Katy Barber...

on nerdcrafts

2013-01-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

At least that's what I like to call them.

Some people get all up in arms over the term 'nerd', but I don't feel like it's a terrible label to have nor do I think I can accurately label these crafts in a manner without using any so-called derogatory terms (geek, nerd, etc.) in a way that give's this category what it is due. I could label them just 'Crafts,' but I feel like they deserve to be categorized because of their niche group that they appeal to.

Before I post pictures I want to go over the fairly simple process of creating them.

Anyone who knows me or has seen the majority of my other wood-crafts knows that I rarely, if never, but any premade cutouts from Michael's, Hobby Lobby, or any other craft centric stores. They are ridiculously expensive and, generally, I can't get some of the shapes I'm looking for. So to save myself money in the long run, and for my own sanity, I buy sheets of plywood from Home Depot. Luckily I have a truck with a fairly large bed so I can fit it.

After, I use a jigsaw to cut out most of my shapes. If they are too intricate, I'll run to my handy-dandy scroll saw. I know this sounds scary, but it's really not! Jigsaws are both fairly inexpensive and easy to use. It just takes some practice!

After I have my shapes cut out, I use a palm sander to smooth out the edges and surfaces.

And finally, I paint them! I'm still working on getting better at this. I've never been one to be super artsy, so what I recreate is no where close to being perfect.

See? It's fairly easy. It just takes some practice to work out the kinks in using the jigsaw.

Now, onto the pictures! These are all that I could scrounge up for now, I'll probably edit to add more later on.

on peptalks (thanks Kid President!)

2013-01-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

Everyone need to watch this video. Everyone. That means you.

I know we've all felt like we don't belong in this world, aren't special enough to deserve the love and attention that we get, or are discouraged when everything going on around you isn't going your way. If you haven't, then consider yourself incredibly lucky.

Real-talk time. I've spent a large portion at my adolescence and not-so-long adulthood feeling this way for a myriad of reason. I often feel undeserving of compliments towards my personality, of my accomplishments and, most often, of my friends. I was embarrassed about my interests and really felt like I had to mold myself into this girl who had similar interests to those around me. I was living a life where I kept who I was in a small box, and climbed into the skin of someone I wasn't... all just so that I felt like I was normal. I've recently come to this crazy conclusion. Do you want to know what it is? It's not ground breaking, nor is it new, but normal is boring.

And as Kid President says so eloquently, "Life isn't a cereal either.... well it is a cereal.. And if Life is a game, then aren't we on the same team?"

I used to get teased, may it be joking or not, for liking what I like. It was so disheartening as a young teenager (and even as an adult) for people to be so judgmental about what I'm interested in. This caused me to, in turn, be just as judgmental about the things others did that I felt didn't fit the norm I felt I needed to conform to... and if I had to conform to the norm, so did everyone else. And I was one of those judgmental girls I hated so much.

This adorable kid says that the road less traveled hurt. There were rocks, thorns and glass (NOT COOL ROBERT FROST!). But that he just wants to take the road that leads to awesome. I'm not gonna lie, that's the road I wanna go down to. So I've started posing this question to myself whenever I feel embarrassed about who I am and alternatively, when I feel like I don't understand other people's interests either (aka, turning into the big headed judgey monster we all are capable of being). I simply ask myself, "Who cares?" It's not philosophical because, let's face it, I'm in no way, shape, or form some kind of second coming of Sophocles or Plato (mostly because I would love for poets and bards to be apart of my Perfect Republic... I'm looking at you Plato).

But honestly, it doesn't need to be insightful. Who cares? Does it affect me adversely? If it does, that person is simply not a part of my life anymore. And you know what, by taking the time to either
A.) Accept the faults of people in my life
B.) Taking the time to remove the people whose faults I, for some reason, cannot accept
has really allowed me to take strides to make my life easier. I accept all of the people in my life regardless of what their interests/religion/race/sexual preferences/sexual prowess/political views/choice of body modification/favorite genre of game/drink of choice/WHATEVER are. Why? Because if I surrounded myself with people who were carbon copies of myself... I'd probably want to run and jump off of a cliff.

On the same turn, my one wish is that others can be just as accepting. I've seen too many of my own friends write off other people based on looks, whether it be weight, wardrobe or the way they carry themselves. So many potential friendships simply fizzle and die before they have the chance to come to fruition. Take a moment the next time you're about to write someone off and think about why this person isn't worth your time.

Now, this post is by no means to be holier than thou. I struggle with this just like others, but I am constantly making an effort to change too. I'm not perfect by any means, but the only way to change is to accept your own faults... and my close friends know I'll be the first person to call myself out.

This adorable little kiddo poses a simple question, "What will you do to make the world awesome?" I don't have an answer, but I feel like the first thing I need to do is better myself before I can think of the world... and I think that's the first step for everyone. He says that we "can make everyday better for each other, but if we're on the same team, we need to start acting like it." I think we can all benefit from this advice.

"If everybody is good, it gives the world a reason to dance." Well, let's get to dancing!

on getting her stuff together

2012-09-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last semester, after having the opportunity to volunteer at an elementary school, I realized where I see myself after I finish up with school... and that would be teaching.

Elementary sounded great at first and becoming a reading specialist sounded like a great idea, but I couldn't actually get into the College of Education here at Texas A&M so I was at sort of a loss.

After having the summer to talk with the influential people in my life (my family, of course), I decided that I would pursue an alternate and longer route of getting into education... Cue the start of the fall semester and being in a few english classes.

I have absolutely fallen in love with my Brit Lit class, partially because I love to read and learn about literature, but also because my professor is, to put it plainly, a badass. She's hilarious and makes the class enjoyable. During the second week of classes, I talked with her for a while after class and asked her a simple question, "When did you realize that you wanted to get your degree in English?"

She responded with how she was a junior in college (coincidence much?). She was pre-law and realized how she hated who she was in classes with and wasn't necessarily enjoying her classes. So she made the switch to something she loved and hasn't looked back since. She gave me the name of the department's best undergrad adviser and I made an appointment... within twenty minutes of our conversation.

So now I'm pursuing a BA in English, and am working towards qualifying for the Post-Baccalaureate program that readies me and admits me into Texas A&M's MEd program... subsequently certifying me to teach high school english. And, honestly, I couldn't be happier or more ecstatic. If how much I'm enjoying my english classes now is an indicator of how the rest of my undergrad is going to go, then I'm pumped.

Hopefully I'll be able to update more! I haven't really had the chance to craft much or finish started crafts. And now that I've gotten a part time job (YAY!) time may be more constricted. But I will try!

on organization

2012-07-10T10:42:00.002-07:00

Well, this is organization the crazy way, I guess. Which fits because I'm just a little crazy. Sometimes.

I know that some people who are in my life (Austin and my Mom) are skeptics at the idea of me being "organized". This probably has to do with the wreck that is my truck (to be fair, it is my mobile craft workshop) and my room (so what if I have a hard time keeping my clothes all neat and organized. I can't help that my closet isn't even close to big enough). But when it comes down to the little things I can be slightly crazy.

Let's take my planner for instance. I have a huge, bulky, albeit adorable fancy planner. When I'm in school it's filled to the brim with post-its and scribbles outlining every single thing that could possibly happen that week. I'll use my syllabi from my classes to input every reading, homework, quiz, test and temporary room change that is already assigned, and had color coated flags on the test days that peeked out the top of the planner itself. In TEFB 273 I had people comment on the organized chaos. And it sure helped. I'll edit to add a picture later on.

I've been on this kick of organizing my interests, also. I have these big binders that I use to organize printed ideas, projects, and patterns for crafting and then a smaller (but by no means small) binder that I keep things that I find that are teacher related that I don't want to lose.

Below are pictures from my craft binder. I use patterned scrapbooking paper for the dividers, front and back covers, etc. I also just use transparent cover sheets to put each project in. This keeps long tutorials seperate from the one page long picture and just helps make browsing through it easier! And just print out the ideas that I want to do, tutorials on how to do them, and patterns that will help me get them done! I'll also be adding my bought clothing patterns into the binder so I can keep them all together. Or I may make an all new binder for them... I don't know yet. You can click the pictures to see larger images.

Link to this blog!

A link to this blog!

And I did the same thing for the dividers and the front cover of of my teacher binder.

I should edit to add that the paper I bought is standard printer sized paper 8"x11". I bought sheets from Hobby Lobby AND Michael's since I have found that assortment of standard sized paper is a lot smaller than that of 12"x12" scrapbook paper. Joann's carries an assortment of paper and I'm sure you can find plenty at stores meant specifically for scrapbooking like Archivers! My paper all ran $0.49+.

Both of these are works in progress and will be for a while! I have a feeling that I will never feel like they will be complete. I just wanted to share the idea with you!

on learning how to sew!

2012-07-03T20:25:00.005-07:00

I've never had the opportunity to actually learn how to sew using a sewing machine, but have always wanted to.

Luckily my sister in law Kim has been sewing for the last 30 years (and she's not much older than that!) and she sews very well I might add... She did all of the alterations on my prom dress which was a feat in itself. Not to mention that she sewed her own wedding dress when she was 18 years old. She got all the materials for about $150... and had it appraised at over $5,000. So, it's fairly safe to say that I have picked the right person to help me learn how to sew... and sew well!

I saw a lot of simple projects involving lace on Pinterest and decided it would be a great start! So, as always, I dove head first into learning something I know literally nothing about!

These are shorts in questions that were in need of a tune up.

With these, I wanted to cover the pockets and the holes in the front!

And I desperately wanted to make these longer. I'm not sure if you've noticed the lack of fabric in the crotch area.... And now that you have, I'm sure you can tell why I wanted to lengthen them.

We'll start this little adventure with the blue jean shorts.

The first thing she had me do was pin the lace onto the pockets. I cut pieces of lace out that I thought would fit over the pocket, doubled over the edges I would sewing down (to keep the lace from fraying) and the pinned them down!

And then Kim showed me how to sew them down. This involved teaching me how the machine works... I'll save you all that!

I know the top corners look real wonky. The ends were a little hard to work with! I don't have any tips for that... but if someone does let me know!

Next we covered the holes in the front.

It was very simple! And the last thing I did was hem the ends of the shorts. These particular ones were long and I would fold them up. So I decided it was finally time to just permanently hem them! Notice the fancy schamncy stitching!

All done! Don't mind my beaky nose.

Now... onto the second pair! We decided that the best way to lengthen the shorts a little was by adding ruffles! You can never really go wrong with ruffles....

So the first thing she had me to do was to cut the fabric so the finished edge (basically the edge that is the end of the fabric bolt) is on one end! Then she had be sew the strip together, then sew a single thread across the top so we could pull it tight thus creating ruffles!

The hardest part was pinning the ruffled strip into the pants itself. Kim showed me how to pull it tight enough to fit the leg of the shorts and then pin it in. Once we got past that, I just sewed it into the shorts! It took longer than the first project, but was a lot less complicated. For fun, and to tie the white of the ruffles together, we added some lace to the inside of the pockets.

For those of you who skipped to the end, here are my artsy fartsy instagram photos.

on running

2012-07-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Alright, I figure I should put this out there (even though it should be no surprise) buuuuut I am absolutely no expert on running. Or working out. Or dieting. Or just being healthy in general.

My favorite foods are potatoes and cheese. I cannot eat a single serving of anything to save my life. I may be 5'0" but I can really put food away... and I can do it often!

But six weeks ago I started a program. That helped me learn how to run. I definitely never thought I would say that. I was that kid in Jr. High who would walk 90% of the mile we were supposed to run.
Fast forward to yesterday and I ran for twenty minutes straight. TWENTY MINUTES. I ran 1.75 miles. Without stopping. Now... I'm sure if you've known me long enough you probably think I'm lying. Not to mention I am as surprised as you are that I actually survived.

I guess what I was trying to get at is that this week marks week 6 of 8 of the Couch to 5K program Austin and I are running together. I definitely recommend it for anyone, even people who have never run (unless it was for their lives) and have ever considering running to be your exercise multiple times a week.

I've already lost five pounds and am trimming up! Not to mention my little belly pooch is shrinking week by week and I can see improvement even in my tiny frame. Here is the main website for the program itself! As for how I monitor it daily, I just have the free C25K free app and it works great! I would check it out and maybe give it a go. :)

Now, I'm sure everyone is clamoring for more craft posts (not really), but I can assure you they are on the way! I was MIA this last weekend and on a mini vacation with my roomies, and this week I'm expanding my crafitng skills to learning how to sew. I actually start my lessons tomorrow with someone I know who is amazing with needle and thread! So hopefully you'll be seeing some interesting posts on that little adventure!
Not to mention my hardwood floors should be installed soon! As in... my brother is showing me the ropes/helping me learn to install them myself!

Have a great week!

on small projects here and there!

2012-06-27T21:29:00.002-07:00

This is going to be super long or very detailed, but I figured since I have a few things that I've been working on and I should at least post pictures of so you get an idea of what I've been working on!

I haven't been able to work on anything particularly huge since I've been house sitting for my brother for the last week, but I was able to get a few things done!

I picked up this pretty white frame at Hobby Lobby, aka "Heaven", a week or so ago. I painted it, but I'm not sure what I should put it in! If you have any ideas message me on facebook or on twitter (@theSQUEAKYduck) and let me know what you think I should do! It's relatively small. The picture frame itself will hold an 8 x 10 picture. :)

This is something that I saw on Pinterest. That's not a huge surprise considering I see most of my projects there! I got this huge (read: half as big as I am) picture frame at a garage sale for on $3.00! That's right... THREE DOLLARS. I took the liberty to just use some extra spray paint I had laying around to paint it green, add some twine that I also already had, and buy a package of cheap cloths pins from the dollar store and paint them blue! Now I have enough room to clip twelve 4 x 6 pictures in this massive frame! Not only can it hold tons of pictures, but it'll be easy to change them out!

I'm sorry if the bookshelves look kind of proportional! during all of the disassembling, I lost eight of the little shelves holders so both are missing a shelf each! So please try to look past that :)

Okay... so this is exactly what it looks like. Just some refurbished old bookshelves! The small one I bought a few weeks ago at Good Will for $15.00! I painted it the same green as the trim. And the large bookshelf is one that I've had for many many years! It's painted the same blue as the fourth wall in my room. One thing to remind everyone of when they do this... since this is a prefinished faux wood make sure you use a primer before applying the colored paint! Right now the paint will simply scrape off if I mess with it too much... but since I'm too lazy and these are staying in my bedroom I guess I'll have to deal with it!

I used wallpaper that I bought online that was on sale for the backing! Very easy to apply (I used adhesive spray!) and just made sure the pattern matched up as I went down the backing!

I'm sorry that I'm not coming out with anything terribly exciting! I promise I'm working on a large project now that involves another filing cabinet or two! But I don't think it'll be done for a few weeks!

I hope this has satiated everyone's appetite for a blog post... for now.

on up-cycling a file cabinet!

2012-06-18T20:45:00.001-07:00

So I saw the original post on Pinterest and decided that with the whole room redo I NEEDED to do this project! It would be the perfect storage piece considering it's got a lot of space and the drawers are very deep. I'll probably use it for crafts, which shouldn't be surprising since I don't have much space to keep all my goodies, and if not that then for all of my seasonal clothing or clothes that don't get much use.

So I managed to inherit a filing cabinet, but unlike the original post, mine only had four drawers.

The first thing I had to do was take out the hardware on the front. Austin came over and used a socket wrench to unscrew the handles and the face plates just popped out pretty easy. The only difficult piece was the slider. It's installed pretty complicated in the drawer itself so we just left it... we didn't want to break anything! I spray painted all the hardware green.

And then there's spray painting the whole kitten caboodle, including the sliders. I've come to learn through this project that I'm garbage at using spray paint. My apologies for the sort of spolotchie look my cabinet has. Also, sorry about the night-time grainy photos. Also, I used two whole cans of spray paint from Home Depot... make sure you buy enough!

I let it all dry over night! And in the morning I started covering the drawers with fabric. I started with measuring the drawers and cutting out the fabric. I gave each piece an extra two or three inches on each side so that when I covered the drawers I would have enough to hang over the edges and glue down! Then after I pulled the top and bottoms tight enough I cut a hole where the slider is so I could pop it out. Then, I glued both sides and pulled it tight to it was flush against the metal, and then painted on a layer of modge podge! All I used was tacky glue and modge podge and everything worked out perfectly for me (aside from the slider complication) and I was pleased at how relatively easy it all was!

When I was finished I popped everything back into and place and admired the handy work!

I spent about ~$9.00 on the spray paint and $6.29 per yard (I had two) on the fabric! And since the file cabinet was a freebie I only spent around $22.00 on the whole project. I definitely think my money was well spent!

on making illuminated art.

2012-06-16T14:29:00.002-07:00

I am by no means the cleanest and most perfect crafter. I have the tendency to do something wrong. And this project was by no means an exception to that rule.

I saw this project on Pinterest AND craftgawker and felt like it was something completely doable. So I went out and bought the supplies and printed the outline for the letters. Both of this things can be found at the website!

The first thing I did was trace my letters onto the canvas. On the website it says to use scotch tape to help secure it to the canvas. Since I couldn't find any tape I held it in place and did the hard way... obviously because I am a badass.

Also, I followed the tips the author of the website gave. Painting the outline of the letters made it a lot easier to paint and then paint the rest of the letters. I gave it two coats of paint (I used acrylic) and left it out over night to dry.

Obviously it's a little bit crooked butttttt since it's going in my room it doesn't matter to me.

So after I let it dry over night I finally managed to find some tape and tape the letters down to help puncture the holes that the lights would go in. For this... I used an awl. Of course I didn't know what one was, but Austin showed me and let me borrow his.

After that I just pushed the lights through! I couldn't find a string of 35, so I bought 50. Since I had so many left over I just pushed them around the frame of the canvas.

And ta-da. Of course two of the lights in the E popped out of the canvas when I went to take a picture. That's why it looks a little wonky. But it definitely turned out better than I expected it to!

on attempting to refurbish furniture

2012-06-12T20:51:00.002-07:00

If you're friends with me on facebook you can't miss that I've started a renovation project for my room at my moms house. This includes replacing the carpet with hardwood floors, painting EVERYTHING, and refurbishing all of the furniture that is going into the room itself. That includes the bed, both dressers and some knick knacks that will be taking up more space!

My first project was something I found at Goodwill and I picked up for only $20.00. It was really cool and I saw an opportunity to do something fun with! Don't mind me in the background... It's the only picture I snapped before I started messing with it!

The first thing I did was sand it down a little and that included the edges. I didn't want to take all the black paint off since the plan was to distress the wood once I painted it!

Next I painted it the same green that I was planning on painting the trim in my room. That was easy enough.

I don't have any picture of the wood after I distressed it, but all I did was sand over the green paint varying in pressure in random places so that the black shows through. After that, I decided I wanted to frost the glass. As to what I frosted over, I decided I wanted to have words on the mirror. Once I decided what I wanted it to say I printed our the letters in a large, bold font that was easy to read, cut out the letters and used a spray adhesive to keep the letters on the glass.

And, of course, when I was taking the mirror out it snagged on one of the hooks that holds it in place and snapped a corner off.

But no worries. Since it's going in my room, the idea of it bring broken in the corner didn't phase me. I just glued it back together and let it set. After it had set, I used a glass frosting spray I bought from Hobby Lobby and followed the directions!

I put it all back together and was pretty pleased with it. It's definitely not perfect, but I learned a lot about the products I've used and the materials I worked with. All in all... I would consider it a successful $20 project.

on it being a while.

2012-06-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. It's been a full... five months since my last blog post. It wouldn't have taken so long to update if I hadn't been working on trying to move everything over to an actual domain. But that's still in the works. I definitely plan on updating very soon, and definitely more often.

The styles of posts may vary considering I plan on blogging about a lot of the crafts that I've been making. But don't worry everyone, you'll be seeing a lot more of me. ;)

on being a teenager.

2011-12-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

Now, I know that there is no magnificent transformation that will happen at midnight or anything, but I'm sure there will be a lot of differences from have a tiny little '1' in front of my age and a big ol' '2' in front of my age now. I'm an honest person, and for some people this will be horrifyingly so.

In hindsight, the last seven years of my life were life changing.

Let's start with age 13. For those of you who have been in my life since this point in time or before, you're probably aware of the biggest life change my first year as an official teenager began. In March of 2005, approximately three months after the big birthday I lost my father to his lifelong ailments that were ever present throughout my life. Despite his illnesses he was my best friend. He was a wonderfully childish stay at home dad who, even at my earliest memories, was there to wait on me hand and foot. He spoiled the hell out of me and loved me to pieces and I know that even though he isn't here in person, he still loves me more than anyone on this earth (besides my mom!). But despite my knowing how sick he truly was and knowing that he wouldn't be in my life for as long as other kids, it still hit me incredibly hard.
There is a huge blank space in my memory spanning months where I don't remember much about my life or my friends, I honestly couldn't tell you who my classmates were, who I had for teachers or what my grades were like. At this point, though, there is one thing I do remember clearly. I had found someone who, despite my incapability of having any feelings other than anger and grief, took me in and let me cry everyday. Looking back now, I should have known it wasn't a good idea but it was one of my many life lessons that I can look back on now and say that I learned something so important about myself... I learned about my capability to love. This relationship lasted about two years and had an incredibly messy breakup. I don't talk to him, and for good measure. This is one of the only things that I remember about being 14. There's something to be said about young love. Many think it doesn't exist, but to me in that relationship I was in "love". It may not seem that way to me now, or fit the definition of love by normal standards, but to me love at that time was just having someone there to comfort me when I was sad; to make me forget how I was feeling, even if it was hurting me emotionally, and even at one time physically.
I spent the better part of the end of 7th grade and all of 8th grade anywhere but class. I was at school and I passed my classes, but I sought the company and conversation of the school counselors. I can honestly say that they saved my life when I was 14 after a horrifying lesson learned about myself and how close I came to ending my own. They were honestly my saving grace, as was most of the staff at my junior high, and that includes my current boyfriend's own mother, Melisa.

Fastforward to 15 and I was smack dab in the middle of my freshman year of high school. I was transitioning out of the hardest part of my adolescence by this point and was reevaluating many things in my life, including who I was and who I was associating myself with. I was a greenhand in our high school's FFA chapter and only beginning to understand all the opportunities that would lay before me in the next three years. In February of 2007 I met Austin. This meeting changed me, and my feelings. It opened my eyes to the current relationship I was in and, essentially, ended it. It took me sometime, but I eventually finished things with the boy who was there for me when I needed him most at the point in my life. I feel horrible sometimes, almost as if I swept him under the rug once something better came along... the day I left him I cried myself to sleep, feeling like all of the ugly names he called me. I recovered though, feeling as if I had finally rid myself of the one thing holding me back; the one thing that kept me connected to the darkest time in my life.
And then there's a list of things that happened... becoming an officer in FFA, officially becoming Austin's girlfriend, going to my first FFA State Convention and making the happiest memories in life after 2 years of nothing but sad ones. I'm all smiles right now thinking about this.

Then there was 16, with my first animal for FFA during my sophomore year and my drivers license. All of the awkwardness that came with having a new boyfriend; the first kiss, the first 'I love you', the first time meeting his family. Writing this comparison of the first years being a teenager almost don't add up to me... I feel as if I'm writing about two completely different people. And I honestly believe I am.

And 17 was nothing by accomplishments either; getting my first job at Rainforest Cafe, being a junior in high school, going to state in Chapter Conducting, Mr. Oliver leaving Morton Ranch, and Austin Graduating high school (along with Garrett, Patti, Andrew, Brandon and Meigan [even though we didn't know each other yet]) and him getting accepted to Texas A&M.

And boy, did that summer before Austin went to college fly by... and it was the scariest feeling when he went off to school. I am honestly willing to bet that I didn't have any idea how insecure I was until he went to school. I'm not one to lie about myself, and I can honestly say that Austin is a saint for what he had to put up with when he first went to school. I was jealous of every person I didn't know, made him feel guilty for spending time with girls (Meigan was one of them, to be honest), and was just a huge pain in the ass. It took a serious sit down and talking to to change my ways, otherwise we wouldn't be together.

Hello 18, I do say that quite a lot happened when you showed up. And by that I mean hello senior year, tattoos, waiting tables, graduation, and getting accepted to and attending Texas A&M! Senior year flew by once I had all of my insecurities ironed out. I mean, being Vice President and then President of our FFA chapter was practically a full time job and then actually working full time hours waiting tables didn't give me much room to breathe... let alone having three animals in the course of the school year and for a little while, all at once. My reserve champion titles came out on top though, as one of my accomplishments, along with the scholarships (Elks Lodge, State FFA, L.D. Robinson, Troy Oliver, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo) and the Award of Excellence given out by the Superintendent of Katy ISD. I feel like I'm bragging, but if I can say that I earned these things then shouldn't I? I felt so blessed and felt as if all of the hard work I had put in in the last four years was actually worth something. The best feeling, though, was that of how proud my dad would have been of me. Graduation flew by and so did the summer before I went off to school.

I remember the day I moved into my dorm... it was four flights of hell in a handbasket. Four flights of carrying boxes and boxes of my clothes and shoes into the smallest room on the planet. I had a great first roommate and consider myself incredibly lucky to have someone who could put up with all of the sundays (and occasional satudays) that required me to be up at the crack of dawn for my fish year doing Bonfire. And boy, does Bonfire define the first semester of my college experience. The hard work, dedication, and determination required to continue to put the time and effort into something so much more than yourself. Not to mention the awesome friends and memories.

Then, as quickly as 18 came, so did 19. Honestly, this year was the year I learned the most about myself since I was in that dark place in my life. I got to move into a place I can fully call my home with some of the best people in my life. But just as life is, when there are good things, there are bad.. and boy was there some bad. It may be resolved now, but it's still in the front of my mind. All while I was ninteen, I was a baby green, then actually a green and then dead... all in one Bonfire season. I could be like everyone and say it was all sunshine and butterflies, but it wasn't. I learned a lot about myself and others, as well as how I feel as if I should treat others and how I conversely should be treated. You can take a look back at how I feel about this year in my last blog post though!

All in all, I'm very proud of who I have become in the last seven years and look forward to the next ten years that are supposed to be the funnest years of my adult life before I round the corner into my thirties. Now that is a weird thought.

on life lessons learned in 2011

2011-12-27T00:54:00.000-08:00

This past semester has been my busiest yet, up at school and I've learned a lot about myself, my capabilities and about others.

1. It's much easier to spread yourself too thin than to do less than you're capable of accomplish. From starting a small business to working what seemed to be a full time job, and adding school into the mix I figured this one out way too easily. I had to give up a lot of the recreational things that I love to do, such as baking, blogging and reading (to some it may seem like I didn't give this up, but I assure you I read much less than I normally do!) and even sacrificed a lot of the time that I should have used to do better in school (I will admit this easily!). I even gave up coming home often, which made me incredibly homesick. I am so grateful to have the opportunities that I do have, and that I am possibly opening the door to an incredibly bright future on top of having many wonderful memories from the obligations I had this semester! My only advice, honestly, is that when you feel like too much is being asked of you, that you take a step back (sometimes it's a huge step back) and you need to assess the importance of everything you have taken on in your life at that time and possibly make the decision to end an obligation or step out of an opportunity.

2. Living somewhere that is not your parents house requires a lot more time and effort than I imagined. That's not saying that I didn't expect to clean ever, but it's more than I expected! I do love my apartment though! My roommates and I have made sure that it is thoroughly decorated and that we attempt to keep it tidy... though it can be a challenge when you make crafts approximately 100% of the time you are actually at home!

3. Friendships can be tested no matter how long you have been friends and no matter what distance you are from them. It pains me to say that the relationship I do have with friends has changed more this year than any year. May it be as a bridesmaid or maid of honor at your upcoming wedding, or having to fair the long distance between here and El Paso, or even the end of a long friendship, it has been a challenge accepting some of the changes. I am grateful for all those who love me and care for me, and I am blessed to have so many wonderful friends in my life that have continued to make my world such a wonderful place and I look forward to even more positive changes and memories made.

4. Love continues to fare the test of time. And for that, I am truly grateful. Things have changed tremendously over the last four and a half years and we have grown into something more than I ever imagined. I love laughing about our past and looking forward to whatever the future may hold. I hold each day we spend together and every memory dear to my heart.

on being MIA

2011-11-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

Which, believe me... I know I have been!

But outside of Bonfire, I don't have much updating to do besides on my first apartment... except that my best friends and I have begun selling out handmade crosses and other wooden crafts.

(You can like our facebook page here)

It started out as all of us loving to make cute little crafts, and then one of us knew how to use a jigsaw... and then boom! We're making crosses out the wazoo.
Not only that, but we aquired weathered fence posts and made one for our balcony (which we lovingly call our backyard...).

I'll make a post for our apartment once I can get everything straightened up... :)

On 2030...

2011-08-03T22:28:00.001-07:00

2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America by Albert Brooks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had no earthly idea where this book was going to take me, but I am more than pleasantly surprised. It was completely relateable to the current issues that stand before our country, and the situations presented are something that we could see in the near future. Despite this, though, some of the technology such as the cars and watches seem too high tech for only twenty years in the future, but added a lot to the story. There were many times, though, that I imagined this world as 3030, not 2030. Regardless, this is a must read and something that can make any reader think about the future of our nation.

View all my reviews

On baking

2011-07-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

Considering my original plans for summer school never worked out I find myself with an extensive amount of free time so, of course, I picked up a new hobby.

This is something that you probably know about if you are friends with me on facebook!

I read up during the last semester of school on how to decorate cookies. I love how you can order gourmet cookies in almost any shape and and decorated to perfection! It fascinates me and I've watched many videos. So I finally got the courage to buy everything and try it out.

Here was a picture of the first batch I ever tried.. It was before I tried glazing/flooding, so all I practiced was piping.

he second batch. This was the first time I tried glazing and made the glazes way too watery so in some of the icings, the shortening separated from the icing. :( But the flowers turned out great(Well, they turned out better than the first)!

The third batch was for my lovely boyfriend! Some of them didn't turn out how I had imagined, but he still thought they were delicious regardless. This was also the same day I made a scrapbook arrangement I saw while browsing graftgawker.

And my fifth batch was the first time I ever made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I did decorate them but I forgot to snap a picture of them before I transported them to one of my best friends good bye party!

And my most recent batch of cookies were ones that my nieces, who are 8 and 10, helped me decorate. My boyfriend and some friends were over too, but the girls did most of the decorating.

And my most recent baking endeavor was last night! My boyfriend and I attempted to make rainbow cake in a jar. The process of making it was definitely fun and could be a project you do with multiple people considering one box of cake mix makes three jars, it was definitely a fun experience!

on Austin

2011-05-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

I know this a few days late, but it's mainly because it's so hard for me to put into words my relationship and how I feel about my boyfriend of, now, four years.

And because of my inability to properly write about my love life (sorry guys), I'm going to post a couple of pages from what turned into a short book I wrote for him. It wasn't supposed to be very long, but I just couldn't stop writing. I know, I know. How could I write for him and not for y'all? Don't ask me. My brain sat here frozen for about thirty minutes staring at this blank new post page.

X / X / X / X
There were twelve pages, and some were more personal than others, and it was very heart wrenching to write. But in a good way.

And here's some advice from me about boys:

1. Don't get all upset if you give them a present and they don't seem "thankful enough". For a lot of guys, showing emotion is not something they normally do. If you feel like you gave them something wonderful and meaningful and they don't cry about how beautiful and meaningful it is, don't take it the wrong away. If he takes the time to look at it, read it, examine it, etc. and tell you he likes it/loves it, then your on a good path. Gift giving is never easy, so we rarely do it.

2. Anniversaries. Alright, celebrating your one month/two month/three month/ etc. is real cute up until about a year in the relationship. A lot of people, myself included, find the repetitiveness of monthly anniversaries pretty annoying to say the least. There are only so many times you should have to buy a happy anniversary card or gift. After the first year, we limited it to every six months so we celebrated twice a year. And even this year we overlooked our three and a half year mark. The less you celebrate, the more exciting and meaningful that +1 year mark will mean to you and your significant other.

A side note: I do have an email you can reach me at if you need advice or think something needs to be covered. You can contact me at kbadvice@hotmail.com and any thing you ask about or tell me is between us. I may ask to use your questions for future updates, but you're more than welcome to tell me no.

on summer (finally)...

2011-05-21T23:29:00.000-07:00

**Advice is at the bottom if you don't care about my boring life**
I'm so so so so sorry for not updating in almost TWO MONTHS!
I've just been crazy busy with finals/preparing for finals/not really having anything other than priorities and studying to blog about. I haven't even been able to bake since Easter, and my Easter baking only consisted of dipping some delicious little Peep Chicks in melted chocolate. :(

Buuuuuut, there are some exciting things going on!

1. It's finally SUMMER TIME! And for the first time since I was a junior in high school I'm not working and taking summer school. But those classes don't start for another week or so, so I've been free to roam around town (which is not as exciting as it sounds) and have been able to get some things done that I've been wanting to do!

2. I'm three days away from my four year anniversary with the best boyfriend in the world!

3. And the said boyfriend's older sister, a great friend of mine, is getting married to the love of her life.

4. And I finally have time to read... I have quite the pile of books that are screaming my name.

To start off I got a few things done.... I got my freshman year scrapbook done. Here are a few pages to see the handy work on my second scrapbook. X / X This really didn't take me very long to actually do... it was buying the materials and ordering the pictures that had me unmotivated to even think about starting this project, but once I got going and started getting crafty, the scrapbook was done and I wish I could make my next one now!
Also I got two shadow box collages done. One is of Austin and I over the past four years, and the other is of my first year doing Student Bonfire. My first attempt at these collages.

On Wednesday the 25th, me and Austin will be celebrating our four year anniversary. We went from starting our relationship as a freshman and sophomore in high school, and now we're celebrating as a freshman and sophomore in college (well, we're a sophomore and junior TECHNICALLY, but it's the thought that counts!). An example of what the two of us do best. But, you can't forget the "I love you more" argument. X / X.

And of course, it wouldn't be polite of me to post pictures of Savanah and her fiancée (even though they are the cutest couple in the world), but I definitely can't keep this out of what is exciting about the summer. It's going to be an absolutely beautiful country wedding with two wonderful families coming together. Not to mention I LOVE weddings.

And last but not least: My summer reading list. ;)

I have some advice, as always.

1. For the girls who are are dreading the departure of their older boyfriend going to college: Enjoy the freaking summer. Spend as much time as you can together and worry about him going away in August. Being happy now will make it easier to be happy later. If you are going to make yourself absolutely miserable, then you will be. **I was this girl two summers ago** My boyfriend went off to college while I was stuck in high school... I made myself miserable and guess what? I was making him miserable too. Just have fun and enjoy the time you do have together and then be a big girl and trust and love your boyfriend, not only that but be proud that you have an ambitious boyfriend with goals and dreams. And know that if he's still with you, you're apart of those dreams too. ;)

being blessed

2011-04-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I'm blessed to have my boyfriend of almost four years in my life. He's by my side every single day now that we're at Texas A&M University together (he's a sophomore, I'm a freshman) and I couldn't imagine our relationship any other way. But unlike us, I have many friends who aren't as blessed to have their loved one by their side everyday and I want to take a moment to talk about them.

I have two very close friends who have their loved ones in the army. One is a husband and a father, and the other is a boyfriend and a life long friend of the love of his life.

The dedication and love that these couples share with their loved ones is out of this world. I admire these couples for the trust and patriotism they posses, giving their husband and boyfriend to the US Army to serve our country. These are real men and they deserve to be recognized, not only that, they deserve to be recognized for how blessed they are to have women in their lives that are willing to wait for them and are proud of them.

These couples, along with any military couple, deserve to live the happiest of lives when their tours overseas are over, and they deserve to be treated like the real men and women they are.
I'm proud to call these women my friends and I'm there for them when they need a shoulder to cry on, or need someone to help them with an anniversary dinner. I admire these couples and wish the best for them and their loved ones.

One day, I told one of these women that I don't think I could handle Austin being in the army. She just said in reply, "If you love him, you could."

on giving back

2011-04-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to be apart of an event called Relay for Life. It was a twelve hour event that had so many things to do, my head it still spinning.

They had multiple sports contests, a relay, a 42 tournament, a track to take laps on (someone in your team was supposed to be walking the entire night, and it was a great way to catch up with some friends if you've been busy), there was a HILARIOUS Miss Relay Pageant that was one of the best things that took place, a zumba dance party and multiple entertainers came and performed such as Gatlin Elms, a band formed out of Houston, and Sleeper Star (among others).

There was a very touching ceremony that opened up the Relay and it was amazing to see survivors from 20+ years ago, and also to see peers my age who were survivors as well. If you ever have the opportunity to take part in this event, or an event like it, definitely go for it. It's always for a good cause and you know you will have a good time.

Just go to you school's website and I'm sure you can find a list of events such as these to be apart of. :)

on the rodeo

2011-03-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Now, if you don't/never have lived in any place where there are Rodeos it'll be hard to have a visual of what I'm talking about. :)

I went to the Houston Rodeo last night with a really good friend of mine. She had made plans with someone else to see Brad Paisley, but fortunately for me she bailed so I got to go see one of my favorite country singers. ;)

There are a couple of things that I want to address though...

1. Leave really freaking early. If you're planning on attending the rodeo for any reason whatsoever (livestock show, carnival or concert) plan on leaving pretty early. The traffic is horrible and so is looking for parking and walking. Me and Krystina were stuck in traffic for an hour and it took us another thirty or forty-five minutes to find parking. At that point we just paid a little shuttle golf cart to take us to Reliant Stadium cutting out the forty-five minute walk it would have taken us from cash parking. So, go ahead and leave two/three hours earlier than the rodeo is actually supposed to start.

2. When you shop, take your time. The prices of the popular, rodeo-only season items such as studded belts, belt buckles and just about any kind of country cowgirl queen clothing is crazy expensive (TWO BAR WEST!). And that makes sense because girls like me will willingly pay $100 for a cow hide studded belt. But, seriously, look around at all of the booths and set a limit on how much you want to buy. It can drain your bank account easily. So look around and go back for the things that catch your eye and you absolutely need to have. :)

On a side note: Brad Paisley was fantastic and I sung along loudly to almost all of the songs!
And there was a couple sitting in the seats directly in front of us. They were fairly young and the woman was pregnant (the super cute, petite early second trimester kind of pregnant) and when Brad Paisley was singing one of his best songs (in my opinion! Also it's my favorite love song he's written) "Then" the boyfriend/husband had his hand on her little belly and was singing the song into his wife/girlfriend's ear and she started crying. So naturally I started to cry a little as well.

I'm just a big fat sucker for romance!

on family

2011-03-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

This last week I got to spend time with family I hadn't seen in about four years. That means they haven't seen me since my freshman year of high school, and if you knew me then, you would know I not only am a completely different person, but I am also a completely different looking person!

This won't really be an advice post, but more like a look into my life for once. It's hard to give advice on family since each and every person's family is so different.

I was picked up by my cousin Erica and her daughter Taylor. I hadn't seen either of them in forever. Taylor is only a year younger than me, but we've always been incredibly close.

One of the highlights of the trip were getting to meet my two younger (second) cousins. Hannah is five, and yes I "met" her when she was about six months old, she didn't interact much so seeing her again was like meeting a whole new person. And Molly is three and completely adorable. Below is me with the girls and my cousin Cheri on my grandmother's boat in Florida. They were a handful, but completely adorable.

I spent a lot of time with the girls since I stayed at their house, but I didn't mind. I legitimately enjoyed helping them get ready for daycare in the morning and getting them ready for bed at night. I just love kids. :)

The last day was spent down at the beach and it was pretty interesting. We got a hotel room closer to JAX, since my family lived pretty far from the airport, and just enjoyed my last day there. It was awesome. :)

I miss them already and can't wait to go back!

I should be driving back up there with my mom and my brother's family in April for my great aunt's birthday. So hopefully I'll be seeing everyone again!

on dorm rooms

2011-03-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

I, personally, cannot wait to FINALLY move into my apartment (which I will be sharing with three great friends) for many many many many reasons.

Some people may not agree with me (like my boyfriend who plans on living on campus all four years), but many of you lovely ladies may agree with me.

Here are my reasons:

1. I won't have a roommate I know. I got really lucky when I got such a great roommate (Thanks Bailey), but she will be living off campus next year and I don't have anyone that would be available to live with me in my dorm. I don't want to got pot luck and get a bad roommate. Like I said before, I got really really lucky with my roommate.

2. My closet is minuscule. I don't even have enough drawer space for my clothes, let alone hanging space. And that also leaves me with little-to-no space for my shoes. I'm a girl. I have a lot of clothes and shoes. I can't help that I want and need more space.

3. With that said, my room isn't big enough either. I believe the dimensions of my room are somewhere around 11 x 14 ft. And that includes both my roommate and my beds, along with our desks, our sink and cabinets, and our closets. It can be pretty cramped. We don't even have space for our TV without giving up one of our desks.

4. I have to walk up and down four flights of stairs to do laundry. Need I say more?

In my apartment, not only do I have my own room and bathroom, but I have a large closet, a laundry room AND MY OWN KITCHEN.

Oh, I know that that sounds like a stereotypical woman thing to say but I love to cook and bake. And, yes, my dorm has one but it's tiny and the appliances are ancient and it's diiiiirty. I would rather have a kitchen that has my own appliances and I don't have to lug my supplies up and down all the stairs that I mentioned before, let alone risk them getting stolen because I leave them in storage in the kitchen.

***DISCLAIMER***: Living on campus you're first year is a great idea. You get to be on campus and close, and you also don't have to worry about going out getting groceries, etc. if you don't like to cook. Also, living on campus can make you appreciate your personal space more, and that can lead to being more responsible once you do sign a lease on an apartment/house later.

Of course, that's my two cents.

on airports

2011-03-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

Well, to start, apparently you're supposed to take your laptop out of your backpack when you go through the TSA thing. Because if you don't, people freak out. Maybe I'm a terrorist in disguise; I don't know.

I get here SUPER early (the required two hours because I try and be punctual) and now I'm sitting here with only 45 minutes of free wifi. I was going to play a game of League of Legends to pass the time like a nerd, but now I can't. :(

I'm sure I'll have a nice long flight to rant about later considering flying is probably my least favorite, but most encountered, pastime.

Here are some of my flight tips.

1. Bring a backpack full of goodies. I brought my laptop, DS, iPhone (on airplane mode!), Nook and bought like three magazines and a sudoku book. I mean, I'm going to be cooped up in this airplane surrounded by people I don't know. That means I need a lot to do to make sure I don't get creeped out/on and make the three hours of torture bearable.

2. Bring your own food/snacks. That way I'm not subject to any fees, and I get to snack on whatever I like. I also buy bottled water to bring in with me so I don't have to deal with a little cup that will spill every time we manage to hit any kind of turbulence.

on Valentines Day

2011-02-14T18:56:00.000-08:00

This one might surprise some people, so here it goes.

1. Yes, it's a very Hallmark Holiday. It's a commercialized holiday that get's people to buy super over priced chocolates and teddy bears, but who doesn't want to get chocolates or teddy bears? I wouldn't be complaining.

2. "You should love everybody every day of the year" If I got a dollar for how many times I heard that line today from those cranky peeps complaining about V-Day I would be a gazillionaire. But you know what cranky butts? Just because you should, it doesn't mean it happens. Valentines Day isn't just for couple either; when I was younger my parents did a lot for me on Valentines Day just to show that they love me, and this is the case for other people too. Valentine's day may sound redundant, but for a lot of couples and families, the holiday is a reminder of what they have in their lives.

3. Just shut up. You're all mad because you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/bootycall to celebrate with. You make this really obvious in your facebook status's about how it's stupid, dumb and doesn't deserve to be a holiday. I'm sorry if you're overlooking the true meaning of the day. Instead of a boyfriend/girlfriend/anything listed above, focus your love and appreciation on your friends and family. They deserve the love too.

And I'm not saying this because I have a boyfriend.

This is mine and Austin's fourth Valentines Day together and we have NEVER celebrated the holiday.

This is just my two cents!

I hope everyone had a great love filled day. :o)