Hunt and gather.

It had been too long- I stopped at Hunt and Gather over the weekend (yes, the same place I wrote about nearly four years ago!).  

I also stopped at Paper Hut, a new little gift shop down the road,

and loved these scarves! Jersey knit and screen printed perfection.

Our weekend was busy (I’ll get to the gardening and mother’s day in another post!), but we also got our much-anticipated wedding photo albums. So ridiculously expensive, but SO worth it. Love them.

And it was sunny and warm but not hot or humid. Perfect May weather.

 

More later!

Wavy weekend wonder.

First and foremost, I got my haircut. I knew I wanted to keep it long, so she just cleaned up the ends and the layers. Then, my new friend, Terra the haircutter who doesn’t charge an arm and a leg and has cute kitty cat and squirrel tatoos all over her arm, said “let’s give you some waves! It’s saturday!” I happily obliged and left the salon looking like this, feeling rather hip and fierce. Not sure I have the skills (nor the tools) to do it on my own, but it was fun for a night.

I wore my hole-y cropped sweater because my hair salon is a bit of a hipster-mecca and I didn’t want to stand out too much. Total hipster, right?

Well, the hip fierceness of my haircut and waves lasted about 2.7 minutes, which was when I got pulled over by a buff cop on neighborhood patrol. He said the homeowners in the area had been complaining because people were driving too fast. That’s what happens when you live right off the freeway.

I was going 39 in a 30.

I’ve been emotional lately, so without any effort whatsoever, out came the waterworks.

The waterworks worked, and buff cop let me off with a friendly warning. I think it was the tears, and the hip, fierce waves.

Aye.

We had some people over for dinner on Friday, and it was delish and delightful.

That’s flank steak marinated in balsamic vinegar and shallots, a mint, feta, cucumber and toasted pita salad (loosely based on this), and one of our favorite dishes of all time: trenette al pesto.

And pie, french silk pie.

Saturday night was a low-key little birthday get-together for a lovely lady. Started the evening at a great new spot, and ended at the place where both Bryan and I had our bachelor/ bachelorette dinners (on separate nights!).  I had a burger and fries, and maybe one too many old-fashioned. Darn brandy.

We also walked back and forth along the Hennepin bridge, which is one of my favorite parts of downtown Minneapolis. Love.

Let’s take a little fashion break now. I stopped at the mall after my haircut (and after my run-in with the cop) in search of a birthday gift for a special someone (no success yet), and decided to see what this peplum craze was all about. I was skeptical. A little skirt attached to your hips? Didn’t seem right for a curvy gal like myself. However, surprisingly, I kind of liked the below shirt! It was a fun polka-dot pattern and it had a big gold zipper in the back. Semi-adorable, right? I didn’t buy it as I didn’t think it was really the most versatile or necessary item ever, and I kind of felt like a mix between an overgrown 4th grader and a pregnant housewife. Besides those minor issues, it was sorta cute.

I also tried on this fun floral dress- no purchase, but pretty pattern, right?

And check out this leopard and neon pink! Talk about trendy, right? The pink tank was on sale for $3.99 and the leopard blouse was $19.97. It reminded me so much of the J.Crew Natasha top that I’ve had my eye on for ages (too bad it sold out before it ever went on sale below the $98).

And below is what I wore out on Saturday night- one of my favorite striped tops from Urban Outfitters, my standby scarf, and check out that little bag! It’s khaki and lined with bright yellow- a Gap sales rack find and fun for weekends when you don’t need to drag around so much stuff.

Sunday morning we had my adorable parents over for a super casual brunch. They are so busy these days – jetting around the country on different adventures- that it had been a couple weeks since we saw them. I don’t know if it’s that I’m married now, or that I’m getting older and realizing more and more how important family and friends and the memories you make with them are, but I’m so impressed and intrigued by M&G. They worked so hard for so many years and have developed amazing friendships with a variety of people and just live such a full and wonderful life – woven together by all the people from their past and present, all those people who—weirdly, peripherally, slowly, surely—put into action the sequence of events that make their life whole. I just hope that Bryan and I do such a good job of living life to the fullest (and that my parents continue to make time for us in their busy schedule!).

Wavy Katie, signing out! Have a great week, comrades.

Top dog.

Like a lot of dog owners, we might be a bit overly obsessed with our little canine daughter. And now, we are proud to say she is a graduate! Summa Cum Laude, in our opinion.

Learning is tiring:

Color Me Thirty.

When I got married I used the wedding as an excuse to get my craft on. I’ve done little things here and there since then, but nothing quite like the next project at hand: COLOR ME THIRTY!
Talk about the perfect opportunity to get together with friends, whip up some delicious food and cocktails, throw on that party dress and celebrate. It’s not until May 19th, but there is never too much time to prepare the party, people.

The evite reads:

Then I blinked, and I was turning 30. 

We’ve heard it before: “birthdays aren’t about the number of years.” They are about celebrating growth & new experiences. 

Sure, sure. 

But they are about numbers too. And this is a big one.
30. 30. 30! 
A full-fledged adult! Oh my. 

Numbers or not, it certainly calls for a party. And as all you veterans know, it will be a THEME party. It’s been too long, and we will never outgrow them. 

I thought and I thought, and the one thing that kept crossing my mind was COLOR. Lots of color. Why? Because YOU ALL bring so much color to my life. At 30, it’s more colorful than ever, so let’s celebrate that. Rich and vibrant and lively! 

Wear your favorite brights. Neon, color-blocking, or just a really colorful collection of random colors from head-to-toe. A multi-hued masterpiece.

We’ll serve colorful snacks, bright cocktails, and try not to give you a headache with the kaleidescoped décor. Check out that color wheel and get ready for pantone-mania. 

As always, feel free to bring a friend or a significant other, or perhaps someone who is really colorful and will feel right at home around us. And please bring a drink or snack to share if you so desire. Come for a bit or stay for the night- we’re flexible and casual!

Be there, be bright, and be ready to rock.

 

And here are some images from my birthday board. I have to be careful not to overdo it, but this could be fun.

 

P.S.- Don’t get me started on how I feel about turning 30- that’s a post (or seven) in itself.

Cover photo.

I recently rotated to a new division at work, but my old friends at Yoplait left me with this:

The cover of US Weekly, with Jamie Lynn Spears no less.

Ah, the power of photoshop.

Fun, nonetheless!

A Few Good Days.

A few great days, actually! Weekends rule.

Also, sorry some of these pics are small- I did this post completely from my phone and used the wrong size on most of them! I won’t do it again, promise.

Friday was another day at the ole office, followed by an awesome meal at our most favorite neighborhood bar, Buster’s. We are obsessed with their mussels, and I also had a house salad with calamari (fried! Which obviously isn’t good, but I digress).

Day 12:

8 am- mixed nuts & prunes

12 pm- salad with black beans and tuna

2 pm- Caribou iced tea

7 pm- Mussels and salad with fried calamari

I went on an 8-miler on Saturday morning (I was moving rather slow, but I was moving!). Then we put our feet up for awhile,

before heading to Minnehaha Park for some time with family. I wore my favorite bright orange and gray striped shirt (H&M), gray jeans (Nordstrom Rack) and old school Nikes that I’ve had for ages.

Check out that hip jut! Ha.

We walked along the creek,

to the river,

and past the waterfall.

Then we strolled through the park,

and back to the waterfall again!

Afterwards, we stopped at DQ. Did you know that right now blizzards are buy one, get one for 99 cents? Bry and I split a butterfinger blizzard. Now that’s what I call a cheat!

Lucia even stopped over at our house for a bit (that’s two weekends in a row of that sweet little face).

Day 13:

9 am- 1/2 banana

11 am- Fruit smoothie with peanuts and honey

3 pm- Butterfinger Blizzard

7 pm- Black & refried beans and a salad

Then came Sunday.

I started the day with this:

Pumped and ready for a Minneapolis bike ride. Best city for biking, in my humble opinion.

I went from our house around Hiawatha, along the creek to the Mighty Mississippi.

then I took the Midtown Greenway to Lake Calhoun,

and Lake Harriet too!

Then it was back to Minnehaha, all the way home

to Hiawatha Golf Course.

Quite the ride, and quite the morning.

Sunday afternoon I had a baby shower of a great family friend. I went with good intentions of eating well, but things didn’t go quite as planned. . .

Day 14:

8 am- 1/2 banana

12 pm- Fruit smoothie, grapefruit, some refried beans and carrots

4:30 pm- Baby Shower fare! A plate of spinach salad, watermelon, canteloupe and grapes, dried cherry pasta salad, another salad-y type thing, and a cucumber sandwich. I also had some M&Ms and half a piece of DQ ice cream cake. Aye.

All in all, I was by no means perfect this weekend, but I did my best and most importantly, I felt great and happy and balanced. On to another week!

Week 2 Cheats: Tuesday night happy hour, Butterfinger blizzard on Saturday, baby shower food on Sunday.

Oh, and check out this cute pic of my older brother and I from the mid-80s. Were we cute or what?

Side scrunchy.

I needed a school-aged photo of me for a project at work, so when I was at my parents over the weekend I grabbed this one to scan. I think I was about 7, and remember thinking my hair looked so cool that day.

Rotation Station

I finally updated the picture rails in our sunroom.

It isn’t perfect or final, but that’s the beauty of a spot like this- you can constantly rotate and update frames and photos as you wish! What freedom.

I’d still like to add some photos from our trip to Portland and our honeymoon, but at least there are some wedding photos up now.

I’m not one for  wedding photos on display all over the house, but a few well-placed ones make me happy.

And truthfully, the sunroom is a good place for them- it doesn’t get a ton of traffic, but if someone asks, it’s easily accessible!

I tried to make the frames more compatible- stuck with wood, metals and that burlap one too. I think they work well together.

And best of all, I didn’t buy anything new- they were all frames that I already had around the house. I was running around like a mad woman, switching frames and photos from room to shelf to storage and back out again. Tilly thought I was going nuts.  

Fun fun.

That’s all for now.

Rooms I love.

Do you see this kitchen? How about those wooden shelves built into the brick column? And how about that waterfall marble countertop or the planked ceiling? Amazing.

This window. Speaks for itself, I’d say.

What a dreamy master bedroom. I love the ceiling beams, the massive headboard and big windows, and that rug.

and here’s a similar rug, used in a family room. Love that couch too- caramel leather, come to me!

Mismatched chairs? I’m smitten.

I must have a thing for beams. Rustic beams, even better. Beaming rustic beams!

And what about this warm little setting? Note the table! And the lamp base! and the nailhead chair!

I’d eat my bowl of cereal here.

and store my clothes here.

The island light fixture!

And there’s that rug again. . .

Is that enough for now? I’ll leave you with some color,

and beams of course!

All images (and sources) from my Pinterest page:)

Loving You.

First of all, it’s supposed to snow a foot tomorrow and Wednesday. I’ll believe it when I see it!

 

Secondly, read this:

Why I Write About Body Image

 I write about body image because I love eating cake, but women around me are always dieting.

I write about body image because I have been told it doesn’t matter, but every year, more girls have eating disorders.

I write about body image because everyone cares about beauty, no matter how much we tell ourselves we don’t. And because, really, we are beautiful, no matter how much we tell ourselves we aren’t.

I write about body image because I moved to Manhattan, where suddenly everyone was very thin and very careful about eating and always going to the gym and suddenly it occurred to me that I was not thin enough and not pretty enough and very bad at going to the gym.

I write about body image because I noticed that after I noticed that I was maybe not thin enough, I stopped eating some of my favorite foods. They slipped out of my diet. I said no to dessert. I felt guilty when I gave in and made pasta for dinner. I felt guilty all the time, because all the time, I was cheating. There were all of these rules about what I could and couldn’t eat, and how much of it was OK, and I had somehow memorized them without even being aware of it, and now, when I broke them, I was ashamed.

I write about body image because I got a nose job because my big Jewish nose seemed like the opposite of beauty. Because when I told people that famous, beautiful women never have big Jewish noses, they always said, “What about Barbara Streisand?” and that was a long time ago. No one can think of anyone more recent. And also, because when my boyfriend who became my husband told me over and over that my nose was beautiful, I didn’t really believe him, even though I should have.

I write about body image because people make fun of people who get cosmetic surgery, even though when I got cosmetic surgery, there was nothing funny about it. I hated my face. I wanted to destroy my old face.

I write about body image because I don’t look like a model, but sometimes, automatically, I really wish I looked like a model. And at the same time, I really wish I didn’t wish that.

I write about body image because when I was a little girl, I thought I was gorgeous. I thought that I was gorgeous because I was me.

I write about body image because women are always complimenting each other by saying, “You look like you lost weight!” and because it’s so hard to think that what you are is already enough.

I write about body image because the more I write about body image, the more letters I get from girls and women who tell me how important this topic is. I get letters from women who don’t want to go outside because they feel so unattractive and women whose mothers told them they weren’t ever going to be pretty enough and women who were told by the world that they weren’t worth as much as they actually are, and women who feel fantastic about the way they look and are so relieved. And because the more I write about body image, the better I feel, when I look in the mirror. The better I look to myself. The better I realize I am.

That’s why I write about body image.

And also, cake is just delicious. We really shouldn’t ever give it up.

Kate Fridkis is a Brooklyn-based writer whose work appears regularly on The Frisky and the Huffington Post. She blogs at Eat the Damn Cake. You can follow her on Twitter @eatthedamncake.

Well said, huh?

Baby Fashion.

Babies/Toddlers are a lot of work. So why not have fun with the clothes?

BabyBlackbird does just that.

And seriously, how adorable is the little lady below, in her striped pants and chambray shirt? I die.

Woof.

Dogs are amazing. If you have ever questioned it, read this article.

Especially the last paragraph:

Chancer doesn’t know that Iyal is cognitively impaired. What he knows is that Iyal is his boy. Chancer loves Iyal in a perfect way, with an unconditional love beyond what even the family can offer him. Chancer never feels disappointed in Iyal or embarrassed by Iyal. Beyond cognitive ability or disability, beyond predictions of a bright future or a dismal one, on a field of grass and hard-packed dirt, between the playground and the baseball diamond, you can see them sometimes, the two of them, running, laughing their heads off, sharing a moment of enormous happiness, just a boy and his dog.

Wonder dog, indeed.

Some of the comments were quite amazing, as well:

For countless generations humans have had dogs with them, to protect and defend. The the ages we have turned dogs into social animals who have feelings for their pack, and when they live with humans, we are their pack. They have become sensitive to our dispositions and needs and they constantly strive to help us. How wonderful that they can help the most needy among us, when we cannot help them ourselves.

A remarkably bittersweet tale. In addition to Chancer’s role in bringing out the best in Iyal, I was struck by how important dogs can be to enabling us to approach another person, to see past their flaws, to befriend a person who is sick, disabled, or “different” in some way. It is a bit sad that the unconditional love and patience of a dog has so much to teach us human beings.

I was never a huge dog person. Until we got Tilly.

And now, I can’t imagine our life without her. She keeps us grounded and reminds us what really matters in life: companionship and trust and unabashed LOVE.

Lately, when I have been more down in the dumps than usual (still trying to figure out the cause!), a few cuddles from Tilly are all I need to turn that frown upside down.

Both Bryan and I are overly and obviously obsessed with her: with a face like that, how could we not be?

Mister Master Chester.

How do you feel about the chesterfield sofa?

I can’t decide what I think. I like the tufts, and the shape, and the uniqueness of it, but don’t you think that crumbs and dog hair and other what-nots might get caught and pile up in those aforementioned tufts? There’s no doubt that they have a commanding presence- the sofa should be the focus, and all other accessories/furniture should be non-competitive and simple. Thus the reason why it’s probably not right for our space, as our family room is small and I think we need something with cleaner lines and a simpler shape.

But we can still discuss the Mister Master Chesterfields!

First off, here is a comtemporary reinterpretation, the Hall sofa by Driade.

White sofas are tough, but how great would the above be dressed up with any of these pillows? Answer: so great.

 

vintage kilim chevron pillow $50

2. heart pillow, $50 

3. cross pillow: $42

4. multi-color felt pillow, $150 

Williams Sonoma Home’s version is the Beverly,

The Barclay available at Restoration Hardware, is identical to Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Chester

Grace blogged Anthropologie’s Milo. I love it in this black and white print.

Crate and Barrel’s modified Chesterfield, the Azure can be ordered in denim

CB2’s version, Chet, is simple and economical and probably my favorite. Ole!

 

And the below beauty, courtesy of Craigslist. Imagine dressing that baby up.

 

But sadly, I have come to the conclusion that I will likely never purchase a chesterfield. Too many other great stuff out there. But they sure are prettttttty.

So many sources.

There are SO many sources out there for home decorating inspiration (at times it’s rather overwhelming, I’d say!). But why not add another? I’m sure you all know about Pinterest and Design Sponge and all the amazing home decorating blogs out there, but did you know about the online magazines available?

My favorite: Janell from Isabella and Max Rooms started an online mag last year called House Of Fifty.  She is such a strong voice in the home blogging community and obviously knows how to curate (and create) a collection of awesome home inspiration. House of Fifty is a beautiful collaboration from some seriously talented designers. And they just launched a House Of Fifty App so you can read on your ipad!  Take the time to click the mag and read through it- you won’t be disappointed.

Now if I could just find a way to make more money, work less in the office, and flip houses in all my spare time with all my spare money:)

2011 Highlights

Polaroid frames from IrockSoWhat (check her out).