Kassi

Kassi’s 20 Wishes Progress – April 2013

April 23, 2013 7 Comments

How are your 20 wishes coming along??? Have you written a list yet? If you have yet to join us, please check out this post for the what and why, then write up your 20 wishes and come back here on Wednesday, April 24th, to link up your list! There’s no time like the present to start working on those things you really want to do and try!!!

{April updates are this color and in italics! Progress for March are this color and in italics. Progress updates from February are this color and in italics. Progress updates for progress report one are red and in italics.}

Here’s a button for those of you that have yet to join and those of you that have yet to grab a button!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.trulylovelyblog.net/category/twenty-wishes/" title="Truly Lovely"><img src="http://www.trulylovelyblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/wishes-button.png" alt="Truly Lovely" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Kassi’s Twenty Wishes List for 2013

1. Read 50 books, just for fun, that I WANT to read. {So far I’ve read 22 books putting me 8 books ahead of and almost half way finished with my 50 book goal by the end of the year. I read the Beautiful Creatures series this last month and really enjoyed it if you’re looking for something fun to read in the young adult genre.}

2013 Reading Challenge

Kassi has
read 22 books toward her goal of 50 books.

hide

22 of 50 (44%)

view books

2. Take a trip up Mount Graham. (I’ve lived here a year now, think it’s time to start checking out the local sites!) {Still haven’t gone, but the snow is starting to melt on the mountain, so maybe sometime soon!!}

3. Make a scrapbook of my trip to Australia. (I’ve had the photos since um… 2003…. oops….)

~~4. Participate in a Color Run!~~ {You can see the full post on our Color Run experience here.}

5. Host a girlfriends’ dinner party in my home. Invites, menus, the whole she-bang!

~~6. Build my photography portfolio to include 10 different sessions.~~ {Over the last couple of weeks I’ve photographed my first wedding and did my first maternity shoot to round out my goal of ten sessions!!! I’ve even photographed another family and had my first senior session this month!! That officially makes 12!!!}

7. Make a photography website and FB page with those 10 sessions. {I just launched my website!! I purchased the domain (www.kassimortensenphotography.com) and set it upin March! I’m working on getting the ~~8 sessions~~ 12 sessions I have added to the page. Be a dear and go check it out, yes? And maybe follow…. } {Facebook page is done!!! Won’t you be a doll and like Kassi Mortensen Photography?!? Oh, and check out my sweet new logo c/o Royal Daughter Designs while you’re there. }

8. Attend an AZ blogger event.

9. Makeover my master bedroom.

10. Visit a winery and do a wine tasting.

11. Plant rose bushes in my backyard. {This is actually a goal in progress! I’ve picked out the spot to plant them. Just need the hubs to dig the holes (preggo girls aren’t so good at digging 27 weeks in…) and purchase the rose bushes.}

12. Take a 2 year anniversary trip just me and the hubs.

13. Private wish. (This is something I REALLY, really, REALLY wish for, so I don’t want to jinx it… When it does happen I’ll share what it is.)

14. Makeover our guest bathroom.

15. Plant an upside down Mulberry tree somewhere at my house.

~~16. See George Strait in concert for his final tour.~~ {On April 6 me, Kayli and our mom saw King George in Las Cruces! He was AMAZING! See the full post on completing this wish here.}

17. Take a photography class or work shop. {This month I started the online photography certification course that I purchased a few months ago via Groupon. So far I’ve made it through the first lesson!}

18. Download a Book of Mormon reading app of some sort and read at least the first half! {I downloaded Book of Mormon Chapter Tap, it’s an app for $0.99 that lets you check of each chapter as you read through. So far I’m well ahead of schedule!}

19. Visit Build a Bear and actually build a bear.

20. Host a holiday for my family including a traditional dinner.

So there you have it! My 20 Wishes progress as of April 2013! Don’t forget we hope to mark all these wishes off by next December!
See you back here on Wednesday with your progress, yes?

Filed Under: Kassi, Twenty Wishes

Our Love Story: Part 1

April 22, 2013 6 Comments

Hey there pretties! Happy Monday!

So being that today is April 22, this is the date that Nate and I use as our ‘anniversary’. Not our wedding anniversary mind you, that’s not until July… But our anniversary of being a couple. Long story short the reason I say it’s the date that we use is because we dated off and on long before that date way back in 2006… Going back so far as 2004 even… but because it was so off and on *cough* we didn’t really know what date to use.

As of today we have been ‘together’ for SEVEN years! 7. We’ve been married for 2 years on July 9th of this year and dated for four + years before getting engaged, five + before getting married. We actually met when we were just kids… In honor of our 7 year ‘anniversary’ I thought it would be fun to start sharing ‘Our Love Story’. In those 7 + years we’ve experienced lots of fun (and not so fun) things, traveled to all kinds of exciting places and made (and lost) so many new friends! So here goes, our love story, part 1.

Our Wedding – July 9, 2011

Nate and I met at the Luna Rodeo dance. The Luna Rodeo is an annual tradition to celebrate Pioneer Days in the small town where I grew up. Pioneer Days are a celebration of the first pioneers who moved to and settled our area. For years my parents were really involved with helping put on the rodeo, the dance, the parade. For as long as I can remember I have never missed a single year! {On a side note, I might actually miss it this year as little miss’s due date is July 18th… It’s the best reason I can think of to miss though! } I’m not even sure exactly what year it was that we met… But it was about the time we were either 10 or 11 years old.

Kassi and Nate circa July 2006, the day after the Luna Rodeo (and several years after we actually met!)

His family owns a little vacation place in Luna and had been going to the rodeo for years. When we finally met at that particular dance, he had friends there (Jory, I think) and I had friends there (Priscilla and Fallon). I can’t tell you what he was wearing, what I was wearing, what songs we danced to… I can’t tell you that it was love at first sight. We were just kids… I do remember that he was this really skinny, blonde kid and about as tall as me then… {He’s grown a lot since… but he’s still skinny and blonde… haha} And that we exchanged addresses and decided we’d keep in touch. I still distinctly remember standing outside the fire station (where the dance was held back then) waiting while he wrote his address on a piece of paper. His ACTUAL address. We didn’t even do email and what not then… Ah the 90′s…

For years we wrote letters back and forth to one another. I saved a few that he’d sent me including some of his school pictures that I still have in a box in our bedroom. A few months ago while cleaning out a closet I found letters that I had written to him in a box of his stuff from when we moved into our new house!

I’ll be honest… I was blushing reading through those letters at how cheesy I was! ‘Sorry so sloppy’, remember that? Those were the days when playing basketball, showing pigs at the fair and running around with our friends was all that mattered. So that’s what we wrote about. We had a lot in common even back then…

I’ve saved all of these old letters that I can find so that someday we can show them to our little ones and point out what big ol’ dorks mommy and daddy were throughout grade school and junior high… haha. Like I said, we wrote for years… But finally we grew up a little bit, started high school, made new friends, started dating boyfriends (on my part of course, haha) and girlfriends (his part!) and we just sort of stopped writing…

But you know the story doesn’t end there, so I hope you’ll stick around for part 2 to find out how we reconnected!

Your turn: Have you written out YOUR love story? If you have I’d love to read it! Share the links in the comments below! Or if it’s short and sweet tell me in the comments. I’m a sucker for a good love story!

Filed Under: Family, Kassi

A Finale Concert aka Another Wish Marked Off!

April 16, 2013 7 Comments

On April 6 I was able to cross off #16 of my Twenty Wishes list!

~~16. See George Strait in concert for his final tour.~~ Back when they first became available, several, several months ago… Whenever that was, haha. I purchased three tickets to the concert. One for me of course, one for Miss Kayli for her birthday and one for the hubs. About a month ago he decided to gift my mom with his ticket for her Mother’s Day present.

So the three of us, Mom, Kayli and I got to see George Strait in his finale tour in Las Cruces, NM! {Pardon the bad cell phone photos…}

We were WAY back in the nosebleeds section! I’m talking like 5 rows from the back wall!! Give or take a row… BUT we still had the best time!

Martina McBride opened the show. It was the second time I’d seen her… Funny story, she was the very first headliner concert I ever went to back during my State Fair days at the New Mexico State Fair! Still so fun to watch! And really, if you’re looking for a girl power/mom power/woman power song… She’s your girl!! Perfect for girl’s night!

Any fan of George Strait has probably heard this before but his concerts aren’t overly technical or require many theatrics. He just stands up there with his guitar making sure to play at each side of the stage a fairly equal amount of time. And really I couldn’t imagine it any other way. His music speaks for itself. This was ALSO the second time I’d seen George. The first time was also at the Pan Am Center in Las Cruces, NM when I was a freshman in college. More songs this time around but still the same ol’ classic George Strait!

At one point Martina McBride came back out and they sang a few duets including ‘Jackson‘, originally done by Johnny and June Cash. So good! The crowd loved it!
They also had a military support association there that night that gave a brand new home to a deserving veteran and his family! Very cool to watch.

On a different note, sitting through nearly four hours of concert was hard on this preggo body… Throughout I was so grateful anytime they had something happen where I could stand up and stretch for a minute! We’ll just say my back and shoulders were glad when the concert was finally over…. Even if I wasn’t necessarily.

I even got Kayli to take a 25 weeks belly shot for you after we got back to the hotel… This is my super tired from the George and Martina concert look!

I am so glad I got to go with my mom and sister and that we got to see George during his big finale tour! We had the best time and the best weekend! And like I said… that’s another wish marked off! Boom!

Your turn: Who’s your favorite singer or band? Have you seen them in concert?

Filed Under: Kassi, Twenty Wishes Tagged With: Family, music

The Color Run – 2013

April 4, 2013 10 Comments

Something I’ve wanted to do for a really long time, basically since the day I first heard they existed, was participate in The Color Run. It was one of the wishes I added to my list of 20 Wishes as something I really wanted to try. So this year I watched the website until it was time to register for the Arizona run, I recruited my sister and sisters in law for my team and we all signed up!

We headed down to Tempe the night before the race to check in and get all our goodies (t-shirt, sweat band, back numbers). And we all bought a pair of their snazzy $5 colored sunglasses of course. The atmosphere the night of the check in was so lively and fun. They had loud music playing, colorful tents set up and the line walked you through a sporting goods store so you could buy new running shoes or clothes before the big day.

On our way to the location in Tempe it rained the whole way the morning of the race… We were seriously starting to stress out a little bit thinking that maybe the run would be canceled because of the rain. But we got there a little early (our run was the middle heat) and discovered that The Color Run does not stop for a little bit of rain… The race will go on!!!

We arrived all spiffy clean and white… I put my cell phone in the small plastic bag that our Color Run ‘tattoos’ came in. It was the perfect way to keep my phone with me, but still clean and dry throughout the race… It was also the reason that some of our photos look kind of fuzzy… They were taken through the plastic bag.

By the end of the race we were no longer so spiffy clean and white… But it was SO SO much fun! They set up different color stations and as you run through there are volunteers that throw colored powder on you. Because of the rain that day the powder stuck really well… I think we had even more fun because it was wet and muddy along with everything else!

I think the blue color station was our favorite because it happened to be in kind of a dip along the sidewalk. That dip meant a DEEP, WIDE puddle to run through while they through blue powder on you. Hilarious!!!

When you’re finished racing there’s a big dance party kind of thing afterward where you can get free bottles of water and snacks, then dance around throwing colored powder on everyone nearby. LOTS of fun, I tell ya!

If The Color Run comes to your area I really recommend it! We had the best time and can’t wait to do it again next year! OH, and just an FYI, the color stays in your shirt even after it’s washed. It just dulls a bit over time, so it makes a fun keepsake of the day! It does wash out of your shoes though unless their super white to begin with… Dark shoes are a much better option. Just a little tip for you.

My other tips if you plan to participate in The Color Run:

Bring a change of clothes and shoes for afterward, especially if you have to drive a long way home to shower… At least you will be dry.
Bring old sheets to cover the seats of your vehicle if you don’t plan to change right away… otherwise your car will be colored too.
Bring a towel! We really needed to dry our faces and what not after the race and had nothing!
Don’t worry if it rains! The Color Run team holds races in the rain all the time and it didn’t even faze them… Plus made it more fun for us!

So there’s a check mark for my 20 wishes list! Have you been working on your list lately?? Have you ever run in a Color Run, Mud Run, etc??

Filed Under: Kassi, Twenty Wishes Tagged With: exercise, The Color Run

Facebook Imposter

February 18, 2013 37 Comments

Hey dolls! Happy Monday!

So I have a wild story to share with you today… Last night I received an interesting phone call… It came from an Oklahoma phone number, intrigued I answered it.

The woman on the other end informed me that someone is using my photo on a fake Facebook account… Basically she said the person using the account has been harassing her via Facebook, so she looked up the photo some how on Google and found my Scentsy website. {How I have NO idea, if anyone knows how that works, I would LOVE to hear about it!!!}

Long story short I looked up the account this morning and sure enough, she’s using the photo OF ME from my Scentsy website as her profile picture. I have reported the account to Facebook and hopefully they’ll remove it. UPDATE: Facebook removed the account!!! Win!!!

Anyway, I’ve heard of this kind of thing happening but have never experienced it first hand. Just thought you all might like a heads up… I’ve even heard of people recreating accounts using photos and your actual name… I think it’s a good idea to search your name every once in awhile… just make sure nobody is wrongly impersonating you!

Be aware friends… The Internet can be a wild world these days!!

Your turn: Do you have any experience with Facebook or other online imposters?? How did you deal with the problem?

Filed Under: Kassi Tagged With: Facebook, Internet

Our little secret….

February 4, 2013 80 Comments

So… I’ve been keeping a secret. A little tiny one. The secret has slowly been leaking out. Well… slowly depending on who we told… A little more quickly thanks to a few over zealous friends…

Maybe you’ve noticed our blog posts aren’t as frequent here. Or that I’ve been spending a little less time on Twitter and Facebook and what not… Well, I think my little secret is a pretty good reason.

I posted the photos on my personal Facebook earlier, so really, all that’s left to tell is you, my bloggie buddies. Honestly, I am just as excited to share with you lovelies as I have been people I know in real life!!!

That’s right peeps… Mommy’s (Kassi), Daddy’s (Nate) and Baby Mortensen!!! Our little secret is due July 2013!!!

Our family is growing and we are so, so excited!!!

Filed Under: Baby, Kassi, Truly Lovely Announcements

Sunday Confessions on a Monday

December 10, 2012 14 Comments

Hey there dolls! How was your weekend??
First things first I’m sharing a unique gift wrap idea over at Jen’s place today while she’s off gallivanting in Australia. Can you say jealous… ?!?! Anyway… Hope you’ll pop over and check it out.

So how about a confession or two… Start this week with a clean slate, eh? Linking up over here, FYI.

1. I have been incredibly lazy lately. Boom. But it’s the truth… I spent 98% of my weekend on the couch watching TV with the hubs. He has an excuse… he had to work Saturday night… But I didn’t. I slept. We did get our Christmas lights up. And went on a DQ run… Candy Cane Chill blizzard, anyone?! Yes, please.

2. Did you read Alyx’s post today? You should. I’m so with her there. I’m over the blog stress. The worrying about getting more people to come follow our blog, to comment on our posts. The ones who do, we’re incredibly grateful for you and don’t know what we’d do without you. To those that don’t… well, you’re missing out. Truly Lovely rocks. But I no longer feel the need to pay $xxx amount of dollars to get you to come see for yourself.

3. This working from home thing has REALLY messed up my getting dressed mojo… This was the only good outfit I put on last week… and I only wore it a little while. The rest of the week I wear jeans and a t-shirt. Or work out clothes… which consists of mainly sweat pant capris and a t-shirt.

4. I try to workout at least three days a week. Today should be day one this week… I’m not gonna do it. See confession #1.

5. I get discouraged about commenting on other blogs. If I comment at your place several times a week and throughout that week you never once make it over to see what I’m up to… OR at the very least reply to the comment I left at your place… I’m done. I won’t be going back. This blog world is about sharing and interacting. If you don’t interact BACK with me, then I won’t try interacting with you anymore. See confession #2.

What do you have to confess this week?

Filed Under: Kassi Tagged With: Linky Party, Random

We’re a horse family.

December 3, 2012 8 Comments

So things have been all kinds of busy around here lately. I have no real excuse except for having a whole lot of different things on my plate all at one time… SO instead of a fun craft or recipe today how about a little glimpse into my life beyond the blog.

We’re a horse family.

A roping family on the hub’s side specifically. More of the cow hand variety on my side…
But either way you look horses are a part of our life.

Meet Sox… He’s my personal favorite.

We were all taught at a young age how to ride… How to saddle and groom our horses… That horses are a part of the family to be cared for and respected.

My niece, Taylor, and her horse, Blue Gown.

Some kiddos get their toys taken away, or TV, or video games as a punishment when they’re young. In our family if you get in trouble that means you don’t get to go out and ride with everyone else. The harshest of discipline for a little guy that just wants to ride his horse with the older guys.

Our nephew, Chancey riding Dan.

Being a horse family really is an ENTIRE family activity.

Everyone gets to ride at some point during the day… And whether it’s pushing the cows up to rope, opening shoots, or just playing in the dirt nearby we’re all outside spending time as a family.

I feel truly blessed that I married into a family with roots so similar to my own. Sure our methods of using horses, the hub’s family versus my side might be a little bit different. But there’s always the same thing at the center; family and horses.

That’s my dad, fourth from the left… And his cow working crew.

On a recent weekend roping trip my husband and I drove by Roosevelt Lake in Arizona. There were boats on the water, RVs, tents and people playing along the water’s edge. I asked him what he thought life would be like if we were a lake family instead of a horse family…
His answer, “What would we do all day?!?” I guess being a horse family is what we’re good at!

So tell me lovelies!! What KIND of a FAMILY is yours???

P.S. Linking this here:

Filed Under: Family, Kassi

Welcome to Kassi’s Surprise Birthday Party! Ami of AliLily: Pumpkin Round Up

October 5, 2012 13 Comments

We’re celebrating Kassi’s birthday by partying it up ALL MONTH LONG! Our first very special party guest (AND CO-PLANNER! This lady is THE best and has been SO much help to me!) is Miss Ami of AliLily! Here she is!

Hey y’all! It’s Ami from AliLily! I’m here today to SURPRISE our sweet Kassi for her birthday!!! Happy birthday, Kassi! You are such an inspiring blogger, a supportive and wonderful friend. I am so glad I have you in my life. I can’t wait till we meet in the “really REAL” world.

For your birthday Kassi, I made you some Pumpkin & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars! Now, I know you aren’t here to try it but girl, let me tell you….they are DELICIOUS!

Of course, I had to go with pumpkin, since it’s Kassi’s favorite!

So Kassi, what do you think? It is SO GOOD!

Here is the recipe! Now, you just gotta get Nate to make it for you!

This is an easy recipe I found at Better Homes and Gardens

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar or sweetener
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar or sweetener
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini’s)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/4 cup sugar or sweetener
Grated fresh nutmeg and extra chips for decor

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with non stick spray. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in the 1/3 cup melted butter. Press mixture evenly into bottom of the prepared baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and the 1-3/4 cups sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Beat in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and salt on low speed just until combined. Remove 1-1/4 cups of the mixture.

In a small heavy saucepan, combine the 6 ounces chocolate and the 2 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Whisk chocolate mixture into the 1-1/4 cups pumpkin mixture. Pour over crust, spreading evenly. Bake for 15 minutes.

Carefully pour the remaining pumpkin mixture over baked chocolate layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes more or until filling is puffed and center is set. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine sour cream and 1/4 cup sugar. Gently spread over bars. Cool completely. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Sprinkle with nutmeg and mini chocolate chips. Cut into bars.

Check out who helped me make Kassi’s Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars!!

I hope you had an amazing birthday yesterday. I hope you have an amazing birthday this month! You should call up your sister and ask her this “So Kayli, how did I FOIL your plans” LOL!!

I thought to create a Pumpkin yumminess round up for you, too. I hope you love the recipes I chose and I hope your readers love them too!

Truly Lovely readers, pin this list!! Pin it everywhere and all over. Spread the pumpkin yumminess!

ENJOY!!

1. Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Ganache from Truly Lovely 2. 3D Pumpkin Cookies from Glorious Treats 3. Rum Raisin Pumpkin Bread Pudding from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen 4. Pumpkin Mouse Shooters from Eat Yourself Skinny 5. Pumpkin better than…Cake from Something Swanky 6. Pumpkin Spice Woopie Pies from Katydid and Kid 7.Pumpkin Spice Mini Donuts from Dairy of Daves Wife 8. Pumpkin Dump Cake from Truly Lovely 9. Pumpkin Layer Cake from Homey Home Design 10. Pumpkin filled Cream Puffs from Life is a Party 11. Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecake Bars from AliLily

You may Pin this list in it’s entirety using the pin it button at the top. To Pin individual ideas included in this list please pin from the original source.

~Ami Allison

Isn’t she the best!?! I can’t thank her enough for all of her hard work, help, and support. So blessed to know such a sweet friend! And yes, pin pin pin!!! Happy Birthmonth Kassi!! The party rolls on! (;

P.S. DON’T FORGET TO LINK UP TO FANCY THIS FRIDAYS BELOW! (:

Filed Under: Kassi, Recipes Tagged With: Birthdays, Pumpkin

Kassi’s Big Birthday Bash Giveaway!!

October 4, 2012 37 Comments

Today is my birthday and to celebrate we have gifts for you!!!
Each prize will be awarded to a different winner, so that means SIXTEEN winners!!
The AWESOME prizes, from some truly lovely ladies, up for grabs are…

_______________

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below, a winner will be drawn and announced a week from today, on October 11th!
All winning entries WILL be verified!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for hanging around Truly Lovely, for your sweet comments, your emails, your tweets and friendship!
Thanks to the sweet ladies who sponsored our bash! We adore you all!!!

Happy Birthday to me!