For so many things!

We had another great night with the kids celebrating Travis's birthday! We always drive away smiling and so full of joy! We are so proud of our three kids ! They are great company with such sweet,giving hearts. I can hardly believe they are mine.

I also loved seeing the excitement on Steve's face about golfing with the boys on Saturday. They had planned it as his Fathers Day gift and he looked forward to it all week!  When they got out of the car I asked Chad how it was and he replied  "epic"
Nothing could be a better gift for this poppa than time with his kids. And guess who won again  ??  Then it was off to Sammy's for dinner to celebrate.

This week I will be going back to my old store for a few weeks and I am sooo excited! I feel like I have been gone forever and can hardly wait to hug some precious customers and see my friends! Thank you Trish for asking me to fill in.
Rest up girls cause we are gonna have some fun!

I hope you all have a great week filled with love,joy, and giggles!
Read a book...catch coffee with a friend...pick flowers from your yard...write someone a note...call a old friend...Take time to thank God for all the blessings we have!
I will never be rich or famous and I certainly have so many flaws that could drag me down,but my days are quietly filled with so many little blessings that have added  up to a life filled with joy and great memories!

I saved the BEST for last!

My time in Nashville was amazing! The music, the stars, but the real stars of Nashville are the kids at my brothers store and my very own family! Words can not express the joy I feel being in their presence. I have always been close to my family and being separated by so many miles has been miserable. But when we are together it feels perfect! I laugh constantly with Dave and I am clearly not the only one. He was Captain Jack at vacation bible school and he got a thank you note from one of the kids that asked what we all wonder??

Another highlight was riding to Sara's camp to pick her up. It was such a beautiful drive and wow what a gorgeous place. She was there for a week and she was so excited that I came to get her!

She won " Best camper of the week" And I am not surprised. Our Silly Sara is always a delight to be around. Her smile lights up a room for sure.....

The other highlight was just hanging out with the people at
" Our Thrift Store" The store looks so good! They have fixed it up even more and it looks like a little boutique. And the best part is that every penny goes back into hiring more kids and providing a place for them to work and have a family  with each other. They are a blast to be around!   

Soooooo proud of my bro and sis. Hearts of gold and endless patience with the kids.

We had to do our famous Krikac "funny face pose"

I also really loved my time with my sweet sis in law Sandy! She is such a sister to me and I adore her !  And more importantly she puts up with our shenanigans and loves us! She is an inspiration to me in so many ways and probably doesn't even know it.

I only got to see my nephew Kory one night for dinner because he was spending the week as a counselor with the youth group from their church! He is perfect for the job because he is such an amazing young man. Works full time as a nurse and then spends his time off doing ministry. Yep he is a chip off their gold heart !

I miss you all already! And promise to be back soon!

Just for fun.....

"Trip of a lifetime" part 2

The AWARDS!!
Wow what a night!
We were in the "mosh pit" right by where the stars walk down to get their awards! So we were able to shake hands or high five Carrie, Keith, and many others. I know I'm such a groupie but wow what a thrill! I was on sensory overload because I wanted to watch the award show but was completely distracted by everything going on right near me. Here is a taste of how close we were and some of my favorite shots! After the show we all went out to a fun Irish Pub with the other folks who were with us on the tour and chatted about how much fun we all had! The whole trip was a BLAST and I feel like we were able to pack in so many of the sights and sounds of Nashville
They will be memories that I will always cherish.

Yes that's me screaming like a 12 year old at a Donny Osmond concert!

" The trip of a lifetime" part 1

Trip of a lifetime!
That's what the package that Katie bid on was called and it turned out to be a true description! It truly was something I will long remember. I arrived in Nashville on Sunday and then picked the girls up when they arrived Monday afternoon. Then it was off for a nice dinner with my family at Carabbas. Then back to the Krikac's house {which is darling by the way, very homey and southern} 
We all got cozy in jammies and talked. Since Sara was at camp they camped out at her house with its  Tinkerbell lamps and fairy wings . It is the cutest little house and you feel like you are at Disney. The next morning we were off for a coffee at the local Starbucks where the stars often hang out. {darn...none that day}  Then I took the girls to the Thrift Store to meet the kids and see the GREAT things going on there. You can hardly walk in the building without feeling the love and joy and it reduced me to tears more than once. The kids are precious!  The first time I saw Beth she yelled out
" I love you Karen" and I melted. Dave showed the girls all around and  gave them un-circulated photos of Marilyn Monroe with my uncle Nick! They loved it....

Then we were off to Puckett's for lunch which is true southern food. Pulled pork, corn cake and squash casserole. It was all amazing! We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and enjoying old town Franklin. Then it was off to the hotel to meet our host " J.D. Hass" They were taking us that night to the famous Bluebird Cafe and that turned out to be AMAZING! The singer/ songwriters were so talented and in such a small venue it was amazing to listen to the music and feel the emotion! Plus just knowing thow many greats were discovered in that same cafe. The history was something you could feel. What a fun night! So much fun already and sooo much more to come!

Come Back Ya'll

I am still  in Tennessee having the time of my life! But stop back by at the beginning of next week for some incredible photos and stories galore! Being with Dave, Sandy, Kory and Sara plus my friends from Temecula has been amazing!! And the CMT awards were nothing short of a dream come true!  But every minute that I am here is better spent with these precious folks having fun and making memories! The blog can wait

So forgive me for not posting for so long!   Ya'll come back soon.....

Cause I have lots of great pics of these handsome men on my camera! Ahhhhhmazing  

Sunday Six...

This has been a good week, with so much as always to be thankful for.
So here are the top six that come to mind.

1- Strawberries! I adore berries and we have the best stand near our house that sells strawberries that are so sweet you think they're candy. I often eat a couple on the way home before I even wash them because they are just that irresistible. A favorite fruit dip if you want to serve something extra special is mixing a 8 oz cream cheese with one jar of marshmallow creme. It is soooo yummy!  But I love them just right of the cute green boxes.

2- We met up with our three kids Friday night for dinner to celebrate Ashlyns birthday. They just returned home from a 10 day trip to Hawaii and they looked great and rested. We went to "Phils BBQ" which has been on our list of places to go for long. But the line is always at least two hours long!  We found out that if you sign up online you get a free "front of the line pass" on your birthday so last night we went right in and felt like such a big deal! We had pulled pork sandwiches,onion rings and ribs.It was delish and most importantly the birthday girl loved it!  And we LOVE her!

3-Our bathroom remodel is almost done!  Steve worked so hard on it as he does everything for our house. He put in crown molding and we painted the walls a  pretty mocha color.The guys almost finished the tile today but will be back Tuesday. So our little bed and breakfast will be open for company soon. So come on over for a sleepover! Fresh flowers, coffee, magazines and crisp sheets are always included!
 
4-Another fun day with Thia Mary. We have so much fun together and she is the next best thing to having my mom with me. We went out to lunch and had a foot massage. We ran a couple errands and just enjoyed the day. She still cracks me up. She told me one day she couldn't come because she had to shop for "brassieres" Now seriously who still calls them that? She is hysterical and doesn't even know it.

5-One week from today I will be landing in NASHVILLE!  And I can hardly wait to see my family and wrap my arms around that silly Sara. And of course the other "little" fun thing called the CMT awards!! This gal is sooooooo excited

6-I am thankful that I start to get anxiety about being away from Steve for that long. Crazy after all these years that I still enjoy his company so much and feel sad that we will be apart for 8 days. Everything to me is just more fun with Carter ! And that is a BLESSING!

Well I wish you all a happy week filled with love,joy and giggles! And time to stop and say "Thank You" for all the blessings! Life is never  perfect but if we train our eyes we will  find the daisy's  growing through the weeds.

And just because I think they are the cutest....Dont they look like a magazine cover

A love of books!

 

I seem to go through stages how I spend my leisure time.But reading is the stage  I love the most! I am always so happy and content when my face is absorbed in a great story and I can escape for a while. I just finished "Sara's Key" and it was such a moving story. The kind of book where you just want to steal every spare minute to read some more. Ashlyn is quite the reader too and she is going to borrow "The Glass Castle" which was another absolute favorite of mine.She just finished " The Help" and loved it too. When I loan a book out I always ask if the borrower would write a small review in the back cover before they return it. I love to read what everyone else thought of the book.My copy of The Glass Castle is filled with great reviews and observations.
So how about you? Have you read anything really great lately?
I would love to hear all about it!

I am sure going to miss her!

I am so sad that her show was canceled! I watched the last show on TV when she said her goodbyes and cried. I went to the 2nd to the last show which was the Mothers Day special and she was so incredibly generous to all us moms. We left with so many wonderful gifts! Jewelry, luggage, darling aprons, and many more sweet things. But the highlight for me was seeing her mom Alice sitting up there with Bonnie. What a precious lady she is.The set was fantastic and the staff was so friendly and welcoming. I was trying to remember all the fun people we have seen on our trips to her show. I  just LOVED  going to the Culver Studios and spending  the day with her.I will miss the hot dogs and root beer, her funny opening dialogues and great interviews! The fabulous live band and vintage photos on the walls. Luckily my friends and family became big fans too so it was such a fun way to spend the day together. She has the most down to earth personality and my three o'clock hour will never be the same.
I adore you Bonnie Hunt and Thank you  for the memories!
If you remember  when we first started going they were not as strict about searching for cameras etc, and we got into a  little mischief. You can read that post here.  
Here's the the roll call of fun people I got to see { from what I can remember }
Dick Van Dyke
Bob Barker
Mario Lopez
Kathy Bates
Hank Azaria
Kate Gosselin
Common
Mary McCormack
Amy Brenneman
James Denton
Josh Kelley
Melinda Hill(comedian)
Madison Pettis
Boyz to Men
Mary Louise Parker
Sinbad
Mira Sorvino
Phill Koegen
And of course Alice Hunt and Don Lake

It's the little things...

*Taking Brody to the "laundered mutt" for a bath, then stopping off to share a frozen yogurt on the way home. We sat together outside in the sun content as can be...
We both ate our bowls clean ! He had vanilla and I had watermelon sorbet

*Being at a wedding with my sweet hubby, holding hands during the vows and always saying them again to ourselves under our breath.

*Sara calling me at least 10 times to say how excited she is to see her auntie in June!
                I love my silly Sara~

*Knowing this Sunday is the 'Survivor' and 'Apprentice' finales. I plan on being cozy in jammies watching TV for hours.

*Mothers day cards  from Kaitlin and Abby, my darling girls who make me feel like such a special second mom. Oh how I love them.....


*Chad's facebook status read...
"made my day when I snuck on the roof and dropped a bucket of water on Alec while he was peacefully gardening"
I can imagine Chad being so giddy running down the hall ! He is such a prankster and I cant help but question  "Why does that make me so proud? "

*Met a new sweet customer friend named Ruth. She was married for 65 years and her husband passed two years ago. We chatted for quite a bit, & when she left I gave her a hug  and she hugged me back so tight and said " Thank you"  It literally brought tears to my eyes.   

Yep its the little things that add up to so much love and joy!  What little things made your life extra sweet this week? 
I would LOVE to know..... 
   

A Happy Mothers Day...

I often feel like the luckiest mom ever~ After yesterday I'm convinced I truly am !   It was a busy weekend with a wedding Saturday night and a post wedding brunch Sunday morning that I had offered to cook for,and I was battling one of the worst colds I have EVER had. So Saturday night I called Travlyn and suggested we celebrate another weekend instead because I just couldn't see myself getting up,dropping off the dishes, meeting them in Carlsbad for church and then lunch after. I was wiped out and in a Sudafed Slump! They said they understood and we would all meet up soon. But no sooner than we got it all squared away, I looked at Steve and said "It's sure going to be sad not seeing the kids on Mothers day" But I  felt so crummy I really had no choice.So I got up Sunday morning and started getting ready to drop off the food and I heard Brody barking.I looked out the front door and screamed with delight...........

"Its our kids...our kids are here!!

  

What an amazing surprise!! Ashlyn had packed up her waffle iron and all the ingredients and they had come to make us breakfast and celebrate with me! They brought berries and whipped cream, bacon, fresh flowers, wonderful gifts and homemade cake lolly pops! 

 

It was a perfect day hanging out with my precious son & daughter in law! {Chad was hard at work but I am meeting him for lunch this week} Ashlyn and I did a little shopping and the boys started a shelf project, but mostly we laid low,rested and chatted. The puppies played outside for hours and had a ball! I am still basking in the joy of such a great surprise!  Mothers Day is still tough for me because I miss my Mom so much.But thanks to my precious family for always creating new memories and filling my heart to overflowing!  Ya Ya's joy  was with us too in the beautiful, blooming rose bush planted in her memory! It never fails to bloom on Mothers Day and this year it was extra happy and full ! Like me

Yee Haw!

Now this post is the stuff that dreams are made of!  So sit yourself down with a  glass of sweet tea and listen cuzz I'm gonna tell you a fabulous story! Last week my friend Katie called and asked if I was planning on going to Nashville to see Dave and the family this summer? Which of course I'm always dreaming of going to see them!  Well, she went on to tell me she had won tickets to Nashville including a driver for three days, and lots of festivities prior to and INCLUDING the Country Music Awards! 
And she wanted to know if I wanted to join her and her daughter Bridget on the trip! {Insert screaming,crying and almost throwing up from the excitement of it all here}  So I called Steve right away and asked if he would care if I went? Of course Mr. darling said YES without a seconds hesitation.Then I asked if I could get the week off work and that came back a YES too. So I called Dave and said "hey ya'll gonna be home in June? and he said YES!
So I called Katie and said " YES YES YES " 

So I will be flying to Nashville for a week. I will be spending a few days of amazing fun with Katie and Bridget and then spending another four days with Dave, Sandy and my precious niece and nephew!  Now you probably already know that I  can be a bit of a "spazz fan" so can you only imagine me at the CMT awards! It is going to be a dream come true ! Plus I am so excited for the girls to come visit the Thrift store with me and meet all the kids and see the amazing ministry my family has there. Katie said "she won the trip" but I know better. She probably made a huge donation at a charity auction because we all know that's the kind of people she and Dan are! Always so generous! And how amazing that she invited ME to take part in this trip of a lifetime! I feel like I won " Queen for a day"    

So I am going shopping for some new duds...maybe some denim and diamonds, A Dolly wig, a Minnie Pearl hat, and a zoom lens cause if I see " Keith"  I am going in the for shot!  And God help us if I see my Vince!

Lordy Lordy I dont want to be forty!

My blogging is sadly lacking and I think I need some exciting things to blog about it. Perhaps if I had grandchildren to share cute little stories about { Trav? Ashlyn? } or maybe a fun upcoming wedding to look forward to { Chad?? }   But life is just status quo and oh so boring. But I can share some some little tidbits that have me  seriously thinking about an upcoming move....


To a assisted living home for me and the big  guy! 

Sure you may be saying "Oh Karen its not that bad"
Oh but it is...

My knee has healed to almost 100 %. But because I walked so crooked for 4 months my right foot has horrible plantar fasciitis. So I am still limping ,but now on the other side. Which if I was being followed for insurance fraud I would certainly be in jail. Some mornings I get out of bed and feel like a crippled person for the first few steps. I did buy some really good shoes from Nordstrom and they seem to help. If they don't do the trick its off to the orthotics store with the other seniors. Sass shoes here I come!
Then all of a sudden I need  readers!   Yep, went to text and could not see the print? So I bought a cute pair at Wal Mart thinking I would use them a 'little' to help out. BUT....at work I need to see the tags. So it was off and on with the readers all day long! Nothing screams "old" like a lady with a limp and reading  glasses! And no, they didn't dangle from a chain around my neck! But it sure would have been easier than  slipping them into my cleavage because more than once they slipped from there down into my shirt because even the cleavage aint what it used to be. So that found me fishing around by my waist to retrieve the glasses and I could swear my bra was down there too? So I did what most would do under these dire circumstances. I got "mono vision"  contact lenses. One for close, one for distance. Its been three days and I cant see either well. I am hoping & praying that my eyes get used to it but so far...not so much. Last night I was 10 inches from the TV to see some curtains on House Hunters that I liked,only to find out they were not curtains at all. Pray for me sisters! Maybe I am overly sensitive because of the menopause {which is a whole other story} but this growing old is  kickin my drooping butt today.

My favorite thing about today~

Was coming home from work after stopping off for a much needed manicure. I put on my cozy jammies and lit a big fire in my den. It will probably be the last one of the season and I sure enjoyed the crackle and warmth. I LOVE the rain! What about you? What was your favorite part of today?

Family Favorites

Sometimes while I am writing my blog I think about when I am gone and my kids visit my site to revisit what our life was like. I am so thankful that technology has come so far and we are so much more advanced at documenting life and memories. But there is such a classic charm at seeing old movies too! My Uncle Pete sent me these old movies of him with my mom and their sisters ! It also shows my sweet YaYa~ I love seeing the joy and excitement on everyone's faces and my mom was so darn cute and tiny in her little green dress. Apparently she arrived in California first then the rest of the Greeks came from Ohio soon after. One of those posts which would be boring to anyone other than family but I am posting it so it will always be here for my own family....California 1953

Brownies! I know they are "dangerous" but I have some dimples on my bum that need to be filled in?

I know most people have a brownie recipe that they swear by or even a boxed brand  that they love to use. Well toss aside your old family recipes and print this one because you know when it comes to food , I would never steer you wrong! These brownies are the yummiest, moistest ,easiest to make brownies ever! And its with stuff you probably already have at home. I stumbled upon the recipe one day online and I finally got around to baking a batch. They are going to be the only ones I ever make!  
They are AMAZING!!  

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 cups cocoa
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash cinnamon {I omitted this } 
Mix together and bake in greased pan at 350 for 30-35 min. 
Enjoy.....