adventures in craigslist, round 3

ok, maybe not as funny as round 1 and round 2, but perhaps a little more productive...

so, two of my roommates flew the coop and most of the furniture happened to belong to them.

so i figured now is a good a time as any to finally become a grownup and own some furniture of my own.

and naturally, in keeping with my deeply held views on household furnishings, i turned to the infamous craigslist for assistance.

drumroll please...

YELLOW COUCH - $50

(be still my beating heart. i adore this couch.)

COFFEE TABLE - $20

Before:

(erm, i forgot to take a before picture, but it was very plain and boring. medium wood, chipped white metal legs...form a mental picture.)

After:

(yeah, i'm a freakin rock star.)

RUG - $20

MIRROR - $20

(we ultimately decided to hang it sideways.)

and don't forget the rest of my thrifted decor, if you missed that...

and that, my friends, is one kick-A living room for $110.
yeah ... yeah you're jealous.

i am currently accepting house(re)warming plants.

(and don't worry....i already have some hilarity in the queue for craigslist round 4.)

see katie guest blog!

oh me oh my,

this is a big day for me!

drum roll....

my first guest blog!

i feel oh so important.

thanks to miss alexis SOLOMON (new last names deserve capital letters)

for letting me have some space in her blog realm

so go check out my ramblings on the science of sex appeal

(go! now!)

p.s.

funny story

i've only met miss alexis in real life once

...and it was at her wedding last week.

no really,

we were only blog/online friends

and i totally went to her wedding reception.

i feel so 21st century...

....and there was great mexican food.

mmmmboy

adventures in craigslist, round 2

oh me oh my, the treasures abound...

1. this one was labeled a "corner sofa." in what context would this be comfortable/useful without its counterparts??

2. titled "Two Night Stand." ....would you consider that more or less committed than a one-night stand?

3. and there's a bitter one in every bunch...

cart thing....get it today

Please come and get this today.....
My husband use to use this in the greenhouse....but we moved.....and no longer use it
He said 4 months ago he would sell it and get it off the patio...
ummm.,...well, I want it GONE now.

4. this chair was so multi-talented, they had to invent a whole new word for it:

This recliner swibles and rocks.

5. and i simply have no words for this one:

It's a recliner that doesn't look like a typical recliner. I'm only asking 20.00 for it because it needs to be cleaned up and has some wear and tear. We used to have a cat that I think may have peed in the corner of the cushion. My husband doesn't smell it at all but I think I have an extra sensitive nose. I've tried to clean it but still smell it. Gross, I know. I don't think there are any rips or anything, the chair is intact. You can email to come take a look for yourself. It's a nice chair but needs tlc.

6. i never know quite what to think of errant quotation marks, 

and this set makes me particularly nervous:

I am in the process of selling my "stuff" due to moving.

7. ok this one was labeled a "Sliding Glass Doggy Door." 

that is one very capable dog...

8. and, in conclusion, there's nothing like a good dose of desperation and gambling addiction:

I need this gone today if you want it for this price! It is large and holds a lot! I want Vegas money, so come and get it!

as always, stay tuned...

(did you miss round 1?)



infomercial: stretchy pants?

just some random amusement for friday.

because really,

who has the brain capacity for anything else at this point??

(not i.)

in any case,

i saw these for sale in walmart the other night and felt utterly delighted.

behold, the pajama jeans.

p.s.

remember how my brain is bad at this whole grown-up thing?

i mayyyy have forgotten to call APS

so fingers crossed

that the power doesn't get shut off today...

thriftology by katie (a)

i'm in the process of redecorating the casa.

pics of the new furniture to come.

(you should be excited.)

but in the meantime,

let's focus on my latest obsession...

pretty knick knacks

vase, hand-painted in italy

$7

st. vincent de paul

(we can only assume the "hand painted in italy" inscription doesn't imply some zealous 8-yr-old at an italian As You Wish shop.) 

funky little retro teapot

(in which i am going to plant herbs of some sort)

$3

st. vincent de paul 

kick-A turquoise candelabra

(totally going to hold artistically melted candles)

$6

st. vincent de paul

an array of vases (please pronounce it VAHses)

also going to rock my herb garden

$3 each

st. vincent de paul 

four inaugural plates for my mismatched dishes collection,

50 cents a pop

st. vincent de paul

the whole glorious smorgasbord

$27

st. vincent de paul

(please disregard the disheveled couch in the background with sad, shlumpy pillows. it begs for attention.)

...stay tuned for the furniture...

(and probably some posts about my thrifted clothing.)

(because yeah, i have a plethora of it.)

literary chagrin.

dearest la biblioteca,

i know you saw this coming

i know i promised you it would be different this time

we have something great, you and i

but the problem is

sometimes my brain doesn't work like it should

when it comes to certain details

i would promise to be better

but you might not believe me

(and you miiight be validated in that)

i promise i am coming to pay what i owe you

and face you with guilty shame

but please

may i have a second chance?

also please

don't call the collections agency

(we have a bad history.)

love,katilda

dearest gray matter in my head,

please oh please

learn how to effectively remember these things!

or maybe

you can hire a personal assistant

to do things like cleaning your room and paying bills
and occasionally checking the oil in the car and the air in the tires
and greasing the passenger door that's been squeaking for 2 years
and yeah, returning the library books on time!

let's admit it,

these. things. are. not. your. forte.

but you are pretty good at some other things
like remembering song lyrics and movie quotes
and noticing people's funny quirks
and imagining ways to celebrate the good moments in life
and the good moments in other people's lives

...lest you think i'm not giving you any credit.

it's just that maybe
you are not so much cut out for grown-up life.

love, katilda

holla for challah

if i gave you any blank stares this week....
or trailed off halfway thru a conversation...
or fell asleep a bit if you let me sit down too long...
or maybe cried in front of you (my boss included. meep.)

it was one of those weeks.

including planning for a big work event that went down on saturday.

there was service.

and many families.

and ok, maybe a candy bar or two for breakfast....

anyway,

we made this glorious artwork at the event:

(i stenciled those letters. one by one. verrry early friday morning.)
(and yeah, it's totes going on my office wall.)

and then,

when the people left,

and i breathed,

and checked my pulse

(and verified that, yes, i was operating at zombie level)

i settled in with a coworker for some brunch

at this surrrrriously amazing place

(bananas foster french toast made w/ homemade challah bread, and a vegetarian omelet with country potatoes and pumpernickel bread. DROOL.)

we shared both and polished them off in record time, much like a couple of hungry zombies...except we weren't eating humans....zombies eat humans, right? shrug.

mmmmmmm

must. go. back. ASAP.

my geriatric soul.

we all know those women who have a tendency to mother other people.

you know

hovering a bit...being constantly involved...the overall maternal type

in some ways, this is me

(e.g., i have a sincere love for making triangular PBJ sandwiches for people)

but i realized something this week

rather than being the motherly type

i think,

i lean towards grandmothering

(via hallmark)

there is much evidence.

think about your grandma and what she does to take care of you...

...yes, it's probably something i would do.

fixing hurt feelings with food and treats

telling you to bend the household rules a bit if it makes you feel better

often believing that playing is more important than cleaning up
rampantly applying terms of endearment when communicating
(pumpkin? sweetcakes? ...goober?)

actually

there's a lot of compelling evidence that i have a quite elderly personality

yesterday i spent some time with a lady in her 60s

and quickly realized i had more in common with her than most people my own age

we have an aversion to technology

the same taste in books

no idea which celebrities are dating which

...or even who most celebrities are

a love for John Denver and the Beatles

a passion for croquet

also while hanging out with her,
one of the Terminator movies came on a nearby TV

we both clucked about Arnold's tragic state of affairs

and felt very puzzled about the plotline of said movie

and covered our eyes every time something violent happened

i'm only 24

but...maybe i have an old soul

(with a young heart, i think)

which, yeah, totally describes most grandparents i know.

love,

katiegrammycakes

dastardly shopping beetlebug

i'm trying to be really good

about not spending money willy nilly

but oh,

oh i pine.

(i blame you, dazeychic etsy.)

i want them all.

mostly the first one.

(which, funny enough, throws a kink of irony into the whole live-simply-but-want-to-spend-my-money-on-that-real-bad issue.)

buhhhhh

(that was the sound of me drooling on my computer screen)

i picture them in cute frames

lined up along the staircase.

maybe if i'm really good

and deserve a reward...

...or can invent a reason

like a half birthday

or

a quarter birthday?

yes?

an in-tents adventure

i'm doing something favorite this weekend.

i have been itching to get out of the hot hot city.

(via my free wallpapers)

i plan to come back smelling like the campfire

with pieces of pine needle in my hair

dirt smudged on my face

and a happy little heart

i sent the following email to this girl while we planned:

"my only requirements are food and a sleeping bag. i don't care if i have to sleep under a tree and pee in the woods. Also i'd prefer it if one of the guys coming grows a beard and wears flannel, because....what's a woodsie adventure w/o a delicious lumberjack?"

and of course, i meant every word.

happy trails!

tales of a baby sister

dear littlest hermana,

i'm not sure at what point

you started turning into me

such as

listening to all my music

making my same jokes

wearing my same clothes

having my same interests

except for that part

about wanting to be an art major

(because, i can't draw)

in any case

you're running away soon

to college land

and even though

i can't protect you

from everything hard that might happen

i can tell you

it'll all be good for you

and

in the meantime

you can use your present

(on its way...)

to prevent at least one damage

....aren't you excited to open it?...

(yep, totally christmas wrapping paper. whatsyerpoint?)

happy birthday.

heart, katilda

knit wit & purls of wisdom

i spied this treasure at the store yesterday whilst shopping for work supplies.

being on work time, i didn't have time to properly peruse its pages.

KNITS MEN WANT

The 10 Rules Every Woman Should Know Before Knitting for a Man

i feel as though this book could singehandedly (single-pagedly?) revolutionize my dating life as i know it.

who knew that this was all it takes to get to a man's heart.

any other deliciously random books out there i should know about?

...any advice for knitting for men...?

movie review: Thor

fact: i legitimately enjoy Marvel-esque, superhero films.

(other fact: my family has a running joke about a line from Unbreakable. "One of us...." bahaha. Can anyone outside the fam finish this quote? anyone?)

saturday evening i found myself at home following Saturday Night Activities 1 and 2 and debating between putting on pajamas or hitting up Activity 3. I poked around on facebook for a bit whilst making this decision and began to see statuses such as "THOR" and "Thor!!" and other such variations.

so i splashed some water on my face (yes really, i was that tired) and headed out to Activity 3 over at Cine Capri at Tempe Marketplace.

note: that theatre made me feel like i was at disneyland. HUGE. (pronounced the southern-Utah way, with no H....yes, YOOJ.)

ok fine, i'll talk about the actual movie now.
(possible spoiler alert, if you haven't seen it)

(source...somewhere via Google images)

first, i don't really believe natalie portman would live in the middle of the desert like that....not saying pretty girls can't be astrophysicists, but a) i doubt she'd be single, even if they tried to make her look "nerdy" with flannel and a pair of functional footwear, and b) no one that wrapped up in a science project, living in a camper in New Mexico, would legitimately have hair that great. I refuse to believe it.

other cynical thoughts include
a) "at what point did they really fall in love? all she did was hit him with her car a couple times and suddenly they're made for each other...?"
b) "okay seriously, Thor spent like 2 days on earth, flirting and making scrambled eggs, and suddenly he's learned his lesson and become wise enough to earn his hammer back??"

i don't know why i was feeling so cynical when i watched it.
i'm usually anti-cynicism.
maybe i should have splashed more water on my face...?

but in retrospect, i think i enjoyed it.
and i'd probably watch it again.
because it did make me laugh.
and i do love me some superhero cinema.
and...i do enjoy them hemsworth boys.

have you seen it? thoughts?

p.s.
how freaking stoked am i for the new X-Men movie??

head + board = epic fail

i've seen many memorable videos in my time.

but this one...

this one stands in a league all its own.

i weep, my friends.

(long pause)

okay fine, blogger hates me this week.

so you get a link to the video,

instead of getting to view it conveniently right here.

i know, it's super lame.

but, it is what it is.

now go watch it 5 times:

Motivational Speaker: Board Break Fail

p.s.

did you notice my blog has a new look??

i guess i'm feeling beige lately.

and...striped.

and...i luff it.

p.p.s.

"even when my head was throbbing..."

adventures in craigslist, round 1

some people, i tell you ...

1. first there were some couches, pictured in the middle of the desert.

...who uses couches in the middle of the desert?

...which begs the next question, who drags couches to the middle of the desert to photograph them?

2. and let's not forget this man's not-so-subtle bitterness when he described the following chair:

"well taken care of armchair in southwest style ... non smoker home, no pets either wife doesn't even cook =(."

3. and oh, how i wish there was a picture with the following post:

"110 gallon fish tank with 5 yr old bearded dragon no car so Its hard to feed her anymore 100 for both"

4. and i'm kind of glad there's NOT a picture for this one, especially the "possibly" turkey:

"free freezer burnt meat. bag of old ham, hot dogs and, possibly turkey. Not for humans anymore -- badly freezer burnt. Let me know if you're interested."

5. and of course, this lovely piece of art. the best part is the original price:

"I paid $349 for it and I'm just hoping to find someone who loves it as much as me."

...you hang on to that dream, tomato man. you just keep on believing.

textersations, round 2

so this amazing phenomenon occurred after this certain blog post.

suddenly, everyone started texting me more.
and everyone got a little bit funnier.

and i quickly realized i couldn't wait another year to post some highlights or it would get out of control.

so here it is ... round 2
(feel free to inundate my inbox in an attempt to make round 3...)

Caraline, March 10

[dating advice]

"Take him to a spring training game. I fall in love with you every time we go."

Matthisious, March 12

"Finally the banana gets the rep it deserves."

Randy Day, March 15

"If you were a hippie and smoked then i totally just saw you at QT."

Katie Lee, March 16

"The end of the school day is always a very scary time for me. You can hear the stampede. A boy screaming like an indian almost ran me over today."

Androo, March 18

"You know how shady people can be that volunteer at crap."

Katie Lee, March 23

"Just saw a tobacco outlet... What does that mean? Last season's tobacco nobody wants?"

Rachel Blakey, March 28

[discussing if a BBQ is a good place to find dates]

"If my future man is a cheeseburger then he sure will be there!"

Matthisious, April 5

[a couple days after i told him about a company-wide email in which a staff member asked if anyone had seen a shipment of "widows" get delivered ... he meant windows.]

"So i stayed home today waiting on my delivery of women whose husbands have passed, but it never came. I wonder if it got sent to the office?"

Daniel Fuller, April 6

"I hate boys."

Anonymous, April 8

[only because i promised this individual i wouldn't name him/her.]

"Sometimes cleaning is easier if you take your pants off. I'm just saying."

Larsy, April 15

[after i told her to try pronouncing something difficult repeatedly.]

"i accidentally said Beiber."

Baby Sister, April 15

[same context]

"i sound like the dumb bear from Narnia."

Anonymous 2, April 17

[identity undisclosed in the off-chance her employer ever sees this.]

"i feel like a sell-out, but to keep  my job, i gotta saddle up and buttkiss. this is grown-up world."

Kels, April 19

[after i griped at her when my teeth hurt and then immediately apologized.]

"I've been there. I completely forgive you. Just don't do what i did when i got braces anger...bit off someone's hand."

James Nickerson, April 20

"You should know that in a cameo dream appearance, you had two artificial legs."

Androo, April 21

[after telling him to get on LinkedIn already because i made Chantal join and she got contacted for a job almost immediately.]

"And look at her, kidney-robbed in saint pedro, mexi-town."

K Sparks, April 23

"Two quotes from a very odd man outside hungry howie's: "i'm half amish" and "i'm tired of you saying i'm fat because i don't subscribe to your healthy regimen."

Kels, April 25

[she's not married, and there's no explainable context.]

"I should write my husband a letter."

Bonnie Jean, April 25

"I don't joke about Hanson."

Mandiola, April 27

"Why would a chip flavor be called harvest cheddar? I would like to see that field."

Tyson J. Oliver, April 29

[after i complimented his use of the word "romantic" in his description of his attempts to woo a girl.]

"it seems more mature than 'i tried desperately to convince her i was more than just a good kisser.'"

Tyson J. Oliver, April 30

"That's why I like me too."

Kels, May 1

[i told her my tummy hurt and she tried to blame it on gluten.]

"that's the gelatin."

(2 seconds later)

"ahahah that's not the right word is it...."

Daniel Fuller, May 2

[it made sense at the time...]

"Company policy only gives me time off to play putt-putt inside my office ... pants or no pants."

and the grand finale, this picture of my nephew that arrived in my inbox one day:

until next time, happy texting!

p.s.

honorable mention to miss mariah winslow, who i know sent me a rather funny text about her workplace and the effects of certain medications on her clients ... which text is somehow nowhere to be found in my phone. i blame technology.

words of wisdom & self esteemage

"Unsubscribe from habits that make you feel inferior."

Fajr, of stylish thought

so, what is it for you?

you know, your bad habit.

reading too many style mags and hating your bod?

weighing yourself too often and letting that number dictate your self esteem for the day?

stalking your ex and his/her newest lovers on facebook?

letting your mistakes and flaws color your entire self perception?

living under the impression that other people can change but that maybe you will always be a little bit tainted even if you start fresh?

that's not how it works, you know.

your life is not a list of tally marks under columns labeled Good and Bad that will hopefully add up in your favor at the end.
(and neither is your appearance.)

so please stop keeping that mental list.

dear all of us,

(and me,)

time to unsubscribe.

i took the following picture a week or two ago,

because i thought the hat was funny.

and i wanted to write a blog about the funny hat.

but then all i could see in the picture was that metal mouth.

and think about that girl in 6th grade who used to tell me my nose was too big for my face.

and suddenly, i didn't want to blog about the hat anymore.

but in keeping with my own advice...

look at this funny hat i found.

and look at my arm. i like that mole on my arm, because my older brother and sister have one in the exact same place.

and now i feel empowered to obliterate some other bad habits.

love,katie

the mumford, the sons, and (too much?) rambling

back in my glory days, i used to be a fierce concert goer.
i saw all the big names ... let's not even try and list them all ...
and one time, i crowdsurfed.
(gotta cater to that bucket list, people!)
i kind of fell off the concert-going bandwagon for awhile these last few years.
maybe it's because concerts don't come to utah that often, and that's where i was.
ok, i'm out of excuses.
aaaand i'm back on the party horse!
(is that a saying? it is now...yeah)
(what would a party horse look like? would it be of many colors?)

in any case, i hit up a stellar show a couple weeks ago.
the infamous mumford & sons.
made largely famous by performing on the grammy's.
but they came into my life much sooner than that, courtesy of this talented and tasteful girl.
(go listen to her music on her blog. she should have her own tour like mumford. surrriously.)

in any case, if you don't know mumford...
and if you dig the folksie-banjo-makes-you-wanna-groove-inside-an-old-barn-somewhere style...
then maybe you should know them.
my thoughts on the show:
the music rocked.
oh how it rocked.
i danced like a hillybilly fool in my cut-off shorts.
(because what summer is complete w/o cut-off shorts? i like to call them adventure pants.)
the best part?
the whole shebang took place next to some train tracks.
and the bands literally rolled in on that train and hopped off to perform.
that's how they're doing their entire tour.
pretty. freakin. cool.

only downsides:
the crazy lady in the front who didn't understand that, if you stand in the front, you're not allowed to have personal space.
she was a beast.
other downside, all the nasty cigarette(etc) smoke. yyyyechhh.
(did i sound yiddish just now? did i?)

well, here's a couple prime mumford songs, in case you're uneducated.
enjoy!

the cave

winter winds

white blank page

after the storm

(yes, blogger is haaaating life today and won't let me embed videos. so you get links. i'm sorry. now let's both shake it off and move on....)

video: dayton's legs

i feel inspired.