Kristen Blog

Adulting, here we are!!  (Like it or not.) We have officially reached that stage of life where we can not control who is present at the holidays.  As young adults, we had a VERY difficult time during this stage of balancing a serious relationship in the midst of everyone's family traditions.  It was overwhelming, exhausting and disheartening...nothing at all representative of Thanksgiving or the birth of the Christ.  (And on this topic, I could go on!  Suffice to say...). We decided early in our marriage, which also happened to be early in our parenting stage, that we would offer a plan for the holidays and be willing to welcome those who could come and give grace to those who could not. We met our own challenge this year.   The one and only...forever true to her origins...Nature Girl. 💕 Xander (20) had an opportunity we refused to refuse, and she was absent from all of our Thanksgiving festivities - probably the most harsh - the Great, Extended Family Picture.  I will admit.  It

 I survived birthday month!! You guys...my baby is 20!!! Well...barely.  I have to admit, I was on the verge of a breakdown, when my keenly aware husband intervened and exonerated me from his birthday family movie extravaganza. Does that make me a party pooper?  Yep.  I think it does. Does it make me a bad wife and mom? He just...can't be normal.  I think that's why he gets me. Hold it, right there.  I going to go ahead and put mom guilt and perfectionism right where they belong...out of my head.  Seriously.  It is a thing.  No matter who you are, you are never going to measure up when you compare yourself, and your idea of what a mom "should" be is just inhumane.  There are enough people out there who will shame you, for the love, quit shaming yourself. It helps that I have some experience with what a bad mom can look like...even to them, I have offered empathy.  We are all only playing with the cards we are dealt, and some of us have been dealt a short hand.  Suffic

Well, that was a week!  First, and most importantly, EVAN TURNED 8!! I know Squid Games is controversial.  I don't understand or recommend the show.  But...he only knows the more innocent Roblox version, and they, all 5 of them, bonded over this little game this week, so...💕 I am not exactly the best at event planning.  I could give you examples, but why deflate my ego like that?  It's been bashed around enough this week.  Plus...I have a LOT of excuses.  I have 3 immediate family member birthdays this month.  For two of them, (the other is Matt...he is easy to please!) I have to go through the entire, painstaking process of finding out what they want, shopping for what they want, and wrapping what they want.  Then, I have to plan a celebration.  Listen, I was exhausted at "finding out what they want."  I have enough on my plate without all the extras, with work and work and the farm and the zoo and the crafting.  Who has time for this? I've never been good with

Me and Pikachu.  One of the happiest moments of my life.  💕. Isn't he ADORABLE? If you have never been to a mouse race, then you are definitely missing out.  Our boys' school/church had their annual auction this weekend.  It is always such a fun event, and I am happy to spend a night benefiting the continuation of this treasured gem.  Seriously...it is a rare community, and I have complete and utter peace sending my boys to school knowing they are safe and loved...EVERY SINGLE DAY... because ALL the students there are safe and loved.  It is as good as homeschool, only better.  Because EVERYTHING does not fall on me.  And they spend their days surrounded by REALLY quality friends. I love auction day!!  I have to admit, though, I cringed a little when I heard the theme this year. Mice?  Eeeeeek! Don't most people have that response to mice? Of course, I fell IN LOVE with those caged, white creatures, and I put $10 down on the first race for a mouse named Pikachu...because Po

  I threw together a cheesy, delicious potato, plus soup* this week, and it was a hit.  Popular enough to record for future use, so I might as well share and share alike.  FYI...this one hits alls the right buttons, because it is yummy AND vegetarian.  We can all eat it, and they all liked it! INGREDIENTS Cheese Sauce  (I used a different recipe this time.  This one is better.  I noticed the missing butter!)     Shredded Cheddar Cheese     Butter     Milk (I added extra milk later, since I needed to thin it out a bit.)     Salt      Pepper Yellow Potatoes (about 6-8 small/medium...I washed and did not peel them.) Broccoli (I used a steam in the bag version from Sam's and chopped them up after I cooked them.) Pasta (I used half a box of penne.) INSTRUCTIONS 1. Wash, slice and put potatoes on to boil. 2. Put water on to boil for pasta.   3. Make the cheese sauce as directed. 4.  Meanwhile...cook broccoli and pasta.  Continually check potatoes for soft, ready-to-eat texture.  Chop bro

We finally managed to carve them today.   We've had a wonderful weekend.  After an icky-dreary-rainy-blah week, we got a full weekend of sunshine and Matt. I focused on sleeping in and taking the mornings S.L.O.W., because THAT is what I miss the most during the week.   Beautiful days mean outdoor work around here. Well...they carved pumpkins, while I carved the tree.  :) Yep...I got permission to trim my low-hanging tree limbs.  So, one tree at a time, Sweet Jesus.  I trimmed 2 of the 6 that need it.  Of course, I may have gotten more done, but I HAD to spend about an extra 2 hours per tree removing leaves and cutting the remnants down into fire fuel that we will, likely, burn in one night.  It will be a FUN night, thought.  I mean, it would probably be more cost effective to just buy myself some cheap firewood at the store, but, THEN, I wouldn't be Kristen Ingalls Wilder, would I?   I may live in the suburbs, but I like to do as much self-sufficiency as I can.  And THAT means

I got to eat my arrogance for dinner this week.  Fell flat on my face (figuratively) in front of a captive audience.  Man, humility is a painful lesson.  I just want the world to know how awesome I am.  Is that so much to ask?  Actually, it IS, because (if you will remember) it's NOT ALL ABOUT ME (You either, btw.  I am SO not alone.). And speaking of under-appreciated awesomeness... As much as I LOVE baseball, I have appreciated the break this week!! My in-laws recently picked up and moved.  In their rush, my sister-in-law donated to my girls a plethora of sewing material and goods.  As a good friend put it, it's like Christmas, opening every box.  Because...my sister-in-law has ridiculous taste.  Amazing.  And her creativity and perfection in the tiniest of details is beyond humanity. It has been an interesting experience, sorting through some 20 years of her crafting life.  On the one hand, I think of the years of my niece and nephew growing up.  Her daughter was a dancer, a