Random Ramblings

I've got a lot of rubbish running through my brain and I just figured I'd allow it to end up on my blog in the form of word vomit.  I apologize in advance for how scattered this will be.  I will number my random thoughts so that it at least has some organization for you :).

1. It feels like fall outside!  I can't even begin to tell you how excited that makes me feel!  I expect and am totally ready for the weather to get back into the 80s, but for now this is a great glimpse of the wonderful weather that is to come.  There are a lot of people that live in Chicago that don't like fall because it means winter is coming.  DON'T LIKE FALL?!?!  How is that possible?!?!  It makes me mad at Chicago that it slaps people in the face with their winters and warns them of their presence with the onset of fall.  I'm hoping to find apple orchards and pumpkin farms near the city so that we can enjoy some of my favorite things of the season.

2. Stephen's Nana is back in the hospital (if you missed earlier this summer, you can read more about this here) but seemingly doing well.  I would really appreciate any and all prayers for her and her health&comfort.  Stephen and I considered heading to Pittsburgh this weekend to be with her, but with the encouragement of his dad, decided to plan to go another weekend.

3. My friend Libby that I first told you about here has started her chemo treatments to treat her Lymphoma.  Continued prayers for her peace, comfort, healing, etc. would be greatly appreciated and also prayers for her silly husband, Justin and their precious baby that they may know how to love and care for Libby during this hard time and also peace and patience for their hearts during this hard time.

4. I don't know if you need dress pants but The Limited has WONDERFUL dress pants that last a lifetime and are super versatile.  I'm telling you this because they are normally priced in the outrageous range of $70-$80 a pair - YOWZAS!  Right now they're on sale (ALL PANTS - jeans included) for $39.50.  What a steal?!?!  I have some pants from The Limited from like 5 years ago that are still kicking for me - that would be less than $10 a year that I would've spent on them if I got them for that good of a price!

5. I've started back to grad classes as of last week.  This semester is going to be a full one as both of my classes are very demanding of my time and work (how dare they?!).  It's interesting because with my past 2 semesters of classes, I've been fine with starting back up and doing the work.  This semester greets me with a different feeling - I'm having a VERY hard time getting back into the swing of things...I just don't want to do it.  (I know, I know..."Snap out of Kari and quit your whining!  It's a blessing that you can get your masters full time without having the burden of juggling a job at the same time." - thanks, I needed that!)

6. Stephen really wants me to run a 5k.  I don't know if you've checked out my work-out diaries lately but it's looking pretty sad.  I haven't ran in a hot one and really need to get back into doing it.  Stephen mentioned a 5k that is coming up that I could train to run.  He told me all about the "Lincoln Park Challenge", it's details and everything.  It was only after I continued to ask questions that I realized that this wasn't a real 5k.  He had made it up but was trying to sell it to me as a real 5k.  Evidently the crazy lady married a crazy man.

Thanks for letting me purge my brain of the random thoughts that have been scurrying through it!  I hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend and you enjoy your extra day of rest!

Buttons Galore!

Yesterday, I surprisingly had a bit of time on my hands and I decided to add some buttons to my blog.  You can find these buttons on the right side of my blog if you scroll down.  I went with 2 different purposes for the buttons and 3 different designs.  The first purpose of the buttons is for those bloggers that I have featured on Magnificent Blog Mondays.  If you're reading this and your blog has been featured on Magnificent Mondays, be sure you grab this button:

The next two buttons serve the same purpose: if you find yourself here on a regular basis and you've come to love reading about my not-so-crazy adventures.  If you're reading this and you fit this category, I decided to make two different buttons for you:

--or--

Be sure to snag one if you'd like to add it to your blog - and DEFINITELY snag one if you were featured!  You should be proud of the fact that you have an AWESOME blog!!!  

***If you're interested in making a button for your blog, I used this awesome tutorial to make mine!

Guest post: Remodelaholic

Cassity over at the AWESOME Blog of Remodelaholic has featured my Button Monogram Pillow that was originally posted at the end of July.  Head on over to Remodelaholic and check it out again (think of it as a reminder of a project that you could TOTALLY do and should - hello - they make awesome gifts!!!)

I'm an addict.

Have you ever tasted popcorn made from one of these genius contraptions?!

When we were in Louisville, visiting a friend, we munched on some Whirly Pop Popcorn and it was a life changing experience.  We went back to Stephen's parent's house and I was raving my love for the Whirly Popper to my mother in law when she told me that she happened to have an extra Whirly Popper that we could HAVE.  Oh. my. stars.  

Since then, it's been love.  Not only do I love just regular popcorn, popped and then lightly salted, but I've been introduced to the Kettle Corn recipe that makes amazing popcorn right in my kitchen.  This is bad people, really bad!

Another thing that I think will add to the (good) badness of the Whirly Pop is the Cinnamon Popcorn Crunch recipe that I eyed in the recipe booklet that came with the popper. 

Dear Thighs,

Please forgive my love for this popcorn.

Love,

Kari