Category Archives: Family

The Lost Art of Letter Writing!

Did you know that the US post office processed over 177 Billion pieces of mail in 2009. WOW! I know we are all getting a ton of junk mail every day, but this little fact caused me to start to wonder how much of this mail was actually hand-written correspondence? Do people do that anymore; write letters? When was the last time you wrote someone a letter? No, I am not talking about dropping someone a note via e-mail, text, or twitter, but an honest-to-goodness-pen-to-paper-stamp-wearing-hey-Mr.-postman-please-deliver-this-letter LETTER!! Sharing your innermost thoughts, sincerest sympathies, ardent love, and deepest gratitude will never suffice traveling along an invisible superhighway.

I know that in today’s world of constantly being connected through all things electronic, writing a letter can seem hopelessly outdated, but letter writing is an art that is worth bringing back. I, myself, am someone who is falling in love with hand-written letters. For me, it harkens something of a Jane Austen-esque romantic feel; a reminder of slower, simpler times; and every message is so much more personal when it is written with your own personal curly-cues, elegant swoops, and oversized loops.

How difficult is it to send a little slice of your true self to one of your friends or loved ones? It is not difficult at all with a little preparation! Grab a sheet of high-quality stationary with a rich texture, embossing, or an attractive pattern, something that represents a little bit of you. A smooth writing pen is imperative; my personal favorite is a medium weight metal fountain pen. Find a quiet place to sit, preferably at a comfortable writing table. Put on some soft music, something that is calming, and let the words just flow out of you. Address it, put a stamp on it, and send it on its way.

I believe that sending a letter is like sending a portion of yourself, and when your letter is received, the receiver will know that you took time out of your busy schedule to pause, and give them your 100% undivided attention, which is PRICELESS! Share a little of yourself with someone you love today, and tell me about it in the comments above!

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Monday Night Book Night!

Tonight is book review night, and the book that I chose to review is called, Nesting it’s a Chick Thing. This book is such a fun read, and I highly recommend it anyone who wants to laugh, cry, and just learn more about living a FABULOUS life! Trust me on this, pick this book up!! It is like reading a creatively chic blog in paperback!!! FUN! FUN! FUN!!!

But why listen to me? Here is an editorial review from Publishers Weekly:

While Beanland and Terry do care about having a nice home, throwing fantastic parties and whipping up fabulous dinners, they have better things to do than polish the silver. The coauthors of It’s a Chick Thing: Celebrating the Wild Side of Women’s Friendships throw Martha Stewart-esque caution to the wind in this lifestyle guide with attitude, irreverently addressing the “four pillars of nesting”: decorating, entertaining, cooking and gardening. In each section, they give a basic overview of how to approach the task at hand, and then delve into the nitty-gritty, with sidebars, lists, pull-out quotes from celebrities and quirky clip art, all with a can-do, girl power mind-set, evident in the inclusion of such lines as “I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house” (from Zsa Zsa Gabor). Among other tidbits, readers will find cocktail recipes, flea market shopping tips, party invitation ideas, suggestions for creating a garden that suits their personality and reasons to give Martha some credit (“the chick can carve a pumpkin 200 ways and make 65 recipes from the seeds alone!”).

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Have a FABULOUS evening!

Sisters!

To make a long story short, I have been having a really bad case of the mean reds!!! and two of my little sisters have TOTALLY made me feel better! LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE!!!

and for those of you who don’t know what the mean reds are, here are some of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s:

Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak : The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly : No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak : Sure.
Holly Golightly : Well, when I get it the only thing that does any good is to jump in a cab and go to Tiffany’s. Calms me down right away. The quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there. If I could find a real-life place that’d make me feel like Tiffany’s, then – then I’d buy some furniture and give the cat a name!

Have a FABULOUS evening!!!


My Big Date!

I picked up an extremely handsome man this evening! He is extremely handsome, large blue eyes,  a daredevil, and extremely tall – well at least for a 4 year old!!!  Yes, I said 4 year old! No, I am not some crazy pervert – tonight is the first time that my nephew ever wanted to spend time with his “Aunty Chrissy” by himself. We have had such a good time this evening, and he just keeps asking me over and over “Who’s special day is it today?” and I smile at him and say, “Morgan’s!!!” He starts giggling, as if it is the first time he has heard it, and then asks it again just so he can hear that it is HIS special day AGAIN!!! That’s m’boy!!!!

  • 1/2 eaten McDonald’s Happy Meal = $3.50
  • Swimming for a total of 1/2 an hour until nephew poops out from cold = $0.00
  • Lollipop sucker of his choice – blue of course = $0.00
  • Watching a Shrek while snuggling on the couch in our PJ’s = $0.00
  • Spending the evening with my nephew = Priceless

Have a terrific evening!!!

~Christina 😉

To My Sweet Friend!

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die.

To my dear sweet, Kay! My life has been forever changed because I had the privilege of having you in my life.  I will forever be grateful to you, and will carry you with me always!! Until that day that we get to meet again,

I love you!!

~Christina

Feeling Like a Kid Again!!

Wednesday nights at my place are one of my favorite nights of the week! It is the night that my sister-in-law brings my niece and nephew over to have dinner and then go swimming.

My niece is 7, and as cute as a button! She is like the perfect little blond girl that you just know is going to be super popular because even at 7 she is just magnetic.

My nephew is 4, and is he is a near duplicate of my husband, just waaaaay smaller – think mini me to my sweetie!! 😉 He is a firecracker, and has absolutely NO FEAR!!! Swimming with these two is just sooo much fun! It makes me feel like a kid again; diving, flipping, handstands, races, stunts, tricks, somersaults, and just playing!! Let me tell you, that is THE BEST way to exercise!! To play, to be a kid, to have no cares, and for one evening a week to take on that fun and vivacious lifestyle!!

I must’ve done something good in my past to get to be part of their lives!! I am blessed!!

I love these two kiddos!!

~Auntie Chrissy 😉

TGIF!!!

When I woke up this morning, I knew that there was absolutely NO WAY that I was going to be able to make it through a day of work!! I have been running myself ragged, have been a hormonal mess, and hardly slept at all last night! So, thankfully I am in a position where I am able to call in sick and get paid for that day anyway! Thank God for all of the blessings He rains down!!!

I didn’t know how I was going to spend my day, all I knew was that there was no way that I wanted to be alone today!!! So, my sweetie invited me to join him at our neice’s school recital, which I hesitantly said yes to going too, but I am soooo thankful that I went! We got there in the nick of time, her class hadn’t performed yet. We saw that they were up on stage getting ready (WHEW! Talk about cutting it close!!!). All of the kids had black clothes on from neck to toes and they had on stark white gloves!!! Well, long story short, they turned off all of the lights in the chapel, except for some black lights, the music started and the kids did a BEAUTIFUL job singing their little hearts out, while doing motions to all of the words!!! TOTALLY SWEET!!!

Well, I am not sure what exactly happened, but thankfully I was sitting in the very back row with my sweetie (I did mention we go there late, didn’t I?), and the next thing I know I AM CRYING LIKE A BIG OL’ BABY!!!! and not some dainty-little-silent tears running down my face, I will just dab at them with a handkerchief – NO!!! IT WAS TEARS AND SNOT RUNNING DOWN MY FACE, FULL ON UGLY CRY AND I JUST COULD NOT MAKE MYSELF STOP!!! The kids would finish with a song, and I would get myself to calm down a little bit, and then the next song would start, AND OFF I WOULD GO AGAIN!!! AAAAAACK!!!!! Somebody call the water department – I NEED MY SERVICE SHUT OFF!!!! Thank GOD I was wearing an extra long top, because, I am not proud to say, the hem of that baby was put to GOOD use today – recycling at it’s best!!! Man! God bless my husband, he just kept his arm around me and kept asking me if I were alright, and I just COULD NOT pull myself together!!! I was just soooo thankful that I was NOT AT WORK FOR THAT!!! UGH!

Long story short, I am doing better now! WHEW!!! That kind of crying just knocks the snot out of you – HA! HA! HA!! (Pun intended!) and I needed a break from my break!!

Well, the next thing I do is go to my sis-in-law, Alex’s and convince her to have a Starbuck’s date with me!!! YEAH – THAT IS NOT A HARD SELL!!! 😉 but before we go to do that, we head over to the jeweler’s to pick up my wedding ring that was in getting repaired – I just feel soooo naked without my pretty little bauble!!! All is good, my ring is there, it is ready to go, and the lady decides that she is going to try and sell me something, and before I can poo-poo her sales tactic, I ask to see the merchandise!! and of course I can’t believe what I am hearing, OR what she is saying!!! YEAH!!! She tells me that for 3 days only, they have 100 sets of freshwater pearl jewelry for only $15.00 – she had an accent and I was SURE that I was hearing her incorrectly – $15???? YES!! $15!!!! A freshwater pearl necklace, bracelet, and matching drop earrings!! THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!! AND WOULD YOU KNOW IT?? THIS IS ON MY LIFE LIST!!!! WHOO! HOO!!! Uhmmmm…yes, please! I will take it, matter of fact I am dead broke right now, but I will break my charging moratorium to walk away with these babies RIGHT NOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! 😉 So, needless to say, that was most DEFINITILY DIVINE INTERVENTION blessing me on a day, when I really, REALLY NEEDED IT!!! Thank God!!! 🙂

Alex and I went to Starbuck’s and enjoyed our coffee while having a LONG chat with out any children around!!! I just LOVE hanging out with Alex! She is just sooooo positive, and she doesn’t think that I am bizarre – you would be surprised at how many people think I am a little off, ok maybe you wouldn’t be! *WINK!* Anyway, we talked about EVERYTHING! Where to live, what to be when we finally decide to grow up, children, life’s challenges, fun stories about our past!!! To say that Alex and I are kindred spirits would be a HUGE understatement!!! There are only a small handful of people that I can consider REALLY CLOSE friends, and Alex is right in that mix!! I just LOVE HER!!! THANK YOU, MY SISTER-FRIEND!!! 😉

Next, we went to pick up Christopher and Victoria (aka V) from their respective schools. You see, Alex and her kids just moved back up from Arizona, so we are all getting reaquanted!! I am getting to know what they like and dislike, what moods they go through, and they are getting to know the same things in me! I am having a lot of fun having additional family around, I know that I am constantly saying how blessed Jason and I are, but we REALLY ARE BLESSED! Not everyone can say that they are as close to their family’s as we are!! So, we are borrowing Christopher to spend the night tonight, and we will have Victoria spend the night next weekend!

We are at our place now, and Chris has been SOOOO MUCH FUN TO HAVE AROUND!!! He can be extremely helpful, and he is just soooo silly – you can’t help but laugh when you are around him!! We had spaghetti and garlic bread. He was worried that we were going to starve him – apparently he remembers staying the night at our house once before, and he insists we only fed him one chicken leg and green beans for dinner – I am not sure that every really happened, but I wanted to make sure he had PLENTY of food!!! We watched the moview UP, which was the first time for all 3 of us, and we were laughing out booties off! SO FUNNY! SO SWEET!!! It made me fall in love with my sweetie again! (Ok, that may still be the raging hormones!!!) 😉

Anyways, the boys are downstairs playing video games, I can hear a lot of “Mwa-Ha-Ha!”, “Oh snap!”, “Dude”, “Awe man!”, “Hey” and “Ya got me!” You know – the male species’ native language, let’s just say I have a translating dictionary, and trust me – that all adds up to that they are having a GREAT time!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Alright, I am going to go get some reading done before bed! Have a FABULOUS NIGHT!!! I will chat again tomorrow!!!

-Christina 😉

The Pumpkin Patch!!!

Here are some picks of our outing with the family to the local Pumpkin Patch!!!

Our neice, Megan
Our neice, Victoria
Our nephews, Christopher & Morgan
Our sister, Alexa & her daughter, Victoria
Victoria Queen of the World!!!
No Fear Morgan
Our FAVORITE Hay Ride!!! From left to right: Alexa, Megan, Nette, Morgan, Victoria, myself, & Christopher (Jason is behind the lense!!)
Our shadows!!
Christopher, Alexa, & Victoria. It has ALWAYS been sooooo hard to get a real smile out of Chris, and Victoria is suuuuch a ham!!! They are olar opposites, but I LOVE BOTH TO DEATH!!! 🙂
Victoria & Megan getting ready to jump!
Mid jump!
What goes up, must come down!!!
Look how gorgeous this farm is!!
and finally my favorite pic…
I finally got my sweetie to hold still so I could get a pic with him!!! He was having just as much fun as the kids, that he was REALLY hard to catch!!! Let’s just say, a great time was had by all!!!
I can’t wait to do that again!!!
-Christina 😉

Better Late Than Never!!! Women of Faith!!!

My sisters and I went to Women of Faith early this October! I have some pics that I thought would be fun to share!!!

This is us girls getting ready to drive up to Portland early that morning Friday morning! From left to right: Jennifer, Nette, myself, and Trina
This is later that night on the same day! We were all waiting outside because there was some kind of a scare at the Rose Garden, which we later realized was a bomb threat! The atmosphere outside was a lot of fun – people laughing, joking, and we even heard that people were singing. That Friday night was canceled and we all showed up the next day early!!!
What us girls will do to entertain ourselves!!! 😉
What a BLAST!!! I can’t wait until next year’s Women of Faith!!!
-Christina 😉