– loving these shades so much I grabbed a tortoise pair for this summer –
– a quick and successful before & after photo frame –
– a new kitchen towel –
– croque madame and blood orange mimosas from Table 3 –
– backyard blooms –
I am so thrilled to finally share a preview of our lovely November wedding with all of you. Head on over to the fabulous feature at The Lovely Find!!
Thank you so much to Amy and The Lovely Find for sharing these special moments and memories. Maybe it’s the newlywed sucker in me but every time I see one of the lovely images from our wedding day I get a cheesy grin across my face (and my groom does too). Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and I was beyond thrilled that the fall leaves and crisp air were present on our wedding day. Cheers to the memories!
Thank you so much for reading! XO –
My smartypants husband traveled across the country during a four-month period interviewing for residency programs. Wherever you see the little airplane, the CHBoo has interviewed in that state at least once and in some twice! I am so proud of him for receiving over twenty interview offers and have tried to completely encourage him to go wherever he will receive the best training. I mean…I can’t ask him to give me botox one day if I don’t think he’s good enough (kidding….but I am not kidding).
On Friday, Christian found out where he matched in Otolaryngology (ENT/ear, nose and throat) and where we will be moving for five years.
Drumroll….
We are moving to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!!
Even better? So is my brother, sister-in-law and niece, Edie!!! Christian has matched in Otolaryngology at the University of California-Irvine and we will be in Orange County for five years. My brother and his family will be in San Francisco for one year and then will move 45 minutes from us to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for four years in Radiation Oncology.
Thank you so much for your warm wishes, thoughts, prayers and support. We are so blessed with supportive families and friends and I have been overwhelmed with the love and encouragement we have received. We are so amazed, shocked, grateful and ecstatic that the Lord has guided us to this adventure and we are looking forward to starting our marriage in the golden state!
Did I go ahead and purchase JT concert tickets in Pasadena for this summer?
Yes.
Did I listen to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” all weekend with the sunroof down?
Yes.
Did I pull out dvds of The OC and start watching them again?
Yes.
Am I totally excited and obnoxious?
Yes.
Thanks so much for reading and sharing in this exciting journey with us! XO –
I was so fortunate to be a part of the celebration of my niece‘s first birthday this week. This precious little girl is the queen of my family. I like to joke that she has more clothes than Mariah Carey and is usually being chased down by her many fans and paparazzi (yours truly being the #1 offender). She was born into this diva lifestyle and from one self-proclaimed princess to another – there’s obviously a mutual respect between the two of us.
Many of Edie’s adoring fans from her Caringbridge site have asked for more photos from her birthday celebration and I am excited to share some of the moments I was able to capture! I hope these photos warm your heart as much as they do mine.
A big thank you to everyone who sent birthday cards, gifts, prayers and love to Miss Edie and her wonderful parents, making her birthday extra special. She would thank you personally herself but is still tired from her birthday appearance and like Mariah, requires three days of vocal rest before making additional appearances.
LaLa is Edie’s grandmother, nanny and personal chef (check out the gorgeous birthday cake in Edie’s favorite shade of pink). Aunt Claudia is LaLa’s sister and is also known as Edie’s personal tailor who whips up most of her custom wardrobe. Edie keeps Aunt Claudia on a tight leash because if the outfit isn’t cinched in all the right places – she’s not interested.
Happy Birthday to a little girl who has taught so much to so many grown-ups. Thank you for allowing me to be your Aunt Kat and continue to learn from you and the examples of your loving and proud parents.
Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I had a special something in mind for a party coming up, and some tassel garland was the final touch I needed. I was shocked at how easy this was to put together — only one piece of tissue papper makes four tassels = amazing!
This tutorial was super helpful and easy to follow. An episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and a few steps created this tissue paper tassel garland — here’s how you can make one too.
Fold the square sheet of tissue paper in half lengthwise (or “hotdog” for anyone who was in Mrs. Grisamore’s class).
Then fold it in half again widthwise (again…or “hamburger”).
Then fold it again hamburger/widthwise.
Once you’ve done this, begin to cut the paper in strips, leaving about two inches at the top. I later found out that clothespins helped to keep the paper in place so I could cut clean, even strips.
Once you’ve cut all of the strips, cut the section in half. Once you fold it out you should have four sections.
Take a section and roll it up. Once you’ve rolled it, twist the middle section and loop it around to make a circle. Dab the base with a drop of hot glue and hold together for a few seconds, setting the glue.
Anytime I wrap a present or work on a craft project – Lu is front and center ready to pounce/drive me insane. She was in full terrorizing mode for this project and I have to share some photos I snapped of this brat.
“What me? No, I mean, I wasn’t messing with your dumb project. I don’t even care what you’re doing.”
I wouldn’t assume anything if there wasn’t tissue paper hanging from your mouth.
She harassed me into exhaustion and when she took a cat nap I was able to move much quicker! Continue making the tassels until you’ve reached your desired length and loop them all into a piece of twine.
That’s it! So easy and a quick touch of fun to any party decor. Thanks for reading! XO –
Today is my husband’s birthday and the day is not complete without something sweet. For most people, a cupcake or dessert of any sort would be good enough – but not for this guy. Christian takes his “baked goods” seriously and I knew I had to take it to the next level this year since it’s his first birthday as a married man. I couldn’t be all, “Happy Birthday! Here’s a twinkie – oh wait – I think I have a candle somewhere…”
I knew it had to be chocolate. I knew it had to be big. I knew it had to be homemade. And I knew I had to make it the day before his birthday because he will be working at the hospital until about 10pm on his actual birthday (sad face).I followed this recipe for the cake and used my own frosting recipe.
For the frosting…
In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and cocoa powder. In a separate small bowl, cream the butter. Gradually alternate between beating in the butter and evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Continue to whisk and beat until light and fluffy. Feel free to add more sugar or milk if you want to adjust the consistency.
Happy Birthday Christian. By far and away, the greatest moment of my life was the one when you walked into it.
Oh wait – I just stole that line verbatim from Anne Hathway’s Oscar acceptance speech. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHBoo!
PS – THANK Y’ALL for entering the earring giveaway and sharing all of your sweet words!!! Cortney Fish from Missouri is the WINNER!! Don’t sweat it if you didn’t win this time around — I have another giveaway coming up soon!
Thanks so much for reading! Have a great weekend – XO –
1) Using this ice tray to make enormous berry ice cubes in my pomegranate soda – yum!
“It looks good, girl, but you have a typo in the second paragraph. Do you think that second photo is cute? It’s not.”
3) Linen napkins that make me want to be a fancy lady who actually uses linen napkins.
4) Finally being able to use some treasured wedding gifts — Viking pots and pans!
5) This stunning Nashville engagement session of my best friend and beautiful bride, Kady Truesdale, and her dapper fiancé Ian. I love these two beyond words! Just look at these lovebirds — who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?Thanks so much for reading!
Have a beautiful weekend – XO –
I’ve had this suitcase for years — a set a bought from Goodwill back in jr. high. I’ve seen several suitcase-to-cat-beds on pinterest and once I picked up this girlfriend from the parking lot I knew this suitcase was eventually going to turn into a pet bed. I recently had the urge to make it happen after hearing Christian complain about throw pillows + Kat + Lula = sofa hogs.So for about $30, Miss Lula LaShonda has a cat throne all to herself!
Stay in there, girlfriend! My lap (or laptop on lap) is not your bed anymore.
Nap Time!
You’ll need:
Directions:
Once you have your suitcase, it’s up to you if you want to paint it or not. I chose to paint mine chevron after seeing this tutorial that stole my cat lady heart.
I simply taped off the chevron design and spray painted the design, touching up with acrylic paint afterward (thank goodness for a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders marathon). Once dry, I made a little Lula banner and hung it to each side of the suitcase.
I wrapped an inexpensive faux sheepskin from eBay around a pillow to make her little cat bed. My sweet brother-in-law found these salvaged wooden spindles and snagged them for me and the CHBoo used his electric drill and fancy schmancy tools to attach these babies to my cat lady creation.
He then mumbled, “I can’t believe the first time I got to use this thing was to help you make a cat bed.”
I mean…more like you’re welcome for giving you an opportunity to use your awesome drill, right?
What do you think? Is this cute or 10 degrees of cat lady crazy? Thanks so much for reading – XO –
It’s always nice to have a few bad hair day tricks up your sleeve. This twisted bun has been a nice addition to my bad hair day/rushed mornings (which is 80% of mornings), along with the top knot (recently updated – those photos were hideous), side braid and voluminous ponytail.
This messy bun is a just a variation of the regular hair bun with a quick extra step at the beginning…twisting! You’ll need:
Directions:
That’s it! It takes no time and provides a slightly more interesting look than the plain ol’ bun. Hope you like!
I’ve given Andy Cohen two shoutouts — one on my honeymoon reading his amaze book (completed in less than 48 hours) and the other holding this Mazel shirt…I’m going to keep tweeting him until I hear back! Brace yourself Andy.
A quick stop at Georgetown Cupcakes downtown…where I saw a Kitchenaid mixer that belonged in my kitchen.
Birthday truffles for Karen from the always-thoughtful Jennifer Rose!
One of my favorite elements of the Saks window displays is that you can always see the reflection of Rockafeller Center in the background.
* * *
My quick visit to NY was fabulous, as NY always is, and I came home looking forward to the next opportunity I might have to go back. This two-part post however, would not be complete without sharing my Delta travel experiences…
1) Your luggage might get run over by a driver in an SUV who refuses to apologize (true story). You lecture him until he agrees to be more careful to not run over people’s luggage and feeling that you won, you walk away. He probably gives you the bird behind your back.
2) You might have to run through the airport to catch a flight because your initial flight was delayed an hour due to a flight attendant not showing up for work (is a small plastic cup of diet coke and a child’s handful of peanuts worth it? Not really).
3) You can’t stop sweating post-airport dash and the flight attendant on your second flight makes you check your Hartmann luggage because there’s no room in the inn….but once your sweaty self enters the plane you realize he was wrong as you stare at the perfect empty spot in the overhead bin and now your luggage is being tossed around like a 40 lb. hot potato below deck.
4) To apologize for all four of your Delta flights being delayed 40 minutes – 1 hour and 15 minutes, Delta gives you $12 dollars in meal vouchers. Said vouchers are used for three lattes…but had coffee not have been available, the vouchers would have been used to purchase anything that was available and then would have been thrown in the trash can…because making sure I spent every cent of said voucher helped me sleep at night.
5) You pay an extra $25 for priority boarding but that doesn’t matter when all of your flights are delayed and you run through the airport to get ON the plane, having to check your luggage because everyone else has already boarded. Also doesn’t matter when no one even checks the tickets to confirm which zone is boarding.
6) You have the pleasure of only being able to sit in 1/2 of your seat thanks to your aisle mate and the flight attendant’s cart rams your body each time it comes down the aisle.
What’s your favorite airline? Continental? American Airlines? Southwest? Would love any tips or recs on your favorite airlines! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
Best Meal: Papatzul
Best Show: Newsies
Most Outrageous: The Forever21 in Times Square is regularly open until 2AM but was open 24/7 for the last two weeks of December. INSANE (and yes, I was there from 10:30pm – 12:00am, don’t judge).
Checking out the new Sabon salts and soaps — my favorite bath & body products in NY.
Hopped off the plane to meet these fabulous city friends! Jennifer Rose, Shallon and Molly – all NYC girls living the (or I should say my) dream life. The highlight of the weekend was getting to see their pretty faces!
Watching these Salvation Army volunteers perform a dance routine while ringing the bell – I can’t even type that without smiling!! So adorable.
Watching some sketchy guys in SoHo sell fur coats out of a minivan….so fantastically strange.
Handmade finger puppets — maybe the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.
Wafles & Dinges – YUM
L’Ecole – a favorite spot in SoHo. A restaurant catered by students studying at the The International Culinary Center.
My FAVORITE booth in Bryant Park – Studio Manhattan Vintage. They’re in the same booth space every year and Karen and I always make visiting this Florida native’s creative booth a priority. She is so beautiful and talented and her unique designs are some of my most interesting pieces of jewelry.
Part II in photos coming next week! Thanks so much for reading – XO –
