another wreath

i made a couple wreaths for christmas this year...this one in particular is one that i made for my grandma...i knew she would love it, and she did. i think i even saw some tears :) these wreaths are so super easy and fun to make...i can't wait to see mine in paper trends...only a couple months away! how exciting!
well, keith got in late last night to florida...but it wasn't without stress, cause his flight was late getting into charlotte, which meant he had to sprint to his next flight...luckily they waited for him to get there, otherwise he would have had to wait until morning for the next flight, as that was the last one to fly out! oh yah, friends, if you're interested in visiting us in sunny florida, you can get on southwest right now and book a flight for $59!! that's one way, but super cheap! i think you can fly till the end of april or something...so, come on out...we'll have plenty of room in our new townhome! we signed the lease today so it's official! it's a 5 bedroom townhome...which we don't need 5 bedrooms, but for the price and location, we took it! so, i was going to make one of the rooms into my scrap room, but after being there today, we switched things around, and the master bedroom (which is actually on the lower level) will become the guest room, and we will take the biggest room upstairs and one side will be for my scrap stuff. i'm happy...i get a new area, and a new desk and some new shelves...i'm excited!! and it's nice for when we have guests, cause they are downstairs, in the back of the house, with their own bathroom...and we don't have to feel like our kids are bothering them at night or anything...i mean, it's rare for our kids to all sleep through the night...one of them always needs a drink, or to go potty, or whatever, so we figured it would be best to be upstairs with them. i really am just so excited for all of this! it's happening in 2 weeks...can you believe that???
on that note...keith will probably kill me for putting this on my blog, but i was so moved when i read this, that i just had to share. this is his "farewell address" as he called it, to all of his co-workers. basically, an email he sent to them, on his last day...i was blown away when i read it:
"With today being my last I wanted to convey my deep gratitude in working alongside with each one of you. It has been a pleasure getting to know many of you over the years. Life seems like a revolving door many times with people coming and going during our lifetime. And it has come to a point where I'll be leaving StateStreet and may not see many of you ever again. I was up at a ridiculous time this morning, with the help of Caedmon(the 3-year old), and it was really put in my mind to write what I needed to say today. So being way to early to do anything else, I listened. Working with all of you over the past 4+ years has been a great experience for me. Some of you I have known longer than others, but my hope is that each one of you was encouraged, and not discouraged, in our interactions with each other. My purpose at StateStreet was much greater than getting the job done each day or getting along with co-workers, but rather to point to someone greater than I. Many of you know who I am and what I represent and my only hope is that my actions, work & knowledge were seen as representative of my belief. My purpose has brought me and my family to Orlando for a new adventure. My hope is that each one of you would take time to reflect and find purpose in your life as you continue down it's path. May each one of you aspire to great things this coming year! Thanks for working alongside me. Off to the sunshine! "
ummm....yah, the tears were flowing from my eyes when i read this. i am married to a good man. he told me later that he felt God telling him that he needed to write this...and so he obeyed...he just knew that his time at state street wouldn't mean much if people weren't absolutely sure of his faith. he is such an encouragement in my life...he is always striving to be closer to our Lord. seriously, i love that man.
well, have a great night and thanks for stopping by :) we'll be flying home tomorrow...pray for safe & timely travels! thanks all :)

84 degrees

hi all! i've been a bad blogger :( but, i'm back (at least for a short time)...my mom, milo and i are in florida right now, hunting for a place to live and the good news is...we've found one! the exact one that i wanted, was still available, so we went ahead and decided on it...it's perfect for us, and the best part about it is that when we look out our back door, "campus crusade for christ international" is right there! keith's job is right there!!! i'm so stoked! we are used to keith driving 45 minutes back and forth to work everyday, and now he's so close, he could walk! it's such an answer to prayer...God is so faithful when we trust in Him.

keith's flight gets into orlando in about 3 hours, so i'm definitely excited to see him...and to show him the place tomorrow! i know he'll love it! it's been fun to get to explore this city today...it's completely different from what i'm used to. the high today was 84*...we left kansas with snow on the ground (and i heard you all got more last night)...and came into 80* weather. the place where we'll live has a community pool in it, and people were swimming today!! can you believe that?? well, if you live in florida, than you can believe it, but it's just so crazy for me to see! i can hardly believe that we are going to be living here...all i know is kansas...that's all i've ever known! it's such an exciting adventure! we drove up to crusade's headquarters today, and looked around. if you have never been there, they are just about the most beautiful buildings i've ever seen...i got major butterflies in my stomach when we were there...i'm just so excited for keith. this is his dream job!! i know he's going to love it, and i have no doubt that this is where we are supposed to be right now...we have been praying (along with a lot of other people) about his job situation for so long now...it's such an answer to prayer :) is this all really happening?? pinch me :) well, not really.

i'm glad to have found our home...i miss caedmon and hadley terribly (why is that, cause they drive me crazy when i'm around them :) )...i can't wait to get back to kansas and see them...and give them the biggest hugs :)

well, i'm off to shower and get ready for bed...i didn't get very good sleep last night, so i'm hoping to make up for it tonight! g-night!

christmas card

merry christmas!

love, the anderson crew!

the nativity story

keith and i rented "the nativity story" last night. it was by far one of the best movies i have ever seen! have you seen it? if not, i highly recommend it...and try to watch it in this season. you'll have a new found appreciation for christ's amazing birth. i mean, can you imagine? how scared mary must have been, when an angel told her she would conceive God's son...how much faith it took for her to trust. she was so young (some say 13 or 14 years old)...and she was pregnant with God's son. what a responsibility she must have felt. what if she didn't raise him the way God wanted...what if she couldn't be a good mother for him. all those questions must have been racing through her mind. and then to have to tell joseph, the man you are supposed to marry, that you are pregnant and it's not his baby, but it's God's baby. yah, can you say crazy? i bet joseph was thinking "do i really want to marry this girl?" but what blows me away even more is the way joseph took this girl and cared for her. he could have easily accused her, which would have then led to her death by stoning, but instead, he chose to believe her, and care for her and this baby, who was not even his. he took mary to bethlehem (a hundred mile walk)...he walked the whole way, pulling a donkey behind him, that was carrying mary. i just love that. joseph believed mary, that she was carrying God's son, and he stood by her (even though everyone in the town disliked them now). he knew that this woman was to be his wife, and through good times and bad, he would stick by her. and that is exactly what he did. it's a beautiful representation of how marriage is supposed to be. about how marriage is not about feelings, but about actions. joseph may not have wanted to care for mary the way he did, but he knew he was supposed to, and from that, bloomed a beautiful love. and mary could trust this man to stay by her side and take care of her and this unborn child. i was overcome with emotion by watching this movie. what a great reminder of what this holiday is really about. it's not about the magic of santa, or presents...it's about the birth of a beautiful baby, in a stable, a long time ago...to 2 young, scared parents, who trusted the Lord with all that was in them.

again, if you haven't seen this movie, go see it! buy it! i'm so glad we bought it...it's one that our whole family can watch. and i think we are going to start a tradition where we watch it on christmas eve or christmas day every year.

we hope you all have a very merry christmas!!

sweet sixteen

i had the rare opportunity to take some pictures of my 16 (soon to be 17) year old sister...yes, sister. we look nothing alike, but alas, we are related! i love how these pictures of her turned out...her eyes stand out and are just stunning, huh?

could hannah be any cuter??? anywho, the next pic is of me, my mom and hannah! i had fun taking pictures of hannah (i also took some stellar pics of my mom, her husband, doug, and hannah all together...they were awesome!) thanks for being such beautiful subjects guys!!

siblings

brotherly love...

and then brother, sister "love" as we like to call it...right after hadley slapped him on the face.

they really do love each other :)

no more monkeys jumpin' on the bed...

allyson needed a quick shot of her family having fun and jumping on their bed, for their christmas cards...so i helped her (even though i was very nervous the whole time! she's an awesome photographer...so, i really wanted to make sure i got what she wanted :) ) when i was taking the pictures, i ended up doing the EXACT thing that i hate when photographers do to me...just standing there, asking them how they want the photo, rather than getting right in there and snapping away. so sorry for being so lame allyson, blame the nerves! anyways, the picture on their christmas card, really inspired me to take pics of my kids having fun and jumping on the bed. they love to play on mommy and daddy's bed (probably because it's soooo comfy and big!!) so, while they were doing it today, i snapped some pictures...i LOVE them! i'm so glad for the inspiration...thanks cheney ;) i can't wait to scrapbook these...if i ever find the time...ugh!
speaking of time...i had the whole day to myself (and milo) yesterday! for christmas, my friend jenn wanted to give some of her friends a "day to themselves"...and it was EXACTLY what i needed! i spent the day finishing up my christmas shopping, wrapping presents and reading the new CK issue...i saw it on the stands at hobby lobby, complete with elizabeth kartchner on it...and so, i couldn't resist, and i bought it and enjoyed every minute of my peace and quiet, reading the mag. AND, i've been complaining the past couple days cause i still hadn't received my demo copy of the new su! catty...even though everyone and their brother had already received theirs days earlier...i was about to call su! and give them a piece of my mind, when i found out that it had been sent to my dad's house...little ol' me forgot that i changed the address in my profile to my dad's address, just in case anything was sent after we moved. ooops, yah, my fault! and i must say...i have heard that people haven't been very impressed with this fatty catty, but i love it! the cover/colors are the best that i've ever seen su! put out...i think it's just a beauty! i can't wait to sit down and check out all the ideas in it! alright, gotta run and try to rest while the kids are enjoying a movie...i feel a cold coming on...ugh...not again. can this house ever be completely and totally sick free??? anywho...have a good day!

busy weekend!

well, it's been a busy couple of days! as you can see from the pictures, we got snow!! my wish came true :) i really wanted to be able to play in the snow at least one more time before we leave for warm and sunny florida and it happened! and i don't need to ever play in it again...it was bitter cold, with the wind blowing in our faces, and the snow falling. and of course, the amount of time it took to get all the kids bundled up was about the same amount of time that we spent outside! we went with our good friends, the cheneys...thank goodness allyson took some pictures...otherwise, our last sledding experience would not have been documented! thanks cheney! as you can see in this picture...caedmon and hadley had a blast going down the hill...that is until...

...hadley fell off the sled, face first...ouch! and would somebody please get the girl a kleenex??

i even went down the hill a couple times...seriously, sledding is fun!! it's been YEARS since i've been on a sled, so i had a blast too! when we were driving home keith said "i didn't even get to sled"...he was so busy helping kids and holding the baby that we forgot to send him down the hill too! bummer...and i'm sorry babe! maybe there will be a fluke snowstorm in florida and i promise you can sled then!

here is milo...he hated the cold...the wind on his face was overwhelming for him...he just cried until he finally fell asleep! yah, it was cold...but lots of fun! and i'm so glad we got to go...especially for the kids!

that night, we tried to get a date together with some of our friends, but all of us failed at finding babysitters, so what's the next best thing to do when no one can find a sitter? you guessed it, go to chuck E. cheese. so that's what we did. and i never need to go there again as well. places like that stress me out. i know that the kids can't get out the door because they stamp your hand, but i constantly feel the need to keep my eye on the kids and when i can't see one of them, i freak. and then i get frustrated with keith cause i feel like he's not watching them. ugh. never again.
today we had a family christmas party...my cousin, connie, works at a scrapbooking company and so she had a surprise for me and another cousin...free scrapping goodies!! organizers, totes, paper, punches...you name it, she had it! it was like christmas, my birthday and mothers day combined!! thanks connie...i'm so excited to use my goodies!!
well, i am on the house hunt for homes in florida...looking online for a home is tough...very tough. but i know that it will work out...and i'm trying to get all the moving stuff figured out too. ugh again. i am seriously on the internet all day long these days...looking for homes...contacting people about homes...working on moving stuff. i know the kids are feeling the lack of attention, and so they choose to fight with each other...which then frustrates me, cause i just want to do all of this stuff in peace and quiet. it's annoying when you have to hang up with a realtor or someone because your kids are screaming at each other in the background and you can't hear anything. on friday, my stepmom came and took the kids for a couple hours so i could work in a little peace...thanks michelle! and i'm so excited for tuesday cause my friend, jenn, is taking the kids from 9-4!!! that is her christmas present to me (and a couple other gals) and i'm telling ya, there is really nothing i need more right now, so thanks a ton jenn!
well, i'm not quite sure how much crafting i will get done from now until we get to florida...i had to take my craft table back to my dad's house today (they needed it so people could eat off of it)...and it's their table anyways, so we just left it there. so now my stuff is strewn all over the basement...there's just no organization to it, not to mention i don't have a hard surface to work on down there...so, we'll see...but this may just be a family blog until i can start crafting again! sorry if you come to my blog to see my crafty stuff...i'll try my hardest to create something (for my sanity as well) but it's just not high on my priority list right now. we'll see!
gotta run and spend some time with the husband!

random facts

i was tagged by the fab elizabeth kartchner to post 7 random things about me (that you may or may not know)...so here ya go:
1) i can recite almost every line of nacho libre...and so can my 3 year old son.
2) i still sleep with a stuffed animal named "blankie bear"...he used to be my blankie (that i've had since i was a baby)...but my mama had someone turn him into a bear for me...when she thought i was too old to still have a blankie. (i mean, i was in high school). i can't go anywhere without him. and sometimes, caedmon tries to take him from my bed and sleep with him, and i have to steal him back after he falls asleep.
3) no matter the temperature, i have to have my feet sticking out of the covers when i sleep...i absolutely cannot sleep with them under the blankets!
4) i jam out to hip hop music when i'm driving in the car by myself (and sometimes when the kids are in there too).
5) i once got a concussion when i was surfing...i fell off the board and it came back and knocked me in between the eyes!
6) every day at nap time, the first thing i do is eat a huge, heaping, spoonful of peanut butter...my kids are allergic to peanuts, so i can't really eat it around them, so i wait till there sleeping and enjoy my PB in peace.
7) this makes me laugh the hardest, but in high school, i was a varsity cheerleader! ha! go tigers :)

and now, since this is an anderson blog, i thought it would be fun to have keith post 7 random facts about himself:

1) emily was the first girlfriend i ever had.
2) i am a northern california boy, living in the midwest.
3) i like to watch the gilmore girls...it's pretty much my favorite show.
4) my dream would be to rent an RV and travel cross country with my wife when we're 60 years old.
5) i've had a partially collapsed lung, but still went to my prom just a few days later.
6) i wish i was bear grylls (man vs. wild). yah, all the ladies would dig me for sure.
7) i think i'm cool.

okay, so now i have to tag more people to do the same thing SO: Allison, Jenn W, Jeanna, Allyson, Melissa, Carly, Toni & Brooke...go for it!

just some random thoughts

so i got to talking with some girlfriends tonight...about blogging and such...and something they made note of is how they don't like the blogging world and they don't want to get caught up in it because they think it can be an artificial world. now, i completely 100% understand that. some people have their blogs so that other people look at their blogs and think "man, i wish i was her"...we as woman are so friggin' competitive and judgemental about anything and everything, that why wouldn't blogging fall under that category too? and that just plain stinks. i never had any intention of starting this blog so that people would be jealous, or that people would think "she's a better mom/crafter/wife/whatever than me." because for real, why would you think that? i am so far from perfect (along with everybody else) and i just want to make sure everyone out there knows that. yah, i may not post all the horrible things that happen during my day, but believe me, they happen...daily...sometimes hourly. (i would seriously bore you with that!) now, i have to clarify that my friends were not saying that they felt like my blog was fake, but occasionally they visit other blogs and their minds just start reeling...and believe me, i've done the same thing. sometimes there are just some blogs that i can't even go on, cause i know where my brain is that day, and it just wouldn't be good for me. i would start thinking "man, she's so much better than me"...stop!! that is not what this is about...for me, this is about being able to 1) post my creativity...and not really for all of you, but mainly for me (and hopefully my kids will see it one day and think i'm cool :) ) & 2) to keep out of town family up to date with what's happening in the anderson fam. so, i beg of you...if you are blog surfing and you start admiring/become jealous/think the person's perfect...just seriously stop and click the X button and close the computer. the devil will use this tool as much as he can to get in our heads and have us start believing the lies. and if you are a blogger...just be real on your posts. i would much rather know that you had a bad day, just like i did that day...than get a "oh, life is great" post. ya know? i dunno, i am just so grateful that there is such a thing as a blog...especially now that we are moving cross country. it will be a tremendous blessing to my friends and family once we move. so, i'm done rambling, and i guess if you've read it this far...thanks for listening...long live real bloggers!