Friday, February 26, 2010

You're invited to my pity party....

Friends,  I have so many things on my list of things that I really want to make (a wreath for the guest bedroom, some artwork for the office - just to name a few) and it just isn't convenient to do so...UGH!  I need to get my booty to one of my favorite places ever:

But when you live in the city, the only places with Hobby Lobby's are the 'burbs.  I wish these places were quick and easy to get to...but unfortunately THEY'RE NOT!  The closest Lobby is about 30 minutes from our apartment BUT about 50 minutes in traffic (which is basically all day everyday) AND to add to my list of Lobby Woes, to get there it requires you to drive on the annoying toll roads.  Evidently the suburbs of Illinois are highly valued because you must PAY to get to them.  
SOOOOOO until I get to the mecca of all craft stores, my craftiness must be put on hold.
I'm hoping to make a trip this weekend - I'll let you know if my dream comes true :).

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Some highlights from my favorite wedding ever...

Hit play to see some highlights from the best wedding I've ever been to (mine) :-D
And be sure to give it enough time to load...



If you're having a hard time seeing it, click here and watch it directly on youtube :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrO0H8q6-Gs

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Please and Thank You!

A couple of weeks ago I was getting dessert with Stephen and our friends to celebrate a birthday.  My friend Sarah had such cute little earrings on.  I asked her about them and she pointed me to this place...uhhhh ohhhhhhhhhh!
You know where this is going, don't you?  {I feel a case of want and shouldn't buy coming on...}
These were the cute earrings:


There's just so sweet and dainty and if you sit very quietly you can hear it, "Kaaaaari!  Buy meeee!!!"
Well I had full intentions of doing just that...and then I saw their price tag :(...maybe I will save some lose ends and get me some!)
And while I was there, I ran into these beauties also...oh did they sing my sweet name as I walked buy them:


Oh how I wish they were mine!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Country Living Lovin'

I was reading through my March issue of Country Living:

And on page 60 I saw this and immediately began to swoon:

Look at how refreshing and beautiful yet FUNCTIONAL that is?  I love everything about it!  Where is this functional little space?  Oh, it's in what used to be this:

...a closet!  That closet sure looks small as a closet and yet oh so big as an office!  
I think what I was so smittened by was the desk that they homemade using 2 filing cabinets, wheeled stands, spray paint, and a counter top - VOILA!  A new desk to match whatever room you'd like.  I must also say that the IKEA desk chair made my little heart thump a bit harder as well.
For all the details of this amazing closet to office transformation, go here.
If you have a closet you could live without, WHY NOT turn it into a beautiful functioning office!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs


I stumbled upon this blog on Friday and knew that I had to blog about it (blog about a blog, sounds funny, right?).  And then I realized that this blog had inspired me to start the week off every Monday sharing blogs that I find inspiring.  So from now on (unless life happens - which will probably occur more often than I'd like) expect to see the beginning of every week start off with: 
"Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs"
...enjoy

Imperfectly Beautiful is such an inspiration for me because this woman has great DIY projects.  The only thing that isn't inspirational about her blog is the fact that now I am wishing I had a Cricut (really?!  why do I always want things?)  

One of the projects that she has done and I plan on repeating is this.  I plan on heading over to Hobby Lobby the next time I'm in KY to get the makings for this project to spruce up our office/twin bedroom.  

Two other DIY projects that I wish I could do (the first one is do-able, the second one I'm going to try to find alternatives to her use of the Cricut) you can find here.



I mean look at how CUTE this project is!  If I had kids, I'd be ALL over this!

Okay, I'll let you get lost at Imperfectly Beautiful - be inspired by all the creative things you can do in a cost efficient way around your space!

Happy Blogging!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

From Super Busy to a Slug-a-dug-dug


This is the new me...ugh!
Before I left Lexington, I was keeping myself super busy.  I know that busyness can be unhealthy and distracting and I'm sure that at times it was, but at the same time, I loved everything that was filling my time.  I rarely watched television and I was rarely at home for long, extended periods of time that didn't involve sleep.
...and then I moved...
at first, I was living in Louisville with my parents.  Of course there wasn't a lot to do because I wasn't working (I was only going to be in Louisville for 2 short months, too short to try and get a job; although I did try to sub, that's another story).  I was preparing for a wedding but honestly, at that point in the game, a lot of attention didn't need to be given to it (not until 2 weeks beforehand, anyhow).  So that's Louisville - long days at home while my parents were at work spending the day with my precious pup, Rosie.  Here is where the slug within me started to escape.
...and then I moved...
Chicago is now "home".  Before I started grad-school, there were only 2 things on my daily agenda: writing thank you notes and getting the apartment cleaned and in order.  Because the latter didn't really have a deadline assigned to it, I slugged my way through it.  Now don't get me wrong, I did complete everything, I just did it at a much sloooooower pace than old Kari would've done.
Then, starting in January I began grad-school.  Let me tell you a little bit about grad-school (for those of you who have gone or are in, you'll be able to relate) - they act as if you need to read everything that was ever written by any man at any time during the history of the world.  I spend so much time reading things (and half the things I read, I don't fully understand) and most of the time I read it so sloooowly because I'm slow now (in case you missed that earlier).
But here's the thing that bothers me:  I can do nothing but read all day long and I'm NOT okay with that. I get so much sleep and I'm still sleepy - WHY?!  Because I'm exerting little amounts of physical activity during the day - in fact I'm really not doing much of anything.  I NEED TO GET A GRIP ON MY LIFE!  I need to DO things.
So today, I'm meeting a woman at 2pm at the Starbucks down the street from my apartment.  I met this woman through Janet (her husband, Joel married Stephen and I) and she is looking for a new nanny for her three kids.  Is this something that I'm definitely going to do?  I'm not sure - I'm not sure that she'll want to work around my crazy class schedule (I go to class at night so 5-8, during the summer my classes will start at 4:30) but it is something that I think I need to do.  I need to have a reason to move around during the day :).
My prayer request is that IF this ends up working out, I pray that the sluggish me can handle reading everything UNDER the sun and being a quality nanny for three precious little kids.  I pray that a little bit of the old me can be revived and the slug in me will LEAVE!
I'll keep you posted my blogging friends - even if this nanny job doesn't pan out, I need to get out and about sometimes!

Friday, February 19, 2010

An Unhealthy Obsession

I need to watch this:

Like I need to watch this:

So if I recognize this then WHY am I HOOKED?!  

A better question - If I already know the outcome (thanks to Reality Steve) then WHY am I HOOKED?

i. can't. stop. WATCHING!!!

I wish I had an excuse....
a) My Young Life girls watch it, it's how I stay connected in convo and get them to hang out with me...ummmm I don't lead YL anymore :(
b) My little sister makes me turn the channel....I don't have a little sister and I don't live with her either
c) Stephen really likes it....he makes fun of me and the show...can't say that I blame him.

What is wrong with me?!
I had a favorite (and then I found out the outcome), and I don't even laugh anymore at the fiction and absurdity surrounding the show...AHHHHHH!!!

One thing I know to be true:  good thing there's only 2 more weeks left in this train wreck that we call entertainment.  
Please still be my friend - this is my first step towards recovery: admitting that there's a problem.

Are you addicted to something you're not entirely proud of, in fact you'd hope it wouldn't come up in front of people you don't know so you don't have to own up to it?  (I'm not looking for deep dark sins here, something you're willing to share on the blog comments...in fact please don't post deep dark sins on here, it will make me shift in my seat out of discomfort) 

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Sayin' Sayonara for 40 Days


If you know me, you know that this is going to be really hard...for Lent I have given up my usual obsession with Diet Coke.  Let me tell you, I love this stuff.  When I was teaching, I fell into the trap of driving through Chick-Fil-A every morning (yikes on the pocketbook!) to get a large Diet Coke.  This is what got me through the day.  I didn't drink it for the caffeine (although I'm sure that that performed its magic without me acknowledging it) but for the wonderful, cold, bubbly feeling that I felt as I took a big swig out of my straw.  I just love the way this stuff tastes.  I even feel as though it brings out the flavor in other things that I eat and I often drink it for dinner because it accommodates so many meals so well.  
So when it came time to figure out what I was going to give up for the Lent season, it seemed a no-brainer that this was going to be it.  I know it's only been one day, and I haven't eaten out (fountain drinks are TO DIE FOR) but it's been good.
I see and hear a lot of people talking about what they're giving up for Lent, and not that I'm judging these people or questioning their personal walks with Christ, but it has really hit home to me this tradition and way of life that a lot of people have adopted without really thinking about it.  This comment is mostly directed at myself as I do not want to give up something for Lent because that's just what you do.  I want to give it up as a sacrifice to try and identify and most importantly to see the magnitude of Christ's sufferings that He went through for me and for you.  This is something that I should try to remember and encompass in my every day life in and out of the season of Lent.  My prayer is that in this Lent Season I may get in the right mindset and prepare for Easter and all the good news that this season brings!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Lots of walls and not a lot of moo-lah dilemma...

I hate it when rooms in my house/apartment are lacking color and details on the walls...what's a girl to do when she has a smaller budget and a lot of tall and wide walls to cover?  El Cheap-o fix-o to the rescue(o)! This was not an original idea.  This came from Katie Byrnes ("that's not my last name anymore, Kari" - okay, okay, Howard) and I think she even stole it from Jade Cook so I am not putting a stamp of originality on this one...instead a stamp of theft.
Welcome to the "C" wall (my new last name is Corsi :-D).

You might feel like you've seen that "C" before, maybe it was at Hobby Lobby which is where I snagged that puppy at a lovingly 50% off price OR you might have seen it if you were sitting amongst the guests at our wedding as it was used above the "altar":


So here's what I did (it's really self explanatory but let me type it out so that my blog has some power to it ;) ).  We registered for the picture frames at BB&B (all except the 4x6 ones one the outer edges, those we got at Walmart for $3).  If you wanted to go to BB&B take a pile of 20% off coupons and go to town, or, If I were you, I would just go to Walmart or Kohls or Hobby Lobby (places that have inexpensive frames) and come up with a collection of frames that fit your fancy.  I then went to Flikr and started typing in the names of things I wanted a picture of.  The theme of this wall is "My Old Kentucky Home" so I started thinking of places in KY that I love and typing in the names of them.  Unfortunately, my husband is an alumni of Indiana University and he deemed it necessary to include 2 pictures from IUs campus (we'll forgive him because he lets me do whatever I want around the apt with little hesitations - as long as it doesn't require too many resources, if ya know what I'm sayin').  So I went to town and got a picture of some of my favorite things in Lexington (my wonderful home for 8 years): Triangle Park, Thoroughbred Park, Pisgah Chapel (where we got engaged), and Memorial Hall (On, On U of K).  Then I thought of Louisville and started typing in places from there that I love (Twin Spires from Churchill Downs, the Belvedere in downtown Lou, Downtown Lou at night, Louisville Slugger Museum, Belle of Lou, Locust Grove - where we were married)...you get the drift.  So I did all of this and saved the pictures to my computer.  I then proceeded to use Snapfish to send the pictures to Meijer (they aren't nazi's regarding copyright information) and I spent a total of $15 and some change to get these pictures developed.  Not only was this cheap but it also helps me remember my "home" and all the love that I have for my friends and family that live there.  I love Kentucky! 

 If you were going to do a wall in your house (which I encourage you to do), what pictures would be important for you to use?  Please share, I'd love to hear from you!



I've linked up to: 
Keeping it Simple; It's So Very Cheri; Sumo's Sweet Stuff; The DIY Showoff; The Girl Creative; Mad in Crafts; Making the World Cuter; Between Naps on the Porch; Tools Are For Women Too; Under the Table and Dreaming; Hope Studios; Coastal Charm; Silly Little Sparrow; All Thingz Related ; Lucky Star Lane; These Creative Juices; Me and My Bucket; The Trendy Treehouse; My Backyard Eden; Blue Cricket Design; Someday Crafts; Sew Much Ado; Just a Girl; House of Hepworths; Life as Lori; Somewhat Simple; The Shabby Chic Cottage; The CSI Project; Fireflies and Jellybeans; Tales From Bloggeritaville; The Shabby Nest; Simply Sweet Home; Fun to Craft; A Few of My Favorite Things; Home is Where My Story Begins; Tidy Mom; Chic on a Shoe String; Pumpkin seed Productions; It's a Hodgepodge Life; Tatertots and Jello; Funky Junk Interiors; I Heart Naptime with Chocolate Sundaes; Under the Table and Dreaming