Friday's Letters

Dear Blog Friends, Thanks for always being so encouraging. Your texts and comments and tweets sometimes make me happier than my real life. Dear Zach, thanks for choosing me. I don't deserve you & I love you more than you could ever know. Dear Ashley, thanks for being so open about depression. It's easy to think I'm the only one who struggles sometimes. Your post this week gave me so much hope, I wish I could express how thankful I am for you writing what you did. I think God led you to write it partially for me. :) Dear April, umm snow?! I moved to California for a reason!! Dear Miami Ink, thanks for keeping us entertained when we feel like being couch potatoes. Dear Norman, thanks for letting me hold you like a teddy bear when we sleep. You're the cutest little kitty in the world. Dear Seattle, I don't miss your weather, but I am really, really missing my friends (family included) right now. Dear Young Life, I am praying for the day we get to be involved again. Dear Campaigner Girls, I miss you and love you dearly. I am always praying for you :)

The Start of My Three Day Weekend

First things first, how amazing is my blog design?! Thanks to Nicole at Poppy Pixel Designs, it looks absolutely amazing. I'm in love with it.

So I get to have Sunday through Tuesday off (yesterday, today, tomorrow) and I am stoked about it. We would have gone somewhere to take advantage of the 3 days of glory, but we didn't know about it til last week sometime (we didn't get our April schedule til this week). Anyways, we had a pretty fun Sunday!

We missed church - when you live an hour away from anything, there are a lot of opportunities to get stuck behind slow drivers. So we walked around Old Town Temecula - which was adorable.

Lots of cute gift shops, antique shops, and cafes. All the buildings look old fashioned with that wood you can see in the picture above. We will definitely be going back to explore a little more :)

Then we met up with Meg [henning love] and her husband, Sean! We went wine tasting together and had a blast. Meg and I got to meet in February but have wanted to get together again ever since. I'm sure glad we brought along the boys, we kept having to interrupt them if we wanted to talk. Zach and I loved getting to hang out with them & can't wait for the next time :) Meg took most of the pictures so check out her blog until I have time to steal them from her!

By far best quote of the day was from Sean, "So Zach.. how much of your life is taken over by blogging?"

I loved that wisteria ... mmmm!

After winetasting, we were deciding if we should eat in town or trek back up the mountain when I realized Zach has never been to BJ's. When I lived in Thousand Oaks, I was at BJ's pretty regularly. It's just so good. Zach has heard me talk about it more than once, so we decided to go out :) Why is their pizza SO GOOD?! And their homemade root beer / cream soda / orange cream soda ?? To die! 

No BJ's trip is complete without a Pizookie!! YUM!

We also bought paint and flowers at Lowe's... I know how the rest of my weekend is looking! So excited :) Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Did anyone play any April Fools jokes? ? I thought about telling my family I was pregnant, but I was afraid they wouldn't think it was very funny, lol.

DIY: Coffee Can Bag Holder

We have some sort of weird obsession with re-using things. It stems from both of our pack rat tendencies and my Seattle roots. We just don't like to throw things away if we feel like they can be used again!

We save paper bags. You know, like from the grocery store and stuff? We use them for little trash can liners, lunch bags, used kitty litter, etc. It's recycling, and it saves us money. Score!

We also love Trader Joe's coffee, and save the cans that it comes in. They're cool and they can hold stuff. Double score.

I got sick of seeing a variety of coffee blends on our shelf holding the plastic bags, so last weekend while it was pouring outside, I got a little crafty! And I would just be rude not to share with y'all. :)

Hope you likey!

Life Lately

Life around these parts has been pretty lowkey. 

We've had lots of snow, lots of sunshine, and more snow. 

Can you even believe this is where we live, and is (again) an unedited iPhone picture?!

this is what I found when I opened our front door. dayum!

We attended a conference for CCCA this week at a beautiful camp called Forest Home. They have no wifi and no cell service there, which I didn't know til we arrived. Boo. It was nice to be unplugged for 3 days but I would have liked to know beforehand.. oh well :)

We've been hanging around the house and I've been reading Confessions of a Counterfeit Farmgirl, SO GOOD. Its about a big city girl that moves to the sticks... so I can relate pretty well. Plus the author is hil-arious; which I always appreciate.

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I made Zach build me a flower box to plant my pretty flowers, but then it snowed. So I'll plant them tomorrow since it's forecasted to be 65 & sunny :)

he did an awesome job, dontcha think?!

just waiting to be planted...

Most importantly, I've become completely addicted to Draw Something (find me. misskatieh.) and spend all my time playing it.

My favorite game is with my brother in law, Trey. All his drawings are extremely precise and he draws so slowly; so much thought into every curve. Z & I watch his drawings together because they're so entertaining :)

Other than that, not much going on around here! I've got a couple of projects to share this week, yippee! Hope you all got some rest this weekend.. happy Monday!

Beautiful Weekend With My Fwiend

Source: 27.media.tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest

I have been very blessed since making our big move in November. Both of my best friends and my parents have been down to visit already, and one of our closest "couple" friends are coming in April!
This weekend, I got to spend four days with one of my very favorite people in the world. Elise flew down for training at a YL camp for her summer assignment, and extended her trip in order to spend some time at the Harris house! We had so much fun together.

I make a lot of silly voices, and when I am around Elise, it just gets worse. Like all we do is talk to each other in weird voices without noticing.

We talked a few times about how when you try to describe why you're friends with someone, you just cant. We just are. We've been friends for almost six years now and pretty much don't know how I'd ever live with out her. We just get eachother.

Love you Elisey!! My life is better because you're in it. See you in June :)

Lather Up! {My Fave Moisturizers}

This post is entirely inspired by the super dry, cold weather we've been having in these parts! I have very sensitive skin so as soon as the air turns dry, I am itchy scratchy almost immediately. When I lived in Colorado, I loved every aspect of it except for the dryness. By the end of the four months there, I literally needed a straight jacket to keep me from scratching! Now that we live in the mountains again, its definitely becoming an issue. Here are the ways I keep from the itchies! Not to mention having ashy dry skin is just plain unattractive.

#1 I make sure that nothing I buy contains mineral oil or anything ending in "-cone". Being in the beauty industry, I've learned that mineral oil causes a lotion (or whatever product you're using) to sit on the surface of your skin, and prevents it from soaking in to the many layers of skin that need moisture. I don't know the specifics of the "-cone" (I should probably research that one) but I've heard from people whom I trust that all those ingredients aren't good for you either. :) How's that for solid information?

#2 As soon as I get out of the shower, I immediately put lotion on my entire body, starting with my face. I do my face first so that I dont mix my body lotion with my sensitive facial skin. After my face, I just lather from my feet up to my shoulders using Hempz Age Defying Herbal Moisturizer. I am obsessed with this stuff and I like how it makes my skin feel and also how it smells. :) Sometimes I mix it up and buy the pomegranate Hempz.. it's also quite delish.


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 #3 When my skin is ultra dry, and needs more than the regular routine, I add jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is amazing stuff, let me tell you! It is the closest thing found in nature to the oil that your body produces to moisturize itself (just one of the nuggets of gold you learn when you work for Aveda..). I just mix a pump of lotion and about 5 drops of jojoba oil in my hand, and then apply as usual. My favorite is Desert Essence and I buy it from Trader Joe's.

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 #4 Since I live at 4800 feet elevation, it's pretty stinkin' dry up here. Lately I've been skipping the lotion and resorting to pure oil. Jojoba oil is aweome, but takes a while to soak in when I apply it alone. So when I want straight up moisture but not to feel all oily, I use Lavender Oil  or Coconut Oil. (both purchased from Trader Joe's who does not have an online site)

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Not only do both of these moisturize amazingly well, but they also leave you smelling wonderfully!

I think that's all for now -- Thanks for reading!

I'd love any suggestions if you have something that works even better!



Fashionably Late to the Vlog Party

Better late than never, right? Besides, this is about whose behind the blog, and I am definitely always running late ... so staying true to myself, here is my first ever Vlog! Thanks to Erin and Ashley for hosting this linkup -- two amazing girls!

My right eye isn't really that wonky.. it's the lighting, I promise! :)
******************Makeover Monday this week is themed "Pucker Up!" Molly and I would love for you to link up with us sharing your favorite lipgloss, lipstick, etc :)

Liebster Award

*Disclaimer: This post is way overdue*

I started this blog for no reason other than to occasionally write when my head felt like it was so full of thoughts it was going to burst. I had NO idea where it would take me and how much I would fall in love with blogging. I also had no idea how many incredible friendships I would make along the way and how dear to me these girls would become! 

With all that said.... I am incredibly honored that not only one, but two people awarded me with a Liebster Award! 

Renee blogs at This Wont Hurt A Bit and I am loving getting to know her recently!

Victoria blogs at Vibrantly Victoria and I have so much respect for this girl.. she's on a serious weight loss journey & is so inspiring!

Thank you sooooo much Renee & Victoria. It honestly means so much to me!

......and as I was writing this post and reading my friends' blogs I noticed that Jamie  [News From LaFuze] also sent this my way. Seriously, love her.  I get to meet her on Saturday and I just might pee I'm so excited. I was about to give her the award but she beat me to it :)

So I guess I got three awards. I'm like about to cry... I've never felt like I was "good" at anything before and this whole blogging thing just brings me so much confidence and the best part? It's confidence in me.  I do this for me, I write about me, and whats on my heart. SO THANK YOU LADIES!! Seriously, you are making my week!!

Ok... moving on :)

Liebster is German for loved, beloved, dear, favorite, or something like that.

and this award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to bring attention to their blog.

The rules to this award are as follows:

#1. show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

#2. award the award to five of your favorite bloggers with less than 200 followers & link them.

#3. post the award on your blog.

#4. bask in the love from the most supportive people on the internet - other bloggers of course!

#5. and best of all - have fun & spread the LOVE.

This is really hard to choose.. but here goes:

Ashley [christian wife life]

Laina [recycled interiors] *she just had a baby! thismorning.

Beth [Until Only Love Remains]

Ali [Not Hip Enough To Blog]

Lauren [lauren darlings]

Allyce [Riemenschnieder Ramblings]

Love those girls. Their blogs are worth your time. Plus I like to think that they are my 

friends, and I like to show off my friends :)

Until next time! Yes I broke the rules and picked 6. I just had to, okay!?

PS: Fun facts.... Allyce was actually my manager when I worked as a restaurant host a few years ago (and I got to do her wedding hair), and Laina was friends with Zach in high school and he introduced me to her blog! Crazy, huh.

i was tagged!

I was tagged by Ashley of Christian Wife Life [who, by the way, I love] in a fun little blog game!

Tag! You're it!

The Rules

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them on your post

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

Facts About Me!

{1} We've been married six months and I still don't recognize my name as 'Katie Harris'.

{2} For the first time in 10 years I am trying to stop coloring my hair. I have naturally auburn/ strawberry blonde hair and I want to see it! I've gone almost four months without color!

{3} I've led Young Life for the last 2 years and although the free time is nice, I really miss it. Here is a picture with my girls that just graduated [except baby Bekkah :) ]. I honestly love each girl like they're my kid. They mean the world to me & I wish I was better at expressing that.

{4} I think I can fix everyone's problems. I don't know how to just listen, although I am working on it. I always want to fix.

{5} I absolutely love doing wedding hair and/or make up.

{6} Or just painting friends' nails.

{7} Sometimes I struggle with being honest. I am a people pleaser so I always want to tell people what they want to hear. Which leads me to...

{8} I just finished reading The Birth Order Book and it has honestly given me SO much clarity as to why I am the way I am. It has helped me to accept myself for my quirks slash bossiness and also given me a foundation to stand on to make improvements.

{9}  I was anti Twitter for a long time. Now that I finally got one (thanks blog friends) I love it so much more than Facebook!

{10} I have an addictive personality. When I find something I like whether its food, a beauty product, blogging, a certain brand, etc, I get obsessed with it! I think this has pros & cons because I am loyal to things I believe in, but also sometimes need to take a chill pill.

{11} I [we] already have first & middle names picked out for a boy and a girl babe.

Questions from Ashley

1. Where is your favorite place to shop?

Overall, Target.. but for clothes I am a Nordy's girl :)

2. What food could you eat every day?

Broccoli. No joke!

3. What is your favorite animated movie?

Up! Makes me cry but such a good movie!

4. What was your best subject in school?

English & Math

5. What shows are you watching these days?

Well, since we don't have cable I am discovering past seasons on Netflix. Zach and I watch Parenthood together, and when he goes to bed I watch hours of How I Met Your Mother. Love it!

6. What is your favorite blog post you've ever written?

It's a tie! Planting Roots was the first real post I ever wrote and it is very honest, no pretense, no hidden motive. But This Announcement was a huge deal and sooo exciting to write about!

7. What is something you collect?

Fun plastic plates! It started in high school when I saw a cute plate from Target with hearts all over. Now I have close to twenty & none of them match! I don't have any photos of my collection but here's an example of one I would buy:

8.What are your favorite colors to wear?

Jewel tones. I'm really fair with a rosy undertone, so jewel/autumn colors look best on me! My favorites are teal, aubergine, and mustard yellow.

9. What's your favorite physical feature on your guy?

 The way his eyes smile :) So cheesy, I know!

10. Would you consider yourself a "girly" girl?

Absolutely. But I'm also not afraid to get a little dirt under my nails.

11. What book should I get next on my Kindle?

Ahh this is a hard one! My fave authors are Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham, and Janet Evanovich -- so one of theirs!! Unless you haven't read The Help. Defintely get The Help if you haven't read it.

 

Tag!

1. Elise -- Silver-Lined Clouds

2. Molly -- A Midwestern Touch

3. Lauren -- Lauren Darlings

4. Julie -- The Smitten Mintons

5. Alaina -- Recycled Interiors

6. Erin -- Captivated by Grace

7. Lauren -- OK Lauren

8. Ali - Not Hip Enough to Blog

9. Amanda -- Little Mrs. Cant Be Wrong

10. Allyce -- Riemenschneider Ramblings

11. Ruthie -- Chronicles of Ruthie Hart

My Questions to You

{1.} If you could go anywhere tomorrow, where would you go?

{2.} Why did you start your blog?

{3.} Whose your favorite Disney Character?

{4.} What's your biggest pet peeve?

{5.} How many pets do you have?

{6.} What is your favorite feature about yourself?

{7.} Favorite color?

{8.} Would you rather go to the zoo or the aquarium?

{9.} Favorite ice cream flavor?

{10.} Your roommate/spouse calls because your house is burning down. They have time to grab 2 things for you. What are they?

{11.} Favorite way to waste time?

 Don't feel like you have to participate if you don't want to!

Thanks for tagging me, Ashley! This was fun :)

Ahh, I love new blog friends.