Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Current obsessions and wishes

Alrighty! I am back for another segment of current obsessions and wishes! I haven't done one of these posts in a long time because I literally forgot about them. Shame shame on me! Now that I have discovered Polyvore, I can put all of my obsessions and wishes all together and have them all grouped together in categories! Ummmm, awesome! How am I just now finding out about this little app? Any who, below you will find a complete list of the items that I am obsessing over right now because as a woman in her mid twenties, I am always obsessing over something I want to buy and own! 
1. Bring to work: So, now that I am moving to Alaska and we will be in one place for a really long time, I can finally really focus on finding my first full time job. For going on a lot of interviews and hopefully landing a great job, I have to have a nice purse to go with my interview and work outfits! I have to have a purse that is professional! You can tell a lot about a girl by the purse that she carries! They need to know that I am a serious candidate for the job!
 [One] [Two] [Three] [Four]

2. Casual totes: Lately, totes have been my thing! I love tote bags because they always have a longer strap so I can have my tote on my arm at all times. Plus, totes have so much room in them for just about anything, and I have a lot of stuff that I carry with me! They are perfect for smuggling food into the movie theater too. Why yes, I have smuggled Chickfila into a movie many a time, and I always get away with it! :P
[One] [Two] [Three] [Four]
 
3. Beachy totes: So, I've basically started a collection of beachy type totes. I just love them. Wherever I can find a cheap one, it becomes mine! We are always getting cute ones in at my store and I almost always put some in the hold bin as soon as they come in. Right now, I am really partial to the Vera Bradley tote with the crab on it! I mean, who wouldn't adore that tote?
[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five]
 
4. Infinity scarves: Over the past couple years, I have become obsessed with scarves. Not that I haven't always liked scarves, it's just now, I am wanting to bump up my wardrobe a lot more and add more to my outfits than just my normal every day jewelry! Recently, we have received some really cute infinitely scarves at work and I am now hooked as you can see in my weekend stuff post! I love them because they are perfect for spring and not so hot summer days/nights! They also go great with any type outfit. Perfect addition! 
[One] [Two] [Three] [Four] [Five]

What are your current obsessions and wishes?
Do you sneak food into the movie theater too?
What is your favorite type of scarf?
 
Katie<3

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

June quote of the month

Never underestimate the power of a "Hissie Fit." Life is all about give and take. But some issues can't be compromised. When the situation calls for drastic and dramatic measures, you have to draw a line in the sand, climb up on a soapbox, and protect the hill you're willing to die on. 

It's not easy... anything worth fighting for never is. But the most noble thing you can do is stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. 

The problem is your voice can drown amid the roar of the masses. Once in a while you have to stomp your feet, scream at the top of your lungs, and throw a few lightening bolts to be heard. Never underestimate the power of a "hissie fit."

Monday, June 24, 2013

Spill about your L-O-V-E

Hi all! I saw this wonderful little linkup from April at A.Liz Adventures and knew I had to do it especially since it is about love. I know it's probably a little late to do this link up since she started it last Wednesday, but hey, I just now came across it, and I cannot help myself. Alrighty, here we go...
{1} Describe your dating life prior to finding your boyfriend. 
I was never the girl that had boyfriend after boyfriend like all my friends had. I had little elementary school boyfriends with the cute little letter writing back and forth, but you know how that is. I know most girls have their first boyfriend and first kiss when they are in middle school so it seems, but not me. I didn't have my first serious boyfriend until high school. This relationship was intense at first, but then it just became a back and forth, lets break up, lets get back together kind of thing for about two years. I guess a lot of high school relationships end up like that.  Eventually I got sick of everything and had to let go of it all. Give myself a clean slate from dating for a while. About a year after that relationship, I met my future husband. So much for a having a real break from dating! Although I was scared of dating, I took the biggest risk of my life on Jarrett and it was the best thing I have ever done!


{2} Describe your boyfriend in one word. How would he describe you in one word?

My word to describe Jarrett: Calm. Jarrett is the most calm, cool and collective person I have ever met. As you all know, I am a worry wart x1000, so having a husband like him helps out a lot!
 
His word for me: So, I asked Jarrett this question and he couldn't think of a word. Ha typical for my husband. I will go ahead and think of one for him since his brain is on vacation. Faith. I believe that he would say that I always have faith no matter what is happening in my life. 
{3} You had a really silly fight. Embarrassing silly. What was it about?
Well we, like many couples, have had many little tiffs here and there. Most of them I can't even remember anymore, so I guess that means that weren't that big of a deal. I'll just go with the one last night at the in laws. So I stated in my weekend things post that Leo had taken my pork chop off my plate last night at dinner. Well I didn't tell you just how angry I was when that happened. I was angry at Leo, but I was more so angry with Jarrett because he keeps giving him scraps at dinner and therefore Leo is not learning food manners. I feel that there is nothing wrong with scraps every once in a while, but my husband has that whole "we can't let the leftovers go to waste" thing going on so he just gives Leo all of his scraps every night at dinner. When Leo took that food off my plate, it made me realize that he thinks he can take what he wants because he's so use to eating scraps. I lost it and Jarrett and I started arguing during dinner in front of my in laws. I know it's normal to argue especially when it involves animals and kids and I know I should have waited to address it when we got home instead of addressing it right at dinner, but I just got so angry! Once I calmed down, everything was okay and I felt better about the whole thing. He said he wouldn't give him scraps as much anymore and that we'd work on training him better and disciplining him better in the future.  
{4} In three sentences (and only three!), describe where you both hope to be in 5 years.
-I hope to see me gain a career and Jarrett go up even further with his career in the Air Force 
-I hope to obtain my Master's degree and Jarrett finish his Bachelor's degree and go for his Master's as well
-I hope for us to start a family and to have at least two kids within the next five years 
Yeah, we want to do a lot, but I believe we can do it all.
 
{5} Tell us something about your boyfriend we wouldn't know from reading your blog.
Oh my I could talk about Jarrett all say long on here. Something you may not know about him is that he is a very reserved person and does not like to be bothered or annoyed. He likes to keep to himself for the most part, but ever since he met me, he has opened up a little bit more. It's not that he is a shy person, it's just that he doesn't like to be bothered by people bugging him all the time. I have kind of become the same way since meeting him. We like our quiet time together with no interruptions, but there always seems to be some kind of interruption. That's just how he is and how we are. 
{6} What's one thing you never thought you'd do in front of your boyfriend, but you did?
Hahaha I love this question because there are many things that I do in front of him that I NEVER thought I would do in front of a man...period. I'm warning you all, it's a bit funny and crazy, but it's my blog and I actually don't mind sharing it! I cannot name just one thing. I have peed in front of him, passed gas next to him and on him, picked pimples in front of him and picked his pimples, pulled his in grown hairs out, belched really loud, peed in my pants in front of him because he made me laugh that hard, picked my nose in front of him, sang horribly in front of him, danced crazy in front of him, ate like I have never eaten before in front of while getting more food on the table than in my mouth and I could go on and on, but I've already said enough crude things that I've done, haha! I think we are human and we do these things even by ourselves, but when you can find someone that loves you and adores you despite all your flaws and crude behaviors, that's something to be grateful for.
 

Weekend stuff

Happy Monday all! Hope you had yet another fabulous weekend. Mine was once again very relaxing! Friday night I came home from work and of course it was pouring down rain so we decided to stay in and put our movie plans on hold. We've been meaning to go to the movies for the past two weekends, but the weather has either been terrible or we cannot find a movie time that works for us and is not too late. We use to go to late movies all the time when we were younger, but now I swear we are old and we rather go to a five thirty or six o'clock movie right after work! Ha! So anyway, we just stayed in and snuggled with Leo while the rain came down. Perfect evening at home with my boys!
Saturday, I worked all day like usual, but I had a ton of fun shopping at work. I spend wayyyy too much money in Hallmark, but I cannot help it. Our store has so many cute things for the home and so many little things that I just love! Our store also has many many fashion products as you can see from my scarf modeling! I use to not really like the scarves in our store just because they were scarves that were more suitable for old women and not women in their twenties like me. Welp, these awesome infinity striped scarves came along on Friday and me and my girls at work are all hooked! I immediately put two on hold for pay day! I also have a ton of other stuff on hold! I'm sometimes surprised that my whole paycheck does not go towards Hallmark! Any who! After work I came home to a wonderful dinner cooked by the hubby! I absolutely love when he makes cheeseburgers and hot dogs! He cooks them perfectly! After dinner we had yet another snuggle sesh as a family. 
Sunday I had to work again. Why yes, I am a workaholic! I love working a lot of hours and working a ton of days in a row. I don't know why, I just do! So, Sunday morning I woke up and Jarrett had gone to get donuts for breakfast. So delicious! We then laid around until I had to get ready for work and watched country music videos together which is definitely something we never do. Neither of us had watched music videos in forever so we decided to just hang out and watch country videos! I mean, we all know that's the best thing to watch on TV on Sunday mornings! I then went to work around 11ish and modeled some more infinity scarves at work. Brittany and I wore them all day to promote them! 
After work I went straight over to my in laws for dinner where Jarrett and Leo already were. We had pork chops, salad, pasta salad, broccoli and garlic bread for dinner. This time we all decided to eat in the living room so we could watch a show about Alaska. By the way, there are soooo many shows about Alaska on the History channel and the Discovery channel! I swear ever since we received our orders we have noticed more and more Alaska shows! They are every where, so you guys need to check them out! So back to eating in the living room! I literally turned my head for a second and Leo had taken my pork chop right off my plate and got the sauce all over my clothes. While it was quite funny, we did put Leo in the bathroom after his little stunt. He whined a little bit then stopped and laid down. He knew what he did was bad. Crazy puppy!
Today I got a lot done! I got up early, cleaned the house, went to my last dentist appointment here, got a yummy Chickfila lunch equipped with a free strawberry milkshake for my sore mouth courtesy of my Chickfila calendar card, then came home and vacuumed the whole house, did laundry then put clean sheets on our bed. By the time I got all that done it was time for Jarrett to get off work! He came home from work and made us strawberry banana protein smoothies then cooked a pizza for dinner. Ever since dinner we've been watching Buying Alaska on the Discovery channel. We are a little obsessed with his show, especially since we might be buying our first home in Alaska! So exciting!

How was your weekend? Did you go to the movies at all? Early or late movie?
Do you watch any shows on the History channel or the Discovery channel?
How long has it been since you watched music videos on TV?
 
Katie<3

Friday, June 21, 2013

Friday Five and Friday Letters

Hello all! Sorry I missed Friday Five and Friday letters for last week. Last Friday we went out to dinner, went grocery shopping and then we both came home and crashed from a really long busy week! This week was long and busy too, but I don't plan to crash too early tonight. So let's get on with Friday Five shall we!

1. Keds
Okay! Lately I have been a little obsessed with Keds shoes! My co-worker, Sandy, had bought a couple of pairs for work just recently because they are so comfortable and at Hallmark, you are constantly moving and lifting and moving and lifting. To work at a store like ours, you really need cute comfortable shoes to wear. They are having a major sale on many of their styles and I want want want! The two pairs above are the ones on my wish list! Hopefully I will be wearing them very soon!

2. New stuff at work
We have been getting the cutest stuff at the store lately. I am in love with all of it! My two favorite things that we've got are new beach decor for our beach section and wooden plaques and mugs with adorable quotes on them! I mean, can it get any cuter than this for home decor? Nope, sure can't! I love beachy decor and I love decor with quotes on them. Perfect combo! I don't care if I am moving to a place where it's mainly snowy and cold, I am still keeping my beachy bathroom and I am still keeping all of my beachy/springish/summerish decor. 

3. Disney home decor
Lately I have also been thinking about expanding my Disney decor. I never thought I have would have Disney stuff in my home, not because I don't love Disney because I definitely do, but because I never thought it would go with my other decor. Boy was I wrong. The Disney plaques can go with anything in your home. Somehow, my plaques just work with everything else. I also LOVE my Cinderella snow globes and my Beauty and the Beast figurine. These two movies are my absolute favorite Disney movies. Just having these in my home bring me happiness and sometimes motivation to get through a long day! I suggest you bring out your inner child and buy some Disney decor for your home too! 

4. Leo cuteness 
Ughhhh my dog is so stinking cute. He makes the cutest faces and I swear he smiles and winks at me sometimes. He just amazes me. When he sleeps is when he is at his maximum cuteness! Sometimes he smiles in his sleep and then my heart melts. I look at how much I love him and I cannot believe I love an animal so much! I mean, I never knew you could love an animal this much. It's crazy!

5. Friday nights at home 
So, tonight we were going to go to the movies to see World War Z, but the weather got really nasty. We decided just to stay in tonight. We did step out to get some yummy Wendy's and strawberry lemonades from there, but then we came back home and have been watching other zombie movies instead of WWZ. We first watched 28 Days Later and now we are watching Zombie Land. Yes, my husband and I love zombie movies and yes we love The Walking Dead! We are "that" couple. Sometimes just staying in and watching movies is the best way to bring in the weekend

Hellooooo Friday Letter's!

Dear Jarrett, You are so cute when you watch zombie movies. You just love them and it's funny to watch how fixated you are on the TV. This is just one of the many bazillion reasons why I love you! Dear Leo, You are just the most snugly thing ever. As soon as I get a blanket to lay with on the couch you just have to come over and snuggle your way under it. You love to be covered just like I do. You also love to be warm like I do. You are your mommy's son, that's for sure! Dear Alaska, In a little over a month Jarrett, Leo and I will be all packed up and on our way to you for four to eight years of our life. I can't believe how quick everything is happening. Dear first day of Summer, Yay you're finally here! I need to enjoy you while I can because soon I won't live thirty minutes from a beach anymore or have a pool anymore! Boo!
 
 
Photobucket
 
What is every one's plans for the weekend?
Are you having a lazy Friday night at home too?
Did anyone do anything fun for the first day of Summer?
 
Katie<3

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thirty-One and Scentsy

Okay you guys. I have mentioned briefly before wanting to become an independent consultant for a company as a side career. Of course I am still continuing my full time position search for Alaska and I intend to start my career there, but I also want to have a second job with a second income. Who knows, having this as a second job could turn into a second career for me. Hmmm. There are so many amazing companies out there, but I believe I have narrowed it down to two companies that I am considering investing my $99 with. Thirty-One and Scentsy are at the top of my list. I personally have friends and co-workers that are consultants for both companies, so it is hard to pick between them when my friends make them both sound wonderful to work for.

Thirty-One is a great company. I mean, who would not want to sell these products? These bags are out of this world adorable and durable. They have a bag for everything! They have beach totes, grocery shopping totes, totes and organizers for your work office or home office, organizers for all rooms in your house, gym and work out bags, travels bags, diaper bags and any other bags for managing babies and kids, etc. You name it, there is a bag for it. Plus you can get any bag monogrammed! I don't know about you, but I love monogrammed stuff. My love for monogrammed merchandise started with L.L. Bean when I got my first book bag with my initials on it. LOVE! 
[My co-worker, Michele, sells Thirty-One and brought us a catalogue to look through. I found so many cute things that I want. I love the huge utility bags. They would be perfect for our move coming up!]
[On this page they show and talk about the organizers and bags for a home office. I cannot wait to have my own home office one day with all kinds of cute Thirty-One stuff and really cute stationary! Having my own home office has always been a dream of mine!]
[Here are the diaper and baby storage bags. You better believe that when Jarrett and I start our family soon that I will have tons of these! I want my initials on the big bags and I would love to have a bag for each of my children with their initials on the bags. A little too ahead of myself? You bet!]
[On this page, Thirty-One introduces you to their collection for the car. LOVE! I could so use this stuff for our drive to Alaska. My goodness, I could drop some money with this company!]
[Ahhhh more cutesy baby stuff! Look at that stroller all decked out in cute bags! I cannot wait to have kids just for these cute bags! Haha!]
[On this page they talk about their grocery bags for grocery shopping. I would love to have that kitchen and have those bags full of groceries on my kitchen counters!]
[Thirty-One has a monthly special every month. This month if you spend $35 you can get a large utility tote for $10! Aghhhh I am hoping to do this when I get paid again! I wanttttt!]

[Above, they explain on their website how you can become a Thirty-One consultant. Women even have their career testimonies on there so that other women can see what the company can bring to them. Some of these women have made phenomenal careers for themselves with this company! It's amazing! I could be one of these women!]

Now, on to Scentsy! I've also mentioned before that I am quite obsessed with any smelly stuff(lotions, sprays, plug in scents, etc.), candles, waxes, wax burners, tart burners, votive holders and basically anything that involves burning scents. My home is full of candles and adorable candle holders. I love it! Scentsy is a company that sells wax bars, wax burners, plug ins and so so much more! They are a candle lovers dream. I want to sell products that I am passionate about. After my first order of six Scentsy bars, I was hooked! Their smells are right up there with Yankee Candle and they last just as long if not longer then Yankee Candle! Score! My good friend and co-worker, Heather, sells Scentsy on the side while also working two jobs. She is awesome to juggle so much. She says what is so good about Scentsy is that the product sells itself, so she does not have to try sooo hard to sell the products and make her monthly quota. So, say I get my full time job in Alaska and work as an independent consultant as well. I could totally handle both just like Heather does. I've never had more than one job at the same time, so I am anxious to get to work and really further my career in many different ways.
[Scentsy does a wax warmer of the month every month. They have large warmers and smaller warmers. I looooove warmers. I only have a Yankee Candle one that is in my upstairs bathroom, but now I want a warmer for my downstairs bathroom and for my kitchen. Maybe one for our room too. Yikes, maybe I want one for every room in my house. Obsessed much? You bet!]
[Here is a sneak peak of some of their large wax warmers. They have so many different collections and designs to choose from. They literally have a warmer for your specific taste. They even have college football ones. Now if they start an NFL collection, I will be buying all of the Ravens merchandise. Boo ya!]
[Here are the Scentsy bars. Scentsy offers different kinds of packages with all kinds of products that you can choose from. The package that I recently purchased was the six Scensty bars for $25. So cheap, right? I bought this package about a month ago and I am still on my first bar called "My Home." It has lasted me so long that I don't need to change out my bars just yet. I bet you these six bars will last me six months or longer.]
[Scentsy even offers Scentsy buddies for your children. They have these scent packs that you can put inside your Scentsy buddy for a long lasting smell. Put these buddies in your child's backpack, closet, sports bag or travel bag for a long lasting smell. Plus, the stuffed buddy is adorable. Kids will love them! I might want one for myself! :P]
[Besides candles and candle type accessories, Scentsy also has "Layers" which is their skin care line. They have hand soaps, lotions, lip gloss, lip balms, etc. Like I said, anything smelly, I love it.]
 
So now you see; I have a big decision on my hands to figure out which company I want to work for. I want to go with a company soon, pay my $99 start up kit fee, start my business, and have a little bit of income while transitioning to my new life in Alaska. I have always wanted to do something like this. It is just mustering up the guts to invest the money and get started. I think I am just afraid of investing the money and then going no where with the opportunity. I know that doing something like this is a huge risk, so now I just have to trust that I can do it and make time for it regardless of having a busy life as well. Hey, maybe I could sell both products and have two businesses? My goodness, I am always trying to do too much! What is a girl to do?
 
Do you know anyone that sells these products?
Know anyone that is a consultant for more than one company?
If you had to pick a company, who would you pick?
Anyone living in Alaska as a consultant?
 
Katie<3


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Sentimental furniture, base housing and future home buying

So, with our big upcoming move, I can't help but think about our new home and what it will look like. We will be living in base housing, so I am a little nervous considering we have never lived in base housing before. Our first home together was an off base apartment/town home that we rented because we didn't want to live in base housing. Now we have decided to live on base in Alaska because we feel it will be easier for us living on base in such a different climate, plus we won't have to go through the hassle of searching for a house to rent. We are currently on a waiting list for a house and I can't help but think about what it will look like, if it will be bigger then our town home now, how many bedrooms will it have, will the kitchen be bigger than the one I have now, will we have washer and dryer hookups and will we be able to start our family in this home. I'm driving myself crazy over looks that I feel as if I'm losing sight of what's important.

My husband thought of the idea of us getting rid of our old furniture and buying all new stuff when we get there. As awesome as the idea sounds of buying all new stuff and starting fresh with a new house and new decor, I am feeling really nostalgic about our furniture that we have now. Practically all of our furniture was bought or given to us from our families when we got married. They all busted their butts to make sure that we had all the furniture that we needed and that we were able to make our house a home. Eventually we will buy all new stuff, but for now, I want to keep holding on to our memories of this house. I've posted some pictures before of our rooms in our house, but I feel so compelled in this post to show you all of our furniture and who bought/gave it to us. 

After we got married, we didn't buy a big house and buy all new everything like most married couples do. My husband already had this town home and I moved into it with him after my college graduation. Our family and friends all came together to help us with our town home and I am forever grateful for them. I wish y'all could have seen the house before I moved in. It was basically a man cave and I hated living in the house at first. I knew I had to put my creative touch on it to make it a home. With all the furniture from my family and with my somewhat interior decorating skills, our home has transformed within the past three years. After three years, our first home finally looks, well, like a home. I love it!
[Both couches came from my brother, Matt. He was buying his first home and all new furniture when I moved to Virginia, so he gave us his old couches. They have held up so well for us.]
[Papasan chair that we bought with a huge Pier One gift card from Jarrett's dad and step mom]
[Jarrett bought this coffee table and end table set from Target right before I moved in]
[Jarrett bought the TV stand from Walmart before I moved in]
[Our whole living room]
[Our dining room table as a Christmas present from my mom]
[Computer desk from my mom when she got a new computer desk for Christmas]
[My mother in law bought us this cute little wicker organizer for Christmas]
[Our whole dining room]
[This full size bed was my bed growing up. We first used it in our master bedroom, but then we bought a queen size bed for us and put this bed in the guest bedroom. The white wicker headboard is from the wicker bed room set that I grew up with at my mom's.]
[My mom bought me this little end table to go with my bed set when she bought it for me years and years ago. It has been the best bed side table.]
[This wicker chair is from my mother in law. It was originally a tan wicker, but she spray painted it white for me to match the other white wicker furniture that we have.]
[This little wicker stool is from my mother in law too. I am just borrowing it from her as a TV stand for now.]
[The whole guest bed room. We have the rest of the white wicker furniture in our master bedroom. Eventually we are going to buy brand new bedroom furniture for our room and move the rest of the wicker into the guest room so that there will be a complete matching bedroom set in there finally.]
[My dad made me this hope chest a long time ago. I believe he gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday. From my sixteenth birthday and on, my dad would give me gifts throughout the years that I could put in it for when I got married. By the time I married Jarrett, I had just about everything that I needed for the kitchen inside my hope chest. Ten whole years of collecting stuff for my future home with my husband. I can't wait for my dad to build one for my daughter. Hands down, this is the piece of furniture that I will never be able to live without. Plus, he engraved my whole name into it. How awesome is that?
[The wicker dresser that belongs to my bedroom set growing up]
[The wicker chest that also goes with the wicker set. Can you tell Leo has chewed on it?]
[This wicker bed side table use to be tan and it goes with the wicker chair in the guest bedroom. This also came from my mother in law and she painted it as well.]
[Jarrett bought this TV stand which is exactly like our TV stand downstairs. I've prettied up both TV stands well.]
[Our whole bedroom. Obviously it is my favorite place in the house! It is my oasis for sure!]

I'm not going to lie. I have spent a lot of time being jealous of other young couples for buying a home and buying all brand new furniture and decor for it. It's not like Jarrett and I cannot afford to buy a nice house, it's just we choose not to right now. We choose not to rush into the home buying part of our life. I don't understand why young couples immediately rush into buying a home as soon as they get married, especially military couples. That's one main reason we are not buying right now. There is no point in buying a house right away when you are military. I say rent for a while, save your money, then buy a home. We rather rent or live on base for a while and save a lot of money before buying our first home. We've decided that if we stay in Alaska longer than four years(we might request to stay for eight if we love it)we will buy a house and rent it out when we move again. We do not want to put off buying a house for when Jarrett retires from the Air Force, so we will buy if we stay in Alaska for eight years. For now, base housing it is and I will be thankful for our new house just like I am thankful for our house now and everything that's in it!

Anyone living in base housing? Do you like it? What base are you living on?
Anyone have any sentimental furniture too? Was it given to you or did you buy it yourself?
Any tips for home buying in Alaska?

Katie<3
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