home projects galore

This past weekend was pretty crazy, messy, dusty, rainy, LOUD, and even a little bloody in the Dittman home. Yes, it's renovation time, and I am thrilled!

We are doing crown molding, higher/"prettier" baseboards, thicker door frames, chair rail, and a fresh coat of paint (red kitchen people!) And when I say "we" I mean Nick, and our dear friend Bryan (he's the one who knows what he's doing...praises) My job is to keep their tummy's full, pass nail guns/tape measures up the ladders, and bandage bloody fingers. Poor Nick even had a hammer fall right on his face! On the bridge of his nose! Holy ouchness! But, he looks totally tough now :)

As any home project goes, compromise is a must.



"Do you like this one, or this one?"

" Higher or lower?"

" Khaki? On these walls too? Then the WHOLE house will be that color!"

"I already know your gonna hate this, but here's my oppinion..."

Kristin: "Babe, we need a new bedspread." Nick: "The one we have is fine." Kristin: "Um, no it's not, there's a hole in it." Nick: "Who cares, it's fine."


Yes, this will take time...more to come. And I promise I will post pics soon. My camera has been broken forever, so hold tight.

KD

i heart my kitchen

For those of you who don't know...I LOVE to cook. Like it, love it, lerve it. I so enjoy trying out new recipe's and putting a new twist on a old tried and true favorite. I love curling up on the couch at night, and planning out my meals for the week. Food Network and I are BFF'S. It's truly become a passion of mine. My outlet, my happy place.

This has not always been the case.

When Nick and I first got married, I was thrilled to test out my "skills" in the kitchen. I just knew I would be Mrs. Betty Crocker, and that my new husband would lovingly rave about my fabulous meals...

What a dumb bride I was.

I had no clue what I was doing! Zero, zilch, nada! I made some pretty terrible meals in the first few months of our marriage. One night, I served Mountain Dew chicken...Yep, that's right folks, chicken marinated in Mountain Dew. Oh. My. Gosh. Gag me! And bless his heart, Nick choked it down, and said with a smile, "It's not that bad Kris." Then would secretly sneak out and get a cheeseburger at McDonalds. We ate a lot of sandwhich's and cereal for dinner that first year, a lot.

Goodness, this just makes me laugh now. Back then I was crying my eyes out! I wanted badly to master the art of cooking and baking. I wanted my husband to brag to all his friends what a fabulous chef he had at home. I was determined, man! The more I practiced and researched different methods and techniques, the better I became. I was down right proud when friends asked for my recipe. YESSSSSSSSSS!

Today, almost 5 years later, I am proud to say that I'm a pretty good cook, not to be confused with Giada De Laurentiis now, but I can hold my own. It fills me with such joy to entertain, and have dinner parties in our home. I love the smell of a roasted chicken baking away in the oven, or the sweet cinnamon goodness of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies cookies floating through our home. I heart my kitchen, so very much.

What are some of your favorite recipe's bloggers?

xoxo,
KD

happiness

I was watching Oprah last night (LOVE Ti vo), and she was doing a show on happiness.

www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Poll-Are-You-Happy

Weird, right? A poll on happiness? It kinda makes me sad to think about it. But none the less, I took the dang quiz. Just for fun.

I am considered happy :)

I think happiness is a choice. We choose to be happy, or miserable, and this world is filled with a lot of miserable people! I mean really, it takes more effort to be unhappy than happy. Here are a few things that have made me smile this week...

1.) My husband called me this morning, just to say "I love you"
2.) My Verizon bill is $4.00 less this month...hey, every little bit counts!
3.) I talked to my Grandpa on my way into work. He is having knee replacement surgery today. He told me he was standing "butt naked" in his bedroom talking on the phone.
4.) I got a free Grande coffee delivered to my desk this morning.
5.)I made banana pudding 3 nights ago, and ate almost the entire thing by myself.
6.) It's February, and that means yoga classes start at Balanced Therapy, LLC!
7.) Tuesday and Thursday are $1.99 happy meals at McDonalds. *Note: apple slices instead of fries kids...fight the urge!

What are some things that make you happy?

K.D.

A new day has come

Confession time...

I SUCK at blogging! I have not updated this deal since last year. My appologies friends. I will get better at this, cross my heart.

Well, Happy (late) New Year all! It is indeed a new year for the Dittman home, and I am deeply humbled and grateful. I love to see newness in all the beautiful area's of my life right now. So far, 2011 has brought...

* A new begining in my marriage. I have rediscovered what grace and mercy look like when they meet love and commitment. Awesome!

* I am going to be an Aunt!! Crazy huh? Chance and Rose are expecting, and I couldn't be more thrilled! He/she will be arriving later this year!

* My precious friends, Brian and Tana, welcomed their second baby girl Brianna Marie Roberts into the world on Jan 6. I cannot even begin to express how cool it is to see your best friend have a baby. It's the sweetest blessing, and Abbi is such a great big sister! I so look forward to my snuggle times with these two little ladies.

* Our home is getting a much needed facelift! Praises! We are getting crown molding & bigger base boards. This may seem like nothing to some of you...this is HUGE, and I promise not to complain over all the nailing, painting, caulking, ect...Promise! I'm a happy wife!

* Austin Taylor Williamson is graduating high school this year! I have never felt more old in my life :( I am one proud sister!

Revelation 21:5
"He who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said, 'Write this down, for these words are true and trustworthy."

A new day has come

spiced tea

Happy December 7th!

It's cold today.

And it was cold yesterday.

And it's going to be cold for the rest of the week! YEEEESSSSS!!! Ok, I know. We're in the 40's in FL while the rest of the US is already in the midst of sleet, and snow flurries. But I'm not complaining, I have very much enjoyed wearing my J Crew pea coat and boots. It feels like Christmas, and I am going to embrace every bit of it.

In honor of Christmas, and this amazing winter weather, I want to share with you my prized "Spiced Tea" recipe. It will warm you all over, and bring a sweet smile to your face. Now, this by no means is healthy, or all that good for you. Um, hello? 'Tis the season to throw all of that out the window. So drink up, and be merry.

Holiday Spiced Tea

1 C. Tang powdered drink mix
1 C. Lemonade powdered drink mix
1/2 C. Instant unsweetened tea
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cloves (ground)
1 handful of red hots

Feel free to tweak the recipe to your liking. Mix in a airtight container. Scoop 2 spoonfull's in a mug, and fill with boiling water. Stir and enjoy!

What's your favorite holiday treat?

KD

give thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!



So tomorrow is the big day! The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, the picture perfect ham & turkey, the endless sides, (laden with 1000's of calories) Grandma's homemade rolls, the pies, the laughter, friends and family gathering around a table to give thanks for the many blessings we are given. Just gives me chills.



My Mom always made Thanksgiving an "event" in our home. The table was beautifully set with her special china, and each setting had a little name tag. Each year, she would extend a invitation to anyone that didn't have a family, or place to spend Thanksgiving. We would then all take turns going around the table, and sharing what we were thankful for. It is one of my most treasured memories, and I will greatly miss that this year.



2010 has been a hard year for me. It's been a struggle to maintain a thankful heart in the midst of loss and pain. I got a healthy reminder of that last Sunday. I attended service at Grace Family Church with my Aunt Pat. Pastor Craig Altman delivered a great sermon titled "If Only I Had." "...Many times in our lives, we fail to see God's blessings. We say, 'If only I had...' and focus on what we want or think we need. Our happiness is completely based on our circumstances. By examining what causes our ungratefulness, and remembering what God has done for us, we can develop a grateful heart once again and rest in His perfect provision."



HELLO!



So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving. I shall count my blessings, name them one by one:



1.) I am thankful for my salvation. I am thankful that I have a God that loves me with a passionate, endless love. I am accepted in His eyes! PRAISES!



2.) I am thankful for my family, oh how I love and miss their faces!!



3.) I am thankful for my "extended family" in FL. That I have a place to spend Thanksgiving this year.



4.) I am thankful for awesome friendships. They love, encourage, strengthen and grow me! My girls rock!



5.) I am thankful for my job, that I am capable of working and supporting myself.



6.) I am thankful for my health, and that I have been spared so far from all this sickness mess floating around. Take your vitamins kids!



7.) I am thankful for my home. It's kind of a "war-zone" right now, but it holds a lot of sweet memories, and I treasure those.



8.) I am thankful for my bed. It's a cloud of comfort...nuff said!



9.) I am thankful for my rat terrier, Cowboy. He just makes me smile, and I can do no wrong in his eyes :)



10.) I am thankful for my french press. Makes me a sweet, alive person every morning.



What are your blessings Bloggies?



- KD

wounded

I love to read! LOVE IT! I recently read "Captivating" again by John and Stasi Eldredge. Dang, just amazing! Almost better the second time :)

I really love when someone shares something great with me, so today, I shall share a tid-bit with you. I pray it blesses you.

"Over the years we've come to see that the only thing more tragic than the things that have happened to us is what we have done with them.

Words were said, painful words. Things were done, awful things. And they shapped us. Something inside of us shifted. We embraced the messages of our wounds. We accepted a twisted view of ourselves. And from that we chose a way of relating to our world. We made a vow never to be in that place again. We adopted startegies to protect ourselves from being hurt again. A woman who is living out of a broken, wounded heart is a woman who is living a self protective life. She may not be aware of it, but it's true. It's our way of trying to "save ourselves."
We also developed ways of trying to get something of the love our hearts cried out for. The ache is there. Our desperate need for love and affirmation, our thirst for some taste of romance and adventure and beauty is there. So, we turned to boys, to food, to romance novels; we lost ourselves in our work, at church, or in some sort od a service. All this adds up to the women we are today. Much of what we call our "personalities" is actually the mosaic of our choices for self-protection plus our plan to get something of the love we were created for. The problem is our plan has nothing to do with God.
The wounds we recieved and the messages they brought formed a sort of unholy alliance with our fallen nature as women. From Eve we recieved a deep mistrust in the heart of God toward us. Clearly, he is holding out on us. We'll just have to arrange for the life we want. We will control our world. But there is also an ache deep within, an ache for intimacy and for life. We will have to find a way to fill it. A way that does not require us to trust anyone, especially God. A way that will not require vulnerability.
In some ways, this is every little girl's story, here in this world east of Eden.
But the wounds don't stop once we're grown up. Some of the most crippling and destructive wounds we recieve come much later in our lives. The wounds we have recieved over our lifetimes have not come to us in a vaccuum. There is, in fact, a theme to them, a pattern. The wounds you have recieved have come to you for a purpose from one who knows all you are meant to be and fears you".