New Design (Feedback Needed!)

hey everyone :) have you noticed something a little different around here? i re-designed my blog to a more christmassy theme. i got the background from shabbyblogs.com and made the header myself.

what do you think? i really need some feedback please! i don't know if it's too "matchy-matchy" or what. so please let me know your thoughts! thank you :)

-kaylee

Ramblings of a Random Teenage Girl

wow... that post title was kind of long, but what can i say? it describes this post perfectly! i have so many things on my mind right now. i decided i would summarize all my thoughts into one post. is that cool? cool.

1. thanksgiving  I had a lovely thanksgiving this year. i am very ashamed of myself that i didn't take any pictures, and i apologize for that. we had an average thanksgiving dinner. you know... turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, stuffing, yams, casserole, etc. the usual. 

my cousin and i designed a thankful tree for everyone to list what they're thankful for on the leaves provided. the tree filled up pretty fast, and we all realized the many things we are thankful for.

and look what  my youth leader painted on my nails:

how cute are they? it's a little turkey! ;)

2. black friday  have you every been black friday shopping? it is INTENSE. i have never been before until this year. my friend, danielle, and her mom and sister, and i went for the fun of it at 3:00 in the MORNING. we get there to the first store, just to see what we could find, and there was already a line the wrapped around the whole store. crazy right?

well, we were getting tired of the store (not that we were already tired in the first place) so we decided to get some breakfast. i have a picture of us at the restaurant, but i'm doing you all a favor and not putting it up. ;)

later that day around 9:00 am we went to the mall to do actual shopping. we found a lot of good deals, and i bought a lot of new clothes, spending every dollar of my money. :) did you go black friday shopping? what was it like?

3. the urge  lately, i have been having the urge to take pictures. is that weird? i haven't been taking pictures as often as i want to. i take a few here and there, but not any i am really proud of. i guess that's just what happens to a beginner photographer. do any of you photographers ever feel that way? 

here is one of my recent shots i've taken:

tree bokeh

this is actually one of my very first bokeh shots!

4. christmas  raise your hand if you are excited for christmas! *raises hand* (yes, i do realize i can't see any of you're hands right now.) just the fact that we don't have school for 10+ days sounds amazing. drinking more hot chocolate, watching christmas movies, seeing the all the pretty lights, decorating your house with red and green... the list can go on forever. 

{via}

also the fact that i have more opportunities to take more pictures gets me excited! nerd much? yes. what are you excited about for christmas this year?

hahahh! this is me... with a beard. don't judge. ;) gotta love picnik!

and last but not least...

5. welcome! to my new followers, that is. i'm so happy you stopped by and clicked on that little button of mine that says "follow"! please stay as long as you want. :)as long as you're not a creeper. creepers aren't welcome. ;) anywhoo... that number is slowly growing so THANK YOU!

well, that is all i have to say now my friends. thank you again! until next time...

-kaylee

p.s.- please check out my poll on the side bar! i want to know your thoughts. :)

p.s.s.- thanks to anyone who read that whole post. i just realized it was kind of long. brownie points for you!

Thanksgiving

today is thanksgiving and i am oh-so-excited! today, is one of my favorite holidays. not only because of the food that we get to eat, but because of the meaning. my family and i will be feasting at my cousins home here, in southern utah. i hope there will be lots of good food. especially pumpkin pie! mmmm, my favorite. :) what's your favorite thing to eat at thanksgiving?

i was thinking... what does thanksgiving really mean? it doesn't mean to just eat and stuff your faces all day. i know it is a day of thanks, but i wanted to see what the real definition was. so i went to good ol' dictionary.com and typed in thanksgiving. here is the definition that came up:

thanksgiving

-noun

1. the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, esp. to god.
2. and expression of thanks

ok... so basically that means to be grateful and give thanks. that's pretty simple, right? well, if it's that simple... why isn't it thanksgiving everyday?

this upcoming video is a video that was made by my church. it isn't just made for the members of our church. it applies to anyone who celebrates thanksgiving. if you are interested, please watch. it has a great meaning. :)

i'm not meaning to be religious here, i'm just stating my opinion and beliefs on this holiday. :) thanks for reading and i hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving!♥

p.s.- the last 5 things i'm thankful for today:

1. all of my family
2. things that bring me joy
3. good weather
4. the president of my church
5. shoes :)

be sure to link up for today on this post if you're participating!

-kaylee

Quote of the Day no. 2

i love quotes. so sharing a "quote of the day" at least once a week on my blog will probably be one of my new favorite things. :) so with that said... here is today's quote:

{via}

"life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. so, love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. and believe that everything happens for a reason... if you get a chance- take it; if it changes your life- let it. nobody said that is would be easy... they just promised it would be worth it."

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5 things i'm thankful for today:

1. transportation
2. technology
3. a house to live in
4. the sunrise/sunset
5. the earth

be sure to link up for today on this post if you're participating!

-kaylee

If I were...

I saw this tag from Olivia over at (of) HorseFeathers, and thought I would join. :)

If I were a gemstone, I’d be an amethyst.

If I were a scent, I’d be the smell of rain.

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be a comfy but cute pair of flats.

If I were the weather, I would be sunny with a slight breeze.

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a huge smile. :D

If I were a car, I'd be an aqua convertible slug bug. 

If I were a time of day, I’d be the sunset.

If were a month, I’d be October.

If I were a place, I'd be a beach shore.

If I were a liquid, I’d be hot chocolate.

If I were a taste, I’d be the taste of chocolate.

If I were a sea animal, I’d be a starfish.

If I were a food, I’d be a taco. :)

If I were a color, I'd be purple!

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a piano.

If I were a flower, I’d be a daffodil.

If I were a song, I’d be the song that has a great meaning but fun to listen to.

If I were a planet, I’d  be Earth. :)

If I were an object, I would be red nail polish. (random)

If I were a fruit, I'd be a raspberry.

If I were a sound, I’d be the sound of rain hitting the window.

If I were a day of the week, I’d be Saturday.

If you were to take this tag, what would your answers be?

Link up. This tag is for everyone.

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5 things that I'm grateful for today:

1. being able to laugh
2. electricity
3. hot showers
4. nature
5. the ability to learn

be sure to link up for today on this post if you're participating!


-kaylee

Music Monday no. 2

i'm so in love with this song.

and the rest of her album.

please listen.

that is all :)

lyrics to enchanted by taylor swift:

Here I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking
smiles
Same old tired, lonely place
Walls of insincerity
Shifiting eyes and vancancy vanished when I saw your
face
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you

Your eyes whispered "have we met?"
Across the room your silhouette starts to make it's way
to me
The playful conversation starts
Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in
secrecy
And it was enchanting to meet you
All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

The lingering question kept me up
2am, who do you love?
I wonder till I'm wide awake
Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my
door
I'd open up and you would say,
It was enchanted to meet you
All I know is I was enchanted to meet you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

This is me praying that this was the very first page
Not where the story line ends
My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again
These are the words I held back as I was leaving too
soon
I was enchanted to meet you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you
Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
This night is flawless, don't you let it go
I'm wonderstruck, dancing around all alone
I'll spend forever wondering if you knew
I was enchanted to meet you

Please don't be in love with someone else
Please don't have somebody waiting on you*

what do you think?

*those last two lines are my favorite lines of the song. :)

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5 things i'm grateful for today:

1. a good education. even though it can get stressful sometimes.
2. best friends
3. great music to get keep me happy. ;)
4. my fridge (silly, but true!)
5. my good health

be sure to link up for today on this post if you're participating!

-kaylee

Thankful

we tend to take things for granted and most of us don't take the time to be thankful for what we have.
with this upcoming week being thanksgiving i thought that this would be the perfect time to list things i am thankful for. starting today until thanksgiving, i will post 5 things that i am grateful for that day.  i thought it would be fun for everyone to do this too so we can all be grateful and give thanks.

so with that said, i made a cute little button and added a linky tool at the bottom of this post for everybody to link up!

<center><a href="http://thisiskaylee.blogspot.com/2010/11/thankful.html"><img border="0" src="http://i558.photobucket.com/albums/ss30/kaylee188/blog%20stuff/givethanks.png" /></a></center>

all you have to do is write a post listing 5 things your grateful for that day, grab the code (underneath the button) and paste into your post, and then link up at the bottom. :)

sooo...
the 5 things I'm grateful for today are:

1. a warm house for shelter
2. my church and religion
3. caring parents
4. a nice, comfy bed to sleep on ;)
5. the rain we received today!

see it's that easy! now, it's your turn!

Confessions

this idea came from another blog i read, pastor's girl's ponderings. :)

confession- i'm a shopaholic.

psyche. i'm not. i just felt like saying that because i love the movie "confessions of a shopaholic."

confession- although i say i'm not a shopaholic, i finally bought this shirt from this post today. i was so happy when i found it in the store & my size, too!

confession- i'm obsessed with cupcakes. i saw a keep calm and eat a cupcake journal at barnes & noble and gasped... really loud and dramatically. i also saw a cupcake 2011 calendar and i was really tempted to buy it! and ALSO there was a cupcake necklace that i wanted oh so badly, just for the fun of it. actual cupcakes themselves are pretty amazing too.

confession- i'm secretly unhappy.

confession- i need someone to vent my feelings to without them judging me.

confession- i watch every new episode of big time rush with one of my best friends, danielle. :)

This is us, having fun at the mall. :)

confession- i hate vegetables. (random!)

confession- twitter has taken over my life. not really... but pretty close. ;)

confession- thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. besides christmas of course.

confession- i'm just like any other teenage girl who takes pictures of herself in the mirror with her cell phone. i'm cool like that. dont judge!

confession- i work and think best late at night.

confession- i very much dislike (trying not to use the word hate) harry potter! *gasp* ok... i don't really hate it, i just don't find it interesting in any way.

confession- i usually don't get to bed until about 11:30-midnight on school nights. then after school almost everyday, i take a nap. ha!

ahh, that felt good to get off my chest!

have a good day everybody. :)

-kaylee
p.s.- all these pictures were taken from my phone. sorry for the bad quality!

Quote of the Day

{via}

"being happy doesn't mean that everything is perfect. it means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections."

♥

-kaylee

Recipe: Lemon Cookies

looking for a super easy and yummy cookie recipe? well i've got the perfect one! if you like lemon then you will definitely like this recipe. i got home from school today and in was in a baking mood. i wanted to make something fast and easy but enjoyable. so this is what i came up with...

lemon cake mix cookies

ingredients:

1 pkg. of lemon duncan hines cake mix

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup flour

2 eggs

directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees

- in a medium bowl, mix all ingredients until it is thoroughly combined

- cover a baking sheet with waxed paper
- use a 1" cookie scoop and scoop onto pan

- bake for 10 minutes

- cool for about 3-5 minutes
*optional: you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top, too!

- enjoy!

easy as pie. i don't really understand why the saying says easy as pie because in reality, pie isn't easy to make! okay, i'm getting off subject.

anywhooo, you should give this recipe a try. it's uber easy to make! you don't have to use lemon either. you can substitute the cake mix for chocolate, etc. but make sure it is the duncan hines brand. so give it a try!

what is your favorite kind of cookie?


-kaylee

My Winter Fashion

so here's the story:

after going to a movie called "it's you again" (super cute and hilarious movie btw) with a few friends we walked to the mall nearby. the mall was about to close but we obviously didn't care.

we walked in and saw all the stores decorated for christmas. *LOVE* we stopped at a few of our favorite stores before they closed and lemme tell ya... i am soo ready for christmas. not only for the presents and the delicous food but for the shopping! since i am earning money faster now, i think i'm going to save up a lot of it so i can buy some cute clothes for the winter.

want to see some of my favorite items right now? good becuse i'm going to show you anyways. ;) {a lot of it is from the same store fyi} and before i show you, let me just say that i am not a fashionista and i suck at fasion. but i do love to shop and i can usually pick out some decent outfits. ha!

1. boots!

ok these look cuter in person! just sayin'

from HERE and HERE.

2. sweaters and cardi's

from HERE and HERE.

3. cute graphic t's

it's true!

how cute is that owl?!

You could easily wear these with a sweater and/or a scarf to wear for winter!

from HERE, HERE, and HERE.

4. jeans

from HERE

5. accessories 

from HERE and HERE.

wow! that's a lot of clothes! ;) these are just a few things that are on my wishlist of things to buy. these items are all great in my opinion. you should also check out the links. they're some of my favorite places to shop!

which item do like best? what are you wearing this winter?

-kaylee

a fall tag

i haven't done a tag post for a while, so i will go ahead and do one today based on fall!

1. favorite smell? cinnamon candles.
2. favorite food? i love to eat chicken noodle soup during the fall.
3. favorite color? purple! but for the fall, i love the color yellow or a dark blue or gray.
4. favorite drink? hot chocolate all the way!
5. favorite treat? pumpkin pie. yum!
6. favorite place to go? my family and i love to go to the apple orchard and pick apples and look at all the fall leaves on the apple trees.
7. favorite candy? a snickers bar! seriously i've eaten so many of the fun-sized ones. ;)
8. favorite clothing to wear? a scarf and fuzzy slipper socks.
9. favorite fall holiday? thanksgiving, duh.
10. favorite haunted place? i hate haunted places actually. i hate being scared. haha i'm a wimp when it comes to that kind of stuff.
11. favorite pie? i'm not a big fan of pie, and the only pie i will eat is pumpkin pie.
12. favorite fall hobby? photography. :) there are so many pretty things to take pictures of!
13. favorite fall sight? zions national park here in utah. it's soo pretty there!
14. overall favorite thing about fall? the holidays and great weather!

i tag anyone who wants to participate. :)

-kaylee

Music Monday

music. who doesn't love music?! seriously. music always puts me in a great mood.

i've seen a couple of other people do this on their blogs, so i thought i would do it too... just for fun!

a few of my favorite songs right now are...

which song is your favorite? what are you favorite songs right now?

Recap

hello everyone! sorry i've been gone for so long. i have so many things going on lately, so here is a recap on what's been happening! starting with halloween.... {which was like 2 weeks ago!}

1. halloween night  i dressed up as a greek goddess, and went to a halloween party that i was co-hosting with my friend, sadie! ;) we played numerous games, ate plenty of junk food, and watched a creepy and suspenseful movie! about 20 of our friends came and we had a blast. :)

Here is my costume. :) Sorry for the grainy picture.

2. school, school, school  and even MORE school  i've had so much homework lately, it's not even funny! book reports, science projects, math problems, foods and nutrition tests, spanish conjugating, scripture studying, and much more! it's intense. i got high honor roll last quarter, so i'm hoping all the homework this quarter will pay off and i can receive the honor roll award again.

3. babysitting  recently, a lady in my neighborhood has asked me to babysit her two little girls while she works a couple times a week. she asked me to babysit 2 or 3 times a week, for a couple of hours each day. i'm really excited about this because i get paid quite a bit, which means i will be able to provide the things i need for myself! no more begging mom and dad for money when i need to go somewhere. ;)

the next few are pretty random...

4. taylor swift  her new CD "speak now" is one of my favorite things to listen to right now. her music is so real, and catchy. i just love it! my faves from the CD are speak now, mine, and mean. have you listened to her new cd? what is your favorite song?

5. etsy  i have been searching etsy lately, and i found some amazing jewelry that will be on my christmas list this year. observe...

i love them all! which one is your favorite?

so there is a little recap of my life. again, sorry for not posting!

-kaylee

p.s.- #2 and #3 are the major reasons why i can't post as often. but i will try to post something every weekend, and if i'm lucky atleast once or twice during the week! :)