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Random Katie Thoughts

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Let’s see how few words I can use in this post, shall we?

I have a problem.  It’s called costumania.  I MUST dress up my children in costumes.  Halloween is just another day to celebrate the disease.

My new favorite thing Will does is flex and grunt.  He’s like a miniature version of Tim the Toolman Taylor and Goldberg (hollah to my fellow WWE fans).

We’ve done a decent amount of playtime in his room since the addition of the toyboxes.  Also, I taught him the word ‘snaggletoe’.

Why yes, that is a giant fort in our living room.  And of course, Will is flexing.  Couldn’t you tell?

I hate our living room rug.  I’ve said that before.  I’ll say it again.  And yes…this is how our living room looks 98% of the time.  Laundry on the shelf.  Toys everywhere.  Thomas (aka “Tahnas” according to Will) on tv.  And a randomly perched toddler.

I’ve been working on this:

Yup. $32 at Goodwill.  It’s gonna be perfect for our dish storage in the dining room.  I’ve learned that Will can handle exposed dishes.  His friends?  Notsomuch.  The temptation was too great.  So instead of crossing the awkward line and disciplining someone elses kid who might have uber grabby hands and no respect for the word NO…I’ll go for a makeover.  But oh a girl could wish 🙂

It’s funny this piece.  It’s like really confused.  It has dovetailed drawers and yet it isn’t solid wood.  Weird.

The lines were just my style though.  In the words of Tony the Tiger – it’s gonna be GREEEEAT!

Superbowl Sunday was my birthday.  I spent it helping my little brother move.

Yup.  My baby brother Timmy bought his own four bedroom short sale.  I could not be prouder.  And he needed some help – so he called in the troops…aka Me, Jer, my mom and dad.  Will supervised.

I was happy to share my day with him…because you only buy your first house once 🙂  So we had a celebration on Saturday with friends and family.

It’s been a while since we had everyone together.  These girls make me so happy.  And I am seriously contemplating turning 31 again just to have a reason for a get together.

Will had a little cold over the weekend.  It was a nightmare.  He never has been a solid night sleeper but when he was coughing every five minutes, it turned into something only likened to a middle school lock out.  Imagine the screaming and being awake all night.

Now that I look at these photos – I hope he didn’t spit on the cake.

I like the fact that Jade is photobombing our family picture with his toddler who is wearing a broken bouncy fuzzy ball on his head.  Nice.

Confession: I bought all of these in November and told Jer that they were my birthday gifts.

Another confession: I forgot what I bought and love them all 🙂

 

I got a mercury glass mushroom and a scented candle with holder from Bath and Body Works.  Love the geometric pattern.  And a capiz shell frame for my nightstand collection.

I asked Jer not to buy me cake or cupcakes or brownies this year.  I just wanted a giant bowl of peanut M&M’s.  Such a reasonable request.

This was the day after the party – when half the bowl was gone.

I am proud and morbidly obese ashamed to announce that the bowl is now empty.

We’ve had crazy weather lately.  One day its nice shorts weather.  The next is drizzly and cold.  Then it’s foggy.  Then it’s perfect.  It’s all over the place.  Jeremy looks especially manly with his earmuffs, don’t you think? 🙂

I have more to share…but it’s late and Will is coughing so I best be visiting my little insomniac.

p.s.  I’ve been getting a lot of emails lately from folks asking lots of questions…like ‘how do I fit it all in?’ and ‘how is cloth diapering going?’ and ‘Have you read Taking Charge of your Fertility’ yet?’…and I thought I might do a big QUESTIONS post…does this sound interesting or just boring?  I might do it either way – just so I don’t have to type it all out a thousand times over….so if you have any questions you have been thinking of asking…nows the time I might actually answer 🙂

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  1. Oooh yes! A Big question post is just up my alley… actually just asked a bunch of questions in the comments of another post… but I’ll ask some more:)

    What TV shows do you watch?
    Do you coupon?/How do you budget for groceries? do you make a list of meals and buy that? do you look at the sales? etc…
    How IS cloth diapering going? Do you have one of the sprayers like the Peterskis got?

    Happy Birthday and your haircut looks amazing!

  3. Happy birthday Katie! It looks like a great day 🙂

    I vote yay to a questions post! I always find those interesting, but I’m a journalist so I guess I’m supposed to!

  4. You are awesome, I have a question.
    Why did your family choose homeschooling?
    It obviously worked, refer my first statement.

  5. Belated happy birthday! Can’t wait to see how you redo the dining room hutch – we have two dressers that aren’t real wood that are UGLY and need love.

  9. Belated Happy Birthday! Looking forward to the questions post. x

    P.S. Will is such a dude in that last photo. Rocking the hat/wheels combo!

  10. Happy Belated Bday Katie! Glad you had a marvelous day 🙂 totally craving M&Ms now…
    Looking forward to the questions post!
    xo

  11. Katie do you have one of the non-slip rug grip pads underneath your rug? We have a dhurrie rug in our living room too and the rug pad really helps a lot. It’s still not totally flat, especially if we move furniture around on top of it, but for the most part it stays flat even with the kiddo running around and playing on it.

  12. Happy birthday! I am loving your short ‘do! Totally random question: do you use styling products in your hair? I know, slightly creep question but I’m crushing hard on your new haircut and I’m getting mine cut soon soooo… : ) Love the blog and I think a Q&A post is just what the doctor ordered!

  14. I love these random picture posts! My baby girl was totally smiling at costumania…she might have a little crush on Will. 😉

    I am also getting ready to redo a non-wood $30 find for my dining area, so I cannot wait to get inspired by yours!

  15. My husband just bought me kitkats for my brithday because that’s all I really wanted! Would love a post where you answer questions, not that I can think of any right now….OH! What is this new adventure you needed head shots for???

  16. I would love a questions post! I was just thinking how great your hair is looking and I want to know what you do to it.

    Happy Birthday!

  17. Maybe this is too personal but I know you share a lot on this blog. Have you ever had a miscarriage? I had one the first time I got pregnant very early on and then had my son in my second pregnancy. I know a lot of people deal with those when trying to get pregnant.

  18. so this is a random question, but how did you haul such a large piece? I am working on convincing my husband that we need to invest in a trailer for large hauls…when we get another car, I want a pick up truck!

  19. Can’t wait to see how your piece turns out, what a steal for $32!!! How could anyone not dress up sweet Will? He’s adorable! And your hair is fabulous!

  20. Girl, those mnm’s wouldn’t last a day in my house either. I figure that it’s better to totally bomb my diet on one day than have little extra calories over the wourse of a week or two. It’s my brilliant way to convince myself I’m making the RIGHT choice by overindulging.
    Can’t wait to see how that china cabinet turns out (is that what you would call it? hmmm. that’s what I would call it.)

    Happy Birthday!

  22. I love that piece you are working on and cannot wait to see how it looks! Also, how do you find it so cheap, cheap, cheap? My local thrift shops would charge me three times that much, easily. Blar.

    Also, I’m pro-question & answer post.

  23. Happy Belated Birthday! You’ve got to be one of the best looking 31 year olds EVER! 🙂 Love the new hair cut & you style it great! Hope you’re doing well! I love, is it Lily (Brooke & Kent’s little girl)….love her expression in the black & white pic! Hilarious!

  24. OMG Katie, I have the same exact china cabinet! I can’t believe it. Excited to see what you do with it because I have been contemplating craigslisting mine and just getting something different. Ours was a hand me down from my parents. Maybe you’ll give me some inspiration to keep it and make it work. Happy 31! (its coming up for me too!)

  25. I would love to read a questions post : ), especially the part about Taking Charge Of Your Fertility. Mostly because I can’t even imagine what hilarious things you’ll have to say about fertile cervical mucus. MMM, if that doesn’t get a girl in the mood, I don’t know what will. Haha!

    I tell all my friends to read TCOYF but none of them have taken me up on it. I’ve been using it to successfully avoid pregnancy for almost 2 years… but I haven’t used it to get pregnant yet. So I’m interested to hear whatcha think about it!

  26. Ques-tion post! Ques-tion post! (did you read that like a chant?)

    Happy Belated Birthday!! Looks like you had a wonderful time!

  27. Gorgeous post and photos as usual, and yes – a Q&A would be great! We blog readers love knowing all the little nitty gritty goings on of every day life. Is that wierd that i’d rather know how someone does their laundry or how they find the energy to pick up toys and do the dishes at the end of a long day?

  28. Belated Happy Birthday! I love the idea of a questions post!! I have one for you: How do you manage your emotions/stress about money (since you sometimes mention that you’re “house poor”)? I’m due in May and considering leaving my job to be a stay-at-home-mom, but I’m nervous about the money. If I stay home things will be really, really tight. I know that raising our child is an amazing contribution to the family, but I’m still nervous…

    Have a great weekend!!

  30. Love the pictures!

    I would love to read a questions post! I was wondering:
    I know you said you are a self taught photographer, but what EXACTLY does that mean? Did you just read a bunch of books and play with your camera til you got it? Did you take a couple of local classes? Do you have friends/family members who are also photographers who passed down some wisdom to you?

  32. Happy birthday! And, yes, you should do a big questions post. I love question posts because I’m nosy like that.

  33. Happy Birthday!
    I love question posts (and hopefully they save you time): do it!
    Question to add to the question pile: what are the upcoming things that you alluded to in your haircut post (the ones you needed a head shot for)?

  34. Oh my gosh..I totally love the rug in your living room! I would buy it from you, for sure. Are you interested in selling it? It would be perfect for the nursery of our little boy due in June. Where did you get it?

  35. I love that you picked out your birthday present and forgot about it (my husband and I kind of do the same thing). If you are going to answer some questions I would LOVE your help/advice/experience on doing projects on a budget. My husband and I are still “fresh” out of college and we want to do so much to our house and then we see how much it would cost and get sad. I know it is all about saving, watching sales, etc but anything you have learned from experience would be greatly appreciated!

  36. Happy birthday from another fellow SuperBowl Birthday baby! Since when did the Superbowl start happening the first weekend of Feb anyways? 😉 anyways, hope your day was great!!!! =)

  37. I’d love a q&a post. 🙂 I love your site. I found it through YHL recently (I bought my first house in November, so I only recently found them too!).
    I was looking through your oooold posts at your (old?) basement projects. Is there a way to find all those easily?

  38. I vote a big YES to a questions and answers post!

    Though I’m afraid my question might not have a concrete answer, here is it anyways! It’s a photography editing question: How do you decide how to edit your photos/when enough editing is enough? I’ve just starting trying to learn how to edit my photos and have been using the (soon-to-be-defunct) Picnik. And all too often I lose sight of what my original photo looked like, and my sweet baby girl ends up so softened and tanned that she looks like a Jersey Shore angel. Poor thing… 🙂

  39. Happy Birthday! I think the questions post is a great idea. If you get too many Q’s break it up into a couple of days. It will save you from having to come up with some ideas. My question is if I come to the Atlanta area can we meet up for lunch? I will reciprocate the request if you ever come to CT. Hope that doesn’t sound too creepy 😉

  44. I would like to see a questions/ answers post. Great idea. My question: how do you do all of the projects with a toddler? I know my toddler can’t stay in one area or sit still at all. That means that if I start something there’s a really good chance I won’t be able to finish it. So thinking about painting, for example, how do you do that with a toddler around? If I am allowed more than one question …. Are you constantly thinking about the next home improvement project? I don’t do a blog like yours, and thanks to hgtv, DIY network, and pinterest I am always waning to do something. I am guessing this just gets compounded when you write about all of those home improvement adventures!

    Thanks 🙂

  45. First and foremost, happy birthday!!! Also, holy tamoly, I just love your haircut. I have long hair, and I call it my security cape, because I feel like even on fat days, I can straighten out my hair and at least feel halfway decent, but oh it’s just so drab and dull 99% of the time; so, for the record, your hair definitely inspires me to shed the cape and get it cut!

    But, yes, I would love a questions post! I also wonder how you fit it all in! My biggest question is actually a pressing fear for me–I’m pregnant [for the first time] and planning on leaving my job to raise the little bambino. How do you find it being a stay at home mom? I know it’s going to be wonderful 85% of the time, but do you ever crave going back to work?

  47. Happy Birthday!

    I must say I love the look on Will’s face in the last photo of him and your “boyfriend” riding the four wheeler. I think a Q&A would be fabulous!

    Can’t wait to see what you do with the furniture! I just wish we had a Goodwill as fabulous as y’all do!

  48. I have that same mushroom! From Kohl’s, right? I couldn’t resist it. I love mercury glass and thought the mushroom was funky and cool. Plus, since I got it from Kohl’s the day after Christmas, they practically paid me to take it out of the store. Score!

  51. Happy Belated Birthday Katie!!! You look awesome girl 🙂

    I spy … a Mancala on the bottom shelf of your living room side table – I love that game!

    I am so excited to see what you do with the china cabinet – and can’t believe you got that for $32! You have an AWESOME Goodwill!

    And yes, I would love a questions post please 🙂

  55. 1. I love these picture posts. They are my favorite.

    2. Happy Birthday (belated)! It looks like you had a wonderful day! I hope it was the best one yet.

    3. That Will is absolutely so cute I can’t stand it. He is second only to my own Canon (http://whitneydupuisphotography.blogspot.com). What? I have to show off my baby. 🙂

    4. I can’t wait to see how the china cabinet turns out. I know it is going to be beautiful!

  56. Happy 31st! You seriously don’t look a day over 25! Would love to see a Q&A post… I’ve been wondering what kind of workout routine you fit in or if it’s all just chasing around and picking up a toddler 🙂

  57. Happy Birthday!

    How the heck do you find such good deals at Goodwill. Our Goodwill thinks they are a retail store selling junk at like new prices! A hundred bucks for a busted up hutch, two bucks for a Hot Wheels toy that’s three bucks new? I’ve got to find a new Goodwill.

  58. Happy belated birthday, Katie! I’m in love with that last photo of Will and Jeremy. Too cute. Where did you get Will’s hat? I need to find some for my nieces. I also have a costume problem but I don’t have a child so yours is less creepy. See, I used to work at Old Navy and would always do the markdowns so I’d find all these cute baby clothes and costumes for .10 (no joke). I’m armed and ready for costuming my future child whenever he or she gets here. I have outfitted my nieces for Halloween for all 3 years of their lives now, too. :p

    I think you should do a questions post. I think we’re all a little nosey and would love to read it. I’d love to know if there was a specific plan you guys follow to help pay off your debt. I remember a long time ago it was a big goal of yours and I could currently use any advice you have in that department!

    Have a great weekend!

    Emily

  59. Happy Birthday, Katie!
    Questions……heck yeah I have questions for ya’:
    – I want to know how you fot it all in too.
    -Are you gonna’ share what prjoects/s your need a head shot for any time soon?

  61. Your hair looks fantastic! I love that cut on you. Happy belated birthday- you seriously do not look like you are in your 30’s.

    love the costume photos and that hutch is amazing! Can’t wait to see it all come together. Love your random post by the way and I think a questions post would be great.

  63. Happy Birthday, Katie. Love so many things in this post. Your hair looks amazing. Can’t wait to see what you do with that hutch. I’ve been hunting CraigsList for a hutch for our dining room. The M&M bowl is just great. And Will looks adorable as always.

    Hope you had a great birthday. We are celebrating my daughter’s 2nd birthday tomorrow. Cant believe how fast they grow up.

  64. Happy Birthday – and am in love with the china hutch! Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

    Also – I love the chopped hair… I recently cut mine that short… and it is soooo much easier to do. Also, I find that I can sleep on it, and I dont wake up with a rat’s nest in my hair. A little Suave dry shampoo, and it looks so fresh and clean -without having to shower:)

  65. Katie! I’ve been wondering where your sister got all the beautiful amber colored candle holders for her wedding. I’m having a fall wedding in Wisconsin and something like those would look ahh-mazing as part of my center pieces!

  66. Oh my gosh, as soon as I read the word, “Snaggletoe,” I had to skip ahead and comment. (I promise to go back and read the rest in a minute). 🙂

    We also called my 3 year old son’s toes, snaggletoes one day when the toenails needed trimmed and he said, “What’s a snackle-toe?” It stuck. Now he has 10 Snackles, instead of snaggles. And he loves to tell people that his mom loves his snackles!

    Either way, I love little boy snausage toes!

  67. Happy Birthday, Katie!

    Where, oh where, did you get the mercery glass mushroom? I adore it!

    A questions post would be terrific. Great idea.

  69. Happy Belated! You have the same birthday as my older brother:) I love Q& A posts, maybe because I am nosy? I was wondering if you are going to homeschool Will?

  70. Yes please on the questions post, here’s mine to add to the list: “What do you do with Will when you go on photo shoots?”

    Thanks for opening up your life to all of us. 🙂

  72. She collected it from a bunch of different thrift stores and flea markets. It was the most pricey part of her decor 🙂
    xo – kb

  73. Love the idea of a questions post. Hopefully it won’t spark too more controversy than you want! 🙂 🙂 🙂 But maybe the drama will be fun for you, as you say.

  75. Yes it was 🙂 I’m not a cake fan and Jer thought that we would need something for the masses other than M&M’s 🙂
    xo – kb

  77. Happy birthday! Love the “cake.”

    Yes, a questions post! And here’s my burning question…I have been pondering bangs, but a few of my friends tell me that I will just end up hating them due to general maintenance and the fact that they will always feel like they’re in my eyes. I need a Katie B. bang review.

  80. you hair looks SO GREAT!!!!! will’s expression in the “cake” pic is priceless, and i love the randomly perched toddler pic, too 😉 happy bday!

  82. I second Lindsay! I would love to hear your insights on Taking Charge of Your Fertility but I also really believe it works. I am using it to not get pregnant but I bought it for my girlfriend after she got married and she is now pregnant! My fingers are crossed for you that it happens for you soon! And YES to a questions post!

  84. I second this question/issue! I no longer edit on my laptop since that was contributing. But my skin tones/balance never seems right. Do you compare it to something??? Whenever I order cards/books etc it just never looks how it did on the screen.

    Also would love a q&a post. Anything about sleep and schedules. I’m struggling with naps and like to hear what other mothers are trying. Since this sitting in the car for two hours is getting old… And how do you go shopping at goodwill? My little munchkin flips out on me : (

  85. Hope you had a fantastic birthday!! Superbowl was probably as exciting for you as it was for me because neither of our teams were there (don’t hate me because I’m a Ravens fan…xo). Anyway, I’d like to know the answer to all of those questions plus what your plans are for that china cabinet. I’m about to hunt down one for myself to redo, but I don’t think I’m really into the glass. I really like the open kinds that have cubbies for holding wine bottles in additon to cabinets for hiding things and other for displaying plates & decor….like this one from Gardners….

    http://www.gardiners.com/Item.aspx?ItemID=-2121472555&ItemNum=988-670%2b672

    I’m wondering if I could just build into a cabinet? So I’d be interested in what you’d have to say on that….hope Will feel better soon!

    Chrissy 🙂

  86. Happy birthday!
    Yes to multiple questions posts!
    Ps. Those are not dovetail joints, they are finger joints that are way easier to do in a factory and often even seen on low end ikea pieces 🙁 sorry

  88. “Tahnas” huh? Be grateful. When my son was Will’s age, his favorite train was Percy, and he dragged that little green guy everywhere with him. When he couldn’t find it, he’d walk around the house saying, “Where’s my Percy? I can’t find my Percy!” Except, he couldn’t pronounce the “R” sound back then. Try it – just try to pronounce “Percy” without the “R”. Of course my husband would egg him on – follow him around asking, “Who are you looking for? What did you say?” Eeeesh.

  89. I want to cut my hair off so badly, but I’m terrified. I just spent years growing it out (senior year of college to present). I can finally just throw it up in a bun before heading out the door in the morning which is so much less time consuming.

    But it’s ugly (most of the time).

    I love the idea of the Suave dry shampoo (it tips the scale in the direction of chopping off my hair again), but I’m worried my hair will look greasy. Do you have naturally oily hair?

  90. 1. Happy Birthday!
    2. I vote yes to the question post :]
    3. My question: “How are you guys coping with Will’s erratic sleeping habits?”

  91. I would love to hear your thoughts on the book, but I also have a question: From what you have written, it sounds like you haven’t been to the doctor. Why have you waited this long and do you plan on going? When I was dealing with infertility the first time around (on the second time now), I felt very conflicted about going because I thought it meant that I was trying to “play God” and achieve a pregnancy in “my time” instead of “His time.” However, as the months passed, I realized my body just wasn’t working properly and that I needed medicine (for me, it was metformin and clomid, since I have PCOS) in order to get pregnant. (Once I took that combination of medication and used the book to chart, I got pregnant the first cycle.) It may feel like going to the doctor and getting medicine to get pregnant is not trusting God and taking things into your own hands, but I can’t help but be reminded of that tale where a man was drowning and he told various people that tried to save him that it was okay, he was trusting God would show up and help him. Then he died and asked God why he didn’t save him and God said he sent all those people…what more was he expecting. In this case, though, the people helping you would be the doctors.

    I know I could be totally off base here with what you are thinking/doing and obviously, you don’t have to tell us every little thing and you might have been to the doctor already, but I was just curious since I’ve been down this road before. And, I totally didn’t write this at all with a mean spirit, so I hope it doesn’t come across that way. 🙂

  92. Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you had a great weekend. Yes, a question post would be great!
    By the way, that last picture of your husband and Will is just TOOO cute! Makes me want to frame it! (not in a creepy way of course! just a great shot you took!)

  93. Oh, please, oh please do a questions post!! I have been wanting, for a while now, to ask you about homeschooling. It sounds like you did both homeschool and private/public school. I was wondering (if it’s not too personal) what prompted the switch from one to the other? Which one did you prefer? Do you have plans to homeschool your kiddos (yep, kiddos – I’m optimistic for you =)

    Love love love your blog, Katie. It’s the first one I read every day. Happy Birthday! Sounds like you had a great weekend!

  95. I didn’t read any book except my manual. I never took any classes and my family doesn’t know anything about cameras. I literally read my manual four times…and then shot with the camera until I got an idea of what looks best to me.
    xo – kb

  96. I love the idea of an Q & A post! I also love the big bowl of M&Ms – I prefer peanut butter. The cabinet makeover looks like fun! Your haircut is FANTASTIC! When did you do it?

    Love love love!

  98. Well this particular piece was marked $49 and then down to $39…and I was shopping with my mom who got a 25% off discount because she’s a senior…thus $30!
    xo – kb

  99. I got the lower piece into my SUV and then called my dad to convince him to pick up the top part later that day. I could have probably fit the entire thing into our truck though…
    xo – kb

  100. Not that I know of. I’ve heard of some people miscarrying and not even knowing…but I am fairly certain that I have never lost a pregnancy.
    xo – kb

  101. Please do a QA post! I’d love to know about TCoYF (we are big believers as I sit here nursing my 8 month old who came after 1 year of TTC!) Also, CDing, an update about toddlers! We CD and love it. Love your blog.

  102. I would LOVE a “Questions” post. They are so much fun and so very informative.

    I have a question for you: What does your family think about being famous on your blog? Are they creeped out by all of us feeling like we are practically related to all of you? Do they mind having their lives “exposed” to the public?

    OK, that was three questions in one. I started wondering this when I looked at the adorable group photo and started going, “Someone is missing… where is Cole?”

  105. Happy Birthday Katie!!

    I would love a questions post. I can’t really think of a question to ask you right at the moment but I love reading your random thoughts on things. 🙂

  106. I’m probably the only one, but I’m actually interested in Will’s sleep habits and how you deal with it. And you’ll think this is super weird but I often think of you when I’m up with my baby in the middle of the night – I figure if you can do it, I can too!

  108. Terribly oily!! About a year ago I moved to washing it only every other day, and since then it has become much less greasy. And the Suave dry shampoo takes any oil away! Seriously, best $3 dollars ever spent. (And I have tried the $30 bottles – suave works better).

  109. Happy belated birthday!

    A giant bowl of peanut M&M’s is awesome, nothing to be ashamed about if the bowl was empty a few days or hours later 🙂

  111. Happy Birthday!
    Thanks for the laughs – yours is the first blog I check each day 🙂

    I’d love to see Q & A but don’t have any questions…. I’ll just enjoy everyone else’s!

  112. That haircut is fabulous! I am surprised though, that you didn’t request something bacony in addition to your M&M’s. 🙂 Good call though – I should request coconut M&M’s for my next birthday.

  114. Yes, to a questions post! 🙂

    My question: What made your family decide to homeschool? I have always been so curious about this. Did you mom homeschool all of your siblings? Are you planning on homeschooling Will?

  115. Hello fellow Wisconsinite:) how weird, I just found out someone I know is also getting married in fall here and I passed Katie’s post along to her of the wedding pictures because I thought the amber glasses were so pretty and perfect for a fall WI wedding:) congrats, enjoy your special day!

  116. This is very important – does toilet paper go up and over or down and under?

    A for real type question though (not like the previous one isn’t important) – what does Jeremy do for a living?

  117. Happy Happy Birthday!

    Yeah for question posts. A really long time ago, you mentioned that you were going for laser hair removal treatment. If it’s not too personal (it totally is) what body part were you having hair removed from, and did the treatment work? Would you recommend it to someone who hates shaving their legs? It’s totally not in my budget right now, but my husband is probably getting sick of going to sleep next to a porcupine, and I was wondering if laser hair removal really works. Thanks for any input.

  118. Well, don’t I feel silly? haha. I’d only tried finding it with the “categories” option. Thanks for the tip! 😀

  120. word! if you haven’t read that book- i’d totally send it to you. free shipping 🙂 msg me if so (we’re done having kids… sooooo i’m trying to offload this baby… i mean book).

  121. I was wondering if you are still breastfeeding? My son is Will’s age and I’m still nursing once a day. I was wondering if you had any tips on weaning. Thanks!

  122. Okay, LOVE the fact that you bought your own birthday presents a while back! Mental note to do that next year..

    Here’s my question- are you tracking your cervical mucus??? KIDDING!!! Gross! Unless you’re doing it. Then not gross at all. Nope not gross, just necessary. Good luck either way. Good day.

  124. Happy Birthday girlie.

    Question for question post: I know you mentioned that you and your boyfriend are house poor. So are we 🙁 Do you regret buying your “Dream House” Do you wish you stayed in your first home? Sometimes I wish we saved more before jumping into home ownership.

  125. I really appreciate all the research and information in the book. My husband and I used it to avoid for nearly 2 years before our 4th was conceived. We felt it was really constrictive, I never drank any alcohol, or exercised too often because I had such a fear of getting pregnant/being wrong about my ovulation! I still recommend it to others-love the book and the ideas, but since we already have 4, and my husband and I…err….really enjoy each others company…it wasn’t for us.

  127. Yes to the Q&A.

    I saw the picture above with Will in a disposable diaper and was wondering if you were still cloth diapering. I am planning on cloth diapering baby #2 (due in Sept.) and wanted to know if you had any cloth diapering tips that have helped you and your family.

    You’re the best, Katie!!!

  128. I would totally read a ‘questions’ post! I didn’t even realize you were using cloth diapers… I’m on baby #2 with my supplies and they are still kickin’! I also read “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” and am contemplating memorizing the chapter about trying for a girl if we decide to take the road less traveled to baby #3. Good luck with your growing family dreams!!

  129. Happy Belated, Katie!! You are my favorite. Actually, we are best friends (you just don’t know it yet:)!! Just kidding. (Not really though:)

    YES to the questions post!! Mine is…if you and Jeremy ever come to Boston will you PLEASE drop me a line so we can have a playdate (since that’s what besties do)??! I have a 24 month old son named Griffin who would lurrrve to rumble around with Will, a big ol back yard, AND there’s a goodwill right around the corner!!

    xo

  130. I have been cursing the day in January two years ago when I had my bangs cut. They’re fine now since they’ve grown out but they were very challenging for a while. Just my two cents.

  131. Clearly, your Goodwill is better than mine. Ever since my Goodwill converted into half store/half career center, their prices have been way too high for thrift store stuff…and most of what they have is slightly discounted clearance from Wal-Mart and Target! I have been seriously searching for a piece like that… I might have to make a trip out to YOUR thrift stores sometime… 😉

  132. Hi Katie:

    I have never posted a comment on your blog before, but I am a fan. Loved seeing you with John and Sherry. When I saw you on Nate Berkus, I claimed you as one of my own. We GA girls have to stick together! Your family is precious. Your little boy is about the same age as my Granddaughter Nealon who turned two this past October. I have a china cabinet that same style. Can’t wait to see what you are going to do with it. You are loved out here.

    Judy Clark

  133. Love your hair! Happy belated b-day!

    And my question is: Have you read Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize? It’s a great Bible-based book that I think you would benefit from and it is great for even before you have conceived a child all the way through childbirth. I heard about it from some mommy friends and have a copy of my own that I flip through on a regular basis. It also comes in CD format. http://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Childbirth-Jackie-Mize/dp/0892747560

  135. Love your new hair do. I celebrated my 31 bday on Sunday too. My little peanut also has a cold right now and her coughing is keeping me up a bit. Have you started 2nd birthday planning for Will yet? I need ideas. 🙂 Can’t wait for winter to be over!

  136. I was just introduced to your blog last week, and I love it! I’m a displaced Southerner {living in WI} and it’s a dose of home. I confess I was laughing so hard and snorted so loudly over your family photo post that I woke up my baby. Okay, weird question. Who is the guy in the middle of your birthday party guest pic? He’s blond and holding a little kid. I’m all but certain that I went to college with him! I went to Bryan College in Dayton TN, class of ’00.

  137. Okay I”m freaking out that we have the same birthday!!! Happy Belated Birthday Katie! I don’t know about you but I was super bummed my birthday fell on SuperBowl this year. My husband had planned to take me to dinner at a nice restaurant that night but when he called to make reservations they were CLOSED because of SuperBowl. We went to 3 other places and they were all closed!! So we ended up at Olive Garden. 🙁

    Oh well…. still had a great night with my sweetie 🙂

  138. Happy belated birthday, Katie! It sounds like you had a great day! You’re hair looks great; I thought your long hair was gorgeous, and so it the new cut! 🙂 I would love a Q&A post, too!

  139. Happy Birthday, Katie! I really love reading your blog and think that you are seriously one of the funniest gals ever. I am a labor and delivery RN and mommy; my heart goes out to you in your struggle to have baby #2. Thank you for sharing your story with us, your faithful readers. If I had a magic wand, I would surly wave the baby fairy dust over all you. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and look forward to the day I tune into your blog and see that you’re pregnant! Hang in there, girl.
    -Marigny

  141. I love this blog, but the morbidly obese comment/bad joke was in such bad taste. Insensitive much? Especially coming from such a stunningly thin person, this comment really stung.

  142. I’ve read your blog everyday for the past two years and today was the first time I was shocked by a post. You’re 31?!? You’ve always been 26ish in my head. Not that age matters-just found it surprising. You look so much more immature 😉

  143. When you have a cute kid, you HAVE to dress him up in costume. I’m pretty sure there’s a law! And I’m loving that picture of Will looking at the M&Ms like he can’t believe his eyes.

  145. I would love a Q&A post! I’m especially interested (nosy?) in how you guys budget. Obviously you don’t have to use actual numbers but I think it would be cool to see how you to decide what percentage of income to spend on house projects, savings, fun, etc. My husband and I have been married about a year and a half and this is a hot topic for us. What do we put toward retirement? What do we budget for house stuff? Vacations? We are currently DINKS but someday I’d like to stay home when we have kids…I can’t even imagine how that will change the budget. Was that a big adjustment for you guys? Anyway – blah blah blah – my point is I would love to get some budget tips from you! 🙂

  147. Dear Ally,
    I thought of a million and a half ways to respond to your comment. But honestly I can’t get over the shock of you telling me that I am “stunningly thin”. Obviously you haven’t seen our redneck photos.
    xo – kb

  148. Happy birthday KB! The two things I thought of when I read your post was
    What does your husband do for his career? and when looking at the group photo from your bday, I saw your sister and her husband and thought “there’s puss n boots” 🙂
    Cheers!

  149. Happy birthday, Katie! I know you’ve said several times that you never get rid of anything. I was wondering how you organize the stuff you’re storing — by date, origin, type, color, something else?

    Also, I would love to know what you feed Will for lunch — I have a picky eater and am always looking for ideas.

  150. Happy birthday! I will also be turning 31 in a few weeks. Hard to believe! Loving your new haircut. It looks great on you and looking forward to reading all of your questions/answers posts.

  151. I have a strange memory. It might be piled up in a random shoe box completely chaos to normal people but I know where it is 🙂
    xo – kb

  152. Since your family is Christian your husband’s family is as well (plus your daddy-in-law is a pastor)… if they read your blog how do they react to all your dirty jokes and innuendos? I mean, let’s be honest, your posts are full of them! I love your blog and read it all the time so I promise this isn’t a criticism, just a curiosity. I know I can’t be the only one who wants to know!!!!!!

  153. How did you battle your depression? Counseling? Medication or did it just go away? Do you still deal with it today?

  154. I think you and your blog are fabulous, and just had to jump in and comment on a couple of things!

    1) We have a 15-month old boy and our house usually looks exactly like yours … so glad we are not the only ones!

    2) I cannot wait to see what you do with that hutch – we have a very similar one that the previous owners left in our home. I love it for storage, but ours has a very shiny, outdated looking varnish and I’ve been contemplating how to update it 🙂

  155. I LOVE peanut MandMs….my absolute favorite. My hair salon i always visit has a huge bowl out and that is pretty much why I get my hair done every 7 weeks. It would probably just be cheaper to go buy a huge bag. Happy bday!

  156. Well, I had a little bout of it in college when I lived by myself. But I haven’t experienced it since then. First let me say that I don’t think this “treatment” will work for everyone. And from my very scientific self-diagnosis, my undiagnosed and mild depressions were I beleive, brought on by self-isolation, stress and negativity about my own self-worth. But some of the biggest things that helped were 1. prayer 2. service to others 3. focusing on encouragement to others and myself through journaling and letter writing. I know it sounds juvenile but these three simple acts helped me tremendously.
    xo – kb

  157. First – yes. They all read. Even my little ole grandpa. And to answer your question – We make jokes in our family. Simple as that. I’m sure some folks in my family (my mom especially) cringes only because she wants me to ‘be a lady’ – you know, oldschool style but they know that my heart is not to be malicious or cruel but to make people smile. I think in general we try to focus on not being legalistic about most stuff but to know that God gave us a sense of humor and we try to celebrate that. Some folks might see that as inappropriate but we all have different standards and I try to make sure I keep mine!
    xo – kb

  158. haha…I only go to Kroger to grocery shop to get soup samples. yes I end up spending forty bucks whenever I go…I should just buy the soup.
    xo – kb

  159. So I’ve been wondering…
    How’s it going to have Jeremy work from the home-office? Does Will know he’s in there and want to see him at random times during the work day? Totally random, but I didn’t know if there’s an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality for toddlers. And I guess I don’t know how rigidly Jeremy is tied to the office. Do you see him lots or little throughout the day?

  162. my only question is how in the world you found that hutch for $32?!? I am coming to Georgia!! The last time I went to Goodwill, I wouldn’t pay the $5 sticker price for picture frames and you got an entire piece of furniture for $32. . . . . and I am so desperatly looking for a hutch or buffet right now. let me know if you see another, lol.

  164. Hi Katie

    Happy birthday!! I hope you had a fun day, despite any heavy lifting that may have been involved with moving day 🙂 The peanut M&Ms bowl looked awesome… When I got married last year, I asked my Dad (who lives in NY) to bring out with him as many bags of peanut butter M&Ms as he could fit in his suitcase – I live in Sydney (Australia) and bags here sell for $10+(!!!) – for some reason that kind is imported so they’re ridiculously expensive!! Yet sometimes still worth it 🙂

    Some questions…
    – where in the world have you travelled, and where would you most like to go?
    – can you tell us more about the job you had before having Will? Did you like working full time (if it was full time)?
    – what are the ‘staple’ meals of your household? Like the go-to dishes that you make regularly?
    – what are some of the scriptures that mean the most to you, or have helped you the most in the past?
    – when will you visit Australia?!!! (I promise the normal peanut M&Ms you like are standard here so no $10 price tag like the peanut butter ones to scare you off) 🙂

    P.S Really do adore your blog – it always brings a smile to my face. God bless you and your family 🙂 xo

  167. Happy belated birthday, Katie! I love you even more for the giant bowl of peanut M&Ms – they are the best kind and I’m totally going to steal that idea for my birthday this year. :p

    The Q&A posts sound like they’ll be good. With so many readers you must get lots of repeats questions so may as well answer ’em publicly. :p Then you can just be like “I answered that on the blog and here is the link”. 😀 Handy!

  168. I have to confess – I’ve been a way for a couple of days, so I must have missed the haircut! Just wanted to tell you that you look FANTASTIC! I love it!

  172. Well, we probably would like it lower if we had a choice, but the previous owners built the mount directly into the fireplace so we can’t drop it. Oh well…better than having no tv.
    xo – kb

  173. I too have a birthday around SuperBowl. It always ruins my plans. I turned 35 on the 3rd and I am lucky to not look my age 🙂 I love your haircut and I love reading your blog. I have a blog too but I don’t get a lot of time to write since I am a single mom to twin toddlers. Well, bananas are being smushed right now so gotta go…

  174. Another Wisconsinite here (Madison). I collected green glass vases and dishes from local thrift stores and goodwill for my wedding. St. Vinnie’s is the best. If you commit to stopping in on a regular basis, those things pop up a lot. And at between $0.30 and $3 each, it ended up being a huge hit on my frugal budget!

  175. Not sure if use still have any, but we used the leftover carpet pad remnants under our living room rug. Just taped them together with duct tape like a redneck puzzle. My arse and my knees love being on the floor in front of the fireplace now. If you don’t have remnants, carpet stores sell the pads at about $1 a square foot whole, or check out their end or roll section for super deals.

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