Eat Well, Travel Often

11.30.2012



Aren't those great words to live by?  Yes, today we are still flying half way around the world, to come home to many of you!  We should land tonight in KC sometime around 10:00pm.  Praying all flights remain on time and that the Dr. Pepper machines are flowing!  Real hugs and kisses coming your way very soon!

Love,
The Kids Down Under

Time Travel Playlist

11.29.2012

Did you know that we are going to experience time travel today? Yes, we take off from Sydney on Friday November 30th at 3:00pm, and will the take off again from LAX on Friday November 30th at 3:00pm. The international date line makes me giggle really.So yeah, we will be home for six weeks and are so looking forward to seeing all of our USA friends, eating the food, drinking the Dr. Pepper, sleeping in the comfy beds, and talking until wee hours of the night. We are about to embark on a super long flight and know that many of you are eagerly waiting on the other end with hugs (and Dr. Pepper...bless you...bless you). While you wait (and we experience this crazy weird time warp) we thought you might enjoy a few tunes

 Home Sweet Home by Christy Wutke on Grooveshark

 See You Soon!
The Kids Down Under

*Happy Thanksgiving*

11.22.2012


Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!  I would say that we have truly learned what it means to be thankful this past year and wanted to share a few things we are thankful for.

Dane:

numero 1: my wife and best friend who married me despite how dumb i can be :)
numero 2: music and all things encompassing it.
numero 3: a God who is merciful, full of grace and desires the best for us.
numero 4: friends and family who love me when i don't deserve to be loved
numero 5: my dog...i'm believing for it.

Christy:
* I am thankful for my husband.  Without him, I would not have survived this past year and all of the ups and downs.  He has walked every single step right beside me and loved me unconditionally.  So thankful for you baby.
* I am thankful for our friends and family both in the USA and those we have made here from all over the world.  People on both ends of the spectrum have been such a support for us while we have been here in Australia and we know you will continue to be.  As for our friends and family in the USA, only 8 short days until we can hug you all!
* I am thankful for provision.  God has continuously poured out his blessings on Dane & I this year.  Just to list a few:  amazing friends in the land down under whom I lovingly call my Aussie family, a bed on night one of us arriving here, a home to live in, enough food to eat, clean water to drink, a job, bikes, a car, a wonderful neighbor, a refrigerator, internet, tools and supplies to be creative, a washing machine, pots and pans, car rides when Dane busted up his ankle, a few mini vacations to help break up the monotony of the daily grind, good coffee, and a Dr. Pepper every now and then.  
* I am thankful for the church.  I am not just talking Hillsong either, but the church global.  It is amazing and exciting to see how God is moving and working in this world.  I am thankful that I live in a nation that can worship freely. 
* I am thankful for the lessons I have learned this past year.  I don't think a single one of them have been easy and I know I will continue to learn and grow in each area, but yes, I am thankful that God continues to move, work, and use me in ways I never would have imagined.  

As for our Thanksgiving plans, our Australian friends made a deal with us.  They wanted to see what this whole Thanksgiving thing was all about, so they bought the bird, and I am preparing them a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Australia has tiny fan forced ovens, so wish me luck!  

And one last note, we are thankful for all of you who read this blog.  It is a joy to share our lives with you.  Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to care about our lives.  

We love you,
The Kids Down Under

And All The Kids They Dance

11.21.2012


Back in June, Dane received Coldplay tickets for his birthday.  Ever since then we have been eagerly anticipating November 18th.  Apparently, Coldplay tickets are a really good birthday present, because our friend Mathilda got them for her husband Jonas as well.  And so, the Americans and the Swedes traveled together to enjoy a day in the city and an evening of great music.







The last time Dane and I saw Coldplay, well we weren't dating.  We might have rode together, but we sure didn't sit together.  Brock, Ian and I enjoyed the show from the very back row of the colosseum, and Dane with his friend Kaleb had a seat upgrade down one row away from the floor.  The whole concert I could see Dane, and kept thinking, I wish I was getting to have this experience with him.  Finally, three and a half years later, we had our chance.

When you walked in, they handed everyone out wristband and told you to put them on.  They would become a part of the show.

When Coldplay took the stage, this happened!  It was a spectacular site, everyone glowing.  The band would blink and flash along with the music.  It was so clever!  


Of course, my band didn't work.  Dane gave me his.  Now that is love people!  



I had to include this picture.  All of the stuff swirling in the air is not bugs, but confetti.  The wind was swirling so hard, it was coming up clear to the top of the stadium and slapping us in the face.  I felt like I was in a giant snow globe.







It was one amazing night!

xoxo,
The Kids Down Under

The Pinterest Trials: Pamper

11.16.2012


We all love pinterest.  There are days when I think I am more addicted than anyone else in the world.  I can spend hours chasing rabbit trails of ideas, inspiration, diy's, fashion, beauty tips, recipes, and make at home techniques.  One pin, leads to another board, leads to another persons board, leads to a blog, which leads to another pin on a completely different topic.  Oh how I love it.  But over time, pins build up.  You look over your boards and wonder to yourself, does any of this stuff even work or did somebody whip together a good concoction , make it look lovely, and throw some pictures up on the world wide web?

That's where this new feature comes in, The Pinterest Trials.  Each feature I will chose a different topic on pinterest, try it out, and let you know how it worked.  What I liked about it, and what I didn't like about it.

We are going to begin with the topic of beauty.  Beauty products here in Australia are ridiculously expensive.  I'm talking $26.00 for a small thing of Revlon blush that I am just dying to own, but holding out for two more weeks when I can pick it up in the USA.  (sorry just a little rant there).   Another expensive thing I have found here is skin care.  Now I know skin care is nothing to fool around with, but I figure some at home natural remedy would beat chemically filled drugstore items any day, so I thought, why not give it a chance?

The three items I'm trying out this week are:



1. At Home Microdermabrasion:
This post originally came from Confessions of a Wisconsin Housewife.  It caught my attention because it promised glowing skin, which is not an adjective I have ever used to describe my skin, but would like to start!  I followed the instructions just like the recipe said (there are lots of alternative options in the comments section of this post).  The paste felt very nice going on my skin, although the smell wasn't anything to be desired.  I did the swirly motion while applying and let it sit for five minutes.  As it sits it will dry out a bit, and I had to laugh because I later noticed that wherever I had been during those 5 minutes, I had a trail of white crumbs that had followed me.

After rinsing off I didn't notice a glow like the picture above.  My skin did feel a bit dry, so I put on some moisturizer, and viola.  Now, my glow is nothing like the girl above, but I am pretty sure she is loaded up with make up.  I don't know ANYONE'S skin who looks that good naturally.

Would I try this again?  Yeah, I would.  My skin does feel super clean and quite refreshed.  I have never had real deal microdermabrasion, from a spa or dermatologist, so I am not sure how the results compare, but yes, I would say this one is worth a try.  Plus, you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen cupboard.

2. Keiko Lynn's Travel Skin Care
At home I love using St. Ives exfoliating apricot scrub on my face in order to have super smooth skin.  Once again, looking for a way to save a bit of cash, I decided to seek out an at home exfoliant.  I came across Keiko Lynn's website and loved her travel skin care post, and decided to try out her hotel remedy exfoliant, which is nothing more than honey and sugar.

Immediately, I ran downstairs and grabbed the honey jar and a stick of raw sugar I had been given for a coffee at a cafe.  I simply put a spoonful of honey in my hand and dumped the sugar packet into the honey.  I mixed them together and then rubbed on my face.  Although a bit sticky feeling, the smell was incredible.  If it happened to get in my mouth, I didn't mind, sugar + sugar = yum!

My skin was so smooth, and felt so moisturized.  I used what I had left on my hands and loved this result as well.

Yes, I would do this again in a heart beat.  It takes less than a minute and will make your skin feel fantasticly happy.

(Just a note, I did try the tea bag idea as well.  It worked a bit, but wasn't as dramatic as I was hoping.  Apparently what I really need is more sleep to perk up these tired eyes).

3.  Brown Sugar Oatmeal Scrub
Who doesn't want their skin to feel smooth as butter?  That's what this pin from glamour promises.  Once again, a mixture of items that most of us have in the kitchen pantry and away we go!

So the instructions say you should do this scrub on a towel, let the big chunks flake off, and then step into the shower, but i just went straight into the shower.  Probably would have been a better idea to let the oatmeal chunks fall on the floor, because this made my shower quite a mess.  But it wasn't promising a clean shower was it?  (That's a pinterest trial for another day).  

As for the scrub.  it did feel really good going on  The smell made me want to go and make oatmeal cookies.  I considered eating it for a second (it was almost dinner time).  After I rinsed off, my skin really did feel smooth, like what I would think your skin would feel like it if you covered yourself in butter, super moist.  This feeling lasted, until the next morning when I jumped in the shower before work.  So yes, you will have super soft skin, sadly, it will only last until your next shower.  Will I try again?  Probably not, too messy and I was hoping for more long term effects, BUT it was fun, I just rather save my oatmeal and brown sugar for the cookies.  

(Oh, and one more thought.  I would not recommend using all of these ideas on your face on the same day.  I didn't, and neither should you.  Each item is meant to exfoliate.  Too much exfoliating and you will have some super dry and irritated skin.  And nobody wants that).

I hope you have enjoyed our new feature.  We'll be back with more of the pinterest trials in the future.  If you would like to follow the girlie Christy pinterest boards you can do so here.  If you would like to follow more manly pinterest boards, check out Dane's here.

A Wedding Story: Smile Booth

11.12.2012


One of our favorite parts of the wedding was our smile booth.  We wanted a way to document the people who were at our wedding, so we set up this little area, had our friend Logan be the photographer,  added a few ridiculous props, and here is the outcome.  

 





















There are so many more fabulous pictures we could add to this post, because we have so many fabulous people in our lives.  If you would like to check out more of Logan's photography click here.  We only have one wedding story post left, coming up next week.  It has been fun reliving the memories with you all!  

xoxo,
The Kids Down Under

Must give credit, where credit is due.  Photo two was taken by Robin Wutke.  Photo three by Stephanie Schwarm.  

A Day In the Life of...Christy

11.10.2012

A photo documentary of November 9th, hour by hour, enjoy!

12:00pm- Brunching


1:00pm- Beautifying & Art Journaling


2:00pm- Thrift Store Shopping

3:00pm- City Driving


4:00pm- More Thrifting

5:00pm- Grocery Shopping

6:00pm- Dinner Making & Running



7:00pm- Patio Dining

8:00pm- Mind Numbing

 9:00pm- Relaxing
 10:00pm- Blogging & Treating

 11:00pm- Blessing

And that's our day!
Love,
The Kids Down Under