its official.

halloween is over. christmas music is on.

bring out the bing crosby and n*sync holiday albums that we all know and love. did anyone else listen to these old vinyls with their parents - cause i have never been a huge of barbra streisand, but it just tradition to listen to her album and i have to be honest, i love it!




{dont tell, but i have been listening to christmas music for about a month now. how can you be in a bad mood while listening to 'santa baby'?}

looked who joined us in their ghastly attire.

super host lindsay and myself hosted a halloween dinner this year complete with table decor and fine cuisine.

the candles were lit, the plates were set, the bows were tied and the places were assigned . . . *thanks to emily, we even have these pictures!

the people were dressed and adorned in their most horrifying attire . . .

the food was prepared and consumed with love . . . too bad we didnt get any pictures of the yummy food. note to self: take pictures of every minute no matter how annoying it may come across.

thanks to all how came and to lindsay and rob for opening their home to all of us halloween crazies!

happy hallows eve!

image flickr

happy hallows eve people.

twas the night before halloween, and all through the house,
every ghost and goblin was itching to haunt me and my spouse.
the cobwebs were hung in the stairwell with care,
in hopes that freddy kruger would soon be there.
the children were sitting straight up in their beds,
awaken from nightmares of vampires in their heads...to be continued. don don don.

shop it to me.

i'll admit, i love shopping; i love finding a great deal, i love touching all of the fabrics and exploring how patterns and colors looks on me, i love rediscovering old fashion and reinventing old ideas for a super good price. so i hope that you will appreciate that i found these great deals today online and i wanted to share them with you.

from top left clockwise - solid boyfriend cardi for $12.99
- ankle fringe botties for$14.99
- stripe slub wrap for $7.99
- lurex stripe scarf for $9.99

talk about frugal. am i right?

not only do i love

jessica alba, but i adore fall fashion. i have been following 'frugal fashionista' for awhile now and here is one idea that i have ripped off of that site that i would LOVE to recreate from my own closet.

if you havent already you must check out frugal-fashionistas.com. i get all giddy finding high fashion for bargain prices, dont you?

noted.

let it be known that the first snow in utah valley for 2009 was on October 27th.

uh-huh. bring it on winter.

i am looking forward to taking long silent walks at night with the mr and spending all of saturday sledding with pals. i am actually excited to make a snow man in our front yard and to bundle up with hot cocoa to catch up on movie watching. oh and the winter fashion; scarves, hats and coats, oh my! what do you love about winter?

tag you're it.

i love getting to know people through this blog - so all ya'all are tagged to spread the joy!


What are your middle names? Kathryn Danielle & Aaron Cameron
How long have you been together? officially dating . . . since September 2007
How long did you know each other before you started dating? a few months. he finally came around and started hanging out with me after my many advances.
Who asked who out? depends on who you ask. since i am writing this and this is my story, i did.
Whose siblings do you see the most? there is no question that we see Aaron's sibling the most - and i love it.
Do you have any children together? no, and to continue the ongoing joke, we never will.
What about pets? we would love a pup, but our small living quarters dont lend well to that right now. some day.
Did you go to the same school? Aaron is at BYU and i went to OSU - go beavs!
Who is the most sensitive? duh. me.
Where do you eat out most as a couple? red robin. we cave every time we think about the endless steak fries.
Where is the furthest you have ever traveled as a couple? road trip from oregon to utah. oh mercy, note to self: never do that again.
Who has the worst temper? me. Aaron only has road rage.
Who does the cooking? on good days me, on bad days 'little ceasars' ;)
Who is more social? Aaron completely.
Who is the neat freak? we both have our moments, but Aaron is far more germa-phobe than i am.
Who is the most stubborn? we both are, but Aaron is always right. tehe
Who hogs the bed? oh mercy i can admit that i hog the bed and the covers and all of Aaron's personal space.
Who wakes up earlier? me. dang job.
Where was your first date? honestly - neither of us can remember (classy huh). i think we went to jason's deli . . . haha.
Who has the bigger family? Aaron, youngest of seven.
Do you get flowers often? i wouldnt say often, but i would say at the right times.
Who eats more? Aaron. plain and simple.
Who sings better? i do - im kinda a big deal.
Who does the laundry? we do it together
Who is better with the computer? that would be Aaron. i am always asking him what new commands he can teach me.
Who drives when you are together? we trade off.
Who picks where you go to dinner? whoever feels more decisive at the time. we hate choosing.
Who is the first one to admit when they are wrong? i am so mean to Aaron - he is always taking the blame.
Who wears the pants in this relationship? Aaron and rightly so, he is better with money, with decision making and is just generally less emotional than me.
Who eats more sweets? neither of us like sweets, but since i have cut out all sweets Aaron has been a lot more than me.
Who cries more? me. duh. never seen the man cry.What's your best day together? Aaron would say "everyday" , close his eyes and lean in to kiss me all corny like and laugh. i will stick with that.
Where did you honeymoon? cannot beach, oregon. best week ever.
Favorite date night? i enjoy spending time with Aaron alone and Aaron enjoys being with friends so we find a balance in the middle.
Couple I imagine us growing old like? i cant imagine us growing old. our bodies may wear out, but we will always act like children. i plan on laughing with Aaron until the day that i die.

disclaimer.

alright, lets face it, no one is perfect.

hence it was not until after setting up my entire etsy shop that i realized that i had spelled "fields", "fEilds". you would think that having a school teacher as a mother the whole 'i before e' thing would have set in. guess not.

with all of that said and me trying to be professional and all - i set up a new shop. i am now listed under 'strawberryfield4ever' and the name of the shop and the designs will remain exactly the same. the one thing that has changed, is that i have reevaluated my prices and they are now lower {i know you bargain hunters will be very pleased}.


dont hate me, i know that this will be a great change. so save THIS as your favorites and check weekly for new additions. winter is coming people, you must be prepared!

as of late

i have been working on setting up an etsy shop. it is still under construction, but please check out the listings, buy yourself a little treat or just tell me what you think.

spending my nights knitting like a little old lady has actually been quite relaxing ;)

until we meet again.

monday i will be unveiling a big project that i have been working on for awhile now {get pumped, cause i certainly am}, but until then have a merry weekend.

when we grow up.

and are millionaires and have the iphones . . . i will be making this. you bet your bottom dollar.

facelift for fall.

no we are not talking botox - don't get afraid.

i came upon this little idea that i think is just the genius that i needed for our little kitchen. revamp for every holiday, switch it up with holly berries or a string of paper twinkle lights for christmas that is around the corner :)

am i right, or i am right - this is cool.

i am inspired -

not only by sequins and glitter, but by this gal whom i just happen to share a name with. lucky me right?

she holds the magic that can turn the simple and mundane to the unique and mystical. check out her site; today and everyday!

dear mr.

today is your birthday.

on this day 25 years ago your mother gave birth to the brother that nate told her that he needed. little did nate know, 24 years later, that i would need you as well. that i would need your support to get through each and every work day. that i would need your laugh to balance out my anxiety and stress issues. that i would need your ambition to allow me to look forward to each day that is before me and that i would need your love to make me the person that i have always aspired to be.

thank you for being my best friend and for being the type of friend/brother/son that everyone can count on.

te amo con todo mi corazon.

we just got word

that the mr. got into the byu advertising program!

below is the sixty second video that he submitted with his admission application.


congrats love - here is to all of your hard work paying off.

so first,

let's catch up with the past few months.

aaron and i got the chance to visit priest lake, idaho with his family and although the trip marked the official end of summer, start of school and in turn cold weather, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

on the first afternoon in priest lake, joanna took us up to the lower rock slides.

mr mom taking easton on the ride of his life - both look like they are enjoying the father-son bonding.

the next day the weather cooled down and it proved the perfect opportunity to take the 3 hour hike up the wigwams. even at the halfway point i was getting nervous as to how high we were.

i have also become somewhat obsessed with our niece audrey who conked out a few minutes into the hike.

the view from the top was well worth me throwing out my hip and wheezing the whole way up. {old lady much?}

the day after our big hike, joanna's father took us all out on priest lake to explore.

it felt so refreshing to be back among green trees.

we had such a fantastic time chilling out on their dock eating, sitting in the hot tub laughing and shooting bb's from their fantastic deck.

thanks to jo and her fabulous family for a perfect weekend!

monday moment

"A few weeks ago Easton and I were sitting in the living room playing together. At the time, I was unemployed, so I had a lot of time to spend with him (which was awesome), but needless to say I was sort of frustrated with things. Easton had reached the point where he could pull himself up and walk along the edge of the couch or the coffee table, but had not yet walked on his own. We were sitting about 10 feet apart, rolling a ball back and forth to each other. Suddenly, without warning, he rolled forward, stood up, and with a huge smile on his face and arms outstretched, he walked over to me. I can't describe the feeling I had at the moment, but it was spectacular. So much pride, so much love, and excitement at participating in this little milestone in his life. In that moment, all the frustration and worry about being unemployed disappeared and I remembered that what was most important in my life, was the wonderful wife and beautiful son I am lucky enough to have. The memory of that moment will be with me forever."

Dave Oldham - Global Vice President for The Arbinger Institute

reality check.

i just watched this trailer for the upcoming movie 'the end of poverty'.

i dont know why it just sunk in, but i am extremely over privileged. the statistic that less than 5% of the earths population lives in the United States, but that the population here uses 25% of the earths resources, really hit me like a ton of bricks.

as an american citizen i feel that i have somehow lost the bigger picture - lost the selfless perspective and in many ways become very obtuse to the world that i live within. why do i feel like i deserve a vacation after a hard work week? why do i feel entitled to the privileges that i have been blessed with? why do i yearn for a new wardrobe when every new season approaches and when did brand names become so very important? when did i lose sight of what is really important in life?

i would like to turn a new leaf. try to somehow make a difference in this univserse and ensure that when i push over my dominos that they are affecting people in a positive way. enough with the posts about dreams and wishes - i would like to separate from those covetous desires that have overshadowed my real needs as a human being and focus on the extraordinary things that bring me joy. those non-materialistic, spiritual and emotional moments that we can all share as a population.

lets start today.

i would like to feature one story every week from you {my dear readers}. i want to hear about the extraordinary moments in your lives that bring you back to center. i want to hear about the moments that bring you happiness that did not require mula. i want you to share with each other those spiritual and emotional moments that have stuck with you and that upon their reflection have made you smile just at the thought. email me with your stories {kaytidan@gmail.com} and we will work together to make whatever small difference we can in each others lives.

first round.

tame: {not so secret} secrets to marital bliss.** This is one of our very first pictures together! July 2005!

our secrets to a happy marriage aren't a secret. they are quite basic and simple. but, if followed, will definitely bring an eternity of happiness!

1. whenever i'm going through challenges with the house not being clean or something not getting done, Kevin always reminds me to just love him. when he says that, i feel so lame. life isn't about the perfectly clean house or whether or not chores got done. that means nothing without Kevin. so, just love each other. look past little things that seem so big but really aren't.

2. i am stubborn. extremely stubborn. i am still learning to let go and forgive easily. be quick to forgive and forget. it's amazing what forgiveness can do!

3. show interest in what your spouse has interest in. listen to how their day was or what they are learning in school or work. it will bring you so much closer together sharing interests and experiences.

these are simply a few things that will make a marriage stronger. i know in my marriage, remembering these 3 things will keep us loving each other forever!

i just spent

the better half of my morning scrolling through this blog reading all of the posts entitled "our secret to a happy marriage".

i hope that these make you smile.

recently i have really tried to be so conscientious of what makes us happy in our marriage; what makes me turn to aaron at the end of the day and realize how gosh darn lucky i am.

"oldham: our secret to a happy marriage"

• i always look back on our honeymoon with fond memories; not because it was fancy or elaborate but because of the time that aaron and i spent separated from the world. that time separated from every care and obligation is still important to us. even if we simply sit down for dinner knowing that we cannot take phone calls, giving each other undivided attention is important every single day.
• things that were important to us before we were married are still important to us - i often forget this. aaron still needs to play the drums. i still need to go thrift shopping. aaron needs silence to focus on school. i need girl time to retain my sanity. in the midst of being newlyweds and being head-over-heels in love we lost those things that were most important to us before we were a couple. it has taken us a little bit, but finding a balance between "me" time and "us" time has done a world of good for our relationship.
• when aaron and i were first dating {in the days of "own it"} he said something that still resonates with me, "if we are both being completely selfless, than each of our needs will be fulfilled." the days when i feel the most alone and depressed are those days when i have sunk into utter self-absorbtion. i constantly need to remind myself that my happiness lies in the happiness of the one that i love.

now, to my dear blog readers; those that i love and admire. what has gotten you to a state of marital bliss or simply provided you with a sense of sanity in your parnership? *please email me {kaytidan@gmail.com} with your list of secrets and a charming photo because i would love to share those results with the rest of the curious readers.

shout out.

i need to give a shout out to my husband. my ridiculously handsome and tirelessly hardworking husband. if you didnt already know - the mr. is a real estate agent. not to mention that he is charming, funny, relentless, determined and a joy to work with.

if you are looking into buying or selling a home, or if you hear of someone that is looking to buy or sell a home i would like to request that you give the mr. a call. check out his website {here} or his blog {here} which are both updated regularly with new government offers and incentives and contact him to give you more information.

shout out to the great deals right now on the market and shout out to the husband that will help you find them!

one challange in common.

“With all the differences in our lives, we have at least one challenge in common. We all must deal with adversity. . . . It is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. . . . The arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger. . . . The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of [Heavenly Father and the Savior’s] infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life.”

Henry B. Eyring, "adveristy"

i have severely neglected my spiritual health recently and finally read all the daily gems sent to my inbox everyday. this quote really hit me hard and due to the current economic times and present issues i have really been reminded me that we {as human beings} have many challenges in common - we are all in this together.

true form.

this past weekend we were able to soak up these last few summer days in northern idaho. pictures will come soon of our adventures and memories of the trip, but i couldnt resist sharing this photo that i stole from joanna.

do we look hardcore or do we look hardcore? true love.

although many

refuse to toss out their flip-flops in the fall and winter weather, i will be doing so. and possibly getting cozy with these little numbers.

one fantastic thing about fall . . . socks.

out with a bang.

sure fall is right around the corner, but the bad weather cannot start until after we get back from priest lake. you hear me universe? after this weekend.

tonight we are headed out to my future-sister-in-laws' parent's {how is that for a mouth full?} cabin on priest lake for some major family bonding. one last hoorah to commemorate those long summer nights with marshmallow roasting and star gazing.

have a great labor day people. see you on the flip side.

the end of summer

means the beginning of fall.

i am really really bummed that the summer is drawing to a close - to get me through this realization period that the warm sun will in fact will disappear, that my tan will fade and that the pool is officially closed i have wrapped myself up in staying up on the new trends for fall.

here are a few selections - pieces all under $100 - that i liked from instyle's editors picks:

* i am loving the leather biker jacket. bad*a meets chic.

calling all culture.

for those of you who would like a little more culture in your lives, i am officially inviting you to come to the opera gala that my voice teacher is hosting next saturday september 12th at the franklin covey center in salt lake. *for more details, click on the poster above.

this is a big deal people. {no i am not singing} guests from the metroplitan opera and portland opera will be performing among many other members of well-known opera companies from around the country.

one of each.

could i wake up to that view each morning - yes please. could i lounge on those couches for hours without the tv on - oh ya. could i whip up a mean omelet in that mod kitchen - oh yes please.

i love the feeling

of being enveloped by space; by bright, open, airy space.

probably why this design appeals to me so much.