Just a reminder,
The Giveaway at Simply Femme ends tomorrow, September 30th!!
There are some seriously awesome prizes so I really suggest that you go check it out!!
-K
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
I'd like you to meet....
Simply Femme!
I know many of my readers on here are also readers at the former "Chic Chat" so many of you probably already know about our big change! If not, stop over by Simply Femme (even the domain is ours, can we say EXCITING!?!) and check out the new... well, everything!!!
Click the link above to check it out, or my little button on the side of my page!!
-K
I know many of my readers on here are also readers at the former "Chic Chat" so many of you probably already know about our big change! If not, stop over by Simply Femme (even the domain is ours, can we say EXCITING!?!) and check out the new... well, everything!!!
Click the link above to check it out, or my little button on the side of my page!!
-K
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New, New, and New!
Good news (for me at least)! I finally got my replacement camera! I mentioned before that I actually had a warranty on my other camera, which was just awesome, since they just sent me a check for the full amount that I paid for my camera. So, I bought the same one (but a newer model) for the exact same price.
So far, I really like it, though I wish that I had never gotten the idea of having the Semi-pro camera into my head... as that's a no-go for awhile. :(
Here are some pictures of my favorite photo subject...
I can't complain, the camera takes good pics for a point and shoot... I'll get my Rebel someday :)
So, it's nice to have a camera again... Ariadna and I took a trip to San Francisco last Friday (on partial "business" this time, she had to apply for a visa as she is going to Russia soon...). We both felt naked to not have a camera, horrible, I know.
Saturday was also our anniversary... we had guests at our house, and had also made other plans, which I will share later, so Russ worked some overtime, and we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant that I had always wanted to go to in Old Sacramento, The Fire House. Price and lack of a reason to actually go has always kept us from going, but I looked in the Clipper magazine, and there was the restaurant, with a buy one-get-one-free entree. I was very surprised to see them in there, but delighted too!
I don't know about you guys, but we're a couple on a tight budget, and I will gladly use coupons any chance I get, even on my anniversary :)
Oh! And here are my lovely roses from my sweetie!
The 2nd "new" is that I will have a new look in here soon for fall! Absolutely love this layout, but think it's time for some fall in here, even if it is still in the lower 100's here. Yuck.
-K
So far, I really like it, though I wish that I had never gotten the idea of having the Semi-pro camera into my head... as that's a no-go for awhile. :(
Here are some pictures of my favorite photo subject...
I can't complain, the camera takes good pics for a point and shoot... I'll get my Rebel someday :)
So, it's nice to have a camera again... Ariadna and I took a trip to San Francisco last Friday (on partial "business" this time, she had to apply for a visa as she is going to Russia soon...). We both felt naked to not have a camera, horrible, I know.
Saturday was also our anniversary... we had guests at our house, and had also made other plans, which I will share later, so Russ worked some overtime, and we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant that I had always wanted to go to in Old Sacramento, The Fire House. Price and lack of a reason to actually go has always kept us from going, but I looked in the Clipper magazine, and there was the restaurant, with a buy one-get-one-free entree. I was very surprised to see them in there, but delighted too!
I don't know about you guys, but we're a couple on a tight budget, and I will gladly use coupons any chance I get, even on my anniversary :)
Oh! And here are my lovely roses from my sweetie!
The 2nd "new" is that I will have a new look in here soon for fall! Absolutely love this layout, but think it's time for some fall in here, even if it is still in the lower 100's here. Yuck.-K
Sunday, September 13, 2009
This weekend...
This weekend...Has felt just like Fall. And to be honest, I couldn't be happier.
I love when the mornings are cool and crisp, and the day warms only slightly... and I especially love that we can finally have our windows open to let fresh air in, rather than running the air conditioner non-stop!
This Saturday was Russ' 27th birthday... he spent the day exactly the way he wanted, mostly on the couch and working a little on the yard...
Later that day, we went to Chili's, and then dessert and presents at my mom's house. My mom and I made a family favorite, a strawberry jello cake.
After making the cake with my mom for the first time, I have a new respect for how difficult that cake is to decorate!! The top layer of the cake is constantly sliding off of the bottom layer, we finally decided to stick something in there to hold it still while she frosted the top!! What a mess! Thankfully, the mess turned out really pretty, and of course, delicious.
So Happy Birthday to my sweetie!! It's been a lovely "fall-ish" weekend, and many more to come... personally, I'm ready for a trip to Apple Hill :)-K
Friday, September 11, 2009
Book Review: Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife
Duplicate Post from Chic Chat...
Amazon.com Review:
Just as A Mormon Mother is the standout memoir of a 19th-century polygamous woman's life, this autobiography offers the compelling voice of a contemporary plural wife's experiences. Daughter of a second wife, Spencer was raised strictly in the Principle as it was lived secretly and illegally by fringe communities of Mormon fundamentalists—groups that split off from the LDS Church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago.
In spite of her mother's warnings and the devotion of a boyfriend with monogamist intentions, Spencer followed her religious convictions—that living in polygamy was essential for eternal salvation—and became a second wife herself at the age of 16 in 1953.
It's hard to tell which is more devastating in this memoir: the strains of husband-sharing with—ultimately—nine other wives, or the unremitting poverty that came with maintaining so many households and 56 children. Spencer's writing is lively and full of engaging dialogue, and her life is nothing short of astonishing.
After 28 years of polygamous marriage, Spencer has lived the last 19 years in monogamy. Her story will be emotional and shocking, but many readers will resonate with the universal question the memoir raises: how to reconcile inherited religious beliefs when they grate against social norms and the deepest desires of the heart.
My Review:
According to Irene Spencer's biography, she is currently the mother of fourteen children (one was adopted, thirteen are her own children), the grandmother of 123, and the great-grandmother of 61. While these numbers alone are astonishing, her story of being a plural wife and enduring horrible poverty is just as equally incredible.
I found this book to be quite a page turner, and read through the 400 pages very quickly. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that the unbelievable story was an actual memoir, and not a storyline from "Big Love", or any other TV show.
While I enjoyed the book, I found it a little painful to read at times, because I have never been in Irene's shoes and felt an incredible pressure from a religion that was brainwashed into me from a very early age. Irene knows what her heart truly desires (to be a man's only beloved wife), yet she also believes she must follow her religious path, and become a goddess on her own planet in heaven. To achieve this goal, a polygamist must acquire at least seven wives (called a quorum), and have as many children as possible with these wives. Though he will ultimately be in charge of this world in heaven, his wives will receive the honor of being goddesses, rather than just angels.
Irene even gives up a man that she believes could have been her soul mate in order to become another man's second wife. I used the word "painful" above, because so often, I found myself thinking "Just get out of there!", yet she stays for twenty-eight years.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading this book, and found it incredibly interesting. I also enjoyed Irene's witty and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor, as well as her honesty in sharing her disappointing sexual relationship with her polygamous husband. I would definitely recommend this memoir!
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?
Amazon.com Review:
Just as A Mormon Mother is the standout memoir of a 19th-century polygamous woman's life, this autobiography offers the compelling voice of a contemporary plural wife's experiences. Daughter of a second wife, Spencer was raised strictly in the Principle as it was lived secretly and illegally by fringe communities of Mormon fundamentalists—groups that split off from the LDS Church when it abandoned polygamy more than a century ago.
In spite of her mother's warnings and the devotion of a boyfriend with monogamist intentions, Spencer followed her religious convictions—that living in polygamy was essential for eternal salvation—and became a second wife herself at the age of 16 in 1953.
It's hard to tell which is more devastating in this memoir: the strains of husband-sharing with—ultimately—nine other wives, or the unremitting poverty that came with maintaining so many households and 56 children. Spencer's writing is lively and full of engaging dialogue, and her life is nothing short of astonishing.
After 28 years of polygamous marriage, Spencer has lived the last 19 years in monogamy. Her story will be emotional and shocking, but many readers will resonate with the universal question the memoir raises: how to reconcile inherited religious beliefs when they grate against social norms and the deepest desires of the heart.
My Review:
According to Irene Spencer's biography, she is currently the mother of fourteen children (one was adopted, thirteen are her own children), the grandmother of 123, and the great-grandmother of 61. While these numbers alone are astonishing, her story of being a plural wife and enduring horrible poverty is just as equally incredible.
I found this book to be quite a page turner, and read through the 400 pages very quickly. Throughout the book, I had to keep reminding myself that the unbelievable story was an actual memoir, and not a storyline from "Big Love", or any other TV show.
While I enjoyed the book, I found it a little painful to read at times, because I have never been in Irene's shoes and felt an incredible pressure from a religion that was brainwashed into me from a very early age. Irene knows what her heart truly desires (to be a man's only beloved wife), yet she also believes she must follow her religious path, and become a goddess on her own planet in heaven. To achieve this goal, a polygamist must acquire at least seven wives (called a quorum), and have as many children as possible with these wives. Though he will ultimately be in charge of this world in heaven, his wives will receive the honor of being goddesses, rather than just angels.
Irene even gives up a man that she believes could have been her soul mate in order to become another man's second wife. I used the word "painful" above, because so often, I found myself thinking "Just get out of there!", yet she stays for twenty-eight years.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed reading this book, and found it incredibly interesting. I also enjoyed Irene's witty and sometimes sarcastic sense of humor, as well as her honesty in sharing her disappointing sexual relationship with her polygamous husband. I would definitely recommend this memoir!
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Awesome Giveaway!
I just wanted to let you all know about a killer giveaway that Bernadette is doing over at Chic Chat.
To check out the details CLICK HERE!!
The prizes are a.m.a.z.i.n.g (Sephora, Tiffany's, Vera Bradley, OH MY!) and I totally wish I could play along with you guys!!!
Go check it out!!!
-K
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Back to School...
Well, technically I've been back to school for a bit, but full time Fall Semester just started on Monday.
The campus is an absolute zoo right now, as the school is currently very overcrowded. I have to get to campus about an hour and a half before my first class in order to find parking, since it usually takes at least that long. The first day, I seriously thought I was going to cry with frustration, it was so ridiculous.
My math professor told us yesterday that there were something like 47 empty spots in classes in the entire campus, which is really, REALLY not a lot. This was also in the class where 25 people were hoping to snatch up the five spots and add the class. Unfortunately, I got lucky, and my name was drawn to add.
I only say unfortunately because, once again, it's a math class. :( :( :( I really am thankful that I was able to add the two classes I needed.
Unfortunately, Photography is not on my schedule... which I am very sad about. I still plan to take it next semester though, not only because I want to, but because I will need to take it in order to transfer.
Well, there is my little update, I hope to be in here more often especially since the summer is over, and I think we all know how summer somehow affects our blog updates!!
-K
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