kyleandkelly.com

So I’ve been on a bit of a mission lately about shopping locally. This all started with a shopping trip on etsy where my original mission to support local artists was an ultimate failure. I became curious when my purchase took longer than expected to arrive, and to make a long story short, my “local” shopping trip came from Istanbul.   Certainly not who I intended to be supporting.

So, I did better the next time, you can actually search by area on etsy to truly support these local artists.

But yet again, I did not feel fulfilled in doing my local economy justice.  Choosing to buy one thing here and there locally is not enough.  So I looked around more.  I found a group on facebook that supports local Muskegon shops.  Now keep in mind this group is totally unorganized, but at least it helped.

Today while Macy was refusing a nap, I tossed aside all hopes of getting a little housework or homework done and went out with a couple local shops in mind.  One place I stopped All Things Girly was okay, but didn’t really have much that I was looking for.  If you like designer handbags then you would love it, but since my bags haul around snotty tissues, diapers, and random bits of food in addition to my own belongings, I do not prioritize my money on bags.

The second place I stopped, Weecycle was exactly what I was looking for!  It has some gently used consignment pieces and some new stuff too.  I picked up some sunhats for Macy for $1.50 each!!!  There were also plenty of cute clothes, toys, maternity clothes, and baby gear like baby slings, books, and some furniture and bedding.  I am so excited to go back.  The website for weecycle also talks about the 3/50 project which is exactly how I feel about spending locally.  Check it out if you get time!

written by Kelly \\ tags: baby, Family, shopping

Budget Planner – Mint.com

I would also add that the Monoprice.com rocks for getting A/V components at rock bottom prices. I got 35 feet of HDMI cable for $32.

written by Kyle \\ tags: budget, hdmi, technology, video

Check out the most recent video of Macy. She is sitting up, playing, and laughing contagiously.

written by Kyle \\ tags: Family

As the winter is really getting snowy and chilly, I felt like warming up with a New Orleans style seafood gumbo.  Not knowing any local locations for getting this delicious dish, I was compelled to learn how to make it.  I spent some time looking online for a good recipie and settled with this one.  Even this, however, was a tricky endeavor in Michigan.

My first problem was that some of the ingredients were foreign to me.  I had absolutely no idea what to look for when searching for okra, other than the produce section.  I actually had a dream the night before hitting the market that it resembled a white potato that was shaped like a large radish.  Strange.  Imagine my surprise when I found such an adorable and appealing green vegetable.  Furthermore the idea of a roux and fish stock were not well known to my Michigander cooking skills.  I had planned on actually making a fish stock from another recipe; however, my mom said she wouldn’t have any thing to do with my culinary delight if there was any fish heads in the cooking.

Consequently no fish stock was used in the making of this gumbo (I am still a bit sad about this).  My one complaint for this recipe was the instructions on creating a roux, I didn’t know how to do this and searched around for instructions which led me astray.  According to the instructions, I should have worked on this process for an hour, which created a nasty black substance that I had no idea was wrong until my dad laughed at it.  Apparently this should only take 10-20 minutes and it should be a tan to mahogany color, not black. I should have stopped when it looked like this:

Back to the okra, it’s beautiful!  In the instructions it says to cook it 10 minutes, but what you are looking for is for it to stop stringing.  I had no idea what this meant, but a magical thing happened while I was cooking.  At first the okra was sort of slimy and sticking together while I stirred, when it was done, it stopped misbehaving and each piece embraced its cut apart being (no more stringing).

The most time intensive part of my gumbo journey was in the meticulous crab cracking.  I needed to pull the crab meat out of king crab legs to get real crab meat.  There were zero options for whole crabs or any form of crab meat that was already taken from its shells.  I actually like this buisness, but it was particularly difficult not to eat the crab meat during the process.

So the gumbo tasted delicious despite the Michigan handicap.  I can’t wait to make it again and this time I’ll know how to shop for the ingredients and how to make a roux!

written by Kelly \\ tags: cooking, Family

At first I was upset with the way you nearly side swiped my car going 90 mph. As we were stuck in traffic for a while I noticed something though. I noticed children in the back of your car. I am perplexed as to why you would drive so recklessly with innocent lives in your control.

I know that raising children can harbor challenges, however it if crucial to remember how much these kids mean. They are so vulnerable both directly from your actions of nearly killing them as well as mentally. They pick up so much from you. When you drive like a menace you are only teaching them to be self centered just like you. So please for the safety of the entire country, slow down and teach your children well.

written by Kelly \\ tags: Driving Family

11/10/09

I feel that a lot of internet blogging or networking has a negative vibe. For this month, I would like to take time to express gratitude for a list of things. I’ll add to this and to a list on facebook daily. So to start off….
I am thankful for:
the possibilities in life.
the opportunity to fail and learn from these failures.
the presence of God and the salvation received from his son the big JC.
My own family, thier eccentricities included.

11/11/09

I am thankful for:

Freedom – as Americans, we easily forget that not everyone has the opportunity to worship in public, or to speak as they please.  Persecution is worldwide.  I realize that we are not perfectly free, but we are far beyond our brothers and sisters in many different countries.

11/12/09

I am thankful for:

Meaningful friendships.  Friends have brought me so much: There has been plenty of laughter, tears, memories and so much more with my friends.  Each of them has left a lasting impression.

11/13/09

I am thankful for:

The miracle of birth!  It is awe inspiring how a baby can be formed and grow so perfectly and then be born into this world.  Today not only am I thankful for the birth of my own children, but a good friend of mine has welcomed two of her own into the world.  Congratulations Jackie and Eric!

11/14/09

I am thankful for:

Family.  It is so nice to have family that not only lives close but is also willing to help with childcare needs as well as those odd things that happen like a flat tire.  Kyle was out with Owen today and had a flat.  I was home with Macy who was asleep, so both my mom and my dad rushed out to Kyle to help so that Macy could continue to dream.  There have been many other instances such as this that make me glad to be close to my family.  For my family that is not so close, I am very grateful that they are so diligent at keeping up with us and working so hard to schedule visits.  I don’t know what I would do without all of my families love and support.

11/13/09

I am thankful:

Just to be me.  Isn’t it nice to have no other obligation than to be yourself?  All other stress is self induced.  I can be silly and professional all in the same stride and know that that is me!

written by Kelly \\ tags: Family, thoughts

In many ways, this week is the beginning of the end of summer for us. Kelly and her mom realized that today was the last day they had together before Kelly went back to work.

A little over a week ago, Candie departed to head back to Seattle. The week and a half that she was here was a super-concentrated funfest of her (and our) favorite things to do in Muskegon. We did mini-golf at Craigs Cruisers, went to the beach, spent a day at Michigan Adventure, went out for ice cream at Frosty O’s, and of course the numerous runs to Starbucks.

The weekend that Candie arrived also saw my parents visit, which is always good times for Owen. It’s also a nice break for Kelly and I, as (between both grandparents) there’s actually very little parenting that gets left up to us. We spent the weekend grilling, taking a walk at a local park (with a lovely view of the lake), and playing in the back yard.

The reason for the visit, the whole point, was that Sunday when Macy was baptized. For those unfamiliar with Reformed theology, it’s basically a baby dedication only with some dabbing of water. There’s also a confession of faith once a member decides to publicly declare their faith, which is baptism only without the water. We promised to raise Macy and model Christ to her and the congregation promised to be part of her life as well.

But I’m beginning to wander… the beginning of the end:

On Saturday we head to Detroit for a wedding and then come back on Sunday. On Monday we head out to Ann Arbor for three days at my company’s offices in order to meet my new manager. (I spend most of the time working remotely out of our home.) On Wednesday we’ll get back to Muskegon in the evening and on Friday BarCamp GR kicks off.

BarCamp GR is a local technology conference that I’ve helped organize for the past four years. As conferences go, it’s pretty laid back and we try to keep the organizing to a minimum but the week before is always a little hectic getting the final details nailed down.

That takes us into the last full week of August, which will be a little breather before September starts. September is also when Kelly goes back to work from her maternity leave and her fall classes (for her Masters of Science in Nursing) begin. September is, in my mind, officially the end of summer.

There will hopefully be some lazy, warm days in September and maybe even an Indian Summer in October so that we can live in denial. We’re also hoping to attend at least one more drive-in movie before the theater closes for the season. With that said, when it comes down to it, this is the beginning of the end.

written by Kyle

Owen recently had the chance to go toe-to-toe with an entire litter of labrador puppies. The scene was cute in motion.

written by Kyle \\ tags: cute, labrador, puppies, toddler

As Macy’s birthday was June 15th, we decided to celebrate Father’s Day a bit early this year to take advantage of having everyone around. Big brother Owen was particularly happy to have both sets of grandparents in one place.

written by Kyle \\ tags: Family, fathersday

I was trying to discretely snap a photo of a dressed-up Macy sleeping through the service. The photo itself didn’t turn out like I’d hoped, but I did catch someone else who was also checking Macy out.

Check out the original photo on Flickr to see who.

written by Kyle