weekend recap

Hello! How was your Valentine's Day weekend? I had a long weekend (my office was closed yesterday) so my mom and sister came to visit and help set up our new place. I'm sure it didn't make for a very romantic Valentine's Day for Al, spending it with his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, but we've never been very big Vday people. And we got so much done; it was incredible! We also, of course, ate a lot (of Mexican food), laughed a lot, and shopped a little. Here are a few photos...

I received this lovely photo Thursday evening as my visitors headed South. Only an hour and fifteen minute flight and they still got slap happy. 

They arrived just in time for dinner - and to serve as our first dinner guests at our new table. I foresee many long dinners with friends and family around this table.

Friday we were up at 5:15am for our Camp Gladiator work out. Al and I have been going for two weeks now and really love it. Not only is it a good work out, but we are meeting new people too. I can't believe mom and Em (okay, mostly Emily) got up that early to come with us - especially because it was so cold that morning (the class is outside). We got there early, believe it or not; so what else do you do at 5:45am other than take a selfie?

Friday morning I worked and then we went furniture shopping (as you may recall, we need a lot of new furniture). We kind of struk out, but did get some ideas for things like rugs and end tables that I want to wait and buy until after our sofa arrives.  And here's Em modeling our new chair (kidding!).

Nothing to cure the I-can't-believe-we-didn't-buy-anything-blues than some Mexican food at Mia's. We'd been before when we came to Dallas to look for town homes, and thought it was the perfect hole-in-the-wall place for Mom and Emily. It was good (but not as good as I remembered - we had sort of a terrible server) and the margaritas strong. We'll be back, especially since it is minutes from our place.

Saturday - Valentine's Day! I made pancakes for the crew and we all opened our Valentines. Tea towels for the ladies and chocolates for Al.

^^ Lily got a special Valentine's Day treat too. As if she needed more toys.

And then we spent the entire rest of the day outdoors because it was 75 DEGREES! A walk on the Katy trail, followed by more shopping, and then a picnic on our roof deck (still no furniture, but we did get a cute outdoor rug). Perfection. Especially for mid-February.

Sunday started with a huge breakfast at Buzz Brews followed by the world's longest trip to Home Depot. 

^^ Roll your own breakfast scramble. Yes, please.

^^ Totally normal to make your brother-in-law cart you around the hardware store while shouting aisle numbers we need to hit.

Back at home, we put our Home Depot goods to work - a shelf and organized laundry room, a ridiculously tidy guest closet with Christmas storage (not pictured), and new flowers for our patio. I love that kind of productivity. Felt so good. But we were exhausted afterwards! Pizza and the SNL 40 special and we were out.

^^ I should have taken a before photo of the mountain of random stuff from which this originated.

^^ Lily was so curious. Also notice the spoon. We forgot to buy gardening tools.

^^ Quite possibly the three sleepiest girls of all time.

Monday after another early morning Camp Gladiator (for three of the four of us - I'll let you guess who slept in), we cleaned up and headed for lunch and a day of non-furniture shopping. Lunch at Mia Cocina (because it had been two whole days since our last dose of queso) and shopping our way around the West Village (the Dallas version, not the New York West Village). 

^^ One last back tickle for Miss Mayo from my mom.

And then we had to say our goodbyes and they were off to cold and snowy Kansas. A million thank yous to my mom and sister for all of the work they did while they were here. Our house wouldn't have begun to feel like a home without you! 

And now it seems so quite here today. Lily is keeping watch by her window to see if Mom and Em are coming back. 

Hope you had a productive weekend. Stay warm out there kids!

weekend recap

Well hello! Hope everyone survived the first day back to work. A quick New Year's Eve & Weekend Recap here for you.  We had a low key NYE and generally a friend-filled weekend.  Here are a few photos...

For New Year's we kept it simple and in my opinion, it was perfect. Our friends Elle and Greyson (and their ten week old baby!) hosted a beautiful dinner for us in their apartment. Reflecting on the year with close friends, resolving to commit to silly things (there may have been a bet about a man bun), and toasting the new year. Wouldn't have done it any other way.

^^ Elle's beautiful table setting.

^^ We had our own (much prettier) ball for the midnight countdown. Thankfully ours didn't drop at midnight.

^^ Love this crew.

New Years Day for most is a day of lounging and napping, but for me January 1 means one thing - my darling friend, Jolie's birthday! Going on six years together celebrating her birth.

Friday was super lazy. Perfectly lazy. Starting with the two sleepiest Rose family members staying in bed until the late morning hours while I worked from home. Al works very hard and very late hours during the week so I don't mind him catching up on his sleep during the weekends. Especially when I go in the bedroom and see this...

A full day's work (from the couch) followed by a soak in the tub, face mask, and pizza. A homebody's dream. 

^^ This was my second time trying a paper face mask. They're a little hard to put on (see half my cheek that I missed), but they leave my skin so soft! I've tried this brand before and this time used one Jolie got me for my birthday (unsure on the brand).

^^ New Year. Same Friday positions. 

In an effort to actually leave the house for the first time in two days, we met our friend Carrie Saturday night for dinner at a new-ish place we've been wanting to try - County. Both the decor and the food were fantastic. Definitely get the salmon tartare for an appetizer. We also tried the charcuterie board and I had the grilled lobster. I'm thinking of resolving to eat a grilled lobster every Saturday in the New Year it was that good. Highly recommend County. Go check it out!

^^ You know how much I love those lights. I heart big bulbs.

Sunday was all about gearing up to be working, productive human beings come Monday. From thank you notes, to budget planning for the year (for both our household and for my sister - Al is helping her with her budget and savings plan this year so sweet), to soup in a crock pot. It was a real-deal, get stuff done type of Sunday. Just the kind I like. 

^^ It only takes a few minutes to write a thank you note. JUST DO IT! I also like the notion that you should try to write a thank you note without including the word "thank you" more than once. Try it - it's difficult, but makes your note much more powerful and thoughtful.

^^ Loving my new planner from May Desings. Remember, I had them on my holiday gift guide?  And after searching for 26 years for the perfect pen, I've been using Pilot G2s for the past three years and love them. Especially a fresh 20 pack. 

^^ Don't worry. There was still time for naps for one of us. #SundaysAreForNaps

^^ Sunday supper was chicken and wild rice soup in the crock pot. Trying out a new recipe. It still needs a little work, but I'll share soon!

^^ My sweet husband (excel master and budget enthusiast) on multiple hour long calls with my sister (master shopper and budget novice). It was so fun to listen to them. Love you both. And Al, you're totally nuts if you think she's going to reconcile her bank account with her spreadsheet EVERY DAY. :) 

And then it was Monday morning. And we could barely keep our eyes open while sitting up. 

Hope you had a fantastic New Years Eve and weekend!  Here's to crushing it this week! 

how to: procrastinate less

Hi everyone!  Just a quick bit to share with you today. I've been exhausted this week after work and have let my content suffer. I have so many posts that are almost ready for publishing, but I haven't found time to give them final edits. 

Along those same lines, I thought I'd share a podcast I can't seem to get out of my head about none other than...procrastination. 

In the segment, they identify three strategies to help prevent procrastination: 

1.)  Change what scares you. Some of us can't get started because we're afraid of failing. The logic goes: if you don't try, you can't fail. But Halvorson says we're fearing the wrong thing. Don't fear failure. Fear the consequences of not getting it done or not accomplishing something that's meaningful. That fear triggers a different response by creating the urgency that can propel us forward.
2.)  Stop waiting to "feel" like doing whatever is on the to-do list. We all have tasks we need, or even want, to do, but never quite "feel" like starting. Waiting to "feel" like it is an excuse to avoid finishing. Feelings have nothing to do it. Some stuff just needs to get done.
3.)  Make a plan. Be specific. Don't clear our your inbox "tomorrow." Clear it out tomorrow from 2:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Don't trust yourself to make the right decision in the moment. Make it ahead of time and stick to it. 

I definitely fall victim to #2.  If only my to do list consisted of "sit on the couch with french bulldog", because that is what I usually feel like doing. :)  I also could do a better job of planning when I do things, but I usually don't plan things because I'm waiting to see what I feel like doing. Vicious circle of feelings here.

So while I try and tackle those items I've let slide for too long, take a listen to the full podcast. I found it fascinating and extremely helpful!

Take a listen:

Source:  NPR's Money Talking

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weekend recap

And just like that the weekend is over. How was yours? Ours was perfect. I wasn't as productive as I hoped to be yesterday, but some days you just need to be a little lazy, right? Here are a few photos...

Friday night we had dinner at Friedman's. We hadn't been in quite some time. It was good to be back. Afterwards we watched The Book Thief. My sister recommend it and she was right - it was very very good. Although, it would have given me bad dreams (I have a low threshold for movies that scare me), so I made Al watch Frozen with me. ☺

(Confession - this photo is actually from last weekend. I've watched Frozen roughly 10 times since.)

Saturday morning I was up and around making some treats to take to brunch with my girlfriends. The other two members of my family were not as gung-ho. After a walk around the block, they stetted in for a nice Saturday nap. 

^^ My new favorite photo.

Gathered with the girls for our SIXTH annual springtime/Easter brunch. Crazy we've been doing this that long. It's so nice to know that twice a year we all make time to get together and catch up, eat yummy food, and spend time together. Love you girls!

Speaking of food, please observe my friend Bekah's genius. This was extremely tasty. I'm going to sprinkle Cool Ranch Doritos on everything now!

Some fun with my fellow lob (long bob) ladies. In the past few months, the three of us have all cut our hair short. I mean, here's your Pinterest inspiration photo right here, people. 

Annnd midnight Dominoes back at home with Al. That Dominoes app is trouble I tell you. Wayyyy too convenient. 

Sunday started productively. I've decided to do my seasonal closet switch in two stages this time. Stage 1: purge. Stage 2 (to take place next weekend): swap winter for summer. Took several bags to consign and several more to donate. Lily supervised the entire thing. Couldn't have done it with out her.

And then, we napped. Because it's what we do on Sundays. 

For supper we headed to Momofuku Ssam Bar for the bo ssam dinner. The dinner was set up for our friend, Matt's birthday. But we had an additional reason to celebrate - Matt and his girlfriend Megan got engaged! Such a fun night. And check out our dinner. That is one giant pork shoulder. So good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

And we had to get a birthday cake from Milk Bar after dinner. It was a really healthy few hours. ;) 

While the rest of the group watched Game of Thrones Season 4 premier, Al and I headed home and started season 1. I've known we've been missing out on the Game of Thrones bandwagon for sometime. High time we started it. Because we want to fit in.

^^ Notice anyone special in there?

Here's to an easy week!

xo,

K

{game of thrones source}