Gallery A La' Krull

I love love love a good shadow box, but I'm really not too fond of super traditional ones. I saw pictures of an artist's exhibit of her personal memorabilia in shadow boxes, and just fell in love with their eclectic, modern, and nostalgic feel. I took some things from around our house, and created our own little gallery of memories.

1) I took a ton (well, 48 or so), of those flat clear marbles and modge podged faces of family members on the back. I used up a bunch of those reject photos, from the non-digital age mostly, that had at least one "good" face on it. Then I traced the small circle around it, cut it out, and modge podged. I then hot glued them into a square.

2) I used a cute picture of The Crazies, mounted it directly onto the glass of the frame from the inside, then mounted several pairs of the their sunglasses onto foam core as the background(a couple I supplemented with party favor glasses, still cute, but I had to at least leave them each with one useable pair!)

3) Goofball is in his impressionist phase of artistry, so he so graciously allowed me to frame this masterpiece. Next, I hot glued the actual water color paint box to the front of the mat that came with the frame. The paint was just about gone, so it would have been trash anyway.

4) Sweetpea, my own self-appointed princess, posed with a gaggle of her many necklaces. I used an exact-o knife to cut her out of the picture, mounted her directly to the glass on the inside of the frame, then filled up the shadow box with most of her necklace collection. Bonus, they are now not strewn about the house, but contained in one adorable piece of art.

5) These two photo-booth picture strips are from our blissful dating life. We actually used them on our wedding invitations too. I took the strips, headed to Kinkos, enlarged and color copied them. Next I cut them out carefully, spray-mounted them to black foam-core, and hung them from the inside of the shadow box at the top with small ball chain links and eye-hooks.

Maybe I'll add more boxes over the years, maybe not. But I just love how they turned out!

p.s. The frames were pretty affordable, because I got them from my favorite place to buy frames :) FYI

Easter Celebration 2010

Another great Easter! Besides spending time with these two Crazies, my brother was in town from Detroit. My kids ADORE him, and we were able to spend most of the weekend with him.

Second Annual Egg Toss at my parents house... it has definitely become one of the favorite events on Easter. Gary and my cousin Bryce won for the second year in a row. My dad and I came in third, after I was the recipient of the splat and egg goo.

This boy is crazy and smart and ridiculously busy. And yet not so much of a pro at the art of the egg hunt. He stopped to look at each egg or prize to decide if that was one that he really wanted to put in his bucket... he actually passed up some because they apparently didn't meet his stringent quality standards.

Sweetpea on the other hand, was an egg hunting fiend. She took her Uncle Michael's advice that quantity was the goal, just run and grab. I was literally running to try to get ahead of her to get a picture of her face but she kept dodging in and out and this is the best I could get!

I'm starting to feel much better and can see the light at the end of the all day sickness tunnel. I'm actually starting to feel crafty again and hope to share some pictures soon!

"The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." -Luke 24:46-47

Cat's Out of the Bag

Finally I can share the excuse why I HAVE NOT...

1. kept up with my blog lately

2. cleaned my house

3. done laundry

4. returned emails

5. returned phone calls

And why I HAVE...

1. been so sleepy

2. been so sick

3. been so cranky

4. let my kids watch hours on end of mindless cartoons

5. relinquished any and all family responsibilities to my poor Gary

Yes Ma'am, that there is Baby Krull #3, due to make his or her appearance in October! So, I'm sure many of you are relieved that I have not just let myself go and become one mega slob... just a couple months of constant ever-present extreme nausea... no big whoop.

I am...

I am.... feeling blessed, yet totally exhausted.

I think... listening to my kids play together until 9am, while Gary and I lay in bed was the best way to start our day

I should...be cleaning

I dream... of projects, and time enough to complete them without neglecting more important things, like my kids

I want... the summer to come soon

I know...God is sovereign, I just need to trust

I don't like... feeling pukey

I smell... everything

I hear... the neighbor's insanely yippy little white dog... again.

I fear... not doing my best

I usually...like my hair... but not this month.

I search... for truth

I miss... the absence of responsibility of childhood, but would never want to go back

I always... brush my teeth before going to bed

I regret... not learning how to budget our money when we were first married

I wonder... what my kids will be like as adults

I crave... a massage, facial, mani/pedi... pretty much a day revolved around pampering myself

I remember... to flush, I wish my boy would too

I need... a venti iced non-fat no whip iced peppermint white mocha, or a nap

I forget... to throw the lint from the dryer away, and it drives Gary nuts

I feel... pukey

I can... do all things through Christ who strengthens me

I can't... believe my baby girl will be three in a few short weeks

I am happy... when I am with my family, especially Sundays

I lose... sleep when I have a long to-do list

I sing... really well in my head

I listen... to my instincts

I shop... for groceries, and that's about it

I eat... cadbury cream eggs at Easter time, and love it.

I love... that Sweetpea is FINALLY potty trained

Visit HERE to meet someone new :)

Spring has Sprung

It's here! We have grass! It is beautiful and Gary worked so hard on Saturday to finish the job.

It was at this point (1/2 of a row of grass later) that Sweetpea asked, "We have grass. Can we get a dog now?"

Yay!!! I just want to roll in it!

Giddy!

After Seven years of home-ownership, we're finally getting grass! We have been yard-less (that is, our yard has just been dirt) the entire time we have owned our home. My poor deprived children have never been able to go out in their own backyard to play! Saturday it all changes, the sod is being delivered... let the slip-n-sliding, gardening, cookouts, rolling, jumping, merriment begin!

For some reason, the fact that we're getting the same kind of grass that they use for the Diamondbacks' Chase Field makes it just a little bit more exciting for Goofball (and me too;). Pictures to come!

I know, I know... this is probably only exciting to us Krulls, and possibly our close friends and family :)

The Flying Tomato

I went in for a "trim" two weeks ago, and came out with the Worst Haircut of My Life. Worse even, than the Double Haircut Debacle of 2000 (if you knew me then, you would know what I was talking about). I've been trying to live with it for the past two weeks, and I can keep silent no longer.

Dear Jade (yes that's her real name),

I am seething angry at you for completely sabotaging my attempt to grow out my hair. You used your fancy lingo, tools, and products to mask this horrendous cut until I washed my hair and apparently "undid" anything remotely positive about this haircut. It is hideous. I am officially breaking up with you.

Good day. -Michaela

My worst fears were affirmed last night, when I vented to Gary for the 209th time since this incident, and then he innocently asks, "What exactly did you tell her you wanted?" WHAT?! I assure you it wasn't this mess. Yes, Jade, you see me, being a brunette young-ish mother, I would sincerely like to look just like Shaun White... pretty pretty please. Are you kidding?! I said, and I quote..." I just want a trim", and I walked out with bangs that go around the entire perimeter of my head. I can't even ride out the next few months of growing it out with a ponytail... because my circular bangs are too short.

Seriously... just throw an American flag around my shoulders and call me Shaun.

Jade, let's hope, for your sake, we don't meet in a dark alley. I'm pretty scrappy.