it's the most wonderful time!!

{how i spend my time when i DONT have homework}

Finals are OVER!

School is out!

and finally I have a little time to myself!

{maybe too much}

Wednesday was my last day of school, and I am SO relieved! I had WAY too many finals, and will never take 18 credits at a time again! I'm looking forward to next semester! Still going to be a tough one, but I'm not over doing it this time! I decided to leave some time open so I can work again!

I am SO excited to work with this little man again! I miss him and his family SO much! It going to be so nice to be around him and his sisters again and not be so lonely at home alone during my spare time!!

Clarendon is now livable! {it has been since we moved it about dos weeks ago} We love our squeaky floors, and the funny little sounds during the night! Kelcie LOVES {i say this with much sarcasm} how when the heater is on only the space directly below it is heated, the rest of the house is still FREEZING!! It is definitely different than The Fairway Lodge, but we love it, and surprisingly don't miss 325 much at all! Even though our stove is from 1940 and our disposal, instead of disposing of our food, creates a tornado of nasty food scraps and actually makes a bigger mess {Kelcie learned the hard way}, we are having fun with all the quirky little things..

Antique Pepsi bottle from the 1940's we found when taking out the bushes in the front yard!

It has been a lot of work, but we're happy here at the Clarendon house! Here are a few photos of the recent improvements

{before}

{after}

{before}

{after}

In case you're wondering, yes, we've done way more than only two rooms, but if you'd really like to see it, COME OVER!! We can party hardy, and I'll give you a tour!!

That all the news I've got for now! Taylor and I are off to Holbrook this week to spend CHRISTMAS with the McClellan {mia familia} and then driving up to SLC for Taylor's cousin Amanda's wedding, snowboarding and Robinson Family Christmas! Maybe I'll take some pictures and share them when we get back! 

We love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A list of my Accomplishment.. {yes, one}

and that is...I have successfully avoided all responsibility this afternoon

I have my first final tomorrow morning.

I have two more Monday, two on Tuesday and my semester concludes on Wednesday.

and here I am, blog stalking, "web surfing" {just a stupid term}, and basically finding anything to do BUT studying. I already dusted my house {all 2,000 something square feet, every surface I could reach WITH the ladder} swiffered{like with a swiffer sweeper} all the floors, vacuumed, and worked on our ugly back door. I also have eaten almost our entire pantry and have gone to Ace Hardware, twice.

The fact that my finals start tomorrow should be motivation in itself, and if thats not enough I already know that my program is an EXTREMELY competitive one, but no matter how many times I tell myself to study, I canNOT focus on school, and honestly don't want to! 

I hate school. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE learning. But I love learning in different ways. Not the presentation-ever-week-plus-lets-GLOSS-that-and-analysis-it way for EVERY class. I was created to play with children, tickle the ivories, bake cookies, and run. Thats it. Nothing more....Please?

And now I'm blogging. About literally nothing important, just so that I can put off final-studying for an extra..what, 5 minutes now? 

maybe I should tell you a story.

An exciting tale of a grand adventure!

Once upon a time, there was a girl name K. Robinson {for privacy reasons I will give you her first initial only} She was terribly overloaded with school and was having a hard time focusing. She remembered her goal in life was not to be a career woman, and so pondered on my why she was spending so much money, time and effort, to get a certificate she would only use for a few years. It just didn't make any sense. Except that education is important, and don't forget it.

The End.

I hope you LOVED it.

Now I think I'll share with the ideas that someday I'll use.

When I am living in a house that is not scheduled to be torn down in less than a year...

and it will look something like this...only I hate siding, so we'll figure something else out for that part..

VICTORY!!

After somewhere in the vicinity of 80 hours of labor

and something like 1 gagillion hours of thought...

Clarendon is READY TO BE MOVED INTO!! {ready ENOUGH anyways, after spending 3 hours painting today, and 4 hours waxing and buffing floors last night, I'm good with the other little "problems", and have no problem whatsoever dealing with them later!!}

I spent an ENTIRE DAY{seriously 8am-8pm} getting 10 year old tape off the floors, windows, you name it, while my husband spent the equivalent time fixing our kitchen and all sort of fun stuff I don't have a clue how to do {thanks Taylor Bear!} We cleaned the windows, put in a dishwasher and fridge, installed an R.O. system, swept mopped and waxed our beautiful oak wood floors {day and night, no joke}, painted {not everything that needs to be painted, as EVERYTHING needs to be painted and we need to get our butts moved in already!!} disinfected every single surface in our 2,000 sq/ft home...etc. etc., I don't feel like telling you everything we did....anyways...

SATURDAY is move in day!! and right now I'm taking a tiny itty bitty break from packing up our kitchen to blog! 

This whole project has reminded me how great good hard work is for the soul. Seriously, its a stress RELIEVER, and when I step back and notice how much of a difference I've made it makes me feel like I've just won a million bucks {although not quite, as I'm sure if I had won a million buck I'd have some nice new pretty things, and unfortunately all my hard work didn't earn me anything but PRIDE, but thats something eh?}

Taylor and I are excited to get everything moved in and settled ASAP as possible {thank you michael scott} so we enjoy the Holidays in ONE home, not back and forth between the two!

As soon as everything is moved in and out of boxes I'll share some photos!! 

'arry Potter

I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world. {no foolin’}

I KNOW I can be difficult. I’m a trainwreck when ONE little thing goes wrong. I blow everything out of proportion, all the time. And my sweet husband not only puts up with me, but unlike most men, he’s REALLY good at making me feel good again.

REALLY good !!

It’s not just that he knows how to calm my anxiety, or that he’s learned how to be patient with me when I’m an emotional mess, he goes above and beyond…

For instance, yesterday I was FREAKING out, and not typical girl freak-out, this was OH-MY-GOSH-MY-LEG-JUST-GOT-SEVERED-BY-A-CHAINSAW freak out, only NOTHING similar to that happened, I just happened to be stressed about a school presentation due Monday {today} in the only class I have that I’m not getting an A+ in. I over analyze just about everything, and yesterday I turned an assignment in a tough class into I’m-failing-life-and-want-to-quit-school…I’m worthless. Of course now I realize how crazy I was being but It sure helped when at noon after 4 hours straight of running through my presentation I hear a knock at the door. Thinking its FedEx or UPS I answer it.

Turned out to be this {SMOKIN HOTT} guy…

Holding these…

And these…

p.s. photo uploaded sideways, and I can't figure out how to fix it..

Yes that’s right, my husband knows how much I LOVE Harry Potter {you best have said that one in a bloody English accent mate}. I don’t have any girl friends {as everyone knows, I’m pretty much a loser} much less any that enjoy Harry Potter enough to go to the MIDNIGHT SHOWING THURSDAY NIGHT, and I was intending to go it by me onsie {Taylor’s never read the books or seen any of the movies}. He bought the DVD set 1. So I can own some of my favorite movies, and 2. So he knows what’s going on when

HE TAKES ME TO HARRY POTTER AT MIDNIGHT ON THURSDAY!!!!

I am loved, and I have never been so loved as I am now. I can’t imagine life without Taylor, no one else could put up with me {or would} no one else knows what I love and when I love it {tulips are such happy flowers}

I LOVE YOU TAYLOR ROBINSON AND I’M KEEPING YOU FOREVER!!!!

Has your significant other ever done something so personal and thoughtful that it flips your grumpy day upside down?

All Growed Up!

Taylor and I are officially 

HOMEOWNERS!!

{Is it odd that NOW I feel grown up, not when I got married, or got my big-girl-horizontal driver’s license, or did you-know-what…no, owning a house is what made me FINALLY feel like an Adult!}

I LOVE this house, and a disclaimer before I go too far into and make all you readers feel giddy and excited for me…there is a catch. I only get this house for a year. We purchased this property not necessarily for the home that sits on it but for a business venture, but it will be our primary residence for the next year or so until the plans are done and everyone involved is ready to scrap the house {yes, scrap it} and build 6 houses on the land.

While I entirely understand this, and I know that a 1940’s adobe house has a LOT of problems, and no we can’t afford to fix them. Historical homes are a labor of love, and while I LOVE this house. There are other people involved, and its not all up to me.

I do, however, have a chance. 1 in 1,000,000… But still a chance!!!! If I can raise $200,000 dollars to fix it up before they start the project I can keep it…but that’s not a small number, and I don’t know where to start.

THE HOUSE

I have dubbed this house “THE CLARENDON HOUSE” due to obvious reasons, and I am in love with it. Though not as deeply and truly in love as I am with TAYLOR my sweet wonderful HOTT smart strong amazing husband!!

It is a Spanish style adobe house and was built in the 40’s. It is everything I want in a house, original oak wood floors from the 40’s, floor to ceiling hand blown glass windows, a HUMONGOUS backyard, a good neighborhood in Phoenix {yes, all you Mesa people, those exist and are PLENTIFUL in Phoenix, its not as ghetto as you all think}, this house has CHARACTER, from the nasty mint-ice-cream-colored bathroom {which, if I do get the money to keep the house, this will DEFINTIELY be remodeled} to the REAL ARIZONA ROOM, this house is worth anything to keep, so please look at the photos, fall in love with it as I have, and help a sista out!

If you know ANYTHING about restoring historic homes please CLUE ME IN!!

GALLERY

cute little kitchen! I love the window looking over the yard!

My new spider friend under the sink

Disgusting I know...

itty bitty bathroom

original 1940's oak wood floors!!!! LOVE

mint ice-cream-colored bathroom

Oh, I will definitely be FIXING this

bedrooms, and ARIZONA ROOM{always have LOVED real arizona rooms!!}

Lower left-hand corner: PROOF its ADOBE!

as you can see, it hasn’t been cleaned, in fact it hasn’t been lived in since the 80’s…and who knows what since… We’re planning on cleaning and fixing up everything just enough to live in. I’ll post after pictures as soon as we get it livable!!

I hope you think the house is as great as I think it is!! I’m going to do my best to earn that $200,000…and hopefully I’ll be able to save my house!

Either way, I’m SO EXCITED that I even get to live in it at all, and even a year will be amazing, though I know I can’t put too much money into it.

LIFE IS PHENOMENAL!

Hands

I just realized how valuable my hands are to me.

EVERYTHING I'm the slightest bit good at involves my hands. i mean it. EVERYTHING.

{ex. Piano, Sign Language..that’s pretty much all I’m good at to be honest..}

I really hope I never lose them.

{knock on wood}

I MISS MY LONG PREttY HAIR.

I just want my hair back please.

thank you.

that last photo is SUPER old {as in girls camp 2003}

don't judge

Saturday Night

I love Halloween, but this year Taylor and I had so much going we didn't get around to the holiday 

{aside from pumpkin carving} 

Saturday night was our ward's truck-or-treat and we had a booth for Elder's Quorm to set up and man.  We had every intention of attending, but we also had the intention to leaving early and go to the ASU vs. Washington game. Little did we know the game started at 4pm, not 7 like we assumed {makes an ass out of u and me} so we missed the trunk-or-treat {priorities right? well we had Mandy and Logan coming to the game, we NEVER get to hang out with Mandy and Logan} but the game was fun! free corn dogs and brownies, and because we played a crappy team...WE ACCTUALLY WON!! 

and that was the extent of our Halloween. {semi}sad but true...next year I'm making Halloween happen! I already have costumes PLANNED

Thank you Mr. Joplin

Dear Mr. Scott Joplin,

While your music is quite simple to play, I sure do appreciate its lovely ragtime tempos 

and stress relieving quickness, definitely needed on days like these, during weeks like these, 

while going through semesters like this one, with school like this. 

I wish you had gotten more credit for your music and your talent.

sincerely, 

Kelcie McClellan Robinson

Still hot...Pretending its not

So midterms are over, and I am no longer pulling my hair out! I did pretty well and I'm happy with my grades!!

Worth mentioning:

Haunted House with Chelsea and Jeremy...a lot of standing in line, but it was super fun! Pretty good Haunted house! THE NEST at Rawhide

game night with Lana and Craig Millett, and Mandy and Logan: played FIREBALL ISLAND {oldie but funnie, it’s like Indiana Jones!!} and QUIRKLE!!

Hiking Squaw Peak with Dallin {my big brother}

the fair with Andrew, Matt and Angel!! pet lots of cute {but SUPER DIRTY} animals, ate way too much fried food and cotton candy, and won some fun prizes! {not to mention new additions to our little family: FISHIES!} and stayed up past my bed time...oh another disgusting thing that happened that evening...

Andrew's dog Bear was being a wimp and wouldn't let me pet him, so Taylor devised this GENIUS plan: I start walking around one side of the island in the kitchen, and he'll go the other way blocking Bear between us to I could pet him...unfortunately Bear is part skunk, I have NEVER in my LIFE heard of or seen a dog do this, but Bear was so scared he farted out some NASTY smelling liquid all over the kitchen floor!! {luckily none got on me or Taylor} it was the WORST smell I've EVER smelled!!!! we opened all the windows in hopes we would air it out, but even by the time we got back from the fair 4 1/2 hours later, the smell was rancid!! the funniest thing?? Andrew thought this was NORMAL, that all dogs had a gland that you had to {his words} "milk" the smelly stuff out of, correct me if I'M wrong, but I'm pretty sure HE is..

ew

Chels' Bridal Shower on Saturday, much like mine a lot of older ladies, but it was fun! Chels got some good stuff, and Grandma Mac made yummy food/punch...

Saturday night was fun as well, we had Paul, Emily, Chelsea, and Jeremy over to CARVE pumpkins and watch a movie! It was a fun night. Thanks to Frank the-homeless-man-posing-as-the-owner-of-the-pumpkin-patch-on-central-so-he-could-get-money-to-buy-crack we got super cheap but HUGE pumpkins! I made delicious CUTE cupcakes,

 and we spent the night carving away!!

{C+J's is the one with the STACH, P+E's is the skull, T's is the one with the vomit, and mine is the cute little green one :) we also carved "ROBINSON" for Sam and Susan}

Sunday was also very eventful for Kelcie {me :)}

Primary Program!

and in case any of you don't know already, my calling is to interpret sign language for the 3 Deaf children from the 43rd branch that are in our Primary.

Needless to say the primary program for Deaf children isn't quite what it is for Hearing children as it is mostly singing, and my kiddos don't feel comfortable using their voices much.

Another point of concern is that the other interpreter that I switch off with went MIA, haven't seen her for a few weeks! I did the whole Primary Program ON MY OWN, which wouldn't be a big deal except I am NOT an interpreter, I am NOT done with school, and I've only just learned "church" signs in the last few months, I was SO nervous! but I feel like I did well, and Kiddos did awesome and were so good for me!! {their mom must have bribed/threatened them, because they are NEVER good for me, the older one anyways}

GOOD experience! I love my calling!!

other than the big things, I've been doing a lot of homework, Taylor's been doing a lot of work and car work, and we've been doing a lot of staying up way past Kelcie's bedtime with people over, don't worry I stocked up on Vitamin Water Energy at the beginning of the week!!

This week we have the Ward/Branch Trunk-or-Treat party on Saturday and that’s about it really...along with the usual work and homework, and a baby shower...

We are so grateful for our awesome friends and all the fun stuff we got to do the last two weeks!

{p.s. more pictures are on their way!!}

{p.s.s. in the photos above of me and taylor you will notice we are matching...this was ENTIRELY ACCIDENTAL and not in anyway planned, honest.}