It's true.
When asked what I want to be when I grow up, here's what I should start telling people rather than, "I don't know what I'm doing":
I want to be fairly self-sufficient. Growing up, I learned how to grow vegetables, raise livestock, and fish, thanks to my dad. I missed the boat on hunting because I'm not much of a deer hunter (honestly, growing up, I thought hunting was such a "guy" thing. My sisters both go hunting though, and they love it). This is going to sound stupid, but I think shooting a deer with a gun seems a little too easy. HA! I know all you hunters out there are going to jump all over me with that comment (because it's not true, it takes a LOT of patience and accuracy to take down a whitetail), but I would prefer to shoot a deer with a bow and arrow, Indian/Katniss style. A coyote or a muskrat or a bear with a gun, sure, but not a deer. It seems to be more of a challenge using the archery approach, and therefore, is more glamorous. It is on my bucket list to shoot a deer with a bow and arrow this fall, though. I envision myself nabbing my deer by riding on a horse like the Native Americans did in Dances with Wolves when they go buffalo hunting. Then, when my horse bucks me off, Kevin Costner can save me from getting charged by a buffalo...
I'm getting off track. Back to the self-sufficiency.
I would like to get better at sewing, baking (buns, especially), and canning before I have my own house, too. There's just something to be said about doing things yourself. When we were growing up, we'd sit down to supper with a plate that had a pork chop from our pigs, one of mom's homemade buns, and potatoes and green beans from our garden, and dad would always say, "I wonder what the rich people are eating tonight?" The milk was always from the Farmer's Store, though; Dad says if you're going to have one milk cow, you might as well have 15.
I want to have a family. I want to start new traditions with my kids and continue some of my favorites (especially ones at Christmas time, like cutting down the tree together) from my own childhood. I want to play kickball and Clue and teach em to swim the coulee and read Little House on the Prairie and fairy tales before bed. I want them to learn to love gopher hockey (that is the most important thing, you know!) I want to be that mom that drives around to the neighbors selling pizza and girl scout cookies, who never misses a single game, concert, or awards ceremony. I want to take them to Disney world, the Grand Canyon, and the Black Hills. I had an AWESOME childhood (for the most part) outside in the Midwest wind and sunshine, and I would love to give my kids one similar to it.
I want to be involved in my community, whether I live in Kittson or not. I want to serve on committees like both my parents do - my dad is on the South Red River township board (Noel quote #3 for this post: "We will never have women on the township board!"), the Kittson County fair board, and the Red River church board. Mom is on Soil and Water, and she is a manager of the Cornerstone Food Pantry, as well as being a Sunday school and confirmation teacher at Grace-Red River. Oh, and she leads our bible study group. #nbd
I love how, for example, the town of Cavalier, ND appears. Every time I go there, I marvel at all the small businesses. Main-street windows are covered with orange and black signs that say "Go Tornadoes!" It's just such a cute little place. I'm jealous - I want Hallock to be like that! Mom tells me they have a chamber of commerce that organizes events (like the wine walk) and happenings in their community. . .I could be good at that :)
So, that's what I want to be when I grow up. It doesn't seem too unreasonable, does it?
*****
My bible study group is learning about Jonah right now, and we are using Priscilla Shirer's member book to help us along the way. Last week, she asked what gifts God had endowed on us, what our skills are. I wrote that God made me a friendly, approachable, and a people-person. (FYI, only me and one other person wrote down what our gifts are. I was feeling a little self-absorbed during those "sharing" moments. Haha). While that's all well & good, I don't know yet how I am going to be able to utilize that in my career. My problem is that I like too many things. I have too many interests. I joke and say, "I can't help it that I am so good at so many things!" but sheesh.
I kind of think I'd make a good teacher. Summers off?! Schwing! Haha, just kidding. When I was a senior in high school, my speech class organized Dr. Seuss day, and after I made a presentation (on how to create flubber, I believe), several faculty members approached me and said I was a natural at the front of the classroom. Now, it's just to decide exactly WHAT I should be teaching. I think I would enjoy preschool to 3rd grade, and then high school. I have enough swimming lessons under my belt to convince me that my patience would wear thin quickly if I was dealing with a bunch of middle schoolers on a daily basis. I am planning to attend UMC this fall (I go sign up for classes June 20th) and have declared an Early Childhood Education major. However, I have checked the requirements for other Ed majors, and they all call for basically the same classes (Educational Psychology, Intro to Education, etc.) so I figure that if I decide I want to major in another education field, I can (without wasting too much time + money). I still think it would be kind of fun to be a Home Ec teacher, but NDSU is SO BIG. I think I'll fit in well at UMC - small classes, and close-to-home (and if you know me even a little bit, you know I love home).
Love,
Kalli
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
tomatoes + peppers
Hi everyone!
My little sister came home from her first year of college for the summer last week, with a 4.0 no less! On Friday, we finished planting the tomato and pepper plants. We planted a variety: romas, park's whopper improved CRs, better boys, habanero reds, orange blazes, and lady bells!
And, of course, I told her she could be on the blog if she helped me take pictures of it. Also, you know those little labels that come with plants from the greenhouse that tell you what variety they are? She went dumpster diving for me to find them. Thank you, sister.
We planted a LOT more tomato and pepper plants this year than we have in past years (this is because I'm planning on learning how to can salsa this year!), which means we needed more coffee cans. So, half of the morning was spent hunting for these gems and then using mom's can opener to take the bottoms off. I'm pretty sure that we owe mom a new can opener...sorry, mom.
Here's me hoeing holes for Beav to put the plants in.
Bailey planting a tomato plant...you see that little flesh-colored blur at the bottom of the photo? Yeah, I can't take pics with a blackberry, evidently.
Bahaha, okay, obviously, we don't have the straight-row thing down. Dad is so proud. It looks awful. Whatever. Perfectly imperfect.
Along those same lines, a few Mays ago, Bailey and I were sent out to plant the last row of corn. We wanted to hurry up and be done with it, so she started on one end, and I started on the other, and we met in the middle. And also, I planted on the west side of the string dad so lovingly set up for us, and Beav planted on the east side.
Again, perfectly imperfect. The vegetables taste the same whether they're grown in straight rows or not, right?
The onions that were planted on the 7th were up on the 17th! #rainisagoodthing #rainisagoodthing, right? Not so much, wish my dad could finish planting his soybeans! Isn't it funny that last summer was so stinking hot and we all prayed for this glorious rain? Just getting it on God's terms, I suppose.
After planting, Russell came with us on a little Ranger ride...he loves it. Bailey, not so much. His butt was in her face the whole time.
Love,
Kalli
My little sister came home from her first year of college for the summer last week, with a 4.0 no less! On Friday, we finished planting the tomato and pepper plants. We planted a variety: romas, park's whopper improved CRs, better boys, habanero reds, orange blazes, and lady bells!
And, of course, I told her she could be on the blog if she helped me take pictures of it. Also, you know those little labels that come with plants from the greenhouse that tell you what variety they are? She went dumpster diving for me to find them. Thank you, sister.
We planted a LOT more tomato and pepper plants this year than we have in past years (this is because I'm planning on learning how to can salsa this year!), which means we needed more coffee cans. So, half of the morning was spent hunting for these gems and then using mom's can opener to take the bottoms off. I'm pretty sure that we owe mom a new can opener...sorry, mom.
Here's me hoeing holes for Beav to put the plants in.
Bailey planting a tomato plant...you see that little flesh-colored blur at the bottom of the photo? Yeah, I can't take pics with a blackberry, evidently.
Bahaha, okay, obviously, we don't have the straight-row thing down. Dad is so proud. It looks awful. Whatever. Perfectly imperfect.
Along those same lines, a few Mays ago, Bailey and I were sent out to plant the last row of corn. We wanted to hurry up and be done with it, so she started on one end, and I started on the other, and we met in the middle. And also, I planted on the west side of the string dad so lovingly set up for us, and Beav planted on the east side.
Again, perfectly imperfect. The vegetables taste the same whether they're grown in straight rows or not, right?
The onions that were planted on the 7th were up on the 17th! #rainisagoodthing #rainisagoodthing, right? Not so much, wish my dad could finish planting his soybeans! Isn't it funny that last summer was so stinking hot and we all prayed for this glorious rain? Just getting it on God's terms, I suppose.
After planting, Russell came with us on a little Ranger ride...he loves it. Bailey, not so much. His butt was in her face the whole time.
Love,
Kalli
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
diabetes + working out
Recently, I decided I needed to make exercising more of a priority in my life. It's a little embarrassing to admit that this is partially because I saw that commercial that says "a body in motion tends to stay in motion, while a body at rest tends to stay at rest." You know, the one that features elderly people. I think it's for some kind of medication. Anyways, I figure that getting fit and in shape now is going to help me in the long run - like being able to bounce back after having a baby, or being able to chase my grand kids around. Things like that.
One thing (basically the only thing) I really like about the omnipod pump is that I can suspend my insulin delivery while I'm exercising. It not only helps me by not having to have a snack before I exercise to prevent a low blood sugar, but also to not have to correct one later when I'm not TRULY hungry. Because doesn't having a snack beforehand (or afterward) kind of defeat the whole purpose of working out? One of the biggest struggles I have with losing weight is having an awesome workout in the morning and then going out that night thinking I can have as much beer and pizza as I want because "I worked out today."
No no.
And to me, having to eat to correct my blood sugar is no different.
For those of you wondering about the pump, it HAS gotten better. I haven't had any occlusions or "pod errors" for awhile now. I just feel like I knew I would when the doctors first started encouraging me to try it: I don't want something as important as insulin hanging off me all the time. It just feels in the way, like I'm literally wearing a spare pancreas on the outside of my body. It's a constant reminder that I AM different from everyone else, and I've never felt that way before. I don't care for that feeling much.
I go to the doctor next month (a new one, so I'm a little nervous) and I'll give you all an update on how that goes then.
Peace out.
Love,
Kalli
One thing (basically the only thing) I really like about the omnipod pump is that I can suspend my insulin delivery while I'm exercising. It not only helps me by not having to have a snack before I exercise to prevent a low blood sugar, but also to not have to correct one later when I'm not TRULY hungry. Because doesn't having a snack beforehand (or afterward) kind of defeat the whole purpose of working out? One of the biggest struggles I have with losing weight is having an awesome workout in the morning and then going out that night thinking I can have as much beer and pizza as I want because "I worked out today."
No no.
And to me, having to eat to correct my blood sugar is no different.
For those of you wondering about the pump, it HAS gotten better. I haven't had any occlusions or "pod errors" for awhile now. I just feel like I knew I would when the doctors first started encouraging me to try it: I don't want something as important as insulin hanging off me all the time. It just feels in the way, like I'm literally wearing a spare pancreas on the outside of my body. It's a constant reminder that I AM different from everyone else, and I've never felt that way before. I don't care for that feeling much.
I go to the doctor next month (a new one, so I'm a little nervous) and I'll give you all an update on how that goes then.
Peace out.
Love,
Kalli
Monday, May 13, 2013
my first diy canvas painting | happy mother's day, mom!
I tried my hand at some canvas painting this week. It turned out...okay. It sort of looks like a Kindergartner did it, but I like that it's imperfect!
Plus, it was for my mom. Obviously she loves it just because I made it for her. Just like when I used to pick her "flowers" (dandelions) and she'd stick em in a mason jar and proudly display them on her window sill.
She's a good mom.
With 6 of us living in one house, my mother spends about half her week doing laundry. Like, that is not an exaggeration at all. And she loves that it is now warm enough for her to hang clothes on the line. I love this too -- the laundry just has a special smell to it when it is hung to dry outside, don't you think?
So when I saw this (on Pinterest, of course) I derived a little inspiration to make my mom this sign for her laundry room. The link will take you to a free printable of the quote if you prefer to go that route with this project; it could be modgepodged to a canvas easily. Not I. Have to do things the complicated, loving way, dontchaknow.
Materials used:
Artist's Loft Canvas (white)
Krylon Interior/Exterior Paint (Blue Ocean Breeze)
Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint (Wedding Cake, Habanero, Green Curry)
Martha Stewart Crafts brushes (I couldn't find a link to the exact brushes, but here's a variety of them)
Pencil
Push pins
The process for this was fairly simple -- I used the push pins to hold the canvas off of the cardboard when I was spray painting to prevent it from sticking to the ground, but that didn't really matter as I chose to leave the edges white anyway. I let that dry for a day, and then I traced out my words with a pencil before I painted. What's really sad is that I had to practice my cursive quite a bit before this project -- I NEVER use cursive anymore! I would use it if it looked more elegant, but mine is so sloppy. After that, I just painted the words and WAHLAH, here's the finished product:
I chose those colors because they're mom's favorites. I think it's a cheerful little sign!
Other than that, I would just like to say a few words about my mother. I've never met someone so beautiful. I wonder if everyone feels this way about their own mothers? I literally believe she is the most gorgeous person on the face of this earth. She's reading this right now shaking her head, but it's true. I wish I could come up with more words to describe how amazing my mom is. I feel like Laura in that episode of Little House on the Prairie where she had to write an essay for school and it could be any topic she wanted. She chose to write about her Ma, but she couldn't get the words out on the paper. Like, she wrote down, "Ma is so good. She is pretty. She washes clothes and cooks." Or something like along those lines. She wound up giving a fabulous speech, but it wasn't what she had written down. I can't describe to you how much my mom means to me on this little blog. I am at a complete writer's block. But, I can tell you she is loving. She is kind. She is beautiful, on the inside, and on the outside. And even though she sometimes pisses me off when I know I'm wrong and she's right, I always know that she has my best interests at heart. I hope someday I can be HALF the mom she is. I love you, mom; you mean the world to me.
Love,
Kalli
Plus, it was for my mom. Obviously she loves it just because I made it for her. Just like when I used to pick her "flowers" (dandelions) and she'd stick em in a mason jar and proudly display them on her window sill.
She's a good mom.
With 6 of us living in one house, my mother spends about half her week doing laundry. Like, that is not an exaggeration at all. And she loves that it is now warm enough for her to hang clothes on the line. I love this too -- the laundry just has a special smell to it when it is hung to dry outside, don't you think?
So when I saw this (on Pinterest, of course) I derived a little inspiration to make my mom this sign for her laundry room. The link will take you to a free printable of the quote if you prefer to go that route with this project; it could be modgepodged to a canvas easily. Not I. Have to do things the complicated, loving way, dontchaknow.
Artist's Loft Canvas (white)
Krylon Interior/Exterior Paint (Blue Ocean Breeze)
Martha Stewart Crafts Multi-Surface Satin Acrylic Paint (Wedding Cake, Habanero, Green Curry)
Martha Stewart Crafts brushes (I couldn't find a link to the exact brushes, but here's a variety of them)
Pencil
Push pins
The process for this was fairly simple -- I used the push pins to hold the canvas off of the cardboard when I was spray painting to prevent it from sticking to the ground, but that didn't really matter as I chose to leave the edges white anyway. I let that dry for a day, and then I traced out my words with a pencil before I painted. What's really sad is that I had to practice my cursive quite a bit before this project -- I NEVER use cursive anymore! I would use it if it looked more elegant, but mine is so sloppy. After that, I just painted the words and WAHLAH, here's the finished product:
I chose those colors because they're mom's favorites. I think it's a cheerful little sign!
Other than that, I would just like to say a few words about my mother. I've never met someone so beautiful. I wonder if everyone feels this way about their own mothers? I literally believe she is the most gorgeous person on the face of this earth. She's reading this right now shaking her head, but it's true. I wish I could come up with more words to describe how amazing my mom is. I feel like Laura in that episode of Little House on the Prairie where she had to write an essay for school and it could be any topic she wanted. She chose to write about her Ma, but she couldn't get the words out on the paper. Like, she wrote down, "Ma is so good. She is pretty. She washes clothes and cooks." Or something like along those lines. She wound up giving a fabulous speech, but it wasn't what she had written down. I can't describe to you how much my mom means to me on this little blog. I am at a complete writer's block. But, I can tell you she is loving. She is kind. She is beautiful, on the inside, and on the outside. And even though she sometimes pisses me off when I know I'm wrong and she's right, I always know that she has my best interests at heart. I hope someday I can be HALF the mom she is. I love you, mom; you mean the world to me.
Love,
Kalli
Friday, May 10, 2013
this week through (mostly) instagram | spring edition
Hey, friends!
Well, it finally started warming up around Kittson this week! Don't you love how it says "Kittson" on my weather app and not just "Hallock" (or "Kennedy" or "Drayton", depending on what floor of my house I'm on)? With this warmer weather, I've definitely got summer on the mind. Clearly, with my mind elsewhere, this post is going to be very random and probably somewhat disorganized. Bear with me! Here's what I've been up to this week:
On Sunday, I went down to Grand Forks to celebrate Springfest with these girls. I never actually made it to Springfest, however. Whoops.
I did some online sandal shopping at maurices on Monday...soooo sick of wearing boots. Can't wait for Dario to drop these babies off!
Katie sent some of her mom's homemade salsa with Cody, and I'm pretty sure it's helped me to eat 5 salads this week.
My bible study group started this on Wednesday!
I went to Bryden and Jadyn's baseball games in Kennedy on Thursday. Sad to think it was one of the first ones they had this season, and school will be out in less than 2 weeks!
Annnnd...I promised myself I'd start C25K as soon as it was warm enough to run outside. Clearly I am feeling ill and have a case of spring fever, right? I have an app on my phone that hooks up to my music, so that's neat!
Other than that, I have been asked to help out at the golf course a little bit this summer! I'm excited; I've always thought it would be fun to work there. Oh, and dad and I started planting the garden on Tuesday! I've decided he has got to have a lot of patience hidden in him somewhere; he doesn't seem antsy about not being in the field yet! He is hoping to start this weekend; we'll see if the weather'll cooperate!
Love,
Kalli
Well, it finally started warming up around Kittson this week! Don't you love how it says "Kittson" on my weather app and not just "Hallock" (or "Kennedy" or "Drayton", depending on what floor of my house I'm on)? With this warmer weather, I've definitely got summer on the mind. Clearly, with my mind elsewhere, this post is going to be very random and probably somewhat disorganized. Bear with me! Here's what I've been up to this week:
On Sunday, I went down to Grand Forks to celebrate Springfest with these girls. I never actually made it to Springfest, however. Whoops.
I did some online sandal shopping at maurices on Monday...soooo sick of wearing boots. Can't wait for Dario to drop these babies off!
Katie sent some of her mom's homemade salsa with Cody, and I'm pretty sure it's helped me to eat 5 salads this week.
My bible study group started this on Wednesday!
I went to Bryden and Jadyn's baseball games in Kennedy on Thursday. Sad to think it was one of the first ones they had this season, and school will be out in less than 2 weeks!
Annnnd...I promised myself I'd start C25K as soon as it was warm enough to run outside. Clearly I am feeling ill and have a case of spring fever, right? I have an app on my phone that hooks up to my music, so that's neat!
Other than that, I have been asked to help out at the golf course a little bit this summer! I'm excited; I've always thought it would be fun to work there. Oh, and dad and I started planting the garden on Tuesday! I've decided he has got to have a lot of patience hidden in him somewhere; he doesn't seem antsy about not being in the field yet! He is hoping to start this weekend; we'll see if the weather'll cooperate!
Love,
Kalli
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