Sew, Sew Exciting!

This Christmas, I wanted one thing....a sewing machine.

Here she is in all her glory:


I know nothing about sewing or machines that sew, but since we're having a baby, I thought it would be a nice hobby to start. Instead of having to spend oodles and oodles of money on new 'adorable' clothing for baby, I'll be able to make all that I want (by spending oodles and oodles on fabric).

So, now at nearly 25 years old, I have finally decided to sew. I am slightly ashamed of myself. The sad part is that I have many proficient seamstresses in my family. My nanny is a professional. She can make anything that you ask of her, but I have never shown an interest in it. Shame on me. All those many times spent just hanging out at Nanny's house, probably reading one of my books, and I could have been learning a great life-skill. Oh well, now I'll have to make up for lost time.

My very first project was this: the letter T. In case you don't know, T for Taylor, our baby.

Now I am trying to decide what my next project will be. I bought this beautiful fabric at a nearby fabric store, and the possibilities are endless. So exciting!



I will keep you posted on my many projects. I know you're excited, too!

I am a Christmas Tree Snob

I'm not sure what happened to me as a child to put such a strong hatred for 'fake' trees into my head. Maybe it was the fact that we had a real one for most of my childhood. Or maybe it's because I have such fond childhood memories of going to a tree farm, picking our tree, cutting it down, and watching that cool machine shake all the loose needles off. Or I could have been attacked by a 'fake' tree in one of my dreams; I was a very vivid dreamer. Whatever the reason, I despise 'fake' trees.

I remember when my mom turned to the dark side and bought a 'fake' tree. I was in college, so I guess she felt it was safe to move in the 'fake' tree direction. I guess I can understand why she did it. I mean, even though I'm nuts about real trees, I'm not blind to their faults.

1. They are more of an expense, since you have to buy one ever year.
2. Fake trees are easier.
3. If you don't water them constantly, they die and the needles are deadly sharp.
4. They shed needles constantly; all over the floor below, in the presents below, and somehow in every other room of the house.
5. Sometimes the ornaments are too heavy, especially as the tree dies, and the tree takes on a sagging appearance.
6. Fake trees are easier.
   
7. They are a huge fire hazard, especially if you place them right next to the fire place as we did.
8. Fake trees are easier.
   
9. When Christmas is over, and you take all the ornaments and lights off, you have quite a mess to clean up.
10. And lastly, fake trees are easier.

Despite all of these faults, I still cannot help being madly in love with real trees.

Now, if you in fact have one of the loathed 'fake' trees, do not worry. I don't judge you. It's just a personal preference. You are totally free to pick your own way. When I heard of tree allergies, I was alarmed. If our child is allergic to trees, I'm going to have to have a change of heart. Oh I hope not.

Anyways, since my husband is so wonderful, he goes along with my real tree fantasy. I know he loves real trees as well, but I don't think it's quite as big a deal to him as it is to me. But, luckily, he humors me, and I'm sure even when we are 70, he will faithfully travel with me to pick out a real tree.

So, now that you know all this about me, you know the truth: I am a Christmas Tree Snob. Please don't think badly of me; I can't help it.

Getting a real tree is quite the process and it's become a tradition as well.

First, you need the right equipment.


You've got to survey all your options.

Then, the process of locating the right tree for you.

Here comes the dirty work: lying on the ground and sawing that beast yourself (while a punk know-it-all kid provides you with his advice for how you should be doing it).

Now that you've cut down (killed) your very own tree, you get to tie it to your car to take it home with you. By the way, this is the closest thing to hunting that I will ever do.

Once you wrestle that bad boy up the long flight of steps, perfectly place it in it's stand, and release it from it's bondings, you get to DECORATE IT!

For a perfectly wonderful tree experience, it's best to have a raging fire and a glass of sparkling white grape juice (warning: if you are pregnant, you might throw up the sparkling white grape juice immediately after consumption).

Be careful not to get tangled up in the lights. It happens.


Once all the lights have been wound, the ornaments placed (after you looked at each one individually and reminisced about where it came from) you are ready to complete the final step: admiration.

This is the best part, sitting in front of the fire, glass in hand, admiring the wonderful REAL tree, and smelling it's piney goodness. Ahhhh.....nothing better.

Truth or Dare?

I thought I'd start this little project out with a little truth or dare. First off, I am not good at sharing, so this whole experience will be good for me. I'm what you could call a "dead sea" type person. Basically, I think lots of thoughts, but you wouldn't know that because I don't share them. I keep them locked away and only let them out at precise, magical moments when I feel comfortable.

Second off, I struggle with perfectionism. God has stripped lots of that away over the years, but frequently it still shows it's ugly head. So, beginning a blog brings forth many insecurities. What if I'm boring? What if I have nothing to say? What if I mess up? What if someone doesn't like something I said? And the worst ever for a perfectionist...What if I fail?

Now, of course I know this is just silly. Failing at a blog. How do you even do that? That's not even important. Even though I know this truth, I still allow myself to believe the lie that I have to perform. So I decided to start out truthfully by telling you that I have insecurities. Gasp... I know. Like I'm the only one.

Here comes the dare. And yes, I am daring myself. (Don't worry it's allowed. I checked the rules on wikepedia.) I tell you all this to say that I am going to dare myself to be honest, to be brave, to share hidden parts of myself, to be vulnerable, and of course to tell the funnies of life. Even if I feel like I am 'failing', I am going to push forth and do it anyway.

This is what I remind myself of when I recognize that I am 'performing'. "I am deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted, and complete in Christ." What a wonderful feeling! And I know without a doubt that I will be boring at times, I will mess up occasionally, I will have nothing to say often, and yes, I will even fail a bunch. But, knowing my position in Christ's eyes let's me know... I think I can handle that.

What's In a Name?

My blog name was very hard to come up with. I mean, this is a big deal. I recognize that. This name is going to be at the top of every page; it's even in the address. It has to really be special.

I thought and thought about this until it made my, and my husband's, head hurt. I mean it's not like I'm just picking an outfit to wear to school. This is my blog name. This is the name I'll still be looking at in years to come. I mean it's close to being as important as our own child's name....not really, but you get the point.

I want a name that really says a lot. It is super hard to define yourself in a couple of words. I realize defining myself in a couple of words is a little too unrealistic, so I settled for something that just provided a little insight into Kristin: "Faking Adulthood".

How perfect! I mean this is how I feel 95% of the time. I've never felt like an actual grown-up; not even when I got married or found out I was pregnant. I mean, I'm intimidated by grown-ups. I've always said, "Kids are so much easier that adults." So thinking of myself as one just doesn't happen. But when people look at me, I think they see a grown-up, so I'm forced to do the only thing I can think of....fake it.

Now I'm by no means calling myself a fake. But I do still feel like a child, and when grown-up things come into my life for me to deal with, I feel as if I just fake it like I know what's going on. When in all truthfulness, I have no idea what I'm doing. So in this wonderful journey of life, you're invited to watch, and maybe laugh, as I do my best at "Faking Adulthood."

Oh, and just for fun, here are some of the names that were considered, some more seriously than others.

• Freckleface Strawberry
• Click, Clack, Moo
• Redheaded and Loving It
• Finding Security in My Insecurities
• Kbama Baby Mama