them to say and he replied, "I don't care". Ooooooooh. Bad move. Forgiveness I learned! Haha):

I take you to be my Beloved Husband (wife)

I Pledge my heart to you in Faithfulness and Devotion.

I promise to Love and Comfort you,

Honor and Keep You,

in Plenty and in Want,

in Joy and in Sorrow,

in Sickness and in Health

and, Forsaking all others,

I will be True only unto you.

I thank God that He, in His perfect Will,

Has prepared us for one another, in Steadfast Love and in Mercy.

I promise to follow (lead) you faithfully in the Lord and love you as Christ loves the Church.

My Husband (wife), My Beloved, My Heart's Desire,

I will Love, Comfort, Serve (lead), and Cherish you

All the Days of my Life.

Thank you, Lord, for marriage!

Chocolate Popcorn

2011-12-21T07:54:00.000-08:00

Yeah, so that whole "one post every day of break" thing just isn't working out.
I have been enjoying my time off so much that I have NO desire to blog.
No offense.

I thought I would share a recipe for an easy, yummy, cheap, and addicting treat. I made some for a wonderful lady at church, my husband's grandma, and my in-laws. I had to force myself not to pick!

Chocolate Popcorn

Ingredients:

Whole Popcorn (I bought store brand for $1/entire bag! You will only use 1/3 of the bag!)
Oil
Salt
Wilton Chocolate Candy Melts (I bought dark chocolate and white)

Directions:

Pop pop corn according to package directions (oil in pot. Heat. Put in 1 kernel. When it pops, out in enough popcorn to cover bottom of pot. Shake as it pops.)
Pour popped corn onto foiled surface.
Melt dark chocolate according to package directions (50% power for 1 minute, stir, then 30-second intervals until melted)
Drizzle over chocolate.
Repeat with White chocolate.

Wait to cool/harden, break up gently and put into tins, and make someone happy!

These tins were 70% off at Joanns! They ended up only being $2. They are so cute!

Merry Christmas!

Captivate Us

2011-12-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

Well, it's finally here: Christmas Break. Hallelujah!
This semester has gone by so fast. I can remember meeting my girls for the first time like it was yesterday. I have gotten to know and pray for so many sweet, beautiful young ladies (and 12 young men!). They organized a Secret Santa for today and required each other to sew the gift. How cute is that? They made some of the most adorable little gifts =) I am sad to say goodbye to them, but thankful a handful are taking Sewing II next semester and I get to hang out with them again.

While I love love love teaching, long breaks are always a highlight (they always joked in college that if you chose to be a teacher because of the breaks, you were in the wrong profession. I don't know about you fellow teachers out there, but breaks are one of my favorite parts about being a teacher! Being able to make an impact on kids is obviously numero uno). I love being in my home and miss it when I have to be at work all week. Few things make me as happy as being home all day. Being home reminds me of family, of being young and being with my mom and sister. We've always been home-bodies. Love our friends, but there is nothing like being at home with family.

I am looking forward to being with our families, spending time with our church fam, and sewing. Our poor little puppy needs some lovin' too. =)

I still plan on blogging every single day during break, so get ready. Have some pretty sweet tutorials from baby things and photography to how to cut hair! Woop Woop!

For now, this is what has been on my heart this week: "Captivate us" by Watermark. It is a song I am completely obsessed with thanks to my dear friend Julia. It was sang at her wedding and I adore it (sorry for the lame-o picture show. This what I could find on You Tube!).

Jesus is so good.

Baby Sister

2011-12-15T03:24:00.000-08:00

My baby sister turns 23 today!

When I think back to my childhood, one thing I am eternally grateful for is my sister. The bond 2 sisters share is something you can't describe and can only understand it if you share one. I often tell my sister that I feel like we are twins because we are so close at heart. I feel like there are times that we can be so tuned in to one another that we don't have to speak and we grow even closer.

Growing up, we had our share of ups and downs. I am sure I was excited when she came along (probably jealous, but I do recall watching a home video where I called her "My bebe" 40 times), but, like all sisters, we were brats along the way. Sure, she bit my back fat and I shook her head. Yes, I made fun of her inability to care for her baby-think-it-over doll in high school and she made fun of the fact that I sucked my thumb until I was 21 (yep, you read that right. Twenty. One. Wouldn't have known from this set of brace-free pearly whites!). I buzzed her barbies and threw them in the "jacuzzi" toilet and she refused to let me sleep with her- well- my whole life when I was scared at night of dead people. BUT, this is why we love each other.

My sister is my life, my rock, my best friend and the one I cannot imagine living without. She is beautiful, kind, giving, compassionate, and hilarious. She makes a fool out of herself and doesn't care. She sings with me to our "songs" by Amy Grant and Wilson Phillips. She cuddles with me and says "Eeeeeeeee" when she gets excited. She wears kids' shoes and has webbed toes. We are the opposite, but we are the same. As much as I look up to her and wish I could be just like her, I know she feels the same.

I love my sister! What a blessing she is. I can't imagine who I would be without her. There is no one like her.

Here are a few of our fav memories. I know they won't make sense to you, but they are precious to us!

Chrissy and I at Grandma's house. I can't believe I let go of Yella Baby long enough to hold her! See that purple hand? Chew it, let it harden, sniff it, and rub it. I'm ashamed to admit how long I did that.


Getting ready to attack my twinkie. She looks innocent- I am sure she either let out a huge fart or bit me. Always so spoiled. Why did SHE get the pink bow?! =)

Life in the Daipy drawer. My mom would store diapers in the bottom drawer and we would pull it out and hang out in there. Most likely an idea I came up with while talking to myself or Yella Baby. I probably coerced sissy into following me in there in our teddy bear and unicorn sweatsuits. We also used to have sleepovers in the closet after throwing all of the shoes out. What were we thinking?!

Tramped up as Big Bird with BLUE EYESHADOW THNX MOM. Did you have those McDonald's happy meal tubs? Awesome!

Classic Kurowski Picture. Dan Dan cool as a cucumber. Me trying to be perfect (and succeeding, amen), Chrissy being a Draaaaaaammma Queeeen.

We took tap and ballet and were in "Annie". I was a cat, she was a mouse. How that fits into Annie is beyond me. Clearly we only took dance for one year (and this fatty only took it because there was a candy store in the basement of the studio and my mom let us pick out one thing every time we went. Booya). Check out that form.


Looking extra fine on the Charles Bridge in Prague. I am so thankful our parents moved us there. We were forced to love each other, be best friends, and lean on each other... or go crazy. Wish we had more pictures from this point in life (I think we do, but my parents have them (or we were in middle school and hated everything and everyone. Dekuji hormones.))

We have gotten to experience so many things together. Chrissy, I love you more with every day that I am alive. I pray for you always and can't wait to see you soon. I am so happy that you are getting married and can't imagine our life and family without Doug. We finally feel like our family is complete and I can't wait to see you grow into a wife and, someday, a mom =) Love you and happy birthday!

Soy Vay!

2011-12-13T05:58:00.000-08:00

Daniel and I are totally addicted to Chinese food (You know, I use that word--"Addict"--waaay too much. If we were really addicted to all the things I say we are, we would be a hot mess!)
I have to admit that I never really had Chinese food (or Taco Bell for that matter) until I was in high school. If we had fast food growing up, it was McDonald's (hello childhood obesity) or Papa Johns (hello customer appreciation night).
We don't eat Chinese food a lot even though we really like it because 1. It is so unhealthy! and 2. I can't make it well and we don't eat out a lot.
However I found this stuff thanks to Cheryl:

Holy. Cow.
The back of the bottle says that a Jew and a Chinese person became friends, joined food forces, and made this sauce (Sounds like the beginning of a really awful joke, but that's what it says!). It is SO good. In Cheryl's class, they use it to marinate beef and make Teriyaki Beef. I made it with leftover chicken for a super quick stir fry. I had everything on hand except for the sauce, which was {yikes} almost $6. You don't need much though, so you could get at least 8 meals out of the bottle. Here is what I did:

Ingredients for the entire meal:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I had baked them/foreman-ed them for a previous meal)
1/2-1 cup Soy Vay
Extra Light Virgin Olive Oil (I used around 1 TBSP)
Brown Rice
Steamed Green Beans

Directions:

Saute chicken in the olive oil to warm it up and get it a little crispy (Not "fried" crispy. I used only a tiny bit of oil!). If your chicken isn't cooked already, saute it until it is no longer pink in the middle with more olive oil.
Add the Soy Vay. Cook until warmed. (If your rice isn't done and the sauce reduces (like mine did!), add about 1/4 cup of water and cook. You will have more sauce to pour over the rice anyway.)
Serve with brown rice and green beans.

It was so good and tasted so much like the real deal that I didn't get a picture of it. Daniel was really skeptical because he thinks teriyaki is always too salty. It tasted more like General Tso/Kung Pao/all things delicious in a Chinese restaurant.

Trust me- if you are a Chinese fan, this will be some of the best $6 you will ever spend!

Side note-I have decided that once Christmas break starts in 4 DAYS I will blog every. single. day. New challenge for me- the 17 blog posts of Christmas.

For now, I am thankful the semester is wrapping up, my classroom is getting cleaned and organized, and I get to see so much of my family over the next few weeks!

{Knee Warmer Tutorial}

2011-12-06T07:41:00.000-08:00

I love boots.
I wear my one brown pair that I got from Old Navy the year before last for $4.50 at least 3 times a week.
I know. I need more.

I saw these photos on Pinterest and fell. in. love:

Looove the sock thing.
Problem- my boots are rather snug. I don't think I can fit socks over leggings in there. So, I decided to make some faux socks out of old sweaters, a.k.a "Knee Warmers".

Here is how:

First, grab an old sweater. We are going to take advantage of those already-sewn side seams and finished edges. It's practically impossible to "hem" cable knit.

I already cut off the sleeves and neck

Measure your knee area and subtract a few inches- the sweater material is going to stretch. My legs/knees were about 13 inches, so I cut my warmers to be 10 inches in width (5 shown in the picture because the sweater is folded in half). Cut two total, one out of each side edge of the sweater:

In order to have nice, finished edges on the inside of your warmers, we are going to sew french seams.
Don't freak out. They are super easy. With wrong sides together (I know, that seems wrong- it's not), sew a 1/4in seam down the side (I serged it).

Flip them inside out and, along that same side, sew a 3/8 in (or larger) seam. This will "encase" that previous seam.

Flip right side out again. Tada!

Now, all we need to do is finished that bottom edge we cut (the other edge should have been the already-finished edge of the sweater). I serged them (and used tan thread so you can see), but you can zig zag them.

Sweet! Put them on right before boots, leave the zig zagged edge down in your boot, like this:

I look like I have the chubbiest legs ever! Hmmm... need to work harder on that!

Loooooove it, even though it looks totally homeless under neath. Haha.

DSLR's and Photoshop

2011-12-05T06:06:00.000-08:00

I just checked my "stats", and someone searched for my blog by googling "the gibson girl wordpress blog katie gibson". Hilarious. It warms my heart to think I am a "Gibson girl". So thankful for marriage.

So anyway, here is the deal.
~~Daniel and I are obsessed with professional photos.~~
I am obsessed with professional photos.
Not the Sears ones.

Awkward Family Photos. Google it. Be prepared.

The real ones.
But we just can't afford them- one session every other year can happen- but what about when we have kids? I can see it coming: I am going to want them all the time. I will be going broke, pimping myself out for sewing lessons, and sacrificing food just so that I can have great photos.

So, I figured- I am pretty creative. I think I have an artistic eye. I can figure this out. Then, I can bless other people with it.

I was scared to propose this to the hub. I didn't want him to get upset- see the price tag of the cam and flip out. But really, all I ever hear from people with DSLR's is that they truly pay for themselves as long as you use them right (and learn how to use them, not always shoot in auto) and have the right editing software. We decided to invest in a good DSLR camera while we have the means to do it so that I can take our own pictures. All of our major celebrations (anniversary, Christmas, birthdays) happen this month and next, so we gifted ourselves early thanks to Black Friday sales (free bag, SD card, and lens! Woop!).

Anyway, after 2 rounds of pictures, this sucker pays for itself compared to what we would pay someone to do it for us.

I was able to earn a little extra income doing some sewing-on-the-side, so we also purchased Photoshop. I have been playing with it a lot and feel like I am already learning so much.
Here is an example-
Before:

After:

Awesome! I'm sure some profesh is looking at this and thinking, "Oh my gosh, that is a terrible photo", but whatev. 1. Just starting with Photoshop and 2. Didn't do a single thing but add an action. I know the lighting needs to be fixed, but I'm still figuring this out.

Photoshop language is like Kingon (I watch too much Big Bang...) It's a process learning how to do everything. One thing I learned quick is that if you just use the auto formatting settings, you might as well use Picasa for free. I googled tutorials on blurring, filters, and actions and found this pin on Pinterest:

Which linked me to The Pioneer Woman. This gal has FREEEEE actions (they aren't usually free!) that you can download/make your photos look presh. There is a link on that website for another site that explains how to install everything-Texas Chicks Blogs & Pics. Love this site, too- so many tutorials about how to use Photoshop.

I'm so excited to play around with it. I learned a lot about the camera in general from Kevin & Amanda, including how to shoot in Aperture mode. This tutorial explains a lot, as well as links to others on their site that I have totally stalked.

Daniel doesn't like when I take his picture (as adorable as he is) and the dog thinks the moving lens is a sniper. I have nothing to play with! I cannot wait to meet my new niece. In a little over a month, I will have one of the cutest, sweetest little girls to practice on =) If you want some free pictures that might not be the greatest (ha. I will try!), let me know!

How to Wash Uggs

2011-12-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

My feet reek.

I know, gracious.

When I was in elementary school and middle school, my friends and I played club soccer (indoor and outdoor... I started out atrocious. At our first tryouts we were a "package deal" according to the mom of one of my friends. Thankfully, one of my friends was so awesome, they just took us all. I was the chubby defender. Baha. I got better {and lost some weight} over time). At sleepovers, the "triple dog dare" during truth or dare was to smell my Adidas Sambas for 10 seconds.

Did you have these? What tom boy girl didn't, can I get an amen?! Ha.

Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.

=) I thought it was funny, no hard feelings. Nonetheless, we're talking serious stench.

My sister bought some Ugg boots a few years ago and they stretched out so much they don't fit her anymore and now fit moi. They must have stretched a ton because she wears size 5 shoes (I don't know how the girl stands upright. She has webbed toes, too. Hahah! Something that pretty has to have something weird!) and I wear size 8. I wear them a lot- but they are starting to fume. I can smell them now as I type- and they are on my feet!

I was weary of washing them- I know they are made with real wool and I see signs in dry cleaning establishments that they clean Uggs, telling me to proceed with caution.

Craaaaaap.
1. I refuse to pay someone to wash my clothing. Ridic.
2. How am I going to do this without ruining them!?

I googled it and found answers. Here is what I did:

First, Soak with a mild detergent suitable for wool (Duh. Woolite!) in the tub with lukewarm water. Scrub any really dirty spots with an old tooth brush.

Rinse with cold water. Try and gently squeeze any excess water out that you can. (p.s. want to wash clothes like this? Check it out!)

Place boots in the washing machine. Do not add soap! Start your machine on the spin cycle (thankfully I have an obsolete washing machine that allows me to just turn the dial. Agh, some day high efficiency will come my way!). Remove boots when spin cycle is complete.

Let boots dry indoors or out- just not in direct sunlight. I heard they may be tight the first time you wear them again, but they will quickly stretch back out.

FYI- got that drying rack when we moved into our new church- left for dead by the previous church. mine! Love it. Would also work fantastic at a garage sale. Hmmmm...

Uggs are now smellin' fresh and clean! =)

Welcome, December!

2011-12-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Love love love December. There are so many special things for our family that happen during December and January. Besides the obvious much-adored family time we get to have at Christmas, there are several birthdays (and when I say several- I mean 7 between our 2 families!), our anniversary (4 years this year! I feel old.), and vacation time.

I play Christmas music starting in October, if not a little earlier. Thankfully, my husband puts up with it pretty well. Our tree tradition is to order pizza, put up the tree, and then watch Muppets Christmas Carol. Childish, I know, but we love it. I think originally the tradition was to just watch a Christmas movie, but we always end up choosing this one.

This year, we put our tree up the weekend before Thanksgiving. We planned to do it on a Friday night because, well, it was the only night we had free.
Disaster. Here is why:

Daniel had to work late, so he didn't get home until 9 (after 14 hours of work) and we decorated for an hour. =( He had a bad day, but did a really good job of leaving it at work and loving on me when he got home. Still, I knew he was fuming inside. My heart hurts when that happens.
We had purchased a tree for $10 at a rummage sale and it was an 8.5 footer. Gorg. Took it out of the box, and an entire section is missing. Had to put up our Charlie brown 4 footer instead.
Had gotten Muppets Christmas Carol from someone at work on a flash drive. He said any newer flat screen should have a USB port for us to watch it from. I didn't check until Friday night. Nope. No movie.
Pizza was kinda cold. I ate too much of it because of my emotional eating issues.

Ugh. The whole time, I was thinking "I want to be the kind of person who says, "Well, despite everything, I am so joyful because I have my husband to share it with and so much to be thankful for". I am ashamed to say that wasn't my attitude at all. I was being a wretched human being- about to cry because my Christmas tree was only 4 ft tall and I couldn't watch a movie. Really? If I could go back in time, I would slap my own face and say "get over yourself". Oh well! Here is our tree- it's such an awkward size that I haven't found a tree skirt to fit it and haven't had the time to make one. I feel like it's in an awkward part of the room, too. I tell ya- the things we stress over.

I always listen to a local Christian radio station on the way to work and they are mixing in Christmas music with the normal praise and worship. I heard this song by Casting Crowns the other day and loved it. New spin on Joyful Joyful. Not sure if it is new or not- but I would listen to this all year round!

I know everyone says this, but I just can't imagine an all-sovereign, heavenly king being born to be human on earth. I mean, what was it like in heaven right before that happened? What would it have been like to know the inner most being of every child- the number of hairs on their heads and number of their days- to then be born as a baby, so hopelessly dependent on a mother for so much? If women, as mothers, struggle constantly with "am I a good mother", how did Mary feel knowing her Son created the Earth? Wow. I wonder if Jesus was some super-toddler. Ya know? Crazy. Will be an exciting day to find that out! =)

Hoping your are embracing December and much as I am- Love this time of year!