Tuesday, February 28, 2012

I don't have a coupon for that, but I do need to price match it.

Over the last year in our new house, it felt like everytime we turned around, we were spending money on something for it. I mean, I guess shutters come in handy so that people don't see me streak naked from the shower to my dresser for my unmentionables. And Scootie hates when I put him in a sweater so I guess we need heat for his fatty 5 lb. frame.

So, one of our goals this year is to save more money and start living on one income. (My closet just burst into tears.) So...I kinda started...clipping...coupons. GASP. I know...I CLIP COUPONS. A couple friends in my neighborhood and I decided to try, and I'm pleased to inform you that I'm going to be on Extreme Coupons on TLC sometime this fall.

Right...I'm not that crazy. BUT I do subscribe to the newspaper now (3 copies of the Sunday Daily Herald), check my coupon website, only buy things I normally would but only when they're on sale, and only shop on Tuesdays because that's the day Walmart will double the value of your coupons. They also price match any store any day of the week. While Walmart was never my preferred grocer, we've since converted and figure it's all the same anyway. (I feel like a Mormon Mommy blogger when I re-read this paragraph. Next up, knitting? Nay.)

Larren and I always grocery shop together (cute), and the first trip was interesting. He was, needless to say, really embarrassed and acting like he didn't know me until we paid $20 for $55 worth of food. Now if I could just get the ____ paper boy to put the newspapers on my porch if it's raining/snowing instead of down the street on my neighbor's roof, that would be fantastical.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

What do you know??

Two months into 30. Today, I found a *grey/gray hair. Tomorrow I'll probably have osteoporosis.**

*I stared at both spellings for 5 minutes. Now I can't remember what spelling I usually use...whose brilliant idea was it to have two choices for one word?

**Just kidding, universe! Don't jinx me, k??

On another note, 2 weeks into YOA (read previous post if you're confused, people) and it's already a household name. Yesterday, I was really stressed/bummed about something and Larren said, "YOA, babe. YOA!!" He's so smart.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

So hey 2012...impress me.

I’ve always told myself that if I ever become a stay-at-home mom, I’ll still be the kind of mom that gets ready and looks cute everyday so that her husband is excited to come home. Well, if Christmas 2011 is any indication of future behavior, I want to apologize to LPK right now. My uniform consisted of sweats, t-shirts, and white ankle socks. I know what you’re thinking—ankle socks? Don’t worry…they were never exposed. For all anyone knew, the socks I donned were socially acceptable knee-length. No makeup, of course, and hair in a bun. It was just the right combination of apparel that would confuse those that saw me. I’m sure people were saying:

“That lady (I’m 30 now…but don’t call me ‘woman’) must be SOOOO busy! Her day must be so hectic, for she seems to be sporting attire that one wears to bed. Good for her, fitting in her errands in her jam packed day!” “That girl must be on her way to the gym…what a sport! Working off the Christmas pounds!” (And if you are the kind of person that only needs to work off what you gained at Christmas, get the hell out of here.)

What can I say…I like to keep people guessing. Truth of the matter is, besides a few doctor’s appointments and a spa day with a friend of mine...we had NO plans. And it was nothing less than fantastic. Okay, I did break character (that character resembling someone who teaches gym) when we went to church, and on New Year’s Eve when we went out with friends. (PS, we spotted Pierce Brosnan up at Sundance…he was smoking a cig on the patio, which was unfortunate because not only was it FREAKING A cold, but he is looking a little less 007 and a lot more 0075.)

So on to the real reason for this post! 2011 was a great year…there were obviously ups and downs, as every year brings, but when you’ve got your BF by your side and a 5 pound dog in your lap, great jobs and a house over your head, what’s to complain about? Alas, I was ready to say “SO LONG” to 2011 and welcomed 2012 with open arms. I always love the feeling of the new year…it’s refreshing. New changes, new goals, new events.

I’ve decided that 2012 is going to be Year of Amberly. Now, for those that know me, I have enacted YOA in previous years. This is not a new thing. Apparently I like to focus on myself every year…which is either really good because it shows that I know it’s important to better myself...or it’s really sad because I have to keep doing it. Whatevs.

YOA 2012 goals:

1. Be healthier: While leggings are probably the most comfortable 80s style to make a comeback, it’s quite difficult to confuse people into thinking you’re not wearing the same pants from yesterday. Or the day before…And my daily wear of tunics or what I call “flowy shirts” (copyright Amberly Kingsford 2010) probably has some people wondering if my baby is due any day. Which, hello…it’s not because I’m not prego.

2. No more guilt. Oh.my.gosh. I did a post a while ago about knowing who you are and making your decisions for yourself. Needless to say, I’ve come a long way, but it’s still freaking hard, man! I feel like a lot of things I do are still driven by how I think others might view me if I don’t do them. What’s weird is it’s not my family and friends’ opinions of me that I worry about, because I feel like I’m pretty real with them and don’t pretend…it’s more like people at work, church or in my neighborhood. How dumb is that? So maybe my VT partner hates me because I never initiate going (I could do a whole post on my thoughts of VT), and maybe my neighbors get store-bought goodies when they move in instead of homemade ones. Who cares, right? (Confession: I love my VT partner so I hope she doesn’t really hate me. And I will admit that I did buy a few neighbors stuff from Shirley’s bakery and then pretended I made it by putting it in my own pan and heating it up in the oven. Big whoop.) The moral of the story is that I need to do whatever I can and WANT to do, and not feel guilty about it!

3. Eat out less: This one is haaaaaaaaaaaaaard. I freaking hate cooking, okay? You should see my mom or my sister try to tell me how to cook something…I’m sure I look like a deer in headlights. While I’ve made progress in training them to write ingredients and directions down instead of spewing them at me in 30 seconds, the following conversation still occurs and is enough to make me rip my hair out:

Mom: The recipe also calls for (insert random ingredient here).
Amberly: Okay, but how much?
Mom: Oh, I don’t know, Ambie. I usually just put in a bit.
Amberly: Mom! What’s ‘a bit?’ You know you can’t say that to me because I don’t know what that means.
Mom: I don’t know, I don’t follow a recipe, I just make it.

Sigh. Let’s hope that 2012 actually gets some function out of my new PINK KitchenAid mixer, rather than solely using it as a décor object.

4. Start a new blog. More on this later…but the moral of the story is that I’ve had lots of people tell me I need to start a niche blog, rather than just this blog that is all things Amberly. I’m still working on the format and what I want the blog to be like…so stay tuned. And yes, it’s more than just my husband telling me this because he has to be nice to me. It’s actually quite a few people, including some strangers. And I may not even do it…so freakout.

5. Stop obsessing: I have actually become quite an obsessor. The kind of obsessing that can keep you up until 4:30 a.m.! It can be anything from “What am I wearing in the morning?” to “Are they mad at me because I said/did whatever it is?” It drives Larren caaaraaaazyyyy. I need to stop obsessing over things I can’t change (look…we didn’t add a bay window in the kitchen when we built the house…what can we do now? Go back in time?) and move on.

6. Be on time for things: So apparently I’ve decided that my work day starts at around 9:30. Which means I’m rolling (literally…which is why I’m in leggings) out of bed at 8:30. Useful tip: if your day is awesome because you successfully “ran the gauntlet” i.e. didn’t get noticed sneaking in late…me thinks it’s time to get your A out of bed earlier. So far, so good. (I know it’s January 3 but we gotta start somewhere, m’kay?)

Okay, I think that’s enough over-sharing for now. Talk amongst yourselves.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Christmas card? We're legit...


We had a fantastic 2011 and can't wait for what 2012 has in store! Merry Christmas to all our family and friends, we love you all!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Amberly, Betty. Betty, Amberly.

WATCH THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdpMwp641Vo

If you're sick of hearing that I was on Jimmy Fallon...skip this post, because I WAS ON JIMMY FALLON!! For those interested, here's the story:

I LOVE Jimmy Fallon. He is freaking hilarious, and I knew I wanted to see him when we went to NYC for my birthday. I told a friend at work that I was going to get on that show, no matter what I did. Thank you, universe, for listening.

I called the show that morning to listen to the recording to find out who the guests were, because I was contemplating not going. It's kind of an all day thing, and we had tickets to see a Bway show that night and I didn't want to be late. When I heard the guest was Betty White, there was no turning back. I absolutely love her, and yes--I still DVR Golden Girls. Can't get enough of those broads.

Yes, I was chosen out of line at random. There were about 200 people in line to get their tickets and they pulled out about 25-30 people randomly and asked if they wanted to play a word association game and possibly be on the show depending on how well you did. Of course I said yes! I played a few rounds with the group (and kicked butt, I might add) and they told me to come back in another hour and they'd make up their mind as to who they were picking.

I came back and got in line to go into the theater when I saw the guy that had pulled me out of the line the first time. He walked right past me to the kid that was Jimmy's partner and pulled him out of the line. I looked at Larren and said, "I guess I didn't make it...oh well, now I can watch the show and enjoy it and not be nervous." Then the guy walks over to me and says, "So do you want to be on the show?" Umm...HELLO? Of course I acted cool and non-fazed as I said yes. He pulled us out of that line and we went into the theater where some guy mic'd us and gave us the rundown of what was going to happen. "Jimmy is really competitive and wants to win, but we're rooting for Betty...just so you know." Cool, no pressure...right? I mentioned to them it was my birthday, which they thought was great, and mentioned to Betty and Jimmy when the game was about to start.

I appear calm...but I WAS A WRECK. I don't think I really watched the first half of the show...I just sat in the audience (front row!) waiting for my segment. My heart was racing and my hands were sweating like CRAZY. Yes, the first round was rough. Once Jimmy said 'plane' I was so lost. I had no idea what the word could be so I was just randomly saying words. I know you feel uncomfortable for me while watching it but who cares? We came back to win it in the end and killed it, if I do say so myself. Little known fact...we played one more round. The word was "jogging," which I got on my first guess, so the score was 25 to 5, not 15 to 5 as it appears. The magic of editing. I guess "sausage" was a funnier word to go out on. How did I guess that??? SO CRAZY!

I always wondered what I'd say if I ever met a celebrity. I thought I'd be cool and not say any of those dumb things that people say to them. But forget that! I told Betty White that I love her. I said that I grew up watching her and this was a dream come true to meet her, especially on my 30th. She just smiled and said, "That is so great! Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!" I'm such a stalker. Anyway, it was SOOO much fun and I still can't believe it happened. What are the freaking odds?? Best birthday, EVER.

AND P.S. The camera adds 10 pounds? Try like, 100.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Halloweenies


The Kingsfords did not dress up this year. AND we blew off the annual Halloween festivites at my work, unlike every other person in Utah county that knows someone who knows someone who can get them a wristband to get in. AND we didn't carve or even BUY any pumpkins (and Larren's unfortunate carving skills breathe a huge sigh of relief). But I'll be damned if our trick-or-treaters weren't greeted by the cutest bumblebee they ever saw.

He managed to make one little kid cry. Apparently the costume packs on about 50 pounds and a foaming rabie mouth.

It's too bad that Scootie hates being dressed in clothing. He's had this costume for 3 years, and he's worn it a whole 23 minutes total. He definitely does not take after me. I changed my shirt three times before work to coordinate with what coat I decided to wear today, and then my whole outfit before I went out again this evening. It's about options, people.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I only wish...

that I had thought of this website before "Suri" did. Such is life.

http://surisburnbook.tumblr.com/