closet clean out.

I go through phases where sometimes I just need to go through all my stuff and give it all away. Call me crazy. I just don't like to have a lot of stuff around that doesn't get used. It's very frustrating to me. When it comes to my clothes I have been feeling like that for a while now. Most of my clothes where from when I was working, most of them are for a colder climate and a lot I just couldn't fit into anymore. I'm not sure why I felt the need to hang onto dresses that where obviously several sizes to small for me or "cocktail" dress which, lets face it, where something I'm never going to wear.

So with the thought of a clean slate on my mind Aurora and I went through my closet and did a good clean out. She had fun trying on my old clothes and I had fun letting go. I say letting go like the clothes actually went somewhere. They still haven't gotten out of the house. They're all in a large box in our bedroom. It's made a lovely night stand though. I'm getting there. I was debating on if I was going to do a "shop my closet" store or not. There are some pieces I have that I only wore once and seems just sad to get rid of. They're probably all going to end up at Goodwill once I get the motivation to move that heavy box downstairs. Yep, I'm pretty lazy.

Do you feel the need to let go of stuff every once in a while too? I can't be alone on this, right?

loving...

1. lock & key by laura b.
2. OMGWTFLOL wearable art necklace by Pamplemousse1983!
3. Helpful tips and freebies from makin' cute blogs.
4. Making any bag into a camera bag with this insert from PhotoJoJo.
5. Ever since the summer months have hit I've been longing to head back to our favorite spot in the Outer Banks, NC.

10 in 4 weigh in: number two.

Starting: 161Week Two: 157Lost: 4lbsI hang my head in shame.
Week two hasn't gone so well. After my weigh in last week the girls and I caught some kind of a head cold and I was miserable for a few days. That definitely took away any motivation I had to work out. Then over the weekend it was my husband birthday so we splurged. Saturday at the movies we got popcorn and and then went to his favorite restaurant. After cheating on our diet that day I've been having trouble getting back on track. I'm hungry again all the time. It's so hot here that we really can't take for the girls out for our walk, even at night. It's just frustrating and I'm making up a lot of excuses. I guess I got a little cocky when I lost 4lbs in my first week that I slacked off a lot. That was probably all water weight. I need to get it together and push through it. 
The last to weeks I was on a search for good recipes now I'm on the look out for good work out plans. Since its going to be hitting 111+ degrees here outside exercise is kind of out of the question. What's your favorite kind of work out?

my kid is pretty Brave...

This weekend we took the girls to see their first movie in the theaters. I, personally, have not seen a movie in the theaters since Enchanted came out in 2008. Sad, but true. Aurora had been wanting to see Brave ever since the commercials started playing on TV. I was excited for her but a little nervous too. The movie seemed a little intense for her and I wasn't sure how she'd handle the big dark theater.

We decided to go to an earlier showing on Saturday morning, thinking there would be less people. Well, that wasn't exactly true. I don't think the movie time was sold out but it was pretty close. I was happy to see I wasn't the only mother with her young baby going to the movie theater. We all wanted to go see the movie. One of us wasn't about to stay home with our 10 month old while the other got to go out. That didn't seem fair. Carolina did pretty well during the movie. She got pretty upset about half way through. She gets so cranky when she's tried. Once she fell asleep she was gold.

Aurora didn't find the movie or the dark theater scary at all, to my surprise. Her biggest problem was the theater seat. She wasn't heavy enough to keep it down so it kept folder her up into it. It freaked her out a little. I ended up lifting the arm rest up and sitting half on her seat and half on mine to keep it down. Thank goodness for my thunder thighs!

I think she really enjoyed the movie a lot. She was cracking up at points and really didn't seem effected by the more intense scenes. On the car ride home she said that she "doesn't like bears" but I know she liked the movie. I have to hand it to Disney and Pixar. They did a really great job with this movie. The story line was pretty good. The animation was beautiful. It was the right amount of cute, funny, scary and action packed with little to no romance at all. It was a nice change of pace from all the other Disney princess movies out there. I totally would have been obsessed with this movie in my younger years.

I hope that there will be more movies like that in the future that we can take Aurora and Carolina too. It really was a fun way to spend time with the family.

7 years ago today...

7 years ago today I met my best friend.
...I met the man who would make me laugh until I cried.
...I met the man that I would argue with.
...I met the man who would hold me and mend me.
...I met the man that would understand me.
...I met the man who would never stop trying to understand me.
...I met the man that would push me to my limits and then some.
...I met the man who would help me be better person.
...I met the man who would help me be a better mother.
7 years ago today I met the man that I would spend the rest of my life with...
...and everything else is history.


I love you, Marc, and then some.

P.S. I'd also like to add that 7 years ago I also met the man who would point out my horrible grammar so I could fix it on my blog. Thanks babe! ;P

a very {belated} blog birthday.

I just realized that this month marks my two year anniversary of blogging. That seems crazy. two years, really? This little blog and I have had our ups and downs. I've started, I've stopped, I've changed directions, and gotten frustrated. Through everything I keep coming back for me for some reason. I can't help myself. I love this space. It's seen me through a lot. The past two years have been a roller coaster.

The past two years:
*Started blogging.
*Went back to college.
*We moved from Pittsburgh, PA to Phoenix, AZ
*Went exploring through our new home.
*I started a Handmade Business.
*Sold my crafts at local events.
*Found out I was pregnant with our second kid.
*Stopped selling my handmade goodies.
*Welcomed Carolina into the family.
*Stopped attending classes.
*Stopped blogging and then started again.

I've tried to do lost of things with this space to try and find who I am as a blogger. I've tried doing a lot of things that just aren't me. Like fashion blogging. HA! That's just laughable. I'm really comfortable behind the camera but in front of the camera I'm a mess. That's something you won't be seeing here.

Things you will be seeing on the blog:
*Way too many photos.
*Family adventures.
*vlogs, I find them fun, even if they only a minute long.
*Product reviews on stuff I love.
*Lots and lots of photography.

I'm focusing most of my time on taking pictures, so guess what? You're going to get a photo over load here. I hope that's alright with everyone. If not, eh... that's okay too. If you're lucky you might even get a glimpse of me playing my new ukulele... is it ever comes in the mail!

There are two things that I really found I love about blogging. One is the fact that I can look back at where I've been and smile. It's fun to reminisce. Two is the relationships I've created. I've "meet" some really amazing people because of blogging. I'm so happy to have them be apart of my internet life. I've gotten the chance to meet some bloggers in person and I hope that I can meet more in the future.

Well, here's to another two years of blogging! I hope they are just as exciting as the first three.

What keeps you blogging? 

catching up with the girls.

Carolina or "C"10 MonthsHer hobbies include:*Crawling around the family room, looking for trouble.*Pulling herself up and standing.*Feeding herself.*"Reading" to herself*Waving and say "rerroo" (hello)*Babbling, mimicking sounds and waving.*Climbing all over the dog, her sister, and mommy.
Aurora or "Bits"4 years Her hobbies include:*Playing movie theater, house, and garage sale.*Taking her "kid" places.*Watching Phineas and Ferb.*Going for bike rides and swimming.*Playing outside even when its 109 degrees.Oh, and She is terrified of flies....
What have you been up too lately?

loving...

1.

Purple tips. I'm going to let my hair grow a little longer than dip dye my hair.

{photo credit unknown. anyone know where it's from?}

2.

Laura's awesome beach wave tutorial.

 3.

My Girl Thursday's kite turorial.

4.

Campfire Chic's disposable camera swap.

5.

Chantilly and Elycia's "Rule of Blogging"

10 in 4 weigh in: number one.

Starting: 161 lbsWeek One: 157 lbsLost: 4 lbs
Things are going really well. I'm not sure I believe the scale. It was way to hot on Monday to do anything so I ended up running up and down the stairs to try and work out. The girls thought it was hilarious and I felt the burn. I'm still looking for food ideas. I'm not very creative when it comes to cooking. I'm open for suggestions :)

life-ography: phoenix children's museum

This weekend was wonderful. We've been making the most of our time together and I couldn't be happier. On Saturday we took a trip into Phoenix and explored the Children's Museum. I think both of the girls had a lot of fun and I have to admit it, Marc and I did too.


If you are near the Phoenix area and you have kids you need to get to the Children's Museum. It was a blast. If you have more than one kiddo I definitely recommend going with someone else. It's huge! but so much fun. 
I've been working a lot on my photography lately getting ready for a big event I'm going to be doing next year. Working in manual mode, white balance, editing all that good stuff. Outside and in natural light I feel like I'm golden, inside however, ughh... shoot me. My photos turn out underexposed, grainy, and just blah... It's a work in progress but I'm getting better. If you have any tips for indoor photography please leave a comment. I'd be more than happy to hear some good advice!
What did everyone else do this weekend?

Insta Addict.

It's sad but true - I am completely addicted to instagram. From being able to take my own photos to looking at everyone elses pretty photos, I just can't seem to get enough. It's so easy to do. I'm so glad they finally made a version for android phones.

 Here are some of the things you'll see in my photo stream:

Way to many photos of my girls:

Arizona Scenery:
Sky:
Follow me on Instgram: @ katkeepstrying                             

vlog: 10lbs in 4 weeks

My husband and I have made a deal to try and lose 10lbs in 4 weeks... we'll see how this goes...

My current weight: 161 lbs

My goal weight: 151 lbs

Have you been dieting lately? Or do you know a great weight lose story? Maybe a taste healthy receipt to share? Post it in the comments. I might do a round up soon.

**Note: I don't really blame my kids for my weight gain. I blame the Large Fraps and boxes of ice cream I ate while I was pregnant. Oops.

loving...

1.

This great post from Shannon about finding herself as a photographer. LOVE.

2.

This really unique sand art DIY from Hodgepodge Arty.

3.

This really simple necklace from Chandler the Robot.

4. 

The new member EP from Hanson - No Sleep for Banditos. It's a favorite.

5.

Fathers Day is coming up don't forget! I think this card from wit and whistle on Etsy is hilarious.

life-ography: lost dutchman picnic

We were lucky enough to have my father-in-law in visit us over my birthday and Memorial day. I love when we get visitors from Pittsburgh, especially Marc's parents. I'm probably the luckiest wife I know because I have such amazing in-laws. I don't know what we'd do without them.

On memorial day we tried to head of to Canyon Lake for a picnic but that ended up being an over crowded mess. Instead of heading all the way back home we decided to stop at the Lost Dutchman camp grounds and trails to have a picnic. I'm really glad we did because it was such a nice, peaceful spot to picnic. I think someday we're going to try hiking there too.

I'm sorry about the photo overload. I was having trouble deciding which ones were my favorites. This is actually just a small selection of the large group of photos I took that day. I get a little click happy when I have my camera with me. I say its a good thing though.

Have you been on any adventures lately?