FAQ

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iIhave tried to compile a list of the questions i get asked a lot and put them all in one handy dandy location. i have also just defined "FAQ," in case you were wondering about that.

-How do you pronounce your name? it's pronounced just like "kate." despite it looking and sounding like "freight" and "weight," people often think of it as related to "height," and call me "kite." i have also gotten "keith" and "knight" as honest mistakes, in addition to "k-9" as a lame but good-effort perjorative nickname.

-And how the heck did you get named that? my legal name is katherine. to the government i am katherine, and katherine only. my parents wanted that to be my given name, but had always planned for me to be called, "katie." i was katie from birth to age 3.

Then in some senseless vacuum of 80's baby-naming creativity there turned out to be 5 katies in my kindergarten class. so i became kate at age 4.

When i was 10 i briefly and unsuccessfully tried to become "kit" after reading witch of blackbird pondin 5th grade--it did not stick, though i tried HARD to make people call me that.

I came up with k8 when i was 12 in honor of my beloved volleyball, soccer and all around lucky number. i was told by my teachers that i couldnt have a numerical character in my name so i just went ahead and spelled it on out as "keight." it caught on since people didn't have to change how they said my name. i just kept writing "keight" on my papers and "katherine" on my checks (i was making dolla, dolla bills working at chickfila, yall).

Eventually everyone started spelling it that way too. i would say that a lot of my friends might not know that i was ever "kate" at all.

That spelling stuck forever more. i things got a little dicey after i graduated college and stopped having a volleyball number. it was touch and go as i had to decide if i saw a future as a 70 year old woman who spelled her name "because it was my volleyball number." but at that point, i was committed. it might seem silly, but i just dont feel like a "kate" anymore.

It was even on my wedding invitations...so there's no going back now.

Fun bonus: my brother has the same name as my dad and my grandpa, he is the third. so he has always gone by "tripp," which is a nickname for third-generational kids. when people have found this out they will often think out parents are numerologists or mathematicians since we both appeared to be named after numbers.

-What kind of sewing machine do you have? i have bought two sewing machines in my 2 years as a sewer.

The first one was the cheapest little singer they sold at joann. it cost about $100. i used this machine to learn on and it was a trooper. i opened an etsy shop with it and made tons of gifts, projects and clothes for my kids using it.

The secret dark side of our relationship was that it was an abusive one. it would make me scream, cry, cuss and sweat almost nightly with its tangles and jams. in november of 2011, 26 months into having it, it finally stopped being able to sew a straight stitch. i took it in to have it looked at. as i rolled it into the store, the lady goes, "oh that's the worst machine we sell!" good to know.

Turns out that i had actually been using the wrong kind of bobbins all along. compound a fraction of an inch difference over millions of rotations, and my machine was totally out of alignment. servicing it would have been $90, so i just opted to get a nicer model.

Despite what that lady said, it really was just my stupid user error that killed the machine. all the jams and tangles had been a result of it being off kilter from my bad bobbins. that little guy served me well, despite my abuse, and we would have lasted a long time if our issue had been diagnosed sooner.

But now i have a viking 100Q. i bought it almost entirely so that i could sassily swing it all around like the lady in the ad. joking. that makes me mad and undermines the dignity of my machine. i am VERY happy with this guy. it's mid-range in price and features, but it feels luxurious after my woes with the broken one.

I also have a brother 1034d serger that i got for a steal on ebay. i love this guy and am more than a little intimidated by him. i have only tapped into about 10% of his prowess, but that's all i am really comfortable with at this point. sergers rock. but god help me if i have to re-thread mine ever again.

-How did you learn to sew? one day i just decided i wanted to know how to sew, and then i did it. i used a really old machine from a friend's grandmother who had just passed away, and when i had tried it enough to know i liked it, i bought my machine and a few little supplies.

hear me now: ANYONE can sew. you can do it! the internet taught me 99% of what i know and there are billions of free tutorials and projects and videos out there to help you on your way.

-What denomination are you? I dont love that question. I dont want to be denominated. We attend and Jesse is a pastor at church that is a part of the christian church, so i guess that's our denomination. But if you ask me that to my face, i will mostly likely just say, "i love jesus." we try to do what he says and did, and anything he didnt cover in the bible we tend to just classify as personal preference. but we obviously believe that the only correct communion elements are an unleavened wafer and a half ounce of grape juice (welch's only). It's what the disciples ate, after all.

-Sometimes you cuss. I thought you were a Christian? this is a tough one. it's okay if you completely disagree with me on this. this topic could fall under "personal preference," or it could fall under scripture (Eph 4:29). mostly i say/write cuss words for 2 reasons: to be funny/silly (because sometimes you just need to hear "bitchcakes") or to be authentic/transparent.

i decided to not censor myself in terms of vocabulary here on the blog because of my voice and my intended audience. I have chose to write in such a way that, when you meet me in real life, you say, "wow you are just like you sound when you write." Personal preference. And i hope that my audience will always be filled with people that dont get hung up on the words that i write, but instead see the heart of what i am saying.

i want to help, benefit and build up the people who read this blog. different people have different needs. i have chosen to write in such a way that i hope doesnt offend anyone. but more than that, i really want to be a voice in the bloggy world that loves jesus loudly but still authentically and without seeming like i have it all together. sometimes that means strong language.

I cant see jesus ever interrupting someone who was talking about their brokenness, their anger, or even telling a joke ("so 3 pharisees walk into a bar...") to tell them they shouldn't use a certain word. jesus hung out with some salty mofo's, and i believe they wouldnt have tolerated his presence if he kept nailing them for having potty mouths. he saw their hearts. that's the jesus i know and that's the one i want to tell people about. especially people who may have been judged or rejected by "christians" in the past and might have the wrong idea about who jesus was and what/who he came for.

The point is, jesus is the authority i submit to, and i definitely talk like this to/in front of him plenty. he can handle it. I have prayed about this, and i really feel a peace about it. If my word choice comes out of some brokenness or sin in my life, i am open to him revealing that to me and changing it. but i dont believe there is anything intrinsically bad or immoral about any word (except for bathe, which is just wrong). pleasant, PG words can be used to rip someone apart and wound them, and cuss words can be used for good in certain situations too (fun fact: a HUGE part of my story of coming to love jesus is that a minister cussed in front of me once).

-Where do you get your fabric? I get lots of basics or solids at joann. they are cheap, close to my house, and always have coupons. But their prints can be ghastly and mostly i like the designer stuff.

I follow a few fabric shop blogs to browse the new lines and from there i comparison shop for the best prices. a lot of designers are carried at fabric.com. they have free shipping & returns, awesome customer service, great prices and coupons are always available. i have never been disappointed by them. the bad part about that site is that it's hard to browse; you need to have a specific line or designer in mind and search that way.

After that, it's etsy for me. i try not to do this a lot, but sometimes the fabric just calls to you and youre willing to pay $9 a yard plus shipping. i cringe, but sometimes youve just gotta have it.


-Who takes your "official" pictures? you may have noticed the amazing pictures of our family that i use in the sidebar, and i often post with a few new ones every few months. these are all taken by the insanely talented brennab. she is a professional photographer on the south side of atlanta. we found her when judah was 2 months old, and she was just starting out, and have had pictures with her ever since. we have also referred approximately 8 thrillion people to her because we love her work so much. 


we got 5-session baby packages for each of the kids, which is why we do them so often. after layla's final session, we will probably only do them once a year. check her out on facebook or at her website.

-Will you review or promote my product/company/service on your blog? Maybe. 

I will ONLY ever write a paid review for a product if it is something i would legitimately spend my own money on. i will also tell the truth about the product. that is my jedi code. so if you think your product or service is a good fit, contact me!


if you have another question for me, just leave it in the comments and i will try to answer it.






8 comments:

  1. Love your comments on cussing. That is pretty much what I believe too (i.e., they're just words, although I think a case could be made for cussing being a stumbling block/unwholesome around particular people who are themselves anti-cussing... like, you know, my grandma). Otherwise, I think a non-curse word (fat, retarded, etc.) can be so much meaner and intend so much more damage than a curse word.

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  2. keight i love the way you write and what you write.you have a way of writing that shows heart and values without 'shoving religion down my throat'. i like that.so your audience is that much bigger i think because of that. i myself do not believe in any jesus or higher being but would never hold that against anyone else. i like that you are real and cuss if the occasion calls for it. dont ever change. from Lauren. a Newbie blog lurker.

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  3. @taryn amen. i try to use good judgement in real life and usually err on the side of a PG rating. we gotta keep the grandmas safe!

    @lauren yeah, i dont think jesus was much of a throat-shover, so i try not to be. thanks for stepping out of the bloggy shadows for a moment :)

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  4. I hardly remember you ever wanting to be called "kit" but I do remember you wanting to be called "little dude" in spanish in 3rd grade. "pequeño ciudadano dukes" has a nice ring to it

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  5. When do you think you'll go visit Tara Livesay in Haiti?

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  6. I LOVE JESUS! and I have recently learned the difference between being religious...and just loving God...and it is so wonderful to find someone else so NOT full of legalism...but full of the love He offers...

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  7. HI, Where did you get the wall map and what are the dimensions? Also, what did you put in the corner where the too Trofast shelves meet so that you can sit on the corner without falling through? Thanks.

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    1. the map is from IKEA and is huge. we just had the Trofast units come together in an L shape, which covered up one column of the drawers on one of the units, but worked better for us space-wise.

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