PTI Create along with Us August release

 OH my heavens! So many beautiful creations! I couldn't choose just one. So I took elements I loved from several and hopefully melded them together?  I loved the gingham and ribbon from this card. As well as the double ended banner sentiment.

 I loved the subtle background from this card, so I used Polka Dots and the Autumn adornments.

 I loved the colors from this card but didn't use them. I did use the cute little flower idea, though, and glitter.

Then I wanted to try this cool technique! But I used my enclosed apple die instead. I sponged on reds and a little yellow and green, then spritzed it with water and dabbed it dry. FUN! I also added a few drops of crystal effects. It's hard to tell from the picture, though. I need to work on my picture taking skills! But there you have it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Krissi

The JOYS of Vacation and then the not so joyous...

We took a little unexpected vacation this summer...meaning we hadn't really planned to do anything, but MOMMA needed a break so we decided to go visit my parents who live in Driggs.  Fortunately, there are MANY things to do in Idaho. Who knew they had more than just potato farming.

  We went to Teton National Park and visited Jenny Lake. We were able to hike around it. There were "Bear Warning" signs which made me a little nervous at first, but I think we made PLENTY of noise so no worries there.

 The kids had a good time despite the initial complaining of having to sit in a car to get there.

 Then another day we went to Craters of the Moon. There is a lovely jaunt through lava rock and caves to explore. It thoroughly wore out the kids (and my parents....and me).

Ty got tired of walking, so Jason carried him.

 After Craters of the Moon, we went fishing. This was the first time for alot of my kiddos. And they ALL caught a fish. Even Ty, but I didn't get a picture of it. Bug's splattered blood all over her face.

 Jason caught the biggest fish, although, Joshy and Parker both had big ones that escaped! We think it might have been the same fish and it was toying with us.

 Josh was all excited about catching his fish. Then we told him he had to have his picture taken with it. This face is priceless. It seriously makes me giggle every time I see it. Teehee

 Bella even caught one.  Later we found her petting the fish in the bag and commenting on how cute they are.  The kids were rather bummed to find out the fish DIE when you catch them and that they were expected to clean them and eat them. Oh the DRAMA!

Bryce had been fishing for four hours and hadn't caught a thing. Everyone was catching fish all around him.  The fish would just nibble at his worm and say "thank you" and be on its merry way. Well, Bryce was not happy about this. He gave up.  I told him to keep trying. So right as we were getting ready to leave he tried one last time, and as we were packing up, he caught one.  I could see how happy he was and he hugged me and thanked me.  Secretly I had said a little prayer that he could catch one so that this would be a good memory for him and not scar him for life resulting in years of therapy.  So thank you, Heavenly Father, for letting us dodge that bullet.

We also went swimming and to the movie Madagascar 3.
Grandpa and Ryan put up a tent in the yard so they could "camp". And we made smores.

 No vacation is complete without SMORES!

We also played many games. This is Rob's hand in Hand and Foot.  Notice the "Jack" before the Ace.  Nice Rob. :)
Then on Friday we went to Rob's family Reunion which was only an hour from my parents house. We played alot of Pinochle and ate lots of food, as is traditional at a Tolman family reunion. The kids had a great time.

NOW we jump right back into our routine and get ready for school to start. It was a great break, though, with lots of memories created.  The 20+ hour drive was worth it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Krissi

July 2012?

Yeah...I have taken a little break from blogging.  Who knew that being the mother of nine kids could take up so much time! So here is an update, in abbreviated form.

Life is good.
Twins are potty trained.
Jason is a sophomore and working to earn his own money and driving...He hangs out with his friends and loves to show off his piano skills for the ladies.
Emi is eighth grade, darling, musically talented, and very much into reading. She is an amazing Young Women with a heart of Gold. She is my friend.
Bryce is seventh grade, in middle school with Emi. He is so fun and adorable. Likes Scouting and is musically talented, as well. He has a great group of friends that are very creative and keep me entertained.
McKenna is growing so fast and is in fifth grade. She is dealing with heart complications, but they can't do anything until it gets worse. She loves life and has lots of friends that love her. I love her laugh and excitement.
Bug (aka Lizzie) is in fourth grade and is quite the flirt. She always manages to get the boys to chase her anytime we go to the park. She is very cuddly and loving and told me that she never wants to leave the house when she grows up...we'll see.
Parker is second grade already...is that true? Wow. He is learning how to break dance and is quite the gymnast. He does cartwheels all over the house and taught himself to do one-handed cartwheels. That boy is so stinkin' cute with his adorable little dimples. Watch out ladies.
Joshy is starting Kindergarten and has learned how to read. He is so much fun and his smile just warms my heart. The twins are going to miss him and I am too.
Bella, sings everywhere she goes (including the bathroom), is very passionate about things and loves to protect her brother, Ty. She talks like an adult and is persistent in the things she wants. She is so stinkin' cute and she knows it. :)
Ty, what to say about Ty. That kids is smart and aggressive. I'm glad he is potty trained, I'm glad he is out of the "dump all the food on the floor stage", and he is starting to talk all the time and talks with the most adorable lisp. I still want to kiss his cheeks, but he doesn't like it.

Me:  I have finally been released as the Ward Primary Pianist.  This was a bitter-sweet time.  I have felt that the Lord put me there to give me time to heal and to keep me safe.  SO when I got a different calling that takes me out of my comfort zone, I knew He thought I was ready to move on and learn some new things.  I am excited and nervous about it.  Not that it is anything BIG or that I can't handle, but it puts me out there and I have to talk to people and plan things. Not my strong suit.

I have changed so much over the past year or so.  I have been finding out who I really am and what I am capable of. I have been learning to love myself and be okay with my little quirks that make me unique.  I no longer give too much credence to what others think of me.  I can't control how people feel about me.  The only person's opinion that matters is my Heavenly Father's. If He is happy with me, then I am doing what is right and nothing else matters.

I found out that I have two herniated discs in my lower back that have been causing me more and more pain as time has gone by.  This is irritating. I like to play volleyball and exercise and be active and it has been hindering those things.  I am trying to get it fixed so, hopefully, I can pursue the things I want to. 

I am also getting LASIK done in January and am excited about the prospect of being able to SEE! 

Rob: Oh, how I LOVE THAT MAN!  He is an angel in my life.  He loves me for me. He knows the worst and focuses on the best. He tells me I am beautiful, he shows that he loves me in small, simple ways, and he is my best friend.  I miss him when he is gone and love to just snuggle up to him when he is home.  I thank God every day that He sent me Rob.  With his unconditional love I feel like I have been free to bloom and become the best I can be.  I feel beautiful because of his love for me.

That is it in a nutshell.
Thanks for stopping by!
Krissi

Angels #3

Now that the kids are back in school, maybe I will have more time to blog. It is kind of like writing in my diary for all to see only a little more censored. :) If you could see my ACTUAL journal, you might be tempted to put me in a Psych Ward.

As I was writing in my journal today, my thoughts turned to my brother, Alan, who passed away almost a year ago. It was this week that he was moving in with us. I can't believe a year has passed already since then. So much has happened and changed.

It got me thinking about a group of angels that helped me through that hard time after his death. I would like to acknowledge them now.

The day I found out about his death, I attended church because the children had a Primary program that they were participating in and I didn't want to deprive them of that. I knew it would be very hard to be there in the emotional state I was in. I wanted to be alone, or so I thought. But this one angel saw me sitting there and put her arm around me and took me to Relief Society and kept her arm around me the whole time. She didn't mind that I was an emotional wreck, spewing snot and tears all over the place. She just hugged me even harder. She didn't say a word. I just felt her love.

I have thought about that over the last year. When you see people that are hurting so badly, it is hard to know what to do or say at that moment. But she just knew what I needed and did it.

Another angel that day. I called up my oldest and dearest friend in the early morning hours after finding out and told her the news. She told me she would be over that afternoon. She and her husband played with the kids while I sat in my room and tried to process everything. I was so glad the kids could play and be happy while I was having my break down. It allowed me to be able to really let it all out and grieve without trying to be strong for my kids. I didn't want to talk and she didn't try to get me to talk. She waited for me to open up. She was a rock for me that day and has been for me every day since I have known her.

Another angel. A friend who had recently lost her brother heard the news and she brought me some flowers with a card that said, "Here is something beautiful to look at when you first wake up in the morning to chase the bad dreams away." I loved it! It really did help me because it mostly let me know that someone else knew that kind of pain and they had made it through, and it let me know that someone cared.

One more angel. We were driving Alan's body up to Idaho. We got the news that we could get his body a day earlier than we had planned. We weren't quite prepared to go, but we wanted to get up there as soon as possible. In comes an angel. She had gathered snack foods and lunch foods for our family. It was a God-send. We had all the food we needed for the drive and were set to leave in no time. We hadn't told anyone our dilemma. But God knew and sent an angel.

I am so grateful for these angels that came in abundance during the most crucial time of need for me. Thinking back on it, it lifts me up and reminds me that I am loved and God knows my needs.

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Krissi

Um...is it July already?

Game Night Box.

Kids mail boxes

Mommy's mail box

I am REALLY bad at updating. Life is busy but extremely good at the moment. I can't believe that half the year is gone. I remember back in January wondering what this year would hold for me and so far it has been...another roller coaster ride. :)

Rob and I did get to Hawaii. Then my son broke his arm the day after we got back. Then we lost Rob's mom after a long battle with Huntingtons disease. Football camps, Girls camp, Scout camp, Trek...it is going by in a blur.

While we were in Hawaii, we visited the Pearl 1st Ward for church. They had a list of the Seven F's. I LOVED it so much I e-mailed it to myself so that I could use it. I'm sure you have all heard something like it before, but it is a good reminder.

Family prayer

Family scripture study

Family home evening

Family service

Family Fun

Family Council

Frequent Temple attendance

I noticed in particular the Family Service and Family Fun. I think it is a good principle that a family should work together and play together. We are usually all about the work because that is never ending. But I felt very strongly that we needed to make time to make sure we have fun. So I went out and bought a bunch of new games and put them into a container. This is the game night box and it is only to be used on game night. Again, not an original idea. The kids LOVE it, though. Every Saturday night is our family game night. I make snacks and treats and we all sit around the table and play games. I have already noticed a huge difference in my teenager. He joined us and even played with the younger kids. It was one of those "it is all worth it" moments.

Another thing I have implemented is our own "mail system". The kids would catch me in the middle of making dinner and attack me with all sorts of things they wanted me to see or hear or watch and I felt bad that I couldn't give them my undivided attention. It usually ends up being very stressful because I'm trying to get dinner ready before having to run off and take someone somewhere. Rob has been traveling alot this year, being gone almost every week. So it is all left up to me. So I had a brilliant friend of mine make a suggestion and I took it even further. Each one of the kids has their own little mail box that they got to decorate. I put them on a little shelf in our kitchen. I can use these to put little notes of encouragement or little gifts to let the kids know that I am thinking of them. I have a regular sized mail box on the counter for my kids to put things in that they want me to see or a note if they have something to say to me. I tell them that I would check my mail box at the end of every day so that they knew I would get to it when I could. They can also put little notes in each others mail boxes to encourage each other. It has been so fun. And who doesn't LOVE happy mail? I love getting letters in the mail from people. It is a lost art since e-mail was invented. But I love getting nice messages in e-mail, too, instead of the junk. It just brightens your day. :)

Update in a nutshell. I will eventually do a post ALL about Hawaii when I can get my computer to work properly. BEST VACATION EVER!!!!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Krissi

Angel #2

A picture that was posted on Facebook by a friend made me think of my second angel. First, the background. I was 15 and going into my sophomore year when we moved from Idaho to Wisconsin. I was anorexic at the time and my self-esteem was slim to nonexistent. I developed a love for volleyball and tried out for the team in Wisconsin. I made starting team! But the girls that had lived there their whole life were not too happy because one of their friends got cut. They blamed me. That made life very interesting. I was playing volleyball with a group of girls that hated me. But I stuck with it. One in particular singled me out because rumor had it that her boyfriend said he thought I was cute. She would trip me in the halls, call me names, throw basketballs at my head in PE, write naughty names on my locker, shove me into lockers and so forth. That first year in a new school was hell. But in comes my angel...

This angel was my Sunday school teacher. She was always so upbeat and positive and taught me that if I didn't feel confident I just needed to fake it until I make it. She was always encouraging me to try new things and put myself out there. That was pretty terrifying for me and still is, but I tried out for the school musical because of her encouragement and got the lead role. She came to my musicals and supported me any way she could. She had 6 children of her own and her marriage was falling apart, but she never acted like it was a burden or too much trouble to support me. She went beyond her calling and cared for me. She eventually became my Laurel advisor and I feel that it was a direct blessing from Heavenly Father that she continue to be put in a place where she could influence me. It was the summer before my Senior year. I was homesick for Idaho. I missed my friends desperately. Well, she picked up on this and invited me to go on a road trip with her and some of her kids. They were headed West for some reason, I don't really remember, but she offered to drive out of her way to drop me off in Idaho so that I could see all my friends before we all graduated. It was amazing to me! Then she picked me up and we went sight-seeing in Yellowstone on the way home and stayed in Jackson Hole. It was a blast. One of the highlights of my life. But her influence didn't stop there. She encouraged me all through my Senior year and helped me with my Laurel project and gave me the confidence to put on a talent show for the ward. She would take me shopping with her girls and treated me like her own daughters. She was always telling me how cute I was and trying to dress me up in something other than frumpy clothes....poor woman had her work cut out for her. :) I eventually overcame my anorexia. When I went off to college she had me drive with her boys so that I was watched out for.

She eventually got divorced. But she never once complained about her life or what was happening. She made me feel like I was a priority and worth her time. I can't hardly believe it when I look back now. Doesn't she seem too good to be true?

What I took from her was the desire to go the extra mile in my callings. I want people to know that I genuinely love them and would do anything for them, not just because I am their Visiting Teacher or the Beehive advisor...but because I care about them as a person. I don't always have as much time as I would like to be there for them, but I try to do what I can. I also try to see the positive in everything and try not to complain about anything. I also fake my confidence and hopefully after 20 years I'm a little closer to making it than faking it. :) I love her dearly and I hope she knows how much she means to me and that she made a huge difference in my life. I wish I could repay her, but I will probably just have to pay it forward to some one else.

Has this angel ever crossed your path? Thanks for stopping by! :) Krissi

BONEHEAD

Sometimes I say some pretty boneheaded things. For example...once I said, in all seriousness, "Cupcakes are like little mini cakes." Yes...those words actually came out of my mouth. Or sometimes I will say something I think is funny and if I don't get the response I was looking for the first time, I will repeat myself. Still no response. Well, maybe if I say it ONE more time...nope. I usually try to pass it off as "I'm a Blond" behavior, but it can only go so far.

I also do some pretty boneheaded things. Like one time I was at a friend's house. This friend and I are just starting to get to know each other and I think she was testing the waters to see if she actually wanted to pursue a friendship with me. Well, my daughter, Bella, was stinky and I hadn't thought to bring the diaper bag. It never fails. Your children always poop when you don't bring the diaper bag. So I asked if I could borrow a diaper from her. She just happened to have one, even though she had potty-trained her youngest. So I proceeded to change Bella, but I did it on her coffee table not even thinking that my friend might be horribly offended by it. I realized it while I was changing Bella, but what do you say at a moment like that? "Oh, sorry, I hope you don't eat off your coffee table!" So I say nothing and act like it was the most normal thing in the world. I DID wipe the table off with a wipe just to make sure it was clean. MORTIFIED!

But here is the thing...once I do or say something boneheaded, I play it over and over in my mind, working myself up into a tizzy thinking that CERTAINLY no one would want to be my friend after saying or doing something so stupid. Am I alone in this? Is this a female thing? Are there any men out there that do this, too? Looking for some perspective. What's that saying? "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." That is Mark Twain. My new motto.

This was my deep thought for today! :)

Krissi