11!

I was tagged by Memory a few days ago and decided I'd do this before I forgot! I hope I do this right...

1. I am addicted to Lipton's Green Tea.
2. My favorite holiday is Valentine's Day and I can't wait for it this year!
3. I spend way too much time on Pinterest, ha!
4. My favorite book {besides the Good Book} is Gone With the Wind.
5. My favorite movie is also Gone With the Wind.
6. My favorite Bible verse is Matthew 6:33; it has gotten me through a lot of hard times!
7. I am blessed to have been married over 4 years to my best friend!
8. My baby boy is going to be 3 in less than two weeks and I'm feeling pretty bittersweet about it!
9. My favorite band is the Avett Brothers and I have seen them live twice!
10. I have texture issues and won't eat certain foods because of them, such as tomatoes, mushrooms, strawberries, and other things like that...
11. I have anxiety issues... especially when it comes to driving.

1. What is the last thing you bought?
--- Lunch with the family.
2. Where is your favorite place to vacation?
--- Charleston, SC

3. What is the biggest thing you want to accomplish this year?
--- I just want to continue growing as a Christian and in all areas of my life.
4. Where is the farthest you've been from home?
--- Hm. I guess Wisconsin. Or maybe Iowa. I don't know!
5. What is the first thing you notice about someone when you first see them?
--- Body language.
6. Quiet or outgoing?
--- Quiet, definitely.
7. What is the greatest thing you want people to remember you for?
--- Being a Christian.
8. Who is the most famous person you have met?
--- The Avett Brothers

9. What does the last text you sent say?
--- "One Half. I went inside." with this picture: 

{benjamin on his new swingset. he has the best daddy ever who worked all day yesterday to assemble it}

10. If you could meet anyone, who would it be?
--- alive now? huh... I dunno! maybe the pioneer woman? because I love her cookbook.
11. What is your favorite Bible verse?
--- Matthew 6:33. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you."




There's another part to this thing where I add my own questions but I don't have time right now! hope you enjoyed it! I will hopefully soon share some pictures of what we've been doing lately! Trying to get back into the swing of things, but you know, I'm also planning a big almost-three-year-old's birthday party...


{tear}


See you all soon!

The Birds

I don’t understand why this happens to me. You’re going to laugh but just know that these things seem to happen to me a lot, and neither enjoy nor understand. I feel like my entire life is a slow build-up of the Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds.

You might think I’m making an exaggeration there. I mean, how could someone be tormented by birds all their life? It started with peacocks at the zoo, progressed to ducks and peacocks at a petting zoo, then onto being bitten hard on the arm by a parrot in a pet shop {it drew blood}… My life is a series of bird-related, tormenting incidents.

Thus, I am absolutely terrified of birds if they get too close.

I’m blogging about this because something happened yesterday that I want to share with you, to spread awareness about those little creatures, who although they have ‘bird brains’ are a little too clever and mean for their own good, or for my comfort levels.

Yesterday we returned home from having Easter lunch with friends at their house, and we pulled into the carport. I glanced over to the door to the screened-in porch and saw a reflection of birds. I pointed it out to Carl and he said they were on the outside of the screen, and not inside the porch, and I was like, “Good, because I would not go in there if they were inside.”

I’m sure you can guess what happens next.

I’m the first to open the door and step inside to find a flock of birds {Carl said there were four but it felt like a million to me} congregating the in corner of the porch, squawking and screeching and flapping. And I, terrified to the core, began to scream my head off, letting out a series of shrill shrieks.

I only stopped when I realized that the neighbors could probably hear me.

I did my best to get inside the house as fast as possible. {I was nice enough to usher Benjamin into the house before me – who knows what he was thinking about the four birds flapping around and his mommy freaking out!} Carl proceeded to direct the birds out…

Besides being totally freaked out and Benjamin getting smacked in the head with a door {not my doing!}, there was no harm done, but the fact remains that birds are still out to get me. I can’t count how many times we had birds trapped in our old screened-in porch in Georgia, not to mention that one time a bird was actually in our house waiting for us when we got home from Church one day {still unsure as to how that one got inside}. And it seems wherever we live, we find dead birds all over the yard. Even here! Soon after we moved in, I found a dead bird in the front yard! Bad omen, or what?!

Whatever they are planning, I wish they would get it over with because all this build-up is freaking me out. And don’t get me wrong – I have tried to bridge our relationship. I used to throw old bread out on the deck for them.

Anyway, now you know a little bit more about me and one of my biggest phobias.

these are a few of my favorite things

today's 30 Days of Music category is : day 11 - a song from your favorite band. I thought it would be fun to tell you all a few of my favorite things that you may or may not know about me.

these are a few of my favorite things {feel free to try to put these to music}

.brightly painted doors
.fresh cut grass
.colorful aprons
."just because" cards in the mail
.text messages from my best friends
.mom's kitchen full of pigs {the animal, not people}
.the smell of cupcakes in my kitchen
.surprise packages from my mom
.phone calls with my dad
.impromptu kisses from benjamin
.date nights with my family
.inside jokes with my husband
.shooting stars
.lightening bugs
.photo shoots with friends
.area-wide singings
.funny dreams
.november blue by the avett brothers

2010 Ultimate Blog Party!!

I am so thankful for something to take my mind off of my little pity party for being so very sick and for having to ask my Mother-in-Law to meet my parents on Saturday so they can take care of Benjamin next week while we continue to recover from this evil sickness. Today has been a very difficult day and I can't tell you how ready I am to have Benjamin back, and how sad I am that we won't be seeing him on Sunday like we had originally planned.

Yay for Blog Parties!



I have always wanted to do a vlog like Kelly did for her blog party post, but unfortunately you won't be able to understand me for very long as my throat is out of commission at the moment.

However, I will go ahead and tell you more about myself!

I am first and foremost a Christian. My Christianity is the hub of my wagon wheel, and the other aspects of my life are the spokes. No aspect is untouched or unaffected by my Christianity.

I am 21 years old and I am wife to a fantastic gospel preacher, and mother to a sweet almost 15-month-old boy who has inspired my blogging right down to the title. My husband and I have been married for two and a half years, and we will celebrate our third anniversary on August 11th. He preaches for the Fort Valley church of Christ, and I am so proud of him because he is a great speaker! I am so thankful for him because he helps me along my journey as a Christian. My husband also blogs, and I am pretty sure you should check that out and be blessed!



My baby, Benjamin, has been such a blessing and gift from God. We are learning so much about parenting and what God expects from us because of him. He has also inspired me to write a book, which I only just began this very week, on the subject of being a godly mother.



I've been blogging since July 2008 when I was 3 months pregnant. I mostly blog about family life, but I do occasionally do spiritual blog posts and the like. As for other hobbies, I love to sew, which is a newfound love. I also love to bake, namely cupcakes, and I do not love to cook. I also do not love to clean. The two are merely necessary evils, in my eyes. I am so blessed to have a husband who actually enjoys cooking, and does often for the family. {Wouldn't it be nice if he also enjoyed folding laundry? ha! I am very grateful for everything he does for me.} I also crochet some, and I do enjoy doing other crafty things.

As for prizes, I gotta say these are the ones that jumped out at me:

18 – Goodie Basket for Mom, includes health and beauty items for mom and kids. $5 gift card to Wal-Mart, Softlips Pomegranate Lip Balm, Moments for Mothers, Thoughtful Reflections to Warm Her Heart book by Robert Strand, 20 Sheets of Glossy Photo Paper, EcoTools earth-friendly beauty Intensive Hand Cream, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Workout DVD, Peaceful Waters Relaxation DVD, Tantric Toning Workout DVD with Stephanie de Phillipo, Magnetic Babysitter Checklist, The Flavor Point Diet book by Dr. David L. Katz, Photo Album that holds 80 photos and a Beautiful decorative Wood Chip Basket. Estimated retail value of prize $50.
Provided by: Healthy Moms – The Number One Health Blog for Moms
Follow here: cltalbert or Visit Our Fan Page: Healthy Moms

32 – $25 Target Gift Card!
Provided by: The Frugal Novice
Follow here: Frugal Novice or Visit Our Fan Page: Frugal Novice

Of course, I'd be happy winning any, and I'd list more but I feel another bout of headache coming on. We just heard from my Mother-in-Law and Benjamin is doing well and is happy... so that makes me feel better. It's just really hard being away from him! So y'all please keep us in your prayers so we can recover quickly and get our baby boy back as soon as possible!

Hi to any new friends - I really look forward to getting to know you better!

Blog Party!

Fantastic! I love these! I love getting to know so many different people through blogs! Everyone, join in the Blog Party and get to know more people!



1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why? That's a toughie. I guess I sort of like mornings because usually Benjamin wakes up very happy and he's so cute. I'm not a morning person, though, really. I also like bedtime. Ha!
2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of? I can probably eat my weight in Girl Scout Cookies.

You heard the lady!
3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be? Would it be "worldly" to say a new car? We desperately need one. We have a two-door Explorer... not the best with a child! And I don't think we can have more kids till we get a new car! I'll take one of these, please!

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot? Saying stupid things... like "Can I have -- please?" and I mean just like that. No word in between have and please.
5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be? Doctor Who. I would be the Doctor. David Tenant version, of course.

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be? Cooking. I would be a master chef. Oh yes.
7.If money were no object, where would you go on vacation? Grindelwald, Switzerland

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing? Children's. Because you know the Wiggles are stinkin' rich. I would so be a Children's singer and have a show {because we all know that if you can sing, you can act - take Billy Ray Cyrus and Disney Channel for instance - and you know I'm being sarcastic}.
9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be? Target or Best Buy. I'd upgrade my gadgets and get like some awesome fridge. Or a stand mixer! Oh wait, can I change this to a car dealership?
10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be? I'd like to have met the Apostles and Jesus while He was on earth.
11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be? Turquoise!
12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?

13. What's the last album you listened to? I don't even know. Seriously. Probably one of the Avett Brothers albums.
14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you? My house is clean right now. Like, very clean. And if you know me, that really is surprising! {Hey! Be nice!}

Why I Blog

Every time I sit down and write, I like to think about why I blog before I actually write something. I like to think about what sort of message I want to put out, how I want to convey myself to the rest of the world. I don't act "fake", but I always want to make sure anything I say is said with a loving, Christian attitude. There have been times I would sit down having read or heard something and just want to fly off the handle. But I don't write to get back at someone, or to prove a point. And I have to remind myself this every single time. I sometimes have a hard time with jumping the gun, so this is necessary!

I blog to help people and to encourage people. I like to edify others as the Bible commands, and hopefully to bring others to Christ. This is very important to me, so the way I write and what I write should be thought about. And I've got to tell you, if I had finished and published all those posts that I had been ready to write and post, this blog would have such a different atmosphere and I doubt I'd have made so many friends by it! If all I did was come on here to vent, I don't see how I could be as encouraging as I strive to be in my daily life. I want to be a good example to others.

I blog to help myself, too. I'm a young wife, and a young mother. There are a lot of times when I just don't think I know what I'm doing. Blogging is another way for me to connect with other mothers who have been where I am and where I'm going. I appreciate all the encouragement I get from you all! Being a mother is tough. Being a preacher's wife is tough enough - you get scrutinized more than "regular" Christians (although preachers and preacher's wives are just the same as any other Christian, or should be!). Mothers, though, are also scrutinized more than "regular" wives. Our children are looked at everywhere we go. Our houses are looked at because somehow in between feeding mouths and wiping bottoms and pouring juice and doctor visits and baths, we're supposed to also be super cleaners with every little thing put away. Don't you just love it when you meet that person who says "You know? It doesn't matter." - that person is your new best friend! I love connecting to moms here who totally get what I'm going through or dealing with!

I also blog because my son is growing up too fast. I like to be able to access my memories and see what Ben was doing when. I hope I can keep this up long enough to blog about our future children, whenever they may come along. All in the good Lord's timing.

These are just a few things I remind myself when I sit down to write. I ask myself a few questions:

1. Why am I writing this?
2. Is what I am writing edifying to others, or harmful?
3. Do my words bring glory to God?
4. Would I care if God were following my blog, or would I be embarrassed to know he read it? *And I know God knows our very thoughts and knows everything we ever say or do, but this is a good reminder to keep me in check*
5. Am I portraying a Christ-like attitude?
6. Will I regret this when I go back and read it later?

7. Why are there fruit loops all over my floor?

That last one isn't one that I ask myself every time I blog. But the question did just come across my mind, so you know what's going on over here. And that's my cue! My little man in moose jammies is so cute this morning and oh dear. He just tripped with a mini box of fruit loops and they are all over the floor again...

A Blog Award!!

A HUGE Thank you to Gina for giving me this award! She is so sweet and you need to check out her blog!

This award come with some rules: I am supposed to answer some questions in one word or less and then pick 6 other blogs to give the award to!


1. Where is your cell phone? Here

2. Your hair? Head

3. Your mother? Lovely

4. Your father? Awesome

5. Your favorite food? Pumpkin

6. Your dream last night? Forgotten

7. Your favorite drink? Tea

8. Your dream/goal? Heaven

9. What room are you in? Bonus

10. Your hobby? Writing

11. Your fear? Failure

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Dunno!

13. Where were you last night? Subway

14. Something that you aren't? Boy

15. Muffins? Moose

16. Wish list item? DSLR (Me too, Gina!)

17. Where did you grow up? Georgia

18. Last thing you did? Read

19. What are you wearing? Hoodie

20. Your TV? Loud

21. Your pets? Gone :(

22. Friends? Fantastic

23. Your life? Blessed

24. Your mood? Content

25. Missing someone? Incredibly

26. Vehicle? White

27. Something you're not wearing? Glasses

28. Your favorite store? Target!!

29. Your favorite color? Purple

30. When was the last time you laughed? Earlier

31. Last time you cried? Tuesday

32. Your best friend? Husband

33. One place that I could go over and over? Charleston

34. One person who emails you regularly? Mom

35. Favorite place to eat? Steak-n-Shake


Now for my nominations ......
1. Kelly, who is a new mommy!
2. Miranda, a talented photographer!
3. Holly, an incredibly sweet person you should all get to know!!
4. Lisa, a new friend who has a beautiful daughter close to Benjamin's age!
5. Micah, who I absolutely adore and hope to meet IRL soon, along with her sweet baby and husband (they know my husband).
6. Amber, who I have grown to love as we have gotten to know each other better via the internet (though we have met in real life!)

Thursday Afternoon Tea

Thursday Afternoon Tea is a blog carnival over at Under the Golden Apple Tree! This is my first time joining in - so here's some about me! I hope you all decide to join in as well!

1) What color is your toothbrush?
- Pink and clear ... I think ...

2) Name one person who made you smile today.
- My hubby. :3 He's so ... strange. That always makes me smile.

3) What is your favorite candy bar?
- Twix. Genius candy bar. And now my mouth is watering.

4) What is the last thing you said aloud?
- "It's funny." - I think ... I sat here for a good 2 minutes trying to remember, but really, I can't.

5) What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
- Mint Chocolate Chip.

6) Ever go camping?
- I haven't, but I would.

7) Are you a cat person or a dog person?
- Dogs rule, cats drool.

8) What was the last thing you ate?
- Animal crackers ... shame on me! They were for Benjamin!

9) How long have you been blogging?
- Since the summer of 2008. I started it while living at home with mom and dad while Hubby searched for a job ... I was pregnant. I can't believe how much has happened since then - feels like ages ago!

10) What or who is your inspiration for your blog?
- Well, I guess this one is obvious because of the title of my blog.

Blog Party!

Lynnette over at Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground has started a Blog Party! Woohoo! I am excited about meeting new bloggy friends and letting you all know a little bit more about me! So, here are my answers to the questionarre! I hope you all decide to join in, too!

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while you're blogging?
- I guess I'd have to say Goldfish ... the cracker, not the animal.

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
- Salvation!
3. Beach, Mountains or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
- Mountains, I'd have to say! I remember going and spending some time in our family friends' cabin up near the Tallulah Falls in Georgia. I just love the smell of the fresh air ... and all that nature! Beauty!

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
- "Least favorite" implies that I have a favorite ... which I don't ... but I guess if I were to choose the one I hate the most, it'd be cleaning the kitchen.
5. Who do people say you remind them of?
- My mom ... does that count?
6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying at home with the fam?
- Staying at home ... I am so not a party girl.
7. What's your all time favorite movie?
- Gone. With. The. Wind.

8. Do you sleep in your make up or remove it like a good girl every night?
- I'm a rebel ... I sleep in it and wash it off in the shower.
9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?
- I am a self-taught crocheter. I'd love`to refine my "skills".
10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
- Swatting flies ...
11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
- His love for God, and his blue eyes.
12. What is something you love to smell?
- Benjamin after a bath.
13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
- I am sooo forgetful.
14. When you have extra money (HA!) what's the first thing you think to do with it?
- I guess it depends on what we're needing at the time. If it were my choice alone, I'd save it for a D-SLR.
15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
- I laugh out loud mostly ... and either Hubby or Benjamin make me laugh the hardest. Usually hubby.
16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
- Target!

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?
- I'd crochet more, and read more.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
- Frugal
19. Who is your favorite character of all time (from a movie or book)?
- Winnie the Pooh ... who doesn't love him!?
20. Would you want to be famous?
- Hmm ... depends on what for. If my photography made me famous, oh yeah! If I finally got around to writing and publishing a book, OH yeah! Otherwise ... I don't think so!

So! That's it! I hope you all enjoyed that! A little later I will have Benjamin's 9 Month Post up! Look for it!

about my family

Since this is a family blog, I felt it necessary to tell you more about our little family!



This is Carl, my husband. He is a preacher and a mighty fine one at that! He is my best friend and true love! He is super tall and comes in handy a lot with stuff high up on the shelves {because I am short}, and you can see for yourself that my baby daddy is handsome! He is funny and strange and entertaining. He is a fantastic father and he is Benjamin's best buddy! I love him so much and appreciate him beyond words! He is godly and wonderful and I respect him so much!

We got married August 11, 2007!



This is Benjamin, our precious boy! He was born January 19, 2009. He loves trains, airplanes, and cars and is a little artist. He loves to color! He also loves to have snacks, usually moonpies. Benjamin loves Dora, Thomas the Tank Engine, Toy Story, Blues Clues, and Backyardigans. He absolutely does not like for me to take his picture... poor dear. He loves to play outside and play with his toys. He is as smart as a whip and knows all kinds of Bible trivia {I kid you not! this kid is smart!}, his ABC's, shapes, numbers, and colors. We love him to pieces!



And this is me. Kristen. I'm 23, and I'm a stay-at-home mommy and wife and I wouldn't change it for the world. I never wanted to go to college, so I didn't. I got married at 18, got pregnant at 19, and had Benjamin when I was 20. I'm a fast mover and I don't like to wait around if I know what I want. I've been told that I'm "wise beyond my years" before, which I'm still not sure about ;D. I'm a Southern gal and I'm proud to have been born in Athens, home of the Georgia Bulldogs! I root for the Dawgs, the Braves, and the Falcons like a true Georgian should!

Most of all, I love the Lord my God! He is so good to me and has blessed me beyond belief! Jesus Christ is my savior. We worship the King with the saints on Sunday mornings and nights and Wednesday nights at the church of Christ. I would love to share the church with you if you are interested. You can find my email on the sidebar. If you have time, please check out this article which points out the simple steps to becoming a child of God!

So that's us. I'm so glad you've come... it is so nice to meet you!



A Side Note: I do sometimes write controversial/religious posts. I welcome comments from all viewpoints, providing that they are kept kind and Christ-like, that the person thoroughly reads the post beforehand, that words are kept in context, and that we proceed any discussion in a respectful manner, remembering that in the end, God's word is the deciding factor and anything we feel personally does not matter compared to that. Thanks, y'all!

Introducing.... Me.

I guess I have a lot of subscribers who don't particularly know me personally. So I was thinking I should probably introduce myself a bit more than I have already. I mean, why would you want to read about someone's life when you know next to nothing about them. I hardly write about myself (unless it's how exhausted I am) on here. So here it goes.

I am Kristen. I don't do things like everyone else. I got married before any of my friends did. I had just graduated high school in May and got married in August. I was 18. I didn't care about prom (I was homeschooled anyway). I was worried about a wedding. I married a great guy named Carl. We met on MySpace (gasp!) through a mutual friend, and then met in person the same month. Two months later, I was engaged. Everyone was talking like I was making a huge mistake and I was too young. So far, I think we've proved them wrong.

Promptly after returning from a Honeymoon in Chattanooga, TN, I was whisked away to my new home, Memphis Tennessee. It was the furthest I had ever been away from home without my parents. You see, I'm a Georgia girl, born and raised. Anyway, my husband was a student at the Memphis School of Preaching, about to start his second year. We would be gone in June. Between August and the following June, I attended Wives Class, a class for the wives of the students to learn certain things pertaining to being a preacher's wife. It was beneficial. And although I may have had my complaints, I really do miss it.

Things happened. Not big things. Some little things. That brings us to May (I want to say 13th) when we found out I was pregnant. Carl wasn't surprised. I had been in denial. We were overjoyed. Our baby was due January 14th. In June we moved in with my parents as my husband hadn't found a preaching job yet. We spent four very stressful, cramped months there, but months peppered with joy as in those months we had our first doctor's appointments. We heard the baby's heartbeat, saw the baby, felt the baby, and found out we were having a boy all in those four precious months.

I haven't mentioned yet how blessed I am. But if you haven't caught on yet, I have a very, very blessed life. I thank God daily for everything He has blessed me with! I am so undeserving!

Carl got a job in Fort Valley, GA, preaching at the Fort Valley church of Christ. We moved down in November and we've been through quite a lot since.

January 14th rolled around, no baby. January 19th, I was induced. You can read the birth announcement here.

Someone asked my future sister-in-law once what I had planned to do before I had gotten pregnant. That question sort of took me aback. Who had ever say I had planned anything but the way my life is? Who says I can't have a family this young, and want it that way? I had no plans whatsoever besides being a wife and eventually a mother. The sooner the better! I got what I want! I don't need a further education to be successful in life. I don't need a career to be successful.

I am a child of God. That is success enough for me.

I am the wife of a loving, caring husband. That is success enough for me.

I am the mother of a beautiful, wonderful baby boy. That is success enough for me.

About my likes and interests... I have always wanted to be a writer. I just don't know what to write about. I have a few ideas that I am playing with.... I also love photography. I used to say I wanted to do it professionally, when I had actually thought I ever wanted to do anything professionally. Now, it's just a passion. I enjoy music. Ask me what I like, I'll tell you.

I cloth diaper. I breastfeed. I plan on homeschooling. I'm pro-life. I'm pro-Bible. I'm pro-Morals. I'm anti-Sin. Ask me about the church of Christ. Ask me anything.

I am Kristen. It's nice to meet you.