valentine happy
typically i'm not fond of february 14th.
too much red {my color liked least} and too little spontaneity.
hunky and i choose to celebrate everyday as valentines rather than designate one silly day.
{pause for involuntary gag}
but just in case,
this one wacky year (oh those silly rabbits),
let's just say hunkiest couldn't bear the thought of his bride going gift-less, this day of lovers' sweet.
i've compiled a list {websites included honey} to guide him into gifting.
dreams caught and evil spirits thwarted with my pretty new pendant.
my inner alice in wonderland forever quenched in the high back cushion of a new chair.
navy and black. my new favorite combo bite. a side of sequins for dipping.
strappy stellas for stomping and romping 'round town.
a second stalactite for all of my costume changes. romping and stomping can get a girl a sweaty y'know.
no fancy words or pleas here, other than.....i'm out of my perfume baby.
doesn't matter if i don't have anywhere to where it. what matters is that it becomes mine.
doesn't hurt to ask.
in the end, if there are no bows to untie, no champagne to sip, no new pups to potty;
i cry stupid, ugly, re-united with your long lost sister you never knew you had, tears, at how lucky i am to have this man by my side. it truly is valentines day around here all year long.
the presents have already been opened.
reverie love
i didn't think yesterday could get any jollier.
{it was a wonderful day for california}
but there on my doorstep as i twirled into my house was the most fantastic box o' sweetness.
the bonny and bright melissa of reverie daydream gifted me with her blessed blue bottle coffee.
we, down south, don't have the pleasure of this yummy, rich, organic, black love.
apparently, public tantrums are persuasive.
7pm be damned! i brewed a cup pronto. there would be no waiting until morning for me.
i savored my deep, inky wonderland to the very last drop.
my only wish was for melissa to be there to share a cup with me.
squeaks and squeals sprung when i noticed another bundle in my package?!
an exquisite alena hennessy scarf! it's like wearing art around my neck.
if you haven't already fallen under the spell of melissa mcardle your life is lacking.
her online boutique offers one of a kind, inspired, ethical and elegant products.
her blog ferries you to lands, times, and spaces where beauty blooms organically. she sets a tempo where life is lived gracefully and fair.
thank you dear mel. you stir the better girl in me to come out and play.
kreativ blogger
i'm sure there was some sort of mistake.
i'm so not worthy of such an award,
but, in what i suspect was copious amount of black tar heroin consumption,
the divine deborah of dumbwit tellher bestowed the very generous kreativ blogger badge upon moi.
to say i have procrastinated is putting it mildly: she gifted me march 1st.
tis how i roll. i'm still sending out wedding invitations, and we're coming up on our 2nd year anniversary.
i tend to fall behind.
part of my hesitance has been the job of summoning up 7 personal items of substance and circumstance to impart upon, you, my loveliest of readers.
i can easily give you 7 things that are annoying and compulsive. but the former......i gots nuttin.
rather than try to dazzle i will go for the informative route. these may not be sparkly, antic facts, but all are true and differentiate me from the all the other mouthy, half-japanese/half caucasian, childless, compulsive eating, newport beach housewives around here.
1. i am terrified i will be the worst mother ever. we're talking joan crawford style wretched. i'm in love with a baby i haven't even conceived. but i'm deathly afraid said child will be asking hh for someone more adept and competent with her first words.
2. i love gummi bears. but only the haribo brand. and only the orange and yellow bears. i won't touch red, white and green. they taste like someone else's regurgitated jello shots: a senior graduation trip to puerta vallarta i'm still trying to forget.
3. i like to have things planned way ahead of time. and i make lists like ina garten makes cobblers.
i'm a moronic-scheduling-maniac, who writes everything done in my filofax (yes, i still live in the 1990's), re-syncs it in my blackberry, and triple confirms it to my desk calendar. i even schedule my spontaneity.
4. i take multiple baths everyday.
5. crickets. i hate crickets. i also hate silence which, in effect, is pseudo-crickets.
6. my left pinky toe lies horizontal. i was born with it this way. we call it bitch toe.
7. i am always cold. i wear a fluffy, cozy wrappy all the time to keep warm. even in 100 degree costa rica sunshine i had goosebumps. it's no longer adorable to my hh, but to still to get his attention i dramatically cry out, "baby, i am frijoles!!".
yes, i know this translates to " i am beans." BUT i like the way it almost sounds like "i am freezing", and it makes him smile.
so there you go. my seven things. it only took me 4 months to figure them out, put them to paper, and post.
i'm apparently supposed to tag the kreativ blogger onto 7 other blogs to keep the party going.
argh!! i hate that i have to narrow it down to 7....
duel living, jeune marie, sweet nothings, reverie, trust your style, with love from pittsburgh, and audrey onassis.
feel free to accept the tag if you like or pass it on to your discretion.
thank you again deb. you set the standard, oh goddess of katy, texas.
mug affair
i was such a good girl this week:
no accidents
no burnt casseroles
no shiners (myself or others)
and cursing was kept to a 6 on a scale of 1-10 (for me, equivalent to curing cancer).
i gifted my girlie goodness with a coffee mug from anthropologie.
here's to another week of conduct proper!
off i go
goodbye weekend. good riddance to pity.
nothing like a visit with adored aunt charla to send the scary sadness away.
grilled cheese and homemade lentil soup help too.
new week. fresh start. favorite detests the mopey; he's always commanded a certain dignity. a characteristic his two siblings consistently and miserably fail to supply.
i ferociously ride into this headwind of hurt with my heart lifted high, shoulders square, wearing my sincerest smile.
i get to love.
that's not just icing. that's icing and rainbow sprinkles.
click image for source
whistle while you work
i could so embrace my inner stepford with this new, hip houseware line.
alice supply co. was started right here in my town by the lovliest two ladies. inspired by kate spade and trina turk this fab duo has turned out great fun in toilet plungery and pans o'dust.
even more exciting! come springtime there's talk of ping-pong paddles, hammers, screwdrivers, and gardening tools. they're thinking nautical, navy-white stripe. i'm thinking crap! now i might actually have to help out around the house.
don't you agree, though? chores will be so much yummier with lime-green and rainbow stripes!!
magical mood
giddy up summer.
sundress, we're in need of a date!!
i just received my new fragrances, 'you make me happy' & 'magical mind', from the uber-chic mary jo matsumoto of trust your style.
the heady orchid and jasmine are making me loopy, longing for warmer days and nights.
'you make me happy' indeed.
at first whiff, this yummy scent conjures black licorice and anise. but..... let it sit..... for a bit, and you'll recognize vanilla and orchid. this scent surprises me because, at first, it smells sweet, but deep down, i think she's a sultry fragrance (don't let the candy-colored gum drop facade fool you). the beautiful, aloof (just shy) girl with the cool grey nail polish, perfect stringy hair, who listens to leonard cohen, wears 'you make me happy'.
august nights so hot we'd ride around in the back of lindsay armstrong's car just to keep cool; night jasmine perfuming the air, monster ballads on the radio, sandy hair whipping in our faces, prowling the town for parent-free parties; this is what 'magical mood' is to me. mary jo has created a spicy floral with the addition of green forest fir. absolutely magical.
these two rousing scents are organic oils; not in any way chemically enhanced. i adore the roller ball applicators, and the fact that the fetching labels are from recycled paper.
i must say my favorite of the scents is the combination of both. mixing them produces the most intoxicatingly provocative bouquet. channeling sweaty, sizzling evenings with your hunkiest........
you must check out mary jo's etsy shop. there are other fragrances for purchase, and in different forumulas: solid natural perfume, organic hair oil; pure formulas producing the most pristine of quality. she also sells lip balms, scented handkerchiefs, lockets, and cameo pins. each product more unique than the next. i am such a fan.
happy shopping.
love,
katie
click bottom image for source.
oink oink
full disclosure: this is not a review.
i don't eat bacon. anymore.
(pause for moment of silence as i commemorate days of crispy salty, sweet love. love that made all things bad and scary..disappear, for 12 seconds as i chewed and swallowed).
i'm not one of those vegetarians who doesn't miss meat at all (take that double negative and shove it where the seitan don't shine). i crave tofu and tempeh like i crave being hungover. so when my friend, tara simon, started selling her katie treats candied bacon, i tried my best to avoid her.
but unfortunately, my plan to evade my fellow pilates co-worker (yes, you read that correctly; she is also an amazing pilates instructor) worked out disastrously.
her new company, the sticky pig is cooking like betty crocker!!! people are losing their minds over her candied bacon confections. seriously, say those two words together "candied"/"bacon". they're perfection. that's like "parisian"/"vacation"...."cashmere"/"bathrobe"..."folded"/'laundry"...(you get the idea). flavors come in coconut curry lime, raspberry jelly doughnut, s'mores, orange ginger, maple cinnamon, apple pecan dulce de leche, dark chocolate peppermint, the elvis, chocolate covered strawberry, and original.
these morsels sell and ship all over the country. orders range from 4 pieces to 12 month supplies.
this is a fabulous valentine's day present....a nice break from the normal chocolate, wine and flowers. how great would these be at your next chi-chi dinner party or reception?
love it tara!
truffle love
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
they're here! my valentines arrived. my mailbox bouncing buoyantly on the block, unable to contain the cheeriness inside.
the truffle girls have gifted us with the opportunity to buy their magic.
the truffle girls: karey and mary. mary takes the photographs that swell pupils and unfurl shrieks.
and karey.
karey.
karey writes words that days later, abate, and finally settle in, to lumps in your throat.
now some of their "candy for the soul" is available for purchase.
there are two available sets of 3 cards. good luck trying to choose. they arrive in the prettiest glasseline envelopes, with an "xoxo" sticker. here are mine. won't they make just the perfect valentine's?
cloud nine weekend
oh my! don't you just love open weekends that just melt seamlessly from no plans set, let's see where the hour takes us to ....well isn't this delightful and unexpected? this morning i found myself making snow angels lying in bed; giddy still from our joyful non-events.
i think the weather played a major role in my dreamy weekend. seventy degrees, skies pale blue, just enough clouds to make it girly and scenic.
let me summarize (smile).
the beasts got an outing to the park.
football silliness at the local high school.
a presidential 40 yd field goal kick costing hh to fess up the big dough in a lost bet.
i found my new favorite nail shade.
the MOST beautiful flowers (big, fat peonies!!!!!) delivered to my doorstep
a fish taco so delicious, only expletives and moans suffice.
a bubblebath or two. or four or five.
where i finally finished a nice, didn't suck, book of short stories.
all the while green fiddlehead fragranced the house with tea, clean cut grass, and spearmint.
and as you can tell, i'm back to taking photos again. sadly, alice, at only 3 months old, was on the fritz. a lemon. i had to return her. tamra is her replacement. i'm already attached. tamra the camera is a sassy shot and hasn't given me any grief since we've started courting. i think i've found my new dance partner.
happy monday friends!
click book, nail polish image for more information.