Frank Signed My Secret!

Georgia Southern hosted a Postsecret event tonight and I got Frank Warren (founder of Postsecret) to sign my secret in the book. Aaaaand on the back where it appears on the dust jacket. AND he said it was a very important part of the book. So exciting!


xoxo

The Joys of Retail

I received this phone call at work yesterday:

Me: "Bellies & Babies, this is Katie."
Lady: (very quietly) "Ummm.... I was just wondering.... I was in there last week......."
Me: "Mmm Hmm?"
Lady: "And I was just wondering..... do you still have that dress?"
Me: "Um... was it children's or maternity?"
Lady: "It was real pretty and it had blue flowers on it."
Me: "Do you know what brand it was?"
Lady: "It was blue."

xoxo

PS... More adventures in retail here.

Snow, weddings, football and weird dreams.

Yesterday, on our way home from Chris' parents' house (which is in the North Georgia mountains) we got SNOWED ON. It was so pretty. And COLD! It didn't stick to anything, but it was snowing just the same. I wish I'd thought to snap a picture.

Also, I thought I'd share that my Sister-in-law Emily (but I like to just call her my Sister) got engaged on Thanksgiving to a great guy named Tyler. Here's a picture I'm stealing from facebook:

That's the actual proposal! Aren't they precious? I love them. AND I'm going to be a bridesmaid! And Chris is going to be a groomsman! I couldn't be more excited about this wedding! Emily was there every single step of the way for our wedding. I mean, I wouldn't have found a dress without her! So we're really looking forward to returning the favor.

In other really exciting news, Georgia Southern won yet another playoff game on Saturday (my Birthday). We beat Wofford 23-20! This means the team will go to Delaware next Saturday and if we win there, it's off to the National Championship for us! It's very exciting. We take our football very seriously here in Statesboro.

And now I thought I'd share my really weird dream from last night. Let's start with some background info:
1. On the Georgia Southern campus, there is a central grassy area called "Sweetheart Circle."
2. When I lived in a house on Marvin Ave., the five of us girls used to pack up some food and blankets and have picnics out in the grass. We called them "Sweetheart Circle Picnics."
3. Emily made a Red Velvet Cake for this weekend, from my Grandmother's recipe. It was delicious.
4. I've been re-listening to my Coconut Records albums alot lately, wishing for a new one soon.
5. I watch Doctor Who. And I'm kind of obsessed with it. I just re-watched series 1 & 2, and I'm halfway through 3.
6. There is a new UK version of Law & Order that comes on BBC America... starring Freema Agyeman, who played Martha Jones in series 3 of Doctor Who.

So, last night I dreamed that I was having a Sweetheart Circle Picnic with Jason Schwartzman. There was a basket and quilt and everything. We were eating the Red Velvet cake Emily made for Christmas. And he was performing the new (non-existent) Coconut Records album for me while I ate. And then I heard the TARDIS noise and after it had appeared, out popped the 11th Doctor (Matt Smith's version), who asked me if I'd seen Martha Jones. I told him, "She's not Martha now. She's on Law & Order." Jason Schwartzman says, "That's a pretty good show." Then I woke up. Talk about a surreal dream. I think it was the cough medicine I took just before I went to bed.

What's the weirdest dream you've ever had?

xoxo

Last Year

It's that time. Time to review my 25 before 26 list one last time.
Let's see how much of my list from last year I got accomplished before I post this year's.....

1. Buy a sofa. YES!
   
2. Make a headboard. No, but we did paint the bedroom and hang my embroidered heart above it.
   
3. Open an Etsy shop. No..... it's going to happen, but I'm not going to put it on a list. It'll happen when it happens.
   
4. Start a record collection (and buy a record player). Oh yeah! We have tons of records now!
   
5. Finish LDQ & Arrows quilts (and make another!) No.... I'm putting this on list for next year again.
   
6. Find a great rug for the living room. Well, no... but right now, our livingroom doesn't really need it.
   
7. Camping on Cumberland. Take a picture of a wild horse. Sigh.... another no.
   
8. Make health a priority. Yes. Did this.... and I'm pretty proud of my progress.
   
9. Bake a Red Velvet cake. I never did this. I did, however, get a copy of my Grandmother's recipe.
   
10. Make a 17 song mixtape playlist for every month. YES! Well, every month but October, but I'm calling it a win anyway!
    
11. Write a letter every week. Ha. No.
    
12. Read 20 books that aren't Twilight or Harry Potter. I read 10 Sookie Stackhouse novels... and one or two others. Does that count?
    
13. Sew something wearable. I did... I'm not crazy about the dress I made, but I made it anyway.
    
14. Fill the pages of a sketchbook. Aaaaaalmost.
    
15. Mail 5 care packages for no reason. Yep.
    
16. Go to a state I've never been to. I'd never been to Virginia. Now I have.
    
17. Make a painting and hang it in our apartment. Yes. Although it's not up right now due to Christmas decorations.
    
18. Design a website. No.... redesigned my blog a few times, but no website as such.
    
19. Watch 5 movies in theaters. Yes. I even went to a movie by myself once.
    
20. Get a really great haircut. I did, and I loved my bob. But now it's time for another change.
    
21. Drink a bottle of wine worth more than $20. Yep. Well.... we spent $75 at the wine store.... I say that counts.
    
22. give at least 1 trash bag of clothes to Goodwill. I think I gave 3 or 4.
    
23. Buy Chris something he'd never buy for himself. I did. But it's his Christmas present, so shhhhhhh!!
    
24. Eat a whole lobster. No.... had a few claws about a month back, though.
    
25. Make business cards for myself. Yes, but I'm thinking of making new ones.
    

New list will be up soon!
xoxo

This is a story about sausage.... and rolls.

What kind of people go to FOUR grocery stores looking for Sister Schubert Sausage rolls?

Apparently, Chris and I are that kind of people. Four grocery stores just so I could have sausage rolls and Cheerwine for dinner.

Crazy? Maybe.
Healthy? Absolutely not.
Delicious? Definitely.

xoxo

Phone Calls

Working at a little local shop is sometimes boring. Sometimes it's redundant. Sometimes it's frustrating. Sometimes it's just plain hilarious. Here are two phone calls I've gotten in the last few weeks:

Phone call #1, 10 minutes ago:

*ring*
Me: Bellies and Babies, this is Katie.
Lady on the other end: Is this Martha?
Me: No, Ma'am. I think you have the wrong number.
Lady: Are you sure?
Me: Yes, Ma'am. I'm sure.
Lady: Okay, thank you.
Me: Bye.

This conversation leads me to believe one of these two conclusions must be accurate:
1. The lady just didn't listen when I answered, completely ignoring the "This is Katie" part.
OR
2. Her friend Martha likes to pretend she's other people when she answers the phone. Maybe Martha always answers the phone a different way.... "Hello this is Greg, thank you for calling Pizza-Hut."
Either way, the "Are you sure?" was my favorite part.

Phone Call #2, about three weeks ago (keep in mind we're a maternity and children's clothing store):

*ring*
Me: Bellies and Babies, this is Katie.
Lady: Could you please tell me what your hours are?
Me: From 10-5:30 on weekdays and 10-4 on Saturdays.
Lady: Okay, great. Now, where exactly are you located?
Me: South Main Street, right across the street from the bank.
Lady: Okay, I know where that is. Now, do ya'll sell the live chickens and ducks or what?
Me: .............
Lady: ...........
Me: Ma'am, we sell maternity and children's clothing.
Lady: Oh.
*click*

There are absolutely no conclusions I can draw from this one, folks. But I think this is the best phone call I've ever gotten.

Happy Saturday.

Break

It would seem that I took a break from blogging for a little while. I've been a bit burned out. And kinda in a funk. It's hard to blog when you feel like that. It's hard to do anything but necessary things when you feel like that. I'm going to try to be better about blogging. It really is my favorite outlet. It's where I can take thing that make me smile and share them... even if nobody else is looking.

Now, so that you don't think this was a totally pointless self-pitying post, here's a video. A really weird video. I love Kristen Bell, and I love Yeasayer, but I still can't get over the weirdness of this video.

Chris and I are leaving for North Carolina in the morning to spend the weekend at Camp Meeting with his family. It's a tradition in his family and this will be my first time. I'm really excited for all of it except the part where there's no air conditioning.... that part I'm a little worried about. But it's supposed to be much cooler there than it's been here. We made a big batch of trail mix last night and have all our board games ready to go. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of all the fun!

We'll be back on Monday night, but I have a few posts scheduled while I'm gone, like August's mixtape! It's already done and scheduled and should be up Sunday morning.

Aaaaand here' s where I apologize for not being around very much this week. I'm sorry! I had every intention of making several posts that never happened. They will happen soon. I went to see both sides of my family last weekend and got a few goodies from each (Granny sent me home with an entire box of homemade preserves!). I also got a ton of my Mom's old records and a box of old stuff from when I was a kid out of storage. That'll make a fun post sometime soon.

So, enjoy your weekend and I'll see you Monday!
xoxo

A Day Late

Why am I always a day late with things like this? Oh well, better late than never.

Happy Father's Day!


Don't worry, I did actually tell my Dad yesterday... I'm not that behind.

25 Before 26: Update!

Six months ago today, I posted this list of the 25 things I wanted to do before I turn 26.


Well, I'm halfway there. Have I done everything on the list? Not by a long shot. But I have done a few. Here's what I have accomplished in the last 6 months:

1. Buy a sofa. Yes! We bought our sofa a few months ago and we all (Me, the hubs, and the kitty) agree that it was a very smart purchase!
   
2. Make a headboard. Not yet. But we did paint the bedroom and move it around, get a comforter, and hang my embroidered heart above the bed. There may not be a need for a headboard now.
   
3. Open an Etsy shop. I'm working on it. And I'm so close. Just a few more things to do before I can!
   
4. Start a record collection (and buy a record player). Yes! We bought a record player and have been collecting vinyl like crazy. We've found that the two best places to find records are Goodwill and our parents' old collections. We have some real gems!
   
5. Finish LDQ & Arrows quilts (and make another!) Oh gosh. I honestly haven't even touched either of them. I still have 6 months, right?
   
6. Find a great rug for the living room. We took a step in the right direction. We got rid of the old rug that just wasn't working. Great rugs are expensive and it's not exactly a priority in the budget. We'll see if we stumble upon something great in the next 6 months.
   
7. Camping on Cumberland. Take a picture of a wild horse. This is planned for the summer or fall. We really wanted to make a trip in the spring, but we just haven't found a free weekend yet. Fingers crossed.
   
8. Make health a priority. Yeah. I need to do that more.
   
9. Bake a Red Velvet cake. I still haven't done this one! And I can't believe it! It's an afternoon easy-peasy project, but it just hasn't happened. Soon.
   
10. Make a 17 song mixtape playlist for every month. YES! I'm proud that I really have done this. And now my mixtapes are downloadable!
    
11. Write a letter every week. Oh. I think I completely forgot about this one. Uh oh!
    
12. Read 20 books that aren't Twilight or Harry Potter. I've read 3. I'm working on it! Give me time..... geez!
    
13. Sew something wearable. Nope. Still no Katie-made wearable. It mostly stems from the fact that I have a hard time making anything and keeping it for myself.
    
14. Fill the pages of a sketchbook. Working on it! I'm about halfway there!
    
15. Mail 5 care packages for no reason. I think I've done 2 or 3. I'd better get to mailing, right?
    
16. Go to a state I've never been to. Yep! Just got back from Virginia/DC. This wish will probably always be on my list. I think I'll always want to go places I've never been.
    
17. Make a painting and hang it in our apartment. The painting 3/4 done! I swear!
    
18. Design a website. This one's tricky. I've registered my domain name (it leads here, to my blog) and talked to a friend about helping me out with this one. I'm pretty sure it won't be a full-blown website, but a sort of splash page that goes to my blog and etsy shop (when it's opened.) So, at the very least, there has been progress on this one.
    
19. Watch 5 movies in theaters. One. I've seen one. With plans to see another in June. Chris and I just don't go to the movies. I always go with Jessica. I guess we need to go more often!
    
20. Get a really great haircut. Done! My new bob is comfortable, easy, and cool for summer. I really kinda love it. I do miss my long locks, sometimes though. Pictures of braids on weheartit get me a little misty-eyed.
    
21. Drink a bottle of wine worth more than $20. Ummm... we just got married. $20 is a lot of money to spend on one bottle of wine. We did go to a local wine shop and spend around $75 on 4 bottles. That almost makes the cut.
    
22. Give at least 1 trash bag of clothes to Goodwill. I'm calling this one done. The bag is ready, packed and sitting in our bedroom floor and they're going with me the next time I make a Goodwill trip.
    
23. Buy Chris something he'd never buy for himself. Hmm... I can't say I've done this one yet. I'm still working out what exactly to do for him.
    
24. Eat a whole lobster. Nope. No excuses. Just no lobster yet.
    
25. Make business cards for myself. Sadly, no. But I am working on it! There should be progress on this one in the next month or so.

Well, it looks like I've got a ton of stuff to do in the next 6 months! But I'm going to give myself a pat on the back for what I have done. I'll let you know in December how many more items I can cross off my list. And what I'll have to keep on the list for next year!

xoxo

Day Off

Don't you hate it when you have a day off and plan to sleep in, but then something wakes you up even earlier than you would normally get up? Yeah. I hate that, too.

Be back later with something I love.
xoxo

April Fools

This morning, I woke up and there was a blue polka-dot Velociraptor in my shower and a flamingo making pancakes in the kitchen.

And today's my Dad's birthday... Happy Birthday Daddy!

Can you tell which one was not true?

Whew!

We're back from Atlanta, safe and sound. We were gone from Wednesday afternoon until about 45 minutes ago. Chris' Dad is doing SO WELL! He went through two major back surgeries and never went to the ICU! He even walked some today. We were absolutely amazed at his progress in such a short time. Thanks to everybody that kept him in your thoughts and prayers.

As for us, we're glad to be home. Lemon seems to have missed us pretty fiercely. She let me pick her up and hold her without a fight so she must have at least missed us a little. It'll be good to sleep in our own bed tonight and cook a meal in our own kitchen. I think we were getting pretty tired of sandwiches and hospital food and take-out.

As for "Today I Love," I think anybody that actually cares if I post will understand why I was a little lax the last few days.

I promise I'll keep the schedule up this week.
Starting tonight.
As soon as we get back from dinner.

Snow in the 'Boro!

It hasn't happened since 1989. It has eluded us for over 20 years. But it happened last night....... Snow in the 'Boro! I should have posted these last night, since all the lovely snow has sadly melted away now. At least I now have fond memories of our esteemed campus tucked under a beautiful blanket of white.

Sweetheart Circle with my sweetheart:


Snowball fights:
Look! I'm in Narnia! (I thought myself quite clever when I said this right before the picture was taken).....Check my Flickr stream for more pictures. I didn't want to post them allllll here.
xoxo

25 Before 26

A quarter of a century ago today, I was born.

This week, I made a list of 25 things I want to do before I add another year onto the total. Here's my "25 Before 26" list. Some of the items are quite serious and down to business. Others are just tiny things. Some are really quite silly. I hope to accomplish them all this year.

And in case you can't read my messy handwriting:

1. Buy a sofa.
2. Make a headboard.
3. Open an Etsy shop.
4. Start a record collection (and buy a record player).
5. Finish LDQ & Arrows quilts (and make another!)
6. Find a great rug for the living room.
7. Camping on Cumberland. Take a picture of a wild horse.
8. Make health a priority.
9. Bake a Red Velvet cake.
10. Make a 17 song mixtape playlist for every month.
11. Write a letter every week.
12. Read 20 books that aren't Twilight or Harry Potter.
13. Sew something wearable.
14. Fill the pages of a sketchbook.
15. Mail 5 care packages for no reason
16. Go to a state I've never been to.
17. Make a painting and hang it in our apartment.
18. Design a website.
19. Watch 5 movies in theaters.
    
20. Get a really great haircut.
21. Drink a bottle of wine worth more than $20.
22. give at least 1 trash bag of clothes to Goodwill.
23. Buy Chris something he'd never buy for himself.
24. Eat a whole lobster.
25. Make business cards for myself.

(Wow! My hair looks really red in this picture. I think it was taken a day or two after I dyed it red, though. But it still looks sooo red!)

Our Wedding Weekend, Part II

The Rehearsal Dinner

Be advised- This post is super image heavy. You can click on any of the photos to make them bigger.

All photos were taken by our wonderful friend Robert Wigington and edited by me. Robert has a blog, too. You should check it out.

-------------------------------

So. We got married under a huge old cedar tree completely covered in Spanish moss. Overlooking the river. A more perfect and beautiful place there is not. I promise. We looked all over Georgia.

This is our tree. With our friends and family gathering under it.


The cross of the gazebo was just visible over the minister's head through the trees. You'll get to see a picture of that... I promise.


My Dad, the constant photographer. I really love this picture of him. I think it may be my very favorite.


The Hubs. I think this was before I came out. I accidentally left my engagement ring in my room (oops!) and was a teensy bit late for the rehearsal. Horrible, I know.


Loooook at my tights. I'm pretty obsessed with them. I really love this picture. Those are Callie's hot legs on the left, BTW.


The whoooole wedding party. And pretty much our favorite people in the world.



Cheesin'.


My lovely, wonderful, beautiful bridesmaids.
Lovely Lane Chapel. Probably the prettiest little white chapel in the whole universe. I haven't actually seen them all, but I don't know how any could compare. This was our in-case-of-inclement-weather plan.


Not a bad plan, eh?
The inside is just as beautiful as the outside. Gorgeous wood everywhere.


Photoshopped nearly to death, but I really like it anyway. I think I may have a little addiction to Photoshop.


Speaking of addictions, the moustaches are probably in half of our pictures.


The toilet paper roll bouquet was from the bachelorette party the night before.


Wow. People are probably going to start thinking I really have a huge black moustache.


The head table at dinner in the Ellie Harvey Room. Chris' parents worked SO hard on the Rehearsal dinner and it was so lovely. My Aunt Kathie arranged the flowers... she's like the Yoda of flower arrangin'. Seriously.


One of my favorite games of the weekend was to put random people together and see how the interacted. College friends + high school friends + family = a very strange feeling.


More friends!


Some of Chris' family and some of my second family, The Berry's (Abbie's family).


I really like this picture of my dad and me. I also like that I have a hair tie around my wrist. Nice.


I'm not gonna lie here. This picture is probably of me telling them how awesome it is that my dress had pockets. Kristen doesn't seem impressed.


My aunt Linda (who I call Nina). Her hugs are the best.


And the obligatory feet picture. But seriously. This one is really, really good. (And look at my gold shoes!)

A huuuuuuuge thank you to Robert for agreeing to take pictures kinda last minute. He was a champ and these are pictures that we'll treasure for the rest of our lives.

We still have yet to receive our professional pictures from the actual "Big Day", but we're working on it. Soon, soon, soon!! In the meantime, I may put together a small post on some other wedding-related details like flowers, stationery, etc. And there will certainly be a few pictures of getting ready the day of. Mimosas may have been involved.

Also, if you were at the Rehearsal Dinner and didn't see a picture that you'd like to, (such as one of yourself/your family) let me know and I'll get it to you somehow. Robert took lots and these are just a small sampling.

Aaaannndd... Good night.

Hello, Kitty!

So.... we got a kitty today. We adopted her from the Humane Society and she's a year old.

She was adopted previously for a year and then when it was time to take her to her yearly checkup at the vet, they decided they didn't want her anymore. So, we gladly decided to bring this pretty girl home. She doesn't have a name yet. We're about 80% sure about what it will be, but we're going to give it another day. She's so sweet and so loving. She's been a little freaked out, though... lots of change today. But now she's ours and we will love her forever. I mean, look at her.... how could you not love those big pretty eyes?

Sigh.

I'll post about her name soon. Promise.

PS... As I type this, she's sitting in my lap purring. Awww.

Gobble Gobble

Thanksgiving break was great. We spent the first half of the week painting our kitchen and the second half of the week hanging out with family. We decided to spend this Turkey Day with Chris' family, since we spent it with mine last year. We spent three nights at his parents' house in Jasper, then went to Atlanta to help Emily (our sister) cover some pillows for her new apartment.

There was good food, good company, and lots of both. There may have been a few games of Mexican Train, too.

I'll try to take some pictures of the apartment soon. We put up all our Christmas decorations when we got back, so our place looks quite festive.

I'm also working on a December playlist that will (hopefully) rock your socks off.

Until then... have a lovely Thursday.

Today, I Wish I Could......

Wear these clothes.......
and be in this place......
.... allll day long! But alas, to work I go. Baby clothes won't just sell and monogram themselves, you know.

Halloweeeeeen!

This one's gonna be short. The time change is throwing me waaaaay off.

Chris and I both had to work on Halloween this year. Yuck! But we did have a little fun at Statesboro's Scare on the Square last night. Here are a few (mostly blurry) pictures.

A Gorilla. A very creepy gorilla. Chris shot this and I didn't know it until I was taking the pictures off my camera. Surprise!

There were people everywhere. Lots of businesses set up little booths or tables and sold a few things, but mostly just handed out bucket-loads of candy.

And it was a full moon.....

Then there were zombies dancing to Thriller in the streets. Even though it was about 94% lame, it was still pretty fun.

How was your Halloween?