Family
by Kristi on January 17, 2012
As moms we all wear many different hats and sometimes those hats cross over then we forget who we are. So in an effort to remember who I am, I wanted everyone to know!
So who is Kristi, your frugal mastermind blogger behind Frugally Thrifty:
Kristi is:
- a down-to-earth mom of two courageous boys
- a wife that can always do better because I want to be perfect (so not me though!)
- a daughter that would bend over backwards to help her parents
- a blogger that’s scooting across the internet to share the best coupons, grocery deals, and more
- a CEO/CFO and any other shortened analogy that goes along with running yourself ragged trying to make sure things run smoothly around the house
- a thinker that’s mind is like the energizer bunny…it keeps going & going & going…LOL
- a random thoughts searcher…Google baby!
What hats do you wear as a mom?
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by Kristi on October 25, 2011
At this point in the year, I usually have over half of my holiday shopping complete for the entire family all the way down to family that lives out of state. For some reason this year, I haven’t even started and I haven’t even picked our holiday colors for this year. What?!?! You may be asking. I am not the traditional red and green every year girl. I like to spice it up! We have had a green and gold Christmas to support my husbands military service as an MP, a black and white holiday where all decorations matched the theme, purple and lime green (way unconventional) with butterflies. And each year, I start planning the next year’s wreath a year in advance because I love the after Christmas sales so much!! Well, none of that has happened this year. I may have to do a dry run and see what I have already so I can get the ball moving on the holiday season even though we haven’t even reached Halloween yet (only one more week before trick or treating!!)
With all of this in mind, the mad dash of the holiday season is about to get into full swing, so I have been racking my brain on what my boys really need from Santa this year. Because they are getting older, they are getting harder and harder to shop for. I wasn’t ready for the day when toys weren’t enough to get me by. They are both reaching that age when electronics are the only way to go and that makes this transition as a parent so much harder. It’s great watching them grow up into lil’ men, but that only makes me wish they were still babies (even though they will always be babies in my eyes.) 
My boys turned 8 and 11 this year and it hit me pretty hard. In 2 short years, I will no longer have a single digit child anymore and my oldest will…well be starting his trek down the teenage years. I think that’s where the problem is for me. In my mind, if I start shopping that means I am only giving into the fact that my boys are growing up and I am one year closer to them becoming the men they will soon be.
The other really hard part about the holiday season this year is that we have splurged a little bit over the last few months on bigger ticket items. Over the summer, we splurged on a new Nintendo DSi XL
after their Nintendo DS Lite 
finally died 3 years later and their birthday’s are both in September so we split the cost of new Sony Stereos
with my husband’s family and surprised them in a big way. Now I think you can see why this is such a hard decision to make.
I have been scouring the internet trying to find the best deals on Wii Games
, DSi Games, and Texas Country CD’s that they will love, but it all seems so overwhelming this year.
Are you having the same problem with getting on track this year when it comes to your holiday shopping or are you the person I have been for so many years that was ahead of the game at this point?
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by Kristi on August 22, 2011
This summer has really been a scorcher in Southeast Texas, but who doesn’t love to get out to sail on the seas?!?! Well, we had that opportunity a few weeks ago with Star Fleet Yachts. A little about Star Fleet Yachts: They own and operate five entertainment yachts on Galveston Bay and Clear Lake. They also offer the public to purchase tickets on weekends or special events and their prices are very reasonable. The family sight seeing cruise is only $29 per person.
We were all so excited to spend a couple hours out on the waters of Galveston Bay and Clear Lake even though the hubs and I could have spent an evening out on the water for the Star Fleet Wine Tasting Cruise. This summer we have been trying to do things based on all things family fun so we couldn’t see leaving the kids at home for this family fun adventure. We had a best time on the Star Gazer. The day couldn’t have been better for a day out on the waters in Kemah, TX. Before boarding 30 minutes early, the Star Fleet crew took our picture and they print it right on board for $10 (if you choose to purchase it) or you can get a digital version emailed to you for $8. We opted for the printed version because it was PERFECT! Unfortunately, I am unable to scan it in at this time due to issue with my wonderful printer. UGH…That’s another story. But, I did manage to capture another great picture of our family at sea!
My boys even got to be captain! They loved driving piloting the yacht! That was definitely the highlight of their day.
Disclosure: I was given this opportunity from Star Fleet Yachts. I received the information and/or product listed above, but my opinion on the product or service is 100% honest. No other compensation was given or received.
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by Kristi on June 4, 2011
Today marks 12 years that I have been with the most amazing man in the world. Since the beginning of our marriage we have had fun and continue to do the same as each day passes. Through the years we have had our ups and downs, many hellos and goodbyes, but in the end we have managed to stick by each others side through thick and thin.
On our wedding day, we swapped roles!
The folks bank was officially closed and heads were aching!
And after 2 kids, we are still going strong! I love you honey! Happy Anniversary!
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by Kristi on April 25, 2011
Remember me telling y’all about the Capital One Jamfest that was at Discovery Green when the NCAA Final Four was in town a few weeks ago! I told you I would be there! The day was filled with high-energy & you couldn’t help but sing along to all the songs you knew (which in our case was all of them!) We had a blast, got to meet Roger Creager, Bill Creager (Roger’s dad), and Matt Madearis (Drummer/Washboard – Roger Creager Band)! The kids were so excited to meet all of them. (pics below) We were fortunate enough to get about 20 ft. from the stage because we got there so early. 8 hours on our feet was tough, but we got some really amazing pictures that I wanted to share with y’all!
My boys (“Tank” & “Skater”) at the beginning of the day. They were so happy to be there and ready for the show!
My hubs ready for some Roger Creager and Pat Green music to start!
Roger Creager on stage having a blast!
Matt Medearis playing some mean washboard! Awesome job!
Roger & Bill Creager singing “Rancho Grande” – love that song!
That’s me & Roger Creager!!
Me & my boys with Roger Creager! Super sweet guy with a down to earth heart!
Bill Creager & the boys. “Tank” (my lil guy) wanted to say hi to him so he kept waving until he noticed him. During set changes, he came over and talked with them for about 20 mins. Gotta love sweet people!
Matt Medearis with the boys. He is such a great guy. He came over and we had a great conversation about life and how amazing it is. Great person through and through!
Pat Green rocking the stage!
Uncle Kracker on stage
As soon as Kenny Chesney came on the stage @ 8:45pm, the kids were bouncing off the people in the crowd with excitement (even after standing for 5 hours). Love this pic!
Kenny Chesney & Uncle Crakcer singing “When the Sun Goes Down”
“Skater” & I
“Tank” & I
“Tank” & “Skater” at the end of the night. Where’d your smiling face go “Skater”? LOL 
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by Kristi on April 15, 2011
As you know a couple weeks ago, I was MIA for a few days and I am sorry about that. Last month, we lost a dear family member to Lou Gehrig’s disease and had to make an unexpected trip out of town. While it was nice to have a ROADTRIP (haven’t done that in 3 years), the circumstances were not ideal. As with any event, we had to make the best of what we were given and made our trip a family history lesson for the kids and I just wanted to share with you another one of our adventures in history!
Our trip started out of Houston on the way to Harrison, Arkansas. 12 hours in a car with 2 kids can be hard so we left out late so they could sleep (aaahhh) and the hubs and I could drive. Let me just say that the drive out of Texas is the hardest part of every trip we make. I came to the conclusion that they made Texas so big so we wouldn’t leave! It took us 7 1/2 hours just to get out of the state (WOW). The hubs and I grabbed Starbucks Double Shots (YUM), Dr. Pepper, coffee, and just about anything to get us through the night while the kiddies slept their little hearts out! I drove 9 out of the 12 hours because he couldn’t get comfortable in my car (WHAT?!?!) I guess the passenger seat is larger (not really ) He is just used to driving a Ford F-450 all day and my little Kia Sorento was just to crampy for him! Crazy guy!
So we finally made it into Harrison around 11am and all I wanted was a bed. This girl was tired and really I think my rear was engraved into the seat at that point. But there was no time to think about sleep, we had to find a room for the weekend. Of all weekends in Harrison, AR (a town of only around 13,000), you would think there would be a room. Nope. Negative ghost rider, there was a fiddlers convention in town and no rooms to speak of that would accommodate to side by side rooms for my sister in law also (unless you go clear across town). So we took it! It was a little further than we wanted, but who can complain when you need a place to lay your head!
After finding a room to accommodate 5 kids & 3 adults, we were set (at least we thought we were). The weather was really cold and in our mad dash to pack, guess who left their pants in Texas! One wild guess?!?! ME!! There are only 2 places to really shop in Harrison. You have the option of Walmart or JC Penny. First off, I hate (with a passion) to shop for pants and to not have options was devastating. I had my little cry session at JC Penny, but found a pair that would work to get me through. It was a combination of stress and sleep deprivation that had me all kinds of tethered that day. I don’t think anyone wanted to see me walk into the funeral with what I call swishy pants (wind suit type). That would have been horrible while the rest of my family was all put together down to the boots, which I had mine, but swishy pants and Justin boots don’t really go good together. Just sayin’
So after the mad house mess of events leading up to the funeral, we headed up the mountain to Mt. Judea, AR (a town of only 500) for the funeral service at Ben’s Branch Church of Christ and it was a very nice service. After the funeral, the kids wanted to visit their great-grandfather and great-aunt who passed away a few years ago and then we started our history lesson on the mountain.
My husbands family is all from the area and now the kids are getting old enough to appreciate the beauty and family history that is offered to them when we visit. As we were leaving the church, we drove by my husbands great-great grandfathers general store (and I can’t find the picture…ugh), the creeks he used to play in when he was growing up, the boys got to play with their cousins, and got to see the house that my husband’s grandfather grew up in (which has now been turned into a barn 
). Enjoy!
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