Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter

Happy Easter y'all! I hope it was a wonderful day for everyone! We started our day by going to Easter service which was out of this world amazing! I love our church so much and will be very sad to leave it soon. It figures that when Jarrett and I finally find the perfect church for us that we would have to leave. After church we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch instead of cooking at home. We had a forty-five minute wait, but it was so worth it. Since we got back from lunch, mom and I have been watching The Bible on the History channel. I don't know if you have seen The Bible or not, but it is simply amazing! I'm sure they will rerun the episodes even after today, so I definitely suggest watching them!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "
Mark 16:1-8

Our Lord and savior has risen <3


Friday, March 29, 2013

Friday's Letters

Dear husband, Babe there are sixteen days left until you come home. I am hanging on by a thread waiting and waiting. I know this deployment was only three months, but some days it seems like you've been gone a year. We have so much going on and so many things to do when you return, so hurry up and get home to us! Dear Leo and Sophie bug, You both are so sweet sleeping next to me right now. I love being surrounded by two puppies. You both are so funny together and I love it! Dear big brudder, Thank you so much for buying me Schlotzsky's for lunch today. Also thank you for being my grocery shopping companion. You're the best big brother ever! Dear baby Austyn, Baby girl you really need to hurry up and come into the world. Your mommy is getting really impatient and I, along with many others, am getting really anxious to meet you!


Friday Five: Easter Ramblings

Happy Friday everyone! Hope your week was fabulous. Mine was good, but long as usual. The next two weeks will probably go by slow for me since I'm counting down for Jarrett's return, but I'm hoping it won't seem so bad. I will be pretty busy with Austyn arriving and my little trip home to visit her, so hopefully these weeks will fly by. I want my husband asap!

On another note, I'm hoping you all have some nice plans for this upcoming Easter weekend! I know I do. I cannot wait to spend time with my family, eat good food together and celebrate and worship the return of our king!

1. So, Tuesday and Wednesday, with Easter coming up, I developed the biggest craving for my favorite Easter candies mini eggs and Cadbury creme eggs. Both days I went over to Farm Fresh on my lunch break and bought my little bags of mini eggs and a couple of creme eggs and just went to town on them. Yummy yummy! I can't wait to buy more when they go on sale after Easter!

2. Yesterday my mom and brother came to visit for Easter weekend. My younger brother is coming down tomorrow too. My brothers are leaving Sunday evening and my mom is staying until Tuesday. I hate that I have to work a lot while they are here but at least I get Easter Sunday off with them. I also have Tuesday off so I will get to spend a little more time with mom before she goes back.

3. I decided on a back up outfit for Easter just incase the weather decides to be weird that day. Virginia weather is so back and forth. One day it is in the 60's and the next day the high is in the 40's so you just never know what to wear. I originally bought my Easter dress at Marshall's and couldn't wait to wear it, but now they are calling for colder weather and rain on Easter. I decided to pick a back up outfit that was somewhat Easterish. I decided on grey trousers, a white blouse, a light pink cardigan and white open toe wedges. I can't wait to wear either outfit.

4. All week we have been trying to figure out of we want to cook or just go out to lunch for Easter. We finally just decided on keeping it simple for this year. We are going to Cracker Barrel after church instead of cooking. Usually my mom, my mother in law and I do a ham, all the sides and a dessert for Easter dinner, but we decided to just do a quick, cheap and easy meal at one of our favorite restaurants. Sounds like a plan to me.

5. I am seriously considering getting Easter pictures of Leo next Easter. I mean come on now. A wiener dog with bunny ears on? How stinking cute is that? Yes, very cute. I am definitely turning in to the dog owner I swore I would never be.














Thursday, March 28, 2013

March quote of the month!

Art does not have to match your sofa!
I want to know where it says,
"The art you put in your home has to match your sofa."
First of all, art is not meant to decorate your home...art is meant to decorate your soul. It is the signature of every civilization that ever left its mark on earth.
It breaks all the rules and shakes off the dust of everyday life.
With a power like that, who cares if it matches your sofa?
Let it match your soul!


Facts and misconceptions about Alaska!

Lately I have been doing a lot of research about Alaska. I want to learn as much as I can about the state before we move. It is such an interesting state. I found this website call enchantedlearning.com and they show all these awesome facts about Alaska. I didn't even know most of the facts mentioned below, so it is so neat to find out all these interesting things.

1. Alaska was the 49th state in the USA; it became a state on January 3, 1959.
2. State Abbreviation - AK
3. State Capital - Juneau
4. Largest City - Anchorage
Area - 656,425 square miles [Alaska is the biggest state in the USA]
5. Population - 626,932 (as of 2000) [Alaska is the 48th most populous state in the USA]
6. Name for Residents - Alaskans
7. Major Industry - oil (petroleum)
8. Major Lakes - Iliamna Lake, Aleknagik Lake, Becharof Lake, Clark Lake, Minchumina Lake
9. Highest Point - Mt. McKinley - 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level - this is the highest point in the USA.
10. Number of Boroughs (Counties) - 27
11. Bordering US States - none
12. Bordering Country - Canada
13. Bordering Body of Water - Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Beaufort Sea, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska
14. Origin of the Name Alaska - The word Alaska is from the Aleut Indian word "alaxsxaq" or "agunalaksh" that mean the mainland or shore.
15. State Nickname - The Last Frontier
16. State Motto - "North To The Future"
17. State Song - Alaska's Flag
18. Dinosaur Fossils Found in Alaska - Albertosaurus, Ankylosaur (unknown genus), Edmontosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Saurornitholestes, Thescelosaurus, Troƶdon

Alaska State Symbols and Emblems: State Flag

The official state flag of Alaska was officially adopted in 1959. The golden stars represent the Big Dipper (an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major, the Big Bear) and the North Star, also called Polaris (representing Alaska's northern location). This beautiful flag was chosen from a flag-designing contest. It was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy named Bennie Benson. Bennie was from the village of Chignik; he won a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch for winning the contest.

Also there are many misconceptions about Alaska. I mean, I myself thought I had Alaska all figured out even before doing this research, but boy was I wrong! I found this website as well: http://www.greatlandofalaska.com. This site was created and is maintained by Douglas J. Gates of Soldotna/Kenai, Alaska and clears up many misconceptions that people have about Alaska. Below are some questions viewers asked Douglas and his responses to those questions:

1. Do you live in an igloo?
-No, I live in an perfectly normal 7-plex. All cities and major towns in Alaska have regular houses, apartments, buildings, etc. Even in the bush, people live in houses.

2. Don't you get cold?
-If I went outside in the middle of January wearing nothing but a t-shirt and shorts, then I'd get cold. However, like anybody else who lives somewhere that gets below freezing during the winter, I dress to keep warm.

3. How do you keep warm?
-That depends on where I am and what I'm doing. In just normal travelling from home to work or to the store, I'm never outside long enough to get too cold. If I'm ice fishing, I can plan on being outside in -20° C weather for several hours, so I dress for it - long johns, jeans, sweater, button-up shirt, snowpants, down coat, face mask, scarf, thick hat, thick gloves, and bunny boots.

4. Is it really dark most of the year?
-This surprises a lot of people, but Alaska doesn't have more darkness than light. It may be dark most of the time during the winters, but during the summer it is light most of the time so it evens out. How long the darkness/light lasts depend on how far north you are. In Barrow, the sun may not rise during the middle of winter, and may not set during the summer. In the Southcentral, the sun does set during the summer but it may not get any darker than twilight. The sun does rise in winter but doesn't get very high as you can see in this picture taken near noon on the Winter Solstice.

5. Do you have electricity and computers up there?
-How else would I have created this web page?

6. Is all of Alaska covered by ice?
-Only about 5% of Alaska is covered by permanent ice. The rest of it is swamp, forest, mountain, plains, tundra, muskeg, marsh, etc.

7. Do you get a lot of snow?
-That depends on where in Alaska you are. Some parts of Alaska are desert and so receive little precipitation in any form. Other areas can receive several meters of snow during the winter. In the part of Alaska I live in, we average a few feet per year.

8. Do you travel by dog sled?
-I drive a Dodge pickup. In the city, cars are the primary means of transportation. In the bush areas, cars and trucks may be used, but 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers, and snowmachines are the main forms of transportation. Most dog teams that exist today are mainly used for sport, although a few bush villages still use dog teams for transportation.

9. Do you use Russian/Canadian currency?
-We use American money. I have noticed, however, that many Alaskan stores and vending machines will accept Canadian coins. All the lower-48 stores I've been to refuse to accept any Canadian coins, period.

10. Do you have penguins up there?
-Aside from the 'beanie baby' type of toy penguins, we do not have any, not even at the zoo. Most people associate penguins with snow, ice, and cold weather. Although we have the climate that people would expect penguins to live in, they are only found in the southern hemisphere.

11. Are Moose dangerous?
-Moose, if provoked, can be quite a deadly animal. A single kick from one can be fatal. There are a lot of moose in town and most of them will leave people alone if given enough room. There have been a few fatal attacks though, but these have happened because the victim came too close (not always intentionally--moose can be hard to see in the dark of night). I've heard (from professional hunting guides so I tend to believe this) that in the wild one often has more to fear from moose than bears in that a moose may attack without any provocation.

12. Can you speak Eskimo?
-First, I'd like to say there there isn't any single language that can be called 'Eskimo'. There are different groups of Eskimos in Alaska and they each have a different language such as Inupiaq, Yup'ik, and Siberian Yup'ik. The Native people of the area I grew up in were Yup'ik Eskimo so Yup'ik was the language spoken in that area. I know many Yup'ik words and phrases, but I don't know enough to carry on a conversation. It wasn't really necessary for me to learn Yup'ik since most people there spoke English as well.

13. Have you ever been in an earthquake?
-Yes, lots of them. Alaska has over 1,000 earthquakes each year that measure 3.5 or higher on the Richter scale. Only a small handfull of these earthquakes are near enough to where I live for me to feel them.

14. What's the largest earthquake you've ever been in?
-That would be the November 3rd earthquake of 2002, a 7.9 quake that hit the Alaska Range. I live quite far away from the epicenter so it didn't feel that severe to me, although the ground did shake for a long time.

15. What is there to do if I visit Alaska?
-That depends on what you like doing. If you're into outdoor sports there's hiking, fishing, camping, kayaking, canoeing, and biking. If you're into history and culture, there's plenty of places to visit to learn about both, such as Anchorage, Nome, Juneau, Skagway, and many others. If you're visiting for the scenery and wildlife, there's the cruise through the Inside Passage, Kenai Fjords tours, many glacier cruises, Denali Park tours, the Alaska Railroad, dozens of flightseeing companies, and much more.

16. What causes the northern lights?
-The origin of the Aurora borealis is the sun. Every now and then a solar flare on the sun's surface will send a bunch of charged particles hurtling through space. If the Earth is in the path of this cloud, some of the particles will become trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and will follow the lines of magnetic force to the magnetic north and south poles where they enter the atmosphere. As the particles encounter the various gasses of the atmosphere, they begin to glow in colors such as green (the most common color), red, blue, and violet.

17. What bodies of water border Alaska?
-Alaska has many bodies of water bordering it. To the north is the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea. To the northwest is the Chukchi Sea. The Bering Strait and Bering Sea lie along the west and southwest of Alaska, as well as the north of the Aleutian Islands. The Pacific Ocean borders the southern coastline of Alaska.

18. How many mountain ranges are in Alaska?
-This depends on what definition of "mountain range" you follow. Typically, many people and publications consider there to be 11 mountain ranges in Alaska: Alaska Range, Aleutian Range, Brooks Range, Chugach Mountains, Coast Mountains, Kenai Mountains, Kuskokwim Mountains, Nulato Hills, St. Elias Mountains, Talkeetna Mountains, and Wrangell Mountains. If you want to get technical, many of these groups are actually considered to be the same range, such as the Chugach Mountains and the Kenai Mountains or the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains. Then there are the mountains that aren't counted as mountain ranges, such as the mountains on the Seward Peninsula or the Yukon/Tanana Uplands. Of course, there are also dozens of smaller ranges within each of the ranges I've named. For example, Ahklun Mountains and Kilbuck Mountains, both subranges of the Kuskokwim Mountains.

19. What are the two major mountain ranges in Alaska?
-The Alaska Range and Brooks Range are considered to be Alaska's two largest mountain ranges.

20. Why does snow stay on mountain tops?
-Three factors, acting alone or in combination, allow snow to remain on mountain tops well into summer and even all year long: temperature, snow quantity, and sunlight (or lack thereof). Many higher mountains are so high that the temperature at their tops rarely climbs far above freezing, even in the middle of summer. Massive amounts of snow can create snow drifts so deep that it may take until July or even August for it to melt. This, combined with the lower temperatures at high altitudes, enables snow to remain on mountain tops long after it's melted from the lower areas. Finally, since the sun in Alaska remains relatively near the horizon in the summer, the northern sides of many mountain tops receive little direct sunlight, slowing the melting of the snow.

21. Why don't lakes and rivers freeze solid?
-If they're small enough, they will. However, any lake or river of sufficient size will not freeze solid. The reason most lakes and rivers don't freeze solid is because water, ice, and snow are good insulators and poor conductors of heat. The portions of a lake or river that are exposed to the cold winter air will freeze into ice and this ice insulates the water below from further rapid freezing. Also contributing to the prevention of bodies of water freezing solid is an interesting characteristic of water. Like most other forms of matter, water become denser as it cools, but beginning at about 39°F (4°C) something odd happens - water begins to lose density as it gets colder, becoming least dense when it freezes into ice. This is why ice floats. As water becomes colder it rises to the top, eventually freezing to the layers of ice that are already there. Insulation of the water beneath is increased as the ice thickens so cooling of the water beneath slows. Many lakes will eventually freeze solid if given enough time. Fortunately, spring thaw arrives long before that happens. As for rivers, a river with a swift enough current will not freeze solid due to the constant motion of the water.

22. Why do lakes and rivers freeze but oceans don't?
-Actually, oceans do freeze, although the high salt levels lowers the freezing point to around 28.4°F (-2°C). The polar ice cap that many of us have been hearing about so much lately is, in fact, frozen ocean. The ocean around Alaska freezes in the winter, with sea ice occasionally extending as far south as 60° to 62° N lattitude. The winter is not cold enough for long enough for more of the ocean to freeze, and with the arrival of spring and summer the warmer temperatures causes this ice shelf to melt. However, the parts of the ocean north of Alaska, Canada, and Russia remains frozen all year long although this ice cap is showing signs of shrinkage due to climate change.

So, I hope this post clears up any misconceptions you all may have had about Alaska. We all like to think we know everything about a specific state or country, but we don't truly know until we do our research! I know these websites sure helped me to understand better about where we'll be living! I cannot wait for our new adventure!








Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Memory keeping fun!

Okay everyone! Are you ready for some more Hallmark marketing from yours truly? Well, ready or not, here it comes once again. Just recently we changed up our memory keeping section which consists of recipe cards and albums, photo albums, guest books and scrap books. This time, Hallmark added a little twist to the change. They have added Shutter Fly into the equation. They have added frames, cut out frames and kits that use Shutter Fly to make things a bit more personable for their customers. Each Shutter Fly product also comes with a code on the back so that each customer can add their customized prints for free. Neat huh?

Recipe section:
In this section, you have all of your recipe essentials. There are recipe albums to document your favorite recipes which is a must have for any wife. I need one of these because I literally have a little recipe card box with all of my printed out recipes from the Internet. I have yet to organize them in an album and it gets too confusing sometimes. This section also has some cook books and recipe scrap books. Adorable.
Shutter Fly section:
Here are the Shutter Fly products that Hallmark has come out with. From picture frames to family trees to cut out picture frames. This section has everything you need to really make a house a home. With our upcoming PCS to Alaska, these frames are the perfect touch we need to add to our new home. I plan to purchase the family tree frame so I can document our growing family over the next couple years. You might see a baby Hayman appear in the family tree while we're in Alaska! Just saying! I also want to purchase the "Love" and "Home" cut out frames so I can add a different spin on picture frames in our new home.
Memory kit and album section:
This section introduces the memory kits that kids can make for their parents. The kits are called Pics n Props. There is one specifically for mom and one that is made for dad. Perfect Mother's Day and Father's day gifts. The kits come with everything needed to make a special gift for mom and dad.
The three sections all together. Looks awesome huh?
A close up of the kits for mom and dad.
Up close of the Home cut out frame. I fell in love with these when I realized we were getting them. I saw them in one of our Hallmark catalogs and knew we had to get them soon. You can also see the pet frame in the picture. I plan to purchase one of these frames to put Leo's picture in it, plus you can add your pet's name in the picture. Sweet.
The Love cut out frame. I plan to put our wedding photo in here. It will look amazing!
A close up of the family tree frame I will be purchasing. Using Shutter Fly, you can add pictures of your family in the leaf slots provided and also add your family name at the bottom. This is the neatest thing ever.
The next three photos are of the three photo albums I will be purchasing soon. I really want to have a photo album for each state that Jarrett and I live in together. For now, I will have an album for Maryland, an album for Virginia and now an album for Alaska. I want to purchase a tall coffee table to display pictures and these albums on.

This first album will be for Maryland. Jarrett and I met in Maryland, got married in Maryland and have family and friends there. I will document through pictures all of our wonderful memories there. 
Here is the Virginia album. A lot happened in Virginia. This was our first duty station, where we had our first home as a married couple, where we adopted our first furr baby Leo and much much more.
This will be our Alaska album. This album will be filled with many happy times I'm sure. I believe that there are many amazing opportunities awaiting Jarrett and I in Alaska. When our family and friends come visit, there will be an album for them to look through so they can see all the wonderful memories that we have made there. I mean, of course everyone will see pictures on the blog and on social media, but to have a hard copy of it all will mean everything.
This last photo is of one of the large photo albums that I want. I want this album for Jarrett and I. I want to tell our story through pictures. Boy is there a story to tell too! :)
Katie<3

Monday, March 25, 2013

Weekend stuff!

I promised myself that I was going to have a relaxing weekend at home, for once. That I did. I usually always say that I am going to stay in because every single one of my weekends is usually slammed with errands, events, outings with friends or hubby and little odds and ends. This weekend, I stuck to my plans of staying in the majority of the weekend.
 
Friday:
Friday night I had a humongous appetite. I mean you would have seriously thought I was pregnant if you had seen all the food I ate in one sitting. Now, I'm not a tooth pick by any means, but I have always been a pretty petite girl with a huge appetite. It is literally no wonder I don't weigh double what I actually weigh. After work, I drove through Taco Bell and purchased two cheesy gordita crunches and a doritos locos taco. Now, I can usually barely stuff down two cheesy gordita crunches, but I was a hungry girl that night. I scarfed down the gorditas then was still hungry as ever for the dorito taco. After that I was finally full, or so I thought. After dinner I ran to the gas station to put gas in the Impala and wouldn't you know, I drove past Sonic. They have these new molten chocolate lava sundaes and I had to have one. I seriously did a u-turn to get to Sonic. Below is what I got. I ate every single bit of it. Nom nom.
Saturday:
Saturday as usual I had work until five. I used some of my down time to wrap some of Leo's birthday presents. Yes I said it. I wrapped some of my dog's presents. So what. You know you've done it a time or two. Don't lie. Anyways, I only wrapped his cookies. The toys I got for him he can just have on his birthday. You should have seen him at Christmas opening all of his gifts. We helped him open his gifts and it was hilarious. He was literally like a little kid when we tore off the wrapping paper. After work I just went home and fell asleep at nine. It was an early night for me after a long work week.

Sunday:
Yesterday I got up super early and went to Sunday School with the in laws. They have been attending this amazing class before the service so I decided to go as well. I loved it. I introduced myself to the class and told them about Jarrett and I, this deployment and our upcoming move. I also met some other military couples. Yesterday was also Palm Sunday, so we discussed Palm Sunday in detail. We talked about what Palm Sunday meant back then and what it means to us now. After the class we went to the 10:45 church service. It was great as always. After church I took Leo to see the girls at the store. I was so proud of him because this was the first time he did not get car sick going or coming. I guess the half a Dramamine tablet in peanut butter helped. After we got home, we stayed home because it started to snow. Not even a week into spring and it snows. Oh well, that's our weather for ya!
 Monday:
Below was the extent of my Monday morning. I lounged around the house with this little boy while catching up on Army Wives and The Client List. I haven't had a lounge around type of morning in forever. It felt awesome!
 
Hope your weekend was full of hardy appetites, time spent with family and friends, church and worship, puppies and just plain old relaxation!
 
Katie<3

Friday, March 22, 2013

Friday Five!

Happy Friday and happy weekend everyone!

1. Tuesday after work I met Rachel at Chickfila for dinner. Chickfila is one of my favorite restaurants ever and I am sad to say that Alaska does not have ANY Chickfilas! None. Zip. Zilch. I am sad. I had no clue that some states have no Chickfilas. I mean, that should be a crime right? Oh well, I'm sure Alaska will have plenty of awesome seafood restaurants to try.

2. Spring officially started Wednesday and then it snowed on Thursday. Seriously? What is going on with this weather? I think our little groundhog friend lied about his shadow this year. I just want to enjoy spring and summer before having to brace snow every day.

3. Remember the two dresses I bought from Marshall's last week? Well, I went back and bought the light blue colored one that's just like the green one. When I really like an article of clothing I usually will buy it in more than one color. Sometimes if I really really like something I'll buy it in every color they make. I once bought a shirt from H&M and went back to buy the rest of the colors which included five more of that shirt.

4. This weekend in honor of the Real World Portland premiere next week, MTV is doing a Real World marathon of every previous show. Currently I am watching the very first season which was set in New York. Do you want to know how old this season is? I was five when it premiered and I am now twenty six. This season is definitely bringing me back to the 90's right now.

5. My mom and two brothers are coming on Thursday for Easter weekend. I cannot wait to spend the whole weekend with them and both puppies. Then the following weekend I'll be going home for baby Austyn's arrival. That is the plan for now so hopefully Austyn will decide to come around the time I'm coming home. Then after that visit there will only be a week left until Jarrett comes home from deployment! So much excitement over the next three weeks! :)


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Spring has sprung!

Today was the official first day of spring which made me so happy. This will be my last real spring and summer on the eastern shore for four or more years, so I do not want to take this weather for granted! I will breath and take in this weather as much as possible before I have to switch to the cold and frigid weather of Alaska. I would love to take a moment and tell you just what I love about the beginning of spring.

1. Free Rita's Italian Ice: Every first day of spring Rita's offers a free regular Italian ice to their customers and it is so yummy! Today I did not get the chance to go to Rita's because I worked until six, ran errands and then came home completely exhausted. Plus the closest Rita's is twenty minutes away, so it was definitely a no go for me this time. Yes I was sad, but I will have many chances for Rita's before we leave! I will make it count!

2. Getting out my spring/summer decor: Ohhh man I love getting out my spring and summer decor! It feels me with such joy to put away all the winter decor and get out all the flowery, springy colors to surround my house and patio. I love it! My house is now filled with flower arrangements inside and out, beachy Yankee candles and beachy type scents in the bathrooms and bedrooms. I was also able to put out my spring wreath that I made last year. So exciting!

3. Reading outside on the patio: Even before today, we have had some amazing weather this week. The most perfect weather to sit on your porch and read a great book. I love reading outside. My favorite thing to do is go camping and then sit in a camp chair reading for hours and hours at a time. Heaven.

4. Staying lighter later: I love feeling as if I have more evening time when it stays light. I get off at five every day but Sunday and Monday and I still have all this energy to run errands and get stuff done around the house after working a long day. When it was getting dark at 5:30 all I wanted to do was get ready for bed and call it a night. Not anymore. It's getting darker later and I love it!

5. Walks with Leo: I love being able to take Leo for an evening walk. When it's cold outside I rarely take him for walks. I'll usually just let him play in the playground field when it's cold outside, but I feel like walks are better for him. When we get back to the house he is worn out so he's not as hyper in the evening after a walk. I love having a worn out puppy!










Wordless Wednesday!



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

My one year blogiversary!

Hello all! Today is my blog anniversary! I cannot believe that I have been with my blog for a whole year! Shaping and molding my blog and the words within it has been a wonderful experience and I am so glad I decided to do it! I was so hesitant to start this a year ago, but now I see what a blessing it has been in my life.

This blog made me write again after not doing it for nearly two years, it helped me to realize my dreams to write book series in the future and it made me realize that I have to make writing a career along with my future business career. I have to be writing. It is the most therapeutic thing for me to do. It is natural and in my blood.

So, one year down, many many more to go. I cannot wait to see what my blog transforms into in the next couple years!


Monday, March 18, 2013

Hey working girl, dress up your desk!

So, as I've stated before, I've been working nearly full time at one of my favorite stores, Hallmark, until I could find my full time position in my fields. I also hope to work at one in Alaska as well until I can find a great full time position there! I love this store so much and even hope to work at one part time when I do get caught in the hustle and bustle of a full time career.
 
We all know that Hallmark is known for their awesome, heart warming cards, but did you know that their stationary is completely fabulous as well? Well, I thought I'd take the time to give you working ladies a little advice for dressing up your desk at work and at the same time do a little marketing for the store. Below are pictures of all the new product they have come out with this year. I long for the day where I can dress up my office desk with these amazing products!
 
1. Desk box with notes and envelopes.
This is the cutest box ever and when you open it up you have note cards and envelopes.
You can either write yourself a note at work or send a little friendly note to a co-worker. Perfect!
Also, when you use up all the notes, you can turn the box into a little storage bin for other office supplies you might have.
The whole box.
The inside.
 
2. Desk caddy note set with pen.
I LOVE desk caddies. They always seem to come wrapped with a cute ribbon or something too,
so it becomes hard to actually want to open it and use it because it's so darn cute.
I almost just want to sit it on a desk and let it be decoration. This little set is just basically note cards with an adorable pen to use. I would use the cards to make my daily to-do lists!
3. Large desk set.
This set comes with a long note pad, two pencils, note cards and envelopes.
How neat is this? I would use the long note pad to make my grocery list
during my lunch break.
Plus, like what I've already showed you, they all come with a cute design.
You could also reuse the box to stuff with important notes and supplies.
Front.
Surprise!
 
 4. Make your own note tower.
Okay ladies! You cannot deny just how awesome this is.
For only $12.95, you pick three layers of note packs, a pen and a stretchy flower strap
then build your tower. This is perfect for the office or as an inexpensive gift.
 The whole note tower display.
Look for this in the stationary section of your local Hallmark store.
One of the note towers that I made.
I had a blast building it!
 
5. Desk caddies, notes and journals. Oh my!
This display is a little bit of everything.
We've got a mixture of different colored
desk caddies, more note sets and now journals.
Here you can color coordinate your desk supplies.
Love it!
6. Characters at work.
This display is also a little bit of everything except with your favorite characters.
Choose from Snoopy, Mickey Mouse, The Wizard of Oz or The Cat in the Hat.
You can pick a desk caddy, sticky notes, a journal or just a note set with pen.
 
The possibilities of what your desk could look like are endless.
Hoping you all have a great week at work and heres to dressing up your desk and me getting the chance to have a desk to dress up in the near future.
 
Katie<3

Hello there Bloglovin!

 
Hey y'all! I have entered the Bloglovin world! It figures as soon as I finally get Google Friend Connect to work on my blog and gain my lovely five followers, Google would get rid of it. I'm hoping that now that I'm on Bloglovin I'll actually gain more than five followers. I really do not have a clue on how to gain followers though. Do I just keep reading through blogs following the ones I love and hoping that they follow me back? When you are a new blogger, how do you get noticed? I'm not sure, but I'm hoping to get noticed soon. My goal is to have at least fifty followers by the time Jarrett comes home in a month and possibly a hundred to two-hundred followers by the time we move to Alaska. Hey all you experienced bloggers out there, we all had to get noticed at some point, right?
 
Here are more ways to contact and follow me!
 
Email:
Please shoot me an email and say hey!
I love meeting new people and I am dying
to meet new people in this little blog bubble we all live in.
 
Facebook:
Find me on Facebook here
I am ALWAYS on Facebook so you should have no problem
getting to me on there!
 
Pinterest:
Find and pin with me here
Pinterest has been my latest addiction so
you can always find me pinning away!
 
Instagram:
Find and share your best photos here
Instagram has quickly become my guilty pleasure
and I actually feel like a photographer at times.
I think Instagram makes everyone feel like a photographer though!
 
Linkedin:
Find me somewhat professionally here
I love Linkedin because you can basically put your resume
out there for your friends and potential employers to see.
Although my resume is only full of my restaurant and retail
experience, it will be filled with much more very soon!
I cannot wait to add some wonderful professional jobs
 to my resume and Linkedin profile!
 
Alrighty, that is all folks! Now get to following! :)
 
Katie<3
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