Post-baby Swimwear

I survived swimsuit shopping post-baby! Just kidding. It really wasn't all that bad. After practically living in a tankini set last summer while VERY preg-o, I knew that was the way for me to go this year too. Funny thing is that I have 5 + bikinis all in great condition, but just aren't screaming WEAR ME! And, as I learned last year, the less area for me to have to put sunscreen on the better. I also like being able to walk around the pool area, trek to my car, etc. more modestly covered, which is all possible due to the invention of the tankini. So, I went out to KOHLS (Remember, I still live in Logan), and found some fun mix-and-match sets, plus I got some awesome deals and coupons after signing up for their mailing list online. Surprisingly their swim area was very much picked through, but I still came away with these cute little numbers just in time for Benjamin's swim classes. I'm still feeling as excited about the water as I did last year, so here we go!

I went for the one on the left. Doesn't this model look like Charlotte from Sex and the City?

They didn't have any more of this paisley top :( but I did get these coral bottoms. I love CORAL!

This top works great with the coral bottoms, and is very comfortable.

Upcoming Gift Show at Thanksgiving Point

katemarki designs won't be there, but I thought I'd still pass along the info. for those of you in the south end of Utah who may be interested....

We are pleased to announce… Thanksgiving Point as the location of the Spring 2010 Beehive Bazaar!

Mark your calenders, here are the dates:

- Wednesday May 5th, 8pm - midnight (VIP Night)**
- Thursday May 6th, 10am - 10pm
- Friday May 7th, 10am - 10pm
- Saturday May 8th, 10am - 8pm

**There will be an $8 cover charge on Wednesday VIP night.  All other days- attendance is free. Tickets will go on sale Monday March 29th. Stay tuned for more details!http://thebeehivebazaar.com/next-event/

What a success!

The premiere of katemarki designs went really, really well. I was relieved to have all my merchandise finished, tagged, and boxed in my car the night before, and was greeted by my incredibly willing parents Friday to get the show on the road! The rain that morning had me a bit worried, but luckily I snagged a spot in the loading dock and everything stayed nice and dry. 


Set-up needed to be done in a hurry (we only had a black drape on a pipe and 1 folding table from the event center), but thankfully all of our displays came to life just as we had visualized and planned; I couldn't be more thrilled with how it all turned out!

Below are some close-up pics of what's been in the works over the past few months...since I wasn't sure how much product would be needed, I still have some things left, so if you're interested in anything shown below, please leave a comment here! I may take on some custom orders in the future as well.

Sachets of either flower magnets or pins, along with katemarki stickered bags and ribbon for those who wanted to pick their own bouquet.

These make for perfect gifts for a variety of occasions (Mothers Day, bridal or baby showers, wedding favors, or my favorite reason....just because!), and if you're like me, you know how convenient it is to keep cute gifts on hand!

My bookshelf of framed quotes, doorknob hangings, and plaques

This idea came to me while pregnant. Since I planned to nurse I wanted to have something to let people know not to disturb us, so I came up with this saying: "Feeding Baby" on one side, and "Sleeping Baby" on the other.

and this one which is "Good Night" on one side and "Night Owl" on the other. I also did some with "DAD time" on one side, "MOM time" on the other, "Beauty Time" and "Relaxing Time" and "Knock knock. Who's There?" and Owl: "Hoo." "Hoo Who?" 

Two of my favorite quotes. Left: "There are old friends, there are new, there are false friends, there are true. But it matters not to me whom my other friends may be, just so I have a friend in you."  and Right: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about CREATING yourself."

How cute are buttons!? I also like this saying..."Babies are such a nice way to start people."

This one is sweet too..."Dreams too big are just the right size." and...another Cute as a button frame!

I've always liked finding fun ways to say something sweet, so I wrote some cute sayings and attached them to clothes pins. Cheaper than a greeting card, and reusable!

Now for my AMAZING sister, Jenna...

Doesn't she have such an amazing eye for pattern and color? I LOVE LOVE LOVE these (3) lap quilts that she did. 

and these super creative fames that allow you to insert a photo between the slots and come with a beautiful grosgrain ribbon for hanging.

and these! I love adding just a touch of color and pattern to my wardrobe.

Again, many thanks to all of my friends and family who stopped by and helped, and to those of you who even made a purchase! I also really appreciate all of the positive feedback and endless support that kept me working hard. This was a dream come true, and such a nice way to spend time with all of the people who I enjoy spending time with!

Bring on OKC!

Another awesome couple of games on the Utah Jazz home court. I knew we'd have a definite advantage playing here, but I've been VERY impressed with EVERY PLAYER on our bench!
Here's a quick rundown of my fav. moments:

• Harpring: "Put 'um in the blender!" and "DUNK everything!"
• "This is what away teams have to expect when playing in JAZZLAND, although I do think our fans could do a bit better. I only give them a B+."
• "Buckle Up!"
• After Millsap fouled out Fesenko- aka The Big Fella stepped in. Harpring commented on how he didn't think he's quite 4th quarter clutch material, but later asked who said that after he made a shot and free throws!
• "Thank God for C.J."
• Sign in the crowd that read "BRING ON OKC!" I asked Bart if that was a joke, as I assumed the Lakers were up in that series, but guess what- they're tied! This is important because if we win this series, that's who we'll play next! Have I mentioned how much I love the PLAYOFFS?

Earth Day!

As I blogged about earlier this year, I want to make it a priority for our family to be smarter and overall more conscious about the products we use. Trust me, I know how overwhelming it can feel to have one more thing to think about, but remember that's how anything new can be, and preserving our earth CAN be done with little steps that when looked at collectively, make a big difference!  

Here's some small things my family does that have been super easy for us to incorporate into our daily life:

• Switched to re-usable bags whenever we grocery shop, and re-use the plastic sacks from other various stores as garbage can liners.
• Breastfeed our little one! I know this doesn't work out for every mom/baby, but just think about all of the plastic from the containers of formula saved!
• Switched to seventh generation liquid dish soap. This was only a $1 or so more than the "other stuff" and makes me feel so much better since I use on every surface our young son comes into contact with.
• Switched to metal re-usable water bottles since I heard that the plastic ones hold bacteria.
• Switched to bar soap in the shower instead of body wash in a plastic bottle.
• Drive a car (Scion) with very good gas mileage and low emissions, but carpool with my hubby/friends whenever possible.
• Turn off the lights in whatever room we're not using.
• Shop at farmers markets.

So, to follow up from my last post, yes, we still have some of those polluting cleaning products under our sink, but since I've been so happy with the Seventh Generation brand of dish soap, I do plan to switch them out as they run out (almost there!). The website of Seventh Generation also offers LOTS of coupons for their products, and will email them to you if you sign up for an account. I just did and found this question kinda fun. It asks- "What shade of green are you?"

• Light Green: I'm just starting to learn
• Medium Green: I incorporate green choices where I can, but I'm not hard core
• Dark Green: I'm very active in reducing my environmental impact

I'm definitely a medium green, but am excited about all there is to learn. Sadly our natural approach to cleaning our drains with vinegar didn't work, but I am planning on using my friend Annie's recipe (thanks again Annie!) for all-purpose cleaner. Here's the ingredients to her magic potion that she sticks in a squirt bottle and uses it for everything that needs to be cleaned!

• 1 Tbs. Borax (it's on the laundry detergent aisle and works great for tons of stuff like cleaning your toilet bowls and freshening your laundry)
• 3 Tbs. Vinegar
• 2 C. water
• 1 Tbs. dish soap
• I also add lavender and chamomile drops to make it smell good. 

Someone in the sky must be reading my blog....

Because here are our S P R I N G  S H O W E R S ! I am fine without any more snow though,  and would prefer temps above 50, so let's see if we can find a good compromise somewhere in the 60's?

Spring oh spring

(the following text is to be sung to the tune of "My Little Dog")

Where oh where has my lovely spring gone. Oh where or where could it be? With mid-April weather in the high seventies, I wonder why spring left so quickly.  


You can stop singing now.
...or not!


Yes, I love the sun, especially after long winter months, but over the past few years I've decided (for the sake of my health) to be more conscious about sun exposure. This decision offers some relief since keeping up a tan on me takes a lot of work, not to mention dealing with a few annoying and painful burns here and there. Trouble is, I still long for that sun kissed glow. Especially on my legs. They're the bright whitest of them all. I was using a self tanner on them for awhile, but since reading about the chemicals in them possibly being toxic while pregnant, gave that up last year too. I do still however use a bronzing powder on the apples of my cheeks and forehead to give the appearance of a slight tan, but the rest of my body quickly gives that myth away. I don't want to go back to being a slave to the sun, and I certainly will NEVER EVER go back to tanning in a salon (Oh, the silly things I did in my youth!), but I sometimes do wish my skin that had a bit more of a natural tan color. Since that's not the case, I'm keeping to my belief that pale is in! I've also prepared my son for the sun (that was fun to write) with an 50 SPF cute bucket hat, t-shirt, and watersocks, all by a brand called Wee Waves (found at Smiths Marketplace) along with a bottle of 100 UVA-UVB sunblock. To quote another song...."Here Comes The Sun" dooh da dooh da da...

Jazz 114...Nuggets...MEAN!

Wow. Wow. Wow. What a game. After having AK and Okur out on injuries, things weren't looking so good, but that uncertainty is what makes the PLAYOFFS so exciting!!! 

Fav. moments of the night:

• BOOZER'S tough guy pose after slamming down shot in first quarter.
• Harpring's commentary: "Good choice with Jeffers. He has really big hands. They're like MITTS!" Response to Phillips missing a shot after getting by on an unfair call on us..."You know what they say Boone, the ball never lies." Boone: "No, I haven't heard of that one before...." 
• ALL of KORVER'S 3 pointers!!!
• Bart (as in my husband) comments: "I swear Denver gets their players from the penitentiary." 
• Williams playing hard, but fair. He is one solid and talented guy. Again to quote Harpring- PHENOMENAL!!!

Parting words to Denver who will now play the next 2 games on our court: WELCOME to UTAH!!! We JAZZ FANS are a LOUD and CRAZY bunch...especially come PLAYOFFS!

It's official!

Since entering into full-time motherhood I've been experiencing a wonderful time of reinvention. I suddenly feel compelled to do the things I've always wanted to do, and thanks to LOTS of help from my AMAZING parents, SUPPORTIVE husband, and SUPER talented sister, I now have some lines of adorably cute products to sell at an upcoming local gift show. 

For those of you who are interested, I created the name katemarki back in 1998 by compiling parts of my full name katherine (kate), middle name (marie), and maiden last name.


 I find that it still successfully encompasses all parts of who I am – a creative thinker, writer, and designer, and like the versatility it offers to express my creative side. Even though I've been creating various things under the name katemarki for some time now, I've always wanted to have my own store. After attending the winter Logan gift show last fall, the wheels in my head started turning with things that I could possibly sell. After MANY trips to Hobby Lobby and Michaels, endless talks with my creative mother and sister, encouragement from my husband, and a silent plea from my son to stop dragging him to any more craft stores, I finally decided that now is as a good as time as any to try out my first gift show! 

Yes this has meant that my family and I have had to sacrifice sleep, feeling in our fingertips (after endless burns of the glue gun), and any free time, but I already know that its been worth it. Worth it because its been really fun to have something to work on together with my family, energizing to have something to fuel my creative juices into, and rewarding to know that once I get an idea- I go with it. 

Here's some quotes that I've found especially inspiring during this time~ 

"Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly, one-directionally, without regret or reservation." - William H. Sheldon 

"There is only one kind of failure I cannot tolerate: the failure to risk failure." - Richard Marcinko

For details on the Logan Gift Show visit:
http://logangiftshow.com/Spring/

NBA Playoffs start this Sat!

If the above widget doesn't say it all, I'm a BIG TIME Utah Jazz fan. It started when I was pretty young, and in retrospect probably because I was trying to understand what the incensant yelling between my Dad and the T.V. was all about. At first only my brother would get to go the games at the good ol' Salt Palace with my Dad and Uncle, but later on the rest of my family would go to see them at the Delta Center. Now the stadium is called Energy Solutions Arena, but I still call it the Delta Center occasionally because I just think it sounds better and I have so many fun memories of games and concerts there. ;)  


One thing that hasn't changed about the Jazz is their impressive record of making it to the playoffs. I did some quick research and learned that from 1983-2003 they made it to the playoffs every year (that's a 20 yr. streak!). In 2004 they were still rebuilding the team since the retirement of both Stockton and Malone (who are both honored with life size statues and commemorative street names near the arena) and in 2005 we were lucky enough to get the talented addition of Daron Williams. Since then they've been able to make it back to the playoffs for the past 5 years, but still no championship...YET! 


Right now the Western Conference is VERY TIGHT. In fact, before last night we were tied in the #2 spot with the exact same wins/losses as Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns with only 1 game separating us from the Dallas Mavericks and just 4 games behind the attention hogged Lakers. CRAZY!!! So, the next two games we have left in the season are crucial as they will decide our fate for the upcoming playoffs starting this Sat. 


Think you're a BIG TIME Utah Jazz fan? Take this All About the Utah Jazz Quiz to find out!