post no. 328 -- it's the little things v. 4

linking up again with lindsay over at aisle to aloha. to join in on the fun or to check out what it's all about head on over here. this week's little things revolve for the most part around food... and a little bit of work achievements mixed in as well... but mostly food.

afternoon candies.

seeing fall colors, hawaiian style.

making progress on our new start up at work. 

impromptu dinner plans with buzz. 

having a mcdonalds around the corner. 

post no. 327 -- heaven is for real

this morning on my way to work i finished the last few chapters of a book i have not really been able to put down since it was originally recommended to me. the book is called "heaven is for real" by todd burpo, and it's a christian pastor's account of his son's near death experience at only four years old, and the tales of heaven he recounted upon his recovery. now before you close the tab on your browser, here me out. i know what you're thinking. or at least might be thinking. or at least what i would have thought a couple of days ago before reading it. i thought yeah right.. a christian pastor's son... and there was no coaxing involved. would an atheist's kid have the same story to tell... pssh. but seriously. i was wrong. 

i downloaded the e-book to my nook friday afternoon after getting off work, and started reading the first chapter aloud to kris that evening. even from the prologue i had a feeling it was going to be a tear jerker. when i woke up saturday morning, with buzz still asleep in bed next to me, i propped myself up with some pillows and read on, hunched over my laptop like a kid disregarding what their mother says about sitting too close to the television. that's when the water works began. i sobbed, for about 30 minutes straight, in between gasps, and sniffles. something that doesn't usually happen unless it's that time of the month...

long story short i read it, and i hate to be cliche, but it changed my life. maybe not drastically in the sense that you won't see me on a street corner any time soon thumping my bible, but it got me interested. interested enough to start reading again. from the very beginning, word for word, reading my bible. interested enough to have faith.

like a lot of people i'm afraid of dying. i have been oh... since forever. i didn't ride upside down roller coasters until my senior of high school because i'd always heard the freak accident stories of them derailing. so even though i recited greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world when i walked alone in the dark at night, i don't think i acutally had the faith to back it up. i had gone to christian schools for half my life not understanding what it meant to actually trust in a great good and a higher plan, not just for me, but for the world.

it's hard to live, and walk by faith. i know i haven't for quite some time now. it's hard to trust, not just what you can't see, but sometimes even what you can. it's hard to give up control of your life, to accept that not only do you not always know what's best, but that the one who does might not always lay it out for you clear as day. but he will give you pieces, bits and pieces, to lead you and guide you and nudge you for as long as you will let him. you just have to let him. 

there's a reason god is called father. because in so many ways he reminds me of my dad. or i guess my dad reminds me of him? when i moved out and got married i took a big long break from school. i really didn't have that much of an interest in going back truthfully. but my dad wanted me to get back in class. so much so that it started getting annoying when every phone conversation revolved around what the progress report was for admissions into my local college. he finally stopped asking. not because he didn't care, or he was less interested in my education, but because he realized i had turned my back in a sense. remind you of anyone? it took me coming back on my own. filling out the paperwork, requesting acceptance, the works. as much as my dad knew it was right, knew how much better i'd be in the long run for getting a degree, he couldn't do it for me. i had to take the first step. just like i had to take the first step to come back to god.

the truth is he never stops caring. he never stops loving. even when you scream and yell and have hissy fits and swear at him under your breath. even when you feel you've messed up beyond belief, that you've done something you feel you can't forgive yourself for. the truth is he already has. 

maybe it took reading this book for me to realize that, or maybe just to give me a little more faith in what i've been blind to in the past. but either way i invite you to read it, and be open to letting it change you a little too.

post no. 326 -- what inspires me wednesdays

loving this home, everything from the wood floors, to the furniture, to the bright and colorful quilts. this is my home decor case study. 

see more here.

post no. 325 -- things that make duty nights slightly less than grand

1. sharing teetering on the edge of your bed with a furry thing that sounds more like a pig than a puppy
2. dinner for one
3. your piglet of a puppy magically forgetting her year and a half of potty training seminars, conferences, and internship opportunities to decide that now is the perfect time to grace the apartment with her presents
4. tums that don't fix the tummy and yoga poses that don't even attempt to dull the nagging uncomfy feeling in your lower back
5. netflix deciding not to play sound on the shows you've been wanting to watch for forever
6. crawling into bed at 8:30, still being awake an hour later, and then buckling down and really trying to focus on sleep around 10:00 {p.s. how in the world does one focus on sleep?!?}

     oh yeah, and #7. car alarms at four in the morning that go on for. ev. er.

was there anything i missed?

somehow, i'm functioning right now. thank god buzz will be home early today and i will be off early, and i can take the longest nap of my life. and squash the laundry rebellion once and for all. mwa. ha. ha. 

post no. 324 -- husbands {named kris} are fab.

this morning i woke up to a cuddly husband. 

a husband that tucked me back in gingerly when he left for work.

kissed me goodbye. set aside our house keys where i could find them. 

and called me not once, but twice, before he went into class this morning.
{which never happens}.

tonight is another duty night that i thought was going to be hum bum, but it's actually shaping up quite nicely! hip hip hooray for wonderful husbands, named kristopher kort, who brighten up my morning, every morning.

post no. 323 -- a weekend thanks to instagram

how sad does jack look?? 

poor thing was sick all day saturday. 

not anymore though!

excuse me while i go retrieve my socks from her mouth

post no. 322 -- diy letters

a while back i came across these adorable letters at anthropologie. i loved the idea of hanging them over our bed, but after finding their price tag of $18 a piece, i decided i could live without them. i wanted them though. so instead of trying to convince buzz i needed a $54 set of k&a monograms for above our bed, i decided what better way to prove my craftiness than to make them myself, or at least something similar.

here's what you'll need before we begin this little diy project:

cardboard {a good size box will do for three letters}

a printout of the letters you're planning to make in the size you would like them

scissors

tape

and a handy assistant

begin by cutting out your letters from the printouts and tracing them onto the cardboard. i don't have the patience or cutting skills to make the holes in the middle of the letters so i skipped those.

once you have your letters traced out onto the cardboard, cut cut cut!

once you have your letters cut out, take some time to relax and admire your creations {so far}.

anyways your assistant will probably be pretty exhausted at all of their hard work on your project and will want a chewy treat and a extensive walk. this is also a good time, assistant or not, to clean up all of the paper and cardboard clippings laying around your work space. cleanliness is key!

once you and your assistant are done with your break cut the remaining cardboard into 1-2" thick strips and measure around the letters, cutting to the appropriate lengths for each side.

once you have all of your pieces cut and set aside you can begin affixing them to your letters. be sure to use plenty of tape to make sure everything is nice and sturdy. finish up with all of the letters and you're almost done!

once everything is assembled to you're liking, it's time to hang these puppies. grab some thumb tacks pop them into the wall {make sure they're level} and hang you letters where you'd like.

 

now take a step back and admire your handiwork. or take a nap, like buzz. {i like the look of the plain cardboard, but you can cover with decorative paper, spray paint them, the list goes on and on}

i hope you enjoyed this quick little diy. it was pretty short and simple, but i enjoyed making them, so i figured why not share! 

do you have any crafts or diy projects you're cooking up or have cooked up lately?? i'd love to take a peek! drop me a line in the comment section and i'll check them out!

happy weekend everyone!

post no. 321 -- goals & things

this weekend i will...

make a fancy breakfast for my boy.

simplify our home.

finish the laundry that i have been avoiding for weeks.

make a trip to the goodwill. 

eat some of that yummy macaroni salad in the fridge.

put clothes away in our new dresser.

get some sand stuck in my toes. 

sleep in. read.

dye my hair.

get back in the routine of cooking dinners. 

& give my family lots of kisses. 

what will you be doing this weekend?

post no. 320 -- it's the little things v. 3

linking up here for the third week in a row with lindsay over at aisle to aloha. care to share some of your little blessings from the week? link up over on her blog! here are some of my little tid bits from the week:

milkshake stops with buzz in kalihi. 
crafting.

bugsy being bugsy. 

weddings going off flawlessly. 

our latest furniture addition. 

and a new camera to capture the memories. 

post no. 319 -- thursday's snapshot

a couple days ago we took our little family out for a morning trip to the crepe house, but after waiting for no lie 20 minutes without the lady even coming back to the register to take my order, we decided to go try something else. having jack with us made it a bit more difficult seeing as we couldn't just waltz into any ol' breakfast diner. but we managed along and eventually ended up at the jamba juice down the street from our building. it was tasty and sweet and filling, and good for us. and now i'm craving some. of course. 

post no. 318 -- duty nights

buzz is finally through with cranking and that means back to his duty rotation we go. 

duty means every few nights {like tonight} are spent alone with bugsy, deciding what last minute concoction we should throw together for supper that night, then climbing into bed to have her try to push me off {because apparently even with one less member of the family in bed, she still doesn't have enough room...} living a charmed life aren't we? 

i secretly kind of like it sometimes. not all the time. but here and there, now and then, i enjoy coming home and cleaning, and getting chores done, lighting incense and listening to buddhattitude shuffle along on pandora. i like sorting through our pantry, finishing the laundry my other half started, and putting together my thoughts from the day. i love the way our apartment never feels too big, or too small. but always just perfect for the three of us. i like the calm. the quiet atmosphere at night all the way up on our floor. the way the stillness is interrupted by sirens, reminding me that life is still happening all around us, but that up here we're sheltered from it. it's calming in a way. 

today was a long day, and if you've seen my twitter feed from this afternoon/evening you can see i've been mulling over quite a few thoughts. i need to take a step back from what it is i'm doing and figure out what i want. now, tomorrow, and in general.

i guess this is a good night for that.