Kristen Blog

 Ugh.  I can NOT.   Things have been going so well.  Manageable at least.  Matt has taken on a lot on the homefront to lift some of my stress, and it was starting to feel like I was actually going to make it. I mean...I have plenty of chickens to happy-me.  It's just... I took on a little more than usual today...house chores, finished Eden's prom dress that has taken me about 50,000 hours and cost about $70 to make.  I have come to terms with the fact that, after all that time, effort, and money, she doesn't feel good about the way it fits.   I fixed all the problems on my end.  The flaw is now the design.  I finished the project to my satisfaction, and I will walk away content.  (And probably donate it to some super tall, ultra skinny grateful recipient.  I will donate through a third party, so I'll never have to know if it ends up in the trash.  It wouldn't be my first project that went unused.  It's why I don't tend to make things for anyone other than my

Well this sucks!   I'm sorry.  I don't let my kids say that word.  But it is currently the only one that can convey, for me, the depths of heartbreak and disappointment I am feeling. And also...I'm getting really sick of everyone getting sick.  These kids have had a NEW wave of junk in the last week, and I don't think I can take it anymore!!!  It's an expression deeply rooted in my inner child - ever since those good old junior high days - and I guess that's where I experience the rawest of chafings...that delicate fragile, inner self I barely recognize, rarely encounter and, frankly, don't really like all that much.  (For example, she obviously has a really inferior vocabulary.) Speaking of fragile and delicate...the signs of spring around here are definitely bringing me gratitude and joy.  Until the weather turns on me...spring can be such a tease sometimes. "Why is she so delicate right now?" you may be asking yourself.  (Or why this time?).  We

I have come to one conclusion in life.  There is not enough time for me to accomplish all that my brain can conceive.  Unfortunately, I am limited by a few specific parameters.  Fortunately, I have learned (over a lot of time) to prioritize all of these "great ideas" swirling around in my very special Kristen brain to meet those parameters (for the most part).   When learning to say, "no," I think its best we begin with ourselves.  (It has probably saved my marriage a time or two.  😬🙏) However, when it comes to chickens... Please ignore the poop.  It's a frequent part of the chicken life, and I do not feel like editing...or maybe I just want to keep it real, so I'm not out there giving anyone false perceptions of my life.  (We have plenty of those "perfect people" clogging up our misconceptions and belittling our self-worth.  I choose to share the poop, for your sake AND mine.) I...JUST...CAN'T...SAY...NO!!  (No worries, he said yes, too.  Ap

It's hatch week round 2.  And the chicks are STILL ALIVE (so far) and have grown BIG!! Excuse me while I don't care about anything else... This is Lou. (no relation) That is my Aunt and Uncle's workshed, where I spent a GREAT DEAL of my happy days with my Dad as a child.  Ask me about this freaky divine experience sometime. Please. 😱 "There's something happening here.  What it is ain't exactly clear." I really meant to post this 2 weeks ago, but then...so much life has happened, and I have had to re-adjust, re-adapt, re-group, re-plan and re-organize. I mean, for one thing, I am NOT trying to compete for attention with the Chiefs.  We are having a good day here in Kansas City, for the next week and (hopefully) beyond.  (Plus, my birthday is right around the corner, so probably beyond...) I'm not saying I CAN'T compete with the Chiefs.  You can ask any one of my students, and I think they would agree... I pretty much shined in the sports arena this

  We got to see the most beautiful rainbow this week!  A gift of promise and hope... When it all comes down to it, I think every thing in life is about finding balance.  It seems I am constantly straining between too much and too little. I often waver between the days where I am exhausted and overwhelmed by a hopelessly loaded to-do list and days where I am bored out of my mind with nothing to do.  (The latter days I am usually ignoring the to-do list, because I have burned myself out of EVERYTHING...I have adapted my coping skills to include a few go-to's for those days, as well.) Overall, I think I am getting better at finding the middle ground.  And balance is peaceful.  I have a lot less meltdowns when I'm in balance, and the meltdowns I do have don't tend to be maliciously redirected at the people I love.  (You notice I said "tend."  If there is one thing I can say about my little blog, it is that I have never feigned a false sense of perfection.) See that bu

 Well...I finally hit the wall. My little tribe keeps me going...sometimes a little more than I can take. I've been watching everything crumble around me and have been holding it together pretty well.  Typical for me.  I hold it together until everyone else hits homeostasis...then I can crumble. It wasn't even mental this time.  I won't say not at all, but not noticeably...and I've become pretty self aware (out of necessity) in that department over the years.  What actually happened, is I went for a walk alone.  Without Matt.  Without Jesse.  And about a 1/4 mile from the house, I had this weird, warm shock wave descend from my brain throughout my whole body.  I thought, "Weird," and kept going.  I mean, please tell me I'm not the only one to have random weird physical "events" like that every now and then???!!!   Regardless, I've had enough of them to know it is not completely atypical for me. Not this one, of course...he's just my littl

 P.S.  I know...you are going to get the puppy.  We will cover that, too.  😉 My macho, macho man... Ok.  Kidding, not kidding.  But seriously.  Are you stressed yet?  'Tis the season.  It seems like everywhere I turn everyone around me is falling to pieces...one by one, like dominoes.  I blame time change and daylight depletion and weather fluctuations, but we shan't (yep...I used it) neglect the good old addition of extra holiday "fun" duties. I, myself, am just trying to take it one little step at a time.  Minute by minute.  Hour by hour.   Breaking it down into nice, easy steps, and not neglecting my need for creative downtime for things like: "It is finished." -Jesus I FINALLY finished the cross-stitch Starry Night.  If you were with me then, you may remember I bought this kit in February of 2019.  I recently put "finishing projects" and "getting rid of excess" into high gear around here. I finished this one last week, all 36,080 st