I FINALLY Started 'Fueling'

As I've shared before, my husband and I are in the midst of yet another DIY house project.  When we bought our house about 8 1/2 years ago we didn't finish the basement and also settled on some of the quality on flooring, doors, trim etc.  Don't get me wrong, it worked out great but over the last few years we've been remodeling and finishing the house the way we want it.

Our latest project has been the basement.  We're finishing our large entertainment area, as well as, my craft room.  There's a lot of things I can't help with but UNFORTUNATELY I can help with painting.

My dear husband had me on a ladder AND painting this weekend.  Two things that I strongly dislike, but if it gives him more time to do the tough stuff, then I guess I'll get after it!  We'll call this task a success as I didn't fall off the ladder and neither did the paint!

It can be such a challenge to balance our time on the weekend.  We try to keep working on these projects, but the time with our kids is so precious too.  I love how Joshua randomly took a few minutes to teach the kids how to build paper airplanes (or jets as Jayce calls them).

I also had a 9 mile run on the agenda for the weekend too (while also trying to fight a cold).  I almost slept in and scratched the run, but I remembered how I posted on my Facebook page that I had this run on the agenda.  It's amazing what a little accountability will do.  I knew that due to all the work around the house on Saturday and fighting off a cold that having the energy was going to be a challenge.

I finally decided to try some 'fuel' during my run.  I've read so many things about gels, honey, beans, etc. that runners/athletes use to fuel their bodies while doing a long run or intense workout.  I have such an incredibly sensitive stomach that I've always been afraid to try anything.  Simple math of a long run (empty stomach and burning 1,000-1,800 calories) has made me realize that I've been depleting my body too far on long runs (between 8-13 miles).  A good friend of ours gave me some Clif Shot Bloks to try.  He also has a sensitive stomach and said that these don't bother him at all.  

The flavor I tried was strawberry.  They don't taste bad at all and have the texture of gummy bears. They're also in easy 'bloks,' making them easy to grab and eat while running.  I ate one before I started and another one every 35 minutes, so I only ended up using 3 out of the 6 bloks, which is 100 calories.  It was hard for me to gauge if they gave me any more energy as I was already feeling a bit sluggish due to fighting off a cold.  What I did notice though was I didn't have any side cramps like I normally do on long runs, and I also didn't get a headache at all today after my long run.  A lot of times, I'll get a minor headache after a long run due to depleting my body so much, but the bloks combined with good water intake today, I was able to avoid the headache.  I'll definitely be ordering some more!

As I shared on my blogs Facebook page this morning, my run wasn't fast, it wasn't pretty, but it did get finished!  I didn't realize until later today, that I haven't run this far since my last half marathon last October.  It feels good to get back to this level and I will continue to work on my pace!  It was also a great way to start my Sunday before heading to church :)

There's nothing like competing with yourself to go a little further or a little faster than before, but please try to fight the urge and try not compare yourself to other runners/athletes.  It can deplete your joy so quickly.  I have learned over the last couple of years though, that the running community is a very encouraging and supportive community!!!  Have a great week!

Blessings,

Krystal

Yet Another Project

About 8 years ago my husband and I rushed into the idea of having a home.  The struggle at the time was I was still finishing school, we didn't really know what we wanted and we were new to the entire concept of being a home owner.  As most home owners, if we could go back there's a lot of things we would do differently, but for now we're just taking one project at a time.  Over the past several years we've done a lot of planning, saving, dreaming and working on various projects.  This last year we've made a lot of progress and getting closer to having our 'big' projects done.  Our focus recently has been on completing our wrap around porch and finishing our mud room.  I think every house has an area where things just get dropped off, everything from coats, bags, sunglasses, hats, gloves, papers, etc.  We have definitely had that issue in our house (and these pictures are from a good day)!

My dear husband is so incredibly talented at so many things that it's extremely difficult for him/us to hire some of the work to be done.  After some discussion, Joshua agreed to have the cabinets in our mud room custom designed and installed.  First thing we needed to get done though, was repairing the walls from where we used to have the washer and dryer and the doggie door.  Then it was time to texture the walls and paint them!  I think we make a pretty good team :)

Our mud room is one of the smallest rooms in our home but to me it's one of the most important rooms. So much love and encouragement can come from this one little room.  This will be the main door that my precious family will leave from and return to.  It's the one room where the coats, hat, gloves and shoes that keep them warm and protect them will reside.  And soon one of the walls will contain a verse of encouragement for them to see each and every time they walk into our home.  And last, but certainly not least, it will be the room that will help save the insanity of this Mama :)

I'm not sure who was more excited about getting this space put together.  The kids...

Or there Mama?!?

The room isn't completely done just yet.  The company needs to come back and fix a few things, the trim needs to be put up, the crown molding on the ceiling needs to be added, but we can at least begin using it.  After Joshua got the hooks installed anyway.

This makes a Mama's heart happy!  Being able to be organized in my home makes my heart happy and helps me serve my family on a daily basis.  I have definitely learned that organization can ease daily stress and frustration for everyone in our home.  Truly blessed!  We're excited to work on the finishing touches of this room and have another project completed!  We also had a broom closet added to the opposite wall, which I'll share after we completely finish the room :)

And now some of other other space can be better utilized, for example the kiddos have their homework table back!  It's the little things that make us smile!  Growth chart by Heritage Designs.

I truly feel that maintaining my home and finding ways to serve my family is crucial for me to be the wife and mom that God has called me to be!

'By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; 

through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.'

Proverbs 24:3-4

Stay tuned as we add the finishing touches~

Blessings,

Krystal

Just need a little break!

Sorry I haven't been writing much lately, sometimes we just need a little break to just experience life and experience God for a while.  My little girl and I also need a little break and just enjoy some precious time together.  So I took off from work a little early, picked up my girl and headed to Buffalo Mountain Pottery to do some painting!

Kylee just loves anything that's related to music and art!  She may discover other things that she enjoys but for now, these are the types of things that she just loves.  She is typically a little reserved and quiet in some situations, and music and art have helped give her confidence.

Kylee was on a mission to paint something for her Nana for her birthday.  At first she was going to paint a plate, but then she saw a horse and just knew Nana would love it.  Her Nana taught her how to ride bareback just a few weeks ago, which made this piece just perfect!

I really struggled on deciding what to paint.   I'm in the process of redecorating our home office/reading area to be full of running inspiration.  It's the place I sit to scrapbook, blog, schedule my workouts and enjoy my quiet time.  I'll be finding ways to encourage and inspire myself and my entire family through our love of running.  I'll be displaying all of our medals, bibs, pictures of us all running, scripture, etc.  I thought it only fitting to make a platter with one of my favorite verses to display in our new running inspired office/reading area.  I'm not very creative, but it's more about the journey and this special time with my daughter!

Kylee really enjoyed picking colors and getting started on her horse!

The conversation was so sweet and we even enjoyed just the quiet while we both painted!

We'll have to schedule another time to go finish our projects and just force ourselves to enjoy some more time together!  I love you Ky and love these special moments with you baby girl!

Stay tuned... we'll share our finished projects when they're done!

Blessings,

Krystal

  

Remodel = A Strengthened Marriage

This post is not about my running journey but a little about a journey with my dear husband. 

The journey to this one little corner of our home.

Deciding to remodel parts of your home can be such a challenge.  Through this challenge a marriage can be strengthened so much (and strained a bit at times as well)!  And remodeling with two little people in the house can add some additional challenges!  A year ago my dear husband was busy working on some remodel work on the inside of our home.  We replaced carpet with wood floors and tile, we painted the walls, changed the trim, changed the doors, etc. It was a long and stressful process but I am so incredibly grateful for the hard work he did and the way it strengthened our marriage.

We are currently getting ready to put a porch on our house.  We're excited and a little anxious all at the same time to dive into another big project!  This time I'm excited to be more involved in helping my man!

Here's a picture of Joshua working hard to install the wood floor in our dining room last January.

Here is a picture of Joshua and his baby girl dancing on Valentine's Day last year. You can see an awkward corner in the background during mid-construction.  I've struggled with how to decorate it since the very day we moved into this house. 

After some of the remodel was done, I felt like I had a blank canvas to decorate.  It's still a work in progress, but isn't having a home ALWAYS a work in progress?  I was so excited to finally come up with an idea for this awkward corner.  I contacted Trista with Heritage Design to design and make a sign for my family.  I was absolutely amazed and loved what she came up with.  Here's the sign she wrote (photo also by Heritage Design), designed and put together (I've blurred out the years for privacy purposes).  The sign says 'God Blessed One Day.  He made me for you and you for me.  We made a vow and sealed it with a kiss, a baby came and brought us bliss.  Another came and made us whole.  Praise God for those ONE DAYS that blessed our soul!'

After hanging the sign on one side of the corner, I decided to gather pictures of each of us at 1 year old and our wedding picture and hung them in a variety of frames to represent each of these special dates that God has truly blessed!  It's so fun to look and see who our kids look like and a constant reminder to

 'Praise God for those ONE DAYS that blessed our soul!'

Here's the baby pictures!

I just love walking by this corner multiple times a day and being reminded of how God blessed so many days (actually every day) leading up to today! 

When decorating I continue to look for ways to be encouraged and blessed. 

Blessings,

Krystal