After almost 5 yrs...I have a headboard!

Adam and I have never had a headboard our entire marriage. Our room ALWAYS got the short end of the stick- not too many decorations, and it always had our randomness from other parts of the house that we didn't know what to do with! We would really like our room to be somewhere we like hanging out...besides to sleep of course! So, we decided to slowly re-do it as cost effectively as possible!

Operation Bedroom Phase 1: Make a headboard!

Materials: Wood, Staple Gun, Electric Drill, Screws, sturdy Board, Upholstery Batting, Fabric

Total Cost: $19 Wood
$8 Staple Gun
$4 Batting
$0 Fabric- We already had it on hand
= $31!!!

BeforeFrame is done!

Covered it with a sturdy board: Not pictured is me putting tape down the middle so there was no gap.

Staple gun the batting over the front, and then staple the fabric (We used an old comforter that we had)

After

I am really pleased with the way everything turned out! For a $30 project, it makes a HUGE difference in our room. We may end up covering it with something else down the road, but this will do for now :) We have so many more cheap home renovations to share with you! Can't wait...

-Krystle

Then there were 4.....

I am sooooo happy to say that Ellie is going to be a big sister!!! I just found out a couple days ago that I'm pregnant! I think I'm about 5-6 weeks along, and my due date is probably around November 27th :) I have an ultrasound this week to give me an real due date though. Adam and I are SO happy and feel so blessed that the Lord has given us another life to love on! It is truly a gift. Nausea has totally set in, and I'm feeling a bit sick at the moment, but here is our life lately in pictures!

Adam and Ellie in her purple room
Isn't this the goofiest face??? She's so funny!

Ellie at the play area in the mall...she loves it!

Ok, I'm not a bad parent...Ellie loves doing stuff like this! She even gets our dogs leashes and puts them around her neck!....it sounds worse than it is! Ha ha!

Adam and I on Easter....we didn't snap any good family photos! Bummer.

New bookshelves...I love the way they fill up the corner.

My sis-in-law Amanda and I...she is past her due date and we are soo excited to meet baby Cole!

Adam, Ellie, my brother Jay, and niece Hana

Ellie & Hana....not sure why Ellie looks cross-eyed ;)

Ellie and daddy outside on the swing

Our new rug & Ellie watching her little show :)

I just LOVE this picture. This is so Ellie. Climbing on EVERYTHING all the time. She has superb balance. Not bad for a little girl!

Love, K

Nothing Compares

Nothing compares to the Greatness of knowing Jesus.

I have blogged about this statement before, but it is something that runs deep in my blood. Jesus saved me from a distructive life, and gave me a hope in Him and in life. I am so thankful. I have reflected on my past few blogs. I will say that I know that I am very open & honest. I like it that way. Life isn't always peachy, and we can't pretend. It doesn't help anyone...and most of all, it makes us loose ourselves. With that being said...

I can't let my circumstances dictate how I will be from one day to the next. God put me on this earth for a purpose. Right now, my purpose & mission is to raise up my child in the way she should go. It's also to maintain a steadfast love for my Savior that doesn't waiver. All the things below in my last post still stand, but today I have decided that I need a new perspective.

It's ok to be down. It's ok to throw pitty parties for yourself every once in a while. It's ok to wish that your circumstances were different. But it's NOT ok to forget to depend on the Lord for strength to get through the day...and to do it with JOY. Not forgetting that we live here on this earth not to be satisfied & content. We are to feel like aliens. Never comfortable.

For me, being a parent has not been "comfortable" so far. So, according to my God, I'm in the right place. Feelings of inadequacy and insecurities are to be expected. I can't let it overtake me though. I don't believe that it's honoring to the Lord to wallow in my circumstances for too long. So, right now, today, I'm changing paths. This is not to say that each day won't be hard still. It's not to say that I'm going to wake up tomorrow and feel great. But I am saying that I am going to CHOOSE to live each day for Lord. Whatever that looks like each day- on my knees, with my hands raised in worship, with tears of joy overflowing, with small prayers throughout my entire day, or one long-whole hearted prayer at night spilling myself out to Him.

Because at the end of the day, all that matters is that I remembered that NOTHING compares to Him. A perfect day, a perfect baby, no breastfeeding problems, no mastitis, or a full nights sleep won't make me satisfied (well, maybe for a little while!). It's only HIM that will fill me up.

Early Christmas Present for YOU!

Well, the families have been informed, Adam and I have had time to let it sink in, and now it's time to let my blogging family know what I am having!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





We are having a little......


Adam and I are sooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the best christmas gift ever :) We are so thankful that she has 2 kidneys, 4 chambers of her heart, a bladder, lips, that my umbilical cord is indeed nourishing her, that she has 2 feet, 2 legs, 2 arms, and overall is just a HEALTHY LITTLE GIRL! It's funny how when you are in the room to get the ultrasound that the you are so focused on what it is that you forget about all the health stuff. Which is the most important part.

The only tiny red flag & prayer request is that my placenta and cervix are a little too close together. Well, a lot too close together (about 1 cm apart). If it doesn't move apart more it could possibly cause some complications. I have another follow up ultrasound in 3 weeks, so if you could all be praying that my body does what it needs to do, that would be much appreciated.

Love,

Adam, Krystle , and Ellie!

It's been TOO LONG!

Wow. I think I set a record for myself on the "lack of blogging" meter. We have been so busy lately with all the new changes going on! We found out we were having a baby while we were packing up our apartment to move into a new place, we then moved into that new place, and are now trying to finish un-packing everything, all while trying to adjust to this new life we are entering into...talk about emotion overload! Hopefully soon it will start settling down a bit.

Unfortunately at this time, I don't feel like baby talk. I have a lot to say, but honestly, I'm tired of talking about it! Don't get me wrong, I love my little baby, but when you get pregnant it seems like that's the only thing that people want to talk to you about. So, I will leave that for a later post :)

Oh, and my camera broke, so new pictures of our place & things won't come for a while. Forgive me! We do really love our new place though. It's not the typical apartment layout which is nice. It feels like a little home :) Adam and I have been talking a lot about being parents. The responsibility of it all hits pretty fast. We feel really convicted about our own lives. We really want to teach our child by example...not the "do as I say, not as I do" stuff. It's hard! It's important for us to become more focused on integrity and discipline in order to accomplish any of this! Obviously I'm not naive to think that I will have it "all down" by the time the baby comes, ya right! But even to be a few steps in the right direction won't hurt by any means.

So, those are just a few minor updates. We still haven't hooked up the internet at our new place so I will post just as soon as I can!

Much Love to you ALL!
-Krystle

Surprise!!!!!!!

Sometimes plans don't work like we expect them to. We have high hopes, and try really hard, but I think that God has something else in mind. For example, my plan was to get 100% out of debt in just a few months, save up a 3-6 month emergency fund, complete nursing school, and save up a huge down-payment for our first home. Adam and I have been so incredibly excited about this plan for a long time now and have been making some GREAT head-way. But, God threw in a little something to rock our boats...


I'm Pregnant!!!

I suppose that's not a little something, but a BIG something! We found out almost 2 weeks ago, and were in complete shock for the first few days. This was totally NOT planned....not an accident (because I don't want my kid to think it was an accident!).

So here we are, almost 2 months pregnant and I just found out!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! It's crazy, but very cool. We are trying to adjust as much as we can to this new life we are about to enter, but we still feel VERY in the dark.

Prayers are needed people! We are excited, nervous, scared, apprehensive, happy, ....you name it. And I am just a FLOOD OF EMOTIONS :)

Signing off,
Adam, Krystle and baby Porter

Simpler Lifer

Ten principles for
living a simpler life

1. Know your top three priorities. Whether that's family, faith, and work or fun, food and friends, you'll make better time decisions when your values are straight in your mind.

2. Make your priorities a priority. It's one thing to talk the talk. Walk the walk, too, and let your commitments reflect your values.

3. Always move forward. A balanced life isn't static; it's keeping a secure hold on your values, goals, and dreams while you grow, learn, change, and love.

4. Be honest with yourself. Your gut (not to mention your conscience!) knows what it's talking about; listen up when it's telling you something.

5. Know your limits. "No" is the right response when the request doesn't fit in with your life priorities--no guilt required.

6. Let go when you can't be in control. When you can't change something, don't waste time worrying: work around it or forget about it.

7. Face chores cheerfully. No matter how well you prioritize your time, mundane tasks go with the territory. Embrace the everyday, and time will fly.

8. Spend smartly. Everything you buy is a direct result of the time you spend working. Make sure your hours are purchasing something worthwhile.

9. Love your home. A space that provides sanctuary and gives you pleasure is essential for your well-being.

10. Take time for yourself. You'll never find time to simplify your life if you don't give it to yourself.

If found this site blog surfing...of course! It was very refreshing. Sometimes, we all need a little reality check, and this was mine. My GOAL is to live a simple life, but somehow life just gets too crazy! Can anyone relate?? But, I figure that if I keep these things on the forefront of my mind, things are bound to improve! The hardest on that list for me are #5 and #6... for sure.

Here is the website if you guys want to check it out :)

www.smartsimplewoman.com

Hair Improvements

Adam and I made some changes to our hair. Adam shaved his beard off, well...first he made sure we could see what a mustache would look like on himethough :) And I made the move to lighten my hair...I was so done with the dark. I'm still getting use to it, but I think I like it! Just thought I'd let you guys in on the changes....

Adam: Pre-Shaven Creepy Mustache Man!
Adam: Post-shave & My Hair Pre-dyedMy hair: Post Dyed!

Note: If you look close enough, you can even see the "infamous" Cold Sore!