Dude.

I haven't been on Blogger at all lately.

Mostly because my laptop has been buried below piles of clean laundry that I have refused to put away.

And also because I know that I have so many favorite blogs to catch up on that it makes me sad knowing I only have a minute of internet time when I'm online.

Update: My husband is healing. Managing his pain has been the biggest struggle. Pain meds and his body do not mix for some reason, and he seems to be immune to nearly every strength of every prescription. The hardest thing about this entire ordeal is not pushing a wheelchair or helping him out of the bath. The hardest thing is watching him suffer and cringe/scream with pain while I just sit there- no words that can comfort him and no help I can offer him. Seeing my husband in pain is pure torture. We are obviously thankful he is alive, and even if he doesn't walk for years, we are trying to remain strong and I am trying to be positive for everyone.

But, dude.

This is hard.

Lately I have been spending my time trying to stay on top of the daily tasks that I had taken for granted. My husband isn't the type to whip up dinner very often, or help with the kids' bathtime. He did however, take awesome care of the front and back yards. He also was in charge of the usual man stuff...taking the trashcans to the curb and bringing them back in, dog poop, dog walks, mowing the lawn...you know, the stuff I knew he did but never appreciated the work.

I now do it all.

I have discovered that I am not awesome at mowing the lawn, that my next door neighbor is quick to take out the trashcans for me when I totally forget, and that dog poop is way worse than my litterbox chore. My husband rocked, and his shoes are hard to fill.

My friends and family continue to offer support and help.

So far I have had two meals brought to me, two bouquets of flowers sent to me, and a new crock pot gifted to me.

These past three weeks have taken a toll on my family, and if I don't shove myself back into the swing of things, I know that I will fall apart at the seams.

Today The Boy started preschool.

I will tell you about that tomorrow.

I will also announce the winners to giveaways that took place while I was on vacation.

I may even show you a few projects that have occupied my time when everyone around here is quiet.

I hope you have been well.

I think of you often.

Happy Day.

Prayers Appreciated

I have been wanting to update all of you since we got back from vacation, but things have been a little hectic. Instead of going into detail, I am going to quickly paste the status update I posted on Facebook for all of you here:

In South Dakota, my husband suffered from a life-threatening injury; completely cutting a muscle, veins, tendon, and an artery. He had emergency surgery & is currently in a wheelchair. Docs are hoping he will be walking again in a year or two w/ intense physical therapy. After nearly bleeding to death, we are just happy he's out of the hospital & home with us. Prayers for his recovery are appreciated. ♥

While we adjust to our new routine and try to unwind emotionally, I am going to be sparse with my blog posts. I have giveaways I would love to host, have giveaway winners I need to announce, and have quite a few new favorites to add to a Fancy 4 Fridays post. I will try to get a grip on my blog soon. Please don't break up with me just yet.

Miss you all and can't wait to tell you about the happy parts of our trip. (aka Day 1 of our vacation)

xoxo

Guest Post #5 By Happy Hygiene

Jenna doesn't have a blog.

{yet}

However, she is an avid blog reader.

She has been my dear friend for about 13 years, and I am so thankful for her willing to guest post for me today...

I had always envied well-crafted items. When I received a handmade card, my first reaction would be jealousy and not excitement. For many years, I thought I was born without the craft gene. Like there was a specific creativity bone in the body and I was missing it. Eventually after college, I came to learn that it wasn’t an absence of imagination but a presence of fear. For all those envious years I feared creating something that would be rejected. It was likely if I tried, I would have succeeded. Fear kept me from even attempting and finding that I was quite creative in my own right. Every time I create something new, I refine my style and grow in my abilities. I used to be the person who would comment on a blog saying “Wow that’s so cool, I wish I could make that!” Now, I can take an idea and make It my own. Even more so every item I craft I am able to express myself; my uniqueness. Even if what I construct is rejected by the masses I rose above the fear. That is something to be proud of.

My next step in my craftitude was to open an Etsy shop. Once again I was fearful. If I took the time to make products and design a shop, but generated no interest, I’d be pretty bummed out. Instead of succumbing to the fear, I have instead opted to launch my Etsy shop today. I promised myself that setting up the shop is a success in itself, and sales are icing on the cake. Be encouraged to try, even if you don’t think it will turn out perfect. Hide it under the bed, or blame it on the dog. But try again! Conquer any part of you that says “I can’t do that”.

Please visit my shop. The first 10 visitors will receive a special gift when they use the code: ILOVEFK. Add the item to your cart, enter your shipping address, choose OTHER for payment and use the code above in the message to seller.

Look at that- a post with some encouragement, and a free gift for the first ten visitors that use the code.

{happy dance}

Happy Friday.

Guest Post #4- Giveaway by Fingerprints on the Fridge

Rachelle needs no intro.

I adore her.

She has a gazillion readers.

And she just so happens to be my cross-country BFF.

I'm lucky like that.

You're lucky too, because she's offering my lovely readers one of her adorable jute monograms.

To enter:

1. Leave Rachelle a comment here telling her how awesome she is. ;)

2. Follow me and tell me that you do, or let me know if you already are a follower.

3. Follow Rachelle and leave a comment here letting me know.

4. Visit her Etsy shop and leave a comment here to let me know what you love there.

Happy Thursday.

Guest Post #3 By consider it pure JOY

let me introduce you to a mess
guest blogger. me? seriously. just the thought gives me the hives… and i had to stop and wonder what that was all about.


i thought i gave up worrying about what other people think about me when i was in middle school.
or maybe high school.
okay. college.
oh crap. i really never gave it up. really.


so… who am i?


christ follower. wife. mother. creator. explorer. procrastinator. leader. business owner. exercise avoider. dieter. laugher. mess.


that’s a quick look at me.


more than likely, you’re not old enough to remember stretch armstrong, the world’s dumbest toy.

but it does illustrate the way i feel right about now.

our business is in the process of taking off. in this economic climate, this is cause for huge celebration. seriously. i’m excited to see how things will look a year from now, because we have exploded with possibilities over the past six months (one of which is our new website, which is not going to be live for another week. so don’t judge too harshly based on what you see today).

new business partners. dramatic growth. long hours and mucho pressure.
oh, and did i mention… i work for my husband?
and have for over 15 years.
and we’re still married.
can i get an amen??
in the midst of all of this busyness, our kids returned home for the summer to eat, sleep and work until they resume their collegiate lives in chattanooga and tuscaloosa.
and now, as the summer winds down… the thrill (note the heavy sarcasm) of moving them both into their home/apartment… the same weekend.
{did i mention that it’s supposed to be 100-something in alabama this weekend? and pretty gosh-near-close-to-it in chattanooga too?
yay!
and by yay, i mean: ooooh! sweat pouring like a river down my back! whoo hoo!} I’m striving to still be a mother that loves well and is emotionally available and manages to remember that she has a family to feed even when she’s in meetings until 9 pm.
back to worrying about what others think of me…
uhhh. what a whiner.


i don’t want to be that person.


i want to be a positive person.


but the stresses of the responsibilities and requirements and my strong desire to be a good mom on top of the wife/employee/maid/chef/laundress duties can build until the levee of emotional restraint can’t. hold. one. more. minute.
and no one wants to be anywhere near when the emotional vomit splashes over…
least of all me. i hate vomit… in any way, shape or form.
i need some serious spiritual tums to settle my stomach … but most of all my heart.
…as i type this, i am hearing strains of “come to Jesus” by chris rice.



when we walk, sometimes we fall…


fall on Jesus… and live.


boy did i need that.


as much as i wanted you to meet the funny, witty, sometimes-sarcastic me… here i am.
a mess.
but a mess who knows how to lean on my King.


hope you’ll come back and visit me {although i can hear many of you running away, sreaming, in the opposite direction} and see that this mess knows how to laugh… how to love extravagantly… how to live abundantly…

Guest Post #2- Giveaway by Sweet November

Sara from Sweet November is offering my amazing entourage (ha!) a fabulous giveaway. This is the Poppy headband, and I am in love:

How to win this little lovely:

1. Leave a comment telling Sara how talented and wonderful she is. ;)

2. Follow me and leave me a comment to let me know (or tell me if you already are).

3. Follow Sara and leave a comment here telling me that you follow her.

4. Visit her shop and let her know in a comment here what tickles your fancy.

Winner will be announced when I am back from vacation and return to blogland.

Happy Tuesday.

Guest Post #1- Fancy Cat by Crazy is My Superpower

In February my love and I moved into a loft in Downtown Los Angeles. After all the pleasantries of moving, we became a family of 5. He brought along Scarlett and Cody, his 2 adorable/excitable English Cocker Spaniels and I brought along Lucy, my less-than-friendly-to-anyone-but-me, rescued feline. Needless to say, the transition was not pretty. For a while I feared that we would not make it out alive (it was not at all helpful that our ‘totally hip, cool, awesome, best place to live ever’, loft has no walls – so other than the bathtub, Lucy had no place to hide.). Time, turns out, has been on our side. My hopes and dreams of being one happy snuggly family are looking brighter with each passing week (for the record, I will settle for happy…snuggly might be a tad unrealistic). Here are the beasts in all their glory: Scarlett and Cody, posing for treats (hence the upward gaze) and Lucy Cat wondering what I am doing with the pile of junk on the dining table.

Now that Lucy is out of the bathroom, she has found her favorite spot atop some boxes of books that are still awaiting bookshelves. It is an ideal spot for her because the boxes are just high enough that the pups don’t bother. In anticipation of the arrival of said bookshelves, I have been searching for a sassy not-so-cat-bed-looking cat bed to replace her perch. In my search I stumbled upon this super creative and sass pet bed on Etsy, but it was not tall enough and it does not fit into my budget. So I decided that I would dig deep into my “I secretly want to have a show on HGTV” file and make it myself.
I already had a vintage suitcase (complete with tattered travel tags and luggage stickers) and found some old parts of a staircase railing at my favorite salvage yard  for $10 (do yourself a favor and go – it is a wonderland of things just waiting to made into something fabulous – Alejandro is the name of the owner and he is delightful!). I also happened to have an old “antiquing paint kit”, an extra pillow, some scrap wood, sand paper, drill and a super-cute unused shower curtain (not pictured). I was ready to go!

I started out working on the legs that will keep Lu a safe distance from the pups. I washed them off with soap and water, dried them and measured how tall I wanted them to be. When I asked my love if he had a saw, I was expecting an old school handsaw – clearly I was wrong, he busted out a serious power saw and insisted that he help (I was very appreciative). He helped me cut the legs and then I was ready to paint. The antiquing kit was older than I thought and therefore did not really cover the best, but I decided that I liked the distressed look and went with it.

While the legs were drying I took the suitcase apart at the hinges and placed the scrap wood (which I got cut at the Home Depot) in the bottom. This gave me a solid base to attach the legs to (another brilliant suggestion by my love – as you can tell, this was quickly becoming a group project.). Once the legs were dry and the wood secure we attached the legs with a drill and long screws.

Almost done…I made a basic pillowcase out of the cloth shower curtain that I had (sturdy and washable) and stuffed it with an old pillow. Pillow went in the suitcase and poof I had my sassy not-so-cat-bed-looking cat bed. I placed it over by the current box perch so that Lucy would be able to get used to it over the next week or so. I thought it needed one more fancy touch so I used an adorable bird tag from Mommy Holly, busted out the good old typewriter and made Lucy her own tag to go with the tattered ones on the suitcase. As of now she is not sure about the whole thing, but give her a few days and she will be hooked, I am sure of it! I am hoping to cut the legs down a bit more once she gets used to it and the dogs are a little less interested in her.

So there you have it…a fancy bed for a fancy cat! I can still picture our happy AND snuggly family (hey, a girl can hope, can’t she??). It has been so splendid to fill in for Fancy Kimmie today, thanks for reading! Feel free come visit me in my crazy world sometime…Happy Monday everyone!!!

Busy Blogger Blogging Badly.

Tomorrow I will be packing for our trip since I am in the process of searching for and/or washing every item on my list today.

This weeks' Fancy 4 Friday will be a little different...I say that every week don't I?

Do you guys even know what to expect here on Fridays?

No?

Awesome.

Last week for Fancy 4 Friday, Heather posted the link to my new favorite blog(ish). I posted it on my Facebook, and it nearly went viral. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this website, and it has enough going on that it filled up all fancy four spots for me this week. Go there. Now.

I'm skipping the linky this week simply because I literally have one minute to post and don't have time to be figuring out the linky deets.

If there was something you loved this week, leave me a comment and let me know.

Better yet, if there were four things you liked, tell me. Please. I haven't gotten online to see anything fun in my Google Reader this week, so if you came across something you think I'd like, I'd appreciate the tip.

I will be scheduling my guest bloggers and giveaways {woot!} tonight, and then I won't be visiting blogland again until the 14th.

I could definitely get online while we're on vacation, but I have had the worst.week.ever and sincerely need a very long time "unplugged".

Don't worry, I'll bring my camera and tell you all about my trip.

I've been working on something fancy this week:

I really, really, really want to add a few to my shop, so I need to get off of this darn computer and get some stuff done.

STAT.

While I'm gone, please leave comments for my guest bloggers. I have done a few guest posts, and it's a super duper crummy feeling to prepare for a post, come up with a topic, email it over to the blog owner, and then see absolutely nothing in return. Even if you just comment and say, "I read this. Me. This person right here. Your post has been READ." I promise you will make my guests feel better.

And get ready, because there are all kinds of fun things happening next week and the week after.

{happy dance}

Have a wonderful time without me, friends.

The Cost-Effective Way to Advertise...

write down your business information yourself.

(Yes, I blocked out their phone numbers, company name, and address. If you want to sell them an advertising package, you'll have to hunt them down on your own.)

My friend Yvonne posted this on her Facebook this morning, and I thought it was so funny that I had to share.

Off to find a Sharpie and that truck so they can advertise something fancy for me...

Kidding.

Happy Wednesday.

This Week Hates Me.

Did I say I needed guest posts for next week while I'm on vacation?

Yeah, I totally meant this week while I prepare for our first flight as a family & our mini vacation.

I'm also preparing for our house-sitter so that should something happen while we're gone, the police can not see strewn clothing and toys everywhere and assume our house-sitter is ransacking our home.

Cleaning. Packing. Painting. Organizing. Crafting.

Busy.

I'm almost finished with The Boy's bedroom makeover.

Who knows when you'll actually see proof.

And lately I have surrounded myself with these:

"Why, Kimmie, is that a photo of 32 pairs of children's underwear?" you ask.

Why yes, yes it is.

I will explain more on Friday.

Hopefully you'll be back to read more on Friday since I know I just freaked you out.

Awesome.

The rest of my day will be spent alongside my coffee maker as I try to accomplish 4,349 things before the end of the week.

Did I just link up to CSN?

I guess that means there will be another giveaway around here.

{CSN Preferred Blogger. Say what?}

More deets on that soon.

Happy Tuesday.