Welcome to Southern Sweetys

Hi and welcome to my blog!! I'm so glad you have stopped by! Please feel free to leave comments, questions and please Pin away to your hearts desire!

Okay so let me tell y'all about myself and my beautiful family...

My name is Katrina "Kat" Smith. I am originally from Keokuk, IA and moved to Springdale, AR when I was about 8 years old. I consider myself from Arkansas, since I have lived here most of my life. I know where my roots are and still consider Keokuk home to me as well. The South has definitely rubbed off on me and now I am all Arkansas with my southern drawl, love of sweet tea and consistent use of the word "y'all." And I wouldn't have it any other way. I'll continue with more about little ol' me after I brag on those that make my story worth telling about first.....

I am married to my husband, Mark, of  almost 10 years now. We met on Match.com and he is the love of my life. I smile most when he is around and he is the most supportive, adoring, Godly, caring, sweetest, giving, loving and gorgeous man I have ever met. Saying he is the love of my life is clearly an understatement. I am your constant emotional screw-up, I deal daily with depression due to medication I was on to help heal my back after the birth of our 4 child & good ol' hypothyroid disease. My head is often in the clouds yet I am too insecure to try new things....crazy, I know. My husband is my best friend. Without him, I don't know where I'd be in my life. He is my knight in shining Armour who swooped in to rescued me from a life of loneliness. One word to best describe Mark would be Lifesaver. He the person that keeps our family afloat. Mark is an structural engineer, home brewer and lover of sports. This Spring he will be opening up a brewery {his life long dream}. Mark is braver than I will ever be and I am beyond proud and happy for him.  Mark is all things fall to me...warm and cozy and he smells good too:)
Mark is smart, talented, patient and

 just simply amazing. God blessed me ten-fold with this amazing man.

My husband, Mark and myself, Kat

Together Mark and I have 4 awesome children. We have Ryan (Ry) who is 21 years old and lives in Fayetteville, AR. Ryan has worked for Wal-Mart for about 3 years now & just bought his first car as a grown-up! Building that credit up, y'all.  Ryan has Asperger's Syndrome and has come so far in his life. He and we still struggle at many times with his AS, but we are always Ry's biggest supporters and cheerleaders. He is always making us proud and we are excited to see him grow and live the life he has only dreamed about. Best word to describe Ryan would be Determined.  With help from his Grandpa Glasgow he has learned how to play the guitar and everyday he practices the guitar looking to become better. Ryan loves music, writing and being creative. Ryan rarely gives up and when he finds something he is passionate about, he gives it his all. 

Ryan

Then there is Matthew who is 18 years old (AKA Sweets).  Matt earned the nickname Sweets for his love affair with all things sweet. Matthew is a Freshman at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He is majoring in Science and he just landed the job of Track Manager at the UofA for the Razorback Track team. Matt is a former State winning runner and our family athlete. Matt is your constant perfectionist. He is a rule follower and hardest working kid you'll ever meet. He is loving, caring, kind, sweet and a hugger. He hugs, a lot, and I love that he hugs. He'll be like his Dad when he grows up-a very loving & attentive husband.  There's a lucky woman out there waiting to meet this prince charming one day. Matt is literally tall, dark and handsome. A word to best describe Matt would be Honorable. He is a man of his word and there is nothing that he wouldn't do for his fellow man. He's always got your back and would never turn his back on you. Matt will always be a kid at heart. He loves to build  Legos, video games, reading and singing. 

Matthew

Next is our only girl, Mary Kate (AKA MK or Kitten), who is 8 years old. Named after two of her Great-Grandma's, she is a pleasant mix of all girl and a little tom boy too. She loves hanging out with the guys playing basketball and baseball and loves dressing in pink with bows and pretty sparkles. She is the sweetest kid ever. She cares about others so much. Every morning we pray in the van on the way to school for her classmates. Is she knows someone is struggling, she keeps them in her thoughts and prayers. She is seriously just the sweetest. Mary Kate is an observer, she is a lover of animals, music, cooking shows and she is simply beautiful. Mary Kate is swimmer and singer, and she works very hard at both. But more than anything, she makes me smile, laugh and most of all she makes me proud.  She always leaves me silly messages on my phone and it just makes my day. Mary Kate is in the 2nd year grade and she is an amazing reader for age. One word to best describe Mary Kate is Talented. She sings, swims, draws, writes stories, reads a lot, and she loves performing made up songs outside for our two dogs. 

Mary Kathryn

Last but certainly not least is William, (AKA Will, The Wills, Will-Will, Little Man). Will is almost 7 years old. He is our little miracle baby that we nearly lost during pregnancy due to an infection and surgeries I had at 13 weeks gestation. Will was also born with 3 knots in his umbilical cord that could have cost him his life or could have given him brain damage. Will was born perfectly healthy. I often say that Will is perfect name for him because he had the Will to live and boy is he strong-willed too. Will is sweet, cuddly and always making us laugh. He is the comedian of the family for sure. There is never a dull moment with Will around. He is a quick witted mama's boy, who I REALLY wish would stop growing up!  Will is so much like his Daddy it's crazy. He loves to build things and take things apart, he loves staying busy. He loves Legos, baseball, drawing, playing tricks on me, board games and helping me in the kitchen. A word to describe Will would be Curious. He loves to touch everything and try to figure things out on his own. He is independent, he likes to work with his hands and I can easily see him becoming an 

Engineer like his Daddy one day. 

Will

So that's it....wait, oh there's more about me....

 I am a Catholic Wife and Mom. As mentioned above, I do suffer from depression and anxiety but have chosen to not be on medication. Medication & hypothyroid disease is why I struggle with it like I do. Instead I deal with it by praying, reading scripture, exercise, being present with my family, baking, and trying to talk myself up from my downs. Depression has caused me to have severe anxiety around other adults and so that leaves me with few friends.  I'm learning to be excepting of that, but it's hard. We all needs friends. Outside of that mess in my life, I do have lots of scattered ambitions and I love to cook, craft, photograph and laugh. Even though depression and anxiety are in my life I am a  happy person-if that makes sense at all. I am most happy when I'm together with my whole family hanging out in our back yard cooking out, swimming, tossing the football, sitting by the fire pit, date nights with my husband, sipping on a Mommy drink and holding my husband's hand. I love taking pictures of my family and I love anything kitchen, Hobby Lobby, Kirkland's and Euna Mea's.  I was saying "I Love You More" before it was cool to say. I'm your typical Southern lady; I love manners, big bows, lipstick, hairspray, sweet tea and Jesus. A word to describe me would be Blessed. Yes, Blessed. I'm hoping my blog over time will help others who are dealing with depression and anxiety due mainly to hypothyroid disease. I obviously don't want it to be my sole focus, because it's important to focus on what makes us happy. 

Okay so that is it. This is us.  These are my "Southern Sweetys." I hope you enjoy this blog. Again, please feel free to comment, message and pass it on. 

Blessings,