WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

Ummm... this post was meant to go up on 5/17. Whoops....

Sometimes life changes very very quickly.

Putting it Off & Other Grumbles:

While we had a goal to buy a house this year (and not settle!) we were feeling very unenthusiastic about it. We didn't want to look at houses, we didn't want to figure out the steps to take, we REALLY didn't want to fight people for houses. Where we live, most (reasonably priced) homes sell within 24 hours. We have several friends and acquaintances who had put multiple full and above price offers in on homes and didn't get any of them. Based on how we were feeling, we were unsure if we would really start looking seriously until the fall... if then. Like look in October, not buy or move until 2019....

Along the way we decided to start the background stuff: get pre-approved for a loan, find a realtor, etc. and our expectations didn't change. Our pre-approval was done, and our realtor didn't send us ANY houses within 3 weeks. We finally decided just to go look at a house. It was on the high end our price range, but we figured, why not? Instead of going with our lack-luster realtor, we asked to see it through the seller's agent. It was ok, but nothing we were crazy about. She immediately asked us what we were looking for and started sending us houses. Two days later we looked at a really cute old house, and a decent (still old) but newer house. We weren't expecting anything to come of it.

Unenthusiastic House Hunting:

We walked into a 1905 farmhouse in a calmer part of our (small) city, and really liked it. It had a lot of charm, and open floor plan, and a cute upstairs room. It was small enough that we could reasonable keep up with the space without becoming overwhelmed. It felt right being inside of it, but we went on to the next house not really talking too seriously about it. The next house was fine, but more expensive and not what we were looking for.

Our realtor let us know that the cute old house already at 4 offers on it, and if we were interested we needed to act fast. We left, grabbed a Sonic, and decided that we *were* interested. SURPRISE! We started working on our paperwork with the realtor, when she texted us that there were now 5 offers on the house, and that the owner was going to review all of the offers at 6:00 PM. It was 5:00 PM... yikes! So we started filling out the papers as quickly as we could. They texted again to say that the owner wanted everyone to know the current best offer (super unusual!)... which was $5,000 above asking price, IN CASH, with the contingency of the city approving a permit to build a garage. We were screwed. We can't compete with a cash offer, so we upped our total offer and kept working on the paperwork.

We wrote a letter to the owner about ourselves and how much we loved her house, and included pictures of ourselves and our cats. Well of course the internet was crawling... and things weren't loading... and our offer got sent over at about 6:06 PM. I figured, "this is the last straw, they won't even look at our offer. It's 6 minutes late!!" Feeling really overwhelmed we went to grab some Chipotle. We stood in line waiting to order chatting about how we at least have an idea of what the process is like.. and next time it would be easier.

We got back with our dinner, and had an email from the realtor. She let us know that the owner was considering the offers and would let us know ASAP that evening or the next morning. Not 10 minutes later the realtor called and told us that we got the house. **WAIT WHAT?!** WE got the house?!? WE got the house over a cash offer?!??! KC had burrito in his mouth and looked so surprised. I cried, (weird...), so overwhelmed and COMPLETELY surprised!! The realtor let us know that the letter we wrote really touched the owner's heart and she cried as she read it. Which of course had me getting tearier. We hung up and were completely in the clouds.

We had a house! (aka IMPATIENCE)

We spent the next few days working on paperwork, refreshing the Trulia page waiting for it to be marked as "pending", and trying to focus on anything else. We tried not to get too carried away... because we still had to pass the inspection... and this is an OLD house... so we didn't really know what would happen. We weren't able to get an inspection sooner than 9 days after putting in our offer, and waiting was really difficult. I am not a patient person, and I was super attached... wanting to spend every night over there hugging the side of the house.

We signed our paperwork for our loan, and the loan officer kept gushing about the house and asking if we were excited... YES OF COURSE! WE'RE TRYING TO BE PATIENT THOUGH!!! lol

Before the inspection, waiting was pretty excruciating. I kept reading and reading and working on spring cleaning and packing to keep my mind occupied.

We finally had the inspection, and it went about as well as it could for a 100+ year old house. It had a bunch of small things that needed fixed, but it needed new siding on one side of the house and the yard needed grated to keep the water away from the siding in the future. The owner agreed to cover the siding and a bit of the grating, and pretty soon we were just waiting more... but at least we knew nothing could go wrong to keep us from buying the house!

We FINALLY closed on the house on May 17th!

We started tearing carpet out, painting, and planning to redo the cabinets and counters right away. :) For "live" updates feel free to follow my Instagram Stories... where I rant, ramble, and show "before" and "afters" (sometimes "middles"). and if you have encouragement... I love getting PMs that are like "woohoo!" or "I can relate"... because well, it's nice to know you're not alone. Am I right? I might share before & afters here if y'all are interested. Let me know :) 

Well there you have it, the details behind our "big news"! I mean how many things could it have been...?! 

What do you think?

Have you bought a house before? Were you as impatient as I was?!

Despite the lack of time, etc. I hope to blog and read more blogs coming up... because I miss you guys, and I miss this outlet! :) #balance (aside from the fact that we are out of town next week! Cuba & Mexico here we come!)

XO,

Alexandra

March 2018 // Currently

Happy Monday Friends, I hope that you had a great weekend! Here's a look at what we've been up to currently!

Reading:

I read a fun coming-of-age story about a girl who loves cosplay and starts playing D&D with some boys in her new town. I read an infuriating historical romance.. read that rant (spoiler-y) during SUYB if you want. I finished Milk & Honey, and started The Raven Boys series. I'm enjoying them, but I'm not super attached. Hoping to get in a 1930's read or two before Audrey and I's next Roaring, Swinging, Fabulous, Groovy Collaboration. :) Which I plan to post on time for... not accidentally back dating my post! Oy.

Listening To:

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The Greatest Showman soundtrack on repeat. It's not that long you guys... but we've listened to it at least six times in two days. What's your favorite song?! I love them all but it is either: A Million Dreams or Never Enough for me. So ready for that movie to come out so I can buy it! :)

Watching:

We've been getting tons of movies from the library. Some are movies that we had forgotten we wanted to see, others are period dramas for my 2018 goal and for my collaboration with Audrey! We saw Colossal which was not enjoyable. Ugh. We watched Mrs. Henderson Presents - which was ok. Florence Foster Jenkins - which was HILARIOUS and also sad. The Big Sick - which was really cute, funny, and relevant. Sweet Land - was a lovely slow period drama. I really enjoyed it, and find it relevant to issues in the US/Midwest still today (yikes).

image via google.

We finished Stranger Things 2 - much more stressful than season 1, but we loved it. Who is your favorite character? Mine is Lucas. :)

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We went to see Love, Simon and it was great! I LOVE the book, and the movie was cute too. The movie was a little less quirky and realistic, but it was really well done. I loved seeing a gay protagonist in a main steam movie! It's also the kind of movie that will give you the feels, but leave you happy. :) Definitely recommend! :)

Creating:

Still off and on struggling to get going on creative projects, but I did get another section of my NYC album pages done AND I made some more DIY PL cards. This time I did a lot of mixed media and it was super fun. Can't wait for those videos to go up soon! :) Plus tons of excuses to use my typewriter! YAY!

Planning:

All of our vacation plans/times have fallen through so far this year... BUT we are headed to Arkansas really soon and I am super excited to get away for a few days! We're also planning something for September! :) We also booked our cruise excursions, woohoo! Cub and Mexico here we come! :)

Celebrating:

KC's bday week is in March! This year we were also having a staycation, and ended up watching Olivia, while my mom was in AZ for her divorce trail. So it was a little tricky to have a true bday week, but we did our best. We watched a few movies, had a game night with friends, spent his bday at the mall, and had dinner and games with his family. Maybe I can spoil him at Christmas?!

Speaking of hanging out with Olivia, she's a really cool kid. We had fun watching movies, crafting, and going out to dinner. But she was in school too, so there wasn't a ton of time for fun. KC is extra good at helping with her flute practice because he can actually read music. #winning

We also celebrated St. Patrick's Day. It's one of our favorites! We went to the whole parade (it was cold!), made Julia Child's potato leek soup, and watched Leap Year. :)

On the evening of St. Patrick's Day Kira & Joe drove through! We stayed with them when we drove through Dallas in 2016, so it was fun to see them here! We met up for dinner, walked around our favorite bookstore, and grabbed some coffees. :) It was so great to see them! We're so excited that they are  moving back to the Midwest!

Last, but not least, little boo is walking!! :) - yayyyyy!

What have you guys been up to lately?

What are you really into or planning?!

XO,

Alexandra

Sh*t KC Says // Vol. III

Happy Wednesday Friends! I hope that you are having a great week so far! :)

A lot of people do a "Sh*t my Significant Other Says" posts... well I'm too lazy to write it down... but here I've been trying to keep track for over a year now! Everyone thinks KC is super serious.. .but he's actually hilarious. And not normally that serious at all. Lucky to be with someone who makes me laugh! Here's Vol. I and Vol. II.

Here we go!

*while talking about the radio and it's many merits..* (obvious snark)

KC: "You know Rick D's? That old badger."

*while searching the spice aisle...*

Me: "They don't have any Tarragon!"
KC: "Sometimes I feel like there's a spot for it, but it's always tarra gone!"

*on late night snacking*

KC: "Sometime's it's like 10 pm, and I think, 'if only we had some bacon'!"
Me: "Like, just lying around to snack on?"
KC: "...yeah... OOOH SALAMI! I bought way too much, I dunno if you saw." *disappears and comes back with salami*

*while having a rough day...*

KC: "I think you're great, I'm sorry everyone else is an incompetent moose."

*while discussing altering a shepherd's pie recipe..*

Me: "We only have one pound of meat, should we cut the whole recipe in half or buy more meat?"
KC: "I do think half the amount of meat is an issue. Because if we're going to shep, we need to shep hard!"
Me: LOLOLOLOL

*while discussing music...*

Me: "Is this new John Mayer?"
KC: "May er may not be!"

*^while getting settled in NYC hotel....^"

Me: *unpacking to change shoes*
KC: *skeezy voice* "I hope you don't mind if I lay in bed and watch you in the shower..."
Me: *turns around glaring laser eyes at him*
KC: *holds hands out innocently* "... Because that's the kind of situation we have here." *dies laughing*
Me: *looks at shower* "OMG!" LOLOLOLOL

*Thoughts on being millennials...*

 *Thoughts on Big Little Lies - MILD SPOILER - maybe? *

Hope someone makes you laugh this week!

Check out Vol. I and Vol. II of Sh*t KC Says.

I SWEAR TO THE BLOG GODS THAT I WILL READ SOME BLOGS THIS WEEK! I MISS YOU ALLLL!!! 

XO,

Alexandra

January & February 2018 Currently

I don't do "currently" posts very often, but since I'm getting back into the swing of blogging, I thought I'd do a catch up post. :)

Reading: 

Really really liking this! ❤️ What are you reading? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #read #reading #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #bookworm #simplyalexandrareads #thechaperone #historicalfiction #instadaily #flashesofdelight #liveauthentic #hygge #winter #cuddleup #thatsdarling #weekend #weekendvibes

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Feb 19, 2018 at 7:24pm PST

I've been reading quite a bit since I've been better! I read 3 things from Netgalley, a few that have been on my kindle shelf forever, and generally am keeping my reading pretty diverse. I've got a few things on hold at the library, and some of them I have gotten before without time to read/finish! SO I will be dropping EVERYTHING in order to read those this time around! I have a book ban update coming soon! :) I am ahead on my reading goal for the year, so I am feeling really good about it!

Watching: 

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I know I'm the LATEST TO THE PARTY, but we saw The Greatest Showman for Valentine's Day and it was so great. Totally made for dreamers. The catchiest music. Visually stunning. I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it! I loved all of the actors, Zendaya is gorgeous, this renewed my High School Musical crush on Zac Efron, and Michelle Williams and Hugh Jackman were both fantastic too. :)

Lots of period dramas! I'm loving Audrey and I's "Roaring, Swinging, Fabulous, Groovy Blog Collaboration", and trying to watch a few more things so that I have more to recommend in the coming months. :) Also, I just kinda forget to watch movies, taking advantage of the library... because it's super lame to search on netflix struggle to find what you want. Have any good recommendations?! - leave 'em in the comments!

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+ the Olympics. I was really hot and heavy into the Olympics when they started. I LOVE FIGURE SKATING, and I love all of the athletes. Learning about their stories and seeing them overcome obstacles is fantastic! I've got a little bit tired of it after about a week though. I can only do the same thing so many nights in a row before I need a change of pace, really badly! hehe The Knierims were my favorites. So in love, so happy to be there, such a great story. "Come What May" was the perfect song choice, and it meant more for their skate than the other (several!) Moulin Rouge skates. I was very happy for the German team that won though! They were definitely my other favorites! :)

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We've also been watching a few Marvel movies that we hadn't seen so we (kind of) know what's going on before seeing Black Panther. I'm so excited about Black Panther, the movies we caught up on were "meh"... I think we'll see it sometime this week or weekend!

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Another time we are LATEST TO THE PARTY... we FINALLY watched (season 1) of Stranger Things! It was great, I knew I would likely enjoy it once we started. We just started season 2! NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

Creating:

Struggling to figure out what I want to do with this book exactly... but I’m sure I’ll get there eventually! Does anyone do an art journal or goals based scrapbook?! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #goals #resolutions #newyear #newyearsresolution #invest #onelittleword #adventures #travelersnotebook #artjournal #scrapbooking #documentyourdays #simplyalexandraminialbum #youtube #youtuber #watercolor #paint #art #journal

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Feb 25, 2018 at 2:42pm PST

Working on a fun goals/journal type of Traveler's Notebook this year. I'm having so much fun playing with it. Check out the video, here.

Planning:



NOLA - AHHHH! Soon! :)

Bentonville, AR - sounds weird, but museums + cute shops = the perfect weekend trip!

Havana + Cozumel! - is it summer yet?!

Celebrating:

Happy birthday little boo! One year of knowing you has been the best! 💕💕 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #nephew #babyboy #auntiea #gratitude #thankful #blessed #thankfulthursday #stressfree #goals #selfcare #instdaily #liveauthentic #thatsdarling #notentirelyperfect #baby #1stbirthday #birthday

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Feb 17, 2018 at 8:33pm PST

My nephew just turned 1 on the 17th! Happy bday little boo! I love you so!

Trying:

Today we tried a new (to us) restaurant for lunch. KC suggested it and I was like, “for lunch? Wouldn’t dinner be better...?” Clearly hesitant to be spontaneous... And it was absolutely delicious! An adventurous life is made up of small choices: a new book, a new restaurant, a new walk though your city. My friend @jesmil13 shared this quote of Viola Davis’s from Berne Brown’s book today and I could definitely relate it to this situation and life in general: “Braving the Wilderness” - “There’s an unspoken message that the only stories worth telling are the stories that end up in history books. This is not true. Every story matters. My father’s story matters. We are all worthy of telling our stories and having them heard. We all need to be seen and honored in the same way that we all need to breathe.” Yes, yes, yes! 💕💕💕 Thanks for sharing Jessica! #everydayadventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #ramen #ramenbowlslawrence #lfk #lunch #foodie #adventure #tellyourstory #inspiration #insprationalquotes #quote #bernebrown #violadavis #instadaily #liveauthentic #flashesofdelight #seekadventuredaily

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Feb 5, 2018 at 8:12pm PST

We FINALLY tried the ramen place in town. It was legit. YUM. I want to go there every day until it gets warm. I know I will not want soup once its warm.

We are also on the hunt for the best takeout in the city. So far, findings are not great. Though we did find some good food near my sister! LOL

Linking up with Kristen & Gretch for What's New With You!

What have you guys been up to lately? 

Did you get into the Olympics?

Have you seen Black Panther?

Any good period dramas to add to my TBW?

XO,

Alexandra

What Day Is It?! // Playing Catch Up

Whew. What an interesting end to the year it has been. And by interesting, I don't mean that interesting things happened... I just mean it was unusual. Christmas came and went in a more-or-less normal way. We had several lovely days afterward filled with reading, and cuddles, and fun. And then I woke up with a tickle in my throat. A tiny tickle which has transformed into a full-on mystery cold, with a vengeance.

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Yep, woke up on the 28th with a tickle, and am still down-for-the-count. I haven't been to work, I've barely been out of bed, it's been totally nuts, not a normal cold to say the least. I'm so over it, but can't do much other than keep trying to get better.

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Not exactly how I'd hoped to spend my last 6 days off work, our 6th anniversary, or a belated Christmas celebration with my family. So, I am very much hoping that I will be well enough this weekend to at least have a very belated Christmas with my family, and maybe see a movie with KC.

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Speaking of KC, he's been an angel, and luckily has the immune system of The Hulk, because he's only had an odd tickle or sneeze here or there. He has been so great in getting me anything that I need or want, and driving me to the doctor, etc. Thank you, babe.

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I also feel like I've missed out entirely on the "New Year" buzz. Which, silly as it may be, is one of my favorite times of year. I've not had time to focus on actual goals, get anything organized, or reflect too much on last year.

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So, if you're wondering where I've been... why I haven't posted much of anything, anywhere, why I dropped out of LYBHolidayL, etc. ... or not... I've just been sleeping. Please send good vibes and prayer my way if you're into that kind of thing that maybe it will really be over this weekend!!

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I want SO BADLY to be better and to get on with ending 2017 and starting 2018.

What have you guys been up to?! I hope that you all had a lovely holiday and end of the year.

XO,

Alexandra

Me Too (and I didn't think so at first...)

When I woke up this morning, I found the "Me Too" posts trending across social media. Sleepily, I scrolled past it. I saw another, then another, then another. I read it again.

I instantly thought: "I've never been sexually harassed,"

The more I thought, the more I remembered those times when men would say something to me that left me feeling nauseated, blood pounding in my ears. But that wasn't "enough" was it? I was lucky enough to have never been physically harassed. Not something really bad. Not something bad enough to "count". Right?

I even searched "sexual harassment" in Safari. I knew what it is, but it was like I needed to prove to myself that I hadn't been sexually harassed. Like anything that happened to me, wasn't "bad enough" to re-post this status. Isn't that ridiculous? "Bad enough" should not be something anyone has to prove. It doesn't undo the things that were said or happened. It doesn't make them better or ok. It doesn't make them not sexual harassment.

I'm sharing this post, not to prove my status to anyone, but for the people who were/are like me, thinking "this has never happened to me." If it hasn't, I'm so grateful. But I found after my instant certainty that it had not happened to me, that it really had. Many times. And those times were enough. If you think this is you, I recommend reading this, I found it really helpful. The more I think about it, I doubt I know any women who have not had at least one of these moments. :(

I posted mine, and still felt like my experiences weren't enough. I continued to scroll. Continued to see so many friends, family, etc. posting this. If one of them experienced what I did, would it feel like "enough"? "YES" I thought without a doubt. I would never judge what someone else felt sexually harassed by.

What happened to me was enough. What happened to me was sexual harassment.

Early on especially, I was often SO surprised by the situation, that I would react by laughing nervously, and trying to smooth it over with a smile, and walking away when I could.

When you're 14, and a Junior football player makes you laugh, it's flattering that he wants to talk to you. When he says, "it would be fun to see you drunk..." You know what it means, and his attention is not flattering anymore. But how do you react to that? When you're so surprised and feel so instantly uneasy? Nothing more came of it, I never really talked to him again.

You see, when you're 16, a waitress, and have no experience with sexual harassment, and a customer makes a comment that they should not have, you still might not know what to do. I had no idea that refusing service was an option I had, I'd never thought about it. Even if I had... did I really want to anger a belligerent drunk? One who'd spoken words, laced with expletives, that I never could have imagined someone uttering to me? Especially when he was with three friends, and my only other co-worker at that moment was in the kitchen? No, not really.

It happened so infrequently for most of my life, thankfully, that I was often STILL taken aback by it. I STILL didn't know how to react.

When I was 17 I started my college job. (I'm a July baby, always the youngest.) I had a co-worker who was a little overly friendly, but he acted that way with everyone. I didn't really think about it as anything weird, until it was.

I remember one day he asked me, "Hey, do you use Facebook?" I responded that I did. He explained, "I don't use Facebook, but my buddy made me an account. I told him to delete it, can you check for me to see if he did?" So, not thinking anything of it, I search for him on Facebook. When I clicked on his name, a pornographic image showed up. He touches my shoulder, "Oh my God, I'm sorry you had to see that." He touches my shoulder again, tries to make eye contact, "Really I had no idea, I'm sorry. I can't believe he would do that."

Was he telling the truth? At the time I thought so, but as I worked with him more, the more I'm sure he knew what was waiting there. There wasn't anyone around. It was an innocent enough excuse, he could get away with it if someone walked in. He could just, "blame it on his buddy". Who then would have just been labeled, a "boy being a boy".

More memories came flooding back.

As time went on he would bring up things of a sexual nature, or of past-co-worker's (or student's) appearances or promiscuity. It was always in passing conversation, and I was always horrified and uncomfortable. Hew would grin, giving a conspiratorial look. This man had a Ph.D. He made over $90k per year. More money a year than anyone I'd ever known. Everyone else seemed to like him. Everyone else brushed it off as, "Yeah that's just NAME," or at the very most, "yeah I hate him, I just ignore him". I needed this job. It was the only way I was going to be able to afford college. I paid my own way through school, and this job let me work summers and paid me $12 an hour. I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that.

One day, after KC started working in the same office, he was given a tiny closet of a work space. A little back room that wasn't meant to be an office, but that is where he sat. One day this same co-worker entered his office and made some comment to the effect of: "I bet you'd like to get Alex back here." When KC told me what he'd said, I was absolutely mortified, and I wasn't even there. And I'm pretty sure KC spared me some other things that were said....

I definitely think he knew what would be on that Facebook page when I opened it.

He eventually lost his job. I'm not sure if it was because someone reported him for things like this, or for other reasons. But I was certainly glad to see him go. I ran into him once years later, I instantly felt nauseated. Thank goodness there were a lot of people around.

Of course there are the short instances, the ones that I think every woman has had to deal with. Quick cat calls, "DAMN GIRL!" while being ogled from across the side walk.

But there were other times, where the most unlikely (in my mind) people would say something that I was SO surprised by, I can't even remember if I heard everything they said. As if my hearing shut off as the blood started to pound in my ears.

A friend of KC's dad meeting me, looking me up and down, and saying, "all right Kyle, nice job". I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it. But boy did I wish I had a sweater. Or a parka.

A dad at the school where I worked suggesting that he "Bet I had a good time on the weekend... ," panning his eyes down my frame as he walked his kid to class.

A seemingly harmless, super nerd in college, at a trivia event held on campus. I can't even remember what he said at all, because I was so shocked. And then so so revulsed.

So yes, me too.

If you're reading this thinking that you encountered anything remotely like this, it wasn't right. It WAS sexual harassment. You don't need to feel like it isn't valid enough. You don't have to "prove" anything to anyone. You don't have to feel like your discomfort isn't worthy of the label it deserves.

So again, I hope that this shed a little perspective to anyone who felt like me when they first read the "Me Too" posts on social media. 

And I hope it sheds some light for people who have been thinking it doesn't happen so often. It only happens to people who are "asking for it". It can happen to anyone, and does happen to so many. However big or small, it's not ok. 

XO,

Alexandra

Sh*t KC Says // Vol. II

Happy Monday from NYC! I hope that you had a great weekend! :) 

A lot of people do a "Sh*t my Significant Other Says" posts... well I'm too lazy to write it down... but here I've been trying to keep track since January. Everyone thinks KC is super serious.. .but he's actually hilarious. And not normally that serious at all. Lucky to be with someone who makes me laugh! Here's Vol. I.

Here we go!

"QUARTERBACK!"

Me: "how did you sleep last night?"
KC: "I think I slept pretty soundly... though I did have kind of a crazy dream... Ser Davos may have been there."
Me: LOLOL

*taking literal any chance to make a dad joke...* (he's just joking, he's a foodie, and he'll love them)

"Polish food tastes like socks. More like P-U-rogies. Ick!"

*while looking at crazy knife at trashy rest stop on road trip..."

Me: "Is it just me or does this look kinda phallic?"
KC: "It does say "The Devil's Wang" on the tag.
Me: "It does not!!!" *looks* *slaps him on the arm* "Oh my god you totally got me."

^yep, you're reading that right, this thing is $129.99^

"Russian sounds hard. But Maybe it's nyet."

Me: "You like gnocchi don't you?"
KC: "Yes"
Me: "I didn't like it, maybe I should try it again..."
KC: *super proud of himself* "You never gnocchi!"

KC: "A new game I like to play is something I like to call "Spatial Awareness Chicken".
Me: "oh?"
KC: "Yeah. Like when you're walking and someone is completely oblivious to other people, just run into them."

*thoughts on books*

Me: "OOOH THEY STILL HAVE THE SECOND OUTLANDER!"
KC: "Firefly in your ointment?"

^that's actually pretty close. :P^

Hope someone makes you laugh this week!

Check out Vol. I of Sh*t KC Says.

XO,

Alexandra

Sh*t KC Says // Vol. I

GoT was crazy last night, right? The best season yet I think!

A lot of people do a "Sh*t my Significant Other Says" posts... well I'm too lazy to write it down... but here I've been trying to keep track since January. Everyone thinks KC is super serious.. .but he's actually hilarious. And not normally that serious at all. Lucky to be with someone who makes me laugh!

Here we go!

*while buying Hanson tickets...*

"If they screw us out of these tickets I expect to be compensated Hansonly."

*someone has a serious man crush...*

"Nick Offerman is so delightful. He makes picking weeds in a cornfield sound pleasant."

When you give a guy a book. This man loves Nick Offerman. . . . . . . . . . . . . #hubby #meandkc #reading #nickofferman #paddleyourowncanoe #christmas #christmasgift #mcm #bestfriend #besthusbandever #brocrush #mancrush #bromance

A post shared by Alexandra Consolver (@simplyalexandra12) on Dec 23, 2016 at 8:06pm PST

*a discussion related to the kama sutra book my friend got at her bachelorette party...*

The thing he always wonders is: "How do you pull this one off if you're not in the cirque du soliel?!"

*When drama comes a' callin'.*

"It's so easy to be connected to people. Sometimes it's a blessing, and sometimes it's total shit."

*While trying to choose a movie...*

"We could watch Chicago, We'd have to Geer up for that one!"



*I have this thing where I tickle KC, but he doesn't like it... and then he'll try to lick me in retaliation, which I HATE. HATE HATE HATE. His response the most recent time, on the "fairness" of it.*

"It's not an equal turning of the tables. It's like you're turning it a little bit, and then I come over and cut it in half with a chainsaw."



At Juliet's Wedding: "Do you think I'll get lucky with a bridesmaid tonight?"

"Would seeing my butt help?" *this happens a lot...*

Me:



*when I'm having a crummy day*

Hope you have a great week!

XO,

Alexandra

August 2017 // Currently

I hope that you all are having a great week so far! Ours has been super relaxed. We've had time to get groceries AND do some chores, which is how you know things aren't too busy for us! I spent my day off being more mindful of my time, I finished up some audio for YouTube, read, did some cleaning, and made dinner. Calling that pretty good, but not quite sticking to my schedule. 

Drinking: Trying to stop drinking coffee. It has been absolutely demolishing my stomach. It's the worst. But I don't like tea, and I need caffeine. Anyone take caffeine pills? Still trying hard to drink a lot less soda recently. I think it's going well overall. I've had quite a lot of days marked "no soda" in my planner. Mostly drinking water! :) 

Eating: We've been trying to keep many things simple right now to reduce stress. Keeping our menus down to mostly sandwiches, pasta, rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes and breakfasts at home. It's not very exciting, but it's working well enough to reduce our eating out. We keep making this breakfast casserole, and it was great and has made lots of leftovers for us! We made our favorite fruit cobbler/crisp the other day and it was fabulous! LINK. 

Watching: We took Olivia (my 10 year old sister) to see Spider-Man last weekend, and it was really pretty good. I didn't like it as much as Wonder Woman, or Guardians I, but I liked it about as much as I *can* like a super hero movie. haha We've been watching a lot of Disney movies, most receently: Robin Hood, Frozen, Atlantis, Lilo & Stitch, and Cinderella (live action). Otherwise we've just been re-watching things like New Girl and Gilmore Girls. Wanting to be interested in a new show... considering continuing with Stranger Things, or starting The 100. Or possibly something else.

Reading: I spent so much time doing Project Life in the past few months, which has been great! I have tons of videos upcoming, etc. but it hasn't left me wanting to read very much! I read just a few books in July, you can read about those here. And I finished Fangirl last night, which was really really fun, but WOAH pretty long! Next I'm starting in on a combo of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore. I think reading both at once will help me get through any slow parts that come (for me) with reading classics. :) Working hard on Erin's 7.0! I had been missing reading, and am enjoying getting back to it! 

Organizing: I spent some time getting my closet under control yesterday, as well as my documenting supplies. I also cleaned up my desk a few weeks ago which was a feat. It's in a corner... so hello piles! LOL. I recently went through my bookshelves and sorted books in the following way: books to read soon, books for Erin's challenge, books that I can probably sell to the bookstore after completing. It's giving me a bit of focus with my reading. :) & also motivation! Woot! :)

Listening To: hmm not that much. Mostly just Hilary Duff's most recent album. I still love it. It's great for getting through slow work afternoons. I've also been craving a bit of classical music. So I'll have to queue up some Celtic Woman this week!

Feeling (physically): Alright. Still a lot of stress with family things, which equals an angry stomach. But I'm feeling good about having so much dental work done, and I also got a hair cut last week. Still taking walks at work when we can, but KC has been busy.

Feeling (emotionally): On and off drained. Things with my parents divorce have hit an all-time most stressful level. I've spent late nights on the phone with each of them... it's just a mess. Like, I can't even talk about what a mess it is. So I'm trying to keep the stress at bay with projects and goals when I can.

As a 2nd attempt not to vagueblog... KC lost his job in late March. But a few weeks later we found out that they needed someone on a different team that had his position. So luckily he is transitioning to that position right now. No gap in employment. However, I'm still a bit nervous. Working in funding dependent jobs is not really very stable. Trying to be grateful and optimistic right now, rather than worry too much. It's also keeping him a lot busier, which is usually good... but sometimes results in a need for wind-down time at the end of the day that wasn't there before. Trying to roll with the punches.

Looking Forward To: Honestly? Just more normal days with normal things like cooking and chores, and then time to read and work on projects or hang out together. After that? Really looking forward to fall, Halloween, and Christmas. I know it's too early, but I'm ready. LOL.

Wearing: Some fun "newish" things I've picked up over the last few months with older staples. I've got a new method for choosing outfits and it is working pretty well! Anyone interested in a post? Lots of stripes. SO many stripes.

Buying: So many Amazon purchases. We got a good portable charger (finally) which will be great for our NYC trip! We bought some gifts for Kyle's cousin's son's birthday, it's just the cutest thing! Then a few scrapbook items... and then a lot more because #sale. I'm cutting myself off unless it's for my December album or something that I run out of for as long as possible. I can definitely keep using up what I have (like my mini gift albums!). 

Loving: Keeping up with all of my bloggy friends. Even if that's in a once-per-week spurs on my part! :P Also love love loving some new Disney ipad apps I got! There's a Disney puzzle app that I'm losing my mind over, as well as a b&tb perfect match game, and Frozen Icy Shot. I don't usually play a lot of screen games... but I'm enjoying these. They fill random pockets of time well, and were great when I didn't have the energy to read or work on PL.

Working on: Lots of reading (hoping to update my Book Ban info and share it with you guys!), more Project Life (I'm almost caught up for 2017!), a cleaning schedule, bullet journalling, and goal tracking! Also collaboration ideas with Shea! Also, working super hard on budgeting better, and overall spending less and saving more! I think we are crushing it, but I want to keep working! :)

What have you guys been up to lately?!

XO,

Alexandra