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.