Kristen Blog

I just had the best idea.  You should come visit my garden with me!  Isn't that a happy idea?  Let's geek out over plants and other nerdy things together.  💕

Awww...the good old days.  I found this recipe from my old blog saved on a usb drive.  💕   Since I have been harvesting grapes this weekend, I thought I would give it a new flair.  Our  concord grape production was abundant.  I had enough to make 8 jars of jelly after the first row of grapes.  So, I figured I might as well re-try my hand at making a little mama juice. I have become a bit more selective in my taste over the years.  I have even tried those fancy kits I couldn't afford back in the stay-home days.  However, it just became more work than I wanted to take on...and I am not patient enough to wait long enough for it to be good enough to make it worth my time.  (Did you actually get through that run-on?!  😂) Anyway...I did not want to scour the internet for easy wine making recipes, when I knew I had my own somewhere in cyber-land.  And sure enough I found this old gem.  Why not give it renewed access in a fresh re-post, while I re-attempt an old tradition?  I wi

It was my first day back with students today, and I am finally remembering why it is I love my job so much.  It's been a long summer.  Not that I don't appreciate getting organized, researching lessons,   planning, meeting up with co-workers, long walks in the garden😉, conferencing and travelling, but...I definitely prefer the direct work with students.  And that is the part that makes me say so frequently, "I love my job!" Of course, please don't presume a Fakebook world of perfectness.  Every day is not the best.  I have just improved my ability over time to be content.  (Thank you, Paul!💕)  And I have been blessed to enjoy the overall work that I do.  Of course, if I focused on it, the grass could always be greener somewhere else.  But...I found when I lived like that, always longing and desiring, pining away for the something else, I was never fulfilled.  When I got what I thought I wanted, I didn't really want it that much anymore. Just tod

You know what is the skill I am most grateful for learning in all of my Master's in Counseling?  Unconditional positive regard.  Putting judgment aside and caring for the individual. This did not come naturally, and I did not develop the skill without hesitation.  ("Is this being morally corrupt?!!"  Dear God, no.  This is showing the love of Christ in a way that is most effective!  It doesn't mean I am advocating for immorality if I love someone and am kind and compassionate.  When has hate and rejection ever once brought a person into the love of Christ?!) The truth is, we are all naturally judgy.  And when we are all Christian about it, we are at our worst.  (PLEASE read Jesus's remarks about the Pharisees.  They were the "good Christians" of the day...and his views were not positive.)  We all have the instinct to judge and gossip, and this internal, aching desire to make ourselves feel "better."  I am not among the innocent. And

You and me...well, we made it.  All the way to the weekend.    Hooray for you!    Hooray for me!    Hooray for Peter Pumpkinhead! (Why not?!...We found this gem at a grown-up birthday party we had the privilege of attending over the weekend.  So fun!  Keep your eye out below for the other gem I found there...the BEST little cola-alternative sugary pop to please the precious little hummingbird in me!) To be honest, I think I got by on the skin of my teeth this week...and speaking of Crash Test Dummies, I didn’t just halfway dream a few times of the future afternoons I’ll measure out in my pajamas with coffee spoons and T.S. Eliot.  (In fact, I am already kind of practicing that out on Sundays.  I call it Sabbath...my resting day.  Today has been a lovely, cozy, rainy one.  I spent it making a stromboli from scratch, homemade salsa, and a ready-to-cook lasagna and meatloaf for the week.  We now have a nice and easy homemade dinners into the sunset.  But I still considered it a &qu

I'm afraid I am going to end up hating Mrs. Alexander.  It’s a terrible thing, but I think it is an inevitable thing.  I mean...just imagine facing, every day, the woman who stole from you the love of your life.  What do YOU feel, my friend?  Hate.  Am I right? It is sooooo unfortunate, because, as Evan says...Mrs. Alexander IS pretty.  I like her hair, too.  And I agree she is a “good girl.”  But that dog puppet Toto she pulled out at storytime the first day.  He REALLY stole the show... My baby literally cried the first night after school.  Like uncontrollable sobs.  He was so sad, so sad, because NEXT YEAR when he goes to first grade, he won't get to see Toto anymore.  (Great!  He got my deep, thoughtful, emotional heart.  Son, you have lots of happy days before that.  Don't think so much.)  Which left me thinking...Mrs. Alexander...well...Mrs. Alexander has become pretty important in my little guys eyes...her and her little dog, too.  And the inevitable truth remain

Twenty years!  Twenty stinking, pretty awesome, some horrendous, years, my homies.  I mean...between you and me...I was initially surprised he had kept my interest for 3 months.  Just sayin'...I kind of have a notoriously short attention span. And I mean to tell you..this guy has earned ALL of those 20 years.  He has held tight with his passionate, angry Irishman, loyal-and-I-demand-your-loyalty passion through some very tough (word I'm not allowed to say out loud, let alone refer to on my blog). But...speaking of weddings.  Oh my goodness...were you NOT there?!!  Because ALL of my homies deserve a very personal invitation to my wedding...I mean, the biggest day of my life, right?!!  And even if you WERE there, I'm sure you would like to relive that special moment, for sure.  (Actually, if you are really close, you will appreciate the visual of the many, many ones we have lost since August 14, 1999.  💕) So, here is your very personal, very private-link-only, invitati