Well friends, August is over!

It's astonishing how fast this month went by now that I look back on it.

But as it happened, it felt like the longest month of my life.

But even still, I posted every single day of the month.

That's right folks!

I Blogged Every Day in August!

Feel free to go through my posts this month! I'd love to see what you think!

I'm even more impressed because I had so much drama with work and interviews and orientations and money. It's been a stressful month. And it was definitely a struggle to post every single day.

But I did it and I feel proud!

Now allow me to take a few days off! See you this weekend! I'll be a blogging fiend this weekend!

I'm feeling very cut off from the world.

With my new job taking up the majority of my day, I don't feel like I have nearly as much time to blog and connect with all of you like I used to!

So this post is all about you!

Let's have a discussion!

I am going to ask you a few questions and then I want you all to answer them in the comments!

You can answer all of them, or some of them, or only one of them. I just want to hear your thoughts!

If I like the things you have you say, I might feature your comments right here in an upcoming blog post!

Fun right?

I think so.

Topic One: Where are you working right now? Do you like your job?

Topic Two: What are you reading right now? Thoughts? What books do you WISH you were reading? What are you all time favorite books?

Topic Three: How do you find time to blog when you are working full time? What do you blog about? 

Topic Four: If you could pick one sandwich to eat for the rest of your life, which one would it be?

I'll answer all of these questions in a future post right alongside some of my favorite comments from you! 

Let's hear what YOU have to say!

Well hello, my friends.

Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed so much that you just couldn't possibly wait for the next installment to hit shelves.

Well, that's how I'm feeling about The Infernal Devices Trilogy.

Cassandra Clare is holding a contest. And one lucky person gets a copy of Clockwork Prince before it hits shelves on December 6th.

I want it.

Badly.

So I made this!

I think it's pretty darn awesome if I do say so myself. I spent a lot of time on it to make it look like it matches the other two.

What do you think?

Never once in my entire life have I worked more than 32 hours in a week.

This week I worked 50.

And today was my only day off.

It's over way too fast and now I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Luckily, I really like my job so far. 

I simply wish I could have another 24 hours to relax.

Oh the life of an adult.

I'm pretty sure my computer is haunted.

It's filled with a friendly ghost, and I'm pretty sure that's the only reason why this old thing has lasted this long.

He takes care of things for me.

But sometimes, ghostie is a bit mischievous.

Shutting down programs when I haven't saved a project causing me to lose a LOT of data and work.

Holding my backgammon dice in a state of endless limbo, causing me to close the game and count my losses.

But last night was the first time that Mr. Ghost decided he wanted to be just plain mean.

I've started a new job. And for that job, I have to wake up pretty early sometimes. But I am a night owl and a sleep procrastinator by nature.

Last night, I went to bed a little too late.

I was finally exhausted and was falling asleep on my pillow when my computer roared back to life.

I pop up off of my pillow and look at the screen, waiting for it to update or something.

Nothing.

Just my desktop.

I groan and get out of bed and put it back to sleep.

I get back in bed.

And it wakes up again the moment my head hits the pillow.

Now, I know that I haven't been on my computer nearly as much since I've gotten my job, but my computer ghost friend had gone too far.

Three more times he did this.

I turned him off.

And I was spooked.

I didn't sleep well last night just waiting for the haunted HP to turn back on.

Err, except that the winner won't actually get chicken. Unless they buy it themselves.

Sorry.

However!

Heidi is the winner of 250 flyers from UPrinting!


Congratulations Heidi! That art show you're going to promote is going to be awesome!

Amazing book by a wonderful author!

Buy Birthmarked Here:             PreOrder Prized Here:

Attention Everyone!

You only have two more days to enter this amazing giveaway!

You can enter on this post, or the original post!

One of you could be the winner of 250 Flyers by UPrinting! 

These Flyers are awesome for so many things! 

Promoting your Business (or Blog), Save The Dates, Party Invites, Announcements, Charity's, Special Events, and so much more!

You'll be able to choose between Two sizes:

4.25x5 or 4x6

They come in Thick, 14pt. Glossy Cardstock! (Front only printing.)

They have templates available for download for Businesses and Nightclubs!

They are prompt with your order too! A Three Day Turn-Around!

And the best part?

Free Shipping!


These guys are awesome and I'm so excited that I get to share this with you!


Here's how you can enter!

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would print on your flyers! (Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

2. Follow Simply Kate!

3. Like/Follow UPrinting on Facebook and Twitter! (Each counts as a separate entry!)

4. Tweet about this Giveaway!

Most importantly! Don't forget to come back and tell me about each thing you did so I can be sure you get entered!

You must be a U.S. Resident to enter. And you must be Over 18 as well.

The giveaway ends on August 26th, 2011! That's THIS FRIDAY! Don't miss out on this awesome product!

Good luck! 

A few weeks ago I read a really wonderful novel called Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien!

I was so impressed that I had to send this wonderful new author an email.

And ever since, life has been full of wonderful surprises!

Like the day I check the mail and found this in the box!

That's an Advanced Reader Copy of Prized! The sequel to Birthmarked!

I've always wanted the opportunity and the honor of reading a book before it hits shelves and I was ecstatic to find this in my mailbox!

And did I mention that it was absolutely wonderful?

Stay tuned for the review in a few weeks!

But even more incredible are the sweet things that Caragh has done for me the past few weeks.

Yesterday, I checked her website and found this post.

I feel so honored to be mentioned and that she posted a link to my review of Birthmarked at the end.

Thank you so much Caragh!

Everyone definitely needs to read her novels as soon as they can! Fabulous!

It's finally my first day at my brand new job.

I get to play with kids all day!

I'm nervous. Terrified even.

But I'm very excited!

I will be working full time!

No more worrying if I'll even be scheduled!

No more fretting (much) about not making enough money to pay rent!

No much uncertain hours!

And best of all! I won't be working retail on Black Friday!

I'm thrilled! And scared!

But it's definitely an improvement.

Wish me luck!

It's time for another flashback Sunday, where I dig up an old post from the archives and bring it back to live.

This week has been one of the hottest since I moved to Vegas. So hot in fact that even the thought of leaving the nice cool air-conditioned house makes me cringe.

And then I stumbled upon this post. The photos made me feel nice and cool.

They also made me realize that I really hate the snow. And while Vegas is super hot right now, I won't have to deal with frost and snow much anymore.

Thank the heavens!

Doesn't it just make you feel chilly during this summer heat?

Check out the original post here!

Before you get your knickers in a bunch, no I didn't do anything wrong. 

I did get a job though.

And the wild goose chase that is acquiring permits and licenses and cards so that I can work has been quite an exhausting run.

I've had to watch movies (sounds hard huh?) and get shots.

But the most entertaining part of the whole process was being processed by the police.

I had to get fingerprints done.

Even a mugshot.

It's all good fun.

I feel like a criminal.

Poked and prodded and printed and photographed.

Such a long process. But I'll actually get to start my job on Monday!

Full time baby!

And with all the run around, I sure hope this is the best job in the world!

I loved this book! Read it! Read it! Read it!

Buy Delirium Here:

So guys, I have this cat.

She's insane.

I know that you're all thinking that you know a cat who is the most insane ever.

You're wrong.

My cat is the most insane.

She waits outside of the bathroom so she can hop up and watch the toilet flush when you're done.

She races you up the stairs and then pops out like she's trying to scare you.

She will be sleeping on your lap and the next minute she is running around the house howling at the top of her lungs.

She is always entertaining.

And she's stinkin' adorable too!

One year ago, there was a girl who was so lonely and so unhappy.

She was stumbling around through life, trying to find some kind of purpose; a glimmer reason in the madness of life.

This girl still lived in her parent's basement. She didn't have a job. She didn't have many friends. And she was miserable.

One day, she wandered onto a chat room. The boredom that surrounded her pressed her forward and she decided to talk to some interesting strangers.

When she started chatting with Username: "Layne", she enjoyed the conversation so much that she eventually moved the chat over to MSN. 

"SingingKate" and "Layne" had so much in common.

A love for Zelda and books. Music and movies. Guitar and drawing.

They talked until six in the morning.

Now, Katie had been down this road before. She had met a guy online and had really liked him. And when reality set in that it would never work out, it broke her heart. And while she told herself that she should delete this guy and move on, she signed into chat the next day and talked to this charming guy all day. And all night.

Kevin, which was his real name, continued to get more interesting and they talked every day for a week.

The two started playing Zelda together, chatting while they raced to finish it first.

Katie won.

They played another game.

Katie won again.

The weeks passed. And even though Kevin had started his fall semester in school and Katie started a new job, they still talked every day; spending more time on the computer than was healthy just so they could talk about everything and nothing. 

Strangely, they never ran out of things to talk about.

By October, Kevin and Katie had played two and a half Zelda games. Had talked on Skype countless times. Had talked every single day.

And Katie was falling in love with this boy from California.

One day, she took a deep breath and told him so.

He wrote a smiley face emoticon and told her the same.

They sent texts, they called, they Skyped, they emailed. They did everything they could to talk to each other.

And Katie was starting to feel very happy.

But by Christmas, something was tugging at her, making her very upset and hiding all of the happiness in it's wake.

They still lived two states away from each other. They had never met. And she worried that she'd never get to kiss this guy that she loved so much.

The two came up with a plan. They would meet in Las Vegas. Katie would move there now and Kevin would join her as soon as he could. And they would visit each other until they were able to be together permanently.

And after eight months, they met for the first time in April.

And that first kiss was the best kiss she'd ever had.

Until the next one. 

And the next one.

The times when they are apart are so hard, but so worth it when they finally are together again.

Now it has been a year since these two stumbled upon one another in a chat room.

So much has changed since then.

And what wonderful changes they have been!

Kevin and Katie are so in love. Kevin will be joining her in Vegas soon. And not a single day has gone by that they haven't talked to each other.

I love you Kevin! Thank you for an amazing year!

Since moving to Vegas, I've discovered quite a few wonderful places.

But I think one of my all time favorites has to be the Library.

I know what you are thinking.

"Katie... You live in Las Vegas. There is entertainment everywhere! Why is the Library even on the list?"

Well, this library is just cool.

You stack the books you want to check out and the scanner instantly knows which books they are!

This library is one of many branches in the area. So if they don't have a book I want, they send it from somewhere else!

And it's got little snack bar too!

Coming from a small town, I'm not used to such technology or selection!

Without this wonderful place, I would have been very bored this summer.

What do you love about YOUR library?

Well hello everyone!

I've been given a wonderful opportunity to host a most incredible giveaway!

One of you could be the winner of 250 Flyers by UPrinting! 

These Flyers are awesome for so many things! 

Promoting your Business (or Blog), Save The Dates, Party Invites, Announcements, Charity's, Special Events, and so much more!

You'll be able to choose between Two sizes:

4.25x5 or 4x6

They come in Thick, 14pt. Glossy Cardstock! (Front only printing.)

They have templates available for download for Businesses and Nightclubs!

They are prompt with your order too! A Three Day Turn-Around!

And the best part?

Free Shipping!


These guys are awesome and I'm so excited that I get to share this with you!


Here's how you can enter!

1. Leave a comment telling me what you would print on your flyers! (Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!)

2. Follow Simply Kate!

3. Like/Follow UPrinting on Facebook and Twitter! (Each counts as a separate entry!)

4. Tweet about this Giveaway!

Most importantly! Don't forget to come back and tell me about each thing you did so I can be sure you get entered!

You must be a U.S. Resident to enter. And you must be Over 18 as well.

The giveaway ends on August 26th, 2011! Don't miss out on this awesome product!

Good luck! 

I'm going to tell you all a little secret about me.

I hoard picture frames.

I see a cute picture frame, and I want it.

Even if I don't have any idea what photo I'll put in it.

In fact, it's so bad that I have to stay away from any areas in any stores that sell picture frames.

I'm a bit obsessed.

But who can blame me when something THIS adorable comes of it?

It makes me much too happy.

And also makes me feel justified in my obsession with frames.

 I had flippy floppy feelings about this book.

Buy Incarceron Here:             Buy Sapphique Here: