Reading a New Genre/Style

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved reading fiction and fantasy novels. I love reading and dreaming of other worlds and imagining that super powers and magical gifts could really be possible. Along those reading lines, lately I have soared through the pages of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lost Hero, and Fablehaven. I even journeyed through the stories in the scriptures with the Hawkins family in Chris Heimerdinger's latest, Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites: Sorcerers and Seers.

To broaden my scope a little bit, I took my mother-in-laws challenge to read a series by Chris Stewart called The Great and Terrible. I know that most people looking at them would think that they are sci-fi/ fantasy fiction also, but after reading half of the first book, I have decided that they are a totally different style than I have ever read. They are adult fiction. Very dry, very slow paced, and very much lacking in transitions from one scene to the next.

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Reading that, you would think that I was hating the series, but that is far from true. Honestly, it's kind of refreshing to fill in the gaps of the story on my own. I never realized it before, but Harry Potter somewhat spoiled me in the fact that every little detail tied together and every moment of the students Hogwarts life was depicted within the pages. I still love my teen fantasy fiction books and will keep reading them, but picking up a few more figure it out for yourself types of book might not be a bad idea.

So, tell me, what's your genre? Are you a biography reader looking for the make believe of a fantasy novel? A picture book reader who needs a little more content of a text book? Which type of book will you try this week?

If you want a great Christmas book and you love history, try this one on for size.

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Manic Monday: Eco Bags have many uses...

Try doing this with a Wal-Mart sack...



And then Andrew got a little Braver....




I love my two crazy boys :)

tis (officially) the season (...finally).

sPoNtAnEoUs SuNdAy ( :

now that thanksgiving weekend has just about passed us by, it's once again socially acceptable to put up christmas lights, break out the holiday music (helloooo, n'sync christmas album) and get ready to celebrate the real reason for the season: the birth of our savior.

^...or video games. whatev.

p.s. thoughts about a new holiday blog background?

We are so lucky...

In light of the Thanksgiving holiday I thought it would be perfect to remember why we are so lucky. Today as I wished my family a safe trip home [back to Virginia] it really hit me how lucky I am to have such incredible parents and awesome siblings.

If that is all I ever get in this life, I still consider myself to be seriously blessed.

We really have so much to be grateful for and now is the time to recognize that. All of us are so lucky just to be able to wake up every morning and know that we have amazing friends and families. And on top of that, we should realize that we are so lucky to have this incredible country to live in. The freedoms that we take for granted, some people can't even dream of.

This post isn't just about me and why I'm so lucky. If you choose to comment, share with everyone else what you are thankful for.

happy turkey (thurs)day!

in the off chance that you haven't already seen them all..

and then just a little extra holiday travel humor.. (:

Wordless Wednesday: Rivalry Week outtakes

Change up your Style

Ask my husband, ask my friends, heck, even ask my parents, I am the least style forward person there ever was. When it comes to fashion my idea of the perfect outfit does not include the latest clutch or bangle, simply jeans, a soft cotton shirt, and a warm zip-up sweatshirt with a fuzzy lining. When I wake up in the morning, the last thing I want to do is blow dry my hair, style it, and apply some makeup only to be frustrated that the outcome looks nothing the way I wanted it to when I could have been reading blogs instead.

This is my style... only way more stylish.

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Well, in preparation for Thanksgiving with my in-laws this week, I decided I needed to change it up a little bit. Buy some nice new clothes that are not hand-me-downs since most of my closet is full of those. Also, attempt to wear makeup and style my hair each day. Crazy, right?

Out I went, shopping for the latest and greatest trends. I tried on tons of shirts, 15 pairs of pants, and even a few scarves. Now, this is where you ask me, what did I bring home from the stores? Hm... a pair of jeans from Plato's Closet (used clothing store... hand-me-down), a pair of black slacks for work, three long sleeve cotton shirts, and one really fashionable sweater in the ever so popular color of gray.

Did I have success in changing up my style this week? I think that would be an epic NO. But you know what, that's totally ok with me. I am comfortable in my clothes.

So... if I'm going to ask you to try something... it has to be something new I did. Well, part of my goal for the week was styling my hair every day. I am pretty sure I can be successful in this one. After seeing Megamind in the theaters, I decided I needed a fresh hairstyle too. I was totally inspired by Roxanne Ritchi's pixie cut and confident swagger, so I went for short.

Roxanne's adorable hair.
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And here it is, my shorter than my husband's hair haircut! It's only shorter in the back by a tiny bit.

Not nearly a pixie, but an A line that is shaved in the back.

Front view, I look a little crazy because I woke up to blog at 6:30 am. I have to work all day and then pack for California tonight.

So... whether it be branching out and buying a cute new blouse that you normally wouldn't, trying a big purse with a zipper flower on the front, or chopping off all of your hair.... try to change up your style a bit. Step out of your comfort zone and try it. Who knows, maybe you really have a fashion diva on the inside waiting to come out just like Andrea on Devil Wears Prada.

(Just Another) Manic Monday!

Am I the only one who remembers this song?

We all know Mondays are crazy. Typically they are my least anticipated day, but they are also the preface for how the rest of the week will go, therefore, we should choose to MAKE them great! Sadly, one of my favorite past times is laughing at the crazy things some people think/say/do.

Like this.

She is a nut job...who probably had a bad monday :)

Let's not be like her.

so hot right now.

if you want to take the quiz (and you know you do), you can go to this page to see it bigger.

i'm kim (pretend like that's a surprise).

also, if you don't watch regular tv and real commercials, this is one of my favorites.

it has three of my favorite things:

- adorable little kid with glasses

- pink bunny

- magically growing strawberries

plus...see if you can find:

- little kid playing air guitar

- panda in an airplane

- a keytar

- zebra lawn ornament

This is what the world needs...

I know we've all already seen this video,

but let's be frank here...

the world could always use a little more optimism!

Besides, I think she's precious.

ticklemethurs - this is my lucky day (:

(nearly) wordless wednesday

Refreshing a Piece of Furniture

Try Me Tuesday

After last weeks Christmas decorating challenge, I had some extra furniture that needed a home. One of the end tables was displaced by the tree and I decided that the best spot for it was next to Jon's side of the bed. See, neither of us have a nightstand, so I'd been making due without one, and Jon had been using an old trunk that I've owned since before I can remember.

There is no problem with the trunk. It functions great and does a good job of holding old clothes that I don't want to throw away yet, but... it was covered in kitties. In fact, my whole family refers to it as "the kitty box." Putting the table on Jon's side of the bed resulted in putting the box on my side of the bed, which is very much visible from our hallway. Every morning I would look in and think, man, the kitties are cute, but that does not belong in an adult bedroom.

Behold the Kitty Box

So... the gears started turning in my head and I knew this would be the perfect Tuesday activity. This week I tried to...

refresh an outdated piece of furniture.

What did I need?

• An old piece of furniture
• Blue painters tape
  
• Craft paint (costs like $.85 at the grocery store)
• Gloss clear spray paint
• Clearance vinyls from DB ($.49)
• Paint brushes
• The front of an old greeting card
• Craft glue
  
• Card stock and an exact-o knife for a stencil

I cleaned off the kitty box first, then painted two coats of the light blue paint on the entire box. This used less than one bottle of paint. I pulled out the hairdryer to help the paint dry a little faster.

Then, I printed out the letter H on some card stock to create a stencil for the front and back. Using the exact-o knife I cut that out carefully and taped it to the box with the painters tape. Using metallic gold paint from the grocery store, I sponge painted the H on both sides. Then, using some craft glue I glued the greeting card picture where I wanted it in the center of the top of the box. It looked weird, but I felt committed to having it there, so I sponge painted the gold all over the top of the picture and box. I used the hairdryer to dry the paint again.

I looked at it and it still seemed like it was missing something, so I grabbed the vinyls from my craft bin and put one on the front and back over the H. It seemed complete so outside I went with the gloss spray paint to give it a final coat. Et Voila! One completely refreshed "kitty box."

A completely refreshed trunk. The colors even match our bedding.

Here's the challenge to you... Have an old piece of furniture that doesn't really fit in? Try this yourself. I think the whole thing from start too finish took me an hour and a half and that included going to the store to get the paint. Send me a picture, let me know how it goes.

Oh, and to Vicki's comment from last week, I found this awesome video at the dollar store and took your advice.

where did all my clothes go?

"SPONTANEOUS SUNDAY"

sometimes i have some really great ideas.

sometimes they come in the middle of the night so i scribble them down or type them in my phone

to make sure i remember them when i wake up.

memo from last night: "where did all my clothes go??"

^ as you can see, my clothes are not in this picture (which i TIME STAMPED as proof). usually they live next to me in bed, but yesterday i had time to do laundry and then put them in my closet.

apparently, while i slept, i started to miss them.

but oh well. the funny part of the story was when someone looked through my phone at church and found it among my notepad memos -- "where did all my clothes go??" -- nestled between my grocery list and my reminder to get my oil changed.

just kidding. that didn't really happen.

but if it did...that'd be funny.

in other news, i have two pairs of giant slippers (that look like

shoes -- one red pair and one blue one) that i REALLY can't find.

seriously. i just moved in like two months ago. how is it possible to be misplacing things already?

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p.s. i'm trying to play with the layout to make it cool / have our other blogs / etc but all of you are admins so if you want to change it or do something different, go for it.

p.s.s. if you title all your posts with "whatever your title is," it will be hard to look for them later (if you ever want to). so this week, i'm branching out. you can do it too if you want ( :

Saweeeet Saturday

This is supposed to be Jaime's day
But seeing as how she is again missing & her neglect usually is followed by my sense of responsibility, I am filling in :)

The last she talked to me, her day was going to be called 'Suck it Saturday,' where she would post her frustrations with people/things/situations/politics, then tell them to suck it.

I suggested she change it to 'Suck it up Saturday,' in which her posts showed her patience in overcoming her annoyances, as no one wants a Negative Nancy (*ahem* Jaime) in the bunch.

She then suggested it be 'Suck up Saturday,' in which she brown nosed & seeped over-the-top niceness in an effort to come off as positive. Classy :)

This was all in good fun of course, but don't be surprised if after Jaime takes over, 'Saweeeet Saturday' is short lived.

SO....*Drum roll*... Presenting 'Saweeeet Saturday'. One Day Only (probably)!!!

I came across an article in Time's Magazine; 50 Best Inventions of 2010. I was blown away with the innovation & absurdity of most of them. Crazy what we can do these days. Crazier that someone THOUGHT we could do it.

One of my favorites is the Elegs Exoskeleton. It's a robotic structure attached to a paraplegic person, allowing them to use the motion of their arms to direct the leg attachments below. Voila! Someone who never had a hope of walking before, now can. I know first hand how much it sucks not being able to walk. The hope of walking again is what keeps me going. Helping people have their dreams come true? Pretty freakin Saweeeet.

GAHHH!!! I just had my 4 other favorites typed out & pictured & they were accidentally deleted. 'Thank goodness for autosave'...Wait a second....Stupid autosave! Do you really have to save every 5 frackin seconds, therefore saving the deleted version?!?! Sigh...you all know I'm way too lazy to type it again, so you'll just have to click here to see the rest. I recommend the straddling bus, lighted power chord, meat fueled train, 3D Organ printer, spray on clothes, body powered devices... Heck I recommend them all.

Frank Friday

I'm an extremely competitive person.

Too competitive.

It's gotten to the point that often, if I know I'll lose, I won't even try something...

and literally everything is a competition.

Most of the time people don't even know that I'm competing with them.

Then I just feel awkward and embarrassed when I "lose."

Which it's impossible to lose because not everything is actually a competition.

Does this even make sense?

Here's the deal.

Shoes.

Having more shoes than other people is a competition to me.

So is having more clothes.

So when my roommate got a package of new stuff she bought from Forever 21 today I was super grumpy.

BUT WHY?!?

she lets me borrow her clothes.

I just like to be better at everything.

And I've noticed that ever since I became this way, I've been much grumpier and colder to people.

How often do we get so carried away with trying to be the best that we don't remember to enjoy things?

Here's an example of someone who decided to compete rather than enjoy what he had.

He forgot to enjoy what he had because he decided to go to a team where he knew he'd get much further. not cool.

Because of this he sacrificed the support and respect of a ton people.

The moral of the story is:

Don't make everything a competition to get ahead. Compete when it's right, but spend the rest of your time enjoying what you have before it's gone.

tickle me thursday!

i love surprises (:

a day early: wordless wednesday

Try Me Tuesday

This week the weather in Utah has been bizarre. With the start on Sunday of a beautiful warm day, to Monday's rain/slushing all day, and now, to a Tuesday morning of SNOW. Well, in honor of Utah's crazy weather, this Tuesday I am trying ....

decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving!!!

I know there are hardcore traditionalists out there who will tell me that you have to have Thanksgiving before you have Christmas. No music, lights, or trees until after you eat the turkey. Heck, I was one of those up until this year. Here's a few things that changed my mind.

1. I work in retail where we were putting up our Christmas displays the day before Halloween. I get jealous that my store can be decorated, but my house can't be.

2. It's snowing and the snow is sticking already. So... it looks like Christmas.


3. My family is going to California for the week of Thanksgiving (to be with the in-laws), Las Vegas the first weekend in December (baptism for my nephew), and Michigan for the week of Christmas (to be with my parents). We would miss all but one pre-Christmas weekend which means no relaxing enjoyment of the decor.

4. It's my house and I can decorate it whenever I like.

5. I got a couple of really beautiful nativities for Christmas last year and really wanted a chance to display them.

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So... for your viewing pleasure, the starts of my holiday decorating.

The little tree that lives in the basement family room.

It's fiber optic and very pretty at night.

My Snowbabies collection on top of the fish tank.

A nativity egg that Jon's parents had hand-painted in Russia. Plus the super-value nativity set from Deseret Book last year.

Last, but not least, the entertainment center with my favorite nativities and stockings to boot. Now the upstairs tree just needs a few lights and decorations.

Here's the catch with Try Me Tuesday. I tried it, now I think that you should too... Let me know how it goes.

spontaneous sunday - CAKE.

so when you move to wausau, you get this giant packet full of coupons and sweet deals on things all over the city.

this week, i checked to see what sort of freebies i could get.

and guess what was on the list?

a decorated quarter-sheet cake!!

(actual retail price: $17.99)

...did i need a cake? no.

but it was FREE! so why not, right?

don't worry, mom. i will save it until you (and daniel and dad) come to visit so you can share my delicious free cake with me.

every day is awesome.

brainstorming session with surrah + micae today led us to think it might be cool to start a group blog, since each of us have a day of the week that we are supposed to write stuff for anyways.

so...we're still looking for people for tuesday and saturday (and if we find more people, i think doubling up on days could be okay too), but this can be our little project together. you can still post your stuff on your own blog or you can just do it here. or just post random things here that you like.

...awesome?