Crazy Lovely Me

And so this is goodbye...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 05:25:00 +0000

My complete lack of posts of any sort in the last two months might have given you a hint that something was up. I'd grown disillusioned with blogging - I began to realize just how fake some of these big bloggers are. They're content machines, churning out cheap crap in exchange for page views, sponsors, money. Don't get me wrong - I have no problem with anyone monetizing their blog. But when you do it by lying to your readers - well, that's where I have issues.

I took the time to reevaluate what I wanted, and I came to a few conclusions in the end. I feel like it's important to share them with you.

- I really do love blogging. I love writing. I love creating. I love sharing things that interest me. I have no idea how many people actually read this - I installed Google Analytics at one point but I haven't bothered to keep up. I don't care. I don't do this for the sake of pageviews. I do this because I enjoy it.

- I've outgrown this space. When I started Crazy Lovely Me, I didn't really know what I wanted to do in terms of a blog, and to be honest, I still don't - at least not entirely. I do know I want to help encourage people to live a life of authenticity and help improve their life in every aspect. It may not be much of a direction, but it's a direction - and while Crazy Lovely Me has been good, I'm ready to move on.

- I don't like lying. I enjoy being honest. For one thing, when you're honest, you never have to strain to remember what story you told someone! I feel like I've concealed myself trying to "fit in" and that was a mistake. A fresh start would help avoid that in the future. I will never be one of "those" bloggers.

With these in mind, I've made the decision to turn my transfer to Wordpress into something else altogether - a new blog. I'm saying goodbye to this space and moving to my new one, Honestly Kate. I'm kind of sad to be leaving CLM behind - but this is good. We can't cling to the past, to what's comfortable, wherever we're at in life.

If you follow me on Bloglovin', you can follow Honestly Kate here. I've heard you can get them to "forward" your traffic so I'm going to see if I can do that to make it easier on people. If you follow me on a method other than Bloglovin', then (a) I would really appreciate it if you leave me a comment and let me know how you follow me, so I can figure out the best way for you to continue, and (b) I recommend you consider Bloglovin' to follow with because it's pretty good (more user-friendly than Feedly, in my opinion).

It's a little bittersweet to realize this is my last post on Blogger. Goodbye, Crazy Lovely Me. This was a good space. As for you, dear readers, I hope this isn't goodbye - please continue to visit with me over at Honestly Kate!

I'm a failure (and that's all right by me)!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 03:58:00 +0000

I know I haven't posted this month. And it's a bit shocking to me to admit that. I can make so many excuses - "I've been busy," "I'm waiting to switch the blog over to Wordpress," "Have you seen my design lately? It's hideous, it needs work and I don't want people reading this blog," - but ultimately, all they are is excuses.

I've also been delaying making a website for a friend. He writes zombie novels and they're actually pretty good, but he's been using a Weebly website and wants something more professional looking. I used to build websites for fun and I thought, "Hey, I can do that!" But I should have had it done months ago, and it isn't even started.

It even extends to a game I play online - it's all text-based (old school horse sim!) but my files got mostly wiped out last summer and I haven't played much since then, just enough to keep myself from being deleted.

And in the "I do have a non-online life" category, I find myself thinking "It's too cold to run, I'll start when it warms up," "I need some clothes that are decent to run in, I only have cotton shirts and those hold the sweat in," "I hate my running shoes, they're uncomfortable and it hurts to run."

Honestly, all this procrastination has left me paralyzed - unable to move forward. I have the same old patterns in my life and I just stick with them. About a year ago, I downloaded an app called Unstuck to my iPad, and this morning, when I began thinking about my massive list of things that I needed to get done - all the things I swore I would do while I took a mini-vacation from work this week - and the sense of being entirely overwhelmed just came crashing down on me and I decided to actually use the app instead of just playing around with it like I did a year ago. I selected the things I was feeling - overwhelmed, undisciplined, unmotivated - and followed the prompts. At one point, it prompted me to put down the reason I was having "a stuck moment." Much to my surprise, my fingers seemed to have a mind of their own as they typed in "If I don't do it, I can't fail."

I sat back and spent a moment reading that before I moved on to the next prompt - "Because..." Again, what I wrote surprised me - "I put too much pressure on myself not to fail." Eventually this lead to the prompt "I'm going to..." "Realize everyone fails."

If I don't write any blog posts, I can't fail at blogging (what the heck does that even look like? Probably not writing any blog posts, honestly). If I don't build this website, I can't fail at it. If I don't play the game, I can't fail at it (honestly, some truth in that - I've put in an application twice before for to become a private barn and been denied, and I'm afraid of it happening again). If I don't go running, I can't fail at it.

History remembers the successes, but forgets the failures. We remember that Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb, not that he failed thousands of times before he got one that worked. We remember the Beatles as being one of the greatest bands that ever lived, not the band that was told they had "no future in show business." We know Michael Jordan as being one of the greatest athletes of all time, not the kid who was kicked off the basketball team in high school. We know of Walt Disney as being the founder of the greatest cartoon empire in the world, not for being fired from a newspaper for "lack of imagination." Abraham Lincoln is so well-known as president of the United States we built a giant statue of him in Washington D.C. and carved his face in a mountain in South Dakota - but he lost eight straight elections before he became president. We remember that great authors wrote great novels, not the dozens of rejections they got before they got published. Fear paralyzes us sometimes, makes us afraid to continue moving forward.

Ultimately though, I'm going to fail. You're going to fail. And that's okay! This is how we learn. This is what makes success sweet.

How do we know what success is? Because we know what failure is!

So now the goal is to begin moving forward. Every day, I'll be doing one thing towards my goals. Maybe that means today I pull out my paints and work on the graphics for my blog. Maybe I'll sit down and design a wireframe for that website. Maybe I'll go collect some information I need for my game. Maybe I'll start by tying on my shoes and jogging around the block. Tomorrow I might scan those graphics in, write a line of code, shift through that information, take another jog around the block. At some point, I'll fail again - but then I've got to accept that, pick myself up, and move on again. Eventually, I will succeed. As Winston Churchill said - "Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm!"

Are you failing at something? Let me know, maybe we can start a Failure Support Group!

(anti-disclaimer: there are a couple links in here. I am not being compensated in any way to promote these things. I just think they're cool and maybe other people would like them)

Financial February: Six Tips For Spending Money

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 10:30:00 +0000

Maybe you're laughing at the title. "How to spend money? Believe me, if I can do anything well, it's that!" Yeah, that was me just a few weeks ago. My attitude towards this has changed, however - looking at my dwindling savings account made me realize that I was in a financial frying pan, and it was getting too hot for my comfort. Today I thought I'd share what I learned about spending money and making smart financial decisions.

1. Your savings account is your biggest priority
Believe me, I'm very familiar with the sensation of living paycheck to paycheck. But what happens when those paychecks stop coming in? I'm lucky to be in a job that is secure - my skills and training will always be in demand, and I'm pretty darn good at my job, so I'm not worried about being fired. Your position in life is not secure, however - what happens if you get in a car wreck and can't work? What happens if you're laid off? Living paycheck to paycheck doesn't work when your paychecks aren't coming anymore. Your first priority is to get your savings account to $1000 and keep it there. After that, work on building up to have three to six months of living expenses saved up. If an emergency happens, you'll be able to afford it instead of praying for a miracle (or a loan). I'm really looking forward to the day when I have enough in my savings to cover my living expenses for several months, because it will mean I can get rid of a tremendous weight off my back.

2. Reevaluate, constantly
William Morris is a guy you probably have never really heard of, but you've seen his most famous quote on Pinterest, I'm sure - "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." I suggest that whatever it is should be both pretty AND useful. Constantly reevaluate your possessions - is this something you use regularly? Is there something else that could do the same job? Does it give you pleasure by being there? By slimming down your possessions, you spend less time cleaning them and less space storing them. You also get into the habit of evaluating your real needs. This helps you when you go to a store and are confronted by something that you want - you begin to recognize whether this is something that is truly useful ("hey, I can use this for x purpose!") or whether it is simply another shiny thing you will lose interest in after a few days. I've picked up many items in the store only to set them down again, because I realized I didn't actually need them - and I've saved hundreds of dollars in the process (it's truly terrifying!).

3. Make a list or twenty
     I keep a grocery list on my refrigerator, with a pen attached for convenience, so that I can instantly write down anything I realize I need. A lot of people do this - it's extremely helpful. The problem is, when I go to the store, a number of other items magically wind up in my cart too. In order to defeat this, I follow the suggestion of my friend Carissa, who blogs over at Pretty/Hungry - I leave three blank lines on my list that I get to fill in with impulse items. It's a compromise between keeping to my list, allowing myself to have fun, and not buying $100 worth of stuff just because it looked good.

     Similarly, I have another list for would-be impulse buys. First I identify why I want it - how will it make a difference in my life? I then follow the trick of waiting thirty days to actually buy it (some people write it down - I prefer not to, since that only reminds me that I wanted it to begin with). If I've waited that long, and I still want it, I go ahead and get it. This leads me to...

4. Buy the things you actually want
      Self-denial is all noble and whatever, but if there's no good reason, why are you doing it? I put off buying a new blow dryer for two years, reasoning that the one I had still worked, even if it was old and slow and didn't have a concentrator like I wanted. Finally, I broke down and bought a new one - which was much faster and more efficient, had the desired concentrator, and actually made me want to blow dry my hair every so often. For $30, I could have had the same thing two years before! That's a ridiculously small amount for what wound up being over two years of not blowdrying my hair because I didn't want to spend the money. As another example, I spent over a year wanting an iPad. I finally saved up enough money to purchase one, and the only thing I've regretted is that I got the 16GB model instead of the 32GB model. I use it almost every day, and the money I spent on it was definitely worth it. Could that $300 I spent have gone elsewhere? Absolutely. But for me, an iPad was a great way to spend some money.

5. Know what you actually need
      Go into a shopping situation knowing exactly what you need. If you need to buy a pair of brown ankle-high boots, don't look at the knee-highs, or the black boots, or the ballet flats. Train yourself to focus only on your goal. Most of the time when you're buying things you don't need, it's because you got distracted looking for what you do need.

6. Pinch where you can, but don't let it hurt
     One of my favorite restaurants routinely has offers up on Groupon. If I want to go get a massage, there's generally Groupons for that as well. And of course, if I want to go to a movie, I'll generally go to the matinee showing, or better yet, I'll go to the Moxie (the local independent theatre) or the Palace (the local second-run theatre) on a Tuesday (tickets are $2 off at the Moxie, and $1.50 at the Palace). Before I make any purchases online, I check coupon websites like RetailMeNot.com. Before I make routine big purchases (especially flea medicine for my animals!), I do a quick search for the product's name and the word "coupons." I saved $5 last time I bought the dogs and cats their flea medicine because I took thirty seconds to do this. When I make a trip to Target, I use the Cartwheel app and check to see what I would be buying anyway. I'm a huge fan of getting the deals where you can - on the other hand, I don't endorse "extreme couponing." If you're doing a lot of work, make sure it's something you were going to buy anyway. Never buy anything just because you have a good coupon. That's how you end up with fifty packets of cat treats when you don't even own a cat (like a woman I saw on TV). It's a waste of money and space.

     I hope this gave you something to think about. I'm working so hard to get my spending under control (I will fully admit, my spending freeze is not progressing the way I want, but I'm determined to do it so I'll keep at it!), so some of this stuff is definitely coming to my mind when I see something and think "Oh, hey, I want that!" Learning to differentiate between your needs and your wants is hard, but entirely possible. And I have to say, I am THRILLED to be seeing my savings account growing. It's a huge relief knowing I have the money in case something happens. I can't wait for the day when the number Mint shows me at the end of the pay period is what I'm currently seeing at the beginning!

A Real Adult

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 07:32:00 +0000

What defines adulthood? When I was little, playing house with my sisters, I always picked 27 as my "adult" age - I figured that by the time I was that ancient age, I would have definitely gotten used to being a "real" adult.

Well, 27 is coming up (one month and ten days from now) and most of the time it's still a shock to realize I am an adult. I remember the first time I glanced into a mirror and realized with a shock there was a grown up staring back at me. And to be honest, most days it's still a shock. What happened? Wasn't it just a short time ago that I was looking forward to going to college? How could it be that it's been eight years since the first time I stepped foot on that campus as an actual student? Why do I have friends who are having ten-year high school reunions? Why are my friends having kids and buying houses when it wasn't that long ago we were talking about getting our driver's licenses? Why am I pondering things like retirement and money and looking into buying my own house versus renting?

It's the little things that make you feel more and more adult. Recently, my roommate moved back to Oklahoma, and honestly, it was one of the best things that could have happened to me - while there was an initial panic, I've taken the reins of my life under my own control. When my roommate moved out, she took her silverware, her television, her washer and dryer. I bought new silverware pretty quickly, picking out the ones I liked, what I wanted. In the last week and a half, I've spent $680(!) on a TV purchased from a former co-worker, three bookshelves for my living room to finish off my "entertainment center," a washer and dryer - and although I dislike equating money or possessions with happiness, I have to say, looking at these items brings me joy. These items are mine. Nobody has gifted me these things. They're purchased with my money, earned from my job. And my gosh, maybe - just possibly - I have become an adult.

Some of the time - okay, most of the time - I wonder how long it'll take before I feel like one all the time. Will it be when I turn 30? Will it be when I get married and start a family? Will it be when I retire? Will I ever feel like a "real adult"? Do I want to?

I still feel like there are many things about adulthood which are mysterious. I'm beginning to hit the point though where the fact that I'm an adult isn't so blatantly startling anymore. I have the feeling with the work I'm putting in this year, I'm going to feel a lot more like an adult within even a few months.

I'd like to hear from you now - do you feel like an adult? If you do, when/what prompted that? Or are you just as shocked as I am that this whole "growing up" thing happened?

Weekly Web Wanderings - 2/15/14

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 13:17:00 +0000

Happy Saturday, my friends! What are you doing today? I've been working nights, so it's no big deal when I say I was up all night working on setting up my new hosting and Wordpress account. SO CONFUSED. I'm looking forward to the switch but in the meantime, I don't have a clue what I'm doing. The weather is supposed to be awesome today though, so I'm headed out with the dogs to take a walk in the park, and my best friend is helping me pick up my new washer and dryer (NO MORE LAUNDROMAT YAY!!!!).

>> So, I chose a picture of a pretty sunset to start this post off, right? What if I mentioned this picture was taken in Nashville...in 1864, years before the invention of color photography? Do I have your attention now? It's part of an amazing project people are doing to colorize old black and white pictures.

>> And did you see about the "time-traveling photographer"? That's some amazing photo manipulation skills.

>> The newspaper for the small town I lived in as a teenager published the local police calls. Apparently, so does this one, but these sound considerably more hilarious (hint: read some of the others listed too, or you'll miss out on such gems as "A woman...told police her husband is amicable with everyone - just not her.").

>> Happy National Hippo Day everyone! Oh, didn't you know today was National Hippo Day? Neither did I till I saw it on this extremely comprehensive lists of holidays (warning: the site looks like a bad Geocities site from 1996).

>> This is billed as tips for people living alone, but honestly, most of this stuff applies to anyone.

>> For my fellow bloggers - a great post on the anatomy of a good blog post from one of my favorite bloggers.

>> Did you hear about how one Olympic event had two gold medalists? (no, it wasn't a pairs event!)

The Single Girl's Guide to Valentine's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 13:08:00 +0000

This is a rewrite of a post I did last year - I felt like I could do it better this time around.

I know there are a lot of bloggers out there who are happily dating/engaged/married, and I salute you.

I am not one of them.

Every year but one, I've been single on Valentine's Day - and the one I wasn't single for, well, I was single by the end of the day (yes - my boyfriend broke up with me, ON VALENTINE'S DAY. What a jerk). So at this point, I'm pretty good at being single on a day meant for couples. Here's a few of the coping mechanisms I've come up with over the years.

>> Scowl at every reminder of the day, especially any happy couples. Sit at home and sulk.

I'm ashamed to say it, but this has been me - multiple times. I do not recommend this route. It makes you a bitter, angry person, unable to take part in the joy of other people - including your friends. Don't be selfish. This is an incredibly unattractive trait and possibly a contribution to the reason why you're celebrating alone. Realize that other people have found someone who loves them, and that you will too. Celebrate the day that brings joy to others - and stay positive. Maybe next year will be your turn.

>> Go on a date with yourself

Go get yourself a facial/haircut/manicure/pedicure. Buy yourself a box of chocolates and some flowers (bonus - you know exactly what kind you like!). Skip the box of chocolates and flowers and buy yourself something you'd like better. Dress up in your favorite outfit. Eat lunch at your favorite restaurant. Go out to a movie. Book a massage. Don't feel like being alone is some sort of stigma, because it's not. Make a list of the reasons you're awesome, and don't feel like you're being vain, or boastful, or anything like it - because you're not. If you don't have another person in your life to love, by all means, love yourself.

>> Go on a date with your favorite actor(s)

Do you have someone you swoon over? Rent some movies, make some popcorn (and/or a cocktail) and have a marathon. It doesn't have to be movies, either - if you're a fan of a TV show, have a marathon (hellooooo, David Tennant...).

>> Plan a Girls Night Out

There have been a couple years where this was my response - I called up some single friends and we had a nice dinner out at one of my favorite restaurants (the perks of being the organizer!) and drinks afterwards. Loads of fun for everyone who might otherwise just be sitting at home wishing they had a date.

>> Plan a Girls Night In

Do DIY facials, give each other mani/pedis (look on Pinterest for nail art ideas!), watch a movie, and have an old-fashioned sleepover. Make it a celebration of why you love your friends. Tell them how awesome they are.

>> Show love to everyone else in your life

Make valentines for your family and friends. Order flowers for your best friend (I did this a couple years ago, when my best friend lived in Tulsa, and she loved it!). Take your parents out to dinner. Buy your pet a treat. Leave an anonymous present for a co-worker or neighbor who doesn't have anyone in their life. If you have nieces or nephews, make them your special date (offer to babysit - not only will they have an awesome time, their parents will appreciate it!).

If you're on your own this Valentine's Day, I hope I gave you some ideas! Remember, you have the power to make it a bad day or an awesome day - I suggest the latter! There are many kinds of love, not just romantic love - and Valentine's Day is about celebrating all of them.

How are you celebrating February 14?

Dewey Read: Jolina Petersheim's "The Outcast"

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:52:00 +0000

I've always been fascinated by Amish and Mennonite culture. I just find though that a lot of books are lacking a little...something. No offense to Beverly Lewis (I've read and enjoyed many of her books), but most books featuring Amish characters tend to be pretty cookie-cutter.

This book is different. For one thing, it's not an "Amish" book. It's actually about an Old Order Mennonite community (which is basically the same thing, but they can have printed fabrics). The main character is Rachel, a young woman who has done one of the worst things a young Mennonite girl can do - she's gotten pregnant out of wedlock. While not officially being shunned, she's become an outcast in her community. Rachel lives with her twin sister, Leah, and her husband and family, partially to take care of Leah since Leah is suffering health problems from the last time she gave birth, until her brother-in-law kicks her and her infant son out. Her brother-in-law, Tobias, is the newly-chosen bishop for the community, and he feels that he can't be associated with such a fallen woman.

Rachel calls the first person she can for help, a local shopowner and occasional hired driver named Ida Mae. Ida Mae begins to help Rachel recover the pieces of her life, but when Rachel's son, Eli, is diagnosed with cancer, it seems like the world is at an end.

This is a community full of secrets and lies, and as you read through the story you discover what, exactly, everyone is hiding. Truth is brought out despite the wishes of some.

"The Outcast" is the first novel for Jolina Petersheim, the author, who is of Mennonite descent herself. On the cover, it says it's "a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter" (although having not read that in many years I can't say how close it is). Although in some places it became a little predictable, I really enjoyed the fact that she switched viewpoints throughout the book between Rachel and Amos, the dead father of Tobias (in fact, the book starts out at Amos' funeral). It's a good freshman effort, and I look forward to seeing her next novel, "The Midwife," come out next summer.

Weekly Web Wanderings - 2/8/14

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:38:00 +0000

Happy Saturday! I hope you had a great week. It's been a very snowy and cold week here in Missouri. I've enjoyed staying in - with the Olympics starting up, I'll be spending most of my time in front of the TV anyway (I LOVE the Olympics!).

Well, when it's too cold for lemonade... (via)

>> A feel-good story for Valentine's Day - she gave him a kidney, he married her.

>> I'm going to have to print this out and put it in my kitchen - an awesome kitchen cheat sheet.

>> From Thought Catalog, 23 Things We Could All Be Doing Better - I definitely agree with a lot of these!

>> mental_floss put together a handy reference to the twelve new sports debuting in the Sochi Olympics. They also have a guide to the eighteen athletes going to Sochi alone.

>> Continuing with the Olympics, take a look at some of the early Olympics.

>> Looking for inspiration for a Valentine's gift that isn't chocolate or flowers? Here's fifty ideas for Valentine's gifts that don't suck.

>> When I was growing up, I loved watching "Star Trek: Voyager." Retrospectively, however, I was able to pick out some of the flaws. mental_floss addressed this a couple weeks ago with some links addressing the photon torpedo problem.

>> Peter Mayhew, a.k.a. the guy who played Chewbacca in "Star Wars," tweeted some behind the scenes pictures from the set. Very entertaining for any fan.

>> Can spoilers enhance your TV viewing? Since I tend to dig for spoilers, I don't feel so bad anymore.

Have an amazing weekend!

Financial February: 10 Tips For Setting Up And Sticking To A Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 12:57:00 +0000

As I previously mentioned, I've had some problems recently with overspending. As a result, I'm on a spending freeze for the month of February, in an attempt to get my savings up and my spending under control. The better thing, of course, would be if I had avoided getting into this situation in the first place - but I didn't, so now I'm owning up to my mistakes and living with the consequences, a major part of which is setting up a budget. Here are some tips on budgeting I've picked up from my experience that I wanted to share with you.

1. Track your spending
Boring? Yes. Annoying? Yes. But seriously, this is SO important. You don't realize how much you're spending until you actually start looking at this. There are several awesome apps you can use to help track your spending - I like MoneyWiz because it syncs between my iPhone and iPad automatically, so I can always keep my accounts updated. I also use 5coins because it'll track how much I spend on a daily basis. I really recommend using an app on your phone - since I always have my phone on me I can instantly add my expenses and keep my accounts current. If I'm in a huge hurry for some reason, I'll stuff the receipts in my wallet and take a couple minutes (that's seriously all it needs!) at the end of the day to add them in.

2. Write down everything you routinely spend money on
Rent, transportation, food, new clothing, lattes - whatever it is, write it down. Get a list going of all your routine expenses. How much do you spend on your car? How much does rent cost you? What's the average bill for your utilities? Don't forget categories like "personal care" (hygiene products, hair products, makeup) and "pets" (between food, cat litter, and flea medicine, mine take a considerable chunk each month).

3. Budget high
It's great to know your average utilities bill is $150 - that extra $50 a month is pretty sweet in the summer, when everything works great and your bill is only $100, but what happens in the winter, when it's $200 because your furnace isn't very efficient? (my issue!). And it's awesome that you can only spend $50 a month on gas, but what about when you decide to take a roadtrip and suddenly that doubles?! If in doubt, budget high. The extra money towards your utilities bill in the summer will cover you in the winter, and you won't feel a pinch on your budget. The extra money you put towards gas can be saved and budgeted towards car maintenance and repairs. Extra money in your account one month can easily be rolled over to the next, until you need it for something or you decide to make a "withdrawal" and put it into your savings, or apply it towards something you need more (although I don't recommend this - this is definitely a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" approach).

4. Pay yourself first
You're awesome, right? Of course you are. Reward that awesomeness by investing in yourself - as soon as that paycheck hits your bank account, put some money into your savings account (many banks will do this for you - ask if yours will!). It doesn't matter if it's $10 or $100, but pay yourself and build up your savings (although for the record, experts usually recommend saving 10% of your paycheck). Often, if you pay everything else first, there will be nothing left to save - but if you save first, you will still be able to get everything that matters taken care of.

5. Name every dollar
I imagine you know the average amount of your paycheck - take that number, subtract $50 (or even $20 if you genuinely can't afford to lose $50), and use that as the basis of your budget. From that amount, start naming your money. I know that, since I get paid twice a month, half my rent comes from one paycheck and half my rent comes from the other. I know that a specific amount will go into my savings account. I know how much needs to be put aside to cover my insurance, and how much needs to apply to current expenses. Before my paycheck has even made it into my bank account, I've done my best to give every penny a job, whether it's "save," "bills," "spend on _____" or something else. That extra $50? That's "reserve" - it will ultimately be a little extra in your savings if you don't need to spend it on something else before then (that time when the utilities bill is higher, for example).

6. Move your money
Set up extra bank accounts. For example, I have an account called "envelope" that receives all money designated towards paying bills at a particular time. This is where the money for my car insurance accumulates until I pay my premium every six months. This is where the money for my rent gets to chillax for a couple weeks at a time. In order to use this money, I have to log into my bank account and move it between accounts. While this is occasionally inconvenient, it's an easy way of ensuring that I don't touch the money until I actually need it.

7. Plan ahead
Dave Ramsey points out that, amazingly enough, Christmas comes on the same day every year - yet how many of us feel a pinch on our budget when we're buying Christmas presents? Whatever it is you're saving for - Christmas presents, a vacation, a new technological gadget - make a savings account dedicated to it and put a little bit in at a time. I have an extra savings account for whatever I'm saving up for currently, so I don't have to touch my main savings account.

8. Use cash
Did you know your brain is affected in the same way by using cash as it is by physical pain? Think about it - have you ever handed over a $100 bill and not felt a twinge of regret in letting it go? But how many times have you spent more than that at one store and blithely swiped your card? Ben Franklin loves you. He wants to stay with you. Use cash and you will feel considerably worse about letting him go.

9. Use envelopes
An envelope system is great because not only are you able to actually see the money, you can keep it sorted into its categories. I use my envelopes in conjunction with a wallet that's just large enough to fit them. I have a template I use that I print onto cardstock and decorate, then just cut out, fold, glue, and tie together.

10. Cut some slack
Don't forget to include some fun in that budget. Have a little discretionary money for movie tickets, dinners with friends, new books, or whatever else makes you happy.

But by far, the most important thing is this: you must STICK TO IT. A budget will take several months to get into place. It will frustrate you, it will annoy you, and it will take several revisions. The tradeoff, however, is you will not feel financially oppressed.

This is something I've been steadily working on for the last few weeks, and am continuing to work on. I'm so pleased to say that so far this year, I haven't gotten any overdraft notices from my bank - a trend I'm planning to continue!

Weekly Web Wanderings - 2/1/14

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 13:17:00 +0000

Hey guys! What are you up to? I wanted to bring back my "Lovely List of Links" but I decided to change it up a bit with a new name.

"Circus hippo pulls cart" - found via boredpanda.com

Some items of amusement I've been wanting to share...

>> If you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (formerly known as Kate Middleton). But when I was considerably younger, I was also a huge fan of American Girl dolls - especially Samantha. In a perfect combination of both things, Huffington Post explains how Kate Middleton is Samantha the American Girl come to life.

>> I realize "Cups" has been covered in SO many varieties, but have you seen my two favorites? The "Cups" tap dancing variation and "Cups" in Irish Gaelic.

>> I'm actually in St. Louis this weekend with a couple of my best friends, and I know we're planning on hitting up a couple bars people recommended to us - here's how to up your chances of being served quickly at a bar (also something to remember around town - I love going to Mudlounge but some days it takes forever to get anything!).

>> Since I was homeschooled, and I got to have a customized education before it was newsworthy, I found this TED talk by a 13-year-old homeschooler very interesting.

>> What sort of movies are you looking forward to this year? Here are twenty-one films coming out in 2014 - some of them look really good! I'm really looking forward to "Mockingjay" Part 1 (I just finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy!) and I know my sister is looking forward to "Divergent" - also, it doesn't mention them, but two other movies I REALLY want to see are "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "The Muppets Most Wanted."

>> These modern day signs of a true friend describe the relationship between my best friend and me perfectly.

>> Wow...this video makes me feel so humbled and so blessed.

>> Yeah...this is definitely the most bizarre "theme park" ever (is it a theme park if it doesn't have a theme?).

And speaking of theme parks...I'll leave you with this picture (from the same site as the other picture in this post) of the Disneyland employee cafeteria in 1961....

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Year of Design: Financial February

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 13:54:00 +0000

Okay people, it's confession time. I have been really, really bad at money management. My savings has almost nothing in it, my paychecks get spent almost as soon as I get them, and last year, I got too many "love notes" from my bank informing me I was overdrawn. I'm pretty tired of it and I knew that when it came to designing my life the way I want to live it, finances were going to have to be the big thing.

What do I have to show for paychecks I've spent? Clothing I don't need, food that goes to waste, things that just take up space in my house. It's terrible to realize that all that stuff you tossed out of the refrigerator is stuff you paid your hard-earned money for in the first place. And that new pair of boots doesn't seem like such a good deal when you're transferring money from your savings account to cover it.

I'll have several posts this month about how to save money on ordinary items, but for me, one of the ways I've chosen to save money is to go on a spending freeze. For the entire month of February, there will be no browsing clearance racks at Target, no impulse trips to the craft store, no grocery store carts filled with more things that weren't on the list than things that were. This is only twenty-eight days - four weeks! The shortest month of the year seems like a great period to figure things out when it comes to spending habits.

This isn't to say I'm not going to let myself have fun. I'll allow myself one fast food meal and one restaurant meal a pay period, but everything else needs to be stuff I cook for myself. I can go to the movies, but only if it's Timewarp Tuesday at the Palace, where movies are only $1.50 each (second run theatres are great!). But there will be some serious rules - I'll take cash out of the ATM to use for my food and gas, and fill up my tank at the beginning of the pay period. I'll make sure my friends understand that I'm not going out to eat with them whenever someone doesn't feel like cooking. The only expenditures I plan to make are food, gas, anything my pets need, and my bills (plus the subscription services I'm already signed up for). There are also a couple "planned" things - I'm hoping to use my tax return to buy the Genesis theme plus hosting so I can move this blog over to Wordpress, and I'm trying to get a washer and dryer as soon as possible. Otherwise, I just want to spend my month putting money into my savings account and slimming down my budget to the essentials.

Besides, my closet's stuffed full anyway.

>> What areas of your finances do you struggle with? Do you have any suggestions about topics you'd like covered?

2014: The Year of Design

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 15:03:00 +0000

Back at the beginning of 2013, I decided that 2013 was the Year of the Swan. It was the year that I was going to transform myself into an adult, and, I hoped, into something lovely on the way. In most respects, I feel that it was something I achieved. I moved out of my parents' house, I got a job that could actually pay for most of my bills, found a church to go to on my own - it was a good year. Not a great year, but a good one. There were still some things missing. At the end of the year, I was still twenty pounds heavier than I wanted to be. Still couldn't run that far. Still feeling very disorganized - financially, physically, emotionally. And I was slightly confused - wasn't this the year I was supposed to become an adult? Finally FEEL like an adult?

One day, in mid-December, I sat down to ponder what 2013 had been and what 2014 would be. I quickly realized that there was a big reason why 2013 hadn't quite lived up to the expectations - me. Yes, I had made it out on my own - but I was still eating a lot of junk food (the adulthood privilege of being able to eat ice cream for dinner? May have happened once or twice). I was sitting in my bed playing my iPad instead of going for a run or doing yoga. I was going to Target and spending too much money on things I didn't need (common problem, right?). A couple times, I had even made attempts to live what I considered the "ideal" day - wake up at a decent time, do a yoga routine or walk the dogs, put on a cute outfit, get my errands taken care of, do some shopping, treat myself to a chai latte or something from Elle's, spend my evening going out with friends...the sort of day where, if someone could look at my life, they would think, "Wow, how awesome does she have it!"

Every time I tried to do that, I got derailed. Things went wrong. When I stopped to look at my life, I saw someone who was disorganized, uncertain about her goals, and trying really hard to get something that didn't exist. That's when I realized what my "keyword" for 2014 was - design.

We all have that ideal. We all have a life we strive for, a "perfect day" we would choose to live every day if we could. But here's the deal - there is only one thing standing in the way of having that ideal, and if you go look in a mirror you'll see it. We are only limited when we place the limits on ourselves. We design our lives. We are in charge of the palette and the brushes, and we get to make the decisions on what goes where. Our lives will never be perfect. They aren't meant to be. But they can still be amazing.

I've written out my game plan for how I'm going to achieve the life I want. I'm going to be sharing this bit by bit throughout the year. You're welcome to join in. The first challenge is this - describe the life you want to live. You don't have to share, but I'd love it if you left me a comment and told me.

Here's mine: my ideal life means that every day, I read a portion of my Bible. I eat three healthy meals that are going to nourish my body instead of skipping breakfast and/or another meal and just having a snack. I do some sort of exercise, whether it's running or yoga or simply "how many situps can I do?" I am organized - I don't have excess clutter in my house and I know where things are, I know exactly how much money is in my bank account, I plan my meals out in advance, I don't feel the panic of forgetting something. I am confident in myself. I am creating something every day - whether it's cooking from scratch or producing something handmade or writing. I am constantly working to improve my mind.

These things are not hard. They really aren't. They just take work, discipline, and perseverance. So this is me, being accountable to you. These are my goals. There are what I want to achieve by the end of this year.

What sort of lifestyle would you design?

Subscription Services - What Would You Like?

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:58:00 +0000

I love surprises. Well, the pleasant ones anyway - I've had a few in my life I would have skipped if I could. I also love getting packages in the mail. So the combination of the two - getting a package of surprises in the mail - is pretty darn awesome. This is the reason I enjoy getting some of the subscription services out there, and why I want to share my experiences with three of them with you today.

Birchbox

I signed up for Birchbox in time to get the August and September boxes. I'd heard a lot about how awesome it was, so I was pretty excited to get it - and promptly disappointed. Some of the items just seemed bizarre to me - like a bottle of water you were supposed to spray on your face to help soften your skin (although I must say, the reviews seem pretty positive). Maybe it's just because I hate getting water in my face? In fact, when I compare their website with what I got, most of the products do have really great reviews - but nothing I got was really useful to me or something I would buy. Most of the full-size versions of the products I got were simply way too expensive, and in my opinion they did the same thing much cheaper products did. The most useful thing I got was a sample of Beauty Protector Protect and Shampoo and Protect and Condition, which made my hair feel great, and kind of smelled like cake, but at $22 a bottle will not replace my other hair products. I will say though - there are a lot of people out there who do love Birchbox, a huge variety in the types of products they send out, and it's only $10 a month so it might be worth it for you to try it out if you think you'll like it. If you want to try it out, my referral link lets you do so without waiting.

Ipsy

I'm not really sure why I wanted to try Ipsy's Glam Bags so bad. I don't wear a lot of makeup, and most of what I do wear is in neutral colors. But I heard a lot of good things about them, and, like Birchbox, Ipsy is only $10 a month, so I decided to try it. It took me a little over a month to get off the waitlist, but I've really enjoyed the products I've gotten in the November and December bags - a lot more than I did Birchbox. Every Ipsy Glam Bag has an actual bag that the products come in, so if you want something to stash in your purse or keep your eyeshadows separate from your blush, it's an added option.

The November bag featured em michelle phan mascara ($20), Be A Bombshell lip crayon ($14), Nailtini nail polish ($6), Pixi Beauty bronzer (£15), a Starlooks eye pencil ($14), and BH Cosmetics baked eye shadow. Everything but the eye shadow and bronzer appears to be a full-sized sample - the eyeshadow comes in a palette of eighteen colors (I got "Neptune") and the bronzer was .11 oz compared to the normal .36 oz. The December bag featured POP Beauty eyeshadow, Be A Bombshell The One Stick ($16), Mirabella Eye Blender brush ($27), Nicka K New York nail polish ($5), and J. Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil ($4). You can see the picture below. The eyeshadow was a sample, but it was still a palette of three colors, and exactly the kind of thing I like. I will admit, most of these products are things I wouldn't purchase on my own - but they've been encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to makeup and I actually wore several for New Year's Eve. Some of them I won't use - I'm not a bronzer fan, and while the baked eye shadow looks like it's a really good quality, I just don't know when I would wear that color. I have the feeling my sisters may be benefiting from this as well.

I feel like Ipsy is much better value for my money - but that said, I've seen comments that they tend to send a lot of the same thing, and people get tired of it after a while. That may be the case, but for now I'm enjoying it and it's a great way to add some more products to my makeup bag. If you'd like to try Ipsy, my referral code should help you get ahead on the waiting list.

Graze

Graze is a newer box, focused on providing delicious snacks. I started out with the one box, $6 a month option, but quickly upgraded to the two boxes, $12 a month option - the box is too delicious! Although the portions are small, they're carefully crafted and unique ideas. The latest box featured things such as "key lime pie," which includes "lime raisins, mini meringues, sponge pieces, and green raisins." There's also "bonnie wee oatbakes," which included a caramelized onion marmalade dipping sauce. My fellow Anglophiles will appreciate this box - not only is "bonnie wee oatbakes" a distinctly Scottish-inspired snack, but since this is actually a British company, you may get things such as "Eton mess" (I had it, it was delicious!) or "banoffee pie." The only time I've been disappointed was when I got pistachios, and that's just because I don't like pistachios. They also have gluten-free and dairy-free options. I'm definitely keeping this one around for a while.

Want to try Graze? I have a special treat for the first four people who sign up - you can get your first and fifth boxes free! Just use this link to do that.

There are a ton of other subscription boxes out there - if you'd like to try some other ones, My Subscription Addiction has a listing and reviews of almost all of them. I'm definitely looking for some more to subscribe to - I look forward to getting these so much!

Reflecting on the Old and New

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 06:59:00 +0000

Well, hello, 2014.

To be honest, I was still getting used to the fact that it was 2013. Nobody ever mentions how fast years go by as you get older. I'm fairly positive that, should I live to be 90, an entire year will feel like it's only a few weeks.

I was looking back at 2013 and considering the changes that had been made to my life. I got a job that I love, made a new best friend and several other great friends, moved out of my parents' house, found a new church, and realized I could actually do this whole "adult" thing. January 1 also marked my one-year blogiversary - although I have been lackluster of late. I think I know why though...more on that later. For me, the theme of 2013 was "the year of the swan," and while I didn't achieve every goal I wanted to, I achieved several great ones, and I think I've done quite well.

I'm looking forward to 2014, as I continue to grow more and more comfortable with who I am. I don't know what it'll hold for me but it's going to be an interesting year - some recent news means I'm more uncertain about my future than I was before Christmas, but I believe there will still be so many positives. I decided several weeks ago that the theme of 2014 will be "design" - as in, I am the designer of my life. I get to choose the kind of life I want to live. I can choose to be lazy, unhealthy, and unproductive - or I can choose to be industrious, achieving my desires, and live a life that will get me what I want. Even though the temptation can be high to sit back, relax, and browse Pinterest till my eyes go numb, it's not what I should be doing, and it's not what I need to do. This year, I want to achieve the life I want.

I have several specific things I want to do this year. One of my biggest priorities is get this blog in shape. I've had an idea for the new design - I know what colors I want to use - I just need to carry it out! I need to take a nice sidebar picture (the one of me in the phonebooth is ~~five~~ six years old! Not that I've changed much...). I've got all sorts of topics. One dedicated day would probably be enough. I just need the discipline.

I want to get my space right. I think that's been a major distraction in my life. There are too many things in my space - too much distraction, too many other things to do. I've been slowly but surely cutting down.

I'd like to write an ebook. I know what it'll be about, I've got an outline - I just need to get it done.

I want to eat healthy. I've fallen away from eating gluten-free - mainly because my job provides lunch when I'm working days - but now that I'm switching back to working nights I plan on going back to being gluten-free. I've noticed the difference in my body just a couple weeks of eating without it made, and how sore, tired, and quite frankly, gassy, I am now. I'm too young to feel so old.

I need to take my dogs on more walks. Hope needs the energy out and Lucy needs the exercise.

I want to achieve financial security. That's really feeling a long ways off right now, but it's possible.

Mostly, I just want to be a little bit better every day than I was the day before. I don't really do a new year's resolution, it's too likely to fail, but I do try to keep my goals in mind. I think that's my #1 goal right now.

We Interrupt This Blog...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:01:00 +0000

In The News
Target had a security breach that resulted in 40 million compromised credit and debit cards.

Not News
Like most bloggers, I love Target and shop there frequently.

Bad News
My debit card was compromised. My credit union left me a nice, cheery message on my phone saying that the credit function was being suspended and I'd only be able to use it as a debit card, with my PIN, until they send me a new one.

Good News
Less online shopping because I'm going to have to memorize a whole new card number. Yay for saving money!

More Bad News
I have to switch over all my automatic subscriptions and I don't know if I'm going to get the Graze box I was supposed to get...boo...

Really Bad News(?)
So, my one year blogiversary is coming up. I bought my domain last year as a Christmas present to myself. Yep - purchased my domain on Christmas Day. Which means it's due to be renewed. And while I got the email that my domain was successfully renewed - the payment hadn't gone through yet. So I don't know what's going to happen.

So here's the heads up - however you follow me, you might add http://crazylovelyme.blogspot.com to your list. It'll only be for a few days at most, I hope - but this is in case something goes horribly, terribly wrong and it isn't. My worst case scenario at this point is wait a couple months for the domain to become available again and repurchase it - which honestly isn't too bad except for the email address connected to this. I'd lose that. Eeeekkk...this is nervewracking.

Hope to be seeing you soon from my current address!

Meet The Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 06:37:00 +0000

When I was six years old, my best friend at the time suddenly told me, "Katie, I'm not coming over to your house anymore!" Heartbroken by the unexpected announcement, I fought back the sudden surge of tears. "But Laura," I asked, biting a trembling lip, "why?!"

"Because," she declared with that particular air of being put upon that only a young child can manage, "your house is a zoo!"

As memory serves, at the time my family had one cat, one dog, seven cockatiels, and a baby iguana. Hardly the worst we ever had - years later, I'd have over thirty rabbits running around the yard (by the way, all the stuff you've heard about how fast rabbits multiply? True). These days, I still have a considerable amount of animals for a single woman, but, well - it just happened. And since there are several upcoming posts I have planned that involve my pets, I figured it was worth giving my readers a reference point.

Lucy (upper left)

Back when I was in college, I knew when I graduated I wanted some type of German Shepherd dog, a female, really sweet and friendly. The day I came home from college for the last time - Dec. 20, 2009 - I was unloading my car in one of the most bitterly cold periods of weather I've ever seen in Missouri, when I tripped over a stray dog - not something we usually got out in the country where my parents lived. I convinced my mother to let me put her in the garage, since it was about fourteen degrees out - gave her the first good meal she'd had in a while, and in very short order convinced my parents to let me keep her. One flea treatment later and she was following me around the house. I discovered from her behavior that she had been abused, and she was more than likely dumped in the area - it was years before she could ride in the car without getting so nervous she'd start vomiting. Lucy will be turning five soon, and I think for the most part she's forgotten the first ten months of her life, where she was abused and neglected. She is happy to take car rides now, she still follows me around the house (wherever I am, you can bet Lucy is probably close by), and not only does the get regular meals, she has a weight problem from all the people food my dad fed her when we lived with my family (he swears up and down it has nothing to do with him). We call her a Dutch Shepherd, because she matches the breed standards almost perfectly, except for her semi-floppy ears. Lu is friendly, intelligent, and loves to cuddle - like most large dogs (currently, she weighs about 95 pounds, but she should weigh about 75 lbs) she thinks she's a lap dog.

Rezzy (upper right)

A few months after I graduated college, I moved south to Hollister for a few months to work in Branson. A couple days after I moved into my new apartment, I spotted a very skinny, very pregnant cat wandering around outside. I coaxed her into the apartment and gave her all the food she could eat, and about two weeks later, on July 19, 2010, Millie gave birth to five kittens. As the kittens grew, I knew I'd want to keep one - I planned on finding new homes for the rest but I couldn't resist raising my own kitten. Initially, I eyed the runt of the litter, a little gray and white female I named Daisy. But when the kittens opened their eyes and began crawling on their trembling little legs, her sister decided that I would keep her instead. Every time the young kitten saw me, she'd immediately begin crawling towards me on her little trembling legs. I couldn't come up with a name for her, but when I saw her crawling towards me it reminded me of a tiger stalking - so her name became Tigeress, which quickly became Ress, which turned into Rezz (because Zs are cooler). When she was a kitten, she would drape herself around my neck and take a nap - as she grew older, she made it exceedingly clear that I was her chosen human. She's too big to drape around my neck now but she loves to curl up on my chest. Rez can put Grumpy Cat to shame - she hisses more than any cat I've ever met. I joke that she has an opinion on everything and it's always negative. Despite that, she has never intentionally clawed or bitten anyone. She's very vocal in general - I talk to her and she'll talk back to me. She also comes when I call her, which is awesome.

Hope (lower right)

I already introduced Hope when I got her - but here's the Cliff's Notes version. Someone tried to kill her this summer by putting her in a Rubbermaid container, with the lid on, and dumping her by a busy road in late August heat. Someone got her to a rescue, who then advertised on Facebook for a foster, and I volunteered. Well, it didn't take long - I knew I had to keep her. She's my little ball of energy - thanks to being a German Shepherd/Sheltie cross - and I can't enough toys around to suit her. She's about a year old, and since I've gotten her she's nearly doubled her weight - from 13 lbs to 25. My roommate asked once if she had a middle name and it didn't take long to decide that she does, indeed, and it is Patience - as in, she tries mine, or you need some with her! Having Hope around is like having a toddler on a permanent sugar high, and I'm looking forward to the day when we get past the crazy puppy phase and settles into being a calmer adult - but I'm glad that she's able to have a happy "puppyhood" for at least part of it. She's super smart - she's so bouncy that it's hard for her to sit still, but I've taught her to sit in response to the question "What do good girls do?" Most importantly - she knows she is loved. She knows she's safe. That's amazing. I'm so glad I could do that for her.

Knievel (lower left)

Knievel was abandoned by his mother as a newborn. Luckily for him, my sister's boyfriend, Jon, happened to be walking by and spotted the crying kitten. He saved him, woke up during the night to feed him, and raised him for the first six months of his life. At that point, he was no longer able to keep him, and my family took him in. When I moved to Hollister, I brought him to live with me, but Rezzy's mother, Millie, hated him (to be fair, she hated all other cats) and he was so miserable I took him back home. A couple years later, he was being a pain - peeing on the stove and elsewhere - so, although I hated to do it, I took him to be a barn cat at the barn my sister and I both rode at, so I'd still see him a couple times a week, and I'd bring bags of food out there to make sure he had plenty. The barn changed owners a few weeks later, and I was shocked when a friend told me one day that the new owners were going to put down all the barn cats because they didn't want them around. I immediately drove out and brought him back. When I moved out of my family's home, I took Knievel with me - and he blossomed when he wasn't competing for attention with all the other cats my family had. He's become very friendly and inquisitive, and I enjoy having him around. He and Rezzy really enjoy playing with each other.

So - that's my current zoo. Each and every one is special to me in their own way and I can't imagine not having them around. Like I said, I have a couple posts planned that will be making mention of them, so they'll be appearing again.

Currently...(fall 2013 edition)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:03:00 +0000

This is almost a live shot.

Watching: "New Girl" - I might have just binge watched the first two seasons. I'm now catching up on season three. I'm also watching "Supernatural" - I'm on season two of that.

Excited about: The "Doctor Who" 50th anniversary special!!! (see my Doctor Who/Despicable Me mashup shirt?) It's being broadcast at the same time around the entire world! Here in the good old CST (that's Central Standard Timezone, for those who don't know), it's coming on at 1:50 pm tomorrow afternoon. Excited doesn't begin to describe how I feel. DAVID TENNANT AND BILLIE PIPER ARE BACK!!!!

Eating: So I just bought a Sam's Club membership. Did you know they sell Coke in 32 can pallets?! I'm trying to restrain myself - but oh, that sweet, sweet caffeinated nectar...not to mention the giant bags of Baby Bell cheese. Actually, now that I'm remembering how bad my diet has been lately, I'm beginning to feel that dinner tonight should be a salad...

Wanting: A clean house. I think I would kill to be able to do that trick from "Mary Poppins" where you snap your fingers and stuff flies into the proper place. Seriously - how amazing would that be?! These cold days have me feeling particularly lazy.

Needing: To make a meal plan for next week and go grocery shopping. I'll probably do it Sunday...

Weather: Gray and cold. Highs in the low 40s. Chance of snow tonight, actually. I have mixed feelings about that. Partially because I keep forgetting to buy a new window scraper for my car - since I accidentally sold the old one with my old car (along with my steering wheel cover and my CD holder...dang it....)

Craving: Elle's Patisserie for some lavender ice cream. And then walking down to Tea Bar and Bites for a cup of hot tea. Maybe I'll go tomorrow night...(any Springfield bloggers want to come with?)

Should be doing: Well, since my bedroom is the little haven where I spend most of my time off, I should probably be cleaning it. I also need to clean the rest of my house. And I promised a friend I'd get a website designed and set up for him so I need to get around to that. Not to mention I should be writing next week's posts. So many things...

Actually am doing: Well, this. Also, there are an embarrassing amount of tabs open in my browser that I found via Pinterest. And in the interest of full disclosure - I am totally planning to watch all the episodes of "New Girl" I've missed tonight.

Goals: I'm working on sticking with my budget for a month. Also, I'm trying to go a week without feeling like my room is a pig sty. I'm an adult, and it's time to live like one! (and once I've got my room down, I want to spread this to the rest of my house...)

Crafting: I've bought a set of watercolors and I'm going to give it a try. Also, I've got some stained glass I need to finish (hmm...may do that tonight).

So...what are you up to right now?

Fall Cara Box Reveal + Some News

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:10:00 +0000

I participated in this month's Fall Cara Box, which is held by Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals. If you don't know what it is, you get to know two other bloggers - one who'll be sending a box to you, and one who you'll be sending a box to. I was paired up with Kate at A Drawer Full Of Stuff and Kara at The Simple Life. If you want to check out what I sent Kara, you can check out her post here. It was a lot of fun shopping for her! But I'll be honest - I absolutely LOVE getting packages. So I was pretty excited when I got the package from Kate (what a great name!).

My first inkling was when I came home from running errands and saw the note on the door. The deliveryman (or -woman) had hidden it behind one of the bushes in my front yard. I got it and bounced to my room. Grabbing my scissors, I sat on the bed to open it. Knievel, one of my two cats, decided he'd better come investigate and see what there was. You know - in case it was a bomb. Or a giant box of cat treats.

"It's okay, Kate. It's not a bomb. I think I'm just going to stay here and check this out with you though. You know, just in case there's something you don't want...something edible, maybe...you know me, I'm not picky."

Now, I will freely confess - I'd been a terrible correspondent. I've not been a great blogger this fall either (more on that later). Life just got kind of insane. I felt that other-Kate really got that as soon as I opened it up and saw this.

And by the way - all the individually wrapped things? Genius! I felt a little lame that I hadn't individually wrapped everything I'd sent Kara.

I picked the one labeled "to help you relax" first and opened it up to find a "Autumn Harvest" candle and a cute little owl votive holder - perfect because (a) I love candles and (b) I wanted more fall decorations (and I love the owl trends!).

Inside of "to pamper" was eos lip balm in sweet mint and Sally Hansen nail polish in Ruby Do. I wasn't much of a nail polish person until recently, when I decided I rather like painting my toes. My little piggies are currently sporting a gorgeous, very fall-appropriate color - and since I am constantly carrying some sort of lip balm in winter, I've appreciated the slightly tingly minty one! (in fact, I was carrying it around at work the other day!)

"to keep track of your thoughts" contained two notepads and a notebook. The notebook has found a home in my purse - the spider notepad went in with my Halloween decorations, to make me smile come October 1 next year, and the pumpkin one is around here somewhere...

Knievel was particularly interested in the one labeled "nom nom nom!"

As was I, especially once I opened it. Pumpkin cupcake mix! (I do love me some pumpkin!) And some Ghirardelli dark chocolate. The Cabernet Matinee has blackberry and grape flavors and the "Midnight Reverie" is 86% cacao. I've been eating them a nibble at a time - that's one of the best things about dark chocolate, you don't need much to make you happy.

The final package was labeled "Just Because"...hmm...

Tissues! These also went into my Halloween storage, because early October and Halloween decorating also tend to coincide with fall allergies - I know I'm going to appreciate having these on hand next year when all you hear out of me is "Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! Ah-choo! AH-CHOO!" (not an exaggeration, when I sneeze, I SNEEZE)

And what was that? Some cat treats for Knievel magically appeared?! The box, the kitchen drawer, he didn't care - he was just happy to get some treats.

And now...for a few announcements...

I've been feeling guilty about neglecting my blog. So I've decided some changes are in order....

(1) I've begun using an editorial calendar! I have an iPad calendar that I've been using to track - well, everything - so I went ahead and made a calendar labeled "CLM Editorial" and started filling it in. I love the idea of using my iPad because I can move around post ideas really easily. This should be the first post in the MWF posting schedule I was trying to stick to before. Now I just need to start scheduling time to write and taking better photos...

(2) I'm working on a site redesign I'm really excited about. The blue is going to be darker - closer to navy (my favorite colors are navy and gray because I'm weird like that). There's going to be a little bit more of a watercolor motif, hopefully. I'm really excited to get it done!

(3) I've made the decision to transfer to self-hosted Wordpress. If you know of any really excellent resources for transferring from Blogger, please let me know!

Anyway - I have a lot of cool stuff coming up (including my work-in-progress "101 in 1001" list).

Goodbye, Gluten, It Was Nice Knowing You

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 18:22:00 +0000

Image via Wikimedia Commons

Recently, much to my dismay, I noticed an alarming trend happening. I was beginning to feel positively arthritic. It felt like my joints were swollen, like someone had been banging on them with a sledgehammer. My elbows, my wrists, my knees, my ankles, every knuckle in my fingers and toes, ached with a pain that I have never felt before, a constant dull roar that made me just want to curl up in bed. I had no energy - where I used to be moderately active before, I felt like even going for a walk around the block was just too much effort. At one point, I pushed past the fatigue trying to get some necessary shopping done, and came home feeling more tired than I had any right to feel. After some experimentation, I began to realize the common denominator - the pain started about an hour after I ate anything containing gluten. Microwaved a Hot Pocket for a meal? Pain. Have a piece of toast? Pain. Ordered a sub from Jimmy John's at work one night? Pain so bad I was grateful to be doing a job where I was able to stay in one seat and not move.

Soon after the pain started happening, I happened to see a list of symptoms for gluten intolerance, and much to my dismay, I realized I had almost every single one. Then I noticed the trend between my diet and the pain. Experimenting commenced. I made an effort to avoid gluten like the plague on certain days - and as a result, the pain never showed up. I even felt a bit perkier. On other days (the ones that I wasn't working), I ate gluten-containing products deliberately - and crawled into bed as my joints started to ache. Yeah - it seems I have a problem with gluten.

So now comes the hard part. Do you know how hard it is to give up all the beautiful things that contain gluten? Gluten, for those who don't know, is found in wheat, barley, and rye. There are SO many things that contain these - and most of them you wouldn't even think about. One of the first things I did when I realized what my problem involved was to go through my cabinets and read every label, removing everything that contained gluten. And really - why is the last ingredient in my can of French onion soup "hydrolized gluten"?!

Giving up gluten means depriving myself of many things that I love. Do you know how hard it is to be giving up gluten in a season where pumpkin bread abounds? The depressing thought of never being able to have another banana malt? No more crepes from Aviary? Bye bye, throwed rolls at Lambert's? No more French onion soup?! Muffins are out. Bread is out. Cookies are out. Everything I eat needs to be checked for gluten.

I guess the good news is - this is making me WAY more conscious of what I put in my body. I've been wanting to do more of a "whole foods" diet anyway and this is prompting me to do that. And while the items containing gluten do cause me a lot of pain, the good news is that right now, I seem to have just gluten intolerance, not actual Celiac Disease. If there is anything I really, really, REALLY want - well, I should just make sure I have some naproxen and I'm not working and know that I want it badly enough to be pretty miserable for a while. Honestly, when you know that in exchange for eating something, you get to have pain, fatigue, and some crazy digestive issues (and possibly even hormonal issues) - it's amazing how quickly you realize you can live without it after all. The only thing I really want to try, enough to make it worth the pain, is the new London Calling Pasty Company that's opened up in Springfield (fellow Springfield friends - it's over on Glenstone and will be open November 1). Because I freakin' LOVE pasties, and British food in general.

Gluten, the first twenty-six years were good, but I just can't take this any longer. It's not me, it's you. It's totally you.

And here is my public service announcement - if you've had gastrointestinal issues, headaches, joint pain, hormonal issues, and/or fatigue, pay attention to what you're eating. They say 15% of Americans are gluten-intolerant. You or someone you know may be one of them! Pay attention to what you're eating anyway - is it nourishing your body effectively?

Struggling With Singleness

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

I'm going to share something that has been heavy on my heart lately. I think I just need to vent and get it off my chest.

I'm tired of being single. I'm so very, very tired of it.

You see, this weekend is the wedding of one of my sisters. Another sister has a dedicated boyfriend (they aren't officially engaged, but they are planning to get married) who happens to be in Australia right now, and has been all year (he's Australian and having issues getting his visa sorted so he can come over here long term). Which is difficult, and I know it's a struggle for them - but they still have each other. Even my youngest sister has a boy who is dying to date her, and she likes him too, although she's not willing to admit it.

And me?

I have two cats and two dogs. At the ripe old age of 26, I feel like I'm about to turn into the crazy old cat (and dog) lady. I don't have relationships - I don't even have dates. I had one "relationship" in college, born from sheer desperation on my part, that was...well, the words "unmitigated disaster" spring to mind. I rarely meet any single guys, and the ones I do are usually not a good match for some reason or another. I've changed up my patterns of where I go. I've worked to get out there. I got an account on one of the best known PAID dating websites (if Miss Frugalista is willing to pay, you know it's big). And...nada. Nothing. Zilch.

Now, I realize I am really, really bad at figuring out when guys are interested - but is it too much to ask that a guy just come right out and say if he is?

I think it works both ways, to an extent. I remember one time, being in line at Barnes and Noble with a friend, and a very attractive gentleman about my age was looking at me. And I froze. Every introverted tendency kicked in with a vengeance. I suddenly had no clue how to proceed. So I kept talking to my friend, and I let my chance to smile at him, to strike up a conversation, to maybe change everything, slip away.

Poof. Gone.

Don't take this to mean I've given up hope of ever finding anyone. I haven't. He's out there. I joke that when I find him, my first present to him needs to be a GPS, because obviously he's had trouble finding me. But maybe I'm having trouble finding him too? Is he out there, feeling as frustrated as I am, because he can't find me?

I just keep focused on the fact that every day, I'm a step closer. One more day till I know his name. One more day till I can lean on his strength. One more day till I have someone to fight my battles with me - not for me, because I am fully capable of doing that myself, but with me, by my side.

Because here's a beautiful thing that I do know - every day I grow older, I know what I need more and more in order to be equally yoked with someone, and I know that if I get deeply involved in any relationship, the odds are it will be my last.

So in the meantime - I keep my head up, I keep moving forward, and I delight in the fact that even though I can't see the top of this mountain I'm climbing, I'm a step closer to the summit, every single day.

If you feel anything like I do, I highly suggest you listen to this song I found recently. You'll understand the sentiment perfectly.

And please, don't feel like you need to leave a comment of some sort of platitude - I don't want anything like "Oh, you'll find Mr. Right, don't worry!" or "It'll happen, just wait!" I appreciate the sentiments - but I KNOW it'll happen. I still have faith in that. And if, for some reason, it does not, and it appears that God wants me to stay single, then I trust He'll give me the grace and dignity to deal with it in that time - but this is not that time.

I'm keeping my head up. I'm continuing my fight. And when it's time, the right partner will join me. I have faith.

An Autumnal Love Affair

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:09:00 +0000

Photo by the lovely Jess of (More or Less) Jess - used with permission

Every year, I fall for fall. Our love affair is brief - a September-November romance - but it burns with all the colors of a trillion changing leaves. I long for the time when I can be wrapped in the embrace of a warm and cozy jacket, yet still feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I savor the taste of pumpkin everything. I crave the scent of dying leaves, of bonfire smoke, of fall's own special scent in general.

Growing up in Nevada, the onset of October usually just meant that spending the day out on Lake Mead was an increasingly chillier affair, and that the time was coming when trips to the lake would have to be postponed a few months. Soon, the cacti would be wrapped in strands of twinkling Christmas lights soon, and occasionally we might even have a thin layer of frost on the car window, for one of my parents to scrape off with a credit card (since we didn't own an ice scraper). There was little variation in the seasons there. When I moved to Missouri, I realized that summer meant days of high humidity that made my lungs (used to the dry air of the desert) feel like they were attempting to breathe water, winters that included actual snow, and springs that meant we could get more rain in a few hours than we would get in a year in Nevada. But fall! Glorious, beautiful fall, where it looked as if the world was on fire!

The things I love about fall:

>> I love the fact that you can get pumpkin EVERYTHING in the fall. I was at Target recently and wound up purchasing several "limited edition" pumpkin flavored items. Yes, I am one of those people that likes pumpkin so much, you could make pumpkin-flavored toothpaste and I'd buy it. And pumpkin ice cream!

>> Something I love almost as much as I love pumpkin? Hot apple cider! And fall is a great time to start making hot soups and baking fresh bread to go with them! Okay, I'll just say it - fall food in general is the BEST.

>> There is nothing like the scent of dying leaves and the crackle of them underfoot.

>> Do you know what the Best Thing Ever is? Getting together with a group of friends and a bonfire, when it's just cool enough the heat of the bonfire feels delicious on your skin. I'm going to a friend's bonfire next week and I can't wait!

>> I get to live my days in jackets, boots, and jeans - my favorite types of clothing! In fact, fall is a great time to pull out my jacket collection and pair them with all my favorite boots. Yes, this is basically my fall uniform.

>> While I'm not one for scary/gory stuff, I do love Halloween. Of course, I love any excuse to put on a costume! I spend weeks figuring out what my costume should be, even if I'm not doing anything (although this year, I do have a friend's Halloween party to go to - and next year, I want to plan my own!).

>> Of course, there's Thanksgiving too - I plan on hosting a celebration with my friends this year!

>> And as much as I hate to see fall disappear, when it does, a wonderful thing happens - CHRISTMAS!

What's your favorite thing about fall? Has fall arrived where you live? Here in Springfield, the trees haven't even started to turn yet, but the high tomorrow is 63 and the high Sunday is 60! (compared with today's 85 - welcome to Missouri) The weather all next week is in the 70s, so the best part of fall is coming soon!

Why I Love The Library

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 12:41:00 +0000

Even as September comes to an end, I want to take a moment to recognize one of the greatest things EVER - the library system. September is National Library Card Sign Up Month and if you don't already have a library card - what are you waiting for?!

I've been going to the library my entire life. When I was three, I had my own little purse (I think it looked like a ladybug but I could be wrong) that I accidentally lost in the store one day (because three-year-olds are super responsible like that). I was SO upset, but not about the purse - it had my brand new, very own library card in it! As I got older, my dad joked (well, I think it was a joke) that it was my library fines that enabled our local library to add a new wing on. When I moved to Springfield, I was amazed because the library system was SO GOOD here. Even in college, I tried to dig up some interesting reads in my school's library. And it was worth it to me to pay the $65 fee for living out-of-county (as I did at the time) to use the Springfield-Greene County Library.

Dude, I freakin' LOVE the library.

If you are not a library dweller, I'd like to ask - why the heck not?! Libraries are more than just books - let me give you a few examples of the awesomeness.

>> Of course there are books. But there are also audiobooks (perfect for car trips, or listen bit by bit on your commute to work!), e-books (I can download things straight to my iPad), music CDs, magazines, newspapers, and just about every other form of media you could want.

>> Do you remember going to the video store? In the days of Netflix and instant streaming, that's a dying breed, but the library still has a ton of great things (including a lot of stuff that isn't even on Netflix) - and the best part is, it's FREE!

>> It's not necessarily media either - my library has had bags of toys or educational materials available for anyone to check out.

>> Want something your library doesn't have? You can put in a request for the library to purchase it, or you may be able to get it as an interlibrary loan (where another library system that does have it sends it to your library for you to borrow).

>> Do you have a plan for when your computer breaks or your Internet goes out? Your library probably has computers you can use, not to mention free wi-fi.

>> Looking for something interesting to do? Most libraries offer a wide variety of programs - way more than story time for the kids! In fact, my library system is putting on an event called "An Edwardian Evening" tonight - one of the authors of To Marry An English Lord, one of the inspirations of Downton Abbey, will be there, and they'll have all sorts of Edwardian era treats (yes, I do have a ticket and I will definitely be there!).

>> Of course, there's always the fact that you can get just about any book you want, without having to spend the money to get it or find someplace to put it. When you read as much as I do, that's HUGE.

I honestly cannot stress this enough - the library is AWESOME! Not to mention FREE! When you're a ~~cheapskate~~ perpetually broke person like me, you learn to appreciate these things.

Do you have a card for your local library? If not, are you going to get one? (let me give you a hint - there's only one right answer to that!)

Hometown Tourist: See A Show At The Landers Theatre

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 12:11:00 +0000

Not too long ago, I talked about my Hometown Tourist project, where I wanted to check out some of the great things Springfield has to offer. One of the things on my list was "see a show at the Landers Theatre" and I'm excited that it was the first thing I got to cross off my list!

I knew how I wanted to fulfill this goal when I walked past the theatre a few weeks ago while meeting some friends for dinner in the area. A poster was up announcing their next show - "Monty Python's Spamalot." Ah-ha! I said to myself, this both fulfills my goal and I've wanted to see this show! I planned on buying a ticket for a night that I was off. And then, while driving around listening to my favorite local radio station, 106.7 The River (seriously, it's like they stole their playlist from my hard drive), they happened to announce a drawing for a four-pack of tickets to see "Spamalot" on VIP night, the night before it opened to the general public, and a $25 gift certificate to Dublin's Pass, the local "Irish pub" (having been to a real Irish pub, I find American ones lack a certain authenticity, hence the quotation marks - haha). It was one of those "text to enter" type of things, and since I was sitting at a stoplight (don't text and drive, people!), I went ahead and sent in a text.

A few days later, I got a phone call informing me I won (but seriously, we knew it was working towards this - why would I tell you about a contest I didn't win?!). As a result, I got to take my roommate and two other friends to see the show!

Before the show we ate dinner at The Aviary, which is one of my favorite restaurants. They make the most delicious savory crepes (although I highly recommend the dessert crepes too - and the appetizers - and, well, everything on the menu). They accidentally brought the wrong kind of soup out with my roommate's meal, so I wound up having two bowls of French onion soup (my favorite!) along with the Black and Blue crepes (steak and blue cheese with creme fraiche on top - delicious!). After we ate, we walked (well, I kind of sloshed) over to the theatre, just down the road.

The Landers is a gorgeous old theatre. It was originally built in 1909 and still has most of the period fixtures and decor. While it was initially intended for plays, it became a movie theatre as well, and was the 35th theatre in the nation to have "talkies." It served as a movie theatre for a few decades before being converted back to its original use. I'm a huge history buff, so I adored the idea of all the people who had come to see a show. It was easy to imagine Edwardian ladies in their long skirts, or dapper gentlemen of the 1920s, or girls in poodle skirts.

The performance itself was great. For those who don't know, "Spamalot" is the musical based off of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." The cast did an amazing job, especially with the British accents (as a huge Anglophile, nothing irritates me the way a bad fake British accent does). The show is very similar to "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" ("I fart in your general direction! Your father was a hamster and your mother smelt of elderberries! Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!") but with much more music. The book and music were written by Eric Idle (with help from John Du Prez on the music). It's basically everything you would expect from Britain's most famous comedy troupe. If you haven't seen it, and you like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" or "Monty Python's Flying Circus" I highly recommend it!

We were planning on going to Dublin's Pass for dessert and drinks afterwards - but after the show we wound up a little too tired, so that's going to have to wait for later.

I wish I had some photos of the performance, but unfortunately, I was too busy laughing! There are a ton of YouTube videos though, including clips of the entire performance. I dug up one of David Hyde Pierce (you probably know him as Niles Crane on "Fraiser") performing "You Won't Succeed On Broadway" which is fairly typical of the songs in the show.

I'm excited that I got to cross something off of my list of things to do in Springfield and I'm looking forward to doing more things. I'm particularly looking forward to mid-October - I think when the leaves change will be a great time of year to visit Wilson's Creek Battlefield. Hmm...any maybe show off my cute new boots from Target...?

Introducing Hope!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 01:20:00 +0000

I haven't done a post about my pets yet - I've been putting that off. I love animals, all animals, especially mine. I have one dog (Lucy) and two cats (Rezzy and Knievel) who keep life interesting! And I'd love to introduce you to them - in time. But this is not the time. Today, I want you to meet Hope.

Hope is about a year old. She is about 14" tall at the shoulder. She looks like a German Shepherd puppy but she's almost as big as she'll get. And a few days ago, Hope was found beside a busy road, next to a Rubbermaid container that was filled with her feces, urine, and hair. Somebody had put her in the container and dumped her, leaving her as good as dead in the hot Missouri heat. But Hope is a fighter - she struggled out of the container and cowered next to it until a kind-hearted family picked her up and contacted a rescue.

The rescue posted on a local pet finding Facebook page, and asked for someone to foster Hope. I fell in love with her instantly. I showed my roommate her picture and her story and she agreed we needed to help her. I contacted the rescue and yesterday afternoon, Hope came to our house.

Hope is a gorgeous little dog. She is bright-eyed and cheerful. Unlike other rescued animals I've met, Hope's spirit is intact. She loves people, she loves to cuddle, and she wants to make people happy. She's not housebroken so we've been busy with cleaning the occasional puddle (and more), but in just twenty-four hours she's already improved. She's painfully skinny - running your hand over her means you feel the bones of her ribs and pelvis poking out - but she's eating with a good appetite (we weighed her yesterday and she weighs 13.8 pounds right now - that's going to go up!). She's learning to play, and jumping in excitement when something happens that pleases her, and scrambles up onto the furniture to curl up with people. Hope is very, very special - and her name is appropriate because there is definitely a lot of hope for this girl.

Here's the thing, though - rescue organizations all over the world are trying to save animals every day. Local organizations need your support. If you ever choose to donate any money to animal welfare organizations, please, donate to your local shelter and local rescues. I'm not saying national organizations don't need support, but they get donations all the time because they're visible. Donate $10 to your local shelter - it can buy a bag of food, litter, or vaccinations for animals. Every penny helps. If you want to get an animal, adopt one - adopted animals always know that you chose them, and they are so grateful for it. If you're up for it, contact a local rescue and see if they need a foster home. For every Hope, there are countless animals who will not survive, or not even get the chance because the shelters are so overcrowded.

I'll be keeping an update of Hope's progress on this blog. Stay tuned and see her become a healthy dog ready to go to her forever home!

Dewey Reads: Neil Gaiman's "Neverwhere"

noreply@blogger.com (Kate (Lives Simply)) — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 03:50:00 +0000

I have to be honest here - I've never read a Neil Gaiman book before.

I mean, I've seen the episodes of "Doctor Who" he wrote. I've heard about how awesome he is. Everyone's raving about his new book, "The Ocean at the End of the Lane," so I assume it's good (then again, people raved about "Fifty Shades of Gray" too). I've even followed him on Twitter for ages.

I've just never read any of his books.

A few months ago, BBC Radio 4 put out part 1 of "Neverwhere" as their Drama of the Week podcast. I was initially aware of it because Bernard Cribbins, better known to "Doctor Who" fans as Donna's grandfather Wilf, played the part of Old Bailey. When I listened to it, I wanted to hear the rest. Unfortunately, that did not happen - so I got the book and read it myself. And it was amazing.

The main character, Richard Mayhew, is a rather ordinary young man living in London. As for the rest - I'll let him tell you in his own words, via the "diary entry" he composes in chapter six.

"Dear Diary,

On Friday I had a job, a fiancée, a home, and a life that made sense. (Well, as much as any life makes sense.) Then I found an injured girl bleeding on the pavement, and I tried to be a Good Samaritan. Now I've got no fiancée, no home, no job, and I'm walking around a couple hundred feet under the streets of London with the projected life expectancy of a suicidal fruit fly."

Does that sound intriguing? "Neverwhere" takes us into the realm of London Below, a place full of sewers and rats - and people who can talk to rats, and Markets, and Underground stations that are not all they seem...

There were some great plot twists that I didn't see coming, and a good sense of humor. Definitely an enjoyable read. I'd love to see this as a movie. (Update: actually, turns out it originated as a TV show before it was a novel!)

Suitable for: Anglophiles, mystery/suspense fans, fantasy fans, Agatha Christie fans, anyone who enjoys reading, actually.

"Neverwhere" on Amazon