MP9K

This morning I woke up in the dark and headed out to the MP9k, a race that helps support Maggie's Place (my previous employer / the best nonprofit ever).  

It was a great morning -- beautiful weather, a good friend to jog/walk beside with our strollers, and our little girls were just the cutest in their race bibs for the Kid's Dash.  

I just think her ponytail is the cutest thing ever.  Basically because I'm her mom.

It was truly an awesome morning seeing old and new friends, enjoying the beautiful weather that we've been waiting (And waiting) for, and pushing myself to jog Faster!!! as the cutest 3-year-old slave driver above shouted us on.

...Ahem.  This is part of my current 31 Days of Awesome Kick.

Framed Magazine Clippings Quote

I was reading my friend Sheena's awesome blog, like, a minute ago, and realized while reading her post about using cool pictures from a magazine as art that I have YET to post about a gift I made last Christmas!

So, instead of waiting until November to be more seasonally appropriate (maybe my plan all along. You'll never know.), here it is..

It was for my work's Secret Santa homemade gift exchange, with a $15 cap on spending.

Here's what I put together:

--Colorful magazine pictures, ads, graphics, etc. that I cut into letters (free)
--Cream-colored fabric (already had - free)
--Glitter paper (Michael's, $1.99)
--Frame (Michael's, $8 after 40% off coupon)
--Glue, scissors (already had)

I knew my Secret Santa giftee liked St. Catherine of Siena and so I figured a quote from her would be perfect.

Also, I got the inspiration for this framed-quote-using-magazine-clippings idea from a picture of one, believe it or not, in a magazine, with the quote

Do

What

You

LOVE

What 

You 

Do

I thought this was a great quote too, but went with St. Catherine instead.  You could of course also use the actual printed letters from magazines as well for framed quotes!

Anyway here's a close-up.  I was going for a multi-textured look by using the fabric, but you can always just use some clean white paper, or any color for that matter.  

Now go see Sheena's awesome Magazine Art idea too!

7 Quick Takes - Another Re-Cap

Hello Again!

I feel like this is yet another "recap on my life since I haven't been around for a while" posts.  Let's get the show on the road.

Also linking up with Jen today!  For those of you who don't follow her, she has an awesome deal going on right now that if you pre-order her book Something Other Than God, she'll send you an e-book immediately called The Family First Creative. I'm in the middle of it and love it!  I highly recommend that you check it out!

1.
Monday was my last day at Maggie's Place, the nonprofit I've worked for since September 2007.  Crazy right?!  I have been reflecting a lot about my time there lately, and I think it's time I write about it.  At least I'll write about the first 2 years, which were by far the craziest when I was a part of the MissionCorps, living in a home with up to 8 pregnant women, newborns, and 3-4 other Corps members at one time.  I'm not sure how the story will be laid out (special posts? It's own blog? E-book?) but I'm about to embark on the process and need a public commitment to make it happen. Wish me luck! :)

2. 
I recently ran out of my everyday-use eye shadow (Covergirl Tapestry Taupe, sounds exciting I know), and have been to multiple drugstores and Targets to see if they have it. And they don't.  Not even something close enough (trialed and errored).  What the heck!  I have succumbed to buying it from Amazon.  Maybe I should buy a lifetime supply so we never have to revisit this conversation again.

As a side note, I have used this color of eye shadow since ahem..high school.  I can't give it up!  Does anyone else where the same shade of eye shadow from high school?

Anyone?

3.
Yesterday I met a few friends at a place here called The Simple Farm.  I don't know the story well yet, but a family bought a plot of land in residential Scottsdale and decided to use most of it for a small family garden / farm.  They have chickens for eggs and goats for milk and caramels that they sell, plus tons of vegetation.  It has grown so big they now have a farmers market on Thursday mornings, sustainable living and gardening classes, and they invite people to come help out on the farm in exchange for some perks.


Mia loved it!

It's the kind of place that refreshes your soul.  It makes me wish I had paid more attention all those years I grew up in South Dakota. Back then I considered myself "a city girl." HA!   I can't laugh louder at that lack of awareness.  I grew up in a town of 1300 people, with the nearest Walmart or McDonald's 60 miles away. Literally, people.  I was the furthest thing from a city girl, but I hated the smell of farm animals, or getting dirty.  Only when I went away to college and came back in the summer to help farm with my dad did I discover the richness of simple things like the cycle of life as seen on a farm. Wow I'm starting to sound weird, moving on.


4. 
One of the things at the top of my to-do list since leaving my job and having all this "free time" is finally fixing up a piece of furniture I bought 4 months ago.  It's a medium-sized entertainment center that I would like to turn into my craft supply storage in our office. (I'm a craft supply hoarder.)

Here are some before pictures:

 

My plan is to paint it and add shelves.  I pretty much have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to furniture rehab, so be sure to tune in next week to witness the epic After pics!


5. 
I know anyone who reads blogs has read this blog post, but for some reason I just found this, and read it over and over and over again to relive the awesomeness that it is.  So, in the event that you have not yet found the glory of Hyperbole and a Half, or would just like a good laugh, check out one of my favorite posts - This is Why I'll Never be an Adult.


6.
The countdown has begun for the Tegethoff Phoenix Invasion 2014!  I feel like I've told every stranger I meet that my family is coming into town for Mia's Baptism at the end of this month.  I seriously can.not.wait. My brother and sister-in-law, 2 nieces, and my parents will be here, and I have a feeling Mia will be super sad when the girls leave.  

I keep checking Groupon for Zoo or Children's Museum tickets to go on sale...if anyone has any good suggestions where to entertain (on a budget) a 5 and 7 year old in Phoenix let me know!

7.
We finally planted some bushes in our front planters a few weeks ago.  I can't wait for them to grow and fill the entire front!  It's gonna look great.  I had to convince Joel to let us get some hibiscus - they are my fave.
We fit all 13 5-gallon plants in our small-ish SUV, and off we went.

Before:

After:

Doesn't it look so much better!?

Anyway, have a great weekend everyone, and I hope the weather allows you to enjoy some fresh air!

7 Quick Takes: Life Update

Well, I decided to take a bit of a break..apparently.  But I'm back! To clear my head and try to cover the past month (or so), I decided to do some quick-ish takes.  {Linking up with Jen!}

1. 

Maggie's Place Christmas.  What can I say?  It was like every other year...crazy..awesome..ness.  Every year Maggie's Place provides gifts for all of the moms that have ever lived with us, and their families!  The last count I heard about a week before Christmas was around 480 people we were providing gifts for. 

Awesome, I know!

We spend the two weeks before our big party literally living the elf life...gathering gifts, sorting, distributing, wrapping, etc. etc.  It is so fun, so much work, and so worth it!

Here's Mia helping me wrap some gifts..

As my mom used to tell my sister when she was a messy, unhelpful toddler.."Just sit there and watch me...watching is helping!"

2. 
We flew to South Dakota to visit family, and it was an awesome trip!!  We got so much QT in with my family, the 8 days went by way too fast.

My favorite part of the trip was when my dad and Joel built a snowman for Mia.  It was such a beautiful day, and Mia loved the snow!  Here's my little snow angel:

And the Snowman himself:

She loves her Papa Joe -

And her Grandma Kathy. And of course - she LOVES her cousins!!  I see lots of girly play-time with these two in her future.

3. Mia has been waking up one extra time per night for the past 5 weeks, and I am so excited that it *seems* like this habit is on it's way out.  We tried numerous things, but in the end it seems like it was one of those milestone-stage-cusp things.  Becaauussee..

4. She has cut her first two teeth (the first one came on Christmas day!), and..

5. This week she reached two milestones: crawling AND pulling herself up to stand!  These are super exciting!  And of course mama must record every second of her life, even if it's grainy bedtime quality...

Go Mia!

6.  So three weeks ago I came back to Maggie's Place full-time. This has been both really great in many regards, and really hard.  I am so excited to be able to focus on my current projects at work and spend so much more time with my co-workers and friends!  But of course it comes at a cost...full-time daycare and less Mia time :( .  

Luckily I found a wonderful friend-of-a-friend who was willing to take Mia into her home with her 18-month old.  And I must say, Mia loves it so much!  She loves Zac, her new bff, and is such a social, happy kid, it hasn't effected her at all as far as I can tell.  

7. But, if going back to work full-time wasn't a big enough change, I decided to pull another 180 and put in my "3-month's notice." This means I plan on leaving my job at Maggie's Place at the end of March. (!!)

You're getting whip-lash, I know.  Back full-time, then leaving for good...uughhh it is all tugging at my heart strings in so many directions.  As most decisions like this, it is and will be bittersweet.

I don't have any major plans as for what I'll do next, but my brain has been going for about.... OH the past 4 years, on "what I want to do when I grow up" and all that.  I am sure I'll try a few things, fail at a few things, and learn a lot along the way.

So we'll see!  There's a lot to get done in the coming months, and that means I will be doing a little less blogging, but I promise to check in when I can, and of course will be updating my Instagram more frequently with random Mia happenings.

So Happy Friday everyone!  And as a full-time working mom, I can whole-heartedly say - Thank Goodness It's Friday!

Healthy Granola Recipe

{Update: If you are here from the lovely Pinterest and happen to have the symbols "?m=1" at the end of this url, please delete them and press enter to reload the page, or click here for much more viewing pleasure!}

Happy Fall everyone, and especially those in the Southwest!

It is finally -finally- time to keep the windows open at night, go for walks *during the day!* and enjoy this beautiful weather.  You know what I'm talking about...doing all those things the rest of the world has been talking about and posting pictures of on Instagram for the past 4 months.

Apparently it was the hottest summer on record here in Phoenix.  Going from an average of about 110* to highs in the 70s is  a  w  e  s  o  m  e  !

Mia and I spent some time outside today..don't mind the long sleeves, these 75 degrees felt chilly I swear!

 

And now it is time to share one of my favorite, easy, pretty healthy go-to recipes.  

GRANOLA

I love granola because:

--It is great mixed with yogurt which makes for an awesome snack or breakfast food

--Oats are believed to increase your milk supply if you are breastfeeding  and I will attest - I definitely notice a difference after I eat them.  For some awesome healthy oatmeal options, check out my five favorites here.

I also added a little "Fall Holiday Flavor" to my granola this time and added in some pumpkin pie spice instead of just regular cinnamon.  I'll admit that was a pretty great decision.

Here's the list:

:: 5 cups rolled oats

:: 1/3 cup coconut oil (I use the flavorful kind for this type of recipe - unrefined 

:: 1/3 cup honey (or I might use real maple syrup if I'm out of honey)

:: 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon works)

:: 1/2 tsp vanilla

:: your extra add-ins (I eyeball these measurements): 

---> 1/2 cup (or so) of pecans (or any nuts you like - I often add sliced almonds to my mix)

---> 1/3 cup (or so) sunflower seeds (I like the salted to add an extra saltiness to the mix)

---> 1/3 cup (or so) pepitas (pumpkin seeds - again I do the salted kind)

---> 1+ cups raisins, added after you bake

Of course you can add any amount of what I consider "add-ins", just remember if you add *a lot* more, you might want to up your oil/honey/spice amounts.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*

2. Mix all ingredients together except any dried fruit you are using

3. Spray your biggest cookie sheet with Pam (or you can use some coconut oil)

4. Pour mixture on the pan and bake for 18 minutes (or until golden brown), taking the pan out to stir every 6 minutes.  Stir in your raisins / dried fruit and let cool.

Strange numbers maybe, but after many trials and errors this is the exact timing for my oven to give me this:

And now for some full disclosure: I started making granola from a recipe I got from my dear friend Coriena who I used to live with at Maggie's Place.  After many experiments, it has transformed into this version which I now pass to you.  Enjoy!

And Happy Fall Ya'll!

She Thinks I'm Funny

Once, when I was living at the Place called Maggie's, I said something >super< funny and one of the moms there laughed in one of those, surprised that was funny, sort of laughs.

I immediately responded, "I don't know if you know this about me, but I am Very Funny."

Well, no more explaining it to people, folks!  This weekend, my baby girl laughed at me.  And it was definitely one of those, I always knew you were funny, sort of laughs.

Speaking of milestones, she has also turned 3 months! (recently enough for me to mention it)! (and post a pic)!

Can I get an Amen! for clearing the newly newborn stage!! (I don't know when she is officially not a newborn...6 months?) I don't know. Anyway.

I know there may be a few moms out there who will  be cursing my gratitude for leaving this time that is arguably superior to the "no" phase, or the "eating electrical cord" phase, but I always thought - and have now confirmed - that I am not a newborn type of person, even now with my own person.  I am a laugh-at-my-jokes kind of baby/toddler/kid person.

And we made it.  Phew.  Thank you 3-months-and-older Baby Jesus.

Better Hair

So I left a message with my fav hair salon yesterday asking if they'd be interested in sponsoring me.  For salons this means, you know, free stuff.  I said I was thinking nails and maybeee Hair Extensions.  If anyone has seen Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair" you know where this is going.

So I got a call back already this morning (unheard of!) and spoke with the most upbeat salon manager ever.  He was so great, said they'd love to sponsor me, take care of everything, and asked me to come in and talk about it.  So...three hours later I went in and talked about the pageant, what I could use from them, advertising that they'd get, etc., and he sent me over to an extensions consult.  Before he did that, he said he had to go and talk to the owner of the salon to talk about what they could offer me.  (Uh oh)

And this is the part where I am constantly digging from my backpack of Life Skills I've learned at Maggie's Place.  Life Skill #18: Keeping a Straight Face. 

So near the end of the conversation, incredibly nice and unassuming Hair Extensions girl says that the salon decided they can help me with 20% of the cost.  At this point, all has been lost...I've seen "Good Hair" twice now, I knew what was coming, and my intention was to find a way to do this for free or not at all.  But I had to ask anyway.  "So how much would this cost?" I asked.  And in the sweetest, matter-of-fact voice she replied "$895 dollars."

Un-zip the backpack
where is it
where is it
there it is

Straight Face.

Holy ?*@T!  People actually pay this amount of money every day, for hair.  "Better Hair" that is, not just Hair...because most of us all have hair right?!  Now you may be wondering, Kristin why were you so intersted in hair extensions anyway?  They are so inauthentic, fake, yada yada yada.  Well I've seen enough pictures of winners of pageants in the past 6 months to make me realize that long hair is iiiiiinnnnnn.  And for those of you who witnessed a traumatic hair cut last summer, you will understand how much I desire and miss my long hair in the first place.  So I thought, what the heck, right?  Wrong.

And now magically my hair looks longer in the mirror already.  I am very grateful for my hair, for the money in my bank account no matter how much or how little there is, and for my values and boundaries keeping me sane in a sometimes insane world.  

I mean, Eight Hundred and Ninety-Five Dollars!