So I have some super exciting news to report! My wonderful husband furiously worked hard Friday night after work and finished the wood floors in the living room!! He did a fabulous job and it looks so good. My parents had a major malfunction in their kitchen which caused a whole set of issues. They decided to remove the wood floors they had down and replace them with ceramic tile. They gave us all of the wood floors that was in the kitchen and it only covered about half of my living room. I didn't realize this until AFTER we had ripped up the carpet and half the living room was done. = / OOPS!!
The search began for matching wood floors. Bethany at C&J Decorating had a challenge ahead of her as the do not make the color of the floors anymore!! She found ONE company that had enough and could get it here. We did a little more research on it and couldn't find anywhere that could get it. We placed the order on Tuesday and it was here Thursday around lunch time! YAY! Dustin came home and immediately got to work. It didn't want to lock together as well as the other did so we were terrified that it wouldn't work. He packaged everything back up and I texted Bethany to let her know it wasn't going to work. She was worried sick and got back with me first thing the next morning. Mark, the store owner, had a trick up his sleeve that worked beautifully! We got the rest of the wood floors down in a couple of hours and it looks fabulous. I cannot express to you how difficult and aggravating this whole process has been but because of blessings that continue to come our way, we have been able to get things done little by little.
C&J is so wonderful. They were able to get us floors that matched perfectly, on very short notice, and very quickly. If it weren't for them, we probably would still have half of a living room!
I will update with pictures as soon as possible, for some reason it doesn't want to work properly for me today. =(
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Babies Babies
Kylie will officially be 21 months on the 29th, Katelyn is 8 weeks today (2 months on the 25th), it is so amazing how fast they grow and literally change daily. Kylie is just so independent and is literally the walking accident. I am constantly terrified of getting HRS called on us. Over the weekend, she tripped and bashed her nose, so she got her first bloody nose, she ran over her foot with her little car, then she nearly squished her fingers in the legs of the tv dinner table after she knocked it over and it nearly knocked her out. In all of these instances, do I have cat like reflexes like most mothers?! NO, I sit there frozen in fear, wanting to help, thinking to myself, UM MOVE MORON, but I am never quick enough. It is like it all happens in slow motion and I am watching a movie. I will be suprised if we make it through child hood with no broken teeth or bones.
Katelyn has growing faster than I can keep up with. We have already graduated to size one diapers and three month clothes!! I have already had to go through newborns and pack most of them away! I will be packing the rest away today and replacing with all the three months. She is sleeping very well. She woke up last night at 12 and slept until 6, pretty good huh? =) More to come on her progress!
Here is a picture of the two girls yesterday morning, sorry it is NOT the best, getting them to both cooperate is an art.
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Katelyn has growing faster than I can keep up with. We have already graduated to size one diapers and three month clothes!! I have already had to go through newborns and pack most of them away! I will be packing the rest away today and replacing with all the three months. She is sleeping very well. She woke up last night at 12 and slept until 6, pretty good huh? =) More to come on her progress!
Here is a picture of the two girls yesterday morning, sorry it is NOT the best, getting them to both cooperate is an art.
Monday Blues
I hope Monday is treating everyone well! It was an awful feeling to know that I actually had to come to work today. I am just doing our weekly update and recap of last week's blogs. Katelyn is doing beautifully at daycare, her teachers are fabulous and she seems to enjoy it, as much as an 8 week old can! Can you believe she is already 8 weeks old, I sure can't. She is a great baby, she never cries unless she is hungry or wet. We have been very lucky, I was truly terrified that we were going to have round 2 of Kylie's infant stage. I was prepared for that, I could handle it this time. She had her first spell of the grumpies yesterday which can be attributed to the fact that I believe my ability to feed her is dwindling. I got an IUD last week and was informed yesterday they can cause a dip in your milk supply. Hopefully it will return soon, for now, she will be nursed as much as possible and formula fed. I was determined to nurse Kylie for 6 months to a year but what a hassle it is.
I hope everyone has a fantastic Father's day. We had a great family filled weekend. Alison and Clint were able to come down for a few days so we got to spend time with them yesterday, that is always a treat. Friday night was dinner with my poppa and nana, dad's dad and step mom. We had a great bbq dinner from some little bbq place in Havana. Saturday night was dinner with mom's family, hamburgers and baked beans. Sunday was church and Low Country Boil for dinner at gramy and granddaddy's. It was phenominal. Dustin's weekend I hope was good. I failed to get everything done for him that I planned BUT he did get a new truck!! The camaro has gone to a new home in Atlanta and he is the proud new owner of a 2002 Dodge Ram. He is very pleased with his decision and hopefully it will prove to be a lot more convenient with the kiddos.
I will be updating things with pictures of the new truck, the old car, and the 8 week old KK tomorrow. Happy Monday to everyone and its going to be a good week, I just know it!
I hope everyone has a fantastic Father's day. We had a great family filled weekend. Alison and Clint were able to come down for a few days so we got to spend time with them yesterday, that is always a treat. Friday night was dinner with my poppa and nana, dad's dad and step mom. We had a great bbq dinner from some little bbq place in Havana. Saturday night was dinner with mom's family, hamburgers and baked beans. Sunday was church and Low Country Boil for dinner at gramy and granddaddy's. It was phenominal. Dustin's weekend I hope was good. I failed to get everything done for him that I planned BUT he did get a new truck!! The camaro has gone to a new home in Atlanta and he is the proud new owner of a 2002 Dodge Ram. He is very pleased with his decision and hopefully it will prove to be a lot more convenient with the kiddos.
I will be updating things with pictures of the new truck, the old car, and the 8 week old KK tomorrow. Happy Monday to everyone and its going to be a good week, I just know it!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Pregnancy Curse, could it be?
Tonight's blog is not for the faint of heart and I truly hope that I can get through it. I have wanted to speak about my experiences but wasn't sure how to do so. This is the best way I can figure out so I hope that you will find it encouraging. If you listen to country music than you know the song with the chorus that always stands out in my mind, "If you're going through hell, Keep on going, don't slow down, If you're scared, don't show it, You might get out, Before the devil even knows you're there" My family has been put through our own hell for the past 10 years, it continues to show up on our doorstep. For some reason, IT decided to strike during both of my pregnancies, as well as my Junior year of high school. I am sure you are wondering what in the world is IT? Cancer, that vile, awful word. When you hear the word cancer, you automatically cringe. It's one of those words that no matter how you work it into conversation, you have the same response. Gasp, tears, or you are just plain speechless.
My junior year of high school my mother was diagnosed with leukemia. How in the world does a 17 year old cope with something such as this? I can say I didn't do it properly that is for sure. I ran, I ran from everything, school, family, friends. You name it, I hid from it. I didn't want to talk about it, I didn't want to hear about it, I just wanted it to be over. Dustin and I had just started dating at the time and he was the only person that I wanted to be with. He made me forget everything. It was easy to run from everything when I had him there to distract me. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for a lot of her battle because I couldn't deal with it. She made a lot of trips to Tampa, suffered through bone marrow biopsies, and constant aching, fatigue, and sickness. She had to go through chemo but a much different way. It was administered in a pill format. Almost ten years later, she has won her battle. No more cancer, she still has to go to Moffitt occasionally for check ups but for the most part she is free and clear! The power of Prayer is amazing!
Pregnancy #1, June-Julyish of 2009, IT strikes yet again. My grandma, mom's mom, who is the most wonderful soft spoken woman you will ever meet, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Seriously, this is supposed to be a happy and exciting time for our family and IT has to freaking ruin it. I remember the moment I found out. I was driving on the interstate, sobbing uncontrollably. I had to pull it together because if I didn't, I would crash. I begin to pray, the only thing that is going to get me through. The lump was removed and chemo begins. She was so incredibly strong through it all. She began to lose her hair and then it was real. The first time I saw her with her bonnet on, I almost lost it. I wanted to run again but it wasn't so easy this time. I had a job, I had a husband, and I had a little girl on the way. I had so many days that I spent crying in the bathroom at work. It was very overwhelming for me. I was going to get through this, SHE was going to get through this. She found a wig to wear that was so similar to her hair that you couldn't even tell. Phew, I have my grandma back. I could pretend she wasn't sick, when she had her wig on. She fought through months of chemo, and then radiation. After a year of dealing with that mess she was finally done! She was free and clear. No more cancer. The power of prayer is amazing.
Pregnancy #2, at this point I am beginning to think that I am cursing my family members. Do I DARE have a 3rd, I am not sure yet. I don't know if I can handle IT showing up again. This time, we are on a family trip going to Atlanta for FSU's bowl game, it's New Years Eve and we couldn't be having anymore fun, or could we. About halfway to Atlanta, Grandaddy (dad's step dad) begins to have terrible abdominal cramps. He has taken every medicene in the truck, tums, gas x, you name it, nothing is putting a dent in the pain. It gets so bad that he can't even drive anymore, Dustin has to take over the wheel. Oh my, if it isn't bad enough that grandaddy is hurting now Dustin is driving his car. This brings on a whole new level of panic for me. We make it to Atlanta, he tries to eat some dinner but ends up going to rest in the car. We get to the stadium and he goes to the medical station and the only thing they can do is take him to the ER to run tests. He says NO WAY, that is not an option. He suffers through the game, and we come home. Later that week he gets an appointment with his doctor and a series of tests are run. IT has struck again. Exact same time during this pregnancy as the last. This time, it is lymphoma, in three places. Again, I want to run rather than face this diagnosis. Going to church was especially hard and I found myself sobbing in the bathroom on many Sundays. God laid this on our plate for a reason and He was going to get us through this. It seemed as though every song that was chosen to sing conveyed that to our family. Again, we are going through chemo, a two day stint, once a month for 6 months. He just completed his second to last round, and is feeling okay. The first few treatments were awful, nausea and vomitting sidelined him from all activities for several days afterwards. My uncle is a pharmacist and advised him on how to better utilize his nausea meds, the past few treatments have been better. A couple of weeks ago his PET scan revealed that there is only ONE active "site" at this point and it has significantly decreased in size!! Hallelujah God is good. Again, the power of prayer is an amazing thing.
Do my pregnancies really have to do with IT showing up? Probably not, I am looking at it from a negative stand point because IT has overshadowed both pregnancies, making it difficult to be excited for the baby. How can you really be excited when someone so close to you has been given, in my mind, their death sentence? I should look at it from a completely opposite standpoint though. Maybe God gave us the pregnancies to keep our minds off of the negative things going on in our lives. It is so wonderful to be bringing a life into the world. It is something they can focus on to keep their minds off of what is going on with them. My mom and grandparents have accomplished something that a lot of people don't get the chance to do. Not only did they overcome and kick IT's ass, but they also got to meet their grand and great granddaughters. How wonderful is that? All three of them got to walk the victory lap at this year's Relay for Life walk and that is just amazing. God gives us adversities and we must find the strength to overcome them. If IT shows up in your life, you can and will overcome it.
My junior year of high school my mother was diagnosed with leukemia. How in the world does a 17 year old cope with something such as this? I can say I didn't do it properly that is for sure. I ran, I ran from everything, school, family, friends. You name it, I hid from it. I didn't want to talk about it, I didn't want to hear about it, I just wanted it to be over. Dustin and I had just started dating at the time and he was the only person that I wanted to be with. He made me forget everything. It was easy to run from everything when I had him there to distract me. Unfortunately, I wasn't there for a lot of her battle because I couldn't deal with it. She made a lot of trips to Tampa, suffered through bone marrow biopsies, and constant aching, fatigue, and sickness. She had to go through chemo but a much different way. It was administered in a pill format. Almost ten years later, she has won her battle. No more cancer, she still has to go to Moffitt occasionally for check ups but for the most part she is free and clear! The power of Prayer is amazing!
Pregnancy #1, June-Julyish of 2009, IT strikes yet again. My grandma, mom's mom, who is the most wonderful soft spoken woman you will ever meet, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Seriously, this is supposed to be a happy and exciting time for our family and IT has to freaking ruin it. I remember the moment I found out. I was driving on the interstate, sobbing uncontrollably. I had to pull it together because if I didn't, I would crash. I begin to pray, the only thing that is going to get me through. The lump was removed and chemo begins. She was so incredibly strong through it all. She began to lose her hair and then it was real. The first time I saw her with her bonnet on, I almost lost it. I wanted to run again but it wasn't so easy this time. I had a job, I had a husband, and I had a little girl on the way. I had so many days that I spent crying in the bathroom at work. It was very overwhelming for me. I was going to get through this, SHE was going to get through this. She found a wig to wear that was so similar to her hair that you couldn't even tell. Phew, I have my grandma back. I could pretend she wasn't sick, when she had her wig on. She fought through months of chemo, and then radiation. After a year of dealing with that mess she was finally done! She was free and clear. No more cancer. The power of prayer is amazing.
Pregnancy #2, at this point I am beginning to think that I am cursing my family members. Do I DARE have a 3rd, I am not sure yet. I don't know if I can handle IT showing up again. This time, we are on a family trip going to Atlanta for FSU's bowl game, it's New Years Eve and we couldn't be having anymore fun, or could we. About halfway to Atlanta, Grandaddy (dad's step dad) begins to have terrible abdominal cramps. He has taken every medicene in the truck, tums, gas x, you name it, nothing is putting a dent in the pain. It gets so bad that he can't even drive anymore, Dustin has to take over the wheel. Oh my, if it isn't bad enough that grandaddy is hurting now Dustin is driving his car. This brings on a whole new level of panic for me. We make it to Atlanta, he tries to eat some dinner but ends up going to rest in the car. We get to the stadium and he goes to the medical station and the only thing they can do is take him to the ER to run tests. He says NO WAY, that is not an option. He suffers through the game, and we come home. Later that week he gets an appointment with his doctor and a series of tests are run. IT has struck again. Exact same time during this pregnancy as the last. This time, it is lymphoma, in three places. Again, I want to run rather than face this diagnosis. Going to church was especially hard and I found myself sobbing in the bathroom on many Sundays. God laid this on our plate for a reason and He was going to get us through this. It seemed as though every song that was chosen to sing conveyed that to our family. Again, we are going through chemo, a two day stint, once a month for 6 months. He just completed his second to last round, and is feeling okay. The first few treatments were awful, nausea and vomitting sidelined him from all activities for several days afterwards. My uncle is a pharmacist and advised him on how to better utilize his nausea meds, the past few treatments have been better. A couple of weeks ago his PET scan revealed that there is only ONE active "site" at this point and it has significantly decreased in size!! Hallelujah God is good. Again, the power of prayer is an amazing thing.
Do my pregnancies really have to do with IT showing up? Probably not, I am looking at it from a negative stand point because IT has overshadowed both pregnancies, making it difficult to be excited for the baby. How can you really be excited when someone so close to you has been given, in my mind, their death sentence? I should look at it from a completely opposite standpoint though. Maybe God gave us the pregnancies to keep our minds off of the negative things going on in our lives. It is so wonderful to be bringing a life into the world. It is something they can focus on to keep their minds off of what is going on with them. My mom and grandparents have accomplished something that a lot of people don't get the chance to do. Not only did they overcome and kick IT's ass, but they also got to meet their grand and great granddaughters. How wonderful is that? All three of them got to walk the victory lap at this year's Relay for Life walk and that is just amazing. God gives us adversities and we must find the strength to overcome them. If IT shows up in your life, you can and will overcome it.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Katelyn's First Day of Daycare
Oh my, I just knew that it was going to be a breeze leaving my sweet little girl this morning. I mean, Kylie has been going to this daycare since January and I love them, so why would I have trouble leaving little Kk. I apparently didn't know what I was in for. This morning was a nightmare, I had to get everyone ready and out the door. I somewhat managed that ok, I convinced Kylie to eat her banana and watch over sister while I was in the shower. Success! After showering, we brushed our teeth and got everyone dressed, success again! I then realize I don't see one of my furry children in the back yard. UGH, houdini has struck again. My fat 85 lb dog has managed to learn how to jump over our 6 ft privacy fence. I have yet to figure this out as she cannot even jump over our baby gate! Anyways, I begin to rush and panic a little because now I have to locate Lila, load the children and all of Katelyn things for school into the car, and be somewhere by 10:30! Everyone is dressed and ready to go, then I decide my outfit of choice is inappropriate and I must change. Kylie is patiently waiting by the door holding Kk's carseat while I am frantically changing my clothes. Ok, all ready to go, then I hear a whining at the door. HA success, Lila has walked AROUND the neighborhood and back to our door. I don't know what possesses her to jump the fence because she comes straight home! We are now set to load everyone/everything into the car and be on our merry way. We get to school, take Kylie to her class, easy breezy, she loves her friends and teachers. I take Katelyn to her class, she is peacefully snoozing away. I drop her off, a little confused at how things should go, but we make it through. I leave her snoozing, and I am very teary eyed. I can do this....Sigh...we got up at 7:45, finally made it to school around 9:45 and I make it to my doctors appointment with only a few minutes to spare. Hopefully this routine speeds up a little very soon!! I start back to work Thursday and its so bittersweet. I NEED to work but at the same time I NEED snuggly time with my babies. =(
I arrive about 2:30 to pick up my sweet little angels and both have had a great day. Katelyn was wide eyed the entire day, taking in her new surroundings. Her teachers said she played and just had a great time.
I arrive about 2:30 to pick up my sweet little angels and both have had a great day. Katelyn was wide eyed the entire day, taking in her new surroundings. Her teachers said she played and just had a great time.
Katelyn after daycare, I meant to take her picture before but in the craziness I forgot =( Sorry its so small...
SN: Sorry about my story telling, I give a lot of details, some you need to know, some are very unnecessary but I tend to add them regardless. =)
Recap and Weekly Update
I am going to make it my mission to update you on my blogs from last week. Hopefully I can keep up with this as I thoroughly enjoy it. Last week I began my blog and introduced ourselves. I also spoke about our home remodel. Unfortunately, things have come to a screeching halt because we ran out of wood to finish the floors! I just KNEW we had enough. In my measurements, I didn't realize how the wood floors worked. I tend to plan out these projects with truly little planning. I am a girl and I only think things a quarter of the way through. Dustin is surprisingly the more logical one, he actually thinks and takes into consideration ALL of the necessary materials. With that being said, we finished about half the living room and are now living in limbo yet again. The wood floors HOPEFULLY can be ordered by the fabulous C&J Flooring. Once we get them in we will be done in no time. The girls playroom is still kind of on hold. It needs a lot of preparation before I can paint and floors can be laid in there. Hopefully that will get done this week. Lastly, Kylie and her toddler bed. Oh boy, first night went surprisingly well, and the second night was awful. I have been laying down with her every night and that seems to be successful. Tonight, I rewarded her with chocolate and some sweet tea and she was on sugar overload. She was not having anything to do with bed time. After an hour, I had to use the potty. She went and laid with daddy and was out within 10 minutes. For whatever reason, my bed just does the trick. Oh well, we will get there. I purchased a book at Books a Million this weekend that I am confident will aid in her bad sleep routine. I just have to find the time to read it ;-)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Movin On Up....
Today marks a huge milestone for my Kylie Grace!! I am so excited/sad! Since the day she was born, we have had sleeping issues with her. Every doctors appointment, the pediatrician and I always seem to focus on one subject, sleep, or rather a lack thereof. For the first few months, she screamed nonstop, colic I presume. It was horrible. I wasn't sure if I was cut out for this mom stuff for a while. Then we hit a better stage where it was just very difficult to transition her from nursing, to pacifier, and then from my arms to her bed. Never failed, she would wake in a screaming fit the moment her head touched her bed. Ha, then I outsmarted her, teething tablets entered our lives and we got to sleep peacefully for the first time since she was born. I tried to only use them sparingly, I didn't want her to become addicted..?!...if that is even possible. We then went from rocking her to trying to let her "cry it out". Oh boy, this was fun, I would go to the gym leaving Daddy home to listen to the wailing. It eventually got better, then it got worse again a few months ago. Not only would she wail for AT LEAST thirty minutes, she would thrash around in her bed like a wild animal that had been captured. Her latest battle scar of nighttime was a yucky black eye. I decided it was time for a change. We had to invent something different, some other way to get her to sleep peacefully, IN HER BED. (She wakes in the middle of the night, around 3, and refuses to sleep in her bed any longer) We had tried to transition her bed to a daybed style toddler bed one other time and failed miserably but tonight, it was a success!! We went into her room, laid down, and went through her night time routine of naming every feature on your head. Not long after we had laid down, we were both snoring peacefully! I snuck out and she realized about 11:30 that I wasn't in there, I think she actually fell out of her bed (we don't have the guard rail put up yet). I went in there with her and laid down again, then I slipped her pillow friend into my place. I chccked on her a few minutes ago, taking pictures of course, and she hadn't even moved an inch! Let's hope this is a good sign and will continue!
ZzZzZzZz
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Thirty One
I am getting the hang of this blogging thing and truly enjoying it! I wish I would have started sooner so you could all be a part of Kylie's growth and milestones just like you will be a part of Katelyn's! It is okay though, it is never too late to start!
If you know me well or have seen my facebook page, you know that I am a part of a direct selling company called Thirty One. I am very passionate about working with this company. They are a faith based company and I truly feel like I was led to them. I had never even heard of Thirty One until one trying day when I was desperately searching for a lunch box for Kylie. I had a very specific idea of what her lunch box must look like, she is a diva in training and everything must be perfect! I went into a cute little boutique that had JUST what I was looking for. The woman at the register was very nasty and unhelpful. I vowed I would never set foot in the store again but the search was on for the perfect lunch box. The branch manager at my office came into work the next day with the CUTEST lunch tote I had ever seen. It had her daughters name embroidered on it and it was just what I was looking for. Her mother in law had ordered it from this company called Thirty One. I was like I have never heard of them but I will give them a try. I began looking through the catalog online and was instantly in love. I HAD to be a part of this company. I expressed interest through their website and within the next was the newest consultant for Thirty One Gifts. I was overjoyed and eager to begin my growth with the company. I was not able to put as much in as I would have liked at first, lots of upcoming things, baby, 1st birthday parties and so forth. Once everything was over with Kylie's birthday party, I was no longer working either. I had every waking moment to pour into this new adventure. I became obsessed with learning everything that I could about the company.
I had an arsenal of knowledge about the company and was very eager to begin having parties! I had my first party in late November, early December and made enough money to purchase all of Kylie's Christmas presents. I wasn't working at the time and was very nervous about how we were going to provide extra for her. January also proved to be a good month, and February was phenomenal. I made enough money in February to cover a car payment and have left overs! I took March, April, and May off from selling because of Katelyn's arrival. I was getting very nervous because I had been a little out of the loop and had not done any marketing in three months! I was wondering if I was going to be able to continue! Out of the blue, I received a call from someone who was interested in hosting party! YAY! Answer to prayers for the upteenth time since being a part of this company.
As with everything, I have had my pitfalls and doubts in the 10 months that I have been a part of Thirty One. There have been frustrating moments when I was like I am going to give up, or this just isn't right for me but something always brings me back in. Something always says, Crystal, You need to do this. I can honestly say that I am very proud to represent a company that was built out of someone's basement, named after a Bible verse, and that empowers women the way Thirty One does! If you are unfamiliar with the company and our products, I would love to schedule a lunch date with you to have the opportunity to share more. You can also take a look at my website, www.mythirtyone.com/csf for an idea of what kind of products we carry. Patterns and items are retiring as of July so if you see something that you like, you may want to go ahead and purchase it! I got a sneak peak at the new catalog and the new items are ADORABLE! If you are interested in becoming a part of Thirty One, email me or call me ASAP!! There has been a recruiting freeze but it is being lifted VERY soon! I would love to share all of the wonderful things Thirty One has done for me!
My email is crystal.fukushima@yahoo.com if you are interested in purchasing items, hosting a party, or being a part of my team!
If you know me well or have seen my facebook page, you know that I am a part of a direct selling company called Thirty One. I am very passionate about working with this company. They are a faith based company and I truly feel like I was led to them. I had never even heard of Thirty One until one trying day when I was desperately searching for a lunch box for Kylie. I had a very specific idea of what her lunch box must look like, she is a diva in training and everything must be perfect! I went into a cute little boutique that had JUST what I was looking for. The woman at the register was very nasty and unhelpful. I vowed I would never set foot in the store again but the search was on for the perfect lunch box. The branch manager at my office came into work the next day with the CUTEST lunch tote I had ever seen. It had her daughters name embroidered on it and it was just what I was looking for. Her mother in law had ordered it from this company called Thirty One. I was like I have never heard of them but I will give them a try. I began looking through the catalog online and was instantly in love. I HAD to be a part of this company. I expressed interest through their website and within the next was the newest consultant for Thirty One Gifts. I was overjoyed and eager to begin my growth with the company. I was not able to put as much in as I would have liked at first, lots of upcoming things, baby, 1st birthday parties and so forth. Once everything was over with Kylie's birthday party, I was no longer working either. I had every waking moment to pour into this new adventure. I became obsessed with learning everything that I could about the company.
I had an arsenal of knowledge about the company and was very eager to begin having parties! I had my first party in late November, early December and made enough money to purchase all of Kylie's Christmas presents. I wasn't working at the time and was very nervous about how we were going to provide extra for her. January also proved to be a good month, and February was phenomenal. I made enough money in February to cover a car payment and have left overs! I took March, April, and May off from selling because of Katelyn's arrival. I was getting very nervous because I had been a little out of the loop and had not done any marketing in three months! I was wondering if I was going to be able to continue! Out of the blue, I received a call from someone who was interested in hosting party! YAY! Answer to prayers for the upteenth time since being a part of this company.
As with everything, I have had my pitfalls and doubts in the 10 months that I have been a part of Thirty One. There have been frustrating moments when I was like I am going to give up, or this just isn't right for me but something always brings me back in. Something always says, Crystal, You need to do this. I can honestly say that I am very proud to represent a company that was built out of someone's basement, named after a Bible verse, and that empowers women the way Thirty One does! If you are unfamiliar with the company and our products, I would love to schedule a lunch date with you to have the opportunity to share more. You can also take a look at my website, www.mythirtyone.com/csf for an idea of what kind of products we carry. Patterns and items are retiring as of July so if you see something that you like, you may want to go ahead and purchase it! I got a sneak peak at the new catalog and the new items are ADORABLE! If you are interested in becoming a part of Thirty One, email me or call me ASAP!! There has been a recruiting freeze but it is being lifted VERY soon! I would love to share all of the wonderful things Thirty One has done for me!
My email is crystal.fukushima@yahoo.com if you are interested in purchasing items, hosting a party, or being a part of my team!
Remodel In progress!
We bought our house November of 2007 with plans to only be here a few years. We thought we would sell our house after a few upgrades which we could do quickly and easily. Boy was I wrong! Shortly after we bought our house, the market crashed leaving us with a home worth a little more than half of what we paid. Yikes, we will be here longer than I thought! We are going to make the best of this situation and make this house work for us while we are here!
When we bought the house, the garage was already enclosed but it had a weird wall separating the room. We removed the wall and also cut an opening from the living room. We are in the process of making that room the girls' playroom. Sheetrock is complete, paint is purchased (the color is named margarita!), and I will be painting this week. We will be laying ceramic tile in there as well. The house originally had nasty linolium (sp?) in the kitchen, it has been replaced with beautiful ceramic tiles. The carpet was a light beige color and awful. When we viewed the house, the carpet had just been cleaned, masking how stained the carpet really was. Add our own stains to it and it quickly became unbearable and embarrassing! Thankfully, my parents decided to remove their wood flooring from their kitchen and we inherited their floating wood floors! The ooky carpet in the living room is half way gone and we now have a partial wood floor. I cannot wait for it ALL to be complete. This has been a 2 year project and is FINALLY in its very last stages! Potential next task (many years from now) will be to add on to the entire back of the house, making the master bedroom slightly larger and adding another bathroom. Before and After pictures will be coming soon!
Here are a few pictures for now, I will post more once the projects are complete!
When we bought the house, the garage was already enclosed but it had a weird wall separating the room. We removed the wall and also cut an opening from the living room. We are in the process of making that room the girls' playroom. Sheetrock is complete, paint is purchased (the color is named margarita!), and I will be painting this week. We will be laying ceramic tile in there as well. The house originally had nasty linolium (sp?) in the kitchen, it has been replaced with beautiful ceramic tiles. The carpet was a light beige color and awful. When we viewed the house, the carpet had just been cleaned, masking how stained the carpet really was. Add our own stains to it and it quickly became unbearable and embarrassing! Thankfully, my parents decided to remove their wood flooring from their kitchen and we inherited their floating wood floors! The ooky carpet in the living room is half way gone and we now have a partial wood floor. I cannot wait for it ALL to be complete. This has been a 2 year project and is FINALLY in its very last stages! Potential next task (many years from now) will be to add on to the entire back of the house, making the master bedroom slightly larger and adding another bathroom. Before and After pictures will be coming soon!
Here are a few pictures for now, I will post more once the projects are complete!
Half YUCKY carpet, half gorgeous floors!
Daddy is WORN out after a hard days work, then coming home to more work!
The finished project!
Daddy and Kylie tiling the entry way
Sorry the pictures are a little out of order =)
Newbie
Good evening or should I say morning! I have gotten a wild hair and decided that I needed to start blogging. I have no idea what possessed to me to decide such a thing but here we are two hours later, posting my first blog! I am very excited to share our every day lives with you and hope that you enoy reading about us and our adventures.
Currently, we are a family of four, or six (if you count our furry children). Dustin and I have been married for a little over five years and decided about three years ago it was time to start a family. We were blessed with a beautiful little girl in September 2009, Kylie Grace. In August 2010, I was furiously planning Kylie's first birthday bash when I noticed that maybe I should take a pregnancy test, extreme hunger was the cue. Much to my surprise the test showed a plus sign! Five tests later, I was satisfied that it wasn't an error. Oh boy, the tears began to flow and I was terrified. What in the world was I going to do! Kylie was 11 months old and our entire life. Many questions and fears raced through my mind and I can't even begin to put them all into words. I definitely wanted them close but did I really want them this close?! I don't know! After much prayer and many tears, I was at peace with this pregnancy. God would take care of us and I needed to continue to remind myself of that!
We welcomed Katelyn into the world just barely 6 weeks ago and every fear that I had has been laid to rest. Getting out of the house is a little more difficult but other than that, things could not be better. She has been a fabulous addition to our family. It's amazing how much easier the second child is! She is very laid back, sleeps a majority of the time, and only cries if she is hungry or needs her diaper changed. Kylie was a little more challenging and I was pleasantly surprised by Katelyn's quiet demeanor.
Currently, we are a family of four, or six (if you count our furry children). Dustin and I have been married for a little over five years and decided about three years ago it was time to start a family. We were blessed with a beautiful little girl in September 2009, Kylie Grace. In August 2010, I was furiously planning Kylie's first birthday bash when I noticed that maybe I should take a pregnancy test, extreme hunger was the cue. Much to my surprise the test showed a plus sign! Five tests later, I was satisfied that it wasn't an error. Oh boy, the tears began to flow and I was terrified. What in the world was I going to do! Kylie was 11 months old and our entire life. Many questions and fears raced through my mind and I can't even begin to put them all into words. I definitely wanted them close but did I really want them this close?! I don't know! After much prayer and many tears, I was at peace with this pregnancy. God would take care of us and I needed to continue to remind myself of that!
We welcomed Katelyn into the world just barely 6 weeks ago and every fear that I had has been laid to rest. Getting out of the house is a little more difficult but other than that, things could not be better. She has been a fabulous addition to our family. It's amazing how much easier the second child is! She is very laid back, sleeps a majority of the time, and only cries if she is hungry or needs her diaper changed. Kylie was a little more challenging and I was pleasantly surprised by Katelyn's quiet demeanor.
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