Music Mondays: White and Fluffy

This is a song in honor of all the snow outside!

And because Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin are wonderful....





If you live in a place with no snow... I'll make a snow angel for you.

Cheers.

Snow Day

We woke up to this...

and to this...

and a phone call declaring a SNOW DAY...

which means a lot of enjoying this....

will be happening. Perfect day following a midnight showing of The Hobbit with friends. Snow Angels and Snowballs followed by Hot Chocolate [with Bailey's of course] all around!

Cheers to a White Christmas.

Music Mondays: Violin + Dubstep + Ice Castles

Discovered the talent of Lindsey Stirling today... my husband and I both may have a crush on her.

Oh and she's playing in these cool Ice Castle things that are in Colorado. I wish I knew how to play violin...


So enjoy some epicness this Monday!

p.s. The "Skyrim" theme one is pretty epic and she has Christmas ones!

Cheers.

Music Mondays: [on a Thursday]

Music Monday didn't happen because on Monday I woke up thinking it was Tuesday and then on actual Tuesday [which then felt like Wednesday] I remembered I forgot to post...So here is it Thursday and it's only kinda music...

It's been an off week if you know what I mean.

So on this Thursday night enjoy this video [which has music] made by a very talented miss that I know...

She also has a blog and is a fantastic photographer with a gigantic heart for adventure... Like Morning Sun is totally worth checking out.

Cheers.

DIY Yarn Globes

Here is my most recent DIY. Colorful Yarn Globes. 

I love them because they are super easy to make [once you figure out the wrapping technique], easy to hang, and they add so much color to a room. They would be perfect DIY for a wedding or event to add a pop of color. You can also attach a light fixture and make them into pendant lights...[this WILL happen when we live in a place we can do lighting stuff in]. 

You will need: 

Basic Craft Glue (Like Elmer's. I bought the $1 bottles and Wal-mart)

Water

Yarn/String/Embroidery Floss

Balloons (or another round deflatable object)

A place to tie your globes while you make them and let them dry. 

Instructions: 

Blow up a balloon to the size you desire. Cut the yarn into very long pieces [I used about five 4ft long pieces]. Tie your balloon up where you are making and drying the globes. Next mix about 1/2 bottle of glue with some warm water in a bowl [I didn't use specific ratios, I just did it by feel. It should be on the thick side but thinner than straight out of the bottle]. 

Then put your first piece of string into the bowl with the glue mixture. Let it get completely soaked in the glue. As you pull it out of the glue run the string through your fingers to get rid of extra glue - the string should still look coated in it so don't squeeze too much out. 

Now is the hard part...wrapping it. Begin by tying the string to the top of the balloon and wrap vertically - keeping tension in the string as you wrap. As you finish with a piece of string, tuck it under one of the vertical strings and soak the next one in the glue. 

Keep wrapping vertically until it is about 2/3 covered and there are no big spaces between the strings. Then begin wrapping horizontally... This can be tricky, but if you tie string to the top and start diagonally, it should work. Keep wrapping until you like the amount of string on it [the thicker it is the longer it will take to dry].

Let it dry at least 24hrs over a container because it will drip extra glue as it dries. I hung mine over the sink so it was easy to clean if it missed the container. You will know it's dry when it is completely hardened.

When it is dry and hardened, take a pencil eraser and push on the balloon to separate the balloon and the string. Do this all the way around the globe. Next, cut a small opening at the top of the globe and pop the balloon. Remove the balloon carefully AND it is ready to hang!

To hang mine, I just used some thread and a small tack. If you want to make a pendant light out of it...check out some of the tutorials on Pinterest! 

I love how much color it brings to the corner of our living room. Aren't they awesome!

I hung up our Christmas lights tonight and some are right by theses globes and they look even cooler [is that a word? like "funner"?] It makes me want to add a big bunch of lights in the center of them all. 

So what do you think? How do you add pops of color for an event or in your home?

Cheers.

p.s. If anyone has questions, feel free to comment to ask. 

Music Mondays: Winter Song

In hopes that snow comes soon...


This song always makes me want to watch the Narnia movies. Enjoy with a cup of hot tea or cocoa.

Cheers.

Football Champs!

Congrats to my little brother[in-law] and his team who won their high school State Championship game yesterday!

You boy's played hard this season and we are so very proud of you!

Go CRUSADERS!!! 

p.s. Andy is a sophomore playing on varsity and was out most of his freshman year because of a torn ACL!!! Way to rock it bud!

Cheers.

Full of LOVE and FOOD

We have a wonderful problem when it comes to holidays. We have SOOOOO many people we love that we want to see and they all live close to each other! 

You see my family and N's family live only about 1 mile apart. And then on top of that we live in a small community with lots of people from our Church that we grew up in and went to school with. AND N's extended family lives within a 30-45min drive and with grandparents/great-grandparents on either side it's important to see them as well....you get the picture???

So what do we do???

We eat WAY too much delicious food [because they are all excellent cooks], smile and laugh SOOO much that our faces hurt, and we come back so VERY full of love that all we can do is cuddle up and nap after it's all done.

I mean there can be worst dilema's right? Family [and those friends that ARE family] are very important to us. They are why we decided to live in Flag while N finishes school. There will be times in our life [probably not far off] where we won't be able to see everyone and so we make the best of it while we can and savor all of the love, food, and joy.

In fact, when we went around the table saying what we are thankful for...my thankfulness was that I have been able to come home to be with my family every year since I first left for college...some quite creative ways to get there but no matter what the circumstance [fire on my campus, tight $, work schedules] I was able to come home. And for that I am thankful.

What were you thankful for this Thanksgiving? [And what was the star dish of your meal? Ours were the pies...Pumpkin and Pecan.]

Cheers.

Music Mondays: Epic Orchestra

N started playing Trans Siberian Orchestra back in October.

I love that my hubby likes to play [epic] Christmas music early. I don't know why but as I see all these facebook posts about these husbands throwing a fit about their wives starting to play Christmas music this week, I get all tingly inside. Maybe it's because I have a husband who LOOOOVVVEEESSS Christmas as much as I do.

That being said here is some epic Christmas music for your Monday. And maybe since it's so epic those  that think its too early for Christmas music will forgive you...

Cheers.

p.s. The Trans Siberian Orchestra is playing in PHX on Dec.1st and my hubby would love to go. Anyone have tickets that doesn't want to go [or has $120 that they don't know what to do with]???

Once Upon a Biscuit Berry Pie

I just baked a biscuit on top of brown sugared berries...its like instant pie.

Do it.
It's delicious.
Then watch Once Upon a time. That would make us Wednesday night twins.
All I need now is some ice cream.

Cheers.

Music Mondays: Veteran's Salute

I'm trying something new for Music Monday today... I don't think I will be able to pull myself together every week to create a playlist for ya'll but this week I thought I would try it out

In honor of all who have and are serving and their families. Be blessed and honored on this Veteran's Day.




p.s. I said the other day I would share my proud teacher moment and I will now as it relates to this... We had a Veteran's Assembly at school on Friday to honor those in our community that are Vets as well as Active duty. The second grade classes each sang a song and shared letters they had written to Veterans to thank them for their service. It was quite touching, especially to see how the service members were honored by it. As you may not know, I work in the special ed room and do a lot of work with a 2nd grader who is quite wiggly and has a lot of sensory needs [i.e. he hums/sings/recites movies  constantly] but he has been practicing with his class for this assembly and guess what?!?! He made it though the entire hour long assembly, performance and all, perfectly! Then when meeting the veterans, he looked one gentleman in the eye, said "hello," and shook his hand! That's hard work for a kid with Autism! I was so proud I almost cried. Its these moments that make me love what I do. Great job bud!

Cheers.

Winter's Arrival

Winter announced its arrival this weekend.

This is what we woke up to on Saturday Morning!

And it has stayed! Hurray! Winter is peaking out its chilly fingers and graced us with some beautiful white powder. A little bit ago I was mourning summer with autumn's approach but that didn't last long because we had a beautiful fall season and boy am I READY for some snow and cold weather!

Lilu had the right idea of how to spend this first chilly winter weekend...cuddle up with some blankets and nap...

 And get some crafting and housework done... eat some caramel...make apple sauce...play dinosaurs and board games with some kiddos...

So Welcome Winter! We are so glad you're here. [Oh and keep bringing more of that white stuff!]

Cheers to Winter and Snow!

Blogger's Block

I have a bunch of photos [mostly food related] that are waiting in a file to be shared with all you lovelies, thoughts and ideas that are waiting to be written...however motivation is no where to be found when it comes time to sit and write/post... sorry to those that read regularly. I am searching my brain for inspiration/motivation/some kind of -ation that will get me back on posting track...

You see I had an insane.drive you to the nut house, "Keep Calm and BREATHE" kind of 2 weeks there not too long ago and it threw me into a funk...I recovered from the crazy but somewhere along the way caught a bad case of Blogger's Block...even Pinterest isn't helping! [oh my this is serious!]

Anyways, we're supposed to wake up to snow in the morning...maybe that will help. Maybe tomorrow I will feel motivated enough to share my proud teacher moment that I had today! It's precious. I almost cried in front of 100+ parents at an assembly because of it [yeah I know Drama mama with a capital "D"!]

Blogger friends...what do you do when inspiration is waning? What's your home remedy to a bad case of the "Blogger's Block"?

Cheers.

Hero Walk

So yesterday I mentioned that we had been travelling on the weekends, last weekend we did a [timely] Disaster Relief Training with our church in PHX and learn A LOT!!! I wish I could share all of the wonderful information we received that is applicable for more that just distasters. If anyone wants more info I can send you the training packet and the link to get more info.

As awesome as the training was...THIS weekend we got to go down to PHX to do the JDRF walk for our sweet little friend Heidi who has had Type 1 for a little over a year...

She [and her family] have had a rough journey as they figure out this crazy diagnosis but she sure does rock that pump and her tough Momma is a fighter just like her. It is obvious where she gets it from.

It was fun to be able to support Heidi and her family by doing this walk with them. We had a great team of family and friends...though us Haystacks missed the baby stroller memo as you can tell below...

Nate did pull our weight for the team as he carried one of the kiddos on his shoulders the whole walk.

All of Heidi's Heroes!

p.s. Please be praying for her that she would be completely healed from her diabetes as a testimony to His mercy and that God would pour his blessing and grace on their family. 

Go Team Heidi!

Cheers.

[Photos were taken by the many members of our team.]

Music Mondays: Travelling

So sorry that my Music Mondays is all I've been posting recently... we've been travelling on our weekends so my week has been filled up with things that I normally try to get done on the weekends.

Here is fun song for you called "Travelling" by a sweet band called Paper Lions:

Enjoy.

Cheers.

Water Will Rise...

After doing an awesome training this weekend for Disaster Relief and having lived on the Atlantic Coast for a short time and having many friends over there I cannot help but be thinking and praying for those who are being affected by and prepping for Hurricane/Storm Sandy...

[Atlantic City, NJ. Photo From Here]

[Ocean City, MD. Photo from Here]


Cheers and Lord protect this area.

Music Mondays: Gypsy Soul

Here's a new one for ya on this cold Monday morning...



I really want to have a dance party like this and have someone film it. Wouldn't that be fun??? Who's in?

Cheers.

Music Mondays: Simple Truth

A simple fact about me: 

and a song to go with it...

Been listening to this most of the past week. Their whole album is pretty awesome. Enjoy!

Cheers.

"Goodmorning! FEED MEEEE!!!!"

This is our life now... well we haven't gotten to the bat yet but pretty close...



This is basically how we woke up to "Sweet" little Lilu yesterday morning at.... 4am [insert crazy "MEOWING"]. She's not so cute at that time of morning.

Unfortunately N reinforced her behavior by giving in and getting up to feed her at 5 and I paid attention to her. Now we have to retrain her. Oops. Hopefully it won't take too long.... she was banished to the bathroom last night for the cause. Sorry Lilu.

Cheers [to hopefully retraining out cat].

"Nothing Gold Can Stay"

This was a week of gold...

Golden Field Trips.

This photo is a snap by one of my kiddos. Last week I went on my first field trip as a teacher instead of as a student. The neat thing about our school is that the whole grade goes on the field trip together. So that meant we took about one hundred 2nd graders on a hike on Humphrey's. It was an adventure to say the least. They did great and LOVED it! I haven't seen kids be that purely kids for a while. It sure beat sitting in a classroom all day!!!

Golden Caramel Sauce.

This stuff is sooooo good. You can dip apples in it or drizzle it over ice cream, but really all you need is a SPOON! Its that good. I promise. We finished a 12oz jar in 3 days. [recipe coming soon]

A Golden Hike [with a dusting of snow].

With Golden Hearted people.

[These are my sweet grandparents who visited last weekend from Alaska. They taught me the art of adventuring.]

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf,

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day

Nothing gold can stay. 

-Robert Frost

Golden aspen leaves fall to the ground, the golden light disappears as the moon rises, sweet golden jars of caramel become empty with a spoon... autumn is a beautiful golden season but "nothing gold can stay". So enjoy the golden days while they are still here... at least until next year...

Cheers.

p.s. Photos from the snow dusted hike were mostly taken by my dear sister Kendal. Check out hers and her roommates' fashion blog. 

Music Mondays: [American Girl]

Sorry I have been MIAthis past week. I even missed Music Mondays! Here's a classic to make up for it:

I'll be back later with some new posts later. I've got some good ones for you. Including this caramel and  some beautiful fall foliage.

Cheers.

Kitten: Hello Lilu

Meet Lilu [pronounced "Lee-Loo"]. The newest addition to this part of the Haystack clan....

If you're on Facebook, you may have already seen these pictures...she is just too cute for me not to share these as soon as I took them! I just couldn't wait and I wasn't organized enough to get this post written at the same time I posted to Facebook. So all of you in blog land, I'm sorry for making you wait.

She is the littlest "2yr old" kitten I have every seen. I think she is younger, but 2 is what the vet thinks. She is quite playful, curious, and a snuggle bug. We'll see how quick of a learner she is tonight, we'll see if she remembers that the bed is off limits and that if she gets on it she gets taken off VERY quickly [she had this happen 4-5 time last night].

Cheers.

p.s. To all of you who voted, though "Slippers" won by a long shot, she is more of a Lilu. We tried Slippers for a couple hours but Lilu is what stuck. Thanks for your input though!

Happy Birthday Sissy

Dear[Birthday Sister],

You are 19 now, not so much my "baby" sister, but you will always be my favorite littlest sister [in many ways]. I remember when mom went to the hospital to have you. It was a beautiful cool fall day in Alaska, and she was planting tulip bulbs with Ben, Kin, and I. You've always had the most beautiful round cheeks and such a cute smile. 

You've grown up since so much since you were this little rosy cheeked girl and I am so proud of you and all your talents. I love how you love to learn and pick up new skills [like guitar and harmonica playing and now rock climbing].

I love that my college friends have adopted you so now you have more big sisters than you know what to do with and you are always willing to join us in our adventures.

You will always be the cutest 18 yr old flower girl there ever was and I will never forget the tears that came to my eyes as you played at mine and N's wedding. I love that you are called "Donkey" and that you have always been the first to crack a clever joke. 

I love your style and how you rock your independent fashion sense with so much confidence. I love talking coffee, wine, and food with you and sharing recipes and good music. I am so excited to see where life is taking you and can't wait for the many more meals [bottles of wine] and adventures we'll share along the way. 

So happy 19th birthday sissy! Have a fabulous 19th year of life [it's your last "teen" year] and keep rockin'. Love. Sisters. Alaska.

Cheers.

Music Mondays: [Birthday Tribute]

This Music Monday is for my littlest sister Kendal because today is her 19th Birthday....



ANNNDDDD.....because she loves music so much you get two today! Plus the new Mumford is awesome.



So Happy Birthday Kendal and ENJOY! [There will be a special post about Kendal later today, the kitten will make her debute tomorrow].

Cheers. 

Another Visit

My other 2/3's is visiting this weekend [its been a month of visits]...

These are my two lovely little sisters. Kendal is the baby [front right with the big curly hair] and Kinley is squeezed in the middle [back left]. They are both visiting this weekend...though Kendal just moved up here for school in August so really she's just visiting the little studio.

Flagstaff better watch out with us three on the loose....and yes my whole family has names that start with K...for 3 generations no repeats...its a Brownsberger thing. I'll tell you why we're all together this weekend and what sort of shinanagans we were up to tomorrow.

Cheers.

10 Things [from this Week]

10 Things That Happened This Week:

1. Finished my second full week of school.
2. Flagstaff switched to fall mode. Colorful trees and crisp air!
3. Wore boots for the first time to welcome the fall season.
4. Drank a lot of lattes out of my new mug I painted. Isn't the bike awesome...yeah I freehanded it nbd.
5. Listen to the new Mumford & Son's and The Avett Brother's albums that came out this week. On repeat. Both Spotify. Do it. They are awesome.
6. Got a flu shot and had a weird reaction...seriously felt like something suckerpunched my immune system for 12 hrs then I was miraculously fine.
7. Watched 1/2 of the first season of Heroes on Netflix [I know, we're WAAAAY behind that trend oh well. Hiro - you know the asian space/time bender- is my favorite. Hiro the Hero!]
8. Discovered that N might need glasses. And on our way to said eye appointment....
9. ...we ended up getting a KITTEN! [way to go humane society for conveniently having an adoption fair in front of our apartment complex right as we were leaving]
10. Because of #9 we've begun to kitty-proofed our little apartment. [Suggestions anyone? We've never had a cat before]

More on the kitten on Monday when we pick her up from the vet. She is grey, white, and cuddly. We're taking a vote on a name for her, Lilu or Slippers....Ready VOTE!

Cheers. 

Music Mondays: Givers

Goodmorning!

Don't you love it when you find a second awesome song by a band that you randomly stumbled upon from a free playlist? This is one of them. Up Up Up is another good one. Enjoy your Monday!

Cheers.

A Post on Friendship

This weekend, two of my best friends are coming up to visit! 

There are 4 of us that have been together since high school and have been through thick and thin with each other...trips, mental breakdowns, breakups, weddings [and bachlorette parties], nursing school, babies, moving...the list goes on and I hope it always will. 1 is an amazing nurse, 1 is a fantastic mamma to a sweet boy [and soon a baby girl. tutu's galore!], 1 is working towards being a nutritionist, 3 of us are married to men who are/will be in the military, 2 of us married our high school sweethearts....We now are scattered across the country but try to get together whenever possible, or at least talk frequently, though often blog and facebook updates become the fallback. Despite not seeing each other and talking as often as we would like, our friendship remains an important part of our lives. 

[Us on our Sr. trip to Disneyland back in High School. (left to right) Brittany, Kat, Courtney, Me. Aren't we adorable?]

I got to see Kat a few weeks ago as she was passing through with her hubby on their move to CA. This weekend Brittany and Courtney are coming up for a quick visit since Brittany is in town from the East Coast [the baby boy is with Grandma and Grandpa this weekend so we can have some girl time, sorry hubs you're suck with us...]. 

Yesterday, I came across this article Cultivating a Circle of Friends that are Like Family. I am so blessed to have these three lovelies in my life, but because we aren't always geographically close, we each have struggled with loneliness. This article is a good reminder of the importance of creating community around us. With each of us in different cities and states, we all need this encouragement. It has been mine and N's goal to practice this as we live here in Flag; to build relationships and a community around us despite only being here a short time. It is our hope and prayer that this becomes our lifestyle, to create community wherever we are for however long God has us there. It's not easy, but it is important...

Cheers [to friends that are family].

p.s. Kat and Brittany blog too. You can find Kat at Living Life Coast to Coast and Brittany at A Shatzy Family. Also, check out Brittany's Etsy shop ComfortCollections! You'll find some super cute [and customizable] stuff over there!

Music Mondays: School Theme

Sorry I didn't post this morning for you to listen to as you get ready (and dance in your underwear to). It was a busy morning with it being my FIRST DAY OF (working at) SCHOOL! So here you go... a little old "school" this afternoon in honor of my first day:

And if you are wondering... it was a GREAT-as-in-Tony-the-Tiger- GRRREAT! I can't wait for tomorrow :)

Cheers.

Thoughts on Freedom

Today is a day that I often don't know what to do with. I was not directly affected by 9/11 but I (am and) will be directly affected by our country's response to it as many of my best friends are married to men who are in the military and my husband will be returning soon. I remember 9/11 as a dream. I was in middle school and it was a school that many of the military kids went to. They all didn't come to school that day because the base was closed. I woke up that morning to the sound of the TV on which was odd because I was always the first one up.  I came downstairs to watch just as the second tower was hit.

America's verbal response to 9/11 has been a reflection on the word "Freedom". The war (or at least one of them) we are fighting is called "Operation Iraqi Freedom", the new tower is "Freedom Tower", throughout the last 11 years the speeches on this day have the theme of "Freedom". I am thankful for the freedoms that I have living in this country, despite the fact that I don't always agree with how our government does things. I married the man of my choosing, I can write my thoughts and publish them on this blog, I have a college education and have the opportunity to do the work I want to do, I can travel, I don't live in fear or wake up to the sound of bombs, I can openly worship my God and share my faith! BUT as I think of the freedoms that I have living in America, I cannot help but think of the FREEDOM I have being a citizen of Heaven!

The freedom that I have because of Christ's death on the cross for me.

I am FREE from sin. He has covered me in his pure righteousness. I am FREE from self-centered/hatred. He has healed me from an eating disorder. I am FREE from depression and anxiety. Another place he has healed me. I am FREE from death. He is preparing a place for me in his house. I am FREE from darkness. He has put his light in me. I am FREE to dance, sing, praise, smile, laugh, rest in his presence! Not only am I FREE in Him, He has given His Holy Spirit to empower me to continue His work, He has placed me as an ambassador of the Kingdom, He calls me His child...which is a position of royalty! How beautiful is that???

So today as our country reflects on "freedom", I will also be singing a song of praise for the FREEDOM I have in Christ!

"But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to the God who gives me LIFE!" Psalm 42:8

Cheers. 

Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Here I said that I probably wouldn't post much this week, but I keep finding time. [Which means when I'm not as busy as I am right now, I need to remember to post more often. I have 3-4 recipes I am super excited to share with you but I haven't out of pure laziness. Sorry.]

Those recipes will be posted eventually, but this one was too good not to share today! 

If you didn't know already, it's Hatch Chile SEASON!!! It only comes for about a month at the end of summer in the Southwest because these chiles are only grown in Hatch, New Mexico. I picked up a 1/4 box of roasted ones the other day from this awesome local store called Farmer's Market [it really is a store, Flag has an actual farmer's market on Sundays which I sadly don't go to very often because of church]. 

I had a free hour today so I chopped about 2/3 of them up to freeze for meals in winter, then with the rest I made this Green Chile Enchilada Sauce [to freeze and to use this week]. 

I figured out the recipe by searching through a bunch of stuff I found online and by looking at the back of the jar of store-bought sauce in my cupboard. I stuck with the common ingredients in them and added a few of my own. 

Hatch Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

Yields: about 3 cups

10-15 Roasted Hatch Chiles

2/3 of an Onion

2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 Tbl Olive Oil

2 Tbl Water

1/4 tsp Red Chile Flakes (optional)

Roast the Chiles if you bought them fresh, then remove the stems and most of the seeds. [I used mild chiles but if you get the hotter ones, then the more seeds you leave in the spicier it will be.] Chop the onion into big chunks and roast with a little oil until soft. Add the chiles, onion, garlic, salt, and red chile flakes to a food processor or blender. As it blends add olive oil and water. You may need more or less water depending on how "juicy" your peppers are. Blend until smooth [it takes a while] and add more salt or garlic to taste as you go. 

Can be used immediately or frozen or canned to store it for later. 

I chose to freeze mine in plastic wrap in a muffin tin for 1/3cup servings. 

I had a little extra that didn't fit in the tin so I made Huevos Rancheros and poured the sauce over the top of the fried egg. YUMMM!!! [the picture did not make it look appetizing so you'll have to take my word that it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!]

Cheers.