you say goodbye, i say hello

A big HELLO to all two of you that still check this blog. I have big news for you both: I've moved! You can now read allllllll my inmost thoughts on life at gatheredheart.blogspot.com so update your links and bookmarks! I promise I'll be posting there frequently. Unlike this sad little piece of the internet.

I haven't decided whether or not I'll shut this site down, but for now she stays put. I was reviewing the Stats (an amazing feature I just recently discovered) and I must say, I'm equally awed and creeped out by them. It's neat to see that people have searched "katherine ufkin wedding" and "katherine ufkin design." That makes me feel a little bit internet-famous. Then again, it's probably just my mom. Which I'm okay with. Thanks for loving me, Mom.

Apparently over 20 people from South America somehow found their way here by viewing my wisdom tooth photo... how and why? Maybe I'm a big deal there. Weird.

That concludes this meaningful final post. It's been a good run, oh, you know. I have loved you dearly. I would've revamped you and continued to use you if it weren't for my maiden name. It's not your fault, it's mine. I still love you, but I'll just be loving gathered heart even more (and you should toooo Abby/Arissa/Sarah/Sharon!)

thoughts on stopping time

my it has been a few months! a few as in six... cough cough. things have been so soo busy with school lately (ugh did i mention that i'm taking 24 credit hours?!) and i will soon post all about it, but for now.... i leave you with a few stop-motion videos that have been inspiring me lately:

one of my goals before graduation is to create a stop-motion piece of my own. it will probably be a bit on the simple side, like "mykonos" (set to an equally beautiful song) but we shall see. hopefully things will settle down a bit and i'll have some free time for posting. spring break is coming up next week -- and along with it aspirations of posting, crafting, and art-making. promise.

thoughts on the third molar

yesterday morning i had my wisdom teeth removed. oooooh man.

let me just recap the early events of the day.

i was definitely nervous going in to the procedure, mainly because i had never been put to sleep before. when the nurse came in and hooked me up to the heart monitor/oxygen machine/blood pressure monitor.... i teared up a little and was pretty shaky. she couldn't get the IV into my arm so had to stick me again in my hand which was a little unpleasant. but definitely worth it.

the next thing i knew, they woke me up and led me out to the parking lot, where my mom was waiting. "you are a really good doctor," i said as i gave my oral surgeon a huge hug, "and i like you. do i get to keep my teeth? okay bye!"

that was the start of my rambling. apparently the anesthesia's lasting effects made me laugh, cry, and speak in a stream of consciousness that my mom described as a combination of a 3 year old and a senile old woman....

"mom, look! there's elmo! (a bus with a PBS advertisement was in front of us.) i really like elmo. hey mom, i love you mom. you are the best mom ever. and you're pretty. and i love dad too and i love God and Jesus loves me!! hey look, there's doc pierce! chris and i ate there once. but they didn't like us because there was a dress code and chris was wearing flipflops."

apparently i was crying by this time, then i started laughing. "this medicine is good. i feel funny, but it's a good funny. now we are going to have a party for me because i got my teeth taken out. mom, midnight is a real good cat. can he sit with me when we get home? hey mom, where are we?"

"we're in mishawaka, passing over the bridge of the riverwalk."

"oh chris and i like it here! we come here a lot! but they don't have very many ducks, mom. they have a few fish, but if you want to feed the ducks you should go to the elkhart riverwalk. hey, mom, you and dad should come feed the ducks with me and chris! oh, i should call chris!"

"well, katherine, you probably should wait until after the medicine wears off."

"okay that sounds good. i'll just text him to let him know i'm okay."

"wait, what are you texting?"

"i love you and i am... d o n e." apparently i spelled it out to my mom while typing it. chris called shortly after i sent him the text. "hi chris!! i love you! i'm done with my surgery. the nurse gave me two needles but it was okay because i was asleep! (at this point i bursted into tears) chris, i love you and you are my very best friend! are you laughing at me?! i know i'm crying but it's the medicine. it's the effect of the medicine. okay, you get back to work. i love you."

then i pulled out chris' camera from my purse. "mom, i have to document this! chris wants to see my face!" "katherine, i think he means he wants to see it in a few days when you look more like a chipmunk." i disregarded this and snapped these pictures:

yeah. i was completely out of it. bahaha... sad thing was, i think i was trying to look happy, too. when we got home, mom had me stay in the car until martin was able to come out and help me move around. once i saw him i started crying and told him "i love you martin, you are the best brother ever!" then i asked to watch pocahontas. martin popped it in the dvd player as i told him "i like pocahontas. it's a good movie. but did you know, it's not historically accurate. in my history class i learned that pocahontas was 12. that's gross."

mom went to cvs to fill my prescription, and thankfully once she was back i was back as well. she then told me the details of our conversation earlier... apparently she had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing at me. martin said he wanted to record our conversation but didn't think it was right. i wish he had... i could've been the new david after the dentist.

regardless, the whole thing went well. the doctor was a afraid i might have slight nerve damage and/or sinus cavity interference but thankfully none of that happened. for the next few days i'm on a strict diet of chocolate malted milkshakes and ramen. and, whooo that vicodin! it may not be as great as the anesthesia.... but it does produce a nice floating effect. how nice.

blogroll, please...

as i mentioned in my previous post, this has been the summer of the blog.

thanks to work-at-your-own-pace online summer courses and my incredibly flexible design job at shine, i've had a whole lot of free time this summer. this means thrift shopping and garage saleing with mom, spending lots of time with christopher, joining sharon every thursday to sew a wedding quilt for stacy, and of course obsessing over new and awesome things found via the interweb.

just about every weekday around 3ish, i sit down with a cup of coffee and run through my list of bookmarked blogs. total, i have 38 blogs i keep tabs on. some of them are updated multiple times a day, or sometimes weekly. others, such as bluelines, the blog of the wonderful magazine that folded a while back, will sadly never be updated again. regardless, i keep it in my list because of the wonderful things that were posted long ago... that i just might need someday.

i'd like to think that the obsession i've developed is somewhat healthy. in the end i am nearly always inspired or enlightened. i find a new color palette, recipe, pattern that i love. i only spend about an hour reading through them all (though sometimes the link-clicking has no end...) and really, i only have about 10-15 "inspirational" blogs that i consistently check daily. that being said, i've decided to share with you my top ten favorite blogs. Today's post will be favorites 10-6, and later this week i'll share my 5-1 picks.

10. Love. Obsess. Inspire.

a compilation of the artful, the innovative, and the beautiful. i actually found this one only a few weeks ago. for the short time i've been reading, everything posted has been wonderful, making Love. Obsess. Inspire. one of my new favorites. the posts lately have been predominately graphic design and illustration based, but author lexi describes it as her outlet for all things "artsy crafty, party planning, tea drinking, high-heel wearing, font loving" and the archives are full of such wonders. fantastic. the blog also features a weekly free printable goodie and a massively amazing monthly giveaway.

9. 100 Layer Cake

crafting your wedding, layer by layer. everything about this blog is soft, feminine and dreamy. it's another fairly new on on my blogroll but i am absolutely in love with the overall design of the site as well as the content. i'm a sucker for anything wedding... i even have a separate bookmark tab for wedding blogs. 100 layer cake features some great DIY projects that could apply to any party as well as some very inspiring colorboards, beautiful letterpress features, and breathtaking real wedding photography.

8. Unruly Things

unruly things is "a style blog updated daily with ideas, fashion finds, photography, design, and inspiration from everyday life," according to author alyson graves. indeed, it is just that. really, if i had to describe alyson's blog in one word, it would be adorable. did you see those flower glasses??? so cute. i look forward to every post simply because of the delicate femininity of it all. i actually found my ideal engagement ring here... designed by kate szabone, who made alyson's ring as well. a girl can dream, right?

7. oh happy day

oh happy day is the blog of san fran party planner jordan ferney. sigh. could you imagine making a living by planning parties for people?! i've been reading jordan's blog for about 7 months now, and it is full of inspiring tidbits for all things party - invitations, recipes, favors. plus, she has tons of great DIY posts... like this and this. abby if you're reading, here's a fun fact... i just read that jordan is design mom's sister! small world.

6. old sweet song

a life full of charm, nostalgia and whimsy. this is another blog that i've fallen in love with over summer break. old sweet song is written by amy ferguson, an art director from NYC (dream dreammm job.) she always seems to post the perfect combination of sass and sweet. i love reading her "blogger crush" interviews as well as the treasure hunts she has in search of the perfect whathaveyou. she's also another gracious blogger with sweeeeet giveaways! which is always nice.

there you have it, part one of my top ten favorite blogs. phew. this post ended up being a whole lot more comprehensive that i planned. sorry if i wrote a wee bit much. but now you have 5 new blogs to read and be inspired by!

pretty little things!

lately i've been doing a lot of blog reading. and i mean TONS. i've always had a few favorites that i check up on occasionally, but with all my free time this summer, i have developed a habit of having afternoon tea/coffee and reading through my list of 20 or so blogs that have accumulated in these months. it has been wonderful! i have been so very inspired... not to mention introduced to the wonderful world of blog freebies and giveaways. i'm actually planning a post soon to share all the inspirational bits i've been finding.

but until then, i suggest you make your way on over to oh, hello friend and sign up for the lovely package exchange. i just did and i am so excited! who doesn't love mail and pretty little things!?

oh, and let me know if you sign up too!

post-it love

i know i haven't had a legitimate blog post in a very long time now, but i just had to share this adorable video. the ending is boarder line creepy... but i can deal, mainly because the music is fantastically happy and reminds me of boy least likely to. my favorite fluffy animal country disco band ever.

hotlinks!

today i did the whole download and update dealio. included in the seven updates was the new version of safari! (oooh, aaaah) there isn't much change to the program but they have added a snazzy new feature. behold:

my most visited sites

it's a very handy opening page, complete with clickable, recent images of the sites' frontpages. as you can see, google is a top hit - for all my internet findings. arissa, sharon, sarah.... i check your blogs almost everyday. it's true. as you can see.

i was proud to discover that facebook isn't my most checked site. i like to keep it real. and this is proof to christopher that i don't spend allll my time on there.

oh the joys of the internet. 2.oh.