Wants

I am in Florida for a week long excursion and I have about a million things to blog about.  However, I won't really have time until I get back.  So for now I thought I'd show you a couple of bags I am dying for that I found here in Florida.  

First, I really want this little diddy.  It's a small, cross-body purse with lots of pockets and much smaller than my current purse.  Probably a date night bag.  I am in love.  

Price: $108

Secondly, this cute little keyhole bag.  Bigger than the first bag but still modest sized.  It is really cute and really casual.  I am in love with those skeleton keyholes though.  Something so cute and vintage about them.  

Price:  $168

I might go with purse #1 just for economic reasons.  Plus, I like it a lot.  

Any thoughts?

Bragging Rights

Sometimes a mama's just gotta brag.  

I've never been more proud of my little girl.  She's weaned.  She sleeps in her own bed.  She is an incredible eater.  She uses manners.  We took her to see Toy Story 3 and she sat perfectly through the whole thing, even while other little kids were running around.  She is very artistic - she will sit and color for a half an hour at a time.  She loves to sing (and sometimes she's even on pitch!).  And her hair is finally long enough for a ponytail!

Now I'm not saying she's perfect.  She has some serious issues with selfishness and yelling, "Mine!"  And we're no where near being potty-trained.  But all in all, I am so proud of her and very happy with her abilities at this age.  

At her first movie.

Sliding.

Enjoying some watermelon.

Oh, and she's beautiful!

House Hunt Adventure

One night last week with nothing to do, my sister Chelsea, our friend Elizabeth and I started looking at houses for sale online.  We weren't looking for any other reason than just for something to entertain us.  We looked at houses that were equal in price to mine, and also the most expensive houses on the website.  We found quite a few GIANT houses and some really cute small houses.  

The next morning, Chelsea had to leave to attend Nordic Fest, which left Elizabeth and I with nothing to do.  In very little time we had decided to go on a House Hunting Adventure.  (It's capitalized because it was epic!)  We wrote down the addresses to our top five favorite houses, looked them up on a map so we could visit them according to distance away from my house and what side of town they were on, and off we went!  

The first house we went to was out of sheer curiosity.  It was in a really sketchy neighborhood and was actually in the historic register for Des Moines.  Built in 1886, it was a classic Victorian that I may have thought about purchasing if it weren't for the possible drive-by shootings and also for it's resemblance to the Addams Family residence.

Now this is definitely a situation where you can't judge a book by it's cover.  The interior is absolutely beautiful.  All of the bedrooms are HUGE and remind me of something you'd see in a movie.  (You know how all teenagers in movies have rooms the size of my master suite?  Ok, probably bigger.)  

                                      

Seriously, I would've killed for a room like that growing up!  And check out this bathroom...

   

 

Sigh....  It's beautiful.

And the details just get me...  Why can't they build houses like this anymore?  Simply beautiful.

Oh, and the price, you ask?  $150,000!  It's a steal.

Family Reunion, Then and Now

Dear Followers, (Yes, all 11 of you!), I am so sorry for how long it has been since my last post.  Vacations (& summer in general) really take a toll on my blogging.  However, they make for some good posts.  Enjoy!   Sincerely, CK

It is amazing to me what can happen in 6 years.  That's how long it has been since our last family reunion.  My family owns an amazing cabin in amazing Custer, South Dakota.  It is nestled nicely in the Black Hills, between a couple of beautiful lakes, and only 20 minutes from Mount Rushmore.  The perfect setting for our huge family.

This is a picture from our Family Reunion in 2004. 

Two family members in this picture have passed away since our last family reunion.  My cousin Al Berry, (far right with the jacket with stripes down the arm), who was an amazing actor (He was actually in the beginning of the movie Halloween 3),  and just a treasured family member that we loved.  And of course, my sweet sweet Papa, (center of the picture, sitting down in a light blue shirt), who we miss so much each and everyday.  

We have had our share of sad things happen since this picture was taken, but also our share of great things.  Since this shot was snapped, we have added at least 9 new family members, who either married in or were born into the family.  

This is a picture from our Family Reunion 2010.

Please note Haven throwing a huge fit in my arms....

The reunion was an absolute blast.  It's always so much fun when our family from Seattle comes out to see us.  (I've already made a point to take a trip to see them this fall.  And while I'm there I may or may not take a trip out to Forks, WA!!)  It was really nice to be able to get to know the new family members and actually spend more than a few hours with them.  We all just bummed around the cabin, had a campfire and played Catch Phrase, ate a LOT, went hiking, and went to the lake.  

There were actually so many of us that our cabin couldn't accommodate everybody.  Some of the family had to rent cabins across the street just so everybody would have a place to sleep.  At one point there were 40 family members at the reunion.  My Aunt Pat is a savior and would get up early most mornings and cook a breakfast for the whole gang!  And not just cereal either.  I'm talkin' eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast - the whole shebang!

It was the best time.  I wish we could do it every year, or at least every other, or at least every 3!  :)  (Hey, I gotta be realistic.)

Here's a quick photo recap of the trip...

My Aunt and Grandma working in the kitchen.

Three little cousins, Haven, Asha, and Josiah.

The cabin.

The aforementioned campfire Catch Phrase night.

Cousin Kyle while the boys were ballin' it up.

Three beautiful West Coast cousins, Emily, Savannah, and Haley.

A bunch of us hiking Sunday Gulch.

Haven in the hiking backpack with Daddy, Chelsea, and Elizabeth.

Big group of us out for some outstanding prime rib!

My immediate family - descendants of my Grammy Beverly. :)

Rough

We had some trauma in the Harden family today.  

Last night, Luke, Haven, and I house-sat for my Mom while she was up at Mayo getting her chemo.  It was actually kind of fun.  We enjoyed pizza rolls while my younger sister Chloe entertained Haven, and then got to experience my Mom's tempur-pedic bed that she raves about.  (Sorry Mom, I like mine better!)

This morning it was beautiful outside for the first time in over a week.  I looked outside and the pool looked beautiful, glistening in the sun.  We decided to go for a swim before heading home.  We swam for about an hour and then got out for a snack.  My friend Elizabeth came over and we all started swimming again.  

A little over a month ago my Mom bought Haven this "Lookout Treehouse" with a slide.  Lately, we've been pulling it up to the side of the pool , wetting down the slide, 

and using it as a make-shift water slide.  Haven thinks it is so cool!  She also likes to stick her head (and half her body) out the side and say, "Hiiii!"  

I kept telling her not to do that for fear of her falling.  

Well, today my fears came true.  One second we're all swimming and talking and playing, and the next Haven falls face first onto the cement.  Elizabeth, who was sitting right next to her, grabbed her and handed her to me.   She was bawling, of course.  (I would have too!)  Her face was all scraped up and starting to bleed.  I hugged her and wrapped her up with a towel and blotted her mouth.  Her tooth had gone slightly into her lip and was bleeding pretty bad, and the goose-egg on her head was already pretty large.  After she calmed down a little bit we got out of our wet swimsuits and headed to the walk-in clinic by my Mom's house.  

She wasn't too happy about the doctor looking in her eyes, touching her teeth, or pressing on her goose-egg (to check for skull fractures), but the doc said she would be just fine.  

Nothin' a little neosporin can't fix.

Praise God.

Lookin' pretty miserable.  Her lip is so swollen! :(

Check out that goose-egg!  It actually looks worse in person.

All bandaged up, trying to keep the neosporin on there.

Looking like a burn victim.

5 Year

Sadly these are the only pics taken from my reunion.  A shout out to b.a. for helping me with this outfit!!

On Saturday, I went to my 5 year class reunion.  5 years!  Can you believe it?!

I've been out of high school longer than I was in - that's nuts.

It was a great time.  We met at a classmate's house, where we grilled hot dogs, munched on fruit and chips, and hung around the pool.  

Luke and Haven came with me so they could meet all of my old friends. 

(Not that Luke didn't already know them.)

And of course, Haven was a charmer and everybody Oohed and Ahhed over her. 

That's my girl!

It was so much fun catching up with everybody.  

I am one of a few who are married and one of only two with a child.  So that ended up being a trending topic, and I picked up a new nickname among friends - "Mama."

I think one of the most bizarre things about seeing all of my high school friends "grown up" is that we're all having to get serious and get jobs and careers and families.  

One friend of mine is a police officer, another a labor and delivery nurse, another has a year left in the Air Force and then wants to go into law enforcement, and then there's me who is a stay at home mom with an almost two-year-old!  Mind boggling, simply mind boggling.

A LOT can change in 5 years.

To my DMC class of '05.  I love you guys.  Let's hang again soon!

Baby Gap

      

      Sorry ahead of time everybody!  I have been a bad blogger the last couple weeks.  We've had birthdays, dinners, summer activities, and most notably, 

I started my new job at Baby Gap.  

      I kinda feel like I'm jumping the gun saying this, but I really, really like my new job.  After only a few days of training that may sound really premature.  But I can feel that it just fits.  

They are allowing me the few part time hours I was looking for so that I could maintain my Stay-at-home-Mom status.  I get some (much needed) time away from home which makes me feel refreshed when I get back.  And also, the discount is phenomenal - more than I could have hoped for.  I hope I continue to feel so excited about working.  I know the newness is going to wear off at some point, but as for now I'm extremely happy! 

And look!  We're already reaping the benefits!