glass cocoon

like the earrings you see above? i actually stole that photo. but it was all in good taste...

you see, my sister-in-law has a talent that i am quite fond of. actually, she has many of them, but the one i am referring to in this post is the beautifully unique jewelry she designs. her company is called glass cocoon. currently, you can follow her jewelry blog at http://glasscocoonjewelry.blogspot.com/

in addition, all of her designs (both currently on sale and previously sold pieces) on her etsy.com site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/glasscocoon

so...this is my shameless ploy to get you to check out her site(s). i wouldn't post this on my blog if i didn't think it was worth your time. like all small businesses, it all starts by word of mouth. check it out and maybe purchase a few things ;) i know you'll find something that you just can't live without. be sure to pass along the news of glass cocoon to friends and family. this jewelry really does speak for itself.

enjoy!

let the re-cooperation begin!

sorry i haven't updated about christmas yet. we're still re-cooping! 1 christmas eve party, 1 christmas morning with just us (very early!), 1 christmas morning party with the fam (another very early christmas morning i might add) and 1 christmas evening party was ALOT. although it was fun, it was definitely exhausting! AND WE DON'T EVEN HAVE KIDS!! waking up to the sound of my alarm this morning was shocking and very unwelcome. sleep...we both need sleep.

all i can say is, christmas was great. now the tree is taken down, the ornaments have been organized and nested in their little homes, and the decorations are back in storage bins. it was sad to "de-christmas" so soon, but i knew the energy was slowly fading. i will post tonight, if i can drag myself out of my bed to the computer. or perhaps, i'll drag kevin's laptop to the bed with me. sounds much more appealing :)

post bake-fest

we survived our first garvey bake fest. actually, now that i look at the little that we produced, i realize it's hardly a bake fest. our valiant efforts yielded only 24 decorated sugar cookies and 18 pfeffernusse cookies (aka pepper cookies). however, it was fun and definitely got me in the christmas spirit.



sorry the photo is poor quality and dark--cell phone! :)

some highlights:

1. at winco, kevin asks me to read off the list he made of spices we needed for his cookies. it says cardamom. i have never heard of that spice. i can't say that's surprising though, considering i can barely bake or cook. so...kevin picks out marjoram, assuming its the same spice. we decided that since we didn't know what cardamom was, it would be no big deal to leave it out of the recipe. the executive decision was fine (i guess) because kevin says his cookies still turned out tasty. the batter was a little on the sticky side--perhaps that's where the cardamom comes in?

2. all i ask kevin to do when making my sugar cookie batter is to soften the butter in the microwave. all the sudden, i hear a cuss word come pouring out of the sweet mouth of my husband! he starts yelling at monster, "no! no!" and "get out of here!". i decide to assess the damages--an entire bowl of melted butter splat on the floor. i could not stop laughing. i almost wet my pants. how perfect for us--it can never be easy, right!?! :) thank goodness we had enough butter to complete the rest of the recipes!

3. we get to use the old fashioned cookie tin for kevin's pfeffernusse cookies that kevin's grandmother gail gave to us for my wedding shower. it's really beautiful (you can see it on the left hand side of the photo)! we haven't gotten a chance to use it, so this is perfect. can't wait to show up with our goodies at christmas eve tomorrow!

4. conclusion: we need a hand-mixer. one day, i hope to get one of those fabulous kitchenaid standing mixers, but for now...a hand-mixer will work just fine. i've had my eye on a martha stewart one. waiting for a sale at macy's!!!

overall, the mixing, measuring, pouring, baking, whisking, scooping, pressing, cooking, waiting, cooling and icing all worked out. it was fun and just what we needed to get in the holiday spirit. too bad we both have to work tomorrow--ahh, such is life!

happy holidays everyone!

1st annual garvey baking extravaganza

tonight kevin and i will be baking up a storm. sugar cookies with yummy homemade powdered sugar frosting. snickerdoodles (on the list but may not make the cut). kevin is going to make his prized pepper cookies. i am going to break in my new pampered chef springform pan with a cherry cheesecake. we are both very excited. tonight it's just us and the monst. baking all evening with the candles lit, the sugar flowing and the christmas music blasting.

i can't wait!

excitement for so many reasons!

i can't wait for christmas to be here. i just love the time with family and friends, all the good food and the sparkle of the lights. i am still hoping for snow, but my hope is fading fast. in the great northwest, all we usually get is rain! i guess mother nature thinks we got enough snow last year. can't be greedy, i suppose :) this year we have so much to do on christmas eve and christmas day. we have to find time to work on christmas eve until 2pm, then celebrate that evening at my mom's with my dad's family! then we are spending christmas morning with sophia and the family at jeff & lindsi's, going back to our apartment to do our christmas with just us and the monst that afternoon, then going back to my parents for christmas night with my mom's extended family. on christmas night, kevin and i plan to go see a movie, just the two of us. as you can see, we'll be very busy--good thing christmas is on a friday this year! :) lots of time to rest up afterwards.

last night kevin took me out to pf changs to celebrate our 6th year together. originally, our anniversary was december 20th. now that we're married, we have another date to celebrate...but we're not quite sure we want to forget about this one. it's good to celebrate your love, so it's ok to have more than one anniversary date, right? :) atleast we're not so crazy to celebrate the night of our first date or anything--actually we probably would, if either of us remember the date! haha! as newlyweds, this is all still new to us so we tend to be excited about how long we've been together. dinner was great and, after 6 years, we're still so in love!

gingerbread and all that jazz

last night we were invited to the 3rd annual gingerbread house competition at my aunt debbie's house.

the challenge:
build and decorate a gingerbread house in 1 hour

the contenders:
7 teams, including:
emily and jordan (cousin & her bf)
lisa and bill prebble (aunt debbie's family friends)
barbara and lindsi boss (mom & sis in law)
mary and john hughes (family friends)
nancy and greg (my aunt and uncle)
michelle and josh (cousin & her hubby)
me and kevin

we didn't really have much time before the party to plan. on our way to their house, we ran through safeway trying to find the perfect supplies needed to build this luxury gingerbread house. as a team, kevin and i worked very well together. we both had great ideas and really brought a lot to the table. we thought the rules were that every item on the house had to be edible, mostly candy. now that we know other people are CHEATERS :), we are excited to come up with some fabulous ideas for the 4th annual competition. let's just say we'll be putting our degrees to use!

this year, our house turned out fantastic, especially since this was our first year participating. a few highlights from our design:

a snow-covered roof--made of chocolate mini frosted wheats!
a red & white painted house--made of red and green holiday m&ms!
perfectly rendered xmas lights on the roof & door--made of black thin icing (for the wire) and multiple colored round bulb candies
fabulous snow--made of mini marshmallows and covered with shredded coconut
yard-surrounding lights--made of nerds ropes
"land here" sign for santa with x-marks-the-spot--made of birthday cake letters and red hots

we didn't get first, second or third place...but in our own hearts, we placed first. it didn't help that we were competing with martha freaking stewart (aka my mother)--her and lindsi's house looked like it was from a magazine! everybody came up with original ideas--i'm sure next year is going to be even better. this will be a valued holiday tradition in the garvey household.

christmas card hiccup

kevin and i splurged--to clarify, the splurge wasn't the fact that they were expensive (only $24), but because they weren't a need--on customized christmas cards this year. we spent a while picking out the ones we liked the best. after all, this was going to be our first christmas card as a married couple--very important! :) we finally decided on a set we both liked and ordered them. every day i ran to the mailbox to see if they had arrived. i was like ralphie in the christmas story movie waiting for his package. it became an obsession! when they came in the mail, we realized they were cheaper because they were only 1 sided. what the heck!?! our expectations were set a little higher than the quality of the cards, as well. now i have to go find some paper to glue to the back so we can write messages to send out to some family and friends. oh well, it's the thought that counts right?

in the midst of all of this, we also realized we didn't order enough! oops! so, if you don't get one, i apologize. all i can say is "you live and you learn." please know the garvey's wish you all a very merry christmas!

a big blessing in a small envelope

with all of the hustle and bustle of christmas, doing what we can to donate to various charities or toy drives, and trying to buy for two families this year, kevin and i have felt the affects of low finances lately. i'm sure it also has a lot to do with us trying to figure out combining our incomes and taking care of debts. we've been trying to be reasonable about our spending and making sure bills are paid before we spend money on anything fun. it just seems that we never have anything left over to save. it's very sad, but i actually don't think we even have enough saved right now to pay for another month's rent. i knew it would be paycheck to paycheck getting married so young, but i never quite understood what that meant. kevin usually gets paid every saturday via a check in the mail. this weekend, the check didn't come and we were relying on that money to pay bills. so, we did what every couple would do...we panicked!

this year for christmas, we even asked for gas giftcards and giftcards to stores to buy groceries and the daily necessities. not sure we'll get any because most people think a giftcard to safeway or chevron is boring, but to me...it would be like sweet victory :) lately, on our growing list were daily needs like laundry soap, dish soap, shampoo, toilet paper, cotton balls, etc. i know i could have put it on my credit card, but we are trying to not use the card and get old debts paid off quickly. i've been praying that god would provide for us and i've been really working on trusting in his timing. this morning we even ran out of shampoo!! i mean, that was the last of the spare bottle i always keep for in-case-of-emergency-type situations...no hotel bottles, no travel size, nada. then what do you know, in the mail today was a little white envelope. kevin's aunt and uncle sent us what looked like a regular christmas card. on the outside was a picture of mary holding the baby jesus. it was beautiful and i kept admiring it. on the inside were two rather large giftcards to target. it was such a blessing! and so very unexpected! :) not only did god provide for our need (with a store as close to our apartment as possible!), but he did it in a way to honor his son through the card that kevin's aunt chose. the lord definitely works in mysterious ways!

now i'm sitting here with a smile on my face, watching kevin unpack our two bags of daily necessities from target. we got so much with only 1 of the 2 giftcards! i don't think i've ever been so happy to be able to purchase toilet paper or dish soap! it's just the fact that i knew god would provide and he did. we are both so lucky to have such a generous and caring family. i feel very blessed and can't wait to shampoo my hair tonight. thank you, ramos family!

too trusting?

usually other people disappoint you. they either do or say something to hurt your feelings or they make promises they can't keep (or don't intend to keep). but i disappoint myself. kevin says one of my downfalls is that i am too trusting. i'm beginning to learn that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. and it's not a control thing, it's really not. i just continue to count on people that refuse to follow through.

this all stems from a baby shower that i threw for my sister yesterday. although it was great and turned out really fun, only half - yes, 50% - of the people that rsvp'd 'yes' didn't bother enough to show up to the shower. FIFTY PERCENT!!! it's just really hard to not take it to heart when people don't bother to follow through. maybe it was their intention in the first place? don't get me wrong, i know that things come up last minute and that, in short, LIFE HAPPENS...but not for 30 people! it's all about priorities and having genuine intentions. it's my pet peeve--i just don't say that i'm going to do something if i know in my heart that it's not my intention. i just wish people could have a little bit more consideration. okay, now i'm done venting. i'm sorry if this is rude, but i needed to get it out of my system. and i, quite frankly, feel that lindsi deserves to know that it not only hurt her feelings, but mine too. later, i will post the photos from the shower and all of the HAPPY and DELIGHTFUL details. because it was a fabulous shower, if i do say so myself.

luckily, i have a husband that is genuine and honest. although he shows me the error of my ways sometimes regarding trusting other people, he always knows how to make me feel better when i am disappointed. a night of cuddling and watching movies was just what i needed. all i want to know is, is there really such a thing as being too trusting?

is it too much to ask?

i want a coffee table that doesn't wobble. i want a bed that makes itself. i want an apartment that allows you to do month-to-month without raising the rent $200 per month. i want a fridge that can get cold without freezing my soda. i want candles that burn evenly instead of one side bulging and the other drooping. i want an oven that doesn't heat the entire apartment. i want clothes that wash themselves. i want an endless gas tank. i want a kitchen table that doesn't have hookah burns in it. i want my wedding pictures to order and pay for themselves. then i want them to hang mat and hang themselves! i want a storage shed that is wide enough to shove my bbq into for the winter. i want soy tealights that last longer than the 4 hours my regular tealights do. i want the bowl i broke from world market to replace itself. i want my vacuum to work all on it's own. i want a bathroom that doesn't steam so bad it causes mold/mildew. i want never ending laundry detergent. i want kevin's family to not live so far away! i want a yard for my dog. i want all food at the grocery store to be free and never to spoil. i want a bedroom that has a light on the ceiling, not in the corner of the room! i want a constant temperature in my house, not stupid wall heaters that turn on and off. i want to stop living paycheck to paycheck. i want my husband to find a permanent job. i want to not be afraid of trying to live off just my income in a few months. i want there to be more than one cotton ball in my cotton ball jar. i want ornament organizers and every other kind of organizer. basically, i just want organization. i want to be able to buy a loaf of bread and eat it before it spoils. i want routine. i want a digital camera to take a photo of my beautiful christmas tree! and then i want my blog to write it's own post about it.

i know i'm unrealistic with my 'wants'. but i can be, because it's my blog.

turkey fit for a king

yesterday, kevin and i hopped a plane to have thanksgiving #2 with his family in las vegas. as soon as we walked in the door, we could smell the turkey cooking in the oven! all day we just visited and prepared for the feast. kevin's step-grandmother gail was there with her dog dinky. it was nice to catch up with her too. we hadn't seen each other since the wedding almost 4 months ago.

kevin's parents got a wii with a bunch of games. kevin and i played the bowling--we got pretty competitive. we also tried the tennis but i couldn't figure out how to actually hit or serve the ball, so tennis didn't keep my interest too long. then we got into mario brothers. that was SO FUN! it took me right back to elementary age--sitting on the floor with my brothers fighting over whose turn it was or who was irritating me enough to make me mess up! :) we played that and got really into it. it's surprising how much i remembered about the original game. i'm going to have to get back into that game today!

anyway, back to the turkey...so as we were setting up the feast karen taught me a couple traditions that my husband takes very seriously. tradition #1: always, always, always have to garnish the turkey plate. in my family, we're lucky if the meat even makes it off the turkey before people start picking at it! tradition #2: the garnish must always have oranges. karen gave me the task of garnishing this plate. i think i looked at her like she was crazy at first--mind you, i am no martha stewart. so i learned...the lettuce must be placed in a ring around the edge of the plate, covered with grapes in areas. the oranges must be cut zig-zagged, peeled open, and topped with a marachino cherry. i must admit, it added a nice touch! once it was all said and done, the turkey platter looked fabulous! it did make it nice to have the decorations on the plate so that when the meat was nearly gone, the focus of the meal still looked beautiful.

the entire meal was delicious! especially the whole-berry cranberry sauce and the sweet potatoes complete with pecans and grated coconut! i also found out that like clos du bois pinot noir (usually not a red wine person), so that was exciting. we topped off the night with an almond-champagne cheers to dudley garvey, kevin's late grandfather and gail's late husband, and 4 kinds of desserts. it was definitely a meal fit for a king. and we had so much to be thankful for (including that our clothes still fit this morning!)...

Thanksgiving #1

since my siblings, including myself, are pretty much ditching my parents for thanksgiving, my mom had all of us over this last sunday for a boss family thanksgiving. it was nice to just see the family and spend time with everyone. mom went all out cooking and each of us contributed. kevin and i made the sweet potatoes--they were a definite hit! we ate, drank some wine, talked about christmas plans and caught up--it was so much fun!

my favorite little niece also showed up in the most adorable outfit to date: her oregon state cheerleader outfit that grandpa got her.



she was so cute, cheering and throwing her hands up in the air. auntie katie is going to make her the cutest little OSU Beaver Believer anyone has ever seen! she continues to surprise me. she recently started to put 'bubble' and 'bath' together as well as 'aunt' and 'katie.' i am very excited about these fun new developments. can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

recently kevin has been one of her favorite people. she always wants him to color with her and to sit on his lap. i think it's because he shows her new things and never asks her to do anything she doesn't want to. he's very good with her. one day, he'll make a really good dad! :)

now only 2 days and counting until thanksgiving #2 - VEGAS style!

we're on decapitation watch.

no joke. our ceiling fan above our kitchen table just flew out of the ceiling tonight. i was trying to dust the fan (partly because i'm OCD and partly because it was really dusty). then all of the sudden, it start making these weird noises like the wires were being stretched. then it just fell, only to be caught by 2 thin wires. it hung for about 20 minutes while we waited for the emergency apartment guy to come rescue us. i thought for sure it was going to come crashing down and smash my irreplaceable, wobbly, hookah-burned kmart kitchen table. haha! anyway, like clockwork, he showed up 20 minutes later. he tinkered around for about 10 minutes then he was done. he said whoever put the fan up before we moved in (he swore it wasn't him) used screws that were too small. he replaced the screws and all is right with the world again. er, at least our apartment. but do tell...how does that happen when i was barely touching the dang thing!?! and more importantly, why does everything i touch always fall apart?

all i know is that we are both lucky to still have our heads attached. ahhh, just another day in the garvey household.

BONUS #26

When I was little I never kept my clothes on. I'd run outside naked, up and down the streets. My neighbors nick-named me Sesame Streaker. That name has never been forgotten.

25 things you could probably care less to know...

Rules:

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. When I was in junior high, I would sleep in the bottom of the shower to get in just ten more minutes. Yes, while the water was going!
2. I hit a pole trying to back out of a parking space in a parking garage. Then I laughed.
3. I will never buy another Volkswagen again. Horrible cars.
4. I can't stand the thought (or the sound) of people sipping their milk after eating their cereal.
5. Every time Kevin and I talk about buying a house, I beg him to get me an overflow bathtub.
6. If I could have a baby today, I would.
7. I love vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, but hate chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.
8. I think it's more important to care about who someone is, than who they sleep with.
9. It devastated me when they ended The OC.
10. I truly believe my Diet Coke tastes better with ice in a coffee mug.
11. I wish I was a bad girl so I could have a bunch of tattoos. Yeah, I could never pull it off!
12. When I put on deodorant, I put 13 swishes in each pit.
13. I count my stairs in sets of 8.
14. I gag when I have to clean out the lint trap in the dryer.
15. It secretly irritates me when people complain about money. They are the only ones that spend their own money so it's their fault. But I think it's fine when I do it.
16. Because groceries cost so dang much, I try not to eat them for as long as I can.
17. When my eye makeup gets smeared, my loving husband calls me raccoon face.
18. I hate to be touched by people I don't know (ie. the movie theater arm rest).
19. I have an addition to Dawson's Creek re-runs. And, I own the series.
20. I could live off fajitas and baked potatoes.
21. One day I hope to own my own invitation design shop.
22. I can sing. I sing all the time.
23. My husband and I have our kids names picked out. And...they are already sewn into the stockings we bought for them. Oh geez.
24. Sometimes I think my college degree is a complete joke and waste of time.
25. I judge people by the fonts they choose to use.

TAG! YOU'RE IT [reader]!!

counting down the days

only 4 days until the Boss Family Thanksgiving!
only 8 days until Thanksgiving!
only 8 days until VEGAS!
only 13/18* days until we get our Christmas Tree!
*depends on if we buy it on the day i want or the day kevin wants!
only 19 days until Lindsi's Baby Shower!
only 36 days until Christmas Eve!
only 37 days until Christmas!
only 43 days until New Years Eve!

I love this time of year. Not only are there so fun things to look forward to like holiday parties, ornament exchanges and decorating the tree, but there are so many days to take off! :) Ahh, life is looking up!

update on the garv's

first of all, i apologize for my previous post. kevin said it was pretty rude to put on a blog that his family reads-- ha! ha! honestly, i was just venting. everyone does it. that was the result of my frustration. i didn't actually run anybody over so i think i did pretty well. so there. i apologize. next!

it's been pretty cold here lately. we've been trying to spare using our heater as much as possible for fears of a huge bill at the end of the month. however, i'm also trying to thaw out my toes on occasion. i say "i'm" because if it was up to kevin we would never turn on our heater. or our lights, for that matter. it's always the bare minimum with him. where's the middle between freezing and comfortable?

since we don't have any thanksgiving decorations, we decided to start hanging some of our christmas decorations. our apartment looks really cute. it was fun to pull decorations out of boxes that i've had for over a year, just sitting in a closet. we also looked through our ornament collection. we have a pretty good start. now all i have to do is get those ornament organizers. maybe those will be a christmas gift, considering they are expensive and we're pretty close to broke. ahhh, the joys of newlyweds.

i can already tell that our christmas traditions need to merge. we both need to practice a little bit of give and take. he likes tinsel. me....not so much. he likes all blue lights. me....i like red and white alternating. he likes colored lights on the tree. me...i like white lights. atleast we did finally agree on the star tree topper. our wonderful target find. i stood there in front of the store's endcap staring at him staring at all the stars he could choose from. i told him to pick. and, luckily, he picked the one i was eyeing all along. great minds think alike--most of the time! :) all i know is it will be so much fun making up our own traditions, instead of what we were used to growing up. now we're the grownups in this scenario. YIKES!

I stomped all the way home...

last night, i went apesh*t. please excuse my french, but there is no other word to properly describe my temporary moment of pure insanity. it all started when kevin and i decided to spend a nice night out at the movies. we saw 2012. $32 dollars into our adventure ($16 for movie tickets and $16 for popcorn/drinks), we snuggled into our seats. we felt so thankful to still have found 2 seats together. apparently, 150 other people decided to have the same night as us. right after we sat down, floods of people came into the theater, asking people to skooch over or begging people not to save seats. i was so happy. i had my man next to me, our soda in between us (the perfect mix of diet coke and barq's), we didn't have to sit in the neck-bending seats up front, and i had a nice armrest on my right that fit my arm perfectly. then, out of nowhere, i found myself armrest-less, being jabbed every three seconds by bony elbow man whose $5 cologne was slowly closing my airways. needless to say, i was less than thrilled by my new "friend." as if that wasn't enough, they began to chit-chat during the previews. minus the fact that previews are one of my favorite parts, i endured the chit chat because i thought they were on a first date or something. my assumptions stemmed from the fact they were talking like they'd never met. i practically know their life stories (not that i care). little did i know, they were dating. at least i hope it was more than a first or blind date, the way the girl was dressed and talking about her boobs. now, c'mon, is that really appropriate!?! now back from my tangent: mr and mrs bony elbows talked the ENTIRE MOVIE! if you know me, you know it really irritates me to sit by chatty kathy's at the movies. we pay good money to go to the theater! after asking them to be quiet three times (first time was polite, second time was a little less polite, third time would probably be deemed offensive to most considerate people), they took it as a joke and proceeded to talk/laugh/canoodle even more! needless to say, my 2.5 hour movie was practically ruined. i wanted to pull my hair out! after watching mr bony elbows adjust himself multiple times, he finally decided he needed to go to the bathroom. i seriously considered not letting him out. i was horrible with my scheming. trying to figure out how to "accidently" spill my soda (or better yet his soda since it was in MY cupholder) all over his lap. trying to figure out how to irritate them with my cell phone screen. and i even planned to spill his drink all over his seat while he was in the bathroom. but, like a lot of other schmucks, i can talk (or in this case think) but rarely act on those plans. i just really didn't want my husband to get into a fight with some stupid guy over a wet theater chair. though my plan was revenge, it was revenge and sparing of the husband! ahh, poor kevin saw the fire burning in my eyes on multiple occasions. once mr bony elbows returned from the bathroom, i bet my eyes were glowing with pure hatred. i actually said out loud, "oh greeeaaattt, mr chatty kathy is back." oops! then i just had another hour of listening to their comments on the movie or opinions on how cool the special effects were, what they ate for dinner, etc. once that movie was over, i was outta there. stomping, screaming, huffing and puffing with every step to the car. i must admit, i even contemplated driving at them at full speed as a scare tactic. i just couldn't find them! just my luck. honestly, i am not a hateful person. i know i acted like a child. i wasn't a very christian woman in these moments. i need to learn from the experience, blah blah blah. i warned you that i went crazy...with just cause. note to readers: if you're a chatty kathy, do not come to the theater with me. it won't be pleasant for either of us. trust me.

on a happier note, yesterday i drove through the parking lot at the mall. thank goodness i wasn't actually stopping there because it was a mad house! people were circling for parking spots like vultures circle their prey. all because santa made his big arrival, which officially marks the beginning of the christmas shopping extravaganza. ahhh, my heart melts! most people would avoid christmas crowds like the plague. i LOVE them. people watching is my thing. if i could get paid for it, i would. again, christmas is my holiday. wrapping gifts for hours on end, shopping until my feet hurt, battling crowds and parking lot chaos. i love it all. maybe that makes me crazy, but so be it. one day maybe i'll become a personal shopper. a girl can dream!

martha, where are you when i need you?

i have mold. yep, MOLD! or at least i think it's mold. however, it could be mildew. either way, it's GROSS! there are multiple little patches on the ceiling in the bathroom of our apartment. it's directly over the shower, nowhere else. we got it once about a month ago. kevin sprayed it down with bleach water and it went away. now it's back full-force. i don't think it's in the walls, just looks like a surface thing. our bathroom just has really poor circulation (crappy fan!) and the steam has nowhere to go but up. plus, we live in the apartments on the opposite side of direct sunlight where it tends to be a little cooler and/or more damp. so...the big question--how do i get rid of it for good? or is that my landlord's responsibility?

i can't live like this any longer. we haven't gotten sick or anything. it doesn't affect us in any way really, other than it's ugly! mold really seems to take away from the aesthetics of my beautifully designed blue, brown and gold bathroom :)

help!?!

i come bearing gifts...

just in time for christmas...

so my work sent out a link to this interesting website link today. apparently, the state of oregon is holding upwards of $250 million in unclaimed money and assets. all you have to do is visit the following site, search for you or your loved ones names to see if you are entitled to any money. i have found one claim for a family friend worth over $50 for insurance proceeds and one claim for my cousin worth over $50 for a court deposit.

i know this totally sounds like a scam but it's a not. a lady at my work received $181.00 for insurance proceeds! you know it's legit because it's from the state of oregon, not some rinky-dink site on the internet.

i encourage you to check for any money owed to you that's just been sitting there. you can search your name or the names of your loved ones here:

http://www.oregonstatelands.us/
scroll down and click on "UNCLAIMED PROPERTY NAME SEARCH" (in the middle of page under the blue bar that says "Agency Services"

if you find any claims, just fill out the corresponding Inquiry Form and mail it in for your moola. GOOD LUCK!

i'd pass this along to whoever you know. tell them "merry christmas from katie" :)

it's official. i'm in love....

with a...wait for it...ORNAMENT ORGANIZER!!!



this set is a dream come true. i'm definitely going to have to order like 3 or 4 of these this year. i'm thinking 2 of each size, 36 and 48 ornaments. perfect for storing the many ornaments we already have!!! :) whoever said skymall is a waste is completely deranged.

i heart skymall.
and organization.

ps. i warned you that i have christmas fever. now you all get to read about it :) LUCKY YOU.

these are a few of my favorite things

my heart swoons every year when the holiday lane departments open up at target, macy's, pottery barn, etc. i love all the beautiful things that bring christmas into your home during the holidays. i must get this love from my mother, who always made sure to make our home festive and fun during the holiday season. now that i have my own place, it's my turn to throw the tinsel and i couldn't be more excited.





in case you fall in love too, all these items are either at target, macy's or pottery barn. i hope everyone joins in on the christmas extravaganza with me :) in turn, if you find things that make your heart flutter, let me know! ARE THERE ANY OTHER CHRISTMAS NUTS OUT THERE BESIDES ME!?!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

well, not really but i can dream right? since the second halloween passed, i have been living, eating and breathing christmas time. i love everything about it. i can't wait for thanksgiving--we are lucky enough to go to vegas to vegas kevin's parents for the holiday weekend. then, once thanksgiving has come and gone, it's christmas all the way! it's an unwritten rule in our house that christmas music is non-existant until the day after thanksgiving. i'll really try, but there are no promises this year. christmas is just itching to get out. :)

i'll post about halloween later tonight or tomorrow. there are some great pics, soon to come.

martha stewart does not live here.

so if you know me, you know i am not a suzy homemaker. not one bit, not at all. i take after my mother (no offense!) although i am crafty, all the other home-type "chores" are not my forte. i hate to clean. making organized systems is fun, but keeping them organized is another story. i can burn a bagel like nobody else. i have actually made mac-n-cheese taste horrible that not even the kids i was babysitting wanted to eat it. yes i'll admit, martha stewart does not live here. i rely heavily on my husband to cook. or else, we'd probably starve. or spend our life at mcdonalds. ugh. i have severe OCD and little things bug me. last night i broke a bowl. one of our beautiful bowls from cost plus world market. it was the first kitchenware that has broken. and i cried. it was just too beautiful...but even more than that, i couldn't get over the fact that i now only have 5 instead of 6. it bugs me that i no longer have a complete set. it's like my cupboard is calling out to me that one of the troopers is missing. i guess i'll have to buy a new one and get used to the fact that it's no longer one of the original six. yes, i have problems.

sometimes i feel like i'm a bad wife. but then i remember that kevin knew all these weird quirks about me before we got married (or atleast most of them) so he knew what he was getting into. it's his own fault because he's stuck with me, and all my craziness, now. tough noogies.

slowly but surely

this bug has really got me. although i am definitely feeling better, i am still exhausted. today i was lucky enough to re-enter into society. i went to work at noon and plan to stay until 5pm (we'll see!). the doc said to take it easy my first couple days back, because if i overdue it, i could end up getting pneumonia. yikes! ya know, a sick day here or there isn't too bad...but when you're quarantined into your room like a lepor so your husband doesn't get sick, life gets really boring. i couldn't have been happier to get back to work today. now, sitting here on my break, i can hardly keep my eyes open long enough to type this post. tomorrow will probably be a half-day too.

just an update on my progress. i am slowly but surely getting better. i miss my family and I MISS MY NIECE!!!

oh, and if any of you are looking to invest, campbell's chicken noodle soup and/or maruchan top ramen are both good options, i'm assuming. it's all i have been living on the past week. real healthy, i know. just a suggestion.

swine, swine go away

so it's confirmed. as of 9.30am this morning, doc says i have the swine flu. i figured i did considering i literally feel like i'm dying. honestly, i was thinking yesterday that if childbirth is worse than this, adoption here i come. i have been on the couch since monday and have strict orders to remain here until atleast next monday. thank god for vacation/personal business/sick leave at work. the worst part is that i'm bored to death at home all day all alone. i love monster, but she's not quite the conversationalist i'm looking for.

to tinsel or not to tinsel?

kevin's stocking is the moose. mine is the penguin. if only i knew when we'd have kids--i'd order two more without the customized names so the whole family set could match--yes, i have problems! i just think it'd be sweet to have the matching snowman and the black bear. i guess they don't have to match. i just have OCD..haha! anyway, we are still waiting. can't wait to open up our mailbox and find our two stockings waiting to be hung.

for some reason i really have christmas fever this year. i think it's because we have our own place. we have big visions for tree. we have to merge our ideas of christmas traditions into making our own. like, to use tinsel or not? or those bead ropes? or popcorn? i like the look and the idea, but monster will probably attack the tree to eat the popcorn. or what to put on top of our tree? an angel? a star? we can agree on ornaments and decorations (for the most part) so now it's just deciding what we like together. i'm big on tradition, so these decisions matter. i'm the kind of person that, once we pick an angel or star tree-topper, we'll use it forever. those are the little things that make up a home to me. like i said in an earlier post, we have been collecting ornaments for some time now so it will be so fun to put them on a tree. there's nothing like the first christmas :)

all the pieces are falling into place

we got a few Best Buy giftcards for the wedding and my birthday. since all the new fall shows have officially started, and kevin is obsessed with his xbox, we decided it was a good idea to put those giftcards to good use. now we have 2 LG flatscreens! it's so nice getting new things together...all the little pieces of making up our home together are falling into place. now, instead of bickering about who gets to use the tv, it's over who gets to use the couch vs. the bed. last night, kevin won. i really can't lay in bed and watch tv--i just fall asleep. i'm sure it's a sign of getting old. after all, i am TWENTY FIVE!!

now that kevin was granted an extension on his work contract until february, we are breathing a little easier. our lease is up december 31, so we are deciding if we'd like to sign another or move. a house sounds really nice right now, but may come with too many responsibilities this early in the game. perhaps a nice condo or townhome would be nice. a yard is what we'll be looking for. monster is going stir-crazy in the apartment all the time. and yes, she's our baby so her opinion matters :)

i started my new job on october 7th. it's been a smooth transition. training is going well--i seem to be picking it up quickly. now, halloween, thanksgiving and christmas are all around the corner. plus, lindsi's baby shower. i love the holiday season. we can't wait to get our own christmas tree. we actually purchased our customized stockings the other day. figured we should get them early so the ones we wanted wouldn't be sold out. kevin's has a moose and mine has a penguin. they're too cute. now we just need to get a customized "Garvey Family Christmas" tree skirt. perhaps my mother is interested in making one for us? {hint, hint} i mean, since she is a fabulous seamstress, i bet she could whip one up in no time! :)

another item we are going to purchase this year is ornament storage bins. we keep seeing them in the skymall magazine on airplanes. they are fantastic! holding up to 48 ornaments in individual plastic compartments. it's my organizational dream. since kevin and i started dating (and realized we wanted to get married), we started buying christmas ornaments that were either too cute to pass up, customized with our names, and/or on super sale. we have a nice little collection going. i'm sure we'll get some great hand-me-down ornaments from our parents also...

i just realized...i CAN'T believe this post is about christmas. kevin is going to kill me. there's a rule--no christmas talk, music or decorations until the day after thanksgiving. so with that said, i guess this post is over :)

vegas birthday bliss

this past weekend kevin's parents flew kevin and i down to vegas to spend a couple days with them to celebrate my birthday. it was a lot of fun. the perfect mix of partying and relaxation. they always spoil us whenever we visit. on Friday night (my birthday), they took us out to via brasil. the restaurant is unique in that it brings 18 different kinds of meats to you at your table, one by one, and allows you to have a slice or two of whichever you'd like! definitely a dining experience... it was delicious. even better than i remember it from the first time we went. after dinner, we went back to their place and had homemade carrot cake--it was delicous! i really really need to learn how to cook!

for my birthday, karen and tim gave me a beautiful framed photo of me on our wedding day. it was such a special and thoughtful gift. as of yesterday, it now hangs in our hallway! it's the perfect addition to our home!

saturday we watched the osu game and hung out at home. kevin and i hit up the strip that night. we just like to watch all the crazies and spend time in the chaos of the city. we don't really gamble and we weren't really drinking. just enjoying the nice warm weather! we also hit up in-n-out. that place always attracts weird people, too. we bought a double-double meal for a bum, complete with animal style fries! he LOVED it. ahhh, the joys of in-n-out!

i think it was on sunday that kevin and i went to see The Invention of Lying. it was a pretty good movie. pretty much all the funny parts were already shown in the previews. the humor was very dry. overall, the movie had a good moral. it's definitely only worth a rental. after the movie, we went out to sushi with karen and tim. vegas always has the best sushi. i hadn't had any in a while so it was great! it was a really fun dinner full of laughs and great food.

overall, i'd say our trip to vegas was a success. we're so lucky and spoiled to get to go again over thanksgiving! gobble, gobble...

life is good.

there is good news all around.

i started my new position on wednesday. i love it, or atleast i love what i know about it thus far. all the people are so nice and helpful. i worked in this department as a temp, so i feel like i've gone back home! :)

kevin's position at intel has been formally extended until february 12th! we have been hoping to hear good news for a while, considering the contract was supposed to end on september 1st. so, needless to say, a five-month extension is HUGE. it just goes to show the great work he's been doing at intel. i'm so proud of my hubby!

decorated the apartment for halloween/fall. it's a nice, chic mix of skeletons, pumpkins, fall-colored garland and gourds. kevin was a little bummed that i picked out the decorations myself. i just figured he's a guy so he wouldn't care. i could tell last night by the look of utter shock on his face that i was terribly mistaken. my bad. however, the apartment looks great. he helped me decided where to hang all the decorations, which helped to make him feel better about being left out. note to self: never decide on holiday decorations without asking the husband if he'd like to offer his opinion.

monster is as happy as ever. kevin has been taking her for nightly walks--we realized she was getting a little pudgy. she's our little baby!

i'm going to start planning another baby shower for lindsi, my sister in law. she is due to have another precious baby girl in february. she's actually due the exact same day sophia, her first baby, was due. what a weird coincidence! anyway, she wants to have her shower before the holidays and the end of the year so we are planning for early december. i'm so excited for another niece to spoil :) although sophia is going to have a reality check when the new baby is born, i think she'll still be a great big sister.

a visit to the park

lazy sundays are my favorite. didn't do much besides meet my mom to take sophia and monster to the local park. although she's pretty much annoyed with anyone that sticks a camera in her face, i managed to get a couple photos. not the best, but she still looks as cute as ever. she kept laughing and running when holding monster's leash. you can tell she was very proud of herself for climbing up and going down the slide all by herself. she's getting so big!

a happy note

kevin has been working on trying to fix his xbox for about a week now. the problems it had were not covered by the warranty, so the manufacturer wouldn't fix it for free. for the cost to have it fixed, you might as well just buy a new one. poor guy. he's been living with 2 brand new xbox games for almost a year without a working console to play them on. for me, i love to take pictures, work on design stuff and do crafty-artsy things. he likes to play xbox. i decided today that he just needed to fork out the money to buy a new one. now, he's been playing it all day (in between watching the OSU game of course!).

friends say that buying your husband a video game system is a bad idea. i'll never get any attention, it'll distract him from chores, etc. i think he deserves it. he is so good to me. some days i'll come home, and he'll have cleaned the whole family room or unloaded and loaded the dishwasher. he cooks and he cleans! i am so lucky to be married to someone that adores me as much as kevin does. even if he's had a long day at work or had to sit in traffic for an hour, he's always happy when he walks through the door. he'll go to the store for me whenever i need him to. even late at night when i want ice cream or soda :) he lets me watch my shows and waits to talk to me during commercials--yes, i'm obsessed and i admit it. he'll eat whatever i make for him, even if it's not very good...which is pretty much most the time! he puts up with my tantrums and dramatic flair. he'll even run out the car for me when i need something and don't want to go out there myself. he always takes the trash out. i never even have to ask! it's all the little things that mean so much. i feel so blessed. he makes me so happy. i'm glad i could make him happy today, too. he loves love LOVES his new toy :)

violated

today, i realized that the maintenance person in my apartment complex came into our apartment to fix our dryer without notifying me first! i clearly, and very specifically, stated that the maintenance or managing person that would be entering my apartment needs to contact me to schedule a day/time of entry. it is so frustrating to think that some stranger came into my home without my knowledge. who knows what my poor little monster dog thought of the situation?!?! the whole reason i wanted notification was because monster isn't too keen on strangers entering her home. especially without permission. another reason is because i had a huge pile of laundry on top of my dryer. it was in a basket, but hey...it still had my skimpy undies in there. [i am a newlywed afterall :) ]...but how EMBARRASSING!!! i am humiliated to think that he saw them. i know he did for sure--he moved the entire laundry pile from on top of the dryer to on top of the washing machine. kevin says i should look at the bright side--atleast the dryer is fixed. yes, i am thankful, but i also think it was unprofessional and a violation of privacy. i plan to talk with my apartment manager about this tomorrow. isn't it illegal to enter without permission to do so? i'm so irritated!

an afternoon with a toddler

kevin and i spent last saturday babysitting my-slash-our niece sophia. basically the night consisted of kevin teaching sophia how to play soccer and me teaching her how to do the hokie-pokie. i overloaded her with festive renditions of "bringing home a baby bumble bee" and going over her letters, words (focusing on my name, of course!). she is absolutely obsessed with kevin. when he's around, she wants nothing to do with anyone else. kevin says it's because he never says no or makes her do anything she doesn't want to. he says it's because he's mysterious. :) for whatever reason, she loves him and he loves her just as much. it melts my heart to watch them interact. kevin is really good with kids. one day, it'll be the same with our little rugrat or two. here are a few photos from the adventure with our favorite 19 month old. sorry if they are blurry. 2 reasons: 1)not so great camera and 2)sometimes blurry is the only way to catch her little smiles and smirks.

note: the photo of her standing with her back to the camera is the one time she was put in time out. sometimes that little angel gets rather violent. auntie katie and the rest of the family are trying to nip that fun habit asap. in her timeouts, lindsi and jeff make sophia put her nose the wall. although it's not funny, it is pretty cute! also, in one of the other photos she's standing by the toilet. she was so proud to show me that she knows how to flush. oooh, the little things in life!

flowers from my love

so...on the day i found out about my promotion, a lady at my work got flowers from her husband for their anniversary. yellow roses. my favorite kind of rose! they were big, beautiful and i was jealous. i had a mini pity party for myself. i'm not going to lie. after all, to me, it seemed (at the time) that it had been soooo long since i'd gotten flowers.

then, there he was walking through the door that evening...after a long day at work, with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me. that's right...kevin brought me flowers to celebrate my promotion! he's so sweet. i absolutely love them! and he loves it because it gives him bonus points :)

it's funny how such a little gesture can make me feel so appreciated and loved.

moving on up!

first it was mrs. garvey.
now it's renewals coordinator - administrative specialist 1.

in case you don't get it, i got the job.
nothing like promoting before my trial service is over.

i heart promotions and new job titles :)

now i just need to decide on which decorations to buy for my new desk and my new window view!!

waiting game

there are a few things i really don't understand about blogging. like why people post their weekly menus. do you really think what you eat each day of the week is fascinating to those of us who read your blog? no. it's just weird. that brings up another thing that baffles me. i have no idea why people are so interested in reading about our so-called newlywed game that is garveywedding.blogspot.com. needless to say, i am happy that i have readers. it would be pretty funny to keep writing for myself. god knows kevin doesn't check this blog. ever.

now that my spiel is over, lets think of what is interesting in my life lately...nothing, really. we continue to jump on the hampster wheel of life, working everyday and going through the motions. we just recently learned that for my birthday weekend, we are blessed with a trip to vegas from my new in-laws. i'm so excited, i could just burst. it is so much fun visiting kevin's family. i can't say i'm not looking forward to the sun and warmth either :) not only do we get to go in 2 weeks, but also for thanksgiving. talk about a lucky couple!

interviews are not fun. not at all. i recently applied for a promotional position with the OLCC. i made it through the first interview last friday. barely. i left the room feeling like i rambled the interview panels faces off. then, once i was done sweating bullets, i was shocked to realize that i was asked to do a second interview today. i had the weekend to prepare. so basically, i thought through answers to typical interview question day and night. i stopped to actually focus with pen and paper on sunday evening. this morning i had a million butterflies in my stomach just clawing to get out. once the interview started, i felt a lot more comfortable. it was only in front of 2 people, rather than the 4-person panel during the first go-round. thank god. it basically consisted of 5 common questions--how well do you deal with change? what is your ideal work environment? why do you want this position? do you have any other reason why we should hire you for this position? and one other question that i can't remember. i'm too focused on watching Cake Off on TLC. anyway, after the interview was over, i felt like i could breathe again. no matter how it all turns out, i am so happy its over. i did my best. it was a great experience. now it's just a waiting game.

still married. still in love. still happy.
still just living the dream :P

The Top Ten

Here's our list of the top ten things we are looking most forward right now:

1. It's officially OSU football season and our favorite local bar is a Beavers bar. Perfect.
2. Monster looking more like herself. Awful haircut last week. For a couple days, we loved her less. Don't ask :)
3. Getting the disc to print all of our wedding photos and frame them. Should be ready end of October-ish.
4. Hopefully going to California over my birthday weekend. Can anyone say ROAD TRIP!?! :)
5. Getting our wedding video back from the videographer. I'm sure I'll watch it at least 5 times in a row. Best day of my life.
6. Almost being done with the thank you's from the wedding. Those things take time! I'm trying to write thoughtful things in each one, instead of just the generic "thanks for the toaster."
7. Getting our dryer fixed. Or buying an iron. We need one or the other. We're looking mighty wrinkly lately.
8. Throwing Lindsi a baby shower with my cousin Michelle. Okay, this is really very exciting for Kevin. Except for the fact that I'll be out of the house, thus out of his hair, for an entire day. The man likes his space.
9. Getting a DVR. Almost fall television time. Bring on the grey's anatomy, house, desperate housewives and brothers & sisters. Ahhh, my guilty pleasures.
10. BLAZER BASKETBALL!!!! We can't wait to start going to some games. We have so much fun together. Kevin loves that I like going to the games with him...since he's such a sports nut and all.

Professional Photo Samples {kacykizer.com}

Professional Photo Samples {kacykizer.com}

Half-way there

Yes, so only 17 days until my birthday. The BIG 2-5. I'll officially be one-quarter of a century old. That's so depressing. If you know me at all, then you know I am my father's daughter. We both hate the same foods. We also both hate change. I don't want to be 25. So I'm making the executive decision to celebrate my "I'm turning 24 again birthday" this year. And it's my birthday, so I can if I want to.

I think Kevin is scheming some kind of plan to celebrate. I'm interested to see what, if anything, he'll come up with.

Beware...I already know that in 17 days, I'll be in a horrible mood. Good thing I took the day off from work so I can throw myself a pity party :)

Other than that, life is good. We're both just working. Kevin's contracted position could be ending any day now. Please keep your fingers crossed for him, pray for him, break a wishbone, etc. that his position will be extended. We are just starting to save money and work towards our future. We want to save up for some kind of 1 year anniversary trip. Spain? Back to Maui? Australia? Mediterranean cruise? Who knows where the wind will take us. That's the beauty of the unknown.

pretty pretty princess

so, now that the wedding is over, my wedding dress just lays there. i haven't even taken it to be cleaned or hung it up. it just lays on our extra bed in the guest room collecting dust. i'm sure my dog monster lays on it while i'm at work, too. every now and then i'll put it on and remember how i felt that day. it's funny considering it was kept a secret for so long and now it's laying out like an old lap blanket. whenever i feel like it, i'll wear it around the house. or dance in it, twirling around like a little girl in a tutu. or i'll just wear it while i'm sitting at the computer or dusting. i just love the way it makes me feel. kevin even caught me cooking in it. it's just too beautiful to never be worn again. i think eventually i'll donate it to brides with breast cancer. atleast someone else will be able to feel beautiful in it too!

happy anniversary

it's our one month anniversary today. ONE WHOLE MONTH. best month ever :)
i just can't believe the time has gone by so fast since the wedding. it was all a blur up until the wedding and now it's just passing by. kevin makes me so happy. best decision of my life.

so, happy 1 month anniversary to us!

a lazy saturday well spent

today, kevin and i ventured over to the portland saturday market. there was a vendor there selling all types of gag gifts just like the scissors head band in the photo below. quite interesting! the saturday market is always a fun place to go--you get to see different kinds of people doing weird things and fellow spectators that come to witness the chaos like i do. apart from the usual creative signs begging for donations, there was a homeless couple practically fornicating in the street...getting kinda kinky by pulling each other's hair and wrestling around on the ground. definitely was worth the show. ahhh, i love portland. we settled for a shared chicken skewer, rice and pork bun from a local vendor and just browsed our way through the market. it was a fun and rather uneventful day.

like i mentioned earlier, kevin hates when i use the kitchen scissors for anything other than meat. today, he got fed up :)

pictures from michelle's wedding 8/21/09

pictures from michelle's wedding 8/21/09