friday finds

Happy Friday! And happy long weekend! Any fun plans? Unlike everyone I seem to talk to, we're staying in the city this weekend. We have a friend staying with us from out of town, making it a great excuse to get together with our large group of friends. We have several dinners and brunches planned, which you know I love. Planning to hit up a few of the Memorial Day sales too. So many good deals this weekend! Hope you have a fantastic and restful three days! Btw, I can't believe it's SUMMER!

Links I'm loving from the web this week :::

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About those Memorial Day Sales...

     - J. Crew has 30% off sale with code PACKME.

     - J. Crew Factory has 50% off everything. No promo code needed.

     - Madewell has 30% off sale with code OHYES.

     - Club Monaco has 30% off sale and 50% off clearance with code MEM2014.

     - C. Wonder has 50% off sale and 30% off select items. No promo code needed.

     - Nordstrom has their half-yearly sale going on for women, kids, and home.

     - Gap has 40% off regular priced items with code EVENT.

     - Ann Taylor has 40% off select styles. No promo code needed.

     - Loft has 40% off everything with code MUSTSHOP.

^^and those are just the ones I actually paid attention to in my inbox!

Some fun stuff going on if you'll be in NYC this holiday weekend.

Ultimate guide to New York rooftop bars. And this one looks neat too.

Also. LOBSTER BOAT!

Sad and happy tears watching this.

I was so intrigued by what's inside chefs' fridges. You can tell so much about a person by what's in their fridge, right?

Finally, a Midwest favorite of mine hits the Big Apple. Welcome to New York, Dairy Queen!

What a beautiful yoga mat.

The perfect light and easy summer dessert.

I've been doing this work out lately. Love that I can do it from the apartment (while watching The Bachelorette).  

Truth.

•••••

Wishing you a weekend full of friends, laughter, and memories! 

Summer, were we come!

-Katie-

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mother's day interview

^^ Mother's Day 1987

For Mother's Day this year, I wanted to do something a little different. Rather than a gift guide and an emphasis on things, I wanted to honor my mom by interviewing her. I wanted to hear about her experience as a mom and how it has changed her as a person. I wanted to give her an opportunity to reflect and give advice. 

Her answers are fantastic! This interview is something my sister Emily and I will cherish forever. I encourage you to interview your mom this Mother's Day. It's such a fun and rewarding exercise!

Below is the interview with my mom...

♥

friday finds

Happy Friday!  How adorable is this ^^ photo?  I'm using it to pretend that New York City is still in a pretty white blanket of snow and not it's actual state of brown slush.  I have a quiet weekend planned - Al got called to Chicago at the last minute for work all weekend so it will be a lot of me and Lily Girl catching up on girly things - you know - reading the giant pile of magazines on my desk, going to Sephora, and checking out the new J.Crew spring stuff. Important tasks.  (Don't worry Al, we still miss you!)

While I'm off being productive sans-husband, check out what I'm loving this week from around the web:

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This is why I love HONY.

Whether you call this city your home or you're coming for a visit, this is incredibly helpful and informative.

This is one of those, "why didn't I think of that?" ideas.  Def going to try it out for our next big event. (via PureWow)

This video is all over the place this week.  I can't get enough of it.  A reminder to enjoy everything this world gives us.

In New York this Saturday? Go here.  (CHEAP GOOD WINE!)

Funny tumblr.

Even funnier tumblr.  This is still my favorite episode.

What beautiful illustrations.

Things to know before you go to Paris.

We definitely need this for our gallery wall. 

You know, I think I'd be very happy in this darling cottage.

I didn't know anything about Peggy Guggenheim before reading this article.  What a character!

This made my heart melt.  They should start a charity where people can donate to help do this in their local communities. 

Coffee connoisseur?  You'll love this.

Leaving you with this.  It's like he read my mind.

•••••

Have an awesome weekend!

xoxo,

K

P.S.  Things you might have missed:  'Always go to the funeral' and How to do Valentine's Day at home.

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do the right thing

This morning as I was crossing the slushy street to my office building, I saw a Coke delivery man carrying cases of bottled soda step into a puddle, slip, fall, and spill dozens of bottles of Coke all over the intersection.  My light changed to walk and as the crowd started across the street, cars began to move and honk at the man trying to pick up each bottle.  It's safe to say that the intersection in front of my building is a busy one - especially at 9 in the morning as commuters rush to get to work on time.  There were about 30 people at the intersection when the delivery man fell.  Only two people stopped to help him.  I found myself quickly weighing the odds of being even later than I already was vs. helping the man.  I helped him. Me and one other guy stopped, reached our hands into the slushy water and retrieved bottle after bottle of Coke and then helped the man across the street.  It is those split second moments - the tiny debate of preserving one's self and doing the right thing - where humanity lives.  I didn't pick up the coke because people were watching me and would reward me (and that's not why I'm telling you now).  It's because I felt compelled to do the right thing.  

I've been thinking about this notion more recently after I heard this story about "always going to the funeral" on my morning NPR (transcript here). In her essay, Deidre Sullivan writes about always going to the funeral as a larger philosophy.  She says, 

"Always go to the funeral" means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don't feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don't really have to and I definitely don't want to. I'm talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy. You know, the painfully under-attended birthday party. The hospital visit during happy hour. The Shiva call for one of my ex's uncles. In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn't been good versus evil. It's hardly so epic. Most days, my real battle is doing good versus doing nothing."

She's right isn't she?  It's not that I saw the delivery guy slip and fall and evilly thought, "I'm not going to help him; serves him right".  It's more that I could have easily thought "sucks to be him" and kept walking.  It's easier to do nothing.  But I'll tell you one thing, I feel really good this morning.  And that poor man, drenched from the puddle he fell in to, looked up at me in disbelief and thanked me a million times over.  I'm hoping just as I remembered Deidre's message to "always to go the funeral", this will help you remember to stop and do the right thing.  And for the record, no one cared that I was 5 more minutes late for work.

xoxo,

K

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2013: a look back

{sunrise in Mexico}

Oh hello!  We are on our way back to New York today after an amazing time in both Kansas and Mexico.  Recaps to come, but for now I thought I'd kick off the new year with this fun list of questions. I saw these floating around on tumblr and I thought it would be a great exercise to recap our year...

1: What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?

Traveled to France, got promoted, grew the blog (big woop for brands asking me to sponsor posts!).

2: Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? 

(A reminder of last year's resolutions.) As for eating better, we really did a great job until about November.  Since then, we've been eating like we're on vacation.  So ready to feel healthy again.  I still use two spaces after a period and I’m convinced that’s now an unchangeable trait.  I am a little better at being on time, maybe an increase of 25% but I'm still not up to ALWAYS on time.  We did great “going” to church for the first six months, but then went through our summer slump and never got back on it.  Working out twice a week still is a hilarious concept to me; one that was never reached 2013.  Here’s to starting fresh this year…

3: Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, apparently everyone I’m friends with on Facebook had a baby or got pregnant this year.  It’s funny to see the stages of life via social media.  A few years ago it was all engagements, then weddings, then houses, then babies.  We have done the first two – house and baby still pending. ;) 

4: What countries did you visit?

France (Paris, Avignon, St. Tropez - yikes! I still need to blog about St. Tropez!), UK (just the LHRairport), Mexico.

5: What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013

More patience. 

6: What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Continuing to blog despite being massively busy at work.  It seems silly, but those of you who do it know how much time, thought, and creativity it takes and how some days it just seems like you took off way too big of a bite.  It really is such a great outlet for me to feel like I'm doing something else with my brain.  I'm happy I kept it going, even if some days it felt like this little site was on life support.

7: What was your biggest failure?

Getting in a rut.  Or, rather, not getting out of it.  I had a month or so this fall where I couldn't seem to kick my negative attitude.  It was one of those times where I couldn't see the good in anything and I struggled.  I’m happy to report I’m out of that funk and look back at it as an opportunity to learn how important it is to find happiness in even the crummiest of times.

8: Did you suffer illness or injury?

I’m convinced I sprained my wrist in Mexico.  But I’m a bit of a hypochondriac about sprains in general so Al has been ignoring my complaints completely.  Oh, and I had that rough bout with the flu in January for about a week.  Awful, awful thing.

9: What was the best thing you bought?

Maybe that chalkboard table runner paper.  I also used it for wrapping paper this year.  Oooh or maybe the Lily wrapping paper (you'll see it in my Christmas recap).  And also my black booties and green coated jeans from Madewell.  Both got a lot of play this winter. 

10: Whose behavior merited celebration?

Jennifer Lawrence, Al - he has a great attitude even though he works 16 hour days, and Ina Garten (always).

11: Whose behavior made you appalled?

Miley, Kris Jenner.  Ugh to both of them.

12: Where did most of your money go?

Thanks to Al’s extensive budget (he keeps a crazy excel budget and notes every dollar we spend and to what category it belongs), I can tell you that we spent the most this year on eating out (we had some pricey, but exceptional meals this year. God bless Blue Hill), and vacations (again, so so worth it).  

13: What did you get really, really, really excited about?

France (do you see a trend here?), Mexico with my family, Christmas in Kanas, Friendsgiving, Stone Barns Farm.

14: Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?

a.) Happier

b.) Fatter – I’ve been pretty much eating like calories don’t count since Friendsgiving.  I need to reintroduce myself to the treadmill this year.

c.)  ha.  Do people really answer this?  I’ll say richer – in that I feel over the past year my life has grown in richness exponentially.

15: What do you wish you’d done more of?

Worked out.

16: What do you wish you’d done less of?

Work.  

17: How did you spend Christmas?

With my dad and Melanie,  in Lawrence with snow on the ground.  Joined by my sister, step-sister, step-brother, a french bulldog, a labrodoodle, and a grate dane.  Oh, and Mel’s amazing biscuits and gravy.  It. Was. Spectacular. 

19: Did you fall in love in 2013?

Yes.  Over and over again with my sweet man.

20: What was your favorite TV program?

As you know, we’re big TV people.  Shows we binge watched:  Homeland Season 1 and 2, Downton Abbey, House of Cards, The Wonder Years, Al went on a huge Wire kick, Orange is the New Black.

21: What was the best book you read?

I really grew to love The Interestings, although in hindsight I dislike the ending (although, I always dislike endings that don’t go the way I think they will).  Fell in love with this cookbook as well.  Currently entangled in the life of Theo Decker in (the extremely long tale) The Goldfinch.

22: What was your greatest musical discovery?

Not caring generally too much about music and not having a car in which we listen to the radio, I’m sad to say that most of our musical discoveries are songs we come to know months after they became popular.  Al joked the other night that we are now the category of people who think the 'Now That's What I Call Music' CDs' are current.

23: What did you want and get?

Time with my Al and our extended families.  Bernice the Camera.

24: What did you want and not get?

A sick pack.  Abs, not beer.  The beer is partly what prevented the abs.

25: What was your favorite film of this year?

Argo

26: What was the best thing you made this year?

Probably the roasted shrimp with feta.  Or the seafood gratin.  Both were simple, yet elegant and very satisfying.  Both from Ina, of course.

27: What one thing made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Travel and leisure.  Verbs – not the magazine.

28: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?

Ask Ashley and Jolie and do what they say.

29: What kept you sane? 

Al, Lily, Sleep, Wine Nights

30: Who did you miss?

My sister. Every day.  I find myself constantly wishing she was next to me so we can laugh at all the funny moments of life together.  She's also really good at snugging. 1,200 miles apart sucks.

31: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.

Take time for yourself.  Find the good.  And these 28 things.

32:  A quote that sums up your year.

"It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are." - James Mackintosh

Wow.  What a year.  Feeling very fortunate.  Wishing you a enlightening 2014 full of happiness, silliness, and lots and lots of snugs.

xoxo,

K

28 things

Wow.  28 years old today.  Sometimes I feel older than that. But most days I feel like I should still be 25.  It sounds so cliche, but now I get it when people mutter "where has the time gone?". 28 seems nice though. 28 seems wise, settled, fun.  I think I'll get used to 28 just fine.  

I've learned a thing or two in my 28 years years.  Here are 28 things I know to be true:

1. Dogs > humans
2. I've said it before, and Ill say it again:  Hallelujah for the cleaning lady.
3. Friends can be family.
4. Early to bed early to rise.  (i.e. sleep is important.)
5. It's okay to argue as long as the end goal is a resolution.
6. Seasonal decor, while seemingly a waste of time and space, does make a difference.
7. Communication, communication, communication.
8. In the morning:  hot water with a squeeze of half a lemon.  It's a must.
9. Listen to what is being said, instead of thinking about what you are going to say next.
10. Celebrate the little things.
11. The only trick to good skin is to wash your face before bed.
12. In a confrontation, avoid the words 'never' and 'always'.  Hyperbolizing about a fault or mistake won't get you anywhere.
13. Travel is more than seeing new places. It opens your mind and your heart and leaves you forever changed.
14. Shake Shack makes the best burger.
15. Avoid constantly wanting the next step.  Focus on living in the now.
16. Know what time of day your mind is the sharpest and tackle the more difficult tasks at that time.
17. Admit when you're wrong.
18. No matter how comfortable you get living away from your family, you'll always miss them just the same.
19. When overwhelmed, break things down in to parts and do one step at a time. 
20. Food is so good.  So is portion control.
21. Don't compare your life to others.  Make your own life.
22. Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do for longer than you'd like. And that is okay. 
23. Drink. More. Water.
24. Every day:  Be a good partner. 
25. Know when to say no. But don't say no just because what is asked of you seems difficult.
26. There is no relationship quite like that of sisters.
27. Marriage is the most important thing. Sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it is work. Sometimes it is the focus and other times it is in the background.  But it is always the most important thing.
28. Find time each day to do something that fulfills you.

Here's to my 28th year.  May it be my best year yet.

xoxo,

K

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weekend recap

What a weekend.

It was exactly what I wanted - productive, restful, and ended with friends watching a Chiefs win!  

Take a look...

I love the view from my office.  What spectacular light we had on Friday.

Friday night we officially decided that Friedman's (the new place in our neighborhood) is officially our Friday night spot.  It's so nice to be able to just walk a few steps to a nice, cute, affordable spot and enjoy good conversation with each other.  Also, they have this sign hanging (in the bathroom), so it pretty much sealed the deal for me.

^^ #truth

After dinner we went to get a donut for dessert (my new favorite thing to do).

I came out with a whole box.  Wups!

^^ P.S. that pumpkin donut on the bottom left is to die for.

Saturday morning Al woke up bright and early to go play golf. 

I slept in (it was glorious) and when I woke up he'd already sent me this photo.

Gorgeous view and great weather for a day outside.

Once I finally got out of bed, I tackled the most annoying chore ever:  switching out my closet for the season.  I'm not sure why I dread this task so much.  It's actually kind of fun to remember all the sweaters and jackets I had under the bed.  I think maybe I dislike it because I always have a moment of panic thinking "where am I going to put all this stuff?!!?"  T.G. for Space Bags.  Except when your darling dog bites one and it no longer seals.  Love her.

With the closet done (in record time), Lil and I headed to the park.  We just HAD to be outside in the beautiful weather.  We wandered the park for a good two hours, playing some, listening to the live music, and people watching.  Not a bad Saturday afternoon.

What a beautiful day.  Check out that light.

One of those views that makes you sigh and think "gosh I love this park/city/day/life".

Al came home from golf and we had one of those talks that goes something like this:

"So what do you want to do tonight?

 "I don't care.  I'm down for whatever, but I don't really want to get all dolled up."

 "Okay, me neither.  Um should we just go down to the village for dinner?"

"Um sure"

.... 5 minutes later...

 "Okay, I don't want to be a loser, but I don't really feel like going out"

"OMG me neither!  I thought you did so I was going along with it.  Can we just stay in?"

...and in less than a minute we were on the couch in our soft clothes watching The Wonder Years.

Perfect night.

Sunday was all about the CHIEFS!

Since they were playing the Giants we were able to watch the game from home.

We had lots of friends over, ate lots of food, and had a great time.  

Also, this is what $25 worth of Velveeta looks like.

Thank you New York pricing.

Lily's best friend, Lucca, got a new baby sister over the weekend.

Meet Chewy.  She's 11 weeks old and so soft and snuggly.

Chiefs win!

This little family of mine.  Boy do they make life good.

Also, note how focused we are on Lily, per usual.  That dog is so loved.

Hope you had a happy weekend.

xoxo,

K

P.S. That Breaking Bad series finale?!?!?  We loved it!

friday finds

Friday.  

We made it.  

T. G. for serious.

I'm so excited for a quiet weekend.

I need to rest, clear my head, and have some peace.

I'm noticing a trend where every Friday I declare I have to put my life back together and then Monday it all unravels again.  

Probably not the best thing, huh?

Meanwhile, here's what I'm loving from around the web this week...

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A pretty accurate account living in New York in your early twenties.

“New York is the prom king. He knows he's great, and he's gonna make it really, really hard on you if you decide you want to love him.”

Is technology interfering with your real human interaction?

I think Al would definitely vote for the "phone stack game" when we dine out.

Reminds me of this book that I mentioned a few weeks ago.

For the sports fans out there:

1.) Oh my goodness Mariano's last game.  Made me tear up.

2.) Our friend, Corban, wrote an awesome article about the Royals.

3.) Chiefs + horses + Eric Berry

Currently reading.

It took me awhile (like 20% on my kindle) to get into it.

But now, oh yes!  Reminds me of Hunger Games a lot.

Genius.

Too early to buy it as a stocking stuffer?

A good one to remember.

-----

Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

K

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tuesday inspiration

Or as Dory would say,  

Hang in there kids, it's only Tuesday. 

Back tomorrow with some fall fashion for ya.

xoxo,

K

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refresh

I always get a little depressed at the end of summer.  

Thankfully it's offset by the back to school excitement I feel around this time of year.

Despite having not attended school in five years, 

I still get the little flutter of anticipation to get back into a routine - 

to clean out my closets, 

to reorganize life, 

to set up new systems to for all the the meetings, mail, meals, and activities.

It's all so invigorating to a girl like me.  

So while this last week of summer comes to an end, 

I'm trying to focus not on the fact that it's over, 

but rather that with a new season comes the refresh and the routine that I so often need this time of year.

^^ And one more photo of peonies for the season.  j'adore.

xoxo,

K

{image and graphic by me}

almost there!

Hi hi!

I've been hammering away getting things off my plate at work before we leave.

Lots of prep work so that I can make sure to do #2 listed in the above quote. :) 

I fell asleep mid-draft last night in writing what I thought would be today's post.

Clearly I'm in need of a vacation!

Back tomorrow with a post all about packing.

Until then, back to work I go.

XOXO,

K

{photo source .  Graphic by me.}

five things I know for sure

Sometimes when life gets really busy and it seems like you'll never have the time to do all the things you want to do, it's helpful to step back, take a moment, and think about what really matters.  

I love reading in O Magazine the "five things I know for sure".

Such truth and wisdom emerges when you narrow life down to five small things.

Here are mine.

Five Things I Know For Sure

1.  Getting out of bed on time really pays off.

Starting your day on the right foot and not rushing really makes a difference.  On mornings when I get out of bed on time, do a light work out, make the bed and actually blow dry my hair, I feel more awake and alert than if I had hit the snooze button an extra three five times.

2. It really is better to do one thing at a time.

Our generation could easily be labeled as master multitaskers.  We listen to music while we study, we watch TV while reading, we text while walking, we have at minimum 37 windows open on our computers at all times.  But my end product is much better when I do one thing at a time.  I make less mistakes and I feel calmer.  This applies to the fun stuff too - focusing on whatever it is you're doing at that instant allows you be in the moment and enjoy details that are often missed.

3. Cleaning ladies are worth every last cent.

Even though I can almost vacuum our entire apartment by using just one electrical outlet, I despise cleaning house.  Tidying I enjoy; toilets I do not.  Maybe it's because I live with a boy and it's grosser.  But, in a world when we're working longer hours and trying to get every last thing into every last minute of the day, sometimes it pays off to not have to clean the baseboards and de-soap scum the shower on your Saturday morning.  Sometimes outsourcing a chore is better than doing it yourself.

4.  Tone of voice matters (so do 'please' and 'thank you').

Whether it's a parent-child conversation, a boss-employee interaction, or a husband-wife moment, tone of voice really matters.  No one likes to be shouted at - and I don't know about you, but I never feel good after I've shouted at someone.  People are much more apt to help if you ask in a polite way.  And for that matter, when it is required that you use a stern (key word is stern - not rude) tone of voice - people will know you're serious. :) 

5.  Find time to do what you love.

Not all of us can make a living doing what we love, but all of us should find ways to squeeze in a little bit of our favorite stuff each day.  I know that this is easier said than done.  But the clothes can sit in the dryer for an hour longer while you go on a walk.  Dinner can start later so you can get a manicure.  That last email can wait until the morning so you can get home to your family.  The work and chores in life will never ever end.  Don't wait to do what you want for when you get free time or when life gets less busy.  You'll be waiting a long time if you do.

What are your 5 things?

xoxo,

K

P.S.  The sixth thing I know for sure is that french bulldogs make everything better.

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